This work is part of an extensive investigation on the equivalent permeability of heterogeneous and fractured media. We focus here on the problem of Darcian/Poiseuille flow in an irregular network of fracture segments (in 2D) or conduits (in 2D or 3D). An exact algebraic relation between the mean flux vector(Q) and the mean hydraulic gradient (J) is developed through a mathematical analyzis of the network flow problem, based on concepts from graph theory, leading to a discrete definition of DIV and GRAD operators. The resulting equivalent permeability is a 2nd rank tensor Kij, not necessarily symmetric and not necessarily positive-definite. Its properties are analyzed for given types of boundary conditions and averaging procedures.


In this paper, we propose a power efficient data dissemination (PEDD) scheme for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with mobile sinks. A source proactively constructs a grid structure to disseminate data to the mobile sinks. For each grid point, a cost function is applied to choose a dissemination node to serve it. Only the dissemination nodes are in working mode, while the other sensor nodes just fall into sleep mode to conserve energy. A path along grid points is paved from a sink to the source for forwarding queries and disseminating data. To evenly distribute energy load in the WSN, the dissemination node with the most residual energy is selected for the upstream node in the query forwarding path. Simulation results show that PEDD outperforms previous scheme.


In this work we consider conjugacy of elements and parabolic subgroups in details, in a new class of Artin groups, introduced in an earlier work, which may contain arbitrary parabolic subgroups. In particular, we find algorithmically minimal representatives of elements in a conjugacy class and also an algorithm to pass from one minimal representative to the others.


Background: The unusual occurrence of a metastatic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in a lymph node affected by Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was originally reported when knowledge of the specific virological features of these tumours was lacking. Aim: To re-evaluate this case by assessing whether the simultaneous presence of the two tumours was linked with common aetiopathogenetic factors. Methods: The presence of EBV was investigated by in situ hybridisation, whereas KS associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) was detected by immunohistochemistry. Both viruses were analysed in the case reported, in 30 lymph nodes from patients with classic HL, and in 22 skin biopsies from patients with KS. Results: Consistent with the findings in the HL and KS cases analysed, in the case showing features of both HL and KS in the same lymph node, EBV was detectable only in Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells, but not in KS spindle cells, whereas KSHV/HHV-8 was detectable only in KS spindle cells, and not in RS cells. Conclusion: It is probable that the development of KS and HL was related to two independent aetiological cofactors—KSHV/HHV-8 and EBV, respectively—and that the occurrence of the two malignancies in the same patient was merely fortuitous.


There has been an increasing trend towards outsourcing data to the cloud to cope with the massive increase in the amount of data. Hence trusted enforcement of access control policies on outsourced data in the cloud has become a significant issue. In this paper we address trusted administration and enforcement of role-based access control policies on data stored in the cloud. Role-based access control (RBAC) simplifies the management of access control policies by creating two mappings; roles to permissions and users to roles. Recently crypto-based RBAC (C-RBAC) schemes have been developed which combine cryptographic techniques and access control to secured data in an outsourced environment. In such schemes, data is encrypted before outsourcing it and the ciphertext data is stored in the untrusted cloud. This ciphertext can only be decrypted by those users who satisfy the role-based access control policies. However such schemes assume the existence of a trusted administrator managing all the users and roles in the system. Such an assumption is not realistic in large-scale systems as it is impractical for a single administrator to manage the entire system. Though administrative models for RBAC systems have been proposed decentralize the administration tasks associated with the roles, these administrative models cannot be used in the C-RBAC schemes, as the administrative policies cannot be enforced in an untrusted distributed cloud environment. In this paper, we propose a trusted administrative model AdC-RBAC to manage and enforce role-based access policies for C-RBAC schemes in large-scale cloud systems. The AdC-RBAC model uses cryptographic techniques to ensure that the administrative tasks such as user, permission and role management are performed only by authorized administrative roles. Our proposed model uses role-based encryption techniques to ensure that only administrators who have the permissions to manage a role can add/revoke users to/from the role and owners can verify that a role is created by qualified administrators before giving out their data. We show how the proposed model can be used in an untrusted cloud while guaranteeing its security using cryptographic and trusted access control enforcement techniques.


One challenging problem is the representation of three-dimensional datasets that vary with time. These datasets can be thought of as a cloud of points that gradually deforms. However, point-wise variations lack information about the overall deformation pattern, and, more importantly, about the extreme deformation locations inside the cloud. This present article applies a technique in computational mechanics to derive the strain-rate state of a time-dependent and three-dimensional data distribution, by which one can characterize its main trends of shift. Indeed, the tensorial analysis methodology is able to determine the global deformation rates in the entire dataset. With the use of this technique, one can characterize the significant fluctuations in a reduced multivariate description of an urban system and identify the possible causes of those changes: calculating the strain-rate state of a PCA-based multivariate description of an urban system, we are able to describe the clustering and divergence patterns between the districts of a city and to characterize the temporal rate in which those variations happen.


A sol-gel method was used in preparing capillary gas chromatographic columns with simplicity and rapidity. Due to the formation of the chemical bonds between the coating layer and the inner wall of the capillary, the thermal stability of the column was greatly increased. The sol-gel poly(dimethyl-siloxane) (PDMS) column was able to withstand temperatures as high as 400 degrees C. This column showed excellent separation of free fatty acids, amines, and other polar compounds. The sol-gel column also showed good repeatability of retention time on a single column as well as good repeatability of capacity factor, column efficiency, symmetry and McReynold's constant on several columns of the same type.


Two-photon microscopy (2PM) can enable high-resolution deep imaging of thick tissue by exciting a fluorescent dye and protein at anastomotic sites in the mouse small intestine in vivo. We performed gut surgery and transplanted neural stem cells (NSC) from the embryonic central nervous system after marking them with the fluorescent cell linker, PKH26. We found that neurons differentiated from transplanted NSC (PKH [+]) and newborn enteric neurons differentiated from mobilized (host) NSC (YFP [+]) could be localized within the granulation tissue of anastomoses. A 5-HT4-receptor agonist, mosapride citrate (MOS), significantly increased the number of PKH (+) and YFP (+) neurons by 2.5-fold (P<0.005). The distribution patterns of PKH (+) neurons were similar to those of YFP (+) neurons. On the other hand, the 5-HT4-receptor antagonist, SB-207266 abolished these effects of MOS. These results indicate that neurogenesis from transplanted NSC is facilitated by activation of 5-HT4-receptors. Thus, a combination of drug administration and cell transplantation could be more beneficial than exclusive cell transplantation in treating Hirschsprung's disease and related disorders including post rectal cancer surgery. The underlying mechanisms for its action were explored using immunohistochemistry of the longitudinal mouse ileum and rat rectal preparations including an anastomosis. MOS significantly increased the number of new neurons, but not when co-administered with either of a protein tyrosine kinase receptor, c-RET two inhibitors. The c-RET signaling pathway contributes to enteric neurogenesis facilitated by MOS. In the future, we would perform functional studies of new neurons over the thick granulation tissue at anastomoses, using in vivo imaging with 2PM and double transgenic mice expressing a calcium indicator such as GCaMP6 and channelrhodopsin.


We study the translocation of a protein-like chain through a finite cylindrical channel using the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM) and the modified orientation-dependent monomer-monomer interaction (ODI) model. Attractive channels (∊cp = −2.0, −1.0, −0.5), repulsive channels (∊cp = 0.5, 1.0, 2.0), and a neutral channel (∊cp = 0) are discussed. The results of the chain dimension and the energy show that Z0 = 1.0 is an important case to distinguish the types of the channels. For the strong attractive channel, more contacts form during the process of translocation. It is also found that an external force is needed to drive the chain outside of the channel with the strong attraction. While for the neutral, the repulsive, and the weak attractive channels, the translocation is spontaneous.


Predicting intake of roughage diets by ruminants uses simulation modelling. This study takes advantage of studies (e.g. Illus and Gordon 1991) that generalize across ruminants. The aim was to test the suitability of Illius and Gordon's model, and modify it for predicting digestibility and intake of roughages in tropical ruminants. Data from seven studies on roughages fed to tropical ruminants were used. These studies had 235 intake and 70 digestibility measurements on diets of cattle (n=43), goats (n=5), and sheep (n= 22), with at least 5 animals.diet -1 . Animals in all degradation studies, but one (study 2), were provided with protein supplement; roughages were fed non-supplemented except in one (study 3). The model comprises 13 digesta pools in the rumen and six post-ruminal pools. Fluxes among pools were modelled by a system of ordinary differential equations. Ingesta were partitioned into long and short particles, chemically into cell content (CC) and cell wall (CW), and biologically into digestible CW (DNDF) and indigestible CW (INDF). Once consumed, the CC in the fine particle pool is instantly digested; other particles are retained in the rumen for the duration of the lag phase. All solid matter in the rumen contributed to the level of fill. Maximum rumen load was determined as a function of body weight. Ingesta disappeared from the rumen at a rate determined by fractional rates (FR) of degradation (kdig or k2) and passage of particles (kp) for short and long particles. The model allows a maximum of eight meals/ day. A re-run of the model was needed after re-calibration: kp (/h) = 0.0907 x NDF -0.373 x kdig 0.40 (n=72; R 2 =0.37); and rumen DM load (RL) as a function of live weight (W) in proportion to the mature live weight (MW): RL (g/kg W) = e 3.38 *(W/MW) -0.27 *CP -0.17 (n=26, R 2 =0.31), with CP in g.kg -1 . Observed vs predicted digestibility and intake were respectively 0.52±0.080 vs 0.53±0.132 and 60±0.10.5 vs 59±0.12.9 for sheep, 0.69±0.057 vs 0.61±0.101 and 69±8.3 vs 63±20.8 for goats; and 0.59±0.097 vs 0.56±0.080 and 79±0.15.6 vs 66±0.12.0 for cattle. Relationships between observed and predicted digestibility (R 2 =0.17) and intake (R 2 =0.13) were poor. A re-run of the model increased the variation accounting for digestibility (R 2 =0.32) and intake (R 2 =0.49); showing two studies (R 2 =0.66-0.83 for intake; or 0.78-0.85 for digestibility) with good precision. Both rates of passage and digestion are largely properties of feeds, but rumen load is affected by animal and plant factors. Modified particulate rate of passage and rumen load increased predictions substantially. Consequently, more research is required to in this area to refine these


A beam-steering device has been a key element for various sensing and imaging applications. We proposed a beam-steering device based on a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-based waveguide structure. We show a giant steering angle and ultrahigh steering resolution at the same time by increasing the length of a device. In this paper, we present our high-resolution beam-steering concept based on VCSEL photonics. A steering angle of over 60° and a number of resolution points over 1000 are demonstrated for millimeter-scale devices, which is the highest in nonmechanical beam-steering devices. We also demonstrate the on-chip integration of a beam-steering function with a VCSEL. In addition, we demonstrate additional functionalities including the creation of vortex beams and low-voltage amplitude modulation with beam steering.


The concept of an orbital tower has been discussed in the literature by many authors over a number of years. Although the concept is clearly futuristic, interest has recently been revived as a result of advances in materials science (for example, see Refs. 1-4). In this Note, a simple model of the dynamics of a particle moving along an orbital tower is considered. First, it is demonstrated that at synchronous radius there exists a hyperbolic fixed point, resulting in an unstable equilibrium and a potential barrier that a particle must cross. The fixed point is an equilibrium point in the phase space, which represents the dynamics of the particle. It is shown that the addition of friction does not remove the hyperbolic fixed point, but merely modifies its instability timescale. Finally, it is shown that friction leads to phase paths converging asymptotically to a single manifold in the phase space of the problem. An approximation to this manifold is constructed. The analysis provides some insight into the practical application of orbital towers for the launch and retrieval of payloads.


The broad scale meteorological features are examined and it is shown that the drought is related to a variety of factors, including unusual coldness in the North Pacific ocean and over Canada in the winter half-year, upper winds stronger than usual in the Central Pacific, and the quasi-biennial oscillation. Feedback mechanisms involving Atlantic sea temperatures and the drought itself helped to maintain the atmospheric mode. The additional evaporation from a reservoir in Southern England due to extra sunshine, high summer temperature, etc., is estimated. An attempt is made to put the drought into historical perspective, with the conclusion that it appears to be a rare event rather than a symptom of climatic change. Lastly, by using a Meteorological Office general circulation numerical model, it is shown that a large area of dry ground may inhibit rainfall: the dryness of the ground over Western Europe in the 1976 summer may have had this effect.


Plant scientists have bred turfgrass varieties to create more desirable traits for long-term maintenance, appearance, utility, and resistance to abiotic and biotic stressors. As universities seek to capture revenue to cover research costs, these varieties are increasingly protected by intellectual property rights such as US plant patents and plant variety protection certificates. Producers require license to produce and sell proprietary varieties, and are required to pay royalties, impacting the types of varieties marketed for sale. Therefore, turf breeders must identify producer demand for various grass varieties, and understand their marketability. An online turfgrass preference survey with sod producers using a discrete choice experiment was conducted in Spring 2015. The design incorporated attributes such as variety, certification agency, fee structure, maintenance reduction potential, and price per square foot. Results from the analysis indicate that producers preferred genetically modified breeds and fee structures that allow producers to share the cost with the breed developers.


Sensys Networks' VDS240 vehicle detection system is a wireless sensor network composed of a collection of 300 by 300 by 200 sensor nodes put in the center of a lane and a 600 by 400 by 400 access point (AP) box placed 15 0 high on the side of the road. A node measures changes in the earth's magnetic field induced by a vehicle, processes the measurements to detect the vehicle, and transfers the processed data via radio to the AP. The AP combines data from the nodes into information for the local controller or the Traffic Management Center (TMC). An AP communicates via radio directly with up to 96 nodes within a range of 150 0; a Repeater extends the range to 1000 0. This range makes it suitable to deploy VDS240 networks for traffic counts, stop-bar and advance detection, and measurement of queue lengths on ramps and at intersections, as well as parking guidance and enforcement. VDS240 is self-calibrating, IP-addressable and remotely monitored. Data are not lost because unacknowledged data packets are retransmitted. The accuracy of VDS240 for vehicle counts, speed and occupancy is comparable to that of well-tuned loops. Because the nodes report individual vehicle events, the AP also calculates individual vehicle lengths, speeds and inter-vehicle headways—measurements that can be used for new traffic applications. In July 2007, VDS240 systems were deployed in arterials and freeways in several cities and states, and 30 customer trials were underway in the US, Australia, Europe and South Africa. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


COMPASSION, ACCEPTANCE AND NARRATIVE IDENTITY IN THE SELFREGULATION OF LEARNING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES David Willoughby Advisor University of Guelph, 2017 Dr. Mary Ann Evans University students with learning disabilities (LDs) represent a growing fraction of the total student population within North America. While past research has focused on cognitive aspects of living with an LD, social-emotional factors associated with the condition have received less attention. Social-emotional factors may play an important role in students' ability to regulate their learning and effectively cope with LDs. This study investigates the relations between selfcompassion, self-acceptance of an LD, narrative identity, self-regulated learning, and selfreported GPA in university students with LDs. Participants were 78 university students who selfreported as possessing an LD. All participants completed an online questionnaire and 20 completed an interview which was subsequently coded for themes of disability acceptance, agency, and meaning-making. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between self-acceptance of an LD, self-compassion, self-regulated learning and GPA. No significant correlations between life story themes and self-regulated learning were found. However, themes of disability acceptance were significantly related to self-compassion and agency themes.


Automating the analysis of digital microscopic images to identify the cell sub-types or the presence of illness has assumed a great importance since it aids the laborious manual process of review and diagnosis. In this paper, we have focused on the analysis of white blood cells. They are the body's main defence against infections and diseases and, therefore, their reliable classification is very important. Current systems for leukocyte analysis are mainly dedicated to: counting, sub-types classification, disease detection or classification. Although these tasks seem very different, they share many steps in the analysis process, especially those dedicated to the detection of cells in blood smears. A very accurate detection step gives accurate results in the classification of white blood cells. Conversely, when detection is not accurate, it can adversely affect classification performance. However, it is very common in real-world applications that work on inaccurate or non-accurate regions. Many problems can affect detection results. They can be related to the quality of the blood smear images, e.g., colour and lighting conditions, absence of standards, or even density and presence of overlapping cells. To this end, we performed an in-depth investigation of the above scenario, simulating the regions produced by detection-based systems. We exploit various image descriptors combined with different classifiers, including CNNs, in order to evaluate which is the most suitable in such a scenario, when performing two different tasks: Classification of WBC subtypes and Leukaemia detection. Experimental results have shown that Convolutional Neural Networks are very robust in such a scenario, outperforming common machine learning techniques combined with hand-crafted descriptors. However, when exploiting appropriate images for model training, even simpler approaches can lead to accurate results in both tasks.


Traditional medical soft matrix used in a surgical treatment or in wound management was not good enough in both the structural support and interconnectivity to be applied in tissue engineering as a scaffold. Avian skeleton and feather rachises might be good reference objects to mimic in designing a scaffold material with good structural support and high interconnectivity because of its structural foam-wall microarchitectures and structural pneumaticity. In this study, a biomimetic airstream pore-foaming process was built up and the corresponding new medical soft matrix derived from polyvinyl alcohol matrix (PVAM) with air cavities inspired by avian skeleton and feather rachises was prepared. Furthermore, the resulting medical soft matrix and bovine Achilles tendon type I collagen could be employed to prepare a new collagen-containing composite matrix. Characterization, thermal stability and cell morphology of the bioinspired PVA matrix and the corresponding collagen-modified PVA composite matrix with open-cell foam-wall microarchitectures were studied for evaluation of potential tissue engineering applications. TGA, DTG, DSC, SEM and FTIR results of new bioinspired PVA matrix were employed to build up the effective system identification approach for biomimetic structure, stability, purity, and safety of target soft matrix. The bioinspired PVA matrix and the corresponding collagen-modified PVA composite matrix would be conductive to human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cell proliferation, migration, and expression which might serve as a promising liver cell culture carrier to be used in the biological artificial liver reactor.


Opioid peptides exert ino- and chronotropic effects on the heart. Paraopioid dermorphine (Y-dA-F-G-Y-P-S) was earlier shown to act as negative inotropic agent in isolated frog's hearts. In this study, the same effect was investigated in cultured myocardiac cells of the newborn rats. Dermorphine (10(-4)-10(-9) M) dose-dependently attenuated the contraction amplitude with the latency of 5-10 min. The peak of the response appeared in 30-45 min after application of dermorphine. The mu-opiate-receptor antagonist naloxone (10(-5) g/ml) blocked this effect. Dermorphine seems to exert its negative inotropic action through the opiate receptors, presumably of the mu-subtype.


This paper presents a novel theoretical characterization of the pilot-assisted (PA) technique proposed for peakto-average-power-ratio (PAPR) reduction in optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (O-OFDM). The two systems considered are direct-current biased O-OFDM (DCO-OFDM) and asymmetrically clipped O-OFDM (ACO-OFDM) in optical wireless communications. The DCO-OFDM and ACO-OFDM time domain signals approach Gaussian and half-Gaussian distributions respectively. The PA technique uses P iterations of a pilot sequence to rotate the phase of U data symbols within a PA OOFDM frame and select the frame with the least PAPR. Thus, we utilize order statistics to characterize the PAPR distributions of the PA DCO-OFDM and ACO-OFDM system. The PA technique results in higher reduction in PAPR for high P but at the expense of increased complexity. In the theoretical framework developed, we are able to determine P that gives reasonable PAPR reduction gain. The theoretical analysis of PAPR reduction effects on the average optical and electrical signal power is studied. Results show that the PA technique is capable of reducing the optical energy per bit to noise power spectral density Eb(opt)/N0 ratio required to meet target bit-error-rate (BER) in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Comparisons of the analytical results of PA O-OFDM signal with that of computer simulations show very good agreement.


Fast remote procedure call (RPC) is a major concern for distributed systems. Many studies aimed at efficient RPC consist of either new implementations of the RPC paradigm or manual optimization of critical sections of the code. This paper presents an experiment that achieves automatic optimization of an existing, commercial RPC implementation, namely the Sun RPC. The optimized Sun RPC is obtained by using an automatic program specializer. It runs up to 1.5 times faster than the original Sun RPC. Close examination of the specialized code does not reveal further optimization opportunities which would lead to significant improvements without major manual restructuring. The contributions of this work are: the optimized code is safely produced by an automatic tool and thus does not entail any additional maintenance; to the best of our knowledge this is the first successful specialization of mature, commercial, representative system code; and the optimized Sun RPC runs significantly faster than the original code.


In order to elucidate the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration and its origin in arctic area, four arctic brown algae (Laminaria saccharina, L. digita, Alaria esculenta, Desmarestia aculeata), one marine invertebrate (Echinoidea) and sediments were collected from Kongsfjorden in Spitsbergen from the late July to early August, 2003. In case of macroalgae, the young blade part above growth point and the old stipes and blades beneath growth point were separated and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an attempt to check the mechanism of uptake in macroalgae to accumulate PAH. There was no difference in PAH concentrations between sampling sites (Stations B and C), species, and blades beneath and above growth point. PAH concentrations in all samples collected in this study were relatively higher than those reported in other areas of arctic. Especially, station C, which is known as an unpolluted area, showed 10 times higher PAH concentration (8,765 ng/g) in sediment than station A (694 ng/g) around harbor. In addition high PAH concentration, station C had very higher proportion of methylated PAH to parent PAH in sediment than station A. Source analysis using PAH isomer pair ratios as indicators showed that Kongsfjorden area seemed to be relatively contaminated with PAH derived from direct petroleum input.


A state of permanent, isothermal non-wetting of a solid surface by a normally wetting liquid may be achieved if the surface moves tangentially to a liquid drop that is pressed against it. Surrounding gas is swept into the space between the liquid and solid creating a lubricating film that prevents wetting. The length scales of the drop and the film are typically three or more orders of magnitude different, making numerical simulation difficult from a resolution standpoint. The present paper focuses on a hybrid approach employing lubrication theory for the thinnest portions of the gas film and numerical simulation for the liquid and outer gas phases.


BACKGROUND
Recent data advocate adoption of a more intensive treatment strategy for management of blood pressure (BP).

OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether the overall effects of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) are applicable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients.

METHODS
In a post hoc analysis we analyzed data from SPRINT that randomly assigned 9361 individuals to a systolic BP (SBP) target of <120 mmHg (intensive treatment) or <140 mmHg (standard treatment). 1562 patients had clinically evident CVD (age=70.3±9.3 years, 24% females) at study entry and were followed for 3.1 years. Further, we assessed the effect of low (<150 mmHg) baseline SBP on outcome.

RESULTS
In CVD patients, there was no benefit from the intensive treatment regarding all endpoints, except for a marginally significant benefit on all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45 to 1.00; p=0.0509). Further, while there was no increase in serious adverse events (SAE) in the intensive group, there was increased risk for study-related SAE, acute renal failure and electrolyte abnormalities. In patients with low baseline SBP there was a beneficial effect on allcause mortality (HR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.96; p=0.033), but with greater stroke incidence (HR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.04 to 8.29; p=0.042).

CONCLUSION
We confirm the beneficial effect of the intensive strategy in SPRINT study on all-cause mortality and the harmful effect on specific adverse outcomes in patients with CVD. However, in patients with low baseline SBP stroke may increase.


Whether during normal cell growth or after genotoxic stress, there is a continuous battle between survival and death that determines cell fate. Tumor cells have acquired enhanced anti-apoptotic and pro-survival properties that make them resistant to cancer therapy. It is well-established that AKT is hyperactivated in many cancers, and that this protects against cell killing in response to DNA damaging agents, including ionizing radiation (IR). A plethora of events are triggered in response to IR, including the DNA damage response (DDR), apoptosis/death as well as pro-survival signaling via ERK and PI3K/AKT.1 Many laboratories have reported that IR activates AKT (seen as increased levels of AKT phosphorylation at S473 and T308). ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), the master regulator of the DDR, in part controls insulin and IR-induced phosphorylation of AKT,2,3 and AKT has been shown to regulate DSB repair in a number of different cell systems.4-8 However, it is unclear how the DDR signal originating from DSBs is transduced to AKT.

The article by Fraser et al. published in the July 1st issue of Cell Cycle reports that MRE11 promotes the accumulation of phosphorylated AKT (S473) at DSBs via ATM.9 They demonstrated that AKT is important for conferring radioresistance and for promoting the ligation of linearized plasmids in vitro, suggesting that AKT might facilitate the resealing of DSBs, thereby enhancing cell survival. Using IR, nuclear UV laser micro-irradiation or an inducible restriction endonuclease to induce DSBs, they showed that pAKT (S473), but not pAKT (T308) or total AKT, accumulated in the vicinity of IR-induced DSB and colocalized with γH2AX and pATM (S1981).

Knowing that MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) is positioned upstream of ATM, they knocked down MRE11 expression and showed that pAKT (S473) foci formation was dependent on MRE11. However, MRE11 did not require the MRE11 endonuclease domain, suggesting that DNA resection was not necessary to attract pAKT to repair centers. They went on to show that the histone ubiquitin ligase RNF168 was also required for DSB-induced pAKT localization. However, DNA-PKcs, PI3K and ATR were not. These results demonstrate that DSBs activate a signaling cascade that directly promotes a PI3K-independent pathway of AKT phosphorylation that is dependent on MRE11-ATM-RNF168 signaling. Altogether, the authors suggest that ubiquitin-dependent and DNA-PKcs-independent non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair is the target for pAKT.

What remains unclear is whether the global effects resulting from AKT knockdown on radiosurvival can be fully accounted for by the relatively small fraction of total AKT that localized to DSBs as pAKT (S473). Furthermore, is NHEJ specifically influenced by AKT, or is homologous recombination repair (HRR) also affected? Since resection was not necessary for attracting pAKT to repair foci, this might argue against a role for HRR. As the kinetics of foci removal was not closely examined in the study (except for a single 24 h time point), it is difficult to say whether the presence of pAKT at DSBs influences repair in vivo. Another question is the role of other AKT isoforms. Only AKT1 was manipulated by RNAi. It would be interesting to know whether AKT2 and AKT3, two other very similar AKT isoforms that provide overlapping and back-up roles to AKT1, influence pAKT foci localization and repair. Most commercially available antibodies against pAKT (S473) also recognize phosphorylated AKT2 (S474) and AKT3 (S472). Thus, the roles of AKT2 and AKT3 in this response, if any, should be explored further.

The results by Fraser et al. are complementary to recent findings by Khalil et al.,10 who demonstrated that DSBs resulting from BrdU photolysis or endonuclease electroporation triggered an ATM-dependent, pro-survival signaling cascade. This cascade required functional AKT in order to transmit the signal to MEK/ERK and promote cell proliferation. Collectively, conclusions from these two studies add weight to the notion that after low levels of DNA damage pro-survival signaling might be yet another arm of the DDR regulated by ATM. Thus, AKT could play the role of gatekeeper, somehow weighing cues from the DDR and growth factor signaling, to make balanced decisions together with ATM as to whether a cell will repair its DNA and live or be unable to and die.


A kind of model oriented assembly process simulation in WTK environment has been proposed. In the model, firstly, the assembly hierarchy of mechanical products can be presented clearly. Secondly, the assembly constraints between parts can be added to the model easily. At last, the assembly process information such as assembly sequence and path for each part can be recorded at real time in the model. Then, the converted method from PRO/E system to WTK environment about the mechanical product's design information including geometric models, product design hierarchies and constraints has been discussed, which makes for easier building the model in the virtual environment.


Children do suffer from different diseases, some are common in small age group and some are common in all age group during pediatric age group. It is true for Nepal too. Among different diseases, croup is one of them. The viruses infect the nose and throat initially, and then spread along the upper respiratory tract (back of the throat) to the larynx and trachea .As the infection progresses, the top part of the trachea becomes swollen, which narrows the space available for air to enter the lungs. This leads to the symptoms of croup Most children develop a fever, which may range from mild (100.4ºF or 38ºC) to very high (104ºF or 40.5ºC). The fever itself does not cause them harm, Croup may have symptoms such as rash, eye redness (called conjunctivitis), and swollen lymph nodes may develop, depending upon the virus causing the illness. Baby may present with dehydration if cannot drink well.


The levels of Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and Copper (Cu) were determined in four different samples of vegetables purchased from Katsina central market using atomic absorption spectrometer. The mean concentrations of metals ranged from 0.071 mg/kg Pb to 0.632 mg/kg Cu. The relative abundance of metals in vegetables followed the sequence Cu (0.483 mg/kg) > Zn (0.268 mg/kg) > Fe (0.260 mg/kg) > Pb (0.095 mg/kg). The levels of Pb and other metals were below the FAO/WHO recommended limits for metals in vegetables. Low concentrations of Pb and absence of Cd in all the samples are indications that these plants contribute less toxic effects of metals. The results showed that, these vegetables are the main sources of essential trace elements. The daily human intakes of metals have also been computed and were observed below recommended values by the FAO/WHO.

 Key words: Heavy metals, vegetables, Katsina, spectrometry.


Some previous studies in organizational performance have illustrated that top management team (TMT) characteristics have the ability to lead to more practical strategic decisions, better creativity, value adding innovations and to assist organizations to engage with diverse stakeholders that in effect positively impact on organizational performance. The specific objectives of the study were; to determine the effect of top management team demographic characteristics, to examine the effect of top management team psychological characteristics and to assess the effect of top management team cognitive characteristics on organizational performance of the independent regulatory agencies in Kenya. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted descriptive cross-sectional research design. The target population of the study was all the twenty-three independent regulatory agencies currently existing in Kenya. Due to the uniqueness of each independent regulatory agency and the distinct roles played by each top management team member in their organization, the study adopted a census survey of all the top management team members in all the twenty- three independent regulatory agencies in order to capture the required information. Primary data was gathered using structured questionnaire administered through drop and pick later method. Descriptive statistics was then used to summarize the survey data into percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations. Inferential statistics employed regression analysis to test hypotheses and draw conclusions. The findings of the study showed that there is no significant effect of top management team demographic characteristics on organizational performance. The findings further showed that top management team psychological characteristics significantly affect organizational performance. Lastly, the findings established that top management team cognitive characteristics significantly affect organizational performance. The study recommends that the recruitment process of TMTs should include psychological and cognitive characteristics as requirements apart from the normal demographic characteristics requirements mostly in use.


Imagine a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, causing residential buildings to collapse and trapping the people inside underneath the rubble. Over the following days, first responders spend a significant amount of time locating survivors. Despite having the assistance of life-detection tools and techniques, these first responders are still hampered by certain limitations in searching for survivors and pinpointing their exact location deep within the rubble. Current methods involving dogs and relatively large robots and machinery can assist only with surface-level surveying of the disaster area and removal of rubble. In contrast, a swarm of centimeter-scale robots could be employed for under-rubble mapping and surveying in these scenarios. In fact, progress has been made in developing centimeter-scale robotics that could assist first responders in the future. However, these prototypes still require improvements in the efficiency of the mechanical parts and control systems deployed in real-life scenarios.


Background: Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is a distressing pain syndrome, sometimes become refractory to the conventional pain managements. Anticonvulsants have been used to alleviate different central pains. Lamotrigine is a novel anticonvulsant and its proper dosage and its efficacy have not been well studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 100 mg lamotrigine on refractory form of CPSP. Methods: The medical files of 17 patients with CPSP who had not responded to the other drugs and were treated with lamotrigine were studied. Using Brief Pain Inventory, pain, sleep and mood were assessed before, and after 8 and 24 weeks of treatment. Results: After 24 weeks, 70.5 % of the patients responded to lamotrigine, and there was an improvement of 2.41 in the mean score of average pain (P=0.001). Conclusion: Lamotrigine 100 mg daily was effective in the treatment of refractory CPSP, and might be prescribed before planning for more aggressive surgical managements.


A noise-immune method for phase retrieval of a single moiré interferometric fringe pattern is presented and discussed. The method is shown to provide accurate recovery of the phase information by a combined method based on modification of the local intensity histogram and use of a two-dimensional Fourier transform of the enhanced moiré fringe pattern. The principle of the method is described and the experimental results of moiré interferometric measurements with submicrometre sensitivity of the in-plane displacement fields of thick carbon fibre/PEEK composite laminates are presented as an example of the application of the technique.


This book is the only text devoted entirely to archaeological stratigraphy, a subject of fundamental importance to most studies in archaeology. The first edition appeared in 1979 as a result of the invention, by the author, of the Harris Matrix-a method for analyzing and presenting the stratigraphic sequences of archaeological sites. The method is now widely used in archaeology all over the world. The opening chapters of this edition discuss the historical development of the ideas of archaeological stratigraphy. The central chapters examine the laws and basic concepts of the subject, and the last few chapters look at methods of recording stratification, constructing stratigraphic sequences, and the analysis of stratification and artifacts. The final chapter, which is followed by a glossary of stratigraphic terms, gives an outline of a modern system for recording stratification on archaeological sites. This book is written in a simple style suitable for the student or amateur. The radical ideas set out should also give the professional archaeologist food for thought.


Introduction To investigate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and surgical treatment of intraorbital foreign bodies (IOFBs). Methods Patients with IOFBs were enrolled from Wuhan Union Hospital between January 2011 and January 2021. Demographic and clinical information was extracted, including gender, age, cause and entrance of the trauma, material, size and quantity of foreign body, visual function, ocular complications, imaging findings, and surgical intervention. The patients were divided into two groups according to the timeline, group A (from January 2011 to December 2015, n = 39) and group B (from January 2016 to January 2021, n = 57). Results The 96 patients (81 men and 15 women) were enrolled in this series, with a median age of 39.5 (1.6–76.0) years. Work-related injuries were the cause of IOFBs in 45 individuals (46.9%). Three patients (3.3%) presented severe visual impairment, and 39 patients (42.4%) presented blindness. The majority of foreign bodies were metal (44.8%), followed by wood (26.0%). Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed, respectively, on 89 (92.7%) and 21 (21.9%) patients with IOFBs, in which the detection rate was 80.9% for CT and 81.0% for MRI. Among the 25 patients with intraorbital wooden foreign bodies (IOWFBs), the utilization and detection rates of MRI were 50.0% and 40.0% in group A, and 93.3% and 92.9% in group B, with significant differences in both rates between the two groups (both P < 0.05). The IOWFBs detection rate in MRI was significantly higher than that in CT (78.9% vs. 45.8% overall and 92.9% vs. 53.5% in group B). The detection rates of IOFBs and IOWFBs in initial surgery were statistically different between the two groups, of which the rates were 84.6% and 40.0% in group A and 98.2% and 93.3% in group B. The reoperation rate of IOWFBs in group B (20.0%) was significantly lower than that in group A (70.0%). Conclusion IOFBs were mainly caused by work-related injuries and might lead to serious visual impairment. The application and detectability of MRI in IOWFBs improved in recent years, and MRI presented better detectability than CT in diagnosing IOWFBs. Thus, MRI should be recommended despite negative CT findings.


Contemporary property theory highlights information costs as the central determinant of exclusion rights and numerus clausus-type standardization: rising information costs lead to stronger exclusion rights and more standardization, whereas falling information costs have the opposite effect. This paradigmatic model lacks, however, a theory of how information costs change in the first place. By developing such a theory, this article demonstrates that, in prominent cases, the legal impact of information costs tends to be counterbalanced by concurrent changes in individual preference, and that preexisting predictions about the relationship between information costs, standardization, and exclusion are therefore partially wrong, and otherwise incomplete.


Purpose Residency training programs across Canada are beginning to implement the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's new Competence By Design (CBD) framework in medical education. The objective of the current research was to assess faculty members' and learners' understanding of, and preparedness for, the national shift to CBD in psychiatry before and after an educational intervention. Methods The current research implemented a pre-test/post-test design to investigate faculty members' and learners' perceptions and attitudes towards competency-based medical education (CBME) and CBD before and after a one-hour educational session delivered by an expert on CBME. Results Of the 104 session attendees, 83 (79.8%) completed the pre-survey and 80 (76.9%) completed the post-survey. Both groups reported a moderate level of baseline knowledge of CBME and CBD. Knowledge of CBME improved significantly for both faculty members (p = 0.03) and learners (p < 0.01) after the education session; however, only learners showed a significant increase in knowledge of the CBD framework following the education session (p < 0.01). Further, only learners demonstrated a significant increase in perceived preparedness for CBD following the session (p = 0.02). Conclusion Overall, a brief, one-hour education session was at least somewhat effective at improving knowledge and preparedness for psychiatry's transition to CBD. In order to facilitate the transition to CBD and to assist in the rollout of future policy changes, psychiatry departments should provide both faculty members and learners with educational sessions and resources prior to the policy implementation.


The characteristics for sorption of trichlorobenzene on sediment in Huaihe River (Jiangsu reach) was studied. It was also in vestigated at the same time that some factors of influence on the sorption, such as initial consistence of adsorbate, concentration of adsorbent and pH value, by ortho-experiment. The results indicate that the sorption isotherms of trichlorobenzene to sediment in Huaihe River (Jiangsu reach) are linear in the experiments condition,and distribution plays a leading role. The affected degrees of different environmental factors are different for sorption of trichlorobenzene on sediment in Huaihe River. The results of ortho-experiment are analysis with SPSS(Statistical Package for the Social Science) and the results are indicate that the affection of initial consistence of adsorbate is the biggest in all environmental factors,and initial consistences of adsorbate have expressly significant influence for sorption of trichlorobenzene on sediment in fresh water, and yet the pH has almost no influence for the sorption of trichlorobenzene on same sediment.


Pepper trees have great ornamental value due to the varied colors of their fruits. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the Pyramid cultivar's production in different cultivation environments using benches with reflective material. The experiment was carried out in two protected environments: a) agricultural greenhouse with 42-50% shade screen under the plastic film and b) agricultural screen with black monofilament screen with 18% shade. Inside the environments, the production system was tested with and without reflective material on the cultivation bench. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design, with four replicates and six plants per plot. Joint analysis was used to compare environments. At 45, 60, and 75 days after transplantation, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, canopy area, and number of fruits were evaluated. The agricultural greenhouse with a 42/50% shade screen under the plastic film provided the formation of higher plants with greater stem diameter, greater number of leaves and fruits, and greater top diameter than the screen with 18% shading. The reflective mirror material showed positive results only for plant height.


The genotoxicity study of a synthetic progestin norethynodrel, was carried out on human lymphocytes chromosomes using sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), replication index (RI) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) as parameters. The study was carried out in the presence and absence of metabolic activation (S9 mix). Norethynodrel was studied at three different concentrations (20, 40 and 60 microg/ml of peripheral blood lymphocyte culture) and was found non-genotoxic in the absence of metabolic activation. But in the presence of S9 mix norethynodrel increased SCE (p<0.03) and CA (p<0.005) frequencies and inhibits lymphocyte proliferation (p<0.03) at 60 microg/ml. The results suggest a genotoxic and cytotoxic effect of norethynodrel in human lymphocytes in vitro in the presence of S9 mix.


The herpes simplex virus type 1 protease is expressed as an 80,000-dalton polypeptide, encoded within the 635-amino acid open reading frame of the UL26 gene. The two known protein substrates for this enzyme are the protease itself and the capsid assembly protein ICP35 (Liu, F., and Roizman, B.(1991) J. Virol. 65, 5149-5156). In this report we describe the use of a rapid and quantitative assay for characterizing the protease. The assay uses a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing the COOH-terminal cleavage site of ICP35 as the substrate (GST-56). The protease consists of N, the NH2-terminal 247 amino acid catalytic domain of the UL26 gene product, also expressed as a GST fusion protein. Upon cleavage with N, a single 25-mer peptide is released from GST-56, which is soluble in trichloroacetic acid. Using this assay, the protease displayed a pH optimum between 7 and 9 but most importantly had an absolute requirement for high concentrations of an antichaeotrophic agent. Strong salting out salts such as Na2SO4 and KPO4 (1 M) stimulated activity, whereas NaCl and KCl had no effect. The degree of stimulation by 1.25 M Na2SO4 and KPO4 were 100-150- and 200-300-fold, respectively. Using the fluorescent probe 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate, the protease was shown to bind the dye in the presence of 1.25 M Na2SO4 or KPO4, but not at low ionic strength or in the presence of 1.25 or 2.2 M NaCl. This binding was most likely at the protease active site because a high affinity cleavage site peptide, but not a control peptide, could displace the dye. In addition to cleaving GST-56, the herpes simplex virus type I protease also cleaved the purified 56-mer peptide. Circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy showed the peptide to be primarily random coil under physiological conditions, suggesting that antichaeotrophic agents affect the conformation of the substrate as well as the protease.


Aligarh one of the famous places of Utter Pradesh (U.P) India is richly well-off with wetlands. They support an extensive and regular fishery of various kinds. The carbon dioxide system contributes the fitness of the wetlands, as it serves to buffer the environment against rapid changes in pH and also regulates biological processes in aquatic communities. Free CO 2 was never found to be present in these wetlands of Aligarh region of northern India. Its absence in all the samples may be attributed to increased pH values. It may be also due to its complete utilization during photosynthesis by green aquatic organisms. Alkalinity , which is important for aquatic life, was found to be contributed mainly by Calcium and Magnesium cations forming carbonates , bicarbonates , hydroxide ions. Carbonates were recorded in all the samples collected from these wetlands, whereas bicarbonates were found to be absent in some samples collected from MP wetland where they are represented by hydroxide ions.


In this paper, a novel induction machine topology with wound, independently-controlled stator coils is presented. The introduced configuration of the stator-winding enables the individual energization and control of the coils in each stator slot. Therefore, the possibility of changing the number of poles and active phases in the stator winding during operation is explored in this study.


Secondary processes in hospitals are causing a major part of hospitals' carbon footprint. At the same time, initiating change towards sustainability is more difficult in secondary processes than in other processes: Often, they are not under the complete control of hospitals and involve other actors, such as service providers or purchasing companies.
The current research aims to shed light on factors influencing change in secondary processes at the example of hospitals in Germany. Building on a framework that distinguishes change factors on a micro-, meso- and macro-level, it is analysed which aspects are positively or negatively influencing change towards more sustainability.
To this end, qualitative interviews with eleven experts from hospitals and service providers have been conducted and results have been assigned to the three levels of change. Results underline the importance of inter-organisational collaboration and the design of structures and processes to establish regular cooperation and coordination. They also show that business relationships between hospitals and service providers are rather cost-related than transformational. Sustainability offers the opportunity to modify existing roles and develop future-proof businesses.
The paper contributes to existing research by focusing on multi-organisational perspectives. On a practical level, it supports hospitals in designing their change strategies and processes jointly and in collaboration with other parties that are part of secondary processes.

Keywords: sustainable change, (inter-) organisational change, hospitals' secondary processes


Simultaneous interpreting with text (SIMTXT) is generally seen as being cognitively more demanding than either simultaneous interpreting (SI) or sight translation (STT). However, little research has been done on how interpreters allocate their attention proportionally during SIMTXT between their auditory and visual attention. This study examines attention patterns during SIMTXT and investigates the relationship between the interpreters' attention patterns and the quality of the interpreting output. Nine professional interpreters were recruited for SIMTXT, interpreting six English STs into Chinese. The interpreters listened to the audio input while the transcribed text of the audio input was displayed on the screen by Translog-II. The eye movements were recorded by an eye-tracker (Tobii TX300) while their interpretations were recorded by Audacity. The gaze and the spoken data (source and target) were synchronized on a word-level and aligned with the final STs and TTs. We explored and categorized the visual and auditory attention patterns based on their ear-voice span (EVS), eye-voice span (IVS), and ear-eye span (EIS) and found three types of attention patterns in our data, namely, ear-dominant (ED), eye-dominant (ID), and ear-eye-balanced (EIB). In addition, the interpreting output was annotated by three professional interpreters based on an error taxonomy adapted from Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM). We found that the EIB interpreters produced the lowest translation quality in terms of total error numbers and accuracy, followed by ED, and then ID interpreters. ED interpreters produced the highest translation quality in terms of fluency, followed by EIB, and then ID interpreters.


BACKGROUND
Endometriosis can be intrapelvic or, rarely, extrapelvic. Endometriosis involving the rectus abdominis muscle on the trocar port site is a rare event; until now, only 16 cases have been reported in the literature. The majority of cases were associated with previous abdominal surgery such as diagnostic laparoscopy, cyst excision, appendectomy, myomectomy, or cholecystectomy. We review all the reported cases of this unusual form of extrapelvic endometriosis.

CASE REPORT
We report a new case of abdominal wall endometriosis at the trocar port site in the rectus abdominis muscle in a woman who had undergone 2 laparoscopies for endometriosis in the 3 years before coming to our attention. The diagnosis was made by sonography. We performed a surgical resection of the lesion with a free macroscopic margin of 5-10 mm.

CONCLUSION
Endometriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any abdominal swelling. In our experience, surgery is the treatment of choice.


France's maritime territory, the second largest in the world, covers 11 million km². Without doubt this vast area is one of the most important repositories of underwater cultural heritage to be found on our planet, containing more than 200,000 wrecks…
It is for this reason that France set up DRASSM, an official research department devoted to underwater archaeology, in 1966. It is also for this reason that French archaeologists have endeavoured since the early 1980s to develop techniques for the study of wrecks lying at great depths.
In 2006 DRASSM decided to refocus its strategy concerning deep-water wrecks by developing its very own underwater robots and methods. Since 2012, DRASSM has been moving steadily towards its goal, developing new robotic strategies to survey and excavate deep archaeological sites in association with various robotics laboratories (LIRMM, Stanford Robotics, Institut Pprime, Onera, ENSTA Bretagne…). As a result, more than fifty wrecks have been studied at depths of between 90 and 1,025 metres. This paper aims to present some of the methods and technology that have been implemented to further the study of deep-water archaeology, as well as some of the field results obtained during recent campaigns.


We study the scenario of pixel-domain distributed video coding for noisy transmission environments and propose a method to allocate the available rate between source coding and channel coding to generate a robust video stream. Having observed in experiments the uncertainty of the source and the channel coding rate, we model them as random variables via offline training, estimate the decoding failure probability and calculate the mean end-to-end distortion. Adaptive quantization is performed for each slice to minimize its mean end-to-end distortion. With this joint source-channel rate allocation, we compare the robustness of two coding prototypes, namely distributed video coding and distributed video coding with forward error correction. According to our experimental results, under same total bit budget, the distributed video coding only scheme proves more robust than the latter one and the gain is up to 1 dB in PSNR.


In T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land", there is a quest for psychological and spiritual unity, which is vindicated in the poem's pattern of a spiritual journey. Reading the poem as such provides the reader with a tie that brings together its fragments, albeit being said to be formless. As the paper shows, the ultimate panacea to the psychotic's problems is believed to hinge on religion. Such a remedy makes possible the unity of the modern man's fragmented self in an age marked by spiritual sterility and sexual promiscuity. Therefore, religion emerges as the fructifying power that can restore fertility to the spiritual aridity of modern civilization. Despite his theory of impersonality, the poem also addresses Eliot's religious questioning and quest.


This work involves an investigation of nanostructures, microelectronic properties and domain engineering of nanoparticles thin layers of Pb(Zn1/ 3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PZN-PT) ferroelectric single crystals deposited on nanostructured silicon substrate. In this study, devices made from PZN-4.5PT nanoparticles thin films successfully deposited on silicon substrate have been studied and discussed. SEM images show the formation of local black circles and hexagonal shapes probably due to the nucleation of a new Si-gel component or phase induced by annealing. Micro Xray Fluorescence mapping shows that the high values of Si and B atoms (≅7 and 4 normalized unit respectively) can be explained by the fact that the substrate is p-type silicon. The most interesting result of optical measurements is the very good absorption for all the thin films in UV, Visible and NIR regions with values from 70% to 90% in UV, from 75% to 93% in Visible and NIR. Tauc plots present particularities (rarely encountered behavior) with different segments or absorption changes showing the presence of multiple band gaps coming from the heterogeneity of the thin films (nanowires, gel and nanoparticles). Their values are 1.9 and 2.8 eV for DKRN-Gel, 2.1 and 3.1 eV for DKRN-UD and 2.1 and 3.2 eV for DKRN-D) corresponding respectively to the band gap of nanowires and that of the gel while the last ones correspond to the undoped and doped nanoparticles (3.1 and 3.2 eV respectively).


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the great frustrations of being a banker is widespread lack of understanding of what the profession is all about. Not the details of the work, but its positive impact. More than simply a lack of knowledge, the situation often results in an unfavorable impression of the industry. This is not a new thing, but it has been aggravated by the financial crisis and its aftermath. Bankers are open to constructive criticism, but the steady drumbeat of negative opinions has had very real consequences in terms of policymaking. ABA has been aggressive in pushing back against misinformation, yet the association's leadership felt something more was needed--an ongoing effort. Out of this was born Amplify, a far-reaching program to ensure that what banks do is better understood by policymakers and consumers. The program was launched at the ABA Annual Convention last month. It is not an advertising campaign, nor is it a short-term fix. As the name implies, the program's goal is to build the process and structure to support an ongoing, from-the-grassroots effort, in which banks themselves--along with the ABA and the state bankers associations--get the word out about what they do. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We chose the word 'amplify,'" says Stephanie O'Keefe, ABA's executive vice-president of communications, "because we weren't going to create new things--we didn't need to. The work that banks do and their community leadership speaks for itself. We just need to amplify that." Survey suggests four themes The decision to create Amplify came together following the results of a public opinion survey commissioned by ABA. "It's always good to survey the public about your own industry to determine where you stand," observes James Ballentine, executive vice-president of congressional relations and public policy at ABA. The survey found that the banking industry still stands in the shadow of negative perception, and that while the situation is improving compared to the past few years, much still needs to be done. Amplify seeks to continue this improvement, and it begins by focusing on the survey's four overarching points regarding what resonates with customers about banking: * Banks are the safest place to keep your money. * Banks make people's lives more convenient. * Banks have a stake in the economic growth, health, and vitality of communities. * Your local banker is there to help you through all life's milestone events. These points became the "Key Messages" tab on the Amplify website (www.amplifybankers.com), a dedicated site that is the focal point and platform for the program. Six "Take Action" resources were developed to help get the program rolling. These are: 1. SPEAK TO A LOCAL GROUP. This section contains tips on planning a presentation, sample speeches, PowerPoints, and more. 2. ENGAGE THE MEDIA. Resources here include customizable press releases, interview tips, a guide on how to best utilize the media, and more. 3. TWEET YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. Bankers can send tweets and get tips on maintaining a variety of social media pages. 4. SEND AN EMAIL TO CONGRESS. Users can send build a better understanding of banking emails through the ABA system to let members of Congress know about banking issues. Talking points on current issues are offered to aid in email writing. 5. SET UP A BANK VISIT. Inviting an elected official to the bank is the best way to have a discussion on banking issues. This section offers steps on how to plan a visit, sample invitations, a video on ensuring a successful visit, and more. (Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said at the ABA Convention that a visit by CFPB officials to Nebraska's Gothenburg State Bank at the invitation of the bank's CEO, Matt Williams, ABA's immediate past chairman, had proved very useful to the bureau's staff. …


Autonomous Lagrangian profilers are now widely used as measurement and monitoring platforms, notably in observation programs as Argo. In a typical mode of operation, the profilers drift passively at their parking depth before making a vertical profile to go back to the surface. This paper presents simple and computationally-efficient control strategies to actively select and use ocean currents so that a profiler can autonomously reach a desired destination. After briefly presenting a typical profiler and possible mechanical modifications for a coastal environment, we introduce simple mathematical models for the profiler and the currents it will use. We then present simple feedback controllers that, using the direction of the currents and taking into account the configuration of the environment (coastal or deep-sea), is able to steer the profiler to any desired horizontal location. To illustrate the approach, a few results are presented using both simulated currents and real current velocity profiles from the North Sea.


Abstract : The objective of the research was to develop an alternative methodology for the comparison of US-Soviet military-space research efforts during the 1970's. A Manpower, Budget, Structure, Synergism (MBSS) model was developed to make a comparison of the effective scientific manpower levels in each of the military-space sectors. The primary advantage to using an MBSS Model is the ability to compare the two national research programs without utilizing published Soviet budgetary data, Soviet monetary conversion rates, or US-developed dollar-ruble index factors. The MBSS Model introduced the concept of Enhancer/Detractor (E/D) Multipliers (greater than or lesser than Unity) which were based upon the unique characteristics of each of the two research systems. Major categories selected for E/D multipliers were: (1) Control of priorities, (2) control of resources and (3) control of adversary conditions. The major conclusion of the research was that considerations of the quantity and structure of scientific manpower, coupled with an assessment of the synergism of constantly varying nationalistic research organizational structures and research policies has the potential for providing a significantly better method for comparative assessments of US-Soviet military-space research programs than those currently being employed. (Author)


Examining the ontology and place of digital dance within the spectrum of contemporary choreographic expression, this article proposes to consider the interweaving of interoceptive (somatic) and exteroceptive (technological) agency in a third wave of digital interfaces for dance. It argues that an ontology of digital dance might be summarily qualified as an active sensory-perceptual mode of experiencing, capable of revealing new dimensions of aesthetic reception, modes of performativity and expressions of corporeal presence in dance that emerge with/through the mediated body. It views technology not as a foreign, autonomous agency, system or simple tool, but rather as a means of stimulating heightened sensory awareness and forging relations with the individual's somatic (inner) bodily experience. While referencing a range of recent works that establish the conditions for such experiences, it further proposes to consider how digital works develop and underscore perspective as a dramaturgical strategy and aesthetic, and as a consequence, how new media interfaces for dance can be considered 'new viewing-sensing devices'.


A new boundary meshfree method, to be called the boundary distributed source (BDS) method, is presented in this paper that is truly meshfree and easy to implement. The method is based on the same concept in the well-known method of fundamental solutions (MFS). However, in the BDS method the source points and collocation points coincide and both are placed on the boundary of the problem domain directly, unlike the traditional MFS that requires a fictitious boundary for placing the source points. To remove the singularities of the fundamental solutions, the concentrated point sources can be replaced by distributed sources over areas (for 2D problems) or volumes (for 3D problems) covering the source points. For Dirichlet boundary conditions, all the coefficients (either diagonal or off-diagonal) in the systems of equations can be determined analytically, leading to very simple implementation for this method. Methods to determine the diagonal coefficients for Neumann boundary conditions are discussed. Examples for 2D potential problems are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of this new meshfree boundary-node method. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Although classic open surgery is simple, expeditious, and effective, it has some drawbacks, including wound sepsis, delayed recovery, operative difficulties, and possibility of unnecessary appendectomies for false appendicitis. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability and safety of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) in a prospectively randomized trial. Seventy nonselective patients with suspected appendicitis were randomized to laparoscopic (n = 35, 17 male) or open appendectomy (n = 35, 15 male) and operated on an emergency basis. Operative findings, operating time, postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay were compared. We found that LA is associated with a shorter hospital stay, fewer postoperative complications, and better diagnostic accuracy, and it is recommended as the procedure of choice for the diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis.


"Comparison of marriage data from the five-yearly censuses in Kuwait from 1970 to 1985, and vital statistics, show trends in marriage. Age at first marriage increased for women, but there was little change in men, so there was a narrowing of the age difference between spouses. There is a new tendency emerging for Kuwaiti males to marry non-Kuwaiti females. These changes are attributed to increasing education and employment of women, urbanisation and modernisation, and appear to be leading to a decline in fertility."


The goal of the study was to estimate of Sickle cell disease by age, gender and ethnicity. Age-specific rates are used for comparing age-defined subgroups when rates are strongly age-dependent for tribes in Nilgiris. Newly screened sickle cell patients in 1997 to 2012 were identified among the tribes of Nilgiri district and the data was received from NGO's in the district. Incidence rate pr 100,000 person-years were calculated using direct method of age standardisation. A total of 2867 newly diagnosed (incident) cases of sickle cell disease were identified, which gave the overall age and gender specific and adjusted incidence rate of 48.5. The incidence of SCD rapidly increased over the age group of 0-14 (25.8 %), 15-24 (19.7 %) 25-49 (44.1 %), but only 0.2 % of the cases being under the age of group of 75 above. The rate for men (44.5) was higher than female (27.8). The overall age adjusted rate for both gender per 100,000 was highest among Irula (24.4, 95% CI: 23.2, 25.5) followed by Kurumba (13.1, 95% CI: 12.2, 13.9), Pannaiya (9.9, 95% CI: 9.1, 10.6) and Kattunaikan (0.98, 95% CI: 0.6, 1.1). The present study demonstrates the age variations of Sickle cell disease incidence among tribes of Nilgiris. Aging study to estimate the Sickle cell disease incidence rate and to assess vulnerable age groups to determine the severity of disease for further studies. Through this study target programmes and screening facilities may be concentrated based on tribal groups and age influences.


A series of 3-(acylamino)-epsilon-caprolactams and 3-(acylamino)-2-pyrrolidinones was synthesized. Some of these compounds reversed at different degrees electroconvulsive shock- and Scopolamine-induced amnesia, using a step-through passive avoidance in mice. Classical nootropic drugs, i.e., Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, and Piracetam, were used as reference compounds. Within the analyses of data performed, we introduced a new parameter, the confrontation index (CI), which is a function of Mann-Whitney's U statistic. The CI permits a common scale of activity of substances to be generated, independently of probabilistic hypotheses, with higher scores representing higher activities. The most active compounds were characterized by the formylamino and [3-(trifluoromethyl)benzoyl]amino groups in the 3-position of the ring. None of the substances assayed showed any effect on spontaneous behavior and neurovegetative system.


A mathematical model and design methodology have been developed to simulate the brushless dc motor using finite element analysis software. The analysis is based on the characterization and measurement of magnetization patterns of bonded isotropic permanent magnets. This paper presents the derived mathematical model, the finite element simulation, the validation of the model, and the methodology used to correlate the simulated results and actual performance measurements.


We are witnessing a significant advancements in the sensor technologies which has enabled a broad spectrum of applications. Often, the resolution of the produced data by the sensors significantly affects the output quality of an application. We study a sensing resolution optimization problem for a wireless powered device (WPD) that is powered by wireless power transfer (WPT) from an access point (AP). We study a class of harvest-first-transmit-later type of WPT policy, where an access point (AP) first employs RF power to recharge the WPD in the down-link, and then, collects the data from the WPD in the up-link. The WPD optimizes the sensing resolution, WPT duration and dynamic power control in the up-link to maximize an application dependant utility at the AP. The utility of a transmitted packet is only achieved if the data is delivered successfully within a finite time. Thus, we first study a finite horizon throughput maximization problem by jointly optimizing the WPT duration and power control. We prove that the optimal WPT duration obeys a time-dependent threshold form depending on the energy state of the WPD. In the subsequent data transmission stage, the optimal transmit power allocations for the WPD is shown to posses a channel-dependent fractional structure. Then, we optimize the sensing resolution of the WPD by using a Bayesian inference based multi armed bandit problem with fast convergence property to strike a balance between the quality of the sensed data and the probability of successfully delivering it.


X-Y composite nanoparticles, in which X are Al, Cu, Ge and Si, and Y are In, Zn and Mg, were prepared by the condensation of Y vapor onto flying X nanoparticles which were produced in advance by a gas-evaporation technique. The structural and morphological observation of these nanoparticles was carried out by means of a transmission electron microscope.It has been found that each Al-In particle is composed of an Al sphere which is replaced in part by an In crystallite, where the Si-In particles are composed of Si spheres with In crystallites attached to the neck of neckelace-like Si particles. A Cu-Zn particle or a Ge-Mg particle grown under the appropriate preparation connditions was also found to be composed of two phases of Cu-Zn alloy and Zn or Ge and MgzGe, respectively, where the latter surrounds the former in both systems. Their morphological features are discussed in relation to the growth process with reference to their phase diagrams.


The recent progress in GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) having dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors, including the device characteristics of GaN-based VCSELs with a newly proposed cavity structure incorporating an atomically smooth curved mirror, is overviewed.


We compared the results of two multimodal back treatment programs (program A: n = 134; program B: n = 175) using pain, functional capacity, sickness absence, subjective state of health, depression, and work status as outcome variables. Whereas in program A exercise was guided by pain, in program B a "no pain, no gain" rationale was used as a basis for intensive physical training. Neither of the programs included direct attempts to influence the patient's environment (i.e., to find employment or to modify working conditions). In both programs, a clear decrease in pain and an increase in functional capacity was found from the pretreatment phase to the 12-month follow-up. These changes were, however, stronger in program B. Days of absence decreased significantly in group B, but the change was not significantly different from that in group A. On the whole, the more intensive training showed somewhat better results, even though the difference was not substantial. In contrast to some earlier results, there was no statistically significant increase in the proportion of those employed after treatment in either group. The results indicate that intensive physical exercise does not, as such, solve the problem of back disability in a country that has a highly developed social security system. More active interventions in work and work-life are needed.


AIM
The paper presents the surgical solving of an oesophageal stenosis, using a device of pneumatic dilatation with trans-gastrostomal approach, in a patient with multiple disabling handicaps, secondary severe malnutrition and previously diagnosed with scleroderma.

MATERIALS AND METHOD
The patient was admitted with severe cachexia (37 kg, 170 cm), characteristic byzantine face with microstomy, distal phalanges resorption in both superior limbs and complete dysphagia, with limitation of mouth opening.The Barium swallow test revealed distal oesophageal stenosis,with an important dilation of the oesophagus above.

RESULTS
A gastrostoma was placed to allow nutrition (Gavriliu procedure), under general anaesthesia with trans-tracheostomal intubation. After 3 years, with her metabolic status improved(59 kg), the patient returned to our clinic asking for a solution for natural feeding. The technical difficulties in solving this case were determined by the limited mouth opening, which made anterograde oro-oesophageal balloon dilatation or bougienage impossible, as well as oro-tracheal intubation.Making use of the presence of the gastrostomal orifice,knowing von Hacker's mechanical dilation procedure and using the metallic Key Med kit with balls offered the possibility of the tactics and strategy of guiding a metallic guidewire introduced via the gastrostoma, then trans-stenotic and pulled out through the oral orifice. A modified Foley catheter (personal procedure) was attached to the initial catheter. The trans-stenotic retrograde traction of the Foley balloon was the pneumatic dilator factor that later allowed easy dilatation with the metallic dilator of the Key Med, to the maximum size. The follow-up showed good results, the patient returned to natural nutrition.

CONCLUSIONS
The device of oesophageal pneumatic dilatation allows, using the presented surgical technique, a gentle plasty done under radiological supervision and lowers the frequency of accidents. The dilation permits the following use of Key Med kit. The novelty consists in adapting a well-known technique to a new patented device of pneumatic dilation with bidirectional approach under radiological control, for solving this atypical case.


In the electricity market, the electricity price plays an inevitable role. Nevertheless, accurate price forecasting, a vital factor affecting both government regulatory agencies and public power companies, remains a huge challenge and a critical problem. Determining how to address the accurate forecasting problem becomes an even more significant task in an era in which electricity is increasingly important. Based on the chaos particle swarm optimization (CPSO), the backpropagation artificial neural network (BPANN), and the idea of bivariate division, this paper proposes a bivariate division BPANN (BD-BPANN) method and the CPSO-BD-BPANN method for forecasting electricity price. The former method creatively transforms the electricity demand and price to be a new variable, named DV, which is calculated using the division principle, to forecast the day-ahead electricity by multiplying the forecasted values of the DVs and forecasted values of the demand. Next, to improve the accuracy of BD-BPANN, chaos particle swarm optimization and BD-BPANN are synthesized to form a novel model, CPSO-BD-BPANN. In this study, CPSO is utilized to optimize the initial parameters of BD-BPANN to make its output more stable than the original model. Finally, two forecasting strategies are proposed regarding different situations.


This paper addresses the benefits achievable with advanced base station antennas for 1.9 GHz personal communications services (PCS). High-gain antennas, multiple sub-aperture diversity combining, and adaptive array processing are all parts of the advanced antenna concept. A measurement program was carried out in urban and suburban environments to preview the performance achievable with large antennas. Results indicate that very tall narrow antenna subarrays can produce the desired high gain while minimizing the amount of beam-steering and beamforming required.


The following contribution focuses on the central role placed by economic regulatations in cooperatives, analysing by NIC and its presence and influence.


Measurement of auditory steady-state responses (ASSR) using ear-EEG potentially enables objective audiometry out of the clinic in the everyday life of hearing aid users. As ear-EEG are measured from electrodes placed within the ear, electrode distances are inherently small and consequently the potential differences, and thereby signal amplitudes, are also small. Because the detection of the ASSR is based on the signalto-noise ratio (SNR), it is of fundamental interest to know the inherent SNR of the ASSR as a function of the stimulus repetition rate. In this study, ASSRs were recorded using both scalp and ear-EEG in response to broadband chirp stimuli with repetition rates from 20 to 95 Hz. The results showed that in general ear-EEG and scalp EEG SNR was on par across repetition rates; an exception to this was at rates around 40 Hz where the SNR was significantly lower for ear-EEG as compared to scalp EEG. For ear-EEG, the ASSR was relatively constant across repetition rates, whereas the noise showed a 1/f characteristic. In consequence, there was a tendency to increased SNR as a function of repetition rate. This suggests that use of relatively high repetition rates may be beneficial in earEEG applications.


The objective of this study is to see an overview or analyze: (1) student learning activity during the pandemic through online learning using the University's LMS. (2) See the improvement of students' drawing skills in Drawing Machine II courses by using Solidwoks application. This research was conducted using Quasi Experiment method and qualitative descriptive. Quasi Experiment design applied in this study is One group Pretest-postest design. Data analysis techniques in this study using the help of spss application /software statistics version 25 for Mac. The purpose of the data analysis technique is to see improved learning outcomes of Drawing Machine II by implementing the Project Based Learning model using the Solidworks application. The data analysis in this study uses non-parametric statistical analysis. The non-parametric statistics used in testing the average comparison hypothesis are independent t-test samples, with wilcoxon testtechniques. The results achieve that: (1) The implementation of Project based Learning by using Solidworks in online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is proven to increase student activity, as evidenced by the observation of activeness, readiness, and giving rise to ideas or ideas above 90% ("Very active" category). (2) Implementation of Project based Learning by using Solidworks in online learning is proven to improve university student skills/psychomotor knowledge. This is indicated by the value based on the table output "Independent Samples Test" can be known that the significance value of 0.00 < (0.05), then the H 1 hypothesis is accepted and it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the average pretest and postest learning outcomes.


BACKGROUND
Septic arthritis of the knee in the pediatric patient is a diagnosis that requires prompt identification and treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and laboratory parameters that allow differential diagnosis of septic arthritis from non-septic arthritis in children.

METHODS
Fifty-four pediatric patients with atraumatic isolated knee pain were retrospectively identified at three institutions and diagnosed with septic arthritis (SA, N = 28), Lyme arthritis (LA, N = 11), or transient synovitis (TS, N = 15). Clinical and laboratory data were analyzed to identify which factors were most predictive of SA of the knee.

RESULTS
Fever at time of presentation, a negative anti-streptolysin-O (ASO), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) > 40 mm/hr, and C-reactive protein (CRP) > 20 mg/L were the most predictive factors for distinguishing between septic arthritis (SA) and non-septic arthritis (transient synovitis or Lyme arthritis). Elevated ESR and CRP were both significantly higher in patients with SA when compared to TS or LA.

CONCLUSION
When evaluating children with atraumatic isolated knee pain, a combination of the above factors should be utilized when ruling out septic arthritis.


This study evaluates the global competitiveness of Pakistan's fruit exports for the period 2003-2019. The comparative advantage and competitiveness of fruit exports of Pakistan are examined by employing revealed comparative advantage (RCA), revealed symmetric comparative advantage' (RSCA), relative import advantage (RMA), relative trade advantage (RTA), Trade Balance Index (TBI) and Revealed Competitiveness Index (RC). The empirical findings illustrate that Pakistan had a comparative and competitive advantage in fruit exports during the period under consideration. The global competitiveness of Pakistan in the fruit exports indicates that there exists much potential for the growth of the horticultural sector. With government patronage and proper facilities, the fruit products can be a source of valuable foreign exchange earnings for the Pakistan economy.


All of us concerned with the preparation of the "Glossary of Terms Used in Geophysical Exploration" published in the February, 1968 issue of Geophysics (v. 32, p. 183–228) were highly gratified by the interest it appeared to generate. The number of orders for reprints (4868 until February, 1969) seems to have set a record for sales of SEG special publications. Moreover, the response to our request for comments and corrections was greater than anyone expected.


Visceral leishmaniasis associated with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is very rare. We are reporting one such case which incidentally is the seventh case so far reported from Indian sub-continent.


The current COVID-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic has resulted in a wave of advertising and marketing approaches that are based on commodified concepts of human connection, care and community in a time of crisis. At the core of many brands' marketing messages – whether these be supermarket advertising campaigns or celebrity self-branding – is the notion that 'we're all in this together'. While it is true that the impact of COVID-19 has affected the lives of many people around the world, not everyone is experiencing this crisis the same way, due to structural inequalities and intersecting oppressions. What is the relationship between COVID-19, capitalism and consumer culture? Who is the 'we' in the messages of 'we're all in this together', and how might such messages mask distinct socio-economic disparities and enable institutions to evade accountability? This article examines sub-textual meanings connected to brand responses to COVID-19 in the UK context which rely on an amorphous imagined 'we' – and which ultimately may aid brands' pursuit of productivity and profit, rather than symbolising support of and concern for people.


Poxviruses have evolved a number of mechanisms to avoid immune response by the infected host. We investigated the impact of poxvirus infection on the level of mRNA transcripts of selected genes encoding antiviral proteins in the macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). We observed reduction of mRNA transcript level in four groups of signalling pathways (Toll-like receptor signalling, NOD-like receptor signalling, RIG-I-like receptor signalling, and Type I interferon signalling) involved in innate immune response. Seventy-three genes had a statistically significantly decreased mRNA expression, 4 genes had a statistically significantly sustained mRNA expression. Only Cxcl11 and Ifna2 were statistically significantly increased. The results confirmed that the mouse poxvirus ECTV may interfere with or inhibit many signalling pathways, which are involved in inducing an antiviral immune response in infected macrophages.


Six male rats breathed 21 an 10% O2 before and after carotid sinus nerve (CSN) section. Polygraphic recording techniques were used to monitor sleep and wakefulness. The effects that these gas mixtures had on the rats' sleep-wake pattern (SWP) were studied. The SWP of CSN sectioned rats breathing 21% O2 was unchanged compared with that of intact rats. While breathing 10% O2, the intact rats' SWP was altered dramatically. Paradoxical sleep (PS) was absent on the first day's exposure to hypoxia. After CSN section, the SWP approximated that of rats in normoxic conditions. The amount of PS increased considerably. It is concluded that the peripheral chemoreceptor reflex pathway contributes, in part, to disruption of the SWP under hypoxic conditions, but not under normoxic conditions. Mechanisms underlying changes in states of consciousness due to hypoxia are discussed.


&NA; Wound healing is an area of cutaneous medicine in which there have been many recent advances. Interest has focused on the development of an in vitro reconstructed skin, although neither the commercially available products nor the products currently described in experimental studies are able to fully substitute for natural living skin. The substitution of the main component of each wound, the connective tissue matrix, is an advance. Once dermis is reconstructed, the covering of the wound surface with both in vitro expanded epidermis and autologous split‐skin transplants is significantly easier and has an improved chance of success. Epidermal stem cells may facilitate functionality of the superficial part of such a system. New experimental and clinical trials are currently under way.


Many physical systems today are modeled by interacting continuous and discrete event systems. Such hybrid systems contain both continuous and discrete states that influence the dynamic behavior. There has been an increasing interest in these types of systems during the last decade, mostly due to the growing use of computers in the control of physical plants but also as a result of the hybrid nature of physical processes. Hybrid system models, suitable for describing the essential dynamics of a fairly large class of physical systems in control engineering applications, are proposed in this thesis. The continuous dynamics is described by differential equations whose evolution depends on continuous states and inputs as well as discrete states. The discrete dynamics is modeled by discrete event systems dependent on discrete and continuous states and inputs. It is shown that hybrid systems can be constructed by modular decompositions. A closed-loop hybrid system structure consisting of an open-loop hybrid plant and a hybrid controller, suitable for the description of control engineering systems, is proposed. Stability is one of the most important properties of dynamic systems. A large portion of this thesis is focused on conditions ensuring stability of hybrid systems. The stability results are extensions of Lyapunov theory where the existence of an abstract energy function satisfying certain properties verifies stability. It is shown how the search for such functions can be formulated as linear matrix inequality (LMI) problems, where solutions can be found by computerized methods. Stability robustness dealing with the possibility to guarantee stability despite the presence of model uncertainties is also treated. A large number of examples illustrating different approaches is given. There are many controller structures in the industry consisting of local controllers and the design task is to decide the appropriate switching among these. A related problem occurs in the case of having discrete actuators in continuous processes. The design part of this thesis addresses the problem of how to switch between different continuous vector fields guaranteeing stability of the closed-loop system.


Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an intestinal hormone that is secreted after meals and augments insulin secretion in response to absorbed glucose. Experiments in animals have demonstrated that GLP-1 is necessary for normal glucose tolerance. GLP-1 is effective in lowering blood glucose levels in persons with diabetes by increasing insulin secretion, and by suppressing glucagon release, delaying gastric emptying, and possibly other mechanisms as well. Recent studies investigating a potential role for decreased GLP-1 secretion in the glucose intolerance of aging have been inconclusive. However, ongoing research on the therapeutic application of GLP-1 is promising, and GLP-1 or GLP-1 receptor agonists may provide a novel means of treating diabetes and glucose intolerance in the future.


Leukemias harboring rearrangements of the MLL gene carry a poor prognosis. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that MLL-fusion proteins induce widespread epigenetic deregulation that may mediate much of their transforming activity. The histone methyltransferase DOT1L, which methylates histone 3 on lysine 79 (H3K79), has received particular attention. Several MLL-fusion proteins physically interact with DOT1L. Genome-wide H3K79 methylation profiles in MLL-rearranged leukemias are abnormal, and can serve to distinguish MLL-rearranged from other types of leukemias. Mechanistic studies have demonstrated that MLL-fusion proteins subvert a normal gene regulatory mechanism through aberrant hyperconversion of H3K79 methylation to higher methylated states at critical oncogenic targets including the HoxA cluster genes and Meis1. Remarkably, genetic inactivation or small molecule inhibition of DOT1L and thus H3K79 methylation affects expression of MLL-target loci and is detrimental to the leukemogenic activity of MLL-rearranged cells, thus demonstrating that transformation in these leukemias is driven by a DOT1L dependent, aberrant epigenetic program. Clinical trials of small molecule DOT1L inhibitors are in phase 1 clinical trials. Recent studies on the roles for DOT1L and H3K79 methylation in MLL-rearranged leukemias will be discussed. Citation Format: Scott A. Armstrong. Targeting histone modifying enzymes in leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pediatric Cancer at the Crossroads: Translating Discovery into Improved Outcomes; Nov 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;74(20 Suppl):Abstract nr IA22.


Background: Few studies including limited number of patients assessed the rheumatologic effects of hemodialysis (HD) on joints using ultrasonography. Joint ultrasound has been emerged as a cheap non-invasive tool for assessment of joint pain among HD patients. This was the aim of our study to make use of such tool in such life quality threatening complaint. Objective: to determine the role of ultrasound in evaluation of joint pain and its causes among patients on regular HD. Patients and Methods: One hundred and four patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who were regular on HD three sessions per week four hours per session were subjected to history taking, complete physical examination stressing on musculoskeletal examination and ultrasonography of painful joints by an ultrasonography expert. Results: Dialysis related arthropathy (DRA) was not the only cause of joint pain among HD patients but there were diverse causes in different joints. As regard affected joints, knee was the most affected one then came wrist, shoulder, ankle and elbow respectively. As regard causes of joint pain, DRA was the commonest one then came osteoarthritis, non-specific ultrasonographic findings and few cases showed normal ultrasonographic studies. Conclusion: This study confirmed that joint pain in HD patients has diverse causes not DRA by necessity but other causes must be considered as well as multifactorial etiologies.