Various studies showed that inhaled fine particles with diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) in the air can cause adverse health effects on human, such as heart disease, asthma, stroke, bronchitis and the like. This is due to their ability to penetrate further into the lung and alveoli. The aim of this study is to develop a state-of-art reliable technique to use surveillance camera for monitoring the temporal patterns of PM10 concentration in the air. Once the air quality reaches the alert thresholds, it will provide warning alarm to alert human to prevent from long exposure to these fine particles. This is important for human to avoid the above mentioned adverse health effects. In this study, an internet protocol (IP) network camera was used as an air quality monitoring sensor. It is a 0.3 mega pixel charge-couple-device (CCD) camera integrates with the associate electronics for digitization and compression of images. This network camera was installed on the rooftop of the school of physics. The camera observed a nearby hill, which was used as a reference target. At the same time, this network camera was connected to network via a cat 5 cable or wireless to the router and modem, which allowed image data transfer over the standard computer networks (Ethernet networks), internet, or even wireless technology. Then images were stored in a server, which could be accessed locally or remotely for computing the air quality information with a newly developed algorithm. The results were compared with the alert thresholds. If the air quality reaches the alert threshold, alarm will be triggered to inform us this situation. The newly developed algorithm was based on the relationship between the atmospheric reflectance and the corresponding measured air quality of PM10 concentration. In situ PM10 air quality values were measured with DustTrak meter and the sun radiation was measured simultaneously with a spectroradiometer. Regression method was use to calibrate this algorithm. Still images captured by this camera were separated into three bands namely red, green and blue (RGB), and then digital numbers (DN) were determined. These DN were used to determine the atmospherics reflectance values of difference bands, and then used these values in the newly developed algorithm to determine PM10 concentration. The results of this study showed that the proposed algorithm produced a high correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.7567 and low root-mean-square error (RMS) of plusmn 5 mu g/m3 between the measured and estimated PM10 concentration. A program was written by using microsoft visual basic 6.0 to download the still images automatically from the camera via the internet and utilize the newly developed algorithm to determine PM10 concentration automatically and continuously. This concluded that surveillance camera can be used for temporal PM10 concentration monitoring. It is more than an air pollution monitoring device; it provides continuous, on-line, real-time monitoring for air pollution at multi location and air pollution warning or alert system. This system also offers low implementation, operation and maintenance cost of ownership because the surveillance cameras become cheaper and cheaper now.


Mexico's drug 'war' produced 100,000 deaths between 2006 and 2012. The extreme violence has raised the notion that Mexico has become a failed state wracked by terrorism. We categorise the forms of narco-violence in Mexico in light of the literature on terrorism and contemporary Mexican politics. Our study suggests three overlapping dimensions of narco-violence that should be considered terrorism: (a) narco-terror as a struggle for regional political control; (b) narco-terror as a practice ordered by cartel leaders rather than spontaneous violence of foot soldiers; and (c) narco-terror as an expansion strategy from solely drug trafficking to other kinds of organised crime.


The kinetics of hydrolysis of N-salicylidene-2-aminothiazole (HL) have been investigated in aqueous 5% MeOH (I= 0.1 mol dm–3) in the presence and absence of CoII, NiII, CuII, and ZnII. The solvent deuterium isotope effect on the rate of spontaneous and hydroxide-catalysed hydrolysis of the Schiff-base anion (L–) is consistent with intramolecular catalysis by the phenoxide anion. Of all the metal ions, only copper(II) retards the rate of hydrolysis of the imine significantly. This is due to the formation of less reactive [CuL]+ species. Such a species, however, undergoes both spontaneous and acid-catalysed hydrolysis of the imine linkage in the pH range 4.22–5.2. The mixed-ligand complex [Zn(im)2L]+(im = imidazole) is also found to be an effective catalyst. The imine linkage in [Zn(im)2L]+ is hydrolysed about three times faster than that in [CuL]+ and L– in the pH-independent path.


Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) is a widely used statistical tool with both well established theory and favorable performance for a wide range of machine learning problems. However, computing CCA for huge datasets can be very slow since it involves implementing QR decomposition or singular value decomposition of huge matrices. In this paper we introduce L-CCA , a iterative algorithm which can compute CCA fast on huge sparse datasets. Theory on both the asymptotic convergence and finite time accuracy of L-CCA are established. The experiments also show that L-CCA outperform other fast CCA approximation schemes on two real datasets.


Background Various durations of survival have been observed in the xenotransplantation of life-supporting &agr;-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT-KO) porcine kidneys into nonhuman primates. Although others have demonstrated loss of GalT-KO—transplanted kidneys within 2 weeks, we have reported an average survival of 51 days with the cotransplantation of the kidney and vascularized thymus and an average of 29 days with the kidney alone. To determine the factors responsible for this difference in survival time, we performed xenogeneic kidney transplantations into cynomolgus monkeys with an anti-CD40L-based regimen using two different strains of GalT-KO swine, one derived from MGH miniature swine and the other obtained from Meji University. Materials and Methods Eight cynomolgus moneys received GalT-KO kidneys. Three kidney grafts were from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-Nippon Institute for Biological Science (NIBS) GalT-KO pigs and five GalT-KO grafts were from MEIJI GalT-KO swine. All cynomolgus recipients were treated identically. Results Recipients of kidneys from the MGH GalT-KO kidneys swine, produced by nuclear transfer in Japan, survived an average of 28.7 days, whereas recipients of MEIJI GalT-KO kidneys swine survived an average of 9.2 days. Among the differences between these two groups, one potentially revealing disparity was that the MEIJI swine were positive for porcine cytomegalovirus, whereas the MGH-derived swine were negative. Conclusion This is the first study comparing renal xenotransplantation from two different sources of GalT-KO swine into nonhuman primates at a single center. The results demonstrate that porcine cytomegalovirus may be responsible for early loss of GalT-KO swine kidney xenografts.


Aims and method There is a lack of current data regarding attitudes of doctors towards psychiatry. General practitioners (GPs) are increasingly involved in teaching psychiatry, and their attitudes towards psychiatry may affect their ability to promote psychiatry. The main aim of the study is to inform on current attitudes of GPs towards psychiatry as a discipline. The Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire was administered to all GPs within Shropshire.

Results The response rate was 61% ( n = 145 from N = 239). The mean score for the ATP-30 was 113.9. An association was found between GP trainer status and higher ATP-30 scores. Positive associations were found between demographic data (age, length of career, postgraduate experience of psychiatry, involvement in undergraduate teaching, GP trainer status) and individual response items on the ATP-30 scale.

Clinical implications General practitioners in Shropshire have a positive attitude towards psychiatry. Associations between demographic data and ATP-30 scores indicate that GPs with more experience of psychiatry and those involved in training may have more positive attitudes. The main limitation of the study is the lack of proven validity of the scale for use in this population. The positive attitude towards psychiatry is consistent with GPs providing the role models needed if they are to be involved to a greater degree with teaching and promoting psychiatry as a career. The need for the development of a more specific tool or an update to the existing tool is discussed.


Graph diffusion equations are intimately related to graph neural networks (GNNs) and have recently attracted attention as a principled framework for analyzing GNN dynamics, formalizing their expressive power, and justifying architectural choices. One key open questions in graph learning is the generalization capabilities of GNNs. A major limitation of current approaches hinges on the assumption that the graph topologies in the training and test sets come from the same distribution. In this paper, we make steps towards understanding the generalization of GNNs by exploring how graph diffusion equations extrapolate and generalize in the presence of varying graph topologies. We first show deficiencies in the generalization capability of existing models built upon local diffusion on graphs, stemming from the exponential sensitivity to topology variation. Our subsequent analysis reveals the promise of non-local diffusion, which advocates for feature propagation over fully-connected latent graphs, under the assumption of a specific data-generating condition. In addition to these findings, we propose a novel graph encoder backbone, Advective Diffusion Transformer (ADiT), inspired by advective graph diffusion equations that have a closed-form solution backed up with theoretical guarantees of desired generalization under topological distribution shifts. The new model, functioning as a versatile graph Transformer, demonstrates superior performance across a wide range of graph learning tasks.


The circular Radon transform integrates a function over the set of all spheres with a given set of centres. The problem of injectivity of this transform (as well as inversion formulae, range descriptions, etc) arises in many fields from approximation theory to integral geometry, to inverse problems for PDEs and recently to newly developing types of tomography. A major breakthrough in the 2D case was made several years ago in a work by Agranovsky and Quinto. Their techniques involved microlocal analysis and known geometric properties of zeros of harmonic polynomials in the plane. Since then there has been an active search for alternative methods, especially those based on simple PDE techniques, which would be less restrictive in more general situations. This paper provides some new results that one can obtain by methods that essentially involve only the finite speed of propagation and domain dependence for the wave equation.


Becker's disease is a congenital myotonia with an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. Unlike myotonic dystrophy, it is not associated with cardiopathy. We present a 32-year-old man with Becker's disease diagnosed at age 11. He suffered episodes of loss of consciousness preceded by palpitations when he performed strenuous physical exercise. The electrocardiogram reveals a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Review of the literature in MEDLINE using the search terms of congenital myotonia or Becker's disease and arrhythmia or heart disease only found 2 articles on Thomsen disease but none on Becker's disease. Becker's myotonia congenita may exceptionally be associated with cardiopathy, thus patients with this disorder should have a cardiac evaluation.


When using a groyne for bank protection purposes, obtaining a smooth reduction of velocity from the mainstream to the bank with less turbulence around the structure is ideal. This can be achieved by applying modifications to groyne permeability or layout. Obviously, pile-arrangement type in a pile-group groyne significantly affects the downstream flow structure. However, these effects have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, the effects of different pile-group groynes on the flow characteristics were investigated experimentally. This research aimed to find an efficient design of pile arrangement in a pile-group groyne in order to produce a smooth flow reduction with low turbulence around the structure. Two types of pile arrangements, namely in-line and staggered arrays, were considered. The findings demonstrated that the staggered type caused a gradual deceleration of flow from the mainstream toward the bank, longer low-velocity field behind the structure, and drastic reduction in the turbulence around the structure when compared with the in-line type.


BACKGROUND
Little is known about the effects of Kinesio taping and therapeutic exercise on correcting forward head posture.

OBJECTIVE
To compare Kinesio taping versus therapeutic exercise for forward head posture on static posture, dynamic mobility and functional outcomes.

METHODS
Sixty subjects (31 women, 29 men) with forward head postures participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to either one of the three groups: (1) exercise group (n = 20), (2) taping group (n = 20), and (3) control groups (n = 20). The horizontal forward displacement (HFD) between ear lobe and acromion process, upper cervical and lower cervical angle (UCA, LCA), active range of motion (AROM) of cervical spine, and neck disability index (NDI) were measured before and after a 5-week intervention, and a 2-week follow-up. Data were analyzed by means of a mixed design repeated-measures ANOVA.

RESULTS
Both taping and exercise groups showed significant improvements in HFD compared with the control group at post-treatment and follow-up. Compared with the control group, the exercise group exhibited significant improvements in the LCA and the side bending AROM at post-treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Both Kinesio taping and therapeutic exercise improve forward head posture after intervention and a 2-week follow-up. The effectiveness of therapeutic exercise is better than taping.


A 4-year-old boy with partial trisomy 11q resulting from malsegregation of a maternal translocation, t(11;22)(q23.1;q11.1), exhibits the following malformations: severe mental deficiency; growth retardation and hypotonia; brachycephaly with flattened occiput and forehead; facial dysmorphia; pre-auricular fistula. These features are in good agreement with the syndrome recently described for partial trisomy 11q. The translocation appears to be identical in that in three other families already reported.


Carbon- and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP and GFRP) composite materials have been used in many industries such as aerospace and automobile because of their outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. The quality of these materials is important for safe operation. Nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques are an effective way to inspect these composites. While ultrasonic NDT has previously been used for inspection of composites, conventional ultrasonic NDT, using single element transducers, has limitations such as high attenuation and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Using phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) techniques, signals can be generated at desired distances and angles. These capabilities provide promising results for composites where the anisotropic structure makes signal evaluation challenging. Defect detection in composites based on bulk and guided waves are studied. The capability of the PAUT and its sensitivity to flaws were evaluated by comparing the signal characteristics to the conventional method. The results show that flaw sizes as small as 0.8 mm with penetration depth up to 25 mm can be detected using PAUT, and the result signals have better characteristics than the conventional ultrasonic technique. In addition, it has been shown that guided wave generated by PAUT also has outstanding capability of flaw detection in composite materials.


Malignant histiocytosis is a rare, usually rapidly fatal malignancy in which cutaneous involvement is recognized, but uncommon. We report a patient with presenting features of lymphadenopathy and extensive pyoderma gangrenosum-like ulceration.


UNESCO recognizes the significant impact of HIV and AIDS on international development and in particular on progress towards achieving Education For All (EFA). As the UN agency with a mandate in education and a co-sponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) UNESCO takes a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS. It recognizes that education can play a critical role in preventing future HIV infections and that one of its primary roles is to help learners and educators in formal and non-formal education systems to avoid infection. It also recognizes its responsibility to address and respond to the impact of the epidemic on formal and non-formal education systems and the need to expand efforts to address issues related to care treatment and support of those infected and affected by HIV. UNESCOs global strategy for responding to HIV and AIDS is guided by four key principles and focuses on five core tasks. The guiding principles that are the foundation of UNESCOs response to HIV and AIDS are: Work towards expanding educational opportunities and the quality of education for all; A multi-pronged approach that addresses both risk (individual awareness and behaviour) and vulnerability (contextual factors); Promotion and protection of human rights promotion of gender equality and elimination of violence (notably violence against women) stigma and discrimination; An approach to prevention based on providing information that is scientifically sound culturally appropriate and effectively communicated and helping learners and educators to develop the skills they need to prevent HIV infection and to tackle HIV and AIDS-related discrimination. (excerpt)


This study examines service operations of a small restaurant by using service design tool, personas in discovery and define stages of Double Diamond Design Process Model. Among many service design tools introduced to the industries, personas together with service blueprint are the ones wellknown to the public. Creating fictional characters, personas, help the understanding of the customers' needs, expectations, experiences, behaviors and goals. As a case study, one of the Alchon franchises in Incheon, Korea, a small restaurant around the school area will be analyzed to examine its practical use in service designing. The design tool will be applied to the service process of the Korean style snack bar, bunshik, in order to bring attention on initial idea and determine problems of the store. Through this study, personas in real practice suggested several ways to improve the service process by making the menu more visible, rearrangement of the tables and seats, delegation of the servers' tasks, and improvement in sanitation. In conclusion, the tool is found applicable and practical in service designing for a small restaurant.


In this study, we examine the implications of gendered pattern of work on quality of life among older adults aged 50 and above in China and India. We use a causal mediation analysis approach to data from the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (2007/10). Our results show that both paid and unpaid work are least gendered in urban China and most in rural India with an exceptionally heavy double burden on rural Chinese women. Compared to men, women have lower quality of life due to less involvement in paid work, more so in India than in urban China. In rural China, greater involvement in unpaid work reduces women's quality of life. The results highlight the importance of better public provision and greater gender equity in improving quality of life among women in later life. ARI Working Paper No. 267 Asia Research Institute ● Singapore


Abstract The structure of natural hydrous silica is complex and its study requires the complementary application of several methods. To elucidate the structural state of opaline silica of different geneses, microcrystalline opals from siliceous rocks, geodes, and bentonite clays from East Rhodopes, Bulgaria, were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. Comparison of X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic data for a series of microcrystalline opals showed that the fraction of tridymite-like structural units can be estimated using the relative intensity of the Raman scattering near 350 cm-1. Opals displaying an intense, poorly resolved Raman band centered near 330.360 cm-1 contain a larger proportion of nanosized spatial regions with tridymite-type atomic arrangements as opposed to cristobalite-type arrangements. The results demonstrate the ability of Raman spectroscopy to characterize the finescale structure of opal and to better distinguish opals showing similar XRD patterns. The application of Raman micro-spectroscopy showed that on intermediate-range scale the atomic structure of opal lepispheres is closer to the framework topology of tridymite than to that of cristobalite


Previous readers of "Morale du joujou," such as Giorgio Agamben, Philippe Bonnefis and Anne-Emmanuelle Berger, have emphasized the erotic and fetishistic elements of Baudelaire's depiction of the child at play. Focusing instead on the mnemonic questions raised by his text, this essay examines how Panckoucke's gift of a "souvenir" ties together the logic of memorialization with that of donation. In conversation with the work of Walter Benjamin and Jacques Derrida, it explores how Baudelaire's essay is invested in thinking the conditions that make memory possible, and in turn how the play of the toy and gift (but also the gift of the toy) become essential to a thinking of the event of memory.


In order to investigate the cytoplasmic features of cells from benign and malignant breast lesions, a series of cytochemical reactions was applied to 117 sets of imprints made from breast biopsies. Alkaline phosphatase was present in all benign lesions except one but absent in 56% of the carcinomas. Lipids detected by the oil red O method were significantly more common in carcinomas but also present in a substantial number of benign lesions, making this difference of minor importance in diagnostic cytology. Carcinomas with a cytoplasmic lipid content stainable with oil red O and with moderate or marked sudanophilia had a significantly higher rate of axillary lymph node metastases, illustrating the prognostic value of the lipid-staining methods. Intracytoplasmic inclusions (ICI) detected by the periodic acid Schiff (PAS) method were found in 62% of the carcinomas and in only one benign lesion, making their presence of great diagnostic value. It is concluded that the application of certain cytochemical methods may improve the diagnostic accuracy of breast cytology.


The influence of the sympathetic nervous system and of its adjacent adrenoceptors in the vasoconstriction induced by angiotensin II was studied in pithed rat preparations. The vasoconstriction induced by angiotensin II in high doses was impaired by reserpine pretreatment but not by bilateral adrenalectomy. These findings suggest that part of the pressor response of high doses of angiotensin II is caused by the liberation of endogenous noradrenaline from the sympathetic nerve endings, but not by that of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla. The vasoconstrictor effect of high doses of angiotensin II was depressed by the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, but not by the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine. A possible role of the sympathetic ganglia in the pressor activity of angiotensin could be ruled out by appropriate blockade of cholinergic transmission. In higher doses, angiotensin II causes vasoconstriction which is mediated partly by the release of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerve endings, leading to activation of predominantly postsynaptic alpha 1-adrenoceptors.


Porous structures have strong tunable size effects due to increased surface area. Size effects on phonon thermal conductivity have been observed in porous materials with periodic voids on the order of microns. This letter explores the origin of this size effect on phonon thermal conductivity observed in periodic microporous membranes. Pore-edge boundary scattering of low frequency phonons explains the temperature trends in the thermal conductivity; further reduction in thermal conductivity is explained by the porosity.


AFDX (Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet) standardized as ARINC 664 is a major upgrade for avionics systems. The mandatory certification implies a worst-case delay analysis of all the flows transmitted on the AFDX network. Up to now, this analysis is done thanks to a tool based on the Network Calculus approach. This existing approach considers that all the flows transmitted on the network are asynchronous and it does not take into account the scheduling of output flows done by each end system. The main contribution of this paper is to extend the existing Network Calculus approach by introducing the offsets associated to the different periodic flows into the computation. The resulting approach is evaluated on an industrial AFDX configuration with an existing offset assignment algorithm. The obtained upper bounds are significantly reduced.


Basal‐like (BL) breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. Recent work has identified BL breast cancer as a biologically distinct form of triple‐negative breast cancer, with a worse outlook. The receptor tyrosine kinase c‐Met is a novel therapeutic target associated with reduced survival in breast cancer. Few studies have specifically addressed the association between c‐Met and molecular subtype of breast cancer, yet this is a key consideration when selecting patients for clinical trials. The aim of this study is to evaluate c‐Met expression in a large cohort of invasive breast cancers and in particular, its correlation with molecular subtype.


We propose a model CCS(complex-conjugate-space) to understand the inner and outer product nature of wave functions in non-hermitian PT-symmetry model in quantum mechanics considering (N×N) matrix model . Further we reflect the correct nature of C-symmetry ,P-parity and orignal Hamiltonian matrix for any arbitrary values of N. Interestingly the present result on N=2 , remains the same reported earlier by Bender,Brody and Jones model PT-symmetry operaor . In non-conventional way one can notice that wave functions in a PT-symmetry model satifies similar relations as in hermitian operator . PACS no-03.65.Db Key wordsPT-symmetry ,Hermiticity ,wave functions , properties . I.Introduction Since the development of quantum mechanics it is well known that Wave functions in Hermitian operator satisfies the following relations [1]


Background Deaths from antidepressants continue to account for a substantial proportion of drug-related deaths. Aims To investigate the relative toxicity of the major classes of antidepressant drugs, with the specific objective of assessing this in relation to the cause of death; and to analyse the deaths where there were multiple mentions of antidepressant drugs or other psychoactive drugs with antidepressants. Method Mortality data were collected from the National Programme of Substance Abuse Deaths, and antidepressant prescription data were collected. Results Most deaths from antidepressant drugs were suicides (80%). Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) accounted for more drug mentions than did other antidepressant drugs (12 per million prescriptions). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were associated with a significantly lower risk of toxicity, but 93% of deaths from SSRIs occurred in combination with other drugs, especially TCAs (24.5%). In 'combination' deaths patients were significantly more likely to have had a history of drug misuse. Conclusions The efficacy and safety of augmentation therapy with TCAs in SSRI-resistant patients should be monitored carefully, and patients prescribed antidepressants should be screened for drug use/misuse.


An 86-year-old woman with low cardiac function was scheduled to undergo hip fracture surgery. Preoperative electrocardiogram showed complete left bundle brunch block, first degree atrioventricular block, left axis deviation and bigeminy. However, her electrocardiogram had changed to complete atrioventricular block on arrival at operating theater. ACC/AHA guideline on perioperative cardiovascular evaluation and care for non cardiac surgery indicates the assessment of both the urgency of the surgery and cardiac complications. Because complete atrioventricular block is classified to "active cardiac conditions", we decided to postpone the surgery for more detailed evaluation and treatment of cardiac conditions. In spite of the discontinuation of digoxin and carvegilol, complete atrioventricular block continued for a week, and the permanent pacemaker was inserted. The surgery was performed 2 weeks following the insertion of the pacemaker without any problems under combined general and lumbar epidural anesthesia.


RecA protein is widespread in bacteria, and it plays a crucial role in homologous recombination. We have identified two bacterial-type recA gene homologs (PprecA1, PprecA2) in the cDNA library of the moss Physcomitrella patens. N-terminal fusion of the putative organellar targeting sequence of PpRecA2 to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) caused a targeting of PpRecA2 to the chloroplasts. Mutational analysis showed that the first AUG codon acts as initiation codon. Fusion of the full-length PpRecA2 to GFP caused the formation of foci that were colocalized with chloroplast nucleoids. The amounts of PprecA2 mRNA and protein in the cells were increased by treatment with DNA damaging agents. PprecA2 partially complemented the recA mutation in Escherichia coli. These results suggest the involvement of PpRecA2 in the repair of chloroplast DNA.


Rabbits are mammals from the family Leporidae (green plant eaters) which can be found in many parts of the earth. Rabbits are very susceptible to temperature changes. Temperature greatly affects the rabbit's body metabolism. The temperature ideal for rabbits is in the range of 60 – 650F or equal to 15.5 - 18.30C temperature is known as "comfort zone" for rabbits. The level of heat stress in rabbits is very high in the tropics thereby reducing rabbit productivity. With a system that researchers can make it easier to determine the suitable place to serve as a rabbit habitat with the Internet of Things system network, and reduce the failure rate in keeping rabbits as well as the implementation of the node-ed as a platform to display the results of the calculation method of the decision.
The system is applied using the SAW (Simple Additive Weight) ranking method or commonly called this weighted method by using three parameters including temperature; humidity; light. However, the data must go through a calculation that generates a value of each location then normalize to get a decision by the sum of the multiplication of normalization with weights.
Implementation Methods of SAW (Simple Additive weighting) as Decision Support Habitat For Rabbits Recommendation Based IoT (Internet Of Things) has been successfully applied. So that it can rank rabbit habitat locations based on parameters of temperature, humidity, light. However, although the system is built based on IOT but has not publicly accessible or still based on the localhost.


Accurate automated analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) would largely help clinicians effectively monitor and diagnose patients with various brain diseases. Compared to supervised learning with labelled disease EEG data which can train a model to analyze specific diseases but would fail to monitor previously unseen statuses, anomaly detection based on only normal EEGs can detect any potential anomaly in new EEGs. Different from existing anomaly detection strategies which do not consider any property of unavailable abnormal data during model development, a task-oriented self-supervised learning approach is proposed here which makes use of available normal EEGs and expert knowledge about abnormal EEGs to train a more effective feature extractor for the subsequent development of anomaly detector. In addition, a specific two branch convolutional neural network with larger kernels is designed as the feature extractor such that it can more easily extract both larger scale and small-scale features which often appear in unavailable abnormal EEGs. The effectively designed and trained feature extractor has shown to be able to extract better feature representations from EEGs for development of anomaly detector based on normal data and future anomaly detection for new EEGs, as demonstrated on three EEG datasets. The code is available at https://github.com/ironing/EEG-AD.


The synthesis and characterization of a new series of dinuclear compounds [(Fe(dpia)(NCBH3)(2)}(2)(A)], where dpia = di(2-picolyl)amine, A = 4,4'-bipyridine (1), 1,2-di(4-pyridy1)ethyne (bpac) (2), or 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpen) (3), are reported. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of the three compounds show that they have different magnetic properties. Compound 1 exhibits a relatively cooperative two-step spin crossover (SCO) behavior. A short plateau at 210 K separates two steps and conforms to about 50 % of the complexes undergoing a thermal spin conversion. Compounds 2 and 3 present gradual full one-step spin transitions. The thermodynamic parameters of 1-3, obtained through the fitting of the magnetic data with the regular solution model, are compared with those for similar dinuclear SCO compounds. The single-crystal X-ray structure of 1 was solved at three temperatures, 290 K, 211 K, and 110 K, corresponding to three spin-state isomers, namely [HS-HS], [HS-LS], and [LS-LS]. At the plateau temperature, both HS (high spin) and LS (low spin) sites in the mixed pair are unresolved and only an average Fe-N bond length was obtained. The structural characteristics and magnetic behavior of the new two-step SCO compound 1 are in full agreement with magneto structural correlations for previously reported related dinuclear SCO compounds. This analysis confirms the validity of a recently proposed mechanism responsible for three types of SCO in dinuclear compounds (one-step, two-step, and partial 50% transition).


The deterministic AI system under review is an alternative to neural-network-based machine learning. In its application fields, which are science, technology, engineering, and business, the implementation of rule-based AI systems leads to benefits such as accuracy and correctness of design, and personalization of the process itself and the results. An algorithmic AI suite is based on design and logical imitation models alone, without creating and/or using Big Data and knowledge bases. Excessive complexity of configuration and high design resource capacity, which are inherent in deterministic systems, are balanced by a special methodology. A hierarchical modeling approach gives a quasi-dynamic network effect, symmetric to the analogous effect in neural networks. System performance is improved by deterministic reference training capable of modifying imitation models in online interaction with users. Such training, which serves as an alternative to neural machine learning, can be implemented by means of experimental partially empirical algorithms and system–user dialogues to build reference model libraries (portfolios). Partially empirical algorithms based on experimental design methods and system user dialogues are used to create reference model libraries (portfolios) that form a deterministic training system, which can be an alternative to neural machine learning. Estimated resources can be saved by using modified optimization techniques and by controlling the computational complexity of the algorithms. Since the proposed system in the considered layout has no analogues, and the relevant research and practical knowledge are extremely limited, special methods are required to implement this project. A gradual, phased implementation process involves the step-by-step formation of sets of algorithms with verification tests at each stage. Each test is performed using an iteration method, and each test includes test, tweak, and modification cycles. Final testing should lead to the development of an AI algorithm package, including related methodological and working papers.


Immunochromatography assays are ideal candidates for diagnosis of disease in remote areas, due to their low cost and rapid readout. Moreover, they can be stored at relatively high temperatures, and do not require electric power, specialized personnel, equipment or reagents. We use those devices to diagnose viral mosquito-borne tropical diseases that have caused major epidemics and hospitalization in the last years. By allowing mobile phone readability of the diagnosis results, we enable real-time epidemiologic data on the spread of the disease. lmmunochromatography assays use capillary flow and the accumulation of ligandcoated nanoparticles to detect the presence of target proteins. We build multiplexed diagnostics that allow the detection of the four serotypes of Dengue and Zika, and validate the performance of these diagnostics by using patient samples from endemic areas from the Americas and India. Moreover, we build a multiplexed diagnostic that can detect Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya by using a low volume of patient sample. In order to provide a rapid response to epidemics, lateral flow immunoassays need to be rapidly tested and manufactured. However, years of research are necessary to identify, screen and test disease-specific antibody pairs. To provide a faster response to outbreaks, we explore cross-reactive antibodies developed against a related pathogen. To avoid nonspecific signal from the related pathogens, gold nanoparticles of different colors are combined with cross-reactive antibodies of different affinities and used in order to distinguish between the two infections as well as co-infections. In this context, I present an Ebola and Marburg diagnostic and a Dengue and Zika diagnostic. Limit of detection, as well as sensitivity/specificity are critical issues in the development of rapid diagnostics; these parameters are dependent on the nature of the ligand-target pair and binding thermodynamics when attached on a surface. In this thesis, I explore strategies to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the lateral flow devices. These new, effective, fast, reliable and inexpensive lateral flow devices represent significant improvements to field detection of disease and real-time epidemiology in situations where the lack of specialized personnel, reagents or materials challenge the suitability of the standard diagnosis methods. Thesis supervisor: Prof. Lee Gehrke Title: Hermann von Helmholtz Professor, Institute of Medical Engineering and Science


The present study was carried out to explore potential antimicrobial compounds from Actinomycetes against common plant pathogens. Actinomycetes were isolated from different environmental samples and screened for antifungal activity against Corynespora cassiicola (Berk & Curtis), the causative agent of target spot disease in tomato plants. Among the isolates screened by the dual culture plate assay, an isolate S9 exhibited highest percent in vitro growth inhibition (85.5%) against C. cassiicola. This isolate was identified as Streptomyces albolongus based on morphology, biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequencing. Two antimicrobial compounds were extracted and purified from culture filtrate of potent isolate S9 by Thin layer chromatography TLC, column chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Mass Spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopic investigations revealed the identity of compounds as propyl ester of Octadec-9-enoic acid and 17-hydroxy, 27-methoxy natamycin. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of these compounds against several plant pathogens was recorded. Pure compounds exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. In vivo studies in tomato plants revealed the efficacy of purified compounds in controlling target spot disease caused by C. cassiicola.


A highly purified prolactin preparation has been obtained from fin whale pituitaries by extraction with acid acetone. salt precipitation, isoelectric fractionation, and exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-CELLULOSE. Fin whale prolactin was isolated in a yield of 250 mg/kg wet weight tissue. It was found to have a molecular weight (SDS disc gel electrophoresis) of 23,600 daltons and an alpha-helix content (circular dichroism) of 50%. The amino acid composition and circular dichroism spectra were very similar to those of porcine prolactin. The partial amino acid sequence has been determined by the method of fluorescein-isothiocyanate. Fin whale prolactin was found to be 80% as potent as ovine prolactin with regard to pigeon crop-sac assay.


Aim To explore the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with anti-GBM antibody-negative anti-GBM disease. Methods The clinical and renal pathological findings were retrospectively studied in 19 patients. All patients met the following inclusion criteria: linear GBM IgG deposition on immunofluorescence(IF); and lack of serum anti-GBM antibodies by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Results There were 17 male and two female patients, with a median age of 36 years (range 15–61 years). Hypertension was present in 68% of cases, nephrotic-range proteinuria (> 3.5 g/24 hours) in 42%, nephrotic syndrome in 37%, microhaematuria in 95%, renal insufficiency in 63% and lung involvement in 16%. On biopsy all patients had linear GBM staining for polyclonal IgG by IF. The dominant IgG subtype was IgG4 or IgG1. By light microscopy, mesangial proliferative GN without crescents was seen in four patients; proliferative GN (mesangial proliferative GN in eight; endocapillary proliferative GN in two; and membranoproliferative GN in two) with crescents (focal in 11; diffuse in one) in 12 patients; and crescentic GN without mesangial or endocapillary proliferative or membranoproliferative changes in three patients. By electron microscopy, six patients showed scarce electron dense deposits in glomeruli and 11 patients had global podocyte effacement. Totally, 10 (53%) patients received immunosuppressive therapy. The median follow-up was 15 months and six (32%) patients progressed to end-stage renal disease. Conclusions Anti-GBM antibody-negative anti-GBM disease was different from classic anti-GBM disease clinically and pathologically. The pathogenesis of the renal injury in these patients has not been elucidated until now and it should be studied and identified further.


To assess the chronic antihypertensive and renal protective effects of losartan, a specific angiotensin II receptor antagonist, in the remnant kidney model of chronic renal failure, we administered losartan alone or in combination with enalapril, for 14 days to 5/6-nephrectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Eight-week-old SHR underwent 5/6 nephrectomy. One week after the operation, low-dose or high-dose losartan alone (1 or 10mg/kg/day), or a combination of high-dose losartan and enalapril (6 mg/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally via an osmotic minipump for 14 days. Low-dose Losartan only slightly attenuated the increase in blood pressure. High dose losartan completely blocked the increase in blood pressure throughout the experiment. Simultaneous administration of enalapril did not modify the antihypertensive effects of losartan. Furthermore, high-dose losartan with enalapril, and low- dose or high-dose losartan alone significantly decreased urinary protein excretion to the same extent. These effects were sustained for the entire experiment and were not associated with any significant changes in body weight, fluid intake, urine volume, urinary electrolyte excretion, or serum creatinine. These results suggest that losartan might have a renal protective effect independent of its systemic antihypertensive action. In addition, they suggest that the antihypertensive and renoprotective effects of ACE inhibitors in this rat model are mainly due to inhibition of angiotensin II production rather than to stimulation of the kallikrein-kinin system or the vasodilator prostaglandins. (Hypertens Res 1994; 17: 173-178)


Parasites play an important role in evolutionary processes and regulating host populations. Furthermore, parasites have the ability to result in economically and physically disruptive diseases which are becoming increasingly common as anthropogenic change disrupts the ecology of host-parasite systems. Exploring the drivers that influence parasite transmission and infection can further our understanding of host-parasite relationships and how these might change in the future. Such drivers occur across multiple scales, with different factors influencing host exposure and susceptibility to infection across species, across populations, and across individuals and groups within populations. In this thesis, I investigate these drivers across multiple scales. I begin by analysing the patterns of gastrointestinal parasite communities across species of the genus Papio (baboons), and then focus my observations on a population of wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in Namibia. I focus on primates due to their zoonotic potential and the fragility of some primate populations to extinction; I focus on baboons because in Africa it is this primate taxon that may be of greatest significance for human health: their wide distribution and coexistence with people living in rural and urban populations make them a likely source of zoonotic pathogen transmission. To explore the drivers of gastrointestinal parasite communities and richness across Papio species, I conducted a meta-analysis assessing the importance of species differences and environmental conditions. I found that the parasite communities were widely shared across baboon species in Africa, and that the environment was more important than the host species in determining where specific parasite species occurred. I then went on to explore patterns of gastrointestinal parasite transmission and infection across individuals in the chacma baboon population in Namibia. First, I explored how spatial heterogeneity in the environment shapes the risk of parasite transmission and whether the baboons practice avoidance behaviours at the troop level. I identified those habitats that might be better suited for parasite cyst and egg survival, and found that the baboon troops avoided revisiting these areas when they had already been exposed to parasite infection. In the next two chapters, I assessed whether two components of individual variation, sociality and genetic diversity, shaped exposure and susceptibility to parasites. In the first, I found no evidence that social network position influenced parasite infection. However, in the second, I found that inbreeding and Mhc-DRB allelic richness were associated with infection by some parasite species. Overall, the findings of my thesis highlight the myriad ways in which the environment, host behaviour, and host heterozygosity can influence host-parasite interactions – at the multiple scales of the individual, social group, population, and species.


The present application provides a method for reducing foul ing, including particulate-induced fouling, in a hydrocarbon refining process including the steps of providing a crude hydrocarbon for a refining process; adding a polyalkyl Suc cinic acid derivative additive. The additive can be complexed with a boronating agent. Such as boric acid, to yield a boron containing polyalkyl Succinic acid derivative.


OBJECTIVES To forecast, on the basis of the past and present position of rheumatologists in Europe, the competence needed in the future to secure and promote the specialty within the healthcare network. METHODS Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes/European Board of Rheumatology (UEMS/EBR) questionnaire on (a) training centres in Europe, (b) rheumatologists' skills, (c) UEMS core curriculum. RESULTS 173 training centres in rheumatology were identified. Reponses to the questionnaire showed both harmony and diversity in the practice of rheumatology. Harmony arises from the need to (a) have an extensive and profound knowledge of, and clinical experience with, all the causes of painful or disabled locomotor apparatus; (b) manage such disorders in the most cost effective way; and (c) promote "shared clinical decision making". The diversity seen both among and within the European countries is due to the different activities of rheumatologists. CONCLUSION Rheumatological competence must be based on a common core, as described in the UEMS core curriculum, and on deeper and diverse clinical or scientific knowledge covering the entire field of the specialty, to secure its flexibility and resilience in the market place and to promote its scientific development.


Given a matrix of product-moment correlation coefficients computed on 'closed data' (a system of percentage variables), the test of departure from zero correlation is clearly inappropriate because closure of data imposes non-zero correlation.Subroutine CHAYES estimates 'Null Correlations' and calculates a t-matrix which may be used to test the hypothesis that observed product-moment correlations are due to the closure property. The calculated t-matrix is at best an approximation. This is found in certain mathematical assumptions leading to this t-test, and the recognition that statistical assumptions in the theory of t-testing are not satisfied. Great care must be exercized in accepting or rejecting correlations by this test. Therefore, results of the t-test are no substitute for sound geological reasoning, caveat emptor.


Low-carbon steel weld with a high density of oxide inclusions prepared using a experimental metal-cored wire has been examined to study the effect of inclusion size on the formation of acicular ferrite, and to understand the role of inclusion in the nucleation of ferrite lath. Depending on the ferrite morphology associated with inclusions, a total of 282 inclusions observed under TEM could be classified into two groups, i.e. the non-nucleant and the nucleant. Experimental results showed that the group of inclusions acted as nucleant were appreciably larger in size compared with those of non-nucleant resulting in the increased probability of nucleation with the increase of inclusion size, even though the chemical and structural natures appeared to be the same. The group of nucleant-inclusion was further divided into two types depending on the degree of nucleation, which was evaluated by the number of ferrite lath nucleated. Statistical analysis performed on inclusion size indicated that the larger the inclusion size is the more ferrite laths could be nucleated. Those laths nucleated from a large single inclusion have grown in many different radial directions and mostly had a different crystallographic orientation from those of adjacent ferrite laths. As a result of this study, it is demonstrated that larger inclusions are indeed more potent nucleation sites when compared with those of smaller size. Thus it could be concluded that the provision of the inclusion surface as for the inert surface for the heterogeneous nucleation of acicular ferrite lath would be the principal role of inclusions playing in the weld metal of low alloy steels. Other possible mechanisms were also considered, but they were unlikely to be operated in the present weld metal system.


In the presence of TCR ligation by Ag, CD28 pathway mediates the most potent costimulatory signal for T cell activation, cytokine secretion, and T cell expansion. Although CD28 costimulation promotes T cell expansion due to IL-2 secretion and subsequent signaling via the IL-2 receptor, recent studies indicate that the dramatic T cell expansion mediated through the unopposed CD28 stimulation in CTLA4-deficient mice is IL-2 independent. Therefore, we sought to dissect the effects of CD28 and IL-2 receptor pathways on cell cycle progression and determine the molecular mechanisms by which the CD28 pathway regulates T cell expansion. Here we show that CD28 costimulation directly regulates T cell cycle entry and progression through the G1 phase in an IL-2-independent manner resulting in activation of cyclin D2-associated cdk4/cdk6 and cyclin E-associated cdk2. Subsequent progression into the S phase is mediated via both IL-2-dependent and IL-2-independent mechanisms and, although in the absence of IL-2 the majority of T cells are arrested at the G1/S transition, a significant fraction of them progresses into the S phase. The key regulatory mechanism for the activation of cyclin-cdk complexes and cell cycle progression is the down-regulation of p27kip1 cdk inhibitor, which is mediated at the posttranscriptional level by its ubiquitin-dependent degradation in the proteasome pathway. Therefore, CD28 costimulation mediates T cell expansion in an IL-2-independent and IL-2 dependent manner and regulates cell cycle progression at two distinct points: at the early G1 phase and at the G1/S transition.


Several high Miller index crystal surfaces of platinum have been shown to consist of low index (111) or (100) terraces of constant width, linked by steps of monatomic height. The surface structures that form in the presence of diatomic molecules (H2, O2, CO, NO), aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons on the (111), (100) and on these stepped platinum surfaces were studied by low energy diffraction. Several catalytic reactions (H2 + D2; H2 + O2; dehydrocyclization of n-heptane) that take place on the various platinum crystal surfaces at low pressures were monitored by means of a mass spectrometer and the surface composition by Auger electron spectroscopy. The chemisorption characteristics of diatomic molecules on stepped platinum surfaces are markedly different from those on low index [(111) and (100)] platinum surfaces. Organic molecules of different types form ordered surface structures on low index faces of platinum, but decompose rapidly on stepped surfaces under identical experimental conditions. Surface chemical reactions of diatomic molecules that were studied take place only on stepped surfaces at a detectable rate. The dehydrocyclization of n-heptane to toluene occurs slowly on the Pt(lll) face. The rate of decomposition ofn-heptane on stepped platinum surfaces is rapid and the carbon deposit that forms prevents dehydrocyclization. In the presence of hydrogen, however, dehydrocyclization occurs at a rapid rate on stepped surfaces with atomic terraces of (111) orientation, while at a slower rate on stepped surfaces with atomic terraces of (100) orientation. It appears that catalytic reactions can readily be studied using one face of a single crystal of small surface area. Dissociation of diatomic molecules and breaking of C—C and C—H bonds occur preferentially at atomic steps, while the structure of the atomic terraces plays an important role in the more complex dehydrocyclization reaction.


Most research on the reception of foreign literature takes an author-focused approach. In this article I elaborate on the opportunities created by the combination of an institutional and genre-focused approach. In the 19th century, Dutch translations of French novels were relatively rare. This is by and large explained by the fact that many Dutch readers were able to appreciate these novels in their original language. The funds of the 65 most prominent Dutch publishing houses from 1790 – 1899 indicate that, beginning in 1840, two categories of publishers can be distinguished: those which translated French novels and those that did not. Translations from French were published largely by those publishers serving the lower social class of literary society (more specifically: circulating libraries of lower social status). Most publishing houses that chose not to translate French novels did so not because such translations were superfluous but because they were deemed undesirable by the bourgeois cultural elite who believed that 'the French novel' should only be read by those who could read it in its original language. This changed gradually after 1870, when besides reading societies and circulating libraries a new clientele emerged: the individual buyer.


Recent advances in wireless communications have paved the road to the development of revolutionary city-wide wireless networks that provide a virtual wireless cloud covering large metro areas. City- wide wireless networks offer unmatched options to different community sectors including local government, industry, business, people, and education. However, realizing the benefits and advantages of such a remarkable infrastructure is not straightforward. Extendibility and security limitations present a bottleneck for unrestricted growth of such networks. The future of city-wide wireless networks is in doubt unless these limitations are addressed and solutions are sought. In this paper, we propose free space optical systems as a cost effective backbone that can meet the requirements of future city-wide wireless networks. We study the deployment of free space optics and address major challenges.


While Points Of Interest (POIs), such as restaurants, hotels, and barber shops, are part of urban areas irrespective of their specific locations, the names of these POIs often reveal valuable information related to local culture, landmarks, influential families, figures, events, and so on. Place names have long been studied by geographers, e.g., to understand their origins and relations to family names. However, there is a lack of large-scale empirical studies that examine the localness of place names and their changes with geographic distance. In addition to enhancing our understanding of the coherence of geographic regions, such empirical studies are also significant for geographic information retrieval where they can inform computational models and improve the accuracy of place name disambiguation. In this work, we conduct an empirical study based on 112,071 POIs in seven US metropolitan areas extracted from an open Yelp dataset. We propose to adopt term frequency and inverse document frequency in geographic contexts to identify local terms used in POI names and to analyze their usages across different POI types. Our results show an uneven usage of local terms across POI types, which is highly consistent among different geographic regions. We also examine the decaying effect of POI name similarity with the increase of distance among POIs. While our analysis focuses on urban POI names, the presented methods can be generalized to other place types as well, such as mountain peaks and streets.


Abstract:  Although genetics analyses have identified the HLA‐Cw6 allele to be the major risk allele for psoriasis vulgaris (PV) in many racial groups, it has been proposed that other putative genes near the HLA‐C locus are involved in PV susceptibility and that the association of Cw6 is a result of linkage disequilibrium. The SPR1 gene, a predicted gene located 128 kb telomeric to the HLA‐C locus, is considered to be one potential candidate gene of PV. Until now, no association study of the SPR1 gene has been conducted on psoriasis patients. We investigated the SPR1 gene for disease association by direct sequencing of the SPR1 gene in 116 Chinese patients with PV and 116 normal subjects. Genotyping for HLA‐Cw6 was also carried out using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism. Significant increase of the HLA‐Cw6 allele was found in psoriasis patients (32.8% vs. 13.8%, P = 0.001). We found that the SPR1 gene is a highly polymorphic gene containing 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), two of which have not been previously reported, and four SNPs cause amino acid change. No significantly different allelic distribution of 13 SPR1 SNPs could be found between the patients with PV and controls after correction for multiple testing. If the frequencies of SPR1 SNPs were compared between the early onset psoriatics and control subjects, early onset patients were more likely to have G allele at position 988 (60% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.001). However, the significance disappeared upon stratification for the Cw6 status. Haplotype‐based association analysis showed two susceptibility haplotypes (types 8 and 19) in early onset psoriasis patients. Nonetheless, the significance also disappeared after stratification of the Cw6 status. Our results suggest that HLA‐Cw6 remains the major risk allele in Chinese psoriatics, and that the SPR1 gene might not play an important role in the causation of PV.


Background: A possible link between Ménière's disease (MD) and migraine was originally suggested by Prosper Ménière. Subsequent studies of the prevalence of migraine in MD produced conflicting results. Objective: To determine the lifetime prevalence of migraine in patients with MD compared to sex- and age-matched controls. Methods: The authors studied 78 patients (40 women, 38 men; age range 29 to 81 years) with idiopathic unilateral or bilateral MD according to the criteria of the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Diagnosis of migraine with and without aura was made via telephone interviews according to the criteria of the International Headache Society. Additional information was obtained concerning the concurrence of vertigo and migrainous symptoms during Ménière attacks. The authors interviewed sex- and age-matched orthopedic patients (n = 78) as controls. Results: The lifetime prevalence of migraine with and without aura was higher in the MD group (56%) compared to controls (25%; p < 0.001). Forty-five percent of the patients with MD always experienced at least one migrainous symptom (migrainous headache, photophobia, aura symptoms) with Ménière attacks. Conclusions: The lifetime prevalence of migraine is increased in patients with MD when strict diagnostic criteria for both conditions are applied. The frequent occurrence of migrainous symptoms during Ménière attacks suggests a pathophysiologic link between the two diseases. Alternatively, because migraine itself is a frequent cause of audio-vestibular symptoms, current diagnostic criteria may not differentiate between MD and migrainous vertigo.


The chromatic art gallery problem asks for the minimum number of "colors" t so that a collection of point guards, each assigned one of the t colors, can see the entire polygon subject to some conditions on the colors visible to each point. In this paper, we explore this problem for orthogonal polygons using orthogonal visibility - two points p and q are mutually visible if the smallest axis-aligned rectangle containing them lies within the polygon. Our main result establishes that for a conflict-free guarding of an orthogonal n-gon, in which at least one of the colors seen by every point is unique, the number of colors is Theta(loglog n). By contrast, the best upper bound for orthogonal polygons under standard (non-orthogonal) visibility is O(log n) colors. We also show that the number of colors needed for strong guarding of simple orthogonal polygons, where all the colors visible to a point are unique, is Theta(log n). Finally, our techniques also help us establish the first non-trivial lower bound of Omega(loglog n / logloglog n) for conflict-free guarding under standard visibility. To this end we introduce and utilize a novel discrete combinatorial structure called multicolor tableau.


Abstract: Seed deterioration induces the formation of free radicals and proliferation of microorganisms, but the application of external antioxidants may lessen these effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of cathode and anode water on the physiological quality and health of Coffea arabica L. seeds. Part of the seeds were soaked in cathode water and the other part in anode water for periods of 1, 6, 12, 24, and 36 hours. The physiological quality of the seeds was evaluated by the germination test and tetrazolium test, and seed health by the Blotter test. Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis were performed on the data for all the response variables. Soaking in cathode water or anode water up to 24 hours improves the physiological quality of coffee seeds. Anode water has a beneficial effect on the health of coffee seeds, reducing the incidence of Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., and Alternaria spp. after one hour of soaking and of Aspergillus spp. after six hours. Soaking in cathode water for a period of one hour leads to a reduction in the fungi Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Cladosporium spp., and Alternaria spp., and reduction in Penicillium spp. after six hours.


Introduction Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a relatively rare disease that manifests with resting tachycardia, a rapid increase in heart rate (HR) with minimal exertion, a normal ECG and absence of structural heart disease. Treatment options include β-blockade or sinus node modification which are not 100% successful. Newer agents like sinus node inhibitor (Ivabradine) or a centrally acting α-2 sympathomimetic (Clonidine) can be used but there is no success outcome data for either and there is also no evidence that one is better than the other. We present our experience of managing 6 patients with a diagnosis of IST with either Ivabradine or Clonidine or both. Methods We identified 6 patients from 2005 to 2009 with a diagnosis of IST (according to accepted international guidelines) who had been treated with either Ivabradine or Clonidine or both. Medical case records were reviewed for each patient. Results 5 out of 6 patients were women with a mean age of 27.5 years (range 16–40 years). All patients had been symptomatic for alteast 6 months before presentation to our tertiary centre. 2 patients had associated symptoms of hyperadrenergic surges. Holter monitoring prior to treatment demonstrated sinus tachycardia. Resting pre-treatment mean 24 h HR was 94±10 (range 75–100) and mean HR on minimal exertion was 157±20 (range 130–176). All patients had a structurally normal heart on echocardiogram. Tilt table testing was considered in 3 patients due to their symptoms and it excluded postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Pre-treatment with β-blockers had been unsuccessful in 5/6 patients. The remaining patient had symptomatic asthma and was therefore unable to tolerate β-blockers. Ivabradine was exclusively used in 3 patients and clonidine in 2. 1 patient was started with Ivabradine but later switched over to clonidine as it was ineffective. All 4 patients taking Ivabradine failed to gain symptom relief with no significant reduction in mean 24-h HR parameters. Mean resting HR after 3 months of Ivabradine therapy was 95±9 (range 88–105) and mean HR on exertion was 159±23 (range 128–180). 2/4 patients subsequently had complete sinus node ablation and AAIR pacemaker. In contrast, the 3 patients on clonidine had greater symptom resolution and fall in resting and exercise heart rates at 3 months follow-up. Resting mean HR was 81±3 (range 78–83) and mean HR with exertion was 144±18 (range 132–164). The HR variability pre and post treatment is shown in Abstract 156 figure 1.Abstract 156 Figure 1 Discussion In our case series of 6 patients, Clonidine was more effective than Ivabradine both in terms of reducing heart rate and treating symptoms for patients with inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Patients with coexisting hyperadrenergic symptoms may benefit the most. A trial of Clonidine can be recommended before considering sinus node ablation. Formal randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.


In this essay am focusing on "defining", in a non-traditional way, the idea of artistic research, starting from a "hunting game" metaphor which lays at the Indo-European etymological foundation of the words we use today to designate the process of research in various modern languages. But this way of understanding the process of artistic research leaves open the question about the "object" of artistic research. What is that which artists in general and DJs, in particular, "hunt" for? To answer this question, I will analize the multi-layered structure of research in DJing, thought as a form of art born at the intersection of visual, musical and performative arts with technology. This analysis leads me to the idea of "vibe", "vibration" or "affective resonance", which was briefly mentioned in the history of philosophy by thinkers like Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.


This paper presents a novel IA (instrumentation amplifier) design for implantable biomedical devices and systems with a 140-dB CMRR (common-mode rejection ratio). The proposed IA is composed of 3 stages, including a preamplifier, a 2nd-order BPF (band-pass filer), and a DC-level shifter and output buffer stage. A low-noise gm-C amplifier is used in the preamplifier stage so as to reduce the coupled thermal noise which might overwhelm the weak neural signals. The BPF is designed based on an OTA (operational transconductance amplifier) with dual current switches aiming at the low power as well as low noise demands. A source follower is employed to carry out the DC-level shifter and the output buffer, which provides an output signal adequate to drive the following stage, which is usually an ADC (analog to digital converter). Detailed analysis of the proposed circuitry is derived to solidify the proposed architecture. The proposed design is implemented using TSMC 0.35 mum 2P4M CMOS process. The results of post-layout simulations verify the performance of our design. The CMRR is better than 140 dB, and, most important of all, the input noise (RMS) is merely 23.28 dB at all PVT (process, supply voltage, temperature) corners


The online consumer review, which is a positive or negative statement created by consumers, is an independent product information resource with growing popularity and importance. To maximize the effect of online consumer reviews, this study proposes two different review formats (list review format vs. matrix review format), and examines which representation format is efficient depending on consumer characteristics (involvement) from the perspective of information processing using the elaboration likelihood model and cognitive fit theory. In addition, this study shows that the effect of the cognitive fit between review format and consumer involvement is moderated by the number of reviews. The findings of this study help us understand the effects of online consumer reviews from the information-processing perspective, and have implications for practitioners on how to manage and deliver online consumer reviews.


: Industrial biotechnology processes have recently been exploited for an economic utilization of wastes to produce value added products. Of which, fish waste is one of the rich sources of proteins that can be utilized as low cost substrates for microbial enzyme production. Fish heads, tails, fins, viscera and the chitinous materials make up the wastes from fish industries. Processing these wastes for the production of commercial value added products could result in a decrease in the cost of production. In addition, we can eliminate the pollution of the environment and health issues due to the improper disposal of these fish wastes. This review highlights the potential use of fish waste as a cheaper substrate for the production of economically important protease enzyme.


This thesis will explore how the American writer Thomas Pynchon creates a functioning, working theological model for the "preterite" communities and spaces with three of his novels: Gravity's Rainbow, Vineland and Against the Day. Building on John McClure's postsecular reading of Pynchon in Partial Faiths and religious readings of the texts by Dwight Eddins and Kathryn Hume, this thesis expands on the themes and theories presented in these critical works. In this thesis I posit that the theological material of Pynchon is largely underrepresented in Pynchon criticism, and what work there is does not engage with Pynchon as a complete religious writer. Through a socio-historical perspective, this work endeavours to express how important religious modes are to a variety of topics in the corpus, from politics, to history and Pynchon's engagement with power structures and oppression. In exploring how religions inter-relate with both each other and more secular concerns, I analyse how Pynchon, across these three texts, fashions a dialogue of resistance that endorses the importance of spirituality. I build on McClure's theories of a "partial" conversion narrative within the texts, and take this further to express a total commitment to spiritual systems that effects Pynchon's wider concerns with resistance, liberation and transcendent spaces and possibilities.
This thesis explores Pynchon's valorisation of pluralism and a heterodox approach to religious consumption, but also how he critiques it, creating a double quality that constantly shifts and morphs the spiritual discourse of the text. I argue that Pynchon's 'serious' take on the spiritual dimensions within these novels shows him building a complex ethical and social system around preterition and resistance, and that resistance within the text is reliant on such spiritual discourse. Through this reading, this thesis posits that Pynchon's spiritual framework cannot be considered as a mere aspect of his work, but core to a plethora of his social and political concerns.


We propose two distinct atom interferometer gravitational wave detectors, one terrestrial and another satellite-based, utilizing the core technology of the Stanford 10m atom interferometer presently under construction. Each configuration compares two widely separated atom interferometers run using common lasers. The signal scales with the distance between the interferometers, which can be large since only the light travels over this distance, not the atoms. The terrestrial experiment with baseline ∼ 1 km can operate with strain sensitivity ∼ 10 −19 √ Hz in the 1 Hz 10 Hz band, inaccessible to LIGO, and can detect gravitational waves from solar mass binaries out to megaparsec distances. The satellite experiment with baseline ∼ 1000 km can probe the same frequency spectrum as LISA with comparable strain sensitivity ∼ 10 −20 √ Hz . The use of ballistic atoms (instead of mirrors) as inertial test masses improves systematics coming from vibrations, acceleration noise, and significantly reduces spacecraft control requirements. We analyze the backgrounds in this configuration and discuss methods for controlling them to the required levels.


In 1826, Lisfranc practiced a perineal circular incision, without opening the peritoneum. 50 years later, Verneuil and then Dolbeau and Denonvilliers practiced more extensive resections. In 1907, Lockart-Mummery described the operation that bears his name. In 1875, Kocher and Volkmann used the sacral approach that has been popularized by Kraske. Later, it became well known in the whole world and, with some little changes, it has been used in Europe by Bardenhaver, Hochenegg, Billroth, Rehn, Heinike and Rygidier and in the USA by Harrison Cripps, Edwards, Bevan and Grey Turner. Almost all of them resected the rectum and reestablished the continuity with a primary anastomosis. It seems that Volkmann practiced the combined abdominal and perineal approach for the first time in 1877, followed by Czerny and Köenning. Between 1896-1899, Quenu popularized this technique. In 1908, Ernest Miles began to use the technique and in 1914 he published the results. The resection of the posterior wall of the vagina in a rectum cancer has first been made by Hildebrant in 1879. The abdominal approach has been used by Hartmann in 1923. In 1930, Dixon together with Mayo, Waugh, Black and Judd described the "Mayo clinic operation", meaning the resection of the rectal tumor with extraperitoneal anastomosis. They called that "anterior resection" and in 1948 they published their 20 years' experience results and they definitely popularized the technique.


Citizenship deprivation is becoming an increasingly standard response of modern states to criminal and other harmful acts. Current academic attempts to determine the sanction's legitimacy are, however, frustrated by the inadequate understanding of its nature. Departing from a dominant perspective that considers denationalization as punishment, this article conducts an original study of citizenship policies in 37 European democracies and contrasts them with key principles of punishment. The findings raise serious doubts regarding the penal nature of denationalization: I propose instead that denationalization is better understood as a sui generis sanction, which seeks to relieve the polity of those members who fail to satisfy fundamental citizenship requirements. This position has serious implications for our understanding and justification of modern revocation practices.


The effect of an intravenous dose (2 mg) of propranolol in the lower oesophageal sphincter was studied in 10 human volunteers. A hydraulic-capillary infusion manometric technique was used to measure the lower oesophageal sphincter pressure. A significant increase in sphincter pressure was recorded, together with increased amplitude and duration of oesophageal peristaltic activity. This study confirms the presence of specific beta-receptors in the lower oesophageal sphincter.


KiBank is a database of inhibition constant (Ki) values with 3D structures of target proteins and chemicals. It is accessible at http://kibank.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/. The contents of target proteins were nuclear and membrane receptors, enzymes, and, now, newly include transporters, ion channels and ion pumps. The numbers of data were updated to 16,084 Ki values, 101 target proteins (310 subtypes), and 9,279 chemicals in April 2006. Target proteins and the numbers of Ki values for corresponding chemicals were listed. Examples are shown for applications of KiBank for drug development.


John Innes and Peter Myint, founders of Veterinary Tissue Bank, explain the processes involved in harvesting and storing bone tissue and its potential application in veterinary orthopaedics

BONE is the second most commonly transplanted tissue after blood in human medicine, far exceeding other transplants such as cornea, skin and heart valves. More than half a million bone grafting procedures are performed annually in the USA and these numbers easily double on a global basis.

In the veterinary field, musculoskeletal tissue transplants are a growing area of interest in veterinary orthopaedics. Allograft bone (from one animal to another within the same species) potentially offers off-the-shelf availability, unlimited quantity and desired shape and size, and avoids harvesting autograft, which is associated with the risk of donor site morbidity and a limited availability of bone, and requires extra time and effort. In human studies, donor site pain is the most frequent complaint following autologous bone harvesting.

Veterinary bone transplantation was described as early as 1938, using bovine bone in intramedullary pegging of a canine femoral fracture. Although exact figures are not available, the use of bone allografts in veterinary orthopaedics is increasingly reported and this trend is set to increase as more and more complex procedures are now carried out by veterinary surgeons. Veterinary Transplant Services and Veterinary Tissue Bank are the two tissue banking organisations providing tissue grafts, including musculoskeletal allografts, to the veterinary community at present.

The aim of tissue banking is to provide readily available tissue grafts of high quality and safety, which are fit for purpose when used clinically. Successful clinical application is a balance between bone biology and biomechanics.

In bone banking, the process demands a sound knowledge of bone graft biology, biomechanics and immunology, as well as of donor selection criteria, preservation methods, sterilisation technology and tissue …


Abstract Viability selection can be detected directly in an environment when the genotypes of the individuals at one ontogenetic stage (e.g. seeds) and the genotypes of the survivors at a later stage are both known, but genotypes at the earlier stage often cannot be determined. In this case, differential viability selection between environments can be detected as differences in the distributions of genetic types among survivors growing in different environments, provided that the survivors stem from random samples of seeds from the same base population (e.g. seed lot). Since common FST-outlier methods for detecting selected gene loci use only allele frequencies, selection that affects the higher hierarchical levels of genetic integration (single- or multi-locus genotypes) without changing allele frequencies is not noticed. A new method for detecting differential viability selection at any level of genetic integration enables discovery of elementary mechanisms of selection that older methods miss. It is based on two measures of compositional differentiation between environments. δSD measures qualita-tive differences between distributions of genetic types at any given integration level without regarding differences in their constituent alleles, while ΔSD measures quantitative differences between the same distributions by additionally considering the genic differences. The difference between these measures expresses the degree to which the patterns of gene association in the genotypes differ between environments. The P-values of all measures are estimated by permutation analysis under the assumption that survivors were randomly assigned to environments. Significance indicates the occurrence of differential viability selection at the loci. As a case study, a field study of viability in juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) for twelve enzyme loci is reanalyzed. It turns out that the significant differential selection for genotypes detected at three loci can be attributed to three combinations of selective effects: on alleles only (SKDH-A), mostly alleles but also association patterns (LAP-A); interaction of effects on alleles and association patterns that are non-significant when viewed separately (AAT-B).


The asymptotic behaviour of solutions of the fourth order differential equation in which the constants a and b are supposed real and positive, is examined for large real values of z and b. Exact solutions are given in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions and some special cases of a and b are mentioned for which solutions may be expressed in terms of simpler known functions. The differential equation possesses four transition points and for positive values of b one of these transition points lies on the positive real 2-axis. The asymptotic discussion is centred around an integral representation which involves a modified Bessel function of the second kind whose order is purely imaginary for large positive values of b. Asymptotic forms as z-> oo and about the transition point on the positive real 2-axis are given. A qualitative discussion of the zeros of the Bessel function K^{z) for imaginary order and complex argument is presented in the appendix.


The purpose of this contribution is to identify some of the issues which need to be addressed in order to advance the organisation of workers, and in particular women workers, in informal employment. The organisation of these workers, collectively described as the "informal sector", represents an existential challenge to the trade union movement: unless and until it puts itself in a position to effectively address this challenge, it cannot halt its decline, but in order to do so it has to undergo fundamental changes in its culture, its self-awareness and the way it relates to society. The issue of organising the informal sector is at the heart of the necessary transformations the trade union movement must undergo to recover its potential as a global social force.


Inefficiencies from tax competition may result in governments seeking to limit fiscal competition via tax treaties, harmonization, minimum tax rates, or interjurisdictional cooperation. I propose a general model applicable to studying many types of taxing instruments, which allows for the comparison of various policy responses to promote jurisdictional cooperation. Comparing across policies, the model suggests a clear revenue dominance of partial harmonization among a subset of jurisdictions. Minimum tax rates revenue-dominate complete harmonization, but fail to raise revenues as much as partial harmonization. A selective review of the empirical literature identifies evidence consistent with the predictions of the theoretical model. The framework sketched in this paper can be further enriched by researchers seeking to determine the welfare effects of policy responses to interjurisdictional competition.


As a part of the National Trauma Action Plan, a group of experts in surgical critical care have generated a research agenda in surgical critical care. INTRODUCTION The 2016 National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report included a proposal to establish a National Trauma Research Action Plan. In response, the Department of Defense funded the Coalition for National Trauma Research to generate a comprehensive research agenda spanning the continuum of trauma and burn care from prehospital care to rehabilitation as part of an overall strategy to achieve zero preventable deaths and disability after injury. The Postadmission Critical Care Research panel was 1 of 11 panels constituted to develop this research agenda. METHODS We recruited interdisciplinary experts in surgical critical care and recruited them to identify current gaps in clinical critical care research, generate research questions, and establish the priority of these questions using a consensus-driven Delphi survey approach. The first of four survey rounds asked participants to generate key research questions. On subsequent rounds, we asked survey participants to rank the priority of each research question on a 9-point Likert scale, categorized to represent low-, medium-, and high-priority items. Consensus was defined as ≥60% of panelists agreeing on the priority category. RESULTS Twenty-five subject matter experts generated 595 questions. By Round 3, 249 questions reached ≥60% consensus. Of these, 22 questions were high, 185 were medium, and 42 were low priority. The clinical states of hypovolemic shock and delirium were most represented in the high-priority questions. Traumatic brain injury was the only specific injury pattern with a high-priority question. CONCLUSION The National Trauma Research Action Plan critical care research panel identified 22 high-priority research questions, which, if answered, would reduce preventable death and disability after injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Diagnostic Tests or Criteria; Level IV.


Four components of female reproductive success in captive Saharan arrui (Barbary sheep), Ammotragus lervia sahariensis (Rothschild, 1913), have been analysed: longevity, fecundity, offspring one-month survival rate and the age at first birth. Longevity accounts for 69.9% of the variance of reproductive success, fecundity for 54.2%, offspring one-month survival rate for 29.8%, and the age at first birth for 10.4%. A detailed study of these components leads to the following conclusions: (a) longevity is higher in those individuals in better physical condition; (b) fecundity is related to age and social rank; (c) heavier offspring at birth have a higher probability of surviving during their first month of life; and (d) the age at first birth is delayed by high levels of population density, inbreeding coefficients, and birth weights. On the other hand, highranking females are characterized by shorter inter-birth intervals and give birth to a higher proportion of twins.


A new domino circuit is proposed with low leakage and high noise immunity which decreases the parasitic capacitance on the dynamic node, yielding a smaller keeper for wide fan-in gates to implement fast and robust circuits. The technique utilized is based on comparison of mirrored current of the pull-up network with its worst case leakage current. Thus, the power consumption and delay are reduced. A 4*4 Wallace tree multiplier is designed based on CCD (Current Comparison Domino) which uses low leakage high speed full adders. These full adders uses current comparison based domino logic to achieve low leakage and high speed. The proposed 4*4 Wallace tree multiplier using current comparison based domino logic full adders was simulated using 180nm CMOS technology which shows a relative power reduction when compared to the 4*4 Wallace tree multiplier using standard full adders.


In this paper a knowledge representation model are proposed, FP5, which combine the ideas from fuzzy sets and penta-valued logic. FP5 represents imprecise properties whose accomplished degree is unknown, contradictory or indeterminate for some objects. Basic operations of conjunction, disjunction and negation are introduced. Relations to other representation models like fuzzy sets, intuitionistic, paraconsistent and bipolar fuzzy sets are discussed.


The authors analyze migration trends in the former Czechoslovakia. "Most attention is focused on the search for specificities of two sorts. On the one hand this is the peculiarity of the geographical organization of the migratory relationships in a concrete territory as a secondary specification of a general pattern (the effect of the peculiarities in the location and hierarchical differentiation of the centres, the positional exposure of the regions, etc.) and on the other hand...about the peculiarities resulting from the distorted control of the society." Sections are included on macroregional differentiation, the position of Prague, and the prospective development of migration. (SUMMARY IN CZE)


Noting that the reception of Cixous's work in an Anglophone context has, to date, been principally and in some respects misleadingly filtered through issues of feminist theory, this essay proposes the notion of the uncanny as an alternative way of exploring the significance and effects of her writings. Royle focuses on the relatively early "Fiction and Its Phantoms" (on Freud's "The Uncanny") and her essay on Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass in order to elucidate their crucial relationship with the writings of Jacques Derrida. Royle expounds a detailed reading of the figure of the portmanteau as a way of apprehending the remarkable complexity and strangeness, as well as the beauty and humor of Cixous's work.


The effect of the requirement of local charge neutrality on persistent currents in normal mesoscopic rings is considered. The argument used in the case of global charge neutrality (canonical ensemble) is generalized to apply to local charge neutrality. The same result is then derived by treating the Coulomb interaction in the Kohn-Sham approach of density functional theory, using the local density approximation for the exchange-correlation term.


OBJECTIVE
Glucocorticoid is considered as an effective drug for prevention and treatment of brain edema and reducing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is frequently used to treat neurological diseases with immune abnormality, its function and potential mechanism on brain edema have not been reported. In this study, the roles of the total hydrosulfide group (TSH), non-protein hydrosulfide group (NPSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in etiology of the endotoxin brain edema in infant rats and the interfering effects of dexamethasone (DEX) and IVIG were investigated.

METHODS
In 35 infant rats, 10 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was intraperitoneally injected. The same volume of normal saline was injected to 24 control rats. Ten mg/kg DEX and 400 mg/kg IVIG were intravenously injected respectively to 36 and 24 infant rats instantly following LPS injection. The TSH, NPSH and MDA concentrations and the brain Evans blue contents were detected at different time in the brain tissue. The brain water content was measured by drying method.

RESULTS
The brain water, EB and MDA contents after endotoxin injection were significantly higher than those of control group, while the brain TSH, NPSH content were significantly lower than those of control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); After treatment with DEX or IVIG, the brain EB, MDA and water content significantly decreased with the peak at 6 h (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), TSH and NPSH significantly increased compared with LPS group. However, the NPSH content in IVIG treatment group did not change significantly (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Free radicals play a role in the brain edema induced by LPS in infant rats. The primary results suggested that DEX and IVIG have therapeutic effect for the endotoxin-induced brain edema by affecting the free radicals.


By means of histochemical and microelectrophysiological methods, fibers of the eye inferior rectus muscle of the frog were divided into types with phasic, tonic (two types), and transitional (two types) signs. Electric activity of the muscle in situ reveals presence of phasic, transitional, and tonic fibers in the given object (the tonic fibers being characterized by a wide range of the PSP parameters).


We study the transport properties of a spin filter consisting of a double-barrier resonant tunneling device in which the well is made of a semimagnetic material. Even if the device could be made of several materials, we discuss here the case of a Ga1-xMnxAs/Ga1-yAlyAs system because it can be integrated into the well known AlAs/GaAs technology. We solve the Hamiltonian H = HK+HP+HE+HM+Hh-i+Hh-h. Its terms represent the kinetic energy, the double-barrier profile, the applied bias, the magnetic interaction, the hole-impurity attraction and the hole-hole repulsion, respectively. A very simple one-dimensional Green function is introduced to solve self-consistently the Poisson equation for the profile due to the charge distribution. A real space renormalization formalism is used to calculate exactly the currents. In a previous work we have shown that the Rashba effect is weak. Therefore the results show very well defined spin-polarized currents. Our results confirm that this system is a good device for spintronics.


ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the role of cigarette smoking in disease-development through altering the composition of the oral microbial community. Periodontitis and oral cancer are highly prevalent in Hungary; therefore, the salivary microbiome of smoker and non-smoker Hungarian adults was characterized. Methods Shotgun metagenome sequencing of salivary DNA samples from 22 individuals (11 non-smokers and 11 current smokers) was performed using the Ion Torrent PGMTM platform. Quality-filtered reads were analysed by both alignment-based sequence similarity searches and genome-centric binning. Results Prevotella, Veillonella and Streptococcus were the predominant genera in the saliva of both groups. Although the overall composition and diversity of the microbiota were similar, Prevotella was significantly more abundant in salivary samples of current smokers compared to non-smokers. Members of the genus Prevotella were implicated in the development of inflammatory diseases and oral cancer. The abundance of the genus Megasphaera also increased in current smokers, whereas the genera Neisseria, Oribacterium, Capnocytophaga and Porphyromonas were significantly reduced. The data generated by read-based taxonomic classification and genome-centric binning mutually validated the two distinct metagenomic approaches. Conclusion Smoking-associated dysbiosis of the salivary microbiome in current cigarette smokers, especially increased abundance of Prevotella and Megasphaera genera, may facilitate disease development.


Objectives The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacodynamics of alacepril and to determine the appropriate dose for clinical usage in cats. Methods Six experimental cats were used. Each cat received alacepril orally at a single dose of 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected before administration and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h after administration to measure serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity. Systolic blood pressure was also measured at the same time point. Results Dose-dependent inhibition of ACE activity was observed. Doses of 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg alacepril were considered to effectively inhibit ACE activity. There were no significant differences in systolic blood pressue among groups at any time point. Conclusions and relevance Alacepril 2–3 mg/kg q24h may be an appropriate dosage for clinical use in cats.


Just as we can speak of different personality traits, it is also possible to identify distinct motivational traits, which may be related to a series of organizational consequences. In this sense, understanding how these traits are related to workers performance is fundamental. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to test the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between such traits and organizational citizenship behaviors and counterproductive work behaviors, which is expected to be more significant in the first case. The study was carried out using a panel design, with a sample group of Spanish employees aged over 40 (n = 741), in two waves (with a 4-month interval). The results support the hypothesis that psychological capital resources may play a mediating role in some of the relationships explored and that approach orientation traits are mainly related to a better performance, fostering organizational citizenship behaviors and diminishing counterproductive work behavior. The findings show that employees who develop their personal resources may have a positive impact on their organizations. The implications of this study for counseling practices are discussed.