Feeding inexorably increasing population is among the challenges confronting mankind. Marginal lands including mountainous and sloppy areas have been converted to agricultural land. The highland parts of Ethiopia (43% of the country's total size) have been highly degraded. About 4 % had reached a point of no return. This has diminished food crop production capacity of the country. In addition, there is not extra marginal or forest lands to be converted to farmland as before. Hence, restoration of agricultural land is an urgent matter. Restoration increases agricultural system stability. Restoration can be done in various ways such as area closure (in areas with relatively large landholding size), erosion protection using physical structure and restoration using tree planting or combination of two or more of the interventions. But rural Ethiopia cannot afford to put land aside for restoration due to scarcity of farmland. A key question, then, is how to successfully and quickly restore the degraded landscapes in the country. This review work, therefore, analyzes the merit and demerit of exotic and invasive plant species in the restoration of agricultural land in Ethiopia.  Most Exotic species in Ethiopia are providing various socio-economic services. On the other hand, few are highly competitive and deny resources for native trees as well as for crops. Some of these invasive species have allelopathic characteristics and ooze inhibiting chemicals. They quickly colonize the area and deny the space for crops. The invasive species also lower the water table and also adversely affect the livestock sector however that agriculture and livestock sectors are complementary activities in Ethiopia. Absence of well-developed management techniques exacerbated the downside of invasive species. Many studies invigorate adverse impact of invasive species. The invasive plants use the opportunity of high disturbance of agricultural lands to outcompete with crops or co-existing native flora. Unless it is the last option using invasive species for restoration of agricultural land is not recommended. Regarding the exotic species such as Eucalyptus spp, Cuppressus lustanica, Gravillia robusta, Pinus radiata, there is mixed evidence on their role on restoration of agricultural land. The widely held negativity view of exotic plant species seems not right. The performance of exotic trees on the restoration of agricultural land varies from species to species. Some leguminous exotic species has a positive role in increasing soil nitrogen, moisture content, total SOC, physical property of soil, etc. Few such as eucalyptuses have over competing with crops and with co-existing native flora for the available water, nutrients, light, etc. Species such as Cuppressus lustanica has very high evapo-transpiration during wet season and suppress the growth of understory.  As compared to the native trees exotic species have less efficiency on the restoration of agricultural lands. This does not mean that all native plants have good performance than exotic plants. In general, before embarking to agricultural land restoration species selection that exactly fits the required purpose must be done. Keywords: Restoration, invasive species, Exotic, Agricultural land


The feed design described is a linear array of crossed dipoles above a ground plane. The radiation patterns of the longitudinal and the transverse dipoles are made equal by parallel longitudinal rods, referred to as beam forming rods or beam matching rods. When used as a circularly polarized feed for an offset parabolic cylinder antenna, aperture efficiencies (spillover included) as high as 0.89 are potentially available if the field distribution along the array is uniform. The beam patterns of the feed were computed both by the method of moments and the geometrical theory of diffraction and are compared with patterns measured on a model at 1.5 GHz. A method of matching the impedance for both linear polarizations is proposed using parallel impedance matching rods.


Alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) is a common and underdiagnosed cause of metabolic acidosis in patients with an alcohol-related disorder. It is a cause of non-hypoxic hyperlactatemia and its identification is particularly interesting in order to not multiply medical exams. Indeed, AKA will be cured by a simple management. Clinically, patients have digestive signs such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain after a bout of heavy drinking following by few days of fasting. On clinical examination, they have no impairment of consciousness and most often have a relatively well-preserved general condition. Biologically, there is a metabolic acidosis with an elevated anion gap associated with electrolyte disturbances and moderate hyperlactatemia. The pathophysiology of this acidosis is complex and involves an accumulation of ketone bodies, lactate and acetate. This diagnosis is unknown and often delayed or missed while its identification is essential in order to not confuse it with diabetic ketoacidosis. In fact, insulin treatment is at major risk of hypoglycemia, sometimes fatal, in these malnourished patients.
The treatment consists of vitamin therapy and the correction of hydro-electrolyte disorders. Insulin and bicarbonate infusion should be avoided. The evolution is favorable and the acidosis is corrected in a few hours after this treatment. The risk is the recurrence of episodes.
The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical, biological and pathophysiology of AKA so that it will be better recognized and its management more quickly implemented.


Background Japan is the leading market for heated tobacco products (HTPs). We assessed the latest prevalence of HTP use including novel products (Ploom S, glo sens, and Pulze). Methods Data were obtained from an internet-based, self-reported survey conducted during February-March 2020 with individuals aged 15–74 years in Japan(n=9044). Prevalence of current (past 30-day) HTP use and cigarette smoking was computed. Poison regression analysis was conducted to examine predictors of HTP use among current cigarette smokers (n=1478). All analyses were weighted to account for selection bias in the internet survey using a nationally representative sample of Japanese population. Results In 2020, prevalence of current HTP use and cigarette smoking was 10.9% and 25.9% in Japan, respectively. The most commonly used HTP brand was IQOS (5.7%) followed by Ploom TECH/Ploom TECH+ (5.4%) and glo (2.6%). Use of Ploom S, glo sens and Pulze was 1.6%, 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively. Among current cigarette smokers, 34.9% of those who were interested in quitting smoking and 30.5% of those who were not interested in quitting reported concurrent use of HTP, respectively (difference not significant). Cigarette smokers who reported having multiple chronic conditions (aPR=2.31), alcohol consumption (aPR=2.07), and e-cigarette use (aPR=1.88) were more likely to use an HTP compared to those who did not report such characteristics. Conclusions HTP use remained prevalent in Japan. One in three current cigarette smokers used HTPs regardless of whether they were interested inquitting smoking. Continuedsurveillance is important to inform national and global tobaccocontrol strategies.


Objectives. In a previous study, a 60% increase in push-out strength was obtained in vitro with a two-step cementation of fiber posts, a procedure equivalent to the layering technique of composite restorations. The aim of this study is to find the rationale for this increase in push-out strength with finite element analysis (FEA). Methods. FEA models were created of the push-out test set-up of fiber posts cemented according to a one-step and two-step procedure and of the complete root with post. The failure loads of glass-fiber posts cemented with RelyX Unicem as obtained in a previous study were used as the load in the push-out FEA models. For the complete root model, a load of 100 N was used. The stresses due to the shrinkage of the cement layer and the applied load were determined for the one-step and two-step procedure of the push-out test specimens and for the one-step procedure of the complete root. Results. Even though the load in the two-step push-out model was 60% higher compared to the one-step model, the combined stresses were comparable. The stresses due to shrinkage alone in the complete root approached or exceeded the bond strength of resin cements to dentin in the coronal and apical areas. Significance. FEA of this test set-up explains the results of the in vitro study. Two-step cementation of fiber posts leads to a decrease in internal stresses in the restoration which results in higher failure loads and possibly in less microleakage.


Our study, as part of the Baseline Research on Oceanography, Krill and the Environment, West (BROKEWest) survey, emphasised the vital role of sea-ice retreat and upwelling in controlling the distribution, abundance and composition of marine microbial communities in the seasonal ice zone (SIZ). Autofluorescence or stains were used to detect the abundance of nanophytoplankton, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF), virus like particles (VLP) and bacteria by flow cytometry. Correlations among microbial concentrations were determined and cluster analysis was performed to group sites of similar microbial composition and abundance. Distance to sea ice was the primary determinant of nanophytoplankton abundance and nanophytoplankton contributed up to 84% of the phytoplankton carbon biomass where melting sea ice caused shallow summer mixed layer depths. To the north, nanophytoplankton abundance was generally low except adjacent to the Southern Boundary (SB). HNF and bacterial abundance was positively correlated with the abundance of nanophytoplankton. Cluster analysis identified 5 groups of sites over the BROKE-West survey area. Clusters 1-4 grouped sites of different successional maturity of the microbial community along the continuum between bloom formation and senescence. Maturity increased with distance from the sea ice and, in areas of upwelling, with time since the development of phytoplankton blooms. Sites in cluster 5 occurred at the northernmost extreme of the survey area and were typical of communities in high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the permanent open-ocean zone (POOZ) where phytoplankton growth was matched by mortality and decomposition. Synoptic-scale studies in Antarctic waters are rare but provide vital information about the control of microbial productivity, abundance and distribution in the Southern Ocean. Our study, covering over 40% of the SIZ off East Antarctica, enhances our understanding of the synoptic-scale factors that determine the structure and function of the microbial loop. Crown Copyright & 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


In recent years optical data processing has become popular for solving a number of problems. One of the biggest advantages of optical data processing is the high data rate which can be achieved. For example, a sq. in. of film may easily store as many as 1,000 elements in each of 2 directions. This gives a total of 106 elements per sq. in. The data may be recorded as 2-dimensional data or may be in the form of channelized data. Several operations are possible, such as spectral analysis filtering and cross correlation. The equipment for optical data processing has a high degree of versatility and stability. The versatility arises from the fact that one type of equipment may be converted to another type simply by rearrangement or addition of elements. In-put and o t-put equipment can be in electrical form, but more commonly is photographic in nature, the in-put being a transparency while the out-put is a picture. In spectral analysis 2-dimensional data may be analyzed to obtain the power spectral density for the whole area of interest, or spectrum analysis may be obtained for a small area. This has the advantage of excluding information from the spectrum which is not of momentary interest in favor of a more precise and uncluttered spectrum of the area of interest. Such a small area may be moved in scanning fashion to search out areas of particular interest. The equations involved may be in either X, Y coordinates or R, ^Thgr coordinates, whichever lends itself to the best mathematical analysis. LaserScan is a 2-dimensional filtering equipment in which 2 Fourier transforms are performed sequentially on the in-put transparency. The first transform produces a spectrum which may be filtered. The second produces a reconstruction of the original data after spatial filtering which permits photographing the filtered seismic section. Directional filtering may be performed to remove dips in undesirable directions, thereby improving the data of interest. Time filtering also is possible, either as band rejection with straight wires, or high-cut filters by means of knife-edge plates operating in the time direction. By this means, "ringing," or high-frequency noise, may be removed which is common to all channels. It is also possible to perform one-dimensional spectral analysis simultaneously for many channels. For this configuration a cylindrical lens is added to the optical system to focus channels in the transparency into channels in the out-put plane. In this case, the final lens projects the Fourier transform of the data in each signal channel into a corresponding channel onto the final out-put film. Cross-correlation also may be done by optical means. In general, this is one-dimensional, multi-channel instrument in which the recorded channels are interrogated by an expected signal. The out-put then becomes a display of the correlation functions obtained along each channel for all the channels in which the operation is taking place. In some cases it is preferable to cross-correlate filtered data. In such cases filtering and cross-correlation are performed on the same optical equipment by changing some of the optical elements. It may be that the signal function needs to be filtered. Conversely, in some cases it is desirable to cross-correlate record sections against themselves while first filtering one of the sections used as a reference function. Various types of coded pulses can be used to obtain reference functions. These codes include Vibroseis, pseudo-random codes, and even dynamite shots which also can be classified as a coded impulse. It must be remembered that the coded signal may be altered for spectral content during its transit time in the earth's medium. In general, therefore, it is better to use an altered signal for the reference function than to use the initial source or code wave form. In general it is best to use coded pulses having a sharp auto-correlation function. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1085------------


Introduction International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 01 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Marigold is native to Mexico and one of the commercial loose flower crops in India. In general it is commonly propagated through seeds, but some ornamentally high valued petaloid and gynomonoecious lines can only be maintained through vegetative propagation. Initial in vitro axenic culture establishment, poor multiplication rates, excess callusing and vitrified cultures are the major hindrances in its commercial micro-propagation. Therefore, the objective of the present investigation was to develop efficient in vitro protocol for mass multiplication of commercially popular African and French marigold cultivars Pusa Basanti Gainda (PBG) and Pusa Arpita (PA) respectively. Nodal segments were chosen as explant of these two open field cultivars. Explants were pre-treated with carbendazim (0.2%) + metalaxyl (0.2%) + 8-hydroxy quinoline citrate (200 mg/l) for 60 minutes followed by surface sterilization with 0.1% HgCl2 for 4 minutes to eliminate the microbial contamination. Highest culture establishment (69.44%) and earliest bud emergence (4.45 days) was recorded in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) and NAA (0.05 mg/l). Among the different proliferation treatments, 100% proliferation was recorded in MS medium devoid of any growth regulators, MS + 0.5 mg/l Kinetin + 0.1 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l BAP + 0.1 mg/l NAA + 2.5 mg/l AgNO3 supplemented media. The maximum numbers of quality shoots (4.3, 18.8, 64.2 and 208.2 shoots/explant) were obtained on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l BAP + 0.1 mg/l NAA + 2.5 mg/l AgNO3 in 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after culture respectively. This protocol is highly useful for mass multiplication of true-to-type, disease free planting material as well as helpful in long term maintenance of germplasm lines. K e y w o r d s African marigold, French marigold, Nodal segment, Micropropagation, Culture establishment, Vitrification,


Computing U/C is one of the most important and time-consuming computation in attribute reduction. In this paper, we improve the algorithm for computing U/C present based on radix sorting, and thus reach a finer decision table. Both the rough set and the fuzzy set theories can be used to deal with imprecise and incomplete information. On basis of the new table, we introduce fuzzy set and design a new quick attribute reduction algorithm with which we can change the threshold regarding user's requirement and special knowledge and thus get a better result of attribute reduction. In the end, we apply the quick algorithm into analyzing data table in an estate database of some city.


The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with veterinary involvement in cattle health and production record (CHPR) management on U.S. cow-calf operations. We anonymously surveyed 14,294 cow-calf producers across the U.S. Multivariable logistic regression by manual forward variable selection was used to test demographic factors for association with veterinary involvement in CHPR management outcomes. A total of 3,741 (26%) responses were received, with 3,641 (97%) actively involved in cow-calf production. Of these, 2,216 of 3,486 (64%) said local veterinarians were their primary source of cattle health, treatment, and vaccination information. If available, 1,067 of 3,382 (32%) respondents would pay a veterinarian to analyze CHPR and provide management advice based on that information. Factors associated with willingness to pay a veterinarian for CHPR-keeping services include region (midwest: OR = 1.5; mountain: OR = 1.3; northeast: OR = 1.4; northern plains: OR = 1.8; southern plains: OR = 1.7; southeast: OR = 1.9; compared to west), cow-calf operation is not respondent's primary income source (OR = 1.4; compared to being respondent's primary income source), respondent records antibiotic treatments (OR = 1.4; compared to not recording antibiotic treatments), respondent education level (post-graduate or professional degree: OR = 1.4; some college up to completed Bachelor's degree: OR = 1.1; compared to high-school diploma or less). A meaningful number of respondents were willing to pay a veterinarian for CHPR management services depending on region, income source, antibiotic record use and education level.


Background This study explored the available literature on the phenomenon of clinical reasoning and described its influence on the clinical swallow evaluation. By exploring the relationship between clinical reasoning and the clinical swallow evaluation, it is possible to modernise the approach to dysphagia assessment. Objectives This study aimed to contextualise the available literature on clinical reasoning and the CSE to low-middle income contexts through the use of a scoping review and expert consultation. Method A scoping review was performed based on the PRISMA-ScR framework. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. Articles were considered if they discussed the clinical swallow evaluation and clinical reasoning, and were published in the last 49 years. Results Through rigorous electronic and manual searching, 12 articles were identified. This review made an argument for the value of clinical reasoning within the clinical swallow evaluation. The results of the study revealed three core themes related to the acquisition, variability and positive impact of clinical reasoning in the clinical swallow evaluation. Conclusion The results of this review showed that the clinical swallow evaluation is a complex process with significant levels of variability usually linked to the impact of context. This demonstrates that in order to deliver effective and relevant services, despite challenging conditions, healthcare practitioners must depend on clinical reasoning to make appropriate modifications to the assessment process that considers these salient factors.


The aim of this chapter is to highlight some of the prospects and constraints for the development of the organic pig production.
Livestock rearing should contribute to a more balanced overall production of the farm, food safety (in a wide sense) should be enhanced, and animal welfare should be compared better to conventional production methods. Futhermore, the environmental load should be low. The success of the expansion of organic systems will depend on to what degree these different expectations can be fulfilled without resulting in too high premium prices of the products.


Study Design: This was a prospective clinical study. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a preoperative conference on spine surgeons' decision-making in the treatment of adult spinal disorders. Summary and Background Data: There are several factors that spine surgeons have to consider when determining a surgical plan for the treatment of spinal disorders, which include surgical approach, application of fusion or nonfusion surgery, levels to be treated, treatment of accompanying spinal conditions, the need for further preoperative imaging, and the implant type to be used. Materials and Methods: A consecutive series of patients with a variety of adult spinal disorders at a single spine hospital were analyzed. The imaging modalities and clinical examination history of these patients were presented at a daily preoperative conference attended by staff spine surgeons and spine surgery fellows at this spine hospital. The specific surgical plan before the preoperative conference and before the surgery were compared for each patient. Results: A total of 506 consecutive patients were reviewed over a 4-month period. Changes in the surgical plan following the preoperative conference occurred in 29 cases (5.7%). Seventeen of these changes were minor modifications in the same surgical level, or inclusion/exclusion of adjacent or other levels in the surgical plan, without changing the planned surgical approach. The surgical approach changed in a total of 12 cases (2.3%). Statistical analysis showed that the surgeons with experience of <10 years and orthopedic surgeons changed their surgical plan more often after the preoperative conference (P<0.05). Conclusions: Preoperative conference for the surgical treatment of adult spinal disorders influenced the surgical plan in 5.7% of surgeries. This type of daily preoperative conference seems to have only a minor impact on spine surgeons' decision-making, but, instead, it could be used to provide training and insight to better a fellow or resident's education at the spine institution. Level of Evidence: Level IV.


The physico-chemical parameters and periphyton composition of Onah Lake was monitored. The data obtained revealed that the concentration of all the nutrients were higher during the dry season than the rainy season. The observation connotes a discernible seasonal pattern in the concentration of the various nutrients in the lake. With the exception of transparency, total alkalinity and conductivity, that were significantly different (P parameters were not significantly different (p>0.05) in the stations. Transparency was significantly lower in the upstream station as opposed to the down stream station that recorded a higher value. The condition favoring the abundance of nutrients was discussed. The principal component analyzer generated a sequence of variates known as components in a correlation matrics. Three components were selected which account for 100% of variance in the physico-chemical parameter, viz: ionic conductivity factor contributed 26.07%, nutrient factor contributed 40.61% while dissolved oxygen factor contributed 33.32%. Three divisions, eight families and ten species of periphyton were encountered. The most abundant periphyton species recorded are Closterium spp. (26.37%) Cosmarium spp. (18.63%) and Ulothrix spp. (16.56%). The least encountered species was Anabaena spp. (2.88%). This was not implicated in any toxic bloom.


The peel of red dragon fruit usually discarded. It is rich in polyphenol compounds that have antioxidant activity and health benefits. This research aimed to determine the antioxidant properties of herbal tea such as phenolic content, betacyanin content, and antioxidant activity. The herbal tea prepared with hot oven drying methods, where's the fresh peel of red dragon fruit and ginger were cut to be small pieces and dried at 60oC, and ground into tea powder then mixed as treatments. Results showed that the addition of ginger has no significant effect on phenolic content, and betacyanin content decreased by the addition of ginger. The phenolic content of herbal tea (0% ginger) and the highest addition of ginger (12%) were 3.39±1.19 mg GAE/g and 3.59±1.43 mg GAE/g respectively. The betacyanin content were 124.63±1.61 mg/100 g (0% ginger) and 104.01±2.99 mg/100g (12% ginger). As the amount of ginger added increased, the percentage of inhibition of herbal tea decreased from 66.23%±2.67 to 61.19%±2.45%.


Background: For most populations, self-regulatory behaviour changes techniques (BCTs) such as action planning and self-monitoring facilitate physical activity (PA). Only for older adults, these BCTs have recently been found to be non-effective or even detrimental. To find explanations for why self-regulatory BCTs might fail among older adults the content of planning worksheets (with 0-6 plans) and 10-day self-monitoring diaries from a social-cognitive PA intervention group were analysed.
Methods: Multilevel models were computed with plans nested in participants. Plan enactment (reported in diaries, n = 126) was predicted by plan characteristics as rated from content in planning worksheets (e.g., plan rank order, specificity of cues and activities including persons, locations or objects as cues, indoors vs. outdoors, MET minutes, number of planned opportunities).
Findings: After controlling for age and sex, only plan rank order (B = -0.402, p < .001) and planned outdoor activities (B = 1.005, p = .004) predicted plan enactment.
Discussion: As opposed to previous research that found the specificity and the intensity of the planned PA to be predictive of plan enactment among middle-aged adults, older adults enacted their plans only if they were listed among the first plans on the worksheet and if outdoor activities were planned. PA planning among older adults may fail because internal emotional cues become more relevant over environmental cues with age, as suggested by socio-emotional selectivity theory. Future studies might want to test mood-based cues (e.g., feeling like exercising, trying to overcome negative mood) in PA planning interventions for older adults.


The Moroccan endemic plant Euphorbia officinarum is a traditional medicinal plant, known locally as "Daghmus." Plants in the genus Euphorbia are well known for the chemical diversity of their diterpenoids and isoprenoid constituents, which perform many activities such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as different biological properties, that cannot be overlooked. The effect of bioactive compounds (antiviral, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antioxidant). Euphorbia officinarum is an important conventional medicine for the treatment of various conditions, including skin and ophthalmological diseases. It is also used against human pathogens (intestinal parasites). E. officinarum latex is the major part of the plant used for conventional medicine and synthesizing new bioactive compounds. The characterization and isolation of its components are necessary to exploiting and enhancing its therapeutic potential. However, to the best of our knowledge, no review is available to date. In order to have and define a research question, we adopt a strategy by considering the items of the PRISMA checklist. Therefore, this review aims to cover E. officinarum taxonomy, botanical description, distribution, conventional uses, and phytochemical compounds of this plant, including the biological activities of compounds isolated and of these semisynthesized compounds. This article provides a foundation for any further studies from this plant.


Violence is present and can be manifested in all social spheres. There is sexual violence, which is conceptualized as an act committed intentionally that causes physical, psychological, spiritual and/or social harm to others. It is practiced by the aggressor as a way of oppressing, humiliating, terrifying and even dominating in an aggressive, hostile and violent act.
Despite the conceptual advancement and public policies to combat sexual violence (World Health Organization, 2013, Ministry of Health, 2010), the importance of health professionals in their consolidation, and the consensus about the lack of focus on violence sexual violence against women by the training bodies, there's still insufficient knowledge about the approach to sexual violence against women in vocational training (Contreras, 2010).
The objective of this study was to analyze the curricular guideline of the undergraduate course in nursing in a private university in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
It's a study with a qualitative, descriptive approach, of documentary analysis. She completed her undergraduate course in nursing and included the following documents: Guidelines and Curricular Matrix, information on extension projects and events. The data were collected between August and October of 2017, in a private university in the city of Fortaleza, using semi-structured strata. The documents were grouped, and the information collected corresponded to the institution, name of the document, e-mail address and texts about sexual violence against women. The documents were collected in electronic media. The information about extension projects, events and academic leagues were found in the coordination of the nursing course. For the analysis, processing and interpretation of the information, thematic content analysis was used according to the perspective of Bardin (2006). Study approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Center of Philosophy and Human Sciences of UFRJ, under opinion of No. 1,540,152.
In the National Curricular Guidelines (NCG), the instrument guiding the process of construction of Pedagogical Projects, they include as specific skills and abilities of the nurse, acting in integral health care programs in all phases of life with development of technical and scientific skills, and socio-educational.
The guidelines ensure flexibility of organization and articulation of the courses considering the demands and needs prevalent in the local population.
According to art. 3 of the NCG / ENF, the profile of the professional nurse is focused on humanistic, critical, ethical and reflexive practice, capable of acting in different health-disease situations.
In the 10 events, different topics were addressed, but all about violence against women.
Open to all the courses of the institution with the purpose of propagating knowledge and multidisciplinary interaction, being realized in the form of symposia, lectures, seminars, among others.
A "Violence and Accidents" extension's program (LEVA) was identified, with active methodologies. No program was found focusing solely on sexual violence against women.
It was evidenced that the training of Nursing students for the integral care in sexual health is below expectations. With this, it is noticed the need to insert in the universities and in the disciplinary curricula the subject of the sexual violence.


The simplest difunctional monomeric bimane for polymerization via the acetylene group, syn-(hydro, ethynyl)bimane, has been prepared, and its crystal structure determined.


The prevention and mitigation of spalling in high-strength concrete (HSC) rely on mixing polypropylene (PP) as an additive reinforcement. The dense internal structures of ultra-high-strength concrete (UHSC) result in risks associated with a high thermal stress and high water vapor pressure. Herein, the effects of pore formation and thermal strain on spalling are examined by subjecting fiber-laden UHSC to conditions similar to those under which the ISO-834 standard fire curve was obtained. Evaluation of the initial melting properties of the fibers based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) demon strated that although nylon fibers exhibit a higher melting point than polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, weight loss occurs below 200 °C. Nylon fibers were effective at reducing spalling in UHSC compared to polypropylene and polyethylene fibers as they rapidly melt, leading to pore formation. We anticipate that these results will serve as references for future studies on the prevention of spalling in fiber-reinforced UHSC.


Raman spectroscopy is a useful technique for identifying molecules by their unique vibrational signatures. Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is capable of routinely amplifying the Raman signal by a factor of >107 through the use of a plasmon-generating substrate. This study investigated the SERS spectrum of Apt-αvβ3, an 85-base long RNA molecule generated specifically for binding to the αvβ3 integrin on cellular membranes. The Ag nanorod (AgNR) SERS substrate used in this study was fabricated using oblique angle deposition (OAD). Apt-αvβ3 at 4 μM concentration was imaged on a patterned multiwell AgNR SERS chip using a Renishaw Ramascope 2000 spectrometer with 2.3 mW power and 514 nm excitation wavelength. The majority of the peaks lie in the 800-1600 cm−1 range consistent with previously published RNA/DNA Raman spectra. Peaks corresponding to vibrational modes of guanine, cytosine, adenine and uracil can all be identified. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the AgNR SERS substrate in obtaining the Raman spectra of biological samples. Additionally, the unique Raman signature of Apt-αvβ3 was determined.


We have investigated the rate of substitution of advantageous mutations in populations of haploid organisms where the rate of recombination can be controlled. We have verified that in all the situations recombination speeds up adaptation through recombination of beneficial mutations from distinct lineages in a single individual, and so reducing the intensity of clonal interference. The advantage of sex for adaptation is even stronger when deleterious mutations occur since now recombination can also restore genetic background free of deleterious mutations. However, our simulation results demonstrate that evidence of clonal interference, as increased mean selective effect of fixed mutations and reduced likelihood of fixation of small-effect mutations, are also present in sexual populations. What we see is that this evidence is delayed when compared to asexual populations.


Introduction: Piggyback IntraOcular Lenses (IOLs), or supplementary secondary implant lenses, have been developed to provide a sufficient dioptric power in eyes with high refractive defects, which are not fully correctable after cataract surgery with single IOL in the range of powers available. These lenses can also be used for the correction of refractive errors that occurred for a wrong choice of the IOL power after cataract surgery. Case description: We report the case of a complete refractive success obtained in a patient with an abnormal cornea, with a central stable ectasia, with thinning, high myopic astigmatism and cataract, obtained with the implant of a primary posterior chamber IOL at the time of cataract surgery and a subsequent implant of a secondary piggyback, sulcus-based customized toric IOL (Camellens FIL 622-2 Toric Monofocal IOL, Soleko, Rome, Italy). Conclusions: This brief report demonstrates the utility of combining primary and piggyback IOLs implant for the correction of a complex spherical-cylindrical refractive defect in a case of abnormal cornea and cataract.


The surface of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) spunbond nonwoven was modified by using atmospheric pressure He/O2 plasma treatment. Accessibility of the modified PET nonwoven has been investigated in terms of crystallinity, surface chemical composition, hydrophilicity, and dye uptake. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for crystallinity measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for chemical composition measurement were used. Surface morphology was studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Percentage crystallinity increased due to the depletion of amorphous region by plasma etching. Redeposition of etched particles was observed. Oxygen-based functional groups on the surface of PET increase from 27 to about 32% after 90 s exposure. Wettability increases by more than 10 times and moisture regain increases by three times, compared with the untreated sample. Dye uptake was not changed significantly. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4306–4310, 2006


Increasing data has confirmed the potential anticancer properties of Dendrobium, a traditional Chinese herb. However, most anticancer compositions from the plant of Dendrobium were usually extracted by high polar solvent, while weak polar compositions with excellent anticancer activity remained largely unexplored. In this study, the differences between ether extract and ethanol extract of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. on chemical components and anticancer activities were investigated, as well as the anticancer mechanisms among different extracts. The results demonstrated that the ether extract exhibited a stronger anticancer effect than ethanol extract, and its anticancer effect was mainly due to weak polar compounds rather than polysaccharides and alkaloids. Quantitative proteomics suggested that the ether extract significantly stimulated the over-expression of immature proteins, the endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response were subsequently induced, the intracellular reactive oxygen species level was seriously elevated, and oxidative stress occurred in the meanwhile. Eventually, autophagy and apoptosis were activated to cause cell death. Our findings demonstrate that the ether extract of D. nobile is a potential candidate for anticancer drug development, and that future research on anticancer drugs derived from medicinal plants should also concentrate on weak polar compounds.


In this article we have endeavoured to show the amount of the administrative costs of taxation and customs clearing in the Republic of Croatia in the last few years, to point out certain problems that exist in the functioning of the departments that collect them and to give some recommendations about how to reduce these problems. Particular attention is devoted to the Tax and Customs Administrations and to the Financial Police (as it was until disbanded). These departments have the task of collecting tax and customs revenues in line with the law, providing citizens with services from their domains that are as good as possible and paying attention to the costs that are incurred while they are carrying out their jobs, both the administrative costs (borne by the tax and customs authorities) and the compliance costs (borne by the taxpayers). In this paper too we have shown that many of the problems that showed up during the first investigation still exist, that is, that nothing has been done for these problems to be eliminated.


Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the important species of Cucurbitaceae family and commonly cultivated in many parts of the world with the economic importance. This species have very rich variations. Honeydew (var. inodorus) which is within the Muskmelon group is one of them. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers sources on yield and quality performance of six different varieties of honeydew melon ('Spring Dew', 'Dew Summer', 'Fall Dew', 'Honey Pearl', 'Honey Orange', 'Snow Leopard'). For this purpose, greenhouse grown seedlings were planted in the open field with randomized block design with two treatments and four replications. Prior to planting which is divided into strips were applied 15 kg/ha nitrogen from two different sources; organic nitrogen (manure) and inorganic (ammonium sulphate) fertilizer. Result of the study exhibited that fertilizer sources were displayed different responses on the plants. Treatment and cultivar interaction was not significant according to analysis of variance. In addition, there was no effect of the application on the parameters studied. However, cultivars were significantly yield and quality parameters. TSS content was ranged between 13.7 to 10.8%. The highest phenolic content was observed in 'Honey Pearl' (291.3 µg GAE/g) and 'Spring Dew' (368.7 µg GAE/g). Variety of 'Honey Orange' that has light orange flesh color had the highest content of TEAC and FRAP values, while same variety had the lowest phenolic content among the varieties. The results of present study show that fertilizer sources have no significant effect on yield and quality of honeydew. In this case, considering the environmental pollution, plant and human health issues, using manure for honeydew production could be beneficial.


a reversion to consequentialist thinking: which seems to be just what the authors give us at this point, despite their own avowed caution about consequentialism. Here I have briefly touched on some points of criticism of this splendid book; but despite these possibly minor problems, no one should be in any doubt about what a splendid and useful volume it is. I recommend it to anyone seeking a way into the subject.


Digitonin-permeabilized avian granulosa cells were used as a model to study the effects of LH, 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP), and forskolin on intracellular calcium mobilization. LH caused a biphasic calcium efflux. There was a small but significant (P less than 0.05) calcium release within 1-2 min (rapid phase) with an ED50 of 35 ng/ml, followed by a larger one after 5 min (slow phase) with an ED50 of 10 ng/ml. The intracellular calcium antagonist TMB-8 inhibited the action of LH in both phases. Forskolin had no effect on calcium efflux during the rapid phase. However, it stimulated intracellular calcium efflux in a dose-dependent manner in the slow phase with an ED50 of 30 microM. Low doses of 8-Br-cAMP caused a small but significant increase in calcium uptake corresponding to the rapid phase, although high concentrations of 8-Br-cAMP caused efflux in the slow phase (ED50, 0.7 mM). Both LH and 8-Br-cAMP mobilized calcium from a nonmitochondrial pool, whereas forskolin induced calcium efflux from a nonendoplasmic reticular site. Apparently receptor-mediated (LH) and nonreceptor-mediated (forskolin and 8-Br-cAMP) intracellular calcium mobilization are qualitatively different, suggesting that rapid intracellular calcium mobilization may represent one of the initial steps in the mechanism of action of LH.


This research investigates conceptualisation as a process of giving meaning to a design problem in a bachelor of architecture program. As design always starts with vague and half-formed ideas, sketching is conducted to clarify the ideas and to generate new ones. Thus, sketching allows for student's reasoning of design through problem solving and critical thinking. However, in the reality of studio learning the student's capability in thinking about design is shallow and uncertain. This occurs as resulted from an ill-defined nature of design problems as well as a failure of students in carrying design from one stage to another. Therefore, this study aims to identify how students conceptualise their design ideas in the design process as part of studio learning. Three factors which are (i) framing problem, (ii) evaluating moves and (iii) reflecting design influencing the conceptualisation process in the architecture design studio, which deal with the reflection in action between the students and their design process in the studio learning. Using the framework of Schon's Reflective Learning in tackling a design problem, the research employed a case study of six third-year architecture students of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru to understand the conceptualisation process. The selection of the students was based on the purposive sampling technique. Data were elicited using two methods: (1) observations of students' sketches and (2) description of students' interviews on studio reflections from three design stages of the initial design, refinement design and the final stage of the architectural drawing software. Data were analysed using content analysis by segmenting and coding of the raw data of the students' sketches. A total of 191 sketches were identified in the study that involved ten design activities. The research reveals that 36.6% of the students' sketches were produced during the initial design stage, 45.5% of the sketches during the refinement design stage, and 17.8% of the sketches during the final stage. The finding suggests that the differences in students' sketches were constructed from the logical relationships of the design elements, analytical strategies and creative thoughts of the students. Students also exercised four methods in developing their understanding in design; (i) revising precedents, (ii) visualising images, (iii) form-making design, and (iv) developing space planning. Consistently, through segmentation of entities and making order of sketches, the research suggests that the conceptualisation process has aided the students' thinking in identifying and evolving design ideas. Overall, the study emphasises that Universiti Teknologi Malaysia architecture students reasoning about design is influenced by many aspects as it involves the adaptation of metaphors, analogies, precedents, self-preferences of the preferred events, functions, forms and meanings. ivi


Acquired trachea-esophageal fistula (TEF) is a rare condition in adults and causative factors include malignancy, trauma and various iatrogenic causes. The important causative factor of TEF in our case was percutaneous tracheostomy. The normal protective laryngeal reflexes are lost in TEF due to the patent tract from the airway to the upper gastrointestinal tract. The TEF poses a challenge for the surgeon and the anaesthesiologist, as the fistula lies in close proximity to oesophagus, trachea, upper mediastinal contents and large blood vessel. Here we present a rare case of anesthetic management of a 26 year old male patient with complaints of regurgitation of part of swallowed food particles through an in-situ tracheostomy tube since two years.


Combining flows often occur in open channel networks of drainage systems and river engineering. Open-channel junction flows were analyzed by solving the depth-averaged two-dimensional, elliptic Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Hanjalic-Launder (H-L) modification to the k-e turbulence model without the free surface "rigid lid" approximation with an efficient finite-volume procedure. The model can also analyze flows with separation. The model was used to analyze the relative importance of various factors and was compared with laboratory measurements. The H-L modification produced much better simulations of the separation zone size with 20% better accuracy than the standard k-e model. The H-L modification was then used to study the characteristic of junction flows and the separation zones with different discharge ratios. The simulational results show that separation zone size decreases as the discharge ratio of the upstream main channel to the downstream channel increases.


Recently, in domestic and foreign practice, shunting and industrial diesel locomotives with hydraulic transmission are replaced by diesel locomotives with electric transmission and the number of axles from 2 to 4, which allows reducing the cost of fuel and repair. Accordingly, the problem arises of creating a biaxial bogie of a shunting diesel locomotive with power transmission, as much as possible unified with a triaxial non-pedestal bogie with a wheel diameter of 1050 mm. The analysis of a possible version of a biaxial shunting diesel locomotive revealed the insufficiency of the existing scientific backlog for a rational choice of design solutions. The need has been established to conduct research on irregularities of access tracks of industrial enterprises to determine the effect of dynamic unloading of diesel locomotive axles on coupling properties and to study its horizontal dynamics by modeling methods with experimental verification of the result on diesel locomotives already produced in order to determine typical options for cross-link nodes between the bogie and the body. For a traction drive with a rigid gear wheel, when assessing the load of nodes under the action of a dynamic moment in the drive, it is impossible to accept the assumption of the shockless nature of the processes in the traction drive and neglect the wheel slippage along the rail, which makes it impossible to correctly model dynamic processes in the drive, and to use previously known empirical regularities for the design of suspension devices for traction electric motors fail according to the layout of the nodes. In order to reduce possible errors in the design of a new individual traction drive for shunting diesel locomotives in conditions of insufficient scientific reserve, it is proposed to choose the option with an elastic gear wheel and suspension with articulated movable links already tested on mainline diesel locomotives that do not have special shock-absorbing elements. Variants of such a suspension are proposed, in which the traction motors are moved relative to the bogie frame with a short length between the axes of the upper and lower hinges, as well as the possibility of its unification with pendulum and spring traverse suspensions. A patent for an invention and two patents for a utility model were obtained for the proposed solutions.


Percutaneous mitral dilatation is now recognized as a valid alternative to open heart surgery. Indications have been clearly established for symptomatic patients with major stenosis (1.5 cm2, or 1 cm2/m2 body surface area). In other cases, the level of functional impairment, the anatomic state of the valve and the patient's past history must all be taken into consideration. In Western countries, there is a relatively large number of elderly patients with a moderately or severely damaged mitral valve. A critical evaluation of immediate and long-term outcome is required to determine the precise indications for dilatation and for surgery. Finally, these two methods should not be considered as contradictory but rather as complementary tools to control the natural history of the disease.


Multimodal interaction has become a recent research focus since it offers better user experience in augmented reality (AR) systems. However, most existing works only combine two modalities at a time, e.g., gesture and speech. Multimodal interactive system integrating gaze cue has rarely been investigated. In this article, we propose a multimodal interactive system that integrates gaze, gesture, and speech in a flexibly configurable AR system. Our lightweight head-mounted device supports accurate gaze tracking, hand gesture recognition, and speech recognition simultaneously. The system can be easily configured into various modality combinations, which enables us to investigate the effects of different interaction techniques. We evaluate the efficiency of these modalities using two tasks: the lamp brightness adjustment task and the cube manipulation task. We also collect subjective feedback when using such systems. The experimental results demonstrate that the Gaze+Gesture+Speech modality is superior in terms of efficiency, and the Gesture+Speech modality is more preferred by users. Our system opens the pathway toward a multimodal interactive AR system that enables flexible configuration.


Abstract The destructive effects of sun UV radiation on human skins are now very clear to everyone. Most of the present studies were focused on the fabrics' structural parameters such as density, warp and weft yarns finenesses, fabric pattern and printing or finishing treatments applied to the fabrics. The aim of this work is achieving a technique through which the produced fabrics possess a higher UV-protection ability. For this purpose, two different metals including aluminium and copper yarns were employed in fabrics production process and their effects on UV-protection ability of the produced fabrics were investigated. Six different fabric samples comprised of either cotton/polyester, nylon yarns as the warp yarns as well as either aluminium or copper yarns as the weft yarns were produced. Using the spectrophotometer technique, which is known as one of the UPF measuring method, the absorbency and reflectivity of fabrics within the specified range of electromagnetic waves (specially the UV radiation) were determined. The results illustrated that the higher UV absorbency was related to the fabric possessing the copper yarns in their structures. It was concluded that the absorption ability of nylon fabrics is higher than that of the cotton/polyester samples.


We introduce a consistent estimator for the homology (an algebraic structure representing connected components and cycles) of level sets of both density and regression functions. Our method is based on kernel estimation. We apply this procedure to two problems: (1) inferring the homology structure of manifolds from noisy observations, (2) inferring the persistent homology (a multi-scale extension of homology) of either density or regression functions. We prove consistency for both of these problems. In addition to the theoretical results, we demonstrate these methods on simulated data for binary regression and clustering applications.


Bed expansion behavior and sensitivity analysis for super-high-rate anaerobic bioreactor (SAB) were performed based on bed expansion ratio (E), maximum bed sludge content (Vpmax), and maximum bed contact time between sludge and liquid (Tmax). Bed expansion behavior models were established under bed unfluidization, fluidization, and transportation states. Under unfluidization state, E was 0, Vpmax was 4 867 ml, and Tmax was 844-3 800 s. Under fluidization state, E, Vpmax, and Tmax were 5.28%–255.69%, 1 368-4 559 ml, and 104-732 s, respectively. Under transportation state, washout of granular sludge occurred and destabilized the SAB. During stable running of SAB under fluidization state, E correlated positively with superficial gas and liquid velocities (ug and ul), while Vpmax and Tmax correlated negatively. For E and Vpmax, the sensitivities of ug and ul were close to each other, while for Tmax, the sensitivity of ul was greater than that of ug. The prediction from these models was a close match to the experimental data.


The authors demonstrate the method of generic curve series to obtain the profiles of dielectric antennas, with design conditions either for the specification of the aperture-amplitude distribution from a given source distribution, or for agreement with the Abbe sine condition. The method has already proved successful in the design of dual reflector antennas, and the extension to refractive media is shown to be straightforward. The method involves obtaining two equivalent expressions for a fundamental parameter from the usual optical equations and internal geometry of the lens, and obtaining agreement between them by a computational optimisation procedure using the series of curves. The parameter used is the internal segment of the ray within the lens. The method applies equally well to lenses with other a priori conditions such as afocal linear magnification or off-axis bifocality. >


Background: Abemaciclib, an oral drug administered twice daily on a continuous schedule, is an inhibitor of both CDK4 and CDK6. In study JPBA, abemaciclib demonstrated evidence of single-agent activity in a cohort of patients with heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC, median of 7 prior therapies); all responses were observed in women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) disease. Preclinical results demonstrating that abemaciclib crosses the blood-brain barrier coupled with the clinical responses observed in study JPBA support further investigation of abemaciclib in the current phase 2 trial (JPBO) of patients with brain metastases secondary to HR+ breast cancer. Trial design: Study JPBO (NCT02308020) is an open-label, phase 2 trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of abemaciclib 200 mg administered orally every 12 hours in patients with HR+ MBC and brain metastases. The study will consist of 3 parts; 2 of these parts will each accrue from 23 to 56 patients.These 2 parts will include patients with HER2+ breast cancer (Part A) and HER2- breast cancer (Part B). Part C will include approximately 8 MBC patients with either HER2+ or HER2- disease who have 1 to 3 intracranial lesions and for whom surgical resection is clinically indicated, with the goal of assessing drug concentrations in plasma, CSF, and brain tumor tissue. These patients may resume abemaciclib post-operatively. Eligibility criteria: Eligible patients include women with HR+ MBC who have completed local therapy ≥14 days prior to abemaciclib treatment, a life expectancy ≥12 weeks, and a Karnofsky performance status of ≥70. Part A includes MBC with confirmed HER2 overexpression and/or amplification (HER2+) status. Part B includes MBC that does not demonstrate HER2 overexpression and/or amplification (HER2-). For Parts A and B, patients will have ≥1 new or not previously irradiated measurable metastatic brain lesion ≥10 mm in the longest diameter or a progressive previously irradiated metastatic brain lesion identified by gadolinium-enhanced MRI. For Part C (surgical), patients have either HER2+ or HER2- MBC with brain lesion(s) for which surgical resection is clinically indicated and agree to provide post-treatment brain tumor tissue. Specific aims: The primary efficacy measure is objective intracranial response rate (complete response + partial response) as defined by Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology brain metastases response criteria. Secondary intracranial objectives include best overall response, duration of response, disease control rate, and clinical benefit rate. The following overall objectives (intracranial + extracranial) include: overall survival, objective response rate, and progression-free survival. Change in neurologic symptoms will also be assessed. Statistical methods: Two separate Simon 2-stage designs will be employed for Part A and Part B. Each design assumes a 1-sided type-I error of 0.05 and 80% power. All tests will be conducted at a 2-sided alpha level of 0.05, unless otherwise stated. All confidence intervals will be given at a 2-sided 95% level. Target accrual: Approximately 120 patients. Contact information: For further information, please contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559). Citation Format: Anders C, Zielinski C, Klise SR, Wang HT, Thornton D, Tolaney SM. A phase 2 study of abemaciclib in patients with brain metastases secondary to hormone receptor positive breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-03-04.


Linear unsharp mask filtering is a digital image processing technique which can enhance diagnostic information by subtracting from the original image the linear blur which was formed in the direction of the linear tomographic movement. It was applied to linear cross-sectional tomograms of the posterior mandible aiming at retrieving cross-sectional outline information. This study demonstrated that the current Orthophos Program 16 with a 6.72 degrees tomographic angle does not provide accurate cross-sectional outline information of the posterior mandible. Linear unsharp mask filtering of these images also failed to provide more information. A larger tomographic angle of 10 degrees was employed with the Polytome to simulate the modified Program 16 with a wider beam. The resulting tomographic images showed better defined cross-sectional outlines, and after the linear unsharp mask filtering, the outlines were more readily retrieved. In order to get cross-sectional outline information of the posterior mandible, the tomographic angle of the Orthophos program 16 should be increased to more than 10 degrees which can be achieved by increasing the width of the x-ray beam.


The LIGHTNING study predictive modeling of U.S. health record data previously predicted similar severe hypoglycemia rates with insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) and insulin degludec 100 U/mL (IDeg) in T2DM, using methodology including hypothesis-free generation of subgroups automatically derived from all available data using machine learning algorithms. This exploratory analysis examines those data-driven subgroups in which predicted severe hypoglycemia rates were lower with Gla-300 vs. IDeg. The dataset used in LIGHTNING included 831,456 patients with T2DM using basal insulin (BI), and 198,198 patient-treatments (periods when patients used a BI) were eligible for hypoglycemia rate prediction. We present 10 subgroups showing the greatest absolute difference in predicted severe hypoglycemia rate in favor of Gla-300 vs. IDeg (Table). These subgroups frequently reflected cardiovascular (CV) disease, while other subgroups included acute kidney disease, thyroid disease, and neuromuscular block. The novelty of the predictive modeling methodology used in LIGHTNING means that these data-driven subgroup findings are hypotheses-generating. Therefore, LIGHTNING indicates that further investigation into differences in severe hypoglycemia risk between Gla-300 and IDeg in possible high-risk subgroups (such as those with CV or renal disease) may be worthwhile. Disclosure I. Hramiak: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Insulet Corporation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Merck & Co., Inc. M. Haluzik: None. J. Westerbacka: Employee; Self; Sanofi. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Sanofi. Z. Bosnyak: Employee; Self; Sanofi. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Sanofi. B. Eliasson: Advisory Panel; Self; Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH. Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi. L. Blonde: Consultant; Self; Gilead Sciences, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. Research Support; Self; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. T.S. Bailey: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott. Consultant; Self; Capillary Biomedical, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Abbott, Ascensia Diabetes Care, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Calibra Medical, Capillary Biomedical, Inc., Companion Medical, Dance Biopharm Holdings Inc., Dexcom, Inc., Diasome Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, GlySens Incorporated, Kowa Pharmaceutical Europe Co. Ltd., Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Medtronic, Novo Nordisk Inc., POPS! Diabetes Care, POPS! Diabetes Care, Sanofi, Senseonics, vTv Therapeutics, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Zealand Pharma A/S. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Abbott, MannKind Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US, Senseonics. Funding Sanofi


During the last decade, the local manufacturing of small wind turbines has become a common approach in rural electrification applications, especially among international networks of renewable energy practitioners. Locally manufactured small wind turbines (LMSWTs) used in off-grid battery based renewable energy systems, typically utilize coreless axial flux permanent magnet generators (AFPMGs) due to their simple manufacturing. Typically, low cost three phase uncontrolled diode bridge rectifiers are used for the direct coupling of the AFPMG to the battery bank, which increases significantly the total harmonic distortion (THD) content in the stator current. LMSWT users have occasionally reported AFPMG noise as contributing to the overall acoustic noise emissions of the small wind turbine, especially during low wind speeds. In this paper the relation between current harmonics and acoustic noise emissions in AFPMGs is investigated and verified experimentally, while appropriate passive filtering techniques are utilized in order to reduce their effect. Furthermore, the overall acoustic noise emissions of a LMSWT are measured experimentally in the field and are compared to noise standards for residential areas. Finally, electromagnetic and aerodynamic sources of acoustic noise are investigated experimentally in the field, while design recommendations are developed for LMSWTs towards the reduction of acoustic noise emissions.


Individually Quick Freezing (I.Q.F.) is the latest technology available in freezing and with the advent of the same, it is now possible to preserve and store raw fruit and vegetables in the same farm-fresh condition for more than a year, with the colour, flavor and texture of produce remaining as good as fresh from the farm. Thus, the present study was carried out with a view to study exact process for individually quick freezing, the different contamination found in process vegetables like hair, thread, plastic, worm, metal etc., to estimate the processing cost of IQF vegetables. In IQF, each piece is frozen individually using technique of fluidization resulting in freezing of fruit and vegetables only in 10 to 12 minutes which otherwise takes at least 3 to 4 hours or even more in the blast freezer. This results into better texture and there is no lump/ block formation and the product is free flowing. Frozen foods provides convenient, inexpensive, nutritious and better tasting solutions to the food viz; fresh produce as pre and post harvest handling and transportation seriously effects the nutrient content of fresh produce. The IQF process was studied for the selected vegetables.


Fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) is an encryption scheme which enables computation on encrypted data without revealing the underlying data. While there have been many advances in the field of FHE, developing programs using FHE still requires expertise in cryptography. In this white paper, we present a fully homomorphic encryption transpiler that allows developers to convert high-level code (e.g., C++) that works on unencrypted data into high-level code that operates on encrypted data. Thus, our transpiler makes transformations possible on encrypted data. Our transpiler builds on Google's open-source XLS SDK (https://github.com/google/xls) and uses an off-the-shelf FHE library, TFHE (https://tfhe.github.io/tfhe/), to perform low-level FHE operations. The transpiler design is modular, which means the underlying FHE library as well as the high-level input and output languages can vary. This modularity will help accelerate FHE research by providing an easy way to compare arbitrary programs in different FHE schemes side-by-side. We hope this lays the groundwork for eventual easy adoption of FHE by software developers. As a proof-of-concept, we are releasing an experimental transpiler (https://github.com/google/fully-homomorphic-encryption/tree/main/transpiler) as open-source software.


The pending Supreme Court case Lexmark v. Impression Products reveals the full breadth of disagreement about the exhaustion doctrine in patent law. In practical terms, the doctrine could mean almost everything - a mandatory rule applicable to all domestic and international sales of patented goods - or almost nothing - an optional rule applicable only to domestic sales that patentees can easily avoid by contract. This essay shows that this breadth of disagreement arises from a more fundamental disagreement over the legal basis for the doctrine, with judges, lawyers and academics deeply divided over whether the doctrine is based on judicially fabricated common law or a specific statute. The essay reiterates and further clarifies our position, first advanced in our prior article, that the doctrine is based on statutory interpretation and is designed to avoid broad constructions of intellectual property rights that would interfere with the vast and complex body of common-law rules and statutory provisions governing commercial transactions. The essay also replies to two prior responses to our original article and concludes with a modest hope for what we think is a first necessary step toward clarity in this area: We hope that the Supreme Court will identify the legal basis for the exhaustion doctrine.


3-D pose estimation of instruments is a crucial step towards automatic scene understanding in robotic minimally invasive surgery. Although robotic systems can potentially directly provide joint values, this information is not commonly exploited inside the operating room, due to its possible unreliability, limited access and the time-consuming calibration required, especially for continuum robots. For this reason, standard approaches for 3-D pose estimation involve the use of external tracking systems. Recently, image-based methods have emerged as promising, non-invasive alternatives. While many image-based approaches in the literature have shown accurate results, they generally require either a complex iterative optimization for each processed image, making them unsuitable for real-time applications, or a large number of manually-annotated images for efficient learning. In this letter, we propose a self-supervised image-based method, exploiting, at training time only, the imprecise kinematic information provided by the robot. In order to avoid introducing time-consuming manual annotations, the problem is formulated as an auto-encoder, smartly bottlenecked by the presence of a physical model of the robotic instruments and surgical camera, forcing a separation between image background and kinematic content. Validation of the method was performed on semi-synthetic, phantom and in-vivo datasets, obtained using a flexible robotized endoscope, showing promising results for real-time image-based 3-D pose estimation of surgical instruments.


Background: Acute cerebral stroke is a common problem that is frequently associated with dysphagia resulting in an increased risk of aspiration pneumonia, complication, and mortality. Methods: A literature review was carried out using the search terms 'stroke unit and endoscopy', 'stroke unit and dysphagia', and 'stroke unit and gastroenterology'. Results: Only few papers focus on the role of endoscopy in stroke units. One major role is the early detection of dysphagia by flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). FEES appears to have a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to bedside tests and challenges videofluoroscopy. In contrast, other stroke-associated gastrointestinal complications requiring endoscopic diagnostic or therapeutic intervention, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, or stasis, and the need to provide fluid and food via gastrostomy or jejunostomy are rarely seen in stroke units and become relevant during and after the rehabilitation phase. Conclusion: FEES should involve an interdisciplinary team comprising neurologists, speech and language pathologists and/or therapists, as well as gastroenterologic endoscopists.


7 malnourished infants were studied before and after nutritional rehabilitation through long term polygraphic recordings during waking and sleeping. High amounts of sinus pauses (R-R interval comprised between 20 and 90% of the preceding interval) have been found in malnourished infants, mainly during quiet sleep. After the nutritional rehabilitation there is a dramatic reduction. The high amount of sinus pauses in infants suffering from severe malnutrition may reflect a disturbance of neurovegetative regulation, which is enhanced by sleep.


What is the role of rhetoric in a civil society? In this book, James L. Kastely examines works by writers from Plato to Jane Austen and locates a line of thinking that values rhetoric but also raises questions about the viability of rhetorical practice. While dealing principally with literary theory, rhetoric and philosophy, the author's arguments extend to practical concerns and open up the way to deeper thinking about individual responsibility for existing injustices, for inadvertently injuring others and for silencing those without power. Challenging the traditional claim that Plato is the chief opponent of rethoric, Kastely contends that he was its most sophisticated theorist. Plato, Sophocles, and Euripides, the author asserts, recognized an essential paradox: while believing in the need for rhetoric in a world where injustice cannot be eliminated, they nevertheless regarded the possibilities of rhetoric with scepticism.


Abstract The paper presents the results of standard specimen fracture made of anisotropic carbon fiber plastic with an epoxy matrix. Static stepwise loading of the specimen was carried out on an Instron 8801 testing machine to determine the characteristics of ductile fracture G1C in the first mode in accordance with ASTM D5528. During loading, the parameters of acoustic emission (AE) signals, such as AE impulse amplitudes and their energy were synchronously recorded. At the same time, the magnitude of the opening and the growth of the crack initiated by the artificial cut at the end of the specimen were recorded. According to the analysis of the acoustic emission signals, three zones with different G1C behaviour were identified: initial crack propagation, its stationary growth and accelerated fracture of the specimen. The zonal character of the change in the acoustic emission signals made it possible to determine the energy of the acoustic emission signals as diagnostic evidence for the onset of rapid destruction of the specimen. The amplitude of the AE-signals in the zones, however, remained constant. Online monitoring of changes in the energy of acoustic emission signals will prevent the onset of rapid destruction of an object in places of its deformations. The paper does not aim at defining G1C as usual. It presents the investigation of the fracture stages for a composite material using an acoustic emission method.


A method for estimating number of speakers of mixed speech signals was proposed. The algorithm was based on the modulation characteristics of speech, specifically that a single speech utterance typically has a distinct modulation pattern with a peak around 4-5 Hz. Having observed that the modulation peak decreases as number of speakers increases, our estimation algorithm used the region of the modulation frequency between 2 and 8 Hz. We obtained a novel parameter we called "equivalent number of speakers" to estimate the number of simultaneous speakers when speech signals contain multiple speakers.


Abstract We studied the floral biology of 12 populations of five rupicolousPleurothallis (Orchidaceae) species occurring in campo rupestre vegetation at nine localities in Brazil. All of these species are pollinated by flies belonging to the families Chloropidae and Phoridae. In the five Pleurothallis species studied, all conspecific populations attracted the same pollinator species. All pollinators were females; they laid eggs in flowers of the two nectarless species, but never in the flowers of nectar-presenting species. The two pairs ofPleurothallis species with similar flower morphologies and odours attracted the same pollinators: P. johannensis - P. fabiobarrosii, pollinated by Tricimba sp. (Chloropidae) and P. teres - P. ochreata pollinated by Megaselia spp. (Phoridae). There was no overlap in the distribution of thePleurothallis species that shared pollinators. Despite similarities in floral morphology and odour, genetic data show that these species pairs are not each other's closest relatives. We hypothesize that these similarities are due to convergence in allopatric species that evolved similar pollination mechanisms. Conversely, there are reasons to believe that adaptation to different pollination mechanisms occurred in the closely related species P. johannensis and P. teres.


OBJECTIVE
Although extensive literature exists on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis suppression in females with an eating disorder, there are few studies in males. Our study aimed to determine clinician practices for the assessment of HPG axis suppression and to identify differences in practice based on the sex of the patient.

METHOD
Our 31-item survey queried clinicians about confidence level and practices for assessing HPG suppression in male compared to female patients.

RESULTS
Findings showed that clinicians (n = 104) were less likely to evaluate HPG suppression in males compared to females, including assessment of sexual maturity rating (p < .050), screening of decreased libido compared to amenorrhea (p < .001) and lab assessment (luteinizing hormone and follicular-stimulating hormone: p < .001; estradiol/testosterone: p < .010; TSH: p < .050). Participants also felt less confident evaluating male patients (p < .001) and requested better screening tools for males (p < .001).

DISCUSSION
Our data suggest that clinician practices differ based on patient sex and that clinicians request tools for HPG suppression assessment in males. This is the first study examining specific practices and comfort levels of clinicians when assessing HPG axis suppression. Findings suggest that more guidance on the management of male patients may be needed to standardize care and to prevent short and long-term sequela of malnutrition.


Recovering 3D phase features of complex, multiple-scattering biological samples traditionally sacrifices computational efficiency and processing time for physical model accuracy and reconstruction quality. This trade-off hinders the rapid analysis of living, dynamic biological samples that are often of greatest interest to biological research. Here, we overcome this bottleneck by combining annular intensity diffraction tomography (aIDT) with an approximant-guided deep learning framework. Using a novel physics model simulator-based learning strategy trained entirely on natural image datasets, we show our network can robustly reconstruct complex 3D biological samples of arbitrary size and structure. This approach highlights that large-scale multiple-scattering models can be leveraged in place of acquiring experimental datasets for achieving highly generalizable deep learning models. We devise a new model-based data normalization pre-processing procedure for homogenizing the sample contrast and achieving uniform prediction quality regardless of scattering strength. To achieve highly efficient training and prediction, we implement a lightweight 2D network structure that utilizes a multi-channel input for encoding the axial information. We demonstrate this framework's capabilities on experimental measurements of epithelial buccal cells and Caenorhabditis elegans worms. We highlight the robustness of this approach by evaluating dynamic samples on a living worm video, and we emphasize our approach's generalizability by recovering algae samples evaluated with different experimental setups. To assess the prediction quality, we develop a novel quantitative evaluation metric and show that our predictions are consistent with our experimental measurements and multiple-scattering physics.


Conventional approaches to identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating bone mass and fragility are limited because they examine cortical and trabecular traits independently. Prior work examining long bones from young adult mice and humans indicated that skeletal traits are functionally related and that compensatory interactions among morphological and compositional traits are critical for establishing mechanical function. However, it is not known whether trait covariation (i.e., phenotypic integration) also is important for establishing mechanical function in more complex, corticocancellous structures. Covariation among trabecular, cortical, and compositional bone traits was examined in the context of mechanical functionality for L4 vertebral bodies across a panel of 16‐wk‐old female AXB/BXA recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains. The unique pattern of randomization of the A/J and C57BL/6J (B6) genome among the RI panel provides a powerful tool that can be used to measure the tendency for different traits to covary and to study the biology of complex traits. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants affecting vertebral size and mass are buffered by changes in the relative amounts of cortical and trabecular bone and overall mineralization. Despite inheriting random sets of A/J and B6 genomes, the RI strains inherited nonrandom sets of cortical and trabecular bone traits. Path analysis, which is a multivariate analysis that shows how multiple traits covary simultaneously when confounding variables like body size are taken into consideration, showed that RI strains that tended to have smaller vertebrae relative to body size achieved mechanical functionality by increasing mineralization and the relative amounts of cortical and trabecular bone. The interdependence among corticocancellous traits in the vertebral body indicated that variation in trabecular bone traits among inbred mouse strains, which is often thought to arise from genetic factors, is also determined in part by the adaptive response to variation in traits describing the cortical shell. The covariation among corticocancellous traits has important implications for genetic analyses and for interpreting the response of bone to genetic and environmental perturbations.


ABSTRACT This paper proposes a data-driven procedure to improve productivity in make-to-stock manufacturing. By leveraging recent developments in information systems research, the paper addresses manufacturing systems with high process complexity and variety. Specifically, the proposed procedure draws upon process mining to dynamically map and analyse manufacturing processes in an automated manner. This way, manufacturers can leverage data to overcome the limitations of existing process mapping methods, which only provide static snapshots of process flows. By bridging data and process science, process mining can exploit hitherto untapped potential for productivity improvement. The proposed procedure is empirically validated at a leading manufacturer of sanitary products. The field test leads to three concrete improvement suggestions for the company. This research contributes to the literature on production research by demonstrating a novel use of process mining in manufacturing and by guiding practitioners in its implementation.


The current study examines the direct effect of ethical leadership (EL) on employee green commitment (EGC) and the indirect effect on employee green innovative work behavior (EGIWB). It also tested the moderating effect of employee green knowledge (EGK) in the relationship between EL and EGC. Data were collected from 359 employees working in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. Time lagged and conveniences sampling technique was adopted. The statistical results showed that EL was positively related to EGC. EGC enhances the EGIWB. Moreover, results showed that EGK moderates the relationship between EL and EGC. Such that employees having high green knowledge have more inclination towards green commitment. The results also showed that EL enhances EGIWB via EGC. Moderated mediation results also showed that EGK strengthens the indirect relationship between EL and EGIWB. Result depicted that employee having high green knowledge shows more green innovative work behavior via increased green commitment. The study brings important practical implications for top and middle managers and addresses their concerns about green practices and green innovations in their firms.


Flow-spec is an extension to BGP that allows for the dissemination of
traffic flow specification rules. This has many possible applications
but the primary one for many network operators is the distribution of
traffic filtering actions for DDoS mitigation. The flow-spec standard
[RFC 5575] defines a redirect-to-VRF action for policy-based
forwarding but this mechanism can be difficult to use, particularly in
networks without L3 VPN infrastructure. This draft defines a new
redirect-to-IP flow-spec action that provides a simpler method of
policy-based forwarding. The details of the action, including the IPv4
or IPv6 target address, are encoded in newly defined BGP extended
communities.


In 151 patients undergoing abdominal surgery, the bacteriologic status of the lower respiratory tract at the time of operation was determined by means of an endotracheal aspirate culture. A good correlation was found between the existence of chronic bronchitis as determined by respiratory history and by pulmonary function tests and the presence of bacteria, both pathogenic and nonpathogenic, in the lower respiratory tract. Among 11 patients with pathogens in the endotracheal aspirate, six of 54% developed postoperative pulmonary infections, whereas only 1.8% of those with no pathogens in the aspirate developed infections. In four cases, preoperative antibiotic therapy was associated with resistant pathogens in the endotracheal aspirate and postoperative pulmonary infection. On the basis of this study, an endotracheal aspirate culture is recommended in patients with chronic pulmonary disease. The isolation of a pathogen alerts the surgeon to the high risk of pulmonary infection with the same organism.


The results of this investigation indicate that 5 X 10(6) and 5 X 10(8) viable bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) organisms (Mycobacterium bovis strain) can be safely administered in the subconjunctival region of the eye of New Zealand albino rabbits without producing toxic effects locally or within the eye. This study provides a format for testing the applicability of BCG immunotherapy for experimental melanomas.


INTRODUCTION
Results of a retrospective study of patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomies after colorectal surgery in the last five years are reported here. Prognostic factors are evaluated and analyzed in the context of current literature.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
37 lung resections were performed in 33 patients between 2001 and 2006, the male:female ratio was 19:14. The average age was 61.3 years (49-76). We analyzed the extent of lung resections, disease free intervals (DFI), laterality of the tumours, number and locations of metastases, lymph node involvements and the incidence of resection of hepatic metastases. Altogether, 20 solitary lung metastases were removed and 17 multiple resections were performed. 25 sublobar resections, 11 lobectomies and one pneumonectomy were carried out. 18 patients had right sided, eight patients had left sided and six patients had bilateral disease. 6 of the 33 patients underwent either synchronous or metachronous liver resection for hepatic metastases.

RESULTS
Survivals were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The average DFI was 27.6 months. When all patients were considered, the average survival was 28 months. 52% of the patients had a 3-year postoperative survival, if lung metastases were present only.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients benefit from surgical removal of lung metastases of colorectal cancer. There were no differences in survival rates between patients who underwent resection of solitary or multiple lung metastases up to seven deposits. However, the average survival was 12 months shorter if hilar/mediastinal lymph nodes were involved. Furthermore, the average survival of six patients with hepatic metastases was 10 months shorter than the rest of the group. There was no benefit of DFI over 24 months. None of the other prognostic factors showed significant difference.


The ST2 gene, which is specifically induced by growth stimulation in fibroblasts, encodes interleukin-1 receptor-related proteins and is widely expressed in hematopoietic, helper T, and various cancer cells. However, the physiological as well as pathological functions of the ST2 gene products are not yet fully understood. In this study, we analyzed the expression of the ST2 gene in human glioma cell lines and human brain tumor samples with real-time polymerase chain reaction method, the results of which revealed that the expression level of the ST2 gene in glioma cell lines and glioblastoma samples is significantly lower than that in a fibroblastic cell line, TM12, and benign brain tumors, suggesting the reverse relationship between malignancy and ST2 expression. As we could not detect the soluble ST2 protein in the culture fluid of the T98G glioblastic cell line by ELISA, we established stable transformants of T98G that continuously produce and secrete the ST2 protein, in order to study the effect of the ST2 protein on malignancy. Although we could not detect a remarkable difference in proliferation between transformants and control cells in conventional tissue culture dishes, the efficiency of colony formation in soft agar was significantly decreased in the case of cells that continuously produce the ST2 protein. Furthermore, inhibition of colony formation in soft agar was observed in wild-type T98G cells when purified soluble ST2 protein was added to the culture, in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, the results suggest that the expression of ST2 suppressed the anchorage-independent growth and malignancy.


Enantioselective bond formation between sterically hindered fragments to furnish acyclic products with vicinal quaternary centers is a formidable challenge. We report a solution that involves cocatalysis between a chiral Ir-(phosphoramidite,olefin) complex and La(OTf)3. This robust catalytic system effects highly enantioconvergent and regioselective alkylation of racemic tertiary α-allenyl alcohols with tetrasubstituted silyl ketene acetals. The transformation displays broad functional group tolerance for both reaction components and allows efficient generation of β-allenyl ester products in good yield and with excellent enantioselectivity. Furthermore, both the allene and ester functionalities were leveraged to upgrade the structural complexity of the products via a series of stereoselective metal-catalyzed functionalization reactions.


Cortical neurons are silent most of the time. This sparse activity is energy efficient, and the resulting neural code has favourable properties for associative learning. Most neural models of sparse coding use some form of homeostasis to ensure that each neuron fires infrequently. But homeostatic plasticity acting on a fast timescale may not be biologically plausible, and could lead to catastrophic forgetting in embodied agents that learn continuously. We set out to explore whether inhibitory plasticity could play that role instead, regulating both the population sparseness and the average firing rates. We put the idea to the test in a hybrid network where rate-based dendritic compartments integrate the feedforward input, while spiking somas compete through recurrent inhibition. A somato-dendritic learning rule allows somatic inhibition to modulate nonlinear Hebbian learning in the dendrites. Trained on MNIST digits and natural images, the network discovers independent components that form a sparse encoding of the input and support linear decoding. These findings confirm that intrinsic plasticity is not strictly required for regulating sparseness: inhibitory plasticity can have the same effect, although that mechanism comes with its own stability-plasticity dilemma. Going beyond point neuron models, the network illustrates how a learning rule can make use of dendrites and compartmentalised inputs; it also suggests a functional interpretation for clustered somatic inhibition in cortical neurons. Author Summary Ever since the inception of neural networks in the 1950s, their engineering applications have relied on very simple artificial neurons that ignore many of the features of the cells in our brains. Research into the finer details, such as their extensive dendritic trees, was mostly the work of biologists. But the computational capabilities of dendrites are now attracting the attention of the machine learning community and there are attempts to make use of them in deep neural networks. Our work gives one example of the kind of computations that become possible once one steps beyond simple point neurons to include more biological details. Our topic is sparse coding, a field which studies how neural systems can discover structure in natural stimuli such as images. We show how adding dendrites to artificial neurons lets them solve the task in a different way. This may have benefits for creating robots that learn from experience, and suggests a number of electrophysiological experiments that could teach us more about how real neurons work.


Quantum coherence is a central ingredient in quantum physics with several theoretical and technological ramifications. We consider a figure of merit encoding the information on how the coherence generated on average by a quantum gate is affected by unitary errors (coherent noise sources) in the form of rotation-angle and rotation-axis errors. We provide numerical evidences that such information is well captured by the statistics of local energy measurements on the output states of the gate. These findings are then corroborated by experimental data taken in a quantum optics setting.


Severing at microtubule crossovers reorients the plant microtubule network and redirects plant growth in response to light. The microtubule cytoskeleton, the network of cable-like tubulin polymers found throughout the cytoplasm in all eukaryotic cells, is central to cell division and differentiation throughout biology. Nowhere is this more true than in the plant kingdom. Here, microtubule organization patterns the deposition of cellulose, the prime constituent of cell walls, thus controlling the ability of plants to grow in the direction of light, or phototropism. The research article by Lindeboom et al. on page 1202 of this issue (1), together with several recently published studies (2, 3), provides fundamental insights into the mechanism used by plants to switch the orientation of their cortical microtubule array, and therefore the morphology and function of the cells that harbor them, in response to light.


In preparation for a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observing project using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), the positions of all AGN targets having high-S/N far-UV G130M spectra were cross-correlated with a large catalog of low-redshift galaxy groups homogenously selected from the spectroscopic sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Searching for targets behind only those groups at z = 0.1–0.2 (which places the O vi doublet in the wavelength region of peak COS sensitivity), we identified only one potential target, FBQS 1010+3003. An O vi-only absorber was found in its G130M spectrum at z = 0.11326, close to the redshift of a foreground small group of luminous galaxies at z = 0.11685. Because there is no associated Lyα absorption, any characterization of this absorber is necessarily minimal; however, the O vi detection likely traces "warm" gas in collisional ionization equilibrium at T ≈ 3 × 105 K. While this discovery is consistent with being interface gas between cooler, photoionized clouds and a hotter intra-group medium, it could also be warm, interface gas associated with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the single closest galaxy. In this case, a detailed analysis of the galaxy distribution (complete to ) strongly favors the individual galaxy association. This analysis highlights the necessity of both high- COS data and a deep galaxy redshift survey of the region in order to test more rigorously the association of O vi-absorbing gas with a galaxy group. A Cycle 23 HST/COS program is currently targeting 10 UV-bright AGN behind 12 low-redshift galaxy groups to test the warm, group gas hypothesis.