Matched field processing (MFP) is an important technique for source localization in shallow water waveguides. To obtain high resolution, some adaptive methods are frequently used, for example, the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) MFP. It is well-known that MVDR is quite sensitive to model mismatch, which can hardly be avoided in practical applications. In this paper a robust MVDR method, previously developed for beamforming applications, is generalized to MFP. It is implemented using convex optimization and second order cone (SOC) programming. Simulations show that in the presence of environment mismatch, the developed algorithm performs at least equally well compared to the diagonal loading technique. Besides, the diagonal loading technique performs very poor if with improper loading factor. On the contrary, by choosing the uncertainty factor accordingly, different robustness levels can always be achieved using the developed approach.


As by‐products, emissions follow economic fluctuations. Ignoring this fact in environmental policies can lead to unexpected emissions fluctuations and an increase in intervention costs. Using a real business cycle model, we compare two policies: a fixed tax policy where the price is constant over time and a variable tax regime where the tax rate is set at the beginning of each period. We find that while both programs result in lower emissions, a variable tax regime is preferable since first, it can ensure that the maximum welfare is always achieved, and second, it is more effective in stabilising emissions.


A common strategy for avoiding information overload in multi-factor paired comparison experiments is to employ pairs of options which have different levels for only some of the factors in a study. For the practically important case where the factors fall into three groups such that all factors within a group have the same number of levels and where one is only interested in estimating the main effects, a comprehensive catalogue of D-optimal approximate designs is presented. These optimal designs use at most three different types of pairs and have a block diagonal information matrix.


The time evolution equations of a simplified isolated ideal gas, the "tetrahedral" gas, are derived. The dynamical behavior of the López-Ruiz-Mancini-Calbet complexity [R. López-Ruiz, H. L. Mancini, and X. Calbet, Phys. Lett. A 209, 321 (1995)] is studied in this system. In general, it is shown that the complexity remains within the bounds of minimum and maximum complexity. We find that there are certain restrictions when the isolated "tetrahedral" gas evolves towards equilibrium. In addition to the well-known increase in entropy, the quantity called disequilibrium decreases monotonically with time. Furthermore, the trajectories of the system in phase space approach the maximum complexity path as it evolves toward equilibrium.


The efficient and safe operation of large fusion devices strongly relies on the plasma configuration inside the vacuum chamber. It is important to construct the proper plasma equilibrium with a desired plasma configuration. In order to construct the target configuration, a shape constraint module has been developed in the tokamak simulation code (TSC), which controls the poloidal flux and the magnetic field at several defined control points. It is used to construct the double null, lower single null, and quasi-snowflake configurations for the required target shape and calculate the required PF coils current. The flexibility and practicability of this method have been verified by the simulated results.


Applying the concept of the generalized interception spot, basing on the variable structure adaptive theory and choosing the relative velocity deflection angle as the sliding-mode, a variable structure adaptive midcourse guidance law is designed. The simulation results show that the indexes of the missile perfectly fulfill the need, which validates the feasibility and the effectivity of the designed guidance law.


Generalized property-directed reachability (GPDR) belongs to the family of the model-checking techniques called IC3/PDR. It has been successfully applied to software verification; for example, it is the core of Spacer, a state-of-the-art Horn-clause solver bundled with Z3. However, it has yet to be applied to hybrid systems, which involve a continuous evolution of values over time. As the first step towards GPDRbased model checking for hybrid systems, this paper formalizes HGPDR, an adaptation of GPDR to hybrid systems, and proves its soundness. We also implemented a semi-automated proof-of-concept verifier, which allows a user to provide hints to guide verification steps.


Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a therapeutic modality indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory low-grade, follicular, or transformed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), where the mechanism of action involves the intrinsic activity of the monoclonal antibody and the cytotoxic effects of radiation. The primary toxicity is a late-occurring, transient, and reversible myelosuppression. Because of concerns regarding the long-term effects of radiation on the bone marrow, we investigated the incidence of treatment-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) and treatment-related acute myelogenous leukemia (t-AML) after ibritumomab tiuxetan RIT. A total of 746 patients with NHL were treated with the ibritumomab tiuxetan regimen in registration and compassionate-use trials between 1996 and 2002. Patients had a median age of 61 years (range, 24–87) and had received a median of 3 prior therapies (range, 0–9+). The crude incidence of t-MDS or t-AML was 2.3% (17/746), with an incidence of 4.7% (10/211) in patients enrolled in registration trials and of only 1.3% (7/535) in patients included in the compassionate-use trial, with a median follow-up of 5.7 and 3.5 years, respectively. These malignancies were documented at a median of 5.6 years (range, 1.2–13.9) after the diagnosis of NHL and 1.5 years (range, 0.1–5.8) after RIT. The annualized rates were 0.3% (95% CI, 0.2%–0.4%) a year after the diagnosis of NHL and 0.7% (95% CI, 0.4%–1.0%) a year after RIT. Cox multivariate regression analysis found that previous treatment with a purine nucleoside analog was a significant risk factor for t-MDS or t-AML (hazard ratio, 3.9 [95% CI, 1.5–10.4]; P = .006). All patients in whom t-MDS or t-AML developed and in whom cytogenetic data were available (n = 15) had multiple cytogenetic aberrations, commonly of chromosomes 5 and 7, suggesting an association with previous exposure to chemotherapy. There were documented bone marrow cytogenetic abnormalities before treatment in 2 patients who developed t-MDS or t-AML. These data suggest that the annualized incidence of t-MDS or t-AML following ibritumomab tiuxetan RIT is consistent with that expected on the basis of the patients' history of treatment for NHL. Cytogenetic testing before administration of RIT may identify existing chromosomal abnormalities in previously treated patients, particularly in those who have been treated with alkylating agents and/or purine nucleoside analogs and who are thereby at a higher risk for t-MDS or t-AML.


Bactericidal power of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was determined in eight patients with protein calorie malnutrition before and after nutritional therapy. Oxygen consumption associated with the uptake of zymosan particle by polymorphonuclear leukocytes, which is an exact reflection of the bactericidal power of leukocytes, was significantly decreased in untreated patients in the presence of both autologous and AB serum when compared with two control groups of eight normal patients. After nutritional therapy, oxygen consumption was found to be in the normal range in the presence of both autologous and AB serum. It is concluded that, in patients with protein calorie malnutrition, polymorphonuclear leukocytes have an intrinsic dysfunction, and this dysfunction is corrected after nutritional repletion.


A three-stage 4.8–6 GHz monolithic power amplifier (PA) compatible with IEEE 802.11a/n designed based on an advanced 2 μm InGaP/GaAs hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT) process is presented. The PA integrates input matching and closed-loop power control circuits on chip. Under 3.3 V DC bias, the amplifier achieves a ~31 dB small signal gain, excellent wide band input and output matching among overall 1.2 GHz bandwidth, and up to 24.5 dBm linear output power below EVM 3% with IEEE 802.11a 64QAM OFDM input signal.


In this paper, the soliton breaking equation is studied by using an extended tanh method and obtained some new exact soliton solutions which include Fan's solutions.


Forensic readiness denotes the capability of a system to support digital forensic investigations of potential, known incidents by preserving in advance data that could serve as evidence explaining how an incident occurred. Given the increasing rate at which (potentially criminal) incidents occur, designing so‰ware systems that are forensic-ready can facilitate and reduce the costs of digital forensic investigations. However, to date, little or no attention has been given to how forensic-ready so‰ftware systems can be designed systematically. In this paper we propose to explicitly represent evidence preservation requirements prescribing preservation of the minimal amount of data that would be relevant to a future digital investigation. We formalise evidence preservation requirements and propose an approach for synthesising specifications for systems to meet these requirements. We present our prototype implementation—based on a satisfiability solver and a logic-based learner—which we use to evaluate our approach, applying it to two digital forensic corpora. Our evaluation suggests that our approach preserves relevant data that could support hypotheses of potential incidents. Moreover, it enables significant reduction in the volume of data that would need to be examined during an investigation.


Intussusception is defined as the telescoping of one segment of intestines into another causing intestinal obstruction. This condition although common in children is considered a rare condition in adults and is usually present secondary to a pathological lead point like a neoplasm in adults. It usually presents with non-specific complaints like abdominal pain and as such peri umbilical ecchymosis (Cullen's sign) has not been seen as a presenting symptom of intussusception. Here we present a rare case of acute abdominal pain with contrast imaging of abdomen revealing ileo ileal intussusception. The patient had periumblical ecchymosis (Cullen s sign) on abdominal examination.


Background: Computer-based rehabilitation programs are now available for patients' use at home and in the clinical setting, yet we have meagre outcome data associated with their usefulness under self- and/or clinician-guided conditions. Aims: We assess the benefits of a computer-delivered, hierarchical phonological cueing protocol (cued naming) under two conditions of instruction, (1) with full clinician guidance or (2) in partial independence. Methods & procedures: We employed a single-subject experimental design, which was replicated over six chronic aphasic subjects, three in each instruction condition. Subjects with deficits identified as primarily phonological in nature were administered a phonological treatment, utilising a computerised therapy program (MossTalk Words), under one of the two conditions. Outcomes & Results: Training-specific acquisition and maintenance was demonstrated in both conditions. Limited and variable generalisation patterns were noted. Conclusions: Chronic aphasic individuals with moderate-to-severe phonologically based naming impairment can benefit from a computerised cued-naming protocol and independent work on the computer can be an effective adjunct to clinician-guided therapy.


Prescribing medications "off-label" is a common practice in pediatric health care since many medications lack U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for pediatric drug labeling due to insufficient drug testing in children. This clinical paper reviews the FDA laws regarding approval of medications in children and the pharmacokinetic differences in absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion between children and adults. Two commonly used pharmacology resources were reviewed to determine their identification of FDA approved indications in children and dosing recommendations by age or weight in children. Adhering to the "community's standard of care" is a common guideline for prescribing "off-label" in pediatrics, but must be used in combination with multiple respected pediatric resources and with full knowledge of pharmacokinetics in children, particularly in young children.


The stream length‐gradient index (SL) shows the variation in stream power along river reaches. This index is very sensitive to changes in channel slope, thus allowing the evaluation of recent tectonic activity and/or rock resistance. Nevertheless, the comparison of SL values from rivers of different length is biased due to the manner in which the index is formulated, thus making correlations of SL anomalies along different rivers difficult. Therefore, when undertaking a comparison of SL values of rivers of different lengths, a normalization factor must be used. The graded river gradient (K) has already been used in some studies to normalize the SL index. In this work, we explore the relationships between the graded river gradient (K), the SL index and the stream power, proposing the use of a re‐named SLk index, which enables the comparison of variable‐length rivers, as well as the drawing of SLk anomaly maps. We present here a GIS‐based procedure to generate SLk maps and to identify SLk anomalies. In order to verify the advantages of this methodology, we compared an SLk map of the NE border of the Granada basin with both simple river profile–knickpoint identification and with an SL map. The results show that the SLk map supplies good results with defined anomalies and suitably reflects the main tectonic and lithological features of the study area. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


OBJECTIVE
The link between dysregulated positive affect and binge-eating behavior in youth with obesity is poorly understood. In addition, it is unclear how putative associations differ across developmental periods of rapid biological and emotional change, such as puberty, and in racial and ethnic minority youth, who are more likely to be overweight but are underrepresented in the literature.

METHOD
This study used a 2-week ecological momentary assessment protocol to examine independent and interactive effects of positive affect intensity/instability, and pubertal stage on two components of binge-eating behavior, loss of control eating (LOCE), and overeating.

RESULTS
Participants were 38 youth with overweight/obesity (ages 8-14 years; 78% African American/Hispanic). Positive affect instability was calculated using probability of acute change (PAC), representing the likelihood of extreme affective changes, and mean squared successive difference (MSSD), representing the average change in affect over successive recordings. There were no main effects of positive affect intensity on LOCE or overeating, but positive affect instability was negatively associated with overeating severity using both MSSD (p = .005) and PAC metrics (p = .001). However, moderation analyses including interactions with pubertal status revealed more extreme changes in positive affect (i.e., higher PAC) were related to greater overeating (p = .001) and LOCE severity (p = .043) in mid-late pubertal youth but not in pre-early pubertal youth.

DISCUSSION
Pubertal status may influence the association between disruptions in positive affect and dysregulated eating in youth, and positive affect instability may be important to consider in order to understand the emotional correlates of binge eating in youth with overweight/obesity.


Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) is the leading cause of infectious blindness in developed nations and occurs following infection with herpes simplex virus. The mechanism underlying this disease is immune-mediated, involving neutrophils, macrophages, cytokines, and chemokines. We hypothesized that neutralizing the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 or the chemokine KC (murine CXCL1) would significantly reduce disease in an animal model of HSK. Latently infected mice were reactivated 6 weeks following infection with UV-B light to stimulate recurrent disease. At that time, we administered mAbs against IL-6, KC and control IgG via intraperitoneal injection. We monitored recurrent infection by daily testing tear film for virus for 7 days following reactivation. Corneal disease was evaluated weekly for five weeks. Data shows that neutralizing KC resulted in lower opacity and neovascularization scores for all time points measured when compared to controls. Surprisingly, unlike what is seen in acute HSK, neutralizing IL-6 did not decrease disease. Futhermore, treatment with anti-KC results in significantly less neutrophilic infiltrate of infected corneas. We conclude that CXCL1 and not IL-6 is important in developing recurrent HSK. Furthermore, these results further demonstrate that recurrent and acute HSK share some but not all aspects of disease, and that one common thread is the crucial role that neutrophils play in this potentially blinding disease.


Background Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common tumors in the world and affects human health seriously. PIMREG is a mitotic regulator which is essential to the metaphase-to-anaphase transition in cell cycle. Although PIMREG plays a crucial role in the malignant progression of tumors, there are few reports on its role in ccRCC. Methods The transcriptional expression profile and clinical data of PIMREG were downloaded from TCGA database and verified by qRT-PCR. Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to analyze the effect of PIMREG on overall survival (OS), disease specific survival (DSS) and progression-free interval (PFI) of patients with ccRCC. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to determine the independent prognostic factors of ccRCC. The effects of PIMREG on cell migration and invasion were detected by wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay, and CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and cell cycle assay were used to detect the effect of PIMREG on cell proliferation. In addition, the changes in cell cycle related proteins were detected by western blot. Results PIMREG was highly expressed in human ccRCC and was positively correlated with pathologic stage, TNM stage and histologic grade. In addition, patients with high expression of PIMREG had a poor prognosis. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis identified that PIMREG was an independent prognostic factor of ccRCC. Additionally, PIMREG was also closely related to immune cell infiltration. Experiments in vitro identified that the knockdown of PIMREG could significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of ccRCC. The expression of cyclin D1, CDK4 and CDK6 was also significantly reduced after PIMREG knockdown. Conclusions PIMREG plays a vital role in the development of ccRCC and may become a potential therapeutic target in the future.


Fifty-five renal transplant recipients were studied prospectively for changes in monoclonal antibody-defined mononuclear cell subsets (MCS) over the first 45 days posttransplant. Patients received induction immunotherapy with either monoclonal OKT2(n = 29) or polyclonal RATS (n = 26) preparation. Sequential examinations showed characteristic patterns of MCS depletion, which differed according to the type of therapy received and which subset was examined. In general, induction therapy with RATS resulted in greater and more sustained reduction of most MCS than was seen with OKT3 therapy. In recipients who received OKT3 induction there was a correlation between allograft rejection and an increase in lymphocytes expressing pan-T cell markers and in natural-killer cells. In contrast, rejection episodes in patients receiving RATS were associated with increases in subpopulations of T cells including helper, inducer and suppressor/cytotoxic T-cell subsets. There was no correlation of rejection with B cells or T-cell activation markers. The different patterns of MCS depletion with different antilymphocyte preparations and the association between changes in different MCS and rejection warrant further investigation.


The object of this study was to evaluate the effect of Zingiber officinale powder on physical-chemical traits, microbiological growth and sensory properties of rabbit burger. Raw burgers (only meat and meat added with 1 and 2% w/w ginger powder) were stored at 4°C for 1, 4 and 7 d and then cooked. Ginger modified the colour of both raw and cooked burgers, leading to more yellow hue and reducing lightness. Aspect of burgers were affected by ginger powder addition, leading to a noticeable difference between the samples. During storage time, the highest modifications were recorded for control samples, followed by burgers with added ginger. Sensory evaluation highlighted that ginger enhanced the juiciness of the burgers; moreover, burgers with ginger powder presented a significant delay in microbial growth. Ginger powder might be considered as a potential ingredient in rabbit meat products to increase their quality and extend their shelf-life.


Metagenomics is the study of genetic information, including the sequences and genomes of microorganisms present in an environment. Since 1998, the full-scale application of this technique to environmental chemistry has brought significant advances in the characterization of the nature and chemical composition/distribution of contaminants present in environmental matrices of contaminated and/or remediated sites. This has been critical in the selection of microorganisms and has contributed significantly to the success of this biological treatment over the years. Metagenomics has gone through different phases of development, which ranges from initial sequencing strategies to next-generation sequencing (NGS), which is a recently developed technology to obtain more robust deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profile of microorganisms devoid of chimeric sequences which reduces the quality of metagenomic data. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the applications of metagenomics in the understanding of environmental dynamics of chemical contaminants during remediation studies. Also, this review presents the relationship between biological characteristics of microorganisms and chemical properties of chemical compounds, which forms the basis of bioremediation and could be useful in developing predictive models that could enhance remediation efficiency. In conclusion, metagenomic techniques have improved the characterisation of chemical contaminants in the environment and provides a correlation for useful prediction of the type of contaminant expected in various environmental matrices.


Freelance SPG is one type of side jobs are much interested by the female students. In Pekanbaru itself, this phenomenon among student quite rapidly because the Event Organizer (EO) is usually recruit student as their SPG. This study aims to know the motive, the meaning and the student communication experiences as a freelance SPG in Pekanbaru. This study uses qualitative research with phenomenological approach. Informants in this study were 5 female students who worked as a freelance SPG who has been selective purposively. Data collection techniques is used by observation, depth interview, and documentation. To achieve the validity of the data in this study, researcher used the extension of participation and triangulation. This study shows that the motive student working as a freelance SPG past motive (because motive) is economic needs, utilizing the time, and the influence of other; as well as the motive future (in order to motive) is add work experience and get a better job. The meanings student of their jobs as a freelance SPG is a pleasant communication experience that is get a lot of new experiences, understand the character of people, receive the praise from others, as well as being more communicative; as well as the unpleasant communication experience is consumer abuse, bad responses and the views of society, and the negative stamp from society. Keyword: meaning construction, SPG freelance, motive, communication experience


A completely analytical approach is presented to achieve error probability analysis of limiter-discriminator-integrator (LDI) detection of binary continuous-phase modulation in a land mobile radio channel characterized by Rayleigh fading and Doppler effects. Optimum choice of the postdetection integration time is carried out when varying both system parameters and propagation characteristics, namely the Doppler shift. The improvements obtainable by means of decision feedback equalization (DFE) are also considered, in the presence of error propagation. The algorithm allows a very general analysis, which can be applied both to a partial and a full response modulation pulse, with narrowband IF filter and multipath propagation. This leads to the optimization of various system parameters, such as filter bandwidth, the modulation index, and the postdetection integration time, whatever the choice of the modulation pulse. >


The purpose of this study has been to compare how fiber reinforced concretes, using different amounts and types of fiber, behave compared to standard offshore concretes without fiber in regard to ice abrasion. The effect of fiber addition on the freeze-thaw resistance has also been studied. Due to various observations during testing, a large part of this study has gradually come to deal with the accuracy and the reliability of the measurement equipment and methods used during these ice abrasion tests. A literature review has been done on the effect of various parameters on the ice abrasion of concrete. Previous studies have shown the beneficial effect of the use of fiber reinforcement on both the abrasion resistance and freeze-thaw resistance of concrete. Studies have also shown that a decreased abrasion rate can be expected with an increase in flexural and compressive strength, and that the surface topography has an effect on the abrasion rate. Few studies, though, have specifically looked into the ice abrasion resistance of fiber reinforced concrete. Ice abrasion tests have been performed at the NTNU ice abrasion laboratory on five different concrete mixes. These mixes include a B70 reference concrete and concretes with the following fiber additions: 0.5% steel fiber, 1.5% steel fiber, 1.5% polypropylene fiber and 1.5% basalt fiber. Freeze-thaw testing, according to ASTM C666 Procedure A, and air void analysis using fresh concrete, the PF-test and image analysis, have also been performed on the different concrete mixes. It has been observed that all of the fiber additions, except for the 1.5% steel addition, have improved the ice abrasion resistance of the concrete. The ranking of these different fiber concretes in regard to their ice abrasion resistance has been found to be difficult, due to the fact that the abrasion rates are all lower than the average deviation of the measurements. Therefore, the mixes showing a better ice abrasion resistance than the others may just as well be due to the inaccuracy of the measurements than to the actual ice abrasion resistant properties of the material. However, the abrasion rates observed in this study are generally very low. The maximum abrasion rate found is 0.011 mm/km, and the abrasion rates here are on average 11 times lower than the rates found in similar tests done by (Kirkhaug 2013). Correlations showing the positive effect on ice abrasion resistance with increasing Surface Average Roughness and Root Mean Square Roughness parameters have also been observed. All concrete mixes failed the freeze-thaw testing requirements and the addition of fiber reinforcement has not given the expected improvement in freeze-thaw durability. Through air void analysis, it has been shown that the reason for this low concrete quality, in regard to freeze-thaw resistance, has been due to a poor air void content and structure in all of the mixes. The accuracy of both the abrasion and roughness values has been questioned, and the average deviation of the measurements has been found to be large compared to the abrasion rates. This is due to, among other factors, the large distances between measuring points, systematical irregularities on the specimen surfaces, and an inaccuracy in the measuring equipment and procedures used. This doubt on the reliability of these results has been backed up by the poor correlation found between abrasion rates on specimens of the same product type and tested under the same conditions. A more thorough discussion is recommended on the accuracy and reliability of the measuring equipment and procedures at the NTNU ice abrasion laboratory when testing materials with very low ice abrasion, such as those tested here. Also, further research on the effect of different fiber types and dosages on concrete ice abrasion, and the correlation between surface roughness parameters and the abrasion rate, is recommended.


An interdigitated castellated microelectrode geometry has been found to facilitate particle collection arising from both positive and negative dielectrophoretic effects. These two forms of particle collection differ significantly as functions of the frequency of the applied non-uniform electric field and of the conductivity of the suspending medium. This behaviour is demonstrated for yeast cells and a theoretical explanation is presented in terms of the electric field patterns generated by the electrodes, as well as through consideration of the associated phenomenon of electrorotation.


Grieving in high-speed society. An acceleration-focused temporal perspective Objectives: How long does it take the bereaved to cope with a loss of a significant other? Early findings assume weeks. Later studies speak of years. Nevertheless, the grace period for the bereaved in the modern world seems to be constantly shortening, despite objectively constant time, multiple time gains and savings. Methods: The process of acceleration described by Hartmut Rosa offers an explanation for this paradoxical disproportion. From a time-analytic perspective, it becomes clear that coping with loss runs counter to the dynamization of society. Results: Grief as a bio-psychological process cannot be accelerated as such. Instead of therapy-immanent solutions, changes are needed that are reflected on a societal level. Conclusions: The approaches 'grief literacy' and 'compassionate communities' can help to implement bereavement into the society as a whole.


Reactive azo dyes are widely used in textile industry. Due their toxicity and recalcitrance, these dyes can be hazardous to the environment and resistant to destruction by biological treatment methods. Catalytic ozonation is an innovative advanced oxidation process (AOP) and involves the generation of hydroxyl radicals which are higher electrochemical oxidation potential (EOP: 2.80 V) compared with molecular ozone (EOP: 2.07 V). The purpose of the present study was to employ catalytic decolorization and oxidation of Reactive Red 195 azo dye by ozone combined GAC (granular activated carbon) catalyst. Decolorization of Reactive Red 195 was monitored by light absorption at 532 nm while degradation of aromatic rings was monitored by UV absorption at 292 nm and 220 nm. Mineralization of the dye was monitored by determining the total organic carbon (TOC). A high degree of decolorization and dearomatization could be achieved by ozone combined GAC (granular activated carbon) catalyst. under the optimum conditions (pH:11, C0 azo dye:100 mg/l) but TOC removal efficiencies were not as high as the formers in 30 min.


This study presents the testing and numerical modeling results of composite sandwich beams. The sandwich beams are constructed from balsa wood in the core and high strength steel wire and E-glass fiber reinforced polymer composite in the facings. The testing of these beams is performed using a monotonic static four-point loading to failure in accordance with ASTM C393-00. Local strain distribution in the mid-span of the beams is obtained using strain gauges. Mid-span deflections of the beams are real-time measured using linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT). From the experimental results, flexural properties of the beams are calculated, including bending stiffness, bending strength, core shear strength, and facing modulus, core modulus, etc. The experimental results have shown that the beams have all failed in the compression zone by local buckling of the top face and shear of the core. The bottom skin does not exhibit any type of premature failure or distress. No bond failure of the composite in the tension zone is observed in any of the tested beams. Finite element modeling of the beam has been conducted using ANSYS. The mechanical properties of the skin and core material used in finite element modeling have been determined by testing of coupons. The predicted results are compared to experimental results, with a reasonable agreement.


Roger Lee proved that the Black-Scholes implied variance cannot grow faster than linearly in log-moneyness. This paper investigates what happens in the Bachelier (or Normal) implied volatility world, making sure to cover the various aspects of vanilla option arbitrages.


Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy of inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on upper extremity motor function in patients with acute/subacute ischemic stroke. Methods: Twenty-five ischemic acute/subacute stroke subjects were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Experimental group 1 received low frequency (LF) rTMS to the primary motor cortex of the unaffected side + physical therapy (PT) including activities to improve strength, flexibility, transfers, posture, balance, coordination, and activities of daily living, mainly focusing on upper limb movements; experimental group 2 received the same protocol combined with NMES to hand extensor muscles; and the control group received only PT. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan was used to evaluate the activation or inhibition of the affected and unaffected primary motor cortex. Results: No adverse effect was reported. Most of the clinical outcome scores improved significantly in all groups, however no statistically significant difference was found between groups due to the small sample sizes. The highest percent improvement scores were observed in TMS + NMES group (varying between 48 and 99.3%) and the lowest scores in control group (varying between 13.1 and 28.1%). Hand motor recovery was significant in both experimental groups while it did not change in control group. Some motor cortex excitability changes were also observed in fMRI. Conclusion: LF-rTMS with or without NMES seems to facilitate the motor recovery in the paretic hand of patients with acute/subacute ischemic stroke. TMS or the combination of TMS + NMES may be a promising additional therapy in upper limb motor training. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to establish their effectiveness in upper limb motor rehabilitation of stroke.


With the brain, the spinal cord forms the central nervous system. Initially considered a passive relay between the brain and the periphery, the spinal cord is now recognized as being active and plastic. Yet, it remains largely overlooked by the human neuroscience community, in stark contrast with the wealth of research investigating the brain. In this review, we argue that fMRI, traditionally used to image cerebral function, can be extended beyond the brain to help unravel spinal mechanisms involved in human behaviors. To this end, we first outline strategies that have been proposed to tackle the challenges inherent to spinal cord fMRI. Then, we discuss how they have been utilized to provide insights into the functional organization of spinal sensorimotor circuits, highlighting their potential to address fundamental and clinical questions. By summarizing guidelines and applications of spinal cord fMRI, we hope to stimulate and support further research into this promising yet underexplored field.


Although the concept of χοιυωυια occurs only twice in 1 Corinthians (1:9 and 10:16), each of these two occurrences appears to be highly significant not only for the context in each case but also generally with reference to the character of the Apostle's argumentation in this epistle. In the first passage, which has almost entirely been neglected so far in the many scholarly contributions to the subject of χοιυωυια, the term occurs in the summarizing climax of the letter-opening (1 Cor 1:1-9) which is remarkably packed with theological and christological statements and which is structured by a laudatory description of God's wonderful works in the Corinthians' lives in past (vvA-6) present (v.7a) and future (vv.7b-8). The basic message which Paul wants his addressees to comprehend right from the beginning and which - according to the epistolary I P function of these nine verses - reveals his approach to their many serious problems, culminates in the concept of χοιυωυια, in the salvific communion with Christ crucified, God's Son, their risen Lord, a communion into which they had been called once-for-alI and where God's faithfulness continually preserved them until the end. The other instance in 1 Cor 10:16 is not a Pauline formulation but a presumably catechetical tradition on the Lord's Supper which the Apostle quoted and employed as an argument in the course of his lengthy discussion of the problem of idol-meat (1 Cor 8:1-11:1). Because of the communion (χοιυωυια) with the body and blood of Christ, i.e. the inclusive involvement into Christ's death and resurrection as it is tangibly expressed in the celebration of the Eucharist, any other competing relationships and meal fellowships with idols are necessarily excluded. So, in both cases of χοιυωυια in 1 Corinthians the concept is not an ecclesiological term but rather emphasizes the communion with Christ as the constant constitutive condition of the Christians' individual and community life.


In this two part paper a theory is presented in which several control problems can be solved. The theory is applicable to a general class of linear multivariable systems where the measured output does not have to be equal to the controlled output or the state. The system may be affected by nonmeasurable disturbances. Only controllers which stabilize the system and have proper transfer functions are allowed, i.e., the controllers have to be physically realizable. It is shown that the solutions to control problems of "servo type," e.g., problems of model matching, decoupling, and invertibility, are special cases of the solution to a more general problem. Analogously, the solutions to problems of "regulator type," e.g., disturbance decoupling, output regulation, and pole placement, are also speclal cases of the solution to a more general problem. It is shown that problems of "servo type" and "regulator type" can be solved independently of each other. In Part I generalized polynomials are introduced as a mathematical framework. Structue matrices, which describe how well a system can be controlled, are defined. Finally, problems of "servo type" are solved. Part II mainly deals with problems of "regulator type."


This paper describes what may be one of the first side-by-side tests of two alternative software products for processing GPS traces into trips, and discusses some lessons learnt from the comparisons. For GPS to be useful as an alternative to self-report survey mechanisms, it is imperative that good processing software becomes available to reduce the data streams from the GPS devices into specific trips, with the various attributes of trips that are needed for modelling purposes. Currently, a number of agencies and researchers around the world have developed alternative software products, but none of these are generally open source, and comparisons between them are almost non-existent, although most make claims to certain levels of accuracy. In this paper, we describe an exercise in which two software products were used on the same GPS data set, following which a detailed comparison was made of the results. While it is interesting to see, overall, the accuracy differences between the two software products, what is of even more interest is the lessons that can be learnt about processing software in general. The paper draws some conclusions about the directions forward for processing software and processing routines in general.


In this paper, we propose a technique that uses multimodal interactions of users to generate a more accurate list of recommendations optimized for the user . Our approach is a response to the actual scenario on the Web which allows users to interact with the content in different ways, and thus, more information about his preferences can be obtained to improve recommendation. The proposal consists of an ensemble learning technique that combines rankings generated by unimodal recommenders based on particular interaction types. By using a combination of different types of feedback from users, we are able to provide better recommendations, as shown by our experimental evaluation.


The objective of our study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of falls in adults with intellectual disability living in a residential care setting and to define differences between fallers and non-fallers in younger and older resident groups. In contrast to the general population, falls are a problem for both aged and younger adults with intellectual disability living in a residential care setting. Falls of 147 residents, aged between 21-89 years with different grades of ID, were recorded prospectively over a 12 months period using a digital fall report form. For all participants, a total of 140 falls were reported and high fall rates per person-year were found in the younger (0.85) as well as in the older aged residents (1.06).


The question of Heinrich von Kleist's reading and reception of Kant's philosophy has never been satisfactorily answered. The present study aims to reassess this question, particularly in the light of Kant's rising importance for the humanities today. It argues not only that Kleist was influenced by Kant, but also that he may be understood as a Kantian, albeit an unorthodox one. The volume integrates material previously published by the author in the form of articles and essays, now updated, with new chapters to form a greater whole. What results is a coherent set of approaches that illuminates the question of Kleist's Kantianism from different points of view. Kleist is thereby understood not only as a writer but also as a thinker -- one whose seriousness of purpose and clarity of design compares with that of other early expositors of Kant's thought such as Reinhold and Fichte. Through the locutions and idioms of fiction and the essay, Kleist becomes visible for the first time as an original contributor to the tradition of post-Kantian ideas. ~~~~~ TIM MEHIGAN is Professorial Chair of German in the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and Honorary Professor in the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia.


Establishing the origin of short-lived radionuclides (SLRs) with half-lives ≤100 Myr has important implications for the astrophysical context of our Sun's birth place. We review here the different origins proposed for the variety of SLRs present in the solar accretion disk 4.57 Ga ago. Special emphasis is given to an enhanced Galactic background origin for 60Fe which was inherited from several supernovae belonging to previous episodes of star formation, rather than from a nearby, contemporaneous supernova.


The carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzyme reversibly transforms carbon dioxide and water to a carbonate ion and a proton. Photoresponsive enzyme mimics, where the CA-activity can be turned on and off reversibly with light, have not been reported so far. We have designed an active site mimic that offers reversible control of the catalytic activity using light. Moreover, in the presence of a cationic polymer, we have demonstrated that the CA-activity was further enhanced by stabilizing the transition state with the cis-form of the enzyme mimic which can catalyze the hydration of gaseous CO2.


Age is often a marker for co-morbid illness that may complicate attempts at surgery, hence careful preoperative assessment and vigorous treatment of the pre-operative medical condition with adequate post-operative supports are needed for safe surgery. In our series, a fifteen months study period, six hundred and Ninety five patients were operated upon out of which forty four patients were 65 years old and above (6.3% ); Age ranged between 65 years and 80 years (mean age of 70 years). The patients with medical problems were sixteen (36.4% ) out of which urinary tract infection was the most common (43.8% ). The most common anaesthetic technique was spinal anaesthesia in 45.5%, the most common operative procedure was herniorrhaphy (36.4% ); followed by prostatectomy (26.5% ). Three of the patients presented with wound infection; mortality was 2.3%, which occurred in a patient who died of multiple organ failure.


We prove that formal Fourier Jacobi expansions of degree two are Siegel modular forms. As a corollary, we deduce modularity of the generating function of special cycles of codimension two, which were defined by Kudla. A second application is the proof of termination of an algorithm to compute Fourier expansions of arbitrary Siegel modular forms of degree two. Combining both results enables us to determine relations of special cycles in the second Chow group.


The global trend of aquaculture development gaining importance in total fish supply has remained uninterrupted. World aquaculture production volume increased at an average rate of 8.6% per year, including inland aquaculture and mariculture. Uncertainty in the aquaculture value chain is associated with all phases from supply and production to distribution and demand and it substantially derives from the nature of the fish, as a highly perishable and price-sensitive commodity : a rule of fish price devaluation is that "every day that fish remains unsold the average selling price decreases by at least 20%". In this context, this paper outlines the uncertainty factors of the aquaculture supply chain and the requirements for attaining performance in the aquaculture sector. Then, it presents an action project implemented by one of the biggest aquaculture enterprises in the Mediterranean, exporting more than 80% of its fish to over 40 countries, mainly in Europe, but also in North America, Africa and Asia. The project, regarding the re-engineering of the company's value chain and the reduction of the life cycle, has had direct impact the decrease of uncertainty mainly in the production and distribution process. Thus, this paper reveals practical directions for effectively managing uncertainty in the aquaculture sector and promoting sustainability on operational level. Since main topics of discussion in the aquaculture literature are associated with global fish stocks and only few refer to the uncertainty factors and aspects of aquaculture sector development in the context of sustainability, this ascertain the originality of this paper.


Two compounds, the (Z)- and (E)-isomers of 2,4-dibromo-1-p-tolyl-1-butene 2a and 3a, respectively, were isolated in 65% total yield when 1-(1-bromo-1-p-tolylmethyl)cyclopropyl bromide (1a) was heated at 150 degrees C for 1 h. 1,1-Dibromo-2-p-tolylcyclobutane (4a), previously reported to be the only product in this reaction, was not detected. The phenyl analogue of 1a reacted similarly and gave the (Z)- and (E)-isomers of 2,4-dibromo-1-phenyl-1-butene 2b and 3b, respectively, in 60% yield. A rationale for the reaction is presented.


Energy harvesting is a new emerging technology which is used to gathering ambient energy from surroundings. In this paper, we propose a new application idea that to harvest ambient vibration energy and store it into a Li-ion rechargeable battery by using Dielectric Electroactive Polymer (DEAP) generator. For proposed energy harvesting prototyping system, according to two different vibration input patterns in terms of mechanical vibration frequency and displacement, two topologies of system forward paths which include DEAP generator, voltage regulation circuit and DC-DC buck converter are designed. For the low frequency high displacement vibration input pattern, we develop a low frequency forward path by using Zener diode regulator. For the high frequency low displacement input pattern, we develop a high frequency forward path by using Butterworth low pass filter. Finally, PSPICE simulation results prove that both of the proposed circuits work properly to generate steady 4.2v DC voltage for energy harvesting.


Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is a relatively common and very serious canine neurologic condition, which is typically associated with a poor long term prognosis despite treatment. This case series chronicles two dogs diagnosed with MUO who were treated with long term corticosteroids and cytosine arabinoside and lived well-beyond the typical survival time for this condition. Both eventually succumbed to respiratory signs associated with mineralized thrombi in their pulmonary arteries. Adverse effects from the two drugs used for treatment are reviewed in order to propose a possible mechanism to explain how long term use of these medications could result in such a phenomenon.


Background: Dietary diversification is a sensitive period in the construction of the child's autonomy. Broadening the child's food repertoire is based on complex forms of learning. This research project aimed at exploring mothers' perceptions with reference to the introduction of appropriate and timely complementary feeding. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with prospective data collection, based on semi-structured individual interviews, conducted from April 1 to December 30, 2015. The study included 574 mothers with children aged 0 - 24 months, who attended 12 health centers within the prefecture of Ain Chock in Casablanca, Morocco. Results: Of all the included mothers, 84.6% with children under 6 months of age reported receiving little or no explanation about managing complementary feeding and 93.0% did not receive breastfeeding counseling services from health professionals. For mothers whose children were aged 6 - 24 months, 74.6% of them reported not having been enlightened on the subject of dietary diversification. Conclusion: Counseling is an enabling process with a strong educational component built within it. The community-based interventions for improving breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, through appropriate awareness-raising campaigns, training and education programmes responding to the information needs of parents and caregivers, need to be further reinforced. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2016;5(4):121-128 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcgo420e


Previously, we reported that S2-CP8 cells, a metastatic variant of SUIT-2 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line, showed markedly decreased expression of hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 (HAI-1) compared to SUIT-2 and acquired EMT phenotype. Matrigel invasion assay revealed that S2-CP8 cells show enhanced invasion compared to SUIT-2 cells in vitro and forced HAI-1 expression alleviate the invasion. Consequently, in vivo study using a nude mouse orthotopic xenograft model showed reduced spontaneous metastasis by the forced HAI-1 expression. This study aimed to clarify molecular mechanisms underlying the HAI-1-mediated suppression of invasion of S2-CP8 cells. In S2-CP8 cells, activity of matriptase, a cognate protease of HAI-1, was clearly suppressed by forced expression of HAI-1. As matriptase is known to activate protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) and PAR-2 agonist enhanced migration and invasion of S2-CP8, we analyzed the role of PAR-2 in HAI-1 loss-induced enhanced invasion of S2-CP8 in vitro. The HAI-1 loss-induced enhanced migration and invasion were significantly alleviated by PAR-2 antagonist, as well as by PAR-2 silencing. Moreover, knock down of matriptase also showed similar suppressive effects on the invasion of S2-CP8 cells. These results indicated that HAI-1 may have a suppressive role in the invasion of pancreatic cancer cells through its regulatory function on matriptase/PAR-2 axis. Citation Format: Yukihiro Haruyama, Jing-Jia Ye, Makiko Kawaguchi, Ai Kanemaru, Tsuyoshi Fukushima, Hiroaki Kataoka. Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 suppresses invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells through inhibition of matriptase/protease-activated receptor-2 axis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4859. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4859


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is fundamental to the control of differentiation and growth. During development of the cerebellum, Purkinje neurons emit Sonic hedgehog (Shh), a potent mitogen for adjacent granule neuron precursors (GNPs). GNPs respond to Shh by altering the processing, location and modification of Gli transcription factors that activate or repress target genes. Mutations in human or mouse patched1, which encodes the Shh receptor, promote transformation of GNP cells into medulloblastomas (MBs), the most common childhood malignant brain tumor. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and high-throughput sequencing to identify locations of Gli1 binding in the chromatin of murine GNPs and MB cells. This led us to Gli-responsive transcriptional enhancers. Combining ChIP data with gene expression data we identified putative target genes that are directly regulated by Shh. Dramatic changes in targeting of Gli1, and target gene expression, occur when cerebellum precursor cells become cancer cells. We will investigate the mechanisms of target gene selection, the connections between Hh target genes and the cell cycle and the roles of target genes in normal development and tumorigenesis. Specific Aim 1: Investigate how Gli transcription factors coordinate to regulate gene expression in cerebellum development and tumorigenesis. Our ChIP data led to many novel target genes and well-established targets like Ptch1, Gli1, and N-myc. 132 genes are consistent targets in normal and tumor cell types. Remarkably, despite the close relation between GNPs and MB cells, many putative target genes are specific to one cell type or the other. We will determine the mechanism of selective recognition of enhancer elements in the two cell types. Specific Aim 2: Determine how chromatin modifiers influence Gli-regulated gene expression. We have identified histone modifications that correlate with the regulatory changes for specific target genes in GNPs vs. MBs. We will investigate the mechanistic importance of these changes in Hh target gene specification. Specific Aim 3: Investigate interactions of Gli proteins with other transcription factors. Computational analyses of the DNA regions bound by Gli1 revealed evidence for two types of transcription factors that may work in parallel, or collaborate, with Gli1 protein. We will investigate their roles in target gene control. Specific Aim 4: Define contributions of Gli targets to GNP development and tumorigenesis. We will investigate selected target genes that mediate the connection between Hh signaling and the cell cycle, in the context of GNPs and tumors. The planned studies have direct importance for understanding developmental and tumorigenic roles of the Hedgehog pathway in many tissues and organs. Discovering genes that are directly regulated by Hh signaling will lead to new ways to intervene errors in signal transduction lead to birth defects or cancer.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 932. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-932


Environmental Practice in the Human Services points to the need for the human services to return to their historic mission of environmental change. It moves beyond the more general conceptual emphasis on person-in-environment toward the development of an environmental practice technology based on an intervention model which prescribes specific micro and macro roles and functions. It may open the way to recapturing the conceptual breadth which characterized the first 40 years of social work as a professional and occupational entity. The "ecological" perspective in social work has fostered an interest in the impact of social environments on service consumers. Environmental Practice in the Human Services tries to rectify the historical imbalance in the human services that has emphasized people-changing methods, giving secondary emphasis to environmental change. It instructs students preparing for practice in the human services, as well as agency practitioners, in the knowledge and skills necessary in environmental practice. Cases in environmental practice are used to illustrate how these skills are utilized in actual practice situations.The book's scope includes practice at the direct service, adminstration, planning, and social policy levels; it integrates micro and macro practice and shows how these two levels of practice are interdependent. This enables human service practitioners to create and/or modify social environments to enhance the functioning of clients being served in human service programs. Topics covered include: important skills in environmental practice, including decisionmaking, negotiating, and leadership community practice and resource coordination social support the impact of organizational environments on practice environmental practice for the chronically disabledAuthor Neugeboren's approach is unique in its in-depth focus on environmental practice, applying concepts of social environment to specific practice roles. This practice-specific content, which provides tools needed for environmental practice, is in contrast to existing texts on the social environment which are very theoretical and not integrated with practice. He includes material from the field of social ecology which has not been included in existing texts. It shows how practitioners and administrators, planners, and policymakers can facilitate and support each other's work.Reading Environmental Practice in the Human Services will enlighten students and practitioners with specific skills for impacting on different social environments to enhance client benefit. It tells how a direct service practitioner can determine which organizational environments are suitable for particular client needs in making agency referrals. It also provides administrators with information about designing, planning, and managing agencies with functional organizational environments which achieve effective services.


In this study, for predicting arterial function and pathogenesis from a mechanical viewpoint, we develop a continuum mechanical model of an arterial wall that embodies residual and active stresses following a traditional anisotropic passive constitutive law. The residual and active stresses are incorporated into finite element methods based on a two-field variational principle described in the Lagrangian form. The linearisation of nonlinear weak-form equations derived from this variational principle is then described for developing an original finite element algorithm. Numerical simulations reveal the following: (i) residual stresses lead to a reduction in stress gradient regardless of the magnitude of external load; (ii) active stresses help homogenise stress distribution under physiological external load, but this homogeneity collapses under pathological external load; (iii) when residual and active stresses act together, the effect of the residual stresses is relatively obscured by that of the active stresses. We conclude that residual stresses have minor but persistent mechanical effects on the arterial wall under both physiological and pathological external loads; active stresses play an important role in the physiological functions and pathogenesis of arteries, and the mechanical effect of residual stresses is dependent on the presence/absence of active stresses.


Abstract Bazhenovite was originally reported as a rare, thiosulfate-containing mineral, with the chemical formula CaS5⋅CaS2O3⋅6Ca(OH)2⋅20H2O. The structure was predicted to be layered, but no structural details were given. A crystal of "bazhenovite" from the pyritized siderite fragments occurring in the melt products of burning dumps at the type locality in the Chelyabinsk coal basin, South Urals, Russia has been examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR and Raman). The structure was solved in space group P21/c and refined assuming twinning on {100} to a final Robs = 5.03% (731 reflections) and Rall = 6.98% (966). Although the unit-cell dimensions of the examined crystal [a = 8.391(2), b = 17.346(6), and c = 8.221(4) Å, β = 119.33(5)°, V = 1043.2(8) Å3 ] match those of the original bazhenovite description [a = 8.45(1), b = 17.47(1), and c = 8.24(1) Å, β = 119.5°, V = 1059 Å3 ], the thiosulfate group was not detected by either structural analysis or spectroscopic investigations. The structure is an alternating sequence of two kinds of layers, labeled A and B respectively, stacked along [010]. The A layer is the ordered part of the structure and consists of a linkage of Ca(OH)2(H2O)6 antiprisms and Ca(OH)4(H2O)2 octahedra. Taking into account both structural and spectroscopic results, the B layer is inferred to consist of a disordered assemblage of S32-, and to a lesser extent, S42- groups, with the possible presence of additional H2O and H2S. The possibility that bazhenovite and the mineral here examined could represent two distinct phases differing slightly from each other with respect to the thiosulfate content is discussed.


A project seeking to assert and contrast the 'practice' of comparative law in distinction from the well-known and longstanding theoretical critique of the field is itself in need to define the meaning of practice. The following chapter, written for a volume edited by Jacco Bomhoff and Maurice Adams, takes up this challenge in two steps. In a first one, it revisits comparative law's seemingly eternal self-doubt regarding its target of inquiry and its method. I will suggest that there is a great promise for comparative legal studies in the context of transnational legal pluralism as a methodological approach to the study of intersecting normative and institutional orders. In a second step, I would like to draw out the context in which current debates about comparative and transnational law are unfolding. This context- 'global governance'- poses significant challenges for the role of law in what has fast become a multi-disciplinary inquiry regarding the contours and foundations of a continuously evolving global regulatory landscape. A reflection on the regulatory aims of comparative law as transnational law, which I have been pursuing together with Russell Miller in 'Comparative Law as Transnational Law: A Decade of the German Law Journal' (Oxford University Press, 2012), can serve as a powerful critique of global governance.


Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a common complication following strabismus surgery. This randomized and double‐blind study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of midazolam alone or in combination with dexamethasone in reducing the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in children undergoing strabismus repair. Methods: One hundred ASA I children, aged 4–12 yr, scheduled to undergo elective strabismus surgery, were enrolled. No premedication was given. Anaesthesia was induced with sevoflurane, nitrous oxide and oxygen. After induction, fentanyl 2 &mgr;g kg−1 and cisatracurium 0.1 mg kg−1 were administered and an endotracheal tube was inserted. After induction of anaesthesia and before start of surgery, patients were randomly allocated into one of four groups of 25 children each to receive placebo, midazolam 50 &mgr;g kg−1, dexamethasone 0.5 mg kg−1 or a combination of midazolam 50 &mgr;g kg−1 and dexamethasone 0.5 mg kg−1. Episodes of nausea, and retching and vomiting were recorded during the first 24 h after surgery. Results: The incidence of postoperative nausea was 48%, 32%, 12% and 0% with placebo, dexamethasone, midazolam and the midazolam–dexamethasone combination, respectively. The incidence of vomiting was 52% and 32% with placebo and dexamethasone, respectively; no child vomited with midazolam alone, or with the midazolam–dexamethasone combination. Conclusion: Prophylactic midazolam with or without dexamethasone reduces the incidence of PONV in children undergoing strabismus repair.


A modified Smith-Purcell free-electron-laser based on two tandem cylindrical-gratings is proposed. The preset grating with larger size, operating in the slow-wave condition, is to prebunch the initial continuous electron-beam, and the postpositive grating with smaller size, operating in the fast-wave condition, is used as the main radiator. Compared with traditional Smith-Purcell free-electron-lasers operating at the second harmonic of the bunched-beam, the present scheme operates at much higher harmonics, fifth and sixth harmonics have been achieved, and the radiation frequency is greatly increased consequently. And also the radiation power is enhanced by tens of times. Thus it could be developed as an efficient terahertz source with frequency being over 0.5 THz in practice.


Over the past thirty years, alloys based on the Bi2Te3 compounds (refrigeration) and Si1-xGex compounds (power generation) have been extensively studied and optimized for their use as thermoelectric materials. More specifically, applications range from small beverage coolers to power generation for deep-space probes such as those used in the Voyager and Cassini missions. However, despite extensive investigation of these traditional thermoelectric materials, there is still substantial room for improvement and entirely new classes of compounds will have to be investigated. This book, the fourth in a series from MRS, brings together experts in the field not to discuss further optimization of established materials, but instead, to discuss the development of the next generation of materials for small-scale refrigeration and power generation applications. Topics include: skutterudites; superlattice; new materials; quantum wires and dots; half-Heusler alloys and quasicrystals; TE theory; thermionics; devices, measurements and applications; clathrates and thin films TE.


Cucumber fruits were stored for 9 days at 20°C under unsaturated vapour conditions. The rate of respiration in the pericarp tissue, as measured by O2 uptake, showed a rise following an initial decrease. The rise was associated with an increase in gas pressure and the formation of gas spaces. Respiration rate reached a peak earlier and then decreased faster than the gas pressure did. Gas spaces developed steadily in spite of a decline in respiration rate and gas pressure. Itsuggested that a decrease in membrane permeability might be involved in the development of gas spaces.In fruits stored at 7.5°C, gas pressure in the tissue did not rise and the respiration rate was constantly low when measured at 7.5°C. However, when measured at 20°C, the respiration rate changed in almost the same way as in fruits stored at 20°C.


Enzyme-based biofuel cells implanted into living lobsters or designed as fluidic systems mimicking human blood circulation were used for powering electronic devices. Two lobsters with implanted biofuel cells connected in series were able to generate open circuit voltage (Voc) up to 1.2 V and an electrical watch, selected as a model electronic device, was activated by the power extracted from the "living battery". The fluidic system composed of five cells filled with human serum solution connected in series generated Voc of ca. 3 V and was able to power a pacemaker. Sustainable operation of the pacemaker was achieved with the system closely mimicking human physiological conditions characteristic of normal and pathophysiological glucose concentrations with the fluidic rate typical for a blood circulation upon resting or performing physical exercises. While the "cyborg" lobsters demonstrate a model system with future possible military, homeland security and environmental monitoring applications, the system activating a pacemaker presents practicality for biomedical applications. The first demonstration of the pacemaker activated by the physiologically produced electrical energy shows promise for future electronic implantable medical devices powered by electricity harvested from the human body.


In spite of several notable efforts, explaining the generalization of deterministic non-smooth deep nets, e.g., ReLU-nets, has remained challenging. Existing approaches for non-smooth deep nets typically need to bound the Lipschitz constant of such deep nets but such bounds are quite large, may even increase with the training set size yielding vacuous generalization bounds. In this paper, we present a new de-randomized PAC-Bayes margin bound for deterministic non-convex and non-smooth predictors, e.g., ReLU-nets. The bound depends on a trade-off between the $L_2$-norm of the weights and the effective curvature (`flatness') of the predictor, avoids any dependency on the Lipschitz constant, and yields meaningful (decreasing) bounds with the increase in training set size. We first develop a de-randomization argument for non-convex but smooth predictors, e.g., linear deep networks (LDNs). We then consider non-smooth predictors which for any given input realizes as a smooth predictor, e.g., ReLU-nets become some LDN for any given input, but the realized smooth predictor can be different for different inputs. For such non-smooth predictors, we introduce a new PAC-Bayes analysis which takes advantage of the smoothness of the realized predictors, e.g., LDN, for a given input. After careful de-randomization, we get a bound for the deterministic non-smooth predictor. We present empirical results to illustrate the efficacy of our bounds over changing training set size and randomness in labels.


Use of the microelectrode array (MEA) system to record spontaneous neuron activity from networks of cultured neurons has potential as a good risk evaluation method for drug-induced seizure events. Spontaneous electrical activity in neural networks consists of action potential spikes and organized patterns of action potential bursts. In both potentiated rodent primary neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons, an epileptogenic response pattern manifests as a synchronized burst from spatially separated neurons. Here, we delineate how to perform MEA experiments using cultured neurons, and how to analyze the MEA data to detect drug-induced seizurogenic abnormalities. Usually, a drug's effects, as shown by MEA data, include changes in spike frequency, inter-spike intervals (ISI), burst frequency, burst duration, spikes in a burst, etc. Subsequently, seizurogenic events are evidenced by changes in synchronized burst phenotypes from spatially separated multiple channels in an MEA probe, such as a change in the cross correlation of the spike events from all channels in an MEA probe, or a change in histogram from the sum of ISI for all channels in a probe, etc. We attempted to depict an epileptogenic marker using a histogram of the sum of spikes for all channels in an MEA probe. Verification of these metrics for drug induced abnormalities is ongoing in various collaboration organizations, including the Consortium for Safety Assessment using Human iPS Cells (CSAHi), iPS Non-clinical Experiments for the Nervous System (iNCENS). Collaboration networks for the utilization of iPSC-derived cells during drug development are also summarized here.


Background: Despite minimal efficacy data, some institutions frequently use intravenous proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as pantoprazole, for prevention of stress-related mucosal disease (SRMD) bleeding, or the treatment of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleed (GIB). Due to the increased expense of intravenous pantoprazole compared with enteral PPIs, a guideline was implemented to reduce inappropriate use and provide dosing recommendations for SRMD and GIB. Objective: To comparatively assess the adherence rates before and after implementation of an institution-specific usage guideline for intravenous pantoprazole. Methods: A retrospective chart audit of consecutive patients receiving intravenous pantoprazole for 2 month periods before and after a guideline was implemented over a 2 month education period. The guideline restricted pantoprazole use to bleeding prevention of SRMD in patients unable to tolerate histamine2-receptor antagonists and to receive enteral administration of PPIs (80 mg/day or 40 mg twice daily) or patients with severe GIB (80 mg, then 8 mg/h). Outcomes assessed were the percentage of patients deemed appropriate to receive intravenous pantoprazole and compliance with dosing recommendations. Results: Overall, pantoprazole was appropriately chosen in 20 (42.6%) patients with SRMD and 34 (79.1%) of patients with GIB (p < 0.0001). Pantoprazole was appropriately chosen in 16 (55.2%) patients before and 24 (64.9%) patients after implementation of the guideline. The dosage regimen for SRMD was appropriate in 3 (21.4%) before-group patients and 10 (58.9%) after-group patients (p = 0.007). The dosage regimen for GIB was appropriate in 4 (26.7%) patients before and 6 (30%) patients after adoption of the guideline. Length of stay in the intensive care unit was shorter for the after group for both SRMD and GIB, and the mortality rate was lower in the after group for SRMD only, but these outcomes were likely unrelated to implementation of the guideline. Conclusions: An intravenous pantoprazole guideline did not change appropriate patient selection and improved prescribing practices for SRMD only.


BACKGROUND: Splenomegaly is usually the result of an underlying disorder; causes ranging
from infections to blood cancers. Primary diseases of spleen are uncommon. Etiology of
splenomegaly varies according to the geographical areas studied and depends upon the endemic,
genetic and hematological diseases in the particular region. Purpose of this study was
to find out the causes of splenomegaly in a tertiary care hospital representing almost entire interior
of Sindh.
MATERIAL & METHODS: This descriptive case series study was carried out at Department of
Medicine Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro from 1st March 2007 to 31st August 2007, over a
period of six months. 100 Male and Female patients older than 13 years of age and admitted in
ward with clinically enlarged spleen were selected for this study. Sampling technique was Non
Probability convenient sampling. After getting informed consent from patients proforma was
filled, elaborating history, important clinical findings and investigations like abdominal ultrasonography,
CBC, LFT, HBsAg, Anti HCV etc were performed. Data analysis was carried out by
SPSS 16 statistical software.
RESULTS: Among 100 patients with splenomegaly there was majority of male patients
i.e.60%.The most common cause of splenomegaly found in our study was chronic liver disease
i.e. 64% followed by malaria 16%, and hematological malignancies 14%. There were 2% patients
found with enlarged spleen due to tuberculosis, remaining 4% comprised 1% each of enteric
fever, infective endocarditis, CCF and SLE. Among the patients of hematological malignancies
there were 9% patients of leukemia, 4% of lymphoma and 1% of myelofibrosis. As to the 9%
leukemic patients, 4% suffered from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, 3% from Acute Myeloid Leukemia
and 2% from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Most common associated clinical sign was
anemia demonstrated in 77% of patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Chronic liver disease is the most common that leads to splenomegaly in population
studied. Malaria and hematological malignancies appear to be the major contributors for
splenomegaly. Finding of enlarge spleen needs clinical work up to reach the correct diagnosis.


Dedication, Preface Introduction (Barbara A. Heavilin) Introduction to Steinbeck and the Arthurian Theme (Joseph Fontenrose) Steinbeck's use of Malory (Warren French) Tortilla Flat Re-Visited (Arthur F. Kinney) A Note on Steinbeck's Unpublished Arthurian Stories (Roy S. Simmonds) The Unrealized Dream: Steinbeck's Modern Version of Malory (Roy. S. Simmonds) Why Steinbeck Didn't Finish his Arthur - the Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976) (Michael Sundermeier) Arthur, Lancelot, and the Psychodrama of Steinbeck (Laura F. Hodges) The Personae of Acts: Symbolic Repetition and Variation (Laura F. Hodges) Analogues of Arthur: John Steinbeck's Use of Le Morte D'Arthur in The Winter of Our Discontent (Michael Meyer) Steinbeck Bibliography from the Arthuriana/Camelot Project Website (Laura F. Hodges) Review: Hiromasa Takamura's John Steinbeck and His Dramatic World: At Study of His Dramatized Life. Works, and Adapted Works (Kozen Nakachi) Review: The Betrayal of Brotherhood in the Work of John Steinbeck Cain Sign (Stephen K. George) Review: John Steinbeck and the Critics (Kenneth Swan)


Background: We previously demonstrated that erythropoietin (Epo) expression increases in five-sixths nephrectomized rats, after muscle-targeted gene transfer by in vivo electroporation, using plasmid DNA expressing rat Epo (pCAGGS-Epo). Here, we apply this method to a rat model with severe anemia associated with chronic renal failure; these rats have hematocrit levels in the 30–35% range, similar to those in humans with end-stage renal disease. Methods: Wistar rats were treated to produce adenine-induced uremia. The uremic rats were then treated with muscle-targeted gene transfer using pCAGGS-Epo. Some uremic rats died from chronic renal failure; one of these was dissected, and the kidneys were histologically examined. For the remaining rats, we measured body weight and blood pressure, and obtained blood samples regularly. Results: The uremic rats showed severe anemia, with hematocrit levels at 32.6 ± 3.3%. Epo-gene transfer increased Epo expression and serum Epo levels, and also increased the hematocrit levels to 64.5 ± 4.8%. The dose of pCAGGS-Epo used in this study did not induce severe hypertension. Conclusions: Continuous Epo-gene expression improves the anemia associated with chronic renal failure, and without severe side effects. Our results support the potential use of gene electrotransfer for human gene therapy applications.


This relatively short case gives students a comprehensive overview of the steps required to prepare consolidated financial statements under U.S. GAAP when a subsidiary prepares its accounts under a foreign GAAP—in this case, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). While the case is closely based on an actual Australasian company seeking listing in the United States, the product and the exact financial details are disguised. Specifically, the case exposes students to the following: accounting for foreign currency transactions; adjustments to convert foreign GAAP to U.S. GAAP (accounting for license fees); translation of financial statements; change of functional currency; remeasurement of financial statements; and foreign consolidation and statement of cash flows with foreign operations. The case has been field‐tested in an advanced accounting course and is also suitable for use in international accounting courses. Both undergraduate and graduate students have profited from the case.


Background: The combination of IL-1, IL-6, IL-11, stem cell factor (SCF), and thrombopoietin (TPO) is capable of stimulating megakaryocytopoiesis using a bone marrow CD34+ cell population in a 10- to 12-day expansion culture. We evaluated the ex vivo effect of these cytokines in combination with flt-3 ligand (FL) in expanding CD34+ umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells. Material and Methods: To investigate the developmental kinetics of cell expansion, CD34+ cells were selected from 19 UCB units and cultured for 5–21 days in 24-well plates in serum-containing medium (1×104 cells/ml). Cytokines included IL-1 (10 ng/ml), IL-6, IL-11, and SCF (each 25 ng/ml) as a basic cocktail with the addition of either TPO (50 ng/ml) or FL (50 ng/ml) or both TPO and FL. CD34 and CD41 antibodies were used to identify progenitors and megacaryocytic (MK) cells by flow cytometry, and CFU-MK assay was performed to quantify MK progenitors. Results: The medium containing TPO plus FL provided the best stimulus for developing MK cells and resulted in a significant expansion of CD41+ cells from day 5 to day 11, with a mean increase of up to 123-fold (14- to 284-fold) in contrast to 78-fold expansion of total nucleated cells (NC) (12- to 150-fold, p < 0.01, n = 8). The percentage of CD34+ cells showed a significant decrease from 83% to less than 1%, as well as the relative concentration of MK progenitor cells which dropped from a mean of 128 per 104 CD34+ cells to 10–70 at day 5. However, because of NC amplification, a slight expansion in CFU-MK could be observed showing a 7.8-fold increase using all six cytokines over 8 days. Conclusion: UCB CD34+ cell expansion over 14 days by using the above-mentioned cytokine combinations induces a strong maturation pressure and causes the progenitors to undergo MK differentiation. Finally, it results in only a slight expansion of MK progenitor cells measured by the CFU-MK assay.


Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are a prevalent tool in biological research and are among the most widely used host cell lines for production of recombinant therapeutic proteins. While research in other organisms has been revolutionized through the development of DNA sequence‐based tools, the lack of comparable genomic resources for the Chinese hamster has impeded similar work in CHO cell lines. A comparative genomics approach, based upon the completely sequenced mouse genome, can facilitate genomic work in this important organism. Using chromosome synteny to define regions of conserved linkage between Chinese hamster and mouse chromosomes, a working scaffold for the Chinese hamster genome has been developed. Mapping CHO and Chinese hamster sequences to the mouse genome creates direct access to relevant information in public databases. Additionally, mapping gene expression data onto a chromosome scaffold affords the ability to interpret information in a genomic context, potentially revealing important structural and regulatory features in the Chinese hamster genome. Further development of this genomic scaffold will provide opportunities to use biomolecular tools for research in CHO cell lines today and will be an asset to future efforts to sequence the Chinese hamster genome. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98; 429–439. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


UK regulation discourages corporate political donations but is relatively benign in respect of individual donations. Few UK listed companies make political donations but many more company directors do. We use a unique, hand-collected dataset of political donations to examine whether UK corporate political connections are perceived as being created indirectly via directors' personal donations. Basing our tests on the sensitivity of company returns to opinion polls preceding the 2010 General Election we find evidence that, for firms within a set of industries which donate only to the Conservative Party, employing a donating director is associated with a higher sensitivity to the electoral success of the Conservatives. The small sample size means that this evidence must be seen as no more than suggestive. We justify basing our inferences on return sensitivity to polls by confirming that UK domestic political risk, as proxied by opinion poll changes, is priced around General Elections. JEL classifications: G12, G14


Purpose: This study aims to determine the density of Aedes aegypti larvae based on the knowledge, attitudes and actions of terminal managers at the Regional Terminal Daya Makassar City.
Methods: The research design used was descriptive observational. There are two samples in this study, namely the container sample and the terminal manager sample. The sampling technique for containers used total sampling method and for terminal managers, purposive sampling method was used. Data were analyzed by univariate.
Results: The results of the analysis showed that the number of positive containers for larvae was 69 (CI = 33%) with a value of DF = 8 and was a high density category. A total of 9 respondents (39.1%) had good knowledge and 14 respondents (60.9%) had poor knowledge. A total of 10 respondents (43.5%) had a good attitude and as many as 13 respondents (56.5%) had a bad attitude. In terms of action, (4.3%) of the respondents reflected good, while 22 respondents (95.7%) had actions in the unfavorable category.
Conclusion: It is concluded that increasing public knowledge is essential to eradicate mosquito nests in the community. By enhancing the knowledge of the individuals, the  PSN activities carried out routinely can break the life cycle of the mosquitoes that can cause DHF.The level of education that the terminal manager has, the better the ability to absorb the information provided will affect the knowledge held by the terminal manager.


Leishmania amazonensis, L. braziliensis and L. chagasi promastigotes were grown in the presence of l-arginine analogs such as Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), NG-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA) and d-arginine (an inactive l-arginine isomer), besides an intracellular calcium chelator [ethylene glycol-bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetra acetic acid; EGTA] to verify the importance of l-arginine metabolism and the cofactors for these parasites. The parasite's growth curve was followed up and the culture supernatants were used to assay nitric oxide (NO˙) production by the Griess reaction. The results showed a significant effect of l-arginine analogs on NO˙ production by all Leishmania species studied, especially l-NAME, an irreversible inhibitor of the constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS). When L. amazonensis promastigotes were pre-incubated with l-NAME, the infection range of the murine macrophages was lowered to 61% in 24 h and 19% after 48 h. These data demonstrated that the parasite NO˙ pathway is important to the establishment of the infection.


In small (0.5 mg/kg) subcutaneous doses, the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, greatly enhanced drinking in response to caval ligation in the rat. Drinking was not secondary to urinary water loss since the rats developed a substantial positive fluid balance. High (50 mg/kg) subcutaneous doses of captopril reduced drinking to a level below that following caval ligation alone. This effect could be mimicked by giving repeated intracerebroventricular injections of captopril (total amount 110 micrograms) to rats treated with the lower subcutaneous dose of captopril. With this combination, therefore, not only did the lower dose enhancement disappear, the basal caval ligation drinking response was also reduced with a total dose of captopril of less than 2% of the higher subcutaneous dose alone. These results show that, when conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II is prevented in the brain as well as systemically, drinking in response to caval ligation is reduced although not entirely prevented. The original report that such drinking is multifactorial, depending on angiotensin as well as nonangiotensin mechanisms, is confirmed.


Boron and boron-rich solids are distinguished by outstanding characteristics like extraordinary high melting points, great hardness, low density and high chemical stability. The neutron absorption cross section of the 10B isotope is very high. The complex icosahedral boron-rich structures vary from the boron allotrope alpa-rhombohedral boron with 12 atoms to YB66 type crystals with 1584 atoms per elementary cell, including boron carbide, the hitherto technically most important and one of the most intensively investigated boron compounds. All of them are essentially composed of nearly regular B12 icosahedra, sometimes containing one carbon atom substituting for boron, forming open networks with hollow spaces in between. These allow accommodating foreign atoms, thus offering a basis for tailoring the individual properties according to technical requirements. Fundamental discrepancies occurred between experimental results proving semiconducting behavior and theoretical calculations predicting metallic character. Reason is the not yet understood tendency of these structures to avoid metallic behavior by generating structural defects in required concentrations. These are high, sometimes in the order of 1 to 10 %, thus explaining that the theoretical calculations based on idealized undistorted structures necessarily failed. According to Ogitsu et al., the partial occupancies of specific regular sites in the beta-rhombohedral boron structure result from a geometrical frustration originating from the intrinsic instability of the B28 subunits. They can be described by an antiferromagnetic Ising model on an expanded Kagome lattice. The experimentally gained electronic band scheme contains numerous acceptor-like gap states and a series of electron traps determining essentially the electronic transport properties. Apart from high concentration of vacancies in the center site of the elementary cell, the structures of boron carbides in the entire homogeneity range (B4.3C to B~11C) consist of B12 and B11C icosahedra and CBC and CBB chains, whose shares depend on the actual chemical composition. As the differently composed elementary cells are statistically distributed, X-ray and neutron diffraction, averaging comparably large volumes, failed in determining the components quantitatively. NMR failed as well. However, phonon spectroscopy on isotope-enriched boron carbide proved suitable to solve this problem. The experimentally determined band scheme of boron carbide, describing the electronic properties consistently, contains high concentrations of various gap states, which are generated by the structural defects. These gap states are responsible for the complex electronic properties.


Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change. New York: Guilford. Merbitz, C. T., Miller, T. K., & Hansen, N. K. (2003). Cueing and logical problem solving in brain trauma rehabilitation: Frequency patterns in clinician and patient behaviors. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 4, 45-58. First published in Behavioral Interventions, 15 (2000): 169-187. Moynahan, L. (2001) Relatio ergo sum. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2, 162-174. Moynahan, L. (2003). Anvendt atferdsanalyse med sosiale systemer [Applied behavior analysis with social systems]. In S.Eikeseth & F. Svartdal (Eds.), Anvendt atferdsanalyse: Teori og Praksis. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk. Salkovskis, P. (1996). The cognitive approach to anxiety: Threat beliefs, safety-seeking behavior, and the special case of health anxiety and obsessions. In P. Salkovskis (Ed.), Frontiers of cognitive therapy. New York: Guilford. Salmon, S. (2003). Peace curriculum. Erie, CO: Center for Safe Schools and Communities.


We find a general formula for the two-loop renormalization counterterms of a scalar quantum field theory with interactions containing up to two derivatives, extending 't~Hooft's one-loop result. The method can also be used for theories with higher derivative interactions, as long as the terms in the Lagrangian have at most one derivative acting on each field. We show that diagrams with factorizable topologies do not contribute to the renormalization group equations. The results in this paper will be combined with the geometric method in a subsequent paper to obtain the counterterms and renormalization group equations for the scalar sector of effective field theories (EFT) to two-loop order.


The Primary purpose of this paper is to examine the role and importance of Senior Senators in the US Senate. Many states rely on Senators to bring in federal spending in the form of pork. When states lose their Senior Senator and the power they accumulated through increased tenure, they risk losing certain benefits in terms of pork. We use federal expenditures per dollar of tax and analyze how it is affected by Seniority in the Senate. Population, Income, and unemployment rates in each state were controlled for in our regression analysis. It is concluded that increased tenure significantly increases federal spending to Senators' states. Though this is statistically significant, we find the effects of losing a Senior Senator to be insignificant in the overall welfare of a state.


Introduction:Patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) have numerous risk factors including but not limited to iron overload, avascular bone necrosis, infection especially acute chest syndrome and frequent pain crisis. Incidence of Clostridium Difficile infection (C. Diff) in sickle cell disease patients is lower than the general population but they are frequently hospitalized for vaso-occlusive crisis and are often given empirical antibiotic treatment which puts them at high risk for C. Diff (1). Here we are describing trends and predictors of C. Diff among SCD patients and how C.diff burgen has changed over the time in Sickle cell patients.
 Methods:We used National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2008-2017 by Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We extracted a study cohort of all-cause hospitalizations among SCD patients using International Classification of Diseases (9th/10th Editions) Clinical Modification diagnosis codes (ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM). Concurrent C. Diff and other comorbidities were identified by ICD-9/10-CM codes and Elixhauser comorbidity software. Our primary objective was to delineate temporal trends, and predictors of C. Diff infection in SCD patients. We utilized Cochran Armitage trend test and multivariable survey logistic regression models to analyze the trends, predictors and outcomes.
 Results:Out of a total 991,848 all-cause hospitalizations among SCD patients, 5,182 (1.81%) hospitalizations were complicated with C. Diff infection. Prevalence of C.Diff infection increased from 3/1000 hospitalizations in 2008 to 6/1000 hospitalizations in 2017 (pTrend<0.0001) with a 6% yearly increase (OR:1.06; 95%CI:1.04-1.09; p<0.001) (Figure.1). Patients who developed C.Diff infection had higher mean age (39 vs 33-years; p<0.001), and more likely to be females (62% vs 38%; p<0.001). Furthermore, in multivariable regression analysis, increasing age (OR:1.1; 95%CI:1.1-1.1; p<0.0001), females (OR:1.2; 95%CI:1.1-1.4; p<0.001), neurological disorders (OR:1.6; 95%CI:1.2-1.9; p<0.001), weight loss (OR:2.5; 95%CI:2.0-3.2; p<0.001), depression (OR:1.5; 95%CI:1.2-1.9; p<0.001), and renal failure (OR:1.3; 95%CI:1.2-1.6; p<0.001) were associated with higher odds of C. Diff infection. Also other concurrent conditions like liver disorders (OR:1.5; 95%CI:1.2-2.0; p<0.001), congestive heart failure (OR:1.3; 95%CI:1.1-1.6; p<0.001), and septicemia (OR:3.6; 95%CI:3.1-4.3; p<0.001) were also associated with increased odds of developing C.Diff infection. Among the patients who developed C.Diff infection, 15% were discharged to long term facilities and 4% died during the hospitalization. Moreover C.Diff infection was also associated with higher length of stay (11 vs 6-days; p<0.001).
 Discussion:In this nationally representative study, we observed that prevalence of C.Diff among SCD has been increasing over the last decade. We were also able to delineate several factors such as renal failure, liver disorder, CHF and septicemia which were significantly associated with development of C.Diff infection. Modifiable factors require better optimization which may eventually decrease the C.diff infection prevalence but this conclusion needs more in-depth studies to establish the causal relationship.
 References:
 (1) Ahmed J, Kumar A, Jafri F, Batool S, Knoll B, Lim SH. Low Incidence of Hospital-OnsetClostridium difficileInfection in Sickle Cell Disease.N Engl J Med. 2019;380(9):887-888. doi:10.1056/NEJMc1815711

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Pregnancy, a period of increased metabolic demands coordinated by fluctuating steroid hormones, is an understudied critical window of disease susceptibility for later-life maternal metabolic health. Epidemiological studies have identified associations between exposures to various endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. Whether such adverse outcomes would be heightened by concurrent exposures to multiple EDCs during pregnancy, consistent with the reality that human exposures are to EDC mixtures, was examined in the current pilot study. Mouse dams were orally exposed to relatively low doses of four EDCs: (atrazine (10 mg/kg), bisphenol-A (50 µg/kg), perfluorooctanoic acid (0.1 mg/kg), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (0.036 µg/kg)), or the combination (MIX), from gestational day 7 until birth or for an equivalent 12 days in non-pregnant females. Glucose intolerance, serum lipids, weight, and visceral adiposity were assessed six months later. MIX-exposed dams exhibited hyperglycemia with a persistent elevation in blood glucose two hours after glucose administration in a glucose tolerance test, whereas no such effects were observed in MIX-exposed non-pregnant females. Correspondingly, MIX dams showed elevated serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL). There were no statistically significant differences in weight or visceral adipose; MIX dams showed an average visceral adipose volume to body volume ratio of 0.09, while the vehicle dams had an average ratio of 0.07. Collectively, these findings provide biological plausibility for the epidemiological associations observed between EDC exposures during pregnancy and subsequent maternal metabolic dyshomeostasis, and proof of concept data that highlight the importance of considering complex EDC mixtures based of off common health outcomes, e.g., for increased risk for later-life maternal metabolic effects following pregnancy.