The discovery of non-coding RNAs demonstrating regulatory control over gene expression has contravened the central dogma theory. Once considered as junk, these RNAs are now an area of active research. The 22 nucleotides long microRNAs (miRNAs), a subset of short non-coding RNAs, were the first to be considered attractive, and over the past decade they have been aggressively studied for roles in disease pathology as well as their relevance in therapeutics. As appropriate expression of miRNAs is critical for normal development, it is understandable that their dysregulation may be the cause or effect of a pathological condition. Madathil et al. [1] highlighted that: Although the change in miRNA expression in response to brain injury indicates their crucial roles and makes them ideal for therapeutic interventions, their precise function is still elusive. To date, there are still limitations regarding a targeted therapeutic intervention, given the 'one miRNA and multiple targets' phenomenon. Yet this very characteristic of miRNAs is also believed to be its forte, as it allows coordinated control of the many but related targets to bring about the desired outcomes. Although a miRNA-based targeted therapeutic intervention for central nervous system (CNS) injuries remains to be investigated, research into areas such as viral infection, heart disease and cancer have far advanced their discoveries into clinical trials, thus signifying the immense potential that these tiny oligonucleotides hold. Nonetheless, as emphasized by Madathil et al. [1], it is inevitable that a single alteration in miRNA expression will induce a cascade of changes in protein expression which will eventually impact on multiple signaling pathways. This was reinforced in our recent study where anti-miR-320a mediated recovery from acute stroke was evident with connotations in multiple crucial pathways [2]. Although the study proved that brain water channels, aquaporins 1 and 4, were direct targets of miR-320 and suppressing its expression would have implications in edema accumulation, it also identified a plethora of other potential targets with relevance to processes such as survival, proliferation, cell communication, transcriptional regulation and anti-inflammation. The radical reduction of ischemic damage seen by regulating miR-320 expression proposes it to be a potential therapeutic target for stroke. Nevertheless, due to the complexity imposed by the very promiscuous nature of miRNAs, it is critical to carefully access their clinical potential. More recently, miR-137, -181c, -9 and -29a/b have been identified as non-invasive biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease where the expression of circulating miR181c was reduced in serum samples of Alzheimer's patients [3]. Yet another report pronounced that expression of miR-181 cluster is down regulated in the penumbra upon ischemic brain injury [4]. These studies corroborate Madathil et al.'s hypothesis that alterations in miRNAs, upon any form of acute CNS injury, may contribute to the subsequent development of chronic brain diseases. Thus therapeutic strategies aimed at regulating crucial 'acute injury response' miRNAs may be able to halt the advancement of acute injury pathology into the development of chronic brain diseases. While the predisposition to age-related neurodegenerative diseases as a consequence of acute brain injury has been implicated previously, a more exhaustive study showed that upsurge in neuro-inflammation and subdual of neurogenesis, were the fundamental causes for progressive deterioration of the injured brain [5]. Thus focusing on the associated signaling pathways and relating them to subsequent processes could enable elucidation of important miRNAs in CNS injury.


This study examined the treatment effects between unilateral hybrid therapy (UHT; unilateral robot-assisted therapy [RT] + modified constraint-induced movement therapy) and bilateral hybrid therapy (BHT; bilateral RT + bilateral arm training) compared with RT. Thirty patients with chronic stroke were randomized to UHT, BHT, or RT groups. Preliminary efficacy was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI), and the goal attainment scaling (GAS). Possible adverse effects of abnormal muscle tone, pain, and fatigue were recorded. All groups showed large improvements in motor recovery and individual goals. Significant between-group differences were found on GAS favoring the hybrid groups but not on FMA and CAHAI. No adverse effects were reported. Hybrid therapies are safe and applicable interventions for chronic stroke and favorable for improving individual functional goals. Treatment effects on motor recovery and functional activity might be similar among the three groups.


Background With improving survival in ovarian cancer, second primary cancers (SPCs) and their etiological foundations are becoming an issue. The ways in which family history may influence the occurrence of SPCs and the related mortality are not well known. Methods Based on the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, we identified 11,300 ovarian cancer patients and followed them for diagnoses of SPCs until the end of 2015. Relative risks (RRs) of SPC in patients who had parents or siblings diagnosed with the same cancer (positive family history) were compared to those in patients without a family history (negative family history). Causes of death were compared between patients with and without SPC. Results A total of 1,111 (9.8%) ovarian cancer patients developed SPC with a median follow-up of 8 years. The impact of a family history of cancer on the risk of the same cancer as SPC was significant for colon (RRpositive family history [95% CI] vs RRnegative family history [95% CI]: 4.95 [3.03–8.09] vs 2.00 [1.63–2.47]), lung (3.32 [1.88–5.84] vs 1.45 [1.16–1.83]), and breast (2.08 [1.58–2.73] vs 1.01 [0.88–1.15]) cancers. With a family history of any cancer, the RR for non-ovarian SPCs was 1.66 (1.54–1.74), in contrast to 1.38 (1.24–1.54) for SPCs without any family history (P-trend <0.001). Accounting for 42.1% of all deaths, SPC was found to be the main cause of death for patients with SPC. Conclusion A family history of a particular cancer contributed to an increased risk of SPC at the same site. Therefore, considering family history at the time of diagnosis of ovarian cancer may alert physicians to a syndromic background, management of which may help the patient and her family members.


Ecuador requires the incorporation of new educational policies that meet the needs of English in today's society. One of the strategies required to solve this problem is to develop alongside international educational trends. This article explores the proposals in the teaching of the English language within the educational system of South Korea such as the EPIK and FSP, showing alternatives that may become applicable in the Ecuadorian context. This review is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in scope. Information related to the needs and challenges faced by EFL contexts was recovered and organized into three main sections: (1); Specific needs of the teaching- learning of English, (2); What about teaching English in South Korea? (3); Challenges of the EFL Context. It was agreed that in Ecuador and Korea, students feel great difficulty developing productive skills (speaking / writing). Further research can take this article as a reference of the successes and challenges of EFL contexts to create more policies that can be implemented in such a way that schools, government and teachers are encouraged to take advantage of the variety of opportunities and overcome the challenges.


Diuretic drugs are the most commonly used agents to control edema or volume overload. However, the clinical use of diuretics is not confined to edema control. Recently, diuretics have been revisited for the management of various diseases, including hypertension and congestive heart failure. Diuretics are classified mainly by their sites of action in the renal tubules, and have unique characteristics and adverse effects according to their mechanisms of action. To use diuretics adequately, it is very important to understand their characteristics. (Korean J Med 2011;80:8-14)


The 3GPP-defined IP Multimedia Subsystem is becoming the de facto standard for IP-based multimedia communication services. It consists of an overlay control and service layer that is deployed on top of IP-based mobile and fixed networks, in order to enable the seamless provisioning of IP multimedia services to 3G users. Service differentiation, which implies the network's ability to distinguish between different classes of traffic (or service) and provide each class with the appropriate treatment, is an important aspect that is considered in 3G networks. In this article, we present a critical review of existing service differentiation solutions and propose a new control-level call differentiation solution for IMS-based 3G core networks. The solution consists of a novel call differentiation scheme, enabling the definition of various categories of calls with different QoS profiles. To enable the support of such profiles, an extended IMS architecture, relying on two adaptive resource management mechanisms, is proposed. Furthermore, simulations are used to evaluate the system performance. Compared to existing service differentiation solutions, our solution offers several benefits, such as: flexible QoS negotiation mechanisms, control over many communication aspects as means for differentiation, and a dynamic and adaptive resource management strategy.


Indexed under the heading "Charlatans," in the magnificent library of ophthalmologic literature of Dr. Casey Wood, there is to be found "The Life and Etraordinary History of the Chevalier, John Taylor, Ophthalmiator, Pontificial, Imperial and Royal; in two volumes; written from authentic materials and published by his son, John Taylor, Oculist; London, 1761." In looking this book over, I happened on Chapter V of the second volume, which is an oration said to have been delivered in the streets of Oxford. I quote this chapter extensively, and when one has read it, I think no apology from me will be necessary for calling attention to it; and when one realizes that this oration is said to have been delivered in the public streets, and after Taylor had sent "his harbingers before him" to deliver his hand bills, I believe the desire is natural to inquire as to what manner


Swine weighing 80 to 85 kg were fed a basal corn-soybean meal diet plus a mixture of dihydroxyacetone and pyruvate (3:1) (triose) or Polycose (control), a glucose polymer, as 3.85% of calories (4% of the diet). Twenty-four pigs were pair-fed the triose mixture or control diet for 28 d in litter-mate pairs of the same sex. Weight gain and feed consumption were recorded and carcasses were evaluated for fat and muscle accretion. The right rear leg and rear one-third of the right loin were skinned, deboned, ground and analyzed for protein, fat, moisture and ash content. Average backfat depth and backfat depth at the first, last and 10th rib were reduced by 12, 15, 14 and 12% (P less than .01), respectively, in triose-fed pigs. Loin eye area and untrimmed lean cuts were not altered by diet, but percentage trimmed lean cuts was higher (P less than .02) in triose-fed pigs (57.6 vs 55.3%). Leg and loin tissue samples from pigs fed the triose mixture had a lower (P less than .01) percentage of fat and a corresponding increased (P less than .01) percentage of protein. Organ weights and the blood biochemical profile were not altered by triose feeding. Liver function tests were not altered in animals consuming the trioses, except for an 18% decrease (P less than .05) in serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase. Ingestion of dihydroxyacetone and pyruvate will reduce body fat in limit-fed swine without reducing muscle protein deposition.


Laser illumination used in both conventional widefield epi‐fluorescence as well as in total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is subject to nonuniformities in intensity that obscure true image details. These intensity variations are interference fringes arising from coherent light scattering and diffraction at every surface in the laser light's optical path, including the lenses, mirrors, and coverslip. We present an inexpensive technique for effectively eliminating these interference fringes based upon introduction of the excitation laser beam by oblique through‐the‐objective incidence coupled with rapid azimuthal rotation of the plane of incidence. Although this rotation can be accomplished in several ways, a particularly simple method applicable to a free laser beam is to use an optical wedge, spun on a motor, which diverts the beam into a hollow cone of fixed angle. A system of lenses converts this collimated beam cone into a focused spot that traces a circle at the objective's back focal plane. Consequently, a collimated beam with fixed polar angle and spinning azimuthal angle illuminates the sample. If the wedge is spun rapidly, then the different interference patterns at every particular azimuthal incidence angle average out over a single camera exposure to produce an effectively uniform field of illumination. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We report a rare case of pronator teres syndrome in a young female patient. She reported that her right hand grip had weakened and development of tingling sensation in the first-third fingers two months previous. Thenar muscle atrophy was prominent, and hypoesthesia was also examined on median nerve territory. The pronation test and Tinel sign on the proximal forearm were positive. Severe pinch grip power weakness and production of a weak "OK" sign were also noted. Routine electromyography and nerve conduction velocity showed incomplete median neuropathy above the elbow level with severe axonal loss. Surgical treatment was performed because spontaneous recovery was not seen one month later.


—In recent years, the wireless sensor network (WSN) is playing a key role in sensing, collecting and disseminating information in various applications. An important feature associated with WSN is to develop an efficient data distribution and routing Scheme to ensure better quality of service (QoS) that reduces the power consumption and the end-to-end delay and thus the net energy consumption. In this work, we propose an adaptive framework to transmit data packets from a source to the sink in WSN across multiples paths with strategically distributed data packets so as to minimize the power consumption as well as the end-to-end delay.


Abstract The phenomenon of green movement  has been spread out in many kampungs in the last decade.  Theoretically   planting yard and other greenery can make a significant contribution to reduce air temperature, air polution and hopefully can be considered as part of the urban greenery system.   The former research [1] indicated the fact that the effort in making  the high dense kampung more green can improve the quality of  socially and  phisically dwellers living quality. The objective of this study is to understand the kampung greenery advantages  in increasing the environment and the ecological condition, by measuring  the vegetative quality and finding out  the impact with the dwellers health condition. The settings are from  two kampungs with different vegetation condition : Kampung Bonang in Central Jakarta, which is known as "green kampung" and Kampung Tomang, in West Jakarta, with less vegetation than the first mention before. The characteristics of  planting yard and vegetation,  condition of the houses and  the health of the dwellers on both kampung had been surveyed. This study indicates that there is a significant positive relation between the yard planting and greenery with the quality of life especially on dwellers health in the kampung areas. Keywords:  pekarangan, penghijauan, perkampungan, kesehatan. [1] Anggraini, 2010.


In this paper, we investigate both static and dynamic traffic grooming problems in a wavelength routing network, so as to minimize the total energy consumption of the core network, with the additional consideration of the holding times of the lightpaths and connection requests. In static case, all connection requests with their setup and tear-down times are known in advance, we formulate an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) to minimize the energy consumption. In dynamic case, we adopt a layered graph model called Grooming Graph and propose a new traffic grooming heuristics called Time-Aware Traffic Grooming (TATG) which takes the holding time of a new arrival connection request and the remaining holding time of existing lightpaths into consideration. We compare the energy efficiency of different traffic grooming policies under various traffic loads, and the results provide implications to choose the most energy-efficient traffic grooming policies under various scenarios.


The rapid technological development has made social media much sought-after in the public. Social media has been widely used in building personal branding. But this is not the case with child psychologist Kak Seto who has no personal account in any of social media platforms, while his activities in the world of children always become an attraction and have news value. The formulation of the problem in this research is how the personal branding of Kak Seto in the era of media disruption. The purpose of this research is to explain the activities of Kak Seto in the context of "a friend of children", reveal what media he uses, and analyze his personal branding in the era of media disruption. This study uses a constructivist paradigm, through qualitative approaches and descriptive research methods. A series of activities he carries out is seen from the conventional types of media he uses. From the results of the analysis in this study, it was proven that conventional media have a strong ability to build the personal branding of Kak Seto. The power of his personal branding which correlates with a good image to meet his expectation as a friend of children has been embedded in the minds of the community.


This article looks at the persistent electricity tariff hikes in South Africa and their impact on women, especially the indigent women considering the fact that many indigent women are single parents and they rely solely on conventional electricity being supplied by Eskom for virtually all their domestic and enterprise activities. While Eskom generates and supplies electricity, the price with which it supplies to the consumer is determined by National Energy Regulator (NERSA). In the event of any electricity price review, NERSA has to grant Eskom permission to increase or not to increase the tariff. In recent years, Eskom has continuously been approaching NERSA for permission to increase the cost of electricity considering that it is the only regulator with mandate to approve any price increases. These increases are huge burden on women and many households despite the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) which is not adequate for an average household. This article indicates that it is unfair to transfer the financial debt that has been accumulated as a result of corruption, mal-administration and mismanagement by Eskom to consumers, especially indigent women. It is suggested that the FBE programme should continue but remarkable reform should be made to make the incentive more useful and adequate. At the same time other off grid electricity provisions should continue to be explored and deployed. Keywords : Electricity, Exorbitant prices, denial of access, Empowerment, Indigents.


Water‐dispersed all‐in‐one nanoprobes composed of densely integrated peroxyoxalate fuel and a cyanine dye are formulated to optimize the nanoscopic chemiluminescence reaction. It is demonstrated that the chemiluminescent nanoformulation can generate bright near‐infrared signal in response to external hydrogen peroxide that is biologically implicated with cell signaling and diseases. Successful imaging of endogenously overproduces hydrogen peroxide and indirect determination of glucose level in vivo with the chemiluminescent nanoprobes offers an opportunity for early diagnosis of diseases.


Active and reactive power flow control and power quality improvement of a two level Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) system operating at fundamental frequency switching is proposed in this paper. Two converter stations used in this HVDC system consists of two level VSC configuration to achieve active and reactive power control with fundamental frequency switching. The reactive power is independently controlled in each converter station. A coordinated control algorithm is proposed for both the rectifier and an inverter stations for bidirectional active power flow. This results in a substantial reduction in switching losses and avoiding reactive power plant. MATLAB based simulations are carried out to verify and to validate the proposed control method of the VSC based HVDC system for bidirectional active power flow and their independent reactive power control.


Background Diagnosis of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and early prediction neurological outcome is important and difficult. The aim of this study is to determine the value of neuron specific enolase (NSE) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) analysis in blood serum (BS) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for evaluating severity HIE and predicting long term outcome in nenates with perinatal asphyxia. Method 90 neonates (>32 weeks gestation) with perinatal HIE were enrolled prospectively. Perinatal HIE was categorised into three stages according Sarnat and Sarnat clinical scoring system and changes seen on amplitude integrated electroencephalography. NSE and LDH analysis in BS and CSF were taken during first 48h of age. Neurodevelopment outcome was assessed at 12 months of corrected gestational age using Denver Developmental Screening Test. Results Concentrations of NSE and LDH in CSF were significantly higher in neonates with advanced stage of HIE and corresponded well with subsequent neurodevelopment outcome (p<0.01). Concentrations of LDH in BS were significantly higher in neonates with advanced stage of HIE and corresponded well with MODS (p<0.01) and subsequent neurodevelopment outcome (p<0.01) while concentrations of NSE in BP were no significantly higher in neonates with advanced stage of HIE (p>0.5). Conclusions NSE and LDH analysis in CSF are accurate diagnostic tool for assessing extension of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and early identification neonates with perinatal HIE who are at high risk of developmental delay. LDH analysis in BP also might offer an inexpensive, safe and simple prognostic tests for evaluating nenates with perinatal HIE.


The Book of Ultima Thule. By ARCHIBALD MACMECHAN. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart. 1027. Pp. 368. IN this book the author has collected twenty-three papers dealing with the history, the scenery, and the spirit of Nova Scotia. Well has he accomplished the self-imposed task of revealing, if but in "broken gleams", "the visionary beauty of the sea-beaten, mist-mantled, valleycloven, many-watered, green-garmented Province of Canada which fronts the Atlantic and the rising sun." Every Nova Scotian must feel prouder as he reads these studies, every Canadian must realize better the wealth of history and of tradition that the most easterly of the provinces has to bring to the common store. The Book of Ultima Thule makes a real contribution towards creating a Canadian national feeling. These papers are not historical essays. The author aims only at revealing "the spirit of the place." They suggest and partially reveal the wealth that lies behind. The fact that the book is a collection of detached essays explains certain repetitions of which the reader is at times conscious. Some Nova Scotians, too, may regret that the author has confined his studies so exclusively to two districts in the province Halifax and "the valley" This regret, however, is but a further proof of the value of the book we have before us. G.E. WILSON


This paper assesses the quality of special programmes and services for season ticket holders and their predictability to game consumption. Participants were season ticket holders of an NBA team, who responded to a questionnaire that included six demographic variables, eight consumption variables and 15 special programme and service variables in two versions: importance and perception. The findings further emphasise the importance of providing quality programmes and services to season ticket holders, and point out specific programme and service areas for improvement.


Social and behavioral problems can interfere with a child's acquisition of age-appropriate skills, which may lead to antisocial behavior in adolescence and adulthood. Thus, determining how best to support positive skills during early childhood is critical. Using data from the first three phases of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, I investigated whether participation in preschool, first, or third grade classrooms that were more emotionally supportive or academically focused resulted in better social skills and fewer problem behaviors at key transition points (i.e., preschool and third grade) than did participation in classrooms that were less supportive or less academically focused. Three findings are noteworthy. First, more emotionally supportive classrooms resulted in better social skills and fewer problem behaviors in preschool and third grade, even after correcting for observed family, child, and neighborhood selection factors; this effect did not exist for classrooms that were more academically focused. Second, immersion in classrooms that were more emotionally supportive at preschool, first, and third grade led to better social skills and fewer problem behaviors in preschool and third grade than did immersion in classrooms of average or below average emotional support across this period. Third, observed child factors, as opposed to family or neighborhood factors, seem to drive the pattern of findings. Effect sizes were small to modest. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.


The Group Cohesiveness Scale (GCS, 7 items) measures patient-rated group cohesiveness. The English version of the scale has demonstrated good psychometric properties. This study describes the validation of the Czech version of the GCS. A total of 369 patients participated in the study. Unlike the original study, the ordinal confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a two-dimensional solution (RMSEA = 0.075; TLI = 0.986). The analysis demonstrated the existence of two moderately to highly associated (r = 0.79) domains of group cohesiveness—affective and behavioral. The two-dimensional model was invariant across genders, age, education, and time (retest after 6 weeks) up to factor means level. Internal consistency reached satisfactory values for both domains (affective, ω = 0.86; behavioral, ω = 0.81). In terms of convergent validity, only weak association was found between the GCS domains and the group working alliance measured by the Group Outcome Rating Scale (GSRS). This is the first revision of the factor structure of the GCS in the European context. The scale showed that the Czech version of the GCS is a valid and reliable brief tool for measuring both aspects of group cohesiveness.


As the importance of identifying misinformation is increasing, many researchers focus on verifying textual claims on the web. One of the most popular tasks to achieve this is fact verification, which retrieves an evidence sentence from a large knowledge source such as Wikipedia to either verify or refute each fac-tual claim. However, while such problem for-mulation is helpful for detecting false claims and fake news, it is not applicable to catch-ing subtle differences in factually consistent claims which still might implicitly bias the readers, especially in contentious topics such as political, gender, or racial issues. In this study, we propose ClaimDiff, a novel dataset to compare the nuance between claim pairs in both a discriminative and a generative manner, with the underlying assumption that one is not necessarily more true than the other. This dif-fers from existing fact verification datasets that verify the target sentence with respect to an absolute truth. We hope this task assists people in making more informed decisions among var-ious sources of media.


Recent glass dissolution experiments, conducted at 90{degrees}C in the presence of potential backfill materials, indicate remarkably faster glass corrosion in the presence of clay, compared to tests where the glass is leached either alone or with alternative backfill materials. This effect correlates with the clay content in the backfill, and may be attributed to the removal of silica from solution. Sorption, or dissolution with reprecipitation of a silica-rich clay, have been proposed as possible mechanisms for the silica consumption. The results of some experiments have been tested against a glass dissolution model, in which a widely used kinetic equation for glass corrosion is coupled with diffusive silica transport through a single porosity, linearly sorbing medium, which represents the backfilling. Because the glass corrosion rates imposed by the kinetic equation are inversely proportional to the silicic acid concentration of the leachant contacting the glass, the model predicts enhanced glass dissolution if silica is sorbed by the porous medium. The experimental data proved to be consistent with the predicted enhancement of the glass dissolution. Moreover, the model-estimated distribution coefficients for silica sorption (K{sub d}) fall within the range of values extracted from available literature data, thus supporting the hypothesis that the observedmore » high corrosion rates are due to sorption of silica on the clay mineral surfaces.« less


The neoliberal turn in science has led to the economisation of knowledge, economic criteria for evaluating research, and a retreat of the state from governance of the scientific system. These steps have important ramifications for citizen science. On one hand, citizen science may add to the neoliberalization of science by filling gaps in "traditional science," such as providing free environmental data or delivering public goods such as education or environmental knowledge. On the other hand, citizen science may provide a way to buck the trend of neoliberalization, by promoting new forms of societal cooperation and mutual learning that may lead to more social cohesion and sustainability, as well as safeguard a non-economized sphere. In this way, citizen science is ambivalent: It can either strengthen or challenge neoliberalization of science. This article describes this idea in more detail and presents practical suggestions for how to manage them, ranging from openly curated data over different types of feedback systems to the development of mutual learning spaces.


This work describes an integrated framework for the detection of shot boundaries with multi-level features. Three kinds of features are extracted: low-level features of frame-to-frame difference, temporal-level features and high-level features with video-context sensitivity. Major advantages of the proposed framework are its accuracy and robustness. The information from shot transitions tagging also offers great help to the content-based video processing. The experimental results demonstrate that the new method improves the detection performance of hard cuts and gradual transitions in terms of precision and recall values.


Between November 2001-April 2010, 107 tracheal resections were performed in our department for different types of tracheal stenosis: iatrogenic or tumoral, benign or malignant. We present the diagnosis and treatment principles that we used, along with our results. We operated on 74 (69.15%) iatrogenic postintubation tracheal stenosis, 6 (5.6%) of them complicated with tracheo-esophageal fistula, 6 (5.6%) benign tumors, 11 (10.28%) primary malignant and 16 (14.97%) secondary malignant ones, with a 3.8% total mortality. Tracheal resection and reconstruction is the only curative treatment for all types of tracheal stenosis. Interventional endoscopy is of a major importance in the assessment and treatment of tracheal stenosis. We believe that each patient diagnosed with a tracheal stenosis should be referred to a tertiary center with multidisciplinary experience in the treatment of tracheal stenosis.


Introduction: Ayurvedic medicines like turmeric possess anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-microbial properties. This study was carried out using the purest form of turmeric and meswak to test their anti-plaque and anti-inflammatory properties in the form of a sub gingival irrigation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of locally delivered curcumin irrigation and meswak irrigation as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Materials and Method: Study group consisted of patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis, aged between 21-45 years. 30 sites with pocket depth >5mm were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A: Test group received 0.1% curcumin (CU) irrigation along with scaling and root planing. Group B: Test group received meswak (HIORA) irrigation along with scaling and root planing. Group C: Control group received scaling and root planing along with 0.2% chlorhexidine(CHX) irrigation as positive control. Clinical parameters: Plaque index, bleeding index, probing pocket depth and relative attachment level were measured for each patient at baseline and 21 days. Plaque samples were taken at baseline and 21 days interval and total colony count was done. Results: All the groups showed significant improvement in all clinical parameters from baseline to 21 days. There was statistically significant improvement in gingival index in Group A as compared to other groups. However, intergroup differences in other clinical parameters were not significant. The percentage reduction in microbial load at the 21 days was highest in chlorhexidine group.


This paper focuses on the trajectory tracking control problem for an articulated unmanned ground vehicle. We propose and compare two approaches in terms of performance and computational complexity. The first uses a nonlinear mathematical model derived from first principles and combines a nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) with a nonlinear moving horizon estimator (NMHE) to produce a control strategy. The second is based on an input-state linearization (ISL) of the original model followed by linear model predictive control (LMPC). A fast real-time iteration scheme is proposed, implemented for the NMHE-NMPC framework and benchmarked against the ISL-LMPC framework, which is a traditional and cheap method. The experimental results for a time-based trajectory show that the NMHE-NMPC framework with the proposed real-time iteration scheme gives better trajectory tracking performance than the ISL-LMPC framework and the required computation time is feasible for real-time applications. Moreover, the ISL-LMPC produces results of a quality comparable to the NMHE-NMPC framework at a significantly reduced computational cost.


Focusing on the problem about the real time of nonlinear model's calculation, we propose to use the Reduced Square Root Cubature Kalman Filter (RSCKF) to improve the operating rate of INS/GPS tightly integrated navigation system. This reduced arithmetic simplify the Square Root Cubature Kalman Filter (SCKF) in Time Update step, it directly use the state-transition matrix for calculating the one-step prediction matrix of state and covariance, avoiding the complex approximate calculation process of calculating cubature. In simulation experiments, we compare the RSCKF with SCKF and EKF. Results from the simulation show that this two arithmetic perform well than EKF. The RSCKF algorithm performs nearly the same as the SCKF in accuracy, and can effectively reduce the calculated amount.


We characterize the sources of background noise recorded by an ocean-bottom seismometer array deployed on the oldest oceanic lithosphere of the western Pacific plate. This igneous oceanic crust is blanketed up to 1000 m cover of sediments, making it a unique place to investigate correlations between sediment thickness and background noise levels in the marine environment. Although the data are limited, we found that the thicker sediments attenuated short-period noise levels and amplified long-period noise levels, in agreement with observations made for seismic arrivals in onshore sedimentary basins. Comparison of the noise levels from our Oldest-1 deployment with those (1) in the western Pacific basin, (2) near the Mariana trench, and (3) offshore New Zealand indicates that the Oldest-1 has the highest noise levels in the double-frequency (secondary) microseism band by up to 7 dB. This result was unexpected given the greater water depths (averaging 5800 m) for the Oldest-1 array. However, even at these great depths, we find a strong correlation between significant wave heights and background noise levels in the short-period microseism band (2–5 s). In addition, the Oldest-1 array was subjected to a great number of intense close typhoons than the other arrays and was proximal to a great number of taller seamounts than the other arrays. Finally, tracking noise source azimuths using station pairs led to the identification of a possible new source for the single-frequency microseism band in the coastal areas of Papua New Guinea and Australia.


Summary

The potential benefits of denture identification are described, and the advantages and disadvantages of four basic methods of marking dentures for identification are delineated. These procedures are simple, efficient, and require little time and effort. The marking of dentures has the potential to reduce human anguish, add quality to life, and save the funds expended to replace lost dentures. It is a professional service that bestows valuable benefits on patients who wear dentures, especially those who live in long-term care facilities. Denture identification can be a simple, inexpensive means to highlight dentistry as a caring profession with a desire to be of service to people.


Background and Purpose— Selection of best responders to reperfusion therapies could be aided by predicting the duration of tissue-at-risk viability, which may be dependant on collateral circulation status. We aimed to identify the best predictor of good collateral circulation among perfusion computed tomography (PCT) parameters in middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke and to analyze how early MCA response to intravenous thrombolysis and PCT-derived markers of good collaterals interact to determine stroke outcome. Methods— We prospectively studied patients with acute MCA ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis who underwent PCT before treatment showing a target mismatch profile. Collateral status was assessed using a PCT source image–based score. PCT maps were quantitatively analyzed. Cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow, and Tmax were calculated within the hypoperfused volume and in the equivalent region of unaffected hemisphere. Occluded MCAs were monitored by transcranial Duplex to assess early recanalization. Main outcome variables were brain hypodensity volume and modified Rankin scale score at day 90. Results— One hundred patients with MCA ischemic stroke imaged by PCT received intravenous thrombolysis, and 68 met all inclusion criteria. A relative CBV (rCBV) >0.93 emerged as the only predictor of good collaterals (odds ratio, 12.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.9–55.9; P=0.001). Early MCA recanalization was associated with better long-term outcome and lower infarct volume in patients with rCBV<0.93, but not in patients with high rCBV. None of the patients with rCBV<0.93 achieved good outcome in absence of early recanalization. Conclusions— High rCBV was the strongest marker of good collaterals and may characterize durable tissue-at-risk viability in hyperacute MCA ischemic stroke.


The amount of biomedical data continues to grow rapidly. However, the ability to analyze these data is limited due to privacy and regulatory concerns. Machine learning approaches that require data to be copied to a single location are hampered by the challenges of data sharing. Federated Learning is a promising approach to learn a joint model over data silos. This architecture does not share any subject data across sites, only aggregated parameters, often in encrypted environments, thus satisfying privacy and regulatory requirements. Here, we describe our Federated Learning architecture and training policies. We demonstrate our approach on a brain age prediction model on structural MRI scans distributed across multiple sites with diverse amounts of data and subject (age) distributions. In these heterogeneous environments, our Semi-Synchronous protocol provides faster convergence.


Motor learning experiments are typically run in-person, exploiting finely calibrated setups (digitizing tablets, robotic manipulandum, full VR displays) that provide high temporal and spatial resolution. However, these experiments come at a cost, not limited to the one-time expense of purchasing equipment but also the substantial time devoted to recruiting participants and administering the experiment. Moreover, exceptional circumstances that limit in-person testing, such as a global pandemic, may halt research progress. These limitations of in-person motor learning research have motivated the design of OnPoint, an open-source software package for motor control and motor learning researchers. As with all online studies, OnPoint offers an opportunity to conduct large-N motor learning studies, with potential applications to do faster pilot testing, replicate previous findings, and conduct longitudinal studies (GitHub repository: https://github.com/alan-s-lee/OnPoint).


Objective: To identify the normal reference ranges of the atrioventricular (AV) time interval, ventriculoatrial (VA) time interval, and VA:AV ratio in fetuses between 18 and 37 weeks of gestational age (GA) and to establish the relationship between AV and VA time intervals and VA:AV ratio with GA and fetal heart rate (FHR).

Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Rajavithi Hospital between December 2019 and June 2020. AV and VA time intervals and VA:AV ratio were obtained by pulse wave Doppler over inflow and outflow tract of left ventricle. The correlation of the measurement values with GA and FHR were analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation.

Results: Three hundred seventy pregnant women were enrolled in the present study with 343 participants included in the analysis. The average values of AV and VA time intervals and VA:AV ratio, along with their 5th, 10th, 50th, 90th, and 95th percentiles were calculated from the measurement values. A correlation between each measurement value and GA was demonstrated to be linear [AV time intervals = 91.74+1×GA(weeks) (R²=0.516, p<0.001); VA time intervals = 2.58E2+1.39×GA(weeks) (R²=0.151, p<0.001); and VA:AV ratio = 2.74–8.99E–3×GA(weeks) (R²=0.063, p<0.001)]. A correlation between each measurement value and FHR was also linear [AV time intervals = 1.79E2–0.41×FHR (R²=0.181, p<0.001); VA time intervals = 6.21E2–2.23×FHR (R²=0.811, p<0.001); and VA:AV ratio = 3.9–9.64E-3×FHR (R²=0.150, p<0.001)].

Conclusion: Both AV and VA time intervals are positively correlated with GA but VA:AV ratio is negatively correlated with GA. All measurement values have negative correlation with FHR. The normal reference values of AV, VA time intervals, and VA:AV ratio from the present study may be useful for diagnosis of fetal arrhythmia.

Keywords: normal reference value, atrioventricular time intervals, ventriculoatrial time intervals, VA:AV ratio


BACKGROUND The functions of infiltrating CD8+ T cells are often impaired due to tumor cells causing nutrient deprivation in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, the mechanisms of CD8+ T cell dysfunction have become a hot research topic, and there is increased interest on how changes in metabolomics correlate with CD8+ T cell dysfunction. AIM To investigate whether and how glutamine metabolism affects the function of infiltrating CD8+ T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS Immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence were performed on surgically resected liver tissues from patients. Differentially expressed genes in infiltrating CD8+ T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma were detected using RNA sequencing. Activated CD8+ T cells were co-cultured with Huh-7 cells for 3 d. The function and mitochondrial status of CD8+ T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and transmission electron microscopy. Next, CD8+ T cells were treated with the mitochondrial protective and damaging agents. Functional alterations in CD8+ T cells were detected by flow cytometry. Then, complete medium without glutamine was used to culture cells and their functional changes and mitochondrial status were detected. RESULTS There were a large number of infiltrating PD-1+CD8+ T cells in liver cancer tissues. Next, we co-cultured CD8+ T cells and Huh-7 cells to explore the regulatory effect of hepatoma cells on CD8+ T cells. Flow cytometry results revealed increased PD-1 expression and decreased secretion of perforin (PRF1) and granzyme B (GZMB) by CD8+ T cells in the co-culture group. Meanwhile, JC-1 staining was decreased and the levels of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis were increased in CD8+ T cells of the co-culture group; additionally, the mitochondria of these cells were swollen. When CD8+ T cells were treated with the mitochondrial protective and damaging agents, their function was restored and inhibited, respectively, through the mitochondrial damage and apoptotic pathways. Subsequently, complete medium without glutamine was used to culture cells. As expected, CD8+ T cells showed functional downregulation, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis. CONCLUSION Glutamine deprivation impairs the function of infiltrating CD8+ T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma through the mitochondrial damage and apoptotic pathways.


A frequency divider with a very low dc power consumption of 3 mW is demonstrated using 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT technology at W-band. The frequency divider is based on an injection lock topology using a cascode field effect transistor (FET) structure. For low-power operation, the oscillator is configured in series-feedback topology using the upper FET as a gain cell and the lower FET as a capacitive feedback element. An impedance-transforming transmission line is inserted between the two FET's to further reduce the dc power consumption. Besides, the locking range is enhanced by adding varactor tuning at the gate of the upper FET. When the input power of 0 dBm is applied, the frequency divider operates at 77 GHz with an output power of -20 dBm in a bandwidth of 4.2 GHz (5.5%) while consuming only 3 mW from 1V power supply. Overall bandwidth with varactor tuning is from 68.4 to 82.0 GHz (13.6 GHz, 18.1%). To our knowledge, the measured power consumption of the presented frequency divider is among the lowest from the reported W-band frequency dividers.


Generation and maintenance of security policies is too complex and needs simplification for it to be widely adopted and thus truly make a difference in delivering the promise of more secure computing systems (rather than just being ignored by administrators). In practice, one of the great obstacles to the adoption of security measures in system software is the complexity of configuration that it entails. Yet, information captured by software package management systems is mostly not relayed to security configuration. This paper covers the investigation to: • Identify useful information already coded in packages from various package management systems (RPM, dpkg), as well as translation mechanisms to reuse this information. • Identify missing information that would best be specified by the package integrator and included in each package. • Identify the remaining information that is mostly site-specific and that would best be specified by a local administrator. • Prototype the coding of the resulting design ideas. The approach taken follows these principles: simplicity of design, best security practices as default behavior (i.e., no or minimal configuration/specification required, use of common patterns), flexibility, and least privilege (at each phase: installation, configuration, activation, and execution). It builds on existing parts of the Linux system landscape, without imposing a total revolution: package management systems, the init process and init script system, file system standards and file placement conventions, as well as current security efforts such as SE Linux (to express and enforce the policy).


The article reveals that on the basis of modern interaction of medicine and society, the nature of human's disease is increasingly determined by social causes, so the Hippocratic model has already been worked out and the transition to a self-regulatory and preventive model becomes relevant. However, modern society more and more requires genetic engineering. It is interested in genomic analysis, gene therapy, and hence the issue of genetic safety is becoming even more acute, especially in aspects of identifying the risk factors for genetic pathology and preparing recommendations for their prevention. Therefore, in the depths of self-regulatory and preventive model, predictive medicine emerges as a protection of human life that prevents the risk of disease and the transmission of diseases to subsequent generations. This encourages further transformation of medicine model, namely, the preventive. In comparison with preventive medicine, it has a larger volume, more filled with social content. Preventive medicine must prevent unwanted illnesses; respond instantly to all technical inventions that are directly related to the person, protection and preservation of his health. Therefore, precisely in preventive medicine some efforts of not only physicians can and should be merged, but also of other specialists: physicists, chemists, biologists, philosophers, theologians and other specialists.


Movie scene detection has emerged as an important problem in present day multimedia applications. Since a movie typically consists of huge amount of video data with widespread content variations, detecting a movie scene has become extremely challenging. In this paper, we propose a fast yet accurate solution for movie scene detection using Nyström approximated multisimilarity spectral clustering with a temporal integrity constraint. We use multiple similarity matrices to model the wide content variations typically present in any movie dataset. Nyström approximation is employed to reduce the high computational cost of constructing multiple similarity measures. The temporal integrity constraint captures the inherent temporal cohesion of the movie shots. Experiments on five movie datasets from different genres clearly demonstrate the superiority of the proposed solution over the state-of-the-art methods.


Modern immunotherapy together with targeted therapy has revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma. Inhibition of immune checkpoints significantly improved the median overall survival and gave hope to many melanoma patients. However, this treatment has three serious drawbacks: high cost, serious side effects, and an effectiveness limited only to approximately 50% of patients. Some patients do not derive any or short-term benefit from this treatment due to primary or secondary resistance. The response to immunotherapy depends on many factors that fall into three main categories: those associated with melanoma cells, those linked to a tumor and its microenvironment, and those classified as individual ontogenic and physiological features of the patient. The first category comprises expression of PD-L1 and HLA proteins on melanoma cells as well as genetic/genomic metrics such as mutational load, (de)activation of specific signaling pathways and epigenetic factors. The second category is the inflammatory status of the tumor: "hot" versus "cold" (i.e., high versus low infiltration of immune cells). The third category comprises metabolome and single nucleotide polymorphisms of specific genes. Here we present up-to-date data on those biological factors influencing melanoma response to immunotherapy with a special focus on signaling pathways regulating the complex process of anti-tumor immune response. We also discuss their potential predictive capacity.


The use of ultrashort-pulsed lasers for molecule delivery and transfection has proved to be a non-invasive and highly efficient technique for a wide range of mammalian cells. This present study investigates the effectiveness of femtosecond photoporation in plant cells, a hard-to-manipulate yet agriculturally relevant cell type, specifically suspension tobacco BY-2 cells. Both spatial and temporal shaping of the light field is employed to optimise the delivery of membrane impermeable molecules into plant cells using a reconfigurable optical system designed to be able to switch easily between different spatial modes and pulse durations. The use of a propagation invariant Bessel beam was found to increase the number of cells that could be viably optoinjected, when compared to the use of a Gaussian beam. Photoporation with a laser producing sub-12 fs pulses, coupled with a dispersion compensation system to retain the pulse duration at focus, reduced the power required for efficient optical injection by 1.5-1.8 times when compared to a photoporation with a 140 fs laser output.


ABSTRACT Returning home or moving to a more supportive setting upon discharge from inpatient health-care services can have a tremendous impact on the lives of older adults and their families. Institutional concerns with patient safety and expedience can overshadow health-care professionals' commitments to collaborative discharge planning. In light of many competing demands and agendas, it can be unclear what is driving discharge-planning processes and outcomes. This paper presents the results of a study examining discharge planning in an older adult rehabilitation unit in a Canadian urban setting. Using microethnographic case studies, we explored the perspectives of older adults, family members and health-care professionals. Drawing on concepts of relational autonomy to guide the analysis, we found that discourses of ageing-as-decline, beliefs privileging health-care professionals' expertise and conventions guiding discharge planning intersected to marginalise older adult patients in discharge-planning decision making. Discharge planning in the research setting was driven by norms of 'protecting physical safety' at the expense of older adults' self-declared interests and values. Such practices resulted in frequent recommendations of 24-hour care, which have significant personal, social and financial implications for older adults and their families, and ultimately might undermine clients' or health-care systems' aims. The analysis revealed social, political and institutional biases that diminish the rights and autonomy of older adults.


Abstract The article discusses education of older people for combating their loneliness, the reasons for it, and its consequences. The current theoretical findings were the reason for the empirical study of the research problem by the authors. In the empirical part, some aspects of the life of older people regarding their residences were compared: among older people living with their relatives, alone, with a partner, or in a retirement home, with special regard to the reasons/causes for residence, and the feeling of loneliness and contacts with relatives. The obtained empirical results showed that older people living alone or in a retirement home are in a worse position compared to those living with relatives or with a partner. The most at risk are older people living alone.


Background Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SBRT) is a radical option for oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, but most data relate to visceral metastases. Methods A prospective, multi-centre database of CRC patients treated with SBRT was interrogated. Inclusion criteria were ECOG PS 0-2, ≤ 3 sites of disease, a disease free interval of > 6 months unless synchronous liver metastases. Primary endpoints were local control (LC), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results 163 patients (172 metastases) were analysed. The median FU was 16 months (IQR 12.2 – 22.85). The LC at 1 year was 83.8% (CI 76.4% 91.9%) with a PFS of 55% (CI 47% 64.7%) respectively. LC at 1 year was 90% (CI 83% 99%) for nodal metastases (NM), 75% (63% 90%) for visceral metastases (VM). NM had improved median PFS (9 vs 19 months) [HR 0.6, CI 0.38 – 0.94, p = 0.032] and median OS (32 months vs not reached) [HR 0.28, CI 0.18 – 0.7, p = 0.0062] than VM, regardless of whether the NM were located inside or outside the pelvis. On multivariate analysis, NM and ECOG PS 0 were significant good prognostic factors. An exploratory analysis suggests KRAS WT is also a good prognostic factor.


Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has not been well explored in differentiation of malignant from benign breast lesions. The aims of this study were to examine the role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in differentiation of malignant from benign tumors and distinguishing histological subtypes of malignant lesions, and to determine correlations between ADC values and breast tumors structure. This cohort-study included 174 female patients who underwent contrast-enhanced breast MR examination on a 3T scanner and were divided into two groups: patient group (114 patients with proven tumors) and control group (60 healthy patients). One-hundred-thirty-nine lesions (67 malignant and 72 benign) were detected and pathohistologically analyzed. Differences between variables were tested using chi-square test; correlations were determined using Pearson's correlation test. For determination of cut off values for diagnostic potential, Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were constructed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Mean ADC values were significantly lower in malignant compared to benign lesions (0.68 × 10−3mm2/s vs. 1.12 × 10−3mm2/s, p < 0.001). The cut off value of ADC for benign lesions was 0.792 × 10−3mm2/s (sensitivity 98.6%, specificity 65.7%), and for malignant 0.993 × 10−3mm2/s (98.5, 80.6%). There were no significant correlations between malignant lesion subtypes and ADC values. DWI is a clinically useful tool for differentiation of malignant from benign lesions based on mean ADC values. The cut off value for benign lesions was higher than reported recently, due to high amount of fibrosis in included benign lesions. Finally, ADC values might have implications in determination of the biological nature of the malignant lesions.


Abstract This study characterized spatial and temporal patterns associated with riverine broadcast spawning pygmy whitefısh (Prosopium coulterii) in tributaries of Chester Morse Lake (CML), near Seattle, Washington, from 2001 to 2012. In most years, fısh spawned in a narrow linear reach of riverine habitat from 2.0 to 3.0 km upstream of CML within a two week period. Individual characteristics of spawning pygmy whitefısh were investigated through the use of mark-recapture efforts and a PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag antenna array. During the latter years of the study (2006–2011), a total of 3,012 fısh were captured and PIT tagged. Returning female pygmy whitefısh spent less time in the river (mean 2.4 days, SD 3.1) than males (mean 5.9 days, SD 2.4). In addition, 91% of all movements occurred between 1700 and 0700 during nighttime hours suggesting that spawning pygmy whitefısh are most active under the cover of darkness. Thirteen fısh returned for a fıfth spawning migration and one individual was detected six years after initial tagging, demonstrating that pygmy whitefısh spawn in multiple years and that fısh can live to at least age nine in the CML population. These data represent the fırst attempt to investigate return frequency and other reproductive characteristics of riverine spawning pygmy whitefısh throughout their range, and supports the development of practical management techniques for this and similar riverine broadcast spawning species.


The increasing demands for low emissions and low fuel consumption in modern combustion engines require improved methods for online diagnosis and best possible control of the combustion process. It is demonstrated that the cylinder pressure signal can successfully be used for this task. After introduction of some theoretical background, several application examples are presented: an online supervision of fuel injection, some results on feedforward emission control, and a concept for feedback control of spark timing. Experimental results obtained from stock car diesel and spark ignition engines are included to support the automation concepts.


Bocanski J., A. Nastasic, D. Stanisavljevic, Z. Sreckov, B. Mitrovic, S. Treskic and M. Vukosavljev (2011): Biplot analysis of diallel crosses of NS maize inbred lines- Genetika, Vol 43, No. 2, 277 - 284. Genetic markers, from morphological to molecular, in function with early Heterosis is a prerequisite for the successful commercial maize production. It does not appear in any cross of two inbred lines, and therefore, the determination of combining abilities of parental lines is essential. The most commonly used method for determining combining abilities is diallel analysis. Besides conventional methods for diallel analysis, a new biplot approach has been sugested. In this paper, we studied the combining ability for grain yield in a set of genotypes obtained by diallel crossing system of six inbred lines. Both, the Griffing's conventional method and the biplot approach have been used for diallel analysis. Comparing the GCA values from biplot analysis and Griffing's method, similar results can be observed, with the exception of NS L 1051 and NS L 1000 whose ranks are interchanged. Biplot analysis enables the SCA estimation of parent inbred, and the highest SCA has inbred B73D. Biplot analysis also allows the estimation of the best crosses. Inbred B73D shows the best results when crossed with testers Mo17Ht, NS L 1051 and N152, inbred N152 combines best with testers NS L 1001 and NS L 1000, whereas the cross of inbred NS L 1051 with tester B73D results with the highest grain yield per plant in comparison with other testers.


Globalization and nation-states are not in contradiction, since globalization is the present stage of capitalist development, and the nation-state is the territorial political unit that organizes the space and population in the capitalist system. Since the 1980s, Global Capitalism constitutes the economic system characterized by the opening of all national markets and a fierce competition between nation-states. Developing countries tend to catch up, while rich countries try to neutralize such competitive effort, using globalism as an ideology, and conventional orthodoxy as a strategy. Middle-income countries that are catching up in the realm of globalization are the ones that count with a national development strategy. This is broadly the case of the dynamic Asian countries. In contrast, Latin American countries have no longer their own strategy, and grow less. To add data to the argument, the author conducts an econometric test comparing these two groups of countries, and three variables: the rate of investment, the current account deficit or surplus that would indicate or not a competitive exchange rate, and public deficit.


Malignancy is a micro-evolutionary phenomenon shaped by selection pressures. Chief among these is the adaptive immune system, which recognizes malignant cells as a threat and attempts to eradicate them. The task is not easily achieved - if it were, cancer would not be a part of our human experience. The field of immunotherapy has rapidly expanded over the last two decades. It has produced some of the most exciting results of 21st century medicine, and has deepened clinicians' understanding of the relationship between malignancy and the immune response. This review discusses this relationship and analyses key tools in the immunotherapy arsenal.


The term "baboon syndrome" (BS) (recently known as symmetrical drug related intertriginous and flexural exanthema, SDRIFE) was introduced in 1984 to describe a specific skin eruption (resembling the red gluteal area of baboons) that occurred after systemic exposure to contact allergens. The crucial characteristics include a sharply defined symmetric erythema in the gluteal area and in the flexural or intertriginous folds without any systemic symptoms or signs. Because the term BS does not reflect the complete range of symptoms and is ethically problematic, it was replaced with a new term of SDRIFE. This term specifically refers to the distinctive clinical pattern of drug eruption induced by exposure to a systemically administered drug, presented as sharply demarcated symmetric erythematous areas of the gluteal/perianal area and/or V-shaped erythema of the inguinal/perigenital area (at least one other intertriginous/flexural localization) and absence of systemic symptoms and signs. We present a case of a 33-year-old man with SDRIFE due to Panadol® tablets (paracematol). On admission, there was a densely disseminated, symmetric, livid to erythematous maculopapular exanthema present in both axillae, the sides of the trunk, inguinally spreading towards the thighs, in cubital and popliteal fossae, on the back sides of the upper legs, and in the gluteal regions. Awareness of SDRIFE (BS) as an unusual drug reaction is especially important since the connection between skin eruption and drug exposure may easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed.


The school-age population of students is becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. There is mounting recognition that English Learners (EL) represent a unique group of students who have special educational and linguistic needs. This article considered the needs of learners with diverse special needs such as (a) learning and behavior challenges and (b) English Learners identified as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). We highlighted some potential lessons to be learned from past-to-present efforts to serve students with behavior problems. Selected evidence-based practices were featured that are applicable to learners with special needs, thereby supporting the development of effective inclusive education, especially for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.


Despite robust evidence that immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation reduces transmission of HIV from mother to child, some pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and Swaziland in particular, continue to refuse ART. This study explored the reasons which deter pregnant women living with HIV from immediate ART initiation in the Hhohho region, Swaziland, using grounded theory design. In-depth interviews with ten purposively selected pregnant women who refused immediate ART initiation were carried out in three high volume health facilities. The thematic analysis revealed key reasons that deterred women from immediate ART initiation. These were shock and perceived stigma, participants' conceptualisation of health and ART and the fear of ART and its side effects. The study offers qualitative evidence from Swaziland that might help illuminate issues that prevent pregnant women from accepting immediate ART initiation for their own health and that of their children. The evidence generated from this study can be used for developing targeted and culturally appropriate intervention strategies for Swazi women.


This article examines the cross-sectional association between acculturation, acculturation stress, drinking, and intimate partner violence (IPV) among Hispanic couples in the U.S. The data being analyzed come from a multicluster random household sample of couples interviewed as part of the second wave of a 5-year national longitudinal study. The overall survey response rate for the second wave is 72%. Participants are Hispanic couples 18 years of age or older (N = 387). Results show that, among men, lower acculturation is positively associated with higher acculturation stress, which is directly related to a greater likelihood of involvement in IPV. These associations are also present among women. However, data for women show an additional path linking higher levels of acculturation directly to IPV. Drinking is not associated with IPV, independent of gender. Acculturation, directly or through acculturation stress, increases the likelihood of IPV.


Online discussion is essential for the communication and collaboration of online communities. The reciprocal exchange of messages between users that characterizes online discussion can be represented in many different ways. While some platforms display messages chronologically using a simple linear interface, others use a hierarchical (threaded) interface to represent more explicitly the structure of the discussion. Although the type of representation has been shown to affect communication, to the best of our knowledge, the impact of using either one or the other has not yet been investigated in a large and mature online community. In this work we analyze Meneame, a popular Spanish social news platform which recently transitioned from a linear to a hierarchical interface, becoming an ideal research opportunity for this purpose. Using interrupted time series analysis and regression discontinuity design, we observe an abrupt and significant increase in social reciprocity after the adoption of a threaded interface. We furthermore extend state-of-the-art generative models of discussion threads by including reciprocity, a fundamental feature to explain better the structure of the discussions, both before and after the change in the interface.


A novel approach for the analysis of crosstalk, propagation delay, and pulse distortion of interconnects in high-speed integrated circuits, packages, and circuit boards is presented. Based on frequency-domain modal analysis, a set of formulas is derived to describe the voltage and current transfer functions of coupled interconnects with arbitrary linear termination impedances and used to obtain analytical expressions for the time-domain waveforms for lossless multiconductors interconnection lines. The weak-coupling assumption is found to be only marginally valid. In a typical interconnection configuration, the secondary coupling of the disturbed line on the original signal line substantial and must be taken into account for accurate prediction of the waveforms. Simulation results are given to illustrate the influence of the layout parameters of the interconnects and the rise or fall times of the source signal. It is shown that ground conductors need to be placed on both sides of each of the signal lines to reduce crosstalk effectively. However, the presence of the ground conductors increases the layout complexity and results in more severe waveform distortion for the signal on the active line. >


We are interested in capturing time series generated by small wireless electronic sensors. Battery-operated sensors must avoid heavy use of their wireless radio which is a key cause of energy dissipation. When many sensors transmit, the resources of the recipient of the data are taxed; hence, limiting communication will benefit the recipient as well. We show how time series generated by sensors can be captured and stored in a database system (archive). Sensors compress time series instead of sending them in raw form. We propose an optimal online algorithm for constructing a piecewise constant approximation (PCA) of a time series which guarantees that the compressed representation satisfies an error bound on the L/sub /spl infin// distance. In addition to the capture task, we often want to estimate the values of a time series ahead of time, e.g., to answer real-time queries. To achieve this, sensors may fit predictive models on observed data, sending parameters of these models to the archive. We exploit the interplay between prediction and compression in a unified framework that avoids duplicating effort and leads to reduced communication.


The study of vortex dynamics is an important field in fluid mechanics as vortex has the potential to induce vibration, namely vortex induced vibration (VIV), which can deteriorate the stability and integrity of structures. To prevent accidents due to vortices, a thorough study on vortex physics is necessary. In previous studies, a lot of researches have been conducted on the stratified vortex, through numerical or experimental approaches. However, when comes to a stratified vortex which is formed when a wave past through a tilted pipeline, there is still insufficient study focus on it.
The primary objective in this study is to develop a CFD model which simulates the stratified vortex formation when a wave past through a vertical or tilted pipeline in a wave tank, using ANSYS Fluent CFD approach. Also, the effect of tilting this pipeline on the surrounding fluid flow condition and the vortex formation will be investigated. As this study will only focus on the fundamental and theoretical aspects of vortex, application of it in real work will not be included as the scope is limited.
A 2D preliminary piston wave tank model is first developed based on Du & Leung (2011) piston wave tank, and is validated against the result in paper. After that, the 2D model is then expanded into 3D model. Further modification is done by inserting pipeline into the model, and changing the water property from single density to stratified condition. The two models developed in the end will be the models having vertical and 5° tilted pipeline, with stratified water in the wave tank. It is found that when a wave past through the pipeline, the velocity contour around the pipeline is highly resembling the initial formation of a von Karman vortex. When tilting the pipeline to right by 5° instead of placing it vertically, the stratified columnar vortex will twist slightly, as compared to the vertical columnar vortex in the vertical pipeline case. Using Reynolds number analysis, the vertical pipeline model is experiencing higher turbulence as compared to the tilted pipeline model, when the similar wave past the pipelines.


BACKGROUND
Encephalitis is a severe neurological syndrome associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The California Encephalitis Project (CEP) enrolled patients for more than a decade. A subset of patients with acute and fulminant cerebral edema was noted.

METHODS
All pediatric encephalitis patients with cerebral edema referred to the CEP between 1998 and 2012 were reviewed. A case definition was developed for acute fulminant cerebral edema (AFCE) that included the CEP case definition for encephalitis and progression to diffuse cerebral edema on neuroimaging and/or autopsy, and no other recognized etiology for cerebral edema (eg, organic, metabolic, toxin). Prodromic features, demographic and laboratory data, neuroimaging, and outcomes were compared with non-AFCE encephalitis cases.

RESULTS
Of 1955 pediatric cases referred to the CEP, 30 (1.5%) patients met the AFCE case definition. The median age for AFCE and non-AFCE cases was similar: 8.2 years (1-18 years) and 8.0 years (0.5-18 years), respectively. Asian-Pacific Islanders comprised a larger proportion of AFCE cases (44%) compared with non-AFCE cases (14%, P < .01). AFCE cases often had a prodrome of high fever, vomiting, and profound headache. Mortality among AFCE patients was significantly higher than among non-AFCE patients (80% vs 13%, P < .01). A confirmed etiology was identified in only 2 cases (enterovirus, human herpes virus type 6), while 10 others had evidence of a respiratory pathogen.Thirty pediatric patients referred to the California Encephalitis Project with a unique, and often fatal, form of encephalitis are reported. Demographic and clinical characteristics, possible etiologies and a proposed case definition for acute fulminant cerebral edema (AFCE) are described.

CONCLUSIONS
AFCE is a recently recognized phenotype of encephalitis with a high mortality. AFCE may be triggered by common pediatric infections. Here, we propose a case definition.


Inadequate feed intake and nutrient supply are associated with the suboptimal reproductive performance of Kacang goats reared using a traditional tethering system in the Pariaman region of Indonesia. The objectives of this study were to (i) identify reproductive problems in tethered female Kacang goats, (ii) assess crude nutrient and mineral composition of feed consumed by tethered goats, and (iii) evaluate the beneficial effects of mineral supplementation on reproductive performance of tethered female Kacang goats. A field survey was carried out in Pariaman City and the Padang Pariaman Regency to collect data on reproductive performance as well as blood mineral and hematological profiles of tethered female Kacang goats. Forage and feed samples were collected and analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Cu, and Zn) contents. Feed was formulated with supplemented complete minerals in either block form or mixed with feed. A total of 15 young female Kacang goats received feed without supplement (P0, n=5), or mineral supplement with feed (P1, n=5), or in a manually prepared block lick (P2, n=5). Parameters measured included body weight, number of pregnant goats, blood mineral concentrations, hematological parameters, total protein concentrations, and progesterone concentrations. Results of the field survey showed that the age of maturity of female Kacang goats reared under a tethering system ranged between 5 and 9 months and the first kidding occurred between 12 and 23 months. The suboptimal reproductive performance of female Kacang goats raised using a tethering system was closely related to the inadequate feed intake and nutritional deficiency. Supplementation with minerals is an effective method to enhance nutritional status and health to increase pregnancy rate of tethered female Kacang goats.


In this paper, the diode bridge-type ZVT(Zero-Voltage Transition) inverter is proposed. It consists of one auxiliary switch, three resonant inductors and six blocking diodes So, the advantage of the proposed topology is the reduction of the auxiliary switch. The topology of the proposed ZVT inverter is analyzed with a description of the control conditions based on the load current. Therefore, this paper two control algorithms were discussed. a variable resonant pattern control algorithm by using load current feedback and a resonant period control algorithm by using resonant inductor current feedback IS proposed in order to achieve the ZVT switching condition in full control range and the reducing current spike main switches cause by reverse recovery problem.


Collecting accurate and precise emotion ground truth labels for mobile video watching is essential for ensuring meaningful predictions. However, video-based emotion annotation techniques either rely on post-stimulus discrete self-reports, or allow real-time, continuous emotion annotations (RCEA) only for desktop settings. Following a user-centric approach, we designed an RCEA technique for mobile video watching, and validated its usability and reliability in a controlled, indoor (N=12) and later outdoor (N=20) study. Drawing on physiological measures, interaction logs, and subjective workload reports, we show that (1) RCEA is perceived to be usable for annotating emotions while mobile video watching, without increasing users' mental workload (2) the resulting time-variant annotations are comparable with intended emotion attributes of the video stimuli (classification error for valence: 8.3%; arousal: 25%). We contribute a validated annotation technique and associated annotation fusion method, that is suitable for collecting fine-grained emotion annotations while users watch mobile videos.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationships between serum and urinary molecular markers (MM) used to monitor osteoarthritis.

DESIGN
Forty osteoarthritis patients had blood and urine collected at baseline and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months later. Specimens from 20 controls were obtained twice at a one month interval. The concentration of 14 different markers was determined at each time point and the data were analyzed by statistical methodology.

RESULTS
The markers could be divided by the method of principal components analysis into five clusters of related markers: inflammation markers (C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis receptor type I and tumor necrosis receptor type II, interleukin 6, eosinophilic cationic protein), bone markers (bone sialoprotein, hydroxylysyl pyridinoline, lysyl pyridinoline), putative markers of cartilage anabolism (carboxypropeptide of type II procollagen, hyaluronan, epitope 846) and catabolism (keratan sulfate, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein), and transforming growth factor beta. Three markers (tumor necrosis factor receptor II, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein and epitope 846) from independent clusters discriminated osteoarthritis patients from controls. Inflammation was not a confounding factor in measurement, but a recognizable distinguishing factor in osteoarthritis.

CONCLUSIONS
The markers separated into rational groups on the basis of their covariance, a finding with independent biochemical support. The covariance of markers from the same cluster suggests the use of a representative marker from the cluster to reflect changes in osteoarthritis. If multiple markers are being measured within a single cluster, then the use of a weighted cluster 'factor' may be preferable to the separate use of individual markers.


This paper presents several indices to describe multivariate diversity and evenness. Multivariate generalizations of the Gini-Simpson index and the Rosenbluth index are proposed tomeasure diversity. A multivariate Gini ratio is also presented to measure evenness. These indices extend the usual univariate measures; they reflect not only the diversity of marginal distributions but also the dependence structure of abundance. The indices fulfill desirable measurement properties and are consistent with certain orderings of multivariate distributions. An order of concentration surfaces and a majorization order are also surveyed shortly.


The development of professional internal auditing bodies has strengthened in recent years with the emerging of Institute of Internal Auditor (IIA) in most countries. However, the survey undertaken by The Institute of Internal Auditor Malaysia (IIAM) reveals that men dominate the internal audit profession. The study aims to identify some required criteria to be successful in internal audit profession, characteristic that should be possessed by women internal auditors and problems experienced by women internal auditor as perceived by internal auditors in Malaysia. The Likert Scale was used on various statements of required successful criteria, problems and characteristics mentioned in the mailed questionnaires. An independent t-test was carried out on the respondents' perceptions. The analysis noted that the perception of women and men internal auditors on the required successful criteria is not significantly different. Whereas, their perception on characteristics, in particular, interpersonal skills, leadership, creative thinking, communication skills, independence and proficiency are found to be significantly different. Meanwhile, the study revealed that the perception of both parties on the problems which are unsatisfying salary, unsatisfying compensation and benefits, Malaysian culture, glass ceiling, low job stability, low career opportunity and old boys network are found to be significantly different. Finally, using the linear regression, the study found that there is a significant relationship between women's current position in internal auditing and problems experienced by women.


Philip Roth once defined one of his protagonists as "determined" in both senses of the word: "driven, resolute and purposive—yet utterly fixed in position." This Janus-faced notion of masculine determination may also be traced through Nathan Zuckerman from his origin in My Life as a Man to his final appearance in Exit Ghost. Determination imposes an obligation to act with purpose, yet evokes the inevitability of death. Zuckerman must navigate this breach between the ideological requirements of masculinity and a body that betrays, rather than constitutes, manhood. He does so, in part, by reiterating a narrative self until, in the end, he becomes something other than determined.


Alpha-D-glucuronidases cleave the alpha-1,2-glycosidic bond of the 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid side chain of xylan, as a part of an array of xylan hydrolyzing enzymes. The alpha-D-glucuronidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus T-6 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli using the T7 polymerase expression system. The purification procedure included two steps, heat treatment and gel filtration chromatography, and provided over 0.3 g of pure enzyme from 1 L of overnight culture. Based on gel filtration, the native protein is comprised of two identical subunits. Kinetic constants with aldotetraouronic acid as a substrate, at 55 degrees C, were a Km of 0.2 mM, and a specific activity of 42 U x mg(-1) (kcat = 54.9 s(-1)). The enzyme was most active at 65 degrees C, pH 5.5-6.0, in a 10-min assay, and retained 100% of its activity following incubation at 70 degrees C for 20 min. Based on differential scanning calorimetry, the protein denatured at 73.4 degrees C. Truncated forms of the enzyme, lacking either 126 amino acids from its N-terminus or 81 amino acids from its C-terminus, exhibited low residual activity, indicating that the catalytic site is located in the central region of the protein. To identify the potential catalytic residues, site-directed mutagenesis was applied on highly conserved acidic amino acids in the central region. The replacements Glu392-->Cys and Asp364-->Ala resulted in a decrease in activity of about five orders of magnitude, suggesting that these residues are the catalytic pair.


The greatest threat in the new generation network which is called NGN is unsafe authentication. Communication between new servers in NGN world is done based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP is an application-layer control operating on top of a transport protocol which allows creating, modifying, and terminating sessions among more agents. For authentication, SIP relies on HTTP Digest by default; the client is authenticated to the SIP proxy server, called one way authentication, because in this approach we can authenticate client to server and the client can't do any authentication in server side. In this paper we propose a mutual authentication mechanism that is not based on HTTP Digest and then, we implement our method in IMS and start to do authentication client to server is done in first step and server to client next. By this solution, we found that our proposed mechanism has more stability against intruder and unauthorized access to system. In this paper, we introduce a new approach for user authentication or server authentication by using OPTIONAL SIP's header. In our solution we can increase necessary steps for intruder to decode authentication, compilation time and encoding time and save our system from some attack such as offline attack and replay


In the above paper the following errors were published on page 164: In column 1, paragraph 2, lines 7, 10 and 13 the reference number 28 should have been 29. In column 2, paragraph 1, line 7, the reference number 29 should have been 30. In column 2, paragraph 1, line 20, the reference number 30 should have been 31. In column 2, paragraph 1, line 22, the reference number 31 should have been 32. In column 2, paragraph 2, line 20, the reference number 32 should have been 33. On page 165, column 1, line 2, the reference number 32 should have been 33. On page 165, column 1, line 7, the reference number 33 should have been 34. The publisher apologises for this error.


We study how bank holding companies interact in the corporate bond, syndicated loan, and credit default swap (CDS) markets. These three markets represent different ways to trade credit risk. The corporate bond market allows market participants to trade corporate credit risk directly. Similarly, the syndicated loan market allows direct exposure to corporate credit risk but is limited to only the largest borrowers and has lower secondary market liquidity. Finally, participants in the CDS market take an indirect exposure to the ultimate borrower. CDS markets are the most liquid of the three markets, allowing dealers to more easily assume long and short positions. Moreover, by entering into a CDS contract with another dealer, the firm also exposes itself to counterparty risk. This paper links data from these three different markets to create a more complete picture of how dealers assume and distribute credit risk. We identify key determinants of dealers' net and gross exposures to credit risk. We furthermore map out the interdealer network structures in these markets, allowing us to study how these network structures distribute risk among the dealers and how they shape the total risk borne by the system.


This chapter begins the survey of empirical testing of theories of the creation and survival of democratic regimes. Chapter 9 surveys the impact of institutions, socioeconomic development and performance, and other factors, all of which emphasize forces external to individuals. In noncultural approaches, individuals are in a sense interchangeable: their political behavior is determined by their social class, their occupation, their role in an institutional context, and so forth. In cultural approaches, people are not interchangeable: they are different inside and therefore respond differently to the same external forces. Those who study political culture believe that we cannot discover useful theories without getting inside the heads of political actors. Political culture is not a distinct methodological approach like case studies and comparative history, formal modeling, or quantitative testing. In fact, culture is studied using a variety of methods ranging from the qualitative extreme found in anthropological research to highly technical quantitative analysis using survey data and experiments. It has its own chapter here because the debate about approaches to the study of culture illustrates well the trade-offs that are the central theme of this book and because it is a large, complex, and fascinating literature in its own right.


A new and simple technique for staining spores of Streptomycetaceae is presented. The microscopic preparations were made according to the special method described by Giolitti and Bertani (J. Bacteriol., 65, 281, 1953); in some cases, other techniques were also used (De Beurmann-Gougerot's and Unna's; cited by Giolitti and Bertani, J. Bacteriol., 65, 281, 1953). The slides were treated for 2 minutes with the following staining mixture: Vesuvin (Bismarck brown) (Gurr), 1:1,000 2 parts; toluidine blue, 1: 1,000 2 parts; ammonium sulfate saturated solution, 1 part. After being rinsed carefully with distilled water and dried, they can be examined directly or mounted permanently in balsam. The slide assumes a greenish-gray-brown color. M\Iicroscopic examination reveals that the mycelium has been stained light yellow and the spores (free or in chains) have become blue. The hyphae show clearly visible red-brown granules. The tests were carried out on more than 100 strains from our collection and on four other carefully identified strains (Streptomyces griseus, S. lavendulae, S. fradiae, and S. venezuelae). All these strains had been grown on the following media: Czapek, sodium asparaginate agar, common agar, common broth. The strains were also examined at different stages of development. In cultures that had not yet sporulated, a coloration similar to that of the spores was occasionally observed in the hyphae of the aerial mycelium, but


Introduction. The social significance of occupational dust pathology is due to its leading position in the structure of mortality from occupational diseases. Stress tests are an important stage in a comprehensive approach to assessing and predicting the health status of trained dust workers. The aim of study was to study the relationship between exercise tolerance and the state of the cardiorespiratory system in employees of dust-hazardous professions based on the results of a 6-minute walking test (6MW). Materials and methods. Using data from echocardiography, spirometry, bodyplethysmography (BPG), a 6MW test and simultaneous monitoring of blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), 193 working dust professions (DP) (79 people), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (56 people) and patients without signs of respiratory pathology (58 people) were examined. Results. The peculiarities of spirometry and BPG, traced the relationship of load test results with the results of functional studies of cardio-respiratory status. Conclusions. It was found that SpO2 in the dynamics of the 6mx test shows a different relationship with spirometry indicators, characterizing the main pathogenetic moments of the formation of respiratory failure.


An asymmetric binary search switching technique for a successive approximation register (SAR) ADC is presented, and trade-off between switching energy and conversion cycles is discussed. Without using any additional switches, the proposed technique consumes 46% less switching energy, for a small input swing (0.5 Vref P-P), as compared to the last reported efficient switching technique in literature for an 8-bit SAR ADC. For a full input swing (2 Vref P-P), the proposed technique consumes 16.5% less switching energy.


Existing electric power distribution systems are evolving and changing as a result of the high renewable energy sources integration. Hence, future smart distribution networks will involve various technical challenges; one of them is real-time monitoring and controlling the network to operate it effectively and efficiently. This paper develops and analyzes a cyber-physical co-simulation testbed for real-time reactive power control in the smart distribution network. The testbed is a two-layer system, with Typhoon HIL 604 representing the physical layer and the other layer as a cybernetic layer. The cybernetic layer is used to model a test system and control reactive power from smart inverters in real-time. The implementation of real-time reactive power control of smart inverters on a CIGRE MV distribution network is shown in this study. The proposed testbed's usefulness in real-time reactive power control is demonstrated through simulation results.


The aim of the article is to find out the features of communication and media usage among the older generation of Sakhalin repatriates in Japan. To achieve this aim we set up the following tasks: 1. To define what media and what language are used by the older generation of Sakhalin repatriates; 2. To make it clear what media are used by the older generation of Sakhalin repatriates for communication inside Japan and abroad; 3. To elucidate the changes and their reasons in media usage by the older generation of Sakhalin repatriates occurred since the beginning of their repatriation. This article is based on interviews with 9 respondents conducted between August and October in 2017. All respondents represent the older generation. The field study covered 5 cities (in alphabet order): Asahikawa, Hakodate, Sapporo, Tokyo, Wakkanai. The middle age of respondents is equal to 70 years and 3 months. Previous studies on Sakhalin repatriates in Japan were on the issues of the pre-repatriation period, cultural background, language level, identity factors, adaptation strategies different for each generation of Sakhalin repatriates. However, the issues connected with communication and media usage has never been the subject for a special study. The results of the study can be used for understanding the features of such a phenomena as repatriation, as well as the modern communication processes both in Japan and the world. The author comes to the following conclusions: 1. The older generation of Sakhalin repatriates is able to maintain a multicultural space of living by using multilingual media and conducting transnational communication; 2. There are differences in new media usage among the older generation of Sakhalin repatriates. These differences arise not only from lack of media literacy but also from social and economic status of repatriates and their needs.


Introduction: Post-obturation pain is one of the primary problems following root canal treatment. Although in most cases pain does not last long, but could be a source of embarrassment to the dentist and annoying for the patient. Objectives: This prospective study was conducted to assess the incidence of postoperative pain after multivisit root canal treatment of teeth with vital and nonvital pulps. Methods: Total, 52 patients with teeth requiring endodontic treatment were identified and included in this study. The patients were randomly assigned and treated in a military hospital and in government dental college hospital into two groups. The teeth of patients in group 1 were with vital inflamed pulp; group 2 were with non-vital pulp with or without periapical radiolucency (0-5mm). Patients were treated in multiple visit procedure. They were asked whether they experienced any postoperative pain to rate the level of discomfort as no, mild, moderate, or severe pain. Data were analyzed statistically using the chi-square test. Results: No significant difference in postoperative pain was found between vital and non-vital pulps (p=0.2). Mild and moderate pain occurred in 4.34% and 4.34% respectively in teeth with vital pulp and 17.3% and 3.44% in teeth with non-vital pulp respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative pain between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative pain did not differ between vital and non-vital teeth. Key words: Postoperative dental pain; root canal treatment; vital and non-vital pulp DOI: 10.3329/jafmc.v6i2.7271 JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 6, No 2 (December) 2010 pp.28-31