We adopt a variational technique to study the dynamics of perturbed dissipative solitons, whose evolution is governed by a Ginzburg--Landau equation (GLE). As a specific example of such solitons, we consider a silicon-based active waveguide in which free carriers are generated through two-photon absorption. In this case, dissipative solitons are perturbed by physical processes such as third-order dispersion, intrapulse Raman scattering, self-steepening, and free-carrier generation. To solve the variational problem, we adopt the Pereira--Stenflo soliton as an ansatz since this soliton is the exact solution of the unperturbed GLE. With this ansatz, we derive a set of six coupled differential equations exhibiting the dynamics of various pulse parameters. This set of equations provides considerable physical insight in the complex behavior of perturbed dissipative solitons. Its predictions are found to be in good agreement with direct numerical simulations of the GLE. More specifically, the spectral and temporal shifts of the chirped soliton induced by free carriers and intrapulse Raman scattering are predicted quite accurately. We also provide simple analytic expressions of these shifts by making suitable approximations. Our semi-analytic treatment is useful for gaining physical insight into complex soliton-evolution processes.


cAMP inhibits PMA-induced IL-2 production at the transcriptional level in EL-4, a mouse lymphoma line. The region of the mouse IL-2 promoter covering positions from -321 to +46 relative to the transcription initiation site is required for activation by PMA and inhibition by cAMP. This region contains the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), AP-1, and Oct binding sites, and the role of each element in responding to PMA and/or cAMP signals was characterized. The IL-2 promoter carrying mutations in each element reduced response to PMA while it retained sensitivity to cAMP, thereby suggesting that multiple elements contribute to positive and negative responses to PMA and cAMP, respectively. Using reporter plasmid carrying multiple copies of each element, we then found that the NF-AT construct was most effective in responding to PMA activation and to cAMP inhibition. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that, after exposure of cells to Bt2cAMP, NF-AT binding complex changed in amount or in mobility as a function of time. Furthermore, overexpression of the cytoplasmic component of NF-AT abrogated the inhibitory action of cAMP. These results indicate that the NF-AT site is a target of the inhibitory action of cAMP. In addition, binding of the NF-kappa B (p50/p65) heterodimer to the NF-kappa B site was inhibited by cAMP. Taken together, our data show that cAMP in EL-4 cells inhibits mouse IL-2 gene transcription through cis regulatory elements that include the NF-AT site as well as the NF-kappa B site.


Nearest-neighbor recognition experiments have been carried out in fluid liposomal membranes made from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and cholesterol using exchangeable dimers derived from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine and cholesterol. In cholesterol-rich bilayers, the association between these two exchangeable lipids was reduced as the curvature of the membrane increases; that is, when the diameter of the liposomes was below ca. 200 nm. In sharp contrast, the mixing of these exchangeable lipids was close to random in the cholesterol-poor membranes, regardless of their curvature. The biological implications of these findings are briefly discussed.


Airway basal cells (BC) function as stem/progenitor cells capable of differentiating into the luminal ciliated and secretory cells to replenish the airway epithelium during physiological turnover and repair. The objective of this study was to define the role of Notch signaling in regulating human airway BC differentiation into a pseudostratified mucociliated epithelium. Notch inhibition with γ-secretase inhibitors demonstrated Notch activation is essential for BC differentiation into secretory and ciliated cells, but more so for the secretory lineage. Sustained cell autonomous ligand independent Notch activation via lentivirus expression of the intracellular domain of each Notch receptor (NICD1-4) demonstrated that the NOTCH2 and 4 pathways have little effect on BC differentiation into secretory and ciliated cells, while activation of the NOTCH1 or 3 pathways has a major influence, with persistent expression of NICD1 or 3 resulting in a skewing toward secretory cell differentiation with a parallel decrease in ciliated cell differentiation. These observations provide insights into the control of the balance of BC differentiation into the secretory vs ciliated cell lineage, a balance that is critical for maintaining the normal function of the airway epithelium in barrier defense against the inhaled environment.


For the variant identification ofKorean dogwood, Cornus kousa Buerg., we investigated useful geneticmarker using the ISSR primer. The overall amplicons was 58 in six primers and the mean number of amplicons per primer was 9.67. The UPGMA dendrogram based on the genetic distance showed two major clusters composed of pink-bracted and white-bracted groups respectively. And white-bracted group was divided to two groups, island and inland groups. This result showed that ISSR analysis provides usefulmarkers for the variant identification even in the seedling or young tree of Cornus kousa, especially pink-bracted individuals of Isl. Oenaro.


Information abut the existence and anatomy of arterial anastomoses with the porcine bronchial artery is lacking in the literature. Prior to basic physiological investigations in a porcine model related to lung transplantation with bronchial artery revascularisation, this study was designed to examine the anatomy of systemic arterial anastomoses with the bronchial artery system. Twenty pigs were studied in 3 groups. In 2 groups the heart–lung block was removed with all mediastinal structures. One group served for investigation of coronary–bronchial artery anastomoses and one for investigation of oesophageal–bronchial artery anastomoses. The systemic arteries to be examined were cannulated. The inflated heart–lung block was examined macroscopically with Evans blue, and radiographically after contrast injection. In the 3rd group intercostobronchial artery anastomoses were studied radiographically with the heart–lung block in situ. Coronary–bronchial artery anastomoses were demonstrated in 3 of the 5 pigs with an aortic 'pouch' technique, but contrast was very limited in 2 of these 3. Oesophageal arterial anastomoses with bronchial arterial branches and/or the pulmonary veins were demonstrated in 6 of the 7 pigs and more markedly than the coronary–bronchial anastomoses. Intercostobronchial artery anastomoses could not be demonstrated angiographically. It was concluded that the existence of coronary–bronchial and oesophageal–bronchial artery anastomoses in the pig appear to establish an arterial net between the base of the heart and the distal oesophagus. The resemblance to human oesophageal–bronchial artery anastomoses supports use of a porcine model for experimental studies.


Dried blood spots (DBS) have been used in newborn screening (NBS) tests for over 50 years. The Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program (NSQAP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted studies to assess the individual impacts of hematocrit and total-spot volume on characteristics of DBS samples. Per-punch serum volumes decreased 27%, RBC volumes more than doubled, absorption times increased over 300%, and spot diameters decreased marginally between the hematocrits of 40% to 65%. Per-punch serum and RBC volumes decreased logarithmically with lowering total-spot volumes. Patient hematocrit is an uncontrollable variable and inevitably affects the resulting punch from a DBS sample. It may be possible, though, to identify samples that fall outside of an acceptable range by noting certain physical characteristics of the DBS.


The article concerns the problem of the constitutive features of the communicative situation of apology. The author discusses methodological and linguistic characteristics of inter-personal and public apology described in modern Russian monographs. Critical analysis is given to rationalization of apology in these principal approaches: responsive discourse modeling; speech genre modeling; interactive modeling; complex algorithmic modeling; model speech act representation; contextual perception; linguo-cultural discursive-etiquette manifestation; socio-typological manifestation.


Firearm injury is the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the US, surpassing motor vehicle crashes. There is a need for greater legislative advocacy around firearm injury prevention, specifically around safer storage of firearms. A national medical trainee-based program convened in 2021 with the goal of increasing advocacy efforts around common causes of pediatric injury. A focus was to create a set of advocacy training tools that could be utilized by a wide variety of stakeholders. The subgroup sought to design policy-based training tools; one focused on general firearm injury prevention principles and another specifically focused on Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws. We explicate the utility of these documents and the need for greater advocacy around pediatric firearm injuries


This article tested for the presence of the conversion effect in the mapping related to the strength of students' preferences for receiving information in a visual, auditory, read/write or kinaesthetic modality and the study approaches they adopt when taking notes in class, learning new concepts and revising for exams. The results indicated that the conversion effect is not ubiquitous but is context specific and only present when students seek to learn a new concept and revise for exams. It was present for students with strong visual and read/write preferences but only when attempting to learn a new concept. It was also present for students with a strong auditory preference when revising for exams, while these students preferred to learn a new concept by reading about it. However, the conversion effect did not emerge with kinaesthetic-leaning students in any of the contexts studied, while these students were significantly more likely to utilise auditory input when learning a new concept. Overall, the findings suggest that traditional educational approaches such as lectures and tutorials can be effective in supporting the learning for diverse student groups.


The vibrating among compartments in a train can cause safety relevant stresses in the mechanical couplers and thus negative effects on passengers' ride comfort. Detailed knowledge about the train dynamics is necessary for an eligible system design. In this paper, a multiple objective framework for simulating and analyzing longitudinal trainset kinetics is proposed. The framework uses an object-oriented modelling approach, featuring modular component models for e.g. the couplers, brakes, engines and the environmental resistance forces. A variable number of compartments can be adopted as well as flexible component composition and parameterization of the component models is possible. The framework will be validated by using characteristic operation scenarios in which the model parameters will be set to fit actual train behavior. The simulation results of the framework will be validated against experimental data and expertise. It will be proven that the simulated results meet the measured satisfyingly, regarding the occurring eigenfrequencies, amplitudes and damping characteristics. The vibrational behavior will be evaluated in terms of stress and displacement in the couplers as well as passenger comfort by analyzing the amplitudes and frequencies of the vibrations. The versatile applicability of the framework will be demonstrated by a successful reduction of vibrations through a modification of the excitation force behavior.


We consider a simple, deterministic policy for scheduling certain genres of dynamically evolving computations - specifically, computations in which tasks that spawn produce precisely two offspring - on rings of processors. Such computations include, for instance, tree-structured branching computations. We believe that our policy yields good parallel speedup on most computations of the genre, but we have not yet been able to verify this. In the current paper, we show that when the evolving computations end up having the structure of complete binary trees or of twodimensional pyramidal grids, our strategy yields almost optimal parallel speedup.


Computing professionals continually face exclusion from their work because digital technology advances so swiftly. Along with this risk, changes in the global information society have led to a shift in the computing professional's role from "organization man" to free agent. As professionals in a workspace with evolving expectations of the employer-employee relationship, most of us need to acquire and apply entrepreneurial and business management skills to manage our careers. Our career trajectories thus depend on constant marketing and networking rather than climbing the ladder of a predefined career track.


The objective of this study is to analyze the behavior of electrical properties depending on the temperature, for vegetable oil: palm. This study showed that the electrical resistivity r decreases as the temperature T increases (20 -140 °C). We attributed this decline to the effect of thermal agitation on the disorientation of the molecules of the oil.


Objective: To evaluate the relationship between fluoride intake and dental fluorosis in permanent central incisors and first molars. Methods: Fluoride intake (mg F/kg body weight/day) from diet, dentifrice and both combined was determined on a single occasion in 1998 among children aged 19–39 months living in two fluoridated Brazilian communities (0.6–0.8 ppm F). Six years later, when the permanent teeth of these children had erupted (central incisors and first molars), 49 children aged 7–9 years [20 girls (40.8%) and 29 boys (58.2%)] were evaluated for dental fluorosis. To test the association between fluorosis and fluoride intake, children were dichotomized into two groups, cases (children with dental fluorosis on at least two teeth, TFI ≧1) and noncases (children without dental fluorosis, TFI = 0). Results: Among the case group (n = 29), median fluoride doses from diet, dentifrice and combined were 0.031, 0.050 and 0.083 mg F/kg/day, respectively. Among the noncase group (n = 20), median fluoride doses were 0.029, 0.049, 0.084 mg F/kg/day, respectively. There was no association between dental fluorosis in permanent teeth and fluoride intake from diet, dentifrice and combined (p > 0.05). Conclusions: There was no difference between children with and without fluorosis in the permanent central incisors and first molars regarding fluoride intake. However, this study has limitations that must be recognized: fluoride intake was only measured once, and there were no children in the sample with severe degrees of dental fluorosis.


Safety regulation – in the form of pre-market approval, licensure, screening, and product entry limitations – governs numerous market realms, including consumer finance. In this article, we ask whether the effects of safety regulation go beyond safety and affect consumers' beliefs about the distribution of products they can use. We model "approval regulation," where a government regulator must approve the market entry of a product based upon observable, unbiased, and non-anticipable experiments. We show that even if regulator and firm disagree about only quality standards, the disagreement induces the firm to provide more information about its product than it would in the absence of regulation. Put differently, purely first-order disagreements in regulation generate second-order consequences (more certainty about product quality). These second-order consequences of regulation are sufficient to generate first-order effects among end-users (more consumption of superior products), even when users are risk-neutral. In other words, even if approval regulation produces little or no improvement in safety or quality, it still aggregates information useful to "downstream" product users; these users will exhibit higher consumption and will more readily switch to superior products. In contrast with libertarian analyses of entry regulation and licensure, the model predicts that entry restrictions may be associated with greater product or service utilization (consumption) as well as with greater price sensitivity among consumers. Because contemporary cost–benefit analyses ignore these second-order effects, they are unlikely to capture the possible confidence effects of approval regulation.


Glucolipotoxicity (GLT) is the term given to the combined and damaging effect of increased glucose and fatty acid levels on pancreatic beta cells (β-cells) (Poitout et al, 2010). There is mounting evidence that glucolipotoxicity is the cause of the decline in β-cell function found in type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D is a chronic metabolic disorder characterised by sustained elevated blood glucose and free fatty acids, with a continuously increasing prevalence (Olokoba et al, 2012). It is estimated 415 million people currently are living with diabetes and 193 million are undiagnosed, of those 90% are T2D cases. (chatterjee et al, 2017).

There are multiple aims in this thesis including the identification of GLT-induced inflammatory pathways of the pancreatic β-cell resulting from NF-κB activation. To identify novel transcription factors associated with GLT-induced reduction in insulin secretion and insulin gene expression and whether their expression is associated with the presence CD40. To observe whether the addition of carnosine to cultured cells can prevent/reverse the up-regulation in GLT-induced factors which potentially result in β-cell damage. Finally, to observed whether GLT can induce histone modifications resulting from disruption in the TCA cycle.

To mimic GLT conditions INS-1 rat pancreatic β-cells were cultured in media supplemented with 28mM glucose, 200µM palmitic acid and 200µM oleic acid. The results showed following 5-day incubation ±GLT, there was an increase in TNF receptor CD40 and a CD40-dependent increase in NF-κB. Further to this exposure of INS-1 cells to GLT conditions resulted in a 3.7-fold increase in iNOS mRNA and increased 4-HNE and 3-NT adduct formation (43.4% and 33% respectively) indicating potential GLT-induced β-cell damage. The addition of 10mM carnosine was able to prevent/reverse the up-regulation of GLT-induced NF-κB activity, iNOS protein expression and 4-HNE and 3-NT adduction, identifying it as a potential therapeutic strategy for T2D.

GLT-induced up-regulation of CD40 is also shown to be involved in the modulation of various genes, including insulin. siRNA down-regulation of CD40 resulted in increased insulin gene expression via modulation of ID4. Independent of CD40, a protein usually associated with MODY is observed. GLT results in 33.3% down-regulation of HNF4α, which has a knock-on effect on Rab protein expression resulting in down-regulation of insulin secretion. There by indicating that HNF4α is important in normal insulin secretion.

This research found that GLT can result in acetylation of histones H3 and H4, subsequent to TCA cycle dysregulation and disruption to fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol biosynthesis pathways, indicating that GLT can affect gene transcription.


Ganoderma philippii is the causal agent of root rot disease causing economic losses to Acacia plantations. In an effort to control the Ganoderma root-rot disease, we isolated and screened white-rot fungi as biological control agents. We collected 107 samples from forestry plantations in Riau Province. The fungi were isolated from rotten wood including trunks and twigs, and fruiting bodies. Out of the 107 samples, 28 from rotten woods and 51 from fruiting bodies were successfully isolated. Screening of the isolated fungi was done on wood block, wood disc, and wood-powder-containing agar. Eleven isolates showed fast growth on wood block and in subsequent second screening in dual culture on wood disc, three isolates showed fast growth and were capable of overgrowing G. philippii. The third screening was to examine quantitative growth rate of selected fungal isolates on malt extract agar wood powder (MEA-WP) two isolates were selected. These two isolates have shown potential as biological control agents of the root-rot pathogen, G. philippii.


The {\em compressed stack} is a data structure designed by Barba {\em et al.} (Algorithmica 2015) that allows to reduce the amount of memory needed by an algorithm (at the cost of increasing its runtime). In this paper we introduce the first implementation of this data structure and make its source code publicly available.
Together with the implementation we analyze the performance of the compressed stack. In our synthetic experiments, considering different test scenarios and using data sizes ranging up to $2^{30}$ elements, we compare it with the classic (uncompressed) stack, both in terms of runtime and memory used.
Our experiments show that the compressed stack needs significantly less memory than the usual stack (this difference is significant for inputs containing $2000$ or more elements). Overall, with a proper choice of parameters, we can save a significant amount of space (from two to four orders of magnitude) with a small increase in the runtime ($2.32$ times slower on average than the classic stack). These results holds even in test scenarios specifically designed to be challenging for the compressed stack.


Since the 1990s, fabless companies which have no manufacturing capability have emerged and grown in the electronics industry. Apple Inc., the most well-known fabless company, is considered to have enhanced its competitiveness with extraordinary marketing capability and excellent software technology focusing on customer usability. Its power of competitiveness, however, does not lie only in those capabilities. Apple has adopted cutting edge devices from device suppliers to develop hardware products such as iPhone which have captured consumers' minds. It has also selected the most capable EMS to stably manufacture millions of products each month. In dealing with device suppliers and EMS, Apple controls them. Its sourcing power is also Apple's critical capability. There have been many discussions about Market Intelligence (MI) since the 1970s, and Technology Intelligence (TI) since the 1980s. However, there has not been so much discussion about intelligence related to sourcing. This paper advocates "Sourcing Intelligence (SI)" as the third intelligence that supports sourcing power following MI and TI, and introduces its basic concept and examples of its practical use. Furthermore, the important role SI plays in corporate strategy is demonstrated.


The competition between Coulomb and van der Waals interactions brings forth unique dynamic features and broad applications to ionic liquids. Herein, we present a combined calorimetric, X-ray diffraction, incoherent elastic, and quasi-elastic neutron scattering study, over a wide temperature range (180-340 K), of the relaxational dynamics of the liquid, supercooled liquid, crystalline, glassy, and glacial states of two model ionic liquids: tributylmethylammonium (a good glass-former) and butyltrimethylammonium (a good crystal-former) cations and the bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion. In both systems, we observed two distinct relaxation processes. The Q-dependence of the respective relaxation time shows that the α-process is diffusive, while the β-process is modulated by the structure of the liquids.


Beneficial microorganisms play a pivotal role in the invasion process of exotic plants, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Bacillus. However, limited research exists on the synergistic influence of AMF and Bacillus on the competition between both invasive and native plants. In this study, pot cultures of Ageratina adenophora monoculture, Rabdosia amethystoides monoculture, and A. adenophora and R. amethystoides mixture were used to investigate the effects of dominant AMF (Septoglomus constrictum, SC) and Bacillus cereus (BC), and the co-inoculation of BC and SC on the competitive growth of A. adenophora. The results showed that inoculation with BC, SC, and BC + SC significantly increased the biomass of A. adenophora by 14.77, 112.07, and 197.74%, respectively, in the competitive growth between A. adenophora and R. amethystoides. Additionally, inoculation with BC increased the biomass of R. amethystoides by 185.07%, while inoculation with SC or BC + SC decreased R. amethystoides biomass by 37.31 and 59.70% compared to the uninoculated treatment. Inoculation with BC significantly increased the nutrient contents in the rhizosphere soil of both plants and promoted their growth. Inoculation with SC or SC + BC notably increased the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of A. adenophora, therefore enhancing its competitiveness. Compared with single inoculation, dual inoculation with SC and BC increased AMF colonization rate and Bacillus density, indicating that SC and BC can form a synergistic effect to further enhance the growth and competitiveness of A. adenophora. This study reveals the distinct role of S. constrictum and B. cereus during the invasion of A. adenophora, and provide new clues to the underlying mechanisms of interaction between invasive plant, AMF and Bacillus.


Overlay Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) for FPGAs based on the Butterfly-Fat Tree (BFT) topology with lightweight flow control deliver low LUT costs and features such as in-order delivery and livelock freedom. BFT NoCs make it possible to conFigure network bandwidth to match application requirements, by choosing switch types with different numbers of ports (arity) for the layers of the tree hierarchy. We increase the design space of BFT NoC configurations available to designers by constructing networks with larger arity-4 switches, in addition to the arity2 switches explored by previous works. When synthesized for the Xilinx UltraScale + VU9P FPGA, our proposed BFT NoCs consume 38-45% fewer LUTs and 33-50% smaller wiring lengths than arity-2 BFT NoCs with the same Rent parameter, in exchange for a reduction in maximum clock frequency in up to 25%. We simulate the operation of our proposed NoCs when routing various real-world workloads with 64 network clients, and show that they consistently achieve better Throughput / LUT cost ratios, when compared to arity-2 BFT NoCs with the same Rent parameter, with improvements of 15 to 120% depending on the benchmark and NoC topology.


Performance of a compression ignition engine fuelled with Diesel Methanol blends with Isopropyl alcohol is evaluated. A single-cylinder, air-cooled, direct injection diesel engine developing a power output of 5.2 kW at 1500 rev/min is used. Base data is generated with standard diesel fuel, four fuel blends namely 80:10:10, 70:20:10, 60:20:20 and 50:30;20 percentages by volume of diesel, methanol and isopropyl alcohol were prepared and tested in the diesel engine. Engine performance and emission data were used to optimize the blends for reducing emission and improving performance. Results show improved performance with blends compared to neat fuel. However, 60:20:20 blends recorded a brake thermal efficiency of 35.92% against 30.6% for the neat diesel at maximum brake power without much change in smoke density and NOx emissions. However, little increase in HC emissions were recorded up to 60:20:20 blends and the increase is drastic when the methanol content is above 20%


Clinically, oral fungating lesions frequently occur in cancer patients following radiation and chemotherapy. However, their role in carcinogenesis has not been fully understood. Our previous finding showed that defective IKKα-mediated autoreactive T cells promote fungal infection and esophageal malignancy, but whether IKKα-mediated altered epithelial properties regulate fungal colonization and carcinogenesis remains to be tested. To investigate whether IKKα-mediated altered epithelial properties regulate fungal colonization and carcinogenesis, we orally infected mice lacking Ikkα (IkkαΔSOE) or both Ikkα and Stat3 (IkkαΔSOEStat3ΔSOE) in the stem cells of the skin and mouth with fungi. We found that oral fungal infection enhanced Ikkα ablation-mediated skin and oral carcinogenesis in association with increased oral and skin bacteria counts and altered oral bacteria phylum from gram-positive to gram-negative. Enhanced oral fungal/bacterial infection increased inflammasome activities and systemic IL-17A/IL-1β signals. Surprisingly, Stat3 ablation rescued these phenotypes in IkkαΔSOEStat3ΔSOE mice. In addition, amoxicillin treatment inhibited skin carcinogenesis and oral/skin bacteria counts and reversed oral bacteria phyla in fungal-inoculated IkkαΔSOE mice. These findings highlight that cancer cell IKKα/STAT3 antagonizing pathways determine susceptibility to fungal and bacterial colonization, which impacts carcinogenesis. Human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas also share oncogenic pathways and bacteria sequences/counts with mice, suggesting that oral fungating/ulcerating lesions enhance local and distal tumorigenesis in humans. Citation Format: Na-Young Song, Xin Li, Jonathan H. Badger, Jami Willette Brown, Xhonghe Sun, Gongping Shi, Feng Zhu, Chengfei Jiang, Colum O9hUigin, Xiaolin Wu, Giorgio Trinchieri, Yinling Hu. IKKα/STAT3 antagonistic signaling regulates fungi-bacteria endosymbiosis-associated carcinogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr B17.


Ekor Kucing (Cabomba furcata) is a dominating water plant, which is rapidly proliferating in Lake Chini, Pahang, Malaysia. If left uncontrolled, the prevalence of this plant would threaten other plants, such as by inhibiting the growth of lotus (Nelumbo nicifera and Nympae lotus). It is also suspected as being a cause of pollution in Lake Chini. Steps to eradicate or control C. furcata plants first require a comprehensive study of its phytochemical content through methods of chemical screening, extraction/fractionation and analysis of individual compounds. Phytochemical screening carried out on the extracts detected flavonoid, saponin and alkaloid groups, but not triterpene and tannin. Different extraction yields were obtained from various plant parts, with the highest yield (%g/g sample) obtained before and after alkaloid fractionation were from the leaf (10.1%, 6.9%), followed by stem (9.6%, 4.5%) and flower (0.8%, 0.5%). Identification of alkaloids in C. furcata extracts by TLC showed the presence of nicotine, tomatine, thebaine and quinine.


C-fibers, unmyelinated afferent axons, convey information from the periphery of the nervous system to the spinal cord. They transmit signals originating from noxious stimulation evoking the sensations of itch and pain in the central nervous system. Different classes of C-fibers are characterized by functional, morphological and biochemical characteristics. In pain studies, a classification into mechano-insensitive (CMi) and mechano responsive fibers (CM) has proven useful as changes in proportions and response characteristics of these fibers have been observed in neuropathy patients (Weidner et al. 1999, 2000; Orstavik 2003, 2010). In this study, using computational modeling of a C-fiber, we have studied the possible contribution of different ion channel subtypes (Na-TTXs, Nav1.8, Nav1.9, Kdr, KA, KM, K(Na), h) as well as the Na/K-ATPase pump to conductive properties of C-fibers. In particular we investigated mechanisms that could generate the fiber-specific differences between CM and CMi fibers with regard to activity dependent slowing (ADS) and recovery cycles (RC). In our study we represent the axon by three cylindrical sections, one representing the peripheral thin end (branch, 2.5 cm), one the central part (parent, 10 cm) and a conical section between these (0.5 cm). In total 730 compartments are used. Temperature is set to 32 degrees C in branch and 37 degrees in parent sections. We represent variable ion concentrations of Na and K intra axonally, periaxonally and extracellularly, from which reversal potentials are calculated. We use ion channel models based on Hodgkin Huxley formalism. An ion pump (Na/K-ATPase) is included. We find that TTX-sensitive Na and Nav1.8 have the strongest influence on action potential conduction velocity as is expected since these are the major components of the rising phase of the action potential. Preliminary observations indicate that a small subset of Na and K currents play a key role in determining differences in activity dependent velocity changes (ADS) in the two fiber classes. We plan to also study contributions from morphological characteristics (superficial branch lengths) to activity dependent differences between the fiber classes (Schmidt et al. 2002). We further intend to investigate candidate ion channels which could play a role in changing the functional characteristics of a CMi fiber to that of a CM fiber. Our studies may provide insights into ionic changes underlying changes in the excitability of C-fibers associated with pain.


Rabies is usually a disease of animals, but it spreads over humans when an infected animal, particularly dog expose its saliva containing rabies virus into a scratch or other wounds of a person during their bites. Although, clinical forms of rabies cases are potentially fatal, human rabies can be effectively treated if the exposure is recognized before the symptoms develop. Appropriate post-exposure prophylactic measures, if employed in due time to individuals exposed to rabies virus will prevent the disease from occurring. A prospective observational study was carried out for a period of 1 month in a total of 54 patients at Government General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital located at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The data collected was analyzed to know the prophylactic measures under taken for the management and treatment of patients based on their demographic profile and type of exposure (bites/rabies). The study results showed that the incidence rate is higher in male than female in both the types of exposures. Results clearly indicate that vaccines, mostly of human origin are usually administered in combination (RIG+ARV) for the prophylaxis of the disease with whole success, and drugs from several therapeutic classes were administered as multidrug regimens for the symptomatic treatment complications associated with post-exposure rabies illness.


 The present work
makes a general bibliographical review around a variety of issues around Cymbopogon
citrates and tries to summarize the most important aspect and qualities of the
plant that make it a potential element in the research and defining of cosmetics with natural
ingredients. The biological
antibacterial and antifungal activities of the species Cymbopogon citratus (DC)
Stapf , have been identified by several authors by highlighting a potential
action on a large number of pathogens, some of them related to dermal problems.
Various other activities have been evaluated, such as antioxidant and
insecticide; allowing the extract to be incorporated in cosmetic and
insecticide formulations. Several studies consider the species for patented
formulations that include microencapsulation as a viable option. Non-invasive in-vivo studies have been
reviewed in this work to analyse any potential toxicology and to define the
best concentrations of use.


The aim of the studies was to elaborate technical procedure of material preparation for quantitative studies and determination of correction coefficients of morphometric parameters in dependence on histological procedures. Moreover, volume changes of the rat substantia nigra and striatum (structures degenerating in Parkinson's disease) during the first half year of life were estimated. As fixatives 4 and 8% formaldehyde in 4 and 20 degrees C were used. Irrespective of applied variant of fixation formaldehyde produced during first 48 hrs rapid increase of the brain weight and volume up to 52% of that of the fresh brain, which was followed by slow decrease of brain weight of about 1-3%/24 hrs. The most pronounced changes caused 4% formaldehyde in 20 degrees C. The best conditions for morphometric studies were obtained with the use of 8% formaldehyde in 20 degrees C. Dehydration in ethyl alcohol produced violent decrease of brain volume and weight (from 32% up to 39% of the fresh brain weight). Clearing in methyl bensoesane increases again the brain weight by a few percentage. The obtained results make possible to estimate error size in morphometric studies conducted on the formaldehyde-fixed material. It was stated also that the above histological procedure causes more pronounced changes in fetal rat brain and in brain of 1-2-day-old rats. Stabilization of changes caused by histological procedure is achieved between first and sixth months of rat life.


Multiparametric MRI of the prostate demonstrates strong potential to address many limitations of traditional prostate cancer diagnosis and management strategies. Recent evidence supports roles for prostate MRI in prebiopsy risk stratification, guidance of targeted biopsy and preoperative disease staging. Prostate MRI may also assist the planning and follow-up of investigational partial gland ablative therapies. This article reviews the impact of prostate MRI on such diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms in contemporary prostate cancer management.


Objectives: To critically synthesise current knowledge of the patterns of injuries and risk factors for injury in school-aged children, to summarise the evidence and support effective child injury prevention initiatives. Design: Systematic review. Selection criteria and methods: Prospective cohort studies reporting unintentional injuries in healthy children aged 5–18 years were identified by searching 15 electronic databases and additional grey literature sources. A narrative synthesis was conducted of papers meeting quality criteria, with risk factors analysed at individual, family and environmental levels. Limitations of existing evidence were considered. Results: 44 papers from 18 different cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. There were broad and consistent patterns of injury across time and place. Male sex, psychological, behavioural and risk-taking behaviour problems, having a large number of siblings, and a young mother were all associated with increased injury occurrence across more than one cohort and setting. Conclusions: Descriptive epidemiology and risk factors for injury were derived from prospective cohort studies, but few studies used the full potential of their design. Opportunities to use repeated measures to assess temporal changes in injury occurrence, and the exploration of risk factors, particularly those related to the child's environment, have rarely been undertaken. Few studies were conducted in low/middle-income countries where the burden of injury is greatest. These findings should be considered when planning future research and prevention initiatives.


Introduction: Currently there are no reliable predictors of prognosis in malignant pleural effusions (MPE) leading to inability to tailor individual treatment strategies. The 9LENT9 score proposed as a clinical prognostic scoring system for MPE appears to be a potential but has not been validated. Aim: To evaluate the LENT score in a multicentre population from a high quality databases of previous clinical studies in MPE. Methods: Data from MPE patients from the TIME1 & 2 randomised clinical trials were prospectively collected from 2007-2013. Information included type of primary cancer, LDH, performance status and full blood count. Survival data were obtained directly from the trial databases and validated via national registry. Kaplan Meier curves and a Cox regression model were used to assess the LENT risk category. Mortality rates at time points of interest were calculated. Result: s The LENT score was calculated for 75 patients diagnosed with MPE. The median survival (95% CI) for the low (n = 26), medium (n = 40) and high risk (n = 9) groups were: 417 (0.46-833), 182 (96–267) and 160 (0–338) days. In the high risk group, 1 month survival was 89% and 6 month survival was 44%. There was a statistically significant difference in the survival times between all risk groups (log-rank test p Conclusions: The LENT score is a good tool for predicting good survival in patients with MPE for those with a low risk. Medium and high risk groups did not statistically differ in terms of survival. Further research is needed to identify prognostic biomarkers that could be used in addition to the score.


This study examined the mediating role of parenting on the relation between parental personality and toddlers' externalising behaviours. Participants were 112 boys and their parents. The data were analysed using multilevel modelling and moderated mediation analyses. Several associations were found between parental personality and parenting dimensions. Additionally, several parenting dimensions were associated with children's externalising behaviours. Emotional stability was the only parental personality trait that was related to children's externalising behaviours. The effect of maternal emotional stability on children's aggressive behaviours appeared to be mediated by maternal support. For fathers, there appeared to be a direct effect of emotional stability on children's aggressive behaviours. In addition, for both mothers and fathers, emotional stability was directly related to children's attention problems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


: The treatment of Ultra WideBand systems in a three dimensional Alternating Direction Implicit Finite Difference Time Domain is given. Unavoidable artifacts caused by insufficient source sampling of UWB signals in ADI-FDTD are described. An empirical approach of determining the appropriate temporal discretization is proposed and verified by numerical experiments.


Cardiac signals, such as the electrocardiogram, convey a significant amount of information about the health status of a patient which is typically summarized by a clinician in the form of a clinical report, a cumbersome process that is prone to errors. To streamline this routine process, we propose a deep neural network capable of captioning cardiac signals; it receives a cardiac signal as input and generates a clinical report as output. We extend this further to generate multilingual reports. To that end, we create and make publicly available a multilingual clinical report dataset. In the absence of sufficient labelled data, deep neural networks can benefit from a warm-start, or pre-training, procedure in which parameters are first learned in an arbitrary task. We propose such a task in the form of discriminative multilingual pre-training where tokens from clinical reports are randomly replaced with those from other languages and the network is tasked with predicting the language of all tokens. We show that our method performs on par with state-of-the-art pre-training methods such as MLM, ELECTRA, and MARGE, while simultaneously generating diverse and plausible clinical reports. We also demonstrate that multilingual models can outperform their monolingual counterparts, informally terming this beneficial phenomenon as the blessing of multilinguality.


In this paper, we demonstrated the shallow NiSiGe Schottky junction on the SiGe P-channel by using low-temperature microwave annealing. The NiSiGe/n-Si Schottky junction was formed for the Si-capped/SiGe multi-layer structure on an n-Si substrate (Si/Si0.57Ge0.43/Si) through microwave annealing (MWA) ranging from 200 to 470 °C for 150 s in N2 ambient. MWA has the advantage of being diffusion-less during activation, having a low-temperature process, have a lower junction leakage current, and having low sheet resistance (Rs) and contact resistivity. In our study, a 20 nm NiSiGe Schottky junction was formed by TEM and XRD analysis at MWA 390 °C. The NiSiGe/n-Si Schottky junction exhibits the highest forward/reverse current (ION/IOFF) ratio of ~3 × 105. The low temperature MWA is a very promising thermal process technology for NiSiGe Schottky junction manufacturing.


Pimelodus pohli, new species, is described from the rio São Francisco drainage. It differs from congeners by the following characters in combination: adults with dark spots on anterodorsal region of body and young specimens (up to 100 mm SL) with three rows of dark spots laterally on body; comparatively long adipose fin, more than one third of the distance between posterior end of dorsal fin base and the vertical through posterior end of anal-fin base (21.8-26.2% SL); lips poorly developed; 20-25 gill rakers; and maxillary barbels slightly surpassing the caudal-fin base. A key to the species of Pimelodus of the rio São Francisco drainage is presented.


Materials that can switch adhesive properties based on external stimuli are required in several industries for temporary bonding or transfer processes. Previously studied materials achieve this under restricted conditions (hydration, heat, and long switching times), and some materials have limitations related to reuse because of irreversible reactions or residue formation on substrates. Herein, a rapid photoresponsive switchable pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) fabricated using an acrylic polymer and an aliphatic monomer containing azobenzene is reported. The adhesion force of the proposed PSA can be switched by photoisomerizing the azobenzene moiety. The process induces the transition of surface energy and modulus of the PSA. Ultraviolet and visible light irradiation can switch the probe tack force from 200 to 4 kPa within 15-30 s. Adhesion switching is possible in a state wherein the PSA remains adhered to a substrate. Mini-LEDs are selectively transferred from the carrier PSA to a polydimethylsiloxane substrate following the process of partial adhesion switching of the PSA. The novel and switchable PSA, which exhibits a selective and repeatable adhesion switching property and high switching ratio when stimulated by light stimuli, may be potentially used to realize the mini-LED or micro-LED transfer processes.


In this chapter, we present several approaches designed for providing efficient recommendations in large web systems characterized by bigdata scales. The key feature of the considered approaches is that they all rely on different elements and properties of social/complex network analysis for addressing various deficiencies of legacy and current recommendation systems when very large operational scales emerge. The main challenges of recommendations addressed by the presented approaches are the diversity (novelty) of recommendations, the cold-start problem, scalability and noise filtering issues, as well as the efficiency of developing these approaches and integrating them in operational systems. This chapter aspires to provide an educated overview, leading to a solid fundamental background on how social/complex network analysis can be exploited for more effective recommendations in stringent environments characterized by large scales ofusers, items and associated data, cumulatively referred to as big network data. Furthermore, our work aims at highlighting the design principles that are more interesting for enabling the extension of the presented approaches and their combination with other current state-of-the-art techniques, thus leading to more socioaware and efficient recommendation approaches in the near and longer term future.


ABSTRACT Cranberries and blueberries are small fruits known for their antioxidant properties. However, due to their high water content and short shelf life, they are generally marketed as dehydrated berries. The present work aimed to model the rehydration of dehydrated berries. Rehydration tests were conducted at 7 and 29°C using milk as a solvent and at 7, 29, and 45°C when the solvent was water. The mass gain was assessed at different intervals, and the experimental data were fitted to the Fick model considering the berries as spheres. Six empirical/semi-empirical models describing the diffusion of water during drying were used to predict the rehydration process. Fick's law satisfactorily represented the data, and the highest diffusion coefficients were found when the berries were rehydrated in water at 45°C. Rehydration of berries in milk resulted in nutrient gain as different diffusive flows occurred during the process. The use of empirical models to predict the operating time of the rehydration processes allows flexibility as such models are mathematically simpler than the Fick model. Diffusivity is essential for the design/construction of equipment, and/or process optimization and implementation.


Introduction - Learning about ageing and the appropriate management of older patients is important for all doctors. This survey set out to evaluate what medical undergraduates in the UK are taught about ageing and geriatric medicine and how this teaching is delivered.

Methods – An electronic questionnaire was developed and sent to the 28/31 UK medical schools which agreed to participate.

Results – Full responses were received from 17 schools. 8/21 learning objectives were recorded as taught, and none were examined, across every school surveyed. Elder abuse and terminology and classification of health were taught in only 8/17 and 2/17 schools respectively. Pressure ulcers were taught about in 14/17 schools but taught formally in only 7 of these and examined in only 9. With regard to bio- and socio- gerontology, only 9/17 schools reported teaching in social ageing, 7/17 in cellular ageing and 9/17 in the physiology of ageing.

Discussion – Even allowing for the suboptimal response rate, this study presents significant cause for concern with UK undergraduate education related to ageing. The failure to teach comprehensively on elder abuse and pressure sores, in particular, may be significantly to the detriment of older patients.


Poisoning is a common problem in the United States. Acid-base disturbances, electrolyte derangements, or acute kidney injury result from severe poisoning from toxic alcohols, salicylates, metformin, and acetaminophen. Lithium is highly sensitive to small changes in kidney function. These poisonings and drug overdoses often require the nephrologist's expertise in diagnosis and treatment, which may require correction of acidosis, administration of selective enzyme inhibitors, or timely hemodialysis. The clinical and laboratory abnormalities associated with the poisonings and drug overdoses can develop rapidly and lead to severe cellular dysfunction and death. Understanding the pathophysiology of the disturbances and their clinical and laboratory findings is essential for the nephrologist to rapidly recognize the poisonings and establish an effective treatment plan. This installment of AJKD's Core Curriculum in Nephrology presents illustrative cases of individual poisonings and drug overdoses and summarizes up to date information on their prevalence, clinical and laboratory findings, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.


This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of supplemental phytase in a corn-wheatsoybean meal basal diet on phosphorus (P) digestibility and performance of broiler chicks. 378 one-day old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to 3×3 factorial arrangements with three levels of phytase enzyme (0, 500 and 1000 FTU/kg) and three levels of non-phytate P (100, 80 and 60% of NRC requirements). Broiler chicks received experimental diets from 7 to 49 days of age. Phytase significantly (P < 0.05) improved body weight gain and feed intake. Tibial ash and P contents increased significantly by phytase supplementation. Ileal P digestibility increased and P excretion reduced by added phytase. The greatest response due to supplemental phytase regarding P digestibility and utilization was obtained at the lowest dietary non-phytate P (NPP) level (60% of NRC requirements). Difference between various levels of added phytase (500 and 1000 FTU/kg) regarding P excretion and utilization was not significant. The interactions between supplemental phytase and dietary NPP for P utilization, tibial ash and P contents were significant (P < 0.05). The results indicate that, supplemental microbial phytase (500 FTU/kg of diet) added to diet containing NPP lower than NRC requirements (60%) can improve growth performance, tibial ash and phytate P utilization in broiler chickens.


Vicarious Nucleophilic Substitution of hydrogen (VNS) offers a great potential for nucleophilic substitution of aromatic hydrogen with carbon, oxygen and nitrogen groups. Typical VNS consists of a reaction of nitroarenes with nucleophiles bearing a good leaving group at the nucleophilic center to furnish the corresponding orthoor para-substituted nitroarenes. In this reaction , the leaving group connected with the nucleophile is eliminated from all-adduct instead of unstable hydride anion. Thus, the leaving group acts as a vicarious leaving group; hence, this reaction is called "vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen" (VNS). Among the VNS reactions, VNS amination is of great importance as a direct introduction of an amino group (NH2) into an aromatic ring to give aminonitroarenes. Sulfenamides, 4-amino-1, 2, 4-triazole, 1, 1, 1-trimethylhydrazinium iodide, hydroxylamine and O-alkylhydroxylamine have been reported as VNS aminating agents so far. This review summarizes the VNS aminations by classifying into each aminating agents.


Abstract The hydrogeology of the Roer Valley Rift System is strongly influenced by the hydraulic properties of faults. The hydrogeological impact of faults is illustrated by examples from the SE Netherlands and the adjacent lignite mining areas within the Roer Valley Rift System, near Bonn in Germany. Hydraulic head discontinuities over the main faults in the latter area can be up to tens of meters as a result of extremely large groundwater extractions in combination with the relatively low conductivity of the main faults. Within the Netherlands, outside the mining areas, such large groundwater extractions do not take place, and groundwater fluxes are smaller. In this situation natural hydraulic head differences over the main faults are limited to several meters. Hydraulic head profiles over faults provide a first estimate of fault hydraulic properties that can be quantified using simple analytical solutions. The impact of faults on near surface processes is reflected in vegetation patterns and the structure of drainage networks, aquifer structure and hydraulic head patterns. Faults can thus be of great influence on transport processes in the subsurface as well as on water-related phenomena at the surface, and should accordingly be taken into consideration in studies related to water-management, contamination and environmental impact. Faults that have an enhanced vertical permeability are difficult to detect when horizontal groundwater flow is studied, which is probably the main reason why they are rarely described. Though, these faults may form important preferential paths to vertical groundwater flow.


Background: Cavernous sinus tuberculomas are extremely rare, but the increasing incidence worldwide of central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis, mostly due to human immunodeficiency virus and poor sanitary conditions, and the ability of tuberculomas to mimic a brain neoplasm makes cavernous sinus tuberculomas a suspicious pathologic finding in the differential diagnosis of a brain space-occupying lesion. Case Description: We present an immunocompetent patient with no signs of systemic tuberculosis and an isolated right cavernous sinus space-occupying lesion. A skull base approach was performed and tumor resection achieved. The postoperative course was uneventful. Pathologic findings consisted of a tuberculoma and antituberculous treatment was immediately begun with total tumor regression after a 12-month regimen. After reviewing the literature, we propose suggestions to orient the diagnosis and a treatment algorithm for tuberculomas in rare locations. Conclusion: Tuberculomas in rare locations, as the cavernous sinus, are a challenging pathology as they have the ability to mimic a brain neoplasm. Although first line treatment are antituberculous therapy (4 drugs for at least 12 months) and adjuvant steroids, in inconclusive cases, surgical biopsy or excision is recommended for histopathologic confirmation and to reduce the mass effect, always following with antituberculous therapy and adjuvant steroids.


Subspace Gaussian mixture models (SGMMs) provide a compact representation of the Gaussian parameters in an acoustic model, but may still suffer from over-fitting with insufficient training data. In this letter, the SGMM state parameters are estimated using a penalized maximum-likelihood objective, based on l1 and l2 regularization, as well as their combination, referred to as the elastic net, for robust model estimation. Experiments on the 5000-word Wall Street Journal transcription task show word error rate reduction and improved model robustness with regularization.


The radial growth rate and calcification of a cyanobacterium, Rivularia haematites, has been measured in detail for the first time. Maximum radial growth rates of 12–14 μm d–1 were recorded during the summer and minimum rates of less than 2 μm d–1 during winter. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001, r= +0.929) between radial growth and water temperature. Differences in growth between sites were related to variation in water temperature and illumination. All colonies were heavily calcified and two patterns of calcification were noted: (i), a broad, seasonal band formed at the colony surface with calcification proceeding inwards, resulting from inorganic precipitation within the mucilage, probably augmented by particle trapping; and (ii), a series of finer secondary bands, probably formed as a result of photosynthetic activity within meristematic zones of the colonies. Colonization by Rivularia and its tolerance to emersion are also discussed briefly.


Headline exchange rate measures don't capture New Zealand's burgeoning emerging market trade, particularly the China-driven export boom, argues this short paper. Introduction People are worried about the damage the strengthening exchange rate might be doing to the export sector. It's only a matter of time before there are more ill-advised calls for exchange rate interventions. Most economists use the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's Trade-Weighted Index (TWI-5) exchange rate measure to understand the impact of the exchange rate on the economy since it is widely reported.1 But this measure reflects old trading patterns, as it puts a lot of weight on the exchange rate with 5 markets – Australia, Japan, the Euro area, the UK and the US – selected because of their historical market size. Nor does the TWI-5 capture services trade. However, it is now the emerging markets – particularly China – that drive our export growth. Goods exports to China are booming, clocking in at almost $10 billion in 2013. Services exports are also growing in importance. China's blossoming middle classes are on the move, generating a $732 million windfall for New Zealand tourism operators in 2013.


Background and Objectives: The HH (hand hygiene) technique is relatively simple. Even so, in practice there are still non-conformities regarding this aspect. Lack of knowledge or lack of compliance can be reasons for non-adherence with HH techniques. In this context, the purpose of this study was to follow the realization of the hand-washing technique with hydroalcoholic solution, applied before and after receiving the HH recommendations. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2022 to June 2022. Students from a second year dental medicine class teaching in French 2021/22 "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi were included in the study. The approval of the ethics commission was received: No. 184/05.05.2022. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, HH was performed without any recommendation. In the second stage, the antiseptic hand rubbing technique was presented following the WHO recommendations. The fluorescent Fluo-Add solution, Wood lamp for dermatology (4 × 5.5 W ultraviolet tubes with a wavelength of 360 nm), and photo camera were used. Subjects performed their HH movement before and after receiving instructions according to WHO. Images were initially taken from the backhand and palm and were finally analyzed with Image Color Summarizer. The data were analyzed by the Mann–Whitney U Test, t-test paired samples using IBM-SPSS version 26 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA), and p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: After analyzing the images, there were 70 subjects, 45.7% (32) female and 54.33% (38) male. Final average covered area of backhand was 60.89% (±17.17), 28.84:86.11, compared to 52.07% (±17.04), 9:85.23. Final average covered area for palm was 69.91% (±13.5), 31.61:93.41 compared to 59.74% (±16.64), 26.13:92.72. No statistical significance was obtained by gender. Conclusions: The study showed an improvement in hand hygiene technique without highlighting gender differences.


Who should pay the costs associated with anthropogenic climate change, how much should they pay, and why? This burden-distribution problem has become the central question of climate justice among scholars and activists, and it remains the primary obstacle to the development of an effective climate regime. The costs are expected to be significant and varied, but can generally be categorized in terms of mitigation—that is, those costs associated with reducing further human contributions toward the increasing atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) that cause climate change; and adaptation—that is, those costs that result from attempting to insulate humans from the harms associated with the anthropogenic environmental damage of climate change. Since mitigation actions undertaken by developed countries under the auspices of the Kyoto Protocol are self-financed and mitigation targets accepted by developing countries are widely viewed as contingent upon financing from developed countries, imperatives to reduce GHGs are fundamentally matters of allocating mitigation costs. Adaptation intervenes in the causal chain between climate change and human harm, allowing the former but preventing the latter, but when this is not possible, a third category of compensation costs must be assigned in order to remedy failed mitigation and adaptation efforts. Because the formulas for assessing liability for adaptation and for compensation are identical, and since climate justice requires adaptation efforts that render compensation unnecessary, for the purposes of this essay the category of adaptation shall be understood to include prevention of harm as well as ex post compensation for it. As expected, the "Copenhagen Accord" that emerged from the Fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2009 failed to satisfactorily address this core burden-allocation issue, making its resolution the primary problem to be addressed at the COP16 in Cancún, Mexico, at the end of 2010.


Introduction Pepsin, a gastric enzyme, has been proposed as a marker of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) when present in saliva.1 In contrast to routine diagnostic methods, quantification of salivary pepsin is rapid and non-invasive. Furthermore, 24h pH-monitoring has limited sensitivity.2We aimed to evaluate the impact of salivary pepsin measurement on diagnosis of GORD in patients undergoing 24h pH-monitoring. Method Patients referred for 24h pH-monitoring (off medication) were invited to take part in the study. Eligible participants complained of heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain or acid in the mouth and were referred for testing by a gastroenterologist, upper gastrointestinal surgeon or respiratory consultant. Presence of additional atypical symptoms was assessed by questionnaire (Reflux Symptom Index). Patients underwent high resolution oesophageal manometry and catheter-based 24h pH-monitoring. During the monitoring period, participants collected up to three saliva samples at the time of experiencing their predominant symptom (s). Pepsin concentration of samples was quantified using a lateral flow device (Peptest) where at least one sample containing >25ng/ml pepsin was indicative of reflux disease. Diagnostic outcome by pepsin measurement and 24h pH-monitoring (>4.2% of time pH <4 considered diagnostic of GORD) was compared using Fisher's exact test. Results 100 participants recruited; 80 participants included in final analysis (exclusions: corrupt pH study (n = 1), no pepsin samples collected (n = 19)). 81% of participants returned at least one positive pepsin sample. 39/80 (49%) patients were classified as having reflux disease based on 24h-pH monitoring (mean%time pH <4: 10.9% vs 1.8% in reflux negative group, p < 0.05). Of these, 30/39 (77%) also had positive reflux outcome using pepsin. Of 41 individuals without reflux based on pH-monitoring, 85% had at least one positive pepsin sample. 9 individuals studied were found to have reflux on pH-monitoring, but no evidence of salivary pepsin. Pepsin based reflux outcome was not dependent on the outcome from 24 h pH-monitoring (Fisher's exact 2-tailed sig. = 0.398). Conclusion A higher proportion of the total population was found to have GORD based on pepsin measurement (81% vs 49% using pH), which may reflect the poor sensitivity of 24h pH-monitoring. Measurement of salivary pepsin changed the diagnostic outcome when compared to 24h pH-monitoring in 44% of symptomatic reflux patients. Further studies should explore the relationships between pepsin concentration and symptoms of reflux. This study may support the use of salivary pepsin measurement to prevent false-negative diagnosis based on 24h pH-monitoring alone. Disclosure of interest A. Rasijeff: None Declared, W. Jackson: None Declared, J. Burke: None Declared, P. Dettmar Shareholder of: RD Biomed Limited. References Hayat JO, et al. Gut 2015;64:373–380 Dent J, et al. Gut 2010;59:714–721


: Linker histones and the proteins belonging to the high mobility group 1 (HMG1) family are the most abundant proteins associated with the internucleosomal linker DNA in eukaryotic chromatin. Despite their relative abundance, there are indications that they may be involved in specific developmental pathways. In higher plants, a variety of these chromosomal proteins has been identified and characterized. In this report, we give an overview of the present knowledge about these two protein families, and discuss their likely functions in plants.


Many biological cells/tissues sense the mechanical properties of their local environments via mechanoreceptors, proteins that can respond to forces like pressure or mechanical perturbations. Mechanoreceptors detect their stimuli and transmit signals via a great diversity of mechanisms. Some of the most common roles for mechanoreceptors are in neuronal responses, like touch and pain, or hair cells which function in balance and hearing. Mechanosensation is also important for cell types which are regularly exposed to shear stress such as endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, or blood cells which experience shear in normal circulation. Viscometers are devices that detect the viscosity of fluids. Rotational viscometers may also be used to apply a known shear force to fluids. The ability of these instruments to introduce uniform shear to fluids has been exploited to study many biological fluids including blood and plasma. Viscometry may also be used to apply shear to the cells in a solution, and to test the effects of shear on specific ligand-receptor pairs. Here, we utilize cone-plate viscometry to test the effects of endogenous levels of shear stress on platelets treated with antibodies against the platelet mechanosensory receptor complex GPIb-IX.


A simplicial complex is d-collapsible if it can be reduced to an empty simplex by repeatedly removing face of dimension less than d that it is contained in a unique maximal face. These complexes have been studied since every complex that is the nerve of a family of convex sets in R d is d-collapsible. We show that the question whether a given complex is 2-collapsible can be solved in polynomial time.


Jarosite is a family of iron-hydroxysulphate minerals that commonly occur in acidic,
sulphate-rich environments and in ore processing wastes. Jarosite precipitation is used
in hydrometallurgy to control Fe and other impurities. End-member jarosite sensu
stricto contains potassium and has the chemical formula KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6, but
extensive element substitution takes place in the crystal structure. Silver can be taken
up by jarosite minerals and, in theory, Ag can form solid-solution series with K, Na
and Pb in jarosite. This study carried out synthesis experiments, using a variety of
sulphate starting solutions and temperatures, to form K-jarosite, Na-jarosite and Pbjarosite
minerals and determined their capacity for Ag by investigating them using
powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, electron microprobe analysis
and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. Solid solution was
found between Ag-jarosite and separately K-jarosite, Na-jarosite and Pb-jarosite, but
with substantial hydronium (H3O) content and vacancies in the Fe site. The average
relative partitioning coefficients for Ag were 0.9 in K-jarosite, 1.3 in Na-jarosite and
1.17 in Pb-jarosite. Powder XRD analysis showed that, in the K-Ag-H3O and Pb-Ag-
H3O-jarosite series, d-spacing values for the hkl 003 and 006 peaks indicated the unitcell
c-axis parameter decreased as Ag content increased. Rietveld refinement showed
that, in K-Ag-H3O-jarosite and Na-Ag-H3O-jarosite, there were trends of increasing
unit-cell a-axis parameters and decreasing c-axis parameters as Ag content increased.
Rietveld refinement indicated decreasing K,Ag-O2 and K,Ag-O3 bond lengths as Ag
content increased in K-Ag-H3O-jarosite. Raman spectroscopic analysis showed the
assigned v1SO4 and v3SO4 vibrational modes in some K-Ag-H3O-jarosite series had
higher wavenumbers (cm-1), indicating higher bonding energies, as Ag content increased. The XRD, Rietveld refinement and Raman data from this project will
inform the evaluation of the Ag composition of jarosite minerals in complex natural
mineral assemblages using these same techniques.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a recently characterised non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH) agent, which appears to be important in both parenteral and sporadic NANBH. HCV infection has been associated with the development of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatoma. Groups of patients in the western Cape with chronic liver disease and hepatoma were screened for antibodies to HCV and the results were confirmed by standard neutralisation tests. Three of 19 patients with cirrhosis secondary to alcohol abuse or classic auto-immune chronic active hepatitis were considered to have antibodies to HCV at initial screening. All of these were false-positive results. Five of 20 patients with presumptive chronic NANBH were considered possibly to have antibodies to HCV. Only 1 patient with post-transfusional NANBH was confirmed to have specific HCV antibodies. Two of 30 patients with hepatoma had specific anti-HCV antibodies in contrast to 11 others with serum HBsAg positivity. One hundred blood transfusion donors and 25 antenatal patients were tested concurrently and shown to be negative for anti-HCV. Specific antibodies to HCV were present in very few patients with cirrhosis, presumptive NANBH and hepatoma tested in this local survey. False-positive reactions appeared to occur at a higher rate than true-positive results.


The ideal natural or prosthetic mandibular replacement should be adjustable at the time of surgery, completely stable, free from tissue reaction or rejection, rapidly incorporated into surrounding tissue, and unlimited in lifespan. A brief review of clinically utilized mandibular replacements is discussed in relation to the ideals. At this time the replacement most adequately satisfying these principles is autogenous cancellous bone and marrow supported by a titanium mesh trough. This article describes the details of external mandibular fixation and the reconstructive procedure including preoperative preparation and common postoperative complications. Modifications of the prosthesis and surgical technique are suggested in order to decrease the chances of postoperative exposure, a complication in any type of mandibular reconstruction.


The paper compares different approaches to regional frequency analysis with the main focus on the implementation of the region-of-influence (ROI) technique for the modelling of probabilities of heavy precipitation amounts in the area of the Western Carpathians. Unlike the conventional regional frequency analysis where the at-site design values are estimated within a fixed pooling group (region), the ROI approach as a specific alternative to focused pooling techniques makes use of flexible pooling groups, i.e. each target site has its own group of sufficiently similar sites. In this paper, various ROI pooling schemes are constructed as combinations of different alternatives of sites' similarity (pooling groups defined according to climatological characteristics and geographical proximity of sites, respectively) and pooled weighting factors. The performance of the ROI pooling schemes and statistical models of conventional (regional and at-site) frequency analysis is assessed by means of Monte Carlo simulation studies for precipitation annual maxima for the 1-day and 5-day durations in Slovakia. It is demonstrated that a) all the frequency models based on the ROI method yield estimates of growth curves that are superior to the standard regional and at-site estimates at most individual sites, and b) the selection of a suitable ROI pooling scheme should be adjusted to the dominant character of the formation of heavy precipitation.


: Selection of wind force resisting system is an important decision in the design of tall buildings, especially for those located in hurricane prone regions. Rigid frames, shear walls, braced frames, framed tube, bundled tube and hybrid system are the common structural forms used to resist lateral forces produced due to wind. Cables have a great potential to be used as a structural element. Cable stayed and hanging bridges and guyed towers are the common structural applications of cables. Not much work has been done to use cables for bracing tall buildings against the lateral movement produced by natural forces like wind and earthquakes. This research work proposes an external cable bracing system for tall buildings which may be used in the future for high-rise structures. A sixty story tall building has been analyzed for the wind speed recommended for Miami, FL., USA., using a shear wall bracing system and the proposed cable bracing system. Comparison of structural performance of the two systems is presented to establish the suitability of the cable bracing system as a part of the wind force resisting system.


In a deduction system with some propositions and some known relations among these propositions, people usually care about the minimum of propositions by which all other propositions can be deduced according to these known relations. Here we call it a minimizing deduction system. Its common solution is the guess and determine method. In this paper we propose a method of solving the minimizing deduction system based on MILP. Firstly, we introduce the conceptions of state variable, path variable and state copy, which enable us to characterize all rules by inequalities. Then we reduce the deduction problem to a MILP problem and solve it by the Gurobi optimizer. As its applications, we analyze the security of two stream ciphers SNOW2.0 and Enocoro-128v2 in resistance to guess and determine attacks. For SNOW 2.0, it is surprising that it takes less than 0.1s to get the best solution of 9 known variables in a personal Macbook Air(Early 2015, Double Intel Core i5 1.6GHZ, 4GB DDR3). For Enocoro-128v2, we get the best solution of 18 known variables within 3 minutes. What's more, we propose two improvements to reduce the number of variables and inequalities which significantly decrease the scale of the MILP problem.


In recent years, the increasing demand for rare earth magnets for use in motors and machines has led to the need for more efficient use of NdFeB materials. Novel processing techniques have been developed to produce NdFeB materials with excellent magnetic properties without the need for heavy rare earth elements. Two specific novel processes including the Flash Spark Plasma Sintering (FSPS) process and the Hydrogen Ductilisation Process (HyDP) were studied in this project with the focus on the use of microstructural analysis and magnetic measurements to fully understand the mechanisms, hence develop and optimise the processing conditions for production of fully dense anisotropic magnets. The most optimal FSPS sample demonstrates a uniform, fine-grained structure with a high degree of crystallographic alignment, leading to a high coercivity (1438 kA m\(^−\)\(^1\)) and remanence (1.16 T) giving a BH\(_m\)\(_a\)\(_x\) of 230 kJ m\(^−\)\(^3\). While with appropriate s-HDDR and compression conditions, the HyDPed sample exhibits a typical s-HDDR microstructure with a submicron grain size. It is shown in the work that the disproportionated sample shows an enhanced ductility and thus can be shaped at room temperature, and a useful degree of anisotropy is produced within the HyDPed sample during the compression.


Leaf yellowing is a major problem in postharvest of Alstroemeria cut flowers. For delaying of leaf yellowing and increasing flower quality a completely randomized factorial design was carried out on the Alstroemeria cut flowers ('Fuji' cultivar). In this research Ethanol (0, 2, 4, 6%), GA3 (0, 50, 100, 150 mg/litre) in two methods (pulse and continuous) were investigated on the flower vese life and other qualitative traits. There is 4% sucrose in all treatments except control. Result revealed that continuous treatment had more effect on the vase life and quality of flowers than pulse treatment. 4% Ethanol prolonged vase life and increased solution uptake. Increasing GA3 concentration in holding solution prolonged vase life and coused better retention of quality of cut flowers. However had no significant difference in 100 &150 mg/L GA3 in flower vase life, solution uptake and fresh weight? Moreover GA3 in pulse treatment had more effect than continuous treatment on better retention of chlorophyll.


This paper evaluates the practices of online news media in representing citizens in the midst of the Eurozone crisis from the perspective of civic participation. Our special focus is on the interplay of argumentation and affect as crucial sources of political action. The empirical analysis examines affective and argumentative framing in two multimodal story types, captioned photo galleries and video reviews, and evaluates their capacity facilitating or hindering political agency. Video reviews construct news narratives that incorporate both affective and argumentative elements. Photo galleries, by contrast, emphasize affect at the cost of argumentation and voice resulting in alienation and silencing. The analysis gives grounds to suggest that dramatized visual news narratives about the financial crisis echo discourses of war on terror and unspecific threat. Such discourses legitimize pre-emptive action (austerity measures, police force), which, in effect, participate in producing what it is supposed to fight (economic inequality, social unrest, violence).


The destruction of Julfa khachkars by Azerbaijani authorities in 2005-2006 at the state level became a stimulus for a unique awakening aimed at the proclamation and dissemination of Jugha classic khachkars. Today, if the number of Julfa original khachkars in the world does not exceed three dozen, the number of their replicas exceeds three hundred. The article presents the khachkar culture of Julfa, the process of copying the destroyed khachkars, the experience of digital repatriation.


Context. It has been proposed that H2 near-infrared lines may be excited by cosmic rays and allow for a determination of the cosmic-ray ionization rate in dense gas. One-dimensional models show that measuring both the H2 gas column density and H2 line intensity enables a constraint on the cosmic-ray ionization rate as well as the spectral slope of low-energy cosmic-ray protons in the interstellar medium (ISM). Aims. We aim to investigate the impact of certain assumptions regarding the H2 chemical models and ISM density distributions on the emission of cosmic-ray induced H2 emission lines. This is of particular importance for utilizing observations of these lines with the James Webb Space Telescope to constrain the cosmic-ray ionization rate. Methods. We compare the predicted emission from cosmic-ray induced, ro-vibrationally excited H2 emission lines for different oneand three-dimensional models with varying assumptions on the gas chemistry and density distribution. Results. We find that the model predictions of the H2 line intensities for the (1-0)S(0), (1-0)Q(2), (1-0)O(2) and (10)O(4) transitions at 2.22, 2.41, 2.63 and 3.00 μm, respectively, are relatively independent of the astro-chemical model and the gas density distribution when compared against the H2 column density, making them robust tracer of the cosmic-ray ionization rate. Conclusions. We recommend the use of ro-vibrational H2 line emission in combination with estimation of the cloud's H2 column density, to constrain the ionization rate and the spectrum of low energy cosmic-rays.


Interdecadal climate variability complicates fishery science and management. On the U.S. west coast, periods of favorable and adverse conditions may last 30 yrs each. A constant-harvest-rate policy may work for long-lived fishes (those with life spans comparable to or exceeding the duration of adverse conditions). Exploitation of short-lived fishes (species with life spans shorter than the duration of adverse conditions) benefits from policies that link harvest rate to environmental conditions, but a delayed response can be desirable. Therefore, rapid identification of regime shifts is not necessary but could provide advance notice of long-term changes in expected harvests. Planning horizons, especially for stock rebuilding, may have to be much longer than has been typical, even a century or more. During adverse periods little rebuilding may occur even after total cessation of fishing. Adverse species interactions like intraguild competition or 'cultivation effects' may prolong rebuilding or reduce sustainable yields. Management reference points like F msy and B msy can be strongly influenced by abundance of competitors. Importantly, B msy of large predators may be well above half the unfished biomass if their removal releases smaller competitors. Although adverse interactions may be reversible, rebuilding of apex predators may require decades to centuries.


ABSTRACT Plasma cutting is an effective way to cut hard metals. In this process, three output parameters cutting width (kerf), surface roughness (Ra) and heat-affected zone (HAZ) are critical factors which affect the quality and efficiency of the cutting. In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the cutting quality in terms of kerf, Ra, and HAZ for the 309 stainless steel plasma cutting. First, the research tested the effect of input parameters including current, gas pressure, and cutting speed on the process outputs. Then, the results were used to develop three predictive models by intelligent systems based on genetic algorithm (GA) and artificial neural network (ANN). Finally, a hybrid technique of genetically optimized neural network systems (GONNs) was designed and employed to simultaneously optimize the process outputs. The results show that the implemented strategy is an effective method for optimizing the output parameters in the plasma cutting process.


Primary cutaneous cribriform carcinoma is an unusual apocrine tumour that mainly occurs on the limbs of middle-aged females. We herein report a case of a 32-year-old woman who underwent surgical excision of a nodular lesion on her neck that had been present for 10 months. Histopathology showed a dermal tumour composed of interconnected aggregations of neoplastic cells and round spaces of various size and shape, resulting in a cribriform pattern. A diagnosis of cutaneous cribriform carcinoma was made. No peripheral lymphadenopathy was evident, and investigations for internal malignancies gave negative results. The patient was tumour-free 2 years after surgery. Although primary cutaneous cribriform carcinomas have up to now shown an indolent course, the number of reported cases is too limited for definitive prognostic conclusions. Therefore, surgical excision with clear margins and adequate follow-up are recommended.


Two types of naphthalimide derivatives were synthesized by introducing a carbazole group and an n-butyl, respectively, into the naphthalimide system. The electron-donating ability of two kinds of derivatives was investigated by the electrochemical method. These two types of derivatives were used as initiators for the polymerization of d and l-lactide polymerization. Here, the emission and UV-vis absorption serve as the main focus. Compared with solely donor-initiated polylactide (PLA), the PLA with a donor-acceptor structure has a more efficient phosphorescence emission, of which the longest phosphorescence lifetime is up to 407 ms. The experimental results reveal the existence of charge-transfer states in the donor-acceptor-ended polymer. Due to the role of charge-transfer states, a red phosphorescent polymer was developed. Theoretically, these desirable advantages render synthesized PLAs a potential candidate for bioimaging and anti-counterfeiting.


Cytokines are critical controllers of cell, and hence tissue, growth, migration, development and differentiation. The family includes the inflammatory cytokines such as the interleukins and interferons, growth factors such as epidermal and hepatocyte growth factor and chemokines such as the macrophage inflammatory proteins, MIP‐1α and MIP‐1β. They do not include the peptide and steroid hormones of the endocrine system. Cytokines have important roles in chemically induced tissue damage repair, in cancer development and progression, in the control of cell replication and apoptosis, and in the modulation of immune reactions such as sensitization. They have the potential for being sensitive markers of chemically induced perturbations in function but from a toxicological point of view, the detection of cytokine changes in the whole animal is limited by the fact that they are locally released, with plasma measures being generally unreliable or irrelevant, and they have short half lives which require precise timing to detect. Even where methodology is adequate the interpretation of the downstream effects of high, local concentrations of a particular cytokine is problematic because of their interdependence and the pleiotropism of their action. A range of techniques exist for their measurement including those dependent upon antibodies specific for the respective cytokines, but with the introduction of genomic and proteomic technology, a more complete study of cytokine changes occurring under the influence of chemical toxicity should be possible. Their further study, as markers of chemical toxicity, will undoubtedly lead to a greater understanding of how synthetic molecules perturb normal cell biology and if, and how, this can be avoided by more intuitive molecular design in the future.


Abstract In humans, thromboxane A2 signals through two thromboxane A2 receptor (TP) isoforms termed TPα and TPβ. Signaling by TPα, but not TPβ, is subject to prostacyclin-induced desensitization mediated by direct protein kinase (PK) A phosphorylation where Ser329 represents the phosphotarget (Walsh, M. T., Foley, J. F., and Kinsella, B. T. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 20412-20423). In the current study, the effect of the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) on intracellular signaling by the TP isoforms was investigated. The NO donor 3-morpholinosydnonimine, HCl (SIN-1) and 8-bromo-guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) functionally desensitized U46619-mediated calcium mobilization and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate generation by TPα whereas signaling by TPβ was unaffected by either agent. NO-mediated desensitization of TPα signaling occurred through a PKG-dependent, PKA- and PKC-independent mechanism. TPα, but not TPβ, was efficiently phosphorylated by PKG in vitro and underwent NO/PKG-mediated phosphorylation in whole cells. Deletion/site-directed mutagenesis and metabolic labeling studies identified Ser331 as the target residue of NO-induced PKG phosphorylation of TPα. Although TPαS331A was insensitive to NO/PKG-desensitization, similar to wild type TPα its signaling was fully desensitized by the prostacyclin receptor agonist cicaprost occurring through a PKA-dependent mechanism. Conversely, signaling by TPαS329A was insensitive to cicaprost stimulation whereas it was fully desensitized by NO/PKG signaling. In conclusion, TPα undergoes both NO- and prostacyclin-mediated desensitization that occur through entirely independent mechanisms involving direct PKG phosphorylation of Ser331, in response to NO, and PKA phosphorylation of Ser329, in response to prostacyclin, within the unique carboxyl-terminal tail domain of TPα. On the other hand, signaling by TPβ is unaffected by either NO or prostacyclin.


This paper addressed in what ways national curriculum policy in Norway and Brazil adopted the global accountability logic of which OECD and other international organizations are proponents. It borrowed from an institutional logics perspective to explain the complexity found within the accountability logic across these two nation-states. The method used was thematic analysis of the national curriculum policy. The findings revealed that national curriculum policy is informed by the international context, but translated within national contexts. Norway elaborated the accountability logic to encompass multiple aspects of this logic that reinforced each other to create a cohesive policy. In Brazil, tensions between different social groups resulted in a curriculum policy with contradictory aspects of the accountability logic. The translations of the global accountability logic reflected the context-specific features of each country and illustrated both homogeneity and heterogeneity that still exists in different educational contexts.


In this letter, we develop a theoretical model of the effect of a free surface on the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition in a confined geometry. Simply by coupling a bulk first-order phase transition with a thickness-dependent elastic distortion field in a Landau-like description, the model predicts a coexistence at equilibrium between the isotropic and the nematic phases at two different thicknesses. A phase diagram is constructed in the temperature-thickness plane and a comparison is given with experimental results obtained on thin films (van Effenterre D., Ober R., Valignat M. P. and Cazabat A. M., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87(2001) 125701).


Objective: To assess the articles published on current treatments for Peyronie's disease (PD) and it's new development and to assist clinicians to select the effective management of PD by increasing understanding and awareness of the outcomes associated with current medical and surgical treatment options.
Methods: A Hinari literature search was conducted to identify relevant, peer-reviewed, clinical and review articles published related to current treatment options and it's new developments of Peyronie's Disease. Search terms for this non-systematic review included 'Peyronie's disease', 'current treatment, outcomes', new development. 'Erectile dysfunction or ED', search terms were searched separately and in combination. Case studies and editorials were excluded, primary manuscripts and reviews were included, and references of articles of interest were reviewed and key references were obtained.
Result: Currently, there are several investigational minimally invasive and non-surgical treatment options for PD; however, surgical treatment remains the standard of care for patients with stable disease and disabling deformity or drug-resistant erectile dysfunction. Each of the different surgical procedures that are used for treatment of PD, including tunical shortening, tunical lengthening (plaque incisions or partial excision and grafting), and use of inflatable penile prostheses, carries its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of potential complications and postoperative satisfaction. No single, standard, surgical treatment for this disorder has prevailed and multiple variations of each type of procedure exist. Obtaining data on current treatment and its modifications to these procedures, and new surgical techniques and materials may serve to further guide
Conclusion: The real etiology of Peyronie's disease and the mechanisms of formation of the plaque still remain obscure. Although conservative management is obtaining a progressively larger consensus among the experts, surgical correction still remains the mainstay treatment for this condition. Treatment should be tailored to each patient after a detailed evaluation of disease severity and sexual function.
Bangladesh Journal of Urology, Vol. 17, No. 2, July 2014 p.87-96


A fuzzy backpropagation neural network model is proposed. In this model a fuzzy weighted distance (FWD) is used to interpret the degree of possibility of the input pattern belongs to a certain category in the fuzzy domain. An extended backpropagation (EBP) algorithm is employed to make the conventional multilayer perceptron (MLP) model can be used in fuzzy classification procedure. At the end, the Landsat-TM image data are used to inspect the effect of proposed model.<<ETX>>


We estimate firms' implied cost of capital and examine the effects of dividend taxes on this ex ante measure. The results support the dividend tax capitalization hypothesis. We find a positive relation between implied cost of equity capital and dividend yield that is decreasing in aggregate institutional ownership. We further explore the effect of institutional ownership on the dividend tax premium by partitioning institutional owners into groups of homogeneous investors. We find evidence that ownership by certain groups of tax-favored institutions, including insurance companies, endowments, and pensions, decreases the dividend tax premium and that ownership by mutual funds, non-tax-favored institutions, does not significantly affect the dividend tax premium. Although banks do not face the dividend tax penalty that individual investors face, we do not find that the dividend tax premium is decreasing in ownership by banks, contrary to our predictions. We believe that this exploration paves the way for future research that can identify stronger settings within which to examine the effects of institutional owners' tax attributes on the dividend tax premium.


The Mesoproterozoic Purcell Supergroup (and its equivalent in the United States, the Belt Supergroup) is a thick sedimentary sequence formed in an extensional basin of uncertain age and tectonic setting. The voluminous tholeiitic Moyie sills intrude turbidites of the lower and middle Aldridge Formation, the lowest division of the Purcell Supergroup. Many of the sills were intruded into soft sediment and one intrudes the Sullivan sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) orebody, so their age approximates that of the sediments and the Sullivan deposit. New U-Pb dates of zircon from four sills are older than previously published U -Pb zircon ages. One sill contained concordant zircons with an age of 1468 i 2 Ma. Near concordant zircons from the other samples have similar 207Pb/206Pb ages, indicating that all of the sills crystallized at the same time. U-Pb dates of titanites from two of these sills yielded concordant dates ranging from 1090 to 1030 Ma, indicating that they have undergone a previously unrecognized Grenville-age metamorphism. The U-Pb systematics of abraded zircons from one sill indicate that they have also been affected by this event. The recognition of Grenville-age metamorphism in the Purcell (Belt) basin suggests that the prevalent 1.0 - 1.1 Ga Rb - Sr and K - Ar mineral and whole-rock dates from a wide variety of Purcell (Belt) igneous and sedimentary rocks are also metamorphic, and are not ages of sedimentation or "hybrid" dates reflecting partial resetting by the ca. 760 Ma Goat River orogeny. On this basis, all sedimentation in the Purcell (Belt) basin is


The ever growing amount of research publications demands computational assistance for everyone trying to keep track with scientific processes. Topic modeling has become a popular approach for finding scientific topics in static collections of research papers. However, the reality of continuously growing corpora of scholarly documents poses a major challenge for traditional approaches. We introduce RollingLDA for an ongoing monitoring of research topics, which offers the possibility of sequential modeling of dynamically growing corpora with time consistency of time series resulting from the modeled texts. We evaluate its capability to detect research topics and present a Shiny App as an easy-to-use interface. In addition, we illustrate usage scenarios for different user groups such as researchers, students, journalists, or policy-makers.