Introduction Cemento-osseous dysplasia is a jaw disorder characterized by a reactive process in which normal bone is replaced by connective tissue matrix. There are different Cemento-osseous dysplasia entities. The treatment of these lesions, once diagnosed by radiology, is not required because generally they are asymptomatic. The localization is in the tooth-bearing areas of the jaws and its distribution is symmetric. Case Reports In this case report, a 57-year-old Caucasian female patient was referred to our attention complaining of painful inflammatory events localized in the right angle of the jaw. The radiographic appearance, the distribution of several lesions and the positive vitality test of the involved teeth, supported the diagnosis of Florid Cemento-osseous dysplasia. Because of the symptomatology, the patient was submitted to surgery and the lesion and the second inferior right molar were removed. The histological examination of the specimens confirmed the diagnosis. Discussion Many lesions that may exhibit a similar sclerotic appearance on conventional radiographs have to be differentiated and dental imaging can be used to discriminate between Florid COD and other lesions. Diagnosis of Florid Cemento-osseous dysplasia can be made with accurate clinical and radiographic assessment. In asymptomatic cases no treatment is required and the patient should have regular follow-up, but in this symptomatic case it was necessary to proceed with surgical intervention. The surgery treatment in the symptomatic case had a favourable prognosis and the two years follow-up has shown a complete healing. Given the abow, it is concluded that the choice of treatment must be selective according to the disease sites. Key words:Cemento-ossifying dysplasia, fibro-osseous lesions, florid cemento-osseous dysplasia, cementoma.


Abstract One of the most perspective directions of aircraft engine development is related to implementing adaptive automatic electronic control systems (ACS). The significant elements of these systems are algorithms of matching of mathematical models to actual performances of the engine. These adaptive models are used directly in control algorithms and are a combination of static and dynamic sub-models. This work considers the dynamic sub-models formation using the Least Square method (LSM) on a base of the engine parameters that are measured in-flight. While implementing this function in the (ACS), the problem of checking the sufficiency of the used information for ensuring the required precision of the model arises. We must do this checking a priori (to determine a set of operation modes, the shape of the engine test impact and volume of recorded information) and a posteriori. Equations of the engine models are considered. Relations are derived that determine the precision of parameters of these models' estimation depending on the precision of measurement, the composition of the engine power ratings, and durability of observations, at a stepwise change of fuel flow. We present these relations in non-dimensional coordinates that make them universal and ready for application to any turboshaft engine.


Virtual Diagnostic (VD) is a deep learning tool that can be used to predict a diagnostic output. VDs are especially useful in systems where measuring the output is invasive, limited, costly or runs the risk of damaging the output. Given a prediction, it is necessary to relay how reliable that prediction is. This is known as 'uncertainty quantification' of a prediction. In this paper, we use ensemble methods and quantile regression neural networks to explore different ways of creating and analyzing prediction's uncertainty on experimental data from the Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC. We aim to accurately and confidently predict the current profile or longitudinal phase space images of the electron beam. The ability to make informed decisions under uncertainty is crucial for reliable deployment of deep learning tools on safety-critical systems as particle accelerators.


Epoxy/clay nanocomposites based upon a trifunctional epoxy resin, triglycidyl p-amino phenol (TGAP), have been prepared by intercalating an initiator of cationic homopolymerization, a boron trifluoride monoethylamine (BF3·MEA) complex, into the montmorillonite clay galleries before the addition of the TGAP and the curing agent, 4,4-diamino diphenyl sulfone (DDS), and effecting the isothermal curing reaction. The BF3·MEA enhances the intragallery cationic homopolymerization reaction, which occurs before the extragallery cross-linking reaction of the TGAP with the DDS, and which hence contributes positively to the mechanism of exfoliation of the clay. The effects of isothermal cure temperature and of BF3·MEA content have been studied, in respect of both the reaction kinetics, monitored by differential scanning calorimetry, and the nanostructure, as identified by small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the use of BF3·MEA in this way as an initiator of intragallery homopolymerization significantly improves the degree of exfoliation in the cured nanocomposites. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40020.


The objective of this study was to characterize the normal microbiome of healthy canine vagina and endometrium and to determine the effect of the stage of estrous, on the resident microbiome. Cranial vaginal swabs and uterine biopsy samples were collected from twenty-five bitches in five different stages of estrous at elective ovariohysterectomy (OVH). Over 4 million reads of the V4 region of 16S rDNA gene were obtained and used for further analyses. A total of 317 genera belonging to 24 known phyla were identified. The endometrium was higher in bacterial diversity while the vagina was higher in richness. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most abundant phyla observed across all samples. Hydrotalea, Ralstonia, and Fusobacterium accounted for nearly 60% of the OTUs identified in the vagina while organisms identified in the endometrium were more evenly distributed. Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium were the prominent genera in the endometrium. The microbiome of the endometrium was distinctly different from that of the vagina. There was large animal-to-animal variation. Other than the vaginal microbiome of bitches in estrus (i.e. in heat), there were no distinct clustering of the organisms based on the stage of estrous. These findings establish the presence of a resident microbiome of the endometrium throughout all stages of estrous cycle.


The Pt/C catalyst was prepared with solid phase reaction method (Pt/C(S)) for the first time. Its performances were compared with that prepared by the traditional liquid phase reaction method. The results demonstrate that the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C catalyst with solid phase reaction method for methanol oxidation is higher than that with liquid phase reaction method. XRD and TEM measurements indicate that the Pt/C(S) possesses low crystalline extent and small particle size.


GPA is serious autoimmune disease, but conventional immunosupressive treatment with cyclophosphamide(CTX) and glucocorticoids (GC) could induce remission in more than 90% pts. The main challenge in pts management is high relapse rate exceeding 50% and CTX-related toxicity. RTX is a new drug introduced to induce remission especially in the group of refractory or recurrent GPA. Between 2012-2015 25 pts (11 M,14F in age 19-78) with refractory or recurrent GPA were treated with RTX (in 4 weekly infusions 375mg/m2) and GC (initially 1mg/kg of prednisone). Patients were assessed every 6 months.
 After 6 months ( 22 pts) almost all pts reached remission (complete 13/22, partial 9/22), all had CD19 depletion, and 14/22 ANCA negativity. Only 10/16 pts remained in remission after 12 months and in the group of 16 pts with follow-up exceeding 1 year- 13(80%) had new flare of GPA (mean BVAS 5). The median time to relapse was 14 months(11-23). Progression was preceded by B cell reconstitution in all patients. 2 of 3 patients with sustained remission received maintenance immunosupressive treatment. CONCLUSION : RTX-based treatment is safe and effective regimen to induce remission in recurrent GPA, but high rate of relapses preceded by B cell reconstitution requires introduction of maintenance treatment regimen.


We read with interest the paper by Recasens et al . 1 describing a case of asymptomatic bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma incidentally discovered during a CT scan, in a patient carrying a germline V804M RET mutation. A multicentric medullary thyroid carcinoma (MCT) was also identified in the index case, while four relatives carrying the same mutation had only MTC or C-cell hyperplasia. This finding confirms and extends previous reports showing that V804M mutation is not exclusively associated to familial MTC (FMTC), but can occasionally display a multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome 2A (MEN-2A) phenotype. 2,3 This observation is also in keeping with our recent study on a large group of patients with V804M RET mutation, which represents the most prevalent (59%) mutation responsible for FMTC or MEN-2A in Sardinia, an island whose population has been strongly influenced by genetic drift and founder effect. 4 In our series 16/17 (94·1%) V804M carriers displayed a FMTC phenotype; in one case (5·9%) FMTC was associated to primary hyperparathyroidism, while no case of pheochromocytoma has so far been found. Taken together, the above observations support the concept that a life-long, periodic screening for other manifestations of MEN-2A should be advised in all subjects with V804M mutation. Regarding pheochromocytoma, Recasens et al . 1


abstract:Marjorie Barnard (1897–1987) and Flora Eldershaw (1897–1956) were prolific Australian authors who co-wrote, under the pseudonym "M. Barnard Eldershaw," five novels and four works of nonfiction published between 1929 and 1947. Their final collaboration, a future fiction entitled Tomorrow and Tomorrow, first appeared in Melbourne in 1947 and was reissued by the London feminist publisher Virago in 1983. Lyman Tower Sargent's bibliography of Australian utopian fiction describes the novel thus: "Dystopia. Public opinion sampling used to limit liberty." This is a reasonable enough shorthand description of the novel's frame narrative, set in the "Tenth Commune" located somewhere in what is now the Riverina district on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, at some time in the twenty-fourth century. This article will argue, however, that the Tenth Commune is closer to a flawed eutopia than an outright dystopia; and that the novel's truly dystopian content lies in its core narrative, Knarf's novelistic account of mid-twentieth century Australia, which culminates in a quasi-apocalyptic destruction by fire of the city of Sydney. The extraordinary violence of this account will be contrasted to the essentially nonviolent character of the Tenth Commune and both will be situated in relation to Barnard's growing involvement in the pacifist Peace Pledge Union.


Objective
To explore the inhibiting effect of mild hypothermia on systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , thereby to prevent the occurrence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) .

Methods
Ninety-six mice were randomly divided into four groups: the normal control, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) , mild hypothermia and temperature preservation. By using the radio-immunity technique, the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the 4 groups of mice were measured after 1, 2 and 4 hours of injection with LPS into mice. Livers and lungs of the mice were collected 4 hours after the injection of LPS for testing the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in vascular endotheliocytes with the immunohistochemistry method.

Results
The contents of TNF-α in mild hypothermia group after 1, 2 and 4 hours of LPS injections [ (2.0 ± 0.3) , (2.1 ± 0.4) and (2.5 ± 0.5) μg/L, respectively] were significantly lower than those in LPS group [ (4.1 ±0.4) , (4.1 ± 0.6) and (3.3 ± 0.5) μg/L, respectively] (P 0.05) . There were marked differences between mild hypothermia and temperature preservation groups after 1 and 2 hours of the LPS injections [ (2.0 ± 0.3) and (2.1 ± 0.4) μg/L vs. (4.0 ±0.3) and (3.8 ±0.4) μg/L, respectively. P 0.05] . Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression of ICAM-1 surrounding the vascular endotheliocyte of the liver and lung was weakly positive in the mild hypothermia group, but strongly positive in the LPS group and temperature preservation group.

Conclusion
Mild hypothermia revealed a function of inhibiting SIRS. It suggested that mild hypothermia may be a new method for preventing and curing SIRS.

Key words:
Hypothermia, induced; Sepsis syndrome; Tumor necrosis factor; Intercellular adhesion molecule-1; Mice


As soil scientists develop recommendations for the classification and interpretation of anthropogenic soils, many altered soils will need to be described and classified, probably at a variety of taxonomic levels. One agent of alteration may be the application of liquid wastes to soils for extended periods of time, with the potential of creating aquic conditions in those soils. Although such conditions could logically be termed anthraquic, no provision exists for recognizing anthraquic conditions in nonagricultural soils. As these morphological characteristics may be reversed if the spraying were discontinued, it is important that future land-use planners be given such information. The most logical venue is to include anthraquic designators at appropriate levels of classification that may also be applied to nonagricultural soils. An example is given of a wooded plot in New Hampshire that has received secondary Cl-treated wastewater for >15 yr.


[1] Multiwavelength lidar, Sun photometer, and radiosonde observations were conducted at Ouarzazate (30.9°N, 6.9°W, 1133 m above sea level, asl), Morocco, in the framework of the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) in May–June 2006. The field site is close to the Saharan desert. Information on the depolarization ratio, backscatter and extinction coefficients, and lidar ratio of the dust particles, estimates of the available concentration of atmospheric ice nuclei at cloud level, profiles of temperature, humidity, and the horizontal wind vector as well as backward trajectory analysis are used to study cases of cloud formation in the dust with focus on heterogeneous ice formation. Surprisingly, most of the altocumulus clouds that form at the top of the Saharan dust layer, which reaches into heights of 4–7 km asl and has layer top temperatures of −8°C to −18°C, do not show any ice formation. According to the lidar observations the presence of a high number of ice nuclei (1–20 cm−3) does not automatically result in the obvious generation of ice particles, but the observations indicate that cloud top temperatures must typically reach values as low as −20°C before significant ice production starts. Another main finding is that liquid clouds are obviously required before ice crystals form via heterogeneous freezing mechanisms, and, as a consequence, that deposition freezing is not an important ice nucleation process. An interesting case with cloud seeding in the free troposphere above the dust layer is presented in addition. Small water clouds formed at about −30°C and produced ice virga. These virga reached water cloud layers several kilometers below the initiating cloud cells and caused strong ice production in these clouds at temperatures as high as −12°C to −15°C.


Decomposition of system behavior along functional boundaries into interacting sequential components is a key step in top-down system design. In this paper, we present sequential decomposition, a method for factoring sequential components from a system specification based on interface specifications of the components. The resulting components can be independently synthesized, or realized using off-the-shelf components. We introduce interface specification language (ISL), based on finite-state machine semantics, to specify the input/output behavior of synchronous sub-systems. A component is factored from a system by embedding an implementation of the complement of its interface into the system description. The composition of a machine with its complement is shown to be isomorphic to the machine, and the composition of a machine with an implementation of its component is shown to be a safe interaction. We apply sequential decomposition to a non-trivial example, a special-purpose computer with Scheme programming language primitives as its instructions.


Abstract : A comprehensive series of experiments were conducted in the Tracor Hydronautics Ship Model basin (HSMB) to determine the subsonic static and dynamic stability characteristics of a 3.5-foot span, 60-degree delta-high-wing fuselage model operating at high angles-of-attack up to 68-degrees. In addition, typical results of flow visualization studies for a range of Reynolds numbers from 200,000 to 1.6 million are presented. Also, the motions, force and moment coefficients resulting from a simulated pitchup maneuver are presented. This paper describes the HSMB, Large Amplitude Horizontal Planar Motion Mechanism System (LAHPMM), 60-deg delta-wing fuselage model, model-support systems, and the data acquisition and processing system used in the investigation. The advantages of performing tests in the HSMB using the LAHPMM technique over existing wind tunnel techniques, such as curved flow and combined oscillation, for determination of the dynamic stability derivatives are presented and discussed. The results of the present investigation are compared with static and dynamic stability results, obtained in the mid 1950's from the NACA Langley Stability Tunnel, for a similar delta-wing-fuselage model operating over a range of reduced frequencies and angles-of-attack up to 36 deg. In general, the comparisons show that the results are in good agreement.


A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) clone encoding a putative copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) was amplified by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique from cDNA synthesized from zebrafish (Danio rerio) mRNA. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA clone revealed that it comprised a complete open reading frame coding for 154 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence showed higher identity (73.5-74.3%) with swordfish and shark Cu/Zn-SOD than with Cu/Zn-SOD from mammals (69.6-70.9%) and plants (55.8-56.2%). The amino acid residues required for coordinating copper and zinc are conserved, as they are present in all reported Cu/Zn-SOD sequences. It lacks a targeting sequence, which suggests that the zebrafish cDNA clone encodes a cytosolic Cu/Zn-SOD. Furthermore, the coding region of Cu/Zn-SOD from zebrafish was introduced into an expression vector, pET-23a(+)-thioredoxin, and transformed into Escherichia coli AD494(DE3)pLysS. A predominant achromatic zone was detected by activity staining of native PAGE, and the expression pattern was shown by Coomassie blue staining of SDS-PAGE. This indicates that the Cu/Zn-SOD cDNA clone can be expressed in E. coli.


Engineering self-adaptive systems is a particularly challenging problem. On the one hand, it is hard to develop the right control model that drives the adaptation; on the other hand, the implementation and integration of this control model into the target system is a difficult and an error-prone activity. Models@runtime is a promising approach to managing adaptations at runtime, as they provide higher levels of abstractions of both the running system and its environment. However, recent work mainly focuses on runtime models that are causally connected to running systems and less attention is paid to how models can be used to develop and manage the control logic that drives runtime adaptations.
 In this paper we propose an alternative form of models@runtime as a reactive data-driven model centered around feedback control loops. Both the target system and the adaptation logic are represented as networks of message passing actors. Each of these actors represents a particular abstraction over the running system (sensors, effectors) and its control (analysis, decision). Moreover, the actors are also viewed as target systems themselves. This makes the feedback loops adaptable at runtime as well and permits us to build complex solutions with hierarchical layers of control loops. We discuss how this representation fits some of the requirements of models@runtime and helps to prototype a feedback control system on a concrete example extracted from ongoing validation case studies.


The Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL), an open access digital library of U.S. federal technical reports, is now celebrating 10 years of existence. TRAIL is truly a labor of love, built from scratch and nurtured by a growing and passionate community of member organizations and volunteers. Through this group's collective efforts, TRAIL has progressed from a small pilot (200 digitized documents) to the current library of 50,000+ technical reports, and contains content of interest to all disciplines. TRAIL provides an integrated website and search interface for discovery of reports from a range of federal agencies - well-known ones, such as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), and obscure ones such as the Office of Saline Waters. This initiative is funded by its member organizations, including the Government Publishing Office (GPO), and works under the administration of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL). It represents a strong collaboration between government document librarians, subject librarians in academia, and the many partner organizations that support the digitization workflows (e.g., University of Michigan Google Book Project scanning) and donate content for digitization. This poster will describe TRAIL's genesis and development, its growth in membership and volunteers (including our new no-cost "personal" membership option), lessons learned while fostering the LOVE and awareness of open access discovery and digital preservation, and future plans to increase the reach of TRAIL's activities.


The introduction of germanium (Ge) into titania (TiO2) creates an attractive semiconductor. The new semiconductor is named titania–germanium (TiO2–Ge). Ge dots are dispersed in the distorted TiO2 matrix of TiO2–Ge. The quantum Bohr radius of Ge is 24.3 nm, and hence the properties of the Ge dot can be varied by tailoring its size if it is smaller than its Bohr radius due to the quantum confinement effect (QCE). Therefore, simply by changing the Ge concentration, the morphology of TiO2–Ge can be varied within a wide range. Consequently, the optical, electronic and thermal properties of TiO2–Ge can be tailored. TiO2–Ge becomes a promising material for the next generation of photovoltaics as well as thermoelectric devices. It could also be used for photo-thermo-electric applications.


We study the perturbative evolution of the static configurations, quasinormal modes and quasinormal ringing in the Apostolatos–Thorne cylindrical shell model. We consider first an expansion in harmonic modes and show that it provides a complete solution for the characteristic value problem for the finite perturbations of a static configuration. As a consequence of this completeness, we obtain a proof of the stability of static solutions under these types of perturbations. The explicit expressions for the mode expansion are then used to obtain numerical values for some of the quasinormal mode complex frequencies. Some examples involving the numerical evaluation of the integral mode expansions are described and analyzed, and the quasinormal ringing displayed by the solutions is found to be in agreement with quasinormal modes found previously. Going back to the full relativistic equations of motion, we find their general linear form by expanding them to first order about a static solution. We then show that the resulting set of coupled ordinary and partial differential equations for the dynamical variables of the system can be used to set an initial plus boundary value problem, and prove that there is an associated positive definite constant of the motion that puts absolute bounds on the dynamic variables of the system, establishing the stability of the motion of the shell under arbitrary, finite perturbations. We also show that the problem can be solved numerically, and provide some explicit examples that display the complete agreement between the purely numerical evolution and that obtained using the mode expansion, in particular regarding the quasinormal ringing that results in the evolution of the system. We also discuss the relation of this work to some recent results on the same model that have appeared in the literature.


The phenomenon of a discrepancy between glycated hemoglobin levels and other indicators of average glycemia may be due to many factors but can be measured as the glycation gap (GGap). This GGap is associated with differences in complications in patients with diabetes and may possibly be explained by dissimilarities in deglycation in turn leading to altered production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We hypothesized that variations in the level of the deglycating enzyme fructosamine-3-kinase (FN3K) might be associated with the GGap. We measured erythrocyte FN3K concentrations and enzyme activity in a population dichotomized for a large positive or negative GGap. FN3K protein was higher and we found a striking threefold greater activity (323%) at any given FN3K protein level in the erythrocytes of the negative-GGap group compared with the positive-GGap group. This was associated with lower AGE levels in the negative-GGap group (79%), lower proinflammatory adipokines (leptin-to-adiponectin ratio) (73%), and much lower prothrombotic PAI-1 levels (19%). We conclude that FN3K may play a key role in the GGap and thus diabetes complications such that FN3K may be a potential predictor of the risk of diabetes complications. Pharmacological modifications of its activity may provide a novel approach to their prevention.


We report a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen for Suppressors of Clozapine-induced Larval Arrest (scla genes) in Caenorhabditis elegans, the first genetic suppressor screen for antipsychotic drug (APD) targets in an animal. The screen identifies 40 suppressors, including the α-like nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) homolog acr-7. We validate the requirement for acr-7 by showing that acr-7 knockout suppresses clozapine-induced larval arrest and that expression of a full-length translational GFP fusion construct rescues this phenotype. nAChR agonists phenocopy the developmental effects of clozapine, while nAChR antagonists partially block these effects. ACR-7 is strongly expressed in the pharynx, and clozapine inhibits pharyngeal pumping. acr-7 knockout and nAChR antagonists suppress clozapine-induced inhibition of pharyngeal pumping. These findings suggest that clozapine activates ACR-7 channels in pharyngeal muscle, leading to tetanus of pharyngeal muscle with consequent larval arrest. No APDs are known to activate nAChRs, but a number of studies indicate that α7-nAChR agonists may prove effective for the treatment of psychosis. α-like nAChR signaling is a mechanism through which clozapine may produce its therapeutic and/or toxic effects in humans, a hypothesis that could be tested following identification of the mammalian ortholog of C. elegans acr-7.


To better understand the chemistry of the combustion of ethanol, the structure of five low pressure laminar premixed flames has been investigated: a pure methane flame (φ=1), three pure ethanol flames (φ=0.7, 1.0, and 1.3), and an ethanol/methane mixture flames (φ=1). The flames have been stabilized on a burner at a pressure of 6.7 kPa using argon as dilutant, with a gas velocity at the burner of 64.3 cm/s at 333 K. The results consist of mole fraction profiles of 20 species measured as a function of the height above the burner by probe sampling followed by online gas chromatography analyses. A mechanism for the oxidation of ethanol was proposed. The reactions of ethanol and acetaldehyde were updated and include recent theoretical calculations while that of ethenol, dimethyl ether, acetone, and propanal were added in the mechanism. This mechanism was also tested against experimental results available in the literature for laminar burning velocities and laminar premixed flame where ethenol was detected. The main reaction pathways of consumption of ethanol are analyzed. The effect of the branching ratios of reaction C2H5OH+OH→Products+H2O is also discussed.


Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the S-methylation of thiopurines. The TPMT locus is subject to genetic polymorphism, with heterozygous individuals (about 10% of Caucasians) having intermediate, and homozygous individuals (about 0.33% of Caucasians) having low TPMT activity. More than 95% of defective TPMT activity can be explained by the most frequent variant alleles TPMT*2, TPMT*3A, TPMT*3B, TPMT*3C and TPMT*3D. In the present study, we analyzed the association TPMT of genotype with minimal residual disease (MRD), before and after application of a four week cycle of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP; 60 mg/m2/d) during induction consolidation treatment. Samples were derived from patients enrolled in our ongoing Berlin-Frankfurt-Muenster (BFM) trial on treatment of childhood ALL (ALL-BFM 2000) from 10/1999 to 03/2002. Routine bone-marrow samples were taken at diagnosis and after completion of induction (treatment day 33) and induction consolidation (treatment day 78). Semiquantitative estimation of MRD was performed by standardized PCR analysis of leukemia clone-specific immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements and TAL1 deletions. In order to be included in the study presented here, patients had to have at least one MRD marker with a sensitivity of 10−4 and successful MRD monitoring at both follow-up time points (day 33 and day 78); MRD loads smaller than 10−4 were defined as negative. Genotyping was performed by a DHPLC method. We were able to analyze 814 patients with childhood ALL. 755 (92.8%) patients were homozygous for the TPMT wild-type allele, 55 (6.8%) were heterozygous, and 4 (0.5%) homozygous for a variant TPMT allele. Except for immunophenotype, no major differences with regard to characteristics known to be associated with treatment response were observed between patients homozygous for the wild-type allele and those being heterozygous. The four patients homozygous for a variant TPMT allele were already MRD negative after completion of remission induction on treatment day 33. Therefore, they were not included in further analyses. In patients homozygous for the wild-type allele or heterozygous, MRD levels on day 33 were equally distributed between the groups. However, when MRD levels were assessed on day 78, after administration of induction consolidation treatment, including a 4-week cycle of 6-MP, significant differences with regard to clearance of MRD were observed between patients homozygous for the TPMT wild-type allele and heterozygotes. For heterozygous patients, this distribution translated into a 2.4-fold reduction in risk of having measurable MRD after induction consolidation treatment (relative risk = 0.42; 95% confidence interval = 0.16–0.99; P = 0.047). This effect remained significant in multivariate analysis including immunophenotype (relative risk = 0.36; 95% confidence interval = 0.15–0.87; P = 0.023). Our results indicate that TPMT genotype has a substantial influence on MRD after administration of 6-MP during induction consolidation treatment of childhood ALL, most likely through modulation of 6-MP dose intensity. In addition, our data support a role for MRD in the assessment of treatment response to specific drugs.


This present paper speaks about Flexible Job Shop scheduling Problem using a software. Flexible Job shop scheduling is most typical and complex manufacturing environments in production planning issues. A case study was conducted on a manufacturing business set in Vijayawada. Information collected from the producing company to get the time taken by the conventional scheduling method and gathered data for 5 jobs requiring 8 machines that arrived during the analysis period. The Project additionally speaks about the study of varied programming strategies, learning of LEKIN programming package is a software tool has a flexibility to develop new heuristic models to produce effective schedules be applied practically. Input data, taken from the manufacturing company, converted to tables and routing sequences. The LEKIN programming package [3], develops the different schedules for given data with reference to priority rules, such as First Come First Serve (FCFS), Longest Processing Time (LPT), Shortest Processing Time (SPT), Earliest Due Date (EDD), Critical Ratio (CR) [6]. The schedules obtained from priority rules analysed through performance measures like Make Span, No of late jobs, Total Flow Time, Total Tardiness, Maximum Tardiness, Total Weighted Tardiness, Total Weighted Flow Time. Our goal is to come up with a optimized schedule with in the process of flexible job shop scheduling by using LEKIN scheduling software, using various priority rules as mentioned above and to minimize the make span i.e. the time length of the schedule, during which all the operations for all jobs is completed in an engineering company


Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an important signaling transduction molecules, which can enter the nucleus and activate target gene when it was stimulated and become phosphorylation. MAPK signaling pathway is closely associated with various diseases. Recent studies have indicated that MAPK signaling transduction pathway is also involved in the growth and development of Echinococcus. This review summarizes the progress on the relationship between MAPK signal pathway and Echinococcus.


The Technical literature was reviewed with respect to the loss of visibility distance caused by automobile windshields or other optical filters. A series of nighttime luminance measurements in the field provided baseline data for a visibility distance computer model that was developed to investigate nighttime visibility of diffusely reflective targets under low-beam illumination conditions seen through automobile windshields having different transmittances. The computer model offers three alternative luminance contrast threshold models: (a) Adrian's target visibility algorithm, (b) PCDETECT, and (c) Blackwell's 1946 contrast threshold data. The new model, which is based on Blackwell's 1946 data, considers the effects of age and observation time and determines the actual contrast from the target luminance, which depends on the target reflectance, the selected headlamps, and the current observation distance. Percent visibility distance loss graphs, as a function of the initial visibility distance D 0 (using no windshield) were established. A tentative field factor of 2.28 for the Blackwell data was determined. The obtained percent visibility distance loss data were compared with those published earlier by Haber in 1955. This comparison indicates that the percent distance loss functions shown by Haber are misleading and wrong because they are proposed to apply for a target with a constant mean linear dimension of 91.4 cm (3 ft) over the entire initial visibility distance range. Furthermore, the data presented by Haber are conservative and too high. On the basis of the results of this investigation, it would appear to be of benefit to further validate the results in the field and to review the appropriateness of established minimum luminous transmittance standards.


Let $Y=(Y(t))_{t\geq0}$ be a zero-mean Gaussian stationary process with covariance function $\rho:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ satisfying $\rho(0)=1$. Let $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ be a square-integrable function with respect to the standard Gaussian measure, and suppose the Hermite rank of $f$ is $d\geq 1$. If $\int_\mathbb{R} |\rho(s)|^dds<\infty$, then the celebrated Breuer-Major theorem (in its continuous version) asserts that the finite-dimensional distributions of $Z_\varepsilon:=\sqrt{\varepsilon}\int_0^{\cdot/\varepsilon}f(Y(s))ds$ converge to those of $\sigma W$ as $\varepsilon\to 0$, where $W$ is a standard Brownian motion and $\sigma$ is some explicit constant. Since its first appearance in 1983, this theorem has become a crucial probabilistic tool in different areas, for instance in signal processing or in statistical inference for fractional Gaussian processes.
The goal of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we investigate the tightness in the Breuer-Major theorem. Surprisingly, this problem did not receive a lot of attention until now, and the best available condition due to Ben Hariz [1] is neither arguably very natural, nor easy-to-check in practice. In contrast, our condition very simple, as it only requires that $|f|^p$ must be integrable with respect to the standard Gaussian measure for some $p$ strictly bigger than 2. It is obtained by means of the Malliavin calculus, in particular Meyer inequalities.
Secondly, and motivated by a problem of geometrical nature, we extend the continuous Breuer-Major theorem to the notoriously difficult case of self-similar Gaussian processes which are not necessarily stationary. An application to the fluctuations associated with the length process of a regularized version of the bifractional Browninan motion concludes the paper.


Waste materials derived from shrimp processing signify 40 to 45 % of the weight of the catch or harvest. For Biotechnology, waste materials are secondary material, as contrast of raw materials, to generate value-added products, such as chitin, protein, and pigments. We used the pH-shift and enzymatic autohydrolysis processes to obtain protein concentrates from the cephalothorax of whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Protein recovery by auto-hydrolysis and pH-shift was 83.3 % (sum of two fractions) and 87.5 respectively. Functional properties from protein concentrates were assayed. The protein concentrates obtained were: precipitated protein at pH=4.0 (PP4), remaining soluble protein at pH=4.0 (SP4), and hydrolyzed protein (3HP). Precipitated protein (PP4) had 50 % foam stability; soluble protein (SP4) 31.5 %, and hydrolyzed protein had no foam stability. Emulsion capacity of the protein concentrates was not different from egg albumin (control protein). Hydrolyzed protein had higher emulsion stability than the other protein concentrates. Protein concentrates from the pH-shift process had good balance of amino acids. Histidine and valine was not detected in hydrolyzed protein. The pH-shift process demonstrated to be an alternative for protein hydrolysis to recover protein from shrimp cephalothorax.


Our environment is the key component of our survival on earth and has the most optimal solutions that worked for three and a half billion years. Dr. Janine Benyus, pioneer in the field of Biomimicry has shown that when we emulate nature's designs and processes, we can create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Natural phenomena all around us can be the inspiration for solutions to our current problems. Human body is full of inspirations. One of the most efficient parts of a human's body is their brain. As humans go through time, their brain creates new connections and destructs the unnecessary ones to not misuse the limited resources of the brain. The result of this behavior is making new memories and forgetting the old ones. Research shows that this behavior of the brain which results in forgetfulness is a healthy process and is crucial to brain functionality. This dynamic part of the body changes as it goes through time. Just as humans go through time, so do the materials we create. Designing materials that do not exhaust the limited resources of earth can be inspired by those natural evolutionary processes that have engineered our magnificent brains. Such process creates materials that are responsive, dynamic, and easily return to enrich the cycle of life. This project is inspired by how our mind and body work. As technology advances while being inspired by brain processes in material creation we're invited to open new doors synthesizing natural processes with current technologies. While we explore the opportunities for more sustainable materials development through additive manufacturing and computational designs, we collaborate with nature to bring these ideas to life. The result of this project showcases a taxonomy of bio-degradable materials that has been designed and created utilizing Rhino-Grasshopper and Robotic Fabrication using UR10 robotic arm. In these material prototypes, the behaviors of sample materials such as shape change, and strength have been studied to explore the opportunities they provide by engineering material properties as well as geometrical features. This study emphasizes on the need to take meaningful actions in creating sustainable materials that do not exhaust the limited resources of earth.


Medical care should be safer. Inpatient problems and solutions have received the most attention; this outpatient qualitative case study addresses a gap in knowledge. We describe safety improvements among large physician groups, model the key influences on their behavior, and identify beneficial public and private policies. All groups were trying to reduce medical injury, which was part of the sample design. The most commonly targeted problems are those that are similar across groups: shortcomings in diagnosis, abnormal tests follow-up, scope of practice and referral patterns, and continuity of care. Medical group innovators vary greatly, however, in implementation of improvements, that is, in the extent to which they implement process changes that identify events/problems, analyze and track incidents, decide how to change clinical and administrative practices, and monitor impacts of the changes.  Our conceptual model identifies key determinants: (1) demand for safety comes from external factors: legal, market, and professional; (2) organizational responses depend on internal factors: group size, scope, and integration; leadership and governance; professional culture; information-system assets; and financial and intellectual capital. Further, safety is an aspect of quality (the same tools, decision making, interventions, and monitoring apply), and safety management benefits from prior efficiency management (similar skills and culture of innovation).   Observed variation in even simple safeguards shows that existing safety incentives are too weak. Our model suggests that the biggest improvement would come from boosting the demand for quality and safety from both private and public larger group purchasers. Current policy relies too much on litigation and discipline, which have sometimes helped, but not solved, problems because they are inefficient, tend to drive needed information underground, and complicate needed cultural change. Patients' safety demand is also weak for want of information and market power. Big purchasers' demands, however, quickly influence the internal environment of medical groups, helping managers advance quality safety toward the top of groups' congested decision-making "queues."


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) marginal dose is associated with successful obliteration of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). SRS dose rate-how old the cobalt-60 sources are-is known to influence outcomes for some neurological conditions and benign tumors. The objective of this study was to determine the association between cobalt-60 treatment dose rate and cerebral AVM obliteration in patients treated with SRS.

METHODS
We performed a retrospective cohort study of 361 patients undergoing 411 AVM-directed SRS treatments between 2005 and 2019 at a single institution. Lesion characteristics, SRS details, obliteration dates, and post-treatment toxicities were recorded. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses of AVM outcomes regarding SRS dose rate (range 1.3-3.7 Gy, mean = 2.4 Gy, median = 2.5 Gy) were performed.

RESULTS
At 10 years post-SRS, 68% of AVMs were obliterated on follow-up imaging. Dose rates >2.9 Gy/min were found to be significantly associated with AVM obliteration compared with those <2.1 Gy/min (P = .034). AVM size, biologically effective dose, and SRS marginal dose were also associated with obliteration, with obliteration more likely for smaller lesions, higher biologically effective dose, and higher marginal dose. Higher dose rates were not associated with the development of post-SRS radiological or symptomatic edema, although larger AVM volume was associated with both types of edema.

CONCLUSION
Patients with cerebral AVMs treated with higher SRS dose rates (from newer cobalt-60 sources) experience higher incidences of obliteration without a significant change in the risk of post-treatment edema.


AIMS
Plasma brain natriuteric peptide (BNP) is an established marker of cardiovascular events in individuals without heart failure. Although the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is clinically used as a parameter of arterial stiffness, its usefulness for predicting cardiovascular events has not been fully examined. This study aimed to evaluate the association among CAVIs, plasma BNP levels and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and dysfunction in hypertensive patients.

METHODS
We enrolled 136 hypertensive patients (69±10 years) who had been taking antihypertensive medications for at least one year. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate LV hypertrophy and function. Plasma BNP levels and CAVIs were also measured simultaneously.

RESULTS
CAVI was correlated with plasma BNP (r =0.245, p =0.004). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed three independent determinants of CAVI: age (β =0.568, p <0.001), diameter of ascending aorta (β =0.289, p <0.001), and diabetes (β =0.207, p =0.003). In addition, multiple linear regression analysis revealed two independent determinants of the plasma BNP level: left atrial diameter (β =0.334, p <0.001) and CAVI (β =0.256, p =0.002).

CONCLUSION
The present study indicates that increased CAVI is independently associated with elevated plasma BNP produced by increased LV afterload, that is, arterial stiffness, in hypertensive patients. Moreover, the present study raises the possibility that CAVI may be as useful as the plasma BNP level for predicting the risk of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients.


One of the neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the misfolding of amyloid-β to form amyloid aggregates, a process highly associated with biological membranes. However, how molecular chirality affects the amyloid formation on phospholipid surfaces has seldom been reported. Here, l- and d-aspartic acid-modified 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (l-/d-Asp–DPPE) is synthesized to construct chiral phospholipid bilayers. We discover that the l-Asp–DPPE liposomes slightly inhibit the Aβ(1–40) nucleation process but cannot affect the oligomer elongation process. By contrast, the d-Asp–DPPE liposomes strongly inhibit both nucleation and elongation of the peptide. Notably, l- and d-Asp–DPPE liposomes not only have good biocompatibility but can also rescue Aβ(1–40)-aggregation induced cytotoxicity with significant chiral discrimination, in which the cell viability is higher in the presence of d-Asp–DPPE liposomes. Mechanism analysis and molecular dynamics simulation clearly demonstrate that differential electrostatic interactions of Lys16 in Aβ(1–40) with l- or d-Asp on the phospholipid contribute to the remarkable chiral discrimination. This study provides a deeper understanding of the crucial amyloidosis process from the perspective of the chiral interface and reveals that the convergence of d-amino acids with the liposomes might be a feasible route for AD prevention.


The aim of this study was to determine the effects of artificial magnetic fields on the behaviour of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) larvae. Individuals (from the eyed egg stage) were exposed to a static magnetic field (SMF) of 10mT or a low-frequency alternating (electromagnetic) field (EMF) of 1mT, whereas larvae in the control treatment were reared under a natural geomagnetic field (GMF). After 40 days exposure, larvae were tested for 46h for their attraction to or avoidance of magnetic fields. None of the groups of larvae avoided either the static or alternating field. By contrast, a mean of 54–60% of individuals was recorded in magnetic fields. Moreover, larvae exposed to SMF or EMF were more attracted to their respective magnetic field than individuals reared under a natural GMF. In addition, no stress response (i.e. a change in the oxygen consumption rate) was recorded for O. mykiss larvae exposed to magnetic fields. These results suggest, for the first time, that early life stages of rainbow trout can detect and are attracted to artificial magnetic fields of a magnitude recorded in the vicinity of submarine cables, with no visible signs of stress (i.e. increased oxygen consumption).


The characteristics of titanium alloy as a relatively advanced material is low density, avirulent and, superior corrosive resistant, therefore the use of titanium alloy is increasing lately in aerospace and mechanical technologies, precision machinery, electronics industry, petro-chemical industries and biomedical areas. In these days, the titanium alloy product is required various surface qualities of not only smooth surface but also rough surface depending on usages. The purpose of this experimental research is to find the optimum surface roughness of titanium alloy of Ti-6Al-4V, by micro abrasive blasting as depending variable conditions of working pressure, nozzle size, working time, stand of distance and power particle size.


Background Since inflammation has a major role in atherothrombosis, measurement of inflammatory markers like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) may provide a method for detecting the high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with lichen planus (LP). Predicting the cardiovascular risk factors in patients with LP would allow appropriate preventive measures to be applied. Many studies have tried to link LP with atherosclerosis with conditions like dyslipidemia, carotid intimal media thickness, or epicardial adipose tissue; however, this link is still a matter of debate. Objective To assess the risk of atherosclerosis in LP patients by different means including dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, Hs-CRP/adiponectin ratio, ECG changes, and atherosclerotic CVD risk estimator. Patients and methods This study included 40 patients with LP with 40 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls. Peripheral venous blood samples were withdrawn from the patients and controls to measure serum levels of Hs-CRP, adiponectin, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile. Hs-CRP/adiponectin ratio was calculated and the criteria of metabolic syndrome were assessed. Atherosclerotic CVD risk estimator was measured and ECG was done for patients and controls. Results Patients with LP showed significant higher Hs-CRP/adiponectin ratio (0.62±0.22) in comparison to controls (0.05±0.02). A significant increase in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was noticed in patients (165±38.3) than in controls (122±22); moreover, serum cholesterol was significantly increased in patients (251.7±44) than in controls (195.2±22.2) with the number of patients with LP that had metabolic syndrome [22 (55%) patients] being significantly more than controls with metabolic syndrome [six (15%) controls]. Conclusion Patients with LP have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disorders. Hs-CRP/adiponectin ratio is a good predicator for the assessment of risks of atherosclerosis in patients with LP.


Present a novel method of character stroke feature extraction based on the histogram of gradient angles. Firstly, produce the gradient angle matrix of the pixels in the character edge by sifting out the gray image using the SOBEL operator. Secondly, set up the character stroke features as sub-vectors of each block matrix using the relationship between the gradient angle matrix and the character strokes. Then, select the block parameters of the gradient angle matrix. Finally, link the sub-vectors as the character feature vector and standardize it. This character feature extraction method integrates the character distributed feature and stroke feature. The recognition accuracy is up to 97%, distinguishing the 12 pixels wide images of license plate character with noise and rotation. This paper also presents a set of character feature vector evaluation to assess the effectiveness of character feature vector.


Hand hygiene is important in the prevention of healthcare-associated infection in hospitals, but the compliance rate of healthcare workers for hand hygiene is lower than expected. Hand hygiene compliance is usually monitored employing visual methods that are open to the Hawthorne effect and limited in terms of time and place. An automated monitoring system may provide the hand-hygiene compliance rate automatically and continuously, without suffering from the Hawthorne effect. An automated monitoring system may also improve hand hygiene by providing feedback data and real-time reminders. We report herein on an automated monitoring system that permits the tracking of hand hygiene opportunities and the disinfection compliance of healthcare workers. The aim is to establish the accuracy of the system in monitoring hand hygiene compliance and to estimate the effect of the system in promoting hand hygiene behaviour. Two studies were conducted. First, to evaluate the accuracy of hand hygiene compliance recorded by the automated monitoring system, we compared the hand hygiene compliance rate recorded by the automated monitoring system with that recorded by direct visual observation for 3 days during the same period in the same ward. For the overall period of simultaneous automated and human observations, the hand hygiene compliance rate was automatically observed to be 78% and visually observed to be 75.4%. Second, to estimate the effect of the automated monitoring system in improving health workers' compliance with hand hygiene, we installed monitoring equipment in one ward and measured the compliance rate via the automated monitoring system for 13 weeks. This study included Phase 1 with a reminder only, Phase 2 with a reminder and feedback, and Phase 3 again with a reminder only. A significant increase in hand hygiene performance was observed during phase 2, and a high rate was sustained over phase 3. In phase 1, however, there was no increase in the hand hygiene compliance rate. We found the automated monitoring system to be a useful tool for not only monitoring hand hygiene but also for improving hand hygiene compliance.


The positron lifetime technique was employed to study vacancy-type defects in 8 MeV electron-irradiated n-type 6H silicon carbide. A long-lifetime component having a characteristic lifetime of 223–232 ps was observed in the irradiated sample and was attributed to the VCVSi divacancy. Other positron traps, which dominated at low temperatures, were observed to compete with the VCVSi for trapping positrons. A positron trapping model involving a positron shallow trap, a negatively charged monovacancy and the VCVSi divacancy was found to give a good description of the temperature-dependent positron lifetime data of the 1200 °C annealed sample. The identity of the monovacancy could not be unambiguously determined, but its lifetime was found to be in the range 160–172 ps.


The reaction of 3,3-dihexylcyclopropene 1 with carbon and amine pronucleophiles 2 in the presence of palladium catalysts proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding hydrocarbonation products 3, allylated nucleophiles, in good to high yields. For example, in the presence of catalytic amounts of Pd(PPh(3))(4) and dppf, the reaction of 3,3-dihexylcyclopropene with ethyl 2-cyanopropionate and ethyl 2-cyanophenylacetate gave ethyl 2-cyano-2-methyl-4-undecenoate and ethyl 2-cyano-2-phenyl-4-undecenoate in 82 and 86% yield, respectively.


The Event Calculus was proposed by Kowalski and Sergot as a simple and eeective tool for dealing with time and actions in the framework of logic programming 9]. In response to the occurrences of events, the formalism computes maximal and convex intervals of validity of the relationships holding in the mod-eled world. The case of interest is when the set of events is xed, but the order of their occurrence times is only partially known. The availability of new (pieces of) information about the relative order of events has a non-monotonic eeect, making previous intervals no longer derivable. As a consequence, a meaningful ordering over partially speciied event orderings may not be based on inclusion of the corresponding Computed Intervals sets. A monotonic version of the calculus is then proposed and compared to the original. We discuss why it is not immediately viable for AI applications, and show how it can be used to order partially speciied orderings. A valuation function is deened that chooses among alternative orderings the one(s) which minimizes the separation from the result obtainable by the monotonic version.


Direction and degree of handedness in humans are variable between individuals and thought to be in part inherited. Several studies have shown an increase in non-right handedness among patients with schizophrenia, and some have included unaffected relatives. The present study was designed to determine whether reduced right handedness is more frequent among individuals with schizophrenia as compared with their well relatives and whether it clusters within families having multiple ill members. A total of 259 families comprising 418 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 54 individuals with other psychoses, 145 family members with depression and other minor diagnoses, and 288 unaffected individuals were included. Hand preference was assessed by the Annett Scale and right relative to left hand skill measured using the Tapley-Bryden test. For all assessments of hand preference and hand skill, females were significantly more lateralised towards the right than males. Those individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder had significantly less right hand preference than their unaffected relatives when measured as a quantitative index of items from the Annett Scale (p = .019), but not categorically (right, left or mixed). In contrast, there was no difference in hand skill between diagnostic groups. Hand preference was significantly correlated among male-male affected sibling pairs (p = .01) and similar results were found for hand skill among the total group of affected pairs (p = .001). Although these results only partially support a relationship between handedness and schizophrenia, they nevertheless draw attention to sex differences in hand preference and the familial aspects of hand preference in this disorder. More direct approaches to the genetics of cerebral dominance and psychosis are required.


BACKGROUND
Symptomatic predictors of the etiology of infectious diseases are necessary when quick action is required in treatment, as with cases of influenza or anthrax, or for when patient isolation is required, as with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Predictors of influenza virus infection during the influenza season have previously been evaluated in adult studies of the antiviral agent zanamivir; cough and temperature > or =37.8 degrees C predicted influenza virus positivity in 79% of those evaluated.

METHODS
Fever and other respiratory symptoms were examined to determine their value in predicting influenza virus-positive status in children. Data analyzed were from a clinical trial of zanamivir in children 5-12 years of age and from a trial of oseltamivir in children 1-12 years of age.

RESULTS
In the pediatric study of zanamivir, as in the adult zanamivir study, cough and fever were the best predictors of influenza virus infection; a temperature > or =38.2 degrees C plus cough predicted 83% (95% CI, 79%-88%) of illnesses that were determined to be influenza virus positive. Cough (positive predictive value, 70%; 95% CI, 64%-75%), but not fever, was the best predictor of influenza virus-positive status in children aged 5-12 years in the oseltamivir trials, but neither cough nor fever were successful predictors in young children 1-4 years of age. The latter findings appeared to be the result of less symptomatic diversity among patients recruited for this trial, such that subjects who were determined to be influenza virus positive and subjects who were influenza virus negative had similar symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
The results of these studies suggest that, during the influenza season, symptomatic predictors of influenza virus infection are applicable to identification of cases in children, although confirmation of predictive values in subjects 1-4 years of age may require further study of additional signs/symptoms.


Slurry injection below maize seeds is a rather new application technique developed to improve the nitrogen use efficiency of liquid organic manure. To enable the characterization of the spatial and temporal soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) dynamics after slurry injection the present study aims to develop an appropriate soil sampling strategy. Three consecutive experiments were conducted. The first testing of the soil sampling approach was conducted in an existing field trial where the slurry was injected down to a depth of 12 cm (upper rim) below the soil surface. The soil profile (75 cm wide) centered below the maize row was sampled grid-like to a depth of 90 cm. Around the injection zone, soil monoliths (SM) were sampled using a purpose-built soil shovel. Below the SMs and in the interrow space (15 and 30 cm distance to the row) a standardized auger procedure was performed. The second experiment aimed at improving the sampling strategy with a focus on sample homogenization quality and necessary sample sizes per pooled sample. Furthermore, the risk of a carryover of slurry components along the soil core due to drilling an auger through a slurry band was analyzed. In the third experiment this improved sampling strategy was validated. Results from the first testing of the sampling procedure showed that the strategy is suitable, although some problems occurred (especially the high spread in values among the replications causing high coefficients of variation (CV) of mostly 40 – 60%). The improvement trial revealed that due to the high gradient of SMN concentration in the direct range of the injection zone an intensive homogenization of these samples is required. Suitable sample sizes (twelve auger samples and six soil monolith samples per pooled sample) have to be collected to obtain reliable SMN values. Drilling an auger through a slurry band to sample subjacent soil layers has to be avoided. Following this enhanced sampling strategy in the final validation trial the spread in values was considerably reduced and resulted in CV values of mostly < 20%. The developed sampling strategy enables the characterization of the spatial and temporal SMN dynamics when slurry has been band-injected below a maize row. The method can be transferred to other row crops and different slurry injection spacings.


The purpose of the study to determine the characteristis of some of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil in organic farming systems. The study was held about 6 month from November 2013 to April 2014 in Bioenvironment Education Center of Organic Farming Bahorok in Timbang Lawan village, Bahorok, at Langkat district for observe the characteristic of some physical, chemical, and biological characteristic of soil in organic farming system. This research was conducted with survey method by evaluation the soil character in the area of farming base on the time of application of the organic farming, so it taken 3 samples which are the organic farming system beginning from year 2005; the organic farming system beginning from year 2010; and farming system which not applicate the system of organic farming yet as the comparation and was conducted about 3 sample points. The result of this research showed that the application of organic farming can fix the physical and biological characteristic, but not chemistry charactreristic yet. The charactreristic of physical of the soil that can be fixed by the application of organic farming were changed soil color become darken, decreased bulk density of soil, increased the total soil pore space, and increased soil permeability from criteria a bit slow to medium. Whether for the infiltration of soil can not be increased yet with the organic farming application. The application of this organic farming system can not fix the chemical characteristic of soil as pH of soil, C-organic of soil, N-total of soil, and P-available still have the same criteria with conventional farming application, but for parameter K-exchange can increase this parameter from low to medium. The organic farming application can fix the biology characteristic by increase the soil respiration, number of soil microorganism and earthworms population.Keywords : organic farming, conventional farming, soil characteristic


Intra-abdominal Crises by Kenneth D Keele MD FRCP and Norman M Matheson FRCS MRCP FACS pp xii+397 illustrated 50s London: Butterworths 1961 Abdominal emergencies in the past have tended to remain in the realm of the surgeon, yet every clinician knows how often these cases are the manifestations of acute medical problems, not necessarily even involving abdominal viscera. Moreover the straightforward'surgical abdomen', in these days ofan ageingpopulation, is frequently complicated by some co-existing medical disease. 'Intra-abdominal Crises' represents an adult approach to this subject prepared by the collaboration of a physician and a surgeon. The result is a most stimulating account of the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. It is unusual in that it is a book which should prove of genuine value both to the hospital clinician and the general practitioner. One small criticism is the standard of reproduction of some of the radiographs always a difficult problem for the publishers which might with advantage be improved in later editions.


Based on the full velocity difference model, Jiang et al. put forward the speed gradient model through the micro-macro linkage (Jiang R, Wu Q S and Zhu Z J 2001 Chin. Sci. Bull. 46 345 and Jiang R, Wu Q S and Zhu Z J 2002 Trans. Res. B 36 405). In this paper, the Taylor expansion is adopted to modify the model. The backward travel problem is overcome by our model, which exists in many higher-order continuum models. The neutral stability condition of the model is obtained through the linear stability analysis. Nonlinear analysis shows clearly that the density fluctuation in traffic flow leads to a variety of density waves. Moreover, the Korteweg-de Vries—Burgers (KdV—Burgers) equation is derived to describe the traffic flow near the neutral stability line and the corresponding solution for traffic density wave is derived. The numerical simulation is carried out to investigate the local cluster effects. The results are consistent with the realistic traffic flow and also further verify the results of nonlinear analysis.


Howard Thurman (1899–1981) touched the lives of many leaders in and beyond the US civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Thurman earned his degree in politics/economics at Morehouse College and in theology at Rochester Theological Seminary. He served as dean of the chapel at Boston University from 1953 to 1965. At once mystic, pacifist and integrationist, his thought was vitally impacted by experience of oppression in America's Deep South. Thurman was an isolated child in an aggrieved community, forced back upon a deep inner spirituality to cope with material deprivation and indifference. He explored the importance of 'sites of memory' as a means of recovering emotion, not least grief. For Thurman, the individual is the point of departure, but is only fully constituted in 'the crucible of relationship'; the purpose of knowledge is action; and the object of action is to secure loving relationships.


This paper presents an exploratory social network analysis of the study behaviours of undergraduate mathematics students. Focusing on the second-year students within a large lecture class, it presents data on their self-reported percentage lecture attendance, number of hours spent studying alone and with others outside lecture time, and occasional and frequent conversations about mathematics with other students. It then presents analytical results on relationships between individuals' centrality within the network and amount of study time.


An aggregation technique is used for construction of multicellular spheroids from trypsinized cell cultures of several normal and cancerous cell lines. This technique is applicable also in the presence of 1 X 10(9)/ml spores of Clostridium oncolyticum, and spores and vegetative bacterial cells can be counted by a soft agar colonization technique after trypsinization of spheroids. 24 hours after aerobic cultivation of spore-containing spheroids, germination and multiplication of Clostridium is detected by microscopy, electron-microscopy, and by bacterial cultivation technique. In this response there was no considerable difference between spheroids from tumour or from fresh cell lines. By electron microscopy many spores and vegetatively multiplying Clostridia became visible in the central necrotic part of spheroids. In the peripheral aerobic rim of spheroids, however, also few vegetative Clostridia were detectable.


Acute unilateral ureteral obstruction (AUUO) has been associated to a blood pressure increase, presumably secondary to activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), since the obstructed kidney increases renin secretion (Ref. 8). In an attempt to delineate the role of the RAS in this hypertensive model, we acutely obstructed the ureter in two groups of dogs that previous to the obstruction received either placebo (G I, n = 8) or 50 mg of captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (G II, n = 9). Animals that received placebo showed a consistent increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP), 128 +/- 4 vs. 144 +/- 4 mm Hg (p < 0.001); those that received captopril did not show such a tendency: 135 +/- 7 vs. 135 +/- 7 mm Hg. In further studies, three groups of animals were included: group III (G III, n = 4), identical to G I except that plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone (ALDO) were measured; Group IV (G IV, n = 5), identical to G II except that they received 50 mg of indomethacin, 60 min before captopril; and group V (G V, n = 6), which was sham operated and measured for PRA and ALDO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In the second of three articles, Patricia Swanton outlines the support adoptive parents may need from the primary health care team once the adoption order has been made. She discusses some possible difficulties in communication and behaviour and emphasises the value of peer support for parents. Putting parents in touch with post-adoption centres or the organisation Adoption UK gives them access to post-adoption literature and support and contact with other adoptive parents.


Everything that exists in the natural world is made up of several types of elementary particles. However, we cannot understand nature simply by identifying the properties of these particles. This is because collections of the particles sometimes exhibit completely unexpected collective phenomena, quite independently of the individual particles' properties. In the physical sciences, the importance of focusing on the properties of objects composed of a large number of constituents is reflected in the phrase, More is different. The main concept of the research project, the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas `Deepening and Expansion of Statistical Mechanical Informatics (DEX-SMI)' (Head Investigator: Yoshiyuki Kabashima, Tokyo Institute of Technology) (Project Webpage DEX-SMI), launched in 2006, was to introduce this perspective into information science under the common slogan, More is different in informatics as well. As milestones in the research activity, the International Workshop on Statistical-Mechanical Informatics (IW-SMI) was held annually, featuring studies of information and communication (2007), quantum information (2008), and bioinformatics (2009). The workshop series provided fruitful opportunities for leading researchers of various disciplines to interact with one another, which led to several collaborative studies. The final workshop, IW-SMI2010, was held at Shiran Kaikan, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, on 7-10 March 2010 to wrap up the achievements of the four years of activity in the DEX-SMI research project. This workshop also aimed to bring together leading researchers in the physical and information sciences to discuss possible future directions for further exploring the successes of DEX-SMI. We would like to thank the contributors of the workshop as well as all the participants. We hope that the successes of IW-SMI2010 and DEX-SMI will lead to further development of this highly vigorous interdisciplinary field between statistical mechanics and information science. Editors Jun-ichi Inoue Yoshiyuki Kabashima Kazuyuki Tanaka Toshiyuki Tanaka The IW-SMI 2010 Organizing Committee: Masato Okada (University of Tokyo) Yoshiyuki Kabashima, General Chair (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Shin Ishii (Kyoto University) Jun-ichi Inoue, Publications Chair (Hokkaido University) Kazuyuki Tanaka (Tohoku University) Toshiyuki Tanaka, Vice-General Chair (Kyoto University)


This research is the experimental study of cutting tool wear in the turning process using audio sensors to determine the characteristics of tool wear. The benefits derived from this study is as a base to create a tool wear online monitoring system. This system can improve productivity and prevent further losses due to premature tool wear components such as uneven surface, chipping and production defects. Sound signals (audio signals) during the cutting process will be captured by the microphone and processed using LabVIEW software in the form of the time domain signal and frequency domain. These signals can be used as information to build artificial neural networks (ANN) in the online monitoring system. Testing at level 3 is the highest parameters of cutting conditions where the cutting speed of 220 m / min, feed rate 0.12 mm / rev and depth of cut of 0.375 mm. Increasing the level of cutting parameters and flank wear is directly proportional to the audio signal received by the microphone. At these cutting conditions, cutting tool will receive a larger load so that the necessary energy is also great for cutting. As a result, the friction force with the work piece increases so that the audio signal is generated will increase. Keywords: audio, turning, cutting tool


Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short and intermediate term results of infants who have undergone balloon aortic valvotomy from the carotid arterial approach, and to identify risk factors in those infants who had a poor outcome. Methods Between 1988 and 1999, balloon aortic valvotomy was attempted at four centres in 95 infants with severe aortic stenosis. Echocardiographic and hemodynamic data, and outcome, were analysed retrospectively. Results Valvotomy was accomplished in 92 of the 95 infants, with a median age of 5 days, a range from 0 to 191 days, and weighing 3.4 kg, with a range from 1.0 to 6.5 kg. Major procedural complications occurred in 10 infants. Post-procedural aortic regurgitation was severe in 5 patients. There were 13 early deaths, and 4 late deaths. The period of mean follow-up has been 2.1 years, with a range from 0 to 9.3 years. The actuarial survival at 3 years was 76 ± 6%. Further interventions were needed in 19 patients, giving a 3-year freedom from reintervention of 67 ± 6%. The 51 infants who were duct-dependent were further analyzed, and found to have a higher mortality (38%) compared to those infants not dependent on the arterial duct (5%). Risk factors for a poor outcome in the duct-dependent infants were mitral stenosis (p<0.005), a left ventricle which did not form the cardiac apex (p<0.005), and an aortic valve with a diameter of less than 6 mm (p<0.05). Conclusions This multi-centric registry shows good results in the intermediate term for treating infants with severe aortic valvar stenosis with balloon valvotomy through a carotid arterial cutdown. Infants dependent on prostaglandin had a worse outcome, especially if they had any of the identified risk factors.


Immunotherapy of cancer is a promising approach for successful eradication of large and established tumor. While cytolytic CD8+ T cells have been extensively investigated and used for adoptive cell therapy (ACT), accumulating evidence indicates that CD4+ T helper (Th) cells including Th1 and Th17 subsets are also effective in tumor immunotherapy. Although Th1 cells possess key anti-tumor effector functions as IFNγhi, CD107ahi, T-bethi, Granzyme Bhi, but their poor persistence due to lack of stem-cell like characteristic effect long-term tumor control and reduce their potential in ACT. However, Th17 cells programmed ex vivo in TGFβ exhibit increased stem-cell like features and reduced effector function as compared to Th1 cells, which corelates to their increased persistence but reduced long-term tumor control. Herein we identified the ex vivo programming conditions that combine potent Th1 effector conditions with key stemness feature of Th17 to generate hybrid Th17/Th1 cells that exhibit improved control of murine melanoma (B16-F10) and human melanoma (624-MEL), as compared to Th1 or Th17 cells alone. The hybrid Th1/Th17 cells were less susceptible to activation induced cell death, exhibited increased persistence along with potent effector function, and have potential in future translational studies.


In the summer of 2008, French performance artist ORLAN launched a large-scale political, psychoanalytic, and philosophical meditation on the roles of artist and spectator in the installation Suture, Hybridization, Recyclage, bringing together a new kind of biogenetic fusion process; work by young Spanish designer David Delfin (Davidelfin); a text by philosopher Michel Serres; and furniture by designer Philippe Starck.


Abstract The aim of this work is to provide the logical sustainability model for defined contribution pension systems (see [1], [2]) in the discrete framework under stochastic financial rate of the pension system fund and stochastic productivity of the active participants. In addition, the model is developed in the assumption of variable mortality tables. Under these assumptions, the evolution equations of the fundamental state variables, the pension liability and the fund, are provided. In this very general discrete framework, the necessary and sufficient condition of the pension system sustainability, and all the other basic results of the logical sustainability theory, are proved. In addition, in this work new results on the efficiency of the rule for the stabilization over time of the level of the unfunded pension liability with respect to wages, level that is defined as β indicator, are also proved.


Can liquidity constraints explain the dramatic build-up of household leverage during the housing boom of mid-2000s? To answer this question we estimate a structural model of household liquidity management in the presence of long-term mortgages and short-term home equity loans. Households face counter-cyclical idiosyncratic labor income uncertainty and borrowing constraints, which affect optimal choices of leverage, precautionary saving in liquid assets and illiquid home equity, debt repayment, mortgage refinancing, and default. Taking the observed historical path of house prices, aggregate income, and interest rates as given, the model quantitatively accounts for the run-up in household debt and consumption boom prior to the financial crisis, their subsequent collapse, and weak recovery following the Great Recession, especially among the most constrained households. JEL Codes: E21, E44, G21


In this paper we propose a neural conversation model for conducting dialogues. We demonstrate the use of this model to generate help desk responses, where users are asking questions about PC applications. Our model is distinguished by two characteristics. First, it models intention across turns with a recurrent network, and incorporates an attention model that is conditioned on the representation of intention. Secondly, it avoids generating non-specific responses by incorporating an IDF term in the objective function. The model is evaluated both as a pure generation model in which a help-desk response is generated from scratch, and as a retrieval model with performance measured using recall rates of the correct response. Experimental results indicate that the model outperforms previously proposed neural conversation architectures, and that using specificity in the objective function significantly improves performances for both generation and retrieval.


The essence of any bank is that it is a risktaking enterprise and therefore, as a part of good corporate governance, it is expected that relevant risk-related information will be released to the marketplace. Currently, however, it is suggested that there is insufficient disclosure of risk information by banks and as a consequence Pillar 3 of Basel II lays out a comprehensive framework for risk disclosures with the intention that this will enable stakeholders to assess the risk pro.le of a bank. In addition, one outcome of the UK company law review is that there will be a requirement for all quoted companies to discuss risks and uncertainties within the annual report. This paper analyses these risk disclosure requirements while also reviewing current bank disclosure practices within the context of this risk disclosure debate. The important issues of disclosure of forward-looking risk information, location of disclosure and proprietary risk information are also discussed together with their implications for the proposed disclosure requirements.


The research advance in algae ecology in wetland was introduced in this paper, which included the algae population structure and its function, and the algae productivity and its affecting factors. Almost all kinds of algae occurred in wetland, including four assemblages: epipelon, epiphyton, metaphyton and phytoplankton, among which, diatom, green and blue algae were the predominant species. Algae were the fundamental players in the physical, chemical and biological processes that characterized wetland ecosystems. Most obvious was their role as primary producers and their place in the wetland food web. Algae were an important food resource for herbivores, and contributed to wetland nutrient cycle as the sources of dissolved organic matter and N. They could also be used as biomarkers for monitoring environment pollution. The affecting factors on algae's productivity were hydraulic factor, nutrition, temperature, illumination, herbivores and some other animals, and so on. Because of their functions in wetland, future research on algae in wetland should expand our knowledge of the environmental controls on algal biomass, productivity, and species composition in wetlands with particular in areas for which knowledge was incomplete. Included among these, may be a detailed evaluation of the proportionate contributions by epipelon, epiphyton, metaphyton, and phytoplankton to food web dynamics in wetlands, and a further study of the genetic technique in controlling hazardous algae.


Evidence assembled from household surveys collected from 1985 and 1998 from Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, and South Africa indicates that higher wages compensate individuals in these African countries for enrolling in school. It is commonly believed that wage returns to schooling are highest at the primary levels and decrease thereafter at higher school levels, but the data from Africa summarized here indicate the opposite, with private wage returns being highest at the secondary and higher education levels. There appear to be sufficient financial incentives today to motivate students to enroll in higher education, and any public subsidies should be allocated only to those students who come from poor families and whose parents are relatively least educated, relative to their generation. If students in higher education in Africa from upper-income families paid tuitions which were equal to half the public subsidies for their schooling, these revenues would finance fellowships for disadvantaged students and also provide the resources and incentives to expand higher education into those fields where trained manpower is scarcest today in Africa. They would thus create the conditions for greater self-governance of higher education while fostering a responsible separation from political power.


An earlier paper dealt with modeling of the camera in terms of the resolving times, tau0 and T, of the paralyzable detector and nonparalyzable computer system, respectively, for the case of a full energy window. A second paper presented a decaying source method for the accurate real-time measurement of these resolving times. The present paper first shows that the detector system can be treated as a single device with a resolving time tau0 dependent on source distribution. It then discusses camera operation with an energy window, window fraction being fw = Rp/Rd < or = 1, where Rd and Rp are the detector and pulse-height-analyzer (PHA) outputs, respectively. The detector resolving time is shown to vary with window fraction according to tau0p = tau0p/f(w), while T is unaffected, so that operation may be paralyzable or nonparalyzable depending on window setting and the ratio kT = T/tau0. Regions of interest are described in terms of the ROI fraction, fr =Rr IR < or = 1, and resolving time, tau0r = tau0p/fr, where R and Rr are the recorded count rates for the field-of-view and the region-of-interest, respectively. As tau0p and tau0r are expected to vary with input rate, it is shown that these can be measured in real-time using the decaying source method. It is then shown that camera operation both with fw < or = 1 and fr < or = 1 can be described by the simple paralyzable equation r = ne(-n), where n=Nwtau0p=Nrtau0r and r=Rptau0p=Rrtau0r, Nw, and Nr being the input rates within the energy window and the region of interest, respectively. An analytical solution to the paralyzable equation is then presented, which enables the input rates Nw = n/tau0p and Nr = n/tau0r to be obtained correct to better than 0.52% all the way up to the peak response point of the camera.


The Progressive Movement or the Marxist Cultural Renaissance occurred in a blood- thirsty and horrible situation which was the outcome of The Second World war, Famine, Communal riots, Partition related refugee crisis and the Tebhaga Movement. Contemporary undivided Communist Party of India was the pioneer in this intellectual development. All – India Progressive Writers' Association ( 1936), Anti- Fascist Writers and Artists related Organisation ( 1942) , Association of Friends of the Soviet Power ( 1941) and the famous I.P.T.A ( 1943) were established mainly for earnest endeavour of the Communist Party. Eminent author Manik Bandopadhyay was associated with the Anti- Fascist Cultural platform from 1943 and embraced the Marxist philosophy with heartfelt desire. He got membership of the Communist Party in 1944 and continued his creative works through a perfect amalgamation of identity of litterateur with identity of dedicated and devoted party – worker in different areas of Bengal. He created extraordinary short stories (1943/ 1944- 1956) in backdrop of food and clothing related severe crisis, famine – stricken terrible situation , hegemony of influential people of black market related trading system , moral degeneration , flesh trade / prostitution adopted by poor and helpless womenfolk, communal riots related bloodbath and aggressive peasant unrest etc.


Abstract Afghanistan's parliamentary elections in September 2005 marked the re-establishment of the legislature after a 30-year hiatus. Instead of connecting constituents to central government, however, it is argued here the Wolesi Jirga (lower house or WJ) has undermined accountability structures. This article analyses parliamentary processes by focusing on two examples of legislation that appeared in successive plenary debates in 2013 (the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law and the electoral law). It argues, first, that Members of Parliament deploy political ambiguity in order to keep their political options open, simultaneously evading mechanisms that could hold them to account for their actions in parliament. Second, that historically and today, MPs' role in Afghanistan has been less one of advancing legislation than advocating on the behalf of localised support bases. Third, however, that most damaging to parliamentary accountability are elite attempts to control the political process amid free-flowing resources. The article discusses the implications of these features and how they are gendered in relation to women's strategic interests as well as behavioural roles of women MPs.


Currently, propranolol is the preferred treatment for problematic proliferating infantile haemangiomas (IHs). The rapid action of propranolol has been shown to be especially dramatic in IHs involving dyspnoea, haemodynamic compromise, palpebral occlusion or ulceration. Another remarkable aspect of propranolol treatment revealed that the growth of the IHs was not only stabilized, but also that the improvement continued until complete involution was achieved, leading to a considerable shortening of the natural course of IH. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of propranolol have not been fully elucidated. Recent studies have offered evidence of a variety of mechanisms. These include the promotion of pericyte‐mediated vasoconstriction, the inhibition of vasculogenesis and catecholamine‐induced angiogenesis, the disruption of haemodynamic force‐induced cell survival, and the inactivation of the renin–angiotensin system. This review summarizes these mechanisms and the new concepts that are emerging in this area of research. Moreover, several molecular mechanisms by which propranolol may modify neovascularization in IH have also been proposed. The antihaemangioma effect of propranolol may not be attributable to a single mechanism, but rather to a combination of events that have not yet been elucidated or understood. Further studies are needed to evaluate and verify these mechanisms to gain a greater understanding of the effects of the intake of propranolol on haemangioma involution.


A biocompatible, caspase‐3‐responsive, and fluorescence‐quenching smart apoptosis nanoprobe based on a PEGylated nanogel that contains gold nanoparticles (GNPs) (fluorescence quenchers) in the cross‐linked polyamine gel core and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐labeled DEVD peptides at the tethered PEG chain ends is prepared for monitoring the cancer response to therapy. FITC–DEVD–nanogel–GNP shows very little fluorescence in the absence of activated caspase‐3 (normal cells) through the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process between the GNPs and the FITC molecules, while pronounced fluorescence signals are observed in apoptotic cells because of the cleavage of the DEVD peptide by activated caspase‐3 present in the cells, which results in the release of FITC molecules. Thus, remarkable quenching and dequenching of fluorescence signals in response to activated caspase‐3 is observed. Apoptotic cells are detected in human hepatocyte (HuH‐7) multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs), a commonly used three‐dimensional in vitro model mimicking the in vivo biology of tumors, as early as one day post‐treatment with staurosporine, an apoptosis‐inducing agent; while growth inhibition (i.e., change in size) of the HuH‐7 MCTSs is only observed after a delay of three days (i.e., on day 4). This demonstrates the effectiveness of the FITC–DEVD–nanogel–GNP probe as a smart nanoprobe for real‐time monitoring as well as a more rapid assessment of the early response to cancer therapy.


PURPOSES: The national highways and expressways in Korea constitute a total length of 17,951 km. Of this total length of pavement, the asphalt pavement has significantly deteriorated, having been in service for over 10 years. Currently, hot in-place recycling (HIR) is used as the rehabilitation method for the distressed asphalt pavement. The deteriorated pavement becomes over-heated, however, owing to uncontrolled heating capacity during the pre-heating process of HIR in the field. METHODS: In order to determine the appropriate heating method and capacity of the pre-heater at the HIR process, the heating temperature of asphalt pavement is numerically simulated with the finite element software ABAQUS. Furthermore, the heating transfer effects are simulated in order to determine the inner temperature as a function of the heating system (IR and wire). This temperature is ascertained at 300 ℃, 400℃, 500℃, 600℃, 700°℃, and 800℃ from a slab asphalt specimen prepared in the laboratory. The inner temperature of this specimen is measured at the surface and five different depths (1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, and 5 cm) by using a data logger. RESULTS: The numerical simulation results of the asphalt pavement heating temperature indicate that this temperature is extremely sensitive to increases in the heating temperature. Moreover, after 10 min of heating, the pavement temperature is 36%~38% and 8%~10% of the target temperature at depths of 25 mm and 50 mm, respectively, from the surface. Therefore, in order to achieve the target temperature at a depth of 50 mm in the slab asphalt specimen, greater heating is required of the IR system compared to that of the gas. CONCLUSIONS : Numerical simulation, via the finite element method, can be readily used to analyze the appropriate heating method and theoretical basis of the HIR method. The IR system would provide the best heating method and capacity of HIR heating processes in the field.


Corporate governance is one of the major topics under discussion from the last two decades. The knowledge is increasing with every passing day as new scandal keeps appearing in the financial world and so are the weaknesses in the CG mechanisms. This study aims to find a relationship between two major elements of CG mechanisms including (board size & composition and audit committee) and firm performance (ROE and profit margin). The sample size consists of 33 chemical companies listed on the Karachi stock exchange from 2005 to 2015. The results show a positive relationship between the variables tested in the study. The results also confirm that the theoretical notion of firms with good financial results and performance are those with better corporate governance practices.


UNLABELLED: Femur fractures near the knee joint provide serious problems where therapy is concerned. In elderly patients, especially those who also have other illnesses, who must be mobilized very early, the use of an exceptionally long nail as described by Kuntscher offers an alternative method to the AO angleplate. ADVANTAGES: Short time of operation, early mobilization, sufficient mobility after removal of the nail.


During the war medical missionaries were able to demonstrate fully their raison d'etre of service and professionalism to the Chinese and their fellow countrymen. In retrospect it can be seen that the war proved to be a golden age of opportunity for individual medical missionaries providing them with professional, personal and religious opportunity. It was a period when they felt both needed and wanted in China, and they showed great resourcefulness in response to the constraints placed upon their professional work as a result of military action. When those in occupied China lost all contact with their home bases medical missionaries shouldered additional administrative responsibilities which increased their already heavy workload. Whether in Free, or occupied China, medical missionaries were forced to make their own decisions in the field, and the bureaucratic-professional relationship with their home bases became strained. On the ground they experienced a flowering of inter-denominational co-operation. While responsible for the health of their fellow internees in the internment camps some medical missionaries were unexpectedly subjected to accusations of inexperience and nepotism. Shared hardship did not forge solidarity. The internment of medical missionaries, combined with Japanese religious policy, which deliberately sought to weaken Chinese Christian ties with foreigners, gave Chinese Christians the opportunity to manage mission hospitals and clinics without western supervision. Post-war, supported by the National government's National Health Administration policies, this newly experienced autonomy accelerated and reinforced the movement of Chinese personnel into positions of authority within mission hospitals. The end of the war thus marked not only the ebbing away of the medical missionary golden age but also pointed to the demise of medical missionary work in China since even without the Communist take-over, as more Chinese medical personnel graduated, medical missionaries were likely to become less needed and wanted.