The antishock effects of gabexate mesilate (FOY) were investigated in rats subjected to hemorrhagic hypotension, with particular attention focused on the stabilizing effects of hepatic lysosomes. The survival time of rats treated with FOY, infused for 2 hours intravenously at a rate of 50 mg/kg/hr, was significantly prolonged, accompanied by a tendency to decreased activity of plasma lysosomal enzymes. FOY, at a concentration of 10(-3) M, exerted a significant decrease in the extralysosomal release of acid phosphatase (15%, P less than 0.05), beta-glucuronidase (25%, P less than 0.05) and cathepsin D (25%, P less than 0.02) following hyposmotic labilization of lysosomes. Although the release of lysosomal enzymes might be counterbalanced by 50 mg/kg/hr of FOY, favorable cytochemical findings indicating stabilization of lysosomal membranes were consistently observed. The data suggest that FOY has antishock properties, and that these properties are caused, at least partially, by the stabilization of lysosomes.


The high frequency of cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations in males with absence of vas deferens supported the hypothesis of a primarily genital phenotype of CF disease. To consider the idea of an attenuated form of CF, we investigated 14 men with congenital bilateral aplasia of the vasa deferentia. All patients were consulting for infertility and none was known to have CF. The median age was 30.5 years (range, 20-38 yr). DNA analysis for 22 CF mutations showed at least 1 mutation in 10 patients (71%), whereas the CF carrier frequency is only 4% in the general population. Three compound heterozygotes were identified, all carriers of the R117H mutation. The sweat test was considered positive in 6 patients (43%), and a high frequency of radiologic evidence of sinus disease (8 patients) and of elevated antibodies to Pseudomonas (8 patients) was found. Only 2 patients were free of all these criteria for CF disease. This study strengthens the hypothesis that absence of vas deferens is an attenuated form of CF. We propose a combination of tests including DNA study, computerized tomographic scan of the paranasal sinuses, and testing of anti-Pseudomonas antibodies when the sweat test is inconclusive.


This article is devoted to the study of the financial market as a category of financial law. The paper analyzes the doctrinal definitions of the concept under consideration, investigates the essence of the relations developing in the financial market, and classifies financial markets on various grounds.


Today, heart failure is an increasing concern in the United States. Its prognoses are poor and its treatment is a complicated endeavor, because heart failure is not a single disease state. Rather, it is a syndrome with a cyclic pathophysiology composed of multiple mechanisms. Effective case management of heart failure must address each of the many changes involved in this syndrome, and therapy must be individualized, especially because patients with heart failure often require regimens of five or more drugs. In special populations, such as the elderly and/or patients with concomitant diseases requiring added medication, polypharmacy becomes an important issue. Maintaining consistent compliance with the treatment regimen and patient education regarding symptoms of fluid retention can be critical. Currently, beta-blockers, in addition to standard therapy, are recommended as first-line treatment in mild-to-moderate heart failure. The three cases presented in this article illustrate some common scenarios encountered and clinical decisions made when beta-blockers are used in the management of heart failure.


Target tracking is one of the important applications of wireless sensor networks. For a visual sensor network, the visual sensors have particular characteristics such as directional sensing, limited angle of view, and line-of-sight view. Target tracking with visual sensors is different from that with scalar sensors. Moreover, the quality of sensed visual data can be much important in many applications. In this paper, the concept of Voronoi diagram is utilized for target tracking in visual sensor networks. The structure of Voronoi cells is suitable for the design of a distributed/localized algorithm and it exists a property of bisector for dividing a distance line or region. This paper proposed a Voronoi-based distributed sensor handover protocol for visual sensor networks. The simulation result shows the benefits of our proposed approach in terms of target-detected latency, target-tracked ratio, and average target distance, which indicates that the quality of target tracking service can be improved with the proposed approach for visual sensor networks.


Abstract: To define the incidence, course, and etiology of hematologic abnormalities in children on tacrolimus‐based immunosuppression, we reviewed records of 106 transplant patients (70 heart, 16 heart and lung, 20 double lung), 0–21 yr of age, who were transplanted at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 1989 to 1997. Fifty‐four of the 106 patients (51%) developed 65 abnormal hematologic episodes (32 anemia, nine neutropenia, nine thrombocytopenia, 15 simultaneous anemia and neutropenia with or without thrombocytopenia). Common etiologies included: infections, post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease, and medications. Eleven episodes (seven anemia, one neutropenia, and three simultaneous anemia and neutropenia) had unclear etiologies and process of elimination suggested an association with tacrolimus. Interventions included filgrastim (effective in 15 of 15 patients, with resolution of neutropenia in a median of 5 days) and epoetin alfa (effective in five of 16 patients, including four of four patients with anemia possibly related to tacrolimus). Five patients (two with neutropenia and three with simultaneous neutropenia and anemia) were switched to cyclosporin A (CsA); rapid resolution occured in four of the five patients, suggesting a possible association of the hematologic abnormalities with tacrolimus. In summary, hematologic abnormalities are common in children on tacrolimus‐based immunosuppression. Most of these hematologic abnormalities are caused by common etiologies; however, a sub‐population exists where tacrolimus may be the etiologic agent. Anemia and neutropenia respond to treatment with epoetin alfa and filgrastim. After thorough investigation, a trial switch to CsA may be warranted.


Empirical studies have found that altruism and self-interest are the two primary motivations for enrollment in clinical trials. Some studies have shown that in some cases these two motivations are contingent upon each other, which complicates our understanding of motivation. In this study, we interviewed 27 people with Parkinson's disease about their willingness to enroll in a hypothetical clinical trial. Through inductive, grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts, we find four different contingent relationships between altruism and self-interest. It is important for ethicists to be aware of these more complex motivations because some are ethically problematic and others not. Moreover, practitioners need to be aware of these contingent relationships so that they can understand the motivations of the research participants.


The Dallas–Fort Worth metro area has a higher median income than Texas and a slightly higher median income than the U.S. as a whole (see chart). It recently ranked among the nation's most attractive areas for job seekers. It even features prominently on lists of upper-income amenities such as shopping malls, spas and cosmetic-surgery expenditures per capita. Yet both Dallas and Tarrant counties feature uninsured rates that would rank among the top 10 states in the nation, with Dallas County's 30.5 percent nearly double the national average.


The Pulpit and the Press in Reformation Italy. By Emily Michelson. [I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History.] (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2013. Pp. x, 262. $39.95. ISBN 978-0-674-07297-8.)Emily Michelson delves into the world of preachers, pulpit literature, and Catholic clerical book production in "Reformation Italy" from roughly 1530 to 1570-the years preceding, during, and following the Council of Trent (1545-63). She claims that Italian Catholics remained so because "so much of the Tridentine reform agenda was entrusted to preachers and ... in the end preachers were perhaps most responsible for the suppression of heresy and the reformation of Catholic identity in Italy" (p. 181). She reconstructs the growing fear that many Italian diocesan clergy and mendicant preachers experienced and the urgency they felt to counter the rising tide of Lutheran ideas flowing into Italy, above all that of sola scriptura that seemed to lure many Italian laymen and laywomen to want to read scripture in their own language and-what was to be feared-usher in the same type of social and political upheaval that northern Europe faced in the wake of the Reformation. She maintains that Italian clergy (not all to the same degree) awoke to these pernicious influences and by the end of the Council reasserted their authority. Through vigorous preaching and the wide publication of sermons, treatises for laypeople, and other types of printed pulpit literature, they got the upper hand. She cautions readers that Catholic responses to the religious crisis of "Reformation Italy" "could be as diverse as the new concessions they opposed" (p. 8) and that it is historically inaccurate to picture in these years "black legends and stereotypes about lockstep and unthinking Catholic conformity" (p. 174).Michelson reviews the activities of now well-known Catholic reformers like Gian Matteo Giberti, Luigi Lippomano, Cornelio Musso, Gabriele Fiamma, Girolamo Seripando, Francesco Panigarola along with some other less-studied mendicant and secular clergy. She sees the laity's demand for scripture as countered successfully by the clergy's maneuvers to keep scripture out of lay hands and reservBaltic ing to itself alone the interpretation of scripture and exposition of doctrine, while "foster[ing] Catholic piety and construing] devotion as a shield against heresy" (p. 98): "ultimately, the solution they [the clergy] proposed for scripture was primarily against reading, certainly individual reading" (p. …


New agencies appear at the interface in the form of so called 'Embodied Conversational Agents' (ECAs). These humanoid machines are becoming increasingly implemented into digital games and virtual worlds in order to interact with human users in a humanlike way. Against the background of this phenomenon, some scholars ask whether the spread of 'social' machines calls for traditional definitions of society to be questioned. Following this debate, I will challenge the social abilities of ECAs from a sociological point of view. This means that I ask whether ECAs really can be treated as social actors. For this I will at first discuss different socialtheoretical positions about 'social action', in particular Actor Network Theory and Niklas Luhmann's Systems Theory. Building on those considerations, in a second step, I will present a short example of my own empirical research on humanhumanoid-communication in the virtual world 'Second Life'.


Cash Transfer programs in Africa have recently become, after other continents, a privileged formula for humanitarian aid and development assistance. In Niger, a sum of money is unconditionally transferred directly to the beneficiary, identified as amongst the poorest of the poor. But this is typical of top-down development ("blueprint approach"). The present research, using qualitative methods, brings to light many unpredicted results of these programs when delivered to the target populations, and highlights the gaps between systems of standardized norms, imposed by these programs, as opposed to local norms and their diversity. It also captures how cash transfers are interpreted and dismembered by local populations, and demonstrates the capture strategies adopted by local elites, or other opportunistic uses of these programs.


Introduction: the application of the survey concerning pediatric malnutrition at "Pepe Portilla" University Children Hospital becomes into a natural complement of ELANCUBA study, now for Cuban children hospitals. Objectives: to estimate the frequency of energetic nutritional malnutrition among children and adolescents admitted in this hospital, assessing at the same time the current procedures of food provision, nutrients and the use of techniques of common nutritional support. Material and Method: to carry it out, all children admitted in the hospital were included in the study, children younger than 19 years old with a stay of more than 72 hours in the hospital. Demographic and clinical variables were collected to identify and trace in each child: sex, skin color, health problems and hospital stay (days). Children were measured and weighed, and the surveys of pediatric nutritional risks together with the assessment of hospital malnutrition were both applied. Results: malnutrition was present in 29% of the children admitted with a higher frequency of onset in children under and equal 2 years old. Despite the frequency of malnutrition found this was not recognized as an independent diagnosis; besides the assessment of anthropometric and biochemical nutritional status in the majority of them was conducted. Observing a low frequency of administration of artificial-nutritional therapy (enteral/parenteral), malnutrition was mostly present in children who suffered from respiratory and digestive conditions. Conclusion: malnutrition constitutes a health problem among children admitted at "Pepe Portilla" Provincial Pediatric Hospital.


Advances in cell and molecular biology have engendered a wide range of techniques that can be used to study the molecular events that underlie the cause of disease, thus producing a new field of study called "molecular pathology." These techniques can be either slide-based or non-slide-based (solution-based). The slide-based techniques include immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and in situ polymerase chain reaction; pathologists play a unique role in the administration of these techniques because of their ability to interpret the end product (i.e., the slide). In this manuscript, we briefly discussed the use and impact of these slide-based techniques within all phases of drug development in the pharmaceutical industry.


OBJECTIVE
To explore whether baseline pulse pressure (PP) confers an increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) independent of intraoperative hypotension or hypertension in patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

SETTING
Single academic center.

PARTICIPANTS
5,808 patients who underwent CABG surgery.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Baseline arterial blood pressure was defined as the mean of the first 5 measurements recorded by the automated record keeping system before anesthesia was induced. Weighted duration of intraoperative hypotension and hypertension were defined as the area (min × mmHg) below a mean arterial pressure of 55 mmHg and above a mean arterial pressure of 100 mmHg. Multivariable logistic and proportional odds regression analyses were performed to determine whether baseline PP and weighted duration of intraoperative hypotension and hypertension were independently associated with postoperative AKI. Of the 5,808 patients, PP was <40 mmHg in 90 (1.6%), 40-to-80 mmHg in 2,463 (42.4 %), and >80 mmHg in 3,255 (56%) patients. The incidence of AKI was 57.7%, which included 7.4% (249 patients) and 2.8% (93 patients) who experienced stages 2 and 3 AKI, respectively. In the risk-adjusted analyses, baseline PP was associated with higher odds for postoperative AKI (odds ratio for every 20 mmHg increase in PP, 1.15; 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.21; p < 0.0001) and a higher severity of postoperative AKI (proportional odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.24; p = 0.0098). There was no evidence that weighted duration of intraoperative hypotension or hypertension was associated with postoperative AKI or that either interacted with the association of baseline PP with AKI.

CONCLUSIONS
Baseline PP was significantly associated with postoperative AKI after CABG surgery, independent of weighted duration of intraoperative hypotension or hypertension.


Cataract is the first blinding eye disease in the world and China. However, due to various reasons, cataract surgery rate (CSR) in China is much lower than in developed countries and even some developing countries. Properly and standardized training of cataract surgery for ophthalmologists from primary hospital and young eye doctors is one of the key point to improve CSR. For above, we had explored actively to establish an appropriate and suitable training model of cataract surgery. Ophthalmologist in primary hospital can provide high quality medical services to cataract patients in accordance with their own conditions after training and promote the sustainable development of blindness prevention work.


In this paper, we present two complexity metrics for the assessment of schema quality written in Document Type Definition (DTD) language. Both "Entropy (E) metric: E(DTD)" and "Distinct Structured Element Repetition Scale (DSERS) metric: DSERS(DTD)" are intended to measure the structural complexity of schemas in DTD language. These metrics exploit a directed graph representation of schema document and consider the complexity of schema due to its similar structured elements and the occurrences of these elements. The empirical and theoretical validations of these metrics prove the robustness of the metrics. Key-words: XML schema, Document Type Definition, software metrics.


thickness is not a reliable method. There is, however, an error in their Table IV, which is stated to show 'sensitivity and specificity of uterine artery R1 and of endometrial thickness in predicting malignant changes of the endometrium.' The sensitivity for detecting malignancy using endometrial thickness is given as 0.68 in the Table. but according to their own figures the sensitivity is 1.0 (no malignancy missed). The figure 0.68 is reached when including hyperplasia. I think that the standard phrase 'further research is needed' is appropriate herc.


In the case when conventional feature selection methods do not demonstrate sufficient performance, alternative algorithmic schemes might be applied. In this paper we propose an evolutionary feature selection technique based on the two-criteria optimization model. To diminish the drawbacks of genetic algorithms, which are used as optimizers, we design a parallel multi-criteria heuristic procedure based on an island model. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was investigated on the Speech-based Emotion Recognition Problem, which reflects one of the crucial aspects in the sphere of human-machine communications. A number of multilingual corpora (German, English and Japanese) were engaged in the experiments. According to the results obtained, a high level of emotion recognition was achieved (up to a 11.15% relative improvement compared with the best F-score value on the full set of attributes).


In France, many small sewage treatment plants are of the activated sludge/extended aeration type and, generally, only receive a part of their nominal organic load. They are mostly equipped with surface aerators whose Standard wire Aeration Efficiency is in the range 1.3-1.9 kg 02 kwh −1 . Consequently the sludge age and the supply of oxygen are sufficient to obtain a large elimination of nitrogen from domestic waste water even when the sludge temperature is low. However the concern is with the optimizing of the nitrogen treatment by the nitrification of ammonia in the aeration basin whilst avoiding any parasitic denitrification in the clarifier. Amongst other investigations, 4 small domestic wastewater treatment plants were studied over several months. A number of adjustment modifications were imposed on them in order to optimize the elimination of nitrogen : The final concentrations to be reached were : N-NH 4 − lower than 5 mg.l −1 and N-NO 3 − lower than 3 mg.l −1 . The daily operating time of the aerators depends on the received load, the sludge concentration and the oxygenation capacity. When the works are under-loaded, the non-operational periods of the aerators should be as long as 1 1/2 and 2 hours in order to achieve the nitrates reduction. When the load is higher, the time required to attain anoxia after the shutdown of the aerators is shorter and the length of the non-operational periods can be reduced. These field experiments have allowed an evaluation of the tolerances around an optimum adjustment of the aeration operation : a reduction of 5 to 10 % of the daily aeration time may bring about an increase in the residual concentration of Kjeldahl nitrogen which reaches 10 rag.1 −1 . Conversely, sludge losses may take place in the clarifiers if the daily aeration time is increased by 5 to 10 % in the case of completely mixed basins equipped with slow vertical shaft aerators, and more than 15 % in the case of oxidation ditches (better denitrification probably due to the continuation of the current after stopping the rotors). The sludge concentration should be kept within fairly tight limits (± 0.5 g.1 −1 ). It is however essential to rectify the aeration adjustments during the seasons : a rise in the sludge temperature of 10°C generates an increase in the total oxygen demand by 3 to 5 %. The particular case of plants with anoxic zone ahead is finally discussed.


He study was designed to investigate the influence of hypothermia on thyroid gland function and its role in metabolic balances. Materials and Methods: Superficial hypothermia, bringing the body temperature to 25°C, was induced in ten rats (albino, Wistar race) with a mean age of 8 months. Serum levels of FT3, FT4, T3, T4, and TSH were determined before and just after hypothermia, repeated every 24hours for 4 days. Results: Hormone levels, measured by radioimmunoassay, changed during the study. On different days of study, TSH levels altered, although not significantly, from basal values. Other hormones, decreased significantly after hypothermia, except for T3 that increased significantly on day 3 compared to basal levels. FT3 and FT4 showed the most decrease. Serum T4 level decreased significantly until 48 hours following hypothermia, after which the decrease was not significant and thereafter began to rise and return to basal levels. Although the body temperature of rats decreased significantly after hypothermia, i t increased the day after hypothermia and reached closer to body basal temperature (37°c) after 96 hours. Conclusion: Our findings indicate reduced activity of the thyroid gland and hypothalamuspituitary axis during hypothermia, this being more prominent in the thyroid gland.


This volume contains the proceedings of the 11th International Workshop on Verification of Infinite-State Systems (INFINITY 2009). The workshop was held in Bologna, Italy on August 31, 2009, as a satellite event to the 20th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2009). The aim of the INFINITY workshop is to provide a forum for researchers interested in the development of formal methods and algorithmic techniques for the analysis of systems with infinitely many states, and their application in automated verification of complex software and hardware systems.


These days, all clinical trials should be reported using the CONSORT guidelines1 (table 1); indeed JNNP recommends this in its instructions for authors. However, not all trials are reported in this way, and many journals do not insist on it. Thus some trials may have been carried out adequately but reported inadequately, while others have been carried out inadequately. Our aim in this article is to guide clinicians in what to look for in a report of a randomised controlled trial (RCT), so they can assess whether the trial was done adequately; we do not intend it to be a guide on how to do an RCT, as there are many such guides available.2

View this table:

 Table 1
Checklist of items to include when reporting a randomised trial (from the CONSORT statement)

The two crucial principles in clinical research are to minimise bias and to increase precision. If a study is not designed with these two principles in mind, no amount of analysis will sort them out. We will discuss some of the major biases to look out for, issues related to precision, and some other aspects of statistical analysis.

Bias is any departure of results from the truth. An RCT is less susceptible to bias than other study designs for assessing therapeutic interventions. However, just because a study is randomised does not mean it is unbiased. There are at least seven important potential sources of bias in RCTs, which are discussed below. When assessing bias, it is important to consider its magnitude as well as its direction. Trials that have shown large treatment effects may still be positive after a small bias has been accounted for.

### Poor allocation concealment

In a good trial, the treatment allocation is concealed during the randomisation procedure. In other words, at the time a clinician randomises a patient they …


Abstract In the winter of 1950–51 Morton Feldman composed a series of pieces titled Projections in a new notation of his own invention. The first-known graphically scored works of the postwar era, the Projections were immediately championed by Feldman's friend John Cage in the language of his budding philosophy of non-intention, a framework of thought largely alien to Feldman. In later years, Feldman instead explained the Projections through the discourse of abstract-expressionist painting, substituting its model of willful creative action for Cage's Zen-inspired doctrine of aesthetic indifference. Yet the story behind his graphic notation is more tangled still, for its sources included both Edgard Varèse and Stefan Wolpe, composers whose spatialized vision of sound influenced Feldman's new conception of the creative act. An examination of the origin and reception of the Projections offers insight into the forces that catalyzed experimental notation in postwar New York and the rationales that were ultimately ascribed to it.


In this paper we propose a multi-step system for the semiautomatic detection and annotation of disfluencies in spoken corpora. A set of rules, statistical models and machine learning techniques are applied to the input, which is a transcription aligned to the speech signal. The system uses the results of an automatic estimation of prosodic, part-of-speech and shallow syntactic features. We present a detailed coding scheme for simple disfluencies (filled pauses, mispronunciations, false starts, drawls and intra-word pauses), structured disfluencies (repetitions, deletions, substitutions, insertions) and complex disfluencies. The system is trained and evaluated on a transcribed corpus of spontaneous French speech, consisting of 112 different speakers and balanced for speaker age and sex, covering 14 different varieties of French spoken in Belgium, France and Switzerland.


Based on the results of actual multi-year measurements of wind speeds, numerical calculations have been made of the forecast energy productions of 43 megawatt-high power stations of the leading world producers in the wind conditions of the North Black Sea region of Ukraine. The established correlation between the annual energy production of wind power station (WPS) and its basic parameters (nameplate capacity, diameter of the rotor and hub height) allowed to develop a mathematical model of the forecast annual energy production of WPS. The calculations for the mathematical model are well in line with the operational parameters of the generation. The mathematical model makes it possible to quickly and reliably select (or design) the optimal wind turbine for industrial wind power in the North Black Sea, thus taking a significant step in reducing the energy dependency, environmental protection and the transition to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies enabling Ukraine to reach the level of advanced states in the development of wind energy.


Insulin autoantibody (IAA) and islet cell antibody (ICA) titres were measured in 108 newly diagnosed type I diabetics (49 male, 59 female, mean age 20 [1-38] years) and 103 non-diabetic controls (41 male, 62 female, mean age 23 [16-46] years). IAA titres in the controls were normally distributed, with a mean of 5 +/- 11 nU/ml. The upper limit of normal was established as 49 nU/ml (mean + 4 standard deviations). Raised IAA and ICA titres were present in 45% and 44% of type I diabetics, respectively, with 59% positive for either IAA or ICA or both. IAA were markedly age-dependent, being positive in 70% (26 out of 37) of diabetics under the age of 15 years, and in 32% (23 out of 71) at the age of 15 years or more (P = 0.0004). There was a less marked difference for ICA titres (positive in 62% of patients less than 15 years, and in 35% of those of 15 years of older; P less than 0.01). IAA were significantly more common in HLA DR4 positive patients than in HLA DR4 negative patients (56% vs 11%; Pc less than 0.00015). With regard to age a significant association between IAA and HLA DR phenotype was present only in homozygous (Pc less than 0.03) and heterozygous (P less than 0.0003) patients aged 15 years or older. By contrast, ICA was not significantly correlated with HLA phenotype. These data suggest a genetic predisposition for the development of IAA.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the humeral tunnel characters and clinical relevance according to entry point of the humeral tunnel in the baseball players. It was hypothesized that the medial collateral ligament (MCL) reconstruction with nonanatomical starting location of the humeral tunnel (inferior edge of the medial epicondyle: group NA) provided less favorable radiological and clinical outcomes compared to that with anatomical starting location (original footprint of the MCL: group A). The retrospective case review yielded 19 consecutive athletes who underwent isolated MCL reconstruction using the docking technique. Three dimensional-computed tomography scan was performed at 3 months, and the iso-surfacing by marching cubes algorithm were applied to evaluate the length and angle of humeral tunnel. Three outcome measures were used in this study: the visual analog scale for pain, range of motion and the Conway scale. The angle of the humeral tunnel was measured 12.2o (range, 7.9o-25.2o) in the group NA and 15.5o (range, 9.8o-30.4o) in the group A (p<0.05). The mean length of humeral tunnel is measured 16.3 mm (range, 11.7-20.1 mm) in the group NA and 15.2 mm (range, 10.3-19.1 mm) in the group A (p<0.05). MCL reconstruction brought substantial improvement in pain and function. However, between-group comparison revealed no statistical differences in all outcome measurements. The MCL reconstruction using the docking technique provided favorable clinical outcomes in baseball players. Although the humeral tunnel angle and length were different depending on the humeral entry points, clinical differences between the two entry points were not found.


This paper presents the FPGA hardware design of a turbo decoder for the cdma2000 standard. The work includes a study and mathematical analysis of the turbo decoding process, based on the MAX-Log-MAP algorithm. Results of decoding for a packet size of two hundred fifty bits are presented, as well as an analysis of area versus performance, and the key variables for hardware design in turbo decoding.


A case of chondrodysplasia punctata (CDP) a mild form of Conradi-Huenermann type in a male newborn is presented. CDP is a bone dysplasia with the hallmark of stippling of the epiphyses. Although stippling of the epiphyses can be seen in several disorders and syndromes such as Zellweger sy., trisomy 21 sy., trisomy 18 sy., fetal alcohol syndrome, following ingestion of warfarin or phenytoin during pregnancy, the term describes a group of different clinical features involving the bones, skin and eyes with different inheritance transmission: autosomal dominant type, autosomal recessive type, X-linked dominant type, X-linked recessive type with deletion of terminal short arm, duplication of short arm of chromosome 16. The rhizomelic form of CDP is considered a peroxisomal disorder, due to reduced activity of some enzymes: DHAP-AT, phytanic acid oxidase, alkil DHAP synthase. The Conradi-Huenermann syndrome has also been considered by some authors as a peroxisomal disorder. A brief description of these disorders and their classification in groups will follow.


Decreased feed efficiency and increased days to market often occur together causing an increase in production costs. By mathematical modeling, the effect of decreased feed efficiency on the growth of an animal is given and the resulting formulas for increased days to market are derived. The most general model discussed incorporates the effects on days to market weight of variable feed efficiency (above or below normal for that species) and weight loss with a subsequent growth set-back. The resulting predicted increased days to market compares well with experimental data and examples using published data are discussed. This modeling allows a good estimate of the increased costs of production due to finishing unthrifty animals, which takes into account all the variable daily costs, not just the increased total feed consumption during the period of growth to market weight.


Economic Analysis of the Law" Doctrine insists that efficiency should be regarded as the basic value of law. Its theory of efficiency value and method of economic analysis are a great breakthrough in law theory domain. China is transforming planned economy into market oriented economy. China will see rule of law. "Economic Analysis of the Law" Doctrine will play a very important role in our society.


A method was devised to calculate dose rates aboard the International space station (ISS) with account for radiation field anisotropy in the region of South-Atlantic anomaly. The method enables incorporation in an explicit form the spectral-angular distribution of falling radiation in combination with ISS shielding mass distribution. It includes also a procedure of reducing these characteristics to the united coordinates with reference to ISS orientation. The dose rate ratio on the Service module opposite sides was shown to depend essentially on ISS spatial orientation.


Objective: To identify whether acupuncture actually provides relief from labor pain in nulliparous and multiparous women. Method: This is an integrative review study in which the electronic databases Pubmed and Medline were used, which were accessed through the Virtual Health Library. In addition to these, SciELO was also used to search for articles. The Health Science Descriptors (DeCS) were "Analgesia for Acupuncture", "Labor and Delivery" and "Parity", as well as, with their respective translations into English, published in the period from 2003 to 2014. Data collection was conducted in October 2019. Results: Of the studies examined, only one concluded that there was no analgesic effect on labor pains with the use of acupuncture. Conclusion: Acupuncture shows the potential to contribute to the relief of labor pains and provides a holistic view of parturients.


The mechanism of allergic rhinitis (AR) remains unclear. Most researchers believe that AR is the result of a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a treatment that can change the natural course of AR through immunomodulatory mechanism and maintain efficacy after the treatment. Nasal cavity is the main site where AR patients contact with external allergens, produce inflammatory reactions and nasal symptoms. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the nasal microbiome in AR patients, and the changes after SLIT. In this cross-sectional study, nasal swabs for microbiome analysis were collected from 3 groups: SLIT-naïve AR patients (AR group), AR patients undergoing SLIT treatment over 2 years (SLIT group) and a control group (CG). The characteristics of nasal microbiome of each groups were produced by 16s-rDNA sequencing technology. The Simpson index of AR group was significantly higher than that of CG and SLIT groups, but not different between SLIT group and CG group. The abundance of Bacteroidete and Firmicutes remarkably increased in the AR group, but Bacteroidete reduced to CG level after SLIT. AR patients have different nasal microbiome composition, but we do not know how it happened and whether the AR condition affected nasal microbiome composition or nasal microbiome affected AR.


Many blockchain systems today, including Bitcoin, rely on Proof of Work (PoW). Proof of work is crucial to the liveness and security of cryptocurrencies. The assumption when using PoW is that a lot of trial and error is required on average before a valid block is generated. One of the main concerns raised with regard to this kind of system is the inherent need to "waste" energy on "meaningless" problems. In fact, the Bitcoin system is believed to consume more electricity than several small countries [5]. In this work we formally define three properties that are necessary for wasteless PoW systems: (1) solve "meaningful" problems (2) solve them efficiently and (3) be secure against double-spend attacks. We analyze these properties and deduce constraints that impose on PoW systems. In particular, we conclude that under realistic assumptions, the set of allowed functions for mining must be preimage resistant functions. Finally, we propose a modification to the Bitcoin consensus rule that allows users to upload a certain subset of preimage resistant problems and let the mining process solve them. We prove security against Double-Spend attacks identical to the existing security guarantee in Bitcoin today.


The aim of this descriptive and quantitative study was to explore the usage of reference management systems (RMSs) among Kuwait University (KU) faculty and their perspectives towards using these systems. For this purpose, an online survey was distributed using Google Forms. The sample was all KU faculty from all the 16 colleges, and a link to the survey was sent by email to all the faculty. The results show a humble usage of RMSs among the faculty, EndNote is the most common software. The participants declared their need for both awareness of and training for the RMS packages; this need was declared by both users and non-users of RMSs. The results of this study will be beneficial for the KU library administration to be better engaged in the awareness campaign at the university level.


World-wide scientists/engineers were motivated to research in the area of renewable energy resources and to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Hence, electric and hybrid vehicles have won the attention of many researchers and vehicles manufacturers. Electric vehicle requires a charging system having a high degree of reliability and robustness and to run maintenance-free. This brings the inductive power transfer (IPT) systems to play a significant role in electric vehicle battery chargers applications. IPT system has proved its capability to be a safe, convenient, and efficient electric vehicle battery charger through its features, such as operating in a harsh environment, high efficiency at reasonable power levels, and decreasing equipment maintenance through operating without any mechanical contacts. This paper presents an enhanced performance IPT system, which is particularly suitable for electric vehicle battery charging application. The proposed system is slightly affected by the small tolerance between sender (track coil) and receiver (pickup coil). Relation between application, transformer configuration selection, and power converter controller is discussed in details. The proposed system effectiveness is investigated, in addition to simulation, by an experimental set-up.


A novel MPEG-4 compressed domain video watermarking method is proposed and its performance is studied at video bit rates ranging from 128 to 768 kb/s. The spatial spread-spectrum watermark is embedded directly into compressed MPEG-4 bitstreams by modifying DCT coefficients. A synchronization template combats geometric attacks, such as cropping, scaling, and rotation. The method also features a gain control algorithm that adjusts the embedding strength of the watermark depending on local image characteristics, increasing watermark robustness or, equivalently, reducing the watermark's impact on visual quality. A drift compensator prevents the accumulation of watermark distortion and reduces watermark self-interference due to temporal prediction in inter-coded frames and AC/DC prediction in intra-coded frames. A bit-rate controller maintains the bit rate of the watermarked video within an acceptable limit. The watermark was evaluated and found to be robust against a variety of attacks, including transcoding, scaling, rotation, and noise reduction.


Routing problems in mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET) have been receiving increasing attention in the last few years. Most of the proposed routing protocols concentrate on finding and maintaining routes in the face of changing topology caused by mobility or other environmental changes. More recently, power-aware routing protocols and topology control algorithms have been developed to address the issue of limited energy reserve of the nodes in ad-hoc networks. We consider the routing problem in MANET with the goal of maximizing the life time of the network. We propose a distributed routing algorithm that reaches the optimal (centralized) solution to within an asymptotically small relative error. Our approach is based on the formulation of multicommodity flow, and it allows to consider different power consumption models and bandwidth constraints. It works for both static and slowly changing dynamic networks.


Let H denote a hermitian variety of Witt-index n ≥ 2 in PG(2n–1, 𝕂) and let θ denote the associated involutory automorphism of 𝕂. The dual polar space Δ associated with H has a full projective embedding e (the so-called Grassmann-embedding) into PG(W), where W is a -dimensional vector space over the fix-field 𝕂0 of θ. The projective space PG(W) can be regarded as a Baer-subgeometry of PG(∧ n V), where V is a 2n-dimensional vector space over 𝕂, equipped with a hermitian form defining H. In this article, we determine the precise equations for the Baer-subgeometry PG(W) of PG(∧ n V) and give a proof for the fact that e is an embedding without the use of any group-theoretical considerations. Subsequently, we will prove a decomposition theorem for the embedding e in the same spirit as the decomposition theorem for the Grassmann-embeddings of the symplectic dual polar spaces [B. De Bruyn, A decomposition of the natural embedding spaces for the symplectic dual polar spaces. Linear Algebra and its Applications, in press].


In this work, we demonstrate the high-performance of a PEDOT:PSS free organic photovoltaic cell (OPVC) using an air-plasma modified ITO surface, followed by controlled solvent evaporation and annealing of the P3HT:PCBM photoactive layer. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) results show that the work function of ITO was increased to as high as that of PEDOT:PSS (5.2 eV) after air-plasma treatment, along with significantly enhanced electrical homogeneity. From the dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (DSIMS) results, we confirm that the thermodynamic stability of the slow-dried active layer is attributed to the uniform vertical compositional distribution on the air plasma treated ITO surface, even after thermal annealing at 150 °C for 10 min. The resulting device has an open-circuit voltage of 0.65 V, a fill factor of 63%, and a power conversion efficiency of 3.38%, providing a high performance PEDOT:PSS free OPVC device.


The paper presents numerical results of lateral buckling, buckle propagation and buckle interaction in textured subsea pipelines, and compares these results to those in conventional cylindrical pipelines. Transient and steady states are used to investigate the interaction between lateral and propagation buckling, and interaction envelopes are presented for textured and cylindrical pipes. It is shown that the textured pipe offers a superior buckle propagation response that is relatively insensitive to imperfection. The interaction between lateral and propagation buckling in cylindrical and textured pipes makes a substantial reduction in buckle initiation pressure, particularly at lower D/t ratios.


While a single-bottle method is what mothers actually do in preparation of infant formula in their own home, in the hospital, each nursery makes its own rules about preparing formula. Early in 1988 a "self-service", artificial feeding practice was initiated in this 600-bed general hospital. Mothers who intended to bottle-feed were asked to purchase the powdered formula at their own expense. At feeding time, mothers prepare one bottle of formula at a time, and feed the infant immediately. Each mother's technique of formula preparation was observed by the nurses, and practical instructions were given if needed. Particular errors and hazards in the reconstitution of formula were emphasized with posters hung on the nursery wall and by the pamphlets distributed to the mothers. These practices avoid distribution of formula samples at the hospital, and provide repeated practice for mothers during their hospitalization. To explore the attitudes of mothers toward this new feeding practice, a questionnaire survey of 483 consecutive mothers who gave birth to healthy newborns was carried out. While 61.3% of the mothers thought that it was acceptable to purchase infant formula themselves, 85.1% thought preparing the formula themselves in hospital was acceptable. Furthermore, only 1.2% of the mothers said that this new practice was a great deal of trouble. Most mothers said that on-the-spot teaching by nurses was very helpful. Regarding overall attitudes, 5.4% and 2.1%, respectively, will not or may not return for the next delivery. After controlling for several socio-educational variables, only previous experience with bottle-feeding was associated with pro-and-con responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This paper aims at developing efficient solving methods for an original service network design problem imbued with sustainable issues. Indeed the network has to be designed for short and local supply chain and for fresh food products. The original features of the problem are the seasonality of supply, the limitation of transshipments for a product and no possibility of storage between consecutive periods. Decisions at strategic and tactical level are (1) decisions on a subset of hubs to open among a given set of potential locations, (2) transportation services to open between the actors and (3) flow quantities for the fresh food products. We propose for this problem a Mixed Integer Programming formulation and two solving techniques: Benders Decomposition and Dynamic Slope Scaling Procedure. These techniques are adapted to the problem and some experimental tests are conducted in order to compare the approaches on large-scale instances.


Abstract The article proposes a method for determining the rational motion intensity of specific train traffic flows on railway transport corridors with account for balance of expenses on traction resources and cargo owners. A mathematical model based on stochastic optimization is developed, which allows to optimize, in the conditions of risks, the interval between trailing trains on the railway lines taking into account the limited resources of the traction rolling stock, the capacity of the stations and freight fronts at the cargo destination point. Solving this mathematical model allows to find a balance between the expenses for movement of train traffic flows from different railway lines to their terminal reference station and the expenses of a consignee, subject to the limitations of the technological logistics chain in cargo transportation. For the solution of this mathematical model, a Real-coded Genetic Algorithm (RGA) was used.


This paper presents a study that uses extensive analysis of real security vulnerabilities to drive the development of: 1) runtime techniques for detection/masking of security attacks and 2) formal source code analysis methods to enable identification and removal of potential security vulnerabilities. A finite-state machine (FSM) approach is employed to decompose programs into multiple elementary activities, making it possible to extract simple predicates to be ensured for security. The FSM analysis pinpoints common characteristics among a broad range of security vulnerabilities: predictable memory layout, unprotected control data, and pointer taintedness. We propose memory layout randomization and control data randomization to mask the vulnerabilities at runtime. We also propose a static analysis approach to detect potential security vulnerabilities using the notion of pointer taintedness.


Developments indicate that quasicrystals are promising candidates for applications such as coatings, metal-matrix components, hydrogen storage materials, thermal barriers, and infrared sensors. This book, first published in 1999, specifically focuses on progress in the preparation and properties of quasicrystalline for use in technological applications. Papers address commercial application, physical properties, electronic structure, atomic-scale structure, phase equilibria and highlights include some of the first applications of quasicrystalline materials. One such product is a high-strength steel used in surgical tools and electric shavers. The steel contains quasicrystalline precipitates which are unusually stable against Ostwald ripening. This stability is attributed to the low interfacial energy of the precipitates and provides flexibility by making the steel resistant to overaging. An aluminum alloy that meets the specific US Air Force goal of high strength at elevated temperatures is also discussed. A quasicrystalline thermal barrier coating which combines low thermal conductivity and plastic behavior at high temperatures is looked at.


Summary The rate of increase of temperature in the Lake Superior mines averages about one degree per 105 feet, but is greater in depth, about one degree Fahrenheit per 90 feet. While the mean air temperature in Calumet is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the mean ground temperature is 43 degrees (42.6 degrees Fahrenheit), owing to the blanketing effect of the snow in winter.

This increase of gradient is due to an increase of surface temperature about 10,000 years ago; for, by taking the gradient below 4,000 feet and producing it to the surface, we find a surface temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, that which the ice bottom may have had. The time since the rise in temperature is found by seeing how much the scale of time may be enlarged in the probability curve connecting the temperature and time for a flow of heat due to a sudden rise of . . .


A shape determinaton problem is studied for quasilinear elliptic problems. Such problems describe interface problems. The ultimate goal of our research is to determine the interface between two materials with di®erent physical properties. The interface is identi¯ed by the minimization of the shape (or the cost) functional evaluating the mis¯t between the data and the simulations. We elaborate the material and shape derivative method. We characterize the elliptic interface problems whose solutions give the material and shape derivatives. Further we employ the adjoint variable method to obtain an explicit expression for the gradient of the shape functional. For the representation of the interface we use the level set method. Simulation presented show the reconstruction of voids in a nonlinear ferromagnetic material. Available data are measurements of magnetic induction.


To objectively and quantitatively study transcribed protocols of design problem solving conversations, we propose a semantic analysis approach based on dynamic semantic networks of nouns constructed with WordNet 3.1 lexical database. We examined the applicability of the semantic approach focused on a dynamic evaluation of the design problem solving process in educational settings. Using a case of real- world design problem-solving conversations, we show that the approach is able to determine the time dynamics of semantic factors such as level of abstraction, polysemy or information content, and quantify convergence/divergence of semantic similarity in design conversations between students, instructors and real clients. The approach can also be used to evaluate the aforementioned semantic factors for successful and unsuccessful ideas generated in the process of design problem solving, or to assess the effect of external feedback on the developed design solution. The proposed semantic analysis approach allows fast computation of the semantic factors in real time thereby demavonstrating a potential for both monitoring and support of the design problem solving process.


This study addressed three important aims: (1) undermining the previously obtained raw data about wood-decaying fungi (WDF) distribution and continuously investigating permanent plots to address certain scientific questions in ecology, (2) resolving the higher-level phylogeny of WDF with the help of multiple loci, and (3) testing and estimating the medicinal values of species that are closely related to well-known medicinal species. More than 1200 species and 2469 strains of WDF in China were identified from 28908 specimens collected from a series of field investigations. Using these materials, studies in multiple disciplines, such as ecology, taxonomy and phylogeny, and medicine, have been performed. With respect to ecology, the diversity of wood-decaying polypores significantly differed among a boreal forest zone, a temperate and warm temperate forest zone, and a tropical and subtropical forest zone. For instance, from north to south, the number and proportion of brown-rot species and the proportion of species found on fallen trunks were both decreased. The ecological patterns of wood-decaying polypores on gymnosperm and angiosperm trees were also explored by a case study in Northeast China. Although the total species richness was similar between the two tree groups, several other characteristics were significantly different, such as community structure and richness in certain substrates. The taxonomy and phylogeny of wide samples were referred to and their phylogenetic positions were resolved or at least partially established. In particular, phylogenetic knowledge about four genera, Fomitiporia, Ganoderma, Inonotus and Perenniporia, which include medicinal species, was essential for further research to determine the medicinal values of these types of fungi. Among these medicinal species, we mainly focused on Inonotus obliquus for its medicinal purposes. Polyphenols, polysaccharides and lanostane-type triterpenoids, extracted from the sterile conk of this species, could dramatically decrease levels of free radicals, DPPH and hydroxyl radicals, respectively. The metabolic profiles (both production and composition) of cultured I. obliquus mycelia could be altered by co-culture with other medicinal species or by induction of S-nitrosylation and denitrosylation, which may enhance the antioxidant capacity of I. obliquus.


Study Design. A cross-sectional observational study. Objective. To investigate whether there is a difference in findings of lumbar Modic changes in low-field (0.3 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with high-field (1.5 T). Summary of Background Data. It is a challenge to give patients with low back pain a specific diagnosis. Modic changes as seen on MRI have been reported to be a possible source of pain. However, it is unclear whether the diagnosis is independent on the field strength. Methods. Twenty patients with Modic changes, 11 women and 9 men (mean age, 53.6 yr; range, 29–81 yr), with or without sciatica, seen in a Danish outpatient low back pain clinic were included. All patients obtained MRI scans on both a high-field and a low-field MRI scanner. Two radiologists evaluated all lumbar endplates independently, using a standardized evaluation protocol. Kappa statistics were used to analyze the interobserver reproducibility. We used paired t test to analyze the difference between low- and high-field MRI. Results. The total number of Modic changes diagnosed with high-field MRI was significantly higher than that with low-field MRI. However, 3 to 4 times as many Modic type 1 changes were found with low-field MRI compared with high-field MRI. Contrarily, with high-field MRI type 2 changes were diagnosed twice as often. Conclusion. There was a significant difference between low- and high-field MRI regarding the overall prevalence of any Modic change, but this had opposite directions for types 1 and 2: type 2 dominated in low field and conversely in high field. The type of MRI unit should be taken into consideration when diagnosing patients with Modic changes.


Fossilization is a widespread phenomenon in second language learning and is commonly acknowledged in the field of Second Language Acquisition. This study aims to investigate a hypothetically fossilized feature in U.P.KAN (Université Pédagogique de Kananga) English learners' speech, specifically the pronunciation of the /æ/ sound among U.P.KAN English Students. It attempts to display whether these students pronounce it properly or whether it is rather frequently substituted by alternative phoneme. The paper also has a stab at showing the circumstances behind fossilization. It is assumed that phonological fossilized errors made by our subjects result mainly from the language transfer. Pedagogical factors also contribute to the making of pronunciation errors and to their being fossilized. Furthermore, some pronunciation errors are inherited from teachers. Finally, to reduce fossilization of the sound [ӕ], the study suggests applying 'choral and individual pronunciation', describing how the sound is made with the speech organs and, using the phonetic symbol to indicate the sound. The slight distortion of the [ӕ] towards central [Ԑ] will be imitated as an almost correct [ӕ] sound as well.


Educational psychology has recently reflected a policy shift from focusing on "what goes wrong" in schools, including psychological, physical, and educational disabilities, to recognizing and promoting strengths and positive aspects of students and their environments. Within this scope, some lines of research have examined the extent to which setting personal high standards influences such positive outcomes as educational achievement and high level of motivation. The present study was motivated by the concern that Iranian English language teachers' setting high standards, i.e. perfectionism, may predict English language learners' motivation and language achievement. Through cluster random sampling, a total of 30 English language teachers with more than one year of experience and 300 elementary English language learners were selected from English Language Institutes in Fars province, Iran. Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism scale and Motivations Underlying English Language Learning questionnaire were used to measure teachers' perfectionism and learners' language learning motivation, respectively. The learners' final scores in the English courses were collected as a measure of their language learning achievement. The result of simple regression analysis revealed that the teachers' perfectionism did not predict English language learners' motivation and language achievement. In other words, Iranian English language teachers' perfectionism did not account for any variance in these two variables of interest.
Keywords: Perfectionism, Motivation, Language Learning Achievement


This article discusses the Socio-cultural and economic dimensions of power hegemony of America with respect to Bina Shah's A Season for Martyrs. By practicing different and new slants of colonialism such as globalization, consumerism and neo-imperialism America has been showing her omnipotence over the primitive countries like Pakistan in the contemporary era of post-colonialism. This qualitative study employs the notion of neo-imperialism as theoretical framework. The study concludes that America is intervening in the economy, politics, social and cultural spheres of less developed countries to maintain her hegemony and supremacy. Keywords: hegemony, neo-imperialism, primitive, consumerism and globalization.


The porphyrias, uncommon conditions often eluding diagnosis, extremely susceptible to inappropriate treatment and associated with severe late manifestations, are representative of the small groups of scarce and complex diseases that are difficult to manage without specialised resources. A network of offices with diagnostic and consultative support from a national specialist centre is probably the most cost effective way of meeting the patients' demands in terms of highly specialised medical experience coupled with close contact and continuity This approach, adopted by the Swedish Porphyria Centre, is based on well structured and regularly updated programmes for the management of porphyria patients.


Single flux quantum (SFQ) digital circuits have shown the potential for high speed/low power computation applications. Unfortunately, because of the low integration density and low driving capability of SFQ circuits, realizing large-scale memories by using only SFQ circuits is still a challenge. Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory, hybridizing high-speed, low power SFQ circuits, and high-density CMOS memories is already proposed as a solution to the large-scale memory problem in RSFQ digital systems. In this article, an SFQ-based memory controller which works up to 10 GHz clock frequencies is designed for Josephson-CMOS hybrid memory systems. The memory controller acts as a SFQ/CMOS interface between the SFQ circuit and SRAM module and generates the required waveforms for SRAM read and write operations. The circuit which has 4-b data and 2-b address lines is fabricated with AIST 2.5 kA/cm2 STP2 process and operations of the circuits are verified. To demonstrate the scalability of the circuit, memory controller was scaled to 8-b data and 13-b address to control of the 64kb SRAM. Operations of the scaled memory controller are verified with analog simulations. Scaled circuit consumes 0.76 mW power in an area of 1.64 mm × 1.60 mm.


Due to lack of objective data, the benefits of using plastination in combination with wet dissection in teaching gross anatomy are unknown. The aim of this study was to obtain objective evidence from students regarding the effectiveness of combining plastinated specimens (PS) with an established gross anatomy education program at Cambridge University that uses wet cadaver dissection and small-group tutorials. For a complete academic year, a total of 135 PS were used alongside wet cadaver dissections. The PS were also available for small-group tutorials. An anonymous closed questionnaire, using a 5-point numerical-estimation Likert scale, was used to gather information relating to the effectiveness of the PS. The level of student satisfaction with the combined use of wet dissections and PS was high, although higher (p<.05) for second-year students (98.4%) than for first-year students (95.5%). Students felt the specimens allowed them to see details that were often more difficult to identify in their dissections, for instance nerves. Voluntary use of PS was higher (p<.01) for second-year students (96.9%), who had previously experienced anatomy teaching with cadaver dissection alone, than for first-year students (77.7%). Overall, 97.7% of all students thought that the PS helped them understand and learn anatomy. All students surveyed (100%) recommended the use of PS in the future. Students considered the use of PS in the dissection room combined with wet cadaver dissection to be beneficial when learning anatomy, particularly when combined with their use during small-group tutorials.


A Speaker Localization algorithm based on Neural Networks for multi-room domestic scenarios is proposed in this paper. The approach is fully data-driven and employs a Neural Network fed by GCC-PHAT (Generalized Cross Correlation Phase Transform) Patterns, calculated by means of the microphone signals, to determine the speaker position in the room under analysis. In particular, we deal with a multi-room case study, in which the acoustic scene of each room is influenced by sounds emitted in the other rooms. The algorithm is tested against the home recorded DIRHA dataset, characterized by multiple wall and ceiling microphone signals for each room. In particular, we focused on the speaker localization problem in two distinct neighbouring rooms. We assumed the presence of an Oracle multi-room Voice Activity Detector (VAD) in our experiments. A three-stage optimization procedure has been adopted to find the best network configuration and GCC-PHAT Patterns combination. Moreover, an algorithm based on Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), recently proposed in literature for the addressed applicative context, has been considered as term of comparison. As result, the proposed algorithm outperforms the reference one, providing an average localization error, expressed in terms of RMSE, equal to 525 mm against 1465 mm. Concluding, we also assessed the algorithm performance when a real VAD, recently proposed by some of the authors, is used. Even though a degradation of localization capability is registered (an average RMSE equal to 770 mm), still a remarkable improvement with respect to the state of the art performance is obtained.


Microgrids can be considered as controllable units from the utility point of view because the entities of microgrids such as distributed energy resources and controllable loads can effectively control the amount of power consumption or generation. Therefore, microgrids can make various contracts with utility companies such as demand response program or ancillary services. Another advantage of microgrids is to integrate renewable energy resources to low-voltage distribution networks. Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) can effectively compensate the intermittent output of renewable energy resources. This paper presents intelligent control schemes for BESSs and autonomous energy management schemes of microgrids based on the concept of multi-agent systems. The proposed control scheme consists of two layers of decision-making procedures. In the bottom layer, intelligent agents decide the optimal operation strategies of individual microgrid entities such as BESSs, backup generators and loads. In the upper layer, the central microgrid coordinator (MGCC) coordinates multiple agents so that the overall microgrid can match the load reduction requested by the grid operator. The proposed control scheme is applied to Korea Power Exchange's Intelligent Demand Response Program.


Cyclic changes in the human cervical mucus were observed as early as the middle of the 19th century and have in the last two decades been the subject of extensive investigations. Among other matters studied have been the macroscopic and general appearances (SEGDY and VIMEDX 1933) and the crystallization pattern (e. g. by PAPANICOLAOU 1945, 1946, by RYDBERG 1948, and by ZONDEK 1954). The amount of dry substance (BERGMAN 1950), the viscosity (LAMAR, SHETTLES and DELFS 1940), 'flow-elasticity' and 'Spinnfahigkeit' (CLIFT 1945), and the amount of reducing substance (VIERGIVER and POMMERENKE 1946) have also been investigated. The studies have mainly been undertaken in order to correlate changes in the properties of the mucus with the time of ovulation, these being of considerable practical importance, especially for timing the optimal day of conception in cases of reduced fertility. In addition, changes in the cervical mucus are of considerable interest from theoretic viewpoints. In the present study we briefly report some preliminary observations on the proton magnetic resonance spectra of the human cervical secretion in various phases of the menstrual cycle. Principles of nuclear magnetic resonance. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is specific for the hydrogen nuclei in any chemical or physical state. The resonance or absorption line occurs in the radiofrequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum when a sample containing hydrogen nuclei is placed in a magnetic field of several thousand gauss; it is due to the elementary process of absorption of a low-energy electromagnetic quantum when a proton spin flips from a lower to a higher energy orien-


We have measured the temperature dependence of the in-plane electrical resistivity for stage-1 GICs and stage-1 GICs () in the temperature range between 2.6 and 300 K. The resistivity shows a drastic increase with decreasing temperature below the critical temperature for stage-1 GICs () and stage-1 GICs (). The temperature dependence of this resistivity anomaly is described by a smeared power law with an exponent , where is the critical exponent of the spontaneous magnetization. This anomaly is explained in terms of a model based on the - d exchange interaction between -electrons in the graphite layers and spins in the intercalate layers. Below , two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic intercalate layers are antiferromagnetically stacked along the c-axis. The -electrons are scattered by spin fluctuations of a virtual antiferromagnetic in-plane spin configuration arising from the superposition of two ferromagnetic in-plane structures with spin directions antiparallel to each other. The Co concentration dependence of for stage-1 GICs is also discussed in the light of the 2D percolation problem.


Books about the practice of occupational health nursing have been virtually non-existent until now. Dr. Rogers' book is an organized and well researched textbook that is useful to anyone in the field of occupational health. The beginning chapter on the meaning of work describes events leading to legislative reforms in the industrial setting. Concise charts and graphs present data on conditions existing at different stages of industrial history documenting why occupational health nurses were needed. Next is an historical perspective, including a table listing milestones and events that is almost two full pages long. This is fascinating reading. Each of the subsequent chapters builds on the preceding. Covered are subjects such as the roles of the occupational health nurse; epidemiology for the practitioner; developing occupational health services and programs; assessment units of the organization, the work environment, and the client; clinical practice with guidelines and protocol development; health promotion; research; legal responsibilities; ethical perspectives in practice; and future perspectives. Each chapter has an extensive bibliography should one wish to read further. This is nota beginner 's manual, but a beginner, as well as an advanced practitioner, would find it extremely useful either in a classroom setting or as reference reading . This is not for casual reading; instead, it is designed to be studied and assimilated by the reader. This book provides the framework for


Productivity and soil pH are commonly recognised as influential
determinants of grassland vegetation diversity. So far, little
is known about factors influencing local richness in steppe
grasslands of subcontinental and continental areas of Europe.
We sampled steppe vegetation in two regions: the Southern
Urals, situated within the Euro-Siberian steppe zone, and the
Czech Republic, situated at the margin of the forest-steppe
zone. By simultaneously studying these contrasting regions we
aimed to recognise major patterns in species richness and see
how they relate to productivity, soil depth and pH. Steppe
vegetation types varying in soil depth, pH and productivity
were represented in both data sets. Vascular plant species
richness was determined for 100 m2 plots. Aboveground non-woody
biomass was collected from a 0.25 m2 subplot located in each
plot and used as an estimate of site productivity. Soil depth
was measured in three places of each plot and averaged.
Similarly, soil pH was measured from a mixed soil sample taken
from three places in each plot. Species richness increases with
productivity in both the Czech and the Uralian steppes. Due to
their general dryness, productivity of most steppe vegetation
types is relatively low. In addition, strong moisture
fluctuations in steppe soils make it difficult for competitive
species to become dominant in the stands. Competitive exclusion
is probably not a major force, therefore we do not observe the
typical unimodal or even decreasing response of species
richness to productivity, commonly reported from grasslands
with higher and more balanced water supply. Productivity is
strongly related to soil depth. Interestingly, in the Uralian
steppes soil depth is a markedly better predictor of species
richness than their productivity, while in the Czech steppes
the effect of both predictors is comparable. This implies that
soil depth not only affects species richness through its effect
on productivity, but also in its own way. Species richness
increases along the pH gradient in both regions. However, in
the Uralian steppes, there is a peak at pH 6.8 followed by a
decrease towards the highest-pH soils. In the Czech steppes,
such indication of unimodality also appears once soil depth is
included in the model. Low species richness at low-pH soils
corresponds to a relatively small species pool of acidic
substrates. The decrease in number of species at high pH may by
due to severe site dryness, often connected with these high-pH
soils. To conclude, in European steppes most species occur at
deep, productive soils with pH of 6-7.5. Soil depth and pH can
together explain about half of the variation in species
richness both in the Uralian and the Czech steppes.


Companies are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on biodiversity and natural capital. This may result from their implicit dependence on natural capital, from increasingly more critical consumers, or from the genuine concern of company managers and owners. Consequently, companies have an increasing need for tools to enable them to gain insight into their impact on biodiversity, and to measure and assess the effects of measures to limit this impact. The Natural Captains project of the Platform Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Economy (Platform BEE) is stimulating companies to translate thinking and working with natural capital into tangible actions. This means making visible the impact of their activities on biodiversity and natural capital in terms of their biodiversity footprint. One way to assess a company's impact on biodiversity is to measure the biodiversity footprint of their current activities and possibly also to compare this footprint with that of alternative measures.


The socio-demographic and anthropometric variables could influence the number of teeth present in the child's mouth. To determine the effect of anthropometric and socio-demographic variables on the number of erupted primary teeth, a cross-sectional study was performed involving 1013 children aged between 4 and 36 months who attended the immunization clinics in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA. The analyses included frequencies, cross-tabulations, chi squared test and t-test. The number of erupted teeth was modelled as the dependent variable in a multiple regression (Binomial) model, and the socio-demographic (age, gender and socio-economic status) and anthropometric variables, such as weight and height at presentation, as predictor variables. Statistical significance was inferred at P < 0.05. The age and height at presentation had significant association with the number of erupted teeth in this study population (P < 0.001). Also children from high socio-economic class in relation to low socio-economic class had significant larger number of erupted teeth in this study population (P < 0.001). The age and height of the child at presentation were significantly related to the number of erupted teeth. Also children from high socio-economic class had significant lager number of erupted teeth compared with children from low socio-economic class.


The motor stereotype in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) is determined by the magnitude of spasticity and central paresis of muscles, the impaired mechanisms of intermuscular interaction, and the presence of consensual reactions and pathologic synkineses. There are cases of a concomitance of the suprasegmental and segmental structures damages in CP. An attempt has been made to identify and estimate the contribution of the peripheral neuromuscular system lesion in CP patients in its late residual stage. Central nervous system lesion at the central and segmental levels were detected in 12.3% of cases in CP with spastic diplegia with progressive deformities of the lower extremities joints. Needle EMG is the most sensitive technique to detect a lesion at the segmental level: increased duration and higher amplitude motor unit potentials (MUPs) and fewer recruited MUPs were registrated. A turn-amplitude analysis has indicated the shift of cloudy diagram to the left and upwards and the decreased ratio of the number of turns to their mean amplitude. The residual pattern of revealed changes is confirmed by the absence of signs of a current denervation process. The contribution of possible myelodysplasia and transneuronal degeneration of spinal motor neurons at the lumbosacral level to the clinical picture of the CP and orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation tactics are discussed.


Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3), an important transition metal oxide (TMO), has been extensively investigated over the past few decades due to its potential in existing and emerging technologies, including catalysis, energy and data storage, electrochromic devices, and sensors. Recently, the growing interest in two-dimensional (2D) materials, often rich in interesting properties and functionalities compared to their bulk counterparts, has led to the investigation of 2D MoO3. However, the realization of large-area true 2D (single to few atom layers thick) MoO3 is yet to be achieved. Here, we demonstrate a facile route to obtain wafer-scale monolayer amorphous MoO3 using 2D MoS2 as a starting material, followed by UV-ozone oxidation at a substrate temperature as low as 120 °C. This simple yet effective process yields smooth, continuous, uniform, and stable monolayer oxide with wafer-scale homogeneity, as confirmed by several characterization techniques, including atomic force microscopy, numerous spectroscopy methods, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, using the subnanometer MoO3 as the active layer sandwiched between two metal electrodes, we demonstrate the thinnest oxide-based nonvolatile resistive switching memory with a low voltage operation and a high ON/OFF ratio. These results (potentially extendable to other TMOs) will enable further exploration of subnanometer stoichiometric MoO3, extending the frontiers of ultrathin flexible oxide materials and devices.


Elevated expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a histone H3K27 methyltransferase, was observed in gliomas harboring telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations. Given the known involvement of TERT and EZH2 in glioma progression, the correlation between the two and subsequently its involvement in metabolic programming was investigated. Inhibition of human telomerase reverse transcriptase either pharmacologically or through genetic manipulation not only decreased EZH2 expression, but also (i) abrogated FASN levels, (ii) decreased de novo fatty acid accumulation, and (iii) increased ataxia‐telangiectasia‐mutated (ATM) phosphorylation levels. Conversely, diminished TERT and FASN levels upon siRNA‐mediated EZH2 knockdown indicated a positive correlation between TERT and EZH2. Interestingly, ATM kinase inhibitor rescued TERT inhibition‐mediated decrease in FASN and EZH2 levels. Importantly, TERT promoter mutant tumors exhibited greater microsatellite instability, heightened FASN levels and lipid accumulation. Coherent with in vitro findings, pharmacological inhibition of TERT by costunolide decreased lipid accumulation and elevated ATM expression in heterotypic xenograft glioma mouse model. By bringing TERT‐EZH2 network at the forefront as driver of dysregulated metabolism, our findings highlight the non‐canonical but distinct role of TERT in metabolic reprogramming and DNA damage responses in glioblastoma.


This study aims to examine and analyze the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an intervening variable in mediating the effects of Good Corporate Governance and Leverage for Financial Performance.Samples are 132 companies went public and consists of several industry listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange 2010-2013. Sampling using purposive sampling technique that is based on the completeness of the annual report of each period studied and the conditionsthat have been determined by researchers. To test the hypothesis using linear regression analysis barganda (Multiple Linear Regression) with the application of SPSS version 20.Based on the resultsof data analysisshowedthat theLeverageandCorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR) simultaneously significant effect onfinancial performance. PartiallyGCGsignificant effect onCorporateSocial Responsibility(CSR), whilegood corporate governancedoes not affect thefinancial performance, andLeverageno significant effect onCorporateSocial Responsibility(CSR). VariableCorporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) can becomean intervening variablein mediating theeffects ofGood Corporate GovernanceforFinancial Performance. However,CorporateSocial Responsibility(CSR) was notable tobecomean intervening variablein mediating theeffect ofleverageon financial performance.Keywords: GCG, Leverage, CSRandFinancial Performance.


In the Gothenburg Primary Prevention Study the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 103 bus and tram drivers was compared with that of 6596 men in other occupation groups. The follow-up extended through a mean of 11.8 years. Bus and tram drivers had an incidence of CHD of 18.4% compared with 6.4% among the other men in the study; odds ratio (OR) 3.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-5.5). The only other group with an increase in risk of similar magnitude were taxi drivers; OR 3.1 (1.6-6.2). No significant differences were noted as to smoking habits, serum cholesterol or blood pressure between bus and tram drivers and the other men. The bus and tram drivers tended to be more physically active during leisure time, but had a significantly higher body mass index than other men. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis with CHD as the dependent variable and age, serum cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking, body mass index, diabetes, marital state, family history of CHD, alcohol abuse, socioeconomic status, leisure time physical activity, physical activity at work, psychological stress and bus and tram driving as independent variables the OR for bus and tram driving was only slightly reduced to 3.0 (1.8-5.2). In this population, being a bus or tram driver was an independent predictor of CHD of considerable magnitude. The increased risk of taxi drivers was not significant in multivariate analysis.


ABSTRACT During the last several centuries, the high granite mesas in eastern Portugal south of the Douro river have been a major rye growing region. About half the rye produced was carried away to feed urban populations. The loss from the village agro-ecosystem of the nitrogen in the rye grain was replaced because farmers used giesta (Cytisus, Fabaceae), a nitrogen fixer, to make the compost with which they fertilized their crops. Farmers used to keep about 20 sheep for every hectare they cultivated. These sheep produced very few lambs, could be milked only briefly, produced low quality wool, and were not eaten. Farmers kept so many sheep to mix their excrement with giesta. Two experimental rye plots in the county of Trancoso, Beira Alta Portugal were grown with traditional technology except one had giesta plus sheep manure, and the other had only giesta, but enough extra to add the same amount of nitrogen. By the end of the growing season, rye in the plot with giesta plus manure was approximately twice as productive, and much of the giesta added without manure had not decomposed. The carbon/nitrogen ratio of mature giesta is near 30, which is too high for giesta alone to rot readily in the soil. Manure lowers the C/N ratio to near 20, which enables it to rot and release nutrients at the rate rye needs them.


Certain drugs which affect fetal development are considered. Phenytoin taken during pregnancy may result in infants who remain mentally and physically retarded, with abnormal craniofacial appearance and limb defects. A boy with such a syndrome is reported. Trimethadione is another drug which has been said to be teratogenic, and to cause a typical phenotype which is described. The fetal alcohol syndrome is now well recognized and has similar features to those related to anti-epileptic drugs taken during pregnancy. A high level of suspicion of possible associations between congenital defects and drugs must be maintained.


SUMMARY.

The spawning period of Clymenella torquata (Leidy) on the flats at Whitstable is a sharply defined one lasting for two or three days at the time of spring tides near to the middle of May.

It is suggested that the immediate stimulus for the worms to spawn is not a temperature effect but is in some way related to the tides, possibly being due to the extra time of exposure at low water springs.

The growth, maturation and structure of the germ cells is briefly described.

The sex ratio in the worms is 1.5 males to 1 female.

Fertilization and cleavage are briefly described, but no important deviations from the usual spiral cleavage pattern were noted.

The young larva, which is of the demersal type, is spherical and uniformily ciliated. It is very opaque and contains numerous oil globules derived from the yolky oocyte.

At about twenty-four hours after fertilization the primordium of the trunk becomesapparent asalobe at the hinder end and da gapappearsin the ciliation of the dorsal surface, so separating a "prototroch" form a telotroch which, however, remain connected by a neurotroch. An apical tuft and a pair of brown eye spots appear at the anterior end. From the 24-hour stage onwards the larval trunk grows rapidly and the larva becomes elongated and cylindrical. By five days after fertilization the first three larvalsegments have been demarcated. The second of these bears on each side a pair of chaetae. The dorsal chaeta in each pair is a simple bristle and the ventral one, a small uncinus. The first segment. which is the forerunner of the peristomium, is always achaetous whilst the third has not yet acquired its chaetae.

More segments with a similar arrangement of chaetae are gradually added as the larva elongatess. Sticky from the first, the larvae now secrete quaantities of viseid mucus and normally are adherent to the substratum. The ciliation from this time onwards becomes progressively reduced.

Seven days after fertilization the larvae have reached a length of 0–6 mm. Rudiments of the notopodia are present and al powers to swim by means of cilia are lost. The larvae can move their chaetae and can wriggle within a layer of mucus which completely ensheathes the body. A small coelom now separates the gut from the body wall throughout the greater part of its length and a stomodeal pit has appeared on the ventral part of the peristomium. The gut is still filled with oil globules.

In the 10-day larva the stomodeum opens into the pharynx and the proctodeum opens into the hind gut. The remaining oil globules diminish rapidly from this time onwards and at the 6-chaetiger stage the larvae begin to feed on bottom-dwelling diatoms which are swept into the gut by the cilia of the buccal capsule and pharynx. The prostomium, now a distinct conical structure, has lost the apical tuft but bears two pairs of eye spots. Of the ciliated bands, only a reduced neurotroch remains. Small particles from the substratum are incorporated into the mucus sheath around the 6-chactiger larva to form a distinct tube. Experiments suggest that Clymenella larvae will undergo their normal slow metamorphosis and construct tubes (if only of hardened mucus) on any type of substratum.

Growth in size and the addition of more segments continued fairly steadily as the larvae fed within their tubes. On the sixteenth day larvae had acquired seven chaetigers, but after this the stage of development reached by the larvae became rather variable. By the twenty-third day a few had reached the 10-chaetiger stage and more bristles had been added to the anterior notopodia. A muscular rim had appeared around the peristomium and an anal funnel with papillae, the forerunners of the cirri of the adult pygidium, had developed. The main regions of the gut, namely, buccal cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach and intestine were also recognizable. Dorsal and ventral vessels containing blood, as yet colourless, could be seen.

Between the twenty-fourth and forty-fifth day the larvae grew into small worms which could easily be recognized as young maldanids, the full adult complement of twenty-two segments having been differentiated by 26th June.

It is pointed out that Clymenella torquata affords yet another example of a polychaete having large-yolked eggs and larvae which are bottom-dwelling from the very beginning of development and must be added to the list of polychaetes which omit the trochophore stage from their life-history. The influence of this type of developmen on the dispersion of the species is briefly considered.


The proposed work focuses on the power enhancement of grid-connected solar photovoltaic and wind energy (PV-WE) system integrated with an energy storage system (ESS) and electric vehicles (EVs). The research works available in the literature emphasize only on PV, PV-ESS, WE, and WE-ESS. The enhancement techniques such as Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), Generalized UPFC (GUPFC), and Static Var Compensator (SVC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based techniques including Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC)-UPFC, and Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC)-FLC have been perceived in the existing literature for power enhancement. Further, the EVs are emerging as an integral domain of the power grid but because of the uncertainties and limitations involved in renewable energy sources (RESs) and ESS, the EVs preference towards the RES is shifted away. Therefore, it is required to focus on improving the power quality of the PV-WE-ESS-EV system connected with the grid, which is yet to be explored and validated with the available technique for enhancing power quality. Furthermore, in the case of the bidirectional power flow from vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and grid-to-vehicle (G2V), optimal controlling is crucial for which an electric vehicle aggregator (EVA) is designed. The designed EVA is proposed for the PV-WE-ESS-EV system so as to obtain the benefits such as uninterruptible power supply, effective the load demand satisfaction, and efficient utilization of the electrical power. The power flow from source to load and from one source to another source is controlled with the support of FLC. The FLC decides the economic utilization of power during peak load and off-peak load. The reduced power quality at the load side is observed as a result of varying loads in the random fashion and this issue is sorted out by using UPQC in this proposed study. From the results, it can be observed that the maximum power is achieved in the case of PV and WE systems with the help of the FLC-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. Furthermore, the artificial neural network (ANN)-based technique is utilized for the development of the MPPT algorithm which in turn is employed for the validation of the proposed technique. The outputs of both the techniques are compared to select the best-performing technique. A key observation from the results and analysis indicates that the power output from FLC-based MPPT is better than that of ANN-based MPPT. Thus, the proper and economical utilization of power is achieved with the help of FLC and UPQC. It can be inferred that the EVs can play a vital role in imparting the flexibility in terms of power consumption and grid stabilization during peak load and off-peak load durations provided that the proper control techniques and grid integration are well-established.


A pedestal model based on theory-motivated models for the pedestal width and the pedestal pressure gradient is developed for the temperature at the top of the H-mode pedestal. The pedestal width model based on magnetic shear and flow shear stabilization is used in this study, where the pedestal pressure gradient is assumed to be limited by first stability of infinite n ballooning mode instability. This pedestal model is implemented in the 1.5D BALDUR integrated predictive modeling code, where the safety factor and magnetic shear are solved self-consistently in both core and pedestal regions. With the self-consistently approach for calculating safety factor and magnetic shear, the effect of bootstrap current can be correctly included in the pedestal model. The pedestal model is used to provide the boundary conditions in the simulations and the Multi-mode core transport model is used to describe the core transport. This new integrated modeling procedure of the BALDUR code is used to predict the temperature and density profiles of 26 H-mode discharges. Simulations are carried out for 13 discharges in the Joint European Torus and 13 discharges in the DIII-D tokamak. The average root-mean-square deviation between experimental data and the predicted profiles of the temperature and the density, normalized by their central values, is found to be about 14%.


Abstract Turtles are the most common vertebrates in the upper Eocene and lower Oligocene rocks of Nebraska. In this work we characterize a striking decline in overall turtle abundance in the early Oligocene at two Nebraska localities: Toadstool Park and Scotts Bluff National Monument. In both locations, this decline occurs at a prominent change in rock composition, the contact between the Orella and Whitney members of the Brule Formation. The two study sites are 140 km apart, suggesting that this decline in turtle fossils was a regional event. Although the reasons for the abundance changes are not entirely clear, we present preservation biases or regional cooling and drying as competing hypotheses.


This review describes the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs (in the year 2021) containing at least one halogen atom (covalently bound). The structures proposed throughout this work are grouped according to their therapeutical use. Their synthesis is presented as well. The number of halogenated molecules that are reaching the market is regularly preserved, and 14 of the 50 molecules approved by the FDA in the last year contain halogens. This underlines the emergent role of halogens and, in particular, of fluorine and chlorine in the preparation of drugs for the treatment of several diseases such as viral infections, several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, migraine and inflammatory diseases such as vasculitis.


Objectives - To estimate: a) the number of users of theophylline (ATC: R03DA04) and doxofylline (ATC: R03DA11) for the treatment of chronic asthma and/or COPD in adults, in the Marche Region (Italy); b) the global cost related to the use of the two drugs (associated drugs, specialist visits, hospital admissions, plasma drug monitoring). Methods - The drug prescriptions were extracted from the Information System of the Pharmaceutical Prescriptions of the Marche Region (PHARM), containing all the prescriptions sent by pharmacies within the region and reimbursed by the National Health Service. All the prescriptions for each ATC code in the years 2008-2012 were extracted and the number of prescriptions per year was obtained. The number of subjects receiving >1prescription of the ATC codesR03DA04 and R03DA11 was identified and the number of users was estimated. The concomitant drug number was estimated by selecting all the prescriptions for potentially associated ATCs dispensed 30 days before or after the first prescription of ATC codes. The price of prescriptions was calculated using the information "price" contained in the PHARM record. Results - For both drugs in the study period 13,574 patients were treated with theophylline (94,454 prescriptions) and 19,426 patients with doxofylline (62,791). The number of patients treated was approximately 5,000 per year. Both the number of patients and prescriptions declined during the period of study. The number of prescriptions of theophylline was higher in men, that of doxofylline higher in women. Both theophylline and doxofylline prescriptions increased with the age of patients. Co-prescription with other drugs was lower for doxofylline (1.55) than theophylline (5.50) in the total population (71.7% reduction). In the aged patients the reduction of doxofylline prescriptions versus theophylline was 66%. The use of corticosteroids associated with doxofylline was lower versus theophylline: a) in the total population (0.3 vs 0.7), b) in men (0.3 vs 0.9), c) in women (0.3 vs 0.6) and in aged patients (0.3 vs 0.8; 58.1% less). The mean number of specialist visits was lower in patients treated with doxofylline than in those treated with theophylline in the total population (2.05 vs 3.73), in men (2.38 vs 4.43), in women (1.75 vs 2.95) and aged people (2.52 vs 4.18). The mean number of hospital admissions (per 100 patients) was lower for patients treated with doxofylline than for those treated with theophylline in the total population (1.57 vs 3.3) and in aged people (1.94 vs 3.09). In the total population, the annual mean cost of global treatment per patient was €187.4 for those treated with doxofylline and €513.5 for theophylline, while in the aged people it was €247.7 (doxofylline) and €577.3 (theophylline). Conclusions - The PHARM allows to estimate drug utilization, taking into account the overall patient treatment plan. In our study, compared to theophylline, the prescription of doxofylline was associated less with prescriptions of other drugs, corticosteroids and specialized visits as well as hospital admissions. Therefore, doxofylline resulted to be associated with a reduction of the overall cost of the disease compared to theophylline.