The photolabile analogue of the broad-spectrum opioid antagonist naloxone, 3- O-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrophenyl)carboxymethyl naloxone (also referred to as "caged naloxone", 3- O-(α-carboxy-6-nitroveratryl)naloxone, CNV-NLX), has been found to be a valuable biochemical probe. While the synthesis of CNV-NLX is simple, its characterization is complicated by the fact that it is produced as a mixture of α R,5 R,9 R,13 S,14 S and α S,5 R,9 R,13 S,14 S diastereomers. Using long-range and heteronuclear NMR correlations, the 1H NMR and 13C NMR resonances of both diastereomers have been fully assigned, confirming the structures. Monitoring of solutions of CNV-NLX in saline buffer, in methanol, and in DMSO has shown CNV-NLX to be stable for over a week under fluorescent laboratory lights at room temperature. Exposure of such solutions to λ 365 nm from a hand-held UV lamp led to the formation of naloxone and CNV-related breakdown products.


Background It is unclear how effective recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM) treatment is in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) during the perioperative period of gastrointestinal and hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery. The current study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of rTM for perioperative DIC. Methods We enrolled 100 consecutive patients diagnosed with perioperative DIC after gastrointestinal surgery, and hepato-biliary-pancreatic including emergency procedures, between January 2012 and May 2021. Patients received routine rTM treatment immediately after DIC diagnosis. Then, the DIC, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores were calculated and used for evaluation. The outcomes of rTM treatment and the predictors of survival were evaluated. Results The causative diseases of DIC were as follows: perforated peritonitis, n = 38; intestinal ischemia, n = 23; intra-abdominal abscess, n = 13; anastomotic leakage, n = 7; pneumonia, n = 7; cholangitis, n = 4; and others, n = 6. The 30-day mortality rate was 18.0%. There were significant differences in the platelet count (13.78 vs 10.41, P = .032) and the SOFA score (5.22 vs 9.89, P<.0001) at the start of DIC treatment between the survivor and non-survivor groups (day 0). The survivor group had a significantly lower DIC score (3.13 vs 4.93, P = .0006) and SOFA score (4.94 vs 12.14, P < .0001) and a higher platelet count (13.50 vs 4.34, P < .0001) than the non-survivor group on day 3. Conclusions Comprehensive and systemic treatment is fundamentally essential for DIC, in which rTM may play an important role in the treatment of perioperative DIC.


Erythropoietins (EPOs) are substances listed in S2 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and are used commonly by athletes to increase endurance performance. According to the current WADA Technical Documents, sarcosyl-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SAR-PAGE) followed by western blotting to differentiate erythropoietins based on their molecular weights is the only method that can be used for both screening and confirmation of all types of erythropoietins. The efficiency of immunopurification and protein transfer is crucial for ensuring the selectivity and sensitivity of erythropoietin detection. Several comparisons and optimization of the SAR-PAGE tests were conducted in this study. We optimized the first blotting conditions and then compared different immunopurification methods based on their selectivity, repeatability, and sensitivity for both urine and blood analysis. Additionally, rapid procedures for both urine and blood analysis were established and compared. The two-step procedure at 1.0 mA/cm2 for 60 min followed by 1.56 mA/cm2 for 20 min increased the blotting efficiency compared with the commonly used constant current approach. Comparison of immunopurification revealed no significant difference in selectivity and sensitivity between the different methods. For other factors, such as operation complexity, time and cost, a StemCell® purification kit followed by single blotting and magnetic beads followed by double blotting are recommended for urine screening and confirmation, respectively. While magnetic beads and a MAIIA® kit followed by double blotting are recommended for both screening and confirmation of blood samples, respectively. To ensure high sensitivity and selectivity, double blotting is recommended for a rapid procedure for both urine and blood analysis.


Infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of death (35-70%) in lung cancer patients. We assessed the relationship between lung cancer and infection of the bronchial tree by broncho lavage using fibrobronchoscopy (FBS); among patients with lung cancer and pulmonary infection (A: n=29), patients with lung cancer (B n=85) and patients with pulmonary infections only (C: n=16). 183 patients undergoing diagnostic FBS with sampling for microbiological examination by bronchial lavage and for cytology/histology by biopsy, brushing or needle aspiration was enrolled. Pathogenic microorganisms were isolated in 25.4% of neoplastic patients. There was a statistically significant increase (p 0.028) of the white blood cells in the group A than in B. In group A the most frequent pathogen was the Aspergillus (18.9%) with a statistically significant prevalence compared to group C (0%) (p = 0.035). In group C the most frequent isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli (16.6%). Undifferentiated carcinoma was the histological type with a higher proportion of infections (40%). In group A the most commonly affected lobe was the right upper (37.8%), followed by the left upper (18,9%). The most frequently germ found in hospitalized cancer patients (15 pts) was the Aspergillus (29.4%) while Escherichia coli (20%) was more frequent in not hospitalized patients (14 pts). Aspergillus (21.7%) was the most frequent microorganism in patients with central lesions (16 pts) whereas Candida (21.4%) in peripheral lesions (13 pts) (p 0.046). Our results strongly suggest that microbiological assessment of bronchial sampling in lung cancer patients is required to identify more robust and specific antimicrobial therapy to prevent lung infection complications.


Fingerprinting techniques are receiving widespread attention in the field of information security. In this paper we argue that they may be of specific interest for the field of network forensics. In three case studies, we explore the use of fingerprinting techniques to improve and extend current investigative methods and showcase why fingerprinting allows for more target-oriented investigations than current practices. In each case study, we review the applicability of the current state of the art from the field of information security. The paper is intended to be a starting point for a discussion about the opportunities and concerns that may result from using evidence gained by fingerprinting techniques in criminal investigations.


Cutaneous nerves have branches called vascular branches (VBs) that reach arteries. VBs are thought to be involved in arterial constriction, and this is the rationale for periarterial sympathectomy as a treatment option for Raynaud's disease. However, the branching patterns and distribution areas of the VBs remain largely unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anatomical structures of the VBs of the cutaneous nerves. Forty hands and forearms were examined to assess the branching patterns and distribution areas of the VBs of the superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN), the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (LACN), the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve (MACN), and the palmar cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve (PCUN). VBs reaching the radial and ulnar arteries were observed in all specimens. The branching patterns were classified into six types. The mean distance between the radial styloid process and the point where the VBs reached the radial artery was 34.3 ± 4.8 mm in the SBRN and 38.5 ± 15.8 mm in the LACN. The mean distance between the ulnar styloid process and the point where the VBs reached the ulnar artery was 60.3 ± 25.9 mm in the MACN and 43.8 ± 26.0 mm in the PCUN. This study showed that the VBs of the cutaneous nerves have diverse branching patterns. The VBs of the SBRN had a more limited distribution areas than those of the other nerves. Clin. Anat. 31:734–741, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


OBJECT
The goal of this study was to clarify the efficacy of the Codman Hakim programmable valve. Clinical data obtained in 179 patients with hydrocephalus or other intracranial fluid-accumulating diseases were analyzed.

METHODS
Shunt placement operations were effective in 168 patients, approximately one half (50.6%) of whose devices required reprogramming of opening pressure postoperatively. This was a significantly larger number of shunts than the authors had thought would need reprogramming. Extremely narrowed ventricles observed on computerized tomography scans, as well as clinical symptoms related to inadequate or excessive cerebrospinal fluid drainage, improved in patients after shunt reprogramming. Shunt reprogramming frequently was necessary in patients with posthemorrhagic acute hydrocephalus; the programmable valve proved particularly beneficial for such patients. Subdural effusion and arachnoid cyst also proved to be good indications for use of the valve. Twelve patients (7%) suffered complications postoperatively. The most common complication was valve obstruction, which occurred in five patients, most of whom had brain tumors.

CONCLUSIONS
The programmable valve was beneficial for the treatment of hydrocephalus and other intracranial fluid-accumulating diseases. It is important to be careful in selecting patients for treatment with the programmable valve, because complications involving the valve seem more likely in brain tumor cases. The valve proved to be poorly resistant to magnetic fields; therefore, it is essential to confirm opening pressure after every magnetic resonance imaging examination. The authors recommend that an identification system for patients be developed so that medical personnel will be aware of the presence of the valve and the previous setting of opening pressure.


The present invention, certain compounds, their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound thereof, and uses thereof in the treatment of human or animal disorders. The compounds of the present invention, as modulators of the interaction between the receptor (RAGE) for advanced glycation agent its ligands (e.g., advanced glycation agent (AGE), S100 / calgranulin / EN-RAGE, beta-amyloid and amphoterin) and useful and processing of diseases in humans caused by RAGE, treatment, it is useful as a control or auxiliary treatment. Such diseases or disease states include acute and chronic inflammation, generation of diabetic complications late (e.g. increased vascular permeability, nephropathy, atherosclerosis and retinopathy), occurrence of Alzheimer's disease, erectile dysfunction and tumor invasion and tumor metastasis and the like.


A performance-based contract (PBC) for non-revenue water (NRW) reduction was executed in the Muharraq Governorate of the Kingdom of Bahrain between 2013 and 2016. The contract included a mixture of fixed and performance-based payment terms. The performance element included the establishment of 35 District Metered Areas (DMAs) and the targeted reduction of NRW by 15 percentage points within the project catchment. The contract was a partnership between the contractor and the utility, whereby the contractor undertook the investigative work, while the utility was responsible for executing all resulting construction activities. A number of important lessons were learnt that should be applied to future projects. The contract design arguably placed too much risk upon the contractor. The original project timescale proved to be completely unrealistic. The data collected following DMA establishment enabled the cause of NRW in each DMA to be determined and the appropriate action taken. The quick win for real losses was automated pressure control, while permanent monitoring of large industrial users represented the same for apparent losses. Knowledge transfer to the utility proved to be arguably more important than achievement of contractual NRW targets. The contractor–utility working relationship proved crucial in facilitating eventual project success.


Brain aging is a complex and heterogeneous process characterized by the selective loss and preservation of brain functions. This study examines the normal aging effects on the cerebral cortex by characterizing changes in functional connectivity using resting-state fMRI data. Previous resting-state fMRI studies on normal aging have examined specific networks of the brain, whereas few studies have examined cortical-cortical connectivities across the entire brain. To characterize the effects of normal aging on the cerebral cortex, we proposed the Pearson functional product-moment correlation coefficient for measuring functional connectivity, which has advantages over the traditional correlation coefficient. The distinct patterns of changes in functional connectivity within and among the four cerebral lobes clarified the effects of normal aging on cortical function. Besides, the advantages of the proposed approach over other methods considered were demonstrated through simulation comparisons. The results showed heterogeneous changes in functional connectivity in normal aging. Specifically, the elderly group exhibited enhanced inter-lobe connectivity between the frontal lobe and the other lobes. Inter-lobe connectivity decreased between the temporal and parietal lobes. The results support the frontal aging hypothesis proposed in behavioral and structural MRI studies. In conclusion, functional correlation analysis enables differentiation of changes in functional connectivities and characterizes the heterogeneous aging effects in different cortical regions.


Microorganisms produce costly cooperative goods whose benefit is partially shared with nonproducers, called 'mixed' goods. The Black Queen Hypothesis predicts that partially privatization of benefits from the mixed goods has two major evolutionary implications. First, to favor strains producing several mixed goods over nonproducing strains. Second, to favor the maintenance of cooperative traits through different strains instead of having all cooperative traits present in a single strain (metabolic specialization). Despite the importance of quorum sensing regulation of mixed goods, it is not clear how partial privatization of benefits affects quorum sensing evolution. Here, we studied the influence of partial privatization of benefits on the evolution of quorum sensing. We developed a mathematical population genetics model of an unstructured microbial population considering four strains that differ in their ability to produce an autoinducer (quorum sensing signaling molecule) and a mixed good. Our model assumes that the production of the autoinducers and the mixed goods is constitutive and/or depends on quorum sensing. Our results suggest that partially privatized benefits cannot foster quorum sensing. This result occurs because: (1) a strain that produces both autoinducer and good (fully producing strain) cannot persist in the population; (2) the strain only producing the autoinducer and the strain producing mixed goods in response to the autoinducers cannot coexist, i.e., metabolic specialization cannot be fostered.


Ibn Abi al-Hidad accused Mu'awiya of blasphemy and atheism, indicating with evidence that he had no belief in the prophet of the Prophet (pbuh) and believed that he was forging a group of hypocrites and religion to sellers, Hadith and so on in this field of horse racing, which has turned itself into the height of the forge of hadith. This view of Muawiya shows his rightfulness and less of his bias towards the majority of Sunni scholars. Issue Subsequent letters to his agents, in a four-stage policy, with the help of some Companions and followers, first left the people touched by the virtues of Ahlulbayt (AS), and Forbade them from communicating with them, then tried to isolate them from the Shiites, so they ordered not to let them go public and even deny their testimony. In the third stage, the enemies of Ahlul-Bayt (as) and the Umayyad were dominated by sensitive executive and promotional posts, and ordered the curse of Ahlul-Bayt (AS), and in the fourth stage prepared the conditions for killing and killing Shiites. Could completely deprive Ahlulbayt of the achievement of the government and completely fix it in the Umayyad. The most motivated motivation of Mu'awiyyah in forging the hadith from Ibn'Abi al-Haidan's point of view was to gain religious legitimacy, and to do this, hadiths in virtue Himself, the Umayyad, Uthman and Sham, the other important motive has been to weaken the opponents, especially the Imam Ali (AS), and have forged some traditions in defaming them and their great father. Is.


In adults there are indications that regular eating patterns are related to better sleep quality. During early development, sleep and eating habits experience major maturational transitions. Further, the bacterial landscape of the gut microbiota undergoes a rapid increase in complexity. Yet little is known about the association between sleep, eating patterns and the gut microbiota. We first hypothesized that higher eating regularity is associated with more mature sleep patterns, and second, that this association is mediated by the maturational status of the gut microbiota. To test this hypothesis, we performed a longitudinal study in 162 infants to assess actigraphy, diaries of sleep and eating times, and stool microbiota composition at ages 3, 6 and 12 months. To comprehensively capture infants' habitual sleep-wake patterns, 5 sleep composites that characterize infants' sleep habits across multiple days in their home environment were computed. To assess timing of eating habits, we developed an Eating Regularity Index (ERI). Gut microbial composition was assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and its maturation was assessed based on alpha diversity, bacterial maturation index, and enterotype. First, our results demonstrate that increased eating regularity (higher ERI) in infants is associated with less time spent awake during the night (sleep fragmentation) and more regular sleep patterns. Second, the associations of ERI with sleep evolve with age. Third, the link between infant sleep and ERI remains significant when controlling for parents' subjectively rated importance of structuring their infant's eating and sleeping times. Finally, the gut microbial maturational markers did not account for the link between infant's sleep patterns and ERI. Thus, infants who eat more regularly have more mature sleep patterns, which is independent of the maturational status of their gut microbiota. Interventions targeting infant eating rhythm thus constitute a simple, ready-to-use anchor to improve sleep quality.


In C3H mouse Gardner lymphosarcoma, we have demonstrated an increase in the extravascular albumin space 48 hours after delivering 3,000 rads of irradiation. This observation has implications for organ radiobiology in that the microvascular effect could alter radiation response in tumors. This effect may be time dependent and thus may be an extremely important consideration in dose fractionation which is not necessarily dependent on tumor cell cytokinetics. The second ramification of this observation concerns the effect of irradiation on radiotracer techniques designed to identify tumors; following irradiation, an increased macromolecular transport into the interstitial space of a tumor would be anticipated to cause increased accumulation of scanning agents which are bound to protein (e.g., gallium).


Sutton and Sykes (1956) studied the characteristics of the tremor superimposed on a voluntary muscular contraction under two conditions; (a) when the subjects were provided with a visual display of the accuracy with which they were maintaining a constant force, and (b) when they carried out the same task with the eyes closed. It was observed that when the subjects' eyes were closed, the tremor amplitude at 8–9 c/s (cycles per second) was sometimes relatively much diminished. In some subjects there was evidence of a smaller reduction in amplitude at other frequencies. Young (1933) had made similar findings using a less satisfactory technique. The findings of these workers have been confirmed and extended in another investigation (Carrie, 1965).


These days, with the implementation of ubiquitous computing concept, sensor networks that collect analyze and process information of things and environment through sensors have become a huge interest as the technology that would realize this concept. However, sensor network technology has wireless communication infrastructure as its foundation and fundamentally has security weakness with limitations on low computing capacity, power supply and low budget. The core of group telecommunications between sensor network sensor nodes is the group key management. Managing group key requires appreciating group key security and management mechanism efficiency. This paper takes the characteristics of sensor network into consideration and not only increases the group key agreement efficiency through Two-dimension array key set distribution and not the existing group key method to satisfy both the network function and security but also protects information between each nodes thereby enhancing the sense of security.


This paper presents a new password authentication and key agreement protocol called AMP in a provable manner. The intrinsic problem with password authentication is a password, associated with each user, has low entropy so that (1) the password is hard to transmit securely over an insecure channel and (2) the password file is hard to protect. Our solution to this complex problem is the amplified password proof idea along with the amplified password file. A party commits the high entropy information and amplifies her password with that information in the amplified password proof. She never shows any information except that she knows it for her proof. Our amplified password proof idea is similar to the zero-knowledge proof in that sense. A server stores amplified verifiers in the amplified password file that is secure against a server file compromise and a dictionary attack. AMP mainly provides the passwordverifier based authentication and the Diffie-Hellman based key agreement, securely and efficiently. AMP is simple and actually the most efficient protocol among the related protocols.


The aim of this study was to find optimal planning approach for large planning targets with complicated geometry requiring wide field openings. The study presents a novel approach for arc geometry design for pelvic targets with extensive nodal involvement. A total of 15 patients with anorectal carcinoma or vulvar cancer were selected retrospectively. For each patient, one seven‐field IMRT plan and three VMAT plans were calculated: one with two 360° arcs with no limitations for the field size (VMATw); one with two asymmetrically field‐size‐restricted 360° arcs (VMATr); and the proposed novel approach which consisted of one 360° arc with the field size restricted to the central PTV, and another arc divided into two 180° arcs, restricting the field sizes with the focus on the lymph nodes. The techniques were compared in terms of PTV coverage (VPTV(95%)), dose maximum (D(max)), dose conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), and organs at risk doses. The proposed novel approach with one full and two half arcs tended to have better PTV coverage (VPTV(95%)=97%±2%, compared to 95%±3%,95%±3%, and 97%±2% in VMATw, VMATr, and 7f‐IMRT, respectively) and lower maxima (D(max)=107%±1%, compared to 110%±3%,110%±4%, and 110%±4% in VMATw, VMATr, and 7f‐IMRT, respectively); and lower or equal organs at risk doses. The superiority of the proposed technique (CI=1.16±0.05,HI=9±2) was more pronounced compared with the VMATw plans (CI=1.41±0.10, paired t‐test p<0.001;HI=12±2,p<0.001), but the proposed technique was slightly better also in comparison with the VMATr plans (CI=1.21±0.07,p<0.001;HI=11±4,p=0.015) and 7f‐IMRT plans (CI=1.18±0.03,p=0.016;HI=10±2,p=0.215). Radiotherapy treatment planning for large and complicated treatment volumes benefits not only from restricting the field size but also from careful field design that considers PTV geometry. This optimizes multileaf collimator movements, leading to better dose conformity and homogeneity. PACS number(s): 87.53.Jw, 87.55.D, 87.56.jk:


Venous thromboembolism following elective knee arthroscopy remains relatively rare. NuvaRing (Merck & Co), an intravaginal contraceptive device, has received attention recently due to reports detailing unexpected catastrophic pulmonary embolism and further suggesting an increased risk of venous and arterial thrombotic events in women who use it. A healthy, 30-year-old woman with a NuvaRing contraceptive device presented to the sports medicine clinic with knee pain, swelling, and mechanical symptoms. She was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus tear via magnetic resonance imaging and subsequently underwent a routine partial lateral meniscectomy. Her postoperative course was complicated by a rare deep venous thrombosis requiring anticoagulation therapy. This case highlights the risk of NuvaRing contraception and raises awareness within the orthopedic community regarding its use among patients undergoing arthroscopic outpatient surgery. [Orthopedics. 2021;44(5):e687-e690.].


In this paper the authors examine the tax consequences of Ponzi schemes for innocent investor-victims. They use the decisions of the Tax Court of Canada and The Federal Court of Appeal in Johnson v. The Queen as a focus of discussion. Their discussion as to the taxability and deductibility of gains and losses for victims of Ponzi schemes draws on the source doctrine of Income, contract law principles, and the sham and ineffective transactions doctrines. The paper concludes that a Ponzi scheme is a source of income for victims, and that winners ought to recognize net gains on account of income and net losses on account of capital. The paper's discussion of the investigative obligations of taxpayers is grounded in considerations of reassessments beyond the normal reassessment period and liability for penalties in the Ponzi context. The paper concludes that a contextual approach to these two issues is required considering the fraudulent nature and inherent information imbalance of Ponzi schemes.


DEAR SIRS,-The paper by Mr. Arnold Sorsby and the genetic note by Dr. Hans Grtineberg on Dystrophies of the Macula which appear in vour current number are of the greatest interest. The account of the M. Family suggests to me the presence of incomplete sex linkage. Incompletely sex linked factors are transmitted by a heterozygous parent to those children who are of the same sex as the affected grandparent. If we accept the chart on its face value this has occurred thirteen times out of a possible fourteen. Thus the doubtfully affected great-grandmother has ten affected female grand-children, assuming irregular manifestation in the deaf female in generation III. Her three sons in turn have four affected grandchildren, three boys and a girl. Detailed study of the M. family may not confirm this suggestion, although as stated in the genetic note, incomplete sex linkage has been observed in retinitis pigmentosa. This peculiar mode of inheritance is not widely known amongst ophthalmologists.


Although CD4+ T cells represent the main target cell for HIV/SIV infection, macrophages also contribute to viral reservoirs. Given CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are essential for controlling viral replication, characterizing how they interact with HIV-infected targets will provide insights into mechanisms of reservoir persistence and cure strategies. CTL killing of SIV-infected macrophages is less efficient than CD4+ T cells, but the mechanism of this differential killing and whether this applies to HIV is not known. Here, we demonstrate that in contrast to infected CD4+ T cells, HIV-infected macrophages are intrinsically resistant to ex vivo CTL-mediated killing, resulting in inefficient suppression of viral infection. However, when macrophages are killed, apoptosis is delayed and caspase-3-dependent versus CD4+ T cell apoptosis, which is rapid and caspase-independent. Induction of these separate apoptosis pathways is a result of differential sensitivity to granzymes, specifically granzyme B, which is poorly expressed by ex vivo HIV-specific CTLs. Differential killing is not a consequence of poor recognition. On the contrary, CTL interaction with antigen-loaded macrophages is associated with longer effector-target contact time and increased CTL production of IFN-γ. This excess IFN-γ induces production of macrophage pro-inflammatory chemokines, CXCL9 and CXCL10, which recruit activated CD4+ T cell targets. These results suggest that inefficient CTL killing of HIV-infected macrophages may contribute to reservoir persistence, chronic inflammation, and recruitment of CD4+ T cells to sites of infection.


In this paper I analyze the classes of price-paths arising from a non-Ricardian fiscal monetary plan along the lines of the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL), under a price invariant nominal money supply rule in a standard Sidrauski-Brock model. I first show that fiscalist speculative deflationary paths are irrational bubbles. Then I argue that a fully autonomous fiscal policy is, in most cases, no implementable, regardless of the time horizon, thus complementing Buiter's (2001, 2002) findings. Finally, I claim that, contrary to the FTPL's arguments, a speculative hyperinflation can never be a necessary result. This latter observation is taken as an evidence against the analogy drawn between the equilibrium value of a firm's stock and money, as recently suggested by some proponents of this new paradigm in monetary economics.


Data security has become a very serious parf of any organizational information system. More and more threats across the Internet has evolved and capable to deceive firewall as well as antivirus software. In addition, the number of attacks become larger and become more dificult to be processed by the firewall or antivirus software. To improve the security of the system is usually done by adding Intrusion Detection System(IDS), which divided into anomaly-based detection and signature-based detection. In this research to process a huge amount of data, Big Data technique is used. Anomaly-based detection is proposed using Learning Vector Quantization Algorithm to detect the attacks. Learning Vector Quantization is a neural network technique that learn the input itself and then give the appropriate output according to the input. Modifications were made to improve test accuracy by varying the test parameters that present in LVQ. Varying the learning rate, epoch and k-fold cross validation resulted in a more efficient output. The output is obtained by calculating the value of information retrieval from the confusion matrix table from each attack classes. Principal Component Analysis technique is used along with Learning Vector Quantization to improve system performance by reducing the data dimensionality. By using 18-Principal Component, dataset successfully reduced by 47.3%, with the best Recognition Rate of 96.52% and time efficiency improvement up to 43.16%.


BACKGROUND
Soft-tissue filler administration is an increasingly popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure. Simultaneously, there have been a greater number of adverse events reported, including the devastating complication of blindness.

OBJECTIVE
To report cases of filler-related blindness published since 2015.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Ovid MEDLINE database was searched from January 1, 2015, to August 1, 2018, using a previously described Boolean string.

RESULTS
Sixty new cases of filler blindness were identified. The most common type of filler reported was hyaluronic acid (HA) (N = 42, 70.0%), followed by autologous fat (N = 7, 11.7%), and calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) (N = 7, 11.7%). The most common injection locations were the nose (N = 33, 55.0%), glabella (N = 21, 35.0%), and forehead (N = 11, 18.3%). Ten cases reported vision restoration (16.7%). Four of the successful cases involved hyaluronidase administration, including 1 retrobulbar hyaluronidase injection.

CONCLUSION
Since 2015, there have been 60 newly reported cases of soft-tissue filler blindness. Most recent cases have occurred with HA, which is a shift from previous reports. In HA cases, hyaluronidase injection may be successful in restoring vision if administered promptly. It is imperative for providers to be familiar with strategies for managing soft-tissue filler blindness.


AbstractThe family of ovarian sex cord–stromal tumors (SCSTs) includes a morphologically diverse array of benign and malignant neoplasms. Many of the benign SCSTs bear striking morphologic resemblance to malignancies in the SCST, epithelial, and germ cell tumor families. Chief among these are microcystic stromal tumor, sclerosing stromal tumor, cellular fibroma, typical thecoma, stromal luteoma, Leydig cell tumor, and pregnancy luteoma (a non-neoplastic hormonal proliferation). Although many of these entities are uncommon, awareness of their clinical, gross, and morphologic features is important to avoid overtreatment, particularly during intraoperative evaluation. Familiarity with newer immunohistochemical markers FOXL2 and SF-1 offers advantages over the traditional SCST markers calretinin and inhibin. This review addresses the distinction of benign sex cord stromal tumors from their malignant morphologic mimics.


Carbonation of concrete is the second reason of corrosion on reinforced concrete structures. This has led to study the methods that might be useful for defining, from the phase of project, the conditions that a certain concrete must have, besides resisting mechanically, to be resistant to external attacks like it is the effect of the CO2 of industrial environments. With the purpose of establishing a simple method of testing that complements the compressive strength, and that allows to predict the useful life of the concrete in terms of its carbonation, possible relations were studied between four parameters: depth of carbonation, capillary absorption, porosity and compressive strength. Samples were made by concretes with w/c 0.45 – 0.53 – 0.59. The three concretes were prepared under the same procedures and with the same cement, sand, gravel and additives. The samples were tested to compressive strength, capillary absorption and porosity, at different times of accelerated carbonation in a chamber designed for such purpose. The results showed a direct relation between coef f i c ient of capi l lar y absorption and depth of accelerated carbonation on a concrete. The tests of porosity did not show any correlation with the depths of carbonation and with the coefficient of absorption either. Finally it was found that the coefficient of absorption can be used as tool for the development of a new method of quality control for concrete durability. Key words: Accelerated carbonation, capillary absorption, concrete durability, porosity.


Randomly chosen, commercially available, market basket samples of on-the-shelf brands of peanut butter were routinely tested for the presence of aflatoxin from 1982 to 1989. Standard analytical procedures were employed which included high performance liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography. During the eight years studied, 74% of the samples were positive for the presence of aflatoxin. Of those samples testing positive which excluded no detect samples or "zero values", 8.6% were found to be contaminated between 20 and 50 ppb, 3.7% were between 50 and 100 ppb, and 2.2% were above 100 ppb. The total for this evaluation approach was 14.5%. When all samples including nondetectable were considered, only 9.8% of 2510 samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level for total aflatoxin. With the exception of 1986 and 1987, aflatoxin levels in commercially available peanut butter offered for sale to the public in this particular state have been well controlled. It is a monitoring effort such as this, conducted as checks on the final product on sale to the public, that provides the final line to protect public health from exposure to mycotoxins. Based on these regional data for an eight-year period reported herein, it is apparent that the findings could be used in conjunction with other regional and national studies to support a reduction of the 20 ppb U.S. action level.


The effects of corticosterone, a natural glucocorticoid of rat, on the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced current (I(ACh)) were studied in pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells by using whole-cell clamp technique. The I(ACh) proved to be generated through neuronal nicotinic receptor. ACh (30 microM) induced an inward current at a holding potential of -80 mV. When cells were preincubated with corticosterone (0.1-100 microM) for 4 min, an inhibitory effect of corticosterone on the peak of I(ACh) was found. This effect was reversible, concentration-dependent, and voltage-independent. Intracellular application of corticosterone through the patch electrode did not affect the I(ACh). Extracellular application of 10 microM corticosterone neither shifted the dose-response curve of the peak I(ACh) to the right (dissociation constant (K(d)) = 16.5 microM) nor affected its coefficient (1.8) but inhibited the curve amplitudes by approximately 49% in the cells pretreated with corticosterone for 4 min. Bovine serum albumin-conjugated corticosterone (0.1-10 microM) had the inhibition similar to corticosterone. The inhibitor of transcription, actinomycin D (10 microM), and the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (50 microM), had no effect on the inhibition induced by corticosterone on I(ACh). These results suggest that corticosterone has rapid inhibitory effect on I(ACh) in PC12 cells, which is mediated by a nongenomic mechanism. It indicates that corticosterone binds to the specific site on the outer cell membrane, probably on the neuronal nicotinic receptor-coupled channel, and inhibits the I(ACh) in a noncompetitive manner, thus controlling the immediate catecholamine release from the sympathetic cells.


The utility of LiF TLD-700 for the dosimetry of neutron beams are assessed. The fact that for in-phantom irradiations the 200 degrees C peak of TLD-700 has a much lower sensitivity to neutrons than to gamma rays and the higher temperature peak has comparable sensitivities to both radiations is of relevance from the point of view of the use of the two-peak method for the dosimetry of therapeutically used fast-neutron beams. The difference in the neutron sensitivities of the two peaks of TLD-700 is greater than that of the peaks of any other TLD including CaF:Tm. Since the gamma ray absorbed dose content in cyclotron-produced neutron beams is small, the supralinearity of the high-temperature glow peak does not pose a serious problem. Also by using thin ribbons, slow heating rates (about 3.5 degrees C s-1) during the TL readout and by applying predetermined individual calibration factors for each peak of each detector, the intensities of the glow peaks could be measured with a reasonable precision.


Binary mixtures of CO(2) with ethanol and with acetone are studied by computer simulation, including extensive free energy calculations done by the method of thermodynamic integration, at 313 K, i.e., above the critical point of CO(2) in the entire composition range. The calculations are repeated with three different models of acetone and ethanol, and two models of CO(2). Comparisons of the molar volume of the different systems as well as of the change of their molar volume accompanying the mixing of the two components with experimental data reveal that, among the model pairs tested, the best results are obtained if both components are described by the Transferable Potentials for Phase Equilibria (TraPPE) force field. Around the ethanol/acetone mole fraction of 0.05 all ethanol/CO(2) and almost all acetone/CO(2) model pairs considered predict the existence of a sharp maximum of the molar volume. Due to the lack of experimental data in this composition range, however, these predictions cannot be verified/falsified yet. Most of the model pairs considered also predict limited miscibility of these compounds, as seen from the positive values of the free energy change accompanying their mixing, and the miscibility gap is located at the same composition range as the aforementioned molar volume maximum.


ABSTRACT Background: Gastric carcinoma (GC) is a common malignant tumor. Recently, it has been found that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important role in cancer. In this paper, we investigated the effects and mechanism of lncRNA GASL1 in GC cells. Methods: GASL1 level in GC cells was up-regulated via cell transfection. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion were detected by CCK-8, BrdU, Transwell assays and western blot. In addition, the regulation of GASL1 on microRNA (miR)-106a level was detected using RT-qPCR and the binding between GASL1 and miR-106a was confirmed by bioinformatic prediction and luciferase reporter assay. The effects of overexpressing miR-106a on GASL1-regulated GC cell behaviors were further explored. Moreover, western blot also was used to detect the pathway-related proteins. Results: Overexpression of GASL1 decreased the viability and BrdU levels. Meanwhile, CyclinD1 level was decreased while p53 and p21 levels were strengthened by overexpression of GASL1. On cell metastasis, up-regulation of GASL1 decreased cell migration, invasion and related proteins matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and Vimentin levels. Meanwhile, silencing GASL1 exerted opposite effects on GC cells. Moreover, GASL1 negatively regulated and targeted miR-106a. Up-regulation of miR-106a weakened the functions of GASL1 in cell proliferation and metastasis. Besides, GASL1 decreased the relate-protein levels of PI3K/AKT and ras/raf/MEK/ERK pathways while miR-106a weakened these changes. ConclusionGASL1 restrained GC cell proliferation and metastasis and blocked PI3K/AKT and ras/raf/MEK/ERK pathways by sponging miR-106a.


Abstract The role played by the seed coat in seed dormancy of Grevillea linearifolia(Cav.) Druce and G. wilsonii(A. Cunn.) was tested by a series of manipulations in which the seed coat was dissected and removed, dissected and returned to the decoated seed, or dissected, removed and given a heat shock, and returned to the decoated seed. Germination of intact seeds of both species was also examined after exposure to heat shock, smoke, or heat shock and smoke combined. Water permeability of the seed coat was investigated by examining imbibition. For intact seeds, virtually no germination occurred under any treatment (G. wilsonii), or germination was increased by exposure to either heat or smoke (G. linearifolia). Removal of the seed coat led to germination of all decoated seeds for G. linearifolia, or a proportion of decoated seeds for G. wilsonii. Inclusion of smoked water in the incubation medium led to a higher proportion of decoated seeds germinating for G. wilsonii. Returning the seed coat, either with or without heat shock to the seed coat, did not significantly affect germination in either species. Seed coats were permeable to water in both species. For the two Grevillea species, there were different dormancy mechanisms that were controlled by the seed coat (G. linearifolia) or by both the seed coat and embryo (G. wilsonii).


Dietary lipid biomarkers (fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and sterols) in adult specimens were analyzed to compare and understand the feeding ecology of the euphausiid, Euphausia pacifica, from three geographically and environmentally diverse Korean waters (Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea). Total lipid content of E. pacifica from Korean waters was about 10% dry weight (DW) with a dominance of phospholipids (>46.9% of total lipid content), which are known as membrane components. A saturated fatty acid, C16:0, a monounsaturated fatty acid, C18:1(n-9), and two polyunsaturated fatty acids, C20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3), were most abundant (>60% of total fatty acids) in the fatty acid composition. Some of the fatty acids showed slight differences among regions although no significant compositional changes of fatty acids were detected between these regions. Phytol, originating from the side chain of chlorophyll and indicative of active feeding on phytoplankton, was detected all samples. Trace amounts of various fatty alcohols were also detected in E. pacifica. Specifically, krill from the Yellow Sea showed relatively high amounts of longchain monounsaturated fatty alcohols (i.e. 20:1 and 22:1), generally found in herbivorous copepods. Three different kinds of sterols were detected in E. pacifica. The most dominant of these sterols was cholest-5-en-3β-ol (cholesterol). The lipid compositions and ratios of fatty acid trophic markers are indicative of herbivory in E. pacifica from the Yellow Sea and East Sea (mainly feeding on dinoflagellates and diatoms, respectively). The lipid compositions and ratios of fatty acid trophic markers are indicative of carnivory or omnivory in E. pacifica from the East China Sea, mainly feeding on microzooplankton such as protozoa. In conclusion, lipid biomarkers provide useful information about krill feeding type. However, further analyses and experiments (i.e. gut content analysis, in situ grazing experiment, etc.) are needed to better understand the feeding ecology of E. pacifica in various marine environments.


Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is not rare, but its diagnosis remains challenging. SIH tends to be misdiagnosed as postdural puncture headache when orthostatic headache develops subsequent to spinal anesthesia because both have similar symptoms. We report the case of a 35-year-old man with orthostatic headache following spinal anesthesia, who did not respond to conventional therapy for postdural puncture headache. SIH was confirmed after epidural fluid collection was identified at the thoracic spine level on magnetic resonance myelography. Physicians must consider SIH despite a history of neuraxial block. Diagnostic work-up is necessary to identify potential cerebrospinal fluid leakage in refractory cases.


ABSTRACT The nematic phases of a lyotropic system NadS/ decanol/ heavy water are investigated using optical conoscopy and image processing. The phase diagram obtained from these lyotropic materials predicts the occurrence of a direct phase transition, which does not present the biaxial nematic phase, between the discotic (ND) and calamitic (NC) nematic phases. A biaxial nematic (NB) phase is optically characterized and confirmed through conoscopic image, inside the biaxial range, between the two uniaxial nematic phases. Also, their respective transition points are determined by means of image processing. The NB phase observed here is discussed as part of the nature of the micellar configuration of lyotropic materials which exhibit uniaxial nematic phases.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss different approaches of performance measurement and benchmarking as "reflexive institutions" for local governments in England, Germany and Sweden from a comparative perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

These three countries have been selected because they represent typical (most different) cases of European local government systems and reforms. The existing theories on "institutional reflexivity" point to the potential contribution of benchmarking to public sector innovation and organizational learning. Based on survey findings, in-depth case studies, interviews and document analyses in these three countries, the paper addresses the major research question as to what extent and why benchmarking regimes vary across countries. It derives hypotheses about the impacts of benchmarking on institutional learning and innovation.

Findings

The outcomes suggest that the combination of three key features of benchmarking, namely – "obligation", "sanctions" and "benchmarking authority" – in conjunction with country-specific administrative context conditions and local actor constellations – influences the impact of benchmarking as a reflexive institution.

Originality/value

It is shown in the paper that compulsory benchmarking on its own does not lead to reflexivity and learning, but that there is a need for autonomy and leeway for local actors to cope with benchmarking results. These findings are relevant because policy makers must decide upon the specific "governance mix" of benchmarking exercises taking their national and local contexts into account if they want them to promote institutional learning and innovation.


Manifestations of pain syndrome, rates of personal and reactive anxiety at patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been appraised according to the visual and similar scale and Mc-Gill's and Spielberger's questionnaires. A great amount of correlated interconnections in received findings have been fond out and this confirms the interference of chronical pain syndrome and anxious row disorder at patients with rheumatoid arthritis.


Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) have been widely used for genome editing, transcriptional regulation, and locus-specific DNA imaging. However, TALEs are difficult to handle in routine laboratories because of their complexity and the considerable time consumed in TALE construction. Here, we described a simple and rapid TALE assembly method based on uracil-specific excision reagent (USER) cloning. Polymerase chain reaction was amplified with TALE trimer templates and deoxyuridine-containing primers. The products were treated with USER at 37°C for 30 min, followed by the treatment of T4 DNA Ligase at 16°C for 30 min. The TALE trimer unit could be rejoined hierarchically to form complete TALE expression vectors with high efficiency. This method was adopted to construct TALE-deaminases, which were used in combination with Cas9 nickases to generate efficient C-to-T or A-to-G base editing while eliminating predictable DNA off-target effects. This improved USER assembly is a simple, rapid, and laboratory-friendly TALE construction technique that will be valuable for DNA targeting.


Straddling conventional education system boundaries between adult learners and children, and between employment-related and social benefits, family literacy programmes are not well recognised or supported in New Zealand's policy and funding environment. In this article, I reflect on my personal experience of redesigning the Whānau Ara Mua intergenerational family literacy programme to deliver standardised qualifications and use unit standards for assessment. A lack of unit standards supporting important family learning areas, and standards that are too prescriptive in content, scope, level or assessment conditions to fit well with family literacy and learning, resulted in learning content becoming less relevant to learners and their families. This is of particular concern as Māori concepts of literacy place a whānau approach, whānau literacy and whānau wellbeing at the heart of literacy work. My investigation led to the conclusion that development of whānau-focused unit standards would both support family literacy programmes and facilitate broader take-up of family literacy elements within adult literacy work. This would give substance to government support for Māori literacy aspirations, while also supporting wider policy objectives around reaching priority tertiary learners and improving education outcomes for children.


Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between intrauterine exposure to cadmium and the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants 6 months of age, adjusted for covariates including exposure to other heavy metals. The present research is a component of the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project conducted in Korea. Study subjects were restricted to pregnant women in whom cadmium and lead levels were measured at delivery and whose infants were assessed for the presence of atopic disease at 6 months of age. The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants whose cord blood had elevated cadmium levels, after adjustment for other covariates, was 2.350 (95% CI, 1.126-4.906). The OR for the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants whose cord blood had elevated lead levels was not significant. In the present study, the cord blood cadmium level was significantly associated with the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants; this was not true of the cord blood lead level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study to show a relationship between prenatal exposure to cadmium and atopic dermatitis in infancy.


Background Childhood asthma is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in children, causing huge economic losses worldwide. The immune system was closely linked to the occurrence and development of childhood asthma. The main purpose of this research is to explore the role of immune-related genes in the occurrence and treatment of childhood asthma.Methods GSE40732 dataset and GSE40888 dataset were respectively regarded as training dataset and texting dataset in this article. We performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to select immune-related genes associated with the occurrence of childhood asthma based on the training dataset. Random forest (RF) model was established to screen the optimal variables to predict the occurrence of childhood asthma among these significant immune-related genes. Childhood asthma patients were grouped by the consensus clustering method based on the optimal variables. The grouping results were validated in the texting dataset. Results 69 significant immune-related genes associated with the occurrence of childhood asthma were screened through WGCNA. RF model indicated that 10 optimal variables among these significant immune-related genes can reasonably distinguish normal children and childhood asthma. Childhood asthma patients were classified into two molecular subtypes (Sub1 and Sub2) based on the 10 optimal variables using consensus clustering analysis. More interestingly, childhood asthma patients in Sub1 have higher inflammatory response than Sub2.Conclusions Our research selected 10 significant immune-related genes related to the occurrence of childhood asthma. We classified childhood asthma patients into two molecular subtypes with different immune cell infiltration based on the 10 significant immune-related genes, which may provide the basis for individualized treatment.


When an inflammable gas mixture, contained in a long horizontal glass tube closed at one end and open at the other, is ignited at the open end, a flame begins to move at a uniform rate towards the closed end. This initial spread of flame, which has been termed the "uniform movement:," persists for some distance along the tube, but soon gives place to an accelerating movement, sometimes, but not always, vibratory, the mean speed of the flame increasing rapidly until finally, with certain mixtures, the detonation-wave is set up, the speed of the flame being extremely high but again becoming constant during this last phase. The speed of the Uniform movement of flame and that of the detonation-wave both being constant, these phases of the propagation of flame lend themselves particularly much attention. The most striking difference between the two modes of propagation is in the order of speed attained. Thus, with a methane-oxygen mixture containing 50 per cent. of methane, the speed of the uniform movement of flame in a horizontal glass tube, 2∙5 cm. in diameter, is only 2 metres per second, whereas the speed of the detonation-wave when set up in the same mixture is 2530 metres per second. There is good reason to believe that the difference between the two modes of propagation is not merely one of degree, and that they are, both physically and chemically distinct. During the intermediate phases the influence of either or both types of propagation may be observed. We may regard as "normal" that propagation (including the uniform movement) which takes place by conduction of heat, assisted by those factors which may increase conduction by increasing the efficiency of contact between hot and cold gases, namely, convection and turbulence. In the detonation type of propagation the transfer of hear may still take place partly by conduction, but a new factor also enters, namely, the heating of unburnt gases by shock or pressure waves generated by the burning gases during their rapid inflammation. According to these definitions, during the true uniform movement of flame the transfer of heat should be effected by condition alone between burning and unburnt gases. In the true detonation-wave itself, unburnt gases should be heated adiabatically to or above their temperature of instantaneous ignition by the pressure-wave produced by the burning gases, without condition coming into play in the same sense. Though it is probable that neither of these conditions is attained, or is theoretically attainable, they may be taken as defining the ideal modes of propagation during what we may term the true uniform movement of flame and the true detonation-wave. The conditions under which the one type of propagation gives place to another so dissimilar are naturally of great theoretical interest.


Poland's money has a pedigree of over a thousand years. At the end of the 10th century the silver denar began to supplant various commodities that had previously functioned as means of payment. The denar system survived for several centuries. In the 14th century, the role of the denar was taken over by the silver grosz. The end of the 15th century witnessed the birth of the Polish zloty, taken as equal to 30 silver grosz. The beginnings of the historical path travelled by the Polish zloty were promising. The zloty corresponded in value to the gold ducat and to the silver thaler. Later, however, things got worse. The crisis of the state and the economy was accompanied by the decline of the currency. It was not until the end of the 18th century that the sound quality of the coin was restored. A monetary history of Poland after 1795 will be presented in the next issue.


Abstract : We developed a new algorithm for sparse imaging of perfect electric conducting targets based on higher order sources ormultipoles. We devised a strategy to select the optimal orders without needing any a priori information on the target by taking advantage of some analytical considerations in a canonical case. We developed a data-driven method for target detection in nonstationary environments. We employed drift detection algorithms to detect changes in the environment, which are utilized to intelligibly update the statistical detection algorithms to gain improved detection performance. We developed a method for joint design of amplitudes and frequency-hopping codes for frequency-hopping waveforms using a collocated multiple input/multiple output radar system. We formulated a novel game theory based model and propose two joint design algorithms. We considered a system of two point scatterers under a general multistatic configuration and investigated the effect of multiple scattering in the detection and estimation of scatterers. We investigated the self-calibration problem for perturbed nested arrays in the presence of gain and phase errors, and developed robust algorithms to estimate the direction-of-arrivals (DOAs). We developed an adaptive Gaussian mixture learning algorithm in posterior-based distributed particle filtering, in which posteriors are approximated as Gaussian mixtures for wireless communication. We developed polynomial-time algorithms to compute the performance bounds on convex block-sparsity recovery based on fixed point theory and semi-definite programming. Recently, we also developed new target detection methods using weather radars and electromagnetic vector sensors. We analyzed the asymptotic DOA estimation performance of sparse linear arrays, and derived the corresponding Cramr-Rao bound.


Cell co-operation in the generation of secondary cytotoxic responses was studied by selectively sensitizing lymphocytes in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) across I or D region difference and by combining the primed lymphocytes in the secondary MLC. Secondary cytotoxic responses were induced in D-region-primed lymphocytes by restimulation with the original priming D-region antigens, by co-culturing with the I-region-primed lymphocytes in the presence of the priming I-region antigens, or by cell-free supernatants obtained 24 h after the restimulation of D-region-primed lymphocytes and I-region-primed lymphocytes, The active MLC supernatants produced by both I-region-primed and D-region-primed cells also induced accelerated proliferative responses in D-region-primed lymphocytes. Heat-treatment or ultraviolet irradiation of the stimulator cells eliminated the capacity of the cells to induce the production of CTL-helper factor in I-region-primed and D-region-primed lymphocytes. It was concluded that both I-region-primed and D-region-primed lymphocytes produce a cell-free factor which induces proliferation and secondary cytotoxicity in D-region-primed lymphocytes. The possible participation of D-region reactive helper T cells and D-region reactive cytotoxic T cells in the cytotoxic responses to D-region antigens in the absence of I-region difference is discussed.


The development of technology and communication has an impact on all aspects of life, including in the learning process using media. This study aims to develop e-learning platform by using Moodle on logarithmic material for ten grader students of SMA Negeri 1 Sewon. This development research uses the ADDIE model. The subjects of this study were learning material expert, learning media expert, and 10 grader students of SMA Negeri 1 Sewon. Data collection techniques were carried out by interviews, questionnaires, and observations. The data analysis techniques were conducted by converting qualitative data into quantitative data using a Likert scale. The results obtained from experts in the material included in the feasible category, the results obtained by media experts included in the feasible category, and the results of student assessment obtained as a feasible category. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the learning media developed can be used in the process of learning mathematics.


The latent space modeled by generative adversarial networks (GANs) represents a large possibility space. By interpolating categories generated by GANs, it is possible to create novel hybrid images. We present "Meet the Ganimals," a casual creator built on interpolations of BigGAN that can generate novel, hybrid animals called ganimals by efficiently searching this possibility space. Like traditional casual creators, the system supports a simple creative flow that encourages rapid exploration of the possibility space. Users can discover new ganimals, create their own, and share their reactions to aesthetic, emotional, and morphological characteristics of the ganimals. As users provide input to the system, the system adapts and changes the distribution of categories upon which ganimals are generated. As one of the first GAN-based casual creators, Meet the Ganimals is an example how casual creators can leverage human curation and citizen science to discover novel artifacts within a large possibility space.


We present an avatar system that enables a human operator to visit a remote location via iCub3, a new humanoid robot developed at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) paving the way for the next generation of the iCub platforms. On the one hand, we present the humanoid iCub3 that plays the role of the robotic avatar. Particular attention is paid to the differences between iCub3 and the classical iCub humanoid robot. On the other hand, we present the set of technologies of the avatar system at the operator side. They are mainly composed of iFeel, namely, IIT lightweight non-invasive wearable devices for motion tracking and haptic feedback, and of non-IIT technologies designed for virtual reality ecosystems. Finally, we show the effectiveness of the avatar system by describing a demonstration involving a realtime teleoperation of the iCub3. The robot is located in Venice, Biennale di Venezia, while the human operator is at more than 290km distance and located in Genoa, IIT. Using a standard fiber optic internet connection, the avatar system transports the operator locomotion, manipulation, voice, and face expressions to the iCub3 with visual, auditory, haptic and touch feedback.


The breakdown of classical Hall-Petch scaling remains an area of scientific interest, and will govern the limiting strength of nanocrystalline alloys for structural applications. In this work we discuss the hardness and scratch resistance of nanocrystalline nickel and nickel-tungsten solid solution alloys, assessed through nanoindentation and nano-scratch techniques. The materials have been prepared by electrodeposition, and are fully dense with grain sizes between 6 and 22 nm. In this range of grain sizes, there is some evidence for a breakdown of Hall-Petch scaling, reflected in both the hardness and abrasion data. The role of solid solution alloying on this breakdown is also discussed.


This paper is concerned with the axiomatic foundation of the revealed preference theory. Many well-known results in literature rest upon the ability to choose over budget sets that contains only 2 or 3 elements, the situations which are not observable in real life. In order to give a more realistic approach, this paper shows that many of the famous consistency requirements, such as those proposed by Arrow, Sen, Samuelson etc., are equivalent if the domain of choice functions satisfy some set theoretical properties. And these properties, unions and inclusions for example, are proposed in a way that gives observability.


In this study, we present WindTalker, a novel and practical keystroke inference framework that allows an attacker to infer the sensitive keystrokes on a mobile device through WiFi-based side-channel information. WindTalker is motivated from the observation that keystrokes on mobile devices will lead to different hand coverage and the finger motions, which will introduce a unique interference to the multi-path signals and can be reflected by the channel state information (CSI). The adversary can exploit the strong correlation between the CSI fluctuation and the keystrokes to infer the user's number input. WindTalker presents a novel approach to collect the target's CSI data by deploying a public WiFi hotspot. Compared with the previous keystroke inference approach, WindTalker neither deploys external devices close to the target device nor compromises the target device. Instead, it utilizes the public WiFi to collect user's CSI data, which is easy-to-deploy and difficult-to-detect. In addition, it jointly analyzes the traffic and the CSI to launch the keystroke inference only for the sensitive period where password entering occurs. WindTalker can be launched without the requirement of visually seeing the smart phone user's input process, backside motion, or installing any malware on the tablet. We implemented Windtalker on several mobile phones and performed a detailed case study to evaluate the practicality of the password inference towards Alipay, the largest mobile payment platform in the world. The evaluation results show that the attacker can recover the key with a high successful rate.


In patient-centered outcomes research, it is essential to assess the heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTE) when making health care decisions for an individual patient or a group of patients. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to evaluate HTE based on information collected from clinical studies that are often designed and conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment for the overall population. The Bayesian framework offers a principled and flexible approach to estimate and compare treatment effects across subgroups of patients defined by their characteristics. In this paper, we describe the package beanz which facilitates the conduct of Bayesian analysis of HTE by allowing users to explore a wide range of Bayesian HTE analysis models and produce posterior inferences about HTE. The package beanz also provides a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) for users to conduct the Bayesian analysis of HTE in an interactive and user-friendly manner. With the GUI feature, package beanz can also be used by analysts not familiar with the R environment. We demonstrate package beanz using data from a randomized controlled trial on angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor for treating congestive heart failure (N = 2569).


The study looked at the effects of information quality generated by from the semi-automated manufacturing processes in Zimbabwe. The country had faced major economic problems
between 1997 and 2013. The multilateral agencies stopped the balance of payment support as the
government failed to meet targeted goals (Ndlela 2011)3. Technologically the country had fallen
behind and this affected the information quality. To measure, the information quality impact, DeLone
and McLean information systems (IS) success model (2003) was used as a framework. This impact
had not been measured in the Zimbabwe manufacturing sector. A qualitative approach was employed
and 12 manufacturing companies were interested to participate in the study. Interviews, observations,
documentary analysis and open-ended questionnaires were used to generate data. The results showed
that the systems provided data, that is, unprocessed information. The impact of the processed
information was found to be low as delays were experienced in data processing. A low impact of
information quality on the usage and users was experienced. The quality had also low impact on
system usage and company benefits. The usage of information had little influence on user satisfaction.
The researcher concluded that there was a wide technology gap between Zimbabwe and developed
countries.


The therapeutic possibilities offered by the use of a new substance, 3-acetamido-2-oxo-tetrahydro-thiophene or citiolone, in two groups of patients, the first suffering from persistent chronic hepatitis, the second from aggressive chronic hepatitis and-or compensated cirrhosis diagnosed on the basis of clinical, laboratory, and bioptic findings have been studied. The experiment was of "between patients" pattern and findings were obtained with the double-blind method. Tests were compared with a placebo and all patients were treated with a basic therapy consisting of a polyvitaminic complex. In both groups, the results confirmed the therapeutic effectiveness of the new substance and this was demonstrable, including statistically, in an improvement in the clinical picture and, above all, in certain liver function exploration tests. At termination of the treatment cycle, liver biopsies were carried out in certain patients and these showed an improvement in the liver cell picture.


Selectivity for many basic properties of visual stimuli, such as orientation, is thought to be organized at the scale of cortical columns, making it difficult or impossible to measure directly with noninvasive human neuroscience measurement. However, computational analyses of neuroimaging data have shown that selectivity for orientation can be recovered by considering the pattern of response across a region of cortex. This suggests that computational analyses can reveal representation encoded at a finer spatial scale than is implied by the spatial resolution limits of measurement techniques. This potentially opens up the possibility to study a much wider range of neural phenomena that are otherwise inaccessible through noninvasive measurement. However, as we review in this article, a large body of evidence suggests an alternative hypothesis to this superresolution account: that orientation information is available at the spatial scale of cortical maps and thus easily measurable at the spatial resolution of standard techniques. In fact, a population model shows that this orientation information need not even come from single-unit selectivity for orientation tuning, but instead can result from population selectivity for spatial frequency. Thus, a categorical error of interpretation can result whereby orientation selectivity can be confused with spatial frequency selectivity. This is similarly problematic for the interpretation of results from numerous studies of more complex representations and cognitive functions that have built upon the computational techniques used to reveal stimulus orientation. We suggest in this review that these interpretational ambiguities can be avoided by treating computational analyses as models of the neural processes that give rise to measurement. Building upon the modeling tradition in vision science using considerations of whether population models meet a set of core criteria is important for creating the foundation for a cumulative and replicable approach to making valid inferences from human neuroscience measurements. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 7 is September 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


In this work we consider a relatively large and highly dynamic data center network in which flows have small interarrival times and different demands for the network resources. Taking into account the properties and specifics of such networks we consider the problem of flow placement, i.e. assignment of an outgoing port for flows at each hop from source to destination. Using the characteristics of modern data centers from previous measurement studies, in this work we first simulate the flow allocation using several algorithms with and without global knowledge. We find that in all settings local forwarding decisions are almost as good as decisions made with global information at hand. This finding enables us to propose a fully distributed mechanism that relies only on local knowledge and allows to achieve fair and demand aware flow allocation in the data center network. The mechanism has low complexity and performs better than naive random flow allocation.


Breast cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer worldwide and the most commonly occurring malignancy in women, and its incidence is increasing in most developed and developing countries. There is growing evidence that lifestyle factors, in particular diet may be associated with higher Breast Cancer risk. Some evidence exists regarding the benefit of Mediterranean Diet on reduced risk of Breast Cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet against the risk of Breast Cancer, is primarily due to principal foods of this nutritional pattern. The principal components of the Mediterranean Diet, such as fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish and red wine have important antioxidants properties due to their high content of substances like polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and fibers, along with a favourable fatty acid profile, that in turn could reduce the risk of Breast Cancer. Considering the severity of breast cancer and the increasing incidence in the world, there is an increasing interest in promoting prevention strategies in order to reduce the incidence. The aim of this paper is to provide a general overview of the current evidence on the relationship between Breast Cancer and Mediterranean Diet, in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and to emphasize the potential role of Mediterranean Diet as an effective tool in primary prevention. The possible molecular mechanisms underlying this association will be also pointed out.


Cognitive biases are pervasive thinking habits of an individual that are likely to lead to errors in reasoning. These biases are mental errors caused by simplified information processing strategies. It faciltates the mental mistakes of investors' while interpreting on the information. It is essential to identify the cognitive behaviour of the investors to act rationally. Recent studies provide evidence that cognitive bias influences investor behaviour. Cognitive factors such as Framing, Hindsight, Cognitive dissonance, Conservatism, Representativeness and Confirmation bias with regard to investor behaviour are identified for the purpose of the study and also its interface with demographic profile. The survey was conducted among 150 equity investors and the data was collected through a specially designed questionnaire. Statistical analysis of the data reveals that the influence of cognitive bias on the investor behaviour significantly differs with the demographic variables viz, Gender, Age, Occupation and Income. The findings evidences that Framing, Hindsight and Confirmation bias highly influences investor behaviour. The influence of Cognitive factors such as Framing and Conservatism bias vary with Gender of the respondents, Representativeness bias differ with Age group and Income of the respondents. Influence of Framing and Representativeness bias vary with the Occupation of the respondents.

Key words: Behavioural Finance, Demographic factors, Cognitive bias, Investor behaviour


5 This paper presents the first theoretical analysis of the choice of firms between "preparing" 6 and not preparing the equity market in advance of a possible dividend cut. In our model, 7 insiders have private information about their firm's intermediate cash flow as well as about 8 the net present value of its growth opportunity. We show that, in equilibrium, firms in 9 temporary financial difficulties but with good long-term growth prospects are more likely 10 to prepare the market in advance of dividend cuts, while those with permanently declining 11 earnings are less likely to prepare the market. Our model generates several new testable 12 predictions. 13


The Tripa Peat Swamp Forest (TPSF) suffers from deforestation due to agriculture, this habitat degradation potentially has a negative impact on fish biodiversity and community assemblages. The objective of this study was to develop an inventory of the fish fauna, evaluate the spatial variation in assemblage structure, document alien species, and quantify the economic value of fish species found from the area. Fish assemblages from the main rivers and tributaries of TPSF were sampled on May to June 2013. A total of 764 individuals were sampled during the survey, constituting 34 families, 47 genera, and 73 species where 46 species are categorized as fish consumption, 17 have potential for aquaculture, and 10 species have potential for ornamental, and three are non native. Cyprinidae is the predominant fish family within the TPSF. Fish assemblages were generally characterized by small population size for each species and low similarity among sites, reflecting the distinctive nature of each sampling site.


Men who indulge in auto-erotic asphyxial practices are rarely encountered by psychiatrists. More often, they come to light at a coroner's inquest, and a verdict of "accidental death" is usually rendered (e.g., from hanging/suffocation). This paper describes and contrasts three cases of auto-erotic asphyxial practices. The first case, of accidental death by hanging, was an apparently highly successful young man who functioned at a high level and was without "serious psychopathology." In contrast, the other two, both survivors of asphyxial practices, manifested multiple paraphilias and other types of psychopathology. The syndrome may be extremely diverse, and survivors who consult psychiatrists require holistic assessment and treatment tailored to multifarious needs.


The paper focuses on analyzing the relationship between the
growth of liabilities in the banking sector and the risk in
lending. The increase in liabilities in the banking sector is
reflected in pressure on senior bank management, with the need
to find new investment opportunities, changes are made to the
risks, even if it is inconsistent with the principles of the
banking business.


Employment-based health insurance faces serious problems. For the first time, the number of Americans covered by such health insurance is falling. Employers strongly oppose the employer mandate approach to extending health insurance. Employment-based financing is regressive and complex. Serious debate is needed on an alternative solution to financing health care for all Americans. Taxation represents a clear alternative to employment-based health care financing. The major criterion for choosing a tax is equity, with simplicity a second criterion. An earmarked, progressive individual income tax is a fair and potentially simple tax with which to finance health care. The political feasibility of such a tax is greater than that of employer mandate legislation.


This preliminary case study examines qualitatively the experiences of 20 participants enrolled in an international Englishmedium secondary teacher preparation program at a university in Finland and analyzes reflections on their teacher identity development. Multiple measures of data with triangulation were collected from course work, including reflection essays from 20 preservice teachers and a focus group interview with four of the preservice teachers. The data were analyzed with thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) in order to find categories of factors that influenced the pre-service teachers' teacher identity development. The results indicate that the support especially from mentors and positive feedback from pupils during two teaching practicum periods, and the student teacher's passion for their own subject, were incremental in building confidence in one's teaching abilities. The participants also realized that they were in the beginning of their teacher identity development and were committed to lifelong learning.


While sport teams are often lauded for their "all-for-one" mentality, the reality is that games are often lost by the play of one member. Are all members collectively responsible or is the loss attributed to the individual? Further, do group factors affect the way members attribute team failures? Both cohesion (e.g., Brawley et al., 1987) and the perception of groupness (e.g., Denson et al., 2006) have been associated with members assuming collective responsibility for different events. However, little is known about how consideration of these constructs together impacts these decisions. To answer this question, adult soccer players (N = 69) read four vignettes describing hypothetical soccer teams that differed in levels of cohesion (high[HC] vs. low[LC]) and groupness (high[HG] vs. low[LG]). While imagining themselves as a member of each of the four hypothetical teams, participants were asked to report whether the individual or the team would assume responsibility for three scenarios where a teammate mistake resulted in a loss. ANOVA results revealed a significant main effect, p < .001, ηp2 = .33. Post-hoc tests revealed significant differences between conditions (all ps < .01, .57 < Cohen's d < 1.08). Collective responsibility was highest after reading the vignette describing the HC/HG team, followed by the HC/LG and LC/HG (which did not differ), and LC/LG teams. These results provide preliminary evidence that group-level constructs (i.e., cohesion, groupness) influence athletes' allocation of responsibility in team sport. Further, it appears that perceptions of cohesion and groupness have independent and additive effects on collective responsibility.


Since the introduction of a highly pathogenic genotype II isolate of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) into Georgia in 2007, African swine fever (ASF) has gone panzootic. Outbreaks have been reported in Europe, Asia and, more recently, Latin America. Thus, ASFV has become a major threat to the pig industry worldwide, as broadly applicable vaccines are not available. While the majority of ASFV strains show high virulence in domestic pigs and wild boar, variations within the ASFV genome have resulted in the emergence of attenuated strains with low or moderate virulence. However, the molecular basis of the differences in virulence has not yet been discovered. To reveal virulence-associated protein expression patterns, we analysed the proteomes of the natural target cells of ASFV, primary porcine macrophages, after infection with two genotype II ASFV strains displaying high (Armenia 2008) and moderate (Estonia 2014) virulence using quantitative mass spectrometry. Very similar expression patterns were observed for the viral genes, and any differences were limited to the deletions within the Estonia 2014 genome. In addition to the canonical ASFV proteins, twelve novel protein products from recently described transcripts were confirmed in both isolates. Pathway analyses showed that both isolates evoked a similar host proteome response, despite their difference in virulence. However, subtle differences in the manipulation of the proteins involved in the proinflammatory response mediated by the MAPK14/p38 signalling cascade were observed.


It has been a very controversial topic in today's world that, whether Facebook is helping or hampering in students' education. It is mostly affecting the students who tend to learn ESL with the assistance of social media. This research paper specifically focused on how Facebook is affecting Bangladeshi tertiary level ESL learners. Furthermore how students are getting affected unconsciously or subconsciously by it. In Bangladesh using Facebook as an educational tool has still yet to become a common matter. But students are still getting affected by it subconsciously. For collecting the data mixed method was applied. So the research consist both quantitative and qualitative data. For research the survey was conducted among 51 students from different departments of a reputed university and interviews were also taken from same university's senior students majoring in ELT. The research suggested, Facebook has become quite beneficial for the Bangladeshi students. It is helping them to stay connected with their studies. With proper guidance from the facilitators, it can be used as a very productive educational tool. Although it is not possible to turn the whole language learning system based only on Facebook, but blending Facebook with traditional teaching style can be very effective and helpful for both the students and facilitators. From saving time to creating a good relation among everyone, it can make a huge difference in learning method. If the disadvantages of this can be controlled properly, this blending method can be a turning point for the students of Bangladesh who are learning English as a second language.


Quantum circuit simulation provides the foundation for the development of quantum algorithms and the verification of quantum supremacy. Among the various methods for quantum circuit simulation, tensor network contraction has been increasing in popularity due to its ability to simulate a larger number of qubits. During tensor contraction, the input tensors are reshaped to matrices and computed by a GEMM operation, where these GEMM operations could reach up to 90\% of the total calculation time. GEMM throughput can be improved by utilizing mixed-precision hardware such as Tensor Cores, but straightforward implementation results in insufficient fidelity for deep and large quantum circuits. Prior work has demonstrated that compensated summation with special care of the rounding mode can fully recover the FP32 precision of SGEMM even when using TF32 or FP16 Tensor Cores. The exponent range is a critical issue when applying such techniques to quantum circuit simulation. While TF32 supports almost the same exponent range as FP32, FP16 supports a much smaller exponent range. In this work, we use the exponent range statistics of input tensor elements to select which Tensor Cores we use for the GEMM. We evaluate our method on Random Circuit Sampling (RCS), including Sycamore's quantum circuit, and show that the throughput is 1.86 times higher at maximum while maintaining accuracy.


The therapeutic effect of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has been confirmed in many types of complex wounds, but there are few relevant reports regarding seawater-immersed wounds. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of VAC on seawater-immersed wound healing under different negative pressures and explore the optimal negative pressure value. Four purebred miniature pigs were used as the experimental animal models. Four acute, symmetrical wounds were made on each side of the spine and designated as the experimental group (wounds with 2 h of seawater immersion) and the control group (wounds without seawater immersion). Wounds were divided into a conventional dressing group and 3 further groups with different VAC therapies (negative pressure at either 120, 180, or 240 mmHg). The extent of wound healing, and speed of granulation growth and re-epithelialization were measured. Bacterial flora distribution in the wounds was observed, and fibronectin levels in the exudate of the wounds were tested. Results showed that seawater immersion aggravated wound injury and that VAC therapy with 180 mmHg negative pressure induced the fastest epidermis migration, obvious edema elimination, significant capillary proliferation, and the highest level of fibronectin, and that in wounds, the proportion of Gram-negative bacteria tended to decrease and that of Gram-positive bacteria tended to increase. Our results show that VAC promotes seawater-immersed wound healing and that 180 mmHg negative pressure may be optimal for wound healing.


Objective This study aimed to estimate the time of recurrent ischaemic stroke events among the first 3 years of follow-up after hospitalisation discharge. Study design A prospective cohort study. Setting The research was conducted in the Department of Neurology at a tertiary hospital, Chengdu of China, from January 2010 to June 2016. Outcome measures We estimated the restricted mean survival time (RMST) of ischaemic stroke recurrence for the first 3 years after discharge. Basic sociodemographic characteristics and major potential risk factors for recurrence were collected using a semistructured questionnaire. Regression analysis of RMST was used to identify risk factors of recurrent stroke. Participants Patients hospitalised with first-ever ischaemic stroke were eligible for this study. Patients with severe cognitive impairment were excluded. Results We included 641 surviving patients who were followed up for 3 years. Stroke recurrence occurred in 115 patients, including 16 patients who died of stroke recurrence. The cumulative risk of stroke recurrence rate was 11.51% (9.20%–14.35%) at 1 year, 16.76% (13.96%–20.05%) at 2 years and 20.07% (17.00%–23.61%) at 3 years. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3 thus resulted in the recurrence time loss, which was 0.22 months (p=0.008) at 6 months, 0.61 months (p=0.004) at 1 year, 1.49 months (p=0.007) at 2 years and 2.46 months (p=0.008) at 3 years. It is similar with the effects of drug adherence after stroke. The recurrence time of patients ≥75 years at 3 years was 2.02 months (p=0.220) less than that of those aged <55 years. Conclusion In China, the time of first recurrence varies among different patients with ischaemic stroke. The mRS and the level of drug adherence after stroke are important risk factors of stroke recurrence.


The metabolism and excretion of acebutolol-d6, [1-(2-acetyl-4-n-butyramido-phenoxy)-2-hydroxy-3--[2H6]isopropylaminopropane] has been studied in the rat. Metabolites were characterized by thin-layer and gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and the direct comparisons of metabolites to synthetic standards. Approximately 60% of the parent drug was excreted unchanged. Two major metabolites, an acetamide and an aniline, were identified in urine samples at relative concentrations of approximately 10% and 30%, respectively. The aniline analog of acebutolol was also identified in human urine.


We evaluate several infinite families of multidimensional integrals which are generalizations or analogs of Euler's classical beta integral. We first evaluate a ^-analog of Selberg's beta integral. This integral is then used to prove the Macdonald-Morris conjectures for the affine root systems of types S{Ci) and S{Cj) and to give a new proof of these conjectures for SiBC;), S{B(), 5 (B/) V and S*(£/) •


Dysregulation of calcium homeostasis is among the major cellular alterations in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We studied Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), one of the major effectors regulating neuronal responses to changes in calcium fluxes, in cultured skin fibroblasts from subjects with sporadic AD. We found, by using PCR and Western analysis, that human fibroblasts express the delta-isoform of this kinase, and that CaM kinase II is the major Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase in these cells. Protein expression level of the kinase was not significantly different in AD fibroblasts. However, the total activity of the kinase (stimulated by Ca(2+)/calmodulin) was significantly reduced in AD cell lines, whereas Ca(2+)-independent activity was significantly enhanced. The percent autonomy of the kinase (%Ca(2+)-independent/Ca(2+)-dependent activity) in AD cell lines was 62.8%, three-fold the corresponding percentage in control fibroblasts. The abnormal calcium-independent activity was not due to enhanced basal autophosphorylation of Thr(287). The observed abnormalities, if present in brain tissue, may be implicated either in dysfunction of neuroplasticity and cognitive functions or in dysregulation of cell cycle.


Abstract This paper draws upon data from a broader piece of research aimed at examining pre-service teachers' views of their initial teacher education within the context of a master's degree programme in teaching. The data were collected through questionnaires and written narratives at the beginning and at the end of the programme. In this paper, the data arising from 47 narratives at the end of the programme are presented. Five categories emerged from the qualitative data: curriculum content, teaching practice, the role of teacher educators, teaching and learning methods, the organisational aspects and structure of the programme. Although the participants identified positive aspects of the initial teacher education programme, they also stress that there is room for improvement, especially with regard to a greater coherence of the curriculum and a better articulation of its different components. Implications of the findings for enhancing the quality of initial teacher education and the role of teachers' educators are discussed.


In a pilot study, wild and laboratory-reared Sminthopsis crassicaudata were kept for 6 months in separate large seminatural outdoor cages in Victoria, Australia. They were fed on 10 g of minced-beef preparation with insects such as mealworms or crickets at 1 g daily and dried pelleted petfood (Go-Cat) freely. Not all animals survived, and the young did not live to weaning. Animals were caught 3 times a weeks to be weighed and measured, and failure to rear the young was attributed to excessive handling and disturbance. Otherwise, both stocks could have survived and lived under those conditions, which were more convenient than cage-rearing of Sminthopsis spp. as experimental animals.


Kampala is a government seat and the capital city of Uganda. Kampala has been referred to as an executive slum due to its breakdown in service delivery. Currently the city is facing increased population growth, increased demand for services, changing consumptions, rising income which has caused urbanization that resulted into increased solid waste generated. While Kampala has a lot of challenges i.e., garbage, potholes, sewer service, construction, traffic management, corruption, health services, environment, stray livestock and management of markets. The main objective of this papers was to investigate service delivery during the recentralization of the city in line with garbage tonnage. Secondary data from Lubaga division used with content analysis to analysis the collected data. Results indicated that a small number of trips and fuel consumption in December compared to October and November 2016. The fall in trend of garbage collected could be as a result of some measures like burning which are adopted by some households in Rubaga division. It is also believed that some KCCA garbage vehicles remain on the road sides and this would make it hard for some people who are far from the road to bring their garbage.


It is difficult to measure relative corporate real estate asset management performance, as different organizations require different outputs from their property assets. However, prior research has identified a number of input factors or dimensions relating to corporate real estate that tend to occur together in organizations exhibiting high levels of performance. This paper proposes a methodology to combine these input variables into a single relative measure of corporate real estate asset management performance using factor analysis. The model on which the measure is based is tested by applying it to data collected in a survey of 457 organizations in New Zealand. The results show consistency in response amongst organizations and with prior research in respect of six variables that are important to CREAM performance. This leads to the derivation of a single performance measure that reflects the combined effect of these variables.