This article offers a comparison of some aspects of the Golden Age theatre and the Elizabethan era from the perspective of space. To do this, I first refer to the anthropological dimension of space that underlies every theatrical event and that allows us to go beyond the technical aspects of representation. I then briefly describe the cultural context that led to the splendour of both Spanish baroque theatre –specifically in the work of Lope de Vega– and of the English of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in particular, that of William Shakespeare. The comparative analysis covers elements such as the location of public theatres: the "corrales de comedias" of the Cross and the Prince in Madrid and the Globe theatre in London, as well as the study of the architecture of these spaces, their capacity, the dimensions of the stage and the location of the galleries, among others. The aim of researching the materiality of these spaces is to better understand the mechanisms of spatial configuration designed by both playwrights, who, through the poetic and performative word, using ticoscopic resources, manage to produce the theatrical illusion that makes the invisible visible by creating imaginary spaces on stage, in a collaborative process between actors and audience.


A definition of rubbish, wastes, and garbage is given. Their classification according to origin, magnitude, physical state, physical chemical and biological composition, and their effects on the environment and health is described. We explained the processes of recollection, transport, storage and final disposition according to the source of generation, volume, damage to health and environment. Also exposed are the details of the damages to health. The proposals for the final disposition and the possible consequences are given.


Central limit theorems (CLTs) for high-dimensional random vectors with dimension possibly growing with the sample size have received a lot of attention in the recent times. Chernozhukov et al., (2017) proved a Berry--Esseen type result for high-dimensional averages for the class of hyperrectangles and they proved that the rate of convergence can be upper bounded by $n^{-1/6}$ upto a polynomial factor of $\log p$ (where $n$ represents the sample size and $p$ denotes the dimension). In the classical literature on central limit theorem, various non-uniform extensions of the Berry--Esseen bound are available. Similar extensions, however, have not appeared in the context of high-dimensional CLT. This is the main focus of our paper. Based on the classical large deviation and non-uniform CLT results for random variables in a Banach space by Bentkus, Rackauskas, and Paulauskas, we prove three non-uniform variants of high-dimensional CLT. In addition, we prove a dimension-free anti-concentration inequality for the absolute supremum of a Gaussian process on a compact metric space.


From Diplazium donianum, makisterone A, makisterone D, and an unidentified stereoisomer of makisterone B have been isolated. The presence of two other unidentified phytoecdysones has been noted.


In patients receiving hemodialysis treatment, the physical, mental and psychosocial problems that occur in this process can negatively affect all areas of the individual's life. Healthy communication between couples, harmony between spouses increases compliance and resilience with chronic disease. This relational descriptive study was conducted with 128 hemodialysis patients hospitalized in the dialysis service of 3 public hospitals in the city center of Mardin. The data were collected using a Patient Information Form, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), the Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults (PRSA), number, percentage, mean independent groups t test, One-Way ANOVA, and Pearson Correlation Analysis were used. Patients mean age was 44.74 ± 9.07 and 64.1% were male, 27.3% were primary school graduates, 89.8% did not work, 39.1% were on dialysis more than 6 years, 44.5% were married longer than 21 years. The mean PRSA score was 104.40 ± 22.16, and the RDAS was 48.10 ± 14.57. A strong positive correlation was found between psychological resilience and the dyadic adjustment between couples.


This paper presents a new biometrics pattern, finger-articular back texture recognition using Log Gabor wavelet. Firstly, hand back image was captured by special imaging device. Then joint texture was segmented, and located by a sliding window. The texture features were extracted based on the Log Gabor wavelet transform and were classified by the corresponding feature encoding classifier. The experiment results shown that finger-articular back texture can be used for personal authentication, Log Gabor wavelet is better than Gabor wavelet for pattern extraction, and the equal right rate was 98.21% in Finger-articular back texture recognition.


Research on educational production functions attempts to model the relation between resource inputs and school outcomes such as educational achievement. Over the last decade a series of influential reviews of this literature have suggested that there is no systematic relation between resource inputs and school outcomes when controlling for student characteristics such as socioeconomic status. The inference procedure used in these reviews, vote counting, is known to be problematic. This study is a reanalysis of data from these earlier reviews, using more sophisticated synthesis methods. It shows systematic positive relations between resource inputs and school outcomes. Moreover, analyses of the magnitude of these relations suggest that the median relation (regression coefficient) is large enough to be of practical importance.While this reanalysis suggests that previous data do not support the conclusions that Hanushek and others derived from it, limitations of their data set warrant caution in using it for policy formation.


We discuss the design of language tools, and explore new approaches for the development of language-learning environments. We take a standpoint in the learning perspective labelled "focus on form", and investigate issues thereby generated in design. From this perspective, current intelligent tools such as grammar and spelling checkers should be re-framed in collaborative learning environments.


Three patients, all of whom were well-muscled young adult males who had suffered fractures of long bones, were studied by means of measurement of ventilatory function and arterial blood gases. They had degrees of mental change varying from mild confusion to stupor. Anemia, hypocalcemia, skin petechiae and radiologic pulmonary infiltrates were demonstrated in all three.In the absence of any clinical cyanosis, profound arterial O(2) desaturation was demonstrated in all. Physiologic studies indicated that the desaturation was the result of a diffusion defect early in the course of the syndrome and later from venous admixture. The lungs were stiff and the work of breathing was increased. The anemia appeared to be hemolytic in type.It is suggested that anemia, hypocalcemia and arterial O(2) desaturation may contribute significantly to the cerebral symptomatology associated with the syndrome of fat embolization.


The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 gene (hENT1) is the primary nucleoside transporter for cytosine arabinoside (AraC), a deoxycytidine analog used for treatment of acute leukemias and lymphomas. We screened approximately 1.6 kb upstream of the transcription initiation site of hENT1 for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect gene expression. We identified one SNP at position –706G>C with a frequency of 21% in whites and 5% in African-Americans. In African-Americans, we observed two SNPs at positions –1345C>G and –1050G>A with allele frequencies of 8% and 19%, respectively. TRANSFAC analysis suggested that –1345C>G and –706G>C may alter transcription factor binding sites. Four naturally occurring haplotypes (CGG, CAG, CGC and GAG) were cloned into a luciferase expression plasmid, transfected into Cos-1 cells, and reporter activity measured at 24 and 48 h. Three haplotypes, CAG, CGC and GAG, respectively, showed average expression that was approximately two-fold (P<0.05), 1.4-fold (P<0.05) and 1.1-fold (P>0.05) higher than lowest expression haplotype CGG at 48 h. When reanalysed as single SNPs, the differences in expression were significant for –1345C>G and –1050G>A genotypes, and not for –706G>C. However, the magnitude of difference was reduced, suggesting that no single SNP completely accounts for the expression differences observed at the haplotype level. By real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay, individuals with CGG/CGC haplotypes showed 1.37-fold higher median expression of hENT1 transcript than those with common CGG/CGG haplotypes. Although not statistically significant (P=0.12), this difference is in the direction predicted by the in vitro data. hENT1 promoter region haplotypes may influence gene expression and alter AraC chemosensitivity.


HITOMI AKIMOTO: Biological Modification of Titanium Surfaces Using Bifunctional Peptides (Under the direction of Lyndon F Cooper, DDS, PhD) The clinical success of endosseous implants is associated with the formation and maintenance of bone at implant surfaces. Based on in vivo observations, several generalizations have been derived regarding the nature of the interface. Most prominently, initial cell and molecular adhesion dictate the reactivity of the interface. The aim of this project is to use interfacial biomaterials (Ti-binding peptides) to graft cell adhesive peptides to titanium surfaces used for osseointegrated endosseous implants. We hypothesized that there is statistical significant difference in the differentiation of cells adherent with Ti-binding peptide treated and untreated on titanium surfaces. We used the peptide (AFF6008) can facilitate the adhesion of biologically active peptides to the titanium surface. Scanning electron microscopy was used to quantify cell adhesion on treated and untreated surfaces. Real time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure and compare osteoblast-specific gene expression, ALP and BSP, associated with osteoblastic differentiation in cells cultured on treated and untreated surfaces.


PURPOSE
To improve the accuracy of spot-scanning proton beam delivery for target in motion, a real-time tumor-monitoring and gating system using fluoroscopy images was developed. This study investigates the efficacy of this method for treatment of liver tumors using simulation.

METHODS
Three-dimensional position of a fiducial marker inserted close to the tumor is calculated in real time and proton beam is gated according to the marker's distance from the planned position (Shirato, 2012). The efficient beam delivery is realized even for the irregular and sporadic motion signals, by employing the multiple-gated irradiations per operation cycle (Umezawa, 2012). For each of two breath-hold CTs (CTV=14.6cc, 63.1cc), dose distributions were calculated with internal margins corresponding to freebreathing (FB) and real-time gating (RG) with a 2-mm gating window. We applied 8 trajectories of liver tumor recorded during the treatment of RTRT in X-ray therapy and 6 initial timings. Dmax/Dmin in CTV, mean liver dose (MLD), and irradiation time to administer 3 Gy (RBE) dose were estimated assuming rigid motion of targets by using in-house simulation tools and VQA treatment planning system (Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo).

RESULTS
Dmax/Dmin was degraded by less than 5% compared to the prescribed dose with all motion parameters for smaller CTV and less than 7% for larger CTV with one exception. Irradiation time showed only a modest increase if RG was used instead of FB; the average value over motion parameters was 113 (FB) and 138 s (RG) for smaller CTV and 120 (FB) and 207 s (RG) for larger CTV. In RG, it was within 5 min for all but one trajectory. MLD was markedly decreased by 14% and 5-6% for smaller and larger CTVs respectively, if RG was applied.

CONCLUSIONS
Spot-scanning proton beam was shown to be delivered successfully to liver tumor without much lengthening of treatment time. This research was supported by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through the Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program), initiated by the Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP).


The augmented Reality aims to enhance the view of the user by adding objects that were not perceptible a priori. One of its fields of application is e-learning, it can be used to create applications for educational purposes, instructive and illustrative in the field of education and in particular to enable a distant teacher to do real time synchronous illustrations. In this paper, we propose a 3D pattern that is a dodecahedron whose faces are markers of the ARToolkit library that are black square with a motif on the inside. This pattern has the advantage of being more robust to the orientation change and allows a distant teacher in e-learning to enhance it with 3D virtual objects.


This bachelor thesis is concerned with finding infinitesimal deformations of Poisson structures by using the unoriented and oriented graph complexes introduced by M. Kontsevich. We first give a short historical introduction to deformation theory and its development in general.

The thesis is organized in four chapters. Chapter 1 consists of the published paper (joint with R.Buring and A.V.Kiselev) about the unoriented graph complex and cocycles therein. In Chapter 2 we give rigorous proofs of several statements that have already been used in the first chapter (as well as in the literature it is based on). Chapter 3 consists of the paper (joint with R.Buring and A.V.Kiselev) where we present many algorithms that are used in the search for cocycles in the oriented graph complex. Chapter 4 contains another joint paper where the cocycle Or(gamma5) in the oriented graph complex is obtained and the respective deformation is given explicitly.

Definitions of the unoriented and oriented graph complexes with their differentials are recalled in Chapters 1 and 3. In Chapter 2 we first show that
the differential d of the unoriented graph complex satisfies the defining property of a differential: d d = 0. Secondly we show that the differential applied to a "zero" graph is zero. Also the definition of the Lie bracket on the unoriented graph complex is recalled. We prove that the Lie bracket applied to a "zero" graph is zero. This result is a necessary condition for the Lie bracket to be a well defined map on the quotient space of of formal sums of graphs with an ordered set of edges modulo the equivalence relation induced by the wedge product.


Curonian Spit is a peninsula on the seaside which is shared together with Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad). Since it is only accessible by water transport on Lithuanian side, it becomes hardly reachable island for Lithuanians. Due to its unique cultural landscape place also has UNESCO status under criteria V. After independence major constructions were banned in Curonian Spit National Park. Because this place is one of the main resort destinations and brings a lot of income during the summer time, the land value is continuously rising up and people are competing for the few Soviet Union houses that are left and can be reconstructed. Consequently, people who actually grew up in the area or work in the site can not afford housing anymore. Thesis raises the questions such as: what is the future of preservation? How can we use existing values in the Curonian Spit for sustainable development that would improve livability for local people? The project aim is to combine legal systems with human needs on the preserved site creating sustainable development plan that would create new cultural identity to the place.


Stroke associated with pregnancy and the postpartum period (SiPP) is not common but its consequences can be devastating both for the mother and the child. Pregnancy confers a substantially increased risk of stroke, especially during the third trimester and until 6 weeks postpartum. SiPP is heterogeneous both in aetiology and presentation as it includes both ischemic and haemorrhagic events as well as cerebral venous thrombosis. Specific risk factors for SiPP have been identified and well described, such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and a prothrombotic state. However, it is still a controversial issue if pregnancy should be considered a risk factor for stroke, although pregnancy and postpartum period clearly increase the stroke risk compared to non-pregnant time. Recent European Stroke Organization [ESO] guidelines addressed the management of acute SiPP while other issues, particularly primary and secondary prevention are still under investigated. There is also a lack of research and knowledge regarding long-term mother and foetus/child outcomes post-SiPP. This paper addresses current knowledge on SiPP management and prognosis and discusses new challenging clinical scenarios including the relationship between COVID-19 infection and SiPP.


The era of Big Data comes with the omnipresent metaphor of the Cloud, a term suggesting an ephemeral and seemingly endless storage space, unhindered by time and place. Similar to the satellite image of the Whole Earth, which was the icon of technological progress in the late 60s, the Cloud as a metaphor breathes the promise of technology, whilst obfuscating the hardware reality of server farms and software infrastructure necessary to enable the proliferation of (big) data. This article presents projects from the fields of humanities, social sciences and the arts that formulate a response to Big Data and its human and automated practices, from data analytics dashboards to critical reflections on smart technologies and objects.


Recent winters saw a striking increase in wet snow avalanche activity. Compared to dry avalanches, wet snow avalanches present uniquely distinctive features such as slower velocities, larger depths, unusual trajectories and deposit shapes, and a paste-like rheology that can result in large shear and normal stresses. In addition, the behavior of wet avalanches may strongly vary depending on the actual snow liquid water content. Complex transitions between dry (cold) and wet (hot) behaviors have also been observed during the propagation of single avalanche events. Current numerical models of avalanche dynamics are challenged when it comes to capturing the full spectrum of these different regimes, and the transitions in between. In this contribution, we critically review the various rheological models that have been proposed in the literature to simulate dry and wet snow avalanches in the frame of depth-averaged shallow-flow approaches. On this basis, a simplified parametric rheological law is proposed, with the objective of representing both dry-like and wet-like behaviors and allowing for smooth transitions between them. The law is implemented in a robust 2D shallow-flow simulation code, and systematic sensitivity studies are performed on synthetic and real topographies. Simulation outcomes are analysed in terms of propagation dynamics and deposition patterns, and the ability of the model to capture both dry and wet regimes is discussed. Lastly, a specific calibration methodology is proposed to infer the relevant mechanical parameters from documented avalanche events.


Matched filtering can be applied to recorded signals for maximum detection sensitivity during online partial discharge (PD) measurements in medium-voltage cable circuits. PD waveform predictions are combined with a noise spectrum estimation to construct matched filters. The PD waveform is specific for each cable circuit under test and the predictions are based on online system identification measurements and a standard cable model. For some cable circuits, for instance with a ring-main-unit along the cable, the predicted waveforms only approximate the real waveforms due to signal distortion not accounted for in the model. This results in suboptimal detection sensitivity. This paper describes an automated procedure for updating the matched filters based on detected PD signals. The algorithm analyzes detected pulses to judge whether the current set of matched filters perform optimally. If not, the current set of matched filters is updated, increasing the PD detection sensitivity and potentially also the location accuracy. At the same time, recognition of recurring disturbances is improved and better rejection criteria can be defined. The method is tested on signals measured on live cable connections.


The concept of direct reconstruction of damaged and diseased arteries is generally accepted. Currently, the most popular materials used for arterial replacement are autogenous veins and crimped tubes of Dacron and Teflon developed by De Bakey and Edwards and Tapp.2-4,8-10,14,15,32Experimental comparisons of several different replacement materials have been reported.* There are not, however, similar comparisons of the readily available materials currently in use in clinics throughout the country. The first portion of this study is a controlled comparison of these materials when used to bypass short segments of the canine femoral artery. Heretofore, comparative hemodynamic studies of arterial replacements have been concerned primarily with pulse transmission,25graft elasticity,24and relative flow rates.27Actual visualization of flow patterns usually has been accomplished by forcing suspended particles through rigid transparent models.11,26-31Refined cineangiographic techniques, however, are available to study in vivo fluid mechanics.1,30The second


We restate Kay's 1998 hypothesis which simultaneously offers an objective definition for the entropy of a closed system, a microscopic foundation for the Second Law, a resolution of the Information Loss (and other) Black-Hole Puzzle(s) and an objective mechanism for decoherence. Presupposing a conventional unitary theory of low-energy quantum gravity, it offers all this by taking the physical density operator of a closed system to be the partial trace of its total density operator (assumed pure) over gravity and by defining its physical entropy to be its `matter-gravity entanglement entropy'. We also recall Kay's 1998 modified non-relativistic (many-body) quantum mechanics based on Kay's hypothesis with a Newtonian approximation to quantum gravity. In this modification, we find formal expectation values for certain `observables' such as momentum-squared and Parity are altered but those for functions of positions are unaltered. However, by arguing that every real measurement can ultimately be taken to be a position measurement, we prove that, in practice, it is impossible to detect any alteration at all and, in particular, we predict no alteration for Roger Penrose's experiment. Nevertheless, Kay's modification contains no Schr\"odinger Cat-like states, and also allows an `events' interpretation which we tentatively propose and begin to explore. We also obtain a Second-Law type result for a non-relativistic toy-model closed system and argue that similar results will apply for a wide class of model Newtonian and post-Newtonian closed systems although we argue that ordinary actual lab-sized systems can never be treated as closed for the purpose of calculating their entropy. Compared with `collapse models' such as GRW, Kay's Newtonian theory does a similar job while being free from ad hoc assumptions.


Hybridization can alter both mechanical performance and cost of polymer composites, and novel composite materials can be obtained by the combination of both fibrous and mineral reinforcements. In the present work the mechanical performance of unsaturated polyester/hybrid sisal-glass fabrics was determined as a function of fibre content and test direction. Three different hybrid fabrics (30, 40 and 50% w/w glass content) with sisal strings in the warp and glass roving in the weft were hand weaved. Aligned fabric compression moulded composites were obtained at room temperature. The results showed enhanced properties with fibre content for all composites under investigation. Composites reinforced by fabrics with low glass fibre content exhibited lower properties when tested along the glass fibre direction than when tested along the sisal fibre direction and, at high glass fibre content the opposite trend was observed. These behaviours were associated with the low glass fibre content along the test direction and to the high sisal fibre diameter. At low glass fibre content the sisal fibres would act as inclusions or defects, thereby lowering the mechanical performance of the composite; at high glass fibre contents the superior mechanical properties of the glass would surpass the defects caused by sisal fibres.


Abstract. In this paper, we are concerned with a reaction diffusion system arising from a nuclear reactor model in bounded domains with nonlinear boundary conditions. We show the existence of a stationary solution and its ordered uniqueness. It is also shown that every positive stationary solution possesses threshold property to determine blow-up or globally existence for solutions of nonstationary problem.


A burgeoning area of scientific inquiry uses psychological perspectives to understand traumatic events. This research has led to the identification of psychological symptoms and disorders frequently experienced in response to traumatic events. Many of the events having traumatic effects on large numbers of persons are of interest to political psychologists. Such events include the Holocaust, war, terrorism, captivity, torture, political migration, living as a political refugee, and assassination. Some interpersonal forms of trauma, such as rape and incest, also may be viewed with a political perspective. Although a number of studies have examined psychological consequences of political events, this area of inquiry is rarely explicitly considered within the domain of political psychology. Adopting an explicitly political psychology perspective on traumatic events may enrich our interdisciplinary understanding of these events and inform the design and evaluation of intervention programs to reduce psychological distress resulting from these events. Language: en


High-stakes student testing, accountability for students' outcomes, new educational trends, and revised curricula and standards are only a few of the reasons that teachers must learn to teach complex material with skilled and intentional practices. As a result, professional development for educators is in critical demand. Nevertheless, research in the field of professional development indicates that most teachers do not experience effective teacher training (Desimone et al., 2002; Guskey, 2002). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine one professional development opportunity using the video-sharing tool, YouTube, as a training modality for in-servicing teachers. For this study, the researchers conducted interviews with six teachers currently teaching in Western Pennsylvania to analyze their perceptions about the YouTube teacher training method. The results of the study indicated that the YouTube training tool is a quality training tool to assist teachers in the implementation of higher-order teaching strategies. Additionally, the results indicated that YouTube training videos could reinforce in-person training.


The Iberian Pyrite Belt is the richest massive sulfide province in the world. The massive sulfide
ore deposits occur in a felsic volcanic and sedimentary succession (VS Complex) of late
Famennian (Upper Devonian) to late Visean (Middle Carboniferous) age. Volcanic facies
analysis has been carried out on three areas in Portugal, including the Neves Corvo mine, and
five sections in Spain. In all sections studied, the depositional setting during accumulation of the
VS Complex was submarine and below wave base.
The principal felsic volcanic facies are: (1) coherent rhyolite and dacite, associated with
monomictic breccia; (2) fiamme-rich breccia (with variable amounts of dense volcanic and
sedimentary clasts), fiamme-rich sandstone and fiamme-bearing mudstone; and (3) crystal-rich
sandstone and mudstone. Mafic units are minor, dominated by coherent facies and have
uncertain mode of emplacement (intrusions or lavas). Fiamme typically have lenticular shape
and quartz- or quartz- and feldspar-phyric texture, and are interpreted to be altered and
compacted pumice clasts. The volcanic facies are typically interleaved with, and regionally less
voluminous than, the non-volcanic facies, which are dominated by mudstone.
The felsic volcanic facies are interpreted to be the products of numerous, relatively small
intrabasinal volcanic centres that generated abundant lavas, domes and pyroclastic units. Some
volcanic centres are dominated by lavas, whereas others have similar proportions of lavas and
pyroclastic units. The domes and lavas are more voluminous but less laterally extensive than the
pyroclastic units. A sediment-matrix breccia typically occurs at the top contact of the felsic
lavas with sedimentary units. This sediment-matrix breccia formed from the infiltration of fine
sediment into interclast spaces in previously formed hyaloclastite, and could be misinterpreted
as peperite. Felsic intrusions are less voluminous than lavas, and were emplaced as cryptodomes
and partly extrusive cryptodomes, late in the evolution of the VS Complex. The architecture of
the different study areas reflects differences in the eruption style, emplacement processes and
proximity to source. Parts of the succession interpreted to be proximal are dominated by thick
lavas/domes and intrusions, and coarse pyroclastic deposits. Medial parts comprise
resedimented autoclastic facies derived from the lavas and domes, and relatively thin pyroclastic
units. Distal parts comprise relatively thinly bedded crystal-rich sandstone and siliceous
mudstone. Regional correlations in the VS Complex are impossible, as none of the volcanic
facies are regionally extensive and each of the volcanic centres has a unique internal
architecture.
At Neves Corvo mine, the massive sulfide ore deposits are close to one of the felsic volcanic
centre(s), occurring immediately above the rhyolitic lavas/domes.
IV


OCDMA over conventional TDM PON leads to increase access network capacity by multiplexing TDM signals with OCDMA codes. We propose a novel sourceless ONU for OCDMA-TDM PON within a centralized light source placed at OLT. Sparser and longer extended quadratic congruence (EQC) codes with good correlation properties are used as optical CDMA en/decoders. However, multiple access interference (MAI) can limit the number of simultaneous users in this system. We analyze BER performance of sourceless OCDMA-TDM PON using four different EQC codes. Finally, network scalability and throughput performance of the proposed scheme are analyzed. These analyses over OCDMA-TDM PON show an upgrade of bandwidth and network capacity with an advantage of sourceless ONUs compared to the conventional TDM PON.


Zinc oxide (ZnO) is widely used semiconductor oxide. The size and morphology control are important to give specific properties to nanostructured materials. ZnO is interesting due to its optical and electrical properties, this material is useful for solar cells, gas sensing, photocatalytic and UV filter applications. In this study we will present three morphologies nanoparticles (0D), flakes (1D) and rods (3D). The ZnO at bulk level presents a good absorbance in the UV region, but by taking it to the nanometer scale this property is improve [1].


Avoiding heat-induced illness is largely a matter of common sense: Drink fluids, dress lightly, and if you experience symptoms such as cramps, nausea, headaches or dizziness, stop any activity and find a cool place to rest. But not all parents, caretakers and coaches are cognizant of children9s vulnerability to heat illness, experts say, possibly placing children at risk for heat exhaustion or heat stroke during summer. Heat illness is of particular concern when an area experiences unusually hot weather, the way Chicago did last July and August. At least 625 Chicago deaths were related to temperatures exceeding 100, according to the Cook County medical examiner9s office. About three-fourths of the deaths occurred among the elderly, Illinois Department of Public Health officials said.


Diatom plastids show several peculiarities when compared with primary plastids of higher plants or algae. They are surrounded by four membranes and depend on nucleotide uptake because, unlike in plants, nucleotide de novo synthesis exclusively occurs in the cytosol. Previous analyses suggest that two specifically adapted nucleotide transporters (NTTs) facilitate the required passage of nucleotides across the innermost plastid membrane. However, nucleotide transport across the additional plastid membranes remains to be clarified. Phylogenetic studies, transport assays with the recombinant protein as well as GFP-based targeting analyses allowed detailed characterization of a novel isoform (PtNTT5) of the six NTTs of Phaeodactylum tricornutum. PtNTT5 exhibits low amino acid similarities and is only distantly related to all previously characterized NTTs. However, in a heterologous expression system, it acts as a nucleotide antiporter and prefers various (deoxy-) purine nucleotides as substrates. Interestingly, PtNTT5 is probably located in the endoplasmic reticulum, which in diatoms also represents the outermost plastid membrane. PtNTT5, with its unusual transport properties, phylogeny and localization, can be taken as further evidence for the establishment of a sophisticated and specifically adapted nucleotide transport system in diatom plastids.


Schema mappings have been extensively studied in the context of data exchange and data integration, where they have turned out to be the right level of abstraction for formalizing data inter-operability tasks. Up to now and for the mostion for formalizing data inter-operability tasks. Up to now and for the most part, schema mappings have been studied as static objects, in the sense that each time the focus has been on a single schema mapping of interest or, in the case of composition, on a pair of schema mappings of interest. In this paper, we adopt a dynamic viewpoint and embark on a study of sequences of schema mappings and of the limiting behavior of such sequences. To this effect, we first introduce a natural notion of distance on sets of finite target instances that expresses how "close" two sets of target instances are as regards the certain answers of conjunctive queries on these sets. Using this notion of distance, we investigate pointwise limits and This article is part of the Topical Collection on Special Issue on Database Theory Emanuel Sallinger firstname.lastname@example.com Phokion G. Kolaitis firstname.lastname@example.com Reinhard Pichler firstname.lastname@example.com Vadim Savenkov firstname.lastname@example.com 1 UC Santa Cruz and IBM Research-Almaden, Santa Cruz, CA, USA 2 TU Wien, Wien, Austria 3 University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 4 Vienna University of Economics and Business, Wien, Austria Theory Comput Syst (2018) 62:899–940 Published online: 2 October 2017 uniform limits of sequences of schema mappings, as well as the companion notions of pointwise Cauchy and uniformly Cauchy sequences of schema mappings. We obtain a number of results about the limits of sequences of GAV schema mappings and the limits of sequences of LAV schema mappings that reveal striking differences between these two classes of schema mappings. We also consider the completion of the metric space of sets of target instances and obtain concrete representations of limits of sequences of schema mappings in terms of generalized schema mappings, that is, schema mappings with infinite target instances as solutions to (finite) source


Variants of the CACNA1C voltage-gated calcium channel gene have been associated with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD. The Timothy syndrome mutation is a rare de novo gain-of-function variant in CACNA1C that causes autism with high penetrance, providing a powerful avenue into investigating the role of CACNA1C variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. In our previous work, we demonstrated that an egl-19(gof) mutation, that is equivalent to the Timothy syndrome mutation in the human homolog CACNA1C, can disrupt termination of the PLM axon in C. elegans. Here, we find that the egl-19(gof) mutation disrupts the polarity of process outgrowth in the ALM neuron of C. elegans. We also find that the egl-19(gof) mutation can disrupt termination of the ALM axon. These results suggest that the Timothy syndrome mutation can disrupt multiple steps of axon development. Further work exploring the molecular mechanisms that underlie these perturbations in neuronal polarity and axon termination will give us better understanding to how variants in CACNA1C contribute to the axonal defects that underlie autism.


Authors examined in animal experiments the ossification of decalcinated cortical bone. A more rapid rebuilding of the demineralised bone than that of the not decalcinated one, seems to them as proven. An acceleration of the process is tried by dosing anabolic steroids and calcium.


Previous studies have shown that single dose or short-term administration of celiprolol does not impair pulmonary function in patients with asthma. The long-term effects of celiprolol and chlorthalidone on respiratory function in mild hypertensive asthmatic patients were compared. Following a 1-month placebo washout period, five patients were randomized to 3 months of treatment with celiprolol, and four patients were treated with chlorthalidone. This double-blind study was followed by a 12-month open trial in 13 asthmatics. Forced expiratory volume at the first second of expiration (FEV1) remained unchanged throughout the 12-month treatment period. This finding is of interest since a spontaneous decrease in FEV1 of 20 ml/year has been observed in recent surveys of asthmatic patients. No changes in peak expiratory flow rate or maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity were observed during the study, but measurements of FEV1 before and 2 h after drug administration indicated that celiprolol had no direct bronchodilating effect. The responsiveness to inhaled salbutamol was unaltered during the 12-month trial period, demonstrating that celiprolol does not block the beta 2-adrenoceptors on bronchial smooth muscle. Our results indicate that celiprolol is a safe long-term treatment for hypertension in asthmatic patients. Nevertheless, a survey of a large number of patients may be useful in order to detect individuals at risk, since sensitivity to beta-blockade may vary between patients.


2,4-Dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), a major by-product of the synthesis of 2,4,6- trinitrotoluene, is widely used as a waterproofing, plasticizing and gelatinizing agent in propellants and explosives. Due to its toxicity, the compound is treated as a priority pollutant. Therefore, its removal from contaminated systems is a major focus of research and attention. Contaminated sites in Ibadan, Nigeria were screened for the presence of 2,4,-DNT degrading organisms. The technique of continual enrichment on NACs yielded bacterial isolates able to utilize 2,4-DNT as growth substrate. Based on phenotypic characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing one of the isolates selected for further study was identified as Proteus sp. strain OSES2. Growth of the strain on 2,4-DNT resulted in exponential increase in biomass and complete substrate utilization within 72 h accompanied with NO 3 - elimination. Degradation competence enhanced in the presence of Corn steep liquor, molasses and Tween 80 compared to incubation without amendment. Conversely, amendment with nitrogen sources yielded no significant improvement in degradation. Use of this organism organic wastes as candidates in bioremediation strategy should be exploited. This would provide a cheaper organic source supplement for cleanup purposes with the ultimate aim of reducing the cost of bioremediation while reducing wastes intended for landfill.


Background: With emerging knowledge of the impact of the metabolic quality of glycemic carbohydrates on human health, there is a need for novel carbohydrate ingredients that can be custom-made to deliver controlled amounts of glucose to the body and to test hypotheses on the postprandial metabolic consequences of carbohydrates. Objective: The goal of the present study was to demonstrate the applicability and action of starch-entrapped biopolymer microspheres as customized, novel, slowly digestible carbohydrates to obtain desired glycemic responses. Methods: Starch-entrapped microspheres were developed; and starch digestion and glucose release, subsequent to their cooking (100°C, 20 min) in water, were initially monitored by measuring the rapidly digestible, slowly digestible, and resistant starch fractions using the in vitro Englyst assay. Glycemic and insulinemic responses after consumption of glucose and two different slowly digestible starch microsphere diets were compared using a crossover study in 10 healthy individuals. The mechanism of starch digestion in the microspheres was elucidated from scanning electron microscopic images of the in vitro digested microspheres. Results: Factors such as biopolymer type and concentration, microsphere size, and starch type were manipulated to obtain starch materials with defined amounts of slowly digestible starch based on in vitro studies. Scanning electron microscopy showed that cooked starch entrapped in the dense biopolymer matrix is digested layer by layer from the outside to the inside of the microsphere. Glycemic and insulinemic responses to microsphere test diets were moderate as compared to a glucose diet, but more important, they showed extended glucose release. Conclusions: Starch-entrapped microspheres provide a useful tool to study the postprandial metabolic consequences of slowly digestible carbohydrates.


Prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is alarmingly increasing worldwide. Albeit advances in therapy have reduced morbidity and mortality in T2DM, cardiovascular risk is far to be eradicated and mechanism-based therapeutic approaches are in high demand. In this perspective, deciphering novel molecular networks of vascular disease will be instrumental to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in people affected by diabetes. There is therefore a need to address current knowledge gaps in disease aetiology in order to support innovation in diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, we are still lacking cost-effective markers able to identify atherosclerotic vascular disease at an early stage. The issue of risk stratification deserves attention because not every T2DM patient carries the same degree of inflammation and oxidative stress. The diversity of metabolic phenotypes with different outcomes underscores the need for cardiovascular risk stratification within such heterogeneous population. Early predictors of vascular damage are mandatory to implement intensive treatment strategies and, hence, reduce cardiovascular disease burden in this setting. In this review we critically discuss novel molecular mechanisms of diabetic vascular disease and their possible translation to the clinical setting.


Use of computed tomography (CT) imaging for evaluation of the cervical spine following blunt trauma is both an efficient and reliable method for detecting injury. As a result, many trauma centers and emergency departments rely exclusively on CT scans to acutely clear the cervical spine of injury. Although quite sensitive for detecting bone injury, CT may be associated with a low sensitivity for detecting herniated discs, injured soft tissue or ligaments, and dynamic instability. In addition, CT-generated artifact may obscure pathological findings. In this case report, we describe the course of a patient whose CT scan harbored CT-generated artifact that suggested traumatic subluxation of the cervical spine. Clinicians should be aware of such artifact and how to recognize it when basing clinical management on such studies.


Since the first Exploration meeting in 196 7, airborne surveys done by the USGS have evolved from regional surveys with broad geologic mapping goals to more detailed surveys with more specific project goals. These surveys have used increasingly sophisticated geophysical, geological, and hydrological modeling methods. This poster summarizes some of the advances that hav e taken place within the USGS for hydrologic studies in the decade since the last Exploration meeting in 1997. In particular, airborne magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) methods have focused on applications to new hydrologic problems and in development of i ntegrated interpretation methods in 1) ground -water quality investigations of contamination from co -produced water from fossil fuel energy production and studies of watersheds containing abandoned mine lands, 2) ground-water resource studies in sedimentary terrains, and 3) geologic and hydrologic studies in karst terrains.


High technology advances in polymer science have opened up new opportunities in drug delivery systems. This chapter broadens the existing information in the field of polymeric materials and polymeric carriers for drug delivery applications. Also, further information about polymeric carriers in linear properties, polymeric carriers with spherical features, and polymerization methods are given. The purpose of using polymeric carriers is to provide patients with a better quality of life and to avoid the side effects of traditional methods. Finding new polymeric carriers is of great importance for drug distribution, especially in the medical world, so new approaches need to be found.


Abstract This paper proposes to demonstrate that, on Terra's surface, there are cycles of air's temperature (almost perfect), which can be explained just by the lunar parallax's cycles. It is known that the lunar parallax represents the angle under which the Earth's equatorial horizontal radius can be seen from the moon. It is understood that a higher value of the lunar parallax indicates us a shorter distance between Earth and moon, while a smaller value shows us a longer distance between the two celestial bodies. Through the atmospheric tides caused mainly by the moon, the sea tides are occurred, which also cause the Rossby waves, those which impose a certain atmospheric circulation, and that makes the high and low of the temperature evolve.


ABSTRACT: Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) were extirpated from Isle Royale in the 1930s. We conducted a population viability analysis (PVA) of a potential lynx reintroduction to better understand viability, uncertainty, and management options. We estimated that the 544-km2 island can support 30 lynx. The probability of 100-year population persistence was 0.36 for a model that simulated a decadal lynx-hare population cycle. A noncyclic model predicted a 0.73 probability of 100-year persistence. Inbreeding depression had a substantial negative effect on modeled persistence. Historically, periodic immigration of mainland lynx via an ice bridge probably reduced or prevented inbreeding depression on the island. The introduction of one male and one female lynx every 10 years increased the probability of 100-year persistence to 0.98 in the cyclic model. Occasional anthropogenic transfers of lynx to the island might be necessary because the frequency of ice bridge formation has decreased. However, our baseline models might underestimate viability because they used demographic rates from mainland studies where lynx were exposed to anthropogenic mortality. When we removed assumed anthropogenic mortality—which should be negligible on Isle Royale—the probability of 100-year persistence was 0.99 for the cyclic model, even without supplementation. Reintroducing lynx to Isle Royale appears feasible, assuming appropriate monitoring and management. Reintroducing lynx would restore a missing native species to Isle Royale and would increase our understanding of lynx ecology.


Results of sampling epidemiological investigation of patients with dermatologic diseases, which sought treatment in the specialized Russian outpatient facilities over two-month period, and assessments of approaches to treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema are presented. Data of 2991 individual registration cards, which were filled out by the dermatovenerologists providing primary specialized care to patients in outpatient facilities of Perm, Samara and St. Petersburg, was analyzed. It was observed that women were prevalent among patients with dermatoses, and most of women and men were of working age (82.2 and 89.2% corresponding). The nosological structure of appealability consists of 25.6% patients with dermatose, psoriasis (14.5%), eczema (13.4%), seborrhea and acne (8.6%), atopic dermatitis (5.8%), and pyodermatitis (3.2%). Using standardized indexes for assessment it was discovered that among applied outpatients 80% persons, presented with atopic dermatitis, and 50% persons, presented with psoriasis, had moderate and severe appearances of dermatoses. In therapy of patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema, specialists used widely standard system treatment - topic glucocorticosteroid agents for external care.


A maximal exercise test is often not available for patients in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and many programs determine a target heart rate (THR) using equations to estimate maximum heart rate (HRmax). The purpose of this study was to describe the % of patients in which a THR based on an estimated HRmax would result in a heart rate (HR) that is consistent with guidelines (i.e., 50%–80% HR reserve) in patients with heart disease (HD) on beta-blockade therapy.

 This was a secondary analysis of the iATTEND study; a randomized trial of facility-based only CR vs. hybrid CR. Subjects included in the present analysis had a history of myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization procedure, or heart failure; beta-blockade therapy; and sinus rhythm. Exclusion criteria were heart transplant, atrial fibrillation, implanted pacemaker, and exercise-induced ischemia. Measured HR reserve (maximum - rest) was determined from a symptom-limited maximal exercise test with gas exchange performed on a treadmill. Estimated HRmax was determined using (a) 220 age and (b) a published equation based on patients with HD with beta-blockade (HD BB; 164-0.72xage). % measured HR reserve associated with 60% and 85% estimated HRmax using each equation was compared to guideline recommended intensity of 50%–80% measured HR reserve. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare measured HRmax to the 2 estimates of HRmax.

 Among 166 subjects (68% male; age= 59±11 yr [mean±SD]) measured HRmax was 133±21 min 1. Compared to measured, estimated HRmax using 220-age was significantly higher (161±11 min- 1; p<.001) and estimated HRmax using HD-BB was significantly lower (121±8 min-1; p<.001). At 60% of 220-age, 19% of subjects would have been provided a THR that was consistent with guidelines; 72% would have been too low. At 60% of HD-BB, 1% of subjects would have been provided a THR that was consistent with guidelines; 99% would have been too low. At 85% of 220-age, 16% of subjects would have been provided a THR that was consistent with guidelines; 84% would have been too high. At 85% of HD-BB, 36% of subjects would have been provided a THR that was consistent with guidelines; 15% would have been too high.

 THR based on % estimated HRmax from 220-age and HD-BB do not provide an exercise training HR target that is consistent with guideline recommendations, thus should not be used to prescribe an exercise intensity in patients with HD on BB therapy.


A simple one-pot green synthesis method is developed to prepare a platinum–palladium (Pt–Pd) bimetallic nanoparticle decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite using vermicast extract as a reducing and stabilization agent. Morphological analysis confirms the homogenous decoration of Pt–Pd nanoparticles over the rGO sheets. Structural studies verify that the fatty acids and amide groups of the vermicast extract play a foremost role in the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the metallic ions. Benefiting from bimetallic features and a precise carbon support, the dehydrogenation of ethylene glycol (EG) and CO tolerance toward EG oxidation is significantly enhanced for rGO/Pt–Pd. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity of rGO/Pt–Pd toward EG oxidation is quantified via its mass activity of 803.4 mA mg−1, which is higher than the prepared nanocatalysts and commercial Pt/C. Furthermore, rGO/Pt–Pd retains a high current density (85%) over 500 cycles from its initial value, revealing its robust tolerance against CO poisoning. Thus the adopted green approach affords a cost-efficient and biocompatible carbonaceous metal nanocomposite with desirable electrocatalytic activity and stability for EG electrooxidation, demonstrating its wide applicability in high performance energy conversion devices.


This paper tests the empirical validity of the capital-asset pricing model (CAPM) for the South African share market. For the investigation, quarterly total returns from ten sectoral indices listed on the JSE Securities Exchange from 30 June 1995 to 30 June 2009, were used. As expressed in the securities market line, the CAPM suggests that higher risk, as measured by beta, is associated with higher expected returns. In addition, the theoretical underpinnings of the CAPM are that it explains expected excess return, and that the relationship between expected return and beta is linear. In this investigation the above-mentioned predictions of the CAPM were tested. Direct tests of the securities market line were made, using both prior betas and in-period betas. A nonparametric test was also made. Regression analysis was used to test hypotheses based on both individual sectoral indices and portfolios constructed from those indices according to their betas. These tests were made for individual years as well as for all periods combined. It was found that while, on the assumption that the residuals of the return-generating function are normally distributed, the CAPM could be rejected for certain periods, the use of the CAPM for long-term actuarial modelling in the South African market can be reasonably justified. Keywords: Capital-asset pricing model; beta; JSE Securities Exchange; excess return


Objectives: The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition has formulated guidelines for managing functional constipation. There have been no studies that have investigated how pediatricians apply the constipation guideline since it was revised in 2006. The purpose of this study was to examine how pediatricians approach functional constipation and how closely their approaches adhere to the guidelines. Methods: An anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire was developed by general pediatricians and pediatric gastroenterologists. This was distributed to pediatricians and pediatric residents at 7 academic institutions, and to the American Academy of Pediatrics section on medical students, residents, and fellowship trainees mailing list. Results: A total of 1202 responses were received (952 trainees, 250 attendings). Of these, 84.3% reported being unfamiliar/slightly familiar with the guidelines. The most common initial interventions for constipation without fecal incontinence included fluids (92.1%), fiber (89.5%), juice (77.7%), behavioral interventions (71.2%), follow-up (53.4%), and reducing constipating foods (50.1%). The most common initial interventions for constipation with fecal incontinence included bowel cleanout (73.4%), maintenance medication (70.0%), fluids (67.9%), behavioral interventions (67.6%), fiber (66.1%), and follow-up (57.8%). Osmotics were the most commonly prescribed as needed (83.0%) and maintenance medications (96.8%), with stimulants prescribed PRN by 35.6% and as maintenance by 16.8%. Some individuals (39.7%) reported concern that osmotics could result in dependence, addiction, or electrolyte imbalances, compared with 73.0% for stimulants. Conclusions: Our results show that more education regarding medication in functional constipation is necessary, including the use of medication reducing time to remission, the necessity of disimpaction, and misconceptions regarding adverse effects.


Carbon nanotubes are difficult to aerosolize in a controlled manner. We present a method for generating aerosols not only of carbon nanotubes, but also of many reference and proprietary materials including quantum dots, diesel particulate matter, urban dust, and their mixtures, using electrospraying. This method can be used as a teaching tool, or as the starting point for advanced research, or to deliver nanomaterials in animal exposure studies. This electrospray system generates 180 µg of nanotubes per m3 of carrier gas, and thus aerosolizes an occupationally relevant mass concentration of nanotubes. The efficiency achievable for single-walled carbon nanotubes is 9.4%. This system is simple and quick to construct using ordinary lab techniques and affordable materials. Since it is easy to replace soiled parts with clean ones, experiments on different types of nanomaterial can be performed back to back without contamination from previous experiments. In this paper, the design, fabrication, operation and characterization of our versatile electrospray method are presented. Also, the morphological changes that carbon nanotubes undergo as they make the transition from dry powders to aerosol particles are presented.


The simplest case occurs when a charged particle moves perpendicular to a uniform B-field (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). If the field is in a vacuum, the magnetic field is the dominant factor determining the motion. Since the magnetic force is perpendicular to the direction of travel, a charged particle follows a curved path in a magnetic field. The particle continues to follow this curved path until it forms a complete circle. Another way to look at this is that the magnetic force is always perpendicular to velocity, so that it does no work on the charged particle. The particle's kinetic energy and speed thus remain constant. The direction of motion is affected but not the speed.


Due to high volumetric energy density, the major market share of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries is still dominated by LiCoO2 (LCO) at a 3C field. However, a number of challenges will be triggered if the charge voltage is increased from 4.2/4.3 to 4.6 V to further increase energy density, such as a violent interface reaction, Co dissolution, and release of lattice oxygen. Here, LCO is coated with the fast ionic conductor Li1.8Sc0.8Ti1.2(PO4)3 (LSTP) to form LCO@LSTP, while a stable interface of LCO is in situ constructed by the decomposition of LSTP at the LSTP/LCO interface. As decomposition products of LSTP, Ti and Sc elements can be doped into LCO and thus reconstruct the interface from a layered structure to a spinel structure, which improves the stability of the interface. Moreover, Li3PO4 from the decomposition of LSTP and remaining LSTP coating as a fast ionic conductor can improve Li+ transport when compared with bare LCO, and thus boost the specific capacity to 185.3 mAh g-1 at 1C. Benefited from the stable interface and fast ion conducting coating, the LCO@LSTP (1 wt %) cathode delivers a high capacity of 202.3 mAh g-1 at the first cycle (0.5C, 3.0-4.6 V), and shows a higher capacity retention of 89.0% than LCO (50.9%) after 100 cycles. Furthermore, the change of the Fermi level obtained by using a kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) and the oxygen band structure calculated by using density functional theory further illustrate that LSTP supports the performance of LCO. We anticipate that this study can improve the conversion efficiency of energy-storage devices.


Rechargeable aqueous aluminium batteries are the subject of growing interest, however, the charge storage mechanisms at manganese oxide-based cathodes remain poorly understood. In essense, every study proposes a different mechanism. Here, an in situ spectroelectrochemical methodology is used to unambiguously demonstrate that reversible proton-coupled MnO2 -to-Mn2+ conversion is the main charge storage mechanism occurring at MnO2 cathodes for a range of slightly acidic Al3+ -based aqueous electrolytes, with the Al3+ hexaaquo complex playing the key role of proton donor. In Zn/MnO2 assemblies, this mechanism is associated with high gravimetric capacities and discharge potentials, up to 560 mAh g-1 and 1.65 V respectively, attractive efficiencies (CE > 99.5% and EE > 82%) and excellent cyclability (almost 100% capacity retention over 1 400 cycles at 2 A g-1 ). Finally, a critical analysis of the data previously published on MnOx cathodes in Al3+ -based aqueous electrolytes is conducted to conclude on a universal charge storage mechanism, i.e., the reversible electrodissolution/electrodeposition of MnO2 .


In the operation of urea dewaxing plant the corrosion problem for the plant material (metal) caused by urea decomposed substances must be considered. We studied the corrosion rate in the most severe conditions proposed by our process [Journal of Japan Oil Chemists' Society, vol.6, 17 (1957)], to discover the suitable corrosion inhibitor. We have tested several kinds of test pieces according to the above condition.Then, we tested the corrosion inhibiting effects of small quantity of additives to mild steel. We found that it was most effective to add 0.1% order of (NH4) 2HPO to the urea mixture, and by this we could overcome the corrosion trouble of plant materials.


Our previous report demonstrated a good correlation between high telomerase activity of cancer tissues and a poor prognosis of patients with colorectal cancers, except for several cases. To elucidate the additional factors that contribute to patient prognosis, the correlation among the expression levels of telomere binding proteins (TBP), the lengths of telomeres, the lengths of telomere 3′‐overhang (3′‐OH) and telomerase activity in 106 paired colorectal cancer and corresponding noncancerous mucosa (NCM) specimens were examined. The expression levels of eight TBP genes (TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, TANK1, TANK2, POT1, RAP1 and TPP1) were analyzed. Among the 106 cases, 35 cases had shortened telomeres (<7 kb), 15 had shortened 3′‐OH (3′‐OH length ratio of cancer/NCM <0.5) and 88 were classified as telomerase‐activated cancers (activity ratio of cancer/NCM >2). Comparison between NCM and cancer in each case showed that all TBP except for POT1 were downregulated in cancers. A survival analysis using a Cox proportional hazard model showed that the survival rate of the telomerase‐activated cases with shortened 3′‐OH and that of telomerase‐inactivated cases were significantly better than that of telomerase‐activated cases without 3′‐OH shortening, that is, restored or maintained 3′‐OH (P = 0.018). In the telomerase‐activated cancers, the length of 3′‐OH was significantly correlated with the expression levels of POT1. Elongation of telomeric overhang by telomerase, which might be regulated by POT1, may contribute to the increase of malignant potential in colorectal cancers. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 330–335)


Since the introduction of modern laboratory aids in the recognition of typhoid fever the problem which has presented itself to practitioners of medicine is that of more accurate.and earlier diagnosis. The demand for a scientifically accurate diagnosis is the outcome of the realization that clinical typhoid fever is. a disease which may be caused by any one of several bacteria. The physician of the present day is no longer satisfied with the old term "enteric fever." He tries, so far as possible, to supplement his clinical diagnosis by an accurate bacteriologic diagnosis. The establishment of the bacteriologic diagnosis is only to be accomplished by the isolation of the specific organism infecting the individual patient. From a practical standpoint the question of early diagnosis is of much greater importance than that of absolutely accurate diagnosis. To the individual patient early diagnosis in typhoid means better treatment, better nursing, perhaps more adequate


Background Most of the previous clinical researches published payed more attention to study depressive disorders and/or symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Fewer research studies were done to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in patients with RA patients. Objectives This study was performed to investigate whether anxiety disorder is as common as depressive disorder in RA patients and to look for the sociodemographic as well as the clinical characteristics of the patients developing these disorders. Methods A detailed physical assessment of 80 patients with RA was performed. Also psychiatric assessment was done using Research Diagnostic Criteria for the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10). In addition, patients answered a Health Assessment Questionaire (HAQ) to assess their functional capacity. Results Depression was diagnosed in 66.25% of the total sample while anxiety was diagnosed in 70%. Functional disability, social stress and morning stiffness were the factors highly associated with depression. Using multiple regression analysis, anxiety was also highly associated with depression. On the other hand, Ritchie articular index as well as depression were positively associated with anxiety disorder. Conclusion Psychiatric illness is a relatively common disorder in patients with RA, with frequency higher than that of other general medical conditions. Anxiety is a more common disorder than depression. The first step in correct management is recognition of anxiety and depression so that appropriate treatment can be tried. Particular attention has to be paid to social stress and lack of social support.


We present nonlinear control algorithms to compensate for kinematic error in harmonic drives, thus forming a solid basis to improve their performance in precision positioning applications. Kinematic error, defined as deviation between expected and actual output positions, influences performance by producing static positioning error and inducing dynamic vibration effects. Its compensation is difficult because of its nonlinear behavior and dependence on drive type, assembly, environmental conditions, and drive load. The Lyapunov-based closed-loop control algorithms presented in this paper compensate for the kinematic error irrespective of its form in setpoint and trajectory tracking applications. Simulation and experimental results obtained with a dedicated harmonic drive test setup verify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.


Abstract Access to high‐quality and safe evidence‐based palliative care (PC) is important to ensure good end‐of‐life care for older people in residential aged care homes (RACHs). However, many barriers to providing PC in RACHs are frequently cited. The Quality End‐of‐Life Care (QEoLC) Project was a multicomponent intervention that included training, evidence‐based tools and tele‐mentoring, aiming to equip healthcare professionals and careworkers in RACHs with knowledge, skills and confidence in providing PC to residents. This study aims to understand: (1) the experiences of healthcare professionals, careworkers, care managers, planners/implementers who participated in the implementation of the QEoLC Project; and (2) the barriers and facilitators to the implementation. Staff from two RACHs in New South Wales, Australia were recruited between September to November 2021. Semi‐structured interviews and thematic data analysis were used. Fifteen participants (seven health professionals [includes one nurse, two clinical educators, three workplace trainers, one clinical manager/nurse], three careworkers and five managers) were interviewed. Most RACH participants agreed that the QEoLC Project increased their awareness of PC and provided them with the skills/confidence to openly discuss death and dying. Participants perceived that the components of the QEoLC Project had the following benefits for residents: more appropriate use of medications, initiation of timely pain management and discussions with families regarding end‐of‐life care preferences. Key facilitators for implementation were the role of champions, the role of the steering committee, regular clinical meetings to discuss at‐risk residents and mentoring. Implementation barriers included: high staff turnover, COVID‐19 pandemic, time constraints, perceived absence of executive sponsorship, lack of practical support and systems‐related barriers. The findings underline the need for strong leadership, supportive organisational culture and commitment to the implementation of processes for improving the quality of end‐of‐life care. Furthermore, the results highlight the need for codesigning the intervention with RACHs, provision of dedicated staff/resources to support implementation, and integration of project tools with existing systems for achieving effective implementation outcomes.


In child sexual abuse cases, the victim's testimony is essential, because the victim and the perpetrator tend to be the only eyewitnesses to the crime. A potentially important component of an abuse report is the child's subjective reactions to the abuse. Attorneys may ask suggestive questions or avoid questioning children about their reactions, assuming that children, given their immaturity and reluctance, are incapable of articulation. We hypothesized that How questions referencing reactions to abuse (e.g., "how did you feel") would increase the productivity of children's descriptions of abuse reactions. Two studies compared the extent to which children provided evaluative content, defined as descriptions of emotional, cognitive, and physical reactions, in response to different question-types, including How questions, Wh- questions, Option-posing questions (yes-no or forced-choice), and Suggestive questions. The first study examined children's testimony (ages 5-18) in 80 felony child sexual abuse cases. How questions were more productive yet the least prevalent, and Option-posing and Suggestive questions were less productive but the most common. The second study examined interview transcripts of 61 children (ages 6-12) suspected of being abused, in which children were systematically asked How questions regarding their reactions to abuse, thus controlling for the possibility that in the first study, attorneys selectively asked How questions of more articulate children. Again, How questions were most productive in eliciting evaluative content. The results suggest that interviewers and attorneys interested in eliciting evaluative reactions should ask children "how did you feel?" rather than more direct or suggestive questions.


Future Mars landing missions must be capable of autonomously delivering highly capable and mobile rovers safely and gently in an upright orientation. The airbag landing system used to deliver earlier rovers (Mars Pathfinder and the two Mars Exploration vehicles) is incapable of landing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)-class rover. The design of a novel sky-crane landing concept to land the proposed Mars Science Laboratory rover is presented here. The descent is guided and actively controlled in six degrees of freedom. Terminal guidance is robust to terrain variations-induced altimeter noise. A terminal descent sensor provides surface relative velocity and altitude measurements, the inertial measurement unit measurements help propagate the vehicle attitude and positions. Guidance and control system commands eight throttle-able Mars lander engines to actively control the vehicle attitude and translations. Computer simulations demonstrate the viability of this concept in the presence of various environmental, configuration, and hardware imperfections.


This research demonstrates a new, high conductivity sodium ion polymer gel electrolyte (PGE), which is prepared using a solution casting technique. The prepared PGE consists of a plasticized polymer blend of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate that serves as a framework to immobilize phase separated interconnected liquid rich regions of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC). Portions of these liquids that remain dissolved in the polymer blend act as plasticizers while interconnected liquid regions provide an all-liquid conductive pathway. A loosely bonded sodium salt, sodium tetrafluoroborate (NaBF4), was added to the PGE to decrease the crystallinity of the polymer blend, thus lowering energy barriers for ion transfer in the blend and providing more charge carriers in the liquid rich phases to enhance the overall ionic conductivity of the PGE. Peak ionic conductivity of 5.67 × 10−4 S cm−1 was observed from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements of a PGE with 25 wt% NaBF4 which is more than two orders of magnitude larger than the same PGE without NaBF4 that demonstrates a conductivity of 1.03 × 10−6 S cm−1. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity agrees with the Arrhenius equation from 20 °C to 90 °C. The activation energies for PGEs with different concentrations of NaBF4: 5 wt%, 15 wt% and 25 wt% are found to be 0.13, 0.17 and 0.28 eV respectively. Cyclic voltammetry confirmed that the PGEs are electrochemically stable over a wide potential range of −5 V to +5 V. In addition, transference number measurements, whose values varied from 0.83 to 0.93, demonstrate that these PGEs are ionic conductive electrolytes. The findings of this study are consistent with the development of a sodium ion conductive electrolyte films that are promising for use in non-aqueous advanced energy storage applications.


This book is about the struggles of low-income families trying to build savings accounts. In "Striving to Save", Margaret Sherrard Sherraden and Amanda Moore McBride examine savings in eighty-four working families with low incomes, including fifty-nine families who participated in a groundbreaking program of matched savings and financial education. In-depth interviews with these families, along with savings and survey data, shed light on saving in low-income households. The book concludes with recommended public policy approaches for increasing savings in households that are striving to save.


For the task of obstacle detection in a complex traffic environment, this paper proposes a road-free space extraction and obstacle detection method based on stereo vision. The proposed method combines the advantages of the V-disparity image and the Stixel method. Firstly, the depth information and the V-disparity image are calculated according to the disparity image. Then, the free space on the road surface is calculated through the RANSAC algorithm and dynamic programming (DP) algorithm. Furthermore, a new V-disparity image and a new U-disparity image are calculated by the disparity image after removing the road surface information. Finally, the height and width of the obstacles on the road are extracted from the new V-disparity image and U-disparity image, respectively. The detection of obstacles is realized by the height and width information of obstacles. In order to verify the method, we adopted the object detection benchmarks and road detection benchmarks of the KITTI dataset for verification. In terms of the accuracy performance indicators quality, detection rate, detection accuracy, and effectiveness, the method in this paper reaches 0.820, 0.863, 0.941, and 0.900, respectively, and the time consumption is only 5.145 milliseconds. Compared with other obstacle detection methods, the detection accuracy and real-time performance in this paper are better. The experimental results show that the method has good robustness and real-time performance for obstacle detection in a complex traffic environment.


The upper Beetaloo Sub-basin of the McArthur Basin, Northern Territory, Australia, records over 500 myr of tectonic history of the North Australian Craton from c. 1.45 to 0.9 Ga. The basin sequences include shallow-water clastic sedimentary rocks that preserve the oldest global commercial hydrocarbon reserves. New detrital zircon U–Pb age and Lu–Hf isotopes, compiled with published data, provide constraints on the basin provenance and reveal the dynamic tectonic evolution of Mesoproterozoic northern Australia. Data from the oldest formation examined, the c. 1.4 Ga Bessie Creek Sandstone, suggest provenance from (present-day) eastern sources (e.g. the Mount Isa Province and the palinspastically adjacent Curnamona and Georgetown provinces) with considerable spatial heterogeneity. These eastern source regions are interpreted as uplifted rift-shoulder highs, formed by contemporaneous extension between Proterozoic Australia and Laurentia. Progressively younger formations (the Velkerri Formation, the Moroak Sandstone and the Kyalla Formation) demonstrate a rapid swamping of the basin by detritus from southerly sources (e.g. the Arunta Region) that occurred at c. 1.4–1.3 Ga. This is particularly characterized by the up-section reduction of c. 1.6–1.5 Ga detrital zircon grains. This change in provenance is interpreted to relate to closure of an ocean basin during the period 1.35–1.25 Ga, which resulted in uplift of the southern margin of the North Australia Craton. Three ungrouped latest Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic sedimentary units, the lower and upper Jamison sandstone and the Hayfield mudstone, were deposited after the emplacement of the Warakurna Large Igneous Province and are sourced from the Musgrave Province. Detrital zircon U–Pb and Hf isotope affinities between the lower and upper Jamison sandstone and the Hayfield mudstone and the latest Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic successions along the eastern margin of the North China Craton suggest that they share a similar provenance. This supports correlations between the Mesoproterozoic of the North China Yanshan Basin and the greater McArthur Basin. Supplementary material: Sample descriptions, details of data and concordia plots are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4444790


The intensifying of French-English relationships through their business dealings has not put an end to the long-lasting rivalry the two people endured across centuries. This article presents a number of examples that show that misunderstandings between the two groups involved arise from their representations of contrasting language practices as well as contrasting communicative attitudes, stressing the need for the development of intercultural competence in any foreign language communication.


On April 26, 1947, less than four months before the partition of British colonial India into two separate states, Mohammed Ali Jinnah—the leader of the Muslim League and the founder of Pakistan—wrote a note to Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten on the future status of the frontier province of Assam (92). It reiterated his organization's position that Assam was effectively a Muslim majority province that should become part of Pakistan, because two large segments of the population— those categorized as tribal and the workers in the tea plantations and their descendants—could not be counted as Hindus. This claim was, of course, intensely contested, both politically and ideologically. In the Assam of the 1940s, the possibility that the province could become a part of Pakistan generated feelings of fear, uncertainty, and hope and was a source of significant political tension. Beginning in the early twentieth century, British colonial policies encouraged migrants from densely populated deltaic eastern Bengal to settle and reclaim the low-lying areas of the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River in Assam and to cultivate raw jute, in order to meet demands from Bengal's jute industry. Migrants began coming on their own to this relatively sparsely populated region after social networks connected the two regions. However, they soon began facing opposition from locals, and colonial policies had to restrict migrant settlements. Still, settling more Muslim eastern Bengal peasants in Assam became a part of the Muslim League's campaign for Pakistan, whereas the provincial Congress Party vigorously opposed these policies (74-78). Following the partition, except for the Bengali-speaking and Muslimmajority populous district of Sylhet, the rest of Assam remained a part of India. Despite the insertion of an international border, however, the flow of migrants from what became East Pakistan and, subsequently, Bangladesh continued. That the partition generated a massive flow of Hindus to India and of Muslims to Pakistan is well known. What is less well known is that poor Muslim peasants also continued to cross the border to certain parts of India. Colonial Assam roughly corresponds with the region now called Northeast India, though Assam remains a key state. The continuities between "preand post-Partition politics" (1) are the focus of this book by Udayon Misra, a former professor of literature and wellknown public intellectual of Assam. The issues of "land, immigration, identity, and language," which were central to the politics of Assam in the 1940s, writes Misra, "continue to occupy major public space seventy years after the Partition and Independence" (ix–x). For many, "while the Partition put an end to the fear of Assam and the northeastern region being included in Pakistan, it now raised the fear of illegal infiltration from the newly created East Pakistan and, from the 1970s, Bangladesh" (63). Two chapters on the "the turbulent forties" and a chapter on the politics surrounding the question of Sylhet constitute the substantive core of the book. The concluding chapter addresses the partition's "unresolved issues" (142). Seven key documents and a useful timeline on immigration into Assam from 1900 to 1950 are included as appendices. The Sylhet issue is important in this context because, although the bulk of the district became a part of Pakistan and Bangladesh, a small area remained a part of Assam, and a large number of Hindus from the rest of Sylhet migrated to this area. A fundamentally different set of memories of the partition prevails among Hindu Bengalis in this part of Assam. There are books and articles by historians on the politics of British colonial Assam. Misra draws on this scholarship. Journal articles by this reviewer and others deal with some of the same issues raised by Misra. Yet his book is exceptionally useful and timely because of its singular focus on the continuities between preand postpartition politics. At the time of this writing, Indian newspaper headlines are dominated by the news of a vast bureaucratic exercise known as the updating of the National Register of Citizens in Assam. There is concern that, at the end of it, millions of people might lose their status as Indian citizens. The issue has drawn the attention of the international human rights community, but remarkable historical illiteracy marks public discussions of this issue. Misra's book is a salutary reminder that no solution to this crisis is possible without coming to terms with history.


Objective: To evaluate the value of erythropoietin alpha (epoetin) administration, as an alternative treatment of anemia in the operable breast cancer patients. Methods: This is a multicenter phase III randomized clinical trial to evaluate the value of epoetin administration among anemic breast cancer patients who are undergoing anthracyclin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Sixty four patients were incuded in this trial with initial hemoglobin (Hb) level of 10–12 g/dL. The patients were randomly distributed into two groups: one group received aministration of 40,000 IU epoetin/week for six times a week after operation and the other did not.  In the third week after the operation, both groups were started on a 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with three weeks intervals. Hb levels were evaluated during every chemotherapy cycle. Results: The Hb levels in the epoetin group were always above 10 g/dL up until the end of the sixth chemotherapy cycle or until the twenty first week post operation without blood transfusion. Conclusions: The administration of epoetin 3 weeks prior and 3 weeks after the first cycles of chemotherapy, maintains a sufficient/normal Hb level in breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Keywords: Anthracyclin-based chemotherapy, breast cancer, erythropoietin alpha DOI: 10.15850/ijihs.v1n1.102


The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of very low ambient illumination and complete darkness on the postural sway of young and elderly adults. Eighteen healthy young participants aged 23.8±1.5 years and 26 community-dwelling elderly aged 69.8±5.6 years were studied. Each participant performed four tests while standing on a force platform in the following conditions: in normal light (215 lx) with open eyes and with closed eyes, in very low illumination (0.25 lx) with open eyes, and in complete darkness with open eyes. The sequences of the tests in the altered visual conditions were determined by random blocs. Postural sway was assessed by means of the force platform measurements. The centre of pressure variables: the medio-lateral and antero-posterior path lengths, mean velocities, sway areas, and fractal dimensions were analysed. Very low illumination resulted in a statistically significant increase in postural sway in both the young and elderly groups compared to normal light, although the increase was significantly smaller than those observed in the eyes closed and complete darkness condition, and no significant effects of illumination on fractal dimensions were detected. The gains of the sways in the very low or no illumination conditions relative to the normal light condition were significantly larger in the group of young participants than in the group of elderly participants (up to 50% and 25%, respectively). However, the response patterns to changes in illumination were similar in the young and elderly participants, with the exception of the short-range fractal dimension of the medio-lateral sway. In conclusion, very low illumination resulted in increased postural sway compared to normal illumination; however, in the closed eye and complete darkness conditions, postural sway was significantly higher than in the very low illumination condition regardless of the age of the participants.


The lump kidney showing an unusual anatomy is a rare form of renal fusion anomaly. The total kidney mass that remains within the pelvic region is irregular and lobulated. This anomaly is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses in children. The authors describe two patients in whom renal fusion anomalies on Tc-99m DMSA studies suggested lump kidney when the patients were evaluated for an abdominal mass.


Tanzania has tremendous potential to support a thriving agribusiness sector. Agriculture is diverse and extensive, employing more than 80 percent of the population, and contributing about 28 percent of Gross Domestic Product, or GDP and 30 percent of export earnings. A wide range of agricultural commodities are produced in Tanzania, including fiber (sisal, cotton), beverages (coffee, tea), sugar, grains (a diverse range of cereals and legumes), horticulture (temperate and tropical fruits, vegetables and flowers) and edible oils. This document proposes a new model for promoting the growth of competitive value-added sunflower oil processing in Tanzania, and also seeks to identify potential growth enterprises in other value chains. The Agribusiness Innovation Center (AIC) will provide a set of financial and non-financial services to high-growth potential entrepreneurs, aiming to accelerate the growth of their enterprises and demonstrating product, process, and business model innovation across focal sectors. The AIC will complement existing efforts focused on farm-level improvements and foreign investment facilitation.


Sorting benthic mactofauna is the slowest and boring stage of ali henthic study. 80, trying to save time, many kind of apparatus have been developed (Lauff et aJ., 1961; Powers & Rohertson, 1965; Worswick & Barhour, 1974; Robinson & Chandler, 1993). Howcver, many of these dcvices are complcx and dirticult to construct (Magdych, 1981). Most of the descrihed designs employs the elutriation technique. It consists in removing the animais from the bottom hy passing a continuous flux of water through the sediment, which puts ali but the heaviest materiais in suspension in the water column. The suspended material is then retained bya collection dcvice. As usual in benthic marine sampling, the sediments are preliminary sieved in the ficld to rcducc their volume. Thc elutriator is employed prior to sorting under stereomicroscope, cleaning the sample and saving time. Usually the described devices for clutriationare designed for small samples, or samples from rivers and places with muddy sediments (Lauff et ai., 1961;Worswick & Barbour, 1974;Magdych, ]981). However, when working with large samples in the continental shelf, sorting is a lengthy process, which dclays very much the analysis of the data. Besides time, sorting is also related withthe type of sediment. On surveys performed in coastal areas, frcquently ali kind ofbottoms are found: from coarse and sandy to fine and muddy, with mixcd types includcd. So, an apparatus that saves time and is effective in alI substrates collected, will be extremely useful to bcnthic researchers. The device described below has proven to be very effeetive in separating the bcnthic macrofauna from a variety of marine coastal sediments, including common coarse botloms.


Background: Shawerma is a popular traditional food in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the shawerma handlers' compliance with food safety practices and determine the microbial load and pathogenic organisms in the ready-to-eat chicken shawerma sandwiches in the restaurants of Amman, Jordan.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used mixed methods including observational checklists to determine the compliance of food safety practices by 120 chicken shawerma handlers from 40 randomly selected restaurants in Amman. Additionally, pathogenic microorganisms were assessed by laboratory analysis in the ready-to-eat chicken shawerma sandwiches.
Results: Only 2.5% and 10% complied, respectively, with separating knives and boards used for chicken from the ones used for vegetables. The compliance for maintaining proper temperatures for freezers and chillers were only 62% and 67%, respectively. As for hand-washing techniques and using disposable drying papers, the adherence was 5% and 7.5%, respectively. Laboratory analysis showed that 27.5% of the ready-to-eat shawerma had unacceptable levels of microorganisms.
Conclusion: Our findings showed poor compliance of food safety practices in chicken shawerma restaurants of Amman. There is a need for capacity building and periodic evaluations of food handlers' knowledge and practices within a comprehensive food safety program, carried out by qualified trainers.
Keywords: chicken shawerma, food safety, Jordan


Consumption of soft drinks (SDs) has increased in recent years. Soft drinks contain a collection of chemical compounds can produce multiple side effects. This work aimed to inspect the impacts of long-term consumption of SDs on liver function, antioxidant and oxidative biomarker, body weight, lipid profile and liver histological structure in female albino rats. Twenty-four female albino White rats (Rattus norvigicus) were randomly assigned to six groups of four animals: two control groups (groups 1-2) were fed regular pellet; Coca-Cola group (groups 3-4) were fed with standard pellet diet and given Coca Cola (2 ml) once a day; and Seven up groups (groups 5-6) were fed with standard pellet diet and given Seven up (2 ml) once a day. The treatment continued for two weeks and four months. All treatments were administered by oral gavage. Cardiac puncture technique was used for taken blood samples after 2 weeks and 3 months for measurement of liver function tests, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and lipid profile, in addition to the histological study for the liver tissue. ALAT, ASAT and ALP activity considerably elevated (p≤0.05) in animal dosed with Coca Cola and Seven up daily for 4 months. GSH significantly decrease (p≤0.05) in animal dosed with Coca Cola for 4 months. MDA was significantly increase (p≤0.05) in animal dosed with Coca Cola and Seven up for 4 months. Body weight gains significantly elevated in the treated groups for 4 months compared with the control and the other groups. Total cholesterol, TG, VLDL-C and LDL-C was increased significantly in the groups dosed with Coca Cola and Seven up for 2 weeks and 4 months compared with other groups. While the HDL-C showed a significant reduction in the groups dosed with Coca Cola and Seven up for 2 weeks and 4 months. Histopathological study revealed changes in the liver of groups treated with Cola and Seven up for 4 months represented by the appearance of a dilated and congested portal vein and ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes. In conclusions, chronic consumption of soft drinks has harmful effects on liver function and a reason for exposure to fatty liver disease.


Hearing aids classify acoustic environments into multiple, generic classes for the purposes of guiding signal processing. Information about environmental classification is made available to the clinician for fitting, counseling, and troubleshooting purposes. The goal of this study was to better inform scientists and clinicians about the nature of that information by comparing the classification schemes among five premium hearing instruments in a wide range of acoustic scenes including those that vary in signal-to-noise ratio and overall level (dB SPL). Twenty-eight acoustic scenes representing various prototypical environments were presented to five premium devices mounted on an acoustic manikin. Classification measures were recorded from the brand-specific fitting software then recategorized to generic labels to conceal the device company, including (a) Speech in Quiet, (b) Speech in Noise, (c) Noise, and (d) Music. Twelve normal-hearing listeners also classified each scene. The results revealed a variety of similarities and differences among the five devices and the human subjects. Where some devices were highly dependent on input overall level, others were influenced markedly by signal-to-noise ratio. Differences between human and hearing aid classification were evident for several speech and music scenes. Environmental classification is the heart of the signal processing strategy for any given device, providing key input to subsequent decision-making. Comprehensive assessment of environmental classification is essential when considering the cost of signal processing errors, the potential impact for typical wearers, and the information that is available for use by clinicians. The magnitude of differences among devices is remarkable and to be noted.


Background: This study was realized for more than four years (from 2014 to 2018) in olive groves of northern Tunisian governorates. Scale insect samples were collected from leaves, stems and fruits.Results: An annotated list of 22 scale insect species has been recorded. These species divided into 4 families. The family Diaspididae is the most species-rich, with 14 species in 9 genera; Coccidae contains 4 species in 3 genera; Pseudococcidae contains 3 species in 3 genera; and Asterolecaniidae contains 1 species in 1 genus.Conclusions: This paper contains 3 species recorded for the first time in the Tunisian fauna: Saissetia coffeae (Walker), Diaspidiotus ostreaeformis (Curtis) and Lepidosaphes conchiformis (Gmelin).


Abstract Emphysema is one of the pathological manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which leads to lung hyperinflation, decreased activity of the diaphragm, decreased compliance of the lung, and difficulties in gas exchange. The clinical effect of pharmacological treatment for patients with severe emphysema is limited. In recent years, the emergence of bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) has opened up the possibility for the management of COPD with severe emphysema. The article aims to summarize the development, procedure, and methodology of BLVR as well as its clinical efficacy.


Coverage holes often exist in wireless sensor networks deployed with static nodes. In order to patch the holes and recover the network performance, an algorithm based on mobile nodes is presented, which guides the mobile nodes to the position of holes, and then get the resilient coverage. The static sensors bound a coverage hole can compute the optimum position for the mobile sensors which, after moving, can get the maximal recovering coverage and avoid presenting scatter and little coverage holes. We do some simulations to show the coverage, stability and redundancy of the proposed method, then the related work are analyzed and some performance comparisons in availability are given.


Nitrates and beta-blockers have been the mainstay in the therapy of chronic stable angina pectoris for many years. Since an important number of patients remains symptomatic, new potent anti-ischemic agents like the calcium antagonists fulfil a great clinical need. Combined therapy with beta-blockers and calcium antagonists is attractive, since both classes of drugs have differing and eventually complementary modes of action. On the other hand, both have direct negative inotropic and chronotropic effects. We reviewed the anti-anginal, electrophysiologic and hemodynamic effects of combined treatment with a beta-blocker and verapamil or nifedipine. Combined therapy provides greater symptomatic relief than monotherapy with beta-blockers or slow channel blockers alone. While incidental adverse negative inotropic and chronotropic interactions have been reported, particularly when verapamil is involved, their hemodynamic interplay appears beneficial rather than detrimental in the majority of patients. Indeed, combined therapy is effective and safe, at least when a preserved or only moderately impaired left ventricular function is present. However, caution must be exercised in patients with more impaired left ventricular function, and combined therapy with verapamil must be avoided when conduction disturbances are likely to occur.