Ecosystem effects of recent changes in fishing strategies in the South Brazil Bight (SBB) area, including increasing squid catches by shrimp bottom trawlers and fishing for young sardines as bait, for the skipjack tuna pole-and-line fishery were investigated by modelling the SBB coastal ecosystem for the 1998–1999 fisheries period, using the mass-balance modelling software, Ecopath with Ecosim. Based on fisheries information and on previous models, 25 species groups were defined. The mean trophic level of all fisheries was 2.99 with small trawlers and the live baitfish fleet occupying the lowest trophic levels. The change in squid fishing rate and the most important squid predators fishing rate were simulated by increasing fishing mortality (F) from 0 to 1 per year, while maintaining F constant for other exploited groups. Also, the impact of fishing pressure by trawlers on squids and by the live baitfish fleet on young sardines were simulated. Different hypotheses of flow control were tested by setting the maximum instantaneous mortality rate that consumers could exert on food resources by (a) "top-down" control by predators (predator control); (b) all interactions of mixed control type; and (c) "bottom-up" control of predators by their prey (donor control). For squid, predicted biomass changes were more pronounced under top-down control that under bottom-up. Biomass of the weakfish, which are important squid predators, were the most affected under all hypotheses. A similar pattern of decrease in other squid predators was seen. The ecosystem consequence of overexploiting weakfish and large pelagic fish biomass was speculated regarding the increasing squid catches. Simulations of increasing live-baitfish fleet did not show prominent impact in the inner shelf, where present F values are low. Given young sardines concentrate in shallow waters, where the conflicts converge, a complementary model of the adjacent coastal system and artisanal fisheries could better address fleet's impact. Nevertheless, it was noted a decrease of sharks and rays reflecting their vulnerability in the system. A precautionary measure for fisheries management in the region would be to assume that top-down control is a dominant force in energy flows, differing from the custom emphasis placed only in environmental forces and productivity. The ecosystem approach will require the integration of information from a wide range of disciplines, levels of ecological organization and temporal and spatial scales, as well as concrete management measures. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


The IEEE 802.11 standard provides several channels within a wireless local area network (WLAN). In the infrastructure scenario, the access point (AP) is the particular device for connecting mobile stations (STA) and wired stations. Each access point occupies one channel in WLAN. Traditionally, a STA may not play the same role as an AP does. However, it is possible for STA to equip both the wireless interface and wired interface at the same time. By software support, the AP in WLAN can be elected dynamically to obtain the best transmission status for all STA. Based on this concept, we propose a dynamic access point approach (DAPA) to enhance the network throughput. The efficiency of the proposed DAPA is evaluated by simulations. Simulation results showed that the performance of a WLAN with DAPA is better than the traditional approach.


Neonatology, a Practical Guide. 4th Edn. Edited by Alistair GS Philip WB Saunders Company, 1996 ISBN 0-7216-4776-6

The transition from undergraduate paediatrics to the highly technical and rapidly developing arena of neonatology is a daunting prospect for junior doctors. A pocket handbook may provide some small comfort. Such a "survival guide" for SHOs should be compact, well structured, and visually attractive. …


Polymeric nanoparticles, specifically polymersomes, are at the leading edge of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. However, their use for biological applications is primarily limited by the biocompatibility of the components. Hence, optimization of polymersome synthesis protocols should carefully consider aspects of cellular toxicity. In this work, we investigate the viability of HDF and HeLa cells treated with photo-cross-linked and pH-sensitive polymersomes. We demonstrate how aspects of polymersome preparation conditions such as cross-linking density and UV irradiation time may affect their cytotoxic properties. Additionally, we also study the cellular uptake of our polymersomes into the cell types mentioned.


Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) etiology can be acquired, iatrogenic or idiopathic. There are no previous reports of RLN caused by recurrent laryngeal nerve compression by melanomas. This report describes a horse presenting severe dyspnea and progressive weight loss. Physical exam demonstrated tachycardia, tachypnea, inspiratory dyspnea at rest, neck extension and mydriasis. Temporary tracheotomy was performed and videoendoscopic examination diagnosed grade IV laryngeal paralysis. The animal came suddenly to death by suppurative bacterial pneumonia. At necropsy, it was possible to observe multiple melanotic epithelioid melanoma nodules compressing the recurrent laryngeal nerve, alongside with lung and parotid metastasis. This finding emphasizes the importance of establishing a differential diagnosis for tumor mass compression in the etiology of RLN, especially melanomas in gray horses, with or without cutaneous manifestations of masses.


Correction for 'A critical comparison of coarse-grained structure-based approaches and atomic models of protein folding' by Jie Hu et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 13629-13639.


Introduction: Sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRHC) guidelines recommend the delivery of quality preventive SRHC to males beginning in adolescence. A quality of care (QOC) framework was used to examine factors associated with young male's perceptions of QOC and satisfaction with care, which can influence their use of SRHC. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted from August 2014 to September 2016 with 385 male patients aged 15–24 years, recruited from primary care and sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics. Surveys measured QOC received, satisfaction with care, and domains of a QOC framework. Poisson regression analyses examined associations between the framework domains and perceived QOC as well as satisfaction with care. Results: Over half of males reported QOC as excellent (59%) and were very satisfied with services (56.7%). Excellent QOC and high satisfaction with services were associated with timely care, higher Clinician-Client Centeredness, and being a bisexual male. Excellent QOC was also associated with greater comfort in the clinic, being tested for human immunodeficiency virus/STDs, attending primary care settings, and receipt of higher number of SRHC services. Conclusions: Using a QOC framework as part of providing SRHC to young males is important to improving their perceptions of QOC and satisfaction with services.


Background Caviidae is a diverse group of caviomorph rodents that is broadly distributed in South America and is divided into three highly divergent extant lineages: Caviinae (cavies), Dolichotinae (maras), and Hydrochoerinae (capybaras). The fossil record of Caviidae is only abundant and diverse since the late Miocene. Caviids belongs to Cavioidea sensu stricto (Cavioidea s.s.) that also includes a diverse assemblage of extinct taxa recorded from the late Oligocene to the middle Miocene of South America ("eocardiids"). Results A phylogenetic analysis combining morphological and molecular data is presented here, evaluating the time of diversification of selected nodes based on the calibration of phylogenetic trees with fossil taxa and the use of relaxed molecular clocks. This analysis reveals three major phases of diversification in the evolutionary history of Cavioidea s.s. The first two phases involve two successive radiations of extinct lineages that occurred during the late Oligocene and the early Miocene. The third phase consists of the diversification of Caviidae. The initial split of caviids is dated as middle Miocene by the fossil record. This date falls within the 95% higher probability distribution estimated by the relaxed Bayesian molecular clock, although the mean age estimate ages are 3.5 to 7 Myr older. The initial split of caviids is followed by an obscure period of poor fossil record (refered here as the Mayoan gap) and then by the appearance of highly differentiated modern lineages of caviids, which evidentially occurred at the late Miocene as indicated by both the fossil record and molecular clock estimates. Conclusions The integrated approach used here allowed us identifying the agreements and discrepancies of the fossil record and molecular clock estimates on the timing of the major events in cavioid evolution, revealing evolutionary patterns that would not have been possible to gather using only molecular or paleontological data alone.


ABSTRACT Our survey was carried out in two study sites of approximately 3.3 ha each located in the Suwałki Lake District in NE Poland in the year 2008. Earthworms and soil samples were collected during two campaigns (spring and autumn) from 25 × 25 cm and 30 cm deep sampling points. The complex arable landscape (CAL) supported higher earthworm diversity, density and biomass than the similarly managed but homogeneous arable landscape (HAL). The spring and autumn earthworm sampling campaigns revealed very different patterns, and we conclude that autumn sampling is the most adequate for biomonitoring. On the other hand, the spring collections were significantly correlated to soil physical parameters, thus spring sampling is more suitable for studying such correlations. Significant correlations occurred almost exclusively for CAL and the soil parameters significantly relating with earthworm community were: soil moisture, nitrogen and organic carbon contents. The possible reason for it is the presence of numerous refuges for lumbricids offered by field margins, balks, woodlots and meadows in the CAL and lack of them in the HAL.


On-line distance learners depend heavily on learning management system (LMS) to fulfill their learning requirements. The learners would expect that LMS will contain all the necessary learning materials and resources for learners to refer to for learning. Also, the system should be able to support such activities like downloading, uploading, forming, and chatting. Once the system is established, learners would use the system provided if they are satisfied with it and in turn increases learners retention. Hence, this paper is to examine the factors affecting the e-satisfaction and e-retention of a learning management system (LMS). The factors identified include: technology acceptance model, perceived quality, and LMS characteristics.


The feeding habits of nymphs of Perla marginata (Panzer) and Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis) were investigated in the Rio Orbarina (northwestern Italy). These species are among the largest European carnivorous freshwater invertebrates and they play an important role in the trophic structure of small, fishless Apennine streams. We examined the gut contents of 60 P. marginata and 60 D. cephalotes nymphs to characterize the diets and evaluate possible feeding differences between the species. In both of these predaceous stoneflies, the diet included vegetable detritus, mainly in the smaller instars. Both species showed trophic preferences, since only a few taxa constituted most of the ingested prey items, independently of their availability in the substratum. Interestingly, there were no clear differences in prey selection between nymphs of the two species.


This study examined the role of nonoffending parental support in the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and later romantic attachment, psychiatric symptoms, and couple adjustment. Of 348 adults engaged in stable romantic relationship, 59 (17%) reported sexual abuse. In this subgroup, 14% (n = 8) reported parental intervention after the abuse was disclosed (i.e., support), 15% (n = 9) reported a lack of parental intervention after abuse disclosure (i.e., nonsupport), and 71% (n = 42) reported that their nonabusive parent(s) was(were) unaware of their abuse. Results indicated that, compared to other groups, CSA survivors with nonsupportive parents reported higher levels of anxious attachment, psychological symptoms, and dyadic maladjustment. In contrast, CSA survivors with supportive parent(s) expressed psychological and couple adjustment equivalent to non-abused participants, and lower attachment avoidance, relative to all other groups. Path analysis revealed that insecure attachment completely mediated the relationship between perceived parental support after CSA and later psychosocial outcomes. An actor–partner interdependence model showed different patterns for men and women and highlighted the importance of considering relational dynamics in dyads of CSA survivors. Overall, the results suggest that perceived parental support serves as a protective factor among those exposed to CSA. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Weizhi Xun and Changwang Wu contributed equally to this work In October 2020, bayberry (Myrica rubra (Lour.) S. et Zucc.) leaves that beginning to wither were collected in Wencheng County (N27°50', E120°03'). In the county, 4,120 ha of bayberry were planted, of which 58% were affected by the disease, and the severity of leaf disease per plant was 5 to25%. Bayberry leaves leaves were intensely green at first, then gradually turned yellow and brown,and completely withered. The leaves did not fall off at the beginning of the symptoms, but did fall after 1 to 2 months. To identify the pathogen, 50 diseased leaves with typical symptoms were collected from 10 diseased trees. Leaves with necrotic-tissue were firstly washed with sterilized water, and then tissue at the disease-/ healthy-tissuejunction removed with sterile surgical scissors. The tissues were soaked in 75% ethanol for 30 s, followed by 5% sodium hypochlorite solution for 3 to 4 min, rinsed with sterilized water 4 times, and placed on sterilized filter paper. The tissue was placed on PDA medium and cultured in an incubator at 25℃ (Nouri et al. 2019). After the colonies grew around the tissue, mycelia with the same morphology was selected and placed on fresh PDA. A pure culture of the pathogen was obtained after repeating the last process several times. The isolatedcolonies were white, with a round edge and a light-yellow back. Conidia were straight or slightly curved, with 3 to 4 septations. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regin translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1-α), and beta-tubulin gene (β-TUB)(Chaiwan et al. 2020; Li et al. 2021; Chen et al. 2020; Chen et al. 2018) of the two strains were amplified and sequenced, and the sequences were uploaded to Gen bank (GenBank accession number.ACCC 35162: ITS OP891011, TEF1-α OP903533, β-TUB OP903531; ACCC 35163: ITS OP891012, β-TUB OP903534, TEF1-α OP903532). BLAST alignment indicated that the ITS sequence of strain ACCC 35162 had 100% identity with NR_147549.1, the TEF sequence had 100% identity with MT552449.1, and the TUB sequence had 99.87% identity with KX895323.1; the ITS sequence of strain ACCC 35163 had 100% identity with NR_147549.1, the TEF sequence had 100% identity with MT552449.1, and the TUB sequence had 99.86% identity with KX895323.1. A Phylogenetic tree using maximum likelihood/rapid bootstrapping run on XSEDE based on the above three sequences inferred that the two strains were identical to P. kenyana (Miller et al. 2010). The strain was preserved in the Agricultural Culture Collection of China (Preservation numbers: ACCC 35162, ACCC 35163). Following Koch's rule, six healthy plants leaves were inoculated with conidial suspensions (106 conidia mL-1) and mycelial plugs (5 mm),and then placed in an artificial climate chamber (25℃, 90% humidity, 16-h light), sterile PDA and sterile water were used as blank controls. The same treatment was applied to fresh bayberry leaves under laboratory conditions, and brown spots were observed after three days. There were no symptoms in the control group. The experimental symptoms were similar to those in the field. Using the previous method, the same fungus was reisolated from the diseased leaves and again identified as P. kenyana. As far as we know, this is the first report causing disease on P. kenyana infecting bayberry in China, this disease seriously affected the yield and quality of bayberry and caused economic losses to farmers.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Arsenite has long been known as a human carcinogen. The hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is an important transcription factor upon hypoxia and other stresses, which is proved to be associated with the pathogenesis of several cancers. Although hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been reported to be activated by arsenite both in vivo and in vitro, the detailed molecular mechanisms leading to HIF-1α expression and activation due to arsenite exposure have not been well understood. In the present study, we found that arsenite is able to induce HIF-1α protein accumulation in both mouse epidermal Cl41 cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Knockout of p85α in MEFs (p85α−/−) led to the deficiency of HIF-1α protein accumulation induced by arsenite exposure, suggesting that p85α is crucial for arsenite-induced stabilization of HIF-1α protein. At the same time, our studies also show that p85a exhibited an inhibition of HIF-1α protein degradation via PI-3K/Akt-dependent pathway in cellular response to arsenite exposure. Our further studies revealed that arsenite exposure was able to induce inducible Hsp70 expression, and the deficiency of HIF-1α protein in p85α−/− MEF cells could be restored by introduction of inducible Hsp70 into p85α−/− MEF (p85α−/− (Hsp70)). Moreover, our results also indicated that p85α is crucial for arsenite-induced activation of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF-1), which is responsible for the transcription of inducible Hsp70. The transcriptional up-regulation of hsp70 by activated PI-3K/Akt pathway is strictly mediated by heat shock transcription factor-1 (HSF-1). Taken together, our studies demonstrated that p85α-mediated HIF-1α stabilization due to arsenite exposure is specific through p85α mediation of HSF-1 activation and subsequently transcriptional up-regulation of the inducible Hsp70. During this course, p85 regulated inducible Hsp70 expression transcription through PI-3K/Akt/HSF-1 pathway upon arsenite exposure.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4370.


We report on the formation of chiral domains self-assembled from terephthalic acid (TPA) and iron on a Cu(110) surface. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy, we observe that the supramolecular structures are organized on successive hierarchical levels. Chirality develops only at the latest assembly step, with the primary TPA constituents and the secondary diiron-terephthalate metal-organic complexes being mirror symmetric. The driving forces for the generation of these high-order chiral architectures are identified as competing coordination bonding within the metal-organic complexes and hydrogen bonding among them. The emergence of extended metal-organic networks is hindered by the incommensurability with the substrate.


Fraunhofer diffraction and interference by single and multiple apertures may be readily demonstrated using low-powered He-Ne lasers such as those increasingly found in schools. These qualitative demonstrations can become far more instructive if accompanied by quantitative measurements of the intensity distribution across the pattern which are obtained using a photodiode and a simple circuit. For observation of multislit interference, it has been found necessary to limit the diode aperture to 0.5 mm by fixing two pieces of PVC tape across the front.


Terpene hydrocarbons are high energy capacity hydrocarbons. The most known terpenoid biomass is Euphorbiaceae family. Euphorbia rigida, a member of Euphorbiaceae, was used as the biomass feedstock and natural zeolite was used as the catalyst in this study. In the experimental studies, firstly the raw material was analysed for its moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon. Then experiments were carried out in steam atmosphere in a fixed-bed reactor with a heating rate of 7 K/min, pyrolysis temperature of 823 K and mean particular size of 0.55 mm by mixing the catalyst to feedstock in different percentages. Experiments were performed with the catalyst ratios of 5, 10, 20 and 25 (weight-%) under steam atmosphere with the velocities of 12, 25 and 52 cm3 /min to determine the effect of catalyst and steam on the product yields and bio-oil composition. Steam velocities were considered as the average steam velocities in the inlet tube of the reactor. The maximum bio-oil was reached to a value of 39.7% when using catalyst ratio of 20% and steam flow rate of 25 cm3 /min. Pyrolysis oils were examined by using elemental analysis, IR and 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. The liquid products were also fractionated by column chromatography and the gas chromatographic analysis of n-pentane eluate was performed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


It is assumed that at energies around the knee the nucleus-nucleus interaction is drastically changed due to production of blobs of quark-gluon matter with very large orbital momentum. This approach allows explain all so-called unusual events observed in cosmic rays and gives a new connection between results of EAS investigations and energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays. To check this approach, the experiments in cosmic rays and at LHC are proposed.


ABSTRACT Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a condition that can cause irreversible visual loss if untreated. While corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment to prevent visual loss, the type, dose, route, and duration of corticosteroid treatment of GCA remain controversial. Our study surveyed neuro-ophthalmologists to determine commonly prescribed dosages of corticosteroids for the treatment of GCA with or without visual loss. For patients with acute visual loss, 52% would use intravenous (IV), 46% would use IV or oral and 2% would use oral corticosteroids. Seventy-three per cent would use 500 to 1000 mg IV methylprednisolone in this group. For patients with GCA without acute visual loss, 67% would use the oral route, 30% would use IV or oral, and 3% indicated they would use IV route of treatment. Seventy-five per cent would use 1.0 to 1.5 mg/kg oral prednisone in this group. Our results suggest a majority but not a complete consensus for route and dose of corticosteroid treatment in GCA and confirm conventional recommendations for high dose IV corticosteroids for GCA with visual loss and lower dose oral regimens for GCA without visual loss.


Local winds and lateral buoyancy fluxes from estuaries constitute two major forcing mechanisms on the inner continental shelf of the Mid Atlantic Bight on the eastern seaboard of the U.S.A. We report observations of the resulting coastal current that suggest a linear superposition of the wind and buoyancy forced motions. This current, which we term the Delaware Coastal Current, has a mean flow of about 10 cm/s in the direction of Kelvin wave phase propagation. It opposes the generally upwelling favorable local winds there. The same winds, however, force important across-shelf flows that agree qualitatively with Ekman dynamics with Ekman numbers that are 0( 1). Velocity fluctuations at current meter mooring are consistent with the above dynamics, and explain the local hydrography well. Trajectories from drifters and derived velocity fields, too, reveal consistent flow patterns. We further find that Lagrangian and Eulerian integral time scales are similar, implying a linear flow field. We estimate dispersion coefficients for this buoyancy driven coastal current to be about 2000 and 200 mz/s in the along- and across-shelf direction, respectively. Our results disagree both qualitatively and quantitatively with those of a recent numerical model of the study area.


Feedback should be delivered not only formally but also informally ongoing basis in every education organization. It aims to help the followers to be clear with expected performance of the leader and the standards set by the organization. The cultural existence for positive feedback environment should be emphasized in every organization to foster the potential of the followers and enhance the work performance for the benefit of individuals and organization. Thus, this study aims to identify the best predictive factor of the feedback environment on self-efficacy of teaching. A total of 247 respondents from Polytechnic lecturers in Category 1 were randomly selected from the state of Penang, Terengganu and Sarawak. The data obtained using a questionnaire consisting of three parts, including the profile of the respondents and the questionnaires of Feedback Environment Scale (FES) (2004) and the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSE) (2001) which comprises seven Likert Scale. Both questionnaires have been translated into Malay language and has a high Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient for FES and TSE. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regression method. The study shows that all the dimensions of feedback environment and self-efficacy of teaching in a positive and significant relationships with each other. The result also found that there are six variables of feedback environment which are feedback credibility, feedback quality, feedback delivery, unfavorable feedback, feedback availability, and promoting feedback seeking as a significant predictor of self-efficacy of teaching. The results also showed the unfavorable feedback as the best predictor of self-efficacy of teaching. The results of the study can be used by leaders to emphasize the development of feedback environment in the workplace to improve self-efficacy of teaching among the educators in order to produce the quality and competent human capital in accordance with the market requirements. Keywords: Feedback environment; unfavorable feedback; self-efficacy of teaching Chap 2new.indd 101


Background :Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is the best first diagnostic tool to obtain tissue and for accurate mediastinal staging. Its cost has yet to be compared to other methods. This has implications on health policy and planning.

Aim :To compare the performance characteristics and costs of EBUS-Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (TBNA) for diagnosis and staging with other modalities i.e. EBUS-Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA) and PET.

Methods :Retrospective analysis of EBUS-TBNA performed from August 2008 to June 2013 at our hospital was done. All patients with NSCLC were included. Final diagnoses and staging were determined by EBUS-TBNA, TTNA-PET, TBLB-PET or surgery. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were determined. Calculations were based on real costs derived from actual patient data. Decision analytic models were developed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of EBUS-TBNA compared to other modalities.

Results :297 patients with NSCLC were diagnosed during this period. The sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA for accurate mediastinal staging was 85.8%. The overall complication rate was 6%, all minor. The sensitivity of TTNA was 92%, with complication rate of 45.5% (6.8% major) and the sensitivity of EBUS-TBLB was 62.8%, with complication rate of 2.5 %. Using the abovementioned model, the overall costs were S$2837, S$6790 and S$8395 for EBUS-TBNA, TTNA-PET and EBUS-TBLB-PET respectively.

Conclusion :EBUS-TBNA has high diagnostic accuracy and results in cost savings of up to S$5558(€3473) per patient. It is the preferred modality for the staging and diagnosis of NSCLC.


This paper deals with the effect of interface structures on the mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composite materials. First, the background of research, development and applications on hybrid composite materials is introduced. Second, metal/polymer composite bonded structures are discussed. Then, the rationale is given for nanostructuring the interface in composite materials and structures by introducing nanoscale features such as nanopores and nanofibers. The effects of modifying matrices and nano-architecturing interfaces on the mechanical properties of nanocomposite materials are examined. A nonlinear damage model for characterizing the deformation behavior of polymeric nanocomposites is presented and the application of this model to carbon nanotube-reinforced and reactive graphite nanotube-reinforced epoxy composite materials is shown.


Birdsong is a sexual signal that serves as an indicator of male quality. Th ere is already abundant evidence that song elaboration refl ects early life-history because early developmental stress aff ects neural development of song control systems, and leaves irreversible adverse eff ects on song phenotypes. Especially in closed-ended vocal learners, song features crystallized early in life are less subject to changes in adulthood. Th is is why less attention has been paid to lifelong song changes in closed-ended learners. However, in the eyes of female birds that gain benefi ts from choosing mates based on male songs, not only past but also current conditions encoded in songs would be meaningful, given that even crystallized songs in closed-ended learners would not be identical in the long term. In this study, we examine within-individual song changes in the Java sparrow Lonchura oryzivora , with the aim of shedding light on the relationship between song and long-term life history. Specifi cally, we compared song length, tempo, and song complexity measures between the point just after song crystallization and around 1 yr later, and also compared those traits between fathers and sons to clarify the eff ect of vocal learning. While it is not surprising that song complexity did not diff er depending on age or between fathers and sons, we found that song length and tempo increased with age. Follow-up analyses have revealed that frequency bandwidth and peak frequency of song notes also elevated with age. Our results show that song performance related to motor skills can be improved even after song crystallization. We also suggest that song performance in closedended vocal learners gives a reliable clue for mate choice by refl ecting male quality with aging.


Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq., commonly known as Baibu, is one of the most popular herbal medicines in Asia. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Baibu has multiple authentic sources, and there are many homonym herbs sold as Baibu in the herbal medicine market. The existence of the counterfeits of Baibu brings challenges to its identification. To assist the accurate identification of Baibu, we sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of Stemona sessilifolia using next-generation sequencing technology. The genome was 154,039 bp in length, possessing a typical quadripartite structure consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (IRs: 27,094 bp) separating by a large single copy (LSC: 81,950 bp) and a small single copy (SSC: 17,901 bp). A total of 112 unique genes were identified, including 80 protein-coding, 28 transfer RNA, and four ribosomal RNA genes. Besides, 45 tandem, 27 forward, 23 palindromic, and 72 simple sequence repeats were detected in the genome by repeat analysis. Compared with its counterfeits (Asparagus officinalis and Carludovica palmate), we found that IR expansion and SSC contraction events of Stemona sessilifolia resulted in two copies of the rpl22 gene in the IR regions and partial duplication of the ndhF gene in the SSC region. Secondly, an approximately 3-kb-long inversion was identified in the LSC region, leading to the petA and cemA gene presented in the complementary strand of the chloroplast DNA molecule. Comparative analysis revealed some highly variable regions, including trnF-GAA_ndhJ, atpB_rbcL, rps15_ycf1, trnG-UCC_trnR-UCU, ndhF_rpl32. Finally, gene loss events were investigated in the context of phylogenetic relationships. In summary, the complete plastome of Stemona sessilifolia will provide valuable information for the molecular identification of Baibu and assist in elucidating the evolution of Stemona sessilifolia.


Sunlight contributes to the healing of multiple health conditions, including in respiratory diseases such as Covid-19, by boosting the immune system. Nevertheless, too much sun exposure can cause sunburn and lead to skin cancer. To minimize the harms of excessive sun exposure, the skin needs to be strictly shielded with the use of sunscreen. This study aimed to develop an olive oil and clove oil emulsion gel preparation and determine its sun protective factor (SPF) value. Olive oil was formulated into an emulsion gel with varying concentrations of 2%, 4%, and 6%, and then 5% of clove oil was added. Physicochemical properties such as organoleptic, homogeneity, pH values, viscosity, and spreadability were tested. Further, UV protection was examined based on determining the SPF value, and the stability of preparation was evaluated using real-time and freeze-thaw methods. The results showed that the preparation had a good physicochemicality, while the SPF value was 20.91 ± 0.29, 22.52 ± 0.52, and 23.39 ± 0.45, respectively. However, the results of the stability test showed a significant change in the pH and SPF value after storage. It can be concluded that the emulsion gel of olive oil and clove oil preparation could be considered to have a medium level of protection of sunscreen.
Keywords: olive oil, clove oil, emulsion gel, sunscreen, UV protection, stability


ABSTRACT Given the critical role of communication technologies in Asia's robust economic, cultural, and technological performance in the current century, this study maps the landscape of communication technology research in Asia of the recent two decades. Using a combination of content analysis and text mining-based semantic network analysis, this paper reviews 272 articles on Asian communication technology published in SSCI communication journals between 1995 and 2014. Our results show that East Asia was the most studied region in this field. Internet was the most popular keyword, and it was also the most studied communication technology followed by mobile phone, information communication technologies, and social media. Adopting a variety of methodologies and balancing between qualitative and quantitative, most of these studies took the psychological micro-level scope. When it comes to technology–context relation, the majority of research took the technology determinism perspective. Asian-based scholars leaned to technology determinism and are more likely to see technology as a change force for Asia, whereas the Western-based counterparts viewed Asian context as a filter and took macro-level scope in their research more often. The technology–context relationship and regional diversity discussed in this paper also shed light on future studies to make theoretical contributions to this important research field.


Author(s): Longo, Daniela; Baglivo, Arturo; Cibei, Carlo; Dose, Gianni; Giordana, Franco; Magni, Cristiano; Salvai, Giuliano; Servodio, Sergio; Tomasi, Davide; Zepigi, Marinella; Nicolella, Gianluca | Abstract: Citizen science projects are able to collect massive amounts of data engaging thousands of motivated volunteers. Moreover web-based communities are a powerful way to promote citizen involvement. This paper describes Acta Plantarum (www.actaplantarum.org), an open source project born in 2007, aiming at the study of spontaneous Italian flora and hosting one of the most popular floristic web-based communities in Italy. Participation in the project is free and takes place, upon registration, by posting pictures and contributions in a discussion forum. This represents the heart of the website together with IPFI (Index Plantarum Florae Italicae), a complete nomenclatural database of Italian flora species created to archive all the botanical information. Over the years, thanks to the participation of amateur botanists from all Italian regions, a relevant amount of floristic records has been accumulated in Acta Plantarum. A new utility now allows the retrieval of floristic records stored in the forum through automatic and semi-automatic functions. As of 30 June 2020, Acta Plantarum had 1,793 active members and 74,188 floristic records were automatically or manually extracted, covering about 70% of the specific and subspecific taxa occurring in Italy. An appropriate validation process ensures reliability of data that can be extremely useful to the general audience, policy makers, amateur and professional botanists. Acta Plantarum results confirm the fundamental role of amateurs to develop large floristic databases and to increase floristic knowledge both at local and national level.


The variation in lumber quality within the supply of eucalypt is large. Effective segregation of the lumber according to "fitness for purpose " is fundamental to enabling the capture of greater value for the finger-jointed. This paper deals with the longitudinal vibration technique as a means of assessing modulus of elasticity (MOE) of solid and finger-jointed specimens made with Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla and E. grandis. Dynamic MOE was calculated from resonance frequencies obtained from longitudinal vibration. The dynamic MOE was well correlated to the static bending MOE for solid and finger-jointed lumber from the two eucalyptuses. Correlation coefficients were obtained for the regression of dynamic MOE on static bending MOE for solid and finger-jointed lumber, and were statistically significant. Although the correlation coefficient of finger-jointed was lower than that of solid lumber, the results indicated that the static bending MOE of finger-jointed was strongly correlated with the dynamic MOE of solid lumber, namely, the solid lumber with higher dynamic MOE can produce higher bending MOE finger-jointed. It can be concluded that the longitudinal vibration technique may be useful as a nondestructive method for segregating lumbers for finger-jointed.


To describe individual perspectives and reflections on unforgettable stories about dying over an eight-year period, in a mixed surgical and general intensive care unit (ICU) in China. The study was carried out at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. The research was based on personal experience and reflection. Narrative and experiential reflection synthesis were performed for the data analysis. This was done to understand the current situation regarding dying, then to identify and analyze, and finally to put forward some suggestions regarding the experience. The discussion and preparation for death in the ICU may still require further discussion. For a better acceptance of hospice care and high quality and dignity of death and even the donation of organs, it is important that health care providers learn to talk about death with their patients, and to encourage the patients to participate in the decision-making process.


When it comes to initiatives engaging children - especially girls - in STEM education or careers, parents are often a neglected group, despite being regarded as the most important gatekeepers in this field because they can have an impact very early on. They frequently feel under-informed and, as a result, lack the self-confidence to take on this role. The E-MINT project starts here and aims to motivate parents and equip them with the skills to serve as role models and mentors to their children.
The Science Capital approach, a proven successful framework for creating awareness, fostering motivation and imparting knowledge in the context of science education, serves as the structural basis of the E-MINT app. This especially applies to the content and functionalities of the app, which is divided into four areas:
"What you know". In this section, parents are encouraged to explore their own knowledge of STEM professions, gender stereotypes, career choices, educational pathways and future technologies.
"How you think". In this part of the app, career aspirations, behaviour in different situations or thoughts about the future are told in short picture stories.
"What you do". The app provides free access to virtual E-MINT Makerspaces. Parents can use the app to complete projects on 3D printing, environmental technology and upcycling at home.
"Who you know". In this section of the app, parents are encouraged to use their own personal social network to improve their skills as STEM gatekeepers for their children. They are guided step by step through a social network analysis with the aim of visualising their personal STEM networks and finding ways to expand it.
The pre-survey showed parents to be well informed. Parents were most likely to lack information about new technologies and STEM education. In the post-survey, the usability of the app was rated as very good. The comparative survey on parents' STEM knowledge showed slight changes. Parents in the post-survey knew more about training opportunities for STEM professions, about the disproportion of men and women in technical professions and the importance of gender stereotypes for career decisions. Parents' views also changed slightly in the post-survey. Specifically, their attitudes towards computer games, which they now see as having more potential to increase children's digital curiosity, and they see computer games more as a gateway into technical professions.


This paper references research done on Servant Leadership theories across a span of some 45 years since Greenleaf 's first work on the subject. It catalogs 15 Servant Leadership theories based on Scripture. In doing so, it identifies a perceived gap in these theories using theological and hermeneutical arguments. It also is a reference point for further research to consider where the redemptive work of Christ fits into leadership models that draw upon His life and work as their source.


Abstract The spurious numerical generation and/or destruction of various types of entropies in models is investigated. It is shown that entropy sθ of dry matter tends to be generated if potential temperature is advected by a damping scheme. There is no mean tendency of entropy if the reversible leapfrog scheme is used. Generalized entropies can be assigned to conserved quantities. In particular, the generalized entropy sζ of the vorticity of two-dimensional nondivergent flow is shown to grow in presence of irreversible diffusive processes. This entropy increases numerically if the vorticity equation is integrated with an upstream scheme. There are weak oscillations of sζ if a leapfrog time step is combined with the Arakawa scheme. Similar results are obtained for an entropy sp related to potential vorticity. Information entropy provides a gross measure of the information contained in ensemble forecasts. It is shown that information entropy decreases spuriously if schemes are used that are contracting in p...


The renewed 2018 syncope guidelines published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) reiterate that the initial evaluation of syncope should include history taking, physical examination, an electrocardiogram, and orthostatic blood pressure measurements (OBPM). However, the importance of evaluating for orthostatic hypotension (OH) often remains underappreciated in clinical practice. In this study, we examine the initial evaluation of syncope on an ED. We retrospectively reviewed 2 years of consecutive medical records of patients presenting with a syncope to the ED of a university hospital. We collected patient demographics and data on initial syncope evaluation for further analysis. In a cohort of 289 patients, OBPM and ECG were performed in 16 and 89% of the cases, respectively. An OBPM was performed in only 52% of the patients who received a working diagnosis of OH. In the other 48%, the OH diagnosis was likely made on the basis of history taking and exclusion of other syncope causes. OBPM are infrequently used during the initial evaluation of syncope irrespective of its consistent inclusion in ESC syncope guidelines. The discordance between clinical practice and the ESC syncope guidelines calls for increased awareness of the role of OBPM in the initial evaluation of syncope by either stricter guideline adherence or reappraisal of clinical practice.


Case records were evaluated for 30 patients who had undergone serial extraction of deciduous teeth plus first premolars followed by comprehensive orthodontic treatment and retention. Diagnostic records were available for the following stages: pre-extraction, start of active treatment, end of active treatment, and a minimum of 10 years postretention. All cases were treated with standard edgewise mechanics and were judged clinically satisfactory by the end of active treatment. Twenty-two of the 30 cases (73%) demonstrated clinically unsatisfactory mandibular anterior alignment postretention. Intercanine width and arch length decreased in 29 of the 30 cases by the postretention stage. There was no difference between the serial extraction sample and a matched sample extracted and treated after full eruption.


The Phased Array Feed (PAF) is considered as one of the next generation receivers for radio telescopes, which can significantly enlarge the instantaneous Field-of-View of large aperture single dish radio telescopes and enable more flexible observing configurations. Study efforts on PAF development for radio telescopes have been made for more than two decades and have become more and more applicable. We report the development of an ambient-temperature 19 element L-band PAF system and the experimental results including its far field beam pattern and system temperature measurement, which achieve the expectations. Implementing the aperture array beam-forming method, we demonstrate a wide-field Galactic H i observations in the radio camera mode. The results indicate that this system might be applicable for strong Galactic transient detections. This system could be directly equipped to large telescopes like the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) and FAST array in the future.


Posttetanic hyperpolarization (PTH) parameters of a single node of Ranvier remained unchanged with increase of the stimulation duration of over 0.1 sec. PTH was insensitive to strophanthin, but was eliminated by tetraethylammonium. Resistance of the membrane of node of Ranvier measured by the amplitude of anode impacts proved to be lovered during the PTH by 50%. A conclusion was drawn that PTH of the isolated nerve fibers was caused by the persistence of increased potassium permeability during and after the end of tetanus. An increase in duration of tetanization failed to lead to the appearance of PTH associated with active ion transport.


BACKGROUND
The exact percentage of sexual dysfunctions resulting from Peyronie's disease remains very difficult to evaluate even today. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the series observed in our Department in order to make an assessment of the erectile function of patients found to be suffering from Peyronie's disease.

METHODS
Over the course of 9 years, 132 patients have come to our observation; they were originally examined for sexual function disturbances or for other pathologies of a uro-andrological nature.

RESULTS
In all, a total of 208 lesions were observed. Only 21 patients (22.5%) were found to be completely asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. The most frequent symptom was shaft curvature (alone or in association with pain: 47%). The most commonly observed site for plaques was the back of the corpus cavernosum (43%). Impotentia erigendi was observed in 29 patients (22%) whereas impotentia coeundi was found in 50 (38). The functionally most significant lesions were those affecting the septum or in some way involved with the septum: 19 of 29 patients with impotentia erigendi presented such lesions.

CONCLUSIONS
Considering the generally progressive course of the disease, the therapeutic approach taken by our Department is to fit a prosthesis to patients who have been suffering from Peyronie's disease for at least six months; conservative therapy is only undertaken in the rare cases of patients who have a perfectly preserved erection but who suffer from impotentia coeundi (as a result of curvature or pain).


Abstract A comparative study of the electromagnetic instabilities in anisotropic unmagnetized plasmas is undertaken. The instabilities considered are the filamentation and Weibel instability, and their cumulative effect. Dispersion relations are derived and the growth rates are plotted systematically for the representative cases of non-relativistic counterstreaming plasmas with isotropic or anisotropic velocity distributions functions of Maxwellian type. The pure filamentation mode is attenuated by including an isotropic Maxwellian distribution function. Moreover, it is observed that counterstreaming plasmas can be fully stabilized by including bi-Maxellian distributions with a negative thermal anisotropy. This effect is relevant for fusion plasma experiments. Otherwise, for plasma streams with a positive anisotropy the filamentation and Weibel instabilities cumulate leading to a growth rate by orders of magnitude larger than that of a simple filamentation mode. This is noticeable for the quasistatic magnetic field generated in astrophysical sources, and which is expected to saturate at higher values and explain the non-thermal emission observed.


In this thesis, a novel adaptive subcarrier allocation algorithm is developed for OFCDM. This algorithm utilizes groups of evenly spaced, non-contiguous subcarriers throughout the spectrum. The users are allocated to subcarriers groups with the intention of minimizing the overall BER. This is accomplished by assigning a user to the set of subcarriers that provides the best Signal to Interfenence and Noise Ratio (SINR), while producing the least amount of interference to other users accessing the same subcarrier group. The expected interference produced by this user is then utilized to recalculate the SINR for the subcarrier goup, and the allocation process continues recursively until all users are assigned to subcarriers. The proposed alogrithm is shown to provide a performance improvement ranging from 1.5dB with 2x16 spreading, 7dB with 16x2 spreading. The algorithm is also shown to maintain or improve the BER floor for each OFCDM spreading configuration.


This study made an attempt to analysis the building project of SANAA based on the analysis of Deleuze by the creative interpretation of the film with the image frame. Deleuze divides image-movement like image-perception, image-affection, and image-action. He also classifies image-cliche, and image-creative and valuable in the film with the image frame. The interpreted results of the building project of SANAA using this analytical framework could be confirmed to interpret and understand the usefulness of modern architecture. It is confirmed that the building project of SANAA has been achieved as body anchored point to break down and pure perception to reach a state of 'gaseous perception' of image-perception, the limited space of a non-narrative 'nondescript space' to reveal image-affection, cliche sensation-movement system to escape a destructive form of 'figure' as the image-action.


CDK10 is a novel and relatively poorly characterized member of the CDC2 family of kinases. CDK10 has been reported to be involved in the regulation of the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Its role in cancer is unclear. A meta-analysis of gene expression profiling studies has consistently demonstrated higher expression of this protein in colorectal cancer (CRC) but its role is unknown. In this study, we were interested in examining the role of CDK10 in growth, apoptosis, chemoresistance, and as a therapeutic target in CRC. CRC cell lines stably overexpressing CDK10 wild type (WT) as well as a kinase defective/dominant negative (DN) form of CDK10 were established in CRC cell lines RKO, HCT-15 and MIP101. Knockdown of CDK10 was achieved via siRNA. MTS and colony-forming assays were used to examine the response to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU); TUNEL, caspase 3/7 assays, for apoptosis; and signaling events by immunoblotting. Cell growth in vivo was monitored after injection of cell lines into the flanks of Nude mice. To examine CDK109s role as a potential target, SCID mice implanted SC with patient-derived CRC were injected with lentiviral siRNA targeting CDK10 and tumor growth was examined. Overexpression of CDK10 WT in RKO cells resulted in greater in vitro cell proliferation in comparison to either the DN or the control cells. It also inhibited apoptosis by 32%, while overexpression of the CDK10 DN protein was associated with an augmentation of apoptosis (>50%). Knockdown of CDK10 via siRNA confirmed a significant decrease in cell viability (20-60%) and a significant increase in apoptosis (>80%). This was associated with a downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression. Interestingly, inhibition of apoptosis in CDK10 WT RKO cells could be achieved by inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL by siRNA. The sensitivity of CRC cells to 5-FU was also dramatically reduced in cells overexpressing CDK10, as demonstrated by the significant higher IC50 in these cells. Colony-forming assay showed involvement of the kinase activity in 5-FU resistance since CDK10 DN HCT-15 cells displayed higher sensitivity and the CDK10 WT HCT-15 higher resistance to 5-FU. In line with the in vitro results, in vivo studies revealed that HCT-15 tumor xenografts expressing CDK10 WT have a significantly greater rate of growth than tumors expressing basal levels of CDK10. Interestingly, tumors of CDK10 DN cells had the slowest rate of growth. Furthermore, in vivo knockdown of CDK10 significantly impaired the growth of human SC implanted CRC tumors, as compared to control, with a ΔT/ΔC close to 0% by 26 days of treatment. CDK10 appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of CRC by influencing cell growth, apoptosis and chemotherapy resistance, in part, through its kinase active site. In addition, in vivo results using patient-derived tumors showed a significant reduction in tumor growth, following siRNA knockdown of CDK10, thereby demonstrating it to be a potential target for therapy in CRC. Citation Format: Louis-Bastien Weiswald, Mohammad R. Hasan, Mahbuba Rahman, Clarissa Pasiliao, Isabella T. Tai. CDK10 promotes tumour growth and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer, and is a potential target for treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2047. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2047


Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the upper airway area on lateral cephalogram between vertical growth pattern and horizontal and average patterns. The airway was measured in three different head positions; the Natural Head Position (NHP), 20 degrees of extension and 20 degrees of flexion.
Materials and Methods: 60 subjects were divided into two groups Group A which consisted of horizontally and average growing patients and Group B consisting of vertically growth pattern patients. Using a derived trapezoid the area of the nasopharyngeal airway covered by the trapezoid was calculated in lateral cephalogram. The trapezoid represented the upper airway.
Results: At 20 degrees of extension the airway significantly increased more in Group A as compared to Group B. The difference between the two groups however was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: In the present study we found that the airway in both groups was affected by 20 degrees flexion and 20 degrees extension of the neck. Hence, improving airway patency by changing head postures is beneficial to all types of craniofacial growth patterns. The results can as well be functional in improving the patency of the airway in individuals with obstructive breathing problems. Airway patency has its application in emergency management, E.N.T., surgery, anesthesia and many more branches other than Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics.

Keywords: Lateral cephalogram, Growth pattern, Airway, Natural head position.


A new modular drivetrain for large wind turbines currently under development is presented. The electromechanical drivetrain has a direct-drive configuration with a modular flux-switching permanent magnet generator. The full-power converter consists of 12 parallel back-to-back 2L-VSC converter modules. A novel method of modulation is used to improve harmonic quality while maintaining a low switching frequency. Benefits of the new design include simplified manufacturing and transport, increased system availability due to fault-tolerance and redundance, and avoidance of an LCL filter. Measurements results are shown from a 500kW test rig.


Epigenetic alterations may contribute to the generation of cancer cells in a multi-step process of tumorigenesis following irradiation of normal body cells. Primary human fibroblasts with intact cell cycle checkpoints were used as a model to test whether X-ray irradiation with 2 and 4 Gray induces direct epigenetic effects (within the first cell cycle) in the exposed cells. ELISA-based fluorometric assays were consistent with slightly reduced global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, however the observed between-group differences were usually not significant. Similarly, bisulfite pyrosequencing of interspersed LINE-1 repeats and centromeric α-satellite DNA did not detect significant methylation differences between irradiated and non-irradiated cultures. Methylation of interspersed ALU repeats appeared to be slightly increased (one percentage point; p = 0.01) at 6 h after irradiation with 4 Gy. Single-cell analysis showed comparable variations in repeat methylation among individual cells in both irradiated and control cultures. Radiation-induced changes in global repeat methylation, if any, were much smaller than methylation variation between different fibroblast strains. Interestingly, α-satellite DNA methylation positively correlated with gestational age. Finally, 450K methylation arrays mainly targeting genes and CpG islands were used for global DNA methylation analysis. There were no detectable methylation differences in genic (promoter, 5' UTR, first exon, gene body, 3' UTR) and intergenic regions between irradiated and control fibroblast cultures. Although we cannot exclude minor effects, i.e. on individual CpG sites, collectively our data suggest that global DNA methylation remains rather stable in irradiated normal body cells in the early phase of DNA damage response.


We report an experiment on the adiabatic cooling of 87Rb atoms in an atomic fountain to a temperature as low as 1.5 μK, which is roughly twice the recoil temperature. The atomic fountain has the (1,1,1) optical geometry for cooling and launching of cold atoms. The atoms are first cooled in an optical molasses of 6 beams to 3.4 μK by polarization gradient geometry and then are adiabatically cooled by decreasing the intensity of laser from 1.8Is per beam to zero in 1 ms during the launching of cold atoms. We also study the dependences of atomic temperature on different laser parameters. The method we used is useful in any cold atom physics experiment.


Background: Proper care and maintenance of central lines is essential to prevent central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Our facility implemented a hospital-wide central-line maintenance bundle based on CLABSI prevention guidelines. The objective of this study was to determine whether maintenance bundle adherence was influenced by nursing shift or the day of week. Methods: A central-line maintenance bundle was implemented in April 2018 at a 1,266-bed academic medical center. The maintenance bundle components included alcohol-impregnated disinfection caps on all ports and infusion tubing, infusion tubing dated, dressings, not damp or soiled, no oozing at insertion site greater than the size of a quarter, dressings occlusive with all edges intact, transparent dressing change recorded within 7 days, and no gauze dressings in place for >48 hours. To monitor bundle compliance, 4 non–unit-based nurse observers were trained to audit central lines. Observations were collected between August 2018 and October 2019. Observations were performed during all shifts and 7 days per week. Just-in-time feedback was provided for noncompliant central lines. Nursing shifts were defined as day (7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), evening (3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.), and night (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). Central-line bundle compliance between shifts were compared using multinomial logistic regression. Bundle compliance between week day and weekend were compared using Mantel-Haenszel 2 analysis. Results: Of the 25,902 observations collected, 11,135 (42.9%) were day-shift observations, 11,559 (44.6%) occurred on evening shift, and 3,208 (12.4%) occurred on the night shift. Overall, 22,114 (85.9%) observations occurred on a week day versus 3,788 (14.6%) on a Saturday or Sunday (median observations per day of the week, 2,570; range, 1,680–6,800). In total, 4,599 CLs (17.8%) were noncompliant with >1 bundle component. The most common reasons for noncompliance were dressing not dated (n = 1,577; 44.0%) and dressings not occlusive with all edges intact (n = 1340; 37.4%). The noncompliant rates for central-line observations by shift were 12.8% (1,430 of 1,1,135) on day shift, 20.4% (2,361 of 11,559) on evening shift, and 25.2% (808 of 3,208) on night shift. Compared to day shift, evening shift (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.62–1.87; P < .001) and night shift (OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 2.07–2.52; P < .001) were more likely to have a noncompliant central lines. Compared to a weekday, observations on weekend days were more likely to find a noncompliant central line: 914 of 3,788 (24.4%) weekend days versus 3,685 of 22,114 (16.7%) week days (P < .001). Conclusions: Noncompliance with central-line maintenance bundle was more likely on evening and night shifts and during the weekends. Funding: None Disclosures: None


Background The play was a co-production between the Ardgowan Hospice Butterfly Service and Greenock Players Youth. It was inspired by true stories, in particular a young person's wish to make a difference and help children like she had been after the death of her father. It was funded thanks to the kind anonymous donation of a couple who had a relative supported by the Butterfly Service. The young cast perform powerful stories, in the form of monologues, based on real case studies. In taking the child's point of view it communicates important messages to adults about how some of the language and terminology used when someone has died can cause upset and confusion. Some of the phrases that are known to have caused upset in real life are used in the play, i.e. 'Your mum is in the sky' and using the phrase 'Passed away' to a child who doesn't know it means death. The play demonstrates how they really feel when they have experienced grief. The play aims to raise awareness of the needs of bereaved children and young people by giving age appropriate information and give them a chance to express their feelings and thoughts about death and dying. Bereaved children should have a voice and not be left as forgotten mourners. It also aims to make adults really think about the language and phrases they use with children. Attempts to protect children and young people from the truth can sometimes leave them confused and alone with their questions, fears and powerful feelings. The play was initially screened at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock on 10 October 2018 to professionals who work with children, with very positive feedback. The play was filmed with the intention of it being used as a resource to help support children and young people dealing with grief and this is currently work-in-progress.


Summary
1. There has recently been increasing interest in patterns of beta diversity but we still lack a comprehensive understanding of these patterns in various regions (e.g. the tropics), ecosystems (e.g. streams) and organism groups (e.g. invertebrates).

2. Our aim was to investigate the patterns of beta diversity of stream macroinvertebrates in relation to key environmental (i.e. stream size, pH and habitat degradation) and geographical variables (i.e. latitude, longitude, altitude) in a tropical region. We surveyed a total of 8–10 riffle sites in each of 34 streams (altogether 337 riffle sites were sampled) in Peninsular Malaysia to examine variation in macroinvertebrate community composition at within-stream and among-stream scales.

3. Based on test of homogeneity of dispersion, we found that the streams studied differed significantly in within-stream variation in community composition (i.e. among-site variation of within stream beta diversity). The patterns were similar based on Bray–Curtis coefficient on abundance data, Sorensen coefficient on presence–absence data and Simpson coefficient on presence–absence data. We also found that within-stream beta diversity was significantly related to stream size, pH and latitude, with each of these variables individually accounting for around 20% of the variation in beta diversity in simple regressions, while the total variation explained by the three significant variables amounted to around 50% in multiple regressions. By contrast, habitat degradation, longitude and altitude were not significantly related to beta diversity. We also found that the factor drainage basin accounted for much of the variation in beta diversity in general linear models, suppressing the effects of environmental variables.

4. We concluded that within-stream beta diversity is mainly related to a combination of the identity of a drainage basin and stream environmental factors. Our findings provide important background for stream environmental assessment and conservation planning by emphasising that (i) macroinvertebrate communities within streams are not homogeneous, but show considerable beta diversity, (ii) streams differ in their degree of within-stream beta diversity, (iii) stream size and water pH should be considered in applied contexts related to within-stream beta diversity and (iv) historical effects may be different in different drainage basins and may affect present-day patterns of within-stream beta diversity.


Cigarette consumption is rapidly increasing in all Muslim countries. In Muslim countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, cigarette consumption has increased by 224% between 1963 and 1990. In Bangladesh, approximately 60 to 70 per cent of adult males and 20 to 30% of adult females consume tobacco in some form or other. The fact that tobacco has been accepted as an addictive substance, is a reminder that in Islam it is strictly forbidden; and smoking should not be considered normal behaviour in a Muslim society. Muslim countries thus have both the scientific evidence and Islamic teachings as two powerful instruments in their fight against tobacco, which if properly used, can bring success


Several aspects of the techniques that can be applied to acquisition and preservation of samples from Mars and a cometary nucleus were examined. Scientific approaches to sampling, grounded in proven engineering methods are the key to achieving the maximum science value from the sample return mission. If development of these approaches for collecting and preserving does not preceed mission definition, it is likely that only suboptimal techniques will be available because of the constraints of formal schedule timelines and the normal pressure to select only the most conservative and least sophisticated approaches when development has lagged the mission milestones. With a reasonable investment now, before the final mission definition, the sampling approach can become highly developed, ready for implementation, and mature enough to help set the requirements for the mission hardware and its performance.


In mobile wireless personal area networks (WPAN), the position of each node changes over time. A network protocol that is able to dynamically update its links in order to maintain strong connectivity is said to be "self-reconfiguring." We propose a mobile wireless personal area networks (WPAN) design method with self-reconfiguring protocol for power efficiency. The WPAN is self-organized to clusters using an unsupervised clustering method, fuzzy c-means. A fuzzy logic system is applied to master/controller election for each cluster. A self-reconfiguring topology is proposed to manage the mobility and recursively update the network topology. We also modify the mobility management scheme with hysteresis to overcome the ping-pong effect. Simulation results show that our scheme performs much better than the existing algorithm.


Chronic disease is a long term disease. Treatment performed by patients is also routine and continuous to achieve therapeutic success as well as to avoid complications that can be occurred. Adherence is an important factor to reduce complications of chronic disease. There are some efforts that need to do to increase compliance, such as providing information about drug usage from health providers. The use of technology can also be an option as a facility to increase compliance, such as using audiovisual media as an additional means of providing information and short message services or a mobile application for medication reminders on smartphones. This article provides an overview of the role of technology in increasing adherence to patients especially those who are suffering from chronic disease. This article is based on a literature study from some literature or research results. The reviewed literature shows that the use of video in providing information about drugs, sending short messages, and the use of mobile medication reminders to take medication has an effect on increasing adherence significantly in chronic disease patients. The use of technology is effective and efficient in increasing adherence of chronic disease patients.


In patients with situs inversus totalis, the superior vena cava is normally positioned on the left side and drains into a left-sided right atrium (RA). If right-side superior vena cava (RSVC) is also present, it should be thought of as a combined congenital anomaly. Here, we report a case of successful pacemaker lead insertion through the RSVC in a patient with situs inversus totalis. The left-side superior vena cava (LSVC) had been already used as a route for the first pacemaker lead insertion 15 years earlier. During the pacemaker lead revision, we found that the LSVC was obliterated, and used the RSVC as a route for a new pacemaker lead insertion. (Korean Circ J 2008; 38:128-130)


Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) films of melamine were prepared by photopolymerization of vinylic monomers on diazonium-modified gold electrodes. The gold-grafted MIPs are specific and selective for melamine in either organic or aqueous media. The interferent molecules cyromazine and cyanuric acid were not recognized by the MIPs. The limit of detection was as low as 1.75×10−12 mol L−1 at S/N=3. Efficiency of melamine rebinding is related to the solubility parameter of the organic solvent or pH and ionic strength of the aqueous medium. It is concluded that diazonium salts permit to design robust electrochemical MIP sensors.


Wireless sensor network (WSN) is composed by a large number of low-cost micro-sensors to collect and send various kinds of messages to base station (BS). Since the network consists of low-cost nodes with limited battery power and battery replacement is not an option for network with thousands of physically embedded nodes, energy efficient routing protocol must be employed to get long-life work time. We need not only to minimize total energy consumption but also to balance WSN load. Researchers have proposed many elegant protocols such as LEACH, HEED, PEGASIS, and PEDAP. In this paper, we propose General Self-Organization Tree-Based Energy-Balance routing protocol (GSTEB). GSTEB forms a self-organizing routing tree. For each round, BS assigns root node and broadcasts to all others, each node only using local information of its own and its neighbors to select its parent. These methods make GSTEB to be a dynamic and parallel protocol. Simulation results show that GSTEB has a better performance than other protocols on balancing energy consumption and prolonging lifetime of WSN. Moreover, GSTEB can be used in more applications.


With increasing urbanisation there is concern regarding loss of experience and knowledge of biodiversity amongst urban populations. Yet biodiversity representations are retained in many art and functional forms, including names of places, buildings, institutions and streets. These manifestations offer a window to examine the relationship between humans and their experienced or imagined environment using a biocultural lens. I quantified the current prevalence of urban streets named after animals or plant species, the diversity of species represented, whether they are native or non-native, whether representative of the biome in which the town was situated and the change in prevalence through time. The street names of 48 towns in a one degree wide south-north belt across seven of South African's biomes were captured and analysed. Of the 4,359 street names, 11.1% were named after plants (218 species) and 5.3% after animals (131 species), although some towns had none and others more than 40%. Approximately half of the plants were native to South Africa, whereas over 80% of the animals were. There was no correspondence between the species composition reflected in street names and the biome in which towns were located. The proportion of streets named after plants or animals has generally increased over the last two hundred years. These results provide insights into the bioculturally defined plants and animals that are valued by past and present urban communities, showing that they are generally from a wider array than can be found or experienced in the local setting.


This study examined the regional economic impacts of pluriactivity in Scottish farm households. This has become an important issue in a climate of falling farm incomes, and increased moves towards integrated rural development policies. Methodologies included: i) developing a model, which combines and extends existing techniques, capable of estimating and spatially distributing the economic impacts of on-farm pluriactivity; ii) identifying which types of activity have the greatest benefit in terms of a) local and b) regional income generation and employment, measured by size and spatial distribution; iii) assessing the economic impact of the RDP; and iv) identifying those areas in the regions studied, which offer the greatest and least potential for pluriactivity, as a step towards policy targeting. A model was produced combining techniques from input-output analysis and a gravity model. This model can be used to predict the income and employment impacts of on-farm enterprises, and spatially distribute the results. The gravity model was extended to allow multiple payments, and could then be used to assess the economic impacts of the RDP grants in Dumfries & Galloway and Grampian. It was found that the regional economy comprises a complex set of relationships, and the outcomes were influenced by the presence, or absence, of centres of population large enough to draw economic benefits away from rural areas. Factor analysis was used to identify which geographical, physical, economic and location variables explain the success of various on-farm enterprises. This analysis was found to be particularly suited to tourism and leisure & recreation related activities, which at present account for the majority of on-farm enterprises. Some areas were found to exhibit the correct conditions for developing several different enterprises, but some of the remote areas were, unfortunately, shown to have very few diversification opportunities. The results of the study clearly provide information relevant to policy makers interested in an integrated approach to rural development.


There are paucity of information on the migratory trend and security challenges facing albinos seeking refuge and livelihood in neighbouring African countires. Specifically this study examines Tanzanian albinios' migration, acceptability and security challenges in Kenya and South Africa. The study was purely qualitative in nature, involving a hundred and forty-five persons with albinism (PWA) identified in Nairobi (Kenya) and Gauteng province (South Africa). Realities, myths, folktales and legends about albinos as both disabled and divine beings prevailed in the host communities in Kenya and South Africa. Comparatively socioeconomic factors such as income and educational attainment of PWA and their family members were major factors informing choices of destination and abode. This was evident in a number of affluent albinos living in South Africa. Nevertheless, acceptability and safety continue to elude PWA as spirit beings and strangers. They are left vulnerable as strangers and at best perceived as persons without identity. Similarly the proximity of Tanzania to Kenya


Abstract. This study is an experimental research that aims to find out how the response of corn growth (Zea mays) with urea-coated zeolite as nitrogen release slowly, implemented from April to December 2017. The making of fertilizer is done in Biology Laboratory of East III Floor Department of Biology Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Makassar State University. The cultivation and maintenance of maize was conducted at Greenhouse of Ecophysiology of Seraca Crops Research Institute (Balitsereal) Maros and Analysis of nitrogen data at Soil Laboratory of Agricultural Technology Assessment Institute (BPTP) Regency. Maros South Sulawesi. This research used Randomized Block Design (RAK) 3 grouping with Control, Urea, Phosphate, Potassium (UPK), UPK Zeolite 10%, UPK Zeolit 30%, and UPK Zeolit 50%. The corn variety used was HJ 21 Agritan. Observation parameters were stem circumference, leaf chlorophyll content, plant biomass (root, stem and leaves), cob weight, ear length, seed weight, leaf nitrogen and seed nitrogen. The technique of data origin is done by using variance analysis technique (F test) / ANOVA at the level of trust α = 0,05%. Then proceed with Duncan's advanced test using SPSS statistic program 20. The results showed that there was an interaction between zeolite-coated urea fertilizer on the yield of cob and corncob with different results on the other treatment. The best results on urea-coated zeolite treatment with 10% concentration. While for stem circumference, leaf chlorophyll content, plant biomass (root, stem and leaf), seed weight, leaf nitrogen and seed nitrogen showed no effect but when viewed the average result of urea coated application of zeolite with the highest 30% concentration.Keywords: The growth of corn, the application of urea zeolite coated, slow release fertilizersp., Thalassiosira sp., Probiotic Bacteria


Although gastric carcinoma is an uncommon disease in North America, its incidence is alarmingly high in Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and countries of the former Soviet Union. Screening for gastric carcinoma is performed only on a limited basis in Japan; in the rest of the world, therefore, patients often present with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both rarely cure patients with unresectable or metastatic carcinoma; therapy thus remains palliative for such patients. Chemotherapy seems to be beneficial, however, and continues to evolve in the treatment of patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. Four small randomized trials demonstrated survival and quality-of-life benefits for patients who received chemotherapy compared with those who received best supportive care. In the past 20 years, several "old" drugs have been studied either alone or in combination to treat this disease; and new active drugs have been identified. Recently, quality of life, convenience, and cost-containment have been emphasized in the treatment of cancer. This has increased interest in oral agents. At present, several promising oral 5-fluorouracil prodrugs are being studied in clinical trials. This article summarizes current developments in the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma.


Spectrum sensing is one of the most important features of Cognitive Radio (CR) systems. Matched-filter based spectrum sensing techniques provide optimum sensing performance given that a number of characteristics of the transmitted signal are known by the sensors. Assuming that the received signal pertains to one communication standard from a given set of wireless technologies, conventional spectrum sensors employ separate filters corresponding to each standard which gives rise to increased power consumption and ciruit size. A novel reconfigurable matched-filter based spectrum sensor to be deployed in CR systems is proposed in order to overcome the disadvantages of conventional design methods. This approach proposes a spectrum of design qualities which trade-off area for reconfiguration overhead. We will show that our approach is capable of designing reconfigurable filter for standards with widely varying filter characteristics.


Ternary complexes of copper(II) with β-ketoesters [β-keto = ethyl acetoacetate (HETAA) and ethyl benzoylacetate
 (HETBA)] and diamines [diam =
N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (Me4en), N,N,N′-trimethylethylenediamine (Me3en),
 N,N,N′-triethylethylenediamine (Et3en) and N-methyl-1,4-diazacycloheptane (medach)] of general formula Cu(β-keto)(diam)X,
 where X−
 = ClO4, BPh4, NO3, Cl or Br, have been prepared. Their structure and chromotropicity have been characterized
 using spectral analyses, electrochemical and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Complexes having
 perchlorate, tetraphenylborate and nitrate as anions show a remarkable change from reddish violet to green in different
 solvents and anions with increasing donor strength of the solvent or anion. Complexes having chloride and
 bromide as anions are highly influenced by the acceptor property rather than the donor property of the solvent.
 The spectral studies revealed the possibility of using these complexes as Lewis acid–base color indicators for
 both solvent and anion donor strength. Cyclic voltammetric measurements on the complexes in different
 solvents showed that the reduction process is mainly diffusion controlled and quasi-reversible or
 irreversible. Such behavior has been explained according to the ECE mechanism (E = electrochemical step, C = chemical
 step). The solvent effect has been rationalized in terms of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the redox
 processes. A correlation has been found between the copper(II) reduction potential
 and the spectral
 data in different solvents.


Homo sapiens caseinolytic protease P (HsClpP) plays an important role in maintaining mitochondrial proteostasis. Activating HsClpP has been proved to be a potential strategy for cancer therapy. In this paper, a novel class of HsClpP agonists is designed and synthesized using a position shift strategy based on the imipridone ONC201. Among these newly synthesized imipridone derivatives, compound 16z exhibits remarkably enhanced antitumor activity (IC50 = 0.04 μM against HCT116 cells). It can improve HsClpP thermal stability and induce mitochondrial dysfunction, reactive oxygen species production, cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, and apoptosis of HCT116 cells. Moreover, compound 16z possesses excellent pharmacokinetic profiles and significantly inhibits tumor growth in HCT116 cell-inoculated xenograft nude mouse models. Our study demonstrates that 16z has potential to be an antitumor drug candidate for further development and provides insights for the design of the next generation of HsClpP agonists for cancer treatment.


Invasive cancer cells are a critical target for chemotherapy in order to prevent metastasis. In the present report, we demonstrate real-time visualization of cell-cycle kinetics of invading cancer in three-dimensional (3D) Gelfoam® histoculture. A fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) was used whereby G1/G0 cells express a red fluorescent protein and S/G2/M cells express a green fluorescent protein. With FUCCI imaging, we observed that cancer cells in G0/G1 phase in Gelfoam® histoculture migrated more rapidly and further than the cancer cells in S/G2/M phase. Cancer cells ceased migrating when they entered S/G2/M phases and restarted migrating after division and re-entry into G1/G0. Migrating cancer cells also were resistant to chemotherapy since they were preponderantly in G1/G2 and cytotoxic chemotherapy targets cells in S/G2/M phase. The results of the present report suggest that novel therapy targeting G1/G2 cancer cells is necessary to prevent metastasis. Citation Format: Shuya Yano, Shinji Miwa, Sumiyuki Mii, Yukihiko Hiroshima, Fuminari Uehara, Hiroyuki Kishimoto, Hiroshi Tazawa, Ming Zhao, Michael Bouvet, Toshiyoshi Fujiwara, Robert M. Hoffman. Invading cancer cells are mostly in G0/G1 and resist chemotherapy demonstrated by real-time FUCCI imaging of cell-cycle kinetics in Gelfoam® histoculture. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1982. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1982


Mapping technologies have improved over time, and autonomous driving techniques have advanced substantially over recent decades. High-definition (HD) maps are key for autonomous driving because of their accurate and rich interpretations of road scenes. HD maps provide information about road features, such as lane lines, centerlines, traffic signs, and traffic lights, to help autonomous vehicles navigate safely. HD maps have three major challenges: the standardization of the format of HD maps, conversion between map formats, and lack of techniques for automated HD map generation. These issues influence the costs of HD maps. Therefore, this article proposes strategies to overcome these challenges as well as control the cost with the support of the Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan. We established relevant HD map standards and guidelines to standardize the HD map production procedure. Additionally, we contribute to developing semiautomated HD map production tool to enhance the efficiency of HD map production. Another contribution is to develop HD map format conversion tool to satisfy the map requirement for different end-user. This project not only promotes the development of the Taiwanese autonomous driving industry but also increases its international competitiveness.


This paper proposes two types of multi-dimensional coordinate systems to plot matrices, these two multi-dimensional coordinate systems are the surface mapping coordinate system and the four dimensional physical space. The idea is to represent graphically a large system of simultaneous equations into the same graphical space and time.


Abstract At the moment of soft tissue injury, an immediate wound healing ballet commences. This coordinated cascade of events works over minutes, hours, weeks, and months to restore tissue integrity and viability in an attempt to rebuild the site to its preinjured state. A thorough understanding of these processes, and options to navigate forks in the road, can help guide patient selection, surgical planning and execution, management of complications, and ultimately the restoration of tissue form and function for optimal outcomes. An exhaustive account of tissue healing mechanics is beyond the scope of this writing. However, a summation of much that is known of these processes and the directions research and therapeutic developments are currently aimed will help the facial plastic surgeon prevent or minimize debilitating functional and cosmetic consequences in the head and neck.


The application domains of electronic systems range from consumer devices to safety-critical systems. Of course, for systems of the latter areas a thorough verification is required. However, due to increasing complexity, verification is still the major bottleneck. Hence, new approaches are required. In this paper the state-of-the-art on verification is reported. Furthermore, recent developments are listed and finally the most pressing challenges for industry and academia are identified.


We present temporal information obtained by mass spectrometry techniques about the evolution of plasmas generated by laser filamentation in air. The experimental setup used in this work allowed us to study not only the dynamics of the filament core but also of the energy reservoir that surrounds it. Furthermore, valuable insights about the chemistry of such systems like the photofragmentation and/or formation of molecules were obtained. The interpretation of the experimental results are supported by PIC (particle in cell) simulations. Determination of the species generated in atmospheric-pressure laser-induced plasmas by mass spectrometry techniques2


The objective of this independent study were to study the relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction; to study the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment; and to study the relationship between organizational commitment and perceived organizational support. Simple random sampling technique was applied to select 400 employees of TISCO Financial Group Public Company Limited and its affiliated companies to answer self-reported questionnaire. Data were analyzed by percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Research findings revealed that perceived organizational support was positively related to job satisfaction with statistical significance; job satisfaction was positively related to organizational commitment with statistical significance; and organizational commitment was positively related to perceived organizational support with statistical significance. These results implied that when employees have perceived organizational support, they will have job satisfaction and ultimately organizational commitment.


The aim of this study was to determine if skeletal muscle capillary density is lower in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and if capillary density relates to functional limitations. PAD patients with intermittent claudication (IC) have a decreased exercise tolerance due to exercise-induced muscle ischemia. Despite the apparent role diminished arterial flow has in this population, the degree of walking pain and functional limitation is not entirely explained by altered hemodynamics of the affected limbs. We hypothesized that skeletal muscle capillary density is lower in PAD and is related to the functional impairment observed in this population. Sixty-four patients with PAD and 56 controls underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and a gastrocnemius muscle biopsy. A subset of these patients (48 PAD and 47 controls) underwent peak hyperemic flow testing via plethysmography. Capillary density in PAD patients was lower compared with controls (P < 0.001). After adjustment for several baseline demographic imbalances the model relating capillary density to peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)) remained significant (P < 0.001). In PAD subjects, capillary density correlated with peak Vo(2), peak walking time (PWT), and claudication onset time (COT). Peak hyperemic blood flow related to peak Vo(2) in both PAD and control subjects. PAD is associated with lower capillary density, and capillary density is related to the functional impairment as defined by a reduced peak Vo(2), PWT, and COT. These findings suggest that alterations in microcirculation may contribute to functional impairment capacity in PAD.


Due to the long-range data communication and complex Mars environment, the Mars lander needs to promote the ability to autonomously adapt uncertain situations ensuring high precision landing in future Mars missions. Based on the analysis of multiple disturbances, this study demonstrates an enhanced predictor–corrector guidance method to deal with the effect of atmospheric uncertainties during the entry phase of the Mars landing. In the proposed method, the predictor–corrector guidance algorithm is designed to autonomously drive the Mars lander to the parachute deployment. Meanwhile, the disturbance observer is designed to onboard estimate the effect of fiercely varying atmospheric uncertainties resulting from rapidly height decreasing. Then, with the estimation of atmospheric uncertainties compensated in the feed-forward channel, the composite guidance method is put forward such that both anti-disturbance and autonomous performance of the Mars lander guidance system are improved. Convergence of the proposed composite method is analysed. Simulations for a Mars lander entry guidance system demonstrates that the proposed method outperforms the baseline method in consideration of the atmospheric uncertainties.


ABSTRACT In 1994, the Chrysalis Project in Portland Public Schools received funding to prevent or delay the onset of substance abuse among a special target population: high-risk, female adolescents with a history of childhood abuse. Findings from the evaluation of the project's second year of providing assistance to these students are reported here. During the 1995-1996 school year, the project served 370 young women in grades 9 through 12. The program operates in all 10 traditional high schools and 2 alternative schools in the district. The evaluation reported here assesses the effectiveness of the specific program intervention strategies. It also documents the process of service delivery and program implementation at the schools to help interpret and give context to the project outcomes. The key findings of the outcome evaluation indicate several significant relationships among different health risk behavior areas (i.e., Chrysalis students who attended more support groups reported luvicr rates of marijuana use in the past month). The results show relationships among a history of abuse and increased use of alcohol and other drugs, sexual behaviors, violence-related behaviors, and suicide ideation in young women. (RJM)


This work continues the research of generalized Heisenberg algebras connected with several orthogonal polynomial systems. The realization of the annihilation operator of the algebra corresponding to a polynomial system by a differential operator A is obtained. The important special case of orthogonal polynomial systems, for which the matrix of the operator A in $l^2(Z_+)$ has only off-diagonal elements on the first upper diagonal different from zero, is considered. The known generalized Hermite polynomials give us an example of such orthonormal system. The replacement of the usual derivative by q-derivative allows us to use the suggested approach for similar investigation of various "deformed" polynomials.


The calculation of the long-distance contribution to the $K^0-\bar{K}^0$ mass matrix is divided into three parts: First, the calculation of the matrix element between kaon states of the product of two space-time integrated, $\Delta S=1$, four-quark weak operators. Second an RI/MOM subtraction to remove the short distance part of this matrix element in a fashion consistent with the calculation of the physical short distance part. Third an application of the Lellouch-Luscher method, generalized to second order in the weak interactions, to control finite volume errors. Such an approach promises to permit accurate lattice calculation of the $K_L$-$K_S$ mass difference and the long-distance contributions to $\epsilon_K$.


Trust is shaped by the role of personal interaction in social experience, including past experiences, individual knowledge of events experienced by close people, and exposure to information from the community. Based on this paradigm, individuals who are formed with different experience, knowledge, and information will have different trust. Aiming to examine the paradigm, this study investigated the differences of trust in two groups of participants with different experiences, i.e. prisoners (n= 68) and non-prisoners (n = 68). Using the questionnaire of trust in institution, trust in people scale, and inclusive general trust scale, the data were analyzed by t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon. Results showed that there were no significant differences between groups in the level of general trust, and there were significant differences between groups in the level of trust in institution. This study supports the opinion that trust is more a matter of culture.


Laser welding of thermoplastics is a new jointing technique with a host of advantages. It is not only another extremely useful welding method but also a cost-effective alternative to traditional techniques involving screws or adhesives. Transmission laser-welding of thermoplastics such as polycarbonate(PC), polypropylene(PP), polyvinyl chloride(PVC), low density polyethylene(LDPE) and acrylic using a high power diode laser has been studied experimentally. The optical transmission of each plastic has been measured at laser wavelength of 808nm. The weld process has been characterized by the specific energy and weld time required for each plastic. The characteristics of laser welding between same plastics have also been analyzed.