Human interleukin 17 (IL-17) is a proinflammatory cytokine derived mainly from activated T cells. Extensive evidence points to a significant role of IL-17 in many autoimmune and infectious diseases, as well as tumorigenesis and transplant rejection, and suggests that targeting IL-17 could be a promising therapeutic strategy. Robust cell-based assays would thus be essential for lead identification and the optimization of therapeutic candidates. Herein, we report a well-characterized two-step assay, consisting of (a) in vitro activation and stimulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes by a defined complex of antibodies and cytokines, leading to T helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and IL-17 production, and (b) IL-17 quantification in cell supernatants using a homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay. The system was optimized for and shown to be reliable in high-throughput compatible 96- and 384-well plate formats. The assay is robust (Z′ > 0.5) and simple to perform, yields a stable response, and allows for sufficient discrimination of positive (IL-17–producing cells) and negative controls (uninduced cells). The assay was validated by performing dose-response testing of rapamycin and cyclosporine A, which had previously been reported to inhibit IL-17, and determining, for the first time, their in vitro potencies (IC50s of 80 ± 23 pM and 223 ± 52 nM, respectively). Also, IKK 16, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of IκB kinase, was found to inhibit IL-17 production, with an IC50 of 315 ± 79 nM.


The purpose of this study is remediation of residual organic pollutants from effluent by autochthonous bacterial community in biostimulation process. Discharged effluent showed high TDS (549 mg L-1), tss (59 mg L-1), COD (20349 mg L-1) and BOD (25946 mg L-1), value. The level of total phenol (421 mg L-1), nitrogen (156 mg L-1), sulphate (1854 mg L-1), phosphorus (176 mg L-1) chlorine (2.01 mg L-1), sodium (75 mg L-1) and potassium (8.4 mg L-1) along with various heavy metals (Fe, 75.23; Zn, 15.60; Cu, 4.1; Cr, 3.12; Cd, 0.324; Mn, 13.24; and Ni, 4.01 mg L-1) were noted above the permissible limit of Environmental Protection Act. The result revealed that the reduction of the physico-chemical parameter of pollutants were above 50% after biostimulation process, this confirmed the potentiality of growing autochthonous bacterial community responsible for bioremediation. The comparative UV-Vis spectroscopy showed reduction in the absorption spectra of degraded sample. Further, GC-MS analysis showed major organic pollutants i.e. Octadecanoic acid, Hexadecanoic acid, citral, benzoic acid, and 2, 6'-Di-hydroxy acetophenone, bis (trimethylsilyl) ether, were detected in control few compounds were degraded while there was formation of some new metabolic products also. Few pollutants persisted in the degraded sample as recalcitrant toxicant and causes environmental toxicity and hormonal imbalance as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But the detailed knowledge and characterization of organic pollutants are not available yet regarding their properties. The SEM image showed the diversity of bacterial community in biostimulation responsible for utilisation of various detected compounds. The growing bacterial communities were identified as potential bacterial strains as Aeromonas salmonicida, BBAUPS-1 (MN294457.1) and Bacillus sp. BBAUPS-2 (MN238724.1) responsible for the remediation of residual organic pollutants. Further, Evaluation of toxicity parameter of effluent by seed germination test of Triticum aestivum and Cicer arietinum inhibited the seed germination upto 80%. Hence, this study revealed that the biostimulation process is a good technique for detoxification and degradation effluent.


This report summarizes indications and results of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) performed in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in Italy since 1984. A total of 158 patients have been reported from 12 teams to the AIEOP-BMT Registry: 110 have been autografted in first complete remission (CR) and 48 in second remission. Several conditioning regimens have been utilized, mainly consisting of BAVC (an original polichemotherapy schedule, BCNU, mAMSA, VP-16 and Ara-C) (63 cases) and of total body irradiation (TBI) plus Melphalan (33 cases): other 28 patients received different TBI-including regimens, and 34 received various chemotherapy regimens (Busulfan plus cyclophosphamide +/- VP-16, Busulfan plus Melphalan, Melphalan alone). Projected event-free survival (EFS) for patients autografted in first CR is 41.4% (S.E. 5.5%) at 7 years, with a total of 53 patients in continuous CR. EFS is better in patients receiving a TBI-including regimen: 78.8% versus 27.2% (p = 0.0001). In particular, results obtained in a subgroup of 21 cases receiving TBI + melphalan and purged marrow are particularly encouraging, with a EFS > 85% projected a 7 years. The overall EFS in second CR is 41.5% at 7 years, and no difference have been observed after a TBI-including regimen or after a chemotherapy regimen, being EFS 43.1% and 39.3% for these 2 groups respectively. A total of 11 transplant-related deaths occurred, with 5 patients (4.5%) dead in first CR and 6 (12%) dead in second CR within 100 days from transplant. From these data, ABMT is confirmed to represent an effective treatment for AML after first relapse, while the encouraging results obtained in first CR with TBI-including regimens should be confirmed with a longer follow up and a larger number of patients.


Abstract This article broadly considers the commentaries on Job of Thomas Aquinas and Albert the Great as offering a helpful theological alternative to some modern philosophical approaches to the 'problem of evil'. We seek to show that whereas some modern philosophers understand evil as a problem for the very existence of God, whether and how God can coexist with evil was never a question that evil seriously raised in the minds of Aquinas and Albert. In fact, although the suffering of the just in particular led our medieval Dominicans to wonder about divine providence and our ability to know God in this life, they understood the reality of evil as compelling evidence for the existence of God.


In this paper, a systematic design procedure based on key factor analysis of the Q curve has been proposed. In addition to inductor design, we also present a technique that combines optimized shielding poly, and proton implantation treatment is utilized to improve the inductor Q value. The shielding effect of poly-silicon and the semi-insulating characteristics of proton-bombarded substrate have added a 37% and 54% increment to the Q value of the inductors, respectively. The combination of the two means has created a multiplication of their individual contribution rather than addition. The dramatic improvement of the Q value resulted from the doping level and film thickness optimization of a poly shield layer combined with a proton implantation treatment. A phenomenal Q-value increment as high as 122% of 4-nH spiral inductors can be realized. This technique shall become a critical measure to put inductors on a silicon substrate with satisfactory performance for Si-based RF integrated-circuit applications


We present an efficient technique for topology-preserving map deformation and apply it to the visualization of dissimilarity data in a geographic context. Map deformation techniques such as value-by-area cartograms are well studied. However, using deformation to highlight (dis)similarity between locations on a map in terms of their underlying data attributes is novel. We also identify an alternative way to represent dissimilarities on a map through the use of visual overlays. These overlays are complementary to deformation techniques and enable us to assess the quality of the deformation as well as to explore the design space of blending the two methods. Finally, we demonstrate how these techniques can be useful in several-quite different-applied contexts: travel-time visualization, social demographics research and understanding energy flowing in a wide-area power-grid.


n the new geopolitical realities, India is increasingly showing itself as one of the leaders not only of world politics, but also of the Fourth industrial revolution, successfully combining commitment to its cultural traditions with the desire to modernize the lives of all its citizens. The desire and ability to unite inconsistent have been characteristic features of the Indian mentality since antiquity. They were clearly manifested in the socio-philosophical concepts proposed by the ideologists of the Indian Renaissance in the late XIX – early XX century, Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Aurobindo Ghosh. The analysis of their teachings, to which this article is devoted, draws attention to the presence in the philosophical thought of that time of two positions in relation to Western culture: the radical denial of Western values and their creative assimilation. Both thinkers were preoccupied with the problem of current state of society, which was not characteristic of classical Vedanta. They both criticized the West for excessive rationalism, and they both considered spiritual progress as the only tool for establishing harmony in society. But Thakur saw a decline in public life, the reason for which he saw in the departure from the original principles of varṇāśrama-dharma, which has been normalizing people's lives since ancient times, and he called for their restoration. Ghosh, on the other hand, thought globally: he told on the sense of universal human history as the realization of the Divine Absolute-Brahman in earthly life. He criticized and rejected Western socio-philosophical concepts as untenable for the reason of their discrepancies with the main values for him, which were: uniqueness and importance of every human being, and the need for all people to unite for the achievement of their oneness with Brahman.


Identification of high potential risk and susceptible zones for natural hazards of geological origin is one of the most important applications of advanced remote sensing technology in tropical environments. Yearly, several landslides occur during heavy monsoon rainfall in Kelantan river basin, Peninsular Malaysia, which are obviously connected to geological structures and topographical features of the region. In this study, the recently launched Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), remote sensing data were used to map geologic structural and topographical features in the Kelantan river basin for identification of high potential risk and susceptible zones for landslides and flooding areas. A ScanSAR and two fine mode dual polarization level 3.1 images cover Kelantan state were processed for comprehensive analysis of major geological structures and detailed characterizations of lineaments, drainage patterns and lithology at both regional and district scales. Red-Green-Blue (RGB) colour-composite was applied to different polarization channels of PALSAR-2 data to extract variety of geological information. Directional convolution filters were applied to the data for identifying linear features in particular directions and edge enhancement in the spatial domain. The analysis of the data indicate that many of flooded areas were associated with high potential risk zones for hydro-geological hazards such as wetlands, urban areas, floodplain scroll, meander bend, dendritic and sub-dendritic drainage patterns, which are located in flat topography regions. Numerous landslide points were located in rectangular drainage system that associated with topographic slope of metamorphic and Quaternary rock units. Geo-hazard mitigation programmes could be conducted in the landslide recurrence regions and flooded areas for reducing natural catastrophes leading to loss of financial investments and death in the Kelantan river basin.


We have previously reported that the transplantation of dendritic cells (DCs) brings about functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice through the activation of endogenous microglia/macrophages and neural stem/progenitor cells. In this study, the effect of interleukin‐12 (IL‐12), which is secreted from DCs, was evaluated for the treatment of spinal cord injury in mice. Administration of IL‐12 into the injured site significantly increased the number of activated microglia/macrophages and DCs as well as the expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor surrounding the lesion site. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that de novo neurogenesis and remyelination were induced by IL‐12 treatment. Furthermore, an open field test using Basso‐Beattie‐Brenham scoring revealed a significant improvement of locomotor function in mice treated with IL‐12. These results suggest that IL‐12 administration into the injured spinal cord results in a functional recovery through the activation of microglia/macrophages and DCs. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The expected gradient outerproduct (EGOP) of an unknown regression function is an operator that arises in the theory of multi-index regression, and is known to recover those directions that are most relevant to predicting the output. However, work on the EGOP, including that on its cheap estimators, is restricted to the regression setting. In this work, we adapt this operator to the multi-class setting, which we dub the expected Jacobian outerproduct (EJOP). Moreover, we propose a simple rough estimator of the EJOP and show that somewhat surprisingly, it remains statistically consistent under mild assumptions. Furthermore, we show that the eigenvalues and eigenspaces also remain consistent. Finally, we show that the estimated EJOP can be used as a metric to yield improvements in real-world non-parametric classification tasks: both by its use as a metric, and also as cheap initialization in metric learning tasks.


Abstract Assessing the impact of possible climate change on the water resources of glacierized areas requires a reliable model of the climate–glacier-mass-balance relationship. In this study, we simulate the mass-balance evolution of Engabreen, Norway, using a simple mass-balance model based on daily temperature and precipitation data from a nearby climate station. Ablation is calculated using a distributed temperature-index method including potential direct solar radiation, while accumulation is distributed linearly with elevation. The model was run for the period 1974/75–2001/02, for which annual mass-balance measurements and meteorological data are available. Parameter values were determined by a multi-criteria validation including point measurements of mass balance, mass-balance gradients and specific mass balance. The modelled results fit the observed mass balance well. Simple sensitivity experiments indicate a high sensitivity of the mass balance to temperature changes, as expected for maritime glaciers. The results suggest, further, that the mass balance of Engabreen is more sensitive to warming during summer than during winter, while precipitation changes affect almost exclusively the winter balance.


Neonates, especially those of very low birthweight (VLBW), have an increased risk of nosocomial infections secondary to deficiencies in development. We previously demonstrated that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) production and mRNA expression from stimulated neonatal mononuclear cells are significantly less than that from adult cells. Recombinant murine GM-CSF administration to neonatal rats has resulted in neutrophilia, increased neutrophil production, and increased survival of pups during experimental Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. In the present study, we sought to determine the safety and biologic response of recombinant human (rhu) GM-CSF in VLBW neonates. Twenty VLBW neonates (500 to 1,500 g), aged < 72 hours, were randomized to receive either placebo (n = 5) or rhuGM-CSF at 5.0 micrograms/kg once per day (n = 5), 5.0 micrograms/kg twice per day (n = 5), or 10 micrograms/kg once per day (n = 5) given via 2-hour intravenous infusion for 7 days. Complete blood counts, differential, and platelet counts were obtained, and tibial bone marrow aspirate was performed on day 8. Neutrophil C3bi receptor expression was measured at 0 and 24 hours. GM-CSF levels were measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after the first dose of rhuGM-CSF. At all doses, rhuGM-CSF was well tolerated, and there was no evidence of grade III or IV toxicity. Within 48 hours of administration, there was a significant increase in the circulating absolute neutrophil count (ANC) at 5.0 micrograms/kg twice per day and 10.0 micrograms/kg once per day, which continued for at least 24 hours after discontinuation of rhuGM-CSF. When the ANC was normalized for each patient's first ANC, there was a significant increase in the ANC on days 6 and 7 at each dose level. By day 7, all tested doses of rhuGM-CSF resulted in an increase in the absolute monocyte count (AMC) compared with placebo-treated neonates. In those receiving rhuGM-CSF 5.0 micrograms/kg twice per day, there was additionally a significant increase in the day 7 and 8 platelet count. Tibial bone marrow aspirates demonstrated a significant increase in the bone marrow neutrophil storage pool (BM NSP) at 5.0 micrograms/kg twice per day and 10.0 micrograms/kg once per day. Neutrophil C3bi receptor expression was significantly increased 24 hours after the first dose of rhuGM-CSF at 5.0 micrograms/kg once per day. The elimination half-life (T1/2) of rhuGM-CSF was 1.4 +/- 0.8 to 3.9 +/- 2.8 hours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


OBJECTIVE
Little is known regarding variation among electronic health record (EHR) vendors in quality performance. This issue is compounded by selection effects in which high-quality hospitals coalesce to a subset of market leading vendors. We measured hospital performance, stratified by EHR vendor, across 4 quality metrics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We used data on 1272 hospitals in 2018 across 4 quality measures: Leapfrog Computerized Provider Order Entry/EHR Evaluation, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare Star Ratings, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) score, and Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) ratio. We examined score distributions and used multivariable regression to evaluate the association between vendor and score, recovering partial R2 to assess the proportion of quality variation explained by vendor.

RESULTS
We found significant variation across and within EHR vendors. The largest vendor, vendor A, had the highest mean score on the Leapfrog Computerized Provider Order Entry/EHR Evaluation and HRRP ratio, vendor G had the highest Hospital Compare score, and vendor F had the highest HAC score. In adjusted models, no vendor was significantly associated with higher performance on more than 2 measures. EHR vendor explained between 1.2% (HAC) and 7.6 (HRRP) of the variation in quality performance.

DISCUSSION
No EHR vendor was associated with higher quality across all measures, and the 2 largest vendors were not associated with the highest scores. Only a small fraction of quality variation was explained by EHR vendor choice.

CONCLUSIONS
Top performance on quality measures can be achieved with any EHR vendor; much of quality performance is driven by the hospital and how it uses the EHR.


Estimates of the basic reproduction number ( 𝑅 0 ) for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are particularly variable in the context of transmission within locations such as long-term health care (LTHC) facilities. We sought to characterise the heterogeneity of 𝑅 0 across known outbreaks within these facilities. We used a unique comprehensive dataset of all outbreaks that have occurred within LTHC facilities in British Columbia, Canada. We estimated 𝑅 0 with a Bayesian hierarchical dynamic model of susceptible, exposed, infected, and recovered individuals, that incorporates heterogeneity of 𝑅 0 between facilities. We further compared these estimates to those obtained with standard methods that utilize the exponential growth rate and maximum likelihood. The total size of an outbreak varied dramatically, with a range of attack rates of 2%–86%. The Bayesian analysis provides more constrained overall estimates of 𝑅 0 = 2.19 (90% CrI [credible interval] 0.19–6.69) than standard methods, with a range within facilities of 0.48–10.08. We further estimated that intervention led to 57% (47%–66%) of all cases being averted within the LTHC facilities, or 73% (63%–78%) when using a model with multi-level intervention effect. Understanding the risks and impact of intervention are essential in planning during the ongoing global pandemic, particularly in high-risk environments such as LTHC facilities.


We report Mn superoxide dismutase (SOD) protein and activity in a patient with familial autosomal recessive Lewy body-negative parkinsonism in comparison with patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) and controls. We recently proved linkage of this family with markers of chromosome 6 at 6q25.2-27, which included the Mn SOD gene. We used a novel polymorphic mutation at -9 position of the signal peptide of the Mn SOD precursor protein, which caused valine to alanine substitution. All the affected members of this family showed homozygosity for alanine, whereas nonaffected members, sporadic PD patients, and the control subjects studied showed either heterozygosity of alanine and valine or homozygosity of valine. The Mn SOD activity of this familial patient was the highest among the PD patients and the control subjects studied, and an abundant expression of Mn SOD was found in the substantia nigra. The molecular weight of Mn SOD protein by Western blotting of this patient was essentially similar to that of PD patients and the control subjects. High Mn SOD activity may constitute a genetic risk factor in this familial patient. The difference in the signal peptide sequence may affect the expression of Mn SOD within mitochondria; however, it is unlikely that loss of function type Mn SOD mutation is the cause of this familial parkinsonism. Mn SOD in sporadic PD patients was similar to that in controls.


: As a rule, gerontological patients have a combination of senile physiological immunodeficiency and secondary immunodeficiency caused by various diseases. These states of the immune system are aggravated by stress immunodeficiency formed as a result of operative traumas and anesthesia. The immunodeficiency state (IDS) of such patients in many respects is determined by their interleukine status. Patients operated on abdominal cavity organs by the life-saving indication according to a delayed or scheduled procedure under conditions of epidural anesthesia (45 patients), spinal anesthesia (43 patients) and general anesthesia (41 patients) were examined. When generalizing the obtained results, it is necessary to mention that various types of anesthesia have a different effect on the immune and interleukine status of gerontological patients.


It was in 1947 that perhaps the first use was made of closed-circuit television when the proceedings of five surgical operations were transmitted to a group of physicians at a medical meeting at Johns Hopkins (Berger, 1970). In psychiatry, the first reports of the use of closed circuit television in the teaching of medical students and psychiatric nurses, as well as residents were probably by Wittson and Dutton (1956) and later, Tucker (1957) and his colleagues reported on its use in treatment of the mentally ill.


Molecular imprinting was applied to the synthesis of methacrylic acid−ethylene glycol dimethacrylate copolymers specific for the herbicide atrazine. In toluene, these imprints bound atrazine with dissociation constant (KD) values as low as 10-6 M, and could be used for the development of a ligand binding assay for the detection of atrazine. The selectivity profile of the imprints for triazines structurally related to atrazine was comparable to those of antibodies. The substituent of carbon C1 is the most important feature determining the level of cross-reactivity, and the binding affinity decreased in the order Cl > OCH3 > OH > SCH3 (atrazine, the imprint species, has Cl at this position). No cross-reaction of structurally unrelated herbicides and other compounds was detected. Rebinding experiments in phosphate buffer containing 0.15% Tween 20 gave similar results. The polymers could be packed into HPLC columns and used for the separation of triazine derivatives. The potential uses of imprinted polymers f...


This research aimed to present the states and problems of supporting private basic education Institutions from the government and to develop a proposed model for supporting private basic education institutions in Thailand. The research methodology compromised in 5 steps. 1st Step: Documentary analysis to develop a research framework. 2nd Step: Documentary analysis and survey research about the states and problems of supporting private basic education Institutions. 3rd Step: Construct the proposed model. 4th Step: Evaluate propriety and feasibility of the model by expert judgments. 5th Step: Adjust and scrutinize the proposed model. The research findings are summarized as follow: The governmental supports to private institutions are not equal to public institutions that bring to oligopoly market and unfair competitions. The study of the states of supporting private basic education Institutions finds that the government supported at the low level all, vice versa the government should support at highest all in the statistic significant different of 0.05. The important problems are the supporting in the investment expenditures and academic supports. The proposed model for Supporting Private Basic Education Institutions is "The Integrative Model" which comprises of 2 components (1) The integration of Demand-size financing and Supply-side financing (2) The integration of In Cash and In Kind supports. Demand-size financing consists of education coupon and health promotion for students. Supply-side financing is the infrastructure developing funds, teachers' salary coupon, teachers' welfare, the academic funds for teacher and the honor award for institutes, the school executive and teacher. Research Suggestion: The next should be a research for the Strategies of Supporting Private Basic Education Institutions to find out the key success factors.


Using comprehensive balance-sheet data for Spain, we document the use of fixed-term and open-ended contracts by firms over the period 2004-2019. We show that the use of temporary contracts is very heterogeneous across firms, with the distribution of the temporary share being severely right-skewed: the median share of temporary employment is only 3%, while the average is 18%. Part of this variation is related to the sector and region where firms operate as well as to the macroeconomic cycle. However, around 80% of the variation reflects differences across firms operating in the same industry, in the same location and at the same point of the business cycle. At the individual level, even after controlling for sector and region, we observe that larger and younger firms make more extensive use of temporary contracts.


Background: Practical issues, including cost, hinder implementing virologic monitoring of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings. We evaluated factors that might guide monitoring frequency and efforts to prevent treatment failure after initial virologic suppression. Methods: Participants were the 911 HIV-infected antiretroviral-naïve adults with CD4 count <300 cells/μL who started efavirenz-based ART in the international A5175/PEARLS trial and achieved HIV-1 RNA <1000 copies/mL at 24 weeks. Participant report of ART adherence was evaluated using a structured questionnaire in monthly interviews. Adherence and readily available clinical and laboratory measures were evaluated as predictors of late virologic failure (late VF: confirmed HIV-1 RNA ≥1000 copies/mL after 24 weeks). Results: During median follow-up of 3.5 years, 82/911 participants (9%) experienced late VF. Of 516 participants reporting missed doses during the first 24 weeks of ART, 55 (11%) experienced late VF, compared with 27 (7%) of 395 participants reporting no missed doses (hazard ratio: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.73). This difference persisted in multivariable analysis, in which lower pre-ART hemoglobin and absence of Grade ≥3 laboratory results prior to week 24 were also associated with higher risk of late VF. Discussion: In this clinical trial, the late VF rate after successful suppression was very low. If achievable in routine clinical practice, virologic monitoring involving infrequent (e.g. annual) measurements might be considered; the implications of this for development of resistance need evaluating. Patients reporting missed doses early after ART initiation, despite achieving initial suppression, might require more frequent measurement and/or strategies for promoting adherence.


The Tun11el is William Gass 's latcst work. It has been intended to become his masterpiece, as the almost thirty ycars dcvoted to its composition demonstrate. It is an a rnbitious work of fi<.:tion with thc c.:cntral design of reaching an acsthctic autonomy that allows the book to be read non-refercntially. And that is prec.:isely the proper approach to The Twmel. hecause it has been conceivcd as a self-containcd ohject whose interna! coherencc is both its most powerful c.:omponcnt and the axis of any s igniticance. William Gass has always been concerned with the singular character or the linguistic mcdium in the provincc of fiction. He justifics the special status of the artistic cxpression with the onto logical transformation the word suffcrs. according to him, when used with litcrary puqJoses (Gass, 1989, 280-307). Bccause che naiTated and the physical world belong to separatc domains poetic language doesn ' t havc to adjust to the schemcs that govern the linguistic rcality of thc empi rical ex istencc. Hardly ever has fiction been so rcluctant to be interpreted in terms of the factual world as it is in Gass, precisely because hardly ever has it bccn so near to becoming a fact as it is in The Tu1111el. Language stops being the 111ea11.1· of describing in order to becomc the ohjec1 of rendering; it is trcatcd like thc material with which a new objcct is created. Like in abstract painting, where thc paint stops bcing paint as soon as it is transformed into a shapc and enters. in inte rac tion with other shapes. the system of che picturc. language's cxpressivc function loses weight when becoming the e lement of che


The material handling operation is an important process in a modem manufacturing environment. This operation is traditionally done by an operator with the help of a mechanical assist device such a conveyor belt, an overhead hoist or a trolley. These devices compensate for lift but not motive force augmentation. In these devices, the operator still needs to use his physical strength to move the work piece to a desired destination. The inertia forces generated by the heavy work piece and the lift device itself may still be large enough to pose a danger to the operator. Intelligent Assist Device, IAD, is a hybrid servo-driven automation device that integrates the strength of a machine and the intelligence of a human being to optimize performance in lifting operations. In this paper, the overall strategy for actuation and control of an intelligent assist device is presented. Collision avoidance scheme of an IAD and experimental results are provided.


Background: Crohn's disease (CD) can be difficult to diagnose because it can affect different parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and symptoms may be non-specific. About half of CD patients present with strictures or fistulas within 20 years of diagnosis; 25% present with small bowel strictures and 10% with at least one colonic stricture.1 However, intestinal strictures may complicate other disease processes, including cancer. Signet ring cell carcinomas (SRCC) may be a more aggressive type of gastric cancer that generally occurs in younger individuals. Typically, primary gastric carcinoma is associated with local metastasis and rarely spreads to other parts of the intestine. A pediatric case of abdominal pain/distention revealed small bowel strictures and eventually SRCC of the ileum.2 Methods: We report a case of a 58-year-old woman who presented in May 2014 with epigastric tenderness and nausea. In July 2014, she was diagnosed with Helicobacter Pylori gastritis. She later experienced abdominal cramps and changes in bowel habits alternating between diarrhea and constipation. Diet changes helped; however, symptoms worsened to vomiting, bloating, early satiety and a 10-pound weight loss. An EGD performed March 2015 revealed gastric nodules and a gastric antral mass. Additionally, a colonoscopy revealed an inflamed non-patent sigmoid colon stricture. An abdominal/pelvis MRI revealed chronic inflammation in the sigmoid and transverse colon along with multiple skip segments of the small bowel, a pattern thought to be concerning for Crohn's disease. The pathology from the gastric nodules revealed high grade adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features. The decision was made not to further surgically stage the signet cell adenocarcinoma with small bowel resection. In April 2015, she presented with vomiting and abdominal cramps. Imaging showed interval development of a small bowel obstruction secondary to a stricture within mid to distal small bowel. Stricture resection specimens subsequently revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features. Results: Overall prognosis associated with this disease was reviewed and goals of therapy were primarily palliative. The patient passed away in November 2015. Conclusions: After the patient's diagnosis of SRCC, the MRI imaging of intestinal strictures were thought to be concerning for a concomitant diagnosis of CD. CD is a diagnosis of exclusion and a new clinical diagnosis accounts for a patient's history, radiographic imaging, labs, and endoscopy with histology. To our best knowledge, there have been no cases of metastatic SRCC imitating Crohn's. Imaging is important for monitoring and treatment of IBD and cancer. In patients with SRCC, imaging suggesting intestinal inflammation should be evaluated for metastatic disease before a diagnosis of CD is made.


An adequate description and prediction of plant development is critical for understanding plant growth and its responses to the environment. Only then we can assess the impact of a changing environment on plant productivity and survival, understand plant adaptation, design adequate agricultural production systems, and optimize natural resources management. Of particular importance for water resource management are the effects of plant ontogeny on plant water use and productivity throughout the regulation of leaf area. This determines the patterns of plant water demand and the partitioning between transpiration and evaporation components. Therefore, plant development dictates the selection of cultivars that best fit the water availability patterns under dryland conditions, and the amount, frequency and timing for irrigation otherwise.

Keywords:

degree days;
photothermal units;
physiological day;
growing degree day;
plant development;
photoperiod;
day length;
crop model


Giant mucocele of the frontal sinus is a rare pathology of benign entity caused by retention of mucous secretions in the sinus. It may expand and erode the surrounding structures such as bones and cerebral parenchyma. The authors describe a patient with frontal giant mucocele involving the orbit, the ethmoid, and intracranial portion of the dura. The main presenting symptoms were diplopia and proptosis. A computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging were performed to permit differential diagnosis from other pathologies such as ossifying fibroma, fibrous dysplasia, and other neoplasms. A single stage maxillofacial and neurosurgical approach to treatment was taken consisting in the removal of the mucocele and reconstruction of the eroded bones with cranial bone grafts. The dura was repaired with temporalis muscle fascia sealed with fibrin glue. Two years after surgery, the patient shows no recurrence and satisfactory morphologic and functional results.


Assertiveness, defined as perceived confidence to express true feelings in interpersonal relationships, has been reported to correlate with HIV risk avoidance. However, Japanese social structure encourages amae or self-repression. The present study investigated the implications of amae for HIV risk avoidance among Japanese university students. The results indicated that amae was antithetical to risk reduction.


Use of adapted beef cattle biotypes is gaining momentum as a novel management strategy for limiting the environmental footprint of ranching and adapting to climate change in the southwest. We compared supplement intake (SI), calf birthweights, cow weights, and body condition scores (BCS) of desert-adapted Brangus (BR; n = 15) vs. Raramuri Criollo (RC; n = 28) cows in four adjacent pastures (1098±85 ha) for three months (Mar 7 – Jun 9, 2020) using ANOVA for a RCBD (significance at P < 0.05). Cows had ad libitum access to 18% crude protein lick tubs in all pastures, which were weighed weekly to determine SI. Brangus cows had greater SI than RC, both overall (BR: 0.21±0.04 vs. RC: 0.08±0.03 kg×cow×d-1) and on a metabolic bodyweight basis (BR: 2.31±0.09 vs. RC: 0.95±0.09 g×kg0.75). All cows were bred to Brangus bulls and calf birth weights were not different between biotypes (BR: 31.5 ± 1.0; RC: 29.6±0.9 kg). Brangus cows weighed more at the beginning (535.0±14.8 kg) and end (582.2±14.5 kg) of the study compared to RC (beginning: 345.5±11.8 kg; end: 357.0±12.0 kg). Percent of bodyweight change was not different between biotypes (BR: 8.51±2.35; RC: 2.85±1.81 %). On a 1 to 5 scale, BCS of Brangus (4.06±0.09) was greater than RC (3.18 ± 0.07) at the onset of the study, but biotypes had similar BCS at the end of the trial (BR: 4.09 ± 0.09; RC: 3.89±0.08). Our preliminary results indicate that lighter RC cows were capable of gaining bodyweight and improving BCS with reduced SI, both overall and on a metabolic bodyweight basis. This finding may reflect lower nutrient requirements, better relative efficiencies and lesser grazing impacts on desert rangelands by RC cattle. Future studies will seek to replicate these breed-comparison trials over multiple years, research sites, and supply chains, with an emphasis on overall systems production efficiency and sustainability.


Background Subgroup analyses of trials enrolling acute coronary syndrome patients suggest that inhibition of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa can improve the outcome of diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), possibly by improving microvascular perfusion. However, the efficacy of small-molecule IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors to improve microvascular perfusion in stable diabetic patients undergoing elective PCI has not been specifically investigated. Methods We randomized consecutive stable diabetic patients, undergoing elective PCI, to tirofiban or placebo groups along with double antiplatelet therapy. High-dose bolus (25 μg/kg per 3 min) of tirofiban was administered immediately before PCI followed by 8 h continuous infusion (0.15 μg/kg per min). Postprocedural myonecrosis was assessed prospectively by measurement of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) at 6 and 24 h after PCI. The primary end-points were post-PCI coronary flow estimated by corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count and post-PCI myocardial infarction. Platelet aggregation was measured by platelet function analyser-100 values. Results Forty-six patients entered the study (22 randomized to placebo and 24 randomized to tirofiban). The study drug was associated with a significant increase of platelet function analyser-100 values that peaked immediately after PCI and was maintained at 6 h (pre-PCI: 131 ± 65 s; post-PCI: 222 ± 49 s; after 6 h: 219 ± 55 s). Post-PCI corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count was similar in tirofiban and in placebo groups (10.2 ± 3.6 vs. 12.0 ± 7.6, P = 0.30, respectively). The prevalence of raised cTnT levels was similar in the two groups (25 vs. 30%, P = 0.56, respectively). At multivariate analysis, direct stenting (associated with reduced myonecrosis) and postdilatation (associated with increased myonecrosis) predicted cTnT elevation. Conclusion A high-dose bolus of tirofiban in stable diabetic patients undergoing elective PCI, along with double antiplatelet therapy, was associated with a significant further inhibition of platelet aggregation which, however, did not translate in a lower incidence of post-PCI distal embolization.


SUMMARY Respiratory disease on Tristan da Cunha has been observed since the islanders returned in 1962. An epidemic of unprecedented severity occurred in the winter of 1971 and involved 273 (96%) of 284 islanders, 92 of whom had two attacks. The epidemic was apparently introduced by the Tristania. The illness of both first and second attacks ranged from mild to severe but there were some differences. There were two deaths, both in elderly persons with chronic chest disease and heart failure. Serological evidence suggests that this was due to influenza A2 of the Hong Kong serotype H3N2


The article gives an empirical overview of the international spread of 22 environmental policy innovations. The policy innovations examined in the article include administrative institutions (e.g. environmental ministries, scientific advisory bodies), laws (e.g. soil protection laws, packaging waste laws), instruments of environmental policy integration (e.g. national environmental policy plans, environmental impact assessment), energy taxes and eco-labels. On this empirical basis, recurring patterns in the global spread of environmental policy innovations are identified and linked to specific causal mechanisms through which this change occurs. In particular, the paper demonstrates how and to what extent non-obligatory diffusion, legal harmonization and coercive imposition matter as mechanisms of global environmental policy convergence. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


This paper takes a design research approach to the challenge of transforming learning and teaching in
higher education (HE) as it is experienced at the level of an interdisciplinary team composed of content
matter experts and specialists in education. It is based on the reflections of members of the team
working collaboratively to transform an undergraduate biology unit, delivered in intensive mode in
parallel with a standard teaching semester to improve both student engagement and teaching staff
satisfaction. The unit learning design tests 21st century active learning pedagogies in the context
preparing students for their professional lives.
Using semi-structured interviews and reflective inquiry the authors attempt to uncover the salient
features of the process of implementing technology enhanced learning, and generate constructive
design solutions. The work is situated in the scholarship of learning and teaching as it encourages
"reflection-in-action" and a commitment to sharing what works in STEM teaching and learning in
contemporary environments. The teaching team focus on the complex problems of preparation,
attendance, and engagement in a series of intensive labs, whilst the professional staff focus on the
complex problems of innovation and student engagement in higher education.
A number of known and hypothetical learning design principles are integrated with the affordances of
the chosen learning environment (OneNote) and used to propose plausible solutions. These solutions
are used to iteratively refine the learning environment and reveal new design principles. The data shows
improved staff engagement with the unit and the students through an enhanced role in the application
and development of modern pedagogies. The paper emphasises the benefits of providing for and
supporting the emergence of microcultures, and suggest strategies for those that wish to emulate the
approach taken.


This article presents a synthesis of data on employee attitudes gathered over the last 25 years. Most of the findings confirm the hypothesis that employees are discontented and expect more from their jobs now than they have in the past. While managerial satisfaction has remained relatively constant, the work satisfaction among hourly and clerical employees has sharply decreased. The authors attribute dissatisfaction to changes in the expectations and values of employees and warn that the deterioration of work attitudes may result in increased operating costs due to poor quality work, reduced output, absenteeism, etc. Instituting an employer attitude survey is suggested as a means of improving communication between management and employees and increasing job satisfaction.


Perhaps in no other field of surgery does attention to minute detail play so important a role in determining success as it does in gastric operations. As surgery of the stomach develops toward even greater security and favorable results can be expected with greater confidence, the several aspects of preoperative and postoperative care hitherto regarded as secondary demand closer consideration.


Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe is among the top 6 countries with the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates. Despite the disproportionate and growing burden, uptake of cervical cancer screening remains low. Little is known about the perceptions of healthcare providers who play a vital role in the provision and implementation of cervical cancer screening. This study explores healthcare provider perceptions of the factors that influence the uptake of cervical cancer screening in Zimbabwe. Methods: One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with healthcare providers currently or previously involved in cervical cancer prevention programs at select hospitals and clinics in Harare and Chinhoyi – two urban cities in Zimbabwe. A deductive thematic approach was used to analyze qualitative data to understand factors influencing the provision and uptake of cervical cancer screening. Results: We conducted 21 interviews with healthcare providers working in cervical cancer prevention for an average of 4 years. Three main themes related to the provision of cervical cancer screening were funding availability through donor support, demand of screening services, and availability of technical and human resources. Experiencing symptoms and no-cost screening services were perceived as facilitators for uptake of cervical cancer screening, while lack of adequate health education about cervical cancer and misconceptions about the screening procedure and outcomes were perceived as barriers to uptake of screening. Majority of the providers recommended increased sensitization and health education through various platforms; outreach initiatives; and training of more healthcare providers to conduct cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: This study contributes to a holistic understanding and identification of intervention points to effectively increase uptake of cervical cancer screening. Multi-level strategies promoting awareness of cervical cancer screening and strengthening healthcare systems may contribute significantly to increasing cervical cancer screening rates which in turn will lead to reducing the burden of cervical cancer in Zimbabwe.
 Citation Format: Thembekile Shato, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Eric Adjei Boakye, Qiang John Fu, Juliet Iwelunmor, Anne Sebert Kuhlmann. Uptake of cervical cancer screening services in urban Zimbabwe: Healthcare provider perspectives [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A118.


The population demographics of the caridean shrimp Palaemon peringueyi was investigated monthly at four sites over a period of one year in the small, intermittently-open Grants River Estuary situated on the south-east coastline of southern Africa. Mean total abundance and biomass of P. peringueyi ranged between 0 and 23.2 ind m−2 and 0 and 2.3mg wwt m−2, respectively. A peak in its abundance coincided with a breaching event that occurred in December 2004, and could be attributed to the mass recruitment of juveniles (carapace length <9mm) into the estuary. Minor peaks in abundance were also associated with marine waters overtopping the sandbar that separates the estuary from the marine environment. The highest biomass values were recorded when the estuary was separated from the sea. Maximum abundance and biomass values of P. peringueyi were generally recorded in the middle reaches of the estuary where extensive beds of submerged vegetation, mainly Potamogeton pectinatus, predominated. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the total abundance of P. peringueyi was significantly correlated (r = 0.49; p < 0.05) to percentage cover of submerged vegetation. The spatial pattern in abundance and biomass values of the shrimp is thought to reflect the availability of refuge areas against predation. A distinct spatial pattern in the community structure of the shrimp was evident, with juveniles numerically dominating the samples in the lower reaches of the estuary, while mature females predominated in the upper reaches of the system. In the middle reaches, the community comprised both juveniles and adults.


In many eCommerce websites and consumer review websites, users can review products they purchased as well as the reviews others wrote. Users can also rate each other as trusted or untrusted relationships. By studying a data set from Epinions, we examine and quantify the correlation between trust/distrust relationships among the users and their ratings of the reviews. We discover that there is a strong alignment between the opinions of one's friends and his/her ratings. Our findings also suggest that there is a strong alignment between the collective opinion of a user's friends and the formation of his/her future relationships.


We address the problem of estimating the poses of multiple instances of the source point cloud within a target point cloud. Existing solutions require sampling a lot of hypotheses to detect possible instances and reject the outliers, whose robustness and efficiency degrade notably when the number of instances and outliers increase. We propose to directly group the set of noisy correspondences into different clusters based on a distance invariance matrix. The instances and outliers are automatically identified through clustering. Our method is robust and fast. We evaluated our method on both synthetic and real-world datasets. The results show that our approach can correctly register up to 20 instances with an F1 score of 90.46% in the presence of 70% outliers, which performs significantly better and at least 10x faster than existing methods. (Source code: https://github.com/SITU-ViSYSlmulti-instant-reg).


Aim: Arterial narrowing associated with the progression of atherosclerosis leads to serious conditions such as stroke, coronary artery disease, or even death. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) is better for detecting arterial wall status and discriminating tissue characteristics than conventional imaging. We used HR-MRI to investigate the frequency of patients with basilar artery (BA) stenosis observed distinctively on routine angiography and identify the clinical features associated with this imaging. We analyzed the nature of the vessel wall causing the basal artery stenosis by HR-MRI, and related clinical factors. Methods: Patients with BA stenosis underwent HR-MRI. The association between atherosclerosis (with or without intraplaque hemorrhage [IPH]) and dissection was analyzed. High signal intensity within a BA plaque on magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo was defined as an area with a signal intensity >200% that of the adjacent muscle. Results: Fifteen patients were diagnosed with BA dissection on HR-MRI. IPH was identified in 14 patients. Patients with BA plaque with IPH were older and had higher prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia than the other patients. The frequencies of alcohol drinking and number of current smokers were higher in the dissection group than in the other groups. Hyperlipidemia was identified as an influencing factor for IPH development in atherosclerotic plaque. Young age was identified as the influencing factor for the occurrence of BA dissection. Conclusions: The etiology of stenosis or occlusion was unclear until the development of HR-MRI. With HR-MRI, stroke etiology is better understood, and factors affecting each etiology can be identified. Further studies that clarify the etiology of posterior circulation stroke are required.


OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the efficacy of nonsurgical management of patients with blunt splenic injury using detailed angiographic examinations and transcatheter arterial embolization.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
We prospectively studied 228 patients who had blunt abdominal injury and for whom CT was performed. When splenic injury was revealed by CT, angiography was performed in all patients except those requiring emergency surgery. Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed when patients had the following angiographic criteria: (1) extravasation of contrast material extending beyond or within the splenic parenchyma, (2) arterial disruption or major arteriovenous fistula, or (3) both. Splenic function was subsequently estimated by 99mTc-sulfur colloid scintigraphy and repeat angiography.

RESULTS
Of 228 patients with blunt trauma, 31 patients had CT evidence of splenic injury. In three of these 31 patients, emergency laparotomy was performed before angiography because of an associated injury or unstable circulatory status. In 13 of the 28 remaining patients, transcatheter arterial embolization was not required as these patients did not meet the necessary criteria. They were treated with bed rest. Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed in the remaining 15 patients and was completely successful in 13. Because one of these 13 patients died of a brain contusion, follow-up angiography and scintigraphy were performed in the remaining 12 patients and showed preservation of splenic function. Nonsurgical treatment of splenic injury with angiography was successful in 93% of patients.

CONCLUSION
Our success rate for nonsurgical management of patients with blunt splenic injury should encourage more extensive evaluation and use of angiography for splenic injury and the subsequent management of splenic injury without surgery.


The assessment of pain experienced by the patient requiring mechanical ventilation can be a challenge for critical care nurses. This study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of two pain behavior assessment tools. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled from 13 critical care units and one long-term acute care unit within eight hospitals. A total of 200 patients were assessed over an 8-week period. The findings suggest that both tools have adequate reliability and validity. Use of a pain behavior tool is one strategy to improve assessment of pain experienced by the mechanically ventilated adult patient who is unable to provide a self-report.


One of the main objectives of cancer therapy is to enhance the effectiveness of the drug by concentrating it at the target site and to minimize the undesired side effects to nontarget cells. We have previously constructed a fusion protein, Lodavin, consisting of avidin and the endocytotic part of the low-density lipoprotein receptor, and demonstrated its applicability to transient drug targeting in vivo. In this study we produced a lentiviral vector expressing this fusion protein and evaluated its safety and efficacy. The results showed that lentivirus-mediated gene transfer led to long-term avidin fusion protein expression on glioma cells and that the receptor was able to bind biotinylated compounds. Repeated administration was proven feasible and the optimal time frame(s) for administration of biotinylated therapeutic and/or imaging compounds was elucidated. Intravenous or intracranial injection of the virus into BDIX rats led to the production of antibodies against transgene (avidin), but repeated administration of the vector was unable to boost this effect. Neutralizing antibodies against the lentivirus were also detected. Furthermore, we showed that the anti-avidin antibodies did not significantly affect the ligand-binding capacity of the avidin fusion protein. The therapeutic efficacy of avidin fusion protein in tumor treatment was tested in vitro with biotinylated and nonbiotinylated nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel. In vivo applicability of lentivirus was studied in the BDIX rat glioma model, in which high receptor expression was detected in the tumor area. The lentivirus-mediated delivery of the avidin fusion protein thus represents a potential approach for the repeated targeting of cytotoxic compounds to cancer cells.


As the severity and extent of wildfires increase, efforts to reduce forest densities on public lands by thinning and prescribed burning also are increasing. The intentional suppression of fires in the western United States, beginning in the early 1900s, has altered the extent, frequency, and severity of wildfires (Agee 1993; Baker 1993). Reductions in timber harvest and in grazing, when combined with the suppression of wildfires, have resulted in higher fuel loadings, which increase the risk of high severity wildfires (Norris 1990). Changes in the fire regime may also cause vegetation changes, such as increases in tree stand density, spread of noxious weeds, and tree invasion into grasslands (Arno and Gruell 1986). Any increase in high severity wildfires is of considerable concern because of the potential damage to life and property and the adverse effects on water quality, fish habitat, and other aquatic resources (Keane and others 2002). The goal of most fuel management efforts is to reduce the potential adverse effects due to increased frequency of large, high severity wildfires. Although forest managers attempt to minimize impacts of fuel management activities, the removal of vegetation and the alteration of soil properties due to logging, road building, and prescribed fire may affect site conditions, forest runoff, and water quality (Lindeburgh 1990; Lousier 1990; Rice and Datzman 1981; Tiedemann and others 1979).


Urine samples were taken from 79 cats with clinical signs of acute feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) by means of cystocenthesis, catheterization, or at voiding and were cultured. No bacteria were cultured from 79% of the samples taken by cystocenthesis, 55% of the samples obtained by catheterization, and 17% of the samples obtained at voiding. Samples obtained by cystocenthesis most often yielded pure cultures, whereas the voided samples were often contaminated, yielding mixed cultures. Therefore, it is difficult to interpret culture results for voided or catheterized urine samples, which may lead to overdiagnosis of urinary tract infections. E. coli was the most prevalent bacterial species. Numbers of bacteria were low (10(2) to 10(3)/ml) in three out of eight culture-positive samples taken by cystocenthesis, indicating that the number of bacteria present in the bladder of cats with urinary tract infections may be low. This may lead to underdiagnosis of urinary tract infections when interpreting culture results for voided and catheterized samples, because bacterial counts lower than 10(3) colony-forming units/ml of urine are generally considered not clinically relevant. In conclusion, cystocenthesis is the preferred method of sampling for the evaluation of cats with suspected urinary tract infection.


Abstract Aspicilia fluviatilis and A. granulosa, two arctic and/or (sub)alpine species with elongate ± diverging and ± branching marginal areoles, are described as new and compared with similar species occurring in Fennoscandia. A parsimony analysis based on ITS indicates a close relationship with the mainly coastal A. epiglypta. Aspicilia epiglypta, A. disserpens and A. sublapponica are lectotypified and A. disserpens is reduced to synonymy with A. perradiata. Aspicilia alboradiata and A. circularis are excluded from the Fennoscandian lichen biota. A key to Fennoscandian Aspicilia species with radiating thalli and/or elongate ± diverging and ± branching marginal areoles is also presented.


To the Editor. —The report of pain during pericarditis in a uremic patient, ascribed to atherosclerosis "as a possible cause," 1 raises several points. The authors wisely indicated that coronary atherosclerosis was only a possibility, since, from the data given, one could hardly be conclusive. The patient had a rub and had ECG changes that were compatible with pericarditis. It should be noted that in uremic pericarditis, subepicardial myocarditis is rare, so that typical ST-segment deviations are unusual. However, uremic patients are susceptible to pericarditis of nonuremic (eg, viral or pneumococcal) cause. As the authors note, continuous chest pain is, indeed, consistent with the diagnosis of pericarditis. Yet, relief by assumption of the upright position is equally characteristic of myocardial ischemic and pericardial pain. Perhaps the authors could supply missing laboratory data, which certainly would have been obtained had any suspicion of ischemic pain arisen during the treatment of this


Abstract Objective To determine the possible correlations of patient age, symptoms and signs with findings of Doppler duplex examination in limbs with varicose veins. Methods A total of 2275 ultrasound examinations were done on 2275 limbs of 1751 patients (421 men and 1330 women). Ages ranged from 21 to 94 years (mean 50). Symptoms of aching, heaviness, burning pain (venous neuropathy) were recorded, and signs of ankle hyperpigmentation, scars of healed ulcers and presence of open venous ulcers were noted. Results Presence of symptoms was associated with advancing patient age (50.7 vs. 48.8 years). Varicose veins without great saphenous reflux correlated with younger age (43 vs. 53.5 years). Presence of saphenofemoral junctional incompetence correlated with an older age (54.7 vs. 49.8 years), and reflux to the ankle (Hach stage IV) also correlated with older age (mean 63.7 years). A younger age was associated with less advanced signs (C0–C2: 49.1 vs. C4–C6: 60.1 years). Saphenous vein reflux without clinical varices was associated with more advanced signs (C4–C6: 21.3%). Conclusions Ageing is associated with advancing clinical symptoms, signs and increasing multifocal reflux in limbs with venous insufficiency. These facts support the concept of early treatment of venous insufficiency before predictable deterioration occurs.


Objective: To examine the purchase behaviors of prepackaged food and its determinants among primary and middle school students in 6 provinces of China. Methods: A multi-stage sampling strategy was adopted to select 2 499 primary and middle school students and their parents from the eastern region of China(Beijing, Jiangsu Province, Guangdong Province), the northeast region(Heilongjiang Province), the central region(Henan Province) and the western region(Sichuan Province) from July 2020 to March 2021. Socio-demographic characteristics of students and their parents, eating-related behaviors and the purchase behaviors of prepackaged food of students, and parents' attitudes towards students' eating behavior were collected through questionnaire towards students and their parents. The χ² test was conducted to compare the purchase behaviors in different groups of students, and multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the determinants among primary and middle school students. Results: The age of 2 499 participants was(12.7±2.5) years. There were 1 272(50.9%) females and 1 279(51.2%) middle school students. About 1 404(56.2%) students bought prepackaged food. The top 6 prepackaged foods bought at least once a week were milk and dairy products(74.6%), baked food(58.7%), beverages(42.8%), puffed food(40.8%), chocolate and candy(39.8%), and nuts and dried fruits(37.5%). The multivariate logistic regression model analysis results showed that compared with primary school students, rural students, non-boarding students, students who did not like snacks and students whose parents paid attention to their children eating snacks, middle school students(OR=3.36, 95%CI:2.73-4.12), urban students(OR=1.33, 95%CI:1.11-1.61), boarding students(OR=2.15, 95%CI:1.66-2.79), students who liked snacks(OR=2.01, 95%CI:1.66-2.43), students whose parents did not pay attention to their children eating snacks(OR=1.27, 95%CI:1.05-1.54) were more likely to buy prepackaged food by themselves. Compared with students whose parents had education level of junior high school and below, students whose parents had education level of undergraduate and above(OR=0.70, 95%CI:0.53-0.92) were less likely to buy prepackaged food by themselves. Compared with students whose family monthly income was less than 5 000 yuan, students whose family monthly income was over 10 000 yuan(OR=0.67, 95%CI:0.52-0.87) were less likely to buy prepackaged food by themselves. Conclusion: Many primary and middle school students buy prepackaged food by themselves in 6 provinces of China. Individual characteristics such as grade, place of residence, boarding status, as well as family environment such as parents' education level, monthly income and concern about children eating snacks are the influencing factors of purchasing prepackaged food.


We consider a 3-dimensional Dirac operator H 0 with non-constant magnetic field of constant direction, perturbed by a sign-definite matrix-valued potential V decaying fast enough at infinity. Then we determine asymptotics, as the energy goes to +m and −m, of the spectral shift function for the pair (H 0 + V, H 0). We obtain, as a by-product, a generalized version of Levinson's Theorem relating the eigenvalues asymptotics of H 0 + V near +m and −m to the scattering phase shift for the pair (H 0 + V, H 0).


In this paper we present LocLinkVis (Locate-Link-Visualize); a system which supports exploratory information access to a document collection based on geo-referencing and visualization. It uses a gazetteer which contains representations of places ranging from countries to buildings, and that is used to recognize toponyms, disambiguate them into places, and to visualize the resulting spatial footprints.


Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diverse neurodevelopmental disease primarily distinguished by limited and stereotyped activities as well as impaired social interaction. Due to the high heritability of ASD, research on the disorder has emphasised on identifying the underlying genetic and epigenetic aetiology. Many ASD loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, GWASs are more susceptible to bias due to population stratification. Moreover, GWASs barely reflect the genetic aetiology of subtypes of behavioural deficits. Methods We applied whole-genome transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) to reveal the gene sets that are significantly associated with the four behavioural subtypes of restricted repetitive behaviours in 334 ASD trios. We further mapped the clustered genes to pathways and enriched the SFARI genes in these pathways. Results Four unique gene clusters (181 genes in total) that are related to four different behavioural subtypes in ASD were identified. 23 SFARI genes were enriched in these four clusters. Through pathway analysis, nine non-SFARI genes (CNDP1, ETNK1, ITPKB, KCNQ5, PDE4D, PDGFRA, PPARGC1A, ULK2, SYNJ2) were found to be linked to the SFARI genes, which may contribute to the development of ASD. Furthermore, we found that the mTOR pathway enriched with the CNDP1, PDE4D, ULK2 genes is associated with neurodevelopment. Conclusions Whole-genome TDT test is a unique tool in clustering genes related to ASD subtypes of behavioural deficits. Several new candidate genes for ASD are revealed by pathway analysis of the clustered genes. These findings are useful for understanding the underlying mechanism of ASD.


For small number of equations, systems of linear (and sometimes nonlinear) equations can be solved by simple classical techniques. However, for large number of systems of linear (or nonlinear) equations, solutions using classical method become arduous. On the other hand evolutionary algorithms have mostly been used to solve various optimization and learning problems. Recently, hybridization of evolutionary algorithm with classical Gauss-Seidel based Successive Over Relaxation (SOR) method has successfully been used to solve large number of linear equations; where a uniform adaptation (UA) technique of relaxation factor is used. In this paper, a new hybrid algorithm is proposed in which a time-variant adaptation (TVA) technique of relaxation factor is used instead of uniform adaptation technique to solve large number of linear equations. The convergence theorems of the proposed algorithms are proved theoretically. And the performance of the proposed TVA-based algorithm is compared with the UA-based hybrid algorithm in the experimental domain. The proposed algorithm outperforms the hybrid one in terms of efficiency.


: Algae are organisms with an enormous biodiversity and contain manifold fatty acid molecular structures and ratios. This chapter presents information about the structure and distribution of fatty acids in algae whether microalgae or macroalgae. The parameters affecting lipid and fatty acid contents as well as distribution are also discussed. Methods for isolation and purification of fatty acids from algae to obtain highly pure fatty acid or fatty acid fractions with good overall yields are presented. Algal fatty acids are known as sources of bioactive compounds for health promotion and wellness. Lipid fractions and fatty acids act as actives or additives for cosmeceutical applications. For health promotion, preventive effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and cancer are discussed. The role of n-3 fatty acids in cancer therapy and antiviral activities of lipids are also exposed. Furthermore, potential commercial application domains and concepts are discussed in this chapter.


In recent decades, low– and middle–income countries (LMICs) have achieved decreased morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases and poor maternal– and child–health (MCH). However, despite these advances, LMICs now face an additional burden with the inexorable rise of non–communicable diseases (NCDs).

Deaths due to NCDs in LMICs are expected to increase from 30.8 million in 2015 to 41.8 million by 2030 [1]. While improvements in life expectancy, lifestyle and urbanisation go some way to explaining why more people in LMICs are affected by NCDs, it is less clear why these populations are contracting NCDs at a younger age and with worse outcomes than in high–income countries (HICs) [2]. Despite having a lower cardiovascular disease risk factor burden, LMIC populations have a four–fold higher mortality rate from cardiovascular events than HIC populations [3] in part due to a lack of access to quality, integrated health services and the poor availability of early interventions and effective NCD prevention programmes. The HIV/AIDS epidemic was the last time the world confronted a global health challenge that so disproportionately caused premature adult deaths in LMICs.

The conclusion is unavoidable: the time to act is now. Prevention of NCDs at a population and an individual level is key and requires policy and structural changes. We have a unique opportunity to learn from the successes of infectious disease control programmes in LMICs and leverage these to address the growing NCD burden. Translatable learnings include: 1) emphasizing primary prevention, particularly in those at highest risk; 2) targeting service delivery to high–risk populations; 3) enabling access to adequate, affordable care at community level; 4) engendering patient empowerment and involving people affected by chronic conditions; 5) enabling access to quality drugs and adherence programmes; 6) regularly measuring the effectiveness and impact of programmes to ensure their appropriateness and improvement; and 7) creating an environment of health financing for universal coverage.

Innovations to counter the emerging NCD epidemic must encompass both prevention and the delivery of care. Infectious disease programmes have used task–shifting, where less skilled health workers and community members are involved in delivery of health services. In India, we have seen this used for NCDs in the Arogya Kiran model where the existing health workforce was overstretched. Volunteers and teachers successfully delivered diabetes and hypertension screening and management to over 600 000 people [4]. Patient empowerment, and community involvement in health care delivery and governance, will be critical in tackling NCDs, since most are chronic conditions, which initially present silently and require long–term management [5].

In Malawi, recognizing the close relationship of HIV infection and cardiovascular diseases has led to screening for hypertension being integrated into HIV care [6]. In Ghana, decentralised community–based hypertension care, using digital technology, is helping to empower patients to manage their own disease: a model that is again adapted from HIV management [7]. We are also starting to see examples in India of MCH care coupled with life–long NCD screening and awareness programmes [8].

While these examples of managing the dual burden of infectious diseases and NCDs are encouraging, more needs to be done. The largest gap is in NCD prevention. Tackling the obesity epidemic and wrestling with the issues around curbing tobacco sales and smoking are rightly high on the NCD prevention agenda. The greatest opportunity is preventing a tobacco–related epidemic in sub–Saharan Africa where smoking levels are still low. Health budgets and development assistance for health must allocate resources commensurate with the dual disease burden. Health spending of governments in LMICs has tripled over the past 20 years, but remains low [9]. In addition, more health care models should consider diversified revenue streams or hybrid financing (eg, tiered payment schemes) to ensure sustainability. If equity is to be improved, patients need access to quality health care, through sustainable health–financing systems for universal health coverage, while reducing out–of–pocket expenditure for the under–served population.

Photo: © Nana Kofi Acquah/Novartis Foundation

Implementing such models will require strong government leadership and interventions, and partnerships across the public and private sectors. Some public–private partnerships (PPPs) in infectious diseases have demonstrated their potential to catalyze the delivery of, and access to, prevention and care through providing complementary strengths [10]. The private sector draws on its business and scientific expertise, focusing on strong results–based operations, whereas the public sector brings a wealth of expertise in implementation with equity, management and documentation.

The end–users of the services, including patients and health care providers, also need to be included from the outset to ensure that the models are people–centered, co–created, adapted to prevailing contextual nuances, and sustainable. If we build on what we have learnt from infectious disease management, we could have a transformational impact on the growing NCD burden.


Abstract Terrorists use cyberspace and social media technology to create fear and spread violent ideologies, which pose a significant threat to public security. Researchers have documented the importance of the application of law and regulation in dealing with the criminal activities in cyberspace. Using routine activity theory, this article assessed the effectiveness of technological approaches to mitigating the expansion and organization of terrorism in cyberspace. Data collection included open-source documents, government threat assessments, legislation, policy papers, and peer-reviewed academic literature and semistructured interviews with fifteen security experts in Nigeria. The key findings were that the new generation of terrorists who are more technological savvy are growing, cybersecurity technologies are effective, and bilateral/multilateral cooperation is essential to combat the expansion of terrorism in cyberspace. The data provided may be useful to stakeholders responsible for national security, counterterrorism, law enforcement on the choice of cybersecurity technologies to confront terrorist expansion in cyberspace.


Background The menstrual cycle is regulated by reproductive hormones such as estrogen which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension and is associated with obesity. However, to date there has scant study of hypertension in relation to menstrual characteristics and abnormalities. We hypothesize that adverse menstrual characteristics are associated with an increase the prevalence of hypertension and that this relationship is exacerbated by obesity. Methods Our study leverages 178,205 healthy female participants (mean age = 29) in a population-based cross-sectional study in Tianjin, China. Menstrual characteristics including menstrual cycle length and regularity, menstrual bleeding length, menstrual blood loss and dysmenorrhea were assessed by self-reported questionnaires, and hypertension was diagnosed by physician. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between menstrual characteristics and hypertension. Results Normal length menstrual cycle (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03–1.41), oligomenorrhea (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.12–2.07), irregular cycle (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.22–1.93), and light menstrual blood loss (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06–1.72) were associated with hypertension among women who are overweight or obese, but not among women who are normal weight. Longer menstrual bleeding duration (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24–1.67) and dysmenorrhea were associated with increased prevalence of hypertension (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.14–1.41) in all young women. Conclusions The prevalence of hypertension is higher among women with menstrual abnormalities, and this association is modified by overweight and obesity.


Abstract We show that professional management began to emerge in UK companies during the first half of the twentieth century, a development which was widely theorised and accepted. However, the managerially-led enterprise was accommodated rather than protected by company law, making it vulnerable to changes in the law. The Cohen Report of 1945 paid no attention to these developments, and led to the introduction, in the Companies Act 1948, of important, but previously little appreciated, changes in the name of enhancing the accountability of directors to shareholders. The shareholders' statutory right to remove the directors by simple majority overturned existing structures overnight and was an important driver of the hostile takeover, which emerged shortly afterwards. This deprived management of the necessary autonomy to balance the competing interests at stake in the enterprise and to foster innovation. The emergence of the current system of shareholder primacy can be traced back to these developments.


Mass spectrometry is one of the key technologies of proteomics, and over the last decade important technical advances in mass spectrometry have driven an increased capability for proteomic discovery. In addition, new methods to capture important biological information have been developed to take advantage of improving proteomic tools.


Abstract. The 4 per 1000 initiative aims to maintain and increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks for soil fertility, food security, and climate change
adaptation and mitigation. One way to enhance SOC stocks is to increase carbon (C) inputs to the soil. In this study, we assessed the amount of organic C inputs that are necessary to reach a target of SOC stocks increase by
4 ‰ yr−1 on average, for 30 years, at 14 long-term agricultural sites in Europe. We used the Century model to simulate SOC
stocks and assessed the required level of additional C inputs to reach the 4 per 1000 target at these sites. Then, we analyzed how this would change
under future scenarios of temperature increase. Initial stocks were simulated assuming steady state. We compared modeled C inputs to different
treatments of additional C used on the experimental sites (exogenous organic matter addition and one treatment with different crop rotations). The
model was calibrated to fit the control plots, i.e. conventional management without additional C inputs from exogenous organic matter or changes in
crop rotations, and was able to reproduce the SOC stock dynamics. We found that, on average among the selected experimental sites, annual C inputs will have to increase by 43.15 ± 5.05 %, which is
0.66 ± 0.23 MgCha-1yr-1 (mean ± standard error), with respect to the initial C inputs in the control treatment. The
simulated amount of C input required to reach the 4 ‰ SOC increase was lower than or similar to the amount of C input actually used in the
majority of the additional C input treatments of the long-term experiments. However, Century might be overestimating the effect of additional
C inputs on SOC stocks. At the experimental sites, we found that treatments with additional C inputs were increasing by 0.25 % on average. This
means that the C inputs required to reach the 4 per 1000 target might actually be much higher. Furthermore, we estimated that annual C inputs will
have to increase even more due to climate warming, that is 54 % more and 120 % more for a 1 and 5 ∘C warming,
respectively. We showed that modeled C inputs required to reach the target depended linearly on the initial SOC stocks, raising concern on the
feasibility of the 4 per 1000 objective in soils with a higher potential contribution to C sequestration, that is soils with high SOC stocks. Our
work highlights the challenge of increasing SOC stocks at a large scale and in a future with a warmer climate.


The article deals with the problems of solving the following professional tasks in the framework of organizational and managerial, information and analytical and entrepreneurial activities: participation in the development and implementation of a set of measures of operational nature in accordance with the strategy of the enterprise; organization of work of the performers (team players) for specific projects, activities, works; collection, processing and analysis of information about factors external and internal environment of the organization to managerial decision-making; building and maintaining the organization's internal information system for collecting information for decision-making, planning and monitoring; evaluating the effectiveness of management decisions;organizing and conducting business. When developing strategic management decisions, managers at all levels face various challenges. In particular, it is quite difficult to justify the chosen alternative solution for a particular issue related to the management of the organization. For these purposes, various decision-making methods can be used, based on both intuition, professional experience, collective discussions, and a science-based approach. In the process of studying the need to use factographic methods in making various organizational, managerial and economic decisions, the following conclusions are formulated: factographic methods are decision-making methods that are based on the use of actually available information material about the object of forecasting and its past development; for the purposes of forecasting the future state of the object, it is most appropriate to use extrapolation methods that are simple, clear and can be effectively implemented in the management practice of industrial enterprises using computer programs.


In this study, quantitative structure–retention relationship (QSRR) methodology was employed for modeling of gas chromatographic retention time for 74 pesticides. Stepwise multiple linear regression (SW-MLR) was used for the selection of most important descriptors. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and genetic programming (GP) were utilized to develop linear and symbolic regression equation models, respectively. Inspection to statistical parameters of developed MLR and GP models indicates symbolic regression equation via GP can be selected as the best fitted model. For this model, the square correlation coefficients (R2) were 0.943 and 0.911, and the root-mean square errors (RMSE) were 2.56 and 2.77 for the training and test sets, respectively. The built GP model was assessed by leave one out cross-validation (Q2cv = 0.79, SPRESS = 2.57) as well as external validation. In addition, the result of sensitivity analysis of GP model suggest structural features and polarity are important factors responsible for gas-chromatographic retention time values of studied pesticides.


Levene and Michaels,9 you have misquoted as a case of Hodgkin's disease: in fact there was not more than a superficial resemblance histologically to Hodgkin's disease: the case was a difficult and complex one, but there is no justification for interpreting it as Hodgkin's disease. Well-proved cases of Hodgkin's disease in which torulosis developed as a terminal infection have now been recorded often enough for the fact of this association to merit acceptance. In view of the evidence, does your annotation not err too far on the side of caution in describing the association as between torulosis and a lymphadenopathy closely resembling Hodgkin's disease ? Cannot the words which I have put in italics be left out ? If you will allow me the space, Sir, may I mention what seems to be a bibliographical anomaly in the annotation ? Your reference to Busse and Buschke suggests a joint communication. In fact Busse and Buschke never collaborated in print, although each published a number of contributions based on the same case. The journal reference which you printed is to a summary of the proceedings of a session of the Greifswalder medicinischer Verein on July 7, 1894: the various papers are clearly numbered as separate abstracts: the first two, which relate to the case in question, are attributed respectively to Buschke and Busse, and should surely be listed independently in a bibliography.10 11 In any event, priority in print must be conceded to Busse, whose lecture to the CGreifswald meeting was published in ful12 before the abstract appeared, although Buschke seems to have had the first word at the meeting itself. In conclusion, then, it may be said that the great majority of cases of Hodgkin's disease remain free from torulosis, and that most cases of torulosis occur without any evident predisposing cause. It is impossible to say how frequently the two diseases are associated: Zitnmerman and Rappaport' found the association 11 times among their 60 cases of torulosis, and the 60 cases were filed at the A.F.I.P. during about the same period as " over 1,000 " cases of Hodgkin's disease. This suggests an incidence of one case of torulosis among about a hundred cases of Hodgkin's disease, and there are obvious reasons for taking this figure as only the roughest gtuide to the real incidence. A search for predisposing factors in patients with torulosis, and a complementary study of immunological behaviour in patients with Hodgkin's disease and the like, are potentially useful lines of research. Meanwhile, it is worth remembering that recurring headaches in a patient with Hodgkin's disease can sigisity the clinical onset of torulosis of the brain or meninges and should not too readily be attributed to radiation malaise or other passing cause.I am, etc.,


Allergic contact dermatitis is a delayed type (Type 4) hypersensitivity reaction that occurs after recurrence of previously encountered and sensitizing substances. Although adults have the most occupational exposure, hobbies, toys and sports equipment may also be associated with this clinical picture in children. The patch test is the gold standard to detect the allergy and make a definite diagnosis. A 13-year-old male patient presented to our clinic with pruritic lesions on both hands and feet for the last two months. The history revealed that he had been involved in two months of intense sports, using goalkeeper's gloves while playing soccer and rubber slippers for swimming. The patient was primarily considered to have contact dermatitis . A patch test was performed with the European standard series for differential diagnosis. Mercaptobenzothiazole and mercapto mix were evaluated as positive. We would like to emphasize through this case that sports activities, toys, and hobbies should be questioned for possible contact allergen in the diagnosis of dermatitis in childhood, and we intended to highlight the importance of the patch test in the diagnosis.


The anecdotal evidence from lecturers and tutors at this University is that accounting students are not able to write clearly to express their understanding of accounting theory. Various strategies and resources aimed at improving the written communication skills of first year accounting students were developed by the School of Accounting and Finance including an accounting forum. The forum was related to an essay that the students were to complete as part of the assessment for an accounting subject. The accounting forum comprised three/four senior lecturers from the School who took the students through the relevant accounting concepts and theory and the way in which the theory could be applied to a transaction. The forum design and content was linked to a tutorial programme aimed at providing the skills needed to complete the assigned essay task. The evaluation suggests that whilst the students responded well to the idea of a forum there was not the improvement in the students' essays that was expected when designing the forum.


This paper attempts to identify factors which influence the effectiveness of milk production. The basic aim is to compare levels of costs in the dairy industry between Czech and European producers. The average cost per 100 kg ECM milk is determined from data provided by the European Dairy Farmers association (EDF). The total costs per 1 litre of Czech milk producers are on the European average level with high production efficiency. The problem is only in the utilisation of basic production factors, especially land and labour.


Abstract The speed at which the data is generated, processed and stored to meet the demands of our lives today requires new technologies for handling and using this amount of data. Research on the effective usage of this data suggests that data analysis can contribute to international development, by improving decision-making, in health care, economic, and human resource development. Using artificial intelligence helps in discovering the important features of the data and to use it in classifying known data or in predicting the state of unseen data. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model that combines between Decision Tree algorithm and the Naïve Bayes algorithm in linear functions to improve the performance of a single classifier. Our algorithm is tested for three features and four features on binary data only. The simulation results indicate that our proposed algorithm outperforms the two algorithms tested separately on the same data in terms of accuracy which refers to the number of cases predicted correctly.


For the insufficiency of the Built-in-test-equipment (BITE) of HUD and the ground fault diagnosis equipment, this paper provides a novel fault diagnosis based on fuzzy BP neural network for a certain type HUD by researching the fault diagnosis theory and methods. The proposed method simplifies the structure of the fault diagnosis system, and has a farther effective distinguish from the source of fault diagnosed by Built-in-test-equipment, and isolates the fault from the LRU level to the SRU level. Finally, the fault diagnosis example is provided with the typical test item. Experiments show that the proposed method shows better performance in fault diagnosis for HUD.


Among all the contemporary Filipino poets writing in English , Alfred A. Yuson alone pulls off the neat trick of being intimidating and i nviting in equal measure. Reading his poetry can be difficult, with its layers of meaning and nuance, and its linguistic contortions. However , it can also entice for the same reasons. Sensing the labor involved in plunging into his poetry, one resists being drawn into it. Still, his riddles fascinate and draw the reader into his celebration of language and image. By then it is too late. The reader is trapped, but happily. Studying Yuson, particularly his influences, offers a different set of challenges . Being a Filipino poet writing in English, he straddles two streams of tradition, two cultures, two worldviews. Centuries of poetic theory and technique lie at his, and at any other contemporary poet's, disposal. The problem is further compounded if one considers the different types of English that he could be writing from. This paper will attempt, through a study of a collection of Yuson's poems, to determine where and how he has carved his niche in the stream of tradition. It will identify adherences to and departures from specific poetic movements, as identified by both poet and researcher/reader.


Rapid social change has given rise to a general increase in psychological pressure, which has led to more and more Chinese people suffering from depression over the past 30 years. Depression was influenced not only by individual factors but also by social factors, such as economy, culture, politics, etc. These social factors were measured at the national, provincial, or community levels. However, little literature reported the influence of province-level factors on the depression of Chinese. This study examined the effects of province-level and individual-level factors on depression of Chinese respondents aged 16–97 years. We conducted a multilevel analysis of the 2018 wave survey of the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS), with 19,072 respondents nested within the 25 Chinese provinces. Data for the province-level were extracted from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, including three predictors: gross regional product (GRP) per capita, expenditure for social security and employment (ESSE), and rural and urban household income inequality. Depression was measured with the eight-item short version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8). The study found that respondents who were female, 30–59 years, divorced or widowed, less educated, rural residents, less body mass index (BMI), or had lower household income tended to report higher levels of depressive symptoms. After adjustment for individual-level features, a significant effect of provinces still survived. The respondents who lived in a province with higher GRP, higher ESSE, or smaller rural and urban household income inequality reported lower depressive symptoms. Our results demonstrated that individual features did not fully explain depression. Economic and social factors appeared to impact depression and have to be considered when the government planned for improved public depression. Meanwhile, our research also provided a suggestion for the government of some provinces to investigate and improve depression.


Today, both Lithuania and Latvia are part of the Schengen Area, which means their citizens can freely travel between these states. The situation was different during the interwar years: the border between these Baltic Republics was strictly guarded, and traveling abroad was more complex. However, the order crossing for local residents of the border area was simplified by the local border traffic regime agreed upon by both countries. This paper aims to explore the evolution of Lithuanian-Latvian local border traffic policy in the interwar period and its impact on locals (primarily on Lithuania's side). In the first few years after the establishment of the new states, border crossings for residents of Lithuania's border area were regulated by internal state legislation. Initially, people were devastated by the requirement to cross the border only at sparsely placed border crossing points, the restrictions on trade, and the radical reduction of the border area. After the peaceful settlement of the Lithuanian-Latvian border in 1921, newly signed bilateral treaties began to solve the crucial problems of the locals. However, there were instances of bilateral friction and various incidents; authoritarian state structures also had reservations based on the issue of potentially unfavorable foreign influences. The breakthrough in the diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Latvia in the 1930s saw a new level of liberalization of the local border traffic policy. A positive impact was widely felt among the locals. However, certain economic concerns made this new policy short-lived. In the interwar years, grievances and discontent toward the new border relations were gradually replaced by acceptance and adaptation. Bilateral cooperation made it possible to react to and suit the needs of the people. The overall Lithuanian-Latvian local border traffic regime showed a tendency of liberalization over time, a process which was curtailed by certain political and economic realities and considerations.