This descriptive study was conducted to determine relationship between child rearing and child nutritional status during the first year of life. A total of 4,245 children born between July 2000 and June 2002 were enrolled consecutively base on The Prospective Cohort of Thai Children. 60 twin infants and 35 dead and abnormal children (including one of twin infant) were excluded. Then, the remaining 4,151 children were conducted for data analysis. The statistics was used by Chi- square tests and Multiple Logistic Regressions were used for identifying influential predictor and child nutritional status (underweight, stunting and wasting) at the first year of age. The finding shows that 8.3% of the children were underweight (weight for age), 9.5% of the children were stunting (height for age) and 5.7% of the children were wasting (weight for height) according to WHO reference. After adjusting the potential confounding factors, this study found that the most significant risk factors related to all three child nutritional status such as underweight, stunting and wasting (AOR= 10.07, 95% CI= 2.87-35.28), (AOR= 4.49, 95% CI= 1.16-17.39), (AOR= 3.94, 95% CI= 1.241-12.49) were birth weight respectively. In the final model for child stunting status was control of sleeping time by using rational style (AOR=1.839, 95%CI, 0.585-5.781). For wasting status, it was the mother who did not playing a doll with the children (AOR= 2.090, 95%CI, 0.520-8.394) and care taker who control of sleeping time of the children by using rational style related to underweight status (AOR= 4.714, 95% CI= 1.163-19.097) were strongest factor (p-<0.05). This study indicated that child rearing style at age 6 months among this population effect to nutritional status for children at first year of life. Therefore, health policy and education regarding to child rearing pattern toward among parental in Thailand is needed.


Background: Nocardiosis is a rare and potentially life-threatening infection caused by several species of the Nocardia genus. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a rapid and new method to clinically identify relevant Nocardia species. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of Nocardia species is essential for the treatment of severe infections and prevention of cerebral abscess. Methods: One hundred and eighty patients, 103 (57.22%) male and 77 (42.78%) female, with severe symptomatic pulmonary infection were studied in the course of a 12 -month period in D r. Shariati Teaching Hospital affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2010 . The specimens were cultured and identified using microbiological and biochemical tests. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to directly identify the organism in the broncoalveolar lavage samples collected from the patients. NG1 and NG2 primers were used to amplify a Nocardia genus-specific 598 -bp fragment of 16S r RNA . Results: Nineteen samples (10.56%) were positive with PCR and 5 samples (2.78%) with conventional methods. All samples with positive cultures were also positive by PCR . Conclusion: The results of this study showed that PCR has a high sensitivity and accuracy for the detection of Nocardia compared with culture and biochemical tests. Considering the rapidity, precision, high sensitivity and specificity of molecular techniques, use of these techniques is suggested in conjunction with conventional methods for the detection of Nocardia phenotypes in clinical laboratories and research centers. Abstract


Purpose: We live in the knowledge age, a new era which is likely to have a radically different outlook and entail a new business compass to traverse. The world is changing fast which is crucial to the success of firms in the rapidly changing setting of the knowledge era. Success in today's global, interconnected economy springs from the fast efficient exchange of information. Methodology: The development and practice of Knowledge Management (KM) is continuously and dramatically increasing in organizations. The current study examines that nature of the relationship between various variables of knowledge management in management studies departments in colleges at Tiruchirappalli district, Tamilnadu. The study with an aim of providing a unified framework for understanding the above-mentioned knowledge-based concepts relate to each other. Findings: The embryonic acquaintance knowledge management practices in management education considered three dimensions: (1) Knowledge Gathering (2) Knowledge Creation and (3) Knowledge Diffusion. In the light of the importance of KM in organizations, particularly in continuously changing scenario, we seek how KM practices are relevant in the context of management education institutions. Recommendations: Here it is an attempt to examine the factors affecting KM.


In 1915 I reported1six instances of destruction of the tendon of the long head of the biceps. This destruction occurred between the region of the humeral tuberosities and the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. In five of these cases, the destruction of the tendon was complete and was accompanied by destructive changes in the capsule of the shoulder joint, on the acromion and the humeral tuberosities, in the glenoid cavity, on the head of the humerus, in the acromioclavicular joint, and even on the internal surface of the deltoid itself. In one case, the sixth, considerable portions of the articular capsule and the entire lesser tuberosity also were destroyed. Yet in this case, the tendon of the long head was only displaced anteriorly and downward, lying along the anterior margin of the glenoid cavity and then passing to the intertubercular sulcus, which it reached a centimeter distal to


Air traffic control procedures, skills, and systems have co-evolved over decades in a design process involving controllers, programmers, and paper/electronic technologies. Tangible interaction combined with augmented reality is well suited for supporting ATC. Developing these systems is challenging yet feasible. Tangible augmented interactors should be conceived of as continuous physical/virtual artifacts.


Sedimentary logs form the foundation of many studies of ancient and modern sedimentary successions. In siliciclastic settings in particular, vertical grain-size trends are important records of past depositional processes and environments, so that they are recorded with care and are often central to final interpretations. It is rare for the actual grain size to play a similar role. Yet there is significant value in (i) digitizing sedimentary logs to produce statistical grain-size data and (ii) the deliberate study of grain size, a process described here as "grain-size bookkeeping." To illustrate this, over 5.9 km of sedimentary logs have been digitized from the Miocene to Pliocene paleo–Orinoco delta, the Cretaceous Ferron Last Chance and Notom deltas, and the Jurassic Ravenscar Group. The digital data reveal how grain size partitions into distinct sedimentary facies, proximal-to-distal changes, changes related to stratigraphy and base level, and the overall grain size of paralic systems. It emerges that fluvio-distributary channels are the coarsest-grained sediment bodies in each of the studied systems. The coarsest material does not reach the shoreline, though the grain sizes of fluvio-distributary channels and shoreline sand bodies overlap, in accordance with the concept that the former feeds the later. By contrast, overbank sediments are relatively fine-grained, suggesting that, with the exception of channel belts, coarse sediment can largely bypass the delta plain. Grain-size changes occur across some key stratigraphic surfaces, but not consistently so. Channels in valleys are, on average, coarser than similar channels in unconfined systems, but, in the presented datasets, valleys do not contain the coarsest channels. The data have also allowed the analysis of down-system fining rates in ancient, sandy fluvio-distributary systems, with grain size being measured to decrease at rates ranging from 0.7 to 7.7 μm/km—values that compare favorably with modern rivers. Such large-scale trends are ornamented by, and link to, smaller-scale spatial changes associated with, for example, channel bars, crevasses, and mouth bars, and an initial dataset of associated fining rates has been collected. In general, very large systems (rivers) have low fining rates because of their great size, whereas the converse is true for small systems, especially if the grain size range is large. Consideration of downstream fining rates has led to the insight that avulsion initiates an unequal race to the shoreline. Suspended very fine sand and silt is likely to reach the shoreline with the avulsion flood waters, but bedload will advance far more slowly, perhaps too slowly to reach the shoreline before the river avulses again. Some avulsions may lead to notable temporal variations in the caliber of sediment supplied to shorelines. As expected, the largest system, the paleo-Orinoco, is the finest grained. The Ferron deltas have catchment areas 12 and 22 times smaller than the Orinoco, and are the coarsest grained. Remarkably, though their catchment areas differ by a factor of two, they have almost identical sand grain-size distributions. The data have also proved powerful in refining paleogeographic reconstructions, in particular suggesting "missing" depositional elements needed to complete local sediment routing systems. Careful tracking of grain size is also beneficial in that it is a key control on permeability, the description of which is crucial to the prediction of subsurface fluid flow.


Total plasma insulin as measured by radioimmunoassay can be divided into at least two distinct components by gel fitration. One component is indistinguishable from crystalline pancreatic insulin (insulin component); the second component more closely resembles proinsulin (proinsulin-like component). The proinsulin-like component may be heterogenous in different disease states. Differences in gel filtration properties have been demonstrated between islet cell tumor patients and nontumor patients. The percentage proinsulin-like component is highest in the basal state; acute stimulation of insulin release predominantly increases the concentration of the insulin component with a resultant decrease in the percentage proinsulin-like component. The same dynamics are seen both in islet cell tumor patients who have high percentages of proinsulin-like component and in nontumor patients. In severely hypoin-sulinemic patients, the percentage proinsulin-like component increases regardless of the etiology of the hypoinsulinemia.


A fertigation trial was carried out over two growing seasons in 2001/2002 (wet summer) and 2002/2003 (wet spring) in an apple orchard plot (Braeburn variety) located in the central south region of Chile. The orchard was established in 1991 and two subsections were selected for evaluations, each with M-111 and seedling rootstocks. Four sampling points were selected in each sector and each one was composed of two trees, selected by statistical chemical soils uniformity. At harvest in each growing season 40 fruits per sample point were collected, and their peel and pulp were analyzed. Additionally, 40 fruits per sample point were stored for 60 days in cool storage to evaluate bitter pit incidence. Results indicated that neither the yield nor nutritional concentration of tissues were not affected by rootstocks. In peel, N, P, Ca and Mg highest content, and B lowest content were obtained during 2001/2002. On pulp, K, Mg and B highest content and P lowest content were obtained during 2002/2003. A high incidence of Bitter pit was observed during the second growing season. Results obtained suggest a seasonal incidence on fruits nutritional content, which would affect their post harvest quality


Freely decaying quasi-2D turbulence under the influence of a meridional variation of the Coriolis parameter f (β effect) is experimentally and numerically modelled. The experimental flow is generated in a rotating electromagnetic cell where the variation of f is approximated by a nearly equivalent topographical effect. In the presence of a high β effect, the initial disordered vorticity field evolves to form a weak polar anticyclonic circulation surrounded by a cyclonic zonal jet demonstrating the preferential transfer of energy towards zonal motions. In agreement with theoretical predictions, the energy spectrum becomes peaked near the Rhines wave number with a steep fall-off beyond, indicating the presence of a soft barrier to the energy transfer towards larger scales. DNS substantially confirmed the experimental observations.


We can apply both fixed and random effects models to multi‐regional clinical trial (MRCT) design and data analysis. Thoroughly, understanding the features of these models in an MRCT setting will help assessing their applicability to an MRCT. In this paper, we discuss the interpretations of trial results from these models. We also evaluate the impact of the number of regions and the sample size configuration across the regions on the required total sample size for the overall treatment effect assessment. For quantifying treatment effects of individual regions, the empirical shrinkage estimator and the James–Stein type shrinkage estimator associate with smaller variability compared with the regular sample estimator. We conduct computation and simulation to compare the performance of these estimators when they are applied to assess consistency of treatment effects across regions. We use a multinational trial example to illustrate the application of these methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: A reference set of data of normal values of newly developed cardiopulmonary parameters of exercise testing in an 8-18-year-old population is lacking. Patients and methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed in 175 healthy school children (8-18 years old). Continuous electrocardiography was performed, and minute ventilation, oxygen uptake (VO2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) production were measured continuously with a respiratory gas analysis system. Results: Peak VO2/kg did not change with age, whereas the ventilation to carbon dioxide exhalation slope was lower in the older children. The decline in heart rate during recovery was much faster in the youngest children. Linear regression analysis showed a significant effect of age on: peak work rate (WRpeak) and WRpeak/kg, ventilation to carbon dioxide exhalation slope, heart rate recovery, and VO2peak (boys only) (All P < 0.001). The ΔVO2/ΔWR slope remained constant throughout all age groups. Conclusion: This study comprehensively provides a reference set of data for the most important cardiopulmonary variables that can be obtained during exercise testing in children.


ABSTRACT Type strains of 407 species of bacteria are listed, 59 neotype strains are proposed for approval, and 137 reference (working) strains are proposed. In each case a history of the strain is given; the name of the culture was which the original culture was deposited, together with the catalogue number assigned by the original depository and in general the catalogue number of the strain assigned by one or more culture collections are also given. Upon publication, designations of type strains are official unless challenged. Proposals of neotype strains require approval by the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Bacteriological Nomenclature. The names of the species designated as types and those proposed as neotypes and reference strains are listed below:


abstract:During World War II, the University of California College of Agriculture (now the University of California, Davis) was closed and transformed into the Western Signal Corps School, a radar and radio training school for the US Army. This article analyzes the militarized past and present at the University of California (UC) Davis through our "Militarized Arboretum Walking Tour." The tour comprises multiple stops through the university's Arboretum botanical garden and central campus. By combining archival materials with situated observations on natural and built environments, participants examine how militarized and colonial systems, landscapes, and legacies impact and reflect ordinary life beyond the spectacle of the battlefield or wartime. We analyze how our walking tour, as a historical geographic method, offers participants novel ways of understanding and analyzing local and global, historical and present, issues of "everyday militarism." We focus particularly on how the tour "unsettles" the campus environment undergraduate students encounter as a quotidian living and working space, and offer both direct student reflections and our own pedagogical insights on walking tours as an engaged strategy to teach both the local and transnational history of US empire.


The mycelial growth speed of Pleurotus ostreatus (POS 09/100) and Lentinula edodes (LED 96/13) was evaluated in four substrates based on Simarouba amara sawdust, Anacardium giganteum sawdust, Euterpe precatoria seeds and Musa sp. AAB stems. The loss of organic matter of the substrates and the mycelial vigor of the strains studied were also evaluated. The greatest mycelial growth for P. ostreatus occurred in the substrates formulated with S. amara sawdust (29.45 cm 3 /day) and A. giganteum (27.58 cm 3 /day). The best performance for L. edodes occurred in the substrate of A. giganteum (13.22 cm 3 /day), followed by the S. amara (11.30 cm 3 /day). The most intense rates of vigor were presented in the E. precatoria substrate which was added with brans. The most significant loss of organic matter for both mushrooms occurred in the substrate formulated with a supplement of A. giganteum (54% for P. ostreatus and 61% for L. edodes). There was no mycelial growth in the formulation prepared with banana stem in both mushrooms tested.


We study again the phenomenon of charge fractionalization at finite temperature. Our calculations are done in a framework in which the connection between the induced fermion number and the chiral anomaly is manifest. We find that the fractional fermion number induced on a soliton decreases as temperature rises and vanishes at infinite temperature at one-loop level. These results are consistent with previous studies. As an application of our approach, we have also studied the behavior of the induced Chern-Simons term in the ($2+1$)-dimensional QED at finite temperature.


In this paper, we propose Spatio-TEmporal Progressive (STEP) action detector—a progressive learning framework for spatio-temporal action detection in videos. Starting from a handful of coarse-scale proposal cuboids, our approach progressively refines the proposals towards actions over a few steps. In this way, high-quality proposals (i.e., adhere to action movements) can be gradually obtained at later steps by leveraging the regression outputs from previous steps. At each step, we adaptively extend the proposals in time to incorporate more related temporal context. Compared to the prior work that performs action detection in one run, our progressive learning framework is able to naturally handle the spatial displacement within action tubes and therefore provides a more effective way for spatio-temporal modeling. We extensively evaluate our approach on UCF101 and AVA, and demonstrate superior detection results. Remarkably, we achieve mAP of 75.0% and 18.6% on the two datasets with 3 progressive steps and using respectively only 11 and 34 initial proposals.


After a time of overstated diet prescriptions nowadays the individual nutrition of the patient with ulcer with a diet of high quality is striven for. Such a diet must guarantee the intake of an adequate quantity of calories, with regard to the main nutrient media protein, fats and carbohydrates it must be well composed and must meet the requirements of minerals, vitamins and fluid. The diet shall be varied, and more frequent smaller meals are to be recommended.


A series of bulky phosphines containing substituted biphenyl, 2-methylnaphthyl, or 2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene moiety were prepared. They were used in the preparation of new monophosphine-palladium(0)-dvds complexes, which were employed as catalysts for the selective telomerization of 1,3-butadiene with methanol to obtain 1-methoxyocta-2,7-diene (1-MOD), the key intermediate in the Dow 1-octene process. Several ligands showed improved selectivity and yield compared to that of the benchmark ligand PPh(3). Especially 2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthen-4-yl-diphenylphosphine (4, "mono-xantphos") stands out as an excellent ligand in terms of yield, selectivity, and stability.


Modeling of indoor air flow is one subject of significance in the area of building physics. As a multidisciplinary issue, the physics of air flow has been insufficiently investigated, especially for the thermally stratified flows that is widely encountered in indoor environment, and for the perimeter zones where exterior environment contributes much to the indoor thermal environment through envelops. This article tries to do an extensive survey about how to model thermally stratified flows within the RANS framework based on a literature review. First, turbulence phenomenon with the indoor thermally stratified flow is briefly interpreted. Second, the nonisotropic modification of Reynolds stress and heat flux is analyzed and the direct vertical correction is suggested to keep the simplicity of traditional EVM/EDM. Finally, a simpler nonisotropic correction is discussed, which adapts turbulent diffusion to the attenuated turbulence through modifying the isotropic turbulent viscosity and/or turbulent Prandtl number. This study, based on a limited but in-depth literature review, intends to sum up some useful suggestion on the modeling of indoor thermally stratified flows on the principles of simplicity and reliability. The motivation and objective of the present work is to achieve some fundamental guidelines for the evaluation of existing models and the exploration of new models.


IMPORTANCE Facial paralysis remains one of the most challenging conditions to effectively manage, often causing life-altering deficits in both function and appearance. Facial rehabilitation via pacing and robotic technology has great yet unmet potential. A critical first step toward reanimating symmetrical facial movement in cases of unilateral paralysis is the detection of healthy movement to use as a trigger for stimulated movement. OBJECTIVE To test a blink detection system that can be attached to standard eyeglasses and used as part of a closed-loop facial pacing system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Standard safety glasses were equipped with an infrared (IR) emitter-detector unit, oriented horizontally across the palpebral fissure, creating a monitored IR beam that became interrupted when the eyelids closed, and were tested in 24 healthy volunteers from a tertiary care facial nerve center community. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Video-quantified blinking was compared with both IR sensor signal magnitude and rate of change in healthy participants with their gaze in repose, while they shifted their gaze from central to far-peripheral positions, and during the production of particular facial expressions. RESULTS Blink detection based on signal magnitude achieved 100% sensitivity in forward gaze but generated false detections on downward gaze. Calculations of peak rate of signal change (first derivative) typically distinguished blinks from gaze-related eyelid movements. During forward gaze, 87% of detected blink events were true positives, 11% were false positives, and 2% were false negatives. Of the 11% false positives, 6% were associated with partial eyelid closures. During gaze changes, false blink detection occurred 6% of the time during lateral eye movements, 10% of the time during upward movements, 47% of the time during downward movements, and 6% of the time for movements from an upward or downward gaze back to the primary gaze. Facial expressions disrupted sensor output if they caused substantial squinting or shifted the glasses. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our blink detection system provides a reliable, noninvasive indication of eyelid closure using an invisible light beam passing in front of the eye. Future versions will aim to mitigate detection errors by using multiple IR emitter-detector units mounted on glasses, and alternative frame designs may reduce shifting of the sensors relative to the eye during facial movements.


1974 Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is currently the most sensitive method for trace DNA adduct detection. AMS measures an isotope ratio, commonly 14 C: 13 C, rather than radioactive decay, to determine the concentration of labelled compound in a sample. At present, analysis of DNA adducts in humans by AMS entails the administration of 14 C-labelled compounds prior to adduct detection. We are developing a 14 C-postlabelling technique, involving incorporation of radiolabel into DNA adducts after isolation, enabling detection of the very low levels of adducts formed in humans by AMS, without the need to administer a 14 C-labelled compound. O 6 -MedG is a strongly mutagenic lesion formed by a variety of alkylating agents and although the repair enzyme ATase is present in human tissues, cellular concentrations can be low. For these reasons, O 6 -MedG was chosen as the DNA adduct for which to develop a 14 C-postlabelling procedure. Initially methods were developed for the derivatisation of 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG) and O 6 -methyl deoxyguanosine (O 6 -MedG) with unlabelled acetic anhydride, resulting in tri-acetylated products, which were isolated and verified by HPLC and mass spectrometry. Reactions were carried out with increasingly lower concentrations of O 6 -MedG and detected by HPLC with UV detection and LC-MS, to establish that the reaction was viable at increasingly lower adduct levels, resulting in detection limits of 1 nmole and 10 fmoles respectively. O 6 -MedG was acetylated with 14 C-acetic anhydride by adapting the established methods. In contrast to previous results, separating the reaction products by HPLC revealed that the major reaction product was 14 C-di acetyl O 6 -MedG. This labelled standard was used to determine the limit of detection by liquid scintillation counting as 745 fmoles of adduct. 14 C-Di acetyl O 6 -MedG was injected onto the HPLC system and one-minute fractions were collected. The fractions corresponding to the labelled adduct were analysed by AMS to produce a calibration line which confirmed a linear relationship between the actual amount of adduct and that measured by AMS over the concentration range examined. The theoretical limit of detection was found to be 128 attomoles. In order to validate and demonstrate the application of this assay in the detection of adducts, DNA was methylated with 3 H-methyl nitrosourea. The DNA was digested and separated by HPLC to isolate 3 H-O 6 -MedG, which was then subjected to the postlabelling procedure to ensure that the adduct can be isolated pure from other methyl adducts and is not degraded during any stage. In summary, a 14 C-postlabelling assay has been successfully developed for the detection of low levels of O 6 -MedG and based on the sensitivity achieved, could be applied to the quantitation of adducts in human samples.


The pharmaceutical preparation, chromatography, and biological distribution of a series of new chemical analogs of palmitic acid and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or diethylenetriamine are described. The biological distribution in rabbits 30 min after intravenous administration of these 99mTc-labeled and 57Co-labeled derivatives was compared to the biological distribution of the parent compound, 3H-palmitic acid. The average myocardial uptake for these compounds was 0.04%/g, compared to 0.15%/g for palmitic acid. The heart to blood ratio at 30 min reached a maximum of 3:1 for the best physiological analog of palmitic acid, compared to an average of 30:1 for palmitic acid. Although none of these analogs appears to be clinically useful, their production methods might be applicable to the synthesis of new compounds that might increase the specificity of radiopharmaceuticals.


BACKGROUND
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a pivotal role in inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. However, its molecular function and role in gastrointestinal diseases has rarely been studied and thus warrants an in-depth investigation. This study was designed and conducted to determine MIF expression in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastritis and the effect of H. pylori on MIF expression in monocytes in vitro.

METHODS
Gastric specimens of 62 patients with chronic gastritis were obtained through endoscopic biopsies. Both gastric antrum and body were examined for histopathologic changes. Positive H. pylori was determined through rapid urease test and histopathological examination. A patient was classified as H. pylori positive if both tests showed positive results. The updated Sydney System was employed to assess the severity and activity of gastric inflammation. Double immunoassaying for MIF/T-cells (CD45RO) and MIF/macrophage (KP1), as well as in situ hybridization for the expression of MIF mRNA were used for the current analysis. THP-1, a monocyte cell line, was co-incubated with H. pylori strains (ATCC26695) and subsequently examined for the expression of MIF protein and mRNA by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and retrospective transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively.

RESULTS
Among 62 patients with chronic gastritis, significant increase in total T-cells, MIF+ T-cells, total macrophages, MIF+ macrophages and MIF mRNA+ cells was observed in 42 H. pylori positive patients compared to H. pylori negative patients. Moreover, the increase of the MIF mRNA+ cells was highly correlated with the severity of the disease (number of MIF mRNA+ cells/mm(2), mild: 2834 +/- 382, moderate: 3569 +/- 123, severe: 3881 +/- 118, P < 0.01). In vitro results showed that the expression of MIF protein and mRNA in monocytes was significantly increased after incubation with H. pylori strains.

CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of MIF is common in H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation, which suggests MIF may play an important role in the initiation and development of this disease.


In general, computed tomography (CT) scanning methods for CT image acquisition include axial scanning methods, helical scanning methods and cine scanning methods. Many studies have reported the usefulness of four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) scanning for the planning of four-dimensional radiation therapy. On the contrary, no study has reported the reproducibility of 4D CT images for the above-mentioned scanning methods. Therefore, in this study, a phantom that could be moved independently was manufactured, and this manufactured phantom was applied in the same way as in the 4D CT method. Scanning was then performed using the three methods so that the reproducibility of the image could be compared and analyzed. The study used a self-manufactured drive phantom and a respiration-gated drive motor to reproduce movements in the upward/downward directions and in the top/bottom directions. Markers were placed on the drive motor, and a radiopaque material (localizer) was attached to allow positional marking on the marker for the differentiation of movement when performing CT. The top/bottom movement when using the self-manufactured drive phantom was fixed at 1.3 cm (16 times/1 min), and the upward/downward movement was fixed at 0.2 cm (8 rot/1 min) by using a respiration-gated drive motor. After each movement had been fixed, images were taken with axial, helical and cine scanning for the three methods of CT. A radio-opaque material attached to the marker to indicate movement was compared and analyzed by using radiation treatment planning (RTP) equipment to ensure volume reproducibility. The study results revealed that the total volume of the marker was 88.2 cm3, and when a 3-cm shift in the top/bottom directions and a 0.3-cm shift in the upward/downward directions were taken into account, the total volume was 184.3 cm3. By CT scan type, the total volume was 135 cm3 for axial scanning, 164.9 cm3 for helical scanning and 181.7 cm3 for cine scanning. Regarding the reproducibility of movement, the cine scan depicted the marker much better than the other scans did. In addition, the reproducibility of the radiopaque material attached to the marker was better for the cine scan.


ABSTRACT Neoechinorhynchus bullocki n. sp. is described from Catostomus commersonii Lacépède, 1803, from the Otsego Lake watershed, central New York State. Neoechinorhynchus bullocki differs from other catostomid-infecting species in body size and shape, proboscis armature, and characteristics of the male reproductive system. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and the large ribosomal subunit (28S) were also used to distinguish this new species. Neoechinorhynchus bullocki is the sixth species of Neoechinorhynchus to be reported from C. commersonii and the seventh species of the genus with a dorsal body wall considerably thicker than the ventral body wall. It is the 34th species of Neoechinorhynchus to be described from fishes of North America. In contrast to many of its congeners, N. bullocki was found to have a strict (i.e., oioxenous) level of host specificity based on an extensive fish parasite survey that took place in New York State over a 10-yr period and included the examination of the intestines of more than 1,800 fish from the fish families Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, Cyprinidae, Esocidae, Ictaluridae, and Percidae.


The experimental work to destroy a sample of a by-product of the autoclave production of artificial quartz crystals in an experimental sandblasting plant was carried out. The scheme and installation parameters are indicated. Ill. 3. Ref. 4. Tab. 1.


Bicarbonate and nitric oxide levels are important humoral factors in the blood and are affected by the human body's physical condition. There are few reports, however, on changes in blood bicarbonate and nitric oxide levels during exercise and rest. Since urinary bicarbonate and nitric oxide metabolites reflect the levels of bicarbonate and nitric oxide in the blood, we studied circadian changes in 6 female athletes by monitoring their urinary pH and their levels of urinary bicarbonate and nitric oxide metabolites. Measurements were taken during exercise, rest and sleep. Six female athletes participated in a 3-day team handball training camp where they followed a schedule of exercise, rest and sleep. Urinary samples were collected immediately before and after handball training, at bed-time and upon waking. The urinary pH and levels of urinary bicarbonate and nitric oxide metabolites, including nitrite and nitrate, were examined with a blood gas analyzer and a NOx analyzer. The samples collected after handball training, as compared to the samples taken before exercise, showed a decreased pH, a decrease in levels of bicarbonate and little change in NO metabolites. During rest, urinary bicarbonate, NO metabolites and pH increased markedly in all 6 subjects. The levels of urinary bicarbonate, NO metabolites and pH significantly decreased upon waking. This study took into account the subjects' various physiological conditions when considering the significance of their changes in urinary bicarbonate, NO metabolites and pH during the 3 day handball training program. There were significant circadian changes in the urinary pH, and in the levels of urinary bicarbonate and nitric oxide metabolites, in the athletes involved in the exercise, rest and sleep program at team handball camp.


BACKGROUND
We assessed vaccine effectiveness (VE) for RotaTeq (RV5; 3 doses) and Rotarix (RV1; 2 doses) at reducing rotavirus acute gastroenteritis (AGE) inpatient and emergency department (ED) visits in US children.

METHODS
We enrolled children <5 years of age hospitalized or visiting the ED with AGE symptoms from November 2009-June 2010 and from November 2010-June 2011 at 7 medical institutions. Fecal specimens were tested for rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay and genotyped. Vaccination among laboratory-confirmed rotavirus cases was compared with rotavirus-negative AGE controls. Regression models calculated VE estimates for each vaccine, age, ethnicity, genotype, and clinical setting.

RESULTS
RV5-specific analyses included 359 rotavirus cases and 1811 rotavirus-negative AGE controls. RV1-specific analyses included 60 rotavirus cases and 155 rotavirus-negative AGE controls. RV5 and RV1 were 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78%-88%) and 70% (95% CI, 39%-86%) effective, respectively, against rotavirus-associated ED visits and hospitalizations combined. By clinical setting, RV5 VE against ED and inpatient rotavirus-associated visits was 81% (95% CI, 70%-84%) and 86% (95% CI, 74%-91%), respectively. RV1 was 78% (95% CI, 46%-91%) effective against ED rotavirus disease; study power was insufficient to evaluate inpatient RV1 VE. No waning of immunity was evident during the first 4 years of life for RV5, nor during the first 2 years of life for RV1. RV5 provided genotype-specific protection against each of the predominant strains (G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G12P[8]), while RV1 VE was statistically significant for the most common genotype, G3P[8].

CONCLUSIONS
Both RV5 and RV1 significantly protected against medically attended rotavirus gastroenteritis in this real-world assessment.


Ahorizontal wellpoint has been constructed to supply irrigation water to a golf course froma coastal dune sands aquifer. The sourceprovides the required quantities with relatively limited drawdown compared with what would beexpected from a conventional vertical wellpoint system. Pumping test data have been analysed using a curve fitting method based on parabolic isochrone curves. The resulting values for the aquifer characteristics fall within their anticipated range.


Novel positively charged organic–inorganic hybrid ultrafiltration membranes with adjustable charge density were fabricated from blends of water soluble poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and methylated N-(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzyl) chitosan (TMBC) in combination with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) silica precursor by the sol–gel method and precipitation in a mixture of methanol and water (80 wt%:20 wt%). The porous hybrid membrane morphologies, structures, charge and surface properties were characterized comprehensively using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode, outer surface zeta potential and contact angle measurements. The results confirmed that the fabricated membranes were porous, hydrophilic and mildly charged in nature. The water flux and flux recovery ratio (i.e. protein fouling resistance) of the membranes were highly dependent on the fraction of TMBC. The protein transmission as a function of pH and the fraction of TMBC was studied for two model proteins (ovalbumin; OVA and lysozyme; LYZ) and found to be controlled by size exclusion and the membrane charge density (controlled by the fraction of TMBC). The highest transmission of proteins at their isoelectric points was obtained for the membrane with 40 wt% of TMBC. The best separation of LYZ from OVA in the model mixture solution was obtained at pH = 11 when membrane A-40 was used in ultrafiltration of protein solution at 2 bar applied transmembrane pressure.


The recent Eurozone debt crisis has witnessed sharp decouplings in cross-country bond yields without commensurate shifts in relative fundamentals. We rationalize this phenomenon in a model wherein countries with different fundamentals are on different equilibrium paths all along, but which become discernable only during bad times. Key ingredients are cross-country differences in the volatility and persistence of fiscal revenue shocks combined with asymmetric information on country-specific fiscal shocks. Differences in the cyclicality of fiscal revenues affect the option value of borrowing and resulting default risk; unobservability of fiscal shocks makes bond pricing responsive to market actions. When tax revenues are hit by common positive shocks, no country increases net debt and interest spreads stay put. When a common negative revenue shock hits and is persistent, low volatility countries adjust spending while others resort to borrowing. This difference signals a relative deterioration of fiscal outlooks, interest spreads jump and decoupling takes place.


OBJECTIVE
To describe an approach to sleep apnea for family physicians based on a review of current practice limitations for Canadian family physicians, validated risk prediction tools, and ambulatory sleep apnea technologies.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Published epidemiologic studies focused on family practice management of sleep apnea, clinical practice guidelines, risk prediction tools for sleep apnea, randomized controlled treatment trials, and the author's community practice audit. Evidence was levels I, II, and III.

MAIN MESSAGE
Sleep apnea is commonly encountered in family practice, but many family physicians are unfamiliar with sleep medicine. The pretest probability of sleep apnea can be accurately predicted using any one of several simple risk prediction tools. Screening for other common sleep disorders is important, especially when the pretest probability of sleep apnea is low to intermediate; one-third of sleep apnea patients have additional sleep disorders. The use of home-based rather than laboratory-based diagnostic testing and treatment titration is controversial, but the former setting is often used when referral access is limited.

CONCLUSION
There are several tools that allow family physicians to make accurate sleep apnea risk assessments. There is growing evidence to guide home- versus laboratory-based diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea.


Cholera is endemic in Mozambique and, together with other diarrheic diseases, is a major cause of infant death. There are yearly outbreaks in the northern provinces. The last major review of cholera in the country was published in 2013, but there have been major events since then, such as the 2015 outbreak in central and northern Mozambique and others in the following years. Plenty of related information were shared during the XVI National Health Journeys, 17-20 September 2018, in Maputo City. This chapter aims to summarize and discuss the most relevant information on cholera from the journeys, and other recent publications, in order to update the information from the latest major review. Regarding etiology, new strains of V. cholerae irradiating from several areas have been replacing the original from the Indian subcontinent. Water and sanitation are major challenges but, in some instances, sociocultural features play a significant role in people's reluctance to use untreated water, even when they have access to potable sources, and mistrust toward government interventions. Vaccination campaigns seemed effective but there is a need to promote more adherence and collaboration from people at risk, perhaps by involving more the local government and religious and traditional authorities.


How did South Asian societies rebuild their economies following natural disasters? Based on five episodes from colonial India, this article suggests that between the mid-nineteenth and the mid-twentieth century, the response to disasters changed from laissez-faire to more state intervention. Despite this change, post-disaster rebuilding was complicated by unspecified rights to lost property, conflicting claims to property, asymmetric information between aid-givers and receivers, conflicts between agencies, lack of cooperation between gainers and losers, and in some of these examples, clashes between the colonial state and nationalist organisations.


The impact of cytogenetic findings in AML was analyzed in the large population-based Swedish AML
registry. Karyotypic patterns differed by age: t(8;21), inv(16) and t(11q23) were more common in younger patients,
whereas loss of 5q, 7q and 17p, monosomal karyotype (MK) and complex karyotype (CK) were more common in
older patients. Patients with ≥5 chromosome abnormalities had worse overall survival than those with fewer
abnormalities or normal karyotype in all age groups. Loss of 5q, 7q and/or 17p had, in contrast to MK, a further
negative impact on survival. Multivariable analyses on risk factors in patients <80 years with cytogenetic
abnormalities and intensive treatment revealed that age and performance status had the most significant impact
on survival (both P<0.001), followed by sex (P=0.0135) and a karyotype including -7/del(7q) (P=0.048).
We compared outcome of AHD-AML and tAML, i.e., secondary (sAML) with de novo AML. The CR rates were
significantly lower but early death rates similar in sAML vs de novo AML. In a multivariable analysis, AHD-AML
(HR 1.51; 95% CI 1.26–1.79) and tAML (1.72; 1.38–2.15) were independent risk factors for poor survival. The
negative impact of AHD-AML and tAML on survival was highly age dependent with a considerable impact in
younger patients, but without independent prognostic value in the elderly.
The frequencies of unsuccessful cytogenetics (UC) and unperformed cytogenetics (UPC) were 2.1% and 2.0%,
respectively. The early death rates differed between the cytogenetic subgroups (P=0.006) with the highest rates in
patients with UC (14%) and UPC (12%) followed by high-risk (HR) AML, intermediate risk (IR) and standard risk
(SR) cases successfully karyotyped (8.6%, 5.9%, and 5.8%, respectively). The CR rate was lower in UC and UPC
and HR compared with the other risk groups (P<0.001). The 5-year OS rates were 25% for UC and 22% for UPC,
whereas the corresponding frequencies for SR, IR and HR AML patients without UC and UPC were 64%, 31%
and 15%, respectively. Lack of cytogenetic data translates into a poor prognosis.
To ascertain the clinical implications of high hyperdiploid (HH; 49–65 chromosomes) and triploid/tetraploid (TT;
>65 chromosomes) adult AML diagnosed 1997-2014, and 68 (1.9%) were HH (n=50)/TT (n=18). The OS was
similar between patients with HH/TT and CK AML (median 0.9 years vs. 0.6 years; P=0.082), whereas OS was
significantly longer (median 1.6 years; P=0.028) for IR AML. The OS was shorter for cases with HH than with TT
(median 0.6 years vs. 1.4 years; P=0.032) and for HH/TT AMLs with adverse abnormalities (median 0.8 years vs.
1.1 years; P=0.044). HH/TT AML is associated with a poor outcome, but chromosome numbers >65 and absence
of adverse aberrations seem to translate into a more favorable prognosis.
Also, among 23 patients (0.4 %) with trisomy 13 with a median age of 72 years (44-84), there was a striking male
predominance (80%) with AML-M0 subtype in 37% of patients. Therapy-related AML and MDS/MPN/AML were
present in 30% of patients. Median OS time was 9.6 months (95 % CI (3.5-13.7), and 13 months for other patients
(95% CI 11.7-14.04), which was almost identical as in previously published studies.


Individuals who are motivated to find a romantic partner do not only have to detect desirable mating options, but also have to prevent becoming committed to attractive but unpromising contacts. We thus propose that an acquisition of highly positive evaluations of already romantically committed opposite-sex others is prevented by self-regulatory processes. In two experiments, positive evaluative conditioning (EC) effects were obtained for facial photos (CSs) of other opposite-sex singles when these pictures were paired with positive trait adjectives or odors (USs). In line with our hypothesis, however, this positive EC effect did not obtain for faces of other persons who were presented as being already involved in a romantic relationship. The results demonstrate that the acquisition of positive attitudes during mate searching is modulated by self-regulatory processes that inhibit the emergence of futile commitments.


Bayesian nonlinear system identification for one of the major classes of dynamic model, the nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input (NARX) model, has not been widely studied to date. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods have been developed, which tend to be accurate but can also be slow to converge. In this contribution, we present a novel, computationally efficient solution to sparse Bayesian identification of the NARX model using variational inference, which is orders of magnitude faster than the MCMC methods. A sparsity-inducing hyper-prior is used to solve the structure detection problem. Key results include: 1) successful demonstration of the method on low signal-to-noise ratio signals (down to 2 dB); 2) successful benchmarking in terms of speed and accuracy against a number of other algorithms: Bayesian LASSO, reversible jump MCMC, forward regression orthogonalization, LASSO, and simulation error minimization with pruning; 3) accurate identification of a real world system, an electroactive polymer; and 4) demonstration for the first time of numerically propagating the estimated nonlinear time-domain model parameter uncertainty into the frequency domain.


We study the dynamics of the phase behavior of a polymer blend in the presence of shear flow. By adopting a two fluid picture and using a generalization of the concept of material derivative, we construct kinetic equations that describe the phase behavior of polymer blends in the presence of external flow. A phenomenological form for the shear modulus for the blend is proposed. The study indicates that a nonlinear dependence of the shear modulus of the blend on the volume fraction of one of the species is crucial for a shift in the stability line to be induced by shear flow.


. We show that the mixed discriminant of n positive semidefinite n × n real symmetric matrices can be approximated within a relative error > 0 in quasipolynomial time, provided the distance of each matrix to the identity matrix in the operator norm does not exceed some absolute constant γ 0 > 0. We deduce a similar result for the mixed discriminant of doubly stochastic n -tuples of matrices from the Marcus - Spielman Srivastava bound on the roots of the mixed characteristic polynomial. Finally, we construct a quasi-polynomial algorithm for approximating the sum of m -th powers of principal minors of a matrix, provided the operator norm of the matrix is strictly less than 1. As is shown by Gurvits, for m = 2 the problem is # P -hard and covers the problem of computing the mixed discriminant of positive semidefinite matrices of rank 2. 1


COVID-19 patients suffer from the detrimental effects of cytokine storm and not much success has been achieved to overcome this issue. We sought to test the ability of selenium to reduce the impact of two important cytokine storm players: IL-6 and TNF-α. The effects of four selenium compounds on the secretion of these cytokines from THP-1 macrophages were evaluated in vitro following an LPS challenge. Also, the potential impact of methylseleninic acid (MSeA) on Nrf2 and IκBα was determined after a short treatment of THP-1 macrophages. MSeA was found to be the most potent selenium form among the four selenium compounds tested that reduced the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by THP-1 macrophages. In addition, an increase in Nrf2 and decrease in pIκBα in human macrophages was observed following MSeA treatment. Our data indicate that COVID-19 patients might benefit from the addition of MSeA to the standard therapy due to its ability to suppress the key players in the cytokine storm.


BACKGROUND
Preclinical data and adult studies have showed an endogenous regeneration process following brain damage that involves mobilization of progenitor cells. This process is not well described in preterm neonates. The present study aims to investigate the mobilization of Circulating Progenitor Cells (CPCs) and their relation to biomarkers of brain injury in preterm neonates.

METHODS
This is a prospective cohort study of preterm infants with gestational age (GA) <34 weeks. Serial cranial ultrasounds scans were performed in all neonates. Brain injury was defined by the presence of intraventricular hemorrhage grade III/IV, cystic periventricular leukomalacia or infarct. Peripheral blood samples were collected from all neonates on days(d) 1, 3, 9, 18 and 45 of life for the measurement of levels of CPCs [early and late Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs), Haematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) and Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs)], Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE), S100b, Erythropoietin (EPO) and Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 (SDF-1) .

RESULTS
Ten out of the 23 preterm infants included in the study developed brain injury; the remaining thirteen infants served as controls. In the brain injury group a significant increase of HSCs (d9, d45), early EPCs (d3, d9, d18) and late EPCs (d1, d3, d9, d18, d45) was observed compared to controls. VSELs on d45 were significantly higher in controls. S100b on d1, EPO on d1, SDF-1 on d3 and NSE on d18 were significantly increased in the brain injury group. Moreover, CPCs were significantly related to S100b, NSE, EPO and SDF-1 levels at multiple time points.

CONCLUSIONS
The observed pattern of CPCs mobilization and its association with biomarkers following brain injury in preterm neonates indicate the existence of an endogenous brain regeneration process. Enhancement of this process with exogenous progenitor cell transplantation might be a powerful therapeutic strategy to restore brain damage and improve the neurodevelopmental outcome in premature infants. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (2):141-147.


Designing long-term monitoring (LTM) networks for contaminated groundwater is a challenging problem that has long been recognized to suffer from the curse of dimensionality. LTM design problems are challenging multiobjective problems that have discrete decision spaces that grow exponentially as the different types of measurements, their locations, and sampling rates are considered. The scaling challenges of LTM network design problems have been discussed in the water resources literature for more than 30 years. Since the late 1990's, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have shown promise for providing approximately optimal LTM network designs for problems of limited size and complexity. However, recent studies have highlighted that currently available algorithms do not consider that sampling decisions are often correlated due to contaminant plume structure. Current Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms(MOEAs) have at best displayed quadratic computational scaling, which means that as the number of sampling decisions ( l ) increases linearly, the number of design evaluations required to optimize the problem grows at least quadratically - O(l ²). This work is focusing on the development of a next generation MOEA that can learn and exploit the physical linkages between decision variables in LTM design applications with the goals of providing more robust performance for increased problem sizes. The proposed MOEA is termed the Epsilon-Dominance Hierarchical Bayesian Optimization Algorithm (e-hBOA). e-hBOA has been tested relative to the best known traditional MOEA, the Epsilon-Dominance Non-Dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm II (e-NSGAII) for solving a four-objective LTM problem. A comprehensive performance assessment of the e-NSGAII and various configurations of the e-hBOA have been performed for both a 25-well LTM design test case (a relatively small problem with over 33 million possible designs), and a 58-point LTM design test case (a much larger problem with over 2.88 x 10 17 possible designs). The results from this comparison indicate that the model building capability of the e-hBOA greatly enhances its performance relative to the e -NSGAII, especially on large LTM design problems.


The aim of this paper is to inform the ongoing debate on the policies being used to encourage international technology transfer (ITT) and, of these, which have the potential to distort trade or investment and which may effectively promote ITT. The paper develops a first-cut approach to cataloguing ITT-related measures across countries. Following the literature, technology transfer-related policies are grouped into six categories: 1) absorptive capacity policies; 2) measures related to intellectual property rights (IPR); 3) FDI promotion measures; 4) FDI restrictions and FDI screening; 5) performance requirements; and 6) investment incentives. A list of regulatory questions about measures in place is devised for the four categories 3 through 6 on which information is currently particularly scarce. Summary results are presented for twenty four developing and developed countries which are important actors in global FDI, technology and product markets. The findings of the literature addressing both the impact of these measures on technology transfer and on market competition are summarised for each of the four policy categories. The paper also explores the extent to which various ITT measures are covered by existing international agreements, with a view to helping inform future approaches. The concluding section elaborates on policy implications.


Background Considering the importance of updating information about incidence and mortality of common or fatal cancers and the need for studying the effectiveness of changes in the Iranian cancer registration system from pathological based to population based since 2007, the aim of this study was to provide updated population based information on incidence and mortality rates of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers in south of Iran , and also to provide basic data for investigating the performance of population based cancer registration system in these regions.
Methods This study was a review of population based data of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers in Fars province during 2008-9.We estimated Age Standardized Incidence and Mortality Rates (ASIRs and ASMRs), truncated ASIRs and ASMRs for each cancer using direct age standardization based on Iran's population and also based on the standard population of world.Finally, considering poison distribution, we calculated standard error of incidenceand mortality rates.
Results Adjusted incidence rates of esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum cancers(per 100,000) and their standard error were 2.56(0.0092), 9.99(0.0182),4.85(0.0127) and 1.56(0.0072) in males; and 1.60(0.0072), 4.66 (0.0123),3.24(0.0103) and 0.93(0.0055) in females respectively. These values for ASMRs per 100000 were 0.94(0.0056), 11.54(0.0195), 2.46(0.009), 0.34(0.0033) for men, and 0.51(0.004), 4.21(0.0117), 1.54(0.0071) and 0.41(0.0037) for women.
Conclusion Incidence and mortality rates of esophagus cancer in southern regions of Iran were less than the national average. We also clarified that stomach and colorectal cancers were the most important digestive cancers in this area.


The proposed MOSAIC first-generation instrument for the ELT is a multi-object spectrograph utilising a combined MOAO and GLAO system. With 8 separate wavefront sensors (4 LGS and 4 NGS), and 10 separate deformable mirrors, in addition to the ELT M4 mirror, MOSAIC represents one of the most challenging ELT instruments for real-time control, using a total of approximately 65,000 slope measurements to control approximately 26,000 actuators with a 250 Hz LGS frame rate. The proposed modular design of real-time control system to be used with MOSAIC is presented. This is based on the Durham AO Real-time Controller (DARC), and uses 12x Intel Xeon Phi nodes (6U rack space, approx 2.5 kW under load) to obtain the required performance. We describe the prototyping activities performed at Durham, including estimates of AO system latency and jitter. The design challenges are presented, along with the techniques used to overcome these. The full modular architecture is described, including the system interfaces, control and configuration middleware, telemetry subsystem, and the hard real-time core pipeline. One benefit of our design is the ability to simultaneously test different AO control algorithms, which represents a significant opportunity for automatic optimisation of AO system performance. We discuss this concept, and present an artificial neural network solution for machine learning, which can be used to automatically improve MOSAIC performance with time. Algorithms that can be optimised in this way are discussed, include pixel calibration and processing techniques, wavefront slope measurement routines, wavefront reconstruction techniques and associated parameters, and temporal filtering methods, including vibration control. The hardware design for the real-time control system is presented, including an overview of the network architecture, the interconnections between computational nodes, and the method by which all pixels from all 8 wavefront sensors are processed concurrently.


If subduction zone earthquakes conform to a characteristic model, in which persistent segments fail at predictable stress levels due to the steady accumulation of tectonic loading, historical seismicity may constrain the occurrence of future events. We test this model for earthquakes on the Sumatra‐Andaman megathrust and other subduction zones using frequency‐magnitude distributions. Using simulations, we show that Poisson confidence intervals correctly account for the counting errors of histogram data. These confidence intervals demonstrate that we cannot reject the Gutenberg‐Richter distribution in favor of a characteristic model in any of the real catalogues tested. A visual bias in power‐law count data at high magnitudes, combined with a sample bias for large earthquakes, is sufficient to explain candidate characteristic events. This result implies that historical earthquakes are likely poor models for future events and that Monte Carlo simulations will provide a better assessment of earthquake and associated hazards.


A SNOOP Diagnostic Module for FASTBUS is under development at SLAC. The SNOOP Module resides on a FASTBUS crate segment and provides diagnostic monitoring and testing capability. It consists of a high-speed ECL front-end to monitor and single-step segment operations, a simple master interface, and a control processor with two serial communication ports. Module features and specifications are summarized, and prototype hardware is shown.


We develop the Berger Check Symbol Prediction and report the performance benefit for the realisation of practical concurrent error detection systems. Furthermore, we show that the Berger coded Braun array multiplier can not only achieve the objective for detecting unidirectional faults but analysis has indicated an inherent ability of this prediction technique for error detection beyond the scope for which it was originally intended. In fact the coding provides error detectability for single and multiple stuck at faults. Further study suggests the performance of the Berger check prediction Braun array multiplier tends towards 100% error detectability for increasing input bit length and array dimensions. The Berger check predictive Braun array multiplier has introduced a high level of concurrent error detectability with only a minimal extension in the hardware implementation.


Tinerfeñ a breed goats were assigned to 2 experimental herds and milked once (n = 28) or twice (n = 24) daily to study correlations between udder morphology, milk yield, and milking ability during the middle stage of the first lactation. Pearson correlation coefficients were significantly higher between yield and measures of udder globulousness (udder volume, r = 0.79 and r = 0.59; perimeter of insertion of the udder, r = 0.47 and r = 0.37; distance between teats, r = 0.77 and r = 0.28, for goats milked once and twice daily, respectively) than for length parameters (cistern floor distance, r = 0.40 and r = -0.29; udder depth, r = -0.20 and r = 0.20). The globulousness of the udder was correlated with easier milking ability, as shown by milk fractioning (r = 0.49 to 0.70) and milk flow measures (r = 0.32 to 0.49). The results showed that the globulousness of the udder is more important than length measurements in assessing milk yield and milking ability.


The electrochemiluminescence (ECL) behavior of N-(aminobutyl)-N-(ethylisoluminol)/hemin dual-functionalized graphene hybrids (A-H-GNs) and luminol-functionalized silver/graphene oxide composite (luminol-AgNPs-GO) was investigated under cyclic voltammetry and pulse potential. It was found that A-H-GNs and luminol-AgNPs-GO exhibited excellent ECL activity. On this basis, a label-free ECL aptasensor for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) detection was developed based on bilayer structure of luminescence functionalized graphene hybrids consisting of A-H-GNs and luminol-AgNPs-GO. First, positively charged chitosan-coated A-H-GNs were modified on the surface of indium-doped tin oxide electrode by simple dripping and drying in the air; after that, the modified electrode was immersed in negatively charged luminol-AgNPs-GO modified with aptamer (apta-biotin-SA-luminol-AgNPs-GO) to form apta-biotin-SA-luminol-AgNPs-GO/CS-A-H-GNs/ITO electrode (i.e., aptasensor) by electrostatic interaction. In the presence of TNT, a remarkable decrease in ECL signals was observed due to the formation of aptamer-TNT complex. TNT could be detected based on the inhibition effect. The aptasensor exhibits a wide dynamic range from 1.0 × 10(-12) to 1.0 × 10(-9) g/mL, with a low detection limit of 6.3 × 10(-13) g/mL for the determination of TNT, which is superior to most previously reported bioassays for TNT. Moreover, the proposed aptasensor has been successfully applied to the detection of TNT in environmental water. It is sensitive, selective, and simple, avoiding complicated labeling and purification procedures. Due to the wide target recognition range of aptamer, this strategy provides a promising way to develop new aptasensor for other analytes.


CBCT is an important tool in image guided radiation
therapy. With the existing reconstruction methods, however, various
artifacts arise in the image, which are caused by under-sampled
projection data, large-area detector, and/or presence of metal
implants in patients. This dissertation addresses issues for
improved CBCT image quality and clinical decision making. In
practical CBCT systems, a circular trajectory is commonly used to
acquire projections and reconstruct the volume. However, incomplete
data might be collected in a short scan either because of
mechanical constraint or dose reduction consideration. In such
situation, FDK algorithm cannot provide an accurate image due to
the theoretical limitation. In this dissertation, an iterative
optimization using prior knowledge and rigid image registration is
proposed to handle the limited angle reconstruction problem. The
algorithm is derived based on the prior image constrained
compressed sensing (PICCS) framework. The proposed algorithm is
experimentally validated and compared with PICCS algorithm and
demonstrates superior reconstruction accuracy. Large-area flat
panel detector induces more scatter, which results in cupping and
shading artifacts in the images. Various scatter correction methods
have been proposed to reduce the artifacts from both hardware and
software sides, but still suffer clinical applicability. In this
dissertation, a single-scan scatter correction method using
periphery scatter detection and compressed sensing technique is
proposed and tested. The algorithm integrates the scatter
measurement/reconstruction and projection acquisition into one scan
with simple design of boundary lead blockers. It shows effective
scatter artifacts reduction ability as well as promising practical
usage for the existing CBCT systems. The presence of metals in
patients may cause streaking artifacts in x-ray CT, which has long
been recognized as a problem that not only limits the quality of CT
images, but also makes dose calculation in radiation therapy
planning problematic. In this dissertation, a method for binary
reconstruction of metal objects is proposed to serve as the first
step of metal artifacts reduction. The boundaries of metallic
objects are obtained by using a penalized weighted least-squares
algorithm with the adequate intensity gradient-controlled. A series
of experimental studies are performed to evaluate the proposed
approach, and show that when the projection data are sparse, a
non-linear manipulation of projection data can greatly facilitate
the binary reconstruction process to achieve accurate binary CT
images.


INTRODUCTION: Fracture of the clavicle constitute approximately up to 44% of injuries to the shoulder girdle most of which (upto 80%) occur in the middle one-third of clavicle shaft. Poor outcomes associated with mal-union and non-union (15%) following middle third clavicle fracture has been observed after conservative treatment of severely displaced fractures. In past few years, many have suggested operative treatment as an alternative to conservative treatment. AIM: To analyze the outcomes of the operative management using plate to fix mid-shaft fractures compared to conservative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 33 patients of clavicular fractures were treated conservatively (n=17) and surgically (n=16) according to fracture pattern and patient demands between June 2011 to June 2013 with 1 year of followup. Fractures were classified according to Robinson's classification and Constant and Murley shoulder score was used to access functional outcome. All patients were followed up weekly for 4 weeks then at 8 wks, 12 wks, 6 months and 1 year. Local examination, shoulder movements were assessed and check x-rays were done at each visit. RESULT: Our study showed statistically significantly better union time in operative group (~7.8 weeks) compared to conservative group (~9.4 weeks). Malunion was seen in 11 (64.7%) of conserved patients with 1 (5.8%) going into non-union. 81.5% patients in operative group (13 out of 16) had good to excellent functional outcome compared to 58.8% in conservative group (10 out of 17). 4 (23.5%) had poor outcome in conservative group compared to only 1 (6.25%) in operative group. CONCLUSION: Our study concludes that operative treatment i.e. Open reduction and internal fixation with plating gives better functional outcome in both short and long term period compared to conservative treatment and the same should be preferred especially for type B variety fracture. Complications seen following surgery were infection (1 patient – 6.25%), implant failure (1 patient – 6.25%) and implant prominence (11 out of 16 patients – 68.7%). However none of the patients agreed for implant removal in view of implant prominence for cosmetic reason at 1 year follow-up.


Myers's methodology for enantioselective amino acid synthesis was employed to prepare the N-Boc didehydroleucine amide derivative 15 and to effect its conversion into the acylfuran intermediate 17. Coupling of 19 (R = H) with N-(isooctanoyl)serine provided the furan-based analogue 4 of eponemycin (de = 96 %), a peptide epoxide with potent cytotoxic and anti-angiogenesis properties. In an identical fashion the corresponding unsaturated analogue 5 of eponemycin was prepared (de = 48 %). (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003


Famotidine, a histamine H2 receptor antagonist is absorbed only in the initial part of gastro intestinal (GI) tract and has less bioavailability. Hence the drug was formulated as gastro-retentive drug delivery systems in the form of mucoadhesive microspheres to prolong its residence time in the stomach and improve its absorption. The microspheres of famotidine were prepared by emulsification-ionic gelation technique using mucoadhesive polymers such as Sodium Alginate, Carbopol 934P and HPMC in different ratios. All the formulations were subjected to particle size and shape analysis, drug content, in vitro mucoadhesion evaluation and in vitro drug release studies. Encapsulation efficiency was found to be in the range of 75.95 – 86.76 %. Formulations containing Carbopol 934P showed mucoadhesion for a period of more than 8h. Drug release decreased with increase in mucoadhesive polymer content in the microspheres. Among the formulations, for two different polymer combinations, F2 and F4 showed maximum drug release in a sustained fashion at the end of 7 h and 8h respectively with superior mucoadhesion. The rate of drug release follows zero order kinetics. Stability studies for a period of 8 weeks did not show appreciable changes with respect to particle size and drug content.


OBJECTIVES
To examine the frequency and clinical presentation of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients who do not exhibit overt clinical vascular manifestations. To assess whether differences exist between this group of patients and the rest of biopsy-proven GCA patients.

METHODS
Retrospective study of biopsy-proven GCA patients diagnosed from 1981 through 2001 at the single hospital for a well-defined population of almost 250,000 people. Patients were considered as having no evident vascular involvement if cranial ischemic manifestations or other vascular complications of GCA were not present at the time of diagnosis or during at least 12 months' followup.

RESULTS
Between 1981 and 2001, 210 patients from the Lugo region of northwest Spain were diagnosed with biopsy-proven GCA. Eleven patients did not show overt vascular manifestations of GCA. Nine of them presented with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and another 2 fulfilled criteria for fever of unknown origin. Patients without clinically evident vascular involvement had a significantly longer delay to diagnosis than those with vascular manifestations. Also, PMR manifestations were more frequently observed in this group of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Biopsy-proven GCA without clinically evident vascular involvement is not exceptional. Despite having a longer delay to diagnosis, these patients constitute a more benign subgroup of GCA.


The many different oncological concepts of gene therapy can be classified into three major groups. These include immunopotentiation, compensation of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene alterations, and suicide gene strategies. Gene marker studies and the transfer of drug resistance genes to normal cells have also shown to be of some importance in oncology. Although there is no clear demonstration of the efficacy of gene therapy so far, it will most likely become part of the therapeutic armamentarium of oncologists within the next two to three decades.


The deep 1evel transient spectroscopy of GaN heteroepitaxial layers grown on sapphire was studied. The samples were Mg doped during the growth. The as-grown material is n-type. It becomes p-type after annealing. The samples were measured in the temperature range from 77 K to 420 K. In n-type GaN, one peak (EG1) with activation energy 0.75 eV was detected. In p-type, at 1east three peaks were observed: AS1 at temperature about 300 K and AS2, AS3 at about 400 K. The dominating one is AS3. It has an activation energy about 1.1 eV.


The management requires a hospital organization to provision their costs/expenses with tools that approximate reality. The task of measuring productivity can be complex and uncertain, several methods are tested and the use of the DRG has been efficient, being used to assess the productivity through clinical outcomes. Cross-sectional study evaluated 145.710 hospitalizations in the period 2012-2014, using the DRG methodology for measuring productivity from the median length of hospitalization. When we group all hospitalizations in clinical (37.6%) and surgical (62.4%), multiple analyzes could be made according to this criterion. The DRG as a tool for prediction of hospital days is an effective alternative, thereby contributing to the control of productivity that directly influences the costs of hospital expenses and product and service quality.


The magnetically frustrated spin ice family of materials is host to numerous exotic phenomena such as magnetic monopole excitations and macroscopic residual entropy extending to low temperature. A finite-temperature ordering transition in the absence of applied fields has not been experimentally observed in the classical spin ice materials Dy2Ti2O7 and Ho2Ti2O7. Such a transition could be induced by the application of pressure, and in this work we consider the effects of uniaxial pressure on classical spin ice systems. Theoretically we find that the pressure induced ordering transition in Dy2Ti2O7 is strongly affected by the dipolar interaction. We also report measurements on the neutron structure factor of Ho2Ti2O7 under pressure, and compare the experimental results to the predictions of our theoretical model.


Microflora dynamics analysis of the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of sunflower plant genotypes: varieties, hybrid, line was set out. It was found that the number of major ecological and trophic groups of microorganisms in rhizosphere and rhizoplane of sunflower depends on genotypic features of agriculture populations and transpiration of root exometabolites that determine the development and activity of trophic groups of microorganisms. Throughout the growing season of sunflower (the phase of "4-6 leaves" to the maturation phase) we observed the qualitative changes in the composition of the microbiota. In the rhizosphere of hybrid, the microcenosis structure was the most stable, whereas the rhizosphere of crop culture had different dynamics during crop ontogeny. The depressive effect of root exometabolites was connected with genotypic features of the line regards the microflora of rhizosphere and rhizoplane. These features can be used in the F 1 hybrids cultivation and primary seed production of self-pollinated homozygous lines.


This study was designed to adopt in vitro embryo production (IVP) protocol using abattoir ovary. Ovaries were collected from local abattoir; cumulus-oocyte-complexes (COCs) were aspirated from 3 to 8 mm diameter follicles using a 10 ml disposable syringe attached with a 21G needle. The COCs were selected based on morphological characteristics and selected COCs were transferred into in vitro maturation (IVM) medium for 22 to 24 hrs. The matured COC were fertilized in vitro (IVF) using fresh semen capacitated through incubation with heparin sodium salt (20 μg/ml). After IVF, the presumed denuded zygotes were cultured in in vitro culture medium-I (IVC-I) for 3 days. After 3 days, the ≥8 cell embryos were transferred into IVC-II medium until day 8 of embryonic development (day 0: day of IVF). Cleavage and blastocyst development rates were evaluated at day 3 and day 7. The maturation rates of COC were examined through detection of first polar body and cumulus cell expansion. Results showed that 74.16 ± 5.49% of the total immature COCs were matured as detected by the presence of first polar body. The diameter of matured COC was 2.21 times higher than that of the immature COC. Moreover, about 64.30 ± 6.71% COC showed full expansion of their cumulus cell. The cleavage rate of presumed zygotes was 62.05 ± 7.07%. Among the cleaved embryos, 26.67 ± 11.78%, 10.84 ± 6.13%, 22.51 ± 9.57% and 39.98 ± 5.25% embryos were at 2-, 4-, 8- and 16 to 32-cell embryonic stages, respectively at day 3. Blastocyst development rates were 14.95 ± 4.39%. This study inferred that the BLRI adopted culture system supports development of bovine embryo in vitro . Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2016. 45 (1): 31-35


This study discusses ethical issues related to decisions about end-of-life care. The decision making process in clinical bioethics was selected as a basis for the study. Additionally, criteria for assessing and adopting positions on end-of-life issues were analyzed, including the necessity of including (or their substitutes), family members and healthcare practitioners in the decision making-process, in an atmosphere where respect for autonomy – with all its nuances and limitations – plays a key role.


Information technology in the business world has great potential to further improve sales charts, as well as improve efficiency and quality of service to customers. PT.X is one of the areas of the business of buying and selling electronic goods that has developed its business by creating a website to facilitate the process of buying and selling products since 2019. Since the establishment of the website until now there has never been an evaluation of the usability of the system on the website. This study aims to evaluate the usability level of PT.X with the usability testing method based on two usability attributes (effectiveness and efficiency). The method used is usability testing with SIO 9241-11 standard and Performance Measurement technique. As for this study, 10 respondents were used to undergo a task scenario in usability testing. The results of the usability testing of the PT.X website got an effectiveness level of 69% and efficiency as much as 61% where these values can be classified into bad and not bad status. After getting the results from usability testing, the researcher makes recommendations for improvements which are later expected to be used as a reference to increase the level of effectiveness and efficiency of the PT.X website.


The establishment of market economy in Russia could not be put before the society a number of new problems, the most important of which is the problem of competitiveness of domestic enterprises. This is primarily due to the fact that one of the factors of the modern Russian market is its openness to foreign producers. Competitive rivalry between them is particularly acute, because any consumer in the open market faces a choice – to use the products the particular manufacturer or seller. Therefore, domestic companies to strengthen their market position of the sphere of service is necessary to solve the problem of production not only from the viewpoint of improvement of production options based on the use of advanced technology, but also mutually acceptable conditions of organizational-economic interaction in the system of «production-consumption» services. The concept of «conditions of organizational and economic cooperation» in each case may be by a variety of contractual rates, payment terms, etc. This approach allows to develop sustainable production and economic systems that operate on mutually benefi cial terms and effi ciently as separate elements and the system as a whole.


Background Loss of bone mass is frequently identified in cirrhosis, leading to fragility fractures and significant morbidity. The pathogenesis is not completely elucidated. Objectives The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of bone loss in cirrhotic patients and identify risk factors. Methods Bone mineral density (BMD) was performed in patients with cirrhosis seen in our department in 2011, by X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at both lumbar spine and femoral neck sites. Other diseases disturbing the bone density were excluded. Osteopenia was considered if T score < -1.5 DS and osteoporosis if T-score <-2.5 DS. We collected clinical data including risk factors for bone mass loss and nutritional status. Results Fifty patients with cirrhosis were included. They were 28 males and 22 females with a mean age of 54 years (17-84). Aetiology of cirrhosis was viral in 48% and auto-immune in 20%. Child-Pugh score was C in 32% and mean Meld score was 14 (5-32). BMD disclosed osteopenia in 32% and osteoporosis in 32%. Mean bone mass and T score were 0.94 kg/m2 and -0.67 DS in femoral neck; 0.98 kg/m2 and -1.2 DS in lumbar spine. History of fracture was present in 10% of cases. Low bone mass was correlated with female sex (p=0.01), age (p=0.04), sedentary (p=0.01) and Child Pugh C (p=0.03) but not with nutritional status. Conclusions In our study, prevalence of osteoporosis was 32%, as reported in Occident. Advanced liver disease in association with classical risk factors of osteoporosis was correlated with BMD. This high prevalence suggests that bone status should be evaluated routinely in patients with cirrhosis. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Background A number of studies indicate that AS is also associated with various non-atherosclerotic CV manifestations. The inflammatory processes in AS may affect different structures of the heart: the most characteristic lesions are conduction defects and aortic insufficience. Objectives The primary aim was to evaluate left ventricular myocardial function with two- dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), in addition to conventional Doppler and tissue Doppler echocardiography, in order to detect subclinical left ventricular myocardial dysfunction in patients with AS. The secondary aim was to evaluate the effect of anti-TNF drugs on heart parameters. Methods The study involved 30 outpatients who fulfilled the New York diagnostic criteria for AS (14 males and 16 females; mean age 53.07±10.73 years) and 30 healthy matched controls. All of the AS patients were evaluated at baseline at after 12 months of anti-TNF treatment. All patients underwent a complete physical examination and routine laboratory analysis. Disease activity was assessed by the BASDAI. CV risk profiles were assessed by means of standard electrocardiography (ECG), conventional echocardiography, carotid ultrasonography and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Two-dimensional echocardiographic images were obtained using the apical 4-chamber view at a high frame rate of 70-80 frames/s, and three cardiac cycles were stored in cine-loop format for off-line analysis using commercially available QLAB 9 software (Philips Medical System, USA) in order to assess end-systolic LV longitudinal strain (ɛ). Results None of the patients showed any signs or symptoms of CV disease, pulmonary involvement, or any other complication. The patients' mean LVEF and E/A ratios were respectively 62.64±5.07% and 0.84±0.20%, which were not significantly different from those of the controls (63.45±6.54% and 0.90±0.22%). The results of the speckle tracking analysis were significantly different between the two groups, with global longitudinal strain deformation in the apical 4-chamber view (Long. ɛ 4c) being significantly lower in the AS patients (Long ɛ 4c %: median 19.83, IQR 16.00-24.40 vs 21.46, IQR 18.35-25.69; p<0.05). Right and left pulse wave velocity (PWV) (PWV right, m/sec: median 7.81, IQR 7.03-8.45 vs 6.86, IQR 6.42-7.99; p=0.07 and PWV left, m/sec: median 7.77, IQR 6.97-8.38 vs 6.85, IQR 6.28-7.88; p=0.06) and right and left coronary intima media thickness (cIMT) (cIMT right, mm: median 0.63, IQR 0.45-0.81 vs 0.64, IQR 0.50-0.78; p=0.06 and cIMT left, mm: median 0.63, IQR 0.46-0.80 vs 0.63, IQR 0.49-0.79; p=0.06) values were all higher in the AS patients, but the differences of cIMT were not statistically significant. Furthermore a significant improvement in Long. ɛ 4c of LV in AS patients at 12 months of the anti-TNF treatment was observed (Long. ɛ 4c %: median 19.83, IQR 16.00-24.40 vs 22.32, IQR 18.10-25.80 p<0.01), such as a minimal reduction of arterial stiffness and cIMT parameters (p=n.s). Conclusions LV myocardial longitudinal ɛ was impaired in AS patients in the absence of any clinical evidence of CV disease and echocardiographic evaluations negative, suggesting a myocardial alteration. Moreover, anti-TNF therapy improves heart parameters, but further studies are required. Disclosure of Interest None declared


In this paper, a novel nonlinear control design method for the wind turbine (WT) with doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) using differential geometry theory is proposed. The WT with DFIG is represented by a third-order model where electromagnetic transients of the stator are neglected. Then the model is exactly linearized using the coordinate transformation in differential geometry theory. Since the relative degree of the model of the WT with DFIG is equal to the order of the original system model, the linearized model can be transformed into the Bronovsky norm form. The linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design method is introduced to design the optimal control for the linearized system, and the nonlinear control for the WT with DFIG obtained by the inverse coordinate transformation only depends on the parameters of the WT with DFIG. Hence, the nonlinear control can be considered as a decentralized control, which is a desirable feature for a WT with DFIG. To illustrate the effectiveness of the nonlinear controller proposed, simulations on a single machine infinite bus (SMIB) system and a four-machine system are performed. Compared to the conventional PI control, the proposed nonlinear control can improve the transient stability of the power systems and enhance the system damping.


This fluorous biphasic catalysis (FBC) contribution was focused on the synthesis and characterization of new fluorous soluble R(f)-Cu(II) carboxylate complexes containing nonfluoroponytailed ligands and defines their role as precatalysts for the FBC oxidation of alkenols and alcohols in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO)/O(2). In this FBC approach, we have utilized the phase-switching technique of Vincent et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 12942) to solubilize the nonfluoroponytailed ligands, N-1,4,7-Me(3)TACN, 2, and N-1,4,7-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), 3, by reaction with a fluorous solvent-soluble copper (II) dimeric complex, [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2)](2), 1. Moreover, the reaction of nonfluoroponytailed ligands 2 and 3 with 1 afforded new perfluoroheptane-soluble Cu(II) complexes, [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2)(2)], 4, and [Cu({C(8)F(17)(CH(2))(2)}(2)CHCO(2))(2) (3)], 5, respectively. The known Cu(II) complex, 1, was further characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy confirming its dimeric structure, while 4 and 5 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, diffuse reflectance UV-vis, and EPR spectroscopy. Furthermore, 1, 4, and 5 were evaluated as precatalysts for alkenol and alcohol oxidation. The oxidation reactions of alkenols and alcohols in the presence of TEMPO/O(2) proceeded under FBC conditions for 1, 4, and 5, but 1-octanol was unreactive under single-phase FBC conditions at 90 degrees C with TEMPO/O(2). The thermomorphic property of 5, soluble in chlorobenzene/toluene at 90 degrees C but insoluble at room temperature, was also evaluated in the selective oxidation of p-nitrobenzyl alcohol to p-nitrobenzaldehyde. Plausible mechanisms concerning these FBC/thermomorphic oxidation reactions will be discussed.


Summary 1. Air-breathing marine predators can modify their diving behaviour to accommodate different patterns of prey abundance and distribution and may do so at multiple temporal scales (individual dives, bouts of dives and foraging trips). 2. The grey seal, Halichoerus grypus , is a size-dimorphic, capital breeding species in which sex differences in foraging ecology have previously been found at the scale of individual dives. In this study, diving behaviour of male and female adult grey seals was examined at the temporal scales of dive bouts (41 males/46 females) and foraging trips (7 males/9 females) during the 8-month prebreeding foraging period between 1992 and 1999 to investigate whether sex differences were evident at longer temporal scales. 3. Foraging trip duration did not differ between males and females. However, females (the smaller sex) spent significantly more time diving and less time hauled-out on land between trips than males. This suggests that females are more selective than males when searching for prey. These differences are consistent with the effects of body-size dimorphism on diving behaviour. 4. Virtually all dives occurred in bouts. At this scale, males and females showed significantly different seasonal patterns of most bout characteristics, including bout duration, percentage of bout spent at depth and effort (hours spent in bouts day − 1 ). 5. Grey seals used four different types of bouts, differing in duration, depth, percentage bout spent at depth and the shape of individual dives within the bout. Males and females differed in the proportion of each bout type used and in the seasonal and day‐ night distribution of bout types. 6. Few bout characteristics varied significantly among years, despite interannual variation in prey abundance. Where interannual differences did occur, both sexes behaved in a similar way. 7. Different seasonal patterns in bouts of diving by males and females could not be accounted for by body-size dimorphism or niche divergence, but were consistent with the hypothesis that females must recover condition earlier in the year than males to support the energetic costs of reproduction.


The brain receives information about the environment from all the sensory modalities, including vision, touch and audition. To efficiently interact with the environment, this information must eventually converge in the brain in order to form a reliable and accurate multimodal percept. This process is often complicated by the existence of noise at every level of signal processing, which makes the sensory information derived from the world imprecise and potentially inaccurate. There are several ways in which the nervous system may minimize the negative consequences of noise in terms of precision and accuracy. Two key strategies are to combine redundant sensory estimates and to utilize acquired knowledge about the statistical regularities of different sensory signals. In this talk, I elaborate on how these strategies may be used by the nervous system in order to obtain the best possible estimates from noisy sensory signals, such that we are able of efficiently interact with the environment. Particularly, I will focus on the learning aspects and how our perceptions are tuned to the statistical regularities of an ever-changing environment.


Introduction The most widely used instrument to measure perceived exertion or exercise intensity is the Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale. Panic attacks are aversive experiences that may be triggered by bodily sensations such as palpitations, breathlessness or dizziness due to increasing autonomic distress, prior sensitisation to panic and fear conditioning. The consequence is catastrophic interpretation of bodily sensations of arousal in general, which can lead to misinterpretation of exertion or exercise intensity. Purpose To verify the effectiveness of the Borg's RPE Scale as a measure of perceived effort in panic disorder subjects. Methods The study enrolled 72 subjects: the control group (C, healthy sedentary subjects, n=30) and patients with panic disorder (PD, n=42). All subjects were submitted to an ergospirometry challenge. Perceived exertion RPE scores and heart rate at 90% VO2max were compared between groups. Results Patients with PD showed lower levels of maximal oxygen consumption, when compared with C group [VO2max (mL/kg/min): PD=29.42±6.50xC=34.51±5.35; Student's t-test=−3.51; p <0.05]. Furthermore, among PD subjects, the maximum heart rate during ergospirometry challenge was lower than expected [predict max HR (bpm)=200.85±6.33xheart rate test (bpm)=178.86±7.28; Z=−5.64; p<0.05]. Perceived exertion, as measured by RPE, was also overestimated in relation to heart rate at 90% of maximum oxygen consumption compared with controls (RPE90%VO2max: PD=18.93±0.55xC=16.67±0.60; U=8.00; Z=7.42; p<0.05). Conclusions The present study findings suggest that the Borg's RPE Scale may not be an appropriate measure of subjective exertion among subjects with panic disorder performing a cardiopulmonary exercise test.


Frostbite and the kindred conditions, trench foot, immersion foot and shelter foot, are almost unknown in England in time of peace. In time of war they suddenly acquire significance. In the war of 1914–18, 84, 670 cases of the first two occurred in the British Army alone; the other two had not then been recognised. Yet in many units cases were few, and in the North Russian campaign between September 1918 and September 1919, only forty-eight men were attacked. They are largely preventable conditions.


Watson Kirkconnell (1895-1977) was a scholar, university administrator and prodigious translator of verse from dozens of languages. Yet today he is virtually unknown in the translation community in this country. This article examines the life, work and thought of Kirkconnell, and situates the neglect into which he has fallen in the context of the linguistic landscape of Canada.


In the present investigation the B1-B2 structural phase transition and elastic properties of BaSe has been predicted using the simple potential model considered up to third nearest neighbor interaction. The calculated values of B1-B2 phase transition pressure, equation of state (Compression curve), bulk modulus, its first order pressure derivative and second order elastic constants are given along with the available experimental and other theoretical values. The results achieved in the present study are found in good agreement with the available experimental data.


In this paper we explored why people want to share knowledge in the virtual community setting. Taiwan provides an important model for the study of knowledge sharing in online social networks because of the large number of users of these in this country. Using a model modified from the theory of reasoned action and data collected in Taiwan, we found that self-esteem, absorptive ability, and trust are the driving forces of sharing. We did not find that the expected return had an impact on knowledge sharing. Although these results may be counterintuitive, they confirm today's open business environment, where unexpected returns usually go to those who have deep involvement.