The question about the possible existence of life outside of the Earth and its likely characteristics as based on the respective environmental circumstances has been asked for hundreds of years. A noteworthy example is Immanuel Kant's Von den Bewohnern der Gestirne dating from 1755, in which he discusses the possible shapes of life on various planets of our solar system partially using scientific reasoning. Most of the claims made at that time have turned out to be unjustifiable in the light of modern scientific findings, but the effort tells about Man's curiosity to learn about possible other life in the universe. Since then, our picture of the cosmos has substantially widened, mainly based on observational astronomy. Our solar system is by far not the only one in existence, and within the last two decades, thousands of exoplanets, i.e. planets around stars other than the Sun, have been found. This raises the natural question about their habitability, meaning that we ask whether the external conditions on those planets support life. The present book Planetary Habitability and Stellar Activity sets out to answer mainly this question, and to link the external conditions and habitability to the activity of the planets' star. It begins by taking a look at our own solar system. Chapter one is an account of all the various objects that orbit the Sun (planets, their moons, asteroids etc.), and of their properties. Chapter two then discusses the Sun, its properties, the fusion process, the radiation and activity in general, as well as space weather and its impact on Earth. This is then generalised to solar systems other than our own: The third chapter introduces to exoplanets, the instruments and techniques for their discovery and exploration, and to their properties, while chapter four shows the Sun as one star out ofmany and displays the broad variety of different stars and their properties. The focus is on stellar activity, i.e. on the different kinds of radiation, covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum as well as particles. The discussion of habitability in chapter five begins with definitions and properties of life on Earth, its occurrence depending on time, space and conditions, and habitability within our solar system, which is a question of various conditions concerning temperatures, chemical compositions, radiation levels, andmanymore. Chapter six then generalises this discussion to stellar activity and habitability, linking stellar activity and exoplanetary properties to the question about support of life and going into detail on the basis of specific examples of exoplanets and the recent findings about them. The whole text is written in a clear and light scientific style. It is fully referenced to scientific publications and supported by numerous figures, mainly in full colour. It is also supported by a number of important equations, however avoiding unnecessary mathematical detail. Planetary Habitability and Stellar Activity is the third book inWorld Scientific's series onAdvances in Planetary Science, followingOrigin and Evolution of Comets andNuclear Planetary Science. The present book can be recommended to any interested reader with a background in physics and/or astronomy, in particular to undergraduate and graduate students within astronomy and related fields, possibly being also of interest to scientists in (evolutionary) biology.


High density plasmas (n0 ≈ 8 × 1020m-3) featuring steady improved core confinement have been obtained in FTU up to the maximum nominal toroidal field (8 T) by deep multiple pellet injection. These plasmas also feature high purity efficient electron-ion coupling and peaked density profiles sustained for several confinement times. Neutron yields in excess of 1 × 1013 n/s are measured, consistent with the reduction of the ion transport to neoclassical levels.


The first decade of the twenty-first century witnessed the emergence of a large number of historical texts, documentaries and novels about the Francoist repression immediately after the Spanish Civil War. Contemporary Spanish theater was not exempt from this ongoing dialogue and recuperation of the Spanish national past, and the works of playwrights like Guillem Clua, Itziar Pascual, Gracia Morales and Alfredo Sanzol are a good example of it. Yet, because the theatrical response has not received as much critical and popular attention as novels or films, its contribution to the field of historical memory is often dismissed or viewed as secondary to that of other literary genres. The objective of this article is to propose a theoretical approach to the play writing of Laila Ripoll (Madrid 1964), one of the authors who, in her plays, has shown most interest in the subject of Historical Memory. I will focus on three of her major works of the theater of memory: Altra Bilis (2001), Los ninos perdidos (2005) and...


Internet-based mobile ad hoc networking is an emerging technology that supports self-organizing, mobile networking infrastructures. The technology enables an autonomous system of mobile nodes, which can operate in isolation or be connected to the greater Internet. Mobile ad hoc networks (Manets) are designed to operate in widely varying environments, from forward-deployed military Manets with hundreds of nodes per mobile domain to applications of low-power sensor networks and other embedded systems. Before Manet technology can be easily deployed, however, improvements must be made in such areas as high-capacity wireless technologies, address and location management, interoperability and security. The authors give an overview of Manet technology and current IETF efforts toward producing routing and interface definition standards that support it within the IP suite.


Preface Overview paper The state of the art of assessing the likelihood of internal erosion of embankment dams, water retaining structures and their foundations R. Fell & J.J. Fry Submitted papers Assessing the vulnerability of dams to internal erosion R.C. Bridle Internal erosion in Porjus dam - risk assessment and proposal for upgrading M. Bartsch Issues in the management of internal erosion in UK embankment dams A.J. Brown Bureau of Reclamation experience with evaluating internal erosion of embankment dams J.M. Cyganiewicz,W.O. Engemoen & C.G. Redlinger A framework for assessing the likelihood of internal erosion and piping of embankment dams and their foundations R. Fell, M.A. Foster & C.F.Wan Assessment of the likelihood of initiation of erosion in embankment dams R. Fell, C.F.Wan & M.A. Foster Application of no, excessive and continuing erosion criteria to existing dams M.A. Foster Re-evaluation of internal erosion incidents at Matahina Dam, New Zealand M.D. Gillon Detection of internal erosion in embankment dams using temperature, resistivity and SP measurements S. Johansson Internal stability of particles in dam cores made of cohesionless broadly graded moraines J. Lafleur & P.H. Nguyen A specific triaxial device for the study of internal erosion in cohesive soils D. Marot, A. Alexis & F. Bendahmane The susceptibility of internal erosion in the Suorva Dam A. Nilsson Filters and internal erosion in Swedish dams A. Nilsson Hydraulic criteria for internal erosion in cohesionless soil S. Perzlmaier Evaluation of erosion of soil used in dykes and earth embankments which are subjected to flood P. Reiffsteck Evaluating internal instability and internal erosion in a selection of existing Swedish embankment dams H.F. Ronnqvist A review of Corps of Engineers levee seepage practices in the United States G.L. Sills, PE & N. Vroman Investigation of internal erosion by the process of suffusion in embankment dams and their foundations C.F.Wan & R. Fell FIREBIRD_Breach: A numerical model for breach formation in earthfill dams by overtopping of the crest P.Wang & R. Kahawita Subject Index Author Index


Results of YBaCuO and ZrO2 laser deposition on sapphire are presented. A special deposition scheme used two crossed Nd: glass laser beams. A laser-deposited ZrO2 layer was epitaxially grown. A superconductive YBaCuO laser-deposited layer on a ZrO2 buffer film was c-axis oriented. Tc of 89.5 K and Jc(77 K) of 1.5*106 A cm-2 were measured for a YBaCuO film of 100 nm thickness deposited on a ZrO2 sapphire substrate. The droplet density on the YBaCuO surface was smaller than 104 cm-2.


The economic models of addictive behaviour have developed several theoretical approaches which, in spite of their common aspects, also imply significant differences. These differences stem basically from the assumptions on the structure of the preferences of the consumer, the level of rationality attached to the election, as well as from the incorporation of the effects of the information and the uncertainty. This work reviews these and other key aspects of the economic analysis of the addictive unhealthy patterns of behaviour with the aim of reflecting the different stances of the economic theoreticians in the last decades as regards the approach to this analysis and their most relevant ideas and conclusions.


−An electronic throttle consists of a DC motor, spur gears, a return spring, a position sensor, power electronics and an electronic control unit. Fast and precise position control of this electromechanical system is relatively difficult due to very high friction and the strong nonlinearity of the spring. Simple application of linear control, such as PID, fails. In this paper, two new controller structures suitable for different reference signal types are described. The key component of the position controller is the friction compensator based on either/both feedforward or feedback principles. The quality of the resulting behavior was measured using several criteria including the measure of control activity around the equilibrium position. The control activity directly influences the vibration, the noise and the wear of the servo system. The proposed controllers demonstrated superior behavior compared with other published structures.


Reinforcement learning has successfully learned to play challenging board and video games. However, its generalization ability remains under-explored. The General Video Game AI Learning Competition aims at designing agents that are capable of learning to play different games levels that were unseen during training. This paper presents the games, entries and results of the 2020 General Video Game AI Learning Competition, held at the Sixteenth International Conference on Parallel Problem Solving from Nature and the 2020 IEEE Conference on Games. Three new games with sparse, periodic and dense rewards, respectively, were designed for this competition and the test levels were generated by adding minor perturbations to training levels or combining training levels. In this paper, we also design a reinforcement learning agent, called Arcane, for general video game playing. We assume that it is more likely to observe similar local information in different levels rather than global information. Therefore, instead of directly inputting a single, raw pixel-based screenshot of current game screen, Arcane takes the encoded, transformed global and local observations of the game screen as two simultaneous inputs, aiming at learning local information for playing new levels. Two versions of Arcane, using a stochastic or deterministic policy for decision-making during test, both show robust performance on the game set of the 2020 General Video Game AI Learning Competition.


In addition to inducing pituitary tumors in rats, estrogen (E2) markedly increases galanin and PRL gene expression. We previously showed that galanin secretion from pituitary cells in vitro is inhibited by dopamine and somatostatin and stimulated by TRH. The objectives of these in vivo studies were to assess whether the long-acting somatostatin analog SMS 201-995 alters 1) immunoreactive galanin or PRL levels in the anterior pituitary, neurointermediate lobe, hypothalamus, or plasma, 2) pituitary galanin and PRL mRNA levels, and 3) the development of E2-induced pituitary tumors. Ovariectomized Fischer 344 rats were implanted with E2-filled or empty Silastic capsules and treated with or without SMS 201-995 (1.5 mg) via Alzet miniosmotic pumps. Two or 6 weeks later, immunoreactive galanin and PRL levels were determined by RIA. In ovariectomized rats, the somatostatin analog lowered the anterior pituitary content of galanin by 50%, but had no effect on PRL concentrations. E2 increased galanin and PRL levels in the anterior pituitary by 220- and 4-fold, respectively. Concomitant E2 and SMS 201-995 treatment further increased galanin and PRL in the anterior pituitary by 60-80%, but decreased plasma galanin and PRL levels. Likewise, the administration of SMS 201-995 for 2 and 6 weeks inhibited the E2-induced growth of the anterior pituitary. Galanin and PRL mRNA levels were quantified by solution hybridization. Galanin mRNA levels were reduced to undetectable levels in ovariectomized rats treated with SMS 201-995. Furthermore, a 10-fold increase in galanin mRNA levels seen in the presence of E2 was inhibited 80% by SMS 201-995. PRL mRNA levels in E2-treated rats were unchanged by SMS 201-995. We conclude that SMS 201-995 1) lowers plasma galanin and PRL levels in E2-treated rats, 2) elevates the anterior pituitary contents of galanin and PRL in E2-exposed rats, probably through decreased secretion of the hormones, and 3) reduces galanin mRNA levels in E2-treated and untreated ovariectomized rats. Overall, these results establish the differential regulation of galanin and PRL gene expression in vivo by SMS 201-995. Moreover, the data demonstrate that somatostatin receptor agonists may have therapeutic potential for some prolactinomas.


This article discusses the types of tours with visitors who have business needs (business visitor). Tour with visitor aimed at business (MICE / business visitor) different from facet needs, handling with tour with visitor aim of recreation (leisure visitor). In terms of foreign exchange earnings that affect the economic sector is the reason, because spending MICE / business visitor is greater than the visitors with recreation purposes. The analysis of the discussion refers to the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) ranking. The findings suggest that the competitiveness of Indonesian MICE destinations and MICE city in Indonesia is still weak compared to neighboring countries of Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. In order to competitiveness of MICE destinations in Indonesia, there are four factors that must be considered in the criteria and indicators of a MICE destination. These factors are accessibility, attraction, amenitas as well as human resources and stakeholder support. So that a region / region / city does not easily declare itself as a MICE destination.


The suppression of interferences from atomic and molecular isobars is a key requirement for the extension of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to the analysis of new cosmogenic isotopes and for increasing the range of applications for small AMS systems. In earlier work, it was shown that unwanted isobars can be eliminated by anion-gas reactions (Litherland et al. 2007). Recently, a prototype system in which such reactions could be applied to ions from an AMS ion source, the Isobar Separator for Anions (ISA), was described (Eliades et al. 2009). This system decelerates the beam of rare anions from keV to eV energies, guides them through a single radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) gas cell, and re-accelerates them for further analysis in a 2.5MV AMS system. Tests of this system with Cl and S anions and NO2 gas showed a suppression of S with respect to Cl of over 6 orders of magnitude, with a transmission of ∼30% for the Cl beam. In this work, results of the analysis of a range of standard reference materials are reported; these show the linearity of the system for measuring the 36Cl/35Cl ratio over a span of 2 orders of magnitude. Further tests, using the AMS system as a diagnostic tool, have provided clues about the loss of Cl at higher cell pressure and the nature of the residual low level of S transmission. These lead to the assessment of various gases for cooling the Cl– beam. Suppression measurements for 41K in the analysis of 41Ca, using NO2 as a reaction gas, are also discussed. These preliminary measurements have provided data for the development of a more advanced system with separate cooling and reaction cells.


Isometric exercise has been shown to activate endogenous pain inhibitory pathways in healthy adults, but not in some clinical pain populations.

OBJECTIVE
Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and the associated delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) are a model for studying clinical pain; thus, our purpose was to examine the effects of isometric exercise on pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the presence and absence of DOMS.

METHODS
Data were collected on 23 males (22.8 ± 2.5 yrs). PPT was assessed in the right (exercising) and left (resting) quadriceps prior to, every 30 seconds during, and 2 and 15 minutes following an isometric contraction of the right quadriceps at 25% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) held until fatigue. Unilateral eccentric exercise was performed to induce DOMS in the exercising leg and testing was repeated 48 hours later.

RESULTS
DOMS increased (P < 0.001) and resting PPT decreased (P = 0.03) following EIMD. PPTs were elevated during exercise in the exercising (P ≤ 0.002) and resting (P ≤ 0.002) quadriceps but did not differ between the control and EIMD conditions in either leg (P ≤ 0.61). PPT remained elevated 2 and 15 minutes postexercise (P < 0.05) in the exercised quadriceps in both conditions, but values returned to baseline at 2 (P = 0.91) and 15 minutes (P = 0.28) postisometric exercise in the resting quadriceps.

CONCLUSIONS
Unlike clinical pain, DOMS had no effect on the PPT response during exercise in either the exercising or resting quadriceps. The fact that exercise altered PPT in both quadriceps during exercise suggests a generalized pain inhibitory mechanism was activated. However, the restriction of postexercise effects to the exercised limb suggests localized inhibitory mechanism(s) were activated after exercise.


This paper aims to give some proofs validating that the new proposed 1-DOF motion-coupling anthropomorphic fingers (in reference [1]) can imitate the human finger's motion well and to find the advantage and disadvantage of the new fingers. The geometry-based kinematics and the statics of all the four 1-DOF six-link motion-coupling fingers are deduced, the parameters of these fingers are defined through optimization method, and the width of every finger is defined and calculated. In the end, we simulate the kinematics and statics to find difference among all the four 1-DOF motion-coupling anthropomorphic fingers. It is shown that the new proposed fingers are more compacter than the existing ones, while the new fingers are not more difficult to driven.


This article aimed to investigate the possible relationship between the work and the beauty from the point of view of workers who found themselves unemployed. The research was analyzed by quantitative descriptive statistics; assumed the exploratory and descriptive character and the survey design. 324 people participated in this study. Between about half of the participants, there is the understanding that beauty is an important factor in winning a job. People have said take care of your physical appearance when looking a job opportunity. The labor's organizations realize that the beauty present in the staff tends to be in a supporting role in marketing terms, attractiveness and profitability. However, despite the physical attributes of the selected candidates can be significant auxiliary resources for the achievement of a job, certainly without competence; do not guarantee the maintenance and success of people in work organizations.


A two-step model of Coulomb explosions of diatoms in intense laser fields is presented. In this model the molecule loses several electrons when the atoms are at the equilibrium internuclear distance and then fast Coulomb explosions occur until the products reach a critical distance Rc approximately=9 Bohr, at which several additional electrons are lost due to a recently discovered maxima of ionization rates occurring at R=Rc. Then the subsequent Coulomb explosion for the higher-charged ions takes place. The total combined Coulomb explosion energy agrees well with experimental results, showing striking regularities. The origin and intensity dependence of unexpectedly high ionization rates of dissociating nuclei at preferential, large internuclear distances R=Rc is also discussed and an analytic expression for Rc is derived.


Objectives James Reason describes cognitive underspecification as incomplete communication that creates a knowledge gap. Errors occur when an information mismatch occurs in bridging that gap with a resulting lack of shared mental models during the communication process. There is a paucity of studies in health care examining this cognitive error and the role it plays in patient harm. The goal of the following case analyses is to facilitate accurate recognition, identify how it contributes to patient harm, and suggest appropriate management strategies. Methods Reason's human error theory is applied in case analyses of errors of cognitive underspecification. Sidney Dekker's theory of human incident investigation is applied to event investigation to facilitate identification of this little recognized error. Results Contributory factors leading to errors of cognitive underspecification include workload demands, interruptions, inexperienced practitioners, and lack of a shared mental model. Detecting errors of cognitive underspecification relies on blame-free listening and timely incident investigation. Strategies for interception include two-way interactive communication, standardization of communication processes, and technological support to ensure timely access to documented clinical information. Although errors of cognitive underspecification arise at the sharp end with the care provider, effective management is dependent upon system redesign that mitigates the latent contributory factors. Conclusions Cognitive underspecification is ubiquitous whenever communication occurs. Accurate identification is essential if effective system redesign is to occur.


Thiosemicarbazones are well known compounds that show antitumoral and antibacterial proprieties[1] ; while crown ether moiety acts as ion sensor to entrap cations size-selectively from the environment, implied in the production of sensors, membrane ion transport or potential anti-cancerous species, among others[2]. The combination of both functions into the same molecule should increase their unique applications.
Herein we report on the synthesis of a molecule that combines both functions. The main aspect is that the study has being performed beginning with the design of the compound using DFT calculations, with the package of programs g09[3], after which follows the final synthesis and characterization using 1H NMR, IR and crystallographic analysis.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the financial support received from the Xunta de Galica (Galicia, Spain) under the Grupos de Referencia Competitiva Programme Projects GRC2015/009. F.Lucio thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education (grant FPU13/05014).
References
[1] (a) A. I. Matesanz, J. M. Perez, P. Navarro, J. M. Moreno, E. Colacio, P. Souza, J. Inorg. Biochem. 1999, 76. (b) G. Domagk, Quimioteraia de la tuberculosis por las tiosemicarbazonas. Cientifico Medica, 1951. (c) M. T. Cocco, C. Congiu, V. Onnis, M. L. Pellerano , A. De Logu Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, 2002, 10 501.
[2] (2) (a) C Preihs, D. Magda, J. Sessler J. Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, 2011, 15, 539. (b) Z. Sun, M. Barboiu, Y-M Legrand, E. Petit, A. Rotaru, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 14473
[3]  M. J. Frisch et al.  Gaussian 09, Revision D.01; Gaussian, Inc., Wallingford CT, 2013.


BACKGROUND
It has been widely demonstrated that in the general population a low socioeconomic status (SES) represents a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Both the incidence of and the mortality due to CHD are significantly higher in subjects with a low SES. Conventional risk factors only partly account for the social gradient in CHD. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether mortality was associated with SES in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODS
To this purpose the articles dealing with AMI and SES, having a prospective cohort design, total mortality or sudden death as primary endpoint and multivariate analysis as statistical approach, were analyzed.

RESULTS
Among the patients hospitalized for AMI, a low SES was associated with more advanced disease, as shown by a significantly higher prevalence of heart failure and of recurrent ischemic events. The in-hospital treatment and prescriptions at discharge were similar among the various socioeconomic groups. The pre-hospitalization, in-hospital and long-term mortality were significantly higher in the most deprived subjects and a low SES represented an independent predictor (adjusted odds ratio ranging from 1.4 to 3.1). The few available data suggest the socioeconomic gradient as being a predictor even of sudden death.

CONCLUSIONS
A low SES represents an independent predictor of mortality in patients with AMI. The current prognostic stratification of AMI patients is rather disappointing. In order to get a more precise prognostic stratification and to approach an adequate prophylaxis, a low SES should be utilized; however, the mechanisms mediating the adverse outcome of low socioeconomic groups should be further investigated.


Modelling resource allocation problems in the form of non-cooperative pricing games takes into account the difference between how much a given performance metric is valued and how much is paid for it. For the convergence of the sum of all users' payoff to a global maximum, the determination of the utility function is essential. Although supermodularity conditions have been previously defined and determined to obtain suitable utility functions, different utilities have significantly varying performance characteristics under similar network parameters. In an ad-hoc framework, absence of a central authority leads to uncontrollability of unfairness. Users could misbehave by broadcasting high price coefficients to force other users to transmit at a lower power. This paper proposes an adaptation of the Asynchronous Distributed Pricing Algorithm with a Deviation Detection Block that re-aligns the deviated system back into the algorithm.


Introduction/Background :After WHO declared Covid-19 as a pandemic, many scientific organizations, including gynecological oncology and gynecological surgery associations, made new recommendations for treatment protocols for certain diseases. Gynecological cancer surgery could not be performed in many hospitals and medical centers , as they could not provide optiamal conditions for their patients and staff. In this process, our hospital, which was a comprehensive cancer center, was defined as Covid-19 free hospital and established as a reference for other institutions regarding priority oncological surgeries by the regional healthcare authorities. Methodology The data of the patients who were operated with the diagnosis of gynecological cancer between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021 were scanned through files. Demographics, comorbidities, surgical type, complications and COVID-19 status were reviewed. Statistical analyzes were performed using the SPSS 22.0 (Statistical Program Social Sciences) package program. The study was approved by the ethical committee the Institutional Review Board of Dr. AY Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital and the Ministry of Health Scientific Research Platform. Result(s) The study included a total of 74 patients. Mean age was 58 years (range 16-85). Patients were referred with endometrial (32/74, 43,2%), ovarian (36/74, 48,6%), cervical (5/74, 6,8%), or vulvar cancer (1/74, 1,4). All of the patients underwent open-route laparotomy. Mean hospital stay was 12 days (range 6-51). 13 patients had a postoperative complication (13/74, 17,6%). 8 patients tested positive for COVID-19 following a Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) test, in the postoperative period, after discharge . PCR test for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV- 2) was conducted in 73%. The Covid-19 PCR test has been routinely applied 48 hours before the operation, according to the guidelines published by health authorities since June 2021. Conclusion There is no 'one size fits all' approach to cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are no international guidelines. Screening and treatment decisions should often be made on a case-by-case basis and often depend on the COVID-19 situation in a single community and the availability of resources. Our study results shows that it can be done safely, even in the pandemic, when strict adherence to Covid 19 precautions for both patients and healthcare workers.


This work deals with the electrical characterization down to 4K of fully depleted SOI MOSFET with a physical gate length down to 10nm. Temperature measurements are used to highlight source to drain tunneling: which is evidenced at room temperature for the first time. Finally resonant tunneling effect is observed.


The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in 334 blood samples of sheep from 12 properties located in Uberlândia municipality, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The indirect immunofluorescence assay test (IFAT) was used for the detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies, with a cut-off at dilution 1:64. The prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in sheep was 30.8% and seropositive frequency per property ranged from 10 to 66.7%, and all properties have at least one reacted sample. When ovine seropositivity was associated with gender, age and breed, there was a statistically significant difference for age, so that animals with lower age (6 to 11 months) were less reacted than the older sheeps. These results suggest the adoption of preventive measures in the region studied.


This paper examines the consequences of patient enrollment procedures in a capitation-based family practice in Krakow (Poland), where the local city government used two different methods for preparation of patient lists. In the first, the city gave the individuals living within the practice area the option of withdrawing from being enrolled in the practice; in the second, individuals were given the option of enrolling in the practice. These two enrollment procedures, identified as 'active-negative' and 'active-positive' respectively, provide a natural experiment for investigating the effects of an enrollment methodology on the economics of a physician's practice. An examination of the data indicates that self-selecting enrollees utilize significantly greater quantities of health care compared to others, and university educated individuals and individuals more likely to fall ill are more likely to self-select into a practice. The study suggests that in order to reduce demand-side adverse selection, either the system of active-positive enrollment should be modified, or capitation rates should be risk-adjusted by health status rather than by demographic variables only. The policy implications of this study become even more significant as more and more physicians leave their salaried jobs to start state-financed independent practices.


Kenya experienced unprecedented political violence following the flawed and disputed presidential election result in December 2007. Over 1,100 people were killed and another 600,000 displaced. The violence spread rapidly and threatened Kenya as a nation-state. Following international mediation by the African Union's Panel of Eminent African Personalities under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General, the two main protagonists agreed to end violence and to share political power. Although much has been written about the Kenya post-election violence, little has been said about the role the country's indigenous civil society groups played in the mediation process, and to end the violence. This article discusses the role they played in ending the crisis by responding to two questions: 'How did civil society put out the fire?' and 'What lessons can other African civil society organizations learn from the experience?'


In this paper, jitter analysis algorithms for characterizing timing jitter of multi-Gbps pseudo-random bit sequences (PRBSs) are presented. For signal acquisition, incoherent sub-sampling is employed to increase the effective sampling rate of a digitizer and to simplify its signal acquisition architecture by removing the need for timing synchronization circuits. As a substitute for these circuits, algorithms for signal clock recovery (CR) and waveform reconstruction from the acquired data are developed in this research. The algorithms utilize peak identification of the sampled signal spectrum and the sparsity of the reconstructed waveform in the frequency domain as decision making criteria for accurate signal reconstruction. The jitter value of such a reconstructed waveform is quantified with the use of a wavelet based denoising method to generate a self-reference signal against which zero-crossing times are compared to generate jitter statistics. In addition, the data dependent jitter components can be differentiated from the original jitter by analyzing zero-crossing discrepancies of the self-reference signal.


The knowledge of the current distribution on the ground plane of a printed circuit board (PCB) is important to overcome many electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems. In this paper a method of moments (MoM) algorithm is used to evaluate the surface current distribution on the ground (GND) plane. In order to consider the effects of GND-planes on the signal behaviour on transmission lines, infinite planes are often assumed to reduce the calculation time. A comparison of the currents using finite and infinite ground planes shows a significant modification of the coupling to transmission lines placed in the layer above.


Studies of the morphology and composition of isolated parotid acinar cells from patients with cystic fibrosis were conducted. It was demonstrated that these cells are larger than cells from controls and have higher concentrations of amylase, Ca, and Na and lower concentrations of K which is suggestive of functional abnormalities in homeostatic and secretory processes.


Providing a supportive prosocially oriented socialization for children was emphasized as necessary for their development as responsible citizens oriented to living in and sustaining their communities. A prosocial community was defined as one in which its inhabitants are concerned with the well-being of others in the community and the community as well as with themselves. The failure of current community psychology theory, research, and projects to address the nature of communities and implications of their work for the development of prosocial communities and children was addressed. A comprehensive child-centered approach to prosocial community building which necessarily includes children as participants was outlined. Illustrative youth oriented prosocial community projects, implications of their outcomes, and suggested research directions were cited.


Derived from realistic global warming scenarios, long‐term projections of spatial patterns in precipitation and temperature in hydrology and climatology can serve to evaluate climate risk, explore sources of renewable energies and allow local‐scale data to inform decisions regarding agricultural, ecosystem, social, recreational and economic activities. Under the CORDEX‐EA project, the precipitation and temperature projections (2020–2045) for the economically and socially important region of Northwestern China were derived from high‐resolution regional climate model (RCM) simulations for RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, and compared against a historical period or baseline of 1980–2005. Drawing data from four key RCMs [Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF); Regional Spectral Model (RSM); Regional Climate Model version 4.0 (RegCM4); Mesoscale Model version 5 (MM5)], reliable local‐scale projections were generated by applying suitable bias correction that accords with the multivariate bias correction (MBC) approach. To validate this approach and then evaluate climate change impacts, the adjusted precipitation and temperature estimated from bias‐corrected models for the historical period were compared to the observed data. The results showed that the simulated spatiotemporal distribution of multiyear average precipitation and temperature appear to fit relatively well with the observations, however, the wet‐cold and dry‐warm climate‐related biases were still evident for the high altitude regions. Bias‐corrected future projections of RCMs indicated spatially averaged annual precipitation is expected to rise by about 23.6 and 35.3 mm under the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively, while spatially averaged annual temperature is expected to rise by about 1.95 and 1.10°C. Precipitation is projected to increase in all seasons, albeit, more so in the cold season (i.e., boreal winter and spring) than the warm season (i.e., boreal summer and autumn). The annual increase is expected to be about 56.7% under the RCP 4.5 scenario, compared to 67.6% under the RCP 8.5 scenario. The changes of mean temperature in winter are expected to be significant, −37.8% under both RCP scenarios. For spring, the mean temperature will rise by 23.1% (28.9%) under the RCP 4.5 (8.5) scenario. A MBC approach was found to be effective in yielding reliable projected changes in precipitation and temperature variables. The proposed approach has important implications for climatological studies and evaluation of climate change impacts on localized regions, not only in China, but also in other similar areas of the world, where decisions for managing climate risk must be implemented by policy makers, government, industry and stakeholders.


I am trying to find a therapist. I have to go in-network for my health insurance to cover it, so I have this long list of therapists, but I don't know anything about them. Do you have any suggestions as to how to go about choosing one and/or questions to ask? Is there a "Go Ask Alice!" answer I could read for this info? I found my last therapist through the recommendation of a colleague at work and another through my school's counseling service. Now I need to spread my wings and find a professional therapist on my own! Yikes!


In wireless cellular communication systems, call admission control (CAC) is to ensure satisfactory services for mobile users and maximize the utilization of the limited radio spectrum. In this paper, we propose a new CAC scheme for a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless cellular network supporting heterogeneous self-similar data traffic. In addition to ensuring transmission accuracy at the bit level, the CAC scheme guarantees service requirements at both the call level and the packet level. The grade of service (GoS) at the call level and the quality of service (QoS) at the packet level are evaluated using the handoff call dropping probability and the packet transmission delay, respectively. The effective bandwidth approach for data traffic is applied to guarantee QoS requirements. Handoff probability and cell overload probability are derived via the traffic aggregation method. The two probabilities are used to determine the handoff call dropping probability, and the GoS requirement can be guaranteed on a per call basis. Numerical analysis and computer simulation results demonstrate that the proposed CAC scheme can meet both QoS and GoS requirements and achieve efficient resource utilization.


It is presented a numerical and experimental study related to thermal convection and Taylor dispersion in a symmetrical folded gap of small aspect ratio. The gap is surrounded by an impervious rock which is affected by a constant vertical temperature gradient. Two cases were analyzed, the fluid-filled gap and the fluid-saturated porous layer. Their corresponding convective flows were calculated for small Rayleigh number regimes. Taylor dispersion of a passive contaminant, in both cases, was studied. It was found that dispersion is strongly limited by the convective flows. Indeed, the Peclet number and the gap aspect ratio seem to be tight related to an eventually limited dispersive transport rate.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


A case study involving the establishment of a Connectivist massive open online course (c-MOOC) at a college of education is presented. c-MOOCs are seen to represent an approach to learning that should be of interest to educators preparing their learners (the teachers of tomorrow) for life and work in a knowledge society. The paper differentiates between c-MOOCs and courses that are labeled massive, open, and online MOOCs, but of a different kind and that reflect theories differing from Connectivism in most essential respects. Then, it examines the case of establishing a c-MOOC at the college using a methodology for analyzing organizational transformation triggered by the adoption of computing technologies. Through the narrative analysis of the actions characterizing the implementation of our initiative, we have succeeded in understanding how the affordances of MOOCs may subvert the mainstream agenda of an organization and its established practices. This understanding is valuable in future plans to establish a MOOC in its appropriate context. The rise of the MOOC is relatively young; hence studying how to implement it is also in its infancy. The presentation aims to contribute to this research-in-progress by bringing the teacher educators' point of view.


The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of serum G protein–coupled oestrogen receptor (GPER) levels and their correlation with semen parameters in men with infertility. The participants were divided into two groups as follows: 76 fertile control men (Group 1) and 77 infertile men (Group 2). Semen analysis, hormonal evaluation, serum GPER level and scrotal ultrasound of the participants were evaluated. Follicle‐stimulating hormone and total testosterone levels were not significantly different between the groups (p = .413 and p = .535 respectively). The oestradiol level in Group 1 was significantly lower than that in Group 2 (p < .001). The serum GPER level was found to be significantly higher in Group 1 than that of Group 2 (p < .001). GPER levels were positively correlated with the total sperm count, sperm concentration, motility and morphology in Group 2 (r = 0.303, 0.345, 0.260 and 0.322, respectively, p < .001). In this study, GPER levels were positively correlated with sperm parameters, and it was hypothesised that the decrease in GPER expression might be associated with male infertility by adversely affecting spermatogenesis.


Courts often face the difficult problem of establishing damage causation and apportioning compensation payments among multiple tortfeasors. However, legal scholars and practitioners are still looking for a systematic apportionment method. We analyse these issues from a cooperative game perspective. The problem is modelled as a transferable utility game to which standard solution concepts can be applied. Instead of reasoning on causation, we use the traditional solution of cooperative game theory to apportion the damages due by each tortfeasor. The Shapley value is particularly suited to this legal context, as its axioms are consistent with the fundamental principles of private law.


The theory of auroral coherent echoes developed for VHF scattering by Uspensky et al. (1988, 1989) is applied to the interpretation of intensity and Doppler velocity slant range profiles of HF radar aurora. The theoretical model includes the effects of irregularity aspect sensitivity, ionospheric refraction of the radar beam, and the reception of signals from different heights. The predicted profiles of HF radar aurora are compared with Schefferville HF radar observations in the frequency interval of 9–18 MHz. Satisfactory agreement is found between theory and experiment for the intensity profiles. However, there are significant discrepancies for the Doppler velocity profiles. We discuss this lack of agreement in light of other recent observations.


The exponential mechanism is a fundamental tool of Differential Privacy (DP) due to its strong privacy guarantees and flexibility. We study its extension to settings with summaries based on infinite dimensional outputs such as with functional data analysis, shape analysis, and nonparametric statistics. We show that one can design the mechanism with respect to a specific base measure over the output space, such as a Guassian process. We provide a positive result that establishes a Central Limit Theorem for the exponential mechanism quite broadly. We also provide an apparent negative result, showing that the magnitude of the noise introduced for privacy is asymptotically non-negligible relative to the statistical estimation error. We develop an \ep-DP mechanism for functional principal component analysis, applicable in separable Hilbert spaces. We demonstrate its performance via simulations and applications to two datasets.


This paper presents the design and fabrication of a zone plate Fresnel lens. 3D Printing is used for rapid prototyping this low-cost and light-weight lens to operate at 10 GHz. This lens is comprised of four different 3D printed dielectric zones to form phase compensation in a Fresnel lens. The dielectric zones are fabricated with different infill percentage to create tailored dielectric constants. The dielectric lens offers 18 dBi directivity at 10 GHz when illuminated by a waveguide source.


CLEARING OUT the recurrent underbrush of fatty debris in the arterial jungle is the goal of cardiologic explorers today. Despite the nearly routine restoration of blood flow through once-clogged coronary vessels that "balloon angioplasty" makes possible, restenosis continues to be a problem. Following attack by blasting, cutting, scraping, melting, and other efforts, the plaque comes back. At the 64th annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA), held in Anaheim, Calif, many presentations dealt with the safety and efficacy of alternative devices designed during the past few years to remove fatty deposits or prop open arterial walls after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Sometimes the new methods are tried first. In either case, success has not been great. Experimental Now, Clinical in '92? The major devices include specialized balloon and laser catheters, mechanical atherectomy or ablation devices, and metallic and bioabsorbable stents. With one exception (the Atherocath, which has


A third-generation platinum analogue, zeniplatin, was administered at a dose of 145 mg/m2 intravenously over 60–90 minutes every 21 days as the initial chemotherapy to 21 patients with metastatic melanoma. Prehydration and mannitol diuresis was introduced after the first 7 patients. There were 17 males and 4 females. The median age was 52 (range: 29–81). ECOG performance status was 0 in 10 patients, 1 in 8 patients and 2 in 3 patients. Major disease sites were lymph nodes, skin, lung, liver, and bone. Patients received a median of 2 cycles (range: 1–7). Two patients achieved partial responses. One with nodal disease progressed after 166 days and the other with buccal mucosal disease after 142 days. A third patient showed partial regression of nodal disease but developed cerebral metastases. Gastrointestinal toxicity included WHO grade 3 vomiting in 8 patients and nausea in 2. Antiemetics were used, but ondansetron was not available. WHO grade 3 hematologic toxicities included neutropenia in 8 patients and anemia and thrombocytopenia in 1 patient. Thrombocytosis was seen in 35% of courses. Dosage reduction was required in 15% of courses and escalation in 5% of courses. Three patients developed phlebitis related to the infusion. One patient developed a reversible rise in serum creatinine, but, unlike other studies, no severe nephrotoxicity was reported. Zeniplatin demonstrated only modest activity in melanoma with significant gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity.


Hyperglycemia is well-known for inducing cellular oxidative damage in type II diabetes (T2D) patients. This research addressed the cytoprotective and anti-genotoxic effect of xanthone derivatives from Garcinia mangostana against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and blood leukocytes damage of the normal and T2D volunteers. The cytoprotective effects of an aqueous extract of xanthone (100 and 200 µg/mL) was assessed on cell viability and free radical scavenging activity using the trypan blue exclusion method on PBMC cells. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were measured as cellular oxidative damage markers and estimated from culture medium of PBMCs of normal and T2D volunteers. The anti-genotoxicity was assessed as the protective effect of xanthone against H2O2-induce DNA damage of blood leukocytes of the normal volunteers following comet assay technique. Xanthone and Gallic acid (control) concentrations 100, 200 and 100 µg/mL significantly (P < 0.05) protected from H2O2 (20 mM)-induced oxidative damage of PBMCs. It was confirmed by increased cell viability and free radical scavenging activity coupled with the decreased MDA and LDH levels in cell culture medium compared to H2O2 (20 mM)-treated group. In H2O2 (40 mM)-induced blood leukocytes of normal volunteers, different concentration xanthone (50 - 500 µg/mL) significantly (P < 0.05) improved the anti-genotoxicity effect compared to negative/positive control group by lowering comet formation. Xanthone treatments on PBMCs and blood leukocytes of the normal and T2D volunteers could attenuate the H2O2-induced cellular oxidative damage and cell death via exhibiting antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities.


Microwave transmission of a coplanar microresonator deposited on a sample surface over a two-dimensional electron system has been studied. The transmission signal reveals a series of resonances corresponding to the excitation of hybrid cavity plasmon-photon modes, and ultrastrong plasmon-photon coupling has been realized. The hybridization frequency (Rabi frequency) is shown to be anomalously larger than the frequencies of unperturbed modes and it reaches values of up to 25 GHz. The effect of electron density and magnetic field on the excitation spectrum of cavity polariton has been investigated.


This study attempts to examine the impact of equivalence and the loss of originality issues in the translated Idioms from Urdu to English. Equivalence is considered a principle concept in translation theory but it is replete with problems. This paper aims to highlight the loss of originality in the selected translated idioms because these are considered as frozen patterns of language that allow a very little or almost no variation in form and their meanings cannot be taken from their individual components as per the compositionality principle. i.e. the meaning of a sentence can be deduced from the individual meaning of words. This idea of transferring the different meanings and objectives of a given text poses an important question that the researcher tries to answer in this paper. "Does translation responsible for the loss of originality for being unable to find suitable equivalents at inter-lingual situations"? After reviewing the relevant literature and analyzing different translated idioms from Urdu to English, it elucidates that the translator must be well-educated about both languages and especially for the target language in terms of its norms, social and cultural values in order to produce an accurate translation. This study is qualitative in nature. The data is collected by the observation technique and analyzed from the perspective of equivalence and loss of originality between two languages i.e. English and Urdu.


Polycrystalline CdS films have been deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The electrical properties of the sample have been studied by means of an analysis based on the thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectrum at a heating rate of 0.06 K s−1 in the temperature range of 40–250 K. In order to evaluate the trap parameters of the sample, we have used curve fitting and initial rise methods. The TSC spectrum indicates that the sample has seven overlapped peaks located at levels in the range of 0.021–0.138 eV below the conduction band. The values of the frequency factor, the capture cross section and the concentration of the traps have been determined from the observed peaks in the TSC spectrum of the sample.


Hypertension (HTN) is the most common chronic disease in the United States; it especially affects the African American community, with black men and women seeing higher rates of morbidity and mortality. A significant opportunity exists to improve the awareness of the dangers of HTN in these communities. Started in 2011, the Blood Pressure Ambassador Program at Christiana Care provides a unique solution, using trained volunteers to conduct blood pressure screenings throughout the Wilmington area. A peer-to-peer model is used to connect trusted individuals from the community to their friends, family, and neighbors. The Blood Pressure Ambassador Program has conducted over 12,000 screenings to date, touching residents in all 12 medically underserved areas of Wilmington. A recent analysis of the Program found that about half of all African Americans screened were found to by hypertensive and one-third did not realize that they had high blood pressure.


Worldwide, organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises have already disruptively changed in many ways their physiological inner mechanisms, because of information and communication technologies (ICT) revolution. Nevertheless, the still ongoing COVID-19 worldwide emergency definitely promoted a wide adoption of teleworking modalities for many people around the world, making it more relevant than before to understand the real impact of virtual environments (VEs) on teamwork dynamics. From a psychological point of view, a critical question about teleworking modalities is how the social and cognitive dynamics of collaborative facilitation and collaborative inhibition would affect teamwork within VEs. This study analyzed the impact of a virtual environment (VE) on the recall of individuals and members of nominal and collaborative groups. The research assessed costs and benefits for collaborative retrieval by testing the effect of experimental conditions, stimulus materials, group size, experimental conditions order, anxiety state, personality traits, gender group composition and social interactions. A total of 144 participants were engaged in a virtual Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) classical paradigm, which involved remembering word lists across two successive sessions, in one of four protocols: I-individual/nominal, I I -nominal/individual, I I I -nominal/collaborative, I V -collaborative/nominal. Results suggested, in general, a reduced collaborative inhibition effect in the collaborative condition than the nominal and individual condition. A combined effect between experimental condition and difficulty of the task appears to explain the presence of collaborative inhibition or facilitation. Nominal groups appeared to enhance the collaborative groups' performance when virtual nominal groups come before collaborative groups. Variables such as personality traits, gender and social interactions may have a contribution to collaborative retrieval. In conclusion, this study indicated how VEs could maintain those peculiar social dynamics characterizing the participants' engagement in a task, both working together and individually, and could affect their intrinsic motivation as well as performances. These results could be exploited in order to design brand new and evidenced-based practices, to improve teleworking procedures and workers well-being, as well as teleworking teamwork effectiveness.


BACKGROUND
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are important measures of treatment effect and can be used to inform the approval of cardiovascular drugs and devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

PURPOSE
To catalogue the health status patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) validated in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), describe their psychometric properties, and assess adherence with both FDA recommendations and the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) framework.

DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database from inception to August 2022.

STUDY SELECTION
Studies that developed and/or validated health status PROMs in CVD populations.

DATA EXTRACTION
Two study authors extracted data on CVD type, PROM psychometric properties, and adherence to FDArecommendations. The risk of bias informing the development or validation of PROMs was assessed using the COSMIN framework.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Fifty health status PROMs (described in 83 studies) were identified, of which 45 were disease specific and 5 were generic. Eleven (22%) of the 50 PROMs validated in CVDs had minimally important differences (MIDs) established, and 8 (16%) reported on the validation of all psychometric properties recommended by the FDA. By COSMIN standards, only 2 PROMs (4%) had all of their psychometric properties rated as sufficient in quality, and 32 PROMs (64%) had less than 50% of psychometric properties rated as sufficient.

LIMITATION
The quality of reporting varied across included studies.

CONCLUSION
Of 50 PROMs validated in CVDs, only a small minority reported on the validation of all FDA-recommended psychometric properties, had psychometric properties rated as sufficient by COSMIN, or had MIDs established. Given the use of PROMs to guide FDA approvals of drugs and devices in CVDs, there is a need for better adherence to quality standards in PROM validation.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
None.


615 urothelial bladder tumors are evaluated retrospectively after reclassification of histological and cytological specimens according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (1973) and International Union Against Cancer (1974). The reason for a subdivision of the T1 category for exophytic noninfiltrating carcinomas is discussed. The importance of stage and grade is demonstrated as well as the different prognosis of patients with primary or recurrent tumors of the same T category. The results of the study demand a differentiated therapeutic regimen for urothelial bladder tumors.


Kenya has a great potential for aquaculture growth by producing additional volumes of fish to fill the growing gap in national fish supply, as wild fish catches continue to decline. In order to balance the shortfall between fish production and high increase in demand, the Kenyan government drafted a fiscal policy measure in the form of Economic Stimulus Program (ESP) to stimulate economic growth in the industry. Despite increased aquaculture adoption and subsequent increase in fish supply in the country, little is known about consumer preference of farmed fish products that ultimately may hinder optimization of production and marketing of the aquaculture sub-sector. This study examined factors influencing consumer preferences and marketing trends in the demand for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Kirinyaga and Vihiga Counties in Kenya. A total of 153 questionnaires were administered to 95 and 58 respondents in Kirinyaga and Vihiga counties respectively. There was no significant difference among the various education levels with regard to their fish buying preferences. Similarly, the different gender groups do not influence the purchase of fish or consumption rates. Tilapia is the most frequently purchased fish in both counties. Over 60% of Kenyan consumers purchase fish mainly from open markets in fresh and fried forms. Fish product attributes such as overall quality, ready availability and taste had the greatest influence on consumer preferences; hence these attributes need to be stressed in market promotional activities. It is therefore recommended that improved marketing through a target-oriented approach of existing customers and attracting new consumers for market penetration will guide the aquaculture industry to improve production and profits.


Abstract This paper presents an overview of the general chemical principles underlying the structures, synthesis and technical performance of azo pigments, the dominant chemical class of industrial organic pigments in the yellow, orange, and red shade areas, both numerically and in terms of tonnage manufactured. A description of the most significant historical features in this group of pigments is provided, starting from the discovery of the chemistry on which azo colorants are based by Griess in the mid-nineteenth century, through the commercial introduction of the most important classical azo pigments in the early twentieth century, including products known as the Hansa Yellows, β-naphthol reds, including metal salt pigments, and the diarylide yellows and oranges, to the development in the 1950s and 1960s of two classes of azo pigments that exhibit high performance, disazo condensation pigments and benzimidazolone-based azo pigments. A feature that complicates the description of the chemical structures of azo pigments is that they exist in the solid state as the ketohydrazone rather than the hydroxyazo form, in which they have been traditionally been illustrated. Numerous structural studies conducted over the years on an extensive range of azo pigments have demonstrated this feature. In this text, they are referred to throughout as azo (hydrazone) pigments. Since a common synthetic procedure is used in the manufacture of virtually all azo (hydrazone) pigments, this is discussed in some detail, including practical aspects. The procedure brings together two organic components as the fundamental starting materials, a diazo component and a coupling component. An important reason for the dominance of azo (hydrazone) pigments is that they are highly cost-effective. The syntheses generally involve low cost, commodity organic starting materials and are carried out in water as the reaction solvent, which offers obvious economic and environmental advantages. The versatility of the approach means that an immense number of products may be prepared, so that they have been adapted structurally to meet the requirements of many applications. On an industrial scale, the processes are straightforward, making use of simple, multi-purpose chemical plant. Azo pigments may be produced in virtually quantitative yields and the processes are carried out at or below ambient temperatures, thus presenting low energy requirements. Finally, provided that careful control of the reaction conditions is maintained, azo pigments may be prepared directly by an aqueous precipitation process that can optimise physical form, with control of particle size distribution, crystalline structure, and surface character. The applications of azo pigments are outlined, with more detail reserved for subsequent papers on individual products.


Annotation. The paper analyzes the social conditions of formation and development of professional orientation activities. Considered periods: ancient civilizations (Ancient Egypt, Babylon, China), antiquity The Middle Ages, the period of the First World War, Europe and the United States in the XIX and XX century. And also highlighted the meth-ods and principles of career guidance in these historical periods.


This paper presents a 2.4 GHz CMOS transceiver for the wireless personal area network (WPAN) integrated in 0.18 μm CMOS technology. This transceiver adopts a low-IF receiver, a MUX based transmitter and a fast-setting fractional-N frequency synthesizer. For achieving low cost and low power consumption, an inductor-less receiver front-end, an adaptive analog baseband, a low power MUX and a current-reused phase-locked loop (PLL) have been proposed in this work. Measured results show that the receiver achieves −8 dBm of IIP3 and 31 dB of image rejection. The transmitter delivers 0 dBm output power at a data rate of 2 Mbps. The current consumption is 7.2 mA in the receiving mode and 6.9 mA in the transmitting mode, respectively.


BACKGROUND
Treatment regimens with hepatic arterial chemotherapy infusion are being investigated in an attempt to improve survival and quality of life for patients with primary and metastatic liver malignancies. The successful delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs through an implantable hepatic arterial infusion device depends on the surgeon's understanding of hepatic arterial anatomy, the proper cannulation technique, and the operative measures necessary to prevent misperfusion of drug.

METHODS
Between January 1, 1987, and December 31, 1991, we placed implantable hepatic arterial infusion devices in 180 patients. The records of these patients were review to determine (1) the incidence and surgical management of variant hepatic arterial anatomy and (2) the complications associated with surgical placement of these devices.

RESULTS
Variant hepatic arterial anatomy requiring ligation of the variant vessel or nonstandard cannulation was seen in 66 patients (36.7%). Treatment response rates and duration of treatment were no different for these 66 patients than for the 114 patients with standard hepatic arterial anatomy (p = 0.94). There were no operative deaths in this series. Operative or early postoperative (within 30 days) complications occurred in 10 patients (5.5%). However, late complications or device-related malfunctions developed in 52 patients (28.8%).

CONCLUSIONS
An understanding of regional arterial anatomy is required to surgically place a catheter to achieve bilobar hepatic arterial perfusion and avoid gastroduodenal misperfusion of drug. Placement of hepatic arterial infusion devices has a low rate of early morbidity, but surgeons should be aware of late complications that may develop in patients undergoing hepatic arterial chemotherapy infusion through an implantable device.


Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), called also Wireless Body Sensor Network (WBSN), is composed of a set of tiny wireless devices (sensors) attached, implanted or ingested into the body. It offers real time and ubiquitous applications thanks to the small form, the lightness, and the wireless interface of sensors. WBAN performance is expected to be considerably degraded in the presence of Wi-Fi networks. Their operating channels overlap in the 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band which produces interference when they transmit data, accompanied by data losses and quick battery exhaustion. Therefore, it is crucial to mitigate the interference between WBAN and Wi-Fi networks in order to maintain the efficiency and the reliability of the WBAN system. Proposals in the literature use an added complex hardware in WBAN system, or perform the exchange of additional information, or establish expensive communications, or affect the quality of service of the WBAN. Unlike previous researches, we proposed simple, low cost and dynamic method that adaptively adjusts specific parameters in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. We have proved the effectiveness of our approach based on theoretical analysis and simulation using MiXiM framework of OMNet++ simulator


Objective Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an inflammatory biomarker associated with presence and progression of disease and with increased risk of mortality. We aimed to evaluate the unspecific biomarker suPAR as a prognostic marker in patients admitted to acute care. Methods This registry-based retrospective cohort study included 4343 consecutively admitted patients from the Acute Medical Unit at a large Danish university hospital. Time to readmission and death were analysed by multiple Cox regression. Results were reported as HRs for 30-day and 90-day follow-up. Results During 30-day follow-up, 782 patients (18.0%) were readmitted and 224 patients (5.2%) died. Comparing 30-day readmission and mortality between patients in the highest and lowest suPAR quartiles yielded HRs of 2.11 (95% CI 1.70 to 2.62) and 4.11 (95% CI 2.46 to 6.85), respectively, when adjusting for age, sex, Charlson score and C reactive protein. Area under the curve for receiver operating characteristics curve analysis of suPAR for 30-day mortality was 0.84 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.86). Furthermore, in the entire cohort, women had slightly higher suPAR compared with men, and suPAR was associated with age, admission time, admission to intensive care unit and Charlson score. Conclusions In this large unselected population of acute medical patients, suPAR is strongly associated with disease severity, readmission and mortality after adjusting for all other risk factors, indicating that suPAR adds information to established prognostic indicators. While patients with low suPAR levels have low risk of readmission and mortality, patients with high suPAR levels have a high risk of adverse events.


Persons with physical disabilities face many architectural and social barriers to community participation. This research employed the 'Photovoice' method. The aim was to gain insight into the daily lives of persons with physical disabilities, and to assess their needs in the Kumasi metropolis. Participants in this study were trained and instructed to photograph their everyday activities, so as to document their struggles and concerns, to promote critical dialogue and to reach policymakers. Results indicated a number of concerns, such as poor accessibility to public toilets, transport and buildings, as well as a need for attitudinal change and equal opportunities. Other needs which were raised by the participants included economic empowerment, marketable vocational training, accident prevention, affordable and quality rehabilitation, and the establishment of emergency shelters. It was concluded that the most pressing needs of persons with disabilities were related to overall social, employment and accessibility issues. Finally, the 'Photovoice' methodology offered a suitable, structured, and participatory way to assess the needs of persons with disabilities. It gave this marginalised group  a voice through photographs, and formed an excellent way of disseminating the findings of this study to the stakeholders involved. DOI 10.5463/DCID.v22i1.12


Early disease detection leads to more effective and cost-efficient treatment. It is especially important for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, because progression of these pathologies leads to significant and frequently irreversible changes in underlying pathophysiological processes. At the same time, the development of specific screening tests for detection of each of the hundreds of human pathologies in asymptomatic stage may be impractical. Here, we discuss a recently proposed concept: the development of minimally invasive Universal Screening Test (UST) based on analysis of organ-enriched microRNAs in plasma and other bodily fluids. The UST is designed to detect the presence of a pathology in particular organ systems, organs, tissues or cell types without diagnosing a specific disease. Once the pathology is detected, more specific, and if necessary invasive and expensive, tests can be administered to precisely define the nature of the disease. Here, we discuss recent studies and analyze the data supporting the UST approach.


What are AACSB-Accredited Business Schools Doing to Close the Loop? Elizabeth Vitullo, MBA, MSc As higher education enters into an era of increased accountability, the need to demonstrate evidence of student learning has become more important. The practice of documenting evidence of student learning and systematic evaluation of the learning process has been adopted by discipline specific accrediting bodies. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an accrediting agency and an association of institutions devoted to the advancement of business education. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to examine what two AACSB-accredited Colleges of Business are doing to close the loop using a case study approach. Interviews with multiple administrators and business faculty, as well as key assessment documents, were analyzed. The assessment process was compared at both Colleges of Business from their learning goals to the actions taken to improve student learning. Interviewees (N=16) at both colleges identified how the assessment process improved learning through the systematic approach of measuring student performance. Faculty felt that the process should be faculty driven, but acknowledged that having leaders who embraced assessment helped move the process along. The college got faculty to buy into the process by setting clear expectations. Resistance to assessment was attributed to the time that was required to conduct the process and a lack of understanding of assessment. Areas that both colleges struggled with were including external constituents into the assessment process and publicizing assessment results. Recommendations for successful assessment practices and for future research are made.


The aim of this study was a verification of a gyroscopic measurement device mounted on the heel counter of a running shoe. For this purpose 15 subjects performed 10 running trials in a laboratory environment. Rearfoot angular velocities from the gyroscope were compared qualitatively and quantitatively to rearfoot angular velocities observed with a 3D motion analysis system (VICON). Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis the results are very good in the sagittal plane, good in the frontal plane and poor in the transverse plane.


PURPOSE
Ultrasound can provide images of the tongue during speech production. The present study set out to examine the potential utility of ultrasound in remediation of North American English /r/.

METHOD
The participants were 2 Canadian English-speaking adolescents who had not yet acquired /r/. The study included an initial period without ultrasound and 13 treatment sessions, each 1 hr long, using ultrasound. Speech samples were recorded at screening and immediately before and after treatment. Samples were analyzed acoustically and with listener judgments. Ultrasound images were obtained before, during, and after the treatment period.

RESULTS
Three speech-language pathologists unfamiliar with the participants rated significantly more posttreatment tokens as accurate [r]s in single words and some phrases. Acoustic analyses showed an expected lowering of the third formant after treatment. A qualitative observation of posttreatment ultrasound images for accurate [r] tokens showed tongue shapes to be more similar to those of typical adults than had been observed before treatment. Participants needed continued practice of their newly acquired skills in sentences and conversation.

CONCLUSION
Two-dimensional dynamic ultrasound appears to have potential utility for remediation of /r/ in speakers with residual /r/ impairment. Further research is needed with larger numbers of participants to establish the relative efficacy of ultrasound in treatment.


Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) processes have been allowing important technological breakthroughs in integrated photonics and nano-optomechanics, by exploiting light-sound (photon-phonon) interactions at the nanoscale. These nonlinear processes are created by two main effects: radiation pressure and electrostriction; however, the former is the predominant one in high-index-contrast nanowaveguides. In this letter, we derive a simple set of analytical expressions that can be used for optimizing the radiation pressure on the waveguide boundaries, for any optical mode, polarization, and wavelength. We observe a very strong influence of the waveguide geometric parameters on the optimal radiation pressure value. Furthermore, we explain how the existence of such optimal geometric dimensions is physically related to the minimization of the electromagnetic momentum flow in the propagation direction. This work provides a novel and robust method, yet simple, to optimize the radiation pressure in dielectric nanowaveguides, which may be of great relevance for designing integrated photonic-phononic devices.


Inclusion of plasma (or plasma proteins) in human hepatocyte uptake studies narrows, but does not close, the gap in in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) of organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)-mediated hepatic clearance (CLh) of statins. We have previously shown that this "apparent" protein-mediated uptake effect (PMUE) of statins by OATP1B1-expressing cells, in the presence of 5% human serum albumin (HSA), is mostly an artifact caused by residual statin-HSA complex remaining in the uptake assay. We determined if the same was true with plated human hepatocytes (PHH) and if this artifact can be reduced using suspended human hepatocytes (SHH) and the oil-spin method. We quantified the uptake of a cocktail of five statins by PHH and SHH in the absence and presence of 5% HSA. After terminating the uptake assay, the amount of residual HSA was quantified by quantitative targeted proteomics. For both PHH and SHH, except for atorvastatin and cerivastatin, the increase in total, active, and passive uptake of the statins, in the presence of 5% HSA, was explained by the estimated residual stain-HSA complex. In addition, the increase in active statin uptake by SHH, where present, was marginal (<50%), much smaller than that observed with PHH. Such a marginal increase cannot bridge the gap in IVIVE of CLh of statins. These data disprove the prevailing hypotheses for the in vitro PMUE. A true PMUE should be evaluated using the uptake data corrected for the residual drug-protein complex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We show that the apparent protein-mediated uptake (PMUE) of statins by human hepatocytes is largely confounded by residual statin when plated or suspended human hepatocytes are used. Therefore, mechanisms other than PMUE need to be explored to explain the underprediction of the in vivo human hepatic clearance of statins by human hepatocyte uptake assays.


In a retrospective analysis 1568 platelet apheresis procedures and 652 leukocytophereses performed from April 1976 to June 1986 were examined. 886 procedures were performed using the Fenwal CS 3000, 777 with the IBM 2997, and 293 with the Haemonetics V50, whereas in 264 procedures the Model 30 was used. The study aims to answer 3 donor-related questions: To what extent are the blood cells changed by the donation? How does the donor respond to the technical requirements of the donation, such as length of the procedure, blood volume processed, amount of concentrate removed during the donation? How often did side-effects or undesired reactions occur? We found that thrombocytapheresis led to a decrease in platelets in the peripheral blood of between 20% (CS3000) and 33.7% (IBM), and an increase in leukocytes of between 4.24% (IBM) and 17.8% (Model 30), whereas erythrocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit showed a similar decrease within a range of between 1.1% and 2.67% in all systems. Following leukocytapheresis the leukocyte counts of the peripheral blood were decreased by up to 12%, erythrocyte counts by up to 5% and platelets between 15% (IBM) and 29% (Model 30). The list of irregularities included technical problems and donor reactions (e.g., citrate reactions, reactions of blood circulation, and blood flow in the donor). There were no serious side-effects. Early terminations of 42 (= 1.9%) donations were for prophylactic reasons exclusively. Few moderate undesired reactions occurred (4 = 0.2%), but none of the donors contributing to the more than 2,000 donations were ever hospitalized, demonstrating the safety of cytapheresis with all separators.


Over wireless multihop networks, the conventional transmission control protocol (TCP) cannot allocate the bandwidth fairly to flows. This is because flows with different locations competing for the same wireless channel may have very different perceptions on congestion in terms of packet delay and packet loss rate. In this study, the authors introduce a new window control algorithm and a new estimation method of congestion, which is called a delay information-based fair congestion control protocol (DFCCP). A new window control algorithm not only supports starved flows, but also allows starved flows to share the bandwidth fairly. Furthermore, since congestion occurs at multiple nodes over wireless multihop networks, the authors detect the level of congestion based on the summation of the average window sizes of multiple flows. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm supports the starved flows while providing fairness among flows over wireless multihop networks.


Sixty-two patients with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to receive 25 mg of amitriptyline at night, 500 mg of naproxen twice daily, both amitriptyline and naproxen, or placebo in a 6-week, double-blind trial. Amitriptyline was associated with significant improvement in all outcome parameters, including patient and physician global assessments, patient pain, sleep difficulties, fatigue on awakening, and tender point score. Patients taking the combined naproxen-amitriptyline regimen experienced minor, but not significant, improvement in pain when compared with patients who took amitriptyline alone. Amitriptyline, or amitriptyline and naproxen, is an effective therapeutic regimen for patients with fibromyalgia.


Conditional cash transfer programmes have expanded in developing countries as a way to foster human capital accumulation. Despite evidence of these programmes' positive impact on school enrolment, little is known about their impact on school achievement. This study estimated the effect of Familias en Acción on school achievement. It found that the programme has a positive effect on school achievement for children aged seven to 12 living in rural areas. However, the study found a negative effect on the school achievement of adolescents, particularly those living in rural areas. Possible mechanisms of these effects are explored and discussed.


In this paper, an enhanced gain and compact size microstrip patch antenna by suppressing the surface waves is presented for L band and S band applications. The surface waves are suppressed by using a heterogeneous substrate. A heterogeneous substrate is prepared by removing partially the substrate surrounding the patch. He suggested antenna works for a dual band resonance frequency. The first resonance frequency of the antenna is 1.585 GHz with a return loss of -17. 942 dB and second resonance frequency of the antenna is 2.335 GHz with - 13. 7785 dB return loss. The -10 dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna is 11.9 MHz (1.5809 - 1.55928 GHz) and 44.8 MHz (2.324 - 2.3469 GHz), which is the suitable bandwidth for Global Positioning Systems (GPS), WLAN and satellite communication. Compared to a standard patch antenna the suggested antenna has obtained a high gain of 7.99 dBi with reduced size up to 34% of a defected ground structure (DGS) on a a heterogeneous substrate. Using HFSS, the performance of patch antenna with DGS on a heterogeneous substrate are compared with a homogeneous substrate, a homogeneous substrate with DGS and without DGS on a heterogeneous substrate.


Background: This study compared peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) outcomes between female systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to lupus nephropathy. Methods: 22 female SLE patients undergoing PD were compared with 14 female SLE patients receiving HD. Clinical outcomes and infective complications were reviewed. Results: The overall mortality rate was much higher in the PD group (6/22) than in the HD group (1/14) (p = 0.027). PD patients had higher C-reactive protein level (37.1 ± 41.4 vs. 6.7 ± 9.5 mg/l, p = 0.037) and numbers of infectious episode (PD vs. HD: 1 episode per 33.16 patient-months vs. 1 episode per 118.26 patient-months, respectively, p = 0.046). Before the end of the observation period, HD patients had higher serum albumin (3.8 ± 0.2 vs. 3.3 ± 0.6 g/dl, p = 0.01). Conclusions: In female SLE patients with ESRD due to lupus nephropathy, clinical outcomes are better after undergoing HD than after undergoing PD.


The ab initio method has been used to study the 1-3 H transfer reaction on formamidine substituted by halogen. The calculation results show that the substituted halogen has two effects on the 1-3 H transfer reaction: decreasing the activation energy and stabilizing the C=N double bond owing to the conjugative effect of p-π-p of products and transition states.


Optical control of excitonic states in semiconducting quantum dots has enabled it to be deployed as a qubit for quantum information processing. For self-assembled quantum dots, these excitonic states couple with phonons in the barrier material, for which the previous studies have shown that such exciton—phonon coupling can also lead to the generation of exciton, paving the way for their deployment in qubit-state preparation. Previous studies on self-assembled quantum dots comprising polar materials have considered exciton—phonon coupling by treating phonon modes as bulk acoustic modes only, owing to nearly the same acoustic property of the dot and barrier material. However, the dimensional confinement leads to significant modification phonon modes, even though acoustic confinement is weak but optical confinement cannot be overlooked. In this paper, we investigate for the first time the exciton—optical phonon coupling using dielectric continuum model duly accounting for the dimensional confinement leading to exciton generation. We report that at low temperatures (below 10 K), the exciton creation rate attributed to confined optical phonon is approximately 5.7 times (~6) slower than bulk acoustic phonons, which cannot be ignored, and it should be accounted for in determining the effective phonon assisted exciton creation rate.


The medical environment has changed greatly with the coming of the information age, and, increasingly, the operating procedures for medical services have been altered in keeping with the trend toward mobile, paperless services. Informatization has the potential to improve the working efficiency of medical personnel, enhance patient care safety, and give medical organizations a positive image. Informatics nurses play an important role in the decision-making processes that accompany informatization. As one of the decision-making links in the information technology lifecycle, this role affects the success of the development and operation of information systems. The present paper examines the functions and professional knowledge that informatics nurses must possess during the technology lifecycle, the four stages of which include: planning, analysis, design/development/revision, and implementation/assessment/support/maintenance. The present paper further examines the decision-making shortcomings and errors that an informatics nurses may make during the decision-making process. We hope that this paper will serve as an effective and useful reference for informatics nurses during the informatization decision-making process.


Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown cause with very diverse presentation, outcome, severity and need for treatments. While some presentations may be very typical, for many patients, the presentation is nonspecific, with shared associations with other diseases at times being by far more frequent or misleading, which can be a cause of significant delay and often several consultations before a diagnosis of sarcoidosis can be confirmed. This is particularly the case when pulmonary manifestations are in the forefront. The diagnosis relies on three well-known criteria. In clinical practice, these criteria are not easily implemented, particularly by physicians without expertise in sarcoidosis, which can lead to a risk of either under- or over-diagnosis. Qualifying the presentation according to sarcoidosis diagnosis is essential. However, it is often not easy to classify the presentation as typical versus compatible or compatible versus inconsistent. Further investigations are needed before any other hypothesis is to be considered. It is important to detect events and to determine whether or not they are indicative of a flare of sarcoidosis. Eventually, treatment needs to be related to the correct indications. The evaluation of the efficacy and safety of treatments is crucial. To address such issues, we present five emblematic cases that illustrate this. Showing emblematic cases is the best way to illustrate the multiple conditions to deal with for managing sarcoidosis http://ow.ly/10A5Yv


Epitaxial orthorhombic La0.5Lu0.5Ni0.5Mn0.5O3 (LLNMO) thin films deposited on Nb:SrTiO3 (NSTO) substrates are prepared by pulsed laser deposition and their ferroelectricity and magnetism are investigated using various techniques. It is revealed that the as-prepared thin films are ferromagnetic (FM) insulators. The FM transition occurring at ∼ 125 K is evidenced by the well defined hysteresis at low temperature, with a saturated magnetic moment as high as 1.8 µB/f.u. at ∼ 5 K. A reversible ferroelectric polarization of ∼ 0.2 µC cm − 2 below ∼ 140 K is also observed. The magnetism can be understood by the FM ordering associated with a partially ordered major Ni2 + –Mn4 + plus minor Mn3 + –Ni3 + configuration, while the ferroelectricity is argued to originate from the A-site disordering of La3 + and Lu3 + .


Background: The timing of umbilical cord clamping may affect the need to bloodtransfusion and other morbidities of preterm infants. This study aimed to compare three different cord clamping timing (immediate cord clamping, delayed cord clamping and umbilical cord milking) in preterm infants delivered by cesarean section (CS). Materials and Methods A controlled randomized clinical trial was done in preterm infants with gestation age less than 32 weeks delivered by CS in AlZahra hospital, Tabriz, Iran from June 2018 up to the end of January 2019. They were randomly allocated in three groups consisted of 30 neonates in each group. Umbilical cord was clamped within 10 seconds after infant delivery in immediate cord clamping (ICC) group, 60 seconds after delivery in delayed cord clamping (DCC) group. Cord was milked toward the infant three times over two seconds duration in umbilical cord milking (UCM) group. All patients were followed until discharge for needing the blood transfusion, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and mortality. Results: A total of 20 neonates of 90 studied neonates needed blood transfusion during hospital stay, of which,  4 neonates (13.3%) were  in UCM group,  7 neonates (23.3%) in DCC group and 9 patients (30%) in ICC group (P= 0.27). The mean hemoglobin was significantly higher in UCM group at admission and 30 days after birth (P<0.05). Conclusion UCM may be as effective as DCC to increase hemoglobin in preterm infants delivered by CS. Although the hemoglobin of infants with DCC and UCM was significantly higher than infants with ICC, the rate of blood transfusion was not significantly decreased during hospital stay.


Background Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for almost 15% of lung cancer cases in the United States. Nomogram prognostic models could greatly facilitate risk stratification and treatment planning, as well as more refined enrollment criteria for clinical trials. We developed and validated a new nomogram prognostic model for SCLC patients using a large SCLC patient cohort from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods Clinical data of 24,680 SCLC patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2011 were used to develop the nomogram prognostic model. The model was then validated using an independent cohort of 9,700 SCLC patients diagnosed from 2012 to 2013. The prognostic performance was evaluated using p value, concordance index and integrated Area Under the (time dependent Receiver Operating Characteristic) Curve. Results The following variables were contained in the final prognostic model: age, gender, race, ethnicity, Charlson/Deyo Score, TNM Stage (assigned according to the AJCC 8th edition), treatment type (combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy), and laterality. The model was validated in an independent testing group with a concordance index of 0.722 ± 0.004 and an integrated AUC of 0.79. The nomogram model has a significantly higher prognostic accuracy than previously developed models, including the AJCC 8th edition TNM-staging system. We implemented the proposed nomogram and two previously published nomograms in an online webserver. Conclusions We developed a nomogram prognostic model for SCLC patients, and validated the model using an independent patient cohort. The nomogram performs better than earlier models, including AJCC staging.


Abstract Introduction: Autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) astrocytopathy is an increasingly recognized type of steroid-responsive autoimmune disease of the nervous system. Defined in 2016, it is associated with the presence of anti-GFAP immunoglobulinG in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of affected patients. Patient characteristics: Herein, we report a case of acute neurological symptoms, including headache, fever, confusion, and paralysis of the lower extremities. CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis and elevated protein levels, indicating acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and the patient was given immunotherapy. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed multifocal T2/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintense signal changes in the periventricular white matter, and electromyography testing showed changes consistent with severe sensorimotor neuropathy, indicating the involvement of the brain and peripheral nerves. Diagnoses: Finally, a diagnosis of autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy was confirmed due to the presence of GFAP-immunoglobulinG in the patient's CSF. Interventions: The patient was treated with one course of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, then followed with intravenous methylprednisolone (1.0 g/d for 3 days) and oral prednisolone. Outcomes: At 1 week after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, his level of consciousness improved. However, flaccid paralysis persisted without substantial improvement. Conclusion: In conclusion, the provision of an accurate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are crucial for improving the prognosis of patients with autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy. Further, this case highlights the importance of recognizing the role of peripheral nerve involvement in GFAP autoimmunity.


—This paper discusses the importance of virtual machine (VM) scheduling strategies in cloud computing environments for handling the increasing number of tasks due to virtualization and cloud computing technology adoption. The paper evaluates legacy methods and specific VM scheduling algorithms for the Eucalyptus cloud environment and compare existing algorithms using QoS. The paper also presents a self-adapting security monitoring system for cloud infrastructure that takes into account the specific monitoring requirements of each tenant. The system uses Master Adaptation Drivers to convert tenant requirements into configuration settings and the Adaptation Manager to coordinate the adaptation process. The framework ensures security, cost efficiency, and responsiveness to dynamic events in the cloud environment. The paper also presents the need for improvement in the current security monitoring platform to support more types of monitoring devices and cover the consequences of multi-tenant setups. Future work includes incorporating log collectors and aggregators and addressing the needs of a super-tenant in the security monitoring architecture. The equitable sharing of monitoring resources between tenants and the provider should be established with an adjustable threshold mentioned in the SLA. The results of experiments show that Enhanced Round-Robin uses less energy compared to other methods, and the Fusion Method outperforms other techniques by reducing the number of Physical Machines turned on and increasing power efficiency.


We report a case of an elderly female with a history of long-standing urinary tract infection, who developed sudden macroscopic hematuria. A renal clear-cell carcinoma with diffuse pyelonephritis and malakoplakia was discovered at nephrectomy. This is the first neoplasia of the kidney associated with malakoplakia ever published.


The article is devoted to the history of formation and development of Ukrainian constitutionalism. It is shown that during the times of Kievan Rus and the Galicia-Volyn principality monarchical states with elements of a democratic state and political regime were formed on Ukrainian lands. It is highlighted that the formation of the Ukrainian nation and its path to its own state was carried out under the conditions of aristocratic democracy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is emphasized that the Ukrainian people in the XV century became part of a large European society, which became the basis for the emergence of constitutional ideas in the Ukrainian ethnic lands, the creation of the Cossacks and the revival of their own Ukrainian state in the former Kievan Rus. It is noted that the results of the development of Ukrainian constitutionalism in the eighteenth century was presented in the Constitution of Hetman P. Orlyk in 1710, which became one of the most democratic constitutions in Europe at that time.
Fecha de envío / Submission date: 25/02/2021
Fecha de aceptación / Acceptance date: 19/04/2021


Abstract The sensitivity of warm stratocumulus cloud albedo to changes in droplet concentration, termed "cloud susceptibility," is calculated using data from the UKMO Meteorological Research Flight. Stratocumulus clouds in the eastern Pacific, South Atlantic, subtropical regions of the North Atlantic, and around the British Isles are studied. The range of susceptibility measured is large and maritime clouds are shown to have the largest susceptibility. Numerical simulations of the changes in cloud radiative and microphysical properties with increasing droplet concentration are carried out. These highlight the high sensitivity of maritime clouds to changes in droplet concentration and the rapid reduction in sensitivity as the cloud droplet concentration increases.