Aim Children with Down Syndrome are a higher risk of developing potentially treatable conditions. The Down Syndrome medical interest group (DSMIG) have set out a minimum standard of basic medical surveillance. A guideline for health surveillance had been developed within the health board to improve awareness and compliance to health surveillance. The aim of this study was to audit current practice for surveillance of Down Syndrome across the trust and compare to guidelines from DSMIG. Method The congenital anomaly register and information service for Wales was used to gain the details of all children in the health board with Down Syndrome. A Proforma was developed from the DSMIG guidance and completed using case notes and clinical work station. Results A total of 86 patients with Down Syndrome were identified with 38 females aged up to 18 years. 70% of cases were diagnosed postnatally. 86% of these patients were being followed up by community Paediatricians with 88% having regular follow. The guideline for health surveillance was in 15% of case notes. Health Surveillance Percentage with appropriate follow up Growth 88% Hearing 47% Vision 73% Cardiology 94% Thyroid function 63% The most common associated condition was congenital heart disease (37%) and an AVSD was the most common cardiac anomaly. 32% of children had hearing loss and 22% of children had a behavioural disorder. Conclusion Minimal standards for medical surveillance are not being met despite the guideline for Down Syndrome being an excellent prompt. It is our responsibility to ensure that children with Down Syndrome are monitored regularly to ensure that clinical problems are diagnosed early enabling prompt diagnosis and treatment.


Sustainable management promises to improve the conservation and utilization of ecosystem services and their contribution to human wellbeing through management plans. This paper explores the concept of characterization and integration of ecosystem services in a management planning concept. The integration process involves the identification, quantification, valuation, assessment, and monitoring of ecosystem services over time. The quantification of common ecosystem services, such as soil erosion, water conservation, recreation, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration was explored. A framework was developed to integrate ecosystem services into management planning process. Ecosystem services are classified as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services with a defined typology. The conceptual framework acts as an organizing structure and it serves as a model for the management of ecosystems with their contribution to human wellbeing. Ecosystem management with multi-criteria decision techniques, information technologies and a structured participation is a proposed approach for the sustainable management of ecological, economic, and socio-cultural functions. Establishing the quantitative relationships between ecosystem services and societal benefits is essential. The provision of a universally accepted clear measurement of regulating, supporting, and cultural services is challenging. A commitment, vision, and strong willingness are required to adopt policies, regulations, and management objectives in planning. Integration can only be realized with prioritizing ecosystem services with the involvement of stakeholders. Substantial understanding of both the ecological and social systems is a prerequisite for sustainable management of ecosystem services. The ecosystem services with significant benefits to the wellbeing of society should primarily be characterized, their relative importance be weighted, and prioritized through a participatory approach. A holistic approach with a comprehensive decision support system is essential in forecasting the future provision of ecosystem services and assessing the trade-off analysis, resulting in better policy formulation before on-the-ground implementation.


Background: Chronic pelvic pain affects approximately 15% of reproductive age women. It is mainly caused by adhesions (20–40%). Despite CPP being the main symptom of endometriosis, the disease is confirmed by laparoscopy only in 12–18% of cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of laparoscopy in women with CCP and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of elements of an interview and clinical examination. Materials and methods: The study included 148 women with CPP. Each patient underwent laparoscopy. In laparoscopy, the presence of endometriosis and/or peritoneal adhesions was confirmed. Then, the sensitivity and specificity and the positive and negative predictive value of endometriosis symptoms or abnormalities in the gynecological examination were statistically calculated. Results: After previous surgery, adhesions were found in almost half (47%) of patients. In patients without a history of surgery, adhesions were diagnosed in 6.34% of patients. Endometriosis without coexisting adhesions was more often diagnosed in women without previous surgery (34.9%), compared to 10.58% in the group with a history of surgery (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Intraperitoneal adhesions are most common in women after pelvic surgery and with chronic ailments. The best results for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value in the diagnosis of endometriosis are found in women with irregular menstruations during which the pain increases. Laparoscopy still remains the primary diagnostic and therapeutic method for these women.


The aims of this study were to assess the association of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) with physical fitness and body composition in Spanish university students and to determine the ability to predict the MD adherence of each Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) item. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 310 first-year university students. Adherence to the MD was evaluated with MEDAS-14 items. Anthropometric variables, body composition, and physical fitness were assessed. Muscle strength was determined based on handgrip strength and the standing long jump test. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was measured using the Course–Navette test. Only 24% of the university students had good adherence to the MD. The ANCOVA models showed a significant difference between participants with high adherence to the MD and those with medium and low adherence in CRF (p = 0.017) and dynamometry (p = 0.005). Logistic binary regression showed that consuming >2 vegetables/day (OR = 20.1; CI: 10.1–30.1; p < 0.001), using olive oil (OR = 10.6; CI: 1.4–19.8; p = 0.021), consuming <3 commercial sweets/week (OR = 10.1; IC: 5.1–19.7; p < 0.001), and consuming ≥3 fruits/day (OR = 8.8; CI: 4.9–15.7; p < 0.001) were the items most associated with high adherence to the MD. In conclusion, a high level of adherence to the MD is associated with high-level muscular fitness and CRF in Spanish university students.


High latitude ionospheric irregularities of various scale sizes, which are mostly driven by the coupling processes between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field, frequently result in phase scintillations over auroral oval and polar cap regions. Strong phase scintillations may cause a GNSS receiver to lose track of some satellites in view. Furthermore, rapid fluctuations in the ionospheric electron content may interfere with cycle slip detection and repair algorithms. These can result in degraded GNSS positioning accuracy. Similar to moving receivers, precise epoch solutions for static stations are also crucial for reliable interpretation of position estimates in applications such as earthquake monitoring. Depending on the scale size of the ionospheric irregularities causing phase scintillations, multi constellation GNSS processing can be effective to overcome decreased number of locked satellites. This is also relevant in high latitude regions with the lack of high elevation angle GPS satellites.High rate GPS phase rate measurements are monitored by the Canadian Geodetic Survey of Natural Resources Canada resulting in enhanced understanding of ionospheric irregularities' spatial and temporal characteristics. About 160 globally distributed 1-Hz GPS stations are used in near-real-time to derive inter-frequency phase rate variation statistics. Analysis of these measurements has confirmed that ionospheric GPS phase disturbances are expected at night side of auroral oval and dayside of polar cap. However during geomagnetic storm periods such irregularities can occur during local day time over auroral zone as well as sub-auroral latitudes. This study assesses the effects of ionospheric irregularities, detected through the monitoring system, on GNSS precise point positioning (PPP) estimates. Ionospheric phase scintillation events may results in degraded repeatability in position components processed in kinematic mode. Correlation of repeatability of position estimates of stations in Canadian auroral zone with auroral electrojet (AE) index and solar wind speed are examined.


Despite the decreasing prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that, as soon as possible after birth, all infants receive prophylaxis with silver nitrate, tetracycline or erythromycin, to reduce the risk of neonatal ophthalmia due to this organism. The use of these agents may also provide some benefit in the prevention of ophthalmia due to other organisms. As well, the Canadian Paediatric Society supports routine pre-natal screening for N gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, and the treatment of identified infections during pregnancy.


The activities of enzymes of the glycolytic route, the pentose phosphate pathway and NADPH-linked enzymes have been measured in the kidneys of genetically obese (ob/ob) mice and their lean litter mates. The renal content of glucose 6-phosphate (G6P), fructose 6-phosphate (F6P), fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (Fru-1,6-P2) and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) were also measured. Increases were found in hexokinase and enolase with an upward trend in pyruvate kinase in the ob/ob mouse kidney; a significant decline in malic enzyme was also seen. The renal content of G6P and Fru-1,6-P2 increased. There was no renal hypertrophy despite a degree of hyperglycaemia, which was, however, considerably below that observed in experimental diabetes. Comparison of the renal changes in the hyperglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic ob/ob mice with the hyperglycaemic-hypoinsulinaemic diabetic group showed two distinct groupings. Firstly, changes which were similar in the two groups included: increases in hexokinase, G6P and Fru-1,6-P2, and a decrease in malic enzyme. Secondly, opposite changes were seen in enolase and in enzymes at the G6P crossroads, phosphoglucose isomerase and phosphoglucomutase. The elevated hexokinase and G6P in both ob/ob and diabetic groups may be involved in the eventual accumulation of basement membrane material in the glomerulus which is a common feature of the two conditions.


Background: Postoperative pain can cause immediate and extended consequences of poor outcome and result in extended hospitalization. It also progresses to chronic pain, if not intervening early. Wound site infiltration with a mixture of tramadol and bupivacaine is inexpensive, easy, and useful means of providing desirable analgesia for postoperative pain relief. The purpose of the study was to compare the analgesic effectiveness of bupivacaine with the tramadol combination and bupivacaine alone as part of postoperative pain management.Method: A prospective cohort study was employed on 120 patients who underwent elective lower abdominal surgery under general or spinal anesthesia with a systematic random sampling technique. Pain severity was measured by using a numerical rating scale, and the employment of additional analgesics was recorded for 24 hours between the two groups. The Mann-Whitney test and chi-square test were used to compare the median pain score and total analgesia consumption. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the time to first analgesic request between the two groups. Statistical significance was stated at a p value < 0.05 with a power of 95%.Result: Postoperatively, the median (interquartile range) of pain severity score was 1.0 (0-5) in the BT group compared with 5 (3-6) in the BA group. And, time to first analgesic request with the BT group, was 18 hours, 95% CI: (14.53- 21.47), had longer time compared to patients in the BA group was 6 hours, 95% CI:(4.48 - 7.71).Conclusion and Recommendation: Local wound infiltration with a mixture of Bupivacaine and Tramadol decreases the postoperative pain score, total analgesia consumption and has prolonged time to first analgesia request. Therefore, we recommend using a mixture of 0.25% bupivacaine with tramadol is effective for postoperative analgesia.


The substitution of Gd for Tm in the pseudobinary system gives rise to the onset of long-range magnetic order in the itinerant Co sublattice above a critical concentration . The features of the Co magnetism around the critical concentration were studied by means of resistivity measurements in magnetic fields up to 10 T and pressures up to 15 kbar. An extremely large drop of the resistivity at the ordering temperature measured for is explained by a suppression of the spin-fluctuation contribution to the resistivity in the vicinity of due to the intersublattice molecular field. The analysis of the magnetoresistance revealed that the spin fluctuations above are additionally enhanced due to short-range correlations within the f - d-electron system in a limited temperature region above . The application of external pressure results in a suppression of both the spin fluctuations and the onset of the long-range order in the Co sublattice. In the Co sublattice remains paramagnetic below the Curie temperature for . The magnetic Grüneisen parameter was found to substantially increase as the critical concentration was approached.


A basic understanding of the physical composition of historic works of art, such as Old Master paintings, is essential for their long‐term preservation. Such a broad understanding has largely been obtained over the last fifty years. However, a more sophisticated understanding of paintings' complex structures can also provide evidence of their modes of production. Such research can offer insights into historic technologies, of which surviving paintings are some of the finest products. This paper is an overview that uses a few examples to illustrate the sophisticated scientific and technological infrastructures that supported the creation of European art up to the 17th century. It briefly indicates how knowledge about material behaviour was transmitted and then lost. It treats great paintings as engineered structures made to the most exacting specifications and suggests that the physical nature of artworks offers researchers significant challenges.


Retention of medical information is often poor, especially when patients or parents are anxious. Patients often focus on diagnosis-related information and fail to register instructions on treatment. Retention is improved with written information. Patient experience feedback was collected using visual aids to engage patients. Communication was highlighted as an area for improvement. We present the use of bedside patient-led Communication (Comms) charts to improve communication between patients, parents and staff. This tool was implemented on a district general hospital Paediatric Ward with 15 inpatient beds. (See Figure 1).Abstract G548(P) Figure 1 The 'Comms Charts' were 'co-designed' by patients, medical professionals, play therapists and a hospital schoolteacher. 'Co-design' is a process where health-care professionals work in partnership with service-users. Evidence suggests this can produce sustainable, cost-effective improvements. The 'Comms Charts' incorporated patient and parent-prioritised information. The tools were designed in a gender-neutral and child friendly layout. Information included: 'I want to be called', 'facts about me', 'today I'm going to (goals)', 'I'm aiming to go home', and 'questions I want to ask'. Staff received training regarding the use of this tool. All members of the multidisciplinary team were responsible for updating and reviewing the 'Comms Charts.' Staff were encouraged to incorporate this process into daily routine. Champions were identified to improve sustainability of this tool. Patients were provided with whiteboard pens and the laminated sheets could be re-used. The 'Comms Charts' were implemented over a 3 month period. The intervention was assessed via quantitative and qualitative feedback to assess acceptability and feasibility. Staff were surveyed pre and post-intervention using a questionnaire. 11 of 15 healthcare professionals surveyed (73%) believed communication needed to be improved pre-intervention. Following intervention, 14 of 21 surveyed (67%) believed communication had improved. 18 of 21 surveyed (86%) stated it was an effective tool to aid communication, and 1 of 21 (5%) thought it led to excessive work. 18 of 21 surveyed (86%) believed it served as a useful prompt for on-going evaluation of patient's healthcare. Qualitative data was collected from parents, patients and staff via semi-structured interviews. Staff included Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Play therapists and a School Teacher. Informed consent was obtained. Recurring themes highlighted on thematic analysis included: Improvements to information sharing and communication, and breaking down of barriers. Improved communication "It was very useful, I was able to mention my concerns and worries. We discussed and wrote the questions which were in my mind. Excellent idea" (Parent) "it can be a very useful tool for communication with all team members and family" (Physiotherapist) "Patients have appreciated them" (Teacher) Breaking down barriers "They make me feel welcome and at ease. I have gained more information about my care and condition" (Patient) "They are a good way of keeping track of where we are up to. It's nice to have some personal information about the children taken" (Parent) "I think the sheets are useful as it could make someone happy/make them laugh by using your nickname" (Patient) Improvements and Strategy for change Feedback was incorporated into a Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle to continue to ensure sustainability. One barrier highlighted was the workload for staff updating on ward-rounds when busy. "The practical implications of doing it during a busy ward round can be tricky" (Doctor) Following this feedback, the model was adjusted. Play therapists were integrated as Champions to prompt the children to update the 'Comms Charts' before ward rounds reducing medical staff workload. Following adjustment of the process there was increased medical professional acceptability. Message to others/Summary Our findings suggest that white boards are a potential tool for improving communication and multidisciplinary teamwork. Further research is needed to determine sustainability of this tool.


The etymology of the reptiles, especially the lizar ds of Iran has not been completely presented in other published works. Iran is a very active geogra phic area for any animals, and more especially for lizards, due to its wide range deser ts and ecology. We have attempted to ascertain, as much as possible, the construction of the Latin binomials of all Iranian lizard species. We believe that a review of these names is instructive , not only in codifying many aspects of the biology of the lizards, but in presenting a histori cal overview of collectors and taxonomic work in Iran and Middle East region. We have listed all recorded lizards of Iran according to the order of the scientific names in the latter book; (two species have been left unnumbered in the book, we have included both in the numerical order). All lizard species and types have been grouped under their proper Families, and then they have been alphabetically ordered based on their scientific binominal nomenclature. W e also examined numerous published works in addition to those included in the original paper s presenting each binomial.


The size‐dependence of the polarizability, susceptibility, and dielectric constant of nanometer‐scale molecular layers is explored theoretically. First‐principles calculations based on density functional theory are compared to phenomenological modeling based on polarizable dipolar arrays for a model system of organized monolayers composed of oligophenyl chains. Size trends for all three quantities are primarily governed by a competition between out‐of‐plane polarization enhancement and in‐plane polarization suppression. Molecular packing density is the single most important factor controlling this competition and it strongly affects the bulk limit of the dielectric constant as well as the rate at which it is approached. Finally, the polarization does not reach its "bulk" limit, as determined from the Clausius–Mossotti model, but the susceptibility and dielectric constant do converge to the correct bulk limit. However, whereas the Clausius–Mossotti model describes the dielectric constant well at low lateral densities, finite size effects of the monomer units cause it to be increasingly inaccurate at high lateral densities.


This article distinguishes between clique family subgroups and communities in a crisis response network. Then, we examine the way organizations interacted to achieve a common goal by employing community analysis of an epidemic response network in Korea in 2015. The results indicate that the network split into two groups: core response communities in one group and supportive functional communities in the other. The core response communities include organizations across government jurisdictions, sectors, and geographic locations. Other communities are confined geographically, homogenous functionally, or both. We also find that whenever intergovernmental relations were present in communities, the member connectivity was low, even if intersectoral relations appeared together within them.


: Accurate diagnosis of breast cancer in histopathology images is challenging due to the heterogeneity of cancer cell growth as well as of a variety of benign breast tissue proliferative lesions. In this work, we propose a practical and self interpretable invasive cancer diagnosis solution. With minimum annotation information, the proposed method mines contrast patterns between normal and malignant images in unsupervised manner and generates a probability map of abnormalities to verify its reasoning. Particularly, a fully convolutional autoencoder is used to learn the dominant structural patterns among normal image patches. Patches that do not share the characteristics of this normal population are detected and analyzed by one-class support vector machine and 1-layer neural network. We apply the proposed method to a public breast cancer image set. Our results, in consultation with a senior pathologist, demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods. The obtained probability map could benefit the pathology practice by providing visualized verification data and potentially leads to a better understanding of data-driven diagnosis solutions.


The study assessed the oxidative state and cellular changes of the cerebral cortex following monosodium glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in Wistar rats, with a view to evaluate the effects of varying doses of aqueous extract of Aloe barbadensis (AB) over a four-week period. Eighty Wistar rats (8  weeks old) were randomly assigned into 4 groups of 20 rats; Group 1 (Control group) received 3 mL/kg of distilled water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 received 3 g/kg/day of MSG dissolved in distilled water. In addition, Groups 3 and 4 received 100 and 200 mg/kg/day of AB extract respectively. Oral administration of the above lasted for 28 days in all groups. Five rats per group were sacrificed weekly for 4 weeks. The brain was harvested; one cerebral hemisphere was homogenised for oxidative state assessment. The other hemisphere was fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and stained with H&E and Cresyl violet. Data were analyzed using student t-test and p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Malodialdehyde concentration and densities of degenerating neuron and oligodendrocyte were significantly higher in group 2 compared with group 1 over the 4-week period. No significant difference was noted between groups 1, 3 and 4 for same parameters. Nissl bodies depletion was noted in group 2 across the 4 weeks, lesser degree of depletion was noted in groups 3 and 4. This study concludes that oral administration of MSG resulted in increased lipid peroxidation and depletion of Nissl bodies resulting in degeneration of cortical cells. Aloe barbadensis at 100 mg/kg was sufficient to protect the brain.


Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) allow systems to be addressed programmatically and form the backbone of the internet. RESTful and RPC APIs are among the most common API architectures used. In the last decades, researchers have proposed various techniques for automated testing of RESTful APIs, however, to the best of the authors' knowledge there exists no work on testing JSON-RPC (one of the two data formats supported by RPC) APIs. To address this limitation, we propose a grammar-based evolutionary fuzzing approach for testing JSON-RPC APIs that uses a novel black-box heuristic. Specifically, we use a diversity-based fitness function based on hierarchical clustering to quantity the differences in API method responses. Our hypothesis is that responses that are unlike previously seen ones are an indication that new uncovered code paths are reached. We evaluate our approach on the XRP ledger, a large-scale industrial blockchain system that uses JSON-RPC APIs. Our results show that the proposed approach performs significantly better than the baseline (grammar-based fuzzer) and covers an additional 240 branches.


Objectives: To identify the predictors of citation rates for research publication in Neurosciences. Methods: All original articles including meta-analyses (MAs) and systematic reviews (SRs) that were published in Neurosciences during 2011 to 2019 were reviewed. The impact of several predictors on citation rates was assessed using correlation coefficient and mean difference tests. Results: This study examined 231 articles. The mean article citation number was 11.6. The correlation analysis showed a significant association between citation rates and duration from publication in years (p<0.0001), sample size (p<0.0001), study design (p=0.0353), and level of evidence (LOE) (p=0.03). The comparative analysis showed significantly more citations for articles that were published 6-10 years ago (p<0.0001), had a sample size >91 (p=0.0359), were randomized controlled trials (p=0.0353), MAs and SRs (p<0.0001), and level of evidence (LOE)-I (p=0.0004). Retrospective case series had significantly lower citations. The higher and lower citation numbers for publications from Iran and rehabilitation, respectively, may have been influenced by the duration from publication. Conclusion: The most significant predictors of citation rates for Neurosciences publications were the age of articles, population size, study design, and LOE. Awareness of the predictors of citation rates may help researchers enhance the academic impact of their work.


The study was designed to investigate computer anxiety as a correlate of use of Information Technology tool by undergraduates of Library and Information Science in Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State. Descriptive survey design was adopted while Stratified Random Sampling Technique was used to select 169 undergraduates of LIS. A questionnaire designed by the researchers was used for collecting data. Out of the 169 copies of the questionnaire administered 120 copies were returned and used for the analysis. Data was analyzed by Simple  percentages, frequency, Mean and Standard Deviation and Pearson product moment correlation. Findings show that the level of computer anxiety  among LIS undergraduates is high. The available IT tools among LIS  undergraduates are mobile technology, laptops, CD-ROM, printers and  internet search engines. The most frequency utilized IT tools among LIS undergraduate are mobile technology and laptops. The impact of computer anxiety on students' utilization of IT tools is high. The major constraints of computer anxiety towards the utilization of IT tools among LIS undergraduates are level of computer anxiety and lack of conducive environment. A null hypothesis was tested which revealed that there is a significant relationship between computer anxiety and students' utilization of IT tools among the LIS undergraduates surveyed. The study therefore recommends that the management of TASUED should provide more conducive learning environment, adequate IT infrastructural facilities, computer literacy should be encouraged to help lower anxiety and reduce stress in an IT environment. Keywords : computer anxiety, computer literacy, Tai Solarin University, undergraduates


Electroplated pure tin bumping as a lead-free alternative for ultra fine pitch applications is a relatively easy process and has provided us with comparable results to eutectic Sn/Pb for thermal cycling reliability. Experimentally, it has been reported that a significantly higher (~40%) thermal cycle fatigue life is seen with the use of cobalt under bump metallization (UBM) instead of copper UBM for a flip-chip device assembled on an alumina substrate. In the current approaches used to estimate fatigue life of solder joints, the solder joint is treated as a homogenous material and modeled as such. However, the smaller joint sizes and higher reactivity of Sn implies that a larger amount of intermetallics are formed as a percentage of bump volume. The existing approach cannot account for the influence on the fatigue behavior of these intermetallic layers within the solder joint. In order to investigate if a simplified engineering approach can provide some insight into this issue, we have attempted to explicitly model the intermetallics as a continuous but separate part of the solder joint. The main damage parameter investigated is the accumulated inelastic strain in a single thermal cycle. From the results, it is clear that the Young's modulus of the intermetallic layer plays an important role, more so when the ratio of intermetallic thickness to the solder joint standoff increases. Thickness of the intermetallic layer also influences the overall strain accumulation in the same manner. The CTE of the intermetallic layer has a relatively lesser influence on the strain accumulation. Both the experimental and FE results suggest that changing the UBM from copper to cobalt can improve the fatigue life by 20%-30%.


Carsharing provides an alternative to private car ownership by allowing car use temporarily on an ondemand basis. Operators provide carsharing services using different business models and ownership structures. We distinguish between cooperative, business-to-consumer (B2C) roundtrip and one-way, as well as peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing. This paper characterizes these different types of business models and compares their success in terms of diffusion using a comprehensive database of all 101 German carsharing providers in 2016. The key results hold that fleet size is significantly different across business models ranging from a few cars (cooperatives in small towns), to a few hundred (B2C roundtrip in larger cities), to over a thousand (B2C one-way in largest cities), up to multiple thousands (P2P across the country). By analyzing for each operator the number of cars per capita in the city they operate in, we do not find significant differences across business models indicating the viability of each separate business model type. Hence, we conclude that business models will continue to co-exist for a while, although some of the business models may well converge in the longer run due to Internet-of-Things applications and the introduction of self-driving cars.


Comparing advertisements published in both the English and German versions of the Eureka Post , a newspaper from Eureka, South Dakota, this study explores one avenue of potential language shift under the verticalization model and aims to gauge external influences on this one particular community-controlled institution. By assessing advertising language in two parallel publications, external and internal community influences should be visible over time. If external factors are attributing to a shift of the print language from the community-dominant language (which is non-dominant in broader society) to the dominant language, this should be evidenced in an increase of advertisements in the non-dominant community language. However, the results indicate that at a time where verticalization processes are changing the publishing landscape in other areas of the Midwest, in Eureka, South Dakota, the opposite appears to be true. The community-dominant language, German, sees an increase in advertisements published in German and a decrease in those published in English.


&NA; The auditory middle latency response (MLR) seems to have a relatively long developmental time course, extending through the first decade of life. Characteristics of each MLR component change developmentally not only with respect to waveform morphology but also with respect to response reliability, dependence on awareness state, and stimulus rate. Both human and animal studies indicate that these complex changes may be a result of multiple generating systems that show multiple time courses of development. This framework has practical ramifications in that clinical and research studies of MLR in young children must take into account the development sequence. Furthermore, it cannot be assumed a priori that research results obtained from adults will apply to young children. The complexity of the process raises intriguing questions regarding the functional development of auditory perception.


ABSTRACT Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) typically kills more people globally each year than any other single cause of death. A better understanding of genetic predisposition to CAD and the underlying mechanisms will help to identify those most at risk and contribute to improved therapeutic approaches. KCNE2 is a functionally versatile, ubiquitously expressed potassium channel β subunit associated with CAD and cardiac arrhythmia susceptibility in humans and mice. Here, to identify novel KCNE2 interaction partners, we employed yeast two-hybrid screening of adult and fetal human heart libraries using the KCNE2 intracellular C-terminal domain as bait. Testin (encoded by TES), an endothelial cell-expressed, CAD-associated, focal adhesion protein, was identified as a high-confidence interaction partner for KCNE2. We confirmed physical association between KCNE2 and Testin in vitro by co-immunoprecipitation. Whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology revealed that KCNE2 negative-shifts the voltage dependence and increases the rate of activation of the endothelial cell and cardiomyocyte-expressed Kv channel α subunit, Kv1.5 in CHO cells, whereas Testin did not alter Kv1.5 function. However, Testin nullified KCNE2 effects on Kv1.5 voltage dependence and gating kinetics. In contrast, Testin did not prevent KCNE2 regulation of KCNQ1 gating. The data identify a novel role for Testin as a tertiary ion channel regulatory protein. Future studies will address the potential role for KCNE2-Testin interactions in arterial and myocyte physiology and CAD.


In this work, ceria doped ZnO nanomaterials with flower-structure (Ce:ZONFs) were prepared to construct a luminol-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor for amyloid-β protein (Aβ) detection. Herein, carboxyl groups (-COOH) covered Ce:ZONFs were synthesized by a green method with lysine as reductant. After that, Ce:ZONFs-based ECL nanocomposite was prepared by combining the luminophore of luminol and Ce:ZONFs via amidation and physical absorption. Luminol modified on Ce:ZONFs surface could generate a strong ECL signal under the assistance of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) (such as OH(•) and O2(•-)), which were produced by a catalytic reaction between Ce:ZONFs and H2O2. It was worth noticing that a quick Ce(4+) ↔ Ce(3+) reaction in this doped material could increase the rate of electron transfer to realize the signal amplification. Subsequently, the luminol functionalized Ce:ZONFs (Ce:ZONFs-Lum) were covered by secondary antibody (Ab2) and glucose oxidase (GOD), respectively, to construct a novel Ab2 bioconjugate (Ab2-GOD@Ce:ZONFs-Lum). The wire-structured silver-cysteine complex (AgCys NWs) with a large number of -COOH, which was synthesized by AgNO3 and l-cysteine, was used as substrate of the immunosensor to capture the primary antibody (Ab1). Under the optimal conditions, this proposed ECL immunosensor had exhibited high sensitivity for Aβ detection with a wide linear range from 80 fg/mL to 100 ng/mL and an ultralow detection limit of 52 fg/mL. Meanwhile, this biosensor had good specificity for Aβ, indicating that the provided strategy had a promising potential in the detection of Aβ.


Background: Outcomes in the management of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been significantly improved through the use of composite disease activity measures (such as the DAS28) and aggressive DMARD escalation until a lower disease activity target has been achieved. Imaging studies suggest that the DAS28 may be insensitive to low levels of subclinical active disease that is associated with an increased risk of flare and progressive joint damage. Further, in some cases, elevations of the DAS28 may not necessarily be related to on going active synovitis. In both instances, relying upon the DAS28 assessment alone may lead to patients being considered for an inappropriate treatment decision since, patients with active subclinical disease may not be considered for further DMARD escalation whilst patients with non-inflammatory causes of DAS28 elevation may be offered additional DMARD therapy that is either ineffective or potentially toxic. There is emerging evidence that musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS), gene expression profiles and inflammatory protein microarrays might provide useful additional disease activity information that allows clinicians to reach a treatment decision that is targeted at an individual patient's specific needs.

Objectives:

1. To determine whether using MSUS assessment of global disease activity in addition to the DAS28 produces significantly better short-medium term clinical and radiological outcomes
2. To determine whether grouping early RA patients by either RA phenotype or disease activity level is associated with evidence of differential gene expression between the comparator groups
3. To determine the degree of correlation and agreement between the Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity (MBDA) test, the DAS28 and a MSUS disease activity assessment

Methods

111 patients with either clinical diagnoses of early RA (symptom duration < 1 year) or anti-CCP antibody positive inflammatory arthritis were recruited to the Targeting Synovitis in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (TaSER) study. Clinical consultations occurred monthly for 18 months and all participants were treated using the same step-up DMARD-biologic escalation protocol. Participants were randomised to either a DAS28 or MSUS assessment group. In the DAS28 group, DMARD therapy was escalated until DAS28 low disease activity (LDAS – DAS28 <3.2) had been achieved. In the MSUS group, MSUS assessment was indicated for instances of DAS28 LDAS or DAS28 moderate disease activity (3.2≤ DAS28 <5.1) with minimal clinical synovitis (28SJC ≤1). During MSUS assessment, the bilateral radiocarpal, index and middle MCP, index and middle PIP and 2nd and 5th MTP joints were examined for the presence of gray scale synovial hypertrophy and Power Doppler (PD) signal. Active disease was defined as the presence of grade 1 or higher PD signal in 2 or more joints. DMARD therapy was not changed if there had been significant escalation within the preceding 3 months. Intra-articular and intra-muscular corticosteroid injections were administered generously during periods of active disease.

Blinded clinical outcomes were collected at baseline and every 3 months until study completion. Plain x-rays of hands and feet and MRI of the dominant wrist and hand were performed at baseline and study completion and will be graded by 2 independent radiologists who are blinded to participant's randomisation group. Primary outcomes comprised: 1. mean change in DAS44 from baseline and 18 months, 2. mean change in MRI RAMRIS erosion score between baseline and 18 months. Secondary outcome measures included: between group comparisons of the DAS44 and ACR-EULAR remission rates, EULAR response criteria, HAQ, EURO-QoL 5D, CRP, ESR, 10cm pain visual analogue score, mean change in plain x-ray Sharp score (van der Heijde modification) and mean change in MRI RAMRIS synovitis and bone marrow oedema scores.

79 Participants donated additional blood samples for nested biomarker analysis at baseline, follow-up months 3 and 18. Baseline and 3 month PAXgene RNA samples were analysed with the assistance of the Systems Biology Group, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow using an Illumina HumanHT-12v4 Beadchip microarray. Baseline, 3 month and 18 month serum samples were analysed by Crescendo Biosciences using their in house MBDA microarray. Additional whole blood, serum and plasma samples remain available for future polyomic analyses. For the gene expression analysis, participants were segregated into comparator groups based upon baseline and 3 month RA phenotypic and disease activity data. Comparator groups were intended to represent common clinical scenarios. Between group comparisons of gene expression were conducted in the R software package using the Linear Models for Microarray Data (Limma) plug-in. An adjusted p value <0.05 was considered to represent evidence of differential gene expression. For the MBDA analysis, the degree of correlation (Spearman's rank correlation) between DAS28 and MBDA score was calculated at each time point and for all time points pooled together. The percentage agreement between MBDA, DAS28 and MSUS disease activity state categorisations was also calculated.

Results:

111 participants were recruited and 101 (91%) completed follow-up. 95 (86%) participants fulfilled 1987 ACR RA classification criteria and 107 (96%) fulfilled 2010 ACR-EULAR RA classification criteria. The presenting features appeared typical of an early RA cohort and, excepting gender, there were no statistical differences in baseline characteristics between the groups

414 MSUS assessments were performed, 369 MSUS assessments coincided with DAS28 LDAS, of which 92 (25%) identified active synovitis. 271 MSUS assessments coincided with DAS28 remission, of which 66 (24%) identified active synovitis. 45 MSUS assessments coincided with DAS28 moderate disease activity of which 15 (33%) identified active synovitis. Overall 71% of paired DAS28 and MSUS assessments agreed on the disease activity state.

MSUS-driven DMARD escalation was not associated with significant improvements in clinical outcomes. Both groups experienced a similar mean change in DAS44 between baseline and 18 months (DAS28 -2.51 vs MSUS -2.76, p 0.39). There were no statistically significant between group differences in the ACR core set variables at any of the time points, nor their mean change from baseline. Over the follow-up period, the MSUS assessment group demonstrated incremental increases in the proportion of participants with EULAR good responses and DAS44 remission and a significantly higher rate of DAS44 remission at study completion (DAS28 44% vs MSUS 65%, p=0.045). The impact of MSUS-driven DMARD escalation on radiological outcomes, medium-long term outcomes and adverse event rates remains to be determined.

At baseline, gender (61 genes), RhF status (5 genes) and current smoking (1 gene) were associated with evidence of differential gene expression. The expression patterns of 19 genes changed following commencement of DMARD monotherapy. However, it was not possible to demonstrate evidence of differential gene expression in relation to disease activity level or phenotypic extremes at either time point. Up-regulation of 3 genes at baseline was associated with requiring DMARD escalation at 3 months. Otherwise, baseline gene expression was not predictive of 3 month disease activity state nor disease course over 12 months. Mean baseline interferon response gene score was not predictive of response to step-up DMARD therapy.

The MBDA test score correlated positively with DAS28 at a single time point (rs=0.58, p<0.0001) and the change correlated positively with corresponding changes in DAS28 (rs=0.56, p<0.0001). The MBDA test categorised a higher proportion of participants with moderate and high disease activity than the DAS28; however, a notable proportion of high (58%) and moderate (59%) MBDA assessments were not associated with MSUS evidence of synovitis.

Conclusions:

MSUS and MBDA assessments of global disease activity identified active disease more frequently than corresponding DAS28 assessments. Compared to DAS28 driven therapy, MSUS driven step-up DMARD escalation was not associated with significantly better clinical outcomes but was associated with a higher rate of DAS44 remission at study completion. At present, there is no evidence to support the routine of MSUS to assess global RA disease activity; however, this position may change once the radiological and medium-long term outcomes are available. Peripheral blood gene expression analysis does not appear to contribute clinically useful additional information to the assessment of early RA. The MBDA test may provide an additional measure of disease activity; however, issues relating to specificity and its impact on clinical outcomes remain to be clarified.


With the growing public concern over food safety and foodborne diseases, there has been increased pressure on both the government and the various food processing industries to ensure the safety of the food supply. After recent outbreaks of as Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in the Pacific Northwest, the safety of red meat has been of prime concern to many consumers. Gamma irradiation is a promising technology that has been proven to safely eliminate E. Coli and many other common foodborne pathogens. Irradiation technology also has the added benefit of extending the shelf life of irradiated food products, which could significantly reduce the amount of food that is lost to spoilage, particularly in third world countries. The technology used for irradiation has been proven to be sound over the past four decades, being used extensively on medical supplies, spices, and other products in many countries throughout the world. The main challenge is to convince the public that this technology is beneficial, and indeed necessary to ensure their safety. While market studies have shown that many consumers are willing to purchase irradiated foods, many others are not. Education programs would increase the numbers willing to purchase the irradiated products, though a small number of consumers are still adamantly opposed to the process even after such educational programs. However, it remains to be seen whether or not food irradiation will be commercially viable in the United States.


AIMS
Drug related events (DREs) contribute significantly to hospital admissions. These are largely preventable events and require optimum use of the therapeutic agents. The study was conducted to analyze the cost of treatment of DREs.

PATIENTS & METHODS
All visits to medical emergency department of a tertiary care public sector hospital in northern India were recorded in a prospective, non-interventional manner over a period of 4 months. DREs were recognized and were followed up till their stay in the hospital. Data about the cost generating components of direct and indirect costs of treatment of DREs were collected. The projected cost of treatment of the same DREs in a private sector hospital was estimated and compared.

RESULTS
Out of 1833 admissions, 92(5.01%) were due to DREs. Maximum cases were due to non compliance (66%) followed by ADR (28%) and drug overdose (6%). The common DREs leading to ED visits were cerebrovascular accident (19.44%), followed by accelerated hypertension (18.36%) and diabetic ketoacidosis(14.04%). Total cost of management of all the 92 DREs in our hospital was calculated to be INR17,37,339(Euro 30,215). The direct cost was INR1,72,961 (Euro 3008) and the approximate indirect cost was INR15,64,378 (Euro 27,206). The projected cost of management of all the 92 DREs was estimated to be INR63,63,872(Euro 1,01, 676) in a private sector hospital.

CONCLUSION
The study shows that ADEs leading to emergency department visits and hospitalizations constitute a significant economic burden. Training of the patients and the prescribers may lessen the economic burden on the patient as well as the health care system.


Cytochrome P450 2C9 (P450 2C9) is one of the most important P450 isoforms in the human liver, as it metabolizes numerous exogenous and endogenous substrates. Moreover, it is inducible by several compounds, such as rifampicin, phenobarbital, and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories). The aim of this study was to investigate the global cellular consequences of P450 2C9 overexpression at the transcriptional level using an untargeted approach: pangenomic microarrays. Recombinant adenovirus was used to express P450 2C9 instead of an inducer to prevent a per se effect of inducer or its metabolites. P450 2C9 overexpression induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and regulated genes implicated in the unfolded protein response (UPR) as heat shock protein (HSP) (we studied particurlarly HSPA5 and HSPB1) and in the endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) system as Sec61 and ubiquitin and proteasome pathways. UPR and ERAD are two mechanisms of adaptative response to ER stress. Moreover, activation of Akt was observed in HepG2 cells that overexpress P450 2C9 and might participate in the cellular adaptive response to stress, thus leading to the activation of cell survival pathways. UPR and ERAD should be caused by accumulation of native and misfolded P450 2C9 protein. Our results indicated that P450 2C9 overexpression did not lead to toxicity but induced an ER stress due to protein overexpression rather than mono-oxygenase activity. The ER stress triggered activation of the adaptative response and of pathways leading to cell survival.


Objective Studies have highlighted that children of adolescent (aged 15–19 years) mothers are likely to receive relatively poor healthcare. With an unacceptably high adolescent birth rate, India houses the highest number of adolescent mothers globally, putting children at risk of inadequate vaccination. This paper assesses trends and extent of socioeconomic disparities in the coverage of full immunisation among children of adolescent mothers in India. Design Repeated cross-sectional analytical study. Data sources 3 consecutive rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted during 1992–1993, 1998–1999 and 2005–2006 were used. Besides, the required information is also extracted from the 2011 Indian Census. Participants Children (aged 12–23 months) of adolescent (aged 15–19 years) mothers. Sample inclusion criteria involved the last child of the adolescent eligible to avail full immunisation. Setting Nationally representative sample. Data analysis The Cochran-Armitage test, χ2 test and binary logistic regression methods were applied to attain the study objective. Results Between 1990 and 2006, a non-significant increase of 4 percentage points in full immunisation of children of adolescent mothers was estimated. During the same period, a large difference between the probability of children of adolescent mothers receiving full immunisation belonging to the least (predicted probability (PP): 0.196 in 1990–1993, and PP: 0.213 in 2003–2006) and the most (PP: 0.589 in 1990–1993, and PP: 0.645 in 2003–2006) socioeconomically privileged group was estimated, and this disparity persisted over the survey period. Conclusions During 1990–2006, an insufficient improvement in provision of full immunisation to children born to adolescent mothers was recorded. The study underscored the suboptimum immunisation of rural, illiterate and poor children of adolescent women. The programme and policymakers could focus on district-wise concentration of adolescent women, especially those belonging to the underprivileged groups, to design a targeted intervention to elevate the level of immunisation of children of adolescent mothers.


Aims: To report an uncommon and underreported association between immune thrombocytopenic purpura and typhoid fever and review the available literature. Presentation of Case: We present a 19 year-old female with two weeks of vaginal and gastrointestinal bleeding. At the time of presentation, fever, pallor, petechial lesions, ecchymosis and hepatosplenomegaly were noted. Initial workup for associated secondary viral infections were negative, hematologic studies were undertaken. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura was diagnosed and treatment with prednisone initiated. Nonetheless, after initial improvement, fever recurred and Salmonella typhi was isolated on blood culture, after treatment with ciprofloxacin symptoms disappeared with good evolution after outpatient follow-up. Discussion: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura is commonly associated to several viral and Case Study some bacterial infections, yet Salmonella typhi has not been consistently proved to be associated. A growing body of literature shows that a diverse variety Salmonella sp. presentation can be associated to immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Both diseases reverse after antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: Typhoid fever should be included in the differential diagnosis when other causes of immune thrombocytopenic purpura have been discarded and clinical presentation is suggestive.


The two-temperature method (TTM) allows the separation of land-surface temperature and land-surface emissivity information from radiance measurements, and therefore, the solution can be uniquely determined by the data. However, the inverse problem is still an ill-posed problem, since the solution does not depend continuously on the data. Accordingly, we have used some mathematical tools, which are suited for analyses of ill-posed problems in order to show TTM properties, evaluate it, and optimize its estimations. Related to this last point, we have shown that it is necessary to constrain the problem, either by defining a region of physically admissible solutions and/or by using regularization methods, in order to obtain stable results. Besides, the results may be improved by using TTM with systems that possess a high temporal resolution, as well as by acquiring observations near the maximum and minimum of the diurnal temperature range.


A number of political, environmental and technical factors have resulted in the increase of implementation of renewable technology including grid connected photovoltaic inverters. As a result, new topologies for grid connected inverters providing higher efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs have been developed. In particular, designs utilising transformerless topologies have steadily increased. While there are clear associated advantages of implementing these new transformerless topologies, new potential issues such as DC current injection and capacitive leakage currents are introduced. Part A of this report presents a clearly defined test circuit setup and procedure for testing DC current injection for grid-connected single-phase photovoltaic inverters implementing both transformerless and high frequency transformer topologies. The results demonstrated that the test circuit setup and testing procedure is suitable for inclusion in a future amendment to AS4777.2. It is however proposed that before these amendments are recommended, further investigation is required to determine what power levels all inverters are required to be tested at and how many tests per inverter are required. Part B of this report defines and models a variety of transformerless inverter topologies, switching schemes and output filter configurations and clearly defines their operation. All of these various models have been simulated to determine which designs are suitable for applications in regards to reducing capacitive leakage currents in an effort to eliminate potential risks to users and to ensure electromagnetic compatability. Two commercially available and one anonymous Grid-connected Transformerless Single-phase Photovoltaic Inverter models utilising a selection of the simulated topologies and switching schemes were experimentally tested to verify simulated results.


Seventy-nine fiberoptic bronchoscopies were performed in 46 Patients during 2 years in the Intensive Care Unit of Severance Hospital, Yonsei Medical Center. Bronchoscopies were done more than twice in 13 patients. Forty-three bronchoscopies were done through the orotracheal tube in 27 patients, and narcotics and sedatives such as morphine sulfate, diazepam and lorazepam were added with pancuronium bromide during 52 bronchoscopy procedures in 21 patients. Ventilatory support was accomplished by control mode ventilation for 63 bronchoscopies in 37 patients. Twenty-four patients were from the surgical department, and 37 bronchoscopies were performed in 18 patients in a post-thoracotomy state. Twenty-two patients were nonsurgical patients. We performed 48 bronchoscopies in 26 patients to treat lung haziness, 14 bronchoscopies in 3 patients to confirm the operative anastomosis after pneumonectomy or tracheoplasty, and 11 bronchoscopies to confirm the airway patency and vocal cord movement. We obtained good results from 41 bronchoscopies performed for therapeutic purposes and 28 bronchoscopies done for diagnostic purposes. But in 4 patients with pleural effusion and pneumonia, we could not get any improvement in chest X-ray taken after bronchoscopy. We suggested other procedures in 6 patients for diagnosis or treatment, such as suspension laryngoscopy, thoracentesis, ultrasonogram and laser surgery.


Recent controlled studies in the field of gastroenterology have shown that hypnotherapy is unequivocally beneficial in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulceration. There is also some evidence for influence on certain physiological functions. Further research should help to define more clearly the role of this controversial form of therapy.


The creep behavior in the crotch region of two normally intersecting cylindrical shells of equal diameter and thickness is treated with the aid of an axisymmetric shell model. The edge and pressure loads on this model, which has already proved to be useful in the case of elastic and elastic-plastic analysis, are chosen to simulate the loading in the crotch region. The model is used to calculate the redistribution of stress from the elastic state to the stationary state. By taking into account the wall thinning, which occurs as creep takes place, the critical elapsed time to rupture of a ductile vessel is estimated.


Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) inhibits tissue factor‐induced coagulation. The major part of TFPI is releasable by heparin. We recently found eight patients with thrombosis and low levels of heparin‐releasable TFPI in whom we investigated the TFPI gene for mutations. A transition of G to A coding for Valine264Methionine in the heparin‐binding domain was found. The Val264Met polymorphism had an allele frequency of 3% in 96 healthy individuals. A silent polymorphism was identified in TFPI exon IV (T→C), which does not alter Tyrosine 56. Apart from Val264Met, which was detected in one out of the eight patients, no other mutations in the TFPI gene were found in patients with low heparin‐releasable TFPI. Analysis of Val264Met in 317 patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and 292 controls showed no association between Val264Met and DVT. However, a study of total TFPI antigen levels in 122 DVT patients and 126 controls demonstrated an association between TFPI levels and venous thrombosis (P = 0·0001). These results provide evidence for a relationship between venous thrombosis and total TFPI level as a possible risk factor, whereas they do not support a link between DVT and mutations in the nine exons of the TFPI gene.


The research on CSCW and groupware systems focus the activities of distributed teams involved in large projects by means of tools for communication and awareness. The activities of small collocated teams are often neglected. Analyzing preliminary requirements of small teams, it is possible to observe the need of tools to help the elaboration of project documentation. This paper presents a multi-agent system architecture to support software development in small collocated teams. The architecture proposed in this paper tackles the problem of elaborating documentation, by facilitating the elaboration of the Small Project Management Plan. Tools used in the software development are encapsulated by agents that extract and organize useful information for the elaboration of such a document.


OBJECTIVES: to evaluate serum for celiac disease in a group of adolescents and young adults in the city of Recife, in the Northeast region of Brazil. METHODS: the sample was made up of students enrolled on undergraduate courses at the Center for Health Sciences of the Federal University of Pernambuco. A blood sample was taken from the students to test their serum for the human tissue antitransglutaminase antibody and they were asked to complete a questionnaire on the symptoms and morbid conditions associated with celiac disease. THE antitransglutaminase was identified using the Elisa technique, taking positive values to be those above 10 U/mL, as recommended by the manufacturer. Patients who tested positive for the antitransglutaminase antibody were subsequently tested for the antiendomysial antibody, by indirect immunofluorescence, using the commercially available kit. RESULTS: six hundred and eight-three university students took part in the study. They were aged between 18 and 30 years, with a mean age of 21 years. The antitransglutaminase antibody was found in 12/683, a prevalence of 1.76% (CI95%: 0.95-3.13%). The antiendomysial antibody test was carried out in eleven these samples and the reagent in four. Eight students tested positive and/or had morbid conditions associated with celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: the high levels of anti-transglutaminase antibodies found in this study were similar to those found in Europe and the United States suggesting that serological triage can be carried out even in populations considered to be low risk.


We prove necessary conditions on pairs of measures $(\mu,\nu)$ for a singular integral operator $T$ to satisfy weak $(p,p)$ inequalities, $1\leq p<\infty$, provided the kernel of $T$ satisfies a weak non-degeneracy condition first introduced by Stein, and the measure $\mu$ satisfies a weak doubling condition related to the non-degeneracy of the kernel. We also show similar results for pairs of measures $(\mu,\sigma)$ for the operator $T_\sigma f = T(f\,d\sigma)$, which has come to play an important role in the study of weighted norm inequalities. Our major tool is a careful analysis of the strong type inequalities for averaging operators; these results are of interest in their own right. Finally, as an application of our techniques, we show that in general a singular operator does not satisfy the endpoint strong type inequality $T : L^1(\nu) \rightarrow L^1(\mu)$. Our results unify and extend a number of known results.


Composing simulations of complex systems from already existing simulation components remains a challenging issue. Motivations for composable simulation include generation of a given federation driven by operational requirements provided "on the fly". The High Level Architecture, initially developed for designing fully distributed simulations, can be considered as an interoperability standard for composing simulations from existing components. Requirements for constructing such complex simulations are quite different from those discussed for distributed simulations. Although interoperability and reusability remain essential, both high performance and availability have also to be considered to fulfill the requirements of the end user. ONERA is currently designing a High Performance / High Availability HLA Run-time Infrastructure from its open source implementation of HLA 1.3 specifications. HP-CERTI is a software package including two main components: the first one, SHM-CERTI, provides an optimized version of CERTI based on a shared memory communication scheme; the second one, Kerrighed-CERTI, allows the deployment of CERTI through the control of the Kerrighed Single System Image operating system for clusters, currently designed by IRISA. This paper describes the design of both high performance and availability Runtime Infrastructures, focusing on the architecture of SHM-CERTI. This work is carried out in the context of the COCA (High Performance Distributed Simulation and Models Reuse) Project, sponsored by the DGA/STTC (Delegation Generale pour l'Armement/Service des Strategies Techniques et des Technologies Communes) of the French Ministry of Defense.


Background: Dialysis registries have reported a low take-up of home treatment. The aim of our study was to report patients' preferred treatment options for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) after information delivery, patients' characteristics by treatment preference, and the reasons for differences between treatment preference and the treatment delivered. Methods: A prospective cohort study on patients seen in our nephrology department between January 2009 and June 2011 included all patients with chronic kidney disease (GFR <20 ml/min/1.73 m2) and incident dialysis patients who received an information program about ESRD treatment options. Results: 228 patients received information delivery and either expressed a preference for a given renal replacement therapy (peritoneal dialysis, PD: 42%; hemodialysis, HD: 33%), remained undecided (20%) or expressed reluctance to undergo renal replacement therapy (5%). Multivariate analysis revealed that compared to HD preference, patients preferring PD were older (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.0-1.04), had a lower BMI (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.87-0.98) and were more likely to have been informed before rather than after starting dialysis (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5-7.4); home treatment was the main reason given for preferring PD. Undecided patients were mainly women and the majority were eventually treated by HD. Reluctant patients were the oldest (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.22) and were rarely treated by dialysis. Only 24% of patients informed before and 8% of patients informed after starting dialysis were ultimately treated with PD. Reasons for a mismatch between dialysis modality preference and treatment delivered were equally distributed between medical and nonmedical. Conclusion: Patients should be systematically informed before starting dialysis, patients' preferences should be taken into account before organizing dialysis and all treatment modalities should be available in all centers.


Brain damage caused by perinatal asphyxia is dangerous for neonatal infants, but the mechanism by which it occurs remains elusive. In this study, microRNA-152 (miR-152) expression was induced by low oxygen levels in rat models of hypoxia brain damage, as well as in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) cultured in vitro. Analysis of the sequence of miR-152 revealed that the phosphatase and tensin homolog gene (PTEN) is probably the target of miR-152 both in humans and rats. When HBMECs were transfected with miR-152 mimics, PTEN expression was inhibited at both the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, transfection with the miR-152 mimic also inhibited apoptosis induced by hypoxia. Furthermore, expression of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax was downregulated while the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 was upregulated after miR-152 mimic transfection. Taken together, these results indicate that miR-152 induced by hypoxia suppresses cell apoptosis and acts as a protective factor during hypoxia by repressing PTEN.


Purpose: We propose a mathematical framework for quantitative analysis weighting the impact of heterogeneous components of a surgery. While multi-level approaches, surgical process modeling and other workflow analysis methods exist, this is to our knowledge the first quantitative approach. Methods: Inspired by the group decision making problem from the field of operational research, we define event impact factors, which combine independent and very diverse low-level functions. This allows us to rate surgical events by their importance. Results: We conducted surveys with 4 surgeons to determine the importance of roles, phases and their combinations within a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Applying this data on a recorded surgery, we showed that it is possible to define a quantitative measure for deciding on acception or rejection of calls to different roles and at different phases of surgery. Conclusions: This methodology allows us to use components such as expertise and role of the surgical staff and other aspects of a given surgery in order to quantitatively analyze and evaluate events, actions, user interfaces or procedures.


There has been much scrutiny of the Credit Rating Agencies' (CRAs) flawed ratings of structured products in the build-up to the financial crisis. Our study examines whether the 'credit rating crisis' altered the information effects of their traditional product, corporate bond ratings. Using an event study, we analyze the Credit Default Swap (CDS) market's response to rating announcements by Moody's between September 2004 and December 2009. Our results demonstrate that CDS price effects were considerably greater in the pre-crisis era, and document a possible spillover effect of reputational damage onto the bond rating services of the CRAs.


After a 40-year period of government domination and planning, former socialist countries began an uneven transition to a free market economy. The diachronic aspects manifest in various larger-scale economic and political fluctuations have been well documented. Less well documented are the synchronic characteristics of these transitions manifest in urban development patterns. In the 1990s, with large inflows of capital and the restitution of property, real estate markets in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary began to develop. Large inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) were directed mostly toward activities in the capitol cities where new retail, office and residential space was developed. Thus, while capitol cities experienced prosperity, many second-tier cities were neglected by international real estate developers and investors. No small part of the lagging real estate development in these second-tier cities derived from the capability of local stakeholders, particularly government and its agencies. As a result, growth of the larger national economies was restricted. Using a case study of four second-tier cities in Poland and the Czech Republic, this paper examines pre- and early post-transition urban and real estate development patterns involving greenfields, brownfields, blank spots, network and surface infrastructure in these cities. It compares the patterns in these cities to identify key similarities and differences in how they enhanced or limited further real estate development and discusses the role of local government as it has previously and should in the future address how large-scale urban patterns can be managed to stimulate effective real estate development.


Populations of migratory geese overwintering in Europe have risen rapidly during recent decades, leading to increased pressure on available forage resources and more grazing on agricultural lands. Farmers throughout Europe have complained of yield losses due to goose grazing. In spring, the Svalbard-breeding population of pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) migrates through specific staging sites in Norway, where the geese graze on dairy grasslands and other types of agricultural lands in the early growing season. Despite this, little is known of the impacts of goose grazing on hay biomass and quality in Norway. An experiment using exclosures to prevent goose grazing, and plots that were open for grazing, was established in Central Norway to test the effects of variable grazing intensity on dairy grassland yields. A single spring-grazing event had severe negative impact at the site with the highest grazing intensity, leading to a 25% reduction in forage yield (milk feed units per hectare) as compared to ungrazed areas. The impacts on the sites with lower grazing intensity were more subtle. The overall reduction (across all sites) of biomass yield was 26%. Forage quality, in terms of milk feed units per kg, was not much affected. Grazing increased the proportion and diversity of weeds, as evidenced by a 49% increase of the Shannon biodiversity index, and there was a 1·3% decrease in the proportion of herbage biomass of sown species. Hence, we have confirmed farmer reports on yield losses, gaining an increased understanding of the overall farmer costs associated with goose grazing in this northern latitude region.


A laser-induced fluorescence technique, in combination with optical emission spectroscopy, was applied to investigate the spatial distribution of the number densities of neutral species in an asymmetric low-pressure 27.12 MHz discharge in pure nitrogen. The primary targets of this investigation were the three nitrogen triplet states C 3Πu, B 3Πg and the metastable A 3Σu+ each in their lowest vibrational levels v = 0,1,2 and additionally v = 8 of A 3Σu+ which can be populated very efficiently in the plasma sheath. The absolute number densities of all these states were determined in a Rayleigh scattering experiment, the results of which have been published elsewhere (Krames B, Glenewinkel-Meyer T and Meichsner J 2001 J. Appl. Phys. 89 3115). The spatial profiles as a function of the discharge parameters were studied by varying the gas pressure between 10 and 100 Pa and the effective rf voltage up to 260 V. These profiles of the different molecular states vary markedly in the plasma bulk as well as in the sheath near the powered electrode. A model, which includes the production, diffusion and quenching rates of contributing species and also fluorescence cascade processes, explains these varieties. A comparison with the experimental data at 50 Pa confirms the results of the model calculations.


The brain-wide reconstruction of neuronal population is an indispensible step towards exploring the complete structure of neuronal circuits, a central task that underlies the structure-function relation in neuroscience. Recent advances in molecular labeling and imaging techniques enable us to collect the whole mouse brain imaging dataset at cellular resolution, including the morphological information of neurons across different brain region or even the whole brain. Reconstruction of these neurons poses substantial challenges, and at presents there is no tool for high-speed achieving this reconstruction close to human performance. Here, we presented a tool for filling in the blanks. The tool mainly contains the following function modules: 3D visualization of large-scale imaging dataset, automated reconstruction of neurons, manual editing of the reconstructions at local and global scale. In this tool, in the framework of our previous tools (NeuroGPS-Tree and SparseTracer), the two identifying models were constructed for boosting the automatic level of the reconstruction. One is used to identify the weak signals from inhomogeneous backgrounds and the other is used to identify closely packed neurites. This tool can be suitable for the different big-data formats and can make the dataset be fastly read into memory for the reconstruction. The manual editing module in this tool can correct the errors drawn from above automated algorithms. And thus helps to achieve the reconstruction closer to human performance. We demonstrated the features of our tool on various kinds of sparsely labelled datasets. The results indicated that without loss of the reconstruction accuracy, our tool has a 7-10 folds speed gain over the commercial software that provides the manual reconstruction.


Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key enzyme that plays a critical role in             numerous metabolic functions by catalyzing the synthesis for long-chain fatty             acids. FASN is highly expressed in various human cancers. This preferential expression             makes FASN an attractive target for anticancer therapy. Hexokinase II (HKII) is             overexpressed in most cancer cells, and it generally localizes to the outer mitochondrial             membrane. Recent studies have demonstrated the protective role of mitochondrial             HKII in preservation of mitochondrial integrity. The association of hexokinase             with mitochondria has emerged as a powerful mechanism in protecting numerous cell             types against cell death. We performed this study to examine the mechanism underlying             apoptosis induced by cerulenin and with specific focus on its effect on HKII in             ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cells. Additionally, we sought to elucidate whether             inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway can potentiate the anticancer effect of cerulenin.             Here, we showed that cerulenin disrupts the physical association between HKII             and AIF, leading to eventual cell death. In addition, LY294002, a PI3K/Akt inhibitor,             sensitized ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells to cerulenin-induced apoptosis. Collectively,             cerulenin induces apoptosis via disrupting the interaction between AIF and HKII             and inhibition of PI3K sensitizes cells to cerulenin-induced apoptosis in ZR-75-1             cells.


The objective of this study was to translate the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) into German, to evaluate this translation through psychometric testing in a German sample of adolescents, and to analyze whether the content-derived hypothesis of two eHEALS subscales was confirmed by the data. We hypothesized that the first subscale would cover self-perceived competence in seeking health information online, and the second subscale information appraisal of health information on the Internet. A cross-sectional survey among 18-year-old students (N = 327) using our translation of the eHEALS was conducted. A confirmatory factor analysis compared the 1-factor model based on Norman and Skinners' analyses with the a priori specified 2-factor model. The results indicated a better fit for the 2-factor model (chi-square difference of 150.93, p < .0001), supporting the division into subscales.


Summary form only given, as follows. SBST 2017 Workshop Summary. Search-Based Software Testing (SBST) is the application of optimizing search techniques (for example, Genetic Algorithms) to solve problems in software testing. SBST is used to generate test data, prioritize test cases, minimize test suites, reduce human oracle cost, verify software models, test service- orientated architectures, construct test suites for interaction testing, and validate real-time properties. The objectives of this workshop are to bring together researchers and industrial practitioners from SBST and the wider software engineering community to share experience and provide directions for future research, and to encourage the use of search techniques to combine aspects of testing with other aspects of the software engineering lifecycle.


Two aspects of consciousness are first considered: consciousness as awareness (phenomenological meaning) and consciousness as strategic control (functional meaning). As to awareness, three types can be distinguished: first, awareness as the phenomenal experiences of objects and events; second, awareness as meta-awareness, i.e., the awareness of mental life itself; third, awareness as self-awareness, i.e., the awareness of being oneself. While phenomenal experience and self-awareness are usually present during dreaming (even if many modifications are possible), meta-awareness is usually absent (apart from some particular experiences of self-reflectiveness) with the major exception of lucid dreaming. Consciousness as strategic control may also be present in dreams. The functioning of consciousness is then analyzed, following a cognitive model of dream production. In such a model, the dream is supposed to be the product of the interaction of three components: (a) the bottom-up activation of mnemonic elements coming from LTM systems, (b) interpretative and elaborative top-down processes, and (c) monitoring of phenomenal experience. A feedback circulation is activated among the components, where the top-down interpretative organization and the conscious monitoring of the oneiric scene elicitates other mnemonic contents, according to the requirements of the dream plot. This dream productive activity is submitted to unconscious and conscious processes.


In this paper the authors presents 55-years old female patient with primary carcinoma of salpinx. The special attention is payed to the possibility of clinical misdiagnosis. The low rate of appearance and not very characteristic symptoms of that type of carcinoma makes final clinical diagnosis almost impossible without intra-or postoperative histopathological study. In presented case, in the first acute appendicitis was recognized and patient was treated surgically. During the operation the large cyst near the right uterine appendages was found and after histopathological examination the primary salpinx carcinoma was revealed. In consequences pan hysterectomy was made with cytostatic all treatment just after the operation. Now, five years has gone and the patient, temporary controlled in dispensary, is still in good condition.


Evaluating relative changes leads to additional insights which would remain hidden when only evaluating absolute changes. We analyze a dataset describing mobility of mobile phones in Austria before, during COVID-19 lock-down measures until recent. By applying compositional data analysis we show that formerly hidden information becomes available: we see that the elderly population groups increase relative mobility and that the younger groups especially on weekends also do not decrease their mobility as much as the others.


Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies are integral to modern telecommunications because of their advanced features, flexibility, and economic benefits. Internet Service Providers initially promoted these technologies by providing low cost local and international calling. At present, there is also a great deal of interest in using IP-based technologies to replace traditional small and large office telephone systems that use traditional PBXs (Private Branch eXchange). Unfortunately, the large majority of the emerging VoIP based office telephone systems have followed the centralized design of traditional public and private telephone systems in which all the intelligence in the system is at the core, with quite expensive hardware and software components and appropriate redundancy for adequate levels of reliability. In this paper, it is argued that a centralized model for an IP-based telecommunications system fails to exploit the full capabilities of Internet-inspired communications and that, very simple, inexpensive, elegant and flexible solutions are possible by deliberately avoiding the centralized approach. This paper describes the design, philosophy and implementation of a prototype for a fully distributed IP-based Telecommunication System (IPTS) that provides the essential feature set for office and home telecommunications, including IP-based long-distance and local calling, and with the support for video as well as data and text. The prototype system was implemented with an Internet-inspired distributed design using open source software, with appropriate customizations and configurations.


Absorption of CO2 with amine-based absorbents is an established and proven technology. Unfortunately, it is still very energy intensive and has high capital costs. The overall challenge when aiming at using this technology for world wide CO2 capture, is to bring these two factors down with new and environmentally acceptable solvents. The search forward can be carried out by process design improvements or by finding new and better solvents. An ideal solvent should have a high capacity, high absorption rates, low enthalpy of absorption, result in low steam consumption, give negligible problems with degradation, corrosion and foaming, be non-volatile, as well as being environmentally benign. The main objective of this work is to gather further fundamental information (chemical, kinetic and equilibrium) related to the characterization of DETA as a possible absorbent for CO2. The work was started by measuring physiochemical properties, density and viscosity for different concentrations, temperatures, loaded with CO2 and partially neutralized with H2SO4 in an Anton Paar Stabinger Viscometer SVM 3000. The obtained results for density and viscosity were compared to available sources and modeled with a Redlich-Kister Model in order to determine the thermodynamic properties (partial molar volume and partial molar volume at infinite dilution). The variations in shape of the density and viscosity curves for aqueous amine solution were found very interesting when compared to the different functionalities in the molecular structures. N2O solubilities in the various amine solutions were measured in a solubility cell. Validation of the apparatus and experimental procedure was done by measuring solubility for N2O and CO2 in water and for N2O in pure amines (MEA and MDEA). The results agreed very well with the literature. The solubility measurements were performed for different DETA concentrations, temperatures, or DETA loaded with CO2, and partially neutralized with H2SO4. The commonly used 'N2O Analogy' has been validated further for amines (MEA and DETA) fully neutralized with H2SO4 as various concentrations. The solubility model of Wang et al. (1992) was implemented in aqueous DETA solution but more parameters were suggested in this system, thus the extended Wang model was proposed. The model based on a Redlich-Kister approach was developed and gave a satisfactory fit. The effect of CO2 on the N2O solubility into aqueous 30 wt % MEA and DETA were also performed to see the salting-out effect in the solution. Through NMR studies, both qualitative and quantitative measurements were performed in order to elucidate the speciation in the DETA-H2O-CO2 system. 22 species were found to exist in the system and most of them could be identified apart from tricarbamate and free CO2. Quantitative 13C NMR was performed to measure the concentrations of species. The results suggested that this method is reliable in measuring the concentrations, however it was very time consuming experimentally, caused by the insensitivity and low natural abundance of carbon nuclei. Two important observations regarding this technique are the long relaxation time and the need for suppressing enhanced signals from neighboring nuclei (NOE effect). In VLE modeling, a Deshmukh-Mater model was tried implemented to the DETA-H2O-CO2 system at 2.5 M for predicting CO2 partial pressures against loading at different temperatures. Two steps are needed to fit the parameters in DM model. The first step was to determine the temperature dependency of the equilibrium constants by setting short-range interactions to zero. Secondly, to determine the ij b parameters, which showed significant sensitivity, while keeping the equilibrium constants obtained from the first step. However, in this work only the first step was executed because, with the complexity of the DETA system, the available experimental data material was not large and varied enough to merit going into this procedure. The obtained speciations from the VLE model were compared to NMR results to check the quality of the model. The model fit to the CO2 partial pressure data became acceptable only after fitting also the DETA protonation constants, indication the importance of proper values for these equilibrium constants. The kinetics of the reactions of carbon dioxide in aqueous amine systems were measured for unloaded solutions (MEA and DETA) and for DETA partially neutralized with H2SO4. The measurements were performed in a string of discs contactor for different temperatures and amine concentrations. The pseudo-first order approximation was used to obtain the observed reaction rates and two reaction mechanisms, i.e. the termolecular and zwitterion mechanisms were used to interpret the experimental data. Both mechanisms gave in principle identical results when the zwitterion deprotonation was assumed rate determining and the zwitterion formation rate constant set to infinity. However, the advantages of the termolecular mechanism are that it basically has less parameters and more robust in terms of determining the parameters statistically. The introduction of an additional parameter as in the zwitterion mechanism leads to noise in determining the parameters. The kinetic results suggest that DETA has significantly faster kinetics than AEEA, EDA and MEA, but slower than Piperazine. The kinetic rate constant of the secondary amine group in DETA was also determined and found to be about two orders of magnitude lower than for the primary amine group. However, it should be pointed out that the measured secondary amine group rate constant may not represent the true value for CO2 absorption as the neutralization of the two primary amine groups was done with H2SO4 and not CO2. In addition, a validation of the pseudo-first order approximation by using the penetration model for the fast amines MEA and DETA was performed. The reduction in MEA and DETA concentrations at the interface was found to be less than 1%. This indicated that the pseudo-first order approximation is acceptable.


RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Study preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for acute postoperative pancreatitis after surgical treatment of the pancreatic diseases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Predictive value of the probable preoperative and intraoperative risk factors of the acute postoperative pancreatitis after surgical treatment of the proximal and distal pancreatic cancer were explored and evaluated. Patients were divided at the high risk group and mild risk group using a specially developed formula.

RESULTS
Preoperative and intraoperative risk factors of the acute postoperative pancreatitis were detected and had predictive value. Much of the identified preoperative risk factors indirectly or objectively showed morphology and function of the pancreas. The importance at the development of the acute postoperative pancreatitis playing the conditions of sur gical intervention, its volume and features of technology, results of the intraoperative research of the pathological focus and status of the pancreatic tissue. Its risk factors have been ranked to intraoperative risk factors. The Identification of the intraoperative risk factors of the acute postoperative pancreatitis allowed to make correction of the risk of complications determined at the preoperative stage.

CONCLUSION
The data on the effect of various technological solutions and surgical tactics to the possibility of the development of the acute postoperative pancreatitis should be considered in predicting the development of complications and in develop the most effective and safe technologies of the surgical treatment of the pancreatic diseases, as well as in optimization of the prevention of the acute postoperative pancreatitis and postoperative complications.


Organizations invest manpower and resources to ensure that sensitive corporate data is secure in the hands of its employees. Information security policies of these organizations explicitly state responsibilities for employees. But there is a massive gap between employee security performance and understanding of their information security requirements. In this study, we explore the factors that can enhance information security job performance of employees within organizations. We argue that employee information security performance can be enhanced by developing organizational security competencies. We conduct the argument through a case study of a public sector bank in India. The in-depth case study allows us to develop a theoretical understanding of how different aspects of organizational competence allow organizations to come together to enhance information security performance.


As secularism entrenches itself in a still-new South Africa, alternative ecclesial forms will continue to spark interest among people looking for renewal within - and without - the church. The promise of one such form, the 'new monasticism', merits study not only because of its predecessor's responses under historical empires but also due to its present moment under the Empire of state capitalism. Following some discussions on context, the article explores the movement from a missional perspective: its Anabaptist antecedents, its lay-monastic heritage and North American origin. Two concrete examples are described, with cultural commentary. The remainder of the article questions the movement's relevance for South Africa, evaluating some of the conditions conducive to its local establishment. Despite a negative assessment hope is nonetheless held out for intentional Christian communities, primarily in respect of their visibility.


advice should make the seasoned researcher shudder and give the novice researcher justification for adopting poor research practices. A few special insights can be derived by professional marketing researchers interested in broadening their perspective beyond the traditional marketing research literature. In general, however, this "practical guide" is too elementary for both academic and business researchers. In addition, although students might find the book very readable and interesting, it is not recommended for class use because it does not provide a sufficiently unique contribution beyond most basic marketing research texts. Finally, a superficial treatment of some issues may be misleading for students.


During 2008, we selected 8 studies of interest. It seems important to continue to treat high tension for old patients. To give a good medication against pain, to maintain activity and to reassure patient is the treatment for acute back pain; surgery for spinal stenosis has better results than other treatments at two years of evolution. Pregabalin seems to provide clinically benefit to patients with fibromyalgia. Helicobacter pylori test and treat has the same results than proton pomp inhibitor in initial management of dyspepsia; extending triple therapy beyond 7 days is unlikely to be a clinical useful strategy. Syphilis testing algorithms using treponemal tests for initial screening could be inversed. Finally, selective reporting of clinical trials results for antidepressant are relatively frequent.


PubMed is an integrative system for biomedical literatures and get the number of publications. However, it can't help us analyze the trends and the relationships among the data we got. Our research in this paper is to find out keywords from 2007 to 2011 in biomedicine and then analyzing them. Here we list 34 keywords and get their numbers. Then we used trendlines in Excel to observe the trends of the keywords so that we can divide all of them into five types, which can stand for the whole fields in a way and help researchers study well. Keywords: PubMed , Biomedicine, Keyword, E-utilities, Trend, Type;


meiotic defects, demonstrating that errors can be detected in these cells and revealing a mechanism that regulates anaphase progression. This mechanism does not appear to rely on several components of the spindle assembly checkpoint but does require the kinetochore, as depleting kinetochore components prevents the error-induced anaphase delays. These findings therefore suggest that in this system, kinetochores could be involved in sensing meiotic errors using an unconventional mechanism that does not use canonical end-on attachments.


The Envisat RA-2 burst echoes are being gathered throughout the mission; however, these data are only now being made generally available by the European space agency. Considerable work has been necessary to turn these engineering-level data into a useable altimeter product. This paper documents the processing steps undertaken to generate usable data and presents the first extensive analysis of this unique dataset, using over 75 000 burst sequences with a global distribution. The results show that the burst echo data from Envisat are of extremely low noise, which is particularly evident over non-ocean surfaces, and contain a wealth of detailed information from both land and ocean surfaces. Examples illustrate the complexity of surface response from targets such as inland water and rough terrain. These unique data clearly have the potential to inform future instrument design as well as to improve the understanding of existing altimeter datasets.


This thesis introduces a framework for decision support during the design of applications for the cloud, or migration of existing applications to a cloud environment. For this purpose, a GENeralized Topology Language (GENTL) is introduced and mappings from existing languages to GENTL are provided. An annotation scheme for GENTL, which can capture annotations to topologies and topology elements is designed and instantiations for different annotation types are given. A framework implementing import functionalities for the topology languages Blueprint and TOSCA is presented. The framework enables the annotation of topologies with documentation annotations, references to external resources and incorporates a series of annotations which can be used to retrieve cost calculations from the external decision support system Nefolog.