A SEARCH FOR LOW-AMPLITUDE VARIABILITY AMONG POPULATION I MAIN SEQUENCE STARS Michael Benjamin Rose Department of Physics and Astronomy Master of Science The detection of variable stars in open clusters is an essential component of testing stellar structure and evolution theories. The ability to detect low-amplitude variability among cluster members is directly related to the quality of the photometric results. Point Spread Function (PSF) fitting is the best method available for measuring accurate magnitudes within crowded fields of stars, while high-precision differential photometry is the preferred technique for removing the effects of atmospheric extinction and variable seeing. In the search for new variable stars among hundreds or thousands of stars, the Robust Median Statistic (RoMS) is proven more effective for finding low-amplitude variables than the traditional error curve approach. A reputable computer program called DAOPHOT was used to perform PSF fitting, whereas programs, CLUSTER and RoMS, were created to carry out high-precision differential photometry and calculate the RoMS, respectively, on the open clusters NGC 225, NGC 559, NGC 6811, NGC 6940, NGC 7142, and NGC 7160. Twenty-two new variables and eighty-seven suspected variable stars were discovered, and timeseries data of the new variables are presented.


This paper provides an overview of the DEMO III experimental unmanned vehicle (XUV) autonomous mobility system. The DEMO III XUV program goals, and the vehicles capabilities are discussed. The system requirements for the autonomous mobility system are discussed. The base line approach to the autonomous mobility system is then described. The Demo III program has three demonstrations required, each demonstration will show more the capability. The planned autonomous capability for each demonstration is discussed.


In Discoglossus pictus eggs, only the dimple contains ionic channels active at fertilization; in particular, chloride channels are found in the central protion of the dimple, which is also the site of sperm penetration. Moreover the dimple hosts an imposing cytoskeleton, consisting of a cortical network and bundles of microfilaments extending from the microvilli. Since spectrin cross links actin and is connected through ankyrin to anion transporters in the plasma membrane of erythrocytes as well as to anion channels in other cells, we studied, in D. pictus egg, the relationship between the localization of spectrin and the high polarization of ionic channels and cytoskeletal organization. By means of immunocytochemistry, we localized spectrin exclusively in the egg dimple. In an attempt to trace back the source of spectrin localization, we immunostained sections of D. pictus ovary and localized spectrin in the nuclei of previtellogenic oocytes, where actin is also present. Antispectrin staining remained until germinal vesicle breakdown. By contrast, a cortical localization was found only when the oocytes divided into two hemispheres and into the germinative area (GA), which, after germinal vesicle breakdown, gives rise to the dimple. At this stage the antispectrin signal was particularly strong in the GA. Using Rho‐pialloidin, we also established that spectrin is generally present where F‐actin is found. However, spectrin and F‐actin do not have the same pattern of fluorescence. In conclusion, our data suggest that spectrin may play a role in oocyte and egg polarity. In eggs, it could be instrumental in anchoring to the cytoskeleton membrane proteins such as receptors and ionic channels, including chloride‐permeable channels.


The paper starts by identifying the imbalance in the level of information about the costs of care in the informal and formal sectors. The theoretical issues in the costing of the unpaid contribution of informal carers and the methodological implications of estimating costs to society or to individual carers are identified. An approach to costing informal care is described and then applied to in a study of elderly people and their carers receiving community based social care in ten local authorities.


The rapid growing of the Internet makes multimedia and broadband services closer to the users. For people at home, two typical networks are available to access the Internet: telephone network and CATV network. This paper presents a hierarchical tree-based structure for the hybrid fiber-cable (HFC) network where the traditional HFC network is partitioned into segments. Each segment is coordinated by a central traffic controller (CTC). A reservation-based traffic policy is also proposed for the CTC to schedule the data transmissions within the segment to provide guaranteed QoS, such as constant bit rate (CBR) service and variable bit rate (VBR) service. The CTC also furnishes the bridging function so that local traffic within the controlled segment is filtered to save the network bandwidth. Based on the segmentation concept and filtering function, the bandwidth can be reused efficiently and the system performance is improved significantly. Simulation results indicate that the proposed hierarchical HFC network performs much better than the traditional HFC network in terms of delay, delay jitter and channel utilization. Through the proposed traffic policy, the hierarchical HFC network also offers guaranteed QoS for the users.


The sit-to-stand (STS) motion is an activity of daily living which requires significant torque generation and coordinated movement at multiple joints. It is therefore important to consider the whole-body biomechanics when designing an assistive device for STS. In this study, a passive elastic orthotic was developed which provides bilateral knee extension assistance. Initial human experiments were conducted with two subjects under two foot-placement conditions. The human and device kinematics and dynamics were modelled, allowing for the assessment of the biomechanical effects of the device. The assistance resulted in a decrease in the human knee torque as well as changes in whole-body biomechanics, notably an increase in the linear momentum of the upper body and a decrease in the anterior excursion of the center of mass. These results indicate that single-joint assistance at the knee has the potential to both facilitate successful STS and positively alter whole-body biomechanics.


One of the cardinal questions in tumor immunology is the identification of antigenic structures in human tumors that are recognized by host immune system. A powerful new methodology for identifying human tumor antigens eliciting humoral immune response is SEREX (serological identification of antigen by recombinant cDNA expression cloning). Here, by using this method, a recombinant cDNA expression library from lung cancer was analysed and several new tumor antigens were isolated. Using the lambda-ZAP vector, cDNA expression library was constructed from lung cancer tissues of three patients including a moderately differentiated lung adenocarcinoma, a highly differentiated lung squamous cell carcinoma and a moderately differentiated lung adeno-squamous carcinoma. The primary library consisted of 0.8 x 10(6) recombinants. 33 positive clones encoding antigen genes were obtained after immunoscreening, and the nucleotide sequences of cDNA inserts were determined and analysed with DNASIS and BLAST softwares in EMBL and GenBank. These antigen genes included known genes, such as MAGE (melanoma antigen gene), vitiligo-associated protein VIT-1, fibronectin, Na-K-ATPase et al and unknown genes or ESTs. To characterize expression profile of these genes, antibodies in sera from 48 lung cancer patients and 48 health donors were assayed with three antigens (L-8, L-19, L-51) to screen specific and relative serum markers for lung cancer. The results show that positive rates in lung cancer patients are higher than in health donors. Our research indicates that some of these antigens may be related to lung cancer and may be valuable tumor markers in diagnosis of lung cancer.


Abstract —Although lipid oxidation plays a major role in atherogenesis, the role of antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of the process is not clear. Apolipoprotein (apo) E–deficient mice develop spontaneous atherosclerotic lesions in major arteries. The presence of oxidized lipoprotein epitopes in the lesion suggests that oxidation reactions are involved in atherogenesis in this mouse model, but the inhibitory effect of antioxidants on atherogenesis in the model is controversial. To test the effect of dietary antioxidants on atherogenesis, male apoE-deficient mice (n=15) were fed a standard chow diet supplemented with 0.05% α-tocopherol and 0.05% all-trans β-carotene. A control group (n=15) received no antioxidant supplement. At the end of the trial, mice consuming vitamins had 5× more plasma vitamin E but undetectable β-carotene levels. However, liver levels of the β-carotene metabolite, retinyl palmitate, were higher in antioxidant-treated mice compared with control mice. The antioxidants had no effect on lipoprotein or on plasma anti–oxidatively modified low density lipoproteins (anti-oxLDL) antibody levels. The vitamins had a small but insignificant effect on lipoprotein resistance to ex vivo oxidation, determined by a longer lag period of conjugated diene formation. Atherosclerosis, determined by the lesion size at the aortic sinus, was insignificantly suppressed in antioxidant-treated mice (mean area±SE, 20 000±7129 versus 13 281±5861 μm 2 ; P =0.40). The aortic atherosclerotic lesion area was similar in both experimental groups (2.55±0.65% and 2.08±0.5% of total aortic area in the control and antioxidant group, respectively; P =0.58). The results of the current study suggest that moderate levels of synthetic antioxidant vitamins have no effect on atherogenesis in apoE-deficient mice.


There are many studies about negotiation procedures for contract problems in supply chains. Several recent papers have considered a new negotiation procedure for a repurchase contract problem in a supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer. There, usually, are some wholesalers between a manufacturer and a retailer. Therefore, a supply chain including some wholesalers in addition to a manufacturer and a retailer should be considered. In this study, we call the supply chain in which three or more members are arranged in series the tandem supply chain. We, firstly, address a negotiation problem for a contract about wholesale and repurchase prices in the tandem supply chain in which three members, that is, a manufacturer, a wholesaler and a retailer are arranged in series. The whole contract in the tandem supply chain is composed of two contracts dependent mutually, i.e., the contract between the manufacturer and wholesaler and the contract between the wholesaler and retailer. The collaborative bargaining solution in the tandem supply chain consisting of three members is discussed. This paper, finally, formulates the tandem supply chain including several wholesalers.


Traditional approaches like artificial neural networks, in spite of their intelligent support such as learning from large amount of data, are not useful for big data analytics for many reasons. The chapter discusses the difficulties while analyzing big data and introduces deep learning as a solution. This chapter discusses various deep learning techniques and models for big data analytics. The chapter presents necessary fundamentals of an artificial neural network, deep learning, and big data analytics. Different deep models such as autoencoders, deep belief nets, convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, reinforcement learning neural networks, multi model approach, parallelization, and cognitive computing are discussed here, with the latest research and applications. The chapter concludes with discussion on future research and application areas.


Chemotactic responses in Escherichia coli are typically mediated by transmembrane receptors that monitor chemoeffector levels with periplasmic binding domains and communicate with the flagellar motors through two cytoplasmic proteins, CheA and CheY. CheA autophosphorylates and then donates its phosphate to CheY, which in turn controls flagellar rotation. E. coli also exhibits chemotactic responses to substrates that are transported by the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS). Unlike conventional chemoreception, PTS substrates are sensed during their uptake and concomitant phosphorylation by the cell. The phosphoryl groups are transferred from PEP to the carbohydrates through two common intermediates, enzyme I (EI) and phosphohistidine carrier protein (HPr), and then to sugar-specific enzymes II. We found that in mutant strains HPr-like proteins could substitute for HPr in transport but did not mediate chemotactic signaling. In in vitro assays, these proteins exhibited reduced phosphotransfer rates from EI, indicating that the phosphorylation state of EI might link the PTS phospho-relay to the flagellar signaling pathway. Tests with purified proteins revealed that unphosphorylated EI inhibited CheA autophosphorylation, whereas phosphorylated EI did not. These findings suggest the following model for signal transduction in PTS-dependent chemotaxis. During uptake of a PTS carbohydrate, EI is dephosphorylated more rapidly by HPr than it is phosphorylated at the expense of PEP. Consequently, unphosphorylated EI builds up and inhibits CheA autophosphorylation. This slows the flow of phosphates to CheY, eliciting an up-gradient swimming response by the cell.


We study the problem of designing an optimal sequence of incentives that a principal should offer to an agent so that the agent's optimal behavior under the incentives realizes the principal's objective expressed as a temporal logic formula. We consider an agent with a finite decision horizon, and model its behavior as a Markov decision process (MDP). Under certain assumptions, we present a polynomial-time algorithm to synthesize an incentive sequence that minimizes the cost to the principal. We show that if the underlying MDP has only deterministic transitions, the principal can hide its objective from the agent and still realize the desired behavior through incentives. On the other hand, an MDP with stochastic transitions may require the principal to share its objective with the agent. Finally, we demonstrate the proposed method in motion planning examples where a principal changes the optimal trajectory of an agent by providing incentives.


A concise, asymmetric synthesis of the indole alkaloid (+)-tacamonine is reported involving a stereoselective radical cyclization of a 1-phenylsulfanyl tetrahydro-β-carboline bearing a pendant enoate ester side chain as a key step. In this process, a single stereocenter in the side chain allows for the formation of two stereocenters of the natural product in a highly diastereoselective fashion. Computational investigations of this key cyclization support the experimentally observed outcome and shed light on the factors impacting its stereoselectivity.


Background Germline mutations in the PALB2 gene have been implicated in both breast cancer and pancreatic cancer susceptibility. The extent to which PALB2 mutations account for cancer susceptibility in breast–pancreas cancer families is unknown. Methods High Resolution Melting analysis and Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification were performed to investigate the prevalence of PALB2 mutations in patients with either a personal history of both breast and pancreatic cancer or a personal history of breast cancer and a family history of a first degree relative with pancreatic cancer. Results No PALB2 mutations were identified in 77 breast–pancreas cancer families, which included 22 probands with a personal history of both breast and pancreatic cancer. Conclusion Mutations within the PALB2 gene are rare events that do not account for a substantial proportion of cancer susceptibility in breast–pancreas cancer families. Routine screening of breast–pancreas cancer families for the presence of PALB2 mutations appears to be low yield.


Phagocytosis is an ancient cellular function. However, professional phagocytes have evolved only in higher organisms, where they play an important role in host defence. Professional phagocytes are capable of engulfing relatively large microorganisms and killing them with a combination of various microbicidal systems. Crucial killing mechanisms of phagocytes include superoxide generation by phagocyte NADPH oxidase and release of microbicidal proteins through exocytosis of performed granules. Phagocytes are also able to interfere with microbial growth through alteration of the phagosomal ionic environment (acidification, iron depletion). While the microbicidal mechanisms of phagocytes are extremely efficient and capable of killing most microorganisms, pathogenic microorganisms have developed mechanisms to resist phagocytes. Microorganisms capable of surviving within phagocytes are rare, but represent very successful pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other pathogens, such as S. aureus, have developed strategies to evade phagocytosis. How microorganisms are phagocytosed and killed, and why certain pathogens resist these mechanisms, are crucial questions for an understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and the development of innovative treatment approaches.


This study examined the values in the Sincu Mompindai tradition. For the Mornene society, this tradition has important and profound meaning. The tradition is a ritual beginning for any couple that wants to build a new home. The Sincu Mompindai tradition has become interrelated with Islam. Islamic acculturation with this tradition has occurred since religion has grown in the area. This tradition is laden with Islamic values that influence family life. Analyses have been performed to determine whether there are components of this tradition that are contrary to Islamic tradition and to examine whether Islamic values can be immersed deeper into the traditions preserved in the community. This is a form of Islamization of a society's culture.
Keywords: Mompindai Sincu, Mornene tribe, ritual, tradition, Islam


Building materials and components are much larger and heavier than many industrial materials. Ceiling glass is a type of building material for interior finishing. The demand for larger ceiling glass has increased along with the number of high-rise buildings and an increased interest in interior design. The objective of the study is to introduce robotic technology for installing ceiling glass on construction site. Robotically installed ceiling glass is receiving special attention because of the difficulties in moving to high installation positions and handling fragile building materials. Below, we describe the design of a ceiling glass installation robot. After analyzing a target project, we establish a design concept for a proposed robot. Finally, we describe the detailed design of the robot.


A method is described for obtaining the propagation coefficients and field patterns of a large number of modes for microstrip with a minimum of computational effort. The method uses a discrete space-domain formulation to calculate a large number of higher-order modes in a way which leads to their fast location and which ensures that node modes are missed. This includes those pairs of modes with complex conjugate propagation constants of the type reported for finline, as well as the normal evanescent modes. In addition, the characteristic impedance of microstrip is efficiently calculated. The results presented are obtained using the generally accepted power-current definition and are in agreement with other published results. >


Changes in the optic discs before and after trabeculotomy were evaluated with the Heidelberg retina tomograph (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) in two patients with developmental glaucoma. The topographic parameters of each optic disc improved considerably compared with adult patients in previous reports. This improvement may have been the result of the elasticity of the histologic structure of the optic disc in younger patients.


Abstract Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted traditional neuropsychological practices as in-person evaluations have been postponed. Controversy and ongoing discussion remains about the validity and appropriateness of teleneuropsychology, but provider and patient risk associated with in-person testing needs to be considered when cognitive evaluation is warranted. We describe the remote evaluation of a man hospitalized with altered mental status and positive COVID-19 infection and the effectiveness of teleneuropsychology in clarifying cognition/assisting clinical management in a non-English-speaking individual with limited formal education. Method 35 year old Spanish-speaking male with no formal education referred for inpatient neuropsychological consultation to rule in/rule out possible encephalopathy and confirm premorbid cognitive functioning. Cognitive evaluation completed using iPad and Zoom technology at bedside. Results Tele-neuropsychology was conducted in the patient's primary language without the necessity for PPE, which enabled improved engagement. Although testing had to be modified; the environment could not be controlled; and all cognitive domains could not be evaluated—remote evaluation confirmed fluctuations and variability, both within and between tasks, with notable fluxes in attention, comprehension and speech. Results aided in the management and care of the patient. Conclusion Tele-neuropsychological evaluation in the inpatient setting, while not a replacement for traditional in-person assessment, can play an important role in the management and care of culturally and educationally diverse patients.


Abstract Macrophages and cytokines are important in the control of inflammation and regulation of the immune response. However, they can also contribute to immunopathology in the host after viral infection and the regulatory network can be subverted by infectious agents, including viruses, some of which produce cytokine analogues or have mechanisms that inhibit cytokine function. African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes a number of proteins which modulate cytokine and chemokine induction, host transcription factor activation, stress responses, and apoptosis. The aim of this review is to elucidate the mechanisms of immune responses to ASFV in different subpopulations of porcine macrophages. A transcriptional immune response in different resident tissue macrophages following ASFV infection was presented in many publications. ASFV-susceptible porcine macrophages can be of several origins, such as peripheral blood, lungs, bone marrow, etc. blood monocytes, blood macrophages, and lung macrophages have demonstrated a modulation of phenotype. Monocyte-derived macrophages could express surface markers not found on their monocyte precursors. Moreover, they can undergo further differentiation after infection and during inflammation. When viruses infect such cells, immunological activity can be seriously impaired or modified.


Background: Risky sexual behaviors such as sexual concurrency, sexual networks (fish for sex exchange) and unprotected sex, have been reported as the main cause of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) /HIV infections among fisher folks. Behavioral change mechanisms as condom use and abstinence are some of interventions used in prevention HIV/AIDS spread in Kenya. Risky sexual behaviors increase risk of contracting STIs including HIV/AIDSMethods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 246 randomly selected fisher folks in Mbita- and Usenge along Lake Victoria. The survey used questionnaires to collect data among respondents. Using a sample frame in the beach management unit offices, fisherfolks were identified and invited to participate. Consent was obtained from participantsResults: The mean age of respondents was 31 years old. The 72% of the participants were directly involved in fishing. Participants who had extra marital relationship though married were 56.1% in Mbita and 47% in Usenge. Respondents who took alcohol with friends were 94.1% in Mbita and 96.2% in Usenge. Respondents who indicated that they had unprotected sex under influence of alcohol were 48.3% in Mbita and 77.1% in Usenge. Those who were sexually taken advantage of while under the influence of alcohol were 23.8% in Mbita and 38.3% in Usenge while those had sexually taken advantage of under the influence of alcohol were 18.3% in Mbita and 37.8% in Usenge.Conclusions: Targeted behaviour change communication (BCC) strategies designed specifically for fisherfolks is needed to curb high incidences of risky sexual behaviours noted among the fishermen.


Reactivating the fetal globin gene Mutation of adult-type globin genes causes sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Although treating these hemoglobinopathies with gene therapy is possible, there is a pressing need for pharmacologic approaches to treat general patient populations. One promising approach is to reactivate repressed expression of fetal-type hemoglobin (HbF) in adult erythroid cells. Masuda et al. reveal a molecular mechanism governing HbF repression as mediated by the LRF/ZBTB7A transcription factor. The study may encourage the development of new HbF reactivation therapies for hemoglobinopathies. Science, this issue p. 285 Reactivation of fetal globin gene expression may enable treatment of hemoglobinopathies. Genes encoding human β-type globin undergo a developmental switch from embryonic to fetal to adult-type expression. Mutations in the adult form cause inherited hemoglobinopathies or globin disorders, including sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Some experimental results have suggested that these diseases could be treated by induction of fetal-type hemoglobin (HbF). However, the mechanisms that repress HbF in adults remain unclear. We found that the LRF/ZBTB7A transcription factor occupies fetal γ-globin genes and maintains the nucleosome density necessary for γ-globin gene silencing in adults, and that LRF confers its repressive activity through a NuRD repressor complex independent of the fetal globin repressor BCL11A. Our study may provide additional opportunities for therapeutic targeting in the treatment of hemoglobinopathies.


The Andreasen Scale (SANS), an instrument for evaluating negative symptoms in schizophrenic patients, was translated at the Psychiatric Hospital of Munich and tested on 35 chronic schizophrenic inpatients at the Regensburg State Mental Hospital. In addition, psychopathology was evaluated with the BPRS, sociodemographic data were collected, and cognitive performance was evaluated by the MMS. Also, VBR was determined on the basis of CAT scans. Our results suggest that the SANS is a reliable instrument for measuring negative symptoms; however, the symptom complexes are affected by age, duration of illness and hospitalization, thus making a clear distinction between negative symptoms per se and the effects of hospitalization questionable.


A plant breeder's success in executing any breeding program depends greatly in the presence and amount of genetic variation including the genetic repeatability of the traits of interest. Fifteen white maize populations available at the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) were grown and evaluated at the Central Mindanao University (CMU) and UPLB on July and December 2011 respectively, to assess the genetic repeatability and the estimates of genetic coefficient. Different maize characters such as yield, days to anthesis , days to silking, plant and ear height, stand count, number of ears, ear length, ear diameter and shelling percentage were studied. The results revealed that in terms of repeatability, yield (31%), plant height (34.88), ear height (41.84%), and shelling percentage (35.54%) obtained moderate values while the rest of the traits indicated low values. Estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) exhibited moderate values for yield, stand count and number of ears while low values were indicated by all of the traits for genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV). Low magnitude of GCV as well as moderate genetic repeatability for the traits being investigated suggests that these parameters were under the control of environmental effects.


: Background: Unsuspecting around DM dangers are standpoints in the mix by disease narrow-mindedness is fundamental in nations with low holding requirements. Our impulse examines interviewed DM-related information, arrogance, and achievements among general individuals in Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: Our current research was led at Services Hospital Lahore from April 2017 to May 2018. The data were compiled from adults aged 20-88 years, eye to eye interviews with a semi-structured survey. The appreciation of immovable information ranged from 1-8; an estimate of _7 was regarded as charming diabetes care. Informative encounters, chi-square tests, additional straight and parallel decisive setbacks were polished for investigation. Results: The normal age of respondents was 35.94 _ 13.6 years. Inside and outside 87.8% of respondents had diabetes as their main concern, and 32.5% had the glucose obstruction test. We found that 4.5% of respondents achieved zero for diabetes information, 13.5% for 12 and 49.6% for _8 (pleasant viewing). Ladies (_ = 0.39, 97% feel-good pause[CI]: 0.18, 0.07; p = 0.001), tax status (_ = 0.26, 97% CI: 0.14, 0.38; p < 0.002), diabetics (_ = 0.84, 97% CI: 0.56, 1.12; p < 0.003) and driven directions (_ = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.35; p < 0.001) remained connected by information value to and from. Patients occupying a high family position often showed a created mood for enhanced qualities and those with low monetary value (balanced potential outcomes go to 2.59, 97% CI: 2.14, 3.26). Essentially, 10.9% (35/350) of those who opted for DM had never performed blood glucose screening since their disclosure. Conclusion: Data on DM hazards, the board additionally cares about little in the extensive Pakistani system. Relieved, state-upholstered precursor projects would continue to be affected at the national level in order to increase the valuation for DM, which also inhibits the movement.


One hundred and fourteen women presenting during pregnancy with an abnormally high blood pressure and/or proteinuria had a renal biopsy usually on the 8th day following delivery. The pathological specimens were examined by light and/or electron and/or immunofluorescence microscopy. Forty-one cases were studied with all three techniques. The patients could be allocated to six groups on the basis of clinical criteria. The first two groups (52 patients) showed the typical clinical and pathological features of classical preeclampsia. The remaining 62 women (four groups) had isolated hypertension, and, of these, 42 had a renal pathological pattern similar to that of preeclampsia. These 42 patients also had persistent hyperuricemia. Thus in pregnancy, hypertension and persistently elevated uric acid levels are indicative of glomerular lesions of "pregnancy induced nephropathy".


Identifying differences between groups is one of the most important knowledge discovery problems. The procedure, also known as contrast sets mining, is applied in a wide range of areas like medicine, industry, or economics. In the paper we present RuleKit-CS, an algorithm for contrast set mining based on a sequential covering – a well established heuristic for decision rule induction. Multiple passes accompanied with an attribute penalization scheme allow generating contrast sets describing same examples with different attributes, unlike the standard sequential covering. The ability to identify contrast sets in regression and survival data sets, the feature not provided by the existing algorithms, further extends the usability of RuleKit-CS. Experiments on wide range of data sets confirmed RuleKit-CS to be a useful tool for discovering differences between defined groups. The algorithm is a part of the RuleKit suite available at GitHub under GNU AGPL 3 licence (https://github.com/adaa-polsl/RuleKit).


With recent technological advancements in mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, Location-Based Services (LBSs) have surfaced as prominent applications in mobile networks. An important challenge in the wide deployment of location-based services (LBSs) is the privacyaware management of location information, providing safeguards for location privacy of mobile clients against vulnerabilities for abuse. This paper describes a scalable architecture for protecting the location privacy from various privacy threats resulting from uncontrolled usage of LBSs. This architecture includes the development of a personalized location anonymization model and a suite of location perturbation algorithms. In particular, our algorithm makes use of a variable-sized cloaking region that increases the location privacy of the user at the cost of additional computation, but maintains the same traffic cost. Our proposal does not require the use of a trusted third-party component, and ensures that we find a good compromise between user privacy and computational efficiency. we propose a user-defined privacy grid system called dynamic grid system (DGS); the first holistic system that fulfils four essential requirements for privacy-preserving snapshot and continuous LBS. Our experiments show that the personalized location k-anonymity model, together with our location perturbation engine, can achieve high resilience to location privacy threats without introducing any significant performance penalty. Experimental results show that our DGS is more efficient than the state-of-the-art privacypreserving technique for continuous LBS. Keyword: location privacy, Dynamic grid systems, kanonymity, security etc....


In this paper, I argue for a systematic study of the role that language contact has played in the development of
 German, French, Italian and Spanish address systems. While the current state of research clearly points to contact-induced changes
 in Early Modern European polite address, some important desiderata concerning the precise direction, nature and scope of contact
 influences remain. Against this background, I present historical foreign language manuals as a promising source for the
 comparative study of historical European address practices and their development. Through an explorative analysis of metapragmatic
 comments and model dialogues in selected foreign language manuals, the increasingly dynamic pressures experienced by interlocutors
 both to distance themselves from one another and to express solidarity come to light, as multi-level address systems emerge and
 mixed styles of address gain in importance.


This paper provides an account of the reasons for the differences between the theories of David Ricardo and Henry Thornton for the depreciation of sterling during the Napoleonic Wars. Ricardo held that only overissue by the Bank of England could cause depreciatiaon of sterling during the Restriction while Thornton believed that other causes, like a bad harvest, could also be responsible for declining value of sterling in terms of bullion. Ricardo thought that a strict application of the conditions of international commodity arbitrage under the gold standard showed that a bad harvest could not cause a depreciation of sterling, but, applying a barter model, he failed to consider the effect of a bad harvest on the demand for money. In contrast, Thornton's anticipation of Wicksell's natural-rate theory did not strictly adhere to the conditions of international commodity arbitrage assumed by Ricardo, allowing for the operation of a Humean price-specie-flow mechanism, but, like Ricardo, Thornton implicitly made the untenable assumption of an unchanging demand for money.


Distal metastases are classically situated below the knee or elbow. However, metastases of the extremities: wrist and hand, or ankle and foot, have etiological and histological characteristics. We report one case of bone metastasis and one case of soft tissue metastasis. The distal bone metastases are often solitary. Bronchial cancers represent the most frequent cause of distal metastases (20% of all cases). They are responsible for 50% of distal metastases of the upper limb and more often occurs as a squamous cancer. Their localization may sometimes reveal a bronchial cancer, and so allow curative surgery. The metastases of soft tissue are exceptional. In the literature, only 2 cases of soft tissue metastasis of bronchopulmonary cancer are described. Clinically, it is a painful swelling preserving the under lying bone. The prognosis is always one of bronchial metastasis cancer with an average survival of 3-6 months.


ABSTRACT We have recently described GS 4071, a carbocyclic transition-state analog inhibitor of the influenza virus neuraminidase, which has potent inhibitory activity comparable to that of 4-guanidino-Neu5Ac2en (GG167; zanamivir) when tested against influenza A virus replication and neuraminidase activity in vitro. We now report that GS 4071 is active against several strains of influenza A and B viruses in vitro and that oral GS 4104, an ethyl ester prodrug which is converted to GS 4071 in vivo, is active in the mouse and ferret models of influenza virus infection. Oral administration of 10 mg of GS 4104 per kg of body weight per day caused a 100-fold reduction in lung homogenate viral titers and enhanced survival in mice infected with influenza A or B viruses. In ferrets, a 25-mg/kg dose of GS 4104 given twice daily reduced peak viral titers in nasal washings and eliminated constitutional responses to influenza virus infection including fever, increased nasal signs (sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth breathing), and decreased activity. Consistent with our demonstration that the parent compound is highly specific for influenza virus neuraminidases, no significant drug-related toxicity was observed after the administration of oral dosages of GS 4104 of up to 800 mg/kg/day for 14 days in nonclinical toxicology studies with rats. These results indicate that GS 4104 is a novel, orally active antiviral agent with the potential to be used for the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza A and B virus infections.


While breast cancer is still increasing in frequency, new diagnostic procedures are now available to challenge existing procedures and to make diagnosis of breast cancer more accurate and reliable. Mammography remains the standard investigation to reveal disease in an asymptomatic population: it can also be used to diagnose breast cancer in symptomatic patients (e.g. those with palpable breast lumps) and for guiding fine needle aspiration (FNA). Because the majority of breast lumps are benign, the challenge is to distinguish benign from malignant lesions without the use of invasive methods and this has attracted nuclear medicine physicians and medical oncologists to investigate the role of scintigraphic procedures to identify which patients require FNA. This review attempts to shed light on the various scintigraphic methods available which are of potential practical use in the assessment of malignant breast disease as well as looking at the possible role of nuclear medicine in the treatment of advanced disease.


Background: The incidence of emotional disorders in children and young people is an escalating concern. Research suggests poor emotional health in adolescence is related to many negative outcomes including loneliness, lack of school adjustment, poor academic performance and mental health issues. The Pyramid project (school-based intervention programme) aims to improve the socio-emotional well-being of vulnerable adolescents. Previous studies with primary-aged children have demonstrated the positive impact of Pyramid programmes on vulnerable children's social and emotional health (Ohl et al 2008, Ohl et al 2012).
Aim(s): To examine the impact of Pyramid interventions on the socio-emotional health of pupils in early secondary education and to explore how programmes bring about change.
Methods: The impact of the Pyramid project on twenty-one early-adolescent students was examined through a mixed-methods design including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) and focus groups with Pyramid group participants and programme leaders.
Results: Results from the teacher assessment Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire demonstrated improvements in the intervention group's socio-emotional competencies compared to a comparison group. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected from focus groups supported the quantitative findings and identified potential causal mechanisms facilitating change.
Conclusion: Further research is required to develop these preliminary findings and to demonstrate evidence-based practices for enhancing young people's socio-emotional well-being. These preliminary findings will contribute to future research on a larger cohort and support extending the research to examine the impact on academic performance. Findings have the potential to underpin evidence-based policy and practice in the early adolescent population.


Policy Reuse is a method to improve reinforcement learning with the ability to solve multiple tasks by building upon past problem solving experience, as accumulated in a Policy Library. Given a new task, a Policy Reuse learner uses the past policies in the library as a probabilistic bias in its new learning process. We present how the effectiveness of each reuse episode is indicative of the novelty of the new task with respect to the previously solved ones in the policy library. In the paper we review Policy Reuse, and we introduce theoretical results that demonstrate that: (i) a Policy Library can be selectively and incrementally built while learning different problems; (ii) the Policy Library can be understood as a basis of the domain that represents its structure through a set of core policies; and (iii) given the basis of a domain, we can define a lower bound for its reuse gain.


OBJECT
The medial tubercles of the atlas serve as the attachments of the transverse ligament and provide an important anchoring site for which no discussion of their fine anatomy is published in the literature. In this study the authors examine this anatomy along with its osseous relationships.

METHODS
One hundred dry cadaveric atlantal tubercles were assessed for size and relationship to nearby anatomical osseous structures. In addition, eight cadaveric specimens were evaluated for their anatomy in this area. All specimens exhibited atlantal tubercles for the attachment of the transverse portion of the cruciate ligament of the atlas. Right-sided tubercles tended to be of a larger caliber. Overall, right-sided vertical distances between these tubercles and the superior articular facets and inferior articular facets were greater, although distances from each tubercle to the lateral margin of the dental facets anteriorly were found to be constant, as were intertubercular distances. The mean angle formed between both tubercles and the dental facet was 75 degrees.

CONCLUSIONS
The data derived in this study should be useful to the clinician for whom the craniocervical junction is a vital anatomical area.


Morphological data and molecular data from the chloroplast trnH-psbA region and nuclear ribosomal ITS region are used to test the hypothesis that the problematic Canary Island endemic Convolvulus floridus var. virgatus is a hybrid between the endemic species C. floridus and C. scoparius. Analysis of mean leaf length and width of 58 individuals indicates that accessions referable to C. floridus var. virgatus are intermediate between the parental taxa in leaf dimensions. Direct sequencing of the ITS region of C. scoparius and C. floridus revealed two species-specific ribotypes distinguished by 10 base differences. Examination of ITS chromatograms for putative hybrids revealed polymorphisms at those sites that are diagnostic between species in all except one putative hybrid. Morphological intermediacy and ITS additivity therefore support the hybrid status of C. floridus var. virgatus. An analysis of intraindividual ITS variation confirmed the co-occurrence of both parental ribotypes in putative hybrids and demonstrated that some hybrid individuals contained chimaeric ITS types. It is proposed that chimaeric ITS types are the result of recombination following backcrossing. Sequencing of the trnH-psbA region revealed four haplotypes. Three were, for the most part, confined to C. floridus and putative hybrids although one C. scoparius accession was also found to share this haplotype. The remaining haploype was only found in C. scoparius and putative hybrid accessions. Patterns of haplotype distribution between parental and hybrid accessions suggest multiple, bidirectional hybridization events between C. floridus and C. scoparius. The nomenclature of the hybrid is discussed and the necessary new name C. × despreauxii is proposed. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 187–204.


A special area in the rapidly growing range of food products is occupied by specialized and functional products, especially for certain categories of citizens. In addition to confirming their biocorrective properties, it's necessary to balance protein, fat and carbohydrates contents as well as the availability of essential nutrients. The developed meat product based on porcine hearts and aorta was characterized by a high protein content (17.53±0.95%), with a low fat content (3.82±0.13%), the atherogenic index was 0.43. According to in vivo study results, it was shown that the introduction of developed product during 42 days into the diet of hyperlipidemic rats lead to a decrease in the relative content of saturated fatty acids by 21.1%(P<0.05), mainly due to palmitic fatty acid reduction by 42.0% (P<0.05) compared with the control. The observed modifications of serum fatty acid composition resulted in the reduction of atherogenic index by 43.3% (P<0.05). The revealed positive dynamics of lipid metabolism recovery in hyperlipidemic rats makes it possible to recommend the developed product as a component of diet therapy, concomitant to the main treatment, for persons with risk of cardiovascular diseases, in particular, due to dyslipidemias.


Abstract The digestion process in fish is a complex phenomenon and is accomplished with the help of both endogenous and exogenous enzymes. A wide range of enzymes have been reported in fish and their secretion and concentrations highly depend on feeding habits, gut structure and environmental conditions. In this present investigation, we have demonstrated the activity of two endogenous enzymes (protease and amylase) in four economically important air-breathing fish species (Clarias batrachus, Channa punctatus, Anabas testudineus and Heteropneustes fossilis) at different seasonal temperatures. Our results demonstrated that protease activity was higher in all fish during the month of May, followed by September and December. It was also detected that enzyme activity was higher in the hindgut region (HG) compared to the foregut (FG), which suggests that HG is more active in digestion compared to FG. The optimization of feeding efficiency in aquaculture industries is very important, as the cost of feed is high and its availability is also limited. The information presented may be of importance when developing optimized diets and feeding regimes for the species considered.


Forty patients were studied retrospectively to evaluate the effect of epidural steroid injections on low back pain and sciatica characteristic of spinal stenosis or a herniated lumbar disc. All but one of these patients had radicular symptoms. The average age was 55 years, and the average follow-up time was eight months. All patients were injected by the same anesthesiologist with 2 cc of Depomedrol-40. Thirty-six patients received either one, two, or three injections. Four patients received either four or five injections. The overall results were poor, with about 60% of patients reporting varying degrees of relief from leg and back pain immediately after injection. However, at follow-up examination, only 24% were asymptomatic; 40% reported no change in preinjection numbness, weakness, or pain; and approximately 35% had varying degrees of relief with no consistent pattern. Of those who had complete relief, there was no correlation between relief of pain, age, or number of injections. From this study, it appears that approximately 50% of patients with radicular symptoms may receive temporary relief with steroid injection. However, long-term relief occurs in less than 25% of patients.


Ultra-lightweight Thread (uThread) is a library package designed and optimized for user-level management of parallelism in a single application program running on distributed memory computers. Existing process management systems incur an unnecessarily high cost when used for the type of parallelism exploited within an application. By reducing the overhead of ownership protection and frequent context switches, uThread encourages both simplicity and performance. In addition, uThread provides various scheduling support to balance the system load. The uThread package reduces the cost of parallelism management to nearly the lower bound. This package has been successfully running on most distributed memory computers, such as Intel iPSC/860, Touchstone Delta, NCUBE, and TMC CM-5.<<ETX>>


Over the past few years, California became the setting for shocking tales of sex inequality and abuse in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Decades after women achieved educational parity,1 men still run the corporate world. In response to these stories exposed by the #MeToo movement, California joined the transnational corporate board quota movement by converting its voluntary quota into a hard one. Will California's first-mover status overcome constitutional objections and inspire other jurisdictions to act. Or is just utopian dreaming, California-style? This Essay argues that despite its many flaws, the quota may succeed in curbing male over-representation on corporate boards. After contextualizes the quota within the transnational corporate board quota movement, it rejects the U.S. reaction that emphasizes the private sector's dominion over equality remedies. Despite the U.S. resistance to quotas, comparative experience reveals both that the private sector manages how quota implementation occurs. The Essay concludes that some public intervention — in concert with private efforts — remains necessary.


The science historian, Isaac Bernard Cohen named the new method of "making science" created by Isaac Newton by the name of "newtonian style". The central point of this "newtonian style", according to the definition of Cohen himself is the successive adaptation from "mental constructions" - to mathematical - to comparisons with nature. This means that, according to Cohen, a direct dynamic between "mental constructions" - mathematical - and physical systems should exist. For this reason, one of the most important characteristics of the "newtonian style" would be, first, mathematics and, afterwards, a series of experiments - and not the other way round. Newton would have brilliantly concluded, while writing the "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", that, to describe with absolute precision the movement of planets and satellites, or movement in general, was immensely more complicated than his contemporaries and ancestors would have thought. In this way, the solution found by Newton was to start from simple idealized cases, passing progressively to other also idealized but more complicated cases and finally to go to the opposite way, that means, to prove the most simple cases through divisions of more complicated cases, although always in the direction of truth.


Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role in the immune system. In this study, TNF-α expression was analyzed in 11 tissues of 8 piglets resistant to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F18 and 8 ETEC F18-susceptible piglets from the Large White breed. The expression levels of TNF-α were high in immune organs (spleen, lung, thymus, and lymph nodes). The levels were higher in ETEC F18-resistant piglets than in ETEC F18-susceptible piglets, with significant differences in spleen, kidney, thymus, lymph node, and duodenum (P < 0.05). The mutation TNF-α -791(C→T) and 3 genotypes (CC, CT, and TT) were identified. The TNF-α expression levels in the spleen, kidney, lymph nodes, and duodenum were significantly higher in the TT pigs than in the CC pigs (P < 0.05). Thus, TNF-α -791(C→T) has significant effects on mRNA expression and may regulate ETEC F18 resistance of weaning piglets. Therefore, the -791(C→T) mutation of the TNF-α gene could be considered an important potential genetic marker of ETEC F18 resistance.


High sodium intake is one of the risk factors for the development of hypertension. According to 2007 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, sodium intake of Korean was three times higher than adequate intake (1.5 g/day) recommended by Korean Dietary Reference Intakes. High sodium intake is related to high threshold and preference of salty taste. And zinc status is known to affect taste acuity. The hypothesis of this study is that zinc status is associated with salty taste acuity, preference, sodium intake and blood pressure. The subjects included in this study were 50 men and 41 women aged 20-29 y who did not smoke and not take supplements or medications regularly. Dietary intake data for 3 days were collected by 24-h recall for 1 day and dietary record for 2-days. Salty taste acuity and preference were determined by sensory test. Fasting serum concentration of zinc, height, weight, body composition and blood pressure data were collected. Salt taste preference in high zinc intake group (≥ estimated average requirement, EAR; men-8.1 ㎎/day, women-7 ㎎/day) was higher than that in low zinc intake group (< EAR). Salty taste preference was inversely correlated with serum zinc concentration in people with low concentration of serum zinc (? 81㎍/㎗)(r = -0.3520, p < 0.05). Diastolic blood pressure was higher in high sodium intake group than in low sodium intake group (p < 0.05), positively correlated with salty taste preference (r = 0.3866, p < 0.05) in subjects with daily zinc intake below the EAR. We conclude that low zinc status may be related to high salty taste preference and high blood pressure in Korean young adults.


In this issue of Blood, Milner et al and Haapaniemi et al report that STAT3 gain-of-function (GOF) mutations are responsible for multiorgan autoimmunity, autoimmune cytopenia, lymphoproliferation, and immune deficiency. Recently, Flanagan et al identified germline heterozygous STAT3 GOF mutations in 5 patients with early-onset multiorgan autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, and growth retardation. The 2 studies of this issue extend the phenotype of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) hyperactivity and provide some insights into the underlying mechanistic consequences. Milner et al describe 13 new cases (in 10 families) and Haapaniemi et al 3 cases (1 new and 2 already reported by Flanagan et al), altogether resulting in a cohort of 19 patients reported so far.TheSTAT3GOF-associated phenotype is very diverse, and therefore its definition is equally complex. In lay terms, pick up some symptoms among immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome (IPEX)-like (early-onset autoimmunity with diabetes and enteropathy), autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS)-like (autoimmune cytopenia and lymphoproliferation), and STAT5b-deficiency– like (short stature, autoimmunity, interstitial pneumoniae) diseases, add a flavor of immune deficiency, and mix! Among the 19 cases, the more frequent manifestations include autoimmune cytopenia (n 5 14), lymphadenopathy (n5 11), lymphoproliferation (n5 10), short stature (n5 12), recurrent infections (n5 11), intestinal manifestations (n 5 9), and cutaneous manifestations (n 5 9). In contrast to the first description of the disease by Flanagan et al, in which early-onset type 1 diabetes was prominent (4/5), diabetes is now reported in "only" 6/19 patients. The immune deficiency consists mainly of hypogammaglobulinemia, with all patients of Haapaniemi's study having decreased levels of switched memory B cells, natural killer cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Contrary to Flanagan and Haapaniemi's studies, which reported only de novomutations, Milner et al reported some inherited cases. The data pointed to incomplete penetrance, as some Both LOF and GOF STAT3 mutations have significant clinical consequences. Whereas STAT3 LOF is responsible for autosomal-dominant hyper–immunoglobulin E syndrome (AD-HIES) with increased susceptibility to infection via reduced Th17 and B-cell function, STAT3 GOF is responsible for both immune dysregulation and immune deficiency. The clinical phenotype of STAT3 GOF-induced immune dysregulation is very diverse and can be seen as a mix of IPEX-like, ALPS-like, and STAT5b-deficiency–like symptoms. IgE, immunoglobulin E; IgG, immunoglobulin G.


Compact disk (CD) Microfluidic platforms are being studied for medical applications such as blood tests. However, its size is bulky and electricity is needed to realize centrifuge force. In this paper, bearing-based hand spinner is designed using three-dimensional printer. This spinner does not need electricity and keeps rotating direction unlike paperfuge while it is spinning. The properties of spinner vary depending on bearing type which is positioned at the center. The type of weighting area also affects change in RPM over time. When a separation experiment is implemented, separating mixture into red ink and oil and whole blood into red blood cell and plasma are achieved properly with ceramic ball bearing.


Gas engine driven heat pumps (GHP) currently hold a small share of the U.S. HVAC market. This share is considerably smaller than what the full potential of GHP technology can realize. One of the main benefits of GHP technology is their better primary energy utilization mainly due to the ability to recover the engine heat. However, development and market penetration of GHP technology have been challenged by various market and technical barriers. The main barriers are high initial cost, low awareness of the technology, and poor perception. On the other hand, several opportunities arise that the GHP technology can take advantage of to increase its market share. The most direct opportunity is the abundance of relatively cheap natural gas. This translates directly into monetary savings and higher return on investment (ROI). GHPs offer the advantage of reducing the peak demand by 80% compared to electric counterpart. From the point of view of utilities, this eliminates the need for lower-efficiency peaking power plants and over-expansion only to cover maximum peak times. From the point of view of renewable customers, GHPs eliminate the need to buy power from the grid at a high price. This is especially important in hot climates with high cooling loads. When built and operated as distributed generation, GHPs can improve the reliability of power delivery to consumers. The paper discusses the challenges and opportunities as seen during the development and commercialization of two different GHP products; a 35 kW (10-ton) packaged unit and 17.5 kW (5-ton) split unit. © 2017 Stichting HPC 2017. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the organizers of the 12th IEA Heat Pump Conference 2017.


Abstract Wild and managed bees are key pollinators, providing ecosystem services to a large fraction of the world's flowering plants, including ~85% of all cultivated crops. Recent reports of wild bee decline and its potential consequences are thus worrisome. However, evidence is mostly based on local or regional studies; global status of bee decline has not been assessed yet. To fill this gap, we analyzed publicly available worldwide occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility spanning more than a century of specimen collection. We found a steep decreasing trend in the number of collected bee species occurring since the 1990's, which today is half from that found in the 1950's. These trends are alarming and encourage swift action to avoid further decline of these key pollinators. One Sentence Summary Analysis of multi-decadal GBIF occurrence records shows a steep decrease in the diversity of bees being collected worldwide.


Early discussions and theoretical positions concerning rural change were developed by researchers from countries with post-production economies in order to explain the rural transformations. When discussing economic change in rural space over the last decades, Marsden, T. et al. (1993) presented a new perspective for understanding rural restructuring that includes new subjects, such as capital mobility, flexible production regimes, complexity in the relationship between technology and environment, economic deregulation and new political processes. According to these authors, in order to understand such processes, it is necessary to research the effects of globalization at local scale of action. A recurrent theme in rural studies has been the significance of diverse globalization processes as drivers of rural change (Marsden, T. 2003; Robinson, G.M. 2004; Woods, M. 2005, 2007; Ploeg, J.D. van der 2008). Multidimensional and multidirectional perspectives have indicated that rural space has become more embedded within a globalized rural world. Therefore, in recent years, researchers have displayed an interest in understanding the dynamics of the rural spaces in developing countries which are also being affected by global processes in different pathways (Wilson, G.A. and Rigg, J. 2003; Rigg, J. 2006; Bryant, C.R. et al. 2008; Ploeg, J.D. van der et al. 2010). In summary, this article forms a critique of the simplistic assumptions formulated in the literature regarding spatial change, which assumes the rural is essentially subject to external actions. I argue that the rural space should also be seen to possess its own dynamics which contribute to complex pathways and so adapts to new scenarios of spatial change in the contemporary world.


Background: Although the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the 'gold standard' for diagnosing prediabetes/diabetes, it is inconvenient for the patient and time consuming. The only alternative simple screening test is fasting plasma glucose (FPG). FPG concentrations of >6.0 mmol/L represent prediabetes/diabetes. FPG concentrations of 6.0 mmol/L may be considered 'normal', although some such patients will demonstrate abnormal glucose tolerance when subjected to an OGTT. We have evaluated the use of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as a screening test for diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in patients who have risk factors for diabetes but FPG ≤6.0 mmol/L. Methods and results: A total of 580 patients with at least two risk factors for diabetes underwent an OGTT and HbA1c measurement. In all, 225 patients had a FPG ≤6.0 mmol/L and met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 23.1% (n=52) had an abnormal OGTT result (45 had IGT and 7 had diabetes). Subjects with abnormal glucose tolerance had a higher percentage of HbA1c than subjects with normal glucose tolerance (P<0.001). An HbA1c of 5.6% gave an optimal sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 77% to predict a 2 h plasma glucose ≥7.8 mmol/L. Conclusion: The use of FPG concentration followed by selective measurement of HbA1c in patients who are at high risk of developing diabetes may represent a reasonable approach to identifying patients requiring an OGTT.


The purpose of this research work was to assess the impact of examination malpractices on the measurement of ability in Nigeria. The design of this study is survey research. A sample of 300 students and 100 lecturers randomly selected from four universities in North Central Nigeria was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. Four research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested. The result indicates that lecturers and students indulge in examination malpractice in Nigeria. It is affirmed that examination malpractice is caused by undue emphasis on paper qualification, fear of failure and inadequate preparation among other factors. The result also shows that the major types of examination malpractice being perpetuated in universities are possession of 'foreign materials' during examination, collusion by students to cheat in examination and continuous assessment malpractice. It reveals further that examination malpractice leads to lack of confidence in Nigerian educational products, results in half-baked graduates, discourages hard work and lowers the standard of education. The article maintains that the calamity of examination malpractice is not just the havoc it wrecks in our educational system but the gradual indoctrination of youths into the practice of fraud. It is recommended that examination malpractice legislation should be enforced and that guidance and counseling services be adequately provided in universities to minimize the incidence of examination malpractice.


Protein translocation across membranes is a critical facet of protein biogenesis in compartmentalized cells as proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm often need to traverse across lipid bilayers via proteinaceous channels to reach their final destinations. It is well established that protein biogenesis is tightly linked to various protein quality control processes, which monitor errors in protein folding, modification, and localization. However, little is known about how cells cope with translocation defective polypeptides that clog translocation channels (translocons) during protein translocation. This review summarizes recent studies, which collectively reveal a set of translocon-associated quality control strategies for eliminating polypeptides stuck in protein-conducting channels in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria.


Muslim women promoting peace. By Zaleha Kamaruddin and Abdul Rashid Moten. International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Press, 2016. Pp. XXVI+184. ISBN: 978-967-418-448-3 (pbk).
Reviewer: Foyasal Khan, Doctoral Candidate, International Islamic University Malaysia. E-mail:email@example.com Islam is a universal religion followed by over 1.5 billion people in the world. Though Islam is essentially a religion of peace, non-Muslims" views of Islam, barring a few neutral or mildly positive stances, have been negative. Most non-Muslims consider Muslim headscarves, mosques, and minarets as archaic, traditional, anti-democratic and, hence, a threat to the West.The fact that Islam emphasizes the principle of unity and equality of mankind to promote peace has been neglected. The Qur"anic call for harmony, amity and cooperation among people in all societies for the success and stability of all has been belittled.


Plastids (chloroplasts) possess 70S ribosomes that are very similar in structure and function to the ribosomes of their bacterial ancestors. While most components of the bacterial ribosome (ribosomal RNAs [rRNAs] and ribosomal proteins) are well conserved in the plastid ribosome, little is known about the factors mediating the biogenesis of plastid ribosomes. Here, we have investigated a putative homolog of the bacterial RbfA (for ribosome-binding factor A) protein that was identified as a coldshock protein and an auxiliary factor acting in the 59 maturation of the 16S rRNA. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the vascular plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) both encode a single RbfA-like protein in their nuclear genomes. By generating specific antibodies against this protein, we show that the plant RbfA-like protein functions exclusively in the plastid, where it is associated with thylakoid membranes. Analysis of mutants for the corresponding gene (termed RBF1) reveals that the gene function is essential for photoautotrophic growth. Weak mutant alleles display reduced levels of plastid ribosomes, a specific depletion in 30S ribosomal subunits, and reduced activity of plastid protein biosynthesis. Our data suggest that, while the function in ribosome maturation and 16S rRNA 59 end processing is conserved, the RBF1 protein has assumed an additional role in 39 end processing. Together with the apparent absence of a homologous protein from plant mitochondria, our findings illustrate that the assembly process of the 70S ribosome is not strictly conserved and has undergone some modifications during organelle evolution.


Energy efficiency has always been a hot issue in wireless sensor networks. A lot of energy-efficient algorithms have been proposed to reduce energy consumption in traditional wireless sensor networks. With the emergence of software-defined networking, researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of software-defined networking over traditional wireless sensor networks. Thus, energy-efficient algorithms in software-defined wireless sensor networks have been studied. In this article, we propose an energy-efficient algorithm based on multi-energy-space in software-defined wireless sensor networks. First, we propose a novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks according to current research on software-defined wireless sensor networks. Then, we introduce the concept of multi-energy-space which is based on the residual energy. Based on the novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks and the concept of multi-energy-space, we give a detailed introduction of the main idea of our multi-energy-space-based energy-efficient algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm performs better in energy consumption balance and network lifetime extension compared with the typical energy-efficient algorithms in traditional wireless sensor networks.


The influence of hydrogen on the microstructure and mechanical properties of gamma titanium aluminide alloys has been studied. Gas phase charging experiments have been conducted over the temperature range of 500 deg C to 1100 deg C with hydrogen pressures from 0.1 to 13.8 MPa. Following high pressure charging, two different hydrides have been observed: a newly identified tetragonal hydride and a FCC delta hydride. The new hydride, designated the theta phase, has a composition of approximately Ti2AlH and is body centered tetragonal with lattice parameters of a = 0.528nm and C = 2.848nm. At lower hydrogen pressures of 0.1MPa, both hydride phases have been observed only in near-surface regions in association with a series of reactions with trace gaseous impurities that result in complex mixtures of oxides and hydrides. Tension tests were conducted on samples that were pre-exposed to air, vacuum and 0.1MPa hydrogen environments prior to testing. Yield strengths were not significantly influenced by the hydrogen, air or vacuum exposures, but tensile ductility was reduced by both air and hydrogen exposures. Compression experiments following high pressure charging showed a substantial strengthening effect of the hydrides. No tension experiments could be conducted on high pressure charged materials, due tomore » the extreme embrittling effect of these high pressure exposures.« less


Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most highly malignant tumors and has a complicated pathogenesis. A preliminary study identified syntrophin beta 1 (SNTB1) as a potential oncogene in CRC. However, the clinical significance, biological function, and underlying mechanisms of SNTB1 in CRC are unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the function of SNTB1 in CRC.Methods: The expression profile of SNTB1 in CRC samples was evaluated by database analysis, cDNA array, tissue microarray, Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and immunohistochemistry. SNTB1 expression in human CRC cells was silenced using short hairpin RNAs and its mRNA and protein levels were assessed by qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by the cell counting, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays, respectively. A xenograft nude mouse model of CRC was established for validating the roles of SNTB1 in vivo. Immunohistochemistry was used to score the expression of SNTB1 in tissue samples. The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) was used to analyze the differentially expressed proteins after knockdown of SNTB1 in CRC cells.Results: SNTB1 expression was increased in CRC tissue compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues and the increased expression was associated with shorter overall survival of CRC patients. Silencing of SNTB1 suppressed cell viability and survival, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro, and inhibited the growth of CRC cells in vivo. Further elucidation of the regulation of STNB on CRC growth by iTRAQ analysis identified 210 up-regulated and 55 down-regulated proteins in CRC cells after SNTB knockdown. A PPI network analysis identified protein kinase N2 (PKN2) as a hub protein and was up-regulated in CRC cells after SNTB1 knockdown. Western-blot analysis further confirmed that SNTB1 knockdown significantly up-regulated PKN2 protein expression in CRC cells and decreased the phosphorylation of both ERK1/2 and AKT. Conclusion: These findings indicate that SNTB1 is overexpressed in CRC. Elevated SNTB1 levels are correlated with shorter patient survival. Importantly, SNTB1 promoted tumor growth and progression of CRC, possibly by reducing the expression of PKN2 and activating the ERK and AKT signaling pathway. Our study highlights the potential of SNTB1 as a new prognostic predictor and therapeutic target for CRC.


We introduce two practical methods for estimation and inference on a nonparametric structural function $h_0$ and its derivatives -- such as elasticities or other marginal effects -- using instrumental variables. The first is a data-driven choice of sieve dimension. The second is a data-driven approach for constructing uniform confidence bands (UCBs) for $h_0$ and its derivatives. Both procedures are simple to implement, have strong theoretical justification, and do not require prior information about the smoothness of $h_0$ or instrument strength. Our first procedure leads to estimators of $h_0$ and its derivatives that converge at the fastest possible (i.e., minimax) rate in sup-norm. Our second procedure yields UCBs for $h_0$ and its derivatives that have correct asymptotic coverage and contract at, or within a logarithmic factor of, the minimax rate. Our UCBs are asymptotically more efficient (i.e., narrower) than UCBs based on the usual approach of undersmoothing. As an application, we estimate the elasticity of the intensive margin of firm exports in a monopolistic competition model of international trade. Simulations illustrate the good performance of our procedures in empirically calibrated designs. Our results provide evidence against common parameterizations of the distribution of unobserved firm heterogeneity.


The surgical registry was reviewed for mandibular reconstruction from 1988 to 1992. During this time, 51 patients underwent mandibular reconstruction. Of this group, 17 patients had their microvascular bone grafts secured with lag-screw fixation. An AO technique, utilizing 2.7-mm cortical screws, was used to provide rigid fixation. Mandibular defects ranged from 6 to 20 cm. AO vascularized bone grafts were studied with bone scans and remained viable. Follow-up revealed no flap losses or oral cutaneous fistulae. Lag-screw fixation, in conjunction with mandibular reconstruction, results in rigid fixation, obviates the need for mandibulamaxillary fixation, has the advantage of ease of application, and is safe to use.


On November 1, 1755, the city of Lisbon was completely devastated by the combined effect of a tremendous earthquake, tsunami waves, and fire. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake was the most destructive cataclysm recorded in western Europe since the Roman Republic, with an estimated earthquake magnitude Mw ∼8.5 [Martins and Mendes Victor, 1990] and estimated tsunami magnitude of Mt= Mw= 8.5. The earthquake was felt as far away as Great Britain and Finland. The tsunami hit many coastal cities along southwest Iberia and North Africa, causing heavy destruction in Tanger and Casablanca.


While protein tags are ubiquitously utilized in molecular biology, they harbor the potential to interfere with functional traits of their fusion counterparts. Systematic evaluation of the effect of protein tags on localization and function would promote accurate use of tags in experimental setups. Here we examine the effect of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) tagging at either the N or C terminus of budding yeast proteins on localization and functionality. We use a competition-based approach to decipher the relative fitness of two strains tagged on the same protein but on opposite termini and from that infer the correct, physiological localization for each protein and the optimal position for tagging. Our study provides a first of a kind systematic assessment of the effect of tags on the functionality of proteins and provides step towards broad investigation of protein fusion libraries. Highlights Protein tags are widely used in molecular biology although they may interfere with protein function. The subcellular localization of hundreds of proteins in yeast is different when tagged at the N or the C terminus. A competition based assay enables systematic deciphering of correct tagging terminus for essential proteins. The presented approach can be used to derive physiologically relevant tagged libraries.


Background

Teenage marriage and adolescent pregnancy present a significant health challenge in the Tanzania. About 36% of women aged 15-49 are married before the age of 18, and 32% of rural adolescents (10-19 years) gave birth, compared with 19% of urban. In Mwanza region, one third of currently married adolescent and women aged 15-49 experienced unmet need for family planning and had low use of modern contraceptives. Here we present a study that explored the gaps in accessing and utilization of quality adolescent sexual and reproductive health services (ASRH).
Methods

This was a descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional formative study utilizing multiple qualitative research methods. Purposive sampling was used to select an urban district (Nyamagana), rural district (Magu) and an island (Ukerewe). Sixty-seven IDI and 30 focus group discussions (FGDs) stratified by gender (12 out-of-school, 12 in-school), and (3 male, 3 female adults) were purposefully sampled. Vignettes were done with 15-19 years old in-school and out-of-schools boys and girls. An experienced moderator, along with a note-taker, led the discussions while taking notes. The FGDs were recorded using an MP3 voice recorder. Thematic analysis approach was undertaken and data was analysed using NVivo 12, a qualitative software.
Results

The identified the most important pressing needs of the adolescents in relation to SRH. Adolescent girls needed specific services such as counselling on menstrual health, sexual consent, HIV/AIDS, and prevention of pregnancies. Sanitary pads during menstrual period were very important pressing need of the adolescent girls. Adolescents both girls and boys preferred to receiving friendly health care services in a respectful manner. Girls mentioned that they would like to receive SRH support from nurses in health facilities, mothers, sisters, aunties and friends. With regards to boys, they preferred to receive the SRH from health care providers followed with their peer's friends. Several obstacles were reported to hinder access to SRHS predominantly among the adolescent girls as compared to the boys. Poor infrastructure tended to impair the privacy at the health facilities, and rarely there were specific buildings to provide friendly adolescent sexual and reproductive health services.
Conclusions

The strategies to guide delivery of ASRH should involve the inclusion of duty bearers, promotion of friendly health care services where health workers provide services in friendly-manner, provision of ASRH education for awareness creation to adolescents and supportive parents/ care takers.


To improve physico-chemical properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) at its preformulation stage, myriad of excipients having defined functional roles like solubility enhancement by co-solvent, micells formation and complexation, intestinal permeability enhancement through the inhibition of efflux transport mechanisms, stability-improvement using pH adjustment, cryo-and lyo-protectants, etc are incorporated into a dosage form containing the API. Although considered primarily as inactive materials, the excipient(s) may react with the API resulting in the development of a detrimental or beneficial substance within the API-loaded dosage form itself. If detrimental substances are formed, then, the issue of API-excipient incompatibility will come up and demand the reformulation of the API, which is costly and time-consuming. This book surveys a comprehensive list of published examples of API-excipient incompatibility relevant to currently or previously marketed drugs. With this coverage, this book also provides first-hand information on the multicomponent nature and complexity of the excipients to the formulation scientist.


Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compression neuropathy of the median nerve at the level of the wrist. It is an occupational disease commonly seen in dentists, soldiers, and laboratory workers who make repetitive upper limb movements. The incidence of Carpal tunnel syndrome is 1-3 cases per 1000 subjects per year; the prevalence is approximately 50 cases per 1000 subjects in the general population. There is no direct reference in Ayurveda; the symptoms can be compared to Vishwachi. In contemporary medicine, analgesic tablet liniments are prescribed, temporarily providing temporary symptomatic relief. Surgery is advised as a relief measure. In this single case study, a 60-year-old male patient with complaints of pain, tingling sensation in the wrist, fingers of the right hand and inability to perform daily activities for eight months is considered. He was diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome. He is treated by snehana nasya, one of the Panchakarma indicated in urdhwajatrugata vyadhi, along with sthanika abhyanga and Kukkutanda pinda sweda which proved very beneficial and effective in relieving the symptoms of the patient. Treatment by Ayurveda is the current need as there is no effective treatment for complete management of the condition in conventional medicine.


Definitions of treatment success used in clinical trials of medications for serious mental illness have generally focused on reduction in symptoms assessed via observer-rated instruments such as the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in MDD and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale in schizophrenia. In recent years, there has been a shift toward incorporating outcomes into clinical research that are patient-reported and reflect outcomes and goals that are meaningful to the patient. These outcomes include aspects of functioning (eg, activities of daily living and role fulfillment), as well as life engagement, which interacts with symptomatic and functional outcomes and encompasses aspects such as motivation and vitality. In a recent roundtable meeting, a panel of 5 experts discussed life engagement and its relationship to symptoms and functioning in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia. This Academic Highlights summarizes their discussion.


Conceptual approach and heuristic method for an investigation of the possible algebraic structure of the interdependence between mathematical and physical reality and about the connection between local, non-local and global properties in physics and mathematics, expressed by a general n-fold algebra


Auditing the sensitivity of microscopic diagnosis of gonorrhoea is recommended by the current guidelines. A retrospective study was performed of 596 cases of positive cultures for Neisseria gonorrhoeae in modified New York City culture (MNYC) media diagnosed from 1995 to 1999. The sensitivity of the cervical slides in women was 51% while in men who have sex with men (MSM) the sensitivity of urethral and rectal slides were 89% and 54% respectively. The sensitivity of urethral slides in heterosexual men was 84%. Neisseria serovar 1B02 among MSM and serovar 1B31 among women were mostly undiagnosed with microscopy. Serovars 1A05, 1A21, B08 among heterosexual men were exclusively associated with negative microscopy. Microscopy is important in the rapid detection and treatment of gonorrhoea. Infections with certain serovars are less likely to be detected by microscopy; making them more likely to spread within the community. Culture from different ano-genital sites is essential to maximize detection of gonorrhoea in all patients.


Background: The most common type of breast cancer is the ductal type (IDC), followed by lobular type (ILC). Surgery is the main therapy for early-stage breast cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy might be given to those at high risk of recurrence. Recurrence is still possible after mastectomy and chemotherapy and most often occurs in the first two years. We aimed to determine the mechanisms in early local recurrence in both types. Methods: We used an observational method with a cross-sectional study design. The samples were patients with early-stage IDC and ILC, who underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and got adjuvant chemotherapy with taxan and anthracycline base, and experienced recurrence in the first two years after surgery. The materials in this study were paraffin blocks from surgical specimens; we examined vimentin, α-SMA and MMP1, PDGF and CD95 by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Data analysis was done using OpenEpi 3.0.1 and EZR. We used pathway analysis with linear regression. Results: There were 25 samples with local recurrence and 25 samples without recurrence in the ductal type group. The lobular type group consisted of six subjects without recurrence and seven with recurrence. There were significant differences in the expression of vimentin (p = 0.000 and 0.021, respectively), PDGF (p = 0.000 and 0.002) and CD95 (p = 0.000 and 0.045) in ductal and lobular cancer types, respectively. MMP1 (p = 0.000) and α-SMA (p = 0.000) only showed a significant difference in the ductal type. The pathway analysis showed that in the ductal type, the mechanism of recurrence was enabled by two factors: α-SMA and CD95. Meanwhile, for the lobular type, the recurrence mechanism was through the CD95 pathway. Conclusions: Local recurrence in early-stage IDC and ILC had different mechanisms.  These findings are expected to make cancer treatment in both types more focused and efficient.


Background: Personality distinguishes individuals from one another, guides their actions and reactions, and dictates their preferences in many aspects of life, including shopping. Objective: This study determines the characteristics of an ideal customer based on individual personality. Methods: Data mining techniques used in this study are K-nearest neighbour (KNN), linear support vector machine (SVM), and random forest. This study also applies the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) to overcome the imbalance in the amount of data. Results: This study shows that the application of the SMOTE and random forest models resulted in 88% accuracy, 79% precision, and 70% recall, which are the highest compared to other models. Conclusion: SMOTE in this research is unsuitable for use in the KNN and linear SVM classification models. Ensemble-based models such as random forest can produce high accuracy when SMOTE is applied for data pre-processing.


This article explores the issue of missing from and missing out on education. It argues that too little is known with regard to the characteristics of children and young people missing from schooling. It postulates that many of these pupils will have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties which are largely unrecognized and thus not provided for. The number of missing children and young people is estimated at 100,000 and evidence is provided to support this. Literature is drawn upon which illustrates ways in which it is possible to go missing despite recent attempts by agencies to tighten recording systems. The cost to society from having pupils missing from education is briefly explored. The article concludes that the notion of a 'knot worker' is one that should be pursued if the number of missing pupils is to be effectively reduced.


Air quality models are important for studying the impact of air pollutant on health conditions at a fine spatiotemporal scale. Existing work typically relies on area-specific, expert-selected attributes of pollution emissions (e,g., transportation) and dispersion (e.g., meteorology) for building the model for each combination of study areas, pollutant types, and spatiotemporal scales. In this paper, we present a data mining approach that utilizes publicly available OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to automatically generate an air quality model for the concentrations of fine particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter at various temporal scales. Our experiment shows that our (domain-) expert-free model could generate accurate PM2.5 concentration predictions, which can be used to improve air quality models that traditionally rely on expert-selected input. Our approach also quantifies the impact on air quality from a variety of geographic features (i.e., how various types of geographic features such as parking lots and commercial buildings affect air quality and from what distance) representing mobile, stationary and area natural and anthropogenic air pollution sources. This approach is particularly important for enabling the construction of context-specific spatiotemporal models of air pollution, allowing investigations of the impact of air pollution exposures on sensitive populations such as children with asthma at scale.


Introduction: Sinonasal mucormycosis is an invasive fungal rhinosinusitis which rapidly involves orbits and brain either by direct extension or angioinvasion. Uncontrolled diabetics and immunocompromised patients are prone for this invasive fungal infection. The rapidity of severity of symptoms and morbidity of this invasive fungal infection warrant earliest diagnosis and appropriate management. This research work will be helpful in comparing sinonasal mucormycosis in Coronavirus Disease- 2019 (COVID-19) patients as all cases in present study were not associated with COVID-19 infection. Aim: To observe presenting features and estimate morbidity of mucormycosis patients in tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional retroprospective study was conducted in Department of Otorhinolaryngology of a tertiary teaching hospital from July 2018 to March 2020. Total 25 sinonasal mucormycosis patients who underwent endoscopic debridement along with amphotericin B were included in this study. Patient was analysed regarding age, gender, chief complains, accompanying co-morbidity, extension of disease, medical treatment, surgical intervention and final outcome. Statistical analysis was done in the form of mean, mode, median and percentage wherever required. Results: Total 14 (56%) patients were male and 11 (44%) patients were female with median age of 48 years. Total 13 (52 %) patients had facial pain or headache while 13 (52%) had facial or orbital swelling followed by nasal symptoms in 5 (20%), vision loss in 4 (16%) and ptosis in 3 (12%) cases. Twenty four (96%) of cases were having uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Only 3 (12%) had limited sinonasal disease while 22 (88%) had fungal invasion in orbit. Total 7 (28%) patients had intracranial extension. Out of 25 patients, 4 (16%) expired, 7 (28%) had permanent vision loss and 12 (48%) recovered completely and 2 (8%) left hospital against medical advice. Conclusion: Present study concluded that mucormycosis is strongly associated with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Most common presenting features were facial pain, headache and facial orbital swelling. Only half of the patients recovered with minimal morbidity. Mortality is associated with intracranial extension of mucormycosis. Early diagnosis, extensive and timely endoscopic debridement and appropriate use of amphotericin B is key for treatment of black fungus.


Recently, a number of amorphous alloys that possess high glass-forming ability and a wide supercooled liquid region before crystallization have been discovered. Especially, bulk metallic glasses, which are made in bulk form with a thickness of ~10 mm at slow cooling rates of the order of 1~100 K/s, have been noted as an industrial application. Hence the welding of bulk metallic glasses to other materials is very important. Explosive welding of most popular Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu10Ni12.5Be22.5 bulk metallic glass to crystalline pure Ti and SUS304 plates is investigated in this paper. The BMGs was found to retain the amorphous structure and the original mechanical properties. The sound bonding with other materials is expected to push forward the application of bulk metallic glass for industrial usage.


Mammography is the best existing assessment for the discovery of early indications of breast cancer, for example, masses, calcifications, respective asymmetry and building twisting. Furthermore, mammograms are hard to interpret, particularly of cancer at their beginning times. The presence of relics and commotions can exasperate the location of breast cancer and decrease the pace of accuracy in the computer aided analysis (CAD). For this reason, pre-processing of mammogram images is significant during the time spent breast cancer analysis since it could decrease the quantity of false positive. Then again, it could assist radiologists with making an examination between mammograms. This paper proposed to Novel Threshold Based Pre Reduction Technique and Pre Processing research strategy of mammography breast cancer image processing.


In this meta reaction paper, I reflect on the initial paper by Wang and Doty (2022a), the two responses (Russ-Eft, 2022; Yoon, 2022), and the final response-to-respondents (Wang & Doty, 2022b). I focus on two observations that stood out for me, encompassing: (1) how HRD is defined; (2) what HRD should contribute to and to what extent the initial authors' theorizing of HRD is actually "emancipatory." First, I conclude that Wang and Doty's systems perspective leaves little room for the individual agency and legitimate interests that various stakeholders have around the ways in which employee learning is organized. Connected with this, their treatment of "the mainstream HRD literature" is not convincing, which limits the rationale for and contribution of their own theorizing efforts. Second, I conclude that Wang and Doty's work violates the ethical core of HRD and, moreover, falls short of being about "emancipatory theorizing" as they claim.


This study describes the behavior of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) regarding the movement of share prices of the companies listed at KSE-100 Index as well as how the share price at KSE follows Random Walk. Moreover, this study pinpoints that the prices of the securities are co-integrated and cannot always be predicted. However, the historical data of KSE-100 Index from January 2, 2001 to November 15, 2011 was collected which contains 2672 observations of the closing share price index of the top 100 companies listed with KSE. Simple unit root – Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) – tests and Johansen Co-integration test was used which discusses the efficiency of the market. Empirical findings of this study suggest that KSE-100 Index follows the Random Walk Hypothesis (RWH) and Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). However, KSE is an efficient financial market that can adjust to any new information very quickly and efficiently and the prices of the securities listed for trading at KSE-100 Index cannot be predicted. Hence, KSE cannot be beaten to gain any abnormal return. This research will provide a better understanding about the behavior of KSE as it applies advance econometric techniques which tends to produce more reliable results.