Keys to the cestode parasites of vertebrates. Edited by L.F. Khalil, A. Jones and R.A. Bray. ( Wallingford, Oxon, CAB INTERNATIONAL 1994). 768 pp. £85.00 (US$153.50) The 6000 or so species which form the class Eucestoda have long tempted solitary authors into writing determination keys. The last two attempts were those of S. Yamaguti (1959) and G.D. Schmidt (1986). Both works were ambitious in that, in addition to providing a key of families and genera, they tried to attribute each nominal species to its genus. The task given by the three editors to the 19 authors of this Keys to the cestode parasites of vertebrates is a little more modest but certainly much more realistic. Each specialist has been given the responsibility for a chapter dealing with an order (or a family) and the book does not deal with the genera's composition. Let me say it immediately, this choice was a good one, and the end result is certainly far better than anything the most capable of cestodologists could have written alone. The book consists of 30 chapters, the first 15 of which each deals with one order, and the last 15 with the cyclophyllidean families. This main part of the book is followed by a list of genera, a glossary, an index and a restricted bibliography that only lists the most relevant or recent publications. In this respect, Schmidt's keys (1986) remain an indispensable reference source for a more detailed bibliography. The index is comprehensive and the glossary is satisfactory even though a few more entries would have been useful. By imposing a clear structure, the editors have been fairly successful in harmonizing the various contributors styles: for each chapter, a brief historical summary of the taxon is given first, then the authors describe leading concepts for the redaction, the problematic genera are discussed and illustrated keys follow. Given the limited space available, everything is indeed rather concise but pleasantly presented. Of course, as in all multiauthored publications, some variation in quality is inevitable. We must, however, recognize that the general level of these keys is high with only a very few chapters manifesting some non-rigorous descriptions of the selected characters or a sub-optimal iconography. In fact, if we wish to pinpoint particular contributions, it would be easier to look for some truly remarkable pieces of work: how could one not acknowledge the excellence of Bona's review of the Dilepididae or the precision and rigour of Campbell and Beveridge's analysis of the Trypanorhyncha?


Choice of an appropriate projection is required to make a map of the entire or a part of the Earth. In general, for making a map of the entire Earth in one piece or two pieces, the sphere or ellipsoid model that represents the Earth's sphericity to its user, as a map projection. For smaller areas, geographic location, origin point and intersection parallels are taken into account in choosing appropriate map projection. Furthermore the goal of the map and the scale can give an idea for choosing appropriate map projection to the map makers.


In this paper the single-event responses of the silicon germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs) are investigated by TCAD simulations and laser microbeam experiment. A three-dimensional (3D) simulation model is established, the single event effect (SEE) simulation is further carried out on the basis of SiGe HBT devices, and then, together with the laser microbeam test, the charge collection behaviors are analyzed, including the single event transient (SET) induced transient terminal currents, and the sensitive area of SEE charge collection. The simulations and experimental results are discussed in detail and it is demonstrated that the nature of the current transient is controlled by the behaviors of the collector–substrate (C/S) junction and charge collection by sensitive electrodes, thereby giving out the sensitive area and electrode of SiGe HBT in SEE.


The evolution of the power grid toward a distributed architecture requires rethinking of the traditional control strategies. From a hierarchical structure the future grid moves on to a decentralized organization where the Distributed Energy Resources are spread over the whole infrastructure. The control strategies need to implement new functionalities where the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) components represent essential assets and the cyber security issues have to be addressed very carefully. This paper presents a methodology for the cyber security analysis of an ICT architecture implementing the Web-of-Cells (WoC) concept for the control of the future power grid as proposed by the ELECTRA EU project. Starting from a WoC architecture, a realistic Cell network topology is modelled by the securiCAD tool. The model comprises cells where the main ICT assets (hosts, network nodes, programs, services and data flows) contain vulnerabilities allowing that possible attack steps are deployed to perform a cyber attack. To contrast the attack process, specific cyber security measures can be included in the model. The cyber security analysis is performed by means of the securiCAD tool implementing the proposed methodology for the evaluation of the attack graphs and the computation of the TTC (Time To Compromise) indicator. TTC represents the expected time an attacker would take to compromise every single asset in the modelled ICT infrastructure. The methodology allows to perform a sensitivity analysis estimating the efficacy of the applied mitigation measures by comparing the TTC values in the different model setups. The cyber security analysis described in this paper addresses the cyber threat assessment of a sample multi phase attack process by evaluating the possible attack paths and obtaining the TTC values for the attack target assets.


In this paper, a flexible approach for chip to wafer high-accurate alignment and bonding is developed using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). In this approach, a hydrophobic SAM, FDTS (CF3(CF2)7(CH2)2SiCl3), is successfully patterned by lift-off process on an oxidized silicon wafer to define the binding-sites. A certain volume of H2O (μ/mm2) is dropped and then spread on the non-coated hydrophilic SiO2 binding-sites for self-alignment of various microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and IC chips by capillary force of H2O. Our results demonstrate that reasonably high alignment speed (in milliseconds) and excellent alignment accuracy ( ≤ 1 μm) are achieved when the difference in the measured contact angle between hydrophobic FDTS and hydrophilic binding-sites is >;70°. It is also found that the hydrophilic frame at the edge of each binding-site is effective in achieving successful self-alignment, while a super fine pattern at the center of the binding-site can be used to control the bonding strength. The effects of the Au/Cr thin film pattern on self-alignment are studied and discussed in this paper to enable the application of the above approach in various MEMS-IC integration processes, especially for low-cost mass production of wireless sensor nodes.


Biodiversity has been identified as key solution to improving food security and sustainability in the areas of food and agriculture. The global food crisis in 2008 has brought about the demand to increase food production that will feed the populations of the world which leads to utilization of other food sources other than agricultural food produce. Non-timber forest products (NTFPS) are biological materials from the ecosystem which range from plants, parts of plants, fungi, animals and animal products that are consumed either as food, condiments, spices or medicine. NTFPS have been identified to play an important role in providing primary health and nutritional needs for people living in rural areas. Their roles in ensuring food security is beyond basic consumption but is also a means of financial empowerment to people who trade in the resources and hence ability to purchase quality, safe and nutritious food at all times which is the main aim of food security. Keywords: Biodiversity, food security, non-timber food products


Dandruff (pityriasis capitis, seborrheic dermatitis confined to the scalp) is a disease that has been around for centuries despite several treatment options. Almost every day new players are entering the market with various antidandruff products, perhaps due to an increase in the incidence of dandruff all over the world. Interestingly, clinicians, especially dermatologists, gave little attention to this problem. At the end, the dandruff sufferer is puzzled by the array of antidandruff products with varied claims entering the market day by day. Why have we not achieved complete treatment success against dandruff? Is dandruff a disease or disorder? It seems that our understanding about dandruff perfectly fits into the famous saying of Albert Einstein, "as the area of light increases, so does the circumferences of darkness." Have dermatologists left dandruff unattended, only to be exploited by the personal care industry?


Kombucha tea is a functional drink fermented by various types of microbes. Kombucha tea is also a source of lactic acid bacteria that can maintain the balance of the microflora of the digestive tract which can improve the health of the human body. Lactic acid bacteria can act as a probiotic if it is able to survive to the human gastrointestinal tract, where in order to reach the digestive tract, lactic acid bacteria has to be resistant to the low pH in the stomach and bile salts. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of resistance of lactic acid bacteria in kombucha tea against low pH and bile salts. This study uses 20 isolates, each of these isolates were tested to the resistance of low pH 2.0 and 0.5 % bile salts with incubation time of 4 hours. The results indicated that from 20 isolates of lactic acid bacteria that were obtained from kombucha tea, 15 isolates were resistant to low pH and 13 isolates were resistant to bile salts. The isolates have a huge potential to be developed as a probiotic candidate that can contribute greatly to the health of the digestive tract.


A re-examination of the Pleistocene river deposits in the valley of the Midland Avon indicates that the conventional post-Hoxnian model for their development has to be revised. Reinvestigation of two key localities, Cropthorne in the Lower Avon valley and Ailstone on the Warwickshire Stour, a left bank tributary of the Avon, shows that the deposits of at least two separate temperate episodes are represented within the sequence. Amino-acid ratios on non-marine Mollusca from the temperate deposits allow these episodes to be correlated with oxygen isotope stages 5 and 7. Since the stage 7 temperate deposit lies within sediments which post-date the Wolston glacial sequence. an older age is indicated for that sequence than is proposed in the conventional stratigraphic succession of the British Pleistocene.


Coordinating distributed executions is achieved by two widely used approaches: process groups and transactions. Typically, the two represent a trade-og in terms of the degrees of consistency and performance. By applying transaction concurrency control techniques to characterize and design process group multicast orderings, we aim to provide aspects of both ends of the trade-off. In particular, we propose a framework in which each message multicast is regarded as a transaction. Appropriate m essage ordering protocob are devised and s hown to be correct using a variant of concurrency control theory. Also, we are able to incorporate certain aspects of application semantics for which existing process group approaches are inadequate. Finally, our framework provides a means to characterize the performance of orderings to allow a comparison of different ordering protocols.


Two operational problems that plague the multiple hearth furnace (MHF) are the frequent need for supplementary fuel to maintain the incineration process, and emission of volatile compounds from the incinerator. Sludge is exposed to elevated drying temperatures prior to active combustion in the MHF and many of the volatile emissions are a result of thermal degradation of organic matter within the sludge. This loss of volatile matter from the sludge prior to its combustion represents a direct loss of fuel from the MHF. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of drying temperature on the final heating value of sludge. This objective is accomplished through the determination of higher heating values (HHV) by oxygen bomb calorimetry of sludge samples heated to temperatures between ambient and 400°C prior to the calorimetric measurements. Results from laboratory work performed for this research indicate that for temperatures in excess of 105°C, the HHV of dried sludge is dependent upon the temperature to which it is exposed prior to the measurement of the heat value. Sludges exposed to temperatures above 105°C lose enough volatile matter to have measurably lower HHVs than those sludges exposed to temperatures below 105°C. Since sludge biomass is thermally unstable at temperatures as low as 105°C, application of this research to the MHF reveals that the countercurrent flow of sludge and exhaust gases within the MHF is a fundamental handicap to the efficient combustion of sludge in this type of incinerator.


Ninety-three new 40Ar-39Ar laser step-heating plateau dates for igneous rocks and alteration minerals from the El Indio-Pascua Au-Ag belt permit significant refinement of the Tertiary volcanic stratigraphy and the definition of a succession of alteration events in this major mineralized district. Eight distinct Tertiary stratigraphic units are now recognized (two newly defined in this research): (1) the 30-36 Ma Bocatoma Unit, comprising dioritic and granodioritic shallow-level intrusions; (2) the voluminous 23-26 Ma Tilito Formation, consisting predominantly of dacitic tuffs; (3) the 17.5-21 Ma Escabroso Group made up of extensive successions of andesitic flows and coeval hypabyssal intrusions; (4) the 14-17 Ma, andesitic, Cerro de las Tórtolas Formation and its intrusive lithodeme, the Infiernillo Unit; (5) the dacitic, 11.0-12.7 Ma, Vacas Heladas Formation; (6) the rhyodacitic 7.5-8 Ma Pascua Formation, defined in this study; (7) the 5.5-6.2 Ma rhyolitic Vallecito Formation; and (8) the recently defined rhyolitic 2 Ma Cerro de Vidrio Formation. Magmatic activity decreased markedly following the eruption of the Cerro de las Tórtolas Formation. Hydrothermal activity occurred at least from the late Eocene to the Late Miocene, but economic Au-Ag-Cu mineralization was confined to the 6-9.5 Ma interval, the only observed contemporaneous igneous unit being the restricted Pascua Formation. Epithermal Au-Ag-Cu deposits and major prospects emplaced in this period include, from north to south, Pascua-Lama, Veladero, Sancarron, Rio del Medio, El Indio, Tambo, and Vacas Heladas. The widespread, albeit barren, alteration associated with the Bocatoma, Escabroso, Infiernillo, and Vacas Heladas magmatism indicates that the availability of hydrothermal fluid was not the controlling factor for ore formation, emphasising instead the role of the metal content of the magmas associated with epithermal mineralization, and/or the requirement for favorable physiographic conditions at the site of ore deposition.


Background: The craniofacial rotation deformity in Treacher Collins syndrome results in airway compression that is not addressed by isolated mandibular distraction osteogenesis. Our purpose is to present a surgical technique—counterclockwise craniofacial distraction osteogenesis—that improves airway morphology and occlusal rotation in tracheostomy-dependent patients with this condition. Methods: All patients underwent subcranial Le Fort II osteotomies with simultaneous mandibular osteotomies, followed by coordinated maxillomandibular distraction with counterclockwise rotation. We reviewed pretreatment, posttreatment, and end-treatment cephalograms. Airway changes were assessed using polysomnography, sleep endoscopy, and direct laryngoscopy. Bivariate statistics were computed to compare pretreatment and posttreatment measures. Results: Five subjects (age range, 4.5 to 12.1 years) underwent this new procedure; three had previously undergone mandibular distraction. The average palatal plane rotation was 17 degrees, the effective mandible length increase was 18 mm, and the facial plane relative to skull base rotation was 14 degrees. There was a symmetric 30 percent relapse of rotation with maintained occlusion in the first 9 months of follow-up that then stabilized. Four patients were successfully decannulated following counterclockwise craniofacial distraction osteogenesis following polysomnography. Sleep endoscopy available on two patients demonstrated resolution of the upper airway obstruction. Conclusions: Counterclockwise craniofacial distraction osteogenesis provided greater palatal rotation than previous techniques. The resulting improvement in airway anatomy allowed for decannulation in four of five tracheotomized patients. Stability of the counterclockwise rotation is comparable to that of related orthognathic operations, despite substantially greater magnitude. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.


Introduction : English language is the only widely foreign language in field of science especially in dentistry. And so, it is a prime necessary for student to have sufficient skills an English language to understand the concepts of the educational materials in English particularly, the educational video CD. Assessing the dentistry student potentials on understanding the concepts of English educational CDs. Methods : In 2014, 38 students from faculty dentistry of Hormozgan University were passed their professional English course two successfully. They were tested on comprehension skills by watching educational videos. Results : Only 19 percent of objectives obtained scores higher than 10 based on a (0-20) grading systems. Conclusion : Regarding the data obtained in the present study, the necessity for focusing on different aspects of English language is out of question.This could be achieved efficiently through an amalgamated scheme including the use of educational videos materials.


A technique for the administration of cromolyn sodium in 58 severely afflicted asthmatic children is described. This technique offers no difficulty in the youngsters and had no observable side effects.


L-3-123I-alpha-methyltyrosine (IMT) was compared to [67Ga]citrate, [203Pb]Tris and [131I]iodochloroquine (ICQ) with respect to their potential as melanoma seeking radiopharmaceuticals in two tumor lines, a malignant melanotic melanoma of the Sofia type and a malignant amelanotic melanoma of the Greene-Harvey type, transplanted onto Syrian Golden hamsters. [203Pb]Tris and ICQ showed significant accumulation only in melanotic melanoma. In contrast, [67Ga]citrate and IMT accumulated in both tumor lines. [67Ga]citrate has very high tumor-to-skin, tumor-to-eye, and tumor-to-blood ratios at 48 h after injection, but has low selectivity for melanoma and unfavorable physical (high gamma-energy) and biological (half-time) characteristics. IMT has a convenient gamma-energy at 159 keV and a short biological half-time. Maximum of melanoma accumulation is reached at 1-2h after application; tumor-to-tissue ratios are suitable for scintigraphy.


Milk is an important source of all basic nutrients required for mammals including human beings. The study was conducted to evaluate physiochemical quality of milk samples in selected dairy plant of Iran. Various physiochemical properties of milk were analyzed by Lactostar analyzer and compared to the related standards. Also another major concern of this study was to consider the presence of melamine in milk samples by high-performance liquid chromatography. The method was performed using a C8 column and detection at 240 nm. Total 38 different milk samples were analyzed. The results for milk sample analysis showed fat 2.17±0.05%, protein 2.89%±0.01%, lactose 4.37%±0.02%, total solid 10.66%±0.06%, and mineral of 0.22%±0.05% and in infant samples fat 23.38±4.25%, protein 24.18%±3.86%, lactose 37.33%±6.26%, total solid 91.32%±6.26%, and mineral of 16.17%±7.25%. To conclude the occurrence of melamine in infant milk samples and pasteurized milk samples collected from Tehran-Iran revealed that melamine was detected in none of the studied samples. These findings didn't show awareness among consumers level in Iran and may be helpful for the concerned governmental regulatory bodies to monitor the quality of the commercial milk products in the market.


Governmental guidelines have forced a dramatic change in the practice of archaeological surveying in recent decades. In response to public and private development, surveying is needed to accurately inventory the cultural resources of a region and provide guidance for their preservation and management. Greg White and Tom King provide a handy introduction to students, field novices, and land managers on the strategies, methods, and logic of contemporary survey work. In addition to providing the legal and historical context for this endeavor the book provides a heavily illustrated, practical guide to conducting a survey to help beginners understand how it works in practice. This volume is perfect for an archaeological methods class, field school, or reference collection.


Introduction: Patient satisfaction has become an established outcome indicator of the quality and the efficiency of the health care systems. Patient satisfaction with nursing is considered the most important factor in the moulding of the overall patient satisfaction with hospital services. Aim of the study: To assess medical and surgical patient satisfaction with nursing care in the public hospitals of Cyprus and explore its possible correlation with background factors. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive design, with face-to-face semi-structured interview was employed. Data were collected by using MPSS questionnaire and the sample consisted of a random sample of 324 patients from 5 public hospitals in Cyprus with at least 3 days of hospitalisation. Results: The sample consisted of 159 medical (49.1%) and 165 surgical patients (50.9%), the majority of the sample were male (200 - 61.7%) and the mean age was 57.6 years (SD=17.8 years). Overall, patients showed enthusiasm with the medical care provided (Mean=3.97, SD=0.65, R=1-5). Particularly, patients were more satisfied with the technical aspect of care (Mean=4.20, SD=0.62) and less satisfied with the provision of information (Mean=3.71, SD=0.92) and hospitalisation (Mean=3.84, SD=0.70) and most particularly with food and resting time. There was no statistically significant difference in relation to the department (medical or surgical), sex, age, educational level and residency. Conclusions: Nurses need to show greater amount of interest to the information-giving process and the autonomy of the patients. Additionally, an effort should be made to improve hospitalisation services. Evaluating patients' satisfaction should be constant so as to reformulate the baseline and to be able to assess interventions and changes in nursing care provision.


Phase locked loop is a familiar circuit for high frequency application and very short interlocking time. In this paper we have implemented and analysed All Digital Phase locked loop (ADPLL), as the present applications requires a low cost, low power and high speed Phase locked loops. The design is synthesized in Xilinx ISE software. The pure digital phase locked loop is attractive because it is less sensitive to noise and operating conditions than its analog counterpart. This project gives details of the basic blocks of an ADPLL. In this project it is been planned to implementation of ADPLL. Its simulation results are verified for all the corners of inputs. The ADPLL is planned for 200 MHz central frequency.


An application of Newton's second law to a snowboarder dropping off a vertical ledge shows that the average normal force during landing (force exerted by the ground on the snowboarder) is determined by four factors. It is shown that the flexing of the legs, the softness of the snow, the angle of the landing surface and the forward motion of the snowboarder can contribute significantly to reducing the force on landing. A judicious choice of the geometry of the jump leads to a force on landing that is equal to the force that the snowboarder would feel if they were standing at the landing point independent of the height from which the snowboarder jumps. Thus we are able to explain with a relatively simple model why a snowboarder may jump from rather high ledges and land comfortably. The physics here is also applicable to jumps in other sports including skiing and mountain biking. The importance of knowing the limits of models is discussed and some of the limits of this model are pointed out.


In the 1960s, effective techniques were developed for shunting hydrocephalus and for early closure of neural tube defects. As a result, orthopaedic surgeons were presented with the challenge of managing an emerging population of children who had myelomeningocele. Initially, the musculoskeletal problems in these children were treated with the modalities and expectations that had been learned from the treatment of poliomyelitis. However, it soon became apparent that the management of children who have myelomeningocele was not so simple. Additional factors include a decrease or loss of sensation affecting some or all parts of the lower extremities, associated congenital anomalies of the spine and lower extremities, and muscle imbalance that affects skeletal development over the entire period of growth. Furthermore, some patients who have myelomeningocele have a static encephalopathy that impairs coordination and results in the loss of strength of the lower and upper extremities29,30,45. Also, progressive neurological deterioration may occur because of tethered cord syndrome or syringomyelia2. As a result, the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal problems in these patients can be quite difficult.

The purpose of this Instructional Course Lecture is to review the natural history of myelomeningocele as well as the types of deformity that are associated with it, the treatment options that are available, and the expected results of treatment of hip and knee problems related to myelomeningocele. Although other factors must be considered, the neurological level is the key to understanding the hip and knee deformities seen in these patients. Unless otherwise specified, a modification of the classification system described by Asher and Olson3 will be used to define the neurological level (Table I). This classification is based on muscle strength, is simple to use, and, in my experience, has been helpful in predicting gross motor function …


The paper reviews the concept of fuzzy system interpretability and concludes that known interpretability constraints work mostly for the internal consistency of the system, thus are insufficient that we could really benefit from interpretability in practice. In particular, reliability of system rules is an often overlooked property. The latter is a phenomenon of external consistency and thus is largely a responsibility of the optimization algorithm that is used to finalize the system. The modeling algorithm that is suggested in current paper has special regard for model reliability. We then proceed with a methodology for extracting a process controller from the identified process model. Controller design is guided by a automatic linguistic inversion technique. The approach is successfully tested on a fed-batch fermentation benchmark.


Analytic expressions are derived for the input admittance and the current distribution along the multiply fed and loaded insulated antenna in air which is excited across feed gaps of nonzero widths. The Wiener-Hopf type analysis for a center fed insulated antenna is combined with the axial field discontinuity (AFD) method to develop the current and admittance expression. This AFD method considers the metallic surface of the linear antenna as a series combination of longitudinal, electric-field surface functions that exist due to feeding and/or loading. The analysis, which does not employ superposition of even and odd distributions of sources and loads, yields final expressions in terms of the excitation location, its aperture electric field within the feed gaps, impedance locations, and their values. The current distribution for cases of unity dielectric constant shows an excellent agreement with data based on the moment method. The input admittances and current distributions are reported for different multiple excitations and loads and dielectric constants of the insulator.


Social workers in public welfare services can be considered, according to Michael Lipsky theorization, street level bureaucrats. Lipsky (1980) defines as street level bureaucrats all public service workers who interact directly with citizens and have substantial discretion in the execution of their work. They are professionals who grant access to State programs and provide services within these programs; but they also operate in an environment where resources are chronically inadequate to the task they are asked to perform, where goals expectations tend to be ambiguous, conflicting or vague and where the demand for services tends to increase constantly to meet the supply. The working conditions of street level bureaucrats are unavoidably uncertain: they are regularly confronted with dilemmas that are not just ethical but also organizational. Due to this situation, discretion represents for them, simultaneously, a crucial tool to work with in very complicated situations - where the human dimension is essential - and an important option in order to solve or simplify the mentioned organizational contradictions. In the first case discretion may be synonymous of professional autonomy; in the second it may represent a strategy to cope with uncertainties and work pressures, often through the rationing of services (which may even mean autonomous reduction of the level of services).


Abstract A framework is presented to consider the value and utility of molecular-based research in weed science. Four themes are used to illustrate why adopting molecular approaches might be helpful. First, the rationale for academic institutions adopting molecular approaches is outlined, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. Second, research strategy and synergies developed into other functions, such as education, consultancy, and business, is considered. Third, project management as a vehicle for integrating technical and personnel skills is examined. Finally, specific examples of outputs such as the application of functional genomics for herbicide discovery are described. The adoption of molecular-based methods can have far-reaching benefits in agriculture and biotechnology. Communicating these benefits within the scientific community and beyond, particularly to end users, is of fundamental importance.


The work of this article is a contribution to the characterization of new materials at microwave frequencies and enrichment the existing database. The transmission/reflection technique for complex permittivity determination is employed to characterize a set of low-loss dielectric materials. The algorithm for permittivity extraction eliminates mathematically the systematic errors of the experimental setup. This technique needs two uncalibrated scattering parameter measurements by the Vector Network Analyzer; the first is done with a partially filled rectangular waveguide by a standard dielectric Teflon sample (PTFE), and the second is performed with the sample under test. The relative complex permittivity of Delrin, Peek, Spanish Peek, Nylatron, Vulkollan, Arnite and Celotex materials are measured over the X-band frequencies (8.2 - 12.4 GHz), and the average relative errors between the calibrated and uncalibrated results are calculated. As other non-resonant methods, rough results are indicated of the imaginary part of the permittivity for very low-loss samples.


From 1964-1976 34 patients were treated for Echinococcus of the liver at the Mainz University department of surgery. There were 25 cases of E. cysticus and 9 cases of E. alveolaris. Decisive for the diagnosis are Casoni's intracutaneous test, scout film of the abdomen, liver scan and arteriography. In all cases a surgical therapy is indicated. A central localization of the parasite cysts makes problems to the surgical management. In these cases we prefere the cystectomy. All other echinococcal cysts were removed totally, either by pericystectomy or hepatic lobectomy. Such a radicality is the exception in E. alveolaris. Twice we performed right hepatic lobectomy. In the other cases operative treatment was carried out to confirm diagnosis and ensure bile passage by a hepato-enterostomy. However, palliative bile draining procedures may prolong survival time to more than 10 years.


This paper examines the export-led growth hypothesis using Jordanian monthly data over the period 1997.03 -2003.12. The univariate Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models are used to filter real exports and industrial production index series to white noise. The cross-correlation function is used in testing the independence hypothesis of exports and industrial production index by employing Koch-Yang test at different lag lengths. The results provide empirical evidence supporting the export-led hypothesis in the short-run only at the 5% level of significance. However, this relationship tends to support the hypothesis of independence when longer lags are used. The result based on Granger test shows a unidirectional causation from export to industrial production index at 10% level of significance. These findings lend support to the export-oriented strategy pursued by Jordan over the sample period examined.


Simulating charged particle motion through the elements is necessary to understand modern particle accelerators. The particle numbers and the circling turns in a synchrotron are huge, and a simulation can be time-consuming. Open multi-processing (OpenMP) is a convenient method to speed up the computing of multi-cores for computers based on share memory model. Using message passing interface (MPI) which is based on nonuniform memory access architecture, a coarse grain parallel algorithm is set up for the Accelerator Toolbox (AT) for dynamic tracking processes. The computing speedup of the tracking process is 3.77 times with a quad-core CPU computer and the speed almost grows linearly with the number of CPU.


Price is the key factor in financial activities. Unexpected fluctuation in price is the sign of market instability. Nowadays Machine learning provides enormous techniques to forecast price of products to cope up with market instability. In this paper, we look into the application of machine learning approach to forecast the price of onion. The forecast is based on the data collected from Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh. For making prediction we used machine learning algorithms e.g. K- Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Naïve Bayes, Decision Tree, Neural Network (NN), Support Vector Machine (SVM). Then we assessed and compared our techniques to find which technique provides the best performance in term of accuracy. We find all of our techniques provide analogous performance. By above mentioned techniques we seek to classify whether the price of onion would be preferable (low), economical (mid), expensive (high).


Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) represents a challenging class of mobile ad-hoc networks that enables vehicles to intelligently communicate with each other and with roadside infrastructure. VANET poses number of challenges in terms of Quality of Service (QoS) and its performance. Quality of Service depends on numerous parameters such as bandwidth, packet delivery ratio, data latency, delay variance etc. In this paper we have discussed various issues associated with data latency, efficient bandwidth utilization and packet delivery ratio in VANETs. Moreover, challenges in providing security, reliability and confidentiality of the disseminated data are elaborated. Finally, various applications of VANETs in current computing scenario are also presented. Keywords-Quality of Service (QoS), VANETs, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS).


The present article aims to review and determine the risk factors for forming and developing of criminal behaviors in teenager environment. The definitions and analysis of these risk factors require an interdisciplinary approach that combines methodological principles of various sciences and research areas: Economics, sociology, jurisprudence, social psychology, regional studies, economic sociology, economic geography, statistics, etc. Authors of the article put forward a hypothesis about the presence of social-economic factors that determine certain types of criminal behavior in a teenager environment. To confirm this hypothesis, extensive statistical material that contains information on social-economic development of the subjects of the Russian Federation, is used. In particular, ratings of regions on the quality of life, the level of unemployment, the level of drug addiction of the population and the number of suicides committed by minors. Other data are also used if necessary for full implementation of the research objective put forward. Based on the collected and the systematized empirical material, conclusions and generalizations are formulated, which, on the one hand, partially prove the hypothesis advanced, on the other hand, requires certain corrections to be made within. Authors of the article believe that tendencies of increase/decrease of crime in the teenager environment revealed by them are partially determined by certain factors of social and economic development of Russian regions.


The article presents the quantitative and qualitative attributes of dead wood in forests dominated by Carpinus betulus L. in Kaniv Nature Reserve. The study was conducted in 130–140-year natural common hornbeam forests on two permanent sample plots of 0.24 ha each by identifying and measuring all components of standing and lying (fallen) dead wood. It was found that wood detritus has an average volume of 39.8 m3/ha consists of standing dead trees (23.1%) and fallen dead wood (76.9%). The species composition is dominated by common hornbeam (96.5%), and the share of Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) is low (3.5%). Wood of II (13.2 m3/ha, 33.1%) and III (12.2 m3/ha, 30.7%) classes of destruction predominates. Standing dead wood is formed by only one tree species — common hornbeam and has an average volume of 9.2 m3/ha. It is represented mainly by standing broken trees. The volume of standing dead wood is dominated by wood detritus of the II stage of decomposition (95.7%). Fallen dead wood is formed by two tree species — common hornbeam (95.4%) and Norway maple (4.6%), has an average volume of 30.6 m3/ha. It is represented by whole uprooted and broken fallen trees (trunks), fragments of fallen trees (trunks) and rough branches. Lying dead wood is represented by detritus of all five classes of decomposition, but wood of III (12.2 m3/ha, 39.9%) and IV (9.6 m3/ha, 31.4%) classes predominates. The volume of fallen dead wood is mainly formed by components with an average diameter of 10.1–30.0 cm (75.7%). The diversity of fractions and components, structural features, sizes and stages of decomposition of dead wood can be important in the formation of potential habitats and substrates for a number of species of living organisms.


Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a complex disease driven by numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations. Recurrent IgH translocations, copy number abnormalities and somatic mutations all contribute to myelomagenesis, yet true drivers of the disease have yet to be identified.
 In order to investigate the enhancer landscape and identify new dependencies and actionable therapeutic targets in MM, we have generated high-quality active enhancer landscape in MM cell lines as well as in large cohort of primary patient myeloma cells (n=70) and normal plasma cell. We integrated this data with an in-house curated atlas of 600+ active enhancer profile across a wide range of tumor types and normal tissues. Combining this data with gene expression and genetic dependency (CRISPR KO) enables a multidimensional integration of how transcriptional regulation intersects with tumor specific dependencies. We identified genes that are super-enhancer associated, expressed, and required specifically in MM versus other tumor types or normal tissues. Many of the specific and potent dependencies in MM are transcription factors, and especially those establishing plasma cell identity. Among others, the POU2AF1 gene, which encodes the OCA-B/BOB-1, a B cell transcriptional coactivator protein, represented the most striking dependency in MM. BOB-1 is a gene regulatory factor that regulates B-cell development, maturation and GC formation. Although BOB-1 is expressed throughout B-cell development, we found it to be highly expressed in CD138+ plasma cells from patients with precursor conditions (MGUS and SMM) as well and established MM compared to normal plasma cells, giving us the rationale to study the transcriptional program associated with BOB-1 in MM cells.
 To confirm CRISPR data described above, we have performed loss-of-function (LOF) studies using shRNA, siRNAs as well as antisense GapMers specific for BOB-1. Downregulation of BOB-1 in a panel of MM cell lines caused MM cell growth inhibition in a time-dependent manner which was associated with G2/M cell cycle arrest and induction of MM cell apoptosis.
 Transcriptomic analysis by RNA-sequencing revealed a set of 72 genes (adj p-value=0.2) commonly modulated in AMO-1 and NCI-929 MM cell lines upon BOB-1 depletion, as compared with scrambled cells. Among the top 5 downregulated genes in BOB-1 knockdown samples, we found AMPD1, KCNN3, BHLHA15, HID1 and XBP1. The modulation of BOB1 target genes was confirmed at the protein level by Western blot analysis in BOB-1 LOF and gain-of-function (GOF) cell systems. Analysis of patient expression datasets revealed that these genes are positively correlated with BOB-1 expression in primary MM cells and overexpressed in MM cells compared to normal plasma cells.
 One of these 5 genes positively controlled by BOB-1, BHLHA15, is the gene coding for the transcription factor Mist1, which functions as a coregulator of the unfolded protein response (UPR) master transcription factor XBP1. Target genes of the XBP1- BHLHA15 axis are involved in lipid synthesis, protein folding and secretion, and ER-associated protein degradation. As a result, BOB-1 knockdown increased de novo protein synthesis in MM cells compared to control cells. Interestingly, Mist1 gene expression is induced during ER stress by XBP1, but as ER stress subsides, Mist1 serves as a feedback inhibitor. Moreover, we identified that LOF studies in two MM cell lines confirmed increased expression of BOB-1 and XBP1 upon KD of Mist1. However, XBP1 and/or Mist1 are dispensable for MM cell survival, as gene depletion did not affect MM cell viability. Among the genes most significantly upregulated by BOB-1 depletion was heme oxygenase 1 HMOX1 gene, whose expression is significantly lower in-patient MM cells compared to normal plasma cells. Moreover, its lower expression significantly correlated with poor clinical outcome; and siRNA depletion of HMOX1 increased MM cell growth in MM cell lines, suggesting important role in MM. Mechanistic studies aimed at investigating the functions of HMOX1 in MM and its relation with BOB-1 are ongoing and will be presented.
 In conclusion, we here report BOB1 as an important transcriptional regulator in MM and its two down-stream novel target genes (BHLHA15 and HMOX1) with potential significant biological role in MM.

 Hajek: BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; PharmaMar: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Fulciniti:NIH: Research Funding. Munshi:Janssen: Consultancy; C4: Current equity holder in private company; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; OncoPep: Consultancy, Current equity holder in private company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; BMS: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy.


Most prior work on the use of key management algorithms to enable confidentiality of video delivery has been conducted in the context of IP Multicast. In this paper, we consider the unique challenges and opportunities of integrating key management algorithms in an overlay multicast system. We conduct a systematic and extensive performance evaluation of strategies for key dissemination in the context of an operational overlay broadcasting system on the Planetlab testbed using real traces of join/leave dynamics. We show that leveraging TCP in each hop of the overlay dissemination structure can significantly simplify reliable key dissemination. The performance can be further enhanced if convergence properties of overlays are considered. We show that using two specialized dissemination structures, one for data and one for keys, potentially achieves low overhead for key dissemination without sacrificing application performance. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to study key management schemes in an overlay context using real implementation and Internet experiments and the first to consider issues in resilient key dissemination with overlays.


Insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus are common consequences of iron overload in the pancreas of beta-thalassemia major (BTM) patients. Moreover, postprandial blood glucose elevations are linked to major vascular complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a bout of acute resistance exercise following breakfast consumption of glucose and fat on the metabolism in prediabetic, BTM patients. Six patients underwent two trials (exercise and control) following breakfast consumption (consisting of approximately 50% carbohydrates, 15% proteins, 35% fat), in a counterbalanced order, separated by at least three days. In an exercise trial, patients performed chest and leg presses (3 sets of 10 repetitions maximum/exercise), while in the control trial they rested. Blood samples were obtained in both trials at: pre-meal, 45 min post-meal (pre-exercise/control), post-exercise/control, 1 h post-exercise/control, 2 h post-exercise/control and 24 h post-exercise/control. Blood was analysed for glucose and lipids (total cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides). Blood glucose levels increased significantly 45 min following breakfast consumption. Blood glucose and lipids did not differ between trials at the same time points. It seems that a single bout of resistance training is not sufficient to improve blood glucose and fat levels for the subsequent 24-h post-exercise period in prediabetic, BTM patients.


This chapter seeks to integrate two conflicting ways of understanding the contribution of castles to the making of the rural landscape. On the one hand, castles were part of the rural landscape and components within local settlement patterns, and on the other hand, some of their characteristics elevated them above the rural scene. The status of rural castles as manorial centres is shown in their association with other characteristic features of rural lordship. Moreover, it is argued that castles in England have rarely brought rural settlements into existence, and castle lords were more involved in the re-orientation of village plans. Most eleventh and twelfth-century castles form a manorial focus within village plans, many being located to bring communities under tighter control. Other castles existed as dispersed settlements and many later castles were intended as isolated lordship sites, deliberately removed from the tenantry. All these patters and processes, however, are seen as part of a wider context of regional economies and landscapes.


This study presents a robust deep reinforcement learning (RL) approach for real-time, network-wide holding control with transfer synchronization, considering stochastic passenger demand and vehicle running time during daily operations. The problem is formulated within a multi-agent RL framework where each active trip is considered as an agent, which not only interacts with the environment but also with other agents in the considered transit network. A specific learning procedure is developed to learn robust policies by introducing $maxmin$ optimization into the learning objective. The agents are trained via deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm (DDPG) using an extended actor-critic framework with a joint action approximator. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated in a simulator, which is calibrated using data collected from a transit network in Twin Cities Minnesota, USA. The learned policy is compared with no control, rule-based control and the rolling horizon optimization control (RHOC). Computational results suggest that RL approach can significantly reduce the online computation time by about 50% compared with RHOC. In terms of policy performance, under deterministic scenario, the average waiting time of RL approach is 1.3% higher than the theoretical lower bound of average waiting time; under stochastic scenarios, RL approach could reduce as much as 18% average waiting time than RHOC, and the performance relative to RHOC improves when the level of system uncertainty increases. Evaluation under disrupted environment also suggests that the proposed RL method is more robust against short term uncertainties. The promising results in terms of both online computational efficiency and solution effectiveness suggest that the proposed RL method is a valid candidate for real-time transit control when the dynamics cannot be modeled perfectly with system uncertainties, as is the case for the network-wide transfer synchronization problem.


Air contamination in urban areas has risen consistently over the past few years. Due to expanding industrialization and increasing concentration of toxic gases in the climate, the air is getting more poisonous step by step at an alarming rate. Since the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is getting more critical to lessen air contamination to reduce its impact. The specialists and environmentalists are making a valiant effort to gauge air contamination levels. However, it's genuinely unpredictable to mimic sub-atomic communication in the air, which brings about off-base outcomes. There has been an ascent in using machine learning and deep learning models to foresee the results on time series data. This study adopts ARIMA, FBProphet, and deep learning models such as LSTM, 1D-CNN, to estimate the concentration of PM2.5 in the environment. Our predicted results convey that all adopted methods give comparative outcomes in terms of average root mean squared error. However, the LSTM outperforms all other models with reference to mean absolute percentage error.


This paper implements the conceptual framework of Carter and Barrett (2001, 2006) that identifies the link between assets and household well-being transitions. I employ household panel data from Vietnam collected in two years 2007 and 2008 as foreign investment boomed and inflation rose. Poverty dynamics are modeled using changes in consumption expenditure and poverty transition models. The transition effect is captured by a set of variables such as household assets (including household and individual characteristics, household dynamics and its social assets) and shocks. The result shows that changes in household assets and shocks affect poverty transition.


We describe the design and operation of a pulsed optical parametric oscillator (OPO) system suitable for nonlinear frequency conversion. The OPO system, which uses a type-I β-barium borate (BBO) crystal as the nonlinear medium, is tunable from 0.435 to 2.3 μm. It possesses linewidths that are less than 0.2 cm−1 and beam divergences of less than 0.5 mrad. We report frequency-doubling efficiencies of the output of this OPO system. Maximum doubling efficiencies obtained are 18.5% with BBO and 28% with potassium dihydrogen phosphate.


Laser beam welding is an established method in the manufacturing industry. The method allows the achievement of a high aspect ratio (penetration depth to weld width) due to the deep penetration effect. The method is applied in different variations which comprise a wide spectre of materials and also a large field of applications, from the field of heavy machinery up to micro system technology. There are, however, some process-induced disadvantages which may force the user to compromise.Laser beam welding under vacuum is a new process variation with a clearly high potential. Particularly the further development in the field of solid-state lasers up to high powers and beam qualities increase the welding results, which can be achieved in the vacuum. First results made with solid-state lasers under vacuum show that the penetration depth can at least be doubled, compared to welding in atmosphere. The tendency to spatter formation to the upper surface is greatly reduced. The weld quality is, in the same turn, increased. Especially the formation of pores with increasing weld-in depths is practically non-existent.In this lecture, new results of laser beam vacuum welding of a fine-grained steel will be presented. This includes also the mechanical properties like hardness and toughness.Laser beam welding is an established method in the manufacturing industry. The method allows the achievement of a high aspect ratio (penetration depth to weld width) due to the deep penetration effect. The method is applied in different variations which comprise a wide spectre of materials and also a large field of applications, from the field of heavy machinery up to micro system technology. There are, however, some process-induced disadvantages which may force the user to compromise.Laser beam welding under vacuum is a new process variation with a clearly high potential. Particularly the further development in the field of solid-state lasers up to high powers and beam qualities increase the welding results, which can be achieved in the vacuum. First results made with solid-state lasers under vacuum show that the penetration depth can at least be doubled, compared to welding in atmosphere. The tendency to spatter formation to the upper surface is greatly reduced. The weld quality is, in the same turn, in...


BACKGROUND
Despite conflicting evidence, chest physiotherapy has been widely used as an adjunctive treatment for adults with pneumonia. This is an update of a review first published in 2010 and updated in 2013.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness and safety of chest physiotherapy for pneumonia in adults.

SEARCH METHODS
We updated our searches in the following databases to May 2022: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) via OvidSP, MEDLINE via OvidSP (from 1966), Embase via embase.com (from 1974), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) (from 1929), CINAHL via EBSCO (from 2009), and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) (from 1978).

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs assessing the efficacy of chest physiotherapy for treating pneumonia in adults.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.

MAIN RESULTS
We included two new trials in this update (540 participants), for a total of eight RCTs (974 participants). Four RCTs were conducted in the United States, two in Sweden, one in China, and one in the United Kingdom. The studies looked at five types of chest physiotherapy: conventional chest physiotherapy; osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT, which includes paraspinal inhibition, rib raising, and myofascial release); active cycle of breathing techniques (which includes active breathing control, thoracic expansion exercises, and forced expiration techniques); positive expiratory pressure; and high-frequency chest wall oscillation. We assessed four trials as at unclear risk of bias and four trials as at high risk of bias. Conventional chest physiotherapy (versus no physiotherapy) may have little to no effect on improving mortality, but the certainty of evidence is very low (risk ratio (RR) 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15 to 7.13; 2 trials, 225 participants; I² = 0%). OMT (versus placebo) may have little to no effect on improving mortality, but the certainty of evidence is very low (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.50; 3 trials, 327 participants; I² = 0%). Similarly, high-frequency chest wall oscillation (versus no physiotherapy) may also have little to no effect on improving mortality, but the certainty of evidence is very low (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.17 to 3.29; 1 trial, 286 participants). Conventional chest physiotherapy (versus no physiotherapy) may have little to no effect on improving cure rate, but the certainty of evidence is very low (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.55; 2 trials, 225 participants; I² = 85%). Active cycle of breathing techniques (versus no physiotherapy) may have little to no effect on improving cure rate, but the certainty of evidence is very low (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.23; 1 trial, 32 participants). OMT (versus placebo) may improve cure rate, but the certainty of evidence is very low (RR 1.59, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.51; 2 trials, 79 participants; I² = 0%). OMT (versus placebo) may have little to no effect on mean duration of hospital stay, but the certainty of evidence is very low (mean difference (MD) -1.08 days, 95% CI -2.39 to 0.23; 3 trials, 333 participants; I² = 50%). Conventional chest physiotherapy (versus no physiotherapy, MD 0.7 days, 95% CI -1.39 to 2.79; 1 trial, 54 participants) and active cycle of breathing techniques (versus no physiotherapy, MD 1.4 days, 95% CI -0.69 to 3.49; 1 trial, 32 participants) may also have little to no effect on duration of hospital stay, but the certainty of evidence is very low. Positive expiratory pressure (versus no physiotherapy) may reduce the mean duration of hospital stay by 1.4 days, but the certainty of evidence is very low (MD -1.4 days, 95% CI -2.77 to -0.03; 1 trial, 98 participants). Positive expiratory pressure (versus no physiotherapy) may reduce the duration of fever by 0.7 days, but the certainty of evidence is very low (MD -0.7 days, 95% CI -1.36 to -0.04; 1 trial, 98 participants). Conventional chest physiotherapy (versus no physiotherapy, MD 0.4 days, 95% CI -1.01 to 1.81; 1 trial, 54 participants) and OMT (versus placebo, MD 0.6 days, 95% CI -1.60 to 2.80; 1 trial, 21 participants) may have little to no effect on duration of fever, but the certainty of evidence is very low. OMT (versus placebo) may have little to no effect on the mean duration of total antibiotic therapy, but the certainty of evidence is very low (MD -1.07 days, 95% CI -2.37 to 0.23; 3 trials, 333 participants; I² = 61%). Active cycle of breathing techniques (versus no physiotherapy) may have little to no effect on duration of total antibiotic therapy, but the certainty of evidence is very low (MD 0.2 days, 95% CI -4.39 to 4.69; 1 trial, 32 participants). High-frequency chest wall oscillation plus fibrobronchoscope alveolar lavage (versus fibrobronchoscope alveolar lavage alone) may reduce the MD of intensive care unit (ICU) stay by 3.8 days (MD -3.8 days, 95% CI -5.00 to -2.60; 1 trial, 286 participants) and the MD of mechanical ventilation by three days (MD -3 days, 95% CI -3.68 to -2.32; 1 trial, 286 participants), but the certainty of evidence is very low. One trial reported transient muscle tenderness emerging after OMT in two participants. In another trial, three serious adverse events led to early withdrawal after OMT. One trial reported no adverse events after positive expiratory pressure treatment. Limitations of this review were the small sample size and unclear or high risk of bias of the included trials.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The inclusion of two new trials in this update did not change the main conclusions of the original review. The current evidence is very uncertain about the effect of chest physiotherapy on improving mortality and cure rate in adults with pneumonia. Some physiotherapies may slightly shorten hospital stays, fever duration, and ICU stays, as well as mechanical ventilation. However, all of these findings are based on very low certainty evidence and need to be further validated.


Conventional X rays, i.e. X rays generating voltage between roughly 150 and 300 kV, are used in many radio-diagnostic procedures and also in radiobiological experiments. They release less energetic and, therefore, more densely ionising electrons than the high-energy gamma rays from 60Co or from the A bombs. Accordingly, they are considered to be somewhat more effective, especially at low doses. Various radiobiological studies, especially studies on chromosome aberrations have confirmed this assumption, but epidemiological investigations, e.g. the comparison of the excess relative risk for mammary cancer in the X-ray exposed patients and in the gamma-ray exposed A bomb survivors, have not demonstrated a similar difference. In view of the missing epidemiological evidence and largely for the reasons of practicality in radiation protection, the ICRP has recommended the radiation weighting factor unity equally for all photon radiations. However, in the discussion preceding the 2005 Recommendations of the ICRP, the issue remains controversial. In a recent paper, Harder et al. argue--with reference to an assessment by the German Radiation Protection Commission (SSK)--that the use of the same weighting factor for different photon energies can be justified more directly. For high-energy incident photons, they present the degraded photon spectra at different depths in a phantom, and they conclude that much of the difference between high-energy gamma rays and conventional X rays disappears in a large phantom. The present assessment, which is more direct, compares the spectra of electrons released (through pair production, Compton effect and photo effect) in a small and in a very large receptor for the incident photons of 150 keV, 1 MeV and 6 MeV. For the 1 Mev and 6 MeV photons, there is a substantial shift towards smaller electron energies in the large receptor, but the electron spectra remain much harder than those from the 150 keV incident photons. Furthermore, it is seen--in agreement with earlier conclusions by Straume--that for the broad gamma-ray spectrum from the A bombs there is no shift at all to lower energies within the body, but rather some degree of hardening of the radiation. The assumption that distinct differences between high-energy gamma rays and conventional X rays are restricted to small samples must, thus, be rejected. The attribution of the same effective quality factor or radiation weighting factor to all photon energies remains, therefore, an issue that is based on the considerations beyond dosimetry.


In order to achieve rapid composition of simulation systems, we propose service oriented simulation development, which is based on service-oriented architecture and semantic web technologies to implement Simulations-on-Internet via simulation service composition. First, definitions of domain ontology, service ontology, goal ontology, and simulation services have been put forward, upon which we construct a simulation service customization model, and realize the mechanism of goal-driven service customization. Further, we discuss the general process of simulation service composition, in which we present an agent-based matchmaking protocol to mediate between requirement goals and simulation services. In the end, a case study is proposed to testify the feasibility of our method.


A superconducting cavity has been developed in which it is possible to expose a small region of the cavity, called the dimple, to very high surface RF electric fields. In a break-apart version of this cavity, the dimple is part of a demountable niobium end-plate which fits into the SEM/EDS system. Surface RF electric fields between 50 and 70 MV/m have been supported by the dimple in several tests. On subsequent SEM examination of the end-plates, many interesting features associated with emission were discovered. Each emission site is located at the center of a starburst shaped region of reduced secondary emission coefficient. At the center of these sites craters of molten niobium have often been found. Sometimes the sites contain features which look like nodules or ripples on the niobium surface.<<ETX>>


Orlistat is used clinically worldwide as anti-obesity drug. It is a chemically synthesized hydrogenated derivative of lipstatin and is an inhibitor of gastric and pancreatic lipases. It has been found to reduce the absorption of dietary fat in the gastrointestinal tract. Modeling and simulation based on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis is becoming increasingly used in the design of clinical trials to assure that the trials are of high quality and are conducted efficiently. We developed a clinical trial simulation model for orlistat based on Phase III clinical study data. This innovative weight loss model includes the relationships between orlistat dose, changes in fecal fat excretion, and weight loss, and also incorporates a dropout function. The model guided the dose-finding strategy and allowed simulation of long-term clinical outcomes of orlistat.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Despite the established role of MTOR inhibitors (rapalogs) in treating advanced kidney cancer, therapeutic benefit varies and predictive biomarkers are lacking. Intratumor branching heterogeneity, a recently discovered hallmark of this disease, has raised concerns about the feasibility of developing genomic biomarkers for targeted agents in kidney cancer. We undertook an outlier approach to interrogate the genetic determinants underlying long-term therapeutic response (>20 months) to rapalogs in 6 patients. An integrated ultra-deep targeted-exome (∼500x) and standard whole-exome (∼100x) sequencing was performed. Additionally, to address intratumor and intertumor heterogeneity, spatially separated tumor specimens from the same individuals were analyzed whenever possible. Multiregional sequencing unveiled surprising MTOR pathway convergent evolution, manifested by MTOR pathway activation by means of distinct genomic events in spatially separate sites of disease within the same individual. Amongst the core components of the MTORC1 pathway, complete functional loss of TSC1 and TSC2, and a hyperactive MTOR mutant were discovered in 4 of 6 long-term responders. Mutations in MTOR Clustered at FAT and kinase domains confer hyperactivity and yet remain sensitive to rapamycin. Here, we affirm intratumor heterogeneity, identify genomic determinants of drug response, and discover pathway convergent evolution in the majority of long-term responders. We propose a "river" model in which intratumor and intertumor clonal heterogeneity in cancer patients evolves like a branching river that converges at critical nodes. These convergent points provide unique opportunities for the treatment of genetically diverged yet functionally converged cancers in any given patient.

Citation Format: Martin H. Voss, A Ari Hakimi, Can G. Pham, A Rose Brannon, Ying-Bei Chen, Luis F. Cunha, Oguz Akin, Han Liu, Shugaku Takeda, Sasinya N. Scott, Nicholas D. Socci, Agnes Viale, Nikolaus Schultz, Chris Sander, Victor E. Reuter, Paul Russo, Emily H. Cheng, Robert J. Motzer, Michael F. Berger, James J. Hsieh. Pathway convergent evolution underscores treatment response to MTOR inhibitors in kidney cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3515. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3515


Manuscript Type. Empirical. Research Question/Issue. This study examines how the presence of representatives of institutional investors as directors on boards or on audit committees enhances financial reporting quality, reducing the probability that the firm receives qualified audit reports. We focus on directors who maintain business relations with the firm on whose board or committee they sit (pressure‐sensitive directors). We also investigate the specific role of bank directors and examine their effects on financial reporting quality when they act as shareholders and directors. Research Findings/Insights. Our results suggest that institutional directors are effective monitors, which leads to higher quality financial reporting and, therefore, a lower likelihood that the firm receives a qualified audit report. Consistent with the relevant role of business relations with the firm, we find that directors appointed to both boards and audit committees by pressure‐sensitive investors have a larger effect on financial reporting quality as it is more likely that the auditor issues an unqualified audit opinion. Nevertheless, when analyzed separately, only savings bank representatives on the board increase financial reporting quality. Theoretical/Academic Implications. The results confirm that board characteristics have an important influence on financial reporting quality, in line with the views that have been expressed by several international bodies. The findings also suggest that both researchers and policy makers should no longer consider institutional investors as a whole, given than directors appointed by different types of institutional investors have various implications on financial reporting quality, measured by the type of audit opinion. Practitioner/Policy Implications. This study makes its core contribution by empirically showing that directors appointed by different types of institutional investors have diverse implications on financial reporting quality. This evidence can be potentially helpful in providing a basis for regulatory actions, namely those aiming to influence the structure of the board of directors. The results have important implications for supervisors and regulators, who will benefit from an understanding of how the presence of directors on boards of savings and commercial banks in nonfinancial firms affects financial reporting quality in a bank‐based system.


Grid selection for sparse estimation of spectral-line parameters is a critical problem that was in need of a satisfactory solution: assuming the usual case of a uniform spectral grid how should one select the number of grid points, K? We first present a simple practical rule for choosing an initial value (or initial values) of it in a given situation. Then, we go on to explain how the estimation results corresponding to different values of K can be compared with one another and therefore how to select the "best" value of K among those considered. Furthermore, we introduce a method for detecting when a grid is "too rough" and for obtaining refined parameter estimates in such a case.


Rising gas prices, carbon constraints, fuel economy standards, and the desire for energy independence are driving the development of PHEV which are expected to achieve the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon of gasoline. If they achieve significant market potential, they will have a huge impact on the electric industry, increasing load by an amount which could put the grid at risk. The challenges faced by today's power system are severe. It is designed for moderate load increase due to long time investments in electricity generation, lines and cables but faces in the future a large new load with different patterns. This paper investigates the stability of system by using the potential energy generated at and around the equilibrium points and an analysis of the stability of the power system using stochastic energy-like Lyapunov function.


The study area contains a record of deglaciation events that has not been recognized elsewhere in the Puget Lowland. This record includes both subaerial outwash and glaciomarine deposition. The geologic history of the study area during recession of the Vashon ice sheet is marked by the following events: (1) deposition of a kame delta complex from grounded ice probably located in Penn Cove and west of Point Partridge. This delta complex was built into marine water with a sea-level at approximately 55 meters. Eventually, ice drained by the outwash streams stagnated in the Point Partridge kettle region. (2) Isostatic rebound of the depressed land surface caused relative sea-level to drop as the ice continued to become thinner. (3) Deposition of sand and gravel from outwash streams ceased as the ice continued to thin and eventually floated, depositing glaciomarine drift below approximately 37 meters. Narrow marine terraces were carved into Vashon till and Partridge outwash around the perimeter of Penn Cove. In addition to these events, the relationship between the Partridge outwash and Everson glaciomarine drift is described. Partridge outwash is an Everson Interstade unit, deposited by meltwater streams in a marine environment.


This study was performed to quantitate the bone ingrowth and biodegradability of porous calcium phosphate. Two kinds of coralline hydroxyapatite (CHA), along with sintered triculcium phosphate (TCP), were evaluated. All implants had totally interconnecting pores. These pores measured 260–600 μ for CHA‐Goniopora (CHAG), 190–230 μm for CHA‐Porites (CHAP), and 100–300 μm fot TCP. Cylindrical implants (3 mm in diameter by 8 mm in length) were implanted into the diaphyses of rabbit tibias for 3 to 24 weeks. The quantity of regeneration bone, remaining implant, nonmineralized space, and the middle two quarters of the cortical area were measured by a computerized operator‐assisted anaylsis for bone, histomorphometry. At 3 weeks after implantation, 17.3% of CHAG, 11.3% of CHAP, and 7.0% of TCP were infiltrated by regenerated bone. At 24 weeks, 56.1% of CHAG, 52.7% of CHAP, and 44.7% of TCP were occupied by lamellar‐type bone. Implant degradation was noted to be 46.4% for TCP and 27.5% for CHAP. In contrast, CHAG did not show appreciable degradation until 24 weeks.


With the rapid development of WIFI technology, WIFI-based indoor positioning technology has been widely studied for location-based services. To solve the problems related to the signal strength database adopted in the widely used fingerprint positioning technology, we first introduce a new system framework in this paper, which includes a modified AP firmware and some cheap self-made WIFI sensor anchors. The periodically scanned reports regarding the neighboring APs and sensor anchors are sent to the positioning server and serve as the calibration points. Besides the calculation of correlations between the target points and the neighboring calibration points, we take full advantage of the important but easily overlooked feature that the signal attenuation model varies in different regions in the regression algorithm to get more accurate results. Thus, a novel method called RSSI Geography Weighted Regression (RGWR) is proposed to solve the fingerprint database construction problem. The average error of all the calibration points' self-localization results will help to make the final decision of whether the database is the latest or has to be updated automatically. The effects of anchors on system performance are further researched to conclude that the anchors should be deployed at the locations that stand for the features of RSSI distributions. The proposed system is convenient for the establishment of practical positioning system and extensive experiments have been performed to validate that the proposed method is robust and manpower efficient.


We seek to understand how the experiences of groups that differ in gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation produce college-level educational performances that differ from the experiences of the dominant majority group. We employ two datasets: a National Database of 24,701 participants and a Paired-Measures Database with 3,323 participants. Both datasets provide demographic information, socioeconomic conditions of status as first-generation student, English as a first language, and interest in majoring in science, and competency scores on understanding science as a way of knowing obtained from the Science Literacy Concept Inventory. The Paired-Measures Database includes additional selfassessed competence ratings that enabled quantifying affective confidence. We meld the ways of knowing of ethics, numeracy, and social justice, especially the social justice concept of Othering, to interpret our data. Two of three competing hypotheses about self-assessment encourage Othering. Our data strongly support the third—that all groups are good at self-assessment and merit equal respect. Women and men are equally competent in science literacy. Women, on average, are more accurate in their self-assessments whereas men, on average, are overconfident. Those with minority sexual orientations register higher competence than the binary-sexual majority but are less confident of their competency. Minority ethnicities, on average, produce significantly lower science literacy scores. With one exception (Middle Eastern), groups produce mean self-assessed competence ratings that are remarkably accurate predictors of their mean competence scores. The three socioeconomic conditions exert significant and unequal impacts across ethnic groups, with Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Pacific Islander data providing some unique results.


We apply a generative segmental model of task structure, guided by narration, to action segmentation in video. We focus on unsupervised and weakly-supervised settings where no action labels are known during training. Despite its simplicity, our model performs competitively with previous work on a dataset of naturalistic instructional videos. Our model allows us to vary the sources of supervision used in training, and we find that both task structure and narrative language provide large benefits in segmentation quality.


Tetraethylene Glycol-Di-N-Heptanoate (TEGDH), a chemical added to polymers to improve flexibility, has a very low acute toxicity following both oral administration and inhalation in rats. The oral LD50 is 25 g/kg in females and greater than 25 g/kg in males. Its approximate lethal concentration for a 4-hr. inhalation exposure is 14.2 mg/L with no mortalities occurring at 13.7 mg/L. The chemical produces mild to moderate irritation on rabbit skin, is not an eye irritant in the rabbit, and is not a sensitizer in the guinea pig. Repeated exposures by the oral route (28 consecutive doses of 1 g/kg) or by inhalation (6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks at 1 mg/L) failed to produce any significant adverse response in rats. The material appears to have very low toxicity both when given orally or by inhalation and when the treatment is either acute (single dose) or subchronic (4 weeks).


Objective To examine the association between psychiatric disorders and neoplasms. Methods A follow-up study of a population-based cohort of patients admitted for psychiatric care between the ages 13–17 years. The cases were patients with a follow-up diagnosis of neoplasm. The K-SADS-PL interview was used to assess DSM-IV based psychiatric diagnoses at adolescence. The treatment episodes due to neoplasms and related psychiatric disorders were extracted from the National Health Care Registers. Results Of the original cohort, 6.3% of subjects had a neoplasm diagnosis. Male cases were characterized as taking snuff and females as having a fear of becoming obese. 75% of cases had smoked regularly and 47% suffered from substance misuse disorder already in adolescence. At a mean age of 22 years, the diagnoses of skin or soft tissue neoplasms were prevailing, three being malignant neoplasms of the skin, mouth or colon. Non-psychotic disorders were comorbid both two years before (26%) and after (33%) the neoplasm diagnosis. Conclusion Focus on psychiatric symptoms of patients with neoplasms may enhance their treatment outcome and quality of life.


Cosmic ray showers passing through the atmosphere produce electromagnetic disturbances. It has been suggested that these can be detected by means of a radio telescope. We set up a simple model for a shower and find that the time-integrated energy flux in its radiation field, at say 45M c/s, is of the order of 60000 flux units x microseconds, when the show er contains 106 electrons and 106 positrons. The radiation pattern depends on the decay rate of the shower. We have done this calculation in order to give some guidance to experimentalists who are planning to observe cosmic ray showers by radio means.


As a part of a wider doctoral research, this paper deals with the communication and information-seeking behavior of research (PhD) students in physics and astronomy. Based on a qualitative case study of PhD students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London, this study seeks to derive behavioral patterns in information-seeking activities of PhD students. The study aims to investigate the intradisciplinary differences in information-seeking activities of physicists and astronomers. The findings show the high reliance of PhD students in physics and astronomy on electronic journals and their low use of libraries. The findings reveal differences in the information-seeking patterns of students who conduct theoretical research and those of whom are involved in experimental research. The research highlights the need for the study of small subject communities within academic disciplines instead of studying users in a broad subject area such as physics as one single domain.


The paper titled "SystemAccuracy Evaluation of the GlucoRx NexusVoiceTD-4280BloodGlucoseMonitoring System" [1], published in Disease Markers, has been retracted upon the authors' request, as the routine hospital laboratory evaluation protocol used varied from recommended best practice study design. Although this protocol established the fact that GlucoRx Nexus Voice system was clinically accurate, it could not be used to make valid analytical accuracy statements relating to ISO 15197 standards. GlucoRx Nexus meters are now the formulary choice in the area.


*WERNICKE first published an account of the condition in 1881. He based his account upon three cases and described the condition as one of acute superior haemorrhagic polioencephalitis. Two of his cases were due to chronic alcoholism and the third to sulphuric acid poisoning. All the cases showed minute haemorrhagic foci situated in the walls of the third ventricle, the grey matter around the aqueduct and the floor of the fourth ventricle. Quite early, the association oi polyneuritis and Korsakoff's syndrome with the special cerebral signs were noted. Wernicke considered that the condition was an acute inflammatory process. In recent years, however, the views regarding the aetiology and the pathology of the condition have changed. Neuberger emphasised the occurrence of the condition as a complication of a variety of primary diseases. Furthermore, the condition is no longer regarded as an encephalitis, but rather as an encephalopathy or encephalosis. Campbell and Biggart published an excellent survey in the past few years of twelve cases which came to post-morten. Of these twelve cases, only one occurred in chronic alcoholism. There were three cases of gastric carcinoma and two of hyperemesis gravidarum. Other cases occurred in pernicious anaemia, chronic gastritis, bronchiectasis and pyosalpynx. They found focal lesions consisting of small petechial haemorrhages with vascular proliferation. There was an absence of inflammatory infiltration and only slight evidence of injury to nerve cells. The lesions had a selective distribution, the corpora mammillaria being the most characteristic site. In fact, histological examination of these bodies they regarded as essential to diagnosis. The lesions are almost always symmetrical involving the grey matter surrounding the third ventricle, the peri-aqueductal grey matter, hence involving the ocular nuclei, and the floor of the fourth ventricle. The lesions suggest a toxic agent, producing a loss of vascular tone and stasis. The main clinical features of this disease are drowsiness, leading to coma, associated with eye signs: retinal haemorrhages of the type which I will describe later, nystagmus, ophthalmoplegia and


Contact angle measurement, using advanced instrumentation, is assuming an increased role in monitoring those semiconductor manufacturing processes which modify the surface characteristics of wafers. Such measurements can provide rapid, nondestructive and spatially and time resolved data in an automated mode. This information can be related to processing uniformity and can in many cases provide information on the chemical state of the surface. Illustrations are provided in the wafer cleaning, lithography, and interconnect areas. New application areas illustrated include measurement of the uniformity of UV photostabilization processes, measurement of contrast curves, and determination of receding and advancing contact angles of processed copper wafers.


For the congestion problems in high-speed networks, a genetic based fuzzy Markov game flow controller (GFMC) is proposed. Because of the uncertainties and highly time-varying, it is not easy to accurately obtain the complete information for high-speed networks. In this case, the fuzzy Markov game, which is independent of mathematic model, and prior-knowledge, has good performance. It offers a promising platform for robust control in the presence of the bounded external disturbances. The genetic operators are used to obtain the consequent parts of fuzzy rules. Simulation results show that the proposed controller can learn to take the best action to regulate source flow with the features of high throughput and low packet loss ratio, and can avoid the occurrence of congestion effectively.


This paper describes a background digital calibration technique based on bitwise correlation (BWC) to correct the capacitive digital-to-analog converter (DAC) mismatch error in successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADC's). Aided by a single-bit pseudorandom noise (PN) injected to the ADC input, the calibration engine extracts all bit weights simultaneously to facilitate a digital-domain correction. The analog overhead associated with this technique is negligible and the conversion speed is fully retained (in contrast to [1] in which the ADC throughput is halved). A prototype 12bit 50-MS/s SAR ADC fabricated in 90-nm CMOS measured a 66.5-dB peak SNDR and an 86.0-dB peak SFDR with calibration, while occupying 0.046 mm2 and dissipating 3.3 mW from a 1.2-V supply. The calibration logic is estimated to occupy 0.072 mm2 with a power consumption of 1.4 mW in the same process.


Mast cells are thought to be important in the cause of allergic diseases, but the role of mast cells in the airway remodeling of chronic long-term asthma remains controversial. In this study, using the mast cell "nock in" strategy to get the mast cell-deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv mice (W/Wv) selectively reconstituted bone marrow-cultured mast cells (BMCMCs) from normal congenic wild-type mice (+/+) (+/+ BMCMCs→W/Wv mice), mice were employed to study the roles of mast cell in a murine asthma model. The mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and challenged with OVA for 14 weeks. The mice were assessed airway reactivity by PenH. The lungs and trachea were stained with H-E for pathologic alteration, toluidine blue for mast cell, congo red for eosinophil, PAS for goblet cell and Masson's-trichrome for fibrosis. Mast cells were not observed in the lungs of control and OVA-sensitized and challenged W/WV mice, but OVA-sensitization and challenge increased mast cell number in +/+ mice and +/+BMCMCs→W/Wv mice. OVA-sensitization and challenge could enhance airway reactivity, pathologic alteration, eosinophil infiltration, goblet cell hyperplasia and fibrosis in +/+ mice. The pathologic changes of OVA treated W/Wv mice were less than that of +/+ mice, but +/+BMCMCs→W/Wv mice could restore the reaction to OVA-sensitization and challenge of +/+ mice. These results indicate that the mast cell play an important role in the OVA-induced chronic murine asthma model.


There is an urgent need to address data literacy in undergraduate library instruction. In Africa and especially in Nigeria, the need for a data information literacy program (DIL) to prepare students to engage in an electronic research environment is also articulated by scholars in recent literature. However, the question as to whether data literacy should replace information literacy has not been properly articulated in recent times in Africa even though it is acknowledged that the resultant effect of this data literacy is expected to precipitate the advent of the data revolution and the rise of digital technologies which are needed in today's information age. The question of the degree of the nature of the integration of data literacy into information literacy programs and how it could be taught synergistically and push data literacy strategically for the fourth industrial revolution is a major fulcrum of this study. This paper, therefore, involves a theoretical and systematic literature engagement with a focus on integrating data literacy into information literacy programs in academic libraries and in undergraduate library instruction and curriculum.


While consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) hardware can deliver immersive audiovisual experiences, these systems often lack the ability to display realistic haptic feedback, or incorporate cost-efficient vibrotactile actuators with very limited abilities to provide tactile feedback. To overcome these limitations, we introduce an approach based on audio-based vibrotactile actuators. Due to their wide frequency response and multiple resonant frequencies, they can provide more tactile details. In our implementation, every VR interaction uses standard audio clips to provide simultaneous auditory and tactile feedback, as well as coupled realistic physics simulations for the visual feedback. We evaluate our approach to assess the benefits on the user's experience regarding various interaction scenarios in VR, comparing our approach to a simulated fixed-frequency actuator as a baseline. The results confirmed the benefits of our approach in terms of user preference, perceived realism, comfort, sense of agency, and texture perception. Furthermore, multimodal feedback resulted in the best user experience.


In 23 healthy crossbred pigs of Yorkshire and Swedish Landrace (body weight 85 to 90 kg), stress was produced by pharmacological restraint. Cardiac lesions were observed in all the experimental animals, but no alterations were seen in the 9 controls. The lesions consisted of focal myocardial necrosis with infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells. Histochemical stains for two dehydrogenases, cytochrome oxidase and unspecific esterase, were applied to fresh-frozen sections of heart muscle. The damaged muscle fibers exhibited initially an increase in formazan deposits, and then a decrease and total loss of enzymatic activity. A reduction or total loss of glycogen and accumulation of lipids were demonstrated in the damaged myocardium ultrastructurally. The mitochondria were swollen with focal loss of the cristae. They often exhibited electron-dense of diverse appearance. In degenerating cells, the myofilaments usually lacked the normal cross-striations whereas, in necrotic foci, the changes ranged from clumping to complete lysis of the myofilaments. The sarcoplasmic reticulum and the T system contained numerous dilated vesicles in cells with mitochondrial and myofibrillar damage. It was concluded that the myocardial alterations, following restraint stress, were caused by a reflex liberation of cardiotoxic catecholamines.


: A study carried out with plasma membrane vesicular fraction from rabbit intestine smooth muscle demonstrated that a new type of Ca-binding sites with high affinity appear in a Mg2(+)--free medium. Another type of low affinity Ca-binding sites was revealed in ATP-free medium.


Objectives
To compare the effects of Mulligan technique and muscle energy technique in patients with adhesive capsulitis.

METHODS
The randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Physiotherapy, Government Mian Munshi Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from September 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, and comprised patients with adhesive capsulitis who were randomised into Mulligan mobilisation Group A and muscle energy technique Group B. The outcome assessor was kept blinded to the treatment plan. Pain, range of motion and functional disability were measured using Visual Analogue Scale, universal goniometer and Shoulder Pain and Disability Indexat baseline, and subsequently at the end of third and sixth weeks. Data was analysed using SPSS 24.

RESULTS
Of the 78 subjects, 39(50%) were in each of the two groups. Group A had 11(28%) male and 28(72%) female patients, while Group B had 20(51%) male and 19(49%) female patients. Both groups showed significant improvement (p<0.001), and inter-group comparison showed the difference to be non-significant at baseline and third week (p>0.05). However, post-intervention difference showed significantly better results in Group A compared to Group B (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Mulligan technique was found to be more effective than muscle energy technique in improving range of motion, and in reducing pain and functional disability.

Clinical Trial Number
IRCT 20200605047660.


Mississippian and Permian beds in an area in the eastern Rocky Mountains of Alberta are presented in the form of two overlapping sections constituting over 2,200 feet of strata. The Mississippian time span embraced extends from early Osagean through late Chesterian and corresponds to the Rundle group. The Permian deposits are of Leonardian to Guadalupian age and comprise the Rocky Mountain group (redefined). The Rocky Mountain group is divided into the Storm Creek (FOOTNOTE 3) formation (503 feet) above, and the Norquay formation (192 feet) below. Two faunizones are discriminated. The Rundle group is divided into three formations, in descending order--the Tunnel Mountain (601 feet), Mount Head (580 feet), and Livingstone (920+ feet). These are subdivided into four, five, and five members, respectively. Nine faunizones are indicated in the Rundle succession, on the basis of which the Tunnel Mountain formation may be correlated with the Chesterian, the Mount Head formation with the Meramecian, and the Livingstone with the Osagean. The Highwood Pass sections are so located as to assist greatly in local correlations between Banff and Mount Head, the type areas for many of the late Paleozoic units of the region.


This paper introduces and discusses the use of standardized residuals as a technique for comparing the growth of normal and pathologic human fetuses. Anthropometric measures, radiographic measures, and organ weights were regressed on known gestational age of second- and third-trimester fetuses. Standardized residuals were calculated for a group of potentially growth-impaired fetuses. Use of residuals aids in identification of patterns of growth alteration in specific pathologies. Most important, studying the response of developing organ systems to a variety of insults may elucidate mechanisms of growth regulation in the fetus. We emphasize the special quality of the multivariate measures of the core sample of fetuses from the Akron Children's Hospital collection.


Abstract Rationale and background: Previous reports have shown that epidural analgesia provided better postoperative analgesia than intravenous opioid. However, data from Department of Anesthesiology, Facutly of Medicine, Khon Kaen University from January to August 2003 has shown different result. In our Post Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU), patients received epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control still had severe pain compared to patients received intravenous opioid (32.6% vs. 38.1%). We would like to investigate the outcome of epidural analgesia and factors associated with it. Objective : To evaluate and to identify the factors that contribute to the outcomes of epidural analgesia in the PACU after   abdominal surgery. Design: Cross sectional study Subject: From October 2003 to June 2004, patients aged more than 11 years undergoing abdominal surgery and receiving epidural anesthesia for postoperative pain control were enrolled. Method: We prospectively collected characteristic data of epidural anesthesia (such as level of block, experience of performer, depth of epidural catheter in epidural space), characteristic data of surgical procedure (such as type of incision and operative time), characteristic data of intraoperative analgesic drugs both intravenous and epidural route (type and doses), data of gender, age, height, body weight, including highest pain scores at the PACU using verbal numeric rating scale 0-10. Pain score < 5 was considered as no significant pain whereas pain score ³ 5 was considered as moderate to severe pain. Data were analyzed using c 2 and Student's t-test. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: 167 patients were enrolled. Of those, 76 cases had pain score < 5 (45.5%). The factors that contributed to good analgesic outcome were younger age (p = 0.04), female gender (p = 0.01), less height (p = 0.01), higher amount of intraoperative fentanyl (p = 0.04) and shorter time between the last injection of combined local anesthetic drug with opioid via epidural catheter and end of surgery (p = 0.001) Conclusion: Postoperative pain control using epidural analgesia was satisfactory in 45.5% of the patients in PACU. Preventable factors contributed to the good analgesic outcome are higher amount of intraoperative fentanyl and shorter time between the last injection of combined local anesthetic drug with opioid via epidural catheter at the end of surgery.