This paper provides a comparative analysis of policies affecting indigenous populations in the U.S. and Canada, including analysis of data from Alaska and other U.S. tribal regions and from northern Canada. Both countries have policies with goals of universal access to broadband, and both have used government subsidies to encourage investment in unserved and underserved regions.However, they take different approaches to issues affecting rural indigenous populations including affordability for users and sustainability for providers. Further, indigenous involvement in providing services varies, with some native-owned traditional telecommunications co-operatives in the U.S. and native-owned ISPs in Canada. Neither country has addressed convergence of fixed and mobile technologies as delivery platforms in remote and tribal regions, although mobile phones are widespread and other portable devices such as tablets are increasingly popular.The paper examines the potential impact of the transition from previous universal service fund (USF) subsidies to the Connect America Fund for remote tribal service areas in the U.S., as well as other issues the FCC is addressing such as whether Lifeline subsidies should be extended to broadband, and whether USF should be used for digital literacy. It also analyzes new FCC initiatives to expand broadband in tribal areas through targeted funding for tribal lands and remote regions and requirements for operator engagement with tribal representatives. The paper also examines proposed Canadian strategies to extend broadband in remote areas, which are primarily composed of First Nations communities. It also examines the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision requiring minimum broadband speed targets to be "available to all Canadian homes, regardless of their geographic location… by the end of 2015." To date, there is little awareness of this new requirement among consumers, including First Nations residents or their representatives, and enforcement mechanisms are unclear. The U.S. analysis reviews current initiatives of the FCC's Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) including a reverse auction for 3G/4G licenses for tribal lands, fixed broadband funding for tribal lands, and funding for broadband Lifeline pilot projects. The Canadian analysis includes a review of federal funding for remote and indigenous broadband and CRTC decisions on universal access to broadband and a current CRTC case addressing broadband in the Canadian Arctic which is considering issues of quality of service, upgrades in facilities and bandwidth, and opening of competition for service provision.The paper draws on field research and case studies in Alaska and an extensive literature review on broadband for rural/indigenous development by the author, and documentation obtained by the author from participation in Canadian policy and regulatory proceedings.Universal access and consumer issues remain highly relevant in an increasingly information-dependent economy, which includes isolated regions and minority populations. They also serve as a microcosm of next-generation issues including provider sustainability in rural markets, converging fixed and mobile wireless technologies for broadband, strategies to encourage adoption and entrepreneurship, and accountability of providers. An analysis of policy and regulatory strategies to address these challenges is therefore relevant not only for North America but for other countries with remote and developing regions.


As a group, nurses have traditionally expressed ambivalence toward feminists and have at times even distanced themselves from the feminist movement. The reason is obvious: Feminists have focused much of their energy on the non-traditional fields of work for women, with the result that women in traditionally female occupations such as nursing and teaching have felt ignored and even silently chastized by feminists.


The majority of real world frontal collisions involve only partial overlap of the vehicle front. Both, the resulting car deformations and the occupant loadings cannot be simulated with an impact against a flat or an angled (i.e. 30 degrees) barrier, even with an impact speed of 35 mph. As a consequence, safety engineers at Mercedes-Benz have established an adequate offset crash test with 40% barrier overlap. The effectiveness of offset design is demonstrated by means of numerous critical and realistical offset crash tests, such as impact with 40% and 25% barrier overlap, impact against a pole (20% overlap) or car-to-car collisions (approx. 50% overlap). It is evident that further improvements in car design, in particular with respect to its effectiveness in real world accidents, can only be induced by offset testing. Since the predominant goal of offset-design is to stiffen the passenger compartment, offset design is not in conflict with compatibility (equivalent to avoiding aggressiveness) in car-to-car collisions. Further improvements might be achieved with respect to inducing glance-off effects and a further reduction of injuries to the feet. Therefore, suitability of both, test methods and injury criteria should be improved.


Deer farming in the British Isles is in its infancy but the industry is growing. Deer farmers retail their own venison from the farm having shot individual deer at close range as they graze. Although the method of killing is effective, humane and does not alarm the other deer, it is primitive. It is essential that as the industry expands, the normal retail channels used by the producers of other livestock be opened to deer farmers by means of appropriate legislation. Research into the special needs in slaughterhouses for deer is being undertaken, particularly in the lairage and devising a safe humane means of delivery to the point of slaughter. At the slaughter unit on Glensaugh experimental deer farm, a captive bolt pistol is used in a specially designed stunning pen. The carcases are prepared for sale in skin to the game trade, but environmental conditions are unsuitable for preparation of red meat for sale. However in-skin carcases have been transferred later to the red meat trade and prepared as boned out convenience packs.


The NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition (NEPSY-II) is a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological measures purported to assess the neurocognitive functioning in children between the ages of 3 to 16 (Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 2007a). Specifically, the measure is intended to identify problems that underlie poor academic performance and disinhibited behaviors. The NEPSY-II and its predecessors were developed out of a growing need for systematic, comprehensive, and normative assessment tools to assess neurocognitive deficits in children. While this measure is commonly used among pediatric neuropsychologists to assess neurocognitive functioning, specific research on this measure is limited. In fact, fewer than five studies have been conducted examining the psychometric properties of the NEPSY-II and there have been no studies confirming the Korkman, Kirk, and Kemp, (2007b) theoretical model of neurocognitive functioning in children. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is a critical step in providing empirical support for the Korkman et al. (2007b) theoretical position. The purpose of this study was to examine the underlying factor structure of the NEPSY-II in a mixed clinical sample of children. A CFA was used to determine if a modified-five factor theoretical model proposed by Korkman et al. (2007b) provides the best fit for the observed data. The data utilized in this study are archival and were collected from case studies submitted to fulfill requirements for the KIDS, Inc. School Neuropsychology Post-Graduate Certification Program. The results indicated that a modified-five factor theoretical model was an inadequate fit; a further modified-five factor model demonstrated a slightly more adequate fit. Interpretations of the finding were discussed with an emphasis on the complexity of neurocognitive constructs and the importance of using the NEPSY-II along with other clinical data to develop a diagnostic impression of a child. Future research on the NEPSY-II should include a replication of this study along with examining the author-proposed model in comparison with other neurocognitive models to determine which model fits best with the data.


BACKGROUND
Depression is a mood disorder with a prevalence of approximately 1% to 3% worldwide, representing the fourth leading cause of disease burden globally. The current standard treatments of psychological therapy and antidepressant medications are not effective for everyone, and psychotropic drugs may be associated with significant adverse effects. Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) treatment, in which a low intensity electrical current is administered through the use of a small, portable electrical device, has been reported to have efficacy in the treatment of depression with minimal adverse effects. This systematic review investigated the scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of CES in treatment of acute depression compared to sham, or simulated, CES treatment.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness and safety of alternating current cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) compared with sham CES for acute depression.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis review group's specialized register (CCDANCTR-Studies and CCDANCTR-References) to February 24, 2014 This register contains relevant randomized controlled trials from: The Cochrane Library (all years), MEDLINE (1950 to date), EMBASE (1974 to date), and PsycINFO (1967 to date). We examined reference lists of review papers and books on CES. We contacted authors, other experts in the field and CES manufacturing companies for knowledge of suitable published or unpublished trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials of CES versus sham CES for the acute treatment of depressive disorder in adults aged 18 to 75 years.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We planned to extract data from the original reports of included studies independently by two authors. The main outcomes to be assessed were:(1) the efficacy of CES in reducing symptoms of depression as reflected in change scores on standardized depression rating scales.(2) the tolerability of CES treatment to participants, as reflected in rates of discontinuation due to adverse effects.We planned to analyze data using Review Manager 5.

MAIN RESULTS
No studies met the inclusion criteria for this review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There are insufficient methodologically rigorous studies of CES in treatment of acute depression. There is a need for double-blind randomized controlled trials of CES in the treatment of acute depression.


Objectives: PET/CT with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose can be used to image cellular metabolism and has been used for evaluating fever of unknown origin in adults. However, there are limited studies about the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT in evaluation of fever of unknown origin in critically ill children, especially those presenting with complicated underlying diseases under treatment. Here, we report our preliminary experience using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT in this specific group of patients. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: PICUs of a university hospital. Patients: Nineteen critically ill children (mean age, 5.7 yr old) with complicated underlying diseases requiring intensive care support underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT to evaluate fever of unknown origin. The median hospitalized stay was 34 days (range, 15–235 d) and fever of at least 7 days (mean, 21.6 d; range, 7–52 d). The PET scan was advocated after all routine microbiology, and conventional imaging showed negative or inconclusive results. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT findings (blinded to the final clinical diagnosis) were compared with final histopathology, culture, serology results, or follow-up imaging. A final diagnosis was made in 16 patients (84.2%). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT accurately localized the source of fever in 14 patients, confers to a sensitivity of 87.5% (14 of 16; 95% CI, 0.604–0.978). A false-positive scan in a patient led to subsequent unnecessary investigations. Two false-negative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT images were later attributed to relapse of underlying disease in the bone marrow and renal abscesses, respectively. In the other two patients where 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT also showed negative findings, fever subsided shortly thereafter without treatment. Conclusions: Our preliminary experience suggests that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT may be clinically beneficial in evaluating fever of unknown origin in children with complicated underlying diseases mandating intensive support in ICUs if usual investigative methods are unsuccessful. Further large prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.


CRP has long been used as a sensitive marker for infectious diseases. Since its serum concentration elevates more than 10 mg/dl with gram-negative bacterial infections, the sensitivity can be enough to be around 0.3-0.6 mg/dl for the diagnosis. However, the sensitivity should be higher in the early diagnosis of infections in new-borne babies. In addition, recently, it was suggested that atherosclerotic lesions are a kind of vasculitis, and the information could be transmitted via production of inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins. In fact, serum CRP and serum amyloid protein A(SAA) levels are elevated even in patients with coronary atherosclerosis without acute coronary syndrome(ACS). However, the level was much lower than the cut-off for diagnosis of bacterial infection. Therefore, the high-sensitive assay method has been applied. As the result, high-sensitivity(hs) CRP assay was found to be one of the most sensitive markers for prediction of future ACS in USA. Combination of hsCRP and atherogenic index such as total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol or LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio is more useful. Similarly, it was found that hsCRP could predict the future prevalence of ACS even in Japan. It may be true because production of CRP is independent upon the genetic backgrounds. Early prevention of ACS by the measurement of hsCRP is calculated to be economic even if we measured hsCRF often in subjects without symptoms, because medical cost for treatment of acute myocardial infarction is enormous. In patients with high risk for coronary heart diseases, hsCRP-guided therapy is possible by using aspirin, stains, and antibiotics for prevention of ACS.


The brain or central nervous system forms a network composed of so many neurons and their function is based on complex interactions among electric neural activities, intracellular calcium signals, intercellular communications by neurotransmitter, and so on. For multipoint measurement of neural activities, fluorescent-imaging technique using voltagesensitive dyes or calcium-sensitive dyes can be a powerful technique. This technique has been applied to measure spatiotemporal neural activities involved in the olfactory processing of the land slug Limax. In Limax, the procerebral (PC) lobe, which is the olfactory center located in the lateral part of each cerebral ganglion, spontaneously produces a periodic oscillation of local field potential (LFP) of about 1 Hz, and the phase of the LFP oscillation is advanced at the distal region, resulting in periodic propagating waves of neural activity from the distal to proximal regions. The previous studies showed that odor stimuli change the LFP frequency and the wave propagation speed. In this article, we review the previous studies, as well as our recent studies, on the spatiotemporal neural activities of the land slug Limax using fluorescent-imaging technique.


Autoradiographic studies were done with spleen lymphoid cells of normal and tolerant mice to investigate three questions: 1) Does the specificity of lymphocyte receptors change during tolerance? 2) Are the antigen-binding cells (ABC) eliminated in tolerant animals? 3) Does the tolerogen and/or antigen stay on the surface of the ABC in tolerant animals? BDF1 mice were made tolerant by dinitrophenyl isogeneic IgG (DNP-MGG, the tolerogen) and the state of tolerance was tested by challenging the animals with dinitrophenyl-keyhole limpet hemocyanine (DNP-KLH, the antigen). It was found that the lymphocyte receptor of the ABC was specific for the hapten DNP in normal and tolerant animals. Thus, we have no evidence that the hapten-specific B cell receptor changes its specificity during tolerance and recognizes antigenic determinants present on the tolerogen but not the antigen. The number of splenic lymphocytes with receptors free to bind either the antigen or the tolerogen was the same in normal animals and in animals tolerant for 1 week, whereas it was markedly decreased in animals tolerant for 4 weeks. For determining whether the tolerogen and/or the antigen stayed on the cell surface receptor of the ABC in tolerant animals, indirect autoradiography with labeled anti-DNP antibody was done. Purified antibody to DNP was labeled with 125I and reacted with splenic lymphocytes. We found that animals tolerant for 1 week had significantly more cells which bound anti-DNP than either normal animals or animals which received DNP-KLH. Animals tolerant for 4 weeks had even larger numbers of cells which bound anti-DNP-125I than the mice tolerant for 1 week. Blocking studies showed that the binding of anti-DNP in tolerant animals was specific for DNP on cell surfaces.
 These experiments demonstrated the functional divergence in the tolerogenic and immunogenic forms of the same antigenic determinant (DNP). The tolerogen remains on the cell surface of the ABC although the antigen does not. They also show that the DNP clone of cells is not deleted in tolerance. This provides direct evidence for the receptor blockade mechanism of tolerance induction and the existence of the tolerant cell (i.e., ABC with receptor "paralyzed" by tolerogen). We suggest that the existence of this tolerant cell may account for the mechanism of acquired and self tolerance.


Neodymium (Nd3+)-imprinted polymers were prepared by the surface template polymerization technique. Two types of phosphonates were utilized as functional molecules. These Nd(III)-imprinted polymers were applied to the mutual separation of lanthanides; La(III) and Nd(III). The relationship between the imprint effect and the chemical properties of the functional molecules was investigated concerning the performance of the Nd(III)-imprinted polymers. A high interfacial property derived from the structure of the functional molecule, was found to be essential for creating high selectivity and high adsorption ability on the Nd(III)-imprinted polymers.


Using the four Biotechnology Uses and Development surveys of Statistics Canada, the chapter examine the importance of collaborating with firms and public institutions at various stages of product development, from research and development to clinical trials and then on to production and commercialization. The models examine the propensity to have products at a particular stage of development using instrumental variables probit regressions. This chapter finds that while small firms do not benefit from collaborating with firms at the research and development stage, during the clinical trials and in the production phases, collaborating with firms has a strong positive effect. The factors that affect the R&D phase are R&D expenditures, an important IP strategy, revenues from contracts and to some extent contracting out some innovation activities. In later stages of the development process, the number of patents and the diversity of the biotechnology employment team play a more crucial role. Catherine Beaudry Polytechnique Montreal, Canada Is Collaboration Important at All Stages of the Biotechnology Product


: Course of the disease and some indices of immunity were studied in 100 children with Sonne's and Flexner's dysentery. Parameters of immunity in 32 children (the 1st group) were normal. 68 patients (the 2-nd group) had secondary immune deficiency and leukopenia. Recovery of immunodeficient children in use of antibiotics and prodigiosan was slowed down by 5.2 days as compared to that of children without immunodeficiency. Antibiotics used in combination with lysozyme in patients of the 1st group resulted in restoration of immunological reactivity and recovery in usual terms.


Several drugs can induce bone disorders. Steroid-induced osteoporosis is the best known of all drug-induced bone disorders. However, bone disorders have also been described in association with newer drugs (LH-RH analogs, retinoids, cyclosporine, etc.). The purpose of this revue is to familiarize radiologists with drug-induced bone disorders in order to achieve earlier diagnosis, hence, improve treatment.


In order to understand travellers' willingness to use the train in Petaling Jaya, this study adds four predictors situational factors, trust, novelty seeking and external influence to the existing model of theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The study collected research data from employees in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, resulting in an effective data of 400 participants. Results indicate that attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norm are found to have positive effects on the behavioural intention of taking the train. Furthermore, novelty seeking, trust, and external influence also have positive influences on attitude, the three antecedents of the intention, and the subjective norm in taking the train respectively. While situational factors were found to have a negative influence on attitude towards behavioural intention to take the train.


Fibronectin was localized using peroxidase and biotin-avidin-ferritin techniques in developmental stages of the chick embryo from laying to primitive streak formation. The primary location of fibronectin at all stages examined was the basal lamina of the epiblast and its associated extracellular material. The remaining tissues showed little or no immunochemical deposit. At the primitive streak stage of development there were some regional differences in the density of the deposit on the basal lamina. Closely adjacent to the primitive streak, where the basal lamina is fragmentary, deposit was sparse or absent. In this, and other regions, mesoderm cell surfaces did not stain except where they closely approached the stained basal lamina or interstitial bodies. Staining was variable in the basal lamina anterior to the primitive streak, but in a number of cases particularly heavy deposit was noted overlying the crescent of late hypoblast. This area seemed to correspond with the anterior fibronectin-rich band reported by others using immunofluorescence localization.


The review describes the major mechanisms for the initiation and maintenance of comorbid insomnia and arterial hypertension based on the relevant pathogenetic scenarios of insomnia such as the concept of sympathetic activation, the neurobiological model of insomnia, and stress-diathesis model (or 3-P model). The clinical data are lacking, and available clinical studies indicate the association between blood pressure levels and the hyperactivation of the central nervous system during sleep, characterized by electroencephalographic β-activity, and with sleep latency. However, biologically active substances involved in "neurogenic inflammation" also play a significant role in homeostasis maintenance following the exposure to endogenous and exogenous stress factors. The functions of interleukin-6, gamma-aminobutyric acid, substance P, melatonin, serotonin and orexin in normal and pathological conditions indicate their contribution to the development of comorbid insomnia and hypertension. We emphasize the role of insomnia as a separate nosological unit, comorbid with hypertension, as well as the importance of research of molecular mechanisms underlying the association between insomnia and arterial hypertension aimed at identification of therapeutic targets and prognostic markers.


Abstract A palynological study of the Chalk Group (Campanian-Danian) in the Meer borehole (northern Belgium), which penetrated the thickest succession known in the Campine Basin, has revealed diverse, well-preserved organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages. The succession contains numerous chronostratigraphically significant dinocyst events, which are based mainly on the highest consistent occurrences of index species. At least 35 bio-events have enabled a subdivision into nine intervals, at stage or substage level, within the Campanian to Danian interval, as based on comparison with coeval assemblages elsewhere in northwest Europe, inclusive of stratotypes of stages and stage boundaries. Bio-events allow correlation of the section studied with the Campanian Exochosphaeridium? masureae, Areoligera coronata and Samlandia mayi zones, the Maastrichtian Pervosphaeridium tubuloaculeatum, Deflandrea galeata and Hystrichostrogylon coninckii zones, and the Danian Damassadinium californicum Zone. In addition, a correlation with other zonal schemes for the southern North Sea Basin and with conventional northwest European belemnite zones is presented. Comparisons with Boreal and Tethyan realms confirm that most bio-events may also be useful for interregional and global correlation. The Campanian-Danian dinocyst biostratigraphy of the Meer borehole is put alongside geophysical well logs and an ecozonation, in order to check the validity of lithostratigraphical correlations across the Campine Basin. This first, detailed correlation attempt shows that sensitivities to facies change associated with differences in accommodation space and sediment supply appear to be at the base of slight, yet consistent, shifts between the local lithological succession and the standard lithostratigraphical scheme of the Maastricht type area.


The most common site for a pathologic fracture due to metastatic disease is the proximal aspect of the femur1. Recognition of the radiographic characteristics of a fracture that occurs through a primary malignant or metastatic lesion is crucial for proper diagnosis. Failure to recognize radiographic clues can lead to mismanagement of the patient and nontreatment of an underlying malignant disease. Likewise, being overly suspicious about findings on the radiographs can lead to unnecessary testing and can delay prompt surgical treatment. A preexisting lesion should be suspected when a patient who does not have osteoporosis has sustained a femoral neck fracture during normal activity or after minor trauma or when a patient who has a known primary malignant disease has sustained such a fracture. We present the case of a fifty-four-year-old female smoker with no prior medical problems for whom radiographs made after a fall were suggestive of a pathologic subcapital fracture of the right femoral neck. The appropriate evaluation for patients with a pseudopathologic fracture of the femoral neck is reviewed. Our patient was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication.

Afifty-four-year-old, obese woman was bumped by a pedestrian and fell from a standing position. She was immediately transported to the emergency department for evaluation. During the interview by the orthopaedic resident on call, the patient described severe right groin pain and an inability to bear weight on the right lower extremity. She had no history of pain in the right hip or groin area. The patient stated that she had a twenty-pack-year history of smoking. She did not have any history of malignant disease or other medical problems, and she took no medications. There was no personal or family history of osteoporosis, and she had had no previous fractures. The range of motion …


Since the early 2000s, the government of Malawi has used trade restrictions, export bans in particular, to control trade flows for maize and soya, among other crops. Maize export bans, justified in the name of national food security, have been in place more or less continuously since 2005, with the ban lifted temporarily in 2007-08 and 2009-11. Export bans on soya, used to benefit domestic vegetable oil processors and the poultry industry in the form of lower input prices, were imposed several times for a few months at a time between 2010 and 2012. In 2013, government scrapped soya export bans as a trade policy tool, but since 2015 has explored other measures to limit soya exports, including an export levy and a mandate that all soya exports be processed through a single trading company.


We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, which are produced in the brain by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and heme oxygenase (HO), modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to physico-emotional stressors by acting at the hypothalamus. Accordingly, we determined 1) whether the intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of NOS or HO inhibitors at doses that were confined to the brain attenuated electroshock-induced ACTH release; and 2) whether the decreases in this ACTH response were concurrent with decreases in NOS or HO activity levels at the hypothalamus. Icv injection of the NOS inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine-methylester (L-NAME; 50 microg) or the HO inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (SnPP; 20-25 microg) significantly blunted the plasma ACTH response to a 45-min session of intermittent electroshocks. Importantly, in these same animals there were concurrent decreases in hypothalamic NOS or HO activities, respectively. There were little or no effects of these inhibitors on anterior pituitary NOS or HO activities, indicating that there was only minimal leakage of the drug from the brain after icv administration. The specificity of action of these inhibitors was confirmed by the fact that SnPP did not affect NOS activity, and L-NAME did not affect HO activity. Finally, L-NAME produced no effect, whereas SnPP produced only transient increases in blood pressure, suggesting that these inhibitors do not affect activity indirectly through alterations in blood pressure. These data support the hypothesis that in the whole animal, both NO and CO exert a stimulatory influence on the acute ACTH response to physico-emotional stressors, and that the hypothalamus is the critical site of their actions.


Background Objectively measured physical activity (PA) intensity has traditionally been categorized as light, moderate, and vigorous using laboratory calibrated cut points. The relative contribution of time spent across a spectrum of accelerometer-determined intensities on health outcomes is less clear. Purpose This study aimed to assess the relationship between objectively measured PA intensity on a continuous scale and markers of insulin sensitivity (IS). Methods Participants at high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited from primary care (Leicestershire, UK). PA was measured using an ActiGraph accelerometer. Fasting and postchallenge glucose and insulin levels were assessed using an oral glucose tolerance test. IS was calculated using the Matsuda-IS and the HOMA-IS indices. Log-linear regression modeling was used to assess the relationship between PA intensity, in increments of 500 counts per minute, with markers of IS. Models were controlled for known confounders. Results Complete data were available for 569 participants. PA intensity was favorably associated with fasting and 2 h of insulin and IS, with the association increasing in magnitude with each increment of 500 counts per minute. Differences in HOMA-IS per 10 min of PA ranged from 12.4% (95% confidence interval = 3.7%–21.8%) to 26.8% (11.0%–44.7%) within the moderate-intensity PA category (from 2000–2499 to 3500–3999 counts per minute). For Matsuda-IS, these differences were 22.0% (10.3%–34.9%) and 34.7% (13.9%–59.3%), respectively. Significant associations for fasting insulin were no longer observed after controlling for body mass index, whereas differences associated with 2-h insulin and IS were attenuated but still significant. Conclusion PA of any intensity may positively influence glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity in individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a dose–response manner. Further research is required to identify the intensity thresholds at which clinically relevant benefits occur in this population.


We investigated the indices of overgrowing by higher aquatic vegetation (coenotic diversity, ecological structure, the degree of overgrowing, the type of overgrowing, belt structure) at five sites of the river Vorskla, located near the city of Poltava, which are subject to varying degrees of human impact. The formation of the plant cover is provided by 15 dominant species, based on which we allocated 3 associations of submerged vegetation, 5 associations of vegetation with floating leaves (including 4 – free-floating), 7 associations of air-aquatic vegetation. In part of the thicket zone the communities of different ecological groups spatially prevail: the submerged vegetation is on the middle urban site, the air-water vegetation is at the peri-urban sites and the floating-leaf vegetation is on the extra-urban sites. Limit values of the index of the aquatorium overgrowing registered on the most transformed urban sites with a high degree of urbanization of the landscape. The aquatorium overgrowing type changes from the curb to the dispersed-spotty confined to sites with the most significant violation of the hydrological regime. The deviations in the belt structure of vegetation are the most typical for urban sites, where due to anthropogenic impact was an increase in structure heterogeneity of low air-water grasses belt and simplification (and in some places – the complete reduction) of high air-water grasses belt as well as belts of truly aquatic vegetation. The factors of urbanized landscape, which have a leading influence on the development of higher aquatic vegetation, include violation of hydrological regime, change of morphometric parameters of riverbed, water pollution, recreation. The middle urban and lower urban sites of the Vorskla River are the most heavily transformed as a result of the combined effect of urbanized landscape.


In the first comprehensive study of Roman ancestor masks in English, Harriet Flower explains the reasons behind the use of wax masks in the commemoration of politically prominent family members by the elite society of Rome. Broadening her approach from the purely art historical, Flower traces the functional evolution of ancestor masks, from their first appearance in the third century BC to their last mention in the sixth century AD, through the examination of literary sources in both prose and verse, legal texts, epigraphy, archaeology, numismatics, and art. It is by putting these masks, which were worn by actors at the funerals of the deceased, into their legal, social, and political context that Flower is able to elucidate their central position in the media of the time and their special meaning as symbols of power and prestige.


The adoption of the EU Environmental Liability Directive (Directive 2004/35/EC) ("ELD") was fraught with controversy. The controversy was perhaps not surprising given that the Commission estimates the ELD will cost around 1.5 billion to implement2 and that it represents one of the EU's most far-reaching environmental policies adopted to date. This article provides an overview of the key concepts of the ELD, and then considers the status of implementation of the ELD and some of the differences in approach to implementation in respect of some of the key concepts that have so far arisen in the UK, France, Germany and Spain.


Successful readying of Electronic Health Record helps improve patient safety and quality of care, but it is the necessity of ability between Health data Exchange at fully totally different hospitals. The Clinical Document design (CDA) developed by HL7 may well be a core document traditional to verify such ability, and propagation of this document format is significant for ability. sadly, hospitals unit reluctant to adopt sensible HIS due to its activity worth apart from throughout a few countries. a haul arises even once extra hospitals begin victimization the CDA document format as a results of the information scattered in various documents unit taxing to manage. throughout this paper, we've a bent to explain our CDA document generation and integration Open API service supported cloud computing, through that hospitals unit enabled to handily generate CDA documents while not having to shop for proprietary computer code. Our CDA document integration system integrates multiple CDA documents per patient into one CDA document and physicians and patients can browse the clinical information in written record order. Our system of CDA document generation and integration depends on cloud computing and additionally the service is obtainable in Open API. Developers victimisation fully totally


Swaziland's withdrawal from the Rand Monetary Area (RMA) is a move calculated to blunt the deleterious consequences of linking its currency to an increasingly unpredictable rand. Swaziland's decision to untie the lilangeni from the rand stems from a growing awareness that the value of the latter is now closely tied to South African political developments, which bear no relation to Swaziland's economic needs. Although Swaziland will never be able to break completely free of South Africa's economic pull, the prospects for sustained economic growth appear brighter outside the RMA.


Familial hypercholesterolemia is the most common genetic metabolic disorder and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease, in particular coronary heart disease (CHD). Gene mutations for LDL receptor, APOB or PCSK9 are the main causes of the disease. The incidence of homozygous form of disease is 1:1000000 and ofheterozygous 1:500. Some of the patients have clinical signs like xanthomas, xanthelasmas and corneal arcus. More predictive for the diagnosis are elevated serum LDL cholesterol values and positive family history of early CHD. Identification of the causative mutation provides definitive diagnosis. Diet, statins, combined therapy (statins and ezetimibe) are the first line of treatment, mostly in high doses. LDL apheresis is the procedure of mechanical removal of LDL particles from plasma and has to be performed in patients with homozygous or severe heterozygous form of the disease together with drug treatment. There is a need to increase the awareness of this disease in Croatia but also worldwide with one main goal: to early diagnose and prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.


BACKGROUND
Restenosis remains the major limitation of coronary angioplasty. Coronary stents have reduced the incidence of restenosis in selected patients with relatively large vessels. No strategies to date have demonstrated a beneficial effect in vessels < 3.0 mm in diameter. We have shown in the MultiVitamins and Probucol (MVP) Trial that probucol, a potent antioxidant, reduces restenosis after balloon angioplasty. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the benefit of probucol therapy is maintained in the subgroup of patients with smaller coronary vessels.

METHODS AND RESULTS
We studied a subgroup of 189 patients included in the MVP trial who underwent successful balloon angioplasty of at least one coronary segment with a reference diameter < 3.0 mm. One month before angioplasty, patients were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: placebo, probucol (500 mg), multivitamins (beta-carotene 30000 IU, vitamin C 500 mg, and vitamin E 700 IU), or probucol plus multivitamins twice daily. The treatment was maintained until follow-up angiography was performed at 6 months. The mean reference diameter of this study population was 2.49+/-0.34 mm. Lumen loss was 0.12+/-0.34 mm for probucol, 0.25+/-0.43 mm for the combined treatment, 0.35+/-0.56 mm for vitamins, and 0.38+/-0.51 mm for placebo (P=.005 for probucol). Restenosis rates per segment were 20.0% for probucol, 28.6% for the combined treatment, 45.1% for vitamins, and 37.3% for placebo (P=.006 for probucol).

CONCLUSIONS
Probucol reduces lumen loss and restenosis rate after balloon angioplasty in small coronary arteries.


MIS devices are fabricated on InP using a double-layer dielectric consisting of anodic oxide and PECVD silicon nitride. Two different sets of experiments are conducted using tartaric acid and oxalic acid based AGW electrolyte solutions respectively for growing the anodic oxide layer. Devices having the oxalic acid grown anodic oxide layer exhibit capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics close to the ideal and are stable for 7200 s under applied bias conditions. The stability of MIS devices is evaluated by determining the accumulation layer charge density versus time.


Legumes are one of the largest families of crop plants and are widely consumed and produced for their nutritional and commercial benefits. Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is a legume crop that contains various functional compounds ; moreover, it has strong antioxidant properties and is becoming an increasingly important food crop. However, most previous studies on mung beans have focused on their primary metabolites. In this study, we investigated the composition and contents of phenolic compounds, fatty acids, soyasapogenol and tocopherol in mung beans cultivated in different regions and cultivated at different seeding dates. Material analysis was conducted using the following methods: LC-MS/MS, GC-FID and HPLC-ELSD. In total, 57 different samples were analyzed. Thirteen phenolic compounds were detected in mung beans. Of these, vitexin and isovitexin were the most abundant compounds, accounting for approximately 99% of phenolic compounds. The difference in phenol compounds according to the seeding dates of mung bean was not statistically significant. The total fatty acid content in beans was the highest in Pyeongchang. Significant differences in total fatty acid content were found according to the cultivation regions. Crops grown in Sohyeon and Dahyeon showed the highest soyasapogenol B content in the Suwon region, and these were the lowest in Jeonju. The total tocopherol content of beans cultivated in Dahyeon and Sohyeon was the lowest and highest in Pyeongchang. Soyasapogenol B and total tocopherol content were not significantly different according to seeding dates. This study was conducted to obtain basic data for the cultivation of mung beans with a high content of various functional materials in terms of regional specialization and optimal seeding time.


Endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries are used for many minimally invasive procedures but limit the visual and haptic feedback available to the surgeon. This can make vessel sparing procedures particularly challenging to perform. Previous approaches have focused on hardware intensive intraoperative imaging or augmented reality systems that are difficult to integrate into the operating room. This paper presents a simple approach in which motion is visually enhanced in the endoscopic video to reveal pulsating arteries. This is accomplished by amplifying subtle, periodic changes in intensity coinciding with the patient's pulse. This method is then applied to two procedures to illustrate its potential. The first, endoscopic third ventriculostomy, is a neurosurgical procedure where the floor of the third ventricle must be fenestrated without injury to the basilar artery. The second, nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy, involves removing the prostate while limiting damage to the neurovascular bundles. In both procedures, motion magnification can enhance subtle pulsation in these structures to aid in identifying and avoiding them.


ABSTRACT The Paranapanema River is a major tributary of the upper Paraná river basin. Eleven hydropower dams regulate its main course, but no study has investigated fish diversity in these impoundments at the basin-scale. The present study investigated spatial patterns of richness, composition, and abundance of native (non-migratory and migratory) and non-native fishes in the cascade of reservoirs along the Paranapanema River. The study is based on data collected from 34 independent studies conducted in nine reservoirs (47 samples). The compilation recorded 161 species, being 111 native (14 migratory) and 50 non-native. Total richness ranged between 56 and 112 species/reservoir, with a mean of 72 (49.9 non-migratory, 8.1 migratory and 14 non-native). The number of non-migratory species showed no spatial trend along the cascade system, but migratory and non-native richness increased toward downstream reaches. We also observed spatial variation in species composition along the cascade system, but some non-native fishes were widely distributed. Migratory fishes showed low relative abundance (usually < 10%), while non-native species were common and more abundant, especially in reservoirs downstream. Our results revealed a high diversity of fishes in the cascade of impoundments, but indicated that migratory fishes are rare, while non-native species are common or dominant.


A solution of two-stage stochastic generalized equations is a pair: a first stage solution which is independent of realization of the random data and a second stage solution which is a function of random variables.This paper studies convergence of the sample average approximation of two-stage stochastic nonlinear generalized equations. In particular an exponential rate of the convergence is shown by using the perturbed partial linearization of functions. Moreover, sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness, continuity and regularity of solutions of two-stage stochastic generalized equations are presented under an assumption of monotonicity of the involved functions. These theoretical results are given without assuming relatively complete recourse, and are illustrated by two-stage stochastic non-cooperative games of two players.


Since the publication of the paper of Lamb, Jones, and Maxwell 1 on solar dermatitis there have been inquiries in regard to the case reported whose colored photographs showed severe erythema perstans from fluorescent lighting and to the possibility that blue-light sensitivity might account for some of those cases of polymorphic light eruptions which do not seem to improve with use of the antimalarials. McNairy 2 queried how to proceed with an erythematous type of polymorphic lightsensitive eruption in an 18-year-old girl, a rather severe asthmatic who was being maintained with 15 mg. prednisone (Meticorten). When she was first seen she exhibited a cutaneous sun reaction of one year's duration. The reaction consisted of an erythema which appeared on all exposed areas within a minute of even the briefest sun exposure. Five seconds would produce a reaction. Cutaneous testing produced no immediate


INTRODUCTION
We summarize the 2018 AUA (American Urological Association) Quality Improvement Summit, Opioid Stewardship in Urology, highlighting appropriate urological opioid use as well as reviewing programs that have been successful in reducing opioid prescribing. The AUA brought together nearly 100 attendees from across the United States, including clinicians who specialize in urology and other specialties, as well as researchers, government officials and others.

METHODS
The 2018 AUA Quality Improvement Summit was a 1-day meeting held at AUA headquarters in Linthicum, Maryland. Talks and panels highlighted opioid stewardship programs and emphasized research on the nature and management of postoperative pain.

RESULTS
The impact of the opioid epidemic is profound and the contribution of postoperative prescribing is noteworthy (eg 6% of opioid naïve patients demonstrate new persistent use habits after surgery and up to 70% of opioid pills prescribed after surgery go unused). Speakers raised awareness of these facts and detailed opportunities to improve, including prudent prescribing, opioid reclamation, use of nonopioid alternatives, and outreach and education.

CONCLUSIONS
The 2018 AUA Quality Improvement Summit provided a platform for urologists to discuss the opioid epidemic and to learn strategies for combatting this issue from multidisciplinary experts. Physician led opioid stewardship and research, facilitated by this Summit, may enhance the quality and safety of medical care and improve the lives of patients, their families and their communities.


AIM
To test the applicability of Praxis Concept (PC) theory in endodontic re-treatment decision-making amongst dental students of similar backgrounds, but from two dental schools.

METHODOLOGY
A total of 172 students from two dental schools (n = 97 and n = 75) were asked to select their management choices (from five possible options) for each of six variations on quality (by way of adequacy of root filling) and complexity (by way of absence or presence of a post) of a simulated radiograph of an anterior tooth. The six variations each had five possible levels of periapical condition, giving a total of 30 cases for which management choices were sought. Individual re-treatment preference scores (RPS) were obtained, from which school and gender differences were compared by t-test. The association between students' stated re-treatment propensities and the different cases was expressed as odds ratios using unconditional logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS
There were large inter-individual variations in RPS within the cases at both schools. Mean RPS for the group was 0.62 (SD 0.14), and did not differ between the schools (P = 0.44), but was significantly lower for males than females (P = 0.01). For all participants and a given case, if re-treatment was proposed for a particular size of lesion, then all larger lesions for that case were also marked for re-treatment. Presence of a defective root filling or overfilling reflected a greater propensity for re-treatment than when the root filling was adequate, whilst the absence/presence of a post had no clear effect on re-treatment choices.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings support the explanatory potential of PC theory in endodontic re-treatment decision-making in the group investigated, and suggest that factors besides disease status alone, may contribute to the choices that clinicians make.


The efficacy of orally-administered prostaglandin E2 for induction of labor was studied in 45 normal gravidas at term, using three dosage regimens. Comparisons were made to a series of patients with unstimulated labors and others with oxytocin-induced labors who were matched with study patients according to pre-labor cervical preparation and other relevant features. All labors were analyzed according to patterns of cervical dilatation and station versus time. Oral prostaglandin E2 was found capable of inducing labor in 86.7% of patients. The labors that resulted were quantitatively between the spontaneous labor and oxytocin-induced labor patterns, in an apparent dose-response relationship. Side effects were also dose related, occurring most frequently and with greatest severity in the highest dosage program. Hypercontractility was also encountered; its significance deserves close scrutiny. For purposes of clinical usage it will be necessary to strike a balance between dosage levels that are effective therapeutically but will yield only negligible or minimally acceptable side effects.


Objective: Hearing results after 23 implantations of a newly designed titanium-clip stapes piston prosthesis (the àWengen Clip Piston prosthesis) in patients with otosclerosis were evaluated. This new type of stapes piston was designed to avoid the crimping onto the incus in stapedotomy. This one clip fits all designs and enables solid fixation by clicking the prosthesis onto the long process of the incus without crimping. Study Design: A retrospective pilot study was carried out by microcomputer of the preoperative and postoperative audiological results of patients in whom the titanium-clip stapes piston prosthesis was implanted. Setting: Ear, nose and throat department of Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Patients: 23 Patients underwent a stapedotomy for hearing improvement suffering from otosclerosis. implantations of a newly designed titanium-clip stapes piston prosthesis (the àWengen Clip Piston prosthesis) in patients with otosclerosis were evaluated. Intervention(s): The stapedotomy was performed with the àWengen Clip Piston prosthesis. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pre and postoperative audiograms were used to evaluate the hearing gain improvement with the new stapes piston. Especially we looked at the airbone gap closure and the sensorineural hearing after the surgical procedure and compared these with the ones before surgery. Results: The hearing results showed a closure of the pure-tone average air-bone gap to within 10 dB in 56.6% of cases (10 of 23 implantations) and to within 20 dB in 100% (23 of 23 implantations). A residual air-bone gap of greater than 20 dB was seen in the present pilot study. Postoperative overclosure of bone-conduction thresholds was discovered only for the frequency of 2 kHz. Sensorineural hearing loss greater than 10% did not occur, and there was no decline in the speech discrimination. Conclusions: The use of a newly designed titanium-clip stapes piston prosthesis with a diameter of 0.4 mm gives good results in cases of stapedotomy for otosclerosis. The titanium-clip design is a new development in the evolution of stapes piston prostheses. Surgical introduction, placement, and fixation are not always easy, depending on the anatomy of the middle ear and the thickness of the fixation area on the long process of the incus.


Indian market is dominated by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies in the marketing of petroleum products and the customer behavior that has intrigued the marketers has been lack of customer brand loyalty. Today marketing of petrol has changed from what it was and petrol is on its way to transformation from being an 'undifferentiated commodity' to a 'branded product'. Although companies have introduced different octane fuels, the lack of switching costs creates a challenge for marketers as consumer has no reason to stay with one particular brand. In the present times of continuous increase of fuel prices, rising inflation and continued weakening of Indian Rupee against the US Dollar, it has become difficult for the oil marketing companies to increase their market share and the share of customer wallet. The companies in the west faced a tougher recessionary period as compared to their Indian counterparts and have succeeded in sustaining themselves in such tough times by devising various strategies to increase their brand value. This paper analyses the brand building activities of the top five oil marketing companies in the west and identifies the opportunities and learning for Indian oil marketing companies to manage their business in turbulent times.


High-rate (or asymptotic) quantization theory has found formulas for the average squared length (more generally, the qth moment of the length) of the error produced by various scalar and vector quantizers with many quantization points. In contrast, this paper finds an asymptotic formula for the probability density of the length of the error and, in certain special cases, for the probability density of the multidimensional error vector, itself. The latter can be used to analyze the distortion of two-stage vector quantization. The former permits one to learn about the point density and cell shapes of a quantizer from a histogram of quantization error lengths. Histograms of the error lengths in simulations agree well with the derived formulas. Also presented are a number of properties of the error density, including the relationship between the error density, the point density, and the cell shapes, the fact that its qth moment equals Bennett's integral (a formula for the average distortion of a scalar or vector quantizer), and the fact that for stationary sources, the marginals of the multidimensional error density of an optimal vector quantizer with large dimension are approximately i.i.d. Gaussian.


The non-protein amino acid S-methyl cysteine (CH3-S-CH2> CH (NH2) COOH) was identified and assayed by HPLC and GC/MS analyses of ethanolic extracts of freshly-collected culms and rhizomes of Australian species of Restionaceae. Of 140 species examined, only 20 proved positive and two probably positive for the compound. Amounts in culms and rhizomes of these positive species varied from a trace to 74% of the ninhydrin-positive soluble amino N or from a trace to 33 mu mol per g fwt of tissue. Certain species showed substantial Variations in amounts of S-methyl cysteine between sites and seasons. Xylem bleeding sap was collected and analysed from 32 species. The nine species whose xylem sap was positive for S-methyl cysteine (0.5-23.5% of xylem total amino N) also rated positive in culms and rhizomes. Investment of N in S-methyl cysteine ranged from 0.1 to 6.3% of culm total N or 0.2-6.7% of rhizome total N. A possible role of the compound in protection against herbivory was examined. Positive species came from only three of the 19 currently recognized genera, Lepyrodia (16 positive, two possibly positive), Restio (one positive species) Loxocarya, (one positive species) and a further three as yet unnamed species. Under a proposed revision (B. Briggs and L. Johnson, pers. comm.), the positive species of Restio and the three unnamed species would be ascribed to a redefined genus (Loxocarya sens. orig.), thus restricting all species containing S-methyl cysteine to this new genus and Lepyrodia. The latter genus is changed under the proposed classification by transfer of certain species to the genus Sporadanthus. All six species proposed for such transfer lack the compound. Taxonomic implications of the findings are discussed.


A case is reported of the removal of a leaf fibroma from the mucosa of the hard palate using EMLA topical anesthesia as the sole means of pain control.


The purpose of this study was to determine if Malaysian polytechnic's heads of department multi-dimensional leadership orientation effects the lecturer work commitment, and a mediating effects in leadership effectiveness as perceived by the lecturers. The department heads leadership orientation was determined by the structural, human resource, political, cultural, and educational frame used based on Bolman and Deal's leadership frame and Sergiovanni's Leadership model. A total of 841 lecturers and 76 department heads from 24 polytechnics participated in this study.Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to determine the department head's multi-dimensional leadership effect on lecturers work commitment. The study proves that polytechnic's heads of department practiced multi-dimensional leadership, with human resource frame as the predominant frame. There is a significant relationship between human resource and cultural frames and lecturers work commitment. The department head's leadership effectiveness as perceived by the lecturers mediates the relationship between department head's multi-dimensional leadership and lecturers work commitment.

 Key words: Multi-dimensional leadership, leadership effectiveness, work commitment, hierarchical linear modeling.


Chadwick C. Prodromos, editor. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2008. 650 pages. $229.00. ISBN: 978-1-4160-3834-4 .

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament: Reconstruction and Basic Science is a single-volume comprehensive text. Chadwick Prodromos is a fellowship-trained sports-medicine orthopaedist in Chicago, who specializes in knee surgery and notably devised a posterior mini-incision to harvest hamstring grafts. He collaborated with eight associate editors who are established pioneers in knee surgery. In the preface, they convincingly present the need for a comprehensive textbook on the anterior cruciate ligament—one which presents "the essence of the world's accumulated clinically relevant ACL-related knowledge."

The editors and invited authors (as well as their colleagues, research assistants, clinical fellows, residents, and others) have produced eighty-one chapters and more than 600 pages of text. The textbook …


Since April 2015, Burundi has been in a state of political crisis precipitated by the decision of President Pierre Nkurunziza to seek a new term as President. Opponents of his decision argued that the Arusha Agreement that ended the Burundi Civil War in 2000 prohibits anyone from serving as president more than two terms of 5 years each. The Arusha Agreement, it was envisaged would provide the basis for the future security and stability of Burundi. In fact, the agreement served the country well through the transitional period that ended in 2005. The post-transition government led by Nkurunziza has progressively eroded the Arusha compact leading to the current political crisis. Nkurunzinza's insistence on standing for a troisième mandate as president capped the longlist of actions taken to erode the Arusha Agreement. Meanwhile, the guarantors of the agreement appeared helpless to protect its sanctity. Nkurunziza's re-election as president in July 2015 created a fait accompli thus rendering the continued reference to the Arusha Agreement to sound very hollow.


The exciting intrinsic properties discovered in single crystals of metal halide perovskites still await their translation into optoelectronic devices. The poor understanding and control of the crystallization process of these materials are current bottlenecks retarding the shift toward single-crystal-based optoelectronics. Here we theoretically and experimentally elucidate the role of surface tension in the rapid synthesis of perovskite single crystals by inverse temperature crystallization. Understanding the nucleation and growth mechanisms enabled us to exploit surface tension to direct the growth of monocrystalline films of perovskites (AMX3, where A = CH3NH3+ or MA; M = Pb2+, Sn2+; X = Br–, I–) on the solution surface. We achieve up to 1 cm2-sized monocrystalline films with thickness on the order of the charge carrier diffusion length (∼5–10 μm). Our work paves the way to control the crystallization process of perovskites, including thin-film deposition, which is essential to advance the performance b...


Cressa cretica Fam: Convolvulaceae (morning glory). These plants are native to the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Nutritional analysis provide it to be a potential source of minerals, energy, carbohydrate, alpha-tocopherol, edible oil. From phytochemical point of view, the
plant was reported to contain: coumarins, sterols, alkaloids, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids, unidentified sugars and high salt content. Ethyl acetate layer and ethanolic layer were examined for cytotoxic activity.Kampferol-3-O-glucoside (Astragalin) was isolated as amorphous powder from the aerial parts of Cressa cretica. The flavonoid in the Iraqi plant was detected by TLC. Its presence was confirmed by HPLC.


Scientific research is a major issue for universities because it ensures its innovation and productivity, but to ensure the proper functioning of universities, the decisions-makers need powerful tools to assist them in this process. Multi criteria decision making (MCDM) may present an appropriate asset for this area especially with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) which presents a theory of measurement through pairwise comparisons and relies on the judgments of experts to derive priority scales.


Background: While multiple myeloma (MM) comprises only 2% of all cancer diagnoses, the prevalence of the disease in the US has markedly increased from 46,865 patients in 2000 to 124,733 in 2015. New therapeutic classes have led to longer survival, and allowed older patients to undergo life-prolonging therapy. Survivorship issues are now becoming relevant for this population, as ongoing therapy may have as yet unappreciated long term sequelae. MM is a disease of older patients, with a median diagnosis age of 69, and the incidence is greatest among African Americans (AA), populations at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We therefore designed a retrospective study to quantify the incidence of new CVD in this population, as well as changes in incidence over time, hypothesizing that CVD incidence would increase due to both longer survival times, and increased utilization of potentially cardiotoxic drugs.
 Methods: Using the California Cancer Registry linked to the California Patient Discharge Database, we identified 15,404 patients diagnosed with MM between 1991-2012 with follow-up through 2014. CVD was defined as a hospital admission for coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), or stroke (CVA) using ICD9 codes or if the cause of death due to CVD was the first report of CVD. Patients with prior CVD or in whom CVD was diagnosed within 60 days of MM diagnosis were excluded. All patients had a minimum of 60 days of follow up. Changes in CVD rates were assessed by era: 1991-97 (era 1), 1998-2002 (era 2), 2003-07 (era 3) and 2008-12 (era 4). The cumulative incidence of CVD was estimated from date of MM diagnosis to first CVD event, accounting for the competing risk of death. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for developing CVD were estimated accounting for the competing risk of death per the methods by Fine and Grey.
 Results: Of the 15,404 patients, 8,056 (52%) were male, 9154 (59%) were non-Hispanic white (NHW), 1890 (12%) were African American, 2839 (18%) were Hispanic, and 1360 (9%) were Asian. Median age at diagnosis was 65, with 12% of patients <50 and11%>80. Stem cell transplant was utilized by 2989 (19%) patients. The most common insurers were private/military (42%), followed by Medicare (31%), Medicaid/other public (7%), and unknown (19%) insurance. The median age of patients who developed CVD was 68 vs 63 who were never admitted for CVD (p<0.001). The 2 and 5 year cumulative incidence of developing CVD was 15.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.2% - 16.3%) and 26.3% (CI: 25.6% - 27.0%). This was significantly less in era 4 (2008-12): 12.6% (11.6% - 13.7%) and 22.3% (20.9% - 23.8%) (p<0.001) (Figure). When examining types of CVD, CVA was less common in era 1 (1991-97) compared to eras 2-4 (5 year cumulative incidence rates in eras 1-4 respectively: 3.9% [3.4% - 4.5%], 4.6% [4.0% - 5.4%], 5.0% [4.3% - 5.7%], 4.6% [3.9% - 5.4%]) (p=0.002). CAD was less common in era 4 (5 year cumulative incidence rates in ears 1-4 respectively: 10.3% [9.4% - 11.2%], 11.5% [10.5% - 12.7%], 10.8% [9.9% - 11.9%], 9.4% [8.5% - 10.5%]) (p = 0.003). CHF was less common in era 4 (5 year cumulative incidence rates in eras 1-4 respectively: 17.9% [16.7% - 19.1%], 18.6% [17.3% - 20.0%], 17.7% [16.5% - 19.0%], 13.8% [12.6% - 15.0%].
 In multivariable analysis, increased age, male sex, AA race/ethnicity, increased Elixhauser comorbidity score were associated with increased risk of CVD. Surprisingly, after accounting for age Medicare insurance was associated with increased risk of CVD, while socioeconomic status was not. Use of stem cell transplant was associated with decreased risk, likely due to pre-transplant screening for CVD. Diagnosis during era 4 (2008 - 12) was associated with decreased risk of new CVD (adjusted hazard ratio 0.70 [CI: 0.63, 0.77]).
 Conclusion: CVD is a common complication in MM patients: within 5 years of a MM diagnosis, over 25% develop CVD requiring hospitalization. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find increased CVD admissions in the most recent era. Decreased admissions due to CHF and CAD in the most recent era of diagnosis may indicate a greater awareness of this issue, routine thromboprophylaxis with anti-platelet agents in patients being treated with immunomodulatory agents, or changes in secular trends in the diagnosis and treatment of CVD. CVD is an ongoing source of morbidity for MM patients requiring further study and the vigilance of clinicians.
 Figure. Figure.

 Rosenberg: Amgen: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.


Models have been built using the finite-element software COMSOL to predict fields, currents, and the resulting loads and stresses acting on the C-mod advanced outer divertor (AOD). The AOD is being designed to operate with conditions of a 2.5-MA plasma current and a toroidal field of 9 T while being held at 600 °C, and so must survive a disruption that occurs in these conditions. In addition to the loads resulting from eddy currents induced in the divertor during a disruption, the divertor will at times need to carry up to 400 kA of halo current, which crosses the toroidal field as it returns to the plasma. The loads resulting from this scenario will be very high, and we have had to develop models to predict the fields, currents, and loads as accurately as possible to ensure that the strength of the new design can withstand these loads. First, the fields and eddy currents are predicted in a COMSOL model of C-mod given two inputs. The first input is the currents for the toroidal and poloidal field coils, which come from measured data taken during a discharge. The second input is the current in the plasma, which comes from another model that solves Maxwell's equations to reconstruct the plasma as 24 current carrying filaments. The advantage of this new modeling technique is that it provides the ability to create a model based on actual measured data and to model whichever type of disruption, whether a midplane disruption or a vertical displacement event, so that the model more accurately reflects operating conditions the AOD will see. In addition to the Lorenz forces due to the induced eddy currents in the AOD, the model can also calculate the large forces due to halo currents that cross C-mod's large toroidal field. The loads due to the halo currents will be the largest loads the divertor sees. With all the loads defined, a structural model of the divertor is run to determine stresses and displacements.


In this paper, a Janus metastructure sensor (JMS) based on the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE), which can detect multiple physical quantities, is proposed. The Janus property is derived from the fact that the asymmetric arrangement of different dielectrics breaks the structure parity. Hence, the metastructure is endowed with different detection performances for physical quantities on multiple scales, broadening the range and improving the accuracy of the detection. When electromagnetic waves (EWs) are incident from the forward scale of the JMS, the refractive index, thickness, and incidence angle can be detected by locking the angle corresponding to the PSHE displacement peak that is enhanced by the graphene. The relevant detection ranges are 2~2.4, 2~2.35 μm, and 27°~47°, with sensitivities (S) of 81.35°/RIU, 64.84°/μm, and 0.02238 THz/°, respectively. Under the condition that EWs incident into the JMS from the backward direction, the JMS can also detect the same physical quantities with different sensing properties, such as S of 99.3°/RIU, 70.07°/μm, and 0.02348 THz/° in corresponding detection ranges of 2~2.09, 1.85~2.02 μm, and 20°~40°. This novel multifunctional JMS is a supplement to the traditional single-function sensor and has a certain prospect in the field of multiscenario applications.


The three-dimensional structures of the dihydrofolate reductase enzymes from Escherichia coli (ecDHFR or ecE) and Homo sapiens (hDHFR or hE) are very similar, despite a rather low level of sequence identity. Whereas the active site loops of ecDHFR undergo major conformational rearrangements during progression through the reaction cycle, hDHFR remains fixed in a closed loop conformation in all of its catalytic intermediates. To elucidate the structural and dynamic differences between the human and E. coli enzymes, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of side chain flexibility and dynamics in complexes of hDHFR that represent intermediates in the major catalytic cycle. Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation dispersion experiments show that, in marked contrast to the functionally important motions that feature prominently in the catalytic intermediates of ecDHFR, millisecond time scale fluctuations cannot be detected for hDHFR side chains. Ligand flux in hDHFR is thought to be mediated by conformational changes between a hinge-open state when the substrate/product-binding pocket is vacant and a hinge-closed state when this pocket is occupied. Comparison of X-ray structures of hinge-open and hinge-closed states shows that helix αF changes position by sliding between the two states. Analysis of χ1 rotamer populations derived from measurements of 3JCγCO and 3JCγN couplings indicates that many of the side chains that contact helix αF exhibit rotamer averaging that may facilitate the conformational change. The χ1 rotamer adopted by the Phe31 side chain depends upon whether the active site contains the substrate or product. In the holoenzyme (the binary complex of hDHFR with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate), a combination of hinge opening and a change in the Phe31 χ1 rotamer opens the active site to facilitate entry of the substrate. Overall, the data suggest that, unlike ecDHFR, hDHFR requires minimal backbone conformational rearrangement as it proceeds through its enzymatic cycle, but that ligand flux is brokered by more subtle conformational changes that depend on the side chain motions of critical residues.


An ecocritical reevaluation of the Kalevala and its contexts reveals the merging of nationalist discourses with a broader Finno-Ugric environmental aesthetic tradition in the period leading up to Finnish independence. Although the Kalevala and the nationalism it inspired led to oppression of the Sámi minority in northern Finland, analyzing the Kalevala as a "bioregional" epic in light of the environmental aesthetics of the Sámi joik tradition can potentially heal divisions created by Finnish nationalism.


We present an analytical policy update rule that is independent of parametric function approxima-tors. The policy update rule is suitable for optimizing general stochastic policies and has a monotonic improvement guarantee. It is derived from a closed-form solution to trust-region optimization using calculus of variation, following a new theoretical result that tightens existing bounds for policy improvement using trust-region methods. The update rule builds a connection between policy search methods and value function methods. Moreover, off-policy reinforcement learning algorithms can be derived from the update rule since it does not need to compute integration over on-policy states. In addition, the update rule extends immediately to cooperative multi-agent systems when policy updates are performed by one agent at a time.


The production of hadronic jets in the forward region of pp collisions is affected by potentially large QCD logarithmic corrections both in the hard transverse momentum and in the large rapidity interval. The theoretical framework to resum consistently both kinds of logarithmic corrections to higher orders in perturbation theory is based on QCD high-energy factorization. We discuss Monte Carlo applications of this framework to final-state ob servables associated with production of one forward and one central jet, and present numerical results for forward-central angular correlations at the Large Hadron Collider.


The largest store of continually updating knowledge on our planet can be accessed via internet search. In this work we study giving access to this information to conversational agents. Large language models, even though they store an impressive amount of knowledge within their weights, are known to hallucinate facts when generating dialogue (Shuster et al., 2021); moreover, those facts are frozen in time at the point of model training. In contrast, we propose an approach that learns to generate an internet search query based on the context, and then conditions on the search results to finally generate a response, a method that can employ up-to-the-minute relevant information. We train and evaluate such models on a newly collected dataset of human-human conversations whereby one of the speakers is given access to internet search during knowledgedriven discussions in order to ground their responses. We find that search-query based access of the internet in conversation provides superior performance compared to existing approaches that either use no augmentation or FAISS-based retrieval (Lewis et al., 2020b).


A comparison was made between the reinforcing properties of a purposive attack provoked by stimulation of the hypothalamus and those of natural behaviour based on a certain motivation and exteroceptive stimuli. A model of an experiment with two cats has been evolved which made it possible to study simultaneously their behaviour in response to one and the same indifferent stimulus, reinforced in one cat by stimulation of the hypothalamus, while for the other, the stimulus acted as a signal of the attack on the part of the stimulated cat. It was shown that conditioned reflexes were not elaborated on the basis of reinforcement of the indifferent stimulus with behavioral effects of the purposive attack, produced by stimulation of the hypothalamus. It is assumed that conditioned reproduction of the purposive attack is impossible due to the absence of natural motivation; hence behavioral acts imposed by stimulation of the brain are not fixed in the memory.


In this paper a new characterization of the class of all minimal square spectral factors of a given rational spectral density is presented. This characterization consists of two bijective maps which relate the set of minimal square spectral factors to a set of invariant subspaces of a certain matrix and to a set of symmetric solutions of an algebraic Riccati equation. In the second part of the paper it is proven that these two maps are homeomorphisms. This result extends to spectral factorization theory the results of Wimmer (1995), where it is proven that the well known relation between solutions of ARE and invariant subspaces of a certain matrix is, in fact, a homeomorphism.


We propose and explore the novel task of dance beat tracking, which can be regarded as a fundamental topic in the Dance Information Retrieval (DIR) research field. Dance beat tracking aims at detecting musical beats from a dance video by using its visual information without using its audio information (i.e., dance music). The visual analysis of dances is important to achieve general machine understanding of dances, not limited to dance music. As a subarea of Music Information Retrieval (MIR) research, DIR also shares similar goals with MIR and needs to extract various high-level semantics from dance videos. While audio-based beat tracking has been thoroughly studied in MIR, there has not been visual-based beat tracking for dance videos. We approach dance beat tracking as a time series classification problem and conduct several experiments using a Temporal Convolutional Neural Network (TCN) using the AIST Dance Video Database. We evaluate the proposed solution considering different data splits based on either "dancer" or "music". Moreover, we propose a periodicity-based loss that considerably improves the overall beat tracking performance according to several evaluation metrics.


Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) occurs in patients with high bacterial loads of leprosy and more than 50 percent of patients have this complication within the first year of effective antileprosy treatment. In a patient with lepromatous leprosy with an ENL reaction, Ga-67 imaging revealed multiple patchy accumulations of tracer in the skin of the face, trunk, arms, and thighs. Tc-99m HMPAO labeled WBC imaging showed no abnormal uptake in those areas. We learned from this case that Ga-67 imaging could detect inflammatory changes of an ENL reaction of leprosy. Tc-99m HMPAO labeled WBC imaging does not appear to be useful in this application.


BACKGROUND
Intracranial abscess, though uncommon, have relatively higher occurrence in low socio-economic settings where previous antibiotic abuse and lack modern culture techniques makes isolation of organisms difficult. Diagnosis and treatment are further delayed by a poor referral system and low index for suspicion. Tuberculoma, cannabis abuse, ventriculo-peritoneal shunt catheters and cancer therapy are presented here as unusual causes of intracranial abscesses.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES
To highlight less commonly encountered causes of an uncommon, but dreaded, neurosurgical condition, their diagnosis and treatment approaches.

CASE REPORTS
Five patients who had surgical evacuation of intracranial abscesses not due to pathology from the more familiar spread from sinusitis, mastoid, middle ear, post-meningitic or post -traumatic aetiology are presented. Contrast computerised tomography (CT) brain scan was essential in clinching the diagnosis and determining the management options.

CONCLUSIONS
Persistent headaches or features of intracranial involvement (in patients undergoing treatment for other conditions) should always warrant CT of the brain. However, there are several differential diagnoses of ring-enhancing lesions on CT which have to be excluded when considering an abscess.


In first years of the 18th century, Raymond Vieussens (1635-1713) and Adam Christian Thebesius (1686-1732) discovered the Vasa cordis minima, today known as Vasa Thebesii; in 1868, Odilon Marc Lannelongue (1840-1911) described the so-called crypts of Lannelongue in the right atrium. The present study gives a historical survey over the research on the cardiac vascularization before 1700 and presents these three authors and their works on the Thebesian vessels with a biographical introduction and a commented translation. As for the biography of the Silesian anatomist Thebesius large, mostly inedited materials from Polish archives and from family archives were studied, among them, poems, a handwritten biography and a pedigree of the family. A schedule tables the studies and articles on the Thebesian vessels and the Thebesian valve published since 1708. As a commentary to the bibliography, the present stage of knowledge on the Thebesian vessels is shortly summarized. Although a compensatory function of the Thebesian vessels in coronary sclerosis and other pathological conditions has been discussed repeatedly, methodical difficulties still do not allow a reliable judgement on the role of the Thebesian vessels in physiological and pathological conditions. This study shows the contradictory results and summarizes all statements which have been published on the embryology, comparative anatomy, macroscopical and (electron-)microscopical anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and cardio-surgery. The aim is to encourage an interdiscplinary discussion on the base of the thorough literature study.


Introduction: Data about treatment response in hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is scant, especially in chronic HP (ChHP). Objective: To compare treatment response between ChHP and subacute HP (SaHP). Methods: Retrospective analytical study, from March 2012 to December 2015. Diagnostic criteria for HP were positive antigen exposure source or typical findings in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) plus at least one of the following: bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytosis (>20%), diagnostic transbronchial lung biopsy and/or surgical biopsy. ChHP was considered if any typical HRCT findings [ground glass opacities, centrilobular nodules, and mosaic perfusion] were associated with traction bronchiectasis, septal thickening or honeycombing; or with histopathological features of ChHP. Patients characteristics and treatment response were analysed. Wilcoxson Rank sum test was used to compare quantitative variables. Significance was defined as a p-value of Results: 25 patients, 76% female and 56% ChHP. Median age at diagnosis was 57 (IQR 45-66). Main antigen source were: home environment (10), pigeons and other birds (8), and feather bedding (4). Antigen avoidance was advised, all received steroid treatment, azathioprine was added in 11 while mycophenolate in 4. Median treatment follow up in months was similar in both groups [ChHP 9 (IQR 7- 50) vs SaHP 8 (IQR 3-33); p: 0.27]. Percentage of the predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%) declined among ChHP cases, in contrast to SaHP [- 4 (IQR -10.5to 6.5) vs 15 (IQR 9.5to34); p 0.015]. Conclusion: Patients with ChHP had a greater functional decline despite antigen avoidance and immunosuppressive therapy. Fibrotic changes in HRCT and histopathology might influence treatment response.


Background: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a restrictive endoscopic bariatric procedure providing promising results. In this short case series, we analyze the technical aspects and short-term outcomes of the redo ESG. Methods: A retrospective analysis was done on a prospective database of all patients that were selected by a multidisciplinary team that underwent ESG between March 2017 and May 2019. Patients that underwent a redo ESG because of a progressive loss of satiety, weight regain, or insufficient weight loss due to high baseline body mass index were included. Percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), percentage of total body weight loss (%TBWL), and the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System (BAROS) questionnaire were evaluated during follow-up. Results: A total of 120 ESG procedures were performed with mean %EWL of 44.4% (± 19.5), mean %TBWL of 18.3% (± 6.7), and mean BAROS of 4.5 (± 1.7) at 12 months. Of those, four patients that underwent a redo ESG were identified. A total of three of them had a redo ESG after 12 months from the first ESG, whereas one of them had a redo ESG after 7 months. During the second procedure, old threads were removed with scissors and new stitches were positioned following a triangular pattern and avoiding overlap with the previous stitches. No adverse events were reported during the redo ESG. Six month follow-up was available for three patients, mean %EWL and %TBWL were 44.2% and 20.4%, respectively; BAROS questionnaire mean score was 6.3. One patient had only 1 month follow-up with a mean %EWL and %TBWL of 33.3% and 12.2%, respectively; BAROS questionnaire reported score was 6. All included patients reported excellent satiety feeling after redo ESG. Conclusions: The redo ESG short-term outcomes are completely satisfying in terms of safety and efficacy. The need to perform a redo ESG should not be considered as a failure of the previous procedure, but it can be considered as a second step of the endoscopic treatment strategy.


The impurity-induced localization of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates loaded into deep one-dimensional optical lattices is studied both analytically and numerically. It is shown that, the analytical criteria for self-trapping and moving soliton/breather of the primary-component condensate are modified significantly by an admixture of an impurity component (the second component). The realization of the self-trapped state and the moving soliton/breather states of the primary-component becomes more easy with the minor admixture of the impurity-component, even if the two components are partly overlapped.


This study uses the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method to investigate the fluid flow in dental pulp. First, the FSI method is used for the biomechanical simulation of dental intrapulpal responses during force loading (50, 100 and 150 N) on a tooth. The results are validated by comparison with experimental outcomes. Second, the FSI method is used to investigate an intact tooth subjected to a mechanical stimulus during loading at various loading rates. Force loading (0–100 N) is applied gradually to an intact tooth surface with loading rates of 125, 62.5, 25 and 12.5 N/s, respectively, and the fluid flow changes in the pulp are evaluated. FSI analysis is found to be suitable for examining intrapulpal biomechanics. An external force applied to a tooth with a low loading rate leads to a low fluid flow velocity in the pulp chamber, thus avoiding tooth pain.


The editor's preface describes the content of this book: "The test has been written specifically for the nontechnical background of most speechlanguage pathologists and audiologists... by experts who are actively involved in speech, language, and hearing applications with personal computers... chapters have been included that will interest clinicians and researchers, the private practitioner, the... instructor and... student." This 259-page book is nicely laid out and carefully organized. The first three chapters discuss the components, operation, and general applications of the personal computer. The next two chapters describe its uses in record management and academic applications. The remaining chapters present issues specific to speech, language, and hearing patient-care activities and research. Though the individual chapters largely cover existing ground, they provide new and useful perspectives on the interaction between the singleuser microcomputer and the communication professional. As one reads this book, one receives as good a general introduction to the personal


Objective To observe the effects of the anti-dendritic cell monoclonal antibody (DC-McAb) on keratoplasty rejection and the expression of IFN-γ mRNA in the rat cornea, the density change of serum IL-2 after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). Methods The Wistar rat was used as the donor and the SD rat was used as the receptor. The rats were divided into groups A, A0, B, C and D. Routine PKP was done on the rats in groups A, A0, B and C. The receptor's epithelium was reserved in group D. Medicine was given 3 days before surgery, on the day of surgery. and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 d after surgery. The groups were given the following treatments: group A, sterilized saline 0.5 ml. abdominal cavity injection; group A0, mouse anti-rat IgG 0.1 ml+saline 0.4 ml. abdominal cavity injection; groups B and D. DC-McAb 0.1 ml+saline 0.4 ml. abdominal cavity injection; group C. DC-McAb 0.05 ml, subconjectiva injection. Rejective reaction was observed with a slit lamp. The corneas were excised at 7 dafter surgery. IFN-γ mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in groups A and B. Serum was acquired at 3, 7, 14 and 21 d after surgery in groups A, H, C and D and IL-2 was examined by ELISA. Results The rejective reaction occurred at (7.63±0.74)d after PKP in group A and (7.50±0.54)d in group A0, and the difference was not significant (P>0.05) but the difference was significant when group A was compared to groups B, (17.11±1.17)d. C. (13.86±0.69)d and D. (17.88±0.84)d (P<0.01); There was a significant difference when group C was compared to groups Rand D (P<0.01) but the difference between groups Rand D was not significant (P>0.05). High express ion of IFN-γ mRNA in the rat cornea at 7 d after RKP could be seen in group A. There was little or no expression in group H. The serum IL-2 density of the normal SD rat was (35.18±2.59)pg/ml. There was a slight increase at 3 d, a big increase at 7 d, peaking at 14 d and decreasing at 21 d. The level of IL-2 in groups B, C and D was lower than that in group A. Conclusion DC-McAb can inhibit the rejective reaction of keratoplasty and lengthen the period of corneal integrity.


ATAC-seq is a powerful tool for measuring the landscape structure of a chromosome. scATAC-seq is a recently updated version of ATAC-seq performed in a single cell. The problem with scATAC-seq is data sparsity and most of the genomic sites are inaccessible. Here, tensor decomposition (TD) was used to fill in missing values. In this study, TD was applied to massive scATAC-seq datasets generated by approximately 200 bp intervals, and this number can reach 13,627,618. Currently, no other methods can deal with large sparse matrices. The proposed method could not only provide UMAP embedding that coincides with tissue specificity, but also select genes associated with various biological enrichment terms and transcription factor targeting. This suggests that TD is a useful tool to process a large sparse matrix generated from scATAC-seq.


The BIO 2005 international convention is the largest gathering of the biotech industry in the world. Last year, it was held on June 19-22 inside the behemoth Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia. It brought together 18 730 executives, investors, consultants, lawyers, politicians and scientists from 56 countries. More than 500 media representatives covered the event. Biotechnology research and findings presented by countries in the Asia Pacific region has begun to make a significant impact on these annual BIO gatherings. The achievements of some countries in this region are briefly reviewed.


Six groups of 10 male Holtzman rats were given doses of 10, 25, 40, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg dimercaprol, respectively. Both times of onset of the first convulsion and survival times of treated animals exposed to 6 atm of oxygen were measured and compared with 50 untreated controls. As the dose of dimercaprol increased to 40 mg/kg, both the time of onset of convulsions and the survival time increased to a maximum, and then decreased with further increase in dosage until they reached control levels at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Other animals were given equivalent doses of the vehicle in which the dimercaprol was dissolved, while still others received an inactive analogue of dimercaprol (glycerol). Neither the vehicle nor the inactive analogue produced the protective effect seen with dimercaprol.

British antilewisite; hyperbaric oxygen

Submitted on August 7, 1964


Natural products and natural product‐derived compounds have been widely used for pharmaceuticals for many years, and the search for new natural products that may have interesting activity is ongoing. Abyssomicins are natural product molecules that have antibiotic activity via inhibition of the folate synthesis pathway in microbiota. These compounds also appear to undergo a required [4 + 2] cycloaddition in their biosynthetic pathway. Here we report the structure of an flavin adenine dinucleotide‐dependent reductase, AbsH3, from the biosynthetic gene cluster of novel abyssomicins found in Streptomyces sp. LC‐6‐2.


Clinical Ethics Committees and Research Ethics Committees have their own specific roles. The Clinical Ethics Committee's pronouncements have an advisory function, whereas Research Ethics Committees' decisions are binding. This article analyzes the legal impact of the Clinical Ethics Committees' reports. Legal and medical reasoning share the same practical nature. Both can have several correct answers to the same situation. Clinical Ethics Committees deliberate about these alternatives and analyze the involved values. Their conclusions are non-compulsory recommendations. They do not replace nor diminish the doctor's personal responsibility. Even though the Clinical Ethics Committees' reports are not binding, they constitute a sort of "expert's opinion", expressed by qualified professionals, who assume their own professional responsibility as advisors. The members' behavior is necessarily subject to constitutional and legal regulations. When judges review the Clinical Ethics Committee's reports, they must realize that their nature is advisory, and also consider them an essential element to reduce the gap between the medical and legal fields. In this way, the problem of increasingly transforming medicine into a legal issue can be prevented.


Network-on-chip has recently emerged as alternative communication architecture for complex system chip and different aspects regarding NoC design have been studied in the literature. However, the test of the NoC itself for manufacturing faults has been marginally tackled. This paper proposes a scalable test strategy for the routers in a NoC, based on partial scan and on an IEEE 1500-compliant test wrapper. The proposed test strategy takes advantage of the regular design of the NoC to reduce both test area overhead and test time. Experimental results show that a good tradeoff of area overhead, fault coverage, test data volume, and test time is achieved by the proposed technique. Furthermore, the method can be applied for large NoC sizes and it does not depend on the network routing and control algorithms, which makes the method suitable to test a large class of network models


Acid dissociation constants (pKa's) are key physicochemical properties that are needed to understand the structure and reactivity of molecules in solution. Theoretical pKa's have been calculated for a set of 72 organic compounds with -OH and -OOH groups (48 with known experimental pKa's). This test set includes 17 aliphatic alcohols, 25 substituted phenols, and 30 hydroperoxides. Calculations in aqueous medium have been carried out with SMD implicit solvation and three hybrid DFT functionals (B3LYP, ωB97XD, and M06-2X) with two basis sets (6-31+G(d,p) and 6-311++G(d,p)). The effect of explicit water molecules on calculated pKa's was assessed by including up to three water molecules. pKa's calculated with only SMD implicit solvation are found to have average errors greater than 6 pKa units. Including one explicit water reduces the error by about 3 pKa units, but the error is still far from chemical accuracy. With B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and three explicit water molecules in SMD solvation, the mean signed error and standard deviation are only -0.02 ± 0.55; a linear fit with zero intercept has a slope of 1.005 and R2 = 0.97. Thus, this level of theory can be used to calculate pKa's directly without the need for linear correlations or thermodynamic cycles. Estimated pKa values are reported for 24 hydroperoxides that have not yet been determined experimentally.