At present, genome-wide association study on coronary heart disease (CHD) has been carried out in several major medical research centers worldwide. Most studies of CHD susceptibility loci or regions focused on chromosome 1, 3, 9, 11 and 16, while studies on chromosome 8 are rare. To the best of our knowledge, the genome study on chromosome 8 about CHD in Chinese Han population has never been reported before. We aimed to identify CHD susceptibility loci or regions in the Chinese Han population. First, two separated DNA pooling samples were prepared from 156 CHD cases and 1000 normal controls. Then, a total of 13 microsatellite markers at an interval of 10 cM on chromosome 8 were selected for genetic scanning. Finally, the difference of allele frequency at each locus between two pooled samples was analyzed by Chi-square test. Significant differences were found between cases and controls at D8S264(8p23.3-p23.2) and D8S285(8q12.1) (both P<0.05). Therefore, 8p23.3-p23.2 and 8q12.1 are possible to be associated with CHD and further study is needed to screen susceptible genes around these regions.


PURPOSE
Identifying pretreatment and posttreatment predictors of time to prostate cancer-specific death (PCSD) after external-beam radiation therapy (RT) was the subject of this study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the ability of the pretreatment risk group to predict time to PCSD for 381 patients who underwent RT for clinically localized prostate cancer. Posttreatment factors analyzed for the 94 patients who experienced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure included the time to PSA failure, the posttreatment PSA doubling time (DT), and the timing of salvage hormonal therapy.

RESULTS
Despite the median age of 73 years at diagnosis, 45% of patients with high-risk disease were estimated to die from prostate cancer within 10 years after RT compared with 0% (P =.004) and 6% (P =.05) for patients with low- or intermediate-risk disease, respectively. Predictors of time to PCSD after PSA failure included PSA DT (P =.01) and delayed use of hormonal therapy (P <or=.002). Nearly identical estimates of PCSD and all-cause death after PSA failure were noted for patients with a short PSA DT (ie, <or= 12 months).

CONCLUSION
Prostate cancer was a major cause of death during the first decade after RT for patients with clinically localized but high-risk disease, and the cause of death for patients with a short PSA DT after RT was nearly always prostate cancer. These data provide evidence to propose the hypothesis that a short posttreatment PSA DT may serve as a possible surrogate for PCSD. Prospective validation is needed.


In pixel-by-pixel spatial prediction methods for lossless intra coding, the prediction is obtained by a weighted sum of neighboring pixels. The proposed prediction approach in this paper uses a weighted sum of three neighbor pixels according to a two-dimensional correlation model. The weights are obtained after a three step optimization procedure. The first two stages are offline procedures where the computed prediction weights are obtained offline from training sequences. The third stage is an online optimization procedure where the offline obtained prediction weights are further fine-tuned and adapted to each encoded block during encoding using a rate-distortion optimized method and the modification in this third stage is transmitted to the decoder as side information. The results of the simulations show average bit rate reductions of 12.02% and 3.28% over the default lossless intra coding in HEVC and the well-known Sample-based Angular Prediction (SAP) method, respectively.


Acute-phase (AP) proteins haptoglobin, alpha1-antitrypsin and C-reactive protein were measured in 50 women before and 10 to 30 weeks after insertion of a copper T-200. No statistically significant increase in AP proteins was found. Since these proteins are synthesized in the liver, the results indicate the lack of a systemic humoral reaction of the organism in women with a copper-containing IUD.


News web videos exhibit several characteristics, including a limited number of features, noisy text information, and error in near-duplicate keyframes (NDK) detection. Such characteristics have made the mining of the events from news web videos a challenging task. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed to better group the associated web videos to events. First, the data preprocessing stage performs feature selection and tag relevance learning. Next, multiple correspondence analysis is applied to explore the correlations between terms and events with the assistance of visual information. Cooccurrence and visual near-duplicate feature trajectory induced from NDKs are combined to calculate the similarity between NDKs and events. Finally, a probabilistic model is proposed for news web video event mining, where both visual temporal information and textual distribution information are integrated. Experiments on the news web videos from YouTube demonstrate that the integration of visual temporal information and textual distribution information outperforms the existing methods in the news web video event mining.


The role of mussels in formation of water chemical composition is determined by the peculiarities of sorption and trophodynamic processes. Copper is a vital element, but of ten metals the toxic effect of which was tested for the survival of mussel and oyster embryos, copper is following mercury. Studying the regularities of copper content change during mussel ontogeny allows to determine both sanitary and hygienic risks of mussel product use during the mollusks cultivation in mariculture and the biogeochemical role in the formation of the chemical composition of the marine water near mussel farms. The purpose of this work is to determine the copper content in the organs and tissues of the mussels during seasonal course of mollusks ontogenesis, to analyze the degree of copper assimilation along the food path of mineral nutrition using the mathematical model and empirical data and to assess the influence of marine farms on the copper exchange processes in the coastal ecosystem. The mollusks were collected from the mussel farm located in the external roadstead of Sevastopol. Studying the copper content in the environment – mussel – biodeposition system, a method of atomic absorption spectroscopy with electrothermal atomization was used. A general model illustrating the process of copper exchange between the mussels and the water environment is presented. Equations for determining the degree of assimilation of metal from food (q) and the limiting coefficient of food accumulation of metal (Кп) are proposed based on the results of measurements of its concentrations in the mussels' diet, soft tissue and their biodeposition without using radioactive trace elements. The values of the copper removal by the mussel farm were calculated. The role of cultivated mollusks in the heavy metals precipitation was shown.


ABSTRACT Sex offenders have used the Internet to identify and contact minors for sexual exploitation (Armagh, 1998; Hernandez, 2000; Lamb, 1998; Lanning, 1998). Yet little is known about how these individuals select their online victims. In order to gain a better understanding of this behavior, the online activity of 31 men who perpetrated or attempted to perpetrate contact sex offenses against minors they communicated with via the Internet, was examined. Three-fourths of the participants monitored chat room dialogue and almost one-half reviewed online profiles of minors in an attempt to identify potential victims. Recommendations to increase the online safety of children and adolescents are discussed.


All organisations face contradictory demands, such as exploiting existing revenue sources while exploring new opportunities. The tensions of balancing these demands are largely met by employees, yet nearly all studies focus on the managerial perspective. This article uses an ethnographic study of a UK theatre to explore the experience of employees switching between exploitation and exploration in developing a play. Adopting a paradox lens, it identifies the existence of nested tensions. The organisational level is characterised by the well-studied contradiction between exploration and exploitation. Nested within this at the project level, a series of tensions are produced around resources, power, and learning. These tensions lead to an identity-based paradox for employees. They must perform well in the project to secure their ties of belonging to the organisation, but this simultaneously distances them from established expectations, weakening their ties of belonging. The article contributes to the literature on ambidexterity by illustrating the relational and emotional challenges faced by employees balancing exploitation and exploration, identifying the nested tensions involved in delivering ambidexterity, and through illustrating how employees smooth over these tensions using humour, shared vocabulary, and self-effacing language. On this basis, it argues for a practice-based view of ambidexterity as paradox.


This paper describes a 79 GHz four transmit, four receive channels automotive frequency modulated continuous wave multi-input-multi-output radar integrated circuit based on 20 GHz injection lock oscillator (ILO). The proposed architecture enables the cascading of multiple transceiver (TRX) chips in a daisy chained manner where each TRX chip is injection locked to the previous one. System architecture and circuit design of ILO has been described in detail with the measurement results.


We analysed phenological observations of first flowering and peak flowering dates of 7 species of woodland herbs in the Bia8owie · za National Park (Poland), Europe's last remaining lowland primeval forest and a World Heritage Site, during 1964-2007. There was substantial evidence for an advance in both first and peak flowering dates and flowering was closely related to temperature, which had risen substantially in this area. Similar advances have been reported from elsewhere, but typically from human-modified habitats. A comparison with contemporary data from the UK suggests that flowering was both later and less responsive in Poland. Examination of the data from the 2 coun- tries over a wide range of temperatures hints at possible non-linear temperature responses; thus esti- mates of phenological change from linear regression may seriously underestimate changes which may occur in Bia8owie · za in the future.


The temperature dependences of the interlayer electrical and thermal resistivity in a layered metal are calculated for Fermi liquid quasiparticles which are scattered inelastically by two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations. Both resistivities have a linear temperature dependence over a broad temperature range. Extrapolations to zero temperature made from this linear-T range give values that appear to violate the Wiedemann-Franz law. However, below a low-temperature scale, which becomes small close to the critical point, a recovery of this law occurs. Our results describe recent measurements on CeCoIn5 near a magnetic field-induced quantum phase transition. Hence, the experiments do not necessarily imply a non-Fermi liquid ground state.


The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of retinopathy of permaturity (ROP) and to evaluate possible neonatal risk factors for ROP. The main study was a cross-sectional study including 150 high-risk neonates born at teaching hospitals of Tehran universities referring to to Farabi Eye Hospital. The chossing critertia were birth weight less than 2500 g or gestational age younger than 37 weeks. ROP was present in 9(6%) newborns, all of whom aged less than 32 weeks a birth. There was also strong association between ROP and birth weight, oxygen administration, respiratory distress syndrome and intraventricular hemorrhage. There also seems to be a higher risk for developing ROP in female neoates, those who were born by multiple gestaional pregnancies or were treated by phototherapy or transfusion and those who had suffered from bronchopulmonary dysplasia or seiss.Prematurity per se remains the strongest risk factof for ROP. Suitable criteria for screening of ROP seems to be gestational age younger than 32 weeks or birth weight less than 1500 g


We present the results of UV spectroscopy of AGNs with double-peaked Balmer emission lines. In 2/3 of the objects, the far-UV resonance lines are strong, with single-peaked profiles resembling those of Seyfert galaxies. The Mg II line is the only UV line with a double-peaked profile. In the remaining objects, the far-UV resonance lines are relatively weak but still single-peaked. The latter group also displays prominent UV absorption lines, indicative of a low-ionization absorber. We interpret the difference in the profiles of the emission lines as resulting from two different regions: a dense, low-ionization accretion disk (the predominant source of the Balmer and Mg II lines), and a lower density, higher-ionization wind (the predominant source of the far-UV resonance lines). These results suggest a way of connecting the double-peaked emitters with the greater AGN population: in double-peaked emitters the accretion rate onto the black hole is low, making the wind feeble and allowing the lines from the underlying disk to shine through. This scenario also implies that in the majority of AGNs, the wind is the source of the broad emission lines.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html


Glycyrrhizic acid has been used in Indian traditional medicine for ages. It is obtained from the root extract of Glycyrrhizaglabra. There is seasonal variation of Glycyrrhizic acid content in the roots of the plant. So a proper method for quantification of the same is necessary from the polyherbal preparation available in the market. A simple, rapid, sensitive and specific reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method have been developed for the quantitative estimation of glycyrrhizic acid from polyherbal preparation containing aqueous root extract of Glycyrrhizaglabra using a photodiode array detector. The identity confirmation was carried out using mass spectrometry. Baseline resolution of the glycyrrhizic acid peak was achieved on a reverse phase C18 column (125 mm × 4.0 mm, 5 μ) using an isocratic mobile phase consisting of 5.3 mM phosphate buffer and acetonitrile in the ratio 65:35 v/v. Chromatograms were monitored at 252 nm.5.3 mM phosphate buffer was replaced with 0.5mM ammonium acetate buffer in the mobile phase when MS detector was used. The method was found to be linear in the concentration range of 12.4 to124 μg/ml with a correlation co-efficient of 0.999. The limit of detection and the limit of quantitation were 3.08 μg/ml and 10.27 μg/ml respectively. The average recovery from three spike levels was 99.93 ± 0.26%. Identity confirmation of the chromatographic peak was achieved by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and similar molecular ion peak was obtained for both sample and standard. The developed method is suitable for the routine analysis, stability testing and assay of glycyrrhizic acid from polyherbal preparations containing aqueous extracts of Glycyrrhizaglabra.


Islam has given comprehensive ethical guidance about the whole life of a person. It is so important that Holy Qur'an praised Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) as the bearer of good ethics. Unethical activities in economic matters put a very bad impression on society. We should be very much realistic to confess the fact that unethical activities are very common in trade in our society. In this article, guidance is provided to the people who are involved in business activities. Moreover, the duties of a state regarding trade ethics are elaborated. Fairness in business is so important that the development of a society depends on it. Golden principles were given by Holy Prophet (PBUH) about trade and commerce but these are forgotten by the Muslims. There is a dire need to ponder over the ethical teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the last prophet (PBUH) so that we may attain the confidence of the developed nations.


ABSTRACT Due to the doubts and questions about the inflammatory reaction caused by chemical castration, this study aimed to use infrared thermography to detect, evaluate and monitor the inflammatory reaction caused by the intratesticular injection of calcium chloride (CaCl2) 20% with lidocaine 1%. For this, thermographic measurements were taken before (M0), 10 minutes (M1), 1 and 6 hours (M2 and M3), for 7 consecutive days (M4 to M10), at 15 (M11), 30 (M12) and 60 (M13) days after intratesticular injection. Additionally, changes to testicular tissue and effects over spermatogenesis were evaluated by andrological exam before (M0) and 60 days (M13) after intratesticular injection. All cats were orchiectomized at M13, and testicles were submitted to histological analysis. CaCl2 (20%) with lidocaine (1%) administration produced testicular tissue damage and interfered with the spermatogenesis in 70% of treated cats without exacerbating the inflammatory reaction or impairing the cat's welfare. It was concluded that thermographic evaluation is a useful, efficient, easy and quick method to diagnose and monitor cat testicular inflammatory reactions.


Large language models (LLMs) are capable of performing conditional sequence generation tasks, such as translation or summarization, through instruction fine-tuning. The fine-tuning data is generally sequentially concatenated from a specific task instruction, an input sentence, and the corresponding response. Considering the locality modeled by the self-attention mechanism of LLMs, these models face the risk of instruction forgetting when generating responses for long input sentences. To mitigate this issue, we propose enhancing the instruction-following capability of LLMs by shifting the position of task instructions after the input sentences. Theoretical analysis suggests that our straightforward method can alter the model's learning focus, thereby emphasizing the training of instruction-following capabilities. Concurrently, experimental results demonstrate that our approach consistently outperforms traditional settings across various model scales (1B / 7B / 13B) and different sequence generation tasks (translation and summarization), without any additional data or annotation costs. Notably, our method significantly improves the zero-shot performance on conditional sequence generation, e.g., up to 9.7 BLEU points on WMT zero-shot translation tasks.


Teachers have come to rely on a variety of approaches in order to elicit and sustain student interest in the classroom. One particular approach, known as gamification, seeks to improve student engagement by transforming the traditional classroom experience into a competitive multiplayer game. Initial attempts at classroom gamification relied on the teacher manually tracking student progress. At the US Air Force Academy, we wanted to experiment with a software gamification tool. Our client/server suite, dubbed Classroom Live, streamlines the gamification process for the teacher by simplifying common tasks. Simultaneously, the tool provides students with an esthetically pleasing user interface that offers in game rewards in exchange for their participation. Classroom Live is still in development, but our initial experience using the tool has been extremely positive and confirms our belief that students respond positively to gamification, even at the undergraduate level.


Extensive configuration-interaction calculations have been performed to obtain oscillator strengths for the resonance line of the ions of the beryllium isoelectronic sequence up to nuclear charge Z = 12. Valence, core-valence and core-core correlation effects are taken into account and relativistic effects are incorporated using the Breit-Pauli scheme. The present results are believed to be accurate to better than 1%.


Art, Community and Environment investigates wide-ranging issues raised by the interaction between art practice, community participation, and the environment, both natural and urban. This volume brings together a distinguished group of contributors from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Finland to examine topics such as urban art, community participation, local empowerment and the problems of ownership. This chapter focuses on efforts to use multimedia to teach young people about public art in Glasgow.


Javanese manuscripts consist of Islamic teaching which are told as stories. One of those manuscripts is Serat Jasmaningrat kept in Kawedanan Ageng Punakawan Widya Budaya Yogyakarta palace. The plot and figures in the story are ways to explain religious concepts such as syari'at, tarekat, hakikat and makrifat. Those concepts are explained in the manuscript as a name of person like Ki Sarengat, Ki Tarekat, Ki Hakekat, and Ki Makrifat. There are other figures as personification of other spiritual concepts such as Ki Duhur, Ki Asyar, Ki Maghrib, Ki Isya, Ki Subuh, and Minalwitri, Ki Kalbu, Ki Jiwa, Ki Pramana, Ki Budi, Ki Panrima, Ki Tapsila, Ki Eling and so forth. This research uses content analysis in order to discover religious meaning in Serat Jasmaningrat manuscript. Results of the study show that the manuscript tells about the story of the journey of four people namely Ki Sarengat, Ki Tarekat, Ki Hakekat, and Ki Makrifat who went to the king at a palace. But, this story is actually telling about Sufism and the level of human being in relation with God. Hence, in the essence, the story is about Islamic Sufism.


An Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected fibroblast line, designated DSEK, was spontaneously established from synovial tissue of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DSEK cells expressed EBV nuclear antigens EBNA-1 and EBNA-2 and latent membrane protein LMP-1. Cell surface markers of DSEK cells were similar to those of EBV-negative fibroblast clones derived from synoviocytes and were negative for lymphocyte and macrophage markers. DSEK cells expressed CD44, CD58, and HLA-DR antigens and spontaneously produced interleukin-10 basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor beta1. These results indicate that rheumatoid synoviocytes can be a target for EBV infection and suggest that EBV may play a role in the pathogenesis of RA.


Payload data PD, to include a sub-channel P indicates a track format of the start address ATOC introduction of the starting address and payload AP changes state after the start address ATOC track recorded on a compact disc. ATOC start address recorded in the track data ED includes data unrecoverable. When the payload data PD is an audio track, the audio-only player playing start the search from the start address of the track ATOC order until subchannel changes state, and from that point copied audio track. On the other hand, the player starts the data copy data from the track start address ATOC. When the read data is unrecoverable, the read operation is aborted because it shows the data has been destroyed. This operation can not easily be avoided, because usually ignore the bad CD-ROM data is unacceptable. A second segment comprising a disc may further include an encrypted version of the PD data payload, wherein each sector by using a different key algorithm obtained from the sector address is encrypted, and the need to perform special player decrypted program. Monitor copy protection to prevent avoidance.


Changes in income distribution among the economically active population of Brazil during the 1970s are analyzed using data from the 1970 and 1980 censuses. A slight increase in the inequality of income distribution over the decade is noted. The methodology used includes various indicators of income inequality, including the Gini coefficient and the Theil indexes. (summary in ENG)


Sheet metal undergoes different strain conditions during different forming processes.The investigation of mechanical properties under these conditions is very important in the forming techniques.Sheet metal is particularly liable to failure under plain strain state.Measure and investigate the necking strain under plane strain condition is a particularly important study for sheet formability forecasting.In this study,material behavior of DP780 high strength steel sheet under plain strain condition was studied.Conventional plane strain tensile tests were carried out on the MTS testing machine with a special designed specimen.A digital image correlation system was employed to measure the full-field strain distribution during plain strain tensile test.The strain evolution during deformation was obtained and investigated.The capability of the specimen for plane strain test was validated from the strain distributions.The necking strain and fracture strain of DP780 high strength steel sheet were determined from the strain field and strain history results.


to the teleprompter's work-elision, to "the work our teleprompted culture allows to dissipate behind its smooth fa-cade," the essay examines the work of art as locus of the labor of memory, powerfully realized by Barton's own posed photographs of her father as a Greek god (236). The photographs and the essay's own labor insist, like the volume that contains it, that we construct and affect social reality in works of art in the same way that work, whether acknowledged representationally or not, creates and recreates the world.


The paper takes the currently much belabored concepts of "global governance" and "global constitutionalism" as starting points to ask what they can teach us about the role and function of law today. Suggesting that we take a greater interest in how governance conflicts today must be addressed from a host of national, international, hard and soft "law" norms, disseminated and administered by actors on different levels and often with "non-state" law-making authority, the paper points to the need to see legal norms as part of an evolving regulatory landscape that can best be described as transnational. In light of the shifts and the interesting new forms of co-existence and cooperation between state and non-state actors in the production of transnational norms, it becomes more and more obvious that law, legal theory as well as the sociology of law are part of a more comprehensive and multidisciplinary engagement with the institutional and normative challenges arising in the global context.


The mathematical description of quantum systems univocally identies their nature. In other words we treat a system as quantum if we describe its behaviour adopting Hilbert spaces and structures thereof, as prescribed by the postulates of quantum theory. The choice of using quantum systems as the elementary systems of physics can be justied in terms of informational principles, thanks to results of the last decade. Such results come as the conclusion of a research program that lasted almost one century, with the aim of reformulating quantum theory in terms of operational principles. This achievement now poses a new challenge, that we face here. If the systems of quantum theory are thought of as elementary information carriers in the rst place, rather than elementary constituents of matter, and their connections are logical connections within a given algorithm, rather than space-time relations, then we need to nd the origin of mechanical concepts—that characterise quantum mechanics as a theory of physical systems. To this end,we will illustrate howphysical laws can be viewed as algorithms for the update of memory registers that make a physical system. Imposing the characteristic properties of physical laws to such an algorithm, i.e. homogeneity, reversibility and isotropy, we will show that the physical laws thus selected are particular algorithms known as cellular automata. Further assumptions regarding maximal simplicity of the algorithm lead to two cellular automata only, that in a suitable regime can be described by Weyl's dierential equations, lying at the basis of the dynamics of relativistic quantum elds. We will nally discuss how the same cellular automaton can give rise to both Fermionic eld dynamics and to Maxwell's equations, that rule the dynamics of the electromagnetic eld. We will conclude reviewing the discussion of the relativity principle, that must be suitably adapted to the scenario where space-time is not an elementary notion, through the denition of a change of inertial reference frame, and whose formulation leads to the recovery of the symmetry of Minkowski space-time, identied with Poincar´e's group. Space-time thus emerges as one of the manifestations of physical laws, rather than the background where they occur, and its features are determined by the dynamics of systems, necessarily equipped with dierential equations that express it. In brief, there is no space-time unless an evolution rule requires it.


Background
In the era of personalized cancer medicine, identifying techniques for effectively matching patients to efficacious treatments is a critical step in the treatment process. The advent of anti-cancer immunotherapies necessitates novel approaches to biomarker identification beyond traditional genomic profiling. One promising approach is incorporation of nomograms into treatment decisions. Nomograms are prediction tools, based on statistical modeling, designed to predict treatment outcomes. As a first step toward developing a nomogram, we conducted analyses to predict CD137 expression of natural killer cells after monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment.

Patients and methods
Patient, tumor and immune characteristics were collected from 199 patients with breast cancer (N = 62), head/neck cancers (N = 46) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (N = 91), who were receiving mAb therapy as part of clinical trials. The difference in CD137 expression before and after mAb therapy was assessed by flow cytometry. To evaluate those who respond to mAb therapy via increased CD137 expression, we applied classification and regression trees (CART), multivariable lasso regression tools and Random Forest.

Results
The CD137 expression was significantly different for each cancer type [mean (SD): Breast: 6.6 (6.5); Head/Neck: 11.0 (7.0); NHL: 7.5 (7.1), P < 0.0001]. For breast cancer and NHL, FcR polymorphism and baseline CD137 expression were significant predictors of increased CD137 expression; for head/neck cancer, FcR polymorphism and age were significant predictors of increased expression.

Conclusions
Our preliminary results suggest that FcR polymorphism, pre-treatment CD137 expression and age are significant predictors of CD137 upregulation in patients. This study demonstrates that the development of a nomogram for therapy response is feasible. Further work validating our models in an independent cohort will provide the next steps in developing a nomogram that may be used to individualize this therapeutic approach for patients (NCT01114256).


Powdery mildew is the major cause of losses in production of cucurbits worldwide (Cohen et al., 2004; Křístková et al., 2009; Lebeda et al., 2007b; McCreight, 2006) (Fig. 1a,b and 2a,b). This disease is caused by two obligate biotrophic ectoparasites: Golovinomyces cichoracearum s.l. (Gc) (syn. Erysiphe cichoracearum s.l.) and Podosphaera xanthii (Px) (syn. Sphaerotheca fuliginea) (Křístková et al., 2009; Lebeda, 1983) (Fig. 3a,b and 4a,b). Their distribution and relative occurrence varies throughout the world (Bardin et al., 2009; Křístková et al., 2009; Pérez-García et al., 2009). For example, both Px and Gc are important in Central Europe whereas Px occurs almost exclusively in the USA. Both cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) species (Gc and Px) have high evolutionary potential and according to the terminology of McDonald & Linde (McDonald & Linde, 2002) could be considered as "risky" pathogens (Lebeda et al., 2007a). Pathogen populations with a high evolutionary potential are more likely to overcome plant genetic resistance and/or develop fungicide resistance than pathogen populations with a low evolutionary potential (Kuck & Rusell, 2006). CPM species are highly variable in their pathogenicity and virulence which is illustrated by the existence of a large number of different pathotypes and races (Jahn et al., 2002; Lebeda & Sedláková, 2006; McCreight, 2006). Breeding of cucurbit crops for powdery mildew resistance has a long and successful history, with many resources of race-specific resistance now known in muskmelon (Cucumis melo) (McCreight, 2006). There is also excellent resistance in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) (Jahn et al., 2002). Resistance has been bred in some cultivars of squash and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) and in gourds (Cucurbita spp.) (Jahn et al., 2002; Lebeda & Křístková, 1994). Degree of suppression achieved with resistant cultivars is variable, partly due to pathogen adaptation. Additionally, there is tremendous variation within the different cucurbit crops, and incorporating resistance into all horticultural types is an enormous task. Thus utilising plant disease resistance is not an option for managing CPM for all farmers. Furthermore, resistant cultivars do not always provide adequate suppression to be utilized as the sole management practice.


A 10-month-old male infant presented with a widespread skin eruption predominantly over the upper medial thighs. Apart from mild eczema, past medical history was unremarkable. A diagnosis of urticaria was made and he was discharged. Progressive worsening of the rash prompted representation 2 days later. Morphology of the skin eruption now included blistering, non-scaly, golden crusting and 'target-like' lesions over the knees and groin. Treatment was started with flucloxacillin and acyclovir. A full blood count examination was normal. No initial serum tryptase was requested. Swabs of the lesions were sent for bacterial culture and viral polymerase chain reaction, both of which were negative. Overnight, the rash progressed and he developed a fever with associated cough and mild conjunctival injection. There was no organomegaly. Concern over involvement of the oral mucosa and genitalia prompted referral to a specialist centre. On arrival, he was alert and had a widespread polymorphic eruption (Fig. 1). Fluid-filled vesicles in an annular configuration were present in the axillae and groin. There were no necrotic areas and the mucous membranes were intact. There was no history of flushing, diarrhoea or wheeze. Repeat full blood count examination was normal. A skin biopsy was taken and showed a dense infiltrate of mast cells within the dermis consistent with a diagnosis of cutaneous mastocytosis (CM). Given the extent of the cutaneous lesions, treatment was started with oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg once daily) and antihistamine (cetirizine 2.5 mg/ once daily). The following day, there was marked improvement. On further questioning, mum revealed that the areas of 'eczema' appeared to blister easily and typically resolved leaving a brownish discoloration particularly on his trunk. He was discharged on a weaning dose of oral prednisolone to complete a 2-week course. On follow-up 5 months later, he had remained well with only occasional flares that responded to antihistamines. CM is a spectrum of clinical disorders that result from tissue mast cell hyperplasia. The most common organ affected is the skin, and systemic involvement is rare in children. The majority of cases present in the first year of life. Findings include the presence of reddish-brown or pale, pruritic monomorphic papules, plaques or nodules symmetrically distributed on the body. The face, head, palms and soles are characteristically spared. Patients often demonstrate Darier's sign with lesions becoming itchy and raised within a few minutes of gentle rubbing. This finding is highly specific for mastocytosis. The most common form, urticaria pigmentosa, is characterised by widespread distribution of tan macules with typical sparing of the palms, soles, face and scalp. The other variants that occur in children are less common and include mastocytoma that presents as a solitary erythematous nodule or plaque in early childhood and diffuse CM that often presents in neonates. Diagnosis of CM is based on history, clinical features and when undertaken typical histological features of a dense infiltrate of mast cells within the dermis on skin biopsy. Other laboratory investigations are rarely helpful. Patients should be advised about the avoidance of potential triggers. These include the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and opiates, in addition to physical stimuli such as friction. Although there are no controlled clinical trials, antihistamine medications remain the main therapeutic option. Topical corticosteroids may be of benefit during flares of CM but treatment with systemic corticosteroids remains controversial. Patients should be kept under review and be advised to report potential systemic symptoms related to histamine release (headaches, flushing, gastrointestinal upset or collapse).


[1] To determine conditions over the Indian Ocean, under which cloud fields are most susceptible to modification from aerosols, and to study how turbulent activities and shallow cumuli vary for different meteorological scenarios, a three-dimensional large-eddy simulation model was initialized using data collected during the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX). Radiosonde data were used to construct six soundings encompassing the range of temperature and humidity observed. A total of 18 meteorological scenarios were then obtained by adding either an average transition layer (TL), a strong inversion layer (IL), or no stable layer to each sounding. Separate simulations were conducted for each scenario assuming pristine or polluted conditions as observed during INDOEX. For aerosol profiles measured during INDOEX, aerosol semidirect effects always dominated indirect effects, with the positive daytime net indirect forcing (semidirect plus indirect forcings) varying between 0.2 and 4.5 W m -2 . Anthropogenic aerosols had a larger net indirect forcing when the environmental relative humidity (RH) was higher and in the absence of the IL and TL. Changes in meteorological factors had larger impacts on the cloud properties than did anthropogenic aerosols, indicating large uncertainties can be introduced when solely using observations to quantify aerosol effects without examining their meteorological context. Because mean lateral detrainment and entrainment rates depended on RH, aerosols, and the presence of stable layers, mass-flux parameterizations in climate models should not use single values for such rates that may not represent the range of conditions observed where trade cumuli form.


The problem of the global asymptotic stabilization by dynamic output feedback of systems belonging to a particular family of feedforward systems is solved. The equations considered depend nonlinearly on the unmeasured part of the state and are nonminimum phase. Feedback laws arbitrarily small in norm are constructed. The result can be applied repeatedly. It is illustrated by the cart-pendulum system with the angle and the position as output.


In this work the high speed data transmitters for wireless applications has been investigated. The work reviews concepts and techniques related to the effect of modulation accuracy on high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) radio link performance. The Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) results are simulated and discussed by using the test models without HSDPA (test model 1) and with HSDPA (test model 5) defined in 3rd generation partnership project (3gpp) [11 for RF part by introducing some non-linearity in the test signal passing through RF transmitter (RFTX) chain. In this work from the figures 5 (PSat = 10.1 dBm), 6 (PSat = 13.2 dBm) and the discussions based on 3gpp specs (EVM = 17.5 % without HSDPA and 12.5 % with HSDPA) it can be concluded that the RF TX path got to be (PSat =3.1 dBm) more linear to support the HSDPA. In1dex Terts-Communication system nonlinearities, Highspeed integrated circuits, Radio transmitters, Wireless LAN.


—Spreadsheets are popular end-user computing ap- plications and one reason behind their popularity is that they offer a large degree of freedom to their users regarding the way they can structure their data. However, this flexibility also makes spreadsheets difficult to understand. Textual docu- mentation can address this issue, yet for supporting automatic generation of textual documentation, an important pre-requisite is to extract metadata inside spreadsheets. It is a challenge though, to distinguish between data and metadata due to the lack of universally accepted structural patterns in spreadsheets. Two existing approaches for automatic extraction of spreadsheet metadata were not evaluated on large datasets consisting of user inputs. Hence in this paper, we describe the collection of a large number of user responses regarding identification of spreadsheet metadata from participants of a MOOC. We describe the use of this large dataset to understand how users identify metadata in spreadsheets, and to evaluate two existing approaches of automatic metadata extraction from spreadsheets. The results provide us with directions to follow in order to improve metadata extraction approaches, obtained from insights about user perception of metadata. We also understand what type of spreadsheet patterns the existing approaches perform well and on what type poorly, and thus which problem areas to focus on in order to improve.


Abstract A series expansion applied to the Born propagator present in the differential cross-section allows one to obtain successive corrections to the impulse approximation. The first and second corrections explain the essential features of the Compton defects. Results for the second corrective term are presented for 1 s, 2 s, 2 px,y, and 2 pz hydrogenic states. The decrease or increase of the scattered intensity near the maximum of the Compton profile is shown to be strongly related to geometric properties of the concerned orbital


Abstract The scattering behaviour of 6 keV argon ions from a nickel (110) surface has been investigated for specular reflection under grazing incidence conditions. The occurrence of an anomalously high energy loss has been confirmed and the transition from chain scattering at large scattering angles to a distinctly different type of scattering at small angles has been investigated. The characteristics of the low angle scattering phenomena, which dominate the observed spectra at scattering angles below about 18° may be explained in terms of a surface hyperchannelling model in which the incident ions are confined to move within the shallow "potential valleys" between two atomic rows in the surface. The critical angle for occurrence of this phenomena which is distinctly different from surface semichannelling has been evaluated with Lindhard's standard string potential. The experimentally measured critical angles are in good agreement with the calculated ones.


Several species of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia can produce the neurotoxin domoic acid that is responsible for the seafood-borne illness amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans, marine wildlife mortalities and prolonged closures of fisheries resulting in economic losses to coastal communities. Since the year 2000, Pseudo-nitzschia species have been monitored in the Pacific Ocean with the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR). We used a combination of scanning electron microscopy with high-throughput and Sanger sequencing of CPR survey samples to compare the diversity of phytoplankton, including Pseudo-nitzschia species, from the north-eastern Pacific Ocean over 3 climatically different years: 2002, 2005 and 2008. A Pseudo-nitzschia-specific primer set targeting a partial region of the large subunit ribosomal DNA (rDNA) revealed spatially separated communities of Pseudo-nitzschia. The coastal region was dominated by a diverse array of P. fraudulenta unique sequences (operational taxonomic units), whereas the offshore region was rich in P. multiseries and contained a wide range of other Pseudo-nitzschia taxa, many not previously observed in this region. In 2008, exceptionally cold sea surface temperatures were recorded, influenced by a strong negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation signal. In that year, a more diverse assemblage of species was present in a spring open water sample, whereas P. fraudulenta was unusually rare from a coastal autumn sample. This is the first application of high-throughput genetic methods to uncover patterns of Pseudo-nitzschia genetic diversity from archival CPR samples, demonstrating the value of using CPR for plankton community analysis in rarely sampled regions of the oceans.


Bollworms are most serious pests of cotton crop which do not only cause losses by devouring foliage and fruiting bodies of cotton which results in low yield but also deteriorate its lint quality. Their management relies on application of pesticides but recent introduction of synthetic pheromones for mass trapping of their adult moths have given better solution for recording and monitoring their population. We used five different components of synthetic sex pheromone installed in funnel type traps (4 traps/per acre) at different localities of district Sanghar. The components were (0E, 12E)-10, 12 Hexadecadienal for Earias insulana (Boisduval), Z7, Z11-16AC (50), Z7, E11-16AC (50) Hexadecadienyle Acetate for Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), D, Z11-16AL (97), Z9-16 AL (3) Hexedecenal for Helicoverpa armeigera (Hubner) and (Z, E)-9,11and (Z, E)-9, 12-tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9, E11-14: Ac; Z9, E12-14: Ac) for Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). All these bollworm species in different localities were successfully trapped with significant different population. A maximum population of P. gossypiella and H. armigera were at Tando Adam, E. insulana at Shadadpur and S. litura at Jam Nawaz Ali. P. gossypiella trapped maximal in the month of October, E. insulana in September, H. armigera in August and S. litura in November, respectively. Based on the results, it is recommended that these pheromone lures should be introduced at different timings and pest species according to their presence.


We have prepared the nanocomposites of a polyether-type waterborne polyurethane (PU) incorporated with different amounts (17.4-174 ppm) of gold (Au) nanoparticles ( approximately 5 nm). The nanocomposite containing a certain amount (43.5 ppm) of gold was previously demonstrated to possess the optimal thermal and mechanical properties, as well as much reduced foreign body reactions in subcutaneous rats. In this study, the surface morphology, biocompatibility, oxidative degradation, and free radical scavenging ability of the nanocomposites were characterized in vitro. The nanocomposite at 43.5 ppm of gold ("PU-Au 43.5 ppm") exhibited different surface morphology confirmed by the atomic force microscope. PU-Au 43.5 ppm also showed enhanced cellular proliferation, reduced platelet and monocyte activation, and much less bacterial adhesion, relative to PU alone or nanocomposites at the other Au contents, in general. This better biocompatibility was associated with the surface morphological change in the presence of Au. The oxidative degradation in PU-Au 43.5 ppm was also inhibited. The increased oxidative stability corresponded to the greater free radical scavenging ability of the nanocomposites.


Abstract Background In‐silico experiments used to optimize and inform how peripheral nerve based electrode designs perform hold the promise of greatly reducing the guesswork with new designs as well as the number of animals used to identify and prove promising designs. Given adequate realism, in‐silico experiments offer the promise of identifying putative mechanisms that further inform exploration of novel stimulation and recording techniques and their interactions with bioelectric phenomena. However, despite using validated nerve fiber models, when applied to the more complex case of an implanted extracellular electrode, the in‐silico experiments often do not compare quantitatively with the results of experiments conducted in in‐vivo experiments. This suggests that the accuracy/realism of the environment and the lamination of the nerve bundle plays an important role in this discrepancy. This paper describes the sensitivity of in‐silico models to the electrical parameter estimates and volume conductor type used. Methods In‐vivo work was performed on rat vagus nerves (N = 2) to characterize the strength‐duration curve for various peaks identified in a compound nerve action potential (CAP) measured via a needle electrode. The vagus nerve has several distinct populations of nerve fiber calibers and types. Recruitment of a fiber caliber/type generates distinct peaks that can be identified, and whose conduction delay correlates to a conduction velocity. Peaks were identified by their recruitment thresholds and associated to their conduction velocities by the conduction delays of their peaks. An in‐silico analog of the in‐vivo experiment was constructed and experiments were run at the two extreme volume conductor cases: (1) The nerve in‐saline, and (2) the nerve in‐air. The specifically targeted electrical parameters were extraneural environment (in‐air versus saline submersion), the resistivity (ρ) of the epineurium and perineurium, and the relative permittivity (ε r ) of those same tissues. A time varying finite element method (FEM) model of the potential distribution vs time was quantified and projected onto a modified McIntyre, Richardson, and Grill (MRG), myelinated spinal nerve, active fiber model in NEURON to identify the threshold of activation as a function of stimulus pulse amplitude versus pulse width versus fiber diameter. The in‐silico results were then compared to the in‐vivo results. Results The finite element method simulations spanned two macro environments: in‐saline and in‐air. For these environments, the resistivities for low and high frequencies as well as two different permittivity cases were used. Between these 8 cases unique cases it was found that the most accurate combination of those variables was the in‐air environment for low‐frequency resistivity (ρ 0) and ex‐vivo a measured permittivity (ε r,measured) from unpublished ex‐vivo experiments in canine vagal nerve, achieving a high degree of convergence (r 2 = 0.96). As the in‐vivo work was conducted in in‐air, the in‐air boundary condition test case was convergent with the in‐silico results. Conclusions The results of this investigation suggest that increasing realism in simulations begets more accurate predictions. Of particular importance are (ρ) and extraneural environment, with reactive electrical parameters becoming important for input waveforms with energy in higher frequencies.


Any forecast of the pandemic dynamics has proven to be far away from what has really happened, particularly in South America. In most of our countries, we are still struggling with what has been called the first wave. The virus has impacted not only our health status but also every aspect of our lives, including our daily work. Spending less time in the operating room has a positive side that each one has experienced differently. It has provided the opportunity for more quality time with the family and an understanding of how vulnerable we all are, how complicated politics and economic decisions are, and how important the way we all communicate and share experiences is.Most of us have seen our workplaces becoming busy with an increasing number of patients, which has led us to cancel any elective surgery and stay home in isolation. This difficult time we are going through has allowed us to think about our purpose in life, especially as physicians. We have been forced to develop new ways of teaching medicine, researching, and even practicing medicine. Most importantly, difficult times require that we learn a new way of living.This has led us to reflect on the importance of research and on how important it is that all of us give our best for our patients. Treating patients well impels us to be informed, to be updated about new knowledge, and to practice our skills while continuously looking for answers. The virtuous circle to be a good doctor should always include clinical practice, medical education, and research.When I was asked to write this editorial, one thought immediately came to my mind: how easily some journalists and public figures get into trouble after making a comment, writing an editorial, or even after publishing a post on social media. A recent example is what happened to J. K. Rowling, the famous author of the Harry Potter series. Last December, she tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, who was fired for what were deemed "transphobic" tweets. Rowling has received accusations and threats from trans activists and many worldwide famous people. A single 'like' was deemed evidence of 'wrongthink', and a persistent level of harassment began. The world has definitely changed, and everyone's comments and behaviors are completely public. We should not be afraid to speak up and express our opinion, we should not be stopped by the fear of having people against us. As physicians, we are all exposed by expressing our medical opinion every day in the office, in a meeting, or even in a remote setting. Every decision and opinion should be based on evidence, but they will inevitably include our personal background-which is a mix of knowledge and personal life experience. Hopefully, these opinions will always express our genuine interest in the patients and their families as our main focus.As I get older, I pay more attention to the basis of my daily practice, which begins with proper information provided by good sources of medical education such as this journal. However, acquiring reliable information is just the beginning of the path toward good medical practice. The remainder of the path-the most important part of it-must be trodden by a human being truly interested in doing the best for his/ her patients every day.
It has always amazed me that everyone who I admire as a physician is, at the same time, a professor, a researcher, and an amazing human being. This journal is the result of the efforts of a group of people who are truly committed to learning, teaching, and investigating, thus producing friendly feedback and updated knowledge.


Root-cepstral analysis has been proposed previously for speech recognition in car environments [9]. In this paper, we focus on an alternative aspect of Root-cepstrum as it applies to discriminative acoustic modeling and fast speech recognizer decoding. We compare Root-cepstrum to Mel-Frequency cepstrum Coefficients (MFCC) in terms of their noise immunity during modeling and decoding speed. Our experiments use the SPINE [5] corpus which is composed of clean and noisy data with a 5K vocabulary size. Experiments were performed that allow pair-wise comparisons of acoustic models across different feature sets and acoustic units. We observed that for 84% of the phonemes, the average distance to all other acoustic units is increased in the Root-cepstrum domain compared to MFCC resulting in a sharp acoustic model set. Therefore, the ambiguity in the Root-cepstrum space is reduced. Large vocabulary noisy speech recognition experiments showed a 27.5% reduction in real–time processing factor (RTF) compared to MFCC features while improving overall recognition accuracy.


When excised barley roots were incubated in 0.01 to 0.1 mm KCl solutions containing 0.2 mm CaSO(4), there was a peak in the K(+) accumulation against concentration curve at 0.02 to 0.04 mm KCl. The peak in the K(+) accumulation curve was shifted to lower K(+) concentrations when Ca(2+) concentration was decreased and to higher K(+) concentrations when Ca(2+) concentration was increased. Increasing Ca(2+) concentration in the treatment solution was observed to be stimulatory, inhibitory, or neutral depending on the K(+) concentration.When (86)Rb was used as an isotopic tracer for K(+), accumulation of K(+) was grossly overestimated, and the apparent K(+) accumulation curve, as estimated with (86)Rb-labeled K(+), was hyperbolic over the concentration range of 0.01 to 0.1 mm. It was concluded that (86)Rb is a poor tracer for K(+) over the concentration range of 0.01 to 0.1 mm. Accumulation of Rb(+) in the presence of K(+) was accurately measured by (86)Rb.


The Uranium Recovery Process (TBP Process) at Hanford extracts and decontaminates uranium from the Metal Waste produced in the Bismuth Phosphate Process. Aqueous waste, approximately equal in volume to that of the Metal Waste itself, results from the process. Although of several years' age, these wastes are still sufficiently radioactive that they must be returned to underground tanks for storage. For several years aqueous wastes of low radioactive content have been discharged to ground at Hanford. Polyvalent cations are strongly absorbed by the soil. Monovalent cations are poorly absorbed if present in solutions of high salt content. Ground waters migrate toward the Columbia River very slowly. These observations point out the desirability of removing, from wastes to be cribbed, those long-lived radioactive constituents which are poorly absorbed by soil. Cesium (Cs-137) and strontium (Sr-90) are the principal constituents of Hanford wastes which possess these characteristics. Strontium, while more hazardous biologically, is of somewhat less concern than cesium because it is better absorbed from high-salt solutions by soils. This report describes research done to develop on inexpensive process for the removal of fission products, especially cesium, from Uranium Recovery Process Wastes. 4 refs., 13 tabs.


A53 Objective: The clinical significance of lymph node micrometastases detected by immunological and molecular methods in node-negative colorectal cancer patients remains to be confirmed. In this study we compared the sensitivity of detection methods based on the transcriptional expression of several epithelial cell-specific genes in paraffin-embedded mesenteric lymph nodes, and assessed survival outcomes. Methods. Each block contained a variable number of nodes. RNA was extracted from 2 serial sections (20 μm each) and submitted to reverse transcription (RT). One seventh of cDNA was PCR amplified for 40 cycles at 60C, using gene-specific primers. Products were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a DNA mass ladder for quantitation. RNA integrity was verified by amplifying the GAPDH and selenoprotein P housekeeping genes.To estimate the relative number of metastatic cells present in lymph nodes a calibration curve was established by serial dilutions of total RNA from HCT116 cells (10 picog per cell equivalent) followed by RT-PCR. The lowest detection limits were 2, 15-30 and 60 cells for CEA, EZH2 and PRL3 respectively.The study group included 44 patients, 98 blocks and 437 lymph nodes;144 from 18 stage I patients; 124 from15 stage II; 119 from 7 stage III and 50 from 4 stage IV patients. On average 10 nodes were dissected per patient. Fifteen nodes (12.5%) of stage III cases and 7 nodes (14%) of stage IV were identified by hitopathology. Results. Several genes, always expressed in lymph nodes, proved unsuitable markers of micrometastases:cytokeratins (CK20), the CDX2 homeobox gene, osteopontin, decorin. MUC2 was weakly expressed in the nodes of 6 patients (14%). Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), enhancer of zeste (EZH2), and the tyrosine phosphatase PRL3 were differentially expressed. EZH2 was always co-expressed with either CEA or PRL3. EZH2-expressing cells were found in 6% of stage I patients but in >30% of stage II, III and IV patients. The proportion of cases with an estimated >50 PRL3-expressing cells per 10,000 node cells increased from 44% (8/18) for stage I, to 87% (13/15, stage II), 86% (6/7, stage III) and 75% (3/4, stage IV). Likewise, the proportion of cases with an estimated >10 CEA-expressing cells per 10,000 node cells increased from 22% in stage I, to 60% (stage II), to 71% (stage III). The proportion of cases in which CEA and PRL3 were highly co-expressed in lymph nodes also increased from 22% (stage I) to >70% in advanced stages.Three of 7 stage III (43%) and 3 of 4 stage IV patients (75%) succumbed to distant metastases within less than 5 years after surgery. All had received chemotherapy. In all 6 cases, high proportions of either CEA-(3 cases) or PRL3-expressing cells (5 cases) or both (3 cases) were found in their lymph nodes. The ability of the CEA and EZH2 assays to predict the outcome of node-negative patients is based on the findings that: (i) The single stage I patient who succumbed to the disease after 5 years demonstrated undetectable CEA and PRL3 cells in lymph nodes.The median follow up time of 12 other stage I patients, who expressed CEA alone (6), PRL3 alone (2), both CEA and PRL3 (2) and no marker was 55 months. (ii) Five of 15 stage II patients (33%) died between 11 months and 6 years after surgery, 2 of unrelated cancers.They all expressed either CEA, PRL3 or both (3cases) in lymph nodes. Eleven of 15 stage II patients (73%) highly co-expressed CEA and PRL3 in lymph nodes. Three of 11 (27%) succumbed to the disease. Conclusions. We conclude that CEA, PRL3 and EZH2-expressing cells are detectable in lymph nodes in amounts and frequencies consistent with the staged progression of the disease. A higher proportion of stage II-III than stage I cases co-express CEA and PRL3 in lymph nodes.High expression of either CEA, PRL3 or both may account for about 30% of stage II patients with poor prognosis and is not predictive of poor outcomes for stage I patients.


Two circuit techniques for broadbanding the gain bandwidth product (GBW) of CMOS amplifiers are presented. The conventional feedforward technique using an AC bypass capacitor is reviewed. Compared to the conventional technique, the new techniques offer the advantage of exact cancellation of the low-frequency pole-zero pair. Furthermore, the position of the pole-zero pair occurs at higher frequencies than with the conventional technique. Calculations and computer simulations suggest that using the new techniques. CMOS amplifiers with a unity stable GBW of 160 MHz can be obtained in a standard 3- mu m CMOS technology. >


The chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (CMPN) are a group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders in which large numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets grow and spread excess in the bone marrow and the peripheral blood. Cytogenetic analysis of the t(9;22) and molecular detection of BCR/ABL is the main diagnostic criteria in Philadelphia positive CMPN (CML). The identification of non-receptor tyrosine kinase JAK2 mutations (exon 14 JAK2 V617F and exon 12) have significantly contributed to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Philadelphia negative CMPN such as polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients. According to the revised WHO classification, JAK2 mutation is considered as a major diagnostic and clonal marker in Philadelphia negative CMPN which will play a major role in designing personalized treatments for the disease. JAK2 V617F mutation frequency is unknown in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, investigation of the JAK2 V617F mutation was carried out in DNA samples from 78 peripheral blood specimens corresponding to patients with polycythemia vera (PV) (n = 11), Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) (n = 45), essential thrombocythemia (ET) (n = 10), idiopathic myelofibrosis (MF) (n = 12). We used polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing to detect the JAK2 mutation. Overall, the incidence of the JAK2 V617F mutation was 91% in PV, 40% in ET, and 25% in MF. This approach proved to be reliable and more sensitive in detecting the mutation. Two essential findings arose from our study. First, this technique could be carried out with DNA samples, even partially degraded, from routinely processed BM or peripheral blood specimens. Second, after correlation with morphological features, it turned out that the characteristics of the megakaryocytes were more specific than the mutational status of JAK2 in characterizing ET and PMF. Concerning PV, as expected, the incidence of the JAK2 mutation was higher, but the morphological criteria were misleading in some cases, strongly suggesting that the combination of both morphology and molecular data would enable the characterization of virtually all cases. JAK2 V617F mutation frequency along with accurate morphological characterization is very reliable tool in diagnosing and classifying CMPN in Saudi patients.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

MMP-2 belongs to a family of extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that play a pivotal role in the degradation of the ECM, thereby enhancing the invasive and metastatic potential of cancer cells. Our study unveiled a new mechanism of how MMP-2 RNA interference inhibits NF-κB activation. Essentially, siRNA against MMP-2 (pM) modulated the interactions between the adaptor protein TRADD-TRAF2 and TRADD-FADD, which consequently hindered the nuclear localization and DNA binding activity of NF-κB. This, in turn, led to apoptosis. Furthermore, pM treatment led to RIP cleavage and remarkable increases in the expression levels of FADD and activated MAP kinases, p38 MAPK and JNK. The prolonged activation of JNK resulted in phosphorylation of c-Jun. Treatments with specific JNK1 inhibitor (SP600125) reduced and significantly reversed the pro-apoptotic effect of pM, thereby suggesting a role of JNK in pM-induced cell death. Supplementation of recombinant human MMP-2 to pM-transfected cells restored the inhibited DNA binding activity of NF-κB and rescued cells from the pro-apoptotic effect of pM. Here, we demonstrate that the simultaneous inhibition of NF-κB activation and sustained activation of JNK play significant roles in pM-mediated apoptosis in human xenograft glioma cells. In addition, our results show that the specific downregulation of MMP-2 diminished intracranial tumor growth in vivo. The inhibition of tumor growth after pM treatment was associated with decreased MMP-2 expression, inhibited NF-κB activation, and enhanced phospho-JNK levels. In conclusion, the present study elucidates an underlying mechanism of pM-induced cell death in vitro as well as decreased tumor development in vivo.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4787. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4787


Faced with increasing flows of immigrants from countries with very different ethnic and cultural compositions, identity has become an important part of the public debate on immigration and minority ethnic group assimilation. Yet, identificational assimilation, associated with the emergence of a new social identity as ethnic immigrant groups merge with host society members while often retaining some 'inner layer' of heritage ancestry or background, is among the least studied of assimilation sub-processes. Like other aspects of assimilation, it is an intergenerational process, but one which occurs unevenly among immigrant groups from different cultural backgrounds. Spatially, there is an underlying assumption that those more identificationally assimilated will be less segregated from host society members. Focusing on ancestral identification, whether heritage (ethnic or cultural background) only or dual (heritage-Australian), we analyse three generations of a cross-section of ethnic immigrant groups in Sydney, Australia's largest immigrant-receiving city. Results highlight a major identificational shift in the third generation plus the ways in which intergenerational identificational assimilation, though seemingly inexorable, progresses unevenly among ethnic immigrant groups, with results affecting their spatial assimilation.


The paper proposes an algorithm for identification of malicious units in a fully connected system. The assumed scenario is the same as in an execution of a full information gathering algorithm for Byzantine agreement without authentication. A criterion that can be used by a fault-free unit to identify a malicious unit is described. The exact bound of the maximum number of equal values that a unit which can be identified as malicious, sends to the other units, is calculated. It is proved that if a unit can be identified as malicious by sending some different messages to the other units, then this can be done in the two consecutive phases. These results form the core of the proposed algorithm.


customs. He would surely emphasize the native categories of ritual officiant, the naya and mati (cf. the almost pan-Indian priest and medium?), rather than the then fashionable Western opposition of religion and magic. However one can still admire Roy's precise treatment of the links between clans and natural species ("totems"); and it is the re-analysis of such valuable pioneering works that, one day, should help us to a proper appreciation of the relationship between tribal cultures and Hindu folk-culture, too often articifically separated. NICK ALLEN.


ICT could redesign the health service environment in a more representative way. Replacing structures and models centered in the patient, achieving objectives y immediate goals of active participation through the empowerment of ICT health services. I safe to promote the use of ICT in a context of health in central America could give rise to grave social, ethical and practical problems, especially in relation with the digital gap, meaning the participations of persons without access to technology. Never the less this article plants an empowerment model centered in the patient, supported by ICT, which will demonstrate the reach that can be achieved through the empowerment of ICT in the context of health. On the other hand, a first approach to the model will be presented, through a field study conducted in a rural area of Panama with which the reach of the model is to be measured.


Background Postpartum depression is a common psychiatric complication of childbearing among women. The increasing rate in addition to poor clinical diagnosis is
attributable to poor health care services and inadequate medical attention. The implication is the high morbidity with adverse social and medical consequences. Aims The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression among women in Uyo
and to determine the association between some sociodemographic variables such as parity, pattern of deliveries and postpartum depression. Method Three hundred and thirty five women who delivered at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital between January and March 2007 were followed up at 6 weeks. They were screened for postpartum depression, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Results Of the 315 women assessed, 287 (91.1%) were aged between 20-39 years and the mean age of the women
was 21.3 ± 4.7 years; 260 (82.5%) were married and 286 (90.8%) had secondary school education and above with 134 (42.5%) being employed. A total of 81 (25.7%) of them
saussffoecrieadti ofrnosm b eptowstepeanr taugme (dXe2p=r8e.s1s7io9n, .d Tf=he4r;e P w Nigerian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 6 (2) 2008: pp. 65-69


Photonic-crystal lasers whose feedback is enhanced by a thin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) have been experimentally investigated. The use of TiO2 increases the index contrast in the photonic crystal as well as the confinement in the waveguide, resulting in larger feedback of the lasing modes. This allows lower thresholds and much smaller devices. Vertically emitting laser devices, using the methyl-substituted ladder-type poly(p-phenylene) (MeLPPP) as gain material, have been fabricated according to optimized parameters, and the measured dispersion relation of the structures matches excellently with simulations. The devices feature a three to five times lower threshold than devices whose feedback structure is etched directly into the fused silica substrate.


In offering a preliminary report on the medical activities of the United Nations Forces in Korea, I have at once an unusual privilege and a difficult task, difficult because for reasons of security I cannot quote actual statistics and because conclusions about a campaign still in progress are necessarily incomplete. The conflict in Korea is an unusual one in many respects. Never before have fighting men of so many nations and races joined together in a campaign within a single area of comparable size. Korea is about the size of Italy, and its mountains, though more numerous and more irregular in configuration, are strikingly like the Apennines. Veterans of the Italian campaign of 1944-1945 are struck by the similarity. Climatically Korea is difficult, for it is very hot and dusty in summer and bitterly cold in winter. The Korean climate is the coldest in which American soldiers have ever fought,


In the past, a common data structure, or model, has been used for all phases of a computer graphics design system. This has meant that the model used during conversational interaction was the same as the model used in the subsequent analysis operations, usually resulting in poor overall performance. This paper suggests the use of separate models for each phase, providing a general model for the conversational drawing phase which is suitable as a front end in many different application areas. Described are data structures and programs for both phases: a conversational display image manipulation program (DIM) and its interconnections with an existing analysis application program (IBM 1130 Continuous System Modeling Program). Examples of the use of this particular multilevel modeling design facility are included.


This report describes preliminary work on the use of signal processing of backscattered ultrasound data for characterizing tissue regions undergoing thermal therapy. The long term objective is to test the hypothesis that pulse-echo ultrasound date from treated tissue, with appropriate signal processing, can provide useful parameters for assessment of tissue state during and after undergoing thermal coagulative therapy. One very promising tissue parameter is tissue attenuation which is known to change drastically in tissues subject to coagulative necrosis. This report presents experimental in-vitro data that strongly support the above hypothesis. Statistical methods for characterization of reversible and irreversible changes in tissue state appear to hold the most promise for providing a solution to this problem.


Smart antenna primarily uses the SDMA-OFDM based architecture of communication. Due to robustness and protection against interference provide by OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency division multiplexing). Although High data rate transmission is effectively achieved by using OFDM but detection techniques especially in over-loaded scenario poses many challenging issues. There are many optimization techniques presents for optimal multiuser detection process in SDMA-OFDM system, though each method is suffered from limitations. In these paper two popular evolutionary algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) hybrid with MMSE technique and genetic algorithm (GA) based SDMA-OFDM multi user detection (MUD) is hybrid with the MMSE technique. These optimization multiuser detection (MUD) techniques are simulated using three different modulation techniques these are PSK, QAM and its performance is compared against four existing MUDs such as MMSE(Minimum mean square) GA(Genetic Algorithm),PSO and ZF(Zero forcing) varying different parameters. Concatenated PSO-MMSE and GA-MMSE, the two methods are better in terms of simulation and reduces complexity. These techniques are proved to provide a very high performance when comparing with the existing detectors especially in a rank-deficient scenario in which numbers of users are very high as compare to transmitting antenna. From the experimental results it is crystal clear that GA-MMSE and PSO-MMSE improve the results by 29.8% than existing multiuser detection technique and BER reached to a level of 0.01.


Folate plays a central role in DNA synthesis and methylation, which are essential for DNA integrity maintenance and gene expression. Folate deficiency may lead to the incorporation of uracil into DNA and chromosome breaks, increasing the risk of cancer. However, conflicting evidence has been observed depending on the type of epidemiological study, dietary or circulating folate, and the type of cancer. New concern has arisen after a mandatory folic acid (FA) fortification program adopted for the prevention of neural tube defects in the United States, which suggested an increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer. In the present article, folate status and cancer are under review, and a discussion of the challenge of assessing folate status through food intake, supplement use, FA fortification programs, circulating folate, and the interaction of diet and the polymorphism of the enzyme involved in folate metabolism will be presented.


Somatostatin receptors are present in the normal adrenal cortex and medulla. These receptors are also expressed by tumors that cause Cushing's syndrome and by pheochromocytomas. Somatostatin analogues such as octreotide have been developed to target somatostatin receptors for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This article reviews the current knowledge of the biology of somatostatin receptors in the normal adrenal gland and in adrenal tumors and defines the current role of the somatostatin receptor in the diagnosis, staging and management of Cushing's syndrome and pheochromocytomas.


S OF COMMUNICATIONS The Four Hundred and Fifty-third Meeting of the Nutrition Society for the presentation of oral communications was held as parallel sessions in the Ernest Walton and Jonathan Swift Lecture Theatres, Trinity College, Dublin, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 25-27 July 1988. at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1079/PNS19890018 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 184.108.40.206, on 14 Jul 2017 at 06:19:26, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available 2A A B S T R A ~ S OF COMMUNICAIIONS 1989 Why is there increased lipid droplet size in brown adipose tissue of genetically obese (oblob) mice? By M. HOULDEN and J. F. ANDREWS, Department of Physiology, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Irish Republic Qualitative studies have reported a tendency towards multilocularity in active brown fat cells and this has been demonstrated quantitatively in the hamster (Ahlabo & Barnard, 1974). By examining the droplet surface area per unit volume of tissue (interfacial area) we have attempted to identify a function of droplet structure which may, in extreme circumstances such as those which occur in the obese mouse, be of significance in determining the thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue (BAT). Animals, reared in the cold (17") or warm (287, were killed by cervical dislocation and BAT samples removed from the interscapular site at the time points indicated in the Table. After removal, samples were fued in osmium tetroxide and embedded in resin. Semi-thin sections were cut and stained with toluidine blue for 1 min. Sections were then examined under oil immersion. A MOP videoplan unit with a 'Bildanalyse' software package was used to measure areas of individual droplets; 100 from each animal were measured. Areas of individual droplets were converted to surface areas and volumes using standard stereological formulae. Surface area of droplets (+m2/km3) Age . . . 26 35 56 Ambient temperature (") Genotype n Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD 28 Lean 5 1.649 0.114 2.415 0.590 1.982 0.371 28 Obese 5 1.104*** 0.197 1.190*** 0.255 0.782*** 0.1 13 17 Lean 5 2498t t t 0.264 2.426 0.605 2.866tt 0.369 17 Obese 5 2.054**ttt 0.282 2.098ttt 0.328 2.609ttt 0.553 Significantly different from animals raised at same temperature: **P<O.Ol, ***P<0401. Significantly different from same genotype at 28": ttP<O.Ol, tttP<0.001. The results demonstrate a significant increase in interfacial area brought about by cold rearing in both genotypes. It is also noted that at 28", obese mice had a consistently lower interfacial area than lean animals, while such a difference was only significant at 26 d for cold-reared mice. The tendency towards what is an energetically less costly unilocular state also reduces the interfacial area between the lipid droplets and cytoplasm. The energy saved by maintaining unilocularity is due to the reduction of surface tension per unit volume of lipid. If multilocularity per se requires more energy to maintain, it must have a functional significance, perhaps related to substrate availability for lipolysis. Thus the presence of unilocularity in 06/06 mice, as well as being due to reduced activity in BAT, may itself prevent complete activation in response to an acute stimulus. Ahlabo, I. & Barnard, T. (1974). Journal of Ultrastructure Research 48,361-376. at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1079/PNS19890018 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 126.96.36.199, on 14 Jul 2017 at 06:19:26, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available VOI. 48 Meeting of 25-27 July 1988 3A Results refuting volatile fatty acids per se as signals of satiety in ruminants. By W. L. GROWM and W. W. BIGNELL, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1 G 2 WI Acetate (Ac) in the rumen and propionate (Pr) in the ruminal veins and the liver have come to be regarded as signals of satiety in ruminants (Baile & Forbes, 1974; Anil & Forbes, 1980) even though Ternouth & Beattie (1971) demonstrated conclusively that intraruminal injections of sodium Ac and NaPr were no more effective in depressing food intake by hungry sheep than equimolar loads of Na chloride. Doubts about volatile fatty acids as satiety signals were raised again by Grovum (1987) because the rumen was found to be the site mediating the anorexic effects of ruminal NaCl loads (Carter & Grovum, 1988) and water was the control for intraruminal loads of NaAc that depressed intake in the majority of studies. Also, osmotic controls were not used for vascular infusions (ruminal vein, portal vein) of NaPr when it was infused at high rates to depress intake. Furthermore, the Pr effect, if any, may be mediated by insulin as Pr stimulates the release of insulin which depresses food intake in sheep (Deetz & Wangsness, 1980). Seven lambs were fitted with rumen cannulas and fed ad lib. on lucerne pellets. On an experimental day, they were fed from 08.00 to 09.00 hours and then deprived of food but not water until 14.00 hours. At 13.50 hours in Expt 1, drinking water was withdrawn and the rumen of each sheep was loaded by gravity flow with 283 ml saline (control at 275 Osmol, 0.4 Osmol NaCl, NaAc or PEG-400, or 0.8 Osmol of these substances according to a 7x7 Latin-square design. In Expt 2, NaPr replaced NaAc. Mean food intake (g) from 14.00 to 14.30 hours Saline control NaCl NaAc NaPr PEG400 NaCl NaAc NaPr PEG400 Osmol Expt 1 Expt 2 275 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 314" 242b 224k


Understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension and diabetes mellitus and their association is at present fragmentary at best. Optimal antihypertensive drug therapy of patients with both disorders is therefore based on limited experimental data, practical experience and educated guesswork, and needs to be tailored to each (often multimorbid) individual. In most patients monotherapy would be preferred, and would begin with a calcium antagonist or a converting enzyme inhibitor at a low to moderate dosage. If this is not effective an alpha 1-adrenoceptor inhibitor, a cardioselective beta-blocker or a diuretic, always at a low to moderate dosage, should be tried. If still unsuccessful, low dose combinations of 2 of these drugs are next. The (long term) regimen should be as simple as possible, and its effects--desired and undesired--monitored as closely as the carbohydrate disorder.


In this work, a carbon nanosphere decorated by Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared, characterized and used as the magnetic adsorbent. Eight commonly used chiral triazole fungicides, including penconazole, uniconazole, paclobutrazol, triazolone, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, triticonazole and epoxiconazole were extracted from two environmental water samples (river water and lake water) by magnetic solid‐phase extraction, followed by the enantiomeric analysis on a Chiralpark IC column coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to evaluate their possible stereoselective degradation occurring in the water samples. The possible factors affecting the extraction performance, such as amount of used adsorbents, pH and ionic strength of water solution, types and volumes of desorption solvents were systematically investigated. Under the optimum conditions, extraction yields of eight triazole fungicides were above 80% and the concentration factors were as high as 1000. Method detection and quantification limits for the enantiomers of eight triazole fungicides were in the range of 0.56–6.95 ng/L. Satisfactory accuracy (relative recovery 77.8–93.5%), good intraday precision (RSD 4.3–9.8%) and interday precision (RSD 3.1–7.9%) were also obtained. The developed method provided the simplicity of operation, rapidity and high enrichment factor, which can be used to monitor and evaluate the behavior of the individual enantiomer of chiral triazole fungicides.


Current Quality of Service (QoS) management methods in real-time systems using feedback control loop lack support for configurability and reusability as they cannot be configured for a target application or reused across different applications. In this paper we present a method for developing reconfigurable feedback-based QoS management for real-time systems, denoted Re-QoS. By combining component-based design with aspect-oriented software development Re-QoS enables successful handling of crosscutting nature of QoS policies, as well as evolutionary design of real-time systems and QoS management architectures. Re-QoS defines a QoS aspect package, which is an implementation of a set of aspects and components that provide a number of different QoS policies. By adding a QoS aspect package to an existing system without QoS guarantees, we are able to use the same system in unpredictable environments where performance guarantees are essential. Furthermore, by exchanging aspects within the QoS aspect package one can efficiently tailor the QoS management of a real-time system based on the application requirements. We demonstrate the usefulness of the concept on a case study of an embedded real-time database system, called COMET. Using the COMET example we show how a real-time database system can be adapted to be used in different applications with distinct QoS needs.


On the basis of first principles calculations using density functional theory, we explore the struc- tural and electronic properties of two binaries: CaO and MgO in rock salt structures. Structural properties of the semiconductor x 1 Ca Mg O − x alloys are derived from total-energy minimization within the General Gradient Approximation. The band gap bowing parameters dependence is very powerful Calcium composition. The results offer that an average bowing parameter of x 1 Ca Mg O − x alloys is b = ~0.583$ eV. We analyzed the volume deformation, charge transfer and structural relaxation effects of the x 1 Ca Mg O − x alloys.


In this essay, as a group of teacher educators, we discuss our experience of "walking the walk" of teacher education transformation at a time of urgent change. We reflect upon our process of integrating three key priorities in our preservice teacher education courses: education for sustainability; trauma-informed practice; and Indigenizing curriculum. Specifically, we reflect on how these processes were adapted according to the needs of individual courses and units, while at the same time making space for our strengths and our "unlearnings" as academics, and for the ethical considerations that troubled us. In this essay, we explore walking the walk of change and integrating social, environmental, and cultural justice principles in our work together toward equipping and enabling new teachers to be themselves agents of change.


Two proteomic methods were recently introduced to globally map proteolytic cleavage events in biological systems, one that characterized proteolyzed proteins by differential gel migration (PROTOMAP) and the other by enzymatic tagging and enrichment of the nascent N-terminal peptides generated by proteolysis (Subtiligase). Both technologies were applied to apoptosis, and each uncovered hundreds of novel proteolytic events. An initial survey, however, revealed only minimal overlap in the two data sets. In this article, we perform an in-depth comparative analysis of the PROTOMAP and Subtiligase results that assimilates the complementary information acquired by each method. This analysis uncovered substantial agreement between the PROTOMAP and Subtiligase data sets, which in integrated form yield a highly enriched portrait of the proteome-wide impact of proteolysis in apoptosis. We discuss the respective strengths of each proteomic method and the potential for these technologies to expand the scope and sensitivity of large-scale studies of proteolysis in biological systems.


We give an explicit analytic series expansion of the $(\max , +)$--Lyapunov exponent $ \gamma(p)$ of a sequence of independent and identically distributed random matrices in this algebra, generated via a Bernoulli scheme depending on a small parameter $p$. A key assumption is that one of the matrices has a unique eigenvector. This allows us to use a representation of this exponent as the mean value of a certain random variable, and then a discrete analogue of the so-called light-traffic perturbation formulas to derive the expansion. We show that it is analytic under a simple condition on $p$. This also provides a closed form expression for all derivatives of $\gamma (p)$ at $p=0$ and approximations of $ \gamma (p)$ of any order, together with an error estimate for finite order Taylor approximations. Several extensions of this are discussed, including expansions of multinomial schemes depending on small parameters $(p_1,\ldots,p_m)$ and expansions for exponents associated with iterates of a class of random operators which includes the class of so called topical operators. Several examples pertaining to computer and communication sciences are investigated: timed event graphs, resource sharing models and heaps models.


This brief introduces a new parametric modelling and identification method for linear time-varying systems using a block least mean square (LMS) approach where the time-varying parameters are approximated using multi-wavelet basis functions. This approach can be applied to track rapidly or even sharply varying processes and is developed by combining wavelet approximation theory with a block LMS algorithm. Numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method for dealing with severely nonstationary processes. Application of the proposed approach to a real mechanical system indicates better tracking capability of the multi-wavelet basis function algorithm compared with the normalized least squares or recursive least squares routines.


Owing to their strong dipole moment and long coherence times, superconducting qubits have demonstrated remarkable success in hybrid quantum circuits. However, most qubit architectures are limited to the GHz frequency range, severely constraining the class of systems they can interact with. The fluxonium qubit, on the other hand, can be biased to very low frequency while being manipulated and read out with standard microwave techniques. Here, we design and operate a heavy fluxonium with an unprecedentedly low transition frequency of $1.8~\mathrm{MHz}$. We demonstrate resolved sideband cooling of the ``hot'' qubit transition with a final ground state population of $97.7~\%$, corresponding to an effective temperature of $23~\mu\mathrm{K}$. We further demonstrate coherent manipulation with coherence times $T_1=34~\mu\mathrm{s}$, $T_2^*=39~\mu\mathrm{s}$, and single-shot readout of the qubit state. Importantly, by directly addressing the qubit transition with a capacitively coupled waveguide, we showcase its high sensitivity to a radio-frequency field. Through cyclic qubit preparation and interrogation, we transform this low-frequency fluxonium qubit into a frequency-resolved charge sensor. This method results in a charge sensitivity of $33~\mu\mathrm{e}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$, or an energy sensitivity (in joules per hertz) of $2.8~\hbar$. This method rivals state-of-the-art transport-based devices, while maintaining inherent insensitivity to DC charge noise. The high charge sensitivity combined with large capacitive shunt unlocks new avenues for exploring quantum phenomena in the $1-10~\mathrm{MHz}$ range, such as the strong-coupling regime with a resonant macroscopic mechanical resonator.


In this paper we explore the performance of linear Bayes rules in estimating a normal mean. We take a robust Bayesian standpoint, expressing our limited information about the parameter by adopting a family Γ of priors. The family of priors that we are using is fully described by Azzalini and is suitable for modelling non-symmetric situations. We find in many cases that the linear Bayes rules have reasonably high efficiencies (with respect to the corresponding Bayes rules) and therefore can be used instead of the Bayes rules as the linear rules are much easier to obtain.


We propose a scheme to interpolate between a set of two or more 3-dimensional triangulated meshes with corresponding connectivity. The principle behind this is that meshes, when viewed as vectors of edge lengths, can be seen as points in a Euclidean shape space. Within this space, mesh interpolation corresponds to traversing straight lines between points, and due to the Euclidean structure of the underlying shape space, we can easily take averages and perform statistical shape analysis. We perform experiments in three important applications to illustrate these ideas. First, we demonstrate interpolation between various shapes and poses. Second, we illustrate statistical analysis on a large dataset of faces, calculating mean shapes and exploring new shapes by moving along the principal modes of variance of the dataset. Finally, we visualize morphs corresponding to conformal mappings, an important class of deformations, which form a subspace of the edge-length space.


Jung's theory of psychological types provided the conceptual framework for a study of personality characteristics implicated in marital relationships. Partners in 20 couples completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and a series of open-ended questions describing their marital relationships. As predicted, (a) type similarity was more characteristic than type dissimilarity, particularly on sensation-intuition and thinking-feeling preferences, (b) sensation-intuition preferences were reflected in perceptions of qualities valued in self and spouse, (c) thinking-feeling preferences were significantly related to reported satisfaction in marriage, and (d) intuitives were more open to changes in the relationship than were sensing types. Marital problems were highly diverse, and were not related in any clear way to type patterns in individuals or dyads.


In this paper we prove the equivalence of decoupling inequalities for stochastic integrals and one-sided randomized versions of the UMD property of a Banach space as introduced by Garling.


Earlier cytokinetic studies using 9L monolayer culture cells showed that cells began accumulating in the G2 phase (4C position in the DNA distribution) within 30 hr after administration of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (3 micrograms/ml). Most of these cells reached the G2 phase at 48 hr and remained there for another 24 hr. Similar studies using 9L spheroid culture cells show that 9L cells also began to accumulate at the 4C DNA position 30 hr after administration of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (3 micrograms/ml); however, only one-half of the cells accumulated in the 4C peak during the first 48 hr after treatment, while the other half remained at the 2C position. Those that remained at the 2C peak might correspond to the G0 cells that exist in 9L spheroids. When one-half the cells were in 2C and one-half were in 4C, the spheroids were dissociated using an enzyme cocktail and sorted using centrifugal elutriation. Cells from each elutriated fraction were analyzed for DNA content using flow cytometry and for viability using a colony-forming efficiency assay. Results indicated that in spheroids, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (3 micrograms/ml) is more effective against noncycling cells and that repopulation is more vigorous in G2-arrested cells, which presumably were cycling at the time of treatment.


In many applications, content accessed by users (movies, videos, news articles, etc.) can leak sensitive latent attributes, such as religious and political views, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, and others. To prevent such information leakage, the goal of classical PIR is to hide the identity of the content/message being accessed, which subsequently also hides the latent attributes. This solution, while private, can be too costly, particularly, when perfect (information-theoretic) privacy constraints are imposed. For instance, for a single database holding K messages, privately retrieving one message is possible if and only if the user downloads the entire database of K messages. Retrieving content privately, however, may not be necessary to perfectly hide the latent attributes.Motivated by the above, we formulate and study the problem of latent-variable private information retrieval (LV-PIR), which aims at allowing the user efficiently retrieve one out of K messages (indexed by θ) without revealing any information about the latent variable (modeled by S). We focus on the practically relevant setting of a single database and show that one can significantly reduce the download cost of LV-PIR (compared to the classical PIR) based on the correlation between θ and S. We present a general scheme for LV-PIR as a function of the statistical relationship between θ and S, and also provide new results on the capacity/download cost of LV-PIR. Several open problems and new directions are also discussed.