A 44-year-old woman was admitted to our department because of fever and skin eruptions on August, 1991. Physical examination revealed superficial lymph node swelling, hepatosplenomegaly and generalized erythroderma. Laboratory findings were as follows; WBC 21,490/microliters with 67% lymphocytes including flower cells. The surface phenotype of lymphocytes was positive for CD2, CD4, CD25, CD29 suggesting helper-inducer T cell. Skin and lymph node biopsies revealed the infiltration of T cells with indented nuclei. Anti-HTLV-1 antibodies in the serum and HTLV-1 proviral DNA analysis by PCR method were negative. She was diagnosed as CTCL, and she was treated with prednisolone. However, her erythroderma deteriorated gradually, in spite of well-controlled lymphocyte counts. Combination chemotherapy, utilizing vincristine, etoposide and cyclophosphamide, was effective against organomegaly but not against generalized erythroderma. After DCF was initiated at a weekly dose of 7.5 mg, her erythroderma improved rapidly and markedly with the disappearance of severe itching, and she achieved complete remission. Our results suggest that DCF is beneficial for chemotherapy-resistant generalized erythroderma in CTCL.


Poor phonological processing has typically been considered the main cause of dyslexia. However, visuo‐attentional processing abnormalities have been described as well. The goal of the present study was to determine the involvement of visual attention during fluent reading in children with dyslexia and typical readers. Here, 75 children (8–12 years old; 36 typical readers, 39 children with dyslexia) completed cognitive and reading assessments. Neuroimaging data were acquired while children performed a fluent reading task with (a) a condition where the text remained on the screen (Still) versus (b) a condition in which the letters were being deleted (Deleted). Cognitive assessment data analysis revealed that visual attention, executive functions, and phonological awareness significantly contributed to reading comprehension in both groups. A seed‐to‐voxel functional connectivity analysis was performed on the fluency functional magnetic resonance imaging task. Typical readers showed greater functional connectivity between the dorsal attention network and the left angular gyrus while performing the Still and Deleted reading tasks versus children with dyslexia. Higher connectivity values were associated with higher reading comprehension. The control group showed increased functional connectivity between the ventral attention network and the fronto‐parietal network during the Deleted text condition (compared with the Still condition). Children with dyslexia did not display this pattern. The results suggest that the synchronized activity of executive, visual attention, and reading‐related networks is a pattern of functional integration which children with dyslexia fail to achieve. The present evidence points toward a critical role of visual attention in dyslexia.


High-pT hadrons produced in hard collisions and detected inclusively bear peculiar features: (i) they originate from jets whose initial virtuality and energy are of the same order; (ii) such jets are rare and have a very biased energy sharing among the particles, namely, the detected hadron carries the main fraction of the jet energy. The former feature leads to an extremely intensive gluon radiation and energy dissipation at the early stage of hadronization, either in vacuum or in a medium. As a result, a leading hadron must be produced on a short length scale. Evaluation within a model of perturbative fragmentation confirms the shortness of the production length. This result is at variance with the unjustified assumption of long production length, made within the popular energy loss scenario. Thus we conclude that the main reason of suppression of high-pT hadrons in heavy ion collisions is the controlled by color transparency attenuation of a high-pT dipole propagating through the hot medium. Adjusting a single parameter, the transport coefficient, we describe quite well the data from LHC and RHIC for the suppression factor R_{AA} as function of pT, collision energy and centrality. We observe that the complementary effect of initial state interaction causes a flattening and even fall of R_{AA} at large pT. The azimuthal anisotropy of hadron production, calculated with no further adjustment, also agrees well with data at different energies and centralities.


This paper uses P. Ricoeur's studies on the Poetics, and his notion of "refiguration" as developed in the work of Juan Jose Garcia-Noblejas, under the scope of the Aristotelian doctrine. It suggests that the "first writing" of a screenplay focuses on the structure of the plot and the characters, dialogue and actions. The "re-writing" deals with these same elements; but above all, discovers the deep poetic structure that holds together the story. From that point on, the writer is able to return to the plot and refine it. This back and forth movement ends up in coherence and unity of the story, and so illuminates the writer's personal exploration on the meaning of life.


Purpose – This study examines how specific micro-level macroeconomic indicators influence corporate performance volatility among US corporate bodies in the short run. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs error correction autoregressive distributed lagged (ARDL) model (ECM) to examine how micro-level variables influence volatility associated with corporate performance in the short run. Findings – This paper finds that disaggregated or micro-level variables examined, tend to exhibit features that are not readily apparent from the aggregate variable from which such variables are derived. For instance, reported empirical estimate suggests that, growth in expenditures on services and nondurable goods tend to lower volatility associated with corporate performance, whereas government expenditures and expenditures on durable goods rather worsens volatility associated with corporate performance, all things being equal. Additionally, presented empirical estimates further provide evidence suggesting that macroeconomic uncertainty and inflation uncertainty significantly moderate or influence the extent to which disaggregated variables impact corporate performance volatility. Originality/value – Compared to related studies in the reviewed literature, this study rather examines volatility associated with corporate performance instead of the corporate performance indicator itself. Additionally, this paper also examines how disaggregated variable instead of aggregate variables impact such volatility. Finally, themoderating role of keymacroeconomic conditions in such a relationship is also examined.


Social Studies Course is a lecture that ensures the students to recognize their society and the world, to involve into the social life actively towards the solution of the problems they have faced with in this respect. However, the researches indicate that this course is one of the least favorite courses by the students. Although there are various reasons for the fact that the status of social studies is low among the students, it is also important how the content of the course is reflected to them. It is a common knowledge that in 21 st century, the students spend most of their time on computer and internet. As well as they explore the facts those are challenging and within their field of interest, the students also do their homework, which is asked from them, through internet. Therefore, the image of social studies, that is introduced them via internet, comes into prominence. When the permanence and effect of the images on the human memory is regarded, the said images gain more value. Also, the images of social studies over the internet are important with respect to reflect the point of view towards this course. In this respect, within the scope of document analysis in this research, by making restriction from the detailed search option of the Google search motor, 300 visual images those are involved under the headlines of "social studies" in United States of America and "social studies" in Turkey, have been subjected to analysis. As the result of the research, it has been recognized that mostly geographical aspects of the social studies are brought into prominence over the images, and subjects and interdisciplinary structures those are included in social studies have not been reflected so much.


The volume of maritime vessel data, such as available from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), places considerable burden on systems designed and developed to manage data pertaining to maritime traffic. A properly designed and implemented data management infrastructure can provide benefits to the maritime domain awareness research community by supporting data volumes, diverse user needs, and product management. Such an infrastructure has been constructed on a modest budget by utilising open-source technologies. This paper describes the Maritime Situational Awareness Research Infrastructure (MSARI), and the design of the underlying database to meet data volume and user analysis needs. The resulting infrastructure currently handles input rates of approximately two billion vessel reports per month. This work is of potential benefit to those in the navigational community interested in the long-term storage and usage of global vessel data such as that available from AIS.


This paper presents an exploratory study, using an ethnographic approach, of linguistically and ethnically diverse parents interacting with their children. Subjects included three Persian-speaking families, three Chaldeans, and three Euro-American families; children were aged 4-5 years. Goals were to understand cross cultural communication, examine how families can be connected to the educational process of their child, and provide teachers with an understanding of diverse patterns of communication and learning in the classroom. Specifically, child questions and parent responses from parent-child interactions were examined during a book reading activity within different cultural groups. The most striking finding was the large difference in the number of children's questions between the groups, but particularly between the Euro-American and Chaldean group. The patterns of children's questions were consistent across the three groups, yet the parents' responses showed no consistency across the groups. Valuable information was gathered, in particular, on ways to approach the Chaldean community, where it was found that reading is not a common practice for children because of language differences and book availabilities. Appendix A includes the coding matrix for questions and answers. (NAV) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


Background First Impact is a 90 min evidence-based traffic safety program for parents of new drivers. The goal of the program is to reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities, injuries and crashes among teen drivers by increasing parental awareness and enforcement of Missouri's GDL law. The objectives of the program are to increase: 1) Awareness of teen driving risks, 2) Understanding of Missouri's GDL law, 3) GDL monitoring and enforcement at home, and 4) Importance of being a positive role model. Trained facilitators who deliver the program statewide coach parents by presenting key facts and proven strategies to help parents lower their teens' crash risk. First Impact is a program of ThinkFirst Missouri, an affiliate chapter of the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation. Primary funding for First Impact is provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Highway Safety and Traffic Division. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the understanding of the Missouri GDL law before and after receiving the First Impact GDL parent program. Methods Pre-and post-test surveys were conducted during the pilot year of the First Impact intervention (12 month period, May 1, 2016-April 30, 2017). Participants included parents and teens attending the First Impact program (n=690). The majority (60%) of attendees were parents. A chi-square analysis was used to evaluate whether frequency of responses in the pre- and post-test groups were significantly different. Results There was a significant (p<0.01) increase in each of the three components measured (understanding of GDL law, nighttime restrictions, and passenger restrictions). Conclusion Based on the change in attendee responses, the First Impact intervention produced a highly significant improvement in understanding three vital components of the GDL law. Results of this study indicate that First Impact is a promising intervention to increase the understanding of Missouri's GDL law.


Graphene, with its unique electrical properties and biocompatibility, has become a material of choice for the development of biosensor platforms. In this study, a microelectrode array based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was constructed and used as a platform for electrical monitoring of cell–substrate adhesion. The rGO‐based sensor arrays were designed in order to facilitate sensor pads comparable to the size of individual cells. The sensor chips were fabricated in a scalable manner via site‐specific immobilization of graphene oxide flakes onto microelectrode pairs followed by reduction to rGO. The sensor chips were mounted on a measurement platform equipped with a fluidic cell. Electrical characteristics were recorded and field‐effect behavior was confirmed. Sensors reacted to changes of pH value in the solution. Finally, as a proof‐of‐concept, the graphene oxide‐based sensing platform was used for electrical cell–substrate impedance sensing of individual HEK293 cells in culture.


Human serum albumin (HSA) accumulates in tumors by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, which is a passive targeting effect in tumors. A recent study showed that secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), an albumin-binding protein, mediates albumin accumulation in tumors. Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) is a peptide targeting integrin αvβ3, which is highly expressed during tumor angiogenesis. We investigated whether conjugation of RGD to HSA could synergistically enhance tumor targeting. Accumulation of cRGDyK-HSA in integrin αvβ3-expressing SK-OV3 cells was observed by confocal microscopy. In SK-OV3 cells overexpressing the albumin binding protein SPARC, cellular uptake of HSA increased, but uptake of cRGDyK-HSA did not. cRGDyK-HSA showed decreased tumor accumulation compared with HSA by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and biodistribution studies in an SK-OV3 xenograft mouse model. In SK-OV3 tumors, HSA accumulation colocalized with SPARC expression, while cRGDyK-HSA only accumulated in the outer region of the tumor, even though SPARC and integrin αvβ3 were expressed within the tumor core. We speculate that cRGDyK conjugation to HSA changes the characteristics of HSA and hinders its tumor-targeting effect. Therefore, HSA should be modified to preserve its native characteristics and enhance the tumor-targeting effects of HSA conjugates.


Although but a single virus is thought to be responsible for both varicella and herpes zoster, we have found no case report of viral pneumonitis associated with the latter, even when it has become generalized. We wish here to report such a case occurring in a patient with long-standing Hodgkin's disease. Report of Case A 45-year-old white housewife with Hodgkin's disease since 1954 was admitted to the medical service of the Stanford Medical Center on Oct. 20, 1960, because of acute dyspnea, high fever, and cough. Asymptomatic except for generalized pruritus, 11 days prior to admission the patient developed a painful eruption involving the right posterior inframandibular area and a low-grade fever. A clinical diagnosis of herpes zoster was made. She was treated with Protamide, Pituitrin, thiamine, immune serum globulin, streptokinase-streptodornase, and topical but not systemic adrenal corticosteroids. Vesicles appeared, coalesced, became hemorrhagic and necrotic, and rapidly covered the entire


In the present thesis we extend the null field approach (in the literature also often referred to as "the T matrix method" or "the extended boundary condition method") to some new multiple scattering problems involving infinite cylindrical surfaces and a bounded obstacle. The first case considered is the scattering of acoustic waves by a bounded obstacle outside an infinite cylinder of constant cross section. The incident wave is chosen as a plane wave and we apply sound-hard boundary conditions. An elastic infinite circular cylinder with an embedded obstacle is the configuration investigated next. Here the boundary conditions are those of vanishing surface tractions and both the case of guided modes and when the cylinder is excited by a point force, applied perpendicularly to its surface, are considered. This geometry is then further extended by adding an additional cylindrical surface, thus yielding a cylindrical pipe with an embedded obstacle. Also in this case we apply vanishing surface traction to the boundaries involved and we excite the pipe by applying a point force on its outer cylindrical surface. In all cases the scattered field is obtained as an expression containing the transition matrix for the obstacle, the reflection matrices for the participating cylindrical surfaces, the transformation function between the cylindrical and spherical basis functions and, for the cases when it is utilized in the derivation, the translation function for the cylindrical waves. Specializing, in all cases, to circular cylindrical surfaces and spherical (or penny-shaped) obstacles, numerical computations have been carried out in the low and intermediate frequency regions. Results are presented for various quantities of interest such as cross sections, far field amplitudes, displacements and energy transmission and reflection coefficients.


This is a surgical technique video of selective posterior callosotomy (SPC), a novel surgical procedure to alleviate refractory epileptic drop attacks.1 Departing from traditional approaches aiming the anterior half or the entire callosum, SPC sections the posterior half of the callosum sparing prefrontal connectivity.1 Drop attacks are generalized epileptic seizures characterized by sudden falls.1 These seizures are often seen in diffuse brain pathology associated with generalized or multifocal epilepsies, whose electroencephalogram (EEG) "fingerprint" is bilaterally synchronous epileptic discharges.1 Sectioning the callosum to control drop attacks follows the rationale that the rapid synchronization of discharges between motor and premotor regions of both hemispheres is the basis.1 The standard approach to callosotomies always contemplated the anterior fibers of the callosum.2 Literature reports that anterior sections lead to unsatisfactory control of drop attacks, and results are improved when extended into a total callosotomy.2,3 This evidence coupled with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) findings showing that motor and premotor fibers actually cross through posterior half of the callosum led us to hypothesize that selective section of the posterior half of the callosum would section all relevant motor fibers and control drop attacks to a similar extent to total callosotomies, with the advantage of sparing prefrontal interconnectivity3 and no split-brain syndrome. Both our series, one retrospective, followed by a new prospective study have confirmed SPC to be a safe procedure, leading to complete or greater than 90% control of epileptic falls in 85% of patients.1 The video presented here was recorded during a selective posterior callosotomy performed on a 13-yr-old girl who had hundreds of uncontrollable drop attacks per day. Falls were completely controlled with significant gains in psychomotor development and cognition, after 5 yr of follow-up. The patient provided signed consent to the surgical procedure, video acquisition, photo acquisition, and storage at operations, and the publication of this material.


Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 (BHV1) is the aetiological agent of a number of diseases and not only of IBR, namely infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV), infectious balanoposthitis (IBP), conjunctivitis, encephalomyelitis, mastitis, abortion, enteritis, and lesions in the interdigital space. The serological identical strains differ, however, in some aspects. Typical genital strains usually cause a mild illness, sometimes not even detected clinically, but serologically. They hamper eradication programmes and do not cause IBR when inoculated intranasally. The other--modern--strains are, however, always able to induce a severe disease in the genital tracts. But infection of field or vaccine virus leads to the development of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The latter is, however, not transmitted to neonates via colostrum. BHV1 antibodies can be found in bovines in all continents, and in many wild species. Prevalences vary greatly depending on herd size and management. Because seronegative cattle play a role in international trade a number of European countries have eradicated BHV1, with very high costs involved. Marker and conventional vaccines can prevent disease but not infection followed by the state of latency. The genomes of several strains, including the marker strains can remain latent in the same animal and be reactivated after stress or injection of corticosteroids. For the detection of humoral antibodies the ELISA is widely used. It is useful for testing bulk milk samples for antibodies derived from field virus and conventional vaccines but not from gE-deleted marker vaccines. Importing countries should consider only vaccinated animals for import. They should require that the animals are seronegative prior to vaccination.


Plankton are an extremely diverse and polyphyletic group, exhibiting a large range in morphological and physiological traits. Here, we apply automated optical techniques, provided by the pulse‐shape recording automated flow cytometer—CytoSense—to investigate trait variability of phytoplankton and plastidic ciliates in Arctic and Atlantic waters of the subpolar North Atlantic. We used the bio‐optical descriptors derived from the CytoSense (light scattering [forward and sideward] and fluorescence [red, yellow/green and orange from chlorophyll a, degraded pigments, and phycobiliproteins, respectively]) and translated them into functional traits to demonstrate ecological trait variability along an environmental gradient. Cell size was the master trait varying in this study, with large photosynthetic microplankton (> 20 μm in cell diameter), including diatoms as single cells and chains, as well as plastidic ciliates found in Arctic waters, while small‐sized phytoplankton groups, such as the picoeukaryotes (< 4 μm) and the cyanobacteria Synechococcus were dominant in Atlantic waters. Morphological traits, such as chain/colony formation and structural complexity (i.e., cellular processes, setae, and internal vacuoles), appear to favor buoyancy in highly illuminated and stratified Arctic waters. In Atlantic waters, small cell size and spherical cell shape, in addition to photo‐physiological traits, such as high internal pigmentation, offer chromatic adaptation for survival in the low nutrient and dynamic mixing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The use of automated techniques that quantify ecological traits holds exciting new opportunities to unravel linkages between the structure and function of plankton communities and marine ecosystems.


Industry 4.0 era needs to introduce current information communication and technology (ICT) to the society starting from the elementary school. However, Mekarsari Elementary school does not have the facility nor curriculum to prepare the students to face the era. This corporate social responsibility (CSR) aimed to introduce the kids with the current development of hardware and software. The participants for the series of the workshop are the 15 4 and 5 grade students and two teachers from Mekarsari Elementary school. The intervention was devised by providing user-friendly teachinglearning materials with hands-on activities related to the current development of ICT. The type of study is the "direct philanthropic giving" because it aims at providing knowledge for free. As the result, the students are familiar with: the type of computer's hardware and software; python programming; budgeting for their daily allowance using Microsoft Excel; and creating a short story and presentation in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Based on the survey, the students could comprehend and enthusiastic to complete the hands-on activities. This CSR suggests that each elementary school should have a curriculum and computer laboratory to prepare the youth to compete in industry 4.0 era.


The time required to recover from failures has a great impact on the availability of information technology (IT) systems. We define a class of probability distributions named quasi-heavy-tailed distributions as those distributions whose time series graph of the sample mean shows intermittent jumps in a given period. We find that the distribution of repair time is quasi-heavy-tailed for three IT systems, an in-house system hosted by IBM, a high performance computing system at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a distributed memory computer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. This means that the mean time to repair estimated by observing incidents within a certain period could dramatically change if we observe incidents successively for another period. In other words, the estimated mean time to repair has large fluctuations over time. As a result, classical metrics based on the mean time to repair are not optimal for evaluating the availability of these systems. We propose to evaluate the availability of IT systems with the T-year return value, estimated based on extreme value theory. The T-year return value refers to the value that the repair time exceeds on average once every estimated T years. We find that the T-year return value is a sound metric of the availability of the three IT systems.


On Thursday, October 20, 1698, a three-masted ship, captained by Edmond Halley with orders "to improve the knowledge of the Longitude and variations of the Compasse," which he was to observe "with all the accuracy you can," set sail from Deptford, England, on the first leg of the first voyage ever commissioned for strictly scientific purposes. Halley is now best known as an astronomer and for the comet that bears his name. However, his interests ranged over so many specialties that he is better described now by the 17th century title of "natural philosopher." Among his various areas of study, the study of the earth took a major place, as shown by his many papers on the trade winds, the tides, and especially the magnetic field. This last interest led him to propose to the Royal Society that he make a voyage around the world "to discover what may be learnt … [of] the variations of the Magneticall Needle." This ambitious undertaking was later scaled down to cover only the Atlantic Ocean, Halley made two voyages from 1698 to 1700, at one point reaching 52°S in his 52-foot vessel. As a tailpiece he made a third voyage in the summer and fall of 1701 to study the tides and tidal currents of the English Channel.


Author(s): Rotondo, Stephen Gregory | Advisor(s): Conley, Sharon | Abstract: ABSTRACTSocial Learning Theory and the Use of Instructional Videos in Three Alternative High Schoolsby Stephen G. RotondoThis study aimed to discover teacher views and opinions regarding the use of instructional videos in alternative high schools. The literature traces Social Learning Theory from Vygotsky and Piaget to Bandura and then discusses self-efficacy. The study highlights three building blocks of Social Learning Theory: collaboration, modeling, and observation.The study used purposeful sampling to identify eight teachers from primarily three different alternative high schools as the participants. The first high school used a military cohort model where male and female students are separated, students live on the premises, and there is limited external contact with family and friends. The other two high schools were based on a traditional school format, were coed, students did not live on the premises, and, outside of the classroom, students were allowed external contact with family and friends.The study collected data from pre-interview questionnaires, open-ended interviews, quantitative analysis of the transcripts using key words and acceptable alternatives, and four classroom observations.Teachers viewed their use of instructional videos as promoting learning in a few different ways. Instructional videos served to complement existing lessons, enhance and act as an aid to serve more visual learners and support group collaboration and group projects.Teachers viewed instructional video as facilitating learning by providing a link to real-time events and current life experiences. Instructional video addressed multiple dimensions of learning and is a familiar source of information for today's young generation.Teachers viewed affordances to their use of instructional videos as including district support for equipment, teacher training and access to data. Constraints reported included lack of equipment, inadequate online digital information access and differences in perceived teaching philosophies. An important factor in affordances and constraints was the academic climate of the individual school settings.Teachers viewed the use of instructional videos for encouraging construction of knowledge by providing a readily accessible foundation for collaboration and application of critical thinking skills. Interactive learning activities including online video-based exercises and student-generated video productions are examples.


Guided by life-course theory and a trajectory model of chronic illness, we examined the health care practices and management strategies used by 17 older women with multiple chronic conditions. Qualitative analyses revealed that the women played an active role in shaping the course of their illness within their everyday lives. Pain and a decline in energy frequently interfered with completion of daily activities. To compensate, many women reduced and slowed down the pace of activities they performed while emphasizing the importance of maintaining independence and autonomy. Appreciative of support from family members, at times the women received more help and advice than they preferred.


Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the hysterectomies carried out in our clinic with demographic characteristics of patients.

Methods: The study retrospectively evaluates the clinical and demographic characteristics of the 949 patients that had hysterectomy procedures with various indications between January 2003-June 2010 in Taksim Training and Research Hospital, Gynecology and Obstetrics Department.

Results: The mean age was 50.54±9.5 in all groups and 60.10±10.20 in vaginal hysterectomy group. The ratio of vaginal hysterectomy was determined as 13.17%, whereas the ratio of abdominal hysterectomy was 86.83%. In our clinic, the most common hysterectomy indication was myoma uteri (311 patients, 32.77%) and the second most common indication was adnexial mass (139 patients, 14.65%). The ratio of hysterectomies performed for gynecological malignancies were 6.74%. We have seen 0.52% bowel injury in all groups and 0.12% bladder injury in abdominal hysterectomy group. Also, in vaginal hysterectomy group, there was 1 patient (0.08%) with bladder injury.

Conclusion: Abdominal hysterectomy has been performed more common than vaginal hysterectomy in our clinic. The vaginal hysterectomy has been performed in patients who have pelvic prolapse and appropriate anatomy fort he procedure. Also the variation of procedure depends on the experience of surgeon. In the light of these assesments, in line with data from other gynecology and obstetrics clinics in our country, both statistics of our country can be revealed and information can be exchanged between clinics.


Paravalvular leakage is a major complication of prosthetic valve dysfunction. Sixty‐one subjects with valvular heart disease who had received prosthetic mitral valve replacement 5 months to 5 years before (43 received a porcine prosthesis and 18 received Bjork‐Shiley valve prostheses) were evaluated for this complication. Careful auscultation was performed by two experienced cardiologists followed by transthoracic and transeosphageal echocardiography. Physiologic leaks were detected in all Bjork‐Shiley valves, but in only 30% of porcine valves using transesophageal echocardiography. These regurgitant jets were flame‐like, with mean low velocities of 50 ± 12.3 cm/sec and 48 ± 18.2 cm/sec in the two types of valves. Neither transthoracic echocardiography nor auscultation could detect physiological regurgitant jets. Ten cases with paravalvular leak were detected by transesophageal echocardiography and subsequently demonstrated by left ventriculography (7 Porcine, 3 Bjork‐Shiley valves). Pathologic regurgitant jets were seen as high‐velocity, systolic‐retrograde turbulent flow across the prosthesis. However, only 6 cases of prosthetic valve dys‐function were detected by transthoracic echocardiography, 4 cases of mild paravalvular leakage went undetected. Thirteen of the 61 subjects had an apical systolic murmur and suspected prosthetic valve leakage; in 10 of the 13 cases the findings corresponded to those obtained by transesophageal echocardiography. In 3 cases of double valve replacement with Bjork‐Shiley valves the magnitude of the leakage was overestimated by ausculation.


The effect of isolated C1̄, the first component of complement (C), on the processing of soluble IgG aggregates by mononuclear phagocytes was studied in vitro with a homologous guinea pig system and isolated stable IgG2 aggregates. The interaction of C1̄ with IgG2 aggregates was demonstrated by the inhibition of functional C1̄ hemolytic activity and was shown to be dependent upon the number of IgG2 molecules per aggregate.
 Analysis of the interaction of C1̄ with the soluble aggregates by ultracentrifugation on sucrose gradients revealed dissociation of aggregates into smaller aggregates and monomeric immunoglobulin molecules. As a consequence of this effect the processing of C1̄-treated aggregates by peritoneal macrophages or Kupffer cells was significantly decreased compared to aggregates not treated with C1̄. The decreased processing was shown to be due to an inhibited binding of the dissociated aggregates to the cells. When the aggregates were incubated with macrophages in various concentrations of fresh serum containing isolated C1̄, the inhibitory effect of C1̄ was overcome and a stimulated degradation was seen, depending upon the ratio of C1̄ to the other serum proteins. On the other hand, when aggregates had been preincubated with C1̄, subsequent addition of fresh serum could not reverse the inhibitory effect. Although competition between C1̄ and Fc receptors for the Fc parts in the immune aggregates may explain the inhibitory effect of C1̄ on the degradation of soluble immune aggregates by macrophages, dissociation of these aggregates by C1̄ is the major mechanism involved.


Background/Aims: Expression of the human growth hormone (GH) gene (GH1) is regulated by a locus control region (LCR) and the highly polymorphic GH1 promoter. We analyzed GH1 LCR/promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) in relation to clinical data. Methods: We directly sequenced the GH1 LCR/promoter of 62 Dutch IGHD patients without mutations or deletions in GH1 or GHRHR and of 72 controls with normal height. We related GH1 LCR/promoter SNPs to height, serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) levels and response to GH treatment. Results: In IGHD patients, promoter SNPs 6, 8 and 9 were associated with height and IGF-1 levels. In controls, SNPs 6 and 11 were associated with height. Homozygosity for the minor allele of SNP 9, associated with lower IGF-I levels in patients, was significantly more frequent among patients than among controls. Genotypes based on SNPs 6, 8, 9 and 11 explained 10.8% of IGF-I SDS variation in IGHD patients and 15.9% of height SDS variation in controls. Conclusion:GH1 Promoter SNPs 6, 8 and 9 were associated with height and IGF-1 levels among patients, and SNPs 6 and 11 with height in controls.


The synthesis of various amides has been realised avoiding the use of any organic solvent from activation of carboxylic acids with CDI to isolation of the amides. Mechanochemistry was the key point of the process allowing rapid formation of the amide bond and efficient water-based purification of the final products.


The application of resource efficient environmentally sound technologies ESTs has become crucial for both development and environment. Operationalization of ESTs requires a methodology to quantify a set of operational performance indicators OPIs for a specific infrastructure or production system. A well-established hypotheses states that forest roads networks have a share of about 60 percent in the overall environmental burden of the timber procurement process. However, there is a lack of understanding of how slope conditions, cross-section geometry, geology, and pavement structure affects environmental performance indicators. The paper aims (1) to give some background information on the concepts of environmentally sound technology and environmental performance evaluation, (2) to provide a methodological approach based on input-output modeling to quantify the inflow of environmental resources, and the outflow of emissions respectively, and (3) to present results of indicator studies (energy input, CO2 output) for a standard forest roads. The energy input for one unit of length of a forest road is about 350 MJ per meter, what is equivalent to a calorimetric heating value of 10 liters of diesel fuel. Increasing the slope to 70 percent triples energy input. The present approach allows to evaluate the spatial variability of operational performance indicators for forest roads on steep slope conditions. It is an important step towards environmental performance evaluation EPE, as proposed in the ISO standard 14'031.


The use of antibiotics in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis is indicated since bacterial complications are the most common cause of death in this condition. Olfloxacin was studied in six patients regarding its permeation into pancreatic juice and bile and into pancreatic tissue in cases of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma. The peak concentrations in pancreatic juice (3.7 mg/l) and bile (12.9 mg/l) were found 20 minutes after i.v. administration of 3 mg/kg ofloxacin, these are 79 and 275% of the corresponding serum level, respectively. Pancreatic tissue concentrations varied between 54 and 333% of serum values in relation to the removal time of specimens and to the stage of inflammation. After three days and five days of ofloxacin treatment with doses of 2 x 200 mg daily even in pancreatic necroses concentrations were detected between 0.8 and 3.7 mg/kg wet weight. This suggests that in all pancreatic compartments analyzed, sufficient antibacterial ofloxacin levels above the MIC of relevant germs were found. Therefore, from a pharmacokinetic point of view, ofloxacin could be a potentially effective drug in prophylaxis and therapy of bacterial infections of the pancreas.


We present a new syntactical proof that first-order Peano Arithmetic with Skolem axioms is conservative over Peano Arithmetic alone for arithmetical formulas. This result - which shows that the Excluded Middle principle can be used to eliminate Skolem functions - has been previously proved by other techniques, among them the epsilon substitution method and forcing. In our proof, we employ Interactive Realizability, a computational semantics for Peano Arithmetic which extends Kreisel's modified realizability to the classical case.


Imaging of intracranial vascular structures and pathology has become more complex in the recent decade and involves multiple modalities, including conventional endovascular techniques (catheter angiography), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and computed tomographic angiography (CTA). Vascular malformations may be characterized physiologically as high or low flow, a determination that can dramatically affect treatment plans. Further characterization of high-flow vascular malformations in the brain is made based on complexity and drainage patterns of the malformation itself. Imaging of aneurysms has been shown with MRA, CTA, and conventional angiography, but the controversy still exists as to when and how to use these modalities in various clinical settings. The purpose of this chapter is to briefly review the types of intracranial vascular malformations, discuss the preferred methods of imaging in each case, and attempt to provide a rational approach to imaging the intracranial vascular structure and pathology with techniques available in 2007.


Computer vision approaches are widely used by autonomous robotic systems to sense the world around them and to guide their decision making as they perform diverse tasks such as collision avoidance, search and rescue, and object manipulation. High accuracy is critical, particularly for Human-on-the-loop (HoTL) systems where decisions are made autonomously by the system, and humans play only a supervisory role. Failures of the vision model can lead to erroneous decisions with potentially life or death consequences. In this paper, we propose a solution based upon adaptive autonomy levels, whereby the system detects loss of reliability of these models and responds by temporarily lowering its own autonomy levels and increasing engagement of the human in the decision-making process. Our solution is applicable for vision-based tasks in which humans have time to react and provide guidance. When implemented, our approach would estimate the reliability of the vision task by considering uncertainty in its model, and by performing covariate analysis to determine when the current operating environment is illmatched to the model's training data. We provide examples from DroneResponse, in which small Unmanned Aerial Systems are deployed for Emergency Response missions, and show how the vision model's reliability would be used in addition to confidence scores to drive and specify the behavior and adaptation of the system's autonomy. This workshop paper outlines our proposed approach and describes open challenges at the intersection of Computer Vision and Software Engineering for the safe and reliable deployment of vision models in the decision making of autonomous systems.


In this study, tannin extracted from Terminalia chebula (Aralu) was used to produce tannin–phenol–formaldehyde resins. They were produced to obtain resins with different tannin to phenol ratio in an attempt to optimize the ion exchange capacities of resins produced. The resins made were sulfonated to improve their properties further. Bivalent cations, such as Zn2+, Pb2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cu2+, were used to estimate the adsorption properties of both unsulfonated and sulfonated resins. The glass transitions of representative resins were estimated using differential scanning calorimeter thermograms. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis was used to gauge changes on resins by sulfonation and adsorption of cations. The glass transition values of unsulfonated, sulfonated, and metal-adsorbed sulfonated resins showed a similar increasing trend with the increase of phenol content in the resin. The glass transition temperature values reach a plateau beyond the tannin/phenol ratio of 1 : 0.5, indicating the formation of large molar masses facilitating entanglements beyond that ratio. The phenol ratio of 1 : 0.5 has shown the highest adsorption capacity for all the metal ions used. The highest adsorption capacity was shown for sulfonated tannin–phenol–formaldehyde resin with the tannin/phenol ratio of 1 : 0.5 for Pb2+, which is 0.610 meq/g. The adsorption equilibrium data obtained using the column technique were found fitting Freundlich isotherm. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010


: NLRP3 inflammatory of the diabetic faculties and begins the aggravation embedded in diabetic complexities and neurodegeneration. No examination has studied NLRP3 in cases of diabetic bladder rupture, regardless of its clinical banality. In vitro, authors found that various DM activate NLRP3 in essential urothelial cells. In vivo, authors showed that NLRP3 is activated in the urothelium of an inherited type 1 diabetic mouse at week 18. Researchers then replicated an NLRP3-/- genotype in these mice and discovered this blocked bladder irritation and cytometric markers of DBD. The study of bladder innervation revealed a decrease in the thickness of Aδ nerves and filaments in the bladder divider, as well as an expansion of the C-fibres in the urothelium, which could explain the decrease in the sensation of total bladder announced by the patients and the overactivity observed in time in DBD. Research outcomes show work of NLRP3 at onset of DBD and recommend explicit neural changes - NLRP3 interventions may provide explicit DBD indications. Our current research was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore from October 2018 to September 2019.


Purpose: One of the major challenges encountered in treatment of curved canals is maintaining their original features. This study aimed to examine whether the type of system used with NRT® rotary instruments might infl uence the occurrence of deviation in the apical region. Methods: Twenty simulated curved canals were divided into two experimental groups. In Group 1, canal preparation was performed with the pneumatic hand piece, using constant speed, but without torque control. In Group 2, an electric motor with constant speed and torque control was used. The simulated blocks were photographed before and after preparation using a platform to maintain the same position in both photographs. Images were manipulated in Adobe Photoshop® to evaluate deviation at 1 mm and 3 mm from the working length (WL). The t test was used for statistical analysis of data. The signifi cance level was set at 1%. Results and Conclusion: Group 2 (electric motor) had lower values for deviation at both locations analyzed (1 mm and 3 mm from the WL). In both groups, sites 3 mm from the WL had lower mean deviation than sites 1 mm from WL.


Introduction: Maternal obesity is associated with greater neonatal adiposity and increased offspring risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) later in life. We have previously reported that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from umbilical cord tissue maintain similar metabolic phenotype to the infant, particularly when differentiated to adipocytes or myocytes. A well-established driver in the pathogenesis of T2D is skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Therefore, we hypothesized that MSCs from infants born to mothers with obesity would display insulin resistance when differentiated to myocytes. Objectives: The objective was to determine the effect of maternal obesity on offspring MSC insulin sensitivity (Si). Methods:MSCs were isolated from umbilical cord tissue from offspring born to either normal weight (BMI 21.1 ± 0.9, n = 9) or obese (BMI 32.9 ± 2.1, n = 10) mothers enrolled in the Healthy Start pre-birth cohort study in Colorado. Following differentiation into skeletal muscle myocytes, MSCs were serum starved and incubated with 14C-glucose, in the presence or absence of insulin. The rate of insulin-mediated 14C-glucose incorporation into glycogen, was used as an index of offspring Si. Results: Offspring Si did not correlate with maternal BMI (r = 0.26), nor was BMI different between groups when median-stratified by offspring Si. However, maternal free fatty acid levels positively correlated with offspring Si (r = 0.63, p Conclusions: Offspring Si was not related to the BMI of the mother. Moreover, offspring Si was higher in cells from infants born to mothers with higher free fatty acids during pregnancy. Considering the role of insulin in somatic growth pathways, this phenomenon may serve to increase available nutrient storage capacity during early development. Disclosure A.B. Chaves: None. J.A. Johnson: None. D. Zheng: None. D. Dabelea: None. J.A. Houmard: None. K.E. Boyle: None. Funding American Heart Association (14PRE18230008); Nutrition Obesity Research Center (P30DK048520); National Institutes of Health (R01DK076648); Colorado National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR001082)


Background T cells are essential for the development of uveitis and other autoimmune diseases. After initial activation, CD4+ lymphocytes express the co-stimulatory molecule OX40 that plays an important role in T cell proliferation. Cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CdK2) plays a pivotal role in the cell cycle transition from G1 to S phase. In addition, recent research has implicated CdK2 in T cell activation. Thus, we sought to test the immunosuppressive effect of roscovitine, a potent CdK2 inhibitor, on CD4+ T cell activation, proliferation, and function. Design and Methods Mouse CD4+ T cells were activated by anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies. The expression of OX40, CD44, and CdK2 were analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of control and roscovitine-treated T lymphocytes were measured by BrdU incorporation and annexin V assay, respectively. Furthermore, the immunoregulatory effect of roscovitine was evaluated in both ovalbumin-induced uveitis and experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) models. Results In this study, we found that T cell activation induced OX40 expression. Cell cycle analysis showed that more CD4+OX40+ cells entered S phase than OX40- T cells. Concurrently, CD4+OX40+ cells had a higher level of CdK2 expression. Roscovitine treatment blocked activated CD4+ cells from entering S phase. In addition, roscovitine not only reduced the viability of CD4+ lymphocytes but also suppressed T cell activation and cytokine production. Finally, roscovitine significantly attenuated the severity of T cell-dependent, OX40-enhanced uveitis. Conclusion These results implicate CdK2 in OX40-augmented T cell response and expansion. Furthermore, this study suggests that roscovitine is a novel, promising, therapeutic agent for treating T cell-mediated diseases such as uveitis.


Undifferentiated colon carcinoma (UCC) is described as no differentiation on microscopic investigation of colonic specimen. A UCC is classified as 4th grade according to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) tumor classification, and as high grade by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), seventh edition. The differentiation level of the pathologic specimen is the crucial prognostic factor; compared with a well-differentiated tumor, a poorly differentiated tumor has an unfavorable prognosis. Undifferentiated gastrointestinal carcinomas are rarely seen. At the time of diagnosis, patients with UCC generally present with lymph node and/or hematogenous metastasis with advanced stage tumor(s). This feature negatively affects the prognosis. Among all patients with UCC, the 5-year survival rate is 34%. Our patient with UCC was a 38-year old male who came to the Department of Gastroenterology because of abdominal pain, weight loss, and anemia. Colonoscopy revealed an ulcerovegetan mass in the ascending colon. The histopathologic finding was a grade 2 adenocarcinoma. The patient's preoperative laboratory findings included: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alphafetoprotein (AFP), CA19-9 and complete blood count were within normal limits. Abdominal computed tomography showed a 10 cm mass in the ascending colon at the level of the hepatic flexure. There were no metastatic findings. At operation, an extended right hemicolectomy and excision of a mass from the anterior abdominal wall were carried out. Histopathologic evaluation of the mass indicated a UCC with perineural invasion without vascular invasion, a pT4-tumor. No cancer was seen at the distal surgical border of the specimen. No metastatic involvement was found in 65 pericolic and periintestinal lymph nodes. Analysis demonstrated pancytoceratin, cytoceratin 20 and CEA expression. At the end of the evaluation tumor was classified as Stage IIB (T4a N0 M0). The patient was referred to the Department of Oncology. After an 8-month disease-free period, the patient presented to the Department of Surgery because of a mass in his left palm (Figure 1). The mass in his palm was painless, fixed and solid. The patient was referred to the Division of Plastic Surgery where he underwent surgery on his left hand. Pathologic evaluation revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (Figure 2). In conclusion, while most colorectal cancers seen are adenocarcinoma, the rare possibility exists of encountering an undifferentiated carcinoma. At the time of diagnosis, the thought must be kept in mind that the UCC might be at an advanced stage and aggressive.


This paper argues that the use of the Security Council to develop feminist and women's activism on women, peace and security splits between resolutions (1325 and 1889) that seek to build women's agency and resolutions (1820 and 1888) that focus on combating sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict environments. The consequence is a limiting of agency, for some women, to situations where women have been sexually violated. Furthermore, a split between first world feminist actors, who gain agency as gender experts, and third world women, who are present as harmed or requiring protection within the resolutions, reflects larger tensions in Western and global feminisms. The paper further argues that the use of military force to challenge widespread or systematic sexual violence requires feminist debate rather than unquestioned inclusion in Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.


DOPAMINE (DA) DEFICIT THEORY is the most comprehensible biological model for attention-deficit– hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children. Cytochrome 450 2D6 (CYP2D6), an enzyme that metabolizes endogenous substrates and xenobiotics, also synthesizes DA. Here we examined a possible role of the CYP2D6 gene in the comorbidity of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in ADHD. We recruited 108 non-related boys and 27 girls meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, aged 6–13 years old (9.30 1.59), and their psychiatric comorbid disorders were determined structurally using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, a variant of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. CYP2D6 gene deletion and Pro34Ser (rs1065852) and Ser486Thr (rs1135840) were examined as described. The proportion of single deletion of CYP2D6 gene in the whole ADHD sample was 14.7%, far higher that the 3% reported in another Chinese sample. No homozygous deletion of the CYP2D6 gene was found in the present study. On Fisher exact test an association was seen between the single gene deletion and an increased risk of ODD in the whole sample (P = 0.043; odds ratio [OR], 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–9.60) and in boys (P = 0.042; OR, 4.27; 95%CI: 1.13–16.11). No associations were found for Pro34Ser and Ser486Thr (data not shown). Reduced CYP2D6 activity may cause various physiological abnormalities, as seen in schizophrenia patients with neuroleptic drug-induced tardive dyskinesia. The present study indicates that deletion of one copy of the CYP2D6 gene, which largely reduced the activity of the enzyme, contributes at least partly to the risk of comorbid psychiatric disorders, probably ODD, in ADHD children.


A new accurate two-probe time domain method is put forward to measure the straight-going component motion error in machine tools. The characteristics of non-periodic and non-closing in the straightness profile error are liable to bring about higher-order harmonic component distortion in the measurement results. However, this distortion can be avoided by the new accurate two-probe time domain method through the symmetry continuation algorithm, uniformity and least squares method. The harmonic suppression is analysed in detail through modern control theory. Both the straight-going component motion error in machine tools and the profile error in a workpiece that is manufactured on this machine can be measured at the same time. All of this information is available to diagnose the origin of faults in machine tools. The analysis result is proved to be correct through experiment.


Distributed computing technique has increasingly been used in the network management. Furthermore, the agent technology has also been widely used in the performance and fault management of networks. This article put forward an INM (intelligent network management) architecture based on CORBA and intelligent agent technology in the domain of telecommunications network management, using intelligent agent distributed management and grouping managed objects to cache. An INM system has been designed and implemented, and it has provided intelligent network management policies, and thus enhanced the performance of network management with multiple object quick access.


ments and biodiversity, sustainable marine harvesting and farming, cost-effective and environmentally friendly exploitation of non-living resources, minimizing the effects of hazards, and fully integrated marine management systems. Developing countries should develop strengthened scientific capacity, and communication should be improved between the scientific community and the decisionmakers — an aim which proves more elusive than was expected, as is evidenced by the experience of several conferences. For these and other reasons, community involvement should be enhanced. Efforts to attain all these lofty, yet necessary, goals should include mapping and monitoring — something that has been said for a decade — of the economic resources involved, evaluation of the capacity of oceans to absorb change, introduction and development of new technologies, and pertinent modelling — to name some of the preponderent needs. While there is no doubt that special conferences can be very useful, there is a growing feeling that more general ones are becoming too numerous, that their overlapping themes and titles lead to confusion (there is the 'IOC International Conference on Oceanography', but there is also the 'Oceanographic World Congress', and yet others), and that they reach all but identical conclusions and propose invariably about the same paths and means to reach their goals. Surely the time has come to move from statements, charters, and the like, to action.


Along with the production of large number of pineapple products, the amount of pineapple waste produced is also higher, including pineapple cores with large amount of proteolytic enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain has many benefits, particularly because of its efficacy in various treatments of diseases, such as platelet anti-aggregation, reducing inflammation associated with infections, sinusitis, osteoarthritis and cancer. However, for oral use, bromelain will be degraded by the presence of proteases and the atmosphere of acidic pH in the stomach, so that bromelain will lose its activity. In this study, the isolated and purified bromelain from pineapple cores was subsequently encapsulated in alginate-chitosan microcapsules as drug delivery medium so that bromelain could reach the intestine without degradation in the stomach. The purification using 20%-50% ammonium sulfate obtained bromelain with specific activity of 5.44 U/mg and purity of 2.85 times. The purified enzyme was subsequently dialyzed and yielded of 8.27 U/mg with the purity level of 4.32 times. The dissolution test of bromelain encapsulated in alginate microcapsules resulted in efficiency of 76.99% which dissolute at pH 1.2 as much as 13.53% and at pH 7.4 of 80.09%, while in chitosan-coated alginate microcapsules, efficiency was obtained for 86.40% with dissolution result at pH 1.2 and 7.4 were 8.59% and 77.35% respectively.


The aim of this paper is to construct and analyze explicit exponential Runge-Kutta methods for the temporal discretization of linear and semilinear integro-differential equations. By expanding the errors of the numerical method in terms of the solution, we derive order conditions that form the basis of our error bounds for integro-differential equations. The order conditions are further used for constructing numerical methods. The convergence analysis is performed in a Hilbert space setting, where the smoothing effect of the resolvent family is heavily used. For the linear case, we derive the order conditions for general order $p$ and prove convergence of order $p$, whenever these conditions are satisfied. In the semilinear case, we consider in addition spatial discretization by a spectral Galerkin method, and we require locally Lipschitz continuous nonlinearities. We derive the order conditions for orders one and two, construct methods satisfying these conditions and prove their convergence. Finally, some numerical experiments illustrating our theoretical results are given.


Emerging infectious diseases and the increase in incidence of drug resistance among pathogenic bacteria have made the search for new antimicrobials inevitable. In the current situation, one of the most promising and novel therapeutic agents are the nanoparticles. The unique physiochemical properties of the nanoparticles combined with the growth inhibitory capacity against microbes has led to the upsurge in the research on nanoparticles and their potential application as antimicrobials. From centuries metals such as silver have been used for treating burns and chronic wounds, and copper has been used to make water potable. It is quite evident that some of the metallic compounds possess antimicrobial property. Recently, the confluence of nanotechnology and biology has brought to fore metals in the form of nanoparticles as potential antimicrobial agents. Nanoparticles have unique and well defined physical and chemical properties which can be manipulated suitably for desired applications. Moreover, their potent antimicrobial efficacy due to the large surface area to volume ratio has provided them an edge over their chemical counterparts which are facing the problems of drug resistance. This review focuses on the properties of different types of metallic nanoparticles such as copper, aluminium, gold, silver, magnesium, zinc and titanium nanoparticles. The mechanism of action of nanoparticles as bactericidal, antifungal and antiviral agents will be highlighted in this study. The potential application of nanoparticles will be also reviewed. The application of nanoparticles as antimicrobials is gaining relevance in prophylaxis and therapeutics, in medical devices, food industry and textile fabrics. The problems related to toxicity of nanoparticles will be addressed in brief.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of intrauterine reconstruction of lateral facial clefts caused by surgically simulated amniotic band compression. The authors hypothesized that intrauterine lysis of these bands could: 1) prevent the progression of cleft formation; 2) normalize facial development; and 3) allow for the scarless repair of these lateral atypical facial clefts. In a prospective randomized trial, eight 65-day gestational fetal lambs (term, 140 days) were exposed via a maternal hysterotomy. A Tessier 7 facial cleft was made by applying a 2.0 nylon suture as a constriction band to the growing face. The sutures were attached to the zygomatic arch and looped circumferentially into the oral commissure. Two weeks after surgery, four of eight animals were re-exposed. All four animals developed phenotypic changes consistent with Tessier 7 lateral facial clefts. These animals were treated in utero by 1) excising the synthetic constricting band, and 2) opening the epithelialized edges of the lateral facial clefts and performing a primary repair. At birth, the bands on the four untreated animals were cut. The lambs developed to 3 months of age, at which time they were evaluated anthropomorphically for changes in soft tissue measurements, and histologically using hematoxylin and eosin and Mason trichrome stain for the degree of scar at the repair site. Tessier 7 lateral facial clefts were produced in all the untreated animals. Each developed macrostomia with an average 2.3-cm lateral displacement of the oral commissure and partial maxillary clefting induced by the pressure of the restriction band. No evidence of tissue necrosis, maceration, or ulceration was noted. In contrast, animals treated in utero were phenotypically normal. There was no evidence of macrostomia and all anthropomorphic measurements were symmetrical. No bony clefts were seen on gross examination. Histologically, there was no evidence of scar formation at the site of the cleft repair. These findings suggest that like the standard cleft lip, atypical lateral facial clefts can be repaired successfully in utero without scarring. Furthermore, lysis of a restriction band in utero can prevent the progression of this facial deformity, leading to normal development of the face.


The aim of this study was to determine the pentosan content in pulps by a dual-wavelength spectrophotometric method. The method was based on the boiling reaction between pentosan and 12% hydrochloric acid, in which pentosan was subsequently converted to furfural. The concentration of furfural in the distillate was determined by the absorbance at 280 nm and 290 nm. Several different simultaneous equations were solved to obtain the concentrations of furfural in the distillate. The results showed that the method had an excellent accuracy (RSD ≤ 0.61%) and reproducibility (RSD = 3.25%). The spectral interference of the 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in the distillate was eliminated by the dual-wavelength measurement technique. Compared with the TAPPI method (colorimetric method), this method is simple, user-friendly, and practical and has high detection sensitivity.


The flipped classroom approach is a teaching and learning strategy wherein homework and classwork exchange places so that students view lectures at home via pre-recorded video or audio files and then use class-time to carry out hands-on exercises allowing individual support from their lecturer or teacher while in class. During the past academic year we have used the flipped classroom approach in a number of introductory modules in the School of Computing at National College of Ireland (NCI). Feedback gathered regarding the experience shows that students respond well to the approach and the opportunity to learn at their own pace and in their own time. This is evidenced by a substantial increase in exam results. We propose a workshop aimed at introducing educators to the flipped classroom approach based on our experiences to date. This workshop will give participants a hands-on opportunity to discover how the flipped classroom approach may be applied to their educational setting. During the workshop we will explore the components necessary for an effective classroom flip and discuss the benefits and challenges involved.


BACKGROUND In Brazil, few studies have investigated the prevalence of infection with the precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) mutants of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). OBJECTIVES This study aimed to analyse the frequency of PC and BCP mutations among patients infected with HBV and to evaluate the association between the variants and advanced hepatic disease. METHODS A total of 161 patients infected with HBV were studied. To identify PC and BCP mutations, a 501-bp fragment of HBV DNA was amplified and sequenced. FINDINGS PC and BCP regions from HBV strains were successfully amplified and sequenced in 129 and 118 cases, respectively. PC and BCP mutations were detected in 61.0% and 80.6% of the cases, respectively. The A1762T/G1764A variant was identified in 36.7% of the patients with grade 1 and 2 liver fibrosis (29/79) and in 81.8% of the patients with grade 3 and 4 liver fibrosis (9/11) (p < 0.01); in 76.9% of the patients with cirrhosis (10/13) and in 38.1% of the patients without cirrhosis (40/105) (p = 0.01); and in 77.8% of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (7/9) and in 39.4% of the patients without HCC (43/109) (p = 0.03). MAIN CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of HBV PC and BCP mutants was found. The A1762T/G1764A variant was independently associated with advanced forms of liver fibrosis, hepatic cirrhosis, and HCC.


The present invention increases the glycated hemoglobin and blood sugar reducing effect is reduced content per second excellent chitosan oligosaccharide provides a method for producing a chitosan-oligosaccharide composition is excellent in thermal stability. The production method of the present invention, chitosan oligosaccharides composition is after the step of swelling of chitosan was added to chitosan in distilled water and treated chitosan enzyme first to the chitosan in order to prevent the chitosan solution is a viscous state, chitosan and chitosan Kinase ; and chitosan and, inactivating chitosan enzyme and, further, a chitosan enzyme to interact with organic acid and obtain a chitosan oligosaccharide composition with a time interval of an organic acid in an enzyme mixture divided added over a plurality of times and a step of. The invention also provides a no naejineun for the treatment to be effective in type 2 glycosylated hemoglobin and blood sugar diabetes prevention and treatment of the excellent effect of reducing the diabetic as the content per second, at least 40% by weight drug supplements monosaccharide.


Television programming has always held some appeal for language teachers. Some people use television shows to teach target culture, others prefer its use for linguistic purposes. This article looks at the Quebecois TV show Un gars, une fille used in a university French course in order to 'teach the socio-cultural reality that underlies all linguistic utterances in a university-level French course' (De Carlo and Aquistapace, 1997, p. 22). In studying episodes of the show, we attempted to identify what makes them more authentic than the videos and CD ROMs that accompany most language textbooks for French.


The genetic program that directs human placental differentiation is poorly understood. In a recent study, we used DNA microarray analyses to determine genes that are dynamically regulated during human placental development in an in vitro model system in which highly purified cytotrophoblast cells aggregate spontaneously and fuse to form a multinucleated syncytium that expresses placental lactogen, human chorionic gonadotropin, and other proteins normally expressed by fully differentiated syncytiotrophoblast cells. Of the 6918 genes present on the Incyte Human GEM V microarray that we analyzed over a 9-day period, 141 were induced and 256 were downregulated by more than 2-fold. The dynamically regulated genes fell into nine distinct kinetic patterns of induction or repression, as detected by the K-means algorithm. Classifying the genes according to functional characteristics, the regulated genes could be divided into six overall categories: cell and tissue structural dynamics, cell cycle and apoptosis, intercellular communication, metabolism, regulation of gene expression, and expressed sequence tags and function unknown. Gene expression changes within key functional categories were tightly coupled to the morphological changes that occurred during trophoblast differentiation. Within several key gene categories (e.g., cell and tissue structure), many genes were strongly activated, while others with related function were strongly repressed. These findings suggest that trophoblast differentiation is augmented by "categorical reprogramming" in which the ability of induced genes to function is enhanced by diminished synthesis of other genes within the same category. We also observed categorical reprogramming in human decidual fibroblasts decidualized in vitro in response to progesterone, estradiol, and cyclic AMP. While there was little overlap between genes that are dynamically regulated during trophoblast differentiation versus decidualization, many of the categories in which genes were strongly activated also contained genes whose expression was strongly diminished. Taken together, these findings point to a fundamental role for simultaneous induction and repression of mRNAs that encode functionally related proteins during the differentiation process.


AI Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) has the potential to improve human decision-making beyond AI predictions alone by providing additional useful probabilistic information to users. The majority of past research on AI and human decision-making has concentrated on model explainability and interpretability. We implemented instance-based UQ for three real datasets. To achieve this, we trained different AI models for classification for each dataset, and used random samples generated around the neighborhood of the given instance to create confidence intervals for UQ. The computed UQ was calibrated using a strictly proper scoring rule as a form of quality assurance for UQ. We then conducted two preregistered online behavioral experiments that compared objective human decision-making performance under different AI information conditions, including UQ. In Experiment 1, we compared decision-making for no AI (control), AI prediction alone, and AI prediction with a visualization of UQ. We found UQ significantly improved decision-making beyond the other two conditions. In Experiment 2, we focused on comparing different representations of UQ information: Point vs. distribution of uncertainty and visualization type (needle vs. dotplot). We did not find meaningful differences in decision-making performance among these different representations of UQ. Overall, our results indicate that human decision-making can be improved by providing UQ information along with AI predictions, and that this benefit generalizes across a variety of representations of UQ.


Low lying coastal areas are ones of the most vulnerable zones to the effects of sea level rise and storm surge. An example is the Belgian coastline. In order to protect it from erosion and flooding on the long-term, the Flemish Government approved in 2010 the Coastal Safety Master Plan, a driving plan that provides general solutions for coastal protections looking ahead to the year 2050. The coastal town of Wenduine is one of the weakest links along the Belgian coastal defense line due to the low freeboard of the existing dike and the high population density in this area. A solution could be to heighten the existing sea walls. However, a compromise needs to be found between social and technical requirements since the elevated touristic and recreational value of the area makes very high storm return walls not acceptable as solution for the upgrading of the existing dike. Therefore the construction of a new curvefaced wave return walls, coupled with beach nourishment has been adopted to meet required mean wave overtopping discharge standards foreseen in the Master Plan. The wave loading on such kind of walls have to be characterized for a proper design. The present work illustrates the final results of the experimental campaign conducted at Flanders Hydraulics Research (Antwerp) to assess the forces exerted by sea waves onto those curve-faced walls within a stilling wave basing concept.


Many researchers have stated that lean and building information modeling (BIM) have positive synergies. This integrative literature review aims at exploring this body of knowledge within the scope of combinations of BIM and the Last Planner® System, as an important Lean construction method, in the phase of construction execution. The research motivation is to find out whether a comprehensive understanding of how to take advantage of these synergies exists. Eventually, the question arises of how to condense this understanding—if existing—into a robust conceptual model for integration. As a theoretical backbone, we will make use of the original BIM-Lean interaction matrix. The hypothesis is that new BIM functionalities have been evolved since the first formulation of this interaction matrix almost 10 years ago. These new BIM functionalities cause new interactions with existing lean principles. We will focus on interactions that refer directly or indirectly to production planning and control and use them to find the most relevant literature for this review. Within the content analysis, as a part of this review, we focus on existing conceptual models and frameworks for integration of BIM and the Last Planner® System and reveal their shortcomings. Eventually, we will propose a new conceptual model.


Abstract Unpacking social work's low self-image and even lower social prestige reveals multiple layers of assumptions both within and outside the discipline that coalesce to construct a profession at odds with itself. Social work colludes with social forces which devalue its work while it presents a series of signs that reinforce the negative stereo-types associated with its practices. Social work projects little sign value, and what sign value it has tends toward the negative (e.g., weak, easy, common). This essay lays out two texts in parallel columns on the page. The right-hand side column "unpacks" via standard discourse while the left-hand side comments via a combination of real and imagined advertising slogans which both spoof and invite an unbranded profession's search for its aesthetic, market niche. Recommendations include a reconstitution of BSW curricula, clarification of the practice continuum, regendering, relanguaging, and re-marketing.


The banana has social importance in generating employment and income and as a food source for people around the world. However, the growing demand for high quality fruits have contributed to the conversion of conventionally managed areas for organic management systems. However, there is no reliable information concerning the advantages of each type of management. Thus, with the goal of improved banana cultivars compared to conventional and organic agronomic traits were evaluated cultivar Caipira (AAA), Maravilha (AAAB), Ken Pacovan (AAAB), Prata Ana (AAB), Thap Maeo (AAB) and Tropical (AAAB) grown in the two systems. In addition to agronomic traits, it was assessed the production and productivity and nutritional status of banana, quantifying the concentration of minerals in samples taken from the third leaf. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means were compared by the Scott Knott test and Tukey test at 5% probability. The cropping system affects the agronomic parameters of banana, especially the cultivar Thap Maeo that had good agronomic characteristics and can be easily used in organic system. Agronomic cultivars differ, independent of the management system adopted.


We consider the problem of detecting the formation of a set of wireless sensor nodes based on the pairwise measurements of signal strength corresponding to all transmitter/receiver pairs. We assume that formations take values in a discrete set and develop a composite hypothesis testing approach which uses a Generalized Likelihood Test (GLT) as the decision rule. The GLT distinguishes between a set of probability density function (pdf) families constructed using a custom pdf interpolation technique. The GLT is compared with the simple Likelihood Test (LT). We also adapt one prevalent supervised learning approach, Multiple Support Vector Machines (MSVMs), and compare it with our probabilistic methods. Due to the highly variant measurements from the wireless sensor nodes, and these methods' different adaptability to multiple observations, our analysis and experimental results suggest that GLT is more accurate and suitable for formation detection. The formation detection problem has interesting applications in posture detection with Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), which is extremely useful in health monitoring and rehabilitation. Another valuable application we explore concerns autonomous robot systems.


Data from clinical trials involving human participants are essential in establishing an evidence base about the safety and effectiveness of our treatments. This first article describes the steps involved in designing and setting up a clinical trial, from establishing the research question(s) to searching the literature. Acquiring some knowledge about how to set up a clinical trial will allow the conscientious clinician to use the most relevant information to provide the highest possible standards of clinical care for his/her patients. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Even if a clinician is not, has never been, nor is ever planning to be involved in research, he/she should understand and be able to interpret the data from clinical trials.


Single amino acids (AA) feeding is gaining more attention for their functional roles beyond nutritional needs. This study aimed to describe the endocrine and metabolic responses to a single AA administration (at 10% of MP for maintenance) in 48 hr fasted sheep (n = 4) receiving, over continued 4 hr, a duodenal infusate of saline (control), glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), lysine HCl (Lys), threonine (Thr), or valine (Val) in a 4 by 6 Youden square design with weekly intervals. Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min relative to the infusion onset, and plasma AA, glucose, β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), ghrelin, insulin, glucagon, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentrations were measured. The results showed that the duodenal supply of Glu, Gln, Lys, Thr, and Val enhanced ghrelin release. Administration of Glu, Gln, and Val declined plasma BHBA concentrations, whereas plasma NEFA levels were decreased with Gln and Thr. Insulin concentration was greater with Thr, glucagon levels were increased with Lys, Thr, Val, and Glu, whereas IGF-1 levels were enhanced with Gln, Lys, and Thr supply. Thus, selective AA feeding can positively adjust the endocrine status and counteract the feed restriction-induced lipid mobilization.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The emergence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in neonatal intensive care unit patients is increasing. This study aims to find out the bacteriological profile in neonatal sepsis and study their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern including detection of MRSA and ESBLs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted for a period of one and a half years from January 2010 to June 2011 in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. A total of 182 blood samples were collected using sterile precautions. They were processed following standard laboratory protocol. Antibiogram was done using appropriate antibiotics by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Isolated Staphylococcus aureus were tested for methicillin resistance using Cefoxitin disc (30μg), ESBL was detected using combined disc method, MIC reduction and Polymerase chain reaction, metallobetalactamases using EDTA and Amp-C beta lactamases using AmpC disc test. C-reactive protein (CRP) was estimated for all the cases.

RESULTS
Out of the 182 cases, 110 (60.4%) were culture positive. Fifty five (63.9 %) of early onset sepsis cases had Gram negative bacteria (GNB) and 19 (79.1%) of late onset sepsis cases had Gram positive bacteria. Out of the total pathogens, 31 (28.1%) were Klebsiella pneumoniae and 30 (27%) were Staphylococcus aureus. 17 (56.6 %) of Staphylococcus aureus were found to be MRSA and they were 100% sensitive to Vancomycin. 33 (67.3%) of Enterobacteriaceae were ESBL producers. ESBL isolates were 100% sensitive to Imipenem. Three (6.1%) of Enterobacteriaceae were AmpC producers and 3 (27.2%) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were MBL producers. CRP was positive in 99 (54.3%) cases, out of which 94 (94.9%) were culture positive.

CONCLUSION
Klebsiella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were the commonest bacteria causing neonatal sepsis in this centre. Multidrug resistance among the isolates was common. Early diagnosis and institution of specific antibiotics after studying the sensitivity pattern will help in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality and prevent emergence of drug resistant strains.


Two series of 4-(3-alkoxycarbonylpyridyl-6-ethynyl)phenyl trans-4-n-alkylcyclohexylcarboxylates and 4-(3-alkoxycarbonylpyridyl-6-ethynyl)phenyl 4-(trans-4-n-alkylcyclohexyl)benzoates have been prepared. Their mesmorphic properties were observed and measured by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The relationship between structures and properties is discussed, showing that the ferroelectric phase can be observed when chiral terminal chains exist.


In this fairly lengthy essay, I attempt to bring theoretical unity to the general part of the criminal law by viewing the issues of the general part - the voluntary act requirement, mens rea, culpability, attempts, defenses, etc. - through a controversial but plausible lens, namely that legal wrongs justify criminal punishment when their commission indicates negative desert commensurate with that punishment. In exploring the question what acts (or other things) justify punishment, I take positions, sometimes unorthodox, on such matters as what should count as an attempt, is self-defense really a justification, and should the defense of duress apply to nonhuman threats, among (many) others. In the last third of the essay, I discuss the special part of the criminal law, with particular emphasis on Feinberg's work on the moral limits of the criminal law and on criminal liability for omissions.


Since the Great Recession of 2008, the racial wealth gap between black and white Americans has continued to widen. In Predatory Lending and the Destruction of the African-American Dream, Janis Sarra and Cheryl Wade detail the reasons for this failure by analyzing the economic exploitation of African Americans, with a focus on predatory practices in the home mortgage context. They also examine the failure of reform and litigation efforts ostensibly aimed at addressing this form of racial discrimination. This research, augmented by first-hand narratives, provides invaluable insight into the racial wealth gap by vividly illustrating the predation that targets African-American consumers and examining the intentionally obfuscating settlement terms of cases brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, states attorneys, and municipalities. The authors conclude by offering structural, systemic changes to address predatory practices. This important work should be read by anyone seeking to understand racial inequality in the United States.


In attempting to lessen the incidence and to reduce the severity of infections of the respiratory tract by vaccination, it is essential to consider the wide range of bacterial flora, the relative prevalence of each species, as well as the fluctuations in incidence and severity of these infections with changes in season. The well-defined tendency of bacteria of the same species to localize differently in different epidemics indicates peculiar infecting and antigenic powers. The short duration of immunity to infections following attacks adds greatly to the difficulty. However, owing to the high incidence and high mortality rate from infections of the respiratory tract during the present epidemic, a painstaking effort to raise the resistance of individuals by inoculation with appropriate vaccines appeared to be strongly indicated. In considering prophylactic inoculations in this epidemic of influenza, we put aside the debated question as to the cause of the initial symptoms and


26 years old male patient applied to our emergency room with complaining of epigastric pain, nausia and vomiting. His mental capacity was reported low by psychiatrist and diagnosed as schizophrenia. His physical examination was in normal limits showing no signs of acute abdomen. His abdominal x-ray showed multipl nodular hyperdens opasities considered to be stones (Figure 1). He was consulted to surgery and discharged. Allaphagia is a eating disorder which patients eat materials that are not considered as food like stone, soil wood etc. Allophagia may be of psychological origin but main causes of mineral and element deficiencies must be kept in mind. Figure legend: Abdominal x-ray showed multipl nodular hyperdens opasities considered to be stones


Abstract : The relationship between the United States and Vietnam, the two former enemies, is a topic of great interest. It has taken a long time, almost twenty years since the normalization of relations between the two nations in 1995, for both countries to reach the current stage in their bilateral relations. The U.S.-Vietnam relationship has been increasingly cemented in the context of the contemporary strategic realities of the world, Asia, and the complexity of the South China Sea dispute. However, because of their inherent differences, there are areas both countries need to continue working on for further improvement. This thesis scrutinizes the benefits and challenges for Vietnam as it develops a closer relationship with the U.S. It starts by reviewing the process of establishing and improving the relationship using the DIME model of national power as an analytical framework. The research then examines Vietnam's long-term national strategic goals and highlights its national strategic objectives. Analyses of the historic events and bilateral agreements in the U.S.-Vietnam relations reveal the congruence between U.S. interests and policies and Vietnam's long-term strategic objectives as well as challenges which must be addressed in order for Vietnam to achieve its strategic objectives. The thesis concludes by highlighting the benefits that would accrue to Vietnam from a closer bilateral relationship in terms of the economy, security, and national defense as well as the challenges posed by the China factor and the differences in political system and perspectives that exist in the Vietnamese and U.S. governments.


In this research, first of all, the analytical methods for the determination of major elements in sediment have been developed with ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). The analytical results of major elements (Al, Ca, K, Fe, Mg) with Cool ICP-MS were much better than those with normal ICP-MS. The analytical results were compared with those of NAA (Neutron Activation Analysis). NAA were a little superior to ICP-MS for the determination of major elements in sediment as a non-destructive trace analytical method. The analytical methods for the determination of minor elements (Cr, Ce, U, Co, Pb, As, Se) have been also developed with ICP-MS. The analytical results by standard calibration curve with ICP-MS were not accurate due to the matrix interferences. Thus, the internal standard method was applied, then the analytical results for minor elements with ICP-MS were greatly improved. The analytical results obtained by ICP-MS were compared with those obtained by NAA. It showed that the two analytical methods have great capabilities for the determination of minor elements in sediments. Accordingly, the NAA will play an important role in analysis of environment sample with complex matrix. ICP-MS also will play an important role because it has a great capability for the determination of Pb that could not be determined by NAA.


Fifteen to twenty percent of all ischemic strokes are of cardioembolic origin. Since the introduction of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in 1976, its clinical application in the diagnosis of cardioembolic stroke has expanded greatly. Comprehensive literature has accumulated showing TEE as an invaluable tool for the diagnosis of cardioembolic stroke because it allows superior visualization of established embolic stroke risk factors (apical thrombus, endocarditis) as well as the identification of newer factors (patent foramen ovale, aortic arch plaques, etc.). In this article, we summarize the present status of TEE in the diagnostic workup of stroke.


This article examines the humanitarian approach to nuclear weapons, which has reinvigorated the efforts to achieve their prohibition. It explores the fundamental arguments made by the "Humanitarian Initiative" and their grounding in a relationship between international law and international politics. The analysis draws on the emphasis that classical realists put on the political nature of international problems, primarily shaped by considerations of power. Such approach is useful because the humanitarian approach attempts to address the political problem of nuclear weapons by recourse to claims about morality and through the means of international law, most notably the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), deliberately choosing to circumvent politics and its concern with power. The classical realist perspective suggests that to overlook the power political dimension and to consider the problem of nuclear weapons chiefly as a moral and legal issue is likely to lead to yet another failure in efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament.


We propose an algorithm for inexpensive gradient-based hyperparameter optimization that combines the implicit function theorem (IFT) with efficient inverse Hessian approximations. We present results about the relationship between the IFT and differentiating through optimization, motivating our algorithm. We use the proposed approach to train modern network architectures with millions of weights and millions of hyper-parameters. For example, we learn a data-augmentation network - where every weight is a hyperparameter tuned for validation performance - outputting augmented training examples. Jointly tuning weights and hyperparameters with our approach is only a few times more costly in memory and compute than standard training.


One of the goals of academic research is to contribute to managerial practice. Within the context of Human Resource Management, HR executives belong to the reading audience of scholar publications. This research builds on the study, undertaken fifteen years ago by Terpstra and Rozell (1998), who investigated perceptions of HR executives about scientific research, and found that perceived accessibility and relevance of scientific information, as well as overall skepticism scored low, where accessibility was perceived most negative. Since then, an enormous amount of new topics and discussions emerged within the HR academic literature and technological developments enhanced information and knowledge exchange. Given latest HRM developments, modernization of the workforce management and improved information exchange, this research is inspired by the assumption that nowadays perceptions of HR executives about academic research differ from the ones fifteen years ago. By means of 10 in-depth interviews with HR executives, we found that accessibility is perceived high as scientific HR information can be obtained easily, especially through the internet support. HR executives perceive scientific information useful if it is practically relevant, timely, understandable and presented in an appropriate amount. It was found that scientific publications are perceived not only useful but actually useable if they add value through practical examples or guidelines for implementation, and if authors of publications or institutions are highly reputable. Skepticism is found to be mainly low, indicating willingness of HR practitioners to undertake effort to apply academic findings. Consequently, if HR scholars want their academic research to be read, valued and applied by HR practitioners, we advise them to focus on providing practically relevant, timely information that is understandable, appropriately presented, includes practical examples and guidelines, and addresses reputation issues, so that expectations of a broader audience are met.


In this article we propose a research whose main objective will be to reach a methodology for assessment, comparing and improving the quality of hotels Websites. The need for this methodology is justified by the fact that, so far, we haven´t identified any methodology that widely integrates and focus the technical quality and the content quality of the Websites.


Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyse the influence of the development level indicators on the e-commerce, i.e. on the online purchase by individuals, in selected European countries in 2013. In the analysis, the main variable under study and all the independent variables are included as standardised. Based on nine variables, the principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed and the two extracted factors were used as the regressors in the multiple regression analysis. In the regression model both components, Factor 1, which includes seven variables, called Prosperity, Investing in Education and IT Infrastructure, and Awareness, and Factor 2, comprised of two variables, called IT Skills, are statistically significant at the significance level of 1%. Both factors show a positive correlation with the online purchase of individuals. Inclusion and analysis of distributions and impacts of even nine independent variables, which make up two distinct factors affecting the e-commerce, make a new contribution of this work.