Escherichia coli is a primary reservoir of antimicrobial resistance, known chiefly for the container of AMRencoding genes (ARGs), and poses potential risks to human and animal health. This study investigated AMR phenotypes and ARGs in 90 E. coli isolates from different pig groups in 10 farms in southern Vietnam. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 19 common antimicrobial agents was determined, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate seven ARGs (blaTEM, aadA1, strA, dfrA12, sul3, cmlA and tetA). Cohen's kappa statistic (κ) was applied to assess the concordance between phenotypic and genotypic profiles. A total of 81.1% of E. coli isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR). The amphenicol class accounted for the highest resistance (100% isolates), followed by the tetracycline class (97.8%), the quinolones and penicillin classes (85.6% each), sulfonamides (67.8%) and aminoglycosides (63.3%). A greater proportion of isolates from weaner pigs showed resistance to multi-antibiotics (43.0%), followed by growers (39.5%) and finishers (36.3%), although the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The prevalence of ARGs was greatly variable and was highest for aadA1 (98.9%), cmlA (98.9%), blaTEM (97.8%), dfrA12 (97.8%), tetA (97.8%), sul3 (97.8%) and strA (83.3%). No significant correlation between ARGs and phenotypic resistance was identified. The results indicate a great diversity of genotypic and phenotypic AMR profiles in pig E. coli isolates. The lack of correlation might be a reflection of additional genes encoding the observed genotypic profiles or the presence of non-plasmid mediated resistance in many cases.


Andrew Deruchie explores the eminence of the symphony during the Third Republic, a challenging task on a par with the many difficulties that French composers of the period faced. Chief among these were the towering symphonic legacy of Beethoven and the cultural and musical resonances of war. When Ives Kéramzer declared in the year before the outbreak of the Commune that the musical style of the eighteenth century had breathed its last and composers ought to forge new paths, he captured an ethos that also drives the present study, which addresses old genres in a new light. As Deruchie points out, whereas composing symphonic works at the fin de siècle meant grappling with questions of form in addition to issues in the ideology of musical genre, writing critically about canonical symphonies in the present millennium demands attention to the relationships between artists and their social milieux. At the same time, he articulates warnings also voiced by Delphine Mordey in her article 'Auber's Horses: L'Année terrible and Apocalyptic Narratives' (19th-Century Music, 30.3 (2007), 213–29): that we should resist urges to assign perhaps too great a significance to the musical impact of political unrest. Deruchie's deft Introduction traces compositional responses to the Beethovenian symphony as well as the afterlife of Wagnerism, making the startling claim that France eclipsed Austria as a kind of symphonic 'ground zero' in the late nineteenth century. Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck, Édouard Lalo, Ernest Chausson, Vincent d'Indy, and Paul Dukas produced the major symphonies discussed in each chapter of this study. Their compositions highlight extraordinary confrontations in and through music: Saint-Saëns at odds with Germanic musical traditions; Franck beset by tropes of mysticism and religiosity; Lalo at pains to render literary ideas in a wordless musical genre; Chausson concerned with musical manipulation at the level of motives and themes; and Dukas intrigued by connections between textless musique pure and works of opera or symphonic programme music. Themes at play in this book — including the historical critique of German musical lourdeur, the relevance of French aesthetic charme, and period debates about musique versus anti-musique — will speak to musicologists and to historians with interests in period nationalisms. The absence of a synthesizing conclusion mars the otherwise compelling structure of this study, the Introduction of which provides a fine model for French musical and social historiography. Deruchie's dissertation — the basis for this book — does include a brief conclusion about the circumscribed nature of the genre that Parisian symphonists inherited from Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, and Schumann. The present volume would have been even richer had its author taken a step back from his thoughtful case studies to address their significance for future research. The gargantuan symphonic works of d'Indy, for instance, demand as much: these pieces remain rife with accumulated conventions of orchestral composition as well as with tensions between a nostalgic musical classicism and a sometimes conservative strain of political thought that fuelled the creative endeavours of numerous other French modernist composers.


The hybridological analysis was provided on several durum wheat genotypes with utilizing three F2 populations developed from the crossing between parental forms that differed in the invariable malt-zone triplet on electrophoretic spectrum of alpha-amylase. Three components of this zone are controlled by three genes with an independent way of inheritance: one of them is located on the 6B or 5B chromosome, and two genes are located on the chromosomes of A subgenome.


Legume-rhizobium symbioses have the potential to remediate soils contaminated with chlorinated organic compounds. Here, the model symbiosis between Medicago sativa and Sinorhizobium meliloti was used to explore the relationships between symbiotic nitrogen fixation and transformation of tetrachlorobiphenyl PCB 77 within this association. 45-day-old seedlings in vermiculite were pretreated with 5 mg L-1 PCB 77 for 5 days. In PCB-supplemented nodules, addition of the nitrogenase enhancer molybdate significantly stimulated dechlorination by 7.2-fold and reduced tissue accumulation of PCB 77 (roots by 96% and nodules by 93%). Conversely, dechlorination decreased in plants exposed to a nitrogenase inhibitor (nitrate) or harboring nitrogenase-deficient symbionts (nifA mutant) by 29% and 72%, respectively. A range of dechlorinated products (biphenyl, methylbiphenyls, hydroxylbiphenyls, and trichlorobiphenyl derivatives) were detected within nodules and roots under nitrogen-fixing conditions. Levels of nitrogenase-derived hydrogen and leghemoglobin expression correlated positively with nodular dechlorination rates, suggesting a more reducing environment promotes PCB dechlorination. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that symbiotic nitrogen fixation acts as a driving force for tetrachlorobiphenyl dechlorination. In turn, this opens new possibilities for using rhizobia to enhance phytoremediation of halogenated organic compounds.


Now You See It, Now You Don't by Carol Esterreicher. Blacklick, OH: 8RA Macmillan/McGrawHill,1992. Now You See It, Now You Don't is a collection of 20 magic tricks designed to be used as a medium for speech-language remediation. The author is a speech and language pathologist who has used magic tricks as a technique to motivate students and increase communication and language skills. The magic tricks collection is a 120page spiral-bound book and serves as an excellent resource to supplement language development curricula and materials for students from grades 2 through 6. The tricks are organized according to difficulty level with the easier ones presented first. Although the tricks can be used in any order depending on the needs of students, the "Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat" trick could be presented first to set the stage for other tricks. Each trick consists of six clearly explained components including (a) the secret to the trick, (b) vocabulary, (c) props and preparation, (d) performance ideas, (e) discussion, and (f) student performance. Thus, these components specify materials needed, how the trick works, step-by-step directions for performing the trick, and questions that extend and enrich learning. The material incorporates excellent strategies for developing students' cognitive, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills based on Bloom's taxonomy. Specific questions, which tap each level of Bloom's taxonomy, are included to generate discussion about each trick. Suggestions accompany each trick regarding possible modifications and lesson extensions. For instance, sequence activities can be developed based on the mmm


Soil moisture is one of the most important hydrological variables that characterizes the land surface water and energy balance. Measurements from space suffer from the problem of subpixel heterogeneity, i.e., soil moisture has spatial variability at all scales; therefore, it is important to realize the exact physical implication of the single value of the satellite measurements. In this paper, we study the sensitivity of C-band passive microwave brightness temperatures to various land surface variables. The issue of heterogeneity and its role in interpretation of single spatially averaged value of satellite brightness temperature is investigated. Finally, we use the brightness temperatures from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer to characterize spatial variability and to understand the variation of this variability with scale.


We describe a new troglophilic species of Filistata, F. betarif sp. nov. , collected from two caves in central Israel, by using light and electron microscopy and by DNA barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Sequences of this gene show more than 15% of divergence between the new species and its sibling, F. insidiatrix (Forsskål, 1775), which is widely distributed across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Notwithstanding, the two species are diagnosed only by a minor morphological detail in the embolic keel of the male pedipalp; females of both species are not diagnosable based only on morphology. We also find that samples of F. insidiatrix from different localities have large genetic divergence values (larger than 15% in some cases), but their pedipalps are identical in males; this suggests that F. insidiatrix might hide an additional cryptic diversity. We take this opportunity to provide a dichotomous key for identifying the crevice-weavers (Filistatidae) of Israel and Palestine.


In research on collocations published in English we encounter, albeit rarely, the use of the notion "metaphorical collocations". It is interesting to note that seldom if ever are metaphorical collocations defined in any way in these studies, suggesting that researchers find the term self-explanatory. However, seeing that metaphorical collocations are an exciting area of research that is yet to draw attention from the wider community of researchers, the aim of this paper is to analyze the current understanding of what a metaphorical collocation is by examining the theoretical foundations as well as studies, specifically those published in English (as the language of scientific research). Therefore, I examined publications in English (and German) for definitions of a metaphorical collocation, and I examined a number of studies on such collocations, or studies that refer to such collocations, in English. In view of theoretical considerations, I have found that metaphorical collocations indeed have an established definition, while in regard to research on such collocations, I have found that authors most often than not leave out the definition and actually label a wide range of multiword units as metaphorical collocations. I propose that for the sake of clarity and transparency in research on metaphorical collocations in English, researchers refer to and adhere to a definition of the notion. This is particularly important as metaphorical collocations are at the intersection of two quite complex linguistic phenomena: metaphors and collocations.


A novel Mo0.84Ni0.16@Ni(OH)2 heterostructure was successfully fabricated. Owing to the unique interface structure and strong synergistic effects between different components, the heterostructure shows enhanced activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), outperforming that of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst.


Compressed Sensing (CS) has provided a viable approach to undersample a sparse signal and reconstruct it perfectly. In this paper, the simulation results of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar, which employs a CS based data acquisition and reconstruction algorithm to recover a sparse 2-D target frame using fewer number of scans are presented. A 16-element antenna array based on digital beamforming approach is used on the receiver end to obtain random spatial measurements of the target frame, which is the key to compressed sensing. A linear relationship is established between the total received FMCW beat signal for each scan and the 2-D sparse target frame using a basis transform matrix. Simulations of the proposed radar are performed in MATLAB and the reconstruction results for different noise levels are presented.


Given a choice between spending more money on medical care or on other consumption goods, which should society choose? Should the National Institutes of Health devote a larger part of its research budget to AIDS or to cancer? Has the increased inequality of income in the United States led to worse health among the poor? Answering these questions is fundamental to understanding the medical sector and to forming sound public policy. But knowledge about the value of health is limited. At both a conceptual and empirical level, there are few integrated treatments of population health. In this paper and related work (Cutler and Richardson, 1997), we estimate the health of the United States population, and examine how it has changed over the past several decades.


A two-year pot experiment was conducted with a pimiento–celery cabbage (Capsicum annuum L.–Brassica pekinensis) rotation in acidic soil contaminated with Cd and Pb, which was amended with 0.0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0% (w/w) premixtures of hydroxyapatite, bentonite and biochar combinations (HTB, in a ratio of 1 : 2 : 2). The results showed that the application of HTB at 2.5–10.0% significantly increased soil pH and organic carbon by an average of 10.38–17.60% and 35.60–55.34% during the two years, respectively. Compared to the control treatment, 1.0–10.0% HTB decreased the available Cd and Pb concentrations by 40.92–77.53% and 41.60–82.79% on average, respectively. In addition, the diversity and richness of the soil bacterial community improved after the two-year application of HTB. The relative abundances of Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi increased under the HTB treatments, while those of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria decreased. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and regression analysis indicated that soil pH and Cd and Pb availability were important factors shaping the soil bacterial community. The Cd and Pb concentrations in the edible parts of pimiento and celery cabbage decreased as the HTB application rate increased and met the Food Quality Standard in each season when the HTB application rate was 5.0% or higher. Higher rates of HTB (5.0% and 10.0%) not only ensured the quality of vegetables, but also significantly promoted pimiento and celery cabbage growth. Overall, these results indicated that the application of HTB, especially at a rate of 5.0%, could be an effective way to immobilize Cd and Pb, improve soil quality and ensure vegetables produced in acidic contaminated soil are safe for human consumption.


The eye is the window of the soul. Without the input of visual information, the mobility for those with visual disability is much limited compared with people with healthy eyes. Surveys have revealed that approximately 39.2% of the visually disabled people in Taiwan desperately wish to return to the society and that the lack of mobility is one the major causes leading to their inability to live an independent life. Therefore, the provision of an ideal ticket selling system for public transportation catered to the needs of the visually disabled has become one of the most important issues surrounding the discussion about how to help the blind to start participating in the various societal activities as early as possible. According to the principle of the Universal design, this study has developed a train ticket seller system applying computer interactive voice response technology according to the sense characteristics of the visually disabled. The main idea is to allow the blind to interact with the ticket selling system through hearing sense and verbal ability. The increasingly sophisticated computer speech recognition technology also played a pivotal role in the development of the system. Using voice recognition as the input unit of the computer equipment is probably one of the easiest and most convenient methods for the blind. Hence, this study set out to develop a more user-friendly voicecontrolled man-machine interface, with an aim to provide a simple, convenient, and accurate automatic train ticket seller system for the visually disabled, making it possible for the blind to move more freely and independently, thereby facilitating their needs to return to the society as early as possible.


A large fraction of neurotensin neurons in the ventromedial shell subdivision of nucleus accumbens express D3 receptors. Blockade of D2/D3 receptors by antipsychotic agents paradoxically decreases neurotensin gene expression in these neurons whereas it enhances it in other striatal areas expressing the D2 receptor. This suggests that D2 and D3 receptors mediate opposite actions of dopamine. In support of this view low doses of nafadotride, a novel D3 receptor-preferring antagonist, enhances locomotor activity in rodents, a behavioral response opposite to that of current neuroleptics. The action of D3 receptor-preferring agonists was characterized by the mitogenic response they elicit in transfected NG 108-15 cells. Finally, gene expression of the D2 receptor is in opposition to that of the D2 receptor, being decreased by denervation and unaffected by chronic blockade by neuroleptics.


The authors investigated the effects of torus wall flexibility in the pressure suppression system of a Mark I boiling water reactor (BWR) when the torus wall is subjected to hydrodynamic loadings. Using hypothetical models, they examined these flexibility effects under two hydrodynamic loading conditions: (1) a steam relief valve (SRV) discharge pulse, and (2) a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) chugging pulse. In the analyses of these events they used a recently developed two-dimensional finite element computer code. Taking the basic geometry and dimensions of the Monticello Mark I BWR nuclear power plant (in Monticello, Minnesota, U.S.A.), they assessed the effects of flexibility in the torus wall by changing values of the inside-diameter-to-wall-thickness ratio. Varying the torus wall thickness (t) with respect to the inside diameter (D) of the torus, they assigned values to the ratio D/t ranging from 0 (infinitely rigid) to 600 (highly flexible). In the case of a modeled steam relief valve (SRV) discharge pulse, they found the peak vertical reaction force on the torus was reduced from that of a rigid wall response by a factor of 3 for the most highly flexible, plant-simulated wall (D/t = 600). The reduction factor for a modeled loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) chuggingmore » pulse was shown to be 1.5. The two-dimensional analyses employed overestimate these reduction factors but have provided, as intended, definition of the effect of torus boundary stiffness. In the work planned for FY79, improved modeling of the structure and of the source is expected to result in factors more directly applicable to actual pressure suppression systems.« less


The intake of undegradable dietary protein in a cow's early lactation may be a major factor in determining peak yield. The natural degradability of proteins varies with different feedstuffs. Maturity of crop, use of additives, drying or grinding all affect the degradability. Time spent in the rumen is an important factor in the amount of protein degraded.


In this present study, the adsorption kinetics and intraparticulate diffusivities of congo red onto unmodified and modified kola nut pod carbons were studied. Two kinetic models, the pseudo first- and second-order equations, were selected to follow the adsorption process. Kinetic parameters, rate constants, equilibrium adsorption capacities, and correlation coefficients for each kinetic equations were calculated and discussed. Experimental results showed that the amount of congo red adsorbed by all the adsorbents increased with increasing contact time with NH4Cl modified kola nut pod carbon having the highest adsorption capacity as compared to the unmodified, heat- and HNO3-modified kola nut pod carbon. Results obtained also indicated that the adsorption of congo red onto kola nut pod carbons is pseudo first-order and the mechanism is particle-diffusion controlled.


The thermal stability and crystallization behaviour of metallic glass Fe85.5B14.5 were investigated by Dynamic Temperature Resistivity Measurement (DTRM) technique from room temperature to 1050K in forward and reverse mode at a heating rate of 40 K/hr. The slope of Resistivity-Temperature-Curve (RTC) changes sign and magnitude at the temperature where the transition takes place. Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) was carried out at the heating rates of 10, 20, 30 & 40 K/min. A comparison of the results of DTRM and DTA measurements shows that crystallization in this alloy is two-stage process. Activation energy for two crystallization steps was calculated from DTA data, using various peak shift equations. The activation energy for first step was found to be lower than the second.


Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is a common malignancy, but like other genital malignancies, it rarely metastasizes to the heart, even in advanced stages. This case illustrates several points, including the presentation of a cardiac metastasis mimicking ischemic cardiac disease on electrocardiogram. The diagnosis was further suggested by cardiac echocardiogram demonstrating a large right ventricular epicardial mass. It is unusual to make this diagnosis ante mortem.


While AR is slowly becoming reality, projections about the technology are divided. The direction that AR will take, the form AR will come in, how it should be used and the societal impact it will have are all being contested. With emerging technologies such as AR, these debates occur in a mostly rhetorical space, as positions and visions of the future are advanced. Some of these are also negative visions, arguing against the technology. These communications, arguments, and positions are how the technology is made persuasive to those in and outside the AR community, but have yet to be empirically studied or understood. This study seeks to map out the rhetorical promises that are being made about AR. Through qualitative interviews with a variety of actors in the AR community, this study advances a taxonomy of technological promises, higher order principles that those promises appeal to, and finally the contested characteristic that can change the valence of the vision. This framework will help make the debate about AR clearer, and help people frame their discussions and debates about AR in a more productive way.


Composed in 1888 by Juventino Rosas, the waltz "Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") soon made its way to North America and beyond, reverberating in the great spaces of the circus, fairground, skating rink, dance hall, and park. Recycled in cartoons and films, in television, and in various cover versions, Rosas's waltz has become a kind of popular liminal music. The complex, circuitous routes it has traveled have led to a present-day musical convention. This essay attempts to lay bare the mechanisms at work in the dissemination of such a widely known piece of music in three ways: 1) by accounting for the multiple themes related to "Sobre las olas"; 2) by considering the range of technologies through which Rosas's waltz has been disseminated; and 3) by theorizing public knowledge of the waltz as a musical "quote," a snippet recognizable after a few notes.


: In response to the economic, natural, and political crisis that enveloped Indonesia from August 1997 (beginning of depreciation) to May 1998 (Soeharto resignation), the new government announced support for a set of "safety net" (JPS) programs in the July 1998 budget. These included: (a) targeted sales of subsidized rice, (b) work creation programs, (c) scholarships to students and block grants to schools, (d) targeted health care subsidies, (e) community block grants. Cross sectional and panel data has been used to examine the targeting of these programs. First, "static participation incidence" (the relationship between program participation and household consumption expenditures) was substantially better than a uniform transfer, but substantially worse than perfect targeting, and remarkably similar for all of the JPS programs. Second, unlike standard static incidence measures, what we define as "dynamic participation incidence" — the relationship between changes in consumption expenditures and program participation — was very different among the JPS programs. The employment creation programs, which relied on self-selection targeting, were much more likely to reach those households experiencing large shocks to their expenditure than programs based on administrative targeting such as subsidized rice sales, scholarships, and health subsidies. Third, larger coverage does not lead to either better or worse targeting: There was no general tendency across the programs for marginal incidence to be above, or below, average incidence. Fourth, the targeting designs of many of the programs were not followed strictly during implementation of the programs. In practice, community and individual characteristics — that were de jure irrelevant — played a role in targeting. In the sales of subsidized rice program, community influence led to the program going to many more than the eligible individuals. In other programs, individual characteristics appear to have influenced targeting.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of naoling decoction (NLD) on the behavior and the mRNA expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the hippocampus in rat model with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS
D-galactose was intra-abdominally injected and AlCl3was hypodermically injected to build the AD models. The behavior of rats was measured by gamma-electric maze and the level of APP mRNA in the model rat hippocampus was observed by RT-PCR.

RESULTS
The learning and memory capacity in the NLD group was improved and the APP mRNA expression level was significantly lower in the NLD group compared with the untreated model and the control group (All P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
NLD can lower the expression of APP mRNA to reduce beta-amyloid protein deposition of rat hippocampus, which may be one of the mechanisms of improving the learning and memory capacity of AD model rats.


The catalytic reduction in carbon dioxide is a crucial step in many chemical industrial reactions, such as methanol synthesis, the reverse water-gas shift reaction, and formic acid synthesis. Here, we investigate the role of bulk hydrogen, where hydrogen atoms are found deep inside a metal surface as opposed to subsurface ones, upon CO2 reduction over a Ni(110) surface using density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. While it has previously been shown that subsurface hydrogen stabilizes CO2 and can aid in overcoming reaction barriers, the role of bulk hydrogen is less studied and thus unknown with regard to CO2 reduction. We find that the presence of bulk hydrogen can significantly alter the electronic structure of the Ni(110) surface, particularly the work function and d-band center, such that CO2 adsorbs more strongly to the surface and is more easily reduced. Our results show an enhanced CO2 dissociation in the presence of bulk hydrogen, shedding light on a hitherto underappreciated mechanistic pathway for CO2 reduction on metal surfaces.


Recent studies have indicated that foundation models, such as BERT and GPT, excel in adapting to a variety of downstream tasks. This adaptability has established them as the dominant force in building artificial intelligence (AI) systems. As visualization techniques intersect with these models, a new research paradigm emerges. This paper divides these intersections into two main areas: visualizations for foundation models (VIS4FM) and foundation models for visualizations (FM4VIS). In VIS4FM, we explore the primary role of visualizations in understanding, refining, and evaluating these intricate models. This addresses the pressing need for transparency, explainability, fairness, and robustness. Conversely, within FM4VIS, we highlight how foundation models can be utilized to advance the visualization field itself. The confluence of foundation models and visualizations holds great promise, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. By highlighting these challenges and the growing opportunities, this paper seeks to provide a starting point for continued exploration in this promising avenue.


Introduction of non-native species threatens local marine biodiversity, generating substantial costs for the aquaculture and tourism industries when native (including commercial) species are displaced. It is important that non-indigenous species are identified and controlled before they establish locally becoming invasive pests. The important vectors contributing to human-related dispersal of marine species include ship hull biofouling, ballast water and the aquaculture trade. Among over 80 polychaete families, fouling (Serpulidae and Sabellidae) and burrowing (Spionidae) worms are most commonly introduced to new localities. To assist in identification of potentially invasive non-native polychaetes, a web-based guide fully illustrated with original photographs was developed at the Australian Museum. The guide covers 66 species including 38 species of Serpulidae, 14 species of Sabellidae, and 14 species of Spionidae. This guide is intended for use by biologists, environmental consultants, quarantine officers and port management authorities as correct identification of species is essential for marine pest monitoring and management. The "Polychaete Identifier" will be extended to include other potentially invasive marine species of polychaetes, as well as crustaceans and molluscs in the near future, subject to funding availability.


Physical rehabilitation supported by the computer-assisted-interface is gaining popularity among health-care fraternity. In this paper, we have proposed a computer-vision-assisted contactless methodology to facilitate palm and finger rehabilitation. Leap motion controller has been interfaced with a computing device to record parameters describing 3-D movements of the palm of a user undergoing rehabilitation. We have proposed an interface using Unity3D development platform. Our interface is capable of analyzing intermediate steps of rehabilitation without the help of an expert, and it can provide online feedback to the user. Isolated gestures are classified using linear discriminant analysis (DA) and support vector machines (SVM). Finally, a set of discrete hidden Markov models (HMM) have been used to classify gesture sequence performed during rehabilitation. Experimental validation using a large number of samples collected from healthy volunteers reveals that DA and SVM perform similarly while applied on isolated gesture recognition. We have compared the results of HMM-based sequence classification with CRF-based techniques. Our results confirm that both HMM and CRF perform quite similarly when tested on gesture sequences. The proposed system can be used for home-based palm or finger rehabilitation in the absence of experts.


Abstract. As a key role in reflecting local diversity and identity, cultural heritage is of significant value to the living and well-being of a region and its people. Additionally, cultural heritage education serves to further enrich the values, core literacy, and cultural identity of future decision-makers. Even though countries are paying increased attention to these various aspects of education and research on cultural heritage obstacles to engagement exist. The obstacles addressed here include passive or minimal participation, and the lack of research surrounding methods for engaging adolescents with cultural heritage. However, the Dunhuang Academy's animated short, The Deer and the Snitch, featured on WeChat's mini-programs, presents an example of novel methods used to educate and engage the adolescent demographic with cultural heritage through new media technology. Set in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, the world's oldest, richest, and most exquisite site for Buddhist art, this animated drama breathes life into the Dunhuang frescoes through its professional use of new media technology and strengthens their philosophical themes of truth, kindness, and beauty. With increased accessibility due to the mobile nature of WeChat mini programs, combined with an integrated mechanism for viewer participation, this animated drama constructs a bridge between individuals and cultural heritage. The planning and production ideas behind The Deer and the Snitch provide an innovative perspective for the use of new media technology in cultural heritage education.


Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging arboviral infectious disease with a high rate of lethality in susceptible humans and caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus (SFTSV). Currently, neither vaccine nor specific antiviral drugs are available. In recent years, given the fact that both the number of SFTS cases and epidemic regions are increasing year by year, SFTS has become a public health problem. SFTSV can be internalized into host cells through the interaction between SFTSV glycoproteins and cell receptors and can activate the host immune system to trigger antiviral immune response. However, SFTSV has evolved multiple strategies to manipulate host factors to create an optimal environment for itself. Not to be discounted, host genetic factors may be operative also in the never-ending winning or losing wars. Therefore, the identifications of SFTSV, host immune and genetic factors, and their interactions are critical for understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of SFTSV infection. This review summarizes the updated pathogenesis of SFTS with regard to virus, host immune response, and host genetic factors to provide some novel perspectives of the prevention, treatment, as well as drug and vaccine developments.


Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) is a notifiable syndrome that must be investigated. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profile and factors associated with SARI-related hospitalization and deaths reported in Goiás. Retrospective cohort study, with data from the investigation files of the Notifiable Diseases Information System's Influenza Web. Multivariate analysis methods were employed to verify the association between exposure variables with the outcomes of ICU admission and death. A total of 4,832 SARI cases were reported in Goiás from 2013 to 2018. The primary etiological diagnosis was Influenza A (22.3%) with the predominant subtype A (H1N1pdm09), followed by the Respiratory Syncytial Virus. A total of 34.6% of the patients required ICU admission, and 19% died. A longer time to start treatment with antivirals was associated with a higher likelihood to have an ICU admission, while a previous non-vaccination against Influenza, longer time to start treatment, and older age were associated with a higher likelihood to suffer death. The study showed a high frequency of respiratory diseases caused by the Influenza virus in Goiás and that the severity of the syndrome, characterized by ICU admission and deaths, is associated with the start of antiviral treatment vaccine status, and patient's age.


Introduction: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) in general and bla NDM-1 in particular. It also aimed at evaluating clinical characteristics and outcome in patients infected with MBLs. Materials and Methods: A total of 116 carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CRGNB) were evaluated in the study. These CRGNB were tested for MBL production both phenotypically for MBLs and genotypically for bla NDM-1 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Representative stains of NDM-1 isolates were further sequenced by Triyat Scientific Co., (Nagpur, India). Results: Among 116 CRGNB Citrobacter species 28 (24.13%) was the most common pathogen. Phenotypically, MHT, imipenem-EDTA (IPM-EDTA) double-disk synergy test and IPM-EDTA combined disk synergy test (CDST) detected MBL production in 105 (90.51%), 96 (81.03%), and 87 (75%) CRGNB, respectively. However, bla NDM-1 genes were detected in 66 (56.89%) isolates. The prevalence of bla NDM-1 gene was highest among Escherichia coli 26 (100%). Considering PCR as gold standard, it was observed that IMP-EDTA CDST was most specific (78.38%) while MHT was most sensitive (97.47%). Results of bla NDM-1 gene by PCR were further confirmed by sequencing (Triyat genomics, Nagpur). All the 11 representative strains were confirmed to be an NDM-1 gene. The presence of MBLs in our group of patients (non-Intensive Care Unit patients) is a cause for concern. However, on tracing their outcome, it was interesting to note that while the duration of stay lengthened in a large number of patients 112 (96.5%), mortality was relatively low 5 (4.31%). Conclusion: The results of this study provide insight into the prevalence of MBLs, including bla NDM-1, in a tertiary care hospital. Antibiotic stewardship implemented in all seriousness may to a great extent stave off the impending pan-drug resistance. The surprising outcome of our patients suggests either that the bacteria trade off virulence for drug resistance or the relatively robust immune response of non ICU patients fights back.


Considering that the muscles of the anus perform a critical role in maintaining continence, losses in their structure can negatively affect the physiological control of the intestinal contents. Anorectal electro‐stimulation (ARES) has been reported to have a positive effect on the functionality of treated patients, but how ARES affects the structural tissues of the anorectal segment remains unknown. Because the study of how ARES structurally affects human tissues is not possible, this study aimed to clarify these effects in a murine model, which has a similar anorectal segment (structure and physiology) to humans. For the descriptive and comparative study, randomly selected nulliparous adult Wistar rats (n = 5) were submitted to 30 anorectal sessions of ARES with a biphasic current (700 μs, 50 Hz from 2 to 4 mA). After treatment, the animals were euthanized, and the anorectal segments were dissected and processed for histopathological analysis. Our results showed that ARES increased the widths of the mucosal, submucosal and muscle layers of the rectum, as well as the number of leukocytes in the mucosa. ARES also caused hyperplasia of the smooth muscle of the internal anal sphincter and hypertrophy of the external anal sphincter muscle. In conclusion, our results showed that ARES had not only a positive effect on the structure (morphology) of all tissues associated with the rectum and anus but, more importantly, on the structural gain of the muscles (hyperplasia and hypertrophy), which could point to a functional gain of the anal sphincter, reinforcing the applicability of ARES as a non‐invasive treatment for anal incontinence.


Objectives To examine the safety of an agonist-type treatment, lisdexamfetamine (LDX), at 250 mg/day among adults with methamphetamine (MA) dependence. Design A dose-escalating, phase-2, open-label, single-group study of oral LDX at two Australian drug treatment services. Setting The study was conducted at two Australian stimulant use disorder treatment clinics. Participants There were 16 participants: at least 18 years old, MA dependent for at least the preceding 2 years using ICD-10 criteria, reporting use of MA on at least 14 of the preceding 28 days. Interventions Daily, supervised LDX of 100–250 mg, single-blinded to dose, ascending-descending regimen over 8 weeks (100–250 mg over 4 weeks; followed by 4-week dose reduction regimen, 250–100 mg). Participants were followed through to week 12. Outcomes Primary outcomes were safety, drug tolerability and regimen completion at the end of week 4. Participants were followed to week 12. Secondary outcomes included: change in MA use; craving; withdrawal; severity of dependence; risk behaviour; change in other substance use; medication acceptability; potential for non-prescription use; adherence and neurocognitive functioning. Results Fourteen of 16 participants (87.5%) completed escalation to 250 mg/day. Two participants withdrew from the trial in the first week: one relocated away from the study site, the other self-withdrew due to a possible, known side effect of LDX (agitation). There was one serious adverse event of suicidal ideation which resolved. All other adverse events were mild or moderate in severity and known side effects of LDX. No participant was withdrawn due to adverse events. MA use decreased from a median of 21 days (IQR: 16–23) to 13 days (IQR: 11–17) over the 4-week escalation period (p=0.013). Conclusions LDX at a dose of up to 250 mg/day was safe and well tolerated by study participants, warranting larger trials as a pharmacotherapy for MA dependence. Trial registration number ACTRN12615000391572.


We theoretically examine the gains of the decentralisation of agri-environmental policy design. We consider a model with homogeneous regions and joint production of local and global public goods from agriculture. Assuming that governments are characterised by different agency costs and knowledge of the PG values, we evaluate whether decentralisation is a suitable strategy to improve the efficiency of agri-environmental payments. We find that partial decentralisation always improves the welfare. We apply our theoretical model to the case of abandoned wetlands in Brittany. We find that national governments are the most suitable to design agri-environmental policies. Our results contribute to reflections on future Common Agricultural Policy.


We empirically investigate the validity of the monetary policy trilemma postulation for emerging market (EME) and advanced (AE) economies under different exchange rate and monetary policy regimes before and after the recent global financial crisis (GFC). Consistent with the dilemma proposition, domestic interest rates are determined by global financial conditions and the FED rate even under floating exchange rate regimes (ERR) in the long-run. The impact of the FED rates is higher in EME than AE and EME are much more sensitive to global financial cycle under managed than floating ERR. The spillover from the FED rate substantially increases after the GFC in EME with floating ERR and AE. The results from the monetary policy reaction functions based on equilibrium correction mechanism specifications suggest that domestic interest rates respond to inflation and output gaps especially under inflation targeting (IT) in the short-run. The response to inflation gap tends to be smaller in IT AE after the GFC.


Purpose A novel family of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, that may hold a role in calcium homeostasis, has recently been described. By employing a GeneChip array analysis we have demonstrated a clear and specific upregulation of the TRP vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) mRNA in the left ventricles (LV) 3–5 days post-acute myocardial infarction (MI) compared to sham-operated controls, both in rats and in mice. We sought to characterize the cardiac cellular subpopulations in which TRPV2 is overexpressed upon acute MI. Methods Lewis rats underwent an acute MI by ligation of the left anterior descending artery or chest opening only (sham). The animals were terminated at various time points and an immunohistochemical (IHC) and immunofloerescent (IFC) staining of the LV sections as well as a flow cytometry analysis of LV-derived cells were carried out, using anti-TRPV2 and anti-monocyte/macrophage antibodies. Rat alveolar macrophage cells, NR8383, transiently transfected with TRPV2 siRNA were allowed to migrate towards hypoxic conditioned media of the rat cardiac myoblast line H9C2 using a trans-well migration assay. The macrophage cells migrating to the bottom side of the inserts were counted. Results The IHC and IFC staining as well as the flow cytometry data demonstrated a substantial expression of TRPV2 in infiltrating macrophages in the peri-infarct region 3–5 days post-acute MI. The in vitro migration assay data demonstrated that following inhibition of the TRPV2 channel, the number of migrating macrophages towards conditioned medium of hypoxic cardiomyocytes was significantly reduced. Conclusions TRPV2 is highly expressed on the peri-infarct infiltrating macrophages and may play an important role in post-MI phagocytosis. Better characterization of this channel may pave the way for identifying a new target for modulating the dramatic post-MI immune reactions.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

HTLV-1 causes ATLL in 3-5% of infected individuals after a long latent period of 40 to 60 years. ATLL is divided into four stages: namely, smoldering, chronic, lymphoma and acute types. The smoldering and chronic types are indolent, but the acute and lymphoma types are aggressive ATLL characterized by resistance to chemotherapy and a poor prognosis. Such a long latent period suggests that a multi-step leukemogenic/lymphomagenic mechanism is involved in the development of ATLL, although the critical events in the progression have not been characterized. To determine whether epigenetic abnormalities are playing the important role in the progression of ATLL, we analyzed the methylation profiles, showing that number of CpG island methylated genes increased with disease progression and aberrant hyper-methylation in specific genes was detected even in HTLV-1 carriers and correlated with progression to ATLL. The CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) was observed most frequently in lymphoma type ATLL and was also closely associated with the progression and crisis of ATLL. The high number of methylated genes and increase of CIMP incidence were shown to be unfavorable prognostic factors and correlated with a shorter overall survival with the Kaplan-Meyer analysis. Dynamic changes of aberrant DNA methylation status in the specific genes were observed during the progression of an ATLL patient. The present findings strongly suggest that the multi-step accumulation of aberrant CpG methylation in specific target genes and the presence of CIMP are deeply involved in the initiation and progression of ATLL not only epidemiologically but also in the clinical course of a specific ATLL patient.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3132. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3132


Purpose Conjunctival erosion in glaucoma drainage device surgery can be prevented by the use of patch grafts to cover the extraocular portion of the tube. Several materials can be used, among them human preserved fascia lata. Methods The authors present a case of a failed Ahmed glaucoma valve due to encapsulation of the bleb, in which the fascia lata patch placed to cover the tube was removed 32 months later, during the implantation of a second glaucoma drainage device. Results Histopathologic examination of the fascia lata patch demonstrated its persistence, without degradation or cellular infiltration. Conclusions Human preserved fascia lata is a suitable material for tube covering in glaucoma drainage device surgery, with long-term survival.


The benthic fauna was studied in the small, brackish water Mazoma Lagoon in the Amvrakikos bay. Benthic samples were collected at 10 stations at bimonthly intervals over a period of a year. Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and sediment organic carbon were also measured at the same time. The environmental parameters showed the expected seasonal variability but the benthic community, the structure of which was only related to plant biomass, did not. This lack of seasonality is attributed to the continuous reproduction of some abundant species and to species interactions.


In this paper the aspects of system level modeling are discussed. We present a possible procedure that treats numerical modeling and measurement procedure as a similar process. Another topic in this paper is geometric model used as an input for electromagnetic (EM) analysis. We have shown implementation of geometric models for electromagnetic analysis in a design frame, and how separate design steps could be combined. The focus of this paper is to use common geometric models in all design process in order to reduce the number of transformations for the geometry. A new method for design flow is shown.


Background and Aims: IsCGM is increasingly used by people with type 1 diabetes. The impact on psychosocial outcomes and experiences reported by intervention participants relative to controls were assessed in a sub-study of the UK multi-centre RCT (n=156, Females 44%, Baseline HbA1c 71±9 mmol/mol, age 44±15) to determine impact on participants' lived experiences.
 Methods: mixed-methods sub-study including validated questionnaires (all) and free-text questions (intervention only) exploring diabetes-related distress, device and treatment satisfaction and user experience. Questionnaires were administered at baseline and again at 24 weeks. HCPs also completed questionnaires post-study.
 Results: isCGM participants reported significantly lower feelings of powerlessness (p=0.045) and management distress (p<0.001) in the Type 1 diabetes distress score than the control participants. There were no significant differences in depression (PHQ-9) or eating disorders measures, but diabetes treatment satisfaction (p<0.001) and glucose monitoring satisfaction (p<0.001) were greater for isCGM participants. Free-text data shows improved quality of life reported by n=33 isCGM participants including better diabetes control, improved control overnight, reduced anxiety and greater understanding of glucose trends and data. Reported downsides were cited by n=39 isCGM participants and included lack of accuracy, poor connectivity and sensor irritation. All participants would continue to use the device if given the choice. HCPs (n=24) reported improved communication and information sharing with participants, with easy access to the data. Their most commonly cited benefit was improved HbA1c.
 Conclusion: moderate improvements in psychosocial outcomes on validated measures were reported by intervention participants using isCGM. Challenges with technology persist, although these did not dampen enthusiasm by participants for continued use.

 K.Barnard: Advisory Panel; Abbott Diabetes, Roche Diabetes Care, Sanofi, Consultant; LifeScan Diabetes Institute, Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., Research Support; Novo Nordisk. M.Burns: None. H.Thabit: Advisory Panel; Dexcom, Inc., Roche Diabetes Care, Research Support; Dexcom, Inc., Speaker's Bureau; Eli Lilly and Company. E.G.Wilmot: Advisory Panel; Abbott Diabetes, Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Roche Diabetes Care, Embecta, Consultant; Springer Healthcare, Research Support; Abbott Diabetes, Diabetes UK, Insulet Corporation, Novo Nordisk, NIH - National Institutes of Health, Speaker's Bureau; Abbott Diabetes, Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Ypsomed AG, Glooko, Inc. L.Leelarathna: Advisory Panel; Abbott Diabetes, Medtronic, Insulet Corporation, Sanofi, Research Support; Abbott Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, Speaker's Bureau; Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes. V.P.Taxiarchi: None. M.Evans: Advisory Panel; Zucara Therapeutics, Pila Pharma, Dexcom, Inc., Other Relationship; Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Abbott Diabetes, Speaker's Bureau; Eli Lilly and Company. S.Neupane: Advisory Panel; Quin, Abbott Diabetes, Roche Diabetes Care, Insulet Corporation, Other Relationship; Abbott Diabetes. G.Rayman: Other Relationship; Diabetes UK, Novo Nordisk, Research Support; Abbott Diabetes, Speaker's Bureau; Abbott Diabetes, Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi. S.Lumley: None. I.C.Cranston: Research Support; Eli Lilly and Company, Speaker's Bureau; Abbott Diabetes, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Viatris Inc. P.Narendran: Advisory Panel; Omnipod, Speaker's Bureau; Abbott Diabetes, Lilly Diabetes. C.J.Sutton: None.

 Diabetes UK (18/0005836)


AIM: transanal endomicrosurgery (TEM) is the method of choice for local excision of rectal cancer. The presented series of patients is collected prospectively and is the largest of the published in the Russian medical periodicals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: six-hundred patients [average age ±σ 59.8±9 (31-90) years old; 375/600 (62.5%) – women]with rectal adenomas and adenocarcinomas, who underwent TEM in 2011-2019. RESULTS: the mean size of the removed tumors was 3.4±1.5 cm (0.5-10.0). R0 resection was performed in 571/600 (95.2%) of the cases. The complication rate was 3.6% (22/600). Pathomorphological study of the removed specimens revealed adenoma in 450/600 (75.0%) patients, adenocarcinoma in 150/600 (25.0%) cases. The mean time of observation of patients with adenomas was 38.4±25.1 months, with adenocarcinomas – 33.4±23.8 months. The rate of local recurrence in adenomas was 4.5%. Loco-regional recurrence of adenocarcinoma pT1 after TEM was revealed in 6.8% of patients and 30% of pT2 patients without adjuvant treatment. CONCLUSION: TEM is an effective and safe method of treatment of rectal adenomas. With rectal cancer, a thorough selection of patients is required.


The goal of the research is to discover and summarize data from the emerging social media into information of interests. Specifically, leveraging user-contributed data from cross-domain social media, the idea is to perform multi-modal learning for a given photo, aiming to present people's description or comments, geographical information, and events of interest, closely related to the photo. These information then can be used for various purposes, such as being a real-time guide for the tourists to improve the quality of tourism. As a result, this research investigates modern challenges of image annotation, image retrieval, and cross-media mining, followed by presenting promising ways to conquer the challenges.


This study aims to examine options to increase the supportive power of parents, teachers, school administrators, and counselors who directly interact with children and adolescents and have a fundamental responsibility to protect them from the risks of substance abuse and evaluate the effectiveness of associated training programs. The study design is a cross-section survey with a total sample 45,807 participants (13,973 primary and secondary school teachers, 601 school administrators, 429 counselors, and 30,804 parents). For each group, specialized educational programs were prepared according to the assumed information needs and implemented accordingly. At the end of the implementation, each group was asked to evaluate the degree to which they benefitted from their own program. When the sample group responses pertaining to the education they received, it was found that in general when the overall education was examined, no responses fell below 90% where 99.58% found the educational programs "very beneficial" and 90.43% found the educational programs "beneficial".


Background: The knee is frequently prone to traumatic and degenerative afflictions and hence is a common site of pain requiring physical therapy interventions. During the process of rehabilitation, comparisons are usually made with the contralateral knee vis-à-vis the knee muscle torques as a criterion reference. In order to validate this practice, is necessary to determine to what extent a pre-injury difference exists between the limbs of otherwise normal subjects.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide isometric strength data of hamstring muscles in healthy subject and to investigate the effect of dominance on it.

Method: Eighty normal male undergraduate subjects with mean age of 23.5 ± 2.14years (range 20-29) were exposed to isometric muscular strength measurement of the hamstring muscles. The thigh muscle bulk, limb length and leg length were also measured.

Results: The result showed that dominance has effect on the isometric muscular strength of the lower limb when classified as dominant or non-dominant, strong or weak and right or left. There was also significant effect of dominance on muscle bulk. Significant correlation was found between muscle strength, muscle bulk and body weight. No correlation was found between muscle strength and leg length. Age has no effect on the strength.

Conclusion: This study suggests that in gross comparisons only, pre-injury significance exists between contralateral limbs.

KEYWORDS: Isometric hamstring muscle strength, dominance leg, leg length, muscle bulk.


Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) motion of the spine using the finite helical axis (FHA) in three postmortem human surrogates (PMHS) sled tests. Methods: The sled test configurations corresponded to a 30° nearside oblique impact at 35 km/h. Two different restraint system versions (RSv) were used. RSv1 was used for PMHS A and B while RSv2 was used for PMHS C. The 6 DOF motion of the head and three selected vertebrae have been analyzed using the FHA which describes the 3 D motion of a rigid body between two instants of time as a rotation about and a translation along a unit vector. A minimal amount of rotation is necessary to the FHA calculation, thus the FHA components have been calculated based on a pre-defined interval of 8° of rotation. Results: The analysis of the FHA components demonstrated right lateral bending until around 100 ms, when the rebound phase was reached and the head and the lower spine undergoes left lateral bending. The three PMHS exhibited, in general, flexion movement of the whole body and torsion to the right side of the occupant. This general motion can be associated to the effect of the seatbelt acting as a fulcrum of the rotational movement of the bony landmarks. The interaction of the PMHS with the retention system can be noted by analyzing the time in which the head and the upper spine initiated the rotation and the sudden changes of rotational direction of the three PMHS's head. Conclusions: The rotational analyses have shown to be more sensitive to experimental events than the trajectory analyses for the studied physical tests. Additionally, the results presented in the present study contributes to the analysis of the body kinematics during an oblique impact and adds new experimental data for Human Body Models (HBM) and Anthropometric Test Devices (ATD) benchmarking.


In this paper we show that it is possible to attack and gain control over PROFINET IO nodes and also that this can be done without any of the communicating peers detecting the attack. Analysis of attacks in both shared and packet switched networks show that the attacker can control the process data and thus the state of the machines connected to the I/O modules. As the security risks are increasing in automation with the level of vertical and horizontal integration, the concept of security modules is proposed towards a method to retrofit security in PROFINET IO. The concept of security modules can be applied without changing anything in the underlying transmission system and is extendable if and when new security threats are identified.


Spreading‐basin methods have resulted in more than 130 million cubic metres of recharge to the unconfined Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah in the past decade, but infiltration rates have slowed in recent years because of reduced hydraulic gradients and (or) clogging. Trench infiltration is a promising alternative technique for increasing recharge and minimizing evaporation. This paper uses a variably saturated flow model to further investigate the relative importance of the following variables on rates of trench infiltration to unconfined aquifers: saturated hydraulic conductivity, trench spacing and dimensions, initial water‐table depth, alternate wet/dry periods, and number of parallel trenches. Modelling results showed (1) increased infiltration with higher hydraulic conductivity, deeper initial water tables, and larger spacing between parallel trenches, (2) deeper or wider trenches do not substantially increase infiltration, (3) alternating wet/dry periods result in less overall infiltration than keeping the trenches continuously full, and (4) larger numbers of parallel trenches within a fixed area increases infiltration but with a diminishing effect as trench spacing becomes tighter. An empirical equation for estimating expected trench infiltration rates as a function of hydraulic conductivity and initial water‐table depth was derived and can be used for evaluating feasibility of trench infiltration in other hydrogeologic settings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria in healthy children is rare, and its pathogenesis is unknown in most cases and standardized treatment is lacking. Here, we report various endobronchial manifestations in 5 patients including hitherto undescribed diffuse tracheobronchial granulomas in 2 patients. Bronchoscopic debulking was performed in all patients and tuberculostatic treatment in 4. All patients including 1 without tuberculostatic treatment showed remission.


Abstract Nowadays software configuration management process is not only dilemma which system should be used for version control or how to merge changes from one source code branch to other. There are multiple tasks such as version control, build management, deploy management, status accounting, bug tracking and many others that should be solved to support full configuration management process according to most popular quality standards. The main scope of the mentioned process is to include only valid and tested software items to final version of product and prepare a new version as soon as possible. To implement different tasks of software configuration management process, a set of different tools, scripts and utilities should be used. The current paper provides a new model-based approach to implementation of configuration management. Using different models, a new approach helps to organize existing solutions and develop new ones by a parameterized way, thus increasing reuse of solutions. The study provides a general description of new model-based conception and definitions of all models needed to implement a new approach. The second part of the paper contains an overview of criteria, practical experiments and lessons learned from using new models in software configuration management. Finally, further works are defined based on results of practical experiments and lessons learned.


The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the influencing factors behind credit risks in Azerbaijani banks. Within this scope, we analyzed 10 biggest banks of Azerbaijan with respect to their asset size. Furthermore, 10 explanatory variables were used to achieve this objective. Annual data for the period between 2010 and 2015 was tested using the panel logit methodology. According to the results of our analysis, it was defined that 4 independent variables affect credit risk of Azerbaijani banks. It was also determined that decrease in the capital adequacy ratio, interest rate and total assets leads to increasing credit risk. We have also identified that there is a positive relationship between unemployment rate and the credit risk of Azerbaijani banks. Therefore, it can be stated that Azerbaijani banks should increase their capital adequacy ratio and total assets amount in order to minimize the negative effects from the credit risk problem.


Underground storage of CO2 in depleted gas reservoirs is a greenhouse gas reduction technique that significantly reduces CO2 released into the atmosphere. Three major depleted gas reservoirs in Central Luconia gas field, located offshore Sarawak, possess good geological characteristics needed to ensure long-term security for CO2 stored deep underground. Long-term integrity of all the wells drilled in these gas fields must be ensured in order to successfully keep the CO2 stored for decades/centuries into the future. Well integrity is often defined as the ability to contain fluids without significant leakage through the project lifecycle.
 In order to analyze the risk associated with all 38 drilled wells, that includes 11 plugged and abandoned (P&A) wells and 27 active wells, probabilistic risk assessment approach has been developed. This approach uses various leakage scenarios, that includes features, events, and processes (FEP). A P&A well in a depleted reservoir is a very complex system in order to assess the loss of containment as several scenarios and parameters associated to those scenarios are difficult to estimate. Based on the available data of P&A wells, a well has been selected for this study. All the barriers in the example well have been identified and properties associated with those barriers are defined in order to estimate the possible leakage pathways through the identified barriers within that well. Detailed mathematical models are provided for estimating CO2 leakage from reservoir to the surface through all possible leakage pathways.
 Sensitivity analysis has been carried out for critical parameters such as cement permeability, and length of cement plug, in order to assess the containment ability of that well and understand its impact on overall well integrity. Sensitivity analysis shows that permeability of the cement in the annulus, and length of cement plug in the wellbore along with pressure differential can be used as critical set of parameters to assess the risk associated with all wells in these three fields.
 Well integrity is defined as the ability of the composite system (cemented casings string) in the well to contain fluids without significant leakage from underground reservoir up to surface. It has been recognized as a key performance factor determining the viability of any CCS project. This is the first attempt in assessing Well Integrity risk related to CO2 storage in Central Luconia Gas Fields in Sarawak. The wells have been looked individually in order to make sure that integrity is maintained, and CO2 is contained underground for years to come.


Tamoxifen is a conventional treatment option for breast cancer patients diagnosed with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors. However, a significant number of these patients eventually develop resistance to tamoxifen during therapy, and thus the management of such tamoxifen-resistant patients remains a clinical challenge. In an effort to identify novel targets for the treatment of tamoxifen-resistant tumors, we observed increased expression of microRNA 10b (miR-10b) in ER-positive MCF-7 cells-derived tamoxifen-resistant cells (MCF7TR). The miR-10b has been implicated in invasion and metastasis but its role, if any, in drug resistance of breast cancer cells has never been investigated. To ascertain the mechanistic role of miR-10b in tamoxifen resistance, we downregulated its levels in MCF7TR cells and in addition we also overexpressed miR-10b by transfecting MCF-7 cells with pre-miR-10b. We found that the downregulation of miR-10b in MCF7TR cells led to increased sensitivity to tamoxifen whereas overexpression of miR-10b in MCF-7 cells led to increased resistance to tamoxifen. During our mechanistic investigation, we found that increased expression of miR-10b downregulated the expression of HDAC4 in MCF7TR cells. Inactivation of HDAC4 using HDAC4-specific siRNA transfection in MCF-7 cells led to the acquisition of tamoxifen resistance. Moreover, further reduction of HDAC4 in MCF7TR cells by HDAC4-specific siRNA transfection resulted in further enhancement of tamoxifen resistance. In summary, we have identified miR-10b-HDAC4 nexus as one of the molecular mechanism of tamoxifen resistance, and thus targeting this nexus could become a novel targeted therapeutic approach for the treatment of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer.


The cause of the energy deficits in HD pathogenesis is unknown but impaired glycolysis or TCA cycle may be involved. Subcellular abnormalities were observed among others also in peripheral tissues of HD patients. Thiamine–dependent enzymes are diminished in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Deficit of that vitamin evokes not only reduction in thiamine dependent enzymes but also in the other TCA enzymes. The aim of the study was to follow the effects of thiamine supplementation on the profiles of the thiamine linked genes as well as the genes involved in Krebs cycle in B-lymphocytes of patients with HD (GM13509) compared to the cells of healthy individuals (GM14467) with use of qPCR. The intact GM13509 cells differed from GM14467 cells in the higher expression of: MDH1, GAPDH and SLC19A3 genes. The expression of DLD, IDH1, SDHA and SLC19A1 decreased in GM13509 cells upon thiamine deficit or low thiamine level. The genes: DBT, DLST, ACO1, OGDH, SLC19A2, SLC25A19 and DLAT in GM13509 cells showed lower level of mRNA than the GM14467 cells under thiamine supplemented. The inverse correlation was observed between thiamine levels and GAPDH and SLC25A3 expression. The analysis of the genes in the intact B-lymphocytes showed that energy may characterise HD, but the thiamine related genes did not seem to be a key point in the gene profiles. However, the 2-fold decrease in the IDH1 gene expression in GM13509 cells which was noted upon thiamine deficit suggests that low thiamine intracellular level somehow could be reflected in energy metabolism of HD peripheral tissues.


SummaryStudies were made at Lyallpur, Pakistan, to determine the effect of insect pollinators, mostly Apis dor sata and A. florea, on the fruit set and matured, and on the physical and chemical properties of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata). Significantly more fruit set and matured on branches accessible to insect pollinators than where insects were repelled or excluded. Effects of fruit size, juice content and the number of seeds were also significant, but not acidity, or sugar and total soluble solids.


The metallophilic bond is a weak interaction between closed‐shell ions and has been widely used a probe for various sensing of toxic chemicals for environmental safety concerns. Here, the interaction between Au nanoclusters (NCs) and metallic ions (mercury (Hg2+) and copper (Cu2+) ions) is explored using steady‐state and time‐resolved luminescence and transient absorption measurements. For Hg2+ ions, the delayed fluorescence (DF) of bovine serum albumin (BSA) protected Au25 (Au25@BSA) NCs is quenched via an effective triplet state electron transfer through the metallophilic bond. However, the Cu2+ ions do not alter the DF in Au25@BSA NCs because of the absence of the metallophilic interaction. Furthermore, for Au8@BSA and Au10@histidine, in which there are no Au+ ions on the surface, the fluorescence is not quenched by Hg2+ ions. Such a novel triplet electron transfer process through metallophilic bonds are observed and reported for the first time. The reduction of the reverse intersystem crossing is the crucial for Hg2+ ion sensing in the fluorescent Au25@BSA NCs.


Objective We aimed to investigate neurophysiological and clinical effects of common krait envenoming, including the time course and treatment response. Methodology Patients with definite common krait (Bungarus caeruleus) bites were recruited from a Sri Lankan hospital. All patients had serial neurological examinations and stimulated concentric needle single-fibre electromyography (sfEMG) of orbicularis oculi in hospital at 6wk and 6–9mth post-bite. Principal Findings There were 33 patients enrolled (median age 35y; 24 males). Eight did not develop neurotoxicity and had normal sfEMG. Eight had mild neurotoxicity with ptosis, normal sfEMG; six received antivenom and all recovered within 20–32h. Seventeen patients developed severe neurotoxicity with rapidly descending paralysis, from ptosis to complete ophthalmoplegia, facial, bulbar and neck weakness. All 17 received Indian polyvalent antivenom a median 3.5h post-bite (2.8–7.2h), which cleared unbound venom from blood. Despite this, the paralysis worsened requiring intubation and ventilation within 7h post-bite. sfEMG showed markedly increased jitter and neuromuscular blocks within 12h. sfEMG abnormalities gradually improved over 24h, corresponding with clinical recovery. Muscle recovery occurred in ascending order. Myotoxicity was not evident, clinically or biochemically, in any of the patients. Patients were extubated a median 96h post-bite (54–216h). On discharge, median 8 days (4–12days) post-bite, patients were clinically normal but had mild sfEMG abnormalities which persisted at 6wk post-bite. There were no clinical or neurophysiological abnormalities at 6–9mth. Conclusions Common krait envenoming causes rapid onset severe neuromuscular paralysis which takes days to recover clinically consistent with sfEMG. Subclinical neuromuscular dysfunction lasts weeks but was not permanent. Antivenom effectively cleared venom but did not prevent worsening or reverse neuromuscular paralysis.


Deep neural networks has become the first choice for researchers working on algorithmic aspects of learning-to-rank. Unfortunately, it is not trivial to find the optimal setting of hyper-parameters that achieves the best ranking performance. As a result, it becomes more and more difficult to develop a new model and conduct a fair comparison with prior methods, especially for newcomers. In this work, we propose PT-Ranking, an open-source project based on PyTorch for developing and evaluating learning-to-rank methods using deep neural networks as the basis to construct a scoring function. On one hand, PT-Ranking includes many representative learning-to-rank methods. Besides the traditional optimization framework via empirical risk minimization, adversarial optimization framework is also integrated. Furthermore, PT-Ranking's modular design provides a set of building blocks that users can leverage to develop new ranking models. On the other hand, PT-Ranking supports to compare different learning-to-rank methods based on the widely used datasets (e.g., MSLR-WEB30K, Yahoo!LETOR and Istella LETOR) in terms of different metrics, such as precision, MAP, nDCG, nERR. By randomly masking the ground-truth labels with a specified ratio, PT-Ranking allows to examine to what extent the ratio of unlabelled query-document pairs affects the performance of different learning-to-rank methods. We further conducted a series of demo experiments to clearly show the effect of different factors on neural learning-to-rank methods, such as the activation function, the number of layers and the optimization strategy.


The problem of fish traceability in processed products is still an important issue in food safety. Major attention is nowadays dedicated to consumer health and prevention of possible frauds regulated by national and international laws. For this reason, a technical approach is fundamental in revealing mislabeling at different levels. In particular, the use of genetic markers has been standardized and DNA barcoding is considered the gold-standard strategy to examine and prevent species substitution. Considering the richness of available DNA databases, it is nowadays possible to rapidly reach a reliable taxonomy at the species level. Among different approaches, an innovative method based on DNA mini barcoding has recently been proposed at an international level. Starting from this evidence, we herein illustrate an investigation dealing with the evolution of this topic in Italy over the last decade. The molecular analysis of 71 commercial fish samples based on mini-COI sequencing with two different primer sets reached an amplification success rate of 87.3 and 97.2%. The investigation revealed four major frauds (5.8%) and four minor ones (5.8%). Results highlighted a decrease in incorrect labeling in Italy from 32% to 11.6% over the last decade, although a recurrent involvement of "endangered" species sensu IUCN was still observed.


textabstractAbstract
This study investigates the relevant planning & control components for hospitals' management while the Dutch Healthcare sector is in the transition from not-for profit to (regulated) market competition. For this purpose a conceptual framework focussing on management based on integral results is developed. Subsequently, this model is tested through interviews and meetings with hospitals and other experts in the field. The results indicated that the model principally holds in the selected settings. However, innovative and appropriate components or critical success factors could not be found, suggesting that this thesis, relating to current practice, might still be one bridge too far.


—Adaptive systems can be regarded as a set of static programs and transitions between these programs. These transitions allow the system to adapt its behaviour in response to unexpected changes in its environment. Modelling highly dynamic systems is cumbersome, as these may go through a large number of adaptations. Moreover, often they must also satisfy real-time requirements whereas adaptations may not complete instantaneously. In this paper, we propose to model highly adaptive systems as dynamic real-time software product lines, where software products are able to change their features at runtime. Adaptive features allow one to design systems equipped with runtime reconfiguration capabilities and to model changes in their environment, such has failure modes. We define Featured Timed Game Automata, a formalism that combines adaptive features with discrete and real-time behaviour. We also propose a novel logic to express real-time requirements on adaptive systems, as well as algorithms to check a system against them. We implemented our method as part of PyECDAR, a model checker for timed systems.


In this survey article we gather classical as well as recent results on minimal geodesics of Riemannian or Finsler metrics, giving special attention to the two-dimensional case. Moreover, we present open problems together with some first ideas as to the solutions.


The problem of attracting developers to a community is resulting in growing levels of consternation for many companies. The successes enjoyed by existing developer-based communities producing tangible results do not necessarily show the critical steps required to build such a community from the ground up. By examining the elements of a successful developer community and the archetypes of the necessary participants, I clarify the process by which developers are enticed into, and kept active within, a community. This process is analyzed using qualitative analysis of developer communities and several example communities. This paper challenges community-building methodologies, corporate culture, and the prevailing attitudes surrounding current attempts at developer enticement. Typical approaches are usually seen as insincere or lacking in value, but with appropriate community management and a slight shift in messaging and transparency, true organic growth can be achieved.


Using the data presented in the accompanying paper [Hilkhuysen et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 531-539 (2012)], the ability of six metrics to predict intelligibility of speech in noise before and after noise suppression was studied. The metrics considered were the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII), the fractional Articulation Index (fAI), the coherence intelligibility index based on the mid-levels in speech (CSIImid), an extension of the Normalized Coherence Metric (NCM+), a part of the speech-based envelope power model (pre-sEPSM), and the Short Term Objective Intelligibility measure (STOI). Three of the measures, SII, CSIImid, and NCM+, overpredicted intelligibility after noise reduction, whereas fAI underpredicted these intelligibilities. The pre-sEPSM metric worked well for speech in babble but failed with car noise. STOI gave the best predictions, but overall the size of intelligibility prediction errors were greater than the change in intelligibility caused by noise suppression. Suggestions for improvements of the metrics are discussed.


The electrocatalytic activity of hematite with different exposed facets toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was investigated. Hematite nanoparticles with pseudo cubic, hexagonal bipyramid and plate morphologies were prepared, which predominantly have exposed (012), (113) and (001) facets, respectively. The OER activity of hematite measured under alkaline conditions was significantly dependent on the surface orientation, and the onset potential of the (001) facet was more than 130 mV more negative than those of the (012) and (113) facets. On the basis of the results of spectroelectrochemical measurements and theoretical calculations, this higher activity of the (001) facet was attributed to the lower energy required for the formation of oxo intermediate species. When pH conditions changed from alkaline to neutral, the facet dependence was less pronounced and the OER initiated from almost the same potential on all of the three facets. These findings indicate that the factor determining the OER activity of hematite differs depending on pH, and the surface structure strongly affects the OER activity under conditions where the concerted transfer of protons and electrons proceeds.


Objective: To determine the rate of oophorectomy and associated factors at the time of hysterectomy in premenopausal women with benign diseases.

Materials and Methods: The medical records of the premenopausal women that underwent hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy due to benign gynecologic conditions between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2017 at Khon Kaen University Hospital (Thailand) were retrospectively reviewed. The data collected included age, BMI, parity, indication for surgery, family history of carcinoma, route of hysterectomy, procedure, specialization of the surgeon, operative notes, and histopathological reports of the ovaries.

Results: Six hundred thirty-eight subjects underwent hysterectomy due to benign gynecologic conditions. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) was performed in 57.37% (366) of the cases. In 81.97% (300) of these cases, either one or both patient's ovaries were grossly normal. The rate of prophylactic oophorectomy among all cases was 47.02% (300 in 638). The strongest associated factor with BSO was age (odds ratio 8.421, 95% CI 5.488 to 12.921). Other associated factors were irregular menstrual history, the surgeon being a gynecologic oncologist, and abdominal hysterectomy. No cases of ovarian cancer were found.

Conclusion: Nearly half of premenopausal women that underwent hysterectomy due to benign conditions underwent prophylactic oophorectomy. Associated factors were age, irregular menstruation, the surgeon being a gynecologic oncologist, and abdominal hysterectomy.

Keywords: Hysterectomy, Premenopausal women, Prophylactic oophorectomy


The present study was carried out to evaluate the response of F1 hybrids of maintainer x maintainer crosses of rice anthers for high frequency callus induction in N6 medium and shoot and green plant regeneration in MS medium. The effect of genotype was significant (p<0.001) for callus induction, shoot and green plant regeneration. Out of 4 inter-varietal crosses evaluated, the cross CRMS31B x CRMS24B was highly responsive for callus induction (37.83%) as well as calli responsive for shoot regeneration (41.09%) and green plant regeneration (15.00%) whereas the cross CRMS32B x CRMS28B was found to be poor in callus induction (18.36%), callus responsive for shoot regeneration (20.59%) and also in green plant regeneration (11.58%). The results suggest that genotypes play a critical role in the anther culture response in indica rice.


This article analyses Sabilal Muhtadin, a magnum opus of Syekh Muhammad Arsyad al-Banjari in Islamic jurisprudence. Al-Banjari is considered as  a prominent intellectual from  Banjarmasin, Indonesia who could contribute to the development of Islamic law beyond the municipal and national territory. In writing the Sabilal Muhtadin, al-Banjari have used three models of ijtihad, namely deductive, inductive, and the combination of the two. In applying the deductive method which should only refer to the verses of the Qur'an or the Hadith, however, he extends it to the opinion of previous Islamic jurits. This then proves that al-Banjari is not an independent mujtahid who exercise free ijtihad like the eponyms of Islamic schools of law. Yet, by applying the inductive (especially, maslahah and sadd adz-dzari'a) and the combined deductive-inductive methods, he is able to accommodate the social changes to the requirements of shari'a. Sabilal Muhtadin thus mirrors the intellectual developments within Islam responsive to the author's circumstances.


This collection of essays is concerned with different ways of knowing; the particular problems of philosophy; and the ultimate nature of matter. They reveal Russell's lifelong preoccupation: the disentanglement with ever-increasing precision of what is subjective or intellectually cloudy from what is objective or capable of logical demonstration. In them we can see the Russell method in operation: intellectual analysis dissecting a problem to its bare bones. Also included is Bertrand Russel's celebrated essay "A Free Man's Worship". In it he maintains that a new and deeper faith can be constructed, not faith in a theological sense but faith in the power of reason; his faith in man's capacity to create his own world through his own effort.


An active set algorithm for optimization of radiation therapy dose planning by intensity modulated beams has been developed. The algorithm employs a conjugate-gradient routine for subspace minimization in order to achieve a higher rate of convergence than the widely used constrained steepest-descent method at the expense of a negligible amount of overhead calculations. The performance of the new algorithm has been compared to that of the constrained steepest-descent method for various treatment geometries and two different objectives. The active set algorithm is found to be superior to the constrained steepest descent, both in terms of its convergence properties and the residual value of the cost functions at termination. Its use can significantly accelerate the design of conformal plans with intensity modulated beams by decreasing the number of time-consuming dose calculations.


Intravenous t-PA is effective if given to appropriate patients within 3 hours of stroke onset, and its effectiveness increases even within the first 3 hours when given as soon as possible. t-PA is reasonably safe if used in a carefully defined manner that ensures close attention to blood pressure, careful patient monitoring, no use of heparin and aspirin during first 24 hours, and appropriate patient selection. It is still unclear whether a lower dose of t-PA given with 3 hours could be as effective as but safer than the currently approved intravenous dose of 0.9 mg/kg over 1 hour. The effectiveness and safety of intravenous t-PA when given beyond 3 hours after stroke onset has yet to be conclusively demonstrated. One attractive development is the potential use of imaging, such as diffusion/perfusion MRI to determine if salvageable brain remains and if t-PA should be given in patients who are beyond the 3-hour time window. The drawback to MRI is the additional time required before the start of recanalization therapy.


Background Vascular cells express the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) but whether this glutamate receptor participates to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is unknown. Aims 1) Highlight components of glutamatergic communication in pulmonary vascular cells. 2) Search for deregulation of this signalling pathway in PAH. 3) Study the contribution of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) NMDAR to PH. 4) Assess the effects of an NMDAR antagonist on established PH. Methods Immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometry imaging were used to detect components of glutamatergic communication in human lungs and vascular cells. A real-time enzymatic assay was used to detect glutamate release. PASMC proliferation was measured using BrdU incorporation. NMDAR knock out mice in PASMC were exposed to hypoxia for 3 weeks. The NMDAR antagonist MK-801 (3mg/kg/day) was administrated to monocrotaline (MCT) rats. Results 1) Pulmonary vascular cells express NMDAR subunits, vesicular glutamate transporters, and release glutamate in a calcium-dependent way. 2) Remodeled arteries from iPAH patients contain higher level of glutamate compared to control arteries. Beside, Phospho896-GluN1 subunit of NMDAR, involved in its trafficking to the cell membrane, is present in vascular lesions from iPAH patients but not in controls. 3) NMDAR activation participates to PASMC proliferation induced by FBS or PDGF-BB and knocking out NMDAR in PASMC decreases PH in hypoxic mice. 4) Administration of MK-801 reverses PH in MCT rats. Conclusion Glutamatergic signaling through pulmonary vascular NMDAR occurs in PAH pathophysiology and may represent a new therapeutic target. Support: INSERM, Univ. Paris-Sud, CCML, LabEx LERMIT, FRSR.


Inspired by taxonomist Jack Goody's theorizing of 'ancient lists' as 'intellectual
technologies,' this research analyzes listing practices in modern and contemporary
formations of power, and how they operate in the installation and securing of the
uncertain political economic milieus of circulation that characterize Michel Foucault's
conception of governmentality. Propelling the list's critical operations in the delimitation
and policing of 'threatening' movements from out of modern history, and into a
contemporary analysis of power, this research demonstrates how the correlation of
computer, statistical, and list technologies and techniques first installed under the Nazi
regime, continues to factor significantly in the segmenting and constitution of a most
critical classification of contemporary homo sapiens: the terrorist class, or homo sacer.
Indeed, in this analysis of how lists serve formations of power, Foucault's populations
and milieus of circulation installed through the apparatuses of security are reconciled
with Giorgio Agamben's theorizing of 'bare life' as the fundamental political unit of
modern and contemporary sovereignty. Investigating how lists served the emergence of
modern computers, and continue to correlate power/knowledge in contemporary
assemblages like no-fly lists; as well as in a series of increasingly pervasive and
ubiquitous watch-list conjunctures, this research characterizes the technoscientific
cultural construction of the contemporary terrorist as a critical function of no-blank list
culture. In this way, it is argued here that the list is not simply an innocuous tool of
everyday life for administering the minutiae of mundane existence, but rather, operates as
a security technology of contemporary governmentality—a critical support of juridicaldisciplinary
mechanisms and assemblages of police—with the dual role and double
integration effect of self-elaborating and securing the classes of 'factual' knowledge it
itself calls into 'truthful' reality.


The geometry of reaction compartments can affect the outcome of chemical reactions. Synthetic biology commonly uses giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) to generate cell-sized, membrane-bound reaction compartments. However, these liposomes are always spherical due to surface area minimization. Here, we have developed a microfluidic chip to trap and reversibly deform GUVs into rod- or cigar-like shapes, including a constriction site in the trap mimicking the membrane furrow in cell division. When we introduce into these GUVs the bacterial tubulin homologue FtsZ, the primary protein of the bacterial Z ring, we find that FtsZ organization changes from dynamic rings to elongated filaments upon GUV deformation, and that these FtsZ filaments align preferentially with the short GUV axis, in particular at the membrane neck. In contrast, pulsing Min oscillations in GUVs remained largely unaffected. We conclude that microfluidic traps are a useful tool for deforming GUVs into non-spherical membrane shapes, akin to those seen in cell division, and for investigating the effect of confinement geometry on biochemical reactions, such as protein filament self-organization.


This study identifies factors that influence primacy between generations in the management structure of U.S. family farms. The paper fills an important gap in the farm succession literature by exploring succession (in management of the farm) as an incremental process. Estimation with cross-sectional data from the USDAERS' Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and a limited dependent variable model is used to explain the decision for older generation operators to retain primary farm management duties with a junior operator serving a secondary role. We identify a number of statistically significant attributes that explain variation in the elder farmer's role (primary versus secondary) in management of the farm. Our results suggest that transferring primary operator status is more influenced by family members' characteristics and less so by farm financial and operating characteristics.


Gefitinib is a synthetic, oral anilinoquinazoline specifically designed to inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, and is the first targeted drug to demonstrate reproducible activity in non-small cell lung cancer patients who do not respond to platinum-based chemotherapy. In this report, we present two cases of an interaction between gefitinib and warfarin which has not been reported previously. Because of the potentially serious consequences of this interaction, close monitoring of the International Normalized Ratio and warfarin dosage adjustment are recommended for patients receiving warfarin together with gefitinib.


There is a current interest in the derivation of the parameters that define the equation of state (EOS) of polymorphs, that are instable under room conditions [1]. We report the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation on the stability and the volume behavior under hydrostatic pressure of the rocksalt (B 1) phase of ZnO. Synchrotron-radiation x-ray powderdiffraction data were obtained from 0 to 30 GPa. Static simulations of the ZnO B 1 phase were performed using the ab initio perubed ion method and the local and nonlocal approximations to the density-functional theory. After the pressure induced transition from the wurtzite phase, we have found that a large fraction of the B 1 high-pressure phase is retained when pressure is released. The metastability of this ZnO polymorph is confirmed through the theoretical evaluation of the Hessian eigenvalues of a nine-parameter potential energy surface. Overall, our results show that the ZnO B 1 phase is slightly more compressible than previously reported. Very good agreement is obtained below 10 GPa. Above this pressure a progressive departure of the theory with the experiment is observed, reaching about 2 % difference at 30 GPa.


This paper dealt with heat generating in a beam structure model subjected to small vibrations to know the viscos elastic behavior under heat and vibration. The model first computed coupled thermal - structural interaction. The results obtained from this analysis of the model treated by the finite element method to calculate amount of heat generation in the material. A transient heat transfer analysis then simulated the slow rising temperature in the beam using these heat source terms. The model has been constructed from two blocks, the first block from Aluminum while the second block made from β -Titanium. The model was constrained from one side, while the other side free, so vibrations that occur along the model. These vibrations led to heat generating, so yields that residual stresses through the model. The result obtained represented in curves which give good agreement with international published researches


better decisions, improved health and welfare Stronger evidence, better decisions, improved health and welfare This report examined the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and injury mortality in Australia and looked at the effects of SES on injury deaths by age group, by sex and by a selection of external causes of injury. Overall, there was a strong association between increasing socioeconomic disadvantage and the likelihood of injury. This association was most evident for transport crash deaths, unintentional poisoning deaths and male suicide deaths. Injury mortality and socioeconomic influence in Australia


Hollow cathode have recently been investigated at the University of Southampton as potential standalone microthrusters. 12Thrust measurements suggest that in some cases, hollow cathodes are able to generate specific impulse of over 1000s with xenon. The means by which hollow cathodes are able to generate such high levels of specific impulse is not clearly understood. This paper explores thrust production mechanisms in the T5, T6 and XIPS hollow cathodes based on thrust performance and ion energy measurements. Analysis suggests the total thrust produced includes components of gas dynamic thrust particularly as a result of an intense electron pressure at the cathode exit, but also shows evidence for magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) forces at high currents and low flow rates arising from the self-induced azimuthal magnetic field within the orifice and resulting cross-field interaction plasma. Data may also suggest ion acceleration due to plasma potential hills. While this initial characterization can only loosely attribute the relative magnitude each mechanism plays it does show evidence for each. This research shows that with further development based on an understanding of the thrust mechanism, hollow cathodes thrusters could present significant refinements to the technology of electric propulsion.