Let $\mathfrak{o}$ be a complete discrete valuation ring of mixed characteristic $(0,p)$ and $\mathfrak{X}_{0}$ a smooth formal $\mathfrak{o}$-scheme. Let $\mathfrak{X}\rightarrow \mathfrak{X}_{0}$ be an admissible blow-up. In the first part, we introduce sheaves of differential operators $\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},k}^{\dagger }$ on $\mathfrak{X}$, for every sufficiently large positive integer $k$, generalizing Berthelot's arithmetic differential operators on the smooth formal scheme $\mathfrak{X}_{0}$. The coherence of these sheaves and several other basic properties are proven. In the second part, we study the projective limit sheaf $\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},\infty }=\mathop{\varprojlim }\nolimits_{k}\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},k}^{\dagger }$ and introduce its abelian category of coadmissible modules. The inductive limit of the sheaves $\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},\infty }$, over all admissible blow-ups $\mathfrak{X}$, is a sheaf $\mathscr{D}_{\langle \mathfrak{X}_{0}\rangle }$ on the Zariski–Riemann space of $\mathfrak{X}_{0}$, which gives rise to an abelian category of coadmissible modules. Analogues of Theorems A and B are shown to hold in each of these settings, that is, for $\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},k}^{\dagger }$, $\mathscr{D}_{\mathfrak{X},\infty }$, and $\mathscr{D}_{\langle \mathfrak{X}_{0}\rangle }$.


The carbonic anhydrases (CAs) catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. In mammals, there are 13 active isoenzymes, which clearly differ in their cell localisation, tissue distributions and functions. CA IX, a unique transmembrane member of the CA gene family, is a tumour-associated protein which is thought to be involved in malignant cell invasion, adhesion and the regulation of cell proliferation. The main focus in the present study was on elucidating the function and expression of CA IX in normal and malignant tissues, especially in the alimentary tract. The functional studies also included CA II, which is regarded as another important CA isoenzyme in the alimentary tract. CA IX immunostaining showed a decrease in the staining intensity of gastric adenomas with increasing dysplasia grade. Well differentiated carcinomas of the intestinal type showed expression comparable to that in the normal mucosa, while expression was decreased in the less differentiated tumours. CA IX deficiency (Car9-/-) genotype and C57/BL6 strain were the main factors which increased the susceptibility of CA IX deficient mice fed on either a normal or high-salt diet to histological abnormalities, including foveolar hyperplasia and glandular atrophy in the gastric body mucosa, while CA II deficiency was associated with only minor histological abnormalities. In a physiological analysis, CA IX played only a minor role in duodenal bicarbonate secretion (DBS), whereas absence of CA II in mice completely abolished the stimulatory effect of E-type prostaglandin 2 (PGE2) on duodenal alkalisation. The results demonstrate that CA IX expression is diminished in most gastric tumours. The variations observed in its expression support the concept that gastric adenomas and carcinomas do not emerge as progressive steps on a single pathway but may instead represent distinct entities with heterogenic genetic backgrounds. In the stomach, CA IX is mainly involved in the regulation of tissue morphogenesis in the body mucosa, while CA II has a major role in maintaining the gastroduodenal acid/base balance.


An amphiphilic electron-deficient (n-type) perylene diimide has been synthesized and characterized. The diimide contains a hydrophobic long chain on one end and a hydrophilic ethoxy chain on the other. The self-assembly of this molecule in polar and nonpolar solvents has been demonstrated by concentration- and temperature-dependent absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Analysis of the spectral change for the aggregates shows typical J-aggregates for structures precipitated from polar solvents and H-aggregates for structures precipitated from nonpolar solvents. SEM and TEM micrographs and a suggested packing scheme, compatible with the formation of nanostrips in nonpolar solvents and nanofibers in polar solvents, are presented.


Recently, multithreading became a standard technique to improve the processor utilization and system performance. Hardware support is provided for coarse-grained as well as simultaneous multithreading. In particular, embedded devices combine processor cores and varying sets of coprocessors to fulfill the requirements of their dedicated application field. In this paper, a simultaneous multithreaded processor is investigated that applies dynamic priorities for each thread on the instruction level. By means of a synchronization coprocessor, priorities of threads are dynamically adapted when other threads have to wait for a given thread. Based on simulations of a network-processing workload, two strategies of dynamic priority adaptation are evaluated and compared with static prioritization. As a result, performance gain can be shown.


The book has been published as a part of the interdisciplinary
research project MUNI/M/0012/2013 "Inclusion in Schools as an
Interdisciplinary Issue. Bases, Conditions and Strategies for
Implementation" with financial support of Institutional
Development Plan of PdF MU. Successful inclusion depends on the
quality of living, equal rights to education, humanisation in
schools. School inclusion is gradually transformed into social
inclusion by inclusion of people with mental handicap into the
everyday life of the society, working possibilities,
independent living and free time activities. In the research
text are implemented research results of participating authors.


Abstract Objective To evaluate whether a subcategory system for category II tracings can improve team communication and perinatal outcomes. Study Design We collected data prospectively for 15 months, first using the NICHD system, followed by the ABC system, which divides category II tracings into subcategories A, B, and C, each representing increased risk for metabolic acidemia. We surveyed providers about communication effectiveness and agreement on tracing interpretation for each system. In cases where the communication system was used to alert an off-site physician about a category II tracing, we compared arrival to L&D and NICU admissions. Results The ABC system was preferred (69%, n = 152) and considered a more effective tool for communicating concerning fetal status (80% vs. 43%, p < 0.01). Participants also reported greater agreement on tracing interpretation (79% for ABC vs. 64% for NICHD, p = 0.046). When an off-site physician was contacted about a category II tracing (n = 95), they were more likely to arrive to L&D (44% vs. 20%, p < 0.01) and have fewer NICU admissions (0% vs. 6%, p < 0.01) with the ABC system. Conclusion The ABC system resulted in improved team communication, increased physician response, and decreased NICU admissions. Using standardized communication may offer a useful strategy for identifying and expediting care.


In this research, a measurement tool was developed to determine the self-efficacy belief levels of university students towards distance education. The study group consists of 438 university students (297 women, 141 men) who continue their education activities with distance education in the 2021-2022 academic year. The scale development process has progressed according to the steps in the scale development stages. Various statistical analyses were conducted to provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the Distance Education Self-Efficacy Belief Scale. It was aimed to create evidence for the construct validity of the scale by making Exploratory Factor Analysis. Since there was no repetition of the developed scale, only Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed. As a result of factor analysis, the Cronbach Alpha coefficient of the scale was calculated as .92. This coefficient is the proof that the developed scale can measure the measurement process consistently. In addition, the fact that the scale items regarding the item-total correlation values have values between .45 and .71 is an indication that the scale has the ability to measure the features desired to be measured, in short, it serves the purpose of its development. Findings from the scale show that the scale can be used to determine distance education self-efficacy belief levels.


Goldsmiths' Fair is recognised internationally as the premier UK showcase for contemporary jewellery and silver.

Organised by the Goldsmiths' Company, it is a celebration of the best established and emerging British goldsmithing and silversmithing talent – a hub of creativity, design innovation and outstanding craftsmanship.

This unique event draws collectors and design lovers to the magnificent Goldsmiths' Hall where they can browse the latest collections from this handpicked selection of craftsmen and women. Goldsmiths' Hall, situated in the heart of the City of London, is home to the Livery Company of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, founded by Royal Charter in 1327. The Company continues to support the trade today, and the Fair is one of the many ways we do this.

Curated by a panel of experts, Goldsmiths' Fair features 150 exceptional designer-craftsmen and women from independent workshops around the UK. Every item exhibited is hand-made with extraordinary skill and artistry.

Each year there is a juried prize for new work exhibited. In 2017 I was shortlisted for the best new design prize and was awarded runner up and special commendation. (This is the second year in a row, as I was also shortlisted in 2016.)


Background : Therapeutic communication is the basis of interactive relationships among health team and their patients: that affords opportunities to establish rapport, understand the client's experience, formulate individualized or client interventions and optimize health care resources. Aim: this study was carried out to assess the effect of a planned therapeutic communication program on therapeutic communication skills of pediatric nurses. Methods : Setting: the study was carried out at Shebin El kom and Benha University hospitals. Research design: a quasi experimental research design was utilized. Sample: all staff nurses (132) who are working at the previously mentioned settings were included. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection. Tool one: a therapeutic communication questionnaire:  consisting of two parts: (a) Socio-demographic structured questionnaire to obtain demographic data of the studied sample and (b) a structured therapeutic communication knowledge questionnaire to assess nurses' knowledge pre and post therapeutic communication program. Tool two is a five points Likert-scale structured check list used to assess the degree of improvement in pediatric nurses' skills and practice of therapeutic communication. Results : The results of this study showed a positive statistical  significant correlation between total knowledge score and total practice score of nurses' therapeutic  communication skills at each measurement time (pre: r = 0.52, p < .00; post:  r = 0.53, p < .001). Also, a highly statistical significant improvement in pediatric nurses' knowledge, practice and skills regarding therapeutic communication was found p < .001. Conclusions : It was concluded that pediatric nurses had significant improvement in their knowledge and skills regarding therapeutic communication with their hospitalized child patients after utilization of a planned  therapeutic communication program. Recommendation: Continuously implement advanced therapeutic communication programs for pediatric nurses to enhance safe and healthy interactions, foster trust and improve recovery of their hospitalized children.


We report the results of two experiments designed to better understand the mechanisms driving decision-making under ambiguity. We elicit individual preferences over different sources of uncertainty, entailing different degrees of complexity, from subjects with different sophistication levels. We show that (1) ambiguity aversion is robust to sophistication, but the strong relationship previously reported between attitudes toward ambiguity and compound risk is not. (2) Ellsberg ambiguity attitude can be partly explained by attitudes toward complexity for less sophisticated subjects only. Overall, regardless of the subject's sophistication level, the main driver of Ellsberg ambiguity attitude is a specific treatment of unknown probabilities.


This study investigates health behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sleep among chronotypes in a community-based sample (n = 2,976). Analysis of covariance indicated evening types (E-types) had a significantly higher percentage of current smokers and more sleep-interfering behaviors compared to intermediate and morning types (M-type), and also lower physical activity and more sleep disturbance compared to M-types. E-types also had worse mental HRQOL compared to both chronotypes, and worse physical HRQOL compared to M-types. Exploratory analyses indicated E-types consumed more caffeinated beverages at night, smoked or ate heavy meals before bedtime, kept irregular sleep-wake schedules, and took more naps. Mediational analyses indicated that sleep-interfering behavior partially mediated the relationship between chronotype and sleep disturbance, and physical activity partially mediated the relationship between chronotype and mental HRQOL. E-types had more unhealthy behaviors, which may subsequently place them at higher risk for health problems.


Objectives.
To determine the circulation of Rickettsia in the years 2010 and 2011 in border locations in four regions ofPeru and their clinical epidemiological and molecular characteristics.

Materials and Methods.
A cross-sectional study was carried out in Tumbes, Tacna, Madre de Dios, and Loreto. Whole blood samples were obtained from participants for culture and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) testing. The DNA taken from leukocytes and ectoparasite cultures was used, and those genes detected for Rickettsia that were successfully amplified were sequenced and analyzed.

Results.
A total of 33.8% of those surveyed carried Rickettsia antibodies (21.7% in Loreto, 33.0% in Madre de Dios, 48.2% in Tacna, and 33.3% in Tumbes). Seropositivity was confirmed with IIF in over 40% of isolates. Molecular tests showed the presence of Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides felis of dogs and cats in Tacna and a recently reported species for Latin America, Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis, in fleas of cats and dogs in Loreto, Madre de Dios, and Tacna. Of the population studied, 81.4% reported a history of contact with ectoparasites, 22.6% were asymptomatic, and 27.8% lived in earthen-floored homes without water or drainage.

Conclusions.
Serological and molecular evidence confirms the circulation of Rickettsia in the border locations studied, with predisposing epidemiological factors. Tests confirm the presence of two species, Rickettsia felis and Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis, which represent a potential threat to the health of the inhabitants.


Atypical spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomatous tumor (ASPLT) is a recently described morphologically low-grade and clinically indolent adipocytic tumor, which will be incorporated as a new tumor entity in the upcoming 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Soft tissue and Bone tumors. Histologically, ASPLTs are characterized by ill-defined tumor margins and the presence of variable proportions of mild-to-moderately atypical spindle cells, adipocytes, lipoblasts, pleomorphic multinucleated cells and a myxoid or collagenous extracellular matrix. ASPLTs can show a wide variety of microscopic appearances and there is histologic overlap with diverse mimics. The diagnosis of ASPLT can therefore be challenging. Molecular studies have shown a consistent absence of MDM2 or CDK4 amplification. On the other hand, deletions or losses of 13q14, including RB1, have been identified in a significant subset of cases. This review provides an overview of the currently known clinical and pathological features of ASPLTs, detailing its most relevant differential diagnoses.


Design of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed square microstrip antenna with circular polarisation (CP) radiation is described. This CP design is achieved by using an asymmetric inductively coupling slot in the ground plane of the CPW feed line. Results show that the proposed antenna can have a CP bandwidth of 2.4%, whereas a simple inclined coupling slot case has 1.6% CP bandwidth at a fixed square patch size. Typical experimental results are presented and discussed


Static magnetron triode reactive ion etching (SMTRIE) has been developed as a new method that achieves high-rate and high-uniformity etching with low metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) damage. An overview of the method is provided together with an application to Al-Cu etching. Four axisymmetric coils produce radial magnetic flux near and parallel to the etching cathode, and cylindrical magnetic flux parallel to the surrounding side cathode. This field creates a magnetron-type discharge near both cathodes, thus producing high plasma density that is both axisymmetrically and radially uniform. Al-Cu etching results demonstrate the excellent uniformity of SMTRIE. In addition, no gate damage was observed even at high power or under relatively poor uniformity. SMTRIE is one of the most promising etching methods for application to deep submicron geometries where precise and low-damage etching are indispensable.


The efficient Viterbi decoder that supports full data-rate output of DMB system was proposed. In this paper, SST scheme was adopted for Viterbi decoder with puncturing to reduce the power consumption. Puncturing vector tables are modified and re-arranged to be designed by hardwired logic to save the system area. New re-scaling scheme is proposed and the proposed re-scaling scheme optimizes the wordlength of path metric memory and greatly reduces the computational load for re-scaling by controlling MSB of path metric memory. Another saving of computation is done by proposed algorithm for branch metric calculation, which makes use of pre-calculated metric values. The designed Viterbi decoder was synthesized using SAMSUNG 0.35u standard cell library and occupied small area and showed low power consumption.


Summary

Four field experiments were sown with AMV-infected or healthy seed of burr medic (Medicago polymorpha) and grazed by sheep; two were sown with cv. Circle Valley and two with cv. Santiago. Seed-infected plants acted as primary sources for virus spread by naturally occurring aphids. Insecticides and admixture with annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum), a non-host of AMV, suppressed virus spread to different extents in the plots sown with infected seed. Effects of the different amounts of virus spread obtained on overall concentration of the oestrogenic compound coumestrol (dihydroxycoumestan) in dry stems and pods, and on seed production were measured in the medic. With cv. Santiago, stem and pod coumestrol concentration values for plots sown with healthy seed were significantly smaller than those for all plots sown with infected seed regardless of whether they were sprayed. With cv. Circle Valley, the coumestrol values for stems from plots sown with healthy seed were significantly smaller than those for unsprayed plots sown with infected seed but not than those for sprayed plots or ones with grass admixtures, and there were no significant differences with pods. There was always a significant positive relationship between concentration of coumestrol in medic stems and percentage AMV infection of swards; this was also so with pods in two experiments. A linear model best fitted this relationship with cv. Circle Valley but a logarithmic model did so with cv Santiago. In glasshouse grown plants, the coumestrol content of dried medic shoots was increased 11 (cv. Circle Valley) and five (cv. Santiago) times by AMV infection. AMV increased mean coumestrol concentrations up to 256 ppm (field) and 237 ppm (glasshouse) in stems and 223 ppm in pods (field). Sowing healthy seed in new pasture swards was an effective strategy for minimising coumestrol accumulation in burr medic swards. Two, but not single, applications of a newer generation pyrethroid insecticide to swards in which AMV was spreading significantly diminished coumestrol accumulation but applying organophosphorus insecticide twice and carbamate insecticide repeatedly did not. Medic seed yields and individual seed weights were sometimes significantly increased by the treatments, suppression of AMV spread by regular carbamate sprays being sufficient to increase seed yield by 55%.


Noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is a major health problem among most American Indian tribes. This is the first population-based reservation-wide study of the Navajo that has used oral glucose tolerance testing to determine diabetes status. Employing WHO criteria, we found an age-standardized prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) of 22.9% among persons aged 20 y and older. This prevalence is 40% higher than any previous age-standardized estimate for the Navajo and four times higher than the age-standardized U.S. estimate. More than 40% of Navajo aged 45 y and older had DM. About one third of those with DM were unaware of it, with men more likely to be unaware than women. Among persons with a medical history of DM, almost 40% had fasting plasma glucose values > or = 200 mg/dL. Persons with DM were heavier, more sedentary and more likely to have a family history of DM than were persons without DM. Persons with DM had more hypertension, lower HDL levels and higher triglyceride levels than their counterparts without DM. Insulin usage was infrequent among persons with a history of DM, and about one third of women with such a history used no medical therapy to control their diabetes. Although important measures to combat diabetes have already been undertaken by the Navajo, additional efforts are required to slow the progression of this disease and prevent its sequelae.


Shortage of donor organs for liver transplantation in the treatment of end-stage liver disease dictates the need to develop alternative methods that include technologies on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Objective: to study the ability of a tissue-specific matrix from decellularized human liver fragments (DHLF) to maintain adhesion and proliferation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAT-MSCs) and HepG2 under static conditions and in a flow-through bioreactor. Materials and methods. Treatment with surfactants (SAS) – sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100 – followed by exposure to DNase was used for decellularization of human liver fragments (no more than 8 mm3). Biochemical screening included the determination of DNA quantity in the test samples. Efficiency of surfactant washing was assessed by the cytotoxicity of the matrix in the NIH 3T3 fibroblast culture. Viability and metabolic activity of cells were assessed via vital staining with a complex of fluorescent dyes LIVE/DEAD ® and PrestoBlue™ (Invitrogen, USA). Morphological examination of the liver cell-engineered constructs was carried out through histological staining and scanning electron microscopy with lanthanide contrast. Results. It was shown that the liver decellularization method used allows to obtain a biocompatible matrix with a residual DNA quantity <1%, which is capable of maintaining adhesion and proliferation of hAT-MSCs and HepG2. On day 7 of cultivation in the bioreactor, there was formation of a single conglomerate of the DHLF matrix with numerous groups of viable cells with a high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio. The urea content in the culture medium is 1.5 ± 0.1 mmol/L, exceeding that of samples obtained under static conditions. This indicates the metabolic activity of HepG2 in the composition of the obtained culture systems. It was shown that constant flow of the culture medium in the perfusion bioreactor increased the proliferative activity of HepG2 and allowed to provide a more uniform colonization by matrix cells in comparison with static cultivation conditions. Conclusion. The conditions for uniform colonization of DHLFs in a flow-through bioreactor with cell cultures were established. The ability of the matrix to maintain adhesion and proliferation of hADSCs and HepG2 for 11 days indicates that it could be used in liver tissue engineering.


INTRODUCTION
Preclinical evidence demonstrates the immunogenic potential of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). There is growing interest in investigating this interplay with the immune system in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Cytoreduction with SBRT and combination therapy with SBRT and checkpoint inhibitor immuno-oncology agents (IO) are two potential therapeutic strategies in mRCC. In this review, we summarize the current clinical evidence for the use of cytoreductive SBRT to primary kidney and combination SBRT with IO.

METHODS
A literature review for articles and abstracts published between January 2000 and March 2020 was conducted through the PubMed, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) database. Evaluation of studies followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) criteria.

RESULTS
A total of three articles for cytoreductive SBRT and one article and three abstracts for combination SBRT and IO in mRCC met inclusion criteria for this review. Evidence for SBRT to primary kidney is limited by small series and pilot studies. Outcomes vary widely due to small patient numbers and study heterogeneity. Local control ranges from 85-100% and one- and two- year overall survival ranges from 38-71% and 19é53%, respectively. Combination SBRT and IO are tolerable for patients with early data, suggesting grade 3-4 adverse event rates of 0-24%. Long-term survival data is not yet available.

CONCLUSIONS
Cytoreductive SBRT and combination SBRT with IO therapy represent promising treatment strategies in mRCC. The evidence for clinical benefit is currently limited and requires further study with well-designed, randomized, controlled trials.


In this work, we study the problem of inferring a discrete probability distribution using both expert knowledge and empirical data. This is an important issue for many applications where the scarcity of data prevents a purely empirical approach. In this context, it is common to rely first on an a priori from initial domain knowledge before proceeding to an online data acquisition. We are particularly interested in the intermediate regime, where we do not have enough data to do without the initial a priori of the experts, but enough to correct it if necessary. We present here a novel way to tackle this issue, with a method providing an objective way to choose the weight to be given to experts compared to data. We show, both empirically and theoretically, that our proposed estimator is always more efficient than the best of the two models (expert or data) within a constant.


The diamondback moth, plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lep.: Plutellidae) is the most destructive insect pest of crucifer plants throughout the world. In order to study its seasonal population fluctuation, sampling was conducted in the cauliflower fields of south of Tehran from late may until October 2011. One hectare cauliflower field in the middle of a large field was randomly selected in Jahan-abad, Kahrizak, Shokr-abad and Palayin regions. 600 m2 fields in Collage of Agricultural Sciences, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran was selected, this field was not treated with insecticides. Each plant was presumed as a sampling unit and sample size was determined as 20 host plants. Sampling was carried out every 10 days and all eggs; larvae and pupa on the host plant were recorded. The peak of egg population (42.30 eggs per plant) was observed in all regions at October 25th. The highest density larval and pupal density were recorded 6.68 (larvae per plant) and 4.92 (pupa per plant), respectively in all regions at October 25th. The highest density of total stages was recorded in all regions at October 25th (53.90 insect per plant) and lowest density of total stages was seen at June 19th (4.86 insect per plant). The results showed that number of larval and pupal stages based on units density, between all experimental regions and Shahed university station had significant difference.


The primary objective for this study was to redefine the species delimitation among the different morphological entities of Syringa native to Korea. Particular attention was focused on S. wolfii Schneider, S. patula (Palibin) Nakai and S. reticulata (Blume) Hara because of the high degree of morphological intergradation and its inconsistent circumscription across the various systematic treatments. The proportion of length to width of leaf, the proportion of corolla tube to length of calyx, the proportion of corolla tube to length of corolla lobe, the proportion of corolla tube to length of stamen, and length of fruit were important characters that permit the differentiation of examined taxa. The close morphological association of inflorescence type, presence of hair on pedicel, calyx and length of corolla indicated that S. formosissima Nakai, S. formosissima var. hirsuta (Nakai) Nakai, S. robusta Nakai, S. robusta for. glabra Nakai, S. robusta for. subhirsuta Nakai were united with S. wolfii. Morphological variation among different taxa of Syringa (S. patula Nakai, S. micrantha Nakai, S. palibiniana (Nakai) Nakai, S. palibiniana var. longifolia Nakai, S. palibiniana var. kamibayashii (Nakai) Nakai, S. palibiniana var. lactea (Nakai) Nakai, S. venosa Nakai, S. venosa var. lactea Nakai) was continous for most reproductive characters and should be united into S. patula (Palibin) Nakai. Also, the entities of S. amurensis Rupr., S. japonica Maxim., S. amurensis for. bracteata Nakai, S. amurensis var. koreana Nakai, S. amurensis for. longifolia Nakai maintained a certain degree of morphological integrity such as trichome density of leaf beneath, length and wart density of fruit, shape of leaf, and size of bract. A plausible suggestion was that the entities of this group must be united and recognized under one taxon, S. reticulata. The morphological differentiation between S. dilatata and S. oblata was not considered sufficient to warrant recognition of specific status and S. dilatata Nakai were ascertained to S. oblata var, dilatata (Nakai) Rehder. Variation in S. fauriei Lev. is sufficiently discontinuous in lanceolate of leaf shape, main vein like gully and undivided lateral veins, and small fruit to meet the


Wnt/β‐catenin signaling promotes neural differentiation by activation of the neuron‐specific transcription factors, Neurogenin1 (Ngn1), NeuroD, and Brn3a, in the nervous system. As neurons in cranial sensory ganglia and dorsal root ganglia transiently express Ngn1, NeuroD, and Brn3a during embryonic development, we hypothesized that Wnt proteins could instructively promote a sensory neuronal fate from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) directed to differentiate into neurons. Consistent with our hypothesis, Wnt1 induced expression of sensory neuron markers including Ngn1, NeuroD, and Brn3a, as well as glutamatergic markers in neurally induced MSCs in vitro and promoted engraftment of transplanted MSCs in the inner ear bearing selective loss of sensory neurons in vivo. Given the consensus function of T‐cell leukemia 3 (Tlx3), as a glutamatergic selector gene, we postulated that the effects of canonical Wnt signaling on sensory neuron and glutamatergic marker gene expression in MSCs may be mediated by Tlx3. We first confirmed that Wnt1 indeed upregulates Tlx3 expression, which can be suppressed by canonical Wnt inhibitors. Next, our chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that T‐cell factor 3/4, Wnt‐activated DNA binding proteins, interact with a regulatory region of Tlx3 in MSCs after neural induction. Furthermore, we demonstrated that forced expression of Tlx3 in MSCs induced sensory and glutamatergic neuron markers after neural induction. Together, these results identify Tlx3 as a novel target for canonical Wnt signaling that confers somatic stem cells with a sensory neuron phenotype upon neural induction. STEM CELLS 2011;29:836–846


Abstract Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos (Spotted Knapweed) and the hybrid C. x moncktonii (Meadow Knapweed) are perennial forbs introduced from Europe; the latter also originated from hybridization in North America of 2 other introduced knapweed species. They are invasive in grasslands and pastures in various regions of North America, including increasingly in the Northeast. We collected data from 4 life stages on 11 different demographic rates involving germination, survival, growth, and fecundity. We monitored 4 populations of Meadow Knapweed and 3 populations of Spotted Knapweed over 3 years in New York State by marking and tracking individual plants. Both knapweeds showed moderate to high rates of seed germination, very low survival of dormant seeds, and low survival of early vegetative stages with some site-specific exceptions. Survival of older vegetative and flowering plants was generally moderate to high. The main life-history differences between knapweed taxa involved more rapid maturation to and higher mortality of the flowering stage of Spotted Knapweed, a greater tendency for Spotted Knapweed to alternate between a flowering and vegetative state, and the potential for Meadow Knapweed to grow much larger in size. Spotted Knapweed matured more slowly in New York than in more western populations. Also, the flower head-infesting fly Urophora quadrifasciata and weevils Larinus spp. were present at all study sites. These data add to the knowledge of knapweed demography and can offer insights into the continued expansion and control of these invasive plants.


AIMS
Although shortening of the corrected QT interval (QTc) is a key finding in the diagnosis of short QT syndrome (SQTS), there may be overlap of the QTc between SQTS patients and normal subjects in childhood and adolescence. We aimed to investigate electrocardiographic findings for differentiation of SQTS patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS
The SQTS group comprised 34 SQTS patients <20 years old, including 9 from our institutions and 25 from previous reports. The control group comprised 61 apparently healthy subjects with an QTc of <360 ms who were selected from 13 314 participants in a school-based screening programme. We compared electrocardiographic findings, including QT and Jpoint-Tpeak intervals (QT and J-Tpeak, respectively), those corrected by using the Bazett's and Fridericia's formulae (cB and cF, respectively) and early repolarization (ER) between the groups. QT, QTc by using Bazett's formula (QTcB), QTc by using Fridericia's formula (QTcF), J-Tpeak, J-Tpeak cB, and J-Tpeak cF were significantly shorter in the SQTS group than in the control group. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was largest for QTcB (0.888) among QT, QTcB, and QTcF, with a cut-off value of 316 ms (sensitivity: 79.4% and specificity: 96.7%). The AUC was largest for J-Tpeak cB (0.848) among J-Tpeak, J-Tpeak cB, and J-Tpeak cF, with a cut-off value of 181 ms (sensitivity: 80.8% and specificity: 91.8%). Early repolarization was found more frequently in the SQTS group than in the control group (67% vs. 23%, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION
A QTcB <316 ms, J-Tpeak cB < 181 ms, and the presence of ER may indicate SQTS patients in childhood and adolescence.


Vespula germanica has been accidentally introduced into Australia, where it has now established as a horticultural, agricultural, environmental and nuisance pest. Despite comprehensive and often expensive eradication programs, remarkably little information exists for the species in Australia. Most previous studies were conducted in its native range in England, and in New Zealand where V. germanica has also been introduced. Data on nesting sites in Adelaide were collected over two seasons, with a total of 2640 nests surveyed. The majority of nests (67%) were found below ground, mostly in soil. Twenty-nine percent of nests were found in artificial structures, while the remainder of nests was located above ground. Variation among different habitat types suggests that the species can utilise whatever nest sites are available. Colony duration, timing and seasonal development were also examined by collecting wasp nests over three seasons. Nests were found between November and May. Average mature colonies contained over 9500 small (worker) and 3600 large (queen and male) cells, with some large nests consisting of over 27 500 cells. By the end of May, such colonies have 15 000 wasps emerging from small cells and 2500 wasps emerging from large cells. This is 35–80% more than the numbers of adults produced by V. germanica colonies in England. In addition, in southern Australia a proportion of nests overwinter and survive into the next season, whereas all nests collapse and die out at this time in England. A significant linear relationship was found between wasp traffic and various measures of nest size. These results indicate that in the absence of an adverse climate, V. germanica nests can attain a substantial size. Greater numbers of queens produced in nests may also facilitate a faster rate of population increase in Australia.


RATIONALE
The development of an automated platform for the positional analysis of triglycerides (TAGs) based on electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) continues to be pursued. This work evaluates the positional sensitivities of the collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra of a representative set of XYZ triglycerides using sodium, lithium, and ammonium salts as complexing agents.

METHODS
A set of triglycerides were synthesized and analyzed via ESI-MS/MS using an ion trap mass spectrometer. Using three different complexing agents, the product ion spectra of the corresponding precursor ions for twelve XYZ TAGs were collected, where X, Y, and Z represent C16:0 , C18:1(c-9) , C18:2(cc-9,12) , and C20:4(cccc-5,8,11,14) fatty acid chains. These data were then used to prepare ternary plots for four positional isomer systems to evaluate the positional sensitivity differences among the three different complexing agents RESULTS: The positional sensitivities for each of the four positional isomer systems were robust for the sodium and lithium adducts. The CID data for the sodium and lithium TAGs demonstrated an unfavorable loss of the fatty acid in the center position and showed a higher sensitivity to fatty acid position, when compared to the CID data for ammonium adducts, especially for the arachidonic acid containing triglycerides.

CONCLUSIONS
The data shows that that the relative abundances of the DAG product ions for the XYZ-type TAGs when using sodium and lithium complexing agents adducts are sensitive to fatty acid position and are consistent for the diverse array of TAGs studied in this work. This suggests that using sodium or lithium as the complexing agent may be advantageous for the development of an automated platform for the positional analysis of complex TAG mixtures based on ESI-MS/MS.


Aromatic stacking exists widely and plays important roles in protein-ligand interactions. Computational tools to automatically analyze the geometry and accurately calculate the energy of stacking interactions are desired for structure-based drug design. Herein, we employed a Behler-Parrinello neural network (BPNN) to build predictive models for aromatic stacking interactions and further integrated it into an open-source Python package named AromTool for benzene-containing aromatic stacking analysis. Based on extensive testing, AromTool presents desirable precision in comparison to DFT calculations and excellent efficiency for high-throughput aromatic stacking analysis of protein-ligand complexes.


Abstract Four hundred and seventeen single-uredinial isolates of Puccinia triticina collected from wheat in seven regions of Russia in 2007 were tested for virulence with 24 near-isogenic wheat differential lines and molecular variation with six RAPD and one UP-PCR DNA markers. Seventy-nine virulence phenotypes and 71 molecular genotypes were identified. The P. triticina isolates varied for virulence on resistance genes Lr1, Lr2a, Lr2b, Lr2с, Lr3a, Lr3bg, Lr3ka, Lr14a, Lr14b, Lr15, Lr16, Lr17, Lr18, Lr19, Lr20, Lr21, Lr24, Lr26, Lr28 and LrB. All isolates were virulent on Lr10, Lr11 and Lr30, and avirulent on Lr9. THTTTJ was the predominant phenotype in all regions with frequency ranging from 25 to 63%. Diversity analysis of the regional collections demonstrated inconsistency of results obtained with virulence and molecular markers. According to the virulence data, the North Caucasian and Central collections of P. triticina were the most distant from all the other regional populations. The most similar were collections from West Siberian and Ural regions, which may be a result of growing genetically similar wheat cultivars. According to the molecular marker data, the Central, Central Black Earth, and Ural populations clustered distinctly from the North Western, North Caucasian, and West Siberian collections.


Although social media can pose threats to the public health by spreading misinformation and causing confusion, they can also provide wider access to health information and opportunities for health surveillance. The current study investigates the ways in which preventive health behaviors and norms can be promoted on social media by analyzing data from surveys and experiments conducted in the U.S. and South Korea. Survey results suggest that the pathway from social media use for COVID-19 information to mask-wearing behavior through mask-wearing norms emerges only among individuals with strong perceived social media literacy in the U.S. Experimental findings show that wear-a-mask campaign posts on social media foster mask-wearing norms and behavioral intention when they come with large (vs. small) virality metrics (e.g., Likes, shares) in both the U.S. and South Korea. Additionally, American users are more willing to engage with posts that come with supportive (vs. mixed) comments by Liking, sharing and commenting. The results highlight the need to cultivate social media literacy and opportunities for exploiting social media virality metrics for promoting public health norms and behaviors.


In view to proposing an alternative to oversized energy sources currently installed in electric vehicles for suburban transport, a direct hybrid fuel cell (FC)-supercapacitors (SC) source has been designed and tested on a test bench. The rated 15.6 kW source—with an air-cooled 5.6 kW FC and a 165 F SC storage device—was shown perfectly suited to traction of a 520 kg vehicle along the NEDC cycle, then validating the previously developed concept of a one-ton car propelled by a 10 kW FC in the rated 30 kW hybrid source for this cycle. In comparison with a FC used alone, hybridization was shown to allow the power demand for the cell to vary in quite a narrower range, as formerly observed. Moreover, the rates of fuel cell voltage and current generated in the driving cycle, were shown to be reduced by one order of magnitude by the direct hybridization which is to contribute to the FC durability. Two operating parameters were shown to have a significant effect on the hybrid source efficiency, namely the capacity of the SC at 110 or 165 F, and the recovery of deceleration power—emulated by an external power supply—which can decrease by 25% the fuel consumption in NEDC cycle conditions, as predicted by the model.


We describe the cases of three patients, under the care of the rheumatology service, who presented with osteonecrosis of the jaw whist on oral bisphosphonate therapy. The first case is of a 74-year-old woman with a 12 year history of sero-negative inflammatory arthritis, having been on oral steroids for 11 years, Methotrexate for the preceding 6 years, and oral bisphosphonates for 9 years. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed extensive jaw necrosis. The second patient was a 72-year-old woman with temporal arteritis, on long term oral steroids, and oral bisphosphonates presenting with jaw osteonecrosis. The third case is of an 81-year-old lady with a diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica on reducing dose of prednisolone along with calcium and vitamin D3 and oral bisphosphonate therapy as part of steroid induced prophylaxis guidelines. On reviewing the literature regarding bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw, there is indeed recognition of this occurring with oral bisphosphonates. However, this is far less common than with intravenous preparations. Reports to the UK MHRA regarding adverse reactions have shown 53 cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with oral bisphosphonates, but this is thought to represent under-reporting. We suggest consideration of patient counselling and consent, and preventive dental work prior to initiation of oral bisphosphonate therapy.


Purpose: Using the 64-channel multidetector-row computed tomographic venography (MDCT venography), we tried to know the incidence of the deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after total knee arthroplasty and the effectiveness of MDCT venography. Materials and Methods: From April 2006 to December 2006, two groups of 280 consecutive patients, who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty, were enrolled in this study. We performed antithrombotic chemotherapy on the patients who were confirmed to have symptomatic DVT. Results: For the first 140 consecutive cases, DVT was found in 48 (34%) patients and only 5 (3.6%) showed clinical symptoms of DVT. For the next 140 cases, 12 (8.6%) cases showed symptoms of DVT and in them 7 (5.0%) of these cases was diagnosed with symptomatic DVT. All the patients had recovered at the last follow-up and no other complications occurred in our series. Conclusion: Sixty four-channel MDCT venography is valuable as a diagnostic test for DVT after total knee arthroplasty in terms of efficacy and accuracy. Antithrombotic chemotherapy is recommended after confirming the diagnosis with MDCT venography only for the patients with symptoms of DVT.


The hepato-splanchnic circulation directly influences oxygenation of the abdominal organs and plays an important role in compensating for the blood volume reduction that occurs in the central circulation during hemodialysis (HD) with ultrafiltration. However, the hepato-splanchnic circulation and oxygenation cannot be easily evaluated in the clinical setting of HD therapy. We included 185 HD patients and 15 healthy volunteers as the control group in this study. Before HD, hepatic regional oxygen saturation (rSO2), a marker of hepatic oxygenation reflecting the hepato-splanchnic circulation and oxygenation, was monitored using an INVOS 5100c oxygen saturation monitor. Hepatic rSO2 was significantly lower in patients undergoing HD than in healthy controls (56.4 ± 14.9% vs. 76.2 ± 9.6%, p < 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis showed that hepatic rSO2 was independently associated with body mass index (BMI; standardized coefficient: 0.294), hemoglobin (Hb) level (standardized coefficient: 0.294), a history of cardiovascular disease (standardized coefficient: -0.157), mean blood pressure (BP; standardized coefficient: 0.154), and serum albumin concentration (standardized coefficient: 0.150) in Model 1 via a simple linear regression analysis. In Model 2 using the colloid osmotic pressure (COP) in place of serum albumin concentration, the COP (standardized coefficient: 0.134) was also identified as affecting hepatic rSO2. Basal hepatic oxygenation before HD might be affected by BMI, Hb levels, a history of cardiovascular disease, mean BP, serum albumin concentration, and the COP. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify whether changes in these parameters, including during HD, affect the hepato-splanchnic circulation and oxygenation in HD patients.


Backdrop INS Sudarshini, India's Sail Training Ship (STS), was sent on a commemorative expedition to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries for six months along the monsoon trade winds route to trace India's civilisational and cultural affinities and rejuvenate trade and maritime linkages with its neighbours in the East. The voyage was part of the commemoration of the successful completion of two decades of India's Look East Policy, 20 years of dialogue relations with ASEAN, and 10 years of India–ASEAN summit-level partnership. The expedition, a collaborative venture of India's Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, traced sea routes developed centuries ago, linking India with countries of the Southeast Asian region. The heartening reception of the INS Sudarshini expedition across the Southeast Asian region has underscored the point that India's maritime diplomacy has been a success in the region. The expedition also highlights the point that since India and Southeast Asia are immediate neighbours, there is a need to work towards ensuring greater connectivity between India and the countries of the region. As part of the commemoration, an India–ASEAN car rally was also organised, covering about 8,000 km and nine out of 10 ASEAN states. It is worth mentioning that India shares a land boundary with Myanmar and a maritime boundary with three Southeast Asian nations. The success of the INS Sudarshini expedition (and the India–ASEAN car rally) clearly indicates that compared to the situation during the 1980s and early 1990s, a substantive perceptual change has come about in the Southeast Asian approach towards India.


A Compton gamma imager has been developed for use in consequence management operations and in security investigations. The imager uses solid inorganic scintillator, known for robust performance in field survey conditions. The design was constrained in overall size by the requirement that it be person transportable and operable from a variety of platforms. In order to introduce minimal dead material in the path of the incoming and scattered gamma rays, custom silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), with a thin glass substrate, were used to collect the scintillation light from the scatter layers. To move them out of the path of the gamma rays, preamplification electronics for the silicon photomultipliers were located a distance from the imager. This imager, the Silicon photomultiplier Compton Telescope for Safety and Security (SCoTSS) is able to provide a one-degree image resolution in a ±45° field of view for a 10 mCi point source 40 m distant, within about one minute, for gamma-ray energies ranging from 344 keV to 1274 keV. Here, we present a comprehensive performance study of the SCoTSS imager.


The problem of jointly estimating the number as well as the parameters of 2-D sinusoidal signals, observed in the presence of an additive colored noise field, is considered. We begin by establishing the strong consistency of the nonlinear least squares estimator of the parameters of 2-D sinusoids, when the number of sinusoidal signals assumed in the field is incorrect. Based on these results, we prove the strong consistency of a new family of model order selection rules.


Drinking water is essential for man and cannot be replaced. In the public discussion the quality of drinking water is often presented in a one-sided way. This has led to great sensitivity and insecurity with the result that the intake of drinking water is often regarded as deleterious to human health. In this presentation it is attempted to demonstrate by the example of six metals and semi-metals in which way these substances are transmitted into water, how much the consumption of drinking water contributes to the total uptake, and whether a health risk can be derived from this source.


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are organisms that form mutualistic associations with most plants, favoring their development, especially those located in degraded areas. In order to identify the different predominant native AMF morphotypes, and determine the percentage of colonization, and spore density in soils of the Cumbaza sub-basin in San Martin, Peru, soil samples were taken from degraded areas of Chirikyacu, Vista Alegre, El Chontal, San Antonio de Cumbaza, Aucaloma and Shapumba, and they were associated with 4 legumes cover crops among them, Cajanus cajan, Canavalia ensiformis, Crotalaria juncea and Vigna unguiculata. A completely random design was used, considering 6 zones and 4 legumes with 3 replications. The results showed that the treatments with legumes had greater influence in the mycorrhizal colonization in comparison with the zones of study, being Vigna unguiculata the one that had greater colonization (75%). However, the number of spores was influenced mainly by the zones, where the Aucaloma treatment had the highest number (252 spores / 10 g of soil). Eleven native AMF morphotypes were identified, being those of the genus Acaulospora the most predominant.


The present work identify an island in the values of dimensionless parameter $\chi$ as +0.10 $<$ $\chi$ $<$ +0.55 outside which no magnetic rotational (MR) bands due to the repulsive interaction would be observed. The semi-classical calculations within the hybrid shears mechanism with the principal axis cranking model (HSPAC) reveal the possibility of the shears band due to the attractive interaction for nuclei in A $\sim$ 140 region. Though the limited information exists in literature, the HSPAC calculation exhibits the dipole bands above the 4389-keV and 4160-keV excited states in $^{145}$Sm and $^{146}$Eu nuclei, respectively, demand their candidature of the attractive shears bands. Other interesting consequence of the HSPAC calculations is the increasing nature of the $B(M1)$ and $B(E2)$ transition strengths with spin unlike the decreasing nature of the transition strengths ($B(M1)$ and $B(E2)$ values) of the MR bands. Thus measurement of the transition probability has been required on urgent basis to validate the strong candidature of such an extreme excitation mechanism in $^{145}$Sm and $^{146}$Eu nuclei.


In this research, the effects of the active learning approach in the Science studies teaching on knowledge level achievement were examined by using quantitative and qualitative data. The research was carried out on two different groups of the fifth class pupils of Seyranbaglan Primary School that is located in Cankaya, Ankara. Pre and post-tests with control group design were applied in the research. While (he conventional teaching approach was implemented in the control group, the active learning approach was implemented in the experimental group. The data in the research were obtained by pre-test, post-test and the opinions of the pupils. The unit test was developed by the researcher. In the analysis of the quantitative data, mean, Standard deviation and the t test in independent groups were used. The findings can be summarized as follows: A significant difference was found in the means of the knowledge level gain scores between the active learning approach treated in the Science course experimental group and the conventional teaching approach treated in the Science course group. The means of the experimental group was better than the control group.


Topography has major impacts on the trade-off of plant survival strategies. Exploring the differential pattern of leaf ecological stoichiometry along the elevation gradient contributes to a better understanding of plant's response to environmental changes and its ecological adaptability. We investigated leaf C, N, and P concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of Leontopodium leontopodioides at three elevations, including from 4400 m to 4700 m, from 4701 m to 5000 m, and from 5001 m to 5300 m, on the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. The results showed that the concentrations of leaf C, N, and P of L. leontopodioides were 405.36 g·kg-1, 18.42 g·kg-1 and 0.94 g·kg-1, respectively. Leaf C/N, C/P, and N/P were 22.67, 467.61 and 20.30, respectively. The concentrations of leaf N and P of L. leontopodioides consistently increased with the increases of elevation. The coefficient of variations for leaf C, N and P concentrations and ratios of L. leontopodioides were all less than 30%, with an order of P (30%) > C/P (29%) > C/N (18%) > N (17%) > N/P (15%) > C (3%). The growth of L. leontopodioides on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was mainly limited by P availability.


Suspension threads are used to lift lax facial skin; however, there is concern about the safety of combining suspension threads with microfocused ultrasound (MFU) as it may change the structure and integrity of suspension threads or cause an inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of combining suspension threads with MFU in the face and neck. The structure and integrity of suspension threads was tested in an ex vivo animal model, an in vitro hot water bath and clinically in a human subject. Safety and subject satisfaction was assessed in a retrospective study. The structure and integrity of poly-L-lactic acid, polyethylene and polyamide threads was confirmed in an in vitro hot water bath and exposure to MFU in an ex vivo animal model. Clinically, exposure of poly-L-lactic acid threads to MFU resulted in greater neocollagenesis after 3 months compared to MFU alone. Among subjects treated with combined procedures (N=48), Aging Face Scale scores were significantly decreased after 90 days (P<0.001) and overall Satisfaction Scale scores were significantly increased after 90 days and 1 year (for each, P<0.001). There were no unexpected adverse events. Combining suspension threads with MFU is safe and results in greater efficacy by increasing neocollagenesis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(4):367-370. doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.4771.


The light-induced absorbance change at 518 nm of isolated chloroplasts consists of a rapid phase, and a slow phase which is complete in about 20 sec. The slow component of the 518 nm absorbance change correlates with the light-induced change in 90 degrees light scattering at 518 nm. Both show a similar time course, similar pH dependence with a maximum at pH 6.0, and similar sensitivity to inhibitors and to treatment of the chloroplasts with a low concentration of glutaraldehyde. Their light minus dark difference spectra are similar with maxima at about 520 nm. It is concluded that they are manifestations of the same phenomenon, and the slow absorbance increase at 518 nm is due to enhanced scattering. It is proposed that the light-induced changes in scattering at 518 nm reflect alterations in selective dispersion, due to proton uptake and conformational changes in the chloroplast thylakoid membrane.


We evaluated the effects of an activity schedule embedded within an iPad on varied play across applications. After establishing a pattern of repetitive gameplay, we taught three children with autism to follow the activity schedule using physical guidance. All participants increased their varied play to four applications per session and demonstrated independent and accurate activity schedule usage. The activity schedule was removed, and responding decreased to baseline levels, demonstrating the activity schedule's control over varied responding. The activity schedule was reintroduced and participant responding maintained when engaging with novel applications.


The advent of the big data age has changed the landscape for statisticians. Public and private organizations alike these days are interested in capturing and analyzing complex customer data in order to improve their service and drive efficiency gains. However, the large volume of data involved often means that standard statistical methods fail and new ways of thinking are needed. Although great gains can be obtained through the use of more advanced computing environments or through developing sophisticated new statistical algorithms that handle data in a more efficient way, there are also many simpler things that can be done to handle large data sets in an efficient and intuitive manner. These include the use of distributed analysis methodologies, clever subsampling, data coarsening, and clever data reductions that exploit concepts such as sufficiency. These kinds of strategies represent exciting opportunities for statisticians to remain front and center in the data science world.


Background and objectives: Infection is the commonest cause of thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia associated with fever helps to narrow differential diagnosis and management of fever. It also helps to know the various complications of thrombocytopenia and its management. Methods: 500 patients aged >18 years with fever and thrombocytopenia between July 2013 – October 2013 were included for this study. Results: Infection was the commonest cause of thrombocytopenia and malaria was the commonest infections. Bleeding manifestations were seen. Petechiae/ purpura as the commonest bleeding manifestation followed by spontaneous bleeding. Conclusion: Infections, particularly malaria was the commonest cause of fever with thrombocytopenia. In majority of patients thrombocytopenia was transient and asymptomatic but in significant number of cases there was bleeding manifestations. Spontaneous bleeding was noted in platelet count of < 20,000 in majority of patients, petechiae/purpura was seen in platelet count in range of 50,000-1, 00, 000. On treating the specific cause drastic improvement in platelet count was noted during discharge and further follow –up.


State education departments and school districts face an important challenge in implementing a new law that requires disadvantaged students to be held to the same standards as other students. The new requirements come from provisions of the 1994 reauthorization of Title I, the largest federal effort in precollegiate education, which provides aid to "level the field" for disadvantaged students. Testing, Teaching, and Learning is written to help states and school districts comply with the new law, offering guidance for designing and implementing assessment and accountability systems. This book examines standards-based education reform and reviews the research on student assessment, focusing on the needs of disadvantaged students covered by Title I. With examples of states and districts that have track records in new systems, the committee develops a practical "decision framework" for education officials. The book explores how best to design assessment and accountability systems that support high levels of student learning and to work toward continuous improvement. Testing, Teaching, and Learning will be an important tool for all involved in educating disadvantaged studentsa "state and local administrators and classroom teachers.


Abstract A covariance computer capable of accepting analog signals representing any two atmospheric variables is described. The instrument computes the covariance in a frequency band governed at high frequencies by the sensor response times and at low frequencies by capacitive filters. With vertical wind velocity as one input, the instrument has been successfully used for measurement of Reynolds stress, sensible heat flux, and the sum of sensible and latent heats. Given suitable sensors, direct measurement of other fluxes, such as those of CO2 and water vapor, should be possible. The instrument is small and portable. Power consumption is ∼2 W.


【Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress and constipation in female high school students. Method: Data were collected using a structural questionnaire which included general characteristics, stress and the status of stool elimination. Data collection was done between May 27th and 29th with 331 female high school students. Result: The degree of stress for the participants was 3.52 and 51.7% reported constipation. This result shows that stress was significantly related to constipation. Conclusion: Nursing education program should be developed to prevent serious health problem in female high school students.】


In my opinion, the problem of a 'critical hematocrit' can be summarized in five contentions: First, it is inadmissible to label any single hemoglobin or hematocrit value as being generally acceptable, the reason being, second, that the adequate values differ between patients and sometimes also between various stages of their individual course--for instance during the intra- and the postoperative period. Third, a hemoglobin or hematocrit within the normal range constitutes a natural buffer against encroachments upon the oxygen supply from non-Hb causes. Intentional manipulation of this buffer requires a careful assessment of potential benefits vs. risks. Fourth, a patient in otherwise perfect condition tolerates a hemoglobin or hematocrit below 10 g/dl or 30%, respectively, down to approximately 8 g/dl or 25%- but tolerance is not necessarily equivalent to an optimum. And fifth, the patient most dependent on his 'hemoglobin buffer' is the individual who has to overcome troubles without the monitoring facilities of an intensive care unit, for instance in the peripheral hospital equipped only for primary care.


A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master's of Science in Materials Science and Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology


This is a qualitative descriptive study with the aim to analyze the self-care of elderly cancer patients undergoing outpatient treatment, from the perspective of their autonomy. Fifteen elderly individuals undergoing treatment in a blood-oncology outpatient center of a university hospital participated in the research. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews conducted in 2010. Independence and ability for self-care by the elderly patients were evaluated using the Katz and Lawton scales. The data collected were submitted to thematic analysis. Four categories were identified: manifestations of self-care of elderly cancer patients; care in the family and its dynamics; adaptation to the limitations of the disease; and living with finiteness. In conclusion, the autonomy for self-care of the elderly patients is manifested in the concern with diet, knowing their bodies' limits, the changes imposed by living with cancer and family support. DESCRIPTORS: Nursing. Self-care. Neoplasms. Health of the elderly. Personal autonomy.


It is argued that the signature for the formation of a high-density isomeric state of nucleon matter containing a pion condensate in a relativistic heavy-ion collision will be the copious production of delayed neutrons with energies of order 10 MeV.


In this work, the dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma actuator was employed to study the flow structures induced by the plasma actuator over a flat plate and a wall-mounted hump. A phenomenological dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma model which regarded the plasma effect as the body force was implemented into the Navier–Stokes equations solved by the method of large eddy simulations. The results show that a series of vortex pairs, which indicated dipole formation and periodicity distribution were generated in the boundary layer when the plasma was applied to the flow over a flat plane. They would enhance the energy exchanged between the near wall region and the free stream. Besides, their spatial trajectories are deeply affected by the actuation strength. When the actuator was engaged in the flow over a wall-mounted hump, the vortex pairs were also produced, which was able to delay flow separation as well as to promote flow reattachment and reduce the generation of a vortex, achieving the goal of reducing dissipation and decreasing flow resistance.


ABSTRACT Slow-growing bacteria are insensitive to killing by antibiotics, a trait known as antibiotic tolerance. In this study, we characterized the genetic basis of an unusually robust β-lactam (meropenem) tolerance seen in Burkholderia species. We identified tolerance genes under three different slow-growth conditions by extensive transposon mutant sequencing (Tn-seq), followed by single mutant validation. There were three principal findings. First, mutations in a small number of genes reduced tolerance under multiple conditions. Most of the functions appeared to be specific to peptidoglycan synthesis and the response to its disruption by meropenem action rather than being associated with more general physiological processes. The top tolerance genes are involved in immunity toward a type VI toxin targeting peptidoglycan (BTH_I0069), peptidoglycan recycling (ldcA), periplasmic regulation by proteolysis (prc), and an envelope stress response (rpoE and degS). Second, most of the tolerance functions did not contribute to growth in the presence of meropenem (intrinsic resistance), indicating that the two traits are largely distinct. Third, orthologues of many of the top Burkholderia thailandensis tolerance genes were also important in Burkholderia pseudomallei. Overall, these studies show that the determinants of meropenem tolerance differ considerably depending on cultivation conditions, but that there are a few shared functions with strong mutant phenotypes that are important in multiple Burkholderia species.


The primary objective of this paper is to analyse the synchronization phenomena in a coupled friction-induced oscillator consisting of two cantilever beams with tip-masses subjected to base excitations. The coupling is achieved by connecting a linear spring between the tip-masses which are in frictional contact with a rigid rotating disc. The Pearson time correlation coefficient is used to measure the strength and mode of synchronization between the oscillations of the coupled system. Periodicity of the motions is determined by evaluating the Poincaré map wherein the zero velocity crossing from positive to negative is considered as the Poincaré section. The fundamental frequency of the coupled motion and its harmonics are obtained from the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the time responses. A bifurcation study is conducted to identify the periodicity of motion of both the uncoupled and coupled systems. The coupled system is found to be synchronized for the single-periodic, multi-periodic and quasi-periodic motions, but not for chaotic motions. Multiple basins of attractions (BA) of initial conditions corresponding to different synchronization characteristics are observed. The coupled system shows a large dependence of the mass ratio detuning factor (MRDF) on the synchronization characteristics; in-phase synchronization is obtained for smaller MRDF which eventually becomes out-of-phase for larger MRDF. A special study conducted confirms that the coupling can be used to control the amplitude as well as the stick-phase of motion in friction oscillators.


A high-power KrF laser system was developed on the basis of a large-aperture excimer laser with electronbeam pumping and injection control by an electric-discharge master oscillator. The spectral brightness of the radiation of line width ~0.1 cm-1, tunable near λ = 248 nm, was ~5 × 1014 W cm-2 sr-1 per cm-1 at a peak power of ~1 GW.


In this paper the authors examine the determinants of NPL ratio using a cross-county analysis from the sample of 25 emerging countries. Using the panel data approach, determinants of NPL are analysed for the period from 2000 to 2011. The main aim of this paper is to draw a relevant econometric model, to demonstrate the impact of independent variables on the dependent variable by using static and dynamic model estimation techniques. The results show that NPLs rate can be mainly explained by crucial macroeconomic factors, such as the GDP and inflation rate, and bank-specific factors, such as ROA, CAP and lagged NPLs rate.


This paper presents a novel dynamic structural neural network (DSNN) and a learning algorithm for training DSNN. The performance of a neural network system depends on several factors. In that, the architecture of a neural network plays an important role. The objective of the developing DSNN is to avoid trial-and-error process for designing a neural network system. The architecture of DSNN consists of a three-dimensional set of neurons with input/output nodes and connection weights. Designers can define the maximum connection number of each neuron. Moreover, designers can manually deploy neurons in a virtual 3D space, or randomly generate the system structure by the proposed learning algorithm. This work also develops an automatic restructuring algorithm integrated in the proposed learning algorithm to improve the system performance. Due to the novel dynamic structure of DSNN and the restructuring algorithm, the design of DSNN is fast and convenient. Furthermore, DSNN is implemented in C++ with man-machine interactive procedures and tested on many cases with promising results.


Abstract The Katowice conurbation is situated in the Upper-Silesian Coal Basin, in a region which had high rate of water inflow in the pre-mining period. In order to make deposits of mineral resources accessible, it was, and still is, necessary provide mines with a draining system, which now reaches as deep as 1200 m. The area of the depression sink which was thus created is about 1200 km2. Currently, all metal ore mines within the conurbation, as well as part of coal mines, have been closed down, but water which flows into them is still pumped out due to the legal obligation to protect neighbouring operating mines. After the operation and drainage of mines cease, water coming to abandoned excavations will begin restoring static reserves in the orogen, which, depending on hydrological conditions, will take between several and a few dozen years. As the level of underground water rises, the process of subsidence of old shallow mining excavations will intensify, and many depressions may appear in highly urbanized areas. In areas of mining subsidence, the underground water-table will be close to the surface, causing flooding of basements and building foundations, and the deepest subsidence basins will probably be completely flooded. Current location of operating mines on the northern and southern sides of the conurbation with the central belt of drained excavations is unfavourable for its sustainable development. A solution, which would make it possible for the conurbation to grow, would be to close down and flood the mines on the northern side as soon as their mining concessions expire, which will be in early 2020s. Then, the area would regain its original stability within a decade and all kinds of construction activities could be carried out there. That, however, requires authorities of municipalities to object to the extension of concessions for mines, which may be impossible to obtain due to fears of social discontent resulting from miners - residents of those municipalities - being made redundant.


Dear Sir, I congratulate Patsouras et al. [1] for their discussion of the colo-anal pull-through procedure in the hostile pelvis for complex fistula and recurrent cancer and other eclectic rectal pathologies. It is timely to see a resurrection of an important pelvic procedure where current colorectal trainees are often unaware of the historical alternatives available in their surgical armamentarium for rectal and anal reconstruction. Extramucosal dissection of the rectum was first proposed by Romualdi in 1955 but published in 1960 [2] and popularized by Kiesewetter and Turner for use in highly complex congenital anorectal anomalies [3]. Soave modified his rectosigmoidectomy after Romualdi for high anorectal anomalies with a urethral fistula and was the first to translate its use to Hirschprung's disease [4]. The discoverer of the cause of Hirschprung's disease, Orvar Swenson, performed a pull-through for this condition in 1948 [5]; where the Swenson procedure leaves a small portion of diseased bowel above the anastomosis, the Soave (or Soave Boley) operation leaves the outer rectal wall untouched as an endorectal pull-through and the Duhamel procedure re-anastomoses the bowel as a retrorectal pull-through procedure. The Turnbull Cutait operation mentioned by Patsouras et al. [1] was popular for low rectal cancers prior to the era of stapling in the 1960s and 1970s when my mentors Sir Edward Hughes and Alan Cuthbertson modified the operation and used to leave the fully mobilized left colon exposed through the anus in the ward after complete splenic flexure mobilization. Secondary colo-anal anastomosis was performed or adherence resulted in some cases after determination of its delayed viability and subsequent amputation. The function of these patients in the days before more objective severity assessment was, in our experience, very poor effectively leaving patients with a perineal colostomy. Later data from Remzi et al. [6], however, showed urgency and pad use in only one third of Turnbull Cutait cases, with a broadly comparable continence status to a matched set of patients undergoing conventional colo-anal anastomosis. The only concern with endorectal pull-through variants is the development of a supra-anastomotic (intrapelvic) stricture which could potentially be obviated by an anterior rectotomy at the time of the pull-through procedure, however that is performed. A. Zbar Assia Colorectal Group, Tel Aviv, Israel E-mail: email@example.com


Since the 1960s, a number of engineering design theories and methodologies have been proposed aiming at explaining the nature of design activity scientifically. In this paper, we discuss what these engineering design theories could mean to fashion designers. Since, in the engineering design theories, the analysis synthesis evaluation (ASE) paradigm, which is believed to have originated in the process of mathematical proving and making scientific theories, is widely held, the theories could contribute the understanding of the nature of fashion design as far as the fashion design activity is rational in a scientific sense. However, in the fashion design process, designers develop and validate solutions to fulfill consumers' "body expression function" which largely involves subjective sensation. Therefore, the engineering design theories cannot be applied to the fashion design directly. After examining why it cannot be applied to the fashion design, we will discuss if there are any other ways to implement a theory of fashion design by referring to the Christopher Alexander later theory of design.


Background: Urethral Prolapse is a rare benign condition that is often misdiagnosed by clinicians. Objectives: To report the clinical presentations and outcomes of urethral prolapse in Nigerian pre-menarcheal girls and to review the literature. Methods: This retrospective study was undertaken from February 21, 2015 back to January 1st, 2010. The clinical presentations and outcomes of cases of urethral prolapse managed in Enugu with complete surgical excisions were reviewed. Results: There were five cases of pre-menarcheal urethral prolapses. Their ages ranged from 2 to 10 years with a mean age of 6.6 years. The case presentations were mass in the vagina (4/5, 80%), asymptomatic (3/5, 60%), bleeding per vagina (1/5, 20%), and dysuria (1/5, 20%). Four cases (4/5, 80%) were misdiagnosed with the parents suspecting sexual assault in 3 (3/5, 60%) children. The outcomes of the surgical excisions were uneventful in four (4/5, 80%) cases. One child (1/5, 20%) had postoperative acute retention of urine. There was no urinary incontinence or recurrence of urethral prolapse after the excisions. Conclusions: Urethral prolapse is rare and often misdiagnosed by clinicians. The outcomes of complete surgical excisions were uneventful in most cases.


P667 – Table 1 Effect Univariate Multivariate Estimate Lower 95% CL Upper 95% CL pvalue Estimate Lower 95% CL Upper 95% CL p-value SLV (GTN) -0.84 -3.45 1.77 0.529 SLV (salb) -3.17 -6.57 0.23 0.069 -3.03 -5.81 -0.25 0.033 LCBI -4.35 -4.95 -3.75 0.000 -5.10 -5.75 -4.46 0.000 PAV -4.77 -9.95 0.41 0.072 12.65 7.80 17.51 0.000 RI 6.74 -0.06 13.54 0.053 6.36 0.77 11.95 0.026 Clinical presentation -26.15 -73.51 21.22 0.289 -36.63 -81.02 7.75 0.106 was associated with changes in plaque volume (β coefficient: -0.06, 95% CI (-0.09 to -0.02), p=0.001). There is poor correlation between atheroma volume growth and plaque compositional change (β coefficient -0.35, p=0.721). Conclusions: Epicardial coronary endothelial dependent function is a major determinant of LRP progression irrespective of the nature of clinical presentation. P668 | BEDSIDE Correlation of diastolic dysfunction echocardiogram with mortality and morbidity in heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction H. Bahrami1, P. Heidenreich2. 1University of Southern California, Cardiovascular Medicine, Radiology, and Preventive Medicine, Los Angeles, United States of America; 2Stanford University, Palo Alto, United States of America Background: While 2012 ESC guidelines include diastolic dysfunction (DD) on echocardiogram as one of the criteria for diagnosis of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the 2013 ACCF/AHA guidelines does not include echo findings of diastolic dysfunction in the definition of HFpEF. Purpose: To investigate the relationship of DD in echocardiogram with mortality and hospitalization for HF. Methods: We identified 2,914 patients in the Veteran Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System who had an LVEF>50% and measures of diastolic function. DD was defined based on 2016 ASE/ESCI criteria as having at least 3/4 criteria: TR gradient>30 mmHg, LA enlargement, abnormal E', and abnormal E/E'. We analyzed the associations of abnormal diastolic function with mortality and hospitalization. In multivariate analysis we controlled for demographics, common lab values, comorbidities and left ventricular hypertrophy on echo. Results: Average (SD) age of studied participants was 74 (11) years; patients were predominantly male (95.6%), 9% of them were African Americans, and the mean LVEF was 60% (SD 5%). 1,074 patients (37%) had DD on echocardiogram. Presence of DD was associated with increased age (p<0.01), history of myocardial infarction (p<0.01) and HF (p<0.01) within two years prior to echocardiogram, diabetes (P: 0.01), and renal dysfunction (p<0.01); but not with race, gender, hypertension, or other comorbidities such as malignancies and COPD. Patients with DD had significantly higher 1-year mortality rate (14% vs. 11.0%, p:0.02), all cause hospitalization at one year (42% vs. 37%, p:0.02), HF hospitalization at one year (7% vs 3.5%, p<0.01), and the composite outcomes of 1-year mortality or hospitalization (54% vs 47%, p<0.01). Similar trends were seen when limited to those with a prior diagnosis of HF (more HF admissions at one year in the DD group 13% vs. 9%, p=0.02). In multivariable analysis, DD was significantly associated with 1-year HF admissions (odds ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.06–2.22) but not with 1-year mortality (OR 1.21, 0.93–1.59). Conclusions: Diastolic dysfunction on echocardiogram is associated with mortality and hospitalization in patients with normal LVEF. The relationship is strongest for subsequent hospitalization for HF. Acknowledgement/Funding: K23 award from National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), K23HL128164. P669 | BEDSIDE Value of combined volumetric and computational fluid dynamic analysis in predicting abdominal aortic aneurysms rapid growth L. Bal-Theoleyre1, O. Meyrignac2, C. Zadro2, M. Gaudry1, M. De Masi1, B. Saint-Lebes3, A. Jacquier4, P. Piquet1, R. Moreno5, H. Rousseau2 on behalf of INSERM UMR 1048. 1Hospital La Timone of Marseille, Vascular medecine and surgery, aortic center, Marseille, France; 2Toulouse Rangueil University Hospital (CHU), Radiology, Toulouse, France; 3Toulouse Rangueil University Hospital (CHU), Vascular surgery, Toulouse, France; 4Hospital La Timone of Marseille, Radiology, Marseille, France; 5Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Toulouse, France Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysmal disease is a major health problem with rupture as catastrophic complication. Maximal diameter is the main prognosis evaluation tool to decide elective repair (≥55mm), but this criterion can't accurately predict AAAs evolution. Innovative in vivo imaging tools could improve prevention management towards a patient-specific assessment of aneurysm growth risk. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify volumetric and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) parameters to predict AAA rapid growth. Material and methods: In this multi-centric and prospective study, we included 78 patients with small AAA (≥40mm) between September 2012 and June 2014. Patients underwent two CT examinations separated by a one-year interval to assess aneurysms growth. Fifty patients were eligible for CFD analysis. Based on a 10 ml threshold of total volume progression, we classified patients into slow and rapid growth groups. Initial aneurysm morphological and functional parameters were analyzed including: maximal diameter and surface, thrombus and lumen volumes, maximal wall pressure and wall shear stress (WSS). Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding aneurysm lumen volume (P=0.0051) and mean WSS variation (P=0.0240) unlike maximal diameter (46.3±0.7 vs. 46.9±0.4, P=0.71). We found a significant correlation between lumen volume (R=0.47, P=0.0015), reduction of the mean WSS variation value (R=-0.42, P=0.0062) and total aneurysm volume growth. We further used these parameters to compute a model to predict the growth of AAAs, displaying better area under ROC than the only measurement of maximal diameter (0.75 vs 0.52, P=0.0037). Depending on the threshold, our model yields either excellent sensitivity (95.00% [IC95% 75.1, 99.9]) or specificity (90.00% [IC95% 73.5, 97.9]). Conclusion: Combined analysis of lumen volume and WSS provides better information than maximal diameter to assess rapid volume growth risk. Acknowledgement/Funding: INSERM Grant and Ap-HM iPHRC funding P670 | BEDSIDE Predictive value of abdominal aortic calcification index for the mid-term cardiovascular events among patients with acute coronary syndrome H. Horibe1, H. Oishi1, Y. Yamase1, C. Ueyama1, N. Ikehara1, N. Akita1, T. Shigeta1, K. Yajima1, T. Hibino1, T. Kondo1, T. Kawamiya2, S. Suzuki2, H. Ishii2, T. Murohara2. 1Gifu Prefectural Tajimi Hospital, Dept, of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tajimi, Japan; 2Nagoya University, Dept, of Cardiology, Nagoya, Japan Background: Previous studies have shown the relationship between abdominal aortic calcification and cardiovascular events (CVEs) in several populations. We previously reported the utility of the abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI), semi-quantitative measurement of abdominal aortic calcification, for predicting CVEs among asymptomatic chronic kidney disease subjects without hemodialysis. However, the predictive value of ACI for CVEs among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been determined definitively. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of ACI for CVEs in patients with ACS. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 218 patients with ACS, who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention to the culprit coronary vessel without in-hospital adverse events. All patients were scanned using a 64-slice non contrast CT scan, from which images were obtained with a 5-mm slice thickness. The cross-section of the abdominal aorta on each slice was radially divided to 12 segments. Abdominal aortic calcification sore was calculated from the takeoff of the renal artery to the bifurcation of the aorta. ACI was calculated as follows: ACI = (total score for calcification on all slice)/12 × 1/(number of slices) × 100 (%). CVEs (cardiovascular death, recurrent of acute coronary syndrome, or stroke) were evaluated during follow-up periods. A predictor of CVEs was determined by Cox proportional hazard models. Net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were calculated to assess whether the accuracy of predicting CVEs would improve after adding ACI into baseline model with other traditional risk factors. Results: During follow-up periods (median 19.1 months), a total of 21 CVEs ocDownloaded from https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article-abstract/38/suppl_1/ehx501.P667/4087962 by guest on 29 July 2018


Otosclerosis is an otic capsule disorder that leads to progressive conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss due to stapes footplate fixation and cochlear bone involvement.

The disorder is bilateral in 70% of patients and it usually starts between the third and fifth decade. One of its characteristic clinical findings is Schwartze sign which refers to a reddish discoloration over the promontory seen beyond the intact tympanic membrane. Schwartze sign, also known as Flemingo's flush sign or Rising sun sign is believed to be associated with otospongiosis which is the active phase of the disease.

The prevalence of Schwartze sign is estimated to be 10%. The prevalence of bilateral sign has not been reported, but it is presumed to be too low.

Herein, we introduce a patient with bilateral positive Schwartze sign. A twenty two year old woman with bilateral hearing loss came to our clinic. She also complained from non pulsating tinnitus in both ears since one year ago. On physical examination, bilateral schwartze sign with an intact tympanic membrane was noted (Fig.1).

Fig 1

Ootoscopic View

The audiometric evaluation showed a conductive hearing loss with speech reception threshold of 50 dB and 30 dB for the right and left ear respectively. Sodium fluoride 8mg every 8 hours was prescribed for three months. She noticed partial improvement during the treatment and on her otoscopic exam, the Schwartze sign was reduced. Then stapedotomy was scheduled for the right ear (the worse ear in regard to the hearing & tinnitus). The surgery went uneventful and she proved to be much better afterwards. Her right ear tinnistus has gone completely and the speech reception threshold has changed from 45 dB preoperatively to 10 dB postoperatively.

It seems that the surgery remains a therapeutic option, when the active phase of the disease is stabilized even following a short course of pharmacologic therapy.


Maintainability is an essential software quality attribute as software maintenance is a costly process. ISO 9126 characterised maintainability with five sub-characteristics, one of which is stability. Unstable software may lead to high maintenance cost and effort. Classes in object-oriented systems form the basic elements of the software architecture; hence, stable classes may contribute to reducing the software maintenance cost and effort. In this study, the author conducts an empirical study to evaluate the relationship between class stability and maintainability. The author correlates class stability with maintainability effort measured by the number of hours spent on maintenance activities and by the line of code changes. Results show that classes with higher values of stability measured by the class stability metric (CSM) are associated with a lower value of perfective maintenance effort measured by hours. CSM also correlated with all types of maintenance (corrective, adaptive and perfective) if measured for the cumulatively combined system classes in all iterations rather than per iteration. The author also found that none of the stability metrics show a relationship with maintainability when measured by number of line of code changes.


Identifying and characterizing somatic variants in deep genome sequence data from tumor samples remains challenging and time-consuming. Of special interest in cancer research and diagnostics is the detection and annotation of rare subclonal somatic variants found only in a small proportion of primary tumor cells. Such variants can drive tumor spread and recurrence, but are often neglected in choosing treatments. Currently, few tools reliably distinguish such rare subclonal variants from sequencing errors. And even among real somatic variants, drivers (of tumor growth, spread, or resistance) are hard to distinguish from passengers. Doing so entails integrating diverse information on variants, genes, pathways, cancer-relevant phenotypes, and treatments (including insights on population allele frequencies and broader evolutionary conservation; known/likely effects on gene product structure, function, expression, and interaction; and relations among gene products, phenotypes, and drugs). Software for effectively integrating such data in light of genomic variation in samples, to highlight relevant findings through clear visualization, has been a pressing need. Here we present an end-to-end analysis workflow for finding and functionally characterizing rare subclonal variants, using the newly developed CLC Cancer Research Workbench to feed the interpretive platform of Ingenuity Variant Analysis, to identify cancer driver mutations in paired tumor/normal samples. We will show new interesting results from this analysis, which were not shown beforehand on this publicly available cancer dataset (Case Reports in Oncological Medicine, Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 270362) from a patient with massive acinic cell carcinoma. Citation Format: Anika Joecker, Nathan Pearson, Cecilie Boysen, Naomi Thomson, Anne-Mette Hein, Bodil Oster, Anne Arens, Bjarne Knudsen, Thomas Knudsen, Dan Richards, Roald Forsberg. An automatic pipeline to find and annotate rare subclonal somatic variants in a paired tumor/normal sample. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2227. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2227


Abstract Ceramics are among the most studied findings, one of the best markers for providing technological and functional information in archaeological contexts. Their chemical-mineralogical characterization allows to answer a large number of historical-archaeological questions about classification, provenance, production technologies, trade routes, economic exchange, etc. The best methodological approach not only integrates morphological-stylistic studies to the archaeometric ones, but also includes a synergic instrumental strategy aimed both to take advantage of each different analytical technique to the best of its potentiality and to over step the problems connected to the preciousness and uniqueness of the objects. As far as the mineralogical and petrographical composition of preindustrial ceramics is concerned, its determination is crucial to answer provenance and technological issues like raw materials procurement and the production processes in this respect, equivalent firing temperature, redox atmosphere during firing are important factors that help in understanding the relevant mineralogical and micro-structural transformations. In this paper, we illustrate how an integrated approach of analytical techniques, tested on different classes of ceramics – pottery with spathic calcite, Apulian red figure pottery and technical ceramics – can provide answers to archaeological questions.


This paper discusses planning guidelines at the neighborhood residential areas in consideration of wind flow in Malaysia. It aims to reduce the energy consumption particularly from the usage of home air conditioners. Natural wind flow is one of the most effective methods to help achieve the energy saving objectives in large cities especially under the tropical climate like Malaysia. This paper presents the results of several wind tunnel tests on selected neighborhood residential areas in the Johor Bahru Metropolitan City. Moreover, the wind environment evaluation of the selected case study areas under the climate conditions of the city was carried out. The results of the evaluation shows that the mean wind velocities at 1.5m height of some of the Malaysian terraced houses cases were in the comfort zone particularly during the northeast monsoon period. Nevertheless, both in the southwest monsoon period and the inter monsoon period, although the mean values of wind velocity ratio of the Malaysian terrace houses had been slightly higher than the trend line of the Japanese apartment houses, the mean wind velocities in all the cases in the Johor Bahru City and Japan did not reach the required comfort zones.


The book provides inside information on Private Equity Healthcare investments starting from theory followed by Private Equity Healthcare deals and Healthcare Sector analysis, ending with the description of main value adding drivers of Private Equity investments in the Healthcare Sector participants, focusing on healthcare service provider and pharmaceutical companies. The main objective of the book is to analyze both private and public data on individuals' health conditions, spending and pharmaceutical companies and to define the investment profitability based on the obtained results. The book is highly recommended for investors, also called Financial Buyers, e.g. Private Equity firms, Investment Banks, Leveraged-Buyout shops, Wealth Management and Private Bankers, investing in the Healthcare Sector targets which generate consistent cash flows over ownership periods and provide favorable exit opportunities, creating additional value in the holding period. In addition, the book is useful for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students interested in Private Equity as an alternative investment strategy.


In video games, a wide range of characters make up the world players inhabit. These characters, NPCs, have traits, such as their appearance and speech accent, that determine certain things about them, including moral inclination, levels of trustworthiness, social class, levels of education, and ethnic background. But what does an accent say about a character in a video game? We use deep learning to train a neural network to detect speech accents and establish the degree to which machines can be used to recognize these accents. This research aims to help sociolinguists and discourse analysts establish critical study and content analytical findings for instance about stereotypical uses of speech accents, to better analyze who has what accent in video games, and what kind of language ideologies and social value judgments the use of accents in games construct and perpetuate. This paper presents the results of the first deep learning experiments, which were conducted on Standard North American, British Received Pronunciation, and Spanish English. We discuss our methodological considerations and some early deep learning results, which show relatively low levels of accuracy (61%). We discuss possibilities of improving our method, and of enriching our training datasets.