The feasibility of measuring blood pressure (BP) variability by a noninvasive beat-to-beat finger arterial BP device (Finapres) was assessed in preterm infants. By application of the finger cuff around the infant's wrist, time and frequency domain (spectral power) analysis of noninvasive beat-to-beat BP signals were compared with intra-arterial measurements. A fast Fourier Transform was used to compute the spectral power density from 128-s periods. The low-frequency band (LF; 0.04–0.15 Hz) is partly associated with baroreflex activity. The high-frequency band (HF; 0.4–1.5 Hz) is associated with respiratory activity. In eight subjects above 1000 g, reliable signals could be obtained. We observed a high correlation between noninvasive and intra-arterial beat-to-beat systolic BP values (mean r value ± SD, 0.87 ± 0.11), with a gain close to 1 (mean gain ± SD, 1.0 ± 0.4 mm Hg/mm Hg). Finapres estimated beat-to-beat systolic BP changes more accurately than diastolic values. We found a very high amount of linear coupling, expressed as coherence function, between the power spectra of noninvasive and intra-arterial systolic BP measurements. For systolic BP, the (pooled) group mean ± SEM coherence values were 0.93 ± 0.00 and 0.91 ± 0.01 for LF and HF fluctuations, respectively (NS). The wrist method of Finapres in neonates has limited value in estimating absolute BP but is useful in a clinical research situation, where identification of beat-to-beat changes in systolic BP is more important. Finapres provides a noninvasive tool for investigating autonomic cardiovascular regulation (baroreflex sensitivity, spectral analysis of BP fluctuations) in neonates.


Though there is a large body of knowledge regarding the management of pregnant women with arterial lesions in the central nervous system, little information is available on venous malformations. We report our experience with two pregnant patients with cerebral venous angiomas. These lesions are usually asymptomatic and only rarely cause seizures or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Based on our experience and literature review, we suggest that patients with venous angiomas without a history of hemorrhage can safely undergo labor and vaginal delivery.


The evolution of engineering education requires evolution in how engineering learning outcomes are assessed. Having students answer test questions about the design process may not reflect their ability to solve "messy open-ended problems while working in groups. An instrument for assessing competence in mid-program engineering student design is under development by several Washington State institutions of higher education. This presentation covers: development of the instrument, current ,findings relevant to instrument reliability and validity. and mid-program student concepts of design and collaboration.


The Asia-Pacific region was on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the prevalence of extreme poverty by 2015, but recent dramatic rises in the price of rice and other staples have pushed millions of people back into hunger and poverty. This indicates that the region's food supply system is more fragile and imbalanced than what was previously believed. Proximate causes of the rise in staple prices can be found in market forces such as export restrictions and rising energy prices but the ultimate causes are policies that have led to under-investment in agricultural research and emergency mitigation. Large numbers of people in the Asia-Pacific were already undernourished prior to the recent price rises, relying on monotonous diets dominated by a few staples. Pushed into reducing their dietary diversity even further, many more millions are now suffering from hunger and deteriorating health. The most fundamental food crisis in the Asia-Pacific is one of poor diets, and this affects the obese just as much as the undernourished. The solution lies in a food system that focuses on producing balanced diets, developing safe production practices, increasing food supplies by reducing losses, and investing in the research that make it all happen. Improving food systems is a fundamental community expectation and can be a matter of government survival, but if the urgency to improve food supplies overrides improving diets, the long-term impact on national health will be severe. Proactive policies, regional responses, and more integrated scientific approaches are needed.


Siliceous sinters that precipitate around modern hot spring systems are able to fossilize the indigenous microbial communities, forming molds that accurately outline the shape of the microorganisms. Over time, the biomass decays, and only silica molds or their infill may remain as evidence of the former living cells. However, little is known regarding the fidelity of such silica molds in terms of size and morphology, and the preservation of critical parameters for the identification of ancient silicified microorganisms by silica molds remains untested. Here we report experiments examining the formation of microbial molds of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus in silica gel. We demonstrate that post-depositional processes, primarily desiccation, are crucial for obtaining accurate and robust molds, and that initial desiccation acts to strengthen cell molds against further alteration. However, all silica gel treatments systematically created preservational biases (changes in size, additional structures) that may be misleading and may complicate the identification of fossil microorganisms.


Elastofibroma is an uncommon fibroelastic tumor-like lesion which usually presents in a characteristic area between the lower portion of the scapula and the chest wall, lying deep to the latissimus dorsi and rhomboid major muscles. It appears almost exclusively in elderly individuals and is associated with history of repetitive tissue injuries. It has pathognomonic histopathologic findings. Although the lesion has previously been defined as a reactive process, its true etiology remains unknown. Based on clinical manifestations and correlation with imaging studies, a presumptive diagnosis of elastofibroma can be made in order to avoid an unnecessary surgery. Here we report a case of elastofibroma in a typical location and present a review of the literature behind its pathogenesis.


The design of proteins that bind to a specific site on the surface of a target protein using no information other than the three-dimensional structure of the target remains an outstanding challenge. We describe a general solution to this problem which starts with a broad exploration of the very large space of possible binding modes and interactions, and then intensifies the search in the most promising regions. We demonstrate its very broad applicability by de novo design of binding proteins to 12 diverse protein targets with very different shapes and surface properties. Biophysical characterization shows that the binders, which are all smaller than 65 amino acids, are hyperstable and bind their targets with nanomolar to picomolar affinities. We succeeded in solving crystal structures of four of the binder-target complexes, and all four are very close to the corresponding computational design models. Experimental data on nearly half a million computational designs and hundreds of thousands of point mutants provide detailed feedback on the strengths and limitations of the method and of our current understanding of protein-protein interactions, and should guide improvement of both. Our approach now enables targeted design of binders to sites of interest on a wide variety of proteins for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.


Density variations of the superconductor core during the powder-in-tube (PIT) fabrication of Ag/BPSCCO monolayer tapes have been studied. The PIT procedure involved steps such as filling the tubes with precursor powder, rich in 2212 phase, with packing densities in the range 20 - 55% of theoretical density, groove rolling, flat rolling and finally a four-stage repeated rolling - annealing cycle. The two types of precursor powders used in this study were prepared by a conventional ceramic route and an amorphous acrylate route (AR). The core density was found to saturate after a few passes of just groove rolling for both powders. However, better compaction was achieved by rolling for the AR powder which also exhibited a better uniaxial compaction response. A further increase in core density was observed only during the final annealing step. Based on the experimentally observed constancy of core density through most of the mechanical working steps, a relation connecting silver sheath thickness, total thickness and cross-section ratio at saturation of compaction has been worked out. Apart from explaining the influence of starting packing density and compaction response of powder in determining the sheath thickness of the final tapes, the relationship was found to be useful in choosing the starting packing density appropriate to the silver tube dimensions and prevailing rolling conditions.


A dissertation Submitted to University of Gezira in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science,In Medical Microbiology,Department of Medical Microbiology,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science,University of Gezira,November 2016


Abstract This Article considers the conditions under which administrative agencies - particularly those with public health-related missions - may obtain partial autonomy from external interests or politicians. In the process, it critiques the proposition that administrative agencies in advanced industrialized countries such as the United States are routinely "captured" by external economic interests. Through case studies and the application of relevant theory from law and the study of political organization, the Article describes how agencies can produce a measure of autonomy by forging coalitions of stakeholders both internal and external to the agency, and considers how partial autonomy may be modeled as a strategic process involving decisions under uncertainty. The Article then investigates how American publichealth agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety Inspection Service, and the Centers for Disease Control have been able to use their partial autonomy to develop significant health policy innovations. Although agencies are by no means guaranteed even a partial degree of autonomy, they are nonetheless capable of affecting their political and legal environment, with consequences not only for public-health policy but also for the legitimacy of the nation-state


Diameter-modulated nanowires offer an important paradigm to design the magnetization response of 3D magnetic nanostructures by engineering the domain wall pinning. With the aim to understand its nature and to control the process, we analyze the magnetization response in FeCo periodically modulated polycrystalline nanowires varying the minor segment diameter. Our modelling indicates a very complex behavior with a strong dependence on the disorder distribution and an important role of topologically non-trivial magnetization structures. We demonstrate that modulated nanowires with a small diameter difference are characterized by an increased coercive field in comparison to the straight ones, which is explained by a formation of topologically protected walls formed by two 3D skyrmions with opposite chiralities. For a large diameter difference we report the occurrence of a novel pinning type called here the "corkscrew": the magnetization of the large diameter segment forms a skyrmion tube with a core position in a helical modulation along the nanowire. This structure is pinned at the constriction and in order to penetrate the narrow segments the vortex/skyrmion core size should be reduced.


—The manual technique that might use for shrinking vessels blood in the retinal fundus images has significant limitations, such as the high rate of time consumption and the possibility of human error, precisely appear with the sophisticated structure of the blood receptacle and a hung amount of the retinal fundus photograph that needs to be anatomic. Moreover, the automatic proposed algorithm that will utilize shrinking and explore helpful clinical characteristics from retinal fundus photographs in order to lead the eye caregiver to early diagnosis for various retinal disorders and therapy evaluations. A precise, quick, and fully-automatic algorithm for shrinking blood receptacles and clinical characteristics measuring technique for internal retinal pictures is suggested in order to increase the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the ophthalmologist's burden. The proposed algorithm's main pipeline consists of two fundamental stages: picture shrinkage and medical feature elicitation. Many exhaustive practices were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the sophisticated fully-automated shrinkage system in figuring out retinal blood receptacles using the DRIVE and HRF datasets of exceedingly demanding fundus images. Initially, the accuracy of the created algorithm was tested based on its ability to accurately recognize the retinal structure of blood receptacles. In these attempts, several quantitative performance measures precisely five were computed to validate the efficacy of the exact algorithm, including accuracy (Acc.), sensitivity (Sen.), specificity (Spe.), positive prediction value (PPV), and negative prediction value (NPV). When contrast with modern receptacles shrinking approaches on the DRIVE dataset, the produced results have enormously improved by obtaining accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 98.78%, 98.32%, 97.23%, and 90. Based on five quantitative performance indicators, the HRF dataset led to the following results: 98.76%, 98.87%, 99.17%, 96.88%, and 100%.


Abstract. Atmospheric inversions are used to derive constraints on the net sources and sinks of CO2 and other stable atmospheric tracers from their observed concentrations. The resolution and accuracy that the fluxes can be estimated with depends, among other factors, on the quality and density of the observational coverage, on the precision and accuracy of the transport model used by the inversion to relate fluxes to observations, and on the adaptation of the statistical approach to the problem studied. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand from stakeholders for inversions at higher spatial resolution (country scale), in particular in the framework of the Paris agreement. This step up in resolution is in theory enabled by the growing availability of observations from surface in situ networks (such as ICOS in Europe) and from remote sensing products (OCO-2, GOSAT-2). The increase in the resolution of inversions is also a necessary step to provide efficient feedback to the bottom-up modeling community (vegetation models, fossil fuel emission inventories, etc.). However, it calls for new developments in the inverse models: diversification of the inversion approaches, shift from global to regional inversions, and improvement in the computational efficiency. In this context, we developed LUMIA, the Lund University Modular Inversion Algorithm. LUMIA is a Python library for inverse modeling built around the central idea of modularity: it aims to be a platform that enables users to construct and experiment with new inverse modeling setups while remaining easy to use and maintain. It is in particular designed to be transport-model-agnostic, which should facilitate isolating the transport model errors from those introduced by the inversion setup itself. We have constructed a first regional inversion setup using the LUMIA framework to conduct regional CO2 inversions in Europe using in situ data from surface and tall-tower observation sites. The inversions rely on a new offline coupling between the regional high-resolution FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model and the global coarse-resolution TM5 transport model. This test setup is intended both as a demonstration and as a reference for comparison with future LUMIA developments. The aims of this paper are to present the LUMIA framework (motivations for building it, development principles and future prospects) and to describe and test this first implementation of regional CO2 inversions in LUMIA.


Objective To examine the skeletal, dental, and soft-tissue cephalometric effects of class II correction using Invisalign's mandibular advancement feature in growing patients. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort clinical study was performed on cases that were started between 2017 and 2019. A total of 32 patients (13 females, 19 males), with an average age of 13 years old (9.9-14.8 years) had undergone Invisalign treatment (Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA) wherein the mandibular advancement phase was completed were included. Photos, digital study models, and cephalograms were taken once during the patients' initial visit and again upon completing the mandibular advancement phase of treatment. The number of aligners worn and the time of treatment in months was recorded for each subject. Cephalometric analysis was performed and overjet and overbite were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software (version 25; SPSS, Chicago, Ill) and the level of significance was set at P <0.05. Descriptive statistics were performed to generate means and differences for each cephalometric measurement as well as patient data including age, treatment time, and aligner number. Differences between measurements from patients before treatment (T1) and after treatment (T2) with the mandibular advancement feature were evaluated using a paired t -test. Results All 32 patients had multiple jumps staged for the precision wings, i.e., incremental advancement. The average length of treatment for the MA phase was 9.2 months (7.5-13.8 months) and the average number of aligners used during this time was 37 (30-55). Statistically significant differences between T1 and T2, in favor of class II correction, were observed in the ANB angle, WITS appraisal, facial convexity, and mandibular length. The nasolabial angle, overjet, and overbite also showed statistically significant changes between T1 and T2. Conclusion Invisalign aligners with the mandibular advancement feature took approximately 9 months for 1.5 mm of overjet correction. The lower incisor angulation was maintained during class II correction. The minimal skeletal changes are in favor of class II correction.


Inhibition of buffy layer peripheral leucocyte migration by tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) from micro-capillaries mounted in small tissue culture chambers correlates in all cases with a positive Mantoux test. This quick and reproducible test of cellular hypersensitivity in man requires only 5-15 ml of blood and is applicable for study in children and in clinical situations where repeated monitoring of cellular immunity may be required.


The passion of envy in the Nag Hammadi Treatise without Title has been noted by scholars for four decades. The present essay approaches the use of the competitive emotions in the Treatise without Title with a sensitivity to ancient conceptions of the passions, and thus clarifies the role of envy. The Treatise without Title links the passion of envy with anger, an emotional concatenation that is found elsewhere in Jewish and Christian emotional thought, and this emotional concatenation drives the action in three core episodes: the origin of the world from the shadow, the engendering of Death by Yaltabaoth, and the final destruction of the gods of chaos and the prime parent. By reading the emotions in the Treatise thusly, the structuring role of envy is clarified, and long debated elements (i.e. the descent of "bile" into the world, and the mutual destruction of the archons) are explained.


Tropical forest landscapes are hot spots for biodiversity and hold substantial stores of carbon. They are used by forestry, agriculture, nature conservation and other sectors, and they must provide for peoples' health, well-being and economic security. The aim of the EC's ROBIN project was to reconcile these many and potentially conflicting demands by understanding, measuring and quantifying the role of biodiversity in mitigating climate change and in providing other benefits to people. It addressed two main questions: do forests and forest landscapes rich in biodiversity store more carbon and deliver more ecosystem services than less biodiverse systems? And if so, what can we do to take advantage of this?

These questions are relevant to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its 2020 targets. Answers will also inform the UN programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Forest Degradation (REDD+) which aims to enhance forest carbon pools by supporting the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of forests. ROBIN is particularly relevant to REDD+ co-benefits. ROBIN considers the impacts of land-use change in multi-functional landscapes in relation to IPCC Scenarios and is relevant to the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

ROBIN used data from field studies, remote sensing, land use and ecosystem modelling and participatory approaches. We worked at multiple scales (local, national - Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia and Guyana - and regional) using a common indicator framework. We used scenarios combining possible climate and land use futures with options representing how people and governments may respond. We improved two dynamic vegetation models (LPJmL-FIT and JULES) by including biodiversity more realistically. We tested the scenarios in the models to see how forest productivity, crop yield, carbon storage and other ecosystem services may be affected by future climate and land use change. We worked with a broad range of local people (farmers, foresters, government authorities, etc.) in three case study areas and used Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping to explore stakeholder options relating to land management, forest biodiversity, climate change and local needs.

ROBIN provided research evidence and products to support the following key messages:
• in relation to the role of biodiversity: biodiversity matters - biodiverse forests store more carbon and are more resilient to climate change than less biodiverse forests.
• in relation to monitoring: an indicator of ecosystem integrity can be calculated for data rich and data poor areas and has been used as a basis for a Mexican biodiversity monitoring programme.
• in relation to policies and management options: managing logged and secondary forests for biodiversity will help increase carbon storage and resilience.
• in relation to ecosystem functions: functional diversity and ecosystem integrity are linked to carbon storage, biodiversity and other forest benefits and can be easily monitored as part of a systematic approach to environmental management.
• in relation to climate change mitigation and other ecosystem services: spatial trade-offs among services change across spatial scales and contexts and ROBIN developed two decision-support tools to help assess options that are relevant to local or national situations.
• in relation to decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation: there may be creative opportunities for win-wins across bundles of services but the extent to which these are constrained by biophysical rather than socio-economic factors must be taken into account.
• in relation to benefits and human well-being associated: payments for ecosystem services and REDD+ schemes should be linked to agricultural policies targeted at smallholders.


Abstract. Disentangling ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) into evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) is of high relevance for a wide range of applications, from land surface modelling to policy making. Identifying and analysing the determinants of the ratio of T to ET (T / ET) for various land covers and uses, especially in view of climate change with increased frequency of extreme events (e.g., heatwaves and floods), is prerequisite for forecasting the hydroclimate of the future and tackling present issues, such as agricultural and irrigation practices. A powerful partitioning method consists in determining the water stable isotopic compositions of ET, E, and T (δET, δE, and δT, respectively) from the water retrieved from the atmosphere, the soil, and the plant vascular tissues. The present work emphasises the challenges this particular method faces (e.g., the spatial and temporal representativeness of the T / ET estimates, the limitations of the models used and the sensitivities to their driving parameters) and the progress that needs to be made in light of the recent methodological developments. As our review is intended for a broader audience beyond the isotopic ecohydrological and micrometeorological communities, it also attempts to provide a thorough review of the ensemble of techniques used for determining δET, δE, and δT, and solving the partitioning equation for T / ET. From the current state of research, we conclude that the most promising way forward to ET partitioning and capturing the sub-daily dynamics of T / ET is in making use of non-destructive online monitoring techniques of the stable isotopic composition of soil and xylem water. Effort should continue towards the application of the eddy covariance technique for high-frequency determination of δET at the field scale as well as the concomitant determination of δET, δE, and δT at high vertical resolution with field-deployable lift systems.


(R)-chlorprenaline, a selective activator of beta2 receptor and an effective drug for bronchitis and asthma, is industrially prepared from (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol. In this communication, we describe (1) the identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae B5 as an effective host for stereoselective reduction of 2'-chloroacetophenone to (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol; (2) the presence of ethanol enhances the conversion; and (3) the biochemical factors that effect the yield of the product. Among the four yeast strains capable of reduction 2'-chloroacetophenone to (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol we screened, Saccharomyces cerevisiae B5 showed the highest activity and stereoselectivity, and was used for the subsequent study. The effect of the presence of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, glucose, glycerol and lactic acid was first investigated, as it was previously reported that they increased the yield and stereoselectivity of the reaction. The addition of the co-substrate methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, glucose and glycerol favored the formation of the 2'-chloroacetophenone to (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol. Lactic acid inhibited the enzyme activity. Ethanol is the best co-substrate among the seven co-substrates and under the optimum concentration of 5% , the yield of (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol was increased from 17% to 74%. The oxidation of ethanol regenerates NADH required for the reduction. The effects of the reaction time, pH, cell concentration, substrate concentration and temperature on the reduction were investigated next. The enantiometric excess of (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol reached 100% under the optimal condition: pH8.0, 25 degrees C and 5% ethanol. The product yield went up with the increasing Saccharomyces cerevisiae B5 concentration and reached 100% when the cell dry weight was 10.75 mg/mL and 2'-chloroacetophenone was 6.47 mmol/L. The yield of (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol decreased sharply with the increase of substrate concentration, as the high concentration of substrates is toxic to the cell and inhibits the activity of reductases. The aerobic cultivation of the yeast and shaking during the reaction increased the yield of (R)-2'-chloro-1-phenyl-ethanol. The yeast can be reused up to 15 times. This research paves the way for economical preparation of chiral 2'-chloroacetophenone to R-2'-chloro-1-phenylethanol.


In a recent paper, a simple least-squares (LS) based algorithm is introduced for unbiased parameter estimation of autoregressive (AR) signals observed in noise, under the assumption that the ratio between the driving source power and the corrupting noise variance is known. In the present paper, this LS based algorithm is modified with a more computationally efficient algorithmic structure. The mean convergence of the modified algorithm is then investigated. The issue of how the assumption of the known power ratio can be mitigated for practical applications is discussed, which leads to the development of an effective estimation algorithm for noisy AR signals. Theoretical results are validated through computer simulations.


A voltammetry method was developed for the direct quantitative determination of clozapine in tablet dosage forms based on its oxidation behavior.  The electrochemical determination of clozapine was easily carried out on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using a variety of voltammetry techniques.  The electrochemical measurements were carried out on GCE in various buffer solutions in the pH range from 3.00 to 12.00 by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques.  The dependence of pH on the anodic peak current and peak potential was investigated. Acetate buffer (pH 5.50) was selected for analytical purposes.  The diffusion-controlled nature of the peak was established.   A linear calibration curve for DPV analysis was constructed in the clozapine concentration range from 3x10 -6 mol L -1 to 1x10 -5 mol L -1 . Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were obtained as 4.082x10 -7 mol L -1 and 1.361x10 -6 mol L -1 respectively.  Validation of applied voltammetric techniques was checked with recovery studies.


This study used ultrasound tongue imaging in order to compare lingual coarticulatory patterns in 13-year-old adolescents and 5-year-old children. Previous articulatory work has reported age-related differences in consonantspecific coarticulation. According to the Degree of Articulatory Constraint model, speech segments with more constrained tongue dorsum have more resistance to lingual coarticulation in adult speech. Bilabial and postalveolar consonants are at opposing ends of a spectrum, with the latter being strongly resistant to vowel-related lingual coarticulation. In this study, tongue shapes for the bilabial stop and the postalveolar fricative were compared across contrasting vowel contexts. For both groups of speakers, there were robust differences between the two consonants, with the bilabial adapting to the vowel influence more than the postalveolar. We conclude that the DAC model can predict some lingual coarticulatory patterns in children as well as in adolescents.


Abstract The Hadean Earth (before c. 4 Ga) was abiotic, possibly sterring a bumpy course between brief periods of hot inferno after meteorite impacts, and long episodes of Norse icehell. The earliest Archaean life would probably not have been planet-altering, but restricted to particular habitats. One of the first may have been hot regions around hydrothermal systems where redox contrasts between ocean water and magmatic fluids could be exploited. Molecular evidence suggests that with the evolution of anoxygenic photosynthesis, life became able to occupy wider regions, although focused in the vicinity of hydrothermal systems. Oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria allowed life fully to occupy the planet, not only forming coastal microbial mats but also possibly inhabiting the broad oceans with abundant photosynthetic bacterial picoplankton, underlain by deeper archaeal picoplankton. In the Belingwe belt, Zimbabwe, textural and isotopic evidence suggests that a complex microbial ecology existed in the late Archaean (2.7 Ga), which was essentially modern in its biochemical abilities and which sequestered into the biosphere the same fraction of primitive carbon emitted from mantle as today. To do this, by the late Archaean the biological productivity must have been significant; not necessarily as large as today, but capable of managing the global carbon budget. When this began is unknown, possibly earlier than 3.5 Ga ago. The controls on the oxidation state of the late Archaean atmosphere—ocean system are not self-evident. Although inorganic controls dominate the long-term balance, short-term biological management of the air may have been crucial. Methane may have played a major role in the pre-metazoan biosphere. The modern atmosphere is a biological construct: oxygen and its reverse, carbon dioxide, are managed by rubisco; nitrogen, its oxides and hydrides mainly by nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, with a small input from lightning in an oxygen-rich atmosphere; and water (itself the most important greenhouse gas) by its complex interdependence with other greenhouse gases and albedo, including clouds. Earth's air is highly improbable. In controlling surface temperature a subtle interplay between organic and inorganic controls has operated, perhaps to the extent that it is invalid to ask which was the dominant factor. But there is a reasonable uniformitarian argument that life has constructed the air in the past as now, and that, within the broad constraints of the physical setting, this biologically shaped atmosphere has been the dominant control on the planet's surface temperature. In turn, the surface temperature has been one of the various controlling factors on the tectonic evolution of the planet. Thus to a significant extent life has helped shape the physical evolution of the planet.


SUMMARY The assessment of school effectiveness in educational research studies is considered from the viewpoint of statistical modelling. A variety of models are applied to a set of data on 907 pupils in 18 schools from one Local Education Authority. We argue for the general use of variance component or "random parameter" models for the analysis of such studies involving clustered observations. For the data examined, the model which regresses school mean outcome on school mean intake (i.e. the "means on means" model) is shown to give estimated school effects considerably different from those produced by other models. In the light of our results, we comment on several recent large-scale British studies of school effectiveness.


Improved understanding of cancer progression is essential for the development of rational treatment strategies. In tumors that follow a cancer stem cell (CSC) model, targeting only small populations of tumorigenic cells should be sufficient to control disease. In contrast, targeting only some cancer cells will be unsuccessful if every cell in a tumor can convert plastically into another or can acquire genetic changes that enhance tumorigenesis. In these tumors, every cell needs to be eliminated. In melanoma, development of patient-derived xenografting (PDX) of melanomas in immunocompromised mice has permitted testing of the CSC model, yielding conflicting results. Surprisingly, none of these studies has comprehensively evaluated markers of melanocytic differentiation. This is mainly due to the paucity of markers of melanocytic differentiation that enable separation of more and less differentiated cells for side-by-side studies of in vitro clonogenesis and in vivo tumorigenesis. We observe within overtly pigmented melanomas significant heterogeneity in pigmentation of constituent cells; although some cells contain melanin pigment, the canonical marker of melanocytic differentiation, many cells usually a majority are non-pigmented. We have thus devised a novel flow cytometry method to separate melanoma cells according to their content of melanin. This method, which relies on the near-infrared emission properties of eumelanin, allows separation of pigmented (P) and non-pigmented (NP) melanoma cells from the same tumor (or cell culture) for side-by-side clonogenesis assays. Using this method, we surprisingly found that in B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells, NP cells are far more clonogenic than P cells from the same culture. Further, only NP cells recapitulated the heterogeneous phenotypes of the parental culture. In pigmented PDX melanomas, NP cells exhibited enhanced clonogenicity compared to their P cell counterparts in the same tumor, although variability among PDX melanomas was notable. This suggests that NP and P cells may be hierarchically related in pigmented melanoma cell lines and in some pigmented PDX melanomas, consistent with a CSC model, with NP cells primarily driving cell line or tumor propagation. Our data suggest that the CSC model may in fact apply to melanoma, at least in some contexts, despite the contradicting data published so far in studies of markers largely unrelated specifically to melanocytic differentiation. However, the abundance of NP cells in most evaluated pigmented cell lines and pigmented PDX tumors indicates that the hierarchical cellular structure of these entities is flat, such that, at least in most cases, a high proportion of melanoma cells would need to be eliminated to eradicate the disease. Citation Format: Clare G. Fedele, Rose Hyslop, Zoe Grant, Ralph Rossi, Mark J. Shackleton. Functional differences among melanoma cells separated according to pigment content. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Melanoma: From Biology to Therapy; Sep 20-23, 2014; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(14 Suppl):Abstract nr A21.


Predation is considered one of the most important selective pressures on animals. Evidence of predation on primates is particularly rare; however, it is thought that it has been a major selective force for many species in the primate order. This can be seen through the occurrence and application of vigilance and alarm calling in many primate species. Studies of vigilance have shown that animals have a tendency to decrease individual vigilance as group size increases. However, it has been found that primates do not fit this model, and either maintain or increase their individual vigilance as group size increases. A likely reason for the maintenance of individual vigilance is that primates utilise this behaviour as both a form of antipredation behaviour and social monitoring; thus it largely depends on the social structure of the species and the environmental conditions of the ecosystem being occupied by a primate group. Another antipredator behaviour that occurs in primates is alarm calling, which may be to deter predators. The studies presented here show that primates have the ability to distinguish between predators, between and within predator classes and also predator hunting styles. It is believed that the development of these behaviours in the primate order shows that these animals have evolved in environments where predation is a threat.


Enabled by the increasingly available embedded hardware accelerators, the capability of executing advanced machine learning models at the edge of the Internet of Things (IoT) triggers interest of applying Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) systems for industrial applications. The in situ inference and decision made based on the sensor data allow the industrial system to address a variety of heterogeneous, local-area non-trivial problems in the last hop of the IoT networks. Such a scheme avoids the wireless bandwidth bottleneck and unreliability issues, as well as the cumbersome cloud. However, the literature still lacks presentations of industrial AIoT system developments that provide insights into the challenges and offer lessons for the relevant research and industry communities. In light of this, we present the design, deployment, and evaluation of an industrial AIoT system for improving the quality control of HP Inc.'s ink cartridge manufacturing lines. While our development has obtained promising results, we also discuss the lessons learned from the whole course of the work, which could be useful to the developments of other industrial AIoT systems for quality control in manufacturing.


The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it introduces a novel inequality concept, named income composition inequality. Second, it constructs an indicator for its measurement. This paper argues that the study of income composition inequality across the income distribution allows for (i) novel political economy analysis of the evolution of economic systems and (ii) the technical assessment of the relationship between the functional and personal distribution of income. Following an empirical application on six European countries, this paper discusses possible avenues for future research on the matter, ranging from development issues to public finance. (Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality Working Paper)


Abstract : The contextual suggestion track investigates search techniques for complex information needs that are highly dependent on context and user interests. For example, imagine an information retrieval researcher with a November evening to spend in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A contextual suggestion system might recommend a beer at the Dogfish Head Alehouse, dinner at the Flaming Pit, or even a trip into Washington on the metro to see the National Mall. The primary goal of this track is to develop evaluation methodologies for such systems. This track ran for the third time as part of TREC 2014 after a positive response in previous years. This year participants were again given, as input, a set of profiles and set of geographical contexts. The task was to take these profiles and contexts and to produce a list of up to 50 ranked suggestions for each profile-context pair. Participants could choose to gather suggestions from either the open web or the ClueWeb12 dataset.


Patients with continuous-flow left ventricle assist devices are at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding from angiodysplastic bowel lesions. Neoangiogenesis secondary to von Willebrand factor degradation and increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling is likely related to their pathophysiology. We speculated that propranolol, known to downregulate VEGF signalling, could be beneficial in patients with recurrent bleeding episodes and anaemia. In this case report, we present a short-term outcome of 2 patients treated with propranolol.


CAN bus is one kind of serial communication bus which support distributed control and real time control effectively. In this paper, an intelligent fire alarm system based on CAN fieldbus technology and multi-single-chip-computer communication system is introduced. CAN (controller area network ) is a fast serial bus that is designed to provide an efficient, reliable and economical link between fire detect sensors and fire control actuator, some intelligent algorithm or methods are adopted in the system to solve these problems, which miss alarm and error alarm are two difficult problems in the current fire alarm system. By use of the new technology of CAN fieldbus and single-chip-computer technology, Hardware circuit and software design for intelligent node SJA1000 based on CAN and fire detector are given. The designs of structure for network, parameter assignments for network and communication protocols are described in detail.


Background: The WHO and Center for Disease Control have identified that current estimates of brain injury incidence miss individuals who do not seek medical attention for their injury. Methods: The Canadian Community Health Survey is a nationally representative health survey. Respondents aged 12 years and above reporting "concussion or other brain injury" occurring within the previous year also reported whether they had received any medical attention from a health professional within 48 h of their injury. Results: Nationally representative data were available biennially from 2000/2001 through 2013/2014 with the exception of 2007/2008 and 2011/2012. In all, 1,749 respondents reported concussion or other brain injury with disability in the previous 12 months. Of these, 21.9% (95% CI 19.0–24.7) reported not having received medical attention from a health professional within 48 h following their injury. Within a multivariable model, those who are more likely not to receive medical care with 48 h of incurring a brain injury are more likely to be younger (<20 years) or older (>24 years), have an injury incurred through sports exposure or in or around their home, do not identify as immigrant, and are currently smokers. The area under the ROC was modest at 0.58. Conclusions: Within a nationally representative sample of individuals reporting concussion or other brain injury, we found that those reporting medical non-attendance and those reporting medical attendance within 48 h of their injury were remarkably similar. This outcome suggests that brain injury surveillance based on point of care may produce relatively unbiased samples of the brain injured population.


Importance
The burden of cancer falls disproportionally on low-middle-income countries (LMICs). It is not well known how novel therapies are tested in current clinical trials and the extent to which they match global disease burden.

Objectives
To describe the design, results, and publication of oncology randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and examine the extent to which trials match global disease burden and how trial methods and results differ across economic settings.

Design, Setting, and Participants
In this retrospective cohort study, a literature search identified all phase 3 RCTs evaluating anticancer therapies published from 2014 to 2017. Randomized clinical trials were classified based on World Bank economic classification. Descriptive statistics were used to compare RCT design and results from high-income countries (HICs) and low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Statistical analysis was conducted in January 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Differences in the design, results, and output of RCTs between HICs and LMICs.

Results
The study cohort included 694 RCTs: 636 (92%) led by HICs and 58 (8%) led by LMICs. A total of 601 RCTs (87%) tested systemic therapy and 88 RCTs (13%) tested radiotherapy or surgery. The proportion of RCTs relative to global deaths was higher for breast cancer (121 RCTs [17%] and 7% of deaths) but lower for gastroesophageal cancer (38 RCTs [6%] and 14% of deaths), liver cancer (14 RCTs [2%] and 8% of deaths), pancreas cancer (14 RCTs [2%] and 5% of deaths), and cervical cancer (9 RCTs [1%] and 3% of deaths). Randomized clinical trials in HICs were more likely than those in LMICs to be funded by industry (464 [73%] vs 24 [41%]; P < .001). Studies in LMICs were smaller than those in HICs (median, 219 [interquartile range, 137-363] vs 474 [interquartile range, 262-743] participants; P < .001) and more likely to meet their primary end points (39 of 58 [67%] vs 286 of 636 [45%]; P = .001). The observed median effect size among superiority trials was larger in LMICs compared with HICs (hazard ratio, 0.62 [interquartile range, 0.54-0.76] vs 0.84 [interquartile range, 0.67-0.97]; P < .001). Studies from LMICs were published in journals with lower median impact factors than studies from HICs (7 [interquartile range, 4-21] vs 21 [interquartile range, 7-34]; P < .001). Publication bias persisted when adjusted for whether a trial was positive or negative (median impact factor: LMIC negative trial, 5 [interquartile range, 4-6] vs HIC negative trial, 18 [interquartile range, 6-26]; LMIC positive trial, 9 [interquartile range, 5-25] vs HIC positive trial, 25 [interquartile range, 10-48]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance
This study suggests that oncology RCTs are conducted predominantly by HICs and do not match the global burden of cancer. Randomized clinical trials from LMICs are more likely to identify effective therapies and have a larger effect size than RCTs from HICs. This study suggests that there is a funding and publication bias against RCTs led by LMICs. Policy makers, research funders, and journals need to address this issue with a range of measures including building capacity and capability in RCTs.


We examined the promoter of the human type-I-DNA topoisomerase gene (hTOP1) for regions protected against DNase I digestion by nuclear proteins from HeLa or from adenovirus-transformed 293 cells. We identified ten protected DNA sequences within 580 bp of DNA upstream of the transcriptional-start sites and one additional site, which is located between the two clusters of transcriptional-start sites. Several of these protein-binding sites have significant similarities to recognition sequences of known transcription factors including factors Sp1, octamer transcription factor, cAMP-responsive-element-binding protein (CREB/ATF), NF-kappa B and members of the Myc-related family of basic/helix-loop-helix/leucine-zipper proteins. Other protein-binding sites show less or no similarities to known consensus sequences. We investigated the physiological significance of these protein-binding sites using a set of deletion and nucleotide-exchange mutants. We conclude that the expression of the hTOP1 gene is regulated by a complex network of negatively and positively acting transcription factors.


This research is conducted to test empirically the influence capacity of human resources and the use of information technology to validity and timeliness of financial statement of regional government. Independent variables are the capacity of human resources and the use of information technology. Validity and timeliness of financial statement of regional government are dependent variables. Data are collected by using some questioners given directly to Kasubag and staff of financial departement in 29 SKPD of Pesisir Selatan regency. Data are processed by SPSS version 15. The results of hipothesis in this research, first, the capacity of human resources significantly has influence to validity of financial statement of regional government. It means that information value will be valid if it is supported by human resources. Based on statistical process, the capacity of human resources has big value about 48,10%, while the use of information technology only 38,30%. It can be said that human resources capacity and the use of information technology influence the validity to the value of financial statement of regional government. Second, the use of information technology significantly has influence to timeliness of financial statement of regional goverment. It shows that information technology will increase the timeliness of financial statement of regional goverment. The use of information technology has big value about 61,60%. This value influences the timeliness of financial statement of regional goverment, while the capacity of human resources is 4,9%. It can be concluded that capacity of human resources does not have influence significantly toward the timeliness of financial statement of regional government.


A bio analytical method was developed with compatible mobile phase for estimation of drugs viz. rosuvastatin and ezetimibe, amlodipine and valsartan, lercanidipine and fluvastatin in human plasma. Liquid chromatographic system takes ample of time to stabilise and to attain equilibrium on changeover of mobile phase. Compatible mobile phase was beneficial to separate and estimate many drugs simultaneously; and saved time and solvent consumption. The technique was developed and equipped with reverse phase high performance liquid chromatograph (RP-HPLC), using RP - C18 column with UV detector. For estimation of all these drugs, the mobile phase [acetonitrile: acetate buffer pH 4.0 (pH adjusted with acetic acid)] was pumped at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min-1 in the ratio of 60:40 V/V and the eluents were monitored at 245 nm. The method was studied and validated as per ICH guidelines and US FDA guidelines for selectivity, specificity, accuracy and precision and stability study. All these drugs shown linear response between concentration and response as a peak area and chromatograms with well resolved peaks were sign of methods efficiency. Statistical data of calibration graph to study linearity of these drugs in biological matrix was found within prescribed limit. Prepared quality control samples were estimated, accuracy and precision results of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe were 97-100.93 as % nominal concentration and 0.8210-2.0367 as % CV for amlodipine and valsartan 98.43-99.81 as % nominal conc. and 0.9480-2.4753 as % CV and for lercanidipine and fluvastatin 97.18-103.5 as % nominal conc and 0.5258-3.8301 as % CV and were within prescribed limit. The bio analytical method is simple as it is free from solvent extraction and solid phase extraction, precise, accurate, and consumes less solvent due to compatible mobile phase. The method suits for quantification of these drugs in plasma, hence applied for bio equivalence, bioavailability study in real clinical samples.


A 1 kW MOSFET half-bridge switching subassembly with gate drivers has been designed and fabricated, in integrated three-dimensional (3-D) form factor, using a planar integration technology, through building up dielectric/metallization thin-film interconnection directly on co-planar bare power chips embedded in a ceramic carrier. The 3-D geometrical layout was optimized through simulating electrical and thermal performance, with Maxwell Q3D and I-DEAS, respectively. The advantages of this module have been experimentally demonstrated by the electrical and thermal performance in the testbeds and IPEM-based DC/DC converter.


We report on the exchange bias effect as a function of the in-plane direction of the applied field in twofold symmetric, epitaxial Ni80Fe20/Fe50Mn50 bilayers grown on Cu(110) single-crystal substrates. An enhancement of the exchange bias field, Heb, up to a factor of 2 is observed if the external field is nearly, but not fully aligned perpendicular to the symmetry direction of the exchange bias field. From the measurement of the exchange bias field as a function of the in-plane angle of the applied field, the unidirectional, uniaxial and fourfold anisotropy contributions are determined with high precision. The symmetry direction of the unidirectional anisotropy switches with increasing NiFe thickness from [110] to [001].


We describe a case of sarcoidosis in a 57-year-old man who presented with neurological symptoms of pins and needles in both of his hands, left leg weakness and left foot drop. Neurophysiological examination revealed asymmetric motor and sensory polyneuropathy. Common peroneal nerve involvement accounted for the left foot drop. Thoracic CT scan revealed bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. He had hypercalcaemia and raised serum ACE level. Histological examination of a mediastinal lymph node showed non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas consistent with the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. There was no evidence of acid-fast bacilli or fungi on special stains. This case highlights the importance of considering sarcoidosis as a potential diagnosis in patients presenting with peripheral neuropathy. Although response to corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy may be seen, in our case the patient's neurological deficit remained persistent despite treatment.


With recent advances in battery capacity and the development of hydrogen fuel cells, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are being used to undertake longer missions that were previously performed by manned or tethered vehicles. As a result, more advanced navigation systems are needed to maintain an accurate position over a larger operational area. The accuracy of the navigation system is critical to the quality of the data collected during survey missions and the recovery of the AUV. Many different methods for navigation in different underwater environments have been proposed in the literature. In this correspondence paper, the state of the art in navigation technologies for AUVs is investigated for theoretical and operational systems. Their suitability for use in different environments is compared and current limitations of these methods are identified. In addition, new approaches to address these current problems and areas for future research are suggested. Finally, it is concluded that only geophysically referenced methods will enable AUVs to navigate accurately over large areas and that advances in underwater feature recognition are required before these methods can be implemented in operational AUVs.


The object of this study was to compare the effect on the hearing of the insertion of a grommet, with or without adenoidectomy, against a non–surgically managed control ear in children with persistent hearing impairment due to otitis media with effusion. Seventy–eight children (44 boys, 34 girls, mean age 5.8 years) with documented bilateral otitis media with effusion associated with a bilateral hearing impairment (pure tone average air conduction thresholds over 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz of ≥25 dB HL) over a three month period were admitted to a randomized, controlled trial. Each child was randomized to have or not to have an adenoidectomy. The ears in each child were then randomly allocated to have a grommet (tympanostomy tube) inserted. The children's hearing status was reviewed six and 12 months post–operatively. During follow–up, should a child redevelop a persistent bilateral hearing impairment (as defined above) for three months they were managed with a hearing aid. Thus no child had repeat insertion of a grommet. Surgery of each type had an effect on the hearing and the presence of otitis media with effusion at six months post–operatively but not at 12 months when it was no different from natural resolution. If resolution of the otitis media with effusion is the outcome measure, then adenoidectomy alone is significantly better than no surgery but only in boys rather than in girls. Even in boys it only resolves about 60 per cent of effusions. However, when combined with a grommet (one insertion) adenoidectomy gives no greater resolution (89 per cent compared with 86 per cent). If improvement in hearing is the outcome measure, the overall results are similar. Adenoidectomy alone has an effect but if a grommet is inserted, adenoidectomy in addition does not improve the overall effect. However, these findings are not the case when analysed regarding the sex of the subject mainly because of the higher natural resolution rate in girls. In them, at six months surgery of any type or combination has no effect whereas in boys there is an additive effect of adenoidectomy on grommet insertion. Hopefully further studies can be conducted in larger numbers to investigate the differing effect in boys and girls suggested in this study.


In the present paper, the synthesis of metal-organic framework-101 (MIL-101) and Remazol Deep Black RGB (RDB) adsorption on MIL-101 were demonstrated. The kinetics of RDB adsorption on MIL-101 was studied using Weber's intraparticle diffusion model and the pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Particularly, the statistical method of piecewise linear regression and multi-nonlinear regression was employed to analyse the adsorption data according to the previously mentioned kinetic models. The results indicated that the adsorption process followed the three-step pseudo-first-order kinetic equation, which was consistent with the results of the intraparticle diffusion model with three linear segments. This model best described the experimental data. In addition, the adsorption isotherm data were studied using five adsorption models, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich–Peterson, Toth, and Sips in nonlinear forms, and the Langmuir model is the most appropriate for the experimental data. The values of energies of activation of adsorption were calculated, and they revealed that the adsorption process was of endothermic chemical nature. A statistical comparison using Akaike information criterion to estimate the goodness of fit of the kinetic and isotherm models was presented.


In light of the perceived failures of communicative planning within Australian cities, many urban scholars have argued that the theory of agonistic pluralism presents a viable alternative to our current planning paradigm. However, planners have thus far struggled to implement these conflictual principles into planning practice. I argue that these failed attempts are due to the ontological contradictions between the dominant communicative planning system of rational consensus and the conflictual practices of agonistic pluralism. Therefore, given these differences, it remains difficult if not nearly impossible for planners to integrate agonistic pluralism into the existing planning system in hopes of making planning processes more accepting of adversarial relations. To address this problem, I develop a Mouffe-ian approach to planning practice, which draws from the conflictual principles and practices of agonistic pluralism to understand, legitimise, and explore the use of activism as a radical planning practice. I argue that it is necessary for planners to embrace the affective, emotional, and often irrational aspects of planning and accept that planning is inherently political, that planning will always involve some form of conflict, and that planning itself requires the exercise of power. Ultimately, this radical conceptualisation of planning aims to use activism to repoliticise planners, something which the post-political neoliberal regime has sought to deny. By establishing this theoretical framework, I seek to address my core research question, which asks: How can planning processes be transformed to better accommodate agonistic conflict in the form of activism as a legitimate practice in the pursuit of a more democratic city?


Madrid Peace Conference initiated the Peace Process for completely resolving the Arab-Israel conflict in Oct.1991. Though it is an important chain of bilateral talks, Syria-Israel peace talk is in a deadlock. There are 3 historical borders between Syria and Israel: 1923 border, 1949 ceasefire line and the actual controlling line of both sides before the 1967 War. During the peace- talks, Israel insists on the 1923 border to be the final bonier while Syria prefers the actual controlling lines before the 1967 War. Later on, Israel changed its mind and showed its will to accept Syrian proposal with qualifications, because there is an Agreement of Good Neighbourly Relations concluded by Britain and France in 1926. If Israel accepts the 1923 bonier, it should recognize Syria's tights of fishing and navigation on Lake Tiberius, Lake Huleh and the Jordan River on which Israeli governments never say a word. Not based on the same text, the peace-talk between Syria and Israel has been in an impasse.


The literature on child maltreatment recognizes that parents who are reported to child welfare services often struggle with a number of challenges. These challenges are related to, though not limited to, various psychosocial, mental, or physical health conditions, substance and/or alcohol abuse, domestic violence, economic, and/or legal issues (Andrews, 2013). These parents have multiple needs, such as housing, income, education, health, childcare, and family relationships (Maluccio, 1989). Moreover, parents faced with the removal of a child or an investigation of child abuse and/or neglect experience a variety of feelings that extend from mistrust, apprehension, guilt, and uncertainty to frustration and outrage (Bicknell-Hentges, 1995). This is further exacerbated by the trauma of separation and the feeling of stigma experienced with the child welfare system involvement (Scholte et al., 1999).Parents may not be able to rely on family members for support throughout the various phases of the investigatory and reunification or placement phases. In families with limited resources as well as substance abuse problems, the parent may have already stretched extended family resources to the limit (Hirshorn, Van Meter, & Brown, 2000). A study comparing non-neglecting and neglecting mothers found that interactions of neglecting mothers with others were described as distrustful, confrontational, and lacking mutuality (Beeman, 1997). Beeman further characterized maltreating parents as socially isolated due to the lack of frequent interaction with their social network members or fewer resources available.While faced with multiple challenges, these parents have limited support sources due to loneliness and disconnectedness from others and social isolation due to the lack of available and quality relationships (Cameron, 2002). Several studies have linked social isolation with an increased risk of disengaged parenting, maternal depression, and child maltreatment (Garbarino 1976; Gelles & Straus, 1979; Salzinger, Kaplan, & Artemyeff, 1983; Chalk & King, 1998; Reppucci, Woolard, & Fried, 1999). Similarly, loneliness may be a contributing factor limiting parents' capability to offer stable, caring, and attentive care to their children (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2013). Ortega (2002) has indicated that child welfare-involved families report "more feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and less neighbor, friend, and kin support than their non-maltreating counterparts" (pp. 853-854). Rodgers (1998) has linked parental stress and child abuse/neglect to the shortage of social and interactions supports. Oates and Forrest (1985) suggested a relationship between a lack of social supports among child welfareinvolved parents to a hesitation and unwillingness to discuss their difficulties with others. Furthermore, parents with higher degrees of informal social support were less likely to face financial challenges and experience depressive symptoms in comparison to those with lower degrees of support (Lyons, Henly, & Schuerman, 2005). Other research studies have confirmed the positive effects of social support on numerous outcomes, such as children's educational outcomes (Rosenfeld & Richman, 2003), caregiver depression (Lyons et al., 2005), family coping strategies (Jones, 1997; Runtz & Schallow, 1997) and community involvement (Corse, Schmid, & Trickett, 1990; Roditti, 2005).Social support has been defined differently in the literature on families in child welfare. According to Sarafino (1994), social support included the comfort, caring, and help that were available to parents, which helped improve self-esteem and reduce vulnerability to stress. Furthermore, Cameron and Vanderwoerd (1997) classified social support into four types: instrumental; educational, informational; emotional; and social integration. Likewise, Hoagwood and colleagues (2010) defined family support as services that helped caregivers "(a) clarify their own needs or concerns; (b) reduce their sense of isolation, stress, or self-blame; (c) provide education or information; (d) teach skills; and (e) empower and activate them, so that they can more effectively address the needs of their families" (p. …


We studied the effect of different magnitudes (7000 PSI (48.26 MPa), 8000 PSI (55.16 MPa), and 9000 PSI (62.05 MPa)) of hydrostatic pressure on the ploidy of pikeperch larvae. Pressure shock was applied 5 min after the fertilization of eggs at a water temperature of 14.8 ± 1 °C. A 7000 PSI pressure shock was applied for 10 or 20 min, while 8000 and 9000 PSI treatments lasted for 10 min. Each treatment with its respective control was completed in triplicate, where different females' eggs served as a replicate. In the treatment groups exposed to 7000 PSI for 10 min, only diploid and triploid larvae were identified, while 2n/3n mosaic individuals were found after a 20-min exposure to a 7000 PSI pressure shock. The application of 8000 or 9000 PSI pressure shocks resulted in only triploid and mosaic individuals. Among larvae from eggs treated with 8000 PSI, three mosaic individuals with 2n/3n karyotype were identified (4.0 ± 6.9%), while a single (2.0 ± 3.5%) 1n/3n mosaic individual was found in the 9000 PSI-treated group. To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the induction of a haplo-triploid karyotype by hydrostatic pressure shock in teleost fish. The dominance of triploid individuals with a reasonable survival rate (36.8 ± 26.1%) after 8000 PSI shock supports the suitability of the hydrostatic pressure treatment of freshly fertilized eggs for triploid induction in pikeperch.


Background: Currently, degenerative diseases represent a public health problem; therefore, the development and implementation of strategies to fully or partially recover of damaged tissues has a special interest in the biomedical field. Therapeutic strategies based on mesenchymal stem cells transplantation from dental pulp have been proposed as an alternative. Purpose: To develop a mesenchymal stem cells culture isolated from dental pulp of deciduous teeth. Methods: The mesenchymal stem cells isolation was performed from dental pulp of two deciduous canines, freshly extracted with therapeutic indication. Specimens were cultured in D-MEM medium with 20% FBS at 37 °C and 5% CO2. The medium was changed every three days. 80-90% confluence was achieved after three weeks. Cells were stained with DAPI and STRO-1 and analyzed through flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Results: The analysis showed that adherent cells had a fusiform fibroblast-like morphology and colony forming units (CFUs) were observed. 17% of the whole population was STRO-1+ and 26% of the larger and more complex population was positive to this antigen. Additionally, STRO-1+ cells were localized preferential in UFCs. Conclusions: The protocol described here could be used to enriching mesenchymal stem cells from dental pulp extracted from deciduous teeth and as a starting point for future therapeutic trials and their application in tissue regeneration.KEYWORDScultured cells; stem cells; deciduous teeth


Abstract In verified generic programming, one cannot exploit the structure of concrete data types but has to rely on well chosen sets of specifications or abstract data types (ADTs). Functors and monads are at the core of many applications of functional programming. This raises the question of what useful ADTs for verified functors and monads could look like. The functorial map of many important monads preserves extensional equality. For instance, if
$$f,g \, : \, A \, \to \, B$$
 are extensionally equal, that is,
$$\forall x \in A$$
 ,
$$f \, x = g \, x$$
 , then
$$map \, f \, : \, List \, A \to List \, B$$
 and
$$map \, g$$
 are also extensionally equal. This suggests that preservation of extensional equality could be a useful principle in verified generic programming. We explore this possibility with a minimalist approach: we deal with (the lack of) extensional equality in Martin-Löf's intensional type theories without extending the theories or using full-fledged setoids. Perhaps surprisingly, this minimal approach turns out to be extremely useful. It allows one to derive simple generic proofs of monadic laws but also verified, generic results in dynamical systems and control theory. In turn, these results avoid tedious code duplication and ad-hoc proofs. Thus, our work is a contribution toward pragmatic, verified generic programming.


Although underweight and obesity have been associated with increased risk of mortality, it remains unclear whether the associations differ by hormone therapy (HT) use and smoking. The authors examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality within the California Teachers Study (CTS), specifically considering the impact of HT and smoking. The authors examined the associations of underweight and obesity with risks of all‐cause and cause‐specific mortality, among 115,433 women participating in the CTS, and specifically examined whether HT use or smoking modifies the effects of obesity. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression provided estimates of relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During follow up, 10,574 deaths occurred. All‐cause mortality was increased for underweight (BMI <18.5; adjusted RR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.20–1.47) and obese participants (BMI ≥ 30: RR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.19–1.37) relative to BMI of 18.5–24.9). Respiratory disease mortality was increased for underweight and obese participants. Death from any cancer, and breast cancer specifically, and cardiovascular disease was observed only for obese participants. The obesity and mortality association remained after stratification on HT and smoking. Obese participants remained at greater risk for mortality after stratification on menopausal HT and smoking. Obesity was associated with increased all‐cause mortality, as well as death from any cancer (including breast), and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These findings help to identify groups at risk for BMI‐related poor health outcomes.


In the diagnosis made men's volleyball team category 12-14 years it was found that the Japanese No.1 Test does not develop special speed in the defense field. The research aims to present a proposal of the field test as close as possible to the gameplay and especially quickly to assess the development of the defense on the volleyball field school (12-14 years) male Havana.


Over the past two decades, species distribution models (SDMs) have become one of the most popular modelling tools in biogeographical studies. SDMs try to quantify the relationship between a taxon and its environment, for example, to predict its geographical distribution, to assess potential impacts of climate or land use change, or to explore biogeographical hypotheses. In practice, SDMs generally correlate species distribution data in the form of spatially explicit presences and absences, to environmental predictors, such as climatic variables. In cases where presences and absences are difficult to obtain in quantity and quality— that is, for the majority of biodiversity— it is possible to use SDMs with presence data alone. These are dedicated approaches requiring the generation of additional data points (called 'background points' or 'pseudoabsences'). Overall, the concept of SDMs is simple; however, their implementation is complex because a large number of decisions are required throughout the multiple steps of the process (Figure 1). Each of these decisions must be weighed carefully by the users because they have a strong influence on the outcomes of SDMs and their interpretation. Guidance on how to make these decisions can be found in methodological or pedagogical papers and books (e.g. Elith et al., 2006; GuilleraArroita et al., 2015; Guisan et al., 2017; Guisan & Thuiller, 2005; Phillips et al., 2006; Thuiller et al., 2009). However, for the majority of these decisions, there is still a high degree of uncertainty, because of shortfalls in our knowledge (see my perception of this degree of uncertainty in Figure 1). This uncertainty often leads to either making arbitrary decisions or costly sensitivity analyses when preparing SDMs. Furthermore, the profusion of methodological studies makes it easy for users (especially new users) to either miss guidance or caveats relevant to their study, or to lack the ability to understand them. Two main issues in SDM implementation require further guidance: uncertainty in decisionmaking and inaccessibility of guidelines. Uncertainty can be addressed by studies comprehensively investigating a specific methodological issue, providing established guidelines for decisionmaking. Inaccessibility can be addressed by studies synthesising the methodological progress with sufficient pedagogy to propagate good practices in the field. Here, I appraise a recent study which has combined these two characteristics in such an outstanding way that it should be extremely helpful to both new and experienced users (Valavi et al., 2021). First, Valavi and colleagues comprehensively addressed the choice of modelling techniques in presenceonly situations, which has been a prominent issue so far. Second, they detailed all their methodological choices pedagogically, explaining the underlying reasons, and thus providing accessible guidelines throughout the multiple steps of the modelling process. In the following text, I first explain the context of model choice and pinpoint the major progress provided by Valavi and colleagues, and then I explain why, beyond this progress, their study will improve practices in the field. Finally, I conclude with an outlook on the uncertain decisions in SDMs.


This article is devoted to reflection on accounting policy from the perspective of the user of the financialstatements. Its objective is to present a new formula of disclosures concerning accounting policies, which, according to the author, raises the importance and significance of this element of the accounting system.The article presents the essence of accounting policy and its place in the financial statements in the light of applicable accounting law and relevant practices of the largest public companies listed on the StockExchange in Warsaw. The discussion leads to a proposal for the disclosure of accounting policies asa separate component of the financial statements – statement of accounting policies.


bstract In the face of a complex and changing external environment, employee creativity has evolved into the driving force and core competitive capability required for most organizations to thrive in their enterprise. Most studies conducted on employees' creativity were mainly from the perspective of organizational factors rather than personal factors. Therefore, this study investigated the prediction of employee's creativity from familial factors (commitment to marriage, marital satisfaction, familism, and religiosity) and how proneness to divorce could mediate the strength of this relationship among married employees in FinTech organisations in Cotonou, Benin Republic. The study was cross-sectional in approach that adopted the ex-post facto design, in which a questionnaire measuring social-demographic variables, marital commitment, marital satisfaction, familism, proneness to divorce, religiosity and creativity was administered to 190 consenting married employees in FinTech, using convenience sampling technique. Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression, and t-test for independent samples were used to test the hypotheses at p<.01. The participants' ages ranged from 26 to 63 years old, with a Mage of 36±5.47 years. Results obtained revealed employees' creativity has a significant positive relationship with marital commitment (r=0.437, p<0.01) but a significant inverse relationship with divorce proneness (r=- 0.706, p<0.01), marital satisfaction (r=-0.257, p<0.01), religiosity (r=-0.561, p<0.01). Further analysis revealed that all predictor variables (commitment to marriage, familism, marital satisfaction, & religiosity) significantly related to creativity among married employees. Meaning that the extents of correlations between commitment to marriage, familism, marital satisfaction, religiosity and creativity were significantly lowered by the inclusion of proneness to divorce as a mediator. The results of this study, which show the significance of proneness to divorce in tying familial variables and workplace outcomes, give a framework for understanding how familial factors contribute to diversity in degrees of creativity for organizational efficiency


This paper describes a distributed, adaptive, first-order logic engine with exceptional performance characteristics. The system combines serial search reduction techniques such as bounded-overhead subgoal caching and intelligent backtracking with a novel parallelization strategy particularly well-suited to coarse-grained parallel execution on a network of workstations. We present empirical results that demonstrate our system's performance using 100 workstations on over 1400 first-order logic problems drawn from the "Thousands of Problems for Theorem Provers" collection.


The objective of this work is to study sustainable process which benefit environment by using agricultural waste as adsorbent to remove organic pollutants from water. As the current worldwide trend towards more precise environmental standards, technical aptness and cost-effectiveness became key factors in the selection of adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment. Recently, various low-cost adsorbents procure from agricultural waste, industrial by-products or natural materials, have been rigorously investigated. In this we utilize the agriculture waste i.e. Alisma plantago aquatic, rice husk[1], saw dust[2], tea and coffee waste[3], orange peel[4] , peanut shells[5], activated carbon[6] ,dry tree leaves and barks[7], bagasse[8], fibre, leaves and peels are use as adsorbent which can offer an economical solution for wastewater treatment. Three adsorption isotherm models namely Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich were apply to analyse the equilibrium data. Equilibrium is best described by Langmuir isotherm model (R2≈1). Isotherm studies have been used to verify the thermodynamic parameters of the process. Kinetic parameters of adsorption such as pseudo first order, second order and intraparticle diffusion rate constant were determined and fitted with second order kinetic model. Adam Bohart and Wolborska models were applied to the experimental data obtained from dynamic studies on packed bed and were observed to fit the data well with good correlations. The model parameters, including the mass transfer coefficient and kinetic parameters were estimated.


This study was designed to examine weight stigmatization among Hispanic American children. Fifty-five fifth grade students from a large, urban school district in Southern California were asked to rank six samesex drawings of children with various physical characteristics (related to weight or disability) in order of friend preference (1 = the most preferred, and 6 = the least preferred friend). Positive and negative adjectives were then assigned to the average-weight and obese drawings using the Adjective Checklist (ACL). The majority of the participants (60%) chose the average-weight child as the most preferred and 46% identified the obese child as the least preferred friend. In addition, the average-weight child was assigned more positive and fewer negative adjectives compared to the obese child. Significant differences in ACL composite scores between normal weight and overweight drawings were also found (p = 0.00). It appears that weight stigmatization is present in the current sample, which suggests that Hispanic children living in the U.S. may adopt negative attitudes about weight that are similar to American culture.


Depression is an illness that can harm someone's life. However, many people still do not know that they are having depression and tend to express their feelings through text or social media. Thus, text-based depression detection could help in identifying the early detection of the illness. Therefore, the research aims to build a depression detection that can identify possible depression cues based on Bahasa Malaysia text. The data, in the form of text, has been collected from depressed and healthy people via a google form. There are three questions asked which are "Apakah kenangan manis yang anda ingat?", "Apakah rutin harian anda?" and "Apakah keadaan yang membuatkan anda stress?" which obtained 172, 169 and 170 responses for each question respectively. All the datasets are stored in a CSV file. Using Python, TF-IDF was extracted as the feature and pipeline into several classifier models such as Random Forest, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, and Logistic Regression. The results were presented using the classification metrics of confusion matrix, accuracy, and F1-score. Also, another method has been conducted using the text sentiment techniques Vader and Text Blob onto the datasets to identify whether depressive text falls under negative sentiment or vice versa. The percentage differences were determined between the actual sentiment compared to Vader and Text Blob sentiment. From the experiment, the highest score is achieved by AdaBoost Classifier with a 0.66-F1 score. The best model is chosen to be utilized in the Graphical User Interface (GUI).


The reaction products of Types I, II and III chloramphenicol acetyltransferases (CATs) from reference strains of Escherichia coli and Type II CATs from clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae were examined by HPLC. Types I and III CATs produced 1, 3 diacetylchloramphenicol at pH 6.8 and 7.8 whereas Type II enzymes failed to produce this diester at either pH. All the CATs produced monoacetylchloramphenicol at both pH values. Neither mono- nor di-acetylchloramphenicol was stable. Breakdown of enzymically-produced mono- and di-esters proceeded more rapidly at pH 7.8 than at pH 6.8. Similar breakdown behaviour was observed with synthetically manufactured 1, 3 diacetylchloramphenicol.


Web search engines have become often-used tools for many ordinary people today and a growing number of researcher are therefore studying how these lay-persons interact with such tools. However, an overwhelming majority of these studies have focused on the public web and not equally much effort has yet been devoted to the use of intranet search engines. This oversight is unfortunate since corporate intranets are where much business-related information today is kept, and to understand and improve the way technology may aid organisational members to find information is thus a worth-while activity. In this paper we report from a longitudinal and comparative transaction log analysis of a large intranet's search engine covering the period 2000-2004. We conclude that intranet users search for other topics than do users of the public web. Intranet searchers do not use operators to the same extent as Internet searcher, but seem to use a larger mix of languages. Finally, we note that there are information needs that appear to be persistent across time.


In this investigation, the influence of second phase particles on high cycle fatigue behavior of Ni{sub 3}Al alloy is studied. A single phase Ni{sub 3}Al-B alloy and a Ni{sub 3}Al-B/Zr alloy with a few second phase particles (Ni{sub 5}Zr) at the grain boundaries are selected for investigation. High cycle fatigue tests at room temperature with R (minimum stress/maximum stress) 0.1 are conducted in air and at 30 Hz. The results show that the second phase particles are detrimental to high cycle fatigue resistance. It may be explained in terms of the second phase particles promoting fatigue crack initiation. The characteristics of fracture surfaces are examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).


Abstract : Over the last two decades, observations of acoustic scintillations in the ocean have been useful in testing theories that predict the statistics for WPRM. Ocean acoustic observations differ from scattering processes observed in other WPRM sub-fields in two important ways. First, the statistics of the refractive index can be determined accurately from oceanographic measurements. Hence, exacting tests of theories can be done when careful measurements of the medium and the wavefield are made synoptically. Second, the scattering of acoustic energy is predominantly influenced by the ocean internal wave field, which tends to exhibit statistical stationarity in many ocean regimes, and not by non-stationary turbulent processes, as observed in the atmosphere. We discuss space/time acoustic propagation experiments carried out in three scattering regimes: (1) weak, where the Rytov approximation is valid; (2) moderate, where multiple scattering theory is required; and (3) the case where multiple scattering in a single medium irregularity is encountered. A review is presented of the measurements and comparisons with theory. It is clear from field and numerical experiments that 2-point statistics cannot possibly explain the observations of intensity. Because two-point statistics are the norm when interpreting both medium and wavefield measurements, the possible failure of Gaussian statistics must be addressed. This has yet to be done. We will discuss remaining issues for which we believe further study is needed.


The growth of private policing has been the subject of numerous commentaries that perpetuate the rhetoric of Shearing & Stenning (1980) in announcing a "quiet revolution". The figures that formed the basis of these original commentaries were largely based in the US and appeared to generalise readily into the Australian experience. Australian authors have used official statistics to support the notion that change of a similar scale is occurring in Australia. This work examines these figures more closely and questions previous assumptions which equated a licensed security officer to a public police officer on a one-to-one basis. It also shows how the vacuum created by restrictions on public policing create unprecedented opportunities for private sector growth which arguably erode accountability while creating opportunities for enhanced cooperative partnerships. The emergence of private policing and the relationships between public and private police are examined against theoretical frameworks and complemented by the insight of the practitioners and industry leaders which enables the development of a rich, Victoria specific, picture that will inform the shape of future research.


The generally indolent, slow and protracted course of hepatitis C virus infection has limited the realisation of studies that evaluate its natural history. The aim of such studies has been the probability of death through hepatic disease, hepatic cirrhosis (compensated or decompensated), and/or hepatocarcinoma, or the development of a significant hepatic fibrosis (essential anatamopathological substrate for the development of the complications of hepatic cirrhosis). In spite of their possible limitations, the results of these studies show that chronic hepatitis C virus infection generally follows a benign evolutionary course, above all if this occurs in young patients ( 2 times the normal value) and significant necroinflammatory activity (periportal necrosis) and fibrosis in the hepatic biopsy will show a more aggressive evolutionary course than those with normal transaminases and an almost normal hepatic biopsy.


A reproducible technique for stinging guinea pigs with Chrysaora quinquecirrha has been described. A linear urticarial eruption which persists for approximately 24 hours appears within two to four hours. Motionless jellyfish tentacles must be in contact with the skin more than 15 seconds to produce an eruption. This interval can be shortened by moving the tentacle. The amount of petrolatum necessary to prevent the eruption was quantitated and appears to be inversely related to motion of the tentacle. The incorporation of strong base or polysorbate 20 at suprathreshold concentrations increased the blocking efficiency of petrolatum. Unfortunately, because the former agent produces irritation and the latter washes out of the ointment, these compounds are not acceptable blockers. A silicone containing form of stopcock grease was also an effective blocking agent, however, its use will be limited since it cannot be easily removed from the skin.


Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are promising neuroimaging and molecular cargo agents across neurovascular barriers. However, little is known on the accumulation and biocompatibility of such particles in brain cells. Thus, the main objective of this work was to investigate the toxic effects of silica-coated IONPs on human SHSY5Y neuronal cells. IONPs suspension was characterized for average hydrodynamic size, size distribution and zeta potential by dynamic light scattering in complete and incomplete (serum-free) cell culture media. A battery of assays was then performed to evaluate their toxicity using four treatment concentrations (10-200 μg/ml) and two exposure times (3 and 24 h); these conditions were selected based on previous viability assays results. Although IONPs were effectively internalized by the cells, they did not induce phosphorylation of the H2AX histone at any time, concentration or media tested, indicating they do not cause DNA double strand breaks. Furthermore, negative results were obtained in apoptosis evaluation at both 3 h treatments, but significant increases in the apoptosis rates were observed at the highest concentrations after 24 h of exposure to the IONPs. Although results obtained suggest that these nanoparticles are biocompatible at low concentrations, further studies on this matter are necessary to assess their possible genotoxic potential in neuronal cells. Results obtained in this work contribute to increase the knowledge on hazardous doses, which is essential to create regulations which guarantee a safe use of IONPs in their biomedical applications.


"When I was little, like you, I loved to go bush with my family. The other kids and I used to play all sorts of games, and we used to get our own food and cook it. At night-time, we sat around the fire and listened as our elders told us "Tjukurrpa Yara" - stories of the Dreaming. Then we went to sleep under the stars". As she shares her stories of playing with friends, building cubby houses, climbing trees, collecting sugarbag, digging for honey ants, hunting for lizards, and learning about the seasons, animals and plants, she creates a vivid picture of a truly Australian childhood in which country - "ngurra" - is life itself.


As the design for testability (DFT) is essential in the semiconductor manufacturing, the scan-based architecture is widely used to decrease the test complexity of a chip. However, the scan-based architecture requires high test cost such as the test data volume and the test time. In order to alleviate the test cost problem of the scan-based architecture, a lot of test data compression schemes using the scan slice encoding have been presented. In this paper, we propose a new scan slice encoding scheme with flexible code for test data compression. The proposed scheme fully utilizes the flexible code as the control code or the data code. The flexible code provides supplementary encoding mode without additional control code. As a result, the test cost is significantly reduced by the various encoding mode with low test equipment pin overhead. The experiment results based on ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits show that the test data volume and the test time is reduced up to 82% compared with the original data.


In order to compensate the loss of performances when scaling resonant sensors down to NEMS, it proves extremely useful to study the behavior of resonators up to very high displacements and hence high nonlinearities. This work describes a comprehensive nonlinear multiphysics model based on the Euler-Bernoulli equation which includes both mechanical and electrostatic nonlinearities valid up to displacements comparable to the gap in the case of a capacitive doubly clamped beam. Moreover, the model takes into account the fringing field effects, significant for thin resonators. The model has been compared to electrical measurements of devices fabricated on 200mm SOI wafers and show a very good agreement. This model allows designers to cancel out nonlinearities by tuning some design parameters and thus gives the possibility to drive the resonator beyond its critical amplitude. Consequently, the sensors performances can be enhanced to the maximum bellow the pull-in amplitude, while keeping a linear behavior.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


CuO is a versatile p-type material for energy applications capable of imparting diverse functionalities by manipulating its band-energy diagram. We present ultra-small quantum confined cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) synthesized via a simple one-step environmentally friendly atmospheric pressure microplasma synthesis process. The proposed method, based on the use of a hybrid plasma-liquid cell, enables the synthesis of CuO NPs directly from solid metal copper in ethanol with neither surfactants nor reducing agents. CuO NPs films are then used for the first time in all-inorganic third generation solar cell devices demonstrating highly effective functionalities as blocking layer.


We study when a smooth variety X, embedded diagonally in its Cartesian square, is the zero scheme of a section of a vector bundle of rank dim(X) on X × X. We call this the diagonal property (D). It was known that it holds for all flag manifolds SLn/P . We consider mainly the cases of proper smooth varieties, and the analogous problems for smooth manifolds ("the topological case"). Our main new observation in the case of proper varieties is a relation between (D) and cohomologically trivial line bundles on X, obtained by a variation of Serre's classic argument relating rank 2 vector bundles and codimension 2 subschemes, combined with Serre duality. Based on this, we have several detailed results on surfaces, and some results in higher dimensions. For smooth affine varieties, we observe that for an affine algebraic group over an algebraically closed field, the diagonal is in fact a complete intersection; thus (D) holds, using the trivial bundle. We conjecture the existence of smooth affine complex varieties for which (D) fails; this leads to an interesting question on projective modules. The arguments in the topological case have a different flavour, with arguments from homotopy theory, topological K-theory, index theory etc. There are 3 variants of the diagonal problem, depending on the type of vector bundle we want (arbitrary, oriented or complex). We obtain a homotopy theoretic reformulation of the diagonal property as an extension problem for a certain homotopy class of maps. We also have detailed results in several cases: spheres, odd dimensional complex projective quadric hypersurfaces, and manifolds of even dimension ≤ 6 with an almost complex structure.


The morbidity and mortality of hematological tumors have shown a rising tendency in recent years and become one of the major diseases which affect public health. The nutritional and inflammation status of the body has been proved to play an important role in the occurrence, development and prognosis of the blood system disease. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is an important index to reflect the nutritional and inflammation status of the body, and it can be calculated by serum albumin level and peripheral blood lymphocyte count. A large number of studies have reported that PNI can effectively predict the prognosis of several hematological tumors, including lymphoma. In this review, the prognostic value of PNI in patients with lymphoma was summarized briefly.