Some patients of dermatomyositis (DM) with interstitial pneumonia (IP) have common clinical features. Clinical features of these patients are acute onset, very poor prognosis and that patients have fever, arthritis, typical skin rash, mild myositis and show low ratio of CPK/LDH, low incidence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) appearance, low inflammatory signs. We experienced two cases of this category of DM with IP and examined immunological aspects. Case 1. A 52-year-old woman was admitted in June 1, 1990 with a one-month history of arthralgia and a ten-days history of fever, skin rash, myalgia and dyspnea on exertion. On examination she had Gottron's papules on her fingers, erythema on back, bilateral elbows and legs, proximal muscle weakness and arthritis. Fine crackles were audible in the lower lung fields. Laboratory data included CPK 200 IU/l, ALD 3.2 IU/l, LDH 805 IU/l. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) revealed increased cellularity with lymphocytosis. She was treated with oral corticosteroid (CS), pulse CS, cyclosporin A. Inspite of these therapies, she died of progressive respiratory insufficiency in July 10, 1990. Case 2. A 23-year-old woman was admitted in April 1, 1991, with a two-month history of arthralgia and a one-month history of fever, skin rash, stomatitis, alopecia. On examination she had Gottron's papules on her fingers, erythema on malar, bilateral elbows and legs, arthritis and stomatitis. Laboratory data included CPK 97 IU/l, ALD 8.5 IU/l, LDH 779 IU/l. She began experiencing dry cough and dyspnea on exertion in May 1991. Analysis of BALF revealed increased cellularity with lymphocytosis. She was treated with oral corticosteroid(CS), pulse CS, pulse cyclophosphamide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This research article describes the modern inclination in Brahui modern poetry. Brahui poetry has verity in this consideration. This article informs that the Brahui modern poetry commenced from 1960 and every decade of modern poetry has different subjects and tendencies. The main and core objectives of article are to define the nationalism, romanticism, pragmatism and feminism their issues and solution. It further shows that Brahui poets and writers have project the social issues and harms of the society. Writers discuss the national integration while they think poetry is the effective tool to convey their massages. This article has analytical approach to determine the Brahui poetry. This article releases the related subjects like classical poet Reki desired for a prosperous future. Same theory has been adopted by the modern Brahui poets. This research article gives information that how to classify the several tendencies in Brahui poetry. It further proves that the society has accepted the ideas of modern poets


Using a large-scale online experiment with more than 8,000 U.S. respondents, we examine how the demand for a politics newsletter changes when the newsletter content is fact-checked. We first document an overall muted demand for factchecking when the newsletter features stories from an ideologically aligned source, even though fact-checking increases the perceived accuracy of the newsletter. The average impact of fact-checking masks substantial heterogeneity by ideology: factchecking reduces demand among respondents with strong ideological views and increases demand among ideologically moderate respondents. Furthermore, factchecking increases demand among all respondents when the newsletter features stories from an ideologically non-aligned source. (JEL D83, D91, L82)


This paper presents the results of landslide susceptibility mapping in small hilly areas, Cibanteng village, Cianjur district, West Java. In this study. the physically-based model SINMAP (Stability Index Mapping) was applied in the GIS platform. The SINMAP model simulation requires data of physical properties of soil, such as cohesion value, internal friction angle, and soil hydrology to calculate the value of factor of safety (FS). The values of cohesion and fraction angel for the 10 sample points were obtained from the laboratory test results, while the value of soil hydrology, i.e hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, effective rainfall and index wetness, referred to the literature source. The DEM (digital elevation model) was generated from the 1:25,000 digital topographic map, which produced the soil slopes and specific upstream contributing areas. The result of SINMAP model simulation shown that the regions with a high landslide susceptibility (FS <1, unstable) were spread unevenly with an area of 261ha (17,6% of the study area). The Landslide susceptibility map from the SINMAP model provided a satisfactory result with an accuracy of 62,5% against to the landslide events occurred during the period 2010-2017.


A short review is given of recent advances in the understanding of the phase-diagram of dynamical system exihibiting mode-locking and chaos.


SUMMARY At early stages, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is clinically characterized by damage of peripheral tissues and nerves (edema, activation of osteoblasts, hyperalgesia to blunt pressure). These signs are the result of a dysbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, which normalizes approximately 6 months after the beginning of the disease, independent from clinical outcome. At the same time, evolving clinical signs such as allodynia, cold hyperalgesia, reduced tactile acuity or symptoms of disrupted body representation (e.g., neglect-like syndrome, impaired hand laterality recognition or shift of the body midline) suggest a crucial role of the CNS in the pathophysiology of this pain syndrome. Imaging studies have found a severe but reversible reduction of the cortical hand representation (primary and secondary somatosensory cortices and primary motor cortices). Interestingly however, complex multisensory integration in central association areas are unaffected in CRPS, as patients are capable of integrating artificial body parts or recognize 2D forms despite tactile dysfunction. Furthermore, despite its unilateral clinical manifestation, it has been shown that in CRPS but not in other unilateral neuropathic pain syndromes, alterations in cortical excitability occur bilaterally, both in sensory and motor regions. In conclusion, a more widespread and bilateral pattern of CNS reorganization appears to characterize CRPS, which might be related to dysfunctions in the basal ganglia or in thalamo-cortical structures. Consequently, CRPS treatment should involve not only anti-inflammatory measures and pain therapy, but also the integration of neurorehabilitative training programs.


This paper demonstrates theoretically and experimentally the idea of magnetic force control in magnetic levitation systems using flux density measurements. A Hall-effect sensor is used to sense the flux density in the airgap. The magnetic force is obtained by its proportional relation to the flux density. A simple magnetic levitation system which consists of a U-shaped electromagnet and a manipulator is used. First, the system dynamics are described in state space form using airgap displacement, velocity of the magnetically levitated manipulator, and the flux density as state variables. Second, the magnetic levitation system is stabilized using digital state feedback control. The magnetic force is then regulated using a digital H/sub /spl infin// controller to achieve robust stability, disturbance/noise rejection and asymptotic tracking. Simulation and experimental results in terms of speed and accuracy are presented.


Experimental study and numerical modeling of a cw-pumped all-solid- state fiber erbium laser passively Q-switched with a Co2+:ZnSe crystal is proceeded for the first time to our knowledge. Features of the laser dynamics are investigated from a super-luminescence regime via passive Q-switching mode to cw operation. The basical parameters of the passive Q-switching mode - giant pulses' repetition rate, duration, and energy - are calculated numerically and measured experimentally. Experimental results are shown to be in quite-well agreement with a simple theoretical model of the laser.


J M t w m m s g l t o S b Physics at the University of Bristol. and Visiting Professor at the Uni collaborates with several groups w thermal properties of CNT-p www.elliotts.org.uk Department of Materials Science and M Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK. Department of Materials Engineering, Th Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. E-mail: Laboratoire d'Etudes des Microstructures, Cedex, France. E-mail: hakim.amara@onera Cite this: DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01925j


This paper demonstrates the outcomes of a major project entitled 'Bridging the Distance' aimed to support the needs of distance learners. The aims of this project were twofold: (i) to establish an institutional framework for student success and (ii) to develop a suite of tools, resources and support strategies for the improvement of distance learner achievement and retention. In particular, the project sought to avoid what Simpson (2009) refers to as the 'retention goulash' through a conceptual framework that helps to inform the selection, design and development of specific on-line tools that are cost-effective, theoretically grounded, add real value to the student experience, and ultimately improve student success through early, justin-time, personalised support. The paper provides an overview of the conceptual framework along with several examples of the online tools and resources developed to support distance learners.


This article argues that in The Minister's Wooing, Stowe analyzes the conditions under which sympathy enables the experience of genuine human contact. Like contemporary relational psychoanalytic theorists, Stowe posits that true sympathy, marked by conflict and blunt speech, precedes empathic identification. Because Puritanism authorizes both, it has important, though qualified, psychological benefits.


The majority of existing analyses on synchronization errors consider only partial synchronization error factors. In contrast, this work simultaneously analyzes joint effects of major synchronization errors, including the symbol time offset (STO), carrier frequency offset (CFO), and sampling clock frequency offset (SCFO) of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems in doubly-selective fading channels. Those errors are generally coexisting so that the combined error will seriously degrade the performance of an OFDM receiver by introducing intercarrier interference (ICI) and intersymbol interference (ISI). To assist the design of OFDM receivers, we formulate the theoretical signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) due to the combined error effect. As such, by knowing the required SINR of a specific application, all combinations of allowable errors can be derived, and cost-effective algorithms can be easily characterized. By doing so, it is unnecessary to run the time-consuming Monte Carlo simulations, commonly adopted by many conventional designs of synchronization algorithms, in order to know those combined error effects.


The NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and Other Structures have contained procedures for soil-structure interaction analysis that were originally developed between 1975 and 1977 by the Applied Technology Council Committee on Soil-Structure Interaction (ATC3 Committee 2C). These procedures affect the analysis of seismic demand in structures by modifying the base shear for a fixed-base structure to that for a flexible-base structure with a longer fundamental mode period and a different (usually larger) system damping ratio. In the 2000 NEHRP Provisions and Commentary, several changes were made to these procedures that affect the analysis of foundation stiffness, and in turn affect the SSI adjustment to base shear. In this paper, SSI analysis procedures in the pre-2000 and 2000 NEHRP Provisions are examined relative to a database of "observed" SSI effects previously evaluated using system identification analyses. Through this calibration exercise and focused numerical analyses, we discuss the motivation and justification for the modifications to the NEHRP SSI analysis procedures.


The presence and distribution of centrifugal fibers in the human retina has been studied using retinal fiat mounts and silver impregnation techniques. The method has permitted identification of individual centrifugal fibers which emerge from the optic papilla as well as their course and distribution within the retina. These centrifugal fibers can be differentiated from axons of ganglion cells by their diameter, by their intense argyrophilia, by their successive bifurcations as they proceed peripherally in the retina resulting in attenuation of the fibers, and by their descending trajectory from the nerve fiber layer into the inner nuclear layer. Parallel studies of vertical retinal sections have confirmed with more precision the descending trajectory of the centrifugal fibers from the nerve fiber layer across the ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer to reach the innermost portion of the inner nuclear layer where the majority of the fibers terminate. However, occasional fibers cross the inner nuclear layer to end in the outer plexiform layer.


Specific amino acids within RGS proteins may encode specificity toward G protein α subunits. Designing specificity Once an agonist binds to its G protein–coupled receptor, GTP replaces GDP on the α subunit of an associated G protein, which then dissociates from its βγ dimer to activate effectors. The GTPase activity of the α subunit returns the G protein to an inactive state, a process that is accelerated by interactions with members of the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) family. Asli et al. used functional and structural analyses to identify specific amino acid residues that distinguished RGS proteins with low activity toward Gαo from those with high activity. High-activity RGS proteins that were mutated to contain these "disruptor" residues exhibited reduced inhibitory activity toward the Gα subunit. Together, these data suggest that "disruptor" residues within RGS proteins may encode specificity toward Gα subunits. Understanding the molecular basis of interaction specificity between RGS (regulator of G protein signaling) proteins and heterotrimeric (αβγ) G proteins would enable the manipulation of RGS-G protein interactions, explore their functions, and effectively target them therapeutically. RGS proteins are classified into four subfamilies (R4, R7, RZ, and R12) and function as negative regulators of G protein signaling by inactivating Gα subunits. We found that the R12 subfamily members RGS10 and RGS14 had lower activity than most R4 subfamily members toward the Gi subfamily member Gαo. Using structure-based energy calculations with multiple Gα-RGS complexes, we identified R12-specific residues in positions that are predicted to determine the divergent activity of this subfamily. This analysis predicted that these residues, which we call "disruptor residues," interact with the Gα helical domain. We engineered the R12 disruptor residues into the RGS domains of the high-activity R4 subfamily and found that these altered proteins exhibited reduced activity toward Gαo. Reciprocally, replacing the putative disruptor residues in RGS18 (a member of the R4 subfamily that exhibited low activity toward Gαo) with the corresponding residues from a high-activity R4 subfamily RGS protein increased its activity toward Gαo. Furthermore, the high activity of the R4 subfamily toward Gαo was independent of the residues in the homologous positions to the R12 subfamily and RGS18 disruptor residues. Thus, our results suggest that the identified RGS disruptor residues function as negative design elements that attenuate RGS activity for specific Gα proteins.


Biomimetics is a field that has the potential to drive major technical advances. It might substantially support successful mastering of current tribological challenges, i.e., friction, adhesion and wear in machines and devices from the meter to the nanometer scale. Science currently goes through a major change, with biology gaining increasing importance. Indeed, biology is becoming the new Leitwissenschaft. Tribology is omnipresent in biology. Various examples for biological tribosystems across dimensions are introduced to the reader, exemplifying the hierarchical nature of biomaterials, and concepts such as integration instead of additive construction, optimization of the whole instead of maximization of a single component feature, multifunctionality instead of mono-functionality and development via trial-and-error processes. The current state of biomimetics in tribology is reviewed, and possible biomimetic scenarios to overcome current tribological challenges are suggested (switchable adhesives, micromechanic devices, novel lubricants and adhesives).


The bacterial chaperonin GroEL functions with its cofactor GroES in assisting the folding of a wide range of proteins in an ATP-dependent manner. GroEL-GroES constitute one of the main chaperone systems in the Escherichia coli cytoplasm. The chaperonin facilitates protein folding by enclosing substrate proteins in a cage defined by the GroEL cylinder and the GroES cap where folding can take place in a protected environment. The in vivo role of GroEL has recently been elucidated. GroEL is found to interact with 10-15% of newly synthesized proteins, with a strong preference for proteins in the molecular weight range of 20-60 kDa. A large number of GroEL substrates have been identified and were found to preferentially contain proteins with multiple alphabeta, domains that have alpha-helices and beta-sheets with extensive hydrophobic surfaces. Based on the preferential binding of GroEL to these proteins and structural and biochemical data, a model of substrate recognition by GroEL is proposed. According to this model, binding takes place preferentially between the hydrophobic residues in the apical domains of GroEL and the hydrophobic faces exposed by the beta-sheets or alpha-helices in the alphabeta domains of protein substrates.


A study was conducted to investigate endocrine and testicular changes in the male chicken associated with the ingestion of 10 or 20 ppm aflatoxin at 3 different stages of development. Weekly body weight gain, absolute and relative combined testes weights, and plasma testosterone concentrations were reduced in aflatoxin-fed males as compared to controls, with the greatest differences seen at 12 wk of age. The effect of dietary aflatoxin on levels of plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) was dependent on age at exposure. Concentrations of plasma LH in 6-wk-old control males were significantly higher than in aflatoxin-fed birds, whereas no treatment differences were observed in older males. Additionally, few changes were observed in static levels of monoamines in any of the brain regions assayed, regardless of age at exposure. The delay in peak levels of LH, as well as the suppression of plasma testosterone and testicular weight, indicate a possible delay in the onset of sexual maturation associated with aflatoxicosis in this species.


The study evaluated microeconomic variables namely interest rate exchange rate and inflation rate on credit facility obtained by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The study employed ex post facto research design. Data were extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin from 1990 to 2018. The study found out that a significant relationship exists between the three independent variables namely interest rate, exchange rate, inflation rate and the dependent variable i.e credit facility. The study therefore concluded that the government should work and bring in policies that will reduce the interest rate, exchange rate and inflation rate in the country so as to help SMEs to grow.


The calculating method of leakage effective dose in a controlled area boundary is regulated by law No. 188. When calculating the leakage dose by scattered x-rays, the 90° scattering coefficient is required. In this study, the 90° scattering coefficient was calculated using EGS4 as a function of field size and the strength of the incident x-ray spectrum and compared with the value given in law No. 188. It was found that the value given by law No. 188 underestimates the calculated value.


Thigh muscle volume was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging in 16 subjects with spinal muscular atrophy. Scans were successful for 14 of 16 subjects (1 type 1, 6 type 2, and 7 type 3) as young as 5.7 years. Muscle volume with normal and abnormal signal was measured using blinded, semiautomated analysis of reconstructed data. Results were compared with segmental lean mass estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and correlated with clinical and electrophysiological measures of disease severity. Muscle volume was reduced with abnormal signal quality. Test-retest reliability (r = .99) and correlation with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (r = .91) were excellent. Type 2 subjects had lower volume (3.5 ± 1.6 vs 6.3 ± 2.8 mL/cm height; P = .06) and higher percentage of muscle with abnormal signal (68% ± 20% vs 47% ± 27%; P = .14) than type 3. Reproducibility, tolerability, and strong correlation with clinical measures make magnetic resonance imaging a candidate biomarker for clinical research.


How can we study power and identify ways to mitigate its abuse in the real world when we, as researchers, also participate in the projection of power through knowledge claims? Informing epistemological perspective, theoretical choices, research design, data collection, data analysis, exposition of findings, and venues for sharing findings, feminism offers many answers. We argue that the most important feminist tool for guiding international relations scholarship is the research ethic . This research ethic is the research practice associated with a critical feminist theory that is reflective of the normative concerns of constructivist, critical, post-modern, and post-colonial theories. It offers International Relations researchers feminist standards for assessing research despite feminism's multiplicity and its defiance of attempts to delimit its practice. This article sets out a feminist research ethic for improving international relations (IR) scholarship, regardless of whether it is feminist or not. We then show that this research practice can also help the researcher resolve ethical dilemmas in research in ethical ways that enhance the quality of the research.


We report here the preparation of BVDV antigen (Ag) to obtain adequate quantities of pure active viral proteins from Madin Darby Bovine kidney (MDBK) cell culture infected with BVDV cytophatic Oregon C24V strain. SDS-PAGE, Immunodot, ECL-Western blot and ELISA showed the best specificity and activity of BVDV Ag obtained from infected cells only by mild experimental conditions. BVDV Ag preparations showed the peculiar BVDV sensitivity to proteases, nonionic surfactants and tend for protein degradation and irreversible loss of conformational antigenic determinants with subsequent inability to detect antibodies against viral Ag in hyperimmune sera. The widest panel of immunologically active and specific polypeptides, that elicit Ab production in hyperimmune sera, was obtained by ultrasonication and subsequent purification on 20%-50% sucrose cushion. We observed that BVDV tend to remain in the infected cells, to associate with components of serum and cellular origin--this is of crucial importance towards the specificity of ELISA. BVDV antigenic properties are determined by the labile conformational antigenic epitopes.


The changing context within which businesses today compete requires deployment of intangible assets in order to achieve competitive position on the market. The growing importance of intellectual capital has been challenging the tra - ditional financial reporting system, which is not capable to meet the information needs any more. The article provides an overview of various intellectual capital reporting systems and highlights their key concerns. The selected list of intellectual capital reporting practices serves as an information basis for business leaders to raise the awareness, to consider pros and cons of intellectual capital reporting and to facilitate a broader acceptance of a new reporting practice.


Selection of appropriate material handling equipment for specific conditions is found to be a multi-criteria decision-making problem. The selection procedure is found to be unstructured, characterized by subject knowledge and requiring the application of an effective and efficient multi-criteria decisionmaking tool, such as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The AHP technique allows the problem to breaks down into smaller yet more detail parts for more natural selection understanding. This paper focuses on the application of AHP technique in selecting the suitable material handling equipment for maintenance activity in a specific environment. The importance of related criteria and alternative calculated using pairwise comparison matrices, checked with consistency ratio and the overall ranking of each alternative material handling equipment is then determined. The powered pallet is the most appropriate hand truck that meets the requirements in PT. XYZ environment with weight capacity having the most influence. Keywords—AHP, Material Handling Equipment, Consistency Ratio, Attributes.


The reaction of citric acid with wood veneers was studied by Cross Polarization Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP MAS 13C NMR) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI ToF) mass spectrometry. The analysis showed that reactions of citric acid occurred with both lignin and carbohydrate constituents of wood. The reactions occurring are esterifications between the carboxylic acid functions of citric acid and the numerous aromatic and aliphatic hydroxyl groups of the main wood constituents. Reaction of citric acid with glucose as a simple model compound of carbohydrates hydroxyl groups also yielded reactions leading to linear and branched oligomers by esterification. The result indicate that the reactions of esterification are accompanied in parallel by some internal rearrangements of lignin. The applied results on bonding wide flat wood surfaces such as veneers to obtain LVL panels yielded excellent strength results even if the conditions of pressing were more drastic than what is usual for this application. The applied bonding results have shown that citric acid has great potential to be used as a bio-binder for wood veneers.


Abstract With the aid of a simple linearized model, the effect of large-scale atmospheric heat sources on a resting atmosphere has been investigated. Particular emphasis has been devoted to the study of the dependence of pressure change on the horizontal dimension of the heat sources. It is thus found that, when the maximum intensity in the center of the heat source is independent of the horizontal dimension, the pressure fall at the surface has a maximum when the width is about 4000 km in the case of no friction. With friction included, the pressure change also depends on the rate of heating. With decreasing rate of heating, the pressure fall at the surface thus decreases while the width for which the maximum occurs increases (4000 to 5000 km). The mean wind decreases monotonically with increasing width of the heat source except for the very smallest scales. In the case where the maximum intensity in the center of the heat source is proportional to the horizontal extent, the pressure fall at the surface ...


Distinctions in fundamentality between different levels of description are central to the viability of contemporary decoherence-based Everettian quantum mechanics (EQM). This approach to quantum theory characteristically combines a determinate fundamental reality (one universal wavefunction) with an indeterminate emergent reality (multiple decoherent worlds). In this chapter I explore how the Everettian appeal to fundamentality and emergence can be understood within existing metaphysical frameworks, identify grounding and concept fundamentality as promising theoretical tools, and use them to characterize a system of explanatory levels (with associated laws of nature) for EQM. This Everettian level structure encompasses and extends the 'classical' levels structure. The 'classical' levels of physics, chemistry, biology, etc. are recovered, but they are emergent in character and potentially variable across Everett worlds. EQM invokes an additional fundamental level, not present in the classical levels picture, and a novel potential role for selflocation in interlevel metaphysics. When given a modal realist interpretation, EQM also makes trouble for supervenience-based approaches to levels.


Abstract Objective. A disturbance of sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle (PPI) is one of the best tests of the schizophrenia-like behavior. Vasopressin was implicated in the development of schizophrenia; therefore, the naturally occurring vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat has been suggested to be a reliable non-pharmacological animal model. However, previous studies focusing on PPI deficit did not use proper control and despite clear gender differences in the development of the disorder, the effect of gender has been mostly neglected. Methods. First, we compared the "noise" and "tone" type prepulse at 73-77-81 dB intensity during the light or dark phase using small (~150 g) or big (~500 g) Wistar rats. The test parameters were validated by a pharmacological schizophrenia model (30 mg/kg ketamine i.p.). Than male, female, and lactating vasopressin-deficient animals were compared with +/+ ones. Results. We established that the prepulse "noise" type is not optimal for PPI testing. The cycle of the day as well as the body weight had no effect on PPI. Even if we compared vasopressin-deficient animals with their closely related +/+ controls, the PPI deficiency was visible with more pronounced effect at 77 dB prepulse intensity similarly to pharmacological schizophrenia model. Despite our expectation, the gender as well as lactation had no effect on the vasopressin-deficiency induced PPI deficit. Conclusions. The present data confirmed and extended our previous studies that vasopressin-deficient rat is a good model of schizophrenia. It seems that female as well as lactating Brattleboro rats are useful tools for testing putative novel antipsychotics in line with special attention required for schizophrenic women.


We introduce two types of statistical quasi-separation between local observables to construct two-party Bell-type inequalities for an arbitrary dimensional systems and arbitrary number of measurement settings per site. Note that, the main difference between statistical quasi-separations and the usual statistical separations is that the former are not symmetric under exchange of the two local observables, whereas latter preserve the symmetry. We show that a variety of Bell inequalities can be derived by sequentially applying triangle inequalities which statistical quasi-separations satisfy. A sufficient condition is presented to show quantum violations of the Bell-type inequalities with infinitesimal values of critical visibility v c.


The application of molecular biology to haematology has provided the opportunity to revisit previous diagnoses, many of which can now be redefined. This report is on a local family previously diagnosed and published as having X-linked thrombocytopenia in 1974, and shows how the application of molecular screening has confirmed the true diagnosis of Wiskott Aldrich syndrome.


An exploratory analysis on the variability of flood occurrence rates in 10 Portuguese watersheds is made, to as- certain if that variability is concurrent with the principle of stationarity. A peaks-over-threshold (POT) sampling tech- nique is applied to 10 long series of mean daily stream- flows and to 4 long series of daily rainfall in order to sample the times of occurrence (POT time data) of the peak values of those series. The kernel occurrence rate estimator, cou- pled with a bootstrap approach, was applied to the POT time data to obtain the time dependent estimated occurrence rate curves, ˆ (t) , of floods and extreme rainfall events. The re- sults of the analysis show that the occurrence of those events constitutes an inhomogeneous Poisson process, hence the oc- currence rates are nonstationary. An attempt was made to assess whether the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) casted any influence on the occurrence rate of floods in the study area. Although further research is warranted, it was found that years with a less-than-average occurrence of floods tend to occur when the winter NAO is in the positive phase, and years with a higher occurrence of floods (more than twice the average) tend to occur when the winter NAO is in the nega- tive phase. Although the number of analyzed watersheds and their uneven spatial distribution hinders the generalization of the findings to the country scale, the authors conclude that the mathematical formulation of the flood frequency models re- lying on stationarity commonly employed in Portugal should be revised in order to account for possible nonstationarities in the occurrence rates of such events.


The extruded and artificially aged at 177 °C high strength commercial alloy AA6061‐T651 is subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD) by cyclic extrusion up to 1000% of the true strain at 400 °C. Unexpectedly, the electrical conductivity of the deformed alloy increased by 10% International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS), while the hardness dropped by only 40 HV. Further, it is shown that low temperature aging at 130 °C after SPD results in the following phenomena: the hardness of the alloy is restored almost to the initial level, with a slight decrease in conductivity, which still remained higher than in the original state. All microstructural parameters of the alloy including aluminum matrix composition, grain size, grain boundaries fraction, and morphology of the precipitates are characterized and correlated with the observed effect of SPD on the strength and electrical conductivity of alloy AA6061.


Caffeine is ubiquitous in our environment and is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. Caffeine works on every system in the body mediated by the central nervous system. Caffeine has the opposite effect of adenosine and is the antagonist at the inhibitory A1-receptor. Caffeine elevates the free fatty acid mobilization and could enhance weight loss through pre-exercise caffeine ingestion. However, this hypothesis remains to be proven until an increase in fat oxidation is found. Caffeine is metabolized to more than 25 metabolites in man. Less than 5% of the caffeine is found in the urine as unchanged drug. The half-life of caffeine ranges from 1.5 to 9.5 hours. Smoking decreases the half-life of caffeine. Caffeine is used for the treatment of apnea of prematurity and as an additive in several analgesics and migraine remedies, and as a panacea for hyperkinetic children. Although much work has been done to establish the relationship between caffeine and cancer and mutagenicity, none of these have established a cause-effect relationship. The consumption of caffeine products in moderation appears to be safe at this point.


The article defines the place and significance of the general meeting of owners of apartment building premises in modern legal science and jurisprudence. The author classifies the issues referred to the jurisdiction of this body on the basis of functional and quantitative criteria. Attention is drawn to the ambiguity of the wording of certain powers of the general meeting, which creates difficulties for their implementation. The author highlights expediency of clarifications made by the Supreme Court concerning the content of powers of the body under consideration to make decisions concerning the limits imposed on the use and improvement of the land plot that is the part of the common property of the owners. The author has detected duplication of the general meeting powers to make decisions on establishment of a capital repair foundation and maintenance of common house property and the initiative-forming body of the homeowners' association when the non-profit organization manages the premises. The conclusion is made that legislative adjustment of these provisions is necessary in order to eliminate the conflict of powers between the bodies under considerations concrete proposals of legislative nature are given.


The authors examine the relation between two global risk factors of co-skewness and co-kurtosis and the cross-section of currency excess returns arising from well-known strategies that borrow in currencies with low interest rates and invest in currencies with high interest rates—so-called carry trades. These global factors are constructed by distinguishing between U.S.-specific and global components of the market return. The authors find that currencies with high interest rates are negatively related to global co-skewness and thus deliver low returns in times of unexpected high global co-skewness, during which time currencies with low interest rates can provide a hedge by yielding positive returns. Their findings show that global co-skewness and co-kurtosis are key drivers of risk premia in exchange markets and are robust to various checks.


MR Elastography is a novel technique enabling the quantification of mechanical properties in tissue with MRI. It relies on a three-step process that includes the generation of a mechanical vibration, motion capture using dedicated MR sequences, and data processing involving inversion algorithms. If not properly tuned to the targeted application, each of those steps may impact the final outcome, potentially causing diagnostic errors and thus eventually treatment mismanagement. Different approaches exist that account for acquisition or reconstruction errors, but simple tools and metrics for quality control shared by both developers and end-users are still missing. In this context, our goal is to provide an easily deployable workflow that uses generic validity criteria to assess the performance of a given MRE protocol, leveraging numerical simulations with an accessible experimental setup. Numerical simulations are used to help both determining sets of relevant acquisition parameters and assessing the data processing's robustness. Simple validity criteria were defined, and the overall pipeline was tested in a custom-built, structured phantom made of silicone-based material. The latter have the advantage of being inexpensive, easy to handle, facilitate the fabrication of complex structures which geometry resembles the anatomical structures of interest, and are longitudinally stable. In this work, we successfully tested and evaluated the overall performances of our entire MR Elastography pipeline using easy-to-implement and accessible tools that could ultimately translate in MRE standardized and cost-effective procedures.


San Salvador Island in The Bahamas is home to approximately 1,200 people, and a popular vacation destination. In order to expand our knowledge of the bacterial population found on and around the island, and to assess possible health risks, we analyzed and identified the cultivable bacterial population found in several lakes and ponds throughout the island. The sites tested were located on the northern, north-eastern, eastern, and western districts, as well as one lake located inland. Ten sites with varying salinity, levels of oxygen, visibility, and distance from the ocean were analyzed. The nature of the bacteria present in these sites was identified by microscopy, as well as a series of biochemical tests based on bacterial metabolism. Seven bacterial species, predominantly from the genera Staphylococcus and Klebsiella were identified. Most bacteria identified are part of the normal microbiota of the skin and the gastro-intestinal tract of human and mammals, and should not be considered a danger for the health of the majority of the population and tourists of the island. We also isolated bacteria capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, a hallmark of marine bacterial populations. Overall, this study enabled us to add to the repertoire of bacterial species isolated and identified in the diverse marine environments found on San Salvador Island.


Tumor vaccines may induce activation and expansion of specific CD8 T cells which can subsequently destroy tumor cells in cancer patients. This phenomenon can be observed in approximately 5-20% of vaccinated melanoma patients. We searched for factors associated with T cell responsiveness to peptide vaccines. Peptide antigen-specific T cells were quantified and characterized ex vivo before and after vaccination. T cell responses occurred primarily in patients with T cells that were already pre-activated before vaccination. Thus, peptide vaccines can efficiently boost CD8 T cells that are pre-activated by endogenous tumor antigen. Our results identify a new state of T cell responsiveness and help to explain and predict tumor vaccine efficacy.


We isolated and characterized an anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody (AR42.1) which is capable of mimicking a distinct and specific epitope of MUC-1 antigen. The cDNA sequences coding for the AR42.1 variable regions were determined. We found significant amino acid homology between complementary determining regions 3 (CDR3) in the heavy chain of AR42.1 and the determinant epitope sequence of MUC-1. This 10 amino acid sequence may represent an "internal image" of the anti-idiotype antibody to the MUC-1 antigen, and could be used for development of a MUC-1 surrogate for immunotherapy.


Mental health is a condition in which individuals avoid symptoms that can affect a person's psychological disruption. Mental health itself is very important and needs to be considered, because it greatly impacts the survival of the individual. Women tend to experience mental health disorders more easily than men with the possibility of two times as much. This condition will certainly be a barrier for women to achieve a better quality of life. Stress is one of the root causes of a woman's mental disruption, resulting in a decrease in thought patterns that can interfere with activities. Sufferers tend to be silent without doing any activity and it has the potential to increase their stress level. Stress risks, controlling emotions and is often seen as unimportant. Thus, it is necessary to study the effects of mental health in an effort to improve and improve the quality of life of women, both internally and externally. This article is written using a literature study method that aims to optimize the quality of life of women in achieving a healthy, prosperous, positive spirit, and resilience in facing various problems.


For any surface $\Sigma$ of genus $g \geq 1$ and (essentially) any collection of positive integers $i_1, i_2, \ldots, i_\ell$ with $i_1+\cdots +i_\ell = 4g-4$ Masur and Smillie have shown that there exists a pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism $h:\Sigma \to \Sigma$ with precisely $\ell$ singularities $S_1, \ldots, S_\ell$ in its stable foliation $\cal L$, such that $\cal L$ has precisely $i_k+2$ separatrices raying out from each $S_k$.
In this paper we prove the analogue of this result for automorphisms of a free group $F_N$, where "pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism" is replaced by "fully irreducible automorphism" and the Gauss-Bonnet equality $i_1+\cdots +i_\ell = 4g-4$ is replaced by the index inequality $i_1+\cdots +i_\ell \leq 2N-2$ from Gaboriau, Jaeger, Levitt and Lustig.


Isoprenaline and forskolin both inhibit contractions induced by antigen or by the calcium ionophore A23187 of guinea pig tracheal spirals and parenchymal strips. Antigen-induced airway contraction is considerably more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of isoprenaline than is A23187-induced contraction. In contrast, forskolin is equiactive as an inhibitor of antigenic and ionophoric contractions. Forskolin is a more effective inhibitor of the prolonged phase of antigen-induced tracheal contraction than of the initial peak phase, which may suggest selectivity for the lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism. Isoprenaline inhibits the mechanisms of the primary peak phase and of the prolonged phase equally. Although there were little, if any, differences between normal and sensitized tissues in the modulation of A23187-induced contractions of parenchyma, distinct differences were observed in trachea. Low concentrations (10(-8)-10(-7) M) of isoprenaline and forskolin enhanced A23187-induced contraction of sensitized, but not normal trachea. Higher concentrations were inhibitory. The results demonstrate that sensitization affects the modulation by isoprenaline and forskolin of A23187-induced contraction of guinea pig trachea.


This paper presents results from a study conducted for the European FP6 project CityMobil. The experiment described here is part of four cross-site experiments designed to study the human factors issues associated with various degrees of automated driving. Thirty-nine drivers were asked to drive a simulated route with two zones in a within-subjects design, with a main factor of automation. Driver behaviour in "manual" driving, where all driving manoeuvres and decisions were made by the drivers, was compared to "highly automated" driving, where lateral and longitudinal control of the driving task was dictated by the "automated system". In this condition, drivers were asked to take their foot off the pedals and their hands off the steering wheel and allow the vehicle to be driven for them. Situation awareness in both driving environments was measured by computing drivers" response time to a series of unexpected/critical traffic events. Results showed that drivers" response to these events was significantly later in the highly automated condition, implying both reduced situation awareness and perhaps an excessive trust in the automated system.


This case provides financial ratios and common-size balance sheets for 13 "mystery" companies. Students are asked to match each mystery company's data to one of the 13 industries provided.


To the Editor—As of April 1, the total number of SARS-Cov2–positive cases in Vietnam reached 218, and 37 of these were infected within a public hospital in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.1 Thus far, this hospital is the largest COVID-19 hotspot in the country. Three patterns of transmission occurred in the hospital: (1) between healthcare workers (HCWs), (2) fromCOVID-19 patients to HCWs, and (3) from nonclinical hospital staff to others. Figure 1 illustrates a timeline of the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus within the hospital from the first confirmed case on March 20 to the most recent case on April 1. The first SARS-Cov-2–positive case was a medical worker (P87), who was in close contact with a SARSCov-2–infected nurse (P86).2 With the exception of the 2 infected cases, P86 and P28, who contracted the coronavirus from the outside, no HCW, non–COVID-19 inpatients, or visitors had tested positive for the coronavirus. Since March 28, SARS-CoV-2 infections among nonclinical staff have emerged, and subsequently, 25 of the 37 COVID-19 cases (68%) were nonclinical staff working in the dining hall of the hospital. These catering workers were responsible for preparing meals and delivering food and hot water to patients and visitors across the hospital daily, and it is likely that these nonclinical staff are the main contributors to the spread of the virus within the hospital. Healthcare-associated infection is known characteristic of coronavirus-related diseases and a leading route of transmission.3 Because the confirmed cases linked to healthcare-acquired infection have only very recently been revealed and are increasing in Vietnam, several measures have been implemented to stop the spread of the disease in this hospital4:


Purpose Brooke is a non-government organisation with working equine welfare programmes across Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2014, staff from ten country programmes were asked to identify 'no-win' situations (subsequently reframed as 'hard-wins')—where improving equine welfare is proving difficult, expensive and/or marginal—in order to inform strategic decisions on how to approach, manage and mitigate for such situations. Methods The Delphi-type consultation process had three phases. Round 1 posed five questions in the form of a workshop, survey and semi-structured interviews. Round 2 re-presented key themes and sense-checked initial conclusions. Round 3 reviewed the nature and prevalence of hard-win situations at an international meeting of all participants. Results Reasons given for hard-win situations included: no economic or social benefit from caring for working animals; poor resource availability; lack of empathy for working equids or their owners among wider stakeholders; deep-seated social issues, such as addiction or illegal working; areas with a high animal turnover or migratory human population; lack of community cooperation or cohesion; unsafe areas where welfare interventions cannot be adequately supported. Participants estimated the prevalence of hard-win situations as 40–70% of their work. They suggested some current ways of working that may be contributing to the problem, and opportunities to tackle hard-wins more effectively. Conclusion and animal welfare implications Respondents agreed that if equine welfare improvements are to span generations of animals, interventions cannot rely on relatively simple, technical knowledge-transfer strategies and quick-wins alone. Programmes need to be more flexible and iterative and less risk-averse in their approaches to embedding good equine welfare practices in all relevant actors. Consultation recommendations informed development of Brooke's new global strategy, a revised organisational structure and redefinition of roles and responsibilities to streamline ways to approach hard-wins in the complex environments and socio-economic contexts in which working equids are found.


We construct a deformed SO/Sp Penner generating function responsible for the close connection between SO/Sp Chern-Simons gauge theories at large N and the SO/Sp Penner models. This construction is then shown to follow from a sector of a Chern-Simons gauge theory with coupling constant λ. The free energy and its continuum limit of the perturbative Chern-Simons gauge theory are obtained from the Penner model. Finally, asymptotic expansions for the logarithm of the gauge group volumes are given for every genus g ≥ 0a nd shown to be equivalent to the continuum limits of the SO/Sp Chern-Simons gauge theories and the SO/Sp Penner models. Subject Index: 013, 103, 105, 127, 183


New technologies, in particular the Internet, have transformed journalistic practices in many ways around the world. While a number of studies have investigated how established journalists are dealing with and using new technologies in a number of countries, very little attention has been paid to how student journalists view and use the Internet as a source of news. This study examined the ways in which second and third-year journalism and arts students at the University of Queensland (Australia) get their news, how they use the Internet as a news channel, as well as their perceptions and use of other new technologies. The authors draw on the theoretical frameworks of uses and gratifications, as well as the media richness theory to explore the primary reasons why students use and perceive the Internet as a news channel.


We report on the annealing of degraded npn-transistors, which includes a new model describing the decrease of base current during annealing. We found that two mechanisms are responsible for annealing: the recombination of charges and the bonding of hydrogen atoms on interface traps. Furthermore, we show that a heating of the whole device and a forward biasing of the emitter-base-diode activate these annealing mechanisms. This biasing deactivates the interface traps by recombination with a part of the streaming charge and results in a local increase in temperature, caused by the current. Both local and global heating yield an additional thermal generation of charges and an increasing diffusivity of hydrogen atoms. Consequently, an additional deactivation and passivation of interface traps is detected. >


PURPOSE
To investigate the expression of p53 and Beclin1 in salivary pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and its clinical significance.

METHODS
The expression of p53 and Beclin1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 108 cases of PA and 20 cases of carcinoma in pleomorphic adenoma(CIPA). The results were used to analyze the relationship between gene expressions and the development of PA as well as the clinical pathological features. Statistic analysis was conducted with SPSS 20.0 software package.

RESULTS
The positive expressions of p53 in PA samples (9%) were significantly lower than that in CIPA(14%) (P<0.001). The positive expressions of autophagy-related gene Beclin1 in PA samples(91%) were significantly higher than that CIPA (11%) (P<0.001). The expression levels of these genes were not associated with gender, age, clinical course, tumor size, and location of PA(P>0.05). There was a negative correlation between p53 and Beclin1 expression in PA (r=-0.330,P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The expression levels of Beclin1 and p53 protein are closely related to the development of PA. Reduced autophagy and enhanced anti apoptosis coexist in the process of tumor formation. Thus, raising the autophagy ability may become another alternative choice for cancer therapy.


The article presents the results of capacitance measurements on MOS structures with a silicon substrate that wasdoped by nitrogen during the growth of the single crystal by Czochralski's method. Attention is paid to the energydistribution of the trap density at the Si-SiO2 interface. The effect of the bond of nitrogen and oxygen brought about a slightincrease in the trap density with a typical distribution of energy maxima of the deep levels in the forbidden band of Si.


A method for performing molecular dynamics simulation in the grand canonical ensemble is developed. The molecular dynamics, with coupling to an external bath, simulation method of [Berendsen et al., J. Chem. Phys. 81, 3684 (1984)] is extended for this purpose. Here the physical system of interest consists of real indistinguishable particles plus one fractional particle, whose potential energy of interaction with the rest of particles is scaled by a coupling parameter, ranging dynamically between zero and one. This coupling changes the number of particles in the system gradually and dynamically, depending on the target values of the excess chemical potential, temperature, and volume. A nonlinear scaling scheme has been adopted to scale the potential energy of interaction of the fractional particle with the rest of the system. The method has been employed to predict the density of compressed Lennard-Jones fluid, compatible with the target values of temperature and the excess chemical potential, over a wide range of temperatures and densities. The method has further been applied to do molecular dynamics simulation in the grand canonical ensemble for water and to predict its vapor-liquid phase coexistence point. The results obtained using this method are in complete agreement with previously reported results in the literature.


BACKGROUND
Ultrasound Biomicroscopy (UBM) is a new ophthalmological imaging technique essentially designed for the study of the anterior eye segment. Over the last 10 months, we've evaluated its contribution to the conservative treatment of anterior uveal melanoma's by means of accelerated proton beam irradiation.

MATERIAL
Using UBM, we have examined 55 cases of uveal melanoma's, whose anterior border was situated at 6 mm or less from the limbus and that were consequently treated by proton beam irradiation.

RESULTS
The presumed tumoral origin was the ciliary body's pars plicata in 13 cases and the pars plana or the choroid in 42 cases, 17 of which presented a tumoral invasion of the pars plicata. A pars plana detachment anterior to or surrounding the anterior tumoral border, was present in 22 cases. The height of the tumor could only be measured by UBM if it was less than 2.5 mm. Information gathered using UBM have contributed to an improvement of the therapy plan in 32 cases.

CONCLUSION
Because of the strong attenuation of the high frequency ultrasound signal, UBM can only be used for the examination of intra-ocular structures situated in direct neighbourhood to the global wall. Despite this technical limitation, ist contribution to the planning of the conservative treatment of anterior uveal melanoma's by proton beam irradiation has appeared to be considerable.


The paracrine effects of oocyte secretions on the developmental competence of oocyte are still under investigation. Oocyte-secreted factors (OSFs) seem to be involved in the maturation of bovine oocytes. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of endogenous OSFs on the in vitro maturation of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). For this purpose, COCs (n=1211) were aspirated from antral follicles of ovaries collected from a local abattoir. Only oocytes surrounded by complete and compact layers of cumulus cells with homogenous ooplasm were defined as well-qualified COCs (n=353), whereas, other COCs (n=858) with low quality were treated to obtain denuded oocytes (DOs). The selected COCs were randomly cultured in four groups: I) COCs cultured alone as control; II) COCs co-cultured with DOs as 1:1 ratio; III) COCs cocultured with DOs as 1:3 ratio, and IV) COCs co-cultured with DOs as 1:6 ratio. After maturation, the two variables of cumulus expansion and nuclear status were assessed. The complete cumulus expansion rate was 80% for the control group, and 75.27%, 72.63% and 76.25% for groups of II, III, and IV, respectively. The percentage of metaphase II (MII) stage oocytes was 65.71% for the control group, and 62.67%, 64.86% and 67.60%, for groups II, III, and IV, respectively. Data analysis revealed that the rate of complete expansion of cumulus cells and the development of MII stage oocytes in experimental groups did not differ significantly as compared to the control group. In conclusion, the different concentration of native OSFs does not affect the rate of nuclear maturation and cumulus expansion of bovine COCs. However, group size of co-cultured COCs can be of important criterion for coculturing systems.


This study investigated the changes of saponin and -glucan content on the cultured ginseng with mushroom mycelia of Phellinus linteus (PL), Ganoderma lucidum (GL), and Hericium erinaceum (HE). Cultured ginsengs with mushroom mycelia were extracted with 80% ethanol, fractionated with n-buthanol, and analysed for ginsenosides by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Crude saponin content of raw ginseng was 4.11% (d.b) but cultured ginseng with mushroom mycelia of PL, GL, and HE were increased to 6.74, 6.77 and 6.23% (d.b), respectively. Ginsenoside-Rd, among the 12 ginsenosides which were available for analysis, was remarkably increased to 13.61, 24.26, and 32.69 mg/g, respectively (raw ginseng: 0.80 mg/g). The -glucan content of cultured ginseng with mushroom mycelia of PL, GL, and HE were decreased to 8.85, 5.51 and 5.46% rather than mushroom mycelia of 29.14, 19.44, and 23.39% (d.b), respectively.


A numerical large eddy simulation (LES) method combined with the characteristic-based operator-splitting finite element method is proposed. The subgrid eddy viscosity model is used to calculate sub-grid stress in LES. In each time step, the governing equations are split into diffusive and convective parts. The convective part is first discretized by using the characteristic Galerkin method and then solved explicitly. The backward-facing step flow and the flow past a single cylinder are adopted to validate the model. Results agree with existing numerical results or experimental data. The flow past two cylinders in tandem arrangement is also studied at Re = 1000. The critical spacing is obtained in the range of 2.25D to 2.5D through the change characteristics of the streamlines and hydrodynamic forces as spacing. We further analyze the hydrodynamic forces at the critical spacing range.


One of the most widely used cutaneous applications of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (laser) concerns the treatment of vascular lesions. During the past two decades, very significant advances in the application of laser technology in dermatology have occurred, with selective photothermolysis being the most important. This review focuses on the application of modern laser devices (Pulsed Dye Laser, or PDL; potassium titanyl phosphate laser, or KTP; diode laser; and neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser, or Nd:YAG), as well as the combination of laser and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of vascular lesions. In lar, both congenital (haemangiomas and port-wine stains) and acquired vascular lesions (facial and leg telangiectasias, rosacea, Poikiloderma of Civatte, spider angioma, pyogenic granuloma, and venous lakes) are discussed. The review of many recent research studies demonstrates that modern applications of lasers in dermatology constitute the finest method for the treatment of vascular lesions, combining the advantages of invasive therapy with the security offered by non-invasive therapy, while in certain cases they are the single and only choice for the treatment of these


In a non-randomized study the efficacy of itraconazole in preventing fungal infections in neutropenic patients was investigated. Forty-seven patients with acute leukemia or advanced lymphoblastic lymphoma were enrolled. Ninety-two episodes of severe neutropenia after chemotherapy were observed. Mean duration of neutropenia was 24 days. Norfloxacin was administered as prophylaxis against gram-negative infections and itraconazole 200 mg b.i.d. as antifungal prophylaxis. Surveillance cultures of throat, urine, feces and vagina or prepuce were performed regularly. Four patients died, two patients due to heart failure, two patients due to staphylococcal pneumonia. Only in one case Candida albicans was cultured from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. No systemic mycosis or Aspergillus fumigatus pneumonia was documented. In a similar group of patients treated in the preceding 18 months nystatin was used as antifungal prophylaxis. In this group of patients six cases of Aspergillus fumigatus pneumonia, two cases of Candida albicans fungemia and one case of Candida glabrata pneumonia occurred of which six patients died. Itraconazole seems to be effective in preventing fungal infections in neutropenic patients and is well tolerated.


Flying Ips typographus japonicus from Hokkaido (Japan) carried 12 species of phoretic mites, three of which were not previously recorded in Europe. The mite biologies were diverse, including specialists feeding on microorganisms, beetle eggs, and nematodes which were common under beetle elytra. Hyperphoretic on these mites were seven distinct species of fungal spores, plus an undetermined number identifiable only as conidia. The spores stuck anywhere on the mite bodies with no special carrying structures evident. Ophiostoma bicolor was the most common species, with the pathogenic Ceratocystis polonicum present in small numbers.


symptoms and prolonging survival, the primary objective of any health care intervention is to enhance quality of life (QOL) and well-being. The broader term "quality of life" can be defined as "the adequacy of people's material circumstances and their feelings about these circumstances." This encompasses indicators of life satisfaction, personal wealth and possessions, level of safety, level of freedom, spirituality, health perceptions and physical, psychological, social and cognitive well-being. Health-related quality of life (HRQL), a subcomponent of QOL, comprises all areas specific to health, that is, physical, emotional, psychological, social, cognitive and role functioning, as well as abilities, relationships, perceptions, life satisfaction and well-being. It refers to patients' appraisals of their current level of functioning and satisfaction with it, compared with what they perceive to be ideal. Impaired HRQL is a major reason why patients seek surgical care. Over the past 20 years, investigators have developed sophisticated instruments to measure such patientcentred outcomes as HRQL in addition to such clinical outcomes as mortality and morbidity. Surgeons increasingly use HRQL assessments to monitor patients over time, help select patients for surgery, determine the effects of surgical treatments and assist in policy decisions. HRQL outcomes are particularly relevant to surgical investigations because they can capture the impact of, and recovery from, surgery. This paper's purpose is to help surgeons appraise articles that appear in the surgical literature and purport to measure HRQL outcomes.


The early diagnosis of aseptic osteonecrosis of the femoral head has always been difficult. By studying 58 cases, the authors have demonstrated the diagnostic superiority of magnetic resonance imaging. As in the literature, we found aseptic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with no clinical sign, neither radiographic nor scintigraphic, by positive magnetic, resonance imaging. Moreover, it enables the simultaneous study of both hips. It gives with precision the age and extent of the necrosed fragment and enables an absolute differential diagnosis with hip algodystrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging is therefore the second and only examination to be carried out after the standard radiography. The couple, radiography and magnetic resonance imaging, gives all the necessary information for the diagnosis and classification of the aseptic osteonecrosis of the femoral head and Te 99m bone scintigraphy and scanner, whose value was limited, can thus be avoided.


Here, we report a simple, robust and large-quantity synthetic pathway to form porous graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet structures, using a long strip-like structure of melamine–oxalic acid (MO) as a starting product. The addition of oxalic acid can influence the thermal condensation model and inhibit grain growth of g-C3N4. Meanwhile, the synergism of MO precursor and specific heating process can effectively adjust the porosity and number of layers. The synthesized porous g-C3N4 nanosheets possess large specific surface areas (203 m2 g−1), a widened band gap 2.98 eV, and improved electron transport ability, exhibit high photocatalytic activities as much as 8 times than bulk g-C3N4 for the photodegradation of gas pollute under visible light (λ > 420 nm). This work shows a significant progress for low-cost fabrication of high quality porous 2D g-C3N4 with excellence photocatalytic activity.


We have examined whether parallel β-sheet secondary structure becomes more stable as the number of β-strands increases, via comparisons among peptides designed to adopt two- or three-stranded parallel β-sheet conformations in aqueous solution. Our three-strand design is the first experimental model of a triple-stranded parallel β-sheet. Analysis of the designed peptides by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy supports the hypothesis that increasing the number of β-strands, from two to three, increases the stability of the parallel β-sheet. We present the first experimental evidence for cooperativity in the folding of a triple-stranded parallel β-sheet, and we show how minimal model systems may enable experimental documentation of characteristic properties, such as CD spectra, of parallel β-sheets.


This paper focuses on theory and methodology in estimating Keynesian regional multipliers. After introducing the concept of Keynesian multipliers at both national and regional level and describe the database used, two methodologies are compared and applied to the case of the Italian regions: the Marginal propensities method (MPM) and the Aggregate leakages method (ALM). The higher multipliers values in Southern Italy, resulting from the application of both methodologies, are consistent with similar previous findings and appear to be related to the degree of openness of the local economy, the availability of resources and their marginal productivity, the level of wealth, income distribution and the consequent different consumption patterns.


This paper studies an $N$--agent cost-coupled game where the agents are connected via an unreliable capacity constrained network. Each agent receives state information over that network which loses packets with probability $p$. A Base station (BS) actively schedules agent communications over the network by minimizing a weighted Age of Information (WAoI) based cost function under a capacity limit $\mathcal{C}<N$ on the number of transmission attempts at each instant. Under a standard information structure, we show that the problem can be decoupled into a scheduling problem for the BS and a game problem for the $N$ agents. Since the scheduling problem is an NP hard combinatorics problem, we propose an approximately optimal solution which approaches the optimal solution as $N \rightarrow \infty$. In the process, we also provide some insights on the case without channel erasure. Next, to solve the large population game problem, we use the mean-field game framework to compute an approximate decentralized Nash equilibrium. Finally, we validate the theoretical results using a numerical example.


Probiotics are defined as selected and concentrated amounts of live lactic acid bacteria (i.e. Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus spp.) by VANBELLE et al. (1990). Also the definition "direct fed microbials" (DFM) was proposed by American Food and Drug Association (FDA) instead of the definition "probiotic". DFM are defined as live originated natural formed microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and yeasts. Some microbial species which are containing Bacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Enterococcus faecium (Ent. faecium), Enterococcus faecalis (Ent. feacalis), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Lactobacillus bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus), Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus), Lactobacillus lactis (L. lactis), Lactobacillus salivarius (L. salivarius), Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum), Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus thermophilus (Str. thermophilus), several yeasts and undefined culture mixtures are used as probiotics (FULLER, 1989; PATTERSON and BURKHOLDER, 2003). JIN et al. (1997) suggested that probiotics can be an useful alternative to antibiotics if the correct bacteria is given with the optimal concentration to chicks that are under stress conditions. There are a number of reports investigated the effects of using probiotics in broilers for control of Salmonella (NURMI and RANTALA, 1973; PALMU and CAMELIN, 1997; SCHNEITZ et al., 1998). However, to our knowledge, there is no published data evaluating the effects of using probiotics on acute phase proteins (APPs) in chickens exposed to Salmonella or Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Acute phase response is characterized by changes in concentrations of some liver-synthesized plasma proteins, and it is a nonplastic reaction to maintain homeostasis in case of immune deficiency, infection, inflammation, tissue damage and tumor formations (KENT, 1992). Despite an increase in recent years, the numbers of studies on changes of acute phase proteins induced by inflammation in poultry are more limited compared to those conducted in mammalian species (XIE et al., 2001). The relationship between avian APP levels and inflammatory (pathogens, inflammation) and non-inflammatory (gender, age, nutritional status) factors is of importance. KORVER and KLASING (1997) diagnosed some avian diseases (which are difficult to diagnose postmortem) by using APP levels that were increased during acute phase response. SAINI and WEBERT (1991) used APPs for determining early-inflammatory changes which occur prior to antibody synthesis and cannot be detected by visual inspection of poultry meat. APPs are used for selection of poultry lines on high immune response (CHAMANZA et al., 1999).12 The most significant positive APPs in avian species are ceruloplasmin, α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), amyloid A, transferrin, mannan-binding protein, haptoglobin, hemopexin, fibrinogen and fibronectin (CHAMANZA et al., 1999). The acute phase proteins which were investigated in this study are: fibrinogen, ceruloplasmin, total protein and albumin. Fibrinogen has an active role with tromboplastin by blood clotting (KANEKO, 1989). Ceruloplasmin is the most important plasma protein in the copper metabolism (HARRIS et al., 1997). The changes in the plasma total protein levels are used to diagnose several diseases (BELL, 1977). Transferrin has an important role in the iron metabolism (CHAMANZA et al., 1999). On the other hand, albumin was reported as a negative APP in poultry (TAKAHASHI et al., 1995). Acute phase response in various animal species under different pathological conditions requires further studies and classifications of APPs (CHAMANZA et al., 1999). The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of commercial probiotics (Broilact, Bioplus 2B) on immune response in Salmonella LPS-sensitized-broilers using APPs.


Human Capital is the utmost vital resource on which the Information Technology & Information Technology Enabled Services (IT & ITES) depends. One of the greatest challenges for today's administrators lies in building a workplace that employees want to persist with and outsiders want to be hired into. Therefore, an employer's foremost responsibility is retention of its best employees and this can be attained only by keeping the employees satisfied and motivated. Focusing on employee satisfaction can positively impact the organization as it increases employee productivity, performance, quality of work, profits, commitment to the organization and reduces turnover and absenteeism. The present paper is an attempt to study the impact of job satisfaction on the employee retention, which is measured by a structured questionnaire administered to the middle level employees in leading BPO companies in Jaipur.


Significant improvements in intelligibility of speech in noise can be obtained by modifying the speech signal in the time and/or frequency domains. However, most speech intelligibility enhancement algorithms are designed to use clean speech as an input, and their performance suffers once the input speech signal-to-noise ratio decreases, a common case in face-to-face communication environments such as restaurants or cafés. In this work we investigate whether a particularly successful speech intelligibility enhancement system-spectral shaping and dynamic range compression-and various front-end noise reduction methods might be suitable in such environments. Our evaluations suggest that such a complete system would provide an increase in speech intelligibility equivalent to a gain of 10 dB input signal-to-noise ratio in the more challenging face-to-face communication environments.


World of Software development is facing stormy demands and volatile markets along with change in existing and adoption of new technologies, including open source. This requires extensive changes in the way software professionals work and to survive onslaught of these changing dynamics, Human Passion becomes a determinant. In this paper I have included my observations which were gained over the period of my extensive experience in IT industry. By questioning, interviewing and noticing people behavior what I have gathered is that passion plays an indispensable and critical part in driving masses to adjust and adapt to changing environments; and then successfully achieve the objectives of creation of software systems. Passionate developers are proven to be better placed as compared to their non-passionate counter parts and this understanding is not only restricted to developers but also includes project managers, product owners, architects, quality managers, testers, support personnel and all those who are associated with the software.


We propose a new two-pass E2E speech recognition model that improves ASR performance by training on a combination of paired data and unpaired text data. Previously, the joint acoustic and text decoder (JATD) has shown promising results through the use of text data during model training and the recently introduced deliberation architecture has reduced recognition errors by leveraging first-pass decoding results. Our method, dubbed Deliberation-JATD, combines the spelling correcting abilities of deliberation with JATD's use of unpaired text data to further improve performance. The proposed model produces substantial gains across multiple test sets, especially those focused on rare words, where it reduces word error rate (WER) by between 12% and 22.5% relative. This is done without increasing model size or requiring multi-stage training, making Deliberation-JATD an efficient candidate for on-device applications.


Due to well matching the frequency characteristics of human ears, ANSI S1.11 1/3-octave filter bank is popular in acoustic applications, such as acoustic analyzers and equalizers. It is also desirable in hearing aids because the famous hearing aid prescription formula, NAL-NL1, prescribes its gains at ANSI 1/3-octave frequencies. However, the high computation complexity limits its usage, in which the power consumption is a critical concern. To address this issue, a low-power design and implementation of ANSI S1.11 filter bank for digital hearing aids is present. We first develop the complexity-effective multirate FIR filter bank algorithm. And, a systematic coefficient design flow is elaborated for the proposed filter bank to minimize the order of the FIR filter thereof. In an 18-band digital hearing aid with 24-kHz sampling rate, the proposed algorithm saves about 96% of multiplications and additions, comparing that with a straightforward FIR filter bank. Moreover, various low-power VLSI design techniques are investigated in detail and applied on our design. The proposed complexity-effective ANSI S1.11 FIR filter bank has been implemented in the TSMC 0.13-μ m CMOS technology with an area-efficient architecture. The test chip consumes only 87 μW, which is 30%-79% of that of the others available in the literature. The proposed low-power ANSI 1/3-octave bank makes itself being able to precisely apply the prescribed gains obtained by NAL-NL1 prescription formula for hearing-impaired people.


Residents' Program (The Fred Wise Memorial Awards) Lesch-Nyhan Disease: An X-Linked Recessive Inborn Error of Purine Metabolism. Presented by D. N. Silvers, MD ( Prize Winner). A 9-year-old boy was the product of an uncomplicated, full-term pregnancy and delivery. Early development was slow. At 8 months of age, he suddenly had a "seizure." By 13 months, still developing poorly, he was malnourished and excessively irritable. In addition to poor head control and inability to sit or stand, his kinetic movements were spastic. At 20 months, he began compulsively to chew his fingers and lips. In 1967, at age 51/2 years, his bone age, as judged by roentgenography, was that of a 2-year-old. In height and weight, he has always been below the 5th percentile. Six years ago, the patient was hospitalized at Willowbrook State Hospital where, upon laboratory investigation, urate crystals were found in his urine. The level of serum uric


Introduction Breast cancer is the most common malignancy amongst women and has a higher incidence rate than lung cancer. Its tumor progression partially results from inactivation of p53 which is caused by overexpression of ubiquitous regulatory proteins possessing p53-binding domain. RBBP6 is regarded as one of the ubiquitous proteins because of its RING finger-like domain which enables it to possess E3 ligase activity. Thus, it has become a potential target in cancer treatment as it is highly expressed in various malignancies including cancer. However, it is not clearly defined whether the effect of RBBP6 on cell growth and apoptosis is cell line-dependent, more especially in breast cancer cell lines that have distinct p53 expression profiles. This study aims at evaluating the effects of RBBP6 on cell growth and apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines with different p53 expressions. Methods Following the analysis at mRNA and protein levels in breast cancer tissue, RBBP6 expression was successfully manipulated using gene silencing and protein overexpression techniques in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The cells were co-treated with siRBBP6 and anticancer agents following apoptosis detection, which was confirmed by caspase 3/7 activity and quantification of apoptotic genes. Results RBBP6 was overexpressed in breast cancer tissues that were classified as stages 3 and 4, while in stage 1, its expression was much lower. The MCF-7 cell line which expresses wild-type p53 was more sensitive to apoptosis induction than MDA-MB-231 which is a mutant p53-expressing cell line. These data suggest that RBBP6 silencing triggers significant levels of intrinsic apoptosis, and its overexpression appears to promote cell proliferation in wild-type p53-expressing MCF-7 cell line as opposed to MDA-MB-231 cells. Conclusion The effect of RBBP6 on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction in breast cancer seems to be cell line-dependent based on p53 status.


Anchoring effect (AE) refers to a phenomenon that an arbitrary number (i.e., the anchor) biases a subsequent numerical judgment. Three experiments were conducted to examine how the anchor is represented in short-term memory. Experiment 1 showed that despite the semantic equivalence of two anchors, the anchor with a larger absolute value (i.e., 7300 m) induced a greater numerical estimate than did the anchor with a smaller absolute value (i.e., 7.3 km). Experiment 2 showed that an anchor 228 could serve as both a high and a low anchor, depending on the absolute value to be judged in the numerical judgment. By including anchors with negative signs, Experiment 3 further demonstrated that it was the absolute value but not the semantics of the anchors that exerted an effect on the subsequent numerical estimate. The three experiments provided converging support for the hypothesis that an anchor is superficially represented as absolute value plus affix in short-term memory. The processes leading to AE and the practical implications are discussed. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.


In an operational surveillance device for grouping a plurality of types of performance information and selectively monitoring representative performance information among the grouped performance information, anomalies in performance information other than the representative performance information are efficiently monitored without increasing the normal monitoring load. The surveillance condition modification units (12 and 23) cause the performance information gathering unit (11) to gather, at predetermined intervals, representative performance information among the performance information that has been grouped by the performance information grouping unit (22). For the performance information other than that which is representative, the performance information gathering unit (11) is caused either to stop gathering the non-representative information, or to gather the non-representative information at longer intervals than for the representative performance information. In addition, if the variation rate or the variation amount of the representative performance information exceeds a predetermined threshold, then for the performance information other than that which is representative, either the performance information gathering unit (11) is caused to start gathering, or the performance information gathering unit (11) is caused to gather in intervals that are shorter than normal.


Extracting information from tables is essential for Internet information extraction. However, most web tables are designed in HTML format. To decipher their semantic meanings a system needs to deal with various layouts, which is quite cumbersome. Previous works have two major approaches: layout enumeration approach and wrapper approach. The first approach is to match the table with presorted layout. This approach normally does not perform appropriate information integration since it does not use table semantics. The second approach treats different tables in a case-by-case manner laboriously. We present a semantic approach to automatically recognize tables (in specified knowledge domains) with various layouts. Our system first tags table cells using domain knowledge, solve the multiple tagging ambiguities, and then apply layout-syntax rules to transform tables into database format. Experimental results show that the precision and recall are higher than 93% and 82% respectively in four different domains. Our approach has high precision and is suitable as a front end for wrapper construction.


The effects of the recession of 2009 have been felt across the economy of Ireland. The rapid contraction in economic activity has had its effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well. It is possible to model the recession's effect on agricultural GHG in the FAPRI-Ireland GHG model using the latest international commodity price projections from Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). The FAPRI-Ireland GHG model creates projections of future levels of Irish agricultural activity and then uses a mix of national and default emissions factors to convert this activity to estimates of annual GHG emissions from now to 2020. Our model is shocked using post-downturn commodity price projections for a selection of exogenous prices. The changes to these international commodity prices reflect the international market response to the downturn, and as such they have an impact on the level of GHG emitted by the agricultural sector in Ireland. This analysis finds that, despite the depth and breadth of the recession, the impact on GHG emissions from Irish agriculture has been muted. The impact of the shock is to reduce the projected annual emissions from the sector by only 0.14 Mt by 2020. This compares to the 2.97 Mt reduction in annual emissions which the sector would have to achieve if, for example, a reduction target of 20 percent on 2005 levels were to be imposed.


This study evaluates the use of calcium carbonate in chronic renal failure. Forty-eight patients (25 male, 23 female, mean age 54.3 years, six pre-dialysis. 12 CAPD, 30 haemodialysis) on phosphate restriction and requiring aluminum hydroxide (mean 2.4 +/- 0.8 g/day) to control serum phosphate, were converted to an equivalent dose of calcium carbonate (2.5 +/- 0.6 g/day). None received vitamin D analogues. Three months post-conversion there was a significant decrease in mean (+/- SEM) serum phosphate (1.86 +/- 0.08 versus 1.66 +/- 0.05 mmol/l P less than 0.01) and serum aluminum (28.3 +/- 5.4 versus 13.2 +/- 3.0 micrograms/l, P less than 0.0001): calcium/phosphate product was unchanged. Post-conversion there was an increase in serum bicarbonate, (20.6 +/- 0.5 versus 22.1 +/- 0.6 mmol/l, P less than 0.01) and serum calcium (2.32 +/- 0.02 versus 2.45 +/- 0.03 mmol/l, P less than 0.0001). No change in serum creatinine, alkaline phosphatase or parathormone occurred. No adverse effects were reported but nine (18%) patients became hypercalcaemic (2.7 to 2.93 mmol/l), eight of whom responded to dose reduction. Hypercalcaemia did not correlate with pre-conversion serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, alkaline phosphatase or aluminium. Calcium carbonate is an effective alternative to aluminium-based phosphate binders. It produces a beneficial increase in serum calcium and bicarbonate and a significant decrease in serum aluminium. Hypercalcaemia is unpredictable but is easily reversible in the majority of patients.


The effects of culture soil combinations on growth of native pteridophyte (Pteris multifida, Cyrtomium falcatum and Cheilanthes argentea) were investigated in this study. Six different culture soil mixtures used for cultivating the pteridophytes under 30% shading condition. Pteris multifida was showed the most growth at the culture soil mixtures of peatmoss : living moss (5 : 5), and peatmoss : perlite (7 : 3). Cyrtomium falcatum and Cheilanthes argentea showed the best growth in the culture soils mixtures of sand : soil : leaf mold (2 : 5 : 3) and peatmoss : perlite (7 : 3, 5 : 5), respectively.


We studied the electroencephalographic pattern at the time of focal seizure onset in 41 patients. Progressive rhythmic EEG activity was characteristic of spontaneous focal seizures in man. Focal hypersynchrony was present in 49% of cases and served as an accurate localizing indication of cortical irritability. Interictal sharp or spike discharges were absent in 34% of cases. When present, spike and sharp discharges characteristically attentuate at the onset of rhythmic ictal activity. Recognition of the pattern of rhythmic ictal transformation is often essential for the electroencephalographic diagnosis of focal seizures.


Introduction: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with diabetes are at risk for suboptimal psychological functioning. This study aims to describe the prevalence of elevated depression scores, outpatient psychotherapy referrals, and individuals receiving follow-up care in a clinic with an integrated psychologist. Further, we examine whether having an integrated psychologist leads to better access to mental health services for AYA. Methods: Participants were seen in a multidisciplinary diabetes clinic from September 2016 to 2017. Assessment included a semi-structured interview and depression screener (PHQ). Families with concerns related to diabetes management were offered on-site outpatient psychotherapy, others given community referrals. Follow-up with referrals was assessed at next diabetes visit. Results: Participants included 100 ethnically diverse AYAs, 11-21 years (M=16.06±2.42; 56% female), diagnosed with type 1 (79%), type 2 (19%), or MODY (2%), with a range of glycemic control (HbA1c 5.5 to >14%). PHQ scores were: no/minimal (58%), mild (26%), moderate (11%), moderately severe (3%), and severe (2%). 59% of patients were referred for outpatient psychotherapy. Referral reasons included depression, anxiety, behavioral difficulties, family conflict, and diabetes management challenges. At follow-up, only 9% were receiving services. Barriers included transportation, organization (e.g., losing referral), and stigma. Conclusions: Pediatric psychologists within integrated diabetes teams offer effective mental health screening and referrals. Almost half (42%) of AYA in our cohort had ≥5 depressive symptoms, and while 59% were referred for outpatient therapy, only 9% received these services. Despite patient access to a pediatric psychologist in clinic, a large discrepancy between referral and follow-up rates remains. This disparity highlights the importance of identifying and reducing barriers to follow-up care for AYAs with diabetes. Disclosure J. Tsikis: None. J.M. Valenzuela: None. A. Vassilopoulos: None. C. Wilcocks: None. L. Reitblat: None. E.J. Blanco: None. S. Nicholls: None. R. Wolf: None.


Aim: This review aimed to explore the knowledge, understanding and attitudes held by speech and language therapists (SLTs) to evidence-based practice (EBP). Furthermore, it addresses the adoption of such a framework and how it could be increased within SLT's professional practice.
Method: The review included research conducted between 1998 and 2011. Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, PsycArticles, Medline, Ingenta, Science Direct, JSTOR and Google Scholar, were searched using the terms 'Evidence-Based Practice', 'Speech and Language Therapists' and 'Clinical Practice'.
Results: Research predominantly reports limited engagement with EBP. Findings continuously demonstrate how SLTs lack the skills required in order to conduct literature searches and assess relevant research evidence. Furthermore, the research base available to SLTs is of low level quality due to focusing principally on efficacy rather than effectiveness. Additionally, many barriers are evident, including lack of time, resources, skills and understanding, which prevent both conducting research and the implementation of EBP.
Conclusion: Although SLTs tend to display high positive regard for EBP, these attitudes are rarely translated into practice. Due to the inadequacy of the current research base available to SLTs it is essential for SLT researchers and practitioners to combine efforts in order to ensure the reliability of future research. This will enable the expansion of relevant research whilst continually promoting EBP and SLT as a discipline.


A new medical delivery system which regulated outpatient department(OPD) use from tertiary care hospitals was adopted in 1989. Under the new system, patients using tertiary care hospital OPD without referral slip from clinics or hospitals could not get any insurance benefit for the services received from the tertiary care hospital. This study was conducted to evaluate the Patient Referral System(PRS) with respect to health care expenditures and utilization. Two data sets were used in this study. One was monthly data set(from January 1986 to December 1992) from the Annual Report of Korea Medical Insurance Corporation(KMIC). The other was monthly joint data set composed of personal data of which 10% were selected randomly with their utilization data of KMIC from January 1988 to December 1992. The data were analyzed by time-series intervention model of SAS-ETS. The results of this study were as follows: 1. There was no statistically significant changes in per capita expenditures following PRS. 2. Utilization episodes per capita was increased statistically significantly after implementation of PRS. The use of clinics and hospitals increased significantly, whereas in tertiary care hospitals the use decreased significantly immediately after implementation of PRS and increased afterwards. 3. Follow-up visits per episode were decreased statistically significantly after implementation of PRS. The decrease of follow-up visits per episode were remarkable in clinics and hospitals, whereas in tertiary care hospitals it was increased significantly after implementation of PRS. 4. There was no statistically significant changes in prescribing days per episode following PRS. Futhermore, clinics and hospitals showed a statistically significant decrease in prescribing days per episode, whereas in tertiary care hospital it showed statistically significant increase after implementation of PRS. 5. Except high income class, the use of tertiary care hospitals showed statistically significant decrease after implementation of PRS. The degree of decrease in the use of tertiary care hospitals was inversely proportional to income. These results suggest that the PRS policy was not efficient because per capita expenditures did not decrease, and was not effective because utilization episodes per capita, follow-up visits per episode. and prescribing days per episode were not predictable and failed to show proper utilization. It was somewhat positive that utilization episodes per capita were decreased temporarily in tertiary care hospitals. And PRS policy was not appropriate because utilization episodes per capita was different among income groups. In conclusion, the PRS should be revised for initial goal attainment of cost containment and proper health care utilization.


Internet-delivered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (I-PCIT) follows traditional clinic-based PCIT but uses a videoconferencing software to allow therapists to provide therapy remotely to families in their homes. We report the I-PCIT course of treatment for a 4-year-old Japanese boy (K) and his parents, an abusive parent-child dyad. This is the first report examining the applicability of I-PCIT in Japan. Weekly sessions were held for 60-90 minutes. At the end of the treatment, K showed a significant decrease in problematic behaviors, such as screaming, throwing objects, and hitting his parents. I-PCIT may be effective in helping both children and parents of families at high risk of abuse. In addition, parents' skills are more likely to be generalized because the I-PCIT sessions are held at a site where problematic behaviors usually occur. I-PCIT is also useful for training new therapists; and with the growing need for specific abuse prevention initiatives that can be implemented remotely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the benefits of the widespread use of I-PCIT are invaluable.


The Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) Engineering Research Center (ERC) at UPRM developed an Off-The-Grid (OTG) X-band single polarized radar network deployed in the Puerto Rico west coast. With this kind of radar it is possible to observe some meteorological events that might not be detected by NEXRAD radar due to earth curvature. The main goal of this research is to break with the paradigm and limitations of using Xband OTG radars as a reliable forecast system, where the principal issue is the attenuation due to rain along the path. To overcome this problem the attenuated signal could be rectified through a correction algorithm based on reflectivity and also an ideal polarization (vertical or horizontal) will be identified to certain effects of rain attenuation. To correct for attenuation a hybrid between Hitschfeld – Bordan (HB) method and a Surface Reference Technique (SRT) would be used where the reference signal is the NEXRAD radar data because is considered negligible to