This article examines the emergence of the representative agent as the outcome of transformations that occurred in microeconomics in the 1930s-1950s years, especially in the subfield of demand theory. To tell this story, I begin with a particular historical interpretation of this subfield, propounded by Wade Hands and Philip Mirowski in the 1990s, known as the Hotelling-Schultz Impasse. Although this impasse was abandoned by the end of the 1930s, the testing of the Symmetry Restrictions and the validity of the Integrability Conditions continued to draw the attention of different research centers. The Cowles Commission, represented by its research director, Tjalling Koopmans, played an important role during this stage and, more to the point, in the subsequent emergence of the representative agent in microeconomics through their approach to aggregation problem. The significance of Paul Samuelson's introduction of homothetic preferences into General Equilibrium Theory and its connection to Koopmans's writings during the 1950s is also emphasized.


Evaluating computing systems and classifying them by the security properties they provide is not new [13, 14]. Other researchers [8, 9] have pointed out the difficulty of evaluating security and the apparent binary nature of security given discoveries of system vulnerability. Here, I compare the role of security evaluations with that of cryptographic security parameters, and relate the difficulty of arriving at security metrics with the Monty Hall Problem. Additionally, I argue that trying to represent the security of a system by either a single numeric value or constructing some digraph using which systems are compared is a Quixotic affair: security needs are application dependent, and no single total or partial ordering can provide all the information needed. I give example scenarios that demonstrate the need for multi-faceted security rating systems.


The role of ideology in the development of hierarchical relations is investigated with archaeological data recovered at the site of Panquilma, a community of the 13th to 15th centuries located in the hinterland of one of the most important religious centers of the ancient Andes: Pachacamac. By focusing on a community dominated by an important religious center, this study offers a new perspective on the ways in which rural leaders used the ideological ascendance of the religious center and shows how this process was articulated with local economic and political forces in the development of social power. Toward this end three scenarios were envisioned in which ideology played different roles in the development of power. These three models were evaluated based on the relative importance that ideological control had in the development of power strategies in two segments of Panquilma's population: the ruling elites that resided in walled pyramid complexes and the heads of the different extended family groups that resided in the surrounding15 household compounds.Evidence from Panquilma indicates that, regardless of its proximity to Pachacamac, hierarchy at the site was mainly based on local political and economic conditions. Ideological factors were very important in the context of validating economic and political differences but did not constitute by themselves a viable source of power. Panquilma's ruling elite competed with other elite factions for prestige via feasting activities without any special religious significance. However, when they were dealing with the lower ranking residents of the household compounds, the control of ritual space and esoteric knowledge validated the elite's economic supremacy and facilitated surplus extraction. In a similar manner, the development of inter-household relations between the leaders of extended families was based in great part on competition for economic resources, as evidenced by contextual and proportional information. On the other hand, within the compounds, the privileged position of the family's leaders was validated through religious notions of ancestry and redistributive mechanisms in the form of ancestor veneration rituals and feasting.


Draper et al. found that the incidence of childhood leukaemia was slightly elevated for children living at distances of 200-600 m from high-voltage transmission lines. This elevation cannot be explained by EMF exposure and it is suggested that it may be due to population mixing in housing developments which followed the construction of the lines.


Objective: to submit a selective analytical method for quantization of glibenclamide in cleaning samples of pharmaceutical equipment using high performance liquid chromatography. Methods: the mobile phase consisted of an equal mixing of acetonitrile/phosphate buffer KH2PO4; with 0.037 mol/L concentration pH 5.25 and flow of 1.5 mL/min, in a Nucleosil 100 C8 column. Glibenclamide was injected with progesterone as internal standard and using an UV detector= 230 nm. Results: the method was linear in the 0.4-150 μg/mL concentration interval having a detection and quantization limits of 10 and 40 ng/mL respectively. It was specific to analyte when placebo is present, to degradation products and to other active ingredients. Possible interferences with the proposed method was considered for captopril, chlortalidone, dexametasone, diphenhydramin HCl, digoxine, 8chlortheophylline, diphenhydramina HCl, phenobarbital, haloperidol, hydrochlorothia zide, fumaric acid, ketotifen, metoclopramide HCl, piridoxine HCl, piroxicam, prednisone and nifedipine, On the other hand, ibuprofen, indometacin, trifluoperazine HCl, thioridazine HCl and imipramine were identified as interferences in the procedure at concentration figures close to 10 μg/mL. Conclusions: the present method is sensitive, quick and selective for the evaluation of residues of active pharmaceutical principle glibenclamide in tablet production equipment after a swap sampling and it could be potentially used in case of crosscontamination of glibenclamide and other drugs already described.


Background
Avascular necrosis of the femoral head typically occurs in the young population. Core decompression in the precollapse stage provides pain relief and preservation of the femoral head. The results of core decompression vary considerably despite the early diagnosis. Clinicians concur that primary treatment should focus on preserving the natural surface of the joint. This study investigated the predictive risk factors of failure in femoral head decompression.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed 135 patients and 207 hips (77 male (127 hips) and 58 female (80 hips)) who underwent core decompression (mean age: 34.7 years [age range: 21-71]) from April 2010 to December 2017. All patients were followed by a mean of 57 months. All hips were in the precollapse stage (Ficat I, II).

Results
A total of 207 hips were treated with core decompression surgery, and the overall success rate was 58%. The higher grade of Kerboul, Ficat, ARCO classifications, multifocal avascular necrosis of the femoral head, smoking, opium, and corticosteroids were significantly associated with a higher failure rate after core decompression in univariate analysis. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the Kerboul and Ficat classifications, alcohol consumption, and multifocal avascular necrosis of the femoral head were significantly correlated with core decompression failure. The most common predictive factors in core decompression failure were Ficat II, Kerboul stage 3, multifocal avascular necrosis of the femoral head, and alcohol consumption.

Conclusion
In conclusion, we had an overall 58 % success rate in core decompression of femoral head avascular necrosis. Based on the results of this study, imaging evaluation and imaging-based classifications are the most valuable predictor factors for the success of core decompression. Consistent with previous reports, corticosteroid was not a significant predictor of core decompression failure.


A process flow is described for the low cost, flexible fabrication of metal micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) with high performance integrated sensing. The process is capable of producing new designs in ≈1 week at an average unit cost of <$1 k/device even at batch sizes of ≈1–10, with expected sensing performance limits of about 135 dB over a 10 kHz sensor bandwidth. This is a ≈20× reduction in cost, ≈25× reduction in time, and potentially >30× increase in sensing dynamic range over comparable state-of-the-art compliant nanopositioners. The nonlithographically based microfabrication (NLBM) process is uniquely suited to create high performance nanopositioning architectures which are customizable to the positioning requirements of a range of nanoscale applications. These can significantly reduce the cost of nanomanufacturing research and development, as well as accelerate the development of new processes and the testing of fabrication process chains without excess capital investment. A six degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) flexural nanopositioner with integrated sensing for all 6DOF was fabricated using the newly developed process chain. The fabrication process was measured to have ≈30 μm alignment. Sensor arm, flexure, and trace widths of 150 μm, 150 μm, and 800 μm, respectively, were demonstrated. Process capabilities suggest lower bounds of 25 μm, 50 μm, and 100 μm, respectively. Dynamic range sensing of 52 dB was demonstrated for the nanopositioner over a 10 kHz sensor bandwidth. Improvements are proposed to approach sensor performance of about 135 dB over a 10 kHz sensor bandwidth.


When sprayed particles impinge on the substrate, they flatten, cool down and build-up – splat by splat – the laminar structure of the thermal spray coating. Splat studies are therefore a central area of research because they can provide fundamental knowledge on the phenomena controlling the final coating properties such as coating microstructure and adhesion. Wetting and heat transfer are expected to influence the final splat shape while they are in turn controlled by the presence of oxides and adsorbed species on the substrate surface. In the present study, Ni-5Al single splats on 2 different Ti-6Al-4V substrates (one pre-heated and the other maintained at room temperature prior to spraying) have been investigated. Splat morphology has been analyzed by use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Analytical techniques like energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Auger electron spectrometry (AES) have been used to determine the composition of the splats and of the splat-substrate interface. Adhesion was found to determine the splat microstructure. Two microconstituents are observed in the microstructure when delamination occurs. In case of good contact between splat and substrate, the microstructure consists of single-phase solid solution and an additional layer was found at the splat-substrate interface. Site-specific focused ion beam (FIB) milling and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to investigate this layer in more detail.


Transducers are transmembrane proteins that are central to the chemotactic system of Escherichia coli. The proteins transduce ligand recognition into an excitatory signal and function in adaptation as methyl-accepting proteins. The transducer genes tsr, tar, and tap have extensive homology with each other. However, previous studies revealed little indication of homology between those three transducer genes and a fourth gene, trg. We investigated the relationship between trg and the other genes by blot-hybridization experiments and the relationship between Trg and the other transducer proteins by immune precipitation and experiments with an antiserum raised to purified Trg protein. In experiments in which 35% mismatch would be tolerated, weak hybridization of trg was detected to a DNA fragment containing tar and tap but not to a fragment containing tsr. In experiments in which only 30% mismatch would be tolerated, no trg hybridization was apparent either to total chromosomal DNA or to DNA from hybrid plasmids carrying the other transducer genes. An anti-Trg serum formed immune precipitates with the Tsr and Tar proteins as well as with the Trg protein to which it was raised. We conclude that there is homology between Trg and the other transducer, but the homology is more limited than that shared among the other transducers. Furthermore, we found no indication of additional transducer genes closely related to trg. Thus, the trg gene is a somewhat distant cousin within a single transducer gene family of E. coli.


ed by Thomas Gatlin This compilation of concisely written articles by several contributors addresses the problems of scientific drafting, particularly as they apply to archaeological research. Chapter one describes general approaches to scientific illustration and includes the major concerns of lighting, composition, lettering, and reduction. Tools and materials are discussed, and in addition, a coherent production sequence is outlined. Each of the following chapters highlights a different category of archaeological materials and attempts to describe specific conventional approaches to their graphic presentation. Areas examined are the compilation and drafting of maps, architectural reconstruction, stratigraphic sections, the documentation of relief monuments, the drawing of ceramic vessels, sherds and figurines, and the rendering of stone, shell, and bone artifacts. Standardization of measurement and depiction is emphasized as an aid to the maintenance of clarity and accuracy in graphic representation. While of limited use to the experienced illustrator, this volume nevertheless compiles information pertaining to archaeological drafting that might otherwise only be found among a number of other sources. It should prove to be a useful reference to students of scientific illustration or to researchers who have had marginal success in illustrating their own work. Traces of Prehistory: Papers in Honor of William G. Haag. FREDERICK HADLEIGH WEST and ROBERT W. NEUMAN, editors. Geoscience and Man, Volume XXII, School of Geoscience, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1981. xi + 122 pp., illus., biblio. $12.00 (paper). Abstracted by Janet E. Raffertyed by Janet E. Rafferty Several of the 10 papers in this volume are truncated versions of longer works in press, including those by West on the Beringian tradition, Brain on Tunica archaeology, and Neitzel on colluvial translocation of loess at the Fatherland site in Mississippi. None presents enough data or detailed interpretation to be of much use except as a pointer to the more extended treatment, which should be consulted instead. Three of the remaining papers are of real substance. Saucier treats riverine and geologic processs in the lower Mississippi River Valley, Belmont and Williams deal with prehistoric painted pottery horizons in the same area, and Webb and Gibson classify technological and functional attributes of microflints from the Poverty Point site. These papers will be of interest to archaeologists working in the Southeast and especially in the lower Mississippi Valley. Excavations at Fort Michilimackinac: 1978-1979. The Rue de la Babillarde. DONALD P. HELDMAN and ROGER T. GRANGE, JR. Archaeological Completion Report Series, No. 3, Mackinac Island State Park Commission, Mackinac Island, Michigan, 1981. xii + 470 pp., illus., biblio. $20.00 (paper). Abstracted by Charles E. Orser, Jr.ed by Charles E. Orser, Jr. This volume discusses two seasons of research within a small lane inside the southeast wall of Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan, called the flue de la Babillarde. A descriptive section details the extant historical documentation, and the archaeological methods and findings, while an interpretive section presents the combination of historical and archaeological data and illustrates the use of artifact frequencies and statistical programs to address a number of behavioral hypotheses that are designed to isolate the differences in the use of the lane during the French (1730s-1761) and British (1761-1781) periods. The general finding of the research is that the use of the flue changed as the British developed the fort as a military establishment. The French use of the fort as a trading post before 1761 is also reflected in the archaeological deposits found in the lane. Cultural Resources Law Enforcement: An Emerging Science (second ed.). DEE F. GREEN and POLLY DAVIS. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, 1981. iii + 116 pp., biblio. Paper. Abstracted by Brian Butlered by Brian Butler Although it can hardly be described as an emerging science, the enforcement of cultural resources law has seen some progress, albeit slow and difficult. This volume is a compilation of background papers, case summaries, court documents, and recommendations relating to various attempts to prosecute looters and vandals on Federal lands in the West. The volume begins with the infamous Diaz decision of 1974, which put enforcement efforts into turmoil, and traces the difficulties and successes in subsequent


Examinations of 230 patients with local pyogenic infection and those of 117 patients with sepsis revealed that asporogenic anaerobes on pure culture were isolated in 17.8% with local pyosis and in 10.2% of patients with sepsis. Anaerobes along with aerobic microbes were found 15.6% of patients with local infection and in 10.2% of patients with sepsis. The involvement of obligate anaerobes in the development of pyogenic infection was displayed by the lower phagocytic activity of neutrophils, the impaired differentiation of lymphocytes, the great increased peripheral blood levels of O-cells, and diminished serum complementary, lysozyme, and overall bactericidal activities and IgM levels.


Abstract This study develops 3D virtual reality technology which can be used to create a 3D navigation system of the Mackay Campus for environmental education and a digital cultural 3D navigation system for local historical sites in the Tamsui area. It is hoped that providing spatial information will help tourists navigate around historical sites. The integrated virtual reality technologies Auto CAD, Sketch Up, and SpaceEyes 3D software were used to construct the virtual reality and recreate historical sites located at Aletheia University, such as the House of Reverends, House of Maidens, MacKay's Residence and Missionary House. This novel technology is used to digitize the historical sites to enrich tourism navigation and environmental education. The platform established can indeed achieve the desired function of providing tourism information and historical site navigation. The interactive multimedia style and the presentation of the information allow users to obtain a direct information response. In addition to showing the external appearances of buildings, the navigation platform can also allow users to enter the buildings to view lifelike scenes and textual information related to the historical sites. The historical sites are designed according to their actual size, for a more realistic feeling. In terms of the navigation route, the navigation system does not force users along a fixed route, but instead allows them to freely control the path they would like to take.


The dispersion of glass beads in an air flow through sudden step expansions in the direction of gravity has been investigated with phase-Doppler anemometry, which provided measurements of the velocity, flux and concentration characteristics. The purpose was to quantify the effect of increasing the air velocity over a factor of 5 for bead diameters of 40 µm and 80 µm and two expansion diameter ratios, 3.33 and 5, and at mass loadings of beads up to 90% of the air mass flow-rate. The results showed that the beads dispersed into the recirculation zone in the lee of the step by interaction with eddies characterized by length and velocity scales of the order of the expansion step height and the downstream area-averaged velocity. Particle dispersion into the recirculation zone was reduced when the bead mean transit time across the recirculation zone was shorter than the bead relaxation time, defined as the time required for a motionless bead suddenly exposed to a constant velocity fluid stream to reach 63% of its surrounding fluid velocity. Also the centrifuging effect, caused by the mean stream line curvature of the recirculation zone, could reduce particle dispersion into the recirculation zone, when its characteristic dimensionless group was less than unity. Beads, because of their mass, left the recirculation zone by sliding down the wall and past the air reattachment point or near the step, giving rise to bimodal probability distributions of velocity.


Bottom-up saliency detection aims to detect salient areas within natural images usually without learning from labeled images. Typically, the saliency map of an image is inferred by only using the information within this image (referred to as the "current image"). While efficient, such single-image-based methods may fail to obtain reliable results, because the information within a single image may be insufficient for defining saliency. In this paper, we investigate how saliency detection can benefit from the nearest neighbor structure in the image space. First, we show that existing methods can be improved by extending them to include the visual neighborhood information. This verifies the significance of the neighbors. Next, a solution of multitask sparsity pursuit is proposed to integrate the current image and its neighbors to collaboratively detect saliency. The integration is done by first representing each image as a feature matrix, and then seeking the consistently sparse elements from the joint decompositions of multiple matrices into pairs of low-rank and sparse matrices. The computational procedure is formulated as a constrained nuclear norm and ℓ2,1-norm minimization problem, which is convex and can be solved efficiently with the augmented Lagrange multiplier method. Besides the nearest neighbor structure in the visual feature space, the proposed model can also be generalized to handle multiple visual features. Extensive experiments have clearly validated its superiority over other state-of-the-art methods.


The article emphasizes the potentials dangers to the security and to the health (especially the mind ones), associated to the quality of work's process and to the standard of management work used by the Schlumberger multinational company. Both of these components associated to the main aspects of the petroleum industry tend to endanger its workers to increase their psychological costs (cognitive, affective) in their biopsychical (body itself) integrality. Trails denote the inappropriate workers structure and their despair to deal with the intensity of the 'use of itself drama'. The reach of 'pathogenic suffering' on workers structure, the compromising with the possibility of sublimation and the possibility to transform suffering on creativity (condition of 'possibility circulations') is argued. The theoretic and methodological reference emphasizes the activity's ergonomic and the psychodynamics of work in a ergological perspective. The methods operationalize a dynamic device of three poles (DD3P) on 'meetings about work' and on interviews semi-structured which valorizes the recurrence.


This study traces the development of the recently adopted packaging waste directive in order to illuminate the role of various actors in the integration process. While some of the findings about agenda-setting and qualified majority voting presented in this study apply directly to the sector of environmental policy, or specifically to the chosen case, the broader conclusions suggest the need for additional case studies of EC legislation and offer a theoretical framework in which these studies may be used to test competing notions of European integration. To this end, the study uses lessons from the case of packaging waste to refine the ongoing debate between scholars who propose state-centric models and those who advocate a view of Europe in which power is diffused to supranational institutions at the expense of state sovereignty. Copyright 1996 BPL.


One of the clear challenges facing oceanography today is to define variability in ocean processes at a seasonal and sub-seasonal scale, in order to clearly identify the signature of both natural large-scale climatic oscillations and the long-term trends brought about by the human-induced change in atmospheric composition. Without visibility of this variance, which helps to determine the margins of significance for long-term trends and decipher cause and effect, the inferences drawn from sparse data points can be misleading. The cyclonic basin scale circulation pattern in the Western Mediterranean has long been known; the role/contribution that processes in the Balearic Basin play in modifying this is less well defined. The Balearic Channels (channels between the Balearic Islands) are constriction points on this basin scale circulation that appear to exert a controlling influence on the north/south exchange of water masses. Understanding the variability in current flows through these channels is important, not just for the transport of heat and salt, but also for ocean biology that responds to physical variability at the scale of that variability. Earlier studies at a seasonal scale identified; an interannual summer/winter variation of 1 Sv in the strength of the main circulation pattern and a high cruise-to-cruise variability in the pattern and strength of the flows through the channels brought about by mesoscale activity. Initial results using new high-resolution data from glider based monitoring missions across the Ibiza Channel (the main exchange channel in the Balearic Basin), combined with ship and contemporaneous satellite data, indicate surprisingly high and rapid changes in the flows of surface and intermediate waters imposed on the broad seasonal cycle. To date the data suggests that there are three potential 'modes' of water volume transport, generated from the interplay between basin and mesoscale circulation. We will review the concept of transport modes as seen through the earlier seasonal ship based studies and demonstrate that the scales of variability captured by the glider monitoring provides a unique view of variability in this circulation system, which is as high on a weekly timescale as the previously identified seasonal cycle.


Many prior work from various disciplines, including computing education, investigated how students interact with quizzes and how their interactions impact their learning outcomes. However, most of their results are based on quantitative analysis which does not offer detailed nuances behind the actual behaviors of students. Some prior studies took a qualitative approach but they focused mainly on students' perception on quizzes in general or student behaviors strictly while they work on the quizzes. Thus, our work conducted a qualitative study on how students interact with quizzes in a broader context, by also including their motivation for doing quizzes and the next steps they take after completing a quiz. By investigating observed student behaviors from the interviews with respect to their performance on the midterm exam, our results revealed a variety of student interactions and how they are related to performance. Our findings also provide some suggestions on how instructors should engage students with quizzes for effective learning.


Lipoperoxides, glutathione status and glutathione peroxidase activity have been determined in normal and neoplastic tissues of control and tumor-bearing mice, tissues from both groups being assayed 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 days after inoculation. The ratio of hepatic reduced: oxidized glutathione increased in tumor-bearing animals as the tumor increased in size. This ratio was 2.5-fold higher at 15 days than at 10 days after tumor inoculation. In both tumor and hepatic tissue the alteration in the ratio was the result of both an increase in reduced glutathione and a decrease in oxidized glutathione levels. In tumor tissue the progressively increasing reduced glutathione content correlated closely with tumor growth. The presence of a tumor did not significantly affect hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity and there was no significant difference between tumor enzyme activity assayed at 2-day intervals between 9 and 15 days after inoculation. The livers of tumor-bearing animals had significantly higher lipoperoxides than control mice, the levels increasing progressively with tumor growth. Tumor lipoperoxides were also high, usually in excess of the hepatic level. The lungs of nontumored littermates, which were compared with the carcinoma as reference tissue, showed no significant change in either glutathione peroxidase activity or lipoperoxide levels when monitored over the same period.


A BSTRACT : Mammillaria parkinsonii is a mexican endemic species protected by NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 in the special category (Pr), thus the present study is a contribution to the knowledge of the morpho-anatomy, histochemistry and germination of Mammillaria parkinsonii seeds from a population in Tolimán, Querétaro which is characterized by a high diversity of cacti. The anatomical and histochemical descriptions were made on 20 randomly selected seeds, which were processed using standard protocols for scanning electron and light microscopy studies and to obtain permanent and semi-permanent slides. For germination study 210 seeds were sown in Petri dishes on agar, using six replicas; weight and size were obtained using 50 seeds randomly selected. The results show that the seed coat is formed by a non-striated cuticle with pectics and proteinaceous substances. The exotesta occupies 6.8% of the total volume of the seed, it has lignified-suberized and protein-containing anticline walls, forming U-type undulations with protrusions. The endotegmen is suberized and an embryonic membrane lacking ergastic contents surrounds the embryo. The endosperm is confined to a dorsal ridge. The embryo is globose, with two cotyledonous protrusions, and the hypocotyl assumes the reserve function with a "globoid crystals/protein bodies" association. The micropylar hilum region is small and oval, filled with parenchyma. Germination started on day 5th and ended on day 29 th , with a mean germination time on day 8.9. The final germination percentage was 74.29%. The age, seed size, crystal and protein reserve as well as germination percentage of the M. parkinsonii suggest a potential orthodox or intermediate behavior to form soil seed banks in a desert habitat.


We use numerical simulation of cosmological reionization to calculate the secondary CMB anisotropies in a representative flat low density cosmological model. We show that the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (scattering off of moving electrons in the ionized intergalactic medium) is dominated by the nonlinear hydrodynamic and gravitational evolution of the density and velocity fields, rather than the detailed distribution of the ionization fraction ("patchy reionization") on all angular scales. Combining our results with the recent calculation of secondary CMB anisotropies by Springel et al., we are able to accurately compute the power spectrum of the kinetic SZ effect on almost all angular scales. Subject headings: cosmic microwave background cosmology: theory cosmology: large-scale structure of universe galaxies: formation galaxies: intergalactic medium


Named Data Networking (NDN), one of the most suitable candidates for the future Internet architecture, allows all network nodes to have a local cache that is used to serve incoming content requests. Content caching is an essential component in NDN: content is cached in routers and used for future requests in order to reduce bandwidth consumption and improve data delivery speed. Moreover, NDN introduces new self-certifying contents features that obviously improve data security and make NDN a secured-by-design architecture able to support an efficient and secure content distribution at a global scale. However, basic NDN security mechanisms, such as signatures and encryption, are not sufficient to ensure security in these networks. Indeed, the availability of the Data in several caches in the network allows malicious nodes to perform attacks that are relatively easy to implement and very effective. Such attacks include Cache Pollution Attacks (CPA), Cache Privacy Attacks, Content Poisoning Attacks and Interest Flooding Attacks. In this paper, we identify the different attack models that can disrupt the NDN operation. We conducted several simulations on NDNSim to assess the impact of the Cache Pollution Attack on the performance of a Named Data Network. More precisely, we implemented different attack scenarios and analyzed their impact in terms of cache hit ratio, data retrieval delay and hit damage ratio.


The modeling method of parallel robot mechanism has been extensively studied based on the Single Open Chain theory (SOC) in this paper. According to the characteristics of the parallel robot mechanism's, ideas and general methods of parallel robot mechanism modeling in parallel has been proposed and typical parallel robot mechanism's modeling has been performed. Study shows that the parallel modeling approach can dramatically increase the modeling and analysis efficiency for parallel manipulators.


One of the obstacles in project construction is that the project is experiencing delays. The delay is influenced by several factors including the absence of risk recording, the unavoidability of the opportunities and the impact of risks that arise in the project and its handling, and the neglected risks that may disrupt the project. Project risk is the cumulative effect of an uncertain event opportunity, which affects the project objectives. Several methods can be used to handle  the occurrence of project risk, one of the methods used to perform a risk assessment is the Probability Impact Matrix (PIM). PIM is a method that can be used to analyze risk qualitatively based on probability and its impact. By using the PIM method, some of the opportunities and impacts of risks that may arise in the project can be identified. In addition, the PIM method can minimize the risks that arise in the project and quickly resolve the risks. Index Terms— Project, Risk, PIM, Possibility, Impact


PURPOSE
This multicenter phase II trial was performed to determine tumor efficacy and tolerance of the oral platinum drug JM216 in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients with SCLC limited disease unfit for intensive chemotherapy or those with extensive disease received JM216 120 mg/m(2)/d for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks. Individual dose escalation to 140 mg/m(2)/d was allowed if toxicity was </= grade 2 according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. Tumor response was evaluated according to World Health Organization criteria.

RESULTS
Twenty-seven patients were assessable for toxicity and 26 for tumor response. Eighty-eight cycles were administered. Common Toxicity Criteria grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities were neutropenia in 15.9% and 3.7%, lymphocytopenia in 47.6% and 17.1%, and thrombocytopenia in 19.5% and 10.3% of cycles, respectively. One patient suffered from neutropenic fever. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were the most common nonhematologic toxicities. Except for grade 4 diarrhea in one patient, no grade 4 nonhematologic toxicity was observed. No severe neurotoxicity or nephrotoxicity was observed. Tumor response rate was 10 of 26 (38%; 95% confidence interval, 19% to 58%), excluding five unconfirmed partial responses. No complete responses were observed. Median overall time to progression was 110 days (range, 5 to 624 days). Median overall survival time was 210 days (range, 5 to 624 days).

CONCLUSION
Oral JM216 is active in previously untreated patients with SCLC and shows mild toxicities.


In recent years attention has been drawn to the effects of surgical and accidental trauma on the microcirculation. Some peripheral vasoconstriction always occurs, and can be seen clinically if it is severe. Pulmonary vasoconstriction also occurs, and reports from several sources suggest that it is much more severe than the systemic response.


For d ≥ 1 and α ∈ (0, 2), consider the family of pseudo differential operators {∆+b∆α/2; b ∈ [0, 1]} on R that evolves continuously from ∆ to ∆ + ∆. In this paper, we establish a uniform boundary Harnack principle (BHP) with explicit boundary decay rate for nonnegative functions which are harmonic with respect to ∆+b∆ (or equivalently, the sum of a Brownian motion and an independent symmetric α-stable process with constant multiple b) in C open sets. Here a "uniform" BHP means that the comparing constant in the BHP is independent of b ∈ [0, 1]. Along the way, a uniform Carleson type estimate is established for nonnegative functions which are harmonic with respect to ∆ + b∆ in Lipschitz open sets. Our method employs a combination of probabilistic and analytic techniques. AMS 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 31B25, 60J45; Secondary 47G20, 60J75, 31B05


Delivery of the 4th year clinical program at the University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) is facilitated through the Distributed Veterinary Learning Community (DVLC) which has underwent major revisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine the perceptions of how COVID-19 impacted 4th-year clinical rotations, students ( n = 24) and DVLC practice rotation coordinators (PRCs, n = 23) completed two questionnaires over a 7-month period. The survey consisted of demographic questions, statements ranked on an agreement scale, and open-ended questions. Two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and frequency counts were used to analyze their responses over time. Quantitative analysis revealed that 45% students reported concerns for the mental health, 41% for their physical health, 26% for inadequate clinical time, and 14% cover communication that heightened over a 7-month period. No trends in responses were noted with PRCs overtime. Qualitative thematic analysis of students' responses showed perceived advantages of lower client-induced performance pressure (22%) and longer rotations allowing for increased case responsibility (22%). PRCs felt fulfillment while teaching (50%), enjoyed longer rotations (50%), and used this opportunity to offer future employment opportunities to students (44%). Additionally, there were concerns regarding inadequate clinical time (41%), decreased ability to practice in-person client communication skills (26%), and difficulties enforcing social distancing protocols (43%). Areas of improvement identified from this study include providing clear communication, continued academic support, and normalizing mental healthcare. Continued adaptations to an ever-changing pandemic landscape can help mitigate the negative effects for future outbreaks and novel situations.


Actinomadura sp. strain 2966 can effectively convert compactin to pravastatin. The degree of conversion observed was 65% to 78% of compactin added and 65% to 88% of compactin taken up, depending on the concentration of compactin and duration of the experiment. Increasing the compactin concentration resulted in a higher final pravastatin concentration especially when compactin was added intermittently. Higher glucose concentrations had no effect on the bioconversion although uptake of compactin was inhibited. The conversion was linear over 16 hours. The system requires no induction and thus appears to be different from previously studied hydroxylases from actinomycetes.


Background: The advantageous effect of physical activity stimulated mostly by aerobic exercise known to impact the particular phases of brain activities. Exercise does help to improve physical health and develop an individual's academic performance.
Aim and objectives: The study aimed to observe the relationship between type and duration of exercise on the mental, physical health, and academic performance of undergraduate medical students.
Materials and method: Present questionnaire-based study was undertaken on 50students of medical undergraduates studying in their preliminary MBBS curriculum.
Results: Among the participants involved in regular exercise, 50% of them prefer jogging, brisk walking, or cycling as a mode of exercise, followed by 31% of participants who prefer to play various games that involve muscular activities. The remaining 19% of the students like to be involved in multiple activities of the gym. 84% of participants with regular exercise practice gave a strong opinion that they are confident enough to face academic assessment challenges. This observation was notably higher prevalence than that of non-exercise students (79%).
Conclusion: Individuals who exercise for one to two hours have better physical and mental health status and excellent academic performance. It can also be concluded that students who do regular exercise have higher confidence in academics than those who do not.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 21(1) 2022 Page : 135-139


The GLP-1 mitigates the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in β cells. Nkx6.1 plays an important role in the development and survival of β cells. This study aims to investigate the relation of Nkx6.1 and liraglutide in the protection effect of endoplasmic reticulum stress in INS-1-3 cells. INS-1-3 cells were divided into different groups for treatment: control group, thapsigargin (TG)-treated group, TG and GLP-1 co-treated group. Knockdown of Nkx6.1 was established by lentivirus infection. RT-PCR was used to verify the expression changes of target genes. MTT and flow cytometry analysis were used to detect cell viability and apoptosis rates. Glucose stimulates insulin secretion (GSIS) was used to measure β cell function. In TG-treated cells, liraglutide significantly increased cell viability and GSIS by 1.53 and 1.89 folds. These were associated with the suppression of the PERK, IRE1 and ATF-6 pathways. Knock down of Nkx6.1 partially diminished protective effect of liraglutide. The cell viability and GSIS were decreased by 24.7% and 54.0%. And both of the early and late apoptosis were increased by 1.55, 1.10 folds. Liraglutide protected INS-1-3 cells from TG-induced ER stress by suppressing the PERK, IRE1 and ATF-6 pathways. And its protective effects on ER stress was partially via transcription factor Nkx6.1. Disclosure Y. Li: None. Y. Dong: None. L. Shilun: None. P. Xue: None.


Background. Precursors driving leisure-time sedentary behaviors remain poorly investigated, despite their detrimental consequences. This study aimed to investigate the predictive validity of controlled and automatic motivational precursors toward reducing sedentary behaviors and being physically active on leisure-time sedentary behaviors. The influence of demographic, physical, socio-professional, interpersonal, and environmental variables on leisure-time sedentary behaviors was also examined and compared with the associations of motivational precursors.Methods. 125 adults completed questionnaires measuring controlled motivational precursors (i.e., attitudes, intentions, perceived competence), demographical (i.e., sex and age), physical (i.e., body mass index), and interpersonal (i.e., number of children) variables. Regarding automatic motivational precursors, habit strength and approach-avoidance tendencies were captured using the Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index and a manikin task. Leisure time, time and physical activity at work were computed as socio-professional variables, days of the week and weather conditions were recorded as environmental precursors. Participants wore an accelerometer for seven days and leisure time was identified thanks to notebooks. Associations between the different precursors and the leisure-time sedentary behaviors were examined in linear mixed effect models.Results. Intention to be physically active (b = -1.089, p = .028) and habit strength toward physical activity (b = -0.943, p = .019) were negatively associated with leisure-time sedentary behaviors. However, motivational precursors toward reducing sedentary behaviors were not associated with the dependent variable (ps. > .098). Demographical (b = 5.043, p = .002 for sex and b = 0.493, p = .011 for body mass index), socio-professional (b = -1.318, p =.040 for leisure time and b= 1.861, p = .005 for time at work), interpersonal (b = -2.037, p = .002 for the number of children), and environmental (i.e., p = .028 for the global effect of the day of the week and p < .001 for the global effect of the weather conditions) precursors were more strongly associated with leisure-time sedentary behaviors.Conclusion. Our findings show that, in comparison with demographical, socio-professional, interpersonal and environmental variables, the influence of motivational precursors on leisure-time sedentary behaviors is limited. This study lends support for the adoption of a broad-spectrum of precursors when predicting sedentary behaviors.


Race and class are two of the most significant factors associated with educational inequality within and across societies. However, their definitions and significance vary over time, and from one place to another. As subjective factors related to identity, they also impact on one another in their effects on educational access and equity. These issues create challenges for conducting comparative educational research that effectively explores one or both of these factors. This essay examines challenges employing race and class in comparative educational research. Race and class are analysed separately, illustrating that ethical and political issues, not just conceptual miscommunications, are at stake in defining and using these categories. The geographical and political complexity of using race and class are also reflected on more generally, and the argument is put forward that analytic and self-reflexive understanding of diversity is needed for the development of fruitful understanding of the relationship between race and class and educational equity and justice.


Glass can have lethal effects including fatalities and injuries when it breaks and then flies through the air under blast loading (''the glass problem''). One goal of this program was to assess the glass problem and solutions being pursued to mitigate it. One solution to the problem is the development of new glass technology that allows the strength and fragmentation to be controlled or selected depending on the blast performance specifications. For example the glass could be weak and fail, or it could be strong and survive, but it must perform reliably. Also, once it fails it should produce fragments of a controlled size. Under certain circumstances it may be beneficial to have very small fragments, in others it may be beneficial to have large fragments that stay together. The second goal of this program was to evaluate the performance (strength, reliability, and fragmentation) of Engineered Stress Profile (ESP) glass under different loading conditions. These included pseudo-static strength and pressure tests and free-field blast tests. The ultimate goal was to provide engineers and architects with a glass whose behavior under blast loading is less lethal. A near-term benefit is a new approach for improving the reliability of glass and modifying its fracture behavior.


Objective To determine whether natalizumab efficacy is maintained when switching to personalized extended interval dosing based on individual natalizumab trough concentrations in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Methods This was a prospective multicenter single-arm trial with 1 year follow-up and a 1-year extension phase. Participants were adult persons with RRMS treated with natalizumab without disease activity in the year prior to enrollment. The natalizumab treatment interval was based on longitudinal natalizumab trough concentrations. Patients received 3 monthly MRI scans, relapse assessments, and disability scoring during follow-up. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions on MRI. Secondary endpoints were new/enlarging T2 lesions on MRI and relapses and progression on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) during follow-up and extension phase. Results Sixty-one patients were included. Eighty-four percent extended the interval from a 4-week interval to a 5- to 7-week interval. No patient developed gadolinium-enhancing lesions (95% confidence interval [CI] 0%–7.4%) during follow-up. No new/enlarging T2 lesions (95% CI 0%–7.4%) or relapses (95% CI 0%–7.4%) were reported during follow-up and in the extension phase. Median EDSS was comparable at baseline (3.0, interquartile range [IQR] 2.0–5.0) and after follow-up (3.0, IQR 2.0–5.0). Conclusion Personalized extended interval dosing did not induce recurrence of MS disease activity. Natalizumab efficacy was maintained in stable patients with RRMS receiving personalized extended interval dosing based on individual natalizumab concentrations. Classification of evidence This study provides Class IV evidence that personalized extended interval dosing of natalizumab does not result in recurrence of disease activity in stable patients with RRMS.


Many researchers stress the importance of nutrient limitation on barrier island plant communities. The accreting north end of Hog Island, part of the Virginia Coast ReserveLong Term Ecological Research site, provided an opportunity to quantify amounts of plant biomass along a natural dune chronosequence (24, 36, 120+ yr-old dunes) and biomass response to experimental additions of nitrogen. In a one-year study, nitrogen addition increased plant biomass, with greater allocation to shoots than roots. In response to nitrogen fertilization, soil nitrogen increases were greatest on the oldest site while biomass increases were smallest. Naturally occurring NO2- + NO3- availability increased with age across the chronosequence. Aboveground biomass was inversely proportional to nitrogen availability and decreased from younger dunes to the oldest. Nitrogen does not appear to be the major limiting factor along the chronosequence. Groundwater hydrographs suggest the oldest dune may be moisture limited.


Objective Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous, highly heritable, a common childhood neurobehavioural disorder resulting from complex gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. The erythropoietin (Epo)/erythropoietin receptors (EpoR) system turned out to have additional important functions in nonhematopoietic tissue. In this study, we aimed to investigate the levels of Epo and and EpoR, and also their diagnostic values in children with ADHD. Methods A total of 70 children were included in the study, 35 drug-naive patients with ADHD (age 6−12 years; male/female 20/15) and 35 healthy controls (age 6−12 years; male/female 22/13). Serum Epo and EpoR levels was determined using a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results The results indicated that the levels of Epo decreased in patients with ADHD compared to control (p < 0.05). On the other hand, EpoR levels increased in these patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the ratio of Epo/EpoR was significantly lower in ADHD patients than controls (p < 0.05). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed high diagnostic performance for Epo and EpoR, areas under curve were 0.980 and 1.000, respectively. Conclusion This is the first report to investigate the association between serum Epo and EpoR levels in ADHD patients. Our results indicated that Epo may play a role in the etiology of ADHD, and Epo therapy may be beneficial in these disorders if given in addition to the routine treatment of children with ADHD. Furthermore, our results reveal possible diagnostic value of Epo and EpoR.


Oral mucositis (OM) caused by ionizing radiation is a significant therapeutic problem concerning almost all patients with head and neck cancers undergoing irradiation, however, an effective treatment method is still missing. Therapeutic actions concentrate mostly on prophylaxis, including the maintenance of the correct hygiene of the oral cavity. In 2014 the International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO) together with the (Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) worked out the guidelines for the treatment of patients with z OM induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In 2019 these guidelines were updated. Research is ongoing to find medication which could be applicable for the prevention and treatment of OM. The problem is grave as it might complicate the progress of oncological treatment, deteriorate the patient's quality of life or even affect the prognosis. This paper describes the pathogenesis of oral mucositis, the current trends in treatment and discusses the role of a dentistry doctors in the care of the patient with symptoms of this condition. The article also refers to the role of a multidisciplinary team – the OM prophylaxis – as part of the preparation of an oncological patient for irradiation.


One strategy for the use of neural stem cells (NSCs) in treating neurological disorders is as transplantable "biological minipumps", in which genetically engineered neural stem cells serve as sources of secreted therapeutic (neuroprotective or tumoricidal) agents. Neural stem cells are highly mobile within the brain and demonstrate a tropism for various types of central nervous system (CNS) pathology, making them promising candidates for targeted gene delivery vehicles. Although neural stem cells have also been proposed as a potential source of replacement neurons and astrocytes to repopulate injured or degenerating neural circuits, the challenges involved in rebuilding damaged brain architecture are substantial and remain an active area of investigation. In contrast, the use of NSCs as biological minipumps does not rely on neuronal differentiation, axonal targeting, or synaptogenesis. This strategy may be a faster route to cell-based therapy of the CNS and is poised to move into human clinical trials. This review considers two types of neurologic disease that may be suitable targets for this alternative approach to NSC therapy: glial brain tumors and traumatic brain injury. We examine some of the key scientific and technical issues that must be addressed for the successful use of NSCs as minipumps.


The solubility limit of carbon in α-Al2O3 (alumina) equilibrated at 1,600°C under He in a graphite furnace was measured by wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy. Undoped alumina and alumina containing carbon at a concentration resulting in the precipitation of a second phase were prepared and equilibrated at 1,600°C. The undoped alumina was used to quantify the amount of carbon deposited on the surface of samples because of hydrocarbon contamination in the electron microscope, and this background level was removed from the signal measured from carbon-doped samples. The solubility limit of carbon in alumina was found to be 5,300 ± 390 at. ppm, and it is believed that carbon substitutes oxygen as an anion and is charge-compensated by oxygen vacancies. Doping alumina with carbon at concentrations below the solubility limit does not impede densification and reduces grain growth. Doping above the solubility limit hinders densification during sintering.


For online dancers, learning a dance move properly without the feedback of a live instructor can be challenging because it is difficult to determine whether a move is done correctly. The lack of proper guidance can result in doing a move incorrectly, causing injury. In this work – we explore the use of a hybrid Deep Learning/Machine Learning approach to classify dance moves as structurally correct or incorrect. Given a video clip of the dancer doing a move, such as the grand plie, the algorithm should detect the correctness of the movement. To capture the overall movement, we proposed various methods to process data, starting with deep learning techniques to convert video frames into landmarks. Next, we investigate several approaches to combining landmarks from multiple frames and training machine learning algorithms on the dataset. The distinction between correct and incorrect grand plies achieved accuracies of over 98%.


In 1990 Germany launched an experiment to transplant democracy into a formerly communist country, effectively dismantling the system of the German Democratic Republic and rebuilding it in the likeness of the democratic Federal Republic of Germany. From East Germans to Germans? examines the role of the first generation of democratically-elected political elites in the former GDR's transition to democracy. Although there were benefits from the quick transplant of a ready-made democratic system supported by West German financial backing and expertise, there were also problems for the development of post-communist political leadership and for the growth of mass support for the democratic system. Jennifer A. Yoder analyses the implications of this process for democratic legitimation and integration. Based on field research in East Germany that included interviews with both parliamentarians and common citizens, her study addresses issues such as culture, identity, and the lack of continuity between the old and new political elites. Although the availability of West German role models, together with pressure to conform, allowed the process of decommunisation to occur much faster than elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the cultural differences between east and west are more extensive and complex than previously assumed. Yoder shows how Unification has been followed by a reinvigoration of regional interests and how, while some political elites have adopted western German patterns, others openly criticise many of the practices and policies originating in Bonn and present themselves as democratic alternatives and advocates for East German interests in the new Germany. She describes how for many East Germans these new regional elites are regarded as the only representatives of their interests in the western-dominated political system. Providing insight into elite-building at a time of transition and a valuable alternative to the "institutions versus culture" debate found in traditional analyses of political change, this book will interest political scientists and students and scholars of European politics and German studies.


In this paper, design and implementation of WEB-based integrated system of office and business management was proposed in the context of one trading company. The systematic architecture and database design were introduced and the functions of various system components were analyzed. The technical details involved in implementation of Crystal Report chart display and Gridview mouse line events under .Net platform in the course of the system development were mainly expounded.


A fetus with the rare 4p- syndrome was detected by chromosome analysis of amniotic cell culture, and the pregnancy terminated. The fetus showed a number of the physical stigmata of the syndrome.


In large-scale recommender systems, retrieving top N relevant candidates accurately with resource constrain is crucial. To evaluate the performance of such retrieval models, Recall@N, the frequency of positive samples being retrieved in the top N ranking, is widely used. However, most of the conventional loss functions for retrieval models such as softmax cross-entropy and pairwise comparison methods do not directly optimize Recall@N. Moreover, those conventional loss functions cannot be customized for the specific retrieval size N required by each application and thus may lead to sub-optimal performance. In this paper, we proposed the Customizable Recall@N Optimization Loss (CROLoss), a loss function that can directly optimize the Recall@N metrics and is customizable for different choices of N. This proposed CROLoss formulation defines a more generalized loss function space, covering most of the conventional loss functions as special cases. Furthermore, we develop the Lambda method, a gradient-based method that invites more flexibility and can further boost the system performance. We evaluate the proposed CROLoss on two public benchmark datasets. The results show that CROLoss achieves SOTA results over conventional loss functions for both datasets with various choices of retrieval size N. CROLoss has been deployed onto our online E-commerce advertising platform, where a fourteen-day online A/B test demonstrated that CROLoss contributes to a significant business revenue growth of 4.75%.


Although gas chromatography (GC) is mainly used for analytical and preparative separation of complicated mixtures and then identification of the separated components, it can also be used as a relatively simple tool for the determination of physicochemical (including thermodynamic) properties. In this study, we discuss three different retention models devised specially for GC. They are tested for a homologous series of methyl n-alkyl ketones chromatographed on stationary phases of low and medium polarity at several different isothermal temperatures. The statistical performance of each model is excellent, which makes them a convenient tool for the evaluation of analyte retention under the given working conditions. They can also be used for the determination of the numerical values of thermodynamic properties (e.g., the enthalpy of vaporization of the analytes and the standard molar chemical potential of the partitioning of one methylene group (-CH2-) between the stationary and mobile phases).


Provided are perovskite nanocrystalline particles and an optoelectronic device using the same. The perovskite nanocrystalline particles may include a perovskite nanocrystalline structure while being dispersible in an organic solvent. Accordingly, the perovskite nanocrystalline particles in accordance with the present invention has therein a perovskite nanocrystal having a crystalline structure in which FCC and BCC are combined; forms a lamellar structure in which an organic plane and an inorganic plane are alternatively stacked; and can show high color purity since excitons are confined to the inorganic plane. In addition, the perovskite nanocrystalline particles have a particle size greater than or equal to a bore diameter beyond a quantum confinement effect, and simultaneously can implement high emission efficiency and emission wavelength which is almost not dependent on particle size. Furthermore, the perovskite nanocrystalline particles in accordance with the present invention, as nanoparticles which are dispersible in an organic solvent, are applicable in various electronic devices such as light emitting devices, lasers, solar cells, etc.


It is needed to use the gait training system for the rehabilitation of the disabled and old people. In this study, a gait training system of turn roller type is proposed for the purpose of helping the rehabilitation. A driving mechanism with the turn roller is designed by using the RecurDyn which is the dynamic analysis program. RecurDyn is used to analyze the dynamic behavior of the gait training system. The static load analysis is carried out to investigate the safety of this system. From the operating test of this system, it is noted that the driving error is little and the load capacity is 130 kgf.


Abstract : We hypothesize that one can use specific protein or peptide sequences to direct bacteriophage vectors to dendritic cells. We further propose that one can then use such retargeted phage vectors to deliver potentially important antigens to dendritic cells (DC), and that this may allow one to derive vectors capable of eliciting potent immune responses to breast cancer antigens such as her2. These hypotheses are being experimentally tested. During the period covered by this progress report, we have constructed modified lambda phage coat proteins which contain an array of receptor-binding/cell-targeting peptides which are expected to target receptors present on DC. Many of these have high affinities (nanomolar range) for their cognate ligands. We have also constructed modified lambda coat proteins which can be readily coupled to antibody molecules of interest, using engineered lgG binding domains. Finally, we have isolated scFvs that interact with human DC-SIGN on an ELISA assay, and we have generated purified lambda phage particles which contain our modified coat proteins.


Objectives: In December 2019,the 2019 novel coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) emerged in Wuhan, China, leading to a cluster of severe pneumonia cases. Medical staff members on the front line were also infected. We compared the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and treatment measures of survivors and non-survivors and the different clinical outcomes of medical staff members and non-medical members of the community infected with 2019-nCoV. Methods: We included 81 patients with adult 2019-nCoV in Hankou Hospital from mid-January to mid-February 2020 in this single-center retrospective study. Data were compared between survivors and non-survivors and between medical staff members and non-medical individuals. Results: All 38 medical staff members were infected by patients while working. Only 2 (2.5%) non-medical individuals had a clear history of exposure to 2019-nCoV patients. The median age was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR], 35-59; range, 23-89 years), and 42 (51.9%) were women. We found that the median age,comorbidity, and some laboratory outcomes(lymphocyte count, urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, etc.)differed significantly between survivors and non-survivors. There were also significant differences in the time from onset to admission, disease classification, comorbidity, and prognosis between medical staff members and non-medical individuals. All medical staff members were cured, while 13 (30.2%) non-medical individuals died. Conclusions: Older males with comorbidities are more likely to be affected by 2019-nCoV. Significant changes in some laboratory markers may indicate a poor prognosis. Medical staff members may have had better prognoses due to fewer comorbidities and better medical compliance. Key words: 2019-nCoV; Clinical characteristics; Mortality; comorbidity; Survivors; Non-survivors; Medical Staff


Scale-space analysis is able to detect activation at various scales from a functional MR brain slice. Though scale space analysis has been used in functional MRI, its use has been limited to periodic block-based experiments. This paper extends scale space analysis to event-related experiments. Furthermore, the method uses higher harmonics of stimulus frequency, which contain considerable energy especially in periodic event-related data. The use of these harmonics results in a chi-square random field of higher degree and improves accuracy in activation detection.


Maize grain is a relevant source of food, feed, and industrial row materials. Developing plants with improved grain structure and quality traits involves the ability to use existing genetic variation and to identify and manipulate economically important genes. This will open new avenues for designing novel variation in kernel size, structures, and composition and will provide the basis for the development of the next generation of specialty maize. This paper provides an overview of current knowledge on the identification and exploitation of genes affecting the development, structure, and composition of the maize kernel with particular emphasis on pathways relevant to endosperm growth and development, and biosynthesis of storage proteins, starch, lipids, and carotenoids. The potential that the new technologies of cell and molecular biology will provide for the creation of new variation or novel compounds in the future are indicated and discussed.


Aim To evaluate short-term and long-term outcomes of subretinal coapplication of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and bevacizumab followed by intravitreal injections of bevacizumab or ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration with submacular haemorrhage (SMH). Methods Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series of 41 eyes of 40 patients. All patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy with subretinal coapplication of rtPA and bevacizumab and intravitreal gas tamponade. Postoperatively, repeated intravitreal injections of bevacizumab or ranibizumab were applied following a flexible, predominantly visual acuity-driven re-treatment regimen. Results Mean diameter of SMH was 4.5 disc diameters (range 1.5–12). Complete displacement of SMH was achieved in 35 of 41 eyes. Large and prominent SMH extending beyond the vascular arcades were completely displaced in six of eight eyes. SMH recurred in eight eyes after a mean of 9.1 months (2–19). A mean of 4.5 (2–9) intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections were applied during 12 months postoperatively. Short-term (3 months, n=41), mean best corrected logMAR visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly from the preoperative value 1.7 (3.0–0.5) to 0.8 (1.6–0.2). 12 eyes had reading ability (≤logMAR 0.4) and 29 eyes had gained ambulatory visual acuity (≤logMAR 1.6). Long-term (mean 17 months (12–32), n=26) BCVA was 0.9 (1.6–0.1). Compared with short-term, BCVA had decreased in 12 of 26 eyes. Conclusion The operation effectively displaces small and large SMHs. In the long-term, a predominantly visual acuity-driven re-treatment regimen puts the initial functional improvement at risk. More sensitive re-treatment parameters may help to improve long-term functional outcome.


When patients refuse beneficial treatment, the assessment of decision-making capacity plays a key role in determining the best course of action. However, situations in which patients refuse to explain their reasons occur. This can make an assessment of capacity impossible. In such cases, clinicians find themselves in difficult situations without clear ethical guidance. Refusal to give reasons for refusing beneficial treatment has been seen as pointing to the absence of decision-making capacity. However, the reasons given for this are either unsatisfactory or insufficient to eliminate cases of genuine uncertainty. This article argues that although it cannot be concluded that such patients are incompetent, there are reasons to treat them as if they were. The basis of this possibility, however, points to several obligations for clinicians before such a situation can be said to exist.


The paper presents data on the effect of the axial magnetic field on the melting ability of the direct polarity arc that may be used in welding using tungsten electrode in argon.


The results presented here are part of a long-term study in which we analyse the segregation of inertial particles in turbulent flows using the so called full Lagrangian method (FLM) to evaluate the 'compressibility' of the particle phase along a particle trajectory. In the present work, particles are advected by Stokes drag in a random flow field consisting of counter-rotating vortices and in a flow field composed of 200 random Fourier modes. Both flows are incompressible and, like turbulence, have structure and a distribution of scales with finite lifetime. The compressibility is obtained by first calculating the deformation tensor Jij associated with an infinitesimally small volume of particles following the trajectory of an individual particle. The fraction of the initial volume occupied by the particles centred around a position x at time t is denoted by |J|, where J ≡ det(Jij) and Jij ≡ ∂xi(x0, t)/∂x0,j, x0 denoting the initial position of the particle. The quantity d〈ln|J|〉/dt is shown to be equal to the particle averaged compressibility of the particle velocity field 〈∇ · v〉, which gives a measure of the rate-of-change of the total volume occupied by the particle phase as a continuum. In both flow fields the compressibility of the particle velocity field is shown to decrease continuously if the Stokes number St (the dimensionless particle relaxation time) is below a threshold value Stcr, indicating that the segregation of particles continues indefinitely. We show analytically and numerically that the long-time limit of 〈∇ · v〉 for sufficiently small values of St is proportional to St2 in the flow field composed of random Fourier modes, and to St in the flow field consisting of counter-rotating vortices. If St > Stcr, however, the particles are 'mixed'. The level of mixing can be quantified by the degree of random uncorrelated motion (RUM) of particles which is a measure of the decorrelation of the velocities of two nearby particles. RUM is zero for fluid particles and increases rapidly with the Stokes number if St > Stcr, approaching unity for St ≫ 1. The spatial averages of the higher-order moments of the particle number density are shown to diverge with time indicating that the spatial distribution of particles may be very intermittent, being associated with non-zero values of RUM and the occurrence of singularities in the particle velocity field. Our results are consistent with previous observations of the radial distribution function in Chun et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 536, 2005, p. 219).


Degradation of InGaAsP-InP-based buried-heterostructure bulk (BH-bulk) lasers has been studied by means of electroluminescence (EL), photoluminescence (PL), electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Lasers with p/n as well as semi-insulating (SI) current-blocking layers were studied. The results show that moderate increases in the threshold current correlate well with formation of dark defects (DD's) (i.e., dark-line defects (DLD's) or dark-spot defects (DSD's), which cannot be distinguished in our case due to the narrowness of the laser stripe.) The DD's were found to be caused by dislocation loops. The dependence of threshold current increase on the number of DD's is explained in terms of a model which includes effects due to the DD's, as well as changes in the regions outside the DD's. The latter is found to be responsible for the major part of the threshold current increase. Values for the ratio between the carrier lifetimes inside and outside the DD's are presented, for the first time. In our lasers, strong degradation differs from moderate degradation in that DD's do not form during aging. The presence of dislocation loops only at the sidewalls of the active stripe in lasers with p/n current-blocking layers points to the sidewalls as being critical. The near absence of dislocation loops and the smaller increase in threshold current in SI lasers which have degraded strongly, compared to the strongly degrading p/n lasers, suggest that strong degradation is a synergistic combination of damage in the sidewalls and Zn indiffusion from the current-blocking layers.


Bioactive molecules gain significance in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries for showcasing various beneficial biological properties including but not limited to anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, anti‐inflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic. However, the practice of using traditional approaches to produce bioactive molecules is gradually declining due to various limitations such as low product quality, high toxicity, low product yield, low efficiency, and product degradation. Thus, with the escalating demand for these bioactive molecules and active agents in food and other food‐related industries, it has become a dire need for the scientific world to come up with novel approaches and strategies that cannot just improve the quality of these bioactives but also prepare them in a comparatively shorter time span. This review includes the latest approaches and techniques used either independently or in combinations for the extraction, purification, processing, and stability improvement of general bioactive molecules. Different parameters of these versatile techniques have been discussed with their effectiveness and work principles.


Isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (causal agent of bacterial blight of rice) from the Philippines representing two phylogenetic lineages, and five haplotypes within those two lineages, were evaluated for aggressiveness in two glasshouse trials. Aggressiveness was determined by clip-inoculating leaves of a rice cultivar lacking known, effective major genes for resistance and measuring the lengths of resulting lesions. Variance components analysis indicated that 55 and 46% of the lesion length variation were genetic in origin for the first and second trials, respectively. Variation of lesion length among isolates within haplotypes was highly significant in both trials (P = 0·002 and 0·027), but the effects of lineage and haplotype within lineage were not (P = 0·08 and 0·30 for lineage and P= 0·23 and 0·07 for haplotype). These results suggest that substantial heritable variation for aggressiveness exists within Philippine populations of X. oryzae pv. oryzae. This variation appears to be more prevalent within than among known phylogenetic groups, although mean differences among phylogenetic groups may still be of significant biological importance.


The Colorado River travels through seven states and two countries, nine national parks and provides water for 40 million people across the arid west. It is also the most endangered river in America. This article outlines a case study of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (UCREFRP), a collaborative effort designed to restore the Colorado pikeminnow population on a section of the Colorado River known as the imperiled 15-mile reach. After years of failed litigation, stakeholder efforts to develop water management solutions led to the establishment of the collaborative. This case study elucidates how collaborative governance efforts take shape, and how they can be more comprehensively assessed by drawing on interdisciplinary approaches from natural and social sciences. This case is an enduring example of the way trade-offs and power imbalances must be managed in collaborative governance, and introduces the importance of environmental and ecological justice, that is, how the collaborative process and benefits of collaborative solutions can be distributed more equitably across social and nonhuman stakeholders.


Introduction . A method for solving the problem of an infinite plate on an elastic foundation is proposed. The plate is affected by a periodic load in the form of a force following an arbitrary closed path. The work objective is to develop a numerical method for solving problems of the elasticity theory for bodies under a moving load. Materials and Methods . Given the periodicity of the load under consideration, it is decomposed in a Fourier series in a time interval whose length is equal to the load period. The solution to the original problem is constructed by superposition of the solutions to the problems corresponding to the load specified by the terms of the Fourier series described above. The final solution to the problem is presented as a segment of a series. In this case, each term corresponds to the solution of the problem of the impact on an infinite plate of a load distributed along a closed curve (the trajectory of the force motion). To find these solutions, the fundamental solution to the equation of vibration of an infinite plate lying on an elastic base is used. Research Results . A new method is proposed for solving problems on the elasticity theory for bodies with a load following a closed path of arbitrary shape. The problem of an infinite plane along which a concentrated force moves at a constant speed is solved. It is determined that the trajectory of motion is a smooth closed curve consisting of circular arcs. The behavior of displacements and stresses near a moving force is considered. The energy propagation of the elastic waves is studied. For this purpose, the coordinates of the Umov – Poynting vector are calculated. The effect of the force motion speed on the length of the Umov – Poynting vector is investigated. Discussion and Conclusions . The method is applicable when considering more complex objects (plates of complex shape, layered plates, viscoelastic plates). Its advantage is profitability since the known problem solutions are used to build the solution. The final decision is expressed in a convenient form – as the sum of curvilinear integrals. The results obtained can be used in the road design process. Studying the energy propagation of elastic waves from moving vehicles will enable to evaluate the impact of these waves on buildings near the road. The wear of the pavement is estimated considering data on the behavior of displacements and stresses


Aim: This study aimed to compare the canal-centering ability, apical transportation, and remaining dentin thickness (RDT) of OneShape and WaveOne (WO) systems using cone-beam computed tomography. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two rotary systems in maintaining original root canal anatomy. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted human single-rooted mandibular premolars were used in the present study. Preinstrumentation scans of all teeth were taken, canal curvatures were calculated, and the samples were randomly divided into two groups with twenty samples in each group: Group 1 – OneShape (OS) rotary system and Group 2 – WO reciprocation system. Postinstrumentation scans were performed using DICOM software and the two scans were compared to determine the canal-centering ability, canal transportation, and RDT at 1, 3, and 5 mm from the root apex. Results: Using Student's unpaired t-test, results were as follows: for canal-centering ability and RDT, Group 1 showed nonstatistically significant difference at 1 and 5 mm, while statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) at 3 mm was obtained. For canal transportation, Group 1 showed statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) at 1 and 3 mm and nonsignificant difference was obtained at 5 mm, but for Group 2, nonstatistically significant difference (P > 0.05) was obtained at 1, 3, and 5 mm. When comparing the RDT between both the groups, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: WO single reciprocation file has better canal-centering ability, maintains original canal curvature, causes lesser canal transportation, and preserves more dentine as compared to OS.


The use of database applications such as gINT to manage site borehole data in geotechnical consulting practice has become common. Such databases reduce the potential cost of future site investigations and allow valuable borehole information to be managed on a broader scale between multiple offices. Such data provides a valuable source for building lithology for 3D site models. When combined with topology, geotechnical shear strength laboratory data (such as shear box or triaxial data), and geotechnical design data an improved 3D conceptual model can be constructed. Such a constructed 3D site model forms a digital twin of the proposed geotechnical design for the real site and can be subjected to analytical simulations to determine if the proposed design meets specifications. Analysis such as slope stability, seepage, and stress/deformation can be performed on the conceptual model based on 2D profile slices or on the full 3D conceptual model. The movement to performing 3D stability analysis instead of the traditional 2D profile analysis has also heightened the need for fully formed 3D conceptual models of proposed geotechnical designs at sites. 3D slope stability analysis provides the benefit of improved rigor in the calculation of the factor of safety. Calculated 3D factors of safety are higher than 2D factors of safety and allow potential for cost savings on engineering designs that may be over-conservative. These new methodologies are providing advantages in the design of large engineered structures. The additional use of spatial sweeping slope stability analysis such as the multi-plane analysis (MPA) provide maps of factors of safety which further strengthen professional design. This paper presents an integrated approach to building lithology based on a gINT database and performing 3D spatial slope stability analysis. The new approach leverages the strength of existing borehole databases and provides more rigorous analysis to aid in the design of transportation structures such as embankments, retaining walls, and slopes adjacent to roadways.


Ground-water development in mountainous terrain continues to present challenges where surficial unconsolidated materials have not been deposited, are thin, or have been largely removed by erosion leaving only fractured bedrock aquifers. To locate these bedrock ground-water sources, hydrogeologists employ a blend of investigative techniques that include terrain and fracture trace analysis coupled with structural mapping. Their goal is to locate large concentrations of open fractures that will convey ground water through bedrock. The hydro-potential (HP) value is a new rock-mass classification, semi-quantitative technique employed to evaluate the potential for developing ground water in bedrock. It is the potential for a rock mass to hydraulically transmit ground water. The method is a simple and quick technique used to evaluate rock outcrops surrounding and within the target basin. The technique is a modification of the engineering rock mass quality designation (Q) originally developed for evaluation of rock competency in tunnel design (Barton et al., 1974) and seismic rock fall susceptibility (Harp and Noble, 1993). The method describes six fracture characteristics of the rock mass and assigns a numerical value from reference tables based on their fracture properties. The equation for the hydro-potential value is as follows:

where the fracture characteristics are: rock quality designation (RQD), joint number (J n ), joint roughness (J r ), joint hydraulic conductivity (J k ), joint aperture factor (J af ), and joint water factor (J w ). The numerical value of HP ranges from 1.33 × 10 −3 (for exceptionally poor quality rock) up to 800 (for exceptionally good quality, competent rock). During this investigation, the yields and specific capacities of thirty-seven (37) bedrock wells located in various lithologic terrains and flow regimes were compared to respective HP-values of surrounding rock outcrops. Contrasting the HP-values to yields and specific capacities of bedrock wells displayed a significant inverse exponential relationship with strong correlation coefficients (R) exceeding −0.80. Over 83 percent of the wells studied indicate higher yields and specific capacities correspond to lower HP-values for outcrops of similar lithology in the vicinity of the local bedrock wells. The same trend was true for over 63 percent of the regional bedrock wells. The data suggests the fractured rocks surrounding the basin mirror the fractured bedrock aquifer. The benefit of the HP-value, coupled with photo-terrain and fracture trace analysis and structural mapping, increases the probability of locating suitable test well sites in bedrock. The technique forces the investigator to look closely at the fracture characteristics of the rock mass near the proposed test well sites. Correlation curves generated from this investigation provide a useful tool to predict well yields and specific capacities of bedrock wells based on measured HP-values.


There is a continuous and urgent need for standardisation of discussion about quality of real estate. On behalf of this discussion, a tool called REN Manager has been developed. REN is an abbreviation of Real Estate Norm, a client-oriented tool for measuring, planning and communication in the field of housing management. The development of the REN Manager is a continuation of REN research project. In this paper we start with an introduction of the REN research project. Further we focus on the application of the REN tool in the field of housing management as part of a set of tools for strategic portfolio management. After this introduction we will elaborate more about the REN and the underlying analyses. One of the essential functions of REN is the match between the demanded and offered perfonnance of a dwelling estate. By several surveys among tenants the relevant aspects and parameters are determined. These parameters are related to the performance level of a dwelling as well as to the weight of these levels. This part of the paper deals with the results of these analyses and the problems involved in the method used. The results are used as the input for the REN Manager. At the end we will discuss the functionality of the REN Manager as a decision support system on both operational level (matching) and strategic portfolio management (allocation ofinvestrnent).


This paper presents LORE (Literature Object Re-use and Exchange), a light-weight tool designed to enable scholars and teachers of literature to author, edit and publish OAI-ORE-compliant compound information objects that encapsulate related digital resources and bibliographic re-cords. LORE provides a graphical user interface for creating, labelling and visualizing typed re-lationships between individual objects using terms from a bibliographic ontology based on the IFLA FRBR. After creating a compound object, users can attach metadata and publish it to a re-pository as an RDF graph, where it can be searched, retrieved, edited and re-used by others. LORE has been developed in the context of the Australian Literature Resource project (AustLit) and hence focuses on compound objects for teaching and research within the Australian literature studies community.


Each year, hundreds of U.S. men and foreign women find their future spouses through international matchmaking agencies. Foreign women are attracted to the opportunity for a life in America and men are offered money-back guarantees to find the perfect wife. An alarming number of these unions however, have resulted in the abuse, exploitation and even death of foreign women at the hands of their U.S. citizen husbands. While the federal International Marriage Broker Regulation Act requires disclosure of a male client's criminal background history prior to communicating with a potential foreign bride, the Act does not impose any requirements for disclosure of information about the international marriage brokers themselves. Thus the peddlers behind the rapidly growing industry are largely unaccounted for, with no one really knowing who they are or where they are operating. This Note proposes that states fill the enforcement gap by adopting a statute requiring international marriage brokers to register and become certified to do business with state residents. This legislation will result in collecting much needed data on international marriage brokers, create more transparency in the international matchmaking industry and prevent potential violence and abuse of foreign women.


Android applications are usually obfuscated before release, making it difficult to analyze them for malware presence or intellectual property violations. Obfuscators might hide the true intent of code by renaming variables and/or modifying program structures. It is challenging to search for executables relevant to an obfuscated application for developers to analyze efficiently. Prior approaches toward obfuscation resilient search have relied on certain structural parts of apps remaining as landmarks, un-touched by obfuscation. For instance, some prior approaches have assumed that the structural relationships between identifiers are not broken by obfuscators; others have assumed that control flow graphs maintain their structures. Both approaches can be easily defeated by a motivated obfuscator. We present a new approach, MACNETO, to search for programs relevant to obfuscated executables leveraging deep learning and principal components on instructions. MACNETO makes few assumptions about the kinds of modifications that an obfuscator might perform. We show that it has high search precision for executables obfuscated by a state-of-the-art obfuscator that changes control flow. Further, we also demonstrate the potential of MACNETO to help developers understand executables, where MACNETO infers keywords (which are from relevant un-obfuscated programs) for obfuscated executables.


In this article, we determine the explicit toric variety structure of Hilb A1(n) (C n) for n = 4, 5, where A 1 (n) is the special diagonal group of all order 2 elements. Through the toric data of Hilb A1(n) (C n), we obtain certain toric crepant resolutions of C n /A 1 (n), and the different crepant resolutions are connected by flops of n-folds for n = 4, 5.


The paper describes shortly the architecture of a complex system for managing back office activities and store management including MRP, Demand forecasting, stock evaluation system from the logistics and financial point of view, integrated in a company ERP. Simulation was the way to properly define the most suitable algorithm for demand forecasting among the many complex combinations proposed by default in the ERP Central Component plus the ones proposed by key users. This architecture was applied in a complex retail chain involving different classes/clusters of point of sales and selling many different sorts of goods (grocery, food, clothing, electronics, home goods etc.)


Common pursuits of developing nanometric logic and neuromorphic applications have motivated intensive research studies into low-dimensional resistive random-access memory (RRAM) materials. However, fabricating resistive switching medium with inherent stability and homogeneity still remains a bottleneck. Herein, we report a self-assembled uniform biphasic system, comprising low-resistance 3 nm-wide (Bi0.4,La0.6)FeO3-δ nanosheets coherently embedded in a high-resistance (Bi0.2,La0.8)FeO3-δ matrix, which were spinodally decomposed from an overall stoichiometry of the (Bi0.24,La0.76)FeO3-δ parent phase, as a promising nanocomposite to be a stable and endurable RRAM medium. The Bi-rich nanosheets accommodating high concentration of oxygen vacancies as corroborated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy function as fast carrier channels, thus enabling an intrinsic electroforming-free character. Surficial electrical state and resistive switching properties are investigated using multimodal scanning probe microscopy techniques and macroscopic I-V measurements, showing high on/off ratio (∼103) and good endurance (up to 1.6 × 104 cycles). The established spinodal decomposition-driven phase-coexistence BLFO system demonstrates the merits of stability, uniformity, and endurability, which is promising for further application in RRAM devices.


The present study sought to determine whether gender-specific differences existed in the perception of drug user treatment services delivered at a residential substance misuse treatment program operated by a large youth correctional agency in the western United States. Hypothesized gender differences in perceptions of treatment services and treatment-related needs were confirmed in a number of areas such as treatment engagement, counseling needs, and post-release concerns. Findings of this exploratory study underscore the need to consider gender-specific issues in correctional substance misuse treatment for young offenders.


Timely detection of deterioration in status for intensive care unit patients can be problematic due to variation in data availability and the necessity of integrating data from multiple sources. This can lead to opaqueness of clinical trends and failure to rescue. Automated deterioration detection using electronic medical record data can reduce the risk of failure to rescue. This review describes the automated use of electronic medical record data in identifying deterioration in intensive care unit patients. PubMed and Google Scholar were used to retrieve publications between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2016. Six studies met inclusion criteria: intensive care unit patient focus, description of electronic medical record data use in automated patient deterioration detection, and presence of predictive, sensitivity, and/or specificity values. Detection focused on specific clinical events such as infection; data sources were electronic medical record–populated databases. Detection algorithms incorporated laboratory results, vital signs, medication orders, and respiratory therapy and radiology documentation. Positive and negative predictive values and sensitivity and specificity measures varied across studies. Three systems generated clinician alerts. Automated deterioration detection using electronic medical record data may be an important aid in caring for intensive care unit patients, but its usefulness is limited by variable electronic medical record detection approaches and performance.


The taxonomic characteristics and position as well as delimitation of the genus Arachnocrea are discussed. One species Arachnocrea scabrida Doi collected from Xishuangbana Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, P R China is compared with the specimens from Japan(holotype)and New Zealand as well as other specimens on macro- micro-morphology and anatomy. The range of variations of this species was defined. It is a new record to China. In spite of the geographical distribution of all species in the genus Arachnocrea in the world shows the modern patterns of the temperate zone in the north hemisphere. It can be stretched to the tropical area of Southeast-Asia, it is possible that the genus was originated in this area historically. It is suggested that the tropical area might be a center of differentiation of species in the genus.