For the last few decades, composite materials have been more popular than other conventional metal materials in the aircraft industry. Having better mechanical properties (strength, fatigue life, impact strength, corrosion resistance, etc.) and being lighter than conventional engineering materials, composites have become very important in defense industry as well. In spite of the fact that some of the composite materials such as aramid-based composites have been effectively used in body protection, they have not been so successful in heavy armored vehicles which are generally equipped with different types of add-on armor blocks for protecting against threats. These add-on armors are mostly composed of armor steels and ceramics. This study specifically aims to investigate high-velocity impact behavior of unidirectionally oriented carbon fiber reinforced/epoxy layer sandwiched with armor steel plates that are exposed to kinetic energy projectile. Carbon fibers are normally very brittle to transverse loading direction, contrarily, to its axial tension or compression direction. This is the reason why it is claimed that this high compression strength property of carbon fibers could be used for manufacturing a layer in order to replace ceramics in add-on multilayer composite armor. In order to prove this hypothesis, an experimental analysis has been carried out by performing impact tests on these manufactured add-on armor test samples. Testing was carried out in accordance with the STANAG 4569 level-4 standard. The results indicated that the multilayer carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite–armor steel hybrid panels can provide level-4 protection with a lower areal density compared to Rolled Homogenous Armor.


Objective: There is a lack of concensus regarding the analysis of Tif9"'Tc dual-isotope subtraction parathyroid images. We retrospectively evaluated two computer subtraction methods for the ability to increase the certainty of localization of parathyroid adenomas when compared to camera images only. Methods: We evaluated 20 parathyroid studies using three sets of images: digital camera images (TI survey, Tl pinhole and Tc pinhole of 100K counts each); a simple subtraction image of the Tc pinhole from the Tl pinhole without background subtraction or normalization; and multiple subtractions of 60, 80, 100, 120 and 140% of the backgroundsubtracted Tc pinhole image from the background-subtracted, normalized Tl pinhole image. Results: Simple subtraction decreased the certainty of adenoma localization as often as it increased it. Multiple subtractions increased the certainty in three cases and never decreased it. The sensitivities of the three techniques were calculated to be 84% for both camera images and simple subtraction and 90% for multiple subtraction. Conclusion: If computer subtraction is desired to increase the certainty of diagnosis, it should be performed with multiple subtractions of the Tc pinhole image from the Tl pinhole image, as described in this paper.


Abstract A new species, Antrophyum nambanense, is described here based on the evidence from morphology and molecular phylogeny. Morphologically, short taeniform soral paraphyses and large fronds are the diagnostic characteristics of A. nambanense. Phylogenetically, it is most closely related to A. annamense, but can be readily distinguished from A. annamense by taeniform soral paraphyses (vs. filiform). We suggest A. nambanense is an allopolyploid of hybrid origin involving A. annamense and A. henryi, based on the evidence of morphology, phylogenetic position, chromosome number, and partially malformed spores. A description, photographs of key characters, distribution, conservation status, and ecology of the new species are presented. In addition, A. nambanense is also the first confirmed species with chlorophyllous spores in Antrophyum. Lastly, an updated key to all known Antrophyum species in Vietnam, including A. henryi as a new record for the country, is provided.


BACKGROUND: Older adults are at high risk for cancer treatment‐related symptoms but often accept them as inevitable. This may have a negative impact on patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine symptom self‐management strategies used by older adults receiving cancer treatment, determine the effectiveness of these strategies, and examine relationships between symptom self‐management and demographic and treatment characteristics. METHODS: 100 adults aged 65 years or older from a community cancer center participated in this descriptive, exploratory study. Demographic, treatment, and self‐management data were collected using an investigator‐developed tool. Symptom presence was collected using part 1 of the Symptom Representation Questionnaire. FINDINGS: Participants reported an average of 7.15 symptoms and 3.36 self‐management strategies used at home. Taste changes were managed most, followed by fatigue and bowel changes. On average, strategies used to manage symptoms were moderately effective.


# Abstract— Tapered roller bearing (TRB) has been widely used in rotating machinery because of its high-load-carrying capacity. However, occurrence of high temperature inside TRB, due to the long contact lines between rollers and races and the large sliding friction between roller ends and guide flanges, often becomes a great challenge to utilization of TRB. This paper investigates the thermal behavior of a spindle-TRB system with consideration of rotational speed and radial load. To this end, first, a thermo-mechanical model of rotor-bearing system is developed to provide the frictional heat generation, heat transfer procedure, thermal expansion and transient temperature of the system components. Then, the spindle system thermal behavior is evaluated systematically. Simulation results show the high dependence of temperature on bearing loads, rotational speed. Finally, the steady-state temperature of the system is validated with existing experimental data.


Spectra in the 7.50-8.70???range from highly charged copper ions are analysed, and line identifications are made for the Na-, Ne-, F- and O-like charge states. The spectra are recorded with a spherically bent crystal spectrometer using either a mica or quartz crystal for moderate (?/?? = 3000) and high (?/?? = 8000) energy resolution, respectively. The plasmas from which the spectra are emitted are formed with either a Nd:glass (15?ns pulse) or a XeCl (12?ns pulse) laser. Systematic variations in the observed spectra with pulse energy are studied. Using different laser energies, and defocusing of the laser to reduce the intensity, we create plasmas with different ionization state distributions, which allows us to deconvolve blended lines from different copper ions. Line identifications are made based on relativistic atomic structure calculations that account for configuration interaction in level energies and transition rates. We use full kinetics simulations of ion emissivities, not just calculations of theoretical transition energies, to identify the strong and weak lines in crowded spectral regions. We identify 2p-n? transitions for Ne-like Cu19+ for 4?n?8 and 2s-np transitions for 4?n?6. We offer the first identification of high-n (n?8) Na-like satellites to Ne-like Rydberg resonance lines. The first and second ionization energies for Cu19+ are found, at 1689.02 and 1709.16?eV, respectively, based on our observations.


The authors explain the good results (80%) obtained with a new antibiotic belonging to the aminoglucoside group, the Sisomycin sulphate. Due to its active kidney excretion, its beneficial bactericide effect on Gram-positive and negative germs and its excellent tolerance, the author advises its use in infectious urological pathologies.


AIM
The current study aimed to develop an economic plant-based therapeutic agent to improve the treatment strategies for diseases at the nano-scale.

METHOD
In the current research, silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Trillium govanianum aqueous extract. Characterizations were done using UV-Visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In vivo biological activities such as acute dermal toxicity, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory were done on Balb C mice. Absorbance at 295 nm corresponds to the out-of-plane quadrupole Plasmon-resonance while at 350 nm corresponds to in-plane dipole resonance. SEM images showed the morphology of TGAgNPs is not exactly spherical while XRD analysis shows that highly crystalline TGAgNPs with an average size of 27.94 nm. The FTIR spectrum represents sharp peaks of aldehyde, amide I, aromatic rings, and polysaccharides. The microscopic assessment did not find any epidermal and dermal layer abnormalities in Blab C mice when exposed to TGAgNPs during acute dermal toxicity.

RESULT & DISCUSSION
Results revealed that 1000 mg/kg is not a lethal dose. In the wound healing activity, no mortality and no abnormal signs were observed when petroleum jelly, Nitrofuranose, TGaqu, and TGAgNPs-based ointments were applied. Enhanced epithelization was recorded in TGaqu and TGAgNPs treated mice (p≤0.001). The wound contraction percentage was higher in nitrofuranose-treated mice (74%) followed by TGAgNPs (71%), and TGaqu (69%) compared to vehicle-treated and open-wounded mice. The paw edema model proved the potential use of TGAgNPs and TGaqu as anti-inflammatory agents.

CONCLUSION
Hence, the results proved that both TGaqu and TGAgNPs are not toxic and possessed strong anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects due to the presence of phytochemical constituents and could be used in various drug production as a therapeutic agent.


Language plays an important role in teaching and learning activities whether the
teachers and learners are conscious or unconscious of this. Thus language and
communication are the most important components of the school curriculum (Lopez,
2000, p.1). This is because there is a very close relationship between language and
thought. As Muthwii (2002, p. 1) notes, "special problems arise in multilingual
communities where learners frequently join the school system equipped with home
languages that are often different from the languages of education". A consequence
of this is that the learner is expected to acquire and utilize skills using a language he
or she is not quite proficient in. It is, however, usually expected that by the time
students join university they have enough of the language of instruction to function
effectively in their major areas of study and to interact with the acquisition and
propagation of knowledge at that level. Recent studies on learner English have,
however, shown that the language of high school graduates, (Nyamasyo, 1992) and
even that of university students (Njoroge, 1996) have the same type of errors as
those observed in the English of learners at lower levels of education. If many
students entering the universities today have not attained the expected English level,
what should be done to counter this challenge?
Using an analysis of students' performance in an English Placement Test, this
paper discusses the English language needs of Kenyan students at the time of
entry to the university; appraises the programs which are put in place to address
this need in the local universities; and makes recommendations on what
universities in Kenya ought to be doing in order to produce students that can
compete internationally and fit in the global academic field. Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa Vol. 1 (2) 2009: pp. 99-111


The System Assessment Capability (SAC) is a suite of interrelated computer codes that provides the capability to conduct large-scale environmental assessments on the Hanford Site. Developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Department of Energy, SAC models the fate and transport of radioactive and chemical contaminants, starting with the inventory of those contaminants in waste sites, simulating transport through the environment, and continuing on through impacts to the environment and humans. Separate modules in the SAC address inventory, release from waste forms, water flow and mass transport in the vadose zone, water flow and mass transport in the groundwater, water flow and mass transport in the Columbia River, air transport, and human and ecological impacts. The SAC supports deterministic analyses as well as stochastic analyses using a Monte Carlo approach, enabling SAC users to examine the effect of uncertainties in a number of key parameters. The initial assessment performed with the SAC software identified a number of areas where both the software and the analysis approach could be improved. Since that time the following six major software upgrades have been made: (1) An air pathway model was added to support all-pathway analyses. (2) Models for releases from glass waste more » forms, buried graphite reactor cores, and buried naval reactor compartments were added. (3) An air-water dual-phase model was added to more accurately track the movement of volatile contaminants in the vadose zone. (4) The ability to run analyses was extended from 1,000 years to 10,000 years or longer after site closure. (5) The vadose zone flow and transport model was upgraded to support two-dimensional or three-dimensional analyses. (6) The ecological model and human risk models were upgraded so the concentrations of contaminants in food products consumed by humans are produced by the ecological model. This report documents the functions in the SAC software and provides a number of example applications for Hanford problems. References to theory documents and user guides are provided as well as links to a number of published data sets that support running analyses of interest to Hanford cleanup efforts. « less


Introduction Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) arises within Barrett's oesophagus (BE). Obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and cancer progression. Body composition has a direct impact in obesity-related diseases. Normal weight individuals with increased fat mass are considered metabolically obese. Methods To evaluate the prevalence of obesity, altered body composition and metabolic indexes in patients (pts) with and without BE; and association with cancer progression in BE. In sequential pts undergoing gastroscopy, MS, waist/hip ratio (WHR) and body fat% (BF by bioimpedance analysis) were obtained. In BE pts, histological findings were correlated with metabolic data. Pts were classified according to Body Mass Index (BMI), abdominal obesity (AO by WHR) and in females, Normal Weight Obese (NWO). Identified risk factors significantly associated with BE at univariate analysis were subsequently entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results 250 cases and 230 controls (F/M: 193/287) were enrolled. Age (cut off: 57 years) and male gender (M/F 193/57; OR 5.01, p < 0.0001) were identified risk factors for BE. AO (76 vs 51%; OR 3.13; p < 0.001), increased BF% (30.7 vs 17.6%; p = 0.001), higher BMI (overweight: 39.6 vs 30%; OR 2.09; p = 0.0008; obese: 32 vs 22%; OR 2.3; p = 0.004) and MS (33.2 vs 20%; OR 1.95; p = 0.0017) were significantly associated with BE. A positive trend, possibly related to the small number of female cases, was demonstrated for NWO (28.1 vs 19.1%; OR 1.06; p = 0.1). More cases were affected by hypertension (37.4 vs 21.3%; OR 2.4; p < 0.001) and hyperlipidaemia (72.8 vs 53.9%; OR 2.28; p < 0001) but not diabetes. When adjusted by gender, age and race into a multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for BE were BF% (OR 1.90; p = 0.01) and AO (OR 1.67; p = 0.03). Metaplasia and dysplasia were present in 57.2 and 42.8%. AO was the only metabolic parameter independently correlated with high grade dysplasia (38 vs 21%; OR 2.44; p = 0.001). Conclusion Abdominal obesity, and body fat mass are strong risk factors for BE. A positive trend association was demonstrated in NWO. Furthermore, abdominal adiposity plays a role in progression to OAC. BE might therefore be considered in the metabolic syndrome spectrum and as such, in this group screening interventions may be considered. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system which responds to therapies targeting circulating immune cells. Objective: Our aim was to test if the T-cell activation gene expression pattern (TCAGE) we had previously described from whole blood was replicated in an independent cohort. Methods: We used RNA-seq to interrogate the whole blood transcriptomes of 72 individuals (40 healthy controls, 32 untreated MS). A cohort of 862 control individuals from the Brisbane Systems Genetics Study (BSGS) was used to assess heritability and seasonal expression. The effect of interferon beta (IFNB) therapy on expression was evaluated. Results: The MS/TCAGE association was replicated and rationalized to a single marker, ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6). Expression of RPS6 was higher in MS than controls (p<0.0004), and lower in winter than summer (p<4.6E-06). The seasonal pattern correlated with monthly UV light index (R=0.82, p<0.002), and was also identified in the BSGS cohort (p<0.0016). Variation in expression of RPS6 was not strongly heritable. RPS6 expression was reduced by IFNB therapy. Conclusions: These data support investigation of RPS6 as a potential therapeutic target and candidate biomarker for measuring clinical response to IFNB and other MS therapies, and of MS disease heterogeneity.


Flexible electronics have gained eminent importance in recent years due to their high mechanical strength and resistance to environmental conditions, along with their effective energy storage and energy generating abilities. In this work, graphene/ceramic/polymer based flexible dielectric nanocomposites have been prepared and their dielectric properties were characterized. The composite was formulated by combining graphene with rutile and anatase titania, and polyvinylidene fluoride in different weight ratios to achieve optimized dielectric properties and flexibility. After preparation, composites were characterized for their morphologies, structures, functional groups, thermal stability and dielectric characterizations by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis and impedance spectroscopy. Dielectric results showed that prepared flexible composite exhibited dielectric constant of 70.4 with minor leakage current (tanδ) i.e., 0.39 at 100 Hz. These results were further confirmed by calculating alternating current (AC) conductivity and electric modulus which ensured that prepared material is efficient dielectric material which may be employed in electronic industry for development of next generation flexible energy storage devices.


The calculated value of the effective atomic number (ztau ) of 7.23 for lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7) agrees closely with the value of 7.22 for soft tissue of composition C5H40O18N. For excised muscle specimens the experimental value (7.42) obtained by Spiers for ztau is very nearly equal to the corresponding calculated value (7.46) for the composition (ICRU) of striated muscle. A similar comparison shows that the composition for bone given by Woodard with a higher content of calcium and phosphorus gave a value of ztau =13.3, which is in closer agreement with the measured value of 13.8 obtained by Spiers. The calculated values of ztau and kerma per roentgen for lithium tetraborate and lithium fluoride for photon energies below 1 MeV show that lithium borate (Li2B4O7) is a better substitute for soft tissue than lithium fluoride.


Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process is widely used in super heavy oil and oil sands projects. These projects generally have higher steam to oil ratio and poor economy, partly because un-uniform steam chamber along the horizontal section forms and it is hard to adjust, affecting by reservoir heterogeneity including muddy interlayer and thief zones. Therefore, it is desirable to explore realistic and promising technology measures for SAGD projects at low oil price.
 In this paper, almost all the technology measures for SAGD projects were extensively and deeply investigated in terms of domestic and foreign reports, literatures and on-site experiences. The available research subjects include Xinjiang Fengcheng and Liaohe super heavy oil projects in China as well as ten oil sands project attached to eight corporations in Canada. Better yet, numerous statistics about technology application are reviewed well-by-well, and field application effects for some technologies were verified by deliberate numerical simulation.
 Many realistic and enforceable technology measures were systematically analyzed and recommended. Single or multiple stage dilation start-up process assisted by waste water or polymer injection enhanced start-up process significantly. Infilling well pairs or wedge well, and sidetracking horizontal well or fishbone well effectively tapped the unswept remaining oil by steam. The other technologies further improved steam chamber conformance including non-condensable gas co-injection, ICD/FCD technology, differentiated operating pressure strategy, nitrogen plus dispersant foam profile control and other remedial measures, etc. Besides, the present situation and foreground application were summarized and evaluated for several promising new technologies to be studied such as screening low cost mixed solvent to increase solvent recovery, warm solvent gravity drainage (Nsolv) process and in-situ upgrading process assisted by electrical heater or catalytic modification to reduce the capital cost of surface facility, etc.
 The paper contains some previously unpublished data of practical experiences, and the findings of this investigation add to the knowledge base information related to improving the SAGD performance and economy of super heavy oil or oil sands projects.


Abstract The limitation of nullity appeals to cases of 'serious concerns regarding the correctness of the facts' on which the lower court based upon its decision is in conformity with constitutional law. It does not violate the procedural safeguards protected by Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights or the right to equal protection under the law protected by Article 7 of the Austrian Federal Constitutional Law. Despite the restrictive application in the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Austria, the limitation is proportionate und thus constitutional, as such limitations only apply to rulings by a penal of lay judges.


NEW MATERIAL: A compd. of formula I [where R 1 is H, 1-3C alkyl, 3-6C cycloalkyl-1-3C alkyl or ≤8C aralkyl; each of X and Y is Cl, Br, F, 1-3C alkoxy, 1-3C alkyl, OH or CF 3 ; (m) is O-2 and (n) is 0-3]. EXAMPLE: N-acetyl-2-amino-α-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-methylphenethylamine. USE: An intermediate for preparing phenyl-1,3-benzodiazepine useful as an antidepressant, an analgesic and an antispasmodic. PROCESS: The compd. of the formula I (where R 1 is H) is obtd. by converting 2-(2-nitrophenyl)acetophenone of formula II into oxime of formula III, acylating the oxime with acetic anhydride, carefully reducing the resultant oxime acetate of formula IV with diborane as a reducing agent and further reducing the resultant 2-nitro-α-phenylphenethylamine of formula V. COPYRIGHT: (C)1989,JPO


The arabinofuranosidase gene was cloned from the cDNA of Aspergillus sojae. It was found to contain an open reading frame composed of 984 base pairs (bp) and to encode 328 amino acid residues (aa). The cDNA sequence suggested that the mature enzyme is preceded by a 26-aa signal sequence and the molecular mass was predicted to be 32,749 Da. The A. sojae arabinofuranosidase consists of a single catalytic domain; it does not have a specific substrate-binding domain such as the xylan-binding domain reported in an arabinofuranosidase from Streptomyces lividans (Vincent, P. et al.: Biochem. J., 322, 845-852, 1997). The deduced amino acid sequence of the catalytic domain of the mature enzyme exhibits extensive identity with the catalytic domains of Streptomyces coelicolor (74%), Aspergillus niger (75%), S. lividans (74%), and Aspergillus tubingensis (75%), which are enzymes that belong to family 62 of the glycosyl hydrolases. The cloned AFdase gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS as a cellulose-binding domain tag fusion protein. The specific activity of the purified recombinant enzyme was 18.6 units/mg protein, which is one-fourth that of the enzyme purified from a solid-state culture of A. sojae.


This article reports on the synthesis and responsive behavior of shape-changing linear molecular bottlebrushes containing dually pH- and thermo-responsive diblock copolymer side chains. Using a "click" grafting to method, we synthesized linear homografted molecular brushes composed of diblock copolymer side chains with pH-responsive poly(2-(N,N-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) as inner block and thermoresponsive poly(methoxytri(ethylene glycol) acrylate) (PTEGMA) as outer block. Dynamic light scattering studies showed that the brushes exhibited a sharp decrease in hydrodynamic size with increasing pH across the pKa of PDEAEMA and the size leveled off at higher pH. This is in contrast to the molecular brushes with only PDEAEMA homopolymer side chains, which underwent aggregation and precipitation in basic solution even at a concentration of 0.2 mg g−1. Atomic force microscopy confirmed the cylindrical morphology of the brushes at acidic pH and pH-induced cylinder-to-globule transitions. In addition, the use of PTEGMA as outer block provided another means to control the solution state of the collapsed brushes; above the lower critical transition temperature of PTEGMA, the brushes clustered at higher concentrations but remained unaggregated at lower concentrations. The switching of molecular shape, stabilization of collapsed nano-objects, and control of solution state reported here may enable new potential applications of stimuli-responsive shape-changing molecular brushes.


The present study was designed to elucidate the role of gammadelta T cells in the host defense against pulmonary infection with Cryptococcus neoformans. The gammadelta T cells in lungs commenced to increase on day 1, reached a peak level on day 3 or 6, and then decreased on day 10 after intratracheal infection. The increase of these cells was similar in monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1-deficient mice, although that of NK and NKT cells was significantly reduced. The number of live microorganisms in lungs on days 14 and 21 was significantly reduced in mice depleted of gammadelta T cells by a specific mAb compared with mice treated with control IgG. Similarly, elimination of this fungal pathogen was promoted in gammadelta T cell-deficient (TCR-delta(-/-)) mice compared with control littermate mice. Finally, lung and serum levels of IFN-gamma on days 7 and 14 and on day 7 postinfection, respectively, were significantly higher in TCR-delta(-/-) mice than in littermate mice, whereas levels of TGF-beta showed the opposite results. IL-4 and IL-10 were not different between these mice. IFN-gamma production by draining lymph node cells upon restimulation with cryptococcal Ags was significantly higher in the infected TCR-delta(-/-) mice than in control mice. Our results demonstrated that gammadelta T cells accumulated in the lungs in a manner different from NK and NKT cells after cryptococcal infection and played a down-modulatory role in the development of Th1 response and host resistance against this fungal pathogen.


The article summarizes the theoretical aspects of the insurance market. The authors systematize the main approaches to determining the specifics of the insurance sector based on a review of publications of foreign and domestic scientists. The aim of the study is to assess the readiness of society to the challenges of the insurance market as one of the leading elements of the financial system. The article identifies the main trends in the activities of insurance companies. The authors have analyzed the following indicators: the volume of insurance premiums to the total population, the share of life insurance, the ratio of total insurance premiums to GDP, the volume of total insurance premiums to the number of employees in the insurance sector, the ratio of reinsurance and the share of insurance premiums kept on the accounts of insurance companies. To achieve the purpose of the study, factor analysis, principal components method, built on the basis of statistically significant indicators, integral index of the degree of readiness of society to modern challenges of the insurance market for OECD countries were used. The methods of generalization, comparison, analysis, synthesis, tabular and graphical research tools were also used. The results of the factor analysis confirmed the statistical significance of the analyzed indicators of insurance activity. This leads to constant monitoring of the insurance sector in the context of various services and products offered.


Image fusion is one of the most common techniques used to enhance the interpretability and functionality of remotely sensed data. The aim of this study was to improve the performance of the SVM (Support Vector Machines) classifier with the aid of texture features (TF) extracted from fused images. As a first step, the spatial resolution of the WorldView-2 MS (multispectral) imagery was increased by fusing it with a WorldView-2 PAN (panchromatic) image using the PCA (Principal Component Analysis), WSB (Wavelet Single Band), GS (Gram-Schmidt), BRV (Brovey), EHL (Ehlers), HCS (Hyperspherical Colour Space), HPF (High-Pass Filtering) and MCV (Multiplicative) algorithms. A PCA transform was then applied on all fused images. The first principal component obtained from each fused image was used to extract the Gabor TFs. As a final step, extracted Gabor TFs were combined with the original MS image. Resultant images were classified with the SVM algorithm to investigate to what degree the used methodology affect the classification accuracy. The results showed that the GS fusion-based Gabor TFs provided the greatest classification accuracy increase with 19.3%, whereas the PCA fusion-based Gabor TFs resulted in the second best classification accuracy increase with 18.7%.


Introduction. In the last few years, the vocational guidance of adolescents has again become one of the most relevant issues in the psychological and pedagogical discourse. Its quality, however, continues to depend to a greater extent on the individual qualifications of the career consultant and does not guarantee its effective application. In this regard, the study aims to develop a new PROF.Navigator technology for vocational guidance, which offers a more objective, technological, and effective approach. Materials and methods. The object of the study is career guidance as a technology for supporting professional self-determination of adolescents. The study examined the main types of technologies used, identified two leading Russian technologies for individual career guidance, and provided their comparative analysis. Based on the analysis, the proprietary PROF. Navigator career guidance technology was developed, and then tested for 8 years in the Irkutsk region. Results. The paper proposes a PROF.Navigator technology for career guidance and shows its distinctive features and advantages, including a problematizing questionnaire about teenagers' readiness to choose a profession, determination of their individual typological features by the method of socionic diagnostics, examination of teenagers' competencies, and professional tests employed in a systematic approach. Conclusion. The paper presents a new technology for career guidance, which increases the processability, objectivity and effectiveness of professional self-determination of adolescents. The technology has confirmed its practical significance over a long period of its application and can be recommended for widespread adoption in Russian schools.


This study presents a new magnetic bead-based microfluidic platform for genomic DNA (gDNA) extraction and rapid detection of genetic deletion from saliva samples by using micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS)-based technologies. With the incorporation of several microfluidic devices, a charge-switchable, magnetic bead was used to extract gDNA released from the buccal cells in the saliva samples and collected by a built-in microcoils array. A new normally-closed micropump for liquid delivery and a new self-compensated micro temperature control module for on-chip PCR were all integrated into a single chip. Successful demonstration for detection of the patients with genetic deletion has been achieved by using the proposed microfluidic platform. Consequently, the integrated miniature saliva-based microfluidic system can provide a promising platform for rapid DNA extraction and fast detection of genetic diseases in a shorter period of time automatically.


By introducing the notion of a generalized normal state space , we give a necessary and sufficient condition for that there exists a unital normal completely positive map from a von Neumann algebra into another, in terms of their generalized normal state spaces.


OBJECTIVE
to describe the experience of military nursing in "Operation Return to Brazil" in an aeromedical evacuation.

METHOD
this is an experience report of the nursing staff in the Aeromedical Evacuation of potentially-contaminated Brazilians who were in Wuhan, China, after the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

RESULTS
the report was constructed from nursing care performed in three stages: pre-flight, screening, and flight. Pre-flight care would include aircraft configuration and material prediction. In screening, the staff was concerned with being properly attired. In the health assessment of returnees, in-flight, attention was focused on Personal Protective Equipment handling to minimize the risk of contamination by prolonged contact with potentially-contaminated passengers. Final considerations: nursing was committed to planning all the actions of this mission, which was one of the longest, strenuous and unprecedented in the history of aeromedical transport in Brazil.


The central role of Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporter type 2 (NKCC2) in vectorial transepithelial salt reabsorption in thick ascending limb cells from Henle's loop in the kidney is evidenced by the effects of loop diuretics, the pharmacological inhibitors of NKCC2, that are amongst the most powerful antihypertensive drugs available to date. Moreover, genetic mutations of the NKCC2 encoding gene resulting in impaired apical targeting and function of NKCC2 transporter give rise to a pathological phenotype known as type I Bartter syndrome, characterised by a severe volume depletion, hypokalaemia and metabolic alkalosis with high prenatal mortality. On the contrary, excessive NKCC2 activity has been linked with inherited hypertension in humans and in rodent models. Interestingly, in animal models of hypertension, NKCC2 upregulation is achieved by post‐translational mechanisms underlining the need to analyse the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of NKCC2 trafficking and activity to gain insights in the pathogenesis of hypertension.


This work is devoted to an analysis of the innovation-performance relationship in contemporary developed economies. It reveals a double « gap » relating to innovation and performance. The « innovation gap » reflects the difference between the reality of innovation produced in an economy and what traditional innovation indicators (R&D, patents) capture. As for the « performance gap », this measures the difference between the reality of performance in an economy and the performance assessed by traditional economic tools (mainly productivity and growth). It reflects a hidden performance, invisible to these tools. These two « gaps » blur the innovation-performance relationship. They are behind a certain number of paradoxes which this work intends to explain, and they lead one to question the legitimacy of some public policies which support innovation.


Evoked potential (EP) recordings remain a sensitive indicator of the cerebral response to episodes of brain injury. Previous investigations focused primarily on power and spectral (Fourier) indicators of injury. These parameters are derived from second order statistics. Nonlinear changes also occur after the induction of hypoxic- ischemic (HI) injury. These alterations may be captured using higher order statistics such as the bicorrelation or third order cumulants. Higher order statistics are able to accurately capture signal shape changes due to phase alterations. The H-statistic examines the size of the lagged terms of the third order cumulant. Large H-statistics reveal embedded quadratic nonlinearities. Additionally, this statistic operates on single evoked potentials. In an animal model of HI injury we show that the baseline evoked potential morphology maintains a high degree of nonlinearity. More than one third of these baseline cases have high H-statistics (p>.95). After recovery from HI injury, the H-statistic shows a uniform distribution where an expected 5% of the cases adopt this probability value. H- statistic changes reveal a distinctive loss of nonlinear character after HI injury.


Abstract  We report a case of obstructed total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage that was repaired using the sutureless repair with the in situ pericardium. In the immediate postoperative period, the patient developed massive air embolism that was managed by mechanical support. The patient recovered without any significant clinical sequelae. (J Card Surg 2010;25:582‐583)


We report that organic electroluminescence devices with a distyrylarylene (DSA) emitting layer including a new dopant realized highly efficient and bright emission in blue region. This dopant was amino‐substituted DSA. The luminous efficiency was obtained to be 1.5 lm/W. The external quantum efficiency was estimated to be 2.4%, which is one of the highest efficiencies ever reported in blue emitting organic EL devices.


There has been a large body of research on dynamic thermal management (DTM) to manage the die temperature of integrated circuits against their high power density. Control-theoretic DTM is one of the most effective DTM schemes that guarantee stability criteria while meeting several performance requirements such as response time, steady-state error, overshoot, undershoot, phase margin, gain margin, and so forth. Conventional control-theoretic DTM schemes show reasonable stability and performance for general-purpose processors, but they may not fulfill those requirements for vehicle electronics control units (ECUs) primarily because the ambient temperature of an ECU is dependent on the associated unit temperature that often exceeds 100 °C. This results in a high steady-state die temperature and a very narrow temperature headroom. Furthermore, the unit temperature dynamically changes according to the driving condition that acts as a major disturbance to the DTM system. This paper introduces an advanced control-theretic DTM mechanism for high-performance vehicle ECUs. We model such ambient temperature variation as a disturbance, and adopt a disturbance predictor and compensator that effectively mitigates the effects of ambient temperature variations. We demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the previous control-theoretic DTM in terms of RMS errors, peak temperature, and thermal violation.


Abstract Androgens (testosterone and dihydrotestosterone) acting via the androgen receptor (AR) are required for male sexual differentiation, and also regulate the development of many other tissues including muscle, fat and bone. We previously generated an ARlox mouse line with exon 3 of the AR gene targeted by loxP sites. The deletion of exon 3 is in-frame, so only the DNA binding-dependent actions of the AR are deleted, but non-DNA binding-dependent actions are retained. This line also contained an antibiotic resistance selection cassette, neomycin (neo) in intron 3, which was also flanked by loxP sites. Hemizygous ARlox male mice demonstrated a phenotype of hyperandrogenization, with increased mass of androgen-dependent tissues. We hypothesized that this hyperandrogenization was likely to be due to the presence of the neo cassette. In this study, we have generated an ARlox neo-negative mouse line, using the EIIa-cre deleter mouse line to remove the neo cassette. Hemizygous ARlox neo-negative male mice have a normal phenotype, with normal body mass and normal mass of androgen-dependent tissues including the testis, seminal vesicles, kidney, spleen, heart and retroperitoneal fat. This neo-negative exon 3-targeted mouse line is the only floxed AR mouse line available to study the DNA binding-dependent actions of the AR in a tissue-specific manner, and is suitable for investigation in all tissues. This study demonstrates the importance of removing the selection cassette, which can potentially alter the phenotype of floxed mouse lines even in the absence of detectable effects on target gene expression.


Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis possess antibodies (ALS IgGs) that bind to L-type skeletal muscle voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and inhibit L-type calcium current. To determine whether interaction of ALS IgGs with neuronal VGCCs might influence motoneuron survival, we used a motoneuron-neuroblastoma hybrid (VSC 4.1) cell line expressing binding sites for inhibitors of L-, N-, and P-type VGCCs. Using direct viable cell counts, quantitation of propidium iodide- and fluorescein diacetate-labeled cells, and lactate dehydrogenase release to assess cell survival, we document that ALS IgG kills 40-70% of cAMP-differentiated VSC 4.1 cells within 2 days. ALS IgG-mediated cytotoxicity is dependent on extracellular calcium and is prevented by peptide antagonists of N- or P-type VGCCs but not by dihydropyridine modulators of L-type VGCCs. Preincubating IgG with purified intact L-type VGCC or with isolated VGCC alpha 1 subunit also blocks ALS IgG-mediated cytotoxicity. These results suggest that ALS IgG may directly lead to motoneuron cell death by a mechanism requiring extracellular calcium and mediated by neuronal-type calcium channels.


This study aims to investigate the opinions of teachers working at public, private, and International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools on the evaluation practices, the use of assessment tools, the frequency of documenting data, and the feedback frequencies given to both students, and parents. A questionnaire has been used to collect data from 168 teachers. 84 of these teachers were from public schools, 30 from IB, and 54 from private schools.Percentages and frequencies were examined to describe the data, and the chi-square test was conducted for their distribution. There are two main conclusions derived. The first one is that state schools and private schools differ from IB schools in terms of exam-oriented preparation and evaluations when traditional methods are employed. The second one is that IB schools differ from state schools and private schools in terms of documenting the data and reporting of assessment for learning improvement and process-based evaluation. In terms of teachers` opinions, the ones from the IB schools believed there was a difference in terms of having an assessment policy, collaborative planning processes with partners, and experts, taking into consideration the individual differences, and having an inspection mechanism to monitor of the processes.


Abstract. Hourly averaged aerosol optical properties (AOPs) measured over the years 2010–2013 at four continental North American NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL) cooperative aerosol network sites – Southern Great Plains near Lamont, OK (SGP), Bondville, IL (BND), Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (APP), and Egbert, Ontario, Canada (EGB) are analyzed. Aerosol optical properties measured over 1996–2009 at BND and 1997–2009 at SGP are also presented. The aerosol sources and types in the four regions differ enough so as to collectively represent rural, anthropogenically perturbed air conditions over much of eastern continental North America. Temporal AOP variability on monthly, weekly, and diurnal timescales is presented for each site. Differences in annually averaged AOPs and those for individual months at the four sites are used to examine regional AOP variability. Temporal and regional variability are placed in the context of reported aerosol chemistry at the sites, meteorological measurements (wind direction, temperature), and reported regional mixing layer heights. Basic trend analysis is conducted for selected AOPs at the long-term sites (BND and SGP). Systematic relationships among AOPs are also presented. Seasonal variability in PM1 (sub-1 μm particulate matter) scattering and absorption coefficients at 550 nm (σsp and σap, respectively) and most of the other PM1 AOPs is much larger than day of week and diurnal variability at all sites. All sites demonstrate summer σsp and σap peaks. Scattering coefficient decreases by a factor of 2–4 in September–October and coincides with minimum single-scattering albedo (ω0) and maximum hemispheric backscatter fraction (b). The co-variation of ω0 and b lead to insignificant annual cycles in top-of-atmosphere direct radiative forcing efficiency (DRFE) at APP and SGP. Much larger annual DRFE cycle amplitudes are observed at EGB (~ 40 %) and BND (~ 25 %), with least negative DRFE in September–October at both sites. Secondary winter peaks in σsp are observed at all sites except APP. Amplitudes of diurnal and weekly cycles in σap at the sites are larger for all seasons than those of σsp, with the largest differences occurring in summer. The weekly and diurnal cycle amplitudes of most intensive AOPs (e.g., those derived from ratios of measured σsp and σap) are minimal in most cases, especially those related to parameterizations of aerosol size distribution. Statistically significant trends in σsp (decreasing), PM1 scattering fraction (decreasing), and b (increasing) are found at BND from 1996 to 2013 and at SGP from 1997 to 2013. A statistically significant decreasing trend in PM10 scattering Angstrom exponent is also observed for SGP but not BND. Most systematic relationships among AOPs are similar for the four sites and are adequately described for individual seasons by annually averaged relationships, although relationships involving absorption Angstrom exponent vary with site and season.


Several options are available to the physician to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of newly discovered solitary pulmonary nodules. The physician must take into account a number of factors before deciding on the best course of action. Nearly all patients with pulmonary nodules detected on chest radiographs will go on to have a CT scan to better delineate the lesion. The radiologic characteristics, along with significant findings from the patient's history and physical examination, will determine whether observation, biopsy, or resection is most appropriate. The growing experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures has led to combined diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and, in many cases, the treatment of lung cancer in earlier stages.


the use of impulse oscillometry (IOS) in of may on the first 203 individuals cohort of We significant bronchodilator response an improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of 12% and 200mls following administration of inhaled bronchodilator. We also collected information on smoking and self-reported breathlessness using the Dyspnoea-12 questionnaire (maximum score of 36) and explored correlations between different measurements of small airways function. and year of Overall, 32 (16%) had a of asthma (ever), 15 (8%) had evi-dence of significant bronchodilator reversibility and 3 (2%) were taking asthma treatment. The majority (73%) reported no breathless (Dyspnoea-12 score of zero). The mean percent-age predicted pre-bronchodilator FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory flow at 25 – 75% of FVC (FEF25 – 75) were 98%, 102% and 92% respectively using GLI reference equations. The correlation between FEF25 – 75 and frequency dependence of resistance (R5-R20) was (-0.35


Recommendations in collaborative tagging sites such as del.icio.us and Yahoo! Movies, are becoming increasingly important, due to the proliferation of general queries on those sites and the ineffectiveness of the traditional search paradigm to address those queries. Regardless of the underlying recommendation strategy, item-based or user-based, one of the key concerns in producing recommendations, is over-specialization, which results in returning items that are too homogeneous. Traditional solutions rely on post-processing returned items to identify those which differ in their attribute values (e.g., genre and actors for movies). Such approaches are not always applicable when intrinsic attributes are not available (e.g., URLs in del.icio.us). In a recent paper [20], we introduced the notion of explanation-based diversity and formalized the diversification problem as a compromise between accuracy and diversity. In this paper, we develop efficient diversification algorithms built upon this notion. The algorithms explore compromises between accuracy and diversity. We demonstrate their efficiency and effectiveness in diversification on two real life data sets: del.icio.us and Yahoo! Movies.


Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods play a major role in the direct detection of H. pylori in clinical specimens, with time-saving as compared to culture-based methods. However, specificity and sensitivity vary among different varieties of these PCRs, which consequently could affect the accuracy of diagnosis of H. pylori infection. The study aimed to evaluate the utility of ureC (glmM) and SSA conventional PCR methods for rapid direct detection of H. pylori by comparing them with rpoB-based quantitative real-time PCR.

 A total of 402 non-repeated gastric biopsy specimens were subjected to DNA extraction followed by conventional ureC (glmM) and SSA PCR, and rpoB-based quantitative real-time PCR, which was used as the gold standard.

 H. pylori was detected in 119 (29.6%), 126 (31.34%), and 187 (46.5%) of the tested specimens using ureC (glmM) PCR, SSA PCR, and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. The specificity of the SSA PCR was higher than that of ureC (glmM) PCR (99.5% and 98.6%, respectively). The SSA PCR was more sensitive than the ureC (glmM), (66.8% and 62%, respectively). The diagnostic accuracy of SSA PCR (84.33%) was higher than that of ureC (glmM) PCR (81.59%).

 Overall, SSA PCR is more specific, sensitive, and diagnostically accurate than ureC (glmM) PCR, giving the SSA PCR assay superiority as a simple, rapid, and accurate diagnostic tool for direct detection of H. pylori in gastric tissue specimens.


Post-ischemic inflammation is an essential step in the progression of ischemic stroke. Recently, important roles of infiltrating immune cells, macrophages, and T cells in ischemic brain injury have been clarified. The activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 is pivotal in the beginning of post-ischemic inflammation. Several damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)—endogenous TLR ligands—are released from injured brain cells, including high mobility group box 1 and peroxiredoxin family proteins, and these activate the infiltrating macrophages and induce the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Following this step, T cells also infiltrate into the ischemic brain and mediate post-ischemic inflammation in the delayed phase. Various cytokines from helper T cells and γδ T cells function as neurotoxic or neuroprotective mediators. Resolution of inflammation is another important step in ischemic injury, and infiltrating macrophages in the late stage work to clear DAMPs. Novel neuroprotective strategies could be developed through further understanding of this process and the regulation of post-ischemic inflammation.


Distributed neural dysconnectivity is considered a hallmark feature of schizophrenia, yet a tension exists between studies pinpointing focal disruptions versus those implicating brain-wide disturbances. The cerebellum and the striatum communicate reciprocally with the thalamus and cerebral cortex through monosynaptic and polysynaptic connections, forming cortico-striatal-thalamic-cerebellar (CSTC) functional pathways that may be sensitive to brain-wide dysconnectivity in schizophrenia. It remains unknown if the same brain-wide pattern of alterations persists across CSTC systems, or if specific alterations exist along key functional elements of these networks. We characterized whole-brain cerebellar and striatal connectivity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in 159 chronic schizophrenia patients and 162 matched controls, along each major cerebellar and striatal functional subdivision. Both cerebellar and striatal associative subdivisions revealed consistent brain-wide bi-directional alterations in patients relative to controls, marked by hyper-connectivity with bilateral sensory-motor cortices and hypo-connectivity with association cortex. These results implicate a consistent motif of brain-wide alterations in cortico-striato-cerebellar systems in schizophrenia, calling into question accounts of exclusively focal functional connectivity disturbances.


This paper describes the development of a networked UAV communication, command, and control (NetUAVC3) architecture. The NetUAVC project is divided into three stages. Stage 1 focused on developing algorithms for tying network intelligence and mission-level tasking information into automatic flight controls. Stage 2 will conclude with a demonstration of leashing UAVs to mobile nodes, and Stage 3 will conclude with a demonstration of radio source localization by a cooperating UAV team. This presentation will describe the NetUAVC architecture currently under development. The Stage 1 system will be presented, including the onboard flight management architecture and monitoring and command & control software that exploits the existing AUGNet mesh network. The radio localization problem, in which one or more UAVs react cooperatively to localize the location of a radio emitter, will also be introduced. Source localization is cast as a distributed estimation problem. Aircraft mobility is exploited to improve the observability, in terms of the Fisher Information Matrix, of this estimation problem. Aircraft motion is coordinated through iterative consensus by individual receding horizon controllers on each vehicle.


This study addresses the issue of military violence affecting security in Burkina Faso and its implications in the West African geopolitics. Studies on the political and economic history of this country and surveys on recent proceedings in Burkina reveal that in this country, the security front has for several years been marked by state violence. For nearly half a century (1966- 2014), the military have seized state power and used the regular army of the country at the expense of the people and also towards destabilizing neighboring countries. With the just-ended political transition, the advent of a civil regime in this country in November 2015 could be a driver of peace and security at the national and regional levels only if the ruling Burkinabe authorities embark on institutional reforms that will pave the way to participatory democracy, and if public action is channeled as a matter of priority into human development.


Author(s): Chen, Yi | Advisor(s): Mazzocco, Maurizio | Abstract: This dissertation is devoted to understanding household saving rates of the two largest countries in the world - China and the United States. The first two chapters explain why the Chinese elderly save at extraordinarily high rates and the third chapter explains why the U.S. personal saving rate has been falling since 1980's.Chapter 1 explores the potential explanation of the high saving rates of the Chinese elderly. The high saving rate of China has attracted global attention. Furthermore, the saving rates of the Chinese elderly are especially high. Understanding why the elderly in China save at high rates is important for two reasons: (1) it partially explains the high aggregate saving rate in China, and (2) the fact that the elderly save more than the middle-aged contradicts the predictions of the life-cycle model. In this chapter, I present evidence that pension income is the primary explanation for the high saving rates of elderly Chinese households. I provide this evidence in two steps. First, I document three stylized facts that are consistent with this hypothesis: (1) saving rates are higher in years with higher pensions, (2) saving rates are higher for those with more generous pension plans, and (3) policy reforms that exogenously increase pensions also increase saving rates. However, a higher pension income on its own cannot explain the entire pattern because a household can simultaneously adjust its consumption. Therefore, in the second step, I demonstrate that concerns regarding future medical expenditures and bequest motives can explain why households do not increase their consumption commensurate with increases in pension income.In Chapter 2, I build and estimate a dynamic life cycle model for two purposes. The first is to quantify the effect of pension income. The second purpose is to carry out counterfactual policy simulations. The model is a standard life-cycle model with three main components. First, pension income is properly modeled to capture the increase observed in the data. The second part of the model is about uncertainty. In the model, I cover income uncertainty, health status and medical expenditures as the main source of uncertainty for the elderly. Finally, individuals have bequest motives. I estimate the model using the method of simulated moments. The estimation results show that it is possible to match the data with reasonable parameters. It is noteworthy that the estimated degree of relative risk aversion for the Chinese elderly is similar to that of U.S. population in other studies. This implies when factors including pension income, medical expenditures and bequest motives are properly taken into account, it is not necessary to assume Chinese elderly to be highly risk averse to explain their high saving rates. With the model, I am able to carry out various policy simulations. The most interesting simulation is if the Chinese pension and economy growth rate becomes similar to those in the United States, the saving rates of the Chinese elderly will fall to the level of the U.S.Chapter 3 is a joint work with Maurizio Mazzocco and Bela Szemely. In this chapter we provide evidence that most of the decline in the U.S. personal saving rate from 9 percent in the early eighties to 2 percent in 2007 can be explained by the steep increase in health expenditure experienced by the U.S. economy during the same period. The most convincing evidence is provided using the FDA approval of new drugs as a source of exogenous variation in medical expenses. Employing this source of variation, we find that a $1$ percentage point increase in health expenditure generates a decline in the U.S. saving rate that is between $0.58$ and $0.67$ percentage points. Using this result, we calculate that the rise in health expenditure explains about 83 percent of the drop in the U.S. saving rate. To evaluate whether households changed their consumption decisions to mitigate the effect of higher medical expenses, we develop a stylized model of household's and government's decisions. Using the model jointly with our empirical results, we find that the households' response to the rise in health expenses was negligible. This is why the saving rate dropped by a significant amount. Finally, with the objective of better understanding why households did not respond, we provide evidence on how the increase in medical expenditure was funded. We find that it was paid almost exclusively by an increase in government debt, a reduction in other government expenses, and an increase in employer contributions to health funds. The main implication of these findings is that the households were barely affected by the rise in health expenditure. The households' negligible response was, therefore, rational.


Purpose: To evaluate and compare the safety and efficacy of accelerated (AXL) and standard corneal cross-linking (CXL) protocols in patients with progressive keratoconus. Methods: Progressive keratoconus patients (14–40 years) received either standard-intensity CXL or high-intensity CXL (AXL). Corneas were exposed to ultraviolet-A 365 nm light for 30 minutes at an irradiance of 3.0 mW/cm2 in the standard CXL group and to ultraviolet-A 365 nm light for 10 minutes at 9.0 mW/cm2 in the AXL group. Changes in uncorrected visual acuity, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, refractive astigmatism, Kmax, and Kmean were used to determine treatment efficacy. Safety was determined by the incidence of adverse events and occurrence of loss of 2 or more lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity. Outcomes for CXL versus AXL were compared to determine differences in safety and efficacy between treatment groups. Results: Thirty-six eyes of 34 patients (mean age, 27.9 ± 7.6 years) underwent AXL; 66 eyes of 53 patients (mean age, 30.0 ± 8.0 years) underwent standard-intensity CXL. There was no significant difference in any outcome measures between the groups. For AXL, there seemed to be more corneal flattening, with a statistically significant reduction in Kmean at 6 and 12 months postoperatively, when compared preoperatively (P < 0.01). There were no adverse events or complications in any patients. Conclusions: There was more corneal flattening in AXL patients 6 to 12 months postoperatively, suggesting that AXL may be a promising alternative to CXL in stabilizing corneal ectasia.


This article revisits some of the main arguments presented (in the South African context) since the late 1990s in relation to the regional security demands placed on the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on the one hand, and the configuration of the force design imposed on the SANDF on the other.  These issues are of great relevance to the South African Department of Defence's recent (2012) official pronouncements and related defence thinking on the current and future external role of the South African military, specifically with regard to post-conflict reconstruction and development.  The aim of the article is to examine the dynamics of recent years – philosophical and practical – that gave rise to the policy "move" or "shift" from defence in a democracy (1998) to defence, security and development (2012). [i] In addition, the article aims to analyse and discuss the new comprehensive guidelines for defence force design in the Draft Defence Review 2012 and reflects on some of the most important policy implications for the SANDF in this regard – specifically given the demands placed on the SANDF in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and development.  The author contends that the Department of Defence has now gained a clearer idea or perspective of what the future role(s) of the South African military should be through the assessment of its function, principles and goals expounded in the Draft Defence Review 2012 . [i] At the time of writing it was planned to replace the Defence Review 1998 , which was published under the theme of Defence in a democracy , with a new Defence Review 2012 , to be published under the theme Defence, security, development .


Knowledge engineering is key for enhancing organizational capabilities to gain a competitive edge and adapt and respond to an unpredictable market environment. Such knowledge can be generated from collected data which is often considered complex. Organizations are collecting vast amounts of data to transform them into real-time information in order to attain successful decision-making support systems. It is more than likely that such processes can be challenging; yet such knowledge must be extracted from thoughtfully designed and implemented data warehousing, and mined to obtain the required information. This paper explores appropriate techniques, technologies and trends to facilitate the integration of artificial intelligence into data warehousing and data mining. It provides an insightful overview of data warehousing and data mining, and it highlights the techniques and the limitations of analyzing and interpreting enormous data.


Urinary excretion of 4-pyridoxic acid (4PA) in 19 men (n = 5) and women (n = 14) was measured to evaluate the validity of determining the 4PA/creatinine ratio in random urine samples as an alternative to total 24-h 4PA excretion in assessing vitamin B6 nutritional status. The relationships among dietary vitamin B6 intake, 4PA excretion, plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate levels, and erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase activity and in vitro stimulation by added plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate were examined. The subjects consumed all meals for 3 days in a metabolic unit, and protein intake was kept constant. Plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentration was positively correlated with vitamin B6 intake of the previous day (r = 0.61, p less than 0.01). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.59, p less than 0.01) between total 4PA and 4PA/creatinine in the 24-h urine samples. No difference (p greater than 0.05) in 4PA/creatinine between the 24-h samples and either morning or afternoon random samples taken the next day was found. These findings support the use of the 4PA/creatinine ratio in random urine samples as an alternative to 24-h urinary 4PA excretion.


For nearly two hundred years, Caesalpinia echinata wood has been the standard for modern bows. However, the threat of extinction and the enforcement of trade bans have required bow makers to seek alternative woods. The hypothesis tested was that woods with physical, mechanical and acoustic properties similar to those of C. echinata would have high potential as alternative woods for bows. Accordingly, were investigated Handroanthus spp., Mezilaurus itauba, Hymenaea spp., Dipteryx spp., Diplotropis spp. and Astronium lecointei. Handroanthus and Diplotropis have the greatest number of similarities with C. echinata, but only Handroanthus spp. showed significant results in actual bow manufacture, suggesting the importance of such key properties as specific gravity, speed of sound propagation and modulus of elasticity. In practice, Handroanthus and Dipteryx produced bows of quality similar to that of C. echinata.


Background
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can noninvasively assess renal allograft pathologic changes that provide useful information for clinical management and prognostication. However, it is still unknown whether the bi-exponential model analysis of DWI signals is superior to that of the mono-exponential model.

Methods
Pathologic and DWI data from a total of 47 allografts were prospectively collected and analyzed. Kidney transplant interstitial fibrosis was quantified digitally. The severity of acute and chronic pathologic changes was semi-quantified by calculating the acute composite scores (ACS) and chronic composite score (CCS). Mono-exponential total apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCT), and the bi-exponential parameters of true diffusion (D) and perfusion fraction (fp) were acquired. The diagnostic performances of both mono-exponential and bi-exponential parameters were assessed and compared by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) from receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results
ADCT, D, and fp were all significantly correlated with interstitial fibrosis, ACS, and CCS. Cortical fp discriminated mild from moderate and severe ACS with the largest AUC of 0.89 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-0.96]. Noticeably, only cortical fp could differentiate severe ACS from mild-to-moderate ACS (P<0.001) with an AUC of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.65-0.90) and a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 66.4-100%). Strikingly, the joint use of D and fp in either the cortex or the medulla could achieve a sensitivity of 100% for identifying either mild or severe interstitial fibrosis. Meanwhile, the serial use of cortical D and cortical fp showed the largest specificity for identifying both mild [88.9% (95% CI, 70.8-97.6%)] and severe [84.4% (95% CI, 67.2-94.7%)] interstitial fibrosis. For identifying mild CCS, the AUC of medullary ADCT (0.90, 95% CI, 0.78-0.97) was similar to that of cortical D (0.81, 95% CI, 0.67-0.91) and fp (0.86, 95% CI, 0.73-0.94), but statistically larger than that of medullary D (P=0.005) and fp (P=0.01). Furthermore, the parallel use of cortical D and cortical fp could increase the sensitivity to 95.0% (95% CI, 75.1-99.9%), whereas serial use of medullary D and medullary fp could increase the specificity to 100% (95% CI, 87.2-100%). The AUCs for differentiating severe from mild and moderate CCS were statistically insignificant among all parameters in the cortex and medulla (P≥0.15).

Conclusions
Cortical fp was superior to the ADCT for identifying both mild and severe acute pathologic changes. Nevertheless, ADCT was equal to or better than single D or fp for evaluating chronic pathologic changes. Thus, both monoexponential and bi-exponential analysis of DWI images are complementary for evaluating kidney allograft pathologic changes, and the combined use of D and fp can increase the sensitivity and specificity for discriminating allograft pathologic changes severity.


Several countries have recently introduced national capital standards exceeding the internationally coordinated Basel III rules, thus suggesting a `race to the top' in capital standards. We study regulatory competition when banks are heterogeneous and give loans to firms that produce output in an integrated market. In this setting capital requirements change the pool quality of banks in each country and inflict negative externalities on neighboring jurisdictions by shifting risks to foreign taxpayers and by reducing total credit supply and output. Non-cooperatively set capital standards are higher than coordinated ones when governments care equally about bank profits, taxpayers, and consumers.


While there is still much disagreement on the causes underlying recent emerging markets' crises, one factor that most observers have agreed upon is that contracting dollar' (foreign currency) denominated external debt as opposed to domestic currency debt created balance sheet mismatches that led to bankruptcies and dislocations that amplified downturns. Much of the analysis of the currency-balance sheet channel' hinges on the assumption that companies contract dollar denominated debt. Yet there has been little systematic inquiry into why companies must or choose to take on dollar debt. In this paper we cast the problem as one of microeconomic underinsurance with respect to country-wide aggregate shocks. Denominating external debt in domestic currency is equivalent to contracting the same amount of dollar-debt, complemented with insurance against shocks that depreciate the equilibrium exchange rate. The presence of country-level international financial constraints justify the purchase of such insurance even if all agents are risk neutral. However, if domestic financial constraints also exist, domestics will undervalue the social contribution of contracting insurance against country-wide shocks. Foreign lenders will reinforce the underinsurance problem by reducing their participation in domestic financial markets.


Semiconducting polymers with π-conjugated backbones show promise in fields such as photovoltaics. Practical applications of conjugated polymers require precise control over the polymer's electronic band structure. Several new classes of density functional approximation, including screened hybrids, semilocal Minnesota functionals, and Rung 3.5 functionals, show potential for improved predictions of conjugated polymer band structures. This work compares these methods to standard global hybrid density functionals for bandgaps and band structures of representative conjugated polymers. The new methods exhibit particular promise for modeling three-dimensionally periodic bulk polymers, which can be problematic for global hybrids.


In 1989 the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) launched the standards-based education movement with the release of Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989). Subsequent publications built on this foundation by further detailing the mathematics content of student learning (NCTM 2000, 2006; CCSSI 2010). We have learned, however, that more is needed than content standards if we are to realize the goal of high levels of mathematical understanding by each and every student. For that reason, NCTM formed a writing team in 2012 to envision and develop a document that could guide mathematics education into the future. I served as one of three lead writers on this team. After several revisions, including feedback on a public review draft, our work resulted in the publication of Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM 2014). In this article, I provide some background on Principles to Actions, reflect on its initial impact, and suggest next steps for our professional work toward ambitious teaching of mathematics.


Purpose The Mantel–Byar method is the gold standard analytical approach to avoid immortal time bias, but requires information on the time between start of follow-up and exposure initiation. Alternatively, a modified landmark approach might be used to mitigate the amount of immortal time bias, which assumes exposure initiation at a predefined landmark time. In the context of an expected positive association between adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) and overall survival among resected pancreatic cancer (PCa) patients, this study aims to empirically assess the performance of this approach relative to the Mantel–Byar method. Patients and methods Data from resected PCa patients diagnosed between 2003 and 2014 and registered in the national cancer registries of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Slovenia were used to estimate the association between ACT and overall survival using a Cox proportional hazards model by country and overall. Results derived from the immortal time bias (misclassifying the time to ACT initiation), Mantel–Byar method, and conventional and modified landmark analyses with assumed cutoff times of ACT initiation at 9, 12 and 15 weeks post-diagnosis were compared. Results In total, 5,668 patients with a total of 10,921 person-years of follow-up were eligible. All analytical approaches showed a significant survival benefit for resected PCa patients who received ACT, but immortal time bias analyses led to strong overestimation of ACT benefits compared to the Mantel–Byar method (immortal time bias: overall HR [95% CI] 0.68 [0.62–0.75] vs Mantel–Byar method: 0.82 [0.71–0.93]), whereas the conventional landmark approach generally provided rather conservative estimates (0.86 [0.75–1.00], 15 weeks landmark). HRs derived from modified landmark analyses depended on the cutoff time, but were similar compared to the Mantel–Byar method at 15 weeks (0.81 [0.70–0.94]). Conclusion A modified landmark approach might be a valid alternative to the Mantel–Byar method if no time of treatment information is available. The performance depends on the chosen cutoff time.


The distribution of He in η-Fe2C has been studied by first-principles calculations. The formation energies of interstitial He and substitutional He (replacing Fe) are 3.76 eV and 3.49 eV, respectively, which are remarkably smaller than those in bcc Fe, indicating that He is more soluble in η-Fe2C than in bcc Fe. The binding potencies of both a substitutional-interstitial He pair (1.28 eV) and a substitutional-substitutional He pair (0.76 eV) are significantly weaker than those in bcc Fe. The binding energy between the two He atoms in an interstitial–interstitial He pair (0.31 eV) is the same as that in bcc Fe, but the diffusion barrier of interstitial He (0.35 eV) is much larger than that in bcc Fe, suggesting that it is more difficult for the interstitial He atom to agglomerate in η-Fe2C than in bcc Fe. Thus, self-trapping of He in η-Fe2C is less powerful than that in bcc Fe. As a consequence, small and dense η-Fe2C particles in ferritic steels might serve as scattered trapping centers for He, slow down He bubble growth at the initial stage, and make the steel more swelling resistant.


This paper discusses an investigation of the effects of mirror quality on the performance of reflecting arrayed-waveguide-grating multiplexers. Using specially designed external mirrors as external reflectors, the optimum flatness and microroughness of the reflecting surface are determined. The experiments discussed in the paper indicate that a reflecting-surface flatness of /spl lambda//4 is sufficient to obtain high-performance reflective multiplexers. Extrinsic mirror-related phase and intensity errors were found to be negligible for surfaces polished with diamond lapping films with a grain size smaller than 1 /spl mu/m. These experimental results were found to be in excellent agreement with simulations based on mirror-related changes in the waveguide-grating-length increment.


Sir: May I be permitted to comment on the finding of rhabdomyoblasts in olfactory neuroblastoma reported recently in the journal by Slootweg & Lubsen'. The tumour depicted has few of the hallmarks of olfactory neuroblastoma. The latter does not typically present in the nasopharynx, but arises in the olfactory neuroepithelial region in the upper part of the nasal cavity. It is not an aggressive neoplasm. Metastases are, in fact, unusual and certainly death from the growth would nut normally be expected as early as occurred in this case, 8 months after initial presentation. The specific features of the histology of olfactory neuroblastoma-tight lobules of dark blue-staining cells and an intensely vascular stroma-are not mentioned. Rosettes, put forward by the authors as the typical histological feature of olfactory neuroblastoma, are not seen in most cases of that neoplasm. A malignant tumour of the nasal area containing neuroblasts with neural rosettes in company with skeletal muscle cells has already been described by Heffner & Hyams' and designated as teratocarcinoma. The survival of patients with teratocarcinoma was found to be short. I would suggest that Slootweg & Lubsen's case is not an olfactory neuroblastoma at all and that it would more reasonably fit into the category of teratocarcinoma. It is important that pathologists should be wellinformed about the diagnostic pattern of olfactory neuroblastoma, since it can usually be cured by surgery and irradiation. It has clear-cut microscopic characteristics3, but the description given by Slootweg & Lubsen, probably relating to another entity, disregards those specific features and so helps to make indistinct the correct basis for the diagnosis of olfactory neuroblastoma. L.Michaels Depart men t of His topa t holog y , University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, Rockefeller Building, University Street, London W C l E 6JJ, UK


We investigated the role of positive and negative contact on outgroup attitudes, collective action tendencies, and psychological well-being among minority (Kurds) and majority (Turks) group members in a conflict area (N = 527), testing ingroup identification, relative deprivation, and perceived discrimination as potential mediators in these associations. Contrary to recent research studies demonstrating the superiority of negative contact effects, positive contact was generally a stronger determinant of the dependent variables, directly and indirectly, in both groups, although negative contact also had some direct and indirect associations with the outcomes. Findings highlight the need to incorporate the role of positive and negative contact to provide a full understanding of the potential benefits/costs of the contact strategy in conflict settings.


Laser accelerated proton beams have been proposed to be used in different research fields. A great interest has risen for the potential replacement of conventional accelerating machines with laser-based accelerators, and in particular for the development of new concepts of more compact and cheaper hadrontherapy centers. In this context the ELIMED (ELI MEDical applications) research project has been launched by INFN-LNS and ASCR-FZU researchers within the pan-European ELI-Beamlines facility framework. The ELIMED project aims to demonstrate the potential clinical applicability of optically accelerated proton beams and to realize a laser-accelerated ion transport beamline for multi-disciplinary user applications. In this framework the eye melanoma, as for instance the uveal melanoma normally treated with 62 MeV proton beams produced by standard accelerators, will be considered as a model system to demonstrate the potential clinical use of laser-driven protons in hadrontherapy, especially because of the limited constraints in terms of proton energy and irradiation geometry for this particular tumour treatment. Several challenges, starting from laser-target interaction and beam transport development up to dosimetry and radiobiology, need to be overcome in order to reach the ELIMED final goals. A crucial role will be played by the final design and realization of a transport beamline capable to provide ion beams with proper characteristics in terms of energy spectrum and angular distribution which will allow performing dosimetric tests and biological cell irradiation. A first prototype of the transport beamline has been already designed and other transport elements are under construction in order to perform a first experimental test with the TARANIS laser system by the end of 2013. A wide international collaboration among specialists of different disciplines like Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine and medical doctors coming from Europe, Japan, and the US is growing up around the ELIMED project with the aim to work on the conceptual design, technical and experimental realization of this core beamline of the ELI Beamlines facility.


The article is devoted to the concept of "transit culture". The relation of transit culture and the decolonization turn is explained. Identified differences in interpretations of culture in the framework of postcolonial turn and decolonial turn. The models of identity formed in hybrid and transit cultures are distinguished.
Keywords: decolonial turn, transit culture, human, culture, philosophy of culture, postcolonial studies, identity, methodology, discourse


The key questions of uniqueness and existence in time-dependent density-functional theory are usually formulated only for potentials and densities that are analytic in time. Simple examples, standard in quantum mechanics, lead, however, to nonanalyticities. We reformulate these questions in terms of a nonlinear Schroedinger equation with a potential that depends nonlocally on the wave function.


Polarization sensing and imaging through optical fibers is a technological challenge motivated by promising applications for in vivo, in situ polarimetric endoscopy for biomedical diagnosis. Among the recent approaches proposed to solve this issue, the depolarization/dichroism sensing by polarization orthogonality breaking (DSOB) technique was shown to perform remotely through single-mode optical fibers for depolarization/diattenuation measurements. In this article, we investigate the applicability of such a technique in slightly multimode waveguides. Through theoretical modeling and numerical simulations, we evidence the conditions required for the polarization orthogonality to be preserved after propagation in a few-mode fiber, notably in terms of detection geometry of the spatial modes. Original experiments realized in few-mode fibers both in transmission and reflection configurations are also reported and validate the theoretical predictions. These results allow us to analyze the influence of the experimental parameters, such as detection geometry, sample tilt, or fiber length, on orthogonality preservation and on the measurement dynamics of the DSOB technique in slightly multimode waveguides.


The vibration–rotation dynamics of acetylene are computed from a spectroscopic Hamiltonian with 468 parameters fit to 19,582 vibration–rotation transitions up to 13,000 cm−1 of vibrational energy. In this energy range, both the bending and the CH stretching vibrations can reach large amplitudes, but the maximum energy remains below the threshold for isomerization to vinylidene. In contrast to the behavior at energies below 5000 cm−1 [Mol. Phys. 108, 1115 (2010)], excitation of single bright states leads, in almost all cases, to computed intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) that is irreversible on the timescales investigated. Hierarchies of IVR processes on timescales ranging from 20 fs to 20 ps result when different bright states are excited. Different parts of the vibrational quantum number space are explored as a result of the four different classes of coupling terms: vibrational l-type resonance, anharmonic resonances, the rotational l-type resonance, and Coriolis couplings. The initial IVR rates are very different depending on whether the bright states are bending states or stretching states, normal modes or local modes, edge states or interior states. However, the rates of the rotationally mediated couplings do not depend substantially on these distinctions.


The development of the Criminal Justice System has led to efforts to initiate LPSK as a Criminal Justice Subsystem. The aim is to provide maximum protection to witnesses and victims of crime. The research method used is normative juridical with statutory approach, and descriptive analytical specifications. The results of the study concluded that the victimology study was a challenge for the Criminal Justice System, which had so far not paid attention to the interests of victims. Efforts to initiate LPSK as an Integrated Criminal Justice Subsystem in Indonesia are based on the importance of the institution's position in providing protection and services to victims of crime, so there is good coordination and cooperation between LPSK and other law enforcement institutions.Keywords: Development; Criminal Justice System; Initiating; LPSK.


Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is one of the vulnerable species classified by IUCN Red list due hunting for its body parts and habitat fragmentation. The forest zone of Kumrat, is one of the important habitat for black bear. The primary objective of the study conducted was to determine the conservation status of Asian black bear in Kumrat valley. Pre-planned questionnaire and interviews were conducted for data collection. The results showed that black bears used to cause damage to the local property, crops and livestock and as a result, the community was hunting it ruthlessly. Illegal hunting and habitat loss in the form of deforestation, visit to forest areas for recreation and grazing of livestock were among the main anthropogenic activities causing threats to black bear. These activities resulted in gradual decline in their number and had brought it at the verge of extinction in the study area. To conserve this rare species, awareness among the people regarding its conservation, incentives to the local community in case of losses, strict regulation measures, sustainable tourism and control on the deforestation are the main recommendations of this study.


A new bitetrahydroanthracene derivative, torosaol-III, was isolated from the flowers of Cassia torosa Cav. along with physcion, 5,7'-physcionanthrone-physcion, 5,7'-biphyscion, torosanin-9,10-quinone, 5,7-dihydroxy-chromone, naringenin, and chrysoeriol. The structure of torosaol-III was established as 3,3'-4,4'-tetrahydro-3,3'8,8'9,9'-hexahydroxy-6,6'-dimethoxy-3,3'- dimethyl-1(2H),1'(2H)-5,7'-bianthracenone on the basis of spectral and chemical evidence. Dimeric tetrahydroanthracenes exhibited cytotoxic activity against KB cells in the tissue culture.


【The purpose of this study are to determine the proper radiographic measurements for hip deformity in spastic cerebral palsy patients, and the correlation of hip deformity with neurological involvement, ability of ambulation. Thirty children with cerebral palsy(22 males, 8 females) were evaluated by measurement of the migration index, acetabular index, center edge angle from bilateral hip APs(anterior posterior view). The result are as follows; 1. The incidence of hip dislocation, among the thirty children fifteen children were found to be dislocated, and more significantly high in non-walking group than in walking group(p】


Background: The nation9s war on cancer has resulted in great improvements in cancer survival rates with over 12 million cancer survivors in the U.S today. Physical activity (PA) has been shown to reduce the risk for chronic diseases including: heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis and cancer. The benefits of PA for cancer survivors have been studied but only few survivors are physically active at public health recommended levels. Minority groups are even less active. Therefore promoting PA in minority cancer survivors is an important area of community service. Purpose: This community service learning (CSL) project focused on the process of implementing an educational yoga therapy program among cancer survivors aimed to increase: 1) knowledge of PA recommendations among cancer survivors, and 2) well-being through a guided yoga activity for participants. Methods: Participants were recruited from a local non-profit wellness center for women diagnosed with cancer. A total of 4 yoga sessions were conducted. A schedule of classes was provided at the beginning of the program. Participants were contacted bi-weekly via-telephone for yoga session reminders. At the first session, participants received a 25 minute PA educational module and a short demographic, medical history and the health related quality of life Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-36) Questionnaire. The SF-36 was administered at baseline and post assessments. Descriptive statistics were performed on demographic and SF-36 measures. A paired-sample t-test was used to determine differences at baseline and posttest for the SF-36 scores. Results: A total of 17 women completed the baseline assessments and 13 women completed the post assessments. The majority of the women who participated in the program were Hispanic or Latina (52.9%), followed by Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (23.5%) and Asian (5.9%). Among the participating women, 41.2% were breast cancer survivors between 60-69 years of age. Majority of the women were 6 months post treatment (47.1%). Though there were no significant changes in the SF-36 aggregate scores of Physical Component Scale (PCS) (pre M= 37.5 SD= 8.2, post M=35.3 SD= 4.9, p = 0.379 ) and Mental Component Scale (pre M= 43.8 SD= 11.4, post M=43.3 SD= 3.5, p = 0.915), SF-36 physical function (PF) subscale significantly improved (pre M= 36.6 SD= 9.2, post M=40.0 SD= 10.8, p = 0.030) and mental health (MH) subscale improved approaching significance (pre M= 53.7 SD= 12.4, post M=57.9 SD= 5.1, p = 0.079). Discussion: Though the benefits of a physically active lifestyle for cancer survivors are well known, few cancer survivors are active at levels consistent with public health recommendations. Strategies to increase exercise behaviors for cancer survivors in the community setting are needed. Our attempt to implement a CSL exercise program for breast cancer survivors in a community setting resulted in mixed outcomes. Though participants benefited from the exercise in MH and PF subscales of the SF-36, overall aggregate scores and other subscale scores did not improve as expected. However, the PF and MH improvements are consistent with other pilot yoga studies we have done. We also found it challenging to get participants to commit and attend the exercise sessions, especially at post-assessments. However, as expected for those participants that attended, improvements were noted. Conclusion: Research continues to show there is a need to explore methods to increase PA and exercise behaviors in minority cancer survivor communities. As this was a first effort in establishing exercise in this specific community, several key lessons were learned for this CSL project. Further efforts are needed to explore and address the contributing factors to promoting exercise behaviors in these cancer survivor populations. Citation Format: Rose A. Trevino-Whitaker, Delana Gonzales, Christina M. Carmona, Ruth Morris, Susan Ogden, Mariam Ishaque, Daniel C. Hughes. Promoting physical activity among cancer survivors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B31.


The second part of this paper is devoted to the computational modelling of transient water migration in hardwood. During re-saturation, the moisture content, measured during the process by using X-ray attenuation (see part 1 of this paper), increases quickly very close to the cavity, but requires a very long time for the remaining part of the sample to absorb the moisture in wetting. For this configuration and this material, the macroscopic approach fails. Consequently, a dual-porosity approach is proposed. The computational domain uses a 2-D axisymmetric configuration for which the axial coordinate represents the macroscopic longitudinal direction of the sample whereas the radial coordinate allows the slow migration from each active vessel towards the fibre zone to be considered. The latter is a microscopic space variable. The moisture content field evolution depicts clearly the dual scale mechanisms:a very fast longitudinal migration in the vessel followed by a slow migration from the vessel towards the fibre zone.The macroscopic moisture content field resulting from this dual scale mechanism is in quite good agreement with the experimental data.


Behavioural change responses to prevent HIV known as ABC (A= Abstinence; B=be Faithful;
C=Condom use) in Uganda are widely acclaimed nationally and internationally. However, to
date little is known about the mechanisms by which behavioural changes occur, specifically
among traditionally high-risk groups like sex workers. Despite possessing accurate knowledge
about ABC, these groups experience very high rates of HIV infection still unexplained
empirically. Based on a literature review, this paper proposes that the social representations
theory (SRT) can inform research into the mechanisms of behavioural change, particularly
social representations or worldviews underlying local sexual practices. This understanding can
improve efforts in non-European contexts seeking to motivate individual competencies to
change risky sexual attitudes and relations. Existing HIV approaches study mainly interindividual
cognitive differences regarding HIV responses creating theoretical and empirical
problems obscuring the analysis of culturally sensitive meanings shaping local competence in
real world conditions. SRT, which primarily analyses the mechanisms through which scientific
ideas like ABC are translated into ordinary thinking, can inform empirical investigations about
worldviews shaping meanings that enhance or discourage changing risky sexual relations.
Researchers can develop tools to operationalise the social and cognitive aspects of SRT to
improve understandings of behavioural change processes and enhance the efficacy of ABC.
Despite limitations, SRT opens up a wider space for social research regarding behavioural
change responses, key to HIV prevention in countries facing extreme poverty and very high
birth rates, particularly Uganda.


Generalized Vickrey mechanisms have received wide attention in the literature because they are efficient and strategy-proof, i.e. truthful bidding is optimal whatever the bids of other agents. However it is well-known that it is impossible for an exchange, with multiple buyers and sellers, to be efficient and budget-balanced, even putting strategy-proofness to one side. A market-maker in an efficient exchange must make more payments than it collects. We enforce budget-balance as a hard constraint, and explore payment rules to distribute surplus after an exchange clears to minimize distance to Vickrey payments. Different rules lead to different levels of truth-revelation and efficiency. Experimental and theoretical analysis suggest a simple Threshold scheme, which gives surplus to agents with payments further than a certain threshold value from their Vickrey payments. The scheme appears able to exploit agent uncertainty about bids from other agents to reduce manipulation and boost allocative efficiency in comparison with other simple rules.


In the current work, we evaluate the influence of the processing parameters on the electrical properties of aluminium zinc oxide (AZO) thin films produced by airbrush spray-pyrolysis deposition technique. Spray-deposited AZO thin-films were produced with Al:Zn molar ratios varying from 0 % (pure ZnO) up to 30 %, using aluminium acetate and zinc acetate as organic precursors and water as solvent. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) were used to monitor the metal-oxide formation from the organic precursors as a function of the temperature. The results show that a temperature of 400 °C is necessary to completely degrade the organic phase and to obtain the desired inorganic metal-oxides films. The electrical properties of the TMOs were evaluated by d.c. current-voltage (I-V) analysis using planar thermally evaporated Al electrodes on top of the TMO layer, with different aspect ratios (1/18, 2/9, 5/13, 5/9 and 8/9). The lowest sheet resistance was obtained for AZO films at a molar Al concentration of 5 %. We also observed that, after carrying out a post-annealing treatment (30 mbar, 150 °C) the samples presented a decrease on the sheet resistance superior to 60 %, in comparison to the samples before the treatment.


To cite this article: Favaloro EJ, Bonar R, Marsden K. Different bleeding risk in type 2A and 2M von Willebrand disease: a 2‐year prospective study in 107 patients: a rebuttal. J Thromb Haemost 2012; 10: 1455–8.See also Castaman G, Baronciani L, Canciani MT, Federici AB. Different bleeding risk in type 2A and 2M von Willebrand disease: a 2‐year prospective study in 107 patients: a reply to a rebuttal. This issue, pp 1458–60.