BERC-Luso is a project for building Ethics and Regulatory Capacity, to be developed in four sub-Saharan African countries: Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Cape Verde, and to be implemented in 2018–2021. National Ethics Committees (NECs) and National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) have been engaged (6 institutions) with the partnership of 4 Portuguese institutions (experts in ethical review and regulatory supervision). Considering that: 1) clinical trials are fundamental to improve healthcare and develop biomedical research; but 2) can only take place within regulatory systems and under ethical review protocols; and 3) some African countries still lack an adequate legislative framework and the expertise to assure good ethical review and regulatory supervision, it is urgent to change the current situation. The BERC-Luso project will unfold at four different levels, each aiming at a specific goal in converging dynamics. Legislative level: Presentation of a comparative study of'the Portuguese Speaking African Partner Countries' legislation on NECs and NRAs with recommendations for revision in compliance with the international requirements. The goal is to promote adequate internationally recognised legislation. Educational level: Implementation of an intensive and comprehensive Education Programme, both theoretical and practical, reflexive and normative, ethical and legal, addressing the needs of the countries involved, within their cultural contexts, and in their own mother tongue. The goal is to promote capacity building. Training level: Organisation of intensive internships, demanding participants to accurately apply everything they have learned to their everyday practice. The goal is to have knowledgeable and skilled experts. Networking level: Build powerful digital tools to connect partner institutions, staff and participants during the project and beyond, creating a digital repository of documents, and different tools for ethical and regulatory evaluation. These actions converge to provide internationally recognised legislation and expertise for the development of biomedical research for the benefit of the population.


PURPOSE
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of minimal hearing loss (HL) on children's ability to perform simultaneous tasks in quiet and in noise.

METHOD
Ten children with minimal HL and 11 children with normal hearing (NH) participated. Both groups ranged in age from 8 to 12 years. The children categorized common words (primary task) while completing dot-to-dot games (secondary task) in quiet as well as in noise presented at 0 dB and +6 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). It was hypothesized that the children's progression through the dot-to-dot games would slow as they encountered more difficult listening environments. This hypothesis was based on the theory that listeners have limited cognitive resources to allocate to any combination of tasks.

RESULTS
The dot rate of both groups decreased similarly in the multitasking conditions relative to baseline. However, no other differences between groups or listening conditions were revealed. Significantly poorer word categorization was observed for the children with minimal HL in noise.

CONCLUSION
These data suggest that children with minimal HL may be unable to respond to a difficult listening task by drawing resources from other tasks to compensate.


Concrete walls are commonly used to resist lateral loads. Their relatively high stiffness limits the inter-story drifts and minimizes damage to other structural and nonstructural elements. However, significant structural damage to the walls is expected during seismic events. This study investigates numerically the effectiveness of using Superelastic (SE) Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bars to improve the seismic performance of moderate and squat concrete walls. The used analytical model was validated using experimental results by others. It was then utilized to investigate the cyclic load-displacement response of one-intermediate and two-squat walls while incorporating SMA bars. Results of this study led to identifying the location of SMA bars that result in best seismic performance


BACKGROUND
Communities across the United States have become more involved in enhancing school readiness. Many of the predictors of school readiness relate to conditions prior to and following the birth of the child, including a child's birthweight. Shortened birth intervals are related to a variety of health and social consequences that affect child development, yet no formal research has examined the association between birth intervals and school readiness.

METHODS
This study was a secondary data analysis of de-identified pregnancy-related vital record information, matched to selected items from the Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid records on mothers and children and to the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery score in South Carolina for the year 2000 for the child of interest (N = 6915). Analysis of covariance and logistic regression were used to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between birth interval and school readiness.

RESULTS
Results showed that birth interval is a significant predictor of school readiness with a P-value <0.001 even after controlling for various socio-demographic factors. Children born with inadequate birth intervals (less than 24 months) are more likely to fail the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery compared with those with adequate birth intervals. Potential implications of this research include promoting optimal birth spacing to improve the likelihood that future first graders will come to school ready to learn.


In this essay, we analyze a corpus composed of a brochure of the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil ( Roteiros do Brasil: 87 belos motivos para viajar pelo Brasil, 2009 ), which presents suggested itineraries of trips in the country. The main objective was to determine the mode of circulation of a stereotype about the national space, without assuming, however, stereotypes as something stagnant or reducent, but rather as a regularization, an effect of resumptions, paraphrases and repetitions that lead to "forgetting" of the enunciative source. They are an element of interdiscourse whose entry into the thread of the discourse leaves its marks, in this instance, inclusive structures that mark a shift in the Edenic stereotype of Brazil, without giving it away. The analyses lead to the conclusion that the discourses that circulate in the fi eld of tourism - as much as they support a stereotype of national space – show, by the supportive effect of the preconstruction, the shift of this image to a plural aspect of the country.


Four spontaneous, single-step mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 resistant to low levels of the cephalosporin 3'-quinolone ester Ro 23-9424 were isolated at a frequency of 10(-10) to 10(-11) mutants per CFU plated. The mutants were cross-resistant to both cephalosporin (cefotaxime) and quinolone (fleroxacin) components. Accordingly, they had altered porins and replicative DNA biosynthesis resistant to fleroxacin. There was no increase in beta-lactamase activity when tested with nitrocephin, and the penicillin-binding protein profiles were normal.


This study was conducted to determine the most successful techniques on inmature and in vitro-matured cat oocytes that were parhtenogenically activated using 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP) and cycloheximide (CHX), in combination with electrical stimulation and calcium ionophore. After 44 h of in vitro maturation, the oocytes with a polar body were separated as mature (M II) and those without a polar body were considered as immature. Four different activation treatments and two control groups were used for parthenogenetic activation with both mature and immature cat oocytes. After 48 h of activation, the oocytes were examined and the non-cleaved oocytes removed. The cleaved oocytes/embryos were cultured in vitro in mSOF medium for an additional four days. After six days of in vitro culture (IVC), embryo quality was evaluated. The results in the present study suggested that (I) both in vitro matured and immature cat oocytes have a potential to develop to morula and blastocyst stages after parthenogenetic activation, (II) electrical stimulation + 6-DMAP is a more useful technique for both matured and immature cat oocytes and (III) to our knowledge, this is the first report that describes morula and blastocyst formation from parthenogenetically activated immature cat oocytes.


The present study describes the lung morphology of the common toad, Bufo arenarum, as observed by light and electron microscopy. The lung wall consists of four layers: mesothelium, dense connective tissue with thin elastic fibers, loose connective tissue containing smooth muscle fibers and an internal respiratory epithelium. The lung presents three types of folds defined by their epithelia. First order folds are coated by ciliated epithelium containing numerous goblet cells. Second order folds present the same type of epithelium but devoid of goblet cells, while third order folds are only lined by respiratory epithelium. The respiratory surface of the lung is lined by a single cell type, the pneumocyte, which presents characteristics of both type I and type II alveolar cells of higher vertebrates. The pneumocytes are prismatic in shape and possess attenuated cytoplasmatic processes which spread over the pulmonary capillaries to form the outer layer of the air-blood barrier. These cells present microvilli in the apical extreme and contain different types of cytoplasmic bodies: electron dense, multivesicular and lamellar.


Decisions about which sites to preserve and study are among the most critical that archaeologists make. Sound preservation decisions depend on well-supported assessments of archaeological site importance, which in turn depend on agreed frames of reference or contexts. For archaeologists working in Colorado and adjacent regions, one of the most important frames of reference is a series of context documents published by the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists. As is true of any synthesis of archaeological data, those contexts are now in need of renewal, and in some cases revision. To provide one venue for context updates, Paleocultural Research Group has inaugurated an online, refereed journal called Reviews in Colorado Archaeology (RCA) that publishes authoritative and critical reviews, original research, National Register contexts, and methodological primers. RCA also publishes separately numbered, book-length contributions and distributes monographs or edited volumes produced by universities, federal or state agencies, or other organizations. RCA is one component of a new website designed to support research, cultural resources management, and public education in Colorado archaeology. Called "Online Resources for Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation," or ORCA, the site is an open-access platform that integrates a reference library, a compendium of hyperlinks to online resources, a forum for community discussion and professional collaboration, and resources for educators, students, and avocationals.


The nonlinear-optical characteristics of AgGa1-xInxSe2 crystals with x = 0.25–0.34 are studied. The experimental dependence of the wavelength of noncritical phase matching on the indium concentration is obtained upon second-harmonic generation by pumping the crystal by a CO2 laser. The quadratic nonlinear susceptibility is measured by the absolute method. The radiation resistance threshold for pulsed radiation from the CO2 laser is determined.


Earlier studies have established that the rodent bladder carcinogen o-anisidine (OA) gives negative results in all of the standard rodent genetic toxicity assays. In the present study, a single oral administration of the maximum tolerated dose level (750 mg/kg) of OA to B6C3F1 mice yielded negative results in 32P-post-labelling assays of bladder and liver DNA (24 h after dosing). Likewise, 14C-ring-labelled OA administered orally to B6C3F1 mice gave no evidence of DNA binding 6, 12 or 24 h later. Administration of OA (750 mg/kg) to transgenic lacI- mice (Big Blue) led to a small increase in mutation frequency (MF) in the bladder, but not in the liver. Increased MFs were observed in the bladder following 1, 3 or 10 daily doses with sampling times of 1 or 2 weeks after the final dose. However, statistical significance (P < 0.01) was only reached 2 weeks after either 3 or 10 daily administrations of OA. The positive control chemical (dimethylnitrosamine) gave a positive result (P < 0.01) in the liver, but not the bladder, 7 days after a single administration of 10 mg/kg. The possibility that OA is mutagenic and carcinogenic to the rodent bladder via formation of radical species is suggested.


Popular trust in political institutions is vital to democracy, but in post-Communist countries, popular distrust for institutions is widespread, and prospects for generating increased political trust are uncertain given disagreements over its origins. Cultural theories emphasizing exogenous determinants of trust compete with institutional theories emphasizing endogenous influences, and both can be further differentiated into micro and macro variants. Competing hypotheses drawn from these theories are tested using data from 10 post-Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Aggregate data on economic and political performance are combined with survey data on interpersonal and political trust, political socialization experiences, and individual evaluations of national performance. Results strongly support the superiority of institutional explanations of the origins of political trust, especially micro-level explanations, while providing little support for either micro-cultural or macro-cultural explanations. This encourages cautious optimism about the potential for nurturing popular trust in new democratic institutions.


Most of the building of temples Hindu / Buddhist in Java, always equipped with statues as a symbol of the manifestation of the gods. These statues are usually placed in the temple chambers in accordance with their respective functions. One thing that is interesting about how to obtain the materials and manufacturing process performed by the artists sculpture carving during the Ancient Java era?. Therefore, the approach tries to uncover ethno-archaeology through ethnographic data. From these data, expected to be useful for science as well as add insight for anyone who wants to know about the 'secret' making of the statues in the Java-Kuna. Our ancestors have proven that they have the genius of local identity and identity as a cultural and civilized nation.


Both the sociology and the cognitive science of religion seek to explain the acquisition of religious beliefs. In this article, I offer an account of the acquisition and distribution of religious beliefs using the findings of both fields. In the process, I seek to illustrate the potential of interdisciplinary dialogue for improving our understanding of religion and its absence. More specifically, I present a prima facie case—based on existing work in the social and cognitive sciences, exploratory online surveys, and participant observation—that witnessing actions attesting to religious claims is one of the most crucial variables determining whether or not an individual will explicitly believe such claims. Further, I argue that the connection between action and belief can help produce an improved account of secularization and non-theism, defined here as the lack of explicit belief in the existence of non-physical agents.


Background and Objectives: Carbapenem antibiotic are drug of last-resort from the treatment of bacterial infection, as a result of the prevalence and rapidly evolving enzymes from Carbapenem resistant bacteria such Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae make urinary tract infection difficult, and in some cases impossible to treat in health care settings. With limited progress of new antibacterial drugs, the best approach is monitoring the prevalence and antibiogram profile of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae among patients with UTI in Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Methodology: A non-repetitive, clean catch mid-stream urine was collected from five hundred (500) diagnosed UTI inpatient and outpatient. The samples were evaluated using routine microbiological protocol for isolation and identification of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Phenotypic screening of Carbapenem-resistant strains was performed using Modified Hodge Testing. Antibiogram studies of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method and the results were interpreted using the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) zone diameter breakpoints. Multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) was determined for MDR strain.
Result: The prevalence of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate accounted for 148(29.6 %) consisting of 95(54.3 %) and 53(16.3 %) from in-patients and out-patients. Escherichia coli accounted overall isolation rate of 112(22.4 %) comprising of high proportion among in-patient 82(46.9 %) over out-patient 30(9.2 %). The proportion of K.  pneumoniae accounted for 36(7.2 %) with 13(7.4 %) and 23(7.1 %) recorded among in-patients and out-patients. Association between presence of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in clinical samples was statistically significant with patient's population with p value <0.05. Carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for 37(7.4 %) comprising of 24(13.7) and 13(4.0 %) among in-patients and out-patients respectively while carbapenem-susceptible Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for overall detection rate of 111(22.2 %) consisting of 71(40.6 %) and 40(12.3 %) among in-patients and out-patients respectively. The isolates resistance rate to cephalosporins were relatively high i.e., Cefotaxime, Cefoxtin Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone resistance was observed at 60-100% while amoxicillin/clavulanate, azetronam, tetracycline nitrofurantoin and Ticarcillin-clavulanic acid recorded 100 % with MDR index ranged from 0.5-0.8, but were 100 % and 85.0 % sensitive to ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin.
Conclusion: These results strongly hypothesize that MDR bacteria, including Carbapenem-resistant isolate, have become common residents in various hospital environments, however with substantial evidence in this study, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin as drugs of choice could be used for treatment of UTI. Therefore, its importance that good antibiogram evaluation of other drug classes beside fluoroquinoles reported in this study need to be establishes as baseline for empirical diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance, drug prescriptions and infection management.


The non-covalent interaction of reactive brilliant red (RBR) as a representative of sulfonic azo compounds with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by a combination of UV-VIS spectrometry, fluorophotometry, circular dichroism (CD) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) technique. The thermodynamic characterization of the interaction was performed. The saturation binding numbers of RBR on peptide chains were determined and the effects of electrolytes and temperature were investigated. The ionic interaction induced a combination of multiple non-covalent bonds including hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions and van der Waals force. A three-step binding model of RBR was revealed. The binding of RBR molecules might occur on the external surface of HSA via electric interaction when the mole ratio of RBR to HSA was less than 40 and RBR molecules entered the hydrophobic intracavity of HSA when ratio was more than 40. Moreover, RBR binding resulted in a conformational change in the structure of HSA or even the precipitation of HSA and inhibited its function accordingly. The possible binding site and the conformational transition of HSA were hypothesized and illustrated. This work provides a new insight into non-covalent interactions between sulfonic azo compounds and proteins, which may be further used to investigate the potential toxicity mechanism of azo dyes.


This article deals with an extended application of the constrained eigenstructure assignment method (CEAM) to finite element model updating. The existing formulation is modified to accommodate larger systems by developing a quadratic linear optimization procedure that is unconditionally stable. Further refinements include the updating of the mass matrix, a hysteretic damping model, and the introduction of elemental correction factors. Six numerical test cases, dealing with effects of damping and measurement noise, mode shape incompleteness, and discretization differences, were conducted in the case of a 3-D frame model with 114 coordinates. The performance of the CEAM was evaluated systematically for both the purpose of error location and the global correction of the initial model. The same cases were also studied using another model updating approach, namely the response function method (RFM). It was found that the CEAM had a number of distinct advantages, such as yielding a noniterative direct solution, requiring much less computing power, and providing acceptable results for cases, that could not he handled using the RFM.


This paper puts forth a fault diagnosis method of kernel principal component analysis(KPCA) based on reconstruction of input space sample vectors.The pre-image of vector reconstruction is obtained by using a constraint on the distance between the input space and feature space.This method was applied to sensors diagnosis of hydro turbine regulation and a model of KPCA fault diagnosis was developed through analyzing fault mechanism,selecting input vectors,and determining kernel function and the number of principal components.Simulations of diagnosis on guide vane sensor fault and flow sensor fault were made using sample data produced by the nonlinear state equations for turbine regulation system.Results show that the proposed method is practically feasible and effective.


A person's health status is largely determined by factors outside the control of the healthcare sector. While some of these are fixed, such as inheritance, many are environmental in the broadest sense of the term. These operate through such socioeconomic sectors as employment, education, housing and transport, which structure the health risks and opportunities of individuals. Typically the structuring is unequal—sometimes referred to as clustering of disadvantage—so that those who are less well placed socioeconomically also have worse health outcomes, contributing to socioeconomic inequalities in health.

The health impacts of these sectors can be influenced by interventions, whether or not these are primarily motivated by health considerations. For example, a policy or other intervention to improve educational status can raise the socioeconomic standard, thereby improving health. Such interventions have the potential to increase or decrease inequalities.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is concerned with the health of populations.1 It generally attempts to predict the future health consequences—both positive and negative impacts—of an intervention such as a policy,2 programme, or project3 (hereafter collectively referred to as a "proposal").1,4,5 There are several definitions of HIA in the literature; for example, "a combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, program or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population and the distribution of effects within the population".6 The overall aim when conducting an HIA is to influence decision making to minimise the harm and maximise the health benefit of proposals.7 This might happen in three ways: (1) by raising the general awareness among decision makers that their actions affect health; (2) by informing decision makers of the likely specific impacts of particular decisions; and (3) by helping those potentially affected by decisions to participate in proposal …


Theileriosis is a common protozoan disease in cattle that affects a large population of cattle in the region annually. The present study was conducted in order to investigate of serum iron, phosphorous, cobalt levels of infected cows. 41 infected cows were identified based on laboratory and clinical signs at the large livestock clinic of a Tabriz Islamic Azad university, veterinary college. The blood sample was obtained from any cow's jugular vein followed by serum isolation. Simultaneously, 30 cattle of identical situation about age, feeding and management (with those 40 cattle) were sampled. Serum cobalt levels were measured using the atomic absorption method and the levels of phosphorous and iron were measured by means of Pars Azmoon biochemical kits. The mean level of iron in affected cattle was lower meaningfully compared with healthy cattle (p= 0.000). The mean rate of serum cobalt in affected cattle was meaningfully higher compared with healthy cattle (p= 0.001), but the increase of serum phosphorus was not significant in affected cattle (p = 0.632). There was not any relationship between age and iron, phosphorous, cobalt levels of affected cattle. Based on the percentage of affected animals' blood hematocrit, serum level of phosphorus and cobalt didn't change significantly but the serum iron decreased with the decrease of hematocrit percentage and the mean difference of serum iron in affected cattle was significant based on the percentage of hematocrit (p=0.030). We concluded that in Theileriosic cattle the serum levels of iron, phosphorous, cobalt were high. Regarding to the occurrence of anaemia in affected cattle and the role of iron in hematogenesis and the immune system as well as the main role of the phosphorous and cobalt, the use of complements containing the three elements orally or as an injection form of affected cattle is recommended.


Comparative analysis of time series satellite images spread over the past four decades indicated significant changes in the mangrove environment of the Krishna-Godavari twin deltas along the east coast of India. We analyzed Landsat-MSS, TM and ETM images from 1977, 1990, and 2000, respectively, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellite images from 1992, 2001, and 2013, which indicated that the mangrove cover in the region increased from 35,058 ha in 1977 to 39,283 ha by 2013. In spite of loss of mangrove vegetation over 8,036 ha due to coastal erosion, deforestation, decline and aquaculture encroachments, several mangrove-restoration projects taken up during 1991–2008 led to an overall increase in its area. Various mangrove eco-reforestation techniques were adapted in the region.


The objective of this industry study is to shed light on the current situation and improvement needs in software test automation. To this end, 55 industry specialists from 31 organizational units were interviewed. In parallel with the survey, a qualitative study was conducted in 12 selected software development organizations. The results indicated that the software testing processes usually follow systematic methods to a large degree, and have only little immediate or critical requirements for resources. Based on the results, the testing processes have approximately three fourths of the resources they need, and have access to a limited, but usually sufficient, group of testing tools. As for the test automation, the situation is not as straightforward: based on our study, the applicability of test automation is still limited and its adaptation to testing contains practical difficulties in usability. In this study, we analyze and discuss these limitations and difficulties.


The countries of the former Soviet Union have a long history of studies in high-altitude medicine and physiology, but much of the information is difficult to obtain in the West because of the inaccessibility of the journals and the lack of familiarity with the language. The purpose of present review is to improve this situation. In the 1880's, Ivan Sechenov (1829-1905), one of the founders of the Russian school of physiology, introduced the notion of the "inner altitude," that is, how the alveolar Po2 changes with barometric pressure. Later in the 19th century, Russian army physicians made extensive studies of the fitness of soldiers at high altitude and of procedures for improving acclimatization. With the birth of Soviet mountaineering in 1923, a large series of expeditions went to high altitude, first in the Alps, and later in the Caucasus. Nikolay N. Sirotinin (1896-1977) led 9 pre-war research expeditions to Mt. Elbrus and other areas, and, because he thought the alkalosis was partly responsible for mountain sickness, he introduced acid mixtures to be taken orally. Zoia I. Barbashova (1910-1980) made extensive studies of tissue adaptation, especially enzyme activities, in animals exposed to hypoxia. More recently Oleg G. Gazenko (1918-) and his colleagues have carried out extensive studies associated with aviation medicine and the selection of cosmonauts for the Soviet space program. Among many topics, one is the study of how adaptation to one type of physiologic stress (e.g., hypoxia) can improve tolerance to another stress (e.g., acceleration).


Employee voluntary behavior related to environmental awareness in the workplace is very important to support the sustainability of the organization. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of leadership, organizational culture and job satisfaction on Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment (OCBE) in 3 groups of employees in financial institutions (Banking, Pension Fund and Insurance). This type of research is a quantitative survey method. The study population was employees of financial institutions in Jakarta with a sample size of 126 people. In the 3 financial institutions studied, it can be proven that: 1. Leadership has no effect on OCBE and Work Satisfaction, 2. Organizational Culture affects OCBE and Work Satisfaction, 3. Work Satisfaction has an effect on OCBE, 4. Leadership has no effect on OCBE through Work Satisfaction and 5. Organizational Culture influences OCBE through Work Satisfaction. For further research, it is expected to further analyze other variables that affect OCBE for financial sustainability.


Pierce, Genesee, Delcenserie, and Morgan have provided an innovative and thought-provoking juxtaposition of the putative role played by phonological working memory (PWM) in explaining individual and group differences among early internationally adopted (IA) children, deaf children with cochlear implants, simultaneous and sequential bilinguals, children who are learning sign languages, and children with otitis media. This novel comparison suggests that adequate exposure to phonology before 12 months of age is key in the development of improved PWM. Consequently, long-term linguistic advantages in vocabulary and learning of morphosyntax arise, but not advantages in other areas of higher cognition. One significant implication of the review is that although many intriguing links exist between language development and PWM, irrefutable conclusions elude the field as to the directionality of a causal relationship between phonological development, other linguistic development, and PWM. In this commentary, I should like to make the somewhat controversial proposal (Gathercole, 2006, and commentaries) that the evidence presented points to PWM being an epiphenomenon arising out of individual differences in the robustness and richness of phonological representations themselves. The authors hinted several times at the tantalizing relationship between phonology and PWM, but they do not articulate explicitly that PWM could be a redundant construct. I also offer some proposals as to how one might test this suggestion experimentally or in a corpus of child language.


We analyzed cross-reactive neutralization epitopes on protein VP3 of human rotavirus (HRV) by the use of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (N-MAbs), which showed a variety of interserotypic reactivity patterns when examined in a neutralization test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against 15 HRV and 2 animal RV strains. Serological study with the six cross-reactive N-MAbs revealed antigenic variations in some HRV strains within the same serotype as well as a marked antigenic difference between serotype 2 strains and serotype 1, 3, and 4 strains. Epitope analysis of the antigenic variants resistant to the six individual cross-reactive N-MAbs suggested the existence of at least three distinct cross-reactive neutralization epitopes on VP3 of HRV.


Lightening of automobile bodies is required from the viewpoint of saving energy which contributes to ameliorating an ecological problem. A useful means of doing this is the application of high strength steel sheets to automobile bodies. The inferior formability of high strength steel sheets in comparison with that of mild steel sheets, however, hinders their broad application. But in recent years, many high strength steel sheets with good formability have been developed using sophisticated physical metallurgy. In this paper, the recent development of modern high strength steel sheets is reviewed paying special attention to their physical metallurgy which realized the improvement of their formability.


Human keratinocytes are an important source of cytokines that participate in inflammatory and immunological processes of the skin. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been shown to enhance the expression of the cytokine, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), in a human keratinocyte cell line. Here we have expanded this observation to primary cultures of normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Treatment of these cells with TCDD resulted in increased expression of IL-1 beta mRNA. Both the magnitude and relative fold increase of levels of IL-1 beta mRNA were affected by specific culture conditions. In specific analyses of each culture medium supplement, bovine pituitary extract (BPE) was shown to exert the greatest effect on both the constitutive and TCDD-inducible expression of IL-1 beta mRNA, and this effect of BPE was shown to be concentration-dependent. These results indicate that, in vitro, enhanced expression of IL-1 beta is a response of normal human epidermal keratinocytes to TCDD and furthermore, that the intensity of this response may be modulated by additional growth factors, including those present in BPE.


Copper nanoparticles with a mean carbon coating of about 1 nm were continuously produced at up to 10 g h−1 using a modified flame spray synthesis unit under highly reducing conditions. Raman spectroscopy and solid state 13C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the thin carbon layer consisted of a sp2-hybridized carbon modification in the form of graphene stacks. The carbon layer protected the copper nanoparticles from oxidation in air. Bulk pills of pressed carbon/copper nanoparticles displayed a highly pressure- and temperature-dependent electrical conductivity with sensitivity at least comparable to commercial materials. These properties suggest the use of thin carbon/copper nanocomposites as novel, low-cost sensor materials and offer a metal-based alternative to the currently used brittle oxidic spinels or perovskites.


Thirty depressed inpatients aged 7-16 yrs were compared for salivary hypercortisolism with a control group of 16 inpatients of mixed diagnosis matched for age and sex. Four cortisol samples were taken over a 48 hr period: 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. on the first day; then, with 1 mg of dexamethasone given immediately after the second sample, at 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. on the second day. All except the 8 a.m. value were significantly greater (P less than 0.03) in the depressed group. A 4 nmol/l cutoff for the 4 p.m. sample gave 48% sensitivity and 91% specificity for discriminating depressed cases (P = 0.03). The results indicate that the salivary method for estimating cortisol levels in children and adolescents with depression warrants further study.


The objective of this work was to investigate the risk of major osteoporotic fracture (MOF; hip, proximal humerus, wrist and distal forearm, and clinical spine) in bariatric surgery patients versus matched controls. Bariatric surgery is associated with an increase in fracture risk. However, it remains unclear whether the same degree of fracture risk is associated with sleeve gastrectomy, which has recently surpassed gastric bypass. Records from the French National Inpatient database were used from 2008 to 2018. Bariatric surgery patients, aged 40 to 65 years, with BMI ≥40 kg/m2, hospitalized between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2014, were matched to one control (1:1) by age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, year of inclusion, and class of obesity (40 to 49.9 kg/m2 versus ≥50 kg/m2). We performed a Cox regression analysis to assess the association between the risk of any MOF and, respectively, (i) bariatric surgery (yes/no) and (ii) type of surgical procedure (gastric bypass, gastric banding, vertical banded gastroplasty, and sleeve gastrectomy) versus no surgery. A total of 81,984 patients were included in the study (40,992 in the bariatric surgery group, and 40,992 matched controls). There were 585 MOFs in the surgical group (2.30 cases per 1000 patient‐year [PY]) and 416 MOFs in the matched controls (1.93 cases per 1000 PY). The risk of MOF was significantly higher in the surgical group (hazard ratio [HR] 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08–1.39). We observed an increase in risk of MOF for gastric bypass only (HR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.46–1.98) compared with the matched controls. In patients aged 40 to 65 years, gastric bypass but not sleeve gastrectomy or the other procedures increased risk of major osteoporotic fractures. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


Abstract. Thanks to the abundant observation data, we are able to deploy the traditional point-to-point comparison and statistical measures in combination with a comprehensive model validation scheme to assess the skills of the biogeochemical model ERGOM in providing an operational service for the Baltic Sea. The model assessment concludes that the operational products can resolve the main observed seasonal features for phytoplankton biomass, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved inorganic phosphorus and dissolved oxygen in euphotic layers as well as their vertical profiles. This assessment reflects that the model errors of the operational system at the current stage are mainly caused by insufficient light penetration, excessive organic particle export downward, insufficient regional adaptation and some from improper initialization. This study highlights the importance of applying multiple schemes in order to assess model skills rigidly and identify main causes for major model errors.


How agents accomplish a goal task in a multi-agent system is usually specified by multi-agent plans built from basic actions (e.g. operators) of which the agents are capable. The plan specification provides the agents with a shared mental model for how they are supposed to collaborate with each other to achieve the common goal. Making sure that the plans are reliable and fit for the purpose for which they are designed is a critical problem with this approach. To address this problem, this paper presents a formal approach to modeling and analyzing multi-agent behaviors using Predicate/Transition (PrT) nets, a high- level formalism of Petri nets. We model a multi-agent problem by representing agent capabilities as transitions in PrT nets. To analyze a multi-agent PrT model, we adapt the planning graphs as a compact structure for reachability analysis, which is coherent to the concurrent semantics. We also demonstrate that one can analyze whether parallel actions specified in multi-agent plans can be executed in parallel and whether the plans can achieve the goal by analyzing the dependency relations among the transitions in the PrT model.


To investigate the effect of dose and applying time of Paraquat on soybean weed control, especially wild melon, factorial experiment conducted as a randomized complete block design with four replications in 2009 in Dashte Naz Co. Sari-Iran. The treatments included different doses of Paraquat (0, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 liters per hectare of commercial material) and different growing stages of wild melon (1, 2, 3 and 4 true leaves). The results showed that weeds as velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) at uni-leaf stage have maximum density compared to other stages. In general weeds at uni-leaf stage of wild melon have more density than the other stages. On the other hand results in the control (dose of 0) treatment showed that weeds competition with crop reduced traits such as plant height and grain weight. Paraquat with 2.5 liters per hectare produced the most number of pods on main stem and lateral branches and produced the most pods per area unit that tends to produce more seeds in the main stems and lateral branches and finally more soybean yield resulted in area unit. Soybean at two and four-leaf stages of wild melon had maximum plant height and lowest pod height respectively. Paraquat, 3 days after spraying at two and three leaf stages of wild melon showed more damage. Also 15 days after spraying, this herbicide eradicates the wild melon at trifoliate stage completely. According to the experiment, application of Paraquat at dose 1 liter per hectare at two and three leaf stages of wild melon leads to satisfactory weed control and high soybean yield as well.


In laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), melt pool instability can lead to the development of pores in printed parts, reducing the part's structural strength. While camera-based monitoring systems have been introduced to improve melt pool stability, these systems only measure melt pool stability in limited, indirect ways. We propose that melt pool stability can be improved by explicitly encoding stability into LPBF monitoring systems through the use of temporal features and pore density modelling. We introduce the temporal features, in the form of temporal variances of common LPBF monitoring features (e.g., melt pool area, intensity), to explicitly quantify printing stability. Furthermore, we introduce a neural network model trained to link these video features directly to pore densities estimated from the CT scans of previously printed parts. This model aims to reduce the number of online printer interventions to only those that are required to avoid porosity. These contributions are then implemented in a full LPBF monitoring system and tested on prints using 316L stainless steel. Results showed that our explicit stability quantification improved the correlation between our predicted pore densities and true pore densities by up to 42%.


The generation of radiation by miing optical maser signals is one possible method for closing the gap between microwaves and infrared. The conversion efficiency attainable with different types of nonlinear media is considered. It is shown that lossless nonlinear media, such as dielectrics, have very low conversion efficiency properties, regardless of the way they are used. Nonlinear resistive media, on the other hand, have efficiencies up to 25 per cent, independently of the frequency conversion ratio. Consequently, in order to generate wavelengths in the nillimeter range by mixing optical maser outputs, the materials used should involve nonlinear dissipative processes.


Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of marinating turkey meat with buttermilk and acid whey on the technological traits and microbiological quality of the product. Methods Slices of turkey meat muscles were marinated for 12 hours in buttermilk (n = 30), acid whey (n = 30) and comparatively, in lemon juice (n = 30). The control group (n = 30) consisted of unmarinated slices of turkey breast muscles. Physical parameters (pH, water holding capacity, colour L*a*b*, shear force, weight loss) were assessed and quantitative and qualitative microbiological evaluation of raw and roasted products was performed. The microbiological parameters were determined as the total viable counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, of the Enterobacteriaceae family, and Pseudomonas spp. Bacterial identification was performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results Marinating turkey meat in buttermilk and whey compared to marinating in lemon juice and the control sample resulted in a higher (p<0.05) degree of yellow color saturation (b*) and a reduction (p<0.05) in the number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae family as well as the number of identified mesophilic aerobic bacteria in both raw and roasted samples. The lowest (p<0.05) shear force values were found in products marinated in whey. Conclusion The use of buttermilk and acid whey as a marinade for meat increases the microbiological safety of the product compared to marinating in lemon juice, while maintaining good technological features of the product.


PurposeHow has COVID-19 impacted meat processors' stock returns? The authors evaluate the effects of supply chain disruptions (e.g. lockdowns and COVID-19 incidences among workers) on stock market prices of meat processors during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an event study approach to examine the disruptions from COVID-19 through events such as plant shutdowns, the pandemic announcement, lockdown dates and the first case of COVID-19 outbreaks in meat processing plants. The dataset includes S&P 500, Google Trends, financial beta and data collected for 14 US publicly traded meat processing companies.FindingsResults show that nationwide events (e.g. announcement of the pandemic) had no statistically significant impact on average abnormal returns of meat processing companies. Individually, however, firms experienced negative abnormal returns. COVID-19-related events in individual meat processing companies had a temporary negative abnormal return in the days prior to the event.Originality/valueThis study has two main contributions. First, the authors estimate the effect of COVID-19 on the returns of meat processors. Second, the authors use Google Trends to estimate the expected stock markets returns of meat processing companies. This study provides insight to investors on the behavior of industry returns from events such as outbreaks that affect human health.


s concerns a study of the cerebrospinal fluid findings in patients treated with arsenic and bismuth and can hardly fit in with the declared aim of the Year Books "to make available in detailed abstract form the working essence of the cream of international medico-scientific literature". Useful editorial comments are made after some of the abstracts and three of the abstracts are of articles by Lawton Smith and his co-workers. Occasional abstracts in other sections of the book concern venereal diseases and there are a few abstracts of articles on penicillin sensitivity. The reviewer is not really qualified to comment on the sections on dermatology which comprise most of the book but they seem to be comprehensive and well-illustrated and are often followed by detailed editorial comments. As the title implies this Year Book is really for dermatologists and does not provide enough coverage of venereal diseases to warrant the attention of venereologists. P. RODIN. Manual of Tests for Syphilis 1969. Venereal Disease Branch of the National Communicable Disease Centre, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Public Health Service Publication No. 411. Pp. 81. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. ($3.) The reliability of a serological test depends on its precise execution by a defined method which is followed exactly. Previous editions of this Manual might have been subtitled "The Serologist's Mrs. Beeton" because the techniques of a wide variety of approved tests were set out in great detail. The latest edition reflects the changing American trend in the serological testing for syphilis; four tests only are described: the absorbed fluorescent treponemal antibody, rapid plasma reagin card, unheated serum reagin, and VDRL slide tests. No complementfixation method is given except in a list of references of other approved methods. The interpretation of the results of serological tests is not covered. The handbook contains additional information of use to laboratory workers on the preparation of control sera, the control of reagents, the collection and processing of specimens, and instructions for darkground microscopy. The loose-leaf format makes it easy to use at the bench and it will be found a useful addition to the laboratory library.


Background Massachusetts experienced a 29% increase in gonorrhoea cases during 2010. In 4% of cases where treatment was known, treatment was inconsistent with public health guidelines. We examined healthcare provider characteristics associated with gonorrhoea treatment errors to help target future educational outreach strategies. Methods Case-control study where treatment error cases were defined as any patient 15–65 years of age, diagnosed with gonorrhoea in 2010, who did not receive ceftriaxone 125 mg or 250 mg IM or other approved cephalosporin regimen, or azithromycin 2 g PO. Two controls were randomly selected from patients who received correct treatment, matched to cases in regard to age, sex, and month of diagnosis. Data regarding exposures to various provider characteristics were collected from case report cards, provider licensing databases, and direct provider phone calls. Proportions of cases and controls were compared on the basis of provider training, years in practice, specialty, and practice type by χ2 analysis or Fisher's exact test. Results 76 cases were matched to 152 controls. In preliminary analysis, no differences were identified with respect to provider degree (MD/DO or NP/PA; p>0.25). More treatment errors occurred in private practice/health maintenance organisations compared to STD or family planning clinics (p<0.0001), emergency departments (p<0.0001), or community health centers/hospital clinics (p=0.0004). Among physicians, no differences were identified with respect to years since residency graduation (p>0.25). More treatment errors occurred with family medicine physicians compared to OB/GYN (p=0.0225) and emergency medicine physicians (p=0.0101), but not compared to paediatricians or internists see Abstract P5-S6.34 table 1. Abstract P5-S6.34 Table 1 Analysis to date Controls (n, %) Cases (n, %t) p Value Provider degree  NP/PA 49 (45%) 30 (41%) NS  MD/DO 59 (55%) 43 (59%) Practice location  Private practices/HMOs 22 (18%) 41 (56%) Reference  STD clinics 15 (13%) 0 <0.0001  Emergency departments 40 (33%) 11 (15%) <0.0001  Community health centers/hospital clinics 43 (36%) 21 (29%) 0.0004 Residency graduation year  After 2000 27 (47%) 15 (39%) NS  1990s 16 (28%) 13 (33%)  Before 1990 14 (25%) 11 (28%) Physician specialty  Family Medicine 5 (9%) 11 (24%) Reference  Paediatrics 3 (5%) 5 (11%) NS  Internal Medicine 10 (18%) 10 (22%) NS  OB/GYN 18 (32%) 7 (16%) 0.0225  Emergency Medicine 20 (36%) 7 (16%) 0.0101 Conclusions Although gonorrhoea treatment errors were rare, specific practice locations and physician specialties were significantly associated with gonorrhoea treatment errors, suggesting important opportunities for educational intervention. Further studies may determine reasons for errors, relative importance of provider factors, and what systems support accurate treatment.


ABSTRACT: This study stems from the findings during the gross and histopathological exam of 3,338 cattle brains as part of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) active surveillance program of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply from 2001 to 2005. The work was carried out in the Veterinary Pathology Laboratory of the Federal University of Santa Maria which at the time (2001-2007) was the national reference laboratory for the diagnosis of BSE and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Both gross and histopathological aspects are described. Several gross aspects were annotated: anatomic normal structures not commonly recognized (non-lesions), lesions of no clinical significance, postmortem changes and artifacts; all these can amount to important pitfalls that distract the pathologist during the routine gross examination of the central nervous system (CNS). Accordingly, equivalent pitfalls were described in the histological examination. Non-lesions observed were the pineal body, embryo remnants such as the external germinal layer of the cerebellum, subependymal plates, and clusters of neuroblasts in the basal ganglia; or circumventricular structures such as area postrema, subcomisural organ, and melanosis in the leptomeninges and vessel walls. Lesions with little or no clinical importance included age-related changes as lipofuscin, hemosiderin, mineralization and hyalinization of vessel walls within the brain and meninges. Corpora amylacea and corpora arenacea were detected respectively in astrocyte processes and the pineal body. Cytoplasmic neuronal vacuolization was observed in the red nucleus and habenular nucleus. Sarcocystis sp. without a correspondent inflammatory reaction was rarely observed. Included within findings with no clinical manifestation were axonal spheroids and perivascular mononuclear cuffings. Changes in the CNS due to killing, sampling and fixation methods can obscure or distract from the more critical lesions. The ones related to the process of killing included hemorrhages caused in cattle destroyed by a captive bolt. Artifacts related to sampling and handling of CNS tissue consisted of inclusion of bone sand in the neural tissue from sawing the calvarium; dark neurons produced by excessive handling of the brain, and micro-organisms that contaminated the tissues during sampling or histological processing. Postmortem autolytic or putrefactive changes observed included vacuolar changes in the myelin sheath, clear halos surrounding neurons and oligodendrocytes, clusters of putrefaction bacilli within vessels or dispersed throughout the brain tissue associated or not to clear halos. One interesting, and somewhat frequent, postmortem autolytic change found in the bovine brain was the partial dissolution of the granule cell layer (GCL) of the cerebellum, also referred to as conglutination of the GCL or as the French denomination "état glace". Due to the shortage of comprehensive publications in the subject, this review is intended to address the main pitfalls that can be observed in the brain of cattle hoping to help other pathologists avoiding misinterpret them.


The author investigates some aspects of the ethics of the wellknown Swiss theologian Karl Barth. The article focuses on to the coherence between dogmatics and ethics, aspects of theocentricity and christocentricty, followed by an exploration of Barth's views on (homo-)sexuality and politics. Before concluding, a final question is discussed: did Barth practice what he preached? – that is the question regarding integrity. Although the author may not agree with some facets of Barth's theology, he has and shows appreciation for many of Barth's views on ethics.


Abstract This paper is the only an no tated bibliography currently available on Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first elected governor. It consists mostly of Span ish and English monographs selected for their scholarly value. The material is organized into five broad topics: electronic resources, reference sources, general works, biographies and a listing of doctoral dissertations.


High Li${}^{+}$ conductivity in the high-temperature (hexagonal) phase of LiBH${}_{4}$ is revealed through a first-principles molecular dynamics simulation of 1200 atoms using periodic boundary conditions. The high ionic conductivity originates from the generation of a Li${}^{+}$ metastable state located at an interstitial site surrounded by three Li${}^{+}$ ions and three BH${}_{4}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ions in the $a$-$b$ plane. A defect is created by Li${}^{+}$ ions hopping from their original sites to this interstitial site. The defect then diffuses through a path connecting the nearby Li sites separated in the $a$ and $c$ directions. Coupling of these movements is observed. The double splitting of the Li occupation in the original Li site plays an important role in the creation of the metastable state and migration through the connection path. The activation energy and diffusion coefficient are estimated, and are within one order of magnitude of experimentally retrieved values.


From January, 1979, to July, 1986, 10 patients (6 females, 4 males; 12-59 years, mean 37) with colloid cysts of the third ventricle were treated by stereotactic aspiration (Talairach's method). Five cysts have been completely aspirated. The mean residual volume of the other 5 was 19% of the initial volume. Clinical symptoms completely cleared in all but one patient. The advantages of the procedure are discussed.


AIMS
To evaluate night-time cough patterns in children with either acute wheezing or an URTI, and to correlate them to the clinical diagnosis.

METHODS
Night-time cough variables of 49 children diagnosed with acute wheezing and with URTI were compared using a portable cough monitoring instrument placed in the child's room.

RESULTS
Children with acute wheezing had significantly more coughs per night, a longer duration of cough sounds, a higher number of coughing bouts per night, and a higher number of coughs per second within a bout, than children with an URTI. Children with acute wheezing coughed significantly more between 23.00 and 01.00, whereas between 01.00 and 06.00 there was no significant difference in the number of coughs between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Significant differences were found in night-time cough variables between children with an acute episode of wheezing and children with an URTI. This could be useful in clinical practice.


This paper provides a summary of the pre-teen years of IDEAS from 1997 through 2008. Many people have been involved in organizing the annual meeting. Theses include the program chairs, members of the program committee, local organizing committee, support staffs ate the institutes that have hosted the meetings over the years and last but not least the thousands of authors who submitted their work to IDEAS. I would like to thank all these colleagues.


902 We performed a meta-analysis of the studies that contained two distinct arms of patient population with CD20+ B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) undergoing treatment with chemotherapy with and without rituximab (Rituxan®). We identified 9 articles and defined 11 studies within these articles in which data on objective tumor response (OTR) defined by the sum of complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) were available by screening all the studies published on PubMed and Ovid Medline database from June 1966 to October 2006. The total number of patients participating in the 11 studies was 2150 with 1093 patients in the group receiving rituximab/chemotherapy and 1057 in the chemotherapy group. Overall the relative risk (RR) of response to the treatment for using rituximab was 1.20 (95% CI 1.15-1.26) and 1.21 (95% CI 1.09-1.35) based on the fixed effect and random effect model, respectively, translating in an increased response in the order of 20% and 21%. Patients in the follicular cell lymphoma (FCL) group, showed a RR of response to the treatment including rituximab equal to 1.19 (95% CI 1.07-1.17) and 1.20 (95% CI 1.03-1.40) for fixed and random effect model analysis, respectively, equal to an overall response rate increase of 19% and 20%. On the other hand, patients in the mantle cell (MCL) group showed a RR of response to the treatment with rituximab equal to 1.32 (95% CI 1.11-1.56) and 1.28 (95% CI 1.10-1.49) with overall response rate increase of 32% and 28%, respectively. These data indicate that rituximab has a statistically significant additive effect to chemotherapy independently from the lymphoma histotype and that the magnitude of the response to rituximab is higher for MCL than for FCL patients.


Abstract : An important goal of computational linguistics has been to use linguistic theory to guide the construction of computationally efficient real-world natural language processing systems. At first glance, generalized phrase structure grammar (GPSG) appears to be a blessing on two counts. First, the precise formalisms of GPSG might be a direct and transparent guide for parser design and implementation. Second, since GPSG has weak context-free generative power and context-free languages can be parsed in by a wide range of algorithms, GPSG parsers would appear to run in polynomial time. This widely-assumed GPSG efficient parsability result is misleading: here we prove that the universal recognition problem of current GPSG theory is exponential-polynomial time hard, and assuredly intractable. The paper pinpoints sources of complexity (e.g. metarules and the theory of syntactic features) in the current GPSG theory and concludes with some linguistically and computationally motivated restrictions on GPSG.


The culture of liver cell organoids (multicellular aggregates) such as spheroids or cylindroids, which can strongly express liver functions, has been advocated as a useful technique that has advantages over monolayer culture. This paper describes a micropatterning technique for obtaining spheroids and cylindroids by using rat hepatocytes or HepG2 cells. We developed culture chips that comprised multiple, circular or rectangular microwells; the bottom surface of each microwell was modified with collagen to create a cell adhesion area, and the entire microwell, excluding the collagen-coated spots, was modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to create a nonadhesive area. Rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells formed uniform spheroids and cylindroids on the circular and rectangular chips, respectively. Consequently, two-dimensional micropatterned chips containing homogeneous spheroids or cylindroids were generated. The expression of liver functions (protein secretion and ammonia removal) was greater in the spheroids and cylindroids than in the monolayer culture, and this expression was maintained for at least 2 weeks of culture. Thus, this chip technology has potential for use in various applications that involve organoid culture.


Many forest conservation projects seek to preserve biodiversity by protecting habitats from exploitation or degradation. Although such efforts are often motivated by global concerns, habitat protection also yields domestic benefits. Some of these are ...


Background Parental presence at induction of anesthesia remains controversial and has been reported to provide mixed results. As such, parental presence at induction of anesthesia is not practiced routinely everywhere. There are currently limited data describing the practice of parental presence at induction of anesthesia or the experiences and perceptions of parents in Canada. Objectives We sought to investigate (1) the frequency of parental presence at induction of anesthesia and (2) the experiences and perceptions of parents accompanying their child into the operating room compared to those who did not at a tertiary Canadian pediatric hospital. Methods Institutional quality improvement approval was obtained. This study was a cross-sectional survey. Parents waiting in the parent surgical waiting room during the procedure were invited to complete a web-based survey. Consent was implied via completing the survey. The cross-sectional survey elicited the prevalence of parental presence during induction of anesthesia as well as their experience and perceptions. We also investigated the parents' preferences for preoperative education. Results Of the 448 parents approached, 403 completed the survey between May and June 2017. Sixty-eight (16.9% [13.4-20.9]) parents accompanied their child into the operating room (parental presence at induction of anesthesia), while 335/403 (83.1% [79.1-86.7]) did not (no-parental presence at induction of anesthesia). Reasons for not accompanying their child into the operating room included "not being aware they could" (158/335, 47.2% [41.9-52.5]), "I didn't think my child needed me" (107/335, 31.9% [27.2-37.1]), "my child was coping well" (46/335, 13.4% [10.5-17.8]), and "I was anxious" (47/335, 14.0% [10.7-18.2]). Most of the parents in the parental presence at induction of anesthesia cohort (66/67, 98.5% [95.6-101.2]) reported that they believed their child benefited/would have benefited from their presence during induction of anesthesia compared to those in the no-parental presence at induction of anesthesia cohort (137/335, 40.9% [35.8-46.2]), P < 0.001. Overall, 51/335 (14.7%) parents in the no-parental presence at induction of anesthesia cohort and 3/67 (4.5%) of those in the parental presence at induction of anesthesia cohort felt that offering parental presence at induction of anesthesia should depend on factors including child's age as well as the level of coping and anxiety. More patients in the no-parental presence at induction of anesthesia cohort felt that parental presence at induction of anesthesia should also depend on the child's age and whether the child was coping. Parents felt that face-to-face discussions with clinicians are most effective for discussing future parental presence at induction of anesthesia. Conclusions We have shown that most parents at our institution do not undergo parental presence at induction of anesthesia and are for the most part comfortable with their child going unaccompanied into the operating room. Administrators and clinicians seeking to implement parental presence policies should consider navigating parental presence at induction of anesthesia with evidence-based approaches tailored to each parent and their child.


Purpose - Firms issuing equity securities for capital must recognize that this issuance may alter the ownership concentration of the firm. Through this change in ownership structure, the market liquidity of the firm's stock may also change, which has implications for the cost of equity capital and firm value. This paper aims to examine a specific security, the common stock purchase warrant, within this context. It also aims to posit that the decision to issue warrants has important implications for the firm's subsequent ownership structure and market liquidity. Design/methodology/approach - The paper's unique dataset of warrant-issuing firms tracks the warrants from their issue through to their exercise. Based on the study of SEOs by Kothare, the ownership concentration and market liquidity of the underlying stock prior to and following warrant exercises are measured. The paper examines the causal relations between warrant exercises and ownership changes, and between ownership changes and market liquidity. Findings - The paper shows that firms experience a statistically and economically significant decrease in ownership concentration following warrant exercises. Examining the liquidity effects of this change in ownership, it shows that market liquidity increases significantly after the exercise of warrants, consistent with the literature. The decrease in concentration following warrant exercises is experienced exclusively by firm insiders. The paper also finds that outsiders increase their holdings in firms with a high concentration of inside holdings and in firms with a low concentration of outside holdings prior to warrant exercises; that is, they use warrant offerings to increase their influence in the firm. Originality/value - This study is the first to the authors' knowledge that investigates warrants through their entire life span, and the first to examine the effects of warrant exercises on the performance and market liquidity of the firm. The results contribute to securities issuance, ownership, and liquidity literatures.


The overall aim of this book is to examine the impact of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), in particular the Internet and new media communications, upon Malaysian public service deliveries. Through multiple theories of ICT adoption, network, convergence, and ICT governance models, the writing addresses three important dimensions of the impact of the Internet and digital communications, namely the Asia experience and the theoretical underpinnings of the network theories within the context of the new technologies by providing the two lenses of the perspectives on the theoretical framework and empirical issues pertaining to the impact of ICT in government services delivery system. In brief, this book sets out to critically analyse the nature in which the policy-driven network practiced by Malaysia has constantly challenged the country's new ICT agenda, thereby posing some kind of dilemma to its complex internal ICT governance processes. This book generally deals with the transformation of the digital convergence model as a form of ICT policy adoption and the impacts it creates on the overall ICT and information governance framework in Malaysia. It also looks at the human attitudinal reactions to the use of ICT for public service delivery by assessing various theories of ICT adoption and to expose other challenges that might be hidden in application of ICT for delivering public services to the people. The target audience of this book includes policymakers, academicians, ICT designers, Internet researchers , and postgraduate students of higher learning institutions. The book first captures the general application of ICT in public sectors of the Asia continent to set the platform for the case study of Malaysia, which is the main focus. In the Malaysian context, this book begins with the period prior to the formation of Communication and Multimedia Act (CMA) in 1998 to its subsequent phase of development and the present. This area of assessment is of primary importance , since major decisions implemented by the government through regulatory/authority agencies like Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Information and Energy Ministry, as well as the subsequent development of a new regime thereafter has special historical link during the early phase. More specifically, the central focus of this book is the new policy, regulatory, and institutional issues brought by the increasingly intensified trend of digital convergence. This arises from the fact that the initial focus on regulating bodies, such as the MCMC and the Ministry of …


Geosmin is a secondary metabolite responsible for earthy tastes and odors in potable water supplies. Geosmin continues to be a challenge to water utility management regimes and remains one of the most common causes of consumer complaints, as the taste of "dirty" water may suggest a failed disinfection regime and that the water may be unsafe to drink. Although cyanobacteria have been reported to be largely responsible for these taste and odor events, the answer as to how or why geosmin is produced has eluded researchers. We describe here for the first time the mechanism by which geosmin is produced in a model cyanobacterium, Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 (ATCC 29133), which we demonstrate utilizes a single enzyme to catalyze the cyclization of farnesyl diphosphate to geosmin. Using this information, we have developed a PCR-based assay that allows the rapid detection of geosmin-producing cyanobacteria. This test may be utilized to confirm and track the emergence of taste and odor-producing cyanobacteria in any given water body and thus can be used as an early warning system by managers of water bodies that may suffer from adverse taste and odor episodes.


Sea urchin larvae form an endoskeleton composed of a pair of spicules. For more than a century it has been stated that each spicule comprises a single crystal of the CaCO3 mineral, calcite. We show that an additional mineral phase, amorphous calcium carbonate, is present in the sea urchin larval spicule, and that this inherently unstable mineral transforms into calcite with time. This observation significantly changes our concepts of mineral formation in this well–studied organism.


Background: Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) is becoming an increasingly available diagnostic method used to identify a broad range of pathogens. However, the optimal role of mNGS in clinical diagnostic schema remains uncertain, especially in pediatric patients suspected central nervous system (CNS) infection and treated with empirical antibiotic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mNGS in the pediatric patients.Methods: We performed a retrospective review of suspected CNS infection patients who had CSF mNGS test from April 2019 to December 2020. Results and clinical impact of mNGS test were collected. We investigated the usefulness of CSF mNGS in clinical impact and diagnosis. Results: We enrolled 57 pediatric patients with empirical treatment. A total of 39 CNS infection patients were diagnosed, and 27 patients were identified by mNGS that only 2 of 27 were co-identified by CSF culture. In all of the patients, 75.4% (45 cases) had changed (addition or de-escalation) in antimicrobial therapy according to the results of the mNGS test. By each CSF mNGS test as a whole, the positive and negative percent agreement were 69.2% (95% CI: 54.1-84.4%) and 61.1% (95% CI: 36.2-86.1%), respectively, and true negatives of negative mNGS tests were 50% (95% CI: 27.3 – 72.7%).Conclusion: In this study, CSF mNGS test improved the diagnosis of neurologic infections and adjusted antibiotic therapy in the vast majority of cases. Consequently, for patients with empirical treatment, CSF mNGS should be used more in pathogen diagnosis and clinical therapy.


Let \(A\):= {\(a_i\mid i= 1,\dots,m\)} be an i.i.d. random sample in (\mathbb{R}^n\), which we consider a random polyhedron, either as the convex hull of the \(a_i\) or as the intersection of halfspaces {\(x \mid a ^T_i x\leq 1\)}. We introduce a class of polyhedral functionals we will call "additive-type functionals", which covers a number of polyhedral functionals discussed in different mathematical fields, where the emphasis in our contribution will be on those, which arise in linear optimization theory. The class of additive-type functionals is a suitable setting in order to unify and to simplify the asymptotic probabilistic analysis of first and second moments of polyhedral functionals. We provide examples of asymptotic results on expectations and on variances.


In this article, we describe the Global Project Coordination Course, a course in which project teams composed of three students from each of two overseas universities execute company-sponsored projects dealing with global supply chain management issues. The $75,000 to $100,00 contributed in total by the three to four sponsoring companies funds all course expenses. We assess the benefits and challenges of the use of cross-cultural project teams with diverse educational backgrounds. We conclude that the course provides a unique and effective vehicle for furthering students' knowledge of Supply Chain Management and Information Systems, improving understanding of "soft" issues, and training students to work in diverse, global, cross-cultural project teams.


CONTEXT
Inflammatory processes are related to atherosclerosis. Identification of inflammation triggers may furnish new therapeutic pathways. In women, progestins can have a marked inflammatory capacity.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN
We investigated the effects of progesterone in men within the setting of two independent trials. First, the relation of endogenous progesterone levels to inflammation markers was assessed in 67 healthy nonsmoking Caucasian men (age, 20-50 yr) on a cross-sectional basis. Second, in a longitudinal controlled trial (52 wk) involving 28 healthy men receiving i.m. medication, we determined the effects of an exogenous progestin (norethisterone enanthate 200 mg) in combination with a long-acting testosterone preparation (testosterone undecanoate 1000 mg) administered to avoid androgen deficiency caused by pituitary-hypothalamic feedback. Controls received testosterone plus placebo.

RESULTS
In the cross-sectional study, progesterone levels were positively related to concentrations of IL-6 (r = 0.41; P < 0.001), C-reactive protein (r = 0.37; P = 0.007), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (r = 0.28; P = 0.02), E-selectin (r = 0.45; P < 0.001), leptin (r = 0.42; P < 0.001), neutrophils (r = 0.62; P < 0.001), and serum protein fractions alpha-1 (r = 0.44; P < 0.001) and alpha-2 (r = 0.36; P = 0.002). During the pharmacological trial, the testosterone/progestin group exhibited a marked increase of IL-6 concentrations (P < 0.001), whereas these decreased in the testosterone/placebo group (P = 0.03). Antiinflammatory IL-10 levels decreased in the group receiving testosterone/progestin (P = 0.01) but did not change in the testosterone/placebo group.

CONCLUSION
Progesterone concentrations correspond to an inflammatory profile in healthy men, and external progestins elicit a similar effect. Men receiving regimens for hormonal male contraception involving progestins should be monitored for inflammatory effects. Speculatively, testosterone treatment decreasing endogenous progesterone production may facilitate beneficial effects on inflammation profiles even in eugonadal men.


Crony capitalism describes an economic and political environment in which pursuing and obtaining government favors is both part of everyday life and a necessary protocol for succeeding in business. Where crony capitalism exists, notions of meritocracy have been displaced by notions of cronyism or kleptocracy or something similar. Crony capitalism has ebbed and flowed in our history, and it seems as though today it is on the rise. Just looking at late 2012 and early 2013, one could talk for hours about the examples of crony capitalism--for example, the $78 million tax write-off in the new tax bill for NASCAR drivers. (1) That write-off may be very popular--I don't know-but it is crony capitalism. The tax benefits for the New York Liberty Zone provide another example. (2) Yet another was the tax victory given to companies operating in American Samoa by Chris Dodd--a former Connecticut Senator--who now represents Hollywood's movie studios. He got those companies a two-year extension on a provision allowing film and television producers to expense the first $15 million of production costs incurred in the United States--a kind of wholesale crony capitalism. (3) There are also examples involving recent political appointees. The Senate confirmed Jack Lew as Secretary of the Treasury in February 2013, (4) and one of the striking things about that appointment is that his contract at Citibank, where he did administrative work with a hedge fund, stipulated that he would receive a bonus if, and only if, he were appointed to a senior position in government. (5) It now appears that not all bribery is illegal because it appears that prospective bribery is okay. As long as you buy the futures contract that calls for paying a bureaucrat in the future, it is not the same thing as buying it on the spot market, where bribes are paid at around the same time the favors are granted. I think that permitting prospective payments to government regulators is not such a good idea. Mary Jo White provides another example. White is a very distinguished lawyer--a former partner in the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton--who has now been confirmed as the Chairman of the SEC. (6) While White was at Debevoise, one of her clients was the investment banking firm Morgan Stanley. In 2005, Morgan Stanley's board of directors decided to make a man named John Mack the CEO, but they encountered a problem. Reports suggested that Mack might have violated those pesky provisions in the federal securities regulation that outlawed insider trading. (7) White's client, Morgan Stanley, called her. (8) They said it would be embarrassing if they elected John Mack as CEO and he was sued for securities fraud the next day. So they asked White to find out whether he would be sued. White then called the head of the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Linda Chatman Thomsen, to ask how things looked for Mr. Mack. (9) Though there are at any given time hundreds of people begging for information about whether and when the SEC will finish investigations or reach a conclusion in a particular case, White got her answer. (10) Mr. Mack ascended to the position of CEO of Morgan Stanley. Thomsen, incidentally, is no longer the head of the Enforcement Division of the SEC. She is now a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. (11) In short, the United States has many examples of crony capitalism. It is clear that the supply and demand of crony capitalism is such that this sordid brand of capitalism is going to emerge and even dominate wherever the conditions are ripe for it. Crony capitalism involves a demand side--which is the demand of regulated institutions like Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs or whomever for legislative favors--and a supply that is provided by bureaucrats and elected officials. The main point is simply that as economic regulation increases and competition decreases, crony capitalism grows. …


The study of Oxygen Vacancy on SnO thin films grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition were investigated with different substrate temperature. X-ray diffraction showed that the crystallinity of the grown thin films increased with increasing substrate temperature. Two narrow peaks and two broad peaks were observed from the photoluminescence measurements at 6 K. The intensity and shape of the broad peaks were changed with increasing substrate temperature. It was concluded that the origin of the broad peak at 2.4 eV was due to oxygen vacancies and that of peak at 3.1 eV was related to structural defects. Hall effect measurements showed that the carrier density was decreased as increasing deposition time from 10 to 30 min., but increased for the deposition of 60 min


Political scientists typically conceive of causation purely in "mean-centric" terms: the statement "X causes Y " is taken to imply that, all else being equal, an increase in the value of X changes the mean of the distribution of Y . This article challenges that point of view. Many independent variables of interest to students of politics cause a change in the variance, not the mean, of the distribution of the dependent variable. This form of causation is alien to methodology textbooks and greatly underappreciated in empirical work. Thinking about the causes of changing variance opens up a theoretical dimension that has heretofore been neglected in the study of politics; understanding the causes of changing variance can provide a more fine-grained empirical description of the political world.


The purpose of this study was to identify Chinese new generation women`s clothing exploratory behavior according to their sensitivity pursuit propensity. The respondents were 500 Chinese new generation women residing in Soju City, China. Frequencies, percent, mean, one-way-ANOVA, factor analysis, Chi-square test, and cluster analysis were done by use of SPSS PC+. The results were as follows: 1. The factors of sensitivity pursuit propensity were adventure & diversity, change, new atmosphere, and artistic sensitivity. And factors of clothing exploratory behavior were brand turnover. innovative clothing purchasing or wearing, clothing information collection through visiting store, and clothing information collection through contacting neighbors or advertisement. 2. The Chinese new generation women were classified into the creativity pursuit, the adventure & change pursuit, the multi-sensation pursuit, and the sensation retard according to their sensitivity pursuit propensity. 3. The creativity pursuit explored clothing for brand turnover and information through visiting store, communication. or advertisement, were found more among the unmarried late 20`s with higher education and jobs. The adventure & change pursuit explored clothing information through visiting store, were found more among the unmarried university students in early 20`s. The multi-sensation pursuit explored innovative clothing purchasing, were found more among the unmarried early 20`s with jobs or students. The sensation retard explored clothing information through communication or advertisement, considered quality more, were found more among the married early 30`s with lower education level and jobs.


Chem. diffusion coeffs. and heats of activation for diffusion in the Ni2Al (g), NiAl (d), and Ni3Al (e) intermetallic phases and the solid soln. of Al in Ni (z phase), were calcd. from layer growth expts. No finite diffusion coeff. for the NiAl3 (b) intermetallic phase could be calcd. The values of the diffusion coeffs. are dependent both on the method of calcn. and the type of diffusion couple. The heat of activation for diffusion in the g phase was 47 kcal./mole in the range 428-610 Deg. Heats of activation of 41, 12, and 48 kcal./mole were found for diffusion in the d, e, and z phases, resp., in the range 655-1000 Deg. Expts. with markers in the diffusion zone demonstrate a very pronounced Kirkendall effect. It appears that only Al atoms take an active part in the diffusion process during the formation of the b and g phases at .apprx.600 Deg. During the formation of the d, e, and z phases at higher temps. only Ni atoms are moving. It is suggested that the great stability of the intermetallic compds. in the Ni-Al system governs the Kirkendall effect. 20 references. [on SciFinder (R)]


This paper is a critical examination of proposals for a "hydrogen economy." In Jeremy Rifkin's The Hydrogen Economy (2002) such an economy was proposed as a solution to the many problems associated with the use of fossil fuels including the dangers of global climate change. The promise has been echoed since by many others who have been concerned by energy policy. Hydrogen has increasingly been viewed as a "dorado" energy that would greatly benefit all humanity, especially the most disadvantaged. But the golden age of energy has not yet appeared and may never do so. There are multiple problems in the development of a hydrogen economy. One of these problems concerns social impacts, which have especially been ignored. It is the potential social impacts of a hydrogen economy that are given special attention here, in order to explore some of the reasons for doubting that the social economy of hydrogen will be able to realize the many hopes associated with it.


ABSTRACT Digitalization, combined with the proliferation of online review and payment systems, has been integral to the creation of the sharing economy. While the sharing economy has opened industries to additional workers, it also shift risks to users and leads to a hybridization of previously pure economic concepts such as markets and circuits of commerce. Due to this risk shift, how do sharing economy users, specifically Airbnb hosts, protect themselves from the risks inherent in a marketplace that is both formal and informal, and regularly crosses the boundaries between legal and illegal? Using qualitative interviews with 23 Airbnb hosts in New York City, I argue that Airbnb's shifting of risk to workers leads to a hybridized form of institutional work as hosts create a social circuitry in order to protect themselves. This research contributes to the larger literature on digitalized and informal markets and circuits, risk, and societal impact of digitalization.


Elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide ([CO2]) and ozone ([O3]) affect primary metabolism of trees in opposite ways. We studied their potential interactions on carbohydrate concentrations and contents. Two hypotheses currently under debate were tested. (1) Stimulation of primary metabolism by prolonged exposure to elevated [CO2] does not compensate for the adverse effects of O3 on carbohydrate accumulation and biomass partitioning to the root. (2) Growth in a mixed-species planting will repress plant responses to elevated [O3] and [CO2] relative to conditions in a monoculture. To this end, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) saplings grown under conditions of intra- and interspecific competition were pre-acclimated for 1 year to ambient or elevated [CO2]. In the following 2-year phytotron study, trees were exposed to factorial combinations of ambient and elevated [O3] and [CO2]. The total carbohydrate content (sugar and starch) of spruce was greater in plants exposed to elevated [CO2] than in plants exposed to ambient [CO2]. In beech, the opposite response was observed, especially when this species was grown in combination with spruce. Overall, the data did not support Hypothesis 1, because the adverse effects of O3 were counteracted by elevated [CO2]. Support for Hypothesis 2 was species-dependent. In beech saplings, reduction of carbohydrates by elevated [O3] and stimulation by elevated [CO2] were repressed by competitive interaction with spruce. In contrast, in spruce, stimulation of carbohydrates by elevated [CO2] was similar in mono- and mixed cultures. Thus Hypothesis 2 was supported for beech but not spruce. We conclude that, in juvenile beech and spruce, a 3-year exposure to elevated [CO2] counteracts the adverse effects of O3 on carbohydrate concentrations and contents. For beech, sensitivity to elevated [CO2] and [O3] was high in monoculture but was largely repressed by interspecific competition with spruce. In contrast, the response of spruce to perturbations of atmospheric chemistry was not significantly affected by either intra- or interspecific competition.


This paper presents a theoretical investigation of magnetostatic volume wave (MSVW) propagation in multilayered magnetic struchlre (YIGIGGGMGIGGG), in which the static magnetizations in the two YIG layers are not collinear. It is assumed that there exists an arbitrary angle between the two static magnetic magnetizations for a given applied field. Therefore, the effect of the relative orientation between the magnetizations in the different YIG layers on the dispersion and time delay can be explored. The geometry of the multilayered structure is shown in Fig. 1. The film planes were chosen 10 be in the (110) plane. The applied field is normal to the film plane. The two magnetizations of the two YIG layers are represented by Mi and M,, respectively. The bulk parameters, which are adopted from the previous work', for one layer are 4nM,=1750 Gauss, 2KI/M,=-82 Oe. 2KJh4,=0 for the other layer 4xM,=1256 Gauss, 2K,M,=-82 Oe, 2KJM,=50 Oe, where K, and K. are cubic and induced in-plane anisotropy energy constants, respectively. As shown in Fig. 1, it is assumed that M, has an arbitrary angle a with respect to M,. which is aligned with the applied dc filed. The dependence of a on the applied field has been obtained by the analysis of free energy and equilibrium conditions of the stmcture. When the applied dc field approaches the sum of 4xM,. the cubic and induced in-plane anisotropy fields of layer 2, M, is perpendicular to the film plane while M, is neither normal to the film plane nor in the film plane. This arbitrary orientation of Mi with respect to M, is attributed to the existence of the cubic and induced in-plane anisotropy fields. Fig. 2 illustrates the relationship between the applied dc field and the angle a I t is obvious that the misalignment between MI and M, in the layered structure provides a new configuration for MSVW propagation. Under the magnetostatic approximation, combined with the boundary conditions, the general dispersion relation has bcen obtained. The dispersion includes two parts One is the product of the individual dispersion of each layer. The other is the coupling tcrm due to the interaction between the two YIG layers. I n the limiting case, i.e.. a=O. our dispersion reduces to the form obtained by Daniel and Emlage', and Parekh and Chang'. Numerical computation has been performed to obtain dispersion curves of fundamental mode of MSFVW for different angle a. I t is found that the Iowr limit of MSWW is strongly dependent upon the angle a. In this study, three different values of a werc used to calculate the dispersion curves. Fig. 3 shows the dispersion relation for a=36.72'. H,=1400 Gauss with the propagation direction along the x-axis. Thew exist W O branches of the dispersion cuwes. each of which corresponds to each magnetic layer. Difference between the two branches is caused by the differcnt static magnetizations and uniaxial anisotropy fields in the W O YIG layers. Also, the effect of the separation between the two magnetic layers on the dispersion and time dela) has been studied. In conclusion, we have studied the MSFVW propgation in multilayered YIG structure with nun-


Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is native to mainland Nova Scotia, but its status on Cape Breton Island has been uncertain. Although it was recorded from Cape Breton Island as early as 1953, until 1984, it was known from only three widely scattered locations. Since that time, additional reports received from the public by Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History suggest that the species is native to Cape Breton Island. Thus, we are adding Snapping Turtle to the native herpetofauna of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.


Most variable-speed AC generation systems use back-to-back converters to supply electrical energy, with fixed electrical frequency and voltage, to a stand-alone load or grid. Matrix converters (MCs) are a good alternative to back-to-back converters because they have several advantages in terms of size and weight. Therefore, MCs can be advantageously used in any variable-speed generation system where high efficiency, reliability, small size, and low weight are considered important factors. Nevertheless, to interface an MC-based generation system to an unbalanced 3φ stand-alone load, a four-leg MC is required to provide a path for the zero-sequence load current. Space-vector-modulation (SVM) algorithms for the operation of four-leg MCs have been proposed in the literature. However, these modulation methods have high computational burdens, and they are difficult to implement, even in fast DSP-based control platforms. Therefore, only simulation results have been reported in these publications. In this paper, an SVM algorithm is optimized and experimentally tested. Moreover, the harmonics produced in the input current when a four-leg MC is feeding an unbalanced or nonlinear load are also mathematically analyzed in this paper, with experimental verification being provided.


Abstract ASCT has been reported as a feasible, safe and effective treatment in HIV-Ly patients (pts) receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). We hereby present an updated analysis of the EBMT experience on HIV-Ly pts treated with an ASCT since 1999. Sixty eight pts from 20 institutions [56 (82%) males, median age of 41 (29–62) years] were included. Twenty-two pts met AIDS criteria (other than lymphoma) at the time of HIV-Ly diagnosis. Forty-nine pts were diagnosed of NHL (31 DLBCL; 8 Burkitt/Burkitt-like; 4 plasmablastic; 3 anaplastic, 3 PTCL), 80% of them presenting with stage >II and 18 pts of HL, 61% of them presenting with stage >II. Median (range) lines of therapy before ASCT was 2 (1–5). Thirty-five pts were autografted in CR (16 in CR1), 25 in chemosensitive disease and 8 in chemoresistant disease. Sixty-five pts received the BEAM protocol as a conditioning regimen and the remaining three received TBI-based protocols. Two pts received more than 1 ASCT (censored at time of 2nd ASCT). At the time of ASCT the median number of CD4+ cells was 162 (8–1159)/mcl and 34 pts had undetectable HIV viral loads. HAART was given in 55/57 pts during conditioning but withdrawn in 25% of them. The median number of CD34+ cells infused was 4.5 (1.6–21.2) ×106/kg and G-CSF was used until engraftment in 60/67 pts for a median of 8 (2–21) days. All pts but one who died on day +15 reached neutrophils>500/ml at a median time of 11 (8–36) days. Platelet count >20.000/ml was reached in 61 pts at a median time of 14 (6–455) days. Twenty three pts (34%) died: disease-progression (n=15), acute ASCT-related complications (n=6) [bacterial infections (n=4), multi-organ failure (n=1), other complications (n=1)] and 2 pts died from HIV-related complications. Cumulative incidence of NRM was 4.4% (95%CI 1.5–13.3) and 7.6% (95%CI 3.3–17.6) at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Age > 50 years at ASCT [RR 4.37 (95%CI 1.01–18.89), p = 0.05] was the only independent adverse prognostic factor for NRM. Relapse occurred in 19 (28%) pts giving a cumulative incidence of 23.6% (15.2–36.9) and 29.6% (20.0–43.8) at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Median time to progression was 4.5 (0.5–32) months. Histology (NHL other than DLBCL) [RR 3.2 (95%CI 1.0–9.6), p = 0.04], the use of >2 previous treatment lines [RR 2.7 (95%CI 1.0–7.2), p = 0.05] and not being in CR at ASCT [RR 3.5 (95%CI 1.2–9.7), p = 0.02] were significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse post-ASCT. With a median follow up time of 32 (2–81) months, PFS and OS were 56% (CI95% 43–70) and 61% (CI95% 48–74) at 3 years, respectively. Pts with refractory disease showed a poorer OS [RR 5.1 (95%CI 1.8–14.6), p = 0.002] and PFS [RR 5.3 (95%CI 2.0–13.7), p = 0.001]. One pt developed an in-situ epithelioma and myelodisplastic syndrome (+4y) and another one a kidney adenocarcinoma (+3y). The results of the largest experience on ASCT for HIV-Ly indicate that this approach is a useful treatment in terms of NRM, long-term OS, and PFS, with significantly better results in patients autografted with chemosensitive disease.


Cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanowires were grown on silicon substrate (100) by thermal evaporation method. The synthesised CdTe nanowires were characterised by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive analysis of X-ray, and photoluminescence techniques. The field emission characteristics have been investigated at room temperature. The J–E and I–t characteristics were measured in a planar diode configuration at the base pressure of 1 × 10−8 mbar. Turn-on field defined for the emission current density of 0.1 µA/cm2 has been found to be 2.2 V/µm and on the application of high applied electric field of 7.8 V/µm maximum current density of 210 µA/cm2 has been achieved. The I–t measurement has been studied at the preset of 1 µA emission current for the duration of 3 h. Overall nature of emission current has been seen to stable for duration of the measurement. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is a first report on field emission study of CdTe nanowires.