The objective of this paper is to predict, both in-sample and out-of-sample, the consumer price index (CPI) of the United States (US) economy based on monthly data covering the period of 1980:1-2013:12, using a variety of linear (random walk (RW), autoregressive (AR) and seasonally-adjusted autoregressive moving average (SARIMA)) and nonlinear (artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP)) univariate models. Our results show that, while the SARIMA model is superior relative to other linear and nonlinear models, as it tends to produce smaller forecast errors; statistically, these forecasting gains are not significant relative to higher-order AR and nonlinear models, though simple benchmarks like the RW and AR(1) models are statistically outperformed. Overall, we show that in terms of forecasting the US CPI, accounting for nonlinearity does not necessarily provide us with any statistical gains.


Although the regulatory structure for limiting emission of greenhouse gases is uncertain in much of the world, limits will be in force soon in many parts. Infrastructure needs to implement those limits are technologies to remove carbon from electric generation emissions, technologies to dispose of the carbon removed, sensing systems to monitor carbon emissions, and market or regulatory structures to implement the limits. Adaptation to climate change will require upgrades and capacity increases in existing transmission and distribution systems, and increased capacity in new systems. Increased use of renewable energy can reduce industry carbon emissions. Higher penetrations of intermittent renewable resources, wind and solar, will be allowed if storage is available to allow full dispatch of those generators. Infrastructure needs for energy storage are efficient and cost-competitive technologies to store electricity, power electronic interfaces between those dc technologies and the ac power system, and monitoring and control systems to control and dispatch the storage systems.


Background and Objectives: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus. It has been detected primarily in children with acute respiratory tract infections. This study was conducted to clarify the frequency and genotype circulation pattern of HBoV in Iran. Materials and Methods: Conventional PCR was performed on throat swabs of patients less than two years of age with respiratory illnesses during fall and winter 2012–2013. Results: HBoV virus DNA was detected in 15 of 140 samples (10.7 %). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis on 5 samples showed that all were HBoV1. The positive samples were negative for influenza A and B viruses while co-infection with RSV was found in 2 (13.3%). Conclusion: This study adds to the body of knowledge about the role of HBoV in acute respiratory illnesses in children in Iran.


SVM may have great difficulty in its realization, even can not work properly because of the tremendous increase of compute time and memory for large-scale training set. A new fast learning algorithm for large-scale SVM is proposed under the condition of sample aliasing. The aliasing sample points which are not the same class are eliminated first and then the relative boundary vectors (RBVs) are computed. According to the algorithm, not only the RBV sample itself, but a near RBV sample whose distance to the RBV is smaller than a certain value will also be selected for SVM training in order to prevent the loss of some critical sample points for the optimal hyper plane. The selected training samples after pruning are essential and their number is only about 1/3~1/4, even 1/7~1/10 of the total number of the original training samples. If we use these final samples for SVM training, the training-time can be shorten remarkably and the training-speed will also be improved quite a lot. The most important fact is that the classification accuracy may be kept almost the same as that obtained when the large-scale sample set is used directly for training. The simulation results prove this fast learning algorithm very effective and can be used as a good practical approach for large-scale SVM training.


Summary Acute aortic valve obstruction is a medical and surgical emergency necessitating intensive care unit admission. The differential diagnosis includes thrombosis, pannus formation or vegetations. The diagnosis should be obtained as soon as possible, with possible orientation towards the cause. Different diagnostic modalities exist nowadays. Notably, the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) offers a diagnosis and a guide for management. Surgical treatment remains of choice despite growing evidence about a benefit of combined thrombolytic and anticoagulation line of management. Learning points Acute management and resuscitation of acute valvular obstruction. Differential diagnosis and role of echo in the diagnosis. Management options.


We present the case of a patient with a history of hemorrhage following prior surgery whose pregnancy was complicated by plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 deficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a pregnancy complicated by plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) deficiency.


The research on the green roof is of great importance in the field of urban beautification and improving ecological effect. According to the previous research, plants have shown a significant impact on the absorption of particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. Therefore, it is justified that the appropriate planting design or some particular combinations of plants can be considered as a solution, dealing with the urban PM2.5. This paper presented a work in progress on developing wireless sensor networks (WSN) system based on a prototype wind tunnel, which is used for the simulation of the green roof. Several data collection processes are handled by this system, where the concentration of PM2.5, wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity are obtained and stored in the database simultaneously. Additionally, users are able to real-timely define their commands in detail, controlling the sensor's height through a GUI on the website. Experimental and simulation results and measurements have verified the validity of the wind tunnel module as well as the reliability of the sensor network. The system can be operated on thousands of devices when the packet delay maintained in a low level.


Candida species are responsible for 70-90% of invasive fungal infections in the intensive care unit. Early diagnosis and treatment is important in candidemia. Improper diagnosis and treatment increases mortality and morbidity significantly. Because of the late results of blood cultures and low sensitivity of the serological tests when used alone, molecular methods should be investigated in this field. In this study, the results of the Candida real-time polymerase chain reaction (Rt-PCR) test, which was studied from blood culture and whole blood, were compared in patients with high candidemia risk who were followed in the General Surgery Intensive Care and Anesthesiology and Reanimation Unit of Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine. It was aimed to investigate the practical utility of Candida RT-PCR test, which is a rapid diagnosis method in patients with suspected candidemia. In our study, 90 patients with high risk of candidemia according to the criteria determined according to the guidelines were evaluated prospectively. Urine, perineum, axilla, tracheal aspirate culture and two sets of blood cultures were obtained from the patients. Blood sample was also drawn into an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tube and stored at -40°C for later Candida Rt-PCR study. In Candida Rt- PCR, species-specific primers were used to distinguish species. Candida score (CS) of the patients was calculated. Forty one (45.5%) of the patients were female and 49 (55.5%) were male. The median age of the patients was 61.5 years. Candida was positive in blood culture in three (3.3%) of the patients included in the study, while Candida Rt-PCR was positive in 17 (18.9%). Candida species detected in the blood culture and Rt-PCR test were compatible with each other. Rt-PCR was significantly more positive (p= 0.006). Candida Rt-PCR positivity was significantly higher in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (p= 0.028), malignancy (p= 0.021), and history of surgery in the last three months (p=0.003). The difference in CS between patients with PCR positive and PCR negative was statistically significant (p= 0.015). Our study was conducted in a high-risk population for candidemia and the results of Candida Rt-PCR was found to be more positive than blood culture. Rt-PCR positivity and blood culture positivity were associated with high CS. In the light of these data, it was thought that it would be appropriate to use molecular methods in the diagnosis and support them with CS, especially in patients with high risk of candidemia. Considering that blood culture, which is the gold standard for the diagnosis of candidemia, gives late results and is 50% positive, using faster diagnostic methods for candidemia is important to reduce mortality and morbidity. The fast and good results of Candida PCR method have shown that it can be used in diagnosis. However, lack of standardization of primers used in PCR tests may cause false positives. Additional studies are needed in this respect.


Background: The rate of using antithrombotic (AT) drugs is frequently high in patients who require percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). The aim of this study was to determine whether the risk of bleeding after PEG increases in patients whose AT drugs were discontinued according to the European Society Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guidelines (warfarin for 5 d, low molecular weight heparin for 24 h, DOAC for 3 d, and clopidogrel for 7 d). Patients and Methods: Data from 243 patients, who underwent PEG tube placement and received AT drugs and 206 patients who did not between 2018 and 2021 in our hospital, were evaluated retrospectively. Bleeding was defined as requiring blood transfusion, hematemesis and/or melena, decreased hemoglobin, or bleeding from PEG. Results: A total of 243 (54.1%) patients (121 (49.7%), women, mean age (75.7 y) who underwent PEG and received AT drugs, and 206 (45.9%) patients who did not (92 (44.6%), women, mean age (63.15 y). The medications and bleeding rates of the patients are given in Table 1. The rate of bleeding in patients using AT medication was significantly higher than that in patients not using medication (Table 2) (P = 0.007). When the AT drugs were compared among themselves, the bleeding risk did not differ. Bleeding was detected in 10 patients with bleeding from the PEG tube in 4 with melena. Bleeding detected in 14 patients was controlled with adrenaline injections. None of the patients required transfusion or repeat endoscopies. No bleeding-related deaths were reported. Conclusion: Even if patients receiving AT drugs are treated as recommended by international guidelines, it should be kept in mind that bleeding may occur after PEG, and the patients should be followed accordingly.


. A method is described to determine the number of significant dimensions in metric ordination of a sample. The method is probabilistic, based on bootstrap resampling. An iterative algorithm takes bootstrap samples with replacement from the sample. It finds in each bootstrap sample ordination coordinates and computes, after Procrustean adjustments, the correlation between observed and bootstrap ordination scores. It compares this correlation to the same parameter generated in a parallel bootstrapped ordination of randomly permuted data, which upon many iterations will generate a probability. The method is assessed in principal coordinates analysis of simulated data sets that have varying number of variables and correlation levels, uniform or patterned correlation structure. The results suggest the method is more reliable than other available methods in recovering the true intrinsic dimensionality. Examples with grassland data illustrate utility.


This community service aims to increase environmental knowledge of women through waste management training that targets cognitive, affective and conative. The methods used in this service are screening short films, Islamic religious lectures, training (making eco-enzymes, processing food waste, & waste management), and games. The service is carried out in 6 sessions (duration 420 minutes). The results of the analysis (T test) showed a significant difference between the pre-test scores (M = 56.2917, SD = 7.57845) and post-test scores (M = 61.3333, SD = 7.31090), t = - 3.986, p<0.05. This means that there is an increase in cognitive activity in participants and the PEDULI program has been effective for the sample group (housewives) through increasing knowledge and experience in increasing environmental awareness.


The study presents an distant results analysis (12 months 10 years) of ureterial canal strictures endoscopic treatment showed, that the effectiveness of primary inter urethrotomy, made according to our method (section of the urethra only at 12 o'clock of clock dial to unchanged tissues, splintage of urethra by catheter 16-18 Fr not less than 10 days), was 80,4%. Repeat endoscopic interferences were made in 126 (19,6%) patients, at that their quantity was from 1 to 6. Finally the rehabilitation of the patients with urethra strictures (observation terms till 9 years), including with the help of temporary and constant stents placing, was succeeded in 95,1% observations. In 32 (4,9%) patients the endoscopic access and rehabilitation actions in the end did not lead to satisfied clinical result and the patients went through the open urethraplastic. Interoptic urethrotomy is an effective treating access. After primary urethrotomy the relapses of strictures, needed repeat interference are 19,6%, which in main observations could be successfully liquidated by repeat endoscopic interferences and rehabilitation actions.


We prove Lusztig's conjectures P1–P15 for the affine Weyl group of type˜ C2 for all choices of positive weight function. Our approach to computing Lusztig's a-function is based on the notion of a " balanced system of cell representations ". Once this system is established roughly half of the conjectures P1–P15 follow. Next we establish an " asymptotic Plancherel Theorem " for type C2, from which the remaining conjectures follow. Combined with existing results in the literature this completes the proof of Lusztig's conjectures for all rank 1 and 2 affine Weyl groups for all choices of parameters.


This work, by means of in-depth research and systematic review, aims to demonstrate whether there is a real and concrete correlation between motor education and the learning of logical-mathematical concepts in school-age children between 6 and 11 years. Initially, several protocols and interventions were selected using targeted electronic databases focusing research on the last ten years. Subsequently, the main theme was addressed, subdividing, and analysing the selected research based on four topics: literature, gesture, interdisciplinary and testing. In the theme " literature " two works have been compared concerning the learning of logical-mathematical concepts thanks to the introduction of the use of literature for children and manipulators. In " gesture " five works have been compared where mathematical learning took place through the association of gesture with explanation. The nine protocols signed " interdisciplinary " deal exclusively with this topic: how the movement and the use of the body intervene on mathematical learning. Finally, three data collection on the topic " test ": how physical activity intervenes on the results of mathematical tests. Bibliographic research shows that pupils participate with interest in activities and there is no negative influence on this link, indeed a significant improvement was evident in most of the protocols and interventions. There is, however, the need to monitor research in the long term, to expand with a larger sample of children and use larger spaces.


The paper estimates the impact of institutions' quality on the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) to developing countries. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to develop a new measure of quality of institutions: Institutional Efficiency Index (IEI). In order to appraise quantitatively the effect of institutional quality on FDI entry, we used a panel data regression analysis on a dataset covering 40 countries from different developing regions for which the necessary data were accessible during the period 2011-2015. The paper argues that the institutional efficiency, as a measure of institutional quality, enhances the attractiveness of developing countries to FDI.

The results of this paper suggest that FDI is mainly determined by institutional quality. A host country endowed with a high quality of institutions will be more attractive to foreign investors. In order to improve their competitiveness in term of attraction of foreign investment, developing countries should work more on providing a stable environment as well as on the transparency of policy implementation regarding the entry of multinational companies.


- In January 2006, a juvenile female Bottlenosed Whale became trapped in the Thames in the centre of London. The event attracted international interest. Rescue of the whale was attempted but failed. This paper describes these events and discusses the role of underwater sound in whale navigation. The effect of high-energy waveguide modified signals producing whale-like signatures capable of inducing changes in behavior over wide geographical areas is discussed. So also is the noise environment of the Thames itself. Finally consideration is given to the possible methods and mechanisms employed by whales in effecting migration and foraging journeys.


A new analytic model for high-contrast gratings is introduced, based on their description as bimodal Fabry-Pérot interferometers. It can be shown that their reflectivity and transmissivity can be decomposed into two interfering single-mode responses. A new parametrization of unitary symmetric matrices is introduced to describe the mirrors, opening up the possibility to obtain a fully analytic model. As an application example, the characterization of a high-contrast grating high-Q resonator is presented.


This paper reports the results of a meta-analysis of 39 published studies conducted during the last decade (from
 2006 to 2016) on the effects of instruction and corrective feedback on learning second language (L2) pragmatics. The study
 meta-analyzed the effects of instruction in terms of several moderator variables including mode of instruction, type of
 instruction, outcome measures, length of instruction, language proficiency, and durability of the instructional effects. It was
 found that (a) computer-assisted instruction generated larger effects than face-to-face instruction, (b) instruction was generally
 more effective for L2 pragmatic comprehension than production, (c) instruction produced larger effects when tested by selected
 response outcome measures although different patterns were observed across explicit-implicit categories, (d) longer treatments
 generated a larger effect size than shorter treatments, (e) studies conducted with intermediate level learners produced larger
 effect sizes than beginner or advanced level learners, and (f) the observed effects of instruction were maintained.


1Cardiovascular Center, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; 3Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Cardiology, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Republic of Korea; 5Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 6Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Cardiovascular Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 7Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 8Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Science & Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nebivolol and rosuvastatin combination treatment in patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Patients and Methods: Eligible patients, after more than 4 weeks of therapeutic lifestyle change, were randomly assigned to three groups: 5 mg nebivolol plus 20 mg rosuvastatin (NEBI/RSV), 20 mg rosuvastatin (RSV), or 5 mg nebivolol (NEBI). Treatments lasted 8 weeks. Results: Efficacy was analyzed using data from 276 patients. Sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures differed between the NEBI/RSV and RSV groups (LSmean difference = −5.89 and −5.99 mmHg; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −9.88 to −1.90 mmHg and −8.13 to −3.84 mmHg, respectively). Reductions in the two pressures did not differ between the NEB/ RSV and NEB groups. The percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol differed between the NEBI/RSV and NEBI groups (LSmean difference = −47.76%, 95% CI = −52.69 to −42.84%) but not between the NEBI/RSV and RSV groups. The blood pressure (BP) control rate was higher in the NEBI/RSV group than in the RVS group (51.09% vs 29.67%, p = 0.003). The LDL cholesterol goal achievement rate was higher in the NEBI/ RSV group than in the NEBI group (85.87% vs 11.83%, p < 0.001). The incidence of adverse drug reactions in the NEBI/RSV, RSV, and NEBI groups was 8.51%, 7.45%, and 8.60%, respectively (p = 0.950). Conclusion: Nebivolol plus rosuvastatin treatment is effective in reducing BP and LDL cholesterol levels and is safe in patients with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia without the loss of BP or the LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of each drug. Trial Registration: CRIS registration number KCT0002148.


Antigen-specific activation of T lymphocytes, via stimulation of the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) complex, is marked by a rapid and sustained increase in the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). It has been suggested that the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) produced after TCR stimulation binds to the IP3 receptor (IP3R), an intracellular Ca(2+)-release channel, and triggers the increase in [Ca2+]i that activates transcription of the gene for T-cell growth factor interleukin 2 (IL-2). However, the role of the IP3R in T-cell signaling and possibly in plasma membrane Ca2+ influx in T cells remains unproven. Stable transfection of T cells (Jurkat) with antisense type 1 IP3R cDNA prevented type 1 IP3R expression, providing a tool for dissecting the role of IP3 signaling during T-cell activation. T cells lacking type 1 IP3R failed to increase [Ca2+]i or produce IL-2 after TCR stimulation. Moreover, depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores without TCR activation stimulated Ca2+ influx in cells lacking the type 1 IP3R. These results establish that the type 1 IP3R is required for intracellular Ca2+ release that triggers antigen-specific T-cell proliferation but not for plasma membrane Ca2+ influx.


Abstract Research background: Lesser Poland is one of the most visited regions in Poland. Among the reasons why it is so, there are a variety of attractions located in this voivodeship and also the activities taken by local government, for which the development of the tourism industry is one of the key goals. Purpose: Building a ranking of poviats of Lesser Poland in terms of tourist attractiveness. Research methodology: Selected multivariate analysis tools, i.e. three methods of linear ordering and cluster analysis. Results: Using the Ward algorithm, poviats are grouped into four clusters of areas with similar characteristics due to tourist values. In addition, using three linear ordering techniques, poviats of the Lesser Poland voivodeship are ordered according to tourist attractiveness. The results of ordering are rather consistent and indicate that the most attractive poviats are: nowotarski, oświęcimski, tatrzański and the city of Kraków. Interestingly, these areas belong to three different groups obtained as part of a cluster analysis. This means that Lesser Poland is a diversified region in terms of the attractions that draw tourists' to the area. Novelty: The study of tourist attractiveness using linear ordering techniques is not an original topic. The thesis is of cognitive value and fills a gap in the literature, in which there are no studies based on data from Lesser Poland.


Recent research has highlighted the emergence of "alternative social media" platforms. Developed by open source communities with non-commercial goals, these platforms can offer more expansive participatory cultures than corporate platforms. However, such platforms also involve new kinds of participatory challenges, such as requiring high technological literacy. This article examines the complexity of enacting participatory cultures by drawing on an ethnographic study of Scuttlebutt, a decentralized social media platform being developed by an open source community. This examination focuses on three key features of participatory culture as enacted on Scuttlebutt: varying modes and sites of participation; reflexivity about who is participating and how; and an evaluation of limits to participation. It also considers the challenges that arise from Scuttlebutt's approach and how these highlight the profound difficulty of trying to enact fuller models of participatory culture. From these findings, we argue that Scuttlebutt provides an important example of the experimentation that alternative social media platforms are conducting around open, democratic modes of socio-technical organizing, and note that this experimentation raises important questions about how we conceptualize participation and the future of social media.


BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY
Although bovine pericardium has been used extensively in cardiothoracic surgery, its degeneration and calcification are important limiting factors in the continued use of this material. The study aims were to decellularize bovine pericardium and to compare the biomechanical properties of fresh and decellularized bovine pericardia to those treated with different concentrations of glutaraldehyde (GA).

METHODS
An established protocol for decellularization using sodium dodecyl sulfate was used, and histological analysis performed to validate the adequacy of decellularization. Contact cytotoxicity was used to study the in-vitro biocompatibility of variously treated pericardia. Mechanical testing involved uniaxial testing to failure. Mechanical properties of the fresh and decellularized pericardia (untreated and treated with 0.5% and 0.05% GA) were compared.

RESULTS
Histological analysis of decellularized bovine pericardium did not show any remaining cells or cell fragments. The histoarchitecture of the collagen-elastin matrix appeared well preserved. Untreated decellularized pericardium was biocompatible in contact cytotoxicity tests with smooth muscle and fibroblast cells. The GA-treated tissue was cytotoxic. There were no significant differences in the mechanical properties of fresh and decellularized pericardia, but there was an overall tendency for GA-treated pericardia to be stiffer than their untreated counterparts.

CONCLUSION
An acellular matrix, cross-linked with a reduced concentration of GA, can be produced using bovine pericardium. This biomaterial has excellent biomechanical properties and, potentially, may be used in the manufacture of heart valves and pericardial patches for clinical application.


This essay proposes that literature is instrumental to the development of an 'ethics of the empathetic imagination'. Literature illustrates, and often propounds widely shared cultural beliefs. But literature's association with any
cultural system is also manifest a contrario, in the fact that it interrogates and challenges the very logic, codes, and elements of the system, not only at the level of characters' values and behavior, but also starting from the writer's
special use of language and narrative strategies. The pluri-vocal quality of complex literature enhances the perception of widely different subject positions and becomes a powerful tool of resistance against prejudice in favour of a sophisticated assessment of alterity. This thesis will be argued also with reference to Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out, and special attention will be paid to the novel's empathetic dismantling of a dominator's colonial mentality. The antithetical positions of the narrator and most of the characters allows for a scathing and subtle critique of the colonial mentality.


The focus of this ethnographic expedition is to study the folklore and traditions amongst the existing tribal populations of Barumal village in southern Gujarat, India. The fieldwork revolves around cultural and socio-economic aspects of their livelihood and this paper encompasses the knowledge from one such lens out of many. It tries to identify the importance of mythology and its roots. The data collected from three different population groups are Varlis, Kukanas, Dhodiya Patels that are set within the caste system based hierarchy inhabiting in the same region. The interview method was employed throughout with open-ended questions. The varied customs and traditions appearing in their lifestyle, occupation, and festivals are always associated with one god or another. The key informants felt the need to distinguish the history of their own tribe from the others by taking the help of myths passed down from their ancestors. Most of the key informants were mature adults including both males and females.


Barbiturate dependence leads to serious withdrawel symptoms requiring first hospitalisation and later intensive outpatient treatment. This treatment can be supported with neuroleptic and anti depressant drug therapy. Adequate supportive aftercare is essential for a successful treatment of drugdependence.


Piezoelectric actuators find their first applications in active space optics. The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the art and some applications. Piezo actuators display attractive features for space applications, such as precise positioning, unlubricated, non magnetic and compact features, and low power consumption. However, piezo mechanisms cannot be considered separately from their driving and control electronic. Piezo actuators, such as Amplified Piezo Actuators or Parallel Pre-stressed Actuators, initially designed under CNES contracts, shall find their first space flight applications in optics on the PHARAO Laser bench: • fine pointing of the laser beams, • laser cavity tuning. Breadboard mechanisms based on piezo actuators have also been tested for refocusing purposes. Other applications includes the improvement of the CCD resolution through an oversampling technique, such as in the SOHO/LASCO instrument, fast optical shutter operation, optical filter in combination with a Fabry - Perot interferometer, such as in future LIDAR for earth observation. The first applications shall be described and an overview of the future potential applications shall be given.


This paper contains four parts. Part one gives a general introduction to Marx's philosophy, concentrating on his views concerning history, society and (political) economy. Part two discusses some minor criticisms Marx puts forward against the capitalist system at several places in his work. Part three and four analyze Marx's main line of attack against capitalism, which figures prominently in chapter one of his uncompleted study Capital. As can be shown, this main line of attack is as unconvincing as the minor criticisms that are discussed in part two. Capitalist society may have many bad features. Capitalism, however, cannot be condemned for the reasons Marx thought to have found for condemnation.


The previously introduced by the authors proce-dures of computational modelling on the basis of finite element method of a cylindrical specimen neck formation process at all stages of its development, up to the specimen failure is supplemented and specified here. The researchers describe the procedures of a specimen with a neck model adaptation and analyze the evolution of deformation mode in the necking area of the specimen tension process. The results of computational modelling are compared with the known analytical dependences. Comparison of calculated and experimental data are made.


A novel method for the simulation of atmospheric turbulence degraded wavefronts is shown. The computer generated wavefronts contain all the statistical and spatial properties predicted for Kolmogorov type turbulence. The technique enables the generation of wavefronts from two separated point sources while maintaining the correct correlation. rfhe techniques was used to check the effects of anisoplanitism on the performance of wavefront compensation by adaptive optics using the modal correction. The dependance on the order of correction was estimated as well. It is shown that for strong turbulence, for extended sources, there is no benefit of correction beyond the third order (tilt).


Against the background of past bank merger activities the present overview discusses the recent empirical literature on bank mergers, banking efficiency and the existence of scale and product mix economies for banks. Previous mainly US-based bank cost studies generally reveal that only minor cost reductions can be achieved by aiming at a scale efficient level. Considerably more promising are potential cost savings related to the existence of operational inefficiencies as a result of an inefficient use of resources (X-inefficiencies). Empirical studies on cost effects of bank mergers show that on average merged banks do not improve their cost efficiency relative to nonmerged banks. Individual bank mergers though may be successful. Moreover, some recent studies suggest that the benefits of mergers must not be searched for at the cost side only, which has been the methodology of research employed by the majority of bank merger studies, but also on the revenue side.


Sphere decoding is a technique able to achieve the optimal performance of the maximum likelihood decoder, but its high and variable complexity can make the practical implementation infeasible. In this paper, we present an adaptive system, called adaptive SD-OSIC, as a way of reducing the decoding complexity while maintaining the error performance of conventional sphere decoding.


Background The growth in cancer immunotherapy agents requires an understanding of the immune contexture of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Imaging Mass Cytometry ™ (IMC ™ ) is a powerful tool for the study of complex cellular interactions in the TME and in the discovery of biomarkers that can predict disease outcome or response to therapy. The Hyperion Imaging System (Standard BioTools) utilizes CyTOF ® technology to simultaneously assess 40+ protein markers at subcellular resolution without spectral overlap or background autofluorescence, thus providing unprecedented insight into the organization and function of the TME. However, despite the advances in staining and imaging methods, developments in analysis software had not kept pace, as a complete, user-defined workflow in a single software package for the analysis of highplex imaging data was lacking. Methods This study demonstrates a tissue phenotyping work-flow in highly autofluorescent lung and colorectal cancer tissues using highplex IMC, which offers the advantage of zero autofluorescence, and hence more reliable results. The data analysis pipeline uses Oncotopix ® Discovery (Visiopharm) software for easy, accurate and quantifiable phenotyping. Serial sections of both tissue types were stained with a 40-marker panel comprised of structural, tumor, stroma, and immune cell markers, including immunoregulatory proteins that are targets of immunotherapy. The IMC cell segmentation kit was included in the panel for improved nucleus and plasma membrane demarcation. The analysis pipeline consisted of tissue segmentation (tumor, stroma, necrosis, etc), nuclear detection using a deep-learning algorithm pre-trained on IMC DNA channels, a threshold-based cellular phenotyping step, and spatial analyses. Results In this work, we have shown that analysis of IMC images from lung and colorectal cancer tissues can uncover tissue phenotypic signatures of the TME through the determination of immune cell types found in the vicinity of cancerous cells and their numbers. Moreover, cell counts and tissue phenotypes were highly consistent across the serial sections, demonstrating the power of IMC in generating robust data. Conclusions Overall, this work demonstrates that even for highly autofluorescent tissues, IMC can generate high-quality data, consistent across serial sections, which can be easily and accurately analyzed using a single software package, thus empowering IMC users to be confident in biological interpretation of high-dimensional proteomic data. This study show-cases the capability of IMC technology combined with Oncotopix Discovery analysis in classification of cellular components within the TME, which is important for development of systematic digital profiling of the spatial TME


Freedom is one of the most important questions of ethics. One can say that this question has two major dimensions: One is related to the selecting of an act and called "freedom of will" and the other is related to the fulfillment of the act and called "freedom of action." The problem of freedom has been so far addressed in Islamic intellectual tradition mostly in a theocentric manner, almost totally ignoring the human freedom for the sake of the notion of an absolute power of God. In order to bring a reasonable solution to the question, one should take account of the human being and his freedom. This article attempts at addressing some basic concepts concerning the human being and his actions with a special emphasis on the problem of freedom within the context of al-Farabi's views, who is one of the leading Muslim philosophers and moralists.


A rapid and simple one-pot reaction to synthesize stable, spherically shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNps) of different sizes producing distinct optical properties in aqueous solution at ambient temperature has been developed. Each system contains various sizes of silver nanoparticles showing rainbow colours with the peak wavelength of the absorption spectra ranging from 400 to 750 nm. Seven different colours of nano silver were developed through the controlled synthesis of spherical silver nanoparticles using silver nitrate as the metal precursor. Sodium borohydride was used as the main reducing agent and trisodium citrate and hydrazine sulphate were used as the stabilizing and auxiliary reducing agents respectively. The colour of the solution was controlled by varying the concentrations of reagents and the optimum conditions for all the colours are reported. Characterization of silver nanoparticles was carried out using UV-visible spectrophotometry and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Factors affecting the formation of different sizes of silver nanoparticles, such as silver nitrate concentration, reducing agent concentrations, reaction temperature and reaction pH are also reported. The stability of these coloured silver colloidal solutions was also investigated at different temperatures and the most stable temperature was found to be 4 °C, while the optimum pH to synthesize distinctively coloured silver nanoparticles was found to be in the range of 7–8. The outlined procedure provides a rapid, facile and reproducible synthetic route to spherical AgNps of varying size and ensuing optical properties. Thus, this method is certain to find value in the many applications where size tunability of AgNps is desired.


The first stable eta6-germabenzene complexes, that is, [M(CO)3(eta6-C5H5GeTbt)] {M=Cr (2), Mo (3), and W (4); Tbt=2,4,6-tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl}, have been synthesized by ligand-exchange reactions between [M(CO)3(CH3CN)3] (M=Cr, Mo, and W) and the kinetically stabilized germabenzene 1 and characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. In the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 2-4, all of the signals for the germabenzene rings were shifted upfield relative to their counterparts in the free germabenzene 1. X-ray crystallographic analysis of 2 and 4 revealed that the germabenzene ligand was nearly planar and was coordinated to the M(CO)3 group (M=Cr, W) in an eta6 fashion. The formation of complexes 2-4 from germabenzene 1 should be noted as the application of germaaromatics as 6pi-electron ligands toward complexation with Group 6 metals. On the other hand, treatment of 1 with [{RuCp*Cl}4] (Cp*=C5Me5) in THF afforded a novel eta5-germacyclohexadienido complex of ruthenium-[RuCp*{eta5-C5H5GeTbt(Cl)}] (9)-instead of the expected eta6-germabenzene-ruthenium cationic complex [RuCp*{eta6-C5H5GeTbt}]Cl (10). Crystallographic structural analysis of 9 showed that the five carbon atoms of the germacyclohexadienido ligand of 9 were coordinated to the Ru center in an eta5 fashion.


Numerous neuropeptide systems have been implicated to coordinately control energy homeostasis, both centrally and peripherally. However, the vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY) system has emerged as the best described one regarding this biological process. The protostomian ortholog of NPY is neuropeptide F, characterized by an RXRF(Y)amide carboxyterminal motif. A second neuropeptide system is short NPF, characterized by an M/T/L/FRF(W)amide carboxyterminal motif. Although both short and long NPF neuropeptide systems display carboxyterminal sequence similarities, they are evolutionary distant and likely already arose as separate signaling systems in the common ancestor of deuterostomes and protostomes, indicating the functional importance of both. Both NPF and short-NPF systems seem to have roles in the coordination of feeding across bilaterian species, but during chordate evolution, the short NPF system appears to have been lost or evolved into the prolactin releasing peptide signaling system, which regulates feeding and has been suggested to be orthologous to sNPF. Here we review the roles of both NPF and sNPF systems in the regulation of feeding and metabolism in invertebrates.


The crystal structure of NAD+-dependent DNA ligase from Thermus filiformis (Tfi) revealed that the protein comprised four structural domains. In order to investigate the biochemical activities of these domains, seven deletion mutants were constructed from the Tfi DNA ligase. The mutants Tfi-M1 (residues 1-581), Tfi-M2 (residues 1-448), Tfi-M3 (residues 1-403) and Tfi-M4 (residues 1-314) showed the same adenylation activity as that of wild-type. This result indicates that only the adenylation domain (domain 1) is essential for the formation of enzyme-AMP complex. It was found that the zinc finger and helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) motif domain (domain 3) and the oligomer binding (OB)-fold domain (domain 2) are important for the formation of enzyme-DNA complex. The mutant Tfi-M1 alone showed the activities for in vitro nick-closing and in vivo complementation in Escherichia coli as those of wild-type. These results indicate that the BRCT domain (domain 4) of Tfi DNA ligase is not essential for the enzyme activity. The enzymatic properties of Tfi-M1 mutant (deleted the BRCT domain) were slightly different from those of wild-type and the nick-closing activity of Tfi-M1 mutant was approximately 50% compared with that of wild-type.


The interface can be modeled as a an ecosystem: connected, dynamic, and characterized by relationships. The model is predicated on a process of working with the interface as a border zone between heterogeneous systems of representation. This paper uses sensation, embodiment, and semiotics to initiate this process, by addressing the range of systems of representation that are involved in its own production. This presence of the theorist is found to create a self-referential metastructure.As an alternative to the beneficial but ad hoc assemblages of multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary approaches, the ecosystems approach establishes that meshing of systems of representation is an inherent property of interface phenomena. The meshing process causes elements from the involved representational systems to recombine, forming hybrids. Recombinant information is a structural formula for creating new knowledge, which can be invoked for that purpose, intentionally.Theorists are part of the environment that they theorize about. The products of theorizing are information artifacts that are also part of the environment. They themselves function as interfaces. The term "metadisciplinary" is developed to describe the inherent and self-referential nature of this structure. The structure of metadisciplinarity connects theory and practice. This stands in direct contrast with studies approaches, such as performance studies, which is separate from theater practice.


In Political Romanticism, a work from 1919, Carl Schmitt interprets German romanticism as a "metaphysic" in which aesthetic concepts become the guiding concepts of all human activity. On this basis, he analyses and criticizes the effects of the expansion of aesthetic concerns on political action. This essay reconstructs Schmitt's argument as a conceptual-historical genealogy of a modern discursive formation from which, as a by-product, a form of subjectivity now present in advanced capitalist societies was constituted. By contrasting Schmitt's concept of the political in Political Romanticism with various works of contemporary sociology (Boltanski, Lipovetsky, Schulze), the article concludes by pointing out the political phenomena that are linked to the diffusion of this type of subjectivity.


This paper proposes a framework to produce real time multi-horizon forecasts of business cycle turning points, average forecasts of economic activity as well as conditional forecasts that depend on whether the horizon of interest belongs to a recession episode or not. Our forecasting models take the form of an autoregression of order one that is augmented with either a probability of recession or an inverse Mills ratio. Our empirical results suggest that a static Probit model that uses only the Term Spread as regressor provides comparable fit to the data as more sophisticated non-static Probit models. We also find that the dynamic patterns of the Term Structure of recession probabilities are quite informative about business cycle turning points. Our most parsimonious augmented autoregressive model delivers better out-of-sample forecasts of GDP growth than the benchmark models considered. We construct several Term Structures of recession probabilities since the last official NBER turning point. The results suggest that there has been no harbinger of a recession for the US economy since 2010Q4 and that there is none to fear at least until 2018Q1. GDP growth is expected to rise steadily between 2016Q3 and 2018Q1 in the range [2.5%,3.5%].


The normal niche of Trichinella spiralis adults was found to be in the epithelial layer of the mucosa of the small intestine of its host. Most worms were found in the epithelium at the base of the villi and in the glandular crypts. Copulation and insemination occurred between 30 and 32 hr postinfection, all although these acts were never observed, it was concluded that copulation and insemination took place in the epithelial layer of the mucosa. A majority of the adults were found to be completely embedded in the epithelium during the deposition of the motile larvae. Motile larvae were deposited in this location and from there migrated through the stroma to venules and lymphatic vessels. Male T. spiralis were found to be capable of inseminating at least 4 females.


We begin this note by pointing out that a few modifications in some
of the notations and arguments of C131 will make these fit in more
closely with results in the literature. We also complete the results of C131
in several points. In particular we point out that the spectral sequence
used in C131 is not quite a genuine generalization of the Hochschild-Serre
spectral sequence in Galois cohomology. However with a slightly different
spectral sequence the results of C131 can also be obtained and we shall
show in section 2 that this is indeed a genuine generalization of the
Hochschild-Serre sequence for Galois cohomology. In section 3 we shall
use some of the results of [13] to derive an exact sequence complementary
to that of Proposition 7.8 of [13] from which we deduce the
following result first pointed out to us by S. Shatz: Let C be a field,
C, its separable algebraic closure and its algebraic closure. Then if
X is the lift map [2, Def. 2. 3.1, we have that X : Hr(C,/C)- . ~ ' ( 6 1is~ )
an isomorphism for r = 1,2, ...


This paper describes an application of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) system for a design problem of Nb-Ti superconducting wire. The developed system has two distinctive features : (1) Basic similarity degree between cases is derived using fuzzy matching. (2) Additionally, another similarity degree is defined considering the basic similarity degree and case modifying knowledge base. This similarity degree, which is named extended similarity degree, is the only criterion when selecting a past case similar to the given problem. Therefore, the case selecting function depends on the case modifying knowledge base. Moreover, it is shown that the case defining function is also effected by the case modifying knowledge base.


Al Mokhtar MU, Ariningrum D, Kustiwinarni. 2009. Effect of tomato juice (Lycopersicum esculentum) on LDL cholesterol level of white rat. Biofarmasi 7: 22-30. The prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) over the world is very high. Atherosclerosis due to hypercholesterolemia is a predisposing factor of CHD. The role of high dietary of tomato juice is associated with a lowered LDLcholesterol. Lycopene and naringenin of tomato juice will decrease LDL cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and upregulating LDL cholesterol receptor in liver. The study aimed to determine the effect of tomato juice on LDL cholesterol in white rat, Rattus norvegicus. The study was an experimental laboratory with pre and post-test controlled group design. Thirty-four adult male Wistar rats, 3 months in age and weighing 180-200 grams, were used in the research. They were divided into two groups, group 1 (KI) as control and group 2 (KII) as treatment group of tomato juice, with 17 rats for each group. They were allowed with standard diet for 7 days. During pretest period for 2 weeks, KI and KII were given hypercholesterolemic fed 100 g/BW ad libitum (mixed diet which consisted of standard diet 88.5%, coconut oil 1%, lard oil 10% and 0.5% crystalline cholesterol), egg yolk force-fed by gastric tube 7.5 ml/BW and PTU 0.1% ad libitum. During post-test period for 2 weeks, KI was given the same intervention with pretest period and aquadest force-fed 30 ml/BW as placebo by gastric tube, whereas KII was given the same intervention with KI and tomato juice forcefed 30 ml/BW by gastric tube. The measurement of the level of LDL cholesterol was conducted by using spectrophotometer. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS Windows 13. Student's t-paired analysis was used for variable that normally distributed. Wilcoxon test was used for variable that skewed. Both statistical analyses were used to determine significant differences, the values of p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. The effect of tomato juice by 30 ml/BW on LDL cholesterol for 2 weeks in Rattus norvegicus was determined. The result of t-paired test obtained showed a significant difference (p<0.05) of LDL cholesterol level before and after treatment on KII. Based on the study, there was an effect of tomato juice 30 ml/BW on LDL cholesterol for 2 weeks in Rattus norvegicus.


Curium-doped titanate ceramic containing sodium-rich high-level nuclear waste showed a gradual decrease in density up to a dose of 8.5 × 1017α decays ·g−1. After that, the rate of density change increased apparently because of crack formation. Optical microscopy showed cracks >0.1 mm long and > 1 μm wide after a dose of 7.9 × 1017α decays ·g−1. Leach tests suggested that the dissolution-control phases for sodium and cesium changed from freudenbergite and hollandite, respectively, to intergranular phases after significant cracking. Aging also enhanced strontium losses, relative to calcium, indicating that strontium may also be partitioned to the intergranular phases. After the fresh surfaces produced by cracking were exposed to leachant, and the dissolution of soluble intergranular surfaces was complete, the leaching of nonradioactive elements from the samples having a dose of 12.3 × 1017α decays ·g−1 was limited by the following dissolution-control phases: freudenbergite (Na), hollandite (Cs and Ba), perovskite and/or zirconolite (Sr and Ca), and alloys (Mo). The leaching behavior of the nonradioactive indicator elements revealed that chemical durability was reduced by two main factors: (1) increasing the effective surface area by crack formation and (2) decreasing the stability of the actinide-host phases by α-recoil damage. In combination these factors increased longer-term (>7 days) leach rates of sodium and cesium, and strontium and calcium by 1 and 2 orders of magnitude, respectively. In spite of deterioration of the actinide-host phases, the curium leach rate after a dose of 12.3 × 1017α decays x g−1 decreased by 2 orders of magnitude, possibly as a result of precipitation of curium hydrolysis products.


Climate models project an intensification of the wintertime North Atlantic storm track, over its downstream region, by the end of this century. Previous studies have suggested that ocean-atmosphere coupling plays a key role in this intensification, but the precise role of the different components of the coupling has not been explored and quantified. In this paper, using a hierarchy of ocean coupling experiments, we isolate and quantify the respective roles of thermodynamic (changes in surface heat fluxes) and dynamic (changes in ocean heat flux convergence) ocean coupling in the projected intensification of North Atlantic transient eddy kinetic energy (TEKE). We show that dynamic coupling accounts for nearly all of the future TEKE strengthening as it overcomes the much smaller effect of surface heat flux changes to weaken the TEKE. We further show that by reducing the Arctic amplification in the North Atlantic, ocean heat flux convergence increases the meridional temperature gradient aloft, causing a larger eddy growth rate, and resulting in the strengthening of North Atlantic TEKE. Our results stress the importance of better monitoring and investigating the changes in ocean heat transport, for improving climate change adaptation strategies.


In many applications, such as Eddy-Current Testing (ECT), we are often interested in the joint model choice and parameter estimation. Nested Sampling (NS) is one of the possible methods. The key step that reflects the efficiency of the NS algorithm is how to get samples with hard constraint on the likelihood value. This contribution is based on the classical idea where the new sample is drawn within a hyper-ellipsoid, the latter being located from Gaussian approximation. This sampling strategy can automatically guarantee the hard constraint on the likelihood. Meanwhile, it shows the best sampling efficiency for models which have Gaussian-like likelihood distributions. We apply this method in ECT. The simulation results show that this method has high model choice ability and good parameter estimation accuracy, and low computational cost meanwhile.


The coronavirus outbreak will likely highlight both strengths and weaknesses of the pre-corona educational system. Researchers have a responsibility to examine the experiences educators have had during the pandemic; however, there are no education-specific frameworks for researchers to use to examine teachers interacting with digital colleagues for professional purposes. This paper describes the literature used to design the digital colleague connectedness framework. The purpose of the framework is to operationalize terminology used to examine educators interacting in professional exchanges within a virtual network. This framework includes six behaviors in which digital colleagues engage and four roles they may assume that specify their level of connectedness. Suggestions for how the framework might be used in future research are included.


Calcific nodules form in the fibrosa layer of the aortic valve in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are normally found in the valve spongiosa, are located local to calcific nodules. Previous work suggests that GAGs induce endothelial to mesenchymal transformation (EndMT), a phenomenon described by endothelial cells' loss of the endothelial markers, gaining of migratory properties, and expression of mesenchymal markers such as alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). EndMT is known to play roles in valvulogenesis and may provide a source of activated fibroblast with a potential role in CAVD progression. In this study, a 3D collagen hydrogel co-culture model of the aortic valve fibrosa was created to study the role of EndMT-derived activated valvular interstitial cell behavior in CAVD progression. Porcine aortic valve interstitial cells (PAVIC) and porcine aortic valve endothelial cells (PAVEC) were cultured within collagen I hydrogels containing the GAGs chondroitin sulfate (CS) or hyaluronic acid (HA). The model was used to study alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme activity, cellular proliferation and matrix invasion, protein expression, and calcific nodule formation of the resident cell populations. CS and HA were found to alter ALP activity and increase cell proliferation. CS increased the formation of calcified nodules without the addition of osteogenic culture medium. This model has applications in the improvement of bioprosthetic valves by making replacements more micro-compositionally dynamic, as well as providing a platform for testing new pharmaceutical treatments of CAVD.


Microparticles are small phospholipid vesicles of less than 1 µm released into the blood flow by various types of cells such as endothelial, platelet, white or red blood cells. They are involved in many biological and physiological processes including hemostasis. In addition, an elevated number of microparticles in the blood is observed in various pathological situations. In the context of transfusion, erythrocyte-derived microparticles are found in red blood cell concentrates. Their role is not elucidated, and they are considered as a type of storage lesion. The purpose of this review is to present recent data showing that erythrocyte-derived microparticles most likely play a role in transfusion medicine and could cause transfusion complications.


Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate iron deficiency in preterm infants and determine impact of blood transfusions on serum iron (SI) and ferritin (FTN). Study Design A prospective evaluation of baseline and weekly hemoglobin (Hgb), hematocrit (Hct), SI, FTN levels in premature infants with birth weights (BWs) < 2,500 g or gestational age (GA) < 34 weeks was performed to determine the impact of GA, BW, and blood transfusion on iron status. Comparisons of the baseline and 1 month values of these measures were performed as well as pre- and posttransfusion. Results In 125 preterm infants, the mean Hgb, Hct, and SI levels at birth were lower for infants < 28 weeks GA. Post hoc analysis revealed statistically significant lower iron values in infants ≤ 28 weeks GA compared with infants at 28 to 34 weeks GA (p = 0.013) and infants ≥ 34 weeks GA (p = 0.007). FTN and SI values at 1 month were not significantly impacted by blood transfusions. Conclusion Infants < 28 weeks have lower SI levels at birth. The SI and FTN at 1 month of age were not significantly influenced by blood transfusions.


DOI: 10.12762/2017.AL13-04 R-RoMulOC is a freely distributed toolbox aimed at making easily available to the users various optimization-based methods for dealing with uncertain systems. It implements both deterministic LMI-based results, which provide guaranteed performance for all values of the uncertainties, and probabilistic randomizationbased approaches, which guarantee performance for all values of the uncertainties except for a subset with arbitrary small probability measure. The paper is devoted to the description of these two approaches for analysis and control design when applied to a satellite benchmark proposed by the CNES, the French Space Agency. The paper also describes the modeling of the DEMETER satellite and its integration into the R-RoMulOC toolbox as a challenging test example. Design of state-feedback controllers and closed-loop performance analysis are carried out with the randomized and robust methods available in the R-RoMulOC toolbox.


The giant Puguang gas field, with a proven original in-place gas volume of 350 109 m3 (12.36 TCFG), was discovered in 2003 in the eastern Sichuan fold-thrust belt of the mature Sichuan Basin, southwest China. The field is a combination structural-stratigraphic trap closed by lateral depositional change and fault closure. The trap evolved from a paleo-oil reservoir originating in the Triassic–Jurassic. The entrapment of thermal gas, which was derived from Lower–middle Silurian and Permian source rocks, occurred during deep burial in the Jurassic–Cretaceous. Tertiary–Quaternary compression transformed the paleotrap into the present gas reservoir. Gas is contained in the Lower Triassic Feixianguan and the Upper Permian Changxing reservoirs, which consist predominantly of dolomitized oolites deposited in shelf and platform-margin shoal and backreef environments. Reservoir quality is characterized by porosity of 1–29% and permeability of 0.01–9664 md, with buried depth greater than 5000 m (16,400 ft). The discovery of the Puguang field exemplifies the successful application of a new play concept and new technology in a mature basin. The discovery resulted from a shift in exploration strategy from structures to stratigraphic traps in reef and shoal dolomites and benefited from advanced high-resolution seismic techniques. The discovery will not only broaden the exploration scope in the Sichuan Basin, but also provide an excellent analog for exploration in other fold-thrust belts worldwide.


This long-time Russian economist believes the economy is embedded in oligarchic, oligopolistic rigidities that the Putin government is not about to undermine. This is true despite its efforts to control the Yukos oil empire. Moreover, the government does not even consider alternative fiscal or monetary policies, much less industrial policies. One result is that wages comprise an unusually low share of gross domestic product.


Industrial executives frequently require special information in order to solve their particular problems. A Sales Manager may have to estimate the market for a new chemical. A Production Engineer may require technical data in order to undertake the high‐speed machining of steel. A Works Manager may have to find the correct anti‐corrosive treatment for a certain type of ferrous metal. This kind of information and much else can often be obtained from those who have a specialist knowledge of the subject. There are also many cases in which the published results of investigations into special problems will be available in libraries.


Additive manufacturing (AM) of CoCrMo metallic implants is growing in the orthopedic and dental fields. This is due to the traditional alloy's excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. AM processes like selective laser melting (SLM) require less time, materials, and waste than casting or subtractive manufacturing complex-geometry structures (bridges, partial dentures, etc.). The objective of this work was to investigate the low cycle tribological and tribocorrosion characteristics of AM CoCrMoW alloys compared to wrought LC CoCrMo (ASTM F-1537) to assess this AM alloy's performance. Fretting and tribocorrosion testing was performed in air (wear only), PBS (wear + corrosion), and PBS with 10 mM H2 O2 (wear + corrosion + inflammation) by a single diamond asperity. No variation between alloys in volume of material removed (p = .12), volume of plastic deformation (p = .13), and scratch depth (p = .84) showed that AM was substantially similar in wear resistance to LC in air and PBS. AM exhibited significantly higher fretting currents (p < .01) at loads up to 100 mN ( I AM PBS $$ {I}_{\mathrm{AM}}^{\mathrm{PBS}} $$  = 57 nA and I AM H 2 O 2 $$ {I}_{\mathrm{AM}}^{H_2{O}_2} $$  = 49 nA) than LC CoCrMo ( I LC PBS $$ {I}_{\mathrm{LC}}^{\mathrm{PBS}} $$  = 30 nA) and ( I LC H 2 O 2 $$ {I}_{\mathrm{LC}}^{H_2{O}_2} $$  = 29 nA). In PBS, wear track depth linearly correlates to fretting current, averaged over 100 cycles. Additionally, fretting currents of both alloys were significantly lower in simulated inflammatory conditions compared to PBS alone. AM alloy has generally similar wear and tribocorrosion resistance to wrought LC CoCrMo and would be ideal for patient specific dentistry or orthopedics where precise, complex geometries are required.


: With the development of the network analysis methods, studying global trade network by community detection and social network analysis (SNA) has become the frontiers in trade-related fields. However, most of the present research was of short temporal scale. Long-term studies are needed particularly given the growing uncertainties in today's world economy. Under the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative, analyzing the dynamics of the world politics and economy after the 1980s as well as the long- term shifts of the role of countries are of great significance for revealing the evolution of global trade network and thus contributing to the improvement of the initiative. Based on the Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS) database by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this article summarized three main stages in the global trade history after 1980 and illustrated and analyzed the change of the global trade network. The study found that: 1) The changes of world politics and economy and the improvement of technologies greatly influenced the global trade. The transformation from Fordism to Post- Fordism, the extension of neoliberalism, the development of digital technology, and the rise of developing countries represented by China have profoundly reshaped global trade. 2) The Top 1 network indicates that the change of global trade is relatively stable despite some shifts. In the European part of the global trade network, German bloc, French bloc, and Russian bloc are somewhat steady, while the United Kingdom bloc and Italian bloc have declined. In the Asia-Pacific part, the United States always played the leading role, the Australian bloc remained unchanged, but the Japanese bloc experienced a recession. 3) The rise of developing countries, such as India, Brazil, and South Africa, led to the great transformation of the world economy and trade network. These countries have recently become the regional trading centers. 4) With a high-speed development of the economy, China saw a dramatic rise in global trade and has become the center of the largest global trade bloc, exceeding the United States. Finally, this article briefly discussed the importance of long-term trade network research for the Belt and Road initiative.


The widening gap between demand and supply of organs became apparent as organ shortage became more severe. Organs previously considered unsuitable for transplantation are currently being used. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a hereditary disease characterized by slow progressive cystic changes and deterioration of renal function. We provide our experience with an ADPKD patient who received a kidney from 38-year-old deceased donor ADPKD-affected kidney for renal transplantation.


The creation of scientific models to understand water availability under different scenarios is an important step towards pursuing a sustainable water future. A wide variety of scientific models have been created for understanding the different elements driving water availability in urban, agricultural and ecological settings. The Sustainable Water through Integrated Modeling Framework (SWIM) enables a wide range of stakeholders to run water-sustainability model scenarios through participatory modeling. Although SWIM is a science-driven platform, it was created with input from diverse stakeholders with the goal of improving how water models can be used and shared. SWIM aims to foster a better understanding on the impact that decisions about water usage can have. This paper describes our efforts towards translating the science behind the models generated in SWIM into English and Spanish explanations, also known as narratives. We anticipate that narratives will better communicate the meaning of specific water-economics scenarios under different perspectives, including urban, agriculture and environmental. Thus, assisting stakeholders in decision making.


Introduction: Less bone loss and preservation of more osseous structures have been reported around immediately placed implants. Considering controversies over the success rates of immediate versus delayed implant placement, this study aimed to compare crestal bone loss and success rates of these two implant techniques. Materials and Methods: In this preliminary clinical trial, 12 implants (6 immediate and 6 delayed) were placed in male patients aged 30‒60. Parallel periapical radiographs were obtained one week later. The patients were re-examined at 6-month and one-year follow-up intervals and PA radiographs were obtained again under the same conditions. Scanned radiographs were subtracted and compared using Photoshop software. Data were analyzed with Mann-Whitney test using SPSS 21 (α=0.05). Results: Immediate implants exhibited less crestal bone loss compared to delayed implants at 6month (p value = 0.009) and one-year (p value = 0.002) follow-up intervals. Conclusion: The results showed less crestal bone loss around immediately placed implants; therefore, this technique might be considered as a more successful treatment plan for patients compared to the conventional technique.


The spectrum of Barkhausen noise has been measured in iron and analysed using signal analysis techniques. The results suggest that the mean duration of the voltage pulses caused by the domain reversals is less than 5 × 10−5 s and that a domain reversal triggers other domain reversals with a time delay normally of 1 to 2 ms. Delays of up to 10 ms do occur. The results agree with those obtained by Sawada. The technique allows detailed information of the dynamic nature of domain reversals to be obtained quickly and with little sample preparation.


OBJECTIVE
To expand our understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence, its psychiatric characteristics, and service use among elderly veterans in Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care clinics.

METHODS
A cross-sectional, epidemiological design (N = 745) incorporating self-report measures, structured interviews, and chart reviews was used to obtain relevant information for analyses.

RESULTS
The oldest group of veterans (>or=65 years; N = 318) had lower prevalence of most psychiatric diagnoses than the youngest (18-44 years; N = 69) and middle-aged (45-64 years; N = 358) groups. Despite having higher rates of combat exposure, veterans in the oldest group (6.3%) had one-third the prevalence of PTSD than those in the middle-aged group (18.6%). A similar pattern was found across other psychiatric diagnoses. For example, those in the oldest group (7.5%) had one-third the prevalence of major depression as those in the two younger groups (21.7% and 22.9%). These differences were maintained after controlling for relevant demographic covariates (race, sex). Results from examination of VA health care service use across the three groups were consistent with the findings that the oldest veteran group is functioning significantly better across mental health domains.

CONCLUSION
Elderly veterans who use VA primary care services evidence lower rates of PTSD and other psychiatric disorders, and they use significantly less VA mental health services. They also do not appear to show evidence of worse physical health functioning or use VA health care services or disability benefits at a meaningfully higher rate than their younger counterparts.


The industrial economy is being transformed into the knowledge economy, or informational economy. Internet is a major and powerful tool, whose rapid expansion is opening new opportunities to allow information managers to promote and adapt to the new social and economic reality. Some of these new areas are: creation and design of webs, portals and intranets; management and syndication of contents, etc.


Abstract SnO2 deposited by sol-gel is a polycrystalline film with small grain size. Oxygen present at a less grain boundary traps electrons and then the depletion layer around the potential barrier of the grain boundary becomes wider, comparable to the grain size. We have modeled the conductivity taking into account the trapped charge at the depletion layer of the grain boundary and other scattering mechanisms such as ionized impurity and polar optical. Experimental data of photoconductivity of SnO2 sol-gel films are simulated considering the dominant scattering at grain boundary and crystallite bulk. The fraction of trapped charge at the grain boundary depends on temperature and wavelength of irradiating light, being as high as 50% for illumination in the range 500–600 nm for SnO2-2%Nb as grown sample annealed in air to 550°C. This fraction can be quite reduced depending on exposure to light and annealing under different oxygen partial pressure conditions.


Statins, or 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are cholesterol-lowering drugs which are frequently used in the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. Current research and recommendations support and encourage more extensive use of these drugs. However, statin usage is limited by many factors, including a high incidence of statin-associated myalgia and myopathy. This review focuses on the use of Coenzyme Q in statin-associated myopathy. Electronic Physician 2009; Vol 1, Pages 2-8


Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an integrated outpatient training program on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Methods: 17 patients of our pulmonary hypertension program (World Health Organisation clinical classification system "Dana Point 2008" group 1 n=14, group 4 n=3, age 61±13 years, 11 female [65%], body mass index [BMI] 26.7±5.9) on stable disease-targeted medication attended a supervised integrated outpatient training program including breathing exercises, education, strength and endurance training for 1.5 hours once a month for 10 consecutive months. Patients` exercise capacity was evaluated performing a 6 minute walk test (6MWT), and their quality of life was assessed by the standardized "Short Form 36 Health Survey" and the "Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review" (CAMPHOR), before and after the program. Data analysis was performed using the paired T-test and Spearman`s rank order correlation. Results: All patients completed the outpatient training while medication remained unchanged during the observational period. At baseline 6-minute walk distance was 383 ± 91 m and after 10 months 391 ± 85 m (p=0.157). Both, HRQOL questionnaires, SF-36 and CAMPHOR, tended to improve with a significant signal only in the CAMPHOR activity core (p < 0.023), indicating improved physical capabilities. During the 10 months observation period no adverse events occurred in the study group. Conclusion: Our data suggest that an integrated outpatient training is safe and may be beneficial as an adjuvant therapeutic option. The correlation between 6MWD and physical domains of HRQOL questionnaires demonstrate the consistency of our data. The best approach for a structured outpatient training for PH patients merits further investigation.


For energy efficient operation of the massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) networks, various aspects of energy efficiency maximization have been addressed, where a careful selection of number of active antennas has shown significant gains. Moreover, switching-off physical resource blocks (PRBs) and carrier shutdown saves energy in low load scenarios. However, the joint optimization of spectral PRB allocation and spatial layering in a heterogeneous network has not been completely solved yet. Therefore, we study a power consumption model for multi-cell multi-user massive MIMO 5G network, capturing the joint effects of both dimensions. We characterize the optimal resource allocation under practical constraints, i.e., limited number of available antennas, PRBs, base stations (BSs), and frequency bands. We observe a single spatial layer achieving lowest energy consumption in very low load scenarios, whereas, spatial layering is required in high load scenarios. Finally, we derive novel algorithms for energy efficient user to BS assignment and propose an adaptive algorithm for PRB assignment and power control. All results are illustrated by numerical system-level simulations, describing a realistic metropolis scenario. The results show that a higher frequency band should be used to support users with large rate requirements via spatial multiplexing and assigning each user maximum available PRBs.


27/29. Two anastomoses were felt to be insufficient due to venous backflow into the lymphatic vessel. When size match was equivalent, end to end anastomoses were performed. If size mismatch between the chosen vein branch and lymphatic was present, or multiple cut lymphatics were in proximity and had sufficient mobility, an invagination technique was used to maximally restore anterograde lymphatic drainage (5/26). Short term follow-up has revealed no instances of transient or progressive lymphedema.


Three varieties of forage rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Hamasari, Kusahonami, and Leafstar) were transplanted in plots established in a paddy field. Each of these varieties of rice was then subjected either to basal treatment alone (control plots), or to basal treatment plus subsequent treatment with liquid cattle waste (treatment plots). The nitrogen transformations differed significantly between the control plots and the treatment plots. The nitrogen uptake of the plants in the treatment plots was significantly higher than that in the control plants, even though no significant increase was observed in biomass production. A mass-transfer model calculation revealed that ammonia volatilization also increased following slurry application because of the high ammonium concentration and pH of the flood water. However, the total percentages of nitrogen loss through nitrous oxide, ammonia emission, and leaching loss in the treatment plots were only approximately 7–8%, which was significantly lower than the portion assimilated by the rice plant. Moreover, denitrification was considered to be a major pathway for nitrogen removal in the treatment plots; this probably accounted for most of the "Unknown" portion in the nitrogen balance.


Background An enormous amount of information relevant to public health is being generated directly by online communities. Objective To explore the feasibility of creating a dataset that links patient-reported outcomes data, from a Web-based survey of US patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) recruited on open Internet platforms, to health care utilization information from health care claims databases. The dataset was generated by linkage analysis to a broader MS population in the United States using both pharmacy and medical claims data sources. Methods US Facebook users with an interest in MS were alerted to a patient-reported survey by targeted advertisements. Eligibility criteria were diagnosis of MS by a specialist (primary progressive, relapsing-remitting, or secondary progressive), ≥12-month history of disease, age 18-65 years, and commercial health insurance. Participants completed a questionnaire including data on demographic and disease characteristics, current and earlier therapies, relapses, disability, health-related quality of life, and employment status and productivity. A unique anonymous profile was generated for each survey respondent. Each anonymous profile was linked to a number of medical and pharmacy claims datasets in the United States. Linkage rates were assessed and survey respondents' representativeness was evaluated based on differences in the distribution of characteristics between the linked survey population and the general MS population in the claims databases. Results The advertisement was placed on 1,063,973 Facebook users' pages generating 68,674 clicks, 3719 survey attempts, and 651 successfully completed surveys, of which 440 could be linked to any of the claims databases for 2014 or 2015 (67.6% linkage rate). Overall, no significant differences were found between patients who were linked and not linked for educational status, ethnicity, current or prior disease-modifying therapy (DMT) treatment, or presence of a relapse in the last 12 months. The frequencies of the most common MS symptoms did not differ significantly between linked patients and the general MS population in the databases. Linked patients were slightly younger and less likely to be men than those who were not linkable. Conclusions Linking patient-reported outcomes data, from a Web-based survey of US patients with MS recruited on open Internet platforms, to health care utilization information from claims databases may enable rapid generation of a large population of representative patients with MS suitable for outcomes analysis.


In this paper, the authors investigate the Hyers Ulam Rassias stability and J. M. Rassias mixed type productsum of powers of norms stability of a orthogonally generalized quadratic functional equation of the form f (nx + y) + f (nx− y) = n[ f (x + y) + f (x− y)] + 2n(n− 1) f (x)− 2(n− 1) f (y). Where f : A → B be a mapping from a orthogonality normed space A into a Banach Space B, ⊥ is orthogonality in the sense of Ratz with x ⊥ y for all x, y ∈ A.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide in both men and women. Metastasis is responsible for most lung cancer related deaths; therefore, a better understanding of the metastatic processes and therapies designed to prevent the spread of cancer cells are greatly needed. The specific mechanisms that promote metastases have not been fully elucidated. Among all known chemokine receptors involved in cancer progression, most cancer cells including lung cancer express CXCR4. Furthermore, involvement of CXCR4 and CCR7 in breast cancer and CXCR4, CCR9 and CX3CR1 in prostate cancer progression further indicates that multiple chemokine receptors are involved in dictating the multi-step process of metastasis. In this study, we show significantly higher expression of CXCR6 and CXCL16 in lung cancer tissues compared to normal matched tissues. Expression of CXCR6 was significantly higher in adeno- carcinoma compared to squamous cell carcinoma. It addition to these, serum levels of CXCL16, the only natural ligand for CXCR6, was also significantly higher in lung cancer patients compared to normal healthy donor. Furthermore, serum CXCL16 was also significantly higher in patients with adenocarcinoma compared to patients with squamous cell carcinoma. Impact of this chemokines-receptor axis was determined in lung cancer cell lines in vitro, which express CXCR6 and CXCL16. Like tissues, lung cancer cells showed higher expression of CXCR6 and CXCL16 compared to normal lung epithelial cells (NuLi-1). Interestingly, expression of CXCR6 was highest in cell lines derived form adenocarcinoma followed by cell lines from squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CXCR6 and soluble CXCL16 interaction plays a crucial role in lung cancer cells migration and invasion. The mechanism underlying these clinically and biologically important findings need to be further explored. Increased serum CXCL16 in lung cancer patients with metastatic disease required further validation as a potential therapeutic target and/or diagnostic marker for lung cancer. Citation Format: Hina Mir, Pranav Gupta, Rajesh Singh, Praveen K. Sharma, Gurpreet Kaur, Ashley B. Ward, William E. Grizzle, James W. Lillard, Shailesh Singh. Clinical and biological significance of CXCR6 in lung cancer. [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 4003. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4003


Arbovirus constitutes a group of virus that is transmitted by arthropod's bites. Examples of diseases produced by this kind of virus are Dengue, Yellow Fever, and West Nile Virus, among others. These diseases are a major health problem in the world. In this work we formulate a system of differential equations to study the dynamics of an infection produced by arbovirus. For this, we consider the population of host (humans, birds, mammals, etc.), and vectors (mosquitoes, ticks, etc.) The aim of this study is to understand and predict the formation of outbreaks from a variety of initial conditions. Control measures of the mosquito population are discussed in terms of threshold conditions, which govern the existence and stability of the endemic equilibrium.


We consider QED in a constant axial vector background (Æther). Further Lorentz invariance violations (LIV) might occur owing to radiative corrections. The phenomenology of this model is studied, clarifying issues related to the various regularizations employed, with a particular emphasis on the induced photon mass. To this concern, it is shown that in the presence of LIV dimensional regularization may produce a radiatively induced finite photon mass. The possible physical role of the large momentum cutoff is elucidated and the finite temperature radiative corrections are evaluated. Finally, various experimental bounds on the parameters of the model are discussed.


Incremental learning of knowledge and context dependency of recognition are important characteristics for an intelligent machine in the real world environment. Unknown objects may appear among known objects in such environment and the context requires change of the recognition result even if the input is the same. The system has to learn which object is unknown, what knowledge is necessary and how the context acts on the recognition process. Associative memory model PATON (Pattern+ton) has been proposed to realize such context dependency of recognition on the basis of the attention vectors. External inputs and candidates for the recognition can both be selected by an attention vector. In this paper, we propose a method of incremental learning involving the attention vectors and the knowledge, based on a reward through conversational interactions between PATON and the environment.


: Childhood Bronchial Asthma, a well - known hypersensitivity disorder is characterized by respiratory ventilation insufficiency. Asthma has multifactor causation like Geographical location, environmental, racial, as well as factors related to behaviors & life styles are associated with the disease. Tamaka Shwasa is a disease described in Ayurvedic texts that shows close resemblance with Bronchial Asthma on the basis of clinical manifestation. Tamaka shwasa is one among the major disease explained in Ayurveda. Difficulty in breathing, failure of normal process of respiration is known as shwasa roga. Shwasa is pathological condition in which the normal process of respiration is distributed. Tamaka Shwasa is caused due to vitiation of Kapha and Vata dosha affecting Pranavaha Srotas. Approximately 50% of children, have clearly defined allergen exposure that can be associated with Asthma. The global prevalence of Asthma is anticipated to be approximately 45%. There are about 334 million peoples affected with Asthma, across the world. India has an estimated 15 - 20 million Asthmatics. The prevalence of Asthma has increased over time and an additional 100 million people worldwide will be expected to develop Asthma by the year 2025. In morden medical science, management of bronchial Asthma is carried out with usage of bronchodilatores, leucotriene antagonist, mast cell stabilizers corticosteroids. Long lasting use of morden drugs also produces adverse and reduces the effectiveness of therapy. Taking into consideration all the above facts a study, had been designed under the title "Clinical Study to evaluate the efficacy of Drakshadi avaleh and Yoga Intervention program in Tamaka Shwasa w. s. r to Childhood Asthma."


Background and Purpose— Previous ultrasound-based studies have shown an association between carotid artery atherosclerosis and dementia. Our aim was to investigate this association using postmortem examination. Methods— Postmortem morphometric measurements of carotid stenosis and intima-media thickness were performed in individuals with dementia (n=112) and control subjects (n=577). Multivariate logistic regression models were applied. Results— High-grade left internal carotid stenosis (≥70%) was associated with increased odds for dementia (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.14–4.74; P=0.02). Intima-media thickness was not associated with dementia. Conclusions— The likelihood of dementia is increased with high-grade left internal carotid artery atherosclerosis after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors.


Background: Short stature can cause psychosocial problems both in parents and children. It can be a normal variant or secondary to an underlying pathological condition. It is necessary to evaluate cause of short stature and thus to decide whether further management needed. This study aimed to determine the causes of short stature in children and adolescents.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was done at the paediatric endocrine out patient department, BIRDEM General Hospital 2, Dhaka from January to December 2019. A total 175 patient with short stature who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited. Detailed history, physical examinations including anthropometric measurements and relevant investigations were recorded.
Results: The mean age of the children was 9 ± 4 years, with female preponderance (female: male 1.27:1). Majority of the children had normal variation of growth (29%). Systemic illness and non-endocrine causes were found in 27.4%, endocrine cause in 26.85%, 13.7 % cases had dysmorphic features and idiopathic short stature was found in 2.85% cases. Familial short stature (FSS) was the most common cause (20.57%) followed by hypothyroidism (13.14%), familial short stature co-existing with nutritional problem (8.6%), growth hormone deficiency (7.4%), Turner syndrome (6.28%). Other causes that contributed for short stature in our study included constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) (2.85%), FSS coexisting with CDGP (5.7%) and systemic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities.
Conclusions: The majority of short stature in children had normal variations of growth. Potentially treatable causes such as hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, nutritional problem, Turner syndrome etc. accounted for a considerable percentage of short stature in our study.
BIRDEM Med J 2022; 12(2): 117-123


Starting from an inhomogeneous fluid distribution in the form of dust the authors have derived an exact cosmological solution in a 5D Kaluza-Klein type spacetime. This generalizes some well known previous results in that when one arbitrary constant appearing in the solution vanishes the spacetime becomes homogeneous and reduces to some particular forms of metrics already discovered for homogeneous spacetimes. Further, their solution exhibits the desirable feature of dimensional reduction of the extra space via the successive appearances of one minimum and one maximum throughout its evolution.


Estimates of the ground state energies of several closed-shell atoms and ions with atomic numbers 1<or=Z<or=102 are presented. A relativistic formulation has been employed: energies are obtained as expectation values of the appropriate combination of the Dirac, Coulomb and Breit Hamiltonians with respect to the corresponding Slater determinants of four-component spherical spinor orbitals. Atomic nuclei have been modelled as uniform spherical charge distributions. An expansion method using a kinetically-balanced basis constructed from Gaussian type functions ( approximately rne- alpha ir2, where n is an integer and the alpha i form a geometric progression) has been used to formulate the variational problem for the optimal orbital radial functions in each case. The resulting sets of coupled algebraic eigenvalue problems were solved approximately using the self-consistent-field iterative method. The authors' results are compared with those of other workers and with finite-difference calculations carried out specifically for this purpose. They estimate the accuracy of their work to be within a few parts in 108 in most cases.


Background: Augmentation mammoplasty remains the most common cosmetic surgery procedure performed. The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of augmented volume of the reconstructed breast in patients that undergo nipple-sparing mastectomy and patients previously augmented who undergo mastectomy with tissue expander/implant-based reconstruction. Methods: Patients undergoing skin-sparing mastectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy, and mastectomy after previous augmentation followed by tissue expander/implant-based reconstruction between June 2011 and April 2015 by 2 surgeons at the same institution were included. Retrospective chart review of the patients identified using these criteria was performed to record patient characteristics, complications, breast volume, implant volume, and percentage change in volume at the time of reconstruction. Percentage change of breast volume was calculated using the formula (implant breast weight)/(breast weight) for skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy patients and (final breast implant weight − [breast weight + augmentation breast implant weight])/([breast weight + augmentation breast implant]) for patients undergoing mastectomy following previous augmentation. Results: A total of 293 patients were included in the study with 63 patients who underwent nipple-sparing mastectomy, 166 patients who underwent skin-sparing mastectomy, and 64 patients who underwent previous augmentation with subsequent mastectomy. Mean percentage change in breast volume was 66% in the nipple-sparing mastectomy group, 15% for the right breast and 18% for the left breast in the skin-sparing mastectomy group, and 81% for the right breast and 72% for the left breast in the mastectomy following previous augmentation group. Complication rate for nipple-sparing mastectomy was 27%, mastectomy following previous augmentation was 20.3%, and skin-sparing mastectomy group was 18.7%. Conclusion: Patients who undergo nipple-sparing mastectomy or mastectomy following previous augmentation have the ability to achieve greater volume in their reconstructed breast via tissue expander/implant-based reconstruction.


Symbiotic microbes from the genus 'Candidatus Megaira' (Rickettsiales) are known to be common associates of algae and ciliates. However genomic resources for these bacteria are scarce, limiting our understanding of their diversity and biology. We therefore utilized SRA and metagenomic assemblies to explore the diversity of this genus. We successfully extracted four draft 'Ca. Megaira' genomes including one complete scaffold for a 'Ca. Megaira' and identified an additional 14 draft genomes from uncategorised environmental Metagenome-Assembled Genomes. We use this information to resolve the phylogeny for the hyper-diverse 'Ca. Megaira', with hosts broadly spanning ciliates, micro- and macro-algae, and find that the current single genus designation 'Ca. Megaira' significantly underestimates their diversity. We also evaluate the metabolic potential and diversity of 'Ca. Megaira' from this new genomic data and find no clear evidence of nutritional symbiosis. In contrast, we hypothesize a potential for defensive symbiosis in 'Ca. Megaira'. Intriguingly, one symbiont genome revealed a proliferation of ORFs with ankyrin, tetratricopeptide and Leucine rich repeats like those observed in the genus Wolbachia where they are considered important for host-symbiont protein-protein interactions. Onward research should investigate the phenotypic interactions between 'Ca. Megaira' and their various potential hosts, including the economically important Nemacystus decipiens, and target acquisition of genomic information to reflect the diversity of this massively variable group. Data Summary Genomes assembled in this project have been deposited in bioproject PRJNA867165 Impact statement Bacteria that live inside larger organisms commonly form symbiotic relationships that impact the host's biology in fundamental ways, such as improving defences against natural enemies or altering host reproduction. Certain groups like ciliates and algae are known to host symbiotic bacteria commonly, but our knowledge of their symbiont's evolution and function is limited. One such bacteria is 'Candidatus Megaira', a Rickettsiales that was first identified in ciliates, then later in algae. To improve the available data for this common but understudied group, we searched the genomes of potential hosts on online databases for Rickettsiales and assembled their genomes. We found 4 'Ca. Megaira' this way and then used these to find a further 14 genomes in environmental metagenomic data. Overall, we increased the number of known 'Ca. Megaira' draft genomes from 2 to 20. These new genomes show us that 'Ca. Megaira' is far more diverse than previously thought and that it is potentially involved in defensive symbioses. In addition, one genome shows striking resemblance to well characterized symbiont, Wolbachia, in encoding many proteins predicted to interact directly with host proteins. The genomes we have identified and examined here provide baseline resources for future work investigating the real-world interactions between the hyper diverse 'Ca. Megaira' and its various potential hosts, like the economically important Nemacystus decipiens.