Abstract Context. Measures of intake and digestibility from captive feeding experiments are often used to evaluate the nutritional value of plant species to herbivores; however, there is question about how well plant-quality rankings from these trials predict foraging patterns of free-ranging animals. Studies addressing the alignment of results from feeding trials and herbivory in the field using captive and free-roaming conspecifics are needed. Aims. Our goal was to compare the feeding patterns of snowshoe hares in captive intake and digestion trials with those of free-living conspecifics in the species' south-western range. Methods. We conducted in vivo intake and digestion trials using captive hares to determine quality and consumption levels of the predominant conifer species in our study system. In the field, we quantified browsing intensity and over-winter depletion patterns of these conifers. We then compared voluntary intake and nutritional quality measured in captivity to consumption in the field. Key results. Digestible energy (DE, kJ g–1) of conifers ranged from 11.0 (Pinus contorta) to 13.8 (Pseudotsuga menziesii) among six conifers, and digestible protein (DP, g protein per 100 g feed) from 1.2 (Thuja plicata) to 2.7 (P. contorta). During digestion trials, single-species intake was correlated with the content of digestible protein (DP) and digestible energy (DE). Hares maintained energy balance when fed two single-species diets (Pinus contorta, Pseudotsuga menziesii) and a mixed-species diet. Conifer species on which hares were able to maintain body mass (Pinus contorta, Picea engelmannii, Pseudotsuga menziesii) also tended to be the most heavily exploited by free-living hares. DP content of browse species predicted both browsing intensity and overwinter depletion of conifer species. Conclusions. Voluntary intake and nutritional quality of browse, especially DP, successfully predicted foraging patterns of free-ranging conspecifics. Implications. Intake and digestion trials can be a useful tool for better understanding patterns of herbivory in the field, and winter habitat quality for populations in this region is likely to be influenced by access to the most energy- and protein-rich conifers.


The study investigates the effect of delivery types of (virtual and face-to-face) collaborative learning environments on the development of trust among group members in a graduate course. For this aim, a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group comparison was used. It comprised a total of 64 participants – 21 in the face-to-face group, and 43 in the virtual group. Study participants were comprised of students registered in a course entitled 'Web-based Education: Principles of Design and Implementation' in the spring semester as part of either a virtual or traditional face-to-face graduate program in Information Systems at an institute of higher education in Turkey in 2010. Trust levels were measured at two different occasions, namely in the beginning and end of the semester, for both study groups. The participants completed a web-based course material design project as a collaborative group activity. The results indicate that trust increases over time among virtual participants, but declines among face-to-face participants. While levels of trust among virtual course participants are lower than those of face-to-face course participants in the beginning of the semester, trust levels of virtual participants surpass those of faceto-face participants by the end of the semester. This study demonstrates that trust can develop in virtual learning environments. The initial level of trust should be taken into consideration by instructors or managers before forming groups.


Objective Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a lethal peripheral vascular disease. Inflammatory immune cell infiltration is a central part of the pathogenesis of AAA. It's critical to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying immune infiltration in early-stage AAA and look for a viable AAA marker. Methods In this study, we download several mRNA expression datasets and scRNA-seq datasets of the early-stage AAA models from the NCBI-GEO database. mMCP-counter and CIBERSORT were used to assess immune infiltration in early-stage experimental AAA. The scRNA-seq datasets were then utilized to analyze AAA-related gene modules of monocytes/macrophages infiltrated into the early-stage AAA by Weighted Correlation Network analysis (WGCNA). After that, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis for the module genes was performed by ClusterProfiler. The STRING database was used to create the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) of the monocytes/macrophages were explored by Limma-Voom and the key gene set were identified. Then We further examined the expression of key genes in the human AAA dataset and built a logistic diagnostic model for distinguishing AAA patients and healthy people. Finally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were performed to validate the gene expression and serum protein level between the AAA and healthy donor samples in our cohort. Results Monocytes/macrophages were identified as the major immune cells infiltrating the early-stage experimental AAA. After pseudocell construction of monocytes/macrophages from scRNA-seq datasets and WGCNA analysis, four gene modules from two datasets were identified positively related to AAA, mainly enriched in Myeloid Leukocyte Migration, Collagen-Containing Extracellular matrix, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway by functional enrichment analysis. Thbs1, Clec4e, and Il1b were identified as key genes among the hub genes in the modules, and the high expression of Clec4e, Il1b, and Thbs1 was confirmed in the other datasets. Then, in human AAA transcriptome datasets, the high expression of CLEC4E, IL1B was confirmed and a logistic regression model based on the two gene expressions was built, with an AUC of 0.9 in the train set and 0.79 in the validated set. Additionally, in our cohort, we confirmed the increased serum protein levels of IL-1β and CLEC4E in AAA patients as well as the increased expression of these two genes in AAA aorta samples. Conclusion This study identified monocytes/macrophages as the main immune cells infiltrated into the early-stage AAA and constructed a logistic regression model based on monocytes/macrophages related gene set. This study could aid in the early diagnostic of AAA.


In this paper, we consider a nonlinear system represented by a multiple model, where a part of its inputs is unknown. Our objective is to estimate the state variables of this system. For that, we propose the synthesis of a multiple observer based on the elimination of these unknown inputs. It is shown how to determine the gains of the local observers, these gains being solutions of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMI). The model of an hydraulic system with three tanks is used to test the suggested procedure. Copyright © 2003 IFAC


AIM
To study the effect of leukocyte (Leu), alpha-agonist (alpha-Ago), and beta-agonist (beta-Ago) on the arrhythmias induced by ischemia and reperfusion to determine which of the 3 factors was the most important one in exacerbating arrhythmias.

METHODS
Arrhythmias were induced by the reduction and subsequent resumption of perfused flow in Langendorff's perfused rat hearts. Ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) were recorded on ECG, and the results were orthogonally analyzed.

RESULTS
When Leu was present, the incidence of VF induced by ischemia-reperfusion was 80%. The incidence in Leu-depleted hearts was 20%, alpha-Ago and beta-Ago elevated it to 60% and 100%, respectively. The results by orthogonal analysis demonstrated Leu or alpha-Ago+ beta-Ago increased VF incidence. With regard to arrhythmias, arrhythmia score was remarkedly increased by all of 3 factors and various combinations except beta-Ago + Leu.

CONCLUSION
Among these 3 factors, Leu was the most important one in facilitating reperfusion-induced arrhythmias.


Background: Limitations have been observed with the use of clopidogrel following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) indicating the urgent need of a more potent anti-platelet agent. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel following PCI. Methods: Online databases were searched for relevant studies (published between the years 2007 and 2017) comparing ticagrelor versus clopidogrel following coronary stenting. Primary outcomes assessed efficacy whereas secondary outcomes assessed safety. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on a random effect model were calculated and the analysis was carried out by the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total number of 25,632 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) [12,992 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 14,215 patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)] were included in this analysis, of whom 23,714 patients were revascularized by PCI. Results of this analysis did not show any significant difference in all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), myocardial infarction, stroke and stent thrombosis observed between ticagrelor and clopidogrel with (OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.67–1.03; P = .09), (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.41–1.01; P = .06), (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.57–1.03; P = .08), (OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.57–1.26; P = .42) and (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.47–1.05; P =.09). However, ticagrelor was associated with a significantly higher minor and major bleeding with (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.30–1.89; P = .00001) and (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.01–2.29; P = 0.04) respectively. Dyspnea was also significantly higher in the ticagrelor group (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.87–3.72; P = .00001). Conclusion: Ticagrelor and clopidogrel were comparable in terms of efficacy in these patients with ACS. However, the safety outcomes of ticagrelor should further be investigated.


Predictions of future forestland area are an important component of forest policy analyses. In this article, we test the abjlity of econometric land use models to accurately forecast forest area. We construct a panel data set for Alabama consisting of county and time-series observation for the period 1964 to 1992. We estimate models using restricted data sets-namely, data from early periods-and use out-of-sample values of dependent and independent variables to construct precise tests of the model's forecasting accuracy. Three model specifications are examined: ordinary least squares, dummy variables (fixed effects), and error components (random effects). We find that the dummy variables model produces more accurate forecasts at the county and state level than the other model specifications. This result is related to the ability of the dummy variables model to more completely control for cross-sectional variation in the dependent variables. This suggests that the estimated model parameters better capture the temporal relationship between forest area and economic variables. FOR. SCI. 46(3):363-376.


This paper focuses on a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of different finite element (FE) modelling techniques and material constitutive models on predicting rutting in asphalt pavements under repeated loading conditions. Different simplified 2D and more realistic 3D loading techniques are simulated and compared for predicting asphalt rutting. This study also evaluates and compares the rutting performance predictions using different material constitutive behaviours such as viscoelastic–viscoplastic, elasto-viscoplastic and coupled viscoelastic, viscoplastic and viscodamage behaviours. The simulations show that the assumption of the equivalency between a pulse loading and an equivalent loading, which are commonly used as simplified loading assumptions for predicting rutting, is reasonable for viscoelastic–viscoplastic and elasto-viscoplastic constitutive behaviours. However, these loading assumptions and material constitutive models overestimate rutting as damage grows. Results show that the 2D plane strain FE simulations significantly overestimate rutting as compared with the rutting performance predictions from more realistic 3D FE simulations.


A nonlinear filtering methodology which is based on identifying arbitrary nonlinear terms in the models of the object and of the source of information with some indeterminate perturbations which are approximated by linear combinations of the basis functions, is described. The problem of recursive estimation of the current vector of the object state and of identifying the coefficients of these linear combinations is solved by a standard increased-dimensionality Kalman filter. A statistical analog of the Weierstrass theorem which establishes the conditions for the convergence of the obtained sequence of linear problems is formulated and proven. A constructive method of determining the robustness measure of the filtering algorithm is described


The effect of hardware on operating parameters and the resultant coating are qualitatively known; however, the quantitative effects have not been well defined. This study quantitatively characterizes particle temperature and velocity for the Sulzer-Metco 6P oxy-acetylene torch with 3 different nozzles and 3 air caps and also, the Alamo PG-550 then relates those data to particle diagnostics, deposition efficiency and coating microstructure. Both torches were evaluated using statistically designed experiments where the process inputs of oxy-fuel ratio, total combustible gas flow, and standoff distance were varied. Both torches can access similar regions of particle temperature - particle velocity space. Increasing total combustible gas flow increased particle velocity with little effect on particle temperature. Increasing oxy-fuel ratio decreased particle temperature with little effect on particle velocity. Higher particle velocity and particle temperature conditions yielded denser, less porous coatings. Flame cooling air caps increase the particle speed while decreasing particle temperature. Nozzles which inject powder directly into the flame jets significantly increase particle temperature as compared to nozzles which do not. Deposition efficiency is shown to not only be affected by particle temperature and particle velocity where hotter and faster usually increase efficiency, but is also dependent on the distribution of particles within the plume.


The official use of organometallic complexes in chemotherapy dating back to 1969 when cis-platin "cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II)" showed to have properties against tumors such as" human testicular, ovarian, bladder, head and neck carcinomas" Titanium (IV) compounds are one of the promising alternatives and candidates drugs to anti-cancer treatments that have a wide spectrum of activity against tumors. These compounds are more effective and have less side effects than platinum compounds. In this work, we characterization the building and designing geometrical shape and crystal structure of six titanium complexes "titanium budotitane complexes (IV)" depending on the DFT "density functional theory" method survey of the title complexes were performed using the Gaussian 03 (2003) program. The study also include discuss "crystal structure information, Mulliken charges allocation, complex biological effectiveness, frontier molecular orbital energies (HOMO, LUMO) of the complexes, ionization energy (IE), hardness (η), electron affinity (EA), stability, and polarity" of titanium complexes with comparition. The results show that best one of the building complexes as anticancer activity is complex 5 (C 5 ), then complex 6 (C 6 )are gave lower activity than (C 5 ) and higher when compared with other complexes, while the other complexes (C 2 , C 1 , C 3 , C 4 ) respectively gave lower activity than (C 5 ,C 6 ) complexes Keywords : Tumor s; Budotitane ; Titanium (IV) metallodrug; Titanocene; Density functional theory (DFT);(HOMO, LUMO) energies.


Biodegradation of lignocellulosic waste from chestnut residues is an important biological process of added value for this sector according to the Chestnut National Plan for agriculture. Dynamic parameters during biodegradation under natural conditions of chestnut burr, leaf, and plant biomass litter are reported in this study. Microbiological and physical-chemical characterisation of chestnut wastes was carried out to monitor this specific biodegradation, to understand the progress and limits of the process and to analyse the compost-like organic substance obtained. Physical-chemical parameters, such as temperature, pH, and water activity, were influenced by the composition of the raw materials and by seasonal climatic conditions. Moreover, microbiological monitoring was assessed by culture-dependent and independent methods. Cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and ligninolytic populations were counted to determine different microbial activity during biodegradation process. The functional microbial groups analysed showed different trends, but all were found at high concentrations (7 to 9 log CFU/g). In addition, PCR-DGGE was performed for bacterial and fungal populations to evaluate the microbial diversity. The similarity level during the process was generally very high, both for bacterial and fungal populations. These data are the first on suitable natural degradation for chestnut forests.


Eu 2+ luminescence in novel Sr3.5Mg0.5Si3O8Cl4 and Ba3.5Mg0.5Si3O8Cl4 phosphors is reported in this paper. These were synthesized by combustion method at 550 0 C furnace temperature .The prepared phosphors shows PL emission spectra at 445 nm ,due to 4f 6 5d 1 → 4f 7 transition of Eu 2+ ions by monitoring excitation at 358 nm for Sr and Ba host lattice. Phase purity was checked by using XRD-pattern. The prepared phosphors have potential applications for solid-state lighting purpose. Copyright © 2011 VBRI press.


This paper investigates the modeling of surface tension of micro droplet with variations in pressure gradient. A parallel volume of fluid code has been developed to simulate interfacial flows with surface tension, pressure gradient and surfactant. The continuity, momentum and energy equations were used to formulate the governing equations for the problem. The governing equations were dimensionalised and the resulting equations were solved with variable separable and eigen function expansion method. Pressure gradient was varied and also considered. The results obtained show that harmonic pressure gradient is smooth, more stable and shows a good agreement with the experimental data and theory.


The mechanism of deterioration of ipsilateral and contralateral testes during unilateral maldescent remains controversial. Proposing that alterations in tissue perfusion may play a role in ipsilateral and contralateral testicular deteriorations, an experimental study has been planned to evaluate the status of parameters of tissue hypoxia in ipsilateral and contralateral testes following surgically induced maldescent, in rats which preoperatively underwent placebo or chemical sympathectomy. 60 male albino rats were used for the experiment. At the age of 21 days each 30 rats that were treated by placebo or chemical sympathectomy agent were divided into 3 groups undergoing sham operation, abdominal fixation of one testis or abdominal fixation of both testes. At the age of 3 months the rats underwent bilateral orchidectomies and lactic acid (LA) and hypoxanthine (HX) levels were measured in testicular tissues. Maldescent of the testis resulted in a marked increase of LA and HX values in the ipsilateral testis compared to controls, and also resulted in increased levels of LA and HX in the contralateral testis. Although the levels of LA and HX were lower compared to ipsilateral undescended counterparts the levels in contralateral testis were significantly elevated compared to the contralateral testes of rats undergoing sham operation following placebo treatment. Bilateral maldescent resulted in similar elevations of LA and HX in both of the testes. Administration of 6-hydroxydopamine did not result in decreased levels of LA and HX values in the ipsilateral testis following unilateral testicular undescendence. However the LA levels in the contralateral descended testis did not reveal a significant difference compared to the contralateral testis of rats undergoing sham operation. The present experimental design reveals that abdominal fixation of the testis results in tissue hypoxia not only in the ipsilateral but also in the contralateral testis. Chemical sympathectomy has some protective effects on contralateral testicular hypoxia during unilateral maldescent. Tissue hypoxia during maldescent may result from relative inadequacy of testicular blood flow to overcome the increased metabolic demands under hyperthermic conditions.


Among the Iron oxide, magnetite is the principal constituent of iron ore deposits and one of the most common. Its origin has been matter of substantial debate during long time and several fundamentally different modes of formation have been suggested (magmatic origin, hydrothermal precipitation). Magnetite is often associated with clays and can have an effect on their properties. However, besides stoichiometric Fe 3 O 4 , there is a whole range of isostructural compounds, i.e., the nonstoichiometric Fe 3-δ O 4 and γ-Fe 2 O 3 phases, which have remained relatively unexplored. Implicitly the conditions under which these phases formed should be well known and therefore can serve as genetic indicators. In this study, we will focus on the formation of magnetite obtained by mineralogical transformation of ferric oxides. The Mossbauer spectroscopy was used to monitor the mineralogical transformations of ferrihydrite (F), lepidocrocite (L) and goethite (G) into magnetite as a function of ageing time. Ferric oxyhydroxides were reacted with soluble FeII and OH-in stoichiometric amounts to form magnetite at an initial pH of 9.7. This value is significantly higher than the pH of precipitation (~7) of Fe(OH) 2 corresponding to the initial FeII concentration. As the reaction proceeded, a decrease in pH was observed as the OH-species were consumed to form magnetite. Decrease in pH could positively be correlated to the dissolution of the initial Fe(OH) 2 precipitates into hydroxylated FeII species adsorbed on the ferric oxyhydroxides. After 1month, the pH observed for F and L suspension was ~ 5.5 while pH was higher (~7.5) for partially transformed goethite. Observed transformation extent into magnetite followed the order: F > L > G with almost 30 % of untransformed G after 1 month. The departure from stoichiometry, δ, of magnetite (Fe 3-δ O 4) generated from F (δ ~ 0.04) and L (δ ~ 0.05) was relatively low as compared to that in magnetite from G (δ ~ 0.08). In the case of goethite, it is more striking as observed by Mossbauer spectroscopy over ageing time. The results suggests a solid-state transformation of goethite into magnetite with an electron transfer driving the spinel ordering between adsorbed FeII and the ferric oxide (substrat). On the other hand, biogenic magnetite was stoichiometric with δ = 0 when the mineralogical transformation of (L) was investigated in a Shewanella putrefaciens culture under anaerobic conditions using methanoate as the electron source for almost 1 month (Zegeye et al., 2011). Thus, stoichiometry of final magnetite could vary according to the nature of initial ferric oxyhydroxide, ageing time and the pathway of magnetite formation. Stoichiometric magnetite may form directly by coprecipitation (Jolivet et al., 2004) or bioreduction of lepidocrocite (Zegeye et al., 2011), while topotactic formation from ferric oxyhydroxide leads to non-stoichiometric phases. Stoichiometry of magnetite is an important characteristic as it can influence its reactivity.


Modern understanding of conflict inclines us to the idea that conflict is closely related to cognitive phenomena, which can radically change the course of the conflict by influencing them. In order to use constructive approaches to conflict resolution, it is necessary to master effective techniques that affect personal attitudes and the individual's world view. The article presents the results of research work aimed at studying the relationship of personality behavior strategies in conflict, cognitive attitudes and decision-making styles. Based on theoretical definitions and analysis of practical research, it has been suggested that strategies of behavior in conflict are interrelated with irrational cognitive attitudes and decision-making styles. According to the results of an empirical study obtained on the material of 88 male students studying in technical areas of training at various universities in Perm, in the age range from 20 to 24 years (Me=22), it is shown that behavioral strategies in conflict are interrelated with a number of cognitive attitudes and a decision-making style. Links have been identified at the level of significance (p ≤ 0.05) between: the level of rationality and the manifestation of rivalry, evaluative cognitive attitude and a protective behavior strategy together with a neutral-independent non-verbal behavior strategy, catastrophizing attitude and a compromise strategy, rational-analytical style of thinking and a strategy of adjustment. Also three factors of conflict behavior of personality depending on the expression of irrational cognitive attitudes were identified: "Rational-partner", "Irrational-avoidant", "Intuitive-manipulative". The results obtained are proposed to be used in conflict counseling in order to more effectively regulate the course of conflicts.


This article investigates a long-standing historical debate over the development of electric torpedoes in the Confederate States of America. It analyzes the contributions of five individuals - Hunter Davidson, Beverley Kennon, Stephen Mallory, Matthew Maury, and Gabriel Rains - and concludes that Maury was the Confederacy's most persistent advocate of electric torpedoes. An examination of new archival material also clarifies Maury's relationship with fellow torpedo pioneers Davidson and Kennon. More broadly, the article explores linkages between memory, history, and technology. It argues that claims of technological priority matter, that memories are influenced by a multiplicity of factors (not all of which are easily discernible), and that technical source material can assist greatly in efforts to reconcile conflicting histories.


Objective: To report three unrelated infants with a distinctive phenotype of Leigh-like syndrome, neurogenic muscular atrophy, and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The patients all had a homozygous missense mutation in SCO2. Background: SCO2 encodes a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, thought to function as a copper transporter to cytochrome c oxidase (COX), the terminal enzyme of the respiratory chain. Mutations in SCO2 have been described in patients with severe COX deficiency and early onset fatal infantile hypertrophic cardioencephalomyopathy. All patients so far reported are compound heterozygotes for a missense mutation (E140K) near the predicted CxxxC metal binding motif; however, recent functional studies of the homologous mutation in yeast failed to demonstrate an effect on respiration. Methods: Here we present clinical, biochemical, morphologic, functional, MRI, and MRS data in two infants, and a short report in an additional patient, all carrying a homozygous G1541A transition (E140K). Results: The disease onset and symptoms differed significantly from those in compound heterozygotes. MRI and muscle morphology demonstrated an age-dependent progression of disease with predominant involvement of white matter, late appearance of basal ganglia lesions, and neurogenic muscular atrophy in addition to the relatively late onset of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The copper uptake of cultured fibroblasts was significantly increased. Conclusions: The clinical spectrum of SCO2 deficiency includes the delayed development of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and severe neurogenic muscular atrophy. There is increased copper uptake in patients' fibroblasts indicating that the G1541A mutation effects cellular copper metabolism.


Many Berberis species have been identified as alternate hosts for Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici. Importantly, susceptible Berberis species are determined to play an important role in the occurrence of sexual reproduction, generation of new races of the rust pathogen. However, little is known about Mahonia serving as alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici and their role in commence of sexual reproduction of the rust fungus under natural conditions. Herein, three Mahonia species or subspecies, M. fortunei, M. eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis and M. sheridanian, were identified as alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici, and seven Mahonia species were highly resistant to the rust pathogen. We recovered seven samples of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici from naturally rusted Mahonia cardiophylla plants. Totally, 54 single uredinium (SU) isolates, derived from the seven samples, generated 20 different race types, including 1 known race type, and 19 new race types. SNP markers analysis showed that all SU isolates displayed high phenotype diversity (H = 0.32) with a high Shannon's information index (I = 0.49). Analysis of linkage disequilibrium indicated an insignificant rbarD value (rbarD = 0.003, P < 0.1). As a result, all SU isolates are sexually produced, suggesting that P. striiformis f. sp. tritici parasitizes susceptible Mahonia to complete sexual reproduction under natural conditions. The role of Mahonia in occurrence of wheat stripe rust are needed to study for management of the disease.


Time-frequency (T-F) analysis of signals propagated in dispersive environments or systems is a challenging problem. When considering dispersive waveguides, propagation can be described by modal theory. Propagated signals are usually multicomponent, and the group delay of each mode (i.e., each component) is nonlinear and varies with the mode number. Consequently, existing T-F representations (TFRs) covariant to group delay shifts (GDSs) are not naturally adapted to this context. To overcome this issue, one solution is to approximate the propagation using simple models for which the dispersion properties do not vary with the mode number. If the chosen model is both simple and robust to uncertainties about the waveguide, it can be used to define adapted TFRs, such as the power-class with a suitable power coefficient. This article focuses on a context where this methodology can be applied: low-frequency acoustic propagation in shallow water. In this case, the global oceanic dispersion can be summarized using a single scalar called the waveguide invariant. This parameter can be used to approximate the group delay of each mode with a power law. Consequently, it is possible to use power-class TFRs with a -based power coefficient. Their practical use is demonstrated on two experimental data sets: a man-made implosion used for underwater geoacoustic inversion, and a right-whale impulsive vocalization that can be used to localize the animal.


The astrophysical sites where r-process elements are synthesized remain mysterious: it is clear that neutron star mergers (kilonovae (KNe)) contribute, and some classes of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) are also possible sources of at least the lighter r-process species. The discovery of 60Fe on the Earth and Moon implies that one or more astrophysical explosions have occurred near the Earth within the last few million years, probably SNe. Intriguingly, 244Pu has now been detected, mostly overlapping with 60Fe pulses. However, the 244Pu flux may extend to before 12 Myr ago, pointing to a different origin. Motivated by these observations and difficulties for r-process nucleosynthesis in SN models, we propose that ejecta from a KN enriched the giant molecular cloud that gave rise to the Local Bubble, where the Sun resides. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of 244Pu and searches for other live isotopes could probe the origins of the r-process and the history of the solar neighborhood, including triggers for mass extinctions, e.g., that at the end of the Devonian epoch, motivating the calculations of the abundances of live r-process radioisotopes produced in SNe and KNe that we present here. Given the presence of 244Pu, other r-process species such as 93Zr, 107Pd, 129I, 135Cs, 182Hf, 236U, 237Np, and 247Cm should be present. Their abundances and well-resolved time histories could distinguish between the SN and KN scenarios, and we discuss prospects for their detection in deep-ocean deposits and the lunar regolith. We show that AMS 129I measurements in Fe–Mn crusts already constrain a possible nearby KN scenario.


A method for the electrophoresis of inorganic radioactive cations on cellulose acetate (Cellogel) is described. The advantages of this technique are illustrated by numerous examples. Separations of the rare earth metals, the alkaline earths and fission products are mentioned particularly.


The study planned to determine the roles of birth order and son preference on receiving prenatal, delivery care, and postnatal child health inputs, using cross-sectional data collected by the Multiple Cluster Indicators Study Punjab related to year 2011 from all districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Prenatal inputs, safe delivery care, and total child health inputs fall with higher birth order of the child, though these trends are diminished when household socioeconomic controls are added. Prenatal inputs increase with maternal education, household head education, and household wealth. Postnatal inputs have a weaker relationship with both birth order and maternal education. Safe delivery care and total health inputs are higher for families without a prior-born son, demonstrating son-biased fertility stopping behaviours by families.


Rationale: The extracellular matrix (ECM) composition changes in disease, which influences the mechanical properties of the lung. This study aimed to characterize the stiffness and viscoelasticity of nondiseased, COPD and fibrotic lung tissue in comparison to lung-derived ECM hydrogels. Methods: Human explanted lung (nondiseased n=4, COPD n=4 and pulmonary fibrosis n=1) was assessed using a low load compression tester (LLCT) measuring stiffness, viscoelastic stress relaxation and Maxwell elements representing phases of viscoelastic relaxation. For hydrogel creation, tissue was decellularized, lyophilized, ground into a powder, porcine pepsin solubilized, buffered with PBS, pH neutralized, gelled at 37°C and measured with the LLCT. Measurements where obtained from 3 locations per tissue piece and for each hydrogel 4 replicates were measured on 3 occasions. Results: Hydrogels were generated from nondiseased, COPD and fibrotic human lung tissue. The stiffness and viscoelastic data of the tissues, and corresponding hydrogels, are presented in table 1. Conclusions: This study shows for the first time the possibility to generate ECM hydrogels from nondiseased and diseased human lung. The stiffness and viscoelasticity characteristics of whole tissue, remained present in the ECM hydrogels; the stiffness resembles that of native tissue reported in Booth et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2012


We extend the behaviour of generic sample-based motion planners to support obstacle avoidance during long-range path following by introducing a new edge-cost metric paired with a curvilinear planning space. The resulting planner generates naturally smooth paths that avoid local obstacles while minimizing lateral path deviation to best exploit prior terrain knowledge from the reference path. In this adaptation, we explore the nuances of planning in the curvilinear configuration space and describe a mechanism for natural singularity handling to improve generality. We then shift our focus to the trajectory generation problem, proposing a novel Model Predictive Control (MPC) architecture to best exploit our path planner for improved obstacle avoidance. Through rigorous field robotics trials over 5 km, we compare our approach to the more common direct path-tracking MPC method and discuss the promise of these techniques for reliable long-term autonomous operations.


Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the resin infiltration into dentin of one-bottle adhesive systems and self-etching primer bonded to Class V cavities using confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM). Material and Methods : Forty Class V cavities were prepared from freshly extracted caries-free Human teeth. These teeth were divided into two groups based on the presence of cervical abrasion: Group I, cervical abrasion : Group II, wedge-shaped cavity preparation. Resin-dentin interfaces were produced with two one-bottle dentin bonding systems-ONE COAT BOND(OCB; Coltene) and SyntacSPrint(SS; VIVADENT)-, one self-etching priming system-CLEARFIL SE BOND (SB : KURARAY)- and one multi-step dentin bonding system-ScotchbondMulti-Purpose (SBMP, 3M Dental Products)-as control according to manufacturers' instructions. Cavities were restored with Spectrum(Dentsply). Specimens were immersed in saline for 24 hours and sectioned longitudinally with a low-speed diamond disc. The resin-dentin interfaces were microscopically observed using CLSM. The quality of resin-infiltrated dentin layers were evaluated by five dentists using 0~4 scale. Results : Confocal laser scanning microscopal investigations using primer labeled with rhodamine B showed that the penetration of the primer occurred along the cavity margins. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's Multiple Range test revealed that the primer penetration of the group 2(wedge-shaped cavity preparation) was more effective than group 1(cervical abrasion) and that of the gingival interfaces was more effective than the occlusal interfaces. In the one-bottle dentin bonding systems, the resin penetration score of OCB was compatible to SBMP, but those of SS and self-etching priming system, SB were lower than SBMP.


The dramatic increase in social media use has challenged traditional social structures and shifted a great deal of interpersonal communication from the physical world to cyberspace. Much of this social media communication has been positive: Anyone around the world who has access to the Internet has the potential to communicate with and attract a massive global audience. Unfortunately, such ubiquitous communication can be also used for negative purposes such as cyberbullying, which is the focus of this paper. Previous research on cyberbullying, consisting of 135 articles, has improved the understanding of why individuals—mostly adolescents—engage in cyberbullying. However, our study addresses two key gaps in this literature: (1) how the information technology (IT) artifact fosters/inhibits cyberbullying and (2) why people are socialized to engage in cyberbullying. To address these gaps, we propose the social media cyberbullying model (SMCBM), which modifies Akers' [Akers RL (2011) Social Learning and Socia...


For satisfying the requirements of broadband wireless access networks for high throughput and low delay, a delay sensitive scheduling algorithm based on simple network coding, DSNC, is presented. With the introduction of delivery state parameter, DSNC selectively combines retransmission packets into an innovative one by only XOR operation. Not only can DSNC reach the upper band of network throughput defined by the maximum flow-minimum cut theorem, but receivers can recover original packets immediately upon successful receptions. Compared with the general network coding, DSNC is able to effectively lower the system requirements for processor speed, memory capacity and even power consumption at mobile nodes. In addition, the scheduling scheme according to packet queue delay is capable of providing better delay performance while maintaining high network throughput. The simulation results indicate that DSNC can actually reach that throughput superior limit, and make packets experience shorter end-to-end delay and less jitter than other algorithms, which makes it applicable to broadband delay sensitive services.


:  The population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose from 1.6 million in 1990 to 8.2 million in 2010, mainly as a result of immigration, and foreigners now constitute about 88 per cent of the population. English is the second or third language for many of the expatriates, and it is used as an acrolectal lingua franca. As these economic migrants are transient workers on short-term residence visas, most communicate through loose-knit social networks, and this produces conditions favourable to language change. As a means of examining how English has established itself in the UAE and of describing the changes that are beginning to take place in the language, this paper will apply Schneider's 'dynamic model' of postcolonial Englishes to the history of the country from 1820 until the present day. It will argue that the 'nativization' phase is just beginning in the UAE and that the lexicogrammatical changes which are appearing are characteristic of this phase.


Recent years have seen an evolution of SDN control plane architectures, starting from simple monolithic controllers, over modular monolithic controllers, to distributed controllers. We observe, however, that today's distributed controllers still exhibit inflexibility with respect to the distribution of control logic. Therefore, we propose a novel architecture of a distributed SDN controller in this paper, providing maximum flexibility with respect to distribution. Our architecture splits control logic into light-weight control modules, called controllets, based on a micro-kernel approach, reducing common controllet functionality to a bare minimum and factoring out all higher-level functionality. Light-weight controllets also allow for pushing control logic onto switches and enable local processing of data plane events to minimize latency and communication overhead. Controllets are interconnected through a message bus supporting the publish/subscribe communication paradigm with specific extensions for content-based OpenFlow message filtering. Publish/subscribe allows for complete decoupling of controllets to further facilitate control plane distribution. We evaluate both, the scalability and performance properties of our architecture, including its deployment on a White Box networking hardware switch.


This research tackles the contextual pairing process between two styles , namely : ( imperative ) which classified under Arabic Rhetoric in semantics – request , and ( relational ) which classified under Arabic Rhetoric also within the study of conjunction and disjunction . This research is studying the contextual pairing between two styles and it works to find out the eloquence of this pairing and its impact on the receiver taking into consideration the other styles in relational discourse – Al-Baqraa Surra as a sample . The research is considered as a new trial based on our knowledge in the study of contextual pairing between two styles within the sentential constructions in which the Quranic discourse is formed and it is a good trial to predict the dimensions of the stylistics and pragmatics to the receiver of the speech.


Majmua (magmu') as a specific type of manuscript exists in Bosnian- Herzegovinian cultural heritage in Oriental languages. Among such manuscripts is majmua from the oriental collection of Historical Archive in Sarajevo registered under the number R 301. The owners and copyists of majmua are Bayram Salih Qalaba and his son Mehmed Nuri Qalaba from Sarajevo. Majmua originates from the middle of the ninetinth century.
The manuscripts of this majmua presents a collection of different types of poems, single verses, notes and some short treatises mainly from astrology, written in Turkish language. Since in this majmua we can find poem of some Bosnian-Herzegovinian authors about which we know very little, or nothing, this majmua became very important for Bosnian-Herzegovinian cultural heritage. For example in this madjmua we can find poems written in Turkish language, which is in fact will (testament) to the sons Mehmed Sukri and Mustafa Hilmi written by their father Salih Bayram Qalaba after death of their mother Nuriyya-hanim, daughter Fatima and Utman Spahic in year 1286/1869.
An important part of the majmua contains poetry of Ottoman authors, the followers of alevi-bektasi teachings. Among them is one of Bosnian author who identifies himself only as Bosnawi. The songs of this type were mainly copied by Mehmed Nuri Qalaba. Having in mind this and the fact that in a few places in his manuscript he himself signed as Bende-i al-i 'aba Mehmed Nuri Qalaba '' slave (the follower) of the people of robe Mehmed Nuri Kalaba'', we predict that he was the follower or sympathizer of such teachings.
This majmua also contains one poem in which Bosnia is praised (Bosna ehalinin haqqina medoiye-i destani) in Sarajevo (Saray Bosna ehalinin oaqqina destani) and mentioned the battle between Bosnian and Austrian solders (Qa¥īde-i Ğifriyya), as well as note in which some well known personalities are mentioned.
Because of that, this majmua as a source for future research, of it content, presents one of the crucial documents of Bosnian - Herzegovinian cultural heritage.


A case of enlarged infundibular dilatation diagnosed by vertebral angiograms with carotid compression was reported. A 57-year-old woman suffered from headache. She underwent MRA which revealed left internal carotid artery aneurysm. Left common carotid angiograms suggested a left saccular internal carotid artery aneurysm (4 mm x 6 mm) without a posterior communicating artery. However, it was confirmed to be an enlarged infundibular dilatation on left vertebral angiograms with carotid compression. It was confirmed at operation microscopically and neuroendoscopically, and the dilatation was treated by coating. When carotid angiograms reveal no posterior communicating artery, it is difficult to differentiate the origin of posterior communicating artery from internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery junction aneurysms. Vertebral angiograms with carotid compression is useful for the differentiation for the exact diagnosis.


A new Metal Control Gate Last process (MCGL process) has been successfully developed for the DC-SF (Dual Control gate with Surrounding Floating gate cell)[1] three-dimensional (3D) NAND flash memory. The MCGL process can realize a low resistive tungsten (W) metal word-line with high-k IPD, a low damage on tunnel oxide/IPD, and a preferable FG shape. And also, a conventional bulk erase can be used, replaced GIDL erase in BiCS[3][4], due to direct connection between channel poly and p-well by the channel contact holes. Therefore, by using MCGL process, high performance and high reliability of DC-SF cell can be achieved for MLC/TLC 256Gb/512Gb 3D NAND flash memories.


This study was developed to determine if there are statistically or clinically significant differences in antibiotic levels of blood samples obtained from a central venous catheter (CVC) versus a peripheral vein. Currently there is limited and contradictory information comparing aminoglycoside levels drawn from a central line used for antibiotic infusions versus a separate peripheral blood draw. In this study antibiotic levels drawn from a central line were compared with levels drawn simultaneously from a peripheral vein. Significant clinical and statistical differences were identified based on the type of central catheter in place.


Family physician researchers continue to provide assistance to improve family medicine care. Commentaries on social determinants of health lead off this issue. Next, we have several papers on successful interventions by clinicians and/or patients to improve diabetes control, and then other provide information on other practice interventions that make a difference in overall care. Drug advertising continues to mislead. There is costly and nonproductive overuse of specific types of care. Herein is also a Scoping Review of possible indices for determining timely initiation of advance care planning. The issue's clinical reviews on use of transgender care, cervical myelopathy, and inhaled steroids for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are pertinent, thorough, and timely.


Server, storage, and network virtualization and the growing adoption of cloud computing has expanded both the complexity and the value of intelligent allocation and management of data center resources. Resource allocation in a cloud environment is of fundamental importance. There are many competing goals, with differing priorities, that contribute to optimizing virtual resource allocation and placement including performance, reliability, security, energy, etc. We have developed an open extensible architecture to provide placement recommendations which allows for different independently developed Domain Managers to provide input/advice on placement. We have further developed the means to orchestrate the placement, ensuring that the required configuration actions be enacted both before and after the migration of the virtual machine. This paper explores the topic of providing a core placement calculation and orchestration architecture to facilitate management of workload demands in a cloud environment. We describe this architecture for placement services and orchestration, and present some results from a prototype implementation.


SUMMARY In this paper we describe changes in spectral reflectivity of the light reflectors (iridophores) of the squid Alloteuthis subulata. The spectral changes that can be seen in living squid, can also be brought about by superfusing whole skin preparations with acetylcholine (ACh) (20 μmol l-1) and muscarine (30 μmol l-1) but not nicotine (up to 50 mmol l-1), suggesting that cholinergic muscarinic receptors are involved. Changing the osmolarity of the external solution had no effect on spectral reflectivity. To study the iridophores at the cellular level, iridophores were isolated enzymatically. Lucifer Yellow filled the iridophores uniformly, showing cellular individuality. Isolated iridophore cells were loaded with Fura-2 AM and cytoplasmic Ca2+ was recorded ratiometrically. Intracellular Ca2+ (resting concentration at 66.16 nmol l-1) increased transiently after addition of ACh (50 μmol l-1), muscarine (25 μmol l-1), but not nicotine (up to 5 mmol l-1). Ca2+ also increased when superfused with potassium chloride (10 mmol l-1) and caffeine (2.5 mmol l-1). Hypo- and hyperosmotic solutions had no effects on the cytoplasmic Ca2+. By presenting direct evidence that iridophores are polarised cellular structures containing Ca2+ stores and that they are activated via cholinergic muscarinic receptors, we demonstrate that Ca2+ is involved in the reflectivity changes of the iridophores of A. subulata. Specimens were prepared for transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the orientations of the plates with respect to the skin surface are in good agreement with the expected orientations based on the prediction that the iridophores act as multilayer reflectors.


Conceived by nurses in the hospital of a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, and inspired by Norwegian People's Aid, the international aid agency of the Australian trade unions was designed to give a genuine material base to solidarity with national liberation struggles. Bridging the difficult division in Australian labour politics between the Catholic right and the social democratic and pro‐Moscow lefts, Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (now Union Aid Abroad APHEDA) was able to channel funds from unions and the Australian government to agriculture, health, and vocational training projects in many countries in the South. Unlike most counterpart organisations in Europe and the USA, its earlier partners were rarely trade unions. Only recently has APHEDA directly supported trade union training in Cambodia, East Timor, and Indonesia, under pressure from Australian unions, who see workers' rights in neighbouring countries as crucial to their own fate. Yet unions in advanced capitalist countries don't spontaneously understand the humanitarian and development needs of countries, such as Papua New Guinea, where waged workers are a small minority of the population. Unionisation is only one part of the solution. The April 2000 Durban congress of the ICFTU called for trade unions to 'organise the unorganised', such as informal‐sector workers, and to build alliances with NGOs and civil society around shared values. As a trade union NGO, APHEDA is located in the middle of a challenging intersection. Mandated to educate Australian workers on globalisation issues, APHEDA finds itself often more partisan than other international development NGOs in Australia, sometimes more circumspect. With attacks on union rights and the increasing share of the Australian aid budget delivered through private companies, APHEDA faces decisions about its independence, alliances, direction, and sustainability.


Acromegaly with an elevated level of growth hormone causes a high bone turnover the part of resorption of which becomes noticeable in numerous details at the margin of the ungual tufts. The resorption at these margins and the intracortical resorption may have their own courses.


It is often taken for granted that governments intervene in the housing market to address social need and affordability concerns, but is this conceptualisation sufficient to capture the processes that inform housing policy-making? In this paper, I argue that an appreciation of the roles performed by interest groups and lobbyists is necessary to understand not only how housing policies are determined, but also how they are maintained. The paper begins by setting out the context of Australian housing policy-making and the arrangements currently in place. Drawing upon interviews with influential lobbyists and policy advisors, the main part of the paper considers: the tactics deployed to inform policy-making, recent examples of successful interventions, the tensions between welfare and industry lobbyists and the barriers that undermine reform. The final part considers the wider significance of the lobbying process and its relevance for future research.


Abstract Background Striving to cope with day-to-day challenges is a basic human behaviour. Self-initiated management approaches provide a resource that has yet to be discovered and systematically used in occupational therapy practice. This resource might be especially important for people with dementia who are less likely to adopt management approaches initiated by others. Aims/objectives Based on the findings of former studies on management and problem-solving actions among people with cognitive impairment, this article aims to identify and categorize the study participants' self-initiated management approaches and how these may be manifested in strategies in everyday occupations. Material and methods The study utilized a form of meta-synthesis; an aggregated analysis, where findings from 11 studies published 2004–2020 were compared and categorized, incorporating the views of participants with dementia/mild cognitive impairment, or acquired brain injury. Results Thirty strategies were identified and grouped into seven categories of management approaches, used in a variety of everyday occupations and situations. A majority of the strategies were found in both populations, suggesting that management approaches are more similar than different across populations with cognitive impairment. Conclusions and significance Attending to the rich variation of self-initiated management approaches/strategies among persons with cognitive impairment offers possibilities for developing occupational therapy interventions.


In the present work a flexible approach for the wet chemical processing of nanocomposite functional thin films is demonstrated. Barium titanate (BTO) based nanocomposite thin films for future miniaturized multi-layer ceramic capacitors are chosen as model systems to introduce the concept of "hybrid solutions" which consist of stabile mixtures of reverse micelle derived BTO nanoparticle dispersions and conventional molecular precursor solutions of either the same (BTO:BTO) or a specifically different material such as zirconia (BTO:ZrO2). While in the case of using BTO:BTO hybrid solutions an interesting mode of microstructure control is found, the use of BTO:ZrO2 hybrid solutions with various BTO : ZrO2 ratios leads to nanocomposite films. BTO:BTO hybrid solutions yield columnar grown films with excellent permittivities up to 1050 with a significantly reduced number of coating steps at 700 °C. Low values of the temperature coefficient of capacitance are realized in the BTO–ZrO2 nanocomposite thin films. The observed dielectric behavior of these films is explained based on the formation of a core–shell type microstructure on the nanoscale. A detailed high resolution transmission electron microscopy study combined with Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction gives evidence for the proposed BTO–ZrO2 nanocomposite character of these thin films.


Traffic sign recognition plays a significant role in modern automated driver assisting systems and showing information about safety measures. It is a technology that allows users to recognize traffic signs in real-time, typically in videos, or sometimes just in photos. Poor identification of traffic signs cause road accidents. Moreover In adverse situation like heavy rain,foggy weather or sleepy driver can misidentify a traffic sign that may cause the death of hundreds of people. As a result identification of traffic signs properly has become an obligatory topic for research. In this research, we have used convolutional neural network for detecting and classifying the road signs accurately. We have proposed five Keras models of CNN and compared their results. The main challenge of this research is dealing with noise in images such as ads, parked vehicles, pedestrians, and other moving objects or background objects that made the recognition much more difficult. Not only the objects but also various environmental issues like the reflection of light, rainfall, fog etc has affected the research. In order to conduct this research we have collected our own data-set. We roamed around Dhaka city and clicked pictures of the traffic signs as there is no benchmark data-set available in the perspective of Bangladesh. For 500 images this model gives out an accuracy of 63%. There have been many researches in this field but our one is unique as it is tested on our own collected data-set on Bangladesh's perspective. Recognizing traffic signs has become a part of our daily essentials as road safety depends on it, on a large scale which made it an obligatory topic for research.


Forensic podiatry a small, but potentially useful specialty using clinical podiatric knowledge for the purpose of person identification. The practice of forensic podiatry began in the early 1970s in Canada and the UK, although supportive research commenced later in the 1990s. Techniques of forensic podiatry include identification from podiatry records, the human footprint, footwear, and the analysis of gait forms captured on Closed Circuit Television Cameras. The most valuable techniques relate to the comparison of the foot impressions inside shoes. Tools to describe, measure and compare foot impressions with footwear wear marks have been developed through research with potential for further development. The role of forensic podiatrists is of particular value when dealing with variable factors relating to the functioning and the shod foot. Case studies demonstrate the approach of podiatrists, in footwear identification, when comparing exemplar with questioned foot impressions. Forensic podiatry practice should be approached cautiously and it is essential for podiatrists undertaking this type of work to understand the context within which the process of person identification takes place. 2006 Elsevier Ltd and AFP. All rights reserved.


Existing dichromatic color constancy approach commonly requires a number of spatial pixels which have high specularity. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to estimate the illuminant chromaticity of AC light source using high-speed camera. We found that the temporal observations of an image pixel at a fixed location distribute on an identical dichromatic plane. Instead of spatial pixels with high specularity, multiple temporal samples of a pixel are exploited to determine AC pixels for dichromatic plane estimation, whose pixel intensity is sinusoidally varying well. A dichromatic plane is calculated per each AC pixel, and illuminant chromaticity is determined by the intersection of dichromatic planes. From multiple dichromatic planes, an optimal illuminant is estimated with a novel MAP framework. It is shown that the proposed method outperforms both existing dichromatic based methods and temporal color constancy methods, irrespective of the amount of specularity.


First published in Peru in 1990, The Shining Path was immediately hailed as one of the finest works on the insurgency that plagued that nation for over fifteen years. A richly detailed and absorbing account, it covers the dramatic years between the guerrillas' opening attack in 1980 and President Fernando Belaunde's reluctant decision to send in the military to contain the growing rebellion in late 1982. Covering the strategy, actions, successes, and setbacks of both the government and the rebels, the book shows how the tightly organized insurgency forced itself upon an unwilling society just after the transition from an authoritarian to a democratic regime. One of Peru's most distinguished journalists, Gustavo Gorriti first covered the Shining Path movement for the leading Peruvian newsweekly, Caretas . Drawing on hundreds of interviews and an impressive array of government and Shining Path documents, he weaves his careful research into a vivid portrait of the now-jailed Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman, Belaunde and his generals, and the unfolding drama of the fiercest war fought on Peruvian soil since the Chilean invasion a century before. |A gripping account of Peru's guerrilla insurgency, known as the Shining Path, which plagued the nation for over fifteen years.


We propose and theoretically study an approach to massively parallel single molecule peptide sequencing, based on single molecule measurement of the kinetics of probe binding [1] to the N-termini of immobilized peptides. Unlike previous proposals, this method is robust to both weak and non-specific probe-target affinities, which we demonstrate by applying the method to a range of randomized affinity matrices consisting of relatively low-quality binders. This suggests a novel principle for proteomic measurement whereby highly non-optimized sets of low-affinity binders could be applicable for protein sequencing, thus shifting the burden of amino acid identification from biomolecular design to readout. Measurement of probe occupancy times, or of time-averaged fluorescence, should allow high-accuracy determination of N-terminal amino acid identity for realistic probe sets. The time-averaged fluorescence method scales well to extremely weak-binding probes. We argue that this method could lead to an approach with single amino acid resolution and the ability to distinguish many canonical and modified amino acids, even using highly non-optimized probe sets. This readout method should expand the design space for single molecule peptide sequencing by removing constraints on the properties of the fluorescent binding probes. Author summary We simplify the problem of single molecule protein sequencing by proposing and analyzing an approach that makes use of low-affinity, low-specificity binding reagents. This decouples the problem of protein sequencing from the problem of generating a high-quality library of binding reagents against each of the amino acids.


There are several scholarly understandings regarding the Constitution and the prerogative power (Arnhart 1979; Scigliano 1989; Sorenson 1989; Thomas 2000). Each understanding agrees that laws are imperfect with regard to the future and must therefore be pushed aside if required to preserve the nation. Further, each concedes that the president, by virtue of his unity of office and duration, is the most convenient as well as the safest repository for emergency powers. The understandings differ on whether the Constitution acknowledges and grants these powers. One understanding argues that Article II's vesting clause, the commander-in-chief provision, and the oath of office provide the president with the constitutional, that is, the legal, foundation for using the prerogative (Corwin 1957 (1); Arnhart 1979; Sorenson 1989). According to this "constitutional" understanding, the Framers "constitutionalized" necessity by placing prerogative inside the Constitution (Mansfield 1987, 1993). Another understanding asserts that the Constitution is silent concerning the prerogative. Under this "extra-constitutional" understanding, the prerogative power is outside the Constitution, so its occasional exercise, although illegal, must be controlled by politics rather than by the Constitution (Wilmerding 1952; Schlesinger 1973; Robinson 1996; Fisher 1997). There is yet a third scholarly approach: rather than assessing prerogative purely in constitutional, or legal, terms, this understanding holds that prerogative is left to institutional conflict under constitutional design. Under this view, judging prerogative involves debate about premises--was there an emergency? Was there a grant of authority (or was such authority forbidden) by Congress? (Justice Robert Jackson, concurring opinion, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. et al. v. Sawyer, 1952). Do the "attitudes and opinions of the American community" support the action? (Roche 1952). Because presidential action becomes "prerogative" only when the other two branches say so (Thomas 2000), this understanding holds both a constitutional prerogative, in that the rival ambitions of officeholders in the three departments constrict prerogative (Thomas 2000), and an extra-constitutional prerogative, in that determining whether discretion is in the public good is a matter of politics simply (Roche 1952). The varying scholarly understandings of the constitutionality of prerogative illustrate how different findings can come from common evidence. Consider the Framers of the Constitution. According to Robert Scigliano (1989), the Framers used the word "prerogative" only when disapproving of it or when likening partisan opponents to Monarchists. When they did mention "discretion," they meant a "legal discretion.... to be exercised to aid the laws, not set them aside" (248). Other scholars, however, have argued that several essays of The Federalist, especially no. 23, assert a constitutional basis for prerogative (Arnhart 1979; Sorenson 1989). Similarly, even Scigliano found some justification among the Framers for "violating the laws": both Thomas Jefferson's 1810 letter to John B. Colvin and James Madison's argument in Federalist no. 40 justified departures from legality on principles found in the Declaration of Independence but not in the Constitution (1989, 251). If these scholars are correct, one might say that the Framers themselves were divided over the constitutionality of prerogative, a split that can be identified by a few essays in The Federalist and several arguments offered by Jefferson and Madison. Or, without settling the question about the Framers and the constitutionality of prerogative, one could end the matter with Justice Robert Jackson's observation about the Constitution and executive power generally: the arguments supplied by the Framers do little more than provide counterevidence for the two sides in an argument over 200 years old--the writings of Alexander Hamilton and Madison, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, like the scholarly camps, "largely cancel each other" (concurring opinion, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. …


Cholesterol screening was performed on 1140 fifth-grade students in Scottsdale, AZ, as part of a school-affiliated, health-education program. The goals were to determine whether family history of heart disease or high cholesterol can predict which children have high cholesterol levels and to examine the feasibility of screening large numbers of elementary school students. Among the children studied, the mean cholesterol level was 168.3 mg/dL (4.35 mmol/L), arid 13 percent had cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL (5.20 mmol/L). Fifty-four percent had a family member with high cholesterol or a heart attack before age 60 years, but 36 percent of the students with cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL (5.20 mmol/L) had a negative family history. Family history was neither sensitive nor specific as a predictor of elevated cholesterol levels (sensitivity 0.64, specificity 0.47, and positive predictive value 0.16 for predicting cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL [5.20 mmol/L]). Large numbers of children were screened safely and efficiently with good student and parental cooperation. Results of this study do not support the current recommendations to screen children for hypercholesterolemia based upon their family histories.


Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan Millsp,) has ample genetic and genomic information now. It is endowed with rich germplasm in different gene pools. One of the easiest material to use in those are in the primary gene pool, which are closely related to cultivated pigeonpea. It is observed that species placed beyond the primary gene pool are a rich source of genetic variation. They contribute beneficial traits to pigeonpea such as pest or disease resistance, resistance to abiotic stresses, cytoplasmic male sterile systems (CMS) leading to yield improvement, and some novel traits such as homozygous pigeonpea lines. To effectively utilize the immense variation present in the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary gene pool of pigeonpea, a thorough knowledge of crossability and concerted effort is essential.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the treatment outcome in terms of relapse free survival and overall survival, and explore the determinants of the clinical outcome in HER-2/neu positive breast cancer patients who received or not received adjuvant trastuzumab.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
The authors reviewed retrospectively of newly diagnosed non-metastatic breast cancer patients at the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University between January 2004 and December 2007. Comparisons were made between the two cohorts, women who did not receive adjuvant trastuzumab (100 patients) and women who received adjuvant trastuzumab (14 patients).

RESULTS
The median follow-up time was 4.7 years. Four-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients receiving trastuzumab was 92.3% and 100%, respectively. In the cohort of HER-2 positive patients who did not receive trastuzumab, the 4-year RFS in this group was 68.2% and 4-year OS was 87.8%. The difference was not statistically significant between the 4-year RFS rates (p = 0.103) and the 4-year OS rates (p = 0.214). By multivariate Cox regression analyses, only nodal status was identified as the independent predictors for superior RFS (hazard ratio 2.93; 95% CI, 1.07 to 5.88; p = 0.034) and none of the clinical parameters were significant predictors for 4-year overall survival.

CONCLUSION
A hospital-based analysis of adjuvant Trastuzumab use in our center does not demonstrate the different treatment outcome. However there is a trend of favorable outcome in the group receiving adjuvant trastuzumab.


Silicon oxide thin films were deposited by using a plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition technique to investigate the light emission properties. The photoluminescence characteristics were divided into two categories along the relative ratio of the flow rates of SiH4 and N2O source gases, which show light emission in the broad/visible range and a light emission peak at 380 nm. We attribute the broad/visible light emission and the light emission peak to the quantum confinement effect of nanocrystalline silicon and the Si=O defects, respectively. Changes in the photoluminescence spectra were observed after the post-annealing processes. The photoluminescence spectra of the broad light emission in the visible range shifted to the long wavelength and were saturated above an annealing temperature of 900℃ or after 1 hour annealing at 970℃. However, the position of the light emission peak at 380 nm did not change at all after the post-annealing processes. The light emission intensities at 380 nm initially increased, and decreased at annealing temperatures above 700℃ or after 1 hour annealing at 700℃. The photoluminescence behaviors after the annealing processes can be explained bythe size change of the nanocrystalline silicon and the density change of Si=O defect in the films, respectively. These results support the possibility of using a silicon-based light source for Si-optoelectronic integrated circuits and/or display devices.


This paper aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the concept of community archives, offering a critique of the community archives discourse through a historical case study focused on the origins of the Gerber/Hart LGBTQ library and archives in Chicago.,This study explores the archival collections of the founders of the Gerber/Hart library and archives and the librarians that have worked there as a means for understanding the origins of the archival impulse, the rationale for building the collections and the practices that shaped the collections during the first decade of the organization's history.,The historical analysis of the Gerber/Hart library and archives situates community archives and LGBTQ collections within the broader historical context that lead to the founding of the organization and reveals deep connections to the information professions not previously considered by those studying community archives.,The paper offers a reconceptualization of community archives as archival projects initiated, controlled and maintained by the members of a self-defined community. The authors emphasize the role of the archival impulse or the historical origins of the collection and the necessity for full-community control, setting clear boundaries between community archives and other participatory archival models that engage the community.


A novel power-factor-correction circuit applicable for motor drives is proposed based on the power flow analysis. The proposed circuit features the improved efficiency, tight regulation of the output voltage, constant frequency control and wide output voltage range. Based on analysis, the design methods are presented in detail. Simulation and experimental results have verified the effectiveness of the novel circuit.


Background and Importance.-Globally, almost one million new cases of stomach cancer were estimated to have occurred in 2012 (952,000 cases, 6.8% of the total), making it the fifth most common malignancy in the world, after lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate. Gastric cancer was the world's third leading cause of cancer mortality in 2012, responsible for 723,000 deaths, 8.8% of total cancer deaths.1 In 2017, 28,000 new cases and 10,960 deaths are estimated for gastric cancer in the United States.2 Estimated United States prevalence counts on January 1, 2014, for patients diagnosed within the previous 5-years was 48,271 (SEER Cancer Statistics Review-2014). Prognostic indices of survival & mortality in patients with gastric cancer are related to tumor stage including nodal involvement, direct tumor extension beyond the gastric wall, and wide-spread dissemination. Tumor histologic grade (degree of loss of cellular differentiation), and oncotype-specific ICD-O-3 phenotypes also provides important prognostic information. By more than 90%, the most common histologic type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) ICD-O-3 SEER Site/Histology Validation List catalog (September 18, 2015) enumerates almost 200 subtypes for gastric cancer sites C160-C166, C168-C169. Based on the results of molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas reported to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project in 2014, a novel classification separating gastric cancers into four subtypes according to Epstein-Barr virus positive status, microsatellite instability, chromosomal instability, or genomic stability was proposed.3> Of interest, Helicobacter Pylori infection and its role in the development of gastric cancer is not mentioned. All cancer has a genetic basis. However, given the histologic and etiologic heterogeneity of gastric cancer, eventual comprehensive molecular characterization and genomic sequencing with identification of chromosomal aberrations, nucleotide substitutions mortality follow-up study is focused on short- and long-term comparative patient outcomes of stomach adenocarcinoma, ICD-O-3 8140-8147, and other selected gastric cancer oncotypes. Objective.-To update trends in incidence, prevalence, short- and long-term survival, and mortality of gastric cancer using the statistical database of SEER*Stat 8.3.4 for diagnosis years 1973-2014 employing multiple case selection variables. Methods.-A retrospective, population-based study using nationally representative data from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program to evaluate 157,258 cases for diagnosis years 1973-2014 comparing multiple variables of age, sex, race, stage, grade, cohort entry time-period, disease duration and histologic oncotype: Relative survival statistics were analyzed in two cohorts: 1973-1994 and 1995-2014. Survival statistics were derived from: SEER*Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 9 Regs Research Data, November 2016 Submission (1973-2014) Released April 2017. Results.-By more than 90%, the most common type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma. From 1975 to 2014, gastric cancer incidence has been steadily decreasing in the United States at the rate of -1.5% per year. In a total of 157,258 cases of invasive staged cancer of the stomach, mean age in males was 67.5 years, females 69.6 years, both male & female 67.4 years. Greater than 90% of cases occurred between ages 45-85+ years with the zenith in males at 70-74 years (15.1%) and 85+ years in females (17.9%). The overall annual US death rate per 100,000 per year for stomach cancer from 1975 to 2014 has decreased from 5.1 to 3.1, but excess mortality at 0-5 years remains exceedingly high. Mortality is a function of incidence and survival, and unfortunately, almost all of this decrease is due to the decrease in incidence of stomach cancer. Of the 157,258 invasive cases, 86.6% were clinically staged and 76.8% were histologically graded. Conclusions.-Given the histologic and etiologic heterogeneity of gastric cancer, major improvements in mortality and survival outcomes await the development of diagnostic markers for earlier diagnosis, and genomic sequencing and identification of chromosomal aberrations, nucleotide substitutions and epigenetic modifications that drive malignant transformation, for the development of targeted therapies for almost 200 gastric cancer subtypes.


Abstract This article describes an outbreak of bloodstream infection due to clonal dissemination of multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal area, during August 1999, in México City General Hospital. The intestinal tract was the likely reservoir, and intensification of Contact Precaution measures contained the outbreak.


Background: SKLB023, a novel 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-dione based-derivative, specifically inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase and shows promise for treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, its poor water solubility and low bioavailability limits its clinical use. Here the drug was loaded into phosphatidylcholine-bile salt-mixed micelles (PBMM/SKLB023) to overcome these limitations. Methods: PBMM/SKLB023 was developed using a simple co-precipitation method, and formulation parameters were optimized. The pharmacokinetics of PBMM/SKLB023 were investigated in Wistar rats, and therapeutic efficacy was assessed in a mouse model of NASH induced by a diet deficient in methionine- and choline. Results: PBMM/SKLB023 particles were 11.36±2.08 nm based on dynamic light scattering, and loading the drug into micelles improved its water solubility 300-fold. PBMM/SKLB023 inhibited proliferation and activation of HSC-T6 cells more strongly than free SKLB023. PBMM/SKLB023 showed longer mean retention time and higher bioavailability than the free drug after intravenous injection in Wistar rats. In the mouse model of NASH, PBMM/SKLB023 alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis to a significantly greater extent than free SKLB023. Conclusion: PBMM/SKLB023 shows therapeutic potential for treating NASH and liver fibrosis.


The field of reconstructive surgery of the laryngotracheal complex has been the object of considerable enthusiasm in recent years. New surgical techniques, better surgical tools, and improved diagnostic skills all have contributed to a more confident approach to severe laryngotracheal stenosis. Just as the surgeon's judgment is crucial for a successful primary laryngotracheal reconstruction, so are his or her skill and judgment vitally important in managing the various problems that frequently are found following reconstructive surgery of the larynx and trachea. These problems, although seemingly minor, may prevent successful decannulation if not managed appropriately. This paper discusses the various problems that have been encountered while achieving decannulation following laryngotracheal reconstruction. An approach to such frustrating problems as suprastomal collapse, granulation tissue, and the inability to decannulate are presented.


Ammonium scheelites (of which ammonium perrhenate is an example) show several anomalies in their behaviour (including thermal contraction of the a lattice parameter, large thermal expansion of the c lattice parameter, enhanced nuclear quadrupolar relaxation, increased specific heat) which has been attributed to the onset of orientational disorder of the ammonium ions. Unlike in the ammonium halides there is no actual phase transition. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations of this material are reported. The model shows anomalies in the thermal expansion which are associated with a broadening and shift of the orientational distribution of the ammonium ions. There is no evidence of more than one preferred orientation. The ammonium ions also begin to jump between the twelve equivalent orientations, and we present evidence that this is primarily by rotation about one of the bonds. The activation energy for this agrees well with experiment. Angular and linear velocity-time correlation functions for the ammonium ion show rapid dephasing at higher temperatures, which is consistent with the observed broadening of the corresponding lines in the Raman spectrum. The origin of the anomalous thermal expansion is discussed in terms of various contributions to the entropy of the crystal.


EDITORIAL The RNA interference (RNAi) phenomenon was first observed in 1990 in plants. In order to obtain petunias more intense in color, extra copies were added to those plants whose gene codifies such color. To the surprise of researchers, the resulting transgenic petunias were bicolored and some were almost completely white. This suggested that not only transgenes had been repressed but also the plants native genes. This phenomenon was known as post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). Later on, in 1998, Fire and his colleagues described for the first time the phenomenon of genetic inter- ference or RNAi. They noticed how the double strand DNA injection (dsDNA) within the Caenor- habditis elegans nemotode resulted in the specific silencing of the gene of a sequence complementary to the one introduced (1). The action mechanism at the molecular level was described some time later in embryo extracts from the Drosophila melanogas- ter (2). These revealed that long fragments belon- ging to dsDNA could be divided into small portions of 22 nucleotides and how the introduction of frag- ments consisting of 21 or 22 chemically synthesi- zed nucleotides facilitated the degradation of the homologous RNA. Today, the phenomenon of inter- ference in the genetic expression mediated by small RNA endogenous interferents or siRNA has been acknowledged as a biological strategy taking place in most eucariots. Today, there is a large number of biochemical and genetic evidence which have pro- vided for the discovery of the action mechanism behind the RNAi and how the RNA messenger (RNAm) target degradation occurs (fig. 1). The introduction of the double strand RNA (dsRNA) in a cell or body results in a complex cascade which results in the degradation of RNAm. The process, located in the cytoplasm, begins when the Dicer protein captures the long double strand RNAs and divides them, resulting in a 21-25 nt siRNA (short interferent RNA). The siRNA, whether endogenous or artificially introduced in cells, is incorporated into a multiprotein complex known as RISC (RNA- inducing silencing complex). During this union, double strand siRNAs are unpaired and the antisen- se strand which remains attached will guide this complex in the search for the homologous sequen- ce of the RNAm target. Once it has found the com- plementary sequence, it pairs up with the siRNA and causes the endonucleotidic rupture by means of the Dicer protein, which degrades the transcript of the particular gene. It is worth noting the fact that one of the key factors intervening in the maintenan- ce and efficiency of interference is the ability of the


In this note, we present some theoretical results useful for inference on a population Lorenz curve for income and expenditure distributions, when the population density of the distribution is not (uniformly) bounded away from zero, and potentially has thick tails. Our approach is to define Hadamard differentiability in a slightly nonstandard way, and using it to establish a functional delta method for the Lorenz map. Our differentiability concept is nonstandard in that the perturbation functions, which are used to compute the functional derivative, are assumed to satisfy certain limit conditions. These perturbation functions correspond to a (nonparametric) distribution function estimator. Therefore, as long as the employed estimator satis.es the same limit conditions, which we verify in this paper, the delta method and corresponding asymptotic distribution results can be established.


Much of the existing literature on psychological distance has focused on cognitive outcomes, such as changes in construal level, largely framing affective processes out of the discussion. The current research examines the distinct influences of psychological distance and construal level on affect-based evaluation. In a first set of experiments, psychological distance (vs. closeness) reduces the intensity of felt affect, while abstract (vs. concrete) thinking increases the positivity of one's thoughts. In a second set of experiments, psychological distance improves evaluations of negative experiences by reducing the intensity of negative affect but hurts evaluations of positive experiences by reducing the intensity of positive affect. By contrast, abstract thinking increases positivity, improving evaluations for both positive and negative experiences alike. These findings have implications for marketing communication strategy and existing theories of psychological distance.


Background Hip fractures (HF) are associated with significant morbidity and are further increased in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Higher morbidity in dialysis patients is related to several risk factors that are associated. Dementia is an associated risk factor for HF in the general population. Objectives We here aimed to describe the impact of dementia in FH in dialysis patients and assess if dementia is an additional risk factor of HF in patients with CRF. Methods Data are obtained from the National Database of Hospitalizations. In order to avoid the possibility of a high incidence based in single year, data were extracted over the period 2011-2013. Three populations of subjects aged 60 and over were extracted and analyzed: population with hip fracture, population in dialysis and population of demented patients (whatever the reason for the hospitalization whether or not in connection with dementia). These populations were crossed to estimate the fracture risk based on the presence of dementia or dialysis, adjusted for age and sex. The fracture risk was calculated using a multiple logistic regression model. Results Over the period 2011 to 2013, 213 180 patients experienced a hip fracture (70% women), 660 434 patients were diagnosed for dementia (64% women) and 47 430 patients were on dialysis (39% women). There was an effect of age and gender on the incidence of fractures and dementia. In dialysis patients, the risk of HF was significantly higher in patients with dementia compared to those without dementia: OR 1.99 [95% CI: 1.66-2.38], this being the same for men (OR 2.37 [1.81-3.05]) and women (OR 2.56 [1-97-3.29]) in each age categories. However, in patients with dementia, the fracture risk is independent of dialysis (OR: 1.25 [0.99-1.59]) in each gender and age categories. Moreover, the risk of dementia is not increased by dialysis in this population with HF (OR 1.52 [0.77-3]) after adjustment for age and gender. Conclusions Dementia significantly increases the risk of hip fracture in dialysis patients compared to the patients without dementia. However, this risk is the same than in demented patients whether in dialysis or not. These results highlight dementia as a major risk factor for FH in dialysis and points out the necessity of prevention to avoid hip fractures. Disclosure of Interest None declared


the formation of cancer can attack any organic system of the human body. And talking about the bird look mea that refers to the cancer that affects the blood cells. And as part of blood cancer it rapidly multiplies the cells and attacks the different aspects of the circulatory system. talking about the automatic detection we can detect the cancer that reduce the error and the results obtained from the microscopic images and even by the mistakes that have been occurred by the pathology pathologist that mainly defines the detection of leukemia and as a result. The detection Detection of Leukemia with the help of microscopic images with the help of microscope images as the images are pre processed and the noise is removed as the images are also segmented for the classification to form appropriate structures as it contains the components which is being classified as Eosinophil, Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, Basophil, and Monocytand we have used the back propagation algorithm for the training of the images and the accuracy is achieved is around 85%


The aim of the study was to obtain a new physical formula for determining the refractive indices of light as a function of wavelength, which can be applied to a wide range of transparent substances. In the process of research on the basis of Einstein's relativistic formula, such a dispersion formula was obtained. Comparison of the obtained indicators with laboratory indicators showed the high accuracy of the new dispersion formula, which was ±10 -7 − 10 -5 in the calculated wavelength ranges of more than 100 nm.The new dispersion formula is obtained on the basis of the mathematical dependence of the speed of propagation of photons in a transparent substance on the energy density of electron clouds of atoms of the substance. Energy is a universal category, therefore, it is possible to apply the basic version of the new formula (where instead of the wavelength there is the energy density of electron clouds) when conducting research in all areas of light generation, manipulation and detection.And, finally, the very fact of applying the adapted relativistic Einstein's formula to physical processes occurring at the atomic level allows us to look at the nature of the interaction of light and matter from a new angle.


Introduction: Prophylactic intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (pIABC) is recommended for high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Criteria for high-risk patients benefiting from pIABC are unclear. This study aimed to specifically describe the effect of pIABC on outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing CABG. Methods: In 178 of 484 AMI patients (non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI] or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] ≤5 days before surgery) without cardiogenic shock who underwent CABG between 2008 and 2013, pIABC was initiated preoperatively. After propensity score matching, the outcomes of 400 patients were analyzed (pIABC: 150; Control: 250). Results: After propensity score matching, baseline and operative characteristics were balanced between the groups except for a higher rate of patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)≤30% in the pIABC group (26% vs. Control: 13%; p=0.032). Seven point two percent (7.2%) of the control patients received an IABP intraoperatively or postoperatively. Postoperative extracorporeal life support (ECLS) was only needed in the control group (1.2% vs. 0%; p=0.01). Postoperative plasma curves of troponin I, creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoform MB (CK-MB) levels were reduced in the pIABC group compared with the control group. In-hospital mortality was reduced in the pIABC group (3.3% vs. control: 6.4%; p=0.18). After multivariate adjustment for other preoperative risk factors, pIABC was significantly protective concerning in-hospital mortality (HR 0.56; 95%-CI 0.023-0.74; p=0.021). Mortality (pIABC vs. control) was more affected in patients with preoperative LVEF≤30% (2/36 (5.6%) vs. 6/31 (19%); heart rate (HR) 0.25; 95%-CI 0.046-1.3; p=0.13) compared with LVEF>30% (3/114 (2.6%) vs. 10/219 (4.6%); HR 0.56; 95%-CI 0.15-2.1; p=0.55). Long-term survival did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: pIABC in CABG for AMI is associated with reduced perioperative cardiac injury and in-hospital mortality. Long-term survival is not affected.


This paper describes an exploratory study investigating the impact of problem-based learning and clicker technology as active learning strategies at the American University of Sharjah Library, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Studies compared traditional and active learning classes. The present article maps the successes and challenges of these unique classroom encounters, and through correlation of findings from a broader educational context, considers the impact of these teaching strategies on student performance in the library instruction environment. Results provide insight into the potential and implications of active learning strategies as a means of engaging students in the learning process and the inherent difficulties associated with measuring impact on student learning. Future studies should consider other variables affecting student learning including student motivation, engagement, and learning styles, and consider a range of alternate assessment models from the education field.


The concepts of eco-friendly building are getting more attention today. The use of materials from natural sources is an alternative to the realization of the green building concept. Considering this approach, a study was conducted to investigate the potential of cockle shell ash as a material for partial cement replacement or a filler material. The study was to determine the chemical composition of cockle shell ash and were determined using Fluorescence X-ray analysis. The observation of on the morphology structure based on SEM analysis was also performed. The next phase involved in determining the concrete properties such as compressive strength, tensile, modulus of elasticity, water permeability and porosity made from mixture of cockle shell ash of 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 50% and compared to normal concrete cured in ordinary water at the 7, 28, 90 days and up to 120 days for water permeability test. As a result, with the inclusion of 5% and 10% of cockle shell ash, morphology structure seems compacted that effected the strength, modulus of elasticity, permeability and porosity of the concrete.


The mobility of hydrogen and its isotopes in metals has been the object of investigation for several years, whereas the diffusion studies of H in doped semiconductors started more recently. Although the H diffusion coefficient in metals may be several orders of magnitudes higher than in semiconductors, the dynamics of H in metals and semiconductors presents many common features, like precipitation, trapping by heavier impurities and, as indicated by recent results, quantum tunneling at low temperature. In boron doped silicon, the relaxation rates {tau}{sup {minus}1}(T) of H and B obtained from anelastic relaxation were joined with those from infrared absorption: the remarkably wide range obtained (11 decades) clearly shows a deviation of {tau}{sup {minus}1}(T) from the classical dependence at low temperature. However, the results obtained and their analysis do not allow yet to draw conclusions on the mechanism governing the H(D) dynamics. Recently, the investigation of the dynamics of H(D) in GaAs doped with Zn revealed a dissipation peak at 20 K in the kHz range. This relaxation has the highest rate found for H in a semiconductor: more than 15 orders of magnitude higher than in all the other semiconductors measured so far. The analysis of the dissipation curvesmore » clearly indicates that the nature of the H reorientation is quantistic. In metals two regimes of the H mobility are observed: hopping with deviations from a classical Arrhenius motion, and a much faster tunneling within few close sites. In the latter regime the H dynamics does not consist of jumps but of transitions between the quantized energy levels of the tunnel systems. The types of interactions assisting the H transitions and the geometry of the tunnel systems are an open problem: although the two-level tunnel system (TLS) has been widely used to explain neutron diffusion, specific heat, and acoustic spectroscopy results in interstitial solutions (NbO{sub x}H{sub y}), recently this model has appeared not to be valid in substitutional solutions (NbZr{sub x}H{sub y}, NbTi{sub x}H{sub y}) where the tunnel systems have a higher symmetry. The four-level systems seem to be more appropriate, although the corresponding model has not been developed as much as the TLS yet.« less