BACKGROUND
Enhancing the efficiency of cell-based skin tissue engineering (TE) approaches is possible via designing electrospun scaffolds possessing natural materials like amniotic membrane (AM) with wound healing characteristics. Concentrating on this aim, we fabricated innovative polycaprolactone (PCL)/AM scaffolds through the electrospinning process.

METHODS
The manufactured structures were characterized by employing scanning electron microscope (SEM), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, tensile testing, Bradford protein assay, etc. In addition, the mechanical properties of scaffolds were simulated by the multiscale modeling method.

RESULTS
As a result of conducting various tests, it was concluded that the uniformity and distribution of fibers decreased with an increase in the amniotic content. Furthermore, PCL-AM scaffolds contained amniotic and PCL characteristic bands. In the case of protein release, greater content of AM led to the release of higher amounts of collagen. Tensile testing revealed that scaffolds' ultimate strength increased when the AM content augmented. The multiscale modeling demonstrated that the scaffold had elastoplastic behavior. In order to assess cellular attachment, viability, and differentiation, human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were seeded on the scaffolds. In this regard, SEM and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays showed significant cellular proliferation and viability on the proposed scaffolds, and these analyses illustrated that higher cell survival and adhesion could be achieved when scaffolds possessed a larger amount of AM. After 21 days of cultivation, particular keratinocyte markers, such as keratin I and involucrin, were identified through utilizing immunofluorescence and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. The markers' expressions were higher in the PCL-AM scaffold with a ratio of 90:10 v v-1 compared to the PCL-epidermal growth factor (EGF) structure. Moreover, the presence of AM in the scaffolds resulted in the keratinogenic differentiation of ASCs even without employing EGF. Consequently, this state-of-the-art experiment suggests that the PCL-AM scaffold can be a promising candidate in skin bioengineering.

CONCLUSION
This study showed that mixing AM with PCL, a widely used polymer, in different concentrations can overcome PCL disadvantages such as high hydrophobicity and low cellular compatibility.


The article offers the model of evaluation of the level of social and economic development of the territory that includes a set of basic indicators, regulated by the program documents of the regional level and some additional indicators. It grounds the distinguishing of the social subsystem, economic subsystem and municipal finances subsystem as the strategic initiatives when implementing the managerial impact on the level of social and economic development of the region. A model of evaluation of the level of social and economic development of the territory is shown as a set of basic table that contains the structuring of the subsystems of the territory on the analogy with the strategic initiatives of the balanced system of the indicators and the row of decomposing tables allowing to distinguish the factors of the second and the following levels of specification. The model differs from the earlier offered models by the possibility of its universal use in regard to the various regions because it provides the possibility to modify the set of estimating indicators belonging to the subsystems depending upon the data provided by the official statistic reports. The obtained results can be used when forming the project measures by the federal and regional municipal authorities to increase the efficiency of the managerial impact on regional processes. These elements allow forming the set of instruments that increases the efficiency of the managerial impact, decreases the irregularity of the social and economic development of the country in a regional aspect.


Severe angina pectoris may be reduced to tolerable levels by suppressing below the pain threshold those factors elevating systolic blood pressure and heart rate and prolonging systolic ejection period. Their product parallels myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) as noted in several excellent reviews. The level of this product associated with angina, the "angina index," defines the individual threshold for onset of angina.Prevention of angina-inducing physical and psychic stress is desirable, but often impractical, and the use of nitroglycerin preceding or following stress may lead to years of acceptable life. Prolonged, spontaneous, or readily induced angina, especially with a change in pattern, may be due to an acute coronary occlusive episode, whether defined as a prodromal period or an actual myocardial infarct. This form of attack requires close observation and appropriate care. The psychic stress-prone patient may repeatedly present a benign duplicate of such pain production, producing a diagnostic challenge. Routine protection of the angina patient, especially against arrhythmias, is discussed.Different therapeutic modalities for control of intractable angina are presented, many with promise, but those currently giving the best results are: (1) elimination of precipitating conditions, i.e. (a) brady- and tachyarrhythmias, (b) hypertension, (c) hyperthyroidism, (d) mechanical obstruction of ventricular outflow, and (e) heart failure (2) beta-adrenergic blocking agents, i.e. propranolol, with or without nitrates or nitroglycerin; and (3) surgical revascularization preceded by selective coronary angiography.The aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass has been effective in prompt relief of angina in patients with viable myocardium and potentially good flow in the distal artery, with acceptably low operative mortality from skilled teams. Mechanical efficiency and thus congestive failure may improve, and there is hope for increased longevity. Contraindications are poorly defined, especially as related to its performance in recent infarction of varying magnitude. With only 3 years' experience in determining long-term benefits, it seems rational to repeatedly redefine indications for surgery, but currently not to operate on every patient with "significant" coronary disease.


The Vietnam Era Twin Registry consists of 4,774 male-male twin pairs born between 1939 and 1957 with both brothers having served in the United States military during the Vietnam War. The registry was originally developed to provide the best control group for Vietnam-exposed servicemen to study the long-term health consequences of service in Vietnam. Recognizing the potential value of the registry for other areas of medical research, the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1988 opened the registry for use by both VA and non-VA investigators. The existence of centralized VA data bases for deaths and VA hospitalizations will strengthen future followup of the twins. This article describes the characteristics of the registry population and the process for accessing the registry.


Antioxidative capacities of Stachys sieboldii MIQ and 6-year-old ginseng powder were assessed after extraction with 80% ethanol, and their addition effects on quality characteristics of cookies were determined. Stachys sieboldii MIQ showed 3.12-fold higher total phenol content (TPC) and higher antioxidative capacities than ginseng based on higher values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant capacity, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (P 2 O (Fr. Ⅰ), 30% (Ⅱ), 50% (Ⅲ), 70% (Ⅳ), and 100% ethanol (Ⅴ). Fractions of Stachys sieboldii MIQ extract showed 2.2-fold (Fr. Ⅰ)∼6.1-fold (Ⅲ) higher TPC and higher antioxidative capacities than ginseng extract fractions. TPC was in the order of fractions Ⅲ> Ⅱ> Ⅰ> Ⅳ> Ⅴ for Stachys sieboldii MIQ extract while in the order of fractions Ⅰ∼Ⅲ> Ⅳ∼Ⅴ for ginseng extract, assuming that Stachys sieboldii MIQ contained more phenolic compounds with higher polarity than ginseng. Addition of 5% and 10% Stachys sieboldii MIQ and ginseng powder increased spread ratio in cookies compared to 100% wheat flour, and 10% addition of Stachys sieboldii MIQ resulted in the darkest and most reddish cookies. In the sensory evaluation, cookies with 5% and 10% Stachys sieboldii MIQ received higher scores for taste preference and higher overall acceptability than ginseng or control cookies. Therefore, powder of Stachys sieboldii MIQ could impart more favorable sensory characteristics as well as higher antioxidative capacity than ginseng in bakery products.


The timing of the end of the vegetation growing season (EOS) plays a key role in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycles. Autumn phenology is, however, still poorly understood, and previous studies generally focused on few species or were very limited in scale. In this study, we applied four methods to extract EOS dates from NDVI records between 1982 and 2011 for the Northern Hemisphere, and determined the temporal correlations between EOS and environmental factors (i.e., temperature, precipitation and insolation), as well as the correlation between spring and autumn phenology, using partial correlation analyses. Overall, we observed a trend toward later EOS in ~70% of the pixels in Northern Hemisphere, with a mean rate of 0.18 ± 0.38 days yr−1. Warming preseason temperature was positively associated with the rate of EOS in most of our study area, except for arid/semi‐arid regions, where the precipitation sum played a dominant positive role. Interestingly, increased preseason insolation sum might also lead to a later date of EOS. In addition to the climatic effects on EOS, we found an influence of spring vegetation green‐up dates on EOS, albeit biome dependent. Our study, therefore, suggests that both environmental factors and spring phenology should be included in the modeling of EOS to improve the predictions of autumn phenology as well as our understanding of the global carbon and nutrient balances.


Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is a most advanced method of irrigation that facilitates the irrigation of crop / plants with small amounts of water through the T-tapes placed below the soil surface. Depth of T-tape and requirement of water depends upon soil type and crop under observations. Experiments for comparative study of SDI with flood irrigation for yield and quality were conducted on sugarcane crop from 2005 - 2008 with 3-varieties i.e. HSF-240, HS-12 and CSSG-668 on an area of 6 ha. Drip tapes were buried manually in the middle of the ridges on an area of 3 ha with subplot size for each variety of 1 ha compared with flood irrigated crop of 3 ha with subplot of 1 ha for each variety. Flood irrigation system showed better results for growth, yield and quality of sugarcane than SDI. Germination % and tillers/plant did not show any significant difference under both irrigation systems. SDI resulted to lower mill-able cane, cane yield, crop growth rate (CGR) and net assimilation rate (NAR). Harvest index % (HI) had no significant effect on both irrigation systems. Higher leaf relative water contents (LRWC) obtained under flood irrigation showed higher accumulation of water supplied through flood system. Similarly, quality attributes (juice extraction, purity %, recovery % cane and sugar yield t/ha) showed superior behavior under flood irrigation than SDI. Flood irrigation system provided net benefits ranging from Rs. 56130 – Rs. 82760 / ha while SDI resulted in loss from Rs. 127345 to 157910 / ha. Maximum income benefit was recorded in CSSG-668 variety (Rs. 82760 / ha) and maximum loss in HSF-240 variety (Rs. 157910 / ha) under SDI. SDI helped to save water from 11 - 18% over flood irrigation system that had no significant contribution in net benefits. This loss may be due to the major problems faced by SDI system that led to blockage, damaged of T-tapes, filtration obstructions due to high ferrous contents in irrigated water, higher initial cost, management, that resulted to net economic loss in sugarcane. Irrigated water was unfit with high ferrous contents that resulted to blockage of T-tapes. SDI saved 18% water as compared to flood irrigation system. It was concluded that SDI is not a superior system of irrigation for sugarcane in developing countries like Pakistan where water is unfit for irrigation. Its high installation cost, breakage and clogging resulted to net economic loss. SDI might be a superior system where water is fit for irrigation, free of ferrous and low installation costs. Key words:


Malaysia's relations with Thailand can be described as paradoxical. On the one hand, bilateral ties had been the least 'problematic.' On the other, the situation in the Southern Provinces had constrained relations and this could be seen during the administrations of Mahathir and Abdullah which became preoccupied with finding solutions. In 'aggregating' these two polar states together ('superposition'), one could construe or amplify bilateral relations within a broader range of so-called overall 'benign neglect' that to a certain extent – characterised the approach of successive administrations of both countries. The objective of this paper as conditioned by archival sources as well as interviews seeks, therefore, to highlight the under-appreciated and overlooked role of the leadership factor in bilateral relations. This is in turn co-related to developments in political contestations and reconfigurations centred in Bangkok ("national politics") which whilst promising little hope on the resolution for peace and stability in the Southern Provinces – contributes to the (unchanging) broader narrative. In short, directions in bilateral relations have been – to a critical extent – determined, influenced and constrained by the inability to achieve a breakthrough to the situation in the Southern Provinces.


Abundant and well-preserved tetrapod footprints have been discovered in the Glenshaw Formation (Lower Conemaugh Group) in Wayne County, West Virginia. The tracks occur along at least three horizons within a 30-cm-thick stratigraphic interval about 15 m (50 ft) above the Brush Creek Limestone; they are of Missourian age. The tracks are preserved mainly as casts on the underside of thin-bedded, ripple cross-laminated sandstones and less commonly as molds in intervening dark-gray shales. Associated body fossils include Spirorbis worm tubes and washed-in plant debris. Facies characteristics indicate the tracks were formed along the margins of an ephemeral lake in a flood basin setting adjacent to delta plain fluviodeltaic channel systems. Short-lived lacustrine conditions were likely to have resulted from a seasonal tropical to subtropical climate. Most of the tracks can be assigned to the ichnogenus Limnopus, making them one of the earliest known occurrences. At least five trackways are discernible with an external width ranging from 320 to 400 mm. Limnopus glenshawensis, a new ichnospecies, is herein proposed and various morphologic and locomotion parameters are quantified. Mean values include stride/manus, 407 mm; stride/pes, 411 mm; oblique pace/manus, 313 mm; oblique pace/pes, 317 mm; pace angle/manus, 82.4 degrees; pace angle/pes, 80.5 degrees; glenoacetabular distance, 329 mm; manus length, 87.2 mm; manus width, 104.2 mm; pes length, 121.4 mm; pes width, 112.7 mm. The tracemaker was most likely an eryopoid amphibian with a total length of slightly over 1 m.


Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein were founders (although not by any means the sole founders) of the analytic tradition in philosophy; but they did not found the philosophy of language, which has roots stretching back much further. Their principal contribution, indeed, could be regarded as being in the opposite direction: it is not so much that they applied philosophical methods to the study of language as that they applied linguistic methods to the study of certain problems in philosophy. In the course of this work they did develop ideas which shed light on language and how it functions. However, even this must be heavily qualified, since their main contributions were much more to the philosophy of logic (the study of the inferential role of sentences) than to the philosophy of language (the study of how language means what it does). In the summary of their contribution that follows we shall focus on the morals that can be drawn from it for modern work in the philosophy of language.


BACKGROUND
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of getting influenza than the general population, therefore putting patients at risk of nosocomial infection. Influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs is low despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. However, the reasons for such a poor uptake are not well reported in Malaysia. This study aimed at assessing the rate of influenza vaccination uptake, knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers regarding influenza, and employers' policy on influenza vaccination.

METHODS
A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in three hospitals in the Klang Valley. Mann-Whitney test was used to assess possible differences in knowledge and attitude towards flu vaccination and the χ2 was used for categorical variables. Analyses were performed with SPSS 22.0.

RESULTS
A total of 690 questionnaires were distributed; 527 were returned (giving a response rate of 76.4%. The vaccine uptake was 51.4% with the majority (83.5%) of those believing they were vaccinated to protect themselves. Higher proportion of vaccinated HCWs (p <0.05) agreeing to the fact that influenza is a serious threat to their health, however, 10% were not sure of its safety. Eighty-three (15.7%) claimed their employers did not have a vaccination policy, while 43.3% were not sure if their employers have vaccination policy.

CONCLUSION
This study has demonstrated more than half of the healthcare workers were vaccinated, with a significant proportion of the healthcare workers believed they were vaccinated to protect themselves, while most of those that were not vaccinated claimed they are worried about the safety of the vaccine. Most employers did not have a flu vaccination policy in place. Hence, the need for government to enforce such policy and make annual flu vaccination free and compulsory for all healthcare workers.


Norms for manufacturing substrates were derived about 4 decades ago and were based on substrate properties related to the retention of air and water (air-filled porosity and available water) for specific container and bed configurations, with limited information on water use for their irrigation. Since then, such norms have been implemented and used commercially at a large scale. However, regulations regarding water use, technological development and expansion of soilless culture to new crops have resulted in changes in production technologies operating dynamically under new constraints. Such constraints include key physical properties like aeration and water availability. Meanwhile, there has been a gradual shift of conventional biomass (peat and bark) to byproducts (greenwaste, sawdust) evolving themselves in quality and stability. Recent research results also indicated need for additional parameters to guide the manufacturing of the next generations of substrates with old and new sources of organic components being used in our evolving industrial world. These latter norms should be dynamic ones that are related to flux, gradient and consumption, as storage parameters (air-filled porosity and available water) are incomplete. Such norms should evolve toward gas diffusivity, respiration rate and saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity among others and take into account the context of application. This paper compares different studies results to show the relevance of including dynamic parameters controlling supply of water and air to plant roots among substrate manufacturing guidelines.


Conventional packaging technology can frequently limit the performance and physical characteristics of an electronic system. To circumvent these restrictions, planar multichip modules (MCMs) have been developed. These MCMs place components onto advanced interconnection substrates to improve electrical and physical performance. However, poor yields and high rework cost have prevented the widespread use of this technology. The packaging technique presented by the authors utilises three-dimensional MCM technology (MCM-V) and avoids these problems. The technology can produce a system with greatly improved physical characteristics over conventional MCMs. The technique allows components to be tested at an early stage of manufacture where the added value is low, removing the need for a 'known good die' (required for planar MCMs and currently a major issue). The primary use of 3D MCMs, to date, has been to produce dense modules. The authors' work presented here extends this technology to support heterogeneous microsystems containing a variety of devices differing in size, I/O requirements, electrical performance, thermal requirements and type (i.e. IC. discrete). In applications where chip density, speed, board space and/or performance are critical, the method presented can be advantageous. >


Laser transmission welding of thermoplastics is gaining importance in industrial series production because of its advantageous properties and the increasing interest in this technology. At the same time, the demand on ongoing investigations and research to understand the processes involved is being developed intensively. In this report, a simplified mathematic–physical model of laser transmission welding based on finite-elements method will be presented. For the first calculations, the material PA6 and the quasi-simultaneous laser welding process mode were chosen. The model comprises of the complete laser welding process, including the heating and the cooling phase. Boundary conditions and relevant process parameters were specified for the simulation, such as the laser beam intensity, the joining pressure, and the welding time. Flow and temperature profiles were then calculated. Because of the array of available boundary conditions, it is possible to continuously improve the model while comparing the simulated data with that obtained in the experiments. The experimental data were gathered by detecting the displacement of tracer particles in dependence on time and place. Moreover, the melt layer thickness was measured. In general, very good agreement was achieved between the calculated and the measured results. Once the steady–state conditions were achieved, no change in the remaining melt layer thickness, temperature, flow velocity, or weld strength was observed. It was seen that the maximum temperature was placed in the upper layers of the absorbent partner and not in the joining surface. Accordingly, the flow behavior is first detected in the absorbent partner, and afterwards in the transparent one. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:1565–1575, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers


Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a potentially preventable disease ; however, recently, there is a trend of its high prevalence.  Realizing in a level of risk and a chance of developing the DM helps people recognize their own risk, which leads to the modification of behavior related to risk factors.  In addition, this can help screening type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without blood examination.  The nurses can play an independent role in preventing diseases and promoting healthcare by applying the social cognitive theory and using the risk assessment tool for assessing the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the future.  The tool is composed of physical examination and history taking, including age, gender,  body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus.  The sum of the scores indicates a level of risk: lowest, low, moderately, high, and highest; and predict a chance of developing the disease in the next 12 years.  The nurse, hence, can organize the health promotion activities for sustainable behavior modification based on the principle of learning by observation, the principle of self-controlling and the principle of the perception of self-ability.


Broadcasting of data and control packets is expected to be crucial in vehicular environments. Both safety-related and non-safety applications rely on broadcasting for the exchange of data or status and advertisement messages. According to the specifications of the IEEE 802.11p/WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments) standard, vehicles tune into a common frequency during the control channel (CCH) interval, where most of the broadcasting traffic is expected to be delivered. The rest of the time, vehicles switch to one of the available service channels (SCHs) for non-safety related data exchange. Although the WAVE channel switching could heavily affect the network performance, it has not been widely investigated in the literature. In this paper, an analytical model is designed for characterizing the losses of broadcast packets by explicitly accounting for the WAVE channel switching. Loss probabilities have been derived as a function of contention window size, number of vehicles and channel errors.


A new split-winding doubly salient permanent magnet (DSPM) motor drive is proposed. This DSPM motor drive offers the advantages of high power density, high efficiency, and wide speed range. The corresponding operation, analysis, implementation, and experimentation are successively presented. Finally, experimental results are used to confirm that the proposed DSPM motor drive offers high efficiency over a wide output power range, exhibits good dynamic performance, and extends the constant-power operation range significantly.


The paper describes the experimental investigations of the performance of a multi-stage water desalination still connected to a solar parabolic trough (solar energy concentrator) with focal pipe and simple heat exchanger (serpentine). The receiver length is 2 m and has a diameter of 6 mm. A diluted solution of water-antifreeze is selected as working fluid. This solution is flowing as cycle through the focal pipe and serpentine. The solution in the heat exchanger is heated during the sunlight by means of solar energy concentrator (solar parabolic trough). The parabolic trough is tracking the sun using simple mechanism to collect the highest amount of solar radiation by optimum angle. The receiver is covered with transparent borosilicate glass to avoid the heat transfer by convection to the surrounding (i.e. the greenhouse effect is utilized) and the space between the glass and tube is evacuated. Aluminum serpentine of the heat exchanger is installed in the bottom of the still. It is attached extremely with thermally insulated pipelines through the trough. The fluid is forced flow using small pump which is powered by PV system. The multi-stage solar still water desalination system was designed to recover latent heat from evaporation and condensation processes in 2 stages. The results of tests demonstrate that the system produces about 3.6 kg of fresh water for only 5 hours from 10:00 to 15:30.the The system components were fabricated and the overall system was assembled in International Center for Science & High Technology & Environmental Science, Mahan, Iran.


Geometry description in the finite difference time domain method is a tedious task if the geometry contains fine details, such as the case of corrugated objects. Such fine details constrain the cell size. The corrugated object can be modeled using the asymptotic corrugation boundary condition (ACBC) with a correction due to the width‐over‐period ratio. The ACBC forces certain field distributions inside the corrugation and allows for the removal of the corrugation teeth to have a homogeneous region with enforced field behavior that represents the actual corrugations. The ACBC approach is found to be accurate when the number of corrugations per wavelength is large (typically around 10 corrugations per wavelength). Computed results using ACBC are in good agreement with detailed simulations, which demonstrates the validity of the asymptotic approximations. Last, a major improvement in the computation time is achieved when using the ACBC to model structures that have a large number of corrugations per wavelength.


ABSTRACT Maja Zehfuss' book War and the politics of ethics makes the claim that Western practices of war are constituted by debates and ideas of ethics, illustrated in particular through the Western wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Herein, this claim is assessed by drawing on Tarak Barkawi and Shane Brightons argument that in contemporary research, war tends to be conceived through secondary phenomena. The paper argues that research focusing on how war is shaped by secondary phenomena often falls back on a reductive understanding, in which war is represented as violent destruction. Moreover, that by seeing war as a multifaceted form shaped by military imaginaries centring on military theory, tactics, and operational art, we may gain a more comprehensive understanding of its ontology and practices.


The ITER hybrid scenario aims to exploit non-inductive current drive to enable burn times in excess of 1000 s. To achieve this, and optimize fusion performance, requires high βN (the plasma pressure normalized to a stability scaling) and energy confinement equal to or greater than that predicted for the baseline scenario. This paper discusses results from the JET candidate hybrid scenario, where βN,MHD ⩽ 3.6 plasmas have been produced. Despite a different initial phase, confinement relevant plasma parameters evolve rapidly towards those of equivalent ELMy H-modes and are well described by IPB98(y, 2). In contrast to previous ELMy H-mode studies, a dedicated β scan experiment in the JET hybrid candidate scenario shows a strong negative dependence of global confinement on βN. Analysis indicates that the core transport remains consistent with weakly dependent electrostatic transport, whilst the edge confinement decreases strongly with increasing βN. By combining global confinement data from ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D and JET hybrid scenario discharges, a multi-machine database is produced. In contrast to the JET case, confinement in ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D is shown to be inconsistent with IPB98(y, 2) and alternative dependences are explored.


Large services experience extremely frequent changes to code and configuration. In many cases, these changes are correlated across files. For example, an engineer introduces a new feature following which they also change a configuration file to enable the feature only on a small number of experimental machines. This example captures only one of numerous types of correlations that emerge organically in large services. Unfortunately, in almost all such cases, no documentation or specification guides engineers on how to make correlated changes and they often miss making them. Such misses can be vastly disruptive to the service. We have designed and deployed Rex, a tool that, using a combination of machine-learning and program analysis, learns change-rules that capture such correlations. When an engineer changes only a subset of files in a change-rule, Rex suggests additional changes to the engineer based on the change-rule. Rex has been deployed for 14 months on 360 repositories within Microsoft that hold code and configuration for services such as Office 365 and Azure. Rex has so far positively affected 4926 changes without which, at the very least, code-quality would have degraded and, in some cases, the service would have been severely disrupted.


Introduction With France one of the European countries most strongly affected by COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, French authorities imposed a nationwide lockdown for 8 weeks (March 17–May 10). This study explored the perception of the adult population about the need for—and access to—psychological support from health care professionals (HCP) in response to concerns about the psychological needs during lockdown. Material and method This online cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the adult general population of mainland France (N = 2,003) took place during the last four days of the French lockdown (May 7–10, 2020). Results One in eight respondents (12.2%) perceived a need for psychological support from an HCP during the lockdown; most had symptoms of depression and/or anxiety of at least moderate intensity. Only a third (29.8%, 3.6% of the entire sample) actually obtained this support. Factors associated with this perceived need included: age under 35, economic difficulties due to lockdown, pre-lockdown use of psychological support, infection with COVID-19, serious worries about becoming infected, and heavy media use to obtain information about the disease. Among those who perceived a need for psychological support, the elderly were the most likely not to consult an HCP. People aged 35–64, those with high income, and those seriously worried about developing COVID-19 were the most likely to forgo seeking access to care because of their fear of infection by the coronavirus-2019. Conclusion The perceived need for psychological support from an HCP and access to it appeared to be strongly associated with COVID-19 exposure factor. More research about this association is needed to improve the health authorities' understanding of the population's psychological needs in this situation and to enhance HCPs' abilities to meet them. In particular, further research of its specific impact on youth is necessary.


Subcostal pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography of the right ventricular outflow tract was used to assess pulmonary arterial flow at basal conditions and during interventions in 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The changes in the pulmonary flow induced by interventions ranged from -1.5 l/min to +4.18 l/min (73% to 183% of the basal value). When considered alone, heart rate changes induced by the interventions could explain 53% of the changes in pulmonary flow measured with thermodilution. When Doppler-assessed right ventricular stroke volume changes were also considered the coefficient of determination (R) increased to 77% (r = 0.88, p less than 0.001, SEE = 12%). Doppler echocardiography was less precise in predicting absolute basal values of pulmonary artery flow (r = 0.70, p less than 0.001, SEE = 1.00 l/min), probably indicating inaccurate assessment of the diameter of the right ventricular outflow tract.


In this paper we describe a procedure to simplify any given triangulation of S 3 using Pachner moves. We obtain an explicit exponential-type bound on the number of Pachner moves needed for this process. This leads to a new recognition algorithm for the 3-sphere.


We are presenting a formal specification-based approach to heterogeneous distributed parallel programming. A specification language is used to describe system behaviors. The specification is then analyzed to create a multiparty interaction interface description describing the properties of the multiparty interactions among processes. Our language mapping approach allows a multiparty interaction interface description automatically created in any target programming language. Developers can then write a program in the target language to include the description for execution. A familiar programming model is provided to support implicit communication, concurrency, synchronization, and parallelism in systems through an implicit coordination-oriented approach. In other words, developers do not have to explicitly express communication, concurrency, synchronization, and parallelism when they are developing heterogeneous distributed and parallel systems.


Emotional-painful stress results in DNA single-strand breakage and repair synthesis activation in all the organs studied. The process is tissue-specific.


: Three soil-climatic regions of Transural Bashkortostan exemplify a problem of soils pollution with heavy metals. The metals content of soil in the regions is near or slightly exceeding the background level. The studies revealed some features of the metals spread in soil of the regions studied. The metals content of soil in the regions do not restrict agricultural utilization of those soils.


Evaluation of the effectiveness of herbal formulation consisting of Morinda citrifolia
L, Artemisia annua L, Glycyrrhiza glabra L and Ocimum basilicum L, in treating ulcerative colitis.

Assessment of the effect of herbal formulation on the indomethacin-induced ulcerative
colitis based on serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, tissue myloperoxidase (MPO) activity
and colonic glutathione (GSH) content and macroscopic features. Determination of tissue ulcer
scores, tissue weight and tissue histopathological changes before and after treatment with herbal
formulation in disease-induced model.

Herbal formulation from ancient literature was selected and evaluated for its effectiveness
against indomethacin-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Mesalamine was used as a standard drug to
compare the effect of herbal formulation on ulcerative colitis. Quantification of serum LDH levels,
tissue MPO activity, colonic GSH levels, and the histopathological features of inflammatory and recovered
cells were used to establish the efficacy of the formulation.

Formulation treatment showed an appreciable increase in the serum GSH levels, and a decrease
in the tissue MPO activity and serum LDH levels. The results of ulcer score analysis and tissue
weight analysis of the formulation treated group were similar to the mesalamine treated group.
Histopathological studies revealed a decrease in oedema and reduced inflammation followed by the
formulation treatment.

 The study established the efficacy of polyherbal formulation in the treatment of ulcerative
colitis following sub-chronic administration. This study concludes that the polyherbal formulation
is effective as mesalamine in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.


The modelling and the reduction of wear due to wheel-rail contact represents a crucial issue in railway applications, mainly correlated to safety, maintenance interventions and definition of strategies aimed at wheel profile optimization. A model for evaluating wheel and rail profile evolution due to wear developed for complex railway networks 10 is presented in this paper. The model layout is composed of two mutually interacting but separate parts: a vehicle model (composed of multibody model and global contact model) for the dynamical simulations and a unit for wear computation (composed of the local contact model, the wear evaluation procedure and the profile update strategy). In order to achieve general significant accuracy results in reasonable computational 15 effort, a suitable statistical approach for the railway track description is used, aimed at studying complex railway lines: in fact, the exhaustive analysis of vehicle dynamics and wear evolution on all the railway network is too expensive in terms of computa- tional time for each practical purpose. The wear model has been validated in collaboration with Trenitalia S.P.A and RFI, which have provided technical documentation 20 and experimental data relative to some tests performed on a environment exhibiting serious problems in terms of wear: the vehicle ALn 501 Minuetto operated on the Aosta-Pre Saint Didier Italian line.


In 1997, I began working in the History Department at what was then called Armstrong Atlantic State University [we have since dropped the Atlantic from our name], I was hired to "replace" Dr. Osmos "Oz" Lanier, the diplomatic historian. I came to realize that one does not replace Dr. Lanier so easily. As of 2015, he was still teaching, albeit part-time, at the university. In addition to teaching US foreign relations, I was also the Latin American historian. There were over one dozen historians in the department, but the only other person who specialized in the non-Western World was Dr. George Pruden, who taught both Asian history as well as Middle Eastern history. We have since expanded the number of people teaching non-Western history in our department to include Dr. Jason Tatlock (Middle East), Dr. Hongjie Wang (Asia), and Dr. Kwaku Nti (Africa). Nevertheless, in 1997, it was just me and George. George told me all about the Association for Third World Studies (ATWS). I was, however, unable to attend the annual conference in Durham, NC in 1998 since I had spent my entire university travel allowance, as well as some of the mortgage money, on a faculty development seminar led by George in China during the summer of 1998. In 1999, I attended ATWS' first-ever international conference in Costa Rica. I had no problem with funding, having discovered that the Dean also had a travel budget. The conference in Costa Rica was an awesome academic experience. It was at that conference that I got to meet Dr. Tom Leonard, from the University of North Florida (located in Jacksonville, not Fruit Cove), who organized the conference. I also got to meet Dr. Harold Isaacs, who so relished in the idea of having the conference in a non-Western locale that he proposed holding the annual conference outside the United States every third year. Thus, two years in the United States and one year abroad. Harold was so laid-back and easy going that I had no clue that he was the mastermind behind a major international association. Both Tom and Harold have had a huge impact on my academic career. Harold encouraged me [he sent books to me then asked if I would review them] to submit book reviews to the Journal of Third World Studies (JTWS). He also wanted me to get more involved in the association. I attended the conferences in Denver (2000) and Savannah (2001), but was unable to attend the conference in Taiwan (2002) since it took place over the Christmas Break. In 2002, I was elected to the Executive Council. Harold wanted me to run for a position. So I ran for Position #3. I had no idea what I was supposed to do beyond attend the Executive Council meeting at the annual conference. Little did I know what adventures Harold had in store for me. I attended the meeting in Shreveport (2003), where I met Dr. Bill Pederson [the current CEO] and watched Dr. Lauren Eastwood fall into a gopher hole while we raced across an open field to Bill's Lincoln Center for the Executive Council meeting. At the Executive Council meeting at the conference in Macon (2004), Harold not only convinced me to run for VP/President Elect, he also convinced me to be program and site coordinator for the 2005 conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Fortunately, I was not alone. Our Treasurer, Dr. Gary Kline, collected all of the registration fees and made all of the payments. Harold was in charge of printing the programs, ordering the awards, and sending out constant reminders to the members. The conference in Santo Domingo was a success. Tom Leonard mounted a small moped behind an even smaller Dominican and climbed a hill to visit Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo's dismantled Caoba Palace, while Tom's wonderful wife Yvonne and I hid nasty smirks behind a litany of Hail Mary's. I also witnessed Bill Pederson's quest for the Lincoln Diner on Avenida Lincoln. Every year I eagerly await Bill's latest Lincoln sighting. Everyone was happy. At the Awards Banquet, President Andrew Clark, who was scheduled to give the presidential address, was unable to make it at the last minute. …


Abstract The grafting reaction of maleic anhydride to molten iPP was investigated in both an internal mixer and a twin- screw extruder. The influence of peroxide content, added maleic anhydride and process variables such as residence time, screw speed and reaction temperature were considered. The rate and level of grafting were quantitatively measured by FTIR and titrometery technics. Maximum level of grafting at constant peroxide content was obtained when concentration of added maleic anhydride reached up to 6%, above which is declined. The rate of grafting increased with increasing the peroxide content. However the β-scission of polypropylene was found to be taken place as a parallel competitive reaction which was intensified with increasing peroxide content. It was demonstrated that it is possible to make an optimization on the grafting reaction on the basis of experimental results in conjunction with a free radical kinetic model developed for this reaction.


BACKGROUND
Connexin 43 (Cx43) is one of the major components of human keratinocyte gap junctions. To study whether gap junctional intercellular communication participates in the transfer of acupoint signals and acupuncture analgesia, the expression of Cx43 was studied in Zusanli (ST36) acupoints compared with control non-acupoint regions in rats after acupuncture. In addition, Cx43 heterozygous gene knockout mice were used to further explore the relationship between Cx43 and acupuncture analgesia.

METHODS
The expression of Cx43 was detected by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and RT-PCR for the Cx43 protein and mRNA. The influence of the Cx43 gene knockout on acupuncture analgesia was measured by a hot plate and observing the writhing response on Cx43 heterozygous gene knockout mice.

RESULTS
Immunohistochemistry showed abundant Cx43 expression in some cells in the skin and subcutaneous tissue of rat ST36 acupoints. The mRNA and protein levels of Cx43 in acupoints were significantly higher than those in the control points in the non-acupuncture group, and even more so after acupuncture. The hot plate and writhing response experiments showed that partial knockout of the Cx43 gene decreased acupuncture analgesia.

CONCLUSION
Cx43 expression and acupuncture analgesia showed a positive correlation.


Background: Mesenchymal stem cells have delivered new approaches to the management of burn healing in severe skin injuries. Aim of the work: To evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on healing of induced deep 2nd degree skin burns in albino rats. Methodology: 55 male albino rats weighed 200gm were divided into 5 groups, 5 animals in group I (control) and group II (burn model), 15 animals in group III (untreated), group IV and group V (MSCs treated). Groups III, IV and V were subdivided into 3 subgroups that were sacrificed after 7, 14 and 21 days respectively. Deep 2nd degree burn wounds were induced on a 4 cm2 area on the back of rats in groups II, III, IV and V by brass probes stabilized at 88–90°C and contacted to the shaved dorsal skin of rats for 20 seconds without exerting any external pressure. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from the bone marrow of 5 young rats, weighed 100gm then intra-dermally and intraperitoneally injected. Results: By the end of the third week, the wounds of BMSCs-treated groups showed full regeneration of epidermis, re-organization of collagen and decrease in VEGF immunopositive cells. Delayed wound healing was seen in 20% of systemically treated rats. Significant increase in the mean area percent of collagen fibers was detected in topically treated group. Conclusion: Both methods of BMSCs injection were effective in healing of full thickness skin wound but topical method was more effective.


The stability and performance of YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia) based solid oxide cells with Ruddlesden–Popper phases as the oxygen electrode have significantly improved. Microtubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (mT-SOFCs) using Pr2NiO4+δ (PNO) as the oxygen electrode along with different electrolyte–electrode interlayers were fabricated and characterized in both fuel cell (FC) and electrolysis (SOEC) operation modes. The stability and performance of the cells strongly depend on the barrier layer used. In the FC mode, cells with the PNO–Ce0.9Gd0.1O2−δ (CGO) composite barrier layers showed power densities of ca. 0.63 W cm−2 at 800 °C and 0.7 V. In addition, they presented excellent stability as no degradation was observed after 100 hours under the operating conditions. Their performance in the electrolysis mode is also remarkable (−0.78 A cm−2 at 800 °C and 1.3 V). As anticipated, nickelates withstand the excess of oxygen at the electrode–electrolyte interface better than other oxygen electrode materials. Oscillatory current behaviour has been observed and ascribed to the partial decomposition reaction of the Pr2NiO4+δ phase into PrNiO3 and PrO2−y which, on the other hand, seems not to deteriorate the electrochemical properties of the cell. However, the PNO–CGO in situ reaction, forming mixed praseodymium, cerium and gadolinium oxides (PCGO) at the electrolyte–oxygen electrode interface, appears to be essential for the good stability and performance of the cells. In this study we demonstrate, for the first time, the excellent reversible SOFC/SOEC performance and stability under current load of a cell with nickelate based oxygen electrodes.


Vibration signals extracted from rotating parts of machineries carries lot many information with in them about the condition of the operating machine. Further processing of these raw vibration signatures measured at a convenient location of the machine unravels the condition of the component or assembly under study. Stochastic resonance system is a method for nonlinear system could transform part of the noise energy to the signal. Stochastic resonance method has an important role and significance in the weak fault signal detection. In this paper, according to the characteristics of the gear system failure signal, using the stochastic resonance system detects failure weak signal of the gear system to achieve fault diagnosis purposes.


ABSTRACT Digital citizenship is becoming increasingly normalized within advanced democratic states. As society and governmental institutions become reliant on digital technologies, citizens are expected to be and act digitally. This article examines the governance of digital citizens through a case study of digitalization efforts in Denmark. Drawing on multiple forms of data, the article showcases how digital citizens are governed through a combination of discursive, legal and institutional means. The article highlights the political, but also institutional work that goes into making citizens digital. Providing this case study, the article contributes to current critical perspectives on the digital citizen as a new political figure. It adds new insights into digital citizenship by connecting this figure to wider processes of neoliberalization and state restructuring, pushing for a more pronounced focus on governmental practices.


Continuous culture of parathyroid cells has proven difficult, regardless from which species the cells are derived. In the present study, we have used a defined serum-free low calcium containing medium to culture human parathyroid cells obtained from patients with parathyroid adenomas due to primary hyperparathyroidism. No fibroblast overgrowth occurred, and the human parathyroid chief cells proliferated until confluent. After the first passage the cells ceased to proliferate, but still retained their functional capacity up to 60 days, demonstrated by Ca(2+)-sensitive changes in the release of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and as adequate cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+](i)) responses to changes in ambient calcium as measured by microfluorimetry. Low calcium concentrations enhanced, and vitamin D(3) and retinoic acids (RA) dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation during the first passage, as determined by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen and cell counting. Signs of differentiation were present as the set-points, defined as the external calcium concentration at which half-maximal stimulation of [Ca2+](i) (set-point(c)), or half-maximal inhibition of PTH release (set-point(p)) occur, were higher in not proliferating compared with proliferating cells in P0. Inhibition of cell proliferation was accompanied by signs of left-shifted set-points, indicating a link between proliferation and differentiation. The results demonstrate that human parathyroid chief cells cultured in a defined serum-free medium can be kept viable for a considerable time, and that signs of differentiation occur after proliferation has ceased. The low calcium stimulated cell proliferation may also be inhibited by vitamin D and RA.


Graphene inherently possesses defect sites and grain boundaries that are vulnerable to chemical etching by hydrogen radicals. In this study, an etch-mitigation method is presented to selectively passivate these sites using atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a H etch-resistant material. First, as a reference experiment, pristine exfoliated graphitic layers are exposed to H radicals to determine the lateral etch rate from defect sites. Next, these samples are compared to graphitic layers in which the defects are selectively passivated by Al2O3, in the same exposure conditions, using atomic force microscopy at every step in the experiment. The results show that etching is slowed down by local deposition of Al2O3 ALD at sites vulnerable to H radical etching.


In the present study, the simulation of the direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) using a hybrid Lattice Boltzmann and finite volume approach is performed. The numerical model was first validated against available experimental data. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the effect of the microstructure of the carbon fuel on the DCFC performance. The increase of the specific surface area (SSA) or porosity was found to minimize the voltage drop in the cell and ameliorate its output power density. In contrary, the increase of the tortuosity was found to inversely affect these results.


Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thromboembolism (ATE) are linked by the common mechanism of thrombin generation. Historically these entities have been treated as separate pathophysiologic processes requiring different treatments: VTE, as the formation of fibrin-/coagulation-factor-derived thrombus in low flow vasculature, requiring anticoagulants; versus ATE, as largely platelet-derived thrombus in high flow vasculature, requiring antiplatelet agents. Observational studies have elucidated shared risk factors and co-morbidities predisposing individuals with VTE to ATE, and vice versa, and have bolstered the strategy of dual pathway inhibition (DPI) - the combination of low dose anticoagulants with antiplatelet agents - to reduce thrombotic outcomes on both sides of the vasculature. Randomized clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy and safety of such regimens - mostly rivaroxaban and aspirin - in high-risk groups of patients, including those with recent acute or chronic coronary syndrome, as well as those with peripheral artery disease with or without revascularization. Studies of extended VTE prophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients have also contributed to the evidence evaluating DPI. The totality of available data supports the concept that DPI can reduce major and fatal thromboembolic outcomes, including stroke, myocardial infarction, VTE, and cardiovascular death in key patient cohorts, with acceptable risk of bleeding. Further data are needed to refine which patients derive the best net clinical benefit from such an approach. At the same time, other novel agents such as contact pathway inhibitors that reduce thrombin generation without affecting hemostasis - and thus maximize safety - should be assessed in appropriate populations.


The focus of this paper is an evaluation of a recreation project partnership between a co-curricular university department and various youth community programs in downtown Toronto, Canada. The goal of the Hart House Youth Community Recreation Project (YCRP) is to build a bridge between the university and its neighboring communities through recreation, arts, and dialogue-based programming that responds to the needs and interests of community partners and their youth members. Informed by the understanding that university/community partnerships are often paradoxical, the study assessed understandings of the program from the perspectives of the stakeholders involved. To do so, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the following two groups: organizers and leaders from the youth community programs, and staff members coordinating the project from the co-curricular university department. The results indicate that meaningful opportunities can be created within such partnerships through the provision of access to unique resources and recreation spaces; inclusion of partners in planning and program delivery; and through forging meaningful relationships between university staff and the program participants. However, significant challenges to creating and sustaining such opportunities also exist, including structural and social inequities that result in participants feeling othered in program settings; the instability and "delicacy" of trust within partnerships; and funding structure and resources. The findings shed light on, and make recommendations about, the potential benefits that youth organizations might gain from participating in university-community recreation partnerships, as well as the paradoxical nature of delivering and maintaining these partnerships.


Cladding oxidation is a particularly important process which can affect the process of core melting. Synchronously, hydrogen released from zircaloy-water reaction is a threat to the integrity of containment. Up to now, multifarious zircaloy-water oxidation models are applied in different severe accident analysis programs. In order to investigate the influence of different cladding oxidation models on the core degradation process, a station blackout (SBO) accident model of CPR1000 nuclear power plant (NPP) was established and simulated by modifying the cladding oxidation model in this work. Five oxidation relations were chosen for evaluating thermal hydraulic, metal oxidation and core degradation analysis. Thermal hydraulic characteristics of five types remain consistent before core oxidation. For more concerned hydrogen production, the results show that the ratio of the maximum hydrogen production to the minimum is approximately 2.5 times in comparison of the different oxidation models. Four core nodes temperature distributions at different time points are selected to analyze the core node degradation process, which can help readers understand the effect of different models on core degradation more intuitively. The oxidation heat generated is consistent with that of hydrogen production, indicating that the core degradation time in the case of less hydrogen produced is delayed than that of more hydrogen produced. It follows that different oxidation models have great influence on the core oxidation behavior, which is of great significance to understand different oxidation models of zircaloy and the core degradation behavior of severe accident. It is critical to choose the appropriate model to simulate the whole severe accident.


Two healthy dogs weighing 18 kg and 13
kg each received an intravenous injection of 7 μg/kg 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3). Subsequently,
they were blood-sampled
in order to determine the plasma levels of 25(OH)D3 over 4-hourly
time intervals and for a time period of 24 hours. After a period of 18 days
since the last blood sampling, the animals were brought to a hyperthyroid state
and the intravenous injection of 7 μg/kg 25OHD3 was repeated. Blood sampling was performed every 4
hours and over a time period of 24 hours in order to determine the levels of
25OHD3. The graphic plotting of plasma levels of 25OHD3 in the euthyroid state did not differ from that in the hyperthyroid state. This
finding in dog animal experimentation is indicative that the increased levels
of thyroid hormones did not affect the activity of CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 enzymes
that are related to the catabolism of 25OHD3 over a minimum of 24
hours period.


The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is up to twofold increased in patients with inflammatory joint disorders (IJD). This increased CVD risk is due to both traditional risk CVD risk factors such as hypertension, smoking and dyslipidemia as well as the underlying chronic systemic inflammation in IJD. Traditional CV risk factors are more often present in IJD and partially a consequence of changes in physical function related to the underlying IJD. Approximately 50% of the increased CV risk is due to traditional CV risk factors and 50% due to the inflammatory process. Inflammation may have a negative impact on CV risk factors, but this effect only marginally explains the increased prevalences of CV risk factors. CV risk management should thus not only target the inflammation but also CV risk factors. It has three main principles: non-pharmacological interventions, pharmacological management of CV risk factors, and control of disease activity. Non-pharmacological strategies Life style management should include counselling for smoking cessation (albeit that the favorable cardiovascular effects of smoking cessation might be less than in the general population) as well as increasing physical activity, and healthy (Mediterranean) diet. Treatment of CV-risk factors Thus far, adequate CV endpoint trials with statins and or antihypertensive agents have not been published. However, population and databases investigations indicate that antihypertensive agents and statins do not work less than in the general population. Indeed, statins have additional anti-inflammatory effects, that might be important from a CV point of view. Disease activity There is mounting evidence that cumulative disease activity as well as the number and duration of flares over time do contribute to the cardiovascular risk. Hence, inflammation reduction is important for CVD risk reduction, but it appears that the type of treatment is less important. Nowadays, tapering of biologicals is becoming more and more standard of care and has several benefits, but one of the drawbacks might be the possible negative effect on thrombotic markers. As thrombotic markers normalize with biologicals therapy, this favorable effect might be reversed and thus exposing our patients to an increased CV-risk. Furthermore, it is important to realize that it cannot be excluded some biologic agents as well as targeted synthetic DMARDs might have adverse cardiovascular effects. Finally, NSAIDs/COXIBs and steroids might have a negative impact on the cardiovascular risk profile. Conclusions The increased CV risk in IJD is widely acknowledged for about a decade. Nonetheless, CV mortality has hardly improved, despite major improvements in antirheumatic therapy. Hence, targeting disease activity only is just NOT enough to reduce the CV risk of our patients. In line of this, most (recent) studies indicate poor CV risk management in daily clinical practice and thus the CV challenge for the future is optimizing CV risk management and its implementation. References Solomon et al. Cardiovascular risk among patients with RA in CORRONA. Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67(Suppl II):482 Van den Oever et al. Half of RA patients does not receive adequate cardiovascular risk management despite a very high 10-Year cardiovascular risk. Ann Rheum Dis 2014;73(Suppl2): 401–402 Heslinga M et al. Is cardiovascular risk management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis effective? Ann Rheum Dis2015;74(Suppl2): 192 Disclosure of Interest None declared


Alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AAEMFC) are attracting ever-increasing attention, as they are promising electrochemical devices for energy production, presenting a viable opponent to the more researched proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Consequently, great progress has been made in the area of designing and developing synthetic or naturally-derived anion exchange membrane (AEM), the properties of which have been discussed in this review, i.e. ionic conductivity, ion exchange capacity, fuel crossover, durability, stability and cell performance. Major groups of natural polymers ( e.g. chitosan (CS)) and nanocellulose, together with modi fi cation/crosslinking routes, have been mentioned as more ecologically and economically viable raw materials for AEM processing compared to synthetic ones. Performances of fuel cells are also discussed, with di ff erent fuels used as anode feeds. Although the AEMFC technology is promising, the longevity challenges remain, originating from the still-limited long-term stability of hydroxide-conducting ionomers, particularly when operating at higher cell temperatures. biopolymer based anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and modi  cation of  llers (cellulose based)


Objective: The lack of overt signs and symptoms and controversies surrounding the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) reference range variability make the management of subclinical hypothyroidism (sHT) a challenge. Because muscle cramps and weakness have been noted in sHT, histological skeletal muscle examination may be of diagnostic significance as the presence of abnormalities would substantiate a significant consequence of the mild thyroid failure presumed to be present in the individual with sHT. The objective of this study was to investigate the ultrastructural and histological changes of skeletal muscle associated with sHT. Design: Skeletal muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were obtained from four subjects with sHT. Samples were fixed, sectioned, and stained for quantitative and qualitative electron and light microscopic analysis. Main Outcome: Analyses revealed characterizable morphological and ultrastructural alterations and quantitative mitochondrial variations between subjects, indicative of skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction in sHT patients. For the 4 subjects, mean mitochondrial perimeter (MP) was 1.09 ± 0.312 ì, mean mitochondrial area (MA) was 0.10 ± 0.05 ì2, and mean mitochondrial volume density was 1.92 ± 0.95. Conclusions: The observed and quantified mitochondrial alterations and the noted morphological and ultrastructural alterations identify previously undocumented pathological skeletal muscle alterations associated with sHT. The observed morphological and ultrastructural alterations lend support to a trend of progression of sHT into overt hypothyroidism as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction and associated metabolic shift. The identification of these skeletal muscle alterations as sequelae of sHT may lend convincing objective evidence of a pathophysiologically significant abnormality in patients with sHT. If so, this should diminish the substantial resistance to treatment of these patients at an early stage of disease and attenuate the progression to overt hypothyroidism.


Although coronary heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Middle East (ME), not much is known about patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from this region. The STEMI Chain of Survival can be used to target regional improvements in patient care. We tried to adopt a modified chain of survival for STEMI to highlight the challenges and difficulties and the possible solutions to improve the STEMI care in the Middle East based on the few data available.


The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) prescribes cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) as an economic tool for the minimisation of costs when formulating programmes of measures to be implemented in the European river basins by the year 2009. The WFD does not specify, however, which approach to CEA has to be taken by the EU member states. In this paper the lack of a standardised approach to CEA for the implementation of the WFD is taken as the point of departure. The aim of the paper is to discuss and evaluate two pragmatic approaches to CEA based on case studies recently performed in The Netherlands and Denmark. The case studies allow for the comparison of a quantitative and a qualitative approach to CEA at the water body and river basin level and for an evaluation of the approaches in terms of their practical applicability, their transparency and the extent to which they render sound results for decision-making. Conclusions are drawn with regard to the suitability of the two approaches for the implementation of the EU WFD.


The Employment Contracts Act was introduced primarily in response to a perceived lack of progress in the rate of adjustment in the labour market. While product and financial markets had been reformed, the labour market was still regulated by relatively prescriptive legislation. In order to measure adjustment since the Act was introduced, the Heylen Research Centre and Teesdale Meuli & Co. were contracted by the Department of Labour to survey labour market adjustment under the Employment Contracts Act. This report on that survey indicates that various adjustments have occu"ed, particularly in terms of employment contract structures and several important bargaining issues. Enterprises can be categorise4 according to the type of changes they and their employees have undertaken, and their size. Three particularly important outcomes emerge. Enterprise bargaining is now far more widespread. Some enterprises have taken the opportunity to begin or speed up strategic industrial relations reforms, while others seem to have simply removed union rights and cut labour costs in the short term. Finally, while the overall rate of labour market adjustment has increased, adjustment has generally been concentrated amongst larger enterprises.


Dual-encoder structure successfully utilizes two language-specific encoders (LSEs) for code-switching speech recognition. Because LSEs are initialized by two pre-trained language-specific models (LSMs), the dual-encoder structure can exploit sufficient monolingual data and capture the individual language attributes. However, most existing methods have no language constraints on LSEs and underutilize language-specific knowledge of LSMs. In this paper, we propose a language-specific characteristic assistance (LSCA) method to mitigate the above problems. Specifically, during training, we introduce two language-specific losses as language constraints and generate corresponding language-specific targets for them. During decoding, we take the decoding abilities of LSMs into account by combining the output probabilities of two LSMs and the mixture model to obtain the final predictions. Experiments show that either the training or decoding method of LSCA can improve the model's performance. Furthermore, the best result can obtain up to 15.4% relative error reduction on the code-switching test set by combining the training and decoding methods of LSCA. Moreover, the system can process code-switching speech recognition tasks well without extra shared parameters or even retraining based on two pre-trained LSMs by using our method.


Both vertical (between job levels) and horizontal (within job levels) mobility can be sources of wage growth. We find that the glass ceiling operates at both margins. The unexplained part of the wage gap grows across job levels (glass ceiling at the vertical margin) and across the deciles of the intra-job-level wage distribution (glass ceiling at the horizontal margin). This implies that women face many glass ceilings, one for each job level above the second, and that the glass ceiling is a pervasive phenomenon. In the Netherlands it affects about 88% of jobs, and 81% of Dutch women in employment work in job levels where a glass ceiling is present.


It is well known that electric and magnetic fields may change when they are observed from different frames of reference. For example, the motion of a charged probe particle moving parallel to a current-carrying wire would be described by utilizing different electric or magnetic fields, depending on from which frame of reference the system is observed and described. To describe the situation in all frames by utilizing the theory of relativity, one has to first describe the situation in one particular frame, and this choice in the case of a current-carrying wire is the topic of this paper. Specifically, I consider the question of in which frame the current carrying wire is neutral. The importance of relaxation processes is emphasized. As an example, I examine a specific alternative to the standard choice, and consider its theoretical and experimental validity. An outcome of alternative approaches is that in the rest frame of a wire, running a current introduces also an electric field by giving rise to a minute charge. Present day experimental sensitivities, specifically those of cold ions, may be able to differentiate between the observable signatures predicted by the different approaches.


Insulin resistance syndrome is characterized by hyperglycemia, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, and abdominal obesity. Hyperglycemia is the major risk factor for microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes. However, 70% to 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes will die of macrovascular disease. Atherogenic dyslipidemia-characterized by elevated triglyceride levels, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels, and a preponderance of small, dense, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles-is the major cause of atherosclerosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, treatment of type 2 diabetes must address hyperglycemia to prevent microvascular disease (retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy) and atherogenic dyslipidemia to prevent macrovascular complications. Emerging evidence indicates lipid and glucose homeostasis are interrelated via bile acid-activated nuclear hormone receptor signaling pathways. Agents that act on these pathways could simultaneously address hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have shown that bile acid sequestrants, including cholestyramine, colestimide, and colesevelam HCl, significantly improve glycemic control and reduce LDL cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. This paper will review the effects of bile acid sequestrants on both glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes.


Credit is the boost small and medium enterprises in Latin America need most. It gives companies that anchor distribution chains the opportunity to integrate small producers into the formal economy. This creates jobs, strengthens domestic markets and improves access to exports, while increasing productivity and bettering the lives of poor producers at the base of the pyramid.
The Inter-American Development Bank?s (IDB) Opportunity for the Majority Initiative (OMJ) is lending up to $3 million to the Fondo de Desarrollo de Emprendimientos Socialmente Responsables (PymeCapital S.A,) to bolster small and medium anchor companies in agriculture, agroindustry, manufacturing, and tourism in nine countries in Central and South America.
Through the OMJ loan, PymeCapital will provide credit and technical assistance to SMEs and small producers in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Colombia. The fund lends to companies whose business models incorporate social and environmental impact, and is thus developing a portfolio with a triple bottom line.


This paper describes the development of a fully autonomous humanoid robot for locomotion research and as the first US entry in to RoboCup.  DARwIn (Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot   with   Intelligence)   is   a   humanoid   robot   capable   of bipedal walking and performing human like motions.   As the   years   have   progressed,   DARwIn   has   evolved   from   a concept to a sophisticated robot platform.  DARwIn 0 was a feasibility study that investigated the possibility of making a humanoid   robot   walk.     Its   successor,   DARwIn   I,   was   a design   study   that   investigated   how  to   create   a  humanoid robot   with   human   proportions,   range   of   motion,   and kinematic   structure.     DARwIn   IIa   built   on   the   name "humanoid" by adding autonomy.  DARwIn IIb improved on its   predecessor   by   adding   more   powerful   actuators   and modular   computing  components.    Finally,  DARwIn  III   is designed to take the best of all the designs and incorporate the robot's most advanced motion control yet.


A patient with classical neurofibromatosis is reported in whom malignant transformation of neurofibromas at multiple sites occurred, leading to a fatal outcome. One of these malignant tumours developed within the thyroid gland.


Objectives: To perform a case–control study of a functional M196R polymorphism of tumour necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNF-RII) in a Japanese population and a meta-analysis of all published reports on the polymorphism to investigate the association of the M196R polymorphism of TNF-RII with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: The functional M196R polymorphism of TNF-RII was genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction combined with the subsequent single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR—SSCP) analysis for screening, followed by nucleotide sequencing for confirmation. A total of 331 patients and 359 controls were subjected to a case–control study. A meta-analysis of the available case–control studies including all published data as well as our own data was performed to investigate the association of the functional M196R polymorphism of TNF-RII with SLE. Results: Our case–control study did not show any significant association of a functional M196R polymorphism of TNF-RII with SLE, although there was a trend towards association. A meta-analysis of seven case–control studies in eight different ethnic populations including our own showed that 196M/R and 196R/R genotypes combined was significantly associated with an increased risk of SLE (odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.60; p = 0.02). Stratification by ethnicity showed a more significant association in Asians, including Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.78; p = 0.006). The effect of the 196R allele on SLE was not clear in Caucasians. Conclusions: The 196R allele of the functional M196R polymorphism of TNF-RII is a risk factor for SLE, especially in the Asian population.


Recently, the (mis)representation of disability and disabled people has become a key topic of conversation within disability studies. These misrepresentations result from the disability gaze—depicting disability and disabled people in literature and popular culture from the perspective of non-disabled people that often cast disabled people in myriad stereotypical representations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the disability gaze is negotiated in Awesomely Emma (2020), a children's picturebook by Amy Webb, illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard. Drawing on disability studies and visual analysis scholarship, this study highlights how the disability gaze is resisted and destabilized in this picturebook by using staring back—a strategy of resistance developed by disabled people that involves looking back at non-disabled people to demand recognition and resist silencing and marginalization. The study demonstrates how Awesomely Emma employs the process of staring back at the visual and verbal levels as a tool for resistance and activism against the rhetoric of disability discrimination and stigmatization, thereby significantly contributing to disability counternarratives. The significance of this study lies in its manifestation of the role the process of staring back can play in transfiguring entrenched, negative ways of disability representation to propose alternative means of understanding and reimagining disability.


We previously reported that GSTT1 was upregulated in human granulosa cells during aging and that activation and localization of p38 MAPK was changed in parallel. Although oxidative stress is responsible for these changes, the age-associated expression of GSTT1 regulated by MAPKs and the role of GSTT1 in aged granulosa cells remain unclear. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the expression of GSTT1 and MAPK signaling pathways using human granulosa-like KGN cells stimulated with H2O2 in the presence or absence of various MAPK inhibitors. Interestingly, H2O2-induced GSTT1 was only inhibited by a p38 inhibitor. An inhibitor of MK2, a downstream regulator of p38, also diminished H2O2-induced GSTT1 upregulation. Notably, both p38 and MK2 were significantly inactivated in cells carrying an shRNA construct of GSTT1 (ΔGSTT1 cells), suggesting that the p38-MK2 pathway is essential for age-associated upregulation of GSTT1. The relevance of GSTT1 in mitochondrial activity was then determined. ΔGSTT1 cells displayed enhanced polarization of mitochondrial membrane potential without increasing the apoptosis, suggesting that the age-associated upregulation of GSTT1 may influence the mitochondrial activity of granulosa cells. Collectively, it appears that the age-associated expression of GSTT1 is induced through the p38 signaling pathway and GSTT1 influences homeostatic activities in granulosa cells.


The importance of the complex interrelated regulatory pathways involving IGF factors and pancreatic hormones can be observed in several metabolic diseases, where the deregulation of these factors has a wide impact on bone health. These findings have stimulated us to compare the effect of IGF-I, IGF-II, insulin and preptin on human bone cells. The effect on cell differentiation and cell activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts has been analysed. We have observed a significant effect by IGF-I, a modest effect by IGF-II and preptin and no effect after insulin administration on human primary osteoblast-like cells. All studied factors have shown an induction on human primary osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption activity, with IGF-I being the most potent factor. We hypothesize that these findings may be on the basis of decreased bone mass density observed in several diseases.


This paper focuses on children involved in divorce/custody proceedings and their right to participation. It evaluates how and to what extent right to child participation are observed and protected in divorce and custody proceedings. This study is spurred by the increase in family instability, and the children affected; the concern that they turn out victims of divorce and subjects of custody, and their rights to participate in the proceedings. It adopts analytical approach and doctrinal methodology by relying on existing literature, relevant laws on the subject and judicial interpretations. The findings include issues such as: the minimal or insignificant level of child participation in divorce and custody matters as the child is the hidden party in a divorce proceeding and is usually not included as parties to the proceedings; the Family Courts which has less technicalities, trained welfare specialists and right based procedures for the child are not functional in many States, no independent legal representation for the child in divorce/custody matters at the high courts; the extent to which child participation right would be observed in custody proceedings is at the discretion of the court; award of custody in most cases are based on the testimony of the parents alone which may not be verified actually. In view of these findings, guidelines and measures to protect the best interest of the child and the legal right to child participation in custody matters are advocated. Keywords: Child, Custody, Divorce, Child Participation, Court, Child Welfare, Proceedings


Abstract In this paper an LPV non-integer order control model of an irrigation canal is derived from system identification experiments. This model is experimentally obtained by using the described LPV fractional identification procedure. This procedure consists on the identification of a non-linear order model in each operation point of the canal. The global LPV model is obtained by the polynomial interpolation of the parameters of the local models. The validation results show that fractional models are more accurate than integer models. Therefore the fractional models have an important role to play in management and efficient use of water resources.


This paper is devoted to a systematic discussion of the supersymmetric index Tr (-1)^F for the minimal supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory -- with any simple gauge group G -- primarily in four spacetime dimensions. The index has refinements that probe confinement and oblique confinement and the possible spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry and of global symmetries, such as charge conjugation, that are derived from outer automorphisms of the gauge group. Predictions for the index and its refinements are obtained on the basis of standard hypotheses about the infrared behavior of gauge theories. The predictions are confirmed via microscopic calculations which involve a Born-Oppenheimer computation of the spectrum as well as mathematical formulas involving triples of commuting elements of G and the Chern-Simons invariants of flat bundles on the three-torus.


This study developed an adaptive distributed tutoring system targeting on students' learning style and collaborative learning. The system is composed of intelligent agents which plays a definite role in making the system adaptive using the association rule mining and fuzzy C-means clustering. This agent oriented system is modeled using Tropos for a consistent development. The system is composed of a student model, a tutor model and a system model. The adaptation is derived into three levels of adaptation namely user level adaptation, user interface level adaptation and system level adaptation. In the user level adaptation, the system would adaptively recommend contents with variety of contents based on the individual learning behavior and overall performance of the students. The user interface level adaptation would allow the user to personalize the user-interface based on his/her own likeliness. Our system would persist the personalization in the user interface and whenever user logs in to the system, the personalized user-interface is presented. The system level adaptation would store/replicate contents in the distributed environment which is based on the current system disk space and memory available in the system. A total of 144 students had been taken in our study with Java as the course. The experimental result reveals various styles of the user and how the individual performance varies from the group. The results also provide an evidence of the system could increase learning factor of the students.


To evaluate the impact of climate change on snowfall in Japan, a hydrological simulation was made in the Agano River basin by using a regional climate model's output. A hindcast experiment was carried out for the two decades from 1980 to 1999. The average correlation coefficient of 0.79 for the monthly mean discharge in the winter season showed that the interannual variation of the river discharge could be reproduced and that the method can be used for climate change study. The future hydrological response to global warming in the 2070s was investigated using a pseudo-global-warming method. In comparison to data from the 1990s, the monthly mean discharge for the 2070s was projected to increase by approximately 43% in January and 55% in February, but to decrease by approximately 38% in April and 32% in May. The flood peak in the hydrograph was moved forward by approximately one month, changing from April in the 1990s to March in the 2070s. Furthermore, the projection for the 10-year average snowfall amount was projected to be approximately 49.5% lower in the 2070s than in the 1990s.