Aspergillus species are the most frequently identified pathogens in patients with fungal sinusitis. Aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses virtually always represents an airborne disease, which is acquired by inhalation of conidia. The noninvasive forms of Aspergillus sinusitis are mostly categorized into allergic sinusitis and sinus fungus ball or mycetoma. For antifungal therapy, amphotericin B has been the standard treatment in the past and may continue to be an alternative under resource-limited conditions. Alternatively, itraconazole has been used successfully either alone or in combination therapy with amphotericin B in some studies. In patients with cerebral aspergillosis, symptoms tend to progress rapidly, leading to death within days if untreated. Brain abscess formation is the most frequent finding in patients with cerebral aspergillosis. An altered mental status, focal neurological deficits, and seizures are the most common symptoms reported in patients with cerebral aspergillosis. The blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier comprises mainly the choroidal and arachnoidal epithelium, which is fenestrated and faces the CSF. Although substances may enter more easily into the CSF, further penetration into brain tissue is limited by the ependyma, a single layer of epithelial cells which covers the ventricles. In an open-label clinical trial, treatment responses to oral posaconazole therapy were assessed in a subset of 39 patients with various types of central nervous system (CNS) fungal diseases. The majority of patients had cryptococcal meningitis, and four patients suffered from cerebral aspergillosis. Successful responses to voriconazole treatment with long-term survival were repeatedly reported in single patients with cerebral aspergillosis.


Astaxanthin (AST) is a type of ketone carotenoid having significant antioxidation and anticancer abilities. However, its application is limited due to its low stability and bioavailability. In our study, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-encapsulated AST (AST@PLGA) nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation method and then further processed by ultrasound with broccoli-derived extracellular vesicles (BEVs), thereby evolving as BEV-coated AST@PLGA nanoparticles (AST@PLGA@BEVs). The preparation process and methods were optimized by three factors and three levels of response surface method to increase drug loading (DL). After optimization, the DL was increased to 6.824%, and the size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of AST@PLGA@BEVs reached 191.60 ± 2.23 nm, 0.166, and −15.85 ± 0.92 mV, respectively. Moreover, AST@PLGA@BEVs exhibited more notable anticancer activity than AST in vitro. Collectively, these results indicate that the method of loading AST in broccoli-derived EVs is feasible and has important significance for the further development and utilization of AST as a functional food.


Introduction: Conflict is inevitable in workplaces and it is very important to manage it in a proper way to minimize the problems that might arise. The aim of this research is surveying the relationship between principals' demographic characteristics and the choice of conflict management styles. Methods: The statistical society included 213 employed principals of Shiraz high schools. The data on conflict management style choices were gathered using the conflict management questionnaire. The t-test, ANOVA and regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of this research showed that the compromise style was the most frequently used method by principals followed by collaboration and accommodation, domination and avoidance, respectively. There was a significant association between the principals' level of income and the use of collaboration and accommodation styles. There was a statistically significant difference between gender and the use of the five fold approach in the domination style. Overall, there was a significant association between the principals' demographic characteristics and the conflict management style choices. Concolusion: The principals should notice that conflict is inevitable in organizations and they should consider the opinions and ideas of both parties involved in the conflict. So the best approach for conflict management by principals is to pay attention to its outcomes and choose the style which has the most benefit for the involved parties. Keywords: Demographic characteristics, Conflict Management, Principals


Some of these problems with digital information protection systems may be overcome by providing a mechanism which allows a content provider to encrypt digital information without requiring either a hardware or platform manufacturer or a content consumer to provide support for the specific form of corresponding decryption. This mechanism can be provided in a manner which allows the digital information to be copied easily for back-up purposes and to be transferred easily for distribution, but which should not permit copying of the digital information in decrypted form. In particular, the encrypted digital information is stored as an executable computer program which includes a decryption program that decrypts the encrypted information to provide the desired digital information, upon successful completion of an authorization procedure by the user. In combination with other mechanisms that track distribution, enforce royalty payments and control access to decryption keys, the present invention provides an improved method for identifying and detecting sources of unauthorized copies. Suitable authorization procedures also enable the digital information to be distributed for a limited number of uses and/or users, thus enabling per-use fees to be charged for the digital information.


"Silent Sinus Syndrome" is a quite rare condition of otherwise asymptomatic maxillary sinusitis that presents with enophthalmos. Despite the fact that the "Silent Sinus Syndrome" presents with enophthalmos, these patients are finally treated by the otorhinolaryngologist, who should be familiar with this condition, in order to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment. We present the case of a 33 year old man with enophthalmos and no other associated symptom that was caused by chronic rhinosinusitis. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was the treatment of choice. No reconstruction of the orbital floor was performed. One year follow up, following surgical treatment revealed an excellent result.


While accurate measurement of gate-oxide leakage in isolated CMOS oxides can be straightforward, it is not the case for CMOS oxides connected to a plasma-charging protection device. In this paper, a method enabling accurate gate-oxide leakage extraction from CMOS transistors directly connected to a gated MOSFET-based charging protection device is described. The method extracts gate-oxide leakage at the bottom side of the gate-oxide from the drain/source terminal of the protected MOSFETs biased into inversion while diverting the parasitic leakages from the protection device into a P+ tap sink. The location and design of the P+ tap sink play an important role on the success of the method. The method demonstrates a high measurement accuracy over the conventional method with a nearly 99% absorption efficiency of the protection-device-induced leakage by the P + tap sink, with the test structures used in this study. The method enables a saving of up to 30% of the layout space in the design of the charging test structures in test chips by eliminating usage of the fuse between the protected and protecting devices. A correlation study performed with the data measured by the new method and the conventional method suggests that both protected and protecting transistors can experience gate-oxide damage at the same time during back-end integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process if the protected transistors violate the gate-charging design rules. It also indicates that the protected transistors have higher chance to receive more severe damage than the protecting transistors due to different oxide damage mechanisms associated with the terminal connectivity of these transistors


The present study investigated depth perception in virtual environments. Twenty-three participants verbally estimated ten distances between 40 cm and 500 cm in three different virtual environments in two conditions: (1) only one target was presented or (2) ten targets were presented at the same time. Additionally, the presence of a metric aid was varied. A questionnaire assessed subjective ratings about physical complaints (e.g., headache), the experience in the virtual world (e.g., presence), and the experiment itself (self-evaluation of the estimations). Results show that participants underestimate the virtual distances but are able to perceive the distances in the right metric order even when only very simple virtual environments are presented. Furthermore, interindividual differences and intraindividual stabilities can be found among participants, and neither the three different virtual environments nor the metric aid improved depth estimations. Estimation performance is better in peripersonal than in extrapersonal space. In contrast, subjective ratings provide a preferred space: a closed room with visible floor, ceiling, and walls.


We describe the prenatal diagnosis and post mortem findings, including fetal radiographs and bone histology, in a fetus with oto-palato-digital syndrome type II. The differential diagnosis and recurrence risks are discussed.


Mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLD), and Golgi vesicles use cross talk to control hepatocyte metabolism, growth, and stress. Interpretation of ultrastructural change requires knowledge of how cross talk pathways function, how differential activation of hepatocellular signals influences organelle structure, and how organelles position themselves to become central hubs for stress responses. Mitochondria, by coupling energy production to pathways for protection, form critical platforms for innate signaling. Mitochondrial outer and inner membranes activate channels and signals to translocate peptides that drive oxidative phosphorylation, β-oxidation of fatty acids, and calcium ion (Ca2+) flux. In cell stress, mitochondrial signals initiate fusion and fission, reactive oxygen species (ROS) control, autophagy, apoptosis, and senescence. Specialized tethering proteins tie mitochondria to ER to support translocation of metabolites. For Ca2+ translocation, ER pores are connected to mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channels, and for mitochondrial fission, unique membrane proteins pull ER to mitochondria. In toxic injury, cytosolic cytokines translocate to alter metabolism. Toxic effects on ER lipid synthesis lead to Golgi vesicle reduplication and transport of perilipin and other protein cargos into CLDs. How cellular proteostasis, oxidative homeostasis, and ion balance are maintained depend upon the effectiveness of mitochondrial ROS defense responses, unfolded protein responses in mitochondria and ER, and other organelle defenses.


Abstract This paper presents a mathematical explanation for the nonconservation of total number concentration Nt of hydrometeors for the continuous collection growth process, for which Nt physically should be conserved for selected one- and two-moment bulk parameterization schemes. Where possible, physical explanations are proposed. The assumption of a constant no in scheme A is physically inconsistent with the continuous collection growth process, as is the assumption of a constant Dn for scheme B. Scheme E also is nonconservative, but it seems this result is not because of a physically inconsistent specification; rather the solution scheme's equations simply do not satisfy Nt conservation and Nt does not come into the derivation. Even scheme F, which perfectly conserves Nt, does not preserve the distribution shape in comparison with a bin model.


Alumina ceramic samples prepared under different sintering temperatures and varied additives were measured to indicate the trap density and trap energy located in alumina materials by using thermally stimulated current (TSC). The surface charges on alumina in vacuum after applying a negative pulse voltage (0.7/4 /spl mu/s), and flashover performances of the materials in vacuum also were measured. We found that the trap distribution in alumina has a correlation with surface charges and flashover performances in vacuum. It is shown that the higher is the trap density in the material, the higher is the surface charge density, and the lower is the flashover voltage on alumina surface. It is believed that the trapping and de-trapping mechanisms of carriers could play an important role during the development of the discharge processes, together with the secondary electron emission mechanism.


The spontaneous and energy-releasing reaction of protein aggregation is typically prevented by cellular quality control machinery (QC). TRIM32 is a member of the TRIM (tripartite motif-containing) ubiquitin E3 ligases, and when overexpressed in cultured cells, readily forms spherical inclusions designated as cytoplasmic bodies (CBs) even without proteasome inhibition. Here, we show that HSP70, a central QC component, is a primary binding factor of overexpressed TRIM32. Contrary to expectation, however, we find that this molecular chaperone facilitates and stabilizes CB assembly depending on intrinsic ATPase activity, rather than preventing CB formation. We also show that the HSP70-TRIM32 complex is biochemically distinct from the previously characterized 14-3-3-TRIM32 phospho-complex. Moreover, the two complexes have opposing roles, with HSP70 stimulating CB formation and 14-3-3 retaining TRIM32 in a diffuse form throughout the cytosol. Our results suggest that CB inclusion formation is actively controlled by cellular QC and requires ATP, similar to protein folding and degradation reactions.


In this paper, we propose an equivariant degree based method to study bifurcation of periodic solutions (of constant period) in symmetric networks of reversible FDEs. Such a bifurcation occurs when eigenvalues of linearization move along the imaginary axis (without change of stability of the trivial solution and possibly without $1:k$ resonance). Physical examples motivating considered settings are related to stationary solutions to PDEs with non-local interaction: reversible mixed delay differential equations (MDDEs) and integro-differential equations (IDEs). In the case of $S_4$-symmetric networks of MDDEs and IDEs, we present exact computations of full equivariant bifurcation invariants. Algorithms and computational procedures used in this paper are also included.


Kidney cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat by targeted and radiation therapy. Therefore, identifying key regulators in this cancer is especially important for finding new drugs. We focused on androgen receptor (AR) regulation by its epigenetic co-regulator lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) in kidney cancer development. LSD1 knock-down in kidney cancer cells decreased expression of AR target genes. Moreover, the binding of AR to target gene promoters was reduced and histone methylation status was changed in LSD1 knock-down kidney cancer cells. LSD1 knock-down also slowed growth and decreased the migration ability of kidney cancer cells. We found that pargyline, known as a LSD1 inhibitor, can reduce AR activity in kidney cancer cells. The treatment of kidney cancer cells with pargyline delayed growth and repressed epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. These effects were additively enhanced by co-treatment with the AR inhibitor enzalutamide. Down-regulation of LSD1 in renal cancer cells (RCC) attenuated in vivo tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. These results provide evidence that LSD1 can regulate kidney cancer cell growth via epigenetic control of AR transcription factors and that LSD1 inhibitors may be good candidate drugs for treating kidney cancer.


Infectious diseases are diseases that are harmful to infants because it can spread rapidly. Delay in treatment of diseases can cause more severe disease and difficult to cure. Cost to consult the experts are not cheap. Therefore parents need a system that has the ability as an expert for diagnosis of disease. Expert system diagnosis of infectious diseases in infants was built for the diagnosis of tropical diseases attributable to virus infection, fungus and bacteria. With this system parents can get answers to infectious diseases suffered by their toddlers. The system provides information on diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The system uses a forward chaining method. This method of tracking each patient's symptoms, mencokkannya with existing rules, and produces a diagnosis based on the knowledge base. The test result with expert knowledge system diagnosis indicates that the system is capable of detecting the disease and provide treatment based on symptoms that have been experienced by users. Keywords : expert systems, forward chaining, infectious diseases infants


Supporting model interpretability for complex phenomena where annotators can legitimately disagree, such as emotion recognition, is a challenging machine learning task. In this work, we show that explicitly quantifying the uncertainty in such settings has interpretability benefits. We use a simple modification of a classical network inference using Monte Carlo dropout to give measures of epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty. We identify a significant correlation between aleatoric uncertainty and human annotator disagreement (r ≈ .3). Additionally, we demonstrate how difficult and subjective training samples can be identified using aleatoric uncertainty and how epistemic uncertainty can reveal data bias that could result in unfair predictions. We identify the total uncertainty as a suitable surrogate for model calibration, i.e. the degree we can trust model's predicted confidence. In addition to explainability benefits, we observe modest performance boosts from incorporating model uncertainty.


Mice were inoculated with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) passaged in cell cultures within 24 h of birth and subsequently fed an adequate or a low-protein diet after weaning; increases in body weight, the blastogenic response of lymphocytes to T and B cell mitogens, and the capability to produce antibodies to T or B cell-dependent antigens were observed for the first 28 to 42 days of life. Neonatal infection resulted in immunosuppression and retarded physical growth through the first 4 weeks of life. After weaning (3 weeks), the effect of MCMV infection of well-nourished mice paralleled the effect of undernutrition in uninfected animals. Undernutrition and MCMV infection functioned synergistically.


BACKGROUND
De novo or acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs continues to be one of the most important obstacles hindering the successful treatment of cancer patients. Consequently, enhancing the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs has become an important research goal. Our previous studies using the mouse EMT-6 mammary carcinoma selected for resistance to various alkylating agents in vivo demonstrated that such acquired drug resistance may be manifested in vitro only in cells growing in a three-dimensional configuration but not in conventional monolayer culture. We also found that this phenomenon, which we refer to as "acquired multicellular resistance," is associated with an increase in intercellular adhesion or compaction of the alkylating agent-resistant cell lines grown as aggregates in three-dimensional culture.

PURPOSE
The present study further investigates the impact of three-dimensional architecture on acquired multicellular drug resistance and its influence on cell cycle kinetics, cell cycle arrest, and cell survival.

METHODS
To test the hypothesis that an increase in three-dimensional compaction is related to the drug resistance properties of the cells, we did the following: 1) selected clones of the EMT-6 cell line that spontaneously formed tightly or loosely adherent aggregates and assessed their respective drug resistance properties in vitro; 2) assayed tumorigenic potential of the tight and loose clones after exposure to defined concentrations of the activated form of cyclophosphamide, 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) in vitro; and 3) treated the tight clones with hyaluronidase, an agent capable of disrupting EMT-6 spheroids, and assayed what effect this treatment had on chemosensitivity. We used fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis to monitor any potential alterations in cell cycle kinetics.

RESULTS
The increase in compaction in three-dimensional culture was sufficient to confer resistance to 4-HC. This increase in intercellular adhesion was also associated with a lower proliferating fraction of tumor cells and with an almost completely diminished ability of the cells to arrest in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle after drug exposure. Furthermore, these changes were detectable only in three-dimensional culture, not in conventional monolayer culture. In conventional monolayer culture, all cell types consistently showed a high level of proliferation and arrested in G2/M after exposure to 4-HC. Moreover, hyaluronidase was able to disrupt intercellular adhesion and chemosensitize tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo in an ascites model.

CONCLUSION
Earlier studies have demonstrated that hyaluronidase is able to sensitize tumor cells to various anticancer agents. Our studies now demonstrate that this sensitization can occur by a mechanism independent of increased drug penetration. This mechanism is likely to be related to the "anti-adhesive" effect of hyaluronidase, which overrides cell contact-dependent growth inhibition, recruits cells into the cycling pool, and renders tumor cells more sensitive to cytotoxic agents that preferentially kill rapidly dividing cells.

IMPLICATIONS
Other tumor-specific "anti-adhesives" should be explored that can be effective chemosensitizers when used in combination with cell cycle-specific drugs for the treatment of small, solid tumors.


ABSTRACT: Gangliosides were shown to enhance the release of acetylcholine from synaptosomes on stimulation. The influx of calcium ion into synaptosomes on membrane depolarization was increased by gangliosides. This was hypothesized to be an underlying mechanism for the enhancement of acetylcholine release. Studies using calcium channel blockers revealed that four distinct types of voltage‐dependent calcium channels occurred in cerebrocortical synapses, and that the N‐type was primarily responsible for the evoked release of acetylcholine. An additional result suggests that gangliosides may act mainly on the N‐type calcium channel. Cholinergic‐specific gangliosides, Chol‐1α, were assumed to participate in the mechanism of high‐affinity choline uptake. These two different actions of gangliosides were found to be mimicked by synthetic ganglioside analogs. Calcium influx was increased by α‐sialylcholesterol, and choline uptake was accelerated by β‐sialylcholesterol. Gangliosides and sialylcholesterol having these apparently beneficial effects were shown to ameliorate decreased functions of synapses from aged brains.


The process of psychiatric reform is a social movement that proposes a new relationship between society and insanity. It's a construction of a net of services, as the mental health residential service. This service attends people with chronic mental disease. Since the end of the 1990's, some experiences in mental health residential services are set up in many places of our country. However, the first residential service in the city of Barbacena, Minas Gerais, was developed only in 2000, with 06 patients. This article shows the individual process of identity reconstruction for each resident who lives in the first Barbacena´s residential service and identifies the subjective construction of the space of the residence and the building of a new social net. The methods used in this research were the participant observation and the collection of narratives and life histories of the first Barbacena´s residential service dwellers.


A symmetrical cyanine dye was previously shown to bind as a cofacial dimer to alternating A-T sequences of duplex DNA. Indirect evidence suggested that dimerization of the dye occurred in the minor groove. 1H NMR experiments reported here verify this model based on broadening and shifting of signals due to protons on carbon 2 of adenine and imino protons at the central five A-T pairs of the 11 base pair duplex: 5'-GCGTATATGCG-3'/3'-CGCATATACGC-5'. This binding mode is similar to that of distamycin A, even though the dye lacks the hydrogen-bonding groups used by distamycin for sequence-specific recognition. Surprisingly, the third base pair (G-C) was also implicated in the binding site. UV-vis experiments were used to compare the extent of dimerization of the dye for 11 different sequence variants. These experiments verified the importance of a G-C pair at the third position: replacing this pair with A-T suppressed dimerization. These results indicate that the dye binding site spans six base pairs: 5'-GTATAT-3'. The initial G-C pair seems to be important for widening the minor groove rather than for making important contacts with the dye molecules since inverting its orientation to C-G or replacing it with I-C still led to favorable dimerization of the dye.


Objectives : The region of chromosome 5p14 is known to be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The cadherin9 (CDH9) and cadherin10 (CDH10) genes are located in the region of chromosome 5p14 and reported to be associated with ASD in the Caucasian population. We performed an association study to identify if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located on the CDH9 and CDH10 genes are associated in the Korean population. Methods : Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood of 214 patients with ASD and 258 controls. SNPs selected from two genes were genotyped using an Illumina Golden-Gate Genotyping assay with VeraCode technology. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS and Plink software. Results : All controls and ASD patients were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In the results of logistic regression analyses for the genotype model and the chi-square test for the allele model, we found that SNPs on the CDH9 and CDH10 genes were not associated with ASD. Conclusion : Our data suggests that the CDH9 and CDH10 genes are not associated with ASD in the Korean population.


Throughout fracturing treatment, millions of gallons of water are injected, but commonly less than 50% is recovered after stimulation. This study was constructed to evaluate the impact of the fracturing additives on the fluid flowback and fluid loss during hydraulic fracturing. Different pad fluids types were considered including; friction reducer fluid, friction reducer with a non-ionic surfactant fluid and 3 wt% HCl acid.
 Flooding experiments were conducted for core samples from the Eagle Ford outcrop to measure the brine permeability, time of breakthrough and water relative permeability. The measurements were performed for intact samples and also after flooding the samples with the fracturing fluids. A simulation sector modeling for a hydraulically fractured vertical well in the shale formation was constructed to investigate the effect of the fracturing additives on the fluid flowback and fluid loss during hydraulic fracturing. A sensitivity analysis was considered to study the effect of the formation capillary pressure and reservoir pressure on the fluid flowback and fluid loss due to counter-current capillary imbibition.
 The study results showed that the fluid saturation in the near fracture face shale matrix is highly reduced by the effect of the high capillary pressure. Therefore, the fluid had not flow back from the near fracture face matrix. Moreover, adding a non-ionic surfactant to the friction reducer pad fluid or using 3 wt% HCl increased the fluid loss during pumping and the fluid imbibition during shut-in, flowback, and production. Therefore, the dilute HCl acid and small well shut-in times are recommended when no flowback occurs from the near fracture face matrix due to low fluid saturation.
 The fluid loss from the near fracture face region due to counter-current capillary imbibition reduced the effect of the fluid saturation on the gas production. However, the high fluid saturation and the polymer adsorption may cause water blocks. Thus, reducing the gas production or leading to a complete gas block.
 For shales with moderate capillary pressure, a flowback from the near fracture face matrix has occurred. Hence, the friction reducer with a non-ionic surfactant fluid and 3 wt% HCl enhanced both of the fluid loss due to counter-current capillary imbibition and the fluid flowback. However, a non-ionic surfactant and long shut-in time are recommended for the hydraulic fracturing. Shales with low reservoir pressure had less fluid flowback and more fluid loss. To minimize the fluid loss during pumping and to overcome the water block problem, it is recommended to use a friction reducer fluid in the pad stage while injecting a non-ionic surfactant or dilute acid during the subsequent fracturing steps.


Rice is an important agricultural crop in Vietnam. Nematodes are diverse in soil agroecosystems. However, little is known about their seasonal variation in extremely intensive rice cultivation in tropical regions. The objectives of this study were to investigate the seasonal variation and spatial distribution of the nematode community, and to assess its relationship with the soil chemical property and rice yield. Soils (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm deep) were collected at harvest in spring-summer (S-S), summer-autumn (S-A), and winter-spring (W-S) cultivation in 2017 and 2018. Plant-parasitic nematodes were the largest group and accounted for 47-80 and 79-92% of total nematode abundance in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Hirschmanniella was the most dominant taxon whose abundance in topsoil varied from 275-739 in W-S to 1010-1270 indiv. (100 g soil)−1 in the S-S season. Nematode assemblages differed between topsoil and subsoil, and those of topsoil had clear seasonal distribution patterns. Bacterivore nematodes were the predominant group of free-living nematodes, with increasing relative abundance in the topsoil of S-S (average 23.2% of total free-living nematodes) < S-A (average 41.9%) < W-S (average 57.3%). Furthermore, soil in the W-S season had the highest microbial activity in 2018. Soil pH, EC and abundance of Hirschmanniella spp. were significantly negatively related with rice yield. The present results suggest that the presence of Hirschmanniella spp. in soil may be involved in a reduction of rice yield in the triple rice system.


Disputes over environmental discourse have generated divergent pathways and discordant messages over the last three decades. An examination of them becomes a study of environmentalism's roots. The workplace is shown as a hidden and often discounted arena of debate about what constitutes an environmental issue. The triumph of the productionist and limitless consumption views helped to establish a focus on environmental change as a form of consumer action. Since the 1970s though, new forms of environmental discourse and action—both community- and production-related—have sought to shift the terrain. The possibility of becoming a broader, more socially inclusive movement capable of challenging the very structure and logic of capitalist social order is possible again, including the ability to identify new strategies for action. Overcoming the work/environment divide is perhaps the most contentious question facing the future of the environmental and labor movements. New approaches, including developing a community of interests, revaluing work, and developing an ethic of place (with urban, industrial, and global forms), require that the social and the ecological become joined in the construction of a common vision. When any environmental issue can be seen as socially determined, then environmentalism's great task will be to see itself as a primary agent of social change.


Tree ring analysis of Araucaria angustifolia trees grown at the forest research station Sao Joao do Triunfo of the University of Parana has been carried out.Disks were taken from 10 trees at the height of 2 m and on each disk 8 radii were used for measurement of ring width.The preliminary results indicate that there is within-tree-variation in the ring series. The mean intra-correlation coefficient for the ring widths between the radii varied between 0.57 and 0.89.A mean correlation of 0.60 for all pairs of trees was obtained indicating consistency in the index series between the trees. This made it possible to construct an average tree ring index for the stand.


Accidental or suicidal ingestion of the world's most widely used herbicide, paraquat (PQ), may result in rapid multi-organ failure with a 60% fatality rate due to the absence of an effective detoxification solution. Effective, specific antidotes to PQ poisoning have been highly desired. Methods: The binding constant of PQ and a synthetic receptor, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), was first determined in various pH environments. The antidotal effects of CB[7] on PQ toxicity were firstly evaluated with in-vitro cell lines. With in-vivo mice models, the pharmacokinetics and the biodistribution of PQ in major organs were determined to evaluate the influence of CB[7] on the oral bioavailability of PQ. Major organs' injuries and overall survival rates of the mice were systemically examined to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of CB[7] on PQ poisoning. Results: We demonstrate that CB[7] may complex PQ strongly under various conditions and significantly reduce its toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Oral administration of PQ in the presence of CB[7] in a mouse model significantly decreased PQ levels in the plasma and major organs and alleviated major organs' injuries, when compared to those of mice administered with PQ alone. Further studies indicated that oral administration of CB[7] within 2 h post PQ ingestion significantly increased the survival rates and extended the survival time of the mice, in contrast to the ineffective treatment by activated charcoal, which is commonly recommended for PQ decontamination. Conclusion: CB[7] may be used as a specific oral antidote for PQ poisoning by strongly binding with PQ and inhibiting its absorption in the gastrointestinal tracts.


In this work, the bioreduction of Cr(VI) by immobilized cells of Halomonas sp was reported. Ca alginate, acryl amide and agar were tested as the matrices for immobilization. Ca alginate was found to be the suitable matrix among the different matrices studied. Of the various dosages of inoculum studied 2 g/L was found to be the optimum. Glucose at 1 g L was completely utilized by the immobilized Halomonas sp even in the presence of Cr(VI) at 40 mg L. The optimum pH for the bioreduction of Cr(VI) by immobilized Halomonas sp was found to be pH 6. The mechanical strength of the beads plays an essential role in the bioreduction process. Halomonas sp entrapped in a alginate matrix reported a maximum of 98.9 % of reduction for an initial Cr(VI) concentration of 10 mg L. The alginate beads can be reused for 3 times with slight drop in the percentage reduction. The presence of other metals decreased the bioreduction percentage. Copyright © 2013 International Energy and Environment Foundation All rights reserved.


Verbal information has long been assumed to be an indirect pathway to fear. Children (aged 6-8 or 12-13 years) were exposed to threat, positive, or no information about 3 novel animals to see the long-term impact on their fear cognitions and the immediate impact on avoidance behavior. Their directly (self-report) and indirectly (implicit association task) measured attitudes toward the animals changed congruent with the information provided, and the changes persisted up to 6 months later. Verbal threat information also induced behavioral avoidance of the animal. Younger children formed stronger animal- threat and animal-safe associations because of threat and positive verbal information than older children, but there were negligible age effects on self-reported fear beliefs and avoidance behaviors. These results support theories of fear acquisition that suppose that verbal information affects components of the fear emotion.


Future high performance microprocessor design with technology scaling beyond 90 nm will pose two major challenges: (1) energy and power, and (2) parameter variations. Design practice will have to change from deterministic design to probabilistic and statistical design. This paper discusses circuit techniques and design automation opportunities to overcome the challenges.


This paper presents a technique to enhance a kinematically controlled virtual character with a generic class of dynamic responses to small perturbations. Given an input motion sequence, our technique can synthesize reactive motion to arbitrary external forces with a specific style customized to the input motion. Our method re-parameterizes the motion degrees of freedom based on joint actuations in the input motion. By only enforcing the equations of motion in the less actuated coordinates, our approach can create physically responsive motion based on kinematic pose control without explicitly computing the joint actuations. We demonstrate the simplicity and robustness of our technique by showing a variety of examples generated with the same set of parameters. Our formulation focuses on the type of perturbations that significantly disrupt the upper body poses and dynamics, but have limited effect on the whole-body balance state. CR Categories: I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism—Animation


The present study aimed to investigate the effects of advanced glycation end‑products (AGEs) on the permeability of glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs) and determine whether enhanced permeability was due to degradation of tight junction (TJ) complexes by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Cultured monolayers of GEnCs were exposed to AGEs at different doses and treatment durations in the presence or absence of the organic MMP‑2/9 inhibitor (2R)‑2‑((4‑biphenyl sulfony‑l)amino)‑3‑phenylproprionic acid) (BiPs). Expression of the TJ proteins occludin and claudin‑5 was determined by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence, while the permeability of the GEnCs was measured using transendothelial electrical resistance and by diffusion of 4 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‑dextran. The activities of MMP‑2 and MMP‑9 were assayed using gelatin zymography. The results indicated that AGE‑treated cultures significantly reduced occludin and claudin‑5 immunoreactivity. Similarly, the surface expression of these proteins was significantly reduced and rows of TJs which normally connect endothelial cells became discontinuous or fractured following AGE exposure. Disruption of TJs was accompanied by significantly reduced transendothelial resistance and hyperpermeability to FITC‑dextran. Treatment with AGEs evoked a dose‑ and time‑dependent upregulation of MMP‑2 and MMP‑9. However, co‑administration of AGEs and BiPS, an inhibitor of MMP‑2/MMP‑9, inhibited the downregulation of occludin and claudin‑5, with a concomitant reversal of GEnC monolayer hyperpermeability. In conclusion, AGEs promoted glomerular hyperpermeability in vitro by the MMP‑mediated disruption of TJs. Chronic elevation of endothelial cell AGEs in diabetes mellitus may contribute to glomerular hyperpermeability by inducing the overexpression of MMPs, which degrade TJs, leading to proteinuria.


The present work is a comprehensive theoretical study of the heat transfer associated with a 3-singlet compound drop that is growing because of change of phase. The geometry is the same as in Part 1, i.e. a vapour bubble partially surrounded by its own liquid in another immiscible liquid. The attempt here is to gain fundamental understanding of the transport processes that take place in connection with direct-contact heat exchange. The fluid dynamics associated with its growth and translation is treated in Part 1. Here, that flow field solution is used to obtain the temperature field and hence the evaporation rate. The energy equation for the system consisting of a single compound drop is solved numerically by finite-difference methods. The results give the complete time history of evaporation of the drop. In addition, useful quantities such as the Nusselt number are given and compared with existing experimental data. Most of the results have good agreement with experimental data.


We describe the Instrument Control Software (ICS) package that we have built for The Habitable-Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrometer. The ICS controls and monitors instrument subsystems, facilitates communication with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope facility, and provides user interfaces for observers and telescope operators. The backend is built around the asynchronous network software stack provided by the Python Twisted engine, and is linked to a suite of custom hardware communication protocols. This backend is accessed through Python-based command-line and PyQt graphical frontends. In this paper we describe several of the customized subsystem communication protocols that provide access to and help maintain the hardware systems that comprise HPF, and show how asynchronous communication benefits the numerous hardware components. We also discuss our Detector Control Subsystem, built as a set of custom Python wrappers around a C-library that provides native Linux access to the SIDECAR ASIC and Hawaii-2RG detector system used by HPF. HPF will be one of the first astronomical instruments on sky to utilize this native Linux capability through the SIDECAR Acquisition Module (SAM) electronics. The ICS we have created is very flexible, and we are adapting it for NEID, NASA's Extreme Precision Doppler Spectrometer for the WIYN telescope; we will describe this adaptation, and describe the potential for use in other astronomical instruments.


The final year of high school in New South Wales (Australia) is characterised by a high stakes, performance-oriented learning environment. This article is a report of the results of an investigation into the changes over time that may occur in the achievement motivation of final-year school students. Two sets of analyses of repeated measures are reported. The results indicate that declines occur in students' attributes of productive achievement motivation, such as performance-approach learning goal orientation and academic self-efficacy, with concomitant increases in non-productive attributes such as self-handicapping strategies, anxiety and depression. These findings are discussed in the light of a model of achievement motivation (Anderman & Maehr 1994) and Bandura's (1993) self-efficacy theory.


Purpose
This paper aims to better understand how an accounting information system (AIS), working as a multidimensional knowledge object, engages users in a new round of knowledge development which allows them to explore new managerial directions. Drawing on the concept of the knowledge object and the knowing in practice perspective, this study considers the relationships between subjects and objects in the explication of accounting practice, underlining how AIS could become a knowledge object that can assume a variety of forms, starting from such contradictions emerging from practice.

Design/methodology/approach
Theoretical argumentations are applied to a case study at a global logistics provider in the South of Italy, which manages the supply chain from origin to destination, offering a multitude of services in the transport and distribution sector.

Findings
The case study shows that the process of knowledge accumulation promotes the mutation of AIS into a knowledge object that, in its variety of forms, allows managers to explore new managerial directions such as the reorganization of warehouse activities.

Originality/value
The paper seeks to enrich the interpretation of AIS as a multidimensional knowledge object becoming a catalyst of new managerial directions through knowing. That helps to understand the role of accounting tools as a social practice supporting decision-making and how accounting systems' openness and questioning nature makes them objects of enquiry able to support the identification of new managerial directions and lead the AIS to continually explode and mutate into something else.


The rate of soft errors have been significantly increasing due to the aggressive scaling trends in the nanometer regime. Several circuit optimization techniques have been proposed in literature for preventing such transient faults, however, to the best of our knowledge, the reduction of soft error rate at the layout level has not been attempted in logic circuits. In this work, we show that transient glitches due to cosmic strikes can be sufficiently reduced by intelligently modifying the placement stage in cell based designs to selectively assign larger wirelengths to certain critical nets. Towards this, we propose a computationally efficient placement algorithm based on quadratic programming that significantly reduces the soft error rates of logic circuits. The algorithm tries to assign higher wirelengths for nets with low glitch masking probabilities for higher reduction in soft error rates (SER), while maintaining low delay and area penalty for the overall circuit. Experimental results on the ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits indicate that such a placement algorithm can significantly improve the soft error immunity in logic circuits without much delay and area overheads.


Hair follicles and sweat glands are recognized as reservoirs of melanocyte stem cells (MSCs). Unlike differentiated melanocytes, undifferentiated MSCs do not produce melanin. They serve as a source of differentiated melanocytes for the hair follicle and contribute to the interfollicular epidermis upon wounding, exposure to ultraviolet irradiation or in remission from vitiligo, where repigmentation often spreads outwards from the hair follicles. It is unknown whether these observations reflect the normal homoeostatic mechanism of melanocyte renewal or whether unperturbed interfollicular epidermis can maintain a melanocyte population that is independent of the skin's appendages. Here, we show that mouse tail skin lacking appendages does maintain a stable melanocyte number, including a low frequency of amelanotic melanocytes, into adult life. Furthermore, we show that actively cycling differentiated melanocytes are present in postnatal skin, indicating that amelanotic melanocytes are not uniquely relied on for melanocyte homoeostasis.


The paper presents an integrative approach to business partner selection. aimed at increasing the economic validity of decision-making. The proposed model consists of the following six interrelated components: searching for partners, preliminary selection, complex assessment, negotiating with potential partners, signing of contracts, monitoring of contract implementation. Links among the components and solution of all the above tasks using the model are supported by an integrated database of partnership objects and potential as well as actual business partners. In this context assessment of business partners is considered as a multicriteria task of ranking alternatives. The similarity function of partnership objects as well as a three-level-criteria system are adapted for solving this task. A case study is conducted to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed model, and the test results confirm its suitability.


Background: The oral route is one of the main portals for Helicobacter pylori transmission. The elimination of this bacterial species from the oral cavity might be useful in oral health and decreasing infections due to H. pylori. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a liquorice-extract-containing mouthwash at different concentrations on the proliferation of H. pylori in vitro. Methods: H. pylori bacterial species was cultured, and the isolated strains from the specific culture medium were prepared for the welling procedures. The liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) mouthwash at 12.5% and 25% concentrations was added to the case group wells at 1,1/2,1/4,1/8, and 1/16 dilutions. In the control group, regular daily mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride and sodium fluoride components was used. The growth inhibition zones were analyzed in the study groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS and reported using descriptive statistics (means±standard deviation). Results: In both the mouthwashes containing 25% and 12.5% concentration, the means of growth inhibition zones at 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 dilutions were larger than those in the control group. Further, the largest growth inhibition zone was seen with the undiluted 25% mouthwash. There were no significant differences in the H. pylori growth inhibition zones between 25% and 12.5% mouthwashes (P=0.14). Conclusions: Mouthwashes containing liquorice extracts inhibited the growth of H. pylori more significantly than mouthwash with no liquorice extract. Therefore, it is suggested that liquorice extract-containing mouthwashes be used to prevent H. pylori infections in the oral cavity in clinical studies.


Celecoxib plays antitumor roles via multiple mechanisms in a variety of human cancers. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism of action of celecoxib in canine mammary tumors. We examined the antitumor effects of celecoxib in AZACB canine mammary tumor cells expressing low levels of cyclooxygenase‑2 (COX‑2) to minimize the effect of COX‑2 on its activity. Our data revealed that celecoxib inhibited cell proliferation mainly via COX‑2‑independent mechanisms. Specifically, celecoxib decreased the proportion of cells in S phase and increased G2/M arrest, which was associated with increased expression of the cyclin‑dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) p21 and p27. In addition, treatment with celecoxib downregulated COX‑2 expression, and induced apoptosis via both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. These findings suggest that celecoxib might be a useful agent for the treatment of canine mammary tumors, regardless of COX‑2 expression. In the future, it might be possible to use a combination of celecoxib and other antitumor agents to treat canine mammary tumors.


Background:
 Allogeneic Stem cell transplant (Allo-SCT) is a widely used treatment for multiple hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Relapse after Allo-SCT depends on the disease status prior to SCT, intensity of conditioning regimen and donor type. Disease relapse after SCT tends to have a poor prognosis with low probability of long term remission. This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy and safety of salvage therapies for disease relapse after first Allo-SCT.
 Methods:
 A search was performed on PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science. We used the following mesh terms and Entree terms, "salvage therapy" AND "stem cell transplant" AND "acute myeloid leukemia" OR "myelodysplastic syndrome" from the inception of data till 06/20/2020. We screened 1,666 articles and included 4 clinical trials (N=134) and 18 observational studies (N=756) in this systematic review. We excluded case reports, case series, preclinical trials, review articles, meta-analysis and original studies not providing efficacy and safety of salvage therapy in AML/MDS patients relapsed after Allo-SCT.
 Results:
 Among 22 studies (N=888), the age range was 14-75 years (Table 1). In two observational studies (N=92) where second Allo-SCT was used as salvage therapy, complete response (CR) was seen in 74-84% of the patients. Stable CR was achieved in 15% of the participants, and 44% experienced disease relapse. Overall survival (OS) at 68 months was 14%.
 In the trial (N=8) evaluating, azacitidine in combination with sorafenib, CR rate was 50%, and 1-year OS was 31%. Hepatotoxicity was seen in these patients, none of the patients died or discontinued treatment due to treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).
 Azacitidine monotherapy was associated with a CR rate of 13-32% (N=256). Overall response (ORR) of 15% and 56% was seen patients with hematological and molecular relapse, respectively. ≥Grade 3 TRAEs were infections, pneumonia, sepsis and hematological adverse events. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) monotherapy (N=14) showed CR in 14% of the patients with a 2 yr OS of 42%.
 Decitabine in combination with DLI (N=36) led to CR in 17% of the patients with a median duration of response of 10 months. The incidence of acute and chronic graft vs. host disease (GvHD) was 19% and 5%, respectively. Similarly, azacitidine in combination with DLI (N=351) led to CR in 9.7-36% of the patients, with a 2-yr OS of 29-35%. In a retrospective study by Claiborne et al., 71% of patients experienced disease relapse at a median follow up of 6 months. Infections, neutropenia, and non-severe GI symptoms were attributed to azacytidine with DLI therapy. In a study on hypomethylating agents with lenalidomide (N=40), CR was seen in 21-36.4% of the patients, and 2-yr OS was 58%. Infections and neutropenia were reported in these patients.
 In 3 observational studies (N=48), venetoclax based regimens were associated with CR in 42-53% of the patients and 43% maintained the response for ≥3 months. More than 60% of patients died of infections in one of these studies.
 Conclusion:
 Azacytidine, decitabine, sorafenib, venetoclax, lenalidomide and DLI were well tolerated by patients with disease relapse after Allo-SCT. Hypomethylating agents (azacytidine and decitabine) were more effective in combination with DLI, lenalidomide and venetoclax rather than monotherapy. Among drug therapies, best efficacy outcomes were reported in studies on venetoclax based regimens. Additional multicenter randomized, double clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.

 Anwer: Incyte, Seattle Genetics, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie Pharma, Astellas Pharma, Celegene, Millennium Pharmaceuticals.: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.


If one accepts the theory that spasticity is the result of the release of the spinal cord from the inhibition of higher centers, in both the brain stem and cortex, resulting in a sustained reflex increase in tonus, extensor in the lower and flexor in the upper extremities, then it will be seen that a drug, to be effective, must either restore the "inhibition" to the cord or break up the sustained reflex activity. The ideal lissive agent should have a long therapeutic effect, be available in an oral preparation, and, if side-effects are present, have a ratio between toxic and therapeutic dosage great enough that the side-effects are not more incapacitating than the primary condition. With methocarbamol a good result was obtained in 72% of patients with both acute and chronic spasm. An improvement in all patients with incoordination was observed. Methocarbamol is of value in muscle spasm and severe flexor spasms accompanying cord disease and has as well a more limited use in the treatment of incoordination.


In the past few years, the efficiency of solar cells based on hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites has exceeded the level needed for commercialization. However, existing perovskites solar cells (PSCs) suffer from several intrinsic instabilities, which prevent them from reaching industrial maturity, and stabilizing PSCs has become a critically important problem. Here we propose to stabilize PSCs chemically by strengthening the interactions between the organic cation and inorganic anion of the perovskite framework. In particular, we show that replacing the methylammonium cation with alternative protonated cations allows an increase in the stability of the perovskite by forming strong hydrogen bonds with the halide anions. This interaction also provides opportunities for tuning the electronic states near the bandgap. These mechanisms should have a universal character in different hybrid organic-inorganic framework materials that are widely used.


We have discussed s e technological trends and some technologies and have attempted to forecast some of the implications of each to communications and computing. Some general conclusions hich cut across technologies an worth reemphasia ing in omens global context: We are on the verge of an era in which we will have significantly re bandwidth and interconnection flexibility than we have ever had. It is likely than there will be more, inhially at least, than we now know how to use to advantage. Similarly, we will have a greatly enhanced capability to distribute processing among a large number of data processing hosts. At present, however, we have no good criteria by which to determine when distributed processing makes good long-term economic sense; frequently it is difficult even to see it distributed processing is currently feasible a given application situation because of the complexities introduced by sharing data bases and application logic, for example.


Coherent optical fiber communications were studied extensively in the 1980s mainly because high sensitivity of coherent receivers could elongate the unrepeated transmission distance; however, their research and development have been interrupted for nearly 20 years behind the rapid progress in high-capacity wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). In 2005, the demonstration of digital carrier phase estimation in coherent receivers has stimulated a widespread interest in coherent optical communications again. This is due to the fact that the digital coherent receiver enables us to employ a variety of spectrally efficient modulation formats such as M-ary phaseshift keying (PSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) without relying upon a rather complicated optical phase-locked loop. In addition, since the phase information is preserved after detection, we can realize electrical post-processing functions such as compensation for chromatic dispersion and polarization-mode dispersion in the digital domain. These advantages of the born-again coherent receiver have enormous potential for innovating existing optical communication systems. In this chapter, after reviewing the 20-year history of coherent optical communication systems, we describe the principle of operation of coherent detection, the concept of the digital coherent receiver, and its performance evaluation. Finally, challenges for the future are summarized. 2.1 History of Coherent Optical Communications This section describes the history of coherent optical communications. Technical details will be summarized in Sect. 2.2, and readers should refer to them appropriately. K. Kikuchi (B) Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com M. Nakazawa et al. (eds.), High Spectral Density Optical Communication Technologies, Optical and Fiber Communications Reports 6, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-10419-0_2, C © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 11


Sustainability is a topic that is at the center of current discussions in the political, economic, social, and environmental fields. For its analysis, an integral and multidisciplinary vision is needed. This work aims to assess the sustainability of agricultural systems in Paraguay through a comparison applying SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems) indicators. The research focuses on 15 case studies on the territory of the Eastern Region of Paraguay divided into five classes of agricultural systems: agribusiness, conventional peasant family farming, agroecological peasant family farming, neo-rural farming, and indigenous agriculture. Data were collected through interviews with producers and key informants, direct observation, and scientific literature research in order to assess, through the SAFA Tool Software, the level of sustainability of each agricultural system as a whole and for each sustainability dimension (political, environmental, economic, and social dimension) in a comparative way. It has emerged that producers belonging to conventional peasant family farming, agroecological peasant family farming, neo-rural farming, and indigenous agriculture have achieved levels of sustainability that are similar to each other and very good in all four dimensions of sustainability. Meanwhile, agribusiness achieved moderate scores in the dimensions of governance and environmental integrity, and was good in the economic and social dimension.


Introduction: The objective of the present work is to describe the activities developed in the Supervised Internship in Psychological Work, which is characterized as an extension project and, therefore, a service of the Laboratory of Applied Psychology Service (LAPS), from Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), that is configured as a gateway to psychology services, which has two objectives: to receive the population, by means of a ready qualified service, organizing the demand that looks for service in LAPS, as well as prepare the students from the last year of the Psychology course to deal with urgent care, prioritizing the practice of welcoming listening and ethic. Material and Methods: The visits are performed as the following way: a) initial interviews to receive the patient, identify the complaint and know their life history; b) after the first contact, considering the demand it is possible that psychological evaluation is necessary to investigate the symptoms reported by the patient, as well as to know personality characteristics; and c) making referrals that can be directed to individual psychotherapy or to an individual or family orientation process. Twenty trainees, divided into two groups, submitted to the supervision of a teacher in weekly meetings. Results: Throughout the visits it is understood that in the Psychological Emergency Service there is an encounter with the disruption of the silence of the other, not being possible to characterize a profile of people who look for the service, since there is a great diversity of people who have in common the anxieties in relation to their own existential stories and struggles. It looks to provide the patient with an encounter with their difficulties and conflicts, providing them a moment of reflection about their own life. Discussion and Conclusion: Finally, it is noticed that the Psychological Emergency Service is a good proposal of service to the community. With regard to the learning of the beginner therapist is a situation that develops in a very rich way, because it allows everyone to have an experience of encounter with otherness. From the moment of initial listening to the possibility of developing a short psychotherapy, it is clear that both the trainees and the patients benefit from this experience.


In a series of papers, Little and Vartivarian (2003, 2005) argued that basing survey nonresponse adjustments on propensity to respond could increase the sampling variance of the estimates while not reducing bias, if the predictors of response were unrelated to key survey outcomes. Applying this idea to a 2014 military workforce survey, RAND researchers used machine learning approaches to develop a two-step method for nonresponse adjustment. The two step method comprises (1) a model for the key outcome variables based on respondents and (2) a response propensity model using the predicted key outcome variables as predictors for all sampled units. At the 2016 JSM, we presented simulation results assessing the predictive performance of competing machine learning algorithms in the first of the two steps. In this paper, we investigate the circumstances necessary for the two-step method to outperform nonresponse approaches in common practice, most of which can be regarded as single-step methods.


Orbital routes are often considered a costly idea that is unpopular with transport users. Yet many cities provide them in a successful, often revenue-generating context. Those that do take a Network Effect approach to service design. The idea of orbital routes within the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) transport network has been around for some time, referenced for example in the 2002 Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) "Platform for Change" Strategy, the 2006 MVA "Dublin Bus Network Review" consultants' study and most recently the National Transport Authority (NTA) Greater Dublin Area Draft Transport Strategy 2011-2030, where two notional orbital Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) are referred to (Figure 1 below). This paper examines current strategies to serve orbital demand and looks at the potential for and barriers to delivering such services. Future demand models indicate that strategic mode share targets cannot be met without orbital services. Analysis of residential and employment land-uses in a quadrant of the GDA indicates potential for effective orbital services. Further study is recommended to analyse the optimum design and routing of any such services. These need to be efficient and direct with high levels of transferability between services. They should also closely reflect the urban structure (or "Core") strategy recently adopted by Dublin City Council. Current (draft) transport strategy appears to exclude key development centres, notably in disadvantaged areas, which could be integral to an effective and socially accessible transport network. Introduction Recently, major advancements have been made in Dublin's public transport system such as the introduction of RTPI / AVL (real time passenger information / automatic vehicle location technology), the new "Leap Card" electronic wallet and the ongoing restructuring of Dublin Bus routes. The dublinbikes on-street bike rental scheme has been recognised worldwide and attitudes towards active travel are noticeably changing [1]. Figure 1: References to Orbital QBCs in (a) 2002 DTO "Platform for Change" (b) 2006 MVA Study and (c) 2011 NTA Draft Transport Strategy Broderick, O'Connor: Orbital Rapid Transit in GDA 29-30th August 2012 University of Ulster Proceedings of the ITRN2012 Introducing high quality orbital QBCs could be an evolutionary step building on these progressive measures and would require a framework of inputs involving planning authorities, transport agencies, communities and government. Most importantly it would tie transport strategy properly in with land use policy, something not currently achieved by current draft strategy. This in turn can lead to a fully mobile city with connected, healthy neighbourhoods. The main argument for orbital QBCs is the Network Effect benefit they would deliver. Understanding the Network Effect Many northern and central European cities boast a transport system that provides comprehensive mobility, serving anywhere-to-anywhere trips in a relatively timely and efficient manner. Berlin, Hamburg and Zurich are a number of cities than can be designated within such a category. The most oft-cited reason for optimality in urban transport is density. It is contended here that density and land use planning has an important though much overstated role to play. Even at low-medium densities, a population of 10,000 or more the equivalent of a medium-sized Irish town can live within walking distance of a transport hub [2]. Paul Mees, in particular, argues that the density-patronage relationship is less clearcut than often claimed and that the most important determinant of ridership is service quality [3]. A central requirement in this regard is an idea called the "network effect". Very little has been written on this subject although esteemed authors such as Thomson acknowledge its importance [4]. The most authoritative understanding of the concept has been given by Mees and his model is worth recounting here. To explain it at its most basic level a theoretical city is imagined which has 10 un-networked (in this case north-south) routes serving a grid of evenly populated districts (see Figure 2, below left) with similarly even trip distributions. Figure 2: "Squaresville": the Network Effect illustrated (Source: Mees, 2002) In this model, using conservative assumptions (low-medium densities and a 30-40% propensity to choose public transport), a total of approximately 6% of all trips are likely to be by public transport. Doubling the frequency of those routes, at standard elasticity of demand rates (say, a 50% propensity to transfer), would lead to a potential 9% of trips served by public transport. In this case costs have doubled but patronage has only risen by 50%. However, if instead of doubling frequencies 10 new networked (i.e. east-west) routes are added a different picture emerges (see Figure 2, above right). In this model, using the same assumptions, a total of 40% of trips are likely to be by public transport. Now, for the same cost outlay, patronage and revenue have both risen more than 6-fold. This is a theoretical model assuming an even population distribution. In a typical urban scenario many of the routes could be loss-making or feeder routes, however the overall network stands to gain as a result. Most businesses understand that such cross-subsidy is 1 The idea of Healthy Neighbourhoods is well explained in Barton et al [2] and alludes to the design of urban areas such that communities can enjoy active healthy lifestyles in a risk-free, amenable environment. Absence of noise / air pollution and opportunities for active travel are key components considered, as is high social mobility via public transport. Proceedings of the ITRN2012 29-30th August 2012 University of Ulster Broderick, O'Connor: Orbital Rapid Transit in GDA essential to develop a viable market. This, according to Mees, is nearly always a feature of successful transit cities [5]. Joining up Dublin's Neighbourhoods The question is prompted whether the principle of the network effect is appropriate for Dublin's urban structure. The Dublin City Council Development Plan 2011-2017 has a Core Strategy (see Figure 3 below right) [6]. A critical element of the strategy is the designation of Key District Centres and Key Developing Areas. Another vital component of the Core Strategy is three arterial Economic Corridors along with a Strategic Green Network. This vision suggests an orbital network of well connected district centres with strong connections to the centre. Figure 3: Dublin City Council Development Plan 2011 – 2017 Core Strategy Demand for the orbital and "networked" trips suggested by the City Council's Core Strategy not only exists but is very strong according to land use demand models prepared by the NTA. Figure 4.6 of the NTA Draft Transport Strategy (reproduced below) indicates that fully 56% of morning peak trips in the GDA are orbital, while 39% of trips are either arterial or inbound [7]. Many, possibly even a majority of these arterial trips are likely to be "networked" trips, i.e. requiring a transfer to reach their end-destination. In 2030 the percentage of orbital trips is forecasted to reduce to 46%. But if it is assumed that a significant share of arterial trips require some transfer, at least half possibly two-thirds of all trips will not be served by the Strategy. That is unless a high level of orbital service is provided, in turn with a high level of transferability. Without an orbital service the forecast suggests that the NTA draft Transport Strategy cannot inherently deliver the high levels of mode transfer to which it alludes. Figure 4: "Figure 4.6" of the NTA draft Transport Strategy Potential for and Barriers to Orbital Public Transport Services The concept of a quality orbital system interlinking with quality arterial routes to form an urban transport network appears to be a critical feature then. Research was undertaken as part of an undergraduate dissertation by Colin Broderick to identify the potential for and barriers to implementing an orbital rapid transit network in Dublin [8]. The study was restricted to the north eastern quadrant of Dublin, generally described as everything east of the Ballymun Road Corridor. This sector of the city is characterised by low-medium density suburban housing of mixed socio-economic status (although with large pockets of 2 The NTA Draft Transport Strategy, unlike previous transport strategy documents does not explicitly state mode share targets. Some reference is made to contributing to targets (45% car; 20% bicycle) set out in the national government's Smarter Travel Policy Document Broderick, O'Connor: Orbital Rapid Transit in GDA 29-30th August 2012 University of Ulster Proceedings of the ITRN2012 disadvantaged areas). The area also comprises of extensive ageing manufacturing zones containing declining industry. Investment is low in the area and transport to outside of the area is essential for employment opportunities to many [9]. The first stage of the research was to identify which orbital lines would be used for assessment. A review of existing strategy and published policy for public transport in Dublin identified certain relevant options: • 2030 Vision Draft National Transport Authority Strategy [10] • Dublin Bus Network Review (the "MVA Study") [11] • Currently released elements of Dublin Bus Network Direct [12] • Dublin City Development Plan 2011 – 2017 Core Strategy [13] A map was extracted from the Open Street Map database. The extracted map was then imported into Adobe Illustrator where the various strategies were simplified and drawn by eye onto the map. Google Earth provided baseline aerial photography predominately dating from the 2010 period for the majority of the Dublin city area. The study area was mapped for the main uses that generate trips for public transport such as employment/industrial areas, schools, hospitals, shopping centres, etc. 2030 Vision Bus Strategy Map. The


This article presents an overview of Second World War bomb damage to British towns and cities and a systematic evaluation of the relationship between damage, revisioning, replanning, and actual reconstruction in a sample of cities—Bath, Birmingham, and Hull. Two were severely affected by aerial bombing as port/industrial targets, and the third for propaganda purposes as a historical city. Two had extensive plans produced by eminent consultants (both involving Patrick Abercrombie) but the city managers of the third did not support "big plans." Birmingham, without a specific plan, rebuilt extensively and relatively quickly. Hull's plan was disliked locally and virtually vanished. Bath was repaired rather than rebuilt. These contrasting experiences have shaped the contemporary city via subsequent generations of replanning (not all of which was implemented) and, in Birmingham's case, the demolition of major reconstruction investments after relatively short lifespans. The article demonstrates the difficulty of conceptualising a generic approach to post-catastrophe reconstruction and the problems of such large-scale change over a short period for the longer-term effective functioning of the city.


Cognitive radio (CR) represents a possible solution to the paradoxical problem of simultaneous scarcity and underutilization of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrum awareness, a key task of such a radio, encompasses the recognition of the received signal type and parameters. This paper investigates the cyclostationarity approach for the recognition of cyclically prefixed single carrier linearly digitally modulated (CP-SCLD) signals versus SCLD and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals under practical conditions, including time-dispersive channels, additive Gaussian noise, and phase, frequency and timing offsets. Analytical closed-form expressions are derived for the cyclic autocorrelation function (CAF) and the set of cycle frequencies (CFs) of CP-SCLD signals. These results are the basis of the proposed signal recognition algorithm. This algorithm has the advantage of avoiding requirements for the recovery of carrier, waveform, and symbol timing information, and the estimation of signal and noise powers.


Hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have become the key development directions of countries around the world, and high-pressure hydrogen storage technology is the most widely used hydrogen storage method in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The on-board Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinders are an important hydrogen storage component of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the storage medium is flammable and explosive high-pressure hydrogen. Therefore, the on-board Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinders determine the safety of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. When a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle accidentally catches fire, the high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder may be exposed to localized fire, and gas cylinders are at risk of explosion before the pressure relief device (TPRD) operates. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamics method was used to establish the numerical calculation model of the on-board Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinders under localized fire, and the accuracy of the numerical calculation model was verified by the fire test results. Using the established numerical calculation model, the heat transfer characteristics of the 35MPa on-board Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinders after localized fire for 600s was analyzed, the effect of different filling media on the heat transfer characteristics of Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinder was studied. The results show: The temperature of the burning area of gas cylinder was significantly higher than that of other areas. The temperature growth rate of the gas in cylinder remained basically unchanged, and the maximum temperature of the gas reached 353K at 600s. As the burning time goes on, the growth rate of the gas pressure increased continuously, and the gas pressure reached 36.3MPa at 600s. And different filling mediums have little effect on the heat transfer characteristics of on-board Type 4 hydrogen storage cylinders.


Abstract. We conducted Monte Carlo simulations based on anisotropic sclera-mimicking models to examine the polarization features in Mueller matrix polar decomposition (MMPD) parameters during the refractive index matching process, which is one of the major mechanisms of optical clearing. In a preliminary attempt, by changing the parameters of the models, wavelengths, and detection geometries, we demonstrate how the depolarization coefficient and retardance vary during the refractive index matching process and explain the polarization features using the average value and standard deviation of scattering numbers of the detected photons. We also study the depth-resolved polarization features during the gradual progression of the refractive index matching process. The results above indicate that the refractive index matching process increases the depth of polarization measurements and may lead to higher contrast between tissues of different anisotropies in deeper layers. MMPD-derived polarization parameters can characterize the refractive index matching process qualitatively.


Agricultural crop yields depend largely on soil moisture conditions in the root zone. Climate change leads to more prolonged drought periods that alternate with more intensive rainfall events. With unaltered water management practices, reduced crop yield due to drought stress will increase. Therefore, both farmers and water management authorities search for opportunities to manage risks of decreasing crop yields. Available groundwater sources for irrigation purposes are increasingly under pressure due to the regional coexistence of land use functions that are critical to groundwater levels or compete for available water. At the same time, treated wastewater from industries and domestic wastewater treatment plants are quickly discharged via surface waters towards sea. Exploitation of these freshwater sources may be an effective strategy to balance regional water supply and agricultural water demand. We present results of a pilot study in a drought sensitive region in the Netherlands, concerning agricultural water supply through reuse of industrial treated wastewater. The Bavaria Beer Brewery discharges treated wastewater to the surface water. Nevertheless, neighboring farmers invest in sprinkler irrigation to maintain their crop production during drought periods. Doing so, increasing pressure is put on the regional groundwater availability. Within a pilot study, a sub-irrigation system has been installed, by using subsurface drains, interconnected through a collector drain, and connected to an inlet control pit for the treated wastewater to enter the drainage system. Sub-irrigation is a subsurface irrigation method that can be more efficient than classical, aboveground irrigation methods using sprinkler installations. Additionally, sub-irrigated water that is not used for plant transpiration recharges the groundwater. We combine both process-based modeling of the soil-plant-atmosphere system and field experiments to i) investigate the amount of water that needs to be and that can be sub-irrigated, and ii) quantify the effect on soil moisture availability and herewith reduced needs for aboveground irrigation from groundwater.


This paper proposes a pipelined dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) scheme for 10-gigabit-capable passive optical networks (XG-PONs). The proposed scheme performs a DBA operation in multiple stages to save power. Also, requests are forwarded to next stages to obtain high performance.


In September 2018, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) recommended that New Zealand introduce a "disclosure of origin" requirement for patent applicants. Disclosure of origin was also recommended by the Waitangi Tribunal in 2011. If applicants were required to disclose the origin of genetic resources or traditional knowledge used, interested iwi and hapū groups would more easily be able to monitor the use of their resources and oppose patents being granted, and decide whether to challenge or oppose the grant. It would also allow more patent applications to be identified as relating to Māori interests and subsequently be referred to the Patents Māori Advisory Committee (PMAC) in the examination process. This article examines the potential for a disclosure of origin requirement in New Zealand, assessing appropriate design elements and objectives.


This study was designed to examine how four-year-old children might be able to respond and interpret works of art. Informed by Jean Piaget's and Lev Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development, and building on Micheal Parsons' and Abigail Housen's theories of aesthetic development, the study investigated whether or not four-year-olds are able to expand their initial responses to achieve deeper levels of understanding about works of art.


A glycogen synthase, designated GS II, which occurs in a protein/carbohydrate complex has been purified from Ascaris suum muscle. The purified GS-II complex which is eluted from concanavalin-A--Sepharose contains proteins with Mr 140,000 and 66,000 and a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate/protein mass ratio of 3:1. GS II activity was totally dependent on glucose 6-phosphate, but exogenous glycogen was not required for polysaccharide synthesis. The GS-II complex was not phosphorylated by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, and antibodies to the protein and carbohydrate components of GS II did not cross react with the purified cyclic-AMP-regulated glycogen synthase (GS I) from A. suum muscle. Polysaccharide which was synthesized de novo by the complex was added to the large-molecular-mass glycoprotein in GS II. The glycogen-like character of the newly synthesized polysaccharide was confirmed by the observation that glycogen phosphorylase utilized the polymer as substrate in both the synthesis and degradation reactions. A model is discussed in which a core glycoprotein serves as the substrate for a glycogen synthase which is distinctly different from GS I.


The objective of this study is to identify the species of 17 wooden Buddhist statues of the late Joseon Dynasty (the 17th and 18th century) in Jeollado, southwestern region of Korea. The bodies of statues were made of Ginkgo (Gingko biloba L.: 88%) and alder (Alnus spp.: 12%). The hands of statues were alder(64%), willow (Salix spp.: 27%) and Ginkgo(9%). The bottoms of hollow bodies were covered all with Japanese red-pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z., 'sonamu') panels. The main species of statue body, Ginkgo tree was known to be introduced to Korea from China with Buddhism. The results indicated that Ginkgo trees of Korea in the 17th century had already become large and rich enough to be used for most of statues. Ginkgo wood has low shrinkage and even texture, which are crucial for carving sculptures. Alder and willow woods used for statue hands have fine and firm textures. The pedestals for these statues were also made of red pine wood. Red pine woods have rather high shrinkage and low hardness, but it is versatile woods strong enough to support heavy statues.


Several recent studies have found relationships between individual differences in information-processing styles, as conceptualized in cognitive-experiential theory (CET), and aspects of leadership style and leadership behavior. In these studies, two thinking-style variables, rational thinking and behavioral coping, have consistently correlated positively with transformational leadership, a style of leadership in which leaders favorably transform followers' attitudes and behaviors toward their work. However, expected relationships between CET's experiential thinking system and transformational leadership have been elusive. In Study 1, school leaders' (N = 70) thinking and leadership styles were examined using a new scale that measures experiential thinking more thoroughly than it has been in previous studies by splitting experiential thinking into intuition, imaginative thinking, and emotionality. In Study 1, rational thinking, behavioral coping, and imaginative thinking all correlated positively and significantly with transformational leadership. These results were replicated in Study 2 with the broader leadership sample (N = 93). These results suggest that effective leadership may be fostered by developing leaders' capacity for imaginative thinking.


UNLABELLED
The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the results from interviews of experts within various aesthetic fields. This study aimed to describe experts' evaluation and wishes for aesthetics in hospitals. The scope is aesthetics in the hospital environment and surroundings. An underlying assumption was that the field of aesthetics is a neglected area in many hospital environments. The strength of the manuscript and what is new is the information concerning the expert, as patient, evaluation of aesthetics in hospital environment and surroundings and data on how the experts would prefer things to be.

METHODS
The basis is a corpus of 16 semi-structured individual qualitative interviews that were performed by the first author. The 16 informants were experts in different aesthetic fields.

RESULTS
The interviews revealed the following: (i) Aesthetics and design are practically absent in the Norwegian general hospitals. (ii) The aesthetic surroundings are very important for the health and well-being of the patients. (iii) The aesthetic area has many aspects. Guidelines are worked out based on the expert/patient focus, their wishes and recommendations and based on a conviction that certain objective, basic and general criteria do exist for basing an aesthetic environment on an innate and shared common sense.


TCP is not suitable for real-time application in nature as it provides reliability over timeliness. The incoming data will first be hold in the TCP buffer and sent accordingly until acknowledgement received or timeout occurred, resulting in possibly the transmitted data being obsolete at the receiver. In this paper, a time-controlled window (TCW) algorithm is proposed to improve the real-time capability of TCP. Computer simulations using Network Simulator 2 (NS2) demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. Key-Words: TCP, Multimedia Streaming


In financial modeling, it has been constantly pointed out that volatility clustering and conditional nonnormality induced leptokurtosis observed in high frequency data. Financial time series data are not adequately modeled by normal distribution, and empirical evidence on the non-normality assumption is well documented in the financial literature (details are illustrated by Engle (1982) and Bollerslev (1986)). An ARMA representation has been used by Thavaneswaran et al., in 2005, to derive the kurtosis of the various class of GARCH models such as power GARCH, non-Gaussian GARCH, nonstationary and random coefficient GARCH. Several empirical studies have shown that mixture distributions are more likely to capture heteroskedasticity observed in high frequency data than normal distribution. In this paper, some results on moment properties are generalized to stationary ARMA process with GARCH errors. Application to volatility forecasts and option pricing are also discussed in some detail.


: Uncoupling of metabolism and circadian activity is associated with an increased risk of a wide spectrum of pathologies. Recently, insulin and the closely related insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were shown to entrain feeding patterns with circadian rhythms. Both hormones act centrally to modulate peripheral glucose metabolism; however, whereas central targets of insulin actions are intensely scrutinized, those mediating the actions of IGF-I remain less defined. We recently showed that IGF-I targets orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, and now we evaluated whether IGF-I modulates orexin neurons to align circadian rhythms with metabolism. Mice with disrupted IGF-IR activity in orexin neurons (Firoc mice) showed sexually dimorphic alterations in daily glucose rhythms and feeding activity patterns which preceded the appearance of metabolic disturbances. Thus, Firoc males developed hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance, while females developed obesity. Since IGF-I directly modulates orexin levels and hepatic expression of KLF genes involved in circadian and metabolic entrainment in an orexin-dependent manner, it seems that IGF-I entrains metabolism and circadian rhythms by modulating the activity of orexin neurons.


Advancement in high heat thermal management technology and its successful integration into emerging GaN-based amplifiers is imperative to meet the long-term requirement of future X-band radar systems. It is also known that the efficiency and reliability of light emitting diode (LED) strongly rely on successful thermal management due to its inherit low junction temperature in the LED chip. In this paper, a new cooling solution for thermal management of GaN based power amplifiers for X-band radars (XBR) and high-brightness LEDs, by a closed microjet array cooling system, is proposed and investigated by experiments. For the active radar part, we developed a circuit consisting of Si resistor chips to generate heat. The resistor chip has a resistance of 10 Ohm. It has a chip dimension of 2.4 mm times 2.4 mm times 0.50 mm, with a top side 4 mum Al and bottom side 1 mum Al/Ti/Ni/Ag. The testing results are shown to achieve a thermal resistance of 0.192degC/W under a flow pressure of 32psi. For LED packaging, the tests show that it can achieve good cooling effect, for a 16.4W input power, the surface temperature of 2times2 LED array is just 44.2 degC after 10 minutes' operation, much lower than 112.2degC, which is measured without any active cooling techniques at the same input power. To compare its performance with conventional thermal management means, three cooling methods for LED array such as natural convection, heat sink and heat pipe, are also experimentally studied. The comparison results demonstrate that present microjet cooling system has the best cooling performance. To fully understand present cooling system for real world applications, the cost, reliability and volume comparison and analyses among different cooling means are also briefly conducted in the final section of this paper


Excision of a Mos1 transposon in the germline of Caenorhabditis elegans generates a double-strand break in the chromosome. We demonstrate that breaks are most prominently repaired by gene conversion from the homolog, but also rarely by nonhomologous end-joining. In some cases, gene conversion events are resolved by crossing over. Surprisingly, expression of the transposase using an intestine-specific promoter can induce repair, raising the possibility that activation of transposase expression in somatic cells can lead to transposition of Mos1 in the germline.


Objective To describe 2 subapproaches of the middle fossa approach: the transillumination method and transection of lines using the foramen spinosum, greater superficial petrosal nerve, and trigeminal impression to locate the malleus head for safe identification and decompression of the geniculate ganglion and facial nerve. Study Design Cadaver study. Setting A tertiary university hospital anatomy laboratory. Subjects and Methods The present study was conducted using 7 formalin-fixed cadaver heads (14 sides). A 0° endoscope was introduced into the external ear canal toward the posterosuperior quadrant of the tympanic membrane, after which transillumination was used to locate the malleus head. The brightest point indicated the convergence of the greater superficial petrosal nerve and a line drawn along the superior semicircular canal. An additional line was drawn parallel to the petrous ridge from the foramen spinosum and along the pathway of the greater superficial petrosal nerve. A third line connected the trigeminal impression to the zygomatic root. The area posterior to the intersection of these 2 lines separately with the third line was considered the zone of location of the malleus head. Among 17 patients undergoing surgery for facial paralysis between 1993 and 2011, transillumination was used in 6 patients to identify the malleus head to locate the geniculate ganglion. Results These techniques were proven to be reliable in locating the malleus head to find the geniculate ganglion in 14 dissected cadaveric temporal bones. Conclusion Two methods of locating the malleus head for facial decompression were defined.


The aim of this study was to explore the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) preconditioning on the rejection of skin allograft in mice and its molecular mechanism. BALB/c donor mice and C57BL/6 recipients received hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning once a day for 7 days. After skin transplantation, the recipients were treated with cyclosporine A (CsA) intraperitoneally. Immunofluorescent staining technique and flow cytometry were used to observe the influence HBO on percentage of spleen lymphocytes CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and cell adhesion molecule LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18). The results showed that as compared with control, the numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD11a+, CD4+ CD18+, CD8+CD11a+, CD8+CD18+ lymphocytes of spleen decreased in HBO preconditioning groups and CsA group, and decreased markedly in HBO preconditioning combined with CsA group (p<0.05); the general state of recipient mice in HBO preconditioning combined with CsA group was better than that of recipient mice received HBO preconditioning or CsA only. It is concluded that the method of HBO preconditioning combined with traditional immunosuppressive agent CsA has remarkable advantage in inhibiting the rejection of skin graft. Its molecular protective mechanism is correlated with the expression of adhesive molecules on T cell subsets.


This paper selectively reviews scientific research on the influences of gardens and plants in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The discussion concentrates mainly on health-related benefits that patients realize by simply looking at gardens and plants, or in other ways passively experiencing healthcare surroundings where plants are prominent. The review also briefly addresses other advantages of gardens and plants in hospitals, such as lowering the costs of delivering healthcare and improving staff satisfaction.