Traditionally construction and wooden products sector select naturally growntimber for most of their timber requirements. These include high rated rarehardwood timber species such as mee, satin, wewarana, milia, palu, halmilla,hulanhik, etathimbiri, dun, alubo, liyan and suriyamara. These species are mostlygrown in natural forests and their supplies have now become very limited. Hencetimber industry has to rely on alternative timber species that originate fromsources other than natural forests. Properties that are essential for the introductionof plantation and home gardens species to the market are discussed in this paper. Based on density and strength properties, Eucalyptus grandis, E. microcorys,ginisapu, teak, mahogany and jak are potential construction timbers for the future.Teak is an excellent durable timber however it is very expensive. Mahogany is agood timber for door and window frames and sashes but sapwood of this speciesis susceptible for powder-post beetle and termite attack. Jak is a durabletraditional species but felling and usage of this species has been controlled.Eucalyptus is also a durable timber that can be used in construction. Out of twoEucalyptus species E. microcorys is a better timber in terms of its higher densityand resistance to splitting compared with E. grandis. Wooden products sector includes furniture and export oriented wooden productssuch as toys and wooden components. Albizia, alstonia, lunumidella, pine, rubberand mahogany are some of the potential timbers that can be used in manufacturingthese products. Albizia and lunumidella are used in the manufacture of woodenpanels. However most of these species are not durable, hence they should be usedin interior environments not exposed to water. It is essential to treat non-durable timbers with preservative chemicals before use.For heavy construction and for exterior applications they should be treated bypressure impregnation mehods using CCA (Copper chorme arsenate). For interiorwooden products boron treatment would be adequate. However, results indicatedthat vacuum pressure impregnation method or low cost hot and cold open tankmethod are more successful in treatment of boron compounds compared withcommonly used diffusion methods. Results show low density species such asalbizia, lunumidella, pine, alstonia and rubber can be easily treated with diffusionmethods. However treatability of heavy density timbers such as E. grandis and E.microcorys are low. It is also essential to season these timbers properly beforebeing used. While our short term timber requirements are satisfied with imported species suchas kempus, tualang and balau, it is essential to plan for the local fast growing treespecies discussed in this paper to supply the required timber essential for theconstruction and wooden products sector


BIO 14.6 Syrian hamsters and diabetic KK mice have been reported to develop hereditary cardiomyopathy spontaneously. In order to investigate the pathophysiological role of carnitine metabolism in hereditary cardiomyopathy, tissue levels of carnitine derivatives and the histology of the heart, liver and skeletal muscles from BIO 14.6 hamsters and KK mice were studied. Free carnitine levels in the heart of the BIO 14.6 hamsters (287.0 +/- 27.0 n mole/g wet tissue) were significantly lower than in the control group (348.8 +/- 83.8, p less than 0.05). Short chain acylcarnitine (197.0 +/- 56.0 n mole/g wet tissue) and total carnitine (667.6 +/- 136.4 n mole/g wet tissue) in the hearts of the BIO 14.6 hamsters were significantly lower than in the control group (short: 425.2 +/- 54.8, total: 1023.6 +/- 81.4, p less than 0.001). There was no significant difference in the levels of various carnitine derivatives of the liver and skeletal muscles from the BIO 14.6 hamsters and control hamsters. On the other hand, carnitine derivatives in KK mice did not change significantly compared with those in the heart, liver and skeletal muscles of the control mice. Histological findings showed that heart muscle degeneration and necrosis were found in both cardiomyopathic animals. Coagulative necrosis was found in both animals, whereas myocytolytic necrosis was found only in the BIO 14.6 hamsters. In KK mice, the right ventricle, especially tissue under the epicardium, was severely affected compared with the left ventricle. In the BIO 14.6 hamsters, however, lesions were scattered over both ventricles with a predilection for the left ventricle.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
This study compared the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic nasobiliary drainage(ENBD) to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage(PTBD) for the treatment of acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis (AOSC).

METHODOLOGY
AOSC patients were assigned to undergo either ENBD (n=22) or PTBD(n=15).

RESULTS
In the ENBD group, the procedure was successfully completed in 19 patients (86.4%), where- as it was converted to PTBD in 3 patients (13.6%) due to the failure of antegrade cholangiography. All the patients in the PTBD group underwent first- or second-look PTBD successfully.

CONCLUSIONS
ENBD is effective for the treatment of AOSC, facilitating subsequent endoscopic or surgical intervention. PTBD is an effective and safe alternative to ENBD in patients unsuitable for ENBD.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the therapeutic effect on post-stroke strephenopodia treated with jiaotong qiaomai (harmonizing the heel vessel) needling technique of acupuncture.

METHODS
A total of 64 patients were randomized into an observation group (30 cases included, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (30 cases included, 2 cases dropped off). In the control group, the routine needling technique of acupuncture and rehabilitation exercise were provided. In the observation group, on the base of the therapeutic regimen as the control group, the jiaotong qiaomai needling technique of acupuncture was added. Fengchi (GB 20), Rangu (KI 2), Zhaohai (KI 6) on the affected side and Fengfu (GV 16) were selected. The treatment was given once daily, 5 times a week, for 4 weeks totally in either group. Separately, before treatment, in 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment, the strephenopodia angle was measured and Holden functional ambulation classification (FAC) was evaluated in the patients. Additionally, before treatment and in 4 weeks of treatment, the muscle-skeleton ultrasound was adopted to measure the thickness of anterior tibia muscle and posterior tibia muscle in the resting state of the patients.

RESULTS
The strephenopodia angle and Holden FAC were all improved after 4-week treatment in the two groups as compared with those before treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the results in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Before treatment, the thickness of anterior tibia muscle and posterior tibia muscle on the healthy side was higher than that on the affected side in the patients of the two groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the thickness of anterior tibia muscle and posterior tibia muscle on the affected side was increased as compared with that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05). The thickness on the healthy side was similar before and after treatment in the observation group (P>0.05), and it was increased on the healthy side after treatment as compared with that before treatment in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the thickness of anterior tibia muscle and posterior tibia muscle on the affected side was similar to that on the healthy side in the two groups (P>0.05), and the thickness on the affected side in the observation group was higher than that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The jiaotong qiaomai needling technique of acupuncture effectively improves the strephenopodia angle and ambulation function, as well as the morphology of anterior tibia muscle and posterior tibia muscle in the patients with post-stroke strephenopodia.


Manipulative mixed messages from candidates to voters affect what governments are entitled to do in office. A party that wins an election gains a 'mandate to rule'. But there is a second type of mandate: a 'policy mandate' to enact specific policy proposals central to the winning party's campaign. Mixed-message politics in general can undermine policy mandates, and the use of 'dog whistle politics' - telling one group of voters one thing, while allowing or encouraging another group to believe another - makes the inferring of policy mandates especially problematic. Referendums provide only a partial remedy to dog whistle politics. Winning a clear policy mandate means forgoing dog whistle politics, despite the short term electoral advantage they may deliver.


Although liver ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury remains the primary underlying reason for liver transplant failure or post-transplantation liver dysfunction, the underlying mechanism is still largely elusive. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes, including inflammation. Here, we identified that the miR-128-3p/Rho family GTPase 3 (Rnd3)/NF‐κB axis might play a critical role in liver I/R injury. Our results demonstrated that the level of miR-128-3p was negatively correlated with the Rnd3 level during liver I/R. Dual luciferase reporter assay results proved that Rnd3 mRNA was a direct target of miR-128-3p. Additionally, Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that knock-down of miR-128-3p could up-regulate Rnd3 mRNA and protein levels, thereby suppressing the NF-κB pathway through down-regulating NF‐κB p65. Consequently, the serum levels of NF-κB–associated inflammatory factors and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase were decreased. Moreover, overexpression of Rnd3 could reverse the activation of NF-κB caused by miR-128-3p agomir during liver I/R injury. Overall, our study results suggest that repression of miR-128-3p can alleviate liver I/R injury through the miR-128-3p/Rnd3/NF‐κB axis and may facilitate the development of novel protective approaches against liver I/R injury.


Current biochemical studies of the complement system are illustrated by description of the activation of complement by the classical pathway after interaction with antibody aggregates. This is described in terms of the structures of the components involved, their assembly and the mechanism of activation.


Abstract Model selection criteria are often assessed by the so-called asymptotic risk. Asymptotic risk is defined either with the mean-squared error of estimated parameters; or with the mean-squared error of prediction. The literature focuses on i.i.d. or stationary time-series data though. Using the latter definition of asymptotic risk, this paper assesses the conventional AIC-type and BIC-type information criteria, which are arguably most suitable for univariate time series in which the lags are naturally ordered. Throughout we consider a univariate AR process in which the AR order and the order of integratedness are finite but unknown. We prove the BIC-type information criterion, whose penalty goes to infinity, attains zero asymptotic excess risk. In contrast, the AIC-type information criterion, whose penalty goes to a finite number, renders a strictly positive asymptotic excess risk. Further, the asymptotic excess risk increases with the admissible number of lags. The last result gives a warning on possible over-fitting of certain high-dimensional analyses, should the underlying data generating process be strongly sparse, that is, the true dimension be finite. In sum, we extend the existing asymptotic risk results in threefold: (i) a general I(d) process; (ii) same-realization prediction; and (iii) an information criterion more general than AIC. A simulation study and a small-scale empirical application compare the excess risk of AIC with those of AIC3, HQIC, BIC, Lasso as well as adaptive Lasso.


objective was to evaluate the added value of fetal brain MR after systematic neurosonography (NSG) in fetuses with CHD in the diagnosis of fetal brain abnormalities. Methods: Prospective observational study including 60 fetuses with isolated CHD. Exclusion criteria were evidence of structural brain malformations at the moment of diagnosis, abnormal array-CGH, and perinatal infections. Patients were evaluated by systematic NSG at 32 ± 2 weeks and MR at 36 ± 2 weeks and all cases were classified according to the existence of brain abnormalities in both examinations. Prenatal findings were confirmed postnatally. Results: Mean gestational age at NSG was 33.5 ± 1.6 weeks and at MR 36.1 ± 1.2 weeks. In 70% (n = 42) of cases NSG was considered as normal, and of those in 92.9% MR completely agree with the diagnosis. The three cases with discordant classification were two connatal cysts and one case of enlarged subarachnoid space, all of them without clinical relevance in postnatal outcome. On the other hand, in 30% of cases (n = 18) NSG were abnormal, being confirmed by MR in 55.5% of cases (n = 10). Those cases that were not confirmed included 6 cases of corpus callosum length < 5th centile, one ventricular asymmetry and one quadrigeminal cyst. In summary, NSG has a sensitivity of 76.9% and a specificity of 82.9%, with a negative predictive value of 92%. All severe brain abnormalities including corpus callosum anomalies, abnormal cortical development and pontocerebellar hypoplasia were identified by NSG. Conclusions: In centres with specialised NSG unit, MR would not add a clear benefit as a routine procedure in fetuses with CHD and normal NSG assessment. MR may be of help as a complementary examination in patients with incomplete NSG evaluation or with suspected abnormality.


In this paper, we investigate the fluid simulation on GPU, and implement real time smoke animation based on GPU by numerically solving Navier-Stokes equation. Based on Navier-Stokes equation, we discuss the details of the method, "Stable Fluids". This scheme makes implementation on the GPU simple, because there is a straightforward mapping between grid cells and voxels in a 3D texture. After optimizing, this method not only fit to GPU, but also is steady and realistic greatly.


Malnutrition occurs in 40 to 80 percent of cancer patients. Malnutrition in cancer patients is associated with poorer overall survival, reduced benefit from surgical and medical therapies, increased therapy-related toxicity, poorer quality of life. Early diagnostics of malnutrition and purpose of nutritional therapy is one of important components of supportive care at all steps of anticancer treatment. The modern tools for evaluation of the nutritional status and the principles of nutritional support at cancer patients, including oral nutritional supplements (siping) are presented in the article.


The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of cathodes has to be improved to realize the low-temperature operation of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Whilst geometric factors are conventionally accepted to influence the ORR activity of perovskite cathodes, other factors may also contribute and therefore need to be explored. Here, we substituted 20% niobium and tantalum which have similar ionic radii into strontium cobaltites to obtain the two perovskite oxides SrCo0.8Nb0.2O3−δ (SCN20) and SrCo0.8Ta0.2O3−δ (SCT20), respectively. Our study of the isostructural SCN20 and SCT20 allows geometric effects to be separated from other factors, and we observe better cathode performance of SCT20 cathode, which may be related to the lower electronegativity of Ta5+, thus resulting in higher oxygen surface exchange kinetics and diffusivity as compared with Nb5+.


Titanium alloys like Ti‑6Al‑4V have a low density, a very high strength and are highly resistant to corrosion. However, the positive qualities in combination with the low heat conductivity have disadvantageous effects on mechanical machining and on cutting in particular. Ti‑6Al‑4V forms segmented chips for the whole range of cutting velocities which influences tool wear. Thus, optimization of the manufacturing process is difficult. To obtain this goal the chip segmentation process and the tool wear are studied numerically in this article. Therefore, a FEM model was developed which calculates the wear rates depending on state variables from the cutting simulation, using an empirical tool wear model. The segmentation leads to mechanical and thermal load variations, which are taken into consideration during the tool wear simulations. In order to evaluate the simulation results, they are compared with experimentally obtained results for different process parameters.


A simulation-based system is currently is currently being constructed to aid in the development of advanced coating systems for laser cladding and surface alloying. The system employs loosely coupled material and process models that allow rapid determination of material compatibility over a wide range of processing conditions. The primary emphasis is on the development and identification of composite coatings for improved wear and corrosion resistance. The material model utilizes computational thermodynamics and kinetic analysis to establish phase stability and extent of diffusional reactions that may result from the thermal response of the material during virtual processing.A simulation-based system is currently is currently being constructed to aid in the development of advanced coating systems for laser cladding and surface alloying. The system employs loosely coupled material and process models that allow rapid determination of material compatibility over a wide range of processing conditions. The primary emphasis is on the development and identification of composite coatings for improved wear and corrosion resistance. The material model utilizes computational thermodynamics and kinetic analysis to establish phase stability and extent of diffusional reactions that may result from the thermal response of the material during virtual processing.


The skin commensal , recently renamed Propionibacterium acnes , along with the other major pathophysiological factors Cutibacterium acnes of increased seborrhea, hyperkeratinization of the pilosebaceous unit, and inflammation, has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of acne. Recent advances have contributed to our understanding of the role of in P. acnes acne. Although there are no quantitative differences in of the skin P. acnes of patients with acne compared with controls, the phylogenic P. acnes groups display distinct genetic and phenotypic characteristics, P. acnes biofilms are more frequent in acne, and different phylotypes may induce distinct immune responses in acne. plays a further important role P. acnes in the homeostasis of the skin's microbiome, interacting with other cutaneous commensal or pathogenic microorganisms such as , , and Staphylococcus epidermidis Streptococcus pyogenes Pseudomonas species. In the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, the selection of acne treatment targeting and the prevention of antibiotic P. acnes resistance play a key role in improving outcomes in acne patients and public health.


The stability of the blue-green algal virus N-1, infecting the blue-green alga Nostoc muscorum, against temperature, EDTA and pH was studied. Ninety per cent thermal inactivation of virus occured at 55 degrees C in 20 minutes with an average inactivation rate constant of 0.07 per minute; at 60 degrees C the virus was completely inactivated within 5 minutes. 10(-4) M EDTA inactivated 30 per cent of free virus in 60 minutes; 10(-3) M EDTA was completely lethal. Intracellular virus was comparatively resistant to EDTA. The virus was stable in the pH range from 6.7 to 10.5 and was inactivated at acidic pH.


Survey findings suggest that predominantly Muslim countries are among the most religious in the world and validate commonly held, but overly simplistic, perceptions of Muslims as extremely and uniformly religious. Existing research has demonstrated that survey estimates can give a distorted view of the reality of levels of religious practice; however, it has thus far focused exclusively on traditionally Christian, advanced Western democracies. To address this oversight, the veracity of self-reported religious practice in the Muslim world is tested using Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, and Turkey as cases for study. Comparing estimates of prayer from conventional surveys with those from time diaries, marginal rates of overreporting are estimated for each country by sex. The time-use measure of prayer is then imputed for the conventional survey data set to estimate overreporting at the respondent level and to predict overreporting using a measure of religious identity importance. Findings suggest that overreporting of prayer occurs in each country considered, although more consistently for women than for men. Moreover, religious identity importance is strongly correlated with overreporting of prayer, suggesting that a similar mechanism may promote the measurement error for overreported prayer in the Muslim world and overreported church attendance in the West.


In the present work, the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method (SPH) is employed in the modeling of a two-dimensional drop formation problem, without an external atmosphere, using a van der Waals fluid. In addition, influences of Reynolds number, initial aspect ratio and Péclet number on drops oscillatory behavior are studied in open space conditions with zero gravity assumption. In view of the most recent researches in drops formation field using the SPH method, a hyperbolic kernel is applied to all simulations in order to ensure uniform drops liquid formation, i.e., without particle agglomeration. Through the usage of this smoothing function the tensile instability is reduced, avoiding unnecessary numerical treatments.


New products are critical to the growth and survival of most corporations. The new product strategy is the master plan that guides the product innovation efforts of the firm, and links new product development to the corporate plan. This article looks first at what a product innovation strategy is, its role in the corporation, and why an innovation strategy is essential to an effective new product program. Next, the article focuses on the development of a new product strategy, beginning with objectives and moving to arena selection. A matrix approach to arena definition and selection is used. Empirical data from research by the author is employed in the model to prioritize new product arenas.


Abstract. Primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) play an important
role in the interaction between biosphere, atmosphere, and climate, affecting
cloud and precipitation formation processes. The presence of pollen, plant
fragments, spores, bacteria, algae, and viruses in PBAPs is well known. In
order to explore the complex interrelationships between airborne and
particulate chemical tracers (amino acids, saccharides), gene copy numbers
(16S and 18S for bacteria and fungi, respectively), gas phase chemistry, and
the particle size distribution, 84 size-segregated aerosol samples from four
particle size fractions (< 1.0, 1.0–2.5, 2.5–10, and > 10 µm) were collected at the SMEAR II station,
Finland, in autumn 2017. The gene copy numbers and size distributions of
bacteria, Pseudomonas, and fungi in biogenic aerosols were determined by DNA extraction
and amplification. In addition, free amino acids (19) and saccharides (8)
were analysed in aerosol samples by hydrophilic interaction liquid
chromatography–mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS). Different machine learning
(ML) approaches, such as cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, neural
network analysis, and multiple linear regression (MLR), were used for the clarification
of several aspects related to the composition of biogenic aerosols. Clear
variations in composition as a function of the particle
size were observed. In most cases, the highest concentration values and gene copy numbers (in
the case of microbes) were observed for 2.5–10 µm particles, followed
by > 10, 1–2.5, and < 1.0 µm particles.
In addition, different variables related to the air and soil temperature,
the UV radiation, and the amount of water in the soil affected the
composition of biogenic aerosols. In terms of interpreting the results, MLR provided the greatest improvement over classical
statistical approaches such as Pearson correlation among the ML approaches considered. In all cases, the
explained variance was over 91 %. The great variability of the samples
hindered the clarification of common patterns when evaluating the
relation between the presence of microbes and the chemical composition of
biogenic aerosols. Finally, positive correlations were observed between
gas-phase VOCs (such as acetone, toluene, methanol, and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol)
and the gene copy numbers of microbes in biogenic aerosols.


To evaluate the incidence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia Vera (PV), which are chronic myeloproliferative disorders, 70 patients (55PV+15ET), who have no co-morbidity causing PH, were prospectivelly evaluated. All patients had echocardiography done by the same cardiologist, spirometry and DLCO. Two parameters were used for PH: mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) calculated by Mahan formula>25 mmHg and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP)>35 mmHg. For the first parameter, 3 (4,3%) patients (1ET, 2PV) and for the second parameter, 4 (5.7%) patients (2ET, 2PV) had PH. Patients9 characteristics are reported in the table. Conclusion: When compared with the previous few studies done by small populations, PH incidence in our study was found very low. This result may be related to effective treatment (cytoreductive treatment) of myeloproliferative diseases in the majority of the patients.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a metal sulfide, using a simple starting raw material and in which the production of impurities is suppressed, at a low cost with high yield. SOLUTION: As the starting raw material, at least one of oxide of elements (metal oxide) selected from a group comprising Cu, Ni, Fe, Co, Zn, Ag, Cd, Sb, Ga, In, Sn, Ge, Pb, Bi, Ru, Ti, Al, Cr, Mn, Ir, V, rare earth elements, Zr, Hf, Ta, Nb, Tl, Re, W, As, Si, Mo and the like or at least one metal element selected from a group comprising Ni, Fe, Co, Zn, Ag, Cd, Sb, Ga, In, Sn, Ge, Pb, Bi, Ru, Ti, Al, Cr, Ir, V, rare earth elements, Rh, Pd, Pt, Os, Au, Tl, Re, W, Hg, As, Si and Mo and a sulfur raw material are used. The metal sulfide is obtained by reacting the starting raw materials with each other under a hydrothermal reaction condition or solvothermal reaction condition. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT


Abstract
 Are there any continuities between the places of assemblies in Saxony before the Frankish conquest and after? What do we know about the sites and their locations, use, and function for the Saxons and the kings of the east-Frankish realm during the 10th century? This paper shows the spatial differences between the western part of Saxonia and the eastern regions and highlights chronological changes evident between the reign of the Carolingians and their successors, the Ottonian kings, which were of Saxon origin. … solam pene famam sequens in hac parte [de origine statuque gentis], nimia vetustate omnem fere certitudinem obscurante. "… I have to follow mostly the legends in this part [on the origins of the elder Saxons] because the distant time is darkening any certainty." Widukind of Corvey, Res Gestae Saxonicae, book I, chapter 2


Forward body biasing is a solution for continued scaling of bulk-Si CMOS technology. In this letter, the dependence of 30-nm-gate MOSFET performance on body bias is experimentally evaluated for devices with various channel-doping profiles to provide guidance for channel engineering in a forward body-biasing scheme. Furthermore, simulations of 10-nm-gate CMOS (hp22-nm node) devices are performed to study the optimal channel-doping profile and gate work function engineering for a forward biasing scheme.


An adaptive state estimator for passive underwater tracking of maneuvering targets is developed. The state estimator is designed specifically for a system containing independent unknown or randomly switching input and measurement biases. In modeling the stochastic system, it is assumed that the bias sequence dynamics for both input and measurement can be modeled by a semi-Markov process. By incorporating the semi-Markovian concept into a Bayesian estimation technique, an estimator consisting of a bank of parallel adaptively weighted Kalman filters has been developed. Despite the large and randomly varying biases, the proposed estimator provides an accurate estimate of the system states.


Physical and chemical characteristics of spiramycin (SPM) were reviewed in this paper. The degradation rule and kinetics of SPM in acid and alkaline solutions were studied, and the kinetic parameters were calculated. The experimental results showed that the stable range of SPM in water is at pH 4.0~10.0 Degradation occurred seriously at pH<4.0 and pH> 10.0, especially at pH< 2.8 and pH> 12.8. For this reason, the yield of SPM is greatly affected. The solubility in water was also studied by using reference data. The thermodynamical parameters were calculated. The results showed that the solution of SPM in water is exothermic. The solubility decreases as temperature rises.


Dinocysts recovered from sediments related to the Chesapeake Bay impact structure in Virginia and the earliest Eocene suboxic environment in Maryland show strange and intriguing details of preservation. Features such as curled processes, opaque debris, breakage, microborings and cyst ghosts, among others, invite speculation about catastrophic depositional processes, rapid burial and biological and chemical decay. Selected specimens from seven cores taken in the coastal plain of Virginia and Maryland show abnormal preservation features in various combinations that merit illustration, description, discussion and further study. Although the depositional environments described are extreme, many of the features discussed are known from, or could be found in, other environments. These environments will show both similarities to and differences from the extreme environments here.


The kidneys play a key role in maintaining total body homeostasis. The complexity of this task is reflected in the unique architecture of the organ. Ureteral obstruction greatly affects renal physiology by altering hemodynamics, changing glomerular filtration and renal metabolism, and inducing architectural malformations of the kidney parenchyma-most importantly renal fibrosis. Persisting pathological changes lead to chronic kidney disease, which currently affects ~10% of the global population and is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Studies on the consequences of ureteral obstruction date back to the 1800s. Even today, experimental unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) remains the standard model for tubulointerstitial fibrosis. However, the model has certain limitations when it comes to studying tubular injury and repair, as well as a limited potential for human translation. Nevertheless, ureteral obstruction has provided the scientific community with a wealth of knowledge on renal (patho)physiology. With the introduction of advanced OMICS techniques, the classical UUO model has remained relevant to this day and has been instrumental in understanding renal fibrosis at the molecular, genomic, and cellular levels. This review details key concepts and recent advances in the understanding of obstructive nephropathy, highlighting the pathophysiological hallmarks responsible for the functional and architectural changes induced by ureteral obstruction, with a special emphasis on renal fibrosis.


Introduction This study aimed to compare outcomes of patients with anal sphincter defects treated by sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) or sphincteroplasty (SP). Method After IRB approval, patients treated for FI with a sphincter defect were identified from a prospective database; treatment groups were matched and stratified by SNS or SP. Primary outcome was change in Wexner FI Score (FIS). Demographic variables, past medical history and complication rates were also reviewed. Sphincter defects were assessed by endoanal ultrasound and ranged from 45°–180°. Continuous variables were compared with independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests based on evidence of Gaussian distribution. Categorical variables were compared with Chi-squared analyses. Paired within group analyses were performed with paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. In order to perform a paired assessment of the role of each intervention in affecting the FIS, an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was performed. Results 26 female patients were included, 13 each underwent sphincteroplasty or SNS. The groups were similar with regards to age (62.2 vs 57.2 years, p = 0.16), BMI (26.2 vs 26.5, p = 0.33), initial FIS (15.9 vs 16.8, p = 0.39) and follow-up (14 vs 10 months, p = 0.72). The groups were similar for >1 vaginal delivery or rates of urinary incontinence (p = 1.00 and p = 0.62, respectively). Early postoperative complications included 1 patient in each group with wound infection. Within group analyses revealed a significant improvement of FIS in SNS patients (15.9 to 8.4; p = 0.003) but not observed in the SP group (16.9 to 12.9; p = 0.078). Between groups, a trend towards lower FIS was seen in the SNS group as compared to SP but was not significant (8.4 vs 12.9; p = 0.06). ANCOVA analysis did reveal either procedure as superior in reducing FIS. Conclusion This study demonstrates that within each group SNS is effective at reducing FI in patients with a sphincter defect. Larger sample sizes will be required to better compare the difference in scores and assess for superiority between procedures. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Objective This study is a report on 700 consecutive patients treated with the Bascom cleft lift as treatment for both simple and complex pilonidal diseases between 1993 and 2020. Patients and methods The Bascom cleft lift was used in patients with primary disease, recurrent disease, perianal disease, and failed flap procedures. Some technical modifications had to be made to accommodate patients with perianal disease, and they are described. All patients were treated by the author in private practice clinics and hospitals between 1993 and 2020 and were entered into a database concomitantly with their treatment. Patients were subsequently surveyed in preparation for this study, by phone, email, or email survey to determine the current status. The procedure consisted of excision of the sinus tracts, cysts, and open wounds; raising a skin and subcutaneous tissue flap; and flattening the gluteal cleft. Failure of the procedure was defined as lack of complete healing or recurrent pilonidal disease requiring revisional surgery. Complications were recorded and are described. Results We found that of the 700 patients, 3.4% required revision of the cleft lift (confidence interval for proportion based on binomial distribution: 2.1%-4.8%). The median follow-up time for patients without recurrence was six months (IQR: 2-19.5). Once primary healing was obtained, there were no late recurrences in the 156 patients followed beyond 24 months. Factors that negatively impacted the success rate were having had previous failed pilonidal surgery (5.3% required revision) and open wounds on the edge of the anus (15.5% required revision). Conclusions The Bascom cleft lift had an overall success rate of 96.6%. There was no category of patients for which this was not a good option, but analysis of this data reveals that patients who have had previous failed surgery, and patients with wounds on the edge of the anus had a higher failure rate than the group as a whole.


Stimulation of purified human PBL with mAbs raised against the T cell receptor resulted in an immediate and transient activation of protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-alpha) and PKC-theta, peaking at 10 min, whereas PKC-beta, -delta, and -epsilon were translocated with a delay of >90 min and remained activated for up to 2 h. To characterize specific functions of distinct PKC isoenzymes, Abs against different PKC isoenzymes were introduced by means of electropermeabilization. Neutralization of PKC-alpha and -theta resulted in the complete inhibition of IL-2R expression, whereas anti-PKC-beta, -delta, and -epsilon Abs inhibited IL-2 synthesis. Extensive control experiments have shown that neither electropermeabilization nor control Ig influenced PKC activity and cellular functions. Our data thus clearly show that specific PKC isoenzymes regulate different cellular functions in stimulated human lymphocytes.


OBJECTIVES
To study the outcomes of antituberculosis treatment in HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

MATERIAL AND METHOD
This retrospective cohort study was performed by reviewing medical records of 166 patients co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV in a hospital in Thailand seen between January 2005 and February 2008. These patients were treated with both antituberculosis (antiTB) and antiretroviral drugs (ART) and were followed for 18 months after the beginning of antiTB.

RESULTS
Total 166 HIV patients with TB on ART and anti tuberculosis drugs were analyzed. The median age of patients was 36 years (20-72). Sixty-nine (41.6%) patients had pulmonary TB and 97 (58.4%) disseminated TB. Among them, 127 (76.5%) were cured and 15 (9.0%) had unsuccessful treatment. Median time for successful treatment was 10.8 months (6-32) during 18 months follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome of tuberculosis between the NVP and EFV base regimens in combination with rifampicin (5.4% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.751).

CONCLUSION
Majority of HIV patients on ARTwith tuberculosis were successfully treated with antiTB drugs with median time of 10.8 months and no significant difference ofadverse events reported between NVP and EFV


The presence of procedures and procedure calls introduces side effects, which complicates the analysis of stale reference detection in compiler-directed cache coherence schemes. Previous compiler algorithms use cache invalidation at procedure boundary or inlining to avoid reference marking interprocedurally. We introduce a full interprocedural algorithm, which performs bottom-up and top-down analysis on the procedure call graph. This avoids unnecessary cache misses for subroutine local data and exploits locality across procedure boundaries. The result of execution-driven simulations on Perfect benchmarks demonstrates that, the interprocedural algorithm eliminates up to 36.8% of the cache misses for a compiler-directed scheme compared to an existing invalidation-based algorithm.


Background: Ophthalmic injuries commonly occur in patients with facial fractures. This study was set up to determine the incidence of ophthalmic injuries as assessed by an ophthalmologist, in patients who had sustained maxillofacial fractures. Objective: To determine the incidence of ophthalmic injuries in maxillofacial fractures in Indian population. Materials and Methods: A study of 136 patients who had sustained facial trauma sufficient to lead to a facial bone fracture was undertaken and the patients received a comprehensive examination by an ophthalmologist and an orthoptist within one week of injury. All the patients sustaining confirmed maxillofacial fractures were examined by an ophthalmologist for any associated ocular injury. The ophthalmic injuries were classified into three categories—mild, moderate, severe. Results Ninety-three patients (68.3%) examined sustained eye injuries of various types. Of these, 61.2% were temporary or minor, 29.03% were moderate, and 9.6% were serious. The highest incidence was found in association with mid face fractures, i.e., 95.7%. Fifty-seven patients sustained 176 minor ophthalmologic injuries; 27 patients suffered moderately; 33 had severe ophthalmic injuries. Nine patients sustained severe eye injuries. Conclusion: It is suggested that all traumas to the face, particularly above the level of the mouth, require a careful eye examination, including an estimation of visual acuity of each type.


No significant difference in collagen content per unit surface area was found for 3 different areas of the fetal membranes in relation to the rupture site. Electron microscopy examination revealed that tissue nearer the rupture site contained fewer collagen fibres than did the other 2 sites studied. It is suggested that collagen has been dissolved at the rupture site.


The present investigation describes the synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of the new azo ligand and its metal complexes. The new azo compound 1-[(3-Trifluromethylphenyl)azo]-2-naphthol (TFMAN) was prepared from coupling reaction of trifluromethylphenyldiazonium chloride with 2-naphthol as coupling component in a basic medium. The prepared ligand was characterized by elemental and thermal analyses as well as FT-IR, UV-Vis and GCmass spectroscopic technique. Metal chelate complexes of this azo ligand with metal ions Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) were prepared by reacting (TFMAN) with the metal ions in a molar ratio of (1:2) (metal:ligand). All of the coordination compounds were identified by elemental analysis, flame atomic absorption, FT-IR, UV-Vis, magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements, in addition to thermal analyses and mass spectra for some of the chelate complexes. Based on the obtained results the geometry for the complexes was proposed. The invitro antibacterial activity of the synthesized compounds have been tested against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity assay results showed that metal complexes posses higher antibacterial activity compared to free ligand.


Vibrant and well-functioning U.S. capital markets create jobs, bolster investment, promote innovation, and enhance retirement savings. Capital markets function best when regulations allow for the efficient allocation of capital while protecting investors. In this report, we evaluate major trends and developments in U.S. capital markets and assess whether existing regulations are continuing to serve U.S. companies and investors. We then set forth regulatory reforms to further enhance the performance of U.S. capital markets.

The report consists of four chapters:

(1) The Rise of Dual Class Shares: Regulations and Implications,

(2) Short-termism, Shareholder Activism and Stock Buybacks;

(3) The Rise of Index In-vesting: Price Efficiency and Financial Stability; and

(4) An Analysis of Investment Stewardship: Mutual Funds and ETFs.


The most important objective of this study is to analysis a theoretical framework concerning five main corporate governance characteristic with the extent of voluntary environment disclosure provided by listed firms in Tunisia. These corporate governance quality are the percentage of independent directors to total number of directors on the board, the existence of a institutional ownership, the existence of dominant personalities (CEO / Chairman duality), and the percentage of ownership concentration. By means of a weighted qualified environment disclosure guide for measuring voluntary disclosure, the results designate that the existence of independent directors is significantly and positively related to the extent of voluntary environment disclosure, while the percentage Ownership concentration on the board is negatively related to the extent of voluntary disclosure. The study affords empirical indication to strategy makers and manager in Tunisia for implementing the three new board governance requirements on independence directors, institutional ownership and CEO/Chairman duality.


Extrusion Deposition Additive Manufacturing (EDAM) is a technology where 3-D digital objects are manufactured extruding beads of molten material in a layer-by-layer basis. This technology offers the flexibility for processing pelletized material, and thus a semi-crystalline polymer highly-filled with carbon fiber has been used for printing. Significant technology improvements in the EDAM technology have been made recently, however, the design of the printing strategy is still mostly driven by empirical development. Hence, there is a need for simulation tools that capture the phenomena involved in the EDAM process to drive the development and optimization of this technology. Currently, one limitation of printed parts in terms of mechanical properties is the strength of the interface developed between printed layers. Therefore, the focus of this work is to couple the phenomena involved in the bonding process of adjacent layers to predict the degree of bonding, such as the temperature history, the melting and crystallization of the semi-crystalline polymer and the diffusion of polymer chains. The models utilized to describe these phenomena and their couplings were implemented in a UMATHT user subroutine in Abaqus to predict the evolution of the degree of bonding during the EDAM process. The effects of the couplings implemented in this approach are demonstrated by predicting the evolution of the degree of bonding throughout the simulation of the printing process of a geometry with sections that undergo different cooling and crystallization rates.


A new and flexible function that is a valid representation of the potential energy of diatomic molecules within the entire range of accessible internuclear separations is proposed. This function is shown to be a member of a family of functions that includes previous polynomial functions having more restricted validity. Methods of generating the coefficients (parameters) of the new function are described, and tables of these parameters for a selection of molecules, including some ground and some excited electronic states,are presented.


Acute coronary syndromes are characterized by increased endothelial activation. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior of coagulation factors V, VII, VIII and normal inhibitors antithrombin III and protein C during the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Thirty-six patients (27 men, nine women) and 35 normal individuals were studied during the acute phase of myocardial infarction, in the first 24 h. A group of 35 normal individuals was used as a control group. Blood samples were taken within the first 24 h of the hospital admission. The plasma levels of the coagulation factors were measured by the clot formation method, whereas the normal inhibitors were measured by ELISA. In the acute phase of myocardial infarction significant changes occur in coagulant and fibrinolytic factors. A decrease in plasma levels of factor V, antithrombin III and protein C was found in patients with acute myocardial infarction, compared to control group, whereas an increase in plasma levels of factor VII were observed. This study concludes that acute myocardial infarction causes consumption of fibrinolytic factors, whereas the coagulant factors seem to increase when being activated.


New tripodal squaramide-based hosts have been synthesised and structurally characterised by spectroscopic methods. In 2.5 % (v/v) [D(6)]DMSO in CDCl(3), compound 4 formed dimeric assemblies [log K(dim)=3.68(8)] as demonstrated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and UV dilution experiments. AFM and SEM analyses revealed the formation of a network of bundled fibres, which indicates a preferential mechanism for aggregation. These C(3)-symmetric tripodal hosts exhibited two different and mutually exclusive modes of binding, each one easily accessible by simultaneous reorientation of the squaramide groups. In the first, a convergent disposition of the NH squaramide protons allowed the formation of an array of N-H⋅⋅⋅X(-) hydrogen bonds with anions. In the second mode, reorientation of carbonyl squaramide groups allowed multiple C=O⋅⋅⋅H interactions with ammonium cations. The titration of 4 with different tetraalkylammonium iodides persistently showed the formation of 1:1 complexes, as well as 1:2 and 1:3 complexes. The corresponding stoichiometries and binding affinities of the complexes were evaluated by multi-regression analysis. The formation of high-order complexes, supported by ROESY, NOESY and mass spectrometry experiments, has been attributed to the insertion of NR(4)I ion pairs between the carbonyl and NH protons of the squaramide groups located in adjacent arms of 4. The observed effects reflect the induction of significant conformational changes in the hosts, mainly in relation to the relative orientation of the squaramide groups adapting their geometries to incoming ion-pair complementary substrates. The results presented herein identify and fully describe two different modes of ion-pair recognition aimed at directing conformational transitions in the host, therefore establishing a base for controlling more elaborate movements of molecular devices through ion-pair recognition.


Like many nursing "sacred cows," the practice of keeping a vein open with a small infusion of intravenous solution does not have clear origins or robust evidence. A survey of Canadian nurses was conducted to determine current practices. More than 50% of respondents reported regularly using a keep-vein-open (KVO) rate between doses of intermittent medication. Frequently, the rate was not specified by the prescriber; in this case, nurses preferred 21 to 30 mL/h. Given the absence of evidence and the frequent use, it is important to ensure that KVO is used properly in the context of a medical prescription or an organizational protocol.


Self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free electron laser (FEL) devices have disclosed an unexpected interplay between the laser intensity growth and regions of the electron bunch of the order of the coherence length. They are usually identified with the bunch slice and contribute to the laser dynamics with their own characteristics. The dynamical effects inducing geometrical and phase space misalignment of bunch slice in X-ray operating FELs can be traced back to a plethora of phenomena, both in the Linac accelerating section or inside the beam transport optic magnet. They are responsible for spoiling of the beam projected qualities and, if not corrected properly, induce an increase of the saturation length and a decreasing of the output power. We discuss the inclusion of these effects in models employing scaling formulae.


It has been demonstrated that the correlation between the doping distance and the critical transition temperature Tc for P-type HTSCs also applies to double doped N-type HTSCs. It is suggested that electron doped HTSCs also form superconducting current channels lying parallel in the CuO2 plane. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


AIM
To estimate the mortality rates of gastroenterologic cancers for the period between 1974 and 1999, in Henan Province, China and its epidemiologic features.

METHODS
Information on death of patients with cancer was provided by the county-city registries. Population data were provided by the local police bureau. All the deaths of cancer registered were classified according to the three-digit rubric of the ICD-9. Cancer mortality rates reported herein were age-adjusted, using the world population as standard and weighted piecewise linear regression analysis.

RESULTS
Total cancer age-adjusted mortality rates were 195.91 per 100,000 for males and 124.36 per 100,000 for females between 1996 and 1998. During the period of 1974-1999, a remarkable decrease took place in esophageal carcinoma, stomach cancer remained essentially stable and liver cancer, a moderate increase. Colorectal cancer was slightly increased over the last two decades.

CONCLUSION
The population-based cancer registry can give an accurate picture of cancer in Henan Province, by providing a set of analyses of selected cancer mortality data as a source of reference for researchers in cancer, public health and health care services.


Engineering dermal substitutes with electrospun nanofibres have lately been of prime importance for skin tissue regeneration. Simple electrospinning technology served to produce nanofibrous scaffolds morphologically and structurally similar to the extracellular matrix of native tissues. The nanofibrous scaffolds of poly(l-lactic acid)-co-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PLACL) and PLACL/gelatin complexes were fabricated by the electrospinning process. These nanofibres were characterized for fibre morphology, membrane porosity, wettability and chemical properties by FTIR analysis to culture human foreskin fibroblasts for skin tissue engineering. The nanofibre diameter was obtained between 282 and 761 nm for PLACL and PLACL/gelatin scaffolds; expressions of amino and carboxyl groups and porosity up to 87% were obtained for these fibres, while they also exhibited improved hydrophilic properties after plasma treatment. The results showed that fibroblasts proliferation, morphology, CMFDA dye expression and secretion of collagen were significantly increased in plasma-treated PLACL/gelatin scaffolds compared to PLACL nanofibrous scaffolds. The obtained results prove that the plasma-treated PLACL/gelatin nanofibrous scaffold is a potential biocomposite material for skin tissue regeneration.


The actors in outer space have changed dramatically, involving not only new states but also private entities including start-ups, universities, and other new market entrants. The topics that require regulation have also changed, moving from broad principles to govern the initial stages of space exploration to much more complex questions with greater interests at stake. These topics include new kinds of activities, made possible by fast technological progress and often involving great potential for commercial gain, and also issues of growing concern for humankind as a whole with regard to the continued exploration and use of outer space. This essay looks at how new state participants view established and emerging international legal principles regulating space activities and highlights potential points of agreement or disagreement in that respect.


We investigated the effects of three different interventions on depressive symptoms in adolescents. As a secondary aim, we explored the mediating role of social isolation, anxiety, sleep quality, and cognitive function of the intervention effect on depressive symptoms. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial, in which schools were randomly assigned to 1. Doubling physical education (PE) classes (3:20 h of PE/week); 2. Workshop with the PE teachers; 3. Workshop with the PE teachers + Doubling PE classes; and 4. Control group (1:40 h of PE/week). In total, 1279 adolescents were included, 56.4% females. Doubling PE classes and the workshop with the PE teachers + Doubling PE classes groups did not affect depressive symptoms (−0.947, 95% CI −3.176 to 1.281; and, 0.726, 95% CI −1.558 to 3.009, respectively). The workshop with the PE teachers decreased adolescents' depressive symptoms (−2.495, 95% CI −4.668 to −0.323), social isolation (−4.759, 95% CI −9.025 to −0.493), and poor sleep quality (−0.560, 95% CI −1.108 to −0.012) compared with the control group. Social isolation mediated 32% of the workshop effect on depressive symptoms. The workshop with the PE teachers and the workshop with the PE teachers + Doubling PE classes groups lowered in 93% and in 54% the risk of the adolescents in developing high depressive symptomatology compared with the control group, respectively. A workshop updating PE teachers on pedagogical and health‐related topics decreased depressive symptoms in adolescents. Moreover, improvements in the adolescents' social isolation mediated the effect of PE teachers' workshop intervention on the depressive symptoms in adolescents.


In mixtures of PVME and water, the influence of pressure on the LCST miscibility gap is determined covering the whole composition range and pressures from atmospheric pressure up to 900 MPa. The cloud point curve at atmospheric pressure has the characteristic bimodal shape in agreement with literature data. Upon increasing pressure the cloud point curve at the low concentration side decreases with pressure, whereas at the high concentrations the cloud point curve increases with pressure. The overall influence of pressure results in a less pronounced bimodality and ultimately the bimodal shape disappears. In addition to the pressure dependence of the miscibility behavior, the density of mixtures of water and PVME are determined at atmospheric pressure. The experimental excess specific volumes are negative for all measured compositions, but the compositional curvature varies with composition. The curvature of the excess specific volume is positive for the higher concentrations but it is negative in the lower composition range. The density measurements are linked to the pressure dependence of the LCST miscibility behavior using exact thermodynamic relationships. The excess specific volume and miscibility results are shown to be in good agreement. Moreover, it is shown that the Clapeyron equation, which is exact for pure components and also frequently assumed to apply to mixtures, is not valid in the system PVME/water. The system PVME/water is an example where the usual approximation of one-to-one correspondence between curvature and excess volume does not apply. Finally, the molecular origins for the observed excess volume and miscibility behavior are briefly discussed from theoretical and molecular simulation points of view.


The purpose of the pilot survey was to understand current practice patterns and responses to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in home health occupational therapy care. Fifty home health occupational therapy practitioners from 27 states in the United States completed the survey. Descriptive analysis was used to organize and summarize survey responses. The survey items on practice patterns included assessment tools, treatment approaches, and care coordination with physical therapy colleagues. The most reported assessment of occupational performance was the Barthel Index. The common treatment approaches included activities of daily living retraining, energy conservation, and functional mobility and transfer. The majority of respondents (n = 44) communicated with their physical therapy colleagues at least once a week. The communications were often related to scheduling and changes in a patient's condition. Seventy percent of practitioners experienced a reduction in home visits during the recent Medicare payment reform and the pandemic. These practitioners perceived that some patients might have been discharged from home health care prematurely. Additional studies to investigate the impact of policy changes and the pandemic on therapy intensity and patients' functional outcomes are warranted.


Detection is the first task in establishing a communication link, or tracking a target with a radar system. This is a decision-making problem, and it is performed through a hypothesis-testing procedure. Hypothesis testing is nothing but constant-false-alarm-rate (CFAR) detection. These issues are reviewed, and simple MATLABtrade codes are presented.


Pseudomonas syringae pv. ciccaronei strain NCPPB2355 was found to produce a bacteriocin inhibitory against strains of Ps. syringae subsp. savastanoi, the causal agent of olive knot disease. Treatments with mitomycin C did not substantially increase the bacteriocin titre in culture. The purification of the bacteriocin obtained by ammonium sulphate precipitation of culture supernatant fluid, membrane ultrafiltration, gel filtration and preparative PAGE, led to the isolation of a high molecular weight proteinaceous substance. The bacteriocin analysed by SDS‐PAGE revealed three protein bands with molecular weights of 76, 63 and 45 kDa, respectively. The bacteriocin was sensitive to heat and proteolytic enzymes, was resistant to non‐polar organic solvents and was active between pH 5·0–7·0. Plasmid‐DNA analysis of Ps. syringae ciccaronei revealed the presence of 18 plasmids; bacteriocin‐negative variants could not be obtained by cure experiments.


The aim of the present trial was to (1) compare the caries-preventive effect of glass ionomer sealants, placed according to the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) procedure, with composite resin sealants over time and (2) investigate the caries-preventive effect after complete disappearance of sealant material. Forty-six boys and 57 girls, mean age 7.8 years, were randomly divided into two treatment groups in a parallel-group study design. A light-polymerized composite resin sealant material and a high-viscosity glass ionomer were each placed in 180 fully erupted first molars in their respective treatment groups. Evaluation took place annually for 5 years by calibrated examiners. After 5 years, 86% composite resin and 88% glass ionomer sealants did not survive. Three categories of re-exposure periods for caries development in pits and fissures after complete loss of sealants were distinguished: 0–1, 1–2 and 2–3 years. In the 2- to 3-year group, 13 and 3% of pits and fissures previously sealed with composite resin and glass ionomer, respectively, were diagnosed as having developed a dentine lesion. The relative risks (95% CI) of dentine lesion development in surfaces sealed with glass ionomer compared to those sealed with composite resin after 3, 4 and 5 years were 0.22 (0.06–0.82), 0.32 (0.14–0.73) and 0.28 (0.13–0.61), respectively. The relative risks of dentine lesion development in pits and fissures previously sealed with glass ionomer compared with composite resin over re-exposure periods of 1–2 and 2–3 years were 0.26 (0.14–0.48) and 0.25 (0.09–0.68), respectively. We conclude that the caries-preventive effect of high-viscosity glass ionomer sealants, placed using the ART procedure, was between 3.1 and 4.5 times higher than that of composite resin sealants after 3–5 years. Furthermore, high-viscosity (ART) glass ionomer sealants appear to have a four times higher chance of preventing caries development in re-exposed pits and fissures of occlusal surfaces in first molars than light-cured composite resin sealant material over a 1- to 3-year period. A well-designed clinical trial using different types of oral health personnel should be implemented to confirm these initial results.


Heat storage/release system in textile is a useful tool to increase energy efficiency and enhance comfortable microclimate of clothing. Phase change materials(PCM) are used in regulating storage and release properties of thermal energy. To investigate the temperature regulating ability of fabrics with PCM microcapsule(PCMMc), Nylon fabrics were coated with PCMMc via wet processing and they were characterized by SEM, DSC and infrared thermal analyzer. Also, water moisture transpiration, water penetration resistance, peel strength and washing durability of the fabrics were assessed. The water vapor permeation and water penetration resistance decreased with increasing PCMMc content. In DSC analysis, it can be seen that the microencapsulated fabric showed both exothermic and endothermic phenomena at specific temperature. Peel strength was decreased with increasing PCMMc content.


Isopiestic vapor-pressure measurements were made at 298.15 K for aqueous NaCl + SrCl2 solutions using NaCl(aq) as the reference standard. The measurements for these ternary solutions were made at NaCl ionic strength fractions of y1 = 0.17066, 0.47366, and 0.82682 for the water activity range of 0.9835 = aw = 0.8710. Our results, and those from two previous isopiestic studies, were combined and used with previously determined parameters for NaCl(aq) and those determined here for SrCl2(aq) to evaluate mixing parameters S? Na,Sr = (0.0562 ± 0.0007) kg·mol-1 and ?Na,Sr,Cl = -(0.00705 ± 0.00017) kg2· mol-2 for an extended form of Pitzer's ion-interaction model. These model parameters are valid for ionic strengths of I = 7.0 mol·kg -1, where higher-order electrostatic effects have been included in the mixture model. If the fitting range is extended to the saturated solution molalities, then S?Na,Sr = (0.07885 ± 0.00195) kg·mol-1, and ?Na,Sr,Cl = -(0.01230 ± 0.00033) kg2·mol-2. The extended ion-interaction model parameters obtained from available isopiestic data for SrCl 2(aq) at 298.15 K yield recommended values of the water activities and osmotic and activity coefficients


BACKGROUND
Until recently, patients' and families' expectations of specialists in intensive care medicine were largely unknown. This paper reports the results from the Swiss subgroup of a recently performed European multicentre study addressing this question.

METHODS
Purposeful sample of adult ICUs in Switzerland. A questionnaire was distributed to ICU patients and relatives. It included 21 statements in the domains "medical knowledge", "communication with patients", "communication with relatives". Statements were rated for importance on a four-point Likert scale.

RESULTS
All addressed ICUs participated; there were two from the French and eight from the German speaking part of Switzerland. 197 questionnaires were returned (46%). Overall, the majority of characteristics were rated as important. As in the other participating countries, patients and relatives ranked, "medical knowledge" as most essential, followed by, "communication with patients" and, "communication with relatives". This remained unchanged when analysed for German or French language, female or male, age >65 years. Female responders rated "communication" as more important than male responders. For French speaking participants "treating patients as individuals" was the most important statement.

CONCLUSIONS
In accordance to respondents from other countries, Swiss patients and their families with experience of intensive care rate medical knowledge as most essential for specialists in intensive care medicine. However, communication with patients and with relatives is considered important, too. Accordingly, developing and ensuring medical knowledge and skills, as well as competence in communication must remain top priorities for the institutions responsible for training ICU physicians.


The guiding value of thrombelastography (TEG) on the selection of surgical timing for patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was investigated. A total of 90 subjects with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated between February 2014 and December 2016 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital were recruited. The patients received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and were scheduled for CABG. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups, TEG group (n=45) and non-TEG group (n=45). Patients in the TEG group withheld medications at 24 h prior to surgery and received TEG examination. Based on maximum amplitude of adenosine diphosphate (MAADP), subjects were further grouped into three sub-groups with MAADP <35 mm, 35–50 mm, and >50 mm, and accordingly received CABG within 1 day, 3–5 days and 5 days later, respectively. Subjects in the control group (non-TEG group) received CABG 5–7 days after medication withdrawal. Chest drainage volume within 24 h after surgery and red blood cell transfusion during perioperative period were compared. Other recorded parameters were incubation period, intensive care unit length of stay, hospital stay, incidence of 30-day adverse events and readmission rate. The average waiting time before CABG for patients of TEG group was shorter compared with the commonly recommended time. The red blood cell transfusions during perioperative period of subjects in TEG group and non-TEG group were significantly different (P=0.23). The median hospital stay of subjects in TEG group was shorter than that of non-TEG group (P=0.037). The bleeding amount of patients in TEG group was 220.16±80.56 ml, which was significantly lower than that of non-TEG group (435.29±90.16). The difference was statistically significant (P=0.032). The results suggested that TEG assay-based evaluation of platelet function for patients scheduled for CABG reasonably guides surgeons with appropriate surgical timing and reduces the amount of time patients wait to be treated.


Sclerophylly, a morphological trait that defines coriaceous and hard leaves, is presently accepted as a non-specific response to environments with acting multiple stresses. In mangroves, features such as flooded and unconsolidated soil, low availability of oxygen, and high salinity characterize this stressful environment. From 2 mangroves areas in the coast of Parana state, leaves of 3 species (Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa and Avicennia schaueriana) were collected and analyzed nutritionally and morphologically. Sclerophylly indices (Rizzini index and specific leaf area) indicated that all species are sclerophyllous. Considering nutritional and morphological traits, only some of them suggest sclerophylly, such as total leaf thickness in all species, the presence of a subepidermal layer in Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia schaueriana and sclereids in Rhizophora mangle. Comparatively, leaves presented different degrees of sclerophylly, in the following order: R. mangle > L. racemosa > A. schaueriana, considering all characteristics analyzed. This gradient of sclerophylly appears to be consequence of different strategies developed by each species in response to the stressful abiotic conditions of mangroves, especially the mechanisms for salinity tolerance.


Metal porcelain crown is still commonly used because of the strength of the metal and the esthetic of the porcelain. Base metal alloys that commonly used as copings of metal porcelain crowns are nickel-chromium and cobalt-chromium. Cobalt-chromium is preferable because it has better biocompatibility for patients that have allergies to nickel. The marginal gap is one of the important factors that determine the success of a restoration. This study aims to measure the marginal gap between the cervical margin of the prepared tooth and the cervical margin of a metal porcelain crown with Co-Cr coping before and after porcelain firing. Sixteen teeth that needed to be treated with metal porcelain crowns were examined at the Dental Teaching Hospital Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia, by using a consecutive sampling method. The marginal gaps of metal porcelain crowns with Co-Cr coping before and after porcelain firing were measured with the impression replica technique at four surfaces (buccal, mesial, distal, and palatal) using an optic microscope (Olympus BX41. Statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between the marginal gaps of metal porcelain crowns before and after porcelain firing on all surfaces (p<0.05), which was clinically acceptable. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2017; 10(Special Issue): pp. 715-718)


Abstract. A systematic study of avoidance of mesh patterns of length 2 was conducted in [6], where 25 out of 65 non-equivalent cases were solved. In this paper, we give 27 distribution results for these patterns including 14 distributions for which avoidance was not known. Moreover, for the unsolved cases, we prove 2 equidistribution results (out of 7 equidistribution results we prove in total), and conjecture 7 more equidistributions. Finally, we find seemingly unknown distribution of the well known permutation statistic "strict fixed point", which plays a key role in many of our enumerative results. This paper is the first systematic study of distributions of mesh patterns. Our techniques to obtain the results include, but are not limited to obtaining functional relations for generating functions, and finding recurrence relations and bijections.


Background Despite the lack of evidences supporting GC use in SSc and the potential risk to trigger a scleroderma renal crisis (1), these drugs are widely used in SSc patients (2). Knowing patients preferences and the beliefs they hold on a specific therapy is essential to drive the choice of clinicians and guidelines panelists, and to investigate the reasons of poor treatment adherence, which represent one hurdle to the achievement of the therapeutical goal. At the best of our knowledge, no study has been so far devoted to address SSc patient point of view about oral GC therapy. Objectives To investigate how chronic GC intake is perceived by SSc patients in terms of necessity and concerns and if such beliefs can influence treatment adherence. Methods Ninety-two SSc patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR criteria, consecutively admitted to the Rheumatology Unit of the Second University of Naples were enrolled if they had been taking oral GC for >3 months prior to the visit. All patients underwent a complete clinical evaluation, laboratory investigations and were asked to complete 4 self-adminestered questionnaires namely the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (Specific-BMQ), the 4-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-4), the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Results Seventy-seven out of 92 patients (83.6%) believed in the necessity of GC for maintaining health. Nevertheless, the majority of patients (67/92; 72.8%) reported concerns about potential adverse consequences i.e. the long-term effects of taking GC in 75 (81.5%) and the risk to become dependent on them in 53 patients (57.6%). In about half of patients (44 out of 92; 47.8%) their necessity score was lower than their concerns score (i.e. a negative necessity–concerns differential). Most of SSc patients (71.7%) were labeled as ambivalent (i.e. perceiving high necessity and high concern); a lower percentage (18.4%) as accepting (high necessity and low concern). In only 59 of 92 (64.1%) patients an high adherence rate (i.e. a MMAS-4 score of 0) was recorded. In univariate analysis, the necessity-concern differential was found to be correlated with the disease duration (ρ =0.205; p=0.049), treatment adherence (ρ =0.373; p=0.0002), mental component score (MCS) (ρ =0.324; p=0.01), duration of GC therapy (ρ =0.270; p=0.0009) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ρ =0.312; p=0.006). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that higher reported adherence (β=0.238;p=0.02) and disease duration (β=0.227;p=0.02) were associated with higher necessity-concern differential score. Conclusions GC are perceived as necessary in the majority of SSc patients, but high concern about chronic (i.e.>3 months) GC use has emerged. Treatment adherence is not optimal. Given the high rate of patients worried about GC and the lack of studies driving their use, patient's preferences have to be taken into account and a shared decision with an informed patient is warranted in order to maximize patient's health. References Steen V et al. Arthritis Rheum; 1998;41:1613-9 Iudici M et al. Clin Rheum 2014;33:153-64 Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4665


We have studied the electron beam quality in a free-electron laser (FEL) oscillator by using two electron beams of different harmonically related energies in the FEL facility, which is operated in the infrared and far-infrared regions. The electron beam quality, such as emittance, energy spread, and higher-order modes were studied using an extended three-dimensional (3D) FEL code for two electron beams that we have developed. The variations in the radiation amplitude of the electron beam's emittances, and energy spread were also calculated for a tapered wiggler for the multiparticle and multi-pass number using a new 3D code. The evolution of the radiation field intensity for higher-order modes of the wiggler with beam emittance and energy spread was studied for the two-electron beam's FEL performance. We found that the radiation intensity was degraded due to the energy spread and the emittance of the electron beam. We minimized the degradation of the radiation intensity by optimizing the tapered wiggler for the coupled two-beam FEL oscillator.


Three new Ophryotrocha species are described from sites with high levels of organic carbon flux including a whale-fall at 125 m depth off the Swedish coast and sediment sampled at 104 m depth beneath a fish farm in a Norwegian fjord. Phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear gene H3 and the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S using MrBayes and Maximum Likelihood analyses show that Ophryotrocha eutrophila sp. nov. is a close relative to Ophryotrocha puerilis, while Ophryotrocha craigsmithi sp. nov. falls together with Palpiphitime lobifera, and Ophryotrocha scutellus sp. nov. occur within the 'hartmanni' clade. The genus Ophryotrocha is in our study monophyletic only if the genera Iphitime and Palpiphitime are included. Two representatives of Ophryotrocha previously described from anthropogenically-enriched sediments are here reported for the first time in very high abundance from a naturally occurring habitat. We suggest that whale falls are important habitats for the evolution of ecosystem services such as the degradation of complex organic compounds.


The aim of this research work is investigations of absorption characteristics of a circular seamless tube collision absorber filled by rigid polyurethane (PU) foam under axial load. Shrinking of circular tube passing through cone bushing starts after absorber is activated at the moment of collision. The energy absorption realises in three ways: elastic-plastic deformation of the tube wall, friction between absorption elements and compression the rigid PU foam inside the tube. Using rigid PU foam, as the seamless tube filler, in the process of collision energy absorption increases absorption power in comparing to with only empty tube, as well as gives gradual increases of deformation resistance during deformation process. Experimental research was prepared and realized in the laboratory using the scaled samples. The effect of rigid PU foam, configuration of absorber filled by PU foam on the absorption power and manufacturing technology of the samples, are considered and discussed in this paper. The results indicate that the shrinking foam filled tube absorber has for about 18% bigger absorption power than the empty one. Formation of numerical model and numerical analyses of shrinking foam filled tube absorber were realized using ANSYS software package. Force vs. stroke (F(s)) diagrams obtained by tests and numerical analyses are in a good correlation which confirms formed numerical model as a suitable for further quasi-static analyses and for dimensioning the similar types of absorber.


The electrical impedance tomography is a non-invasive diagnostic technique based on the identification of the conductivity profile inside a control volume using injected low frequency currents. Possible advantages in clinical applications coming from a numerical approach based on the application of a meshless method are highlighted


This paper studies how a system operator can estimate the amount of demand which will be curtailed in each hour and that which will be shifted between any two hours based on the short-term price elasticities of the demand (PED) in each hour (i.e., own price elasticity and the associated cross price elasticities), besides finding near optimal unit commitment schedule for generators. Ideally, the system operator would want to curtail and/or shift out as much demand as possible from the hours where the generation is expensive. However, such an action may not be desirable for the demand side. In reality, the demand side suffers a penalty (e.g., cost of rescheduling a scheduled job in a factory) when the demand is curtailed and/or shifted. According to our formulation, the system operator constructs a social optimal solution based on the PED and the penalty information related to the demand side. In other words, the total utility of the demand side is maximized, while the sum of the total power generation costs and the total penalty incurred by the demand side are jointly minimized. The effect of the cross price elasticities and the penalty on the system performance will be shown through various simulations.


This article follows the transformations of the official narrative about Russia's post-Soviet transition over 20 years of Putin's stay in power. To detect how the gradual evolution of political regime toward authoritarianism was legitimized, it focuses on comparison of concise narratives articulated in the Presidential Addresses to the Federal Assembly between 2000 and 2020. The method of research is computer-assisted qualitative content analysis. The article reveals how the declared stages of modern Russia's development correlated with the evolving representations of the West. The initial goals of establishing democracy, the market economy, and the rule of law over time were either reinterpreted or dissolved into minor practical tasks. The most often articulated policy goal was raising the people's living standards, which was narrated as overcoming the trauma of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the hard 1990s. In the Addresses, Russia became represented as a country that completed its transition between 2012 and 2018, with restoring its international positions and military strength, as well as resources for better social welfare. The "democratic society" was declared to be instituted; however, this term was associated with formal elections and facilitating civic participation, not with the alternation and accountability of power.


We report the synthesis of Fe(3)O(4)/silica core/shell nanoparticles and their functionalization with S-nitrosothiols. These nanoparticles are of immense interest because of their nitric oxide (NO) release capabilities in human alveolar epithelial cells. Moreover, they act as large storage reservoirs of NO that can be targeted magnetically to the specific site with a sustainable release of NO for up to 50 h. Such nanoparticles provide an enhancement of the biocompatibility with released NO while allowing intracellular accumulation ascribed to their small size.


Correlation analysis between various surface weather parameters and samples of atmospherically borne radioactive material was performed. The material collected was primarily of natural origin (i.e., Rn and Th). The analysis suggests that the natural radioactive material is transported into the Austin area within the turbulence associated with a cold frontal passage and concentrated in the lower air layers by the ensuing elevated-temperature inversion. (auth)


The two-step model for plant root microbiomes considers soil as the primary microbial source. Active selection of the plant's bacterial inhabitants results in a biodiversity decrease towards roots. We collected in situ ruderal plant roots and their soils and used these soils as the main microbial input for single genotype tomatoes grown in a greenhouse. We massively sequenced the 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomes of the soils, in situ plants, and tomato roots. Tomato roots did follow the two-step model, while ruderal plants did not. Ruderal plants and their soils are closer than tomato and its soil, based on protein comparisons. We calculated a metagenomic tomato root core of 51 bacterial genera and 2,762 proteins, which could be the basis for microbiome-oriented plant breeding programs. The tomato and ruderal metagenomic differences are probably due to plant domestication trade-offs, impacting plant-microbe interactions.


Unraveling patterns of animals' movements is important for understanding the fundamental basics of biogeography, tracking range shifts resulting from climate change, predicting and preventing biological invansions. Many researchers have modeled animals' dispersal studying their behavior under the assumptions of some movement strategies pre-determined or affected by some external factor(s) but none of them have compared the efficiency of different dispersal strategies in providing population survival and fitness. We hypothesize that 1) successful expansion could result from some evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) and 2) such strategy could be based particularly on deferred gain, when animals invest in travel to reach some high-quality habitat ("habitat of dream"). Using simulation model we compare the ecological success of three strategies: i) "Smart" - choosing the locally optimal cell; ii) "Random" - random movement between cells without taking into account the quality of the environment; iii) "Dreamer" - movements that aims to find "a habitat of dream" with quality much higher than that of the initial and neighboring cells. The population fitness was measured as survival rate, dispersal distance, accumulated energy and quality of settled habitat. The most general conclusion is that while survival and wealth of the population is affected presumably by overall habitat quality, the dispersal depends mainly on the behavioral strategy. The "Dreamer" strategy or the strategy of deferred gain belongs to the Pareto frontier in the Fitness$\times$Dispersal space but only in optimal and suboptimal habitat and in the relatively mild climate.


20-Hydroxy-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), a product of the cytochrome P450 (CYP)-catalyzed ω-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid, induces oxidative stress and, in clinical studies, is associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and the metabolic syndrome. This study was designed to examine the effects of exogenous 20-HETE on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived adipocytes. The expression levels of CYP4A11 and CYP4F2 (major 20-HETE synthases in humans) in MSCs decreased during adipocyte differentiation; however, exogenous administration of 20-HETE (0.1–1 μM) increased adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner in these cells (P < 0.05). The inability of a 20-HETE analog to reproduce these effects suggested the involvement of a metabolic product of 20-HETE in mediating its pro-adipogenic effects. A cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 selective inhibitor enhanced, whereas a COX-2 selective or a dual COX-1/2 inhibitor attenuated adipogenesis induced by 20-HETE. The COX-derived metabolite of 20-HETE, 20-OH-PGE2, enhanced adipogenesis and lipid accumulation in MSCs. The pro-adipogenic effects of 20-HETE and 20-OH-PGE2 resulted in the increased expression of the adipogenic regulators PPARγ and β-catenin in MSC-derived adipocytes. Taken together we show for the first time that 20-HETE-derived COX-2-dependent 20-OH-PGE2 enhances mature inflamed adipocyte hypertrophy in MSC undergoing adipogenic differentiation.


Purpose: To investigate oscillatory potentials (Ops) with the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) using the time-slice (TS) paradigm introduced by Menz M et al. (ARVO 2004/2005 E-abstracts 4228/3438).
Methods: We recorded the TS mfERG in 10 healthy young subjects (aged between 28 to 38 years), in one patient (76 years) with early age-related maculopathy (ARM) and in one patient (age 36) with Retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The recording consisted of 10 dark video frames followed by a series of m-sequence modulated test frames (n=6) probing the multifocal responses at intervals of 13.3 ms. In the first experiment the stimulus display consisted of 61 hexagons presented on a CRT monitor (probe flash: 6.4 cd*s/m2, mean adaptation level: 240 cd/ m2). In a second experiment only 19 hexagons were stimulated according to the TS mode and the surrounding hexagons remained dark (masked) to estimate the influence of lateral interaction effects. Data were averaged and analysed in five concentric rings.
Results: In the first experiment the response to probe 1 consisted of four distinct OPs with mean peak implicit times (ITs) of 13.3 (±1.4 SD) ms, 20.1 (±1.6 SD) ms, 27.5 (±2.0 SD) ms and 35.3 (±2.0 SD) ms, respectively. These became slightly faster (Op1: 12.4 (±0.99 SD) ms, Op2: 18.4 (±0.7 SD) ms, Op3: 25.0 (±1.1 SD) ms, Op4: 32.0 (±1.7 SD) ms) and smaller in amplitude towards ring 5. In the second, masked experiment the four Ops were distinct in the center (mean implicit times 15.0 (±2.2 SD) ms, 21.7 (±2.2 SD) ms, 30.0 (±1.4 SD) ms 36.6 (±1.4 SD) ms) but smaller in the periphery. The responses to probes 2-6 did not reveal clearly distinguishable Ops in either experiment. The ARM patient showed slightly delayed responses to probe 1 with ITs of 15.8 ms, 21.7 ms, 27.5 ms, 34.2 ms for the central early Ops and small to non recordable peripheral Ops (rings 3-5). Similarly, the RP patient demonstrated distinct central Ops and poor peripheral Ops. Also, Ops only became evident after about 40 ms of adaptation in the RP patient.
Conclusion: In healthy subjects Ops are better indicators of function in the central retina than in the periphery and are poorly recordable after local adaptation. Decreased peripheral Ops in the masked experiment suggest that lateral interaction effects largely contribute to peripheral Ops in healthy subjects. Similar findings in ARM and RP patients without masking the surrounding hexagons seem to indicate that lateral retinal processing is affected in both conditions.


The transition to turbulence in boundary flow of superfluid 4He is investigated using a vibrating wire. An object in a superfluid is usually accompanied by remanent vortices, enabling to cause turbulence by its oscillation even at very low temperature. However, remanent vortices make it difficult to investigate the transition to turbulence. Recently, we have successfully devised a condition of a vortex-free superfluid, in which an oscillating object cannot generate turbulence. Using a "vortex-free" vibrating wire and a generator of vortex rings, we find that vortex rings can trigger the transition to turbulence for the vortex-free vibrating wire. This result indicates that vortex rings attach to the wire, being stretched and forming turbulence by its oscillation. The propagation time of trigger vortex rings, from their generation to a transition to turbulence for the vortex-free vibrating wire, is the order of 10 ms, suggesting the lower limit of vortex rings in size which enable to trigger the turbulent transition.


A bidirectional unrepeatered transmission system using optical fiber amplifiers has been demonstrated over a single optical fiber at 591 Mb/s with 53 dB power budget margin. Two signal lasers at different wavelengths within the erbium-doped fiber amplifier band have been chosen for forward and reverse direction transmission. The erbium-doped fiber optical amplifier is employed in a dual role-as a power booster for the forward direction and as a receiver preamplifier for the reverse direction-to achieve long distance bidirectional transmission over a single fiber. Comparative results for unidirectional transmission are given and the penalty and advantages of bidirectional transmission system are also discussed.<<ETX>>


Introduction: Solanum indicum L. is one of the species of Dashmularishta, a wellestablished ayurvedic medicine used in the treatment of fatigue, oral sores and gynecological disorders. The present investigation dealt with the estimation of total phenolic and caffeic acid contents in roots of S. indicum from different agroclimatic regions of Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: The roots were collected from 8 places of 7 agroclimatic regions of Madhya Pradesh following purposive sampling. Phenolic content was determined with spectrophotometric method and caffeic acid content was estimated using HPTLC device. Results: The roots from Indore (Malwa plateau) and Balaghat (Chhattisgarh plains) contained maximum (0.859%) and minimum (0.595%) phenolic content respectively. Similarly, the highest content of caffeic acid was detected in the roots (0.0198%) collected from Chhindwara and Betul (Satpura plateau) and lowest content (0.0084%) in roots of Amarkantak (Northern Hill's Zone of Chhattisgarh). Conclusion: The present investigation revealed the highest phenolic content in root samples of Indore belonging to Malwa plateau and maximum content of caffeic acid in root samples of Chhindwara and Betul belonging to Satpura plateau agroclimatic regions. The populations of Chhindwara and Betul can be considered as superior chemotypes in terms of caffeic acid content and can be in-situ as well as ex-situ conserved for future.


Young people, as they grow older, gain increasing competency to make their own decisions--this is reflected in many areas of their lives. Yet, in relation to medical procedures, the case law both in Australia and in England suggests that the area remains uncertain, with courts often resorting to tests of best interests in lieu of personal autonomy particularly where the medical procedure increases in complexity and/or urgency. In fact, at common law, young people must prove themselves to be more competent than adults in order to have their ethical autonomy respected. Legislation in two States in Australia has addressed the issue. However, reform is needed to prescribe an age at which competency of a young person may be presumed for both consent and refusal of medical treatment. Further, the adoption into legislation of the test of Gillick competency would provide for determinations below the age of presumption, and restrict the practice of courts imposing best interests over a young person's own interests.


During the fall of 1977, a committee of educators and health planners conducted a study to compile data concerning numerous features of allied health education programs in Wisconsin. Such information was seen as vital in enhancing articulation of educational efforts and in implementing policy decisions in the 1980s. The authors of this paper served as project associate and chairman, respectively, for the committee. This paper reviews aspects of the Wisconsin study and the factors which the authors believe necessitate the undertaking of similar studies at this time in other states. Some of the problems in data collection, retrieval, and reporting are summarized. The paper makes suggestions for gaining support and increasing participation in such endeavors among different groups. Important outcomes of the present study are highlighted, and the utility of basic research of this kind is explored briefly.


The total number of microorganisms and rates of microbial processes of the carbon cycle were determined in snow, sea ice, water, and seafloor sediments of the northern part of the Barents Sea from September to October, 1998. The explorations were carried out in two areas: along the trajectory from Franz Josef Land to Victoria Island and along the continental slope region covered with solid ice at latitude 81 degrees-82 degrees N and longitude 37 degrees-39 degrees E. At the time of study, the ice cover was represented by thick one-year old ice (up to 1.2 m), perennial ice (up to 1.85 m), and pack ice. The number of bacteria in the snow cover, sea ice, and seawater was 12 to 14, 50 to 110, and 10 to 240 x 10(3) cells/ml, respectively. Rates of CO2-assimilation in the absence of light, glucose utilization, and methane oxidation by bacteria were determined. The highest rate of microbial processes was found in samples of the lowermost newly formed sea ice. The lowest level of activity for all processes was observed from melted snow water. A direct relation was shown between the concentration of Corg, the bacterial biomass, and the values of delta 13Corg in mixtures of melted snow and ice. The number of microorganisms and rates of microbial processes in seafloor sediments measured at the stations on the continental slope are comparable to those in the central part of the Barents Sea and the northern part of the Kara Sea.


Since the mid-1980s U.S. domestic firms have faced significant increases in foreign-based (i.e., import) competition as reductions in barriers to international commerce have resulted in markets and industries becoming increasingly global. Despite the growing and widespread importance of foreign-based competition, the influence that such competition may exert on corporate diversification strategy is a question largely overlooked in the strategic management literature. This paper examines the impact of foreign-based competition in a firm's core business on both the level and nature of a firm's diversification strategy at the corporate level in a panel dataset of U.S. firms over the period 1985–94. Our findings provide the first evidence that increased foreign-based competition is indeed a statistically significant factor explaining both the reduced business-level diversity and the increased strategic focus of U.S. firms that has been widely perceived over the past two decades. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


THE DESCRIPTION OF KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF CARIOGENIC FOOD IN PKK MOTHER IN THE PRIGI VILLAGE
OF SIDOHARJO TEPUS GUNUNGKIDUL
Suparyati1*, Suharyono1, Furaida Khasanah1
1Dental Nursing Depatment, Health Polytechnic of Health Ministry Yogyakarta
Jalan Kyai Mojo No. 56, Pingit, Yogyakarta
*firstname.lastname@example.com

ABSTRACT
Background : Cariogenic foods are foods that can cause caries. Caries is a dental and oral health problem that is often found in the community. Knowledge of cariogenic foods is needed by mothers to maintain dental and oral health in the family. By knowing food that causes caries so that it can prevent the occurrence of dental caries. Riskesdas data in 2013 showed that 25.9% of Indonesia's population had dental and oral problems in the last 12 months. This research was carried out because there had never been any research on prigi hamlets about the knowledge of cariogenic foods.
Research Purposes : Knowing the description of the level of knowledge about cariogenic food in PKK mothers in Prigi Village, Sidoharjo Village, Tepus Gunungkidul.
Research methods : This type of research is descriptive with a cross sectional approach. The population in this study were 40 people. Sampling method using purposive sampling technique with a sample size of 40 people. This study uses a questionnaire level of knowledge about cariogenic foods, the data obtained will be processed and presented in the form of tables and percentages.
Research result : The results of the data analysis showed that mothers' knowledge of cariogenic food was included in the good category of 77.5%.
Conclusion: Mother's level of knowledge is included in the good category.

Keywords: Mothers Knowledge, Cariogenic Foods