HSIEH, M.‐H., et al.: Mechanism of Spontaneous Transition from Typical Atrial Flutter to Atrial Fibrillation: Role of Ectopic Atrial Fibrillation Foci. Paroxysmal AF has been known to be initiated by ectopic beats, especially in the pulmonary veins (PVs), and radiofrequency catheter ablation could cure it. We considered that the spontaneous transition from typical atrial flutter to AF also could be initiated by ectopic beats. Twenty patients (18 men, mean age 66 ± 14 years) with episodes of spontaneous transition from typical atrial flutter to AF were included in this study. They underwent detailed mapping of both atria. All the patients had spontaneous AF initiated by ectopic beats, and all of them had typical atrial flutter and spontaneous transition from typical atrial flutter (12 patients with counterclockwise atrial flutter and 8 patients with clockwise atrial flutter) to AF. The transition was initiated by ectopic beats from the PVs (17 foci, 85%), crista terminalis (2 foci, 10%), and superior vena cava (1 focus, 5%). After successful ablation of AF foci, typical atrial flutter was induced again, but no spontaneous transition was found after at least 10 minutes of observation. We concluded that paroxysmal AF and spontaneous transition from typical atrial flutter to AF were initiated by ectopic beats, and successful catheter ablation of the ectopic foci can eliminate paroxysmal AF and spontaneous transition from typical atrial flutter to AF.


Using the lod score test, 85 combinations of 19 biochemical and immunogenetic markers and 7 natural and radiation-Induced chromosomal markers were checked with respect to linkage. Highly positive lod scores were obtained for the combination of the G blood-group locus with the rob (15; 17) centrlc-fuslon chromosome. Positive lod scores also were obtained for the G blood-group locus and the reciprocal translocation rep (2p+;15q—) marker chromosome. Thus, it was concluded that the locus for the G blood-group system may be on chromosome 15 of swine. For several combinations of markers it was possible to exclude linkage at certain recombination frequencies.


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #6057

*Wurtz SO and Klintman M contributed equally, Malstrom P and Brunner N shares the senior authorship. Background. Predictive markers are scarcely represented in breast cancer. TIMP-1 has in a previous study (n = 173) performed in our laboratory been shown to carry predictive information for the response to chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer as high tumor tissue levels of TIMP-1 were significantly associated with a low objective response rate to treatment with the most frequently used chemotherapeutic drugs (CMF or anthracyclines). The purpose of the present study was to validate these previous results with a new independent patient population. Methods. The TIMP-1 level was measured using a validated ELISA in 168 primary tumor extracts from patients with metastatic breast cancer and levels were associated with the objective response to CMF and anthracyclines. Patients were included in the study provided that they had received chemotherapy for their metastatic disease and that frozen tumor tissue as well as data on their objective response to chemotherapy was available. Results. The median TIMP-1 level in responders was 17.3 (2.9 – 75.8) ng TIMP-1/mg protein and in non-responders it was 19.6 (0-190.3) ng TIMP-1/mg protein. When analysed as a continuous log-transformed variable, increasing tumor levels of TIMP-1 were associated with a decreasing probability of objective response to CMF or anthracyclines (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.97 – 2.62, p = 0.07). This is very similar to the original study and thus supporting previous data. Next, we used a more clinically relevant approach for analysing the data from the validation study. For this analysis, objective response was scored as complete or partial response versus stable disease lasting at least six months (clinical benefit) versus progressive disease (non-response). This analysis showed that increasing levels of TIMP-1 were associated with a poor clinical benefit rate from chemotherapy (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.98 - 2.51, p=0.06). The original study has not previously been analysed using this endpoint. When performing this analysis, similar results were found (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.06 - 2.48, p = 0.02). Combining the new population and the original population in a pooled analysis (n = 341) using a random effects model showed that high levels of TIMP-1 were highly significantly associated with a poor clinical benefit rate from chemotherapy compared with patients with low levels (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.16 - 2.18, p=0.003). Conclusion. The present validation study supports previous findings that primary tumor tissue levels of TIMP-1 carries predictive information in metastatic breast cancer treated with chemotherapy.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 6057.


This article examines whether religiosity affects Swedish opinion on the European Union (EU) using sur-vey data from 1998 conducted by the SOM Institute, Goteborg University. The findings support the notion that religiosity affects Swedish EU opinion. Members of the free churches (nonconformist Protestants) tend to oppose Swedish EU membership, whereas no such tendency is visible among active members of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Sweden (the traditional state church). Members of immigrant churches and adherents to non-Christian religions tend to support Swedish EU membership. The difference between the Church of Sweden and the free churches is explained by the uneven distribution of evangelical values. Supportfor Swedish EU membership is on the same low level among evangelicals and equally high among mainline Protestants in both religious orientations. Controlling for demographic factors does not change the conclusions.


In order to calculate the transmit power in shell-mapping-based transmission schemes, the frequencies of the shells are required. In this correspondence, a simple but general method for the calculation of these frequencies is derived. The method has approximately the same complexity as the shell-mapping encoder. As an example, the method is shown in detail for the shell-mapping scheme specified for the international telephone-line V.34 modem standard. Moreover, a very simple approximation is given which is tight for large constellations.


Introduction: Insufficient tissue oxygen (O2) availability (hypoxia) is commonly seen in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) ,chronic kidney diseases (CKD), respiratory diseases and certain cancers. Although erythrocyte is the only cell type responsible for delivering and sensoring O2, its function in pathological tissue hypoxia remains largely unknown. Hypothesis: Erythrocyte A2B adenosine receptor (ADORA2B) plays a key protective role in Ang II-induced tissue damage by increasing 2,3-biphosphoglycerate(2, 3-BPG) and oxygen release to counteract tissue hypoxia. Methods: We infused angiotensin II (Ang II, 140ng/kg/min) to mice with specific deletion of ADORA2B in erythrocytes (ADORA2B f/f /EpoR-Cre + ) for 14 days and measured the levels of 2,3-BPG,P50,p-AMPK in erythrocytes of mild and severe CKD patients. Results: We found that 2,3-BPG, an erythrocyte-specific metabolite enhancing O2 delivery, was significantly induced in the erythrocytes of mice infused with Ang II. Mouse genetic studies demonstrated that Ang II induced local tissue accumulation of adenosine and that elevated adenosine-mediated erythrocyte ADORA2B activation was beneficial by inducing 2,3-BPG production, triggering O2 release to counteract tissue hypoxia, heart and kidney damage including proteinuria along with the mRNA levels of collagen I, fibronectin, prepro-ET-1 and endothelin receptor type A, which are known tissue damage associated genes. Mechanistically, we revealed that AMPK is an intracellular signaling molecular functioning downstream of ADORA2B underlying elevated 2,3-BPG production by inducing BPG mutase activity and protects tissue hypoxia, kidney dysfunction and renal fibrosis. Finally, we translated our mouse study to human and confirmed that the levels of 2,3-BPG, P50 and p-AMPK were elevated in erythrocytes of hypertensive CKD patients compared to healthy individuals and correlated to disease severity. Conclusions: We demonstrate that erythrocyte ADORA2B-mediated AMPK activation plays a key protective role in Ang II-induced tissue damage by increasing 2, 3-BPG and oxygen release to counteract tissue hypoxia and immediately suggest novel therapies for hypertension and CKD.


Purpose : This study aims at improving the understanding of the behavior of Portuguese consumers regarding vacations in a severe recessionary context, as well as providing knowledge contributing to the consumer behavior field of research as far as the hospitality industry is concerned. Design : Having that purpose in mind, a quantitative study was conducted using data gathered by questionnaire involving a sample of 450 respondents. Results of the quantitative analysis were further complemented with the information previously collected using Netnography. Findings: The overall analysis suggests that the impact of the crisis on the household financial situation throughout the last couple of years influences decisions towards family vacations. When referring to attitudes toward money and expenses, the perception consumers have of how much their purchase and consumption behavior was affected by the crisis has a clear impact to the maximum amount spent on holidays, travel and tourism by the household. Indeed, nowadays customers better ponder every purchase they make, and they often imagine what they would do if they had more money – and, specifically, regarding tourism products. Practical Implications : There is evidence of a significant relationship between the change in holiday plans and how much the household was affected by the crisis. Also, it is important to note that the main sources of information chosen by customers to base their decisions regarding changing holiday's plans reflects their change in behavior, since the cheapest strategies to communicate and gather information are the ones most used: e-word of mouth and digital platforms.


The construction of a 125-m-high earth-and-rock-fill dam across the river Ramganga near Kalagarh was completed in early 1974. Its reservoir with a capacity of 2.49 ×109 m3 was partially filled during the 1974 summer monsoon. A detailed seismicity study has been made using the data from 2 month's microearthquake recording to determine the possible effect of reservoir filling. No interrelationship of seismic activity and reservoir filling has been found.


In this paper, we investigate whether multilingual neural translation models learn stronger semantic abstractions of sentences than bilingual ones. We test this hypotheses by measuring the perplexity of such models when applied to paraphrases of the source language. The intuition is that an encoder produces better representations if a decoder is capable of recognizing synonymous sentences in the same language even though the model is never trained for that task. In our setup, we add 16 different auxiliary languages to a bidirectional bilingual baseline model (English-French) and test it with in-domain and out-of-domain paraphrases in English. The results show that the perplexity is significantly reduced in each of the cases, indicating that meaning can be grounded in translation. This is further supported by a study on paraphrase generation that we also include at the end of the paper.


This note uses current data from Korea, to show how societal, and cultural constraints influence men's and women's labor force participation, and work lifecycle. The impacts of collective economic, and social change on men and women in the labor market, are varied and distinct. The analysis reveals that aggregate statistics, such as male-female unemployment figures, are not directly comparable because they do not capture the changes within the labor force, nor do they reflect the cultural, legal, and institutional obstacles facing men and women. Yet, an analysis of readily available gender disaggregated statistics concerning male and female entry into, position within, and exit from the labor force provides important insights. Confucian traditions, and a patriarchal family system, create a foothold for gender discrimination, that permeates society, and the economy, heavily influencing the labor market. It is highlighted that lifecycle participation in the labor force is different for men than for women, and, that men and women also have different status, and wages once inside the work force. Consequently, when the East Asian economic, and financial crises hit, it had different impacts on men, and on women. It is suggested that gender sensitive analysis be supported, taking into account awareness of the different starting points, and labor force experiences of men and women, caused by both cultural, and educational behaviors, and biases.


Internet development has initiated an industry 4.0 evolution, where the production process can be arranged virtually and connected with large data services. The use of big data in all fields now also impacts on the health sector better known as health 4.0. This study analyzes the use of big data in the era of industry 4.0 in the health domain with the aim of knowing how much the benefits of big data technology and health 4.0 can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In this study, we took papers online and conducted an analogous review process. The results of the paper that we reviewed further provided us with an overview and proposal for a scheme for monitoring infectious diseases such as TB by utilizing big data. And open new opportunities to understand public health and the prevention of infectious diseases in the health era 4.0.


Four hundred and fifty eight water samples collected from domestic tanks and taps and community taps were analysed for bacterial contamination. Faecal pollution was more in domestic tanks and taps in Mehmoodabad, Korangi and least in water collected from community taps of Liaquatabad, Korangi and Mehmoodabad. Bacteria isolated were mostly E. coli, Enterobacter sp, Klebsiella sp. and A. faecalis, while other organisms (except Pseudomonas) were found in lower numbers. Salmonella para typhi and para typhi B, Shigella dysenteriae and Aeremonas sp. were found in Clifton area. Parasite (Fluke) was isolated from one water sample only.


The copolymerization of propylene oxide (PO) with t etrahydrofuran (THF) catalyzed by Maghnite-H + (Mag-H + ) was investigated. Mag-H + , a nontoxic catalyst for cationic polymerization o f vinylic and heterocyclic monomers, is a montmorillonite silicate sheet clay. This catalys t was prepared through a straight forward proton ex change process. It was found that the copolymerization in bulk is initiated by Mag-H + at room temperature. Various techniques, including H 1 NMR, IR, and Ubbelohde viscometer were used to eluc idate structural characteristics of the resulting copolymers. The effects of the amount of Mag-H + and propylene oxide were studied. The copolymeriza tion yield increased as the proportions of catalyst and propylene oxide were increased. Finally, a mechanis m for the reaction was proposed.


Allergic rhinitis is conventionally treated with anti-histamine or immunotherapy, although in many cases the results are unsatisfactory. Using a contact type Nd:YAG laser we have succeeded in relieving the symptoms of rhinitis by thermocoagulating only the inferior turbinate, making this a quick and effective form of treatment. The subjects were 60 patients with severe house-dust induced allergic rhinitis presented to the out-patient clinic of the ENT department of Nagoya City University Hospital. There were 25 men and 35 women ranging in age from 17 to 53 years. Patients were irradiated at an output of 10 W for 0.5 s for a total of about 386 joules for both nasal cavities. Prior to the procedure, surface anesthesia was applied using 10% cocaine. The irradiation was completed in only one out-patients session. The effects of this therapy were evaluated using 4 points to express the degree of subjective symptoms and intranasal findings. From one week before surgery the patient was asked to record symptoms (sneezing, blowing, blockage) every day, and to continue this recording until 4 weeks after surgery. After surgery no drugs were used. The effects were evaluated by adding up the total scores for sneezing, blowing, and blockage at one week intervals, and comparing the total scores between one week pre-operatively and those 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks post-operatively. Full effect, including disappearance of symptoms, was obtained in 80%, good effect in 10%, fair effect in 5%, and no effect in 5%.


. COVID-19 is a multisystem disease, but the extent of its consequences is currently poorly understood, especially in the persons with metabolic disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the special changes in the cytokines of IL-6 family (IL-6 and sIL-6, LIF and sLIFr), adiponectin and leptin within 360 days after SARS-CoV-2 infection in the patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), to discern features of immunopathogenesis depending on previous vaccination against COVID-19. We have classified the patients in two groups: (1) patients with MetS who underwent COVID-19 6-12 months after full-course vaccination with a vector vaccine (n = 32); (2) patients with MetS who underwent COVID-19 without story of vaccination (n = 29). Control group included conditionally healthy individuals without MetS: (3) vaccinated, and (4) non-vaccinated, who also had COVID-19. The levels of IL-6 and sIL-6, LIF and sLIFr, leptin and adiponectin, NO, ADMA, SDMA were determined by ELISA technique. In patients with MetS, changes in cytokine regulation towards proinflammatory reactions were revealed (an increase in blood IL-6 and leptin levels), which was most pronounced in MetS within first 30 days post-COVID, but with a number of changes which remained for 12 months (e.g., increased leptin concentration in blood). Vaccination against COVID-19 reduced the severity of pro-inflammatory changes in the sIL- 6r/ IL-6 and leptin/adiponectin systems towards protective adiponectin. However, the persistent increase in leptin was not canceled. When interpreting these results, no negative differences were revealed in the group of once vaccinated individuals with MetS, concerning the mentioned cytokine regulations of MetS over 1 year after COVID-19. The univariate, and then multifactorial correlation analysis between serum contents of sIL- 6r/ IL- 6, LIF/ sLIFr, adiponectin and leptin and the levels of vasoactive substances (NO, ADMA and SDMA), glycated hemoglobin, LDL has shown that the increased ratio of sIL-6r/IL-6 is an independent factor for the NO reduction of (r = 0.74, p < 0.01); an increase in sLIFr positively correlates with increase in glycated hemoglobin (r = 0.69, p < 0.01), and an association with increase of ADMA (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), leptin (in this model) are shown to be an independent factor of LDL increase (r = 0.69, p < 0.05). Influence of «pre-COVID» modifiable factors, in particular, vaccination, is relevant in terms of reducing the likelihood of progression of pre-existing chronic diseases (hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus) in the persons with MetS after COVID-19 and has prospects for implementation into clinical practice.


This article analyzes, in the context of the sociocultural theory, aspects of the discursive dynamic of a classroom in which writing and orthographic rules were taught. The data were recorded in video and the transcriptions, organized in teaching episodes, were submitted to microgenetic analysis. From the analysis it can be inferred that the teacher discourse is heterogeneous since it lets the students participate in the process of enunciation and, at the same time, controls the production of univocal meanings related to the orthographic rules. The data also indicate that students internalize not only the teaching contents but also more general aspects of the school discourse, as disciplinary rules and metacognitive strategies of learning.


The relevance of the work is explained by the need to restore the lost potential of polymetallic extraction from the deposits of the Sadonsky ore node using the existing infrastructure and favorable geographical conditions for yearround operation. The purpose of the work. Theoretical and experimental substantiation of the technological possibility and economic feasibility of converting traditional development technologies to technologies for obtaining metals and other marketable products by leaching substandard metal-containing raw materials. Research methods: generalization, systematization, and analysis of theoretical and experimental studies with the acquisition of a data bank for the design of technologies for the extraction and processing of remaining reserves in the subsurface and man-made reserves on the Earth's surface. Research results. The concept of environmental protection and resource-saving technology for the development of deposits of the type under consideration is formulated. The volume of potentially possible substandard ore reserves and mining and processing waste in the regions of the North Caucasus is estimated. The results of pioneering studies of the processes of extracting metals from ores, industrial effluents and man-made raw materials, including the processing of non-conditioned ores and their enrichment waste in a disintegrator using mechanochemical activation of the metal extraction process, are presented. The prospects of using innovative technologies in the region are assessed. It is shown that the prospects for resuscitation of mining production depend on the effectiveness of combining technologies and minimizing losses when using the available raw material base, determined by economic and mathematical modeling taking into account the environmental component.


The use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for classification tasks has become dominant in various medical imaging applications. At the same time, recent advances in interpretable machine learning techniques have shown great potential in explaining classifiers' decisions. Layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) has been introduced as one of these novel methods that aim to provide visual interpretation for the network's decisions. In this work we propose the application of 3D CNNs with LRP for the first time for neonatal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data analysis. Through LRP, the decisions of our trained classifier are transformed into heatmaps indicating each voxel's relevance for the outcome of the decision. Our resulting LRP heatmaps reveal anatomically plausible features in distinguishing preterm neonates from term ones.


We address a class of McKean-Vlasov (MKV) control problems with common noise, called polynomial conditional MKV, and extending the known class of linear quadratic stochastic MKV control problems. We show how this polynomial class can be reduced by suitable Markov embedding to finite-dimensional stochastic control problems, and provide a discussion and comparison of three probabilistic numerical methods for solving the reduced control problem: quantization, regression by control randomization, and regress-later methods. Our numerical results are illustrated on various examples from portfolio selection and liquidation under drift uncertainty, and a model of interbank systemic risk with partial observation.


Distributed consensus is integral to modern distributed systems. The widely adopted Paxos algorithm uses two phases, each requiring majority agreement, to reliably reach consensus. In this paper, we demonstrate that Paxos, which lies at the foundation of many production systems, is conservative. Specifically, we observe that each of the phases of Paxos may use non-intersecting quorums. Majority quorums are not necessary as intersection is required only across phases.
Using this weakening of the requirements made in the original formulation, we propose Flexible Paxos, which generalizes over the Paxos algorithm to provide flexible quorums. We show that Flexible Paxos is safe, efficient and easy to utilize in existing distributed systems. We conclude by discussing the wide reaching implications of this result. Examples include improved availability from reducing the size of second phase quorums by one when the number of acceptors is even and utilizing small disjoint phase-2 quorums to speed up the steady-state.


Cancer imaging using 18F-fluromisonidazole (18F-FMISO) has been developed over the past 30 y and is the most established agent for noninvasively assessing hypoxia. Research into hypoxia imaging agents began, as many imaging agents arise, through laboratory investigations using cultured cancer cells in controlled oxygen environments (1). Development of 18F-FMISO was validated through studies of cell spheroids, animal imaging and tissue validation (2–4), and eventually human imaging in cancer patients (5). The process of development of a PET imaging agent for hypoxia in human imaging necessarily proceeded from a complex dynamic imaging protocol with concomitant arterial sampling to a simple clinically feasible static imaging session without blood sampling, maintaining quantitative accuracy required to make the imaging study clinically useful. Current static imaging methods for 18F-FMISO quantification of hypoxia distribution have been shown to be useful in the prediction of outcome and time to progression in a wide range of cancers (6–9). We have proposed using 18F-FMISO hypoxic volume distribution, where hypoxic volume comprises the pixels greater than a tissueto-blood ratio of 1.2, for planning hypoxia-targeted regions for escalated radiotherapy dose (10). This approach has been tested in patients with head and neck cancer and was found to be not only feasible, but also superior to uniform dose prescription (11–13). In the March 2016 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a proposal is provided using a dynamic imaging sequence with kinetic analysis of 18F-FMISO, potentially to generate an equivalent image of hypoxia for dose planning (14). A similar distribution from dynamic 18F-FMISO imaging would require a much longer dynamic imaging session and possibly blood sampling for input function determination, in addition to specialized software for the creation of parametric images from the dynamic sequence. Dynamic imaging protocols are not considered clinically feasible for routine imaging performed at most medical centers unless they have been demonstrated to provide substantial added benefit over simple static images, in a positive cost–benefit ratio. Dynamic imaging is time consuming, and blood sampling, counting, and cross-calibration with the scanner are complex and not readily extensible to a nonresearch clinical imaging center. Additionally, some clinical scanners cannot perform dynamic acquisition and many centers do not have the technical expertise to process dynamic image data. Moreover, we are not aware of any study that has shown with convincing evidence that dynamic imaging of 18F-FMISO has added value in the discrimination of tumor hypoxia or has shown an advantage in predicting outcome variables commonly used to manage patients in the clinic, such as time-to-progression or overall survival. Some reports hypothesized that the combination of severe chronic tissue hypoxia along with abnormal vasculature may lead to low total uptake of 18F-FMISO late after injection, but this has never been shown in human 18F-FMISO imaging. If chronic hypoxia occurs in tumors, even with restricted delivery over 2 h of tracer uptake, 18F-FMISO will be reduced and fixed in the tissue by bioreduction from ubiquitous nitroreductase enzymes in cells that are alive. With acute hypoxia, transient oxygen peaks can release 18F-FMISO from tissue, lowering the bound tracer signal. 18F-FMISO was never designed to assess acute transient hypoxia, and dynamic imaging may play a role in assessing that situation if and when it is clinically relevant. For many cancers, including those of the head and neck, the 18F-FMISO static imaging protocol has become as facile as 18F-FDG imaging, allowing quantitation by normalizing uptake to a blood pool in the field of view. From the patient's perspective, it is as easy as a bone scan and it does not require fasting, as is required with 18F-FDG PET. The essential parameters are easily obtained for assessing hypoxia, stratifying patients for hypoxia-selective drugs, or delineating severely hypoxic regions for a radiation boost. Adding complexity and imaging time without added value to the clinical assessment of hypoxia is unnecessary. However, there may be some areas of imaging research that benefit from dynamic acquisition of 18F-FMISO to validate the biochemistry of nitroreductase enzymes or genetic signatures associated with chronic hypoxia. For example, there is some suggestion that transient hypoxia occurs as a late response in patients treated with bevacizumab, and this could be a clinical situation in which dynamic 18F-FMISO imaging would have an advantage in assessing transient hypoxia. To summarize, 18F-FMISO PET started with 2-h dynamic protocols with kinetic analysis, but clinical studies have affirmed that static images at a time after injection when this freely diffusible radiopharmaceutical has distributed uniformly to normoxic tissue is useful. At this time after tracer injection only hypoxic tissues show increased uptake well above the equilibrium ratio of 1. The nuclear medicine community is best served by keeping protocols as simple as possible, and it is the requirement of investigators proposing more complicated studies to show prospectively that there is added Received Jan. 15, 2016; revision accepted Jan. 19, 2016. For correspondence or reprints contact: Mark Muzi, University of Washington, Molecular Imaging Center, 1959 NE Pacific St., Rm. RR650 Neurology 356465, Seattle, WA 98195-6465. E-mail: email@example.com Published online Feb. 18, 2016. COPYRIGHT © 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc. DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.115.171694


In this paper, we are interested in the use of domain ontologies as a semantic enrichment for traditional databases. Our first aim is to help the user in his search when his initial query doesn't return any result. So, we propose a solution based on two different approaches allowing the user to express his interrogation in a relatively free way. The first approach detects and resolves naming and schematic conflicts. It is an ontological approach for SQL query expansion generating a set of queries. The second one is a join detection approach to eventually add all missed constraints in each generated query.


This white paper was submitted to the US Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro2020) and defines the science questions to be answered in the next decade in the field of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic-Rays. Following a review of the recent experimental and theoretical advances in the field, the paper outlines strategies and requirements desirable for the design of future experiments.


We explore a new approach to programming swarm user interfaces (Swarm UI) by leveraging direct physical manipulation. Existing Swarm UI applications are written using a robot programming framework: users work on a computer screen and think in terms of low-level controls. In contrast, our approach allows programmers to work in physical space by directly manipulating objects and think in terms of high-level interface design. Inspired by current UI programming practices, we introduce a four-step workflow-create elements, abstract attributes, specify behaviors, and propagate changes-for Swarm UI programming. We propose a set of direct physical manipulation techniques to support each step in this workflow. To demonstrate these concepts, we developed Reactile, a Swarm UI programming environment that actuates a swarm of small magnets and displays spatial information of program states using a DLP projector. Two user studies-an in-class survey with 148 students and a lab interview with eight participants-confirm that our approach is intuitive and understandable for programming Swarm UIs.


Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a quantum-physical phenomenon where energy may be transferred from one molecule to a neighbor molecule if the molecules are close enough. Using fluorophore molecule marking of proteins in a cell, it is possible to measure in microscopic images to what extent FRET takes place between the fluorophores. This provides indirect information of the spatial distribution of the proteins. Questions of particular interest are whether (and if so to which extent) proteins of possibly different types interact or whether they appear independently of each other. In this paper we propose a new likelihood-based approach to statistical inference for FRET microscopic data. The likelihood function is obtained from a detailed modeling of the FRET data-generating mechanism conditional on a protein configuration. We next follow a Bayesian approach and introduce a spatial point process prior model for the protein configurations depending on hyperparameters quantifying the intensity of the point process. Posterior distributions are evaluated using Markov chain Monte Carlo. We propose to infer microscope-related parameters in an initial step from reference data without interaction between the proteins. The new methodology is applied to simulated and real datasets.


In this paper, we propose and analyze the positioning technique using TH-PPM ultra wideband for indoor environment. We employed AWGN and IEEE 802.15.3a channel as a simulation environment and used to TDOA algorithm. Positioning technique using ultra wideband has high accuracy in indoor environment. From the simulation results, it is analyzed the probability of error and positioning performance for channel effects and confirmed usefulness of the proposed scheme.


The spot-diffusing geometry is one of the attractive configurations considered in the literature. It provides a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than the conventional diffuse system (CDS), but its SNR can be degraded due to shadowing, signal blockage and mobility. Three methods: imaging reception, beam angle and beam power adaptation are introduced to the design of spot-diffusing OW systems to effectively mitigate the degradation due to mobility in the presence of ambient light noise, multipath propagation, and shadowing. The performance of our systems was evaluated through channel and noise modeling. The CDS SNR performance improves by more than 20 dB when an imaging receiver with maximum ratio combining (MRC) replaces a non-imaging receiver. A 24 dB SNR gain can be achieved when spot-diffusing is employed with an imaging MRC receiver instead of the imaging MRC CDS. In an imaging spot-diffusing system, the SNR is independent of the transmitter position and can be maximized at all receiver locations when our new methods (beam angle and beam power adaptation) are implemented. Regardless of the transmitter position, beam angle adaptation can target the spots at the optimum location that yields the best SNR at the receiver. A significant SNR improvement of 36 dB in the imaging spot-diffusing performance can be achieved when angle adaptation is introduced. Further SNR improvement of 4 dB can be obtained if the power is adaptively distributed among the spots. Furthermore, an increase in the channel bandwidth from 43 MHz (non-imaging CDS) to 8.19 GHz can be achieved through the combination of these methods (imaging reception, spot-diffusing, beam angle and beam power adaptation). The increase in channel bandwidth and SNR can enable the OW system to achieve higher data rates and 2.5 Gbit/s and 5 Gbit/s mobile OW systems are shown to be feasible. The results also prove that the influence of shadowing and signal blockage can be sufficiently combated through the use of these methods.


Variational principles for magnetohydrodynamics were introduced by previous authors both in Lagrangian and Eulerian form. In this paper we introduce simpler Eulerian variational principles from which all the relevant equations of non-barotropic magnetohydrodynamics can be derived for certain field topologies. The variational principle is given in terms of five independent functions for non-stationary barotropic flows. This is less than the eight variables which appear in the standard equations of barotropic magnetohydrodynamics which are the magnetic field $\boldsymbol{B}$ the velocity field $\boldsymbol{v}$ , the entropy $s$ and the density ${\it\rho}$ .


We report an explosive transition from incoherence to synchronization of coupled phase oscillators on adaptive networks, following an Achlioptas process based on dynamic clustering information. During each adaptive step of the network topology, a portion of the links is randomly removed and the same amount of new links is generated following the so-called product rules (PRs) applied to the dynamic clusters. Particularly, two types of PRs are considered, namely, the min-PR and max-PR. We demonstrate that the synchronization transition becomes explosive in both cases. Interestingly, we find that the min-PR rule can lead to disassortativity of the network topology, while the max-PR rule leads to assortativity.


We demonstrate that large-scale autofluorescent tea polyphenol (TP)-based core@shell nanostructures can be assembled by one-pot preparation under microwave irradiation within 1 min. The formation mechanism of the heterogeneous well-defined core@shell nanocomposites involves microwave-assisted oxidation-inducing self-assembly and directed aggregation. The strategy is general to construct Ag@TP and Au@TP nanocomposites. Moreover, a simple galvanic replacement reaction was introduced to synthesize hollow Au/Ag@TP bioconjugates with near-infrared (NIR) absorption, which could be exploited for NIR cancer diagnosis and treatment. It could be expected that more complex alloy@TP nanostructures can be obtained under proper reaction conditions. Furthermore, as a first application, it is shown that the heterogeneous Ag@TP nanostructures can strongly inhibit Escherichia coli growth, while they exhibit no obvious normal cell toxicity. The sharp contrast of the two effects promises that the nanocomposites are excellent low toxicity biomaterials for selective antibacterial treatment.


Objective: To determine association of Sex steroid priming on Growth hormone stimulation test in tertiary care hospital settings Rawalpindi.
Study design: Cross sectional study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Rawalpindi from January 2018 to June 2018.
Methodology: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted after the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at AFIP from January 2018 to June 2018. Data was collected from 149 children of 9-13 year of age reported to endocrinology clinic AFIP, after informed consent. Inclusion criteria included healthy adults with age of 9-13 years with no minor or subclinical illness or endocrinology disorders like hypothyroid, Cushing syndrome or Addison disease. Patients with comorbidity like cancer, tuberculosis and bed ridden patients were excluded from study. Sampling technique was non probability convenience sampling which was done in endocrine clinic of AFIP.
Results: A total of 149 patients were inducted in study who visited Endocrine clinic in AFIP. Mean age of participants was 9.9 ± 3.9 year while 96 (64.4%) were male and 52 (34.9%) were female. Total of 149 patients there were 100 (67.1%) patients were below 3rd percentile, while 44 (29.5%) were above 3rd percentile but below 50th percentile and 4 (2.7%) were at 50th percentile. Independent T test was applied for Priming and response level after growth hormone stimulation test and it gives significant level (P value=0.00) which is considered significant (P value <0.05).
Conclusion: This study concluded that priming after sex steroids can effect on growth hormone level in pre pubertal children's and it will help in appropriate diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency.


Abstract It is claimed that the Six Sigma programme brings competitive advantages to companies that implement it. This paper studies the validity of this claim by positioning Six Sigma in the paradigms provided by the literature on competitive strategy. The main functionality of Six Sigma projects is to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency. A continual improvement of operational effectiveness and efficiency is vital in order to avoid competitive disadvantage, however it is all but straightforward to convert the results into sustainable profitability. It is more about staying in the race than about getting ahead. In order to use Six Sigma strategically, a company should do more than just conduct Six Sigma projects by the book, but develop the competencies that the programme can bring to an organization. These competencies – disciplined and effective problem solving and decision behaviour – have the potential to be a source of competitive advantage, when integrated with a company's strategy.


Meagan Ross is a Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She received a B.S. in Computer Science from Texas Woman's University, and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a micro-optoelectromechanical systems engineer for Texas Instruments. Meagan began working for Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE) in the area of teacher professional development in 2009. Meagan is passionate about providing awareness of engineering to K-12 teachers & counselors so that they can inform and advocate this important career to their students. Her research interests include gender equity in the K-12 Classroom, assessment of K-12 engineering education, curriculum development, and teacher professional development.


Protein folding by chaperonins is powered by ATP binding and hydrolysis. ATPase activity drives the folding machine through a series of conformational rearrangements, extensively described for the group I chaperonin GroEL from Escherichia coli but still poorly understood for the group II chaperonins. The latter--archaeal thermosome and eukaryotic TRiC/CCT--function independently of a GroES-like cochaperonin and are proposed to rely on protrusions of their own apical domains for opening and closure in an ATP-controlled fashion. Here we use small-angle neutron scattering to analyze structural changes of the recombinant alpha-only and the native alphabeta-thermosome from Thermoplasma acidophilum upon their ATPase cycling in solution. We show that specific high-salt conditions, but not the presence of MgATP alone, induce formation of higher order thermosome aggregates. The mechanism of the open-closed transition of the thermosome is strongly temperature-dependent. ATP binding to the chaperonin appears to be a two-step process: at lower temperatures an open state of the ATP-thermosome is predominant, whereas heating to physiological temperatures induces its switching to a closed state. Our data reveal an analogy between the ATPase cycles of the two groups of chaperonins and enable us to put forward a model of thermosome action.


The Taguchi method, a powerful tool to design optimization for quality, is used to find the optimal control parameters of strapdown line-of-sight stable tracking platform mounted on the intelligent vehicle to isolate the perception sensors from vehicle angular disturbance and maintain the stability line-of-sight relative to horizontal plane. An orthogonal array, the signal-to-noise(S/N) ratio, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to investigation the integrated tracking performance of stable platform. Through this study, not only can the optimal control parameters for line-of-sight stabilization of perception sensors be obtained, but also the significant control parameters that affect the integrated tracking performance in the process of stable tracking for sensor's line-of-sight can be found. The results show that the complex problem such as mutual influence and mutual restriction of multiple influence factors caused by multi gimbals of platform, and the difficulties of determining control parameter accurately can be settled through Taguchi method. The experiment result not only confirmed the effectiveness of this approach, but also lays down an applied foundation for the further studying dynamic control of vehicle-borne strapdown line-of-sight stable tracking platform.


Background/aims Fetal haemoglobin (HbF) has an oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve that may affect systemic oxygenation and the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The study aim is to characterise the effects of HbF levels on systemic oxygenation and ROP development. Methods Prospective study conducted from 1 September 2017 through 31 December 2018 at the Johns Hopkins NICU. Preterm infants with HbF measured at birth, 31, 34 and 37 weeks post-menstrual age (PMA), complete blood gas and SpO2 recorded up to 42 weeks PMA, and at least one ROP exam were included. Results Sixty-four preterm infants were enrolled. Higher HbF was associated with significantly higher SpO2, lower PCO2, lower FiO2 from birth to 31 weeks PMA and 31 to 34 weeks PMA (rs=0.51, rs=−0.62 and rs=−0.63; p<0.0001 and rs=0.71, rs=−0.58 and rs=−0.79; p<0.0001, respectively). To maintain oxygen saturation goals set by the neonatal intensive care unit, higher median FiO2 was required for HbF in the lowest tercile from birth compared with HbF in the highest tercile to 31 weeks and 31 to 34 weeks PMA; FiO2=35 (21–100) versus 21 (21–30) p<0.006 and FiO2=30 (28–100) versus 21 (21–30) p<0.001, respectively. Preterm infants with ROP had poorer indices of systemic oxygenation, as measured by median levels of SpO2 and PCO2, and lower levels of HbF (p<0.039 and p<0.0001, respectively) up to 34 weeks PMA. Conclusion Low HbF levels correlated with poor oxygenation indices and increased risk for ROP. O2 saturation goals to prevent ROP may need to incorporate relative amount of HbF.


195 Background: Three PRTs address the role adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following radical prostatectomy (RP) in men with locally advanced and/or margin positive prostate cancer (PCa), one of which demonstrated an improvement in overall survival by the addition of early RT. Not addressed in these studies is the role of adjuvant RT in lymph node positive (LN+) PCa.

METHODS
We reviewed an IRB-approved prospective database at the Cleveland Clinic and identified 84 men with non-metastatic, LN+ PCa treated with RP from 1987-2010. Men receiving neoadjuvant therapy or adjuvant RT were excluded from this analysis. Pelvic failure (PF) was defined as recurrence in the prostate bed or pelvic LN up to the common iliacs. Distant failures (DF) were defined as any LN recurrence beyond the common iliacs, bone, or other solid organ metastases. Kaplan-Meier estimates of pelvic failure (PF), distant failure (DF) and overall survival (OS) were conducted.

RESULTS
Median follow-up was 6 years. The median initial PSA was 10.1 ng/mL, 50% had Gleason 7, 12% had Gleason 8, 31% had Gleason 9 disease. The median number of LNs dissected was 11 (range 1-49) and 36% had >1 LN+. Extracapsular extension was present in 90%, seminal vesicle invasion in 66%, and surgical margins positive in 55%. The 6 week post-operative PSA was undetectable (<0.2 ng/ml) in 58%. Overall, 41% received immediate androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and 45% received delayed ADT after biochemical or clinical failure, while 23% received salvage RT and 22% received chemotherapy. The 10-year OS was 61%. Clinically documented PF and DF occurred in 14% and 24%, respectively. Gleason score was the factor most predictive of PF, DF, and OS. Comparing Gleason score of ≤7 vs. ≥8, the 5-year PF rate was 3% vs. 24% (p=0.006), the 5-year DF rate was 2% vs. 37% (p<0.0001), and 5-year OS was 97% vs. 74% (p<0.0001), respectively. The number of LN+ was not prognostic.

CONCLUSIONS
Men with Gleason score ≥8 LN+ PCa have a high rate of pelvic recurrence, and pelvic radiation may be worthy of prospective investigation.


Repeated puddling for rice cultivation and extensive tillage during wheat cultivation in the north-west of India has adversely affected soil health. Adoption of resource conservation technologies (RCTs) is required for long-term sustainability of conventional rice–wheat systems. However, the behaviour of these technologies is site-specific. A field study was conducted in 2016 to evaluate the medium-term impact of tillage and residue retention on soil physical and biological characteristics. Four treatments were imposed during 2011: conventionally-tilled (CT) rice followed by CT wheat all without residue retention (–M); zero-tilled (ZT) rice followed by ZT wheat and –M; CT rice followed by CT wheat and all with residue retention (+M); and ZT direct-seeded rice followed by ZT wheat and +M. In the surface layer (0–15 cm) of ZT, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock was higher by 15%, mean weight diameter (MWD) by 31.8% and bulk density (BD) by 4% compared to CT averaged across residue treatments. Irrespective of tillage, SOC stock was increased by 19% and MWD by 39% and BD decreased by 1.8% in +M compared with –M in the 0–15 cm soil layer. Infiltration rate was higher in +M than –M irrespective of tillage. Microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration and soil enzymatic activities were higher in ZT and +M than CT and –M respectively. Thus, medium-term adoption of RCTs such as ZT and residue retention enhanced soil physical and biological properties in this dry-seeded rice–wheat system. However, whether retaining wheat residue improves soil physical and biological properties requires further investigation.


Evidence suggests improved outcomes for patients requiring emergency admission to hospital are associated with improved emergency department (ED) efficiency and lower transit times. Factors preventing timely transfers of emergency patients to in-patient beds across the ED-in-patient interface are major causes for ED crowding, for which several remedial strategies are possible, including parallel processing of probable admissions, direct-to-ward admissions and single-point medical registrars for receiving and processing all referrals directed at specific speciality units. Dynamic measures of ED overcrowding that focus on boarding time are more indicative of EDs with exit block involving the ED-in-patient interface than static proxy measures such as hospital bed occupancy and numbers of ED presentations. The ideal 4-h compliance rate for all ED presentations is around 80%, based on a large retrospective study of more than 18million presentations to EDs of 59 Australian hospitals over 4 years, which demonstrated a highly significant linear reduction in risk-adjusted in-patient mortality for admitted patients as the compliance rate for all patients rose to 83%, but was not confirmed beyond this rate. Closely monitoring patient outcomes for emergency admissions in addition to compliance with time-based access targets is strongly recommended in ensuring reforms aimed at decongesting EDs do not compromise the quality and safety of patient care.


Introduction: Bilateral endoscopic drainage with self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) can be used to manage hilar malignant biliary obstruction (HMBO) more effectively in comparison to unilateral drainage. An increased drainage area is predicted to prolong stent patency and patient survival. However, few reports have described the utility of trisegmental drainage and the benefits of using trisegmental drainage remain unknown. Thus, we launched a randomized clinical trial (RCT) to compare the clinical outcomes between bilateral and trisegmental drainage using SEMSs in patients with high-grade HMBO. Methods and analysis: This study was conducted as a multicenter randomized control trial (RCT) in 8 high-volume medical centers in Japan, and will prove the non-inferiority of bilateral drainage to trisegmental drainage. Patients with unresectable HMBO with Bismuth type IIIa or IV who pass the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be randomized to receive bilateral or trisegmental drainage at a 1:1 ratio. At each center, the on-site study investigators will obtain informed consent from the candidates, and will use an electronic data capture system (REDCap) to input necessary information, and register candidates with the registration secretariat. The primary endpoint is the rate of non-recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) at 180 days after SEMSs placement. A −10% non-inferiority margin is assumed in the statistical analysis of the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include the rate of technical and clinical success, time to recurrent biliary obstruction (TRBO), causes of RBO, procedure-related adverse events (AEs), procedure time, TRBO with or without endoscopic sphincterotomy, overall survival, and the technical and clinical success rates at reintervention. Discussion: If the non-inferiority of bilateral drainage is demonstrated, it is predicted that the procedure time will be shortened and the medical cost will be reduced, which will be beneficial to the patient and the medical economy. Trial registration: Registered in Japan Registry of Clinical Trial-Registration (trial number. jRCTs062220038). This version number 1. Protocol dated Jun 23, 2022.


A novel rectangular magnetic field probe is proposed, and calculated and measured results are presented. The proposed probe effectively suppresses the emission/reception of electromagnetic fields from the edge of the ground plane and, as a result, the usable frequency range of the probe is enhanced compared with that of the conventional one. In order to verify the performance of the probe, measured magnitude and phase of the magnetic field with an H/sub xy/ probe are presented from 1 to 7 GHz for two different geometries: microstrip line and bandpass filter for ultrawide-band application. The measurement results agree very well with theoretically predicted field distributions, showing its excellent performances.


The aim of this study was to determine the metaphorical perceptions of preservice Turkish teachers (PTTs) regarding the concept of ebook. In accordance with this aim, answers to the questions of "What are the metaphors used by PTTs for the concept of e-book?" and "Under which categories could the metaphors used by PTTs for the concept of e-book be collected?" were sought. A total of 150 preservice teachers studying in the Faculty of Education, Turkish Education Department at Çukurova University, constituted the participants of the research designed according to the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods. A semi-structured interview form was used as data collection tool. Data were analyzed using the content analysis technique. As a result of the study, it was determined that eight categories emerged from the metaphors produced by PTTs for ebook and that they mostly had positive meanings. These categories are, namely, facilitating, information source, accessible, portable, requirement, inadequate, attractive, and harmful. PTTs mostly produced metaphors for ebook in the facilitating category. It was followed by the information source and accessible categories. It was determined that some PTTs produced negative metaphors for ebooks, and these negative metaphors were collected under the inadequate and harmful categories.


The following investigation tries to explore the field of the perception of the old ones, which they go to the centers of integral development for the old people in the municipality of Mexicali; the methodology used consisted of semi structured interviews and audio recordings, which later they were analyzed under the phenomenological perspective of the studied cases. the purpose of the same one, tries by exposing the cases, to contribute to the change of the cultural perception on such, to know external and internal the factors that affect the total development in this stage of the life, as well as, to recognize the importance that has the creation of specialized places in contributing to the bio-psico-social care of the individuals.


In this article of nonlinear theory of elementary particles (NTEP) a review of the nonlinear field theories in the framework of classical electrodynamics is presented. It is shown that the results found within these theories can be transferred to quantum theory. These results can also help us to understand many aspects of the quantum description of elementary particles. In particular, they explain why electron can be interpreted as a point and non-point particle simultaneously.


The extent to which perceived inequity is related to perceived marital intimacy was examined. Sixty-six couples married five years or less were randomly selected from marriage license records in a western rural community. Equity/inequity was assessed using the Walster global measure of equity. Levels of overall intimacy, conflict resolution, affection, cohesion, sexuality, identity, compatibility, autonomy, and expressiveness were measured using the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire (WIQ). Inequity was associated with lower levels of overall intimacy, compatibility, identity, and expressiveness among the wives. Among the husbands, inequity was not associated with any types of intimacy. When comparing husbands in inequitable relationships to wives in inequitable relationships, the wives reported lower scores for only one kind of intimacy--identity. Explanations and implications for marriage therapy are discussed.


Mo/Si multilayers, were removed from superpolished zerodur and fused silica substrates with a dry etching process that, under suitable processing conditions, produces negligible change in either the substrate surface figure or surface roughness. Full recovery of the initial normal incidence extreme ultra-violet (EUV) reflectance response has been demonstrated on reprocessed substrates.


An introduction to the basic ideas and methods of chiral perturbation theory is presented. Several phenomenological applications of the effective Lagrangian technique to strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions are discussed.


Activation times (AT) describe the sequence of cardiac depolarization and represent one of the most important parameters for analysis of cardiac electrical activity. However, estimation of ATs can be challenging due to multiple sources of noise such as fractionation or baseline wander. If ATs are estimated from signals reconstructed using electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI), additional problems can arise from over-smoothing or due to ambiguities in the inverse problem. Often, resulting AT maps show falsely homogeneous regions or artificial lines of conduction block. As ATs are not only important clinically, but are also commonly used for evaluation of ECGI methods, it is important to understand, where these errors come from. We present results from a community effort to compare different methods for AT estimation on a common dataset. Body surface potentials (BSP) were calculated for three simulated pacings at the RV and LV lateral wall and the RV septum. White Gaussian noise was added to BSPs (mean SNR = 20 dB). ECGI reconstructions on the myocardial surface were performed for two mesh resolutions and using two different source models: extracellular potentials (EP) and transmembrane voltages (TMV), both using second order Tikhonov. ATs were then estimated by the community participants with 5 different methods for EPs and 3 different methods for TMVs and compared to the ground truth. While the pacing site had the largest effect on AT correlation coefficients (CC > 0.9 for lateral and < 0.7 for septal pacings), there were also differences between methods and source models that were poorly reflected in CCs. Results indicate that artificial lines of block are most severe for purely temporal methods. More evaluation is needed regarding the effect of source models.


Aiming at the stagnation and precocity of the basic ant colony algorithm in solving the film and television transmission path problem, an ant colony optimization algorithm with forgetting factor is proposed. By adding forgetting factor to artificial ants, a new state transition formula is established, and pheromone update strategy is modified. Combined with the optimal error rate of the current solution, the state transition equation is adjusted. Due to the introduction of the forgetting factor, the new formula can be adjusted in time when the original ant colony algorithm calculation falls into the local optimal solution, and the selection and updation of the next node are carried out according to the new state transition scheme. Pheromone, which can be used to reduce the optimal value error, improves the tracking ability of the optimal value, modifies the path evaluation model, and calculates the probability of each path to the current optimal solution. The simulation results of the film transmission path problem (FTPP) example show that the improved algorithm takes less time and the result of path optimization is better.


This paper proposes an on-line configuration for full-field vibration retrieval at high frame rate. The spatial bandwidth of the recording is optimized by imposing the distance of the Shannon condition at the considered frame rate of the sensor. A negative zoom is designed to adapt the correct optical magnification to fulfill the recording requirements. The illumination of the object is made efficient by the use of a diffractive optical element which provides a concentrated large light spot at the surface of the object. Experimental results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed approach by providing vibration retrieval at 100kHz frame rate.


Terbutaline has been used in obstetrics to treat premature labor. Its effect was studied in six ewes and their fetuses at gestational ages of 140 +/- 0.5 days (term approximately 147 days). Terbutaline (1,500 microgram) was infused over 34.5 minutes to the six anesthetized ewes. Post-baseline changes of maternal and fetal blood pressure (MBP, FBP), heart rate (MHR, FHR) and acid-base values, uterine blood flow (QUA), fetal cerebral blood flow (QFC), and fetal cerebral function (EEG) and metabolism were studied at 10, 20, 30 and 60 minutes. Terbutaline caused maternal tachycardia, hypotension, metabolic acidosis, hyperglycemia, and mild lactic acidemia without affecting PO2, O2 saturation (O2%), O2 content, or uterine blood flow. In the fetus, metabolic acidosis, lactic acidemia, hyperglycemia, and increased glucose consumption resulted, whereas PO2, PCO2, O2 consumption, fetal cerebral blood flow, heart rate, blood pressure, and EEG remained unchanged. It is suggested that terbutaline, although causing transient maternal tachycardia and hypotension, does not decrease uterine blood flow or alter fetal PO2 or EEG. It is further suggested that it reduces maternal and fetal pH due to lactic acidemia.


To evaluate the usefulness of the waterless hand washing method for surgical anti-sepsis, we conducted a microbial sampling study, comparing it to a conventional surgical scrub method. A total of 18 operating-room nurses were undertaking the following three-hand washing protocols : scrubbing with blushes using 4w/v% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and also rubbing with CHG, followed by application of a 0.2w/v% CHG with ethanol (HS) preparation. (conventional method); rubbing with CHG and application of HS (two-stage surgical scrub method; TSS); rubbing with anti-septic soap and application of HS (waterless method; WL). Microbial sampling was conducted after hand washing using the glove juice method. No statistically significant differences in bacterial numbers were found among these three methods. The number of bacterially positive subjects was significantly higher in the conventional method than the TSS method. These results indicate that there are adverse effects of blush-scrubbing, as the detected bacteria were related to normal skin flora. As such, the WL method for hand anti-sepsis appears to be equivalent to the conventional surgical scrubbing method in terms of microbial detection. The WL method should therefore be introduced as a standard hand anti-sepsis method at the time of surgery because it is cost-effective as well as time-efficient.


ABSTRACT The current study used diffusion tensor imaging to examine patterns/degree of brain connectivity in 12 college-aged binge drinking (BD) and 12 moderate drinking individuals. Voxel-level and region-of-interest analyses revealed increased connectivity of the BD brain in the right corona radiata, right external capsule, and both the right and left cingulum. Also, fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity values of these regions correlated with a number of drinking behaviors of the BD as well as both groups combined. It is hypothesized that increased connectivity in the BD may produce difficulties with regulatory control, contributing to their propensity to binge.


Furosemide 1-O-acyl glucuronide (Fgnd) was extracted from the urine following oral administration of furosemide. The crude Fgnd was applied to micronized Amberlite XAD-2 column (2.5 cm i.d. x 90 cm length, 75-500 microns particle size). The purified Fgnd was identified by mass spectrometry and beta-glucuronidase treatment. This method was also applicable to the purification of glucuronide of tolmetin (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, NSAID), suggesting that it was applicable to the other NSAIDs, most of which were known to be metabolized to acyl-glucuronides.


The stability of mitomycin in admixtures for continuous intravenous infusion was studied. Mitomycin was reconstituted and diluted to 50 micrograms/mL in polyvinyl chloride minibags containing 5% dextrose injection 50 mL or 0.9% sodium chloride injection 50 mL. Additional mitomycin admixtures were reconstituted with a buffer solution containing monobasic and dibasic sodium phosphate; these were diluted with 5% dextrose injection only. Admixtures were stored at room temperature (27-30 degrees C) and refrigerated temperature (5 degrees C) for 120 days. Mitomycin concentrations in each admixture were tested by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) immediately after admixture and at intervals during storage. Ultraviolet spectra were determined at the same time as HPLC analysis, and the admixtures were visually inspected and tested for pH. Mitomycin concentrations decreased rapidly in the unbuffered admixtures; after 12 hours at room temperature, less than 26% of the drug remained in the dextrose admixture. When the unbuffered admixtures were refrigerated for 12 hours, the mitomycin concentrations decreased 10% in the sodium chloride admixtures and 33% in the dextrose admixtures; after 24 hours, the percentages of drug loss were 23% and 42%, respectively. Mitomycin concentrations in the buffered admixtures showed no substantial decrease during 120 days at 5 degrees C. At room temperature, concentrations decreased 10% after 15 days. When the admixture is buffered to a pH of approximately 7.8, mitomycin is stable in 5% dextrose injection for up to 15 days at room temperature and at least 120 days at 5 degrees C. Unbuffered mitomycin admixtures should not be stored or administered by prolonged i.v. infusion.


The benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) extend beyond the attributes of physical products and production processes they enable. Experience with AM can augment the way design is approached and can increase opportunities to pivot toward less familiar design tasks. We begin this qualitative study with a natural experiment made possible by an exogenous shock: the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through a three‐stage case study approach using a grounded theory‐building method, we contrast AM usage among a set of firms, half of which pivoted their resources away from their traditional production and toward a response to this shock. We engage in an abductive reasoning approach to consider common threads in AM capabilities that facilitated this pivoting. Our analyses suggest that the advanced use of generative design (GD), a category of computational technologies enabling novel and optimized design, is a critical attribute of these firms that ended up pivoting to make COVID‐related products. Specifically, firms with experience applying this capability demonstrated a unique ability to pivot during this shock and emphasized their valuation of AM‐enabled agility. We revisited these firms 2 years after initial contact and found that GD was associated with higher levels of innovation and was largely viewed by designers as a mechanism driving double‐loop learning. Overall, our study provides insights into the symbiosis between human and artificially intelligent GD, and the role of such symbiosis in advancing AM capabilities.


Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) itself increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases in people living with HIV (PLHIV). Prediabetes, a condition preceding DM, is common in PLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Both metformin and lifestyle interventions have been established to reduce the risk of progression from prediabetes to DM in the general population. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of metformin for preventing DM in prediabetic PLHIV. Methods An open-label randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in HIV-positive persons with prediabetes. The participants were randomized into two groups: the metformin group (received metformin) and the control group (did not receive metformin). All participants were counseled regarding diet control and lifestyle modification and followed for 12 months. The primary endpoint was the development of DM. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), two-hour plasma glucose (2-h PG) after 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and computer-based homeostatic model assessment index of beta-cell function (HOMA%B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were analyzed. Results Seventy-four participants were enrolled, 37 in each group. The mean age was 49.6 years, and 68.9% were males. At baseline, the mean CD4 cell count was 570 cells/mm3, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.6 kg/m2. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, BMI, waist/hip ratio, duration of ART, ART regimen, CD4 cell count, and HIV RNA were similar between the two groups. The mean FPG, 2-h PG, HbA1c, HOMA%B, and HOMA-IR at baseline were also similar between the two groups. At 12 months, one participant in the metformin group and three in the control group developed DM (risk reduction: 5.41%; 95% confidence interval (CI): −6.92%-18.78%). When we compared changes in parameters between the two groups, there were trends toward more changes in HbA1c (\begin{document}\Delta\end{document}HbA1c) at both six months (metformin group versus control group: -0.17% ± 0.20% versus 0.02% ± 0.58%; p = 0.074) and 12 months (metformin group versus control group: -0.05% ± 0.23% versus 0.06% ± 0.27%; p = 0.065). When we considered changes in all parameters in each group, the metformin group had significant reductions in body weight (BW) and BMI at both six and 12 months, and significant reductions in HbA1c and HOMA-IR at six months. No participant had adverse effects that led to the discontinuation of metformin. No cardiovascular event was observed during the study period. Conclusions Metformin tends to improve HbA1c and insulin resistance and may prevent progression from prediabetes to DM in HIV-positive persons with prediabetes. A further large study with a longer study period is needed to evaluate the long-term benefit of metformin.


Site selection methods for shifting cultivation of the Iban were studied at five longhouses in the Mujong River area of Sarawak, Malaysia with special reference to their knowledge of secondar y vegetation. Shifting cultivation practices in the area were more intense than reported in previous studies and were conducted with one-time cropping of upland rice followed by about a 2−10 year fallow period. In all, 42 sites of secondary forests were selected for the vegetation survey. They were classified into 25 suitable sites and 17 unsuitable sites for shifting cultivation by landowners, based on their perception through knowledge of vegetation. Inter views of farmers were also conducted to discover and assess indicator plants from plants encountered during the vegetation survey. In the first stage of decision- making for site selection, old secondary forests, especially with dif ficult access, were excluded. Secondly, the farmers took into consideration the composition and growth of secondar y vegetation and, to a lesser extent, other environmental factors. During the early fallow period, less than about three years, some species such as Lalang (Imperata cylindrica) and Kemunting (Melastoma polyanthum) dominated. The farmers perceived such sites as unsuitable for shifting cultivation. Left fallow for several years (more than three years), tree species replaced small plants, e.g., grasses, ferns and shrubs, through vegetation succession. Farmers perceived the presence of many tree species as indicating fertile land, but some of them occurred more frequently or with higher density at unsuitable sites than at suitable sites. Nevertheless, tree size as measured by stem diameter at breast height was greater at suitable sites than at unsuitable sites, indicating that the farmers comprehensively grasp the growth condition of these plants for land fertility evaluation and site selection. Judging from the rice yield survey, the Iban farmers' site selection was appropriate for achieving sufficient rice production for their subsistence.


Culture filtrate antigens from 6 typical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus, 6 isolates with septate phialides, and isolates of A. fumigatus var. ellipticus, A. fishceri, A. flavus and A. niger were studied in tests with 2,100 samples of serum originating from 1,452 patients suffering from miscellaneous diseases, including 60 cases of aspergillosis, 850 samples of serum from apparently healthy blood donors and 522 sera referred to us as positive for C-reactive protein. The culture filtrate antigen prepared from a septate-phialide-strain proved to be most useful in detecting precipitating antibodies in the sera of patients suffering from aspergillosis caused by A. fumigatus. The antigen from this strain not only gave sharper and a larger number of precipitin bands than others but also proved to be an invaluable tool in the serodiagnosis of 5 to 56 (8.9%) A. fumigatus cases in which all other antigens repeatedly failed to give a positive result. The serological data also suggest that the septate-phialide strains are mutants of A. fumigatus and should not be classified as a separate species.


In order to utilize HTS conductors in AC electrical devices, it is very important to be able to understand the characteristics of HTS materials in the AC electromagnetic conditions and give an accurate estimate of the AC loss. A numerical method is proposed in this paper to estimate the AC loss in superconducting conductors including MgB2 wires and YBCO coated conductors. This method is based on solving a set of partial differential equations in which the magnetic field is used as the state variable to get the current and electric field distributions in the cross sections of the conductors and hence the AC loss can be calculated. This method is used to model a single-element and a multi-element MgB2 wires. The results demonstrate that the multi-element MgB2 wire has a lower AC loss than a single-element one when carrying the same current. The model is also used to simulate YBCO coated conductors by simplifying the superconducting thin tape into a one-dimensional region where the thickness of the coated conductor can be ignored. The results show a good agreement with the measurement.


The paper presents some crucial fiscal and monetary actions proposed by John M. Keynes in order to struggle with the consequences of the Great Depression. The recent world financial crisis lasting since 2007–2008 restored their significance and efficiency. Nowadays, Keynes's proposals are explicitly used to create numerous public decisions aimed at active economic stabilization. Keynes's proposition concerning the necessary reform of the international payments system, however, remains unnoticed and undervalued. Still it seems to be particularly adequate for current situation of the Euro countries.


We examine how directors' political ideologies, specifically the board-level average of how conservative or liberal directors are, influence boards' decisions about CEO compensation. Integrating research on corporate governance and political psychology, we theorize that conservative and liberal boards will differ in their prevailing beliefs about the appropriate amounts CEOs should be paid and, relatedly, the extent to which CEOs should be rewarded or penalized for recent firm performance. Using a donation-based index to measure the political ideologies of directors serving on S&P 1500 company boards, we test our ideas on a sample of over 4,000 CEOs from 1998 to 2013. Consistent with our predictions, we show that conservative boards pay CEOs more than liberal boards and that the relationship between recent firm performance and CEO pay is stronger for conservative boards than for liberal boards. We further demonstrate that these relationships are more pronounced when focusing specifically on the directors most heavily involved in designing CEO pay plans—members of compensation committees. By showing that board ideology manifests in CEO pay, we offer an initial demonstration of the potentially wide-ranging implications of political ideology for how corporations are governed.


Relatively little attention has been given to the histopathologic alterations of the Meibomian glands, despite their functional importance and recognized participation in a large group of ocular disorders. Even this limited consideration has been focused on the tumors that may arise from these unique glandular structures, and very little emphasis has been given to the response of the Meibomian glands to obstruction by natural disease or surgical manipulation. An example of Meibomian cyst was described as early as 1875 by De Vincentiis, 1 and several subsequent reports of Meibomian gland obstruction and consequent cyst formation have appeared. 2-10 In general, these papers present isolated glandular cysts of variable size or refer to Meibomian gland obstruction and cyst formation secondary to trachomatous cicatrization of the lid. A number of recognized ophthalmic textbooks 11-14 mention the occurrence of Meibomian cysts and state that they may also result from congenital maldevelopment of the


BACKGROUND
Hemorrhage is a leading cause of mortality in trauma. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) can control hemorrhage, but distal ischemia, subsequent reperfusion injury, and the need for frequent balloon titration remain problems. Improved device design can allow for partial REBOA (pREBOA) that may provide hemorrhage control while also perfusing distally without significant provider titration.

METHODS
Female Yorkshire swine (N=10) were subjected to 40% hemorrhagic shock for 1 hour [mean arterial pressure (MAP) 28-32mmHg]. Animals were then randomized to either complete aortic occlusion (ER-REBOA) or partial occlusion (novel pREBOA-PRO) without frequent provider titration or distal MAP targets. Detection of a trace distal waveform determined partial occlusion in the pREBOA-PRO arm. After 2 hours of zone 1 occlusion, the hemorrhaged whole blood was returned. After 50% autotransfusion, the balloon was deflated over a 10-minute period. Following transfusion, the animals were survived for 2 hours while receiving resuscitation based on objective targets: lactated Ringer's fluid boluses (Goal CVP ≥ 6mmHg), a norepinephrine infusion (Goal MAP 55-60mmHg), and acid-base correction (Goal pH >7.2). Hemodynamic variables, arterial lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine levels were measured.

RESULTS
All animals survived throughout the experiment, with similar increase in proximal MAPs in both groups. Animals that underwent partial occlusion had slightly higher distal MAPs. At the end of the experiment, the partial occlusion group had lower end levels of serum lactate (p=0.006), lactate dehydrogenase (p=0.0004) and aspartate aminotransferase (p=0.004). Animals that underwent partial occlusion required less norepinephrine (p=0.002), less bicarbonate administration (p=0.006), and less fluid resuscitation (p=0.042).

CONCLUSIONS
Improved design for pREBOA can decrease the degree of distal ischemia and reperfusion injury compared to complete aortic occlusion, while providing similar increase in proximal MAPs. This can allow pREBOA zone-1 deployment for longer periods without the need for significant balloon titration.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Not applicable; pre-clinical research.


Background: Poland syndrome is a rare congenital disease consisting a spectrum of defects occupied by unilateral chest wall hypoplasia and ipsilateral hand abnormalities. It is also closely associated with some malignant diseases and some benign diseases, such as breast cancer, lymphoma, recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, perforating dermatosis, hemangioma, gastric cancer and lung cancer. The low incidence of Poland syndrome has hindered investigators' attempts to develop randomized prospective trials, so the disease is poorly understood. Now We find out a case of Poland's syndrome associated with adenocarcinoma of right lung, in which before this article there was only article depicting a case of lung squamous cancer with poland syndrome, this is an interesting topic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of poland syndrome closely related to lung cancer.Case presentation: A 61-year-old man came to the hospital accompanied by intermittent dry cough and hemoptysis that lasted for 2 months. Chest CT revealed showed a large lobulated mass about 5.5cm × 4.0 cm × 3.0 cm in the right lower lung field and the normal right pectoralis major muscle and pectoralis minor were both absent. we diagnosed the patient with stage IIIa lung adenocarcinoma. After two cycles of preoperative platinum-doublet chemotherapy, we have performed a regular right lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection. Until now, after 2.5 years of follow up, he did not relapse.Conclusions: In addition to some other reported types of malignancies, there is increasing evidence that an association between these two clinical entities. Although we do not understand the underlying mechanisms, we assume there exists some common gene pathways that regulate these two clinical entities. Because these patients who got Poland syndrome are susceptibility to different kinds of malignancies, longitudinal epidemiological studies may be needed.


We demonstrate the strong coupling of a quantum dot and a graphene spherical shell coating it. Our simulations are the exact solutions of 3D Maxwell equations. Interaction produces sharp hybrid modes, even when the two are off-resonant, which are voltage-tunable (continuously) in an 80 meV interval. Despite a voltage-tunable quantum dot, the coupling of the light to these "very sharp" plexcitonic resonances is order of magnitude larger than its coupling to a quantum dot. Hence, our results are very attractive for the sensing applications and graphene display technologies with sharper colors. Moreover, on a simple theoretical model, we explain why such sharp, highly tunable, resonances emerge.


Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry is an important method for the detection of steroid abuse in athletes. However, steroids in their natural form exhibit poor chromatographic resolution, while derivatization adds carbon thereby corrupting the starting stable isotopic composition. Hydropyrolysis is a new approach, which defunctionalizes steroids but leaves their carbon skeleton intact. The process improves chromatography, allowing the faithful measurement of carbon isotope ratios and enabling a more effective apportionment for the source of steroids and their metabolites.


Abstract Enzyme active sites are important and conserved functional regions of proteins whose identification can be an invaluable step toward protein function prediction. Most of the existing methods for this task are based on active site similarity and present limitations including performing only exact matches on template residues, template size restraints, despite not being capable of finding inter-domain active sites. To fill this gap, we proposed GASS-WEB, a user-friendly web server that uses GASS (Genetic Active Site Search), a method based on an evolutionary algorithm to search for similar active sites in proteins. GASS-WEB can be used under two different scenarios: (i) given a protein of interest, to match a set of specific active site templates; or (ii) given an active site template, looking for it in a database of protein structures. The method has shown to be very effective on a range of experiments and was able to correctly identify >90% of the catalogued active sites from the Catalytic Site Atlas. It also managed to achieve a Matthew correlation coefficient of 0.63 using the Critical Assessment of protein Structure Prediction (CASP 10) dataset. In our analysis, GASS was ranking fourth among 18 methods. GASS-WEB is freely available at http://gass.unifei.edu.br/.


Abstract The Oman Mountains constitute one of the best areas in which to study the development and subsequent deformation of a passive continental margin. Pulsed rifting of the Arabian craton in Early and Late Permian time was followed by Middle to Late Triassic sea-floor spreading and opening of the Tethys ocean. Passive margin subsidence continued throughout the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, interrupted by a pulse of crustal extension in Late Jurassic (Tithonian) time. The Semail ophiolite was generated during the Cenomanian (c. 95–98 Ma), probably above a newly initiated intra-oceanic subduction zone. Mesozoic Tethyan oceanic crust was later consumed in an oceanward- (northeast-ward)-dipping subduction zone. The essential driving force was the attempted subduction of the Tethyan continental margin. Progressive collision led, in turn to the development of a peripheral bulge and foreland basin (c. 90 Ma), thrusting and eventual emplacement of the ophiolite onto the margin during late Campanian-Maastrichtian time. Thin-skinned thrust tectonics dominate the entire northern Oman continental margin, with late-stage deeper level thrusting affecting shelf edge and platform carbonates. The basal detachment extends down into deeper levels in the pre-Permian basement in the Musandam Peninsula in the north, and the Jebel Akhdar and Saih Hatat windows further south. During the Early Tertiary, continuing convergence was accommodated along the opposing Makran active margin, while a relatively stable platform was restored in the Oman Mountains area. Renewed compression during the mid-Tertiary, related to continental collision in the Zagros Mountains to the northwest resulted in short distance thrusting further onto the foreland in the northern Oman Mountains. The whole area currently lies within a zone of diachronous continental collision between the African and Eurasian plates.


In this paper, we study the fundamental property of the ad hoc network using connectivity index. We investigate the construction of minimum cost multicast trees by selecting a link having minimum connectivity Index and comparing application required bandwidth with (available bandwidth - allocated bandwidth) of the link. We have shown that Increase in total connectivity Index of the entire network increases no. of spanning trees. Due to the lack of redundancy in multi-path and multicast structures, the multicast routing protocols are vulnerable to the failure in ad-hoc networks. So it is the dire need to come across the fault tolerant solution. This paper proposes edge disjoint spanning tree Multicasting based on connectivity index with bandwidth constraint.


BACKGROUND
There is considerable controversy about the possible link between suicidal behaviour and antidepressants. Since ethical and methodological problems prevent direct research, discussion has to draw largely on indirect evidence.

AIM
To review randomised controlled trials (rcts), observational studies, ecological studies and recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration (fda) regarding the risk of suicidality linked to the use of ssris.

METHOD
We summarised and reviewed critically the literature on suicidality and ssris via the PubMed database up till March 2008.

RESULTS
Various analyses, most of which were meta-analyses, showed that in adults ssris increase the risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. However, neither observational studies nor the findings of the fda gave any indication of an increased risk of suicide in adults being treated with ssris. On the other hand, if patients were on antidepressants, the younger they were, the greater was the risk of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. Children, adolescents and young adults who were on ssris ran an increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. One observational study did not show this association.

CONCLUSION
Treatment with ssris does not increase the risk of suicide in adults, but it is difficult to make a firm pronouncement about the effect of ssris on suicidal behaviour (ideation and suicide attempts). However, in children, adolescents and young adults being treated with ssris, there is an increased risk of attempted suicide.


The purpose of this study was to perform a microcomputed tomographic evaluation of the radioprotective effect of resveratrol on the volume of mandibular incisors of irradiated rats. A second aim was to make a quantitative assessment of the effect of x-ray exposure on these dental tissues. Twenty adult male rats were divided into four groups: control, irradiated control, resveratrol, and irradiated resveratrol. The resveratrol groups received 100 mg/kg of resveratrol, whereas the irradiated groups were exposed to 15 Gy of irradiation. The animals were sacrificed 30 days after the irradiation procedure, and their mandibles were removed and scanned in a microcomputed tomography unit. The images were loaded into Mimics software to allow segmentation of the mandibular incisor and assessment of its volume. The results were compared by One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test, considering a 5% significance level. The irradiated groups showed significantly diminished volumes of the evaluated teeth, as compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The resveratrol group presented higher values than those of the irradiated groups, and volumes similar to those of the control group. High radiation doses significantly affected tooth formation, resulting in alterations in the dental structure, and thus lower volumes. Moreover, resveratrol showed no effective radioprotective impact on dental tissues. Future studies are needed to evaluate different concentrations of this substance, in an endeavor to verify its potential as a radioprotector for these dental tissues.


Two theories have been proposed to explain how high positive pressures are developed in sugar maple stems when temperatures fluctuate around freezing. The Milburn-O'Malley theory proposes that pressure development is purely physical and does not require living cells or sucrose. The osmotic theory invokes the involvement of living cells and sucrose to generate an osmotic pressure difference between fibers and vessels, which are assumed to be separated by an osmotic barrier. We analyzed wood of Acer saccharum Marsh., Juglans cinerea L. and Betula papyrifera Marsh. (all generate positive pressures) examining three critical components of the osmotic model: pits in cell walls, selectivity of the osmotic barrier and stability of air bubbles under positive xylem pressure. We examined the distribution and type of pits directly by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and indirectly by perfusion of branch segments with fluorescent dyes with molecular masses similar to sucrose. The latter approach allowed us to use osmotic surrogates for sucrose that could be tracked by epifluorescence. Infusion experiments were used to assess the compartmentalization of sucrose and to determine the behavior of gas bubbles as predicted by Fick's and Henry's laws. The SEM images of sugar maple revealed a lack of pitting between fibers and vessels but connections between fiber-tracheids and vessels were present. Fluorescein-perfusion experiments demonstrated that large molecules do not diffuse into libriform fibers but are confined within the domain of vessels, parenchyma and fiber-tracheids. Results of the infusion experiments were in agreement with those of the fluorescein perfusions and further indicated the necessity of a compartmentalized osmolyte to drive stem pressure, as well as the inability of air bubbles to maintain such pressure because of instability. These results support the osmotic model and demonstrate that the secondary cell wall is an effective osmotic barrier for molecules larger than 300 g mol(-1).


We give a new estimate on Stieltjes integrals of H¨older continuous functions and use it to prove an existence-uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations with H¨older continuous forcing. We construct stochastic integrals with respect to fractional Brownian motion, and establish sufficient conditions for its existence. We prove that stochastic differential equations with fractional Brownian motion have a unique solution with probability 1 in certain classes of H¨older-continuous functions. We give tail estimates of the maximum of stochastic integrals from tail estimates of the H¨older coefficient of fractional Brownian motion. In addition we apply the techniques used for ordinary Brownian motion to construct stochastic integrals of deterministic functions with respect to fractional Brownian motion and give tail estimates of its maximum.


Lipids represent one of the basic components of each cellular and subcellular membrane of the myometrium and their fluidity has a strong influence upon membrane function. Human myometrium was obtained at cesarean sections. Lipids were separated by one-dimensional thin layer chromatography. The chromatoplates were determined on the densitometer Shimadzu CS 930. Lipid profile of the myometrium was studied before the 37th week of pregnancy, at term without contractile activity, further during at term labor with normal contractile activity and at failure of myometrial contractility. Analysis of the obtained data showed changes in lipid fluidity, namely a decrease before the 37th week of pregnancy and at failure of myometrial contractions during at term labor. The decrease of fluidity was caused by a higher content of total cholesterol and a lower content of total phospholipids in the myometrium.


Mycobacterium abscessus is an acid-fast nontuberculous mycobacterium that grows rapidly in culture. The organism is found in dust, soil, and water and after trauma, it may infect skin and soft tissue. The organism is rarely found in humans, and infections occurring after cardiovascular surgery are rare clinical events. To our knowledge, only a few cases of hemodialysis arteriovenous graft infection and endocarditis caused by M. abscessus have been described. We reported a first case of patient with M. abscessus graft infection after a stripping operation and skin grafting to a left lower leg ulcer.


Abstract 3162 Poster Board III-99 Background and objectives Hemophilia A (HA) is a life-threatening hemorrhagic bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of Factor VIII (FVIII). Twenty to thirty percent of HA patients treated by FVIII develop inhibitors. The presence of these inhibitors in high titer (>5 Bethesda Units (BU)/ml) requires modification of the treatment regimen: use of products that by-pass the action of FVIII for haemorrhagic accidents and treatment protocols by immune tolerance induction (ITI) to eradicate inhibitors. The aim of our study was to enumerate and characterize FVIII-specific memory B-cells in peripheral blood by using polyclonal activation of enriched B-cells and an ELISpot assay in hemophilia patients with inhibitors. Methods Two groups of patients were prospectively included. First group included six severe HA patients treated by ITI; three with inhibitors (mean 3.04 ± 0.67 BU/ml; mean 14.6±4.2 years old) while the three others had a past of inhibitors, successfully treated by ITI ( Results In the first group,circulating FVIII-specific IgM-SCs were detected in 5 patients (1.07-45/106 B-cells), FVIII-specific IgA-SCs in 6 patients ( 2.9-7.5/106 B-cells).Only in patients with detectable inhibitors, FVIII-specific IgG-SCs (4-5.2/106 B-cells) were detected. In the second group FVIII-specific IgM-SCs (between 5 and 52 per 106 B-cells) were found, one patient had FVIII-specific IgA-SCs (2/106 B-cells). Conclusion We were able to detect FVIII specific memory B-cells. Before the treatment by ITI, the FVIII-specific immune memory seems to be characterized by the presence of circulating FVIII-specific memory B-cells belonging to the three isotype classes whereas FVIII-specific IgG-memory B-cells could not be found after a successful treatment. These results suggest an evolution of the pool of FVIII-specific circulating memory B-cells during the period of ITI. It would be interesting to study the FVIII-specific memory B-cells at the different periods of ITI (before, during and at the end of the protocol).The significance of FVIII specific memory B-cells in HA patients without inhibitor deserve to be study. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


In this work, a 3D computer aided designing (CAD) system is developed for solid modeling and visual simulation of warp knitted structures on Silicon Graphics workstations. In the first part, a three-dimensional cylindrical and uniform solid yarn model is developed, such that its central axis is a space curve, using non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surfaces to achieve a true 3D solid representation of warp knit loops and structures. This yarn model is then used to create single warp knit loops and fabrics. The necessary data for empirical loop models are obtained from experimental work. This paper describes the methodology and mathematics used to create the yarn and loop models. Some examples of warp knit fabrics are generated on a computer using the empirical loop models, and these images are compared with real warp knit fabric pictures for visual evaluation.