Current research in planning focuses mainly on so called domain independent models using the Planning Domain Description Language (PDDL) as the domain modeling language. This declarative modeling approach embraces the idea of a physics-only model describing how actions change the world. However, PDDL omits information about why and when the actions should be applied to reach the goal, which significantly decreases the practical applicability of PDDL. There exist approaches such as Hierarchical Task Networks (HTN) and control rules that add this type of information to the model with the pay-off of increased efficiency but also with the downside of increased complexity and code sizes. In this paper we propose a modeling framework for planning problems based on tabled logic programming that exploits a planner module in the Picat language. This modeling framework supports structured description of world states as well as inclusion of control knowledge and heuristics in the action model. By using problems from the International Planning Competition, we experimentally demonstrate that this modeling framework achieves results comparable to planners with control rules and HTN while keeping the size of the domain model much smaller. We also show that it gives much better solving efficiency than the state-of-the-art domain-independent PDDL planners.


Background: Primary tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and heterogeneous group of neoplasms arising from the respiratory tract. The solid variant of ACC is a histologically distinct subtype with unfavorable clinical course. We report a case of tracheal ACC with immunohistochemical and molecular analysis together with a review of the literature. Case presentation: A 31-year-old man presented with a neoplasm growing on the lower part of the total tracheal membrane, left side wall and anterior wall. The tumor was obtained via fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Histologically, the tumor is characterized by a predominant compact sheet-like and nested pattern of rounded basaloid cells. Immunohistochemically, the tumor was diffusely positive for CK and CD117. CK7 and CK5/6 was focally positive in the genuine glandular structures. P63 was completely negative in majority of neoplastic cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed MYB gene rearrangement. The current case showed an almost entirely solid pattern of growth with basaloid features, and was morphologically difficult to distinguish from a variety of other round cell neoplasms. Conclusions: This case report highlights the significance of various histological patterns and diagnostic modalities in making an accurate diagnosis of primary tracheal ACC at an early stage.


Does a rebel party's identity change impact its political success after civil wars end? Most work on political parties examines why parties change identities but does not examine the effects of such changes. In this article I examine whether identity change (indicated by party name changes and the official renunciation of violence) affects the political success of rebel parties in terms of seat shares won in the legislature, and inclusion into the executive. Using an original data set on rebel party identity change, I conduct both Prais–Winsten and logit regression analyses and find that although name changes have little impact on political success, renunciation of violence significantly increases the likelihood of both increased seat shares and inclusion in the executive. This finding has important implications regarding the impact of identity change and the transformation of rebel groups into political parties.


With the majority of poor people now living in middle-income countries and the post-millennium development goals framework taking shape, the issue of inequality has gained prominence in many policy debates. Although detailed assessments of poverty and well-being are crucial for formulating adequate policies, all too often such assessments focus on average outcomes. In this paper we present an analysis of child well-being for Kazakhstan that moves beyond averages in two ways: first, it explicitly reports on the situations of different socioeconomic groups of children in society; second, it applies a method that is diversified by age group and thereby accounts for differences among children across stages of childhood. Kazakhstan illustrates the need for more nuanced and in-depth analyses, given the significant but far from universal economic growth within the country. We find that there are large discrepancies in child well-being outcomes between different regions and that high levels of economic output do not necessarily go hand in hand with improved outcomes in terms of poverty and well-being. We argue that child well-being studies need to be more in depth, thereby ensuring that levels of inequity across socioeconomic groups and between children in different age groups are given due consideration.


With the simultaneous rise of concern about the climate crisis and the growing internationalization of research institutions, academic mobility poses an "academic paradox": knowledge of the environmental harm of aviation does not necessarily translate into action. Universities must make changes to their mobility habits if they wish to comply with governmental carbon neutrality targets and lead with example. This research looks at Finland's 14 universities and identifies the patterns and trends of academic mobility from a series of reports provided by the universities and their travel agencies. Moreover, we mapped the travel destinations to understand the scope of Finnish academic travel. The data revealed that Finnish universities are in different states of sustainability: some acting as clear trendsetters and others lagging. The results show that although the universities are performing well in some areas, as in preferring European destinations over intercontinental ones, there are still areas of improvement related to stopover reduction, the number of 1- and 2-day trips, and alternative transport forms to aviation. There is also a need for the standardization of targets and emission calculators. These key development areas are posed as recommendations through which the universities could easily reduce the carbon footprint of their mobility.


The 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake occurred in a region near the transition from the Southern Basin and Range/Rio Grande rift physiographic province to the Southern Great Plains province. Previous studies of this earthquake have presented focal mechanisms from first-motion data supporting either pure normal or strike-slip faulting with extension oriented in a southwest-northeast direction nearly perpendicular to the physiographic boundary between the provinces. This study presents the results of an inversion of regional and teleseismic body wave phases to determine earthquake source parameters. Results of the inversion suggest that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km along a fault dipping 54° to the east with a strike of 10 to 20°, and a rake of −155°. The strike is similar to that of the southern segment of the nearby Mayfield fault, a fault that shows evidence for repeated movement during the Quaternary. Seismic and geodetic information suggest unilateral rupture toward the south during the earthquake. The T axis for the earthquake shows extension oriented in a northwest-southeast direction, a direction in agreement with the direction given by geologic stress indicators.


An alternative process scheme for dry local oxidation is presented. It has several advantages when compared with the conventional wet process. For example, dry local oxidation of silicon reduces the bird`s beak length as well as retarding the appearance of field oxide thinning in submicrometre mask openings. Furthermore, it avoids detrimental gate oxide thinning and reduces the complexity of the process, because it can be performed at the same time as the well drive-in (DW-LOCOS). Preliminary results demonstrate that there is no degradation in the electrical characteristics of diodes and MOS capacitor test structures, thus permitting DW-LOCOS to be advantageously incorporated into CMOS-VLSI processing sequences.


It is often desirable to construct s-confidence limits for system reliability on the basis of data obtained from `pass-fail' tests on the components of the system. This paper presents a general method for sequentially testing the components that provides data from which these s-confidence limits can be easily derived. The method is applicable to any s-coherent system for which the reliability function is known. It is a generalization of a scheme given by Winterbottom and Verrall for systems composed of units arranged either in series or parallel.


A concrete algorithm for solving pseudo-division algorithm of multivariate polynomial matrix is presented, and what is more, it is realized in Mathematica of computer algebra system. Moreover, the Mathematica package is applied to constructing infinite-dimensional canonical system of PDEs, which includes nonlinear PDEs. Some examples are illustrated to show the effectiveness of the Mathematica package.


Calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) is mainly present in the central nervous system (α isoform) and enteric nervous system (β isoform). CGRP is known to be the most potent vasodilator of the body, and it promotes migration of inflammatory cells.
 Although its function in the gut is not well established yet, CGRPβ is postulated to have a protective role against inflammation in the gut, promoting migration of inflammatory cells, regulating nociception, motility and gut microbioma.
 The aim of the study is to analyse serum levels of CGRPβ in patients newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to unravel its potential role in the disease.

 CGRPβ levels were measured by ELISA (CUSABIO, China) in early morning samples of newly diagnosed patients with IBD. Classification of the disease (ulcerative colitis- UC, Crohn's disease- CD or unclassified inflammatory bowel disease- U-IBD), demographic data and treatment during sample collection were also collected. The results were compared with healthy controls (HC) stratified by age and sex. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and CGRPβ levels were compared with Mann-Whitney and Dunn's tests.

 Seventy-one patients with newly diagnosed IBD (mean age 48.3±16.5 years, 63.4% females) were matched with 71 HC (mean age= 48.2±16.7 years-64.8% females). Samples were collected between 0 and 249 days after IBD diagnosis was established (median 49 days, interquartile range 29-66 days).
 Thirty patients were diagnosed as CD, 36 as UC and 5 as U-IBD. Most patients with CD had ileal location and inflammatory behaviour. One of these patients was on methotrexate due to a prior diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis; the rest were either with no treatment, aminosalicylates, steroids or budesonide, or some combination of these. Half of the patients with UC had proctitis. Six had no treatment, and the rest were prescribed aminosalicylates, seven of them in combination with steroids. These characteristics are shown in table 1.
 Serum CGRPβ levels in patients with IBD were significantly decreased (2.95±1.68 pg/mL) compared to HC (4.65±2.59 pg/mL), (p<0.0001). These results stayed significant, in both CD (3.15±2.08 pg/mL; p<0.05), and UC (2.83±12.7 pg/mL; p <0.01), but not in IBD-U (2.56±1.73 pg/mL), though the number of U-IBD cases was low. CGRPβ concentrations did not differ significantly in patients with CD and UC. The results are illustrated in figures 1 and 2.

 The consistent decrease in CGRPβ levels in IBD shown here strongly supports a protective role of this peptide in the homeostasis of the intestinal mucosa. This work was supported by a grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI20/01358).


Two different types of as-grown (Bi-2212) single crystals grown by a directional solidification and floating zone methods have been annealed in air and 1 atm of flowing oxygen at for 72 h followed by different cooling processes. Experimental results show that there are no change in composition or phase segregation caused by the annealing. Annealing of the single crystals grown by the directional solidification method increases the superconducting transition temperature from 70 K (as grown) to 83 K (annealed), with the superconducting transition width (5-95% of complete superconducting transition) decreasing from 36 K to 12 K. Annealing of the single crystals grown by the floating zone method depresses from 91 K (as grown) to 83 K (annealed), with increasing from 4 K to 7 K. Further, the annealing of the as-grown crystals results in increase of the superconducting volume fraction. The results show that oxygen content and distribution in the crystals play a key role in the superconductivity of these crystals. The quality of the as-grown crystals also affects the results of the annealing experiments.


1. In a previous paper the concrete representation of electrical and optical phenomena by means of a rotationally elastic fluid aether has been discussed. In an Appendix it has been shown that whenever there is direct question of interaction between the molecules of matter and the aether, whether it be in the phenomena of magnetism or in the optical phenomena of dispersion and moving material media, the consideration of groups of electrons or permanent strain-centres in the aether, which form a part of, or possibly the whole of, the constitution of the atoms of matter, suffices to lead to a correlation of the various modes of activity; while this scheme seems to be free from the chief difficulties which have pressed on other methods of representation. The present paper is chiefly concerned with the further development of the molecular aspect of this theory. As a preliminary, it is maintained that a dynamical theory of electric currents, based on the ordinary conception of a current-element, must lead to expressions for the electrodynamic forces which are at variance with the facts. On the other hand, a theory which considers moving electrons to be the essential elements of the true currents in material media, gives a definite account of the genesis and the mutual relations of both types of forcive, the electromotive and the ponderomotive, and gives formulae for them, which correspond in the main with those originally deduced by Maxwell from consideration of the properties of his concrete model of the electric field, though they are not substantiated by his later abstract theory based on current-elements. That theory is held to be defective, in the first place on account of the discrepancy with experiment above mentioned, and in the second place, because it is not competent to describe the mode of genesis of a conduction current by electrical separation produced in the element of volume of the conductor under the influence of the field of force; it is thus an incomplete formulation of the phenomena.


In this work, windmill palm fiber (WPF), alkali-treated fiber (AF) without hemicellulose and bleached fiber (BF) without lignin were prepared and buried in soil for 30, 60 and 90 days. The surface morphology, chemical composition, crystallinity degree, mechanical properties, and residual mass rate of the samples, before and after biodegradation, were investigated. According to the results, soil burial degradation can remove the parenchyma cells and silica-bodies of WPF and deplete droplets containing the lignin of alkali-treated fiber after it has been buried for 30 days (AF30), and degradation of the single fiber cell wall of bleached fiber after it has been buried for 30 days (BF30). Buried in natural soil, lignin has a slower degradation rate than that of hemicellulose. WPF showed no significant differences in tensile strength after burial in soil for 90 days, because of the integrity fiber structure decreased the biodegradation. The most serious decrease, about 43%, in tensile strength occurred in AF after it had been buried for 90 days (BF90). This basic knowledge may be helpful for windmill palm fiber applications, especially for biodegradable composites.


Purpose SYL040012 is a siRNA under developed for the treatment of glaucoma and increased intraocular pressure (IOP). siRNAs are small double stranded RNAs that regulate protein expression at transcription level using the endogenous RNA interference machinery. Therapeutically siRNAs are attractive due to their specificity, potency and ability to silence targets that are not addressable by small molecules. SYL040012 targets ADRB2, a well-known target for glaucoma.

Methods Silencing activity of SYL040012 was validated in cell lines and IOP lowering efficacy was studied in rabbit. Silencing activity was assessed by extracting total RNA from cells or animal tissues and analyzed by real time-PCR. IOP was measured using applanation tonometry. Tissue and plasma exposure was evaluated following a single instillation to rabbits using a non-denaturing Anion Exchange HPLC combined with fluorescence detection. 28-day regulatory toxicology studies were performed in cynomolgus monkeys following a daily ocular instillation of one of three doses of SYL040012 or vehicle. Phase I clinical trials were performed in healthy volunteers or individuals with increased IOP that received either a single dose or seven repeated administrations of SYL040012.

Results SYL040012 reaches structures of the eye relevant to the treatment of glaucoma when administered in eye drops; but is only detected in systemic circulation and non-ocular tissues at trace levels. Presence of this compound in the ciliary body it results in specific down-regulation of the target gene and reduction in IOP in animal models. Preclinical and clinical studies show that SYL040012 is well tolerated both systemically and locally.

Conclusion In summary, SYL040012 is a promising candidate for the treatment of increased intraocular pressure associated to glaucoma.

Commercial interest


The environment and environmental protection in Vietnam in general and in craft villages in particular are an issue that get concerned by the Party, the Government and the entire population in society. The development of craft villages has contributed significantly to socio-economic development, helping to raise incomes and improve the lives of local people. However, the environmental pollution in craft villages is at an alarming rate. According to the verification report of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, only 26.7% of craft villages currently collect industrial wastewater and 20.9% of craft villages collect industrial solid waste. This is a big problem in dealing with environmental pollution in rural areas, especially in traditional craft villages. In this article, the author focuses on issues such as: Actual situation of environmental pollution in craft villages; causes of pollution and proposals of measures to reduce pollution and help sustainable development of craft villages.


In the paper, we introduce and study generalized weighted influence indices of a coalition on a player, where players have an ordered set of possible actions. Each player has an inclination to choose one of the actions. Due to influence of a coalition of other players, a final decision of the player may be different from his original inclination. An influence in such situations is measured by the general weighted influence index. In a particular case, the decision of the player may be closer to the inclination of the influencing coalition than his inclination was. The weighted influence index which captures such a case is called the positive weighted influence index. We also consider the negative weighted influence index, where a final decision of the player goes farther away from the inclination of the influencing coalition. Some special cases of the weighted influence indices, called a possibility influence index and an equidistributed influence index, are also defined. We consider different influence functions and study their properties. A set of followers and a set of a conditional followers of a given coalition are defined, and their properties are analyzed. We define the concepts of success, decisiveness, luck, and failure for the multi-choice model of influence.


Ninety-five undergraduates served as subjects in an experiment where they could administer electric shock to an opponent and receive the same from an opponent. The independent variables were subject's sex, subject's sex role identification (as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory), opponent's sex, as well as degree of provocation from the opponent. Aggression was defined as level of shock chosen by the subject for the opponent. The results indicated that masculine subjects facing a male opponent were more aggressive than individuals of other sex role identifications whether or not they were provoked. It was also found that masculine males were more aggressive than other males or anyof the females. Furthermore, opponent's sex influenced the males' aggressiveness but had no effect on the degree of aggression in females. Finally, aggression increased in all subjects following increases in provocation. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for pyschological androgyny.


We examined trends in sea ice cover between 1979 and 2002 in four months (March, June, September, and November) for four large (approximately 100,000 km2) and 12 small (approximately 10,000 km2) regions of the western Arctic in habitats used by bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Variation in open water with year was significant in all months except March, but interactions between region and year were not. Open water increased in both large and small regions, but trends were weak with least-squares regression accounting for < or =34% of the total variation. In large regions, positive trends in open water were strongest in September. Linear fits were poor, however, even in the East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, where basin-scale analyses have emphasized dramatic sea ice loss. Small regions also showed weak positive trends in open water and strong interannual variability. Open water increased consistently in five small regions where bowhead whales have been observed feeding or where oceanographic models predict prey entrainment, including: (1) June, along the northern Chukotka coast, near Wrangel Island, and along the Beaufort slope; (2) September, near Wrangel Island, the Barrow Arc, and the Chukchi Borderland; and (3) November, along the Barrow Arc. Conversely, there was very little consistent change in sea ice cover in four small regions considered winter refugia for bowhead whales in the northern Bering Sea, nor in two small regions that include the primary springtime migration corridor in the Chukchi Sea. The effects of sea ice cover on bowhead whale prey availability are unknown but can be modeled via production and advection pathways. Our conceptual model suggests that reductions in sea ice cover will increase prey availability along both pathways for this population. This analysis elucidates the variability inherent in the western Arctic marine ecosystem at scales relevant to bowhead whales and contrasts basin-scale depictions of extreme sea ice retreats, thinning, and wind-driven movements.


OBJECTIVES
To assess oral health and oral health associated factors in 12-year-olds and to establish determinants explaining variation in oral health among children representing two areas in the Barents region - Arkhangelsk in North-West Russia and Tromsø in Northern Norway.

METHODS
The samples consisted of Russian (N=590) and Norwegian (N=264) 12-year-olds and their parents selected according to stratified one-stage cluster design. The study included clinical examination (children) and self-reports (children and parents). The child's oral health was recorded under field conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted on pooled samples of subjects.

RESULTS
The mean DMFT/S-scores were 3.0/4.4 for the Russian and 1.2/1.5 for the Norwegian children (p<0.001). In multiple logistic regressions, country of origin (OR=3.8) and filling obtained during last dental visit (OR=5.0) were showing the strongest association with child's dental caries (χ(2)=87; p<0.001). Among parent's variables showing the strongest association with child's dental caries were country of origin (OR=2.4) and oral health problems during the past two years (OR=1.8) (χ(2)=60; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Dental caries prevalence was higher among the Russian than the Norwegian children. The overall regression models were significant for both the child and parental variables. The results indicate different impact on child's oral health from children and parental determinants.


Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a homodimeric glycoprotin secreted by granulosa cells in postnatal females. AMH plays an important role in follicle recruitment. The aim of the study was to analyse AMH concentrations under the guidance of circulating estradiol and progesterone levels in mares. The study was conducted on 25 non-lactating mares with regular estrous cycles. Blood samples were collected during estrus and diestrus to analyse estradiol, progesterone and AMH concentrations. Estradiol and progesterone concentrations were significantly different (P < 0.001) between estrus and diestrus. AMH concentrations in estrus were significantly higher than those in diestrus (P < 0.05). According to the authors' knowledge, this is the first report to suggest that the sexual cycle stage affects AMH concentrations in mares. Further investigations are needed to reveal factors affecting the AMH production and secretion pattern throughout the sexual cycle.


The aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction has been studied in a variety of solvents, a selection of imine substrates and with various combinations of PPh3 and para-nitrophenol as the catalyst system. The measured kinetic data indicates that the effects of solvent and protic co-catalyst are strongly interdependent. These results are most easily reconciled with a mechanistic model involving the reversible protonation of zwitterionic intermediates in the catalytic cycle, which is also supported by (31)P NMR spectroscopy and quantum chemical studies.


Abstract The Salar de Atacama is located in the most arid desert in the world. Despite its extreme conditions, it has many ecosystems of high ecological value. The Soncor ecosystem, a sequence of lagoons, is the most important environment of the region as it acts as the centre for the breeding of the Andean Flamingo. This salt flat also contains significant mining deposits and is an important water source for the region. Freshwater and brine—enriched in lithium and potassium—are being pumped from the aquifers near to the Soncor ecosystem, which has so far not been greatly affected by this groundwater extraction. However, there is a potential risk that future anthropogenic effects may disturb this fragile environment. The objective of this study is to determine the origin of the water sources of the Soncor ecosystem so as to adequately manage its water resources. Three hypotheses previously proposed in the technical literature were investigated in order to determine proactive actions to protect this fragile ecosystem. The study utilized classic hydrogeological techniques, such as the construction of stratigraphic profiles, piezometric maps and stream gauging, combined with less-common isotopic techniques, such as the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the origins of the water sources are associated with groundwater inputs coming from the east side of the salt flat, in the north of the basin. Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor M. Acreman Citation Ortiz, C., Aravena, R., Briones, E., Suárez, F., Tore, C., and Muñoz, J.F., 2014. Sources of surface water for the Soncor ecosystem, Salar de Atacama basin, northern Chile. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (2), 336–350.


Primary tumours of the rete testis, either benign or malignant, are very rare. Such lesions require careful scrutiny including immunohistochemical analysis to exclude malignant lesions such as mesothelioma or papillary serous carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a primary clear cell carcinoma of the rete testis. The possibility of a primary renal cell carcinoma or other primary site with metastatic spread to rete testis was excluded by thorough clinical and radiological work-up.


The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo performance of implants coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) with different surface morphologies. HAp coatings were formed on commercially pure titanium rods (2 mm in diameter, 5 mm in length) by the thermal substrate method in an aqueous solution that included Ca(H2PO4)2 and CaCl2. The coating experiments were conducted at 40–140 � C and pH ¼ 8 for 15 or 30 min. All the specimens were covered with HAp, which had different morphologies such as net-like, plate-like, and needle-like. The coated rods were implanted in the tibiae of 10-week-old male rats. Noncoated titanium rods were used as the control in this study. The constructs were retrieved 14, 28, and 56 days postimplantation and examined for new bone formation and tissue response in the cancellous and cortical bone, respectively. After 14 days implantation, new bone formed on both the HAp-coated and noncoated titanium rods in the cancellous and cortical bone. However, the bone-implant contact ratio, which was used for the evaluation of new bone formation, was significantly dependent on the surface morphology of the HAp, and the results demonstrated that the needle-like coating appears to promote rapid bone formation. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.47.1391]


UNLABELLED
Backgtound/Aim: Since hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high recurrence rate, accurate diagnosis of its location and curative resection is important to improve survival. This study evaluated the utility of photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) for HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We used two human hepatoma cell lines (HuH-7 and Hep G2). Cells were treated with 5-ALA for 4 h. 5-ALA-induced fluorescence was then examined under a fluorescence microscope. We designed hepatoma mouse models, with mice receiving an intraperitoneal injection of 5-ALA. After 4 h, their liver tumors were removed and examined under a fluorescence microscope. We also analyzed 12 HCC patients who underwent curative liver resection. The patients were administered 5-ALA orally before surgery. The excised livers were sectioned and examined by fluorescence microscopy.

RESULTS
In vitro and in vivo, red fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was observed in tumors. In 11 of 12 patients, red fluorescence was observed in their HCC. The tumor of only one patient did not exhibit red fluorescence because it had been necrosed by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

CONCLUSION
Red fluorescence of PpIX was observed in hepatoma cells, tumors of HCC mouse models and HCC of patients. PDD of HCC using 5-ALA is simple and may be useful for real-time diagnosis during liver resection.


An e-office (electronic office) system is an Information Technology system employed to cater for an organisation's administrative needs, especially in the areas of data processing, information sharing and communication activities. The system uses some forms of telecommunications in the running of an organisation's general operations. It is a virtually automated system usually intended to capture the use of integrated computer and communications systems to support administrative procedures in an office environment. The interest in this area of study was motivated by the desires to curtail the problems, such as bureaucracies, documentation errors and data losses, etc., that are often experienced in the manual approach or method of conducting organisational businesses. Thus, the research focused on foregrounding the importance of the e-office system over the manual approach, the advocacy campaign for the adoption of the system, the emphasis on the  cost-effectiveness of the system, the ease of implementing the system in organisations, etc. To achieve the intended results and goals, a web-based system and design that embedded the Block diagram, Dataflow and Top-down strategy and methodology of system design was used. With all of these in mind, the research  aimed at lending a support to the activities of organisations by designing a system that makes it possible to run businesses virtually and remotely. Hence, the  software was designed to integrate most of the activities that the target organisation (an educational organisation) undertakes. Keywords : Bureaucracies, e-Office, administrative needs and procedures, web-based system, educational organisation


INTRODUCTION TO MODERN HINDU LAW. By J. D. M. DERRETT. xciv and 653 pp. Oxford University Press (Indian Branch) Bombay, 1963. Since the enactment of the Hindu Code in 1955 and 1956 the Hindu lawyer and the student have been under the disadvantage of having no book which treats Hindu law clearly and fully, bearing in mind that for many years to come the law before the Code will still be of practical importance. This book fills this gap in Indian legal literature. It is a work of considerable scholarship. Though addressed to the academic reader, the practitioner will find it helpful, for it contains much not easily found in other works on the subject. The teacher, the post-graduate student and the good undergraduate and bar student will find it an uncovenanted blessing but, with great respect to the learned author, it is not likely to appeal to the average undergraduate or bar student, who feels he has done the whole duty of man by reading the prescribed text-book and his lecture notes. There seems to be nothing coming within the widest bounds which can be set to the field of Hindu law that has not been dealt with. But this task could not have been performed within the space occupied except by considerable compression. Authorities are plentiful and well selected but the intelligent reader must do further reading, which is usually indicated, on peripheral matter; on basic subjects Macaulay's method of illustration has often been effectively used. The moot points arising from the draftsmanship of the Code are fairly dealt with. The cognoscenti would agree with the author's views regarding ss. 6 and 30 of the Succession Act. It is difficult to say what the Indian Parliament meant by S. 11 of the Minority and Guardianship Act; one would agree that the de facto guardian and his powers survive, were it not that this would accord him more powers than the de jure guardian. Apart from dealing with local anomalies within India, this book deals with Hindu law in East Africa, where it should be welcomed. The Hindu Code and other African and Indian statutes are reproduced in appendices. A GLEDHILL.


The categorical compositional distributional model of natural language provides a conceptually motivated procedure to compute the meaning of a sentence, given its grammatical structure and the meanings of its words. This approach has outperformed other models in mainstream empirical language processing tasks, but lacks an effective model of lexical entailment. We address this shortcoming by exploiting the freedom in our abstract categorical framework to change our choice of semantic model. This allows us to describe hyponymy as a graded order on meanings, using models of partial information used in quantum computation. Quantum logic embeds in this graded order.


The objective of this study is to use time-resolved (TR) Raman spectroscopy, spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS), and a combination of these approaches to obtain high quality Raman spectra from materials hidden underneath an opaque layer. Both TR Raman and SORS are advanced techniques that allow for an increased relative selectivity of photons from deeper layers within a sample. Time-resolved detection reduces fluorescence background, and the selectivity for the second layer is improved. By combining this with spatially offset excitation we additionally increased selectivity for deeper layers. Test samples were opaque white polymer blocks of several mm thicknesses. Excitation was carried out with a frequency-doubled Ti:sapphire laser at 460 nm, 3 ps pulse width and 76 MHz repetition rate. Detection was either with a continuous-wave CCD camera or in time-resolved mode using an intensified CCD camera with a 250 ps gate width. The Raman photons were collected in backscatter mode, with or without lateral offset. By measuring the delay of the Raman signal from the second layer (polyethylene terephthalate/PET/Arnite), the net photon migration speeds through Teflon, polythene, Delrin and Nylon were determined. Raman spectra could be obtained from a second layer of PET through Teflon layers up to 7 mm of thickness. The ability to obtain chemical information through layers of diffusely scattering materials has powerful potential for biomedical applications.


As the shift in the educational landscape continues to unfold, Higher Education Institutions develop and implement mechanisms that respond to the ever-changing and dynamic needs of their key stakeholders, the students. The study explored the effectiveness and relevance of clubs and organizations to the holistic development and well-being of the students in this flexible learning modality. Employing the mixed method, the data are gathered and analyzed from six hundred six (606) respondents of the seventeen (17) clubs and organizations from one of the private schools in Cagayan de Oro City. Descriptive Statistics were used to determine the effectiveness and relevance of the clubs and thematic analysis in delving into the qualitative responses. It was found that the school clubs and organizations are extremely relevant (M=4.30) to the students in all aspects. Data show that students from twelve (12) organizations out of sixteen (16) found them extremely effective (M=4.30) in promoting wellness and developing students holistically. Emerging themes identified as the contribution of clubs to their wellness are self-development, socialization and communication, recreation and stress alleviation, boosting mental health, and developing collaboration and leadership. This implied that clubs significantly help develop the multiple facets of students despite the virtual platform:


An approach to reduce manufacturing cost, weight, design and improve quality of a component is through the use of tailor welded blanks (TWBs). TWBs are welded blanks that consist of similar or dissimilar material, thicknesses, and surface properties before forming process. The purpose of the project is to evaluate the strength and fatigue behavior of the TWBs with different thickness combination and loading direction. The welding process was done by tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding. This study is divided into three parts. First, tensile tests were carried out. It was found that combinations were affected by the difference in thickness (2 mm/3 mm) and weld orientation (45o and 90o towards loading direction). The failure occurred in the middle of the weaker base metal parts. However, some of the joint specimens broke at the heat-affected zone. In addition, weld loading direction played a dominant role when the thickness difference was large. The second part investigates the effect of welding joint on the fatigue strength of the TWBs combination. The experimental results show that the failure occurs at welding zone as the specimens were subjected to fatigue and impact loading. In the last part of this thesis, the examination of the weld quality was carried out. Through the microstructure constituents in the weld, the strength and effects on the TWBs were discussed


Purpose / Context - Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that fine and course airborne particles (PM2.5 and PM10), as well as ultrafine (UF) particles measured in terms of particle number (PN) concentrations, are toxic to human health. A number of studies on particle concentrations in households were conducted worldwide; however, no such studies have so far been conducted in Vietnam. Methodology / Approach - Using two Nano-Tracers, the authors have simultaneously and continuously measured both indoor and outdoor number concentrations of UF particles at one low rise residential house and one apartment at a high rise building in Hanoi in order to quantify the concentrations and develop an understanding of factors driving them. Results - Daily average indoor and outdoor PN concentrations ranged from 14.5 to 19.8 x 103 p/cm3 and from 33.4 to 35.5 x 103 p/cm3, respectively. However, mean concentrations of indoor and outdoor PN during rush-hours were higher and increased up to the maximum of 23.1 and to 57.8 x 103 p/cm3, respectively. Key findings / Implications - Inspection of time series of particle concentration and subsequent statistic analysis showed that outdoor PN concentrations were strongly influenced by the outdoor vehicle emissions, while indoor PN concentrations were contributed by both indoor and outdoor sources. Originality – It is the first time, UF particle number concentrations outside and inside the residential houses in Hanoi were quantified. Outdoor particle concentrations were found strongly influenced by vehicle emisisions, while indoor particle levels affected by both indoor and outdoor sources.


Although apolipoprotein E (ApoE) polymorphism is associated with variable risks of several illnesses, and with mortality, no persuasive relationship has been demonstrated with frailty. Here, the clinical examination cohort (n= 1452 older adults, aged 70+ years at baseline) of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging was evaluated, with 5‐year follow‐up data. Frailty was defined using both the phenotypic definition from the Cardiovascular Health Study (Frailty‐CHS) and the 'Frailty Index', from which age‐specific trajectories of deficit accumulation can be estimated. In age‐sex adjusted analyses, people with ApoE 4 allele had a higher risk of death (hazard ratio [HR]= 1.20; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.45), but this relationship was not significant when adjusted for cognitive impairment (1.06; 95% confidence interval: 0.88–1.27). There was no association between frailty and ApoE polymorphism, defined in age‐sex adjusted models either as Frailty‐CHS (ApoE4 HR 1.17; 95% confidence interval: 0.98–1.40, frailty HR 1.37; 95% confidence interval: 1.28–1.46) or by the Frailty Index (ApoE4 HR 1.07; 95% confidence interval: 0.90–1.29, frailty HR 35.3; 95% confidence interval: 20.4–61.1). The data do not support an association between ApoE polymorphism and frailty. This result did not depend on how frailty was defined.


Due to rising patient expectations and recent developments in material composition and clinical techniques, the demand for restorations that replicate the natural dentition has increased significantly. It is imperative that clinicians and dental technicians develop the communication skills necessary to ensure predictable and reliable shade reproduction. This article defines tooth color and its optical properties while describing techniques for the accurate translation of these characteristics into a laboratory prescription form that utilizes optical mapping procedures.


In the present study, trypanosome species-specific Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique, specifically targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Trypanosoma congolense, the repetitive insertion mobile element (RIME) gene of the Trypanozoon subgenus group and the human serum resistant associated (SRA) gene of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, was used to determine the prevalence of bovine trypanosomiasis in the Choma - Kalomo block, an important agricultural area within the Southern province of Zambia. Our data show that out of the 460 cattle sampled, 12.8% (59) were detected to have trypanosomes in their blood by LAMP, suggesting the resurgence of bovine trypanosomiasis in the previously aerial-sprayed Choma-Kalomo block. The majority of those infections were caused by T. congolense. Considering that LAMP is a highly sensitive and specific technique and yet user friendly, this test may in future prove to be instrumental in the routine accurate detection of trypanosomiasis in field samples in resource-limited countries such as Zambia.


This paper presents the significance analysis of a new type of hybrid composite sandwich wall panel which can be manufactured as modular panelised system. Two different types of natural fibers reinforced plastics (NFRP) laminate were incorporated into the new sandwich panel as an intermediate layer. The significance analysis in this research has been carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA). As the aim of the analysis is to select the most appropriate natural fiber composites for the intermediate layer, the experiments were arranged as a single factor experiment in which 3 levels of a factor have been examined. The factor refers to the type of intermediate layer used in the sandwich panel. The result of this study shows that the incorporation of intermediate layer has significantly enhanced the load carrying capacity of the sandwich panels.


A basal level of human liver porphobilinogen deaminase of 3.66 units/g wet weight was found in adult tissue. Activity in neonatal liver was at least three fold higher. Physico-chemical studies revealed that the enzyme has the approximate form of a symmetrical molecule and exhibits hyperbolic kinetics with a Km value of 3.6 microM at pH 7.6. Two ionizable groups with pK values of 7.35 and 8.90 are prominent for catalysis. A set of pI (5.8-4.9) were observed under different conditions. Results demonstrate the existence of a single protein differentially charged with multiple molecular forms in adult liver.


Voids are the most prominent feature of the large-scale structure of the universe. Still, their incorporation into quantitative analysis of it has been relatively recent, owing essentially to the lack of an objective tool to identify the voids and to quantify them. To overcome this, we present here the VOID FINDER algorithm, a novel tool for objectively quantifying voids in the galaxy distribution. The algorithm first classifies galaxies as either wall galaxies or field galaxies. Then, it identifies voids in the wall-galaxy distribution. Voids are defined as continuous volumes that do not contain any wall galaxies. The voids must be thicker than an adjustable limit, which is refined in successive iterations. In this way, we identify the same regions that would be recognized as voids by the eye. Small breaches in the walls are ignored, avoiding artificial connections between neighboring voids. We test the algorithm using Voronoi tesselations. By appropriate scaling of the parameters with the selection function, we apply it to two redshift surveys, the dense SSRS2 and the full-sky IRAS 1.2 Jy. Both surveys show similar properties: ~50% of the volume is filled by voids. The voids have a scale of at least 40 h-1 Mpc and an average -0.9 underdensity. Faint galaxies do not fill the voids, but they do populate them more than bright ones. These results suggest that both optically and IRAS-selected galaxies delineate the same large-scale structure. Comparison with the recovered mass distribution further suggests that the observed voids in the galaxy distribution correspond well to underdense regions in the mass distribution. This confirms the gravitational origin of the voids.


Abstract. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the grain legume with the highest volume of direct human consumption in the world, and is the most important legume throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, cultivated over an area of ∼4 million ha. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) drought is the most important production risk, potentially affecting as much as one-third of the production area. Both terminal and intermittent drought prevail in different production regions. The Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), coordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT by its Spanish acronym), has participated in projects for both strategic and applied research to address drought limitations, with research sites in six SSA countries. Bean originated in the mid-altitude neo-tropics, and by its nature is not well adapted to warm, dry climates. Efforts at genetic improvement of drought resistance have a long history, exploiting variability among races of common bean, as well as through interspecific crosses. Useful traits are found both in roots and in shoots. Many authors have stressed the importance of harvest index and related parameters to sustain yield of common bean under drought stress, and our field studies substantiate this. Additionally, in tropical environments, soil-related constraints can seriously limit the potential expression of drought resistance, and it is especially important to address multiple stress factors to confront drought effectively in farmers' fields. Poor soil fertility is widespread in the tropics and constrains root and shoot growth, thus limiting access to soil moisture. Phosphorus and nitrogen deficiencies are especially common, but are not the only limiting soil factors. Soil acidity and accompanying aluminium toxicity limit root development and inhibit access to moisture in lower soil strata. Soil physical structure can also limit root development in some soils, as can poor soil management that leads to compaction. We review efforts to address each of these constraints through genetic means in combination with drought resistance per se.


The basis of every hydraulic system is based on energy transformations, which are realized
through hydraulic working fluid. Hydraulic oils are certainly subject to changes within their
structure, meaning the basic characteristics and parameters of hydraulic oil, such as density, viscosity, humidity. The oils that are exploited are exposed to the process of degradation, which largely leads to significantly poorer quality of hydraulic fluid. The paper deals with the influence of changes in the characteristics of the hydraulic fluid on the hydraulic operating parameters of the gear pump installed on the hydraulic press. The parameters refer to pressure, flow, and temperature, as well as the quality of hydraulic oil, which affects the volumetric efficiency of the pump, and the results presented in the conclusion are based on the measured values of parameters before and after corrective measures. The control of parameters aims to increase the efficiency and reliability of the hydraulic system, a way of modern detection of deviations of parameters from standard, required values.

https://ein.org.pl/pdf-158431-84724?filename=Analysis of the influence.pdf


The molecular pathology of breast cancer is challenging due to the complex heterogeneity of cellular subtypes. The ability to directly identify and visualize cell subtype distribution at the single-cell level within a tissue section enables precise and rapid diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we applied mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to acquire and visualize the molecular profiles at the single-cell and subcellular levels of 14 different breast cancer cell lines. We built a molecular library of genetically well-characterized cell lines. Multistep processing, including deep learning, resulted in a breast cancer subtype, the cancer's hormone status, and a genotypic recognition model based on metabolic phenotypes with cross-validation rates of up to 97%. Moreover, we applied our single-cell-based recognition models to complex tissue samples, identifying cell subtypes in tissue context within seconds during measurement. These data demonstrate "on the spot" digital pathology at the single-cell level using MSI, and they provide a framework for fast and accurate high spatial resolution diagnostics and prognostics.


Although most drugs are considered safe and compatible with breastfeeding, cases of toxic drug exposure have been reported. Active efflux transporters have been implicated as a mechanism in the transfer of drugs from mother to baby via breastmilk. Using breastmilk as a source of human mammary epithelial cells, this novel longitudinal study investigated the expression of four active transporters, namely, MDR1, MRP1, MRP2 and BCRP in the lactating human breast. BCRP gene was found to be strongly overexpressed with levels peaking at 5 months postpartum, potentially indicating a time where a breastfed infant may be at risk of inadvertent exposure to BCRP substrates. Serum albumin, a major component of human breastmilk was increasingly downregulated as lactation progresses. Xanthine oxidase/dehydrogenase, an enzyme in breastmilk attributed to a reduced risk of gastroenteritis caused by Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritides, was downregulated. Lysozyme and fatty acid synthase are progressively upregulated. This study also shows that breastmilk‐derived epithelial cells, when propagated in culture, exhibit characteristics significantly different to those derived directly from breastmilk. This serves to warn that in vitro studies are not a true representation of in vivo processes in the lactating breast; hence, application of in vitro data should be conducted with caution.


A-10Gbit/s lightwave transport system over a-50km large effective area fiber (LEAF) tranmission based on vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with external light injection technique is proposed and demonstrated. Improved bit error rate (BER) performance was observed under direct modulation of 10Gbit/s, attributed to the LEAF to reduce the total fiber dispersion and SOA light injection technique to suppress the SOA-induced distortion. This demonstrated lightwave transport system is very attractive for the 10Gbit/s backbone applications, which can inter-operate with high-speed optical communication networks.


Four luminescent ratiometric oxygen sensors, pairing phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium with coumarin or BODIPY fluorophores, are presented here. These compounds realize three key improvements over our previous designs, namely higher phosphorescence quantum yields, the ability to access intermediate dynamic ranges better suited for typical atmospheric O2 levels, and the possibility of using visible excitation instead of UV. These ratiometric sensors are accessed via very simple, 1-step syntheses involving direct reaction of the chloro-bridged cyclometalated iridium dimer with the pyridyl-substituted fluorophore. They have phosphorescent quantum yields up to 29% with short to intermediate phosphoresence lifetimes ranging from 1.7 to 5.3 μs in three of the sensors, with the fourth having a long lifetime of 440 μs that is very responsive to oxygen. In one case, visible excitation of 430 nm is used to provide dual emission instead of UV excitation.


Why, despite the introduction of new land laws beginning in 2012, has there been an increase in land grabbing in Kenya? Why has legislation failed to address long standing grievances about grossly unequal land distribution? This important book suggests that questions of justice should be central to discussions of African land reform. Constitutional reformers in Kenya promised transformative changes in land relations. However, the reality has disappointed. Land law reforms since 2010 have been more concerned with the administration of land and with bureaucratic power than with the real consequences of unequal access to land for ordinary Kenyans. Manji documents this thwarted struggle and surveys the prospects for genuine change.


In this study, the determination of total phenolic and antioxidant activity of the wastes of Olea europaea L. wastes was determined obtained from the process of pressing and extraction of oil from the fruits of O. europaea L. which are peels, seeds and pomace (peels and seeds). Five solvents where used in the extraction process to identify the best method for the extraction. The results of the present study showed that the type of solvent in the extraction process and the selected part of the waste have important role in determining of phenolic compounds as well as antioxidant activity of the pomace, peels and seeds. Hydroethanolic extracts (50% water) was the best in phenolic compounds extraction comparison with other solvents (water at room temperature, boiling distilled water and hydrochloric acid diluted with distilled water by (1% and 5%). In contrast, extracts from the pomace, peels and seeds using 5% hydrochloric acid had higher antioxidant activity through their ability to inhibit the activity of the synthetic free radical DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-pcriylhydrazal) when compared with other solvents. The extracts of peels showed significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) amounts of the phenolic compounds and the antiradical activity against DPPH than those prepared from the pomace and seeds.


paper. Thallium(III) was quantitatively extracted at pH 4.0 from 0.1 M malonic acid with 0.08 M Amberlite LA-2 in xylene. Thallium was stripped from the organic phase with 1 M perchloric acid and was determined spectrophotometrically at 635 nm with malachite green. Thallium(III) was separated from zinc, cadmium, lead, iron, gallium and indium by process of selective extraction or selective stripping. It was possible to separate thallium (I) from thallium(III) in any proportion. It was also separated from the multicomponent mixture. The method was extended for the analysis of thallium in urine.


In this paper we present the design of a G.729a codec in a C- based design flow. The codec is used in VoIP applications for sending speech over internet protocol. We started from the standard reference C implementation and generated several customized designs using the NISCT C-to-RTL toolset. Our final designs could run at very low clock frequencies (11 MHz for the decoder and 30 MHz for the coder) while meeting the timing requirements of the standard. We present these designs and the corresponding C-based design flow in this paper.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of vitamin B12 deficiency and the factors associated with serum vitamin B12 levels in a sample of metformin-treated Brazilian diabetic patients.

METHOD
Cross-sectional study.

RESULTS
144 patients were included. Serum vitamin B12 levels were low (< 125 pmol/L) in 10 patients (6.9%) and possibly low (125 - 250 pmol/L) in 53 patients (36.8%). Serum vitamin B12 levels were negatively associated with age (B = -3.17; β= -0.171; p = 0.037) and duration of metformin use (B= -33.36; β= -0.161; p = 0.048), and positively associated with the estimated intake of vitamin B12 (B= 67.96; β= 0.249; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION
The present findings suggest a high prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in metformin-treated diabetic patients. Older patients, patients in long term treatment with metformin and low vitamin B12 intake are probably more prone to this deficiency.


Within the companies that adopt the target-costing method (T.C.) products' prices are determined by market prices and not by totalizing afferent costs. The marketing department of the company determines the target-sale price. The target-cost may be considered an estimated production cost calculated according to an estimated sale price. Nevertheless the T.C. method does not exclude the calculation and survey of costs during the production process. Products' estimated costs are calculated and compared with the target-costs.


Almond tree yield is a function of the number of flowers on a tree and the percentage of flowers that set fruit. Almonds are borne on spurs (short proleptic shoots that can have both leaves and flowers). Almond tree spur dynamics research has documented that previous year spur leaf area is a predictive parameter for year-to-year spur survival, spur flowering and to a lesser extent spur fruiting, while previous year fruit bearing has a negative impact on subsequent year flowering. However, a question remained about whether yields are more dependent on flower numbers or relative fruit set of the flowers that are present. The aim of the present work was to compare the importance of flower abundance with that of relative fruit set in determining the productivity of a population of tagged spurs in almond trees over a 6-year period. Overall tree yield among years was more sensitive to total number of flowers on a tree rather than relative fruit set. These results emphasize the importance of maintaining large populations of healthy flowering spurs for sustained high production in almond orchards.


The European standards for the aerospace industry (ECSS series) include system adaptation and installations requirements as one of sixteen types of non functional requirements (NFR) for embedded and real-time software. A number of concepts are provided in the ECSS, ISO 9126 and IEEE standards to describe the various types of candidate adaptation and installation requirements at the system, software, and hardware levels. This paper collects and organizes these adaptation and installation-related descriptions into a generic model for the specification of software adaptation and installation requirements, and to measure their functional size for estimation purposes using the COSMIC ISO 19761 standard.


The quality of drinking water can be kept under control through the protection of raw water sources and the permanent monitoring and control of the processes of treatment and distribution of drinking water. The dangers and risks faced by drinking water supply systems may arise from inside or outside the system. Water disinfection is the key element behind obtaining and maintaining quality. Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant, due to its high efficiency. However, it has a major disadvantage, namely that it has a fairly fast decomposition power in the distribution network. The study highlights the need for the presence of free residual chlorine in drinking water, both at the exit of the treatment station (Palas Constan.a water treatment complex) and at the end of the network (Eforie Nord network) by monitoring the two points, in the period January 2013 - December 2018. The presence of free residual chlorine in the drinking water at the parameters imposed by the legislation in force ensures a protection of the microbiological quality of the water. Monitoring the quality indicators of drinking water is an essential step to prevent the risk of disease of the population. The purpose of the study is to determine the potential relationship between the presence of free residual chlorine and microorganisms in the distribution network and risk factors.


Royal jelly (RJ), a brood food of honey bees, has strong antimicrobial activity. Melissococcus plutonius, the causative agent of European foulbrood of honey bees, exhibits resistance to this antimicrobial activity and infects larvae orally. Among three genetically distinct groups (CC3, CC12, and CC13) of M. plutonius, CC3 strains exhibit the strongest RJ resistance. In this study, to identify genes involved in RJ resistance, we generated a RJ-susceptible derivative from a highly RJ-resistant CC3 strain by UV mutagenesis. Genome sequence analysis of the derivative revealed the presence of a frameshift mutation in the putative regulator gene spxA1a. The deletion of spxA1a from a CC3 strain resulted in increased susceptibility to RJ and its antimicrobial component 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid. Moreover, the mutant became susceptible to low-pH and oxidative stress, which may be encountered in brood foods. Differentially expressed gene analysis using wild-type and spxA1a mutants revealed that 45 protein-coding genes were commonly upregulated in spxA1a-positive strains. Many upregulated genes were located in a prophage region, and some highly-upregulated genes were annotated as universal/general stress proteins, oxidoreductase/reductase, chaperons, and superoxide dismutase. These results suggest that SpxA1a is a key regulator to control the tolerance status of M. plutonius against stress in honey bee colonies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The merging of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened new opportunities for innovation in health data management. Issues such as security breaches, privacy violations and fragmented data are just some of the problems that DLT might solve. This research investigates how the IOTA Tangle can provide reliable and secure health data management. A systematic mapping study on 10 primary papers from year 2018 to 2021 was conducted with a comparison with findings from previous studies. We discovered that the existing research has been conducted within the knowledge areas of health data management and its relation to the IOTA Tangle, blockchain, and IoT. The results show that the IOTA Tangle is a good candidate for health data management and that it has been successfully done as proof of concepts. The Tangle is also highlighted in the literature as being well suited for the IoT. This thesis forms the basis for further research into the suitability of the IOTA Tangle in health data management.


This work presents a novel workflow for data-driven building reconstruction from point clouds acquired
with aerial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. The goal of this thesis is to produce
3D building models of high accuracy and level of detail, including roof superstructures such as dormers.
Roof segments shall be connected to each other by intersection edges or step edges, represented
by vertical walls. The workflow comprises the extraction of building point clouds from the LiDAR
scene, roof segmentation, segment boundary creation, and 3D modeling. The workflow is tested and
evaluated for two data sets, using the evaluation method and test data of the "ISPRS Test Project on
Urban Classification and 3D Building Reconstruction".
LiDAR points of buildings are extracted from the scene using previously available 2D building boundary
polygons. Nearby points from terrain and vegetation are removed using filtering procedures.
For roof segmentation, a robust region growing technique is developed. A unique feature of the
segmentation method is the growing of triangles of a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) instead
of LiDAR points. This minimizes the gaps between segments, because LiDAR points at segment
intersections can be assigned multiple segment labels. Additionally, robust adaptive thresholds are
introduced as region growing criteria. These enable the region growing procedure to stop at weak
edges, while also segmenting non-planar roof segments. Results show that the proposed segmentation
outperforms other methods concerning undersegmentation, and that it recognizes even weak edges.
Evaluation and an extensive analysis of the input parameters' effects on the results have shown that
the segmentation is very robust against LiDAR point cloud characteristics and segment shape.
Segment boundaries are cretated by collapsing the convex hull of segment points. Point density
variations in across-track and along-track directions are considered in the collapsing procedure.
For building modeling, the 2.5D dual contouring approach of Zhou and Neumann [2010] is adapted
to model complex roofs. After overlying a 2D grid to the segmented point cloud, vertices of the
3D building model are estimated for each grid cell by minimizing a Quadratic Error Function (QEF).
Each QEF minimization results in a hyperpoint, which consists of one or more vertices of the building
model at the same x-y-coordinates. This 2.5D-characteristic enables the connection of building vertices
at step edges with vertical walls. In contrast to Zhou and Neumann [2010], the proposed method uses a detailed roof segmentation, where segments can be connected by step edges or intersection
edges to each other. The main contribution of this work is the modification and weighting of the QEF,
such that the number of hyperpoint vertices resulting from QEF minimization adapts to whether step
edges or intersection edges shall be modeled.
For enhancing model simplicity, the QEF solutions of all cells are merged by collapsing a quadtree.
The quadtree collapsing stops, when the QEF residual exceeds a user-defined threshold. The final
hyperpoint vertices are connected according to their adjacency in the quadtree to form 3D faces of
the polygonal building model.
Testing of the procedure has shown that the resulting building models are very detailed and watertight.
Building superstructures can be represented accurately, and also non-flat roof segments can
be modeled in detail. Each roof segment is represented by a triangulation of the building vertices,
such that the building models precisely fit the input data, depending on the flexibly chosen input parameters.
As the building models are composed of many polygon faces, subsequent regularization is
recommended to further enhance model simplicity.
Evaluation has shown that both proposed segmentation and reconstruction methods outperform other
methods in important quality measures. The tested scenes show outstanding completeness and undersegmentation,
and comparative planimetric accuracy compared to scenes produced with other reconstruction
methods. An extensive analysis of the impact of input parameters on the results has shown
that the procedure is very robust. The user can influence the level of detail of the builing models
by choosing the input parameters. To the best knowledge of the author, the proposed reconstruction
method is the first dual contouring approach for modeling complex roof height layers.


Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) expression. Patients with TNBC derive no benefit from molecularly targeted treatments, such as endocrine therapy or trastuzumab, as they lack the appropriate targets for these drugs. TNBC is characterized by its biological aggressiveness and poor prognosis, and consists of two subtypes, basal and nonbasal. The purpose of our study is to differentiate the clinicopathological characteristics of the two subtypes. Methods: 367 patients with primary breast cancer were recruited from April 2004 to December 2010 at 1st Department of Surgery, Sapporo Medical University. ER, PgR, and HER2 status were evaluated in all cases. Moreover, we classified TNBC into basal, nonbasal subtypes on the basis of immunohistochemical staining of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cytokeratin (CK) 5/6. Basal type was defined as CK5/6-positive and/or EGFR-positive, and nonbasal type was defined as no expression of these two markers. Results: Breast cancer subtypes by molecular classification were Hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative (61%), HR-positive/HER2-positive (10%), HR-negative/HER2-positive (14%), and HR-negative/HER2-negative (15%). There was no difference between the basal type and the nonbasal type in clinicopathological factors. But, the basal type was significantly associated with Ki67 labeling index (p=0.0002), p53 expression (p=0.047), and BRCA1 expression (p=0.03). Further, patients with the basal type TNBC showed a shorter overall survival (p=0.032) than did patients with the nonbasal type. Conclusion: Classification of TNBC subtypes by EGFR, CK5/6 is a very useful prognostic factor, and highlights the need for the development of an adequate new strategy for the basal type TNBC.


Knowledge of a star's evolutionary history combined with estimates of planet occurrence rates allows one to infer whether a star would be a good target in a search for biosignatures, and to quantify this intuition using long-term habitability metrics. In this study, we analyze the sensitivity of the biosignature yield metrics formulated by Tuchow & Wright to uncertainties in observable stellar properties and to model uncertainties. We characterize the uncertainties present in fitting models to stellar observations by generating a stellar model with known properties and adding synthetic uncertainties in the observable properties. We scale the uncertainty in individual observables and observe the effects on the precision of properties such as stellar mass, age, and our metrics. To determine model uncertainties, we compare four well-accepted stellar models using different model physics and see how they vary in terms of the values of our metrics. We determine the ability of future missions to rank target stars according to these metrics, given the current precision to which host star properties can be measured. We show that obtaining independent age constraints decreases both the model and systematic uncertainties in determining these metrics and is the most powerful way to improve assessments of the long-term habitability of planets around low-mass stars.


Objective: describe the results of the use of bronchoscopy to diagnose respiratory diseases. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 116 patients who underwent bronchoscopy. The variables studied were age, gender, race, diagnostic indication, radiological findings, positivity of the techniques applied, diagnostic yield and procedural complications. The data obtained were summarized by means of simple frequencies, ranges and percentage. Chi-square tests of statistical significance were applied and the confidence interval was 95 %. The odds ratio was used to determine the association between variables. Results: 73.2 % of the sample were men aged 51-70, and 52.6 % showed elements of radiological suspicion of cancer as diagnostic indication. Hilar widening was the radiological finding most commonly reported (30.1 %), and was associated with a higher diagnostic yield. Cancer was the most commonly diagnosed condition (68.0 %). 70.3 % of cases showed agreement between macroscopic and microscopic diagnoses. Endobronchial biopsy with forceps exhibited a higher diagnostic positivity (66.6 %). Bleeding and hypoxia were reported as minor complications in 10.35 % of cases. Conclusions: bronchoscopy is an important tool for the diagnosis of respiratory diseases. Its highest yield is recorded in the presence of clinical-radiological suspicion of cancer, mainly when findings arouse suspicion of central localizations, which makes endobronchial biopsy with forceps the most useful technique in those cases. The occurrence of infrequent minor complications is associated with the application of techniques.


Sir, I read with great interest the article entitled "Amyand's hernia" by Singh et al.[1] It is really interesting and unusual to have Amyand hernia on the left side. Extensive literature search revealed that, until now, approximately 12 cases of left-sided Amyand hernia had been reported, including the present two cases.[1,2] The authors' have reviewed the topic very nicely. However, I would like to add an important historical aspect of Amyand hernia, which you may find useful. Amyand was the first to describe the presence of perforated appendix within a hernial sac of a 11-yearold guy.[1] A 11-year-old boy, Hanvil Anderson, had a right inguinal hernia with fecal fistula. He successfully performed appendectomy and repaired the hernia on the 6th of December, 1735.[2] After completion of the operation, he commented that It is easy to conceive that this operation was as painful to the patient as laborious to me.[2] This operation was not only the first to describe hernia containing vermiform appendix but also one of the earliest documented appendectomy in the literature.[3] Vermiform appendix can occasionally be found within the femoral hernia sac. The presence of appendix within the femoral hernia sac is referred as De Garengeot hernia. It was first described by the French surgeon René Jacques Croissent de Garengeot in 1731.[4] Losanoff described management of Amyand hernia in the adult. Losanoff type I (normal appendix within sac) should be managed by hernioplasty without appendectomy and Losanoff types II–IV (acute appendicitis within sac) require appendectomy followed by hernia repair without prosthesis.[5] In the pediatric patients, management of appendix is the same as described by Losanoff while management of hernia includes herniotomy.


IPPNW now considers prevention of all violent armed conflict as one of its core objectives, as such conflict is incompatible with health. Secondary prevention of war must involve early detection of volatile conflicts and their effective treatment by non‐violent but direct intervention. Such non‐violent direct interventions in conflict (NVDIC) are most desirable but currently underdeveloped. Most importantly they do not enjoy the prominence that would facilitate their wide understanding, acceptance and support. This article discusses ways in which IPPNW can best use its experience and resources to engage more appropriately and systematically in NVDIC. It is suggested that participation in observation and mediation missions, direct health related work, public promotion of health and environmental concerns, prominent involvement of women, use of health professionals' status, support of peace‐promoting local health professionals, use of local knowledge and experience of IPPNW affiliates, psychological analysis and, most of all, co‐operation with groups currently developing NVDIC are domains in which IPPNW can do great work. There are, however, many unresolved ethical and practical questions. It is therefore of the greatest importance that organizations such as IPPNW should be involved in ongoing research on NVDIC. NVDIC must be developed in a framework of evolving appropriate research methodology addressing both its effectiveness and mechanisms of action.


Computations in renormalizable perturbative quantum field theories reveal mathematical structures which go way beyond the formal structure which is usually taken as underlying quantum field theory. We review these new structures and the role they can play in future developments. PACS classification: 11.10Gh 11.15Bt 11.10Jj


A detailed quantitative description of the aerodynamics of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is difficult due to complexity of the flow field. Several methods from experimental to analytical are used to investigate the aerodynamics of a HAWT. In the present study, a wind tunnel experiment and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to explore the expansion of the wake. 2D actuator disc (AD) simulations are compared with the wind tunnel experiments. To understand the aerodynamic behavior of a model wind turbine blade, a detail flow field measurements in chordwise-spanwise directions and in the wake have been done. The measurements are performed on a 2 bladed rotor by means of Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry (Stereo PIV) in an open jet wind tunnel. In this paper, the velocity measurements performed in the wake region of the blade is presented. Actuator disc simulations are performed by applying a constant pressure jump on a permeable disc of zero thickness. Actuator disc simulations are carried out by using FLUENT 6.3.26 with the incompressible version of the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. By validating the simulations with the experimental results, one may conclude that the unsteady CFD modeling works correctly and the wake expansion of the prescribed model is affected by the geometry of the Open Jet Facility (OJF).


Wavefield decomposition forms an important ingredient of various geophysical methods. An example of wavefield decomposition is the decomposition into upgoing and downgoing wavefields and simultaneous decomposition into different wave/field types. The multi‐component field decomposition scheme makes use of the recordings of different field quantities (such as particle velocity and pressure). In practice, different recordings can be obscured by different sensor characteristics, requiring calibration with an unknown calibration factor. Not all field quantities required for multi‐component field decomposition might be available, or they can suffer from different noise levels. The multi‐depth‐level decomposition approach makes use of field quantities recorded at multiple depth levels, e.g., two horizontal boreholes closely separated from each other, a combination of a single receiver array combined with free‐surface boundary conditions, or acquisition geometries with a high‐density of vertical boreholes. We theoretically describe the multi‐depth‐level decomposition approach in a unified form, showing that it can be applied to different kinds of fields in dissipative, inhomogeneous, anisotropic media, e.g., acoustic, electromagnetic, elastodynamic, poroelastic, and seismoelectric fields. We express the one‐way fields at one depth level in terms of the observed fields at multiple depth levels, using extrapolation operators that are dependent on the medium parameters between the two depth levels. Lateral invariance at the depth level of decomposition allows us to carry out the multi‐depth‐level decomposition in the horizontal wavenumber–frequency domain. We illustrate the multi‐depth‐level decomposition scheme using two synthetic elastodynamic examples. The first example uses particle velocity recordings at two depth levels, whereas the second example combines recordings at one depth level with the Dirichlet free‐surface boundary condition of zero traction. Comparison with multi‐component decomposed fields shows a perfect match in both amplitude and phase for both cases. The multi‐depth‐level decomposition scheme is fully customizable to the desired acquisition geometry. The decomposition problem is in principle an inverse problem. Notches may occur at certain frequencies, causing the multi‐depth‐level composition matrix to become uninvertible, requiring additional notch filters. We can add multi‐depth‐level free‐surface boundary conditions as extra equations to the multi‐component composition matrix, thereby overdetermining this inverse problem. The combined multi‐component–multi‐depth‐level decomposition on a land data set clearly shows improvements in the decomposition results, compared with the performance of the multi‐component decomposition scheme.


Scholarly criticisms of the quality of British railway management between the
world wars have focused partly on the allegedly inept reaction to the threat of bus
competition. By contrast this thesis shows that the Southern Railway (SR) developed
policies and practices with regard to the bus industry that were rational and broadly
successful given the legal, political and economic circumstances.
The SR was probably atypical of the four major inter-war railways. Because of
the social and economic geography of the areas it served, it suffered less from bus
competition and a smaller decline in receipts from passenger trains. Nevertheless
in common with the rest of the industry, management action was greatly hampered
in the 1920s by political opposition to direct bus operation. A key finding is that
legislation in 1928 had the unintended effect of determining that the railways instead
entered into partnerships with bus companies. In the SR's case this policy produced
considerably greater returns on capital than historians have hitherto thought.
The SR influenced rather than controlled its associated bus companies, allowing them
considerable commercial freedom. Even so the SR was largely able to shape network
development to its advantage and to introduce measures, such as through ticketing,
that were seen by contemporaries as key elements in reducing public-transport
competition and thus enhancing consumer benefits. However, in practice such
measures probably proved more advantageous to the company than its passengers.
In sum the SR's policies and practices in relation to bus competition were much more
adroit than scholars have previously allowed. This study cannot demonstrate that the
quality of the SR's management was equally good across the company's multi-faceted
business. Nevertheless in this limited sphere, the SR achieved the most advantageous
result possible, an outcome reflecting considerable credit on its managers.


Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify the treatment planning systems (TPSs). The next aim was to validate IMSure QA software for patient-specific QA in radiotherapy clinics.  Material and Methods: We used IMSure QA software (standard Imaging, v 3.5) for verification of 92 non-IMRT plans (540 fields) in 10 radiotherapy clinics. To validate the IMSure, dose measurement was performed in CIRS phantom. Then, IMSure Calculations were compared with dose measurements. Finally, 92 patient plans (540 fields) were re-calculated including abdomen-pelvic, head & neck, breast & chest treatment sites.  Results: IMSure shows good agreement with dose measurements in the phantom. In the analysis of 540 fields, the mean difference of dose between IMSure and TPS was 0.62% (~3% SD) and for MU calculation was 1.5% (5.5% SD). Per site-treatment analysis shows mean differences of MU for abdomen-pelvic, head & neck, breast & chest treatments 1.3%(5.35% SD), 0.52%(5.22% SD) and 2.5% (7.13%SD), respectively. In addition, it was found that among different treatment planning systems, AAA algorithm has the best agreement with IMSure in mean difference of 0.68% for MU and 1.33% for total dose. Conclusion: Our results show that IMSure can be a suitable tool for routine and patient-specific QA, especially when a treatment plan is complex. Based on our results, we suggest re-assessment of agreement criteria for chest site treatment.


In this work, a new technique has been presented to find approximate solution of linear integro-differential equations. The method is based on modified orthonormal Bernoulli polynomials and an operational matrix thereof. The method converts a given integro-differential equation into a set of algebraic equations with unknown coefficients, which is easily obtained with help of the known functions appearing in the equation, modified Bernoulli polynomials and operational matrix. Approximate solution is obtained in form of a polynomial of required degree. The method is also applied to three well known integro-differential equations to demonstrated the accuracy and efficacy of the method. Numerical results of approximate solution are plotted to compared with available exact solutions. Considerably small error of approximation is observed through numerical comparison, which is further reducible to a required level of significance. Method is comparatively simpler and shorter than many existing methods.


The rampant circulation of dangerous cosmetics is something that needs to be watched out for, because in addition to violating the law, its existence can also endanger its users. Cosmetics that basically function as self-decoration turn into self-destructors. On that basis, this study aims to analyze the law on the use of harmful cosmetics in the perspective of Islamic law. This study uses a qualitative research method based on library research. The main data sources are the Qur'an and Hadith, and the supporting data sources are the thoughts of the four imams of the schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hambali) and fatwa the Indonesian Ulama Council. The results of the study indicate that the use of harmful cosmetics is forbidden in Islam, this is in accordance with the word of Allah in the Qur'an Surah al-Ahzab verse 33. All the Imams of the Schools state that the factors of the prohibition of cosmetics are seen from three things, namely the ingredients of manufacture, the method of making them, and the impact it has. If one of the three things is haram, then the cosmetic is not allowed to be used. In addition, in terms of use, Muslims should use cosmetics that have been registered with the Food and Drug Inspection Agency, and also have a halal label issued by the Indonesian Ulama Council.


The development of e-commerce has prompted traditional enterprises to open up online channels and form a dual-channel sales model. The increase in the number of channels has led to an increase in the number of orders, so how to properly and effectively match the order with the inventory will test the operational capabilities of the enterprise. Based on this practical problem, this thesis considers a two-echelon distribution system with online and offline dual-channel sales, which consists of one group node (G) and multiple distribution nodes (D). When online orders are not fully satisfied, we propose an operation mechanism of transporting inventory to online orders through offline inventory. An optimal decision model is constructed by using the Analysis Target Cascading (ATC). Finally, the model is simulated and analyzed with a specific case. The results show that the ATC method and the transshipment mechanism are effective.


This special issue seeks to highlight the ways in which diverse Asian cities – Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore – exceed current urban theorization. Modest, but nonetheless morethan-local re-theorization, can proceed from such empirical excess, which itself can only be derived from sustained ethnographic examination of cities in all their diversity. Relatedly, we cast Asia as a frontier for ethnographic strategizing – where, rather than merely importing and applying methodological tools from elsewhere, new ways of 'doing' cities emerge from reflexive engagement with emergent urban forms and ways of life. Considering diverse urban contexts in Asia, we foreground the aspirational dynamics of cities and ethnographic approaches to studying them. This has produced findings that have pushed the theoretical understanding of aspirations beyond Arjun Appadurai's initial formulations in three ways. First, breaking from the dichotomy of pastness and cultural futures, the authors have found pastness making up important ingredients for aspirations. Second, the urban middle classes could very well express subaltern aspirations for and with subaltern groups, and it would be a mistake for us to ignore the sense and sensibility of the middle classes on account of their purported lack of subalternity. Third, the capacity to aspire is primarily achieved in the embodied production of space and limited by the same.


Sodium benzoate is a preservative that is permitted to be used in food and beverages. The maximum limit for using sodium benzoate in food is 600 mg/L of ingredients calculated as benzoic acid. In this study, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method using a PDA detector was used for sodium benzoate levels analysis in fruit juice drink circulating in Malang. The mobile phase composition used in this study was methanol pro-HPLC:aqua pro injection (70:30) and added glacial acetic acid to reach pH 3. The analysis was conducted at a wavelength of 245 nm, and the flow rate was set at 1.00 mL/minute. This method was validated against the parameters of selectivity, linearity, accuracy, and precision, and the results obtained to meet the validation requirements. The application of the HPLC method after being validated in the determination of sodium benzoate levels in fruit juice drink circulating in Malang resulted in selectivity Rs ≥ 1.5, linearity obtained in the range 0.1-5 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient (r) = 0,9999, recovery at a concentration of 80%, 100%, and 120% was 105.31%, and precision with an RSD value of 1.40%. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the validation method of analysis shows that the method can be used to determine sodium benzoate level using HPLC with PDA detectors for routine use in fruit juice drink samples.


The synthesis of chiral liquid-crystalline polymers of well-controlled structure (linear and three-armed star-shaped) with distinct average chain lengths and low polydispersity was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) of a new optically active monomer (S)-4-[6-(2-methacryloyloxypropanoyloxy)hexyloxy)]-4'-ethoxyazobenzene [(S)-ML6A], containing the L-lactic residue of one absolute configuration in the side-chain. All the obtained polymeric samples, characterised by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarised optical microscopy (POM), exhibit a smectic A(1/2) (fully interdigitated) liquid-crystalline phase and high cleaning points, with transition temperatures dependent on the average polymerisation degree and the macromolecular structure. The chirality originated at the molecular level by the asymmetric functionality of the L-lactic acid residue provides the polymers, in the smectic phase, of highly homogeneous conformations with a prevailing chirality related to the presence of H-aggregates having conformational dissymmetry of one prevailing screw-sense. By irradiating with circularly polarised light (CPL), it is possible to photomodulate the chiroptical properties of these intrinsically chiral polymeric thin films. Upon irradiation with left-handed CPL (l-CPL), the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the films show enhancement of ellipticity and a net inversion of sign. The effect is reversible and the mirror image of the CD spectrum can be restored by pumping with right-handed CPL radiation (r-CPL). The results show the ability of l-CPL to invert the supramolecular chirality of the materials and demonstrate the essential role of azoaromatic aggregates.


Man's action at work is not a particular issue, nor does it separate him from his being or family life, but rather work helps man to develop and unifies each of his constitutive elements. Thus, the company must see man as a whole, as an end and not as a means, to achieve what the company must seek for society, that is, the common good, and, with it, the man's objective good. This chapter aims to demonstrate a thorough, structured way of knowing, understanding and potentiating human faculties, virtues and passions in favor of a kind of leadership that focuses more on the human person. It is framed by business's trend of social responsibility and its current impact. In this way, social responsibility takes on a different direction and inspires workers and companies' real commitment to the good of society.


Mobile banking is developing under conditions, such as the rapid development of electronic technology, and the urgent needs of quick service. But as a virtual entity bank services, Mobile banking has many risks that can not be ignored. In this paper, based on risk analysis about mobile banking and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation study, in order to help prevent the risk.


The instability of polysaccharide/protein mixtures occurs because of either thermodynamic incompatibility or complexation. We studied which instability mechanism dominated given the external conditions. Therefore the effect of temperature, pH, and biopolymer concentration on the phase separation of pectin/caseinate mixtures was investigated. At pH > 6, thermodynamic incompatibility with spinodal decomposition was observed in pectin/caseinate mixtures resulting in the formation of water-in-water emulsions in intermediate stages of the phase separation process. The demixing rate of these emulsions and appearance of two macroscopic phases (lower phase enriched with caseinate and upper phase with pectin) was retarded when the pectin concentration increased or when the storage temperature decreased due to a higher viscosity of the mixtures at those conditions. As the pH of the mixture was lowered below 6, pectin accumulated in the caseinate-rich phase. Complexation of pectin and caseinate led to the formation of microparticles (approximately 3 microm), whose shape depends on the biopolymer concentration ratio and rate of acidification. These pectin/caseinate particles do not coalesce and are insensitive to salt addition.


The standard of care first-line therapy for uncomplicated acute type B aortic dissection is medical therapy. As a result, many of these dissections progress to become chronic type B aortic dissections (CTBAD). In the following manuscript, we will outline the natural history of these lesions and review what constitutes a CTBAD by anatomy and chronology. We will also describe the long-term medical management and surveillance of these lesions, what constitutes high-risk features, and when intervention should be considered. Endovascular, open and hybrid management strategies, potential complications, and subsequently required surveillance will also be discussed. With proper medical management, surveillance, and intervention, CTBAD can be managed effectively and downstream morbidity minimized.


(III) Melanoma of Right Eye. Patient, male, aged 60. History.-First treated in 1917. In 1920, most of lesion removed. Subsequently, electrolysis was used. When first seen in 1927 lesion had been rapidly increasing in size for several months. Condition.-Pigmented lesion occupying corneo-scleral region on inner and upper quadrants. Treatment.-By unscreened radium applicators for periods from 70 to 100 minutes, on six occasions since that time. There is still a small area of pigment, but this is not increasing in size. A cataract has developed in the same eye.