In the regime of two-sample comparison, tests based on a graph constructed on observations by utilizing similarity information among them is gaining attention due to their flexibility and good performances under various settings for high-dimensional data and non-Euclidean data. However, when there are repeated observations or ties in terms of the similarity graph, these graph-based tests could be problematic as they are versatile to the choice of the similarity graph. We study two ways to fix the "tie" problem for the existing graph-based test statistics and a new max-type statistic. Analytic p-value approximations for these extended graph-based tests are also derived and shown to work well for finite samples, allowing the tests to be fast applicable to large datasets. The new tests are illustrated in the analysis of a phone-call network dataset. All proposed tests are implemented in R package gTests.


To what extent do substitutions in protein-coding versus gene-regulatory regions contribute to fitness change over time? Answering this question requires estimates of the extent of selection acting on beneficial mutations in the two classes of sites. New mutations that have advantageous or deleterious fitness effects can induce selective sweeps and background selection, respectively, causing variation in the level of neutral genetic diversity along the genome. In this study, we analyse the profiles of genetic variability around protein-coding and regulatory elements in the genomes of wild mice to estimate the parameters of positive selection. We find patterns of diversity consistent with the effects of selection at linked sites, which are similar across mouse taxa, despite differences in effective population size and demographic history. By fitting a model that combines the effects of selective sweeps and background selection, we estimate the strength of positive selection and the frequency of advantageous mutations. We find that strong positive selection is required to explain variation in genetic diversity across the murid genome. In particular, we estimate that beneficial mutations in protein-coding regions have stronger effects on fitness than do mutations in gene-regulatory regions, but that mutations in gene-regulatory regions are more common. Overall though, our parameter estimates suggest that the cumulative fitness changes brought about by beneficial mutations in protein-coding may be greater than those in gene-regulatory elements.


X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was used to determine the local molecular environment of Co(II) surface complexes sorbed on three different kaolinites at ambient temperature and pressure in contact with an aqueous solution. Interatomic distances and types and numbers of backscattering atoms have been derived from analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). These data show that, at the lowest amounts of Co uptake on kaolinite (0.20–0.32 µmol m−2), Co is surrounded by ≈6 O atoms at 2.04–2.08 Å and a small number or Al or Si atoms (N = 0.6–1.5) at two distinct distances, 2.67–2.72 Å and 3.38–3.43 Å. These results indicate that Co bonds to the kaolinite surface as octahedrally coordinated, bidentate inner-sphere mononuclear complexes at low surface coverages, confirming indirect evidence from solution studies that a fraction of sorbed Co forms strongly bound complexes on kaolinite. In addition to inner-sphere complexes identified by EXAFS spectroscopy, solution studies provide evidence for the presence of weakly bound, outer-sphere Co complexes that cannot be detected directly by EXAFS. One orientation for inner-sphere complexes indicated by XAS is bidentate bonding of Co to oxygen atoms at two Al-O-Si edge sites or an Al-O-Si and Al-OH (inner hydroxyl) edge site, i.e., corner-sharing between Co octahedra and Al and Si polyhedra. At slightly higher surface sorption densities (0.51–0.57/ µmol m−2), the presence of a small number of second-neighbor Co atoms (average NCo < 1) at 3.10–3.13 Å indicates the formation of oxy- or hydroxy-bridged, multinuclear surface complexes in addition to mononuclear complexes. At these surface coverages, Co-Co and Co-Al/Si distances derived from EXAFS are consistent with edge-sharing between Co and Al octahedra on either edges or (001) faces of the aluminol sheet in kaolinite. Multinuclear complexes form on kaolinite at low surface sorption densities equivalent to < 5% coverage by a monolayer of oxygen-ligated Co octahedra over the N2-BET surface area. These spectroscopic results have several implications for macroscopic modeling of metal ion uptake on kaolinite: 1) Primary binding sites on the kaolinite surface at low uptake are edge, non-bridging Al-OH inner hydroxyl sites and edge Al-O-Si bridging oxygen sites, not Si-OH sites typically assumed in sorption models; 2) specific adsorption of Co is via bidentate, inner-sphere complexation; and 3) at slightly higher uptake but still a small fraction of monolayer coverage, formation of Co multinuclear complexes, primarily edge-sharing with Al-OH octahedra, begins to dominate sorption.


Microporous films from immiscible blends were produced via melt processing and post-step treatments. Polystyrene (PS)/polypropylene (PP) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/polypropylene blend systems with different viscosity ratios were studied. The blends were first compounded in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder and subsequently extruded through a sheet die to obtain the precursor films. These were uniaxially or biaxially drawn (100–400%) with respect to the original dimension to induce microporous structure and post treated at elevated temperature to maintain the porous structure which consisted of uniform microcracks in the order of a few hundred nanometers. The fabrication process here is shown to be a promising technique for producing microporous films that can be used for liquid and gas separations.


Three National Leadership Grants (NLG) (http://www.imls.gov/grants/library/lib_nlgl.asp) from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) provide the foundation for the Find-It! Illinois Program (http://finditillinois.org) at the Illinois State Library (ISL):

 Grant One: "Exporting Washington State's GILS" (October 1998-September 1999)
 Grant Two: "Find-It! Illinois" (October 1999-September 2001)
 Grant Three: "Metadata Tools for State Collaboration" (October 1999-September 2001)
 Based on the successful Government Information Locator Service (GILS) program at the Washington State Library (WSL) (http://find-it.state.wa.us/compass), the ISL began a GILS program of its own in the fall of 1999. State-level GILS projects around the country, based at state libraries and some state archives, are distilled from the federal GILS model (http://www.gils.net/). State GILS programs provide a resource discovery methodology for electronic state government information. Each program includes components for access, organization, design, standard metadata creation, state agency Webmaster education and training, and interface development. Essentially, the state libraries and archives involved in these projects act as clearinghouses for and gateways to electronic state government information.
 Grant One, awarded to the WSL, provided the ISL and three other state libraries, (Oregon, New Hampshire, and Arizona), with the model framework for starting a GILS program. Grant Two, awarded to the ISL, provided development dollars for the fledgling ISL program Find-It! Illinois. Grant Three, awarded to the WSL and contracted in part to the ISL, provides funding for the enhancement of metadata interoperability and the application of a consortial subject tree.
 In Illinois, providing access to electronic state government content is manifest not only in the establishment of the ISL GILS program, but also in the creation of the other databases that comprise the Find-It! Illinois portal. Interoperability among these Find-It! virtual libraries will be enhanced by the application of a single controlled vocabulary for subject searching, called the "Jessica Tree." Additionally, work is underway to establish the Jessica Tree as the standard list for state GILS programs with the goal of promoting interstate interoperable subject searching.


A positional scanning cyclic peptide library was generated using a penta-peptide thioester scaffold. Glycine was fixed at position R(1). Diaminopropionic acid was fixed at position R(3), with its γ-amino attaching to an anthraniloyl group. Positions R(2) and R(4) contained 36 L- and D- amino acids and position R(5) contained 19 L- amino acids. Cyclization was performed in a mixture of acetonitrile and 1.5 M aqueous imidazole solution (7:1 v/v) at room temperature for 5 days. No significant cross-oligomerization was detected under the cyclization conditions. The library was screened in a binding assay for mu opioid receptor, identifying the active amino acid mixture at each position. A total of 40 individual cyclic peptides were identified and synthesized by the combinations of the most active amino acid mixtures found at three positions 5 × 4 × 2. Two cyclic peptides exhibited high binding affinities to opioid receptor. The most active cyclic peptide in the library was yielded to have Tyr at R(2), D-Lys at R(4), and Tyr at R(5). Further investigation on this compound revealed the side chain-to-tail isomer to have greater binding affinity (14 nM) than the head-to-tail isomer (39 nM). Both isomers were selective for the mu-opioid receptor.


Summary The global obesity epidemic is associated with a sedentary lifestyle and diets rich in high-fat, high-energy foods. The potential role of fruit in preventing overweight and obesity is related to their relatively low energy density, high content of dietary fibre, and associated increasing satiety effect. The physical disruption of fruit is of considerable importance for satiety, as shown in studies in which fruit juices were less satisfying compared to sugar-equivalent intakes of purées and whole fruits. The potential role of fruit in the prevention of overweight and obesity may be connected to the dietary pattern of fruit intake, and with the possibility that fruit intake may substitute for other, more energy-dense foods. The majority of human prospective cohort studies in adults suggest a preventive effect of increased fruit intake on body weight gain; whereas a few studies have suggested the opposite, in the case of fruit juices. Prospective studies on children are few and inconclusive, but suggest associations between fruit intake and body weight that are related to the initial nutritional status. In behavioural intervention studies, subjects are often advised to undergo several changes towards a healthy diet and lifestyle, making it impossible to quantify the specific effect of fruit intake on body weight. In the few available intervention studies in adults, the study period was often too short to allow measures of body weight changes, and studies on overweight or obese subjects may not apply to subjects of normal weight. Intervention studies targeted at school children showed that such schemes can be effective in increasing fruit intake, but a convincing role for increased fruit intake in the prevention of overweight and obesity in children still needs to be established. The present evidence suggests that fruit consumption has a potential role in the prevention of overweight and obesity.


Biliary enteric fistula is a rare diagnosis. Common etiologies include chronic cholecystitis with cholelithiasis and peptic ulcer disease. Of these, the number one cause is chronic cholecystitis with cholelithiasis. Adhesion of a chronically inflamed gallbladder to the duodenum followed by erosion of the gallbladder wall by gallstones leads to the establishment of an abnormal communication between the gallbladder and duodenum. This abnormal communication, namely, cholecystoduodenal fistula, has a high mortality rate and therefore must be managed in a timely manner. The case presented in this report is that of a 76-year-old female suffering from chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis who was both diagnosed with as well as managed for cholecystoduodenal fistula by the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).


Amplification of the cya gene of E. coli on the plasmid pBR325 leads to an increase of adenylate cyclase activity proportional to the gene dosage. In strains harboring hybrid plasmids with cya gene the intracellular level of cAMP and the rate of nucleotide secretion are also elevated. The adenylate cyclase activity in cells with truncated cya gene cloned on pBR322 remains sensitive to glucose inhibition. Amplification of the cya gene leads to considerable resistance of beta-galactosidase synthesis to transient repression by alpha-methylglucoside, but does not influence the permanent repression caused by glucose.


Over the past few years, an open-source code called
OpenFOAM has been becoming a promising CFD tool
for multi-dimensional numerical simulations of internal
combustion engines. The primary goal of the present
study is to assess the feasibility of the code for
computations of hollow-cone sprays discharged by an
outward-opening pintle-type injector by simulating the
experiments performed recently by Hemdal et al.
(SAE 2009-01-1496) with gasoline and ethanol
sprays under the following conditions: air temperature
Tair=295 or 350 K, air pressure pair=6 bar, fuel
temperature Tfuel=243, or 295, or 320 K, and fuel
injection pressure pinj=50, or 125, or 200 bar. To
simulate the experiments, a pintle injector model and
the physical properties of gasoline were implemented
in OpenFOAM. The flow field calculated using the
pintle injector model is more realistic than that yielded
by the default unit injector model normally used in
OpenFOAM. Moreover, a number of modifications
were made to the standard implementation of several
spray models in OpenFOAM, with modifications in the
implementation of the KHRT model having noticeable
effects on the accuracy of the simulated liquid
penetration and Sauter mean diameter (SMD).
Results of numerous simulations performed by
running OpenFOAM and activating various spray
models indicate that (i) a combination of the
Rosin-Rammler distribution with Reitz-Diwakar
secondary breakup model and (ii) the KHRT model
yield the best agreement between the measured and
computed spray penetration length, with the latter
model showing the best performance as far as the
SMD obtained from high-pressure (200 bar) sprays is
concerned.


Action of Parapyruvate on Early Development of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus: C. M. Montgomery and J. W. Bamberger .... ............ 967 Evidence That Serotonin Has a Role in Brain Function: B. B. Brodie, A. Pletscher, P. A. Shore ..... ......................... 968 Systematic Effect of C14-Labeling on Ion-Exchange Chromatography of Amino Acids: K. A. Piez and H. Eagle ..... ...................... 968 Thallium Acetate in the Diagnosis of Chronic Respiratory Disease of Chickens: N. L. Shipkowitz and M. K. Clarke .... ................ 969 Isotopic Composition of Common Lead from Southern Africa: G. L. Bate and J. L. Kulp ....... ................................. 970 Tetrazolium-Reduction Test for Milk: K. K. Mustakallio, E. 0. Ahos, E. 0. Autio .... ..................... 971 Fluorescence Characteristics of 5-Hydroxytryptamine (Serotonin ): S. Udenfriend, D. F. Bogdanski, H. Weissbach .... .................. 972


It is unknown how many spawning areas exist for tropical South Pacific eels (Anguilla marmorata, A. megastoma, A. obscura) populating island archipelagos between Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia. They could spawn at single centralised eastern and western locations, implying long-distance migrations by some eels, or at several local spawning areas. Larval catches, morphological and genetic investigations, and tagging experiments have provided no unequivocal answer. In this study, A. marmorata and A. megastoma were tagged with pop-up satellite archival transmitters at Samoa, in the centre of their distribution ranges. Tags surfaced prematurely after 11 to 25 d, 91 to 345 km from the point of release. One A. marmorata and one A. megastoma came within 180 and 230 km, respectively, from where a small A. marmorata leptocephalus was caught north of American Samoa during a recent research cruise, suggesting that eels may spawn near the archipelago. Silver eels exhibited diel vertical migrations between 180 m during the night and more than 700 m during the day. At their upper migration depths, eels migrated towards increasing salinity and towards local eddies, raising the question of whether they may actively search for these oceanographic features. Up to 15% of virtual larvae released near Samoa were retained within local eddies and could have recruited back to the archipelago. The remaining larvae drifted as far as Fiji and the Cook Islands to the west and east, respectively. The exchange of leptocephali probably connects several local spawning areas throughout the South Pacific Ocean, causing genetic exchange among areas.


Diabetes Mellitus is an increasing concern, worldwide in terms of health. Long-term diabetes often leads to secondary diseases such as cataract, retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular diseases. The enzyme aldose reductase (AR) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some of these diseases and inhibitors of AR (ARIs) were effective in preventing some of the diabetic complications in animal models. However, clinical trials of these drugs were disappointing, casting doubt on the role of AR in these diseases. This review focuses on the recent studies using transgenic and gene knockout mice to analyze the role of AR in diabetic cataract and neuropathy. These studies clearly demonstrated that AR is crucial to the pathogenesis of these diseases, and that the mechanism leading to diabetic cataract may be different from that which causes diabetic neuropathy. A number of studies showed that there is a correlation between AR gene markers and susceptibility to develop complications among diabetic patients, suggesting that AR is also involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications in human. Together, these genetic studies strongly indicate that AR is an important target for the prevention of diabetic complications in human. This may provide impetus to develop more effective ARIs and to conduct better-designed clinical trials for ARIs in the prevention and treatment of these diseases.


An Electromagnetic (EM) radiation in dispersion less free space vacuum is represented by a photon, with corpuscular and wave nature. The discussions, for the past century aimed at the nature of photon inside a media having dispersion in the refraction property, other than free space. What about its nature if the space be of refractive index which is negative, is discussed in this paper. We call mechanical momentum, wave-momentum, and try to match our present theories with intriguing property of this 'photon' or pulse carrying EM energy packet, and more so we try to find its property energy, momentum inside a media a positive refractive media, and if the media show a negative refractive index behavior, then these queries are profound, and suitable explanations to these classical concepts of corpuscular-wave nature of photon inside these media are quest for the scientists dealing with these materials having negative index of refraction. Here some of this counterintuitive nature of corpuscular-wave nature of photon inside negative indexed material is brought out, with possible 'new definition' of its 'wave-momentum', the concept of 'reactive energy' inside negative indexed material, along with possible 'new wave equation'. These definitions and expressions of 'wave-momentum' and 'reactive energy' pertaining to negative indexed material are new and discussed and derived by classical means.


Background: The gut microbiota is a heterogeneous group of microbes that is spatially distributed along various sections of the intestines and across the mucosa and lumen in each section. Understanding the dynamics between the spatially differential microbial populations and the driving forces for the observed spatial organization will provide valuable insights into important questions such as the nature of colonization of the infant gut and different types of inflammatory bowel disease localized in different regions of the intestines. However, in most studies, the microbiota is sampled only at a single site (often feces) or from a particular anatomical site of the intestines. Differential oxygen availability is putatively a key factor shaping the spatial organization. Results: To test this hypothesis, we constructed a community genome-scale metabolic model consisting of representative organisms for the major phyla present in the human gut microbiome. By solving step-wise optimization problems embedded in a dynamic framework to predict community metabolism and integrate the mucosally-adherent with the luminal microbiome between consecutive sections along the intestines, we were able to capture (i) the essential features of the spatially differential composition of obligate anaerobes vs. facultative anaerobes and aerobes determined experimentally, and (ii) the accumulation of microbial biomass in the lumen. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the spatial organization depends primarily on the oxygen-per-microbe availability in each region. Oxygen availability is reduced relative to the ~100-fold increase in mucosal microbial density along the intestines, causing the switch between aerobes and anaerobes. Conclusion: The proposed integrated dynamic framework is able to predict spatially differential gut microbiota composition using microbial genome-scale metabolic models and test hypotheses regarding the dynamics of the gut microbiota. It can potentially become a valuable tool for exploring therapeutic strategies for site-specific perturbation of the gut microbiota and the associated metabolic activities.


Recurrent or persistent tracheoesophageal fistulae after repair of esophageal atresia are infrequent but troublesome to the patients. Endoscopic sealing is an attractive, minimally invasive solution to this challenge. The best access for endoscopic treatment is via the trachea under general anesthesia. A drawback of this approach is that the fistula is exposed to positive pressure ventilation during the procedure. The positive pressure can force the fistula open and may counteract the endoscopic closure. In the present series, an esophageal balloon was used to block the airflow through the fistula during the sealing of fistulae in 4 children. The fistula was successfully closed in 3 children. Four to 5 sessions of endoscopic sealing were found necessary to complete the closure. The fourth child had to abandon treatment while moving from the area. The results were compared with those of the last child treated before the esophageal balloon was introduced. Assessed from a questionnaire, the sealing had a lasting effect up to 4 years after the procedure.


In response to the recent Financial Crisis - after it had been widely accepted that "a serious disturbance in the economy of Member States" had occurred, and that several measures were required to remedy this disturbance, various Commission communications were adopted and these include: The Communication on the application of State aid rules to measures taken in relation to financial institutions in the context of the current global financial crisis (hereinafter "the Banking Communication"), its Communication on the recapitalisation of financial institutions in the current financial crisis: limitation of aid to the minimum necessary and safeguards against undue distortions of competition (hereinafter "the Recapitalisation Communication"), and its Communication on the return to viability and the assessment of restructuring measures in the financial sector in the current crisis under the State aid rules (hereinafter "the Restructuring Communication")." The Banking Communication will constitute the focus of this study. Are rescue aids (as distinguished from other forms of State aids) justified even where the possibility exists that rescue attempts are unlikely to succeed? Should rescue aids still be granted at a point when other measures such as winding down measures and the provision of other forms of liquidity assistance could be introduced? At what point should the Government decide upon the nationalisation of ailing institutions? Furthermore, should State aids be provided to all classes of financial institutions which are considered to qualify for such aid – as stated within the Banking Communication? These questions interalia constitute questions which are not only raised in this paper, but which this paper aims to address through a consideration of different State aid rescue and restructuring measures, as well as reference to two rescue aid cases, namely those of Bradford & Bingley (State aid NN 41/2008 – United Kingdom Rescue Aid to Bradford & Bingley) and Hypo Real Estate (State aid NN 44/2008 – Germany Rescue Aid for Hypo Real Estate). In addition, the impact of the recent crisis on the choice of legislation and legal basis for compatibility assessments, will be highlighted. Whereas State aid to individual undertakings in difficulties is usually assessed under Article 87 (3)(c) of the EC Treaty and the Community Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty, the systemic relevance of a financial institution and the impact of such an institution's failure on the economy, has been reflected by the preference for Article 87(3)(b) EC Treaty and Article 107(3)(b) TFEU.


The most of the research activities in network resource management have been devoted to providing bandwidth guarantees and preventing network congestion. It is understandable because the carriers wish to maximize the usage efficiency of their network infrastructure. Also, the rapid growth real-time network applications (e.g. VoIP) has made it imperative to consider the impact of end-to-end delay of traffic requirements on network resource provisioning. Very important element for efficient end-to-end QoS routing is good prediction of traffic demands in the phase of the negotiation process - SLA (Service Level Agreement) creation. In this paper algorithm for end-to-end congestion control is being developed. As explicit traffic engineering technique it provides the opportunity to intelligently tailor the route such that different parts of the network remain equally loaded. Such an approach avoids the creation of bottleneck links and maintains high network resource utilization efficiency. The problem is seen as an expansion problem of link capacities in given limits from a common source for given traffic demands.


Milk synthesis in the mammary gland depends on the influx of adequate amounts and proportions of
nutrients. During early lactation cows have to coordinate their metabolism to cope with a huge demand
for nutrients, particularly glucose production in the liver. Furthermore, an excessive mobilization of non
sterified fatty acids (NSFAs) from the adipose tissue occurs during early lactation, representing a significant
challenge to liver function. Understanding the complexity of energy metabolism during early lactation is
critical for identifying parameters associated with dairy efficiency. Therefore, important research projects
are being conducted, exploring the use of rumen protected fats to improve reproductive efficiency of
the cow, milk yield, and also milk quality. Modifying the lipid profile of milk and dairy products, could
contribute to healthier dietary alternatives for human consumption.


The article focuses on the ability of some animals and plants to respond to changing environmental conditions by temporarily suspending metabolic processes. In contemporary biology, this state between life and death is commonly labelled 'cryptobiosis', combining the Greek kryptos (hidden, concealed, secret) with biōsis (mode of life). I argue that the notion of 'cryptobiosis' does not account sufficiently for the processual and relational dimensions of ametabolic life. The article advances a related but different concept, which better addresses this liminal state of biological organisation: s uspended life. While cryptobiosis still nurtures the imaginary of some latent life, suspended life stresses the liminality of the neither-nor life and death. The notion also grasps the dynamic and ongoing transfer between the biological and the technological. While the debate on cryptobiosis has so far remained confined to the description of natural processes, suspended life (or limbiosis) promises to account for contemporary technological practices of cryopreservation.


In this paper a methodology for architectural level power optimization of a superscalar processor is proposed. The optimization is targeted at high performance real-time DSP operations. Sample rate conversion operation in software defined radios has been taken as an exemplar operation. Various superscalar configurations have been obtained through a systematic procedure. SimpleScalar architecture modeling tool has been used for simulation along with its power estimation extension - Wattch. Overall performance gain of more than 100 percent has been achieved while meeting all operating constraints.


Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is the most common pruritic inflammatory skin disease which causes economic and social burden. AD is not curable and therapeutic options are limited. Currently, the therapeutic approaches to AD include topical treatment, phototherapy, and systemic treatment. Although traditional therapeutic strategies are efficacious in ameliorating the symptoms of AD in most patients, sometimes it is a tough challenge for physicians as AD is catastrophic and difficult to treat. Several potential treatments for AD are being studied owing to a clearer understanding of its pathogenesis. Additionally, animal models of AD allow comprehensive and thorough investigation of pathogenesis and provide more options of therapeutic interventions. The purpose of non-classical treatment strategies for AD is to decrease skin inflammation, re-direct the imbalanced immune polarization, and induce immune tolerance to allergens. Generally, the intervention for mouse model of AD can be classified into 1) monoclonal antibodies, 2) anti-oxidants, 3) allergen-specific immunotherapy, 4) herbal medicine, 5) treatment with materials extracted from food or micronutrients, 6) microbiota/probiotics, 7) bio-composites films, and 8) others. Since half of the patients with AD lack specific immunoglobulin E against allergens, the pathogenesis of different phenotypes still needs to be clarified. Through novel therapies such as cytokine-targeting therapy, miRNA or suppression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, patients with AD could have better quality of life with less morbidity.


Heat removing from a microelectronic chip packaging has grand effect on performance and durability of the chip. Today's microchips with high power densities would require efficient methods of cooling. Recently, vertical alignment CNTs, due to their superior thermal, electrical and mechanical properties, was suggested as an effective micro cooler on the level of modern electronics demands. In this paper, the cooling performance of the CNT fin structures is studied numerically. Flow of air was considered as the working fluid flow. CFD simulations have been carried out for a series of CNT micro-fin cooling architectures based on one and two dimensional fin array models. The modeling results indicate that fluid speed is the key factor in heat transfer capacity of the device. Also, the results of 2D carbon nanotube fin array model show more precise and greater thermal performance than that of 1D model. Finally, the examination of pressure drop between inlet and outlet of the cooling device is presented as an important factor which could limit the fluid speed and fin height effect on heat sink performance also investigated.


Abstract : The intelligibility of speech is known to be lower if the talker is non-native instead of native for the given language. This study is aimed at quantifying the overall degradation due to acoustic-phonetic limitations of non- native talkers of Dutch, specifically of Dutch-speaking Americans who have lived in the Netherlands 1-3 years. Experiments were performed using phoneme intelligibility and sentence intelligibility tests, using additive noise as a means of degrading the intelligibility of speech utterances for test purposes. The overall difference in sentence intelligibility between native Dutch talkers and American talkers of Dutch, using native Dutch listeners, was found to correspond to a difference in speech-to-noise ratio of approximately 3 dB. The main contribution to the degradation of speech intelligibility by introducing non-native talkers and/or listeners, is by confusion of vowels, especially those that do not occur in American English.


Presentation de l'editeur : Following the hunger riots in 2008, against a backdrop of the world environmental and economic crisis, the arrangements in place for international aid to developing countries, particularly in Africa, were seriously called into question. The permanent threat of famine from climate change and speculation has made food-crop agriculture a core concern. What type of rural development do we need to return to, how and with whom? Some African communities have already started answering these questions. They are proposing novel and productive, local or regional actions that are proving their worth. At the confluence of heretofore overlooked cultures, new development modes are seeing the light of day. The author describes some of these African initiatives that respect the identity of rural populations. These experiences illustrate an approach whereby technical innovation is no longer central, but fits into a more global system. Another type of development is taking shape. Dialogue, active participation of the communities involved and consideration of all types of local knowledge are its basic principles. Main contents: Acknowledgements. Foreword. I. Vulnerability and resilience of smallholder farms: Limiting the cultural risk. Powerlessness of international aid. Widening the agricultural issue. II. New partnerships for research and innovation: Research and sustainable development concepts. Developing stakeholder adaptability and empowerment. III. Multi stakeholder approaches in Africa and Brazil: Participatory practices in Africa. The UniCampo pilot project in Brazil. Case study analysis. Overview. IV. Development models at the crossroads of all knowledge. Conclusion. References


Article history: Received 2 July 2016 Received in revised form 1 February 2017 Accepted 4 August 2017 Available online 23 November 2017 Current wastewater pre-treatment plant system handling FOG consumes high energy and time. This study aims to introduce a new FOG wastewater pre-treatment by immobilizing the FOG in a calcium alginate gel beads. Using Design-Expert software, Response surface methodology (RSM) based on face centred central composite design (FCCCD) was used to optimize two important variables; pH of FOG and concentration of sodium alginate whereas the oil entrapment efficiency (OEE) was used as a response. The mixtures of synthetic FOG wastewater and sodium alginate were dropped in calcium chloride solution in droplets form to produce gel beads. The optimum combination for having highest OEE percentage at 87.27% was found to be at pH 4.7 and 10000 ppm concentration of sodium alginate. Moreover, coating the gel beads with chitosan has reduced the FOG loss during mechanical expression from 23.73 % to 12.58 %. The gel beads were dissolved completely in phosphate buffer solution of pH 5, 8 and 9. This technique can be applied for easier FOG removal, for it has high OEE percentage and the final gel is also biodegradable.


The western tropical North Atlantic (WTNA) is a very complex region, with the influence of intense western boundary currents in connection with equatorial zonal currents, important atmospheric forcings (e.g Intertropical Convergence Zone), mesoscale activities (e.g NBC rings), and the world's largest river discharge as the Amazon River runoff. The volume discharge is equivalent to more than one-third of the Atlantic river freshwater input, with a plume that spreads over the region reaching the northwestward Caribbean Sea and eastward longitudes of 30°W, and influencing from physical to biological structures. Therefore, in order to enable and encourage more understanding of the region, here we present a dataset based on an idealized scenario of no river runoff of the Amazon River and Par ´a River in the WTNA. The numerical simulations were conducted with a regional oceanic modeling system (ROMS) model and three pairs of files were generated with the model outputs: (i) ROMS-files, with the parameters of the ROMS-outputs raw data in a NetCDF format and monthly and weekly frequencies; (ii) MATLAB-files, which contain oceanographic parameters also in monthly and weekly frequencies; and (iii) NetCDF-files, with oceanographic parameters again in monthly and weekly frequencies. For each file, we present the coordinates and variable names, descriptions, and correspondent units. The dataset is available in the Science Data Bank repository (doi: https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.02145)


Here we describe a case of Clostridia glycolicum (C. glycolicum) bacteremia in a bed-ridden elderly man with chronic illnesses. The bacterium was identified by the Remel RapID ANA II System. We believe that this is the fifth published report of human illness caused by this bacterium. In the four previously reported cases, C. glycolicum was found in cultures with other bacteria. This is the first reported case in which C. glycolicum was the sole causative agent of disease.


AIM: To compare efficacy and tolerance of polycosanol vs besafibrate in patients with hypercholesterolemia (HCE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicenter controlled double blind randomised trial entered 113 patients with HCE. After 5 weeks of diet the patients were randomised into two groups. 59 patients of group 1 received polycosanol (10 mg/day), 54 patients of group 2 were given besafibrate (400 mg/day) for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The 8-week course of treatment was completed by 103 patients (91%): 57(97%) patients of group 1 and 46(85%) patients of group 2. In group 1 total cholesterol diminished by an average of 15%, LDLP cholesterol fell by 18%, triglycerides by 15%, while in group 2 a respective decrease was 8, 11 and 6%. Side effects in group 1 were mild. CONCLUSION: A hypolipidemic effect of polycosanol in a daily dose 10 mg is superior to that of besafibrate in a daily dose 400 mg.


The climate in Japan is generally cool/dry in winter and hot/humid in summer. Winter season is from December to February in Japan. January is the coldest month. We measured indoor air conditions; air temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) during 12 months at the office room of one manufacturing industry (800 workers). The office hour at this office is from 8:30 to 17:30. Average mean value (±standard deviation) of room air temperature in January was 20.3±3.1°C, humidity was 32.8%±3.5% and CO2 was 924.5±478.2 ppm. Average room air temperature at office hour was 24.0±0.8°C, maxi/mini air temperatures were 25.1/22.2°C, average humidity was 38.8%±2.5%, maxi/mini humidity was 41.3/33.7% and average CO2 was 1350.9±228.3 ppm, maxi/mini CO2 were 1563/792 ppm. Setting room air temperature of 25°C comprised the highest frequency at air conditioners at this office. Regarding the recommend levels for air conditions in office buildings, air temperature is 17°28°C, relative humidity is 40˜70% and CO2 is 1000 ppm during all seasons. As Conclusion, the room air temperatures at office hour were rather high and humidity levels were low. We recommend setting room air temperature level for energy conservation and health is 17˜20°C, and humidity is about 50% in winter.


We have previously demonstrated that feeding low complexity diets (LOW) compromises growth performance of pigs during the first 3 wk after weaning and induces compensatory growth and improved feed efficiency thereafter. A study was undertaken to explore physiological mechanisms involved in compensatory growth following a nutritional insult. Fifty-six pigs were weaned at 21 ± 2 d of age and fed high complexity diets (HIGH) for 6 wk. All pigs received the same grower diet thereafter. Pigs were killed at weeks 2, 4, and 8 after weaning and proximal jejunum and distal ileum were sampled for evaluation of histology and enzyme activity. In the proximal jejunum, villus height was lower (P = 0.03) at week 2 in pigs on LOW than HIGH but not different at week 4. There was no effect of diet on crypt depth; villus height:crypt depth ratio increased (P = 0.02) from week 2 to week 4 in pigs on LOW but was not changed in pigs on HIGH. Diet did not impact gut morphology at the distal ileum. Enzyme activity was lowest (P < 0.05) at week 2 for sucrase and aminopeptidase N (APN) and lowest (P < 0.06) at week 8 for lactase. Sucrase activity was numerically higher at week 4 in pigs fed LOW but numerically higher at week 8 in pigs fed HIGH. Lactase and APN activity were not affected by diet. Compensatory growth observed in pigs following a nutritional insult after weaning may be due in part to improved digestive capability.


Block Copolymer Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) is a promising technique to print contacts/vias for the 10nm technology node and beyond. By using hybrid lithography that cooperates DSA with multiple patterning, multiple masks are used to print the DSA templates and then the templates can be used to guide the self-assembly of the block copolymer. In this paper, we propose approaches to solve the simultaneous template optimization and mask assignment problem for DSA with multiple patterning. We verified in experiments that our approaches remarkably outperform the state of the art work in reducing the manufacturing cost.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used in biomedicine to visualize plaques in the walls of major arteries in relation to atherosclerosis, the prime cause of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. The present study aims to explore the utility of contrast-enhanced MRI for improving the specificity of the MRI evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques with the use of a Gd-based paramagnetic contrast agent that is targeted to collagen. Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix and as such plays an important role in the stability of atherosclerotic plaques. Micelles were made with lipid containing 45 mol-% Gd for MRI detection and a low mol fraction of fluorescent lipid for fluorescence microscopic analysis. Collagen-targeted, functional micelles were prepared by conjugation of the CNA35 protein, while nonfunctional control micelles were conjugated with a mutated version of the protein. The micelles were characterized with respect to their magnetic, biochemical, and biophysical properties. Atherosclerotic plaques were induced in the right carotid artery of apo-E knock-out mice by surgical placement of a tapered polymeric cast. In vivo MRI was performed at 6.3 Tesla before and up to 24 h after intravenous injection of paramagnetic micelles (50 µmol Gd kg -1). MRI revealed the strongest signal enhancements by CNA35 micelles. At early time points after injection of CNA35 micelles, contrast enhancement was higher in the collagen-richer lesions compared to that in the collagen-poorer lesions. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed co-localization of CNA35 micelles and collagen in the plaques. We have demonstrated molecular MR imaging of collagen in experimental atherosclerosis by using a CNA35-functionalized micellar contrast agent.


'Party decline' and 'crisis' have been a long-standing observation of the state of party politics explaining: how parties have lost touch with their electorates, the concentration of power in a small elite disconnected from rank-and-file members and poor internal party democracy. In a local setting we can expect those indicators of decline to be magnified and in this article, we suggest some lessons which may be learned, for the concept of 'party decline', by examining parties in local government. Across Europe, in local government, power has been concentrated in party groups with strong party discipline and important decisions are taken behind closed doors. We maintain that our review, exploring the similar patterns found from research in England and the Nordic countries, generates general insights about the state of parties today, making it reasonable to hypothesise that a general pattern of local party decline across Europe is emerging, and that this has far-reaching consequences for the functioning of local democracy.


Virtual Human Character movement is very essential on virtual reality game in order to perform natural or emotional movement. Basically, numerous researchers focusing on movements from input such as: joystick, mouse, and keyboard. The other movement's concepts come from artificial intelligence as a part of improving interactivity. This paper intends to offer different method of controlling the virtual human characters movement that involves human emotion and haptic sensation known as human haptic emotion. The scheme is engage human haptic emotion to control object life movements as a way to enhance simulation closer to reality and more immersive. Furthermore, the information of virtual human characters movements also sent to the players through haptic device during play session. This approach will be expected to augment the virtual reality game on achieve smooth movements.


Converging evidence suggests that in bipolar disorder (BD), social cognition and emotion regulation are affected by the capacity for effective neurocognitive function. Adaptive emotion regulation may also rely on intact social cognition, and it is possible that social cognition acts as a mediator in its relationship with neurocognition. We aimed to address this hypothesis by explicitly examining interrelationships among neurocognition, social cognition and emotion regulation in an out‐patient sample meeting criteria for a DSM‐IV‐TR diagnosis of BD compared with controls.


Ice has been a serious obstacle and problem for the construction of hydraulic and marine structures, lighthouses, and the like in cold regions. For these structures, ice forces are the major design criteria. Because the ice loads caused by sea ice on offshore structures have been fully reviewed a few times, they are purposely set aside in this paper. Instead, two major problems are discussed here in some detail: The adfreeze bond strength of sea ice and the abrasion by ice on hydraulic and marine structures. These discussions are mainly based on the results of the studies carried out by the author and various combinations of colleagues, postgraduate and graduate students under his Chairmanship for over 20 years; these groups are hereafter referred to as the SCS.


We present a replication-based approach that enables both fast and reliable stream processing over wide area networks. Our approach replicates stream processing operators in a manner where operator replicas compete with each other to make the earliest impact. Therefore, any processing downstream from such replicas can proceed by relying on the fastest replica without being held back by slow or failed ones. Furthermore, our approach allows replicas to produce output in different orders so as to avoid the cost of forcing an identical execution across replicas, without sacrificing correctness. We first consider semantic issues for correct replicated stream processing and, based on a formal foundation, extend common stream-processing primitives. Next, we discuss strategies for deploying replicas. Finally, we present preliminary remits obtained from experiments on Planet-Lab that substantiate the potential benefits of our approach.


Spring Load Restrictions (SLR) are commonly used as a pavement preservation strategy in cold regions. Implementation of SLR has been found to bring about significant economic benefits by extending the pavement service life. Monitoring the freeze/thaw status of subsurface soils is crucial for making sound decisions on SLR implementation. Current tools to assist this decision are limited, as they are unreliable and unable to provide timely data. As a result, the decisions on starting and ending of SLR as well as the magnitude of load restrictions are highly subjective. There remains room to optimize the benefits of this important transportation policy. This paper introduces the development of an innovative sensor for monitoring freeze-thaw status of subsurface conditions. This sensor possesses distributive sensing capability. Laboratory evaluation shows the sensor signal clearly indicate the infiltration process. The sensor was deployed at MnRoad, the world's largest and most comprehensive outdoor roadway laboratory. It has demonstrated excellent signal quality. Sensor signals provide clear information to identify the on-set and evolution of freezing and thaw process. Besides, the sensor signal indicated the subsurface thaw process accomplished about one month earlier than when the SLR is lifted. This sensor is promising to provide sound decision-support for SLR.


We report the implementation of programs to treat electronic transitions in ion-molecule collisions and the calculation of vibrationally-resolved partial cross sections. This includes the ab initio calculation of non-adiabatic couplings, the implementation of a block-diagonalization procedure, and the evaluation of vibrational transition probabilities. Using a two-state basis, we present some preliminary results on the Be4+ + H2(v = 0, L = 0) Be3+(3l) + H2+(v, ΣLM) reaction. These show that for nuclear velocities v < 0.2 a.u. vibration cannot be ignored, even though anisotropy effects are small. The reason is the strong dependence of the electronic transition amplitudes on the H–H distance.


Thirteen of 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives with imine groups at position 6 of quinazoline ring were synthesized and their antitumor activities were evaluated by MTT assay and Western blotting analysis. Among these compounds, 13a-131 were reported first time. The MTT assay was carried out on three human cancer cell lines (A549, HepG2 and SMMC7721) with EGFR highly expressed. Among the tested compounds, 13i and 13j exhibited notable inhibition potency and their IC50 values on three cell lines were equivalent to or less than those of gefitinib. Compound 14, without imine group substituted, displayed excellent inhibitor potency only on A549 cell line. Compounds 14 and 13j were chosen to perform Western blotting analysis on A549. The results showed that both of the compounds could inhibit the expression level of phosphorylated EGFR remarkably. It was concluded that the inhibitor potency of compound 14 was almost equivalent to that of gefitinib and the inhibitor potency of 13j was better than that of gefitinib.


The authors of the article proceed from the assumption that pupils' development is a global goal of school education and development is a condition of human life. Hence, the content of education or learning in a narrow sense is a substance saturating pupils' development. The authors' model of the content "xes attention on its components providing development. The material of events, organizing ideas and concepts, modes of activity, problems, emotional and imaginative component, senses of human being, a child's life world are among them.


The prediction of axial, torsional and transverse shaft vibrations of propulsion shafts in the design stage requires accurate knowledge of the hydrodynamic coefficients that describe the propeller contribution to the inertial, damping and coupling effects in the entire system.
 The objective of the paper will be to describe a novel numerical procedure for determining these coefficients using a computer program based on unsteady lifting surface theory. Given a description of the propeller geometry, the output of such a method consists of a set of 24 coefficients, eight for coupled axial-torsional vibrations and sixteen for coupled transverse vibrations.
 A brief description will first be given of the origin of these coefficients for a propeller vibrating in an unbounded fluid at a prescribed frequency. The paper will then show how the M.I.T. unsteady lifting surface theory computer program was modified and extended in Order to automatically compute these coefficients. Example calculations are given for a controllable pitch propeller.
 The axial added mass coefficient is then chosen for detailed comparisons between empirical formulae, tests and detailed calculations. A discussion is finally given of the influence of the various assumptions, the effect of variations of the significant problem parameters and the directions in which future work must proceed to further improve the predictive capability of the developed numerical procedure.


B124 Background Folate and other one-carbon nutrients have been hypothesized to play a role in carcinogenesis. No studies have examined biomarkers for nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism and risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods We conducted a nested case-control study within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study, a prospective study of Finnish male smokers aged 50-69 years. The Finnish population does not have mandatory folic acid fortification of the food supply. Prediagnostic folate, pyridoxal 5-phosphate (vitamin B6), vitamin B12, cysteine, riboflavin and homocysteine concentrations were measured in fasting serum from 224 incident RCC cases and 224 controls. Controls were alive and cancer-free at date of case diagnosis, and were matched to cases on age and date of baseline serum collection. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for smoking, body mass index, leisure physical activity, and dietary intake of fat, protein, methionine, and energy. Results Subjects with clinically deficient folate status (≤3ng/ml) had a significantly increased RCC risk compared to subjects with adequate status (>3 ng/ml) (OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.06-2.65). When analyzed in quartiles, serum folate also was inversely associated with RCC (highest vs. lowest quartile, OR=0.67, 95% CI 0.37-1.20, P-trend=0.19). The other one-carbon metabolism biomarkers were not associated with RCC risk. An analysis that included all biomarkers showed a non-significant reduced risk for the a priori expected lowest risk profile (above the median in all biomarkers and below the median for homocysteine) compared to all other subjects (OR=0.24, CI 0.05-1.13). Restricting the analysis to cases diagnosed after at least two years of follow-up did not appreciably change the risk estimates. Conclusions Our study in male smokers suggests that inadequate folate status may be associated with an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma. This suggestive association with RCC warrants further exploration in other epidemiologic studies that include women and non-smokers. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):B124.


An analysis of major freeway incidents in Houston, Texas, was conducted. The data base analyzed was provided by the Houston Police Department solo motorcycle patrol division. This division responds to all freeway lane-blocking incidents that are expected to last more than approximately 45 minutes. Over a 7-year period between 1986 and 1992, the division documented the details of 612 major freeway incidents to which it responded. From these data, it was estimated that major freeway incidents occur in Houston at a rate of 0.68 incident per 100 million vehicle-kilometers (MVK). That is equivalent to a major incident every 147 MVK. Major incidents were nearly 3.5 times as likely to occur within the interchanges (based on vehicle-kilometers driven) as between them. Of the 612 major incidents included in the data base, 498 (81.5 percent) involved trucks only (even though large truck traffic accounts for only 7.7 percent of the total vehicle-kilometers traveled on Houston freeways). Furthermore, lost or spilled loads and truck overturns account for nearly one-half of the major incidents in Houston. Information on incident severity and duration is also presented.


Research and development of copper stabilized Nb3Al strands and cables for a high field Nb3Al common coil magnet is ongoing with the cooperation of KEK-NIMS-Fermilab. In this work, newly designed K1 and K2 strands and cables were fabricated. The Kl strand used tantalum for the inter-filament matrix only and the K2 strand used it for the entire strand matrix. Wire breakage happened on the drawing of both precursors, and it may be caused by the de-bonding of the inter-filament as well as poorer cold-workability of the tantalum itself. Non Cu Jc's at 12 T were 1,300 A/mm2 at 4.2 K and 1,600 A/mm2 at 1.9 K, an increase of about 20%. The low field magnetic instabilities at 4.2 K could be suppressed with K1 and K2 strands because of the tantalum inter-filament matrix. Similar superconducting characteristics were obtained on K1 and K2 strands. However, K2 strands showed excessive separation of the copper stabilizer when made into Rutherford cables, although Kl strands did not. The copper stabilizer prefers niobium as an interface material to obtain good bonding.


Background: Incidental T2 white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in headache patients on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may prompt concern for demyelinating disease. Objective: We reviewed brain MRI studies in patients with headaches without known demyelinating disease to determine the prevalence meeting imaging criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) using two different definitions of "juxtacortical" and "periventricular". Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing preand post-contrast MRI for headaches over a 25-month period were retrospectively identified. Exclusions included patients under age 10 and over 55 years or with known demyelinating disorder. Patients were classified as meeting: 1) Barkhof and 2) 2010 McDonald dissemination in space criteria for MS based on: FLAIR/T2 scans for WMH and enhanced T1-weighted images for enhancement. Both groups were further differentiated by defining "periventricular" and "juxtacortical" as WMH contacting ventricle and cortex (Barkhof "touching", McDonald "touching") versus WMH within 3 mm (Barkhof – 3 mm, McDonald – 3 mm). Results: 326/564 (58%) studies met inclusion criteria. WMH prevalence was 168/326 (51.53%). Barkhof "touching" criteria were met in 4/168 (2.4%) and in 12/168 (7.1%) of the 3 mm group. McDonald criteria were met in 41/168 (24.4%) for "touching" and 58/168 (34.5%) for 3 mm, respectively. Conclusion: Barkhof and McDonald criteria were met in 2.4–7.1% and 24.4–34.5%, respectively.


In Argentina, there are many sources of copper
concentrates. Some of them are currently in operation, while others are in the
exploration stage. All copper concentrates produced are exported to other
countries for copper refinement and to create various finished products. It is
desirable that in the near future, these copper concentrates be processed in an
Argentinean industrial plant. The aim of this paper was to present the
results of a characterisation study carried out on five different copper
concentrate samples. The thermal decomposition of the copper concentrates was
determined by differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry (DTA TG). The
information was correlated with the chemical composition and the mineralogical
phases of the samples identified by X-ray diffraction. A melting test at
temperatures of up to 1300℃ was performed to complete the study
of the concentrate's behaviour during heating. After the test, all of the
samples were observed by light and electronic scanning microscopy to identify
the different phases generated under high-temperature conditions.


Time-triggered execution of periodic tasks provides the cornerstone of dependable real-time systems. In addition, there is often a need for executing event-triggered activities while the system would be otherwise idle. If time-triggered and event-triggered activities exchange information among each other, the data flow must be synchronized such that reading unfinished output data is avoided. We present a lock-free solution for these synchronization issues that is based exclusively on memory load and store operations and can be implemented efficiently on embedded systems without any operating system support. We also discuss the implications of our synchronization approach for the semantics of combined time-triggered and event-triggered execution in a dependable real-time system.


The central dogma of being a 'Good Doctor' by being an expert clinician, is now evolving to be a 'multi-dimensional' new dogma of having a T-shaped personality: the ability to be an expert in one field accompanied with an ability to work in multiple factions outside one's core field. The three domains of being a 'Good Doctor' are to be an astute clinician, a passionate teacher and a distinguished researcher; in addition to being a good human being. On that note, medical education needs to evolve in terms of the content, the deliverance, and the impartment of skills that will promote innovative and evidence-based thinking, skill-based learning among medical students and budding young doctors. Today's well-trained students will form the backbone of the future of a progressive nation. The Global Association Indian Medical Students (GAIMS) was established in the year 2020. It was established with a vision to be a think tank for issues pertaining to medical education and to provide efficient education to all medical students to reach their unidentified potential, by working with government, private deemed, autonomous medical institutions and colleges, academicians and leaders. Within a year since its inception, keeping in mind the aim to encourage young medical students and doctors to publish their research works, GAIMS envisioned to have a journal of its own. Thus, The Global Journal of Medical Students (GJMS) was born. The GJMS will be a tri-annually published open-access, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, online biomedical global journal. It welcomes electronic submissions and with a fast-track peer review it aims for a rapid publication. The GJMS not only covers original research works in clinical, healthcare and biomedical research of all disciplines in medicine; but also welcomes articles related to medical education and medical ethics. The articles will be available in the "free full-text" format at the journal website (www.thegjms.org). The journal envisions achieving high standards in research impact, indexing, citations and quality author-editor interactions. The editorial board of the first volume hopes the best of research will get published in the GJMS in the years to come!


This paper considers the pure bending problem of simply supported transversely isotropic circular plates with elastic compliance coefficients being arbitrary functions of the thickness coordinate. First, the partial differential equation, which is satisfied by the stress functions for the axisymmetric deformation problem is derived. Then, stress functions are obtained by proper manipulation. The analytical expressions of axial force, bending moment and displacements are then deduced through integration. And then, stress functions are employed to solve problems of transversely isotropic functionally graded circular plate, with the integral constants completely determined from boundary conditions. An elasticity solution for pure bending problem, which coincides with the available solution when degenerated into the elasticity solutions for homogeneous circular plate, is thus obtained. A numerical example is finally presented to show the effect of material inhomogeneity on the elastic field in a simply supported circular plate of transversely isotropic functionally graded material (FGM).


Abstract  There is little research about how visitors to zoos and aquariums respond emotionally to the animals they experience. The research that does exist has seldom been informed by current psychological literature on affect, which examines the nature and roles of sentiments, moods, emotions, and affective traits. Emotion is multidimensional: it focuses on a person's core goals; directs attention and interest; arouses the body for action; and integrates social group and cultural factors. It is thus a central component of meaning-making. This article provides an overview of the literature on emotion as it applies to human emotional responses to animals. Informed by this literature, this paper presents results from a research study conducted at a zoo. Subjects (279 adults) were each electronically paged once while viewing one of three zoo animals (snake, okapi, or gorilla). Subjects completed scales on 17 specific emotions, seven items measuring evaluation and arousal, and other scales and responses to the animal. Four patterns of emotions emerged, ranging from "equal opportunity" emotions to "highly selective" emotions. The variables that were most important in influencing emotions were not demographic ones, but the kind of animal, subject's emotionality, relation to the animal, and other items predicted by emotion theory. Implications for biophilia, conservation, and the study of emotional responses to animals are discussed.


Abstract Setting the stage, or testing atmosphere, is an important step in preparing for a usability test. This article addresses how to create a good testing atmosphere. We liken this process to that of preparing the stage for a theatre or movie production. In a usability test production, usability professionals serve as directors and set designers, camouflaging the stage (lab equipment), creating a set (an appropriate workspace), recruiting performers (participants represenative of end-users), and execuitng the script (running the test). Usability professionals must attend to each of these issues because they can impact participants' performance, the flow of events, and, ultimately, data quality.


Budget consolidations in Visegrad countries, which followed European financial and debt crisis, were mainly driven by external factors such as EU fiscal governance. Since the Visegrad countries have accomplished their consolidation effort, it seems topical to study their experience and assess the efficiency of consolidation measures. Involving descriptive statistical analysis, the authors posit that supranational impact on national budgets of Visegrad countries was quite efficient, as all economies concerned have accomplished a relatively sizeable fiscal consolidation. This happened largely due to the fact that the governments did not intend to lose vast amounts of funds from the EU budget. Such an option was quite feasible as a part of possible sanctions related to excessive deficit. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic run different consolidations as to scale, structure and measures taken, though one could highlight some similarities. On the one hand, consolidations were to a great extent carried out through the means of indirect taxation, because they have a less distortive nature, given the structural characteristics of countries at issue. On the other hand, the governments refrained from raising direct taxes due to their distortive character. Hungary was the only country, which took some active measures in the field of corporate taxation, and subsequently suffered from drop in tax collection. The Visegrad countries did cut government expenditures, but strived to use the most effective instruments such as curbing employment in public sector. Further, there were some subsidiary factors at place that influenced consolidation pace. For example, three of four Visegrad countries are not members of a currency union, which inter alia contributed to monetizing government debt. At the same time, some measures taken by the countries, were of a quite formal nature. For instance, Hungary totally nationalized pension system in order to increase budget revenues. Nevertheless, all Visegrad countries reached deficit target without any revolutionary changes to main fiscal aggregates, which means that consolidations were at least nominally effective. However, cumulative deficit change was not fully accompanied by lowering debt and was by several times less than cumulative transfers from the EU budget. At the same time the budget consolidations in Visegrad countries could be called efficient as GDP growth rates restored, as did investors' confidence and exports.


The Web public-key infrastructure (PKI) provides a mechanism to identify websites to end users for the purposes of encrypted communication. The security of the Web PKI primarily relies on certification authorities (CAs), trusted parties whose misbehavior can enable man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks: the impersonation of websites to users, followed by the theft or modification of sensitive information. While many methods of addressing CA misbehavior have been proposed, no solution has been both effective and practical: able to protect websites users against C misbehavior and to be easily deployed and used by all parties involved. Thus, despite more than two decades of research advances, the Web PKI remains largely vulnerable to misbehaving CAs.In this thesis, I argue that we can use minimal changes to existing technology to build deployable solutions thatreduce the rate of successful MITM attacks in the Web PKI. Specifically, I present three projects that exemplifyeffective and practical approaches to improving the Web PKI. In IKP, I use the Ethereum cryptocurrency and smartcontract platform to build an insurance-like mechanism that disincentivizes CA misbehavior. In CAPS, I use twoglobal monitoring and logging systems, CT and Censys, to build a system that strengthens the existing PKI againstmisbehaving CAs and enables the secure incremental deployment of new and improved PKIs for theWeb. In SAINT, I use the SCION future Internet architecture to propose a PKI that unifies public-key authentication for naming, routing, and end-entity public keys in a federated environment, and identify challenges and desired properties in such an environment. Through this work, I provide a first step towards making a more resilient Web PKI a reality.


The effectiveness of ionizing radiations in damaging the DNA particle, as determined by the number of primary ionizations in the volume occupied by each particle, which is required to reduce the intrinsic viscosity to half its original value has been determined over a range of concentrations from 0⋅01 to 100%. The different specimens of DNA employed differ considerably in sensitivity, but with each specimen the number of ionizations required is approximately constant from 1 to 100%. This means that over this range of concentration an ionization occurring in the water has the same effect as one within the DNA particle. The differences of sensitivity of the different samples are probably due to traces of protein contamination and disappear at the greater dilutions. The effects were independent of the dose rate and of the hardness of the radiations within the ranges used and identical effects were obtained with electrons and X-rays.


Background and Aim: The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) maintains the airway under anesthesia through spontaneous breathing technique without the need of endotracheal intubations. Although routine LMA supports an adequate tracheal airway, the classic method had some limitations and problems. In this study, we compared the results of the two methods of (new and classic) LMA. Patients and Methods: The study was a double blind randomized clinical trial. Patients who were candidates for ophthalmology surgery were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomly divided in to two groups: routine (classic) and new LMA methods of intubation approach. Ease of insertion, local bleeding, postoperative sore throat and hemodynamic changes during operation in the two groups were assessed. In this study Chi-square and t-tests were used for comparing the two groups. SPSS V.13 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two methods in regard to the ease of insertion. Also sore throat and bleeding were not seen in any of the two groups. Hemodynamic changes during operation between the groups were not significant. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures did not show any significant differences in the two groups. Conclusion: Our finding showed that the new method of LMA was similar in regard to complications and ease of insertion to the classic method and can be used for reducing contamination with discharges and secretions of patients


Aim In 2007 the National Patient Safety Agency issued an alert entitled 'Safer Use of Injectable Medicines'. In response to this alert a number of hospitals have set up Centralised Intravenous Additive Services (CIVAS) to provide ready to use syringes for commonly prescribed intravenous (IV) medications to the wards. It offers a number of advantages including: saving nursing time, reducing risk of calculation and manipulation errors, improving infection prevention and control and leading to potential cost saving (vial sharing). A recent audit in our hospital identified 20% of wastage of ready to use syringes associated with significant cost. One way in which to address the issue is produce batches of ready to use syringes of dose banded antimicrobial. Also, the Peadiatric Sepsis 6 Initiative states that intravenous antibiotics should be given to the patients within the hour. Dose-banded antimicrobial preparation could also assist the paediatric emergency department to reduce the patient's wait. The aims of the study was to review the current practice of other paedatric hospitals in order to analyze the feasibility of introducing batch production of dose-banded antimicrobials. Method We conducted a 20-question survey sent from the 18th of February until the 7th of April 2021 to the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacy Group (NPPG), French Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SFPC), European Association of Hospital Pharmacy (EAHP) and other hospital pharmacists from Belgium and Switzerland. Results Forty-eight pharmacists from 44 paediatric hospitals and 8 different country participated to the survey. Seventeen (36%) were from the United Kingdom, n=16 (32.7%) from France, n=7 (14.3%) from Belgium, n=4 (8.2%) from Switzerland, n=1 (2%) from Canada, n=1 (2%) from Finland, n=1 (2%) from Ireland and n=1 (2%) from Russia. Almost all the participants have heard about dose banding before (n=45; 94%). Only n=13 (31%) hospitals prescribed medications with dose bands such as IV chemotherapies (n=27; 64.3%), antimicrobials (n=9; 21.4%) and other type of drugs (n=6; 14.3%). The dose banded antimicrobials were cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, piperacillin/tazobactam and benzylpenicillin. Almost all of the participants agreed that it could reduce prescription errors (n=37; 77.1%), save nursing time (n=37; 77.1%) or reduce wastage by reassigning the syringe to another patient (n=32; 66.7%). On the other hand, n=13 (27.1%) participants thought dose banding can expose to risks of drug inefficacy or toxicity by not giving the exact dose (milligram-per-weight) and n=8 (16.7%) thought it can increase wastage (because of the batch production and the expiry date). Only 13 hospitals (29%) prepared some antimicrobial in the centralized aseptic unit with milligram-per-weight doses. Conclusion Some paediatric hospitals have experienced dose banding for IV antimicrobials such as cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, piperacillin/tazobactam and benzylpenicillin. The participants of the survey thought that it was very attractive in order to reduce wastage and the prescription errors. On the other hand, there was no paediatric hospitals currently producing batches of IV antimicrobials in the CIVAS. Introducing batches of dose banded antimicrobials will needs further studies about time and cost saving as well as stability of some IV antimicrobials syringes.


Single document summarization generates summary by extracting the representative sentences from the document. In this paper, we presented a novel technique for summarization of domain-specific text from a single web document that uses statistical and linguistic analysis on the text in a reference corpus and the web document. The proposed summarizer uses the combinational function of Sentence Weight (SW) and Subject Weight (SuW) to determine the rank of a sentence, where SW is the function of number of terms (tn) and number of words (wn) in a sentence, and term frequency (if) in the corpus and SuW is the function of tn and wn in a subject, and tr in the corpus. 30 percent of the ranked sentences are considered to be the summary of the web document. We generated three web document summaries using our technique and compared each of them with the summaries developed manually from 16 different human subjects. Results showed that 68 percent of the summaries produced by our approach satisfy the manual summaries.


Let M be an embedded submanifold of a complete Riemannian manifold V. If M is a closed subset, then it must also be complete. However, the converse is false, even if V is Rn. The situation is quite different for spacelike hypersurfaces in Lorentz manifolds. It is shown that for f:Mn to Ln+1, a spacelike immersion into Minkowski space, if f induces a complete metric on M then f(M) is closed; indeed, f is an embedding, and f(M) is an achronal graph over any spacelike hyperplane. Conversely, it is shown that for Vn+1 a b-complete Lorentz manifold and f:Mn to Vn+1, a spacelike immersion with bounded principal curvatures, if f is proper (e.g. a closed embedding) then it induces a complete metric on M.


The aim of this paper was to offer an analytical view about the working of the batterer intervention programs which have been opened for the psycho-educational intervention of men that used the violence toward their partner or ex-partner. This essay was organized in two broad thematic areas. First, it was explained the working into the batterer intervention programs, as reference the experience of three countries (Spain, Costa Rica and Chile) were used. Also, in this section was presented the limitation and potentiality observed in these programs. The second part of this paper was a reflection about the implications to the multidisciplinary practice.


[purpose] Gastric carcinoma is one of the most frequent causes of cancer death. Various kinds of solid tumor including gastric cancer have heterogeneously a hypoxic environment. In gastric cancers, the hypoxia reported to develop their malignant potential. Cancer cell under hypoxic condition show resistance against various types of therapies. The poor outcome is, however, not only due to the resistance to treatment but also to the more aggressive behavior of cancer cells. Hypoxia selects tumor cells with a reduced apoptotic potential and angiogenic phenotype, which invade the surrounding tissue and easily metastasize due to the activation of matrix metalloproteinases. CA-9 (originally named MN) is a member of the α-family of carbonic anhydrases of zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid. The purpose of our study was to clarify significance of the hypoxia in gastric carcinoma using of CA-9. [materials and methods] A total of 265 patients who had undergone a resection of the primary tumor and were confirmed histologically to have sporadic gastric cancer, were enrolled in this study. Tumor specimens were fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution and embedded in paraffin. The expression of CA-9 was immunohistochemically determined using the antibodies against CA-9 proteins. CA-9 immunostaining was scored as 0 for 0%, 1+ for 1-20%, 2+ for 21-50%, and 3+ for >50%, taking into account the percentage of cells showing membrane in all pieces of specimen from each patient mounted in one slide. Correlation of CA-9 expression and clinic-pathologic features was statistically analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher9s exact test. [results] The CA-9 expression was positive in 88 (33%) of 265 gastric carcinomas. The CA-9 expression level was significantly high in type 4 tumors (60%, p [conclusion] Hypoxia might be associated with aggressive tumor phenotypes of gastric carcinomas. The hypoxic marker, CA-9, may be a useful prognostic indicator. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 445.


Abstract A high-speed slitless spectrograph has been used to record photographically with 9 μs resolution the spectral emissions from five dart leaders. All occurred in the same lightning flash which produced at least 13 return strokes. Dart leader spectral emissions in the 398-510 nm region are characterized by singlyionized nitrogen (NII) emissions. These emissions from a 13 m isolated section of the channel decrease in intensity after the passage of the dart. They are, however, continuously recorded between the dart and return stroke spectra. Three dart temperatures are calculated to be approximately 20,000 K±10%. Five dart velocities are calculated; one value (3.4×107 m s−1±20%), exceeds the highest value previously reported in the literature (2.3×107 m s−1). The relative intensity ratio of the return stroke to the dart in the isolated channel section is measured to be 8–9±15% in these data.


Between 1967 and 1978, 152 Algerian patients (31 children and 121 adults) with Hodgkin's disease were treated with the mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone combination (MOPP) alone and without radiotherapy. They were separated without lymphography into limited stage (n = 37) and extensive (n = 115) stage. The high initial failure rate (54%) was principally due to inadequate symptomatic treatment and to the patients' low socio-economic status. The complete remission rate was 45% (54% for limited stages; 42% for extensive stages) and significantly higher in women (58%) than in men (37%). In 20/23 cases relapses occurred during the first 4 years of complete remission; however, the final relapse was observed during the 12th year of complete remission. The actuarial relapse rate at 15 years was 48%. The long-term (10-15 years) life expectancy was 31% overall and 70% in cases with complete remission. Prognosis was significantly better in patients with limited forms and/or without systemic symptoms.


The manifestation of Perthes disease after succesfully treated lymphoblastic leukemia is extremely rare. At the first signs of a femoral head necrosis--sonsidering the basic disease--and after cortisone treatment one has to think of a possible femoral head necrosis. It has been observed by several authors after long-term cortison therapy. The case of a 7 year old boy with Perthes disease after acute lymphatic leukemia is demonstrated. After treatment with chemotherapy, cortisone and radiation of the head he was free of pain for 2 years, then the Perthes disease became manifest with a deformed femural head. It could be cured but operation is necessary now or at the latest after termination of growth. In the case there seems to be no connexion between cortisone treatment and the manifestation of Perthes disease. It is more probable that this developed independently of the basic disease and its successful treatment because of the unilateral affection of the hip joint and the interval between treatment of leukemia and manifestion of the first symptoms of Perthes disease.


ABSTRACT The cell reproduction of Mycoplasma capricolum was studied. The velocity of DNA replication fork progression was about 6 kb/min, which is 10 times slower than that of Escherichia coli. The time required for one round of DNA replication accorded with the doubling time. The origin/terminus ratio was 2.0. M. capricolum cell morphology was classified into two types, rod and branched. In the ordinary-growth phase, the rod cells accounted for about 90% of the total population, with branched cells comprising the remaining 10%. The proportion of branched cells increased to 90% following inhibition of DNA replication by nucleoside starvation. An increase in the proportion of branched cells was induced by transfer of a temperature-sensitive mutant deficient in DNA replication to the restrictive temperature. The rod cells had a regular structure, a fixed cell length, and constrictions in the center. The DNA contents of individual rod cells were distributed with a standard deviation of 0.40 of average. The branched cells had irregular structures and a wide distribution of DNA contents. Counting of viable cells revealed that the cells ceased division upon cell type conversion; however, branched cells maintained a reproductive capacity. A model for the reproduction process is proposed.


The many different clinical imaging modalities used in diagnosis and therapy deliver two different types of information: morphological and functional. Clinical interpretation can be assisted and enhanced by combining such information (e.g. superimposition or fusion). The handling of such data needs to be performed in 3-D. Various methods for registration developed by other authors are reviewed and compared. Many of these are based on registering external reference markers, and are cumbersome and present significant problems to both patients and operators. Internal markers have also been used, but these may be very difficult to identify. Alternatively, methods based on the external surface of an object have been developed which eliminate some of the problems associated with the other methods. Thus the methods which have been extended, developed, and described here, are based primarily on the fitting of surfaces, as determined from images obtained from the different modalities to be registered. Annex problems to that of the surface fitting are those of surface detection and display. Some segmentation and surface reconstruction algorithms have been developed to identify the surface to be registered. Surface and volume rendering algorithms have also been implemented to facilitate the display of clinical results. An iterative surface fitting algorithm has been developed based on the minimization of a least squares distance (LSD) function, using the Powell method and alternative minimization algorithms. These algorithms and the qualities of fit so obtained were intercompared. Some modifications were developed to enhance the speed of convergence, to improve the accuracy, and to enhance the display of results during the process of fitting. A common problem with all such methods was found to be the choice of the starting point (the initial transformation parameters) and the avoidance of local minima which often require manual operator intervention. The algorithm was modified to apply a global minimization by using a cumulative distance error in a sequentially terminated process in order to speed up the time of evaluating of each search location. An extension of the algorithm into multi-resolution (scale) space was also implemented. An initial global search is performed at coarse resolution for the 3-D surfaces of both modalities where an appropriate threshold is defined to reject likely mismatch transformations by testing of only a limited subset of surface points. This process is used to define the set of points in the transformation space to be used for the next level of resolution, again with appropriately chosen threshold levels, and continued down to the finest resolution level. All these processes were evaluated using sets of well defined image models. The assessment of this algorithm for 3-D surface registration of data from (3-D) MRI with MRI, MRI with PET, MRI with SPECT, and MRI with CT data is presented, and clinical examples are illustrated and assessed. In the current work, the data from multi-modality imaging of two different types phantom (e.g. Hoffman brain phantom, Jaszczak phantom), thirty routinely imaged patients and volunteer subjects, and ten patients with setting external markers on their head were used to assess and verify 3-D registration. The accuracy of the sequential multi-resolution method obtained by the distance values of 4-10 selected reference points on each data set gave an accuracy of 1.44±0.42 mm for MR-MR, 1.82±0.65 for MR-CT, 2.38±0.88 for MR-PET, and 3.17±1.12 for MR-SPECT registration. The cost of this process was determined to be of the order of 200 seconds (on a Micro-VAX II), although this is highly dependent on some adjustable parameters of the process (e.g. threshold and the size of the geometrical transformation space) by which the accuracy is aimed.


Ongoing work with first and second-year medical students suggests that American medical culture is characterized by a juxtaposition of notions of "competence" and "caring," and that the training of students to be competent physicians requires a reconstruction of "common sense" views of the patient, of sickness, and of the personal boundaries of the medical student. Contradictions that arise from efforts to maintain qualities of caring while undergoing these changes are highlighted.


Discourse markers (DMs) appear in a quite high frequency in both spoken and written language. Moreover, they are not only cohesive devices but also tools which help convey language users' intentions to their discourse. Research into DMs is, nevertheless, still rare regarding the use of English DMs by Vietnamese writers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the use of English DMs in business news articles by Vietnamese male and female journalists. To that end, 80 business news articles written in English by Vietnamese journalists were chosen. Kopple's (1985) [1], Fung's (2003) [2], and Fraser's (1996, 1999) [3-4] theoretical frameworks are adapted for data analysis. It was found that both Vietnamese male and female employed English DMs in their writing in a similar way. Female journalists were, nevertheless, found to employ the interpersonal functions of the used English DMs more than their counterparts.


Abstract Purpose Validation of dosimetry software, such as Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport codes used for patient‐specific absorbed dose estimation, is critical prior to their use in clinical decision making. However, direct experimental validation in the clinic is generally not performed for low/medium‐energy beta emitters used in radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) due to the challenges of measuring energy deposited by short‐range particles. Our objective was to design a practical phantom geometry for radiochromic film (RF)‐based absorbed dose measurements of beta‐emitting radionuclides and perform experiments to directly validate our in‐house developed Dose Planning Method (DPM) MC code dedicated to internal dosimetry. Methods The experimental setup was designed for measuring absorbed dose from beta emitters that have a range sufficiently penetrating to ∼200 μm in water as well as to capture any photon contributions to absorbed dose. Assayed 177Lu and 90Y liquid sources, 13–450 MBq estimated to deliver 0.5–10 Gy to the sensitive layer of the RF, were injected into the cavity of two 3D‐printed half‐cylinders that had been sealed with 12.7 μm or 25.4 μm thick Kapton Tape. A 3.8 × 6 cm strip of GafChromic EBT3 RF was sandwiched between the two taped half‐cylinders. After 2–48 h exposures, films were retrieved and wipe tested for contamination. Absorbed dose to the RF was measured using a commercial triple‐channel dosimetry optimization method and a calibration generated via 6 MV photon beam. Profiles were analyzed across the central 1 cm2 area of the RF for validation. Eleven experiments were completed with 177Lu and nine with 90Y both in saline and a bone equivalent solution. Depth dose curves were generated for 177Lu and 90Y stacking multiple RF strips between a single filled half‐cylinder and an acrylic backing. All experiments were modeled in DPM to generate voxelized MC absorbed dose estimates. We extended our study to benchmark general purpose MC codes MCNP6 and EGSnrc against the experimental results as well. Results A total of 20 experiments showed that both the 3D‐printed phantoms and the final absorbed dose values were reproducible. The agreement between the absorbed dose estimates from the RF measurements and DPM was on average −4.0% (range −10.9% to 3.2%) for all single film 177Lu experiments and was on average −1.0% (range −2.7% to 0.7%) for all single film 90Y experiments. Absorbed depth dose estimates by DPM agreed with RF on average 1.2% (range −8.0% to 15.2%) across all depths for 177Lu and on average 4.0% (range −5.0% to 9.3%) across all depths for 90Y. DPM absorbed dose estimates agreed with estimates from EGSnrc and MCNP across the board, within 4.7% and within 3.4% for 177Lu and 90Y respectively, for all geometries and across all depths. MC showed that absorbed dose to RF from betas was greater than 92% of the total (betas + other radiations) for 177Lu, indicating measurement of dominant beta contribution with our design. Conclusions The reproducible results with a RF insert in a simple phantom designed for liquid sources demonstrate that this is a reliable setup for experimentally validating dosimetry algorithms used in therapies with beta‐emitting unsealed sources. Absorbed doses estimated with the DPM MC code showed close agreement with RF measurement and with results from two general purpose MC codes, thereby validating the use of this algorithms for clinical RPT dosimetry.


We present a review of the different methods currently developed to determine the deflection of light rays due to gravity. The aim of these methods is primarily to calculate the angular distances with an accuracy of the order of microarcsecond.


Background : Most urban and peri-urban farmers in Kenya use untreated wastewater to irrigate crops. The vegetables irrigated with this water may accumulate unsafe levels of pharmaceutically active compounds. This poses a health concern to the consumers because of the known health problems such as antimicrobial resistance that may arise from gradual un-intended exposure of the body to antibiotics over prolonged spans of time. The presence of antibiotic residues in the vegetables may lead to initiation of bacterial resistance to the drugs due to the unintended long exposure from the environment. Unlike pesticides used on agricultural land, antibiotics have not aroused attention as potential pollutants until fairly recently. There are no reports on levels of antibiotic residues in untreated wastewater and vegetables in Kenya. This study aimed to determine the concentration of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in untreated waste water and vegetables irrigated with the untreated waste water in Ruai and Njiru suburb farms. Methods : Untreated wastewater and vegetables were collected during the dry season from various sites in Ruai and Njiru from small scale farms along Ngong River. The samples underwent solvent extraction pre-analysis. The antibiotic residues were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Results : In the untreated wastewater sulfamethoxazole (SMX) concentration ranged from 62.09 to 88.66 ng/kg while the levels of trimethoprim ranged from 24/71 to 24.99 ng/kg. The vegetables TMP concentration ranged from 2.16 to 15.45 ng/kg while the sulfamethoxazole levels ranged from 4.93-22.64 ng/kg. Conclusion : The wastewater used for irrigation was contaminated with the antibiotics sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. These antibiotics detected in the untreated wastewater were also present in the vegetable and therefore it can be concluded that it is not safe to consume vegetables contaminated with the antibiotic even though it is in small quantities because it will lead to undue exposure and tolerenca build-up by microbes resulting in resistance to the drugs that have residues in the environment.


The current study was undertaken to evaluate Salmonella contamination in retail pork at major village markets of the Tai'an region, China. In total, 200 retail pork samples were collected from four village markets between June 2015 and February 2016, of which 69 samples (34.5%) were determined to be positive for Salmonella. Eleven serotypes were identified from the 69 Salmonella isolates, and Salmonella Derby was the most common (18 of 69, 26.1%), followed by Typhimurium (17 of 69, 24.6%) and Meleagridis (11 of 69, 15.9%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that antimicrobial resistance against tetracycline was the most prevalent (42 of 69, 60.9%), but antimicrobial resistance against both ceftriaxone and cefotaxime was 1.4% (1 of 69) and 2.9% (2 of 69), respectively. Multilocus sequence typing revealed that the 69 Salmonella isolates were divided into 11 sequence types (STs), among which ST40 (18 of 69, 26.1%) was the most common, followed by ST34 (15 of 69, 21.7%) and ST64 (13 of 69, 18.8%). Collectively, retail pork at village markets in the Tai'an region has a high Salmonella contamination rate, and these isolates exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial resistance. However, the absence of a dominant ST demonstrates that the Salmonella isolates from retail pork may be of diverse origins.