This paper proposes a new methodology for analyzing nonlinear pricing data. We establish identification of the model primitives with a known tariff and characterize the model restrictions on observables. We propose a quantile-based nonparametric estimator that achieves consistency at the parametric rate. We introduce unobserved product heterogeneity with an unknown tariff and show how our identification and estimation results extend. A Monte Carlo study analyzes the robustness of our methodology to menus of two-part tariffs. Analysis of cellular service data assesses the performance of various pricing strategies. We discuss extensions to network effects, multiproduct firms, bundling, differentiated products, and oligopolies.


The present contribution focuses on the effect of adherend surface roughness on the strength of adhesive joints, which are particularly cost-effective and extensively applied in a wide range of industrial applications. However, the reliability of such solutions is a critical concern for the integrity of commercial products. To gain a deeper understanding on the effect of roughness, an extensive experimental campaign is proposed, where thermoplastic substrates are produced with a specified roughness, whose characterization has been performed using a confocal profilometer. Elastic strips are then bonded onto such substrates using Silicone adhesive while controlling the adhesive thickness. Peeling tests are finally carried out and the effects of joint parameters such as surface roughness, adhesive thickness, and loading rate are discussed in detail. Eventually, it is demonstrated that the surface roughness can increase the adhesion energy of joints depending on the value of a ratio between the adhesive thickness and the root mean square elevation of roughness.


As roads and highways are the key medium of transportation for Bangladesh in this era, road accident has become an overarching issue. Rapid growths of vehicle and poor road environment condition have caused harsh safety hazards on the Pabna-Sirajganj highway in recent years. In this study, current status of the road accidents and probable causes of the accidents in Pabna-Sirajganj road section is identified. In Pabna-Sirajgonj highway, 57 accidents occurred on this highway section in a time period of 4 years from January 2014 to December 2017. As a result, 102 lives were lost and another 140 were injured. In this study, current status of the road accidents and probable causes of these accidents in Pabna-Sirajganj road section is identified. Data collection, analysis and interpretation on road accidents were carried out for this road segment. The geometric parameters at accident-prone locations were compared with the standard parameters by using topographic survey. The results from the study unfold the probable reasons road accidents of selected accident-prone locations of Pabna-Sirajgonj road section, which may reduce the accident rates as well as save our lives and properties. Keywords— Transportation, Accidents, Road Environment, Geometric Parameters, Topographic Survey


Arterioportal fistula (APF) is a rare disorder of the mesenteric vasculature Patients with arterioportal fistula may present with complications, including portal hypertension (gastrointestinal bleeding and ascites), heart failure or intestinal ischemia. Furthermore, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) subsequent to portosystemic shunts have been reported. In this paper, we report on a case of arterioportal fistula complicated with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and treated with an endovascular embolization procedure. A rapid improvement and complete resolution of ascites were observed following the treatment.


Purpose: Any organization needs to sustain its performance both in the short and long term. Sustainability is a concept that focuses on financial, social and environmental aspects of management which gained a lot of attention recently. Lean production on the other hand is a philosophy that is focused on the elimination of waste. The purpose of this paper was to highlight the sustainability initiatives taken by the top companies in the UAE and how implementing the sustainable solutions and best practices in the UAE links with lean practices. Various current sustainable practices and initiatives were evaluated to examine whether they are aligned with lean management or not. This research aimed to provide useful insights to sustainability and quality practitioners in the UAE into various sustainability initiatives in UAE the challenges to implementing the initiatives and how they relate to lean concepts.
Methodology: The study employed secondary research as the data collection approach using a systematic review of relevant journal articles. The research explored various sustainability initiatives laid down by the UAE government. It also investigated the relationship between sustainability and lean practices and their effect on organizational performance.
Findings: The study determined that lean production was an effective means through which an organization can realize numerous benefits including costs reductions, increased, operational efficiency and higher waste management.
Recommendations: Through this research study, it was established that lean production has strong potential of influencing achievement of objectives associated with sustainability. The first recommendation is on policy reforms. The second recommendation is on training and development programs in corporations in the UAE.


Purpose: To investigate the role of nucleolin in microRNA regulation. Experimental Procedure: Nucleolin was overexpressed and knocked down followed by miRNA expression analysis by qRT-PCR. Nucleolin cellular localization was altered by treatment with parthenolide and verified by cellular fractionation. A change in primary, precursor, and mature microRNA following altered nucleolin localization was determined by endpoint PCR, northern blot, and qRT-PCR, respectively. Immunoprecipitation was utilized to investigate the interaction of nucleolin with the components of the microprocessor complex, Drosha and DGCR8. To determine the interaction of nucleolin with primary microRNA, RNA immunoprecipitation was performed. Results: Altered expression of nucleolin positively correlated with the expression of mature miR-15a and miR-16-1. Upon induction of cytoplasmic nucleolin, mature and precursor miR-15/16 species significantly decreased, while primary species increased. When nuclear levels of nucleolin increased following treatment with parthenolide, miR-15/16 dramatically and significantly increased. However, after nucleolin was knocked down, treatment with parthenolide failed to increase mature miR-15/16. Additionally, primary species were depleted in the presence of nucleolin, indicating increased processing; yet in the absence of nucleolin primary species persisted, indicating a failure to process primary miRNA. Immunoprecipitation studies revealed that nucleolin interacts with both Drosha and DGCR8. This interaction is independent of RNA as it persisted following RNase treatment. RNA immunoprecipitation revealed that nucleolin bound to primary miR-15/16 to a level equal to DGCR8. Conclusions: Nucleolin expression levels do indeed alter miR-15/16 levels. In addition to absolute levels of nucleolin, cellular localization is also important. We conclude that cytoplasmic nucleolin increased primary miRNA while decreasing precursor and mature miRNA due to spatial segregation from the microprocessor complex involved in primary miRNA processing. Increased nuclear nucleolin greatly increased mature miR-15/16 likely by facilitating nucleolin9s interaction with the microprocessor complex. Immunoprecipitation data revealed that nucleolin interacts with Drosha and DGCR8 and this interaction is not due to tethering to RNA as it persisted despite RNase treatment. Lastly, nucleolin, which is an RNA binding protein, can bind to primary miRNA. Nucleolin may facilitate processing of primary miRNA by positioning it for cleavage by Drosha, as is nucleolin9s role in the biogenesis of ribosomal RNA. Nucleolin is known to localize to the cytoplasm of numerous cancers including CLL and breast cancer. Our data indicates this may lead to a decrease of the tumor-suppressor miR-15/16 providing a survival advantage for cancer cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3974. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3974


The goal of this bioinformatics tool is to predict functional transcription factors (TFs) from various queries of target genomic features. TFs play a key role in regulating gene expression in a dynamic chromatin structure. From a target gene set or a genomic region set, it is challenging to identify functional TFs that regulate these genes or bind in these regions, because of complexity of enhancer distributions and insufficient specificity of DNA sequence motifs. Here, we present BART (Binding Analysis for Regulation of Transcription), an interactive bioinformatics toolkit and web server to predict functional TFs that regulate a set of co-regulated genes or associate with a genomic profile. From a gene set, BART first uses a machine learning approach to generate a genome-wide cis-regulatory profile by leveraging hundreds of publicly available ChIP-seq profiles for active enhancer histone mark H3K27ac and DNase-seq profiles for genome-wide cis-regulatory elements. Then it identifies a list of TFs whose binding profiles most correlate with the cis-regulatory profile by comparing with tens of thousands of ChIP-seq datasets. BART can also identify TFs associated with differential chromatin interaction from a pair of three-dimensional (3D) genomic datasets, such as Hi-C. BART integrates over 12,000 ChIP-seq datasets for over 900 TFs for human and over 500 TFs for mouse to make accurate predictions. We demonstrate that BART outperforms existing methods in identifying the true TF from target gene sets. BART can be useful for any researcher in studying cancer gene regulation and cancer epigenetics, and demonstrates the power of utilizing public data for computational biology research. BART web server is freely available at: http://bartweb.org. Citation Format: Zhenjia Wang, Wenjing Ma, Yifan Zhang, Neal E. Magee, Yang Chen, Chongzhi Zang. BART: An integrative bioinformatics toolkit and web server for functional transcription factor prediction [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3214.


The hydration of cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2] (cisplatin) has been studied by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations using a new interaction potential obtained by fitting about 4000 ab initio interaction energies calculated at the MP2 level. The functional form included several r(-n) terms (n = 4, 6, 8, 12) to achieve an accurate description of the interactions in the different regions around the cisplatin. Bulk solvent effects on the cisplatin-water molecule interactions have been included by means of a continuum model. Radial Distribution Function (RDF) analysis does not provide a clear enough description of the hydration pattern due to the intricate solvent arrangement around the solute. Angle-solved RDFs and spatial distribution functions have been used to provide more detailed pictures of the local hydration structure around the two ligands, chloride and ammine groups, and the axial region. Based on this information, it is shown a more convenient way to compute the running coordination number for the first hydration shell by simultaneously considering angle-solved RDFs centered on the ligand representative atoms of the complex: ammino N, Cl, and Pt atoms. This way, the hydration number is obtained by integrating over an interlocking-sphere volume built by the spheres centered on the cation and the main atoms of each ligand. Compared to previous works dealing with cisplatin hydration, the global hydration number for the first coordination shell is now higher and involves about 27 water molecules. The importance of the structural sampling, the computational level, as well as the functional form adopted for the interaction potential are thoroughly discussed with respect to the previous proposed intermolecular potential.


Mutual funds have enjoyed phenomenal growth with their numbers exceeding the number of public companies and their assets aggregating in excess of $9 trillion. Increasingly they are the investment instrument of choice by the proverbial widows, widowers and orphans, and a few school teachers are included as well. But how are best can that choice be one that is not only informed but informed in a way more likely to elicit a wise decision? This paper examines from a behavioral perspective how regulation can best disclose information related to two key factors for investors to compare competing mutual funds: fund returns and fund expenses. Our analysis reflects that the current disclosure process is deficient because it fails to reflect the insights of research on judgment and decision making, and particularly the need to distinguish between the availability of information and its processability by its user. The message of our article is straightforward: if regulators adhered to the insights provided by our paper, not only investors, but also the fund's directors, would be greatly empowered so that better returns and lower costs could be expected.


The number of complex total joint arthroplasties being performed each year is continually rising. Patients are undergoing primary and revision total joint arthroplasties at a relatively younger age and face a greater possibility of multiple revision procedures during their lifetime. Surgeons are often faced with significant osteolysis and bone loss and must find ways novel ways to deal with this difficult problem. Total femur arthroplasty using a megaprosthesis is a rare procedure and has been mainly described in the orthopaedic oncological literature, however it has not been described in aseptic, non-tumour related, revision procedures addressing massive bone loss, component loosening and periprosthetic fracture involving ipsilateral hip and knee joints. We present the case of a simultaneous revision total hip and total knee arthroplasty for massive femoral bone loss, aseptic loosening, periprosthetic fracture and functional leg length discrepancy using total femur megaprosthesis. We will briefly review the relevant literature, present the clinical presentation, imaging and surgical procedure as well as the early post-operative course. To our knowledge, total femur replacement for this indication has not been previously described.


In the past decades, nanomaterials have shown great potentials in biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery, imaging and targeted therapy. Recently, the development of novel functional nanomaterials for antibacterial application has attracted much attention. Compared to the traditional direct use of antibiotics, antibacterial nanomaterials either as drug delivery systems or active agents have a higher efficacy and lower side effects. Herein, we will focus on the antibacterial applications of four commonly used nanomaterials, including metal-based nanomaterials, polymeric nanoparticles, graphene oxides or carbon-based nanomaterials and nanogels.


Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of death in children and young people. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed its epidemiology, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms (Dowson, 2014). Part 2 reviews the diagnosis, management and prevention of this disease.


Objectives: Determination of serum ferritin and iron profile in Helicobacter pylori infected young adult male reporting at a tertiary care hospital of Sindh. Study Design: Case control study. Study Setting & Duration: Department of Medicine, Layari General Hospital Shaheed Muhtrama Benazir Bhutto Medical College from January 2015 to February 2016. Study Subjects and Methods: 100 cases (H. pylori stool specific antigen positive) and 100 controls (H pylori negative) were selected and studied. 5 ml blood was collected in a disposable syringe by venesection. 2 ml was put in EDTA tubes and 3 ml was centrifuged (3000 x rpm for 10 minutes). Sera were used for the estimation of iron profile. Elisa assay method (Fortress diagnostics) detected the H. pylori stool specific antigen (HpSA). Data was analyzed on SPSS 22.0 (USA) at 95% CI (P≤ 0.05). Results: Age of control and cases was noted 35.48±4.79 and 33.60±3.96 years (P=0.053). Hb, Hct and RBC counts were low in cases (P=0.0001) significantly. Serum iron (Fe++), ferritin and TIBC in controls and cases were noted 152.72±6.08 and 118.79±43.30 μg/dl, 394.34±136.50 and 529.87±101.0 ng/dl, & 140.80±19.99 and 130.88±28.46 μg/dl respectively (P=0.0001) (Table-I). Conclusion: Helicobacter pylori infection causes iron malabsorption as detected by serum iron and ferritin and total iron binding capacity in young adult male.


The dielectric, elastic and piezoelectric properties of the F R(LT)-F R(HT) phase transition were investigated on Nb-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 ceramics (x=0.05 and 0.25). Dielectric anomaly and thermal hysteresis are observed through the F R(LT)-F R(HT) phase transition in PZT(Nb)95/5, but no anomaly appears in PZT(Nb)75/25. Two compositions show pronounced dielectric dispersions in the rhombohedral ferroelectric phases. The temperature dependences of resonance frequency (f r), elastic constant (s11 E) and Poisson's ratio(σ) show remarkable anomalies around the F R(LT)-F R(HT) phase transition in both compositions. However, the temperature range of the anomaly of PZT(Nb)75/25 is much broader than that of PZT(Nb)95/5. The electromechanical coupling factor (K p) decreases abruptly in PZT(Nb)95/5, while, in contrast, it increases gradually in PZT(Nb)75/25. These results are discussed on the basis of the coupling of M-type and R-type oxygen octahedral tilts to polarization and strain.


The Rhodesian Archaean craton consisting largely of granite-greenstone terrain is briefly described, and is discussed mainly in the light of points arising from recent work in the south and central parts of the country. The Sebakwian-Bulawayan-Shamvaian terminology and the evidence for more than one age of greenstone belt development are reviewed. An attempt is made to trace the evolution of the craton from the earliest recognized rocks up to the emplacement of the Great Dyke (±2500 Ma). Evidence is presented for the existence of an earlier sialic basement to the main greenstone belt cover, and to show that the main greenstone belts developed during the approximate time-span 3300 to 2900 Ma. Between approximately 2900 and 2500 Ma the main events are traced both in the craton and the Limpopo mobile belt. Proterozoic events at 2000 to 1800 Ma affecting the craton and mobile belt are briefly described and discussed.


In 28 experiments on cat papillary muscles the effect of mesocain (generically related to lidocaine) was studied on transmembrane currents (rapid inward INa, slow inward Isi, outward Io), on the configuration and (dV/dt)max of the action potential, on the refractory period and on isometric tension. The experiments were performed using either voltage clamp method (double sucrose gap) or microelectrode technique. All three transmembrane currents are inhibited by mesocain in a dose-dependent manner. The effect becomes measurable at 10(-6) mol/1 on INa, at 10(-5) mol/1 on Isi and at 5 X 10(-5) mol/1 on Il. INa is blocked at 10(-3) mol/1 concentration. These changes correlate with the measured alterations of action potentials: i.e. a decreased (dV/dt) max and overshoot, lower voltage and shortening of the plateau phase, slower rate of late repolarizaion. The negative inotropic effect appeared with the same treshold concentration as Isi; at higher concentrations, however, this effect was relatively much greater. The recovery of excitability measured by the interval-dependence of (dV/dt) max was prolonged 5 times on the average by mesocain at 10(-4) mol/1 and the effective refractory period was delayed beyond complete repolarization. It is concluded that the main effect of mesocain also involves a delayed kinetics of recovery from inactivation of the Na carrying system.


White-light emissive hybrid perovskites have received continuous attention because of their potential applications in solid-state lighting and displays. However, there have been limited reports about dual-emissive white-light hybrid perovskites, although they enable a wide range of emission switching. Here, we report a one-dimensional hybrid perovskite, (N-AEP)2Pb2Cl10·H2O (NAPC, N-AEP = 1-piperazineethylammonium), which exhibits dual-emissive photoluminescence with a wide emission switch ranging from blue to orange. Significantly, tunable white-light emission from "cold" white light (0.25, 0.29) to "warm" white light (0.40, 0.42) can be easily observed by finely tuning the excitation wavelength. Under excitation at 335 nm, a "cold" white light with chromaticity coordinates (0.31, 0.33) close to those of "optimal" white light (0.33, 0.33) is achieved. Furthermore, NAPC exhibits a color rendering index reaching 93.4, which is among the highest values currently reported from white-light emissive hybrid perovskites. This work paves a way to tune the photophysical properties of hybrid perovskites, and highlights their potential for solid-state lighting applications.


The clinical observation of the liver cirrhosis patients who has got the magnetoinfraredlaser therapy (MILT) with an irradiation of lien projection is presented. It was shown the positive MILT effect on the pancytopenia syndrome. The use of magnetoinfraredlaser therapy in the patients with the hypersplenia syndrome is recommended.


Ibuprofen is an effective antipyretic in the postburn period and produces associated decrements in the hypermetabolic response. Burn injury is capable of altering the kinetics of many drugs, making the predictable use of agents such as ibuprofen difficult. Ten patients with serious burns were studied after the administration of 10 mg/kg ibuprofen suspension. The half-life varied from 1.4 to 5.1 hours, depending on the site of administration and/or the presence of solid food. The reported half-life for ibuprofen suspension is 1.8 to 2 hours. Burn size did not alter ibuprofen half-life or area under the time-concentration curve. Maximum ibuprofen concentration varied greatly, depending on route of administration. Time to maximal temperature reduction was between 2 and 3 hours after drug administration. Although the precise level of ibuprofen needed for cyclooxygenase inhibition is unknown, enteral administration results in levels below the targeted 10 to 20 mcg/ml for much of the traditional 6-hour dosing interval. Future studies with ibuprofen in the burn population must standardize more than just total dose.


When attending last year's (2011) International Health Economics Association (iHEA) conference in Toronto, we were struck by the notion that almost all papers we listened to used a very similar quantitativemethodology, whereas qualitative methods barely seemed to play a role. This is unfortunate: (Health) economists could effectively integrate combinations of qualitative and quantitative methods into their research toolkit, without having to give up the formal modeling approach they are accustomed to. The population and institutions studied will rarely be identical with the population for which policy recommendations are derived, so that, to the extent that the two differ, the recommendations may only partially hold. However, acquiring knowledge about the compatibility of populations and institutions is a complex task, one that may require the type of data generated by qualitative research.


As anti-trafficking social service providers (SSPs) facilitate the process of victim recovery and empowerment, they also participate in the dissemination of trafficking-related knowledge to the general public. Drawing on a feminist postcolonial framework, this study sought to examine how anti-trafficking SSPs represent trafficking victims in written narratives published on their organizational websites. Thirty-three narratives were drawn from the websites of 10 New York–based anti-trafficking SSPs. Despite the widespread adoption of a strength-based term, "survivor," the narratives were found to reinforce a gendered and racialized representation of trafficking victims as sex trafficked women from the "global South" and to (re)produce many "ideal" trafficking victim stereotypes that have been dominating the current discourses of trafficking. A "life transformation" discourse was pervasive, discursively foregrounding the positive impact of the SSPs on trafficking survivors. The findings suggested a need for anti-trafficking SSPs to engage with critical reflection on their positionality and intentionality in representing trafficking victims/survivors and to adopt a survivor-led storytelling paradigm. This study also provided a timely reminder for social work practitioners and researchers to continue to challenge the dominant narratives embedded in their fields of practice, to exercise critical self-reflexivity, and to provide a discursive space for those who have been deprived of voices.


The present study has been designed to investigate the relationship of maternal attributes such as emotional empathy and emotional awareness with adolescents' aggressive behavior towards others. Specifically, the study addresses three issues: 1) Does mothers' emotional empathy and emotional awareness separately predict aggression in their children? 2) Do the mothers' attributes of emotional empathy and emotional awareness together better predict aggression? 3) Does mothers' emotional empathy interact with gender of children to predict aggression? and, 4) Does mothers' emotional awareness interact with gender of children to predict aggression? The study was conducted on a sample of 115 adolescent boys and girls with an average age of 16.4, S.D. = 1.17. In addition, the study included 115 mothers of the same adolescents. Mean age for mothers was 41.6 years (S.D. = 7.1). Mothers reported on their personality characteristics of emotional empathy and emotional awareness, utilizing the Emotional Empathy Scale (EES) and Trait Emotional Awareness Scale (TEAS) respectively, whereas the adolescents were administered the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) to assess their level of aggression. Results indicated predictive value of mothers' emotional awareness for inhibiting aggression in their children ( � = -.26, p< .01). However, mother's emotional empathy neither separately nor in interaction with emotional awareness significantly predicted aggression. Moreover, mothers' emotional awareness was found to interact with adolescents' gender to inhibit aggression in children ( � = .27, p< .02). Results showed that mothers' emotional awareness contributed to decreased risk for developing aggression in girl child. However, the interactive effect of mothers' emotional empathy and adolescents' gender did not predict aggression in children. The obtained pattern of findings will hold important implications for


Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Although melanoma is highly curable when early diagnosed, the metastatic melanoma detains the worst prognosis and remains one of the most resistant cancers to treatment. In this light, continuous efforts are made to better understand the pathogenesis of this disease. It has been strongly suggested that aberrant epigenetic events, occurred in specific steps, are important to the establishment and progression of tumor genesis as the occurrence of point genetic mutations. Based on a murine model of malignant transformation, the aim of our group has been identify and understand the effective participation of epigenetic mechanisms in the generation of a transformed phenotype. The study model of melanoma genesis was established in vitro by submitting non-tumorigenic melanocytes (murine melan-a cell line) to sequential cycles of anchorage blockade, proposing that microenvironment interference may lead to intracellular alterations with important gene expression impact. Our cell lines represent distinct phases of melanoma genesis (melan-a melanocytes, 4C pre-malignant melanocytes, 4C11- non-metastatic and 4C11+ metastatic melanoma) and, on an overview, it was observed clearly morphological differences, mainly in intermediate stages of progression, suggesting a transient change from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype (from melan-a to 4C and 4C11- cell lines) along malignant transformation. This transitory modification was accompanied by a switch in the EMT markers expression, like Snail1 and your targets, β-catenin, E-cadherin and N-cadherin. In parallel, Chd1 (chromatin remodeling factor), Nanog (pluripotency factor) and Jarid1b (histone demethylase) are highly expressed in these intermediate phases (4C and 4C11-), characterizing an open chromatin configuration. Interestingly, expression of most of these genes appear to be controlled by epigenetic mechanisms, both DNA methylation and chromatin modification. We hypothesized that during melanocyte malignant progression associated with sustained stress, an opened chromatin occurrence would facilitate cells to undergo changes in gene expression which allow cell adaptation to new environment and all these alterations are orchestrated by epigenetic events. Supported by FAPESP. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4263. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4263


Lanthionine is an important, non-proteinogenic amino acid occurring among others in peptide antibiotics–lantibiotics. The majority of known and time-consuming synthetic methods require the application of non-standard amino acid derivatives. Here, we report a convenient, straightforward and efficient photochemical conversion of selenocysteine-based diselenide bridge to selenolanthionine – reaction driven by UV light.


TOMON, JENNIFER EILEEN. Effect of Team Climate on Substance Use Behaviors, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Student-Athletes at a Large, Public University in the Southeast. (Under the direction of Dr. Siu-Man "Raymond" Ting.) Prior research shows that college student-athletes experience higher rates of substance use than their non-athlete peers. Studies have also shown that variation in substance use exists on the basis of sport/team affiliation. This study seeks to determine the influence of team climate on the differences in substance use behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes among athletic teams. The first part of this thesis includes a review of the literature on the prevalence of substance use among college student-athletes as well as the theoretical approaches most relevant to a study of social networks and the effects on substance use. The literature review is followed by the results and discussion of a study conducted with a sample of 188 student-athletes at a large, public university in the southeastern United States. Analysis of the results of the Student-Athlete Team Climate and Substance Use Survey (SATCSUS) showed that that team climates of the participants' athletic teams related to the substance use behaviors and perceptions of the student-athletes but not to their attitudes toward substance use. Several demographic variables were also shown to be related to the substance use behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes of the studentathletes. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the findings as well as the limitations and implications of the study. Copyright 2008 Jennifer Eileen Tomon Effect of Team Climate on Substance Use Behaviors, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Student-Athletes at a Large, Public University in the Southeast by Jennifer Eileen Tomon A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science


BACKGROUND
Acantholysis is the histologic hallmark in the diagnosis of all forms of pemphigus. However, biopsy specimens of early lesions may lack acantholysis and show only eosinophils in the epidermis in areas of spongiosis (eosinophilic spongiosis). We report two cases of pemphigus foliaceus and two cases of unclassified pemphigus (foliaceus vs vulgaris) in which neutrophilic spongiosis was the prominent histologic finding.

OBSERVATIONS
Four patients developed blistering skin disorders that spared the mucous membranes. Skin biopsy specimens in all four patients showed striking infiltration of neutrophils into the epidermis. Acantholysis was focal and was absent in some sections. Direct immunofluorescence demonstrated intercellular deposition of IgG and C3 within the epidermis in all cases. There was no IgA deposition. Gram's stains were negative for bacteria in three cases and revealed Gram-positive cocci overlying an eroded area in one case. However, the neutrophilic spongiosis in this case extended well beyond the area of impetiginization.

CONCLUSIONS
The histologic differential diagnosis of neutrophils in the epidermis includes pustular psoriasis, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, intraepidermal neutrophilic IgA dermatosis, superficial IgA pemphigus, toxic shock syndrome, Sweet's syndrome, and superficial fungal and bacterial infections. We conclude that pemphigus be added to this differential diagnosis and recommend direct immunofluorescence when neutrophilic spongiosis is observed.


Introduction General Considerations Use of Nitroxides as Contrast Agents for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy EPR Imaging and In Vivo EPR Techniques Measurements of the Concentration of Oxygen Measurement of Diffusion Measurement of Viability Measurement of Temperature Summary and Plan of the Book Terminology, Classification, and Distribution of the Nitroxides in Cells General Analysis and Terminology Classification Distribution of Nitroxides in Cells General Considerations Distributions of Neutral Nitroxides Location of Charged Nitroxides in Cells Location of Doxyl Strearates and Related Lipophilic Nitroxides Location of Phospholipids Labeled with Nitroxides Chemical Reactivity of Nitroxides General Aspects Stability of Pure Solutions Electrochemical Reactions Reduction Mechanisms of Chemical Reduction Reduction of f-Phenylenediamine Reduction by Metal Ions Reduction of Nitroxides by Ascorbic Acid and Flavins Reoxidation of Hydroxylamines and Amines to Nitroxides Interconversion of Hydroxylamines and Nitroxides Reduction of Nitroxides by SH-Containing Substances Reactions of Free Radicals with Nitroxides Photochemical Reactions Nitroxides as Redox Probes of Melanin Interactions with Singlet Oxygen Radiation-Induced Reactions Reduction Reactions Oxidation Reactions Radiosensitization by Nitroxides Inhibition of Lipid Peroxidation Reactions of Superoxide with Nitroxides Nitroxides as Catalysts of Radical Reactions Spin Trapping Challenges for Chemists and Biochemists Applications of Reactions of Nitroxides in Biophysics General Considerations The Kinetics and Mechanism of Reduction of Nitroxides by Ascorbic Acid Investigations of Model and Biological Membranes Transport of Ascorbate The Kinetics of Reductions in Membranes Reduction of Spin-Labeled Lipids Dynamics of Lipids Membrane Permeability and Transport of Nitroxides Protein Mobility Nitroxide Reduction with para-Phenylenediamine in Suspensions of Membranes The Use of the Kinetics of Reduction to Study Disease Oximetry with Nitroxides Biochemical Basis of Reduction of Nitroxides in Membranes General Aspects of Reactions of Nitroxides in Membranes Reduction of Nitroxides with Components of Biological Membranes Reactions with Sulfhydryl Groups Reactions with Mitochondrial or Other Membranes Having Respiratory Chains Kinetics of the Reduction of Nitroxides by the Electron Transport Chain Microsomal Membranes Nitroxide Binding to Cytochrome P-450 Reoxidation with the Respiratory Chain and Superoxide Hydrophobicity and Biological Activity of Membrane-Active Substances Conclusions Metabolism of Nitroxides and Their Products in Cells Scheme of Chapter and General Overview of Metabolism of Nitroxides and Hydroxylamines Detailed Considerations of Reduction of Nitroxides in Mammalian Cells Factors that Affect the Rate of Reduction of Nitroxides Mechanisms of Reduction of Nitroxides in Cells Location of Reduction of Nitroxides Cellular Oxidation of Hydroxylamines Metabolism and Distribution of Nitroxides in Specific Types of Cells Use of Rates of Reduction of Nitroxides to Detect Differences in Cells, Including Malignant Changes Erythrocytes, Plasma, and Whole Blood Macrophages Other Cellular Systems Metabolism and Distribution of Nitroxides in Tissues and Organs Homogenized Tissues Isolated and/or Perfused Tissues Nerves Other Specialized Tissues Metabolism and Distribution of Nitroxides In Vivo General Considerations on Distribution and Metabolism of Nitroxides In Vivo Principles of Metabolism and Distribution of Nitroxides In Vivo Assay Methods Used to Measure Levels of Nitroxides in Blood and Tissues Blood and Tissue Levels of Nitroxides and Hydroxylamines Single Administration Repeated Administration Metabolism In Vivo Types of Reactions Influence of Oxygen on the Reactions In Vivo Roles of Intracellular and Extracellular Reduction Metabolism in Organ Systems Physical Elimination of Nitroxides and Hydroxylamines Distribution In Vivo Conversions to Other Derivatives In Vivo Toxicity and the Use of Nitroxides as Bioactive Drugs General Aspects of Toxicity of Nitroxides Data on Toxicity from In Vitro Systems Data from Model Systems Data from Subcellular and Cellular Systems Toxicity in In Vivo Systems General Considerations LD50 and Other Measures of Lethal Effects of Nitroxides Nonlethal Acute Effects Chronic Effects Toxic Effects Involving the Non-Nitroxide Parts of the Spin Labels Effects due to Physical Interactions and/or Localization on the basis of Physical-Chemical Properties of the Nitroxides Effects Due to Chemical Reactions of the Non-Nitroxide Portion of the Molecule Summary on Toxicity Metabolism, Toxicity, and Distribution of Spin Traps Introduction Stability of Spin Traps in Cells and Tissues General Principles and Information on Stability of Adducts of Spin Traps DMPO PBN and Related Spin Traps Other Spin Traps Spin Traps and Erythrocytes Conclusions on Stability of Spin Traps and Spin Adducts in Functional Biological Systems Stability In Vivo Toxicity of Spin Traps Summary and Conclusions Introduction Principles of Metabolism of Nitroxides Potential Limitations of the Use of Nitroxides in Viable Biological Systems and Approaches to Overcome Them Bioreduction Toxicity Sensitivity Applications of Nitroxides in Viable Biological Systems which are Likely to be Affected by the Biological and Chemical Interactions of Nitroxides Assessment of the Future for Nitroxides References


The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was put in place principally to serve as a bargaining power of the South. The historical antecedence of OPEC indicates an Organization that was necessary because of the exploitation of the Northern developed countries through their oil companies. In essence, OPEC came to put a stop to what was considered as those tendencies by the Northern developed countries at ensuring that those years of colonialism and slavery which put the South at a disadvantage continued with oil. One interesting thing about international oil politics is that developing nations that were at a disadvantage in the structuring of international relations and in particular international economic system of the globe were appreciably at an advantage in oil politics. This is because reserves as well as production of oil benefit the Southern developing nations while the North with a large appetite in consumption is appreciably at a disadvantage. One would have expected therefore that in this particular area where the South was at an advantage it would automatically be in control, a situation that was unfortunately not so before OPEC came into being. In variably, OPEC would have ordinarily been expected to serve the interest of the South by coordinating Southern interests in oil and ensuring that the North is put in its normal place as far as issues relating to oil are concerned. This work therefore is aimed at relating OPEC's formative years to its performance after coming into existence. It is meant to confirm and affirm whether or not OPEC has been able to meet up to its expectation of a Southern bargaining organization which it was meant to be at inception. The work employs an analytical methodology in which it relates those basic elements that necessitated an OPEC with those different areas in which it has performed with a view to determining whether or not the organization had lived up to expectation. The work finds out that certain internal crisis within OPEC have made it impossible for the organization to live up to expectation. It concludes that until OPEC moves away from viewing issues from Arab-non-Arab perspective it will not be able to serve its purpose effectively as a Southern bargaining organization. Keywords: OPEC, oil companies, dependency, exploitative tendency and bargaining power.


Headache with neurological deficits and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocytosis (HaNDL), a benign condition, known to have confused physicians and neurologists presenting like transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA), central nervous system infections and encephalitis of various etiology. HaNDL is typically seen in young adults, manifested as a triad of headache, transient focal neurological deficits and CSF lymphocytosis. The authors report the case of a 50 -year- old man with episodic headache associated with neck stiffness, altered sensorium and symptoms of acute psychosis. After extensive evaluation including neuroimaging, CSF study, different blood investigations to exclude possible central nervous system infections, autoimmune encephalitis and CNS vascular disease, a diagnosis of HaNDL was arrived. The patient improved with supportive and symptomatic management. HaNDL can present with symptoms akin to meningitis and psychosis. Due caution should be exercised before arrival at the diagnosis of HaNDL, which is a based on exclusion of other life threatening neurologic illness.


Delirium is a common syndrome present at the end of life and causes significant distress for patients and families. Sleep disruption is a common precipitating factor for delirium and restoration of sleep may be instrumental in attenuating symptoms. In this cases series, we present three patients who were unresponsive to escalating doses of standard delirium medications, but whose delirium resolved once improved sleep was achieved using Pentobarbital. In a fourth patient, delirium was successfully treated where neuroleptics were contraindicated. Pentobarbital has been shown to reduce the time to sleep onset, decrease the number of body movements during sleep and spontaneous awakenings and increase the total sleep time. Pentobarbital may provide an additional treatment option for patients whose delirium is refractory to standard management approaches.


Processor stalls and protocol messages caused by coherence misses limit the performance of shared memory applications. Modern multiprocessors employ write-invalidate coherence protocols, which induce read misses to ensure consistency. Previous research has shown that an invalidate protocol is not optimal for all memory access patterns - an update protocol can significantly outperform an invalidate protocol when data is heavily shared or accessed in predictable patterns. However, update protocols can generate excessive network traffic and are difficult to build on a scalable (non-bus) interconnect. To obtain the benefits of both invalidate and update protocols, we built a speculative sequentially consistent write- update mechanism on top of a write-invalidate protocol. To ensure coherence, a processor wishing to write to a block of data uses a traditional write-invalidate protocol to obtain exclusive access to the block before modifying it. To improve performance, the writing processor can later self- downgrade the modified block to the shared state and flush it back to its home node, which forwards the new data to processors that it predicts are likely to consume the data. We present a practical and cost-effective design for extending CC-NUMA systems to support this speculative update mechanism that requires no changes to the processor core, bus interface, or memory consistency model. We also present two hardware-efficient mechanisms for detecting access patterns that benefit from the speculative update mechanism, stable reader set and stream. We evaluate our update mechanisms on a wide range of scientific benchmarks and commercial applications. Using a cycle-accurate execution-driven simulator of a future 16-node SGI multiprocessor, we find that the mechanisms proposed in this paper reduce the average remote miss rate by 30%, reduce network traffic by 15%, and improve performance by 10%, and in no case hurt performance.


This article focuses on the characterization of global multiple Schramm-Loewner evolutions (SLE). The chordal SLE process describes the scaling limit of a single interface in various critical lattice models with Dobrushin boundary conditions, and similarly, global multiple SLEs describe scaling limits of collections of interfaces in critical lattice models with alternating boundary conditions. In this article, we give a minimal amount of characterizing properties for the global multiple SLEs: we prove that there exists a unique probability measure on collections of pairwise disjoint continuous simple curves with a certain conditional law property. As a consequence, we obtain the convergence of multiple interfaces in the critical Ising and FK-Ising models.


Software is the key technology in applications as diverse as accounting, hospital management, aviation, and nuclear power. Application advances in different domains such as these-each with different requirements-have propelled software development from small batch programs to large, real-time programs with multimedia capabilities. To cope, software's enabling technologies have undergone tremendous improvement in hardware, communications, operating systems, compilers, databases, programming languages, and user interfaces, among others. In turn, those improvements have fueled even more advanced applications. Improvements in VLSI technology and multimedia, for example, have resulted in faster, more compact computers that significantly widened the range of software applications. Database and user interface enhancements, on the other hand, have spawned more interactive and collaborative development environments. Such changes have a ripple effect on software development processes as well as on software techniques and tools. In this article, we highlight software development's crucial methods and techniques of the past 30 years.


Background Anterior cage migration in anterior lumbar interbody fusion is a serious complication. To address this risk, cage designs are now available with integrated screw or blade fixation or specially designed surface geometries with large teeth or ridges. However, the implantation technique itself has not yet been addressed as a potential risk factor for cage migration. This study aimed to investigate whether a cage that is implantable without gouging the vertebral endplates has improved resistance to anterior migration. Methodology A novel three-piece modular cage was inserted between two vertebral body replacements (polyurethane (PU) foam grade 15 pcf) in two ways. In group 1 (modular), the cage was inserted in a wedge within a wedge fashion according to the manufacturer's instructions such that damage to the PU foam was minimized. In group 2 (mono-bloc), the modular cage was inserted pre-assembled as a one-piece, mono-bloc device. This insertion method required impaction and increased the potential of gouging the PU surfaces. Then, an axial preload was applied to the PU test blocks to simulate the preload on the spine in vivo and an anteriorly direct expulsion force was applied to the cages. Results The mean expulsion yield load in the test group with modular implantation was 392 ± 19 N compared to 287 ± 16 N in the test group where the mono-bloc implants were inserted and endplate gouging occurred. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Thus, the onset of cage migration occurred at significantly higher loads in the test group with modular insertion without endplate gouging compared to one-piece impaction with gouging taking place. In contrast, the stiffness and the ultimate load were similar in both test groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions This study showed that the cage insertion technique may have a significant effect on the cage migration risk. Prevention of endplate gouging during cage implantation has the potential to improve the primary stability of the cage.


Sleep deprivation is a public health issue. A lack of sleep not only harms our body immune systems but also degrades their capacity to maintain cognitive skills. Awareness of sleep deprivation has not been widely investigated in work-based wellness programmes. In the study, the project carried out with nine participants from a local manufacture company to raise that awareness. The common causes of sleep deprivation have been identified the through the deployment of probes and the interviews. The research generated design concepts of smart IoT workplace to track and share daytime sleep-related activities. Through the bottom up and co-design methods, participants give the points of considering the use of sleep data from different power relationship perspective, includes the unexpected use of sleep for fatigue risk management and evaluation of employee performance.


Bartter's syndrome is generally attributed to a primary defect in salt reabsorption either in the ascending limb of Henle's loop or in the proximal tubule. 2 siblings presented here have all the clinical and biochemical features of Bartter's syndrome but seem to have defective salt reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule. A surreptitious use of diuretics was ruled out. Free water clearance was reduced in both patients and also was low after the addition of furosemide when compared with controls. Urine osmolalities following overnight dehydration were 883 and 1,000 mosm/l. The reduced maximal free water clearance argues against a proximal defect, and the normal urine concentration against a Henle's loop defect. Low free water clearance after furosemide suggests a defect in the distal convoluted tubule.


This book, an interesting and stimulating study, is recommended to probation ollicers, who will find in it several important references to the work of the probation service and especially to our social enquiry reports. We may feel that Nigel Walker's definition and understanding of social casework is rather inadequate and that he does not fully appreciate our growing expertise in preparing social enquiry reports as both objective appraisals of the otTender's situation and skilled diagnoses of his problems and needs.


The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a near‐global scale mode of observed multidecadal climate variability with alternating warm and cool phases over large parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Many prominent examples of regional multidecadal climate variability have been related to the AMO, such as North Eastern Brazilian and African Sahel rainfall, Atlantic hurricanes and North American and European summer climate. The relative shortness of the instrumental climate record, however, limits confidence in these observationally derived relationships. Here, we seek evidence of these links in the 1400 year control simulation of the HadCM3 climate model, which produces a realistic long‐lived AMO as part of its internal climate variability. By permitting the analysis of more AMO cycles than are present in observations, we find that the model confirms the association of the AMO with almost all of the above phenomena. This has implications for the predictability of regional climate.


Recently, self-supervised video object segmentation (VOS) has attracted much interest. However, most proxy tasks are proposed to train only a single backbone, which relies on a point-to-point correspondence strategy to propagate masks through a video sequence. Due to its simple pipeline, the performance of the single backbone paradigm is still unsatisfactory. Instead of following the previous literature, we propose our self-supervised progressive network (SSPNet) which consists of a memory retrieval module (MRM) and collaborative refinement module (CRM). The MRM can perform point-to-point correspondence and produce a propagated coarse mask for a query frame through self-supervised pixel-level and frame-level similarity learning. The CRM, which is trained via cycle consistency region tracking, aggregates the reference & query information and learns the collaborative relationship among them implicitly to refine the coarse mask. Furthermore, to learn semantic knowledge from unlabeled data, we also design two novel mask-generation strategies to provide the training data with meaningful semantic information for the CRM. Extensive experiments conducted on DAVIS-17, YouTube-VOS and SegTrack v2 demonstrate that our method surpasses the state-of-the-art self-supervised methods and narrows the gap with the fully supervised methods.


A technique is introduced that determines power distribution in fibers from the measured near-field pattern, assuming that: (1) the optical power distributes uniformly among degenerated modes with the same propagation constant, (2) enough modes are excited to ensure the validity of calculation by geometrical optics, and (3) the phase of each propagation mode has no correlation. Experiments verifed that the fibers have the function of flattening power distribution among modes with the same propagation constant. This fact shows that assumption (1) does not severely limit the applicability of the technique. Wave optical calculation is done to determine the numbers of modes that must be excited to satisfy assumption (2). As an example of application of the technique, differential mode attenuation of graded-index fibers is determined from longitudinal variation of the measured near-field pattern.


The usefulness of random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis for typing Indian strains of M. tuberculosis was investigated. M. tuberculosis H37Rv, M. tuberculosis DT and 42 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were subjected to RAPD-PCR using 7 random decamer primers. All 7 primers were found to be differentiated and produced specific RAPD profiles. The polymorphic amplicons served as RAPD markers for M. tuberculosis. The dendrograms, obtained by different primers, showed the discriminatory ability of the primers. RAPD analysis provided a rapid and easy means of identifying polymorphism in M. tuberculosis isolates, and it was found to be a valuable alternative epidemiological tool. In addition, the results of the present study showed heterogeneity in the M. tuberculosis strains in the population studied.


Anti-psychotic medications have changed the lives and treatment of persons with mental illness for the better since the social isolation of the 1950s and earlier. Community support programs break down barriers surrounding mental patients, but the stigma and negative attitudes about mental illness continue to block the development of community-based services. Individuals struggling to overcome a mental health issue find themselves facing a constant series of rejections and exclusions. Now that the Mental Health Law and Physically and Mentally Disabled Citizens Protection Act have been amended by The Legislative Yuan, the government will need to review the design of the Mental Health Care Network Project and to promote and facilitate friendly supportive communities for the mentally ill. All of us have to face these challenges to find a new balance between the civil rights of the public and the mentally ill. This paper examines issues concerning the gap between the development of the mental health system and the needs of patients and their families in the last two decades. The system often falls short of meeting needs. To meet the mental health needs of the people and make effective use of resources, changes must be made in the way services are designed, organized and delivered. The process of reforming mental health services, moreover, must not take money away from other services. Instead, changes must be made by reallocating funds. Following the revised Mental Health Law, the government should begin now to develop implementation planning guidelines to establish a comprehensive and integrated mental health services system, especially for the 80?% of patients with mild or moderate mental health problems who live in the community. We will monitor the process carefully, and ensure that patients and their families get the services they need, and help them remain in their communities as far as possible.


Polygonal faults are layer-bound arrays of normal faults confined to specific stratigraphic intervals called tiers. Typically hosted in fine-grained sediments, polygonal faults are thought to have the potential for fluid leakage and represent a potential seal bypass mechanism. Intergral to understanding the impact of polygonal faults on regional top seal is timing and evolution of polygonal fault tiers. Whilst there are numerous studies imaging and describing polygonal faults in numerous basins around the world, very few specifically consider the growth of polygonal faults. Additionally, very few polygonal fault studies examine the evolution of fault hierarchies and how these hierarchies accommodate strain and deformation within the tier.
This study examines two wedge-shaped polygonal fault tiers on different passive margins. The first polygonal fault tier studied is from offshore Angola and is hosted in sediment thickness of less 500 m, in Plio-Pleistocene claystones. The second tier examined is from the Modgunn Arch, Norwegian Margin and is hosted in a sequence of siliceous oozes and claystones of Eocene to Pliocene age, up to 1200 m in thickness. This study uses the differences in sediment ages to compare and contrast polygonal fault tiers at different stages of evolution and aims to examine common features between young and mature tiers in order to constrain tier evolution.
This study considers two aspects of polygonal fault growth. Firstly it considers the utility of perturbations in polygonal fault tiers around features of the base of the tier. These perturbations have the potential to be a useful proxy for elucidating the nucleation position of polygonal faults in the tier. The second aspect of polygonal fault tier evolution reviews the mechanisms that control organisation hierarchies within a tier and examines the role of linkage in creating large master polygonal faults.
The results of this thesis show that the polygonal faults can initiate at low temperatures and low pressures, in sediment thickness of 100 m or less. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that polygonal fault tips propagate preferentially upwards with basal tips pinned by a mechanical boundary at the base of the tier and lateral tips pinned by early forming branchline intersections. The transition from shallow to deep burial shows that polygonal fault hierarchies are naturally forming and may relate to variation in the propagation rate of polygonal faults within the tier. With increasing burial, there
3
is an increased likelihood of branchline interaction. Branchline interaction can occur laterally with lateral tips abutting against other faults in the network. Vertical abutments occur where upwardly propagating tips interact to form triangular abutments and are a key mechanism forcing in the organisation of polygonal faults and growth of Master faults. Both abutment styles also impact the spatial distribution of displacement maxima. Polygonal fault tiers also show subtle spatial variablilty in orientation and linkage mechanisms that can be attributed to the distribution and magnitude of far field stresses as well as the early fault dimensions. This thesis also presents a primie facie case for diachronaity in polygonal fault growth driven by variations in sediment loading and branchline linkage complexity. Overall, this thesis describes and accounts for some key behaviours of incipient polygonal faults tiers.


Recent migration and globalization trends have led to the emergence of ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse countries. Understanding the unfolding of social dynamics in multicultural contexts becomes a matter of common interest to promote national harmony and social cohesion among groups. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed to (i) explore the neural signature of the in-group bias in the multicultural context; and (ii) assess the relationship between the brain activity and people's system-justifying ideologies. A sample of 43 (22 females) Chinese Singaporeans (M = 23.36; SD = 1.41) was recruited. All participants completed the Right Wing Authoritarianism Scale and Social Dominance Orientation Scale to assess their system-justifying ideologies. Subsequently, four types of visual stimuli were presented in an fMRI task: Chinese (in-group), Indian (typical out-group), Arabic (non-typical out-group), and Caucasian (non-typical out-group) faces. The right middle occipital gyrus and the right postcentral gyrus showed enhanced activity when participants were exposed to in-group (Chinese) rather than out-group (Arabic, Indian, and Caucasian) faces. Regions having a role in mentalization, empathetic resonance, and social cognition showed enhanced activity to Chinese (in-group) rather than Indian (typical out-group) faces. Similarly, regions typically involved in socioemotional and reward-related processing showed increased activation when participants were shown Chinese (in-group) rather than Arabic (non-typical out-group) faces. The neural activations in the right postcentral gyrus for in-group rather than out-group faces and in the right caudate in response to Chinese rather than Arabic faces were in a significant positive correlation with participants' Right Wing Authoritarianism scores (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the activity in the right middle occipital gyrus for Chinese rather than out-group faces was in a significant negative correlation with participants' Social Dominance Orientation scores (p < 0.05). Results are discussed by considering the typical role played by the activated brain regions in socioemotional processes as well as the role of familiarity to out-group faces.


An optimal coordinated voltage controller (OCVC) is developed based on the spirit of model predictive control (MPC) method. The OCVC consists of three components, namely a predictor, a control candidate pool, and a selector. It has been used in secondary voltage control (SVC) to coordinate dissimilar control actions at different geographical locations in order to maintain desired voltage profiles in a global sense in emergencies. A single-stage Euler state predictor (SESP) is utilized, based on the system model, to predict voltage performance under selected control actions; the selection of the optimum control action from the pool is a complex optimization problem that is achieved by a pseudogradient evolutionary programming (PGEP) technique. Simulation results on a six-bus benchmark system and the New England 10-generator-39-bus system are given to show the potential of this method for online usage.


OBJECTIVES
Liver cirrhosis increases mortality and morbidity following cardiac surgery. This study evaluated the results of cardiac surgery in cirrhotic patients and the relevance of EuroSCORE, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score in terms of prediction of surgical mortality and survival.

METHODS
The study involved 34 patients with hepatic cirrhosis who underwent cardiac surgery between January 1996 and January 2010.

RESULTS
The in-hospital mortality was 26%. Postoperative mortality of patients with CTP class A, B or C was 18, 40 and 100%, respectively. In univariate analysis, a history of cerebrovascular disease and hypoalbuminaemia was predictive of operative mortality. Multivariate exact logistic regression revealed that hypoalbuminaemia was an independent factor. Long-term survival was 63 ± 0.08% at 1 year and 40.2 ± 0.12% at 5 years. The 1-year survival for CTP A, B and C was 76.7 ± 0.09, 60 ± 15.4 and 0%, respectively, and the 5-year survival was 60 ± 15.4, 25 ± 0.19 and 0%, respectively. The EuroSCORE was not a discriminant [area under the curve (AUC): 0.57 ± 0.15]. The performance of CTP class and MELD score was better, but neither provided optimal discrimination: AUC was 0.691 ± 0.110 for MELD and 0.658 ± 0.10 for CTP class.

CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac surgery can be performed safely in CTP class A patients. In CTP C patients, surgery is hazardous, and an alternative treatment must be considered. In CTP B, the MELD score could be helpful in deciding whether surgical intervention is a reasonable option.


The increment of sea level is increasing from time to time as can be proved by many
studies from both local and global studies. This may be caused that the sea level rise
will bring a huge impact on the land. For example, low-lying areas could have the
potential to sink completely i f the sea level rise continues. This statement can be proved
through many previous studies done. Therefore, the prediction o f rising sea level needs
to be done accurately. This is important as a benchmark on possible dangers. The
application of many geospatial technique in sea level rise rate and prediction enhance
the ability o f survey field. In this study, altimeter data used to carry out the prediction
of sea level rise. The usage o f altimeter data quite unfamiliar in our country although so
many application can be done using it. With the prediction o f sea level rise, the
authorities can plan efforts that can be taken to overcome the possible dangers. Using
the map, areas exposed to the risk o f sea level rise can be further illustrated.


Weak-field magnetoresistance measurements have been made on p-type PbTe-CdTe alloys for CdTe concentrations of 1·0, 1·5, 2·5 and 3·2 mol.%. At 300°K the effect of CdTe on the magnetoresistance coefficients is very small, whereas at 77°K the effect is quite large, the coefficients showing a pronounced increase. This has been interpreted as a variation in the scattering relaxation time anisotropy and has been discussed in terms of known possible scattering mechanisms.


Background and Aims: Fast track surgery is a modular conception which combines various anesthesiological methods, including modified preoperative and postoperative fluid management, changed guidelines for preoperative fasting, epidural analgesia and optimal pain control thus avoiding high systemic doses of opioids, and early postoperative oral nutrition. Stress response and organ dysfunction should therefore be diminished and recovery period accelerated. However this conception has not been used in major abdominal surgery in children aged less than 6 months so far. The aim of this prospective, non-randomized pilot study was to evaluate if this approach could be appropriate for this age group too.


It is now widely recognised that constructing a domain model, or ontology, is an important step in the development of knowledge based systems. What is lacking, however, is a clear understanding of how to build ontologies. In this paper we survey the work which has been done so far in beginning to provide a methodology for building ontologies. This work is still formative, and relies heavily on particular experiences. We also provide some discussion of this work, and identify the key issues that must be addressed if we are to move on from ontology construction being an art and to make it an understood engineering process.


Entropy rate is a real valued functional on the space of discrete random sources for which it exists. However, it lacks existence proofs and/or closed formulas even for classes of random sources which have intuitive parameterizations. A good way to overcome this problem is to examine its analytic properties relative to some reasonable topology. A canonical choice of a topology is that of the norm of total variation as it immediately arises with the idea of a discrete random source as a probability measure on sequence space. It is shown that both upper and lower entropy rate, hence entropy rate itself if it exists, are Lipschitzian relative to this topology, which, by well known facts, is close to differentiability. An application of this theorem leads to a simple and elementary proof of the existence of entropy rate of random sources with finite evolution dimension. This class of sources encompasses arbitrary hidden Markov sources and quantum random walks.


Mobility and traffic safety is a major concern in the society today. Many accidents take place because the vehicle is not following the trajectory that the driver desires. To avoid such accidents, an increasing number of active safety systems are introduced in modern vehicles. Still, most of the time, those systems are designed independently, which can lead to non-optimal performances and unexpected interactions. To properly consider the coupling between the different actuators like the brakes and steering, coupling coming for example from the nonlinear tyre dynamics, a Global Chassis Control strategy is necessary. This thesis defines a new 2-level framework for Global Chassis Control. At the chassis level, the distribution of the total control action to all the actuators is formulated as a constrained convex optimization problem, independent from uncertain parameters. As the driver is constantly changing his inputs to the vehicle, the solution of the optimization should be constantly updated. For that purpose, a new continuous optimization method, the Hybrid Descent Method, has been developed. This method defines a dynamical system such that its trajectory converges, first to a solution allowed by the constraints, and then to the optimum of the related optimization problem. In order to introduce the right number of degrees of freedom in the optimization, the actuators are grouped into building blocks depending on their coupling with the different tyre forces. Tyre constraints are handled in a realistic way, without the common assumption that the whole tyre characteristic in known long in advance. At the wheel level, the control of the tyre forces is made simple and robust to uncertainties in the road conditions thanks to the use of tyre force measurement. Such tyre forces measurement is at the moment too expensive to be implemented. In current production vehicles, only sensors measuring motion are available, like accelerometers or gyroscopes. At the moment, SKF is developing a technology enabling the measurement of the load in their bearings. This technology allows the introduction of cheap force sensors in all vehicles, which will allow the implementation of new control algorithms like those presented in this thesis. A particularly critical problem in vehicle dynamics control is to get the largest possible braking force out of the tyres while maintaining vehicle stability. This thesis contributes to the development and experimental validation of Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS). As a result of a collaboration with CNRS/Supelec, Paris, France, a theoretical hybrid ABS based on wheel deceleration has been improved to handle actuation delay; and a new wheel slip regulator based on a cascaded approach has been implemented. Furthermore, new algorithms using force measurement are shown to be simpler to tune, better performing and more robust to road conditions than acceleration-based alternatives. The first ABS algorithm directly considering the loss of potential to generate lateral tyre forces because of braking is an achievement of this thesis. All algorithms for straight-line braking have been validated on the tyre-in-the-loop experimental facility, which was made suitable for ABS testing during this research.


We introduce a local zeta-function for an irreducible admissible supercuspidal representation $\pi$ of the metaplectic double cover of $\SL_2$ over a non-archimedean local field of characteristic zero. We prove a functional equation of the local zeta-functions showing that the gamma factor is given by a Mellin type transform of the Bessel function of $\pi$. We obtain an expression of the gamma factor, which shows its entireness on $\C$. Moreover, we show that, through the local theta-correspondence, the local zeta-function on the covering group is essentially identified with the local zeta-integral for spherical functions on ${\rm PGL}_2\cong {\rm SO}_3$ associated with the prehomogenous vector space of binary symmetric matrices.


An enucleated globe was submitted from an outside hospital to the Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory for evaluation. There was a minimal amount of accompanying clinical history. Histopathologic examination revealed a mucinous adenocarcinoma of the choroid. The determination of the origin of the tumor proved to be challenging based on the lack of a definitive systemic diagnosis. Initial suspicions that the tumor may represent a breast carcinoma were disproved when immunohistochemical biomarkers for breast carcinoma were negative. Similarly, typical markers of colon adenocarcinoma were not expressed. Positive immunostaining with a newer immunohistochemical marker, SATB2, and defects in DNA mismatch repair helped to confirm that the ocular metastasis was of colonic origin. Further clinical evaluation including imaging studies established that the patient had a primary colonic adenocarcinoma with widespread systemic metastases. The diagnostic utility and biologic significance of these latest immunohistochemical biomarkers for colon cancer are reviewed. Clinicians are encouraged to provide detailed clinical histories with the tissue specimens to enable the discovery of undetected "silent primaries" at the time an ocular metastasis develops and is discovered.


Introduction NICE guidelines in 2012 have recommended SeHCAT to be used in research in order to collect more information in its usefulness in the diagnosis and treatment of BAM. A previous study has identified a lack of consistent cut-off threshold values for abnormal SeHCAT results. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is any relationship between the severity of BAM and treatment response. Methods Medical records of 492 patients who had a SeHCAT scan at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary between 23/7/2013 to 9/6/2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Mild, moderate and severe BAM were defined as 10.1%–15%, 5.1%–10% and <5% retention of SeHCAT after one week respectively. Data including the severity and types of BAM were recorded. Treatment responses to bile acid binders were also recorded when patients were followed up in the clinic after the scans. Results 492 scans were performed and 51% (252/492) of patients had abnormal SeHCAT results (<15%) over the study period. The mean age was 51.6 with a female predominance of 69% (174/252). 20% (50/252) of these patients had a prior diagnosis of IBS and 27% (67/252) patients had previous cholecystectomy. 17% (44/252) had type 1 BAM, 53% (134/252) had type 2 BAM and 29% (74/252) had type 3 BAM. The mean SeHCAT retention percentage was 2.59% for type 1 BAM, 7.45% for type 2 BAM and 5.63% for type 3 BAM. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). 52% (132/252) of patients had treatment response documented following their scans and 13% (17/132) of these patients stopped treatment due to side effects. For the remaining 115 patients, 71% (12/17) of patients with mild BAM had good response to bile acid binder compared to 77% (23/30) with moderate BAM and 78% (55/68) with severe BAM. The difference was not statistically significant (p<0.635). 15 out of 90 patients who responded to colesevelam previously found cholestyramine ineffective or intolerance of it. Conclusions In our study, the mean SeHCAT retention level was significantly lower for BAM type 1 compared to BAM types 2 and 3. There was an overall good therapeutic response to bile acid binders in patients with a positive SeHCAT scan. However, there was no statistically significant difference between severity of BAM and theurapeutic response. Further prospective study using larger sample size is required to assess the accuracy and cut-offs of the SeHCAT test in diagnosing BAM as determined by theurapeutic response to BAS treatment.


Do portfolio shifts by the world's largest asset owners respond procyclically to past returns, or countercyclically to valuations? And if countercyclical investment (with both market-stabilizing and return-generating properties) is a public and private good, how might asset owners be empowered to do more of it? These two questions motivate this study. Based on analysis of representative portfolios (totaling $24 trillion) for a range of asset owners (central banks, pension funds, insurers and endowments), portfolio changes typically appear procyclical. In response, I suggest a framework aimed at jointly bolstering long-term returns and financial stability should: (i) embed governance practices to mitigate 'multi-year return chasing;' (ii) rebalance to benchmarks with factor exposures best suited to long-term investors; (iii) minimize principal-agent frictions; (iv) calibrate risk management to minimize long-term shortfall risk (not short-term price volatility); and (v) ensure regulatory conventions do not amplify procyclicality at the worst possible times.


Traditional single-mode fiber capacity issues will be mitigated by using space-division multiplexing in future 5G, IoT, and M2M networks. Multi-core fibers are expected as a good candidate for overcoming the capacity limit of a current optical communication system. This chapter describes the recent progress on the Multi-core fibers technology for the application of high capacity space-division multiplexing to be utilized for long-distance transmission systems. Further various optical approaches that enable key functions are discussed, including SDM MUX/DeMUX, switches, transceivers to enable next generation optical network. Moreover, issues like crosstalk, non-linearity is a potential limitation on the achievable data-rates in optical fiber transmission systems using multi-core fibers will be discussed.


The emerging industry trend of ever-increasing display density on mobile devices has dramatically increased workload placed on a mobile GPU's. Because mobile GPU power consumption increases almost linearly with workload, increasing the display density directly decreases battery life of a device. While this tradeoff is acceptable if user experience is improved, display densities beyond that which the human eye can perceive would result in decreased device battery life for no perceptible gain. Further, the workload imposed by such high density displays may invalidate the previous requirement that the interface always run at high frame rates.

In this paper, we show that the display on some modern devices already exceeds human perceptive capabilities, a feature which can be exploited at runtime in order to reduce GPU power consumption. Our proposed method includes both resolution and refresh rate scaling, which are shown to reduce mobile GPU power consumption by up to 33% and 38%, respectively. We conclude with a discussion of how such a system may be implemented on existing devices.


Presented is a novel extended correlation method to suppress the grating lobes of the high-resolution range profiles (HRRP) synthesised via the stepped frequency train of LFM pulses (SFT-LFM). By uniformly spacing the nulls of the envelope term to nullify the grating lobes, the method may effectively improve the sidelobe behaviour of SFT-LFM HRRP without loss of the range resolution. Numerical experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the method.


Cognitive function depends on transcription; however, there is little information linking altered gene expression to impaired prefrontal cortex function during aging. Young and aged F344 rats were characterized on attentional set shift and spatial memory tasks. Transcriptional differences associated with age and cognition were examined using RNA sequencing to construct transcriptomic profiles for the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), white matter, and region CA1 of the hippocampus. The results indicate regional differences in vulnerability to aging. Age-related gene expression in the mPFC was similar to, though less robust than, changes in the dorsolateral PFC of aging humans suggesting that aging processes may be similar. Importantly, the pattern of transcription associated with aging did not predict cognitive decline. Rather, increased mPFC expression of genes involved in regulation of transcription, including transcription factors that regulate the strength of excitatory and inhibitory inputs, and neural activity-related immediate-early genes was observed in aged animals that exhibit delayed set shift behavior. The specificity of impairment on a mPFC-dependent task, associated with a particular mPFC transcriptional profile indicates that impaired executive function involves altered transcriptional regulation and neural activity/plasticity processes that are distinct from that described for impaired hippocampal function.


This paper addresses the following question. A computer system is presented with a very long list of ordered items and files a summarized description of the data to facilitate answering queries about the order of the items in the list. What is the minimum storage space required to guarantee that the fraction of incorrect answers remains below a specified level?


Interfering with the self-assembly of virus nucleocapsids is a promising approach for the development of novel antiviral agents. Applied to hepatitis B virus (HBV), this approach has led to several classes of capsid assembly modulators (CAMs) that target the virus by either accelerating nucleocapsid assembly or misdirecting it into non-capsid-like particles. Here, we have assessed the structures of early nucleocapsid assembly intermediates, with and without bound CAMs, using molecular dynamics simulations. We find that distinct conformations of the intermediates are induced depending on whether the bound CAM accelerates or misdirects assembly; these structures are predictive of the final assembly. We also selected non-capsid-like structures from our simulations for virtual screening, resulting in the discovery of several compounds with moderate anti-viral activity and low toxicity. Cryo-electron microscopy and capsid melting experiments suggest that our compounds possess a novel mechanism for assembly modulation, potentially opening new avenues for HBV inhibition.


Intellectual property rights for commercial crops have become in- creasingly controversial as plant breeders have sought to protect their investment through licensing and royalties, and farmers, in particular ecologically-oriented farmers, have promoted seed-saving as a conser- vation measure. Plant breeders have argued that seed saving reduces sales to breeders and that the imposition of royalties is necessary to maintain sales and to compensate them for the intellectual property invested in commercial varieties. These issues are explored here. In this paper, an optimal control model of seed purchase decisions in the presence of seed saving is developed. The model is used to analyze the impact of both point of sale royalties and end-point royalties on seed puchase decisions. The two approaches to levying royalties are then compared and policy conclusions drawn.


Probe Person (PP) survey with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and web diary enables the collection of much higher resolution data in real time. The new method of travel behavior expected to be fused with Questionnaire type travel survey, which has been the basis of travel demand data in transportation planning. In the conventional questionnaire based survey, the problem of missing trips and activities is pointed out that caused non-response bias. This study considers the mechanism of missing activities in Person Trip (PT) surveys and proposes a combined estimation method using a sample selection model. The method contributes to correcting the bias of missing data by data fusion of PP data and PT data. The empirical results show that several personal attributes and contexts of the activities are found to be significant factors of missing of activities in paper-based PT surveys.


PURPOSE
To improve dose reporting of CT scans, patient-specific organ doses are highly desired. However, estimating the dose distribution in a fast and accurate manner remains challenging, despite advances in Monte Carlo methods. In this work, we present an alternative method that deterministically solves the linear Boltzmann transport equation (LBTE), which governs the behavior of x-ray photon transport through an object.

METHODS
Our deterministic solver for CT dose (Acuros CTD) is based on the same approach used to estimate scatter in projection images of a CT scan (Acuros CTS). A deterministic method is used to compute photon fluence within the object, which is then converted to deposited energy by multiplying by known, material-specific conversion factors. To benchmark Acuros CTD, we used the AAPM Task Group 195 test for CT dose, which models an axial, fan beam scan (10 mm thick beam) and calculates energy deposited in each organ of an anthropomorphic phantom. We also validated our own Monte Carlo implementation of Geant4 to use as a reference to compare Acuros against for other common geometries like an axial, cone beam scan (160 mm thick beam) and a helical scan (40 mm thick beam with table motion for a pitch of 1).

RESULTS
For the fan beam scan, Acuros CTD accurately estimated organ dose, with a maximum error of 2.7% and RMSE of 1.4% when excluding organs with <0.1% of the total energy deposited. The cone beam and helical scans yielded similar levels of accuracy compared to Geant4. Increasing the number of source positions beyond 18 or decreasing the voxel size below 5 × 5 × 5 mm3 provided marginal improvement to the accuracy for the cone beam scan but came at the expense of increased run time. Across the different scan geometries, run time of Acuros CTD ranged from 8 to 23 s.

CONCLUSIONS
In this digital phantom study, a deterministic LBTE solver was capable of fast and accurate organ dose estimates.


A new algorithm for interpolation between grayscale serial slice images, such as from CT, is presented. The algorithm extends shape-based (SB) binary image interpolation to shape-based interpolation of grayscale images (SBIG). Unlike algorithms, such as linear (L) or cubic spline (CS) interpolation, which rely only on pixel position, SBIG makes essential use of object distance and morphology to interpolate between pixels and structures of similar shape and intensity which may differ in size and position from slice to slice. For reasonably low noise MR/, CT, and Cine CT grayscale images, results are superior visually and quantitatively (15%) to interpolation based solely on (x,y) proximity, particularly as the interslice spacing is increased. More importantly, while both L and CS interpolation demonstrate characteristic low-pass mearing of object edges and detail, these features are preserved and well approximated with SBIG. As a result, reconstructed coronal and sagittal slices from a densely interpolated image volume using SBIG demonstrate significantly clearer representation of anatomical structures and less "staircasing" than those created using either L or CS interpolation. Clipping artifacts due to nonoverlapping structures or rapid changes in image brightness are minimized using simulated three-dimensional distance maps.


Introduction. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men. Radical prostatectomy (RP) is one of the main treatment modalities for localized PCa. Erectile dysfunction (ED), being a consequence of surgical treatment, can have detrimental effects on both physical health and psychosocial status and significantly impair the quality of life of patients and their partners. The risk of ED in the postoperative period in patients undergoing RP, according to the modern literature, is about 60–70%. Materials and methods. The paper describes in detail the pathogenesis of ED after RP. The main components of penile rehabilitation (PR) and their mechanism of action are described, literature data confirming their effectiveness is presented. Results. Currently, after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy, the following penile rehabilitation methods are used - the use of inhibitors of PDE-5 type, shock wave therapy, vacuum erection therapy (VED), intracavernous injections, penile prosthetics and a combination of these methods. Combined rehabilitation programs promote EF recovery after RP with better results compared to monotherapy. Conclusion. We see a perspective in the development of combined approach strategies for the rehabilitation of erectile funktion (EF) after RP. Further improvement of the surgical technique of nerve-sparing RP, as well as a deeper understanding of the implementation of the postoperative process is crucial to develop an algorithm for the EF restoration program.


BACKGROUND
The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between urinary levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the progression of prostate cancer, and to evaluate changes in urinary VEGF levels before and after initial treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 97 patients with prostate cancer were included in this study. Of these 97, 52 underwent radical prostatectomy and the remaining 45 received hormonal therapy as initial treatment. Urinary VEGF levels were measured using a sandwich enzyme immunoassay, and the results were analyzed with respect to several clinicopathological factors.

RESULTS
The mean urinary level of VEGF in patients with prostate cancer was significantly higher than that in healthy controls. The urinary level of VEGF in prostate cancer patients with metastasis was significantly elevated compared with that in those without metastasis. Among 52 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, the urinary levels of VEGF in patients with pathologically organ-confined disease were significantly lower than that in those with extraprostatic disease. Furthermore, the urinary VEGF level in 52 patients after radical prostatectomy was significantly lower than that before radical prostatectomy, while there was no significant difference in urinary VEGF level in 45 patients before and after hormonal therapy.

CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that the elevation of urinary VEGF could be a useful predictor of disease progression in prostate cancer, and that the urinary levels of VEGF reflect the therapeutic effect of radical prostatectomy, but not that of hormonal therapy.


Multi-patterning has been adopted widely in high volume manufacturing as 193 immersion extension, and it becomes realistic solution of nano-order scaling. In fact, it must be key technology on single directional (1D) layout design [1] for logic devise and it becomes a major option for further scaling technique in SAQP. The requirement for patterning fidelity control is getting savior more and more, stochastic fluctuation as well as LER (Line edge roughness) has to be micro-scopic observation aria. In our previous work, such atomic order controllability was viable in complemented technique with etching and deposition [2]. Overlay issue form major potion in yield management, therefore, entire solution is needed keenly including alignment accuracy on scanner and detectability on overlay measurement instruments. As EPE (Edge placement error) was defined as the gap between design pattern and contouring of actual pattern edge, pattern registration in single process level must be considerable. The complementary patterning to fabricate 1D layout actually mitigates any process restrictions, however, multiple process step, symbolized as LELE with 193-i, is burden to yield management and affordability. Recent progress of EUV technology is remarkable, and it is major potential solution for such complicated technical issues. EUV has robust resolution limit and it must be definitely strong scaling driver for process simplification. On the other hand, its stochastic variation such like shot noise due to light source power must be resolved with any additional complemented technique. In this work, we examined the nano-order CD and profile control on EUV resist pattern and would introduce excellent accomplishments.


Public administration in Slovakia since 1990 has under constant change and is related to the ongoing transitions and unstable political environment after the fall of the former regime. Political, professional intervention and interference, an absence of long-term vision in public administration, has resulted in chaos and despite the advice of experts created a constant cycle of problems from which other transforming countries should learn from. After more than 25 years of transformation Slovakia can boast about partial successes even in public administration. It has not only become a memento of mistakes but also an example of successful implementations of reforms, particularly in the area of decentralization of public administration.


Investigators from 22 clinical centers across the country have discovered that eye drops used to treat elevated IOP can be effective in delaying the onset of glaucoma, according to the recently released results of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS).


Introduction: Adolescent problematic internet use (PIU) is highly associated with depression and sleep problems. However, whether or not a direct relationship exists between PIU and sleep problems or whether depressive symptoms play a moderating role between the two is unclear. We hypothesized that 1) an adolescent group with problematic internet use (PIUG) would have more sleep problems compared with an adolescent group with normal internet use (NIUG); and 2)  depressive symptoms would moderate the relationship between PIU. To verify this hypothesis, we examined various variables related to PIU, depressive symptoms and sleep problems and their interrelationships. METHODS: A total of 802 students between 7th and 11th grade were recruited. Of the 802 students who participated in the study, 36 were excluded due to incomplete responses, which resulted in 766 subjects(483 boys, 283 girls). Measures: Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire(YDQ), Morningness-Eveningness(M-E) scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) RESULTS: The PIUG (N=152) had significantly higher ISI and ESS scores compared with the NIUG. The mean bedtime of the PIUG was significantly later than that of the NIUG, both on weekdays and weekends. Additionally, the PIUG had significantly higher depressive symptoms compared with the NIUG. We examined the moderating effect of depressive symptoms on sleep–related problems with PIU using the Baron and Kenny method. PIU itself did not affect the ISI or M-E. However, when depressive symptoms were combined with PIU, PIU had an effect on the ISI and M-E, suggesting that depressive symptoms moderated the interaction between PIU and ISI or M-E. CONCLUSION: Adolescent sleep problems may arise from the interactions of various factors such as PIU, depression and normal physical and hormonal changes. Therefore, the causes will need to be explored in a more multi-dimensional way with the collaboration of experts in related areas. PM351 Efficacy and Safety of Sansoninto for Insomnia in Child and Adolescent Patients: An Open-Label Study Tsuyoshi Miyaoka, Ilham Abdul Aziz, Tomoko Araki, Ryosuke Arauch, Motohide Furuya, Sadayuki Hashioka, Maiko Hayashida, Jun Horiguchi, Kiminori Kawano, Kristian Liaury, Erlyn Limoa, Romana Sharmeen, Keiko Tsuchie, Rei Wake Shimane University, Japan Abstract Background: Problems of sleep initiation and maintenance occur in 15% to 25% of children and adolescents. Insomnia refers to loss of daytime function resulting from unsatisfactory sleep. The symptoms of insomnia include fatigue, inattention, irritability, lack of energy, and anxiety. Objective: The efficacy and safety of sansoninto (SNT), Japnese herbal medicine, was examined for insomnia in child and adolescent patients. Methods: Thirty-one children and adolescents with sleep disturbance meeting DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders were treated openly for four weeks with SNT (2.5  – 5 g) at bedtime. Efficacy was analyzed using a repeated measures methodology. The primary outcome was the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes were the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I), and change of dosage of benzodiazepine hypnotics (diazepam equivalent). Results: Significant symptom reduction was observed on all parameters (PSQI, ISI, AIS, CGI-I, and dosage of benzodiazepine hypnotics). No withdrawal involved treatment-related adverse events. Conclusion: Data from this 4-week open-label study suggests SNT was an effective and generally well tolerated treatment for insomnia symptoms in this sample of child and adolescent patients with insomnia. Trial Registration: controlled-trials.com Identifier: UMIN000014156