Abstract This study investigated the expression and clinical significance of long intergenic noncoding RNA 00665 (LINC00665) in ovarian cancer (OC), as well as its effect on the malignant biological behavior of OC cells. The expression of LINC00665, miR-148b-3p, and Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) in OC tissues and cells were determined by RT-qPCR. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of KLF5. The expression patterns of LINC00665 in nuclear and cytoplasm fractions were undertaken using RT-qPCR. In addition, CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, transwell, scratch test, and flow cytometry were respectively used to detect the cell activity, proliferation, invasiveness, healing of cells, and apoptosis rate of OC cells. Furthermore, the interactions between LINC00665 and miR-148b-3p and between miR-148b-3p and KLF5 were verified by the luciferase reporter assay, and the correlations among these three genes were analyzed. LINC00665 expression was upregulated both in OC cell lines and tissues. Si-LINC00665 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and induced apoptosis to a certain extent. The subcellular fraction assay revealed LINC00665 to be located mainly in the cytoplasm. miR-148b-3p was a target of LINC00665, and KLF5 was directly targeted by miR-148b-3p. Si-LINC00665 inhibited KLF5 expression, miR-148b-3p inhibitor promoted KLF5 expression, and si-KLF5 inhibited LINC00665 expression. Interestingly, the expression of LINC00665 was reversely associated with miR-148b-3p expression but positively correlated with KLF5. Furthermore, miR-148b-3p expression was negatively correlated with KLF5. In addition, si-KLF5 inhibited the malignant biological behavior of OC cells, whereas miR-148b-3p inhibitor had the opposite effect. Most importantly, the si-LINC00665 could reverse the promotion effect of the miR-148b-3p inhibitor on the malignant biological behavior of OC cells. LINC00665 can be used as an effective prognostic indicator of OC, which has the potential to be a new therapeutic target.


The presence of two maternal chromosome sets in triploid barley endosperm allows the distinction of maternal and paternal hordein bands in an electrophoregram: the maternal bands are stronger due to the higher gene dose. In the F1 generation there are differences between reciprocal crosses and in the F2 generation all 16 classes that are theoretically possible for a pair of polymorphic loci can be distinguished. This full classification is rarely possible in genetic studies, and allows more accurate estimates of recombination rates. Two hordein gene clusters (Hor1 and Hor2, corresponding to hordein C and hordein B respectively) were analyzed in hybrids obtained by crossing two winter barley cultivars Partizan and HWV-247. Hordein separation was performed by acid-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 3.2 (A-PAGE). A set of most informative bands of B and C hordeins was selected in each cross by two criteria: (1) presence or absence of bands in the parents and (2) signal strength to allow doses scoring. The average genetic distance between Hor1 and Hor2 loci was 11 cM. Distances in male and female maps were not significantly different, suggesting a similar recombination rate in male and female meiosis.


In this article, veteran Tanzania missionary Fergus King reflects on the connection between mission and theological education. "Mission" is primarily God's mission, participation in which is constitutive of the church's very nature. In today's debate, "theological education" is pulled between a commitment to a more "holistic" approach (paideia) and a more academic approach (Wissenschaft), and while it needs both it also must take into account local context: location, culture, language and worldview. When context is taken into account, theological education cannot but be mission-oriented, since its goal becomes an education that aims at a faithful and relevant communication of the gospel to fellow Christians and non-Christians, both locally and universally. King concludes with some reflections on the nature of theological authority: ultimately authority resides in the entire church, past and present. Theological education, therefore, is aimed at all Christians, at whatever level they find themselves.


Modern treatments for cancers of the reproductive age are yielding ever-higher cure rates, but more often than not, the price paid for survival is the loss of reproductive function from gonadal toxicity. Alkylating agents and ionizing radiation have well-recognized deleterious effects within the testes and ovary and cause sterility in a high proportion of patients exposed to these treatments. Preservation of fertility for men simply involves the banking of sperm before treatment, but for women, the storage of gametes is technically very complex and has limited success. Even when faced with the diagnosis of cancer, many reproductive-aged women are burdened by the possibility of never conceiving a child with their own eggs. Fertility preservation for the reproductive-age women with cancer is emerging as a challenging, but rewarding, application of assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization. With recent advances in cryopreservation techniques, oocytes, embryos, and ovarian tissue can be banked from these patients before exposure to sterilizing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, providing future fertility options without compromising survival.


Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) inhibit ice recrystallization by a mechanism remaining largely elusive. The dynamics of AFGPs' hydration water and its involvement in the antifreeze activity, for instance, have not been identified conclusively. We herein, by simulation and theory, examined the picosecond site-specific water dynamics in the first hydration layer of a solvated AFGP8. Using a hydrogen bond switch event-based treatment, we strictly excluded the non-first layer water contribution. The observed water dynamics is much more retarded and inhomogeneous compared to the result of other commonly adopted treatments with non-first layer water contributions included. A molecular jump model analysis, with the cross-correlation between hydrogen bond switch molecular frames included, further indicates that excluding the non-first layer water contribution enhances the slow component in water dynamics, which couples strongly with the local environment. Further comparison with the structured ubiquitin protein revealed that, although the overall relaxation time distributions are similar between two proteins, a significant portion (>30%) of water hydrogen bond switching processes on the AFGP8 surface are considerably slower since they are trapped between the disaccharides and other protein regions. AFGP8 therefore resembles much the situation of an enzyme binding cleft or a DNA groove, where considerable slowdown of hydration water dynamics is observed due to the confinement. When bound to the ice surface, these slow, disordered water molecules may become a factor hindering the ice growth.


The creation of an information architecture is one of the identified ways that contribute to increase competitiveness, enabling cost reduction and increasing productivity in organizations. When it comes to broaden comprehensive sectors gathering several organizations (for example in the health sector), the creation of a reference architecture acquires a higher importance to guide and constrain the implementation of information architectures of the involved organizations, ensuring interoperability and alignment among them. When creating a reference architecture, following a bottom-up approach, it is essential to identify the informational entities amongst the different data models in order to be possible to integrate these informational entities in the reference architecture that is being developed. This paper describes a process which allows the verification of correspondence between informational entities amongst different data models. As far as the Portuguese case is concerned, there is just one reference architecture for the Public Administration. In this paper we describe its foundations in order to make a specialization in that architecture that can be used, further on, as a reference for the Portuguese health sector in order to increase interoperability. Nevertheless, the presented solution may also be applied to any data models integration following the bottom-up approach.


Wild berries became a valuable export article in Sweden and Finland at the end of the nineteenth century. At the time, property rights over wild berries were not explicitly defined, and in both countries, proposals were made to subject the berries to the landowner. The proposals did not pass and wild berry-picking on another's land continued, as seen from today's perspective, to be available to everyone. This paper looks at the socioeconomic context of wild berry-picking, and asks whether the principle of allemansratt - a Nordic tradition of public access to nature - played a role in why wild berries did not become private property. By focusing on the Finnish penal code debate of 1888 and the process of stabilising the property rights, the paper rejects the idea of continuity. It argues that (1) the traditional allemansratt is debatable as a historical concept and shows how (2) the contingent political process created the conditions, and economic imagination the impetus, that wild berries were not privatised but turned into an open resource.


A guide to resources in support of the interdisciplinary study of management practices and principles from a liberal arts perspective.


Meropenem is a broad-spectrum carbapenem antibiotic with excellent activity against many pathogens associated with complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs). At least three studies have shown meropenem to have good clinical efficacy and to be well tolerated in the treatment of cSSTIs. Two open-label studies compared meropenem 500 mg every 8 hours (total evaluable n=146) with imipenem/cilastatin 500mg every 6 hours (n=147). Clinical efficacy rates in evaluable patients 7–14 days after end of treatment were similar, 92% and 100% in meropenem-treated groups versus 89% and 100% in groups receiving imipenem/cilastatin. An additional prospective, randomized, double-blind study evaluated meropenem 500mg every 8 hours (261 evaluable patients) versus imipenem/cilastatin 500 mg every 8 hours (287 patients). Clinical efficacy rates of meropenem and imipenem/cilastatin 7–28 days after end of treatment were 86.2% and 82.9%, respectively. Meropenem was well tolerated in all studies. Carbapenems are currently recommended as appropriate for initial treatment of certain cSSTIs such as those likely to involve mixed and/or multidrug-resistant pathogens. Meropenem is an effective and safe alternative for monotherapy when used for appropriate types of cSSTIs. Higher doses (ie, 1 g every 8 hours) should be considered for treatment of cSSTIs in higher-risk patients where Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a suspected or documented pathogen.


We were consulted by an 81-year-old man who had been complaining of a slow-growing tumor on his abdomen for 20 years. Histologically, small islets of the tumor cells were floating in mucinous lake separated by fibrous septa, so we diagnosed this tumor as mucinous carcinoma of the skin (Mendoza). Electron-microscopically, nuclei of the tumor cells were slightly folded. There were a few secretory granules and many secretory vacuoles in cytoplasm, but no findings of decapitation secretion. Like some other authors' reports, our data suggest that this tumor has an eccrine gland origin. To our knowledge, this is the 12th case of mucinous carcinoma of the skin in the Japanese literature.


PURPOSE
To determine if local anesthesia decreases discomfort following laparoscopic upper retroperitoneal surgery, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study in which the port sites and hand assist incision were infiltrated with bupivacaine or placebo prior to surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 72 patients undergoing transperitoneal laparoscopic renal or adrenal surgery were randomly assigned to the treatment (0.5% bupivacaine) or placebo (0.9% normal saline) arm. Port and hand assist port sites were infiltrated at the outset of the procedure. Postoperative pain and opioid use were measured at consistent intervals.

RESULTS
A total of 37 individuals were treated with placebo (standard laparoscopy [SL] in 15 and hand assisted laparoscopy [HALS] in 22) and 35 were treated with bupivacaine (SL in 16 and HALS in 19). Mean parenteral morphine equivalents use for the placebo vs bupivacaine groups were 29.6 vs 20.0 mg at 12 hours, 50.2 vs 34.5 mg at 24 hours and 57.1 vs 36.6 mg for the total hospital stay (all p <0.05). Parenteral opioid use was decreased in the bupivacaine group in the SL and HALS subgroups with a significant effect at 12 hours in the latter subgroup. On multivariate ANOVA bupivacaine use but not SL vs HALS was associated with decreased parenteral opioid use at all time points (p <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
At the outset of transperitoneal laparoscopic urological surgery in the upper retroperitoneum, port site and other incision infiltration with long acting local anesthesia decreases postoperative parenteral opioid requirements compared with placebo controls. The effect was seen with SL and HALS and it was greater than any effect of SL vs HALS.


Abstract This work supports the acceptability of the two-dimensional deterministic transport code HELIOS to replace the legacy diffusion code PDQ for computing the peak-power performance parameters of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The 95% Confidence Rule, commonly used in the commercial reactor sector, is explored to develop the so-called reliability factors that provide statistical confidence that the peak-power limits within the hottest location along a fuel plate, referred to as the hot stripe, will not be exceeded. Additionally, an alternative "legacy" methodology was explored that attempts to mimic the exact PDQ analysis process used for defining the peak-power limits. The legacy methodology involves interpolating power between regions at azimuthal boundaries subtending the regions of interest. In order to apply the 95% Confidence Rule, a statistically significant calculation-to-measurement bias must first be established. Unlike the commercial world, where thousands of power observations can be collected every cycle using online flux-mapping instrumentation, the ATR power distribution must be measured during "depressurized" zero-power measurements using fission wires in polyethylene wands. In 2012, fission wire activation data were collected during a flux run in the Advanced Test Reactor Critical Facility. Also to improve statistical validity, archival data from ATR zero-power flux runs from 1977, 1986, and 1994 were digitized from scanned reports and used to create new benchmark models. Borrowing from least-squares adjustment methods commonly used for neutron activation spectroscopy, adjusted fission wire powers were calculated for all four data sets. The mean and standard deviation of the bias between a priori calculated and adjusted wire powers were then taken as the bias and uncertainty used in the 95% Confidence Rule.


CONGENITAL absence of the vermiform appendix is a rare condition in man that too many well-experienced surgeons have never seen. Collins 1 found one case in 104,066. The fact that congenital absence of the vermiform appendix has been reported on several occasions confirms its existence and should be kept in mind. A thorough and meticulous search of the entire ileocecal region and mobilization of the cecum and ascending colon should be carried out before the diagnosis is made. The length of the appendix is usually between 8 to 10 cm with extremes being 2 to 25 cm. But, it should also be kept in mind that early cessation of appendiceal anlage can result in very tiny ones. Bryant's 2 6 mm specimen and Huntingdon's 3 5 mm might be overlooked, especially if masked by fat. Embryology and Anatomy A fully developed appendix is seen in a 10-week-old embryo. The appendix


Remote sensing estimates of forest canopy cover have frequently been used to support a variety of applications including wildlife habitat modeling, monitoring of watershed health, change detection, and are also correlated to various aspects of forest structure and ecosystem function. Although data from the long running Landsat earth observation program (1972–present) have been previously utilized to characterize forest canopy cover, the variability in spatial and spectral resolutions between the Landsat sensors has generally limited analyses to readily comparable imagery from the TM and ETM+ sensors, which omits large portions of the full temporal record. In this study, we present an R package, LandsatLinkr, which automates the processes for harmonizing Landsat MSS and OLI imagery to the spatial and spectral qualities of TM and ETM+ imagery, allowing for the generation of annual cloud-free composites of tasseled cap spectral indices across the entire Landsat archive. We demonstrate the utility of LandsatLinkr products, further enhanced through the LandTrendr segmentation algorithm, for characterizing forest attributes through time by developing annual forest masks and maps of estimated canopy cover for the state of Minnesota from 1973 to 2015. The forest mask model had an overall accuracy of 87%, with omission and commission errors for the forest class of 17% and 10%, respectively, and 9% and 16% for non-forest classification. Our resulting maps depicted a significant positive trend in forest cover across all ecological provinces of Minnesota during the study period. A random forest model used to predict continuous canopy cover had a pseudo R of 0.75, with a cross validation RMSE of 5%. Our results are comparable to previous Landsat-based canopy cover mapping efforts, but expand the evaluation time period as we were able to utilize the entire Landsat archive for assessment.


Abstract Cleaning agents and disinfectants from housekeeping, hospitals and canteen kitchens are important sources of adsorbable halogenated organic compounds (AOX) in municipal waste water. They often contain inorganic compounds which are able to release activated chlorine. Together with organic waste water compounds the activated chlorine can generate halogenated organic compounds. Within the scope of this research project the generation of AOX through these active agents is compared. The effects of concentration, pH, time, temperature, presence of other oxidizing or reducing agents and synergetic effects are investigated and discussed. According to the results the potential of these active agents forming AOX is obvious. The AOX concentration of a municipal waste water increased by the factor of 13 after adding an hypochlorite containing disinfectant in common concentration. Most AOX can be formed within 30 minutes. In sewage with high amount of solid compounds the AOX generation can take a long time (several days). The amount of AOX generated strongly depends on the nature and concentration of dissolved and solid organic compounds, the concentration of active substances, temperature, pH and the reaction time.


This paper analyzes the Brazilian challenge of teacher training for Vocational and Technological Education (ept), a critical aspect of the expansion that has been taking place in this educational arena and of the way its political and pedagogic needs and demands are met. It addresses historical aspects of this training, analyzes statistical data and critically examines the Brazilian educational legislation provisions. The great diversity of ept teachers, the dialectics between past legacies and present needs and the new educational ideas that this educational field has been producing are also part of the analytical categories of the study. The conclusion presents aspects of the challenge that this study points out as more evidently urgent.


DNA-based immunization is a contemporary strategy for developing vaccines to prevent infectious diseases in animals and humans. Translating the efficacy of DNA immunization demonstrated in murine models to the animal species that represent the actual populations to be protected remains a significant challenge. We tested two hypotheses directed at enhancing DNA vaccine efficacy in outbred animals. The first hypothesis, that DNA-encoding fetal liver tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) and GM-CSF increases dendritic cell (DC) recruitment to the immunization site, was tested by intradermal inoculation of calves with plasmid DNA encoding Flt3L and GM-CSF followed by quantitation of CD1+ DC. Peak DC recruitment was detected at 10–15 days postinoculation and was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in calves in the treatment group as compared with control calves inoculated identically, but without Flt3L and GM-CSF. The second hypothesis, that DNA encoding Flt3L and GM-CSF enhances immunity to a DNA vector-expressed Ag, was tested by analyzing the CD4+ T lymphocyte response to Anaplasma marginale major surface protein 1a (MSP1a). Calves immunized with DNA-expressing MSP1a developed strong CD4+ T cell responses against A. marginale, MSP1a, and specific MHC class II DR-restricted MSP1a epitopes. Administration of DNA-encoding Flt3L and GM-CSF before MSP1a DNA vaccination significantly increased the population of Ag-specific effector/memory cells in PBMC and significantly enhanced MSP1a-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation and IFN-γ secretion as compared with MHC class II DR-matched calves vaccinated identically but without Flt3L and GM-CSF. These results support use of these growth factors in DNA vaccination and specifically indicate their applicability for vaccine testing in outbred animals.


The cGAS‐STING (cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase‐stimulator of interferon genes) axis is the predominant DNA sensing system in cells of the innate immune system. However, human T cells also express high levels of STING, while its role and physiological trigger remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the cGAS‐STING pathway is indeed functional in human primary T cells. In the presence of a TCR‐engaging signal, both cGAS and STING activation switches T cells into type I interferon‐producing cells. However, T cell function is severely compromised following STING activation, as evidenced by increased cell death, decreased proliferation, and impaired metabolism. Interestingly, these different phenotypes bifurcate at the level of STING. While antiviral immunity and cell death require the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), decreased proliferation is mediated by STING independently of IRF3. In summary, we demonstrate that human T cells possess a functional cGAS‐STING signaling pathway that can contribute to antiviral immunity. However, regardless of its potential antiviral role, the activation of the cGAS‐STING pathway negatively affects T cell function at multiple levels. Taken together, these results could help inform the future development of cGAS‐STING‐targeted immunotherapies.


The beam position monitors (BPMs) with submicron-level resolution act as the major eyes of storage ring in detecting the position of electron beams and are used for feedback system to guide the beam orbit to the desired track. Compared to major improvements on backend electronics, the physical devices generate and transmit signals had little improvement due to the lack of control on manufacturing processes including all mechanical tolerance requirements. The design started with ANSYS to simulate mechanical deformation. Due to the small size (submillimetre) and complicated assembly of feedthrough structure, it is difficult to achieve 1 % tolerance (submicron) in all aspects including machining and brazing. The smallest tolerance for machining is 5 µ and the overall tolerance will be 30 µm. The influence of the tolerance on mechanical will be shown on time-domain reflectometry measurement. The resulted heat-related issue will also be discussed and addressed since the problem happened at SLAC (private communication with Albert Sheng at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) and DIAMOND (presented at the RF Button Heating Mini-Workshop at EPAC 2008). Manufacturing steps will be described. The consequence of mismatch on manufacturing will be discussed. All related measurement and simulation data are presented in this paper.


In Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET), the network congestion can rigorously depreciate the network throughput. Also the network congestion results in the packet losses, bandwidth degradation and energy expenditure. Hence a load balancing scheme is required to prevent the network from congestion and exhaustion of resources of congested node. In this paper, we propose a congestion adaptive multi-path routing protocol for load balancing in MANET. When the source node wants to forward the data packet to the destination, it utilizes the reactive route discovery technique where the multiple paths are established using multi-path Dijkstra algorithm. In the discovered route, when any node detects congestion, it intimates the source with congestion notice message. The source node upon receiving the message distributes the data packets through the multiple paths available in its route cache using random transmission technique. If the source does not find any routes in its route cache, then it re-establishes multiple paths and distributes the traffic. By simulation results, we show that the proposed approach alleviates the network congestion.


Experiences about the preparation and the accomplishment of experimental animal operations are reported by reason of many own animal operations. Reproducible and representative animal experimental results require the appropriate preparation of the operating area, the pre-operative, intraoperative, and postoperative care of animals, an undisturbed healing process, and a lot of serious specialities.


Background and Objectives: This study was carried out with the aim of predicting pain intensity and acceptance and level of quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) based on the feature of interpersonal forgiveness. Methods: This research was conducted as a correlational study. In this study, of the patients with irritable bowel syndrome referred to Isfahan Digestive Health Center, 123 subjects were selected by census   method during a certain period of time . IBS was diagnosed by a gastroenterologist based on ROME III criteria. To collect information, the scales of the interpersonal forgiveness (IF), pain intensity (PI), chronic pain acceptance questionnaire (CPAQ) and quality of life    (SF-36), were used. Data were analyzed using statistical methods of Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the forgiveness and pain intensity, and a positive correlation between forgiveness and the variables of pain acceptance and quality of life. However, multiple regression analysis showed that the resentment control factor was the best predictive factor for pain intensity and quality of life. Conclusion: The feature of interpersonal forgiveness and its related concepts can be evaluated in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and there is a relationship between this feature and important aspects of life that are associated with chronic pain. Hence, in Iranian           society whose culture is intertwined with religious teachings, the implementation of forgiveness-based interventions, in order to control negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, can be effective in improvement process of physical symptoms and quality of life of patients.


The structure of the coincidence symmetry group of an arbitrary n-dimensional lattice in the n-dimensional Euclidean space is considered by describing a set of generators. Particular attention is given to the coincidence isometry subgroup (the subgroup formed by those coincidence symmetries that are elements of the orthogonal group). Conditions under which the coincidence isometry group can be generated by reflections defined by vectors of the lattice are discussed and an algorithm to decompose an arbitrary element of the coincidence isometry group in terms of reflections defined by vectors of the lattice is given.


The scavenger receptor class B type I gene can protect against atherosclerosis; a mononucleotide polymorphism is associated with differences in blood lipid metabolism, postprandial serum lipid levels, insulin resistance, coronary artery disease and familial hyperlipidemia. In this study, the scavenger receptor class B type I gene exon 1 G4A gene polymorphism in atherosclerotic cerebral infarction patients, cerebral hemorrhage patients and normal controls was detected using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The results showed that the GA + AA genotype frequency of scavenger receptor class B type I gene G4A in atherosclerotic cerebral infarction patients was similar to that in cerebral hemorrhage patients and normal controls; however, the A allele frequency was significantly lower than that in normal controls. The serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with the scavenger receptor class B type I gene G4A GA + AA genotype was significantly higher, while the serum level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower than that in patients with the GG genotype, in both the atherosclerotic cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage groups. The serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with the scavenger receptor class B type I gene G4A GA + AA genotype was significantly higher, while the serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol were significantly lower than those in normal controls with the GG genotype. Our experimental results suggest that the G4A polymorphism of the scavenger receptor class B type I gene is a possible predisposing risk factor for atherosclerotic cerebral infarction, and that it has no association with cerebral hemorrhage in the Han population in Hunan province of China. The A allele is possibly associated with the metabolism of high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.


Unlike most spoken languages, German Sign Language (DGS) does not have a single means of reciprocal marking. Rather, different strategies are used, which crucially depend on phonological (one-handed sign vs. two-handed sign) and morphosyntactic (plain verb vs. agreement verb) properties of the underlying verb. Moreover, with plain verbs DGS shows dialectal variation. Altogether there are four different ways of realizing reciprocal marking in DGS. In this paper, we compare a rule-based analysis for the reciprocal data (based on Brentari's 1998 feature hierarchy) to an optimality-theoretic analysis. We argue that an OT-account allows for a more straightforward explanation of the facts. In particular, we show that the different strategies as well as the variation can be accounted for by the interaction of four, independently motivated constraints.


Official statistics and key indicators are essential for observing countries' economic and social progress, determining the structural drivers of their growth and shaping priorities. Using the methodology of Khramov and Lee (2013), key indicators from the System of National Accounts (SNA), as well as balance of payments, monetary and financial, and public finance statistics, it is proposed to use a composite indicator to assess Latin America's economic performance. An examination of long-term trends finds that this index generally captures the major economic shocks and periods of robust performance during the period 1990-2013. It construction enables the measurement of specific indicators that determine overall economic behaviour. While the usefulness of the index for analysing macroeconomic dynamics is high in comparison with alternative benchmark values, caution should be exercised when selecting a time frame for estimating the relative weights of each component.


A method for synthesizing probes for detecting hepatitis B virus DNA in serum was developed. It uses DNA extracted from the serum of an hepatitis B virus carrier as target, and digoxigenin-11-dUTP incorporated in DNA sequences during the polymerase chain reaction as tracer. Using a spot hybridization assay, the sensitivity and specificity of the digoxigenin-labelled DNA probe were compared with two standard hepatitis B virus DNA probes, synthesized with cloned hepatitis B virus DNA and labelled either with digoxigenin or 32P by random priming. Data obtained from the three methods showed an excellent correlation. Thus, hepatitis B virus DNA extracted from human serum and labelled by polymerase chain reaction may be considered a suitable alternative to cloned DNA. It provides reliable probes and eliminates the need for facilities and personnel dedicated to the manipulation of clones. These advantages will allow a wider application of hepatitis B virus DNA testing in clinical practice.


AIM
The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of health surveillance for infants during the first year of life in detecting severe health problems. Two central questions were addressed: (1) what health problems were detected by routine health examinations at the Child Health Centre at the 2-, 6- and 12-month check-ups by a physician and at the 9-month check-up by a nurse; and (2) to what extent did the health examinations contribute to early identification of children with following key abnormalities: congenital heart disease, congenital dislocation of the hip, abnormalities as registered at the habilitation centre and severe hearing impairments? MATERIAL AND INCLUSION CRITERIA: The study population included all children in Uppsala county, born January 1995 to October 1996, who had participated in at least one of the four health check-ups. There were 3107-3487 children in the respective check-ups.

METHOD
Data from a county health register as well as child health records and information regarding referrals were analysed to categorize the health problems by type, severity and action taken. Data on children with key abnormalities were obtained from specialist units.

RESULTS
The rate of suspected new health problems varied between 1.9% and 2.8% at the respective check-ups. Of the new problems detected by the physician, 21%-36% were false-positive, 34%-44% were minor and 10%-15% were moderate. Only two severe health problems were detected among all the children during the four check-ups. Of all key abnormalities, 20% were detected by way of child health surveillance during the first year of life.

IMPLICATIONS
Severe health problems and key abnormalities in infants were detected only to a limited extent through routine health examinations at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. The minor and moderate problems detected justify a health surveillance programme, but the organization and content of the programme could be reconsidered.


Preeclampsia is a disease manifesting itself in the second half of pregnancy, and characterised by hypertension and proteinuria. It affects 5% to 7% of pregnant women all over the world making it the most common cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis-Elevated Liver enzymes-Low Platelets) occurs in about 4%-20% of the preeclamptic pregnant women and it is often associated with high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality rates. HELLP syndrome may require monitoring in the intensive care unit because of the increased morbidity and mortality rates it brings about as a result of potential complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), intracerebral hemorrhage, acute renal failure, hepatic rupture, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and septic shock. We aim to present the case story of a long-lasting but successful postoperative treatment for severe sepsis of a patient with HELLP syndrome who was monitored in our intensive care unit after a caesarean section


The principal cells of the chick tangential nucleus are vestibular nucleus neurons participating in the vestibular reflexes. In 16-day embryos, the application of glutamate receptor antagonists abolished the postsynaptic responses generated on vestibular-nerve stimulation, but spontaneous synaptic activity was largely unaffected. Here, spontaneous synaptic activity was characterized in principal cells from brain slices at E16 using whole cell voltage-clamp recordings. With KCl electrodes, the frequency of spontaneous inward currents was 3.1 Hz at -60 mV, and the reversal potential was +4 mV. Cs-gluconate pipette solution allowed the discrimination of glycine/GABA(A) versus glutamate receptor-mediated events according to their different reversal potentials. The ratio for spontaneous excitatory to inhibitory events was about 1:4. Seventy-four percent of the outward events were GABA(A), whereas 26% were glycine receptor-mediated events. Both pre- and postsynaptic GABA(B) receptor effects were shown, with presynaptic GABA(B) receptors inhibiting 40% of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and 53% of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs). With TTX, the frequency decreased approximately 50% for EPSCs and 23% for IPSCs. These data indicate that the spontaneous synaptic activity recorded in the principal cells at E16 is primarily inhibitory, action potential-independent, and based on the activation of GABA(A) receptors that can be modulated by presynaptic GABA(B) receptors.


A novel two-stage zinc oxide (ZnO) hexagonal microprisms was successfully synthesis via a hydrothermal route on a nickel (Ni) thin films. The Ni thin films are deposited by using magnetron sputtering onto Si (100) substrate. The formation of the secondary structure and optical properties of ZnO microprism have been investigated and the formation mechanism has been discussed. The results illustrate the Ni substrate is a key factor to grow the two-stage ZnO, and the photoluminescence (PL) emission peak at 389 nm reveals that the high crystal quality of these nanorods. ZnO with its excellent luminescent properties and the controllable nanostructures will hold promise for the development of photonic devices. Copyright © 2013 VBRI press.


IEEE Security & Privacy met with several interesting speakers at Security & Privacy Week (SPW) 2016 in Darmstadt, Germany. This issue features Srdan Capkun, computer science professor at ETH Zurich; Jeremy Epstein, a computer scientist at SRI International; George Danezis, security and privacy engineering professor at University College London; William Enck, associate professor at North Carolina State University; Panos Papadimitratos, associate professor at KTH; and Paul Francis, director at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. They discuss a variety of issues, including diversity, social norms, spoofing, privacy "guarantees," and mobile security.


Since their inception, Multi Agent Systems (MASs) have been championed as a solution for the increasing problem of software complexity. Communities of distributed autonomous computing entities that are capable of collaborating, negotiating and acting to solve complex organisational and system management problems are an attractive proposition. Central to this is the requirement for agents to possess the capability of interacting with one another in a structured, consistent and organised manner.
This thesis presents the Agent Conversation Reasoning Engine (ACRE), which constitutes a holistic view of communication management for MASs. ACRE is intended to facilitate the practical development, debugging and deployment of communication-heavy MASs.
ACRE has been formally defined in terms of its operational semantics, and a generic architecture has been proposed to facilitate its integration with a wide variety of diverse agent development frameworks and Agent Oriented Programming (AOP) languages. A concrete implementation has also been developed that uses the Agent Factory AOP framework as its base. This allows ACRE to be used with a number of different AOP languages, while providing a reference implementation that other integrations can be modelled upon. A standard is also proposed for the modelling and sharing of agent-focused interaction protocols that is independent of the platform within which a concrete ACRE implementation is run.
Finally, a user evaluation illustrates the benefits of incorporating conversation management into agent programming.


Abstract I submit what, I believe, is a fairly new definition of the nation, one which I call the sociopolitical conception. I try to avoid as much as possible the traditional dichotomy between the exclusively civic and ethnic accounts, and try to explain my reasons for doing so. I also adopt as a general framework a certain conceptual pluralism which allows me to use many different concepts of the nation. After that, I proceed by formulating some constraints on any acceptable new definition. My own sociopolitical conception is then finally introduced. The sociopolitical nation is a political community, most often composed, sociologically, of a national majority, national minorities, and individuals with other national origins. The concept of national majority is crucial for the account and refers to the largest sample in the world of a given population sharing a common language, history, and culture. National minorities are defined as extensions of neighbouring nations, while individuals of other national origins are those members of ethnic minorities that have come from immigration. There would be no sociopolitical nation if there were no national majority, but this is compatible with a pluricultural and multi-ethnic view of the nation, since the political community may also include national minorities and individuals with a different origin. I end the article by showing that this definition meets the constraints that were initially introduced.


BACKGROUND
Interferon(IFN) with antiviral and immunomodulatory activities is one of the most important therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis. The apoptotic effect of IFN is influenced by cell type and the types of IFN, which suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis in some cell types while inhibiting apoptosis in others. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of IFNalpha-2a on Fas expression and the apoptosis rate of peripheral blood cytotoxic T cells(CTLs) in patients with hepatitis B.

METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 26 patients with hepatitis B including 16 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 10 patients with chronic severe hepatitis B. Fas expression and apoptosis rate of CTLs were analyzed with flow cytometry before and after IFNalpha-2a treatment.

RESULTS
Before IFNalpha-2a treatment, Fas expression and apoptosis rate of CTLs from patients with chronic hepatitis B were significantly higher than those from patients with chronic severe hepatitis B and healthy controls respectively. No significant difference was observed between Fas expression and apoptosis rate of CTLs from patients with chronic severe hepatitis B and healthy controls. After IFNalpha-2a treatment, Fas expression and apoptosis rate of CTLs from different groups were compared with those before IFNalpha-2a treatment, showing no significant difference despite alternation of different degree.

CONCLUSIONS
Activation induced cell death (AICD) exists in peripheral blood CTLs from patients with hepatitis B. No effect of IFNalpha-2a exerts on Fas expression and apoptosis rate of Fas in patients with hepatitis B.


This research project is to to design the suitable electrical submersible pump
(ESP) component to be used for high water cut well which is PP-7, Pelanduk Putih
Field, Offshore Sabah. ESP is one of artificial lift method that is used worldwide
today, which the whole assembly is submerged in the fluid to be pumped. Another
problems in PP-7 well are pressure depletion, sand production problem and side
pocket mandrel has mechanical problem and then was categorized as idle well. The
project problem is how to design the most ideal ESP systems, that can extend life of
the systems since the installation cost of ESP are very expensive. So, most of this
project were run in production software such as PROSPER, in order to find the most
efficiency and optimum ESP components.[9] By having different results from
different parameters, the author will compare and choose the ideal one that can fix in
solving the case study problem. Thoughout 2 semester period of this research project,
in first period, the author need to have the study on theory, engineering application
and installation procedures of the artificial lift application especially on ESP system
from papers, journals and books. Next, the author will determine the suitable ESP
components from the results and graphs. End of the project, the author found that the
pump, REDA DN1800 that has pump efficiency about 74.45%, number of stages is
107, motor efficiency about 84.40% and the motor speed is 3443.llrpm. From the
designing, the well can reproduce again about 1349 STB/Day with 60Hz power
supply.


: Network level privacy can be categorized into four sub categories: Identity, route, location and data pivacy.It is so challenging to achieve complete network level privacy due to the constraints like energy, memory and computation power imposed by the sensor nodes and constraints like mobility and topology imposed by the sensor networks and QOS issues like packet reachability and timeliness. In this paper we proposed a new identity routing and location algorithm that provides additional reliability and data privacy.This proposed solution protects the data from various privacy attacks such as eavesdropping and hop-by-hop trace back attacks.


Nightmares have long attracted neurologic and psychiatric attention, yet little is known of their pathophysiology. We recorded 17-channel electroencephalograms (EEGs), brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), long-latency auditory event-related potentials (AEPs), and overnight cassette sleep EEGs (AEEGs) in 10 individuals with recurrent nightmares. They were all nocturnal sleepers, took no medications, do not abuse alcohol or drugs, and had no known medical or psychiatric illnesses. Five patients were being evaluated for other complaints, 3 reported disturbed nocturnal sleep and daytime sleepiness, and 2 sought attention chiefly for nightmares. All 10 patients had normal EEGs and BAEPs. BAEP latencies did not differ significantly from control subjects. Latencies and amplitudes of AEPs were not significantly different in nightmare sufferers and controls, but the former had higher amplitude N100, P160, and N200. Those patients with sleep complaints had on overnight AEEG, less sleep, decreased slow-wave sleep, and more awakenings than those without sleep complaints, but nightmares did not occur during the AEEG recordings.


Spaceborne differential radar interferometry has proven a remarkable potential for mapping ground deformation phenomena (e.g., urban subsidence, volcano dynamics, coseismic and postseismic displacements along faults, as well as slope instability). However, a full operational capability has not been achieved yet due to atmospheric disturbances and phase decorrelation phenomena. These drawbacks can often be-at least partially-overcome by carrying out measurements on a subset of image pixels corresponding to natural or artificial stable reflectors [permanent scatterers (PS)] and exploiting long temporal series of interferometric data. This approach allows one to push the measurement precision very close to its theoretical limit (in the order of /spl sim/1 mm for C-band European Remote Sensing (ERS)-like sensors). In this paper, the detection of both time-uniform and seasonal deformation phenomena is addressed, and a first assessment of the precision achievable by means of the PS Technique is discussed. Results highlighting deformation phenomena occurring in two test sites in California are reported (Fremont in the Southern Bay Area and San Jose in the Santa Clara Valley).


This paper covers a recent study on the valuation of transport time saving (TTS) and transport time variability (TTV) in Norway. The authors have focused on the benefits of faster and more reliable transport to shippers and carriers. In principle, the economic benefits of TTS and reduced TTV for carriers are related to the reductions of direct costs, e.g., vehicles and drivers, while for shippers the costs are related to the cargo and the payment to transport firms for carrying the cargo. Hence, the study covers both transport firms and shippers which provide transport services (hired transport). In addition, a separate survey was carried out among those shippers that transport their goods themselves (own account freight). The firms were recruited from two e-mail databases (9826 firms, most of them in the shippers segment). Approximately 5.6 percent of the shippers and 9.1 percent of the transport firms completed the whole questionnaire, which is a similar response rate to other surveys among firms. The study was not limited to specific types of firms within shippers and carrier segments. All firms were invited to participate, regardless of firm size, type of goods or choice of transport mode, etc. This implies a very heterogeneous final sample. The main reason was to gain an overview in a field in which there has been done little research before. The survey was carried out using a questionnaire which includes three choice experiments (CEs). In the first experiment, transport alternatives differ with respect to transport time and cost, In the second and the third experiments firms choose between alternatives where transport costs, the transport time variation or the risk of delay or risk of too early delivery vary. The choice experiments were designed using a reported actual shipment as the reference. In addition to questions about the reported actual shipment or transport, firms were also asked questions about their interpretation of TTV and its significance for them and the causes and consequences of early deliveries or delays. Using the results from the first and the second CE, the authors can compare the valuation of transport time in a stochastic and non-stochastic context. The results indicate that mean transport time, which is the mean of the distribution presented in the second CE, is valued higher in monetary terms than transport time is in the first CE. The authors also investigate the degree of consistency between the valuation of variability from the second CE and the valuation of delay in the third CE. The questionnaire used in the survey includes a number of questions about firm characteristics and characteristics of the shipment or transport used as a reference. Hence the authors are able to address the influence of these observable characteristics on the values of time and reliability. The authors also discuss the challenges that heterogeneity in the freight market poses for the estimation of unit values to be used in cost-benefit analysis. The paper will cover the design of the three choice experiments used in this study, and the estimated values of TTS and TTV using logit models based on data from the three choice experiments. The results indicate clear differences in values for carriers and shippers; hired transport and own account freight. Characteristics of the cargo/shipment have significant relevance for the values. Some of the particularities of a TTS and TTV for freight transport, such as the issues related to the unit values, will be addressed along with lessons from the study and recommendations for further studies.


We constructed paper-and-pencil test-items to assess chemistry student teachers' scientific inquiry competencies. We focused on the inquiry method experiment, divided into three reasoning steps (question & hypothesis; planning & performing; analysis & reflection). Test revision resulted in a test of 20 items, which was applied to a sample of undergraduate and graduate chemistry student teachers. The first explorative assessment ( N = 89) based on that instrument (1) revealed acceptable item characteristics, such as an appropriate range of item difficulties (.48 < P i < .84) and only slightly unsatisfactory item discrimination parameters (.19 < r it < .65). The study (2) obtained preliminary information on the high prognostic potential of the planned degree.


To a first approximation, alteration minerals in greisen and related fluorine-rich porphyry deposits lie in the system K 2 O-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -H 2 O-F 2 O (sub -1) . Equilibria in this model system can be depicted on quartz and fluid-saturated chemical potential diagrams whose axes are mu HF (acidity, where mu HF = mu HCl + mu (sub FCl (sub -1) ) ) and mu KF (salinity, where mu KF = mu NaCl + mu (sub KNa (sub -1) ) + mu (sub FCl (sub -1) ) ). Advantages of this approach are that it reflects the fact that the anion F, unlike Cl, is incorporated in greisen minerals (mainly topaz, fluorite, and micas) and that mineral stabilities can be correlated with possible ore-forming processes.The most important of these processes is probably vapor phase separation from an aqueous brine or magma (first or second boiling). Fluid inclusion studies have shown that boiling occurs in all porphyry and many (but not all) greisen deposits. Vapor phase separation from a magma (pneumatolysis) must similarly be responsible for the formation of greisenlike mineral assemblages in miarolitic topaz-rhyolite lava flows and is presumably also responsible for the formation of gem pockets in more deeply seated pegmatites and granites.The result of boiling is an increase in mu HF and a decrease in mu KF in the vapor phase, and the opposite in the residual brine or magma. In deep greisen veins, the muscovite stability field is encountered between the K-feldspar and topaz fields, whereas in F-rich, relatively shallow porphyry deposits, such as Henderson, Colorado, boiling causes aqueous fluids to pass directly from the K-feldspar ore zone to the overlying topaz (+ magnetite) zone. Muscovite (+ or - F-bearing Mn-Fe garnet) is only encountered farther out, as the fluids are condensed, neutralized, and diluted by cooler meteoric waters.When Ca, Fe, Mn, Be, W, O 2 , S 2 , and CO 2 . are added to the greisen model system, scheelite is shown to transform to wolframite with increasing mu HF , and beryl to phenakite with increasing mu HF or mu KF . Biotite transforms to magnetite, hematite, siderite, pyrite, chlorite, or fayalite beyond the K-feldspar field (its stability is enhanced by high mu HF ), and chlorite, cordierite, or Mn-Fe garnet transform to an Mn-Fe carbonate, oxide, or sulfide (or biotite) beyond the Al silicate field. The Ca content of plagioclase coexisting with fluorite decreases with an increase in either mu HF or mu KF , and thus provides an indicator of total fluorine in both acid and neutral species.


BACKGROUND
This study is the first to examine the developmental course of high-intensity drinking (i.e., consuming 10+ drinks in a row) across late adolescence and the transition to adulthood.

METHODS
National longitudinal data (N = 3,718) from Monitoring the Future were used to examine trajectories of 10+ high-intensity drinking from age 18 through 25/26 overall and across sociodemographic subgroups; results were compared with similar analysis of 5+ binge drinking trajectories.

RESULTS
Results document that 10+ drinkers consume not just a greater quantity of alcohol on a given drinking occasion, but also engage in 5+ drinking more frequently than drinkers who do not report having 10 or more drinks. Developmental patterns for 10+ and 5+ drinking were similar, with peak frequencies reported at age 21/22. Greater peaks in both 10+ and 5+ drinking were documented among men and among college attenders, compared with women and nonattenders, respectively. However, there was a steeper decline in 10+ drinking after age 21/22, indicating that risk for consumption of 10 or more drinks in a row is more clearly focused on the early 20s. Patterns of developmental change in both behaviors were driven largely by college students: No significant age-related change in 10+ drinking was observed among men and women who did not go to college, and no significant age-related change in 5+ drinking was observed among female nonattenders.

CONCLUSIONS
Findings underscore the importance of recognizing high-intensity drinkers as a unique high-risk group, and that college attendance is associated with particularly strong peaks in the developmental course of high-intensity drinking.


The determination of fatty acid profiles in milk sample by gas chromatography includes various steps such as: extraction, esterification, separation, identification and quantification, each one must be optimized to achieve accurate and precise results. Robustness is one of the parameters that are required for the development of the validation protocol and indicates the sensitivity of the analytical method to minor variations and provides a reasonable indication of their reliability. The effect of seven variables in eight experiments were evaluated in accordance with the provisions Statistical Manual of the AOAC, the selected factors were: Volume of sodium methoxide (100 ± 10 mL); calcium chloride (0.2 ± 0.5g) and time (60 ± 20 min) in the derivatization procedure; injector temperature (250 ± 5°C); detector temperature (260 ± 5°C); temperature initial in the oven (50 ± 2°C) and two operators. The results of the analysis on short-chain fatty acids, medium, long, C16: 0 and C18: 1 in goat milk allowed to determine the influence of each parameter. The effects on the means showed that none of the changes made on the seven parameters studied to affected the results to be below those required acceptance limit (2 x SD), so we can say that the method was robust to changes made operational. (


A chicken embryonic cDNA library was screened with a (TG)13 probe in order to develop polymorphic microsatellite markers. The redundancy of the embryonic cDNA library with a chicken brain cDNA library, which was used for microsatellite development in a previous study, was extremely high. Of the 300 (TG)13 positive clones, only 80 were unique for the embryonic cDNA library. Still, nine expressed sequences derived from the embryonic cDNA library were mapped in the Wageningen (WAU) resource population. In addition seven microsatellite markers from the chicken brain cDNA library, which were monomorphic or unlinked in the two international reference families in the previous study, were also mapped in the WAU population. Three of the 16 mapped chicken expressed sequence tags (ESTs) showed relatively high percentages of sequence similarity to sequences found in other species. As two of these genes, RAB6 and ZFX/ZFY, have been mapped in humans, they contribute to the comparative map of the chicken.


The main purpose of this article is to check which database: MySQL, MS SQL, PostgerSQL is the most efficient for Internet applications. This work contains information about the databases used, but the most important part of this article is database performance research. They are based on an application whose main task was database queries. The program was created based on new technologies, such as the Spring framework, the Hibernate library and JDBC Interface.


Abstract
A new synthetic substance, phenylene-diisothiocyanate, was tried in 80 patients with hookworm. In the first phase of the investigation, 40 patients were treated, with different dose schedules and complete laboratory studies, to assess the best dose and the safety of the drug. In the second phase of the study a dose of 100 mg every 12 hours, times three, was found to be best. Careful parasitologic studies were performed, with the Stoll and the Beaver egg-counting methods. An average of 14 to 21 egg counts were performed for each patient. The patients that received the previously mentioned dose had reductions in egg counts from 92 to 96%, results that can be considered excellent and superior to those obtained with other drugs, according to our experience. Fifty-seven percent of the patients complained of side-effects, mainly gastrointestinal, most of which were of mild or medium intensity. No toxic effects were revealed by the blood and urine tests performed.


Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is one of the diseases caused by Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. DHF is still a public health problem, including in Indonesia, due to the high mortality rate caused by this mosquito. The risk caused by the bite of the Aedes sp mosquito is quite dangerous, including acute fever, bleeding, shock, and even death, so that efforts are needed to control it. One of the natural ingredients that can use to eradicate Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes without causing negative impacts on the environment is the Cananga flower and Zyzigium Leaves. This study purposes of determining the optimum concentration of Cananga Flowers and Zyzigium Leaves Ethanol extract of which was having biolarvaside effect to Aedes Aegypti larvae. The method used a simple experiment with Posttest Only With Control Group Design. The data result of the research analyzed with Logit and Wilcoxon test. Achievement of those tests was LC50 Zyzigium leaf extract on contact for 24 hours was 0.609-0.935, and LC99 was between 1.064-1.973 while Cananga flower extract obtained LC50 of 0.228-0.261 and the LC99 was 0.446 to 0.558. Wilcoxon test for compared bioalarvaside effect results between Cananga Flower and Zyzigium Leaf received a significance value less than α (0.001<0.05), so it can ascertain that the Cananga Flower extract was stronger biolarvaside than Zyzigium Leaf extract.


INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study was to estimate forearm bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) using singleenergy X-ray absorptiometry (SXA) in a group of Polish women that included both pre- and post-menopausal subjects.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study was carried out in a cohort of 1,122 otherwise healthy women with no history of previous fractures.

RESULTS
We showed a gradual decline of BMD and BMC with age, and the presence of suspected correlations of densitometric results with age and selected anthropometric parameters.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study confirmed the utility of densitometric screening using forearm SXA measurements. These measurements discriminated clearly between pre- and post-menopausal subjects. Densitometric results correlated negatively with age and age at menopause, but positively with anthropometric indices related to body and skeletal size. Age was the greatest factor in terms of impact on bone loss.


The purpose of this extension study was to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of gemigliptin 50 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with T2DM who had completed the initial 24-week study comparing gemigliptin monotherapy with placebo were eligible to enrol. In the open-label, 28-week extension study, all enrolled patients received gemigliptin, regardless of the treatment received during the initial 24-week study period. The mean reduction±standard deviation (SD) in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) observed after 24 weeks of treatment (–0.6%±1.1%) was further decreased for the gemi-gemi group and the mean change in HbA1c at week 52 from baseline was –0.9%±1.2% (P<0.0001). For the pbo-gemi group, HbA1c decreased after they were switched to gemigliptin, and the mean change in HbA1c at week 52 from baseline was –0.7%±1.2% (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the overall incidence of adverse events demonstrated that gemigliptin was safe and well tolerated up to 52 weeks.


Understanding the interlinkages between Climate Change and the water-energy-food securities is critical for developing effective strategies to adapt to projected changes and ensure sufficient access to these resources for a growing global population. This Policy Brief identifies some of the key factors and specific climate change impact in each of the water, energy and food sectors and possible adaptation strategies will be explored. Climate change is already happening; according the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Earth's temperature has warmed faster in the last 3 decades than ever before since 1850; oceans have warmed around 0.11 C per decade in the last 40 years. The rate of sea level rise is now more than 3 mm per year since the 1990s (due to climate change and other aspects) (IPCC, 2014). These and other changes in climate such as precipitation have sever implications for human systems.


This paper takes up the case of two market-sheds in the southern Ethiopian highlands (namely Adilo and Kofele) to examine the factors affecting the adoption of small ruminant related technologies in mixed-farming systems. A survey was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with 155 randomly selected small ruminant keepers between May and June 2006. Farmers in each site initiated new practices like small ruminant fattening and managing a household 'veterinary kit'. Logistic regression analysis revealed that size of land and livestock holdings significantly affected the adoption of small ruminant technologies in both study sites. Farmer variables such as gender, literacy, age and family size appeared to influence adoption only in one location. In the densely populated area, Adilo, the adoption of more intensive feeding technology of commercial concentrates decreased with increasing farm size only up to a point. Younger farmers, female farmers and literate household heads were more likely to adopt the utilization of commercial concentrates. In relatively resource rich Kofele, treating small ruminants via the household veterinary kit increased with number of livestock, however with farm size only up to the point at which it reached a maximum. The present study showed that location or production system remarkably affects the options of interventions and determines their adoption.


Although exotic plants comprise a substantial portion of floristic biodiversity, their contributions to community and ecosystem processes are not well understood. We manipulated plant species richness in old-field communities to compare the impacts of native vs. exotic species on plant biomass, seed production, and arthropod community structure. Plants within diverse communities, regardless of whether they were native or exotic, had higher biomass and seed production than in monocultures and displayed positive complementarity. Increasing native or exotic plant richness also enhanced the richness of arthropods on plants, but exotics attracted fewer arthropod species for a given arthropod abundance than did natives. Additionally, when exotic and native plants grew together, exotics suppressed seed production of native species. Thus, exotic plants appear to contribute positively to some biodiversity functions, but may impact native communities over longer time frames by reducing native seed production and recruiting fewer arthropod species.


In this paper, we studied on Maximum Likelihood Height Estimate (MLHE) method to invert elevation using Multi-Baseline InSAR (MB-InSAR) Data. Then a set of simulated data were adopted to do the experiment to illustrate its availability. Meanwhile, this paper also presents the advantages and disadvantages of this approach with analysis of the influence of phase, baseline and range error on elevation inversion, as well as the following attention.


We evaluated the long-term functional and cosmetic results of homodigital neurovascular island flap (NIF) used to reconstruct extensive pulp defects with bone exposure in children. Twenty-three children (mean age 4.8 years, range 1–10 years) with fingertip injuries were reconstructed with a pedicled homodigital NIF and evaluated in terms of sensation quality, cold intolerance, scar formation, nail deformity, range of motion and overall finger length at a mean follow up of 7.8 years (range 2–13). Eleven patients reported cold sensitivity in the operated fingertip, and 15 presented with hook nail deformities at the final follow-up. The total active motion of the injured finger was significantly lower than that of the uninjured side (p < 0.001). NIFs is a safe, reliable reconstructive treatment for fingertip loss in children, but commonly encountered issues in the long term include an extension lag of the interphalangeal joints, hook nail deformities and cold intolerance.     Level of evidence: IV


In the paper an attempt has been made to show crucial ideas of modification theory. This theory, though just in statu nascendi, provides the flight dynamics engineer with a very valuable design tool, because it covers the diverse topics that have attracted utmost attention in current researches. This paper considers the problem of improving the aircraft dynamic characteristics using feedback control. The starting point is a linear quadratic problem. Next, several applications of control theory to aircraft control law developments are described. The applications include solutions to the artificial stabilization and wing rock control problems. Finally, some issues to be explored are shown.


In cancer radiotherapy, the lack of fixed DNA damage by oxygen in hypoxic microenvironment of solid tumors often leads to severe radioresistance. Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent radiosensitizer that acts in two ways. It can directly react with the radical DNA thus fixing the damage. It also normalizes the abnormal tumor vessels, thereby increasing blood perfusion and oxygen supply. To achieve these functions, the dosage and duration of NO treatment need to be carefully controlled, otherwise it will lead to the exact opposite outcomes. However, a delivery method that fulfills both requirements is still lacking. A NO depot is designed for the control of NO releasing both over quantity and duration for hypoxic tumor vessel normalization and radiosensitization. In B16‐tumor‐bearing mice, the depot can provide low dosage NO continuously and release large amount of NO immediately before irradiation for a short period of time. These two modes of treatment work in synergy to reverse the radioresistance of B16 tumors more efficiently than releasing at single dosage.


Two parties can communicate in secret if they already share a sufficient quantity of secret information. The problem then is how to distribute this secret information or key. Quantum cryptography provides the potential to ensure the security of the process of key distribution and hence to guarantee the covert nature of the communication. The security of quantum key distribution relies on the principles of quantum theory and its successful implementation requires the development of quantum optical techniques.


Cardiac surgery necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass (snCPB) is often associated with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and insufficient post-operative oxygenation, transiently fulfilling the criteria for acute lung injury (ALI); for a minority, SIRS becomes severe with an inherent mortality risk. SIRS is characterised by a marked increase in the production of neutrophils and their recruitment into the circulation. S100A12 (calgranulins C, EN-RAGE) is the predominant endogenously expressed neutrophil associated S100 protein. Its presence in plasma suggests utility as a biomarker of inflammation given that S100A12 was the first S100 protein shown to bind to the pro-inflammatory receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE). We therefore undertook this study to ascertain whether increased release of S100A12 following snCPB is associated with aspects of the operative procedure and also levels of other established biomarkers of inflammation/ neutrophil activation in this patient population. Methods 39 patients undergoing complex cardiac surgery necessitating CPB were recruited for the study. Peripheral blood was collected pre-operatively and immediately post-CPB and plasma was isolated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure myeloperoxidase (MPO), S100A12, IL-6 and IL-8 in these samples. In addition a series of clinical patient variables were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism v.5, USA. One way ANOVA followed by post-hoc Dunn's test was used and a p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Correlation between variables was assessed using the nonparametric Spearman test. Results Plasma levels of S100A12 were significantly increased following snCPB (from 8.52 ng/ml, IQR 4.1–13.1 to 144.6 ng/ml, IQR 86.7–206.7). Post-snCPB levels of S100A12 correlated, positively with post-snCPB levels of MPO (r = 0.418, p = 0.01), white cell count (r = 0.322, p = 0.01) and neutrophil count (r = 0.363, p = 0.027), as well as CPB time (r = 0.399, p = 0.013), but not with length of ICU and hospital stay. Conclusion The study shows that surgery-necessitating CPB results in the release of S100A12. Associations found suggest that S100A12 may be a biomarker for neutrophilia and neutrophil activation related to the onset of SIRS in this population.


Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental contaminant, which is a potential risk factor in the progression of aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we have assessed the effects of chronic administration of Cd on cellular oxidative stress and its associated Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathologies in animal models. Two groups of mice were used, one group administered with saline and the other with Cd (1 mg/kg/day; intraperitoneally) for 3 months. After behavioral studies, molecular/biochemical (Immunoblotting, ELISAs, ROS, LPO, and GSH assays) and morphological analyses were performed. We observed an exacerbation of memory and synaptic deficits in chronic Cd-injected mice. Subacute and chronic Cd escalated reactive oxygen species (ROS), suppressed the master antioxidant enzymes, e.g., nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1, and evoked the stress kinase phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 signaling pathways, which may escalate AD pathologies possibly associated with amyloidogenic processes. These findings suggest the regulation of oxidative stress/ROS and its associated amyloid beta pathologies for targeting the Cd-exacerbated AD pathogenesis. In addition, these preclinical animal studies represent a paradigm for epidemiological studies of the human population exposed to chronic and subacute administration of Cd, suggesting avoiding environmental contaminants.


Dressing up is often conducted in a layered manner. People would like various combinations of garments to be tried to reach maximum satisfaction. To simulate this behavior, we propose here a method for dressing up an avatar with multi-layered virtual garments. The intersection among layered garments was located via Axis Aligned Bounding Box (AABB) accelerated detection, and the penetrations among garment layers were rectified by forcing the intersected area in one party to move towards the correct side along the shape of the other party. The results of our simulation suggested this method to be an efficient and fast way of tackling multi-layered dressing.


Planning for the systematic upgrading to 'superfast' broadband networks has emerged as a key communications infrastructure in many countries throughout the developed world. These governance processes combine centrally directed state measures with laissez-faire market or civil society organisation components. In some cases we are witnessing the kinds of arrangements typically encountered when governments pursue capital works initiatives in collaboration with privately controlled corporations. In this sense broadband networks can be another instance of 'public-private' infrastructure partnerships, just as governments have constructed joint arrangements for the ubiquitous supply of telecommunications, transport, electricity, gas and water. Yet media and communications systems are simultaneously cultural industry sites that often represent a profound culture-economy disconnect. In such systems, because they culturally distribute 'public goods' that work to shape peoples' deliberation and participation in society, there is the tendency for conflict with the defining features of market liberalism (Keane, 1991). This dual life of media and communications systems, as both economic input to key infrastructure and foundational to political democracy is frequently highlighted (McChesney, 2008). And as is often argued, media and communications are not simply 'just another business' (Shultz, 1994) when it comes to the provision of media content such as news and information. How is nation-state planning for new broadband networks that works closely with commercial interests likely to articulate those regulatory reforms for content provision that arise as legacy systems subside and new convergent media systems flourish? Which structural priorities are embedded in the planning statements for the development of national broadband systems, and can we make any assessments of the likely policy consequences for content provision by forms such as IPTV? In particular, the paper highlights examples of those traditional laws and regulation governing content provision for citizenship building (including media diversity, local content, 'must carry') that will be placed under pressure in the mainstreaming of national broadband networks.


A high concentration of precipiated immune complexes inhibits the in vitro migration of human polymorphnuclear leucocytes. On the other side a low concentration of insoluble antigen-antibody complexes as well as soluble immune complexes were found to stimulate the migration. The immune complexes act indirectly on the migration of neutrophils by a nonspecific release of mediators from neutrophils. Since immune complexes may influence the migration of granulocytes, it is important in leucocyte migration tests used for evaluation of cellular immunity to avoid the presence of immune complexes.


This article presents the study of the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and local governance in Latin America, mainly using the internet for participatory processes, such as the experiences of Digital Participatory Budget (DPB), purposing the direct participation of citizens in setting priorities in public investment. The methodology used was the literature research on key concepts, followed by the discussion of the relationship between local governance and citizen participation and the presentation of experiences that produced findings on the impacts of the use of ICTs in participatory processes. Four Brazilian cases (Porto Alegre, Ipatinga, Belo Horizonte and Recife), one Peruvian (Miraflores) and one from Argentina (BellaVista) are presented and related challenges to local governance in identifying their real capabilities of building a new relationship between government policy and society in Latin American regions is discussed. Through the use of the Internet, these participatory government budgets can increase citizen participation and allow thousands of people deciding the allocation of public investment. This research considers that the use of ICTs, especially the Internet, can be a promoter of citizenship and citizen participation. However, this promotion may be limited by the condition of access to these technologies and the depth and quality of information available to citizens that would undermine the enjoyment of the rights of citizens.


Bitcoin's success as a cryptocurrency enabled it to penetrate into many daily life transactions. Its problems regarding the transaction fees and long validation times are addressed through an innovative concept called the Lightning Network (LN) which works on top of Bitcoin by leveraging off-chain transactions. This made Bitcoin an attractive micropayment solution that can also be used within certain IoT applications (e.g., toll payments) since it eliminates the need for traditional centralized payment systems. Nevertheless, it is not possible to run LN and Bitcoin on resource-constrained IoT devices due to their storage, memory, and processing requirements. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an efficient and secure protocol that enables an IoT device to use LN's functions through a gateway LN node even if it is not trusted. The idea is to involve the IoT device only in signing operations, which is possible by replacing LN's original 2-of-2 multisignature channels with 3-of-3 multisignature channels. Once the gateway is delegated to open a channel for the IoT device in a secure manner, our protocol enforces the gateway to request the IoT device's cryptographic signature for all further operations on the channel such as sending payments or closing the channel. LN's Bitcoin transactions are revised to incorporate the 3-of-3 multisignature channels. In addition, we propose other changes to protect the IoT device's funds from getting stolen in possible revoked state broadcast attempts. We evaluated the proposed protocol using a Raspberry Pi considering a toll payment scenario. Our results show that timely payments can be sent and the computational and communication delays associated with the protocol are negligible.


We have developed a new technique to fabricate coplanar homojunction structure a-IGZO thin film transistors (TFTs) by adopting selective ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the n source/drain regions of an a-IGZO layer through a patterned photoresist mask. In order to apply this technique for coplanar homojunction a-IGZO TFTs, we systematically studied the effect of dual wavelength (185 nm and 254 nm) UV irradiation time on the conductivity of a-IGZO films. Various materials were evaluated to find one that provided proper shielding against UV irradiation. The resistivity of the a-IGZO film drastically decreased from an as-deposited value of 2.71 10 U cm to 3.76 10 5 U cm after UV irradiation. The lowest resistivity obtained in this study is similar to that of ITO transparent electrodes and is about 2 orders of magnitude lower than the values obtained to date. Coplanar homojunction a-IGZO TFTs were successfully fabricated by introducing an optimized process that included UV irradiation through a patterned photoresist UV mask. The saturation mobility (msat), threshold voltage (Vth), sub-threshold swing (SS), and on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) were measured to be 6.7 cm 2 V 1 s, 7.3 V, 0.21 V per decade, and 10, respectively. Moreover, we showed that the UV irradiation technique provided both a low contact resistance due to the high conductivity in the source/drain region and a small channel length modulation due to non-thermal doping behavior. We believe that this UV irradiation process is a useful technique because it is simple and results in outstanding electrical properties.


Dear editors

In response to the correspondence by Quittner et al , we have the following comments. It must be stated that we think your The International Depression Epidemiological Study (TIDES) paper1 has merit, and we commend any endeavours to highlight the mental health issues of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and improvements in psychosocial service provision. The editorial has no intention of minimising the extent of the problem, quite the opposite. Your publication (and further correspondence) reports on two different issues: first, the TIDES study, and second, the recommendations of the International Guidelines Committee on Mental Health (IGCMH) in CF. The second is dependent on the findings of the first. So, the TIDES paper has methodological weaknesses and inconsistencies between the various publications that have devolved from the study.2 ,3 The TIDES authors must be conscientious in the conclusions they draw and the level of clinical significance that is …


Computed tomography (CT) is often used in the diagnosis of sarcopenia. In this study, we validated the assessment of sarcopenia by the psoas muscle volume using versatile software. The study involved a retrospective analysis of data from 190 patients with liver disease who underwent grip-strength testing and abdominal pelvic computed tomography. To assess sarcopenia, SYNAPSE 3D was used to obtain the skeletal muscle index, the psoas muscle index (PMI), and the simple method. We also used the recently proposed PMI cutoff values, for which the usefulness has been evaluated (O-PMI). The cutoff value of the psoas muscle volume index (PMVI) was determined using one of the diagnostic methods as the gold standard. All diagnostic methods showed that patients with sarcopenia had shorter survival, with O-PMI having the highest hazard ratio (HR) (HR, 6.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6–14.41; p < 0.001). Even when sarcopenia could not be diagnosed by O-PMI, low PMVI was associated with shorter survival (HR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.34–9.32; p = 0.01). PMVI may be useful in the evaluation of sarcopenia, including the identification of poor overall survival in cases that cannot be diagnosed by O-PMI, which is considered more useful than PMI.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the function of Th17 cells in allergic rhinitis,through comparing the symptoms, pathology and and the quantity of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokine in normal mice, allergic rhinitis mice and allergic rhinitis mice with IL-17 antibody application.

METHOD
Thirty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, control group, allergic rhinitis group, and therapy group. The allergic rhinitis model was induced by classical method with ovalbumin. The therapy group was treated with IL-17 antibody. The concentration of IL-17, IL-4 and IFN-gamma in serum was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nasal mucosal inflammation was evaluated by HE staining. The expression of RORgammat mRNA was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS
The expression level of IL-17, IL-4 and RORgammat mRNA in allergic rhinitis group were significantly higher than those of control group and IL-17 antibody treated group (P < 0.05). While the expression level of IFN-gamma in allergic rhinitis group were significantly was lower than those of control group and IL-17 antibody treated group (P < 0.05). The inflammation reaction in therapy group abated with nasal mucosal HE staining.

CONCLUSION
The large quantity of Th2, Th17 cells were found in allergic rhinitis. It might be associated with the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. The control of Th17 cells expression may be an effective way to treat allergic rhinitis.


A new approach aimed at the modeling of the nonlinear optical (NLO) response of a dipole chromophore incorporated into a locally anisotropic, deformable, polarizable polymer matrix is suggested. The general continuum methodology is used with a specific cavity ansatz being employed; the cavity is chosen to be conformal to the characteristic ellipsoid of the generalized permittivity tensor of the polymer medium. The suggested ansatz allows the electrostatic boundary value problem to be solved analytically, and the local field experienced by the chromophore in the polymer electret to be found. Four analytically solvable models, which correspond to two singular and two nonsingular models, are considered; in two of them the chromophore is characterized by singular dipole and quadrupole moments; the other two use the approximation of the electric moment of the chromophore with that of the polarized ellipsoid. The relation between the macroscopic polymer properties and the microscopic characteristics of the NLO chromophore is established. The compliance of the obtained formulas for the local field with those of the classical Onsager approach is analyzed, and their specific features are considered.


Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is supposed to be the underlying biological basis of the migraine aura. Metoprolol was proven to be effective in migraine prophylaxis in clinical trials, but its mechanism of action has not been clarified yet. We studied direct effects of metoprolol on a continuous CSD induction model in rats. Six adult Wistar rats were anaesthetized with intraperitoneal thiopental (50 mg/kg). CSD was induced with application of 1 M KCL through a burr hole into the left frontal dura-mater, and recorded by an Ag/AgCl DC electrode on the left parietal dura-mater. After a basal recording of CSD induction during the first 40-min period, metoprolol (5 mg/kg) was infused within 4 min. Then DC recordings were maintained for a further 120 min. Any significant differences in total number and duration of CSDs before and after metoprolol administration were not detected. This study suggests that the mode of action of metoprolol in prophylaxis is not via direct CSD inhibition.


Captopril is a potent hypotensive agent whose efficacy has hitherto been attributed to its ability to alter either angiotensin II formation or kinin degradation. Our purpose was to examine captopril's acute effect on prostaglandin production, because changes in neither the renin-angiotensin nor the kallikrein-kinin systems appear adequate to account for the fall in arterial pressure. The plasma levels of angiotensin II, kinins, and prostaglandins were determined in response to increasing doses (5, 12.5, and 25 mg) of captopril and these responses were compared with the change in arterial pressure observed in nine supine normal male subjects studied on both a high (200 meq) and low (10 meq) sodium intake.Captopril significantly (P < 0.01) increased the levels of the 13,14-dihydro-15-keto metabolite of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)-M), a potent vasodilator, with similar responses being observed on both a high and a low sodium intake. No significant changes in the plasma levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin F (1)alpha, or thromboxane B(2), the stable products of prostacyclin and thromboxane A(2), respectively, occurred. The depressor response to captopril correlated with the change in PGE(2)-M (r = 0.52, t = 5.44, P < 0.0001). On the other hand, although significant (P < 0.02) decrements in angiotensin II and increments in plasma kinins accompanied the hypotensive response in sodium-restricted subjects, in sodium-loaded subjects where the renin-angiotensin system was suppressed, no change in angiotensin II, and only a modest change in kinins was noted, even though significant (P < 0.01) decrements in diastolic blood pressure occurred (-10+/-2 mm Hg).Thus, changes in depressor prostaglandin production can better account for the hypotensive response to captopril, thereby extending to yet another vasoactive system an influence by this class of drugs and providing a new approach to dissecting the abnormality in the control of vascular tone in patients with hypertension.


Formulas have been derived relating the direction vector of the extraordinary ray in a uniaxial anisotropic medium to the ordinary ray. With these formulas one can trace rays through uniaxial crystals. Tracing rays into the crystal involves finding the ordinary ray by using the usual ray-tracing formula for isotropic media, then by using the derived equations to find the extraordinary ray. To trace an extraordinary ray out of the crystal, one first constructs the fictive ordinary ray corresponding to it through its point of contact with the refracting surface. Using the ray-tracing formula for isotropic media one traces this ray through the surface.


The existence of digital technology today that has become a mandatory tool that is easy to use for good or bad with a wide and unlimited reach is social media. Penglipuran Tourism Village as one of the leading tourist villages in Bali is still not maximal in utilizing social media, especially the simplest Instagram. Certified Internship Program managed by Pigijo and Kemendikbudristek is expected to increase the digitization of tourist villages that are partners. Penglipuran became one of the partners assigned to the group of 2 vanguard pigijo tourist village to digitize and produce external in the form of digital content and tour packages. The result of this activity or program is able to produce digital content, share the science of digitalization to the relevant villages, so that the management of social media penglipuran tourism village becomes better and has an impact on the economy of the local community by attracting the attention of social media users to visit Penglipuran.


The role and function of iron in food is reviewed. The distribution of this element in the human body is studied along with: age requirements, the dietetic sources of iron, mechanism of absorption and the problems of iron deficiencies. Methods that can be taken, in accordance with the College of Nursing, are given that may prevent situations of nutritional deficiency and anemia.


People "live in the same world, but they think and feel in different ones". In his book Public
Opinion (1922), Walter Lippmann uses these words to develop the notion of pseudo-environment.
The latter is crucial if we have to understand in what contexts, with what forces and by what coordinates a process of continuous cognitive simplification – a so-called "non-truth" – is publicly
created in a relevant and influential form, and subsequently becomes truth.
According to Walter Lippmann, the "real environment is altogether too big, too complex, and
too fleeting for direct acquaintance between people and their environment", and the pseudo-environment is an evolutionary trick, organized to withstand the pressure of increasing complexity.
Lippmann's work was published in an era of "analogical pseudo-environments". Over ninety years have passed since then. We now live in the digital age and in a world of "digital pseudo-environments". One might question, therefore, whether the American scholar's view remains
valid. What, in specific terms, are the global implications of the proliferation of environmental
niches in relation to new media?
My answer to this question is affirmative: Lippmann's thesis is still valid, but it should be reversed. The digital pseudo-environment is not a shelter to the increasing complexity of the world.
It is a complex, algorithmically mediated cage, which seeks to reduce complexity to banality. Engaging in human relations is no longer a process of evolution, but rather a process of involution.


Although Logistics Service Providers (LSP) are crucial in today global business, not many logistics companies are able to sustain the high competitiveness in this opening economy. The adoption of a service lifecycle is expected to create adding value for LSPs to connect and strengthen relationship with their customers. Whilst the lifecycle management model for LSP is not existed, literatures are reviewed including Product Service System (PSS), Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). The Service Lifecycle will focus on the lifecycle of the services from the Beginning of Life, Middle of Life to the End of Life in term of activity and relationship. Service lifecycle management can be long-term, considering more than a product that just focuses on design, operation, spare part, overhaul and disposal. The model shall focus on customer and supplier to maintain the performance of service, to uses the full-service contract to response customer satisfaction. Besides, the strategies and tactic of the logistics service provider are important to response customer requirement.


Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem disorder characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcerations with uveitis. At onset it may present with manifestations of vascular involvement instead of the classical triad. We analyzed 137 patients with BD and 38 had vascular involvement with a prevalence of 27.7%. Male to female ratio was 4.4 and associations of positive pathergy test (76.3%) and eye lesions (57.8%) were higher compared to patients without vascular involvement. Patients with subcutaneous thrombophlebitis were more likely to develop major venous occlusions (22.2%) in the lower extremities and inferior vena cava. Arterial lesions were less frequent features constituting 12.0% of vascular complications in BD.


Proof-theoretic semantics (P-tS) is the paradigm of semantics in which meaning in logic is based on proof (as opposed to truth). A particular instance of P-tS for intuitionistic propositional logic (IPL) is its base-extension semantics (B-eS). This semantics is given by a relation called support, explaining the meaning of the logical constants, which is parameterized by systems of rules called bases that provide the semantics of atomic propositions. In this paper, we interpret bases as collections of definite formulae and use the operational view of them as provided by uniform proof-search—the proof-theoretic foundation of logic programming (LP)—to establish the completeness of IPL for the B-eS. This perspective allows negation, a subtle issue in P-tS, to be understood in terms of the negation-as-failure protocol in LP. Specifically, while the denial of a proposition is traditionally understood as the assertion of its negation, in B-eS we may understand the denial of a proposition as the failure to find a proof of it. In this way, assertion and denial are both prime concepts in P-tS.


The presented fire suppression mechanism is a self-monitoring system that detects the existence of fire between a specific range of wavelength and suppresses the fire by spreading water flowing via multiple sprinkler-heads. The controlling unit used to manipulate the fire suppression mechanism is an Arduino Uno. The major advantage of this system is its capability to detect fire fast and run water through dedicated pipes using solenoid valve. Fire is an undesirable event that could cause a great loss of social wealth, human life, and confidential amenities. To prevent these losses, various extinguishing systems have already been developed, such as sprinkler heads with temperature sensitive valve and temperature sensor based systems. These systems come with a high chance of delayed sensing and human error that can mislead the sensing and hence the whole system in general. Our fire suppression system, on the other hand, is extremely well thought out; it has no chance of human error as it is fully self-sufficient. The room or the area will have dedicated overhead sprinklers connected to the water supply through its dedicated solenoid valve which controls the flow of water in the pipelines. The triggering devices of this system are the flame sensors, when they detect fire an alarm will go off. The Algorithm set in the Arduino will come into work and an optimal voltage will be provided to the solenoid valve through a relay, hence water will rush out the sprinklers to extinguish the fire in no time. The sensors used are highly sensitive[5], thus it will detect fire even before it reaches a point of concern. Unlike other systems, the components we used are readily available and reasonable in price. Also, the system has been tested to extinguish fire in real-world scale. Our automated fire suppression system can be used both for commercial and residential purposes.