In a previous paper, 1 we showed how the Leber bubble manometer may be used to estimate the rate of circulation of the aqueous. The present study represents the further application of the same technic to the measurement of the rate of escape of fluid from the anterior chamber under various conditions The present state of our knowledge in regard to the mechanism by which the aqueous is reabsorbed into the circulating blood leaves much to be desired. The older notion that the fluid leaks out through actual pores in the walls of Schlemm's canal has been disproved by injections of colloids and suspensoids into the anterior chamber. Duke-Elder 2 showed that the hydrostatic pressure in the vessels connected with Schlemm's canal is normally above the intra-ocular pressure, so that the conception of simple filtration has had to be abandoned. No evidence has ever been discovered, in spite of


Three compounds with anti-inflammatory activity were isolated from Schinus molle fruits. Two of the compounds were identified as 3- epi-isomasticadienolalic acid ( 1), isomasticadienonalic acid ( 2) and chamaejasmin ( 3). Triterpenes 1 and 2, and biflavanone 3 were tested on two models of mice paw inflammation: one of acute inflammation, induced by subcutaneous injection of either phospholipase A (2) (PLA (2)) or carrageenan in the paws of mice, and one of chronic inflammation in the form of eczema, provoked by repeated administration of TPA to the ears of mice. On the PLA (2)-induced mouse paw oedema, only 2 was active (30 mg/kg, 66 % inhibition at 60 min), whereas all compounds reduced the chronic model of inflammation (48 to 26 % of swelling reduction), but only triterpenes reduced the leukocyte infiltration, measured as tissue peroxidase activity. In the case of the carrageenan-induced mouse paw oedema, only 3 led to a reduction of the swelling 3 h after challenge (50 mg/kg, 46 % oedema inhibition). In addition, 3 inhibited the LTB (4) production in rat peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes with an IC (50) value of 29.8 microM, while triterpenes showed toxicity against cells at 100 microM.


Vectors of data are at the heart of machine learning and data mining. Recently, vector quantization methods have shown great promise in reducing both the time and space costs of operating on vectors. We introduce a vector quantization algorithm that can compress vectors over 12x faster than existing techniques while also accelerating approximate vector operations such as distance and dot product computations by up to 10x. Because it can encode over 2GB of vectors per second, it makes vector quantization cheap enough to employ in many more circumstances. For example, using our technique to compute approximate dot products in a nested loop can multiply matrices faster than a state-of-the-art BLAS implementation, even when our algorithm must first compress the matrices. In addition to showing the above speedups, we demonstrate that our approach can accelerate nearest neighbor search and maximum inner product search by over 100x compared to floating point operations and 10x compared to other vector quantization methods. Our approximate Euclidean distance and dot product computations are not only faster than those of related algorithms with slower encodings, but also faster than Hamming distance computations, which have direct hardware support on the tested platforms. We also assess the errors of our algorithm's approximate distances and dot products, and find that it is competitive with existing, slower vector quantization algorithms.


This article uses data from 35 semi-structured interviews of migrant women from three different ethnic backgrounds living in Catalonia to explore the use of ICTs in their economic integration. The results show that the three groups of migrant women studied perceive ICTs as important instruments of economic integration, though they tend to use them rather marginally for this purpose. The mediating role of network capital is not forthcoming, bridging social networks being rather a consequence than a determinant of migrant womenseccode=ress economic integration. Digital connectivity does not seem to cancel out the relevance of traditional variables of social inequality such as education, age, or origin. Young educated women, and particularly of Romanian and Ecuadorian origins, tend to make a better use of ICTs for their economic integration in Catalonia.


Novel three-dimensional wormlike mesoporous WO(3)-TiO(2) films with tailored pore size (approximately 7.1 nm) were applied to prepare the bio-photoelectrodes (Bio-PEs) through direct entrapping the bacteria photosynthetic reaction center (RC) proteins. These mesoporous WO(3)-TiO(2) films exhibited unique characteristics in the specific loading of RC with high activity retained. Moreover, well-matched energy levels of WO(3)-TiO(2) and RC contributed to the photoelectric performance, especially in the red to near-infrared (NIR) region, of the derived Bio-PEs. Such strategy of manipulating the Bio-PEs based on well-designed mesoporous metal oxides and RC provides an alternative system to probe the photoinduced multiple-pathway electron transfer of photosensitive chromophores, which may open a new perspective to develop versatile bio-photoelectric devices.


We study the effects of the inflation targets established for December of each year on the conduct of monetary policy. The hypothesis tested postulates that the annual inflation targets could have produced some seasonality in the operation of the overnight interbank funds market in which the government funding rate is determined. To test this hypothesis a series of Taylor rules are estimated using linear and nonlinear methods. The results show that the inflation targets established for the end of year have special importance in the determination of the interest rate during the middle months of each year, and in the last quarter the focus of attention shifts to the target corresponding to December of the next year. Also, the results suggest that during the disinflation period, the short term interest rate has shown less inertia and more intense reactions to inflationary pressures during the central months of each year.


Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a devastating disorder with both short- and long-term implications for patients. Unfortunately, the prevalence of SBS has doubled over the past 40 years. Broadly speaking, the etiology of SBS can be categorized as congenital or secondary, the latter typically due to extensive small bowel resection following diseases of the small intestine, e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis, Hirschsprung's disease or intestinal atresia. As of yet, no cure exists, thus, conservative treatment, primarily parenteral nutrition (PN), is the first-line therapy. In some cases, weaning from PN is not possible and operative therapy is required. The invention of the longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring (LILT or Bianchi) procedure in 1980 was a major step forward in patient care and spawned further techniques that continue to improve lives for patients with severe SBS (e.g., double barrel enteroplasty, serial transverse enteroplasty, etc.). With this review, we aim to provide an overview of the clinical implications of SBS, common conservative therapies and the development of operative techniques over the past six decades. We also provide a short outlook on the future of operative techniques, specifically with respect to regenerative medicine.


Natural and synthetic metabolic pathways need to retain stability when faced against random changes in gene expression levels and kinetic parameters. In the presence of large parameter changes, a robust system should specifically avoid moving to an unstable region, an event that would dramatically change system behavior. Here we present an entropy-like index, denoted as S, for quantifying the bifurcational robustness of metabolic systems against loss of stability. We show that S enables the optimization of a metabolic model with respect to both bifurcational robustness and experimental data. We then demonstrate how the coupling of ensemble modeling and S enables us to discriminate alternative designs of a synthetic pathway according to bifurcational robustness. Finally, we show that S enables the identification of a key enzyme contributing to the bifurcational robustness of yeast glycolysis. The different applications of S demonstrated illustrate the versatile role it can play in constructing better metabolic models and designing functional non-native pathways.


Gastric adenocarcinoma is a malignant neoplasm of the gastric mucosa composed of neoplastic cells and supporting stroma as with any neoplasm. Stromal myofibroblasts have an essential role in creating the tumor-promoting environment. They express certain substances, such as CD10. In this study, stromal CD10 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in gastric carcinoma, and its association with specific clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of 80 gastric adenocarcinoma cases were collected retrospectively in a private laboratory of the Rizgary Teaching Hospital for 2 years (January 2018–January 2020). Finally, the immunohistochemical study of CD10 expression in stromal cells was performed. According to the results, stromal CD10 immunoreactivity was detected in 15% of the cases. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was observed between stromal CD10 and the tumor type (P=0.015). However, no statistically significant relationship was identified between stromal CD10 expression and patients' age, gender, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node status, and tumor stage and grade. The results suggest a statistically significant positive correlation between stromal CD10 expression and tumor type.


Abstract It is a habit to invoke Aristotle when dealing, within the arts, with 'Nature' – that the Man–Artist (and not only the musician) would be, he says, 'inclined' to imitate. It is true, the history of music clearly attests to the temptation and of the 'pleasure' (as Aristotle also says) found in mimesis. We know that very lately in history musique concrète gives a new perspective to this question as well as to other questions, and changes the deal: because the sound objects of the world, of the whole world – the 'noises' – that needed to be imitated, can now be easily captured through technology, almost in a photographic way, and then they can be gathered, kept, and finally be composed. Hopefully Pierre Schaeffer, its genial inventor, has, concerning the question of nature within new music, a position that tears him apart, which is paradoxical, uncomfortable, fundamental: that the nature that is so easily captured, he does not want to exhibit; to understand the lessons, the hidden musical lessons, he only wants to examine it. This almost heroic model will only be partially followed by the composers (concrète, electroacoustic, acousmatic, anecdotical composers) who have been working during the last sixty years in this passionate domain. At the end of this article, the sketch of a typology, based on musical examples, tries to clarify the way nature is dealt with, when it appears in musique concrète.


This article describes a method that develops overviews to bring out the relationships between any loosely connected set of actors/objects. The study examines 37 principal actors involved in the processes of consumption (consumers, brands, ads, stores…), and how they are described on the internet in the Google corpus of linguistic data. The verbs used with each actor constitute a profile of the behaviors that people ascribe to that actor. The analysis synthesizes these profiles into pictures using multidimensional scaling. Separate analyses examine actors as (a) the subject of the verbs, and (b) the object of the verbs. This reliability check reveals highly congruent pictures of the relationship between actors. The paper subsequently examines the most distinctive behaviors of contrasting actors to further understand selected parts of the picture (e.g., how products differ from services). Web chatter is unrestricted in topic, which is produced by people and for people. Therefore, the corpus is a rich source of data, not just for marketing research - as illustrated here - but for almost any branch of research into human affairs.


Dark energy affects the abundance and evolution of clusters owing to their dependence on the geometry of the Universe and the power spectrum. Usually, there exits the degeneracy between σ8 and the matter energy density contrast . We avoid this by using the explicit dark energy dependent rms linear mass fluctuation σ8 which is consistent with the CMB normalization for general constant dark energy equation of state, ωQ. When we use the correct value of the critical density threshold δc = 1.58 into the cluster number density n calculation in the Press–Schechter (PS) formalism, PS formalism predicts the cluster number consistent with both simulation and observed data at the high mass region. The improved coefficients of Sheth–Tormen (ST) formalism by using the correct δc is also obtained. We found that changing ωQ by ΔωQ = -0.1 from ωQ = -1.0 causes the changing of the comoving numbers of high mass clusters of M = 1016h-1M⊙ by about 20 and 40% at z = 0 and 1, respectively.


Some small business owners want to balance personal values as well
as economic values. "I have to follow my heart" or "it must be meaningful"
some of them say. But how might they be able to know what
gives meaning to the heart? The philosophical theologian Paul Tillich
finds that the problem is that 'controlling knowledge' (e.g.,
technical testing) might be safe but unimportant, while 'receiving
knowledge', that can only be verified by direct participation
(e.g., intuition), might be important but uncertain. This paper shows
how this tension can be made fruitful in relation to business innovation
with reference to Tillich's account of the meaning of revelation
through culture and art, summed up in the statement that "(…) revelation
is the manifestation of the ground of being for human knowledge"
(Tillich, 1951, p.94), which, we argue, can be extended to
everyday experiences, for example, in business life. In Tillich's own terms, even preliminary concerns may point at an ultimate concern
(Tillich, 1964), which can also be understood as 'knowledge of the
heart'. Our account is also connected to wider discussions concerning
the nature of intuition.


This paper examines how social relations and norms contribute to the emergence of generalized trust in economic action. Our core proposition is that the more positive the local social exchange relationship, the greater an actor's propensity to place trust in strangers. Our research design integrates behavioral measures elicited by incentivized experimental trust games with survey data using a random sample of 540 founding CEOs of manufacturing firms in the Yangzi delta region of China. Our analysis shows that characteristics of repeated social exchange—depth, prosociality and control—are positively associated with an economic actor's proclivity for generalized trust. Founder CEOs with deeper and more valued exchange relations are more likely to trust strangers. Likewise, we find robust evidence of a positive association between beliefs in the effectiveness of community social control and trust in strangers.


We review the current information concerning the role of cytokine polymorphisms and the risk of develop distal gastric cancer in different populations. We have included populations colonized with Helicobacter pylori as well as populations without colonization. We found that the study of polymorphisms alone seems insufficient to assess gastric cancer risk and it is necessary to examine environmental factors in different ethnic groups and geographic areas along with the study of H. pylori strains to define better the risk factors associated with distal gastric cancer.


Open air museums are of vital importance in preserving and safeguarding cultureand intangible heritage. This paper explores how Bakoni Malapa Open Air Museum preserves the culture of the Bakoni people by showcasing their cultural heritage and educating visitors about it. Although various methods are used to preserve the culture of the Bakoni people, this paper's analyses are based on just two of the museum's main activities in connection with intangible heritage – putting on demonstrations of traditional cultural practices and demonstrating craft techniques. We also discuss what other cultures around the globe can learn from the way Bakoni cultural heritage is presented at Bakoni Malapa.


This Precis entitled, Improving urban services in Nairobi, complements the Bank's Operations and Evaluation Department (OED), Impact evaluation report, Kenya : Development of housing, water supply and sanitation in Nairobi, Report No. 15586, dated April 25, 1996. The impact evaluation finds that five World Bank-supported urban services projects in Nairobi increased the supply of potable water and affordable housing to the poor, improved sanitation and environmental conditions in project sites, and increased access to social services.


The capillary rise of liquid in asymmetric channel junctions with branches of different radii can lead to long-lasting meniscus arrests in the wider channel, which has important implications for the morphology and dynamical broadening of imbibition fronts in porous materials with elongated pores. Using a microfluidic setup, we experimentally demonstrate the existence of arrest events in Y-shaped junctions, and measure their duration and compare them with theoretical predictions. For various ratios of the channel width and liquid viscosities and for different values of the feeding channel length, we find that the meniscus within the wider branch is arrested for a time that is proportional to the time that the meniscus needed to reach the junction, in very good quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions.


Background: Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor of coronary heart disease. Currently available hypolipidemic drugs have been associated with number of side effects. Arogyavardhini vati, an Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation has been used for liver disorders. Therefore, present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Arogyavardhini vati in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia in rats. Objectives: Anti-hyperlipidemic activity evaluation of Arogyavardhini vati against Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia in rats. Materials and Methods: Overnight fasted male Wistar rats (150-200 g) were randomly divided into normal control group [4% Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO), i.p.], positive control group (Triton WR-1339 in 4% DMSO, 400 mg/kg, i.p.), standard drug treated (fenofibrate 65 mg/kg, p.o. for 7 days after inducing hyperlipidemia) and Arogyavardhini vati treated (50, 100, 200 mg/kg, p.o. for 7 days after inducing hyperlipidemia). Rat doses were calculated by extrapolating the equivalent human dose (therapeutic dose, sub-maximum, and maximum dose). Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein HDL, liver malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) levels were estimated at end of experiments. Results: Arogyavardhini vati significantly decreased serum cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, and C-reactive protein (CRP) and significantly increased serum HDL in a dose-dependent manner. Decreased MDA and increased GSH levels in liver were observed at all doses of Arogyavardhini vati (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) and fenofibrate-treated groups when compared with Triton-treated group. Atherogenic Index (AI) level was significantly decreased in fenofibrate and Arogyavardhini vati (200 mg/kg) treated rats when compared with normal control. Conclusion: Arogyavardhini vati, a traditionally used Ayurvedic medicine may be a useful therapy for hypercholesterolemia through reducing oxidative stress (decreasing MDA and increasing GSH) and lipid levels.


In Northern Europe, the use of light–emitting diodes (LEDs) is widely adopted in protected horticulture, enabling to enhance plant growth by ensuring needed radiative fluxes throughout seasons. Contrarily, the use of artificial lighting in Mediterranean greenhouse still finds limited applications. In this study, the effects of supplemental LED interlighting on vegetative development, fruit growth, yield, and fruit quality of high-wire tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. 'Siranzo') during spring and summer season were addressed in a hydroponic greenhouse in Italy. Plants were either grown under natural solar radiation (control), or by adding supplemental LED interlighting. LED treatment featured red (R) and blue (B) light (RB ratio of 3) and a photosynthetic photon flux density of 170 µmol m−2 s−1 for 16 h d−1. Supplemental LED interlighting enhanced yield as a result of increased fruit weight and dimension. While no effects on soluble solids content and fruit color at harvesting were observed, supplemental LED interlighting accelerated ripening by one week in spring and two weeks in summer and this also resulted in increased cumulated productivity (+16%) as compared to control treatment. Overall, supplemental LED interlighting can represent a feasible technology for tomato greenhouse production also in the Mediterranean region.


Design of adaptive algorithms for simultaneous regulation and estimation of MIMO linear dynamical systems is a canonical reinforcement learning problem. Efficient policies whose regret (i.e. increase in the cost due to uncertainty) scales at a squareroot rate of time have been studied extensively in the recent literature. Nevertheless, existing strategies are computationally intractable and require a priori knowledge of key system parameters. The only exception is a randomized Greedy regulator, for which asymptotic regret bounds have been recently established. However, randomized Greedy leads to probable fluctuations in the trajectory of the system, which renders its finite time regret suboptimal. This work addresses the above issues by designing policies that utilize input signals perturbations. We show that perturbed Greedy guarantees non-asymptotic regret bounds of (nearly) square-root magnitude w.r.t. time. More generally, we establish high probability bounds on both the regret and the learning accuracy under arbitrary input perturbations. The settings where Greedy attains the information theoretic lower bound of logarithmic regret are also discussed. To obtain the results, stateof-the-art tools from martingale theory together with the recently introduced method of policy decomposition are leveraged. Beside adaptive regulators, analysis of input perturbations captures key applications including remote sensing and distributed control.


To allow the incorporation of engine design in the Aircraft Initiator conceptual design tool, a modular engine design and performance estimation tool has been created, which is intended to allow the study of the effects of changes to engine architecture on the complete aircraft design. It generates estimates for engine thrust, specific fuel consumption and mass based on a coarse description of engine components and is expandable to potentially include off-design performance estimation as well as new engine components, including hybrid-electric components. Thrust and specific fuel consumption estimations are similarly accurate compared to the current Initiator engine model, based on a sample study of three engines. Engine mass estimation has deteriorated due to a spool-speed-estimation issue. Computational speed has also deteriorated due to increased model complexity. The modular nature of the code promises to future-proof the engine modelling within the Initiator, as new developments can be easily incorporated, adding flexibility.


The dislocation densities in semiconductor compound crystals have been found to be affected by the growth orientation, crystal radius and the ambient temperature employed during the Czochralski (CZ) growth process. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of these growth parameters on the dislocation density and spell out ways to control the growth parameters in order to reduce the dislocation density. The finite-element technique is utilized to solve the governing equations of the quasi-steady-state (QSS) heat transfer and the thermoelasticity to obtain the temperature distribution and the thermal stresses in a growing crystal. The resolved shear stresses (RSSs) in each slip system are obtained through the transformation of thermal stresses. The RSSs are then employed to calculate the plastic deformation and dislocation density in each slip system of the crystal using the constitutive equation. The total dislocation densities in the crystal are obtained by summing the dislocation densities in all the slip systems. The results indicate that ambient temperature and growth direction can be effectively used to reduce the dislocation density in the CZ process.


Abstract. In 2016 and 2017, an open-ocean polynya appeared over Maud Rise. The formation of these polynyas has been attributed to the occurrence of intense winter storms. However, the evolution and lifetime of the two polynyas was quite different. Here, we use model output of a century long high-resolution climate model simulation to explain the differences between the 2016 and 2017 Maud Rise polynyas. Analysis of the results, using convective available potential energy to measure subsurface convection, leads us to the interpretation that the first polynya event is (partly) initiated by subsurface static instabilities, leading to subsurface convection. Subsurface convection associated with the formation of the 2016 polynya preconditioned the Maud Rise region, resulting in a weakly stable surface layer and eventually leading to the 2017 polynya event. Based on this, we argue that, apart from atmospheric variability, subsurface convection is important to initiate a Maud Rise polynya.


Four related hypotheses were tested: 1) substitution of sucrose for starch at moderate levels will significantly elevate blood pressure; 2) most urinary sucrose is endogenous; 3) a change in endogenous sucrose production will alter sodium excretion and blood pressure, and 4) dietary sucrose inhibits endogenous sucrose production. The systolic blood pressures of 25 male rats, 100 days of age, and 25 female rats, 1 year of age, were measured weekly for 8 months. In four experiments, they consumed diets in which 38% of energy came from fat, 15% from protein, 7% from lactose and the remaining 40% from five different sucrose/starch ratios. In experiment 4, a 10% maltose/30% starch diet was fed to one-half the rats fed sucrose in experiment 3. All rats were fed similar amounts of each diet so that there were no significant body weight differences between groups at the end of the 8 months. At periodic intervals all rats were injected with 1 micro c of [U-14C]glucose and placed in metabolism cages where a 24 hour urine sample was obtained. Urine was analyzed for sodium, sucrose and sucrose-14C content. Endogenous sucrose production was estimated from the percent of [U-14C]glucose recovered as urine sucrose-14C in 24 hours. All four hypotheses were confirmed.


The purpose of this study was to explore university students' attributions of sources of influence on their Perceived Control beliefs in relation to solo performance in music. Drawing on data collected in semi-structured interviews, the paper outlines three principal sources of influence; assessment, previous performance experiences, and significant others (most particularly the peer group and the solo performance tutor). Students described a variety of ways in which these sources of influence were believed to shape and inform how they view themselves in terms of ability, confidence and work-rate, and the paper explores the significance of these attributions for those involved in the delivery and management of music programmes in the higher education sector. Attention is drawn in particular to the contrasting experiences of musicians from varying traditions and genres of music, and to the highly significant influence of the peer group upon self-perception as a performer.


The purpose of this study was to construct a system that can simulate tennis slroke motion for competition level enhancement of players. To do so, 10 female tennis club players (1 923 years old) of University of Tsukuba were selected for a biomechanics study using threedimensional stroke motion analysis method, in a total of 10 trials. Using obtained results on joint angles of the whole body, the best results of university tournament and racket head speed at impact, a database was constructed. Principal component analysis was used to classify the motion patterns into the principal component scores. Based on the principal component score and optimization theory, we generated a simulation system to predict competition level and racket head speed, and thus a new stroke motion, which can be expressed using 30 animations.


The SLC Arc transport line brings high energy, high intensity electron and positron bunches from the SLAC linac to the Stanford Linear Collider final focus section. In this paper we will review the latest techniques developed to diagnose and correct the optical properties of the SLC Arcs. These techniques could be relevant to the design of long beam transport lines in future particle colliders. 6 refs., 2 figs.


The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée, 1854), is a highly damaging pest in Asia and the Pacific islands, and larvae feed mainly from corn crops. To determine the suitability of Bt-corn technology for the future control of this pest, understanding the potential to develop resistance to Cry1Ab and the basis of cross-resistance to other Cry1 proteins is of great interest. Here, we have explored the binding of Cry1A proteins to brush border membrane vesicles from two O. furnacalis colonies, one susceptible (ACB-BtS) and one laboratory-selected with Cry1Ab (ACB-AbR). The insects developed resistance to Cry1Ab and showed cross-resistance to Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac, and Cry1F. Binding assays with radiolabeled Cry1Ab and brush border membrane vesicles from susceptible insects showed that Cry1A proteins shared binding sites, though the results were not conclusive for Cry1F. The results were confirmed using radiolabeled Cry1Aa. The resistant insects showed a reduction of the specific binding of both Cry1Ab and Cry1Aa, suggesting that part of the binding sites were lost or altered. Competition binding assays showed full competition between Cry1Ab and Cry1Aa proteins in the susceptible colony but only partial competition in resistant insects, confirming the alteration of some, but not all, binding sites for these two proteins. The binding site model for Cry1A proteins in O. furnacalis is in agreement with the occurrence of multiple membrane receptors for these proteins.


A 23-month-old boy became confused and was unable to walk thirty minutes after ingesting less than 10 mL of T36-C7, a commercial product containing 100% melaleuca oil. The child was referred to a nearby hospital. His condition improved and he was asymptomatic within 5 hours of ingestion. He was discharged to home the following day. Melaleuca oil, extracted from the Melaleuca alternifolia, contains 50-60% terpenes and related alcohols. Clinical experience with products containing melaleuca oil is limited. This case report suggests that ingestion of a modest amount of a concentrated form of this oil may produce signs of toxicity.


Tactical operations are highly stressful dynamic situations with life and death consequences and as a result operators are regularly trained to ensure high performance. Physiological response to that training assists in determining the operator's response to the training activity. To date physiological monitoring during tactical training has been limited. Serious games have great potential to be used for tactical training. This paper presents the Athena platform which is a Big Data approach for real-time multi-sensory stimulation and response monitoring with serious games. A key benefit of this work is the extensions to the Artemis platform Data Acquisition to enable the integration of real-time signals to and from a Serious Game. This research is instantiated within the context of military tactical training.


Rapidly rotating B-type stars with gaseous mass-loss disks in Keplerian rotation are common central objects in X-Ray binaries. These disks are physically well understood in the framework of the viscous decretion disk, and their typical parameters have been established for a large number of single Be stars in the recent years. According to the current observational evidence, the Be stars and disks found in BeXRBs are well within the boundaries known from single Be stars, i.e., they are normal Be stars. New results have also been obtained on the orbital disk truncation and other tidal effects of the companion objects on the disk.


In the context of the CARA Iraq Research Fellowship Programme, staff from Hawler Medical University in Erbil, Iraq and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK collaboratively conducted a multimodal research project analysing challenges and opportunities for reform of the primary care system in Iraq. Through a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods a range of challenges were identified, both in terms of services offered and the utilisation of those services. The collaborative study proved positive in terms of direct research outcomes, in boosting academia with skill development and use of new methodologies, and in reengaging displaced Iraqi academics.


Algorithms to propagate uncertainty using Shenoy and Shafer''s Local Computation framework give rise to efficient computation in a number of spheres of reasoning, such as Bayesian probability, Dempster-Shafer Belief, infinitesimal probability functions, and Zadeh''s Possibility functions. Finite sets of possibilities (or constraints) can be propagated with this framework, and so deduction in a finite propositional calculus can be performed by considering sets of possible worlds. Recently Kohlas and Moral have shown how to use Local Computation to directly propagate sets of formulae in clausal form in a finite propositional calculus. In this report we explore the application of the Local Computation framework to other logics. We describe how a logic can be embedded in the framework, given that its semantics verifies certain properties. This is applied to first-order predicate calculus, modal and conditional logics. We also discuss its application to predicate circumscription.


Intensive development of microfinance organizations in Russia has a double meaning. On the one hand, they are claimed by the population; on the other hand, the state control over their activities is difficult. The study reveals the nature, problems and prospects of development of microfinance organizations in Russia. The aim of the authors is to determine the nature of the controversial development of the financial market segment and suggest mechanisms that can resolve these contradictions. The study used a systematic approach and statistical methods. The authors analyzed analytical and statistical information of the Bank of Russia. The lack of adequate mechanisms for the state regulation and control over the activities of microfinance organizations the state is due to the gaps in the legislative framework. This was the reason for the increase in the share of overdue debts, the high debt load of the population, the intensification of collectors, the increase in lawsuits. The actions are proposed for increasing transparency of microfinance transactions without increasing the administrative burden on regulatory authorities. Among them are: attracting private investorslenders to microfinance activities with the development of Internet infrastructure, creating a special online platform to register microloan transactions between individuals and / or legal entities in real time with recording them in the Bank of Russia and in tax services. It is also necessary to amend the legislation on microfinance activity. This sequence of actions will lead to a reduction in the informal sector in the microfinance segment and in the financial market of the Russian Federation as a whole. The proposals made in the article can be used to develop the anti-crisis program of the Government of the Russian Federation in this area.


Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy. It is characterized by relatively benign transient systolic dysfunction of the apical segments of the left ventricle. Reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (RTC) is a rare variant of TC. Here we describe a rare case of RTC and cardiogenic shock in a patient with anorexia nervosa (AN).
Case presentation: A 54-year-old woman with AN showed RTC due to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) stress; renal replacement therapy including continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) was successfully performed to maintain her cardiohemodynamic state.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first documented report showing that renal replacement therapy greatly contributed to the circulation management and recovering kidney dysfunction with anuria in a patient with an eating disorder and RTC.


Surgical treatment options in a chondroblastoma of the talus breaching the subchondral layer with imminent risk of talar collapse in the weightbearing area are limited. A joint-preserving surgery should be advocated. Because current treatment options such as curettage, cryosurgery, or radiofrequency ablation may not be able to prevent a talar dome breakdown in large defects, nonvascularized bone grafting has been advocated to fill the void. To overcome the lack of vitality, a vascularized bone autograft might be an attractive alternative. We present 3 cases where a large talar defect owing to a chondroblastoma was treated with a vascularized bone autograft. In 1 of the cases, a free microvascular iliac crest bone graft was used, whereas in the other 2 cases, a vascularized graft was harvested from the medial femoral condyle. Computed tomographic scans demonstrated a stable incorporation of the graft in all cases. All patients were highly satisfied with the obtained results and showed a clinical functional outcome similar to the contralateral foot after 36, 60, and 72 months. At the latest radiographic follow-up, no evidence of recurrence was observed. In conclusion, a free vascularized bone autograft can be used to treat a large talar defect owing to chondroblastoma in young patients.


A genomic epidemiologic investigation of a putative carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae outbreak revealed few plausible instances of nosocomial transmission, highlighting instead the frequent importation of E. cloacae into our hospital. Searching for genetic determinants of carbapenem resistance demonstrated that most resistance is due to convergent mutations in phylogenetically diverse E. cloacae.


Jet-lag symptoms arise from temporal misalignment between the internal circadian clock and external solar time when traveling across multiple time zones. Light is known as a strong timing cue of the circadian clock. We here examined the effect of daily light on the process of jet lag by detecting c-Fos expression in the master clock neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) under 8-hr phase-advanced jet lag condition. In WT mice, c-Fos-immunoreactivity was found at 1–2 hours on the first day after light/dark (LD) phase-advance. This induction was also observed on the second and third days, although their levels were diminished day by day. In contrast, c-Fos induction in the SCN of V1a–/–V1b–/– mice, which show virtually no jet lag symptoms even after 8-hr phase-advance, was only detected on the first day. These results indicate that external light has affected SCN neuronal activity for 3 days after LD phase-advance in WT mice suggesting the continuous progress of activity change of SCN neurons under jet lag conditions. Noteworthy, limited c-Fos induction in V1a–/–V1b–/– SCN is also consistent with the rapid reentrainment of the SCN clock in mutant mice after 8-hr LD phase-advance.


The physician's manual, that compendium of clinical information, pharmacological data, and laboratory techniques, belongs to no discipline but its own. The species is an inventive one, for new varieties constantly evolve, each attempting to survive in some part of the medical environment as yet unoccupied by one of its fellows. The hardiness of a few of these organisms is attested by the many editions through which they have passed. In competition with standard reference texts, these little volumes possess distinct advantages. Their small size is appealing and the low price permits purchase of the latest edition without serious pain. The breadth and depth of coverage seemingly offered through the use of telegraphic style and numerous tables may give the reader a satisfying sense of having acquired definitive knowledge. Yet brevity here makes oversimplification inevitable. Some of these works, the perennial Merck Manual , 1 for example, provide a remarkable mass of


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To describe the age distribution, clinical, laboratory, radiographic, and bacteriologic findings of pediatric patients with tuberculous pleural effusion.

DESIGN
A retrospective study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We have identified all cases of primary pulmonary tuberculosis in children < 18 years, reported to the health department. We have collected information from medical records regarding demographics, clinical findings, bacteriologic results, and evolution. Chest radiographs obtained at the time of initial evaluation were reviewed independently by two groups of radiologists who were blind to the clinical and epidemiologic data.

RESULTS
Between January 1983 and December 1996, 175 children < 18 years were diagnosed as having primary pulmonary tuberculosis. Among them, 39 patients (22.1%) showed pleural effusion on chest radiograph. The mean age of patients with tuberculous pleural effusion was significantly higher (13.52+/-0.5 years vs 6.97+/-0.42 years). The sensitivity of the tuberculin test is 97.4% for an induration > or = 5 mm. Pleural fluid analysis shows a lymphocytic exudative effusion. Chest radiograph review showed unilateral pleural effusion in all cases. Pleural effusion was the sole radiographic manifestation in 41% of cases. Parenchymal disease is associated in 23 cases (59%). Bacteriologic confirmation of tuberculosis was achieved in 22 cases (56.4%). Cultures of pleural fluid and biopsy material both yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 15 of 34 (44.1%) and 12 of 18 (66.6%), respectively, for samples under study. Pleural biopsy specimens showed granulomatous inflammation in 18 of 23 cases (78.3%). Antituberculous therapy for 6 to 9 months was effective in all cases. Transient side effects occurred in 1 of 39 patients (2.9%).

CONCLUSIONS
Pleural effusion accounts for 22.1% of cases of pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis. Parenchymal consolidation is the most common associated radiographic finding. Bacteriologic confirmation was achieved in 56.4% of cases. A short course of chemotherapy is effective.


Recently, two novel concepts have emerged in cancer biology: the role of so-called "cancer stem cells" in tumor initiation, and the involvement of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the metastatic dissemination of epithelial cancer cells. Using a mammary tumor progression model, we show that cells possessing both stem and tumorigenic characteristics of "cancer stem cells" can be derived from human mammary epithelial cells following the activation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. The acquisition of these stem and tumorigenic characters is driven by EMT induction.


The study of temporal networks in discrete time has yielded numerous insights into time-dependent networked systems in a wide variety of applications. However, for many complex systems, it is useful to develop continuous-time models of networks and to compare them to associated discrete models. In this paper, we study several continuous-time network models and examine discrete approximations of them both numerically and analytically. To consider continuous-time networks, we associate each edge in a graph with a time-dependent tie strength that can take continuous non-negative values and decays in time after the most recent interaction. We investigate how the moments of the tie strength evolve with time in several models, and we explore-both numerically and analytically-criteria for the emergence of a giant connected component in some of these models. We also briefly examine the effects of the interaction patterns of continuous-time networks on the contagion dynamics of a susceptible-infected-recovered model of an infectious disease.


Sumps of wastewater pumping station can experience problems due the formation of (solid) floating layers of fat and scum as a result of insufficient current guidelines for sump design with respect to transport of floating debris. To complimentary the guidelines, the use of free-surface vortices is defined as a potential transport mechanism for floating debris. The transport ability and capacity of vortices is investigated in an experimental set-up and experimental data will be used to design and validate a theoretical vortex transport model describing the transport ability and capacity of a free-surface vortex. Two theoretical vortex models describing the vortex flow field are used as a base for the transport model. Experimental results show that both models needs adaptation to match experimental results. Furthermore, the experiments show that the ability to transport buoyant material is highly sensitive on the flow field in the vortex (core) and on the particle density. Particles can either get stuck in the vortex core with no or less transport or either translated around the core with efficient transport. Before designing and validating the vortex transport model, extensive future research is needed to capture the observed phenomena's.


OBJECTIVES
This study examines the independent and combined impact of 'alcohol only' and 'alcohol plus drug' abuse on the dental health of Irish alcohol/drug abuse treatment centre residents, comparing their dental caries experience.

METHODS
Four Irish treatment centres were visited periodically over a year. Data was collected on residents' alcohol, tobacco and drug habits. Participants underwent comprehensive oral examination.

RESULTS
Of 210 participants (148 males and 62 females), 53% reported an 'alcohol plus drug' abuse; 44% had an 'alcohol-only' abuse. 'Drug-only' abusers (n = 7) were excluded. Ages ranged from 18-73 with 59% aged under 40. 'Alcohol-only' abusers were significantly older than "alcohol plus drugs" abusers (p < 0.001). Mean DMFT (14.4, sd 7.3) and MT scores (7.3, sd 6.8) were above the national averages. "Alcohol-only" abusers had higher DMFT scores (p < 0.001), more missing teeth (p < 0.001) and more filled teeth (p < 0.01) than "drugs plus alcohol" abusers. DT scores did not vary significantly between study groups. Multivariate analysis confirmed the significance of gender (males OR = 2.31, p = 0.009) on DT scores and highly significant influence of age (age < 36, OR = 0.08, p < 0.001) on MT status. However, study group was not a significant influence once age was taken into consideration.

CONCLUSIONS
The study reveals a high level of dental disease among Irish alcohol/drug abusers. While some authors have suggested that 'alcohol-only' abusers may experience less decay than 'alcohol plus drug' abusers, this study found no significant difference in the caries experience of the two groups once age was taken into consideration.


This paper quantitatively explores the role of the demand structure in explaining the
relationship between an importer's per capita income and the extensive margin of bilateral trade. The underlying mechanism is based on the fact that agents expand the set of goods they consume with income. This in turn affects the structure of a country's import demand and therewith the extensive margin of trade. We formalize this intuition by incorporating preferences that allow for binding non-negativity constraints into an otherwise standard Ricardian multi-country model. We quantify the model using the data on US consumer expenditures and aggregate values of bilateral trade flows and find that the behavior of the model's extensive margin of bilateral trade is consistent with the data (as opposed to the standard model). Two popular counterfactual experiments - lower trade costs and the rise of China and India - demonstrate that the mechanism outlined in this paper is indeed quantitatively important.


Neurodegenerative disorders affect millions of people worldwide, and the prevalence of these disorders is only projected to rise as the number of people over 65 will drastically increase in the coming years. While therapies exist to aid in symptomatic relief, effective treatments that can stop or reverse the progress of each neurodegenerative disease are lacking. Recently, research on the role of extracellular vesicles as disease markers and therapeutics has been intensively studied. Exosomes, 30–150 nm in diameter, are one type of extracellular vesicles facilitating cell-to-cell communication. Exosomes are thought to play a role in disease propagation in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Accordingly, the exosomes derived from the patients are an invaluable source of disease biomarkers. On the other hand, exosomes, especially those derived from stem cells, could serve as a therapeutic for these disorders, as seen by a rapid increase in clinical trials investigating the therapeutic efficacy of exosomes in different neurological diseases. This review summarizes the pathological burden and therapeutic approach of exosomes in neurodegenerative disorders. We also highlight how heat shock increases the yield of exosomes while still maintaining their therapeutic efficacy. Finally, this review concludes with outstanding questions that remain to be addressed in exosomal research.


Protein kinases, as crucial signaling molecules, represent an emerging class of drug targets, and the ability to assay their activities in living cells with high-throughput screening should provide exciting opportunities for drug discovery and chemical and functional genomics. Here, we describe a general method for high-throughput reading of dynamic kinase activities using ratiometric fluorescent sensors, and showcase an example of reading intracellular activities of protein kinase A (PKA) and the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/PKA pathway downstream of many G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). We further demonstrate the first compound screen based on the ability of compounds to modulate dynamic kinase activities in living cells and show that such screening of a collection of clinical compounds has successfully identified modulators of the GPCR/cAMP/PKA pathway.


A simple remotely adjustable cryogenic impedance transformer employing superconducting inverted microstrip circuits is described. The scheme is particularly suitable for efficiently coupling low impedance (0.1–5 Ω) thin-film devices (e.g. Josephson junctions) in planar microwave integrated circuits to waveguide or other superconducting and semiconducting devices at millimetre wavelengths. Preliminary results obtained at 8 mm are presented.


The northwestern margin of the Valencia trough is an area of low strain characterized by slow normal faults and low to moderate seismicity. Since the mid 1990s this area has been the subject of a number of studies on active tectonic which have proposed different approaches to the location of active faults and to the calculation of the parameters that describe their seismic cycle. Fifty-six active faults have been found and a classification has been made in accordance with their characteristics: a) faults with clear evidence of large paleo-, historic or instrumental earthquakes (2/56); b) faults with evidence of accumulated activity during the Plio-Quaternary and with associated instrumental seismicity (7/56); c) faults with evidence of accumulated activity during the Plio-Quaternary and without associated instrumental seismicity (17/56); d) faults with associated instrumental seismicity and without evidence of accumulated activity during the Plio-Quaternary (30/56), and e) faults without evidence of activity or inactive faults. The parameters that describe the seismic cycle of these faults have been evaluated by different methods that use the geological data obtained for each fault except when paleoseismological studies were available. This classification can be applied to other areas with low slip faults because of the simplicity of the approaches adopted. This study reviews the different approaches proposed and describes the active faults located, highlighting the need a) to better understand active faults in slow strain zones through paleoseismological studies, and b) to include them in seismic hazard studies.


In these days, asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) is a very attractive method for synthesis of enantioenriched chiral compounds, especially fine chemicals such as drugs or agrochemicals. In this review, several topics related to the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones and cyclic or acyclic imines are discussed. Initially, the reaction mechanism of the ATH of ketones and imines, mainly 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline derivates, is examined. Next, typical reaction conditions, structural effects of the catalyst and a substrate, and analytical methods used for ATH monitoring and practical applications of the ATH in the chemical industry are described. study of ATH of ( R ) 1,4 dimethyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline, substantially different reaction rates with various bases were observed. The highest reaction rates were measured after using tertiary bases, such as triethylamine (TEA), whose rate was over four times higher than N, N diisopropyl(ethyl)amine (DIPEA). Nevertheless, the secondary bases such as morpholine, piperidine, or pyrrolidine performed with even a lower reaction rate. Surprisingly, the reaction rate was rather high for aromatic amine, pyrrole and certainly low for pyridine. Both the reaction rate and asymmetric tendencies were significantly affected. In the case of diastereomeric excess ( de ), the lowest value was observed for DIPEA, followed by TEA. The secondary amines performed with a higher de over 60% and the highest value was obtained for pyrrolidine as one of the smallest molecules in the mixture. Also, de values for aromatic amines were in the range of 65–75%. These results suggested that differ‐ ences in diastereoselectivity were triggered by the steric demands of the bases applied. A very similar procedure was performed using 1-methyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline as the substrate. As in the previous case, significant differences between additions of tertiary, secondary and aromatic bases were observed in terms of the reaction rate. Interestingly enough, a slightly higher reaction rate was observed using DIPEA, than TEA. However, the enantioselectivity was not significantly changed with the usage of various bases.


Objectives: Chemical hazard evaluations are important for workers' health and working environments. Allyl chloride (CAS No. 107-05-1) is used in many industries, leading to concerns about the possibility of threats to the health of workers. Since only insufficient or controversial information is available about potential related hazards, an in vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration (CA) assay was conducted in order to gain additional information concerning any such hazards. Moreover, toxicological information from this study could be applied for workers' rights to know, and to prepare or update the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for a number of industries. Methods and Results: The assay was performed using the Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell (ATCC, CRL-1935), by the direct method (-S9) and by the metabolic activated method (+S9 mix). Using the direct method, the seven dosages in the 48-hour treatment group did not show that the frequency of CA is proportionate to the dosage. The frequency of CA is not proportionate to the dosage addition for a six-hour treatment using the metabolic activated method. Conclusions: From these findings, it was decided that this chemical does not induce chromosomal aberrations under the tested conditions.


Endemic filariasis in Thailand is restricted to the flat, low-lying, rural areas in the eastern coastal belt of peninsular Thailand. A large number of villages was surveyed, and 4,112 persons were examined, of whom 863 were found to be positive for microfilariae in the peripheral blood and 215 to have filarial disease. The chief manifestation was elephantiasis of the leg, which was sometimes associated with elephantiasis of the arm. The causative organism of endemic filariasis in Thailand is Wuchereria malayi.Nine species of mosquito (four of Mansonia and five of Anopheles) are vectors of W. malayi infection in Thailand. They are found naturally infected with the larval stages of W. malayi, the infection rates in the different vector species ranging between 3% and 17%. These mosquitos occur in large numbers and breed in the extensive marshes in the vicinity of the villages.The author discusses the feasibility of different measures for the control of filariasis. Under the conditions prevailing in the endemic areas of Thailand, the author considers that halting transmission by spraying dwellings with residual insecticides would be feasible as well as economical. This method was tried experimentally in a restricted area, and it was found that spraying all dwellings in a village with DDT, in a dosage of 170 mg per square foot (approximately 1.8 g per m(2)), effectively controlled the transmission of filarial infection and considerably lowered the incidence of vector mosquitos.


OBJECTIVE
To explore body dissatisfaction and maladaptive perfectionism as risk factors for postpartum depression symptomatology.

DESIGN
Prospective, cohort design.

SETTING
Urban and suburban hospital-based obstetrician and midwifery offices.

PARTICIPANTS
Forty-six (46) adult ethnically diverse pregnant women with gestational age greater than or equal to 28 weeks.

METHOD
Body dissatisfaction and maladaptive perfectionism were assessed in the offices of health care providers during the third trimester of pregnancy. Postpartum depression symptomatology was assessed at least 2 months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) via postal mail or e-mail.

RESULTS
Body dissatisfaction predicted postpartum depression symptoms, even after controlling for previously established risk factors. No main effect emerged between maladaptive perfectionism and postpartum depression symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
Body dissatisfaction in the third trimester of pregnancy serves as a risk factor for postpartum depression. Therefore, assessment of body image during the third trimester of pregnancy may help health care providers identify women at risk of postpartum depression. Body dissatisfaction also may be an important target for postpartum depression prevention and treatment programs.


Despite the growing proportion of older adults in the United States, federal and state funding for nonmedical supportive services remains limited. To meet increasing demand, some communities across the nation are exploring alternative funding sources for aging services. Although no systematic database exists to track such local programs, through an array of data sources including a national survey, telephone contacts, and a web review, we identified 15 states that are using local funding to support aging services. Communities are using a variety of local revenue streams, such as property tax levies, payroll, and sales taxes to provide services for older adults and/or their family or friend caregivers. There are considerable differences in community approaches including the following: amount of revenue generated, service eligibility criterion, type of services covered, and management infrastructure. Critical policy questions surrounding equity issues within and across states are raised as communities create these alternative funding mechanisms.


The number of people who own a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) has reached a point where researchers can readily recruit HMD owners to participate remotely using their own equipment. However, HMD owners recruited online may differ from the university community members who typically participate in VR research. HMD owners (n=220) and non-owners (n=282) were recruited through two online work sites-Amazon's Mechanical Turk and Prolific-and an undergraduate participant pool. Participants completed a survey in which they provided demographic information and completed measures of HMD use, video game use, spatial ability, and motion sickness susceptibility. In the context of the populations sampled, the results provide 1) a characterization of HMD owners, 2) a snapshot of the most commonly owned HMDs, 3) a comparison between HMD owners and non-owners, and 4) a comparison among online workers and undergraduates. Significant gender differences were found: men reported lower motion sickness susceptibility and more video game hours than women, and men outperformed women on spatial tasks. Men comprised a greater proportion of HMD owners than non-owners, but after accounting for this imbalance, HMD owners did not differ appreciably from non-owners. Comparing across recruitment platform, male undergraduates outperformed male online workers on spatial tests, and female undergraduates played fewer video game hours than female online workers. The data removal rate was higher from Amazon compared to Prolific, possibly reflecting greater dishonesty. These results provide a description of HMD users that can inform researchers recruiting remote participants through online work sites. These results also signal a need for caution when comparing in-person VR research that primarily enrolls undergraduates to online VR research that enrolls online workers.


In a recent paper, we described the development and application of a labeled affective magnitude (LAM) scale for assessing liking/disliking (Schutz and Cardello 2001). Here we present the exact numerical scale-point locations corresponding to the verbal labels of the scale, so that investigators can easily construct the LAM scale for use with either paper or computer-based ballots.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a bioactive compound, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), which has been reported to exhibit an immune-boosting effect, using a classical live swine fever (CSF) vaccine experimental model in pigs.  Methods: First, the effect of two different 5-ALA doses was evaluated by measuring the blood CSF viral load in male and female micro miniature pigs after vaccination with live vaccines. The CSF vaccine had a low inducing effect on antibody production in females, which improved after administration of 5-ALA by enhancing Th2 immunity as indicated by elevated interleukin-10 levels. Next, using male micro miniature pigs, the change in body weight was measured from the time before inoculation with the live vaccine to 28 days after inoculation, and the pattern of IgM and IgG antibody production after 5-ALA administration was examined. Results: Preventive doses of 5-ALA enabled the continuous production of IgG antibodies at the same rate as found in control pigs not receiving 5-ALA; however, the switch to IgG production was delayed during 5-ALA treatment. Oral administration of 5-ALA kept the testing male pigs healthy, showing normal growth. Conclusions: This suggested that the heme synthesis-promoting effects of 5-ALA simultaneously promoted the conversion of B cells into plasma cells.Keywords: functional food, 5-ALA, human equivalent dose, pig, classical swine fever


Purpose: Dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccine may have a significant benefit to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. However, variations among clinical studies make it hard to detect its clinical outcome. Here we statistically identified factors determining the clinical benefit using data obtained at seven Japanese institutions that employed the same DC preparation and treatment regimen. Patients and Methods: Among the 354 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 255 patients who received standard chemotherapy combined with peptide-pulsed DC vaccines were analyzed. Results: The mean survival time from diagnosis was 16.5 months (95%CI=14.4-18.5), and that from the first vaccination was 9.9 months (95%CI=8.0-12.9). Known prognostic baseline factors related to advanced pancreatic cancer, namely ECOG-PS, peritoneal metastasis, liver metastasis, and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) were also representative. Importantly, erythema reaction after vaccination was an independent and treatment-related predictive factor for better survival, and that OK432 might be a good adjuvant enhancing the antitumor immunity during DC vaccination. Conclusion: This is the first report of a multicenter clinical study suggesting the feasibility and possible clinical benefit of an add-on DC vaccine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. These findings need to be addressed in well-controlled prospective randomized trials. Citation Format: Masanori Kobayashi, Shimodaira Shigetaka, Kazuhiro Nagai, Masahiro Ogasawara, Hidenori Takahashi, Hirofumi Abe, Mitsugu Tanii, Masato Okamoto, Shun-ichi Tsujitani, Masaki Nagaya, Yoshikazu Yonemitsu, The DC vaccine study group of Japan Society of Innovative Cell Therapy (J-SICT). Survival benefit of an add-on dendritic cell vaccine for patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer receiving chemotherapy: a multicenter study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2813. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2813


The design and analysis is presented of a low profile and dual- frequency inverted L-F antenna for WLAN and short range wireless communications, providing a compromise between size reduction and attainable bandwidth. The optimum (minimized) volume of 30times30times8 mm of the proposed antenna gives 8% bandwidth at lower resonant mode of 2400 MHz, while at the higher resonant mode of 5500 MHz a bandwidth of 12.2% is obtained. Both the simulated and measured characteristics of the proposed antenna are shown.


The past few years have seen the rapid rise of all things "social" on the web from the growth of online social networks like Facebook, to user-contributed content sites like Flickr and YouTube, to social bookmarking services like Delicious, among many others. Whereas traditional approaches to organizing and accessing the web's massive amount of information have focused on content-based and link-based approaches, these social systems offer rich opportunities for user-based and community-based exploration and analysis of the web by building on the unprecedented access to the interests and perspectives of millions of users.
We focus here on the challenge of modeling and mining social bookmarking systems, in which resources are enriched by large-scale socially generated metadata ("tags") and contextualized by the user communities that are associated with the resources. Our hypothesis is that an underlying social collective intelligence is embedded in the uncoordinated actions of users on social bookmarking services, and that this social collective intelligence can be leveraged for enhanced web-based information discovery and knowledge sharing. Concretely, we posit the existence of underlying implicit communities in these social bookmarking systems that drive the social bookmarking process which can provide a foundation for community-based organization of web resources.
To that end, we make three contributions: (1) First, we propose a pair of novel probabilistic generative models for describing and modeling community-oriented social bookmarking. We show how these models enable effective extraction of meaningful communities over large real-world social bookmarking services. (2) Second, we develop two frameworks for community-based web information browsing and search that are based on these community-oriented social bookmarking models. We show how both achieve improved discovery and exploration of the social web. (3) Third, we introduce a community evolution framework for studying and analyzing social bookmarking communities over time. We explore the temporal dimension of social bookmarking and explore the dynamics of community formation, evolution, and dissolution.
By uncovering implicit communities, putting them to use in an application scenario (search and browsing), and analyzing them over time, this dissertation provides a foundation for the study of how social knowledge networks are self-organized, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the factors impacting collective intelligence, and the creation of new information access algorithms for leveraging these communities.


FROM 1876 to 1954, in unbroken sequence, the Society's JOURNAL appeared in garb of sober grey and truly Victorian typography. In the latter year came a break with tradition-a more modern typography, and the cover in crimson with the armorial bearings in black and white. This proved a popular move, eliciting many letters of congratulation from our members and only one protest, from a lady in Australia who was constrained to see red. Today, we introduce a new, new look, the cover in a brighter, warmer and more inviting red with a simpler, cleaner lay-out, and the contents in contemporary style. But, while we hope that our readers will find the former


Background : Children undergoing complex cranial vault reconstruction (CCVR) for craniosynostosis experience high rates of bleeding and blood product transfusion, increasing the risk of perioperative complications. The most severe issues relate to the rate and extent of blood loss, which can be up to several times the patient's total blood volume and is often equated to controlled massive hemorrhage. ε-Aminocaproic acid (EACA) and tranexamic acid (TXA) are antifibrinolytic agents that have been shown to reduce intraoperative hemorrhage and transfusion requirements during CCVR. However, the relative efficacy of EACA vs. TXA in CCVR has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to compare perioperative blood loss and need for transfusion in children receiving EACA and TXA. We hypothesized that TXA is associated with a greater decrease in blood loss and transfusion requirements when compared to EACA.
 Methods: All patients who underwent CCVR from September 2015 to December 2019 at our institution were retrospectively evaluated. The primary outcome measures included intraoperative estimated blood loss (EBL), red blood cell (RBC) transfusion volume (mL/kg), and calculated blood loss (CBL) (Kearney et al., Can J Anaesth 1989). Secondary outcome measures included hematologic and coagulation parameters. Study cohort demographic and outcome data were analyzed; Fisher's exact test was used for categorical data, student's t-test was used for continuous data. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
 Results: 104 patients were included in the study with 48 patients in the EACA cohort and 56 patients in the TXA cohort. There were slightly more patients with syndromic craniosynostosis in the EACA group, but overall no significant differences in cohort characteristics (Table 1). Mean EBL (mL/kg) was slightly higher in the EACA group vs. the TXA group (21 ± 13 vs. 17 ± 10), but not statistically significant. Intraoperative mean CBL (34 ± 21mL/kg) and intraoperative percent blood volume lost (43 ± 26%) for the cohort were high, but these were equal between groups. Likewise, postoperative DO, CBL and percent blood volume lost were similar between groups. Overall, intraoperative RBC transfusion was required in 66 (64%) of patients and was similar between groups (69% of EACA patients vs. 59% of TXA patients). Intraoperative transfusion of other products was equal between groups. Postoperatively, 23 (22%) of patients required RBC transfusion. Postoperative blood product transfusions were equal between groups (Table 2). We compared routine hematologic and coagulation parameters peri-operatively and did not find any differences between the EACA and TXA group (Table 3). In the EACA group, there were 6 reported perioperative complications, including 2 suspected seizure events, as compared to 7 complications in the TXA group, which included 2 thromboembolic events.
 Discussion: Pediatric CCVR is a high blood loss surgery and this can lead to a consumptive coagulopathy for which intraoperative antifibrinolytic agents have been demonstrated to improve outcomes. We found no significant difference in blood loss, transfusion requirements, or hematologic parameters between patients who received EACA and TXA in our retrospective pediatric CCVR cohort. Overall there were 4 postoperative outcomes that could have been related to antifibrinolytic use (seizure, thromboembolism), but this was equal between groups and causality was not confirmed. Further research is needed to define optimal antifibrinolytic dosing and duration of therapy. While standard hematologic and coagulation parameters were similar between groups, the mechanisms of surgically induced coagulopathy in CCVR still need to be explored. Future studies investigating coagulation-based and inflammatory assays may be useful in defining surgical-induced coagulopathy.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Our law schools are embracing in a more powerful way innovative transactional pedagogies that address not only theory, policy, and doctrine, but also legal skills. This transcribed panel discussion explores three of these pedagogies – teaching corporate finance as advanced contract drafting, teaching numeracy, and teaching substance and skill in contract drafting through the use of in-office meetings and analytical memos – and describes how they are being implemented in law teaching. The panel was part of the "Transactional Education: What's Next?" conference hosted by the Emory University School of Law's Center for Transactional Law and Practice on June 4-5, 2010.


We prove upper bounds on angular momentum and centre of mass in terms of the Hamiltonian mass and cosmological constant for non-singular asymptotically anti-de Sitter initial data sets satisfying the dominant energy condition. We work in all space-dimensions larger than or equal to three, and allow a large class of asymptotic backgrounds, with spherical and non-spherical conformal infinities; in the latter case, a spin-structure compatibility condition is imposed. We give a large class of non-trivial examples saturating the inequality. We analyse exhaustively the borderline case in space-time dimension four: for spherical cross-sections of Scri, equality together with completeness occurs only in anti-de Sitter spacetime. On the other hand, in the toroidal case, regular non-trivial initial data sets saturating the bound exist.


In this paper, we show the design of a rotary joint transition for the X-band channel in a rotatable microwave communication system. The transition seems complicated to make a channel between two coaxial cables through a cylindrical waveguide. To make a broad-band performance in the X-band with low insertion loss and return loss given the constraint on the length and radius of this complicated-looking cylindrical structure, Genetic Algorithm optimization is adopted to check the validity of an intensive parametric study in the design. The structure is fabricated and tested to show how valid the design method is as well as good frequency responses.


The Research Institute of Physics celebrates its fiftieth anniversary with a Workshop and Symposium on the Physics of Low-Energy Stored and Trapped Particles. On July 1, 1937, Professor Manne Siegbahn was appointed the first director of the Institute. Because of this celebration a personal account is given of Manne Siegbahn's contribution to atomic structure physics. Comments will also be given on the procedure in the Swedish Academy of Sciences when Siegbahn in 1925 received the 1924 Nobel Prize for Physics "for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy".


We use conducting atomic force microscopy (AFM) in ultra high vacuum to measure the thermoelectric power of Au, Pt, and 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) films. Tips coated with thick (1200 nm) Pt films or highly doped diamond film give reproducible data. The thermoelectric power of metal junctions formed with diamond tips is high but dominated by the diamond material thus making diamond tips of limited applicability in thermovoltage AFM. Pt coated tips on Au or Pt films gives small thermovoltage signal, making quantitative analysis of the thermopower on metal sample problematic. The thermovoltage AFM technique appears best suited to study organic thin films and the thermoelectric power of 1.5 nm and 2 nm thick PTCDA deposited on Au measured with Pt tips is −342 and −372 μV/K, respectively. The negative sign indicates that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level dominates electrical transport.


Input-output analysis was invented by Wassily Leontief, who continued to be closely involved with its development, mostly in the United States. This chapter organizes the history in a nice, concrete way, by tracing the input-output tables of the USA from 1939 until 2007, released in 2014. The history is peppered by observations of Leontief's close collaborators Anne Carter and Clopper Almon, shared with the author. The chapter concludes with a clear discussion of the myths of input-output tables, such as consistency and purity.


Background: The commonly used flap models have drawbacks that limit their usefulness. In the random skin flap model, flap necrosis is caused by both arterial and venous insufficiency. In the axial skin flap model, flap viability is easily affected by the pedicle blood flow and can result in complete necrosis. This study aimed to establish a new rat skin flap model that has a consistent flap survival rate and in which venous congestion and arterial ischemia can be readily distinguished macroscopically. Methods: Rats underwent reverse U-shaped bipedicled superficial epigastric artery flap elevation. The right superficial epigastric vessels formed the pedicle. In the control rats (n = 3), the left superficial epigastric vessels were left intact. In the ischemia group (n = 10), the left superficial epigastric artery was ligated. In the congestion group (n = 10), the left superficial epigastric vein was ligated. The flap was returned to the original site and sutured. The surrounding neovascularization was blocked by polyurethane film. Flap survival rates were evaluated on postoperative day 3. Results: The flaps in the ischemia and congestion groups were noticeably pale and violet, respectively. Flap necrosis was noted in the contralateral distal zone only. It started on postoperative day 2 in the ischemia and congestion groups. The mean flap survival rates of the control, ischemia, and congestion groups were 100 percent, 61.8 percent (range, 56.9 to 67.1 percent), and 42.3 percent (35.7 to 48.7 percent), respectively (all p < 0.001). Conclusions: The flap facilitated discrimination of the effects of ischemia and congestion. This new rat skin flap model is simple and easy to construct, and has a consistent flap survival rate.


Multidimensional food perception is based mainly on gustatory and olfactory function. Recent research has demonstrated that hypobaric pressure impairs gustatory function and that background noise or distracting auditory stimulation impairs olfactory function. Using a hypobaric chamber, the odor identification, discrimination, and thresholds as well as taste identification and threshold scores were measured in 16 healthy male volunteers under normal and hypobaric (6380 ft) conditions using clinically validated tests. In both conditions, background noise was either canceled out or replaced by white noise presentation (70 dB sound pressure level). Olfactory sensitivity for n-butanol and gustatory sensitivity were impaired in a hypobaric atmosphere. White noise did not influence the odor test results. White noise stimulation impaired sensitivity for sour and sweet but not for bitter or salty tastants. We conclude that hypobaric or noisy environments could impair gustatory and olfactory sensitivity selectively for particular tastants and odorants.


A convenient and clean procedure of esterification is reported by direct condensation of equimolar amounts of carboxylic acids with alcohols catalyzed by an easy to prepare catalyst system of perchloric acid immobilized on silica gel (HClO(4)-SiO(2)). The direct condensation of aryl, heteroaryl, styryl, aryl alkyl, alkyl, cycloalkyl, and long-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids with primary/secondary alkyl/cycloalkyl, allyl, propargyl, and long-chain aliphatic alcohols has been achieved to afford the corresponding esters in excellent yields. Chiral alcohol and N-t-Boc protected chiral amino acid also resulted in ester formation with the representative carboxylic acid or alcohol without competitive N-t-Boc deprotection and detrimental effect on the optical purity of the product demonstrating the mildness and chemoselectivity of the procedure. The esters of long-chain (>C(10)) acids and alcohols are obtained in high yields. The catalyst is recovered and recycled without significant loss of activity. The industrial application of the esterification process is demonstrated by the synthesis of prodrugs of ibuprofen and a few commercial flavoring agents. Other protic acids such as H(2)SO(4), HBr, TfOH, HBF(4), and TFA that were adsorbed on silica gel were less effective compared to HClO(4)-SiO(2) following the order HClO(4)-SiO(2) >> H(2)SO(4)-SiO(2) > HBr-SiO(2) > TfOH-SiO(2) >> HBF(4)-SiO(2) approximately TFA-SiO(2). When HClO(4) was immobilized on other solid supports the catalytic efficiency followed the order HClO(4)-SiO(2) > HClO(4)-K10 > HClO(4)-Al(2)O(3) (neutral) > HClO(4)-Al(2)O(3) (acidic) > HClO(4)-Al(2)O(3) (basic).


Abstract Equatorial deep jets are an unsolved mystery of the equatorial oceans. These alternating zonal currents appear steady over time spans of years, but no postulated energy source has proven plausible, and elevated turbulent dissipation in the jets does not appear to erode them. Transfer of energy between the internal wave field and mean flow can occur through momentum-flux divergences, which could act to maintain the jets. Using a Garrett–Munk spectrum adjusted to the equator, the authors estimate the momentum-flux divergence from internal waves encountering critical layers in deep jets. The net momentum-flux divergences are sensitive to the rate at which wave–wave interactions replenish the internal wave spectrum depleted by critical-layer interactions with adjacent jets. Order-of-magnitude arguments indicate that even modest momentum-flux divergences could dramatically impact the mean flow.


Investment in artworks has been increasing since the 1980s. This is because investors may earn positive returns while enjoying the aesthetic value of the underlying asset. Art market research has progressively gathered the attention of the literature since information on auction transaction prices became publicly available. This book especially aims to shed light on the variables that may drive the return pattern of artworks belonging to a specific art movement or art period. For this purpose, I use a dataset composed of different art indexes. The final objective of this work is to provide a forecasting model able to predict which art index will have the highest return a year from estimation date. This work could be useful for institutional investors like funds of funds willing to take investment positions in the art market. The results provided by this analysis could also be used as an initial step in the building process of a portfolio including a wide range of asset classes. Private investors will be able to trade art indexes through financial instruments in the near future. Moreover, they will have a view on the drivers that could move the return of art movements.


[1] The mean synoptic situation associated with dust outbreaks from the Sahara into the central Mediterranean was examined on a daily basis for the month of July from 1979 to 1992. Composite patterns of wind, geopotential heights, and temperature for dusty days versus those for all days were analyzed. Dusty days were defined as days with the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer Aerosol Index (TOMS-AI) in the area around the Apennine peninsula (36°N–46°N, 10°E–18°E) equal to or greater than their monthly average plus 1 standard deviation. It was found that the strength and position of two essential features of the circulation patterns, such as the trough emanating southward from the Icelandic low and the eastern cell of the subtropical high, are the governing factors in making suitable flows for the Saharan dust transportation toward Italy. The deep, well-developed trough near the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa, penetrating well to the south, and the strong eastern cell of the subtropical high situated to the northeast from North Africa near the Mediterranean coast, cause strong south-southwestern flows with the potential to carry dust northward into the Mediterranean. In extreme cases the dust can reach Europe north of the Alps and even northern Europe, reaching the shores of the Baltic. These warm flows, accompanied by high dust load, also cause considerable warming in the central Mediterranean region of the order of 6–8 K at 700 hPa. Alternatively, the weak western trough and the weak eastern subtropical cell cause westerlies, which are inconsistent with the Mediterranean dust intrusions. Analysis of the extreme intrusion cases in July 1988, based on TOMS-AI data, and several others in July 2001–2003, based on lidar measurements in Rome, demonstrates the synoptic situation that allows the Saharan dust to reach Italy.


InN layers have been implanted with helium at 158 keV at various fluences to study the nature of the generated defects. The defects have been probed using positron annihilation spectroscopy. The first measurements showed that at least two different kinds of defects are created depending of the implantation fluence. The second measurements performed two years later gave different results suggesting that at least one of these defects is not stable at room temperature.


The NHS pension scheme is widely regarded by pensions experts as one of the best. It offers a more generous deal than other, private sector schemes for the equivalent contributions. However it is not yet open to nurses employed in general practice and there are a number of issues of which health visitors and school nurses working in the NHS should be aware.


Whether and how individuals link benefits they receive from the government to their voting behavior is a central question in political economy. We study this question using one of the largest social provision programs in the United States: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). We exploit the staggered roll-out of state-level EITC programs to estimate the causal effect of the program on elections, voter behavior, and attitudes about the government. Contrary to predictions from the policy feedback literature, we show that the credit leads to higher vote shares and approval ratings for the implementing governor. These effects are temporally limited to the first years of the credit's availability, and dissipate over time. Taken together, our results suggest that voters are responsive to the benefit.


Abstract Background Enoxaparin may be used to prevent central venous catheter-related thrombosis in patients with CHD. We aimed to determine whether current enoxaparin dosing regimens effectively achieve anti-factor Xa concentrations within prophylactic goal ranges in this patient population. Methods We implemented a formal protocol aimed at reducing central venous catheter-related thrombosis in children with CHD in January, 2016. Standard empiric prophylactic enoxaparin dosing regimens were used – for example, 0.75 mg/kg/dose every 12 hours for patients <2 months of age and 0.5 mg/kg/dose every 12 hours for patients ⩾2 months of age – with anti-factor Xa goal range of 0.25–0.49 IU/ml. Patients <2 years of age who received enoxaparin and had at least one valid steady-state anti-factor Xa measurement between 25 January, 2016 and 31 August, 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Results During the study period, 47 patients had 186 anti-factor Xa concentrations measured, of which 20 (11%) were above and 112 (60%) were below the prophylactic goal range. Anti-factor Xa concentrations within the goal range were ultimately achieved in 31 patients. Median dose required to achieve anti-factor Xa concentrations within the prophylactic range was 0.89 mg/kg/dose (25, 75%: 0.75, 1.11) for patients <2 months (n=23 patients) and 0.79 mg/kg/dose (25, 75%: 0.62, 1.11) for patients ⩾2 months (n=8 patients). Conclusions Enoxaparin doses required to achieve prophylactic anti-factor Xa concentrations in young children with CHD were consistently higher than the currently recommended prophylactic dosing regimens. Further study is needed to determine whether dose titration to achieve prophylactic anti-factor Xa concentrations is effective in preventing central venous catheter-related thrombosis.


A 5*5 monolithic InGaAs-InP multiple quantum well two-dimensional spatial light modulator is reported for the first time. Silicon oxynitride passivation was employed to produce array pixels on a 400 mu m pitch. Spatially uniform modulation of 3.28 dB (2.15:1 contrast ratio) with an inter-pixel standard deviation of only +or-0.10 dB was obtained from eight active pixels at 1585 nm.


This study evaluated sero-occurrence of toxoplasmosis in swine and ovine slaughtered in the municipality of Guarapuava in the state of Paraná. Blood samples from 117 swine and 157 ovine were collected. Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) was used to detect IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. Serum samples were considered positive at dilutions >or=1:64. Out of 117 swine blood sera, 10 (8.54%) were positive, while 11 out of 157 ovine samples (7.0%) showed a reaction to T. gondii antibodies. Our data showed a decrease in the occurrence of toxoplasmosis in swine and ovine. This is due to improved technologies used to raise swine, and better management used to raise ovine as well as the age of the animals evaluated.


Shofar aims to promote the exchange of ideas and information among teachers and scholars of Jewish Studies. We recognize that academic conferences related to Jewish Studies provide substantial and creative material that assist educators in their endeavor to incorporate the concepts and themes of Judaic scolarship into their classes. Periodically, Shofar will feature issues of substance, collegiality, and general interest that emerge from the annual meetings of the Midwest Jewish Studies Association and the Western Jewish Studies Association, as well as other conferences.


Background Current staffing levels and current care standards have been linked to negative clinical outcomes for Residents in living in Residential aged care. Low levels of confidence have impounded a Registered Nurses ability to meet many acute challenges found in this environment. The utilisation of Emergency Department transfers for acute ill residents is an increasing epidemic. This research project aimed to contemporise, adapt, implement and evaluate a set of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and a Nurse Practitioner Role in Residential Aged Care adapted with permission from Waitemata District Health Board New Zealand [1, 2]. The purpose of the CPGs was to empower clinical staff in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), to recognise early clinical deterioration, provide safe evidence based care to residents, and prevent unnecessary transfers of residents to an acute hospital emergency departments.Methods Action research was chosen for this research because it was not only cyclic/participative in nature, but it provided a progressive evaluation of the CPGs implementation and the current context as it related to past, progressive, and post implementation nurse decision making practices. A total of 4 Focus groups with an average of eight respondents were recruited to this study (Total participants, 16 RNs and 16 PCWs).Results Focus group data showed unequivocal evidence of increased confidence among staff in implementing the care guidelines, communicating with fellow professionals, and assessing incidents. The CPGs and NP intervention was successful in engaging staff and developing their confidence with assessment of acute resident issues. Additional longitudinal research is required to better understand the influences of these interventions on ED presentations.Conclusions Research needs to better explore the direct correlation between PCW knowledge, skills, and training, and a failure to rescue residents experiencing an adverse event. This should also encompass more research scrutiny on the impact of poor communication practices between PCWs and the RN. The role NPs play in reducing ED utilisation needs greater long term evaluation to better ascertain clinical care and economic benefits.


OBJECTIVE
Dupilumab (Dupixent®) is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits IL-4 and IL-13 signaling used for the treatment of allergic diseases. Whilst biologic therapy is traditionally regarded as immunosuppressive and capable to increase the infectious risk, Dupilumab does not display these characteristics and may be even protective in certain cases. We investigated the link between Dupilumab therapy and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We carried out a comprehensive data mining and disproportionality analysis of the WHO global pharmacovigilance database. One asymptomatic COVID-19 case, 106 cases of symptomatic COVID-19, and 2 cases of severe COVID-19 pneumonia were found.

RESULTS
Dupilumab treated patients were at higher risk of COVID-19 (with an IC0.25 of 3.05), even though infections were less severe (IC0.25 of -1.71). The risk of developing COVID-19 was significant both among males and females (with an IC0.25 of 0.24 and 0.58, respectively). The risk of developing COVID-19 was significant in the age-group of 45-64 years (with an IC0.25 of 0.17).

CONCLUSIONS
Dupilumab use seems to reduce COVID-19 related severity. Further studies are needed to better understand the immunological mechanisms and clinical implications of these findings. Remarkably, the heterogenous nature of the reports and the database structure did not allow to establish a cause-effect link, but only an epidemiologically decreased risk in the patients subset treated with dupilumab.


Operation in ASDEX Upgrade and JET with different divertor geometries is compared with emphasis upon energy and particle exhaust and the impact of the divertor on core plasma performance. Closing the divertor increases the ratio of the neutral flux density in the divertor to that in the main chamber and facilitates improved pumping. The influence of closure on H-mode performance turns out to be weak, the main chamber physics dominates. The electron density/neutral hydrogen flux in the scrape-off layer is found to be a key parameter for particle and energy confinement as well as for the radiative losses. The density in the outer scrape-off layer is related to main chamber recycling, while the separatrix density is primarily affected by divertor geometry. Reduced target plate power load due to an increased divertor radiation level is obtained in ASDEX Upgrade Div II. The radiated power fraction in JET is systematically lower, which is partly explained by the lower edge densities. Core plasma Zeff and carbon concentrations are similar in both machines and do not depend on divertor geometry.


Project Exile Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act of 2003- Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to direct the Attorney General to provide firearms sentencing incentive grants to eligible States that: (1) demonstrate that they have implemented laws requiring that any person who uses or carries a firearm in any violent crime or serious drug trafficking crime be sentenced to not less than five years in prison (without the possibility of parole) in addition to the punishment provided for such crime, or requiring that any person who possesses a firearm, having at least one prior conviction for a violent crime, be sentenced to five years' imprisonment (without the possibility of parole); or (2) can demonstrate that they have in effect an equivalent Federal prosecution agreement; and (3) demonstrate that they have or will implement a public awareness and community support program that seeks to build support for, and warns potential violators of, such firearms sentencing laws; and (4) provide assurances that they will coordinate with Federal prosecutors and Federal law enforcement agencies and will allocate resources to reduce crime in high-crime areas.Sets forth allowable uses for such grants, including to: (1) support law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, probation officers, correctional officers, the juvenile justice system, the improvement of criminal history records, or case management programs involving the sharing of information about serious offenders; (2) carry out such a public awareness and community support program; and (3) build or expand correctional facilities.