The flexural ultrasonic transducer has traditionally been limited to proximity measurement applications, such as car-parking systems and industrial metrology. Principally, their classical form is unsuitable for environments above atmospheric 1 bar pressure, due to an internal air cavity which creates a pressure imbalance across the transducer's vibrating membrane. This imbalance leads to physical deformation and degradation of the transducer's structure, restricting the membrane's capacity to vibrate at resonance to transmit and receive ultrasound. There is a requirement for ultrasonic sensors which can withstand environments of elevated pressure, for example in ultrasonic gas metering. Recent research demonstrated the dynamic performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers with vented structures, allowing the pressure to balance across the transducer membrane. However, a hermetically sealed transducer is a more practical and robust solution, where the internal components of the transducer, such as the piezoelectric ceramic disc, will be protected from harmful environmental fluids. In this research, the design and fabrication of a new form of flexural ultrasonic transducer for environments of elevated pressure is demonstrated, where the internal air cavity is filled with an incompressible fluid in the form of a non-volatile oil. Dynamic performance is measured through acoustic microphone measurements, electrical impedance analysis, and pulse-echo ultrasound measurement. Together with finite element analysis, stable ultrasound measurement is achieved above 200 bar in air, opening the possibility for reliable ultrasound measurement in hostile environments of elevated pressure.


Traditional knowledge distillation uses a two-stage training strategy to transfer knowledge from a high-capacity teacher model to a compact student model, which relies heavily on the pre-trained teacher. Recent online knowledge distillation alleviates this limitation by collaborative learning, mutual learning and online ensembling, following a one-stage end-to-end training fashion. However, collaborative learning and mutual learning fail to construct an online high-capacity teacher, whilst online ensembling ignores the collaboration among branches and its logit summation impedes the further optimisation of the ensemble teacher. In this work, we propose a novel Peer Collaborative Learning method for online knowledge distillation, which integrates online ensembling and network collaboration into a unified framework. Specifically, given a target network, we construct a multi-branch network for training, in which each branch is called a peer. We perform random augmentation multiple times on the inputs to peers and assemble feature representations outputted from peers with an additional classifier as the peer ensemble teacher. This helps to transfer knowledge from a high-capacity teacher to peers, and in turn further optimises the ensemble teacher. Meanwhile, we employ the temporal mean model of each peer as the peer mean teacher to collaboratively transfer knowledge among peers, which helps each peer to learn richer knowledge and facilitates to optimise a more stable model with better generalisation. Extensive experiments on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and ImageNet show that the proposed method significantly improves the generalisation of various backbone networks and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.


The universal Baxter operator is an element of the Archimedean spherical Hecke algebra H(G,K), K be a maximal compact subgroup of a Lie group G. It has a defining property to act in spherical principle series representations of G via multiplication on the corresponding local Archimedean L-factors. Recently such operators were introduced for G=GL_{\ell+1}(R) as generalizations of the Baxter operators arising in the theory of quantum Toda chains. In this note we provide universal Baxter operators for classical groups SO_{2\ell}, Sp_{2\ell} using the results of Piatetski-Shapiro and Rallis on integral representations of local Archimedean L-factors.


Abstract The innovation introduction, no matter whether a product, technology, a method, etc., is being implemented, is connected with considerable risk of investments loss and highly stochastic behaviour, depending on unpredictable factors. It is acknowledged that the innovation passes at least through 6 general stages: 1 - Prestart stage; 2 - Start stage; 3 - Initial expansion stage; 4 - Quick expansion stage; 5 - Stage of reaching liquidity of venture investments; 6 - Stage of project failure and its cancelling. Each state may be refined in details. It is important for the Decision Maker (DM) on one hand to be able to estimate the risk of transitions from a state to state and the probability also for profitable outcome of the initiative - for this purpose a network flow model is proposed; and on the other hand - it is useful if the DM may apply different actions at each stage so that to minimize the losses and maximize the final profit - for this purpose a Markov Decision Process is proposed, which is very closely related to the network flow model and both may be united in a Markov flow.


Immunoglobulin heavy chains (G1m, G2m, G3m, A2m) and kappa light chain (Km) allotype and phenotype frequencies were examined in 323 central European Caucasian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). No significant differences were found between the different allotype or phenotype frequencies of the SLE patients and a control group of healthy individuals. Our results indicate that Gm, A2m and Km allotypes do not represent susceptibility factors for SLE in Caucasians.


A system to optimize the management of global space-weather observation networks has been developed by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Named the WONM (Wide-area Observation Network Monitoring) system, it enables data acquisition, transfer, and storage through connection to the NICT Science Cloud, and has been supplied to observatories for supporting space-weather forecast and research. This system provides us with easier management of data collection than our previously employed systems by means of autonomous system recovery, periodical state monitoring, and dynamic warning procedures. Operation of the WONM system is introduced in this report.


In this study, we intended to describe an unrecorded species of heterophyid trematode recovered from the small intestine of a Korean raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, in Korea. A total of 13 small flukes were collected from a deceased Korean raccoon dog which was found in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Korea in May 2017. The trematode body were covered with many small spines, rectangular, broader than long, 807–1,103 μm long and 1,270–1,550 μm wide. Oral sucker in the anterior end slightly smaller than acetabulum. Pharynx muscular and well developed. Esophagus relatively long and sigmoid. Acetabulum small and located at median in anterior 2/5 portion. Ceca bifurcated at the anterior of genital pore and acetabulum and terminated at testis level. Testes larger, deeply lobed and located at the near of posterior end of body. Ovary small, triangular and located at the slight left of median and the anterior of left testis. Vitelline follicles dendritic and extend from the middle level of esophagus to the posterior portion of body. Eggs embryonated, operculated, small and 33–35×15–16 μm in size. Based on the morphological characteristics, the small heterophyid flukes recovered from the small intestines of Korean raccoon dog, N. procyonoides koreensis, were identified as Euryhelmis squamula (Digenea: Heterophyidae). Accordingly, this species of heterophyid flukes is to be a new trematode fauna in Korea by this study.


Abstract Context. Pig production is increasing in developing countries and is increasing the coexistence of different production systems regarding management practices. Small mammals can cause major economic and sanitary problems on pig farms. The interactions among small mammals, production practices and habitat complexity have been sparsely studied. Aims. The aim was to compare small-mammal assemblages on extensive and intensive pig-production systems, and to analyse the relationship with environmental characteristics and management practices. Methods. Seasonal live-trapping of small mammals within 18 farms (under intensive or extensive management) was performed in central Argentina, simultaneously with a survey of environmental and management practices. Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the relation between infestation levels and environmental characteristics. Key results. In total, 472 small mammals were captured, including the exotic murids Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus and Mus musculus, three native sigmodontines, namely, Akodon azarae, Oligoryzomys flavescens and Oxymycterus rufus, and two native marsupials, namely, Didelphis albiventris and Lutreolina crassicaudata. The location of waste deposits, the density of cats, the frequency of rodent control and the way pig food was stored influenced wild small-mammal abundance; exotic rodent species were lower when the density of cats increased. Rattus norvegicus was more abundant where rodent control was not frequent or null, contrary to M. musculus. Both species were more abundant in food and pig sheds, whereas native species were associated with vegetated areas outside of sheds. Also, A. azarae was associated with the density of pigs. Didelphis albiventris was more abundant on extensive farms, whereas L. crassicaudata was captured on intensive farms. Conclusions. Small-mammal abundance did not respond to the type of production system per se, but exotic species abundance was influenced by management decisions. The most important human behaviours related to exotic rodent infestation were the possession of cats, the frequency of rodent control and the way waste and pig feed were managed. Implications. Our findings highlighted the need for integrated studies on factors influencing the dynamics of rodent populations in commercial piggery systems, for the development of effective pest management. Management recommendations need to assess environmental complexity and human behaviour as important moderators of the population dynamics of small mammal species in and around piggeries.


The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Hg(C13H10N3O2)Cl]·H2O, contains two independent mercury(II) complexes with slightly different conformations, related via a pseudo-inversion centre, and two water molecules. The HgII atoms show a typical linear geometry to a C atom of the benzene ring and to a Cl atom. A benzene C and the azomethine N atom chelate the HgII atoms with weak intramolecular Hg⋯N bonding distances of 2.735 (3) and 2.739 (3) Å, respectively. The resulting five-membered metallacycles are nearly coplanar with the benzene rings [dihedral angles = 0.9 (1) and 0.7 (1)°], while the pyridine rings make dihedral angles with the benzene units of 58.17 (1) and 56.58 (1)°. In the crystal structure, the HgII complexes are linked by hydroxy donor and pyridine acceptor groups into chains along [010]. The water molecules connect the complexes through intermolecular O—H⋯Ocarbonyl bonds in the a-axis direction, and the azomethine H atoms donate towards the water O atoms, forming a three-dimensional network of intermolecular O—H⋯N, O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.


The recent drive to encourage general practitioners (GPs) to rationalise their prescribing has implications for patients who may have their medication changed. A postal survey of such patients was conducted and it wasfound that 65% were at least reasonably satisfied with the way theyfound out about changes in their medication. Logistic analysis showed that patients were more satisfied when they had been told about the change by a GP or a pharmacist or by a letterfrom the practice.


The practical training of pharmacists experienced a dramatic change in the 1970s. Prior to that time, experiential training for pharmacists was under the supervision of state boards of pharmacy. In many states, licensed pharmacists had to sign off on documentation stating that pharmacists-in-training had completed a set number of hours of experiential training as interns. Too often these interns spent time engaged in activity that did not prepare them to be practice ready (eg, working the candy, cosmetics, or tobacco counter). With the advent of clinical pharmacy, schools and colleges of pharmacy became increasingly in favor of the experiential education component being focused on areas that would prepare students for the practice of pharmacy. Hence, a shift took place in which schools of pharmacy took on the primary responsibility for experiential education (though some states still require internship hours outside of the experiential program).

It is important to note for this commentary that schools' motivation for assuming responsibility for experiential education was to assure that students were spending their time in activities that were preparing them to function as practicing pharmacists. It is reasonable to ask if we are honoring the trust placed in our schools to assure that experiential education is creating graduates who are practice-ready.

Having the opportunity to serve on the faculty at several schools of pharmacy and to review numerous other pharmacy programs as an accreditation reviewer, I have been struck by the growth of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) wherein students are not engaged in the medication use system in any identifiable fashion. Increasingly, students are undertaking practice experiences labeled as academic or administrative that do not appear to contribute to a graduate being practice-ready. This trend suggests that it may be time for critical debate regarding what appropriately constitutes an APPE. To put it in the form of a proposition: Advanced pharmacy practice experiences should be limited to those in which the student engages in the medication use system.

I am not questioning the value of alternative experiences in a student's overall education. Rather, I am questioning whether such experiences should be viewed as fulfilling the goal of preparing our students to be practice-ready and, therefore, viewed as acceptable APPEs. There is arguably much value to an elective course (outside of experiential requirements) or internship that provides students with an opportunities to enhance their understanding of career paths and to develop skills that would be of value in a wide variety of settings. But such experiences should not reduce the amount of practice-relevant experiential education.

It is important to define what is meant by the "medication use system." The schematic in Figure 1 outlines the elements intended by the use of the phrase in this Viewpoint. As outlined, this is slightly more expansive than other authors have proposed, wherein the medication use system has been limited by others to prescribing through monitoring. It also recognizes that pharmacists are engaged in other elements of medication use that utilize their unique knowledge base and professional experience. In addition, factors such as regulatory affairs have an impact on pharmacy practice and medication use and are, thus, rightly considered a component of the medication use system.

Figure 1.

Schematic of a Medication Use System. Modified from: Overview of the drug development, regulation, distribution, and use system. In: Preventing Medication Errors, National Academy Press, page 68, 2006; wherein prescribing through monitoring steps appeared ...

We lack clearly defined boundaries for what constitutes an acceptable APPE. Some might argue that "fuzzy" boundaries are preferred to allow programmatic latitude. While this is a rational argument, not having meaningful boundaries limits criteria by which to assess acceptable APPEs. I propose that the scheme in Figure 1 define the boundaries of an acceptable APPE. Based on these criteria, experiences in the academic environment and administrative experiences in which students do not directly intersect with the medication use system do not help students become practice-ready. It is true that the "boundaries" proposed herein are based on current roles for pharmacists. As it would be detrimental to the profession to not provide latitude for experiential education in areas that represent emerging roles for pharmacists, a means to assess and approve APPEs in such emerging areas would be essential.

It could be argued that required APPEs are sufficient to prepare practice-ready pharmacists and that elective APPEs should be open to any career enhancing experience that students may find appropriate. I assert, however, that the limited number of required rotations, as well as their length and time, is inadequate to make our graduates practice-ready. Moreover, if one believes that the required APPEs are sufficient to make graduates practice-ready, the total hours should be substantially reduced to equal that number.

I find it difficult to believe anyone could make a reasonable argument for such a move. The expectation outlined in the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) Standards 2016 that a maximum of two elective APPE experiences may be without a patient care focus indicates that ACPE recognizes that required rotations are, in themselves, insufficient to make graduates practice-ready. Interestingly, a review of accreditation standards indicates that pharmacy is unique among health professions programs in requiring a specific number of hours of experiential education.1

The biggest impact of restricting APPEs to experiences that involve the medication use system may be the elimination of a growing number of academic/administrative APPEs. When discussing these types of practice experiences with dean colleagues, a common question arises: Are these experiences valuable to students or to faculty members or administrators? In addition, are these experiences selected by students because they have a serious interest in an academic/administrative career or because they view them as less demanding than patient care experiences? If the latter, then is it really be in the best interest of students to offer such opportunities?

Some suggest that an academic teaching practice experience may address what is perceived as a shortfall of faculty candidates.2 To date, there is no evidence that students who complete an academic practice experience enter into academic positions at a higher rate than those who do not. In addition, a strong case could be made that these opportunities are best presented within the structure of a residency, especially since such postgraduate training is generally a minimal requirement for entry into the faculty ranks. Numerous programs of this nature have been developed across the country and described in the literature.3,4 In my opinion, the setting of postgraduate training is the most appropriate place for providing opportunities that give experience and insight into an academic position.

When I have spoken with employers and practicing pharmacists in a variety of settings, their assessment of today's pharmacy graduates is fairly consistent: they have an extremely high level of knowledge but have not achieved the level of proficiency that makes them ready for practice. Such proficiency can only be achieved with experience over time. It makes sense then that our students, their future patients, and our profession would be better served by maximizing the time that students spend in relevant experiences within the medication use system.


Abstract The Pd0/CuI catalyzed cross-coupling of terminal alkynes onto peptide nucleic acid monomers or submonomers bearing iodinated nucleobases has been utilized as a route to base-modified oligomers. Both 5-iodouracil and 5-iodocytosine derivatives undergo the cross-coupling to give the expected products in moderate to good yields. However, depending on the particular substrates and reaction conditions, the cross-coupling may be followed by a ring closing reaction to give the fluorescent furano- and pyrrolo-fused uracil and cytosine derivatives, respectively.


Nature and Effect of a Caveat Caveatable Interests: general principles Caveatable Interests: particular interests Drafting Means of Removing a Caveat Compensation for Unjustifed Lodgment of a Caveat Caveats and Equitable Priorities Stamp Duties Appendix Australian State and Territory Legislation New Zealand Legislation Table of Cases/ Table of Statutes/ Index


Two cases of intrathoracic meningocele are reported: their association with neurofibromatosis is stressed. The likelihood of a posterior mediastinal mass occurring in a patient with neurofibromatosis being a meningocele is emphasised. A review of the literature is presented. In view of the relatively few cases of intrathoracic meningocele with neurofibromatosis documented since 1933, we feel justified in reporting these 2 cases.


The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission rendezvoused with asteroid (101955) Bennu in 2018 with the primary objective of collecting a sample of regolith from the surface. As the first NASA asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx deployed several new technologies to achieve program objectives. Here we present an overview of Natural Feature Tracking (NFT), a system developed to autonomously guide the spacecraft to the desired sampling site using optical navigation and the natural terrain on the surface of Bennu. NFT utilized a series of image-based digital terrain models (DTMs) constructed by means of stereophotoclinometry to represent patches on the surface of the asteroid. These DTMs were used to generate synthetic renderings of the terrain and identify features for use in navigating to the sampling location. In addition, high-resolution models of the sampling site constructed from scanning lidar data were used for predicting the time and location of contact with the surface. These models went through a series of validation tests to ensure the performance of the NFT system. When the spacecraft executed the sampling trajectory in 2020 October, NFT enabled real-time guidance updates that delivered it safely to the desired sampling location while also providing critical hazard avoidance capabilities in the rocky Bennu environment.


Presidential discourses of ex President Miguel Angel Rodriguez (1998-2002) exposed as economic theory was used as ideological support for inserting Costa Rica in economic globalization.


The systemic availability of oral terbutaline is limited by incomplete absorption and pre-systemic metabolism in the intestinal wall and/or the liver. There is considerable inter-subject variation in absorption but not in pre-systemic metabolism. Terbutaline is eliminated unchanged or as a conjugate and the degree of conjugation depends on the route of administration.


The COVID-19 pandemic has killed over 400 000 people globally. Ecological evidence indicates that countries with national universal BCG vaccination programs for tuberculosis (TB) prevention have a much lower incidence of severe COVID-19 and mortality compared with those that do not have such programs. BCG is a century old vaccine used for TB prevention via infant/childhood vaccination in lowto middle-income countries with high infection prevalence rate and is known to reduce all-cause neonatal mortality. BCG remains the standard immunotherapy treatment for patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer globally for more than 44 years. Several trials are, therefore, investigating BCG as a prophylactic against COVID-19 in healthcare workers and the elderly. In this commentary, we discuss the potential mechanisms that may underlie BCG associated heterologous protection with a focus on tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) organogenesis. Given the significance of TLSs in mucosal immunity, their association with positive prognosis and response to immune checkpoint blockade with a critical role of Type I interferon (IFN-1) in inducing these, we also discuss potentiating TLS formation as a promising approach to enhance anti-tumor immunity. We propose that lessons learned from BCG immunotherapy success could be applied to not only augment such microbe-based therapeutics but also lead to similar adjunctive IFN-1 activating approaches to improve response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in cancer.


Wireless sensor networks have been widely used in many applications such as environment monitoring, surveillance systems and unmanned space explorations. However, poor deployment of sensor devices leads (1) bad network connectivity which makes data communication or data collection very hard; or (2) redundancy of coverage which wastes energy of sensors and causes redundant data in the network. Thus, in this paper, we propose using a mobile robot to assist the sensor deployment and data collection for unmanned explorations or monitoring. We assume that the robot can carry and deploy the sensor devices, and also have certain communication capacity to collect the data from the sensor devices. Given a set of interest points in an area, we study the following interesting problems: (1) how to decide minimum number of sensor devices to cover all the interest points; (2) how to schedule the robot to place these sensor devices in certain position so that the path of the robot is minimum; and (3) after the deployment of sensors, how to schedule the robot to visit and communicate with these sensor devices to collect data so that the path of the robot is minimum. We propose a complete set of heuristics for all these problems and verify the performances via simulation.


Vehicle License Plate Recognition System reads information from vehicles license plate using image detection devices. Of many applications provided by Vehicle License Plate Recognition System, some, such as speed enforcing system, can be problematic when the system incorrectly scans letters or numbers from a vehicle's license plate. Using Cautious Classifier avoids such problems by discarding the scanned information when the confidence level is doubted to be low. This study develops the License Plate Recognition System using Cautious Classifier and investigates effectiveness of applying the Weighted Instance Method to improve the performance of Cautious Classifier.


Hydatid disease is becoming a public health problem in Nepal. Majority of the patients have hydatidosis of liver and lungs. Primary splenic hydatidosis is rare. The clinical presentation of primary splenic hydatidosis is similar to other cystic splenic pathologies. It presents with slow growing, dull aching left upper quadrant abdominal lump. Ultrasonography and computed tomography scans are helpful in diagnosis. We report a 36 years lady with primary splenic hydatidosis, who successfully underwent open en bloc resection of hydatid cyst along with total splenectomy.


A case of Leydig cell tumour in a 6 ½ year‐old boy is presented. The need for more elaborate methods for the biochemical separation of Leydig cell tumour from aberrant adreno‐cortical tissue is stressed. Normal urinary output of Preganetriol and a lack of increase of the 17‐beta‐ketosteroids in the urine in a patient with a tumour in one of the testes serve to exclude the possibility of an adreno‐cortical disorder.


The 60 amino acid proline-rich neutralization domain of the external surface unit glycoprotein of feline leukemia virus was chemically synthesized in total and in fragments. We examined the ability of these retroviral peptides to form ordered conformations using 1H-NMR, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and intrinsic viscosity measurements. One dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the 60 amino acid peptide could form a stable, folded structure that was long-lived, as shown by the ability to protect amide-protons in D20. Peptides corresponding to the N-terminal 42, N-terminal 20 amino acids, and middle 20 amino acid sections could also form stable structures. The C-terminal segment did not protect any protons in D20. Interestingly, self assembly of the N-terminal 42 and C-terminal 16 amino acid peptides into a structure very close to that of the 60 amino acid domain was observed. The circular dichroism results reveals a large negative cotton effect at 198 nm that is characteristic of the proline-rich beta-turn helixes which consist predominantly of trans-proline. The intrinsic viscosity results suggest a non-random coil structure that is rod shaped. Our conclusion is that PRN60 forms a beta-turn helix and that this region of FeLV-gp70 is a separate folding domain of the retroviral surface unit glycoprotein. The unique conformational properties of PRN60 and its critical role as the predominant target for neutralizing antibody responses suggest that this peptide is a reasonable candidate for producing a synthetic peptide vaccine for FeLV.


Some aspects of the performance of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) are described on the occasion of the journal's 25th anniversary. Comparative circulation data are presented. JABA's influence on the scientific community is measured by examining the citation history of articles that it has published, with attention to both frequency and source of the citations. The influence that other journals have on JABA's authors is assessed through an analysis of citations made by those authors in this journal's reference lists. The citation history indicates clearly that JABA has made substantial contributions toward producing methods useful in coping with a wide variety of problem behaviors, from profound developmental disabilities (such as autism) to the simpler behavioral problems that interfere with normal functioning in home and at school. Recently, the journal has devoted many issues and parts of issues to special topics, in a concerted effort to reflect the increasing breadth of applied behavioranalysis.


Purpose To characterize the relationship between serum estradiol levels and the expression of glucose transporter type 4 (Glut4) in the pubococcygeus and iliococcygeus muscles in female rats. Methods The muscles were excised from virgin rats during the metestrus and proestrus stages of the estrous cycle, and from sham and ovariectomized rats implanted with empty or estradiol benzoate–filled capsules. The expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) was inspected in the muscles at metestrus and proestrus. Relative Glut4 expression, glycogen content, and serum glucose levels were measured. Appropriate statistical tests were done to identify significant differences (P≤0.05). Results The pubococcygeus and iliococcygeus muscles expressed ERα and ERβ. Glut4 expression and glycogen content in the pubococcygeus muscle were higher at proestrus than at metestrus. No significant changes were observed in the iliococcygeus muscle. In ovariectomized rats, the administration of estradiol benzoate increased Glut4 expression and glycogen content in the pubococcygeus muscle alone. Conclusions High serum estradiol levels increased Glut4 expression and glycogen content in the pubococcygeus muscle, but not in the iliococcygeus muscle.


Vehicle detection is critical to traffic surveillance and management systems. In real outdoor daylight scenes, shadows cast by moving vehicles are often detected as a part of the moving vehicles since shadows move in accordance with the movement of vehicles, which will heavily affects accuracy of vehicle detection. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed to suppress the moving cast shadow for vehicle detection based on four properties of the moving cast shadow. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress moving cast shadows of input image, which helps to improve accuracy of vehicle detection.


Intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms (ITPNs) of the pancreas and biliary tract are rare pre-malignant entities of the biliary tract and pancreas that are difficult to diagnose preoperatively. While there are imaging characteristics that can differentiate these lesions from more common entities like adenocarcinoma or intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), ITPNs are not always distinctive. Herein we present two cases of ITPN, one of biliary and the other of pancreatic origin, which had a preoperative diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma and IPMN, respectively. We discuss our findings in these cases, patient presentation and course, review the radiographic and pathologic findings, and propose a more effective approach to the preoperative workup and diagnosis of ITPN based on our review of the contemporary literature.


The balance between epithelial stemness and differentiation requires the precise regulation of gene expression programs. Epitranscriptomic RNA modifications have been implicated in both epithelial development as well as cancers. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that deletion of the m6A methyltransferase, METTL3, impairs the m6A-mediated degradation of numerous mRNA transcripts encoding critical chromatin modifying enzymes, resulting in widespread gene expression abnormalities as well as both aberrant cutaneous and oral epithelial phenotypes in vivo. Collectively, these results offer new insights into a new layer of gene regulation within epithelial surface tissues and will inform future epitranscriptomic studies within epithelial cancer and developmental biology.


Abstract Two tribes of the Mecopodinae are represented in Australia. Both are confined to the tropics. The Australia Mecopodini comprises a single genus Austromecopoda, Rentz et al., with four species that occur in grasses adjacent to forests occurs on both sides of the continent. The Sexavini is reppresented by a single species of Segestidea, a genus with many species to the north of Australia, some of which are of economic important because of the damage they cause to Coconuts. This genus will be dealt with in a future paper. The taxonomy, biology and distribution are discussed in detail. This is a continuation of the Monograph of Australian Tettigoniidae begun by the first author (see Rentz, 1985, 1993, 1995, Rentz et al. (2005). Approximately 70% of the Australian tettigoniid fauna remain to be described. It is now estimated to be in the area of 1500 species. This paper follows the protocols established in Rentz (1985).


Factor models of disaggregate inflation indices suggest that sectoral shocks generate the bulk of sectoral inflation variance, but no persistence. Aggregate shocks, by contrast, are the root of sectoral inflation persistence, but have negligible relative variance. We show that simple factor models do not cope well with essential features of price data. In particular, sectoral inflation series are subject to features such as measurement error, sales and item substitutions. In factor models, these blow up the variance of sector-specific shocks, while reducing their persistence. We control for such effects by estimating a refined factor model and find that inflation variance is driven by both aggregate and sectoral shocks. Sectoral shocks, too, generate substantial inflation persistence. Both findings contrast with earlier evidence from factor models, but align well with recent micro evidence. Our results have implications for the foundations of price stickiness, and provide quantitative inputs for calibrating models with sectoral heterogeneity.


This study aims to determine the effect of firm size and profitability on firm value with accounting conservatism as a moderating variable. The population of this study are manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2017-2019 as many as 183 companies. The sampling technique used purposive sampling which resulted in 72 manufacturing companies. The data analysis technique uses regression analysis with SPSS 24. The results of this study indicate that firm size and profitability have a positive and significant effect on firm value. Furthermore, the variable of accounting conservatism is able to moderate the effect of firm size and profitability on firm value in a positive and significant way.


Inherited metabolic disorders of glycoconjugate metabolism include congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) - disorders in biosynthesis of glycoconjugates; and some of the lysosomal storage diseases (LSD) - disorders of their degradation. This review summarizes the brief characteristics of metabolic pathways of synthesis and catabolism of glycoconjugates as well as the latest update of relevant enzymatic defects discovered in population. Every year the number of known subtypes of these disorders dramatically increases as a result of high-throughput analytical infrastructure applied. However, due to the broad spectrum of unspecific clinical symptoms, many patients remain undiagnosed or have wrong diagnosis with ineffective treatment. Thus, disorders of glycoconjugate metabolism should be considered and ruled out in any unexplained syndrome. The collaboration between scientists and physicians plays an important role in the progress of such personalized diagnostics, that is essential mainly for rare diseases (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 49). Keywords: congenital disorders of glycosylation, lysosomal storage disorders.


Abstract In an open nonblind clinical trial, clomipramine was administered to five previously medicated prepubertal boys with autistic disorder and severe mental retardation unmanageable due to behavior and motor problems. Although all five boys initially displayed marked behavioral symptom reduction, they developed behavioral newotoxicity necessitating discontinuation of clomipramine for all five and immediate hospitalization for three. Serious adverse effects included increased seizure frequency and symptoms of a serotonin syndrome. Our findings indicate that clomipramine enhances adaptive behavior and produces serious adverse effects in severely retarded autistic children whose symptoms were complicated by dyskinesias.


A method is presented for modeling the wideband, frequency domain electromagnetic (EM) response of a three-dimensional (3-D) earth to dipole sources operating at frequencies where EM diffusion dominates the response (less than 100 kHz) up into the range where propagation dominates (greater than 10 MHz). The scheme employs the modified form of the vector Helmholtz equation for the scattered electric fields to model variations in electrical conductivity, dielectric permitivity and magnetic permeability. The use of the modified form of the Helmholtz equation allows for perfectly matched layer ( PML) absorbing boundary conditions to be employed through the use of complex grid stretching. Applying the finite difference operator to the modified Helmholtz equation produces a linear system of equations for which the matrix is sparse and complex symmetrical. The solution is obtained using either the biconjugate gradient (BICG) or quasi-minimum residual (QMR) methods with preconditioning; in general we employ the QMR method with Jacobi scaling preconditioning due to stability. In order to simulate larger, more realistic models than has been previously possible, the scheme has been modified to run on massively parallel (MP) computer architectures. Execution on the 1840-processor Intel Paragon has indicated a maximum model size of 280 × 260 × 200 cells with a maximum flop rate of 14.7 Gflops. Three different geologic models are simulated to demonstrate the use of the code for frequencies ranging from 100 Hz to 30 MHz and for different source types and polarizations. The simulations show that the scheme is correctly able to model the air-earth interface and the jump in the electric and magnetic fields normal to discontinuities. For frequencies greater than 10 MHz, complex grid stretching must be employed to incorporate absorbing boundaries while below this normal (real) grid stretching can be employed.


This article deals with a problem relatively neglected by studies devoted to the foreign relations of federated states, namely the reasons that impel the member Itates of some federations to develop foreign affairs policy independently of each other. Several types of factors are taken into consideration. It appears that the growing interdependence of industrialized countries leads to both an increase and a diversification of international contacts between public authorities, thus undermining he traditional monopoly held by external affairs departments. This phenomenon, however, does not arise to the same degree in all federations, suggesting that internal factors may equally play a major role. The composite character and above all the asymmetry of some federations have, clearly enough, centrifugal effects. But the influence of institutional variables must not be neglected: the combination of a particularly pronounced asymmetry together with weaknesses n the representation accorded at the national level to different regions making up the federation probably explain the activism shown by Belgium's linguistic communities and some Canadian provinces.


The incorporation of electric vehicles into the transportation system is imperative in order to mitigate the environmental impact of fossil fuel use. This requires establishing methods for deploying the charging infrastructure in an optimal way. In this paper, an optimization model is developed to identify both the number of stations to be deployed and their respective locations that minimize the total cost by utilizing Genetic Algorithms. This is implemented by combining these components into a linear objective function aiming to minimize the overall cost of deploying the charging network and maximize service quality to users by minimizing the average travel distance between demand spots and stations. Several numerical and practical considerations have been analyzed to provide an in-depth study and a deeper understanding of the model's capabilities. The optimization is done through commercial software that is appropriately parametrized to adjust to the specific problem. The model is simple yet effective in solving a variety of problem structures, optimization goals and constraints. Further, the quality of the solution seems to be marginally affected by the shape and size of the problem area, as well as the number of demand spots, and this may be considered one of the strengths of the algorithm. The model responds expectedly to variations in the charging demand levels and can effectively run at different levels of grid discretization.


OBJECTIVE: Dystonia is a movement disorder that has been associated with impaired motor learning and sequence recognition. However, despite evidence that patients with dystonia have a reduced sense of agency, it is unclear whether dystonia is specifically associated with impaired recognition of a movement sequence. We have shown previously that performance consistency in the temporal and kinematic domains predicts awareness of underlying motor patterns in a finger tapping task. Because movements in dystonia are characterized by high variability, we predicted that subjects with dystonia would have decreased motor sequence awareness. METHODS: Subjects with dystonia (n= 20) and healthy control adults (n= 30) performed finger tapping sequences with a common motor pattern and changing stimulus-to-response mappings. Subjects were said to be "aware" of the motor pattern if they recognized their fingers moved in the same order during each stimulus-to-response remapping. RESULTS: Subjects with dystonia had decreased motor pattern awareness, but those differences were not due to greater performance variability. Subjects with dystonia tapped sequences as series of discrete movements, rather than as a combined series. INTERPRETATION: Dystonia is associated with impaired recognition of a repeating movement pattern. This difference may result from a strategy to separate sequential elements and attend to them individually. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


In a prospective study of 187 patients without known prior phlebitis who underwent total hip replacement, we compared the efficacy of warfarin, low-molecular-weight dextran, aspirin, and subcutaneous heparin for prevention of postoperative venous thrombi. Detection of thrombi was by phlebography. Warfarin dextran, and aspirin were superior to heparin. There was no significant difference between the effects of warfarin, dextran, and aspirin on the number of patients with fresh thrombi. In reducing the number of thrombi formed, warfarin and dextran were superior to aspirin. For reduction of the prevalence of thrombi in the thigh, the three drugs were equally effective. Significantly fewer bleeding complications occurred with aspirin than with warfarin. Even in patients who received warfarin, dextran, or aspirin, the prevalence of fresh thrombi was high. Thrombi often formed in the thigh without an associated calf thrombus. Fifty-one of fifty-six episodes of thromboembolic disease were clinically silent at the time of detection. The prophylactic use of warfarin or aspirin, followed by warfarin treatment if a thrombus was detected on phlebograms, provided effective protection against pulmonary embolism.


As an indispensable use case for the 5G wireless systems on the roadmap, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) is a crucial requirement for the coming era of wireless industrial automation. The key performance indicators for URLLC stand in sharp contrast to the requirements of enhanced mobile broadband: low-latency and ultra-reliability are paramount but high data rates are often not required. This paper aims to develop communication techniques for making a paradigm shift from the conventional human-type broadband communications to the emerging machine-type URLLC. One fundamental task for URLLC is to deliver short commands from a controller to a group of actuators within the stringent delay requirement and with high reliability. Motivated by the factory automation setting in which the tasks are assigned to groups of devices that work in close proximity to each other and can thus form clusters of reliable device-to-device (D2D) networks, this paper proposes a novel two-phase transmission protocol for achieving URLLC. In the first phase, within the latency requirement, the multi-antenna base station (BS) combines the messages of all devices within each group together and multicasts them to the corresponding groups; messages for different groups are spatially multiplexed. In the second phase, the devices that have decoded the messages successfully, herein defined as the leaders, help relay the messages to the other devices in their groups. Under this protocol, we design an innovative leader selection-based beamforming strategy at the BS by utilizing the sparse optimization technique. The proposed strategy leads to a desired sparsity pattern in user activity with at least one leader being able to decode its message in each group in the first phase, thus ensuring full utilization of the reliability enhancing D2D transmissions in the second phase. Simulation results are provided to show that the proposed two-phase transmission protocol considerably improves the reliability of the entire system within the stringent latency requirement as compared with existing schemes for URLLC.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of aerobic exercise training on left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and exercise capacity in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS
Twenty-three sedentary subjects with well-controlled type 2 diabetes, free of coronary disease and having different degrees of LVDD, participated in the study. Subjects were treated with oral hypoglycemic agents and/or diet. Eleven subjects (EX) (age: 58 +/- 5 yr; mean +/- SD) underwent a 3-month aerobic exercise training program using a cycle ergometer, whereas a control group (CONT) of 12 subjects (57 +/- 6 yr) maintained their activities of daily living. Exercise capacity and LVDD, using echocardiography, were evaluated before and after the 3-month exercise program.

RESULTS
At baseline, anthropometric data were similar between the groups, except for body mass index (BMI), which was higher in CONT (31 +/- 3 vs 28+/- 3 kg x m(-2); P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in glycemic control (HbA1c: 6.4 +/- 1.2 vs 5.8 +/- 1.3%; P = 0.2) or maximal oxygen uptake (26.7 +/- 5.9 vs 28.6 +/- 3.9 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); P = 0.4) between groups. Normalization of LVDD was observed in 5 of 11 EX subjects, (P < 0.0001) of whom four had grade 1 LVDD before exercise training. No change in diastolic function was observed in the CONT group. After exercise training, maximal oxygen uptake increased in the EX group (28.6 +/- 3.9 vs 32.7 +/- 5.7 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); P < 0.05), whereas there was no change in the CONT group (26.7 +/- 5.9 vs 27.3 +/- 6.2 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); P = 0.58). In both groups, there was no significant change in BMI.

CONCLUSIONS
Along with an improvement in exercise capacity, aerobic exercise training has the potential to reverse LVDD in patients with well-controlled, uncomplicated type 2 diabetes.


Abstract Based on developing, implementing, and evaluating postgraduate interprofessional case-based learning, we have written these twelve tips for health education planners who wish to apply case-based learning in the clinical setting. Interprofessional case-based learning engages participants in a structured manner towards uncovering decisions processes and patterns of action that resemble the clinical reality in which various healthcare professionals handle multifaceted tasks related to the optimal patient treatment. Postgraduate interprofessional case-based learning has the potential to break down traditional hierarchical structures as interactions generate respectful behaviour. We present two models of case-based learning to assist in standardising, structuring, and systematising postgraduate interprofessional case-based learning. We have created 12 practical tips for the design, implementation, and evaluation of successful postgraduate interprofessional case-based learning integrated into the existing clinical setting.


A cooperative study was conducted with Pennsylvania State University to assess the effects of wastewater irrigation on the status of soil phosphorus. The major objectives of the research were to evaluate the influence of wastewater irrigation on changes in soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus and the sorption of orthophosphate (P). Soil samples were obtained in 1974 and 1975 from Hublersburg silty clay loam cropped to corn (Zea mays L.), Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinaceae L.), or a mixed forest and from a Morrison sandy loam with a mixed forest stand. The sites had been irrigated with secondary effluent for 11 to 12 years. Soil analyses indicated that the majority of phosphorus added to soils during wastewater irrigation remained in the upper 30 cm of the Hublersburg clay loam soil. In contrast, appreciable amounts of P had leached to the 30 to 60-cm depth in the Morrison sandy loam. The equilibrium phosphate concentration (EPC) increased markedly at the 0 to 15-cm depth as a result of wastewater irrigation, due to sorption of P added in the wastewater. As expected, the maximum P sorption capacity of soils was decreased by wastewater irrigation. A comparison of soluble P levels in leachate samples collected in the field at a 120-cm depth with soluble P predicted by EPC measurements indicated that laboratory measurements overestimate the ability of a soil to remove P from wastewater. Thus, wastewater may not interact with all potentially available P sorption sites in soils. The EPC and P sorption capacity of soils irrigated with wastewater was reduced by extracting soils with oxalate and citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate. These results indicated the significance of hydrous iron oxides in P retention by soils irrigated with wastewater.


Dietary supplements are increasingly popular. Supplements include substances such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, fibers and botanicals. Directive 2002/46/EC foresees the use as food supplements of vitamins and minerals listed in the Annexes to the Directive. The Directive challenged the importance of a European regulatory framework for this products to be adopted by the member states. To date herbal products without any therapeutic activity have been included in food supplements. This review summarizes the main legislations on food supplements focusing on herbal products or derivatives.


The literature relates human capital costs to firm leverage (Berk, Stanton, and Zechner (2010) and Chemmanur, Cheng, and Zhang (2013)) and mergers and acquisitions (Lee, Mauer, and Xu (2017)). In this paper, we study the relation between a firm's human capital costs and investment policy. We argue that employees demand higher pay to compensate for the additional unemployment risk borne by firm's investment riskiness. We first present a simple theoretical setting to illustrate the positive effects of investment riskiness on average employee pay. We then empirically examine the relation. We find a significantly positive relation between investment riskiness (as proxied by cash flow volatility and unlevered stock return volatility) and human capital cost (as measured by CEO compensation and average employee pay). The effect is stronger in low-pay firms than high-pay firms, and non-technology firms than technology firms. We further investigate four channels through which investment riskiness possibly influence human capital costs: corporate diversification, R&D expenditures, advertising expenditures, and total value of acquisitions in a year. We find that while diversification negatively affects human capital cost, the rest of the three channels have positive effect on human capital costs. Lastly, we show that firms adjust their investment policy based on labor intensity. Our results are robust after accounting for the endogeneity concerns. Overall, our research contributes to the nascent but growing literature on the impact of human capital on firm decisions.


JOURNAL OF MINES, METALS & FUELS Ribs and snooks are the critical natural support at the goaf edge in the mechanized depillaring operation of the bord and pillar mining system. The pillar extraction has been carried out by taking the slices and leaving ribs and snooks during the depillaring operation. Remnants are the remaining portion of the extracted pillar. The depillaring operation leads to an unsupported roof, and the immediate unsupported roof imposes its weight on the pillar (remnant) under extraction. The remnant's purpose is to provide a necessary reaction to the overhang to restrict roof failure until the pillar's final slice. The remnant's stability during depillaring operation has been accessed in the study using three-dimensional numerical simulations. A scheme has also been proposed in the study to evaluate the factor of safety (FOS*) of the remnant pillar in the residual phase at different stages of slicing operation. A case of an Indian coal mine using the fish-bone method has been chosen for the study. A typical depillaring stage has been selected for the extraction of the pillar using the fish-bone method. The numerical simulation of the considered panel provides the vertical stress and yielding profile on the pillars at different stages of depillaring. The simulation results show the influence zone up to one pillar from the goaf edge. The immediate intact pillar shows considerable yielding of about 60% of the pillar area. The remnants have completely yielded during the slicing operation but provide a reaction to the immediate strata. The remnant should provide the reaction to the immediate roof till taking the final slice from the pillar. The remnant's FOS* is calculated by taking the ratio of reaction offered by the remnant (numerical simulations) and the weight of the overhang (estimation). The area's borehole section shows two layers of medium to coarse-grained sandstone as an immediate stratum. The weight of the immediate strata has been estimated in the study considering the immediate strata's thickness. Two different scenarios of immediate strata thickness (i.e., 4.75 m and 9 m) have been considered in the study to evaluate the remnant's FOS at different depillaring stages.


For the first time in Slovenia, the underground excavation of natural stone blocks was introduced on a trial basis at the Hotavlje I colourful limestone quarry in 1993, in 2002 at the Lipica II limestone quarry, in 2008 at the Lipica I limestone quarry and in 2009 also at the Doline limestone quarry. This was primarily because of the geological structure of the site, the quarry's condition, the potentially large amounts of the overburden in the event of an expansion of the surface part of the quarry, and the increasing needs for this raw material, i.e. natural stone. The underground excavation of natural stone in all locations are done using a modified room-and-pillar excavation method that is adjusted to each site's characteristics, with regularly or irregularly distributed high safety pillars. Since the underground excavation of natural stone blocks is performed at a relatively shallow level under the surface, i.e., at a depth of only 10-40 m, the value of the primary vertical stress state is also relatively low (less than 1.0 MPa). This significantly increases the risk of wedge-shaped pieces or blocks falling out of the ceiling in open underground spaces. In previous years, special attention was paid to the installation of stress-strain systems for controlling the planned dimensions (width and height) of large, open, underground spaces (rooms) and the dimensions of the high safety pillars, along with continual monitoring and identification of the instability phenomena in the ceiling and sides of the large open spaces (rooms). The paper presents the methods and devices used for the optimization and the safety monitoring of high safety pillars for the underground excavation of natural stone blocks in Slovenian natural stone mines.


We studied the Minimum Energy Broadcast problem in wireless sensor network that were subjected to hard constraints on available energy and equipped with directional multibeam antennas by formulating and solving the corresponding optimization problem. Multibeam is the combination of two technologies of multi-channel and directional antennas. It was used to save energy further, improve the throughput and reduce the interference in wireless communication. On the basis of BIP algorithm, which was proposed for constructing the energy efficient broadcast tree in infrastructureless wireless networks with omnidirectional antenna, we presented a greedy algorithm for the solution of the optimization problem. We claimed that when computing the least incremental power to decide which node can be added to the intermediate tree, we only needed to consider two possible cases of beam reassignment. The algorithm has the time complexity of O(mn3).


Context. The supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, Sg r A*, displays a nearly flat radio spectrum that is typical for jets in active galactic nuclei. Indeed, time-dependent mag netized models of radiatively ine fficient accretion flows (RIAFs), which are commonly used to explain the millimeter, near-infrared, an d X-ray emission of Sgr A*, often also produce jet-like outflo ws. However, the emission from these models has so far failed to reproduce the flat radio spectrum. Aims. We investigate whether current accretion simulations can p roduce the compact flat spectrum emission by simply using a different prescription for the heating of the radiating particl es in the jet. Methods. We studied the radiative properties of accretion flows onto a black hole produced in time-dependent general-relativist ic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. A crucial free p arameter in these models has always been the electron temper ature, and here we allowed for variations in the proton-to-electro n emperature ratios in the jet and disk. Results. We found that the flat spectrum is readily reproduced by a stan dard GRMHD model if one has an almost isothermal jet coupled to a two-temperature accretion flow. The low-frequency radio emission comes from the outflowing sheath of matter sur rounding the strongly magnetized nearly empty jet. The model is consi stent with the radio sizes and spectrum of Sgr A*. Conclusions. Hence, GRMHD models of accreting black holes can in principl e naturally reproduce jets that match observed characteristics. For Sgr A* the model fit to the spectrum predicts higher mass-accretion rates when a jet is included than with out a jet. Hence, the impact of the recently discovered G2 cloud that is expected to be accreted onto Sgr A* might be less severe than c urrently thought.


The article deals with the origins and particular development of providentsialistskoy ideas of education in domestic pedagogical thought XI — the beginnings of XXI centuries. The author explores the idea of providentsialistskuyu education, on the one hand, as a phenomenon associated with the notions of Christianity, on the other — both formed the phenomenon of educational thought, associated with global social and spiritual processes. Particular attention is drawn to the relationship and relevance of pedagogical constructs and providentsialistskih provisions. The author concludes that as a result of a deep and broad development of ideas providentsialistskoy education in this domestic pedagogical thought emerged the concept of providential oriented education.


The theory of Förster resonance energy transfer is generalized for multichromophoric (MC) and nonequilibrium situations. For the first time, it is clarified that the far-field linear spectroscopic information is insufficient for the determination of the reaction rate and that distance dependence of the rate can vary with the disorder and temperature. Application to a light harvesting complex LH2 reveals the important consequences of a MC structure.


The recently established presidents in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru are seeking to implement governmental agendas that represent a policy shift with respect to previous administrations. However, in doing so, they face political and social constraints. Executive politics – that is, the presidential approach to the design of the highest executive agencies and appointment strategies – stands out as a tool to improve presidential leeway and coordination capacity.


Whether it be in normal form games, or in fair allocations, or in voter preferences in voting systems, a certain pattern of reasoning is common. From a particular profile, an agent or a group of agents may have an incentive to shift to a new one. This induces a natural graph structure that we call the improvement graph on the strategy space of these systems. We suggest that the monadic fixed-point logic with counting, an extension of monadic first-order logic on graphs with fixed-point and counting quantifiers, is a natural specification language on improvement graphs, and thus for a class of properties that can be interpreted across these domains. The logic has an efficient model checking algorithm (in the size of the improvement graph).


This paper presents the development of a robust sizing method to efficiently estimate and compare key performance parameters in the conceptual design stage for the two main classes of fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the powered lift and wingless aircraft types. The paper investigates hybrids of classical root-finding methods: the bisection, fixed-point and Newton-Rapson methods for use in eVTOL aircraft sizing. The improved convergence efficiency of the hybrid methods is at least 70% faster than the standard methods. This improved efficiency is significant for complex sizing problems. The developed sizing method is used to investigate the comparative performance of the wingless and powered lift eVTOL aircraft types for varying mission lengths. For a generic air taxi mission with a payload of 400 kg, the powered lift type demonstrates its mass efficiency when sized for missions above 10 km in range. However, the simpler architecture of the wingless eVTOL aircraft type makes it preferable for missions below 10 km in range when considering energy efficiency. The results of the sizing study were compared against a selection of eVTOL aircraft data. The results showed a good agreement between the estimated aircraft mass using the proposed sizing method and published eVTOL aircraft data.


BACKGROUND
Universal design (UD) is a beneficial concept for better accessible design to improve easy approachability and industry-standard products. Specifically, Indian household products require UD features in domains such as bathroom and toilet, furniture, kitchen utilities, and home appliances. Among household product design in India, a lack of understanding of the product's universality might be a constraint for product designers. Also, there are no studies assessing the UD features of Indian household products.

OBJECTIVE
(1) To examine the UD feature of Indian household products against the seven principles of UD; (2) To determine the most lacking UD feature among Indian household products; and (3) To find out the Indian household categories (i.e., bathroom and toilet, furniture, kitchen utilities, and home appliances) which are most lacking in UD performance.

METHOD
The UD features were evaluated using a standardized questionnaire, which contains 29 questions on UD principles and general questions (gender, education level, age and house characteristics). Using statistical packages, the data were computed for mean and frequency distribution, as well as analyzed to achieve the objectives. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for comparative analyses.

RESULTS
The results indicate that the "flexibility in use" and "perceptible information" principles were lacking among the Indian household products. Also, bathroom and toilet and furniture household products were most lacking in UD performance.

CONCLUSION
The findings of this research will enlighten the insights into the usefulness, usability, safety, and marketability of Indian household products. In addition, they will be helpful in promoting UD features and obtaining financial benefits from the Indian market.


Previously, we described the age-dependent accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations, leading to a high degree of mtDNA heterogeneity among normal marrow and blood CD34+ clones and in granulocytes. We established a method for sequence analysis of single cells. We show marked, distinct mtDNA heterogeneity from corresponding aggregate sequences in isolated cells of 5 healthy adult donors-37.9% +/- 3.6% heterogeneity in circulating CD34+ cells, 36.4% +/- 14.1% in T cells, 36.0% +/- 10.7% in B cells, and 47.7% +/- 7.4% in granulocytes. Most heterogeneity was caused by poly-C tract variability; however, base substitutions were also prevalent, as follows: 14.7% +/- 5.7% in CD34+ cells, 15.2% +/- 9.0% in T cells, 15.4% +/- 6.7% in B cells, and 32.3% +/- 2.4% in granulocytes. Many poly-C tract length differences and specific point mutations seen in these same donors but assayed 2 years earlier were still present in the new CD34+ samples. Additionally, specific poly-C tract differences and point mutations were frequently shared among cells of the lymphoid and myeloid lineages. Secular stability and lineage sharing of mtDNA sequence variability suggest that mutations arise in the lymphohematopoietic stem cell compartment and that these changes may be used as a natural genetic marker to estimate the number of active stem cells.


Carbon materials display appealing physical, chemical, and mechanical properties and have been extensively studied as supercapacitor electrodes. The surface engineering further allows us to tune their capability of adsorption/desorption and catalysis. Therefore, a facile and inexpensive chemical-acid-etching approach has been developed to activate the carbon cloth as an electrode for supercapacitor. The capacitance of the acid-etched carbon cloth electrode can approach 5310 mF cm-2 at a current density of 5 mA cm-2 with remarkable recycling stability. The all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor delivered a high energy density of 4.27 mWh cm-3 at a power density of 1.32 W cm-3. Furthermore, this symmetric supercapacitor exhibited outstanding mechanical flexibility, and the capacity remained nearly unchanged after 1000 bending cycles.


In many real world applications, reinforcement learning agents have to optimize multiple objectives while following certain rules or satisfying a list of constraints. Classical methods based on reward shaping, i.e. a weighted combination of different objectives in the reward signal, or Lagrangian methods, including constraints in the loss function, have no guarantees that the agent satisfies the constraints at all points in time and can lead to undesired behavior. When a discrete policy is extracted from an action-value function, safe actions can be ensured by restricting the action space at maximization, but can lead to sub-optimal solutions among feasible alternatives. In this work, we propose Constrained Q-learning, a novel off-policy reinforcement learning framework restricting the action space directly in the Q-update to learn the optimal Q-function for the induced constrained MDP and the corresponding safe policy. In addition to single-step constraints referring only to the next action, we introduce a formulation for approximate multi-step constraints under the current target policy based on truncated value-functions. We analyze the advantages of Constrained Q-learning in the tabular case and compare Constrained DQN to reward shaping and Lagrangian methods in the application of high-level decision making in autonomous driving, considering constraints for safety, keeping right and comfort. We train our agent in the open-source simulator SUMO and on the real HighD data set.


To identify themes in the human experience of nature, a three-part study was run. In the first part, 100 undergraduate students were asked to list three situations in which they are or were aware of nature and to describe one of these in detail. In the second part, 26 descriptions were selected from these responses, summarized to a 2- to 5-sentence format, and presented to a different group of 30 subjects who sorted them into groups on the basis of cross-item similarity. These groupings were then analyzed by hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling procedures to produce thematic meanings. In the third part, a qualitative analysis of themes was performed over the unabridged initial versions of the same set of descriptions. Results of both qualitative and quantitative procedures led to the identification of four themes—Power and Scale, Danger and Safety, Beauty, and Connection and Alienation—and to a smaller number of themes unique to each mode of analysis. All themes were related to the everyday meanings of nature and to the more abstract definitions of nature employed in scientific or aesthetic analyses of the human response to this domain.


Polylactides, polyglycolides and copolymers containing both glycolate and lactate fragments are biocompatible and biodegradable materials that can be used for environmentally friendly packaging, 3D printing, surgery, drug delivery and other applications. Here we present a first comparative study of a series of 1,4-dioxan-2,5-diones (glycolides: MeGL, iPrGL, iBuGL, BnGL, PhGL and MePhGL) that can be synthesized from natural L-α-hydroxy acids or L-α-amino acids. The formation of (R,R)(S,S)-MePhGL was confirmed by X-ray diffractometry and explained using density functional theory (DFT). We found that diester fragments are retained during the non-catalytic methanolysis of these compounds and that ring-opening regoiselectivity depends on the bulkiness of the substituents. Ring-opening polymerization, catalyzed by 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]undec-5-ene, yielded alkyl-substituted polyglycolides with given MWs. Controlled polymerization of PhGL was possible at low monomer/initiator ratios, while (R,R)/(S,S)-MePhGL formed oligomers and epimerized products. DFT modeling provided an explanation for the observed patterns based on the ease of enolization and the stability of the enolate-anions of phenyl-substituted glycolides. Solutions of MeGL, iPrGL, iBuGL, BnGL and PhGL homopolymers in hexafluoroisopropanol were electrospun into fibrous mats whose morphologies, mechanical characteristics, biodegradabilities and thermal properties varied widely and depended on the substituents on the glycolide.


The kinetics and mechanism of the formation of an antitubercular complex [Fe(CN)5(INH)]3− based on the substitution reaction between K4[Fe(CN)6] and isoniazid (INH), i.e., isonicotinohydrazide, catalyzed by Hg2+ in aqueous medium was studied spectrophotometrically at 435 nm (the λmax of the golden-yellow-colored complex [Fe(CN)5(INH)]3−) as a function of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and the concentration of the reactants and the catalyst. The replacement of coordinated CN− in [Fe(CN)6]4− was facilitated by incoming ligand INH under the optimized reaction conditions: pH 3.5 ± 0.02, temperature = 30.0 ± 0.1°C, and ionic strength I = 0.05 M (KNO3). The stoichiometry of the reaction and the stability constant of the complex ([Fe(CN)5(INH)]3−) have been established as 1:1 and 2.10 × 103 M, respectively. The rate of catalyzed reaction was found to be slow at low pH values, to increase with increasing pH, to attain a maximum value at 3.50 ± 0.02, and finally to decrease after pH > 3.5 due to less availability of H+ ions needed to regenerate the catalytic species. The initial rates were evaluated for each variation from the absorbance versus time curves. The reaction was found to be pseudo-first order with respect to [INH] and first order with respect to [Fe(CN)64−] at lower concentration, whereas it was found to be fractional order at higher [INH] and [Fe(CN)64−]. The ionic strength dependence study showed a negative salt effect on the rate of the reaction. Based on experimental results, a mechanism for the studied reaction is proposed. The rate equation derived from this mechanism explains all the experimental observations. The evaluated values of activation parameters for the catalyzed reaction suggest an interchange dissociative (Id) mechanism. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 398–406, 2012


An application of nonlinear radial basis function (RBF) neural networks (NNs) to improve the accuracy of the prediction of ionospheric parameters is presented. Principal component analysis is also adopted for the purposes of noise and dimension reduction. Hourly, daily, and monthly predictive models have been created for the Slough, England, United Kingdom, foF2 time series. The quality of the model predictions is evaluated by comparison with corresponding predictions from reference persistence or recurrence models. Each RBF NN offers a significant improvement over the performance of the corresponding reference model. The noonday model gives a performance improvement of ∼60% over the baseline persistence model, for a 1 day ahead prediction. For a 1 hour ahead prediction the hourly model offers an improvement of ∼45% over the baseline 24 hour recurrence model. Finally, the monthly median model gives a performance improvement of ∼40% over the baseline persistence model, for a 1 month ahead prediction.


We consider a quantum-mechanical system, initially in its ground-state, exposed to a time-dependent potential pulse, with a slowly varying envelope and a high carrier frequency. By working out a rigorous solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation in the high-frequency limit, we show that the linear response is completely suppressed after the switch-off of the pulse. We show, at the same time, that to the lowest order in the inverse frequency, observables are given in terms of the linear density response function, despite the problem's inherent nonlinearity. We propose a new spectroscopic technique based on these findings, which we name the Nonlinear High-Frequency Pulsed Spectroscopy (NLHFPS). An analysis of the jellium slab and jellium sphere models reveals very high surface sensitivity of NLHFPS, which produces a richer excitation spectrum than accessible within the linear regime. Combining the advantages of the extraordinary surface sensitivity, the absence of constraints by the conventional dipole selection rules, and the clarity of theoretical interpretation utilizing the linear response time-dependent density functional theory, NLHFPS emerges as a powerful characterization method in nanoscience and nanotechnology.


Greenhouse and laboratory studies were undertaken to examine the effect of rice culture on the reclamation of sodic soils. Rice culture hastened the reclamation of coarse-textured sodic soils, but did not improve the reclamation efficiency per unit of water leached through the soil. The beneficial effects on coarse-textured soils were traced to a more rapid removal of entrapped air from the larger conducting pores of the soils during rice culture. After several weeks of rice growth on a mediumtextured soil, the reclamation efficiency per unit of water leached did begin to increase. However, the simultaneous increase in soil hydraulic conductivity suggested that the effect was caused by an increase in the percentage of the cross-sectional area of the soil that was serviced by conducting pores, rater than by any enhanced solubility of CaCO₃ in the presence of CO₂ given off by the rice roots.


Motivation Pairwise sequence alignment remains a fundamental problem in computational biology and bioinformatics. Recent advances in genomics and sequencing technologies demand faster and scalable algorithms that can cope with the ever-increasing sequence lengths. Classical pairwise alignment algorithms based on dynamic programming are strongly limited by quadratic requirements in time and memory. The recently proposed wavefront alignment algorithm (WFA) introduced an efficient algorithm to perform exact gap-affine alignment in O(ns) time, where s is the optimal score and n is the sequence length. Notwithstanding these bounds, WFA's O(s2) memory requirements become computationally impractical for genome-scale alignments, leading to a need for further improvement. Results In this paper, we present the bidirectional WFA algorithm (BiWFA), the first gap-affine algorithm capable of computing optimal alignments in O(s) memory while retaining WFA's time complexity of O(ns). As a result, this work improves the lowest known memory bound O(n) to compute gap-affine alignments. In practice, our implementation never requires more than a few hundred MBs aligning noisy Oxford Nanopore Technologies reads up to 1 Mbp long while maintaining competitive execution times. Availability All code is publicly available at https://github.com/smarco/BiWFA-paper Contact email@example.com


Concrete is obtained from rock-hardened mixture consisting of portland cement, water and aggregate (fine aggregate and coarse aggregate). Increasing use of concrete as a building construction, the available constituent materials become more limited and more expensive price. Another necessary ingredient alternatives that can form the concrete materials instead of diminishing its availability and the price is getting higher . One effort to reduce the use of cement and aggregate Portlan and smooth , which is mixing different materials in portland cement in the form of calcium oxide , red cement and sand from the beach Krakal . To test whether these materials can be alternative materials research is conducted , in the form of a reduced number of normal concrete and sand cement replacement materials such as sisertai addition of quicklime , cement red at intervals of every proportion is 0 % , 10 % , 20 % , 30 % , 40 % , and 50 % and sand beach with intervals of 0 % , 10 % , 20 % , 30 % , 40 % , and 50 % . Of a series of activities and analysis of the results of this research is that the addition of a mixture of red cement , lime , sand beaches and Krakal with comparison of proportions 1 : 1 : 2 instead of Portlan cement and fine aggregate at the same percentage can increase the compressive strength of concrete . The addition of 20% is the optimal addition of being able to increase the concrete stronger high of 85% of the value of the compressive strength of normal concrete.


Cerebral blood flow (ml/min/100g) (CBF) was detected by two methods, static xenon inhalation dynamic CT (Xe-CT) and perfusion CT, and a comparison of these two methods (Xe-CBF and perfusion CBF) was carried out in the same cases. Xe CT used 30% static xenon, 4 min wash-in, and 5 min wash-out, while perfusion CT was done by injecting 30 ml of non-ionic contrast medium at a rate of 9 ml/sec. Forty-eight patients underwent these examinations (30 serious cases and 18 mild). The correlation coefficients in the hemispheric area were r=0.713 (p<0.01) with Xe-CBF and perfusion CBF in mild cases and r=0.567 (p<0.01) in serious cases. The two CBF values were especially disparate in serious cases. The value for perfusion CBF was almost double that of Xe-CBF in these cases. Perfusion CT was a useful examination for the detection of CBF, but in serious cases, CBF needs to be determined by Xe-CT as well.


Salen-manganese complexes exhibit powerful superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, with pharmacologic efficacy in several oxidative-stress-associated disease models. Ultraviolet (UV) B not only induces direct DNA damage, but also generates oxidative stress. EUK-134, a salen-manganese complex, might therefore confer a direct protection against UVB-induced oxidative stress and consequently alleviate UVB-damage-induced signal transduction. We investigated the effect of EUK-134 on the UVB-induced accumulation and stabilization of the p53 protein. p53 plays a central role in the UVB response, both as sensor of UVB damage and as a mediator of a protective response. Cells treated with EUK-134 before UVB irradiation showed a significantly lower accumulation of the p53 protein in a concentration-dependent fashion. Furthermore, EUK-134 severely reduced N-terminal phosphorylation of p53. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK and the stress-activated kinases JNK and p38 have been implicated in the UVB-induced N-terminal phosphorylation and accumulation of p53. Pre-treatment with EUK-134 inhibited the UVB-induced activation of these mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. We hypothesize that EUK-134, by direct protection of the membrane from UVB-induced oxidative damage, reduces oxidative stress induced MAPK signaling and consequently lowers the level of p53 induction. The protection conferred by EUK-134 resulted in a significant increase in cell survival following UVB irradiation.


The objectiveof the study was to reveal the features of development and clinical course of acute arterial embolism (AAE) of aorta and main limb arteries in patients with myocardium infarction (MI).Material and methods. Since 1991 until 2018 in the department of cardiovascular surgery of «North-Western State Medical University named after I. I. Mechnikov» 1782 patients with AAE of aorta and main limb arteries were urgently treated. 102 (5.7 %) patients of them waswith acute IM.Results.In patients with AAE in acute phase of Q-IM the embolism to large profile arteries was typical. AAE led to rapid progression of limb ischemia. The severity of the general condition of patients due to myocardial lesions, and specific complications associated with limb revascularization and ischemic syndrome, significantly influenced the results of treatment. Postoperative mortality reached 38.8 %.Conclusion.AAE of aorta and main limb arteries is a threatening complication of acute MI, and it significantly worsens prognosis.


Mosquitoes detection on the fly through their wing-beat frequency using sensors provides a way to have accurate data about mosquitoes' species. Among many reasons why it remains difficult to fight malaria disease, entomologists and malaria research institutions mentioned the fluctuation of longitudinal data about mosquitoes and the lack of continuous monitoring to have real-time information about mosquitoes. Though some existing researches have been using acoustic sensors to detect mosquitoes through their wing-beat, they have never shown properly how detection is achieved. This paper will illustrate clearly how mosquito detection is achieved through the timbre property of its wing-beat frequency using an acoustic sensor. As a proof-of-concept, the experiment was carried out. Mosquitoes' wing-beats were recorded using acoustic sensors. Then, recorded data were processed by a computer program written in the python programming language, able to single-out unique features of mosquitoes' wing-beats. Thus, the established concepts will pave the way for real-time mosquito monitoring, a step forward to the fight against malaria disease in African countries and South East Asia


Consideration of a public health perspective in consumer product design is a necessary enhancement to good product design, not just standard engineering practice. This study aims to determine a causal relationship between product design and level of injuries and related costs through the construction of a model that takes into account public health impacts of a particular design, both before product introduction and throughout the product life cycle. The model examines the relationship between design and injury rates by scoring injury data, which allows for interpretation as to design-related cause and potential removal of that cause through design change to eliminate a particular injury scenario.


Background: Massive hemoptysis is a potentially life threatening medical condition and one major problem for both patients and physicians. Choosing the appropriate treatment for the patients is crucial in order to decrease the complications and increase the success rate. Hence, in this study the outcomes and complications of bronchial angioembolization (BAE) were determined in patients with massive hemoptysis. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort, 189 consecutive patients with moderate and severe hemoptysis who had referred to two large cardiovascular centers were enrolled. The Chest X Ray, CT Scan, Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy, Selective and Nonselective Bronchial Angiography were performed in patients. The outcomes with 20-month follow-up were compared. Results: The immediate success rate was 97.3%. In 79.7% there were no complications. Temporary chest pain, subintimal dissection, temporary dysphagia, and pancreatitis were seen in 12.3, 2.4, 5.1, and 0.5%, respectively, without any major complication. The in-hospital mortality rate was 1.1% and mortality during 20-month follow-up was 9.6%, and recurrence rate was 28.3% on total. Conclusion: Our case series showed that BAE is a safe and effective method in treating patients with hemoptysis. Compared to surgery, the procedure is faster and less invasive and might be used both as first line or bridging therapy. Importantly, no major complications have been detected.


In New Zealand, rainfall-induced slope failures cause millions of dollars' worth of damage annually. As a means of mitigating the associated risk, a site-specific early warning system was developed based on field instrumentation, laboratory tests and finite element modeling. The selected site is a cut slope adjacent SH-1, one of Auckland's busiest state highways. The site consists of Northland Allochthon residual soil, known for its susceptibility to rainfallinduced landslides. In fact, a landslide occurred at the site in the winter of 2008 following a period of prolonged rainfall. Firstly, a variety of laboratory tests were undertaken on soils taken from the slope to better understand their shear strength and hydraulic characteristics. Next, a cross section of the slope about 45m from the 2008 landslide site was instrumented with 13 volumetric water content sensors installed at different depths, together with a tipping bucket rain gauge to monitor rainfall events. With the rainfall and volumetric water content readings monitored since 2010, the soil properties and boundary conditions of the monitored slope cross-section were calibrated using a transient seepage analysis program (SEEP/W). After successful validation, the matric suction/pore-water pressure profile was coupled with a limit equilibrium analyses (SLOPE/W) to simulate the 2008 landslide. For this purpose, an artificial neural network (ANN) was trained to predict the factor of safety (FoS), which successfully validated the model using the 2008 rainfall record, obtaining FoS=1.0 at the exact time the 2008 landslide occurred. Finally, the ANN-based methodology was extended to predict the FoS at the monitored site in the future, using rainfall forecasts. This can serve as basis of an early warning system as a means to mitigate the risk of rainfall induced landslides.


A novel method for optimal placement of distributed generations has been proposed in this paper. The proposed method takes the minimization of active power losses of distribution network as optimization objective, and determines the optimal location of distributed generations by order of the sensitivity factor of power losses respective to bus loads, then calculates the optimal capacities of distributed generations by the solution of a set of linear algebraic equations which is derived by use of the mathematical extremum value principle. The proposed method is clear and brief, very fast in computation. This method has been tested on IEEE 33-bus distribution system, and the simulation result has shown that the proposed method is efficient.


1Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in both the developed and developing world. In South Africa, obstetric haemorrhage is the second most common cause of maternal death resulting in 688 deaths between 2008-2010. 1 The institutional maternal mortality rate (MMR) for obstetric haemorrhage during this period was 24.9 deaths per 100 000 live births. This is an increase from the previous triennium when the total deaths due to obstetric haemorrhage was 491 and the MMR 18.8. 2 Countries such as Australia, Canada, United States and Ireland have reported increasing trends in post-partum haemorrhage over the last decade. 3-6 However the rise in postpartum haemorrhage rates in these countries have not been associated with increasing haemorrhage-related maternal mortality rates. 7


By virtue of their multiple interactions with partner proteins and due to their strong propensity to multimerize, tetraspanins create scaffolds in membranes, recruiting or excluding specific proteins needed for particular cellular processes. We and others have shown that (i) HIV-1 assembles at, and buds through, membrane areas that are enriched in tetraspanins CD9, CD63, CD81 and CD82, and (ii) the presence of these proteins at exit sites and in viral particles inhibits virus-induced membrane fusion. In the present paper, I review these findings and briefly discuss the results of our ongoing investigations that are aimed at elucidating when and how tetraspanins regulate this fusion process and how such control affects virus spreading. Finally, I give a preview of studies that we have initiated more recently and which aim to delineate exactly when CD81 functions during the replication of another enveloped RNA virus: influenza virus.


In this age of information technology, information access in a convenient manner has gained importance. Since speech is a primary mode of communication among human beings, it is natural for people to expect to be able to carry out spoken dialogue with computer. Speech recognition system permits ordinary people to speak to the computer to retrieve information. It is desirable to have a human computer dialogue in local language. Hindi being the most widely spoken Language in India is the natural primary human language candidate for human machine interaction. There are five pairs of vowels in Hindi languages; one member is longer than the other one. This paper describes an overview of speech recognition system that includes how speech is produced and the properties and characteristics of Hindi Phoneme.


− Honokiol, a naturally occurring neolignan mainly found in Magnolia species, has been shown to have the anti-angiogenic, anti-invasive and cancer chemopreventive activities, but the molecular mechanism of actions has not been fully elucidated yet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of honokiol on the growth inhibitory activity in cultured SNU-638 human gastric cancer cells. We found that honokiol exerted potent antiproliferative activity against SNU-638 cells. Honokiol also arrested the cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase and induced the apoptotic cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell cycle arrest was well correlated with the downregulation of Rb, cyclin D1, cyclin A, cyclin E, and CDK4 expression, and the induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27. The increase of sub-G1 peak by honokiol was closely related to the induction of apoptosis, which was evidenced by the induction of DNA fragmentation, the cleavage of poly(ADPribose) polymerase, and the sequential activation of caspase cascade. These findings suggest the cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis might be one possible mechanism of actions for the anti-proliferative activity of honokiol in human gastric cancer cell.


The objective of this research was to discern the contribution of genomic information to multiple-trait breeding objectives and thus understand the economic value of that information. True genetic values were simulated for each of n, possibly correlated, traits. These true genetic values, combined with uncorrelated random noise, resulted in both genomic and phenotypic estimated breeding values, EBVg and EBVp, respectively. The separate EBV were then merged (blended) as a function of their respective accuracies to produce a unified EBV for each of the n traits. Finally, for each simulated animal (N = 10000), the sum of products of economic weights and EBV was calculated to predict the economic value (net merit) of the individual. Accuracies of the EBV for the individual traits and net merit were calculated as correlations between predicted and true values. Predicted responses to selection for individual traits included in the breeding objectives were enhanced from 9% to 76% with the greatest benefit accorded to those economically relevant traits that are recorded after selection decisions are made at one year of age, measured less frequently in national cattle evaluation, or often predicted using information from indicator traits. Combining the EBV to predict net merit for terminal and maternal breeding objectives resulted in predicted increases in selection response due to incorporation of genomic information of 27% and 57%, respectively. The results are interpreted to suggest that the economic benefit to be derived from selection based on a multiple-trait economic breeding objective, which is predicted using genomically enhanced EBV, can substantially exceed the present day cost of genotyping the candidates for selection.


A 50-year-old woman developed an acute febrile dermatosis on two occasions concurrently with recurrent Crohn's disease of the colon. Based on the presence of painful erythematous plaques on both hands and forearms, on the leukocytosis with excess bands in peripheral blood, on the histology showing dermal infiltration by mature granulocytes, and on the prompt response to steroids, the diagnosis was made of Sweet's syndrome associated with Crohn's disease. Sweet's syndrome is thought to be a hypersensitivity reaction that leads to parainflammatory (e.g., infections, autoimmune disorders, vaccinations) and paraneoplastic (myeloproliferative disorders, solid malignancy) associations, with a frequency of 10-30%. The association of Sweet's syndrome with Crohn's disease is very rare, but the gastroenterologist should readily differentiate it; it is important to be aware that such patients may have a nonspecific elevated activity index owing to the underlying dermatosis.


The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent of Consumer-Based Brand Equity, Quality Product and Price affects customer loyalty at PT. Panasonic Gobel Indonesia Branch Medan and to compare the theories. The author examined by collecting data using a variety of library research, questionnaires are structured as an instrument to obtain quantitative data with Likert-scale systems are distributed to 68 respondents. Data was then compiled then processed and analysed using multiple regression analysis techniques (multiple regression) through the test of validity, test of reliability and test of classic assumptions. By using the tools of Statistical Product Service Solutions program (SPSS version 22.0). From the survey results revealed that the influential Consumer-Based Brand Equity, Product Quality and Price simultaneously with the results Fhitung 18,457 > Ftabel 2,75 and probability sig. 0,000 < 0,05 then reject ho (accept hi) that the Consumer-Based Brand Equity, Product Quality, Price simultaneously significantly influence Customer Loyalty PT. Panasonic Gobel Indonesia Branch Medan. The Consumer-Based Brand Equity there is for the partial influence on the Customer Loyalty with a value of thitung 3,980 > ttabel 1,997 and sig. 0,000 < 0,05, the Product Quality there is for the partial influence on the Customer Loyalty with a value of thitung 3,874 > ttabel 1,997 and sig. 0,000 < 0,05 and the Price there is for the partial influence on the Customer Loyalty with a value of thitung 2,483 > ttabel 1,997 and sig. 0,002 < 0,05. From the test results are also obtained by the value of determination R square is 0,564 or 56,4%. It is claimed that Consumer-Based Brand Equity, Product Quality and Price is an excellent way to improve Customer Loyalty and also the hypothesis that the authors proposed previously received.