Objective: (1) To examine the extent to which difficult temperament and breastfeeding are associated at child age 6 and 18 months. (2) To examine longitudinally whether breastfeeding has an influence on temperament development or whether difficult temperament has an influence on continued breastfeeding. Method: This prospective study is part of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, which targets all women giving birth in Norway; the present sample comprises 30,466 children. Mothers reported on child difficult temperament at child age 6 and 18 months and on breastfeeding from 0 to 6 months and from 6 to 12–14 months. Prospective associations between breastfeeding and difficult temperament were examined using structural equation modeling, with comparison of cross-lagged pathways. All analyses were adjusted for background variables that are relevant for breastfeeding. Results: At 6 months, children with more difficult temperament were significantly less likely to have been "fully" breastfed (exclusively and predominantly breastfed) for the recommended period of 6 months (unadjusted point-biserial correlation rpb = −.15; adjusted rpb = −.11). At 12 to 14 months, there was no longer an association between difficult temperament and (continued) breastfeeding after adjusting for background variables, temperament, and breastfeeding at 6 months. The cross-lagged analyses of the longitudinal pathways yielded negligible effects of difficult temperament on later breastfeeding and of breastfeeding on later temperament. Conclusion: Difficult temperament and reduced breastfeeding seem to be associated only during the first half-year of the child's life. After that, we found no evidence of codevelopment between difficult temperament and breastfeeding.


During an exploration of soil mite fauna from Khorasan Razavi province, Cheiroseius samani sp. n. was collected from moist soil and litter in an apple orchard in Neyshabur region, northeastern Iran. Diagnosis, description and illustrations are provided for this species. C. samani sp. n. belongs to the subgenus Posttrematus suggested by Karg (1993), having the peritremes extended behind coxae IV. This species also belongs to the Cheiroseius necorniger-complex Karg (1998), having antero-medial part of sternal shield with two semicircular marks anteriorly, and bearing three pairs of simple setae.


Narrow-band transitory evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) were recorded for nine normal hearing subjects in the presence of a broadband tone complex suppressor. Introducing a spectral notch at the frequency of the narrow-band stimulus causes the suppression effect to decrease, the more so the wider the notch. This decrease in suppression permits an estimate of the size of one critical band. One advantage of this approach is that no active participation of the subjects is required. The estimated critical bandwidth is then compared with independent estimates based on a simultaneous masking experiment, using the same stimuli. The two measures of the critical bandwidth coincide well for those six subjects with spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. However, the bandwidth estimate based on the OAE measurements is too large for the other three subjects without spontaneous emissions. Simulations of the suppression effect with a driven van der Pol oscillator with moderate undamping produce critical bandwidth estimates consistent with those observed in the psychoacoustical experiments. This allows an estimate of the "effective" amount of undamping on the basilar membrane that is required to produce the critical bandwidth observable in psychoacoustic experiments.


Purpose We present our study, done to identify the diagnostic yield of cognitive targeted biopsy using mpMRI data, to diagnose clinically significant prostate cancers, in a cohort of biopsy and treatment naive men. Materials and Methods This is a prospective, single institutional study, done from September 2018 to March 2020 in 75 biopsy naive men. The patients with 3, 4 and 5 PIRADS scores underwent mpMRI cognitive target biopsy (mpMRI CTB) followed by standard biopsy (SB) in the same setting by two different urologists. Diagnostic yield of biopsy cores, complications, and stage migration of Gleason's grades was analyzed. Results Out of 75 patients, 34.6% had abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE), and the median serum PSA was 10.6 (4.5–20) ng/mL. Total MRI suspicious lesions were 163. Out of 1263 SB cores, 371 cores were positive for cancer (29.35%), and out of 326 mpMRI CTB cores, 120 were positive for cancer (36.8%) (P<0.0001). Histopathological examination (HPE) revealed 88%, 92%, and 100% clinically significant cancers in PIRADS 3, 4 and 5 lesions. SB and mpMRI CTB in combination have better cancer detection yield than either of the modality when used alone (P-<0.0001). Clavien-Dindo grade 1 and grade 4a complication were seen in 47 (62.6%) and three (4%) patients. Conclusion In biopsy-naive men with suspected prostate cancer and equivocal DRE, the addition of pre-biopsy mpMRI detects greater numbers of people with clinically significant prostate cancer when compared with SB alone. Combining SB with mpMRI CTB has a superior diagnosing ability when compared with either of the biopsy modalities when used alone.


This paper presents a skeleton-based method for deforming meshes (the skeleton need not be the medial axis). The significant difference from previous skeleton-based methods is that the latter use the skeleton to control movement of vertices, whereas we use it to control the simplices defining the model. By doing so, errors that occur near joints in other methods can be spread over the whole mesh, via an optimization process, resulting in smooth transitions near joints of the skeleton. By controlling simplices, our method has the additional advantage that no vertex weights need be defined on the bones, which is a tedious requirement in previous skeleton-based methods. Furthermore, by incorporating the translation vector in our optimization, unlike other methods, we do not need to fix an arbitrary vertex, and the deformed mesh moves with the deformed skeleton. Our method can also easily be used to control deformation by moving a few chosen line segments, rather than a skeleton.


We consider both the five-dimensional Myers-Perry and Reissner-Nordstrom black holes (BHs) and black p-branes in (4+p)-dimensions. By employing the isometry with the colliding plane waves (CPWs) we generate Cauchy-Horizon (CH) forming CPW solutions. From the five-dimensional vacuum solution through the Kaluza-Klein reduction the corresponding Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton solution is obtained. This CH forming cross polarized solution with the dilaton turns out to be a rather complicated nontype D metric. Since we restrict ourselves to the five-dimensional BHs we obtain exact solutions for colliding 2- and 3-form fields in (p+4)-dimensions for p⩾1. By dualizing these forms we can obtain also colliding (p+1)- and (p+2)-forms which are important processes in the low energy limit of the string theory. All solutions obtained are CH forming, implying that an analytic extension beyond is possible.


In this paper, we propose a single-channel speech enhancement system based on the noise robust exemplar matching (N-REM) framework using coupled dictionaries. N-REM approximates noisy speech segments as a sparse linear combination of speech and noise exemplars that are stored in multiple dictionaries based on their length and associated speech unit. The dictionaries providing the best approximation of the noisy mixtures are used to estimate the speech component. We further employ a coupled dictionary approach that performs the approximation in the lower dimensional mel domain to benefit from the reduced computational load and better generalization, and the enhancement in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain for higher spectral resolution. The proposed enhancement system is shown to have superior performance compared to the exemplar-based sparse representations approach using fixed-length exemplars in a single overcomplete dictionary.


Hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was applied to investigate the diamond-metal Schottky barrier heights for several metals and diamond surface terminations. The position of the diamond valence-band maximum was determined by theoretically calculating the diamond density of states and applying cross section corrections. The diamond-platinum Schottky barrier height was lowered by 0.2 eV after thermal annealing, indicating annealing may increase carrier injection in diamond devices leading to photoconductive gain. The platinum contacts on oxygen-terminated diamond was found to provide a higher Schottky barrier and therefore a better blocking contact than that of the silver contact in diamond-based electronic devices.


Summary Autonomous landing on the deck of a boat or an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is the minimum requirement for increasing the autonomy of water monitoring missions. This paper introduces an end-to-end control technique based on deep reinforcement learning for landing an unmanned aerial vehicle on a visual marker located on the deck of a USV. The solution proposed consists of a hierarchy of Deep Q-Networks (DQNs) used as high-level navigation policies that address the two phases of the flight: the marker detection and the descending manoeuvre. Few technical improvements have been proposed to stabilize the learning process, such as the combination of vanilla and double DQNs, and a partitioned buffer replay. Simulated studies proved the robustness of the proposed algorithm against different perturbations acting on the marine vessel. The performances obtained are comparable with a state-of-the-art method based on template matching.


Observational astrophysics consists of making inferences about the Universe by comparing data and models. The credible intervals placed on model parameters are often as important as the maximum a posteriori probability values, as the intervals indicate concordance or discordance between models and with measurements from other data. Intermediate statistics (e.g. the power spectrum) are usually measured and inferences made by fitting models to these rather than the raw data, assuming that the likelihood for these statistics has multivariate Gaussian form. The covariance matrix used to calculate the likelihood is often estimated from simulations, such that it is itself a random variable. This is a standard problem in Bayesian statistics, which requires a prior to be placed on the truemodel parameters and covariancematrix, influencing the joint posterior distribution. As an alternative to the commonly-used independence Jeffreys prior, we introduce a prior that leads to a posterior that has approximately frequentist matching coverage. This is achieved by matching the covariance of the posterior to that of the distribution of true values of the parameters around the maximum likelihood values in repeated trials, under certain assumptions. Using this prior, credible intervals derived from a Bayesian analysis can be interpreted approximately as confidence intervals, containing the truth a certain proportion of the time for repeated trials. Linking frequentist and Bayesian approaches that have previously appeared in the astronomical literature, this offers a consistent and conservative approach for credible intervals quoted on model parameters for problems where the covariance matrix is itself an estimate.


The vast growth in populations and the widespread of metropolitan areas hinder the efforts of crime investigation and inhibit tracking the risk of threats to safety and national security. Information technology has been helping in tracing criminals and terrorists, but with the outspread of social networks and the emergence of the Internet of Things, new challenges have arisen. The Internet is becoming a major part of everyone's daily life. Data representing trustful and suspicious activities is continuously generated and stored everywhere at an unprecedented scale. This extremely large data, which is known as Big Data, may contain critical and helpful information that can be used in detecting, and in many cases, preventing illegal activities, crimes and more importantly terror attacks. Unfortunately, the limitations on the communication between administrative zones, the huge amount of data and the intrinsically unstructured nature of such data makes leveraging its usefulness impractical. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical cooperative analytics architecture that utilizes Big Data Analytics, Ontologies, and Metamodels to facilitate the analysis of data collected from different sources to aid law enforcement agencies' efforts in establishing law and maintaining


Researchers claim that to improve business and really make an impact on the market it is critical to develop organizational capabilities and create organizational learning. Business Intelligence (BI) has during the latest years gained lots of attention among organizations for being a tool that can help improve the business. However, even though organizational learning is critical at the same time as BI has become a main tool to improve the business the linkage between these two concepts has not been a topic for research. This thesis is taking an Organizational Behaviour Management (OBM) perspective when analyzing whether BI-tools create the right conditions for learning. A case study was made at Skanska Sverige AB where their three largest BI-tools were analyzed. The study was made in three steps; by an individual analysis of the tools, a questionnaire sent to all operational managers who uses the tools and by interviews with nine of these managers. The analysis of the tools indicated that the BI-tools at Skanska Sverige AB do not currently create the right conditions for learning. Few actions are taken because of the information in the tools.


In developing countries the growth in the number of motor vehicles is the most significant factor in the rise of road fatalities and injuries. It may be observed that 1.35 million people die every year owing to crashes on road. Most of the accidents can be prevented if the events are detected automatically 1-2 seconds in advance. Texas instruments has come up with a new evaluation board AWR2243 having a single chip operating at 76 to 81Ghz having a FMCW transceiver. This can be instrumental in adaptive cruise control, emergency braking and automated highway driving. A FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) obtains the range and velocity from a beat signal. Here millimeter-wave sensors use minimal power consumption to sense range and velocity and the required angle.  The device is interfaced to an external DSP host processor which uses a SYNC_IN signal to start the radar frames. The periodicity of the frames is suitability programmed. The processing provides a high level of performance and flexibility. The signal has three parallel transmit chains and four parallel receive chains. Each receive channel has an LNA, mixer, IF filtering, A2D conversion and decimation. A two- dimensional FFT algorithm is implemented on the host DSP processor.


SUMMARY

Rock magnetic properties of the maar lake sediments of Lac St Front (Massif Central, France) reflect environmental changes during the last climatic cycle. High magnetic concentrations are measured in the sediments deposited under glacial climatic conditions, while lower concentrations correspond with more temperate climatic periods. Low- and high-temperature measurements indicate that the remanence is carried by (titanium-poor) magnetite. However, some maghemite and haematite is present in sediments deposited under temperate conditions.

Normalized intensities and coercivities of the anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) are clearly higher for the sediments deposited during the temperate climatic periods of the Eemian, St Germain I, II and Mid-glacial than for glacial sediments, but other magnetic parameters hardly differ between these groups. Due to slight differences in magnetic composition and possible effects of grain interactions, it is not straightforward to relate this different ARM behaviour to magnetic grain-size variations. For the Holocene sediments, rock magnetic parameters indicate a larger grain size. This trend is also suggested by granulometric experiments with an optical laser granulometer. Dissolution of smaller grains is the most likely explanation for this larger grain size.

Changes in magnetic composition and grain size are extremely limited for the glacial sediments, but magnetic concentration varies considerably. Magnetic concentration maxima in the glacial sediments of Lac St Front correlate with those of the nearby Lac du Bouchet (Thouveny et al. 1994). Correlating the susceptibility records of these sequences with the δ18O record of the GRIP ice cores (Thouveny et al. 1994) suggests that magnetic concentration maxima may correspond with short cold climatic episodes, associated with Heinrich events.


Abstract. The present scholar piece tightly links to the earlier introduced idea in the article of Monomial Variables in English Audit Terminology (by Oksana Chaika) published in International Journal of Philology (2019). In the light of global digitalization and processes automation, international business markets are getting more and more demanding in the search of insightful solutions and cutting-edge technologies. Terminology as a field of linguistics is moving ahead. The research carried out exemplifies a number of English terms – binomials – in the professional domain of audit, assurance and accounting, which smoothly fall under the proposed classification. Such classification breaks all the audit terms into the main three groups, where we distinguish (i) monomials [along with monomial variables], (ii) binomials (and those that contain variables), (iii) trinomials and polynomials in the English audit terminology. The mentioned classification has proven feasible so far and rests on similarities found between an algebraic expression (its terms/components and operations) in mathematics and a terminological set expression in English for Audit as a language for specific purpose.  The earlier published data recommend one address a proposed substitute for a term in the audit terminology, by replacing the term that stands for a set terminological expression in audit with the linguistic term of audit monomial, or binomial, or polynomial, respectively. This suggestion is driven by the need in differentiation of the term (terminological set expression in audit) and terms of the term (components of such terminological set expression in audit) for the purpose of the article and in future if proven reasonable and adopted by professional communities and recognized scholars globally. A distinct facet of binomials in English audit terminology is presented in the paper. Any kind support or critique in relation to the proposed interpretations would be highly welcome at firstname.lastname@example.com .


AIMS
The aim of this study was to compare patterns of drug use and dependence between homosexually experienced and exclusively heterosexually experienced individuals.

DESIGN
We used a cross-sectional national household interview survey conducted in the United States.

SETTING
Secondary data analysis of the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse was employed.

PARTICIPANTS
Participants were sexually active individuals, aged 18 years and older, who reported the genders of their sexual partners in the past 12 months; included 174 homosexually experienced (98 men, 96 women) and 9714 exclusively heterosexually experienced (3922 men, 5792 women) respondents.

MEASUREMENTS
Life-time, past 30 days and daily use of nine classes of drugs. Symptoms of dysfunctional use and dependence.

FINDINGS
There were consistent patterns of elevated drug use in homosexually experienced individuals for life-time drug use, but these were greatly attenuated for recent use. Homosexually experienced men were more likely to report use of marijuana, cocaine and heroin, and homosexually experienced women more likely to report use of marijuana and analgesics than individuals reporting only opposite-sex partners. Both homosexually active men and women were more likely than exclusively heterosexually active respondents to report at least one symptom indicating dysfunctional drug use across all drug classes, and to meet criteria for marijuana dependence syndrome. The only difference between homosexually experienced men and women was that men were more likely to report any daily drug use.

CONCLUSIONS
These data are consistent with surveys suggesting that there is a moderate elevation of drug, particularly marijuana, use and dependence in gay and bisexual men and women when compared to heterosexual men and women.


The main source of magnetic and electromagnetic effects in biological systems is now generally accepted and demonstrated in this paper to be radical pair mechanism which implies pairwise generation of radicals in biochemical reactions. This mechanism was convincingly established for enzymatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and desoxynucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by using catalyzing metal ions with magnetic nuclei (25Mg, 43Ca, 67Zn) and supported by magnetic field effects on these reactions. The mechanism, is shown to function in medicine as a medical remedy or technology (trans‐cranial magnetic stimulation, nuclear magnetic control of the ATP synthesis in heart muscle, the killing of cancer cells by suppression of DNA synthesis). However, the majority of magnetic effects in biology remain to be irreproducible, contradictory, and enigmatic. Three sources of such a state are shown in this paper to be: the presence of paramagnetic metal ions as a component of enzymatic site or as an impurity in an uncontrollable amount; the property of the radical pair mechanism to function at a rather high concentration of catalyzing metal ions, when at least two ions enter into the catalytic site; and the kinetic restrictions, which imply compatibility of chemical and spin dynamics in radical pair. It is important to keep in mind these factors to properly understand and predict magnetic effects in magneto‐biology and biology itself and deliberately use them in medicine. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:1–13, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


John Milton's 1649 prose tract Eikonoklastes aimed to undermine the popular image of Charles I as portrayed in Eikon Basilike, the document professing to be a record of the king's final meditations in prison. This essay argues that Milton revitalizes the ideology of iconoclasm by appropriating the logic and rhetoric of counterfeiting and posits a different economy of authority. When read in light of economic and numismatic discourses of early modem England, Milton can be seen to make a sweeping critique of representational authority that extends beyond the executed king and rewrites the economics of political authority.


Objective No systematic evaluation has been performed previously in the Scandinavian countries on patients transplanted for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Data are limited on the impact of structured management of the alcohol problem on the risk of recidivism following transplantation in ALD. Material and methods A total of 103 ALD patients were compared with a control group of patients with non-alcoholic liver disease (NALD). The recidivism rates for ALD patients transplanted between 1988 and 1997 as well as after 1998 (institution of structured management) were compared. Results The median follow-up was 31 (6–60) months in the ALD group and 37 (12–63) months in the control group (NS). The overall survival rates at 1- and 5 years were, respectively, 81% and 69% for the ALD group and 87% and 83% for the non-alcoholic group. The proportion of patients with Child-Pugh C (75%) was higher in ALD patients than in NALD patients (44%) (p<0.01). Thirty-two (33%) ALD patients resumed taking some alcohol after transplantation; 17 patients (18%) were heavy drinkers. A multivariate analysis showed that: sex, age, marital and employment status, benzodiazepine use and a history of illicit drug abuse did not predict the risk of alcohol relapse post-Tx. Nineteen out of 40 (48%) patients transplanted before the start of structured management had resumed alcohol but 13 (22%) out of 58 after this intervention (p=0.002). Conclusions ALD is a good indication for liver transplantation, with similar results in the ALD patients. Structured management of the alcohol problem before and after transplantation is important in minimizing the risk of recidivism.


Summary: Aim: 18F-FDG-PET (FDG-PET) is established in staging and follow-up of malignant melanoma. The legs are affected in 10-40% at time of diagnosis even if the primary is at the arms and torso. Imaging including the legs may detect distant manifestations but increases duration of the scan by ~30 min. We intended to disclose the diagnostic benefit of scanning the legs and to evaluate the therapeutic benefit resulting. Patients, Methods: In this retrospective analyse 213 consecutive PET studies of 153 patients with suspected or recent malignant melanoma were re-evaluated for metastastic spread by a blinded investigator. Histopathological follow-up was assessed for confirmation. Results: Suspicious findings at the legs were depicted in 53 patients on 76 occasions. 38/53 showed pathologic uptake in the torso as well. In 15/53 patients it was restricted to the legs. One of them had a hitherto unknown, clinically relevant finding that was not apparent in palpation and inspection. In 6 other patients with primary location at the legs a validation of the positive PET findings was not possible up to now. Conclusion: Metastases and local recurrence of malignant melanoma at the legs were found in 41% of women and 27% of men. However, a long scan does not yield relevant additional data. We found isolated new manifestations at the legs in only 1/153 patients. We recommend performing a long scan only in patients with previous melanoma manifestations restricted to the legs. In all other cases a short scan of the torso and proximal thighs is sufficient. This allows a higher number of PET-scans without loss of diagnostic power and a shorter examination time.


A very general variational procedure is used to compute single or coupled microstrips under the quasi-TEM approximation. The capacitance model is found by means of a unique fundamental cell. The method is essentially an extension of Smith's, but may be used to study a wider variety of problems, such as nonuniform strip arrays, coplanar striplines, and broad-side coupled strips. Moreover, it is also possible to compute the coupling capacitance between nonadjacent strips.


The audiometric evaluation is crucial to the success of the Hearing Conservation Programs in industries. Sequential audiograms have been compared with baseline ones made at the beginning of the employment. Preventive actions are taken as soon as a progressive occupational hearing loss occurs. However, many workers achieve better thresholds during the first five years by a learning effect. AIM: To identify the occurrence of the learning effect in the first five-year periodical audiograms in industries and evaluate its implications, particularly upon the true validity of the baseline audiogram. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical retrospective. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 835 audiograms of 167 workers were studied comparing five periodical audiometric tests with the respective baseline one. Better shifts of 5 dB or more, in one or more frequencies from 500 to 6.000 Hz were considered as "learning effect". RESULTS: From 92 to 96% of the workers presented better shifts in one or more frequencies. From 31 to 37% of the workers presented better shifts in one or more frequencies, comparing the second with the first test and from 23 to 35%, comparing the fifth with the first test. Comparing the average thresholds in 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz and in 3000, 4000 and 6000 Hz, from 16 to 23% of the workers presented better shifts, comparing the second with the first test and from 11 to 15%, comparing the fifth with the first test. CONCLUSION: The learning effect produced better shifts over more than one third of the studied population. So, the baseline audiogram may not be considered the best reference to be compared with the others tests.


As part of its pathogenesis, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium delivers effector proteins into host cells. One effector is SspH2, a member of the novel E3 ubiquitin ligase family, interacts with, and enhances, NOD1 pro-inflammatory signaling, though the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we report the novel discovery that SspH2 interacts with multiple members of the NLRC family to enhance pro-inflammatory signaling that results from targeted ubiquitination. We show that SspH2 modulates host innate immunity by interacting with both NOD1 and NOD2 in mammalian epithelial cell culture. We also show that SspH2 specifically interacts with the NBD and LRR domains of NOD1 and super-activates NOD1- and NOD2-mediated cytokine secretion via the NF-κB pathway. Mass spectrometry analyses identified lysine residues in NOD1 that were ubiquitinated after interaction with SspH2. Through NOD1 mutational analyses, we identified four key lysine residues that are required for NOD1 super-activation by SspH2, but not its basal activity. These critical lysine residues are positioned in the same region of NOD1 and define a surface on NOD1 that is targeted by SspH2. Overall, this work provides evidence for post-translational modification of NOD1 by ubiquitin, and uncovers a unique mechanism of spatially-selective ubiquitination to enhance the activation of an archetypal NLR. SYNOPSIS SspH2 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase injected by Salmonella Typhimurium into host cells that induces pro-inflammatory signaling. The immune receptor, NOD1, is ubiquitinated in the presence of SspH2, resulting in increased pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. SspH2 super-activates NOD1 and NOD2 to increase pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, in part, through the NF-κB pathway Ubiquitin modification of NOD1 were identified by mass spectrometry A specific region of NOD1 is targeted by SspH2 to enhance NOD1 activity.


We present a comprehensive investigation of cosmological constraints on the class of vector field formulations of modified gravity called generalized Einstein-aether models. Using linear perturbation theory we generate cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure spectra for general parameters of the theory, and then constrain them in various ways. We investigate two parameter regimes: a dark matter candidate where the vector field sources structure formation, and a dark energy candidate where it causes late-time acceleration. We find that the dark matter candidate does not fit the data, and identify five physical problems that can restrict this and other theories of dark matter. The dark energy candidate does fit the data, and we constrain its fundamental parameters; most notably we find that the theory's kinetic index parameter n{sub ae} can differ significantly from its {Lambda}CDM value.


The effects of inhaled bronchodilators at rest and during exercise were studied in 15 subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In a crossover study against placebo, albuterol caused a significant increase in expiratory flow and reduced lung hyperinflation and dyspnea at rest, but this was not associated with differences in symptoms with exercise or any relevant parameter of physical performance. Dynamic hyperinflation occurred during exercise similarly after placebo or albuterol and was associated with a reduction of forced expiratory flows. This, in turn, was correlated with the bronchoconstrictor effect of deep inhalation determined at rest. In a parallel group study, expiratory flow was increased by 3-wk treatment with salmeterol (n = 9) but not with placebo (n = 6). However, in neither group was the response to exercise different from baseline. These results suggest that in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease effective pharmacological bronchodilation at rest may not be predictive of benefits of exercise tolerance. This may be related to the occurrence of airway narrowing during exercise, particularly when a deep inhalation at rest is followed by a decrease in expiratory flow.


First principles simulations are conducted to shed light on the question of whether a two-dimensional topological insulator (2DTI) phase may be obtained at the interface between InAs and GaSb. To this end, the InAs/GaSb interface is compared and contrasted with the HgTe/CdTe interface. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations of these interfaces are performed using a machine-learned Hubbard U correction [npj Comput. Mater. 6, 180 (2020)]. For the HgTe/CdTe interface our simulations show that band crossing is achieved and an inverted gap is obtained at a critical thickness of 5.1 nm of HgTe, in agreement with experiment and previous DFT calculations. In contrast, for InAs/GaSb the gap narrows with increasing thickness of InAs; however the gap does not close for interfaces with up to 50 layers (about 15 nm) of each material. When an external electric field is applied across the InAs/GaSb interface, the GaSb-derived valence band maximum is shifted up in energy with respect to the InAs-derived conduction band minimum until eventually the bands cross and an inverted gap opens. Our results show that it may be possible to reach the topological regime at the InAs/GaSb interface under the right conditions. However, it may be chal-lenging to realize these conditions experimentally, which explains the difficulty of experimentally demonstrating an inverted gap in InAs/GaSb.


We build a set of human behavior recognition system based on the convolution neural network constructed for the specific human behavior in public places. Firstly, video of human behavior data set will be segmented into images, then we process the images by the method of background subtraction to extract moving foreground characters of body. Secondly, the training data sets are trained into the designed convolution neural network, and the depth learning network is constructed by stochastic gradient descent. Finally, the various behaviors of samples are classified and identified with the obtained network model, and the recognition results are compared with the current mainstream methods. The result show that the convolution neural network can study human behavior model automatically and identify human's behaviors without any manually annotated trainings.


The aim of the study is to provide advanced knowledge on the thermal and combustion hazard profiles of ionic liquids based on an original multiscale combined experimental approach. Experimental tools have been implemented and used to (a) obtain actual measurements of theoretical heats of combustion of imidazolium-based and phosphonium-based ionic liquids by use of a bomb calorimeter; (b) provide access to fundamental flammability properties of these chemicals through the use of Pyrolysis Combustion Flow Calorimeter; and (c) determine actual behaviour of ionic liquids in fire conditions, from learnings obtained by a series of combustion tests performed on 12 ionic liquids by use of the INERIS Fire Propagation Apparatus. Results so far confirm that the combustibility potential as well as the fire behaviour must be assessed on a case by case approach and is often dictated by the chemical structure of ionic liquids. The study also illustrates how the data obtained by our innovative procedure allow for consistent fire safety engineering studies serving the green use of ionic liquids in a contextual way. The work has opened a new perspective of collaborative work towards the development of a dedicated and pertinent methodology aiming at characterizing the comprehensive physicochemical hazard profiles of ionic liquids.


Background The majority of oropharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) infections are asymptomatic, and many oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae infections could remain undetected, creating a reservoir for ongoing transmission and drug resistance. It is yet unknown what the optimal testing policy is for oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae infections in men who have sex with men (MSM), as data on routine universal screening are missing. Methods Surveillance data from all Dutch STI clinics between 2008–2017 were used (n=271,242 consultations). Oropharyngeal testing policy was defined as routine universal screening, that is ≥85% of MSM consultations included oropharyngeal testing per clinic per year, or as selective testing (<85% tested). The proportion infections missed using selective testing was calculated by extrapolating positivity found by routine universal screening. Independent risk factors for oropharyngeal N.gonorrhoeae were assessed among MSM routinely universally screened between 2016–2017 using backward multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results Routine universal screening was performed in 90% (n=238,619) of consultations. Oropharyngeal N.gonorrhoeae positivity was higher using routine universal screening (5.5%,95%CI 5.4–5.6, n=12,769) compared to selective testing (4.7%,95% CI 4.4–5.0, n=799, P<0.001). When extrapolating, selective testing missed 45.2% of infections (95%CI 42.6%–47.8%, n=659). The proportion oropharyngeal-only among tested was 55% for routine universal screening and 47% for selective testing. Independent risk factors for oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae were age <31 years (OR2.1, 95%CI1.9–2.3) age 31–43 years (OR1.7,95%CI 1.6–1.9, compared to ≥43years), being notified for any STI (OR2.0, 95%CI1.9–2.1), concurrent urogenital N. gonorrhoeae (OR2.4,95%CI2.1–2.7), and concurrent anorectal N. gonorrhoeae (OR11.4,95%CI10.6–12.3). When using any of the risk factors age, notified or oral sex as testing indicators, 98.4% of MSM would be tested, finding 99.5% of infections. Conclusion Selective testing missed two fifth of oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae infections in MSM, of which more than half would be oropharyngeal-only. Using independent risk factors as testing indicator is not specific. Therefore, routine universal oropharyngeal screening in MSM is feasible and warranted, as is currently advised in the Dutch guidelines. Disclosure No significant relationships.


Cancer progression is reliant on the co-evolution of supporting stroma to sustain tumor growth and facilitate metastasis. Among stromal cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have emerged as critical players in solid tumors, owing to their abundance and their pleiotropic roles in the tumor microenvironment. One of the most substantial features of CAFs is the deposition of a dense collagenous matrix that serves not only as the tumor's structural foundation but provides critical mechanical and biomechanical cues determining cancer cell fate and behavior, as well as response to therapy. Remarkably, intratumoral fibrosis is associated with poor prognosis in many human tumors and as such, represents an emerging therapeutic opportunity for cancer disease. In this chapter, we discuss the current understanding of fibrosis development in cancer; present the evidence supporting a role for fibroblasts and extracellular matrix in cancer initiation and progression; and highlight some of the available preclinical and clinical data around the therapeutic concept of targeting intratumoral fibrosis for cancer.


Abstract : Newport Canyon is the largest of several channels which cut the continental margin off Newport Beach, California. All of the channels were initiated subaerially by the Santa Ana River during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Submarine erosion may have continued until early in the last century. Prior to 1825, the river provided sediment directly to the ocean in the canyon head area. Subsequent construction of a barrier beach by the river caused its diversion into Newport Bay and a change in coastal alignment which altered longshore current patterns. The upper portions of the canyon are now being filled with organic-rich silt and clay at the rate of approximately 1.4 cm/yr. The primary sources of this material are the Orange County outfall and the Santa Ana River. Suspension of fine sediment on the shelf and deposition in the canyon is the normal mode of transport for all modern canyon sediment. Collection of sand and debris in the nearshore head is precluded by the divergence of longshore currents from the head under most wave conditions. The canyon is presently inactive and cannot be the source of modern turbidites in the San Diego Trough. (Author)


BACKGROUND: A nonlinear association between coffee consumption and CVD risk was observed in meta-analysis. Moderate coffee consumption was inversely significantly associated with CVD risk, with the lowest CVD risk at 3 to 5 cups per day. Heavy coffee consumption was not associated with elevated CVD risk.There has been an increasing trend of caffeine beverage consumption in Thailand. However, little was known about the consumer behavior on caffeine beverage among the working age group in Thailand. This study aimed to describe caffeine beverage consumption behavior among working age group in Khon Kaen province, Thailand.

SUBJECT AND METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. A sample of 412 coffee drinkers aged 18-59 years old was selected by multistage random sampling from the working age population. A structured questionnaire was developed and tested for content validity by 3 experts. Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.89.

RESULTS: The majority of 412 coffee drinkers were female (59.95%), with the average age of 36.61±13.20 years old, married (64.32%), 36.41% finished senior high school and 25% working in agricultural sector. Their median monthly income (min, max) was 9,000 (0, 70000) baht. Over the past month, 88.83% reported consuming caffeine beverage (95%CI: 85.78% to 91.88%). Caffeine beverage most commonly consumed was cola (38.10%). The median amount of coffee (ml) per time (min, max) was 250 (180, 1500) ml. The median monthly expense (min, max) for caffeine beverage was 600 (90, 3000) baht. Most coffee drinkers got coffee beverage information from television (61.75%). However, only 27.67% had high level of knowledge on caffeine beverage. 75.00% thought it was easy to access, 65.29% liked the taste, 53.64% believed in the caffeine beverage advertisement. 58.28% perceived price was appropriate, and 41.26% thought caffeine beverage was good for health.

CONCLUSION: Almost all of the working age group in Khon Kaen province, Thailand, drink caffeine beverage. Information, environment and marketing may have influence on their consumption behavior.

Keywords: caffeine beverage, behavior, working age group


Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) generates nitric oxide (NO*) by the oxidation of l-arginine. Spin trapping in combination with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using ferro-chelates is considered one of the best methods to detect NO* in real time and at its site of generation. The spin trapping of NO* from isolated NOS I oxidation of L-arginine by ferro-N-dithiocarboxysarcosine (Fe(DTCS)2) and ferro-N-methyl-d-glucamide dithiocarbamate (Fe(MGD)2) in different buffers was investigated. We detected NO-Fe(DTCS)2, a nitrosyl complex, resulting from the reaction of NO* and Fe(DTCS)2, in phosphate buffer. However, Hepes and Tris buffers did not allow formation of NO-Fe(DTCS)2. Instead, both of these buffers reacted with Fe2+, generating sparingly soluble complexes in the absence of molecular oxygen. Fe(DTCS)2 and Fe(MGD)2 were found to inhibit, to a small degree, NOS I activity with a greater effect observed with Fe(MGD)2. In contrast, Fe(MGD)2 was more efficient at spin trapping NO* from the lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophage cell line RAW264.7 than was Fe(DTCS)2. Data suggested that Fe(DTCS)2 and Fe(MGD)2 are efficient at spin trapping NO* but their maximal efficiency may be affected by experimental conditions.


In a 21-year-old female with severe atopic dermatitis, the secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by her peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was measured after incubation with/without antigens extracted from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp), to which the patient had developed a positive patch-test reaction. Incubation with Dp antigen produced marked secretion of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, but not IL-4. This may suggest that Dp-specific T lymphocytes present in the circulating blood cells are capable of producing IL-2 and IFN-gamma, which may be relevant to the delayed-type allergic reaction occurring in the skin lesion.


The biochemical properties of 217 Salmonella strains isolated from patients, convalescents and carriers have been studied. Salmonellae with changes in a number of characteristics important for microbiological diagnosis have been found. The possibility of their identification is shown. The probable causes of their appearance are discussed. Recommendations for their detection are given.


The distributed systems method to virtual machines is defined not only by the exploration of simulated annealing, but also by the theoretical need for superpages. In our research, authors confirm the analysis of lambda calculus. In this work, we demonstrate not only that SCSI disks can be made low- energy, pervasive, and classical, but that the same is true for digital-to-analog converters.


Discussion. Owing to difficulty in the forwarding of specimens to the laboratory without delays in transit, it was not possible to have a more complete investigation of the -cases carried out. Unfortunately the diagnosis by agglutination reactions could not be further confirmed by recovery of the organism from the patients. It must be mentioned, however, that none of the patients had previously received "T.A.B." inoculations. . Dramatic improvement in all cases followed the administration of the drug. The general appearance of the patients rapidly improved, and there was a return of appetite within forty-eight hours. No appreciable loss of weight occurred in any of the patients as a result of the illness. There was a complete absence of any of the complications of typhoid fever. Except for constipation, which was troublesome in Case I, the bowels functioned normally and the appearance of the motions was normal in all cases. There appeared to be no symptoms or signs of intolerance to "Chloromycetin", and no difficulties were experienced in its administration.


Inversion interferes with the encoding of configural and holistic information more than it does with the encoding of explicitly represented and isolated parts. Accordingly, if facial expressions are explicitly represented in the face representation, their recognition should not be greatly affected by face orientation. In the present experiment, response times to detect a difference in hair color in line-drawn faces were unaffected by face orientation, but response times to detect the presence of brows and mouth were longer with inverted than with upright faces, independent of the emergent expression (neutral, happy, sad, and angry). Expressions are not explicitly represented; rather, they and the face configuration are represented as undecomposed wholes.


Abstract Recent aircraft measurements of clear air turbulence over Australia have shown that the phenomenon of CAT in a thermally stable environment is associated with a breakdown of waves, presumably gravity waves or Helmholtz waves on a stable interface, into random turbulent eddies. The energy distribution in the wavelength range in which clear air turbulence is experienced seems to follow the "−5/3 law" postulated by Kolmogorov's similarity hypothesis. The "−5/3 law" seems to extend to much longer wavelengths than previously anticipated. Combining these results of aircraft measurements with the theory on lee waves which has been derived by the use of perturbation equations, one finds that the energy involved in standing lee waves over mountains may "cascade" down from a wavelength range of approximately 10 km to a range near 100 m which then would be experienced as clear air turbulence, provided that the energy levels are high enough to cause any responses in an aircraft. This physical model of turbul...


Archaeozoology is the study of animal remains, mainly bones and other hard parts, from archaeological sites. It contributes to a more complete understanding of various aspects of human life in the past. Ideally, archaeozoologists, like other specialists, should be involved in the entire process of an archaeological research project, from its design, to fieldwork and data collecting, to final reporting and publication. For efficient communication and fruitful collaboration, the archaeologists involved in this process need to understand the basics of archaeozoological methodology and the range of questions that the discipline can answer. Methods vary among archaeozoologists—not least with regard to quantification—and it is important to be aware of these differences and their possible impact on results when comparing data for different sites. While the actual analysis of animal remains is done by the archaeozoologists, preferably in circumstances where they have access to a comparative collection of recent animal skeletons, the excavation and collection of remains is often the responsibility of the archaeologists. Animal remains are affected by a host of taphonomic processes of loss that are beyond our control. To avoid additional loss of information at the fieldwork stage, appropriate methods are particularly important. The use of sieves with a mesh size no greater than 2 mm is essential in order not to miss the smaller, but no less informative, animal remains. Project leaders play an important role in providing good storage facilities for archaeozoological remains after excavation and after study. With the rapid development in analytical methods, it can be extremely interesting to return to previously studied remains and sample them.


Zirconium was roll clad with nickel, monel, inconel, titanium, and an 18-8 stainless steel. With the exception of titanium, all of these metals formed compounds at the zirconium interface and the resulting bonds had poor mechanical properties. The titanium-zirconium bond had good strength and ductility and showed no tendency to crack during thermal cycling. Sandwich-type diffusion couples of zirconium with copper, molybdenum, platinum, silver, and tantalum indicated that all of these metals formed hard, brittle diffusion products with zirconium.


A new scheme is presented in this letter that, by using double orthogonal pump in a semiconductor fiber ring laser, gives a better solution to improve the conversion efficiency and to deduce noise figure of wavelength converters based on four-wave mixing. The noise figure in this scheme is smaller than normal broad-band orthogonal-pump scheme. Experimental results show nearly flat conversion efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio in a wavelength-shift range of more than 40 nm.


Although the overall shift towards the V3 myosin heavy chain (MHC) has been shown to be associated with cardiac hypertrophy, quantitative evidence describing regional expression is sparse. The aim of this study was to compare and contrast the regional ventricular myosin isoform expression in two distinct haemodynamic states: pressure and volume overload. Volume overload was achieved using an aortocaval fistula (ACF) model and pressure overload by two-kidney-one-clip (2K1C) hypertension. A separate group (UC-2K1C) had the clip removed 1 week prior to investigation. Sham operated rats (SHAM) served as controls. All groups were studied 4 weeks after surgery. Ventricular tissue samples (approximately 50 mg) were taken from the walls of the right ventricle (RV), septum and left ventricular (LV) free wall. Tissue samples (excluding RV) were divided into endocardium and epicardium, and myosin expression was determined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Cardiac hypertrophy was substantial in both LV (1.7-fold) and RV (1.9-fold) in ACF rats. The 2K1C rats had similar LV enlargement (1.6-fold) whereas RV hypertrophy was not as great (1.2-fold). Blood pressure (BP) was increased 65% in 2K1C rats, whereas there was no change in ACF rats with respect to SHAM animals. After unclipping (UC-2K1C), LV hypertrophy and BP had returned towards control levels. In general, V3 MHC expression was associated with increasing LV hypertrophy in both 2K1C and ACF models. However, there was a marked endo-epi differential (1.5:1) in the LV free wall and septum of 2K1C rats. In contrast, in ACF rats there was no differential V3 MHC expression in the LV or septal tissue, i.e. expression was similar in both endo- and epi-samples. Elevated expression of V3 MHC persisted despite normotension and regression of cardiac hypertrophy in UC-2K1C rats. Taken together with published results demonstrating that relative transmural myocyte hypertrophy in ACF rats (endo > epi) is in contrast to that seen in 2K1C rats (epi > endo), the present findings reveal that regional V3 myosin expression represents a distinct adaptational component of the overall cardiac hypertrophic response in both volume and pressure overload.


We report on a 17-year-old Japanese boy with Möbius sequence, peripheral neuropathy, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, the fourth such case known to us. The association of peripheral neuropathy and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in Möbius sequence seems to be more than coincidence. Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone administration for 3 months showed the effectiveness of this treatment for this patient.


A revisionary reading of Descartes's epistemology has emerged in the literature. Some commentators have argued that Descartes subscribes to passionate epistemology, which claims that epistemic progress in the Meditations requires contributions from the meditator's passions. This paper argues that the passions cannot perform any epistemic work in the Meditations. As such, the meditator's passions do not require us to revise our canonical understanding of the Meditations as an exercise of pure thought. Furthermore, we need not abandon the standard claim that ethical practice emerges in the tree of philosophy only after metaphysics and epistemology have been established.


A small number of patients exist with carcinoma of the pancreas with an inoperable but not metastasized tumor. Prospective randomized studies defined the standard of combined radiochemotherapy during the early 1980s for these patients. Since then, new drugs have shown considerable activity and in parallel improvements in radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery have been achieved. Therefore, it is time to ask whether patients with locally advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer without metastases should still be irradiated or not. This review summarizes the current literature on combined radiochemotherapy for locally advanced carcinoma of the pancreas. Median survival times of 10–11 months and 1-year survival rates of about 40% can be achieved with modern radiochemotherapy regimens.


A considerable amount of research is undergoing in the field of computer vision is related to object tracking. However, object tracking, in general, is a challenging problem. The challenges in objects tracking arise due to abrupt object motion, changing appearance patterns of both the object and the scene, occlusions, camera motion etc. Most of the works are focused on a specific application, such as tracking human, car, or pre-learned objects. However, the research on "tracking an object" mostly outperforms using selective algorithms that are applicable for only fixed settings. To a great degree object detection and tracking methods are used for video coding applications. The enormous computational need of real time object tracking makes it hard to achieve. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for object tracking in a live streaming video that requires lesser computational resources, as compared to the needs of such approach.


The large and growing contingent of migrants in the world today who move in different directions, occupying a peripheral place in terms of space, occupation, education and access to public services, leads us to problematize analyses about the phenomenon of migration. In this direction, we present some theoretical supports for research about this theme. The objective is to contribute with analyses that seek to go beyond appearances and capture the multiple determinations of the concrete, that is, to understand the reality that moves workers and their families to migrate. We understand that migratory movements accompany the process of capital expansion in the direction of accumulation, given that capitalist accumulation produces a population of surplus labor, according to Marx, which is available to be sent in different locations and production sectors. We conclude that the category of migration a historical materialist perspective is a phenomenon that originates in the expropriation of the means of subsistence and the exploitation of labor, and therefore, cannot be understood outside of these processes. In this perspective, we use the categories of accumulation, commodity, industrial reserve army and spatial expansion of capital to analyze the movement of workers.


Background: ICDS scheme is a flagship programme which provides a package of six services for children aged between 6 months-6 years, expectant and lactating mothers and adolescent girls covering 53.66lakh beneficiaries through 64518Anganawadi Centers, Karnataka. A large number of children in India do not have the optimal living conditions due to poverty and majority of parents are unable to give much stimulation to their child because of their own limitations. ICDS main aim is to cultivate desirable attitude, values, behavior pattern in children. Objectives: The present study aims to understand the current magnitude of the problem as also causes of dropout, understand determinants of dropouts from Anganawadi center. Materials and Methods: A Cross-sectional study was undertaken in Anganawadi centers of Mulbagal taluk of Kolar District. Results: 107 Parents noticed that children are irregular to attend anganawadi center. Anganawadi workers were spending most of the time in preparing supplementary nutrition and maintaining records and therefore it was difficult to concentrate on pre-school educational activities. Conclusion: Parents had high level of expectations from anganawadi center, they were half-heartedly satisfied with anganawadi services, and also they were not actively participating in the anganawadi activities.


Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) share many of the same properties of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) including their highly quiescent state, capacity to self-renew, low levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhanced DNA repair program. These properties make the efficient and specific eradication of these cells challenging. Foxo3 and p53 are two transcription factors essential for the modulation of HSC quiescence and self-renewal. While Foxo3 is inhibited by signaling from several oncoproteins but crucial for the maintenance of the LSCs in both chronic and acute myeloid leukemia (CML and AML respectively), mutations of p53 although rare, are associated with poor prognosis in advanced stages of these diseases. In vivo ROS-mediated activation of p53 is known to lead to loss of quiescence, alterations of cell cycle and exhaustion of the Foxo3-/- HSC pool. Seeking to understand the contribution of p53 to Foxo3-/- HSC cycling defects, we crossed p53+/- and Foxo3+/- mice. To our surprise we found the bone marrow (BM) frequency of both p53+/-Foxo3-/- and p53-/-Foxo3-/- LSK (Lin-Sca1+cKit+) and long-term-HSC (LT-HSC, LSK Flk2-CD34-) populations greatly increased as compared to their Foxo3-/- counterparts (n=5 mice per genotype; p<0.05). Using Ki67 and DAPI staining we found that loss of one or both alleles of p53 gradually rescued the cell cycle defect of Foxo3-/- HSC and increased the frequency of LSK cells in Go by 2-fold. Loss of p53 also rescued the impaired capacity of Foxo3-/- LSK cells to competitively repopulate multilineage blood over 16 weeks, as shown by the higher frequency of p53+/-Foxo3-/- and p53-/-Foxo3-/- donor-derived cells in the peripheral blood of recipient animals (∼47% recipients of double-mutant cells versus 20% in Foxo3-/- recipients, n=5 per group). Furthermore, loss of p53 significantly improved the compromised self-renewal of Foxo3 mutant HSC in serial BM transplantations. In our quest to identify mechanisms whereby p53 depletion improves Foxo3-/- HSC function, we noticed that the DNA damage accumulated in Foxo3-/- HSC at the steady-state was remarkably ameliorated by removal of one or both alleles of p53 from Foxo3-/- HSCs, as measured by flow cytometry levels of phospho-H2AX (gamma-H2AX) and DNA breaks by comet assay (n=3, p<0.05). Unexpectedly, ROS levels were also significantly reduced by 30% in p53+/-Foxo3-/- in comparison to Foxo3-/- LSK cells, while ROS levels in p53+/- LSK cells were similar to that in WT cells. Consistent with these results, the expression of several anti-oxidant enzymes including Sod1 , Sod2 , Catalase , Gpx1 , Sesn1 and Sesn2 (n≥2), was highly upregulated while a number of genes implicated in mitochondrial generation of ROS were significantly deregulated as a result of loss of one or both alleles of p53. These combined findings suggest that a switch from anti-oxidant to pro-oxidant activity of p53 contributes to Foxo3-/- HSC defects. Despite their apparent normal stem cell function, p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSC were highly altered in their gene expression profile. Interestingly, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of the microarray analysis (Illumina bead chip mouse-Ref8) of WT, p53+/-, Foxo3-/-, and p53+/-Foxo3-/- LSK cells showed that a cluster of genes associated with fatty acid metabolism was highly enriched in p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSCs (ES=0.746; p<0.01). In addition, from 3976 genes exclusively deregulated in p53+/-Foxo3-/- LSK cells, 201 (out of 1051) overlapped with genes downregulated, while 9 (out of 14) overlapped with genes exclusively upregulated in a LSC-gene signature. To evaluate whether this pre-leukemic profile was associated with increased susceptibility to malignancy, we compared the potential and timeline of BCR-ABL-transformed p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSC as compared to controls in establishing CML in mice. We found a shorter time to the onset of the disease and decreased survival of the recipients of p53+/-Foxo3-/- transformed HSCs (n=4 per group, p<0.05) as compared to WT and Foxo3-/- controls. We propose that the p53+/-Foxo3-/- double-mutant HSCs are enriched for preleukemic stem cells based on their quiescence and self-renewal capacity, low ROS, robust DNA repair, susceptibility to transformation and aberrant gene expression profile. These findings raise the possibility that the coordinated Foxo3 and p53 regulation of ROS wires together the stem cell program.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The increasing difficulties of meeting 'Moore's Law' rates of progress in conventional semiconductor electronics, coupled with the advent of methods capable of measuring the electronic properties of single molecules in a laboratory setting, have seen a surge of activity in the field of molecular electronics over the last decade. However, the concepts of molecular electronics are far from new, and the basic premise and ideas of molecular electronics have been shadowing those of solid-state semiconductor electronics since the middle of the 20th century. In this Primer Review, we introduce the topic of molecular electronics, drawing on some of the earliest expressions of the fundamental concepts, and summarizing key concepts to provide the interested reader with an entry to this fascinating field of science and emerging technology.


Means of communication between people is the language, and every language in the world has a different aspect, it depends on the characteristics of the language and the language system, both in terms of sound and grammar and the structure and semantics. Many students of Indonesia, impressed "difficult" when learning Arabic. This may be due to differences in language systems between Arabic and Indonesian. This article will analyze faults Indonesian students when using the Arabic language as a means of communication, in the hope that students can find out the cause as well as the types of errors in the language. So for the future can avoid those mistakes.


PA11 Parent and guardian social media use in a district general hospital paediatric dermatology outpatient clinic Lucy Smith and Paul Devakar Yesudian Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK In the age of 'influencers', social media is exerting an ever-increasing impact in dermatology. More than half the world's population use social media and its popularity continues to grow. However, studies have confirmed that content is not always evidence based. Owing to its accessibility, social media is frequently used as an information resource for patients on managing their own skin condition. The influence that it has on parents and guardians in paediatric dermatology is less well described. A 10-point questionnaire was designed to assess social media use in parents and guardians with regard to their child's skin condition. Data were collected on parent or guardian age, sex, online platforms used and changes in management as a direct result of social media-sourced information. Children's demographics, diagnosis and disease duration were also noted. Questionnaires were anonymously distributed in a general paediatric dermatology outpatient clinic waiting room over 3 months. A v-test of independence was used to examine the relationship between social media use and parent or guardian age, sex and child's disease duration. In total, 116 parents and guardians participated in the survey. Average child age was 9 9 years (range 0–18), male-to-female ratio 1 : 1. Diagnoses included eczema (n = 35; 30%), naevi or other skin lesions (n = 27; 23%), acne (n = 18; 15%) and psoriasis (n = 4; 3%). Ninety-three (80%) of the dermatoses had a duration of > 1 year. Over 40% (n = 48) of parents and guardians used social media on at least one occasion as an educational resource for their child's skin condition across eight online platforms, most commonly Facebook (n = 21; 44%), Google (n = 15; 31%) and YouTube (n = 8; 16%). There was no significant relationship between social media use and parent or guardian age (P = 0 89), sex (P = 0 10) or disease duration (P = 0 77). Of the 48 social media users, 26 (54%) parents and guardians changed their use of over-the-counter products, and a further 14 (29%) altered use of physician-prescribed treatments as a result of social media-derived information. Our findings suggest that a significant number of parents and guardians use social media to understand their child's dermatosis and some change the management based on it. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift to virtual platforms for human interactions has fuelled the use of social media. With its growing popularity, it is likely that dermatologicalrelated content will also increase and therefore this should be addressed in both adult and paediatric clinics. PA12 Cracking the limpet: rupioid psoriasis successfully treated with adalimumab Anusuya Kawsar, Khawar Hussain, Eirini Merika, Bisola Laguda, Nerys Roberts and Nilesh Morar Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK We present a case of a 15-year-old male patient of Fitzpatrick phototype 6 presenting initially with dystrophic finger and toenails for several years prior to developing rupioid psoriasis affecting his scalp, limbs and genitalia [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score 16 7; Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 25]. Over the past 10 years, multiple treatments, including topical steroids and hyperkeratolytic agents, acitretin, ciclosporin and methotrexate were unsuccessful. Laboratory testing was unremarkable, including HIV and syphilis serology, in addition to a negative HLA-B27; genetic testing revealed no identification of pathogenic mutations. There was no additional evidence of inflammatory arthropathy. Subsequently, the patient was commenced on adalimumab and within 4 months made a significant clinical improvement. His PASI score on treatment was 0 8 and DLQI was 0, with full clearance of the genitalia and fingernails. This has had a profound positive impact on our patient's quality of life, especially from a psychosocial aspect. Treatment with adalimumab was tolerated well, with no adverse side-effects. Rupioid psoriasis is a rare morphological subtype of plaque psoriasis that resembles oyster or limpet shell hyperkeratotic lesions often resistant to topical treatments (Murakami T, Ohtsuki M, Nakagawa H. Rupioid psoriasis with arthropathy. Clin Exp Dermatol 2000; 25: 409–12). Cutaneous rupioid manifestations have been observed in secondary syphilis, reactive arthritis, disseminated histoplasmosis, keratotic scabies, aminoaciduria and secondary to medications, and therefore additional investigations may be required (Chung HJ, Marley-Kemp D, Keller M. Rupioid psoriasis and other skin diseases with rupioid manifestations. Cutis 2014; 94: 119–21). To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of rupioid psoriasis in a child that was successfully treated with adalimumab. Treatment with adalimumab was indicated in our patient, who was resistant to multiple systemic agents, subsequently resulting in good therapeutic outcomes. Adalimumab is approved in children > 4 years old with psoriasis. Other successful reported rupioid cases treated with systemic therapy include ciclosporin, methotrexate and ustekinumab. Important features in our case include the clearance of nail and genital disease, which often is resistant to treatment therapy and the rare phenotype of rupioid variant of psoriasis in this age group. 200 Posters


This paper analyzes the time series behavior of the annual growth rate of Turkey's GDP and growth rate of its industrial sector GDP's. Drawing on the work of Hamilton (1989), we examine the two series for evidence of periodic, discrete shifts in the mean using a two-state Markov regime switching model. The results provide strong evidence that shifts in the mean of the growth process both general and sectoral is a prominent feature of the data. According to probability results, there is one switch between the regimes in general growth process and there are five switches in industrial sector growth process.


The available high-resolution (n;n',..gamma..) cross section data on actinide nuclei, essentially /sup 238/U and /sup 232/Th, are reviewed by dividing the measurement process into two steps. First, the measurement of discrete photon production cross sections is discussed by comparing white and monoenergetic neutron source techniques. Resultant cross sections are compared and their accuracies assessed. Second, the step of inferring inelastic scattering cross sections from photon production cross sections is discussed with particular emphasis on the problems connected with monopole transitions, low-energy transitions, prompt fission photons, and simple rotational models. The uncertainties introduced in this step are probably larger than those of the first.


Anthocyanins are flavonoid compounds imparting pink, red, blue, and purple colors to fruits, flowers, leaves, and some underground organs. These pigments play an important role in pollination and fruit and seed dispersal and they are related to the protection of plant tissues exposed to biotic and/or abiotic stress. Their consumption has been linked to diverse health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, diminution of cardiovascular disease incidence, obesity control, and diabetes mitigation effects. Also, in vitro studies have revealed certain potential cancer chemopreventive activities of anthocyanins. Reactive oxygen species scavenging as well as metal chelating and direct binding to proteins have been associated with anthocyanin health effects. Recent studies have indicated that these compounds can modulate decisive signaling pathways and gene regulation. Their action contributes to vascular homeostasis and to angiogenesis, inflammation, and platelet aggregation control. Likewise, anthocyanins have been associated with the prevention of a peroxynitrite-mediated disorder in endothelial cells. The potential use of anthocyanins as colorants in food has been extensively analyzed since they are the main hydrosoluble plant pigments. However, their instability and the influence of concentration, pH, temperature, and the presence of other compounds (phenolic acids, metals) on color properties can limit anthocyanin use as food ingredients and additives. Encapsulation has been proposed as an alternative to reduce food-processing damage and to deliver these compounds to their target site in the human body. Likewise, chemical lipophilization of anthocyanins has been assayed to obtain modified compounds with higher lipophilicity, more suitable for lipid-rich matrices.


Eucalyptus essential oils are well-known and used especially in upper respiratory tract pathologies or diseases as herbal drug preparations. In the present study, the in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme inhibitory potentials of commercial Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. essential oils were evaluated for their potential anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, the major components, 1,8-cineole and citronellal, were evaluated for their ability to bind at the active site of either human ACE2 or human 5-LOX using an in silico setting. Before activity evaluation, Eucalyptus globulus and E citriodora essential oils were analysed by GC/FID and GC/MS, where 1,8-cineole (30%), and citronellal (80%) were identified as the major components, respectively. The in vitro ACE2 inhibition was calculated as 94.9% for E globulus, and that of E citriodora essential oil as 83.4%. In vitro LOX inhibition experiments for essential oils in the same order showed inhibitions of 71.3 and 91.4%, respectively, at 20 µg/mL test concentrations in microplate-based fluorometric assays. In addition, protein–ligand docking, and interaction profiling was used to gain structural and mechanistic insights into the in silico ACE2 and LOX inhibitory potentials of the major Eucalyptus essential oil constituents, 1,8-cineole as well as citronellal. The resulting data supported the in vitro findings; however, further in vivo studies are needed to confirm the activity.


Approach to construction of universal model of the discrete oscillation system which own the wide spectrum of the dynamic modes is offered. Analytical estimations of amplitude and frequency of vibrations harmonic and quasi-harmonic, and which are approved for the wide class of functions, that are used for construction of model, are got. Set necessary and sufficient terms of stability of the exposed modes. The prospects application discrete models is marked.


Sex differences in premorbid function and symptomatology were examined as increasingly stringent criteria for schizophrenia were applied to 182 male and 139 female . psychotic patients. The male/female ratio rose from 1.6 among those meeting the CATEGO 'broad' criteria for schizophrenia to 3.7 among those satisfying DSM-III criteria. Of 76 women meeting the former criteria, 53 were excluded by the latter, the majority rediagnosed as affective or schizo-affective psychosis. Consequently, although women meeting CATEGO 'broad' criteria showed more affective and fewer typical schizophrenic symptoms than their male counterparts, these differences were abolished by DSM-III criteria. Among CATEGO 'broad' schizophrenics, men were more likely than women to have received special education, and had shown worse childhood social adjustment and worse adult social achievement than women. These differences disappeared among DSM-III schizophrenics, but women continued to have fewer premorbid schizoid and schizotypal traits, a greater likelihood of marriage, and a later age of onset.


OBJECTIVE
To study the related factors of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) so as to guide treatment and predict prognosis.

METHODS
The prognostic factors of 463 cases with intracerebral hemorrhage were analyzed with single factor and Logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS
Age, Glasgow coma scale, amount of hemorrhage, NIHSS score, mean arterial blood pressure, with or without ventricular breakage, with or without midline shift and the incidence of complications at random blood glucose levels were analyzed for the correlation with the prognosis of patients. The poor prognosis group had significant differences with the good prognosis group with regards to these factors. The average age of patients with a poor prognosis was 71 years old, the average hematoma volume 29 ml and the average GCS score 11.2 versus 65 years old, 15 ml, 15.1 for those with a good prognosis (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, amount of hemorrhage and disturbance of consciousness was an independent adverse prognostic factor for cerebral hemorrhage at three months. The OR values were 1.32, 8.66 and 1.08 respectively.

CONCLUSION
The etiologies of ICH are diverse. Maintaining normal blood pressure is an important preventive measure for ICH. Hematoma volume, disturbance of consciousness and age may be used to predict the prognosis of cerebral hemorrhage.


Technetium-99m dimethyl acetanilide iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) cholescintigraphy was performed on 90 patients with suspected acute cholecystitis. Visualization of the gallbladder established patency of the cystic duct and excluded the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis in 50 of 52 patients. Nonvisualization of the gallbladder with visualization of the common bile duct was diagnostic of acute cholecystitis in 38 patients, all subsequently proven at surgery. The observed accuracy of this procedure is 98% and specificity is 100%. The false negative rate is 5% and false positive rate is zero. Technetium-99m-HIDA has many advantages which make it the procedure of choice in evaluating a patient for suspected acute cholecystitis. It is a rapid, simple, safe examination which provides functional as well as anatomic information about the hepatobiliary system in individuals with a serum bilirubin level up to 8 mg/100 ml.


The production capacity of corn ethanol as a transportation fuel is experiencing rapid growth in the United States. The demand is driven by increased prices of gasoline, government mandates, incentives, desire for cleaner fuels, and the need to achieve energy independence. Continued strong growth of the corn ethanol industry will depend on profitability by both suppliers and producers. This in turn will be influenced by several factors such as demand, government incentives, feedstock availability and prices, processing plant capacity, and efficient farm and ethanol processing technologies. How and to what extent will the projected growth of the corn ethanol industry in the United States be influenced by some or all of these factors? We use system dynamics modeling to construct the causal-loop structure of the corn ethanol industry and a stock and flow diagrams to explore how changes in projected factors will affect the industry. Currently, planners and researchers explore various energy supply options by the year 2030, when world energy usage is expected to double that of 2009. By developing and executing a system dynamics model, this paper explores different possible growth scenarios of the industry for the next twenty one years.


Rationale: Available literature states that the common reasons for non-traumatic spontaneous liver rupture are hepatocellular carcinoma, macronodular cirrhosis, hemangioma, and other tumors; gallbladder perforation is not cited as a cause. Patient concerns: The patient presented with sudden-onset right upper quadrant pain with tarry stool for 3 days after eating with dysphoria and increasing thirst; gradually, hemorrhagic shock developed. He had no history of trauma, no background of chronic hepatitis, and no cirrhosis. Diagnosis: Hemorrhage secondary to spontaneous rupture of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Interventions: Left hemihepatectomy, cholecystectomy, and common bile duct exploration were performed. Outcomes: The patient was diagnosed with massive hemoperitoneum accompanying upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage following liver rupture secondary to gallbladder perforation. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged after 10 days of hospitalization. Lessons: If patients present with non-traumatic spontaneous liver rapture accompanying cholelithiasis and gallbladder hematoma, gallbladder perforation should be considered as a differential diagnosis. Misdiagnosis can lead to incorrect treatment.


The purpose of this study was to systematically describe and analyze differences in value orientations and perceptions of caring of the Ethiopian Nuer. The study addressed the meaning of caring and its most important elements to the Nuer. The study also endeavored to identify relationships between value orientations and perceptions of caring and the demographic characteristics of the sample. The demographic characteristics that were considered included: sex, generation, literacy, place of residence, and religion. The convenience sample for this study was comprised of 54 subjects. They were interviewed in order to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Caring Questionnaire, and the Value Orientation Schedule (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck, 1961). Interviews were conducted in the Nuer language. Study subjects described caring in terms related to the following themes with the first five being most important: having physical needs met; being cared for by a kim; receiving treatment; having good relationships with the care-giver; having good results of care such as improving or being cured; practicing self-care; intervention by God; and being diagnosed, having a physical examination and receiving health teaching. Responses to the Value Orientation Schedule in the relational series showed a preference for collateral relationships in 2 items, lineal relationships in 2 items, and individual relationships in 3 items. In the man-nature value orientation series, man being in harmony with nature was preferred. There was a preference for the present time in the time value orientation series and for doing in the activity value orientation series. Health care or community development personnel could gain valuable insights into the types of care desired and the values of the Nuer. With application of this knowledge satisfaction with health care by the Nuer could increase and conflicts between clients and health care professionals could be decreased. The study could serve as a basis for teaching cultural sensitivity to health care providers. Nursing students and educators could be taught to use the caring and value orientation tools in this study to assess values of clients and thus improve care.


We report on our work-in-progress to generate a synthetic error dataset for Swedish by replicating errors observed in the authentic error annotated dataset. We analyze a small subset of authentic errors, capture regular patterns based on parts of speech, and design a set of rules to corrupt new data. We explore the approach and identify its capabilities, advantages and limitations as a way to enrich the existing collection of error-annotated data. This work focuses on word order errors, specifically those involving the placement of finite verbs in a sentence.


This paper presents a case study in the development and application of a time study model in a paint manufacturing company. The organization specializes in the production of different grades of paint and paint containers. The paint production activities include; weighing of raw materials, drying of raw materials, dissolving of raw materials, material filtering, material stirring, product inspection and quality control and product packaging. The processes in paint container production comprise of cutting of sheet metal, sheet metal rolling, sheet metal pressing for overlapping hook, cutting of top cover, cutting of bottom cover, coiling of sheet metal to shape, pressing bottom cover to position.
The study reveals that the time it takes to produce a unit product is directly proportional to the number of production stages involved and the time spent at each of these production stages. This time is being represented by some structural equations which are characteristics of the system being studied. Keywords : Paint Production, Time Study Model, Paint Container and Product Inspection. Global Journal of Engineering Research Vol. 7 (1) 2008: pp. 15-19


Lemongrass [Cymbopogon flexuosus (Steud.) Wats, (syn. Andropogon nardus var. flexuosus Hack; A. flexuosus Nees)] is one of the most widely grown essential oil plants in the world. Field experiments were conducted at Verona and Poplarville, MS, to evaluate the effects of N (0, 40, 80, and 160 kg N/ha) and S (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg S/ha) on lemongrass biomass productivity, essential oil content, yield, and oil composition. Overall, the essential oil content varied within 0.35 to 0.6% of the dried biomass. The major constituents were geranial (25-53%), neral (20-45%), caryophyllene oxide (1.3-7.2%), and t-caryophyllene (0.3-2.2%). Biomass yields at Verona ranged from 9486 to 19,375 kg/ha, while oil yields ranged from 30 to 139 kg/ha. Overall, dry weight yields increased with the application of 80 kg N/ha relative to the 0 kg N/ha and with 160 kg of N/ha relative to the 0 and 40 kg N/ha treatments. At Poplarville, biomass yields varied from 8036 to 12,593 kg/ha, while oil yields ranged from 23.5 to 89.5 kg/ha. The application of N at 160 kg/ha at Poplarville increased dry weight yields relative to the N at 0 or 40 kg/ha rates, irrespective of the rate used for S. At Verona, within each S application rate, biomass yields were highest in Harvest 2, lower in Harvest 1, and the lowest in Harvest 3 (regrowth). The combined biomass yields of Harvest 1 and Harvest 3 would be lower, but oil yields would be higher compared to Harvest 2 (single-harvest system). Lemongrass can be grown as an annual essential oil crop in the southeastern United States, with a potential for dual utilization: essential oil and lignocellulosic material for ethanol production.


Coronary catheterization laboratories (CCLs) are the cornerstones of the delivery system for many cardiovascular procedures performed in the United States. However, few comprehensive data exist benchmarking physician activities in CCLs. This study benchmarks cost and time data on 82,548 consecutive patient encounters in 53 CCLs for the 18-month period of January 1997 through June 1998. The data are compiled from the OEP program, a relational database developed by Boston Scientific/Scimed (Maple Grove, Minnesota) for use in CCLs. CCL productivity (total time and procedure time) and cost (variable costs and device costs) benchmarks are created for: 1) left heart catheterization; 2) right and left heart catheterization; 3) percutaneous transluminal coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA); 4) atherectomy; and 5) coronary stents. Results show the variable costs (those costs that vary in direct proportion to changes in CCL activities) for the five procedures are: $308, left heart catheterization; $395, right and left heart catheterization; $841, PTCA; $2,768, atherectomy; and $3,186, coronary stent. These variable costs are lower than the typical average costs reported for these procedures because they do not include hospital, laboratory, and physician costs, only the procedure-specific activity-related costs most directly controlled and/or influenced by CCL physicians or administrators. The total time for the left heart catheterization averaged 64 minutes and 84 minutes for the right and left heart catheterization, respectively, and procedural times averaged 25 and 32 minutes, respectively. For the major interventional procedures N PTCA, atherectomy, and coronary stents, total times averages were 102, 135, and 117 minutes, respectively. Procedural times for these procedures averaged between 60 and 65 percent of the total time. The major implications of these findings are discussed and limitations noted.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Midkine (MK) is a multifunctional heparin-binding growth factor with a molecular weight of 13 kDa, which plays important roles in carcinogenesis. In order to study the action mechanism of MK,we employed a yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human liver cDNA library to determine the putative MK-interacting proteins. cDNA clones containing nucleotide sequences which encode latent transforming growth factor -beta binding protein-3 (LTBP-3) were obtained. The MK/LTBP-3 interaction was confirmed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. Furthermore, the interaction was analyzed in detail by yeast two-hybrid assay and GST pull down assay. The binding site of MK in LTBP-3 was mapped to the center of the protein, a tandem array of EGF-like repeats, by a fragment deletion analysis in yeast two-hybrid system. The eighth EGF-like domain of LTBP3 plays a critical role in the MK/LTBP-3 interaction in GST pull down assay. On the other hand, four basic amino acids (K-79, R-81, K-86 and K-87) present within the heparin-binding cluster I and II of MK are necessary for the two proteins binding process. These results indicate that MK can bind to LTBP-3, and locate to the eighth EGF-like domain. The heparin-binding clusters of MK are a multifunctional domain, which provide a potential mechanism whereby MK may participate in the TGF-beta system to interfere in carcinogenesis.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Chunhua Weng, Haojie Dong, Zhengping Xu. Latent transforming growth factor beta-binding protein-3 interacts with midkine. [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 5277. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5277


Background Social gatherings are frequent sources of COVID-19 infections, especially among youth. However, little is known about youth testing behaviors before and after gatherings. Our aim was to assess behaviors and perceptions of youth related to testing for COVID-19 before or after social gatherings in order to inform efforts to reduce disease spread. Methods Five open-ended questions were texted to participants aged 14–24 throughout the United States via MyVoice. Using a content analysis approach, two investigators reviewed responses by question, developed a codebook, and independently applied codes. Discrepancies were resolved via discussion. Code frequency and demographic data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results Of 1204 participants, 989 responded to at least one question (RR = 94.1%). The mean age was 20.2 years (SD: 2.4 years). Most participants (80.7%) reported testing for COVID-19 at least once. Most (70.6%) were likely to test following an event, especially "[i]f someone at the gathering tested positive," while a smaller number (50.9%) endorsed testing prior to a gathering. Of youth who would not get tested, being vaccinated was the highest reported. Conclusion Youth in our nationwide sample are likely to test for COVID-19 after an event, though less likely if they are vaccinated. Their desire to test is primarily driven by symptoms, exposures, and requirements. Youth are interested in increased access to home testing. Youth-centered communications regarding testing recommendations and increased test availability for youth may reduce COVID-19 spread among young people and inform future pandemic recommendations.


area is maximally overlapped by the right ventricle when viewed from the right anterior oblique 300 projection (one of the two views used by the authors) and it is for this reason that the anterior view is preferred,2 though even this does not entirely obviate problems of visualisation of inferobasal wall motion.3 The base of the left ventricle is similarly obscured in the left anterior oblique 45' projection by the aneurysm itself, which is closer to the collimator. Two solutions to this problem exist. Firstly, the patient should be imaged in either the left lateral4 or the left posterior oblique projection,5 each of which minimises interference with visualisation of left ventricular motion by the right ventricle. Secondly, the first-pass technique can be used. This separates the ventricles temporally rather than spatially and accounts for the high accuracy of this technique reported by Dymond et al.6 Although a multicrystal camera is optimal for first-pass use, the Anger camera is adequate for a gated first-pass study,' which may be obtained prior to equilibrium gated blood pool imaging with the same dose of radiopharmaceutical. The basal septum remains problematical as it is not well seen in profile by any of these methods wnen an apical aneurysm is present, and this may well be better visualised with single-photon emission tomography.


Systolic and diastolic blood pressures provide information about cardiovascular disease (CVD) but are only extremes of the pressure waveform during the cardiac cycle. We developed summaries of the pressure decay, called PTC1 and PTC2, that are related to arterial compliance and to an existing proprietary summary that has been shown to predict CVD. We derived the summaries from a Windkessel model (consisting of a decaying exponential plus a dampened cosine, with an intercept so they are independent of calibration with blood pressure, unlike the proprietary measures), and we estimated them using nonlinear least squares with standard, free software. Among 6,228 adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, initially free of CVD in 2000 – 2002, mean PTC2 was 94 (standard deviation, 46) milliseconds. During median 15-year follow-up, there were 911 CVD events (including 609 incidents of coronary heart disease and 270 strokes). One-standard-deviation higher PTC2 was associated with 17% (95% confidence interval: 10, 24) lower CVD risk, after adjustment for traditional risk factors. Results were similar for PTC1. PTC1 and PTC2 are relatively straightforward to compute and add information beyond traditional risk factors for prediction of CVD. Our work enables others to replicate and extend our results with waveforms from any suitable device.


The emergent situation of Covid-19 pandemic has affected all countries around the world. In fact, people from all different walks of life have been troubled by this outbreak. The educational systems as well have been imposed to transmit from on-site to on-line learning with poor preparation. Regarding the present educational situation, this study has been conducted with the aim of investigating the attitudes of EFL Iraqi learners towards on- line learning during Covid-19 pandemic. A descriptive research design has been used in this study. The study sample consists of (89) preparatory school students at Dr. Ali Al-Wardi high school for boys in Najaf – Iraq. The data have been collected by a questionnaire which consists of fifteen close ended items with three Likert scale: agree – neutral – disagree. These items include two essential topic areas: first, students' attitudes towards on-line learning (10 items), second, difficulties with on-line learning (6 items). The collected data were analysed via SPSS. The study results revealed that students welcome on-line learning during covid-19 pandemic and hold positive attitudes towards it. However, there are some drawbacks with on -line education concerning internet service/access, paying attention, workload, feasibility, and lack of social contact.


: Sodium fusidin prepared at the All-Union Research Institute of Antibiotics was studied experimentally and clinically. High antibacterial activity of fusidin especially against methicillin-resistant staphylococci was found. The clinical trials showed high efficacy of fusidin in treatment of perichondritis, osteomyelitis, pyodermia, pseudofurunculosis, multiple abscesses of the skin because of its satisfactory penetration into the skin and cartilage tissues, skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue. The tolerance of the drug by most of the patients was satisfactory.


Cisco's EIGRP is a hybrid routing protocol between distance vector and link-state routing protocols. EIGRP offers routing based on composite metric, which takes into account multiple factors and allows more granular and precise routing decisions based on the current state of the network. Cisco released basic specification of EIGRP as IETF's RFC draft in the beginning of 2013. This paper introduces one of the first freely available EIGRP design and a simulation model implementation that can be run and tested within OMNeT++ discrete


0.95. For males, the skewness of the BMI was 0.96. Mean 6MWT distance for the boys and girls were 581.70 ft (sd: 58.10) and 532.20 ft (sd: 52.60) respectively. The skewness of distance walked for females was neg. 0.26. The skewness of distance walked for males was neg. 0.76. The partial correlation between BMI and distance walked with the influence of gender removed was .10, which was not significant. The partial correlation between BMI and distance walked with the influence of age removed was .02, which again was not significant. Conclusions : The data was found to fit a normal distribution for both BMI and distance walked. There was no relationship between distance walked and BMI. It might be possible to use the data from these tests to intervene before children become obese or develop weight-related conditions, including diabetes mellitus and heart disease. By intervening through the increase of physical activity, children may develop more healthy lifestyles that will stay with them throughout adulthood. Clinical Relevance : The 6MWT may be a good test to use for children for many reasons. It is easy to administer, which should allow anyone to perform this test. Walking is a normal everyday activity and most typical children walk at least 6 minutes during the day so it is not necessary to practice the test. It is costeffective, does not involve many materials or equipment, is not time consuming and is easy to perform.