Stress, in particularly adolescence stress has been shown to result in long-term changes in brain and behavior of humans and rodents as well as predisposing individuals to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia. Stress-resulting in behavioral changes are often associated with structural changes of the neuronal dendritic spines, especially of the limbic system. Thus, analyzing alterations in structure of the dendritic spines in animals, which were subjected to adolescence stress, might provide useful information on pathogenesis of mental disorders. Herein, we analyzed the length, head width and area of dendritic spines of neurons from the hippocampal CA3, the central amygdala and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) regions in mature C57BL/6 mice, which were subjected to adolescent psychosocial stress. Results showed that stressed animals had longer spines in the hippocampus, larger spines in the BLA and shorter, smaller spines in the central amygdala (CeA). The latter finding is particularly intriguing, as it has been shown that central amygdala is not just the relay center for signals from the BLA in fear response, but is involved in antagonistic and inhibitory function to the BLA and active in appetitive and reward pathways.


This study aims to compare and analyze lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) and differences in capillary density level in the model of myocardial damage which caused by rats diabetes. The Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, including control, diabetic, myocardial infarction and two diseases combined group. Ligate descending branch of left coronary artery on 1/3 position or inject streptozotocin into abdominal cavity to establish two kinds of disease models. After 6 w, obtain the myocardial tissues to do the vascular density analysis of tissue sections which are stained and cell tissue enzyme. Explore change of relevant index and differences among groups. Results indicated that degree of LDH and SDH decrease in two kinds of disease model. Compared with control group, level of myocardial vascular of myocardial injury group is higher, and diabetic group is higher than non diabetic group. Quantitative result of FFA in mitochondrial suspension of single disease group is higher than that of control group and two diseases combined group. Level of FFA and LDH of two diseases combined group is consistent with control group. In conclusion, after myocardial damage, which is caused by diabetes mellitus or myocardial infarction, degree of local vascularization increases, diabetes mellitus is more obvious. After myocardial damage, process of myocardial mitochondrial glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation has some obstacles. But these two kinds of diseases all have cardiac muscle cell which can keep generated procedure of aerobic and anaerobic energy to instead the normal function of cardiac muscle.


Few studies have examined the role of shoe height in the context of American football cleats. Eighteen adult males (28.4 ± 1.9 years, 182.3 ± 0.6 cm, 75.7 ± 1.6 kg) performed four football drills (60-yd dash, 54-yd cutting drill, 5-10-5 drill [pro agility drill], and ladder jumping drill) in low-top, mid-top, and high-top American football cleats. Drill-specific performance outcomes were measured after each drill, and the subjects' ankle range-of-motion (dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, eversion, inversion) and perception of the footwear (comfort, heaviness, stability) were assessed before and after each drill sequence. Performance outcomes were not influenced by shoe height. The high-top cleat limited dorsiflexion and inversion, but not plantarflexion or eversion, compared to low-top and mid-top cleats. Athletes rated the high-top cleats as less comfortable and heavier than either the low-top or mid-top cleats, but perceived the mid-top and high-top cleats to be equally stable to each other, and both more stable than the low-top cleats. Range-of-motion and performance scores did not change as a result of acute exercise. These findings suggest that high-top cleats may limit ankle motions associated with injury without deleteriously influencing performance, though athletes may not perceive the high-top cleats as favorably as low- or mid-top cleats.


With an increased understanding of how systems work, intruders have become skilled at determining weaknesses in systems and exploiting them to obtain such increased privileges that they can do anything on the system. Intruders also use patterns of intrusion that are difficult to trace and identify. They frequently use several levels of indirection before breaking into target systems and rarely indulge in sudden bursts of suspicious or anomalous activity. They also cover their tracks so that their activity on the penetrated system is not easily discovered. We must have measures in place to detect security breaches, i.e., identify intruders and intrusions. Intrusion detection systems fill this role and usually form the last line of defense in the overall protection scheme of a computer system. They are useful not only in detecting successful breaches of security, but also in monitoring attempts to breach security, which provides important information for timely countermeasures. This paper focused on how data mining is used for Intrusion detection System


In contrast with the enormous amount of literature produced during many decades in the field of surfactant aggregation in liquid, liquid crystalline and solid phases, only a few investigations concerning surfactant self-assembling in the gas phase as charged aggregates have been carried out until now. This lack of interest is disappointing in view of the remarkable theoretical and practical importance of the inherent knowledge. The absence of surfactant–solvent interactions makes it easier to study the role of surfactant–surfactant forces in determining their peculiar self-assembling features as well as the ability of these assemblies to incorporate selected solubilizate molecules. Thus, the study of gas-phase surfactant and surfactant–solubilizate aggregates is a research subject which has exciting potential, including mass and energy transport in the atmosphere, origin of life and simulation of supramolecular aggregation in interstellar space. On the other hand, the structural and dynamic properties of surfactant aggregates in the gas phase could be exploited in a number of interesting applications such as atmospheric cleaning agents, transport and protection of pulmonary drugs or biomolecules and as nanoreactors for specialized chemical reactions in confined space. Spectrometric techniques, together with molecular dynamics simulations, have been the principal investigative tools in this field and appearto be particularly suited to gaining fundamental information on the structure and stability of surfactant-based supramolecular aggregates, charge state effects, entrapment of solubilizate molecules, preferential solubilization sites and chemical reactions localized in a single organized aggregate. The main aim of this review is to present the actual state of the art in this novel and exciting research field underlining the knowledge acquired up to now as well as the aspects needing a more deep understanding. Moreover, intriguing departures of the behavior of surfactant solutions under electrospray ionization conditions from that of ionic, polar and apolar analytes will be discussed.


40 cases of microsurgery to reverse tubal sterilizations in a Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) hospital between March 1981-July 1984 were retrospectively studied to determine pregnancy rates and success factors. Only patients under 40 years old with no other causes of infertility were included. The same surgical team performed all the operations. 1-3 years of follow-up were provided. Patients' ages ranged from 20-40 years. 30 patients were 25-34 years old. 23 requested the reversal because of a 2nd marriage, 10 just to have another child, and 6 because of the death of 1 or more children. 31 of the sterilizations were by the Pomeroy method, 4 by fimbriectomy, 3 by Pomeroy and fimbriectomy, and 2 by Yoon rings. There were 10 pregnancies, 8 of which began in the 1st 6 postoperative months. 1 or both tubes were 5 cm or longer in all cases in which the woman became pregnant, and all of the sterilization were by the Pomeroy method. Radiographic control at about 6 months indicated that there was bilateral permeability in 9 other cases unilateral permeability in 8. Counting the cases of pregnancy, permeability was reestablished in 67.5% of cases. 2 pregnancies occurred in patients with isthmo-isthmic anastomoses and 8 in patients with isthmic-ampullar anastomoses. Microsurgery has been used in this service since 1981. It is anticipated that result will improve as the team becomes more experienced.


Introduction. The high incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in the population is largely determined by the significant prevalence of risk factors, including alimentaryones. Risk factors for MI are widely studied, however, forecasts of outcomes of MIare not associated with the prognostic significance of specific factors. Estimates have shown the prognostic significance of priority risk factors for myocardial infarction to remain virtually unexplored. Material and research methods. The object of the study was MI patients treated in hospital. The volume of the study was 162 MI patients (main group) and 140 practically healthy individuals (control group). The subject of the study was the calculation of prognostic coefficients (according to a special formula) based on the analysis of nutritional risk factors for myocardial infarction and an assessment of their prognosticity and prevalence. The sociological method-questioning of patients was applied. Results. The frequent consumption of salty and fatty foods, butter, a large amount of carbohydrate products, the presence of 2nd and 3rd degree obesity patients were establish to have the greatest prognostic value in MI patients. Monitoring highly predictive nutritional risk factors for MI allows identifying the priority preventive impacts, which, in addition, will not be passive, but active. The methodology for predicting the degree of risk of nutritional factors is confirmed in the context of comparative studies of experience and control groups. Conclusion. The identification of these nutritional risk factors in a patient visited the polyclinic allows attributing it to a risk group for the development of myocardial infarction with subsequent targeted laboratory and instrumental examination and registration with the dispensary. Assessment of the prevalence and prognostic significance of nutritional risk factors among MI patients provides opportunities for early detection of health abnormalities and the development of preventive actions.


The most commonly used route in the hydrometallurgical extraction of zinc and copper is the roast-leach-electrowin process. During the roasting process, the concentrate is subjected to either relatively low temperatures (partial roasting) or high temperatures (to achieve dead roasting) to produce a calcine that will be leacheable to extract zinc and copper. The resulting calcine contains zinc and copper in a form of oxides (ZnO, CuO), sulphates (ZnSO4, CuSO4) and ferrites ((Zn,Cu 1-x, Mx)0Fe203) or Zn,CuFe2O4) in the case of partial roasting. In the case of dead roasting, mostly the oxide forms are produced but in most cases ferrites will form as well. The means of avoiding the ferrites completely have not yet been achieved. Attempts in the past had only been focusing on either partial roasting or dead roasting without actually finding the optimum roasting conditions to minimise the ferrite formation. In this study the main objective was to identify optimised conditions for roasting, i.e. the possibility of producing these ferrites in minimum amounts as compared to the targeted zinc/copper oxides. Optimised roasting conditions were achieved in this study on a Zinc-copper ore from Maranda mine, where the sulphur removal test was used to ensure a dead roasting. This was done by analysing the amount of sulphur remaining after each roasting condition. Characterisation of the calcine has been done using the XRD and the Mossbauer spectroscopy. More zinc oxide than zinc ferrite was obtained at conditions of 800 °C for 3 hours as per the XRD analyses. The sulphur removal test however, showed a dead roasting at 900 °C (2% remaining sulphur) and this is attributed to the inadequate (not designed as in industry) supply of oxygen by the laboratory furnaces used. The precipitation of iron from the three acids (HCI, H2SO4 and HNO3) was done using NH4OH and NaOH. The Mossbauer and XRD characterisation techniques were used, where the XRD characterisation showed different spectra of the precipitate attributing to different compounds. The results of the precipitates from the optimised roasting conditions are those precipitates that are not commonly found in industry. The effect of the acids and the cations showed goethite to be formed from H2SO4 and HNO3, with NH4+ and Na+ respectively. The possibility of the selective leaching of the concentrate has been investigated. This eliminates the roasting process completely and thus provides a possibility of leaving the pyrite (FeS2) in the residue and thus minimising the amount of iron to be handled. Selective leaching has been done using Mn02 and Na2S208 in the presence of H2SO4. It was observed that starting with Mn02 as an oxidising agent does not achieve good selective leaching results between the sphalerite and the chalcopyrite. It was however possible to preferable leach sphalerite over chalcopyrite with the use of Na 2S2O8 as a starting oxidising agent. So the choice of the oxidising agent plays a role in selectively leaching different minerals. The optimised roasting conditions at high temperatures resulted in some type of precipitates, (mohrite, ferrihydrite and akaganeite) that are not commonly formed in industry. Jarosite, which is the most common precipitate formed in industry, could not be precipitated. Goethite was also fcund to be present.


Objectives : To investigate the difference in the occurrence of lung cancer between foundry workers and non-foundry workers by comparing the number of workers diagnosed with lung cancer through health insurance data. Methods : The study population was comprised of 28,884 workers who had undergone at least one general or special medical examination between January 1995 and December 1997 at the occupational health center. All of the subjects had health insurance during this period. We combined the medical examination data with the health insurance data to compare the number of foundry workers diagnosed with lung cancer and the number of non-foundry workers diagnosed with lung cancer. Results : Seven workers were diagnosed with lung cancer among the 1,591 foundry workers, compared to twelve workers among the 27,293 non-foundry workers (odds ratio: 10.04, 95% confidence interval: 3.95-25.55). The seven foundry workers diagnosed with lung cancer were all exposed to dust, and six out these seven workers were engaged in finishing or shake-out processes. Conclusions : Although the information for this study was obtained from health insurance data, which has limitations such as accuracy and completeness, the number of foundry workers diagnosed with lung cancer was significantly higher than that of non-foundry workers. Therefore, a well-designed cohort study should be followed to confirm the higher lung cancer rates in foundry workers.


Biological and clinical databases are increasing at a very high rate making a large volume of experimental data publicly available. In this paper, we propose a framework that makes use of external biological knowledge to predict if two given genes interact with each other. To this end, we utilize prior knowledge about interaction of two genes by generating a Bayesian Network using existing external biological knowledge. External knowledge types to be utilized are obtained from interaction databases such as BioGrid and Reac-tome and consist of protein-protein, protein-DNA/RNA, and gene interactions. We first built a naïve Bayesian Network to predict if two genes interact by employing parameter learning using known gene interactions. We propose that the resulting model will be incorporated into methods learning networks from high throughput biological data and interacting genes will be represented in the form of a network. In this process of network generation, the Bayesian Network model deducing gene interactions from external knowledge will be used to calculate the probability of candidate networks to enhance the structure learning task. Our simulations on both synthetic and real data sets show that proposed framework can successfully enhance identification of the true network and be used in predicting gene interactions.


This contribution is a short review of movements in Slovak church historiography. It started to free itself from the bonds of confesionalism and other problems in stages. In spite of many significant problems in research on medieval church history, number of scientific institutions is still growing up. However, this field of research is a domain of uncountable group of historians. Editing of monographs is still behind in comparison with neighbouring countries. A new sources books dealing with medieval church which were published in last four years prove to the intensity of scientific work in this area. The article is completed by a list of chosen scientific projects, which were done in Academia and chosen scientific institutions.


Abstract : The mechanical properties of composite plastic bonded explosives have been investigated as a function of confining pressure. The results indicate different failure processes in two pressure ranges, a low pressure range between about 0.1 to 7.0 MPa which is considered in this paper and a higher pressure range. In the low pressure range crack processes are important in failure. The pressure dependence of the compressive strength in the low pressure range is attributed to coulomb friction between surfaces of closed shear cracks and from the observed linear increase of the strength with pressure and the angle of the fracture plane a friction coefficient is obtained. A friction coefficient can also be obtained from the ratio of the compressive to tensile strength and directly form the above angle. The friction coefficients obtained from these three separate observations are in agreement and this is taken as strong evidence for the importance of this friction in determining strength and mechanical; failure. Frictional heating during deformation can then cause hot spots leading to ignition.


Conflicts end. Often though, the roots of future conflict remain in fertile soil. The process of reconciliation among erstwhile enemies may be a way to deter future conflagrations; we have witnessed a number of examples such as in Rwanda or South Africa. However, to be sustainable and effective, this process may require cultural change. We use evolutionary game theory to model this process of cultural change. We postulate three cultures in a population – Conciliatory, Nonconciliatory, and Reciprocative. We then use the replicator dynamic to identify evolutionary stable outcomes. People in our population are boundedly rational. They may, therefore, "belong" to a particular culture. However, they learn to adopt other cultures if it is beneficial. We find first that people can learn to be Non-conciliatory even when Conciliation provides very real benefits. However, a population can learn the reciprocative culture to facilitate reconciliation. Whether it does or not depends on the initial distribution of the population among the three cultures and how people feel about the future. These results are well known in the Evolutionary Game Theory literature. However, to our knowledge, this is the first time these results have been applied to provide insights into post-conflict reconciliation processes. JEL-Codes: D780, H120.


In 1996, Robert A. Haugen and Nardin L. Baker published a study where they had made a multi-factor model based on micro-variables on the American stock market between 1979 and 1993. In testing the model on the examined period they made an average annual return of 30,9 percent. They also tested the model on several other markets around the world with similar results. This study is a somewhat simpler remake of that study, but for the Swedish stock market from 1999 to 2005 instead. By testing this model, we wanted to see if the Swedish stock market of today is efficient or not. We collected financial data via the SIX Trust database and used Eviews to make regressions with the aim of discerning which variables are significant over time. By doing so, we hoped to make the model work and thereby find ways of constructing portfolios with possible excess return due to an inefficient market. Our results show, however, that none of the variables was significant over time and, hence, the model does not work with acceptable results. Consequently, our conclusion is that the Swedish stock market is, in fact, efficient.


The article presents a proposal for the definition of the acoustic climate quality index. The index is a measure to assess the negative impact of road traffic on the acoustic climate in the immediate vicinity of the road infrastructure. This measure will be useful in systems whose task is to assess the impact of road transport in short periods of time. The index was used to assess the acoustic climate in the crossroad area monitored due to traffic noise in near real time.


In this paper, a relational matching approach for imagery-to-GIS data is presented. This method applies image aspect interpretation and geospatial data mining techniques to realize their integration. Three-dimensional (3D) primitives, standing for house, are chosen, and their projections are represented by the aspects. The hierarchy aspect graphs are constructed to represent their connected relations. In this connection, the arcs are described by attribute data via the formulated coding regulations. The nodes of the graph represent image features and their attributes can contain measurements on these features. The arcs of the graph represent relations between features and their attributes can contain measurements on spatial relations. The data mining is used to discover the semantic relationship of these primitives. The aerial image is interpreted via these aspects and geospatial data mining. The experimental results demonstrated that the presented method is capable of effectively interpreting the aerial images and extracting the high accuracy of DBM (digital building model) at a rate of 83%.


William Connolly presents a lucid and concise defense of the thesis of "essentially contested concepts" that can well be read as a general introduction to political theory, as well as for its challenge to the prevailing understanding of political discourse. In Connolly's view, the language of politics is not a neutral medium that conveys ideas independently formed but an institutionalized structure of meanings that channels political thought and action in certain directions. In the new preface he pursues the implications of this perspective for a distinctive conception of ethics and democracy.


Managing patients with chronic diseases is a major and growing healthcare challenge in several countries. A chronic condition, such as diabetes, is an illness that lasts a long time and does not go away, and often leads to the patient's health gradually getting worse. While recent works involve raw electronic health record (EHR) from hospitals, this work uses only financial records from health plan providers (medical claims) to predict diabetes disease evolution with a self-attentive recurrent neural network. The use of financial data is due to the possibility of being an interface to international standards, as the records standard encodes medical procedures. The main goal was to assess high risk diabetics, so we predict records related to diabetes acute complications such as amputations and debridements, revascularization and hemodialysis. Our work succeeds to anticipate complications between 60 to 240 days with an area under ROC curve ranging from 0.81 to 0.94. In this paper we describe the first half of a work-in-progress developed within a health plan provider with ROC curve ranging from 0.81 to 0.83. This assessment will give healthcare providers the chance to intervene earlier and head off hospitalizations. We are aiming to deliver personalized predictions and personalized recommendations to individual patients, with the goal of improving outcomes and reducing costs


Sequencing batch reactor systems in wastewater treatment is widely applied activated sludge technology. The system performance is not only dependent on the raw sewage quality and biochemical processes, but the flow pattern within the reactor has a significant impact on the treatment itself. The varying stages of the operation require different fluid flow conditions; biological stage shall be appropriately mixed, whereas low velocity zones favor the phase separation. The aim of this study was to improve sequencing batch reactor operation in order to optimize the treatment efficiency. Numerical fluid dynamic simulations were performed to determine the substrate and biomass homogeneity inside the reactor at the biological phase and the rate of the decantation was estimated at the sedimentation phase. The settling model was calibrated by field measurements. The results revealed that the hydraulic efficiency of the reactor was 87% and the achievable settled solid content was 0.9%.


INTRODUCTION
The activity of androgen receptor (AR) is modulated by a polymorphic CAG trinucleotide repeat in receptor gene. There are suggestion, that there are association between polymorphism androgen receptor gene and the occurrence typical features of metabolic syndrome in men. The metabolic syndrome is more frequent with aging. We knows, that polymorphism androgen receptor gene is associated with risk of prostate cancer and with occurrence Kennnedy's syndrome. However the association of this polymorphism for occurrence of hypertension, obesity and lipid and glucose concentration disturbance is not examined.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The original study population consisted 268 randomly selected wroclaw population men aged 45-65. The physician examination include mensuration of blood pressure and antropometrical analysis. The men were coming on an empty stomach between 8.00 and 10.00 am for blood taken. The blood were taken for biochemical measurements and for genetic analysis CAG repeat in androgen receptor gene.

RESULTS
There is statistical significant differences between number of CAG repeat in men with normal and higher concentration of cholesterol LDL. There were no significant differences between number of CAG repeat in men in dependent of value of blood pressure and concentration of insulin, glucose, cholesterol HDL, total cholesterol and triglicerides.

CONCLUSIONS
The investigation results are not unambiguous with regard to influence of polymorphism androgen receptor gene for occurrence of metabolic syndrome in men. We found only association between number of CAG repeat an androgen receptor gene and concentration of cholesterol LDL (which it is as we knows atherogenic factor).


In a given country we usually know only the gross consumption per head for the main types of alcoholic beverages; we rarely hear how this consumption is distributed among the population. By gross consumption per head I mean the gross consumption divided by the total number of inhabitants irrespective of age. The 'potential' rate per head, at least in most countries, is arrived at by including only the population aged 15 years and over. We rarely know the percentage of the population that actually uses alcohol, so that we can seldom calculate the 'effective' or actual consumption rate per head. I shall give here a few examples of distributions of alcohol consumption, or first approximations towards the question of distribution. The metabolic (Sinclair, I 955 ; Le Breton & TrCmoli&res, 1955), nutritional (Platt, 1955 ; Wilkinson, 1955) and pharmacological (Weatherall, 1955) effects of alcohol consumption are presented by outstanding experts, so I shall deal only with the statistical aspects. I shall consider the distribution of alcohol consumption in the U.S.A., in Italy and, briefly, in Chile. I choose these countries because certain facts are known about them which enable us to go beyond the statement of simple consumption values per head. I may mention that for France a theoretical distribution was worked out separately for adult males and adult females by Ledermann (1953). I shall proceed from a few gross rates per head of apparently modest size to deviations of extraordinary extent, and first a few words may be necessary about the attitude in the literature towards reports of alleged extremely high individual consumption figures.


Risks and hazards associated with climate change and geological factors, especially in the world's youngest mountains, are inevitable and may have been exacerbated in recent decades. However reports about increased landslips and landslides in some areas are being presented as examples to argue that most natural hazards in mountain areas are due to climate change. Based on a field study in the Yourjogh area of Chitral District in Pakistan, we argue that this discourse is based on generalized conclusions that do not hold in all cases and for all types of disasters. Our study challenges the climate change discourse as disregarding the political dimension of water management that also contributes to landslides and landslips in Pakistan's mountainous regions. The climate change discourse has taken the politics out of external-donor-led development interventions that replaced traditional irrigation management practices and institutions with an arrangement in which external development agencies and the state control crucial economic and social processes that shape the distribution of water. This not only depoliticizes disasters and their effects but also leads to further mismanagement of abundantly available irrigation water, contributing to the frequent occurrence of landslips in our study area. We conclude that attributing hazards only to climatic or geological factors leaves little room to promote locally appropriate solutions for locally created hazards.


The adsorption of CO(2) over a set of gallium (III) oxide polymorphs with different crystallographic phases (alpha, beta, and gamma) and surface areas (12-105 m(2) g(-1)) was studied by in situ infrared spectroscopy. On the bare surface of the activated gallias (i.e., partially dehydroxylated under O(2) and D(2) (H(2)) at 723 K), several IR signals of the O-D (O-H) stretching mode were assigned to mono-, di- and tricoordinated OD (OH) groups bonded to gallium cations in tetrahedral and/or octahedral positions. After exposing the surface of the polymorphs to CO(2) at 323 K, a variety of (bi)carbonate species emerged. The more basic hydroxyl groups were able to react with CO(2), to yield two types of bicarbonate species: mono- (m-) and bidentate (b-) [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1630 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1431 or 1455 cm(-1) (for m- or b-); delta(OH) = 1225 cm(-1)]. Together with the bicarbonate groups, IR bands assigned to carboxylate [nu(as)(CO(2)) = 1750 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(2)) = 1170 cm(-1)], bridge carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1680 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1280 cm(-1)], bidentate carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1587 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1325 cm(-1)], and polydentate carbonate [nu(as)(CO(3)) = 1460 cm(-1); nu(s)(CO(3)) = 1406 cm(-1)] species developed, up to approximately 600 Torr of CO(2). However, only the bi- and polydentate carbonate groups still remained on the surface upon outgassing the samples at 323 K. The total amount of adsorbed CO(2), measured by volumetric adsorption (323 K), was approximately 2.0 micromol m(-2) over any of the polymorphs, congruent with an integrated absorbance of (bi)carbonate species proportional to the surface area of the materials. Upon heating under flowing CO(2) (760 Torr), most of the (bi)carbonate species vanished a T > 550 K, but polydentate groups remained on the surface up to the highest temperature used (723 K). A thorough discussion of the more probable surface sites involved in the adsorption of CO(2) is made.


Supplemental levels of vitamin B1 (thiamine) have been implicated in tumor progression. Tumor cells adaptively up-regulate thiamine transport during hypoxic stress. Upon uptake, thiamine pyrophosphokinase-1 (TPK1) facilitates the rapid phosphorylation of thiamine into thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). However, the regulation of TPK1 during hypoxic stress is undefined. Understanding how thiamine homeostasis changes during hypoxia will provide critical insight into the malignant advantage supplemental thiamine may provide cancer cells. Using Western blot analysis and RT-PCR, we have demonstrated the post-transcriptional up-regulation of TPK1 in cancer cells following hypoxic exposure. TPK1 expression was also adaptively up-regulated following alterations of redox status by chemotherapeutic and antioxidant treatments. Although TPK1 was functionally up-regulated by hypoxia, HPLC analysis revealed a reduction in intracellular TPP levels. This loss was reversed by treatment with cell-permeable antioxidants and corresponded with reduced ROS production and enhanced cellular proliferation during supplemental thiamine conditions. siRNA-mediated knockdown of TPK1 directly enhanced basal ROS levels and reduced tumor cell proliferation. These findings suggest that the adaptive regulation of TPK1 may be an essential component in the cellular response to oxidative stress, and that during supplemental thiamine conditions its expression may be exploited by tumor cells for a redox advantage contributing to tumor progression.


This work develops two approaches based on the fuzzy set theory to solve a class of fuzzy mathematical optimization problems with uncertainties in the objective function and in the set of constraints. The first approach is an adaptation of an iterative method that obtains cut levels and later maximizes the membership function of fuzzy decision making using the bound search method. The second one is a meta- heuristic approach that adapts a standard genetic algorithm to use fuzzy numbers. Both approaches use a decision criterion called satisfaction level that reaches the best solution in the uncertain environment. Selected examples from the literature are presented to compare and to validate the efficiency of the methods addressed, emphasizing the fuzzy optimization problem in some import-export companies in the south of Spain.


OBJECTIVE
Small hyaluronan (HA) oligosaccharides serve as competitive receptor antagonists to displace HA from the cell surface and induce cell signaling events. In articular chondrocytes, this cell signaling is mediated by the HA receptor CD44 and induces stimulation of genes involved in matrix degradation, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as well as matrix repair genes including type II collagen, aggrecan, and HA synthase 2. The objective of this study was to determine changes in the expression and function of aggrecanases after disruption of chondrocyte CD44-HA interactions.

METHODS
Bovine articular chondrocytes or bovine cartilage tissue was pretreated with a variety of inhibitors of major signaling pathways prior to the addition of HA oligosaccharides. Changes in aggrecanase were monitored by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses of ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, and aggrecan proteolytic fragments. To test the interactions between ADAMTS-4 and membrane type 4 MMP (MT4-MMP), protein lysates purified from stimulated chondrocytes were subjected to coimmunoprecipitation.

RESULTS
Disruption of chondrocyte CD44-HA interactions with HA oligosaccharides induced the transcription of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The association of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored MT4-MMP with ADAMTS-4 was also induced in articular chondrocytes by HA oligosaccharides. Inhibition of the NF-κB pathway blocked HA oligosaccharide-mediated stimulation of aggrecanases.

CONCLUSION
Disruptive changes in chondrocyte-matrix interactions by HA oligosaccharides induce matrix degradation and elevate aggrecanases via the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.


ABSTRACT Petrographic characteristics and distribution of submarine cements vary considerably throughout a section of a modern reef off Galeta Point, Panama, as disclosed by cores from thirteen drill holes up to 14 m deep. Core holes were closely spaced along two transect lines which, when combined, extend from inshore mangroves to the outer reef slope of this Caribbean fringing reef. The submarine cement is predominantly dense, submicrocrystalline-microcrystalline to porous, submicrosucrosic magnesium calcite (15 to 19 mole percent MgCO3), with minor amounts of acicular aragonite. Magnesium calcite coats, infills and forms a matrix around various reef components, whereas aragonite is generally restricted to rim cement in skeletal cavities of corals. Variations in concentration and type of submarine lithification are not related to depth in Galeta reef. Rather, submarine cementation appears to be a relatively near-surface phenomenon most prevalent in sedimentological units (facies) of the reef which were formed under conditions of high agitation and/or slow accumulation. Therefore, well-developed cement crusts and infilled rims of the Acropora palmata facies, formed under high agitation but also at a rapid rate of accumulation, grade into dense matrix cement in the agglomerate limestone of the slower accreting fore-reef pavement facies and in the extensively bored and filled corals of the coral-head facies in the fore reef. Cements are absent or generally poorly developed in the deeper fore-reef talus or in protected reef-f at rubble and back-reef sediments.


Objective. Low-grade noninvasive disease comprises approximately half of incident bladder cancer cases. These lesions have exceedingly low rates of progression to aggressive, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and there is salient discordance with regard to management recommendations for these patients between the principal clinical practice guidelines. In this context, we compare the international guidelines with alternative surveillance strategies for low-risk bladder cancer patients. Methods. We used a partially observable Markov model based on states that defined patient risk levels associated with recurrence and progression of bladder cancer. The model also included states defining the effects of treatment, death from bladder cancer, and all other-cause mortality. Simulation was done to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), expected lifelong progression probability, and lifetime number of cystoscopies. Results. We compared current international guidelines and additional proposed surveillance strategies on the basis of QALYs. We conducted a bicriteria analysis to compare expected lifelong progression rate v. the number of cystoscopies. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the influence of model parameters, including a patient's disutility associated with cystoscopy, bladder cancer mortality, and all other-cause mortality. Conclusions. Age and comorbidity significantly affect the optimal surveillance strategy. Results suggest that younger patients should be screened more intensively than older patients, and patients having comorbidity should be screened less intensively.


Many kind of millimeter-wave automotive radars have been developed [1], [2]. The microstrip antenna becomes a good candidate when radar sensors are widely used in vehicle due to its advantages of low cost and low profile. Generally microstrip antennas are placed on the surface of a radar sensor and are connected to millimeter-wave circuits inside of the sensor via waveguides. Therefore, transitions from waveguide to microstrip line are required, as shown in Figure 1.


Although many of the surgical and technological advances for prosthetics have emerged from caring for adults, the pediatric patient with limb differences continues to provide unique challenges and demands appropriate, pediatric-specific innovation. Not only do children test the current technology with their size, weight, and potential growth, but also with their chosen activities, energy-level and drive to explore varied environments. This article explores the recent advances within the broader realm of prosthetics, primarily based on research in adult patients.  It identifies technologies that have already been translated to pediatric populations and points out areas for potential pediatric applications. This review also highlights numerous needs and gaps in the currently available resources and tools for these patients, including surgical techniques, prosthetic componentry, and rehabilitation strategies. Further innovation and research are needed for pediatric patients to maximize their functional potential while using a prosthesis.


Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare, but highly malignant, disease with an estimated annual incidence of 2 cases per 100,000 people. The main surgical treatment modalities for UTUC are radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with bladder cuff resection. After surgery, intravesical recurrence (IVR) can occur in up to 47% of patients, and 75% of them present with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, there are few studies focused on the diagnosis and treatment of postoperatively recurrent bladder cancer for patients with previous UTUC history (UTUC-BC), and many of the influencing factors are still controversial. In this article, we performed a narrative review of the recent literature, mainly summarizing the factors influencing postoperative IVR in patients with UTUC and discussing the subsequent prevention, monitoring, and treatment tools for it.


Introduction Despite advances in endoscope technology there is still a significant miss rate of neoplastic lesions during gastroscopy. Mucosal views are frequently impaired by residual bubbles and mucus. Method We conducted an RCT in 126 patients attending for routine gastroscopy. Subjects were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive a pre-procedure drink of water, simeticone and n-acetylcysteine (Group A), water alone (Group B) or no preparation (Group C). Study endoscopists were blinded to group allocation. 4 digital images were taken at pre-defined locations during the procedure – lower oesophagus, upper body, antrum and fundus. Images were rated for mucosal visibility (MV) using a 4 point scale (1 = best, 4 = worst) by 4 blinded experienced endoscopists. Primary outcome measure was mean MV score. Secondary outcome measures were procedure duration and volume of flush required to achieve adequate mucosal views. Results Groups were well matched for age, gender or indication for endoscopy. Mean MV score for group A was significantly better than for group B and group C (p < 0.001 for both comparisons), with no significant difference between groups B and C (p = 0.541). Interobserver agreement of MV scores was good (mean kappa 0.464). Mean volume of flush required to achieve adequate mucosal views was significantly lower in group A than group B (p = 0.001), and group C (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in mean flush volume between groups B and C (p = 0.583). Procedure duration did not differ significantly between the groups. Subgroup analysis of MV scores at each location demonstrated significantly better mucosal visibility in group A compared to group B and group C at all locations (p < 0.0025 for all comparisons).Abstract PTH-009 Table 1 Group A – simeticone/NAC B – water C – No preparation Mean Mucosal Visibility (MV) Score (range 1–4) 1.35 2.11 2.21 Mean Procedure duration (sec) 309 352 334 Mean Volume of flush (ml) 2.0 31.5 39.2 Conclusion A pre-procedure drink containing simeticone and n-acetlycysteine significantly improves mucosal visibility during routine gastroscopy and reduces the need for flushes during the procedure. This may improve detection of early neoplasia and other pathology during gastroscopy. Subanalysis of separate locations demonstrates significant benefit in the lower oesophagus, demonstrating potential benefit in Barrett's surveillance procedures. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem in the world. According to WHO, the number of diabetics in Ethiopia, is expected to increase from about 800,000 cases in the year 2000 to 1.8 million by 2030. In the traditional health care system of Ethiopia, "Samma" (the leaves of Urtica simensis Hochst. ex. A. Rich., Urticaceae), are used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and various other ailments. This study reports the antidiabetic activity of the total hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts and the various solvent fractions of U. simensis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. The results revealed that the total hydroalcoholic extract as well as the methanol and aqueous fractions possess significant antidiabetic activity. Blood glucose levels were reduced by 17.9% and 29.9% after oral administration of 300 mg/kg of each of the methanol and aqueous fractions, respectively. At a concentration of 40 ;g/kg, the standard antidiabetic drug glibenclamide displayed a 57.8% reduction in blood glucose level. The aqueous fraction of U. simensis showed antidiabetic activity in a dose dependant manner. However, the petroleum ether, chloroform and acetone fractions did not exhibit any antidiabetic activity. In light of the results obtained from the current study, it could be concluded that the leaves of U. simensis have genuine antidiabetic activity, and their use in traditional medicine to control diabetis mellitus may be justified. Keywords: Urtica simensis , Urticaceae, antidiabetic activity, hydroalcoholic extract, solvent fractions


Two cases are reported in which a fasciocutaneous island flap was employed supplied by the ulnaris dorsalis artery after the method proposed by Becker and Gilbert. The original technique has been modified by the authors, and this produces a better venous outflow. The vascular pedicle includes, besides the ascending branch of the artery and the venae comitantes, one of the superficial veins together with its respective subdermal band. A technique is also described that provides an optimal length for the vascular pedicle.


This paper reviews the literature on the measurement and characterization of trade integration in Africa. We offer the complete evaluation of available indicators and methodologies. The indicators include those that have recently emerged from network analysis like indicators of trade in value-added commodities. It is concluded that Africa is characterized by weak trade integration, particularly with the rest ofthe world. This is naturally explained by high trading costs that are evaluated by tariffs, non-tariff measures, and other trade costs, such as those related to border and documentary compliance. The region's small number of trading partners and low product diversification are also noticeable. However, the use of more refined indicators shows that intra-African trade is relatively high when compared with trade with other continents, contrary to what can be concluded from some simple trade share indicators.


As many as 33 patients aged 50 to 74 years with different mental disorders (mild organic syndrome, slow progredient schizophrenia, cyclothymia, neurotic development of personality) were examined. In all cases somatic-like conditions dominated: vegetative-vascular, somatoform and cenestopathic disorders. They formed as the reaction, phases and development of personality.


A magnetic tape data storage system called the High Capacity Mini-Recorder has been designed and is in manufacture for Bell System applications. It can be operated in either the streaming or the incremental (start/stop) mode. It uses the recently available DC600 1/4 inch, 600 foot, high density tape cartridge manufactured by 3M Corp. Data are written in blocks of 2K bytes on five serpentine tracks at a linear density of 10,000 flux transitions/in. (ftpi) using Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM) encoding. The total user capacity is 26 Mbytes. The addition of a binary head positioning mechanism increases the number of tracks to 10 and the capacity to 52 Mbytes. Burst error correction capability up to several thousand bits is provided by an Interlaced Sum-set code. Tape speed for read or write is 50 inches/sec. (ips), and for search is 100 inches/sec. The average data rate is 37 Kbytes/sec. for streaming. The data electronics incorporates write precompensation for peak shift and provides data recovery using phase-locked loop decoding techniques. A controller based on an 8086 microprocessor with an 8 MHz clock allows the system to be operated using a high level command set.


Around 1940 Schumpeter draws on an analysis of the U.S. footwear industry as an exemplar case to formulate his famous hypothesis about the positive relation between market concentration and innovative activity. Starting in the 1960s the value chain of U.S. footwear producers disintegrates which eventually separating the process of product innovation from manufacturing in this industry. Studies testing the Schumpeter hypothesis commonly do not account for the modularity and globalization of an industry's value chain. We argue that the separation of product innovation and manufacturing in the U.S. footwear industry is influenced by functional satiation effects on the demand side. Functional satiation decreases the consumers' willingness to pay for new product varieties. The 'oversupply' of new product varieties beyond functional satiation does not decrease the price competition between firms. We argue that this parallel price and innovation competition drives the separation of the processes of product innovation and manufacturing to gain economies in both of these processes simultaneously. Discussing the consumers' motivations to buy products beyond their functional requirements offers a deeper qualitative understanding of the business practices revealed in the historical case of the U.S. footwear industry.


Interrupt affinitization of network interface cards (NICs) is a fundamental composition that defines how packets are processed by which CPU-cores on multi-core platforms. In this paper, we propose a simple port-configuration assisted scheme to attain an optimal affinitization for packet forwarding applications. Experiments ranging from bridging, routing, flow tracking to deep packet inspection are conducted to show the performance impacts utilizing different affinitization approaches. As a result, our proposed scheme achieves the same performance level as the best fixed affinitization scheme. In addition, the effectiveness of interrupt balancing is demonstrated for our scheme to be superior to the widely-deployed irqbalance with varying network settings.


In order to study the efficacy of TCM rehabilitation for lumbar disc herniation, it is suggested to compare the effects of hot compress, ordinary sandbag, or hot compress with traditional Chinese medicine. A total of 79 patients with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome in a traditional Chinese medicine hospital who met the diagnostic criteria of LDH and the syndrome classification in the diagnostic efficacy criteria of traditional Chinese medicine were selected. The subjects were randomly divided into groups A, B, and C: group A (26 cases) was the sandbag hot compress dry pregroup and received the simple sandbag hot compress scheme; group B (26 cases) was a simple traditional Chinese medicine hot compress intervention group, which received traditional Chinese medicine hot compress scheme; group C (27 cases) was the intervention group of traditional Chinese medicine sandbag combined with hot compress and received the scheme of traditional Chinese medicine sandbag combined with hot compress. In addition to the different hot compress media used, other aspects remained the same among the three groups. The treatment time of each hot compress was 40 min, twice a day for 2 weeks. A total of 14 cases fell out during the intervention process, and 65 subjects completed the intervention process. The experiment showed that there was no significant difference among the three groups (P > 0.05). The test results were confirmed.


The combination of multiple biocatalysts applied to cascade protocols is very plausible as enzymes usually operate under similar reaction conditions concerning pH, temperature and solvent medium. From an operational point of view, the application of these methodologies presents several advantages over the classic step-by-step design. As they are performed in the same vessel ('one-pot'), there is no need for intermediate purification, and therefore costs, operating time and waste are reduced, improving the atom economy and the overall process yield. These protocols allow rapid complexity generation, the shifting of reaction equilibria, and the elimination of inhibition problems or the minimisation of the decomposition of unstable intermediates. In this chapter, we have chosen to adopt a fairly broad conception of recently described multi-enzymatic cascades, including concurrent or sequential biocatalytic 'one-pot' systems, even if some of the steps involve chemocatalysis and/or spontaneous (non-catalysed) transformations. Particularly, we will focus on reaction designs which provide the final products in enantioenriched form, although a few non-stereoselective examples will also be reported due to their outstanding synthetic relevance and applicability. While most of the examples described can be classified into four main types of cascade systems, namely linear-, parallel-, orthogonal-, and cyclic-cascades, or into combinations of them, some other examples will cover dynamic and enantioconvergent transformations.


In this paper we will propose new analytically traceable probability density function (PDF) model for free space optics (FSO) turbulence, obtained as a generalization of double Ricean turbulence model, that encompasses both large-scale and small-scale turbulence eddy effects along by taking into account performance decreasing influence of misalignment introduced through boresight pointing error model. Consequently, after delivering the closed-form expressions for the newly introduced double FSO model, we obtain the analytical expressions for the bit error rate (BER) performance for the Double Rician distribution affected by misalignment. Numerical results will show the impact of system parameters on FSO link performance and we will provide full performance analysis. © 2021.


Multi-object tracking from RGB-D video sequences is a challenging problem due to the combination of changing viewpoints, motion, and occlusions over time. We observe that having the complete geometry of objects aids in their tracking, and thus propose to jointly infer the complete geometry of objects as well as track them, for rigidly moving objects over time. Our key insight is that inferring the complete geometry of the objects significantly helps in tracking. By hallucinating unseen regions of objects, we can obtain additional correspondences between the same instance, thus providing robust tracking even under strong change of appearance. From a sequence of RGB-D frames, we detect objects in each frame and learn to predict their complete object geometry as well as a dense correspondence mapping into a canonical space. This allows us to derive 6DoF poses for the objects in each frame, along with their correspondence between frames, providing robust object tracking across the RGB-D sequence. Experiments on both synthetic and real-world RGB-D data demonstrate that we achieve state-of-the-art performance on dynamic object tracking. Furthermore, we show that our object completion significantly helps tracking, providing an improvement of 6.5% in mean MOTA.


Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the progression of macular atrophy (MA) based on near-infrared reflectance (NIR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment for at least a 6-year period. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 53 naïve patients (53 eyes) with neovascular AMD from 2 centers, who were treated with anti-VEGF intravitreal injections and had no MA at baseline. MA was evaluated in an annual basis using NIR images, while all available OCT images were used to confirm that the atrophic area fulfilled the criteria proposed by the Classification of Atrophy Meetings (CAM) group for complete retinal pigment epithelium and outer retinal atrophy. Incidence and progression of MA were evaluated. Associations with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and total number of injections were also studied. Results: Treatment duration of our patients was 7.34 ± 1.54 years. The mean number of anti-VEGF injections was 24.4 ± 13.6. BCVA at baseline was 0.38 ± 0.27 logMAR, while at the final visit, it was 0.60 ± 0.35 logMAR (p = 0.731). The cumulative incidence of new MA at years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 was 1.89%, 18.87%, 32.08%, 39.62%, 49.06%, and 50.94%, respectively. In patients who developed MA, mean MA area increased from zero at baseline to 5.66 ± 7.18 mm2 at the final visit. The estimated annual enlargement of MA was 0.45 mm/year based on square root transformation (1.12 mm2/year, untransformed data). MA progression does not appear to be significantly associated with age (R = 0.055; p = 0.784), gender (R = 0.113; p = 0.576), BCVA (R = 0.168; p = 0.404), and total number of injections (R = 0.133; p = 0.255). Conclusion: In this real-life setting, half of the neovascular AMD patients under anti-VEGF treatment, without MA at therapy initiation, developed MA over a period of at least 6 years. In this work, the number of injections did not seem to have a significant association with MA progression.


An 86-year-old woman was admitted with unstable angina pectoris. Plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) was performed for 90% stenosis at segment 7 of the left coronary artery with concomitant treatment with nitrate, calcium antagonists, and nicorandil. Five days after POBA, she again suffered chest pain at rest with ST depression by electrocardiography, despite increased doses of calcium-antagonist and nicorandil. Coronary arteriography showed no evidence of restenosis (50%) at the POBA site. The involvement of coronary artery spasm was considered and intravenous treatment with a Rho-kinase inhibitor, fasudil, was started, which resulted in disappearance of the anginal attacks. She refused to continue the fasudil treatment on day 5, which resulted in reappearance of anginal attacks. Third coronary angiography showed a 90% restenosis at POBA site and percutaneous coronary intervention was again performed. This case suggests that a Rho-kinase inhibitor is potentially effective to prevent anginal attacks in spastic angina.


In the context of this work, a violin string motion is examined using a finite element approach. The string is formulated via ideal string elements and is bowed at one point on the string; hence, there is a nodal contact between the bow and the string. The bow movement induces the stick-slip effect, which is the cause for the violin string sound. The present paper aims at the investigation of the stick-slip phenomenon of bowed strings, considering well-known bowed string effects like the Helmholtz corner modulation, the Schelleng ripples, and the flattening effect. One key element that is used in this work is the Schelleng diagram, which indicates the "perfect" bow force depending on the bowing position. Within these parameters, the Helmholtz motion is carried out. Additionally, different friction characteristic curves are applied in order to study the impact of the rosin on the string motion.


Tumor immunotherapy, one of the efficient therapies in cancers, has been called to the scientific community's increasing attention lately. Among them, immune checkpoint inhibitors, providing entirely new modalities to treat cancer by leveraging the patient's immune system. They are first-line treatments for varieties of advanced malignancy, such as melanoma, gastrointestinal tumor, esophageal cancer. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment has been successful in different cancers, drug resistance and relapses are common, such as in colorectal cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint therapy for cancer patients who do not respond or lowly response to current treatments. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), as a critical regulator of transcript expression, is the most frequently internal modification of mRNA in the human body. Recently, it has been proposed that m6A epigenetic modification is a potential driver of tumor drug resistance. In this report, we will briefly outline the relevant mechanisms, general treatment status of immune checkpoint inhibitors in colorectal cancer, how m6A epigenetic modifications regulate the response of ICIs in CRC and provide new strategies for overcoming the resistance of ICIs in CRC.


In this paper, Local Binary Patterns (LBP) is used for Facial Expression Recognition (FER). The concept of LBP is based on the information that is present in color images of face. Multi-linear image analysis can be done in different color spaces using LBP and it can be seen that the color content gives additional information about faces which can lead to an efficient FER. Using LBP, the components present in various color spaces such as RGB, YCbCr and CIELuv or CIELab, are made into two dimensional binary's using multi-linear algebra and concepts of binary's and then Log-Gabor filters are used to extract these features. For the selection of the features, mutual information quotients method is used. Multiclass linear discriminate analysis classifiers are used to classify the features that were extracted.


The OAIS reference model provides an internationally recognised framework for long-term preservation of information. A fundamental role is played by the information model which defines representation information. We argue that representation information is a key concept both for the preservation of digital information as well as interoperability in the era of globally distributed data.


This study presents an analysis of alternative conceptions (ACs) on acid–base chemistry harbored by grade 9 students in Singapore. The ACs were obtained by the development and validation of a 4-tier diagnostic instrument. It is among the very few studies in the science education literature that have focused on examining results based also on measures used in the educational psychology literature. The results indicate that the students harbor a range of ACs of varying strengths in relation to the properties of acids and bases, strengths of acids and bases, pH, neutralization, indicators, and sub-microscopic views of acids and bases. The 25-item instrument uncovered 30 ACs. A novel insight from this study is that when students are presented with a test item with all incorrect answer and reason responses but with a blank space for them to fill up their own answer and reason if they disagree with any of these responses, hardly any chose to do so. ACs were also identified from this question. Overall, the results reiterate the utility of the 4-tier format for identifying ACs and getting some indication of their strengths.


1969 Sevofluran was synthesized and in December 1995 licensed for clinical use in Germany. The low blood/gas partition coefficient is responsible for the fast uptake and elimination of sevoflurane. Sevoflurane does not irritate the airway. In human medicine no side effect of liver- and kidney function have been seen after sevofluran anaesthesia. There is low cardiovascular and respiratory depression caused by sevoflurane. In this study the use of sevoflurane in dogs should be tested and compared with isoflurane and halothane anaesthesia. All dogs were premedicated with /-methadon and diazepam. No significant depression of the cardiovascular system was seen. Neither kidney-nor hepatotoxic side effects could be found after sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane anaesthesia. After sevoflurane anaesthesia the dogs woke up quietly and without any excitation and were able to stand on average ten minutes earlier after sevoflurane anaesthesia than after isoflurane and 85 minutes earlier than after halothane anaesthesia.


This paper investigates the ways in which Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic (2011) resists racializing surveillance through making use of what we call unidentifiable characterization. This technique, we assert, contributes to a complex portrayal of the internment of Japanese Americans, as it privileges the collective without oversimplifying or romanticizing that collective and not only avoids but also opposes overemphasizing the role of the individual, a role that requires intense visualization (that is, surveillance). As a result, we argue that The Buddha constitutes an anti-surveillance Asian American narrative that exposes the contradictory (to use Lisa Lowe's term) realities of the U.S. In analyzing such a narrative, we develop the term "faceless narrative," a text that resists surveillance and rejects visual identification of characters.


The unprecedented daily volumes on BM&F Bovespa and the growing importance of Brazil in global portfolios make it increasingly important to understand Brazilian market microstructure. Of particular importance are the open and closing auctions in Brazil, which are material but somewhat idiosyncratic liquidity events that are especially important during index rebalances. In this article, the author explores the auction rules and processes and presents empirical data to show the effect of these rules in practice.


This article first historically examines the macro-level Turkish state policies with regard to scholarly publishing within the framework of the English language spread paradigms of diffusion-of-English and language-ecology. Then, the effects of these policies at the micro-level are investigated in two major Turkish universities through a survey of scholars' perceptions and practices of scientific publishing in English. The results reveal a rapid spread of English in academia as the language of scientific publishing consistently encouraged by the state policies and somewhat by academics which may lead to a gradual 'domain loss' for Turkish; however, reactions against English dominance are also evident in various forms in language planning, attitudes, and practices. Thus, language spread and ecology seem to co-exist in some interesting and contradictory ways.


Recently, both experimental and theoretical advances have demonstrated that two-dimensional conjugated metal-organic frameworks (2D-cMOFs) exhibit interesting electronic and magnetic properties, such as high conductivity and ferromagnetism. Theoretical studies have predicted that exotic quantum states, including topological insulating states and superconductivity, emerge in some 2D-MOFs. The high design tunability of MOFs' structure and composition provides great opportunities to realize these structures. However, most conventional synthesis methods yield multilayer structures of the 2D-cMOFs, in which the predicted exotic quantum phases are often quenched because of interlayer interactions. It is highly desirable to synthesize single-layer cMOFs. On-surface synthesis represents a novel strategy toward this goal. In this Perspective, we discuss the recent developments in on-surface synthesis of 1D- and 2D-cMOFs.


The behavior of concrete is affected by the size, distribution of the voids, the porosity and of the granulometry of the aggregate mixture. As a consequence it necessary for engineers to consider in detail particle packing concepts and their influence on the physical performance of concrete. The present study included determination of the fineness modulus, cement paste volume based on slump test and the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. It also comprised a study of the applicability of two theoretical models Toufar's and 4C-packing program for selecting suitable relative amounts of the concrete constituents, for obtaining a minimum void ratio. Comparison of the results was made from using these theoretical models literature-derived experimental data. The models gave similar results and suggest similar combinations of materials to give minimum void ratio. Optimization of the composition of the aggregate material in concrete is beneficial with respect to economy (low cement content), strength and durability. It was noted that minimizing the void ratio (V) tends to raise the stiffness and that the compressive strength (〖f_c〗^') is closely related also to the remolding (R) and fineness modules (FM). It was found that the compressive strength can be predicted by applying the formula; 〖f_c〗^'=-2.1-63.8 V+0.150 R+10.4 FM; R2=0.94, and two other relationships related to slump data and cement content.


Selective area laser deposition (SALD) has been used to deposit carbon from acetylene. Working at the relatively high pressures required to produce high deposition rates can result in explosive uncontrollable growth. Pr~vious computational modeling indicates that the energy released from the exothermic decomposition of acetylene to carbon may be responsible for this behaviour[l]. Since methane decomposes endothermically to form carbon over certain temperatures, it is possible that methane addition to the process may help control the deposition rate. The purpose of this paper is to describe SALD experiments that were performed using various partial pressures of acetylene and methane as precursor in order to determine if combining an endothermic and an exothermic reaction effects the control of the SALD process.


Despite significant promotion of diversity in companies, as well as legislation for equal opportunities for women and men, it must be noted that women still remain largely in the minority in decision-making positions. This observation reflects the phenomenon of the glass ceiling that constitutes vertical discrimination within companies against women. Although the glass ceiling has generated research interest, some authors have pointed out that theoretical models have made little attempt to develop an understanding of this phenomenon and its implications. Therefore, our study aims to fill this gap and to better understand the phenomenon of the glass ceiling by considering both its antecedents and its possible consequences. More precisely, we extend the model developed by Elacqua et al. (2009), proposing a more comprehensive model including organizational gender culture as a third factor (in addition to situational and interpersonal issues) in the emergence of the glass ceiling through the perception of differential treatment. We also investigated the glass ceiling's consequences for organizational attitudes and well-being at work by considering work-to-family conflict (WFC) as a possible mediator. We surveyed 320 women in managerial positions in a Belgian organization. Our study highlights the importance of all three factors in the emergence of the perception of differential treatment and, ultimately, the perception that a glass ceiling exists. Moreover, our results show that WFC fully mediates the effects of the glass ceiling on job strain and job engagement, and partially mediates the effects of the glass ceiling on job satisfaction and intention to quit.


This research considers a supply chain under the following conditions: (i) two heterogeneous suppliers are in competition, (ii) supply capacity is random and pricing is endogenous, (iii) consumer demand, with and without an intermediate retailer, is price dependent. Specifically, we examine how uncertainty in supply capacity affects optimal ordering and pricing decisions, supplier and retailer profits, and the incentives to reduce such uncertainty. When two suppliers sell through a monopolistic retailer, supply uncertainty not only affects the retailer's diversification strategy for replenishment, but also changes the suppliers� wholesale price competition and the incentive for reducing capacity uncertainty. In this dual-sourcing model, we show that the benefit of reducing capacity uncertainty depends on the cost heterogeneity between the suppliers. In addition, we show that a supplier does not necessarily benefit from capacity variability reduction. We contrast this incentive misalignment with findings from the single-supplier case and a supplier-duopoly case where both suppliers sell directly to market without the monopolistic retailer. In the latter single-supplier and duopoly cases, we prove that the unreliable supplier always benefits from reducing capacity variability. These results highlight the role of the retailer's diversification strategy in distorting a supplier's incentive for reducing capacity uncertainty under supplier price competition.


The objective of this study was to estimate the direct annual cost of treating patients with schizophrenia in Greece in 2005. Due to the lack of quantitative data, information on the treatment pathway and medical resource utilization of patients were collected from a consensus panel of 9 psychiatrists and 5 health economists. For estimating the costs a bottom up approach from the National Health System perspective was used. The panel of experts defined three patient categories based on the severity of the disease and the medical setting where treatment is received: (a) outpatient setting, (b) ambulatory care, (c) inpatient setting and long-term care. The annual direct cost of treatment per patient was found to be 3,187 € (2,659-4,166 €) in the first category, 10,135 € (7,429-13,972 €) in the second category and 20,782 € (17,482-25,462 €) in the third category. The total cost of treatment increased with the severity of the disease and the use of hospitalization. Systematic data collection on medical resource utilization must be established at the national level to facilitate further research, guide the efficient use of resources and improve the healthcare provision.


The influence of a partial boron substitution on the crystal structure, Curie temperature, easy magnetization direction and magnetostriction of Tb0.7Pr0.3Fe2 has been studied. The matrix of Tb0.7Pr0.3Fe2 consists of the (Tb, Pr)Fe-2 phase with a cubic MgCu2-type structure coexisting with a large amount of the (Tb, Pr)Fe-3 phase with a rhombohedral PuNi3-type Structure. The introduction of boron can effectively restrain the emergence of the iron-rich phase and thus the Tb0.7Pr0.3(Fe1-xBx)(2) alloys are essentially single phase compared with the boron free material. The linear magnetostriction at room temperature lambda (a) = lambda (parallel to) - lambda (perpendicular to)and T-C pronouncedly increase with the boron substitution.


The nurses play an important role in the overall management of a burn patient. They must be well versed with the various protocols available that can be used to rationally manage a given situation. The management not only involves medical care but also a psychological assessment of the victim and the family. The process uses a scientific method to combine systems theory with the art of nursing, entailing both problem solving techniques and a decision making process. It involves assessment of the patient to arrive at a diagnosis and then determining the patient goals.An action plan is implemented and is evaluated in the context of patient response. The article discusses many such scenarios in burn patients and outlines the nursing care plans.


Purpose
This paper aims to improve understanding of data-driven marketing by examining the experiences of managers implementing big data analytics in the marketing function. Through a series of research questions, this exploratory study seeks to define what big data analytics means in marketing practice. It also seeks to uncover the challenges and identifiable stages of big data analytics implementation.

Design/methodology/approach
A total of 15 open-ended in-depth interviews were conducted with marketing and analytics executives in a variety of industries in Ireland and the USA. Interview transcripts were subjected to open coding and axial coding to address the research questions.

Findings
The study reveals that managers consider marketing big data analytics to be a series of tools and capabilities used to inform product innovation and marketing strategy-making processes and to defend the brand against emerging risks. Additionally, the study reveals that big data analytics implementation is championed at different organizational levels using different types of dynamic learning capabilities, contingent on the champion's stature within the organization.

Originality/value
From the qualitative analysis, it is proposed that marketing departments undergo five stages of big data analytics implementation: sprouting, recognition, commitment, culture shift and data-driven marketing. Each stage identifies the key characteristics and potential pitfalls to be avoided and provides advice to marketing managers on how to implement big data analytics.


This article explores the events before and during the 2009 Queensland election which saw the Bligh Labor Government returned far more easily than commentators and opinion polls had indicated. This election remains especially noteworthy for its groundbreaking firsts, including the first election of a woman state premier, and the first election for Queensland's single, merged Liberal-National Party. The article concludes that Anna Bligh's then-popular leadership, Opposition leader Lawrence Springborg's alleged poor grasp of economic realities, and fears of job losses during the global financial crisis were the prime motivators of swinging electors' vote choice.


The main objective of this project is to provide a technique for increasing the life time of the wireless sensor network. Increase the network lifetime and efficient data transmissions are one of the most important issues for WSNs (Wireless Sensor Networks). To keep the network alive as long as possible, communication between the WSN nodes must be done with cluster load balancing. There is a need to design a scheme which enhances the network lifetime and provides information to the sink. To propose a scheme for energy consumption and data collection in wireless sensor networks by sleep/awake method. This framework is fully based on clustering. The Energy Delay Index for Trade-off (EDIT) algorithm is used to build the energy efficient cluster. Clustering is used to decrease energy consumption and collision. A cluster head represents all sensor nodes within the region and collects data values from them and finally sent it to the base station.


BACKGROUND
Social background is important in preventing admission/readmission of heart failure (HF) patients. However, few clinical studies have been conducted to assess the social background of these patients, especially elderly patients.Methods and Results:The Kitakawachi Clinical Background and Outcome of Heart Failure (KICKOFF) Registry is a prospective multicenter community-based cohort of HF patients, established in April 2015. We compared the clinical characteristics and social background of the super-elderly group (≥85 years old) and the non-super-elderly group (<85 years old). This study included 647 patients; 11.8% of the super-elderly patients were living alone, 15.6% were living with only a partner, and of these, only 66.7% had the support of other family members. The super-elderly group had less control over their diet and drug therapies than the non-super-elderly group. Most patients in the super-elderly group were registered for long-term care insurance (77.4%); 73.5% of the super-elderly patients could walk independently before admission, but only 55.5% could walk independently at discharge, whereas 94% of the non-super-elderly patients could walk independently before admission and 89.4% could walk independently at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS
The KICKOFF Registry provides unique detailed social background information of Japanese patients with HF. Super-elderly patients are at serious risk of social frailty; they need the support of other people and their ability to perform activities of daily living decline when hospitalized.


Unified visual grounding pursues a simple and generic technical route to leverage multi-task data with less task-specific design. The most advanced methods typically present boxes and masks as vertex sequences to model referring detection and segmentation as an autoregressive sequential vertex generation paradigm. However, generating high-dimensional vertex sequences sequentially is error-prone because the upstream of the sequence remains static and cannot be refined based on downstream vertex information, even if there is a significant location gap. Besides, with limited vertexes, the inferior fitting of objects with complex contours restricts the performance upper bound. To deal with this dilemma, we propose a parallel vertex generation paradigm for superior high-dimension scalability with a diffusion model by simply modifying the noise dimension. An intuitive materialization of our paradigm is Parallel Vertex Diffusion (PVD) to directly set vertex coordinates as the generation target and use a diffusion model to train and infer. We claim that it has two flaws: (1) unnormalized coordinate caused a high variance of loss value; (2) the original training objective of PVD only considers point consistency but ignores geometry consistency. To solve the first flaw, Center Anchor Mechanism (CAM) is designed to convert coordinates as normalized offset values to stabilize the training loss value. For the second flaw, Angle summation loss (ASL) is designed to constrain the geometry difference of prediction and ground truth vertexes for geometry-level consistency. Empirical results show that our PVD achieves state-of-the-art in both referring detection and segmentation, and our paradigm is more scalable and efficient than sequential vertex generation with high-dimension data.


Depression is a common and debilitating disease that affects people from adolescence to old age. The impact of depression extends beyond the individual with depressive symptoms. Depression adversely affects the mental and physical health, and the social and financial welfare of the individual and society. We will address how factors including sex, age, ethnicity and societal changes affect the prevalence of depression, consider common co-morbid conditions and highlight the lessons learned from treating depression.


In this paper, a simple method for the multi-objective optimization problems by the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed. The objectives of the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEA) are summarized as follows : (1) To find the pareto optimal solutions, (2) To find the pareto optimal solutions as diverse as possible. To achieve these objectives by the PSO for the single objective problems, we propose how to define the g-best in this swarm without introducing some new parameters. That is, one particle among the non-inferior solutions is selected as the g-best to achieve the diversity among the non-inferior solutions. The relative distance in the objective space is utilized to select the g-best among the non-inferior solutions. Additionally, some particles among the non-inferior solutions are also selected as the g-best of the inferior solutions to find the pareto optimal solutions. The absolute distance in the objective space is utilized to select the g-best of the inferior solutions. We also show the geometric interpretation about the movement of particles. The validity of proposed approach is examined through typical numerical examples.


Objective: To analyze the prevalence of uveitis in patients treated at a tertiary ophthalmic service in Teresina, Piaui State, Brazil. Methods: This was a retrospective study based on medical records of patients treated at this service. Sex, age, origin, underlying diseases, anatomical diagnosis, clinical aspects and progression time were described. Results: 403 records were included, noting that 3.2 out of every 1,000 patients treated at the service had uveitis.The average age of patients was 42 years old, with both sexes (50.6% females and 49.4% males) affected similarly, and with 61.5% coming from the state capital, Teresina. The most common underlying disease was toxoplasmosis, followed by idiopathic uveitis with ocular manifestations only. As to the anatomical classification, 49.6% of them were posterior and only 3.5% were intermediate. Regarding the clinical aspects, 64% were granulomatous, 24.8% non-granulomatous, and 11.2% were not classifiable. According to the clinical progression, 41.4% were acute, followed by 30.8% chronic, 14.4% recurrent cases, and 13.4% of patients did not return for medical care. Conclusion: we found that for every 1,000 patients treated at the service, 3.2 had uveitis, with toxoplasmosis itself found to be an important source of uveitis.


Understanding mechanisms of exotic species' invasions is essential to managing riparian landscapes throughout the world. In the southwestern USA, the two most dominant invaders of riparian habitats are the exotic tree species tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima, Tamarix chinensis, and their hybrids) and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). These plants were introduced around 1900, and their success may be facilitated by river regulation, river channel changes, and precipitation patterns. We hypothesized that riparian invasion in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, was initiated by a change point event such as plantings, dam construction, or channel incision and that establishment near a change point was tied to flood events. We aged tamarisk, Russian olive, and native cottonwood trees from study sites in Canyon de Chelly and used tree ring analysis to determine the year of establishment and the elevation of the germination point relative to the channel. We used Bayesian Poisson regression and information theoretics to identify change points and precipitation variables driving annual tree establishment. We found that most tamarisk and Russian olive trees established in the late 1980s, and most cottonwoods established in 1930‐1950 and 1980‐2000. Regression models indicated that change points occurred in 1983 for Russian olive and 1988 for tamarisk, and precipitation was important for establishment. Although plantings and river regulation probably played a role in tree invasion, our results suggest that these species required precipitation and stream channel change for widespread establishment in Canyon de Chelly. The factors driving riparian invasions may not be those often associated with degraded rivers, such as altered hydrographs and land management changes, thus requiring analyses of the full range of ecological and physical processes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


OBJECTIVE
To present the clinical characteristics and combination therapy of rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis.

METHODS
The clinical data of 9 patients with rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis treated between January 2008 and January 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical features, diagnosis, pathological characteristics, surgical technique and combination therapy were summarized. All the patients were treated with nasal endoscopic surgery and combined drug therapy.

RESULTS
Nine patients were under the state of systemic immunosuppression. Two patients died of intracranial infection. One patient with the symptom of headache was first alleviated after treatment, with visual acuity recovered partially, but this patient died 4 months later due to recurrence of mucormycosis and intracranial infection. Two patients with headache recovered after treatment, the visual acuity recovered to the hand movement, endoscopic examination of surgical cavity was clean and epithelialized, with no recurrence, still alive 5 years up to now. The symptom of headache in another 4 patients disappeared after treatment, visual acuity improved significantly, endoscopic surgical cavity was clean, follow-up with no recurrence, survived more than 2 years, and were still in the treatment of primary disease.

CONCLUSION
Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis is a serious chance infectious disease under the state of systemic immunosuppression, the development is rapid and the mortality rate is high, early diagnosis and combined treatment with nasal endoscopic surgery is necessary.


Introduction: Prevention of Mother-to-Child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is a global response to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV which can occur in-utero, during childbirth or during breastfeeding, specific services rendered to HIV positive pregnant women are crucial in preventing vertical transmission, therefore, this study evaluated Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV services in selected health facilities in Lagos State, Nigeria. Method: The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The sample size was 19 health facilities in Lagos state, a multi stage sampling procedure was used to select the samples. Two instruments were used for data collection, observational checklist and past records of PMTCT activities of the participating facilities from January 2017 to December 2019. The checklist was pre tested with a reliability coefficient of 0.96. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Results: The findings show that in all the selected health facilities 92.8% of the structures in terms of equipment/supplies were available and functional. majority of the health care providers listed were available, there was availability of recommended PMTCT services in all selected health facilities, it was also revealed that there was a positive significant relationship between the available structure and PMTCT services (r =.347; p = 0.0146 < .05). Conclusion: The availability of PMTCT structures, resources, equipment/supplies and service providers have significant influence on prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV services provision. Also, PMTCT services have influence on the final outcomes of exposed infants.


This study investigated the operative results of the lumbosacral radiculopathy of lumbar canal stenosis. 24 cases were treated by surgery 9 cases received fenestration, 8 cases also received wide laminectomy, and in addition 7 cases received lumbar segmental fusion by instrumentation. The mean age at the time of surgery was 69.8 years (ragne; 56 to 81 years). The mean duration of follow-up was 23 months (range; 12 to 31 months).The clinical results were evaluated by the JOA score, and the recovery rate was determined by Hirabayashi's method, and by the recovery ratio of radiculopathy symptoms, pain and dysesthesia of the lower extremities. The preoperative mean JOA score was 14.5 points, which changed to 20.5 points at the final check, and the mean recovery rate was 42.7%. The recovery ratio of radiculopathy pain shows a tendency to decrease as the number of decompressed intervertebral segments increase.


Abstract The aim of most researchers is to complete full projects for establishing renewable sources stations. The project depend on many variables, which is called criteria, that's makes the project workable or not. The criterion which studied in this paper is roads suitability for transporting turbines from the loading ports to construction site. One of the important factors which must provide paved roads for transportation and within standard. Southern Um-Qasr port is the best choice to receive wind turbine equipments. The nods down to the construction region will face 0 turns, 2 bridges that crosses over and 23 bridges that passes underneath.


Background: Inspiratory muscle weakness is a clinical feature in patients with COPD. Due to hyperinflation, the shortened diaphragms generate lower force during contraction, contributing to dyspnea and reduced exercise tolerance. Due to pathological changes the strength of inspiratory muscle is reduced which leads to early fatigue and reduce in functional capacity. Therefore, inspiratory muscle training in COPD patients is designed to enhance respiratory muscle function and to reduce the severity of breathlessness and improve exercise tolerance. Objective: To study the effect of the Breather device on inspiratory muscle strength and functional capacity by measuring Maximum Inspiratory Pressure (Pimax) and 6 Minute Walk Distance (6MWD). Methodology: Thirty participants both male and female diagnosed with COPD were included in the study and were divided into two groups. Baseline assessment was done using Pimax and 6MWD. Participants in group A performed inspiratory muscle training by using breather device and diaphragmatic breathing and group B performed diaphragmatic breathing exercise twice a day for 2 weeks. Reassessment was done and data was compared. Results: There was a highly significant (p=<0.0001) difference in Pimax between the pre (57.66±7.76cmH2o) and post (75.33±9.90cmH2o) intervention in group A with significant difference of 56±6.3cmH2o and 60±7.07cmH2o between the groups. Also there was significant (p=<0.0001) difference in 6MWD between the pre(273.66 ±25.07m) and post (273.66 ±25.07m) intervention in group A with the mean difference of 54.73m and 35.4m when compared between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of breather device for inspiratory muscle training showed significant improvement in Pimax and 6MWD in participants with COPD.


This paper presents an analysis of received signal strength in a macrocell in Lagos environment using Finite Element Method (FEM). In this paper, six different site locations were covered and subdivided into peri-urban, open suburban, dense urban, open urban, suburban and exurban areas. It was deduced that the experimental values obtained was favourably with the FEM predicted values with the mean prediction error ranging between 6.66dB to 12.89dB while that of standard deviation error is 2.99dB to 8.09dB.


Sepsis sometimes occurs in traumatic rhabdomyolysis; however, the possibility that injection of endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria may affect the severity of renal injury during rhabdomyolysis has not been directly examined. The aims of this study were: (i) to examine whether injection of glycerol, which causes rhabdomyolysis, simultaneously with a low dose of endotoxin will result in acute renal failure (ARF) in the rat; and (ii) whether this injury is due to the increased formation of free oxygen radicals. Therefore, a low dose of glycerol (0.375 ml/100 g), which does not cause acute renal failure, and endotoxin at a dose that does not cause renal injury (0.0375 mg/100 g) were simultaneously injected. The extent of renal injury was examined 24 h after the simultaneous injection of these two substances. The parameters measured included creatinine, BUN, urine volume, RPF, GFR, percent absorption of sodium and potassium as well as arterial blood pressure. In order to examine whether renal injury due to the combination of glycerol and endotoxin results from free oxygen radicals, DMTU (50 mg/100 g), SOD (8 mg/100 g) and vitamin E (2 mg/kg each day for 7 days) were injected. Acute renal failure was induced by the simultaneous injection of glycerol and endotoxin. Treatment with DMTU or vitamin E significantly reduced renal injury and returned the values of the measured parameters to their control values. The antioxidant SOD also reduced the renal injury; however, with this antioxidant the reduction was less pronounced and the measured parameters did not return to their control values. This study indicates that the severity of renal injury during rhabdomyolysis may increase if endotoxin is present in the body. Furthermore, this study indicates that this increased renal injury may be due to free oxygen radicals. Traumatic rhabdomyolysis is a frequent cause of ARF. Therefore, it is important to create an experimental model that will also include actual possibilities, such as sepsis, which have not been taken into consideration to date.


The category of the title is called $mathcal{W}$. This has all free objects $F(I)$ ($I$ a set). For an object class $mathcal{A}$, $Hmathcal{A}$ consists of all homomorphic images of $mathcal{A}$-objects. This note continues the study of the $H$-closed monoreflections $(mathcal{R}, r)$ (meaning $Hmathcal{R} = mathcal{R}$), about which we show ({em inter alia}): $A in mathcal{A}$ if and  only if $A$ is a countably up-directed union from $H{rF(omega)}$. The meaning of this is then analyzed for two important cases: the maximum essential monoreflection $r = c^{3}$, where $c^{3}F(omega) = C(RR^{omega})$, and $C in H{c(RR^{omega})}$ means $C = C(T)$, for $T$ a closed subspace of $RR^{omega}$; the epicomplete, and maximum, monoreflection, $r = beta$, where $beta F(omega) = B(RR^{omega})$, the Baire functions, and $E in H{B(RR^{omega})}$ means $E$ is {em an} epicompletion (not ``the'') of such a $C(T)$.


This paper describes an approach to design of acoustic devices, such as microspeaker and dynamic receiver, considering the acoustic characteristics improvement in IMT-2000 mobile phones. The analysis of a newly designed microspeaker considering mechanical, electrical, and magnetic coupling effects is performed using the finite-element method (FEM) and its validity is confirmed as well by experiments. Also, a statistical approach is suggested to identify a certain relationship between a mobile phone and a newly designed microspeaker. The approach is based on the Taguchi method and utilizes the orthogonal array for design of experiments (DOE). The concept of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio is applied to evaluate the acoustic performance in mobile phones.