Clinical and laboratory parameters were comparatively assessed in persons from two age groups (15-59 and 60-89 years) on their admission to hospital and in the course of equal treatment. The elderly and senile patients showed a higher incidence of inflammatory complications and death in the toxicogenic and somatogenic phases of acute intoxication with delayed recovery of laboratory parameters.


ABSTRACT Core retail management functions include defining market areas and profiling customers. For tourism enterprises, market areas are geographically dispersed with many customers residing beyond the immediate area surrounding the attraction. Visualization and analysis of these distributed market areas are significantly enhanced by the capabilities of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and help to support management objectives. Unfortunately, many businesses are unable to utilize GIS due to its complexity and expense. This study develops a decision support tool for tourism planning and marketing that is customized and easy to use, employs open source software to reduce expense, and allows for broad accessibility via web delivery. Users can easily visualize and examine the spatial distribution of their own United States (US) client origins and visitation patterns along with relevant tourism-specific and general demographic information. This functionality can be beneficial in developing or augmenting business plans or marketing strategies, and for informing tourism theory.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this paper was to evaluate the incidence rate of mood disorders in the form of depression and cognitive impairment in the course of exacerbating motor disorders during a six-month observation of ALS patients.

METHODS
The study covered 20 people (5 women, 15 men), 10 with bulbar-onset ALS and 10 with limb-onset ALS. Methods. The patients were examined three times with 3-month intervals during a sixmonth period. Physical fitness, cognitive functions and depression were subject to evaluation. Mira Stambak's line-drawing test and the 10-meter walk test were used to evaluate fitness. The evaluation of cognitive functions was based on a psychometric screening test - DemTect. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used for the diagnosis of depression.

RESULTS
The analysis of the results showed that impaired physical fitness is accompanied by cognitive impairment, with a tendency to progression over a six-month period. Depression also presented a relationship with motor disability; however, the intensity was transient in the course of ALS.

CONCLUSIONS
(1) The gradually developing motor neuron loss of the anterior horns of the spinal cord is reflected in physical fitness impairment in the ALS patients. (2) The exacerbation of cognitive impairment accompanies the intensifying physical disability. (3) The exacerbation of depression in the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is of transient nature.


Inverse scattering theory is used to determine local, energy-independent, coordinate space nucleon-nucleon potentials. Inversions are made of phase shifts obtained by analyses of data and from meson exchange theory, in particular the Paris and the Bonn parametrizations. Half-off-shell {ital T} matrices are generated to compare the exact meson theoretical results with those of inversion, and it is found that phase equivalent interactions have essentially the same off-shell behavior for any physically significant range of momenta.


This study reports on the ultrasonic processing of pea protein isolate (PPI) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) and Tris/HCl (pH 8) buffer systems in order to modify its properties for use in the encapsulation of functional liquids. Tetradecane-filled microspheres were synthesized using ultrasonically-modified PPI as a shell material under high intensity 20 kHz ultrasound irradiation. Tetradecane was used as a model liquid, which could in principle be replaced by functional liquids such as vitamins, fish oil, etc. The solubility of water-insoluble globulin present in PPI was significantly improved in the first sonication step, which was confirmed by solubility measurements and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The hydrodynamic diameter measurements indicated that the dissolved pea proteins formed soluble aggregates. The size, size distribution, shell thickness, mechanical strength and yield of PPI microspheres were controlled by the variation of ultrasonic parameters in the first step. In terms of stability, the microspheres maintained a core–shell structure and their size remained unchanged after one-month storage at 4 °C. Most of the microspheres had a spherical shape with a smooth surface morphology. The shell thickness varied with the surface activity and solubility of PPI, which in turn were affected by sonication time. Average stiffness ranging from 9.5 to 22 mN m−1 and average Young's modulus from 0.58 to 2.35 MPa were obtained by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Disulphide crosslinking and noncovalent interactions played a role in the shell formation, also facilitating the storage stability of PPI microspheres.


The underlying problem of corruption in Nepal at the micro level stems from the 'capture' of the sustainable number of the policies and implementing rules and regulations of the different laws by vested interests. The long standing collusion between political parties and government officials has resulted in a destructed economy that favors private economic interests over the broader public goods. The situation is compounded by the patterns of non transparent and illegitimate practice that sustain the culture of corruption. Sources of income for individual and employees are unregulated and often arbitrarily determined through the patronage system that is link to the culture of silence underpinning such patronage. The role of civil society is to controlling corruption by working at the grass roots political and bureaucratic, and legal judicial level. Key words: Civil society; problem; power; judicial; corruption DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v3i0.2785 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.3 2009 163-174


The platelets of a patient with congenital thrombasthenia were not aggregated by ADP, thrombin, connective tissue particles, Polybrene, or phospholipase C, and did not adhere to glass as measured either on a glass slide or by retention in a glass-bead column. Clot retraction was markedly diminished. Raising the magnesium level partially corrected clot retraction but did not restore ADP-induced clumping. The platelets were less able to promote prothrombin consumption. Fibrinogen concentration in the supernatant of frozen and thawed platelets was low, but surface fibrinogen appeared to be normal. The thrombasthenic platelets were normal in the following respects: concentration of ATP and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase; adhesion to connective tissue fibers; aggregation by antiplatelet serum; microelectrophoretic mobility; isoelectric point; disc shape of platelets at 37 C.; ability of platelets to change shape with ADP or cold; decrease in ATP concentration and auramine staining of granules by thrombin; release of serotonin, ADP, and other materials absorbing at 260 mµ. by thrombin or connective tissue particles; liberation of acid phosphatase during blood clotting; and platelet Factor 5 activity. It is concluded that responses of thrombasthenic platelets to thrombin and connective tissue particles are normal except that the liberated ADP fails to cause aggregation. The first stage of the reaction to ADP, transformation from disc to spiny sphere, is normal. Still to be determined at the molecular level is the cause(s) of failure of clot retraction and ADP-induced aggregation and the relationship of these defects to the low fibrinogen concentration of platelet extracts.


Heterogeneous catalysis is of paramount importance in chemistry and energy applications. Catalysts that couple light energy into chemical reactions in a directed, orbital-specific manner would greatly reduce the energy input requirements of chemical transformations, revolutionizing catalysis-driven chemistry. Here we report the room temperature dissociation of H(2) on gold nanoparticles using visible light. Surface plasmons excited in the Au nanoparticle decay into hot electrons with energies between the vacuum level and the work function of the metal. In this transient state, hot electrons can transfer into a Feshbach resonance of an H(2) molecule adsorbed on the Au nanoparticle surface, triggering dissociation. We probe this process by detecting the formation of HD molecules from the dissociations of H(2) and D(2) and investigate the effect of Au nanoparticle size and wavelength of incident light on the rate of HD formation. This work opens a new pathway for controlling chemical reactions on metallic catalysts.


This study examined female collegiate ballet dancers' (n = 28) Female Athlete Triad (Triad) risk via the Cumulative Risk Assessment (CRA) and nutritional profiles (macro- and micronutrients; n = 26). The CRA identified Triad return to play criteria (RTP: Full Clearance, Provisional Clearance, or Restricted/Medical Disqualified) by assessing eating disorder risk, low energy availability, menstrual cycle dysfunction, and low bone mineral density. Seven-day dietary assessments identified any energy imbalances of macro- and micronutrients. Ballet dancers were identified as low, within normal, or high for each of the 19 nutrients assessed. Basic descriptive statistics assessed CRA risk classification and dietary macro- and micronutrient levels. Dancers averaged 3.5 ± 1.6 total score on the CRA. Based on these scores, the RTP outcomes revealed Full Clearance 7.1%, n = 2; Provisional Clearance 82.1%, n = 23; and Restricted/Medical Disqualification 10.7%, n = 3. Dietary reports revealed that 96.2% (n = 25) of ballet dancers were low in carbohydrates, 92.3% (n = 24) low in protein, 19.2% (n = 5) low in fat percent, 19.2% (n = 5) exceeding saturated fats, 100% (n = 26) low in Vitamin D, and 96.2% (n = 25) low in calcium. Due to the variability in individual risks and nutrient requirements, a patient-centered approach is a critical part of early prevention, evaluation, intervention, and healthcare for the Triad and nutritional-based clinical evaluations.


Laterally close-packed quantum dots (QDs) called quantum dot molecules (QDMs) are grown by modified molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Quantum dots could be aligned and cross hatched. Quantum rings (QRs) created from quantum dot transformation during thin or partial capping are used as templates for the formations of bi-quantum dot molecules (Bi-QDMs) and quantum dot rings (QDRs). Preferable quantum dot nanostructure for quantum computation based on quantum dot cellular automata (QCA) is laterally close-packed quantum dot molecules having four quantum dots at the corners of square configuration. These four quantum dot sets are called quadra-quantum dots (QQDs). Aligned quadra-quantum dots with two electron confinements work like a wire for digital information transmission by Coulomb repulsion force, which is fast and consumes little power. Combination of quadra-quantum dots in line and their cross-over works as logic gates and memory bits. Molecular Beam Epitaxial growth technique called 'Droplet Epitaxy' has been developed for several quantum nanostructures such as quantum rings and quantum dot rings. Quantum rings are prepared by using 20 ML In-Ga (15:85) droplets deposited on a GaAs substrate at 390 o C with a droplet growth rate of 1 ML/s. Arsenic flux (7'8'10 - 6Torr) is then exposed for InGaAs crystallization at 200 o C for 5 min. During droplet epitaxy at a high droplet thickness and high temperature, out-diffusion from the centre of droplets occurs under anisotropic strain. This leads to quantum ring structures having non-uniform ring stripes and deep square-shaped nanoholes. Using these peculiar quantum rings as templates, four quantum dots situated at the corners of a square shape are regrown. Two of these four quantum dots are aligned either or, which are preferable crystallographic directions of quantum dot alignment in general.


Noticing that some students have specific difficulties which cannot be explained by biomechanical or cognitive reasons and that the flute and recorder repertoire for beginners published in Brazil is limited despite the relevance of contemporary repertoire and the tradition of collaboration between composers and musicians in Porto Alegre I asked composers to write pieces for the recorder or the flute based on a list of ideas for composition. These pieces were played in class, performed in concerts and published as Novas musicas para novos flautistas . My observations were noted in diaries. Eight composers wrote thirty-six pieces. All of them are contributions to the repertoire for its musical quality. There are differences in style, duration, musical form, instrumentation, techniques and explored concepts. Playing the pieces showed great possibilities of pedagogical use, including and expanding the ideas which inspired the list. Technical abilities, theoretical concepts, notation, developing of practice strategies, aesthetical discussions and performance of artistic repertoire since the beginning of the process of learning an instrument are among them. The excellent pedagogical and artistic result of these experience invites us to rethink children's repertoire patterns and stereotypes.


• The treatment of poisoning by ingestion is as complex as is the enumeration of poisoning agents. There are, however, many practical and general principles that may be applied to any case in which a poison has been taken by mouth. The essence of treatment of any type of ingested poison is the often life saving procedure of emptying the stomach as quickly as possible. Unless the patient is comatose or in cases of poisoning due to petroleum distillates and corrosive agents, gastric lavage should be carried out in every instance. Where emesis is impossible, chemical antidotes may be administered in the lavage fluid. While specific treatment and supportive measures are of great importance, prevention through education is the basic means of avoiding these tragedies.


With advances in energy storage technology the application of STATCOMs with energy storage for utility applications, such as active- and reactive-power compensation of loads, network-voltage control and mitigation of power system disturbances, is increasingly feasible. As it is more expensive to produce active power than reactive power, it is important to consider methods which can be adopted to minimise the use of the energy store. An application study of a STATCOM with energy storage giving special emphasis to control strategies which minimise the use of the stored energy is reported. Calculation techniques to determine the current rating of the IGBTs, diodes and connecting transformer as well as the losses associated with the switches when the compensator is operated under space-vector modulation are demonstrated. Application studies of the compensator with energy storage for load compensation, steady-state voltage control, mitigation of voltage sags and elimination of power oscillations are described. The analytical studies of each of these applications are supplemented by simulation results carried out in PSCAD/EMTDC and by experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype.


Quantum entanglement is essential for some applications of quantum information processing such as quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation and superdence coding. A qubit is a two level quantum system and four two-qubit entangled states called Bell states can be easily obtained for two-qubit states. A qutrit is a three level quantum system and Zeeman levels of spin-1 electron or nucleus can be referred as qutrit. For SI (S=1, I=1) spin system there exist nine two-qutrit states. So nine two-qutrit entangled states can be obtained by using the Hadamard and CNOT logic gates. In this study by considering N+@C60 molecule as SI (S=1, I=1) spin system, two-qutrit entangled states are also obtained by using the magnetic resonance selective pulse sequences of Hadamard and CNOT logic gates. Then it is shown that these entangled states can be transformed into each other by the suggested transformation operators.


Oral melanoma is a common canine cancer with a historically poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that a subset of cases may have a more favorable outcome, defined as long-term survival in the absence of intervention other than initial surgery. Traditional histological parameters have had prognostic significance in some studies but not in others, potentially due to interobserver variation. We evaluated the prognostic utility of Ki67 immunohistochemistry in a group of 79 canine oral melanomas using a technique easily applied in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. A threshold Ki67 value of >19.5 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87.1% and 85.4%, respectively, at predicting death or euthanasia due to melanoma by 1 year postdiagnosis. Threshold values for classical histological parameters were also identified for most cases and were >4 (>30%; sensitivity = 83.9%, specificity = 86.0%) for the nuclear atypia score and >4/10 hpfs (sensitivity = 90.3%, specificity = 84.4%) for the mitotic index. In this study, the percentages correctly classified with respect to death by 1 year postdiagnosis were comparable for Ki67 (86.1%, 68/79), the nuclear atypia score (86.3%, 63/73), and the mitotic index (86.8%, 66/76). High pigmentation (>50%) had a high negative predictive value of 90.9% (18/20), but overall, only 61.0% (47/77) of cases could be correctly classified by this parameter. Based on these results, we recommend a panel of prognostic parameters, including the nuclear atypia score, the mitotic index, Ki67, and pigmentation quantification to more accurately predict the likely outcome of canine oral melanomas.


In this Letter, we bring together two topics in the holographic correspondence - quantum chaos and quark-gluon plasma (QGP). We establish that the first relativistic correction to drag force experienced by a charge carrier moving through a thermal medium (for example, a quark in QGP) at a constant velocity is fixed by the butterfly velocity. Moreover, we show that this result is robust against stringy corrections and anisotropy. For the jet quenching parameter, we find that it is related to the butterfly velocity along the momentum broadening direction and temperature in the spirit of the ``Planckian bound''. This opens a way to the reconstruction of butterfly velocity of quark-gluon plasma and other strongly-coupled systems experimentally from rather simple observables.


Procedural and background pain scores were assessed prospectively and compared with treatment goals and satisfaction scores in 84 adult (67 men and 17 women) burn-injured patients treated at a single, tertiary care medical center. We hypothesized that patient satisfaction with pain management plans would be highest among those patients who were experiencing the least pain and also among patients whose experiences most closely matched their treatment analgesic goals. Twice-weekly patient self-reports of worst and average procedural pain, background pain, treatment goals (the level of procedural pain and background pain patients reported that they would be satisfied as experiencing), and overall satisfaction with pain management plans were assessed using 10-point Graphic Rating Scales. Data concerning adjunctive treatments were also obtained. Opioid equivalents, representing pain medications administered, were compared. The majority of patients perceived that "no pain" during burn wound care was an unrealistic goal, a perception that was consistent throughout hospitalization. As hypothesized, average procedural pain levels demonstrated a negative association with patient satisfaction, indicating that patients with the highest levels of procedural pain also reported the lowest level of satisfaction. Opioid analgesic dosing was not significantly associated with ratings of procedural pain or treatment goals. Our findings support the hypothesis that patient satisfaction with pain management is highest in those who experience the least amount of burn care pain and do not support the hypothesis that satisfaction is highest in those whose pain experiences most closely match treatment analgesic goals.


A crude ribosomal vaccine derived from Bordetella pertussis administered to ICR and N:NIH (SW) strains of mice protected them effectively against a standardized intracranial challenge. The dose of vaccine that protected half the mice was less for N:NIH (SW) than for ICR mice and compared favorably with a killed reference vaccine. Ribosomes prepared from bacteria ground with washed sea sand were more immunogenic than those obtained by rupture with alumina or with a Braun homogenizer. The protective effect of the crude ribosomes was not an innate part of the organelle but was due to a substance or substances that could be removed from them by a 1 M NH4Cl wash. The material in the wash was highly immunogenic and retained both the histamine-sensitizing and leukocytosis-promoting properties. It lost much of the dermonecrotic activity and was poorly pyrogenic in rabbits. The most potent pyrogen was present in the washed ribosomes, which apparently, retained the endotoxic components of the cell wall. The best vaccines permitted acceptable weight gain in the immunized mice.


An action research aims to identify whether historical conceptual understanding can be enhanced through the Peer with Sources-Cards technique introduced in history subjects for students. The six students selected through purposive sampling technique have been used as sample in this study. Kemmis and McTaggart models, (1988) are used in this study which involved quantitative and qualitative data collection such as performance tests, interviews and observations. The findings of the study showed that there was improvement dan retention of historical conceptual understanding, as well the misconception which existed among students could be reduced through Peer with Sources-Cards technique. Students also demonstrated a positive perception of the implementation of Peer with Sources-Cards technique in the process of teaching and learning history. It is hoped that the Peer with Sources-Cards technique method should be extended to all other levels of form with different topics that enable the process of teaching and learning of history to be more fun.


Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the more common hereditary cardiac conditions. According to presence or absence of outflow obstruction at rest or with provocation, a more common (about 60–70%) obstructive type of the disease (HOCM) has to be distinguished from the less common (30–40%) nonobstructive phenotype (HNCM). Symptoms include exercise limitation due to dyspnea, angina pectoris, palpitations, or dizziness; occasionally syncope or sudden cardiac death occurs. Correct diagnosis and risk stratification with respect to prophylactic ICD implantation are essential in HCM patient management. Drug therapy in symptomatic patients can be characterized as treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in HNCM, while symptoms and the obstructive gradient in HOCM can be addressed with beta-blockers, disopyramide, or verapamil. After a short overview on etiology, natural history, and diagnostics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, this paper reviews the current treatment options for HOCM with a special focus on percutaneous septal ablation. Literature data and the own series of about 600 cases are discussed, suggesting a largely comparable outcome with respect to procedural mortality, clinical efficacy, and long-term outcome.


Canine malignant melanoma (CMM) is a locally and systemically aggressive cancer that shares many biological and clinical characteristics with human mucosal melanoma. Hypofractionated radiation protocols have been used to treat CMM but little is known about its radiation biology. This pilot study is designed to investigate response of CMM cell lines to various ionizing radiations and cytotoxic agents to better understand this canine cancer. Four CMM cell lines were evaluated by clonogenic survival assay under aerobic and hypoxic conditions and parameters such as alpha beta (α/β) ratio, oxygen enhancement ratio (OER), and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) were calculated after 137Cs, 6 megavoltage (MV) photon, or carbon ion irradiation. Six cytotoxic agents (cisplatin, camptothecin, mitomycin C, bleomycin, methtyl methanesulfonate and etoposide) were also assessed for their efficacy. Under aerobic condition with 6 MV photon, the α/β ratio of the four cell lines ranged from 0.3 to >100, indicating a wide variation of cellular sensitivity. The ratio increased under hypoxic condition compared to aerobic condition and this was more dramatic in 137Cs and 6 MV photon treatments. OER of carbon was lower than 137Cs at D10 in 3 of the 4 cell lines. The RBE values generally increased with the increase of LET. Different cell lines showed sensitivity/resistance to different cytotoxic agents. This study revealed that CMM has a wide range of radiosensitivity and that hypoxia can reduce it, indicating that widely used hypofractionated protocols may not be optimal for all CMM patients. Several cytotoxic agents that have never been clinically assessed can improve treatment outcome.


This research paper focuses on data mining in time series and its applications on financial data. Data-mining attempts to analyze time series and extract valuable information about pattern periodicity, which might be concealed by substantial amounts of unformatted, random information. Such information, however, is of great importance as it can be used to forecast future behavior. In this paper, a new methodology is introduced aiming to utilize Suffix Arrays in data mining instead of the commonly used data structure Suffix Trees. Although Suffix Arrays, normally, require high storage capacity, the algorithm proposed allows them to be constructed in linear time. The methodology is also extended to detect repeated patterns in time series with time complexity of. This, combined with the capability of external storage, creates a critical advantage, for an overall efficient data mining and analysis regarding the construction of time series data structure and periodicity detection. The test results, presented below demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed technique.


Objective To investigate clinicians' perspectives on the current use of wearable technology for detecting COPD exacerbations, and to identify potential facilitators and barriers to its adoption in clinical settings. Methods A mixed-method survey was conducted through an online survey platform involving clinicians working with COPD patients. The questionnaires were developed by an expert panel specialising in respiratory medicine at UCL. The questionnaire evaluated clinicians' perspectives on several aspects: the current extent of wearable technology utilisation, the perceived feasibility, and utility of these devices, as well as the potential facilitators and barriers that hinder its wider implementation. Results Data from 118 clinicians were included in the analysis. Approximately 80% of clinicians did not currently use information from wearable devices in routine clinical care. A majority of clinicians did not have confidence in the effectiveness of wearables and their consequent impact on health outcomes. However, clinicians highlighted the potential value of wearables in helping deliver personalised care and more rapid assistance. Ease of use, technical support and accessibility of data were considered facilitating factors for wearable utilisation. Costs and lack of technical knowledge were the most frequently reported barriers to wearable utilisation. Conclusion Clinicians' perspectives of the use of wearable technology to detect and monitor COPD exacerbations are variable. While accessibility and technical support facilitate wearable implementation, cost, technical issues, and knowledge act as barriers. Our findings highlight the facilitators and barriers to using wearables in patients with COPD and emphasise the need to assess patients' perspectives on wearable acceptability.


The long cytoplasmic tail (CT) isoforms of carcinoembryonic Ag-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) are expressed on activated human T cells and possess two ITIM motifs in the CT. These isoforms of CEACAM1 are inhibitory for T cell responses initiated by the TCR/CD3 complex with the inhibition dependent upon the ITIMs of CEACAM1 and Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1 (SHP-1). However, the mechanism by which this inhibition occurs in T cells is unknown. We demonstrate here that the Src family kinase, Lck, and the ability of CEACAM1 to bind homophilically are required for the ITIM phosphorylation of CEACAM1 that is a prerequisite for CEACAM1 association with SHP-1. We further show that CEACAM1 associates with and recruits SHP-1 to the TCR/CD3 complex leading to decreased phosphorylation of CD3-ζ and ZAP-70 and consequently decreased activation of the elements downstream of ZAP-70. This is physiologically relevant because extinction of SHP-1 expression or blockade of homophilic binding by CEACAM1 using a Fab that specifically recognizes the homophilic binding region of human CEACAM1 increases the cytolytic function initiated by the TCR/CD3 complex. These studies show that long CT isoforms of CEACAM1 orchestrate an inhibitory program that abrogates extremely proximal events downstream of the TCR/CD3 complex by focusing on the activation of ZAP-70.


Slowing or reversing biological ageing would have major implications for mitigating disease risk and maintaining vitality. While an increasing number of interventions show promise for rejuvenation, the effectiveness on disparate cell types across the body and the molecular pathways susceptible to rejuvenation remain largely unexplored. We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing on 13 organs to reveal cell type specific responses to young or aged blood in heterochronic parabiosis. Adipose mesenchymal stromal cells, hematopoietic stem cells, hepatocytes, and endothelial cells from multiple tissues appear especially responsive. On the pathway level, young blood invokes novel gene sets in addition to reversing established ageing patterns, with the global rescue of genes encoding electron transport chain subunits pinpointing a prominent role of mitochondrial function in parabiosis-mediated rejuvenation. Intriguingly, we observed an almost universal loss of gene expression with age that is largely mimicked by parabiosis: aged blood reduces global gene expression, and young blood restores it. Altogether, these data lay the groundwork for a systemic understanding of the interplay between blood-borne factors and cellular integrity.


Positive Velocity and Position Feedback (PVPF) is a widely used control scheme in lightly damped resonant systems with collocated sensor actuator pairs. The popularity of PVPF is due to the ability to achieve a chosen damping ratio by repositioning the poles of the system. The addition of a necessary tracking controller causes the poles to deviate from the intended location and can be a detriment to the damping achieved. By designing the PVPF and tracking controllers simultaneously, the optimal damping and tracking can be achieved. Simulations show full damping of the first resonant mode whilst also achieving bandwidth greater than the natural frequency of the plant, allowing for high speed scanning with accurate tracking.


The paper considers the book Fangevoktere i konsentrasjonleire: En sosiologiska undersokelse av norskefangevoktere i "serbienleire" i Nord-Norge i 1942-43, which has recently been published in Serbian language. It highlights the scientific significance, currency and relevance of the book at the time when it was written, as well the name and significance of author. It reflects the author's opinion on the development of theory and understanding of the phenomenon of concentration camps. This paper emphasizes the great importance of the book being translated into the Serbian language, not only because of its significance for the reasons previously stated, but also because it touches upon the Serbian camps in North Norway, in which some of the most tragic episodes in the history of the Serbian people occurred.


OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between sexual behaviour, urinary symptoms, urinalysis and bacteriuria in men attending STD clinics. DESIGN: A prospective study recording sexual behaviour, urinary symptoms and collecting mid-stream urine specimens. SETTING: Two West Midlands STD clinics, UK. SUBJECTS: 1086 new male patients. RESULTS: 704 patients had had sexual intercourse (SI) within 14 days of testing, 424 had urinary symptoms and 122 had pyuria. All 13 patients with positive culture had SI < 14 days before testing, urinary symptoms and pyuria. No association was found between sexual orientation, type of SI, number of sexual partners, condom usage and bacteriuria. CONCLUSION: Bacteriuria does not behave as an STD but SI may be a factor in acquiring bacteriuria. Dysuria with or without urethral discharge is the most predictive symptom of bacteriuria. Pyuria has a high sensitivity for predicting bacteriuria among males.


Aim. To assess the quality of life (QL) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obesity and their associated course. Materials and methods. One hundred and five patients aged 22–65 were divided into two groups and examined. They included subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease, those with different variants of overweight and subjects with combination of these pathologies. The quality of life indices were estimated using questionnaire SF-36. Results. Differences in QL level in case of isolated and associated course of disease were found. The obtained data indicate a significant mutual burdening influence of associate pathology on patients' QL. Conclusion. The associated pathology has a particularly pronounced negative effect on psychological component of health.


Wind power is the fastest growing renewable energy source in the United States. Existing empirical studies on the economic impact of wind power development have primarily relied on case studies and input-output models, which have limitations. This study instead uses a linear fixed effects model to estimate the county level effects of wind power in the Great Plains region of the United States from 2005 to 2012. This study finds a significant positive correlation between installed wind capacity and per capita personal income and median household income. The correlation between wind power and employment per capita is statistically significant and positive in some models. The spillover effects into other industries are investigated by evaluating the change in employment in the sectors of construction, manufacturing, retail, services, and utilities. The three industry employment models generally find a positive correlation between installed wind capacity and employment in construction, retail, and utilities, and a negative correlation with employment in services.


Magnetic n-type semiconductor Fe3O4 nanoparticle and p-type semiconductor FeWO4 nanowire heterostructures were successfully synthesized without any surfactants or templates via a facile one-step hydrothermal process at 160 °C. The heterojunction structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Magnetic measurements indicated the coexistence of ferrimagnetic behavior of Fe3O4 and weak antiferromagnetic behavior of FeWO4. The degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-Visible light irradiation was studied as a model experiment to evaluate the catalytic activity of the Fe3O4/FeWO4 heterostructure p-n junctions. The decomposition efficiency was 97.1% after one hour UV-Visible irradiation. This magnetic photocatalyst can be easily recovered from the solution using a permanent magnet and redispersed by removing the magnet.


We consider Laplacians acting on sections of homogeneous vector bundles over symmetric spaces. By using an integral representation of the heat semi-group we find a formal solution for the heat kernel diago nal that gives a generating function for the whole sequence of heat invariants. We argue that the obtained formal solution correctly reproduces the exact heat kernel diagonal after a suitable regularization and analytical co ntinuation.


Abstract Dieback in strawberry (Seolhyang cultivar) was first observed during the nursery season (June to September) in the Nonsan area of Korea in the years 2012 and 2013. Initial disease symptoms included dieback on runners, as well as black rot on roots, followed by wilting and eventually blackened, necrotic discoloration in the crowns of daughter plants. A fungus isolated from the diseased roots, runners, and crowns is close to Lasiodiplodia theobromae based on morphological characteristics. Analysis of a combined dataset assembled from sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and translation elongation factor 1- alpha genes grouped nine fungal isolates with the type strain of L. theobromae. The isolates showed strong pathogenicity on strawberry cultivars Kumhyang, Seolhyang, and Akihimae, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Based on these results, the pathogen responsible for dieback on strawberry plants in Korea was identified as L. theobromae.


Abstract An extremely mild method for the conversion of RCH2X (X = Br, I) into RCH2OH is described. The method is particularly useful when R contains a base-sensitive group.


This paper presents the evolution of a teamwork culture at the Xerox Microelectronics Center's semiconductor manufacturing operation over the past nine years. It illustrates how a team-based organization evolved through four phases to allow effective implementation of a continuous improvement strategy based on five key management philosophies. These are Leadership Through Quality (LTQ), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Cycle Time Management (CTM), Activity-Based Costing (ABC), and Total Employee Involvement (TEI). The ultimate goal was to organize the entire manufacturing organization into high performance Self-Directed Work Teams (SDWTs). A process to develop such SDWT is described and demonstrated through the transition of a semi-autonomous work group into a pilot SDWT. The benchmark performance results accomplished by the pilot SDWT are described in terms of product quality, equipment effectiveness, cycle time, cost, and employee empowerment. Finally, an assessment matrix is used to measure team maturity and its areas of strength and weakness.


Recently it has been shown that reverberation chambers can be used to measure radiation efficiency and input impedance of small antennas. In particular, the it can be used to measure these characteristics for small antennas located close to lossy objects, such as a mobile phone antenna located in different positions relative to a head phantom filled with a brain tissue equivalent liquid. The present paper presents calculated and measured results for a lossy cylinder. The cylinder is filled with a brain tissue equivalent liquid of the type used in head phantoms when measuring specific absorption rate (SAR). We get the mean absorption cross section of the cylinder from measured average power levels in the reverberation chamber by using Hill's formulas, and these are compared with the computed results.


One of the most intriguing questions in current ecology is the extent to which the ecological niches of species are conserved in space and time. Niche conservatism has mostly been studied using coarse-scale data of species' distributions, although it is at the local habitat scales where species' responses to ecological variables primarily take place. We investigated the extent to which niches of aquatic macrophytes are conserved among four study regions (i.e. Finland, Sweden and the US states of Minnesota and Wisconsin) on two continents (i.e. Europe and North America) using data for 11 species common to all the four study areas. We studied how ecological variables (i.e. local, climate and spatial variables) explain variation in the distributions of these common species in the four areas using species distribution modelling. In addition, we examined whether species' niche parameters vary among the study regions. Our results revealed large variation in both species' responses to the studied ecological variables and in species' niche parameters among the areas. We found little evidence for niche conservatism in aquatic macrophytes, though local environmental conditions among the studied areas were largely similar. This suggests that niche shifts, rather than different environmental conditions, were responsible for variable responses of aquatic macrophytes to local ecological variables. Local habitat niches of aquatic macrophytes are mainly driven by variations in local environmental conditions, whereas their climate niches are more or less conserved among regions. This highlights the need to study niche conservatism using local-scale data to better understand whether species' niches are conserved, because different niches (e.g. local versus climate) operating at various scales may show different degrees of conservatism. The extent to which species' niches are truly conserved has wide practical implications, including for instance, predicting changes in species' distributions in response to global change.


Combining both the Western perspective of creativity as productivity and the Eastern perspective of creativity as enlightenment, a Program for Enlightened and Productive Creativity (PEPC) for teaching inquiry was devised. The PEPC describes stages through which a student is guided to solve a problem using increasingly complex observation, inquiry, and experimentation. The use of this model in teaching is illustrated through a physics lesson of moire patterns using overlapping patterns found in our everyday life. A case is made that PEPC can be applied to teaching general students, as well as gifted students, and in different content areas.


Multi-addressable photophysical properties of new synthesized photochromic materials based on photochromic dihydroindolizine system (DHI) covalently linked to N-acyl-11 aminoundecanoic acid (AUDA) or to its sodium salt or to its ester, through an amidic or urethane linkage have been studied. The DHI skeleton in these compounds is substituted in both the fluorene part (region A) or in the heterocyclic base (region B) with the gelling moieties. These molecules have been designed to respond to their environment. Interestingly, they are shown to act as efficient gelators for polar organic fluids, water and obviously they exhibit a thermosensitive answer as low molecular mass organogelators. In these fluids, the aggregative properties are totally suppressed upon conversion to neutral carboxylic species. The gels of these carboxylate sodium salts are shown to be markedly affected by light irradiation. Supramolecular gelating assemblies can be disrupted by the photoinduced ring opening of the DHI subunit, so that the macroscopic flowing property is recovered. Upon a further thermal treatment, the system is reversibly converted back to the supramolecular network. Controlled gelation could be achieved using temperature, light, or acidity as external stimuli. These new synthesized photochromic gels with their multi-addressable properties will find their applications as super photoresponsive materials. Developing and tuning of the photophysical properties of the synthesized compounds by the amide and urethane substituents in the 4-position of the fluorene and pyridazine regions have been achieved. The absorption maxima (λmax) and the half-lives (t1/2) of the colored betaines were detected in all cases using UV/VIS spectrophotometric measurements. Irradiation of DHI 12-20 in CH2Cl2 or in acetonitrile solutions at ambient temperature with polychromatic light leads to the formation of red to red-violet colored betaines 12′-20′. The kinetics of the bleaching process of betaines 12′-20′ to DHIs 12-20 were found to take place in the second range (96-218 s) and fit well the first order thermal back reaction. Some of these DHIs showed a photostability higher than that of the standard one. These interesting photophysical properties will help this family of compounds to find useful applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Adenosine analogues have been used by subarachnoid injection for the treatment of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. There are no data on the use of adenosine in peripheral nerve blocks. The aim of the present study was to determine the analgesic efficacy of adenosine in combination with a local anaesthetic solution for brachial plexus (BP) block. With local ethics committee approval, 50 consenting adult patients undergoing upper limb surgery were enrolled in this double-blind, prospective, randomized study. Patients with a history of bronchospastic disease were excluded. Patients were instructed not to take theophylline-containing drugs and beverages for at least one day before surgery or on the first postoperative day. A supraclavicular BP block was performed by injecting a mixture totalling 35 ml made up of prilocaine 1% 10 ml and lignocaine 2% 20 ml with adrenaline 1:200 000, and adenosine 10 mg in 5 ml saline (Group 1) or 5 ml saline (Group 2) as a placebo control group. Postoperative analgesia was assessed by time to first rescue analgesia, analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours, and VAS at rest at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours. Side-effects were also noted. Vital signs were stable in both groups throughout the operation. There were no significant differences between the groups in onset of motor and sensory block. Time to first pain sensation from block was not significantly longer in the adenosine group (379±336 min) compared with controls (304±249 min, mean±SD, P=0.14). Time to first analgesic requirements and analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours were also similar in both study groups. In the present study, the addition of adenosine to local anaesthetic in brachial plexus block did not significantly extend the duration of analgesia.


The labeling problem of dynamic XML documents has been a hot search topic. In this paper, we propose a new labeling scheme LSVP. Each node is assigned a unique vector label which supports the representation of the ancestor-descendant relationships and sibling relationships between nodes. One floating-point corresponds to a vector based on Polar coordinate system (while two in Cartesian coordinates). Meanwhile, the problem of floating-point is resolved in our scheme. Hence, LSVP can completely avoid re-labeling and its memory cost is low.


We present a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) for the entire Po Plain sedimentary basin (Italy)—one of the widest Quaternary alluvial basins of Europe, to evaluate the impact of site-response characterization on hazard estimates. A large-scale application of approach 3 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to include seismic amplification in the hazard is presented. Both 1D amplification related to stratigraphic conditions and 3D amplification due to basin effects are considered with the associated uncertainties, and their impact on the hazard is analyzed through a sensitivity analysis. Whereas 3D basin effects are considered through the application of an empirical, spatial invariant correction term, 1D amplification was estimated throughout the study area by means of dynamic (equivalent linear) ground-response analysis. To separate aleatory variabilities and epistemic uncertainties related to site response, a partially nonergodic approach is used. The results provide a finer picture of the actual seismic hazard, highlighting those areas where the ground motion is affected by amplification effects due to local or regional geological features. We found that, for a return period of 475 yr, neglecting basin effects produces a 30% underestimation of the seismic hazard in the long-period (>1 s) range. Moreover, with reference to the hazard model adopted, such effects are responsible for most of the epistemic uncertainty (up to 80%) in the results. Therefore, such effects deserve special attention in future research related to PSHA in the Po Plain sedimentary basin.


Activities in the construction sector are assumed to be influenced by inflow of mortgage funding in the private housing sector and public finances targeted at large infrastructure projects, apart from climate variables. In this study, we modeled seasonal time series representing monthly output in the Czech construction sector in CZK mil. during 2000:1 through 2016 : 12 (T = 204) adjusted for calendar variations and seasonal movements via TRAMO‑SEATS and then transformed to natural logarithms of gross returns. A Markov‑Switching model with two states, no intercept, average monthly temperature, average monthly precipitation and parameters of first‑order autoregression process was specified and estimated by the Expectation‑Maximization. In State 1 of regular performance, the log‑differenced returns were significantly and positively influenced by precipitation levels, but not by ambient outdoor temperature. In State 2 of non‑standard operation of the construction sector, the transformed series was unaffected by precipitation levels, but instead by ambient outdoor temperatures. First‑order autocorrelation dependency in both regimes was established. Changes in legal and macroeconomic environment pertinent to tax law amendments affecting VAT or corporate tax, country's accession to EU or large construction project deadlines were shown to induce nonstandard regime in the construction sector (State 2). The model classified 91 % observations in the first state, while only 9 % data belonged to the State 2. Transition probability matrix indicates that change from model State 1 to State 2 is difficult to attain. At the same time, once State 2 was established, it tends to persist or change to State 1 with near equal probability. Ability of the Markov‑Switching model to identify both states is reasonably good.


In this work, EuF3 and NaYF4 nanocrystals were prepared by liquid-solution-solid (LSS) method respectively, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images revealed that the as-prepared NaYF4 nanocrystals were monodisperse nanoparticles with the size about 30 nm; while the as-prepared EuF3 were polydisperse nanoparticles with the size of 5~20 nm. And they were used to prepare a series of novel ternary complex hydrogels of EuF3-NaYF4 nanocrystals/poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm) by free radical polymerization. In a typical synthesis, 2 mg the as-prepared EuF3 and NaYF4 nanocrystals, 201.6 mg reactants of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAm), N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) and azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) (mNIPAm∶mBIS∶mAIBN=200/0.2/1.4) and 4 mL CHCl3 were mixed and added into a 10 mL sealing tube. The tube was placed into an ultrasonic oscillator for about 10 min to obtain a uniform mixture, and then oxygen was removed by bubbling N2 and successfully exerting vacuum on the tube for about 5 min. After the operation was repeated three times, the tube was sealed and kept at 60 °C for 3 h. After that, the crude complex hydrogels were synthesized. Finally, the crude hydrogels were immersed into deionized water to remove the remained monomers and impurities. The total time of soaking was about 7 d, and the deionized water was replaced every 10 h. Following the above procedure, all of the mentioned EuF3-NaYF4/PNIPAm complex hydrogels were obtained. The structure and fluorescent properties of the complex hydrogels were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), photoluminescence (PL), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD). And the thermosensitive fluorescent behavior of the complex hydrogels was investigated and the mechanism was discussed in detail. The results suggested that, in the PNIPAm hydrogel matrix, energy can be transferred between the bulk doped EuF3 nanocrystals and NaYF4 nanocrystals. Either the relative content of two kinds of nanocrystals or the ambient temperature plays an important role in the thermosensitive fluorescent behavior of the complex hydrogels.


Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) progresses from prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia through locally invasive adenocarcinoma to castration resistant (CR) metastatic carcinoma. Although radical prostatectomy, radiation and androgen ablation are effective therapies for androgen-dependent (AD) PCa, metastatic CR-PCa is a major complication with high mortality. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a heterogeneous cell population of the tumor microenvironment that play important enabling roles in cancer development and progression. The mechanism resonsible for myofibroblast activation within the tumor microenvironment are not entirely clear and can be cancer-specific and heterogeneous.

Methods: We used the Myc-CaP translpantable model of AD-PCa and the spontaneous mouse PCa model, TRAMP and we examinated how androgen ablation leads to induction of CXCL13 expression, which is critical for recruitment of B cells into tumor remnants and accellerate evolution of CR-PCa. We confirmed our data using human specimens of PCa.

Results: Following castration, many myofibroblasts were present within the tumors remnants, which expressed CXCL13. Ablation of myofibroblasts led to a marked reduction in the infiltration of T, B and dendritic cells into the tumor remnants after the castration, reduced the expression of several chemokines, including CXCL13 and also delayed the re-growth of CR-PCa.

We also found that androgen ablation led to increased expression of TGF-β in the tumor remnants. Inhibition of TGF-β signaling prevented activation of myofibroblasts, infiltration of B cells, induction of CXCL13 expressing myofibroblasts and also delayed the re-growth of CR-PCa. The main source of TGF-β in PCa tumors after castration appeared to be the fibroblast fraction.

After castration, hypoxic areas appeared along with nuclear translocation of HIF-1α. Exposure of inactivated fibroblasts isolated from PCa tumors of non-castrated mice under hypoxic condition induced the expression of CTGF and TGF-β, which was HIF-1α dependent, and converted the fibroblasts into myofibroblasts.

Conclusions: Our data show for the first time that androgen ablation led to hypoxia-induced myofibroblast activation, which is the cell type in the tumor stroma that recruits tumor-infiltrating B cells that allow the re-growth of CR-PCa through the production of lymphotoxin and IKKα nuclear translocation in the prostate epithelial cells.

This abstract is also presented as Poster A75.

Citation Format: Massimo Ammirante, Youngjin Kang, Michael Karin. Myofibroblasts activated upon tissue injury and hypoxia promote development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology: Multidisciplinary Science Driving Basic and Clinical Advances; Dec 2-5, 2012; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PR3.


We interact socially and form bonds with others because such experiences are rewarding. However, an insecure attachment style or social anxiety can reduce these rewarding effects. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may facilitate social interactions either by increasing their rewarding experience or by attenuating anxiety, although effects can be sex- and attachment-style dependent. In this study, 64 pairs of same-sex friends completed a social sharing paradigm in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design with one friend inside an MRI scanner and the other in a remote behavioral testing room. In this way we could examine whether intranasal-OXT differentially modulated the emotional impact of social sharing and associated neural processing. Additionally, we investigated if OXT effects were modulated by sex and attachment style. Results showed that in women, but not men, OXT increased ratings for sharing stimuli with their friend but not with a stranger, particularly in the friend in the scanner. Corresponding neuroimaging results showed that OXT decreased both amygdala and insula activity as well as their functional connectivity in women when they shared with friends but had the opposite effect in men. On the other hand, OXT did not enhance responses in brain reward circuitry. In the PLC treated group amygdala responses in women when they shared pictures with their friend were positively associated with attachment anxiety and OXT uncoupled this. Our findings demonstrate that OXT facilitates the impact of sharing positive experiences with others in women, but not men, and that this is associated with differential effects on the amygdala and insula and their functional connections. Furthermore, OXT particularly reduced increased amygdala responses during sharing in individuals with higher attachment anxiety. Thus, OXT effects in this context may be due more to reduced anxiety when sharing with a friend than to enhanced social reward.


In HMM-based speech synthesis, we usually use complex, context dependent models to characterize prosodically and linguistically rich speech units. It is therefore difficult to prepare training data which can cover all combinatorial possibilities of contexts. A common approach to cope with this insufficient training data problem is to build a clustered tree via the MDL criterion. However, an MDL-based tree still tends to be inadequate in its power to predict unseen data. In this paper, we adopt the cross-validation principle to build such a decision tree to minimize the generation error of unseen contexts. An efficient training algorithm is implemented by exploiting the sufficient statistics. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve better speech synthesis results, both objectively and subjectively, than the baseline results of the MDL-based decision tree.


Abstract Background: Revised guidelines for depression recommend a stepped care approach. Little is known about the implementation of the stepped care model by general practitioners (GPs) in daily practice. Objectives: To evaluate the performance of Dutch GPs in their general practice regarding important elements of the stepped care model (identification, severity assessment and stepped care treatment allocation) shortly before the revised Dutch multidisciplinary guideline for Depressive Disorders was published. Methods: Data was collected through a self-report questionnaire sent to 500 randomly selected GPs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate whether GP-related characteristics were associated with GPs' self-reported performance. Results: The study involved 194 GPs (response rate: 39%). Responses indicated that 37% paid systematic attention to depression identification, 33% used a screening instrument, and 63% determined the severity of newly diagnosed depression, generally without using an instrument. Most GPs (72%) indicated to allocate stepped care treatment to the majority of their patients newly diagnosed with depression. However, more than 40% indicated to start with antidepressants, either alone or in combination with psychotherapy. Assessing the severity of newly diagnosed depression and clinical experience were positively associated with allocating stepped care treatment. Structural collaboration with mental health professionals was positively associated with assessing severity. Conclusion: Delivering stepped care for depression in daily general practice could be further improved. Collaboration with mental health professionals and routine severity assessment of diagnosed depression are positively associated with allocating stepped care.


Community detection is key to understand the structure of complex networks. However, the lack of appropriate evaluation strategies for this specific task may produce biased and incorrect results that might invalidate further analyses or applications based on such networks. In this context, the main contribution of this paper is an approach that supports a robust quality evaluation when detecting communities in real-world networks. In our approach, we use multiple strategies that capture distinct aspects of the communities. The conclusion on the quality of these communities is based on the consensus among the strategies adopted for the structural evaluation, as well as on the comparison with communities detected by different methods and with their existing ground truths. In this way, our approach allows one to overcome biases in network data, detection algorithms and evaluation metrics, thus providing more consistente conclusions about the quality of the detected communities. Experiments conducted with several real and synthetic networks provided results that show the effectiveness of our approach.


At least 8% of the human genome was formed by integration of retroviral DNA sequences. These sequences are remnants of ancient infections that have accumulated mutations over millions of years. Although human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) were previously thought to be inactive, they are now emerging as potential contributors of autoimmune diseases. Environmental and epigenetic factors have been shown to activate the expression of HERVs in pathological conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE is a poorly understood non-organ specific autoimmune disease lacking diagnostic criteria and curative treatments. It has been suggested that an unfortunate interplay of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors play an important role in generating an abnormal autoimmune response in SLE patients. HERVs have been proposed to be the bridge linking environmental factors to the pathogenesis of SLE. However, no clear mechanisms of causation have been identified in this association. This review outlines the key HERVs implicated in SLE, the factors that influence their activation and the proposed mechanisms utilized by HERVs in the etiopathogenesis of SLE. In addition, I investigate the potential of exosomes in playing a role in HERV-mediated stimulation of the immune system that in turn may contribute to activation and progression of SLE. The characterization of exosomal cargo will allow the identification of HERV products or sequences that may be transmitting intercellular signals involved in the immune dysregulation of SLE. Elucidating this association between HERVs and SLE may facilitate the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools to combat this debilitating multi-system disease.


Amphiphilic conetwork (APCN) gels suffer from lack of direct injectability due to use of organic solvent, prolonged crosslinking/polymerization process and immiscibility between hydrophilic and hydrophobic prepolymers. On the basis of prepolymers compatibility and polarity, we report the use of an advanced prepolymer liquid system for in situ construction of APCN gels. Solid elastic poly(ethylene glycol)-linked-poly(ε-caprolactone)-linked-poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl)methacrylate (PEG-l-PCL-l-PDMA) APCN gels were formed upon addition of an appropriate amount of PDMA diluted in nonreactive sacrificial liquid PEG into a compatible blend of activated halide terminated PEG and PCL liquids. Compatibility among the prepolymers allowed favorable gelation. The polarity of the prepolymer liquid greatly influenced the gelation time. PEG-l-PCL-l-PDMA APCN gels were cytocompatible/biodegradable and showed storage modulus in the range of 50-200 kPa and bioadhesive strength of 40-90 kPa. The fluorescence experiments showed that the hydrophobic probe, pyrene was distributed in both hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases of the APCN gels. These APCNs exhibited sustained release of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. Effects of polarity, composition, and molecular weight of the liquid prepolymers on the gelation time, rheological property, and swelling behavior of the APCN gels have been investigated in details.


A multiple regression was performed on 37 years of data to determine the impact of raising the tobacco tax on cigarettes by $.24 per pack on cigarette sales in Mississippi. The t-statistic for the slope was significant at the .05 critical alpha level, t(29) =1.69 and p=.05. Thus, we conclude that there is a positive significant relationship between taxes and sales volume. Further, about 91 of the variability in sales volume could be explained by the demand model.


We report a case of disease-free survival with low-dose of uracil-tegafur (UFT) after reaction of hepatic and pulmonary metastases from rectal cancer. A 58-year-old male had a medical history of low anterior resection of the rectal cancer. Hepatic and pulmonary metastases developed 3 years and 3 months after the primary operation. Image studies including computed tomography, ultrasonography, and angiography showed multiple metastases in the liver and lung. Two surgeries were performed to resect all of them, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with low-dose UFT due to relatively low platelet counts. After surgery, the patient has been well without any sign of recurrence or elevation of tumor markers for 2 years and 10 months. This case indicated the usefulness of surgical resection of hepatic and pulmonary metastases, followed by low-dose adjuvant chemotherapy.


We report a novel anhydride derivative, 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoic anhydride (AMA), obtained from the interaction of 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoyl chloride with 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoic acid. The synthesized compound was characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopic studies and single-crystal X-ray crystallography which revealed the crystallization of AMA as monoclinic with space group P21/c. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed to record various intermolecular interactions, indicating the stabilization of the AMA structure by the intermolecular weak C–H···O hydrogen bonds and π···π interactions. The title compound was screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities using a serial dilution technique under aseptic conditions. The results indicate that the title compound has significant antibacterial properties but showed no antifungal behavior.


Floral trait differences between related species may play a key role in reproductive isolation imposed by pollinators. Volatile emissions can influence pollinator choice, but how they act in combination with traits such as flower orientation is rarely studied. We compared flower-opening patterns, morphology, colour, orientation and volatile emissions for two closely related species of Zaluzianskya and their natural hybrids. Hawkmoth pollinators were tested for preference between flowers of the two species, and between flowers with manipulations of volatiles or orientation. Flowers of Z. natalensis and Z. microsiphon open at night and day, respectively, but they overlap during early evening, when hawkmoths showed a strong preference for Z. natalensis. The species have similar flower size and colour, but Z. natalensis emits more floral volatiles in the evening and presents flowers vertically face-up as opposed to horizontally in Z. microsiphon, whereas natural hybrids are intermediate. Adding methyl benzoate and linalool to flowers of Z. microsiphon did not increase hawkmoth attraction, but re-orientation of flowers to face vertically increased attraction when scent cues were present, whereas re-orientation of Z. natalensis flowers to face horizontally decreased attraction. This study highlights the importance of flower orientation in imposing reproductive isolation.


Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious Gram-negative bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of pneumonic tularemia. We recently demonstrated inhibition of F. tularensis LVS replication in macrophages via mast cell production of interleukin-4 (IL-4). We have further analyzed the interactions of mast cells and macrophages using a primary bone marrow derived mast cell-macrophage co-culture system and determined that mast cells inhibit F. tularensis-induced macrophage apoptosis. Specifically, mast cells co-cultured with macrophages significantly reduced intramacrophage LVS growth and expression of apoptotic proteins caspase-3 (19.9%) and PARP (Poly-ADP ribose polymerase, 16.0%) compared to macrophages cultured alone (48.2% and 56.4%, respectively). The inhibition of LVS-induced apoptosis within infected macrophages also was seen by the direct addition of recombinant IL-4 and corresponded with up-regulation of mannose receptor expression and arginase activity which are associated with the alternative activation of macrophages. Moreover, IL4R-/- mice were more susceptible to intranasal challenge and exhibited greater caspase-3 activity in lung macrophages (12.9%) compared to similarly challenged wild-type (4.7%) animals. These results support a role for mast cells and IL-4 in control of bacterial replication and apoptosis following pulmonary LVS infection.
 National Institutes of Health grant PO1 AI057986; NIH/NIGMS MBRS-RISE GM60655


Previous scholars have recognized the critical role of supervisors in stimulating employee innovative behavior, although it is still unclear whether and how supervisor developmental feedback impacts employee innovative behavior. To resolve this issue, the present study develops and verifies a moderated mediation model to explore the positive influence of supervisor developmental feedback on employee innovative behavior via creative self-efficacy, as well as the moderating role of a supervisor's organizational embodiment in this process. Analyses of the multi-time data from 375 employees indicate that supervisor developmental feedback is positively associated with employee innovative behavior via his/her creative self-efficacy. Moreover, a supervisor's organizational embodiment moderates the influence of supervisor developmental feedback on employee creative self-efficacy and the mediating role of creative self-efficacy. From these analyses, the present study not only further develops several views of pervious research in the field of supervisor feedback and employee innovation, but also provides a potential managerial way to promote employee innovative behavior from the perspective of supervisor feedback.


Likelihood ratio statistics for (i) testing the homogeneity of a collection of multinomial parameters against the alternative which accounts for the restriction that those parameters are starshaped (cf. Shaked, Ann. Statist. (1979)), and for (ii) testing the null hypothesis that this parameter vector is starshaped, are considered. For both tests the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic under the null hypothesis is a version of the chi-bar-square distribution. Analogous tests on a collection of Poisson means are also found to have asymptotic chi-bar-square distributions. AMS 1970 Subject Classifications: Primary 62F05 Secondary 62E15


The future aeronautical network will be based on IPv6 and the services over the aeronautical network will be classified into 3 domains: Air Traffic Services (ATS), Airline Operational Services (AOS) and Passenger Information and Entertainment Services (PIES), among which the ATS and AOS domains are important for aircraft safety and airline business operation. Some schemes have been proposed to provide IP mobility support for aeronautical network, and Network Mobility (NEMO) scheme is the most promising one. However, using NEMO technology will lead to sub-optimal routing, so route optimization technology is highly desired for NEMO. A route optimization scheme is proposed for the ATS and AOS domains, which introduces the Correspondent Routers to realize the optimal routing and employs an improved procedure to reduce the handoff delay. The route optimization for the PIES domain is also discussed to provide better performance for some special scenarios.


This paper, entitled ICT Trust, Security & Dependability Research strategy beyond 2010, will describe the final outputs of the IST SecurIST [1] project, whose objective was to create a clear European level strategy to drive ICT Security and Dependability research beyond 2010. The focus in the paper is on short to medium (up to 3 years) to long-term objectives (~3-10 years). This paper will develop the context of the project, the approach taken, research strategy, setting its objectives and results with reference of various inputs and outputs from a large constituency involved in ICT Trust, Security and Dependability areas that was ultimately co-ordinated by the SecurIST project.


This note brings together a number of problems that are usually considered separately but which seem to have a common root in neglect of, or avoidance of, systems thinking. The note begins by reviewing a number of studies from which seriously misleading conclusions have been drawn because they uncritically adopted the perspective of reductionist science and failed to document outcomes to which attention might have been drawn had the authors set the problem in a systems context. It is argued that the quality of a scientific study depends more on its comprehensiveness than on the accuracy with which a particular outcome has been assessed. Next considered are the effects of the widespread failure to study the systems processes which lie behind, and determine, even elaborate, observed relationships. The article then moves on to note that the tendency to introduce what are essentially single-factor changes in social policy without considering their multiple unintended, and often counterintuitive, effects is not only deeply disturbing but actually destructive. Several examples are given. But how could things be otherwise given our hierarchical governance structures wherein centralised and over-loaded "decision takers" are required to govern by decree? This suggests that the most important area in which systems thinking has been neglected has been in relation to our system of governance itself. Unfortunately, these errors and oversights appear to be only one side of the problem since the tendency to avoid complex systems thinking and generate simplistic codes and regulations seems to be linked to a belief that one has a right to forcefully impose on others activities which one believes to be good and right without much regard for the consequences for the individuals concerned or the wider society. Such a world view can perhaps most accurately be described as fascist. That having been said, it is obvious that the tendency to behave in this way is pervasive and finds expression in a widespread tendency to prescribe what others must, or may not, do, think, see, or say. The article concludes by noting what seem to be a number of other traits disturbingly linked to this predisposition.


Objective: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a technique to measure electrical properties of tissue. With the progress of modern integrated circuits and microchips, EIT instrumentation becomes an active research area to improve all aspects of device performance. Plenty of studies on EIT hardware have been presented in prestigious journals. This study explores publications on EIT hardware to identify the developing hotspots and trends. Method: Publications covering EIT hardware on the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 1989 to 2021 were collected for bibliometric analysis. CiteSpace and VOS viewer were used to study the characteristics of the publications. Main results: A total of 592 publications were analyzed, showing that the number of annual publications steadily increased. China, England, and South Korea were the most prolific countries on EIT hardware publications with productive native institutions and authors. Research topics spread out in "bio-electrical impedance imaging", "hardware optimization", "algorithms" and "clinical applications" (e.g., tissue, lung, brain, and oncology). Hardware research in "pulmonary" and "hemodynamic" applications focused on monitoring and were represented by silhouette recognition and dynamic imaging while research in "tumor and tissue" and "brain" applications focused on diagnosis and were represented by optimization of precision. Electrode development was a research focus through the years. Imaging precision and bioavailability of hardware optimization may be the future trend. Conclusion: Overall, system performance, particularly in the areas of system bandwidth and precision in applications may be the future directions of hardware research.


E-commerce has been playing the biggest role of furthest reaches of the economy business. E-commerce, in the popular sense, is a business transaction such as selling electronic network or internet. But we can all agree that, logistic take a crucial part of e-commerce. The objectives of this paper is to define which logistic strategy should have used in e-commerce in Indonesia (Shopee and Lazada). A differentiation of logistic strategy based on service enhancement can offer competitive advantage. Keywords: e-commerce, logistic strategy


The aim of this study is to develop an Augmented Reality application with marker-based tracking that use for Canang education. This application was developed with waterfall model. Data collection technique that I use in this study is surveys, interview and literature review. This application can pop up information about types of Canang, when you use that types, and an example picture of the Canang. This application use vuforia software development kit (SDK) for combine the reality object and virtual object use for smartphone with QR Code. The design for information and example picture of Canang is built in Adobe Illustrator and made to Augmented Reality in Unity. Method that use in this study is Marker Based Tracking which identifies marker patterns. This application applies multi-target marker-based Augmented Reality so that each type of Canang information is stored and ran on different markers. This application can be medium for education about Canang in general for Hindusm teen.


Composite cathode material xLiFePO4·yLi3V2(PO4)3 was obtained from wet chemical reduction and lithiation method by using FePO4·xH2O, V2O5, NH4H2PO4, Li2CO3 as raw materials and oxalic acid as reductant. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the composite material contained olivine LiFePO4 and monoclinic Li3V2(PO4)3 phases. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDAX) results indicated that some LiFePO4 and Li3V2(PO4)3 in the composite material were doped by V and Fe, respectively, and formed a solid solution. The valences of Fe and V doping in Li3V2(PO4)3 and LiFePO4 are +2 and +3, respectively. Charge and discharge tests showed that the synthesized composite material exhibited better electrochemical performance than individual LiFePO4 and Li3V2(PO4)3. Cyclic voltammetry indicated the composite material showing good lithium ions extraction/insertion property.


Identifying species with lower-than-expected cancer prevalence can help establish new models for understanding cancer resistance. Most studies of cancer prevalence have focused on mammals. Yet, other vertebrate groups vary tremendously in genetics, physiology, and ecology, which can all influence mechanisms of cancer resistance and may hold new keys to understanding cancer biology. Here, we present data on cancer prevalence in tetrapods, which includes all major vertebrate groups except fish, using necropsies from over a thousand different species. We investigated cancer prevalence within and among amphibians, birds, crocodilians, mammals, squamates, and turtles in relationship to body mass and lifespan. We are the first to (1) analyze non-avian reptile groups separately, (2) conduct statistical analyses appropriate for this type of discontinuous data, (3) more accurately use raw cancer occurrence data instead of species averages, and (4) look at how data resampling influences the robustness of results. We found remarkably low cancer prevalence in turtles and high prevalence in squamates and mammals. In contrast to previous studies, lifespan in mammals was negatively associated with neoplasia but positively associated with malignancy. We recovered the same results by reanalyzing data from these previous studies with our statistical approach. We also found that neoplasia prevalence was positively associated with body mass in amphibians and squamates. Overall, our results demonstrate a clear relationship between life history and neoplasia in most tetrapod groups. Our findings also indicate that choice of analytical methods is critical when examining cancer prevalence data. Finally, the exceptionally low cancer prevalence in turtles and extensive variation in cancer prevalence among tetrapod families hold particular promise for identifying species with novel mechanisms of cancer resistance.


The after-effect function, F(t), or magnetization decay of a ferrofluid sample may be determined from frequency-dependent complex relative magnetic susceptibility data of the sample. Here we report on the effect that two distribution functions, namely the magnetic analogues of the Cole-Cole and Frohlich distribution functions, have on the after-effect function of three ferrofluid samples. The samples chosen were those for which good alternating current susceptibility data, chi '( omega ) and xi ( omega ), were available, namely in the lower frequency range in which the frequency of the maximum of xi "( omega ), fmax, is indicative of the presence of aggregates. However, because of a lack of knowledge of the sizes of these aggregates it was not possible to generate a distribution function. By fitting the Cole-Cole and Frohlich distribution functions to the susceptibility data it is shown that the after-effect function is very sensitive to the distribution used, illustrating the difficulty of determining accurate after-effect functions without an adequate knowledge of the distribution function. It is shown that, in all cases, the use of the Frohlich distribution function results in a decay function with the fastest initial rate of decay.


Abstract This research explores the attractiveness and innovation of shopping tourism in the Gaudí neighbourhood in Barcelona, Spain, along with the potential for augmented reality (AR) experiences, as well as the impact of visitors' tolerance of technologies. An online survey detected outcomes and offered insights for enrichment similar tourism areas using AR. The findings are positive, demonstrating significant funding for making use of augmented reality initiatives. This investigation confirms the strength of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) within the framework of innovative use in a touristic neighbourhood. The study, thus, supports the current use and expansion of the TAM hypothesis by focusing on the less studied shopping tourist's context. The outcomes provide recommendations for the design of AR projects for segmented tourism experiences, comprising the importance of making AR tourism experiences more enjoyable, pleasant, and exciting, and this research demonstrates that AR practices can enhance tourists' perceived value. By examining the data collected from 415 tourists in the Gaudí neighbourhood who were willing to enjoy shopping experiences, the outcomes illustrate a correlation between AR tourism experiences and perceived value. Hence, this validated that AR acceptance enables the connection between tourists' perceived value of the Gaudí neighbourhood and AR technology's usability.


Any substantial move of energy sources from fossil fuels to renewable resources requires large scale storage of excess energy, for example, via power to fuel processes. In this respect electrochemical reduction of CO2 may become very important, since it offers a method of sustainable CO production, which is a crucial prerequisite for synthesis of sustainable fuels. Carbon dioxide reduction in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) is particularly promising owing to the high operating temperature, which leads to both improved thermodynamics and fast kinetics. Additionally, compared to purely chemical CO formation on oxide catalysts, SOECs have the outstanding advantage that the catalytically active oxygen vacancies are continuously formed at the counter electrode, and move to the working electrode where they reactivate the oxide surface without the need of a preceding chemical (e.g., by H2) or thermal reduction step. In the present work, the surface chemistry of (La,Sr)FeO3−δ and (La,Sr)CrO3−δ based perovskite-type electrodes was studied during electrochemical CO2 reduction by means of near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) at SOEC operating temperatures. These measurements revealed the formation of a carbonate intermediate, which develops on the oxide surface only upon cathodic polarization (i.e., under sufficiently reducing conditions). The amount of this adsorbate increases with increasing oxygen vacancy concentration of the electrode material, thus suggesting vacant oxygen lattice sites as the predominant adsorption sites for carbon dioxide. The correlation of carbonate coverage and cathodic polarization indicates that an electron transfer is required to form the carbonate and thus to activate CO2 on the oxide surface. The results also suggest that acceptor doped oxides with high electron concentration and high oxygen vacancy concentration may be particularly suited for CO2 reduction. In contrast to water splitting, the CO2 electrolysis reaction was not significantly affected by metallic particles, which were exsolved from the perovskite electrodes upon cathodic polarization. Carbon formation on the electrode surface was only observed under very strong cathodic conditions, and the carbon could be easily removed by retracting the applied voltage without damaging the electrode, which is particularly promising from an application point of view.


Recent computational studies of two‐phase flow suggest that the role of fluid‐fluid interfaces should be explicitly included in the capillarity equation as well as equations of motion of phases. The aim of this study has been to perform experiments where transient movement of interfaces can be monitored and to determine interfacial variables and quantities under transient conditions. We have performed two‐phase flow experiments in a transparent micromodel. Specific interfacial area is defined, and calculated from experimental data, as the ratio of the total area of interfaces between two phases per unit volume of the porous medium. Recent studies have shown that all drainage and imbibition data points for capillary pressure, saturation, and specific interfacial area fall on a unique surface. But, up to now, almost all micromodel studies of two‐phase flow have dealt with quasi‐static or steady state flow conditions. Thus, only equilibrium properties have been studied. We present the first study of two‐phase flow in an elongated PDMS micromodel under transient conditions with high temporal and spatial resolutions. We have established that different relationships between capillary pressure, saturation, and specific interfacial area are obtained under steady state and transient conditions. The difference between the surfaces depends on the capillary number. Furthermore, we use our experimental results to obtain average (macroscale) velocity of fluid‐fluid interfaces and the rate of change of specific interfacial area as a function of time and space. Both terms depend on saturation nonlinearly but show a linear dependence on the rate of change of saturation. We also determine macroscale material coefficients that appear in the equation of motion of fluid‐fluid interfaces. This is the first time that these parameters are determined experimentally.


Latest statistics would indicate that the policy related to Building Information Modelling BIM implementation is working, with awareness and usage figures for both the UK and Ireland going over the 50% mark for the first time. However, whilst these results are positive, there is a realisation that there is still a distance to travel before BIM use could be considered comprehensive. This would suggest that there is still a need for a greater number of case studies to promote collaborative working practices, the BIM process and the benefits and challenges associated with its use. This paper intends to assist in this regard by documenting the outcomes from a 48-hour BIM competition in which the authors participated. Although the project was hypothetical, it allowed for collaborative working via a cloud based platform, simulating real world practice and many of the working methods required to deliver BIM Level 2. The paper will focus on providing critical analysis of the challenges faced and the lessons to be learnt from the implementation of BIM processes on this project.


The paper describes quality/price equilibrium and welfare effects of R&D spillovers when
firms are located around the circumference of a Salop circle, and the extent of the spillovers
may depend on the geographic proximity between firms. In particular, we show that an increase
in competition may have a positive effect on the provision of quality and firms?
profits. We also extend the model allowing a multinational enterprise to locate at the centre
of the circle. In this scenario it is important to understand the interplay of local R&D
spillovers with the spillovers that propagate from and to the centre.


Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) can improve memory and cognitive dysfunction in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), which has been proven in basic and clinical studies. Intervention of AD in preclinical stage is important to prevent progression of AD in the aging society. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that a close link exists between cerebrovascular dysfunction and AD disease. Here we investigated the changes of local cerebral blood microcirculation in preclinical AD mouse model after AtDCS based on the previous studies. Twenty-four 6-month-old male APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into three groups: a model group (AD), a model sham stimulation (ADST) group and a model stimulation group (ATD). Eight 6-month-old male C57 wild-type mice served as a control group (CTL). Mice in the ATD group received 10 AtDCS sessions. Two months after the end of AtDCS in the ATD group, the microcirculation parameters of the frontal cortex of the mice in each group, including cerebral blood flow (CBF), blood flow velocity (Velo), oxygen saturation (SO2) and relative hemoglobin content (rHb), were obtained by the non-invasive laser-Doppler spectrophotometry system "Oxygen-to-See (O2C)". The results showed that AtDCS increased CBF, Velo and SO2, and reduce rHb in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice at the preclinical stage of AD.Clinical Relevance—This shows the positive effect of AtDCS on preclinical AD in cerebrovascular function, and provides effective basic research facts for AtDCS to intervene and delay the clinical application of AD disease.


A 77−year−old woman was admitted be− cause she had been passing tarry stools for 1 week. She had a past medical history of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and uremia requiring dialysis. Following negative upper endoscopy and colonosco− py examinations, she underwent double− balloon enteroscopy. Several blood clots were found in the jejunum and a source of active bleeding was found after 2 hours examination (Figure 1). Injection therapy with a total of 3 ml of 1 in 10 000 epineph− rine in hypertonic saline resulted in in− itial hemostasis, but the bleeding recur− red 2 days later. The patient required sur− gical intervention, when segmental ec− chymosis of the intestine was observed, 280 cm from the ileocecal valve (Figure 2). The remaining small intestine was unre− markable. Subsequent histological exami− nation revealed ischemic necrosis, invol− ving only 1.5 cm of the resected intestine, which we believed corresponded with the injection site. The patient experienced no further bleeding over a 6−month period after the operation.


In this paper, a brief overview of neglect-tolerant humanrobot interaction is presented. Recent results of a neglecttolerance study are then summarized. The problem is then posed of how neglect tolerance affects how a human interacts with multiple robots, and a scenario is constructed that illustrates how multiple robot management can produce a problem with the form of a prisoner's dilemma. An abstraction of this prisoner's dilemma problem is then presented, and two robot learning algorithms are outlined that may address key points in this abstracted dilemma.


Reported at the National Science Teachers Association in April, 1972, in New York City, this investigation was designed to test the importance of pupil manipulation of science materials in the attainment of science process skills for kindergarten and third grade students. It has focused on a specific kind of learning task: acquisition of science process kill. Direct manipulation of materials by kindergarten children was determined to significantly increase their attainment of process skills. However, the attainment of science process skills by third grade children directly manioulating science materials was not significantly better than the attainment by children not manipulating these materials. It was concluded that the influence of direct, first-hand, manipulative experiences in the development of process skills may well be more important for the early primary grade child than for older children.


The authors implanted to a group of 10 patients incontinent after prostate surgery (on account of BPH and adenocarcinoma) an artificial AMS 800 sphincter. After a mean follow-up period of 29 months they evaluate based on a questionnaire the therapeutic effect and its influence on the patients quality of life as well as the adequacy of the approval procedure of indication on the part of the insurance company as it influences the quality of life. The effect of treatment and influence on quality of life is evaluated without exception very highly while the approval process is evaluated negatively. The authors draw attention to the risk of suicide in mentally otherwise sound subjects due to unsatisfactory solution of urinary incontinence. Correctly indicated treatment by an artificial sphincter can achieve very satisfactory results. The approval procedure must combine medical and rational aspects, it must be however revised, incl. the economic aspects of the system of health services.


Fasteners used for critical applications subsea represent a challenge in terms of material selection, quality control, traceability and documentation for manufacture and delivery to ensure adequate performance, integrity and avoidance of costly failures. The definition of critical subsea fasteners are both pressure containing and primary load bearing members, but may in a wider sense also include fasteners which may affect functionality of valves, equipment and instruments for safe, reliable and cost effective operation.The major failure mechanism experienced during the last decades is so-called hydrogen induced stress cracking (HISC) or hydrogen embrittlement (HE) primarily resulting from the hydrogen charging conditions of the cathodic protection (CP) system. The main bulk of fasteners used subsea is of low alloyed steel grade type (e.g. ASTM 320 Grade L7, L7M, L43 bolts with ASTM 194 Grade 4, 7M, 7 nuts) which relies on electrical continuity to the cathodic protection system to avoid sea water corrosion, but may be prone to HISC/HE if the fastener hardness and strength level exceed the specified and established limits. If higher strength materials are needed from design, either cold formed or precipitation hardened CRA's are usually selected (e.g. Grade 59, 660, 625, 686, 718, 725), but these may also be susceptible to HISC/HE depending on strength level and manufacturing practice.The present paper will give some field experience and typical examples of recent HISC failure case histories for low alloyed steel grades, but also for some CRA type of subsea fasteners. Furthermore, some in-house low alloyed steel grade (L7, L43) fastener HISC test results will be presented to indicate the robustness of today's hardness and strength level restrictions, and at which loading and pre-tension level a given strength grade may be prone to HISC failure. Finally, some experience from manufacturing stage as well as focus areas in materials specification, quality assurance / quality control and design will be discussed.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


This article examines the role of master narratives in self-narratives told by people with both mental health and drug problems. It is based on stories told by people who have both mental health and drug problems. However, their substance abuse has become their most dominant characteristic in their lives. The storytellers or the interviewees attempt to describe their background, their experience and what they call churning thoughts, while their stories are also infiltrated and dominated by master narratives about the drug abuser.


We investigate the polarization change of partially coherent electromagnetic vortex beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere. It is shown that the polarization of the beams will experience changes, and the changes of the polarization are dependent on the spatial coherence, topological charges of the beams, and the degree of polarization of the source plane and the atmospheric turbulence. The results obtained may have applications in space optical communication.


Ad hoc teamwork is the well-established research problem of designing agents that can collaborate with new teammates without prior coordination. This survey makes a two-fold contribution. First, it provides a structured description of the different facets of the ad hoc teamwork problem. Second, it discusses the progress that has been made in the field so far, and identifies the immediate and longterm open problems that need to be addressed in the field of ad hoc teamwork.