Abstract. The increased interest in subsurface development (e.g., unconventional hydrocarbon, deep geothermal, waste disposal) and the associated (triggered or induced) seismicity calls for a better understanding of the hydro-seismo-mechanical coupling in fractured rock masses. Being able to bridge the knowledge gap between laboratory and reservoir scales, controllable meso-scale in situ experiments are deemed indispensable. In an effort to access and instrument rock masses of hectometer size, the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies ('Bedretto Lab') was established in 2018 in the existing Bedretto Tunnel (Ticino, Switzerland), with an average overburden of 1000 m. In this paper, we introduce the Bedretto Lab, its general setting and current status. Combined geological, geomechanical and geophysical methods were employed in a hectometer-scale rock mass explored by several boreholes to characterize the in situ conditions and internal structures of the rock volume. The rock volume features three distinct units, with the middle fault zone sandwiched by two relatively intact units. The middle fault zone unit appears to be a representative feature of the site, as similar structures repeat every several hundreds of meters along the tunnel. The lithological variations across the characterization boreholes manifest the complexity and heterogeneity of the rock volume, and are accompanied by compartmentalized hydrostructures and significant stress rotations. With this complexity, the characterized rock volume is considered characteristic of the heterogeneity that is typically encountered in subsurface exploration and development. The Bedretto Lab can adequately serve as a test-bed that allows for in-depth study of the hydro-seismo-mechanical response of fractured crystalline rock masses.


A novel sample temperature control system for field ion microscopy (FIM), field electron microscopy (FEM), and atom probe techniques based on wireless data transmission was designed, built, and applied for FIM and FEM studies of surface reactions. The system solves the longstanding problem of the temperature control of micrometer- to nanometer-sized samples during the operation in field emission based techniques. The new system can also be used for other applications requiring the specimen to be under high electric potential (tens of kilovolts or even higher). The chosen case studies of nanocatalysis demonstrate the capabilities and superior performance of the new temperature control system.


Summary Decandrinin (1), an unprecedented C9-spiro-fused 7,8-seco-ent-abietane, was obtained from the bark of an Indian mangrove, Ceriops decandra, collected in the estuary of Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. The constitution and the relative configuration of 1 were determined by HRMS (ESI) and extensive NMR investigations, and the absolute configuration by circular dichroism (CD) and optical-rotatory dispersion (ORD) spectroscopy in combination with quantum-chemical calculations. Decandrinin is the first 7,8-seco-ent-abietane.


A cascading Brillouin random fiber laser with a dual pump (DP-CBRFL) is proposed and demonstrated. The DP-CBRFL can improve the Brillouin gain significantly to achieve an ultra-narrow linewidth (95.5 Hz) with 200 mW pump power, due to two cascading Brillouin gain fibers with an identical Brillouin frequency shift. Compared with the general Brillouin random fiber laser, the proposed random fiber laser has a more stable Brillouin gain spectrum and a lower mode density, which makes it have a lower intensity noise and frequency noise, especially in the low-frequency range. Meanwhile, it exhibits a high slope efficiency of 28% even if the pump power has reached 1.1 W due to the strong suppression ability of the high-order Stokes light.


Latina/o emerging adults living in southern states may be especially at risk of being disproportionately affected by HIV. In 2015, Latina/os aged 20 to 24 accounted for 14.7% of all 20-24-year old's living with HIV in southern states, despite the fact that 20 to 24-year-olds make up 3.7% of the region's overall population of individuals living with HIV (CDC, 2016; U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Specifically, there continues to be groups of Latina/o emerging adults who do not use condoms when they are sexually active and who are not using condoms consistently. Condom use literature suggests that relationship factors, such as power dynamics and dating violence (DV) victimization, can play an essential role in Latina/o emerging adults' attitudes towards condoms and condom use behaviors. Hence, there is a continued need for studies focused on identifying factors that serve as barriers to and supports for southern-residing, Latina/o emerging adults' condom use behaviors. To this end, 196 Latina/o emerging adults (59 males, 137 females) completed a survey that asked questions about their sexual attitudes, behaviors, intentions, cultural factors, and DV. This study sought to examine the inter-relations among Latina/o emerging adult's DV experiences (i.e., victimization, perpetration), cultural factors (i.e., acculturation, traditional gender roles (TGRs), familismo), and condom use outcomes (i.e., attitudes toward condoms, condom use efficacy, condom use negotiation efficacy). Second, it sought to investigate whether biological sex and cultural factors moderated the relationship between DV experiences and condom use outcomes. Bivariate correlations revealed a number of associations between the variables and regressions analyses suggest that adherence to TGRs significantly affected whether or not females had perpetrated or experienced DV. Further, biological sex was found to moderate the relationship between DV perpetration and condom use negotiation efficacy and DV perpetration and Attitudes towards condoms such that the effect is stronger for Latinos compared to Latinas. Lastly, familismo beliefs was identified as an exacerbator, such that the positive relationship between DV victimization and condom use efficacy is particularly strong for individuals who possess higher familismo beliefs than those with lower familismo beliefs. This study's finding of Latina's increasing condom use negotiation efficacy among Latina's that perpetrate DV sheds insight into the possibility of Latinas utilizing physical violence as a method of achieving a balance of power and sexual control in a romantic relationship to protect themselves against STIs. Given this, future researchers should longitudinally investigate the nuances in DV perpetration and victimization behaviors among emerging adults with an emphasis on relationship power dynamics in heterosexual relationships among Latina/os.


In this work, we describe the structure of a course that was given to physics teacher students at the end of their master's degree at a German University. The course was designed to provide opportunities for students to learn about the interplay between mathematics and physics from a historical and philosophical perspective as well as to expand students' repertoire of explanations regarding possible ways to derive certain school relevant equations. The course design was evaluated with a multi method approach. Here we offer a first impression of how this course was perceived by our students and in what regards they were able to benefit from it. It seems encouraging that, based on a case study, our course was able to help students to change their conceptions about the role of equations as intended.


The effect of immobilization stress was studied in rats in which the CRF and arginine vasopressin-containing innervation of the median eminence was destroyed by an anterolateral cut (ALC) around the medial basal hypothalamus. One week after surgery, the rats with ALC were subjected to immobilization and they showed a normal rise in plasma corticosterone, a smaller than normal rise of plasma ACTH, and an increased response of plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine. When in rats with an ALC the response of plasma catecholamines was prevented by guanethidine pretreatment and adrenal enucleation the small rise in plasma ACTH was unchanged during immobilization. In addition, the plasma corticosterone and ACTH rises during immobilization in the rats with ALC were not influenced by prior treatment with phentolamine (2.5 mg/kg ip) or propranolol (2.5 mg/kg ip). These findings suggest that the large rises in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels during immobilization do not contribute to changes in plasma ACTH or corticosterone levels when hypothalamic regulation via CRF and/or arginine vasopressin is interrupted by ALC.


The severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to be characterized by the shift of the middle line in brain as the ventricular system often changes in size and position, depending on the location of the original injury. In this thesis, the focus is given to processing of the CT (Computer Tomography) brain images to automatically calculate midline shift in pathological cases and use it to predict Intracranial Pressure (ICP). The midline shift measurement can be divided into three steps. First the ideal midline of the brain, i.e., the midline before injury, is found via a hierarchical search based on skull symmetry and tissue features. Second, the ventricular system is segmented from the brain CT slices. Third, the actual midline is estimated from the deformed ventricles by shape matching method. The horizontal shift in the ventricles is then calculated based on the ideal midline and the actual midline in TBI CT images. The proposed method presents accurate detection of the ideal midline using anatomical features in the skull, accurate segmentation of ventricles for actual midline estimation using the information of anatomical features with a spatial template derived from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, and an accurate estimation of the actual midline based on the robust proposed multiple regions shape matching algorithm. After the midline shift is successively measured, features including midline shift, texture information of CT images, as well as other demographic information are used to predict ICP. Machine learning algorithms are used to model the relation between the ICP and the extracted features. By using systematic feature selection and parameter selection of the learning model, promising results on ICP prediction are achieved. The prediction results also indicate the reliability of the proposed midline shift estimation.


Farmers need to select cattle into final slaughter groups in advance. Traditionally combinations of live weight and eye appraisal are used to make these selections. To improve this process, live weight, length from withers to top of tail, width across hook bones and depth from brisket level behind shoulder to top of withers were measured at 3-monthly intervals on Angus steers from 8 to 30 months of age. Of all the individual measurements, previous live weight predicted end weight better than any single body measurement. This was improved by including other body measurements selected using stepwise regressions. Although no particular combination of measurements was best for all time periods the results showed that length, width and body depth added value to current live weight as selection criteria for drafting steers into final slaughter time herds.


Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more strategic manner for containment of a disease It requires a lot of planning for implementation depending upon the burden of disease, resources to carry out the same in a stringent manner Benefits and outcomes need to be measured carefully while imposing quarantine especially of a larger scale We have tried to put up the rationale behind the current quarantine measure carried out in the wake of COVID 19 and factors to keep in mind for the future © 2020, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine All rights reserved


Graphitic carbon nitrides are investigated for developing highly durable Pt electrocatalyst supports for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Three different graphitic carbon nitride materials were synthesized with the aim to address the effect of crystallinity, porosity, and composition on the catalyst support properties: polymeric carbon nitride (gCNM), poly(triazine) imide carbon nitride (PTI/Li+Cl–), and boron-doped graphitic carbon nitride (B-gCNM). Following accelerated corrosion testing, all graphitic carbon nitride materials are found to be more electrochemically stable compared to conventional carbon black (Vulcan XC-72R) with B-gCNM support showing the best stability. For the supported catalysts, Pt/PTI-Li+Cl– catalyst exhibits better durability with only 19% electrochemical surface area (ECSA) loss versus 36% for Pt/Vulcan after 2000 scans. Superior methanol oxidation activity is observed for all graphitic carbon nitride supported Pt catalysts on the basis of the catalyst ECSA.


Background:Although the presence of racial and ethnic disparities in nursing home care has been established, there is no work to date examining the relationship between race and government-cited nursing home deficiencies. Deficiencies are evaluations of poor quality made by state surveyors under the federal nursing home certification regulations. Objective:The objective of this study was to examine whether blacks and other minority elders are disproportionately admitted to high-deficiency nursing homes. Research Design:This observational study used a merged file containing individual-level data from the Nursing Home Component of the 1996 Medical Expenditures Panel Study (MEPS) and facility-level quality information from the Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting System. Subjects:The subjects were a 1996 nationally representative sample of 2690 nursing home admissions from the MEPS. Measures:The key variables of interest were the race and ethnicity of newly admitted nursing home residents and the facility's count of government-assigned deficiency citations. Results:Controlling for individual, facility, and market characteristics, blacks were disproportionately admitted to nursing homes with a higher number of deficiencies. In a model that controlled for resident and home characteristics, blacks were admitted to nursing homes that exceeded the mean state deficiency level by 1.32. Conclusions:Policymakers might wish to consider initiatives that provide better quality information to black nursing home consumers, and, to the extent that black consumers lack choice, provide greater resources and better oversight of facilities that care for predominantly black residents.


This article examines the use of Chinese medicine in Taiwan. Based on a national sample survey, the authors investigated how Chinese medicine is being used and factors that are associated with its use among the Taiwanese. Results of the study suggest that Chinese medicine use among this population depends on health conditions, and that having a regular source of care for Chinese medicine as well as a preference for Chinese medicine are two predictors for its use. Policies on the integration of Chinese medicine or other traditional medicine into the modern healthcare system are recommended.


This paper discusses the properties of triglycine sulfate (TGS) crystals doped with urea and L-a-alanine. Pyroelectric coefficient and dielectric constants and Curie temperature are increased with these two additions. Infrared spectrum and dielectric loss of UrLATGS are measured. It is more suitable for infrared pyroelectric detectors than undoped TGS crystals.


Local Mentor: Sam Cullison, MD APGO Advisor: John L. Dalrymple, MD PURPOSE: To determine if the incorporation of team-based learning into an OBGYN residency affects performance on in-training examinations. BACKGROUND: Residents at our institution spend more time on general obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). However, their scores on in-training examinations in these subject areas are lower than in the subspecialties. To improve knowledge in general OBGYN as measured by performance on the examination, team-based learning (TBL) was introduced. METHODS: Since July 2014, teams complete assignments prior to TBL sessions on general OBGYN topics. At the start of each session, residents take a readiness assessment test prior to applying knowledge through clinical scenarios. As these scenarios are discussed, test questions are reviewed for correct answers. OBGYN subject area scores from the in-training examination taken in January 2014 were compared to scores in 2015. Pre- and post-examination surveys were taken to assess attitudes toward TBL and perceived examination preparedness. RESULTS: Twelve residents participated in TBL sessions (3/year × 4). Total scores for all PGY levels improved after TBL was introduced, with the greatest improvement noted from PGY1 to PGY2 (57.3, SD 3.2 versus 62.7, SD 3.1). Scores from 3 years prior showed similar improvements. Among OBGYN subject areas, scores were higher in gynecology for all 4 PGY levels after TBL was introduced. More residents felt TBL better prepared them for the examination when surveyed before the examination compared to after (11 versus 8 residents). DISCUSSION: A TBL curriculum improved resident knowledge as measured on the in-service examination in gynecology, making TBL a useful tool in the armamentarium of resident educators.


This paper presents the results of an ongoing study into the potential role of mobile or wireless health applications for targeting the prevention of excessive gestational weight gain in pregnant lower-income American women. Informed by a qualitative study of pregnant women's experiences, we develop a set of design requirements for designing mobile health (mHealth) interventions related to healthy pregnancies. We identify a disconnection between physical activity and food tracking application design paradigms, and the reality of pregnant women's lives and capacities. We introduce the concept of an individualized pregnancy ecology, which provides an alternative paradigm for design of health and wellness management tools for lower-income pregnant women.


In the Netherlands, the Delta Programme aspires to adjust spatial planning climate-proof and water-resilient, in order to be prepared for extreme weather in 2050. To achieve this ambition, municipalities, provinces, regional water authorities and central governments conduct stress tests to map out the vulnerabilities in their areas of authority by no later than 2019. The stress tests comprise four themes: pluvial flooding, drought, heat and floods. In addition, the Delta Programme 2019 acknowledges the mitigation of and adaptation to land subsidence as an important tasking. The municipality of Rotterdam faces the challenge of adding land subsidence as stress test theme and assessing its influence on pluvial flooding. Contrary to the stress test pluvial flooding, no consended methodology exist on how to map out vulnerabilities concerning land subsidence. In addition, only few studies have numerically investigated the spatial-temporal effect of land subsidence on pluvial flooding in urban areas. However, the advent of techniques to measure ground level (LiDAR) and land subsidence (InSAR) and advances in high resolution flood modelling (3Di) enable the numerical modelling of urban pluvial flooding influenced by land subsidence. This research explores the investigation of the influence of land subsidence on pluvial flooding in Rotterdam by supplementing the conducted stress test pluvial flooding with a land subsidence assessment. The conducted stress test pluvial flooding in Rotterdam is based on a 3Di-simulation of standardised rain events, based on a DEM 2016. To asses the current influence of land subsidence on pluvial flooding, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) that approximates the sub-neighbourhood Tuinenhoven at design level is created and used as 3Di-input. When comparing 3Di-results based on this design DEM to the stress test pluvial flooding, it becomes clear that the total volume of water during extreme rainfall stored on the streets is not affected by land subsidence. The bathymetry of the DEM does affect the water's distribution however. The Tuinenhoven case-study demonstrates that currently land subsidence increases the severity of the impact of pluvial flooding but that the main cause of pluvial flooding during extreme rainfall is the limited capacity of the drainage system. Land subsidence in Rotterdam complex. The conducted land subsidence analysis based on an InSAR data-set supports this complexity. It illustrates that the subsidence behaviour of Rotterdam is influenced by foundation type, land use classification, the presence of dredge in the anthropogenic layer and top soil type. This respectively indicates the occurrence of pole rot and shallow foundations, anthropogenic compression and compaction of shallow soft layers caused by loading, landfill subsidence as a result of land fillings that contain dredging spoil and consolidation of the Holocene clay layer as a result of drainage. However, the land subsidence analysis failed to identify location-specific dominant land subsidence processes. This failure was primarily caused by the limitation to only one linear subsidence rate between 2009 and 2014 per point. To demonstrate how land subsidence can be translated to pluvial flooding based on a land subsidence analysis, land use classification was selected as the most dominant influencing factor and used in a linear land subsidence prognosis until 2030. The linear assumptions largely obstructs results to be interpreted location-specific. The IJsselmonde case-study shows that land subsidence is expected to decrease the passability of roads and decrease the risk per building in the future. These decreases are caused by the fact that roads relatively subside fast and buildings relatively slow. The biggest influence on the risk per building classification is the assumed threshold value per building. Simulated road maintenance results in an increase of the passability of roads and an increase of buildings at risk of water nuisance. The loss of the water-storing function of the road after reconstruction increases the water levels in gardens and puts buildings at an increasing risk. In conclusion, the most challenging part of investigating the influence of land subsidence on pluvial flooding is the crucial identification of the different occurring land subsidence processes. It is demonstrated that the possibilities with InSAR-data are promising, when used with sufficient competency, although the available InSAR data should be divided in shorter intervals to detect the subsidence rate trends. Land subsidence rate trends are crucial in the identification of land subsidence processes and assessing influences like groundwater variations and increased loading due to maintenance or construction works. When the land subsidence analysis is improved, so will the land subsidence and threshold height per building prognosis. When the relative prognosed decrease of the threshold value per building is improved, it can be quickly assessed whether buildings classified at risk in the stress test pluvial flooding are at future increasing risk during extreme rainfall, without conducting a full 3Di-simulation.


The subepithelial connective tissue graft (SECTG) is a favorite surgical technique for the treatment of mucogingival defects. However, complete root coverage of Miller Class I and II defects is often not achieved with this procedure, especially when the defects are deep or wide. The purpose of this report is to describe a surgical technique used to manage such mucogingival defects. The technique uses a uniquely obtained SECTG with "embossed epithelium" that is designed to fit the defect site. This is employed to prolong protection of the underlying healing process. In addition, this technique avoids flap advancement, thereby allowing for the development of a wider zone of attached gingiva at the treatment site.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the emotional costs of providing social support to political prisoners in Japan, using Hochschild's emotion work theory. It examines two different sets of social interactions within a broader symbolic interactionist analysis of sequential interactions between the social movement and state forces of social control, using data from a long-term field study. First, the relation of potential supporters with their broader social milieu may reinforce the commitment to provide social support as a political act, alter the commitment of those with other motivations, or deter a parent from maintaining any relationship at all with an imprisoned child. Second, the emotional dynamic of the relationship of supporters with prisoners changes over time. Because of the severe isolation of the prisoners, the loyal supporter may eventually become the target of the prisoner's frustration and anger. Supporters may suffer from caregiver burnout and withdraw from the relationship. Conversely, continuing unconditional support from someone who listens without judging may enable the prisoner to entertain doubts and disengage from the movement.


Gao, J., Jiang, Z.-R., Liu, X., Zhao, Y.-H., Huang, L., Peng, H.-J., Zedan, D., Jin, S.-Y. and Zheng, Y.-C. 2014. Comparison of MUC1 variable number tandem repeat polymorphisms in three yak breeds/populations. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 411-416. The objective of this study was to compare the MUC1 variable number tandem repeat polymorphisms with adjacent distribution regions in three yak (Bos grunniens) breeds/populations. A total of 215 yaks of three yak breeds/populations (Maiwa yak breed, Jiulong yak breed and Changtai yak population) were surveyed by the polymorphisms of Mucin 1 gene (MUC1). Six MUC1 alleles (B, C, D, F, G and H) forming 16 genotypes were identified. Cloning and sequencing of these alleles demonstrated that they differed in the numbers of variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) units ranging from 14 to 20, and allele H (14 VNTR units) was a new allele in yaks and observed only in Maiwa yak with a very low frequency. Cluster analysis based on MUC1 polymorphisms suggested that Changtai yak population has a closer association with Maiwa yak breed than with the Jiulong yak breed, and may represent an independent yak breed/population. These results provided useful genetic information on the three yak breeds/populations and could be used in yak breeding practice.


This paper describes novel detection algorithms for coded and uncoded M-ary phase shift keying (M-PSK) signals transmitted over frequency-flat fading channels. Fading distortion is estimated with per-survivor methods using the sampled outputs of two receive filters. Some of the proposed algorithms do not require information on the fading statistics and are dubbed blind algorithms. The error rate performance of blind and nonblind algorithms is assessed by simulation for uncoded and trellis-coded phase shift keying (PSK) and is compared to the performance of other detection schemes proposed in the literature.


Background Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has become a routine surgical procedure for patients with occlusive coronary artery atherosclerosis. Worldwide, increasing levels of obesity are associated with ischemic heart disease and systemic comorbidities. This retrospective study from a single center in China aimed to investigate the effects of obesity on patient mortality following CABG surgery. Material/Methods Patients undergoing CABG (N=1471) were grouped according to body mass index (BMI) as normal weight (N=596), overweight (N=684), or obese (N=191). Baseline clinical characteristics and outcomes were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed for 30-day postoperative mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted, and Cox regression analysis investigated risk and protective factors for long-term mortality, with subgroup analysis for differences between on-pump and off-pump CABG groups. Results The 30-day postoperative mortality was 5.0% in the normal-weight group, 1.3% in the overweight group, and 0% in the obese group. BMI was an independent protective factor for 30-day postoperative mortality (odds ratio=0.748; 95% confidence interval, 0.640–0.874; P<0.001). The 10-year mortality for the groups was 13.2% (normal), 7.8% (overweight), and 12.7% (obese). The >20-year mortality rates for the groups were 33.0% (normal), 41.5% (overweight), and 12.7% (obese). There was no significant correlation between BMI and long-term mortality. Being overweight had a protective effect against long-term mortality in the off-pump CABG subgroup. Conclusions An "obesity paradox" was identified in postoperative outcomes in patients following CABG surgery, with an increased BMI associated with reduced 30-day postoperative mortality. This association was more significant in the off-pump CABG group.


Working with existing multi-level-security (MLS) models reduces the usability especially when users try to transfer information to persons with different security categories. A main reason for the problems occurring with the information exchanging is that the existing MLS models assign a specific security level to documents. The assigned security level equals the highest security level of the textual content within the document. Based on the commonly used Bell LaPadula model, an extended model with an increased granularity is introduced. It is shown that users can access to parts of documents with higher security levels without causing a security compromise. This enables information exchange and it leads to an increased usability of the MLS model.


Overlapping block smoothers efficiently damp the error contributions from highly oscillatory components within multigrid methods for the Stokes equations but they are computationally expensive. This paper is concentrated on the development and analysis of new block smoothers for the Stokes equations that are discretized on staggered grids. These smoothers are nonoverlapping and therefore desirable due to reduced computational costs. Traditional geometric multigrid methods are based on simple pointwise smoothers. However, using multigrid methods to efficiently solve more difficult problems such as the Stokes equations leads to computationally more expensive smoothers, for example, overlapping block smoothers. Nonoverlapping smoothers are less expensive, but have been considered less efficient in the literature. In this paper, we develop new nonoverlapping smoothers, the so‐called triad‐wise smoothers, and show their efficiency within multigrid methods to solve the Stokes equations. In addition, we compare overlapping and nonoverlapping smoothers by measuring their computational costs and analyzing their behavior by the use of local Fourier analysis.


This article proposes three constraints on the complex polysemy patterns of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeic forms for thirty types of sounds were collected from Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and English, and examined in terms of their semantic extensibility and extension types. It was found that 1) Chinese onomatopoeia is generally resistant to semantic extension, 2) onomatopoeic forms for voice in Japanese and Korean are less likely to be polysemous than those for noise, many of which show metonymical extension, and 3) many onomatopoeic verbs in English have metaphorical meanings. These three patterns can be accounted for by generalizations that associate high semantic extensibility with referential specificity, event-structural complexity, and syntactic coreness, respectively. Each of these generalizations finds some independent support, and is compatible with or complementary to a frame-semantic approach to polysemous onomatopoeic forms, which has been taken to discuss existing, rather than non-existing, cases in each language. This study is, thus, an attempt to locate sound symbolism research in the center of cognitive studies of language.


Background:
 The percentage of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients remains low despite American Stroke Association guidelines. As part of a multi-hospital system wide quality initiative, we sought to determine the compliance of DVT prophylaxis in our population of ICH patients retrospectively and resulting rate of DVT/ pulmonary embolism (PE) to establish a baseline for comparison in future years to further standardization and quality of care.

 Methods:
 Data from 25 facilities in the Providence Health System Stroke Registry were analyzed from 2010 to 2014. Patients included were those who had a principal diagnosis of ICH and documentation was present for whether DVT or PE had occurred. Patients who were placed on comfort measures at any time during hospitalization were excluded. Descriptive analysis was conducted to assess use of chemical versus mechanical venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and whether or not patients had a documented DVT or PE.

 Results:
 There were 1,581 ICH patients included in the analysis. Mean age at hospitalization was 67.0 (±15.5) and 55.4% were male. Of those that received VTE prophylaxis, 72 patients (4.4%) received chemical prophylaxis, including low-dose unfractionated heparin (LDUH), low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), factor Xa inhibitor or warfarin. Mechanical VTE prophylaxis including intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC), graduated compression stockings, or venous foot pumps were administered to 1,427 patients (87.6%). 127 patients (7.8%) had no documentation of VTE prophylaxis. Among those who received either chemical or mechanical VTE prophylaxis, 35 patients (2.5%) had documentation of a DVT or PE during the hospital encounter. Of those patients who had a DVT or PE, one patient received both LDUH and IPC. The remaining 34 patients who had a DVT or PE (97.1%) received only mechanical VTE prophylaxis.

 Conclusion:
 Pharmacologic DVT prophylaxis rates were very low. The rate of DVT/PE was in line with other published rates. Pharmocologic DVT prophylaxis was superior to mechanical means alone. A large study documenting the safety and efficacy of pharmacologic DVT prophylaxis in these patients is needed.


Automatic guidance of agricultural vehicles would lighten the job of the operator, while accuracy is needed to obtain an optimal yield. Accurately navigating a tractor consists of controlling different dynamic subsystems (steering and speed). Instead of modeling the subsystem interaction prior to model-based control, we have developed a control algorithm which learns the interactions on-line from the measured feedback error. In this approach, a PD controller is working in parallel with a type-2 fuzzy neural network. While the former ensures the stability of the related subsystem, the latter learns the system dynamics and becomes the leading controller. In this study, two combinations of a PD controller with a type-2 fuzzy neural network are implemented: one for the yaw dynamics and one for the traction dynamics. The interactions between these subsystems are thus not taken into account explicitly, but considered as disturbances to be handled by the subsystem controllers. A novel sliding mode control theory-based learning algorithm is used to train the type-2 fuzzy neural networks, and the convergence of the parameters is shown by using a Lyapunov function.


There are around 285 Million people who are visually impaired worldwide[1]. One of the greatest difficulty faced by a blind person is to know the value of the currency that he or she has. It becomes a great difficulty for them to exchange money during purchases and they may get cheated in many instances. This paper is mainly built to support them and make them easier to get used to the currencies. Here, we propose an android based application for recognizing currencies of different countries and also their denominations mainly for visually impaired people. Image processing techniques like feature extraction and matching are used to identify currencies. This application runs on a low end smartphone. We give an audio message as the input to start the app and to capture the image. Then the image is captured and is compared with the test image. If the features of both the images are spatially consistent, then an audio output is given to the user about the denomination of the currency and to which country it belongs to. Otherwise, an error message is given as output.


Aim: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes (GDM) in patients attending the Diabetes Outpatient Clinic. Methods: With gestational age of 24 to 28 weeks with or without risk factors. For screening with blood glucose cutoff> 130 mg / dL (7.2 mmol / L) a 50 g glucose challenge test was used. Place and Duration: This was a prospective hospital study held in the Medicine Unit-II and Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Jinnah Hospital Lahore for one-year duration from May 2019 to May 2020. Results and conclusion: Of the 405 women, seventy-two women were screened positive and the 100 g oral glucose tolerance test was offered, and seventeen women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Eight women were classified as having impaired blood glucose levels, while gestational diabetes is more common in high-risk groups. The entire method was applied to the pregnant female, regardless of the last meal. Age between 20-40 years of age, avoiding severe disease and diagnosed diabetes.


We propose an alternative to the prevailing framework for modelling tear-film breakup, which posits a layered structure with a mucus layer next to the cornea and an aqueous layer on top. Experimental evidence shows continuous variation of mucin concentration throughout the tear film, with no distinct boundary between the two layers. Thus, we consider a continuous-viscosity model that replaces the mucus and aqueous layers by a single liquid layer with continuous profiles of mucin concentration and viscosity, which are governed by advection–diffusion of mucin. The lipids coating the tear film are treated as insoluble surfactants as previously, and slip is allowed on the ocular surface. Using the thin-film approximation, we carry out linear stability analysis and nonlinear numerical simulations of tear-film breakup driven by van der Waals attraction. Results show that for the same average viscosity, having more viscous material near the ocular surface stabilizes the film and prolongs the breakup time. Compared with the layered models, the continuous-viscosity model predicts film breakup times that are in better agreement with experimental data. Finally, we also suggest a hydrodynamic explanation for how pathological loss of membrane-associated mucins may lead to faster breakup.


Despite the software developments intended to facilitate the use of energy simulation programs by architects in the early design stage, a very limited guidance is available, leading to a limited uptake. This paper investigates ways to better inform architects about energy simulation, firstly by enabling them to identify and translate the design inquiries into simulation tasks for deriving productive decision support and secondly by familiarizing them with the concepts and processes involved in energy simulation. The authors propose the development of a simulation tool independent framework to achieve the first objective. The framework will correlate simulation tasks with the performance parameters and the architectural elements to be evaluated using these parameters.


Since the 1980s, the international legal framework governing the management of chemicals and wastes has developed in an ad hoc and piecemeal fashion. As the international community became aware of a problem, the response was to negotiate a treaty to address it. The 2013 Minamata Convention is the latest example. The result is an international legal framework that addresses some substances and some aspects of their management, leaving others unregulated. In today's globalized world, there is a need for a coherent and comprehensive legal framework that reflects the 'life cycle' or 'circular economy' approach to materials management. Taking into account previous efforts, including the 2006 Strategic Approach to Chemicals Management and the synergies process of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, and considering the approach adopted by the Minamata Convention to regulate the upstream as well as the downstream aspects of the substances it addresses, this article explores ways to achieve a comprehensive and coherent global legal framework on the management of potentially hazardous materials, concluding that the current chemicals and waste regime can serve as a basis for such a framework.


The conference was organized in Peoples' Friendship University of Russia and held at the Faculty of Economics, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia from 11 through 13 March, 2009. This conference provides a forum to analyze advancement in all aspects of transition economies development. The reports were devoted to the institutional, financial, social and other urgent problems of transition economies and globalization in modern world. The central problem of the conference was the means which would provide the effective result for the Russian economy to overcome the financial crisis of 2008.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to prepare solid dispersions of triamterene (TRT) with ascorbic acid (AA) or ascorbic acid 2 glucoside (AA2G) and to evaluate their physical properties. Solid dispersions were prepared by dissolving each sample in an organic solvent and evaporation (EVP). Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) revealed a halo pattern for EVP1 (AA/TRT = 1/1) and EVP2 (AA2G/TRT = 1/1). In differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), endothermic peaks due to the melting of TRT and AA disappeared for EVP1 (AA/TRT = 1/1), and the melting peaks of TRT and AA2G disappeared for EVP2 (AA2G/TRT = 1/1). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed broadened peaks for EVP1 (AA/TRT = 1/1) and EVP2 (AA2G/TRT = 1/1) due to the hydroxyl groups (-OH) of AA and the amino groups (-NH2) of TRT and also revealed a peak shift due to the pteridine skeleton (C = N) of TRT. In near-infrared absorption (NIR) spectroscopy, peaks due to the hydroxyl groups (-OH) of AA and AA2G were found for EVP1 (AA/TRT = 1/1) and EVP2 (AA2G/TRT = 1/1), respectively. A peak due to the amino groups (-NH2) was evident. This suggested the formation of an evaporation, in which TRT interacted with AA or AA2G. In the dissolution test, the dissolved fraction of TRT alone after 3 min was 30%, whereas the fractions were enhanced to approximately 90% for EVP1 (AA/TRT = 1/1) and EVP2 (AA2G/TRT= 1/1). Results confirmed that dissolution properties were improved as a result of complex formation. The above findings indicated improvement the dissolution properties of TRT.


The role of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) secretion by vascular endothelial cells during trophoblast invasion was assessed. The human extravillous trophoblast cell line, TEV-1, and umbilical vein endothelial cell line, HUVE-12, were cocultured under normal and hypoxic conditions. FGF2 expression in HUVE-12 cells and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1) expression in TEV-1 cells were analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. TEV-1 cell invasion was also examined. FGF2 expression in the HUVE-12 cells cocultured with TEV-1 cells was significantly increased under hypoxic conditions. In the TEV-1 cells cocultured with HUVE-12, hypoxia reduced MMP9 expression and increased TIMP1 expression; it also reduced cell invasion by 43%. However, the expression of MMP9 and TIMP1 and ratio of MMP9/TIMP1 were increased when the TEV-1 cells were cultured alone under hypoxic conditions. These findings suggest that FGF2 release by stressed endothelial cells of uterine spiral arteries play roles in decreasing MMP9 and increasing TIMP1 production in extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) in response to stress, resulting in reduced EVT invasion and possibly shallow implantation of the placenta.


In this work, we propose novel image descriptors for identifying head poses in low resolution images. The key novelty of our method is to exploit two types of non-local metric for estimating head poses: non-local intensity difference feature (iDF) and non-local color difference feature (cDF). Unlike the existing methods that one pixel can only represent one head pose information, our proposed features are designed to capture geometry of head pose image via relative information of two-randomly picked pixels. The iDF is designed to capture relative head image regions represented by the two pixels ( e.g. one pixel represent hair while the other represent skin ) without explicitly labeling any of the pixels. On the other hand, the cDF is designed to capture information about whether or not the two randomly-selected pixels belong to the same head image regions, again, without explicitly labeling any of the regions. Our experimental results demonstrate that our descriptors using pair wise differences in intensity and color outperform current state-of-the-art for head pose estimation from extremely low-resolution images.


Arbuscules and total VA mycorrhizal colonization in Atriplex gardneri were observed during the spring and summer of 1982. Arbuscules were observed in April (25% of secondary and tertiary root length intercepts) but were not found in June. Total VA mycorrhizal colonization was 78% of fine root length intercepts in April, 28% in June, and 3% by July. The phenology of the fungus was correlated with that of the plant; rainfall and temperature dictated periods of active growth, nutrient uptake, and senescence in the symbionts.


Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective chemotherapy agent that often causes cardiotoxicity. Despite a number of extensive studies, the risk for DOX cardiotoxicity remains unpredictable. The majority of the studies on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity have been focused on the effects on cardiomyocytes that lead to contractile dysfunction. The roles of systemic inflammation, endothelial injury and neutrophil recruitment, all induced by the DOX, are increasingly recognized as the mechanisms that trigger the development and progression of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. This review explores recent data regarding the possible mechanisms and biomarkers of early subclinical DOX-associated cardiotoxicity.


Differential cross-section measurements of the 4He(p, pi +)5He reaction at Tp=201 MeV are presented for scattering angles between 20 degrees and 60 degrees laboratory. The method for extracting cross-section values from the experimental data is explained. A comparison is made with other available data.


How do actors continue to contribute to the reproduction of extant institutional arrangements, even after they have become morally perturbed by these arrangements? Through ethnographic research in eleven Pentecostal churches in urban Java, we found that when certain church practices morally perturbed church employees and volunteers, they evoked moral emotions of guilt and anger that triggered institutional instability. However, organizational leaders exerted fear- and respect-eliciting systemic power that made these actors discontinue their disrupting activities. Suppressing the impetus for institutional disruption and change, systemic power engendered actors' feelings of helplessness. Bringing back power into neo-institutionalism, we investigate the boundary conditions to the mobilizing potential of moral emotions. Rather than exiting the field, morally perturbed actors engaged in reconciling activities, enabling them to shift the anchor of their emotional investment. In our case, the shift took place from idealized institutional arrangements to a more spiritual meaning system. We argue that anchor relocation is vital to the sustained reproduction of institutional arrangements of which actors morally disapprove.


Bounded rational behaviour is commonly observed in experimental games and in real life situations. Neuroeconomics can help to understand the mental processing underlying bounded rationality and out-of-equilibrium behaviour. Here we report results from a recent study on the neural basis of limited steps of reasoning in a competitive setting – the beauty contest game. We describe how a cognitive hierarchy model fits both behavioural and brain data.


This study investigates the influence of the 2 year Erasmus+ project called "Youth, multilingualism and work perspectives in Europe" on youngsters in the area of digital competence. It took place in 2015-2017 and was provided by 6 countries. During the project the set of questionnaires were provided and filled by 124 respondents, 28 teachers and 96 students. The project implemented a wide array of applications, programmes and gave a chance to use some of the devices. Considering the fact that 47% of EU population has insufficient digital skills and observing the growing deficit of ICT professional skills, there is real approach for education to fulfill the market demand and supply students generations with ICT skills. In the project the objective of enrichment digital competence was reached but the quality level depended on personal engagement, the diverse number of products which were done with the use of diverse sort of apps. But considering the total level of tasks fulfilment developing digital competence is definitely satisfactory. Additional information about the implementation of ICT into the international meetings are Europass Mobility documents. Summarizing the project brought the following proposed assumptions. Firstly, teachers and students made a significant progress in digital competence in the project. Secondly, all participants consider digital competence as a very useful and demanding skill on the labour market, education and life. The findings are enriched with recommendation for institutions responsible for education, because their policies can play a major role to support all actions needed to bring about a digital education system and increase the number of digitally supportive schools and digitally confident and supportive teachers World Scientific News 89 (2017) 146-163 -147and students. One of them is the persistence of implementation of ICT in the context of projects and further teaching and learning.


Acute effects of oral calcium supplementation have been studied mainly in preand post-menopausal women, whereas very few data concerning men are available. We investigated the effects of 1.2 g of oral calcium administered for 4 days in 18 healthy young men. The day before the first calcium dosing (day -1) and the day of the last calcium dosing (day 4) total and ionized serum calcium and intact PTH were measured at multiple time-points up to 24 h; calcium, C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were measured in urine collected every six h. On day 4, total and ionized serum calcium increased during the 6 h following oral calcium: the maximum increase over baseline was 5.04 and 7.4% respectively, occurring after 2.9±1.9 h (mean±SD) and 2.6±0.9 h. The AUC was significantly higher on day 4 than on day -1 for both total serum calcium (+4.6%, p<0.02) and ionized serum calcium (+9.2%, p<0.0001). Twenty-four h urinary excretion of total calcium increased significantly on day 4 (+15.1%, p<0.02), mainly as a consequence of increased excretion during the first 6 h. Serum PTH was suppressed by oral calcium, with a significant reduction of AUC on day 4 (15.1%, p<0.05). Serum concentrations of intact PTH dropped from 26.4±9.8 pg/ml at time zero to a minimum mean value of 14.9±7.6 pg/ml at time +2 h. Bone resorption markers significantly decreased on day 4 (CTX -33.2%, p<0.001; PYD 28.5%, p<0.05; DPD -35.8%, p<0.02). Most of the effect was seen in the first 6 h after oral calcium load. These data support the concept that acute suppression of PTH and bone resorption induced by calcium administration is not gender specific and provide the rationale to further assess also in men the long-term effects of oral calcium in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 26: 353-358, 2003) ©2003, Editrice Kurtis


Summary Prothrombin time (PT) assays are clotting methods that measure the activity of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors (F) II, VII, and X. There are three main types of PT assays in general usage, namely the Quick assay, Owren's assay and PT dry chemistry test cards. PT assays were initially developed to monitor dose-adjustments of vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether commercially available PT assays are suitable for evaluating the anticoagulant activity of direct thrombin inhibitors. Melagatran, a reversible direct thrombin inhibitor, was added to human plasma at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 μmol/l. Seventeen different commercially available PT kits were used, including thirteen Quick reagents, two Owren reagents and two PT test cards. The sensitivity of the different reagents, expressed as the concentration of melagatran that doubled the prothrombin time (IC50) varied widely, with Thromboplastin S and Thromboplastin HS being the most sensitive (IC50 = 0.9 μmol/l). The reagents with apparently the lowest sensitivity were the two Owren reagents Nycotest PT and SPA 50 with an IC50 of 2.2 and 2.9 μmol/L, respectively. This is most likely due to a higher dilution of melagatran in these assays compared to the dilution in the Quick assays. The results were also dependent on the International Sensitivity Index (ISI) of each reagent. The concentration of melagatran that produced an International Normalized Ratio (INR) of 2 was calculated from dose-response curves for each assay, and these results revealed that reagents with a high ISI value gave an INR of 2 at much lower concentrations of melagatran (0.5-0.7 μmol/L) than those with an ISI-values around one (0.9-1.2 μmol/L). It was found that INR depends not only on the plasma concentration of melagatran, but also on the sensitivity of the PT reagent and on the final dilution of the plasma sample in the prothrombin time assay. Thus, since the same melagatran concentration can be associated with widely varying PT/INR results depending on the specific assay used it is concluded that PT assays and INR can not be used to monitor melagatran activity.


Many intrinsically disordered proteins contain Gly-rich regions which are generally assumed to be disordered. Such regions often form biomolecular condensates which play essential roles in organizing cellular processes. However, the bases of their formation and stability are still not completely understood. Considering NMR studies of the Gly-rich H. harveyi "snow flea" antifreeze protein, we recently proposed that Gly-rich sequences, such as the third "RGG" region of Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) protein, may adopt polyproline II helices whose association might stabilize condensates. Here, this hypothesis is tested with a polypeptide corresponding to the third RGG region of FUS. NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that significant populations of polyproline II helix are present. These findings are corroborated in a model peptide Ac-RGGYGGRGGWGGRGGY-NH2, where a peak characteristic of polyproline II helix is observed using CD spectroscopy. Its intensity suggests a polyproline II population of 40%. This result is supported by data from FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. In the latter, NOE correlations are observed between the Tyr and Arg, and Arg and Trp side chain hydrogens, confirming that side chains spaced three residues apart are close in space. Taken together, the data are consistent with a polyproline II helix, which is bent to optimize interactions between guanidinium and aromatic moieties, in equilibrium with a statistical coil ensemble. In cells, the polyproline II population of these peptides could be augmented by binding profilin protein or SH3, WW or OCRE domains, association with RNA or assembly into polyproline II helical bundles. These results lend credence to the hypothesis that Gly-rich segments of disordered proteins may form polyproline II helices which help stabilize biomolecular condensates.


Activation of β-catenin is recognized as a critical early factor in tumorigenesis. Citrobacter rodentium (CR) induces transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia (TMCH) and variable degrees of inflammation and necrosis depending upon the genetic background. Utilizing the CR-induced hyperplasia and/or inflammation in C3H/HeNHsd (C3H) inbred mice, we observed a dual phase wherein initially, an increase in proliferation at days 5 and 7 was followed by development of colitis at day 9 of TMCH. When sequential changes in proteins involved in adherens and tight junctions were analyzed in isolated colonic crypts, increasing levels of β-catenin, ZO-1, ZO-2 and claudin-2 were measured in TritonX100-soluble fraction at days 5 and 7 of TMCH, while E-cadherin and claudin-5 were mainly present in TritonX100-insoluble (cytoskeletal) pool. Interestingly, the cytoskeletal pools exhibited extensive degradation of β-catenin/E-cadherin/ZO-1 and ZO-2 but not of claudin-5 at days 5 and 7 of TMCH and preceded active colitis at day 9. Immunohistochemically, almost complete loss of membrane-bound β-catenin/E-cadherin and ZO-2 was recorded between 9 and 11 days post-infection. However, changes in permeability, as measured by increases in serum FITC-dextran levels, increased significantly at days 5 and 7 and peaked between day 9 and 11 post-infection paralleling bacterial dissemination to spleen and liver at these time points. Mechanistically, β-catenin translocated to the nucleus, interacted with increasing levels of T-cell factor-4 and upregulated downstream targets, cyclinD1 and c-myc thereby promoting crypt hyperplasia at days 5 and 7 of TMCH. When CR-infected mice were placed on: 6% pectin (source of colonic butyrate), 4% curcumin and 4% bael extract diets for 9 days starting 2 days post-CR infection, all three dietary interventions: i) reduced the morbidity and mortality of CR-infected C3H mice, ii) restored the junctional labeling of β-catenin/E-cadherin and ZO-2, iii) blocked increases in colonic permeability thereby preventing bacterial dissemination to distant organs and finally, iv) promoted β-catenin-independent increases in colonic crypt proliferation as was revealed by increased Ki-67 labeling. Thus, i) fragmentation of β-catenin/E-cadherin/ZO-1 and ZO-2 precedes loss of barrier function and onset of colitis and, ii) epithelial hyperproliferation in response to dietary interventions may facilitate epithelial recovery following inflammatory insult but may also promote mucosal priming for neoplasia. TMCH model therefore provides an excellent tool to separate the anti-inflammatory effects of dietary ingredients from pro-proliferatory functions in vivo. 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 5654.


The ability to extract accurate morphology of labeled neurons from microscopy images is crucial for mapping brain connectivity and for understanding changes in connectivity that underlie learning and memory formation. There are, however, two problems, specific to optical microscopy imaging of neurons, which make accurate neuron tracing exceedingly challenging: (i) neurites can appear broken due to inhomogeneous labeling and (ii) neurites can appear fused in 3D due to limited resolution. Here, we propose and evaluate several artificial neural network (NN) architectures and conventional image enhancement filters with the aim of solving both problems. To evaluate the effects of filtering, we examine the following four image quality metrics: normalized intensity in the cross-over regions between neurites, radius of neurites, coefficient of variation of intensity along neurites, and local background to neurite intensity ratio. Our results show that NN filters, trained on optimized semi-manual traces of neurites, can significantly outperform conventional filters. In particular, U-Net based filtering can virtually eliminate background intensity, while also reducing radius of neurites by 23% to nearly 1 voxel, decreasing intensity in the cross-over regions between neurites by 22%, and reducing variations in intensity along neurites by 26%. These results suggest that including a NN filtering step, which does not require much extra time or computing power, can be beneficial for neuron tracing projects.


Fasted adult rats were intragastrically intubated an emulsified test meal containing both 14C-triolein and 3H-cholesterol, in the presence or absence of either purified hemicellulose (xylan) or cellulose (both 10% of meal solids). After a 1-hour digestion period, purified fibers did not significantly modify the rate of gastric emptying of lipids or the extent of triglyceride lipolysis in the stomach and the small intestine. The presence of cellulose or hemicellulose induced no change in the amounts of lipids and cholesterol found in the intestinal content, the mucosa, and the plasma, nor in the site of lipid mucosal uptake. As a whole, the present results show that cellulose or hemicellulose, which are the main fractions of dietary fiber in cereals, did not exert a determinant influence on the biochemical events involved in the digestion of dietary fats.


The results of high hydrostatic pressure studies of martensitic transformations in alloys with special emphasis to shape memory alloys (SMA) are reviewed. Experimentally detected positive and negative signs of Ms temperature pressure shift and phase P-T diagrams are discussed. High pressure induced shape memory effect and baroelasticity are considered to be the essential phenomena illustrating the importance of pressure as a thermodynamic variable. Some estimations of high pressure influence on Ms temperature in framework of phenomenological Landau theory are made


The substitution of a methionine for an isoleucine at position 69 (Met69Ile), which causes inhibitor resistance to TEM-type beta-lactamases (IRT-3 and IRT-I69), altered the positions of the Asn-170 and Glu-166 side chains as well as the position of the catalytic water molecule. A novel hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl of Thr-182 and the carbonyl of Glu-64 was expected to be responsible for the increase in the catalytic activity of the IST-T182 and IRT-3 enzymes compared with those of TEM-1 and IRT-169, respectively.


The quantification accuracy of dual-energy imaging is influenced by the fundamentals of x-ray physics, system geometry, data acquisition hardware/protocol, system calibration, and image processing technique. This symposium will provide updates on the following advanced application areas: Mammography. Volumetric breast density techniques based on standard mammograms require estimation of breast thickness, which is difficult to accurately measure. By comparison, calculation of breast density using dual energy mammography does not require measurement of breast thickness. Dual energy mammography has been implemented using both energy integrating flat panel detectors in conjunction with beam energy switching and energy resolved photon counting detectors. These techniques have been optimized using simulation studies and validated using physical phantoms and postmortem breasts. Chemical decomposition was used as the gold standard for volumetric breast density measurement in postmortem breasts. Breast density measurements have also been compared with results from four-category BI-RADS density rankings, standard image thresholding and Fuzzy k-mean clustering techniques. These studies indicate that dual energy mammography can be used to accurately measure volumetric breast density. Cardiovascular CT. The predicative accuracy of risk models for recurrent stroke and cardiac arrest depends heavily on accurate differentiation of thrombus or calcium from iodine in left atrial appendage or coronary arteries. The amount of energy separation is constrained by image noise; therefore, optimal kVp, beam filtration, and balanced flux are essential for the quantification accuracy of iodine and calcium. The basis materials are combined linearly to generate monochromatic energy images, where CT# accuracy and CNR are energy dependent. With optimal monochromatic energy, the mean iodine concentration for the thrombus, circulatory stasis, and control groups are significantly different. Risk classification based on calcium scores shows excellent agreement with classification on the basis of conventional coronary artery calcium scoring. These studies demonstrate dual-energy cardiovascular CT can potentially be a noninvasive and sensitive modality in high risk patients. On-board KV/MV Imaging. To enhance soft tissue contrast and reduce metal artifacts, we have developed a dual-energy CBCT technique and a novel on-board kV/MV imaging technique based on hardware available on modern linear accelerators. We have also evaluated the feasibility of these two techniques in various phantom studies. Optimal techniques (energy, beam filtration, # of overlapping projections, etc) have been investigated with unique calibration procedures, which leads to successful decomposition of imaged material into acrylic-aluminum basis material pair. This enables the synthesis of virtual monochromatic (VM) CBCT images that demonstrate much less beam hardening, significantly reduced metal artifacts, and/or higher soft tissue CNR compared to single-energy CBCT. Adaptive Radiation Therapy. DECT could actually contribute to the area of Dose-Guided Radiation Therapy (or Adaptive Therapy). The application of DECT imaging using 80kV and 140 kV combinations could potentially increase the image quality by reducing the bone or high density material artifacts and also increase the soft tissue contrast by a light contrast agent. The result of this higher contrast / quality images is beneficial for deformable image registration / segmentation algorithm to improve its accuracy hence to make adaptive therapy less time consuming in its recontouring process. The real time re-planning prior to per treatment fraction could become more realistic with this improvement especially in hypofractional SBRT cases.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Learn recent developments of dual-energy imaging in diagnosis and radiation therapy; 2. Understand the unique clinical problem and required quantification accuracy in each application; 3. Understand the different approaches to optimize dual-energy imaging techniques for different applications.


Background and Aim Isolated cleft lip with/or cleft palate (CL/P) is a common complex birth defect that varies in prevalence with Asian and Amerindian ancestry having the highest rates. While several genes had significant association to the CL/P, the FOXE1 gene is involved in embryonic formation and is expressed in the secondary palate epithelium in human fetus. Since the first description of FOXE1 mutation found in cases of cleft palate, thyroid agenesis and choanal atresia, Moreno had conducted a genome-wide scan for CL/P patients and confirmed the highly linkage to the 9q23–33, which resided the potential FOXE1. Herein, we are trying to investigate the isolated CL/P in Taiwan to see whether the polymorphic length of FOXE1 play an important role in the palatogenesis. Method Eighty patients with isolated CL/PCL/P and one hundred controls were recruited in the study. Genomic DNA was amplified by PCR the amplicons containing polyalanine tract (234 to 258 bp; 11–19 alanines) were purified, then directly sequenced. Results and conclusion The 14/14 genotype in polymorphic alanine stretch was most frequent both in cases (98.7%) and in controls (98.0%), whereas the heterozygous 14/16 accounted for one case and two controls. The 14 alanine strech accounts for the major allele frequency of the polymorphic length in FOXE1 which consists of the high frequency in previous report from Japan. Although CL/P patients was linked to FOXE1, the polymorphic FOXE1 alanine stretch has no association with isolated CL/P in Taiwan. It appears to reflect the heterogeneity in formation of CL/P, perhaps a population difference.


BACKGROUND There is need for a coding system for categorizing the plastic surgery conditions to facilitate efficient data exchange, retrieval, research, time-series analysis, clinical audit, insurance and legal purposes. This is a pilot study to assess feasibility of newly proposed 5-D coding system in categorizing the plastic surgery conditions. METHODS Retrospective analysis of records of plastic surgery patients visited in last 15 months was done. Each patient was assigned a code according to the newly proposed 5-D system of coding and recorded in excel sheet. Data analysis was done to categorize various plastic surgery conditions. Results of analysis were shown to 11 plastic surgeons and their feedback was taken. RESULTS Feedback taken from participants showed 5-D coding system was useful and practically easy to categorize the plastic surgery conditions. CONCLUSION Proposed new 5-D coding system is easy and useful in categorization of plastic surgery conditions.


Acute cellular rejection in lung transplantation is diagnosed in 30-60% in the 1 year and requires lung biopsy. An increase in local cellular immunity produced by local infection is considered to increase the incidence of acute cellular rejection. We present a retrospective analysis of lung transplant patients from 01/01/2009 to 10/21/2013. The total number of patients studied was 139. 64.02% men, 35.97% women. 64.02% bipulmonar transplants, 35.97% unipulmonar transplants. The underlying disease was 43.88% ILD; 39.56% COPD, bronchiectasis 8.63%, 1.42% lung hypertensions, and others. All patients had a transbronchial biopsy 3 weeks after the transplant to diagnose acute cellular rejection, and some had other transbronchial biopsies made during bronchoscopies over time. In every bronchoscopy performed there was bronchial aspirate collected for microbiological culture. There is a total of 287 bronchoscopies in which we made bronchial aspirate as well as transbronchial biopsy. Throughout this study we pretend to relate the presence of microorganisms at culture with acute cellular rejection in the same bronchoscopy. In total 33,4% of the bronchoscopies had microrganims in the culture also 39,4% had acute rejection. In the 139 bronchoscopies executed at the third week there was not a statistically significant relationship between the presence of microorganisms and acute cellular rejection (p=0,495). The same result was obtained for the 287 procedures (p=0.838). In conclusion we did not find a relationship between the presence of microorganisms and acute rejection. Acute rejection can be related to other factors aside from pulmonary infection.


ABSTRACT Macrophage infectivity potentiators (Mips) are a group of virulence factors encoded by pathogenic bacteria such as Legionella, Chlamydia, and Neisseria species. Mips are part of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family, whose members typically exhibit peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity which is inhibitable by the immunosuppressants FK506 and rapamycin. Here we describe the identification and characterization of BPSS1823, a Mip-like protein in the intracellular pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei. Recombinant BPSS1823 protein has rapamycin-inhibitable PPIase activity, indicating that it is a functional FKBP. A mutant strain generated by deletion of BPSS1823 in B. pseudomallei exhibited a reduced ability to survive within cells and significant attenuation in vivo, suggesting that BPSS1823 is important for B. pseudomallei virulence. In addition, pleiotropic effects were observed with a reduction in virulence mechanisms, including resistance to host killing mechanisms, swarming motility, and protease production.


After emerging out of the extensive outsourcing activities of multinational corporations, the virtual factory model is now playing a prominent role in globalization. Using Apple as a case study, this paper explores the concept of a virtual manufacturer. As multinational corporations extensively use intellectual property in emerging markets, they are also concerned about the infringement of intellectual property rights. This study examines this problem that has become increasingly relevant in the context of the protection of intellectual property rights in global value chains and trade. An international index is used to demonstrate that rights to intellectual property are typically excellent in industrialized countries and adequate in the majority of developing countries. The trade dispute between the US and China has received considerable attention here.


Recently, NMEA2000 became the de facto standard of the communication protocol for the instrument level network in vessels, and it is anticipated that most of the vessels will be equipped with the sensors and actuators based on this protocol. The conventional serial communication specifications such as RS-232, RS-485, or even NMEA0183 are single-talker/multiple-listener and interconnection among multiple sensors and/or actuators usually results in a bundle of wires. On the other hand, NMEA2000 is a true bus type(multiple-talker/multiple-listener) protocol and theoretically up to 256 instruments can be hot-plugged. With the advent of the protocol, it is necessary to consider a new type of monitoring system for the instruments in vessels: In most traditional serial communication environments, a dedicated monitor or user interface was necessary for each sensor or actuator as it was simply not easy to collect data in a single place. With NMEA2000, the collection of various types of information is simple. An embedded system can be employed to combine, to arrange and to display informations from various types of devices. Assuming that the actuators and sensors on a vessel are interconnected by NMEA2000 standard, we devise a tentative interactive vessel monitoring system in which the following 4 kinds of informations are collected and delivered: the navigation, engine, weather and tanks informations.


The growing use of automated methods in seismic interpretation highlights the importance of data treatment. We analyze the effect of structure-oriented filtering seismic data on machine learning techniques and apply the filter to the data before calculating seismic attributes. We apply this methodology to a migrated section of Buzios Field from the Brazilian presalt in Santos Basin. The analysis is restricted to the case of unsupervised methods, namely self-organized maps and generative topographic mapping. We use four different seismic attributes that are known to be good salt indicators. Two are based on texture, and two are based on coherence. The use of filtering can improve salt identification in clustering when more attributes are considered.


One of the goals of the Automotive Stirling Engine Development Program, sponsored by the Department of Energy and managed by NASA Lewis Research Center, is to develop a rationale for predicting transient CVS cycle emissions from steady-state engine data. A technique is developed that integrates engine emissions as a function of fuel flow over a modelled CVS cycle to predict vehicle urban cycle results. Steady-state emissions data from three Mod I engines burning unleaded gasoline are used to predict vehicle NOx, CO, and HC emissions. A total of 155 data points representing variations in engine power, excess air (Lambda), and the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) schedule are utilized. Predictions are then compared to the results of nine urban CVS cycle tests of the Mod I/Lerma vehicle, and a conclusion is reached that very accurate predictions of vehicle NOx emissions are possible. CO and HC emissions are considerably higher than predicted due to extreme sensitivity of CO emissions to Lambda, the effect of heater head temperature, and failure of the engine to accurately reflect emissions during start-up.


Making sense of research community patterns can be a challenging task since they are often complex, dynamic, and inseparable from the "messiness" of the real world. This paper introduces a data-centric community mapping tool that extracts and visualizes research communities in Computer Science, based on the DBLP publication database [1]. Initial experiences with the community mapping tool suggest a possibility to facilitate the process of initiating cross-boundary research collaboration using multiple network structures.


In a debate derived from the conflict between theorists and researchers, a number of figures in the field are here drawn together to present a state-of-the-art review of rationality, taking a cross-disciplinary perspective.


Space vector modulation (SVM) technique has become a standard method for the impression of voltage references in conventional three-phase voltage source inverters. The method is nowadays used in multiphase (more than three) drives, where linear and overmodulation regions are covered only for the five-phase case. This work proposes a general SVM procedure for linear and overmodulation regions in n -phase drives (being n any odd number, ) and simplifies the extension of SVM to the multiphase case. The proposed method achieves the reference voltage at the fundamental frequency while reducing introduced harmonic components in the overmodulation region compared to previous proposals.


Being able to assess dog personality can be used to, for example, match shelter dogs with future owners, and personalize dog activities. Such an assessment typically relies on experts or psychological scales administered to dog owners, both of which are costly. To tackle that challenge, we built a device called "Patchkeeper" that can be strapped on the pet's chest and measures activity through an accelerometer and a gyroscope. In an in-the-wild deployment involving 12 healthy dogs, we collected 1300 hours of sensor activity data and dog personality test results from two validated questionnaires. By matching these two datasets, we trained ten machine learning classifiers that predicted dog personality from activity data, achieving AUCs in [0.63-0.90], suggesting the value of tracking psychological signals of pets using wearable technologies.


The variation of the shear modulus in a cubic crystal is examined and the extreme values are identified. Connections with other elastic moduli are made. All the shear moduli of a textured aggregate of cubic crystals fall within the range available to the single crystal. An invariant notation is used in place of the traditional coordinate transformations.


A compact W-band divide-by-three injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) in 40-nm CMOS process is presented. A differential direct injection pair with second-harmonic peaking technique is proposed to enhanced the locking range. On-chip measurements show a locking range of 10.7 GHz (14.24%) from 69.8 GHz to 80.5 GHz with 0-dBm input power, and the free running oscillation frequency is 26.19 GHz. The dc power consumption is only 3.12 mW from a 1-V supply. The total chip area is 0.84 × 0.59 mm2including the pads. This work achieves an outstanding figure-of-merit compared to the prior arts.


Launched in 1999, at a time of radical change for the publishing industry, Persephone Books has become a successful independent publisher of neglected female authors mainly from the 20th-century inter-war period. Publishing being an industry primarily shaped by the differential distribution of symbolic and economic capital (Bourdieu, 'The Market for Symbolic Goods', in The Rules of Art, Polity Press, 1996, p. 9), competing principles of cultural legitimacy within an increasingly commercial climate clarify the position of modern publishing at the intersection of culture and commerce (Bourdieu, The Field of Cultural Production, Columbia University Press, 1993, p. 27). This article explores how Persephone Books' understated assertion of publishing's 'middle ground' and commitment to the historically reviled 'middlebrow' genre have reconciled the perennial tension between culture and commerce to create a thriving yet unintentional publishing brand.


3045 One of the major therapeutic limitations of oncolytic viral gene therapy for treatment of solid tumors is poor viral distribution within the tumor microenvironment. Recent evidence has shown that connective tissue and extracellular matrix may play a prominent role in inhibiting viral propagation. The ability of progeny virion to penetrate extracellular matrix and subsequently infect neighboring tumor cells has not been sufficiently elucidated. We have developed an in vitro multicellular spheroid model in order to further study the role of extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen and fibronectin, in primary and secondary viral infection. Briefly, murine non-small cell lung cancer (L1C2) cells were cultured in a spinner flask alone or with an equal number of murine fibroblasts (NIH-3T3). Single or co-culture spheroids (>500 um) were harvested after 10 days, sectioned, and stained for extracellular matrix proteins, collagen IV and fibronectin. Co-culture L1C2/NIH-3T3 spheroids displayed elevated levels of collagen IV and fibronectin compared to single culture L1C2 spheroids. We then investigated the sensitivity of these tumor spheroids to a replication competent ICP6-deleted Herpes simplex viral mutant expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). L1C2 and NIH-3T3 were equally sensitive to viral cytotoxicity in vitro when grown alone as a monolayer. Each cell line was also shown to equally support viral replication through a single-step burst assay. However, co-culture L1C2/NIH-3T3 spheroids infected with virus for 48 hours remained morphologically intact while the single culture spheroids had deteriorated. We hypothesize that the increased network of extracellular matrix proteins in the L1C2/NIH-3T3 co-culture spheroids impedes viral biodistribution and oncolysis in our in vitro spheroid model. Future studies will involve manipulating the extracellular matrix to increase the therapeutic efficacy of recombinant herpes viral vectors in solid tumors.


This study uses the constellation approach of transition theory as a theoretical framework to depict the ways in which facilitators and barriers in police system's structure, culture, and practice interact to shape police response to persons with mental illnesses (PWMIs). The study utilizes the framework method to analyze 57 in-depth interviews with police officers in Texas. Using a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive thematic analysis, we develop a matrix of four quadrants characterizing the constellation of mental health service provision by police: (1) structural barriers (deficits in resources, unsuccessful collaboration, lack of training), (2) structural facilitators (crisis intervention teams, informal cross-disciplinary collaborations, technology), (3) cultural barriers (role conflict, perceived inability to help, stigma), and (4) cultural facilitators (the police mission 'to serve and protect', improving police public image, managerial support). The study ends with recommendations for the scaling up of police mental health service provision to PWMIs.


Liquid/liquid miscibilities of four different 32 ISO VG polyolesters and one alkylbenzene at three concentrations were determined. Also a full vapor lubricant equilibrium (VLE) viscosity reduction of a 32 ISO VG mineral oil with HCFC-22 is complete. Partial viscosity reduction information by the fractionate components from R-502 in 32 ISO VG mineral oil is presented from 40C (104C) and 70C (158F) isotherms.


Rationale . The key purpose of modern glucose meters is to ensure regular self-monitoring of glucose level when receiving outpatient management, provided that fair diabetes compensation is achieved. Although glucose meters are not intended for assessing the glucose level in severe metabolic disorders (ketosis, ketoacidosis), since these conditions have a negative effect on device accuracy, in actual life a patient (or a physician) can face a situation when a glucose meter is the only tool for evaluating carbohydrate metabolism disorders. Objective . To evaluate clinical accuracy of Satellite Express PKG-03 glucose meter in measuring the glucose level in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) receiving insulin therapy when the disease course is complicated by ketosis or ketoacidosis. Material and methods . Capillary blood was simultaneously collected in two groups of patients receiving insulin therapy from the same drop to evaluate the glucose blood level using the Satellite Express glucose meter and a SUPER GL laboratory analyzer of glucose and lactate levels. Acid-base imbalance was the key criterion for distributing patients into groups: no disorders were detected in group 1 patients, while group 2 patients had ketosis or ketoacidosis. The results were evaluated using the Clarke error grid. Results . Comparative analysis of blood samples collected from 77 patients showed that all deviations in glucose level indices measured using the Satellite Express glucose meter from the reference values belonged to zones A (the clinically valid values) and B (safe deviations) in patients without acid-base imbalance. In patients hospitalized for ketosis and ketoacidosis (group 2), the deviations from the reference values lay in zones A and B in 97%, while lying on the boundary between zones B and C only in 3%.


In this study, we focus on the causal role of ideas for understanding how proponents of a given prostitution policy reform are able to secure support from policymakers. Over the past decade, the use of an ideational approach has shifted from the margins to the mainstream in comparative public policy analysis. Ideational approaches emphasize how policy entrepreneurs are able to portray desired reforms as being consistent with broader ideational frameworks held by key decision makers. Thus, by carefully studying how actors use ideas to achieve policy change, the ideational approach is an advance over approaches that have chiefly focused on the strategic resources held by actors within varying institutional contexts. Given that a central feature of the prostitution policy reform process in all four settings has been exceptionally heated national debates in which societal norms, expert knowledge and cultural values have figured prominently, we argue that an ideational approach is particularly fruitful for analyzing cross-Nordic variation in policy outcomes.


Abstract The purpose of the paper is to compare the original verse by Czesław Miłosz and its translated version by Paal Brekke. To discuss the images of the poetry and the poet in Campo di Fiori and Tilegnelse the comparative translation theory is applied and the poets' literary background brought into focus. In the next step such issues as the translator's figure and his influence on the target text are addressed. The paper presents that Brekke's literary work alters Miłosz's original poetics.


Remembering and thinking the intellectual experience of Guido Davide Neri leads to face up to the philosophy issue: yesterday (not just Guido's education and teaching period, but even his philosophical one to which he dedicated his most explicit book on the topic: Aporie della realizzazione) and today. Guido Neri found in Patocka and in Kosik especially a very living theoretical philosophy that had the painful chance to become active in a political way. Probably, Guido Neri has gone on testing this philosophical model, working on Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, until his last studies on Caravaggio, turning it into his work's program: a phenomenology of perception is an essential part of a philosophy history. One thing is certain: nowadays for the uncertain philosophy it won't be easy to forget this program.


BACKGROUND
There are few studies regarding the time-dependent effectiveness of topical calcium gluconate treatment for the experimental hydrofluoric acid (HF) burn.

METHODS
For producing a HF-burn, a drop of 46% or 23% HF solution was put on the back of rats for 3 minutes followed by washing with tap water. Calcium gluconate jelly or ointment was then applied to the burn area at various time intervals. The ointment was applied once a day thereafter.

RESULTS
The topical calcium gluconate treatment was much more effective if the application was started within 3 hours. On the other hand, if the application was started after 6 hours or more, there was no difference between the groups and the non-treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS
It is suggested that practitioners should be ready to prepare quickly the calcium gluconate ointment to treat a HF burn, since the calcium gluconate ointment is not commercially available in Japan.


Abstract : A high-resolution Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)/Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method was developed to investigate the deformation and fracture of tetrahedral amorphous diamond-like carbon (ta-C) and polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Polysilicon and ta-C test structures were fabricated at the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and at MCNC-Cronos. Their Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, strength, and fracture toughness were obtained, many of them for the first time. Compared to polysilicon, ta-C was found to have superior mechanical properties: Its fracture toughness and strength were 3.5 times and two times that of polysilicon, respectively. Its elastic modulus was 4.5 times that of polysilicon and its Poisson's ratio was 30% smaller than polysilicon. The mode I and mixed mode I/II fracture toughness of polysilicon showed 50% scatter due to its polycrystallinity. On the contrary, the mixed mode I/II fracture of the amorphous ta-C was described well by deterministic theories for brittle fracture. The stochastic failure of polysilicon was treated by a finite element model that combined NASA's code CARES Life (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures Life). This model provided failure predictions for devices with arbitrary geometries. Finally, the multi-grain nature of polysilicon was found to present a potential risk in the accurate determination of its effective mechanical behavior, especially in MEMS with dimensions equal to a small multiple of the grain size. In general, devices with dimensions larger than 15x15 grains can be described by using the isotropic properties reported in literature and presented in this report.


LiveOnNY, the organ procurement organization (OPO) for the greater New York metropolitan area, suspended several best practices to manage the rising referrals of deaths from hospitals during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pandemic. On April 2, 2020 hospitals in the donor service area were notified that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) referrals should be deferred. Still, only 2% of referred patients to the OPO in April 2020 were on ventilators and considered possible organ donors, versus a baseline of 11% in 2019. Few of these deaths were unrelated to COVID‐19. Accordingly, organ donors declined to 10 in April (from 26 in March). Despite the exclusion of marginal donors and organs, the implementation of COVID‐19 donor testing, and the availability of local procurement surgeons, only 1 organ (a liver) was accepted by a transplant center outside of New York State and 8 organs (5 livers, 4 kidneys) were transplanted in state; 11 organs (1 liver, 10 kidneys) were discarded. Allocation was unsuccessful for 11 additional organs (1 liver, 4 kidneys, 4 hearts, 2 lungs). Despite the obstacles, organ donation remained an important model of collaboration and satisfaction for the health care community in the pandemic's US epicenter. Declining COVID‐19 deaths led to the resumption of the comprehensive referral policy on May 6, 2020, with improvement to 18 donors in May.


This paper examines the existential context of physical and mental health. Hans Georg Gadamer and The World Health Organization's conceptualizations are discussed, and current medicalized and idealized views on health are critically examined. The existential dimension of health is explored in the light of theories of selfhood consisting of different parts, Irvin Yalom's approach to "ultimate concerns" and Martin Heidegger's conceptualization of "existentials." We often become aware of health as an existential concern during times of illness, and health and illness can co-exist. The paper discusses how existential suffering in Western culture is described, to an increasing degree, as disorders or psychological deficits, and perfectionistic health goals easily can become a problem. We seek to avoid suffering rather than relate to it, with all the tension that may create. The paper argues that suffering is an unavoidable aspect of people's experience of their lives, and actively relating to suffering must be regarded as a fundamental aspect of health. The need and usefulness of a concept of "existential health" is discussed.


ReRAM-based crossbar designs utilizing mixed-signal implementation has gained importance due to their low power, small size, low cost, and high throughput especially for multiply-and-add operations in AI-related applications. This paper provides a framework with associated code for analyzing the impact of ReRAM device variation and post-training analog conductance quantization that has not been fully explored for pre-trained network accelerators. A detailed study with end-to-end implementation is presented, ranging from mapping the pre-trained DNN weights to quantized crossbar conductance values and into final classification with the presence of variation. Monte Carlo analysis was performed to better analyze the impact of the different parameters on the final accuracy without being device-specific. The work assumes different conductance value variations, different conductance dynamic ranges, and various device quantization levels (QLs). MNIST and CIFAR-10 data sets were used in this study for ANN and CNN, respectively. Results show that for simple ANN, the accuracy drop due to quantization was ~ 2% at 64-QLs. While for CNN, the decrease in classification accuracy was around 10% with the same number of levels. Moreover, weight variation might cause a ~ 5% and ~ 8% drop in classification accuracy for ANN with 5% and CNN with 3% variation, respectively. The study confirms that increasing the number of levels with small variation results in near-optimal accuracy. However, the increase in accuracy saturates at an upper limit. The amount of distortion propagated through the layers is different in the two cases. It is dependent on the complexity of input data and network structure, such as the size of the neurons in each layer, the number of layers, and the number of channels and filters at each stage. This contribution is the first to provide the framework to explore the implication that emphasizes on device-independent post-training DNN quantization and weight variation on classification accuracy. This helps explore design trade-offs especially for edge devices in cases where there is no access to the training set to the end-user due to security or cost issues for pre-trained networks.


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have veterinary and public health importance as they are responsible for a wide range of difficult to treat infections and food poisoning. Two hundred samples (50 samples each of minced meat, beef luncheon, Karish cheese, and human samples (pus swab from open wounds)) were cultured, and MRSA strains were identified using disk diffusion tests and mecA gene-based PCR. A total of 35% (70/200) of the examined samples were confirmed as coagulase-positive S. aureus in minced meat (46%), beef luncheon (44%), Karish cheese (44%), and human samples (22%). The MRSA strains showed resistance to amoxicillin (91.4%), penicillin (97.1%), cefoxitin (85.7%), cephradine (82.9%), tetracycline (57.2%), and erythromycin (52.8%). More than half of the tested S. aureus isolates harbored the mecA gene. The sequence analysis of the mecA gene from the minced meat, Karish cheese, and human samples revealed high genetic similarities between the S. aureus isolates from these sources. In conclusion, our findings indicate a risk for the transmission of the mecA gene of S. aureus across the food chain between humans and animal food products. Further studies should focus on finding additional epidemiological aspects of the MRSA strains in food chain.


We generalize the concept of evenness which has been developed for digital straight lines. Evenness is a necessary and sufficient condition for a digital arc segment to be a digital straight line segment. We prove that evenness is also a necessary and sufficient condition for a rectangular surface segment to be a digital plane segment. This is not true for surface segments of arbitrary shape. To clarify the relation between shape and evenness we introduce the notion of a regular shape and of an arbitrarily extendable even set. >


One of the most challenging aspects when performing on-site piping troubleshooting is to obtain the most pertinent information possible regarding piping behavior: acceleration, stress, pressure levels, etc. This last parameter is always difficult to obtain because when pressure taps are available on the line, they are rarely in the area of interest.
 PVDF (PolyVinyliDene Fluoride) wire makes it possible to perform non-intrusive pressure measurements but needs to be calibrated in order to have a good representation of phenomenon occurring inside the pipe. After development of a dedicated calibrator and calculation of the fluid/structure coupling coefficient, VibraTec is able to assess PVDF sensor sensitivity according to client's installation characteristics.
 Non-intrusive measurements provide a good accuracy regarding phenomenon amplitude and frequency localization even though some temperature restrictions apply to PVDF measurements.
 Although PVDF sensors seem to be simple to implement, particular attention must be paid during installation as this has a direct influence on the PVDF response.


An adaptive thresholding algorithm is presented that can be used in conjunction with the multi-pass generalized inner product (GIP)-based editing method to eliminate non-homogeneities from the training data used for STAP applications, such as adaptive radars. The algorithm exploits a property of the generic structure of the ordered GIP statistic, along with a single user-specified parameter related to the type I error of incorrectly excising target-free training data, to determine adaptively the thresholds for excising target-contaminated training data. The performance of the method is demonstrated using high-fidelity site-specific simulated data, with both ideal and realistic waveforms, as well as measured data from the multi-channel airborne radar measurement (MCARM) experiment.