While much research indicates that organizational processes are learned from experiences, surprisingly little is known about what is actually learned. Using a novel method to measure explicit learning, we track the learned content of six technology-based ventures from three diverse countries as they internationalize. The emergent theoretical framework indicates that firms learn heuristics. These heuristics have a common structure centered on opportunity capture and are learned in a specific developmental order. This results in a deliberately small, yet increasingly strategic, portfolio of heuristics. Broadly, we contribute to the psychological foundations of strategy by highlighting the rationality of heuristics as strategy, capability creation as the cognitive transition from novice to expert heuristics, and simplification cycling as a critical dynamic capability for sustaining competitive advantage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A wide variety of stainless steel is used in concentrated solar plants (CSP) in different elements (pipelines, storage tanks, etc.) and these are in contact with molten salts, which are used as thermal energy transfer fluids (THF). In this paper, corrosion of stainless steel AISI 316L in molten salt NaNO3 - NaNO2 - KNO3 has been investigated at temperatures of 450 ° C, 500 ° C and 550 ° C, for an exposure period of 150 hours. The salt mixture is sprayed by spray onto the surface of 316L stainless steel, which has been preheated to 170 ° C. To obtain a thin layer of salt on the samples, these are carried to the furnace in the presence of an oxidizing atmosphere at high temperature for 1, 3, 10, 30, 100 and 150 hours. The results of mass gain and characterization by SEM-EDS and XRD of the surfaces showing the formation of a passive film, composed mainly of hematite Fe2O3. The thickening of the oxide film is according to a parabolic law, whose speed depends on the temperature of the melt.


NASA Glenn Research Center has been using an inhouse designed X25 based multi-source solar simulator since 2003. The simulator is set up for triple junction solar cells prior to measurements by adjusting the three sources to produce the correct short circuit current, Isc, in each of three AM0 calibrated sub-cells. The past practice has been to adjust one source on one sub-cell at a time, iterating until all the sub-cells have the calibrated Isc. The new approach is to create a matrix of measured Isc for small source changes on each sub-cell. A matrix, A, is produced. This is normalized to unit changes in the sources so that A×Δs= Δisc. This matrix can now be inverted and used with the known Isc differences from the AM0 calibrated values to indicate changes in the source settings, Δs = A-1×Δisc This approach is still an iterative one, but all sources are changed during each iteration step. It typically takes four to six steps to converge on the calibrated Isc values. Even though the source lamps may degrade over time, the initial matrix evaluation is not performed each time, since measurement matrix needs to be only approximate. Because an iterative approach is used the method will still continue to be valid. This method may become more important as state-of-the-art solar cell junction responses overlap the sources of the simulator. Also, as the number of cell junctions and sources increase, this method should remain applicable.


Background Sensory deprivation induces dramatic morphological and neurochemical changes in the olfactory bulb (OB) that are largely restricted to glomerular and granule layer interneurons. Mitral cells, pyramidal-like neurons, are resistant to sensory-deprivation-induced changes and are associated with the precursor to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF); here, we investigate its unknown function in the adult mouse OB. Principal Findings As determined using brain-slice electrophysiology in a whole-cell configuration, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not proBDNF, increased mitral cell excitability. BDNF increased mitral cell action potential firing frequency and decreased interspike interval in response to current injection. In a separate set of experiments, intranasal delivery of neurotrophic factors to awake, adult mice was performed to induce sustained interneuron neurochemical changes. ProBDNF, but not BDNF, increased activated-caspase 3 and reduced tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in OB glomerular interneurons. In a parallel set of experiments, short-term sensory deprivation produced by unilateral naris occlusion generated an identical phenotype. Conclusions Our results indicate that only mature BDNF increases mitral cell excitability whereas proBDNF remains ineffective. Our demonstration that proBDNF activates an apoptotic marker in vivo is the first for any proneurotrophin and establishes a role for proBDNF in a model of neuronal plasticity.


Content availability has become increasingly important for the Internet video delivery chain. To deliver videos with an outstanding availability and meet the increasing user expectations, content delivery networks (CDNs) must enforce strict QoS metrics, like bitrate and latency, through SLA contracts. Adaptive content replication has been seen as a promising way to achieve this goal. However, it remains unclear how to avoid waste of resources when strict SLA contracts must be enforced. In this work, we introduce Hermes, an adaptive replication scheme based on accurate predictions about the popularity of Internet videos. Simulations using popularity growth curves from YouTube traces suggest that our approach meets user expectations efficiently. Compared to a non-collaborative caching, Hermes reduces storage usage for replication by two orders of magnitude, and under heavy load conditions, it increases the average bitrate provision by roughly 90%. Moreover, it prevents SLA violations through an application-level deadline-aware mechanism.


Data mining is the system of finding hidden patterns in huge set of data which involves methods at the combination of machine learning, statistics and database systems and finds the link between the different patterns. Association rule mining is the important techniques to attain the objective of data mining. It is popular methods for discovering uncover, unidentified relationships between different sets in massive databases. These results provide the basis for forecasting and innovative decision making in various fields. To discover these rules frequent item sets have to be find out. These are the building blocks. It plays an fundamental role in many data mining areas to discover various interesting patterns. It is a trendy and more tedious task. This paper describe a new algorithm for extracting frequent itemsets using damped window model .


The relevance of research: The relevance of the study due to the need to pay special attention to the active development, emotional well-being and positive mental states of each child in the educational space and insufficient knowledge of psychological mechanisms, effective scientific and methodological developments optimization of mental states in a cross-cultural educational environment preschool organization. Purpose of the study: The purpose of the article is to develop a training system to optimize the mental states in preschool children 6-7 years old with speech pathology in a cross-cultural educational environment of preschool organization and its testing. Methods research: The leading method is a pedagogical experiment, which allowed to identify the effectiveness of folk tales in the optimization of mental states in preschool children 6-7 years old with speech pathology. Results of the study: The article deals with the structure, stages, content, basic techniques of training the system to optimize the mental states in preschool children with speech pathology, built on the material folk fairy tales. The efficiency of the work, consisting of three interconnected stages: cognitive-emotional; verbal and artistic samples; stage entry into the problematic situation in the face of uncertainty, solutions «open creativity» preschoolers tasks while increasing the voice activity. Statistically significant shown that the developed training system is effective and can be used in the practice of educational organizations to work with preschool children. Practical significance: Article Submissions are of practical value for the professional work of teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, speech therapists for psychological well-being in a group of preschool organization, optimization of mental states of pre-school children 6-7 years with speech pathology.


Abstract Hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder. The precise localization of causal parathyroid gland is crucial to guide surgical treatment. Several studies report the added value of 18F-fluorocholine (FCH) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) as second line imaging but rely on suboptimal first-line imaging using 99mTc-sestaMIBI dual phase scintigraphy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the percentage of successful parathyroid localization with FCH PET/CT after failure of a more sensitive first-line detection protocol associating neck ultrasonography and 99mTc-Pertechnetate/99mTc-sestaMIBI dual tracer subtraction scintigraphy. We included retrospectively 47 patients who underwent a FCH PET/CT as second line imaging for biologically proven primary hyperparathyroidism from November 2016 to October 2018 in Godinot Institute (Reims, France). 99mTc-Pertechnetate/99mTc-sestaMIBI dual tracer subtraction scintigraphy and neck ultrasonography were used as first-line imaging and failed to localize the causal parathyroid lesion in all cases. FCH PET/CT demonstrated at least 1 parathyroid target lesion in 29 patients (62%). 21/29 patients underwent surgery. Target lesions corresponded histologically to hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands for all 21 patients and surgery was followed by hyperparathyroidism biological resolution. Calcium serum levels were associated to FCH PET/CT positivity (P = .002) and a trend toward significance was seen for Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels (P = .09). FCH PET/CT is a promising tool in second-line parathyroid imaging. Large prospective studies and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to precise its role.


P300-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are often trained per-user and per-application space. Training such models requires ground truth knowledge of target and nontarget stimulus categories during model training, which imparts bias into the model. Additionally, not all non-targets are created equal; some may contain visual features that resemble targets or may otherwise be visually salient. Current research has indicated that non-target distractors may elicit attenuated P300 responses based on the perceptual similarity of these distractors to the target category. To minimize this bias, and enable a more nuanced analysis, we use a generalized BCI approach that is fit to neither user nor task. We do not seek to improve the overall accuracy of the BCI with our generalized approach; we instead demonstrate the utility of our approach for identifying targetrelated image features. When combined with other intelligent agents, such as computer vision systems, the performance of the generalized model equals that of the user-specific models, without any user specific data.


In 2009, the remnants of Her Majesty's Queensland Ship Mosquito, a 2nd‐class torpedo‐boat built in 1883, were relocated. Purchased by the colonial government of Australia in response to heightened tensions between Great Britain and Imperial Russia, Mosquito was assigned to Queensland's capital, Brisbane, where it had a largely uneventful career. Following removal from active duty it was stripped and abandoned on the foreshore of a tributary of the Brisbane River. This paper discusses Mosquito's historical background, and chronicles the rediscovery of the vessel, and the archaeological investigation and identification of its remains. © 2010 The Author


Secure multiparty computations allow independent parties to collectively analyze data without compromising their input's privacy. This data secrecy is guaranteed in some security model: in the passive model an adversary can only look at data visible to it, while in the active model adversaries can actively interfere in the computations. So from a security standpoint the active model is preferable, but carries a significant overhead. This thesis proposes an intermediate model, which builds upon a system that is secure in the passive model, but audits the computations for active attacks. It carries the same guarantees provided by the passive model, while attempting to detect active attacks without being explicitly secure against them. To facilitate auditing, systems produce audit logs, which can be examined to detect active malicious behaviour. Audit logging was added to Sharemind, an existing secure multiparty computation platform that operates in the passive model, and a prototype audit tool was created to make inspecting the logs during the auditing process accessible to human auditors with only basic knowledge of secure multiparty computations. To test the viability of this model, an Internet voting demo application was created using this modified Sharemind and possible attacks against this application were analyzed from an auditability standpoint. The analysis unveiled that since the Sharemind audit logging implementation evaluates protocols without context, it is possible to automatically verify individual protocols and detect computational forgery, but the adversary can perform semantic forgery. The audit logs do not contain the semantics of the computation and this can be abused to modify inputs to protocols, effectively modifying the results. The need to include semantic information about the computation in the audit became apparent and is set as a goal for future work.


This paper empirically explores the impact of online social networks on information asymmetry, based on an international survey conducted in January - August 2021, with 930 respondents. The methodology follows cross-sectional multivariate regressions augmented by a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The findings show that young people living in their origin country are more prone to check the veracity of information read, especially those who are Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) activists. Europeans are very sensitive regarding the veracity of posted information. The number of spoken languages facilitating both processes. Additionally, the information asymmetry is attenuated when the users spend more hours on online social networks or use more platforms. The core result is very interesting, showing that the posted information without serious filters during the reading stage is a serious source of asymmetry. Not least, the owner and government restrictions nonlinearly affect information asymmetry by inverted U-shape. This reinforces the idea that none of those characteristics can be absolutized to improve information asymmetry.


Fire is one of the important natural disturbances to forest ecosystem, giving strong impact on the ecosystem carbon dynamics. By using CENTURY model, this paper simulated the responses of the carbon budget of Larix gmelinii forest in Huzhong area of Daxing' an Mountains to different intensities of fire. The results indicated that after the fires happened, the soil total carbon pool of the forest had a slight increase in the first few years and then recovered gradually, while the stand biomass carbon pool increased after an initial decrease, with the recovery rate of carbon pool of the stand fine components being faster than that of the coarse components. The fluctuation of the carbon pools increased with the increase of fire intensity. After the fires, both the net primary productivity (NPP) of forest vegetation and the soil heterotrophic respiration increased after an initial decrease, but the recovery rate of the NPP was faster than that of soil heterotrophic respiration, resulting in the alternation of the stand functioned as a carbon source or sink. After light fire, the forest still functioned as a weak carbon sink, and quickly recovered as a carbon sink to the level before the fire happened. After other intensities fire, the forest functioned as a carbon source within 9-12 years, and then turned back to a carbon sink again. It was suggested that lower intensity forest fire could promote the regeneration of L. gmelinii forest, reduce the combustibles, and have no strong impact on the stand carbon budget, while higher intensity forest fire would lead to the serious loss of soil- and tree carbon sequestration, retard the recovery of the forest, and thereby, the forest would be a carbon source in a longer term.


Background: Early-initiation of breastfeeding is putting the newborns to the breast within the first hour of life. It is the first critical time they contact their mother outside of the womb. The current study aimed to assess the early initiation of breastfeeding in the study setting. Objectives: To assess the level of early initiation of breastfeeding and its associated factors among mothers who had a baby of less than the age of 24 months in Jeju Woreda, Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2019. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study conducted involving 487 mothers from September 18 to October 09, 2019. A multistage sampling technique was employed. First, the setting stratification done in urban and rural settings. Second, ten kebeles selected from both strata. The study participants identified by systematic random sampling technique using kebele log-books registration list as a scheme. The collected data were entered into Epi Info version 188.8.131.52 and exported to SPSS version 18.104.22.168 to analyze. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression used to determine relations between independent factors and early initiation of breastfeeding. Nine variables became eligible for multivariate analysis at a p - value less than 0.05 in bivariate. The final analyses done the significance of association decided using AOR with its 95% CI, and p - value at less than 0.05. Results: A 97% response rate achieved in this study. The prevalence of early breastfeeding initiation was 74.5%. In multivariate analysis variables namely, mothers whose age category was 35 years and above (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI: (1.07, 5.11)), Pre-lacteal feeding (AOR = 0.37 95% CI (0.17, 0.79)), postpartum advice (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI (1.01, 2.95)) had a significant association. Conclusion and recommendations: The prevalence of early breastfeeding initiation was (74.5%). The finding was low compared to the world health organization recommendation. A working towards discouraging pre-lacteal feeding and strengthening postnatal advice and focusing on ways to better reach young mothers were the recommendations to bring the prevalence in the study area to the recommended level.


As the importance of efforts to reduce carbon emission from buildings is increasing throughout the world, the plans for carbon reduction during the life cycle of a building are being considered from various angles. Carbon emission, accordingly, is also on the increase by the housing sector. Efforts to minimize carbon emission through consideration to overall energy consumption of a building and reasonable environmental impact evaluation are required. This study, based on evaluation between a modular and a RC apartment housing, has analyzed the emission of carbon. The analysis was carried out on the reduced amount of carbon emission and the subsequent environmental impact according to energy saving from the stages of materials production, construction, operation, disposal and recycling for each housing. This study aims at proposing the expected benefits of material and energy saving in buildings and the plans to reduce carbon emission from green buildings market.


Mobility, access to transport and healthcare play a crucial part in healthy ageing. However, these often posechallenges for older adults in the global South. This study applies the three concepts of 'motility' (access, competence and appropriation), to explore transport inequalities and barriers to access healthcare services for older adults in Bengaluru, India. The paper draws on interviews with sixty adults, aged 50 years and over, residing in urban Bengaluru. A semi-structured in-depth interview guide was employed to explore the transport inequalities. Applying thematic analysis, we present the mobility and transport barriers to access healthcare. Restricted access to healthcare services due to unavailable and unaffordable transportation resulted in missed appointments, delayed care and deterioration of health conditions. To cope with the barriers, older adults often visited less specialised clinics for regular check-ups and those with financial constraints resorted to self-medication. These actions further deteriorated health and led to adverse health outcomes. Our findings suggest that integrated health and transport policies must be designed to ensure equitable access to transportation services. Enabling older adults to have more independent lives and improve access to preventive healthcare is essential for better health outcomes.


In this article, we consider two recently proposed semiparametric estimators for distribution-free binary response models under a conditional median restriction. We show that these estimators can be implemented in Stata by using the nl command through simple modifications to the nonlinear least-squares probit criterion function. We then introduce dfbr, a new Stata command that implements these estimators, and provide several examples of its usage. Although it is straightforward to carry out the estimation with nl, the dfbr implementation uses Mata for improved performance and robustness.


An assessment is made of the importance of vortex shedding which occurs from UV lamps on the efficacy of disinfection in UV channels. The focus is on the high Reynolds-number regime where turbulent flow conditions prevail and where there exists a strong interaction between the periodic mean-flow unsteadiness and the random turbulent motions. Simulations are performed of the flow around four circular lamps with axes perpendicular to the flow and which are arranged in a diamond configuration. Turbulence closure is achieved using a modified version of the k − ɛ model which takes into account the modification of the turbulence energy spectrum due to vortex shedding. The disinfection efficiency is estimated using a Lagrangian approach in which the trajectories of massless particles are tracked to estimate their residence time and the dose received. The modified turbulence model shows that the occurrence of vortex shedding produces wide variation in the particles trajectories and, consequently, in the UV dose received. These and other results strongly suggest that the effects of vortex shedding on disinfection are very important and thus must be accounted for if the uncertainties inherent in the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the design of UV treatment channels are to be reduced.


This paper discusses the application of a genetic algorithm to control system design for boiler-turbine plant. In particular we study the ability of the genetic algorithm to develop a proportional-integral (PI) controller and a state feedback controller for a nonlinear multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) plant model. The plant model is presented along with a discussion of the inherent difficulties in such controller development. A sketch of the genetic algorithm (GA) is presented and its strategy as a method of control system design is discussed. Results are presented for two different control systems that have been designed with the genetic algorithm.


Similarity metrics such as representational similarity analysis (RSA) and centered kernel alignment (CKA) have been used to compare layer-wise representations between neural networks. However, these metrics are confounded by the population structure of data items in the input space, leading to spuriously high similarity for even completely random neural networks and inconsistent domain relations in transfer learning. We introduce a simple and generally applicable fix to adjust for the confounder with covariate adjustment regression, which retains the intuitive invariance properties of the original similarity measures. We show that deconfounding the similarity metrics increases the resolution of detecting semantically similar neural networks. Moreover, in real-world applications, deconfounding improves the consistency of representation similarities with domain similarities in transfer learning, and increases correlation with out-of-distribution accuracy.


A more compact 980-nm laser module with low power consumption has been developed as a pumping source for optical amplifiers in metropolitan networks. To cope with miniaturization and low power consumption, a coolerless structure has been newly employed. To ensure high-temperature operation we have adopted a new diode chip structure and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) parameters. The resulting device has one-fourth the package size and one-third the power consumption of the conventional butterfly type. Wavelength stability is achieved over the entire operating temperature range.


The valence-band and conduction-band densities of states (DOSS) of trigonal Te have been investigated using ultraviolet photoemission and inverse-photoemission spectroscopy. We find structures at -0.8, -1.7, -3.6, -4.6, -10.6 and -12.8 eV, and at 1.4, 2.1, 2.7, 4.7, 6.1 and 9.5 eV with respect to the valence-band maximum. Relative energy positions of structures within the valence bands and those within the conduction bands are in good agreement with those in the calculated DOSS on the basis of the empirical pseudopotential theory. Separation between the theoretical valence-band and conduction-band DOSS is, however, narrower by about 1 eV than the experimental results. The Te 4d core-yield spectrum shows intense and sharp doublets at the 4d core-absorption threshold. These structures are assigned to the spin-orbit doublets of the Te 4d core excitons with a comparatively long lifetime and a fairly localized nature.


Abstract The paper presents current distribution of Orobanche lutea Baumg. in Poland based on a critical revision of herbarium and literature data as well as results of field investigations conducted between 1999-2014. Majority of localities are centred around the Silesia-Cracow, Małopolska and Lublin-Lviv Uplands. The greatest density of sites with probably the most abundant populations in Europe is in the central part of Silesia-Cracow Upland, which, by several hundred years, was heavily exploited for calamine mining (rich in zinc, lead and silver). This resulted in the formation of large areas of gangue containing toxic heavy metals. Since limestone, dolomite, marl and postglacial calcareous clay and sands occur there in most places, the soil is often strongly calcareous. Populations of O. lutea contain here many thousands of shoots. The distribution of the species in Poland is mapped. The taxonomy, biology, ecology and threats are also discussed.


ABSTRACTWe propose an adaptive spectrum-broadening method (ASBM) to improve the resolution of nonstationary seismic data. This method assumes that a seismic trace can be split into segments, each of which can be considered as approximately stationary. We construct a set of specific windows, called molecular-Gabor (MG) windows, by solving an optimization problem, such that the seismic trace in each of the MG windows is stationary. A time-frequency (t-f) transform, called MG transform, can be obtained from a MG frame constructed using the MG windows. For a seismic trace, we first transform it into the t-f domain, then spectrum-broadening and/or amplitude compensation are performed in each of the MG windows. Subsequently, a high-resolution version of the nonstationary seismic trace will be obtained after the inverse MG transform. Applications of this method to synthetic and field data show that the ASBM works well for a general earth Q-model that varies with traveltime. It can restore the attenuated energy a...


Background: Health-care systems across the globe have been overwhelmed by coronavirus disease-19 (COVID 19). It has affected non-COVID patient management as well. While service, hospital-oriented data on effect of the pandemic on urological diseases have been published, there is scarce data on patient-centered issues in urology, particularly from India. Hence, we planned this study to determine the impact of COVID on management of urological cases. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective observational single-center study conducted at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, from April 2020 to November 2020. Consecutive non-COVID adult patients presenting to the indoor, outdoor, and telemedicine services of the urology department of our institute were included. Patients who were moribund, having altered sensorium, severe cardiorespiratory illness, unable to understand and respond, and those unwilling to participate were excluded from the study. A questionnaire-based data were collected. The same interviewer explained the questionnaire to patients in their own language (English/Hindi/Bhojpuri) either in person or telephonically and recorded the findings. Results: Two hundred consecutive patients were screened. One hundred and fifty were included in the study. Mean age of patients was 50 ± 3.2 years. One hundred and five patients were male. Thirty-eight patients had comorbid conditions. One hundred and thirty-seven patients reported delay to consult an urologist since development of the first urological symptom. The average delay was 68 ± 20 days. Thirty-two patients suffered COVID-19 disease during the urological illness. One hundred and twelve were advised for urology consultation after the first evaluation at a local health-care center. The reasons cited for delay by these patients (n = 112) were lock-down and reduced/unavailable public transport (n = 20) and fear of contacting corona infection (n = 10), both (n = 56), suffered COVID-19 (n = 18), and others (n = 8). The distance of patients' residence from the hospital was median 50 km, with interquartile range of 5–254 km. One hundred and three patients received definitive treatment and 47 were still undergoing delays due to various reasons. Sixty-two patients were advised surgery. 25 of these 62 were found to have complications due to delay. Conclusion: Delay in all aspects of management of urological illness, including consultation, work up, and definitive treatment was observed. Of all who were advised surgery, about 40% were found to have complications due to delay in surgery.


An Internet-based survey was administered to understand whether there were differences in perception among Georgia and Mississippi registered foresters with regard to environmental factors leading to forest damage during strong wind events. The perception among both groups was that recent management activity, forest density, and recent weather activity are the most important factors for pine plantations and natural pine forests. These factors, and soil conditions, were perceived important for upland and bottomland hardwood forests. Significant differences in perception among the two groups were found, particularly with regard to the proximity of forests to openings or wetlands, which may be reflective of different experiences dealing with the consequences of severe storms, or reflective of differences in topography, tree species, or soil conditions between the states. Our study indicates that the level of importance the registered foresters place on factors leading to forest damage may differ from results of site-specific research studies.


The paper examines the rhetorical use and function of a provocative "rebel" persona in argumentative texts, collected from the youth column in Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten and the national speech contest for high school students, Ta ordet! , seeking to influence the audience's attitudes towards green lifestyles. Approaching "the rebel" as a persona construction and a rhetorical appeal, I explore how young people engage with and participate in environmental debates and how their rhetorical intervention invites the audience to experience and perform environmental citizenship


Increasing reports of vancomycin resistance have raised concerns about the future effectiveness of this drug in treatment of critically ill patients with gram‐positive infections. Due to these concerns the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published criteria that delineate the prudent use of vancomycin. Using these criteria, we attempted to determine the appropriateness of vancomycin prescribing patterns at our institution. A retrospective chart review was performed for 135 hospitalized patients treated between May 1993 and April 1994. Inappropriate empiric vancomycin use was documented in 81 (60%) of these patients. When culture results were available, 28 (21%) patients inappropriately received the drug. Results of this study are similar to those of other studies of vancomycin use in hospitals based on non‐CDC criteria. If CDC criteria are to have a positive impact on physicians' vancomycin prescribing patterns, significant educational efforts will be required.


An improved zero voltage and zero current switching (ZVZCS) full-bridge (FB) PWM DC-DC converter is proposed. The new converter overcomes drawbacks such as voltage ringing and voltage overshoot in conventional ZVZCS converter. An auxiliary circuit consists of auxiliary switcher, clamping capacitor, diode rectifier and energy recovery transformer. The auxiliary circuit alleviates the voltage ringing and voltage overshoot in secondary side of transformer and recovers the energy absorbed by clamping capacitor to the power supply in primary side. Because the auxiliary circuit is shunt to main circuit, the energy loss is very small so high efficiency of the converter is achieved. Synchronizing rectifier is used in secondary side of transformer so this converter is very attractive to low voltage, high current application. The operation, analysis, and design consideration are illustrated and verified on a 1 kW 100 kHz IGBT based experimental circuit.


Abstract Postoperative patients have risk recurring, even for completed resected early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To control the recurrence rate, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies have been applied widely in clinical practice; however, neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy clinical trials on NSCLC are still being explored. In this review, we summarized the research progress and outline the issues need to be solved on adjuvant and neoadjuvant immunotherapies in NSCLC.


Low molecular weight nuclear RNAs (LMWN RNAs) isolated by thermal phenol fractionation from malignant tumor of the stomach and the mucous membrane of patients with gastric ulcer have been studied. There were found some differences in the relative content of U1 and U2 nucleoplasmic fractions as well as of loosely bound to a nucleolus U3 fraction of LMWN RNAs. The changes observed resemble those obtained earlier for experimental animal tumors.


We study an asynchronous online learning setting with a network of agents. At each time step, some of the agents are activated, requested to make a prediction, and pay the corresponding loss. The loss function is then revealed to these agents and also to their neighbors in the network. Our results characterize how much knowing the network structure affects the regret as a function of the model of agent activations. When activations are stochastic, the optimal regret (up to constant factors) is shown to be of order $\sqrt{\alpha T}$, where $T$ is the horizon and $\alpha$ is the independence number of the network. We prove that the upper bound is achieved even when agents have no information about the network structure. When activations are adversarial the situation changes dramatically: if agents ignore the network structure, a $\Omega(T)$ lower bound on the regret can be proven, showing that learning is impossible. However, when agents can choose to ignore some of their neighbors based on the knowledge of the network structure, we prove a $O(\sqrt{\overline{\chi} T})$ sublinear regret bound, where $\overline{\chi} \ge \alpha$ is the clique-covering number of the network.


Abstract A firm wishes to inform a community of individuals about its product. Information travels within the community because of the social interactions between individuals. We establish that social interactions appear in a firm's payoff as a network multiplier, which is increasing both in the mean and in the variance of the distribution of connections. We then show that the degree distribution of a neighbor first order dominates the degree distribution of a node; so a firm must pick the neighbor of a node rather than a node itself as the target of communication. The advantages of employing an indirect communication strategy are greater in more dispersed networks.


Children allergic to eggs can safely receive a single dose of measles-mumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine, a study in the May 11 New England Journal of Medicine concluded. Fifty-four previously unvaccinated children, with an average age of 18.5 months and a history of egg allergy were studied. Twenty-eight children were confirmed egg-allergic based on skin or food-challenge testing. Twenty-six children had a history of anaphylaxis after eating eggs. All were injected with a single subcutaneous MMR vaccine dose. Although three children of 17 given MMR vaccine skin tests had a positive reaction, not a single child of the 54 studied had an immediate or delayed adverse reaction to vaccine injection.


INTRODUCTION: The validity of tethered-swimming to assess swimmer endurance capacity was analyzed in the present research.OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the mechanical power at maximal lactate steady state (PTethMLSS) with its respective parameter in free swimming (velocity at MLSS, vMLSS) and with others indices of aerobic evaluation and endurance performance in free crawl swimming.METHODS: Ten male swimmers (16.6 ± 1.4 years old) were submitted to the following measurements: (a) CPTeth (estimated from non-linear asymptote for load and time-limited plotting, CriticalLoad), (b) PTethMLSS and vMLSS (3 or 4 trials ranging from 95 to 105% of CriticalLoad and 85 to 95% of 400-m crawl performance, respectively), (c) an incremental protocol (79-100% of v400m, with step increments of 3%) to assess velocity at inflexion point (vIP) and, (d) swimming performance of 400 (v400m), 800 (v800m) and 1500 (v1500m) meters. Pearson and variance coefficients were used to analyze the relationships between aerobic parameters and performance indexes. Bland-Altman test was used to analyze the agreement between blood lactate values. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05 for all analysis.RESULTS: Values of PTethMLSS (89.2 ± 15.1 W) presented similar potential to explain the variance of performance in v400m (1.29 ± 0.11 m.s-1, R2 = 0.700), v800m (1.23 ± 0.12 m.s-1, R2 = 0.770) and v1500m (1.21 ± 0.12 m.s-1, R2 = 0.698), as well as vMLSS (1.17 ± 0.11 m.s-1) and vIP (1.19 ± 0.11 m.s-1). Blood lactate levels at PTethMLSS, vMLSS and vIP were not different and were distributed within the concordance limits.CONCLUSION: We concluded that MFEL in tethered-swimming is a valid and promising protocol for aerobic evaluation of swimmers.


This particular article describes and applies one type of analysis borrowed from regional economics and regional planning to look at macro to micro patterns in criminal activity. The technique is called Location Quotients and is used to analyse the relative mix of crimes across areas. Location Quotients are shown to have their strongest potential in microanalysis of crime patterns. As an initial test of the technique's relativistic analytic value. Location Quotients for motor vehicle theft were calculated for several levels within a Canadian cone of resolution that descends from the provincial level to the individual level in the municipality of Burnaby, British Columbia.


Indirect evidence is accumulating for an association between antibiotic use, especially in early childhood, and long-term immunologic health. The authors evaluated the association between antibiotic use in childhood and subsequent development of type 1 diabetes. A nationwide cohort study of all Danish singleton children born during 1995-2003 (n = 606,420) was conducted. Incidence rate ratios for type 1 diabetes comparing children according to antibiotic use were estimated. Antibiotic use was classified according to class, number of uses, and age at use. Use of any antibiotic was not associated with type 1 diabetes (rate ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.91, 1.50). Evaluation of type 1 diabetes risk according to number of courses of any antibiotic yielded no association between antibiotic use and type 1 diabetes, with an increase in rate ratio per course of 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 0.97, 1.07). No specific class of antibiotics was associated with type 1 diabetes, no specific age of use was associated with type 1 diabetes, and no specific age at onset of type 1 diabetes was associated with antibiotics. In a large nationwide prospective study, no association between antibiotic use and type 1 diabetes was found among Danish children.


In this paper, we numerically investigate the development of generalized synchronization (GS) on typical complex networks, such as scale-free networks, small-world networks, random networks, and modular networks. By adopting the auxiliary-system approach to networks, we observe that GS generally takes place in oscillator networks with both heterogeneous and homogeneous degree distributions, regardless of whether the coupled chaotic oscillators are identical or nonidentical. We show that several factors, such as the network topology, the local dynamics, and the specific coupling strategies, can affect the development of GS on complex networks.


Abstract: Chemoreflex activation with potassium cyanide (i.v.) produces pressor and bradycardic responses in awake rats. Microinjection of AP‐5, a selective NMDA receptor antagonist, into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) produced a dose‐dependent blockade of the bradycardic response; while microinjection of DNQX, a selective non‐NMDA receptor antagonist, or kynurenic acid, a nonselective ionotropic receptor antagonist, produced only a partial reduction in the pressor response, indicating that the bradycardic component of the chemoreflex is mediated by NMDA receptors and that the sympathoexcitatory component may involve neurotransmitters other than excitatory amino acids. With respect to the baroreflex, we verified that the gain of baroreflex bradycardia in response to phenyleprine (Phe) infusion was significantly reduced in a dose‐dependent manner by microinjection of AP‐5 into the NTS, indicating that the parasympathetic component of the baroreflex is mediated mainly by NMDA receptors. However, in a series of experiments involving the electrical stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) we observed that the maximal bradycardic response was almost blocked by the combination of microinjection of NMDA and non‐NMDA receptor antagonists into the NTS, while the depressor response was only partially reduced. These data indicate that the bradycardic response produced by the activation of the baroreflex with Phe is mediated by mechanisms differing from those in response to the electrical stimulation of the ADN because phenylephrine also activates carotid and aortic baroreceptors, while unilateral electrical stimulation of the ADN involves only one specific set of baroreceptor afferents. These data also indicate that the sympatho inhibitory component of this response may involve neurotransmitters other than l‐glutamate. We discuss the possibility that two different afferent systems of arterial baroreceptors are involved in the modulation of parasympathoexcitation and sympathoinhibition: one activated within the normal range of pulsatile arterial pressure (on a pulse‐to‐pulse basis) and the other acting under circumstances of challenge to the pulsatile arterial pressure above the normal range.


This presentation defines the various components of a risk assessment and explains the role of the risk assessment in the risk management process. The rationale component, the investigative component, the safety component, and the containment component are discussed. Components are based on an industrial hygiene approach (anticipation, recognition, evaluation, control) to evaluate hazards in the workplace. An effective, risk assessment process is an essential tool to maintain the management of risk. This presentation creates a management tool for the assumption of risk for PIs, safety professionals, process managers, and personnel with oversight in pharmaceutical, healthcare, and other industrial processes.


An approach to the handling of time in query languages of historical database management systems is outlined. The approach is based on extending Boolean and comparison operators by allowing their operands to be sets of time intervals. The proposed temporal logic is shown to satisfy the properties of the normal Boolean logic. A relational-calculus query language using the extended logic is proposed. A new syntax for retrieval statements is defined in order to separate the process of selecting entities (tuples) and the process of selecting required values of temporal attributes from the chosen entities. The extension presented in this paper offer a good degree of flexibility in expressing different temporal requirements.<<ETX>>


An Orlando based ministry called Zion's Hope seeks to shape Christian identity in a twoprong approach. The first prong is the creation of an American Christian pilgrimage site. During a trip to this theme park cum pilgrimage center, visitors are exposed to two central aspects of a desired Christian identity ‐ a love of Christ and a love for Israel. The second phase or prong of this identity construction effort is a magazine that reinforces the first two points and adds anti-Arab, anti-Islam sentiments. This paper explores these efforts and their role in promoting the "clash of civilizations."


Summary

The results of two seismic profiles in the north-western United States indicate a crustal thickness in the northern Rocky Mountains (British Columbia and the Idaho-Montana border) of about 37 km. Rapidly diminishing amplitudes of the basement arrivals were interpreted as being the result of the velocity decreasing with depth. A strong second arrival phase was interpreted as arising from a velocity gradient at the top of the intermediate crustal layer. At a distance of 700 km a sharp drop in the amplitude of the first arrival phase was observed which may be the result of the penetration of the rays into a low velocity zone beginning at a depth of about 44 km.


A quantitative analysis of relative stabilities in organic crystal structures is possible by means of reliable calculations of interaction energies between pairs of molecules. Such calculations have been performed by the PIXEL method for 1108 non-ionic and 98 ionic organic crystals, yielding total energies and separate Coulombic polarization and dispersive contributions. A classification of molecule-molecule interactions emerges based on pair energy and its first derivative, the interaction force, which is estimated here explicitly along an approximate stretching path. When molecular separation is not at the minimum-energy value, as frequently happens, forces may be attractive or repulsive. This information provides a fine structural fingerprint and may be relevant to the mechanical properties of materials. The calculations show that the first coordination shell includes destabilizing contacts in approximately 9% of crystal structures for compounds with highly polar chemical groups (e.g. CN, NO(2), SO(2)). Calculations also show many pair contacts with weakly stabilizing (neutral) energies; such fine modulation is presumably what makes crystal structure prediction so difficult. Ionic organic salts or zwitterions, including small peptides, show a Madelung-mode pairing of opposite ions where the total lattice energy is stabilized from sums of strongly repulsive and strongly attractive interactions. No obvious relationships between atom-atom distances and interaction energies emerge, so analyses of crystal packing in terms of geometrical parameters alone should be conducted with due care.


Purpose – This paper seeks to use systemic thinking for the purpose of criticizing neoclassical utility theory.Design/methodology/approach – First, the systemic‐theoretical ontology, epistemology and methodology are presented. Then the basis for the utility theory, and later spin‐offs, the decision theory and game theory, for which among others Jon Elster is a main agent, are criticized.Findings – The psychological hypothesis, on which the utility theory is based, is rejected as untrue.Originality/value – The fact that a theory can be explained in simple mathematical terms may make it popular, but this will hardly make it more scientific, despite its display of numerous mathematical terms. This paper's contribution has been to provide a critique of this concept.


Sunflower oil was subjected to a flow of compressed air containing ozone for different time periods. The addition of a-D-Glucose was used to increase the aldehyde content by reduction of the intermediate ozonides of the ozonation reaction. These new oils were analyzed by FTIR and GC-MS spectrometry, and their relative aldehyde groups content measured by the Henick method. They were then mixed with an aqueous solution of Radiata Pine tannin to form resins, subsequently analyzed by C-13 NMR and MALDITOF mass spectrometry. Wood particleboards were then made using some of these resins as the adhesive, and their internal bond (IB) strength measured.


Niger is one of the piloted countries being targeted under the gates-funded Livestock Data Innovation in Africa Project (LDIAP). This project supports the identification of priority livestock indicators and underlining data and the institutionalization of this data into national frameworks of agricultural statistics. The ultimate objective is to foster pro-poor investment and policy formulation in the livestock sector. To-date, on-going project activities in Niger are limited to the enhancement of livestock questions in the current household survey being implemented by the government in collaboration with the World Bank. On August 9th, 2012 the Ministry of Livestock convened an initial meeting on livestock data which regrouped about 10 livestock representatives. Participants included staff from the Ministry of Livestock, the Institute National de la Statistique (INS), and two representatives from the LDIAP as well as an international consultant undertaken the Enquete Nationale sur les Conditions de Vie des Menages Agricoles (ENCVMA) analysis. The technical meeting aimed to: present the LDIAP to stakeholders; review the activities of the two livestock data studies which are to be undertaken in Niger; review concerns about livestock data collection, analysis, and dissemination. In this context, the report presents an introduction to the project and review of livestock indicators; l'elevage et les conditions de vie des menages au Niger: household data analysis; discussions; priority livestock indicators; and annex of participants.


The authors, founders of the Plain English Campaign, evaluated and redesigned social security forms and leaflets. They describe how the design of one particular document was developed through several stages of criticism and testing, and demonstrate that document design involves balancing the needs of users with the requirements of administrators.


Chlorotic ringspots or chlorotic leaf specking, terminal bud necrosis, axillary shoot proliferation and severe stunting of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) were shown to be caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV).

All 28 species of plants tested were susceptible to the virus. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata cv. C-152) was found to be a good assay host. TSWV remained infective in buffered sap of groundnut at a dilution of 10-2.5, after storage for 4 h at room temperature (30 oC) and for 10 min at 40 but not 45 oC.

The haemagglutination test was adapted to detect TSWV in crude extracts of groundnut. Sap from infected groundnut and tomato contained spherical membrane-bound virus particles 70 to 90 nm diameter. The virus was transmitted by thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis).

The prevalence of TSWV in India and the high incidence in groundnut indicates that the virus is economically important


 The existence of an Internet network, external to man, made up by the interconnected digital memories, has completely changed the processes and mechanisms of production and transmission of knowledge, research, and learning, and it has been more and more affecting knowledge communication languages. By now, the Internet has evolved into a global platform, ever richer of contents, and it is actually becoming the main infrastructure for knowledge exchange among people. Creating an infrastructure for the higher education of the 21st century involves adding to the university physical buildings as a technological infrastructure: The Internet, which is an interactive and collective communication place, is based, as its peculiar richness, on the direct involvement of its users in the creation of contents, as well as in their exploitation. Of course, as communication models are based on theoretical applications constructed to use different forms of language (such as the language of information, entertainment, cinema, theatre, printing, radio, television, Internet, etc., as well as to develop learning processes), they must also be used as theoretical models useful to construct methodologies and languages suitable to teach and learn through the technologies. Research work on this issue is constantly evolving along with technological evolution. Moreover, the technological platform of the International Telematic University (UNINETTUNO) includes both virtual laboratories, created to carry out research activity, and computer-based networks with other research laboratories in several countries of the world. This presentation will illustrate the research activities whose results allowed to design and realize the didactic cyberspace of the UNINETTUNO, which is based on a systemic approach and on a new psycho-pedagogic


Five informal complexes with isochronous boundaries have been distinguished in the Carboniferous succession of the Lublin Basin. A description of their internal architecture and discussion of stratigraphical aspects of their boundaries are presented. Isochroneity of boundaries has been proved biostratigraphically and it results from the eustatic control on deposition of marine bands in the paralic succession. On the basis of different biostratigraphical zonations the distinguished boundaries are related to the international chronostratigraphical correlation levels, and then to the geochronological radiometric scales, mainly to the Ar/Ar scheme. In the analyzed interval of the Carboniferous (late Visean-Westphalian C) it is comparable with other, mostly U/Pb radiometric scales. Durations of the defined complexes are nearly equal (4-5 m. y.).


ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with vaccination against hepatitis B among healthcare workers. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study on 1,808 public-sector healthcare workers in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil, in 2009. A self-administered questionnaire was used and the vaccination situation was analyzed taking sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and working conditions and characteristics into consideration. Univariate (p < 0.20) and multiple (p < 0.05) statistical analyses were performed using Poisson regression to evaluate factors associated with vaccination. RESULTS: Of the workers, 85.6% declared that they had been vaccinated, although only 74.9% of the vaccinated professionals had received a complete imunization schedule. Not having been vaccinated was associated with not having a partner; having high school, technical or incomplete higher education level; work characteristics such as working in surveillance or the administrative/general services sector; and not using personal protection equipment.


Recent advances in mammalian cell culture processes have significantly increased product titers, but have also resulted in substantial increases in cell density and cellular debris as well as process and product related impurities. As such, with improvements in titer, corresponding improvements in downstream processing are essential. In this study we have developed an alternative antibody harvest process that incorporates flocculation using a novel stimulus responsive polymer, benzylated poly(allylamine), followed by depth filtration. As tested on multiple antibodies, this process demonstrates high process yield, improved clearance of cells and cell debris, and efficient reduction of aggregates, host cell proteins (HCP) and DNA. A wide operating window was established for this novel flocculation process through design of experiments condition screening and optimization. Residual levels of impurities in the Protein A eluate were achieved that potentially meet requirements of drug substance and thus alleviate the burden for further impurities removal in subsequent chromatography steps. In addition, efficient clearance of residual polymer was demonstrated using a fluorescence tagged polymer in the presence of a stimulus reagent. The mechanism of HCP and aggregates removal during flocculation was also explored. This novel and efficient process can be easily integrated into current mAb purification platforms, and may overcome downstream processing challenges. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013;110: 2928–2937. © 2013 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


We ask whether fund managers use private information about forthcoming macroeconomic announcements in their asset allocation decisions and whether those that more aggressively use this information outperform those that do not. We present the first evidence that fund managers possess and actively use private information about forthcoming macroeconomic announcements. Specifically, the net asset values (NAVs) of hybrid funds respond strongly to the surprises in macroeconomic announcements and there is a distinct asymmetry in the response to positive and negative surprises. More important, the average fund manager engages in significant reallocation across asset classes in the two days before and (partly) reverses his trades in the two days after a large number of announcements. Further, managers that hold a greater proportion of their funds in stocks and make greater efforts to time the stock market using private information about the macroeconomic announcements earn over 400 basis points higher return per year. The opposite holds for those that hold more cash. Finally, funds that more aggressively attempt to time the market using private information tend to have higher turnover and expense ratios, which are related to a greater marginal product.


We consider the family of graphs whose vertex set is $\mathbb{Z}^k$ where two vertices are connected by an edge when their $\ell_\infty$-distance is 1.  We prove the optimal vertex isoperimetric inequality for this family of graphs.  That is, given a positive integer $n$, we find a set $A\subset \mathbb{Z}^k$ of size $n$ such that the number of vertices who share an edge with some vertex in $A$ is minimized.  These sets of minimal boundary  are nested, and the proof uses the technique of compression. We also show a method of calculating the vertex boundary for certain subsets in  this family of graphs.  This calculation and the isoperimetric inequality allow us to indirectly find the sets which minimize the function calculating the boundary.


Set packing is a fundamental problem that generalises some well-known combinatorial optimization problems and knows a lot of applications. It is equivalent to hypergraph matching and it is strongly related to the maximum independent set problem. In this thesis we study the k-set packing problem where given a universe U and a collection C of subsets over U, each of cardinality k, one needs to find the maximum collection of mutually disjoint subsets. Local search techniques have proved to be successful in the search for approximation algorithms, both for the unweighted and the weighted version of the problem where every subset in C is associated with a weight and the objective is to maximise the sum of the weights. We make a survey of these approaches and give some background and intuition behind them. In particular, we simplify the algebraic proof of the main lemma for the currently best weighted approximation algorithm of Berman ([Ber00]) into a proof that reveals more intuition on what is really happening behind the math. The main result is a new bound of k/3 + 1 + epsilon on the integrality gap for a polynomially sized LP relaxation for k-set packing by Chan and Lau ([CL10]) and the natural SDP relaxation [NOTE: see page iii]. We provide detailed proofs of lemmas needed to prove this new bound and treat some background on related topics like semidefinite programming and the Lovasz Theta function. Finally we have an extended discussion in which we suggest some possibilities for future research. We discuss how the current results from the weighted approximation algorithms and the LP and SDP relaxations might be improved, the strong relation between set packing and the independent set problem and the difference between the weighted and the unweighted version of the problem.


Hardware implementations of cryptographic systems are becoming common, due to new market needs and to reduced costs. However, the security of a system may be seriously compromised by implementation attacks, such as side channel analysis or fault analysis. Thus, a large number of solutions have been proposed to counteract these threats. In this paper, we present most common architectural countermeasures against natural or malicious fault injections, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, and giving a few nontrivial considerations.


Magnetic yolk-shell MSP@ZrO2 microspheres consisting of a movable magnetic supraparticle (MSP) core and a crystalline ZrO2 shell were synthesized via a two-step controlled "sol-gel" approach for the first time. First, a large amount of the generated hydrolyzate Zr(OH)4 was firmly fixed onto the surface of the cross-linked polymethylacrylic acid matrix via a strong hydrogen-bonding interaction between Zr(OH)4 and the carboxyl groups. Then a calcination process was adopted to convert the Zr(OH)4 into a continuous ZrO2 shell and simultaneously make the ZrO2 shell crystallized. At the same time, the polymer matrix could be selectively removed to form a yolk-shell structure, which has better dispersibility and higher adsorbing efficiency of phosphopeptides than its solid counterpart. The formation mechanism of such yolk-shell microspheres could be reasonably proved by the results of TEM, TGA, VSM, XRD, and FT-IR characterization. By taking advantage of the unique properties, the yolk-shell MSP@ZrO2 exhibited high specificity and great capability in selective enrichment of phosphopeptides, and a total of 33 unique phosphopeptides mapped to 33 different phosphoproteins had been identified from 1 mL of human saliva. This result clearly demonstrated that the yolk-shell MSP@ZrO2 has great performance in purifying and identifying the low-abundant phosphopeptides from real complex biological samples. Moreover, the synthetic method can be used to produce hybrid yolk-shell MSP@ZrO2-TiO2.


Exposure to environmental risk factors are common events in pregnant women and it can affect several health outcomes adverse in the offspring. Many observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analysis have documented the aforementioned association. This narrative review highlights the results of previous studies about different types of adverse health outcomes during infancy, childhood, adolescent and adults that are related to maternal exposure to leading environmental risk factors e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption, infection and air pollution. Also, the review outlines the potential biological plausibility of the association. Hope this review will help to highlights the bivariate association between maternal health during pregnancy and child health as well as further researches to ascertain the potential mechanisms.


Abstract Although the traditional recurrent neural network (RNN) model can cover the time information of the whole sentence theoretically, the gradient is dominated by the short-term gradient, and the long-term gradient is very small, which makes it difficult for the model to learn the long-distance information, and thus the effect of RNN on long text sentence recognition is poor. The long short-term memory network (LSTM) introduces the gate mechanism, especially the forgetting gate, which improves the disappearance of the gradient of RNN. Therefore, LSTM can store long text information and remove or increase the ability of information interaction by adding gate structure, which has natural advantages for long text processing. Based on the word vector matrix of GloVe model, on the open-source comment sentiment140 data set, we use the TensorFlow framework to construct the LSTM neural network and divide the data into the training set and test set based on the ratio of 4:1, design and implement the sentiment analysis published by Twitter users based on LSTM model, and then propose the bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) sentiment analysis method. The experimental results show that the accuracy of bidirectional LSTM is higher than that of unidirectional LSTM in sentiment analysis.


Supercritical carbon dioxide injection in tight reservoirs is an efficient and prominent enhanced gas recovery method, as it can be more mobilized in low-permeable reservoirs due to its molecular size. This paper aimed to perform a set of laboratory experiments to evaluate the impacts of permeability and water saturation on enhanced gas recovery, carbon dioxide storage capacity, and carbon dioxide content during supercritical carbon dioxide injection. It is observed that supercritical carbon dioxide provides a higher gas recovery increase after the gas depletion drive mechanism is carried out in low permeable core samples. This corresponds to the feasible mobilization of the supercritical carbon dioxide phase through smaller pores. The maximum gas recovery increase for core samples with 0.1 mD is about 22.5%, while gas recovery increase has lower values with the increase in permeability. It is about 19.8%, 15.3%, 12.1%, and 10.9% for core samples with 0.22, 0.36, 0.54, and 0.78 mD permeability, respectively. Moreover, higher water saturations would be a crucial factor in the gas recovery enhancement, especially in the final pore volume injection, as it can increase the supercritical carbon dioxide dissolving in water, leading to more displacement efficiency. The minimum carbon dioxide storage for 0.1 mD core samples is about 50%, while it is about 38% for tight core samples with the permeability of 0.78 mD. By decreasing water saturation from 0.65 to 0.15, less volume of supercritical carbon dioxide is involved in water, and therefore, carbon dioxide storage capacity increases. This is indicative of a proper gas displacement front in lower water saturation and higher gas recovery factor. The findings of this study can help for a better understanding of the gas production mechanism and crucial parameters that affect gas recovery from tight reservoirs.


The cross section for stimulated emission for a pulsed four-level laser is deduced from the known gain of a laser rod at the threshold of oscillation and from the inverted population at threshold which is obtained from the output at a fixed amount above threshold. The theory takes account of finite pump pulse length and the various forms of resonator loss. The residual absorption of the glass does not need to be known, so that comparison of several samples is easy. Values found are 1·22 × 10−20 cm2 for Schott LG 55, 2·35 × 10−20 cm2 for Kodak Nd11 and 1·3 × 10−20 cm2 for Chance-Pilkington LN6 with a relative accuracy of 3% and an absolute accuracy of 7%. Values for the fluorescence efficiency of the upper laser level are deduced and the implications for laser efficiency discussed. Evidence of slow cross relaxation across the fluorescence line is found in Chance-Pilkington LN6.


Purpose - – With its rapid economic expansion and its growing environmental and social issues, China has introduced explicit corporate social responsibility (CSR) regulations since 2006 as part of its social harmony policy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the CSR disclosure practices of the historically unaccountable mining firms in China's current regulatory context. Design/methodology/approach - – The sample covers all 60 listed mining firms on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges between 2007 and 2012, totalling 360 firm-year observations. The authors adopt the "Chinese CSR Report Preparation Guide" as the benchmark for content analysis. To strengthen the analysis, the authors apply binary logistic regression with the determinants of state government, social responsibility index, and cross-listing overseas status. Findings - – The authors discover that mining firms rapidly adopt CSR disclosure in response to the regulatory pressures from the state government and the stock exchanges to maintain legitimacy and survival prospects. However, the quality of CSR disclosures becomes a new concern. Research limitations/implications - – The most environmentally and socially sensitive mining sector can provide good samples of firm CSR practice in the second largest economy. Although mandatory requirements may result in the firms' passive compliance, strict regulation is still the key to the changes in corporate accountability and transparency. China may need to strengthen its CSR regulation for its sustainable growth in the coming Asian Era. Practical implications - – In the institutional context of China, the imposition of strict regulation seems to be the key to improving CSR practice. However, the mandatory requirements may also result in passive compliance without effective change in corporate accountability and transparency. The sustainable development of the mining sector and advocacy of CSR behaviour require cooperation at national, social and corporate levels. Originality/value - – This study contributes to the evolving CSR literature about China and the literature from an industry perspective where governance and regulation are highly influential. The methodology may also enrich future research in the area with a fairly long sample period.


This article explains what elder abuse is. It details difficulties in definitions, terminology and the challenges which community nurses face when addressing elder abuse. Guidelines are given which enable clarity regarding elder abuse in the home and the discussion highlights issues specific to elder abuse in the home. This article also includes a review of the role of the community nurse in primary prevention as well as secondary and tertiary care.


Since 2005, NOAA has conducted the annual Intensity Forecasting Experiment (IFEX), led by scientists from the Hurricane Research Division at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic andMeteorological Laboratory. They partner with NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center, who maintain and operate the WP-3D and G-IV Hurricane Hunter aircraft, and NCEP's National Hurricane Center and Environmental Modeling Center, who task airborne missions to gather data used by forecasters for analysis and forecasting and for ingest into operational numerical weather prediction models. The goal of IFEX is to improve tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts using an integrated approach of analyzing observations from aircraft, initializing and evaluating forecast models with those observations, and developing new airborne instrumentation and observing strategies targeted at filling observing gaps and maximizing the data's impact in model forecasts. This summary article not only highlights recent IFEX contributions towards improved TC understanding and prediction, but also reflects more broadly on the accomplishments of the program during the 16 years of its existence. It describes how IFEX addresses high-priority forecast challenges, summarizes recent collaborations, describes advancements in observing systems monitoring structure and intensity, as well as in assimilation of aircraft data into operational models, and emphasizes key advances in understanding of TC processes, particularly those that lead to rapid intensification. The article concludes by laying the foundation for the "next generation" of IFEX as it broadens its scope to all TC hazards, particularly rainfall, storm-surge inundation, and tornadoes, that have gained notoriety during the last few years after several devastating landfalling TCs.


This paper presents a product development process modeling and analysis technique using advanced simulation. The model computes the probability distribution of lead time in a resource -constrained project network where iterations take place among sequential, parallel and overlapped tasks. The model uses the design structure matrix representation to capture the information flows between tasks. In each simulation run, the expected durations of tasks are init ially sampled using the Latin Hypercube Sampling method and decrease over time as the model simulates the progress of dynamic stochastic processes. It is assumed that the rework of a task occurs for the following reasons: (1) new information is obtained from overlapped tasks after starting to work with preliminary inputs, (2) inputs change when other tasks are reworked, and (3) outputs fail to meet established criteria. The model can be used for better project planning and control by identifying leverage points for process improvements and evaluating alternative planning and execution strategies. A n industr ial example is used to illustrate the utility of the model.


The influence of the shape of a sample on the type of uniform dipole collective electrons oscillations is discussed. In samples of a bulk shape uniform bulk dipole oscillation (Langmuir oscillation) cannot exist. It exists in samples of a thin slab shape only. As uniform bulk dipole oscillations cannot penetrate ellipsoidal samples of conductive material they exist in the surface layer of a sample only (Mie oscillations). Frequencies of Mie oscillations are calculated for a sample of the shape of an arbitrary ellipsoid.


The Bayesian theorem on convergence to the truth states that a rational inquirer believes with certainty that her degrees of belief capture the truth about a large swath of hypotheses with increasing evidence. This result has been criticized as showcasing a problematic kind of epistemic immodesty when applied to infinite hypotheses that can never be approximated by finite evidence. The central point at issue—that certain hypotheses may forever be beyond the reach of a finite investigation no matter how large one's reservoir of evidence—cannot be captured adequately within standard probability theory. As an alternative, I propose a nonstandard probabilistic framework that, by using arbitrarily small and large numbers, makes room for the type of fine-grained conceptual distinctions appropriate for a deeper analysis of convergence to the truth. This framework allows for the right kind of modesty about attaining truth in the limit.


A fracture test program performed on orthotropic graphite-epoxy laminates is reported. The test data are used to evaluate the effects of specimen size and specimen configuration on the measured value of laminate fracture strength. It is shown that apparent fracture strength is independent of specimen configuration and specimen thickness, but varies significantly with respect to crack length. As crack length increases, however, the apparent fracture strength is found to asymptotically approach a limiting value, taken to be the valid laminate fracture toughness. The test data are also used to evaluate two analytical models for predicting laminate fracture toughness. The first model links basic ply properties and the fracture toughness of angle-ply laminates, while the second model relates the fracture toughness of an arbitrary orthotropic laminate to the fracture properties of its angle-ply components. Both models show good agreement with the test data. It is concluded that linear elastic fracture mechanics does provide a meaningful characterization of crack growth in orthotropic composite laminates, if some specified conditions are met. Study of cases which do not meet these conditions is recommended for future work.


Covid-19 pandemia killed many older age people in Italy. Based on Italian Sanitary System, most of the deads have
many chronical diseases. It can be a correlation between chronic diseases and preventive care. In fact preventive care
is indispensable to reduce future sanitary spent in Italy, especially based on aging forecasts. So, sanitary decisions
must be directed in preventive care, for future generations.


India has a large network of industries located in different parts of the country and many more are planned for the near future. Several million metric tons industrial effluents are produced in these establishments. Disposal of different effluents produced from different industries pose land contamination in nearby locality. Land contamination causes modification of index and engineering properties of soils. Modification of soil properties from industrial wastes causes foundation failures, structural damage in light industrial buildings on soil contaminated by various industrial effluents have been reported. Hence safe disposal of wastes becomes a challenging task for geotechnical engineers in general and environmental engineers in particular. On the other hand in many situations, soils in its natural state do not present adequate geotechnical properties to be used as foundation layers and road service layers. These soils cause many problems in structures that come into their contact or constructed out of them. In order to suit their geotechnical parameters to meet the requirements of technical specifications of construction industry, studying soil stabilization is more emphasized. Earlier investigations reported that some industrial effluents improve the soil properties and they can be used as soil stabilisers. Hence Soil industrial effluent interaction causes improvement in soil properties or degradation of soil properties. Hence, in this paper the effect of certain industrial effluents on the strength characteristics of an expansive soil has been presented. The effect of pore fluid content on Undrained shear strength is studied separately on treated soil. In order to compare the results of treated soil, tests are also carried out on untreated soil.


The carboxyl group of an aspartic acid in the active site of the serine-specific protein kinase, cAMP-dependent protein kinase, is poised near the hydroxyl proton of a peptide substrate in the X-ray crystallographic structure (Madhusudan et al., 1994), suggesting that this residue may act as a general-base catalyst in the phosphoryl transfer reaction. Indeed, several proposals have been made in this regard. We measured the pre-steady-state kinetics in this enzyme using a rapid quench flow technique to understand the role of this putative base. The phosphorylation of the peptide substrate, GRTGRRNSI, by cAMP-dependent protein kinase exhibited "burst" kinetics consistent with a mechanism in which the peptide is phosphorylated rapidly (154 s(-1)) and the product(s) is (are) released slowly (16 s(-1)). The replacement of Mg2+ with Mn2+ leads to a 13-fold reduction in this observed "burst" rate constant, suggesting that this transient is limited either by the phosphoryl transfer step or by a metal ion-dependent conformational change step. The influence of deuterium oxide on the pre-steady-state kinetics was monitored in the presence of both divalent metal ions, and no solvent isotope effect was measured on either "burst" phase. A large solvent isotope effect is observed on k(cat) in the presence of either metal ion, and a proton inventory analysis in the presence of Mg2+ indicates that two or more protons are transferred in the product release step. Finally, no pH dependence is observed on the "burst" rate constant using either Mg2+ or Mn2+ over the pH range of 6-9. The combined data do not support a mechanism involving a general-base catalyst whose pK(a) is greater than 5 or less than 10 if the "burst" phase is cleanly limited by the phosphoryl transfer step. If the "burst" phase is limited by a metal ion-dependent conformational change step, the measurement of the phosphoryl transfer step is obscured, and the participation of a base catalyst is indeterminate.


Large-scale numerical computation is applied to fluid-based plasma modeling of edge localized modes (ELMs). The modes are magnetohydrodynamic-like instabilities that nonlinearly release bursts of particles and energy across the flow-induced transport barrier that lies near the separatrix of closed and open magnetic flux in tokamaks. Some of the first nonlinear computations of ELMs to model the separate drifts of ions and electrons, which linearly stabilize the highest wavenumber modes and avoid a nonlinear 'ultraviolet catastrophe' without the use of ad hoc dissipation, are presented. The two-fluid system supports high-frequency dispersive modes that are not present in magnetohydrodynamics, and a new implicit leapfrog algorithm has been implemented to run these computations. We briefly describe the algorithm and computational requirements, in addition to physical results on nonlinear structure formation.


Depressive disorder has been known to co-exist with OCD since a very long time. Studies reported that presence of mood state (disorder) in patients having primary OCD could pose challenges in management. Literature favours use of cognitive behaviour therapy in managing symptoms severity in OCD. Present study attempts to look its role on co-morbid depressive disorder as well as on primary obsessive compulsive symptoms. Pre and post intervention with a control group design were made to conduct this study involving 20 OCD patients, which were equally divided in two groups. One group was given cognitive intervention sessions for 10 weeks. Pre and post intervention assessment was done using YBOCS and BDI and results were compared. Obtained data indicates that there is noticeable decrease in composite YBOCS and BDI scores at post intervention stage, in the group which has been given cognitive intervention as compared to the control group. Finding reveals that cognitive intervention has a role in improving the co-morbid depressive features along with remission of primary obsessive compulsive symptoms in OCD patients.


Abstract Twenty European Eimeria spp. field isolates were subjected to an anticoccidial sensitivity test (AST). The anticoccidial drugs tested were diclazuril (Clinacox®) and monensin (Elancoban®). The assay was performed in a battery cage trial. Infected medicated birds were compared with an unmedicated control group. Coccidial lesion scores and oocyst shedding were used as parameters. The results of the AST show that resistance is common amongst coccidiosis field isolates, especially Eimeria acervulina (68% and 53% resistance for diclazuril and monensin, respectively). Resistance is less frequent amongst Eimeria maxima (38% and 50% resistance for diclazuril and monensin, respectively) and Eimeria tenella isolates (23% and 38% resistance for diclazuril and monensin, respectively). A highly significant influence of the coccidiosis prevention program (live coccidiosis vaccination with Paracox™-5 vs. anticoccidial drugs in feed) on the sensitivity patterns of Eimeria spp. field isolates for both diclazuril (P = 0.000) and monensin (P = 0.001) was found. Further, when looking at the single species and each anticoccidial drug level, significantly more sensitivity of E. acervulina for monensin (P = 0.018), E. maxima for diclazuril (P = 0.009), and E. tenella for diclazuril (P = 0.007) was found in isolates originating from vaccinated flocks. Moreover, for E. acervulina and diclazuril, E. maxima and monensin, and E. tenella and monensin a trend toward higher sensitivity of isolates for these products was found when live coccidiosis vaccination was applied. The present study shows that sensitivity for the anticoccidial drugs diclazuril and monensin is more frequent in Eimeria spp. field isolates originating from broiler farms where a coccidiosis vaccination policy is followed.


Author(s): Guha, Abhinav | Advisor(s): Goldstein, Allen H | Abstract: Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two major greenhouse gases that contribute significantly to the increase in anthropogenic radiative-forcing causing perturbations to the earth's climate system. In a watershed moment in the state's history of environmental leadership and commitment, California, in 2006, opted for sharp reductions in their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adopted a long-term approach to address climate change that includes regulation of emissions from individual emitters and source categories. There are large CH4 and N2O emissions sources in the state, predominantly in the agricultural and waste management sector. While these two gases account for l 10% of total annual greenhouse gas emissions of the state, large uncertainties exist in their `bottom-up' accounting in the state GHG inventory. Additionally, an increasing number of `top-down' studies based on ambient observations point towards underestimation of their emissions in the inventory. Three intensive field observation campaigns that were spatially and temporally diverse took place between 2010 and 2013 in the Central Valley of California where the largest known sources of CH4 and N2O (e.g. agricultural systems and dairies) and potentially significant CH4 sources (e.g. oil and gas extraction) are located. The CalNex (California Nexus - Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change) field campaign during summer 2010 (May 15 - June 30) took place in the urban core of Bakersfield in the southern San Joaquin Valley, a city whose economy is built around agriculture and the oil and gas industry. During summer of 2011, airborne measurements were performed over a large spatial domain, all across and around the Central Valley as part of the CABERNET (California Airborne BVOC Emission Research in Natural Ecosystem Transects) study. Next, a one-year continuous field campaign (WGC 2012-13, June 2012 - August 2013) was conducted at the Walnut Grove tall tower near the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in the Central Valley. Through analysis of these field measurements, this dissertation presents the apportionment of observed CH4 and N2O concentration enhancements into major source categories along with direct emissions estimates from airborne observations. We perform high-precision measurements of greenhouse gases using gas analyzers based on absorption spectroscopy, and other source marker volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using state of the art VOC measurement systems (e.g. proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry). We combine these measurements with a statistical source apportionment technique called positive matrix factorization (PMF) to evaluate and investigate the major local sources of CH4 and N2O during CalNex and Walnut Grove campaigns. In the CABERNET study, we combine measurements with an airborne approach to a well-established micrometeorological technique (eddy-covariance method) to derive CH4 fluxes over different source regions in the Central Valley. In the CalNex experiments, we demonstrate that dairy and livestock remains the largest source sector of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in the San Joaquin Valley contributing most of the CH4 and much of the measured N2O at Bakersfield. Agriculture is observed to provide another major source of N2O, while vehicle emissions are found to be an insignificant source of N2O, contrary to the current statewide greenhouse gas inventory which includes vehicles as a major source. Our PMF source apportionment also produces an evaporative/fugitive factor but its relative lack of CH4 contributions points to removal processes from vented emissions in the surrounding OaG industry and the overwhelming dominance of the dairy CH4 source. In the CABERNET experiments, we report enhancements of CH4 from a number of sources spread across the spatial domain of the Central Valley that improves our understanding of their distribution and relative strengths. We observe large enhancements of CH4 mixing ratios over the dairy and feedlot intensive regions of Central Valley corresponding with significant flux estimates that are larger than CH4 emission rates reported in the greenhouse gas inventory. We find evidence of significant CH4 emissions from fugitive and/or vented sources and cogeneration plants in the oil and gas fields of Kern County, all of which are minor to insignificant CH4 sources in the current greenhouse gas inventory. The CABERNET campaign represents the first successful implementation of airborne eddy covariance technique for CH4 flux measurements. At Walnut Grove, we demonstrate the seasonal and temporal dependence of CH4 and N2O sources in the Central Valley. Applying PMF analysis on seasonal GHG-VOC data sets, we again identify dairies and livestock as the dominant source of CH4. A clear temporal dependence of emissions originating from a wetlands / Delta CH4 source is observed while CH4 contributions are also observed from a source originating from upwind urban and natural gas extraction activities. The agricultural soil management source of N2O has a seasonal dependence coincident with the agricultural growing season (and hence, fertilizer use) accounting for a majority of the N2O enhancements during spring and summers but being reduced to a negligible source during late fall and winters when manure management N2O emissions from dairy and livestock dominate the relative distribution. N2O is absent from the `urban' source, in contrast to the significant contribution to the statewide N2O inventory from vehicle emissions. The application of greenhouse gas source apportionment using VOC tracers as identification tools at two independent sites in the Central Valley over vastly different temporal resolutions provide significant insights into the regional distribution of major CH4 sources. Direct airborne eddy covariance measurements provide a unique opportunity to constrain CH4 emissions in the Central Valley over regional spatial scales that are not directly observable by ground-based methods. Airborne observations provide identification of `hotspots' and under-inventoried CH4 sources, while airborne eddy covariance enables quantification of emissions from those area sources that are largely composed of arbitrarily located minor point sources (e.g. dairies and oil fields). The top-down analysis provides confirmation of the dominance of dairy and livestock source for methane emissions in California. Minor but significant contributions to methane emissions are observed from oil and gas extraction, rice cultivation and wetlands; the estimates for these sectors being either negligible (e.g. wetlands) or highly uncertain (e.g. oil and gas extraction) in the statewide inventories and probably underestimated as a proportion of the total inventory. The top-down analysis also confirms agricultural soil management and dairy and livestock as the two principal sources of N2O consistent with the inventory, but shows that N2O contributions attributed to the transportation sector are overestimated in the statewide inventory. These new top down constraints should be used to correct these errors in the current bottom-up inventory, which is a critical step for future assessments of the efficacy of emission reduction regulations. Particularly, measurement techniques like vehicle dynamometer emission calculations (for transportation sources), source-specific short range ground-based inverse dispersion (for dairy and livestock sources), airborne eddy covariance and airborne mass balance approach based emissions estimation (over oil and gas fields) and ground based eddy-covariance (for wetlands and agriculture sector) can be used effectively to generate direct emissions estimates for methane and nitrous oxide that help update and improve the accuracy of the state inventory.


The modern world is custodian of "wealth" that are not quantifiable or exchangeable only as an accumulation of things, but that are based on internal and external relationships between man and the urban landscape. If we consider the associations between individuals, different communities, human beings and their environment as the true mechanism of the world, we can understand how important it is to build bridges not only to connect sites, but also to bring together people, cultures, nations and generations, as the motto "bridging cultures and sharing hearts" claims. In this way, how can a small bridge be the "maker" of the transformation a place's transformation? What might be the reasons for a project, its meanings and the consequences of the choices? What can the effects be of a new project in an urban landscape, not only from the perceptual but also from the social and economic point of view? What can the relationship be linking together the internal quality of the work with the external one? The paper will explore and try to give some answers to these questions, through the analysis of the possible meanings of a place and the possible transformations that a small-medium bridge can generate in the context.


OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of the study was to describe current possibilities of proper diagnosis of vulvovaginal infections.

DESIGN
Review article.

SETTINGS
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Medical Faculty, Charles University and the General Teaching Hospital, Prague, Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Clinical microbiology and antibiotic center, First Medical Faculty, Charles University and General Teaching Hospital in Prague.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Presentation of literature review information and our practical skills in diagnosing vulvovaginal infections.

CONCLUSIONS
Vulvovaginal infections are a common problem which we encounter in daily gynaecological practice. Most women with those conditions need only basic investigation and treatment. However, in order to offer the appropriate care for those women it is necessary to understand the basic pathophysiology of vulvovaginal disorders. A fundamental step is to make the correct diagnosis. All too often our decisions are influenced by clinical dogmas which are even found repeatedly in gynaecological textbooks. Microscopic examination represents the gold standard in the diagnosis of vulvovaginal infections.


The generally accepted theory governing the effect of fluid content on seismic velocities is due to Biot and Gassmann, with further refinements proposed more recently. Most applications of the theory use its isotropic special case, and without these refinements (resulting in a well-known theoretical prediction for the fluid dependence of the longitudinal elastic stiffness). The present work concerns the extension of this theory to the case of anisotropy, and including these recent refinements. For thinly bedded (inhomogeneous) sequences, the theory as formulated for homogeneous formations requires special handling, in general. For the case of weak polar anisotropy, closed expressions are derived for the well-known anisotropy parameters delta, eta, and gamma. The most remarkable new result is that the anisotropy parameter eta is approximately independent of fluid content, and this applies to thinly bedded sequences without special handling.


Induction chemotherapy has been previously demonstrated to downgrade locally advanced or aggressive cancers and increase the likelihood of primary lesion eradication. Based on our previous phase 3 trial on TPF (docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil) induction chemotherapy in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), in which short-term prognostic and predictive values of cyclin D1 expression were reported, the present study aimed to determine the long-term predictive value of cyclin D1 expression in the same patients with OSCC who were eligible to receive TPF induction chemotherapy. In addition, the present study investigated the potential association between cyclin D1 expression and chemosensitivity to TPF agents during OSCC cell intervention, and the underlying apoptotic mechanism of action. In total, 232 patients with locally advanced OSCC from our previous trial with a median follow-up of 5 years were included for survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test in the present study, where cyclin D1 expression in their tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Cyclin D1 knockdown, cytotoxicity assays assessing the efficacy of the TPF chemotherapeutic agents and measurements of caspase-3 and PARP activity in HB96, CAL27 and HN30 cell lines were performed. Patients with OSCC in the low cyclin D1 expression group exhibited significantly superior long-term clinical outcomes compared with those in patients in the high cyclin D1 expression group [overall survival (OS), P=0.001; disease-free survival, P=0.003; local recurrence-free survival, P=0.004; distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), P=0.001]. Furthermore, patients with stage clinical nodal stage 2 (cN2) OSCC in the high cyclin D1 expression group benefitted from TPF induction chemotherapy (OS, P=0.024; DMFS, P=0.024), whilst patients with cN2 OSCC in the low cyclin D1 expression group did not benefit from this chemotherapy. Overexpression of cyclin D1 expression was found to enhance chemosensitivity to TPF chemotherapeutic agents in OSCC by mediating caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. Based on these findings, TPF induction chemotherapy can benefit patients with cN2 OSCC and high cyclin D1 expression in terms of long-term survival from compared with standard treatment. In addition, OSCC cell lines overexpressing cyclin D1 are more sensitive to TPF chemotherapeutic agents in a caspase-3-dependent manner (clinical trial. no. NCT01542931; February 2012).