In the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, there are 718 islands and many rock crags and reefs. The coast is very indented. Most of the terrain is built from karstified rock mass. It is a part of the "dinaric" karst, known for its tectonical disturbance, reverse faulting, and the deep and irregular karstification. 48 islands are considered as permanently inhabited. Before any kind of regional research, a classification of islands needs to be carried out. The most important factors for this classification are the island's area, indentation, and the amount of precipitation. These factors have been compiled into a new parameter: the island's hydrological size index. According to the hydrological size index, the Adriatic islands are classified into four main groups: big, medium, small, and very small islands. The hydrological size index synthesizes some simple geographical and hydrological properties of an island, and can be used only as a rough initial estimation. Many diverse parameters of the Croatian islands have been obtained by different methods. Using statistical regression, various correlations have been recognized, and some basic conclusions have been arrived at with more complex, multivariate methods. The mathematical system of hydrochemical data is very explicit, (Eigen value of the first factor 58%). Three factors have been calculated, and they are interpreted as three main natural processes: (1) mixing of the aquifer with sea water ; (2) carbonate dissolution ; and (3) pollution. Multivariate analysis has been performed for the different parameters, such as hydrological, lithological, hydraulic, geophysical, and hydrochemical. This mathematical system identifies five factors. The first factor groups a few parameters obtained by the step-drawdown test, and it is interpreted as the laminar flow factor. The second is the factor of the aquifer parameters. This is defined by the transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and the parameter of turbulent losses, which has a negative value. The mathematical system indicates that calculation of the aquifer parameters is less justified when there is a significant percentage of turbulent flow. The climatic-geographical factor is the third. There are group values that describe climatic and spatial properties, such as the hydrological size index, catchment surface area, distance of the site from the coast, and the concentration of chlorides (with a negative value). Thus, if there is a large catchment area and a high hydrological size index, there will be a lower concentration of chlorides in the aquifer. The fourth is the lithological factor. This is defined by the lithological composition and the interpreted resistivity (electrical tomography). The fifth factor is the factor of tidal efficiency. All considerations taken together, the mathematical system indicates that for the study of a karst terrain, an application of different methods is needed to enhance the accuracy level of interpretation.


Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication following cardiac surgery, occurring in 20% to 60% of patients. Advanced age, history of atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure, peripheral arterial disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are predictors of POAF. The pathogenesis of AF seems to be multifactorial, and includes electrical and structural remodeling as well as inflammation (a systemic response caused by cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiotomy). Numerous pharmacologic agents can decrease the incidence of POAF. It is also necessary to evaluate an agent's ability to decrease stroke, mortality, length of stay and hospital costs. Currently, the use of beta-blockers with adjunctive amiodarone has been shown to reduce POAF and several of its complications. Two therapeutic choices exist in patients with POAF: rate control and rhythm control. The decision which is more important to target should be based on the symptoms of the individual patient. Unlike in patients with chronic AF, POAF is generally transient, and the risks of anticoagulation may outweigh the benefits. Surgical ablation techniques and ablation devices have progressed considerably. This made the procedures quicker and simpler, and therefore feasible in virtually all clinical contexts. In turn, this has raised the issue of post-ablation arrhythmias. Although relapsing AF is generally addressed conservatively, it may require ablation, frequently transseptal. Further research is needed to identify the predictors of POAF and the most effective pharmacological and invasive methods for the prevention and treatment of POAF.


Tectonically elevated siliciclastic marine terrace deposits dominate coastal areas in the province of Basilicata, while further east along the Salentine Peninsula, authigenic and biogenic fossiliferous limestones are most common. These limestones are often stratigraphically superimposed along the margins of the low-profile carbonate platform. Amino acid racemization geochronology (AAR) and radiometric methods have been used to date and correlate 14 coastal sections along 200 km of the Gulf of Taranto. This is accomplished by calibration of D-alloisoleucine/L-isoleucine (A/l) ratios with U-series and 14 C  dates which establishes an absolute age framework for marine transgressions, dune formation and pedogenesis. In addition, these data define the nature of the epimerization reaction as it proceeds toward equilibrium (A/I of ca. 1.30) for Helix and Glycymeris in timescales of 10 3 , 10 5 and 10 6 of years. At least five shoreline complexes (littoral, eolian, and pedogenic depositional units) have been identified. Two middle Pleistocene transgressions are equated with Aminozones F and G. Aminozone H is associated with a third but is poorly defined. A late Pleistocene interglacial complex is bracketed by two aminozones. The earlier, Aminozone E, consists of widespread limestones, eolianites and thin soils, while the latter, Aminozone C, is less frequently preserved as marine calcarenite and dunes. Deposition during the Holocene (Aminozone A), however, was quite active as indicated by the numerous sequences of beaches, dunes and soils. The AAR method is useful for correlating coastal deposits over great distances, reconstructing paleoenvironments, establishing a tectonic history, and estimating ages of these events the Gulf of Taranto.


textabstractSince the phrase income distribution covers a large number of different concepts, it is necessary to define these and to indicate the choice made in this article. Income for a given recipient may cover lists of items which are not always the same. Apart from popular misunderstandings about which items to include and exclude, statistical sources on incomes use varying definitions, often because of the data available. Tax statistics, which are among the most important sources for income data, sometimes exclude items because tax legislation contains allowances or includes items because of traditional concepts of income. The data from this source have been processed by a number of authors seeking to approximate the economic income concept, and it is assumed that this aim more or less has been attained. In other words, the article assumes that, in principle, the income figures used in the more sophisticated studies available cover the economic income concept and, more precisely, primary income, which is considered identical to income before tax.


The Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) is being utilized with a high resolution
mesh focused on the Antarctic marginal seas and ice shelves to investigate the changes
induced in ocean circulation and sea ice distribution by prescribing increased melt rates for
the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS). The increased freshwater received by the Weddell Sea
leads to higher strati�cation, reducing convection and leading to less freshwater reaching the
bottom layers. Sea ice distribution changes in the Weddell Sea with higher concentration and
thickness along the peninsula during summer while during winter maximum, sea ice volume
is increased over a large area in the Weddell Sea. Increased surface freshening and water
column stability inhibits convection which reduces the Weddell Gyre transport and increases
bottom layer potential temperature, bringing down Antarctic Bottom Water formation.


It is well established in the literature that financial development (FD) is conducive to growth, and yet the channels through which FD affects growth are not well understood. Using a unique new panel data set for 21 OECD countries over the past 140 years, this paper examines the extent to which FD transmits to growth through ideas production, savings, fixed investment, and schooling. Unionization and agricultural share are used as instruments for FD. The empirical results show that FD influences growth through all four channels. In particular, ideas production is found to be the most important channel through which FD impacts on growth.


Fairness is becoming a rising concern w.r.t. machine learning model performance. Especially for sensitive fields such as criminal justice and loan decision, eliminating the prediction discrimination towards a certain group of population (characterized by sensitive features like race and gender) is important for enhancing the trustworthiness of model. In this paper, we present a new general framework to improve machine learning fairness. The goal of our model is to minimize the influence of sensitive feature from the perspectives of both the data input and the predictive model. In order to achieve this goal, we reformulate the data input by removing the sensitive information and strengthen model fairness by minimizing the marginal contribution of the sensitive feature. We propose to learn the non-sensitive input via sampling among features and design an adversarial network to minimize the dependence between the reformulated input and the sensitive information. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets suggest that our model achieve better results than related state-of-the-art methods with respect to both fairness metrics and prediction performance.


Between 1970 and 1982 125 patients aged, 65 to 79 years with severe symptomatic valvular heart disease. Aortic valve disease (72 with aortic stenosis) was encountered in 76 cases, mitral valve disease (22 with mitral regurgitation) in 32 and combined aortic and mitral lesions in 17. Additional severe coronary artery disease (narrowing greater than 70%) was present in 25% of the patients. 80% of the patients were in NYHA class III and IV, and 42% had experienced an episode of congestive heart failure. 28 patients did not undergo surgery; 10 died before surgery and 18 were not accepted or refused the operation. After 2 years only 1 of 18 patients with aortic stenosis was alive; in mitral valve disease 5 of 6 patients were alive. Among the 97 surgical patients, aortic valve replacement was performed in 58 cases, mitral valve surgery in 26 and combined aortic and mitral valve surgery in 13. Additional aorto-coronary bypass grafting was performed in 23 patients. Early mortality was 5% and 5-year survival rate 69%. NYHA class declined from 2.9 preoperatively to 1.6 postoperatively. In the elderly patient with severe symptomatic valvular heart disease surgery can be performed with acceptable operative risk and good late results. Surgical treatment is particularly indicated in aortic stenosis, due to the poor spontaneous prognosis. Coronary artery disease is frequent in this age group but is not a contraindication for surgery, in view of the good postoperative results of additional aorto-coronary bypass grafting.


The authors describe their experience involving 30 patients treated surgically for stubborn algesia during the development of cancers of the face and neck. Sectioning Jacobson's nerve which they suggested for 72 cases exclusively or mainly involving otalgia especially where the tumours was tonsillar, proved of great therapeutic value and took little toll of the patients. - Resection of Andersch's ganglion, difficult and often ineffective, should not be attempted. - On the other hand, when there is stubborn pharyngeal pain with otalgia, sectioning the IXth is remarkably successful. Likewise, where there is pain in the face or tongue and the floor of the mouth which fails to respond to opiates, partial microcoagulation of the pre-pontile root of the trigeminal nerve is an excellent solution. - Neurotomies of the IXth and the Vth, carried out in the cerebellopontile angle, are operations with simple sequelae. They have the outstanding advantage of permanently relieving the pain of these unfortunate patients.


The article offers a brief introduction to memory studies and the concept of collective memory with emphasis on the significance of this phenomenon, which coincided with discoveries in the humanities and deepened and expanded the spectrum of national cultures. The radical ideas of the Age of Enlightenment sparked self-reflection of nations and creation of imagined communities that eventually turned people into nations. New concepts of political coexistence, equality, freedom, and the distinctiveness and historical value of the national language and literature were published and made known to Lithuanians. The article dwells on the tsarist and Soviet Russian occupation policies on memory and national identity, modes of rewriting memory, the consequences of nearly two centuries of memory wars, the emigration situation, and the coexistence of the imagined communities. These imagined communities played a crucial role in constructing the nations and preparing them for independence. There were two imagined communities in the nineteenth century – the Lithuanian-speaking Lithuanians and the Polish-speaking Lithuanians who considered themselves Lithuanians, and two such communities in the twentieth century – the Lithuanians living in exile and the imaginary community remaining in Soviet Lithuania. It is such recurring patterns of society and recurring plots of events in memory preservation and memory wars that are discussed in the article. Upon the return of freedom of the press and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuanians discovered numerous unknown lands in the form of their culture that had been banned before. However, memory studies show that long-standing propaganda, press bans, and the rewriting of memory have not gone without consequences. The Great War and the struggles for independence that resulted in independence in 1918 remained in the margins of remembrance, although those events enabled the surge of national culture during the interwar period. The historical context of Central and Eastern Europe helps to see a broader panorama of common and relevant processes and to highlight the specifics of the Lithuanian situation, concluding that memory wars continue and deliberating whether memory culture can influence future prospects.


The article is dedicated to the consideration of the works by a Croatian historian Zdravka Zlodi, due attention being paid to their research value. In addition, her exploration of Croatian-Ukrainian contacts is also described in the paper, which appears to be highly relevant in the face of today's challenges that Ukraine is currently facing in relations with its neighbouring countries and the Ukrainian diaspora in those countries. Moreover, the article includes a profound analysis of Zdravka Zlodi's main ideas, concepts and points together with exposing her views on the question of the identity of Ruthenians in Croatia and the problem of usage of the term "Ruthenia". In her article "Ruthenians/Ukrainians in Croatia: the stages of immigration and the problem of names", Zdravka Zlodi provides a detailed study of the changes of ethnic self-determination of the Ruthenians and Ukrainians from the 18th to the 20th century. A specific emphasis is placed on the conditions which played a key role in moulding ethnic and cultural identity as well as changes in forms of the ethnonym denoting the representatives of Ukrainian diaspora (Ruthenian, Ruthenian-Ukrainian, Ukrainian). Zdravka Zlodi states that despite some differences in the ethnonyms applied, the ethnic identity of the Ukrainian-Ruthenian minority cannot be questioned. Her another work, "The Ruthenians about Themselves on the Pages of the "Rus News", is dedicated to self-identification of the Ruthenians in Croatia in the interwar period. In the monograph "From the Family to the Name. Introduction to the History of Croatian-Ukrainian Relations", Zdravka Zlodi endeavours to explain the duality of the name "Ruthenian/Ukrainian" on the territory of Croatia. Furthermore, the historian arrives at the conclusion which allows to consider both terms identical. Zdravka Zlodi is the first researcher in Croatian historical science who proposed a new approach to historical names and ethnonyms connected with the history of Ukraine. Finally, the author of the present paper draws the conclusion stating the importance of Zdravka Zlodi's research work for further development of Ukrainian-Croatian research cooperation.


In this paper, we propose a probabilistic multi-Gaussian parameter estimation technique which addresses the complex relationship between acceleration and ground force signals used to derive a human's static center of pressure. The intent of this work is to develop an accurate accelerometer-based method for determining postural control and neuromuscular status which is more portable and cost-effective than force plate-based techniques. Acceleration data was collected using an inertial measurement unit while ground reaction forces were simultaneously measured using a force plate. Various metrics were calculated from both sensors and probabilistic data models were built to characterize the relationships between the two sensors. These models were used to predict force-based postural control metrics corresponding to observed acceleration metrics. Data collected from one participant was used as a training set to which the test data of two individuals were then applied. We conclude that converted acceleration-based metrics on average can accurately predict all the corresponding force-based metrics we studied here. Furthermore, the proposed multi-Gaussian parameter estimation approach outperforms a more basic linear transformation technique for 75% of the metrics studied, as evidenced by an increase in correlation coefficients between true and estimated force plate metrics.


This paper aims to improve GNSS signal processing for collaborating receivers through the development of a Cooperative Vector Delay/Frequency Lock Loop (CVDFLL), a variant of the conventional Vector Delay/Frequency Lock Loop (VDFLL) utilized in standalone receivers. The VDFLL enhances signal processing by taking advantage of spatial correlation between navigation satellites. The CVDFLL expands this advantage to spatial correlation between receivers of similar user dynamics. The algorithm relies on the pseudorange-state formulation of the VDFLL for collaborative processing as a means to keep the cooperative network federated. Additionally, this formulation is expected to be less sensitive to dissimilar dynamics between receivers. Monte-Carlo simulation and experimental results show that cooperative vector tracking can be very robust when employing several receivers. However, the analysis also suggests that the CVDFLL should be studied with a position-state formulation of the VDFLL due to its robust nature as well as the generally poor performance of the pseudorange-state filter.


"Things will never be the same again-the banal verdict has been regularly repeated in the last four years as groups of previously quiescent workers have discarded their industrial virginity and helped swell the strike statistics. Participants and outside commentators alike have rarely found it easy, as the dust has settled, to assess the precise 5ignificance of each' such dispute; but almost always they agree that the former pacific industrial relations cannot be reconstituted on quite the same basis. The same is true at the level of the political economy as a whole : even if industrial journalists and academic pundits cannot really explain what has become known as the British "strike explosion", at least they too are confident that things will never be the same again.


Here, we show model‐informed drug development (MIDD) of a novel antisense oligonucleotide, targeting PCSK9 for treatment of hypocholesteremia. The case study exemplifies use of MIDD to analyze emerging data from an ongoing first‐in‐human study, utility of the US Food and Drug Administration MIDD pilot program to accelerate timelines, innovative use of competitor data to set biomarker targets, and use of MIDD to optimize sample size and dose selection, as well as to accelerate and de‐risk a phase IIb study. The focus of the case‐study is on the cross‐functional collaboration and other key MIDD enablers that are critical to maximize the value of MIDD, rather than the technical application of MIDD.


While it is now generally unfashionable to speak of a
literary "canon," when a translator comes to selecting
works for translation into another language, that process
inevitably involves making judgements about what is good
literature and writing, which often then leads to the kind
of ranking that is the basis of canon-making. It is a process
that was faced by Lontar, the Jakarta-based foundation and
publishing house, when, in the Modern Library of Indonesia
project headed up by John McGlynn, it set itself the goal of
both "preserving nearly-forgotten classics of Indonesian
literature" and presenting them, often for the first time in
English, to an international audience. Books in the Library
range from titles such as the 1922 classic Sitti Nurbaya
by Marah Rusli (trans. by George A. Fowler), a powerful
depiction of the tension between tradition and modernity in
the East Indies, to Leila S. Chudori's 2012 novel Home (trans.
by John McGlynn), a story about the tragedy of political exiles
during Suharto's regime (1965-1998) who were forced out of
Indonesia after the 1965 massacre of presumed leftists and
sympathisers.


One of the primary ways researchers have characterized engagement is by an increase in search actions. Another possibility is that instead of experiencing increased engagement, people who click and query frequently are actually frustrated; several studies have shown that frustration is also characterized by increases in clicking and querying behaviors. This research seeks to illuminate the differences in search behavior between participants who are engaged and frustrated, as well as investigate the effect of task interest on engagement and frustration. To accomplish this, a laboratory experiment was conducted with 40 participants. Participants completed four tasks, and responded to questionnaires that measured their engagement, frustration, and stress. Participants were asked to rank eight topics based on interest, and were given their two most interesting and two least interesting tasks. Poor search result quality was introduced to induce frustration during their most interesting and least interesting tasks. This study found that physiological signals hold some promise for disambiguating engagement and frustration, but this depends on the time frame and manner in which they are examined. Frustrated participants had significantly more skin conductance responses during the task, while engaged participants had greater increases in skin conductance during the first 60 seconds of the task. Significant main and interaction effects for interest and frustration were found for heart rate in the window analysis, indicating that heart rate fluctuations over time can be most effective in distinguishing engagement from frustration. The multilevel modeling of engagement and frustration confirmed this, showing that interest contributed significantly to the model of skin conductance, while frustration contributed significantly to the model of heart rate. This study also found that interest had a significant effect on engagement, while the frustrator effectively created frustration. Frustration also had a significant effect on selfreported stress. Participants exhibited increases in search actions such as clicks and scrolls during periods of both engagement and frustration, but a regression analyses showed that scrolls, clicks on documents, and SERP clicks were most predictive of a frustrating episode. A significant main effect for interest was found for time between queries, indicating that this could be a useful signal of engagement. A model including the physiological signals and search behaviors showed that physiological signals aided in the prediction of engagement and frustration. Findings of this research have provided insight into the utility of physiological signals in distinguishing emotional states as well as provided evidence about the relationship among search actions, engagement and frustration. These findings have also increased our understanding of the role emotions play in search behavior and how information about a searcher's emotional state can be used to improve the search experience.


Flush based cache attacks like Flush+Reload and Flush+Flush are one of the highly effective cache attacks. In fact, the Flush+Flush attack is stealthy too. Most of the flush based attacks provide high accuracy in controlled environments where attacker and victim are the only two processes that are running on a system by sharing OS pages. However, we observe that these attacks lose their effectiveness (prone to low accuracy) on a noisy multi-core system where co-running applications run along with the attacker and the victim. Two root causes for the varying accuracy of flush based attacks are: (i) the dynamic nature of core frequencies that fluctuate depending on the system load, and (ii) the relative placement of victim and attacker threads in the processor (same logical core, same physical core, different physical cores). The variation in the processor frequencies and placement of threads affect one of the critical attack steps (the cache latency calibration step as the latency threshold set to distinguish a cache hit from a miss becomes inaccurate). We propose a set of refinements (DABANGG refinements) to make existing flush attacks resilient to frequency changes and thread placement in the processor, and therefore system noise. We propose refinements to pre-attack and attack steps and make it conscious about the latency change. We evaluate DABANGG-enabled Flush+Reload and Flush+Flush attacks (DABANGG+Flush+Reload and DABANGG+Flush+Flush, respectively) against the standard Flush+Reload and Flush+Flush attacks across five scenarios for eight different combinations of system noise capturing different levels of compute, memory, and I/O noise intensities: (i) a side-channel attack based on user input (single-character and multi-character key-logging), (ii) a side-channel on AES, (iii) a side-channel on RSA, (iv) a covert-channel, and (v) a transient execution attack in the form the Spectre attack. We also discuss the cross-VM feasibility for each attack scenario. For all the scenarios, DABANGG+Flush+Reload and DABANGG+Flush+Flush outperform the standard Flush+Reload and Flush+Flush attacks in terms of F1 score and accuracy.


Use of Disulfiram under supervision in well-motivated alcoholics is effective in reducing relapse rates. Several adverse effects, some of them life-threatening, have been reported due to the drug. An awareness of the adverse effects is useful to keep a follow up and sustain patient compliance with the drug. This study of 158 out patients on daily oral disulfiram revealed that though many patients report unpleasant effects most of them could not be distinguished from symptoms of alcoholism present before taking disulfiram and hence cannot be considered as adverse effects of the drug. The actual adverse symptoms were also mild and could be easily managed and were infrequent and not the common cause for poor patient compliance. The study suggests that Disulfiram with its low toxicity can be offered to patients without too much reservation.


Objective—Naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) exert suppressive effects on effector CD4 cells and downregulate experimental autoimmune disorders. We investigated the importance and potential role of Tregs in murine atherogenesis. Methods and Results—Tregs were investigated comparatively between aged and young apolipoprotein E–knockout (ApoE-KO) mice and age-matched C57BL/6 littermates. The effect of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) was tested on the functional suppressive properties of Tregs from ApoE-KO and C57BL/6 mice. Tregs, CD4+CD25− cells, and saline were infused into ApoE-KO mice to study their effects on atherogenesis. Treg numbers were reduced in atherosclerotic compared with nonatherosclerotic ApoE-KO mice. The functional suppressive properties of Tregs from ApoE-KO mice were compromised in comparison with those from their C57BL/6 littermates. Thus, oxLDL attenuated the suppressive properties of Tregs from C57BL/6 mice and more so in ApoE-KO mice. Transfer of Tregs from age-matched ApoE-KO mice resulted in significant attenuation of atherosclerosis compared with that after delivery of CD4+CD25+/− T cells or phosphate-buffered saline. Conclusions—CD4+CD25+ Tregs may play a protective role in the progression of atherosclerosis and could be considered a therapeutic tool if results from human studies can solidify observations in murine models.


Background: Assessment of the clinical outcomes after rotator cuff repair is essential for their effectiveness on treatment. The Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society devised the Korean Shoulder Scoring System (KSS) for patients with rotator cuff disorder. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the availability of the KSS for assessment of clinical outcomes in patients after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and for comparison with other appraisal scoring systems. Methods: A total of 130 patients with partial-thickness or full-thickness rotator cuff tear who underwent arthroscopic repair using a single row or double row suture bridge technique were enrolled. The average follow-up period was 25.9 months. All patients were classified according to various factors. Comparison within corresponding categories was performed, and the correlation between the KSS and other shoulder assessment methods including University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Constant and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score was analyzed. Results: Total score of the KSS response had increased from 59.6 preoperatively to 88.96 at last follow-up. All KSS domains, including function, pain, satisfaction, range of motion, and muscle power had improved up to 24 months postoperatively. Statistical significance was observed mainly in preoperative measurements with number and size of torn tendons, and greater than or equal to grade 3 of fatty infiltration. The KSS was best correlated with the UCLA scoring system in both preoperative (r=0.785) and postoperative (r=0.951) measurements. Conclusions: The KSS was highly reliable and valid as a discriminative instrument, and it showed strong correlation with ASES and UCLA scoring systems.


Selective optimization of the 39,39K2 and 39,41K2 isotopomers in a three-photon ionization process is presented by applying evolution strategies on shaped fs pulses in a feedback loop. The optimizations at different center wavelengths show considerably large enhancements of one isotope compared to the other and reversed. We compare the acquired optimized pulse shapes for combined phase and amplitude with pure amplitude modulation. Particularly from their spectra we are able to extract information about the optimally chosen differing ionization paths via the involved vibrational states. Furthermore, a comparison of the temporal shape of the optimized pulse forms for combined phase and amplitude with pure phase optimization is given. The presented pulse form analysis demonstrates the potential of restricted optimization to gain insight into the underlying dynamical processes. Our approach reveals how the optimization algorithm precisely addresses the vibrational wave functions both spectrally and temporally.


Key Points Question Can educational virtual reality videos for patients improve the quality of bowel preparation before colonoscopy? Finding This randomized clinical trial including 346 participants found that patients educated by virtual reality videos had a higher mean Boston Bowel Preparation Scale score, indicating better bowel preparation, than patients educated by conventional methods. Meaning Virtual reality videos can be used as an effective patient education tool for bowel preparation before colonoscopy.


Expert witnesses in sexually violent predator (SVP) cases often rely on actuarial instruments to make risk determinations. Many questions surround their use, however. Bayes's Theorem holds much promise for addressing these questions. Some experts nonetheless claim that Bayesian analyses are inadmissible in SVP cases because they are not accepted by the relevant scientific community. This position is illogical because Bayes's Theorem is simply a probabilistic restatement of the way that frequency data are combined to arrive at whatever recidivism rates are paired with each test score in an actuarial table. This article presents a mathematical proof and example validating this assertion. The advantages and implications of a logic model that combines Bayes's Theorem and the null hypothesis are also discussed.


E-commerce on the Internet has the ability to produce millions of trades at the same time the number of merchants supplying commodities on the Internet is considerable, but it is difficult for individuals to tour every site on the Internet and choose where it is best to trades. In this paper we introduce Mobile Trade Agent (MTA) that rove a network, gather and examine the information from merchant servers on the Internet and make decisions to trade commodities on behalf of users. The unifications of public key encryption scheme and Distributed Object Technology (DOT) makes the MTA secure. We prove that (DOT) is an allowing technology for MTA.


In this important book, William T. Gormley, Jr., argues that child care is a social problem of critical importance and that there are compelling reasons for government intervention. Because child care quality affects how children grow up - for better or for worse - the government has a responsibility to improve and reshape the child care system. Gormley offers a balanced, comprehensive analysis of market, government, and societal failures to ensure quality child care in the United States. He finds that unreliable child care contributes to family stress and undermines efforts to achieve educational readiness, welfare reform, and gender equity; that regulators and family support agencies do not distinguish sharply enough between good and bad child care facilities; and that government and businesses provide inadequate financial and logistical support. As a result, children suffer, as does society as a whole. Everybody's Children presents evidence on how different states and communities have responded to child care challenges. Gormley prescribes the roles to be played by federal, state, and local governments, for-profit and nonprofit child care providers, churches, schools, and family support agencies. He offers a number of reform strategies and argues that different levels of government and societal institutions must work together to achieve the goals of efficiency, justice, choice, discretion, coordination, and responsiveness - and, ultimately, to create the best system possible for our children.


This study examined the relationship between social-environmental influences and body image perception. Specifically, the study explored the perceived body appearance among young and older students attending higher education, and their eating experiences, as related to four main social-environmental circles: family, friends, work colleagues, and media. The present study interviewed 30 students (14 men and 16 women) ages 20–40. The findings show that most of the participants were concerned about their appearance, reported on various eating habits rooted on family tradition. Findings revealed differences among gender and age groups regarding, especially regarding sport and dissatisfaction with their own perceived appearance. Although more women reported on healthy eating habits and doing sport, they reported higher dissatisfaction with their body appearance. It was found that in both groups, family habits and their parents' remarks about bodies had an ongoing effect and significant influence on their body self-perceptions. Further health promotion should be directed in particular to individuals with a perceived negative body image, in order to enhance positive body self-perception, implementing heathy eating habits and engaging higher commitment to sport.


There are a difference between the performance measurement results in the laboratory and the measurement results in the field. This is the reason for the difference in the condition of the measurement site, the difference in construction and installation state of the measurement object depending on the construction or manufacturer. As the industry developed, the construction methods became more diverse. Modular construction methods are growing especially in the field of architecture. This study is a study on the sound insulation performance of modular construction. Based on ISO 140-3 and KS F 2808, we will examine the airborne sound isolation performance of building materials considering the architectural characteristics. Thus, the simulation results and the laboratory measurement results are compared with the wall sound insulation performance of the modular construction method. The influence of the characteristic on the airborne sound performance is analyzed.


Major burns represent a challenge in autologous skin coverage and may lead to severe functional and cosmetic sequelae. Dermal substitutes are increasingly becoming an essential part of burn care during the acute phase of treatment. In the long term dermal substitutes improve functional and cosmetic results and thus enhance quality of life. In the chronic wound setting, dermal substitutes are used to reconstruct and improve burn scars and defects. Despite the potential of dermal substitutes, further research is required to strengthen scientific evidence regarding their effects and also to develop new technologies and products. Furthermore, dermal substitutes have a pivotal role in future research strategies as they have the potential to provide adequate scaffold for stem cells, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine with conceivable application of obtaining long‐lasting and scarless artificial skin. This review discusses the status quo of dermal substitutes and novel strategies in the use of dermal substitutes with a focus on burn care.


After studies with powdered infant formula indicated that the enhancement of thermal inactivation of Cronobacter sakazakii by butyl para-hydroxybenzoate (BPB) was blocked by the presence of high protein levels, we hypothesized that BPB would retain its synergistic activity in foods with a limited protein content and lipid content. This hypothesis was explored by examining the ability of BPB to enhance the thermal inactivation of Cronobacter sakazakii 607 at 58 °C in commercial apple juice, including examining the effects of pH and the possible synergistic effects with malic acid. Apple juice was adjusted to designated pH values between 3.2 and 9.0, supplemented with selected levels of BPB (≤125 ppm), inoculated with early stationary phase C. sakazakii 607, and thermally treated (58 °C) for 15 min using submerged coil apparatus. The same methods were used to study the enhancement of thermal inactivation by malic acid. Samples were plated on Tryptic Soy Agar for recovery and enumeration. Survival curves were plotted, and D-values were calculated and compared using ANOVA. Our results indicated BPB significantly enhanced thermal inactivation in a concentration dependent manner, with D-values of a few seconds at the original pH (3.8). The enhancement of thermal inactivation was pH dependent over the range of pH 3.4 to 9.0. Malic acid enhanced thermal inactivation as the pH was decreased from 3.8 to 3.2. The study supports the hypothesis that BPB can enhance the thermal inactivation of C. sakazakii in low protein foods.


Quality of water use by man will continue to be an issue of concern since water itself is life to man. In these days of globalization, and cross-border health issues, we are interested in comparative study of quality of water sources beyond borders perhaps there may be lessons from such study. Oke-Bale community in Oshogbo in Osun State, Nigeria and Nitte community in Udupi District of Karnataka State, India are two similar communities selected for this study. Records of water samples from the two communities were obtained for five sources of water. The sources of water in order of use within the communities are the open well, borehole, stream or Monsoon river water, Harmattan river water and rain water. Water quality parameters considered which are physical/organoleptic, chemical and bacteriological, include colour, odour, taste, temperature, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity, total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, alkalinity, chloride, nitrate, zinc, and bacteriological. The parameters were assessed based on permissible levels of five water quality standards of SON, MUD, WHO, USEPA and BIS. Results show that the quality parameters for water resources of Oke-Bale in Nigeria are generally higher than those of Nitte, India. Conductivity follows increasing trend from well to river. Conductivity for rain needs to be accessed by SON. Results of bacteriological analysis indicate that the stream and rivers in both case studies are polluted. Results also indicated that rain collected from roof gutter can be polluted as indicated by Oke-Bale rain.R which is polluted. Oke-Bale alkalinity levels are higher than the Nitte levels and alkalinity levels of all water sources in Oke-Bale except rain sources are not permitted by WHO and USEPA levels of 100mg/L, although permitted by SON standards which is 5 times those of WHO and USEPA. All water sources are within chloride, nitrate and zinc permissible levels. SON is advised to review standard for alkalinity which is 5 times those of WHO and USEPA. BIS is to review chloride permissible high and wide range of 250-1,000mg/L in line with others whose range is 200-250mg/L. MUD may need to review Zinc permissible range of 5-15mg/L, being too much where SON and WHO are both 3mg/L while USEPA . Further studies are recommended in the following areas: (i) To confirm or otherwise observation of higher stream turbidity over that of river; (ii) To establish if ratio of river to stream conductivity levels is high and greater than 5 as is the case in the Oke-Bale and Nitte case study; (iii) To establish a functional relationship between total hardness, calcium hardness and magnesium hardness; (iv) Study on Variation in the quality of rain water collected directly and from different roof materials and ages of roofs.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a spatial intelligent decision support system (SIDSS) for increasing productivity in the rubber agroindustry by green productivity (GP) approach. The SIDSS was used to measure the productivity of rubber plantation and rubber agroindustry by GP approach, and select the best strategies for increasing the productivity of rubber agroindustry.

Design/methodology/approach

This system was developed by combining spatial analysis, GP, and fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) with the model-based management system, which is able to provide comprehensive and meaningful decision alternatives for the development of natural rubber agroindustry. Rubber plantation productivity measurement model was used to find the productivity level of rubber plantation with fuzzy logic, and also to provide information and decision alternatives to all stakeholders regarding spatial condition of rubber agroindustry, production process flow, and analysis of the seven green wastes at each production process flow using the geographic information system. GP measurement model was used to determine the productivity performance of the rubber agroindustry with the green productivity index (GPI). The best strategy for increasing the productivity was determined with fuzzy ANP.

Findings

Rubber plantation measurement model showed that the average of plantation productivity was 6.25 kg/ha/day. GP measurement model showed that the GPI value of ribbed smoked sheet (RSS) was 0.730, whereas of crumb rubber (CR) was 0.126. The best strategy for increasing the productivity of rubber agroindustry was raw material characteristics control. Based on the best strategy, the GPI value of RSS was 1.340, whereas of CR was 0.228.

Research limitations/implications

This decision support system is still limited as it is based on static data; it needs further development so that it can be more dynamically based on developments in the rubber agroindustry related levels of productivity and environmental impact. In addition, details regarding the decision to increase the productivity of the rubber section by benchmarking efforts should be studied further, both among plantation as well as among countries such as Thailand so that the productivity of rubber plantation and agroindustry can be integrated.

Practical implications

This research can help the planters to select superior clones for rubber trees, to improve the technique of tapping latex, and to use a better coagulant. The good quality and quantity of raw material is a key factor in increasing the productivity of rubber agroindustry; if the quality of latex is good then the resulting product will also have a good quality and production cost can be reduced. In addition, the application of GP through the calculation of GPI value using improvement scenarios can be used as a reference and comparison for evaluating the performance of rubber agroindustry to reduce the waste generated by the activities of rubber processing plant.

Social implications

Reduction of waste generated by production activities can improve the quality of life of the workforce and the environment. The calculation of GPI value can also be used as a basis to use raw materials, water, and electricity more efficiently.

Originality/value

This system was developed by combining spatial analysis, GP, and fuzzy ANP with the model-based management system, which is able to provide comprehensive and meaningful decision alternatives for the development of natural rubber agroindustry.


Atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis are two of the most common skin diseases. In both diseases, eosinophils have been suggested as potential contributors of the pathologies linked with these skin conditions. Our goal was to establish a causative relationship between the inflammatory response of chemically induced contact hypersensitivity and eosinophil-mediated activities. Wild type and eosinophil-less PHIL mice were sensitized and challenged with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNFB) or alternatively trimellitic anhydride (TMA). Time lapsed videography was used to capture the number of itching events associated with treatment. Immunohistochemistry for eosinophils and nerves was performed to correlate the effect of dermatitis on innervation and eosinophil accumulation in these mice. Our studies showed that in both the DNFB and TMA models a robust eosinophil infiltrate occurred that was accompanied by copious levels of eosinophil degranulation. More importantly, these studies demonstrated that metrics of inflammation (e.g., induced ear swelling (i.e., thickness)) was reduced in PHIL mice relative to wild type. Our observations were also directly correlative with a loss of nerve growth and branching in PHIL mice. These data implicate eosinophils as contributors to the pathologies linked with chemically-induced contact hypersensitivity, including the induced itch responses associated with these models.


The subcellular localization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcription factor Yap1p is regulated by oxidation and reduction. We purified Yap1p from yeast and characterized its properties in vitro. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the purified protein can specifically bind the TRX2 target promoter. Yap1p was purified under reducing conditions, but removal of reducing agents resulted in the formation of an oxidized Yap1p species with properties similar to in vivo oxidized Yap1p. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the oxidized form of Yap1p contains two disulfide bonds between C303-C598 and C310-C629. A stable domain of approximately 15 kDa was detected upon limited proteolysis of oxidized but not reduced Yap1p. This Yap1p protease resistant domain was purified, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis showed that it was comprised of two separate cysteine-containing peptides of Yap1p. These peptides are separated by 250 amino acids and are joined by the C303-C598 and C310-C629 disulfide bonds. Taken together, these data suggest that the domain that controls Yap1p subcellular localization is modular and contains a redox center comprised of four cysteine residues.


The present study was conducted to evaluate the quality of drinking water and assess the potential health hazards due to water contaminants in selected urban areas of Lahore, Pakistan. Water samples were collected from ten sites and analyzed for different physico-chemical parameters including turbidity, color, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrates, fluoride, residual chlorine, and total hardness. Additionally, heavy metal (arsenic) and microbial parameters (E. coli) were also determined in the water samples. Drinking water quality evaluation indices, including the water quality index (WQI) for physico-chemical and biological parameters and human health risk assessment (HHRA) for heavy metal were estimated using the analytical results of the target parameters. It was found in most of the areas that the levels of arsenic, fluoride, TDS, and residual chlorine were higher than those recommended by the National Environmental Quality Standard (NEQS) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. In addition to the physico-chemical parameters, microbial content (E. coli) was also found in the drinking water samples of the selected areas. Statistical analysis of the results indicated that levels of target parameters in drinking water samples are significantly different between sampling sites. The WQI for all physico-chemical and microbial parameters indicated that drinking water in most of the areas was unfit and unsuitable (WQI > 100) for drinking purposes except for the water of Bhatti Gate and Chota Gaon Shahdara with a WQI of 87 and 91, respectively. Drinking water in these areas had a very poor WQI rating. According to HHRA, drinking water from the selected sites was found to be of high risk to children and adults. The carcinogenic risk of arsenic indicated that all samples were of high risk to both adults and children (4.60 and 4.37 × 10−3, respectively). Regular monitoring of drinking water quality is essential, and proactive measures must be implemented to ensure the treatment and availability of safe drinking water in urban areas.


ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS by Dwight & Look Jr. and Harry & Saner Jr. Prindle, Weber & Schmidt (Van Nostrand Reinhold, U.K.), 1986 (£14.95). Undergraduate texts in Thermodynamics appear at frequent intervals and generally show little variation in content or style. This book is no exception to this observation! However, it should be noted that the title Thermodynamics is prefixed by Engineering and in this respect the authors have successfully emphasised the importance of the subject in up to date engineering achievements at practically all stages in the book which should help to capture the imagination and interest of students. The basic concepts and laws of thermodynamics are developed in a fairly classical manner in the first seven chapters. They are accompanied by numerous worked examples and supplemented by a large selection or problems which will provide an adequate challenge for the more able students and provide further insight into the applicability of thermodynamics in engineering. Chapters 8 and 9 are concerned with basic systems and cycles and clearly show the importance of the material developed in the earlier chapters in the analysis of complex engineering systems. This is followed by chapters on Gas Mixtures and Elements of Combustion which allows air conditioning and refrigeration problems to be dealt with in more depth than is found in equivalent texts. A chapter on Availability is included. Nothing new is said but it is not always emphasised in books at this level and is to be welcomed in these times when engineers are more energy conscious. Only one chapter is devoted to Thermofluid Mechanics. This is very concise and many students may well require a further text in the subject to fully consolidate their ideas in this area. A final chapter on Statistical Thermodynamics is included and seems out of context in such a practically orientated text. Nevertheless, it is well written and allows the more enquiring student to see the link between statistical and the classical approaches to the subject. The book is attractively presented and well illustrated throughout. Ample worked examples and additional problems are provided and in common with recent trends simple programmes are provided to aid the solution of some problems. The book is heavily biased towards Mechanical Engineering and it covers all the material needed for a typical undergraduate course in that subject. In its student edition it represents good value.


The Key Largo woodrat is an endangered rodent endemic to the island of Key Largo in the Florida Keys. After several reports documented a steep decline in the population, the US Fish and Wildlife Service developed a recovery plan, including captive breeding and reintroduction. Captive breeding efforts were to be focused on providing animals for future reintroduction to protected areas on Key Largo. However, little was known about the husbandry needs or reproductive behavior of this elusive nocturnal species. In 2005, Disney's Animal Kingdom(®) received 11 animals and began to systematically investigate methods of breeding Key Largo woodrats. Since the program's inception, 30 pups have been born and successfully parent reared. In this report, we describe some of the husbandry techniques that have contributed to the success of the Key Largo woodrat captive breeding program at Disney's Animal Kingdom(®) . The results obtained may be of use to other facilities maintaining woodrats and other rodent species.


Abstract In this work, the convergence behavior of a time-simultaneous two-grid algorithm for the one-dimensional heat equation is studied using Fourier arguments in space. The underlying linear system of equations is obtained by a finite element or finite difference approximation in space while the semi-discrete problem is discretized in time using the ϑ-scheme. The simultaneous treatment of all time instances leads to a global system of linear equations which provides the potential for a higher degree of parallelization of multigrid solvers due to the increased number of degrees of freedom per spatial unknown. It is shown that the all-at-once system based on an equidistant discretization in space and time stays well conditioned even if the number of blocked time-steps grows arbitrarily. Furthermore, mesh-independent convergence rates of the considered two-grid algorithm are proved by adopting classical Fourier arguments in space without assuming periodic boundary conditions. The rate of convergence with respect to the Euclidean norm does not deteriorate arbitrarily if the number of blocked time steps increases and, hence, underlines the potential of the solution algorithm under investigation. Numerical studies demonstrate why minimizing the spectral norm of the iteration matrix may be practically more relevant than improving the asymptotic rate of convergence.


To the Editor.— The recent commercial introduction into the US market of the Premier "smokeless cigarette" by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is the newest entry by the tobacco industry of nicotine delivery systems. The device is a tube that has the superficial appearance of a conventional cigarette but that contains very little tobacco. 1 Its primary means of nicotine delivery is an aluminum cylinder in which a charcoal tip has been partially inserted. The cylinder (4.5 mm in diameter and 29 mm in length) is filled with aluminum oxide beads that have been treated with glycerol and nicotine-laden substances. The smoker ignites the charcoal tip and draws hot gases through the aluminum chamber, causing volatile components to form an aerosol and be drawn into the user's lungs. A patent (No. 4756318) application by the company claims that the device "may be used or may be modified for use as


There are a vast number of factors involved in reproducing the subtleties of realistic facial animation. So many, in fact, that it is near impossible for an animator or a computer simulation to achieve genuinely realistic results. One reason for this is simply a lack of sufficient models for the important characteristics and subtle dynamics of facial expressions expected by human observers, who are all ultimate experts at watching faces! The Uncanny Valley has recently become the standard term for the unintentional creepy appearance of near-photoreal, computer generated, animated faces. This phenomenon, first predicted in the context of robotics, is being increasingly seen in human characters in video games. The work described here can be viewed as a direct attempt to build a bridge across the Uncanny Valley and start climbing up the other side for the most challenging applications of all for digital humans—those requiring real-time interactivity. Ultimately, we hope that our collection of techniques will help human characters in video games and other real-time applications to approach the believability and emotional impact offered by their film counterparts.


In recent years, neural image compression emerges as a rapidly developing topic in computer vision, where the state-of-the-art approaches now exhibit superior compression performance than their conventional counterparts. Despite the great progress, current methods still have limitations in preserving fine spatial details for optimal reconstruction, especially at low compression rates. We make three contributions in tackling this issue. First, we develop a novel back projection method with attentional and multi-scale feature fusion for augmented representation power. Our back projection method recalibrates the current estimation by establishing feedback connections between high-level and low-level attributes in an attentional and discriminative manner. Second, we propose to decompose the input image and separately process the distinct frequency components, whose derived latents are recombined using a novel dual attention module, so that details inside regions of interest could be explicitly manipulated. Third, we propose a novel training scheme for reducing the latent rounding residual. Experimental results show that, when measured in PSNR, our model reduces BD-rate by 9.88% and 10.32% over the state-of-the-art method, and 4.12% and 4.32% over the latest coding standard Versatile Video Coding (VVC) on the Kodak and CLIC2020 Professional Validation dataset, respectively. Our approach also produces more visually pleasant images when optimized for MS-SSIM. The significant improvement upon existing methods shows the effectiveness of our method in preserving and remedying spatial information for enhanced compression quality.


Variability of synapse numbers and partners despite identical genes reveals limits of genetic determinism. Non-genetic perturbation of brain wiring can therefore reveal to what extent synapse formation is precise and absolute, or promiscuous and relative. Here, we show the role of relative partner availability for synapse formation in the fly brain through perturbation of developmental temperature. Unexpectedly, slower development at lower temperatures substantially increases axo-dendritic branching, synapse numbers and non-canonical synaptic partnerships of various neurons, while maintaining robust ratios of canonical synapses. Using R7 photoreceptors as a model, we further show that scalability of synapse numbers and ratios is preserved when relative availability of synaptic partners is changed in a DIPγ mutant that ablates R7's preferred synaptic partner. Behaviorally, movement activity scales inversely with synapse numbers, while movement precision and relative connectivity are congruently robust. Hence, the fly genome encodes scalable relative connectivity to develop functional, but not identical, brains. One-Sentence Summary Non-identical connectivity and behavior result from temperature-dependent synaptic partner availability in Drosophila.


Within the COMED project, medical workstations have been developed which provide computer-assisted methods for image management, 2D and 3D image visualization and processing, teleconferencing and data communication An "user-friendly" human-computer interaction has to be provided.


A method was developed for performing T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with the rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequence by altering the excitation flip angle. This method was called variable flip angle turbo spin-echo (VF-TSE) imaging. When the effective echo time corresponds to the first echo, the resolution worsens as the echo train length becomes longer. For this reason, the echo train length was set at three, the repetition time (TR) was shortened (100- 200 msec) to decrease imaging time, and the initial flip angle was adjusted (120 degrees-140 degrees) to improve image quality. Another advantage of this method is that the initial flip angle can be reduced to below 90 degrees when a longer TR is needed. Measured signal intensities for VF-TSE imaging matched theoretic predictions. VF-TSE imaging yielded high contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratios without sacrificing resolution. The VF-TSE technique was useful for breath-hold, three-dimensional, and cardiac synchronization imaging.


Introduction: Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent perinatal transmission if administered within 24 hours of birth. Nigerian infants are known to present late for their first immunizations and may acquire the virus either vertically or horizontally before receipt of the first dose of hepatitis B immunization. This study evaluated serological markers for hepatitis B virus infection in Nigerian infants prior to receipt of the first dose of hepatitis B immunization. Method: Blood samples obtained prior to the receipt of hepatitis B vaccine from infants presenting for their first immunization were analysed for HBsAg, antiHBc and antiHBe.. Results: The mean age at presentation of the 153 infants studied was 14.3±15.6 days while only two infants presented on the first day of life. The prevalences of HBsAg and antiHBc were 16.3% and 15.7% respectively. Of those positive for either HBsAg or antiHBc 20(47.6%) were positive for antiHBe. The presence of HBsAg was not significantly associated with sex, age, circumcision, ear piercing and blood transfusion. Conclusion: Majority of the infants did not receive hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. Institutional delivery should be encouraged while emphasizing to mothers and health care workers that hepatitis B vaccination must commence within 24 hours of birth.


Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is a phloem-boring beetle, native to East Asia that has become a serious invasive pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in North America and European Russia since the early 2000s. In 2019, EAB was detected in Ukraine. It had spread over 300 km from the entry point over two years and killed hundreds of Fraxinus excelsior and F. pennsylvanica trees. EAB poses a threat to the ash forests of neighboring European countries, which have already been damaged by the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The purpose of this research was (i) to reveal the traits of EAB and the climatic variables that affect its survival; (ii) to predict the EAB expansion range in Ukraine and westward; and (iii) to compare the most significant bioclimatic variables in the native, invasive ranges of EAB, as well as outside these ranges. The results demonstrated the following: (i) in all ranges, EAB has adapted to the seasonal temperature variations; (ii) the MaxEnt model predicted the potential distribution of EAB with high accuracy (AUC = 0.988); the predicted area of EAB invasion covered 87%, 48%, and 32% in Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions, respectively; and (iii) the ranges of climatic variables in EAB-inhabited regions demonstrated the high ecological plasticity of this pest. However, the predictions could be improved by considering forest structure, as well as the localization of roads.


Project of new sanitary rules on drinking water quality is given. Comparative assessment of Russian and International standards of chemicals in water is presented. Rules will be valid from 1995.


This manuscript presents an application of calculation methods in neutron activation analysis (NAA) of a large crude oil sample. Monte-Carlo computer code was developed. The computer code calculates neutron cross sections and neutron flux density distribution in the interior large sample. ENDF/B-VII.0 data files and ENSDF BNL-NCS-51655-01/02-Rev data files were used as nuclear databases in our computer code. HPGe planar detector efficiency registration technique and the software were developed for the absolute NAA technique of the large sample. The concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Sc, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Br, Sr, Zr, Mo, Ag, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Pt, Au, Hg, Th and U in the crude oil samples of Eastern Siberia oilfield were determined using calculation and relative techniques in the concentration range from 10-9 to 0.5%.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Background: Gallbladder cancer is a relatively uncommon tumor worldwide but it has a feature of highly invasive and malignant tumor with poor prognosis. However, relevant molecules and/or genes associated with growth and metastasis of gallbladder carcinoma are poorly understood. Although NDRG2 is known as a tumor suppressor gene, its exact role in gallbladder carcinoma remains unknown.

Materials and method: For deciphering biological roles of NDRG2 in gallbladder carcinoma, first, we examined the expression of NDRG2 in tumor specimens from 86 gallbladder carcinoma patients by immunostaining and analyzed the correlation between NDRG2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters as well as patient survival. Second, we investigated the functional significance of NDRG2 in gallbladder carcinoma progression by stable knock-down or overexpression of NDRG2 in in vitro and in vivo studies.

Results: NDRG2 was differentially expressed in gallbladder carcinoma tissues. The negative expression of NDRG2 was significantly associated with a pathological T stage (P = 0.015), high histological grade (P = 0.020), and perineural invasion (P = 0.016). Multivariate analyses clearly showed that the loss of NDRG2 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival. The stable expression of NDRG2 shRNA in gallbladder carcinoma cell lines significantly increased cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration and invasion. In addition, NDRG2 shRNA remarkably increased metastasis from the spleen to the liver in mice. Furthermore, loss of NDRG2 expression in cells caused an epithelial-mesenchymal transition through Slug induction by MMP-19 interaction with Slug promoter.

Conclusions: In the present study, we showed that loss of NDRG2 expression leads to poor prognosis and enhanced metastasis in gallbladder carcinoma. NDRG2 suppresses MMP-19 which causes an epithelial-mesenchymal transition through Slug induction. These data indicate that NDRG2 suppresses tumor progression via regulating MMP19/Slug axis in gallbladder carcinoma. The loss of NDRG2 is a novel prognostic factor suggesting it could be a useful biomarker in patients with gallbladder carcinoma and a potential therapeutic target.

Citation Format: Nayoung Kim, Jeong-Ki Min, Jin-Man Kim, Hyo Jin Lee. NDRG2 suppresses growth and invasion of gallbladder carcinoma via regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 19/slug interaction. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3404. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3404


The application of geographic information systems (GIS) is especially relevant to transportation-related fields because of the spatially distributed nature of transportation-related data. The application of GIS to the management of transportation data can result in reduced costs and time savings. The development of a GIS application for management of safety-related data for public at-grade rail-highway crossings in the state of Delaware is discussed. The objective was to develop a GIS application that would enable better management of safety-related data for railhighway grade crossings by integrating data from various sources and referencing data to their actual spatial location on the base map. The GIS application enables analysis and interpretation capabilities such as visual access and display, spatial analysis, query, thematic mapping and classification, and statistical and network-level analysis. The work was a continuation of an ongoing project that resulted in the integration of rail-highway grade crossing safety data from various sources, such as the Federal Railroad Administration and the Delaware Department of Transportation into a data base management system and the selection and implementation of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) accident prediction model into the system. The development of the rail-highway grade crossing safety GIS application is described and the creation of the spatial base map; conversion of existing railhighway crossings attribute data into a GIS acceptable format; the interface with the USDOT model; and the prioritization, query, manipulation, analysis and editing features of the GIS application are presented.


Large genome size and deficiency of adequate informative molecular markers bottlenecked genetic improvement in sugarcane. DNA fingerprinting and diversity analysis of sugarcane genotypes provide essential genetic evidences that breeders could utilize in crop improvement program. To investigate the genetic diversity based on 46 microsatellite markers, 16 promising exotic sugarcane genotypes were utilized. Twenty (20) out of 46 microsatellite markers were examined at Germplasm Evaluation Lab of BCI, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, whereas the remaining 26 were tested at the genomics lab of SIU-Carbondale, USA. The genotypes portrayed substantial level of genetic polymorphism. Ratio of monomorphic loci was 28.66% out of 164, whereas polymorphic loci were 71.34% with an average 3.57 alleles/locus. Out of 46 microsatellite markers, 10 (21.74%) produced monomorphic, 13 (28.26%) produced polymorphic bands and 23 (50%) produced both monomorphic and polymorphic bands. SSR markers SCM16 and UGSM574 produced maximum number of bands (10), whereas markers SMC7CUQ, SMC1604SA, MCSA053C10, SOMS118, UGSM154, UGSM312, mSSCIR3, SMC851MS, SOMS156, SMC336BS and SMC1751CLproduced the least number of band i.e., 1. In all 16 sugarcane genotypes, the PIC value of the polymorphic loci ranged between 0.009 and 0.947 with the mean value of 0.490/locus. Mean number of alleles/polymorphic locus was 3.30, whereas mean number of alleles/locus was calculated as 3.57. Through similarity matrix extent of genetic relatedness among the sugarcane genotypes was determined. Genetic similarity as pair-wise ranged between 71 to 93%. Minimum genetic similarity was noted 71% between genotypes CP89831 and MS94CP15, while the maximum between genotypes S97CP288 and MS99HO391. The phenogram categorized the 16 cultivars into main four (4) clusters/groups. Cluster-1/group-1 consisted two (2) genotypes only, 2 cluster consisted of five (5) genotypes, whereas 3 cluster consisted only one genotype (MS92CP979) which was branched solitary. The 4 cluster was comparatively a large one and consisted of eight genotypes. This was suggested that the genotypes showed maximum level of genetic polymorphism might be further utilized in sugarcane varietal development and breeding plans.


Renewable energy is a hottest, but not a new topic in the energy fields. Especially renewable resources based on wind. Using wind energy to work out a machine is not a new technology in human history. Today, wind is the fastest growing renewable energy resources in the world [1]. Wind data is the essential study element for wind researcher in either in meteorological field or renewable. Indeed, a reliable wind data also one of the aspects studies before wind system been built. However, Malaysia, there is lack of reliable and accurate wind data which present on spatial [2].


Visible blind near-infrared (NIR) photodetection is essential when it comes to weapons used by military personnel, narrow band detectors used in space navigation systems, medicine, and research studies. The technological field of filterless visible blind, NIR omnidirectional photodetection and wearability is at a preliminary stage. Here, we present a filterless and lightweight design for a visible blind and wearable NIR photodetector capable of harvesting light omnidirectionally. The filterless NIR photodetector comprises the integration of distinct features of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), graphene, and micropyramidal poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film. The lanthanide-doped UCNPs are designed such that the maximum narrow band detection of NIR is easily accomplished by the photodetector even in the presence of visible light sources. Especially, the 4f n electronic configuration of lanthanide dopant ions provides for a multilevel hierarchical energy system that provides for longer lifetime of the excited states for photogenerated charge carriers to transfer to the graphene layer. The graphene layer can serve as an outstanding conduction path for photogenerated charge carrier transfer from UCNPs, and the flexible micropyramidal PDMS substrate provides an excellent platform for omnidirectional NIR light detection. Owing to these advantages, a photoresponsivity of ∼800 AW-1 is achieved by the NIR photodetector, which is higher than the values ever reported by UCNPs-based photodetectors. In addition, the photodetector is stretchable, durable, and transparent, making it suitable for next-generation wearable optoelectronic devices.


The authors assess the utility of postexpiratory high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans in the evaluation of air trapping in patients with obstructive lung disease. Thirteen healthy volunteers and 14 patients with obstructive lung disease (OLD) were examined using inspiratory and postexpiratory HRCT scans. All had pulmonary function tests. Lung attenuation was measured on both inspiration and expiration, and the extent of air trapping on postexpiratory scans was visually assessed. The results of the healthy volunteers were compared with those of patients with OLD, and HRCT findings were correlated with pulmonary function tests. Lung attenuation on expiration, its change from inspiration to expiration, and air-trapping scores of patients with OLD were significantly different from those of the healthy volunteers. When the healthy participants and patients with OLD were combined and analyzed as one group, the lung attenuation change and air-trapping score both significantly correlated with pulmonary function tests (p < 0.001) and correlation values were similar (r = 0.61–0.89). Air trapping was found in 61% of healthy participants and all the patients with OLD, although the extent was significantly greater in the patients with OLD. Inspiratory and postexpiratory HRCT can be used to evaluate air trapping in patients with OLD. Measurements of lung attenuation and estimates of air-trapping extent are both valuable methods of analysis.


The idea of applying the novel dual stator-winding induction generator based on PWM converter to aviation, tank and automobile supply is presented. The minimization to converter's reactive power of control winding is the key to optimization of the system. The determination of excited capacitors to minimize the reactive power of control winding under variable speed is given. The calculating capacity of the machine with a diode bridge rectifier load is proposed. The expression between the current of control winding and parameters of generator is derived. To achieve global searching and improve optimization efficiency, the improved real-coded genetic algorithm is presented. The prototype of 18 kW, 270 V with DC output is designed. The results show this scheme has prominent effect to reduce reactive power of control winding, and the capacity of converter can be reduced to 1/3 of output rated power, which makes the dimension of inverter much smaller. This is rather benefiting for the applications to the above isolated supply system.


The 5th annual Mild Cognitive Impairment Symposium, held on April 13th and 14th, 2007, in Miami Beach, Florida, focused on the question of whether the time has come to revise criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD). The symposium, sponsored by the Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, Mt Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida; and the Byrd Alzheimer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, brought together an international group of clinicians and researchers to examine current evidence for developing new criteria for AD and for outlining areas that still require clarification. Neuropathologic, neuroimaging, epidemiologic, and clinical perspectives were presented and discussed, as well as the impact of ethnic and cultural differences. As became evident, each perspective introduces different challenges in terms of selecting the appropriate assessment tools; determining when, where, and by whom the diagnosis should be given; and deciding whether multiple sets of criteria are needed for use in different settings, for example, research versus primary care practices. As was intended, the symposium delivered no consensus; however, there was substantial support for the idea that AD can and probably should be diagnosed before the onset of dementia, particularly as new interventions become available.


An automatic measuring system called "FerryBox" was installed on a ferry travelling between Germany (Cuxhaven) and Great Britain (Harwich) enabling on-line oceanographic and biological measurements such as salinity, temperature, fluorescence, turbidity, oxygen, pH, and nutrient concentrations. Observations made along the ferry transect reveal characteristic phenomena such as high salinity inflow through the Channel into the southern Bight, algal bloom dynamics and related oxygen and pH changes. Combination of these on-line observations with remote sensing enhances the spatial resolution of the transect related measurements. Examples of the synergy between both operational measuring strategies are shown. Coherence of the data sets can be gained and improved by using water transport models in order to obtain synoptic overviews of the remote sensed and FerryBox related parameters. Limitations of the currently used algorithms for deriving chlorophyll-a from remote sensing images for coastal and shelf seas (Case-2 water) are discussed, as well as depth related processes which can not be properly resolved on the basis of water intake at a fixed point. However, in mixed coastal waters under normal conditions FerryBox data represent average conditions. The importance of future applications of these combination of methods for monitoring of coastal waters is emphasized.


Introduction/Background Patients with relapsed ovarian cancer receive multiple lines of chemotherapy, each negatively affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The CLIO trial randomized patients with platinum-resistant relapsed ovarian cancer (PROC) to treatment with olaparib versus standard chemotherapy (paclitaxel weekly, or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, or gemcitabine or topotecan). Olaparib showed a favorable response rate compared with chemotherapy (Vanderstichele A et al., ASCO 2019). We aimed to assess HRQOL and quality-adjusted survival measures including Q-TWIST (quality-adjusted time without symptoms and toxicities of treatment) and QAPFS (quality-adjusted progression free survival). Methodology EORTC questionnaires QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OV28 were administered at baseline and every three months until end of treatment. Scoring of HRQOL focused on abdominal/gastrointestinal symptoms. Overall survival was partitioned into three health states to calculate Q-TWIST: time with grade ≥2 nausea, vomiting and fatigue (toxicity), time without toxicities (twist) and relapse. Each health state was adjusted by a utility weight derived from the QLQ-C30 global health status. QAPFS calculation was based on Q-TWIST, but excluded relapse status. Results In CLIO, we randomized 100 PROC patients 2:1 towards olaparib (n=67) and chemotherapy (n=33). Baseline compliance rate of questionnaires was 83% (88% olaparib vs. 73% chemotherapy). There was no significant difference in abdominal/gastrointestinal symptoms between both arms (p=0.4). In the olaparib-arm, significant differences were observed between responders and non-responders (p=0.001). Adverse events (AEs) of grade ≥3 occurred in 60% and 52% of patients in the olaparib and chemotherapy arm respectively (p=0.521). The difference in Q-TWIST was 35.6 days (95%CI: -121.5–27.8) in favour of chemotherapy. The difference in QAPFS was 23.8 days (95% CI: -42.2–63.5) in favour of olaparib. Conclusion In PROC patients, olaparib monotherapy showed similar HRQOL compared to standard chemotherapy. There were no significant differences in abdominal/gastrointestinal symptoms, Q-TWIST and QAPFS between the two treatment arms. Disclosure The presenting author, T. Callewaert, has no conflict of interest.


There currently exists a myriad of privacy laws that impact a healthcare entity, including more than 47 notification laws that require notification when a data breach occurs, as well as the breach notification requirements of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. Given the plethora of issues a healthcare entity faces, there are certain principles that can be built into an organization's philosophy that will comply with the law and help protect it from reputational harm.


Purpose: Purposes of this study were to develop a reliable and valid checklist to assess and manage post-stroke dysphagia and to identify its utilization. Methods: The first step was to develop checklist through systematic literatures reviews, to test the content validity from 11 clinical experts, and to test the construct validity and the internal consistency from 97 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. The second step was to identify clinical use of the checklist from the same 97 patients. Results: A total of 18 items compromised the assessment checklist and 64 items for intervention checklist. Internal consistencies of assessment checklist and intervention checklist were .84 and .98, respectively. In both checklists, level of utilization of general appearance was the highest, while that of early signs of aspiration was the lowest. The utilization levels of two checklists were significantly higher among patients who were less than 60 years old, and had liquid diet, facial paralysis, and previous history of aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion: We found that the checklists were reliable and valid. Further study is needed to develop specific strategies to improve nurses" use of assessment and intervention checklists for post-stroke dysphagia.


There has been a general lack of human paired cell lines that both reproduce the in vivo spectrum of tumor progression of bladder cancer and have some of the genetic changes associated with progression in human tumor tissue. T24, a cell line established from an invasive human transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder, has been used extensively in bladder cancer research. However, a significant limitation of this cell line is its lack of tumorigenicity when injected into immunocompromised mice. This characteristic was used to our advantage as we sought to characterize T24T, a highly tumorigenic variant that could then be used to elucidate the genes responsible for human bladder tumor progression. In culture, T24T has a faster doubling time, reaches a higher cell density in monolayer culture, and is more motile than T24 at higher cell densities. T24T is able to form colonies in soft agar, whereas T24 is not, and expresses HRAS, a gene associated with increased aggressiveness in human TCC, at higher levels than T24. Most importantly, T24T forms solid tumors when injected subcutaneously in SCID mice both with and without Matrigel (Sigma, St. Louis, MO), whereas T24 does not. Cytogenetically, the 2 cell lines contain at least 5 shared structural anomalies, as determined by detailed karyotyping. Interestingly, T24T has acquired 4 new structural changes, 3 of which [add(10)(p12), i(10)(q10), −15] have been observed in loss of heterozygosity (LOH) studies of tumor progression in human TCC. It appears that the T24/T24T model may be an excellent tool for the study of human TCC progression because of its relationship with known karyotypic changes associated with human bladder cancer progression. We are currently taking advantage of these paired cell lines to identify genes involved in human TCC progression. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:252–263, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Estimating f0 Here we describe an algorithm for estimating f0 which merges (and hopefully simplifies) ideas from [1] and [2]. First, assume a hash function h : a → [0, 1] uniformly. Let us define a random variable X = minih(ai). Intuitively, X should be roughly 1/m and therefore 1/X should be a fair estimate of m. This is almost true. In what comes next we make this into an exact statement. Let us first compute the expectation of X . The distribution function fX of the random variable X is fX(x) = m(1 − x) m−1. This is because, we have m different choices for the minimal element and for every value it takes, x, all the rest m− 1 values need to be higher than it (w.p (1− x)m−1). Therefore:


The relationship between nonlinearity and current noise in carbon resistors is investigated. Results are given for seven different groups of resistors, and they show that there is a correlation between the nonlinearity of a resistor and its current noise: in general, noisy resistors are more nonlinear than quiet ones. The character of the relationship varies considerably among the types tested, and it depends on the construction of the resistor.


In this paper quantitative determination of GIM in 30 apparently healthy subjects and 15 subjects with functional or organic alternations in the hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is detailed. From the observations on the quantitati on of GIM in the varied clinical states the authors conclude that the hypothalamic region contributing GIM is different from that controlling the secretion and release of gonadotropins. This preliminary data also suggest that the quantitative determination of GIM may help to delineate hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to pituitary disease from the hypothalamic etiology.


W E ARE LIVING THROUGH AN EXCITing era in facial plastic surgery. Innovations and scientific advancements abound in all directions of the globe. We can celebrate the advent of science without borders. Facial plastic surgery is simultaneously a very focused specialty, centered on reconstructive and aesthetic surgery of the face, and one of the more expansive and connected. Our specialty interfaces with dermatology, ophthalmology, oral maxillofacial surgery, surgery, and more; in addition, it is integral to both otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and plastic surgery. The primary basic science of facial plastic surgery is wound healing encompassing areas from flap physiology to peripheral nerve regeneration; our research, however, embraces technologies from disciplines as diverse as lasers, biomaterials, computer simulation, biomechanics, outcomes research, and many more. Facial plastic surgery will benefit in numerous ways from The JAMA Network. It will allow us to access and share information with the many medical and surgical specialties with which we interface. In addition to the website's ease of navigation and enhanced content, it will allow us to search for important information with semantic tagging on The JAMA Network, whether the subject is the neurosciences or epidemiology. The website platform brings creative new possibilities to our visual and technical specialty. The Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery—soon to be JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery—was founded as a global journal. From the beginning years we have been the official journal of both the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies (the Federation). The Federation's recent scientific meeting in Rome, Italy, was the largest such international meeting ever held, thanks to the expertise and hard work of its leaders Pietro Palma, MD, Paolo Castelnuovo, MD, and Abel-Jan Tasman, MD. As president of the Federation, it was my pleasure to welcome 2 JAMA Network staff, Elizabeth Solaro and Sara Nagy, to Rome to help present the many opportunities our new family of journals will provide. Interest in both manuscript submission and subscriptions was intense, and there is little doubt we will see impressive growth outside North America in coming years. The smartphone/tablet app provides a unique opportunity to introduce our global colleagues to the best resource possible to stay abreast of the latest information and to improve care for their patients. Medical publishing is transforming rapidly and its future is unclear. We do know, however, that facial plastic surgery will be well positioned to communicate our scientific advances in both print and web on the new, forward-looking JAMA Network. As a specialty we are a global family and will benefit immensely by joining The JAMA Network family.


Package stacking, die stacking, wafer stacking, and device stacking are the four different types of three dimensional (3D) technology. Except for package stacking, the other three stacking techniques require special considerations when designing circuits and systems. In this paper, different stacking techniques will first be reviewed, followed by an introduction to the possible applications for 3D circuits and systems, including sensor systems, processor-memory systems, Network-on-Chip designs, and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays. The paper will also provide key design considerations in 3D circuits and systems, and use a sensor system as an example to summarize 3D design issues discussed.


The state of the unique socio-cultural landscape in the World Heritage site Stone Town of Zanzibar, Tanzania, is critical.
Current financial and technical aid is focusing on safeguarding the traditional buildings, but there are no clear and up to date planning strategies for the public spaces where the local inhabitants and visitors run their daily life. Stone Town with it's winding streets and old Arabic and Indian style in architecture have very few open public spaces while the existing open spaces are being contested either by private developers who establish hotels, cafes and restaurants for the expanding tourism industry or by inhabitants who change them in to private spaces. Additionally the city is over crowded, mainly by the poor local inhabitants where family and extended families live close sharing little indoor space. They are therefore dependent on other space to work, gather and interact. To sum up the public open spaces are of great importance to the locals for interface and livelihood strategies, such as small scale trade, local shops, food stalls and eateries but also social and cultural interaction.

The thesis discuss the importance of green, urban spaces, generally and in the context of the Stone Town specifically. The aim of the thesis is to to be a starting point for discussions on if and in what way green, open spaces can benefit to the development of the livelihoods of urban inhabitants in general and the users of the Stone Town specifically, but also on how green open spaces can benefit to the towns status as a world heritage. Another aim has been to inspire a development and change of the many unused and/or abandoned open spaces that exist in Stone Town today. This has been done through studying different types of open spaces in Stone Town and their contexts. These studies have ended up in suggestions for upgrading or for new design or/and management of these spaces. They should be considered as ideas of how open spaces might be developed in order to get more green and liveable open spaces in to Stone Town.

The focus group is primarily the staff of the Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority for whom this thesis has been written but also people outside Zanzibar being interested in this treasure of history and culture that Stone Town is.


Implementation of network coding (NC) is expanding to a diverse set of networks due to the flexible design provided through its use, enabling a trade-off between robustness and spectral efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the application of NC in delay tolerant networks (DTN) through the use of software defined radio (SDR) nodes. We specifically focus on a deep space network scenario with large delays between nodes. Specifically, we implement a network coded cooperation (NCC) system that also makes use of the spatial diversity introduced from the environment using four SDR nodes. We compare the error performance of the implemented NCC system with a decode and forward (DF) cooperation scheme. Our results demonstrate that the NCC is a reliable option for DTN, providing comparable error rates with DF and at the same time improving spectral and energy efficiency of the target network.


Recent histological and electrophysiological reports have given evidence for peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement in multiple sclerosis. We have applied the single fibre electromyography (SFEMG) technique to 15 patients with multiple sclerosis. Six patients had clearly abnormal jitter and two of these had previously undiagnosed coexistent peripheral neuropathy. A further five patients had borderline abnormalities of SFEMG. The mean jitter for each patient was abnormal in 10 patients. This was clear evidence for PNS involvement in this disease. Theoretically, the site of the abnormality could be in the terminal nerve network or at the neuromuscular junction, but this technique cannot distinguish between these sites.


Ba(dmae)2 (dmaeH=N,N-dimethylaminoethanol, C4H11NO) reacts with Co(acac)2 (acac=2,4-pentanedionate) to produce the trinuclear coordination complex [Ba2Co(acac)4(dmae)3(dmaeH)] in an 85% yield. Spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the complex possesses a structure in which two barium atoms and a cobalt atom are bridged by acac and dmae groups. The barium centers are eight and nine coordinate with BaO7N and BaO7N2 coordination spheres while the cobalt is a more regular CoO5N octahedron. This 2:1 heterobimetallic molecular complex was investigated as precursor for the deposition of thin film by AACVD. The film was characterized by SEM and XRD. TGA shows that the complex starts thermal decomposition upon heating in nitrogen atmosphere at 105 degrees C to produce barium cobalt oxide material of a Ba2CoO3 composition with an orthorhombic structure. The synthetic approach detailed here represents a unique route to the formation of a heterobimetallic barium cobalt coordination complex.


The scheduling problem for real-time tasks on multiprocessor is one of NP-hard problems. In fault-tolerant real-time systems, tasks have deadlines to be met in spite of the presence of fault. Many attempts such as classical algorithms and intelligent methods have been made to solve this problem. Primary-backup (PB) scheme is one of the most important classical algorithms that have been employed for fault-tolerant scheduling for real-time tasks, wherein each task has two versions and the versions must be scheduled on two different processors. In this paper a novel scheduling algorithm is proposed based on genetic algorithm (GA) which uses PB for tolerating faults since all tasks employ the processors equally as much as possible.