1. Blood pressure was recorded in normotensive rats (114 +/‐ 2 mmHg) and in those made hypertensive by baroreceptor denervation (135 +/‐ 4 mmHg) during natural sleep. The different states of the wakefulness‐sleep cycle were identified by analysis of the frontal electrocorticogram, the cervical electromyogram and by behavioural changes. 2. During synchronized sleep the arterial pressure in the control animals usually remained unchanged as compared to values prevailing when the rats were awake and quiet. The blood pressure usually attained higher levels in the sino‐aortically denervated rats during this state. 3. Coincidently with the short episodes of electrocortical desynchronization of the synchronized sleep the blood pressure exhibited rapid oscillations. These fluctuations were greater in the rats with neurogenic hypertension where there were large pressure drops. 4. During desynchronized (REM) sleep arterial pressure underwent marked oscillations. While in the control rats the pressure usually rose, the baroreceptor‐denervated rats showed a severe reduction in pressure. Arterial pressure in denervated animals became lower than that of the control rats, 106 +/‐ 2 and 121 +/‐ 2 mmHg, respectively. 5. We interpret these results to mean that in the rat alterations in the sensitivity of the baroreceptor reflex could be an important factor in preventing the arterial pressure from rising to hypertensive levels during syndhronized sleep and from dropping to low values during desynchronized (REM) sleep.


It has been commonly argued that the decision of a large number of inventors to license complementary patents necessary for the development of a product leads to excessively large royalties. This well-known Cournot-complements or royalty-stacking effect would hurt efficiency and downstream competition. In this paper we show that when we consider patent litigation and introduce heterogeneity in the portfolio of different firms these results change substantially due to what we denote the Inverse Cournot effect. We show that the lower the total royalty that a downstream producer pays, the lower the royalty that patent holders restricted by the threat of litigation of downstream producers will charge. This effect generates a moderation force in the royalty that unconstrained large patent holders will charge that may overturn some of the standard predictions in the literature. Interestingly, though, this effect can be less relevant when all patent portfolios are weak making royalty stacking more important.


A series of 46 patients with obstructive disease of the bile ducts complicated by acute renal failure (ARF) is presented. The patients exhibited obstructive jaundice with prevalence of conjugated bilirubine. In 80% of the cases biliary obstruction was associated with cholangitis. Disturbances of the liver function (from mild cholestasis to biliary cirrhosis) were also present. The renal damage was due to biliary disorders and was either present on admission (33 cases) or developed postoperatively (13 cases). Most of the patients presented nonoliguric ARF as well as poor perfusion resulting from decreased circulating blood volume (dehydration and electrolyte loss). Among the criteria used to determine the type of ARF, the urinary/plasma creatinine ratio less than 10 and urinary/plasma osmolarity ratio less than 1.1 were the most valuable. Management of ARF by dialysis alone was not satisfactory. Attention is called to the surgical treatment of the biliary disorder as being essential to prognosis. Patients not treated by radical surgery died in proportion of 87 to 100%. From the rest of 18 patients in whom the operation provided an adequate biliary drainage, in 15 the renal function was restored and 12 survived. Better prognosis in these patients was dependent not only on the ability to cure the cholestasis and infection, but on the early surgical treatment. The ultimate prognosis depends on the improvement of the liver function.


Recently, developments in the field of cosmetics have led to a renewed interest in hair dyeing. However, damage to the hair during the dyeing process has increased hesitation in attempting hair dyeing. As a result, hair dyes with minimal side effects have been in constant demand, and are being developed. In this study, natural-extract polyphenols, pyrogallol, and gallic acid are coordinated by CuCl2 in a NaCl aqueous solution to form an oligomer, which creates an ion-channel coating on the hair surface to protect it. This work attempts to develop fast, simple, and damage-free hair-dye ingredients based on pyrogallol and gallic acid. The morphology and elements of polyphenols coated on hair are characterized. The results reveal that the hair is dyed with the polyphenol-based dye reagent successfully. Moreover, the thickness of the dyed hair continuously rises ten times after dyeing. The tensile strength of the dyed hair is also measured, showing an upward and downward trend. These results reflect the fact that pyrogallol and gallic acid are considered to be the essential and functional polyphenols, and can build ion blocks on hair, which can create new multifunctional coating materials.


Still, the building sector in Sweden repeatedly fails in using experiences from both fulfilled projects through feedback and existing research information. The use of earlier results would be beneficial for the process of developing appropriate and competing product and services, and would help avoiding crucial mistakes that risk the functionality of constructed buildings. It is also important to know the quality of the information to be able to make relevant risk assessments of constructions and decisions. Particularly because of the interdisciplinary nature of building renovation procedures, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive base of knowledge and a quality model, taking into account research and practical experience. As part of a five year research project on the interdisciplinary renovation of buildings, this paper proposes a start to synthesize existing research and experience of renovations. A synthesis of a number of profitability analyses of renovation projects was performed. It will give examples of existing information and how it is accessed. The result will function as a pre-study of a tool that will be continuously improved and extended over the coming years. It will be part of the work of Swedish National Renovation Centre with the aim to optimize the renovation process in an interdisciplinary manner. (Less)


The introduction of new genetic variants or species is often caused by maritime transport between harbours. Botryllus schlosseri is a cosmopolitan ascidian species that is found in both harbours and open shore habitats. In order to determine the influence of ship traffic on the genetic structure and phylogeography of B. schlosseri in southern Europe, we analyzed the variability of a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). We sampled seven Atlanto‐Mediterranean harbour populations and three open‐shore populations. In addition, we sequenced some colonies from the US‐Atlantic coast and from other Mediterranean localities to perform phylogenetic analyses. Although the number of polymorphic sites recorded (25.8%) was within the range observed in other population studies based on ascidian COI sequences, the haplotypic diversity (16 haplotypes out of 181 sequences) was much lower. Moreover, a lack of intermediate haplotypes was observed. This pattern of high nucleotide diversity and low haplotype diversity was consistent with introduction events of a few divergent haplotypes. We found a strong genetic structure in the study populations. Gene flow was only appreciable between some harbour populations. Harbour‐ and open‐shore populations were well differentiated, although there was no evidence for isolation by distance. A nested clade analysis pointed to long‐distance colonization, possibly coupled with subsequent fragmentation, as the underlying process. Our results suggest that B. schlosseri entered the study area via harbour‐hopping, possibly through recurrent introduction events. The haplotypes from North America and most of the European ones were grouped in the same phylogenetic clade. This suggests occasional gene flow between both continents, probably through ship transport.


The clinical management of locoregional neuroblastoma (LR NB) is controversial. In a previous study we showed that diploidy was a strong prognostic predictor of outcome and detected the existence of clonal ploidy heterogeneity in a select group of cases. The aims of this study were (1) to assess the frequency of ploidy heterogeneity in LR NB, (2) to ascertain the best method to detect heteterogeneity, and (3) to correlate ploidy populations with clinical outcome. We undertook a comprehensive analysis of tumoral DNA content in 38 LR NBs comparing (1) flow cytometry (FCM), (2) karyotyping, (3) interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization, and (4) laser‐scanning cytometry (LSC). Tumor ploidy heterogeneity was found by all methodologies. By FCM, all tumors with aneuploid peaks had detectable diploid DNA peaks. By LSC, all tumors with diploid and hyperploid peaks were GD2‐positive in both, consistent with their tumoral origin. A predominant near‐triploid clonal population (ratio diploid vs. triploid, <2.5) was observed in most nonprogressing LR NB tumors, and a predominant diploid clone (ratio di‐ vs. triploid, >2.5) in most progressing LR NB cases. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of tumor ploidy assayed by different methods versus age, INSS (International Neuroblastoma Staging System) stage, and MYCN status. FCM was the most powerful prognostic factor related to poor prognosis (overall survival, P = 0.02; progression‐free survival, P = 0.01). These results provide strong evidence for clonal ploidy heterogeneity in LR NB and clonal evolution toward diploidy in progressing LR NB. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The present study investigated the influence of dietary threonine (Thr) levels and ajwain seed (AS) on the growth performance, immunity, blood metabolites, ileal microflora and jejunum morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 600-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allocated among five replicates of eight dietary treatments according to a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, including four different levels of Thr (100, 105, 110 and 115% of requirements) and two inclusion rates of AS (0 or 10 g/kg of the diet). Body weight gain and FCR improved in broiler chickens fed 105% Thr supplement during the starter, finisher and whole periods of the experiment (p < .05). The broiler chickens fed AS supplemented diet had a greater weight gain (25-42 days) and better FCR (1-10 and 25-42 days) than those without AS (p < .05). A significant interaction was observed between Thr and AS supplementation for lymphocyte, heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L), bursa and spleen (p < .05). The liver enzyme activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was higher in the chicks that received diet without AS supplement than those fed AS diet (p < .05). Inclusion of 105% dietary Thr and 10 g/kg AS increased the viable cell counts of Lactobacilli and decreased the population of the Escherichia coli in broilers (p < .05). In jejunum morphology, the broiler chickens fed 105% Thr diet had a greater villus length, width and crypt depth (p < .05). Also, the villus length was longer in broilers that received AS supplemented diet (p < .05). It is concluded that the dietary 105% of Thr and AS supplement individually improved growth performance, ileal microbial population and jejunum morphology of broiler chickens.


CAMBRIDGE, U.K.--
 British medical researchers are facing major changes in the rules governing the scientific use of human tissues, the result of a series of scandals in the 1990s. Earlier this year, the U.K. government said it was considering drafting a law to prevent misuse of tissues. Bioethics committees have already tightened access to human tissues drastically, however, causing some projects to grind to a halt.


With the introduction of clinical governance, it has become increasingly important for nurses to take responsibility to set standards and ensure quality care within the NHS. However, with the current financial pressures it is also necessary to demonstrate cost benefits to both develop and maintain existing services in tissue viability. This article discusses how audit was used to develop a community nurse-led complex wound clinic, and then demonstrates some outcomes and cost benefits to further enhance wound management in a primary care trust in London.


The quality of a CdZnTe-based X-ray detector is highly related to the interface between semiconductor and metal contact. One of the factors that increase leakage currents in CdZnTe based X-ray detectors is the presence of a conductive surface layer. In this paper the result of the passivation of the CdZnTe surface by means of an aqueous solution of NH4F/H2O2 is studied by optical ellipsometry and by the current-voltage characteristics of gold contacts deposited on the oxidized surface. Collected data show that leakage currents can be reduced and contact stability improved by the combined use of the passivation layer and a guard ring.


With the current reservoir engineering technology, it is not possible to measure wettability at downhole conditions. Therefore, laboratory work is necessary to correctly assess this parameter. Countless efforts have been made by reservoir engineers to obtain decent estimates of reservoir wettability. However, in many cases this objective remains elusive. This means that the current special core analyses (SCAL) protocols have not overcome this hurdle, and new approaches must be tested.
 In this work, the effects on wettability of two different sets of organic solvents are studied in carbonates, and a new cleaning and restoration protocol is tested to reproduce wettability in carbonate core samples. Two water-wet chalk core plugs were restored with the same initial formation water saturation (Swi=10%), and then were saturated and aged in crude oil to create an initial wetting. Spontaneous imbibition (SI) experiments confirmed the reproducibility of the restoration process used.
 After spontaneous imbibition, the two cores were cleaned with different methods, the first core plug was subjected to a mild cleaning process (kerosene-heptane) and the second one was cleaned with a harsh method (toluene-methanol). It was found that the mildly cleaned chalk core was slightly water-wet, and the harshly cleaned core appeared to have changed to a more water-wet state. Therefore, the solvent pair, kerosene-heptane, preserved more polar components at the carbonate surface than the toluene-methanol pair, the latter, was more effective in solvating and removing polar components from the rock surface, showing increased capillary forces in the SI test with heptane.
 The last stage of the study aimed to reproduce the first induced wettability, this was carried out in two cores after a mild cleaning process. It was possible to closely reproduce the initial wetting of these cores. This was accomplished by controlling the injected amount of mild cleaning solvents and crude oil during the second restoration process. These results represent a successful first phase of research towards wettability reproduction and improved reservoir wettability evaluation. Furthermore, it represents a solid and modern alternative to the traditional SCAL approach.


Protective antigen (PA), the binding subunit of toxins produced by Bacillus anthracis is singularly the most important antigen required for specific immunity to anthrax disease. We used cationic poly-lysine dendrons to develop a genetic anthrax vaccine. Plasmid CMV/ER PA83 which encoded full length PA 83 was complexed with dendrons to form dendriplexes. Two types of dendron were used: C0 and C18.These were mixed with DNA to form dendriplexes, of ap- proximately 80 nm in size, which were tested for immunogenicity. A/J and BALB/c mice were vaccinated with dendri- plexes containing 1� g and 50 � g plasmid DNA per dose over a period of 6 weeks. Immunisation with naked PA DNA did not induce an antibody response even after secondary boosting, whereas both dendriplexes produced strong anti-PA anti- body response. This response was dose dependent. We conclude that dendriplexes show superior immunogenicity com- pared to naked PA DNA in both mouse strains and that C18 dendriplexes with 50 �g plasmid DNA are most efficacious. However, the elicited antibodies did not neutralise lethal toxin in vitro. Therefore further work is required to improve these preparations in order to elicit functional antibodies.


A perfectly hydrophobic surface with both advancing and receding water contact angles of 180 degrees was prepared using a facile method on a silicon wafer. Phase separation of a toluene-swollen covalently attached methylsilicone results in a nanoscale network structure that is responsible for the superhydrophobicity. A method for testing extreme hydrophobicity was devised to distinguish between surfaces exhibiting contact angles of 180 and 179 degrees .


This article provides a brief overview of key biblical and theological foundations for intergenerational processes in Christian faith communities. On the strength of these perspectives, it advocates that intergenerational interaction is imperative for personal Christian growth and for corporate church life if the practices of both are going to be consistent with their ecclesiology.


Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate whether surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) could be performed under local anaesthesia and to understand the patient discomfort associated with this protocol. Patient discomfort was compared during and after 2 different types of oral surgical treatments in the same patients. Odontectomies for impacted lower third molar (control) were compared with SARME procedures (test) that were also performed under local anaesthesia. A visual analogic scale was used for each patient to quantify his or her discomfort before and after surgery. A total of 47 patients required 1 of these surgeries and were enrolled in this study. No statistically differences (P >0.05) were observed between the control and test groups. The results of this study suggest that SARME can be safely performed under local anesthesia because the intra- and postoperative discomfort levels were similar to those of other procedures that are typically performed under local anesthesia.


We consider the two-dimensional Rayleigh-B´enard convection in a layer of fluid between rough Navier-slip boundaries. The top and bottom boundaries are described by the same height function h . We prove rigorous upper bounds on the Nusselt number which capture the dependence on the curvature of the boundary κ and the (non-constant) friction coefficient α explicitly. For h ∈ W 2 , ∞ and κ satisfying a smallness condition with respect to α , we find Nu (cid:46) Ra 12 + (cid:107) κ (cid:107) ∞ , which agrees with the predicted Spiegel-Kraichnan scaling when κ = 0. This bound is obtained via local regularity estimates in a small strip at the boundary. When h ∈ W 3 , ∞ and the functions κ and α are sufficiently small in L ∞ , we prove upper bounds using the background field method, which interpolate between Ra 12 and Ra 512 with non-trivial dependence on α and κ . These bounds agree with the result in [DNN22] for flat boundaries and constant friction coefficient. Furthermore, in the regime Pr ≥ Ra 57 , we improve the Ra 12 -upper bound, showing Nu (cid:46) α,κ Ra 37 , where (cid:46) α,κ hides an additional dependency of the implicit constant on α and κ .


: Spontaneous intracerebellar haematomas are a relatively unusual cause of haemorrhagic stroke. The uncommon variety of vermian haematomas (5%) represents a serious diagnostic and treatment challenge and its outcome is generally poor, being the result of rapid elevation of intracranial pressure and brainstem compression. A rare case of spontaneous vermian haematoma with benign course without surgery is reported, including the results of neuroimaging tests.


Modeling organizational rules during conceptual design provides a more accurate picture of the underlying domain and helps enforce data integrity. In a database development context, there are many advantages to explicitly representing rules during conceptual design. Early modeling ensures they are visible to designers and users, thus improving requirements and validation. The rules can then be semiautomatically translated into logical design code. One limitation to widespread adoption of such modeling is variance in standards and semantics of rules. We consider cardinality constraints—a useful and integral part of conceptual database design. Many papers discussing classification frameworks for cardinality exist. Completeness of such schemes has always been in question since well-defined criteria do not exist to evaluate them. We suggest a "reverse engineering" approach, i. e., one of defining conceptual modeling constraint completeness based on mappings from the relational model. We develop a correspondence from relational algebra operator combinations to existing semantic constraint types. In doing so, we also come up with a new category of set-level cardinality constraints not previously examined in literature. We believe our work demonstrates a unique approach to establishing conceptual framework completeness and enables standardization of rule semantics which in turn allows for semantics-based (as opposed to procedural-based) representation. On the implementation side, it supports developing automated mechanisms for translating constraints to improve developer productivity.


A person who has severe hand tremor will have difficulty in doing specific tasks such as eating, combing or holding any objects. Currently, there is no medication that can cure the tremor. Thus, this study proposes the active tremor control, in which an intelligent controller is applied to suppress the hand tremor. The main objective is to optimise the proportional-integral (PI) controller using genetic algorithm (GA). A linear voice coil actuator (LVCA) is applied onto a four degree of freedom (4-DOF) human hand model represented in state space. The findings of the study demonstrate that the PI controller optimised by GA gives excellent performance in reducing the tremor error. Based on the frequency evaluation, the PI controller performance was roughly around 84% in reducing the peak of simulated hand tremor. The outcomes provide an important contribution towards achieving novel methods in suppressing hand tremor model by means of intelligent control.


Purpose: To determine effectiveness of lymphatic interventional procedures for treatment of chylothorax. Material and methods: Analysis of interventions performed from 2001 to 2014. Results: In 21 patients with therapy resistant chylothorax a lymphatic radiological intervention was attempted, which could be performed in 19 cases: 17 thoracic duct embolizations (15 transabdominal, one transzervical and one retrograde transvenous procedure), 2 percutaneous destructions of lymphatic vessels, one CT-guided injection of ethanol next to a duplicated thoracic duct. Fourteen of seventeen (82.3 %) of the technically successful embolizations lead to clinical cure. This encluded three patients with prior unsuccessful surgical thoracic duct ligation. Also the injection of ethanol was clinically effective. Complications were a bile peritonitis requiring operation, and one clinical deterioration of unknown cause. Conclusion: Interventional lymphatic procedures allow for effective treatment in many cases of chylothorax, and should be considered early during treatment. Key points: ▶ Thoracic duct embolization is an effective treatment method for chylothorax. ▶ If embolization is impossible, percutaneous lymphatic destruction or injection of sclerosants/tissue adhesive next to the thoracic duct may be tried Citation Format: ▶ Schild H, Naehle CP, Wilhelm KE et al. Lymphatic Interventions for Treatment of Chylothorax. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2015; 187: 584–588 Zusammenfassung !


Abstract Early stages of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNFH) can be conservatively treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). This study investigated how HBOT modulates inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in patients with AVNFH. Twenty-three male patients were treated with two cycles of HBOT, 30 sessions each with a 30 days break between cycles. Each session consisted of 90 minutes of 100% inspired oxygen at 2.5 absolute atmospheres of pressure. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and ROS production were measured before treatment (T0), after 15 and 30 HBOT sessions (T1 and T2), after the 30-day break (T3), and after 60 sessions (T4). Results showed a significant reduction in TNF-α and IL-6 plasma levels over time. This decrease in inflammatory markers mirrored observed reductions in bone marrow edema and reductions in patient self-reported pain.


Project USAP was performed to examine the use of sedation in pedodontics; part one studied the use of sedative agents by pediatric dentists, and part two examined the use of sedation in postgraduate teaching programs. In part I all 2,040 members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry were sent questionnaires in 1985 concerning their use of sedation, and 1,105 responded. In regard to their use of nitrous oxide alone, 55 percent of practitioners responded that they used nitrous oxide less than 10 percent of the time. In regard to other types of sedative agents, most practitioners used little, if any sedation; 88 percent of practitioners used sedation for less than 10 percent of their patients. In a typical three-month period, the 1,105 respondents performed 33,465 sedations. Of that number, almost half (14,802) were administered by only 64 practitioners. Compared with other geographic areas, there appeared to be greater use of sedation in the south/southeast and west regions of the United States. The heavier use of sedation by some practitioners was not related to the percentage of their handicapped patients who received sedation. In part II, all 59 postgraduate programs in pediatric dentistry were surveyed during 1985 to examine the use of sedation by postgraduate students. There were wide differences in frequency and type of experience of students with different drugs. It is concluded that when a healthy child receives a sedative agent for dental treatment, the type of drug and drug dosage depend more on the biases of the individual practitioner, than on the requirements of the patient.


This paper proposes a linear permanent magnet (PM) vernier machine for direct-drive wave power generation. Firstly, the machine structure is proposed and its parameters are indentified by finite element analysis (FEA). Secondly, the mathematical modeling of wave power absorption system was established. The control strategy for maximizing absorbed wave power is discussed. Then, by using Matlab/Simulink, the wave power generator system is modeled and simulated. A vector control scheme is implemented which controls power flow between the generator and the load via a bi-directional AC/DC converter. The simulation results verify the feasibility of the proposed machine used for direct-drive wave power generation.


A range of sand moisture contents and storage times were used to examine the effect of these parameters on lipid utilization and invasion by hatched juveniles of Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida. Motility and lipid depletion were fastest at pF 1.66 which corresponded to the point of inflection of the sand moisture characteristic curve. G. rostochiensis utilized its lipid reserves significantly more rapidly than G. pallida at al1 Sand moisture contents. Depletion of lipid reserves during storage led to reduced motility and infectivity of hatched G. rostochiensis juveniles. This effect became. significant when lipid reserves fell below approximately 65 O/ o of the original level. The results indicate that the infective life of Globodera juveniles ranges from 6-11 days under optimal conditions for motility and enhanced persistence is probably related to the ability to conserve food reserves under unfavourable conditions such as high or low soil moisture contents.


The inability of the social sciences to contribute to the better understanding of the intraurban problems of contemporary society has provided the primary influence for an approach that is strongly grounded in the method and philosophy of social analysis. The underlying aim is to reinterpret the 'theory 1 of residential differentiation away from the classical ecology of the Chicago School and towards Neo-Marxism. The thesis divides into three main sections. The first discusses the theoretical formation of social science using, partially, the conceptual outline of Strasser with the aim of making the geographer not only.re cognise his own perspective (ideology) but also of locating this and competing perspectives in time and social structure. Metaphysical theories of society are examined and the myths of orthodox positivist social analysis, particularly the Chicago School and later factorial ecologists, are critically evaluated. The second section is an orthodox empirical analysis of the spatial extent and the concentration of deprivation utilising standard statistical techniques. The operationalising of this part of the research is based on data collected for Bradford County Borough. The main data source has been the 1971 Census Small Ward Library for 632 enumeration districts. Fifty-four variables have been selected to cover the complete range of demographic, ethnic, migratory, economic activity, social, commuting and housing characteristics likely to be relevant. A large range of single and multi-factor indices of deprivation have been computed in the positivist tradition to delineate Housing Action Areas and General Improvement Areas. For example, a multi-factor index has been computed using 14 census variables by transforming them into Z-scores with means of zero and unit variance; these have been used to give a composite . index of the spatial coincidence of areas with high levels of deprivation. The central tenets of ecological theory are derived from several factorial ecologies and cluster analyses (both R- and Q- mode). The technical and methodological problems of multifactor designs are discussed at length and concluded as providing serious 'negative 1 effects in which error compounding can further detract from the soundness of the corpus of ecological theory. The third and final section is a re-evaluation of the patterns of segregation observed in the factor ecological maps that attempts to consider the dialectics of post industrial capitalist society. The differentiating factor of social groups in space is seen to lie in the broader forces of class structuration. The primary force is the power relation between capital and labour, though it is also recognised that secondary (or, better, supportive) forces arise from the necessity of preserving the process of capital accumulation. The key theoretical link between the primary social relation and the role of space is made with the help of Lamarche's exposition on the concept of the circulation of capital. The aim of the thesis is to achieve higher levels of explanation for the segregation of different social groups throughout, and for the social networks of housing intermediaries within, urban spaceparticularly as this is revealed by the disadvantaged members of society.


Abstract This paper describes the design of a broadband E-patch antenna using Taguchi method. Although this optimization method exhibits a fast convergence speed, its application to the antenna design has so far been very limited as compared to the particle swarm optimization and differential evolution. Different than the prior work on optimization-based design of E-patch antennas, the presented design is carried out by satisfying multiple objectives: the minimum antenna footprint area and |S11| < −10 dB bandwidth across 5–6 GHz band. The performance of this E-patch antenna design is compared with that of an E-patch antenna designed with the differential evolution algorithm to meet the same |S11| < −10 dB bandwidth criteria. It is shown that a two-level Taguchi method applied to E-patch design problem with 6 degrees of freedom can complete the design with 8 full-wave simulations as compared to the entire 26 = 64 possibilities. This is also considerably faster than the differential evolution algorithm that may require >300 full-wave simulations. In addition, it is shown that the presented design can meet the bandwidth criteria with a smaller footprint, hence demonstrates that minimization of the footprint must also be a part of the design process to achieve the best antenna solution. Furthermore, the E-patch antenna is fabricated and measured to confirm the validity of the proposed design.


Most of the provincial statutes dealing with disposition of matrimonial property on marital breakdown feature an express choice of law provision. And although it is open to each provincial legislature to select its own choice of law test, there is one solution which has won overwhelming acceptance. Virtually all of those statutes prescribe that, in the absence of a written contract to the contrary, the question of division of property be dealt with by the law of the last common habitual residence of the parties.However, the matrimonial property statutes of two provinces are silent on the choice of law question. In Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the relevant legislation contains no provision for geographically complex cases, and consequently the courts of those provinces have been left to resolve the choice of law problem on their own. Over the years, this has resulted in some inconsistent responses from British Columbia trial courts,3 but with its unanimous judgment in Tezcan v. Tezcan the British Columbia Court of Appeal has provided some clear guidance on the question, at least for that province.


To assess diphtheria immunity in the northeastern region of Thailand, a seroepidemiological survey was undertaken in 2011 from 516 healthy individuals (age range 2-87 years) in Khon Kaen province. Diphtheria antitoxin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and titers of ≥0.1 IU/mL were considered to be protective antitoxin levels. Among the studied population, 94.8% have fully protective levels. The younger population (age range 2-19 years) has higher diphtheria immunity with seroprotection rates of 96.8% to 97.9%, compared with the adult population. The proportion of protective diphtheria antitoxin levels declines to 88.3% to 91.9% in the middle-aged group (20-50 years), and appeared to be higher again in the older age-group (50-70 years). To avoid epidemic spreading, promoting immunization booster programs will be helpful, especially among the adult population (20-50 years). Finally, this study may serve as a valuable guide in deciding exactly which age-groups should be targeted by such an effort.


A mutual correlation between the structure of electrospun fibrous layers prepared from polyvinylbutyral and their wettability was investigated within this study. Therefore, polyvinylbutyral was dissolved in a good solvent (mixtures of tetrahydrofuran and dimethylsulfoxide in volume ratios 9:1 and 8:2) and a poor solvent (methanol, ethanol), respectively due to the significant impact on the final structure of fibres. Besides, various concentrations of polyvinylbutyral in particular solvents and their mixtures were studied. In the first step, polyvinylbutyral solutions were tested by means of various methods, namely electrical conductivity, surface tension and rheological behaviour was measured. Subsequently, nanofibrous layers were produced via electrospinning and characterized via scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements.


Immunotherapeutic advances in the treatment of cancer by targeting immune checkpoint pathways has shown promising results, however, data for agents currently in development have only shown responses in subgroups of patients. Current research is focused on identifying predictors of response to immunotherapy, including characteristics of the tumor and its microenvironment. It is becoming evident that infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment is critical to the success of immune-directed strategies. We designed a novel, oligonucleotide-based Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9 agonist to activate immune responses and induce expression of interferon-α. In previously completed preclinical studies, intratumoral (i.t.) administration of IMO-2125 affected the tumor microenvironment by stimulating TIL infiltration, modulated levels of various checkpoints, and exerted anti-tumor activity in injected as well as distant tumors. In the present study, we have evaluated the antitumor activity of i.t. IMO-2125 in combination with anti-murine PD-1 mAb (clone J43, BioXCell) in a murine syngeneic colon carcinoma model. Female BALB/c mice (6 to 8 week-old, n = 8 per group) were subcutaneous (s.c.) implanted with CT26 cells on the right and left flanks. Animals with tumors were randomized in four groups to be treated with placebo, i.t. IMO-2125, intraperitoneal (i.p.) anti-PD-1 mAb, and a combination of i.t. IMO-2125 and i.p. anti-PD-1 mAb. Treated mice received 50 μg IMO-2125 only in their right tumor and 200 μg anti-PD-1 mAb. Treatment was initiated on day 7 when tumor nodules reached 200-300 mm3 and both agents were administered four times on days 7, 8, 11 and 12. All treatments were well tolerated. Treatment with IMO-2125 alone resulted in 59% and 45% growth inhibition in treated and distant tumors respectively compared to placebo. Treatment with anti-PD-1 mAb showed limited antitumor activity with less than 15% tumor growth inhibition in both the tumor lesions compared to placebo. Treatment with a combination of IMO-2125 and anti-PD-1 mAb resulted in increased antitumor activity, leading to 81% growth inhibition in the treated tumors and 65% growth inhibition in the distant tumors compared to placebo. At day 14, the mean tumor volume in the group treated with the combination of IMO-2125 and anti-PD-1 mAb was 180 mm3, whereas mean tumor volume in the IMO-2125 group was 380 mm3 (p Combination treatment with IMO-2125 and an anti-PD-1 mAb showed significant improvements in survival and tumor volume compared to either drug alone. Planning is currently underway for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial with intratumoral IMO-2125 in combination with an anti-CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor. Collectively, these data demonstrate additional opportunities to combine intratumoral IMO-2125 with an anti-PD-1 mAb and potentially other checkpoint inhibitors in future clinical trials. Citation Format: Daqing Wang, Fugang Zhu, Jillian DiMuzio, Sudhir Agrawal. Intratumoral administration of IMO-2125, a novel TLR9 agonist, modulates tumor microenvironment and potentiates antitumor activity of anti-PD-1 mAb in a murine colon carcinoma model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr B196.


This talk focuses on the crew planning problem as observed in transportation industry. We first survey the existing literature on crew scheduling applications in railways and airlines. Next, we identify the synergies in the two domains and propose new directions for railway crew scheduling inspired from the applications in airlines


Typically, neuromas are found between the second and third, the third and fourth, and the fourth and fifth metatarsal heads. Fourteen cases were reviewed in which neuromas or perineural fibrotic tissue was discovered lateral to the fifth metatarsal head. The neuromas were discovered when osteotomies were performed to locate or correct a deformity of the fifth metatarsal head. In these cases, the practitioners observed pain that was out of proportion to the clinical lesion present. This observation accompanied each patient's report of a chronic burning sensation on the fifth metatarsal head.


Thalassemia is a dreadful heritable hemolytic disease, characterized by a genetic mutation in the hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) gene. Mutation in HBB gene completely halts the production of the beta-globin protein, which leads to the defective production of functional hemoglobin. The prevalence of this disease is reported only in some specific geographical regions of India. Hence, the aim of this study was to screen the population of Garhwal for beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia) and thus find out the prevalence in the inhabitants through molecular characterization. For this study, 4,081 individuals were considered, out of which only the ones with elevated HbA2 levels (64) were subjected to molecular characterization. Mutational studies were carried out for the five most common mutations prevalent in the Indian subcontinent, that is, IVS 1-5 G-C, IVS 1-1 G-T, Codon 41/42 (-TCTT), Codon 8/9, and 619 bp deletion. The present study reports a frequency of 0.5% for β-thalassemia mutations among the subjects we have studied. The analysis of mutation spectrum revealed highest prevalence for IVS-1-5 (G-C) (18.75%) followed by Codon 8/9 (12.5%) and IVS-1-1 (G-T) with 6.25%. Codon 41/42 (-TCTT) and 619 bp deletion were found to be absent in our study population.


A moment method for the multivariate variance-mean mixture model is considered. Besides mean and covariance the method uses the coskewness and cokurtosis tensors. Its algorithmic implementation depends upon the solution of a sextic equation. Explicit formulas for the normal inverse Gaussian, the gamma, the inverse gamma and the classical tempered stable mixing distributions are included. An application to the statistical estimation of bivariate stock market indices is given. The models are successfully fitted to seven bivariate daily data sets over different time periods. The goodness-of-fit of the margins are optimized and compared.


The Canadian North Atlantic pelagic longline fishery for swordfish and tuna has unintended bycatch of porbeagle, shortfin mako, and blue sharks. This creates concerns for species-at-risk populations, ecosystem health, harvesters safety and economic security. This study proposes that a Dynamic Ocean Management (DOM) application could mitigate the pelagic shark bycatch associated with this longline fishery. The document reviews published information on the focal shark species, the fishery, current marine spatial management tools used in Canada, and theory and applications of DOM. Following this, the study evaluates the attitudes of 14 primary stakeholders towards DOM through stakeholder group governance analysis and semi-structured interviews. The associated stakeholders who participated in the project include one participant from each of the regional RFMOs; NAFO and ICCAT, three participants from DFO, one participant from the Nova Scotia Swordfish Association, four NGO perspectives, two academic perspectives, and two private third-party interest groups. In the interviews, all individuals discussed their views on the bycatch challenge, the desirability and feasibility of applying DOM, and the current efforts undertaken by each group. The results of this study show that a DOM application is seen as a desirable potential solution by most and could be feasible depending on project structure and management style. Therefore, based on the considerations of the governance analyses and interview responses, a management plan is proposed and associated requirements, considerations, and concerns are discussed. Specifically, the plan proposes a management tool in the style of a phone app or website interface. This interface would allow harvesters to geo-tag areas where shark bycatch has impacted their catch in near-real time. When overlaid with other data streams, including historical seasonal data, ocean conditions and species tracking, it allows the whole fleet to strategically plan their next location to set their longlines, with an active consideration to avoid sharks.


This study aimed to investigate the current contract rate and residents' willingness to contract with general practitioner (GP) services in Guangzhou, China, during the policy trial phase, and also to explore the association of behavior contract and contract willingness with variables based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (ABM). In total, 160 residents from community health centers (CHCs) and 202 residents from hospitals were recruited in this study. The outcome variables were behavior contract and contract willingness. Based on the framework of ABM, independent variables were categorized as predisposing factors, enabling factors, need factors, and CHC service utilization experiences. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis models were applied to explore the associated factors. Out of 362 participants, 14.4% had contracted with GP services. For those who had not contracted with GP services, only 16.4% (51 out of 310) claimed they were willing to do so. The contract rate for community-based participants was significantly higher than that for hospital-based participants. Major reasons for not choosing to contract were perceiving no benefit from the service and concerns about the quality of CHCs. Community health center experiences and satisfaction were significantly associated with contracting among hospital-based participants. A need factor (diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes) and CHC service utilization experiences (have gotten services from the same doctor in CHCs) were significantly associated with contract willingness among CHC-based participants. Intervention to improve awareness of GP services may help to promote this service. Different intervention strategies should be used for varying resident populations.


The aim of the study was to investigate the smoking habits of employees of a Danish hospital on the basis of a questionnaire given in October 1992 and compare the results with two similar previous studies of smoking habits among the Danish population (1991) and physicians and nurses (1989). It was performed as a cross-sectional questionnaire study in collaboration with Bispebjerg Hospital and Tobaksskaderådet. Three thousand one hundred and fifty-four (84%) employees responded. The results showed that 37% of male and 33% of female employees were daily smokers. The prevalence of smokers and the distribution of smoking habits according to social class of the employees were equal to the general population except for male physicians and female nurses where the prevalence of smokers was lower than the corresponding social classes. Female doctors smoked as much as class I from the population study. Twenty-two percent of male and 17% of female employees smoked 15 cigarettes a day or more (heavy smokers). Eighty-seven percent of the smokers smoked at work, and one-third smoked more than five cigarettes on each workday. It is concluded that the smoking habits of Danish hospital employees correspond to the smoking habits of the general population. Rules on smoking restriction in Danish hospitals are needed. The smoking habits of female doctors calls for attention.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the design and implementation of the two recent models or strategies adopted for the intervention and turnaround of poorly performing local authorities in England in the two distinct periods of 2002–2008 and 2011–2015. The first was integral to the Comprehensive Performance Management regimes, while the second was developed under the Sector Led Improvement regime. The intention is not to determine which regime has, or had, the most merit or inadequacies, but rather to synthesise knowledge and identify areas that could be improved as policy and practice moves forward, particularly in the light of the recent general election in the UK. The paper finds that both models have merits as well as weaknesses, dependent upon context and policy priorities. It provides a review of when and where alternative models should be used, and a contribution to the development of the next regime. This, the authors contend, should have a greater emphasis on achieving more appropriate levels of public assurance than the current model is providing.


We used the specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein to define the involvement of tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of chloride transport in the rectal gland of the dogfish shark, a model for chloride secretion via a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-like channel. In the perfused gland, genistein (100 microM) promptly increased chloride secretion from basal values of 159 +/- 36 to 966 +/- 49 mueq.h-1.g-1 (P < 0.0001). Bumentanide fully reversed genistein-induced secretion. In primary culture monolayers of rectal gland tubular cells, genistein, but not the inactive 7-glucoside form, genistin, increased short-circuit current in a dose-dependent manner, from basal values of 2.7 +/- 4.3 to 104 +/- 10 microA/cm2 (P < 0.0001). Apically applied genistein induced significantly greater chloride secretion than basolateral addition. Genistein did not increase the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content of either perfused glands or cultured monolayers. Using an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody, we observed phosphorylation of multiple proteins. Four peptides, with molecular masses of 250, 210, 55, and 53 kDa, responded to genistein treatment with a decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation. These data demonstrate the following: 1) genistein induces bumetanide-sensitive chloride secretion in both perfused rectal glands and cultured tubular cells; 2) these effects are not accompanied by an elevation of tissue cAMP, indicating that genistein-induced secretion is not mediated by the cAMP-protein kinase A pathway; and 3) genistein-sensitive peptides are present in the rectal gland cell and are candidates for involvement in the regulation of chloride secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In this paper I present the gluiph, a single-board computer that was conceived as a platform for integrated electronic musical instruments. It aims to provide new instruments as well as existing ones with a stronger identity by untethering them from the often lab-like stage setups built around general purpose computers. The key additions to its core are a flexible sensor subsystem and multi-channel audio I/O. In contrast to other stand-alone approaches it retains a higher degree of flexibility by supporting popular music programming languages, with Miller Puckette's pd [1] being the current focus.


Abstract The stabilimentum of orb web spiders is a structure for which several functions, both mechanical and defensive, have been suggested. Argiope argentata (Fabricius) builds a stabilimentum in the form of a white diagonal cross. Analysis of over 2500 webs of this species shows that the perfect cross is seldom built and nearly two thirds of the webs contain no stabilimentum at all. Experiments with wild birds as predators show that they can use stabilimentum-like models in prey location. From these data, and a review of the defensive adaptations of orb web spiders, it is argued that the A. argentata stabilimentum is not an anti-predator device. The evidence for a mechanical function is reviewed and discussed. It is suggested that the stabilimentum provides the spider with a means of making a final adjustment to the mechanical state of the web when this is necessary.


The problem of the synthesis of new type nanomaterials in the form of nano-coatings with sub-nanometric heterogeneity has been formulated. It has been presented an analysis of influences of physical vapor deposition in ultrahigh vacuum on the process of intermixing a film with a substrate, including the results, which has been obtained under the formation of transition metal – silicon interface. The generalization of the obtained experimental results develops an approach to the development of new nano-coatings with low-dimensional heterogeneity. The principles of constructing such low-dimensional nano-coatings, their properties and possible applications are considered.


We develop novel first- and second-order features for dependency parsing based on the Google Syntactic Ngrams corpus, a collection of subtree counts of parsed sentences from scanned books. We also extend previous work on surface $n$-gram features from Web1T to the Google Books corpus and from first-order to second-order, comparing and analysing performance over newswire and web treebanks.
Surface and syntactic $n$-grams both produce substantial and complementary gains in parsing accuracy across domains. Our best system combines the two feature sets, achieving up to 0.8% absolute UAS improvements on newswire and 1.4% on web text.


Photolysis reaction pathways of [Au(III)Cl4]- in aqueous solution have been investigated by time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Ultraviolet excitation directly breaks the Au-Cl bond in [Au(III)Cl4]- to form [Au(II)Cl3]- that becomes highly reactive within 79 ps. Disproportionation of [Au(II)Cl3]- generates [Au(I)Cl2]-, which is stable for ≤10 μs. In contrast, intense near-infrared lasers photolyze water to generate hydrated electrons, which then reduce [Au(III)Cl4]- to [Au(II)Cl3]- at 5 ns. Hydrated electrons further induce a chain reaction from [Au(II)Cl3]- to [Au(0)Cl]- by successively removing one Cl-. The zero-valency Au anions quickly polymerize and condense to form Au nanoparticles, which become the dominating product after 400 s. Our results reveal that the condensation of zero-valency Au starts with dimerization of gold clusters coordinated with chloride ions rather than direct condensation of pristine Au atoms.


This paper focuses on productivity improvement of a tiller assembly line by using operational analysis and assembly line balancing .The existing standard time in the assembly line is too old and inaccurate. A proposal of new standard time has been given to reduce the ineffective time. A heuristic method called Ranked Positional Weighted method is used for assembly line balancing. After the analysis of the existing time required for each tasks non value added time, value added time and production time has been found using stop watch time study. Micro motion study is done to find the ineffective time in each operation.


Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common causes of chronic cough. A new diagnostic breath test for acid-reflux cough may allow more rapid diagnosis. The economic impact of this test is incompletely characterized. We sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a diagnostic breath test for acid-reflux cough, and to identify which testing characteristics are most important in a cost-effective approach to the problem of acid-reflux cough. Cohort simulations were used to compare direct costs of the acid-reflux breath test (ARBT) to an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (EBCPG) from a societal perspective over a one-year time horizon. Probabilities and costs were derived from the published literature and current US market conditions. Sensitivity analyses were performed. For all reasonable estimates of the prevalence of GERD causing cough, the most cost-effective diagnostic approach is to begin with the ARBT and initiate treatment with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) if the test is positive. Assuming a disease prevalence of 36%, this strategy costs $622 per case correctly diagnosed. The approaches demonstrated similar rates of correct diagnoses (92.1% versus 93.0%, ARBT versus EBPG). The EBPG algorithm costs $967 per correct diagnosis. ARBT became increasingly cost-effective at lower disease prevalence. When the prevalence of acid-reflux cough exceeded 80%, EBPG become economically favored. The acid-reflux breath test is the most affordable means of determining whether therapy directed at acid reflux is the correct course of action for management of chronic cough.


Soil gas samples were obtained from the unsaturated zone at eight sites in the Great Plains. Three of these sites were sampled extensively for gas composition and carbon isotopes. Sampling equipment consisted of a nest of gas probes vertically spaced by roughly 3m at most sites, generally approaching the water table. Water wells, 10cm in diameter, were screened in the topmost layer groundwater. Inverted cattle tanks were used to collect CO2 samples from the soil surface. The major gas components were analyzed with emphasis on CO2, δ 13C, and 14C measurements. The same components were studied in groundwater samples. Higher than atmospheric CO2 concentrations were found in all soil samples. Root respiration and oxidation of organic matter were sources for the additional CO2. When lignite was present in the unsaturated zone, gaseous oxygen reacted almost completely, and CO2 levels rose to 19%. Near the surface, annual cycles in total CO2, δ 13C, and 14C were observed. 14C activities were close to present post-bomb levels at the surface and generally declined with depth. At some sites, oxidation of lignite caused decline of 14C levels to 1 or 2% of their surface value at 8m depth. Without lignite, the 14C activity remained above 50% at all depths. Concentrations of total carbon and its isotopes in ground water remained very stable throughout the study. This implies that geochemical processes in the aquifer vary on time scales longer than the seasonal effects observed in the near-surface unsaturated zone.


Aushadha Sevana Kaala or the time of administration of medicine is a very unique concept pertaining
to our science of Ayurveda. Even then our understanding about it is more textual than practical. Also its practice is also limited only to a few Ayurveda Vaidyas. An attempt is being made in this article to review the possible references of Aushadha Sevana Kaala, and also try and understand the way they enhance therapeutic action of a medicine.


The growth of populations is of interest in a broad variety of fields, such as epidemiology, economics or biology. Although a large variety of growth models are available in the scientific literature, their application usually requires advanced knowledge of mathematical programming and statistical inference, especially when modelling growth under dynamic environmental conditions. This article presents the biogrowth package for R, which implements functions for modelling the growth of populations. It can predict growth under static or dynamic environments, considering the effect of an arbitrary number of environmental factors. Moreover, it can be used to fit growth models to data gathered under static or dynamic environmental conditions. The package allows the user to fix any model parameter prior to the fit, an approach that can mitigate identifiability issues associated to growth models. The package includes common S3 methods for visualization and statistical analysis (summary of the fit, predictions, . . . ), easing result interpretation. It also includes functions for model comparison/selection. We illustrate the functions in biogrowth using examples from food science and economy.


Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are an efficient strategy to synthesize various heterocyclic compounds in one pot, and a simple step by combining the reactants in the same flask. In this study, a series of spiro-oxindole substituted chromene rings were synthesized via Knoevenagel and Micheal addition reaction using curcuminoid and chalcone as precursors. The reaction was assisted by Nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanocatalyst in ethanol solvent at 70°C. NiFe2O4 was synthesized by the co-precipitation method and characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM-EDX. The two spirooxindole-chromene derivatives synthesized with the NiFe2O4 nanocatalyst were characterized their functional group vibrations and molecular mass by FTIR and GCMS, respectively. Under conditions with the addition of 5% (w/w) catalyst, the yields of compound 1 and compound 2 were 95% and 90%. Only compound 2 responded to antibacterial activity test against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis).


UNLABELLED
The purpose of this study was to determine the biodistribution of 99mTc-tetrofosmin during intravenous infusion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and to evaluate the potential diagnostic value of myocardial tomography with 99mTc-tetrofosmin during ATP infusion for the detection of coronary artery disease.

METHODS
Myocardial 99mTc-tetrofosmin imaging with ATP infusion and coronary arteriography were performed on 65 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. ATP was infused intravenously at a rate of 0.16 mg/kg/min for 5 min, and 370 MBq of 99mTc-tetrofosmin was injected 3 min after the start of ATP infusion. Myocardial SPECT imags were obtained 60 min later. Then, 740 MBq of 99mTc-tetrofosmin was administered at rest, and myocardial SPECT was repeated. Regional uptakes of 99mTc-tetrofosmin were scored from 4, normal, to 0, no activity. Serial 5-min planar images were obtained in the anterior projection at 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after the 99mTc-tetrofosmin injection in 10 patients. Heart-to-lung and heart-to-liver count ratios were defined from the serial planar images.

RESULTS
Adverse effects of ATP infusion were mild and transient. A heart-to-lung ratio after ATP infusion was high even at 15 min (3.40 +/- 0.33) and gradually increased with time. A heart-to-liver ratio after ATP was 0.53 +/- 0.40 at 15 min and increased with time. A heart-to-liver ratio reached 0.99 +/- 0.25 (p < 0.01) after 45 min and 1.32 +/- 0.36 (p < 0.01) after 60 min. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting coronary artery disease by myocardial SPECT with ATP were 89% (39/44) and 86% (18/21), respectively.

CONCLUSION
This study shows the favorable biodistribution of 99mTc-tetrofosmin after intravenous infusion of ATP. A one-day imaging protocol of 99mTc-tetrofosmin tomography with ATP is feasible and has high diagnostic accuracy for coronary artery disease.


Thyroid hormones modulate the physiology of the hippocampus in humans, where glutamate plays an important role as neurotransmitter. The aim of this work was to study the effect of hypothyroidism on hippocampal glutamate extracellular levels, release, uptake, and synthesis. The effects of PDC (a glutamate transporter inhibitor) and ouabain (a Na+/K+‐ATPase inhibitor) infusion on microdialysate glutamate and aspartate levels of CA3 hippocampal region were evaluated. Animals were assigned to one of the following groups: hypothyroid group (Hyp), receiving methimazole (anantithyroid drug); replacement group (Hyp + T4), receiving antithyroid treatment plus thyroxine; and euthyroid control group (Eut). Dialysate fractions were collected every 15 min to determine basal glutamate levels for 1 hr. Then, PDC (10 mM) or ouabain (100 μM) was infused for 30 min. Results showed lower glutamate and aspartate basal levels in Hyp than in Eut groups. PDC infusion increased amino acids levels in all groups, whereas ouabain infusion increased glutamate and aspartate levels only in the Eut group. The infusion of tetrodotoxin (TTX; a voltage‐gated sodium channel inhibitor) prevented the glutamate increase in euthyroid rats. The Hyp + T4 group showed glutamate levels similar to those found in the Eut group. Additionally, glutaminase activity in hippocampus was lower in the Hyp group than in the Eut or Hyp + T4 group. Results suggest that high‐affinity glutamate transporters are not altered by hypothyroidism; however, decreased hypotyroidism reduced vesicular glutamate release in the CA3‐hippocampal region as a consequence of diminished glutamate synthesis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


A reward algorithm is needed for games which rewards risk, i.e. early play, and extends the longevity of a reward pool. This would allow a higher number of players and greater engagement. I created a reward mechanism that rewards risk, lasts longer, and is more profitable than existing mechanisms. I also implemented an algorithm within the mechanism to self-correct in outlier performance. This reward mechanism was used in TURBLAZE, a mobile game designed for high school students. The game has quizzes. Gamers pay a fixed fee to participate in a quiz and win a reward if their score is above a certain threshold.


Dietary monitoring can provide valuable information for disease diagnosis, body weight control, and dietary habit management, and thus it is welcomed by patients, dieters, and nutritionists. While various techniques have been used for dietary monitoring in clinical trials and user studies, they are not ready for daily use. Existing solutions either require tedious manual recording or may impede normal daily activities. In this paper, a pair of diet-aware glasses is designed. The key idea here is that when people wear glasses, the temples of the glasses are in touch with the lower part of the temporalis muscle, one of the mastication muscles. By integrating an electromyography (EMG) sensor into glasses, the glasses can measure the muscle activity of the temporalis to detect intake-related events. This paper instantiates the idea by building a prototype equipped with an EMG sensor, a microcontroller, SD shield/card and a Bluetooth radio. When working together with a smartphone, the glasses can provide detailed information on intake schedule, the number of chewing cycles and broad food category. Extensive experiments are conducted on seven subjects and the results show appealing prospects for our diet-aware glasses. The prototype achieves 96% accuracy for counting the number of chewing cycles and up to 90.8% accuracy for classifying five types of food.


Inherited antithrombin (AT) deficiency is an autosomal dominant thrombotic disorder. We encountered a case of inherited type I AT deficiency and identified the mutation responsible; a novel 5406delA mutation in the SERPINC1 gene appeared to have caused a frameshift with premature termination at amino acid +283. The recombinant AT protein including 5406delA was not detected in cell lysates or culture supernatants. These results will contribute to the creation of an accurate database and define the molecular basis for AT deficiency.


Efficient transmission protocols are required to minimize the energy consumption of mobile devices for ubiquitous connectivity in the next-generation of wireless networks. In this article, we analyze the energy consumption performance of a two-hop opportunistic device-select relaying (ODSR) scheme, where a device can either transmit data directly to a base station (BS) or relay the data to a nearby device, which forwards the data to the BS. We select a single device opportunistically from a device-to-device (D2D) network based on the energy required for transmission, including the energy consumed in the circuitry of the devices. By considering the log-normal shadowing as the dominant factor between devices and the BS, and Rayleigh fading in D2D links, we derive analytical bounds and scaling laws on average energy consumption. The derived analytical expressions show that the energy consumption of the ODSR decreases logarithmically with an increase in the number of devices, and achieves near-optimal performance only with a few nearby devices. This is an important design criterion to reduce latency and overhead energy consumption in a relay-assisted large-scale network. We also demonstrate the performance of the ODSR using simulations in realistic scenarios of a wireless network.


Studies examining the experience of children returned from foster care can reveal its causes and the severity of the psychological consequences, as well as the positive effect of psychological support on family functioning. Our research was aimed at the features of children and characteristics of foster families who refuse to continue parenting foster children. The study participants were comprised of families raising a foster child (Group One—182 families), and families who refused to continue parenting and returned the child (Group Two—19 families). The study was conducted using the "standardized interview for parents" and the "list of traumatic experiences of the child." The results show that the strongest contributor to foster family breakdown was the degree of the child's traumatic experience before placement (for Group One, 3.9 (1.15); Group Two, 6.1 (1.31), U = 395.0, p < 0.001) and the minimal participation of the family in an intervention program (the total number of program activities the family did not participate in; for Group One, 48.5 (28.27)%, Group Two, 95.5 (2.58)%, U = 67.5, p < 0.001). Our data expand ideas about the functioning of foster families who have taken children with significant traumatic experience and indicate the need to improve the quality of psychological and social support to foster families as an important factor in preventing secondary returns.


The synthesis of p(ClO) and p(TO) organo‐particles from clove oil and thyme oil is the first in the literature. The particles were tested against the L‐929 cell line for cell viability/cytotoxicity. The anticancer activity was studied against the Capan‐1 pancreatic cancer cell line. p(ClO) and p(TO) organo‐particles were featured by thermogravimetry (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size (DLS), and particle charge (zeta potential, Zeta) analyses. Antioxidant, biocompatible, antimicrobial, and in vitro cytotoxicity specialties were investigated. p(ClO) and p(TO) organo‐particles were found to be effective on the L‐929 fibroblast cell line and Capan‐1 pancreatic cancer cell line in research on Capan‐1 and L‐929 cell lines. Additionally, it was shown that large dosages of p(ClO) organo‐particles were not hazardous to L‐929 cell lines. A difference was found between the rates of cell viability and apoptosis and necrosis when the MTT study findings of p(ClO) and p(TO) organo‐particles were studied in Capan‐1 cell line. The p(TO) organo‐particle had the highest % apoptosis rate. At the 100 g mL−1 concentration, the fibroblast cell viability of p(ClO) and p(TO) organo‐particles was 176.46% and 107.78%, respectively. The IC50 value derived for the decrease in viability was determined as (2.22 mg mL−1) and it was calculated that it would kill the pancreatic cancer cells by 50% when doxorubicin and p(ClO) were administered combined.


IMPORTANCE
MEK inhibitors are being evaluated in clinical trials for treatment of different malignant neoplasms; trametinib dimethyl sulfoxide was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for melanoma in 2013. We present 3 cases of patients receiving MEK inhibitors who developed an atypical eruption.

OBSERVATIONS
Three patients who were receiving different MEK inhibitors (selumetinib, cobimetinib, and trametinib) developed an eruption, all associated with unique duskiness. Drug hypersensitivity was confirmed by histopathologic testing in 2 of the 3 cases. The skin eruption responded well to corticosteroids and did not recur when treatment with the MEK inhibitor was restarted in 2 of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The typical skin reaction associated with MEK inhibitors is a papulopustular eruption. To our knowledge, the dusky erythema that occurred in the 3 patients described here has not previously been reported for this drug class.


Severe facial burns may cause scarring problems and affect living quality of patients. With the advent of 3D facemasks, it is being used to treat facial scars; however, its efficacy must be confirmed by adequate studies. A retrospective analysis of 26 patients who visited rehabilitation outpatient clinic from 2017 to 2022. Patients were separated into two groups based on the time to healing (TTH) following burn injury: early healing group (TTH ≤ 21 days) and late healing group (TTH > 21 days). To compare treatment outcomes and differences between the two groups, 3D facemask application was assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), patient satisfaction, and complications. In both groups, there were significant improvements in the total VSS scores (P<0.01) and each VSS subscore (P<0.01). These scar characteristics improved over time as the treatment progressed. Compared with the late healing group, the early healing group had more obvious effects on improving scar pigmentation (P<0.05) and vascularity (P<0.05) at similar assessment time points after burns. At the last assessment, there was a significant difference in total VSS scores between groups (P=0.009). For the early and late healing groups, respectively, the mean gradient value (SE) of the total VSS scores was 1.550 (0.373) and 1.283 (0.224) over the course of the treatment periods. 3D facemasks are effective in the rehabilitation of facial scars caused by burns, which should be used for prevention and treatment in the initial stages of scar development.


Given the increased importance of adaptation debates in global climate negotiations, pressure to achieve biodiversity, food and water security through managed landscape-scale adaptation will likely increase across the globe over the coming decade. In parallel, emerging market-based, terrestrial greenhouse gas abatement programs present a real opportunity to secure such adaptation to climate change through enhanced landscape resilience. Australia has an opportunity to take advantage of such programs through regional planning aspects of its governance arrangements for NRM. This paper explores necessary reforms to Australia's regional NRM planning systems to ensure that they will be better able to direct the nation's emerging GGA programs to secure enhanced landscape adaptation.


Abstract : The purpose for the action is to provide special operations forces and the joint military forces community a realistic, instrumented, urban live-fire range environment on Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) for experimentation, test, training, and evaluation of advanced operational/training technologies. This proposed urban live-fire environment is referred to in this environmental assessment (EA) as Interoperable Urban Joint Close Air Support or IU-JCAS. The construction of this area is the major feature of Phase I of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Urban Training and Capabilities. Other phases would be evaluated once funding is available and sufficient details exist for analysis. United States (U.S.) Special Operations Command through AFSOC needs to train aircrew and special tactics teams how to locate, identify, and direct fire upon enemy combatants in an urban setting. This will prepare fighters for the current wartime environment and for future actions in the global war on terrorism. Current combat operations require AFSOC and U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) rotary-wing and fixed-wing gunships to fire in an urban environment. Aircrews prepare for this type of combat either by conducting dry fire on real urban areas or in simulation with no feedback or by conducting live fire in an open environment on individual targets with feedback. There is presently no training site on Eglin AFB that allows live fire of the needed weapons calibers in an urban environment, specifically live fire directed between buildings that provides feedback through instrumentation. Thus, the situation is such that the first time any AFSOC or USASOC crewmember conducts live fire in an urban environment is in combat. The action is needed to bring together the elements of ground units calling for live fire, gunship live fire response, and realistic urban targets.


Ninety-one patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. Forty-three specimens were examined after limited sectioning (series 1) and 48 underwent whole organ serial step-sectioning at 5 mm intervals (series 2) of the removed prostate gland. The latter allowed a more extensive assessment of tumour localization, multicentricity, extension, pT-stage and grade. Eighty-eight percent of specimens in series 1 had free surgical margins compared with only 41% in series 2 (p = 0.00001). Preoperative tumour grading by fine-needle aspiration biopsy, TUR-chips or 1.2 mm core biopsies was in agreement with postoperative grading in the prostatectomy specimens in 48% of the cases in series 1 and 67% in series 2, respectively. In series 2, preoperative localization of the tumours by palpation was accurately assessed in 75% of cases when compared to the findings at step-sectioning. Sixty-eight percent of 40 eligible glands in series 2 contained multiple tumours. 12/13 cases of unifocal tumours (92%) were classified as large single tumours. The sections were divided into four peripheral and four central parts/octants, and the tumour localization was marked within these octants. The apical and middle third of the prostate contained tumour in all cases, whereas the basal (cranial part) was engaged in 35%. Small tumours were localized mainly in the periphery of the gland, with no significant difference between dorsal and ventral octants. However, large tumours were situated mainly in the dorsal peripheral octants, concomitant with an increased involvement of the ventral and central octants.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We revisit the classical analysis of generative vs discriminative models for general exponential families, and high-dimensional settings. Towards this, we develop novel technical machinery, including a notion of separability of general loss functions, which allow us to provide a general framework to obtain l∞ convergence rates for general M-estimators. We use this machinery to analyze l∞ and l2 convergence rates of generative and discriminative models, and provide insights into their nuanced behaviors in high-dimensions. Our results are also applicable to differential parameter estimation, where the quantity of interest is the difference between generative model parameters.


[1] In transient landscapes, adjustments in river channel width, roughness, and alluvial cover, in addition to slope, provide potentially important but poorly understood mechanisms by which bedrock channels accommodate changes in external forcing. We used a laboratory flume to investigate experimentally how bedrock channel slope, width, roughness, alluvial cover, and incision rate collectively adjusted during the transient incision of an initially smooth channel with a varying bed load supply rate. When the channel was free of alluvial cover, incision was focused over a fraction of the bed width that varied strongly with both bed load supply and bed load transport capacity. Nondimensionalization yields a relationship for the width of active incision that explicitly incorporates bed load supply rate, sediment grain size, and bed shear stress, which suggests that in natural channels, width may respond dynamically to accommodate changes in bed load sediment supply. Because increases in sediment supply widened the band of active bed load sediment transport and thus the width over which incision took place, mass removal from the bed scaled with sediment supply when the bed was free of cover, consistent with incision being limited by the availability of erosive tools. However, bed roughness growth due to the spatial variation of incision during the experiment eventually inhibited bed load transport efficiency. This, in turn, led to deposition of alluvial cover and the suppression of incision on the bed at high sediment supply rates, consistent with incision being limited by the extent of alluvial cover deposited on the bed. The dynamics of roughness creation and alluvial cover deposition can therefore drive both negative and positive feedbacks on incision rate change following sediment supply perturbations. These experimental results offer several potentially field-testable hypotheses that together may help explain variability in the width, slope, and bed roughness of bedrock river channels in transient landscapes.


An outline of infrared localized vibrational mode absorption spectroscopy relevant to silicon impurities in GaAs is presented. Absorption lines from SiGa donors, SiAs acceptors, SiGa-SiAs pairs, SiGa-VGa (Ga vacancy) pairs and a complex Si-X (involving SiAs and VGa) have been identified as well as lines from SiGa-CuGa, SiGa-H, SiAs H and SiGa-BAs pairs. These observations are related to the electrical properties of n-type Bridgman, liquid-encapsulated Czochralski and molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) (001) GaAs, and to p-type liquid phase epitaxial and MBE (111)A layers. The discussion relates to dynamic site switching, effects due to counter-doping with shallow acceptors, the solubility of silicon, and DX behaviour observed in homogeneously doped material and proposed for delta -doped MBE (001) layers. The major problem is to understand the processes that limit the maximum carrier concentration that can be achieved in n-type crystals.


Introduction: Penetrating hand injuries are common and improper assessment can result in missed foreign bodies. These bodies can result in a wide range of complications. Aim: The aim of our study was to study the profile of patients reporting with missed foreign bodies in the hand. Materials and methods: All the cases treated in the Department of Surgery, Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (medical college), Kashmir, for missed foreign bodies in hands from June 2003 to May 2009 were studied retrospectively. Results: A total of 61 cases with missed foreign bodies of different nature were treated over the period of six years. Wooden splinters were the most common foreign bodies missed. Preoperative localization was accomplished with plain radiographs and ultrasonograms. Most of the cases were treated on outpatient basis. Conclusions: Foreign bodies should be suspected and ruled out in all cases of penetrating injuries of hands. Missed foreign bodies need to be removed after proper localization by imaging.


Abstract. Vulnerability identifies the element-at-risk as well as the evaluation of their relationships with the hazard. The relationships relate the landslide potential damages over a specific element-at-risk. Vulnerability can be defined as the degree of loss to a given element-at-risk or set of elements at risk resulting from the occurrence of a natural phenomenon of a given magnitude and expressed on a scale from 0 (no damage) to 1 (total damage). In this study, the landslide vulnerability mapping and analysis were made on two element-at-risks namely buildings and roads. Based on field observations, building and road construction materials have been classified into 22 and 5 construction materials respectively. The field visits were made on specific areas based on candidate buildings and roads as chosen during the landslide exposure analysis and mapping. The vulnerability values for these element-at-risks were expressed using expert opinion. Four experts have been interviewed with separate sessions. The experts were also supplied with local information on the landslides occurrences and photos of element-at-risk in Kundasang and Kota Kinabalu. The vulnerability matrices were combined based on the weighted average approach, in which higher weight was assigned to panel with local expert (landslides and damage assessment), wide experience in landslide vulnerability analysis, hazard and risk mapping. Finally, the vulnerability maps were produced for Kundasang and Kota Kinabalu with spatial resolution of 25 cm. These maps were used for the next step i.e. landslide risk mapping and analysis.


The livers of rats exposed to pure oxygen were examined electron microscopically to study toxic effects of oxygen in a metabolically sensitive organ. Pressures of 1/3 (258 mm Hg), 1 (760 mm Hg), and 3 (2280 mm Hg) atmospheres were used, with exposures up to 90 days with the lowest pressures. The first changes in the hepatocytes were loss of glycogen and enlargement of mitochondria with development of mitochondria with bizarre shapes which were seen after 3 days at 258 mm, 1 day at 760 mm, and 3 hours at 2280 mm. These changes were followed by formation of increased numbers of cristae, membranes surrounding mitochondria, autophagic vacuoles, and polyribosome clusters. After 2 weeks at 258 mm, which is the pressure of the atmosphere of space cabins, numerous mitochondrial myelin figures appeared but the mitochondrial enlargement had begun to regress. After 90 days at 258 mm, the liver cells appeared almost normal except that many pigment granules had accumulated in the pericanalicular zones. The changes were non-specific and seemed to parallel biochemical alterations recorded elsewhere. They are not considered the result of toxicity but rather of adaptation. These atmospheres, which are used in clinical medicine and in space travel, appear to have no permanent deleterious effects on the liver in rats under the conditions of this experiment.


In article analysis the state of the modern fast-food market in Russian Federation. The author observes main trends in this area, the competitiveness of the different regions of the country. The special attention is given to the proposal of opening Subway franchise in the Crimea


Qualitative evaluation was carried out to understand the perceptions of the students participating in the Tier 1 Program of the P.A.T.H.S. Project. Five focus groups based on 43 students recruited from four schools were conducted to generate qualitative data to evaluate the program. With specific focus on how the informants described the program, results showed that the descriptors used were mainly positive in nature. When the informants were invited to name three metaphors that could stand for the program, the related metaphors were basically positive in nature. Finally, the program participants perceived many beneficial effects of the program in different psychosocial domains. Intra- and inter-rater reliability analyses revealed that the coding of the positive or negative nature of the responses was reliable. The present study provides qualitative support for the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in promoting holistic development in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong.


The future role of clinical neurophysiology is considered in the light of its achievements. It is argued that there is a need to develop methods for specific diagnosis, especially in neuropathies. There is also an unmet requirement for the development of techniques for the prediction of treatment outcomes and for the measurement of changes during the natural history of neuromuscular disorders and their treatment. These issues are not addressed by currently available clinical test methods. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve Supplement 11: S134–S138, 2002


For more than 35 years, the NOD mouse has been the primary animal model for studying autoimmune diabetes. During this time, striking similarities to the human disease have been uncovered. In both species, unusual polymorphisms in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule confer the most disease risk, disease is caused by perturbations by the same genes or different genes in the same biological pathways and that diabetes onset is preceded by the presence of circulating autoreactive T cells and autoantibodies that recognize many of the same islet antigens. However, the relevance of the NOD model is frequently challenged due to past failures translating therapies from NOD mice to humans and because the appearance of insulitis in mice and some patients is different. Nevertheless, the NOD mouse remains a pillar of autoimmune diabetes research for its usefulness as a preclinical model and because it provides access to invasive procedures as well as tissues that are rarely procured from patients or controls. The current article is focused on approaches to improve the NOD mouse by addressing reasons why immune therapies have failed to translate from mice to humans. We also propose new strategies for mixing and editing the NOD genome to improve the model in ways that will better advance our understanding of human diabetes. As proof of concept, we report that diabetes is completely suppressed in a knock-in NOD strain with a serine to aspartic acid substitution at position 57 in the MHC class II Aβ. This supports that similar non-aspartic acid substitutions at residue 57 of variants of the human class II HLA-DQβ homolog confer diabetes risk.


We demonstrate the use of self-assembled luminescent semiconductor quantum dot (QD)-peptide bioconjugates for the selective intracellular labeling of several eukaryotic cell lines. A bifunctional oligoarginine cell penetrating peptide (based on the HIV-1 Tat protein motif) bearing a terminal polyhistidine tract was synthesized and used to facilitate the transmembrane delivery of the QD bioconjugates. The polyhistidine sequence allows the peptide to self-assemble onto the QD surface via metal-affinity interactions while the oligoarginine sequence allows specific QD delivery across the cellular membrane and intracellular labeling as compared to nonconjugated QDs. This peptide-driven delivery is concentration-dependent and thus can be titrated. Upon internalization, QDs display a punctate-like staining pattern in which some, but not all, of the QD signal is colocalized within endosomes. The effects of constant versus limited exposure to QD-peptide conjugates on cellular viability are evaluated by a metabolic specific assay, and clear differences in cytotoxicity are observed. The efficacy of using peptides for selective intracellular delivery is highlighted by performing a multicolor QD labeling, where we found that the presence or absence of peptide on the QD surface controls cellular uptake.


Effective incident management requires accurate prediction of incident duration. In this paper, Classification and Regression Tree (CART), CHAID and Exhaustive CHAID is employed to model the incident duration. All 65000 incident records from Beijing Transportation Management Bureau are used for model establishment and another 8000 records for validation. The average relative error of the CART model is 29.5197% while CHAID is 30.78%; Exhaustive CHAID is 31.23%. It shows that the reliability of the three models is quite satisfactory. The average relative error of the prediction on different ring roads of Beijing is approximately the same.


The study evaluated the growth performance of broilers fed with Piper betle leaves as soilage. Specifically, it aimed to determine the effects of betel leaves as soilage in feed consumption, body weight, water consumption, weight gain, percentage growth rate, feed conversion efficiency, feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage, pancreas, and liver weight. Results revealed that 12% Piper betle as soilage (T4) consistently outgrown the broilers fed with 8% (T3), 4% (T2) and control (T1) in terms of body weight, feed consumption, gain in weight, and income overfeeds, soilage, chick cost, and miscellaneous cost. Percentage growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed conversion efficiency (FCE), dressing percentage with and without giblets were comparable among treatments. Similarly, data showed that pancreas and liver weights did not differ Vol. 32 · July 2020 Print ISSN 2244-1573 · Online ISSN 2244-1581 International Peer Reviewed Journal Journal Metrics: H Index = 2 from Publish or Perish This journal is included in Thomson Reuters Journal Masterlist Published by IAMURE Multidisciplinary Research, an ISO 9001:2008 certified by the AJA Registrars Inc. Volume 32 · July 2020 103 among treatments and did not exceed within the maximum limits of toxicity, indicating no toxic substances and deleterious effects in feeding Piper betle as soilage regardless of the level of inclusion. Hence, safe as feed for broiler's.


Carbapenems, once considered the last line of defense against of serious infections with Enterobacteriaceae, are threatened with extinction. The increasing isolation of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens is forcing practitioners to rely on uncertain alternatives. As little as 5 years ago, reports of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, common causes of both community and healthcare-associated infections, were sporadic and primarily limited to case reports, tertiary care centers, intensive care units, and outbreak settings. Carbapenem resistance mediated by β-lactamases, or carbapenemases, has become widespread and with the paucity of reliable antimicrobials available or in development, international focus has shifted to early detection and infection control. However, as reports of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1, and more recently OXA-48 (oxacillinase-48) become more common and with the conveniences of travel, the assumption that infections with highly resistant Gram-negative pathogens are limited to the infirmed and the heavily antibiotic and healthcare exposed are quickly being dispelled. Herein, we provide a status report describing the increasing challenges clinicians are facing and forecast the "stormy waters" ahead.


An X-band inverse class-F power amplifier is realized by a 1-mm AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). The intrinsic and parasitic components inside the transistor, especially output capacitor Cds, influence the harmonic impedance heavily at the X-band, so compensation design is used for meeting the harmonic condition of inverse class-F on the current source plane. Experiment results show that, in the continuous-wave mode, the power amplifier achieves 61.7% power added efficiency (PAE), which is 16.3% higher than the class-AB power amplifier realized by the same kind of HEMT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first inverse class-F GaN internally-matched power amplifier, and the PAE is quite high at the X-band.


Electrically active axons drive local myelination. In the central nervous system, cells called oligodendrocytes create myelin, the electrical insulation that sheathes the axons of neurons. The formation of myelin dramatically increases the speed of nerve signals and is critical to nervous system development and physiology, and demyelination can play a central role in disease (1–4). Many of the mechanisms underlying myelination, however, remain unclear. On page 1647 of this issue, Wake et al. (5) expand our understanding. They demonstrate that electrically active axons can induce myelin formation by vesicular release of glutamate that signals nearby oligodendrocytes to start local production of a myelin-building protein. The finding provides novel insights into how experience can influence brain development and physiology.


Contact tracing apps used in tracing and mitigating the spread of COVID-19 have sparked discussions and controversies worldwide. The major concerns in relation to these apps are around privacy. Ireland was in general praised for the design of its COVID tracker app, and the transparency through which privacy issues were addressed. However, the "voice" of the Irish public was not really heard or analysed. This study aimed to analyse the Irish public sentiment towards privacy and COVID tracker app. For this purpose we have conducted sentiment analysis on Twitter data collected from public Twitter accounts from Republic of Ireland. We collected COVID-19 related tweets generated in Ireland over a period of time from January 1, 2020 up to December 31, 2020 in order to perform sentiment analysis on this data set. Moreover, the study performed sentiment analysis on the feedback received from a national survey on privacy conducted in Republic of Ireland. The findings of the study reveal a significant criticism towards the app that relate to privacy concerns, but other aspects of the app as well. The findings also reveal some positive attitude towards the fight against COVID-19, but these are not necessarily related to the technological solutions employed for this purpose. The findings of the study contributed to the formulation of useful recommendations communicated to the relevant Irish actors.


In this thesis, we present a proof of the meromorphic non-integrability for some problems arising from Celestial Mechanics, as well as a new necessary condition for partial integrability in a wider Hamiltonian setting. First of all, a simpler proof is added to those already existing for the Three-Body Problem with arbitrary masses. The N-Body Problem with equal masses is also proven non-integrable. Second of all, a further strengthening of a prior existing result allows us to detect obstructions to the existence of a single additional first integral for classical Hamiltonians with a homogeneous potential. Third of all, using the aforementioned new result, we have proven the non-existence of an additional integral both for the general Three-Body Problem (hence generalizing, in a certain sense, Bruns'Theorem) and for the equal-mass Problem for N=4,5,6. Fourth of all, finally, we have proven the non-integrability of Hill's problem using the most general instance of the Morales-Ramis Theorem.
A varying degree of theoretical complexity was involved in these results. Indeed, the proofs involving the given instances of the N-Body Problem required nothing but the exploration of the eigenvalues of a given matrix, with the advantage of knowing four of them explicitly. Thus, not all variational equations were needed but those not corresponding to these four eigenvalues -- this is exactly what transpires from the system reduction and subsequent introduction of normal variational equations, as done by S. Ziglin, J. J. Morales-Ruiz, J.-P. Ramis, and others. Hill's Problem, however, required the whole variational system since only thanks to the special functions introduced in the process of variation of constants was it possible to assure the presence of obstructions to integrability.
These results appear to qualify differential Galois theory, and especially a new incipient theory stemming from it, as an amenable setting for the detection of obstructions to total and partial Hamiltonian integrability.