BACKGROUND
Despite the controversy regarding the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy, studies in various countries report a two- to threefold increase in the use of HRT during the last decade.

OBJECTIVES
To estimate the prevalence of HRT use among post-menopausal Jewish women in Israel and to determine the variables predicting current HRT use.

METHODS
A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in 1998 on a random sample of Jewish women aged 45-74. Of 935 women who were located and eligible, 704 (75%) were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS
A total of 589 women (85%) were peri-menopausal or post-menopausal. Ninety-nine of them (16.8%) were currently using HRT and 78 (13.2%) were past users. Higher rates of current use were found among women who had undergone hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy (38%) than among all other women (13.5%). Among naturally menopausal women the highest rate of current use (25.6%) was found in those aged 55-59. A multiple logistic regression showed that the variables associated with current HRT use among naturally menopausal women were: having a regular gynecologist (odds ratio 3.6, 95% confidence interval 1.7-7.5), visiting a gynecologist during the past year (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.0), experiencing symptoms of menopause (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.01-3.8), having more than a high-school education (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.04-3.6), and a lower body mass index (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS
The factors associated with HRT use may be markers for other socioeconomic or psychological characteristics. The disparities noted between population subgroups may be indicative of differences in awareness or in the delivery of preventive healthcare services to women in Israel, and as such need to be addressed by the health system.


With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, the student of the administration course has been searching more and more for ways to improve their results and one of the most efficient ways to do this is by developing new skills. In this context, the Coaching process is presented as a strategy, a management tool capable of contributing to the development of behavioral skills such as discipline, focus, and consistency. Given this scenario, this work aims to propose the Coaching process as a tool for the development of new skills in students of the administration course. Initially, bibliographic research was done, presenting a theoretical approach to the context of Coaching. Research is used in books, periodicals, Scielo-based scientific articles, and other electronic sources. Therefore, the problem involving this research is to demonstrate how the Coaching process can leverage the personal and professional development of students in the administration course.


RATIONALE
Angiogenesis is a defining pathologic feature of airway remodeling and contributes to asthma severity. Women experience changes in asthma control over the menstrual cycle, a time when vessels routinely form and regress under the control of angiogenic factors. One vital function modulated over the menstrual cycle in healthy women is gas transfer, and this has been related to angiogenesis and cyclic expansion of the pulmonary vascular bed.

OBJECTIVES
We hypothesized that changes in gas transfer and the pulmonary vascular bed occur in women with asthma over the menstrual cycle and are associated with worsening airflow obstruction.

METHODS
Twenty-three women, 13 with asthma and 10 healthy control subjects, were evaluated over the menstrual cycle with weekly measures of spirometry, gas transfer, nitric oxide, hemoglobin, factors affecting hemoglobin binding affinity, and proangiogenic factors.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Airflow and lung diffusing capacity varied over the menstrual cycle with peak levels during menses that subsequently declined to nadir in early luteal phase. In contrast to healthy women, changes in lung diffusing capacity (DL(CO)) were associated with changes in membrane diffusing capacity and DL(CO) was not related to proangiogenic factors. DL(CO) did not differ between the two groups, although methemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin were higher in women with asthma than in healthy women.

CONCLUSIONS
Women with asthma experience cyclic changes in airflow as well as gas transfer and membrane diffusing capacity supportive of a hormonal effect on lung function.


A quantity-dependent hedonic model is used to study consumers' actual purchases of cured ham, recorded through scanner in Spain, between April 2003 and March 2004. A Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZIB) model is applied because of the high proportion of zero purchase-values and the finding of overdispersion in the data. Ham characteristics are used as explanatory variables, such as breed, origin, EU Quality Certification squemes (PDO, PGI, STG), type of brand (producer's and distributor's), sale format (whole leg, vacuum packaged, on request), ripening period and price. Monthly dummies variables are also added to capture a possible seasonal effect. The results show that the distributor's brand, the whole leg sale format, the origin Teruel and its certification through a PDO are the main attributes affecting cured ham purchases. The Quality Certification has a significant effect when added to a locally produced ham (PDO Teruel), while in general, it has a negative impact. Vacuum packages and ripening period, have a negative impact on the quantity purchased. The positive impact of the attributes on cured ham purchases are reinforced when attached with Iberian ham, especially in the case of a distributor's brand and a whole leg sale format. In addition, the negative impact of the vacuum packages is mitigated when the breed of the ham is Iberian.


In applications where user interaction is required it is often useful to be able to display information to the user. A simple interface could be status LEDs, whereas more complex interaction can benefit from a display capable of displaying letters, number, words or even sentences. Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) are often used for displaying messages. LCD modules can either be graphical ones, which can be used to display graphics and text, or alphanumerical ones capable of displaying 10 – 80 characters. The standard alphanumerical LCD modules are easy to interface but are fairly expensive. These are expensive because they have built-in drivers/controllers, which handle the generation of the characters/graphics on the LCD glass.


The second edition of this concise, affordable textbook is ideal for curious undergraduate majors and non-majors taking a first course in meteorology. The first two chapters introduce readers to the main concepts and tools used to analyze weather patterns. Chapters 3-8 provide a foundational understanding of the fundamental processes taking place in the atmosphere, and in Chapters 9-12 these physical concepts are applied to specific weather phenomena. Weather concepts are then used in Chapters 13-15 to explain weather forecasting, air pollution, and the impact of climate change on weather. Key concepts are illustrated through a running case study of a single mid-latitude cyclone, providing students with an opportunity to progressively develop their understanding of weather phenomena with a familiar example approached from multiple perspectives. This edition includes expanded and updated coverage of precipitation types and formation, satellite and radar technology, tornadoes, and more. It also features thought-provoking end-of-chapter review questions, new visual analysis exercises, an expanded test bank and nearly 100 new figures.


Background: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of mortality from gynecologic cancers due to the high incidence of chemoresistance and disease recurrence. Disease recurrence is thought to occur due to the presence of residual disease following first-line standard of care (i.e. optimal debulking and chemotherapy). Residual disease post chemotherapy is composed of a unique population of chemoresistant cancer cells with stemness properties and a high capacity for tumor repair. Currently, there are no available options that can target these cells. The objective of this study was to develop a new therapeutic modality that will target chemoresistant ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSC) and consequently prevent recurrence and improve survival. To achieve this objective we developed a library of super-benzopyran (SBP) analogues and identified TRX-1 as the most potent analogue able to induce OCSC cell death in a short period of time. Moreover, in contrast to Cisplatin and Paclitaxel, TRX-1 is able to induce a persistent growth inhibitory effect both in vitro and in vivo thus improving overall survival in a mouse model of recurrent ovarian cancer. Materials and methods: A panel of SBP analogues were generated and activity was determined by testing against pure clones of CD44+/MyD88+ OCSC. In vitro efficacy was assessed using the IncucyteTM kinetic imaging platform complemented by CelltoxTM dye labeling. In vivo efficacy was tested using an intra-peritoneal (i.p.) a mouse model of recurrent ovarian cancer1. Results: TRX-1 was the most potent analogue identified and is able to induce cell death in all OCSC clones tested (IC50 of 136 nM). We observed that 2h in vitro exposure to 2μM TRX-1 was sufficient to induce a sustained growth inhibitory effect in OCSC, hence the cells were not able to recover growth potential even after removal of the drug. In contrast, OCSC exposed for up to 24h with the same dose of Cisplatin or Paclitaxel were able to recover. In vivo, animals bearing residual tumors after Paclitaxel treatment demonstrated tumor progression when further maintained with vehicle or Paclitaxel indicating Paclitaxel resistance. In contrast, maintenance with TRX-1 was able to effectively decrease tumor burden (p = 0.02) and prevent recurrence. In addition, combination treatment with TRX-1 and Cisplatin was able to significantly improve survival (p Conclusion: We describe the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumoral effect of a novel compound, TRX-1, which exhibits significant efficacy against chemoresistant OCSC and is able to prevent recurrence in a chemoresistant in vivo model. Recurrence characterized by chemoresistance is the main cause of mortality in ovarian cancer patients. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that conventional chemotherapy is not effective against OCSC and cannot prevent recurrence. Our finding that TRX-1, by targeting OCSC can prevent recurrence in vivo as maintenance therapy or in combination with chemotherapy provides a new opportunity for developing new therapeutic strategies that can improve survival in ovarian cancer patients. Citation Format: Ayesha Alvero, Eydis Lima, Mary Pitruzzello, Yang Yang-Hartwich, David Brown, Andrew Heaton, Gil Mor. TRX-1 targets chemoresistant tumor-initiating cells and prolongs survival in a recurrent ovarian cancer animal model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A62.


In order to analyze the water inrush data with a smaller number and a lower accuracy, a linear kernel H-SVMs model was presented. Firstly, a model was deduced to evaluate the generalization power of H-SVMs, then, a novel method to build H-SVMs was put forward. The separation distances of SVMs are regarded as the indices for classifying and clustering. Through the top-down and bottom-up routes, the input samples are classified by maximal separation distance and clustered by minimal separation distance. The approach of classification can select the SVM whose separation margin is maximal through the top-down route, and dichotomize the input samples according to their categories at each node. The approach of clustering can select the SVM whose separation margin is minimal through the bottom-up route, and hierarchically cluster every two input samples according to their categories at each node. After H-SVMs' structure determined, the attributes of input samples at each SVM node is reducted, by which a closely related attributes set is constructed in order to gain a better performance for the SVM. Finally, the H-SVMs model is applied to the data mining and knowledge discoverying of mine water inrush. Experimental results show the novel method has a simple structure, and a good generalization performance, it can not only predict the scale of water inrush correctly, but also its tree structure can denote the hiberarchy of water inrush, moreover, the normal vector parameters Ws in the decision functions can describe the weights of the factors related to the mine water inrush, the prediction rules are abstracted by analyzing the decision functions, in which a novel scientific method introduced to the prediction of the water inrush.


Based on the analysis of flow characteristics of the FCC riser feedstock injection zone, two novel feedstock injection structures are put forward. By investigating three flow parameters in the feedstock injection zone under the three different structures (the traditional and the novel No. 1, No. 2 structures): the local density, the particle backmixng ratio, and the jet eigen-concentration, the flow feature under three structures were obtained. The experimental results demonstrate that the flow features under both proposed structures are obviously improved comparing with those under the traditional structure. Especially, the performance of the deflector-structured No. 2 is more desirable than that of No. 1.


The State Water Project Coastal Branch Aqueduct and Extensions brings 48,000 acre feet of water annually to 23 Southern California communities. built over five years, the project involved building a 43 MGD water treatment plant and installing nearly 140 miles of underground pipeline in some of California's most challenging terrain. To address the many challenges this project presented—among them, building the treatment plant near the San Andreas Fault and avoiding impact to sensitive habitats—the project team designed the plant to ensure seismic integrity and used the latest in trenchless technology.


As the wilderness metaphor has decreased in utility due to widespread human‐driven environmental change, conservationists and restorationists have struggled to find new ways to inspire nature conservation. Some have suggested gardening as a new metaphor, but many are wary of its implications, particularly for animals viewed as threats or pests. Others, however, point out positive attributes for the metaphor including its focus on stewardship of nature which allows for positive human agency in ecosystems. We argue a gardening metaphor may also allow increased flexibility in approaches to biodiversity conservation, in part by allowing goals to be fit to communities and their specific cultural contexts. Wild gardening would seek to preserve global biodiversity while acknowledging the pivotal role humans now play in that process. Here we review the use of the garden metaphor over the last 25 years and discuss what wild gardening might mean for restoration. Consistent with a long history of environmental thought, we suggest such a metaphor will work best if it is coupled with a civic/stewardship ethic and a good dose of humility on the part of all gardeners.


This is the second of two articles dealing with the constitutional right of access to
social assistance in South Africa by way of comparison with the social justice
provisions applicable in India. Part I dealt specifically with the significance of a
comparison between these two countries and focused on the provisions of the Indian
Constitution and court judgments which may inform social policy in South Africa. Part
II, based on lessons from India, considers the use of the right to life as a solution for
people not qualifying for any social assistance in South Africa despite being in
desperate need.


The present study deals with the effects of wall geometry on fluid flow and heat transfer in a circular tube. Rectangular-rib structural wall roughness is considered. This roughness is characterized by rib height, width and pitch. A detailed parametric investigation of the effect of rib width-to-height ratio on the friction coefficient is performed for different rib pitches. This ratio varies from 0.1 to 6.0. Various rib pitches are considered, from those corresponding to a smooth wall, and up to the pitch-to-rib-height ratio of 16. The pipe diameter and the flow Reynolds number serve as additional parameters. Numerical simulations are performed using a modified kepsilon turbulence model, which makes possible the prediction of flow separation, reattachment and adverse pressure gradients. The model is validated by comparing its results with experimental results reported in the literature. The results of the present study indicate that for the given pipe diameter and flow Reynolds number, the pitch that corresponds to maximal flow resistance depends on the rib width-to-height ratio. It appears that when the width-to-height ratio decreases, this optimal pitch decreases.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


Good health is the underlying foundation for all humanity's developmental planning and actions. United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goal 3 is designed to achieve good health and well - being for all. Health information is an essential tool that can support good health and healthy living. Medical libraries as health information disseminating institutions have the potentials to disseminate information needed to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).The paper highlights the potential roles of medical libraries in creating access to health information to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3. It concludes that medical libraries in Nigeria need adequate funding and institutional support to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well-Being in Nigeria. Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, United Nations, Medical libraries, Health information access, Consumer health information services


The study aims to develop a rapid, specific and sensitive method for quantitative analysis of trace impurities in levofloxacin formulation using LC-MS/MS. The quality of the different formulations from 19 plants was evaluated in the contents of the impurities. The results indicated that there were 5 impurities in the samples, and the content was different in the products with same formulation by different plants. The products of 3 plants were in good quality with impurities level under 0.01%. Levofloxacin N(4')-methyl quaternary impurity was first reported as the formulation impurity. The impurities were tightly correlated to the reservation of drug, process control of formulation and storage during transportation. The results suggest that our method is sensitive and specific to detect the trace impurities in formulation, and can be used to monitor the quality of commercial drug product.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the least-squares based finite element models in solving the beam bending problems to overcome shear and membrane locking and predict generalized forces accurately. This study is conducted using the EulerBernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories applied to straight beams. The solution accuracy of the least-squares finite element models with conventional finite element models is also assessed.


We study the problem of {\em distribution-independent} PAC learning of halfspaces in the presence of Massart noise. Specifically, we are given a set of labeled examples $(\mathbf{x}, y)$ drawn from a distribution $\mathcal{D}$ on $\mathbb{R}^{d+1}$ such that the marginal distribution on the unlabeled points $\mathbf{x}$ is arbitrary and the labels $y$ are generated by an unknown halfspace corrupted with Massart noise at noise rate $\eta<1/2$. The goal is to find a hypothesis $h$ that minimizes the misclassification error $\mathbf{Pr}_{(\mathbf{x}, y) \sim \mathcal{D}} \left[ h(\mathbf{x}) \neq y \right]$.
We give a $\mathrm{poly}\left(d, 1/\epsilon \right)$ time algorithm for this problem with misclassification error $\eta+\epsilon$. We also provide evidence that improving on the error guarantee of our algorithm might be computationally hard. Prior to our work, no efficient weak (distribution-independent) learner was known in this model, even for the class of disjunctions. The existence of such an algorithm for halfspaces (or even disjunctions) has been posed as an open question in various works, starting with Sloan (1988), Cohen (1997), and was most recently highlighted in Avrim Blum's FOCS 2003 tutorial.


Purpose To investigate if the peripheral corneal endothelium that is usually discarded after a corneal transplant could be used for endothelial cell culture. Methods Donor corneas (n = 19) with a mean age of 72 years, male : female ratio of 15 : 4, and death-to-preservation time of 10 hours were assessed for endothelial cell density (ECD) and number of dead cells before isolation. Alizarin red staining (n = 3) was performed to check the morphology of cells in the center and periphery. Descemet's membrane-endothelial complex was peeled from the center (8.25 mm) and the periphery (2.75 mm) and plated in two different wells of an 8-well chamber slide with media refreshed every alternate day. The confluence rate was monitored by microscopy. Live/dead analysis was performed (n = 3) at confluence. Tag-2A12 as a monoclonal antibody against peroxiredoxin-6 (Prdx-6) (n = 4), ZO-1 (zonula occludens-1) as a tight junction protein (n = 4), and Ki-67 as a proliferative cell marker (n = 4) were used to characterize the cells at confluence. Results At confluence, 8.25% average increase in the number of cells was observed from the central zone compared with 16.5% from the peripheral zone. Proliferation rate, hexagonality, Ki-67 positivity, and the cell area did not significantly differ between the groups (p > 0.05). All the proteins corresponding to the biomarkers tested were expressed in both the groups. Conclusions Although there are significantly fewer amounts of peripheral cells available after graft preparation for keratoplasty, these cells can still be used for endothelial cell culture due to their proliferative capability. The peripheral cells that are discarded after graft preparation can thus be utilized to increase the donor endothelial cell pool for regenerative treatments.


This paper examines the derivation and implementation of a self-starting four-step fifth order block integrator for direct integration of stiff and oscillatory first-order ordinary differential equations using interpolation and collocation procedures. The method was developed by collocation and interpolation of the combination of power series and exponential function to generate a continuous implicit linear multistep method. The paper further investigates the properties of the block integrator and found it to be zero-stable, consistent and convergent. The efficiency of the integrator was also tested on some sampled stiff and oscillatory problems and found to perform better than some existing ones.


In this work, we present a first approach to activity patterns discovery by mean of topic models. Using motion data collected with a wearable device we prototype, TheBadge, we analyse raw accelerometer data using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a particular instantiation of topic models. Results show that for particular values of the parameters necessary for applying LDA to a countinous dataset, good accuracies in activity classification can be achieved.


The role of nutrition in causing or preventing skin diseases is an ongoing interest to clinicians and researchers. An example is the well-established relationship between the exacerbation of acute gouty arthritis and high purine foods. A recent phenomenon of the link between diet and skin disease is that between certain foods--including garlic, onion and leek--and pemphigus. This connection is being intensively researched by us in collaboration with Ruocco and colleagues at the University of Naples II School of Medicine and Surgery. Case studies with supporting histological and immunological evidence are accumulating showing the role of these foods in provoking and exacerbating pemphigus.


The rheological behavior of microcellular, oil-extended ethylene–propylene–diene rubber (EPDM) compounds was studied in extrusions containing a blowing agent. The cell morphology development and rheological properties were studied for unfilled and conductive carbon black (Vulcan XC72, Cabot Corp., Ltd., Alpharetta, GA) filled compounds with variations of the blowing agent, extrusion temperature, and shear rate. The apparent shear stress, apparent viscosity, die swell (%), and total extrusion pressure of the Vulcan XC72 filled, oil-extended EPDM compounds were determined with a Monsanto processability tester (St. Louis, MO). The effects of the curing agent and blowing agent on the rheological properties of the compounds were also studied. A significant reduction in the stress and viscosity with the blowing agent was observed in the compound in the presence of the curing agent in comparison with those without the curing agent. The viscosity reduction factor was found to be dependent on the blowing agent loading, shear rate, and temperature. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008


Abstract Invasive populations of Dalmation toadflax [Linaria dalmatica (L.) Mill.] and yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris Mill.) are widespread throughout the Intermountain West, where gene flow between these nonnative species is producing vigorous and fertile hybrids. These hybrid toadflax populations are less responsive to herbicides than either parent species, and biocontrol agents routinely released on L. dalmatica and L. vulgaris often fail to establish on hybrid hosts. Early detection of hybrid Linaria populations is therefore essential for effective management, but resources are limited for scouting large expanses of range and wildland. We used species distribution modeling to identify environmentally suitable areas for these invasive Linaria taxa in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Areas suitable for hybrid Linaria establishment were estimated using two different modeling approaches: first, based on known hybrid occurrence and associated environmental conditions, and second, based on zones environmentally suitable for co-occurrence of the parent species. This also allowed comparison of different model outputs, especially relevant when modeling emerging invasives, such as novel hybrids, with minimal occurrence data. Combining the two model outputs identified areas at greatest risk of hybrid Linaria invasion, including parts of north-central Montana, where model estimates indicate the hybrid may spread without prior co-invasion of the parents. Potential hybrid hot spots were also identified in western Montana; northwestern, northeastern, and southeastern Wyoming; and the Western Slope and Front Range of Colorado. Despite relatively few confirmed occurrences of hybrid populations to date, our results indicate that extensive spread of hybrid populations is possible within the studied area. Model-based maps of potential Linaria distributions will allow area weed managers to direct limited resources more effectively for locating and controlling these invaders.


Context. In a series ofour previous papers, formulation and specifics of the represent ion of World Coordinate Transformations in FITS data have been presented. This fourth paper deals with encoding time. Aims. Time on all scales and precision known in astronomical datas ets shall be described by extending the established FITS sta ndard. Methods. Employing the well–established World Coordinate System fr amework, and maintaining compatibility with the FITS conventions that are currently in use to specify time, the stand ard is extended to describe rigorously the time coordinate. Results. World coordinate functions are defined for temporal axes sam pled linearly and as specified by a lookup table.


Reinforcement learning can effectively learn amortised design policies for designing sequences of experiments. However, current methods rely on contrastive estimators of expected information gain, which require an exponential number of contrastive samples to achieve an unbiased estimation. We propose an alternative lower bound estimator, based on the cross-entropy of the joint model distribution and a flexible proposal distribution. This proposal distribution approximates the true posterior of the model parameters given the experimental history and the design policy. Our estimator requires no contrastive samples, can achieve more accurate estimates of high information gains, allows learning of superior design policies, and is compatible with implicit probabilistic models. We assess our algorithm's performance in various tasks, including continuous and discrete designs and explicit and implicit likelihoods.


The aim of this thesis is the study of electronic transport and mechanical properties of materials using computer simulations. In particular, we dealt with the charge transport in semiconduc- tor and metallic samples and with the peeling of a graphene layer from bulk graphite. The computational methods used to investigate the samples are (i) the Monte Carlo (MC) statis- tical method to simulate the transport of electrons in solids and (ii) the molecular dynamic (MD) approach to study the mechanical characteristics. A relevant part of this thesis is focused on carbon-based material, such as diamond and graphite, and the stable two-dimensional al- lotrope, graphene. The response of diamond and graphite to external electromagnetic pertur- bations, due to e.g. an impinging electron beam, was investigated by calculating reflection electron energy loss (REEL) spectra with MC simulations. By comparing the calculated spec- tra, obtained using different dielectric models, and in-house recorded experimental results, the most effective dielectric model better describing the plasma losses was identified. Moreover, an extension to these models to describe the anisotropic response of graphite to an external electromagnetic perturbation was developed and included in the MC approach. Owing to the central role of carbon for future electronic and technological applications, also its mechanical properties were investigated by means of MD simulations. In particular, the peeling process of a layer of graphene from a bulk of graphite was investigated. This process is exploitable for graphene production and for adhesive applications of this material. Moreover, the MC approach, employed for calculating REEL spectra, was tested and compared to other com- putational techniques based on the solution of the Ambartsumian-Chandrasekhar equations. This consistency test was realized by considering three metals (copper, silver and gold) as tar- get materials. Further studies were carried out on these materials by calculating secondary electron emission yields as a function of the electron beam energy. A remarkable good agreement with experimental data was obtained. The MC approach was also used to investigate the growth of particles in a W(CO)6 layer deposited on a SiO2 substrate upon irradiations by an electron beam in the context of the focused electron beam induced deposition technique. In particular, by applying the MC method, the radial distribution of emitted secondary electrons was calculated and then utilized as input data for further MD simulations. Moreover, the study of electron transport in an organic polymer (P3HT) was performed in order to understand how the molecular ordering affects the secondary electron emission. This aspect is of paramount importance to construct efficient organic electronic devices.


A labeling chemistry-based methodology, APSC-8-oxoGua-seq, is developed to sequence 8-oxoGua in the microRNA transcriptome. N-(3-Azidopropyl)-spermine-5-carboxamide (APSC) is designed for the selective labeling of 8-oxoGua, where its azide facilitates the conjugation of a cleavable linker via the click reaction, achieving 8-oxoGua pull-down and sequencing. Using APSC-8-oxoGua-seq, 8-oxoGua can be identified at single-base resolution.


The equatorward cutoff of ion and electron precipitation in relation to the evening region 2 field-aligned current during isolated substorms has been investigated using the magnetic field and plasma data obtained from the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite. The equatorward boundaries of the region 2 currents relative to those of central plasma sheet (CPS) electron precipitation are determined predominantly by magnetic local time and subsequently change with substorm phases. With approaching midnight the equatorward boundary of CPS electron precipitation extends toward and eventually equatorward of that of the region 2 current. On the other hand, the equatorward boundary of the region 2 current coincides well with that of 10–20 keV ion precipitation during the whole course of substorms. We propose that these ions originate in the so-called Alfven layer and that the location of this inner boundary determines the lower latitude boundary of the region 2 current.


Flavobacterium columnare is an aquatic bacterium that is responsible for columnaris disease. This aquatic pathogen has a worldwide distribution and is highly infectious to both warm and cold water fish. A modified live F. columnare vaccine was developed by repeated passage of a virulent strain on increasing concentrations of rifampicin that resulted in attenuation. Here we report vaccination/challenge trials to evaluate efficacy and safety. In separate laboratory trials, immersion vaccination of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fry between 10 to 48 days post hatch (DPH) with experimental vaccine or licensed product resulted in relative percent survival (RPS) between 57e94% following challenge. Similarly, a vaccination/challenge trial using largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fry at 10 DPH was performed using various doses of licensed product under laboratory conditions. Results demonstrated safety of the vaccine and significant protection following challenge with RPS values between 74e94%, depending on vaccine dose. Together, these trials demonstrate the vaccine administered to early life-stage channel catfish and largemouth bass is safe and reduces mortality following challenge with F. columnare. Published by Elsevier Ltd.


Objective
To estimate the cost of dog deworming in Daofu, Sichuan Province and analyze the factors influencing the cost, in order to provide a scientific basis for the investment for echinococcosis control.

Methods
Thirty villages were randomly selected in Daofu, Sichuan Province in November 2015, according to the proportion of agricultural and pastoral areas. Data concerning the cost during each step of dog deworming were collected. The unit cost was estimated, the cost composition in each step, element, and institution were described, and the main cost-influencing factors were analyzed using the linear regression method.

Results
The mean cost of dog deworming in the 30 surveyed villages was 3.76 yuan/dog-times, comprising drug cost of 0.38 yuan/dog-times, bait cost of 0.37 yuan/dog-times, drug delivery cost of 0.09 yuan/dog-times, mobilization cost of 0.19 yuan/dog-times, household deworming cost of 2.05 yuan/dog-times, faeces disposal cost of 0.35 yuan/dog-times, training cost of 0.29 yuan/dog-times, and supervision cost of 0.04 yuan/dog-times. Among the deworming steps, household deworming cost occupied the most (2.05 yuan/dog-times); among the cost elements, labour cost had the highest proportion (2.55 yuan/dog-times); among the different-leveled institutions, village-level cost was the most important part(2.82 yuan/dog-times). Linear regression analysis revealed that the type of production and the distance among households were the major influencing factors. The labour price was the most sensitive factor for cost-estimation in the dog deworming activities.

Conclusion
The labor cost of dog deworming is very high. Governments should increase investment according to local situations.


We have substantially improved the performance of interband cascade lasers emitting at λ = 4.7 and 5.6 μm, by applying the recently-pioneered approach of heavily doping the injector regions to rebalance the electron and hole concentrations in the active quantum wells. Ridges of ≈10 μm width, 4 mm length, and high-reflectivity back facets achieve maximum continuous wave operating temperatures of 60°C and 48°C, respectively. The threshold power density of ≈1 kW/cm2 at T = 25°C is over an order of magnitude lower than for state-of-the-art quantum cascade lasers emitting in this spectral range.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the therapeutic outcomes of cyberknife for patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVM) and outline the content of AVM targets.

METHODS
Between January 2008 and October 2011, 51 patients underwent cyberknife radiosurgery for cerebral AVMs. The mean age was 27 (8-47) years. The procedures included prior embolization (n = 24), gamma knife before cyberknife (n = 2) and cyberknife initially (n = 25). The delineation of AVM targets was as follows: AVM with prior embolization, radiosurgical targets included AVM nidus, embolization areas and some small draining veins. However, low radiation dose was delivered to embolization parts and draining veins. For 25 patients without embolization, the radiosurgical target was AVM nidus. The mean target volume was 7.8 (1.2-22.0) cm³ and 15 of them were larger than 10.0 cm³. In patients harboring AVM with target volumes < 4 cm³, cyberknife radiation was delivered in a single session. And the remainder had 2 (n = 25) or 3 (n = 19) sessions. The mean marginal dose was 23(18-28) Gy.

RESULTS
AVM obliteration was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or angiography in 40 (78%) patients during a mean follow-up of 46 (36-70) months. Marked size reduction of AVM was obtained in 11 incompletely obliterated patients. Among them, there were second cyberknife treatment (n = 3), third embolization for complex AVM (n = 1), gamma knife (n = 1) and further follow-ups (n = 6). The higher obliteration rate of AVM was correlated with small volume of AVM in noncritical areas, prior embolization and radiation target of embolization areas. Three patients had hemorrhage during the follow-up period and recovered. Brain edema was found in patients with basal ganglion or parietal AVMs. A permanent neurological deficit (paralysis) due to adverse radiation effects developed in 1 patient.

CONCLUSION
Cyberknife radiosurgery is particularly effective for patients with smaller AVMs in noncritical areas of brain. In patients with prior embolization, delineation of AVM targets including embolization areas is essential for a higher rate of obliteration.


The moisture diffusion properties of unsaturated soils control the rate of infiltration of surface moisture into the soil mass and hence are critical to a wide variety of civil structures, including pavements, structures, retaining walls, and slopes. Because of the dependence of permeability on suction and the nonlinearity of the suction–moisture relationship, the analytical formulation for flow through unsaturated soils is highly nonlinear. An approximate linear analysis of this problem, which was originally proposed by Peter Mitchell, was investigated. One advantage of this approximate analysis is that it can provide the practical basis for measuring soil moisture diffusion characteristics in laboratory tests. A second advantage is that the linear formulation provides an analytical tool accessible to practitioners. Mitchell originally based his formulation on a relatively restrictive assumption on the permeability-versus-suction relationship. An approach to circumventing that restriction is proposed. The findings of a laboratory test program that uses Mitchell's formulation to estimate a soil's moisture diffusion characteristics are presented. Finally, some simple analytical predictions demonstrate the practical significance of the soil moisture diffusion properties.


Introduction:
 We investigated the relationship between the level of cerebral collateral circulation on arterial spin-labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) on acetazolamide (ACZ)-stress single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain scans in internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis.

 Methods:
 This study enrolled 129 patients with severe ICA stenosis (>70%). Collateral circulation was assessed in pulsed ASL images based on the presence of arterial transit artifact (ATA) that late-arriving flow appears as serpiginous high ASL signal within cortical vessels. CVR based on rest-SPECT and ACZ-stress SPECT with Tc-99m-ECD was calculated. The ASL CBF maps were independently assessed by two neuroradiologists blinded to clinical information. The two neuroradiologists graded on two slices of ASL images corresponding to Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) location using a 4-point scale for ASL intensity.

 Results:
 With ACZ-stress SPECT, the 88/129 (68%) patients showed normal CVR and 41/129 (32%) patients showed decreased CVR. In 73/88 (82%) of the normal CVR group patients, ASL showed ATA in ipsilateral to the stenosis. In 19/41 (46%) of the decreased CVR group patients, ASL showed no evidence of ATA in ipsilateral to the stenosis. Significant positive relationship was observed between the normal CVR group and the ATA showing group in ICA stenosis patients (p = 0.001, chi-square test). The ASL-based ASPECTS scores of brain in the ipsilateral side was lower than the scores in the contralateral side to the ICA stenosis (p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon signed rank test). The ASL-based ASPECTS scores of brain ipsilateral side to the ICA stenosis was lower in the reduced CVR group than normal CVR group (p = 0.005).

 Conclusion:
 This study demonstrated the statistically significant positive correlation between good collaterals on ASL MRI and intact CVR in patients with ICA stenosis.


The article is dedicated to the study of the factors that form the motives of investors to investing in financial instruments. The importance of state regulation on the financial market was determined, that is influencing on the formation of the savings behavior of investors .The concept of financial market liquidity is investigated. The conclusion is made about the factors determining the activity of investors in the financial market: the system of information disclosure about financial instruments, liquidity.


Adipose tissue is a dynamic regulatory organ that has profound effects on the overall health of patients. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in human adipose tissues are extensive and multifactorial including large variability in cellular sizes, lipid content, inflammation, extracellular matrix components, mechanics, and cytokines secreted. Given the high human variability, and since much of what is known about adipose tissue is from animal models, we sought to establish correlations and patterns between biological, mechanical, and epidemiological properties of human adipose tissues. To do this, twenty-six independent variables were cataloged for twenty patients that included patient demographics and factors that drive health, obesity, and fibrosis. A factorial analysis for mixed data (FAMD) was used to analyze patterns in the dataset (with BMI > 25) and a correlation matrix was used to identify interactions between quantitative variables. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and actin alpha 2, smooth muscle (ACTA2) gene expression were the highest loading in the first two dimensions of the FAMD. The number of adipocytes was also a key driver of patient-related differences, where a decrease in the density of adipocytes was associated with aging. Aging was also correlated with a decrease in overall lipid percentage of subcutaneous tissue (with lipid deposition being favored extracellularly), an increase in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1), and an increase in M1 macrophage polarization. An important finding was that self-identified race contributed to variance between patients in this study, where Black patients had significantly lower gene expression levels of TGFβ1 and ACTA2. This finding supports the urgent need to account for patient ancestry in biomedical research to develop better therapeutic strategies for all patients. Another important finding was that TGFβ induced factor homeobox 1 (TGIF1), an understudied signaling molecule, is highly correlated with leptin signaling and was correlated with metabolic inflammation. Finally, this study revealed an interesting gene expression pattern where M1 and M2 macrophage markers were correlated with each other, and leptin, in patients with a BMI > 25. This finding supports growing evidence that macrophage polarization in obesity involves a complex, interconnecting network system rather than a full switch in activation patterns from M2 to M1 with increasing body mass. Overall, this study reinforces key findings in animal studies and identifies important areas for future research, where human and animal studies are divergent. Understanding key drivers of human patient variability is required to unravel the complex metabolic health of unique patients.


Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory multisystem disease of unknown aetiology. IFN-alfa is an immunomodulatory cytokine, currently used with ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection. Due to its effects on the immune system, IFN-? may lead to the induction or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and sarcoidosis. We report on a 37-year-old man, presenting with sarcoidosis during a six-month course of PEG-IFN alfa-2a and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 3 infection.


Monolithic scintillation detectors are very promising for high resolution and high sensitivity positron emission tomography. These detectors consist of a few cubic centimeters of scintillating material coupled to one or more position-sensitive APD arrays. The entry point of an impinging annihilation photon is estimated from the light distribution on the APD pixels. In this paper, a model will be derived that predicts the line spread function of these detectors. This model includes the influences of the finite width of the measurement beam, scatter of radiation inside the detector, light yield and intrinsic energy resolution of the scintillator, quantum efficiency, gain and excess noise factor of the avalanche photo-diode arrays, and electronic noise. With this model a better understanding of the behavior of the detector is possible, which can make optimization more efficient.


Background Guidelines recommend Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) diagnosis and management in primary care with minimal investigations; however little evidence exists regarding risk of organic gastrointestinal conditions following diagnosis of IBS and how such risks vary over the long term. This study assesses excess incidence of coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) and variation with age and time after IBS diagnosis. Methods IBS patients and controls were identified within the UK Clinical Practice Research Dataset. Incidence rates were calculated and stratified by age and time since IBS diagnosis with incident rate ratios generated. Results Fifteen years after IBS diagnosis there is a significant cumulative excess incidence of coeliac disease, IBD and CRC in IBS of 3.7% compared to 1.7% in controls. For every 10000 patient years, IBS patients experienced an additional 4 diagnoses of coeliac disease, 13 of IBD and 4 CRCs. In each condition peak excess incidence was in the 6 months following diagnosis. After one year, increased incidence of coeliac disease remained consistent without variation by age. IBD incidence fell slowly, with higher rates in those under 30. CRC incidence was increased only in patients aged 30 to 74 during the first 5 years. Conclusion Some IBS patients later receive organic gastrointestinal diagnoses, with the early excess incidence likely detected during diagnostic investigation at the time of IBS diagnosis. More than 5 years after IBS diagnosis there is no increased risk of CRC compared to the general population, but a small excess risk of coeliac disease and IBD persists. Overall, though our findings provide reassurance that non-specialists, especially those in primary care, are unlikely to be missing an organic condition in the majority of their patients. This suggests that current guidelines suggesting avoidance of universal referral for these patients are appropriate.


The question of an inclusive society is at the core of any meaningful imagining of a future for Africa that will recognize, accommodate and harmonize differences. To say this is to focus on how a 'society for all' can be created and sustained. This will require a social space that upholds and defends multiplicity of values rendered on the principle of equality and equity. Investigations, however, reveal that the notions of equality and equity are not treated as sacrosanct in most African societies. What societal arrangements favor the incorporation of all categories of interest in the society? To what extent does incorporation translate to active participation in societal affairs? In a knowledge economy, for instance, how do inheritors of Bantu education enter into a truly inclusive arrangement? What does the right to vote effectively translate to when the meaning of the right is mostly excluded through rigging as is the case in most modern African states? How and why does exclusion occur? How does 'society for all' become a lived concept for members living at the fringe of society like the poor, the homosexuals and other marginalized groups? How inclusive is the law that stipulates the standard for society? For example, how is the concept of equality between male and female engaged under Sharia law? To what extent does the 'handicap' to access the facilities of an inclusive society impede societal progress and fuel social and political insecurity? Is achieving a 'total' inclusive society a utopian goal? Is it possible to create an inclusive society where some members prefer exclusion? When, how and why should exclusion be preferred to inclusion?To answer these questions will require disciplines working together to create a knowledge fusion cell. Philosophy with its insistence on analysis of concepts and critical evaluation of ideas and literature, here represented by Disgrace, with its focus on the individual, the society and how the private and public interact on daily basis provide excellent investigative tools in any attempt to interrogate and understand the multidimensionality of an inclusive society. Also as theoretical disciplines that operate outside stipulated laws and formulae, philosophy and literature can evaluate the past, examine the present and envision the future. As such, they can offer a comprehensive worldview on the constraints hindering the creation of an inclusive society and the possibilities that will enable its emergence and why we need to sustain it.By situating the constraints and possibilities within a dialectical relationship, the paper teases out both the explicit and implicit elements of the two and their overlaps. The outcome will help in building a framework to support Africa to reinvent its future, redefine its priority direction and renegotiate its place in international relations and in the context of current global transformations.


Thermophilic anaerobic digestion is a suitable technology to treat agricultural waste because of its higher biogas production, hygienisation effect and solids removal efficiency. Although these benefits, poor effluent quality and instability are encountered in some cases. The anaerobic co-digestion of winery waste and waste activated sludge at 55°C, operating at 23 days HRT and with an organic loading rate of 3.2 kg COD/m 3 d, was characterized by accumulation of volatile fatty acids, pH fall and reduction of biogas production, while mesophilic process was steady at long term. The study evaluated the effect of trace elements (iron, cobalt and nickel) augmentation in the thermophilic reactor at different concentration of micro-nutrients. The addition improved the process stability: pH became constant and average volatile fatty acids concentration was below 1,000 mg COD/L. The biogas production increased from 0.38 to 0.45 m 3 /kg COD, corresponding to 90% of COD removal, while mesophilic reactor removed the 78% of total COD. Digestate had interesting characteristics as fertilizer in fact the higher solids removal (28%) allowed to concentrate the phosphorus in the particulate fraction and nitrogen was transformed into more available form for plants growth.


Extract: The beneficial effects of bacteria on rejection of and resistance to tumors have been observed since the 18th century. Physicians have recorded hundreds of cases of spontaneous regression of many types of cancer following bacterial infections, such as staphylococcal or mixed infections, or bacterial vaccines. For example, significantly lower recurrence and number of metastases were recorded in sarcoma patients with concurrent streptococcal infection occurring either spontaneously or by inoculation. More recently, a decreased incidence of malignancy has been recorded in areas or subsets of populations where infectious diseases are endemic. For example, a Swiss study of hospitalized patients over a 20 year period recorded that the previous incidence of acute infections and acute inflammatory episodes was almost nil in groups of cancer patients, compared with a much higher incidence in the non-cancerous groups. Studies in the 1960s with Clostridium showed that this anaerobic bacterium could selectively target and grow inside experimental tumors in mice, leading to tumor regression. However, clinical trials with Clostridium had to be abandoned due to severe toxicities. In the last few years interest in using bacteria as cancer therapies has been reignited. Advances in genetic engineering have enabled modifications of bacteria to reduce toxicity, however, clinical trials with attenuated bacteria such as Salmonella have failed to provide therapeutic benefits that outweigh toxicities in cancer patients.


Optic neuritis is an important cause of decreased vision due to inflammation of the optic nerve. In view of its complex etiology, a thorough clinical evaluation is essential. Autoimmune optic neuropathy, a rare form of optic neuritis, is associated with progressive, painless, and severe visual loss. Severity depends on the inflammatory and ischemic components of the condition. Autoimmune optic neuropathy is ideally diagnosed with autoimmune disease markers (usually elevated levels of antinuclear antibodies). The treatment is immunosuppression with high doses of corticosteroids. Corticoid dependence is a characteristic of autoimmune optic neuropathy. In this report, we describe a patient with autoimmune optic neuropathy and discuss the importance of laboratory parameters and magnetic resonance imaging findings in the diagnosis of the disease.


Background: Screw diameters are currently available based on the literature available for the Western population. No data are available in such a large number of patients for the Indian population. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the average pedicle size available and to determine the angulation for placement of screws for C2 pedicle in the Indian population. We also try to determine the pedicle screw diameter which can be used universally in most Indian patients, considering the pedicle dimensions. Material and Methods: Retrospective morphometric analysis of CT scans of 247 patients (152 M, 95 F) was done to calculate the C2 pedicle width (PW), pedicle height (PH), pedicle length (PL), pedicle transverse angle (PTA) and the craniocaudal angulation (CCA) of the C2 pedicle. Results: Mean PW in females was 5.3 mm and in males it was 5.9 mm. This difference was statistically significant. The mean PH in the study population was 8.9 mm, while the mean PL was 29.7 mm. The mean PTA was 40.0 degrees and the CCA was 28.4 degrees. Conclusion: This is a morphometric analysis of the C2 pedicle which provides information for the surgeons to determine the safe site of entry and trajectory for the screw implantation. We conclude that a screw diameter of 2.7 mm can be safely implanted in a vast majority of the patient population.


The aim of this paper is to propose and elaborate on the concept of designing in the wild theoretically and practically through a case study on an apparel system created for people working in the oil and gas industry. Through our explorations we elaborate on motivating factors for designing in the wild, offer some of the fundamental theories on problem-solving in design, and provide an overview of human-centred practices to compare and contrast these with designing in the wild. Naturally there are a myriad of different ways that designers can approach designing. They can take a designer-centric approach, an artifact-centric approach, use- or user-centric approach, or a combination of these. Typically, designers will select one of these approaches especially when creating ready-to-wear apparel, soft products, and accessories. For example, apparel and soft product designers are often expected to peruse the market, speculate on new styles, and forecast trends (both are generally artifact-centric approaches) with a vision to realizing designs that will be easily produced and sell well. Alternatively, designers who are involved in creating products for specialized markets such as design for disability or safety wear take more use- and user-centric approaches where there is a greater focus on the use environment (use-centric approach). Furthermore, user-centric approaches in apparel design have been popularized around sizing, scaling and fit to the human body, usually as the study of anthropometrics, which is interestingly also quite artifact-centric because designers are consulting databases and documents with numbers that indicate how apparel and soft products need to interface with bodies. These approaches to creating apparel and soft products have provided the domain with tools towards developing apparel that fit the shapes and needs of consumers, but not necessarily the expectations and desires within specialized product realms. With the growing needs for more specialized apparel and soft product design due to specific work situations and environments, aging demographics and people with special needs, and niche markets it is essential that a more holistic problem-solving approach and acknowledgement of the complexity of design scenarios be taken. Designing in the wild plays on the work of Callon and Rabeharisoa's Research 'in the wild' and the reshaping of new social identities (2003). Like "research in the wild" designing in the wild offers various methods to get at and understand the complexity of human experiences including the nuanced relationships among person-apparel-environment. Designing in the wild takes a two-pronged approach: (1) where the designer is required to understand themselves to design better for others; and (2) where a more in-depth methodology for understanding others is employed. Consequently, designing in the wild focuses on a more complex understanding of authentic human behavior to design for the portable environments of apparel and soft product. Our results are a rich description of our case study, what designing in the wild is, and pointers on how to employ this approach when problem solving for specialized apparel and soft product design.


OBJECTIVE. Endostatin is a potent angiogenesis inhibitor. Angiogenesis is central for the development of the human lung. The role of endostatin in the development of the human lung and its connection to chronic lung disease remain unclear. We set out to study the role of endostatin in the developing human lung and in acute and chronic lung injury in the preterm infant. METHODS. Nine fetuses, 14 control neonates without primary lung disease, 14 preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome, and 8 infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia were included in the immunohistochemistry study. Tracheal aspirate-fluid samples of intubated very low birth weight infants during postnatal weeks 1 through 5 were analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS. Endothelial cell staining was positive for endostatin in all 45 samples. Staining of epithelial cells (cuboidal, bronchiolar, and alveolar) was seen mostly in fetuses, as well as in infants with late respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Staining in alveolar macrophages was most abundant in infants with late respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Endostatin was expressed consistently in tracheal aspirate fluid, being highest during the first postnatal day. Higher endostatin concentrations correlated with parameters reflecting lower lung maturity. CONCLUSIONS. The pattern of pulmonary endostatin protein expression in immunohistochemistry and consistent endostatin protein appearance in tracheal aspirate fluid in human preterm infants indicate a role in the physiologic development of the lung. Preterm birth influences pulmonary endostatin protein expression, which may alter normal lung development and response to lung injury.


This paper aims to determine what the brand performance consequences of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities would be during times of recession for well-known brands.,Based on signaling theory, this paper investigates if CSR activities serve to signal higher brand value for consumers via perceptions of better quality and greater differentiation, specifically during recessions. This study incorporates a representative longitudinal sample of known US firms for the analyses, which is accomplished through generalized method of moments estimations.,The findings empirically demonstrate that CSR initiatives during recessions are actually associated with increased perceptions of brand value. More specifically, during recessions, CSR initiatives such as charitable contributions provide a signal to customers of higher brand quality.,This study did not control for the costs of doing specific CSR activities that may be less visible to consumers.,While individual firms or managers may not be able to prevent recessions from happening, they can limit the negative impact of recessions on their performance by engaging in CSR activities (or refrain from cutting back) during these times.,Because CSR initiatives during recessions result in more favorable consumer perceptions of the brand, engaging in CSR aligns both social and managerial interests, owing to the economic gains from CSR investments.,During times of recession, some critics indicate that CSR may be an unaffordable luxury. On the contrary, this research shows that managers may want to consider CSR activities as a means of increasing the value of their brands, especially during economic recessions.


The benefits of automation lead to increase levels of technology intervention. However, automation can have negative effects, such as reducing employee knowledge (deskilling). Other authors claim that automation may also raise knowledge (up-skilling). This study analyzes the effect of automation on an employee's knowledge to determine the presence of deskilling – if the knowledge of the task decreases-, up-skilling – if the knowledge of information system increasesor reskilling (a simultaneous effect of decreasing the knowledge of the task and increasing the knowledge of the information system). By using a survey, we gathered data from 125 users and used partial least squares for the analysis. The results show that if the automation levels vary, presence of reskilling is evident in an individual. The design of information systems should take into consideration automation will finally result in reskilling, simultaneously impairing knowledge of the task but increasing knowledge of the information system.


Abstract : Army Special Forces units are trained to conduct sensitive special operations including unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, direct action and strategic reconnaissance missions. Many of the unique skills and capabilities found in Special Forces units have potential applications to homeland security operations. Despite an absence of doctrine for domestic operations, Special Forces especially Army National Guard Special Forces are likely to be employed in future homeland security operations. This thesis examines potential homeland security missions for Special Forces. Additionally, given the unique first-responder role of the National Guard, this thesis analyzes potential policy changes needed to enhance National Guard Special Forces contributions to homeland security. The absence of doctrine for domestic Special Forces operations potentially adversely impacts Army National Guard Special Forces. Given the unique constitutionally mandated nature of the National Guard, state governors have the ability to activate their forces, including Army National Guard Special Forces, for homeland security operations. The absence of doctrine for domestic Special Forces operations can potentially lead to the misuse, overuse or illegal use of these strategic assets. Enhancing the National Guard's capacity to correctly use Special Forces in domestic operations will enhance the country's overall security posture.


The present thesis focuses on the syntactic study of the position of mood particles in Mandarin Chinese. The most popular mood particles in Mandarin Chinese are six: "ne", "a", "ma", "ba", "le" and "de", used at the end of the sentences, traditionally believed to denote interrogative, declarative, imperative, and exclamative moods. This thesis argues that the mood particles don't carry any lexical meanings themselves, and as sentence affixes, they are adjoined to the head complementizer at the end of the sentence in head final language of Chinese at the sensorimotor interface after the spellout in PF level. Therefore, mood particles are not computed in the internal grammar but in the externalization process of the computation.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the imaging characteristics of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) and their correlation with histopathological findings.

METHODS
CT and MRI imaging and histopathological characteristics of five patients with hepatic EHE were retrospectively reviewed and the correlation of their imaging characteristics with pathological findings was analyzed.

RESULTS
A total of 92 lesions were found in the 5 patients, all presenting with multiple nodules. All the 92 lesions were located within a 2-cm zone heneath the hepatic capsule, i.e., the shortest distance from the horder of lesions to the hepatic capsule. 28 of the 92 lesions showed the "capsular retraction" sign. 36 lesions were found in three patients receiving MRI. 77.8% of the 36 lesions demonstrated the "halo" sign on a fat-suppression T2- weighted image, while 91.7% after contrast enhancement. A peripheral dark rim was found in 91.7% of the lesions on a fat-suppression T2-weighted image. In addition, 36.1% of the lesions showed slight internal or edge enhancement at the hepatohiliary phase. In the two patients receiving CT examination, 7 of 56 lesions demonstrated the "halo" sign.

CONCLUSIONS
Hepatic EHE may manifest as nodular lesions with predilection of peripheral subcapsular growth and nodular confluence, together with "halo" sign and " capsular retraction". The peripheral dark rim on a fat-suppression T2-weighted image and slight enhancement at the hepatobiliary phase can help to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this hepatic tumor. MRI is superior to CT imaging to denict their intra-lesional characteristics.


Hirzi Ramadhan, 2015. Developing Game Android "Ramabhadra" Chapter II
Qonquest of Subali King Using Unity3d. DIII Program of Informatics
Engineering. Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences. Sebelas Maret Surakarta
University.
Indonesian has thr growing culture espesially in java, one of which is a
puppet. The most frequently story raised for puppets acting out the story of
Ramayana that has been widely known by the public and has long been legendary.
Underdevelopment of puppets in contemporary times due to currents of
modernization which is currently growing very rapidly and cause high mobility and
thinking society becomes very practical. At now knowing the story of puppetry is
considered as something that takes time and vain. Nowadays people would do more
to fill their spare time with rest or just play games. The development of games that
are currently circulating in the community many with the theme of the future such
as robots, aliens, monsters and so forth. Although the game with the theme of
culture like a puppet is still very rare because it is considered less attractive to the
public.
Therefore, the authors development game drawn Developing Game
Android "Ramabhadra" Chapter II Qonquest of Subali King Using Unity3d. This
game is two-dimensional game built using C # programming language with
software Unity3D as game engine. Game was tested by fungsional test and
compability test with black box method.
The Results is game can play on smarthphone Android. This game can be used as
a means of preserving the culture of the Ramayana story.


BACKGROUND
Flight attendants may have elevated breast cancer incidence (BCI). We evaluated BCI's association with cosmic radiation dose and circadian rhythm disruption among 6,093 female former U.S. flight attendants.

METHODS
We collected questionnaire data on BCI and risk factors for breast cancer from 2002-2005. We conducted analyses to evaluate (i) BCI in the cohort compared to the U.S. population; and (ii) exposure-response relations. We applied an indirect adjustment to estimate whether parity and age at first birth (AFB) differences between the cohort and U.S. population could explain BCI that differed from expectation.

RESULTS
BCI was elevated but may be explained by lower parity and older AFB in the cohort than among U.S. women. BCI was not associated with exposure metrics in the cohort overall. Significant positive associations with both were observed only among women with parity of three or more.

CONCLUSIONS
Future cohort analyses may be informative on the role of these occupational exposures and non-occupational risk factors.


Severe plastic deformation (SPD) makes it possible to refine grain size in many metallic materials. Recently, we have developed a new SPD process designated the severe torsion straining process (STSP). This process requires no die but one side of a rod is rotated with respect to the other while producing a local heated zone in the rod and cooling both sides of the heated zone. Torsion strain is then introduced in the local heated zone. The STSP can be a continuous process because the rod is moved in the longitudinal direction while introducing torsion strain through the rotation. For grain refinement using the STSP, various factors may affect, which are the rotation speed, moving speed, straining temperature, cooling rate and diameter of the rod. In this study, the STSP is applied to grain refinement of an A5056 Al-Mg commercial alloy and the factors affecting the grain refinement are optimized. STSP was conducted at a temperature in the range from 573K to 723K. Microstructure was observed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with an orientation imaging system, and transmission electron microscopy. Microscopy observations revealed that the grain size was reduced to ~0.9 μm, when STSP was conducted at 573K with a rotation speed of 10 rpm and moving speed of 50 mm/min. There is a critical ratio of rotation speed to moving speed above which the rod breaks. The grain size tends to be finer as the straining temperature is lower, the cooling rate is faster and the ratio of rotation speed to moving speed is closer to the critical value.


This paper present about the performance of vibration control via active force control
(AFC) scheme is investigated through simulation study by application of MATLAB/
Simulink® software. AFC is a widely used control scheme in dynamic system control,
and it is a highly robust control scheme although under unknown disturbances and
operation condition. In this study, the AFC is incorporated with conventional
proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to control active vibration isolation
system which is two degree of freedom (TDOF) cutting tool of turning machine model.
A harmonic force due to unbalance rotating mass and a sinusoidal response that
pretended to be an internal disturbances are applied into both axes of models(X and Y)
respectively. Generally, the estimated mass (EM) is the most significant parameter in
the AFC scheme, thus the interest in this study is to obtain the EM via conventional
crude approximation method and intelligent fuzzy logic method. A new AFC scheme
proposed in this study is named AFCFLC scheme which mean AFC co-operate with
PID and FLC. The main purpose of this scheme is to obtain the optimum EM value via
the intelligent method and to suppress vibration. Finally, a demonstration of comparison
study between each control schemes is carried out and it is clearly shows that the
proposed AFCFLC scheme is the most superior control method for both axes vibration
isolation cutting tool models.


Many defoliating herbivores cause damages to Eucalyptus globulus Labill.
plantations, reducing the quality and value of the wood products they source. This
damage ranges from mild to severe removal of leaf surface, and can result in
significant reductions in yield. Our knowledge of physiological responses to
defoliation in this species is incomplete, with previous studies focusing on very young
trees and ignoring the potential interaction of abiotic stress with defoliation.
Projections of future climates in many of the eucalypt-growing parts of the world
suggest that abiotic stress, particularly degree of water stress will increase. In
addition, there is strong evidence that changing climate, and particularly increasing
temperature, is likely to favour many of the defoliating pests commonly associated
with E. globulus.
The objectives of work described in this thesis were to investigate the physiological
strategies adopted by E. globulus in response to a defoliation event, determine their
effects on growth and water relations, and examine the interaction with limited water
supply, with the aim of improving our capacity to predict the impact of defoliation on
tree productivity and water use.
The main studies investigating tree responses to defoliation have utilised artificial
defoliation treatments rather than natural defoliation because of logistical constraints.
Although artificial manipulations are assumed to have significant advantages, the
adequacy of the artificial method has been questioned in term of accuracy and
differences in the plant responses. I tested that E. globulus respond differently to both
artificial and natural defoliations. The results showed that the directions of response to
artificial and insect defoliation were very similar. However, the influence of
differential magnitude of the responses was more difficult to ascertain. I conclude that
artificial defoliation may not accurately reflect the full strength of effects from insect
defoliation, and caution must be exercised in extrapolating results of simulated
herbivory experiments.
Most previous studies of E. globulus responses to defoliation have focused on young,
pre-canopy closure trees, and none have examined physiological responses of older
trees to defoliation. Substantial defoliation can occur post-canopy closure. The effects
of a single defoliation event on 4-year-old E. globulus were investigated on growth,
photosynthetic and water relation responses in non-limited water supply conditions.
The trees responded to removal of 45% of leaf area by a transient change in stem
growth, change in crown architecture, the up-regulation of photosynthesis likely via
the improvement of tree water status. It was concluded that 4-year-old E. globulus
were able to compensate for the loss of foliage.
Plantations of E. globulus are being established increasingly on lower rainfall sites,
and in addition drought conditions are projected to increase in many areas of Australia
over the next century. There is little understanding of the interactions of water stress
and defoliation, although some results suggest that defoliation may be beneficial to
trees growing under water limitation. I tested the hypothesis that partial defoliation
would alleviate the effects of water stress. The effect leaf removal on 75% of crown
length of 1-year-old E. globulus on growth, gas exchange and water use was
examined in irrigated and rain-fed plots. Over a short-term period, trees responded to
the interaction of limited water supply and defoliation by maintaining tree growth,
increasing tree transpiration rate per unit leaf area, canopy conductance and hydraulic
conductance, while maintaining the gradient of leaf water potential constant. It was
concluded that defoliated trees were able to ease the effect of water stress by
improving plant water status. Also, the findings were meeting the requirements of the
theoretical hydraulic model.


During hard cutting process there is severe thermodynamic coupling effect between cutting tool and workpiece, which causes quenching effect on finished surfaces under certain conditions. However, material phase transformation mechanism of heat treatment in cutting process is different from the one in traditional process, which leads to changes of the formation mechanism of damaged layer on machined workpiece surface. This paper researches on the generation mechanism of damaged layer on machined surface in the process of PCBN tool hard cutting hardened steel Cr12MoV. Rules of temperature change on machined surface and subsurface are got by means of finite element simulation. In phase transformation temperature experiments rapid transformation instrument is employed, and the effect of quenching under cutting conditions on generation of damaged layer is revealed. Based on that, the phase transformation points of temperature under cutting conditions are determined. By experiment, the effects of cutting speed and tool wear on white layer thickness in damaged layer are revealed. The temperature distribution law of third deformation zone is got by establishing the numerical prediction model, and thickness of white layer in damaged layer is predicted, taking the tool wear effect into consideration. The experimental results show that the model prediction is accurate, and the establishment of prediction model provides a reference for wise selection of parameters in precise hard cutting process. For the machining process with high demanding on surface integrity, the generation of damaged layer on machined surface can be controlled precisely by using the prediction model.


A search for hidden photon cold dark matter in a mass range from 5 to 500 eV in data collected during 60 days in November and December, 2015 by a Multi-Cathode Counter (MCC) is reported. From the analyses of this data we found no evidence for the existence of HP CDM and set an upper limit on the photon-HP mixing parameter $\chi$. This is the first result obtained by direct measurements in this mass range for hidden photon CDM using a single electron event in MCC as a signature.


The new volatile anaesthetic, desflurane (I-653), was administered to 10 healthy, unpremedicated young male volunteers in order to determine its cardiorespiratory effects and the characteristics and acceptability of its inhalation. All volunteers breathed either sub-anaesthetic (1.8% inspired) or anaesthetic (5.4% inspired) concentrations of the anaesthetic without coughing, breath-holding, salivation or other untoward respiratory response. Respiratory minute volume and alveolar ventilation decreased and ventilatory rate increased. Systemic arterial pressure decreased (diastolic more than systolic) and heart rate remained unchanged. Cardiac rhythm remained unaltered, except in one volunteer who experienced a single premature atrial contraction. Volunteers stated that the odour of desflurane was not irritating or unpleasant. Exposure to the agent for approximately 90 min resulted in rapid and clear-headed recovery.


TP53 abnormalities lead to resistance to purine analogues and are found in over 40% of patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). At diagnosis, no more than 5% of patients carry the 17p deletion, most cases harbour mutations within the other TP53 allele. The incidence of a TP53 mutation as the only alteration is approximately 5%, but this depends on the sensitivity of the technique. Recently, having a complex karyotype has been considered a strong adverse prognostic factor. However, there are no longitudinal studies simultaneously examining the presence of the 17p deletion, TP53 mutations and karyotype abnormalities. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of 31 relapsed/refractory CLL patients. Two to six blood samples per patient were analyzed, with a median follow‐up of 8 years. In this report, we assessed the sequence of events of TP53 clonal evolution and correlated the presence of TP53 abnormalities to genetic instability during progression and treatment. Next‐generation sequencing allowed the early detection of TP53 mutated clones and was able to be performed on a routine basis, demonstrating an excellent correlation between the Illumina and Ion Torrent technologies. We concluded that TP53 mutations are early events and precede clonal evolution to complex karyotypes. We strongly recommend the early and iterated detection of TP53 mutations in progressive cases.


Because of insufficient resources to manage a costly and complex internal information technology infrastructure (local storage computing), cloud computing emerged providing potential benefits to small and medium size enterprises such as rapid access to flexible and lowcost IT resources, enabling payment as per consumption and facilitating productivity for accounting services, for communication customer services and support. It provides simple ways to access servers, database and a broad set of applications over the internet. Cloud computing is a technology paradigm operating on the principle of virtualization, distributed computing, grid computing, and data bases to provide computing services. It provides a simple way of storing, accessing servers, data, program and a broad set of application services over the internet [1]. The product of small and medium size enterprises is now reaching a wider audience using this new Technology (cloud computing). This system of outsourcing however presents many challenges in its different types (public and private cloud). Organizations such as small and medium size enterprises have increased risks by storing sensitive data in the cloud thereby making security, privacy and protection a rising concern to them. In this paper, we will analyze the privacy challenges faced by small and medium sized enterprises with the adoption of cloud. The paper seeks to examine the legal protection provided to secure SMEs who are involved in cloud computing. This paper will address the security challenges cloud computing presents to the local storage computing and provide possible recommendations.


The primary/backup with deallocation approach of S. Ghosh et al. (1997) is a strategy for the fault-tolerant online scheduling of hard realtime tasks. In this scheme, tasks are either rejected within a short time after the request or guaranteed to be executed even in case of a processor failure. In this paper several heuristics for the guarantee algorithm are investigated. For the first time different processor selection strategies for guarantee algorithms with execution time constraints are compared. In addition, the concept of a decision deadline is introduced which then leads to an extension of the primary and backup checking routines. The thus modified checking routines are shown to achieve a lower rejection ratio for right task deadlines and constrained scheduler execution times than the modification making use of task slack suggested S. Ghosh et al. (1997).


The drainage system of a dam depends mainly of the available granular material founded near the dam site and it's quantities. In some cases, the use of natural granular materials can reach an impracticable cost considering the transportation and the required quality of the material. Geosynthetic materials and, in particular, drainage geocomposites offers constructive alternatives to traditional solutions on internal drainage systems. This paper discusses the design and construction of a geosynthetics system, and presents a case in which a traditional granular material drainage system was successfully replaced by a geocomposite drainage system.


Tumor recurrence and metastasis have become thorny problems in clinical tumor therapy. Vaccine-mediated antitumor immune response has emerged as a significant postoperative inhibition for tumor recurrence and metastasis. However, limited tumor antigens are not conducive to trigger complete antigen-specific T cell-mediated immune responses. Herein, the design of a hydrogel vaccine system containing a granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), based on surgically removed tumor cell lysates, was reported. The hydrogel was formed by crosslinking tumor cell lysates and alginate at low temperatures. The GM-CSF was released from the hydrogel to recruit dendritic cells (DCs), which provided a completely personalized tumor antigen pool. They were combined to foster the production of powerful antigen-specific T cells. The personalized hydrogel was implanted at the surgical site and it stimulated the antitumor immune response for the inhibition of residual tumor cells. Delightfully, the personalized hydrogel inhibited the tumor recurrence and metastasis well in a post-surgical mice tumor model, in combination with a programmed death-ligand 1 antibody (αPD-L1). The results demonstrated that the development of a personalized hydrogel and a combination of αPD-L1 provided a new strategy to prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis.


Abstract
During 2008-2009, 323 samples showing mosaic, yellowing, vein banding, leaf malformation and blistering were collected from different Cucurbitaceous plant fields and cucumber greenhouses in Razavi and Northern Khorasan provinces. Through doing DAS-ELISA, 95 samples showed infection with WMV. WMV in samples testing positive by ELISA was confirmed by RT-PCR. RT-PCR assay with specific primers corresponding to the virus coat protein gene led to the amplification of the expected DNA fragment with a length of approximately 822 bp. PCR product from two isolates from Zucchini squash (Shirvan) and melon (Torghabe-Shandiz) were sequenced. The sequenced fragments after multiple alignments using ClustalW2 program compared with other GeneBank isolates. Phylogenetic tree was drawn using Neighbor-joining method of MEGA4.1 program. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Iranian isolates of WMV with 92-99 % nucleotide sequence identity and 96-100% amino acid identity with other isolates of WMV. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence homologies of 2 isolates were found to be 99.1% and 99.6%, respectively. The two new isolates were not similar in symptoms on some indicator plants including Cucumis sativus, C. melo var. reticulates, Cucurbita pepo and Citrullus lanatus. These results showed that the two new isolates have high homology with isolates of WMV that previously reported from Iran.

Keywords: Watermelon mosaic virus, DAS-ELISA, RT-PCR, Sequencing, Phylogenetic analysis


cancerisation is multiplied by 1,000. Therefore, any ingestion of major caustic substances by children is serious. The clinical signs are to be accurately searched for, and a premature complication must be avoided. An endoscopic investigation in a specialised unit is necessary. More binding commercial legislation (as for dilution, presentation, and distribution) would be useful.


Virtual Peer Consultation is an exciting and growing field that offers a truly innovative way of learning, leading to different learning experiences and outcomes. Its development has been spurred by a wide range of global and societal trends, such as increasing globalisation of organisations, travelling cost containment, security concerns, not to mention a growing emphasis on environmentally sustainable business practices. As a result, there is a fast-growing need to organise development on a virtual platform.


This paper describes control system development for a large motion range Lorentz force magnetic levitation device designed as a haptic interface device to be grasped by the hand. Due to the 50 mm translation and 60 degree rotation motion ranges of the desktop-sized device, the transformation between the vector of coil currents and the actuation forces and torques generated on the levitated body varies significantly throughout its motion range. To improve the dynamic performance of the device, the current to force and torque transformation can be recalculated at each control update as the levitated body moves about its workspace, rather than using a constant transformation calculated from the unrotated and centered position of the levitated body. The design of the device is presented and the new methods used to calculate coil current to force and torque transformations for levitation are described. Long-range trajectory following feedback control motion results are shown.


Background In the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, stroke is the third leading cause of death as well as the major cause of adult disability. Once a person suffers a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), they are at high risk for having a secondary stroke. Hypertension (elevated blood pressure) is the single most important modifiable risk factor for both first and recurrent stroke, and is thus an important risk factor to be controlled. According to the Canadian Stroke Strategy (CSS) Best Practice Recommendations, blood pressure lowering treatment should be initiated before discharge from hospital for all stroke/TIA patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of medically driven secondary stroke prevention care in Saskatchewan as applied to hypertension control. Aims The objectives of the study were to: (1) develop methodology and calculate a secondary stroke process of care measure using available data in Saskatchewan, based on an appropriate hypertension therapy indicator recommendation from the CSS Performance Measurement Manual; (2) examine variation in secondary stroke prevention hypertensive care among the Saskatchewan Regional Health Authorities; and (3) investigate factors associated with receiving evidence-based hypertensive secondary stroke prevention. Methods This multi-year cross-sectional study was an analysis of deidentified health data derived from linkage of administrative health data. A select indicator from the CSS Performance Measurement Manual that measures adherence to a CSS Best Practice Guidelines concerning use of antihypertensive medications for secondary stroke prevention was calculated. Logistic regression was used to quantify the association of patient demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and geographic location of care with receipt of guideline-recommended hypertensive secondary stroke prevention. The target population was all Saskatchewan residents who were hospitalized in Saskatchewan for a stroke or TIA between April 1, 2001 and March 31, 2008. Results The results of this study indicate that the management of hypertension for secondary stroke prevention is suboptimal in Saskatchewan. Although there was some improvement over the time period, approximately 40% of patients were not taking antihypertensives at 90 days after discharge from acute care. The correlates, urban/non-urban, previous use of antihypertensive drugs and effect of age modified by sex, were found to be significantly associated with receiving hypertensive secondary stroke prevention, suggesting there are modifiable factors that contribute to variations in this form of secondary stroke care quality in Saskatchewan. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that there is a need for province-wide improvement to secondary stroke prevention in Saskatchewan, Canada.


We present here an efficient method for evaluating molecular trajectories over long time scales. The method is based on optimisation of the path action defined by classical mechanics. We test the technique on non-trivial examples drawn from the literature and discuss the effectiveness of this approach in the study of molecular processes. Many of the present techniques for calculating molecular trajectories are limited computationally. Standard forward integration of Newton's equations of motion yields accurate results for a range of systems whose transition times are many orders of magnitude less than most biologically interesting processes. If one wants to extend these calculations to biologically relevant time scales, it is necessary to develop methodologies which avoid this limitation. The process outlined in this paper has been tested on simple systems using harmonic and Lennard--Jones potential energy functions. The algorithm yields stable trajectories and is adjustable to suite available computational resources. In theory, this algorithm is applicable to any molecular system where the initial and final states are known. This could include investigation of chemical reactions, ligand/receptor binding and work cycles of molecular machinery.


Churches are increasingly exploring the potential of diaconal ministry to help them serve wider society in the contemporary context. Those involved in this ministry seek to forge improved connections between churches and the wider communities in which they are located. However, the role of those ordained to be deacons is diverse, challenging and often controversial, both within and outside the Church.

This book explores how deacons within the Methodist Church in Britain have understood their own ministry and sought to address these challenges. It draws on innovative research undertaken with the Methodist Diaconal Order over two years. Key questions and implications for practice are provided to help those wishing to reflect further on this ministry.

This book makes a significant contribution to the ecumenical debate on diaconal ministry. It offers much that will be of interest to all those seeking to reflect on, understand, engage in or work with those involved in this ministry in their own contexts.


This paper describes a recursive estimation procedure for multivariate binary densities using orthogonal expansions. For d covariates, there are 2d basis coefficients to estimate, which renders conventional approaches computationally prohibitive when d is large. However, for a wide class of densities that satisfy a certain sparsity condition, our estimator runs in probabilistic polynomial time and adapts to the unknown sparsity of the underlying density in two key ways: (1) it attains near-minimax mean-squared error, and (2) the computational complexity is lower for sparser densities. Our method also allows for flexible control of the trade-off between mean-squared error and computational complexity.


An information owner, possessing diverse data sources, might want to offer information services based on these sources to cooperation partners and to this end interact with these partners by receiving and sending messages, which the owner on his part generates by program execution. Independently from data representation or its physical storage, information release to a partner might be restricted by the owner's confidentiality policy on an integrated, unified view of the sources. Such a policy should even be enforced if the partner as an intelligent and only semi-honest attacker attempts to infer hidden information from message data, also employing background knowledge. For this problem of inference control, we present a framework for a unified, holistic control of information flow induced by program-based processing of the data sources to messages sent to a cooperation partner. Our framework expands on and combines established concepts for confidentiality enforcement and its verification and is instantiated in a Java environment. More specifically, as a hybrid control we combine gradual release of information via declassification, enforced by static program analysis using a security type system, with a dynamic monitoring approach. The dynamic monitoring employs flow tracking for generalizing values to be declassified under confidentiality policy compliance.


This paper presents finite element simulations of indexable drilling of AISI4140 workpieces. The Coupled-Eulerian-Lagrangian framework is employed and the focus is to predict the drilling torque around the hole axis, thrust force, temperature distributions and chip geometries. The cutting process is modelled separately for peripheral and central insert. Then, the total thrust force and torque are predicted by superposing the predicted result for each insert. Experiments and simulations are conducted at a constant rotational velocity of 2400 rpm and feed rates of 0.13, 0.16 and 0.18 mm/rev. While the predicted torques are in excellent agreement, the thrust forces showed discrepancies of 12 - 20% to the experimental measured data. Effects of the friction modelling on the predicted torque and thrust force are outlined and possible reasons for the thrust force discrepancies are discussed in the paper. Additionally, the simulations indicate that the tool and workpiece temperature distributions are virtually unaffected by the feed rate.


We describe here the biological screening of a collection of natural occurring triterpenoids against the G protein-coupled receptor TGR5, known to be activated by bile acids and which mediates some important cell functions. This work revealed that betulinic (1), oleanolic (2), and ursolic acid (3) exhibited TGR5 agonist activity in a selective manner compared to bile acids, which also activated FXR, the nuclear bile acid receptor. The most potent natural triterpenoid betulinic acid was chosen as a reference compound for an SAR study. Hemisyntheses were performed on the betulinic acid scaffold, and we focused on structural modifications of the C-3 alcohol, the C-17 carboxylic acid, and the C-20 alkene. In particular, structural variations around the C-3 position gave rise to major improvements of potency exemplified with derivatives 18 dia 2 (RG-239) and 19 dia 2. The best derivative was tested in vitro and in vivo, and its biological profile is discussed.