Feedback from patients is essential in order to achieve patient centred care. In the paediatric environment, the need to hear directly from children has been identified since the 1990's, but we are still struggling to hear children's voices in relation to their medical care. Parents' opinions are often obtained, however their views may not necessarily reflect those of their children. There is currently very limited published information on children's opinions of hospital care and how these are reflected by parental feedback. The aims of this quality improvement project are to identify children's priorities and to investigate whether differences exist between parents' and children's perspectives on hospital staff and environment. The overall aim is to introduce and maintain a culture of routinely seeking children's perspectives. Feedback from questionnaires and dissemination of results to staff will allow service improvements to be more closely tailored towards the whole family's needs. We used the expertise of both clinical staff and inpatient school teachers to develop two questionnaires for children aged 6–11 years and 12–18 years, and a corresponding parental questionnaire. These were distributed on an inpatient paediatric ward of a large teaching hospital. Participants were asked to rate their experiences regarding hospital staff and environment, and to answer open questions on how services could be improved. Parental and patient questionnaires were reviewed anonymously. A total of 77 paired patient and parental questionnaires were completed. Ward environment and staff interactions were found to be priorities for both children and parents, whilst children focused more on ward based activities when suggesting improvements. Children gave higher scores than parents for most staff and environment categories. Differences in priorities were also noted between individual patient and parent pairs. Suggestions were used to improve services, for example by provision of headphones to reduce noise levels on the ward and setting up of a student led play service to cover times when play therapists are unavailable. Results of this project confirm that children's views are not always mirrored by their parents. This highlights the need to develop methods of obtaining more direct feedback from children in order to improve patient centred care.


During technological and scientific developments, young learners were supposed to be accustomed to the English language. Conversely, studies on how children and teachers view English for young learners seem still limited. Thus, this study aims to find out students' and teachers' perceptions of learning English for young learners. A qualitative descriptive was applied in this study and involved 33 students and 2 English teachers in SDS Cahaya Kasih Batam. An observation checklist, questionnaire, and interview were conducted to collect the data. The indicators which were applied in the instruments are cognitive, affective, behavioral, personality, interests, and expectation. The observation checklist was done to observe the classroom situation. Those questionnaires were distributed to the students and English teachers. The last data, students' and teachers' interviews were conducted to become additional and clarify the results obtained from the questionnaire. The outcome of this study highlighted that the students and English teachers positively perceived learning English for young learners. Teaching English at an early age for young learners helps them accustomed to English and capable to deal with science and technology development.


Unobserved heterogeneous treatment effects have been emphasized in the policy evaluation literature. This paper proposes a nonparametric test for unobserved heterogeneous treatment effects in a general framework, allowing for self-selection to the treatment. The proposed modified Kolmogorov-Smirnov-type test is consistent and simple to implement. Monte Carlo simulations show that our test performs well in finite samples. For illustration, we apply our test to study heterogeneous treatment effects of the Job Training Partnership Act on earnings and the impacts of fertility on family income.


Regulated dicarboxylate transport is critical for acid-base homeostasis, prevention of calcium nephrolithiasis, regulation of collecting duct sodium chloride transport, and the regulation of blood pressure. Although luminal dicarboxylate reabsorption via NaDC1 (SLC13A2) is believed to be the primary mechanism regulating renal dicarboxylate transport, the specific localization of NaDC1 in the human kidney is currently unknown. This study's purpose was to determine NaDC1's expression in normal and neoplastic human kidneys. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated NaDC1 expression with an apparent molecular weight of ~61 kDa. Immunohistochemistry showed apical NaDC1 immunolabel in the proximal tubule of normal human kidney tissue; well-preserved proximal tubule brush border was clearly labeled. Apical NaDC1 expression was evident throughout the entire proximal tubule, including the initial proximal convoluted tubule, as identified by origination from the glomerular tuft, and extending through the terminal of the proximal tubule, the proximal straight tubule in the outer medulla. We confirmed proximal tubule localization by colocalization with the proximal tubule specific protein, NBCe1. NaDC1 immunolabel was not detected other than in the proximal tubule. In addition, NaDC1 immunolabel was not detected in tumors of presumed proximal tubule origin, clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma, or in tumors of nonproximal tubule origin, oncocytoma and chromophobe carcinoma. In summary, 1) in the human kidney, apical NaDC1 immunolabel is present throughout the entire proximal tubule, and is not detectable in other renal cells; and 2) NaDC1 immunolabel is not present in renal tumors. These studies provide important information regarding NaDC1's role in human dicarboxylate metabolism.


According to the State of California, most of North Coast's watersheds are impaired by sediment. This study quantified sediment yield from watersheds under different management conditions. Temporary sedimentation basins were installed in 30 randomly chosen first-order streams in two watersheds in Humboldt County, California. Most treatment sites were clearcuts, but two types of clearcut harvest occurred: sites harvested under strict regulations of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and sites harvested prior to implementation of the HCP. Second-growth stands not recently entered served as the control. Neither geologic substrate nor management were significant predictors of sediment yield. The pre-HCP sites contributed more sediment, but some control sites had sediment yields comparable to these sites. The possible management effect on sediment yield may be influenced by the fact that the HCP sites have experienced only one or two post-harvest winters, while the pre-HCP sites had sediment mobilized in relatively severe winters over a longer post-harvest period. The mean sediment yield from control sites was higher than from HCP sites suggesting that legacy effects of management may be important.


We consider the problem faced by a service platform that needs to match supply with demand but also to learn attributes of new arrivals in order to match them better in the future. We introduce a benchmark model with heterogeneous workers and jobs that arrive over time. Job types are known to the platform, but worker types are unknown and must be learned by observing match outcomes. Workers depart after performing a certain number of jobs. The payoff from a match depends on the pair of types and the goal is to maximize the steady-state rate of accumulation of payoff. Our main contribution is a complete characterization of the structure of the optimal policy in the limit that each worker performs many jobs. The platform faces a trade-off for each worker between myopically maximizing payoffs (exploitation) and learning the type of the worker (exploration). This creates a multitude of multi-armed bandit problems, one for each worker, coupled together by the constraint on the availability of jobs of different types (capacity constraints). We find that the platform should estimate a shadow price for each job type, and use the payoffs adjusted by these prices, first, to determine its learning goals and then, for each worker, (i) to balance learning with payoffs during the exploration phase, and (ii) to myopically match after it has achieved its learning goals during the exploitation phase.


Children often refer to things ambiguously but learn not to from responding to clarification requests. We review and explore this learning process here. In Study 1, eighty-four 2- and 4-year-olds were tested for their ability to request stickers from either (a) a small array with one dissimilar distracter or (b) a large array containing similar distracters. When children made ambiguous requests, they received either general feedback or specific questions about which of two options they wanted. With training, children learned to produce more complex object descriptions and did so faster in the specific feedback condition. They also tended to provide more information when requesting stickers from large arrays. In Study 2, we varied only distracter similarity during training and then varied array size in a generalization test. Children found it harder to learn in this case. In the generalization test, 4-year-olds were more likely to provide information (a) when it was needed because distracters were similar to the target and (b) when the array size was greater (regardless of need for information). We discuss how clear cues to potential ambiguity are needed for children to learn to tailor their referring expression to context and how several cues of heuristic value (e.g., more distracters > say more) can promote the efficiency of communication while language is developing. Finally, we consider whether it would be worthwhile drawing on the human learning process when developing algorithms for the production of referring expressions.


Abstract Although the importance of self-esteem in educational achievement is contested, it remains a significant touchstone of multicultural religious education. This study set out to establish differences in demographics and attitudes between high self-esteem and low self-esteem Buddhist teenagers who are a small religious minority in Britain. Low self-esteem teens expressed less well-being, more worry in relationships with their family and friends, low motivation in school, more supernatural beliefs, more introversion, felt Buddhism irrelevant and used the internet more. Self-esteem was not linked to religious values or environmental concern. Narrow focus on self-esteem as an educational aim risks the known weaknesses of multiculturalism that have since been overcome in pluralist education. The limited usefulness of the self-esteem concept does however reveal ways forward for teachers of minority education, introverts and sustainability.


It is sometimes suggested that the logic of religious language differs from other kinds of language. Or it is said that each 'language-game' has its own 'logic' and that, whatever usual language-games are played in the context of religion, there is something that could be called the 'religious language-game' which does not correspond to any other and, therefore, has its own peculiar logic. In either case, religious people are urged to make clear what this logic is, so that their utterances may be understood and evaluated.


The urban population is increasing day by day, threatening human health. Neighborhood parks in which people can participate in physical activities have an important place in reducing the negative effects of urban life. However, not much is known much about factors such as "park satisfaction" and "place attachment", which may play a role in the visitors' participation in and continuation of physical activity in neighborhood parks, or the relationship between these factors. The purpose of this study was thus to examine the relationship between park satisfaction, place attachment and revisit intention. The data were obtained using the convenience sampling method from 357 park visitors who visited a park for physical activity. The methodological principles of structural equation modeling were used to test the conceptual model based on the literature review. According to the results, park satisfaction had a positive and significant effect on park attachment. In addition, park attachment played a mediating role between satisfaction and revisit intention. As a result, a theoretical and comprehensive model that revealed the relationship between park satisfaction, park attachment and revisit intention was developed. It is thought that the results will guide local governments, managers responsible for parks and park designers in maintaining open-air recreation facilities and services in urban areas.


In the present study, we report the chromosomal localization of the human 5-HT1F receptor gene (HTR1F) by the analysis of somatic cell hybrids. Based upon the HTR1F cDNA sequence, a primer set that reacted with human genomic DNA but not mouse or hamster genomic DNA was derived from the relatively nonconserved 5'-untranslated and coding region. Using monochromosomal hybrid cell lines of the NIGMS Mapping Panel 2 we localized the HTR1F to human chromosome 3. To confirm the localization on chromosome 3 and to further sublocalize the HTR1F gene, a set of human cell hybrids regionally separating chromosome 3 into 7 regions was similarly analysed. Analysis of this regional panel showed that the HTR1F gene was located proximal to the 3p14.1 breakpoint in hybrid APH14 and distal to the breakpoint in 3p13 in hybrid APH13. This localizes the HTR1F gene to human chromosome 3p13-p14.1.


Competitions are one of the most important and attractive activities for students in Romanian schools because they give them the opportunity to deepen the study of a certain discipline and to achieve performance in the favorite field.What is somewhat neglected in literature about educational contests is precisely the presence and influence of emotions experienced by students in the context of competitions that may have a positive or negative impact on the performance achieved. Test anxiety is the most frequently studied phenomenon and mentioned as a problem in the educational psychology, but there are no studies (at least identified by us) that have approached this topic with direct reference to the context of educational competitions (except for sports studies that frequently addresses the issue of competitive anxiety). Another aspect that is rather little studied in research concerned with academic emotions is the influence of emotional regulation on academic performance. Very few studies address the role that emotional regulation strategies have in the relationship between test anxiety and performance.Given the lack of studies on the impact of test anxiety and emotional regulation strategies on performance in educational competitions of adolescents with high intellectual abilities, we have investigated this issue in this study. The selected group of subjects consisted of 541 teenagers who participated in various national Olympiads (2017). The results show that cognitive test anxiety has a positive influence on the performance achieved in educational competitions. Even though emotional regulation strategies do not moderate the relationship between test anxiety and performance, they still have some relationship with both. Thus, test anxiety has positive relationships with all emotional regulation strategies, less with cognitive reappraisal. Performance has only positive relationships with two of the emotional regulation strategies (task-focused strategies and emotion-focused strategies) and negative relationships with other two of them (cognitive-appraising strategies and suppression). These links identified between the variables analyzed can be a contribution to the educational practice, both for students participating in various educational competitions as well as in the case of day-to-day school performance. show that there is a positive relationship between test anxiety (and its two components, cognitive and emotionality) and the types of emotional regulation used its


The undue importance which has been given the lower turbinate bodies in the search for the etiology of nasal disorders has overshadowed all other parts of the nasal cavities and led to wrongfully crediting the lower turbinate with the more important instead of the less important role in the production of nasal disease. This was principally owing to their easy accessibility and also to the fact that in most nasal disorders these bodies were found swollen and occluding the respiratory passages whereby effect was mistaken for cause. A moment's reflection will convince one that an acute coryza manifests itself in the region above the lower turbinate first, with a feeling of dryness and pressure followed later by obstruction to respiration due to swelling of the lower turbinate. Very often a patient presents himself with a beginning coryza in which the only perceptible change of the mucous surface is a dryness


CONTEXT
Few data exist regarding quality measures for pediatric surgical pathology, types of errors, or how error-prone situations and diagnostic pitfalls can be minimized.

OBJECTIVE
This review reports on survey findings regarding methodology for quality assurance and error detection measurement and classification in pediatric surgical pathology. It presents information regarding, and quality aspects of, intraoperative consultations in pediatric surgical pathology. General strategies for identifying diagnostic pitfalls in pediatric surgical pathology are briefly discussed.

DATA SOURCES
A survey of children's hospitals based on a survey created by the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology, literature review, and institutional quality assurance records provided information for this review.

CONCLUSIONS
Approaches to quality assurance and error reduction in pediatric surgical pathology are similar to those used in general surgical pathology. The children's hospitals that were surveyed used a variety of standard quality assurance measures. Because of differences in data collection, classification, and reporting, it is not possible to provide a detailed analysis of the types of diagnostic error across institutions at this time. Intraoperative consultations are a potential source of error. Pediatric neoplasms and Hirschsprung disease account for the majority of intraoperative consultations in the pediatric setting. Further considerations include the unique aspects of pediatric medical and neoplastic disorders and special diagnostic criteria, classification, grading, and staging requirements.


OBJECTIVES: The last decade has seen improved outcomes for children requiring extracorporeal life support as well as for children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Thus, given the historically poor survival of hematopoietic cell transplantation patients using extracorporeal life support, the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators' hematopoietic cell transplantation and cancer immunotherapy subgroup aimed to characterize the utility of extracorporeal life support in facilitating recovery from critical cardiorespiratory illnesses in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation patients. DATA SOURCES: All available published data were identified using a set of PubMed search terms for pediatric extracorporeal life support and hematopoietic cell transplantation. STUDY SELECTION: All articles that provided original reports of pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation patients who underwent extracorporeal life support were included. Sixty-four manuscripts met search criteria. Twenty-four were included as primary reports of pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation patients who underwent extracorporeal life support (11 were single case reports, four single institution case series, two multi-institution case series, and seven registry reports from Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, Pediatric Heath Information System, and Virtual Pediatric Systems). DATA EXTRACTION: All 24 articles were reviewed by first and last authors and a spread sheet was constructed including sample size, potential biases, and conclusions. DATA SYNTHESIS: Discussions regarding incorporation of available evidence into our clinical practice were held at biannual meetings, as well as through email and virtual meetings. An expert consensus was determined through these discussions and confirmed through a modified Delphi process. CONCLUSIONS: Extracorporeal life support in hematopoietic cell transplantation patients is being used with increasing frequency and potentially improving survival. The Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators hematopoietic cell transplantation-cancer immunotherapy subgroup has developed a framework to guide physicians in decision-making surrounding extracorporeal life support candidacy in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation patients. In addition to standard extracorporeal life support considerations, candidacy in the hematopoietic cell transplantation population should consider the following six factors in order of consensus agreement: 1) patient comorbidities; 2) underlying disease necessitating hematopoietic cell transplantation; 3) hematopoietic cell transplantation toxicities, 4) family and patient desires for goals of care; 5) hematopoietic cell transplantation preparatory regimen; and 6) graft characteristics. Although risk assessment may be individualized, data are currently insufficient to clearly delineate ideal candidacy. Therefore, we urge the onco-critical care community to collaborate and capture data to provide better evidence to guide physicians' decision-making in the future.


Internal delamination is often the point of origin for CFRP structural damage, and as a result, the mechanism of this internal CFRP damage was studied in detail. However, obtaining surface damage information is also essential to better understand CFRP structural damage. In this report, fluorescent penetrant testing was used as the method for observing the formation process of fatigue damage on the surface. This particular method allowed for the rapid and clear observation of microscopic damages, such as transverse cracks, splitting, and delamination. Observations showed the progression of splitting demonstrating saw-like patterns of damage on the woven CFRP surface. Penetrant testing allowed for easy observation of the entire structure, readily identifying cracks in cross sections as well as the surface.


Several IP-based routing algorithms have been developed for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks in recent years. The performance of the satellite IP networks can be improved drastically if multiple satellite constellations are used in the architecture. In this work, a multilayered satellite IP network is introduced that consists of LEO, medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites. A new multilayered satellite routing algorithm (MLSR) is developed that calculates routing tables efficiently using the collected delay measurements. The performance of the multilayered satellite network and MLSR is evaluated through simulations and analysis.


In several x-ray related areas there is a need for high-precision elements for x-ray generation and focusing. An elegant way of realizing x-ray related elements with high precision and low surface roughness is by the use of microfabrication; a combination of semiconductor processing techniques and miniaturization. Photolithographic patterning of silicon followed by deposition, etching, bonding and replication is used for batchwise fabrication of small well-defined structures. This thesis describes microfabrication of a miniature x-ray source and a refractive x-ray lens. A miniature x-ray source with diamond electrodes has been tested for x-ray fluorescence. Another version of the source has been vacuum encapsulated and run at atmospheric pressure. One-dimensionally focusing saw-tooth refractive x-ray lenses in silicon, epoxy, and diamond have been fabricated and tested in a synchrotron set-up. Sub-micron focal lines and gains of up to 40 were achieved. The conclusion of the thesis is that the use of microfabrication for construction of x-ray related components can not only improve the performance of existing components, but also open up for entirely new application areas.


The evaluation of road roughness progression represents one of the most important issue of modern pavement design and management. The roughness deterioration models developed so far, are often based on an empirical approach. Usually, an extensive long-term measurement campaign on a wide range of pavement sections is needed to calibrate such complex regression models and additional difficulties occur in collecting data on overlay roughness evolution. Furthermore, empirical models are unable to take into account new pavement materials performance. Empirical-mechanistic approach could partly solve these problems allowing the development of deterioration models by numerical simulations.
In this paper an empirical-mechanistic model, implemented in a computer software, is described in order to simulate the progression of pavement roughness as function of loads, climate, structural configuration, overall construction quality and material properties. The analysis is performed by dividing the road section into 0.250.33 m long sub-sections. Material properties and layer thickness are assigned to the sub-section through a autoregressive process and non linear elastic behaviour of granular materials is taken into account. The simulation is performed through an iterative process according to which, within each computational step, the program calculates pavement stress-strain level and permanent deformation induced by dynamic loads, for 16 different types of axes and 8 daily climatic condition in each sub-section. At the end of step the total rutting is computed in each sub-section, the profile is updated and the IRI index of the road section is evaluated. The model has been used to simulate roughness progression and a preliminary parametric analysis has been performed whose results are briefly illustrated.


A novel knowledge representation and reasoning mechanism for qualitative reasoning in time within the framework of production systems is introduced. The approach presented provides temporal reasoning in a production system framework and supports refinement. Refinement indicates replacement of atomic events at one level of abstraction by a more detailed set of events at the next level.<<ETX>>


Introduction Telephone triage systems are frequently used due to their success in decreasing emergency department utilization, reduction of health care costs, and high levels of satisfaction among patients and providers. Despite phone triage's prevalence, few residency programs have designated curricula for residents to learn this vital skill. Methods We designed a phone triage curriculum initially piloted with senior residents at one of our continuity clinics. The curriculum consisted of a didactic session, a just-in-time simulation training session, and an experiential component of being on call during the ambulatory rotation. Retrospective pre-post self-assessments evaluated resident perceptions of their skills in taking histories and triaging care over the phone in addition to obtaining qualitative feedback from faculty and residents immediately after the curriculum and 1–2 years postgraduation. Results Of 11 eligible residents, 10 (91%) chose to participate in the pilot curriculum. Residents reported that their skills in history taking over the phone improved from 20% to 90% and their ability to triage patients over the phone improved from 0% to 80%. This led to a quality improvement initiative to increase patient calls and has continued for 5 years, with continued positive feedback from residents and attendings. Discussion Phone triage skills are a necessity for pediatric providers, but few residency programs have training curricula in place. Through an experience-based phone triage program, residents significantly improved their self-reported skills at history taking and triaging. Similar curricula could easily be adopted at other institutions.


Enhancers involved in the upregulation of multiple oncogenes play a fundamental role in tumorigenesis and immortalization. Exploring the activity of enhancers in living cells has emerged as a critical path to a deep understanding of cancer properties, further providing important clues to targeted therapy. However, identifying enhancer activity in living cells is challenging due to the double biological barriers of a cell cytoplasmic membrane and a nuclear membrane, limiting the sensitivity and responsiveness of conventional probing methods. In this work, we developed a nanoelectroporation-probing (NP) platform, which enables intranuclear probe delivery for sensitive interrogation of enhancer activity in living cells. The nanoelectroporation biochip achieved highly focused perforation of the cell cytoplasmic membrane and brought about additional driving force to expedite the delivery of probes into the nucleus. The probes targeting enhancer activity (named "PH probe") are programmed with a cyclic amplification strategy and enable an increase in the fluorescence signals over 100-fold within 1 h. The platform was leveraged to detect the activity of CCAT1 enhancers (CCAT1, colon cancer-associated transcript-1, a long noncoding RNA that functions in tumor invasion and metastasis) in cell samples from clinical lung cancer patients, as well as reveal the heterogeneity of enhancers among different patients. The observations may extend the linkages between enhancers and cancer cells while validating the robustness and reliability of the platform for the assay of enhancer activity. This platform will be a promising toolbox with wide applicable potential for the intranuclear study of living cells.


Purpose. The evaluation of morphological changes in the bone tissue of defect zone under disordered reparative regeneration.
Materials and Methods. The study performed on laboratory animals – Chinchilla rabbits. All the experimental animals underwent modeling the conditions of disordered reparative regeneration. Radiological and morphological changes in the zone of bone defect evaluated in the study dynamics. The technique of gamma scintigraphy used for evaluation of morphofunctional changes in the zone of bone defect.
Results. The delayed juxtaposition of fragments by Day 14 established to lead to marked morphological changes in the zone of defect by Day 20 of the study, with pseudoarthrosis formation by Day 50. During histological investigation the formed cavities revealed the walls of which were formed with hyaline cartilage, with observed enchondral ossification of callus underlying spongy bone, with collagen fiber foci and sites of spongy bone structure. The predominance of connective cartilaginous tissue and bone tissue ratio was 1:1. As it was established by bone scintigraphy technique, radiopharmaceutical accumulation in the zone of bone defect increased in phase 2 and 3 in the left limb thereby evidencing of the maintaining active reparation processes up to Day 50.
Conclusion. The disordered conditions of reparative regeneration as 14-day delayed juxtaposition of bone fragments lead to pseudoarthrosis formation by Day 50 of the study.


Solutions of sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate, magnesium trifluoromethanesulfonate, and barium perchlorate in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) have been investigated using broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy at 25 °C. All spectra were dominated by a solvent relaxation process centered at ∼15 GHz but also exhibited one (for NaCF(3)SO(3)) or two (for the 2:1 salts) low-amplitude processes, centered at frequencies below 2 GHz, that could be attributed to the presence of ion pairs. Effective solvation numbers calculated from the solvent relaxation amplitudes indicated strong solvation of all three cations, with evidence for the formation of a second solvation sheath for Mg(2+) and possibly Ba(2+). Detailed analysis of the solute-related processes showed that solvent-shared ion pairs (SIPs) were formed in NaCF(3)SO(3) solutions in DMF. The data for Mg(CF(3)SO(3))(2) and Ba(ClO(4))(2) solutions were not definitive but, consistent with the solvation evidence, favored the presence of double solvent-separated ion pairs and SIPs. Overall association constants, K(A), were small for all three salts in DMF and increased in the order: NaCF(3)SO(3)


The purpose of this paper is to review TRESIS(Transportation and Environment Strategy Impact Simulator) model system developed initially by Hensher and colleagues as a policy advisory tool to evaluate the impact of policy instruments on a wide range of performance indicators. In this paper, we identify the key issues and associated criteria related to the use of urban land use and transport models for supporting policy analysis task. The authors then propose a policy review framework named SEEBEST as a means to identify and classify a wide range of key policy instruments and performance indicators supported by an urban model. The main focus is on the review of TRESIS, based on SEEBEST. A summary of main findings and further research questions are included in the conclusion. (a)


Energy harvesting from salt water is a phenomenon that began in the 1970's and should have reached its peak by today, but due to varying interests in the field and the growing potentials of other more promising sources, more work was required to fully establish it. Our research aims at identifying and comparing the existing techniques of energy harvesting and the methodology involved determining an effective technique for small scale applications of the method. Experimentation on the proposed technique involved electrolysis and determining the output at varying concentrations of solutions and was followed by circuit analysis for DC-DC boost applications designed in MATLAB for low power circuit applications, involving stepping up the input voltage to 5V for system enhancement.
Small scale applications of energy harvesting needs more in depth study, and future work will be to develop a mechanism for providing more regulated power.


Digital serious games for adult learning have become a more prominent topic for research in recent years, yet platformer genre games for learning remain underexplored. Despite this, many adults enjoy platformer games for entertainment which presents the question of what about platformer games makes them less prominent in adult education learning games. Platformer games often focus on simple mechanics such as collecting and race to the finish which map well to lower-order learning but require more effort to map to higher-order learning. To address this case, we rapidly designed and developed a 2D platforming game prototype called Biomes Rescue for use in a large general-education undergraduate Geography course. The game follows an Indiana Jones-style character who collects and aligns items to different biomes by evaluating items collected. The problem follows the slime-like creatures: the enemy representing pollution that has impacted Earth's biomes. Three biomes have been disassembled by the enemies and the player must rescue all four biomes by critically thinking about the characteristics of each. We actively tested and adjusted Biomes Rescue over the last three years and focus this case on the latest implementation, which addresses the alignment of game mechanics to higher-order learning and Knowles principles of Andragogy combined with games-based learning. We hypothesized participants would have an unbalanced view of the dexterity-centered mechanics tied to fun more so than learning. Our mixed-methods exploratory study aims to understand what mechanics connect to fun and to learning from the learner's perspective using a quiz score - a newly added measure, and Likert scale ratings on Enjoyment with open-ended feedback. Data analysis consisted of thematic analysis and group differences on the quiz scores. This study holds implications for designing platformers for adult learners with an understanding of the differences in game mechanics application for engaging critical thinking.


Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, the survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is poor. Further understanding of the disease mechanism and treatment strategies is required. Copines are a family of calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins that are evolutionally conserved in various eukaryotic organisms and protists. Copine 1, encoded by CPNE1, is a soluble membrane-binding protein, which includes two tandem C2 domains at the N-terminus and an A domain at the C-terminus. A previous study reported that Copine 1 binds with various intracellular proteins via its A domain and C omain. However, the role of CPNE1 in lung cancer remains unclear. In the presented study, CPNE1 expression level was demonstrated to be positively associated with the stage (P=0.002) and significantly associated with lymph node status (P=0.011) and distant metastasis (P=0.042). Furthermore, the function of CPNE1 in regulation of cell growth, migration and invasion was investigated, and it was demonstrated that knockdown of CPNE1 inhibits the cell cycle in NSCLC cells. Collectively, these data suggest that CPNE1 is an oncogene in NSCLC and serves an important role in tumorigenesis of NSCLC progression.


The desertification of the Aral Sea basin in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan represents one of the most serious anthropogenic environmental disasters of the last century. Since the 1960s, the world's fourth-largest inland body of water has been constantly shrinking, which has resulted in an extreme increase of salinity accompanied by accumulation of many hazardous and carcinogenic substances, as well as heavy metals, in the dried-out basin. ABSTRACT The desiccation of the Aral Sea represents one of the largest human-made environmental regional disasters. The salt- and toxin-enriched dried-out basin provides a natural laboratory for studying ecosystem functioning and rhizosphere assembly under extreme anthropogenic conditions. Here, we investigated the prokaryotic rhizosphere communities of the native pioneer plant Suaeda acuminata (C.A.Mey.) Moq. in comparison to bulk soil across a gradient of desiccation (5, 10, and 40 years) by metagenome and amplicon sequencing combined with quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses. The rhizosphere effect was evident due to significantly higher bacterial abundances but less diversity in the rhizosphere compared to bulk soil. Interestingly, in the highest salinity (5 years of desiccation), rhizosphere functions were mainly provided by archaeal communities. Along the desiccation gradient, we observed a significant change in the rhizosphere microbiota, which was reflected by (i) a decreasing archaeon-bacterium ratio, (ii) replacement of halophilic archaea by specific plant-associated bacteria, i.e., Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria, and (iii) an adaptation of specific, potentially plant-beneficial biosynthetic pathways. In general, both bacteria and archaea were found to be involved in carbon cycling and fixation, as well as methane and nitrogen metabolism. Analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) showed specific signatures for production of osmoprotectants, assimilatory nitrate reduction, and transport system induction. Our results provide evidence that rhizosphere assembly by cofiltering specific taxa with distinct traits is a mechanism which allows plants to thrive under extreme conditions. Overall, our findings highlight a function-based rhizosphere assembly, the importance of plant-microbe interactions in salinated soils, and their exploitation potential for ecosystem restoration approaches. IMPORTANCE The desertification of the Aral Sea basin in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan represents one of the most serious anthropogenic environmental disasters of the last century. Since the 1960s, the world's fourth-largest inland body of water has been constantly shrinking, which has resulted in an extreme increase of salinity accompanied by accumulation of many hazardous and carcinogenic substances, as well as heavy metals, in the dried-out basin. Here, we investigated bacterial and archaeal communities in the rhizosphere of pioneer plants by combining classic molecular methods with amplicon sequencing as well as metagenomics for functional insights. By implementing a desiccation gradient, we observed (i) remarkable differences in the archaeon-bacterium ratio of plant rhizosphere samples, (ii) replacement of archaeal indicator taxa during succession, and (iii) the presence of specific, potentially plant-beneficial biosynthetic pathways in archaea present during the early stages. In addition, our results provide hitherto-undescribed insights into the functional redundancy between plant-associated archaea and bacteria.


Sleep polygraphic recording was carried out on 52 normal full-term babies. 16 infants were recorded at 2 - 7 days of age, 14 at 2 to 5 weeks, 13 at 6 to 9 weeks and 9 at 10 - 13 weeks. Central apneas of 2 sec and over were analysed in Active Sleep (AS), Quiet Sleep (QS) and Transitional Sleep (TS). Apnea Index (AI, percent of non-breathing) and Number of Apneas (NA) per 100 min of sleep state (for 2 - 4 sec, greater than or equal to 5 sec, greater than or equal to 6 sec and greater than or equal to 10 sec apneas) were determined. Obstructive and mixed apneas were tabulated separately. % of Periodic Breathing (PB) was also determined. These results were statistically tested using different methods. AI and number of less than 5 sec apneas are higher in AS than in QS during the period studied. A decrease of AI and NA occurs before the end of the 2nd month both in AS and QS. During the first five weeks of postnatal life the AI, the NA and the % of PB are higher in infants born at 38 - 39 weeks of Gestational Age (GA) than in infants born at 40 - 42 weeks. A positive correlation between short apneas (less than 5 sec) and apneas greater than or equal to 5 sec was found in AS and in total sleep. Obstructive and mixed apneas were very infrequent. Apneas are not affected by recording technique, sex or sleeping position of infants. There is a great interindividual variability of NA, particularly during the first month of life. Little normative data has been published so far concerning the incidence of respiratory apneas during day sleep in full-term infants recorded by polygraphy.


PURPOSE
To prospectively evaluate the detection of the artery of Adamkiewicz at magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and the effect such detection has on outcome after surgical graft placement in a series of patients with thoracoabdominal aortic disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study had ethics committee approval, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Fifty patients (38 men, 12 women; age range, 47-83 years; mean age, 67.2 years) who were scheduled to undergo thoracoabdominal aortic surgery for treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 42) or thoracoabdominal aortic dissection (n = 8) were enrolled in the study. MR angiography was performed with a 1.5-T system by using dynamic three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state with a bolus of contrast material and saline injection (4 mL/sec). Differences in the cross-clamping time, bypass time, total surgery time, and spinal complication rate between patients in whom the artery of Adamkiewicz was identified (group A) and those in whom the artery was not identified (group B) were evaluated with chi(2) or Mann-Whitney U testing.

RESULTS
In 42 of the 50 patients (84% [group A]), at least one artery of Adamkiewicz was seen to arise from an intercostal artery. Two arteries of Adamkiewicz were identified in four of the patients (8%). The artery of Adamkiewicz could not be detected with MR angiography in eight patients (group B). The ranges of cross-clamping, bypass, and total surgery times, respectively, were 30-199 minutes (mean, 78.4 minutes +/- 39.1 [standard deviation]), 30-298 minutes (mean, 96.9 minutes +/- 60.0), and 135-665 minutes (mean, 354.9 minutes +/- 133.9) in group A and 53-124 minutes (mean, 72.8 minutes +/- 29.8), 10-124 minutes (mean, 66.0 minutes +/- 41.0), and 220-405 minutes (mean, 315.6 minutes +/- 68.8) in group B. Spinal complications occurred in two patients in group B but in none of the patients in group A (P < .001).

CONCLUSION
The artery of Adamkiewicz was detected in a large percentage of patients in whom there were no spinal complications, unlike the spinal complications that occurred in the patients in whom the artery was not detected.


We study the evolution of cooperation in 2×2 social dilemma games in which players are located on a two-dimensional square lattice. During the evolution, each player modifies her strategy by means of myopic update dynamic to maximize her payoff while composing neighborhoods of different sizes, which are characterized by the corresponding radius, r. An investigation of the sublattice-ordered spatial structure for different values of r reveals that some patterns formed by cooperators and defectors can help the former to survive, even under untoward conditions. In contrast to individuals who resist the invasion of defectors by forming clusters due to network reciprocity, innovators spontaneously organize a socially divisive structure that provides strong support for the evolution of cooperation and advances better social systems.


Although in observational studies, propensity score matching is the most widely used balancing method, it has received much criticism. The main drawback of this method is that the individuals of the case and control groups are paired in the compressed one-dimensional space of propensity scores. In this paper, such a novel multivariate weighted k-nearest neighbours-based control group selection method is proposed which can eliminate this disadvantage of propensity score matching. The proposed method pairs the elements of the case and control groups in the original vector space of the covariates and the dissimilarities of the individuals are calculated as the weighted distances of the subjects. The weight factors are calculated from a logistic regression model fitted on the status of treatment assignment. The efficiency of the proposed method was evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations on different datasets. Experimental results show that the proposed Weighted Nearest Neighbours Control Group Selection with Error Minimization method is able to select a more balanced control group than the most widely applied greedy form of the propensity score matching method, especially for individuals characterized with few descriptive features.


Recent studies have pointed out dysfunction and histopathological changes of the choroid plexuses (CPs) with aging. This paper reviews apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the CPs for age-related changes. All the brain MR images of the patients between January 2013 and June 2014 in our Radiology Department were retrospectively investigated. Patients with major cranial abnormalities (brain tumors, hyperacute or acute ischemia, developmental anomalies, hemorrhage, hydrocephaly) were excluded. Diffusion-weighted images were obtained at the parameter values of b = 1000 s/mm2 in the axial plane. The transverse diameters of the lateral ventricles (LVs) and ADC values of both CPs were measured. Brain MRIs of 202 individuals, 97 men (48%), 105 women (52%), were studied. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the ADC values of CP and patient ages. (Right CP: r = 0.623; p < 0.05. Left CP: r = 0.654; p < 0.05). There were positive correlations between LV diameters and age (r = 0.624, p < 0.05 for the right LV; r = 0.621, p < 0.05 for the left LV). The ADC values of age groups significantly differed (p < 0.05); the ≥61-year-old group was significantly higher compared to younger individuals. There is a progressive increase of water diffusivity in the CPs during aging. ADC values should be considered as a neuroimaging quantitative biomarker in normal aging-dementia syndromes.


Information connectivity and retrieval has a role in our daily lives. The most pervasive source of online information is databases. The amount of data is growing at rapid rate and database technology is improving and having a profound effect. Almost all online applications are storing and retrieving information from databases. One challenge in supplying the public with wider access to informational databases is the need for knowledge of database languages like Structured Query Language (SQL). Although the SQL language has been published in many forms, not everybody is able to write SQL queries. Another challenge is that it may not be practical to make the public aware of the structure of the database. There is a need for novice users to query relational databases using their natural language. To solve this problem, many natural language interfaces to structured databases have been developed. The goal is to provide more intuitive method for generating database queries and delivering responses. Social media makes it possible to interact with a wide section of the population. Through this medium, and with the help of Natural Language Processing (NLP) we can make the data of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Data Center (ADC) more accessible to the public. We propose an architecture for using Apache Lucene/Solr [1], OpenML [2,3], and Kafka [4] to generate an automated query/response system with inputs from Twitter5, our Cassandra DB, and our log database. Using the Twitter API and NLP we can give the public the ability to ask questions of our database and get automated responses.


Quantum W-algebras are dened and their relevance for conformal eld theories is outlined. We describe direct constructions of W-algebras using associativity requirements. With this approach one explicitly obtains the rst members of series of W-algebras, including in particular 'Casimir algebras' (related to simple Lie algebras) and extended symmetry algebras corresponding to special Virasoro-minimal models. We also describe methods for the study of highest weight representations of W-algebras. In some cases consistency of the corresponding quantum eld theory already imposes severe restrictions on the admitted representations, i.e. allows to determine the eld content. We conclude by reviewing known results on Walgebras and RCFTs and show that most known rational conformal elds theories can be described in terms of Casimir algebras although on the level of W-algebras exotic phenomena occur.


The present study aims to investigate intrinsic abnormalities of brain and the effect of antiepileptic treatment on brain activity in Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). Twenty-six drug-naïve patients (DNP) and 22 drug-receiving patients (DRP) with BECTS were collected in this study. Static amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (sALFF) and dynamic ALFF (dALFF) were applied to resting-state fMRI data. Functional connectivity (FC) analysis was further performed for affected regions identified by static and dynamic analysis. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc statistical analyses were performed for between-group differences. Abnormal sALFF and dALFF values were correlated with clinical features of patients. Compared with healthy controls (HC), DNP group demonstrated alterations of sALFF and/or dALFF in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), supplementary motor areas (SMA), cerebellum, hippocampus, pallidum and cingulate cortex, in which the values were close to normal in DRP. Notably, sALFF and dALFF showed specific sensitivity in detecting abnormalities in basal ganglia and cerebellum. Additionally, DRP showed additional changes in precuneus, inferior temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and occipital visual cortex. Compared with HC, the DNP showed increased FC in default network and motion-related networks, and the DRP showed decreased FC in default network. The MPFC, hippocampus, SMA, basal ganglia and cerebellum are indicated to be intrinsically affected regions and effective therapeutic targets. And the FC profiles of default and motion-related networks might be potential core indicators for clinical treatment. This study revealed potential neuromodulatory targets and helped understand pathomechanism of BECTS. Static and dynamic analyses should be combined to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders.


The extent of loneliness among late adolescents was assessed by means of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Findings suggest that although moderate loneliness was reported by most participants, a number of young people evidenced a high degree of loneliness. A comparison of lonely and nonlonely adolescents yielded relatively few significant differences. Of particular interest, however, was the finding that lonely and nonlonely adolescents use different strategies to deal with feelings of loneliness. Implications for working with lonely adolescents are offered.


The rigid wingsail is a propulsion system, utilized in sailing competitions in order to enhance the yacht performance in both upwind and downwind conditions. Nevertheless, this new rig is sensitive to upstream flow variations, making its steering difficult. This issue suggests the need to perform a study on wingsail aerodynamics. Thus this paper reports some investigations done to better understand the flow physics around a scaled model of an America's Cup wingsail, based on a two-element AC72 profile. First a wind tunnel test campaign was carried out to generate a database for aerodynamic phenomena analyses and CFD validation. Unsteady RANS simulations were performed to predict and validate the flow characteristics on the wingsail, in the wind tunnel test conditions. The wind tunnel domain was fully modeled, in order to take into account the facility confinement effects. Numerical simulations in freestream and wind tunnel conditions were then compared with experimental data. This analysis shows the necessity to consider the wind tunnel walls when experimental and numerical data are compared. Numerical simulations correctly reproduce the flow field for low-to-moderate flow angles. However, discrepancies on the pressure distribution increase when the boundary layer starts to separate from the wingsail. In this regard, the flow generated by the slot between both elements of the wingsail is of paramount importance. This slot flow is analyzed in details through PIV measurements and numerical simulations. While the numerical simulation correctly predicts the jet flow itself, it only partially reproduces the interaction between the jet flow and the main flow, especially at high angle of attacks. More precisely, the numerical simulation fails to predict the correct jet flow trajectory, which affects the lift capabilities of the entire wing. The influence of the wingsail deformation during experimental campaigns has been investigated to explain this behavior.


Due to their small size, nanoparticles (NPs) are a suitable platform for building the nextgeneration targeted therapy for cancer. The high surface-to-volume ratio and well-studied surface chemistry of NPs allow for efficient loading of treatment and targeting moieties, which would maximize drug delivery and ensure high tumor specificity, all the while sparing healthy tissue. Silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, combine the small size of nanomaterial with the benefits of MRI to provide a non-invasive method for tracking NPs inside the human body. Relaxivity studies of NPs revealed that T2 relaxivity of SPIO NPs were suitable for clinical use, at above 100 mMs. Previous efforts successfully synthesized silica-coated SPIO NPs with a diameter of approximately 23 nm and a shell thickness of 4 nm using a reverse micro-emulsion method. Current studies focus on attaching a monoclonal antibody (As33), which targets glycoprotein A33, a tumor antigen that is over-expressed in certain pancreatic cancer cells, onto silica-coated NPs. Evidence of cellular particle uptake using fluorophore-labeled, As33-conjugated silicacoated NPs was observed in pancreatic cancer cells that over-expressed A33 in both 2D and 3D cell culture. In order to study live cells, an MR imaging phantom was designed and constructed to enable quantification of cellular particle uptake via MR imaging and ICP-OES.


We propose a methodology to measure, model and simulate power consumption of peripheral devices of a low-power embedded micro-controller, while keeping a reasonable development cost. This methodology is experimented against the low-power MSP-EXP430FR5739 platform that includes nonvolatile RAM for intermittent computing purposes and a handful of peripherals. The experimental measurements enable the characterization of the consumption of the peripherals, while many existing comparable studies do not provide power consumption for peripherals. These measurements are integrated into a simulator that targets low-power peripheral-intensive applications, as are most of IoT embedded programs. The accuracy of the power consumption estimation is within a 5% error on intermittent embedded computing using peripherals.


: In this article are observed useful for clinic medicine anthropometric methods. Some clinico-anthropometric parallels are indicated. They show the importance of individual constitutional diagnosis.


Hard-to-degrade animal proteins are ubiquitously present throughout animal bodies. Enormous numbers of these proteins generated in the meat industry are converted to industrial wastes, the disposal of which is tremendously difficult. Most hard-to-degrade animal proteins are currently disposed of by incineration; however, this method has ecological disadvantages in terms of an apparent energy loss and the production of a large amount of carbon dioxide. As a result, an innovative solution to these problems has been sought. In this review, we focus on the degradation of three hard-to-degrade animal proteins (extracellular matrix proteins, collagen in particular, keratin, and prion proteins) and discuss the decomposing capability of thermophilic bacteria. These proteins are strongly resistant to proteinases because of their structural features; therefore, new approaches employing bacterial proteases with strong activity and broad specificity are required for practical application.


Concerns regarding protein and amino acid deficiencies with plant-based proteins have precluded their use in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Many of these concerns were debunked years ago, but recommendations persist regarding the use of "high-biological value" (animal-based) proteins in CKD patients, which may contribute to worsening of other parameters such as blood pressure, metabolic acidosis, and hyperphosphatemia. Plant-based proteins are sufficient in meeting both quantity and quality requirements. Those eating primarily plant-based diets have been observed to consume approximately 1.0 g/kg/day of protein, or more. CKD patients have been seen to consume 0.7-0.9 g/kg/day of mostly plant-based protein without any negative effects. Furthermore, those substituting animal-based proteins for plant-based proteins have shown reductions in severity of hypertension, hyperphosphatemia, and metabolic acidosis. Plant-based proteins, when consumed in a varied diet, are not only nutritionally adequate but have pleiotropic effects which may favor their use in CKD patients.


Anecdotal evidence from the introductory physics classrooms at Chicago State University suggests that our students view collaboration as an important tool in their learning. Despite this, students often need additional instruction and support in order for collaboration to be effective. In order to aid students in establishing effective collaborations we may be able to capitalize on the fact that students at CSU readily accept the inquiry approach to instruction. In this paper, we present the initial stage of this work. Specifically, we have begun to videotape student interactions in the classroom, interview students about the nature of learning, and develop and administer instruments that assess the value students place on the use of guided inquiry. By utilizing a specific criteria and analyzing the occurrence of specific behaviors in the classroom we can determine the effectiveness of collaboration during group work. Responses regarding how students value the use of questions in instruction indicate the ...


Application of the Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has demonstrated that most tumor samples exhibit intra-tumor heterogeneity. Here we proposed SAPPH (Somatic Aberrations Prediction for Paired Heterogeneous tumor samples), as a new method for estimating tumor somatic copy number aberrations as well as inferring tumor subclone proportions from heterogeneous tumor sequencing data. This method is based on CBS and local proportion clustering strategy. When SAPPH is applied on simulated tumor samples, the agreement between the results analyzed by SAPPH and the sequencing signals suggests that SAPPH can find the solution to best fit the signal distributions. We benchmark the performance of SAPPH and show that it outperforms existing method in estimating tumor copy number aberrations.


This article describes the design of a common syntactic description for the core grammar of a group of related dialects. The common description does not rely on an abstract sub-linguistic structure like a metagrammar: it consists in a single FSLTAG where the actual specific language is included as one of the attributes in the set of attribute types defined for the features. When the lan attribute is instantiated, the selected subset of the grammar is equivalent to the grammar of one dialect. When it is not, we have a model of a hybrid multidialectal linguistic system. This principle is used for a group of creole languages of the West-Atlantic area, namely the French-based Creoles of Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana.


Let R be a complete discrete valuation ring with algebraically closed residue field k and fraction field K. Let X_K be a projective smooth and geometrically connected scheme over K. N\'eron defined a canonical pairing on X_K between 0-cycles of degree zero and divisors which are algebraically equivalent to zero. When X_K is an abelian variety, and if one restricts to those 0-cycles supported by K-rational points, N\'eron gave an expression of his pairing involving intersection multiplicities on the N\'eron model A of A_K over R. When X_K is a curve, Gross and Hriljac gave independantly an analogous description of N\'eron's pairing, but for arbitrary 0-cycles of degree zero, by means of intersection theory on a proper flat regular R-model X of X_K. In this article, we show that these intersection computations are valid for an arbitrary scheme X_K as above and arbitrary 0-cyles of degree zero, by using a proper flat normal and semi-factorial model X of X_K over R. When X_K=A_K is an abelian variety, and X is a semi-factorial compactification of its N\'eron model A, these computations can be used to study the algebraic equivalence on X. We then obtain an interpretation of Grothentieck's duality for the N\'eron model A, in terms of the Picard functor of X over R.


This article examines assessment approaches and specific measures used by job-stress researchers to characterize aspects of work and the working environment (potential job stressors) and workers' reactions to these working conditions (strains). Self-report instruments, observational approaches, and physiological indicators are described. Problematic areas (e.g., the use of overlapping stressor and strain measures) and contemporary issues affecting job stress assessment (e.g., negative affectivity) are discussed. Recommendations regarding instrument selection and measurement improvements are offered. It is concluded that closer attention to measurement-related issues is critical to the advancement of knowledge in the field. Important needs include the identification and more frequent use of objective measures, the increased use of triangulation strategies, and a careful examination of the adequacy of existing constructs and measures for capturing the demands of contemporary work.


This book provides the theory, practical details, and tools necessary for building visualizations or systems involving the visualization of data. The authors cover the spectrum of data visualizations, including mathematical and statistical graphs, cartography for displaying geographic information, two- and three-dimensional scientific displays, integrated analysis and visualization tools, and general information visualization techniques. Practitioners, developers, teachers and students as well as those interested in gaining some exposure to the field will get an in-depth understanding of visualization techniques and are provided with sufficient information, often with full source code, to complete an implementation; those with more modest aspirations can focus on the concepts, theory and high-level algorithm details.


The aim of this study was to analyze the outcomes of treatment of necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) in the feet of diabetic patients and to determine factors associated with limb salvage and mortality. A retrospective study of a consecutive series of 145 diabetic patients suffering from NSTIs treated in the Diabetic Foot Unit, La Paloma Hospital was done. NSTIs were classified as necrotizing cellulitis if it involved the subcutaneous tissue and the skin, as necrotizing fasciitis if it involved the deep fascia, and as myonecrosis in those cases where muscular necrosis was present. In the necrotizing cellulitis group (n = 109), 8 (7.3%) major amputations were performed. In the necrotizing fasciitis group (n = 25), 13 (52%) major amputations were undertaken. In the myonecrosis group (n = 11), 6 (54.5%) major amputations were performed. Predictive variables related to limb loss were fasciitis (OR = 20, 95% CI = 3.2-122.1) and myonecrosis (OR = 53.2, 95% CI = 5.1-552.4). Predictive variables of mortality were age >75 years (OR = 10.3, 95% CI = 1.9-53.6) and creatinine values >132.6 µmol/L (OR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.1-30.2). NSTIs of the foot are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients.When fascia and/or muscle are involved, there are significant risks of major amputation.


Acute exposure studies were conducted using adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to obtain LC50/24 concentrations for the common esters of acrylic and methacrylic acids. The order of acute toxicity was determined to be methyl acrylate greater than ethyl acrylate greater than butyl acrylate greater than butyl methacrylate greater than methyl methacrylate greater than ethyl methacrylate. Four-hour daily exposures (excluding weekends) of young adult male rats to 110 ppm methyl acrylate in air over a period of 32 d failed to produce significant differences in body or tissue weights, blood chemistries, gross metabolic performance, and spontaneous small-intestinal motor activities when compared with a sham-exposed group.


The results of a long-term research on the variety study of 70 pear varieties from the genetic collection of the State Scientific Institution NCFSCHVW of summer, autumn and winter ripening periods, grown in the south of Russia, are presented. Winter-hardy, late-flowering varieties have been identified, which make it possible to reduce the crop losses from frosts and late spring frosts. Highlighted varieties of pears with high yield, valuable for the commercial qualities of the fruit, as well as those distinguished by a high content of sugars, acids, vitamins, which determine the nutritional value and medicinal properties of the fruit.


Spasticity is a condition of the musculature identified by partial or complete paralysis and increased resistance to movement associated with hyperactivity of the reflexes of the tendon and periosteum. The control of discharges going out over " the final common pathway" to produce normal muscle tone is a fine adjustment of many descending impulses arriving at the anterior horn cell, a summation of those from the cortex, basal ganglia, reticular substance, tegmentum, and cerebellum. In the surgical treatment of spasticity four distinct methods have been utilized: excision of the cerebral cortex, resections at lenticular level, cordotomy, and resection of the spinal nerve roots. This paper will discuss these procedures and present the results in two cases treated by cordotomy. Knowledge of the pathologic process that brings about spasticity is far from complete. I t has been shown that changes in muscle tonus can be produced by lesions in cortical areas 4, 6, and 4s, as well as in certain portions of the basal ganglia, reticular substance, tegmentum, cerebellum, and spinal cord. Physiologically there is a wide diversity of opinion as to the mechanism producing spasticity. In the opinion of the authors it appears advisable to consider that increase in tonus is not always due to a release phenomenon but often to a predominance of one group of descending pyramidal and extrapyramidal impulses over another, or as Magoun has phrased it, "spasticity results from combined disturbances of extrapyramidal innervation." Hence, when attempting surgically to alter the tonus of muscle groups, we must consider all the descending impulses impinging on the anterior horn cell, the inhibitory as well as the excitatory (Bodian, Magoun, Hines, Murphy and Gellhorn).


This paper reports the results of the research project (IRDC) into factors influencing students in advancing education in culinary arts at Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, UiTM. In other words, this study examines the moderating variables that influence a student decision to enter Culinary Arts program and subsequent interest towards industry employment. All students who enrolled at three levels of the Diploma
culinary arts program (part one of first year, part three of second year and part five of third year) from Shah Alam, Penang and Dungun campuses was surveyed at the beginning of the semester and followed them through a second round survey at the beginning of another semester. Students' career choice and the decision of taking culinary arts program are influenced by various factors ranging from parents,
immediate family, and glamorous image to advertisement on television, brochures, and newspaper. Among all, parents are found to be the strongest influence on the individual students' decision. Nevertheless, despite continuous encouragement, many students are becoming less positive in interest toward employment in the hotel industry and reduced
intention to pursue such a career. These weakened employment intentions have given varying consequences and implications for the students, hospitality institutions, industry, and government.


Motivated by recent numerical discovery of a gapped spin liquid phase in spin-$1/2$ triangular-lattice $J_1$-$J_2$ Heisenberg model, we classify symmetric $Z_2$ spin liquids on triangular lattice in the Abrikosov-fermion representation. We find 20 phases with distinct spinon symmetry quantum numbers, 8 of which have their counterparts in the Schwinger-boson representation. Among them we identify 2 promising candidates (#1 and #20), which can realize a gapped $Z_2$ spin liquid with up to next nearest neighbor mean-field amplitudes. We analyze their neighboring magnetic orders and valence bond solid patterns, and find one state (#20) that is connected to 120-degree Neel order by a continuous quantum phase transition. We also identify gapped nematic $Z_2$ spin liquids in the neighborhood of the symmetric states and find 3 promising candidates (#1, #6 and #20).


Sterility in the male is an exceedingly complex subject entailing exhaustive urologic, endocrinologic and laboratory studies. For the purpose of simplification, all cases can be divided into two groups, urologic and endocrinologic. Occasionally malnutrition or vitamin deficiency may cause sterility, but it occurs so infrequently that for practical purposes it need not be stressed. The paper is limited to the study of sterility as it affects the human being, as the result of current animal experimentations are not analogous to those found in man. The urologic cases are classed as either congenital or acquired, depending on the etiology. The most frequent congenital causes of sterility are hypospadias, cryptorchism and abnormal attachment of the epididymis to the testicle. The majority of acquired cases are the result of a former gonorrheal infection resulting in bilateral epididymitis, stenosis of the ejaculatory ducts, seminal vesiculitis, vasitis and urethral stricture. The endocrinologic cases are due


It may be said that infected wounds now so seldom occur that it is unnecessary to discuss their treatment. No wounds should become infected except in cases in which operation is performed during acute infections. The abuse of wounds frequently observed is the reason for this paper, which will include chiefly suppurative wounds following abdominal and vaginal sections. Infected wounds, however, require much the same care irrespective of their location. SUPPURATIVE ABDOMINAL WOUNDS The treatment which I employ is as follows: An infected abdominal wound is covered with a hot moist non-irritating dressing of gauze. The gauze is kept moist with boric acid or normal salt solution. The dressing is covered by a protective layer of rubber tissue, oiled paper or silk to prevent evaporation. Heat is supplied by a hot-water bag. This dressing is changed from one to three times daily, depending on the amount and character of the


We have previously demonstrated that CD8+ T cells, including HSV-2 specific CD8+ T cells, persisted in genital skin for months after the herpes lesion completely healed, and preferentially accumulated at the dermal-epidermal junction where sensory nerve endings were enriched. These persisting CD8+ T cells have been postulated in the containment of the reactivating virus before clinical symptomatic lesion occurs. To understand functions of persisting CD8+ T cells in human, we have combined immunofluorescent (IF) staining, laser capture microdissection (LCM) and RT-PCR to analyze the gene expression of CD8+ T cells at the dermal-epidermal junction in post-healed lesion biopsy. CD8+ T cells were captured at a single cell level. The purity was validated by the lack of CD4 and a 100-fold more enriched CD8 expression in LCM captured cells than in whole tissue sections. In captured CD8+ T cells, we detected up-regulation of genes encoding cytolytic granules, such as perforin and granzyme B, as compared to keratinocytes in the epidermis. The expression of cytolytic granules was further confirmed by IF staining of persistent CD8+ T cells, even in post-healed biopsy of acyclovir treated individual. Our data strongly indicated the cytolytic potentials of CD8+ T cells persisting at the dermal-epidermal junction and implicated their role in immune surveillance against HSV-2 reactivation in skin and mucosa.
 This work was supported by NIH grants R37 AI042528 and PO1 AI030731.


Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan that affects animals and human. Transmission is zoonotic and/or anthroponotic through the bite of an infected female sandfly. Control and elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) require proper case detection, identification of reservoir hosts, and launching of effective vector control strategies in endemic areas. The aim of this review was to highlight the challenges in VL control in developing countries. Literatures pertaining to VL burden, diagnosis, prevention and control from the year 1969 to 2014 were systematically reviewed from PubMed, Scopus, Medline and Google scholar sources during July 2015. Poor vector control strategies, limited diagnostic services, drugs, treatments and lack of community awareness are the most important challenges in VL control and elimination especially in endemic areas. Absence of highly sensitive and specific tests, lack of trained man power, and community awareness are the major challenges in VL control. Therefore, proper case diagnosis, community mobilization and launching of effective vector control strategies in endemic areas are vital.


Background: To investigate if acute pulmonary vasodilation by sildenafil improves right ventricular function in patients with acute intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism (PE).Methods: Patients with PE were randomized to a single oral dose of sildenafil 50mg (n=10) or placebo (n=10) as add-on to conventional therapy. Right ventricular function was evaluated immediately before and shortly after (0.5-1.5h) randomization by right heart catheterization (RHC), trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE), and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). The primary efficacy endpoint was cardiac index measured by CMR.Results: Patients had acute intermediate-high risk PE verified by computed tomography pulmonary angiography, systolic blood pressure of 135 ± 18 (mean ± SD) mmHg, increased right ventricular/left ventricular ratio 1.1 ± 0.09 and increased troponin T 167 ± 144 ng/L. Sildenafil treatment did not improve cardiac index compared to baseline (0.02 ± 0.36 l/min/m2, p=0.89) and neither did placebo (0.00 ± 0.34 l/min/m2, p=0.97).Conclusion: A single oral dose of 50 mg sildenafil did not improve cardiac index but lowered systemic blood pressure in patients with acute intermediate-high risk PE.Trial Registration: The trial was retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04283240) February 2nd 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04283240?term=NCT04283240&draw=2&rank=1


Abstract We have demonstrated a compact and efficient metasurface-based spectral imager for use in the near-infrared range. The spectral imager was created by fabricating dielectric multilayer filters directly on top of the CMOS image sensor. The transmission wavelength for each spectral channel was selected by embedding a Si nanopost array of appropriate dimensions within the multilayers on the corresponding pixels, and this greatly simplified the fabrication process by avoiding the variation of the multilayer-film thicknesses. The meta-spectral imager shows high efficiency and excellent spectral resolution up to 2.0 nm in the near-infrared region. Using the spectral imager, we were able to measure the broad spectra of LED emission and obtain hyperspectral images from wavelength-mixed images. This approach provides ease of fabrication, miniaturization, low crosstalk, high spectral resolution, and high transmission. Our findings can potentially be used in integrating a compact spectral imager in smartphones for diverse applications.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Failure in the eradication of H. pylori is a frequent occurrence. We assessed the effectiveness of a third-line, levofloxacin-containing, 10-day sequential treatment, in order to obtain eradication of H. pylori resistant patients in a clinical setting.

METHODS
One-hundred and nineteen consecutive patients with proven two consecutive failures in curing H. pylori infection, containing either clarithromycin, bismuth or levofloxacin, were prospectively assessed. All patients received a 10-day sequential therapy with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) plus amoxicillin 1 g for the first 5 days, followed by PPI, levofloxacin 500 mg and tetracycline 500 mg for the remaining 5 days (all twice daily). One month after conclusion of therapy, endoscopy was performed in those patients for whom the examinations were clinically relevant. The remaining patients were checked by ¹³C-urea breath test.

RESULTS
H. pylori eradication was obtained in 80 patients (per-protocol: 68.38%; on intention-to-treat: 67.23%). Twenty-nine patients (24.37%) experienced side-effects, but only two of them (1.68%) were withdrawn from the study.

CONCLUSION
A 10-day sequential triple therapy containing amoxicillin, levofloxacin and tetracycline seems to be effective and safe in curing resistant H. pylori infection.


ABSTRACT. The effects of prenatal cocaine use on quality of maternal-infant interactions were evaluated using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS). A total of 341 (155 cocaine using; 186 non-cocaine using) low socioeconomic, primarily African-American dyads were evaluated longitudinally at birth, 6.5, and 12 months. Group differences over time were examined, controlling for covariates, using a mixed-model linear approach. Women who used cocaine during pregnancy were less sensitive to their infants than non-cocaine-using women at 6.5 and 12 months. At 6.5 months, heavier prenatal cocaine users were less responsive to their infants than lighter users. In infants, prenatal cocaine exposure was related to poorer clarity of cues. There were no significant cocaine effects on maternal social-emotional growth fostering, cognitive growth fostering, or infant responsiveness to mother. Controlling for covariates, concentration of cocaine metabolites predicted maternal sensitivity to infant cues and infant clarity of cues at 1 year. Maternal cocaine use during pregnancy and other pre- and postnatal factors adversely affect maternal-infant interactions during the first year of life.


Plants and microorganisms, besides the climate, drive nitrogen (N) cycling in ecosystems. Our objective was to investigate N losses and N acquisition strategies along a unique ecosystem-sequence (ecosequence) ranging from arid shrubland through Mediterranean woodland to temperate rainforest. These ecosystems differ in mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperate, and vegetation cover, but developed on similar granitoid soil parent material, were addressed using a combination of molecular biology and soil biogeochemical tools. Soil N and carbon (C) contents, δ15N signatures, activities of N acquiring extracellular enzymes as well as the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi, and diazotrophs in bulk topsoil and rhizosphere were determined. Relative fungal abundance in the rhizosphere was higher under woodland and forest than under shrubland. This indicates toward plants' higher C investment into fungi in the Mediterranean and temperate rainforest sites than in the arid site. Fungi are likely to decompose lignified forest litter for efficient recycling of litter-derived N and further nutrients. Rhizosphere—a hotspot for the N fixation—was enriched in diazotrophs (factor 8 to 16 in comparison to bulk topsoil) emphasizing the general importance of root/microbe association in N cycle. These results show that the temperate rainforest is an N acquiring ecosystem, whereas N in the arid shrubland is strongly recycled. Simultaneously, the strongest 15N enrichment with decreasing N content with depth was detected in the Mediterranean woodland, indicating that N mineralization and loss is highest (and likely the fastest) in the woodland across the continental transect. Higher relative aminopeptidase activities in the woodland than in the forest enabled a fast N mineralization. Relative aminopeptidase activities were highest in the arid shrubland. The highest absolute chitinase activities were observed in the forest. This likely demonstrates that (a) plants and microorganisms in the arid shrubland invest largely into mobilization and reutilization of organically bound N by exoenzymes, and (b) that the ecosystem N nutrition shifts from a peptide-based N in the arid shrubland to a peptide- and chitin-based N nutrition in the temperate rainforest, where the high N demand is complemented by intensive N fixation in the rhizosphere.


Popularization of big data makes the enterprise need to store more and more data. The enterprise's database must access data as fast as possible, but RDB has the speed limitation due to the join operation. Many enterprises have changed to use NoSQL database which can meet the requirement of fast data access. However, there are more than hundreds of NoSQL databases. It is important to select a suitable NoSQL database for a certain enterprise because this decision will affect the performance of the enterprise operations. In this paper, 15 categories of NoSQL databases will be analysed to find out the characteristics of every category. Some principles are proposed to choose an appropriate NoSQL database for different types of enterprises.


The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of plasma potassium (K+) and minute ventilation (VE) during incremental cycling (20 W/2 min) under conditions of beta-adrenergic blockade (80 mg of propranolol) and placebo in six untrained male subjects. No significant differences existed between treatments in O2 uptake, CO2 production, blood lactate, pH, or VE during the submaximal work stages of incremental exercise common to both treatments (20-220 W). During exercise with beta-blockade, plasma K+ concentrations were found to be significantly elevated compared with control levels at every work stage except 20 W. Significant positive correlations between VE and plasma K+ were found during both beta-blockade (r = 0.99) and control conditions (r = 1.00). Although the high correlation between VE and K+ was not altered with beta-blockade, propranolol treatment resulted in a significant reduction in the slope of this relationship during incremental exercise (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that 1) beta-blockade decreases the VE-K+ relationship observed during exercise and 2) K+ stimulation of muscle afferents is not an important signal in the control of exercise ventilation.


This paper comments on nomenclature of the name Piceion excelsae of Pawlowski et al. (1928), which should be preferably referred using the form "Piceion excelsae Pawlowski ex Pawlowski et al. 1928". In the author's opinion, the definition of Recommendation 46D in the current International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (author citations with "ex") needs to be revised to define alternatively the difference in contrast to Recommendation 46C (author citations with "in"): to highlight the difference at the place and time of the valid publication of the name handled. The equally aged name "Fagetalia sylvaticae Pawlowski ex Pawlowski et al. 1928" is invalidly published. The oldest validly published homonym found should be ascribed to Walas (1933).


Small Molecule Activation by Metalloporphyrin Complexes Isolated in Metal-Organic Frameworks Audrey Theresa Gallagher Contained in the following dissertation are detailed investigations regarding the thermodynamics of small molecule activation by metalloporphyrin complexes isolated within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Chapter 1 provides a description of the role metalloporphyrin complexes play in biological systems and the challenges associated with studying small molecule activation by metalloporphryin sites in both the protein's native structure as well as molecular model complexes. This chapter culminates with a description of how an alternative material platform, a MOF, offers the opportunity to access species that have confounded isolation and thorough investigations in molecular form. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the study and characterization of low-coordinate metalloporphyrin O2 adducts featuring iron and cobalt, respectively. Importantly, these results provide the first structurally-characterized five coordinate Fe–O2 and Co–O2 porphyrin species, further highlight the importance of axial ligation in biological O2 transport and storage, and demonstrate the ability of a MOF to enable isolation and study of species that are highly unstable in molecular form. Chapter 4 employs the same approach to isolate a four-coordinate manganese(II) porphyrin complex and examine its reactivity with O2 using a myriad of characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction experiments reveal for the first time a peroxomonaganese(IV) porphyrin species, which exhibits a side-on, η binding mode. Further, quantification of the interaction of O2 with manganese(II), iron(II), and cobalt(II) porphyrin complexes demonstrate that O2 binding 4 enthalpy increases with increasing reductive capacity of the M/ redox couple. Chapter 5 details the comprehensive characterization of highly-labile carbonyl adducts of cobalt porphyrin complexes. Importantly, this work provides the first crystallographic characterized example of a noniron first-row transition metal porphyrin complex. The combination of these four chapters provides not only key biological insight regarding the thermodynamics of small molecule activation by metalloporphryin centers, but also, unprecedented characterization, particularly in the form of single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, of species that have only been observed transiently in molecular form. Chapters 6 and 7 suggest next directions in the form of potential synthetic-pathways that can lead to the isolation and study of reactive metalloporphyrin complexes capable of carrying out group atom transfer chemistry. The combination of the results reported herein demonstrate that the sequestration of metalloporphyrin moieties within the solidstate architecture of MOFs provides access to a wide a range of novel coordination complexes.


In this study, we present new field and chronological data from 2 antique quarries of marmor troadense (Kestanbol quartz-monzonite) in northwestern Turkey. Marmor troadense has been mined and the building stones have been exported all over the Mediterranean region since approximately 2500 years ago. Analysis of 11 samples from the quarried bedrock for cosmogenic 10Be showed that the landscape is so old that the inheritance obscured the absolute dating of the operation periods. Nonetheless, 14C analysis of 4 charcoal samples from the sediments covering the ruins of Alexandria Troas indicated that these quarries stopped operating no later than 395 AD. These lines of evidence are in accordance with the results of field mapping. First, we mapped Kestanbol quartz-monzonite in detail and prepared a detailed geoarchaeological map of the quarrying activity in this area. We estimated the excavated amount of rock in 2 quarries to be >750 m3 and identified 60 columns of granite and other building stones. Our findings suggest a gross budget of approximately 150 million euros for the quarry operations in this region based on present costs. Various operation periods of this large economy, if present, still remain to be uncovered.


The theory of petroleum migration by molecular solution and a hot, deep origin of petroleum has been criticized because: (1) solubilities of crude oil in water of 10,000 ppm (1 weight percent) are needed to form petroleum deposits, and these solubilities have not been demonstrated; and (2) the geologic long-term thermal stability of petroleum at temperatures above 200°C has not been demonstrated. End_Page 9-------------------------- Oil solubility in water has been studied as a function of temperature (100 to 400°C), pressure (100 to 30,000 psi), salinity (0 to 250,000 ppm NaCl), gas composition (CO2, CH4, and N2), and solute boiling-point composition. Petroleum solubilities of as much as 10 weight percent were measured under conditions simulating great depths in petroleum basins. These experiments showed that oil solubility in water increased with both increasing temperature and the presence of gases, and decreased with increasing pressure and increasing salinity above 20,000 ppm. Organic geochemical analysis of shales from 20,000 to 30,000 ft wells (6,000 to 9,000 m) shows that C15+ hydrocarbons survive at these depths (present temperatures above 200°C), and are locally abundant (1,000 to 3,000 ppm). Analyses of metamorphic rocks show hydrocarbons persisting into the low-temperature metamorphic facies. Experimental diagenesis of heavy-petroleum fractions for periods as long as 90 days shows that thermal-cracking reactions quickly reach a state of apparent equilibrium. Over these time periods no further increase occurs in cracking products at temperatures of 350 to 375°C in water-wet, closed, high-pressure systems. Such conditions probably occur at depth in petroleum basins. Similar past experiments on oils, kerogens, and asphalts ave given similar results. These field and experimental data imply that the concept of a low-temperature thermal destruction of hydrocarbons should be reexamined. Based on solubility and thermal stability data for hydrocarbons, mass balance calculations show that if primary petroleum migration is the result of molecular solution, it must occur in the range of 300 to 350°C. These high temperatures require very deep burial or short-term heating events that result in temporarily high subsurface temperatures. Water and hydrocarbons exist at great depths in sedimentary basins. The very high solubility of oil in water at the temperatures corresponding to these depths and the expulsion of deep-basin pore fluids along faults result in the formation of petroleum deposits. Of all the currently available hypotheses, the model of a hot, deep origin and migration of petroleum by molecular solution is the one most consistent with all of the facts observed and related to the occurrence of oil. End_of_Record - Last_Page 10--------


Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were used to study the thermal and electrical properties of the (1−x)CsHSeO4-xKHSeO4 binary system in the concentration range x = 0.0 – 0.7. The sample CsHSeO4 was prepared using Cs2CO3 and H2SeO3 (Aldrich), by a solution technique, followed by a slow evaporation at room temperature in presence of CaCl2. For the KHSeO4 sample, we used K2CO3 and H2SeO3 (Aldrich) following the same procedure. Pure CsHSeO4 (x = 0.0) shows three endothermic anomalies at around 80, 130 and 172°C, respectively. The three anomalies of CsHSeO4 are affected by the KHSeO4 content, specially the second anomaly which tends to disappear as the KHSeO4 content increases. The TGA curves show that all the samples start to lose weight above 120°C, indicating possible dehydration reactions similar to those found in alkaline acid salts, phosphate and sulphates that may explain the highly proton-conducting phases found in these compounds at high temperatures, which reached values of the order of 10 (Ω·cm).


The intravenous administration of dextrose solution has become popular both as a preoperative and as a postoperative therapeutic measure. In addition to supplying the body with the necessary fluids in cases of dehydration, dextrose solution also supplies food that is readily utilized. A hypertonic solution of dextrose is an excellent diuretic, and therefore is of value in the prevention and treatment of cerebral edema. Dextrose solution is useful in the treatment of shock, and by virtue of its caloric value it tends to prevent and combat the development of acidosis. Largely owing to the work of Thalhimer, 1 the combination of dextrose and insulin in the treatment of nondiabetic acidosis became popular. The use of this combination was continued for a considerable period of time, but within recent years it is the tendency among most clinicians not to use insulin but to administer dextrose alone. Dextrose is usually employed in


Cost of Colic Surgery (USA) The cost of colic surgery in the USA varies considerably between clinics, probably for reasons related to wealth of the clientele and value of horses in the practice area. Colic surgery in most clinics is the second most expensive surgery after repair of long bone fracture, and for good reason. It places enormous demands on personnel, time and resources, and is a life-saving procedure. Although costs of surgery and anesthesia can be standardized to some extent, the cost of aftercare is less predictable and can be altered considerably by development of complications. Complications increase cost through increased nursing care, technician salaries, prolonged treatment with antibiotic and other drugs, repeated laboratory analyses, and high-volume fluid therapy. Additional surgery, such as repeat celiotomy or repair of incisional complications, increases the cost considerably. Because none of these can be anticipated in most cases, a critical part of case management is complete discussion of expected and unexpected costs with the client. Clients need to understand that investment of money far in excess of the horse's worth does not ensure a successful outcome from colic surgery, once difficult complications develop.


OBJECTIVE
Post-9/11 Veterans endorse greater self-reported functional disability than 80% of the adult population. Previous studies of trauma-exposed populations have shown that increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms are consistently associated with greater disability. Additionally, poorer cognitive performance in the domain of executive functions, particularly inhibitory control, has been associated with disability, though it is unclear if this effect is independent of and/or interacts with PTSD and depression.

METHOD
Three overlapping samples of n = 582, 297, and 183 combat-deployed post-9/11 Veterans completed comprehensive assessments of executive functions, PTSD and depressive symptoms, and self-reported World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule-II (WHODAS II).

RESULTS
Poorer performance on measures of inhibitory control (Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning System Color-Word Interference-CWI Test and gradual-onset Continuous Performance Test-gradCPT), but not other executive functions, were significantly associated with greater disability on the WHODAS II (ρ's = -.13 and -.13, p = .002 and .026, respectively). CWI inhibitory control measures accounted for unique variance in disability after controlling for PTSD and depressive symptoms (R2 change = 0.02, p < .001). Further, CWI significantly moderated the effect of depressive symptoms on disability, such that better inhibitory control weakened the relationship between depression and disability.

CONCLUSIONS
Inhibitory control deficits are uniquely associated with increased disability in combat-deployed post-9/11 Veterans, and better inhibitory control abilities may serve as a protective factor for depressive symptoms leading to increased disability.

KEY POINTS