Perilla mint (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.) is an annual plant native to Asia and considered invasive in North America where it has escaped cultivation as an ornamental (Miller 1947; Swearingen et al. 2010). In August 2021, an anthracnose disease was observed on invasive perilla found along the disturbed margins of a forest in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Symptoms included necrotic lesions with chlorotic halos, were concentrated in the lower canopy, and caused premature defoliation of lower leaves (Figure S1). Leaves from four plants were surface sterilized by rinsing for 30 s in 70% ethanol, 60 s in 0.8% NaClO, and 60 s in sterile water and then incubated on 2% water agar under ambient laboratory conditions to permit sporulation. After three days, spores that exuded from individual lesions were streaked onto acidified potato dextrose agar. Two single-conidium isolates were recovered from each plant. All eight isolates were identified to species using DNA sequences. A single isolate (21-067) was selected at random for morphological characterization and completion of Koch's postulates. Morphological features were recorded after seven days of growth on synthetic low-nutrient agar (SNA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) incubated at 22°C under 12 hr UV-B and white fluorescent lighting. Measurements were based on a minimum of 20 observations per structure. Cultures on SNA were flat, hyaline to pale salmon, lacked sporodochia and grew at a rate of 1.3 mm day-1 (n = 3). Vegetative hyphal width was (minimum-maximum) 1.5-4.0 μm, (average ± standard deviation) 2.7 ± 0.9 μm. Conidiophores arose directly from hyphae, were hyaline, smooth, unbranched and measured 40.0-180.0 x 1.5-4.5 μm, 102.3 ± 33.9 x 2.7 ± 0.8 μm. Conidia were single celled, straight, hyaline, glabrous, rounded at both ends and measured 10.0-20.0 x 3.8-6.3 μm, 15.4 ± 2.5 x 4.9 ± 0.7 μm. Setae, observed only on PDA, were pale brown, 1-2 septate, straight, blunt tipped and measured 42.5-97.5 μm, 70.8 ± 13.4 μm. Appressoria formed on PDA were single-celled, pigmented, smooth, and obovoid with entire margins, measuring 5.2-7.7 x 8.6-13.8 μm, 6.8 ± 0.6 x 10.8 ± 1.4 μm. These characteristics were consistent with members of the Colletotrichum destructivum species complex. Partial DNA sequences from five loci were amplified following the procedures of Damm et al. 2014: internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1), actin (ACT), and beta-tubulin (TUB2). Pairwise sequence comparisons to references using the Blastn algorithm found 99.8% similarity between isolate 21-067 and ex-type C. shisoi isolate JCM 31818: MH660930 (ITS, 545/546 bp), MH660931 (GAPDH,192/192 bp), MH660929 (CHS-1, 278/280 bp), MH660928 (ACT, 262/262 bp), and MH660932 (TUB2, 511/511 bp) (Altschul et al. 1990; Gan et al. 2019). Subsequently, sequences from all eight isolates were aligned with Clustal Omega (Sievers and Higgins 2018), concatenated, and used in a Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction (Huelsenbeck and Ronquist 2001) of the C. destructivum species complex (Figure S2), confirming the species identity as C. shisoi. Sequences were deposited in NCBI GenBank under accession numbers OM865277-OM865284 and OM885059-OM885090. Koch's postulates were fulfilled using perilla grown in a greenhouse until second true leaves emerged. Inoculum washed from two-week-old fungal cultures grown on potato dextrose agar was adjusted to 4 x 104 conidia mL-1 and applied to three replicate plants with an aspirator until runoff. Three plants were sprayed with sterile water as a negative control. Plants were covered with plastic bags for 72 hrs and maintained in a growth chamber at 20°C and 80% RH for 14 days. Inoculated plants displayed disease symptoms similar to those observed under field conditions, and control plants did not develop symptoms. Colletotrichum shisoi was reisolated from symptomatic tissue and reidentified based on morphology. The experiment was completed twice. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of C. shisoi on P. frutescens in the United States. Colletotrichum shisoi has not been reported as a pathogen on other plants in the United States and may have potential use as a biological control agent for invasive perilla.


Osteoporosis diagnosis has attracted particular attention in recent decades. Textured images from the microarchitecture of osteoporotic and healthy subjects show a high degree of similarity, increasing the difficulty of classifying such textures. Thus, the evaluation of osteoporosis from the bone X-ray images presents a major challenge for pattern recognition and medical applications. The purpose of this paper is to use the fractional Brownian motion (fBm) model and the probability density function of its increments to compute a similarity measure with the Rao geodesic distance to classify trabecular bone X-ray images. When evaluated on synthetic fBm images (test vectors) with the well-known Hurst parameter H, the proposed method met our expectations in which a good classification of the synthetic images was achieved. A clinical study was conducted on textured bone X-ray images from two different female populations of osteoporotic patients (fracture cases) and control subjects. Using the proposed method, an area under curve rate of 97% was achieved.


In its quest to reduce inventory and streamline operations, the Materials Management department at Summit Medical Center (Oakland, CA) has used information systems technology to become agents of change for the medical center. The use of a materials management information system (MMIS) played a pivotal role in allowing for the reorganization of their materials management department after a 1992 merger. Since then, the department has reduced inventory by 47% of total dollar volume, while at the same time giving its diverse group of internal customers the assurance that preferred products will be readily available. Equally important, Summit's information technology has allowed materials management staff to gain control of the larger logistical challenges of time and motion that are inherent to the department. As a result, FTEs have been streamlined by 50%. Additionally, software usage reports helped bring consensus to product review committees as they standardized product lines for greater savings.


Objectives: Determine the mode of delivery in primigravida with engaged versus unengaged fetal head with spontaneous onset of labour at term. Study design: Case control study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lady Aitchison Hospital, Lahore. Duration of Study: Jan 2012 to Dec 2012. Patients and Methods: Two hundred cases were included in this study and divided into two groups (A & B) 100 in each group. Primigravidas presenting with engaged fetal head were included in Group A and those presenting with unengaged fetal head were included in Group B. The course of labor in all patients was recorded on partogram. Partogram was maintained according to departmental protocol. Cesarean section was decided if labour failed to progress or fetal head failed to descend after observing as per departmental protocol (12 hours). All patients were studied in detail with reference to mode of delivery regarding vaginal (spontaneous and instrumental) or cesarean section delivery. Results: Mean age was 23.65+3.72 years in Group-A and 24.96+4.12 years in Group-B, 31%(n=31) in Group-A and 38%(n=38) in Group-B between 37-39 weeks, 60%(n=60) in group-A and 51%(n=51) in Group-B between 40-41 weeks and 9%(n=9) in Group-A and 11%(n=11) in Group-B were with 42 weeks of gestation, mode of delivery in primigravida with engaged versus unengaged fetal head with spontaneous onset of labour at term was compared which showed that 19%(n=19) in Group-A and 39%(n=39) in Group-B were delivered with cesarean section, 65%(n=65) in Group-A and 42%(n=42) in Group-B were spontaneously delivered vaginally while 16%(n=16) in Group-A and 19%(n=19) in Group-B had assisted vaginal delivery. Conclusion: Cesarean section was more prevalent in unengaged fetal head in primigravida women at term.


This paper introduces a methodology to analyze the safety of timed discrete event systems. Our case-study is the level crossing, a critical component for the safety of railway systems. First, our goal is to take out the forbidden state highlighted by a p-time Petri net modelling. This model deals with the requirements of the considered system and has to contain all the constraints that have to be respected. Then we describe a process identified as a solution for the system functioning. This method consists in exploring all the possible behaviors of the system by means of the construction of state classes. Finally, we check if the proposed process corresponds to the model of requirements previously built.


Since previous work CDP(Congestion Driven Placement) [1] considers all possible directions to move every cell in nets which contribute highly to routing congestion, it consumes CPU time a lot. In this paper, we propose a faster global placement technique, so called ICDGP(Improved Congestion Driven Global Placement) to relieve the routing congestion. ICDGP uses the force-directed method to determine the target locations of the cells in the nets in the congested spots, and considers only to move the target location for each cell. If moving multiple cells simultaneously is considered better than moving each cell one by one it moves multiple cells simultaneously. By experimental results, ICDGP produces less congested placement than CDP does. Particularly, the CPU time is reduced by 36% on average.


Due to the increasing complexity of Integrated Circuits (ICs) and System-on-Chip (SoC), developing high-quality synthesis flows within a short market time becomes more challenging. We propose a general approach that precisely estimates the Quality-of-Result (QoR), such as delay and area, of unseen synthesis flows for specific designs. The main idea is training a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) regressor, where the flows are inputs and QoRs are ground truth. The RNN regressor is constructed with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and fully-connected layers. This approach is demonstrated with 1.2 million data points collected using 14nm, 7nm regular-voltage (RVT), and 7nm low-voltage (LVT) FinFET technologies with twelve IC designs. The accuracy of predicting the QoRs (delay and area) within one technology is $\boldsymbol{\geq}$\textbf{98.0}\% over $\sim$240,000 test points. To enable accurate predictions cross different technologies and different IC designs, we propose a transfer-learning approach that utilizes the model pre-trained with 14nm datasets. Our transfer learning approach obtains estimation accuracy $\geq$96.3\% over $\sim$960,000 test points, using only 100 data points for training.


OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is to characterize the most appropriate concentration of Foetalbovine serum [FBS] for culture maintenance, and determine the apoptosis rate in the culture system, and also to investigate the induction of proteoglycan catabolism and the role of nitric oxide [NO] on proteoglycans [PG] loss. Furthermore it also aims to study the involvement of specific nitric oxide signaling pathways and to determine the involvement of matrix metalloproteinase [MMPs] in the degradation of proteoglycans.
METHODS: Proteoglycan degradation was investigated with 1 μmol/L retinoic acid [RA] and NO donor Diethylenetriamine DETA-NONOate in bovine cartilage explant cultures. Signaling pathways were investigated using specific inhibitors. Nitrite, an end product of NO metabolism, was measured in media by the Griess reaction. Matrix metalloproteinase [MMP] activity was investigated by gelatinase zymography and chondrocyte apoptosis in cultures was assessed using active caspase-3 immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Low rates of apoptosis were identified relative to positive control samples. Retinoic acid at 1μmol/L caused a significant increase in proteoglycan loss and this effect was completely reversed in the presence of NO. The zymography results did not show a difference in MMP activity. It was also found that p38 and p42/44 MAPKs, ROCK and soluble guanylate cyclase activities were involved in RA induced PG loss but not in NO mediated anti-catabolic.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that 1% FBS is the most appropriate concentration to study PG loss in bovine culture model. In our culture system there are likely to be low levels of apoptosis due to the tissue culturing procedure and PG loss in RA-induced cultures is mediated by proteinases other than MMPs.


Now we are developing a wearable recording system which can capture images from user's view point in user's everyday life automatically. The user refers to the images which is acquired using this system later, and these images support a user's activity, such as human memory and human thoughts. Amount images which are acquired becomes so huge that it is difficult for the user to refer them. So the mechanism for viewing effectively is very important, such as summary. In this research, we describe the concept for summary mechanism of everyday life images.


A 73-years-old man, who was a farmer, developed fever, fatigue, and muscle weakness. His serum creatine kinase (CK) level was found to be high. Computed tomography showed the presence of bibasilar subpleural interstitial infiltrates. He was therefore clinically given a diagnosis of polymyositis. After high-dose glucocorticoid (GC) and GC-pulse therapies were started, his symptoms improved, and the CK level decreased. The patient's son was 44-years-old. He moved back into his parent's home, quit his corporate job and started working in the agricultural field. He then developed fever, myalgia, and muscle weakness. His serum CK level was high. Therefore, he also was given a diagnosis of polymyositis. After high-dose GC and immunosuppressive therapies were stared, his symptoms improved and CK level decreased. Polymyositis may be triggered by specific environmental exposures in genetically susceptible individuals. The son developed the disease immediately after he moved into his parent's home and changed his profession to farming which was same as his father's profession. Moreover, the father and his son may have had common genetic factors. We believe that some environmental factors triggered the onset of polymyositis in the father and his son.


Introduction Morbid obesity is associated with a pro-inflammatory state, reflected by a relative increase in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and corresponding decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines. The production of active mediators by the adipose tissue plays an important role in this pathological state. We aimed to study the effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on markers of oxidative stress, inflammatory mediators interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-10, and the adipocytokines Resistin, Leptin and Adiponectin. Methods We prospectively studied 19 patients (13 females, mean age 45 years; range 27–64) who underwent LSG at our institution. Fasting bloodsamples were taken pre-operatively and at 6 months post surgery. Fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and lipids were also measured at the same time points. IL-6, IL10, Adiponectin, Leptin and Resistin were measured using a bead-based multiplex bioassay. HOMA-IR was used as a measure of insulin resistance. Markers of oxidative stress—lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX)—were measured using commercially available biochemical kits. Results are expressed as mean. Statistical analysis employed one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Results LSG was associated with significant weight loss (pre-op 60.0±2.59 kg/m2, vs 53.0±2.35 at 6 weeks, 45.8±2.0 at 6 months, p<0.0001). Insulin resistance decreased significantly (HOMA-IR 8.7±1.4 vs 3.8±0.7 vs 2.4±0.5, p<0.0001). IL-6 and Leptin levels were significantly lower at 6 months post-op (6.6±1.0 pg/ml vs 4.8±1.1, p<0.031; 16.4±3.1 ng/ml vs 5.3±1.2, p<000.1). Resistin, Adiponectin and IL-10 levels did not change significantly: Resistin 1.0±0.1 ng/ml vs 0.97±0.1; Adiponectin 11.7±1.8 μg/ml vs 9.9±1.5; IL-10 pg/ml 0.72±0.1 vs 0.67±0.1. There were no significant changes in TBARS or GPX. Conclusion Insulin resistance and BMI fall significantly after LSG and this is accompanied by a fall in pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and Leptin. There was no concomitant rise in anti-inflammatory IL-10 and adiponectin. Markers of oxidative stress did not change significantly. Restrictive surgery results in improvements in insulin resistance and a significant reduction in weight. The resulting reduction in adipose tissue, with changes in production of the adipocytokines, has a complex effect on the inflammatory milieu and requires further elucidation. Competing interests None declared.


In the current context where online platforms have been effectively weaponized in a variety of geo-political events and social issues, Internet memes make fair content moderation at scale even more difficult. Existing work on meme classification and tracking has focused on black-box methods that do not explicitly consider the semantics of the memes or the context of their creation. In this paper, we pursue a modular and explainable architecture for Internet meme understanding. We design and implement multimodal classification methods that perform example- and prototype-based reasoning over training cases, while leveraging both textual and visual SOTA models to represent the individual cases. We study the relevance of our modular and explainable models in detecting harmful memes on two existing tasks: Hate Speech Detection and Misogyny Classification. We compare the performance between example- and prototype-based methods, and between text, vision, and multimodal models, across different categories of harmfulness (e.g., stereotype and objectification). We devise a user-friendly interface that facilitates the comparative analysis of examples retrieved by all of our models for any given meme, informing the community about the strengths and limitations of these explainable methods.


This article discusses the results of a research carried out at a Children Education Municipal School – EMEI – in the city of Sao Paulo, and aims at identifying both the indicators of involvement in the work with children, and those determining the building of an inclusive environment. The data collection was accomplished through observations during the three steps of Children Education, and through survey on pedagogical documents. The work developed according to diversity presents important contradictions to be thought about, expressed through unequal treatment toward children. The concept of 'inclusion' is restricted to assisting disabled children and the needs of both the remaining children and the professionals working at school are most of the time disregarded. The isolation and the involvement with marginal questions of the pedagogical work are crucial points to be considered when coping with attitude barriers in building an inclusive environment. The project is supported by FAPESP.


This paper investigated the effect of oxygen holdup on the current density distribution over the electrode of a vertical/horizontal electrolysis cell with a two-dimensional Eulerian–Eulerian two-phase flow model in the acrylonitrile (AN) electrolytic adiponitrile (ADN) process. The physical models consisted of a vertical/horizontal electrolysis cell 10 mm wide and 600 mm long. The electrical potential difference between the anode and cathode was fixed at 5 V, which corresponded to a uniform current density j = 0.4 A/cm2 without any bubbles released from the electrodes. The effects of different inlet electrolyte velocities (vin = 0.4, 0.6, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s) on the void fraction and the current density distributions were discussed in detail. It is shown that, for a given applied voltage, as the electrolyte velocity is increased, the gas diffusion layer thickness decreased and this resulted in the decrease of the gas void fraction and increase of the corresponding current density; for a given velocity, the current density for a vertical cell was higher than that for a horizontal cell. Furthermore, assuming the release of uniform mass flux for the oxygen results in overestimation of the total gas accumulation mass flow rate by 2.8% and 5.8% and it will also result in underestimation of the current density by 0.3% and 2.4% for a vertical cell and a horizontal cell, respectively. The results of this study can provide useful information for the design of an ADN electrolysis cell.


The construction industry has been associated with inefficiencies. In contrast, Off-Site Construction (OSC) is a modern method of construction that has demonstrated significant improvements over conventional on-site methods. Despite that, OSC represents a tiny portion of the construction industry with a limited rate of diffusion and acceptance. One reason for that is associated with the lack or immaturity of OSC-related research and innovation benchmarking. This benchmarking helps in expanding OSC implementation as a component in driving and directing OSC research as well as roadmapping and measuring the innovation advancements. Hence, this study was intended to contribute to the OSC benchmarking by mapping innovation that paves the road towards building a strategic research and innovation roadmap in OSC. Among different innovation types, this study is limited to two types: technology-oriented and OSC method-oriented innovation. Unlike the traditional roadmaps in the literature, the envisioned roadmap design for OSC innovation in this study is based on maturity modelling. This design includes four components: framework, maturity scales, benchmarks, and targets. However, the focus of the current stage is on the developing the mapping components (framework and maturity scales). Consequently, two sets of frameworks and maturity models were developed to realize the two identified innovation types in OSC. The applicability of these frameworks and scales was demonstrated through hypothetical examples and a case study that is limited to technology-oriented research in the Canadian context. Accordingly, the subsequent case study scope embraces the last three research community meetings (2015-2019) relevant to our study in the indicated context. Based on this case study, the framework was found easy to understand, simple to implement, scalable, applicable across different contexts, and facilitates capturing benchmarks and targets. This confirms promising benefits of the developed frameworks and their effectiveness in roadmapping OSC innovation.


Iamblichus of Chalcis postulated theurgy on metaphysical grounds as the only means of communion with the supreme principle of everything that exists. Iamblichus sets this principle as a completely transcendent reality, unattainable by reason, and, at the same time, differs from Plotinus, who postulated absolute withdrawal from everything and conceived union with the One as an escape in solitude to the solitary. Iamblichus conceives matter as an instrument for the souls ascent to that principle and explicitly proposes a mysticism of solidarity with the cosmos and with other souls.


Gingival crevicular neutrophils were collected from 20 healthy subjects and their ability to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium was investigated by means of a semi-quantitative histochemical test. 78.04 % (± s.e.m. 0.8 %) of the cells were vital. 42.9 % (± s.e.m. 3.3 %) of the crevice neutrophils were NBT positive as compared to 5.6% (± s.e.m. 0.89%) of unstimulated peripheral venous blood neutrophils from the same patients (p < 0.001). No difference between male and female was found. The results indicate a stimulation of crevicular neutrophils by bacteria. Furthermore, a slight correlation between blood and crevicular neutrophil activity in each individual was found, suggesting that even in the normal state some antigen or other bacterial product in the circulation is capable of stimulating the neutrophils.

One patient with hereditary cyclical neutropenia, shown to have a greatly reduced number of crevicular cells, had normal activity of both blood and crevicular neutrophils as measured by this test. These findings, compatible with known immunological results, are compared with the neutrophil function test results in this patient and two other neutropenic subjects.

This study supports the view that the gingival crevicular neutrophil is a functional cell capable of contributing towards host defense.


This paper describes an approach for the evaluation of metal contamination in sediment, using the determination of binding forms of elements (sequential extraction method), the total element content (digestion method), as well as a comparison of the obtained results with the legislative limits of the EU. Results indicate that silicates are significant substrates for Ni and Cr, whereas Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu were not dominantly bound to silicates. Mg is present in the form of carbonates and silicates; Fe is in the form of oxides, and Mn is in the form of Mn carbonate and oxides. Zn, Cd, and Cu are dominantly extracted in the labile fractions and because of this they are likely to pose a direct and significant threat to the environment. The results of a comparison with the legislative limits of the EU indicated that in some of the sediments, elevated levels of Zn, Cd, and Cu exist. The contamination was caused by permanent pollution, originating mainly from industrial activities, municipal sewage discharge and agriculture. Results indicate to the significance of the employment both of methods, sequential extraction and total digestion, for metal investigation in sediment. With the aim of protecting the sediment quality of the Tisa River, of importance for Central Europe, the obtained results also indicate the necessity for systematic investigations in all countries through which this river flows.


The author analyzes over 50 musical works by a number of 20th century composers – Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli, Gyorgy Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki and others. The aim of this research work is to study the conceptual space of 20th century musical compositions and its constituent concepts. Four leading concepts are highlighted: "nature – man – civilization"; "virtual universes"; "the inner space of man – social space"; "life on Earth after human extinction." The methods of musicological analysis and hermeneutics have shown that the conceptual space of music by 20th century composers has demonstrated itself as a notional system of global generalization. The conclusion is arrived at that the concept in this system is presented in the guise of 1) a dynamic structure – a complex of obvious and hidden notional intentions, aimed at the disclosure of aesthetical themes that are of interest to people; 2) a static structure – an archetypal event (the ritual of mourning, a critical event in a person's life) that preserves in itself the cultural and social experience of mankind. Keywords: the category of space, conceptual space, concept, aesthetical theme, content of musical composition


Two distinct nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) complexes are present on NGF-responsive cell types; these correspond to 100 kDa and 158 kDa for the fast (fNGFR) and the slow (sNGFR) NGFRs, respectively. Previous studies indicate that each complex is derived from a separate gene product and that the sNGFR contains tyrosine kinase activity. The cDNA encoding the fNGFR has previously been cloned. In this report, a rat trk protooncogene cDNA has been isolated from PC12 cells and Trk has been shown to bind NGF, generating a complex of 158 kDa. Characterization of NGF-Trk interactions indicates that Trk and NGF dissociate more slowly than do NGF and the fNGFR. Moreover, NGF-bound Trk is not destroyed by trypsin digestion whereas the NGF-fNGFR complex is sensitive to trypsin digestion. These observations suggest that the trk protooncogene product, expressed in the absence of the fNGFR, binds NGF with properties characteristic of the sNGFR, which was identified as the high-affinity NGFR on primary neurons and PC12 cells.


Abstract A study was conducted to determine if the response to different sources of Met was influenced by the presence or absence of antibiotics and antibacterials that might alter intestinal microflora. A Met-deficient diet (0.33% by analysis), based on corn and soybean meal, was fed with or without a mixture providing 200 g/ton of bacitracin methylene disalicylate, 200 g/ton of chlortetracycline, 100 g/ton of penicillin, and 100 g/ton of sulfaquinoxaline. Diets were fortified with DL-Met or the liquid form of 2-hydroxy-4-methylbutanoic acid (HMB) to provide supplemental levels of Met ranging from 0.0 to 0.20% in increments of 0.04%, based on 99% activity for DLDL-Met and 88% activity for HMB. The experimental treatments consisted of a 2 × 2 × 6 factorial arrangement of treatments with 2 diet types (medicated and unmedicated), 2 Met sources (DL-Met and HMB) at 6 levels of supplementation for a total of 24 dietary treatments. Each of these was fed to 6 replicate pens of 5 male chicks from 0 to 21 d, stratified across tiers in the battery. Feeding the medicated diets resulted in a significant reduction in intestinal bacterial as measured by total aerobic plate count of ileal contents, with significant improvements in BW and feed conversion. However, there were no significant interactions between the medications and the response to the 2 sources of Met. There was no difference in BW or feed conversion related to the 2 different sources of Met when fed to provide equimolar amounts of Met activity. Chicks responded to increasing levels of Met, but there was no interaction between source and level of Met for BW or feed conversion. Peak response appeared to occur at approximately 0.08% supplemental (0.41% total) Met, somewhat below current NRC recommendations. It does not appear that a difference in antibiotic content of test diets is responsible for the discrepancy in reported responses to the 2 sources of Met.


Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is a common injury in the elderly, often caused by low-energy injuries. Improper treatment will not only affect the stability and balance of the spine, but in severe cases will lead to neurological damage and increase the risk of death. This retrospective study aims to explore the principles of treatment of patients with the assessment system of thoracolumbar osteoporotic fracture (ASTLOF) in acute symptomatic thoracolumbar compression fractures when the ASTLOF score = 4 points.Methods: The clinical data of patients with acute symptomatic thoracolumbar compression fractures admitted from February 2018 to February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Each patient was evaluated according to the ASTLOF scoring system, and patients with ASTLOF score = 4 were selected, a total of 108 patients. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into 32 cases in the non-surgical treatment (NST) group and 76 cases in the surgical treatment (ST)group. The visual analog score (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), the recovery of injured vertebral body height, and the incidence of adjacent segment fractures were used for comprehensive evaluation.Results: During the follow-up, the VAS score and ODI score showed that the early pain relief and functional improvement of the surgical treatment group were better than those of the conservative treatment group (P<0.05); the Cobb angle of the surgical treatment group was 3 months and 6 months after the operation, and the vertebral body was injured. The degree of improvement of margin height was better than that of the conservative treatment group (all P<0.05); in the surgical treatment group, 6 cases of adjacent vertebral fractures occurred after surgery, accounting for 7.89%, and 2 cases of the conservative treatment group had adjacent vertebral fractures, accounting for 6.25% There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusions: When the ASTLOF scoring system is used in the treatment of acute symptomatic thoracolumbar compression fractures, patients with ASTLOF score =4 should be treated with surgery in time, which can relieve pain early and quickly, perform functional exercises as soon as possible, and reduce complications related to long-term bed rest. Whether it increases the risk of adjacent vertebral fractures requires long-term follow-up studies in a large number of cases.


Paralysis due to peripheral neuritis occurred sporadically in a flock of Rhode Island Red chickens over a period of 8 years and is named idiopathic neuritis (IP). The flock was housed in isolators and free from many common pathogens including all known neurotropic viruses of chickens. The pathology of the nerve lesions, including their ultrastructure, is described and comparisons made with the lesions of Marek's disease and experimental allergic neuritis in chickens. Demyelination with invasion of nerve fibres with lymphocytes and macrophages occurs in all three diseases but there are differences in lesion distribution and intensity of cellular infiltration. The closest similarity is between the lesions of IP and the B-type lesions of Marek's disease. Attempts to isolate a cytopathic virus and to transmit the disease by inoculation failed to demonstrate an infectious causal agent. An autoimmune response to normal nerve is suggested as the most likely aetiology amongst several alternatives. The heritability of IP is not established, but the disease has not been detected in a light Sussex flock maintained under similar conditions.


ABSTRACT Rapid detection of human enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) is important in the early phase of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). In this study, we developed and evaluated a novel reverse transcription–isothermal multiple-self-matching-initiated amplification (RT-IMSA) assay for the rapid detection of EV71 and CVA16 by use of reverse transcriptase, together with a strand displacement DNA polymerase. Real-time RT-IMSA assays using a turbidimeter and visual RT-IMSA assays to detect EV71 and CVA16 were established and completed in 1 h, and the reported corresponding real-time reverse transcription–loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays targeting the same regions of the VP1 gene were adopted as parallel tests. Through testing VP1 RNAs transcribed in vitro, the real-time RT-IMSA assays exhibited better linearity of quantification, with R 2 values of 0.952 (for EV71) and 0.967 (for CVA16), than the real-time RT-LAMP assays, which had R 2 values of 0.803 (for EV71) and 0.904 (for CVA16). Additionally, the detection limits of the real-time RT-IMSA assays (approximately 937 for EV71 and 67 for CVA16 copies/reaction) were higher than those of real-time RT-LAMP assays (approximately 3,266 for EV71 and 430 for CVA16 copies/reaction), and similar results were observed in the visual RT-IMSA assays. The new approaches also possess high specificities for the corresponding targets, with no cross-reactivity observed. In clinical assessment, compared to commercial reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) kits, the diagnostic sensitivities of the real-time RT-IMSA assays (96.4% for EV71 and 94.6% for CVA16) were higher than those of the real-time RT-LAMP assays (91.1% for EV71 and 90.8% for CVA16). The visual RT-IMSA assays also exhibited the same results. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study suggests that the novel RT-IMSA assay is superior to the RT-LAMP assay in terms of detection limit and has the potential to rapidly detect EV71 and CVA16 viruses.


To change the imaging characteristics of an optical system by apodization, one intervenes in the pupil function. This intervention can be aimed if one knows the system's wavefront aberrations. Several intervention functions which are selected for desired apodization are given and the criteria, for their selection. The measuring apparatus is described. It partly originates from an array of Lamberts: sine wave tests are produced by imaging sinusoidal patterns by a cylinder lens. The preparation of appropriate sinusoidal patterns and apodization filters by new methods are outlined. Problems of adjustment are sketched, e.g., Fourier images. The results show improvement of the frequency response function (now called optical transfer function) of the optical system. Comparisons are made of pupils with the same diameter as well as of pupils with the same emerging radiant power.


The (1+1)-dimensional F-expansion technique and the homogeneous nonlinear balance principle have been generalized and applied for solving exact solutions to a general (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with varying coefficients and a harmonica potential. We found that there exist two kinds of soliton solutions. The evolution features of exact solutions have been numerically studied. The (3+1)D soliton solutions may help us to understand the nonlinear wave propagation in the nonlinear media such as classical optical waves and the matter waves of the Bose–Einstein condensates.


OBJECTIVE
Recent industry-created social marketing campaigns have targeted positive body image; however, research investigating the effects of such social media campaigns on body image has largely neglected non-Western English-speaking groups. This study explored the effects on body image of a video produced by Dove for a Japanese audience 'Real Beauty ID', and its capacity to modify the effects of subsequent exposure to celebrity social media images of young women.

METHOD
Young women from Japan (n = 568), mean age (SD) = 25.38 (3.52) years, were randomly allocated to view either the Dove Real Beauty ID video, or a control video, followed by exposure to celebrity social media images (female celebrities or landscapes). Finally, participants reported on state and trait appearance-based comparisons, thin ideal internalization, body appreciation, and media similarity scepticism.

RESULTS
Among participants with high levels of thin ideal internalization, those who viewed the Dove Real Beauty ID video reported significantly lower satisfaction with body and facial features, as well as more negative mood (p < .05) compared with the control video. Little support emerged for the capacity of the Dove Real Beauty ID video to modify the effects of exposure to celebrity social media images, nor were these effects moderated by risk and resilience factors.

CONCLUSIONS
In sum, no usefulness emerged for the Dove Real Beauty ID video in promoting positive body image, and limited usefulness was seen in buffering the effects of exposure to celebrity social media images among Japanese young women. Given the reach of such interventions, exploring whether interventions that are culturally adapted and theoretically driven are more helpful is warranted.


IN BRIEF A1C point-of-care testing (POCT) paired with face-to-face education potentially improves glycemic control in under-resourced populations. In this study, A1C POCT was implemented with same-day face-to-face medication management and education for adults with type 2 diabetes in a public health department in southeastern North Carolina. The combination of POCT, medication management, and education provided together improved glycemic control and decreased clinical inertia in a setting in which access to health care is limited.


This paper addresses the need for formal specification and runtime verification of system-level requirements of distributed reactive systems. It describes a formalism for specifying global system behaviors in terms of message sequence chart assertions and a technique for the evaluation of the likelihood of success of a distributed protocol under non-trivial communication conditions via discrete event simulation and runtime execution monitoring. We constructed a proof-of-concept prototype for the leader-election algorithm within a 4-node ring network. The prototype consists of the following components: (i) an OMNeT++ model of the network using non-trivial communication conditions, (ii) C+ + code for the network agents, (Hi) a system-level assertion stipulating the formal requirement for a correct, time- bound, leader election, (iv) simulation of the formal assertion, (v) automatic scenario generation, and (vi) run-time monitoring of the formal assertion and stochastic-based estimation of the likelihood of success of this assertion under the specified communication conditions.


Are you ready to write your book? Partner with an experienced publisher, writing coach, and author and find out how to turn your research and scholarship into a book.
 This book is the next-best-thing to a personal writing coach. Drawing upon her own extensive experience as an author and publisher, Melody Herr guides the reader through every step of the writing and publishing process: constructing a table of contents, preparing a proposal, finding a publisher, negotiating a contract, drafting the manuscript, and marketing the finished product. Throughout, she offers proven strategies for producing a book that highlights its author's authoritative knowledge and writing skills.
 Unique among writing guides, Writing and Publishing Your Book: A Guide for Experts in Every Field acknowledges the reader's own expertise; speaks to researchers and scholars across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities; and provides information and guidance that will benefit junior authors as well as their more senior colleagues. By following these practical, step-by-step instructions, new authors will more easily liberate their own creativity while avoiding the many pitfalls that mire new writers, thereby maintaining momentum for a successful publication.
 • Breaks into clear, actionable steps the complex process of producing a logically organized, accessible, and useful book that has strong market potential
 • Explains how to determine when a book is the appropriate publication venue for a specific project
 • Describes how to form a mutually beneficial and collaborative partnership with a publisher
 • Provides clear guidance for navigating peer review and interpreting a publishing contract
 • Identifies effective strategies for overcoming the common struggles of every writer―advice that comes from someone who has faced all of these challenges as a writer herself


Over the last three decades, a number of frameworks have been developed to promote and measure
well-being, quality of life, human development and sustainable development. Some frameworks use a
conceptual approach while others employ a consultative approach, and different initiatives to measure
progress will require different frameworks. The aim of this paper is to present a proposed framework
for measuring the progress of societies, and to compare it with other progress frameworks that are
currently in use around the world. The framework does not aim to be definitive, but rather to suggest a
common starting point that the authors believe is broad-based and flexible enough to be applied in
many situations around the world. It is also the intention that the framework could be used to identify
gaps in existing statistical standards and to guide work to fill these gaps.


This experimental study demonstrates for the first time a solid-state circuitry and design for a simple compact copper coil (without an additional bulky permanent magnet or bulky electromagnet) as a contactless electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) for pulse echo operation at MHz frequencies. A pulsed ultrasound emission into a metallic test object is electromagnetically excited by an intense MHz burst at up to 500 A through the 0.15 mm filaments of the transducer. Immediately thereafter, a smoother and quasi "DC-like" current of 100 A is applied for about 1 ms and allows an echo detection. The ultrasonic pulse echo operation for a simple, compact, non-contacting copper coil is new. Application scenarios for compact transducer techniques include very narrow and hostile environments, in which, e.g., quickly moving metal parts must be tested with only one, non-contacting ultrasound shot. The small transducer coil can be operated remotely with a cable connection, separate from the much bulkier supply circuitry. Several options for more technical and fundamental progress are discussed.


The mechanism of Schottky-barrier height (SBH) tuning by yttrium (Y) segregated at nickel silicide (NiSi2)/silicon interface is investigated based on first-principle calculations. SBH modification can be explained by a new chemical structure that forms when Y atoms substitute silicon atoms near the interface. Silicon dangling bonds are saturated, leading to a new pinning-free interfacial structure. When other layers of Y atoms are segregated in , SBH for electrons can be reduced from 0.65 to 0.1 eV. The previously reported experimental phenomena can be explained by the calculations.


Harmonizing the analysis of data, especially of 3-D image volumes, consisting of different number of slices and annotated per volume, is a significant problem in training and using deep neural networks in various applications, including medical imaging. Moreover, unifying the decision making of the networks over different input datasets is crucial for the generation of rich data-driven knowledge and for trusted usage in the applications. This paper presents a new deep neural architecture, named RACNet, which includes routing and feature alignment steps and effectively handles different input lengths and single annotations of the 3-D image inputs, whilst providing highly accurate decisions. In addition, through latent variable extraction from the trained RACNet, a set of anchors are generated providing further insight on the network's decision making. These can be used to enrich and unify data-driven knowledge extracted from different datasets. An extensive experimental study illustrates the above developments, focusing on COVID-19 diagnosis through analysis of 3-D chest CT scans from databases generated in different countries and medical centers.


The growth and development of 387 crossbred lamb progeny from 9 Poll Dorset sires representing muscle (M), control (C), and growth (G) sire-types was studied. Sires were selected on the basis of their LAMBPLAN estimated breeding values (EBVs) for post-weaning growth (PWWT) and depth of loin muscle (PEMD). Lambs were provided with either LOW or HIGH levels of available grazing nutrition from 10 days of age onwards. Liveweight gain (LWG) throughout the study was less on LOW nutrition than on HIGH nutrition, leading to a 9.5 kg lower weaning liveweight (LW) and a 14.9 kg lower final LW in LOW lambs. After adjustment for final LW, HIGH lambs had significantly greater fat depth at the C-site (approximately 40 mm from the midline over the 12th rib) and tissue depth at the GR site (110 mm from the midline over the 12th rib) than did LOW lambs. This effect was consistent across sire-types. Depth of fat at the C-site was positively associated with the EBV of the sire for fat depth. The improvement in pre-weaning LWG, weaning weight, and final weight of lambs resulting from use of sires with a greater PWWT EBV was dependent upon the level of nutrition. This interaction was identified as different slopes (coefficients) for the regression between PWWT and trait for the 2 nutrition levels, indicating that the expression of the sire's genetic potential for growth at these times was significantly moderated by nutrition. The additional depth of lamb loin muscle resulting from use of sires of higher PEMD EBV was consistent across both LOW and HIGH nutrition treatments, with 1 mm of PEMD leading to a 0.6-mm increase in loin depth. Other consequences of sires having a high genetic capacity for loin muscle depth were reduced carcass C-fat depth with increasing sire PEMD and a tendency for conformation score to improve with the PEMD of the sire. The wool-growth response to improved nutrition was less in M lambs than in lambs of other sire-types, suggesting a difference in priority for protein partitioning between muscle and wool in lambs differing in genetic propensity for muscle growth.


A kinetics model for the precipitation of M_23C_6 in high Cr ferritic heat resistant steel during tempering has been developed assuming the site-saturated nucleation, carbon diffusion-controlled growth and soft-impingement. The growth coefficient in this model is temperature-dependent, and the Arrhenius equation is applied to describe the growth coefficient, in which the growth activation energy is nearly equal to the diffusion activation energy of carbon in martensite. The effect of main parameters in this model has been discussed in detail. By this model, the precipitation of M_23C_6 during tempering can be predicted accurately in the case of 2D, and a good agreement with experimental data in previous work has been achieved.


The On-board Inspection System for signaling detects the level and message of the ATC continuous and intermittent information of High Speed Railway, the level of ETCS balise of the conventional line, and the unbalanced rate of return current. It also has a function to detect the temperature of axle box by using temperature sensor to be installed at the train in order to verify temperature sensor of HBD equipment installed at trackside. It includes the monitoring equipment which provides the information detected by inspection equipment to the operator in real-time. According as the On-board Inspection System will be installed at an inspection train set dedicated to High Speed Lines, the inspection equipment will be configured with considering the journey direction of the inspection train set. In this paper, we propose the configuration of inspection equipment with considering the journey direction of train set, the position of installation, the components of each train and interface method to send information detected by inspection equipment.


We present a reproduction of the Planck 2018 angular power spectra at ℓ > 30, and associated covariance matrices, for intensity and polarization maps at 100, 143 and 217 GHz. This uses a new, publicly available, pipeline that is part of the PSpipe package. As a test case we use the same input maps, ancillary products, and analysis choices as in the Planck 2018 analysis, and find that we can reproduce the spectra to 0.1σ precision, and the covariance matrices to 10%. We show that cosmological parameters estimated from our re-derived products agree with the public Planck products to 0.1σ, providing an independent cross-check of the Planck team's analysis. Going forward, the publicly-available code can be easily adapted to use alternative input maps, data selections and analysis choices, for future optimal analysis of Planck data with new ground-based Cosmic Microwave Background data.


Abstract The article focuses on how information-communication and network computer technology effects changes in library operation and presents new possibilities in the development and differentiation of the librarian profession. At the time of the introduction of the Internet, numerous experts were convinced that the decline of librarianship, as a profession, was only a question of time. According to such opinions, users were supposed to search and obtain information on their own and purchase books through electronic bookstores. The reality turned out to be just the opposite. Nowadays, librarians are required to make more and more complex inquiries, to provide rapid, high-quality and non-stop services, to supply documents directly by computer or onto the working table. Moreover, librarians must follow the rapid development of the profession and participate in permanent and polyvalent training. The introduction of the digitalisation of materials and the future development of libraries require that librarians familiarize themselves with complex hypertext protocols, graphic design, and marketing. Moreover, librarians are obliged to accept any change brought about during the process of technological development. Therefore, in the developed world, new professions are being established and relating to the provision of aggregate information in form of various services and products. Those professions do not only imply universal information providers but trained experts with regard to individual fields of interest.


In order to better build the ecological environment of Guizhou province, accelerate the marketization and capitalization of Guizhou province's ecological resources, and evaluate and study the construction level of Guizhou's ecological civilization. This paper, by using IFAHP, the establishment of intuitionistic fuzzy judgment matrix, consistency test, calculate the nine-province each secondary index to the weight of a layer and target layer, the comprehensive evaluation value is calculated and sorted. The empirical research shows that the ecological civilization construction level of Guizhou province is relatively high, but the level distribution of all prefectures and cities is very uneven, and the difference between the highest score southeast Guizhou and the lowest score Liupanshui is 4.87. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of ecological civilization in various prefectures and cities, so as to improve the construction level of ecological civilization in the whole province and promote regional economic development.


Web usability is a crucial feature of a website, allowing users to easily find information in a short time. Eye tracking data registered during the execution of tasks allow to measure web usability in a more objective way compared to questionnaires. In this work, we evaluated the web usability of the website of the University of Cagliari through the analysis of eye tracking data with qualitative and quantitative methods. Performances of two groups of students (i.e., high school and university students) across 10 different tasks were compared in terms of time to completion, number of fixations and difficulty ratio. Transitions between different areas of interest (AOI) were analyzed in the two groups using Markov chain. For the majority of tasks, we did not observe significant differences in the performances of the two groups, suggesting that the information needed to complete the tasks could easily be retrieved by students with little previous experience in using the website. For a specific task, high school students showed a worse performance based on the number of fixations and a different Markov chain stationary distribution compared to university students. These results allowed to highlight elements of the pages that can be modified to improve web usability.


In 1882 the French psychiatrist Jules Cotard first used the term Nihilistic delusions (ND) to describe the beliefs of patients who denied their existence. Together with other symptoms, these bizarre delusions have since been regarded as a central feature of "Cotard's Syndrome". A century later, the existence, aetiology and relevance of this syndrome to modern psychiatric practice has been questioned. In this thesis the author reviews the literature on ND and sets this against the background of earlier work published on hypochondriacal delusions (HD), and later studies of organic brain syndromes in which the existence of body parts is denied. A study is described in which two groups of patients admitted over one year, to five psychiatric units, who expressed ND (n=15) or HD (n=16), were examined; the admission incidence rates were 3.4 and 4.3, per 1000 admissions, respectively. ND patients were predominantly female and middle aged while the HD group were mostly male and, significantly older. The majority of patients in both groups were clinically depressed, though on PSE testing, a large number of the ND patients had a non-affective psychosis. The pattern of psychiatric illness and response to treatment was similar in the two groups, ECT being an integral part of successful treatment regimes. Data from psychometric testing and CT brain scans failed to support the theory that ND and Cotard's syndrome have an organic aetiology. The preservation of the concept of Cotard's syndrome is argued for, though it is suggested that the illness should more correctly be regarded as schizophrenic, rather than depressive, in type.


Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a novel approach to gain information about plant activity from remote sensing observations. However, there are currently no continuous SIF data produced at high spatial resolutions. Many previous studies have discussed the relationship between SIF and gross primary production (GPP) and showed a significant correlation between them, but few researchers have focused on forests, which are one the most important terrestrial ecosystems. This study takes Greater Khingan Mountains, a typical boreal forest in China, as an example to explore the feasibility of using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) SIF data to simulate continuous SIF at higher spatial resolutions. The results show that there is no significant correlation between SIF and MODIS GPP at a spatial resolution of 1 km; however, significant correlations between SIF and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were found during growing seasons. Furthermore, the broadleaf forest has a higher SIF than coniferous forest because of the difference in leaf and canopy bio-chemical and structural characteristic. When using MODIS EVI to model SIF, linear regression models show average performance (R2 = 0.58, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 0.14 from Julian day 145 to 257) at a 16-day time scale. However, when using MODIS EVI and temperature, multiple regressions perform better (R2 = 0.71, RMSE = 0.13 from Julian day 145 to 241). An important contribution of this paper is the analysis of the relationships between SIF and vegetation indices at different spatial resolutions and the finding that the relationships became closer with a decrease in spatial resolution. From this research, we conclude that the SIF of the boreal forest investigated can mainly be explained by EVI and air temperature.


Chiral perturbation theory predicts the lifetime of pionium, a hydrogen-like π+π− atom, to better than 3% precision. The goal of the DIRAC experiment at CERN is to obtain and check this value experimentally by measuring the break-up probability of pionium in a target. In order to accurately measure the lifetime one needs to know the relationship between the break-up probability and the lifetime to 1% accuracy. We have obtained this dependence by modelling the evolution of pionic atoms in the target using Monte Carlo methods. The model relies on the computation of the pionium–target-atom interaction cross sections. Three different sets of pionium–target cross sections with varying degrees of complexity were used: from the simplest first-order Born approximation involving only the electrostatic interaction to a more advanced approach, taking into account multiphoton exchanges and relativistic effects. We conclude that, in order to obtain the pionium lifetime to 1% accuracy from the break-up probability, the pionium–target cross sections must be known with the same accuracy for the low excited bound states of the pionic atom. This result has been achieved, for low Z targets, with the two most precise cross section sets. For large Z targets only the set accounting for multiphoton exchange satisfies the condition.


Optical fluid analyzers have been used in wireline formation tests for real-time downhole fluid analysis during pumpout tests for over a decade. Based on conventional optical spectroscopic methods, they separate broadband light into its constituent wavelengths via notch filters or multichannel grating spectrometers. A few narrow wavelength constituents are then detected and mathematically recombined to yield an answer product. Complex hydrocarbon fluids have many overlapping spectra and are optically active over a wide range of optical wavelengths. Consequently, accurate analyte detection in hydrocarbon fluids generally requires analysis of a large number of wavelengths over a large spectral region. The performance and range of detectable analytes of conventional optical fluid analyzers is band-limited. Of all available spectra from visible to nearand mid-infrared, only a small fraction of spectral data is used. In addition, the splitting of the optical beam into its wavelength constituents typically decreases signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) by orders of magnitude thereby limiting the accuracy, sensitivity, and viable ranges of the answer product. A new downhole optical sensor platform has been developed for downhole in-situ fluid analysis based on multivariate optical computing (MOC) technology. Historically developed for other markets, MOC is a well-established tool that combines chemometrics and pattern recognition with the power of optical computing. The heart of this new optical sensor platform is an optical component called the ICE CoreTM integrated computational element. The ICE Core sensor is analogous to the processing chip of a PC and performs calculations literally at the speed of light within the multivariate optical computer. Each ICE Core special multilayer optical element is encoded with a pre-designed multivariate regression vector specific to an analyte or property of interest. These optical elements are typically very broadband and may have a response that extends from 400 nm to 5000 nm. The wide bandwidth of these optical elements combined with their intrinsic, high etendue SNR advantage enables laboratory-grade optical analyses downhole. The compact and passive nature of the ICE Core sensors results in high reliability. A multivariate optical computer may consist of many different ICE Core sensors designed to detect many different analytes or properties. The downhole optical sensor platform in this study can have 20 (or more) different ICE Core sensors per MOC. This platform has been under field trial qualification for over a year using a step-by-step process with methane (C1) ICE Core sensors as the primary validation analyte. In this paper, the results of three different downhole pumpout field trials are presented. After reviewing the fundamental principles of MOC and ICE Core technology, the field trial validation process is described. Results showing downhole ICE Core measured methane analyte concentrations vs. time are presented and compared with other downhole sensor data. ICE Core measured concentrations are also compared with independent laboratory test results. The results demonstrate the downhole viability of the optical platform and the sensitivity associated with the ICE Core detection method. FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS OF ICE CORE TECHNOLOGY ICE Core Website


Background Over the last years, an increasing body of evidence has highlighted the clinical significance of drug immunogenicity1. Anti-drug antibodies (ADA), by forming immune complexes with the drug, promote its faster clearance from circulation, reducing therapeutic effectiveness2. However, ADA have also been associated with increased incidence of drug-related adverse events (AE), particularly infusion-related AE during infliximab therapy, despite severe thromboembolic phenomena associated with antibodies against adalimumab have also been reported in the literature3,4,5. Objectives We assessed the association between ADA and infusion-related AE in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), receiving infliximab therapy. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study over 2-years evolving 84 consecutive patients (22 AR, 33 AS, 9 PsA and 30 IBD) receiving infliximab at 3-5 mg/Kg every 6 or 8 wks, at day care unit of Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada. Therapeutic response and low disease activity were defined according to the EULAR guidelines (RA and RA-like PsA), ASAS group guidelines (AS and AS-like PsA) and by an expert clinician (IBD patients). ADA were detected by an optimized Bridging ELISA, just prior to next infliximab infusion. Clinicians were blind for the tests results. Results Seventy-six percent of patients were female, with mean (SD) age of 48 (10.2) years, disease duration of 8 (6.4) years, receiving biologic therapy by 2.9 (2.0) years. All RA patients and 89% of PsA were receiving concomitant MTX. IBD patients were receiving concomitant azathioprine and also hydrocortisone plus anti-histaminic prior to each infliximab infusion. During the follow-up period, a total of 25 patients (30%) had detectable ADA (41% of RA, 33% of PsA, 18% of AS and 23% of IBD patients). Of those, 44% developed an infusion-related AE (4 RA patients, 2 PsA, 2 AS and 4 IBD patients). In all of those cases, ADA detection occurred prior to the AE. All patients with RA, PsA and AS who developed infusion-related AE were unable to maintain therapeutic response over time, while 2 out of 4 patients with IBD were still considered responders during the follow-up period. All the reactions were mild-moderate requiring hydrocortisone and anti-histaminic administration. Conclusions A significant porpotion of ADA-positives patients develop an infusion-related AE and cannot sustain therapeutic response. The maintenance of therapy in such cases may have serious deleterious effects with no additional therapeutic benefits. Further robust studies are warranted to better evaluate safety aspects related with immunogenicity. References Garcês, S et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012 Dec 6. [Epub ahead of print] van Schouwenburg, PA et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2013 Jan;72(1):104-9 Wolbink, GJ et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Mar;54(3):711-5 Maggi, E et al. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2011 Jan;7(1):55-63 Korswagen, LA et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Apr;63(4):877-83 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Delay optimization with considering effective parameters in the design, such as energy consumption, need an extra effort to achieve quick solutions. In this paper, by taking the requirements of current design processes into account for sake of simultaneously considering all of the effective parameters, in one hand, and also trying to use the privilege of Logical Effort method's extra speed, in the other hand, a new method for solving the equations optimization problems is represented. With providing an initial point based on Logical Effort method by Geometric Programming, the convergence rate of optimization algorithms can be greatly increased.


Although fracture of the humeral shaft or dislocation of the shoulder joint is a common injury, a simutaneous injury is rare. We present such a case combined with head injury which took precedence over the skeletal injuries. The postoperative rehabilitation was slowed down by the head injury. This case report makes us aware of some problems when managing the patient with this rare injury and helps us understand the management options better. Also the need for proper follow-up and rehabilitation is emphasized.


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

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a highly malignant central nervous system neoplasm that primarily affects very young children and has a very poor prognosis. Aside from presumed founder loss of function mutations in the SMARCB1 (BAF47/INI1/SNF5) chromatin remodeling gene, little is known of molecular drivers of AT/RT. LIN28A and LIN28B are stem cell factors that regulate thousands of RNAs and are expressed in aggressive cancers. One of the canonical downstream targets of LIN28 is the RAS/MEK/ERK pathway. Due to the increased stem cell factor expression in AT/RT, we hypothesized that LIN28 contributes to tumorigenesis in these neoplasms through the regulation of multiple pro-growth, stemness, and metabolic pathways. We identified increased levels of LIN28A in AT/RT primary tumors compared to normal brain using immunohistochemistry (P = 0.026 by Mann-Whitney test). We detected LIN28A or LIN28B in 100% of AT/RT cell lines by western blot or qPCR. Knockdown of LIN28A by lentiviral shRNA in the AT/RT cell lines CHLA-06-ATRT and BT37 inhibited growth, cell proliferation and colony formation and induced apoptosis. Colonies formed by BT37 and CHLA-06 cells with LIN28A knockdown were reduced by between 50 and 90 percent (BT37 p = 0.0002 sh800 vs pLKO, CHLA-06 p = 0.009 sh802 vs pLKO). A Cleaved caspase 3 (CC3) assay for apoptosis showed that LIN28A knockdown in BT37 and CHLA-06 cells led to a 4 to 6 fold increase in the percentage of cells expressing CC3 compared to controls measured by immunofluorescence (BT37 p = 0.0005 sh800 vs pLKO; CHLA-06 p = 0.004 sh802 vs pLKO). Suppression of LIN28A in orthotopic xenograft models led to a more than doubling of median survival compared to empty vector controls (48 vs 115 days - p = 0.007 by Log-rank test) showing that LIN28A is critical to AT/RT cell line tumorigenesis. We found lower KRAS expression in LIN28A knockdown cell lines compared to pLKO control using qPCR. We also found high expression levels of phospho-ERK in AT/RT primary tumors by immunohistochemistry. Increased ERK signaling correlated with LIN28A expression in AT/RT (P = 0.008, r = 0.57 by Spearman correlation). Trametinib is a MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitor that has been developed through phase III clinical trials in adult melanoma. Trametinib inhibited the KRAS pathway in CHLA-06-ATRT and BT37 AT/RT cell lines as measured by suppression of p-ERK by Western blot. Treatment with Trametinib for 5 days suppressed the growth of BT37 and CHLA-06 cells (MTS assay for BT37 p = 0.003 for 1 nM and p = 0.002 for 10 nM vs DMSO control; for CHLA-06 p<0.001 for 1 nM and 10nM vs DMSO control by t-test). These data implicate LIN28/RAS/MAP kinase as key drivers of AT/RT tumorigenesis and indicate that targeting this pathway may serve as a novel therapeutic option in this aggressive pediatric malignancy.

Citation Format: Jeffrey Rubens, Melanie Weingart, Antoinette Price, Marianne Hutt-Cabezas, Isabella Taylor, Sariah Allen, Brent Orr, Charles Eberhart, Eric Raabe. Targeting LIN28 and the RAS/MAP kinase pathway in atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3272. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3272


Background and aims Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a highly complex, heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterised by circulating self-reactive antibodies that deposit in tissues including skin, kidneys and brain, alongside a chronic inflammatory response that leads to progressive tissue damage and impaired function. Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of receptors and signal transduction molecules specific for the immune system that predispose to the development of SLE. A loss-of-function single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the Itgam gene encoding CD11b (rs1143679) has been identified which associates with an increased incidence of SLE, implicating CD11b as a protective factor against disease development. To understand the role that CD11b plays in controlling autoimmune disease, we crossed CD11b deficient mice (CD11b-/-) with Lyn deficient (Lyn-/-) mice, a well-studied, robust model of human SLE. Methods Double knockout Lyn-/-CD11b-/- mice were analysed over time for development of autoimmune disease and inflammation. Results While CD11b-/- mice presented with mild splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy, immune cell compartments were unchanged and pathogenic IgG anti-dsDNA autoantibody titres and glomerulonephritis were undetected suggesting that CD11b deficiency alone is insufficient to drive autoimmune disease. Conversely, deficiency of CD11b on the Lyn-deficient autoimmune-prone background exacerbated disease, driving splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy, extramedullary haematopoiesis, autoantibody production and glomerulonephritis, which heavily impacted survival. Conclusions These findings confirm that CD11b is an autoimmune susceptibility gene that when mutated can exacerbate the severity of disease on a susceptible genetic background. This work highlights an important role for CD11b in regulating and controlling the progression of inflammation and autoimmune disease.


As a reversible Jacket is having the compatibility of two sided wearing, the matrix that both the inside and the outside are compatible is called Jacket matrix, and the matrix is having both inside and outside by the processes of element-wise inverse and block-wise inverse. This concept had been completed by one of the authors Moon Ho Lee in 1989, and finally that resultant matrix has been christened as Jacket matrix, in 2000. This is the most generalized extension of the well known Hadamard matrices, which includes both orthogonal and non-orthogonal matrices. This matrix addresses many problems in information and communication theories. we investigate the properties of the Jacket matrix, i.e. determinants, eigenvalues, and kronecker product. These computations are very useful for signal processing and orthogonal codes design. In our proposal, we provide some results to calculate these values by using a very simple mathematical model with less complexity.


Software radio has emerged from obscurity to be heralded by some in the personal communications industry as offering a potential solution to man's historical inability to achieve common global standards. In such a scenario reconfigurable terminals, able to adapt to the differing regional radio interfaces, if feasible in the appropriate timescales, appear a very attractive option. In reality, the future of software-defined radio is perhaps, at the same time, both much less and much more than this. At one level, the advent of the true software-reconfigurable "universal handset" may lie beyond the launch date of third-generation systems. Equally, however, software radio will profoundly impact not only technology but also industry structures. Software-defined radio reflects the convergence of two dynamically developing technological forces: digital radio and real-time downloadable software. The former has facilitated the wireless revolution, and the latter has both facilitated and ridden the Internet wave. The massive growth and convergence of these two markets is both creating the applications demand for third-generation personal communications and simultaneously threatening some of the existing ground rules of the wireless industry. Software radio is in its infancy-in this article we explore its first steps, describe facets of the technological possibilities and implications, and try to postulate into what will it grow.


African American survivors of prostate cancer and their families share common experiences yet express their reactions in widely divergent ways. Understanding what factors account for those differences helps explain why some survivors have coped extremely well after treatment and why others have struggled. This research is focused on what enabled victims to become successful survivors and its potential impact on subsequent generations. This study sheds new light on the coping and adaptation of survivors and their families from their own perspective. The study was conducted to describe the lived experiences of African American survivors of prostate cancer, to understand the phenomena in their own terms, to provide a description of their experiences with prostate cancer, and to identify interventions that are ethnically and culturally sensitive. The researcher administered a 49-question sociodemographic survey and conducted 25 in-depth interviews, which entailed descriptions of significant events that influenced the recovery process, perceptions of the health care delivery process and health care providers, and specific recommendations for program development and community outreach in African American communities. Citation Format: Earl Bowen. [Advocate Abstract:] Prostate cancer survivorship among African American males [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B87.


The field-cooled (FC) magnetization M is measured as a function of the applied external field, Ha, for various bulk, Nd-based 123 superconductors which exhibit different magnetization-field characteristics (i.e. with and without secondary peak effect). We find that the FC magnetization data reproduce directly the M(Ha) behaviour measured after zero-field cooling. Based on the critical state model, we derive expressions for the field-cooled magnetization, and show that a large M(0) is essential to achieve large trapped fields in superconducting permanent magnets.


Background Physical activity (PA) is essential for the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children and adolescents. There is limited knowledge on PA in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It is of clinical relevance to what degree JIA patients are physically active despite their disease-related functional limitations. Objectives To describe PA, to assess the relationship between PA and the burden of illness, and to analyse the trend over time regarding PA of adolescents with JIA. Methods Cross-sectional data of adolescents with JIA recorded in the national pediatric rheumatological database in the years 2000 to 2012 were considered for the analyses. PA was defined as doing sport at least three days a week. The data of the year 2012 were used to describe the frequency and duration of PA in adolescents, its influencing factors were analysed by linear regression. Whether PA had changed between 2000 and 2012 was determined using linear mixed models by West, Welch and Galecki. Results In 2012 a total of 2,641 adolescents with JIA (females 64%, mean disease duration 4 years) aged 13 to 17 were recorded. About 39% of the participants were physically active (32% girls, 50% boys). Significant differences regarding the frequency of PA were observed among the various JIA categories: patients with enthesitis-related arthritis were more frequently physically active than patients with rheumatoid factor-positive polyarthritis (47% vs 29%). Regardless of the JIA subtype patients who were physically active rated their functional status, intensity of pain, and overall well-being significantly better than physically inactive patients. Multivariate analysis showed that boys, patients with a low burden of disease and patients with an inactive disease did sports more often. Considering the whole cohort, JIA patients were physically active for a median of three hours per week. During the observation period, participation in physical education at school significantly changed. In 2000 only every 4th adolescent with JIA regularly participated in physical education compared to more than 50% in 2012. Conclusions The current recommendation [1] which advises daily PA of about 60 minutes is fulfilled only by about 40% of the adolescents with JIA. With regard to participation in physical education, a paradigm change took place, leading to fewer children extempted from school sports. References Janssen, LeBlanc (2010). Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 7:40 Acknowledgements Funding: The National Pediatric Rheumatology Database has been funded by the German Children Arthritis Foundation (Deutsche Kinder-Rheumastiftung). Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.2562


Background Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) in opening wedge high tibial osteotomy(OW-HTO). However, a consensus has not been established regarding the best dosing regimen and timing. In the present study, we aimed to compare three different dosages of intravenous (IV) TXA in OW-HTO.Material and methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data obtained from patients administered with OW-HTO treatment for knee osteoarthritis from February 2016 to December 2019 was conducted. All operations were performed under general anaesthesia. TXA1 group (18 patients) received 1g of IV TXA administered 15 to 30 minutes pre-operation. TXA2 group (18 patients) received an additional dose of IV TXA (1g) 3 h after incision and the TXA3 group (18 patients) received an additional (third) dose 6 h later(1g). The blood loss and adverse events were compared between the three groups. Functional analysis, quality of life (QoL), and pain assessment were performed based on their corresponding scoring system.Results Baseline data were comparable for all groups. The postoperative drainage volume was calculated for the TXA3 group and the estimated blood loss was significantly reduced (p-value <0.05). The treatment effectively maintained postoperative Hb at a high level (p-value <0.05). In addition, a faster recovery, better QoL, reduced postoperative pain, and no complications were observed in patients belonging to the group TXA3.Conclusion Based on our results, three doses of IV TXA can effectively and safely reduce estimated blood loss and postoperative drainage volume in patients undergoing OW-HTO with additional associated benefits.


Uncertainties in design variables and problem parameters are inevitable and must be considered in an optimization task, if reliable optimal solutions are to be found. Besides the sampling techniques, there exist a number of reliability-based probabilistic optimization techniques for systematically handling such uncertainties. In this paper, first we present a brief review of these classical probabilistic procedures. Thereafter, we discuss different optimization tasks in which these classical reliability-based optimization procedures will, in general, have difficulties in finding true optimal solutions. These probabilistic techniques are borrowed from classical literature and are extended to constitute efficient reliability-based single and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms for solving such difficult problems. Due to the global perspective of evolutionary algorithms, first, we demonstrate the proposed methodology is better able to solve reliability based optimization problems having multiple local-global solutions. Second, we suggest introducing an additional objective of maximizing the reliability index along with optimizing the usual objective function and find a number of Pareto-optimal solutions trading-off between the objective value and corresponding reliability index, thereby allowing the designers to find solutions corresponding to different reliability requirements for a better application. Finally, the concept of single-objective reliability-based optimization is extended to multi-objective optimization of finding a reliable frontier, instead of a single reliable solution. These optimization tasks are illustrated by solving a number of test problems and a well-studied automobile design problem. Results are also compared with a couple of standard classical reliability-based methodologies. This paper demonstrates how classical reliability-based concepts can be used in single and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms to enhance their scope in handling uncertainties, a matter which is common in most real-world problem solving tasks.


Lateral buds situated along the stem axis of a Cymbidium pseudobulb show a gradient in their degree of differentiation. It is shown that buds situated on the swollen upper part of the pseudobulb, normally inhibited in their growth and development by apical dominance, are capable of evolving either into floral shoots or into protocorms and vegetative shoots. A new method, both simple and rapid, of clonal multiplication of Cymbidium is described.


Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Sanjappa & Pradeep) is a perennial leguminous vine, and its root and flower have been used for herbal medicine in Asia for a long time. Most dietary flavonoids are reported to be concentrated in its root, not in its aerial parts including leaves. In this study, we investigated whether kudzu leaf and its major constituent, robinin (kaempferol-3-O-robinoside-7-O-rhanmoside) possessed anti-inflammatory activity. To test this hypothesis, we used peritoneal macrophages isolated from BALB/c mice and stimulated the cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or LPS plus interferon (IFN)-γ. Compared with kudzu root extract, its leaf extract was more potent in inhibiting the production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6. Kudzu leaf extract decreased LPS-induced activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1) with no effects on nuclear factor-κB and activator protein 1 transcriptional activity. Also, kudzu leaf extract inhibited LPS/IFN-γ-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) activation partly via an altered level of STAT1 expression. Robinin, being present in 0.46% of dry weight of leaf extract, but almost undetected in the root, decreased iNOS protein involving modulation of JNK and STAT1 activation. However, robinin showed no impact on other inflammatory markers. Our data provide evidence that kudzu leaf is an excellent food source of as yet unknown anti-inflammatory constituents.


This study examined the reliability and validity of the DSM-IV Major Depressive Episode (MDE) symptoms in a sample of outpatients based on clinician ratings of assessment interviews, videotape of these interviews, and chart information. A group of 44 patients admitted to a university based outpatient community clinic were rated by trained clinicians on the nine MDE symptom criteria (A1-A9). Patients also completed a self-report measure of depressive symptomatology. Interrater reliability was found to be highest between the interview and videotape ratings. Conversely, when comparing chart ratings with those made from either interview or videotape, reliability for many of the individual criteria were found to be in the poor range of reliability. Good internal consistency was found for both the interview and videotape ratings, while internal consistency was less adequate for chart-based ratings. However, the three MDE ratings converge on a single dimension in a similar manner regardless of which source (i.e. interview, videotape, or chart) provided the rating. Additional analyses revealed a consistent relationship between the three MDE ratings (interview, videotape, and chart) with measures of patient reported depressive symptoms that exceeded the relationship between these scores with global levels/severity of psychopathology. The effects of longer interviews as well as examining depressive symptoms within the context of interpersonal functioning is discussed regarding the reliable assessment of depressive symptomatology in the mild to moderate range of severity. (Int J Psych Can Pract 2004; 8: 3–10)


The aim of this longitudinal study was to precise, in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the respective functional interest of ventilatory parameters (Vital capacity, total lung capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1]) in comparison to maximal inspiratory pressure (Pimax) during growth. In ten boys the mean age of 9.1 ± 1 years) to mean age of 16 ± 1.4 years followed over a period of 7 years, we found that: (1) ventilatory parameters expressed in percentage of predicted value, after a normal ascending phase, start to decrease between 11 and 12 years, (2) Pimax presented only a decreasing phase since the beginning of the study and thus was already at 67% of predicted value at 12 years while ventilatory parameters was still normal, (3) after 12 years the mean slopes of decrease per year of vital capacity and FEV1 were higher (10.7 and 10.4%) than that of Pimax (6.9%), (4) at 15 years mean values of vital capacity and FEV1 (53.3 and 49.5% of predicted values) was simlar to that of Pimax (48.3%). In conclusion, if at early stages of the disease, Pimax is a more reliable index of respiratory impaiment than ventilatory parameters, the follow‐up of ventilatory parameters, when they start to decrease, is a better indicator of disease progression and, at advanced stages they provided same information about the functional impact of disease. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010; 45:552–559. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In a suburban pediatric primary care population, maternal and paternal ACEs were associated with an increased risk for offspring developmental delay at 24 months. OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to determine if maternal and paternal exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a significant association with negative offspring development at 24 months of age in a suburban pediatric primary care population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 311 mother-child and 122 father-child dyads who attended a large pediatric primary care practice. Children were born from October 2012 to June 2014, and data were collected at the 2-, 4-, and 24-month well-child visits. Multivariable Poisson regression with robust error variance was used to model the relationship between self-reported parental ACEs and the outcomes of suspected developmental delay at 24 months and eligibility for early intervention services. RESULTS: For each additional maternal ACE, there was an 18% increase in the risk for a suspected developmental delay (relative risk: 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.29). A similar trend was observed for paternal ACEs (relative risk: 1.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.07–1.67). Three or more maternal ACEs (versus <3 ACEs) was associated with a significantly increased risk for a suspected developmental delay that affected multiple domains. Similar effects were observed for early intervention services. CONCLUSIONS: Parental ACE exposures can negatively impact child development in multiple domains, including problem solving, communication, personal-social, and motor skills. Research is needed to elucidate the psychosocial and biological mechanisms of intergenerational risk. This research has implications for the value of parental ACE screening in the context of pediatric primary care.


The authors examine the mechanism of solar cycle modulation of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) period using the Two-and-a-Half-Dimensional Interactive Isentropic Research (THINAIR) model. Previous model results (using 2D and 3D models of varying complexity) have not convincingly established the proposed link of longer QBO periods during solar minima. Observational evidence for such a modulation is also controversial because it is only found during the period from the 1960s to the early 1990s, which is contaminated by volcanic aerosols. In the model, 200- and 400-yr runs without volcano influence can be obtained, long enough to establish some statistical robustness. Both in model and observed data, there is a strong synchronization of the QBO period with integer multiples of the semiannual oscillation (SAO) in the upper stratosphere. Under the current level of wave forcing, the period of the QBO jumps from one multiple of SAO to another and back so that it averages to 28 months, never settling down to a constant period. The "decadal" variability in the QBO period takes the form of "quantum" jumps; these, however, do not appear to follow the level of the solar flux in either the observation or the model using realistic quasi-periodic solar cycle (SC) forcing. To understand the solar modulation of the QBO period, the authors perform model runs with a range of perpetual solar forcing, either lower or higher than the current level. At the current level of solar forcing, the model QBO period consists of a distribution of four and five SAO periods, similar to the observed distribution. This distribution changes as solar forcing changes. For lower (higher) solar forcing, the distribution shifts to more (less) four SAO periods than five SAO periods. The record-averaged QBO period increases with the solar forcing. However, because this effect is rather weak and is detectable only with exaggerated forcing, the authors suggest that the previous result of the anticorrelation of the QBO period with the SC seen in short observational records reflects only a chance behavior of the QBO period, which naturally jumps in a nonstationary manner even if the solar forcing is held constant, and the correlation can change as the record gets longer.


This paper investigates the vortex-induced vibration of a circular cylinder supported by flexible cantilever beams under a uniform air flow. To improve the vortex-induced vibration model, the chaotic phenomena of the vortex are modeled as a random component of the fluid force. Next, the vibration properties of a cylinder supported by a pair of elastic cantilever beams are investigated in wind-tunnel experiments over a wide range of flow speeds. The hysteresis property of the vortex-induced vibration is experimentally investigated under two conditions; the "increasedirection" condition, in which the flow speed is increased, and the "decrease-direction" condition, in which the flow speed is decreased. The time-historical responses of the vortex-induced vibration are measured and subjected to timefrequency analysis revealing the characteristics of the nonlinear coupled vibrations between the fluid and structure. The wake oscillator models with acceleration coupling and random components are evaluated in numerical simulations. The proposed models with random components more closely reproduce the experimental results than the ordinal model.


A Signal processing problem with moderate complexity must be segmented into "smaller" algorithms, intimately linked, to be executed by processing resources. Problems arising from such partitioning and interconnection of these constituent parts are not well understood. It is further complicated by the parallel execution of the elementary operations (primitives) which require the formation of queues and synchronization of the queue with respect to each operation. A software development system has been completed to program and to design the signal processor systems for underwater acoustics applications. This is the first operational signal processing software development system of its kind which enables the system designer to program in signal processing graph notations. The implied hierarchical architecture will lead to the interface to VLSI cell libraries for direct mask generation. A complete computer aided design approach to closely-coupled signal processing systems is described.


Organic litter stabilizes soil particles against the raindrop splash effect. To date, limited research has critically examined the effects of litter quality on soil aggregate detachment and soil organic carbon loss by raindrop splash impact. A study was conducted to determine the effects of different litter sources on quantity of splashed sediments and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss under simulated rainstorm patterns. Soils from seven sieved (< 0.25 mm) horizons mixed with either high-quality Vachellia karroo leaf (C/N = 23.8) and/or low-quality Zea mays stover litter (C/N = 37.4) were incubated in a laboratory for 30 weeks. Splashed sediments and SOC were measured at 1, 3, 8, 14, 23 and 30 weeks of incubation for each soil at 360 mm/h simulated rainfall intensity applied as either single 8-min rainstorm (SR) or 4 × 2-min intermittent rainstorms (IR) separated by a 72-h drying period. Organic litter significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the splashed sediments up to 8 and 14 weeks under IR and SR storms, respectively, and thereafter gradually lost its stabilizing effect on soil aggregates. In order to maintain low quantities of splashed sediments, fresh litter has to be re-applied after this stage. Generally, 13% and 25% more sediments were splashed under IR than SR at 1, 3 and 30, and 8, 14 and 23 weeks after incubation, respectively. Litter quality effect on splash sediments varied across soil horizons but were the same within a soil horizon. Soil horizons with more clay than sand particles had lower quantities of sediments. The SOC loss was influenced by the initial SOC content and primary particle size distribution. Rainstorm pattern and initial SOC content were the main factors that influenced SOC loss. However, more rainstorm patterns should be investigated for these soils.


This paper aims at defining the role of a satellite component in an integrated communications, localization and monitoring system, which can be used in all emergency management phases. Particular attention will be given to the integration of the satellite and terrestrial components and of the different functionalities.


Previous studies have suggested that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are engaged in the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the mechanism of circ_0002111 in PTC is still unclear. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR was carried out to measure the expressions of circ_0002111, microRNAs (miRNAs) and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Immunohistochemistry assay and western blot were applied for the determination of protein levels. The assays of 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide and thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine were deployed to assess PTC cell viability and proliferation, respectively. Besides, the capacities of cell apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis were determined by flow cytometry, transwell and tube formation assays, respectively. Moreover, the interaction between miR-363-3p and circ_0002111 or HMGB1 was confirmed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Lastly, we established a xenograft model for the examination of the function of circ_0002111 in vivo. It was found that the expression of circ_0002111 was enhanced in PTC tissues and cells. Silencing circ_0002111 apparently retarded the viability, proliferation, invasion and tube formation, as well as expedited the apoptosis of PTC cells. Besides, circ_0002111 knockdown impeded the growth of the tumor in vivo. For mechanism analysis, circ_0002111 adjusted the expression of HMGB1 by sponge adsorption of miR-363-3p. Moreover, miR-363-3p inhibitor regained the influence of cellular malignant phenotype caused by circ_0002111 knockdown. Additionally, miR-363-3p overexpression impacted the cell functions by targeting HMGB1 in PTC. Thus, silencing circ_0002111 constrained the progression of PTC by the miR-363-3p/HMGB1 axis, which perhaps provided a novel idea of the therapeutic in PTC.