Observations have shown that massive galaxies at high redshift have much smaller effective radii than galaxies of similar mass today; however, recent work has shown that they have similar central densities. The primary growth of size, therefore, relates to the apparent relative abundance of low-density material at low redshifts. But various models have been proposed to accomplish this, and the exact contribution of these mechanisms, relative to others that would, for example, lower the density of the system uniformly, or relate to possible observational misestimates of the stellar mass distribution, remain uncertain, as does the degree to which this evolution is driven by processes of initial spheroid formation versus subsequent 'dry' assembly of spheroids. These different possibilities also yield dramatically different constraints on any possible evolution in the MBH–σ relation. Here, we compile observations of spheroid properties as a function of redshift and use them to test the different proposed models, each of which we have calibrated and studied in a suite of high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations. We show that the evolution in progenitor disc gas fractions with redshift gives rise to the initial formation of smaller spheroids at high redshift. We then consider how these early-forming systems must evolve to be consistent with the larger sizes of old spheroids today. We consider (1) equal-density 'dry' mergers, (2) later major or minor 'dry' mergers with less dense galaxies, (3) adiabatic expansion, after significant gas mass loss, (4) gradients in stellar mass-to-light ratios from young nuclear stellar populations (yielding smaller Re at early times, which vanish as the system fades), (5) biases in the stellar mass estimation of high-redshift (young) systems (from e.g. uncertain asymptotic giant branch starlight contributions) and (6) observational effects (possible biases in fitting or missed light from surface brightness dimming, or the effects of different definitions of effective radii). In principle, any of these models could be tuned to explain any observed effective radius evolution. However, the predicted evolution in velocity dispersions, central stellar mass surface densities and profile shape are very distinct. Comparing with observations, only model (2), later or minor 'dry' mergers with less dense systems, is consistent with the constraints as an explanation of the entire effect. Moreover, it is the only model which allows for any evolution in MBH–σ towards more massive black holes (BHs) at high redshift. Still, the amount of merging needed for this to explain the observed factor of ∼6 size evolution is larger than that predicted by hierarchical growth and clustering constraints. We, therefore, consider a cosmologically motivated model with high-resolution simulations, in which the initial galaxy forms in a gas rich merger and is observed at an appropriate age under representative conditions, then evolves undergoing a 'typical' level of dry merging and mass loss. We show that this case is consistent with all the observational constraints without tension with cosmological expectations. Effect (2), which builds up an extended, low-density envelope, dominates the evolution (giving factors ∼2–3 size evolution), but effects (1), (3), (4) and (possibly) (6) each contribute an additional ∼20 per cent size evolution (net factor of ∼2), together bringing the natural cosmological predictions into good agreement with the combination of observational constraints. We discuss implications for the evolution in correlations between BH and host bulge properties and show that this naturally predicts some evolution similar to that observed; better observations of BH masses could also constrain host galaxy merger histories.


The paper presents the results from a study on information literacy in a higher education (HE) context based on a larger research project evaluating 3 Norwegian IL web tutorials at 6 universities and colleges in Norway. The aim was to evaluate how the 3 web tutorials served students' information seeking and writing process in an study context and to identify barriers to the employment and use of the IL web tutorials, hence to the underlying information literacy intentions by the developer.  Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. A clear mismatch was found between intention and use of the web tutorials. In addition, usability only played a minor role compared to relevance. It is concluded that the positive expectations of the IL web tutorials tend to be overrated by the developers. Suggestions for further research are presented.


Significant condition occurred in increased rate of breast cancer, based on global statistical data. Awareness of breast cancer prevention methods is very important in reducing morbidity and mortality caused by breast cancer. One of them with breast self-examination (BSE) because it is easy, cheap, privacy, safe and does not require special equipment, but this method is not yet widely applied by most women. The purpose of this study was to determine the determinants of regular breast self-examination once a month by women of childbearing age in the Kubutambahanan Village. The method of research was observational with cross sectional approach. Samples were taken purposively with a large number of samples determined as many as 154 respondents. The independent variables in this study were age, level of education, occupation, family history of breast cancer, distance of health facility coverage, mass media exposure, partner / family support, peer group support, dependent variable in this study was breast self-examination behavior. Data collection using questionnaires with structured interview techniques. The study began in June until September 2019. After the data were collected, univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyzes with logistic regression were performed using software. The results of this study found that the determinant variable of monthly breast self-examination was education level (OR = 5,321.95% CI: -0.324--0.213), mass media access (OR = 3,543.95% CI: -0.213 - 0.124), partner or family support (OR = 7,002.95% CI: -1.342--0.543) and peer age group support (OR = 5,326.95% CI: -3.234--1.342) remain jointly influential for regular monthly breast self examination. Breast self-examination every month is regularly related to factors of education level, mass media access, partner or family support and peer support.


CSS (Chirp Spread Spectrum) ranging technology is used to measure the distance between the transmitter and receiver in the mine tunnel, which will produce a larger ranging error. However, there is not enough research on the mechanism of the ranging error. Based on this problem, a CSS ranging model for mine tunnel is proposed. The model focuses on the statistical rule of CSS signal receiving end, it can describe CSS signal propagation characteristic in mine by Rayleigh channel effectively, at the same, extract area influence factors which can reflect characteristics of tunnel and multipath delay, confirm multipath signal of minimum power that can be received, and fit them reasonably into multipath power delay profile model which is filed by IEEE802.11 mission group. According to CSS ranging principle, establish the CSS ranging model for mine environment at receiving end. Through a large number of actual measurement tests, the statistical characteristics of established ranging model are basically matched with the measured data, and the model can describe CSS ranging statistics characteristics at receiving end. Conduct analysis based on established model and then achieve several valuable conclusions about underground tunnel CSS ranging such as ranging Error characteristics, The relation between the cross area of tunnel and the ranging error et al. consequently, a concise mathematical formula of underground tunnel CSS ranging errors calculation is given out. The research results have theoretical significance for the design of mine precise positioning system.


This work performs a direct comparison between generalized polynomial chaos (GPC) expansion techniques applied to structural acoustic problems. Broadly, the GPC techniques are grouped in two categories: , where the stochastic sampling is predetermined according to a quadrature rule;
 and , where an arbitrary selection of points is used as long as they are a representative sample of the random input. As a baseline comparison, Monte Carlo type simulations are also performed although they take many more sampling points. The test problems considered include both canonical
 and more applied cases that exemplify the features and types of calculations commonly arising in vibrations and acoustics. A range of different numbers of random input variables are considered. The primary point of comparison between the methods is the number of sampling points they require
 to generate an accurate GPC expansion. This is due to the general consideration that the most expensive part of a GPC analysis is evaluating the deterministic problem of interest; thus the method with the fewest sampling points will often be the fastest. Accuracy of each GPC expansion is judged
 using several metrics including basic statistical moments as well as features of the actual reconstructed probability density function.


This review will examine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and explore potential preventive and therapeutic antioxidant strategies. Preterm infants are particularly exposed to OS as a result of several perinatal stimuli and constitutive defective antioxidant defenses. For this reason, OS damage represents a contributing factor to several complications of prematurity, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Being NEC a multifactorial disease, OS may act as downstream component of the pathogenetic cascade. To counteract OS in preterm infants with NEC, several antioxidant strategies have been proposed and different antioxidant compounds have been experimented. It is well known that human milk (HM) is an important source of antioxidants. At the same time, the role of an exclusive HM diet is well recognized in the prevention of NEC. However, donor HM (DHM) processing may impair antioxidant properties. As DHM is becoming a common nutritional intervention for high risk PI, the antioxidant status of preterm and DHM and potential ways to preserve its antioxidant capacity may merit further investigation.


The high-temperature molten metal leakage accident and its secondary accidents have become urgent problems to be solved in the current metallurgical industry because of their destructive power. The description of the high temperature molten metal leakage accident structure is the basis for studying its evolution law. Based on the idea of collection, this article uses multiple case analysis methods to abstract the accident attributes, and constructs an accident institutionalized description framework with the content of accident types, internal attributes, environmental attributes, management attributes, and hazard assessment attributes. A structured description of the leak. Finally, the "4.18" ladle capping accident of Qinghe special steel in Tieling, Liaoning Province was selected for example verification, and the attribute relationship between the primary accident and the secondary accident was analyzed. The research results have reference value for studying the evolution law of high temperature molten metal leakage accidents and making emergency decisions.


The measurement was made in 3 periods from May to September of 2000 in Beijing. The measurement species included SO4(2-), NO3-, NO2-, Cl- of aerosol and related gases. The hourly variation of the concentration was presented. It showed that NO3-, NO2-, Cl- of aerosol and HCl, HNO2, HNO3 of gas varied with regularity. The variation of gas SO2 and aerosol SO4(2-) depended on the emission of SO2. The peak time of SO4(2-) was about 2 hours later than SO2.


Following a desk-based asessment and visual inspection report undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North in 2004 (OA North 2004), it was recommended that a watching brief be carried out during any groundworks associated with the restoration of All Saints CE Parish Church, Orton, Cumbria (NGR NY 62216 08389). Accordingly, a watching brief was undertaken by OA North on 23rd June 2005 during the excavation of an exploratory trench to identify the presence or otherwise of drains on the northern side of the church.

A single trench was excavated entirely through a previous cut for a French drain or soakaway, which had been backfilled with stone rubble. No archaeological horizons were encountered during the works and there were no further recommendations for archaeological intervention.


The significance of nanoparticle detailing is progressively perceived in supporting pharmaceuticals improvement. Along these lines, keeping up a steady state in nanoparticles is a significant issue. A strategy including lyophilization with the expansion of saccharides can be utilized to keep up the condition of nanoparticles. In drugs; be that as it may, this strategy has not been adequately talked about. In this investigation, trisaccharides, tetrasaccharides, and pentasaccharides were added to the nanoparticle suspensions, trailed by rehydration of the examples, which had been either dried regularly or freeze-dried. The molecule width size after rehydration around then was then estimated. Likewise, every saccharide was estimated utilizing a powder X-beam diffractometer and differential checking calorimetry (DSC) gadget. We considered the relationship between the nanoparticles collection and the gem type of saccharides and their systems by utilizing the got aftereffects of the information of molecule size, powder X-beam example, and DSC bends. The measurement of the nanoparticles was kept up when it was freeze-dried, while molecule accumulation happened when ordinary dried examples were utilized. Furthermore, crystallinity crystalline saccharide was not seen in the freeze-dried gathering however was in the ordinary dried gathering. The cytotoxicity of nanoparticles is instigated by a few components. A few instances of nanomaterials inciting cytotoxicity are a result of the substance itself, and some nanoparticles show poisonousness without clear component. Some nanoparticles of a specific substance are thought to present more serious dangers of harmfulness than bigger measured particles of a similar substance. The dispersion of particles inside the body and the gathering of a particular sort of molecule in a specific piece of the body, which is reliant on the molecule's size and surface trademark, are viewed as basic issues. Additionally, when the nanoparticles collect in body framework without legitimate discharge, it can cause persistent harmfulness. The fundamental appropriation locales and target organs for nanoparticles are obscure; anyway apparently the liver and spleen might be target organs. On the off chance that nanoparticles are ingested, breathed in or consumed through the skin, they can prompt the development of receptive oxygen species (ROS) including free radicals. ROS produces oxidative pressure, aggravation, and resulting harm to different organic materials, for example, protein, DNA, and so on. Other than ROS creation, different components affecting poisonousness incorporate size, morphology, agglomeration sculpture, shape, compound sythesis, surface structure, surface charge, conglomeration and solvency. Because of their little size, nanoparticles can cross tissue intersections and even cell films where they instigate basic harm to the mitochondria or attack the core where they cause genuine DNA changes prompting cell demise. Cytotoxicity is instigated by nanomaterials results from the connection between the nanomaterial surface and cell segments. As the distance across diminishes, the surface zone of the molecule increments exponentially. Along these lines, in any event, when particles have a similar organization, they can have altogether various degrees of cytotoxicity relying upon both molecule size and surface reactivity. Also, molecule size instigates huge contrasts in the cell conveyance system and dissemination in vivo. In such manner, not exclusively are compound properties and size-subordinate cytotoxicity significant in evaluating a nanomaterial's cytotoxicity, yet additionally is the measure of size-subordinate cytotoxicity. To produce cytotoxicity and incendiary reaction in creature models, it is basic that the nanoparticles ought to move over the epithelial boundary. In this regard, the size of the nanoparticles assumes a key job in cytotoxicity. On account of nanoparticle inward breath, nanoparticles infiltrate profoundly into the lung parenchyma. Diverse measured nanoparticles show explicit dispersion designs in the respiratory tract. Nanoparticle conveyance is likewise influenced by the Stokes number and Reynolds number. At first, particles are all around circulated in the gas stage, however after inward breath they translocate into the fluid stage in respiratory liquids. The conveyance of a medication or nanoparticles in vivo, or pharmacokinetics, is likewise a significant thought in evaluating cytotoxicity. Numerous examinations have analyzed the in vivo circulation of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles with a breadth more noteworthy than 6 nm can't be discharged by the kidneys and amass in explicit organs, for example, the liver and spleen, until freedom by the mononuclear phagocyte framework follows. Most nanoparticles that aggregate the in liver and spleen cause genuine symptoms. For example, cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum specks stay in the tissue for as long as eight months and cause hepatotoxicity. This


ASTROD-GW (ASTROD [Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices] optimized for Gravitation Wave detection) is an optimization of ASTROD to focus on the goal of detection of gravitation waves. The detection sensitivity is shifted 52 times toward larger wavelength compared to that of LISA. The mission orbits of the 3 spacecraft forming a nearly equilateral triangular array are chosen to be near the Sun-Earth Lagrange points L3, L4 and L5. The 3 spacecraft range interferometrically with one another with arm length about 260 million kilometers. In order to attain the requisite sensitivity for ASTROD-GW, laser frequency noise must be suppressed below the secondary noises such as the optical path noise, acceleration noise etc. For suppressing laser frequency noise, we need to use time delay interferometry (TDI) to match the two different optical paths (times of travel). Since planets and other solar-system bodies perturb the orbits of ASTROD-GW spacecraft and affect the (TDI), we simulate the time delay numerically using CGC 2.7 ephemeris framework. To conform to the ASTROD-GW planning, we work out a set of 20-year optimized mission orbits of ASTROD-GW spacecraft starting at June 21, 2028, and calculate the residual optical path differences in the first and second generation TDI for one-detector case. In our optimized mission orbits for 20 years, changes of arm length are less than 0.0003 AU; the relative Doppler velocities are less than 3m/s. All the second generation TDI for one-detector case satisfies the ASTROD-GW requirement.


Although detractors of functional programming sometimes claim that functional programming is too difficult or counter-intuitive for most programmers to understand and use, evidence to the contrary can be found by looking at the popularity of spreadsheets. The spreadsheet paradigm, a first-order subset of the functional programming paradigm, has found wide acceptance among both programmers and end users. Still, there are many limitations with most spreadsheet systems. In this paper, we discuss language features that eliminate several of these limitations without deviating from the first-order, declarative evaluation model. The language used to illustrate these features is a research language called Forms/3. Using Forms/3, we show that procedural abstraction, data abstraction and graphics output can be supported in the spreadsheet paradigm. We show that, with the addition of a simple model of time, animated output and GUI I/O also become viable. To demonstrate generality, we also present an animated Turing machine simulator programmed using these features. Throughout the paper, we combine our discussion of the programming language characteristics with how the language features prototyped in Forms/3 relate to what is known about human effectiveness in programming.


A study of 45 patients who underwent blunt transmediastinal resection of the esophagus without thoracotomy is presented. Sixteen patients (38%) developed a cardiac arrhythmia. The most common arrhythmia was atrial fibrillation/flutter. Even though 14 of the arrhythmias (88%) converted to sinus rhythm, a significantly higher death-rate was seen in this group of patients (p < 0.0014). As we suspect a relation between cardiac arrhythmia and increased mortality after this type of operation, we propose that a double-blind study should be carried out in order to determine the value of an antiarrhythmic treatment.


Polycomb group (PcG) mutants were first identified in Drosophila based on their failure to maintain proper Hox gene repression during development. The proteins encoded by the corresponding fly genes mainly assemble into one of two discrete Polycomb Repressive Complexes: PRC1 or PRC2. However, biochemical analyses in mammals have revealed alternative forms of PRC2, and multiple distinct types of non-canonical or variant PRC1. Through a series of proteomic analyses, we identify analogous PRC2 and variant PRC1 complexes in Drosophila, as well as a broader repertoire of interactions implicated in early development. Our data provide strong support for the ancient diversity of PcG complexes, and a framework for future analysis in a longstanding and versatile genetic system.


We present new results based on RXTE observations of the millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4−3658, carried out during the decay of the 1998 April outburst. The X-ray spectrum can be fitted by a two-component model. We interpret the soft component as blackbody emission from a heated spot on the neutron star, and the hard component as coming from Comptonization in plasma heated by the accretion shock as the material collimated by the magnetic field impacts on to the neutron star surface. The hotspot is probably the source of seed photons for Comptonization. The hard component illuminates the disc, giving rise to a reflected spectrum. The amount of reflection indicates that the disc is truncated at fairly large radii (20–40Rg), consistent with the lack of relativistic smearing of the spectral features. The inferred evolution of the inner radius is not consistent with the magnetic field truncating the disc. Instead, it seems more likely that the inner disc radius is set by some much longer time-scale process, most probably connected to the overall evolution of the accretion disc. This disc truncation mechanism would then have to be generic in all low-mass accretion rate flows both in disc accreting neutron stars and black hole systems.

The phase-resolved spectra show clearly that the blackbody and hard Comptonized spectra pulse independently. This obviously gives an energy-dependent phase-lag. Full general relativistic effects are not required to explain this. The soft blackbody component is optically thick, so its variability is dominated by its changing projected area, while the Doppler shifts (which are maximized 90° before the maximum in projected area) are somewhat stronger for the translucent column.

We do not detect Compton reflection from the neutron star surface, though we predict that it should be present in the X-ray spectrum. This would give an unambiguous observational measure of M/R if there is any iron on the neutron star surface which is not completely ionized.


The paper describes the quantitative parameters of the stability reserve of fighter poses subject to value of external forces, their duration. Two types of pose reaction which provide balance or bring to irreversible loss of stability are revealed.


The paper studies the effects of information reporting in financial statements on values of Vietnamese firms. The study uses panel data with 1,070 observations from 214 firms, which are listed in the stock market of Vietnam in the period from 2012 to 2016. Multiple regression results show that the growth, firm size, profitability, auditing quality and timelineness are positively related to firm values, whereas the capital structure, auditing explanation negatively affect that indicator. The paper also indicates the inconsistency in measuring firms' value by different measures including EV, Tobin's Q or share price. Moreover, the research results reflect that measuring firms' value by EV is more appropriate. The results of empirical research are instructive for enterprises to improve the usefulness of information in financial statements, thereby enhancing enterprises' values.


Lifestyle at the habitation immensely affects the progression of various illnesses, such as Osteoporosis and Parkinson's disease (PD). These disorders lead patients to a sedentary lifestyle and result in significantly less movement compared to the average healthy individual. The combination of these backgrounds escalates the percentage of fall incidents. Quantifying physical activity levels from longitudinal Activities of Daily Living (ADL) data of these disease patients could stipulate intuition of their fall mechanisms. The objective of this study is to compare the osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and healthy group's physical activity level from their ADL. For this study total of eighteen subjects participated (healthy=6, osteoporosis=6, PD=6). The result indicated that the dynamic physical activity level for the healthy subject was 13.2%, the osteoporosis subject was 7.9%, and the PD subject was 7.0%. This indicates that there was a significant decline in physical activity level for the PD compared to healthy subjects (P=0.0024*). Also, a comparison between healthy and osteoporosis subjects showed a significant difference (P=0.0066*). Lastly, the physical activity level of PD and osteoporosis subjects did not have a significant difference among them (P=0.6276). The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity level of the osteoporosis, PD, and healthy subjects. The systematic approach of collecting physical activity levels with the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) device allowed researchers to collect the quantitative data of ADL. In this experiment, healthy subjects were significantly more physically active compared to osteoporosis and PD patients.


S ublethal dose effect of imidacloprid on the survival of brown planthoppers on resistant and susceptible rice varieties .  Imidacloprid insecticides and resistant rice varieties are commonly used to control the the rice brown planthopper (BPH)  Nilaparvata lugens in the field. The aim of this research was to evaluate the resistance of N. lugens to imidacloprid and the influence of sublethal dose of the insecticide applied to a certain resistant rice varieties on the survival of BPH. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse trial at Indonesian Center for Rice Research, Sukamandi, West Java. Each pair of adult BPH were infested on three rice varieties Ciherang, Inpari 13, and Pelita, and then followed by spraying five doses of imidacloprid. The the effective dose rate of imidacloprid on BPH was determined by the value of LD95 compared with the recommended dose (20 g a.i. ha-1). The nymphal survival was concidered as a result of the applied sublethal doses. The numbers of nymphal progenies were observed until two peaks populations of both first and second generations. The insecticide then was applied at LD50 dose equivalent on adult BPH of the second generation. The number of laid eggs and the abnormal egg shapes were counted. Imidacloprid doses that were unefffective against BPH showed by the values of LD95 were 1224.3, 2799.0, dan 4692.8 g a.i. ha-1 at Ciherang, Inpari 13 dan Pelita rice varieties, respectively. Seven days after application of imidacoprid, about 70-90% of adult BPH still survived. Sublethal dosages of imidacloprid tended to increase the survival of BPH on a resistant rice variety of Inpari 13, as reflected by the number of nymphal progeny of 156-169 BPH/plant at the first population peak. Imidacloprid treatment increased the number of laid egg, but had no effect on the egg sterility.


A DFB-laser monolithically integrated with a short (150 /spl mu/m) bulk electroabsorption (EA) modulator has been developed on a semi-insulating substrate. An extinction ratio of 10 dB for 0 to -2 V modulation was obtained with low chirp. Penalty-free 10 Gbit/s transmission over 41 km standard fibre, and 2.5 dB penalty over 71 km standard fibre was achieved.


Cellular metabolism controlled by the signaling pathways has a crucial role in dictating the outcome of T cell activation and effector function. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of aerobic metabolism and contribute to both physiological and pathological conditions as a second messenger. In T cells, ROS levels increase upon activation and antigen specific responses of T cells are compromised in the absence of ROS production by mitochondria. However, it is not well understood how NKT cells' functions are controlled by cell metabolism. In the current study, we investigated the role of ROS in NKT cell function. We found that ROS levels were similar among CD4, CD8 and NKT cell subsets in the thymus but NKT cells showed dramatically increased ROS in the spleen and liver but not in adipose tissues. ROS in the peripheral NKT cells were primarily produced by NADPH oxidases not mitochondria. Accordingly, ROS high NKT cells were susceptible to oxidative stress and underwent apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, ROS play an important role regulating the inflammatory function of NKT cells because antioxidant treatment of NKT cells showed reduced frequencies of IFN-γ+ and IL-17+ cells. In line with this, freshly isolated ROS-high NKT cells had more NKT1 and NKT17 cells but less NKT2 than ROS-low cells. Importantly, these characteristics of NKT cells are regulated by PLZF (Promyelocytic Leukaemia Zinc Finger) protein as evidenced by reduced ROS in NKT cells from adipose tissues that do not express PLZF and also those from PLZF haplodeficient mice. Conversely, ROS were highly elevated in CD4 T cells from mice ectopically expressing PLZF. Together, our study revealed for the first time that ROS regulate NKT cell functions through PLZF.


Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with double expression of c-MYC and BCL2 protein is associated with dismal outcome after treatment with R-CHOP. Local data on disease burden and survival outcome in DLBCL is limited. We investigated the prognostic values of c-MYC/BCL2 protein co-expression and cell of origin subtypes using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to determine their associations with multiethnic groups under resource limited setting. Methods: This was a retrospective study which recruited 104 patients in between June 2012 and December 2015 for IHC review and analysis. Result: We demonstrated that patients with high International Prognostic Index (IPI) (score 3-5) and co-expression of c-MYC/BCL2 protein had significant inferior overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) respectively (P<0.05). c-MYC/BCL2 protein co-expression was more common in non-germinal center B-cell (non-GCB) (P=0.048) and contributed to adverse prognosis in this group of patients (OS, P=0.004; EFS, P=0.005). In multivariate analysis, double-protein co-expression was a significant independent predictor of inferior outcome after adjusted for IPI and cell of origin subtypes (OS hazard ratio [HR], 2.11; 95% CI, 1.01 to 4.04; P=0.048; EFS HR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.05 to 5.04; P=0.036). In addition, non-GCB subtype was more common than GCB in Malays (60% vs 40%, P=0.106) and Chinese (81.2% vs 18.8%, P=0.042). Indians had more DLBCL without c-MYC/BCL2 protein co-expression compared to double-protein positive cases (66.7% vs 33.3%, P=0.414). Otherwise, the prognostic impact of ethnicity on survival outcome was insignificant (P=0.961). Conclusion: c-MYC/BCL2 protein co-expression in non-GCB subtype constituted a unique group with extremely inferior outcome regardless of ethnicity. Gene expression profile (GEP) may possibly provide insights into the cause of discrepancies in DLBCL subtypes and protein expression among the multiethnic groups.


This article concentrates on designing an adaptive fuzzy asymptotic tracking control strategy for uncertain multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems with state constraints and unknown virtual control coefficients (UVCCs). Such design apply the fuzzy logic systems to approximate unknown dynamics, and an asymptotic controller is recursively constructed by employing a bound estimation method and some smooth functions. The predefined state constrains are guaranteed by virtue of barrier Lyapunov function. Different from the reporting achievements, the restrictive assumption about the prior knowledge of UVCCs is removed in our context. By fusing the lower bounds of UVCCs into iterative Lyapunov functions, the stability of the controlled system is guaranteed. Finally, simulation example is conducted to exhibit the validity of theoretical findings.


In viviparous fish, a considerable degree of variation in placental structures have been described. However, no distinct structures are reported in Scorpaenidae. In this study, we demonstrate a new type of folliculogenesis and follicular placentation in Sebastes schlegelii. Before copulation, the germinal epithelium gradually surrounds the oocytes and develops to individually follicles with a stalk-like structure hanging on the ovigerous lamella, which ensures each follicle have access to spermatozoa after copulation. From stage V to early gestation, the cyp17-I highly expressed accompanied by cyp19a1a signals disappearance, and 11-ketotestosterone level keeps rising and peaks at blastula stage, while 17β-estradiol declines to the bottom. Meanwhile, the theca cells rapidly proliferate and invade outwards forming a highly hypertrophied and folded microvillous placenta. This unbalance of hormone might be an important factor driving the theca cells proliferation and invasion. Additionally, some conserved genes related to mammalian placentation are significantly high expression in follicular placenta suggesting the high convergence in vertebrate placenta evolution.


Importance
Professional medical organizations recommend that adults receive routine postpartum care. Yet, some states restrict public insurance coverage for undocumented immigrants and recently documented immigrants (those who received legal documentation status within the past 5 years).

Objective
To examine the association between public insurance coverage and postpartum care among low-income immigrants and the difference in receipt of postpartum care among immigrants relative to nonimmigrants.

Design, Setting, and Participants
A pooled, cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for 19 states and New York City including low-income adults with a live birth between 2012 and 2019.

Exposure
Giving birth in a state that offered public insurance coverage for postpartum care to recently documented or undocumented immigrants.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Self-reported receipt of postpartum care by the category of coverage offered (full coverage: states that offered publicly funded postpartum care regardless of immigration status; moderate coverage: states that offered publicly funded postpartum care to lawfully residing immigrants without a 5-year waiting period, but did not offer postpartum care to undocumented immigrants; no coverage: states that did not offer publicly funded postpartum care to lawfully present immigrants before 5 years of legal residence or to undocumented immigrants).

Results
The study included 72 981 low-income adults (20 971 immigrants [29%] and 52 010 nonimmigrants [71%]). Of the 19 included states and New York City, 6 offered full coverage, 9 offered moderate coverage, and 4 offered no coverage; 1 state (Oregon) switched from offering moderate coverage to offering full coverage. Compared with the states that offered full coverage, receipt of postpartum care among immigrants was 7.0-percentage-points lower (95% CI, -10.6 to -3.4 percentage points) in the states that offered moderate coverage and 11.3-percentage-points lower (95% CI, -13.9 to -8.8 percentage points) in the states that offered no coverage. The differences in the receipt of postpartum care among immigrants relative to nonimmigrants were also associated with the coverage categories. Compared with the states that offered full coverage, there was a 3.3-percentage-point larger difference (95% CI, -5.3 to -1.4 percentage points) in the states that offered moderate coverage and a 7.7-percentage-point larger difference (95% CI, -10.3 to -5.0 percentage points) in the states that offered no coverage.

Conclusions and Relevance
Compared with states without insurance restrictions, immigrants living in states with public insurance restrictions were less likely to receive postpartum care. Restricting public insurance coverage may be an important policy-driven barrier to receipt of recommended pregnancy care and improved maternal health among immigrants.


Objective. To examine the effectiveness of oral vitamin D3 (400 IU) supplementation on the nutritional vitamin D status of breastfeeding infants. Design. As part of a larger ongoing vitamin D RCT trial of lactating women, infants of mothers assigned to control received 1 drop of 400 IU vitamin D3/day starting at one month of age. Infant 25(OH)D levels (mean ± S.D.) were measured by RIA at visits 1, 4, and 7. Results. The infant mean ± S.D. 25(OH)D at baseline was 16.0 ±9.3 ng/mL (range 1.0–40.8; n = 33); 24 (72.7%) had baseline levels <20 ng/mL (consistent with deficiency). The mean levels increased to 43.6 ±14.1 (range 18.2–69.7) at 4 months and remained relatively unchanged at month 7: 42.5 ±12.1 ng/mL (range 18.9–67.2). The change in values between 1 and 4 months and 1 and 7 months was statistically significant (P ≤ .0001), and despite a decrease in dose per kilogram, values were not significantly different between months 4 and 7 (P = .66). Conclusions. Oral vitamin D3 supplementation as an oil emulsion was associated with significant and sustained increases in 25(OH)D from baseline in fully breastfeeding infants through 7 months.


Choice history effects describe how future choices depend on the history of past choices. Choice history effects are typically framed as a bias rather than an adaptive phenomenon because the phenomenon generally degrades reward rates in experimental tasks. How-ever, in natural habitats, choices made in the past constrain choices that can be made in the future. For foraging animals, the probability of obtaining a reward in a given patch depends on the degree to which the animals have exploited the patch in the past. One problem with many experimental tasks that show choice history effects is that such tasks artificially decouple choice history from its consequences in regard to reward availability over time. To circumvent this, we used a variable interval (VI) reward schedule that reinstates a more natural contingency between past choices and future reward availability. By manipulating first- and second-order statistics of the environment, we dissociated choice history, reward history, and reaction times. We found that choice history effects reflect the growth rate of the reward probability of the unchosen option, reward history effects reflect environmental volatility, and reaction time reflects overall reward rate. By testing in mice and humans, we show that the same choice history effects can be generalized across species and that these effects are similar to those observed in optimal agents. Furthermore, we develop a new reinforcement learning model that explicitly incorporates choice history over multiple timescales into the decision process, and we examine its predictive adequacy in accounting for the associated behavioral data. We show that this new variant, known as the double trace model, has a higher predictive adequacy of choice data, in addition to better reward harvesting efficiency in simulated environments. Finally, we show that the choice history effects emerge in optimal models of foraging in habitats with diminishing returns, thus linking this phenomenon to a wider class of optimality models in behavioral ecology. These results suggests that choice history effects may be adaptive for natural contingencies between consumption and reward availability. This concept lends credence to a normative account of choice history effects that extends beyond its description as a bias.


Neutral complexes with the general empirical formula M(PTs) [M: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Cd; H2PTs: N,N′-bis(2-tosylaminobenzylidene)-1,3-diaminopropane] were obtained by means of an electrochemical procedure. All complexes were characterised by elemental analyses, mass spectrometry, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements, where appropriate. Recrystallisation of the cobalt, copper, and zinc complexes yielded single crystals of [Co(PTs)] (1), [Cu(PTs)]·1.5CH3CN (2) and [Zn(PTs)]2·1.5H2O·CH3CN (3). Their X-ray characterisation shows that 1 and 2 are mononuclear tetrahedral single-stranded helical complexes in the solid state, while 3 is a double-helical compound containing a major and a minor groove, with the Schiff base acting as a bis(bidentate) N4 donor.


Crime is a long plagued issue of human society. Especially, with the expansion of cities and population aggregation in recent years, crime problems have become a great challenge in urbanization process. Both urban policy-makers and police departments have realized the importance of a better understanding of the dynamics of crime. This study explores the spatial characteristic of crime in Shanghai using Geographical Information System (GIS) and police call data of the metropolis in 2006. In the research, the combination of both applied and theoretical methods is used to analyze the characteristics of Shanghai crime. To find out the crime pattern of the city, three spatial levels (i.e. macrolevel, mesolevel and microlevel) are adopted. In this paper the crime is divided into two categories: violent crime and property crime. The spatial distribution of the two kinds of crimes is analyzed on a comparative basis of different properties in terms of land use type and population features, and the relevant factors of the crime pattern are investigated. The results reveal that there are some hotspots in downtown, transportation hubs, where population density is relatively high and the crime density decreases gradually away from the center. The analytical and theoretical result will undoubtedly lead to enhanced crime prevention strategies of Shanghai in the future.


Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) contributes by reducing the incidence of this disease and mortality. Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for screening for these tumors. It is well know that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common manifestation in patients with cancer and may appear as the first manifestation of the disease. This study aimed to examine the association between idiopathic DVT and CRC, and to check the necessity of screening for cancer in this population. This study retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 17 patients with idiopathic DVT but no history of CRC and of asymptomatic patients who underwent colonoscopy to screen for CRC. The presence of malignancy, all adenocarcinomas, was identified in 23.53% of the tests. The examination showed changes in 52.04% of the patients, with diverticular disease of the colon being the most prevalent (17.65%), followed by rectal ulcer (11.76%). The sensitivity of the test was low (57.2%) but the high positive predictive value was high (80%). The results suggest there is an association between DVT and CRC and thus there is a need for screening for neoplasias in subjects with DVT without a clear etiology.


Lenvatinib mesilate (lenvatinib) is an oral multiple receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor that selectively inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR1-3), in addition to other proangiogenic and oncogenic pathway-related RTKs including fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR1-4), the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) α, KIT, and RET. Recently, lenvatinib showed a highly statistically significant improvement of progression free survival compared to placebo control in subjects with radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer in a Phase 3 trial. To elucidate the mechanism of action in anti-tumor effect by lenvatinib, we examined the antiangiogenic activity of lenvatinib in the VEGF and FGF driven angiogenesis models both in vitro and in vivo. First, in in vitro angiogenesis model, lenvatinib inhibits both VEGF-driven and FGF-driven tube formation of HUVEC at almost similar dose (IC50 values are 2.1 nmol/L and 7.3 nmol/L, respectively). Next, the effects of lenvatinib on in vivo angiogenesis, which was enhanced by overexpressed VEGF or FGF in human pancreatic cancer KP-1 cells, were examined in the mouse dorsal air sac assay. In vivo angiogenesis induced by overexpressed VEGF (KP-1/VEGF transfectants) or FGF (KP-1/FGF4 transfectants) was significantly suppressed with oral treatments of lenvatinib at 10 and 30 mg/kg. In addtion, lenvatinib significantly inhibited bFGF-induced angiogenesis in matrigel plug assay, which is driven by recombinant human bFGF and stromal-derived mouse VEGF, at even 3 mg/kg. Increase of plasma FGF23 level is PD biomarker for an inhibition of FGFR1 signaling and it has been known that plasma FGF23 level is up-regulated by administration of FGFR inhibitors in mice. Lenvatinib at 10 mg/kg significantly elevated mice FGF23 levels 24 hours after lenvatinib treatment in a dose dependent manner. In conclusion, lenvatinib has potent both VEGF and FGF driven-antiangiogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of FGFR signaling pathway with lenvatinib was also supported by increase of plasma FGF23 levels at the same dose to show an inhibition in FGF-driven in vivo angiogenesis model. Therefore, the significant clinical outcome might be based on the unique antiangiogenesis activity of lenvatinib, in particular VEGFR and FGFR inhibition, which should be further investigated. Citation Format: Kenji Ichikawa, Saori Watanabe Miyano, Yusuke Adachi, Yuji Yamamoto, Yoichi Ozawa, Yasuhiro Funahashi, Kiyoshi Okamoto, Kenichi Nomoto, Junji Matsui. Lenvatinib, tri-specific targeted therapy to VEGFR/FGFR/RET, suppresses angiogenesis through the inhibition of both VEGFR and FGFR signaling pathways. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1374. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1374


It exists so many studies and research on networks, especially on business networks, but still there is a little research which explores the factors that influence a manager's' willingness to participate in business networks. Some of the socio-economic factors that moderate this participation are explored through this paper and the focus is based on offline face-to-face networking activities between companies, especially in an Albanian context. The research findings shows how the socio-economic factors such as gender, age, position and education level, influence the participation of such a business network moderated by the personal networking behavior of an individual. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of Albanian business member of the business networks. The results suggest that these socio –economic effects are important, but they do not come first in the perception of the process. What is important, the analysis, furthermore, finds that personal behavior and attitude are to be considered as key issues when it comes to participation in offline business networks


The prevalence of relation networks in computer vision is in stark contrast to underexplored point-based methods. In this paper, we explore the possibilities of local relation operators and survey their feasibility. We propose a scalable and efficient module, called group relation aggregator. The module computes a feature of a group based on the aggregation of the features of the inner-group points weighted by geometric relations and semantic relations. We adopt this module to design our RPNet. We further verify the expandability of RPNet, in terms of both depth and width, on the tasks of classification and segmentation. Surprisingly, empirical results show that wider RPNet fits for classification, while deeper RPNet works better on segmentation. RPNet achieves state-of-the-art for classification and segmentation on challenging benchmarks. We also compare our local aggregator with PointNet++, with around 30% parameters and 50% computation saving. Finally, we conduct experiments to reveal the robustness of RPNet with regard to rigid transformation and noises.


OBJECTIVES
Sutureless aortic valves demonstrated non-inferiority to standard stented valves for major cardiovascular and cerebral events at 1 year after aortic valve replacement. We aim to assess the factors correlating with permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) in both cohorts.

METHODS
PERSIST-AVR is a prospective, randomized, open-label trial. Patients undergoing aortic valve replacement were randomized to receive a sutureless aortic valve replacement (Su-AVR) or stented sutured bioprosthesis (SAVR). Multivariable analysis was performed to identify possible independent risk factors associated with PPI. A logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the risk of PPI associated to different valve size.

RESULTS
The 2 groups (Su-AVR; n = 450, SAVR n = 446) were well balanced in terms of preoperative risk factors. Early PPI rates were 10.4% in the Su-AVR group and 3.1% in the SAVR. PPI prevalence correlated with valve size XL (P = 0.0119) and preoperative conduction disturbances (P = 0.0079) in the Su-AVR group. No predictors were found in the SAVR cohort. Logistic regression analysis showed a significantly higher risk for PPI with size XL compared to each individual sutureless valve sizes [odds ratio (OR) 0.272 vs size S (95%confidence interval 0.07-0.95), 0.334 vs size M (95% CI 0,16-0; 68), 0.408 vs size L (95% CI 0,21-0.81)] but equivalent risk of PPI rates for all other combination of valve sizes.

CONCLUSIONS
Su-AVR is associated with higher PPI rate as compared to SAVR. However, the increased PPI rate appears to be size-dependent with significant higher rate only for size XL. The combination of preoperative conduction disorder and a size XL can lead to a higher probability of early PPI in Su-AVR.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT02673697.


An 84-year-old woman with previous spinal operations including vertebroplasty and lumbar decompressions was admitted electively under the spinal team for right-sided L4/5 decompression for worsening back pain which she undergoes using a posterior approach. Postoperatively, she develops stabbing upper central chest pain and given unremarkable chest X-ray, ECG and cardiac troponin, she undergoes a CT pulmonary angiogram which shows a fracture of the upper part of sternum but no pulmonary embolism. There is no history of recent trauma and this is deemed to be secondary to prolonged spinal surgery in the prone position in a patient with osteopenic bones. To date, we have not come across a case of spontaneous sternal fracture as a complication of spinal surgery at our regional spinal unit. Most cases of sternal fractures are secondary to blunt anterior chest wall trauma with spontaneous fractures and stress fractures being rare.


A 12-year-old boy presented with enuresis, leg weakness, and lower extremity spasticity. An initial lumbar water-soluble contrast myelogram disclosed an arachnoid diverticulum. After the insertion of a cystopleural shunt, the patient improved and was dry. However, 2 months later the patient became enuretic and developed weakness. Repeat myelography showed a second arachnoid diverticulum located in the midthoracic region. This second diverticulum was treated by marsupialization of the cyst wall to the subfascial space. The authors stress the need for complete myelography in patients with intradural spinal arachnoid diverticuli and present a brief review of the literature.


Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection during gestation has been associated retrospectively with the occurrence of fetal malformations. The referral in the first trimester of three women with infectious mononucleosis allowed us to study prospectively this question. Infectious mononucleosis was confirmed by EBV-specific serology in two women and on the basis of the heterophil antibody response and atypical lymphocytosis in the third. The titers of EBV-specific antibodies in the cord sera of the infants approximated those of the respective maternal sera drawn at the time of birth and declined in a fashion consistent with transplacental acquisition. All three women delivered healthy term infants without malformations or stigmata of congenital infection. Thus we observed no adverse effect of maternal EBV infection on these infants.


This thesis argues that Malaysia's democratic deficit, as consistently reported in the freedoms and democracy normative audits by prestigious international monitory organisations like Freedom House and The Economist, is a consequence of structural, rather than procedural, infirmity. Unlike a liberal democracy which assumes politically equal citizens, the Malaysian regime is one that de jure allocates political capacity differentially to citizens according to their ethno-religious identity. In other words, the valid source of claims on the state is not a free, equal and autonomous citizen. It is instead this primordial corporate identity into which the "individual" is supposedly alienated. Moreover, the space of corporate identities is fully ordered by a dominance relation that assigns "rightful" place to each identity. This relation underlies the Malaysian political sphere and defines its majority and minorities. Sociologically, identity-cleavaged societies are traditionally explained in terms of "plural society" classical models of Furnivall and Smith. Politically, their peacetime governance is explained in terms of classical "consociation" models of inter-identity elite cooperation and authority-distribution of Lijphart, Eckstein and Gurr. There are many advantages that these approaches offer, for example they are quite efficient at modelling the ontology of the public spheres of plural society polities. But they lack a frame of external reference, a norm so to say, by which to evaluate the standard of "democracy" in them. On the other hand, the normative "democracy" audits use a very broad brush of substantive and procedural variables to do such evaluation. This thesis presents an alternative minimalist perspective in that instead of developing the operating picture of the political sphere from monitored institutional and mass values variables, it measures the conceptual distance these regimes are at relative to Dahl's fundamental normative requirement of a liberal democracy. This is his substantive proviso of "political equality" that underscores all institutional guarantees of a Dahlesian liberal democracy. In brief, I measure the extent of institutionalised political inequality in Malaysia, which is representative of a major sub-class of plural society regimes in which government selection is done by periodic suffrage, a class of regimes I call identitarian. Political equality, therefore, provides the normative frame of reference to judge the democratic deficit in identitarian regimes. It is shown that any other detailed system of variables, for example the one employed by the Freedom House, is isomorphic to political equality in terms of testing for democratic salience or deficit. In this thesis, political equality, or lack thereof, in Malaysia is mapped in three domains: preferences, opportunity and belief. It is empirically tracked in the institutions of Malaysia's social contract, its Constitution, and the laws that issue forth therefrom and cross-referenced to actual statistical data across these three domains. Thus are the hypotheses on Malaysia's democratic deficit validated and the potential of the much championed imminent transition to "real" democracy evaluated.


Transdermal drug delivery represents an appealing alternative to conventional drug administration systems. In fact, due to their high patient compliance, the development of dissolvable and biodegradable polymer microneedles has recently attracted great attention. Although stamp-based procedures guarantee high tip resolution and reproducibility, they have long processing times, low levels of system engineering, are a source of possible contaminants, and thermo-sensitive drugs cannot be used in conjunction with them. In this work, a novel stamp-based microneedle fabrication method is proposed. It provides a rapid room-temperature production of multi-compartmental biodegradable polymeric microneedles for controlled intradermal drug release. Solvent casting was carried out for only a few minutes and produced a short dissolvable tip made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The rest of the stamp was then filled with degradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles (μPs) quickly compacted with a vapor-assisted plasticization. The outcome was an array of microneedles with tunable release. The ability of the resulting microneedles to indent was assessed using pig cadaver skin. Controlled intradermal delivery was demonstrated by loading both the tip and the body of the microneedles with model therapeutics; POXA1b laccase from Pleurotus ostreatus is a commercial enzyme used for the whitening of skin spots. The action and indentation of the enzyme-loaded microneedle action were assessed in an in vitro skin model and this highlighted their ability to control the kinetic release of the encapsulated compound.


This paper examines interactional characteristics of disabled infants and young children and their mothers. Interactional characteristics of disabled infants and young children differ from those of non-disabled children in several ways: disabled children provide fewer and less readable cues to the mother; they demonstrate less positive affect, more negative affect, and more muted affect; and they have more difficulties synchronizing turn-taking than non-handicapped children. Maternal interactions with disabled children differ from those of mothers with non-disabled children in dimensions involving maternal activity and positive affect. It is suggested that the social deficits commonly observed in disabled preschoolers and older children may have begun in the altered social interactional patterns observed in infancy. Various intervention strategies are described which assist parents to achieve more pleasurable, reciprocal, child-centered interactions with their disabled infants.


A new electrostatic focusing Spindt-type field emitter array (FEA) was simulated and fabricated to develop a compact FEA image sensor with a high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor target. Although the conventional double-gated FEAs can generate focused electron beams by applying a lower voltage to the focusing electrode (second gate) than that of the gate electrode, the emission current drastically decreases. These experimental results show that by increasing the thickness of the gate electrode the emission current can be improved without deterioration of the focusing characteristics.


Objectives To understand the correlation between the progression of myopia and macular blood flow density in children and adolescents, as well as the relationship between the myopia progression and the axial length changes and height changes, and the prevention and control strategies for myopia were explored Methods This was a Prospective Cross-sectional, observational study, and was conducted from April 2020 to December 2020.A total of 54 myopia participants (54 eyes) were collected from the Optometry Clinic of Ning de City Hospital Affiliated to Ning de Normal University. The participants including 20 males and 34 females were all children and adolescents, age 11.56±1.61(range ,8-14 years old). All participants selected the examination data of the right eye, and those whose spherical equivalent degree(SE) changes ≥0.5 D were selected as the observation group, those with SE changes <0.5 D were classified as the control group, at the same time, they were further grouped by age, those whose age less than 12 years old were divided into the young group, and those whose age ≥12 years old were divided into the old group, and compared the difference in macular blood flow density , height, axial length, et. between the observation group and the control group in the same age group, as well as the correlation between changes of SE. SPSS25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis, and independent sample t test, rank sum test, Pearson correlation, et were used for data analysis.Results There was a statistically significant difference in the macular foveal avascular zone (FAZ) between the observation group and the control group in the young group(P<0.05) at baseline, and there were no statistically significant differences between the observation group and the control group in the young group at baseline in the vessel density (VD) and perfusion density (PD) in superficial capillary plexus(SCP) in the macular area, as well as the height and eye axial(P>0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in axial length between the observation group and the control group at baseline in the old group, there was no significant difference between the observation group and the control group in the VD and PD in SCP in the macular area, height, FAZ at baseline in the old group. The change in SE was positively correlated with the change in the axial length, but there were no significant correlations with the changes in height, VD, PD, and FAZ.Conclusion The area of FAZ in children with fast progression of myopia is smaller than those of slow progression. Adolescents with rapid progression of myopia have longer axial length than those with slower progression. FAZ area and axial length can be used as predictors of myopia progression.


Introduction Observational studies have suggested that lipid profiles were associated with risk of sleep apnea (SA). However, the specific lipid types and whether this relationship has a causal effect are uncertain. This study conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) to investigate the potential causal relationship between lipid profiles and risk of SA. Materials and Methods We used the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) on European participants on the UK Biobank. After a rigorous single nucleotide polymorphism screening process to remove confounding effects, we performed MR and MVMR to explore the causal relationship between lipid profiles and SA risk. Results Both MR and MVMR showed causal effects of increased triglyceride on SA risk [MR: per 10 units, odds ratio (OR): 1.0156; 95% CI: 1.0057–1.0257; P value = 0.002; MVMR: per 10 units, OR: 1.0229; 95% CI: 1.0051–1.0411; P value = 0.011]. The sensitivity analysis including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) test indicated that our findings were robust. The causal effects of triglyceride on SA did not change after adjusting for potential confounders (obesity, age, sex, and airway obstruction). Conclusion Genetically increased triglyceride levels have independent causal effects on risk of sleep apnea without the confounding effects of obesity, suggesting that lowering triglyceride concentrations may help to reduce the risk of sleep apnea.


Both movable and immovable cultural monuments provide opportunities to meet interests of many stakeholders – their owners and managers, local community, researchers, tourists, businesses, mass media, heritage institutions, etc., as well as society as a whole. Along with aesthetic, symbolic, educational, research, etc., interests, no less important are the economic ones induced by these monuments' development potential. It is nevertheless widely acknowledged that investment in cultural heritage sites (including conservation, restoration, maintenance, marketing, etc.) may outweigh their direct economic benefits due to inevitable payments and obligations. Thus, the question arises: what are those factors that restrict and those that facilitate socio-eco-nomic development of the immovable cultural monument? Immovable monuments are divided into several typological groups, and the most numerous in Latvia are architectural monuments. Assuming that the effective-ness of development may depend on the type of the monument within one group, this article focuses primarily on manors as relatively numerous architectural monuments characteristic for Latvian regions (parishes) and valuable cultural-historical objects, representing large tourism potential. The article, analyzing the situation in Latvia and making international compari-sons, uses integrated socio-economic and legal approach to the researched issue. It provides both theoretical and practical insight into the actualities of manors' development potential and possible solutions thereto.


The properties and structure, in characteristic areas, of castings for automotive wheels, cast under low-pressure from AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy was investigated. Alloy compositions have been with limit contents of alloying elements and have been undergone of T6 regime of heat treatment. It is shown the effect of alteration the contents of Si and Mg, within the standard limits, on the basic mechanical properties and some parameters of the structure, in characteristic zones, of the casting. It was found that, the change in the contents of Si and especially of Mg most substantially influences on the hardness and plasticity of the casting's material. Changes in the microstructure, shown by the changes in of SDAS values, mainly depend on the conditions of crystallization in the different zones and to a lesser extent on the content of the alloying elements.


Hypothesis The formation, stability and structural properties of normal liquid phase microemulsions, stabilized by hydrocarbon surfactants, comprising water and hydrocarbon oils can be interpreted in terms of the film bending rigidity (energy) model. Here, this model is tested for unusual water-in-CO 2 (w/c) microemulsions, formed at high pressure with supercritical CO 2 (sc-CO 2 ) as a solvent and fluorinated surfactants as stabilizers. Hence, it is possible to explore the generality of this model for other types of microemulsions.


Abstract Objective Body image is a vital and complex issue in cancer patients, but not well recognized. In the ambulatory psychiatric-oncology clinic, we assessed what portion of cancer patients endorsed appearance problems and if they differed in terms of depression, anxiety, or distress scores when compared with those who did not endorse appearance problems. Method All adult patients with active cancer diagnosis seen in the outpatient psychiatry oncology clinic (June 2014–January 2016) who provided informed consent were included (N = 1,939) in the cross-sectional study design. "Appearance problems" were assessed as a categorical, binomial variable (yes/no) using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer checklist. Other assessments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Distress Thermometer, and Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. Result The overall prevalence rate of individuals who endorsed appearance problems was approximately 36%; they were more likely to be younger, female, Black or Hispanic, and not in a committed relationship (all results for demographic variables were statistically significant; all p < .001). Importantly, those patients who endorsed appearance problems exhibited higher scores for depression (p < .0001), anxiety (p < .0001), and distress (p < .0001), and these differences were of medium effect size (Cohen's d = 0.5−0.6). Significance of results The current results underscore the need to identify patients with body image problems early given that they are likely to exhibit higher magnitude of anxiety, depression and distress symptoms while undergoing cancer care. The results highlight the importance of body image issues and the need to evaluate them in cancer patients.


Neurodegeneration
Many of the human genes associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are exclusively expressed in the brain by microglia. Microglia express the tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) receptor tyrosine kinases Axl and Mer, which have been linked to AD. Huang et al. performed molecular, genetic, cell biological, and in vivo two-photon imaging analyses of AD mouse models crossed into Axl- and Mertk-knockout mouse mutants. Induced expression of Axl and Mer in plaque-associated microglia led to the recruitment of the TAM ligand Gas6 and to the formation of dense accumulations of phagocytosed amyloid within the microglia. An AD mouse model lacking Axl and Mer did not phagocytose amyloid as normal. Despite this, the mice developed fewer plaques than AD mice with normal microglia. Thus, TAM receptor signaling is required for microglial recognition of amyloid plaques, and, counterintuitively, TAM-driven microglial phagocytosis promotes plaque deposition and growth.

Nat. Immunol. 22 , 586 (2021).


The Equipment Protection Systems and Personnel Safety Systems of the ALBA Synchrotron are complex and highly distributed control systems based on PLC's from different vendors. EPS and PSS not only regulate the interlocks of the whole ALBA facility but provide a large network of analog and digital sensors that collect information from all subsystems; as well as its logical states. TANGO is the Control System framework used at ALBA, providing several tools and services (GUI's, Archiving, Alarms) in which EPS and PSS systems must be integrated. PyPLC, a dynamic Tango device, have been developed in python to provide a flexible interface and enable PLC developers to automatically update it. This paper describes how protection systems and the PLC code generation cycle have been fully integrated within TANGO Control System at ALBA.


– Mushrooms are magic living organisms that need very few things to grow. They are low in calories but rich in protein and are nutritionally placed between meat and vegetables and hence may be called vegetable meat. The addition of supplements with substrate has been a common practice for enhancing mushroom yield and nutritional value. The present experiment was carried out to find a suitable supplement combination for the cultivation of Pleurotus florida . Two supplements, namely wheat bran and gram flour, were mixed with wheat straw in different concentrations to enhance mushroom growth. The result of the present experiment revealed that supplementation with 20% wheat bran+5%gram flour (T1) enhanced yield significantly in all three flushes (176.27g) and biological efficiency (188.24 %) as compared to control and other treatments. The cost-benefit ratio was also superior in the case of 20% wheat bran + 5%gram flour (T1) (6.86:1).


To improve PhilHealth`s benefits framework, enhance hospital services, and achieve one of the Universal Health Care`s thrusts, greater financial protection, the case-based payment (CBP) scheme was implemented in 2011. CBP is a provider payment scheme initially implemented with rates for the 23 most common medical and surgical cases. This study investigates what has happened with CBP after its nationwide implementation through the perspectives of the following stakeholders, such as PhilHealth, administrators of health facilities, and health care providers. This also concerns operational aspects of the implementation not an assessment whether CBP helped achieve Universal Health Coverage for the Philippines. The approach used in this study is a mix of qualitative methods including desk review of the legal framework of health financing, administrative orders related to CBP, key informant interviews, and survey on health care providers. Areas of implementation were thematically grouped into four categories based on the results of interviews and survey, namely: 1) administration and system, 2) human resources, 3) medical integrity, and 4) financing. Overall, CBP needs improvement on the turnaround time for reimbursements to both health providers and hospitals, electronic updating of claims, membership directory, and physicians` accreditation statuses, shifting of policies from different implementing agencies, transparency, and impact evaluation processes for health outcomes.


The objective of present study was to improve the solubility, dissolution rate, micromeritic properties and bioavailability of aceclofenac (NSAID) by formulating its spherical agglomerates. They were prepared with different water soluble polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone-K30, polyvinylpyrrolidone-K90 and sodium alginate) by using acetone-water-dichloromethane solvent system. The agglomerates were subjected to various physicochemical properties, DSC, IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micromeritic properties and dissolution studies. The in vivo studies (anti-inflammatory, analgesic and pharmacokinetic studies) were conducted in Wistar rats and Swiss albino mice. SEM studies showed that agglomerates were spherical in structure and formed by cluster of small crystals. The agglomerates prepared with polyvinylpyrrolidone-K90 exhibited improved solubility, dissolution rate and micromeritic properties compared to those prepared with other polymers and pure drug. These optimized agglomerates showed rapid analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity besides exhibiting improved bioavailability of drug when compared to pure drug.


New homotopy invariant finiteness conditions on modules over commutative rings are introduced, and their properties are studied systematically. A number of finiteness results for classical homological invariants like flat dimension, injective dimension, and Gorenstein dimension, are established. It is proved that these specialize to give results concerning modules over complete intersection local rings. A noteworthy feature is the use of techniques based on thick subcategories of derived categories.


Password-only authentication is one of the most popular secure mechanisms for real-world online applications. But it easily suffers from a practical threat - password leakage, incurred by external and internal attackers. The external attacker may compromise the password file stored on the authentication server, and the insider may deliberately steal the passwords or inadvertently leak the passwords. So far, there are two main techniques to address the leakage: Augmented password-authentication key exchange (aPAKE) against insiders and honeyword technique for external attackers. But none of them can resist both attacks. To fill the gap, we propose the notion of honey PAKE (HPAKE) that allows the authentication server to detect the password leakage and achieve the security beyond the traditional bound of aPAKE. Further, we build an HPAKE construction on the top of the honeyword mechanism, honey encryption, and OPAQUE which is a standardized aPAKE. We formally analyze the security of our design, achieving the insider resistance and the password breach detection. We implement our design and deploy it in the real environment. The experimental results show that our protocol only costs 71.27 ms for one complete run, within 20.67 ms on computation and 50.6 ms on communication. This means our design is secure and practical for real-world applications.


INTRODUCTION
One in four women carry group B streptococci vaginally, which can infect the amniotic fluid before delivery or can infect the baby during delivery, causing sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis. Very low-birthweight infants are at much higher risk of infection or mortality, with up to 3% infected and mortality rates of up to 30%, even with immediate antibiotic treatment. Late-onset group B streptococcal infection begins from 7 days of age, and usually causes fever or meningitis, but is less often fatal compared with early infection.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: what are the effects of prophylactic treatment of asymptomatic neonates less than 7 days old with known risk factors for early-onset group B streptococcal infection? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to November 2013 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS
We found 5 studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: different antibiotics, monitoring and selective treatment, and routine antibiotic prophylaxis.


The authors report a rare case of multiple intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF) at separate sinuses. A 70-year-old man was introduced to our hospital complaining of visual disturbance due to bilateral choked disk, headache, and tinnitus. Initial angiography showed DAVFs involving the superior sagittal sinus and bilateral transverse-sigmoid sinuses, and the occlusion of the right jugular vein. The patient developed progressive impairment of visual activity and had high intracranial pressure (ICP) caused by venous hypertension. No cerebral alteration was seen on magnetic resonance imaging. To decrease the high ICP, surgical sinus isolation of the superior sagittal sinus was performed. After the surgery, transvenous embolization was performed to the right transverse-sigmoid sinus DAVF. Headache and tinnitus improved after these treatments, but visual activities rapidly declined and he experienced blindness in just a few months. Gamma knife radiosurgery was performed to the residual DAVFs. We discussed the etiology and treatment of the multiple DAVF, and reviewed past literatures.


The process of changing the initial shape of a facade into a new shape resulting in an optical illusion is an activity called Video Mapping. These objects will visually change from their usual form into a new form that is different and very fantastic. Projection mapping is a medium that can provide the audience with experience to feel three-dimensional effects in two-dimensional fields, or it can also be called immersive media. With the display of a projection mapping on a flat plane, it is possible to reach a wider segment of the material and content regarding government policies related to the Covid-19 preventive health protocol which can be displayed through projection video mapping media. Planning to create work for the Video Projection Mapping Documentation is none other than the departure from anxiety about the presence of conventional media and social media which report simply and monotonously related to government policies related to the prevention of Covid-19 and its health protocols. This is what causes people to just casually respond to the infographic because the content and visualization lack persuasive, dramatic and creative power. Because of this, a method of art creation is formulated in this artistic research, namely how to create infographics that emphasize new media as an alternative media for socializing government policies related to Covid-19 through the creation of the work Documentation Video Projection Mapping as an alternative media for the socialization of Covid-19 prevention.
Keywords:  infografis, ekplorasi, video dokumentasi, projection mapping


Field experiments were conducted at the research farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2003-04 and 2004-05. The soil of the experimental site was loamy sand in texture and neutral in reaction rating low in organic carbon and nitrogen, and medium in phosphorus and potassium. Bread wheat genotype PBW 343 tended to reduce the values for dry matter accumulation and density of Phalaris minor indicating comparatively more smothering effect on Phalaris minor as compared to durum wheat genotype PDW 274. PBW 343 recorded 8.52 per cent higher grain yield than PDW 274.Significant reduction in population and dry matter production of Phalaris minor and higher grain yield of wheat was observed under bed planting method as compared to flat planting during both the years of experimentation. Application of clodinafop 0.06 kg ha-1 and integrated weed control with clodinafop 0.045 kg ha-1 + hand / mechanical weeding effectively controlled the Phalaris minor and provided a weed control efficiency of 87.7 and 85.1 per cent, respectively. Integrated weed management practice resulted in 29.12 and 8.46 per cent more grain yield against the unweeded check and two hand/mechanical weedings, respectively.

 Key words: Bread wheat, Durum Wheat, Phalaris minor, Bed planting, Weed management


We present a new indexing method named ZINC (for Z-order Indexing with Nested Code) that supports efficient skyline computation for data with both totally and partially ordered attribute domains. The key innovation in ZINC is based on combining the strengths of the ZB-tree, which is the state-of-the-art index method for computing skylines involving totally ordered domains, with a novel, nested coding scheme that succinctly maps partial orders into total orders. An extensive performance evaluation demonstrates that ZINC significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art TSS indexing scheme for skyline queries.


The world health organization confirms that Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children less than 5 years. Pneumonia poses risk factors e.g. under nutrition, sub optimum breastfeeding and zinc deficiency. Through Amref & GsK Partnership, Amref Health Africa trained community health workers on diagnosis, management and control of Pneumonia. The project had both protective and preventive strategies at the community level. Advocacy initiatives also in place to increase public awareness for management monitoring and evaluation to generate data for practice and policy change. Both face to face and m-Learning approach was used to train community health workers on effective management of Pneumonia in kasarani and Embakasi sub counties. An evaluation of the training project wanted to find out the effect of training community health workers as well as document lessons learnt and best practices. 6591 pneumonia infected children less than 5 years enrolled on treatment and 55% of them on follow up through CHVs. 814 health care workers were trained on Pneumonia through a blended approach. 2396 people were reached through Pneumonia education. There is improved adherence to treatment by community members. Observed reduction in admissions because of complications of pneumonia. There is also improved patient tracing and referral to the health facility. Training of community health workers is essential towards effective management and control of Pneumonia. Community dialogue days are important for information sharing & education among caregivers on prevention and management of Pneumonia. Community engagement is key in identification, education, and referral and follows up of patients.


Objective: To explore the effects of programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) combined with patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) at different intervals on body temperature and serum CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 levels in parturient women receiving analgesia.

STUDY DESIGN
Descriptive study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY
The First Affiliated Hospital of Shaoyang University, China, from September 2018 to February 2020.

METHODOLOGY
One hundred and seventy primiparous women, who had vaginal delivery and required labour analgesia, were randomly divided into Groups A and B (n=85 for each group). In both groups, PIEB plus PCEA mode was applied when cervical dilatation reached 2-3 cm. The interval was 30 minutes with a pulse dose of 5 mL in Group A; and 60 minutes with a pulse dose of 10 mL in Group B. Indicators related to body temperature and serum markers were compared in both the groups.

RESULT
Maternal temperature in Group A was higher than that in Group B at the time of cervix being completely dilated, and 2 hours after delivery (both p <0.001). incidence of intrapartum fever in Group A was higher than that in Group B (p = 0.036). Epidural analgesic dosage, VAS score, serum CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in Group A were higher than those in Group B at two hours after delivery (all p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
PIEB plus PCEA mode at regular intervals of 60 minutes can reduce epidural analgesic dosage and incidence of intrapartum fever during delivery, thus exerting better analgesic effects. Key Words:  Programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB), Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), Delivery, Analgesia, Parturient, Body temperature.


The book "Russian common folk herbalists and healers: a collection of medical manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centuries", published by Professor V. M. Florinsky (Kazan, 1879) is analyzed. The importance of the study of written monuments of medical content for studying the history of the formation of Russian medical terminology is emphasized. The importance of studying the "Herbalist" and the "Book called cool garden" included in the collection of Florinsky is substantiated. The uniqueness of the language situation in which the named monuments were created is noted - the end of the XVII - the beginning of the XVIII centuries. The objectives of the study are listed. They include identifying the names of diseases and disease states. Word-formation models characteristic of these items are described. Nominative phrases are considered, which play the role of preterm in the professional speech of physicians. It is concluded that the processes of term formation in the Russian medical field, as well as descriptions of painful conditions, were carried out at first using the resources of the mother tongue, which coincided with the idea of the national language norm. Attention is drawn to the fact that the combination of Russianisms, Slavisms and borrowed words in the sources studied can serve as confirmation of the hypothesis about the formation of a new book type of language in which the stylistic neutralization of the genetic differences of lexemes begins.


This study aimed to analyse historical food availability in Sudan during 1961-2013. This was achieved by assessing the food supply (kg/capita/yr.), dietary energy supply (DES) (kcal/capita/day), composition of diets and food self-sufficiency. The study depended on the available secondary data from FAO balance sheets. Percent share, annual cumulative growth rate and trends were used as analytical tools. The total food supply had a positive growth rate of 4.9%. The DES increased from 1743 to 2186 kcal/capita/day, implying that Sudan is food insecure. Cereals constitute approximately half of the total DES. The percentage share of vegetal sources was paramount in the DES (80%), protein supply (60%) and fat supply (45-68%) relative to that of animal sources. The per capita consumption of protein and fat (g/capita/day) were considered within the adequate supply, and below the average of the world and Arab countries. Carbohydrates ranked as the highest source contributing to the DES, followed by fats and proteins. These macro-nutrient contributions to the total DES fell within the recommendation ranges of the WHO for the balanced diets. The growth rate of imports outnumbered that of the domestic food supply and production, reflected in declining trend of the overall food self-sufficiency ratio by 1.5% per decade. The study recommended efficient use of Sudan abundant resources to increase food availability.


Abstract Aim: To explore district nurses and general practitioners (GPs) interaction in a case seminar when discussing nutritional care for patients in palliative phases cared for at home and to construct a theoretical model illuminating the professionals' main concern. Background: Nutritional care for people who are frail and older requires collaboration between nurses and physicians in primary health care. However, both collaboration and knowledge need to be improved, and there is a lack of continuing interprofessional education to meet these needs. We therefore developed an interprofessional educational intervention about nutritional care for patients in palliative phases of disease that was adapted to primary home health care and ended with a case seminar. The case seminar discussions gave us the opportunity to study micro-level interactions between district nurses and GPs in a learning context. Methods: Grounded theory method was used to construct a theoretical model of the interactions between district nurses and GPs as they discussed an authentic case. Findings: A substantive grounded theory that illuminates how district nurses and GPs interacted, negotiating responsibility for nutritional care for patients in palliative phases cared for at home. The theory is described in a tentative theoretical model that delineates factors that facilitate interprofessional dialogue and lead to interprofessional learning, or block such dialogue and learning. The theoretical model illuminates the importance of a distinction between uniprofessional and interprofessional dialogue in interprofessional educational interventions. It suggests that interprofessional learning was generated directly from the interaction between district nurses and GPs in the case seminar discussions. The model can be used to promote better teamwork and collaboration in caring; for example, as a basis for reflection in collaborative and interprofessional learning interventions and as a tool for facilitators and teachers.


Abstract The present study aimed to improve the neuroprotective effect of chrysin (CHR) by combining two formulation techniques, phospholipid (PL) complexation and solid dispersion (SD). CHR-phospholipid complex (CHR-PLC) was prepared through solvent evaporation. The molar ratio CHR/PL (1:3), which exhibited the highest complexation efficiency, was selected for the preparation of CHR-PLC loaded SD (CHR-PLC-SD) with 2-hydroxypropyl β cyclodextrin (2-HPβCD) and polyvinylpyrrolidone 8000. CHR-PLC/2-HPβCD (1:2, w/w) displayed the highest aqueous solubility of CHR (5.86 times more than that of plain CHR). CHR-SD was also prepared using 2-HPβCD for comparison. The in vitro dissolution of CHR-PLC-SD4 revealed an enhancement in the dissolution rate over CHR-PLC (1:3), CHR-SD, and plain CHR by six times. The optimum formulations and plain CHR were evaluated for their neuroprotective effect on brain aging induced by D-galactose in mice. The results demonstrated a behavioral activity elevation, an increase of AMPK, LKB1, and PGC1α brain contents as well as a reduction of AGEs, GFAP, NT-3, TNF-α, and NF-κβ brain contents when compared with those of the D-galactose control group. Thus, the developed formulations stimulated neurogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis as well as suppressed neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The order of activity was as follows: CHR-PLC-SD4 > CHR-PLC (1:3) > CHR-SD > plain CHR. Graphical abstract


Abstract. Since the end of the conflict in 1999, the EU has been engaged in the reconstruction and reshaping of post-war Kosovo with different intensities and in different configurations. More than EUR 2 billion of EU funds have been absorbed by the former Serbian province, and up to seven EU bodies have been working more or less independently from each other on the ground. Kosovo hosts the biggest Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission ever on its territory. Yet, the EU is lacking a strategic approach towards the self-declared state: whereas it has regarded the entity since 2003 as a potential candidate for enlargement and whereas the double-hatted EU/International Special Representative (EUSR/ISR) is helping Kosovo to affirm itself as an independent state by supervising its conditional independence, the EU ignores Kosovo's statehood, which is already recognized by twenty-two of its members. This lack of strategy undermines the credibility of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)/CSDP and of the EU in general.


Landscape simulators are widely applied in landscape ecology for generating landscape patterns. These models can be divided into two categories: pattern-based models that generate spatial patterns irrespective of the processes that shape them, and process-based models that attempt to generate patterns based on the processes that shape them. The latter often tend toward complexity in an attempt to obtain high predictive precision, but are rarely used for generic or theoretical purposes. Here we show that a simple process-based simulator can generate a variety of spatial patterns including realistic ones, typifying landscapes fragmented by anthropogenic activities. The model "G-RaFFe" generates roads and fields to reproduce the processes in which forests are converted into arable lands. For a selected level of habitat cover, three factors dominate its outcomes: the number of roads (accessibility), maximum field size (accounting for land ownership patterns), and maximum field disconnection (which enables field to be detached from roads). We compared the performance of G-RaFFe to three other models: Simmap (neutral model), Qrule (fractal-based) and Dinamica EGO (with 4 model versions differing in complexity). A PCA-based analysis indicated G-RaFFe and Dinamica version 4 (most complex) to perform best in matching realistic spatial patterns, but an alternative analysis which considers model variability identified G-RaFFe and Qrule as performing best. We also found model performance to be affected by habitat cover and the actual land-uses, the latter reflecting on land ownership patterns. We suggest that simple process-based generators such as G-RaFFe can be used to generate spatial patterns as templates for theoretical analyses, as well as for gaining better understanding of the relation between spatial processes and patterns. We suggest caution in applying neutral or fractal-based approaches, since spatial patterns that typify anthropogenic landscapes are often non-fractal in nature.


Many real-world systems can be abstracted as networks. As those systems always change dynamically in nature, the corresponding networks also evolve over time in general, and detecting communities from such time-evolving networks has become a critical task. In this paper, we propose an incremental detection method, which can stably detect high-quality community structures from time-evolving networks. When the network evolves from the previous snapshot to the current one, the proposed method only considers the community affiliations of partial nodes efficiently, which are either newborn nodes or some active nodes from the previous snapshot. Thus, the first phase of our method is determining active nodes that should be reassigned due to the change of their community affiliations in the evolution. Then, we construct subgraphs for these nodes to obtain the preliminary communities in the second phase. Finally, the final result can be obtained through optimizing the primary communities in the third phase. To test its performance, extensive experiments are conducted on both some synthetic networks and some real-world dynamic networks, the results show that our method can detect satisfactory community structure from each of snapshot graphs efficiently and steadily, and outperforms the competitors significantly.


Background: Our aims were to determine the usability and practicality of the endoscope-i system, a novel mobile attachment for aural endoscopy. This incorporated assessing the ease of use of the endoscope-i for different professionals, and ultimately improving the system by receiving constructive feedback. Objective: Our objectives were to assess the ease of the endoscope-i system in conducting an aural examination and to assess its feasibility for integrating its use into clinical practice. We looked to assess its ease, effectiveness, and efficiency; to compare this to current practices with otoscopes; and to determine whether participants perceived the system to be able to produce an image of sufficient quality to make a clinical assessment. Finally, we wanted to assess the usefulness of the current training given for using the system, and we sought to gain feedback for the product from the differing specialists. Methods: A formative usability study of the endoscope-i system was conducted with 5 health care professionals. Each session lasted 40 minutes and involved audio/video consent, a hands-on session, a private semistructured interview, and an option to discuss the device with a company representative. Results: All participants found the endoscope-i system easy to use. The image quality was perceived to be greater than that achieved by current otoscopes. The ability to record images and view them retrospectively was also seen as a positive. Conclusions: This study has not identified any significant issues relating to the design, functionality, or application of the endoscope-i. Participants perceived the system as superior to current options with a directly positive impact on their clinical practice.