A new layered metal-organic hybrid compound, namely, [Co(3)(μ(3 -OH)(2)(BTP)(2)] (1; BTP=4-(3-bromothienyl)phosphonate), is reported. The inorganic layer can be viewed as a pseudo-Kagomé lattice composed of corner-sharing irregular triangles of Co(3) (μ(3)-OH), with the cavities filled with the PO(3) groups. The interlayer space is occupied by the 3-bromothienyl groups of BTP(2-). The bulk sample of compound 1 experiences a long-range ferromagnetic ordering below 30.5 K, with a coercivity (H(c)) of 5.04 kOe at 5 K. A systematic study on the size-dependent magnetic coercivity of 1 reveals that the coercivity of 1 increases with reduced particle size from the micrometer to the nanometer scale. When the particle size is about 50-200 nm, the coercivity reaches 24.2 kOe at 5 K. The results demonstrate that compound 1 can vary from a soft magnet to one of the hardest molecule-based magnets, simply by reducing the particle size to nanoscale region.


There is a strong correlation between the total catch of white and brown shrimp with dockside prices on the United States Gulf Coast since 1902, but there is no significant correlation between South Atlantic production and prices, probably because the South Atlantic shrimp stocks have been over-fished since the 1920s. There is no negative or positive correlation between the catch statistics of brown and white shrimp of the United States, and these species seem to be weakly competitive, if a t all. There is a significant correlation between the annual production of South Atlantic and Gulf white shrimp, but there is none between South Atlantic and Gulf brown shrimp, possibly because the brown shrimp live generally in deeper water and are not so much influenced by short term variations in climatic conditions as the white shrimp are in shallow water. In furtherance of this idea, there is some indication that the brown shrimp production is less variable than the white shrimp production.


Delaying harvesting in spineless safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) can increase dry matter (DM) yield, maintaining an acceptable nutritional composition.

 The objective of this study was to compare the forage potential of spineless safflower cultivars with that of spiny cultivars harvested in four phenological stages.

 The research was carried out during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 cycles in Matamoros, Coahuila, Mexico. Two spineless (CD868 and Selkino) and two spiny (Gila and Guayalejo) cultivars were evaluated. The phenological stages were: beginning of capitulum formation (E50), capitulum clearly separated from the younger leaves (E55), distinguishable medium and intermediate external bracts (E59), and beginning of flowering (E61). A randomized complete blocks design was used with four replications in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments.

 No interactions were found between phenological stages and cultivars. The spineless cultivars showed better or equal nutritional composition when compared to spiny cultivars but with better forage in E50. Yields of DM and nutrients increased when harvesting was delayed from E50 to E61, maintaining an acceptable nutritional composition. The highest yields of DM (10816 kg ha-1), crude protein (CP) (2071 kg ha-1), net energy for lactation (NEL) (52978 MJ ha-1 DM), and digestible DM (6350 kg ha-1) occurred in E61.

 Spineless cultivars harvested at stage E61 increased the forage potential with regards to the spiny cultivars harvested in E55, which did not have fully developed spines, due to their higher yields of DM (58%), CP (29%), NEL (39%), and digestible DM (41%).


The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices using polymer electrolytes based on electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers were fabricated and investigated the photovoltaic performances. The electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers were prepared by various parameters such as; polymer concentrations, applied voltages, and tip to collector distances (TCD) by the electrospinning method. The open circuit voltage (V(OC)), short circuit current (J(SC)), fill factor (FF), and overall power conversion efficiency (eta) of DSSC devices using electro-spun PVDF-HFP nanofibers were 0.7180-0.7420 V, 9.7200-10.8837 mA/cm2, 0.5610-0.6250, and 4.1700-5.0186%, respectively. When 15 wt% of polymer concentration, 14 kV of applied voltage, and 14 cm of TCD is applied to fabricate the PVDF-HFP nanofiber, the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber should be the regular diameter of a nanofiber, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC device reached 5.0186% as the best result.


There is a variety of situations in which Newton's third law is violated. Generally, the action-reaction symmetry can be broken for mesoscopic particles, when their effective interactions are mediated by a nonequilibrium environment. Here, we investigate different classes of nonreciprocal interactions relevant to real experimental situations and present their basic statistical mechanics analysis. We show that in mixtures of particles with such interactions, distinct species acquire distinct kinetic temperatures. In certain cases, the nonreciprocal systems are exactly characterized by a pseudo-Hamiltonian; i.e., being intrinsically nonequilibrium, they can nevertheless be described in terms of equilibrium statistical mechanics. Our results have profound implications, in particular, demonstrating the possibility to generate extreme temperature gradients on the particle scale. We verify the principal theoretical predictions in experimental tests performed with two-dimensional binary complex plasmas.


Extension clients have indicated that to remain competitive in a changing industry they need educational programming (DeCamp et al., 2001). In the past, this was accomplished through a face-to-face classroom setting (Chambers et al., 2006). Although research has shown that the value of classroom delivery is still important, producers have become concerned with increases in the cost of traveling to a live classroom (DeCamp et al., 2001). In an effort to help curtail costs associated with face-to-face workshops while still delivering pertinent educational resources, a statewide team of University of Florida/IFAS Commercial Horticulture Extension educators began authoring a series of monthly articles in a regional commercial nursery industry magazine. The purpose of this study was to compare costs associated with traveling to a traditional face-to-face classroom situation against costs incurred through receiving the same material via distance education. This study determined the effectiveness, satisfaction, and quality of the resources delivered via distance education.


MYC overexpression occurs in up to 80% of all cancers. Down-regulating MYC9s expression is an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of many of these cancers, and particularly for non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma (NHL). NHL is the fifth most common cancer type, accounting for 5% of all cancers and 4% of all cancer deaths. Developing MYC-targeting therapeutics will be very impactful to NHL patients. In the current study, we have developed a nucleic acid clamp to transcriptionally down-regulate MYC expression by stabilizing the G-quadruplex (G4) formed in the nuclease hypersensitivity element III1 promoter region. The clamps complement nucleotides on the 5'- and 3'- regions flanking the G4-forming sequence, linked together with an 18 angstrom abasic moiety. To date, the binding affinity and specificity, G4 structure stabilizing ability, MYC down-regulation capability, and the selective cytotoxicity on cancerous vs non-cancerous cell lines of these clamps have been confirmed by EMSA and electronic circular dichroism, DMS footprinting, luciferase reporter assay, and MTS viability assay respectively. Recently, various replacements have been explored to replace the abasic moiety with non-complementary nucleic acids and to optimize the phosphate backbone with peptide nucleic acids. In addition, complexation with block co-polymers is under investigation to develop a functionalizable nanotherapeutic for NHL. The highly selective G4 stabilizing ability of the clamps used in the current approach offers an advantage over traditional G4 stabilizing small molecules. This novel approach is a promising therapeutic for the treatment of MYC related malignancies, and provides a framework for future G4-therapeutic development for other high-value genes, such as kRAS, VEGF, c-KIT and many more. Citation Format: Taisen Hao, Tracy Brooks. Transcription down-regulation of c-Myc through nucleic acid clamp-mediated stabilization of the promoter G-quadruplex. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4514.


Statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) is becoming complicated due to introduction of more and more advanced statistical techniques. In this paper, with the help of conditional moments, we propose a simple path-based timing approach, which permits us to consider gate topology and switching process induced correlations. Numerical results are presented to quantify the relative impact of these two factors on estimation accuracy of path delay distribution.


Photosynthetic bacteria and green algae photoproduce H2. but do so utilizing different catalysts and substrates. Green algae use reductant generate mostly by water oxidation to catalyze the reduction of protons to H2 gas, while photosynthetic bacteria catalyze H2 production from organic acids using the nitrogenase enzyme. Moreover, these two organisms utilize different regions of the solar spectrum to perform photosynthesis: green algae's light harvesting antenna is comprised of chlorophyll molecules that absorb mostly blue and red light; photosynthetic bacteria harvest blue and far-red light through their light-harvesting pigments to run its non-oxygenic photosynthetic reactions. There is thus an opportunity to increase the range of solar spectrum used to photoproduce H2 by combining the light-harvesting and catalytic properties of these two organisms in a single process. In the current manuscript, we describe an experimental system that validates this hypothesis and demonstrates quantitatively the advantages of a two organism process for production of higher amounts of H2 and thus achieving solar light conversion efficiencies.


ABSTRACT Demonstrating inter-device reliability is essential to use devices interchangeably, and accurately integrate, interpret, or compare data from different actigraphs. Despite this, there is a paucity of comparative literature over a timeframe exceeding one night. The aims of this study were to determine an optimal wake threshold for GENEActiv and to evaluate the concordance between Actiwatch-2 and GENEActiv using a common algorithm (Phillips Respironics). Data were collected from 33 individuals (20 female) aged 20–35 years (M= 25.33, SD = 4.69) across a total 213 nights. Participants wore both devices simultaneously and continuously for seven days. The sleep parameters of interest were: total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset. Exploratory analyses of sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy, mean bias, and paired samples t-tests indicated an optimal wake threshold of 115 for GENEActiv, compared with Actiwatch-2 at the 40 (medium, default) threshold. Using these thresholds, sensitivity, and overall accuracy of GENEActiv were both good (86% and 78%, respectively), however specificity was relatively low (40%). There were no significant inter-device differences for any sleep parameters, and all absolute mean biases were small. Overall, the findings from this study provide the first empirical evidence to support the reliability of GENEActiv against Actiwatch-2 over multiple nights using a common algorithm with device-specific wake thresholds.


A method using oxygen plasma treatment to remove successively-electron-exposed negative resist is proposed. The change in resist thickness with plasma treatment time depends on the different doses and the method of exposure. The resulting curves are very similar to the dissolution curves of positive resist. The etching rates in the depth of the exposed resist show that the top edge of the resist is less sensitive to dose changes than the bottom edge. The theoretical models for energy distribution in the resist film support such assumptions. The experimental data could be useful for more correct modelling and profile simulation of electron-exposed negative resists.


The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is involved in central nervous system (CNS)‐mediated cardiovascular modulation. We compared the cardiovascular effects of electrical stimulation (EE) of the MPFC in unanesthetized rats to those observed after stimulation of the same area in urethane‐anesthetized rats. Electrical stimulation (35, 106, 177, 247, 318, and 389 μA rms/10 sec, 60‐Hz sine wave) of the MPFC of urethane‐anesthetized rats caused depressor responses of stimulus‐related intensity. The cardiovascular response to electrical stimulation of the MPFC in unanesthetized rats was characterized by stimulus‐related pressor responses. No significant heart rate changes were observed during the EE period in any case. The pressor response to electrical stimulation (106 μA rms/10 sec, 60‐Hz sine wave) of the MPFC was not affected by intravenous pretreatment with the vasopressin antagonist dTyr(CH2)5(Me)AVP (50 μg/kg, intravenously), by hypophysectomy, or by intravenous pretreatment with the angiotensin II antagonist losartan (1 mg/kg, intravenously). The pressor response was blocked by intravenous pretreatment with the ganglionic blocker mecamylamine (2 mg/kg, intravenously) but was not affected by adrenal demedullation, thus suggesting involvement of the neural component of the sympathetic nervous system without a major involvement of its hormonal component. Our results confirmed the occurrence of depressor responses after electrical stimulation of the MPFC in urethane‐anesthetized rats and evidenced that only pressor responses are observed after its stimulation in unanesthetized rats. The fact that the pressor response to the stimulation of the MPFC was blocked by a ganglioplegic suggests that the MPFC has functional excitatory actions over the sympathetic nervous system. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Simulating unconventional reservoirs efficiently and accurately poses a big challenge. Transient flow can last for a long period and sharp solution gradients appear because of the severe permeability contrast between fracture and matrix. Although high-resolution well and fracture models are required to achieve sufficient accuracy, they are computationally too demanding for field models with many hydraulic-fracture stages.
 This paper aims to develop a nonlinear solution method, which is applicable to discrete fracture models (DFMs) for unconventional reservoirs. The localization algorithm takes advantage of solution locality on timestep and Newton iteration levels. We study the new method through multiple natural-depletion cases containing discrete fractures and compositional models. It is found that a large extent of solution locality displays over iterations as well as timesteps. The developed nonlinear solver exhibits outstanding simulation efficiency compared with a standard solver. A significant speedup is achieved by focusing computations to the locales that undergo considerable solution changes. Moreover, nonlinear convergence performance is maintained, with no degradation of the solution results.


Study Design. A prospective, controlled, clinical trial comparing single and dual percutaneous electrodes in the treatment of axial low back pain from failed back surgery syndrome. Objectives. To clarify technical requirements and test the hypothesis that placing two linear arrays in parallel, thereby doubling the number of contacts, improves outcome. Summary of Background Data. Technical improvements have enhanced outcomes of spinal cord stimulation for chronic axial low back pain. Dual, parallel electrodes reportedly improve these outcomes. Methods. Acting as their own controls, 20 patients who passed screening with single, 4-contact electrodes received permanent dual, 4-contact electrodes with 7- or 10-mm intercontact distances at the same vertebral level(s). We quantified and compared the technical and clinical results of the single and dual electrodes, adjusting stimulation parameters to specific psychophysical thresholds. Results. Single electrodes provided significant (P < 0.01) advantages in patient- and computer-calculated ratings of pain coverage by paresthesias and in the scaled amplitude necessary to cover the low back, compared with dual 7-mm electrodes. Slight advantages without statistical significance were observed for the single over the dual 10-mm electrodes. Amplitude requirements were significantly lower for the single electrode than for either dual electrode. At long-term follow-up, 53% of patients met the criteria for clinical success. Conclusions. While we observed disadvantages for dual electrodes in treating axial low back pain, we achieved technical success with single or dual electrodes in most patients and maintained this success clinically with dual electrodes in 53%.


Cryptography and Steganography are two techniques commonly used to secure and safely transmit digital data. Nevertheless, they do differ in important ways. In fact, cryptography scrambles data so that they become unreadable by eavesdroppers; while, steganography hides the very existence of data so that they can be transferred unnoticed. Basically, steganography is a technique for hiding data such as messages into another form of data such as images. Currently, many types of steganography are in use; however, there is yet no known steganography application for query languages such as SQL. This paper proposes a new steganography method for textual data. It encodes input text messages into SQL carriers made up of SELECT queries. In effect, the output SQL carrier is dynamically generated out of the input message using a dictionary of words implemented as a hash table and organized into 65 categories, each of which represents a particular character in the language. Generally speaking, every character in the message to hide is mapped to a random word from a corresponding category in the dictionary. Eventually, all input characters are transformed into output words which are then put together to form an SQL query. Experiments conducted, showed how the proposed method can operate on real examples proving the theory behind it. As future work, other types of SQL queries are to be researched including INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE queries, making the SQL carrier quite puzzling for malicious third parties to recuperate the secret message that it encodes.


This document specifies Version 1.3 of the Datagram Transport Layer
Security (DTLS) protocol. DTLS 1.3 allows client/server applications
to communicate over the Internet in a way that is designed to prevent
eavesdropping, tampering, and message forgery. The DTLS 1.3 protocol
is intentionally based on the Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3
protocol and provides equivalent security guarantees with the
exception of order protection/non-replayability. Datagram semantics of
the underlying transport are preserved by the DTLS protocol.


Emphasized is the requirement for search of new training technologies, conforming to the level of information-communication technologies development and meeting the requirements of up-to-date design and production technologies. Analysis has been carried out regarding functional capabilities of information technologies while forming geometro-graphical competences available in the course of basic graphical training of technical university students. Systemic use of information technologies package at different forms of studies is described. Versions of the technologies integration are demonstrated in sections of graphical training for students. Efficiency of their use is grounded.


Porous TiO2 film was prepared by sol-gel method using PEG1000 as the template. The functions of applied potential and concentration of Na2SO4 to the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of methyl orange on TiO2 films were investigated. There was no obvious electro-degradation when the applied potential was under 1.5 V without the help of UV light irradiation. Photocatalytic activity of the porous TiO2 film was higher than the film without addition of PEG. Under low applied potential, the porous structured film can degrade more methyl orange compared with the normal one. However, the degradation activity difference caused by the structure difference was not dominant under high applied potential. After the electrolyte concentration increased to a certain value, the degradation rate reached its maximum value, and then dropped afterwards. After 100 min of reaction, degradation rate on the fdms with PEG addition was 69.82%, while it was 72.73% for the film without PEG addition.


Depression, anxiety and stress are recognised as global public health problems especially in developing countries. Early detection of these disorders is essential to provide psychological interventions for individuals experiencing these negative emotional conditions. This study determined the Nigerian psychometric properties for the 21-item version of the depression, anxiety and stress scale among a sample of medical students. Two hundred and forty medical students from the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria completed the depression anxiety and stress scale, state trait anxiety inventory and self-rating depression scale. The reliability, discriminative, concurrent and convergent properties were determined. The reliability of DASS-21 showed that it has excellent Cronbach's alpha values of 0.81, 0.89 and 0.78 for the subscales of depressive, anxiety and stress respectively. It was found to have excellent internal consistency, discriminative, concurrent and convergent validities. The depression and anxiety subscales of DASS-21 had good correlations with self-rating depression scale and state trait anxiety inventory. The DASS-21 was found to have  commendable psychometric properties. It is reliable, valid and easy to administer. Its utility by clinicians will enhance the diagnoses of depression, anxiety and stress among university students. Keywords: DASS-21, depression, anxiety, Stress, psychometric properties, Lagos, Nigeria


Highly inbred strain 2 guinea pigs can produce antibodies to portions of the insulin molecule to which strain 13 guinea pigs cannot produce antibodies. Such differences were not observable within either strain. Consequently it is probable that genetic factors regulate antibody production with respect to the determinant groups toward which antibodies are directed.


Despite the great theoretical advancements in the area of Belief Revision, there has been limited success in terms of implementations. One of the hurdles in implementing revision operators is that their specification (let alone their computation), requires substantial resources. On the other hand, implementing a specific revision operator, like Dalal's operator, would be of limited use. In a recent paper we generalised Dalal's construction defining a whole family of concrete revision operators, called Parametrised Difference revision operators or PD operators for short. This family is wide enough to cover a whole range of different applications, and at the same time it is easy to represent. In this paper we characterise axiomatically the family of PD operators, study its computational complexity, and discuss its benefits for belief revision


Trabecular bone is frequently studied in osteoporosis research because changes in trabecular bone are the most common cause of osteoporotic fractures. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis specific to trabecular bone-rich regions is crucial to longitudinal osteoporosis research. The purpose of this study is to define a novel method for accurately analyzing trabecular bone-rich regions in mice via DXA. This method will be utilized to analyze scans obtained from the International Space Station in an upcoming study of microgravity-induced bone loss. Thirty 12-week-old BALB/c mice were studied. The novel method was developed by preanalyzing trabecular bone-rich sites in the distal femur, proximal tibia, and lumbar vertebrae via high-resolution X-ray imaging followed by DXA and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analyses. The key DXA steps described by the novel method were (1) proper mouse positioning, (2) region of interest (ROI) sizing, and (3) ROI positioning. The precision of the new method was assessed by reliability tests and a 14-week longitudinal study. The bone mineral content (BMC) data from DXA was then compared to the BMC data from micro-CT to assess accuracy. Bone mineral density (BMD) intra-class correlation coefficients of the new method ranging from 0.743 to 0.945 and Levene's test showing that there was significantly lower variances of data generated by new method both verified its consistency. By new method, a Bland-Altman plot displayed good agreement between DXA BMC and micro-CT BMC for all sites and they were strongly correlated at the distal femur and proximal tibia (r=0.846, p<0.01; r=0.879, p<0.01, respectively). The results suggest that the novel method for site-specific analysis of trabecular bone-rich regions in mice via DXA yields more precise, accurate, and repeatable BMD measurements than the conventional method.


Multiview video captured by multi-camera systems has been widely used in many applications such as surveillance, 3D television, and free viewpoint television. After capturing, the multi-camera system generally requires to compress a large amount of multiview data due to limitations on the transmission capacity. To improve video quality, previous work on video compression focused on algorithm refinements when a raw multiview video is compressed at a limited bit-rate, whereas existing work on instrumentation generally introduced higher resolution capture and additional hardware. In contrast, this paper uses camera control to enhance video quality. Individual cameras are controlled to adjust their pan angles and focal lengths to compensate for both object location difference and color inconsistency among camera views at the video acquisition stage. Such a compensation makes the camera images more similar and therefore improves the video quality when a raw multiview video is compressed at a limited bit-rate. The optimal pan angle and focal length are designed for each camera. An example application is to monitor a potted plant in real time for ornamental horticulture study. Experimental results validate the camera control method.


In the current age of coronavirus, monitoring and enforcing correct mask-wearing regulation in public spaces is of para- mount importance. Specifically, there is a need to monitor whether people wear masks and whether they wear them cor- rectly. However, there is a lack of automated systems to rec- ognize correct mask-wearing compliance. In this paper, we propose a computer-vision-based solution to the problem of mask-wearing monitoring. In particular, we propose a convo- lutional neural network to recognize images of people wear- ing masks correctly, people wearing masks incorrectly, and people not wearing masks at all. Our proposed model is shown to predict correct mask-wearing practices with over 98% accuracy. The model can be easily deployed as an auto- mated system to screen people entering indoor spaces, and can replace current manual, time-consuming, temperature- screening practices. Such applications can serve as an im- portant tool to help reduce transmission rates during the cur- rent pandemic.


Summary form only received as follows: The main application of radio-guided surgery concerns sentinel node detection for breast and melanoma cancer staging. In that context, when used as complementary tools of gamma probes, compact cameras are very attractive to provide more efficient node localization. The authors report on Monte Carlo simulations designed to compare performances of a standard commercially available counter to those of the POCl compact gamma camera they developed. A 3-D phantom patient with 8 mm diameter node embedded in a scattering medium (including background activity from the injection site) were generated for various node-to-tumor distances and activity ratios. Other parameters considered included detector energy resolution and acquisition time. Detection performances were compared in terms of contrast and statistical fluctuations. Simulations demonstrate that compact cameras have significant advantages over counters when sentinel node is placed close to the injection site. For a 1/100 activity ratio, the minimum node-to-tumor distance required to identify the node is 11.5 and 1 cm for the probe and the camera respectively. In order to evaluate experimentally the interest of intra-operative imaging, eight patients included in sentinel node protocol have been also investigated with POCl. Clinical results show the reliability of the camera which ensures localization of sentinel node in all patients.


Abstract Background Candida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen that is often resistant to major classes of antifungal drugs and can survive on healthcare environmental surfaces, and is now a serious global health threat. It remains unclear whether C. Auris is also resistant to germicides (e.g., disinfectants, antiseptics). In this study, we investigated germicidal activity against C. Auris. Methods We assessed 21 different germicides plus 2 dilutions of sodium hypochlorite for C. Auris, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus. The disc-based quantitative carrier testing was performed to evaluate the germicidal activity of chemical germicides. An inoculum containing approximately 106 test organisms with 5% fetal calf serum (FCS) was placed on each disk. The dried inoculum was exposed to the test germicide for 1 minute exposure time at room temperature then neutralized. The log10 reduction of the test organism for each biocide was calculated and compared with mean carrier control counts. Results Efficacy of germicides with active ingredient, product name, and classification against C. Auris, C. Albicans, and S. Aureus is provided in Figure 1. Our germicidal study demonstrated at least 3-log10 reduction (12/22, 55%) and 2-log10 reduction (15/22, 68%) for C. Auris, 3-log10 reduction (14/22, 64%) and 2-log10 reduction (17/22, 77%) for C. Albicans, and 3-log10 reduction (22/22, 100%) for S. Aureus in the challenging test conditions (5% FCS and 1 minute exposure time). C. Auris was less susceptible to 0.55% ortho-phthalaldehyde, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate, 4% chlorhexidine gluconate, and 1% chloroxylenol compared with C. Albicans or S. Aureus. C. Auris was more susceptible to 70% ethanol, compared with C. Albicans. Several germicides (21.7% quaternary ammonium compounds [QAC], 3% hydrogen peroxide, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite [1:50 dilution], 0.5% triclosan) had <2-log10 reduction for both C. Auris and C. Albicans. Conclusion Our preliminary study results suggest that many germicides commonly used in healthcare facilities are effective against C. Auris, but further evaluations are warranted (e.g., QAC, triclosan, chlorhexidine gluconate, hydrogen peroxide) under less challenging test conditions (e.g., without 5% FCS and/or longer exposure time). Disclosures D. J. Weber, PDI: Consultant, Consulting fee.


We explore retrieving character-focused video frames as candidates for being video thumbnails. To evaluate each frame of the video based on the character(s) present in it, characters (faces) are evaluated in two aspects: Facial-expression : We train a CNN model to measure whether a face has an acceptable facial expression for being in a video thumbnail. This model is trained to distinguish faces extracted from artworks/thumbnails, from faces extracted from random frames of videos. Prominence and interactions : Character(s) in the thumbnail should be important character(s) in the video, to prevent the algorithm from suggest-ing non-representative frames as candidates. We use face clustering to identify the characters in the video, and form a graph in which the prominence (frequency of appearance) of the character(s), and their interactions (co-occurrence) are captured. We use this graph to infer the relevance of the characters present in each candidate frame. Once every face is scored based on the two criteria above, we infer frame level scores by combining the scores for all the faces within a frame.


Background The relationship between a poor nutritional state and the risk of fractures has not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the ability of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) to predict the incidence of subsequent vertebral fracture (SVF) after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). Methods A total of 307 women and 138 men over 50 years old who underwent PVP for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) were included. Blood biochemical indexes, body mass index (BMI), bone mineral density (BMD), physical function, and muscle strength were measured at baseline. Cox regression analysis was used to determine whether nutritional state was an independent predictor for SVF. Results During follow-up, 35 (25.4%) men and 85 (27.7%) women suffered SVF. Patients with SVF had lower BMI, serum albumin levels, GNRI scores, grip strength, lumbar BMD, and Short-Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores and higher fall rates and CONUT scores (P < 0.05). Compared with normal nutrition, mild malnutrition was associated with higher risk for SVF (women: HR 2.37, p=0.001, men: HR 2.97, p=0.021 by GNRI; women: HR 2.36, p=0.005, men: HR 3.62, p=0.002 by CONUT) after adjusting for confounding factors. Those with moderate–severe malnutrition also had a higher risk of SVF. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that poor nutrition state was significantly associated with lower SVF-free survival (P<0.05). The area under curve (AUC) for predicting SVF was 0.65 and 0.73 for the GNRI and 0.67 and 0.66 for the CONUT in men and women, respectively. Conclusion GNRI and CONUT are simple and effective tools for predicting SVF in patients undergoing PVP. Health management and nutrition supplement after PVP is a potentially effective prevention strategy against SVF.


Abstract A cloned line of BALB/c-derived mouse cells (10E2) was used to compare the phenotypic properties of cells transformed either spontaneously, by UV-irradiated herpes simplex virus (UV-HSV), or by SV40. Cells transformed by SV40 (tumorigenic and nontumorigenic) expressed several in vitro properties usually associated with transformed cells, including: ( a ) growth in serum-deficient medium; ( b ) high saturation density and loss of contact inhibition; and ( c ) anchorage independence in agarose and agar. Tumorigenic cells transformed spontaneously or by UV-HSV were indistinguishable from each other and did not express these properties. The SV40-transformed cells, but not the UV-HSV- or spontaneously transformed cells, also expressed transplantation rejection antigens. No correlation was found between any of the in vitro properties tested and tumor induction by 10E2 cells transformed either spontaneously, by UV-HSV, or by SV40. No evidence of viral DNA, RNA, or proteins was found in cells transformed by UV-HSV within limitations of the applied techniques. The UV-HSV-transformed cells demonstrated no in vitro properties distinct from spontaneously transformed cells which could be ascribed to retained viral gene sequences. This differed from SV40-transformed cells, where retained viral gene sequences were apparently responsible for expression by the cells of in vitro properties usually associated with a transformed phenotype. The fact that 10E2 cells tumorigenically transformed by UV-HSV differed significantly from cells transformed by SV40 suggested that if a "transforming" segment of the herpes simplex virus genome was retained in the cells, it did not function to alter the in vitro growth properties of the cells, as occurred with SV40-transformed cells.


Reintroductions of threatened species are increasingly common in conservation. The translocation of a small subset of individuals from a genetically diverse source population could potentially lead to substantial inbreeding depression due to the high genetic load of the parent population. We analysed 12 years of data from the reintroduced population of North Island robins Petroica longipes on Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand, to determine the frequency of inbreeding and magnitude of inbreeding depression. The initial breeding population consisted of 12 females and 21 males, which came from a large mainland population of robins. The frequency of mating between relatives (f>0; 39%, n=82 pairs) and close relatives (f=0.25; 6.1%) and the average level of inbreeding (f=0.027) were within the range reported for other small island populations of birds. The average level of inbreeding fluctuated from year to year depending on the frequency of close inbreeding (e.g. sib–sib pairs). We found evidence for inbreeding depression in juvenile survival, with survival probability estimated to decline from 31% among non‐inbred birds (f=0) to 11% in highly inbred juveniles (f=0.25). The estimated number of lethal equivalents based on this relationship (4.14) was moderate compared with values reported for other island populations of passerines. Given that significant loss of fitness was only evident in highly inbred individuals, and such individuals were relatively rare once the population expanded above 30 pairs, we conclude that inbreeding depression should have little influence on this robin population. Although the future fitness consequences of any loss of genetic variation due to inbreeding are uncertain, the immediate impact of inbreeding depression is likely to be low in any reintroduced population that expands relatively quickly after establishment.


With unique potentials for organ drug delivery and targeting, intravenous administration of drugs has represented a key tool in biomedicine. A major concern of this route is the rapid capture and destruction of foreign substances by circulating immune cells. Knowledge about the inter-relationships between drugs and blood cells is essential for a better control in drug stability and bioavailability. In this review, both classical pathways and novel insights into the immune mechanisms leading to drug clearance after systemic delivery are described. Drug surface chemistry and size have been identified as critical factors for the activation of host immune responses, and their modification has been extensively explored in order to evade immune surveillance. Common strategies to camouflage drug surfaces through polymer-grafting are presented, with special emphasis on Poly(Ethylene Glycol) (PEG) linkages, one of the most diverse strategies for modifying biomolecular surfaces. Finally, the use of "smart shields", such as PEG attachments shed at particular intracellular conditions, is briefly overviewed as an interesting approach for balancing circulation half lives VS bioavailability in polymer-grafted formulations.


Spectroscopic ellipsometry together with an effective medium model is used to determine simultaneously the effective refractive index, thickness, and metal volume fraction of thin nanocomposite films. The films are formed by Bi nanocrystals embedded in amorphous matrices, either semiconducting (Ge) or dielectric (Al2O3). For the Bi:Ge films (metal in an absorbing host), the values obtained for both the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index vary continuously from that of Ge to that of Bi. The metal contents determined from the ellipsometry analysis are in excellent agreement with those obtained from direct measurements of the composition. For the Bi:Al2O3 films (metal in a nonabsorbing host), the extinction coefficient (k) exhibits a maximum around 360 nm which is related to the metal plasmon resonance frequency of Bi nanocrystals. The metal content determined from the ellipsometry analysis in this case is underestimated, probably due to interaction of the Bi crystals with the Al2O3 host.


Abstract The piston engine is an essential component in automobiles. Since the piston is used in a high temperature and high pressure environment, the piston needs to be manufactured to achieve high strength and high durability. In addition, cost reduction is also an important consideration. In conventional forging, an additional heat treatment after hot forging is necessary to ensure proper mechanical properties for heavy-duty engine pistons. The newly developed manufacturing method lowers production costs by saving manufacturing time and reduces energy consumption. The current paper describes the hot forging of an engine piston made from 38MnSiVS5 micro-alloyed steel using controlled cooling. The finite element analysis was used to check for possible problems and suitable press capacity. Hot forging experiments were then conducted on a 2500tons crank press to evaluate feasibility of the proposed material and process. To check the mechanical properties after hot forging, the forged specimens were tensile tested, and the microstructures were examined in order to compare the results with the conventionally forged material. The skirt region of the as-forged 38MnSiVS5 piston showed better material properties compared to the conventional material. In addition, the total production time was reduced by about 80% as compared to conventional forging.


This issue's Alert Collector offering on audiobooks is a departure from the usual subject-based column. With the wide availability of downloadable audiobooks, there is a huge opportunity for libraries to serve readers who would rather listen on their mobile devices. Renee Young, a Metadata Librarian III with EBSCO, offers some great advice for any librarian trying to build or improve their audiobook collection. She also suggests ways to promote your collection and help those you serve find great new "reads" in audiobook format. Young is a former reviewer of audiobooks for Booklist, served as member and chair of Listen List Council of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), and has presented on listener's advisory at national conferences. Her "listening" skills go back to before becoming a librarian: she served in the US Army as a cryptologic linguist, which involved listening to and translating radio transmissions.—Editor


The attentional blink (AB) refers to that period of time (200-400 ms) during which the cognitive system is processing a first target (T1), thereby unable to process a second target (T2) (Raymond et al, 1992, J Exp Psych, 18, 849-860). It unfolds over time, probing the competition between incoming stimuli during each stage of early visual attention. We used the AB to examine how static and dynamic emotional facial expressions direct attention. In experiment 1, T1 was a neutral face. T2 was either a fearful, happy or neutral face, and was either static or dynamic--the expression unfolded from 0 to 100%. Participants performed a gender decision on T1, and reported whether they perceived a second face. We used curve-fitting techniques (Cousineau et al, 2007, Can J Exp Psyc, 60, 175-189) to analyze aspects of the data related to the ignition of the blink and its duration. We show that (1) emotional faces suffer from this effect earlier, and that (2) it lasts for a shorter period of time compared to neutral faces. (3) Dynamic facial expressions alleviate the AB more than static faces. Experiment 2 addressed the effect of the motion contained in dynamic emotional facial expressions. T1 was a neutral face. T2 was a fearful static, dynamic or scrambled-dynamic face--tailored to show scrambled configural and featural information, avoiding emotion recognition while displaying the same intrinsic motion as dynamic facial expressions. Results confirmed the AB was modulated by emotion and not simply by dynamic targets. These findings suggest that emotional salience plays a critical role in attentional resource allocation during early stages of visual attention.


A new microbead (MB)-based digital flow cytometric sensing system is proposed for the sensitive detection of heparin-specific biomarkers, including heparin-binding protein (HBP) and heparinase. This strategy takes advantage of the inherent space-confined enzymatic behavior of T4 polynucleotide kinase phosphatase (T4 PNKP) around a single MB and the heparin's digital-like inhibitory effect on T4 PNKP. By integrating with an on-bead terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-catalyzed fluorescence signal amplification technology, the concentration of HBP and heparinase can be digitally determined by the number of fluorescence-positive/-negative MBs which can be easily counted by flow cytometry. This is not only the first test to expand the application scenario of T4 PNKP to the digital detection of different biomarkers but also pioneers a new direction for fabricating digital biosensing platforms based on the enzyme inhibition mechanism.


Abstract Objectives Automatic job coding tools were developed to reduce the laborious task of manually assigning job codes based on free-text job descriptions in census and survey data sources, including large occupational health studies. The objective of this study is to provide a case study of comparative performance of job coding and JEM (Job-Exposure Matrix)-assigned exposures agreement using existing coding tools. Methods We compared three automatic job coding tools [AUTONOC, CASCOT (Computer-Assisted Structured Coding Tool), and LabourR], which were selected based on availability, coding of English free-text into coding systems closely related to the 1988 version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88), and capability to perform batch coding. We used manually coded job histories from the AsiaLymph case-control study that were translated into English prior to auto-coding to assess their performance. We applied two general population JEMs to assess agreement at exposure level. Percent agreement and PABAK (Prevalence-Adjusted Bias-Adjusted Kappa) were used to compare the agreement of results from manual coders and automatic coding tools. Results The coding per cent agreement among the three tools ranged from 17.7 to 26.0% for exact matches at the most detailed 4-digit ISCO-88 level. The agreement was better at a more general level of job coding (e.g. 43.8–58.1% in 1-digit ISCO-88), and in exposure assignments (median values of PABAK coefficient ranging 0.69–0.78 across 12 JEM-assigned exposures). Based on our testing data, CASCOT was found to outperform others in terms of better agreement in both job coding (26% 4-digit agreement) and exposure assignment (median kappa 0.61). Conclusions In this study, we observed that agreement on job coding was generally low for the three tools but noted a higher degree of agreement in assigned exposures. The results indicate the need for study-specific evaluations prior to their automatic use in general population studies, as well as improvements in the evaluated automatic coding tools.


Introduction Robotic surgery is a method of minimally invasive surgery performed through small incisions using a remote robotic console. Surgical residents and attendings participate in simulation training to be able to effectively perform robotic surgery using wet labs, dry labs and virtual reality platforms. Our objective is to identify the effectiveness of robotic simulation on novice robotic surgeons. This review will answer our review question: To what extent are robotic simulations for training novice robotic general surgery residents and attendings associated with improved outcomes in comparison with no simulation training? Methods and analysis A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science was performed. The studies were then determined to meet initial screening criteria by one individual for abstract and title with full text screening performed by two authors independently and in duplicate. Narrative themes will be collected, analysed and summarised where possible. Ethics and dissemination There is no Institutional Review Board approval required given that the work is carried out on previously published papers. The final manuscript and results will be presented and published at an academic conference and peer -reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021274090.


The paper describes a pyrolytic method of investigating the kinetics of gaseous reactions in which toluene is used as a carrier gas. It is shown that the method is particularly suitable for the determination of bond dissociation energies. The scope of the method is illustrated by various examples. A list of bond dissociation energies obtained is given. The manner in which the experimental results obtained can be cross-checked, is indicated and illustrated by examples. The effects of various constitutional factors on the bond dissociation energies are discussed.


BACKGROUND
The simple risk index recorded in the emergency room (ER-SRI), which is calculated using the formula (heart rate × [age / 10]2) / systolic blood pressure, was shown to be able to stratify the prognosis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. However, the prognostic impact of the prehospital simple risk index (Pre-SRI) remains unknown.Methods and Results: This study enrolled 2,047 STEMI patients from the Mie Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) registry. Pre-SRI was calculated using prehospital data and ER-SRI was calculated using emergency room data. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality. The cut-off values of Pre-SRI and ER-SRI for predicting 30-day mortality were 34.8 and 34.1, with accuracies of 0.816 and 0.826 based on receiver operating characteristic analyses (P<0.001 for both). There was no difference in the accuracy of the 2 indices. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that a High Pre-SRI (≥34) was a significant independent predictor of 30-day mortality. With combined Pre-SRI and ER-SRI assessment, patients with High Pre-SRI/High ER-SRI showed significantly higher mortality than those with High Pre-SRI/Low ER-SRI, Low Pre-SRI/High ER-SRI, and Low Pre-SRI/Low ER-SRI (P<0.001). The addition of High Pre-SRI to High ER-SRI showed incremental prognostic value of the Pre-SRI.

CONCLUSIONS
Pre-SRI can identify high-risk STEMI patients at an early stage and combined assessment with Pre-SRI and ER-SRI could be of incremental prognostic value for risk stratification in STEMI patients.


Proper nutrition is one of the main factors which influence peoples harmonious development. Teenagers media promote the patterns of physical appearance and behaviour that can cause and strengthen inadequate nourishment habits. People having problems with self-esteem may develop dangerous dysfunctions like anorexia or bulimia. The aim of this work was checking the number and quality of meals eaten by 13-15 year old student of secondary school in Niepołomice. A research has been carried out among two hundred students (111 girls and 89 boys) The way of nutrition on the basis of the questionnaire by Starzyńska and the frequency of incorrect nutritional behaviors on the basis of Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT26) were estimated. It was revealed too small consumption of dairy products, whole meal bread, and pulse crops. Such diet lowers nutritive and mineral components in organism. It may effect further health condition of grown people. Girls are more liable to suffer from the negative influence of media because it is a lot more difficult for them to accept their figure. Also disturbed eating attitudes and behaviour are observed particularly among girls in adolescence period.


Problem statement: In the virtual world domain, the existing techniques of exploration, were not able alone to resolve the understanding problem of scenes with embedded object, also they are time and memory consuming. As a solution, a novel method that enhances the visualization of 3D ray traced scenes with embedded objects by creating a hole proportional to its interior parts was developed and tested. Approach: This research presented a novel approach that allows an automatic exploration of 3D scenes with embedded objects. First of all, the apparent contour of the interior object that we want to see, were computed by using the ray tracing algorithm with the selective refinement optimization approach. The second step was to search for pixels which are orthogonal in a certain depth and directed toward the outside of the silhouette in order to create a hole. Results: The obtained results were convincing and answering to the goal of this research. The proposed method allows the creation of a hole around an object and can be applied to any type of model. Conclusion: This very successful approach for 3D scenes with embedded object exploration is further supported by its ability to give at the same time a global idea about the scene as well as a possibility to explore its interior while saving time and memory.


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Water injection is an important recovery method in deepwater reservoirs. A certain water injection volume is required to maintain target oil production. A short injection / fall-off test is therefore often conducted to evaluate well injectivity performance prior to oil production. Following that, permanent downhole gauges are set to monitor full field development scale. Pressure transient data from the permanent gauges are then also analyzed as long-term injection and fall-off tests. Reservoir parameters, such as permeability and skin factors can be obtained from these shortand long-term tests. However, several questions must be asked about the interpretations, such as 1) What do we actually see into formation, i.e. injected water or reservoir oil? 2) Do the permeability and skin values change with time? 3) How can we capture and understand reservoir changes versus time? Determination of in-situ reservoir permeability from pressure transient tests has always been of primary target in well test analysis. In a single-phase system, an answer is straight forward. However, in the two-phase injection system, the single phase assumptions cannot be applied any longer. When interpreting water injection fall-off tests, it is important to consider the volume and consequent injection radius occupied by water pumped into formation. These factors are significant in log-log plot interpretation because the first, early radial flow stabilization plateau reflects the relative permeability to the water injected . However, the reservoir performance and production forecasts need to use the effective permeability to oil. This is usually inferred from longterm fall-off tests that investigate beyond the injection water invasion zone. Therefore, an appropriate methodology should be devised and applied in test design and interpretation to deliver accurate commercially valuable well test outputs, specifically for short-lived falloffs. A three-dimensional dynamic simulation has been selected as a means to show the importance of the above factors, understand fall-off peculiarities, and discuss the way the outputs can be achieved when testing injection wells during continuous pressure maintenance schedule. The paper demonstrates the application of the simulation to fall-off tests performed on the two-phase reservoir model. Responses of pressure fall-off recorded at various stages of long-term injection sequence on the log-log plot are produced and compared with actual tests from deepwater reservoirs. Reflection of fall-off test duration on phase mobility dynamics is presented. Importance of rock wettability and relative permeability-saturation relation is discussed. Contribution of phase-by-phase saturation related peak flow rates radially propagated in time from the wellbore away into a reservoir during a falloff and their association with the pressure derivative curve to determine effective phase permeability values are discussed in this paper. Awareness of changing of the effective phase permeability values on pressure derivative that reflects either effective permeability of a phase while recorded at various moments of injection schedule allows one to provide a comprehensive well test analysis. To understand this effect, the correct value should be reported instead of an overall absolute reservoir permeability value that could mislead model calibration issues in field development study or other reservoir engineering campaigns. Such an approach can be a useful tool in analyzing both simulated and field fall-off data to benefit dynamic simulation in the testing business. Test design and interpretation considerations and challenges of their use in water injection well tests are also discussed. In conclusion, the paper is aimed to close IPTC 13440 Water Injection Fall-Off Tests in Deepwater Reservoir: What Do We Actually See Into Formation? Sergey Abramochkin, Andrew Carnegie, Saifon Daungkaew, Gordon Goh, Schlumberger, Phil Bee, Murphy Oil Corporation


ABSTRACT: Heterocyclic compounds are acquiring more importance in recent years because of their pharmacological activities. Pyrazolones have a particular value due to their broad spectrum of biological activity and their wide ranging utility as synthetic tools in the design of various bioactive molecules. Pyrazolone is a five membered lactum ring, containing two nitrogen and one ketonic group in its structure. In addition, pyrazolones possess antimicrobial, antifungal, antimycobacterial, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antitumor, gastric secretion stimulatory, antidepressant and antifilarial activities. They also serve as precursors for dyes, pigments, pesticides and chelating agents, besides finding applications in the extraction and separation of various metal ions. The high therapeutic properties of the pyrazolone releted drugs have encouraged the medicinal chemists to synthesized a large number of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Numerous methods for the synthesis of pyrazolone and also their various structure reactions offer enormous scope in the field of medicinal chemistry. This articles aims to review the work reported, their chemistry and biological activities of pyrazolone during past years.


Objectives To characterize differences in cardiac structure and function in hemodialysis (HD) patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and in those without using echocardiography and to determine their impact on the prediction of mortality using echocardiographic parameters. Methods Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data were collected from patients commencing HD. Results Compared with those without DN, patients with DN had lower peak velocity of the early diastolic wave (e′), larger left atria, and higher peak early diastolic velocity (E)/e′ and peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). In addition, a larger proportion of DN patients had a combination of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, cardiac valve calcification, moderate-to-severe cardiac valve regurgitation (CVR), and at least moderate pericardial effusion (PE). After accounting for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, hemoglobin, and albumin, DN was responsible for e′  < 10 cm/s, E/e′ >13 m/s, TR >2.8 m/s, LV diastolic dysfunction, CVR, and PE. LV diastolic dysfunction and E/e′ >13 were the most useful predictors of mortality in patients with DN. Conclusions Patients with DN who undergo HD tend to have worse LV diastolic function and are more likely to have heart valve problems. LV diastolic dysfunction and E/e′ are predictors of death in DN patients.


Dynamic Causal Modelling(DCM) is a framework enabling the quantification of the causal relationship between functionally connected brain regions. Here we included the cerebellum in a visuomotor network to investigate its role in motion prediction and how different Grip-Force levels modulate the effective connectivity between cerebellum and primary visual cortex. We estimated different DCMs models and we used Bayesian Models Selection to assess the best model at group-level. This study paves the way for investigating the source of BOLD non-linearities when applying different grip-forces in terms of modulations of the cerebro-cerebellar connections.


This paper will introduce the sojourner's model of Post-Secondary learning (SMOPL). This new model illustrates the integrative and overlapping structures of culture shock and participatory action research into a single conceptual framework. The aim of SMOPL was two-fold; first, to help the visiting international student (i.e., sojourner) to cope with the common problem of debilitating academic performance. The second aim of the SMOPL was to provide more general application for personal change and improved performance in new academic setting.


Water granulating is widely used to treat blast furnace slag in iron-making process, and the large amount of waste heat of granulating water is currently wasted in the cooling tower or in detritus tank. In response to the status, a new-style technical scheme that the granulating water was used for building heating as the heat source was put forward in the paper. Based on the analysis calculation on the heat balance of the water granulating process, the technical scheme and the system optimization method were put forward in the paper, and a specific engineering in Jinan Iron&Steel group was calculated and designed. The result showed that the system could supply heating for the living district, and the water was cooled effectively for circulating utilization. It would gain great energy efficiency and environmental benefits.


Dissolved oxygen at approximately four times normal saturation (42 mg liter−1) inhibited the growth and metabolism of summer planktonic bacteria in the surface water of alpine oligotrophic Mountain Lake (Giles County, Va.). Data were derived from growth of CFU on membrane filters, d-[U-14C]glucose incorporation into the extractable lipid of these CFU, and respiration and assimilation of d-[U-14C]glucose by lake water samples. Statistically significant (α < 0.05) differences were not detected in either CFU or 14C incorporation in lipid when superoxide dismutase (30 U ml−1) or catalase (130 U ml−1) was added to the medium. Thus, exogenous oxygen by-products apparently are not responsible for the observed inhibition of growth and metabolism.


The aim of this study was to determine the pathomorphological and functional changes after the induced focal photothrombosis of blood vessels in the thoracic region of rat spinal cord. Neuronal damage, characteristic of ischemia, both in the focus of an experimental photothrombosis and in transitional zone, were detected together with the symptoms of motor function and pelvic organ failure. The investigated method of focal photothrombosis induction may be used for modeling of spinal cord ischemia in the development of methods for pharmacological correction and partial restoration of damaged sensomotor functions.


Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) controllers, such as the Static Var Compensator (SVC), employ the latest technology of power electronic switching devices in electric power transmission systems to control voltage and powerflow, and improve short-term voltage stability.Given a profit-driven, deregulated electric power industry coupled with increased load growth, the power transmission infrastructure is being stressed to its upper operating limits to achieve maximum economic returns to both generator and transmission system owners. In such an environment, system stability problems such as inadequate voltage control and system instability must be resolved in the most cost-effective manner to improve overall grid security and reliability.Static Var Compensators are being increasingly applied in electric transmission systems to economically improve voltage control and post-disturbance recovery voltages that can lead to system instability. An SVC provides such system improvements and benefits by controlling shunt reactive power sources, both capacitive and inductive, with state-of-the-art power electronic switching devices. This thesis will discuss and demonstrate how SVC has successfully been applied to control transmission systems dynamic performance for system disturbances and effectively regulate system voltage. System and SVC modeling will also be discussed.


Dennis William Ewer was Professor of Zoology during the formative years of tertiary education in Ghana and served as a distinguished academic in three African universities. In Ghana, he made an outstanding contribution to tropical biology and biology education. This historical account of one man's attempt to improve the teaching of biology to African students is noteworthy for several reasons. He was an enormous influence for change in how and what biology was taught at both secondary and tertiary levels. Anxious for radical change and to break the mould of the Oxbridge tradition, he worked tirelessly to put an end to the British system of teaching biology and alter the course material to make it relevant in an African context. He believed that the transplantation of the British model was inappropriate for Africa. He emphasized the need and importance of training technicians and placed teaching before research in his priorities. In terms of the curriculum, ecology should, in his view, be the central integrating theme in Africa with a preferred slant towards applied biology rather than the pure science courses of the developed world. Ewer was also a prime mover for change at the secondary school level, helping to improve the biology syllabus, editing textbooks, and providing teacher's guides. He was critical of the then current school teaching in biology because it bred passive students with bad work habits and believed there was a need to challenge students intellectually, both at school and university. This led him to clamour for new approaches in both secondary and higher education.


Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), both of which involve chronic intestinal inflammation. Recent evidence has indicated that gut immunological homeostasis is maintained by the interaction between host immunity and intestinal microbiota. A variety of innate immune cells promote or suppress T cell differentiation and activation in response to intestinal bacteria or their metabolites. Some commensal bacteria species or bacterial metabolites enhance or repress host immunity by inducing T helper (Th) 17 cells or regulatory T cells. Intestinal epithelial cells between host immune cells and intestinal microbiota contribute to the separation of these populations and modulate host immune responses to intestinal microbiota. Therefore, the imbalance between host immunity and intestinal microbiota caused by host genetic predisposition or abnormal environmental factors promote susceptibility to intestinal inflammation.


Purpose of reviewThis review will outline the imaging anatomy of the vestibular and visual pathways, using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, with emphasis on the more recent developments in neuroimaging. Recent findingsTechnical advances in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, such as the advent of multislice computed tomography and newer magnetic resonance imaging techniques such as T2-weighted magnetic resonance cisternography, have improved the imaging of the vestibular and visual pathways, allowing better visualization of the end organs and peripheral nerves. Higher field strength magnetic resonance imaging is a promising tool, which has been used to evaluate and resolve fine anatomic detail in vitro, as in the labyrinth. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tractography have been used to identify cortical areas of activation and associated white matter pathways, and show potential for the future identification of complex neuronal relays involved in integrating these pathways. SummaryThe assessment of the various components of the vestibular and the visual systems has improved with more detailed research on the imaging anatomy of these systems, the advent of high field magnetic resonance scanners and multislice computerized tomography, and the wider use of specific techniques such as tractography which displays white matter tracts not directly accessible until now.


The paper deals with the problem of resource allocation in a substrate network with DaVinci architecture. We present a methodology of decision making on network bandwidth allocation based on fuzzification and defuzzification principles and the expert knowledge database of fuzzy rules and we describe a fuzzy logic based modification of the adaptive bandwidth allocation mechanism to optimize decision making under uncertain network conditions. We describe a simulation scheme used for the estimation of performance of this modification for two nodes network topology.


Deforestation shows the constant environmental degradation that occurs worldwide as a result of the growth of economic activity and the increase in population. This research examines the causal link between renewable energy consumption, GDP, GDP2, non-renewable energy price, population growth and forest area in high, middle- and low-income countries. Based on data obtained from World Development Indicators, the autoregressive distributed lag model, with a time series, is used to examine the long-term cointegration relationship between the variables. The results justify the existence of a joint long-term relationship between the variables analysed for the middle-income countries and low-income countries. When the forest area is not at its equilibrium level, the speed of adjustment is slow (0.44% and 8.7%), which is typical of the nature of this natural resource. An increase in the consumption of renewable energy is associated with an increase between 0.04 and 0.02 square kilometres of forest cover, respectively. The research does not show evidence about the equilibrium relationship in the short term. Growth in renewable energy consumption is one of the main drivers for preserving the forest area. Therefore, those responsible for making economic policies must aim their measures towards the use of clean energy.


A statistical study of 128 cases of autoimmune hemolytic anemias, serologically followed up in the same laboratory, led to some conclusions on classification, prognosis and treatment.

Five forms were distinguished: 1. Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia with warm autoantibodies (IAHA-wa) was the most frequent form (65 per cent of the cases). It was observed in all peroids of life. A slight predominance among females was noted. This form was characterized clinically by a generalized or conjunctival icterus and a moderate splenomegaly. Hematologically a macrocytic normochromic anemia was present and serologically warm incomplete autoagglutinins, often nonspecific, or sometimes specific for a group antigen, were detected. Hemolysins were not found. The average course was 13 months followed by recovery (54 per cent) and 16 months followed by death (46 per cent). These two groups of patients were compared extensively. No differences in the age, sex, blood group and severity of the initial anemia were noted. A low reticulocyte count, leukopenia and association with thrombocytopenic purpura were more frequent in fatal cases. Tile persistence of a positive indirect Coombs test was unfavorable. Those with free antibodies in the plasma were the most serious. Fifty-two per cent of fatal cases had a positive indirect Coombs test. Of those who recovered, 18.5 per cent had this serologic finding. Transfusions were usually done at the begining of the disease. The efficacy of corticosteroid hormones was confirmed; the percentage of recoveries has risen since this therapy has been used fully (37.5 to 70 per cent). Early or late splenectomy had no influence on final desensitization ( long-term effect ), but led in 58 per cent of the cases to good clinical results ( immediate effect ). The spleen destroys red cells coated with noncomplement-fixing antibodies, so that splenectomy leads to compensation for the anemia. One must also describe the acute autoimmune hemolytic anemia observed especially in children, in which warm hemolysins could be detected at the very early stage of the disease. Complement was diminished or absent and the serum often showed anticomplementary activity. Complete recovery was rapid.

2. Symptomatic autoimmune hemolytic anemia with warm autoantibodies (SAHA-wa) accompanied mostly malignant conditions of the lymphocytic or reticuloendothelial systems as well as more rarely disseminated lupus erythematosus (17.6 per cent of the cases). Except for the causal disease, these cases were not different from IAHA-wa and their prognosis depended on the prognosis of the causal disorder.

3. Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia with cold antibodies (IAHAca) was less frequent (7.7 per cent of the cases). Clinically it was characterized by the rarity of splenomegaly, the chance of cold paroxysmal hemoglobinuria (1 case out of 10) and of Raynaud's syndrome (1 case out of 10), and serologically by the presence of a cold acid-hemolysin (7 cases out of 8) along with an increased titer of complete agglutinins. Complement was diminished or absent. A positive Coombs test was possibly due to complement fixation. The course of these forms seemed to be very chronic: Nine cases of the 10 of the series were in progress for an average of 26 months, without any apparent trend to densensitization. The action of hormone therapy was less striking than in the warm variety. Splenectomy was probably not effective (1 case), since the red cells sensitized by complement-fixing antibodies were mainly recovered by the liver.

4. Symptomatic autoimmune hemolytic anemia wiith cold antibodies (SAHA-ca) was divided into two distinct forms: (a) one symptomatic of a malignant condition of the blood of the same type as in SAHA-wa (7 per cent of cases). The serology was identical to that of IAHA-ca. The prognosis was determined by that of the causal disease; (b) one symptomatic of a virus or a presumed virus infection (3.9 per cent of cases). Here an acid-hemolysin usually accompanied a very high complete cold agglutinin titer. Complete recovery occurred rapidly.

In all cases with cold antibodies exposure to cold had to be carefully avoided. In cases of hemolysins, washed red cells had to be used for transfusions.


In order to develop long-lifetime neural electrodes, the insertion tissue injury caused by two optimized neural electrode (convex streamline electrode and vibration attenuation electrode) models were evaluated compared with a reference electrode. Based on the experimental evaluation system for testing tissue injury, the effects of insertion speeds on tissue injury of the two optimized electrodes with different insertion depths were studied. The maximum tissue strain caused by the two optimized neural electrodes firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of insertion speed at the depths of 3 mm and 4.5 mm. The insertion forces caused by vibration attenuation electrode are steady with the change of insertion speed. The convex streamline neural electrode caused less tissue injury compared with the other two electrodes. The higher or lower insertion speed causes smaller tissue strain for the two optimized electrodes, which is conductive to set implantation parameters to minimize tissue injury.


In this present study, Karpura shilajit bhasma, an Ayurvedic herbo-mineral formulation, currently used in the Ayurvedic clinical practice as a diuretic drug, was investigated chemically and pharmacologically. Content of iron and nitrogen were determined by volumetric analysis and content of calcium, magnesium and aluminium by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). LD50, gross behavioral studies and diuretic activity were evaluated in experimental animals. Calcium was found to be the major element (24.6044% w/w). The LD50 was found to be 4.625 g/kg p.o. body weight in mice. Karpura shilajit bhasma produced mild reduction in motor coordination and mild sedation during the first 2 h after administration at the doses of 500-5000 mg/kg p.o. in mice. The diuretic activity was found to be significant (P < 0.01) at minimum dose of 200 mg/kg p.o. in rats and dose dependant up to 1000 mg/kg p.o. Furthermore, natriuretic effect was found to be significant (P < 0.01), while no significant change was observed on urinary potassium excretion. The present study justified the use of Karpura shilajit bhasma as a diuretic drug. The results of this study could be used as a model data in the standardization of Karpura shilajit bhasma.


One of the primary objectives of the LOFT (Loss-of-Fluid Test) Program is to provide data required to evaluate and improve the analytical methods currently used to predict the LOCA (Loss-of-Coolant Accident) response of large pressurized water reactors. The purpose of the paper is to describe the computer modeling methods used in predicting the fluid conditions in the LOFT core during the blowdown and refill phases of a nuclear LOCE (Loss-of-Coolant Experiment). Prediction results for a LOFT nonnuclear isothermal LOCE are compared to the experimental data to illustrate the validity of the modeling choices.


Background The demand for cataract surgery is rising, calling for pathways that have good access and are cost-effective. Lean thinking is a management strategy, aimed at improving quality while reducing costs. Lean production processes are designed to identify gaps between expected and actual performance. Aim To analyse the efficacy and efficiency of a lean cataract pathway. Methods Lean care delivered to a prospective cohort (616 cataract patients) was compared (1) with traditional care delivered to a historical cohort (591 cataract patients) and (2) with expected lean care in the prospective cohort. To evaluate efficacy, the authors analysed how many patients received care that adhered to the lean pathway's specifications. To evaluate efficiency, the authors analysed how often patients visited the hospital and how many additional patients could access the pathway. Results In the lean pathway, patient visits decreased by 23%, and access to the cataract pathway increased with 42%. A 40% decrease in patient visits and a 76% increase in access could have been realised if healthcare staff would have adhered to the lean pathway's specifications. Practice implications Lean pathways can realise large improvements, and still have a significant gap between expected and actual care delivery. The challenge for healthcare teams is not to improve care delivery by using lean pathways as opposed to using traditional pathways, but to strive for optimal performance by consistently adhering to the specifications of the lean pathway.


This article considers the complex identity of W. A. Poucher, acclaimed landscape photographer, regional guidebook writer, and perfumer-cosmetician. Taking narrative form, it couples recent disciplinary experiments with the writing of geography and writing of biography. As an exercise in historical geography, the article is concerned with popular topographical culture in mid-twentieth-century Britain, and, gendered subjectivities emergent in the modern world. By considering different aspects of one man's life-world, an investigative quest is undertaken, one encompassing beauty standards (for attractiveness and ordinariness, landscape scenery and the human body), cultural categories (popular and picturesque, commercial and conservative), sensibilities (camp and queer, dandyism and double-ness), and social values or vices (attributed to surfaces and depths, atmospheres and appearances). The life in question comes to be known according to the sense economies and aesthetics of desirable things, including the miniature camera, pictorial guidebooks, shapely mountains, makeup, cosmetics and fragrances, flash cars, evening television, and weekend golf. W. A. Poucher is ever present as the central subject of geo-biographical inquiries, although any temptation to conclusively place his person is resisted.


Background and Purpose: This study assesses the effects of prior family planning participation on low birth weight and vise of prenatal health services in a low-income population. Methods: Records ofNorth Carolina birth certificates for 1989 and 1990 were linked with records of family planning services received in North Carolina public health departments in order to compare rates of low birth weight between prenatal patients in health departments who did and did not receive family planning services in the two years before conception. Intermediate measures known to be related to poor birth outcomes were also examined, such as initiation into prenatal care, adequacy of prenatal care as determined by the Kessner Index, and birth interval. Results: Pregnant women who had participated previously in family planning services were significantly more likely to have a birth-to-conception interval ofgreater than six months than those who did not participate. They were also more likely to receive early and adequate prenatal care and to be involved in prenatal WIC and maternity care coordination. In addition, the family planning participants were less likely to be under the age of 18 and less likely to deliver a low-weight baby than were the nonparticipants. Conclusions: Family planning services should be promoted as a preventive measure to improve use of prenatal health services and birth weight, particularly among low-income women. Denise Jamieson is a medical student at Duke University. This project was completed during her internship at the State Center for Health and Environmental Statistics in the Fall of 1991 . An earlier version of this paper fulfilled part of her requirements for a master's degree in public health from the Department ofMaternal and Child Health at the University of North Carolina.


In this study, it was aimed to investigate whether basic swimming training has effects on height, body weight, right and left hand grip strength, right and left hand lengths, shoulder width, chest circumference, standing long jump characteristics. The study is important in terms of making individuals in the growth period and investigating the physical development of major technical studies from force studies. It is known that regular sport has also developed physical features along with many other features. However, there is not a complete consensus about the sport, its violence, its frequency and duration. The study using the experimental research method included 114 individuals with a mean age of 11.03 ± 1.23 years. The study group, consisting of 58 subjects, received regular swimming lessons twice a week for two hours at a time over a period of 7 months. The sedentary control group included 56 subjects who received no sports instruction apart from their standard physical education classes. Prior to the start of the study, measurements were taken for height, body mass, right and left hand grip strength, right and left hand length, shoulder width, chest circumference, and standing long jump for both groups. The same measurements were taken again 7 months later, at the conclusion of the study. The differences between the initial and final measurements of both the study group and the control group were statistically compared within the group and between the groups. In this comparison, the General Linear Model method was used in the SPSS 21 Package program. As a result, it was found that the increase in height, body weight, right hand grip strength, right and left hand lengths, chest circumference and standing long jump mean values of swimming training subjects were found to be different at p <0.001 in the control group in seven months period. It was also found that the increase in the mean value of left hand grip strength in both groups was significantly different in favor of swimming training subjects (p <0.005). The increase in shoulder width mean values of the study group and the control group did not differ between the groups (p> 0,005).


Questions: What is the spatial range of regeneration of the fleshy-fruited tree Sorbus aucuparia (rowan) in a coarse-grained spruce stand on a large landscape scale? Does the spatial distribution and size of stands of different ages affect the probability of rowan regeneration? What are the consequences of the dynamics of dominant coniferous tree species for the dynamics of admixture rowan? Location: A sub-alpine spruce forest in the Tatra Mountains, Poland. Methods: We mapped all mature rowans in a 203-ha area and counted the rowan seedlings and saplings on a grid of evenly distributed plots. In plots, the age and diameter of trees were measured. Patches of homogenous stands were distinguished and each rowan tree and each plot was assigned to one of four stand categories: dense small-crowned stands, dense large-crowned stands, sparse large-crowned stands and sparse stands near the upper forest limit. Areas above the upper forest limit formed a separatefifth category. Results: The distribution of rowan trees was clumped. Most of them grew in dense spruce stands up to 135 yr old and near the upper forest limit. Substantially fewer rowan trees were in sparse spruce stands of nearly 200 yr old. Seedlings and saplings occurred at high density (mean 24.8 individuals 100 m 2 ) only up to 40 m from trees bearing fruits, and at much lower density at longer distances. In consequence of the clumped distribution of adult trees and the short range of seed dispersal, most of the old spruce stands were outside the range of abundant regeneration of rowan. Conclusions: The presence of fine- vs coarse-grained mosaics of coniferous stands of different ages can strongly influence population processes in a rowan population on a large landscape scale. Extensive disturbances resulting in large homogenous patches of coniferous stands, the long lifespan of a single generation of spruce and spatial limitation of rowan seed dispersal seem responsible for the small contribution this broad-leaved species makes to sub-alpine forests. A high share of rowan can be expected in forests with fine-grained mosaics of stands, where small patches of young and old stands are inter-mixed, assuring delivery of seeds to stands of each category.


The telecommunication has a tremendous improvement in terms of data rates and bandwidth requiring sufficient frequency allocation and wideband spectrum availability. The millimeter-wave frequency band is one of the solution to these requirements, however communications in this band is facing new challenges on the climate effect to the channel propagation  In this paper, we propose a 5G channel model considering the effect of humidity based on the characteristic of the natural environment of Palembang city. The channel model is represented by power levels and delay called a Power Delay Profile (PDP and is derived based on a series of computer simulations using parameters of nature in Palembang. The 5G channel model is important to further derive the outage performance to be used as the theoretical performance of 5G in Palembang since the the Shannon Channel Capacity Theorem is involved in the derivation. We conduct a series of computer simulations to evaluate the validity of the proposed channel model and its characteristics. We found that humidity affect to the performances, where high humidity makes the performances of outage and BER slightly worse, although the effect may be ignored for some applications. The results of this paper are expected to be the references for the development and implementation of 5G Networks especially at the mm-Wave band in Palembang.


This is the final installment of stories and tales as told by government information professionals as part of the "Who are 'We the People'?" survey conducted by Kenya Flash and Dominique Hallett. We would like to thank you for joining us on this journey through the stories from those in the trenches. We hope you have recognized yourselves in some, giggled and/or shaken your head at others, and overall, simply enjoyed these tales. Our pilot survey has provided us with so much insight and information, but these stories really cut to the heart of our profession and what it is like being a government information p8rofessional. Thank you for your time and your tales.


ABSTRACT
Tenosynovial giant cell tumor rarely affects the facet joints of the spine. We describe FDG PET/CT findings in a case of tenosynovial giant cell tumor arising from the left L2 to L3 facet joint. The tumor caused osteolytic bone destruction of the facet joint and showed intense FDG uptake with SUVmax of 10.4. This case indicates tenosynovial giant cell tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis of abnormal facet joint FDG accumulation.


The viscosity of colloidal dispersions is a highly sensitive function of the microstructure of the dispersion and the nature of the interactions among the particles. While the viscosity of solutions of colloidal hard spheres is well understood, the viscosity in a broader array of colloidal solutions remains poorly studied. Here, we use immersed boundary simulations to investigate the viscosity of a prototypical colloidal solution, adhesive hard spheres, which under the right conditions can percolate to form sample spanning networks. We examine how rigidity of the particle–particle contacts in these dispersions can enhance the dispersion viscosity. By rigidly constraining a fraction of the adhered particles, we establish a reaction coordinate, the extent of rigidity, along which we can track the development of a gelled state characterized by a diverging viscosity. The fraction of rigid bonds is analogous to the extent of reaction for cross-linking in chemical gels, which suggests a close connection between chemical gelation with polymers and physical gelation with adhesive hard spheres. A critical gel point is identified when particles connected by rigid bonds begin to percolate the sample. In the vicinity of critical gel point, we observe a diverging viscosity and critical scaling behavior in agreement with previous studies on adhesive hard spheres. We use these results to formulate empirical equations for the viscosity across a broad range of volume fractions as a function of the extent of rigidity. Most importantly, through these simulations, we show that rigid constraints among the bonded particles are essential to producing the large viscosities measured experimentally in dispersions of adhesive hard spheres. Hydrodynamic interactions alone are insufficient for reproducing experimental observations.The viscosity of colloidal dispersions is a highly sensitive function of the microstructure of the dispersion and the nature of the interactions among the particles. While the viscosity of solutions of colloidal hard spheres is well understood, the viscosity in a broader array of colloidal solutions remains poorly studied. Here, we use immersed boundary simulations to investigate the viscosity of a prototypical colloidal solution, adhesive hard spheres, which under the right conditions can percolate to form sample spanning networks. We examine how rigidity of the particle–particle contacts in these dispersions can enhance the dispersion viscosity. By rigidly constraining a fraction of the adhered particles, we establish a reaction coordinate, the extent of rigidity, along which we can track the development of a gelled state characterized by a diverging viscosity. The fraction of rigid bonds is analogous to the extent of reaction for cross-linking in chemical gels, which suggests a close connection between...


A program to help girls avoid chronic partner abuse was piloted as an elective program in 10 Victorian secondary schools. The program was based on the Dyadic Slippery-Slope model of chronic partner abuse. It aimed to build participants' skills in recognising and responding assertively to early warning-sign behaviours by a partner. Five modules were delivered over one day: Choosing, Noticing, Responding, Ending and Bouncing Back. This paper reports on the results of a noncontrolled pretest to posttest evaluation, with a 3-month follow-up period. Seventy-five girls (M = 14.7 years) contributed preprogram and postprogram data. After the program, they demonstrated heightened awareness of the risks associated with warning-sign behaviours, increased self-confidence, decreased victim blaming, and more assertive intentions. Participants' assertiveness was related to their risk awareness, but only following the program. The program's focus on skill building is believed to have been crucial to its success. Although skills-based empowerment is a promising approach to preventing chronic partner abuse, more rigorous and extensive evaluation of this approach is needed.


BACKGROUND
In 1998 Poland, along with all other Member States in the WHO European Region, implemented Measles Elimination Program coordinated by WHO. It requires achieving and maintaining very high vaccine coverage (>95%), recording all cases and suspected cases of measles, and laboratory testing of all suspected measles cases in the WHO Reference Laboratory. In Poland it is a Laboratory of Department of Virology, NIPH-NIH.

AIM
To assess epidemiological situation of measles in Poland in 2012, including vaccination coverage in Polish population, and Measles Elimination Program implementation status.

METHODS
The descriptive analysis was based on data retrieved from routine mandatory surveillance system and published in the annual bulletins "Infectious diseases and poisonings in Poland in 2012" and "Vaccinations in Poland in 2012", and measles case-based reports from 2012 sent to the Department of Epidemiology NIPH-NIH by Sanitary-Epidemiological Stations.

RESULTS
In total, there were 70 measles cases registered in Poland in 2012 (incidence 0.18 per 100 000). The highest incidence rate was observed among infants (2.08 per 100 000) and children aged 1 year (2.47 per 100 000). In 2012, 37 cases (52,9%) were hospitalized due to measles. No deaths from measles were reported. Vaccination coverage of children and youth aged 2-11 years ranged from 83.6% do 99.6% (primary vaccination in children born in 2011-2006) and from 76.6% do 96.7% (booster dose in children born in 2003-2001). Performance of the surveillance system was insufficient with only 127 measles-compatible cases reported in 2012 (33% of expected reports). Fifty cases (71%) were confirmed by IgM ELISA test.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiological situation of measles deteriorated in 2012 in comparison to proceding year. The results indicate a need to further promote Measles Elimination Program in Poland, maintain the high immunisation coverage and improve measles surveillance system.


Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have greatly impacted every field of molecular research, reducing costs and simultaneously increasing throughput of DNA sequencing. These features, together with technology's flexibility, have open the way to a variety of applications, especially for the study of the molecular basis of human diseases. So far, several analytical approaches have been developed to selectively enrich regions of interest from the whole genome, both to identify germinal and/or somatic sequence variants. All of these have assessed their potential in research area and are now being improved also in routine molecular diagnostics. Thanks to the improvement due to NGS methods introduction, also the metagenomic field has achieved very exciting results, increasing our knowledge about the microbiome and its mutually beneficial relationships with the human host. If microbiome plays a role in the maintenance of a healthy status, it is conceivable to suppose that its quantitative and/or qualitative alterations could lead to pathological dysbiosis, as shown in an increasing number of intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. The aim of this project was to use NGS-based strategies to study the molecular basis of human diseases. In particular, two analytic approaches were used: DNA sequence capture and metagenomics. A DNA sequence capture approach was used to analyze a large panel of genes possibly related to inherited cardiomyopathies. The obtained results indicate that this approach is useful to analyze, in a time and cost effective manner, heterogeneous diseases allowing the identification not only of the disease-causing mutation, but also of other variants involved in disease-phenotypic expression. Finally, methods reliability was higher than traditional, currently used techniques. All the above data indicate that this validated NGS-based approach can be used to improve the molecular analysis of inherited cardiomyopathies, such as of other inherited diseases, also in routine diagnostic settings. With regard to metagenomics, a 16S rRNA pyrotag analysis was carried out to deeply investigate the gut microbiome composition of Crohn and celiac diseases. Specific microbial signatures were identified in the patients. Moreover, the effects of Crohn nutritional therapy on gut microbial composition were also verified. These results suggest a role of gut microbiome in diseases pathogenesis and could, in turn, make possible to develop novel diagnostic, prognostic and, most important, therapeutic strategies. Taken together, all the above results indicate that the used NGS-based procedures can be easily applied to increase our understanding of the molecular basis of human diseases and that they can be useful also for routine diagnostic purposes.