BACKGROUND
We previously developed a mouse model of breast cancer that mimics human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by inactivating the Retinoblastoma (Rb), Transformation related protein 53 (p53), and Breast cancer 1 (Brca1) pathways in the mammary gland. Despite inactivation of all three tumor suppressors throughout the epithelium, low tumor multiplicity indicated that malignant carcinoma progression requires additional oncogenic stimuli.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In order to identify collaborating genetic events, we performed integrated analysis of 18 tumors (eight tumors with inactivation of pRbf/Brca1/p53 and ten tumors with inactivation of pRbf/p53) using comparative genomic hybridization and global gene expression. We then conducted flow cytometric analysis, immunostaining, tumorsphere, and cell viability assays.

RESULTS
Copy number aberrations were correlated with the transcript levels of 7.55% of genes spanned by the altered genomic regions. Recurrent genomic losses spanning large regions of chromosomes 4 and 10 included several cell death genes. Among the amplified genes were well-known drivers of tumorigenesis including Wingless-related MMTV integration site 2 (Wnt2), as well as potentially novel driver mutations including the Late cornified envelope (LCE) gene family. These tumors have a stem/luminal progenitor phenotype and active β-catenin signaling. Tumorsphere formation and cell survival are suppressed by Wnt pathway inhibitors.

CONCLUSION
Our novel mouse model mimics human TNBC and provides a platform to triage the pathways that underlie malignant tumor progression.


We have mapped the problem of the primitive path statistics of an entangled lattice polymer onto the conceptually simple problem of a biased 1d random walk with a reflecting barrier at one end. We give explicit solutions for the distribution of primitive path lengths in the discrete and continuum cases. Special cases of our results were obtained previously by Helfand and Pearson; while we confirm their results, our approach has the advantage of being more transparent, and thus more amenable to interesting extensions.


Maintaining a degree of mobility is of prime importance to the majority of people, especially for activities such as shopping and going on holiday. However, few people are aware of the wide range of wheelchairs that are available to assist with maintaining independent mobility. This article looks at the needs of wheelchair users and the practical considerations of the prescription of an appropriate wheelchair.


The primary concern of the present study is to examine the
 impact of cross-listing on the stock market growth. The theoretical
 framework for the research was developed by taking the members of the
 World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) as statistical frame. For analysis
 and statistical calculations in the study a Structural Equation
 Modelling (SEM) technique is used. The results suggest a significant and
 positive impact of cross-listing on stock market growth indicators
 except on the value of share trading. The study concludes that
 cross-listing is fruitful for stock market growth of host stock
 exchanges. It recommends that host countries should create conducive
 environment for offshore listing. Keywords: Cross-listing, Domestic
 Listing, Market Capitalisation, Equity Shares and Stock Index


ABSTRACT We have developed simple, greener, safer multicomponent synthesis series of 4-arylidene-2-phenyl-5(4H) oxazolones 4(a-r) catalyzed by Bronsted acid ionic liquid as triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate [Et3NH][HSO4] and catalytic amount of acetic anhydride and sodium acetate with excellent yields (90–99%). The protocol offers economical, environmentally benign, solvent-free conditions, and recycle–reuse of the catalyst and easily available starting as benzoyl chloride 1, amino acid 2 and a variety of aldehydes 3. The cyclization followed by condensation of benzoyl chloride, amino acid, and a variety of aldehydes catalyzed by ILs [Et3NH][HSO4] and catalytic amount of acetic anhydride and sodium acetate. The final products were confirmed by their characterization data such as FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, Mass, high-resolution mass spectra and were compared with its reported method. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


This article explores the potential for global platforms to facilitate State peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and mobilization on internal displacement. As such, it is broadly interested in questions around the promotion of political will, responsibility and accountability, albeit that detailed discussions of each of these underlying concepts lies beyond its scope. The paper examines a range of global platforms where peer-to-peer dialogue and learning between States on internal displacement matters may take place, rather than focusing on the humanitarian or development architecture of the United Nations (UN) system. Firstly, given the understanding of internal displacement as a human rights concern, it examines the extent to which pertinent political fora concerned with human rights function as appropriate platforms. Secondly, given the close relationship of internal displacement and refugee issues, it explores the scope of existing refugee fora as sites or models for the discussion of internal displacement. Finally, it assesses the prospects for a dedicated global forum on internal displacement, based on incipient processes that currently exist to facilitate peer-to-peer dialogue and exchange among States on IDP issues.


In the realm of reverse engineering, a new approach for analyzing and processing the scattered point cloud was proposed. With the high frequency of laser scanner in data sampling contributing to a raw point cloud of high density, statistical method is applicable in that the local expectation of points could be estimated from its mathematical distribution. In calculating the expectation, as different from earlier research, a confidence region was employed to discard noisy points, by which eliminate errors possibly brought in other means. A case study was conducted in justifying the validity of this method, and software such as SPSS and Solidworks are adopted in the statistical analyzing and CAD modeling of a mouse. Results show the precision and efficiency of this application, which generally could serve as a promise idea in the processing of point could.


This article addresses key topics of academic freedom and critical pedagogy during a time of right-wing populist politics. The rise of the far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro to Brazil's presidency in 2019 was accompanied by a vow to eradicate any vestige of the ideas of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire from the country's schools. Bolsonaro's campaign was supported by ultra-conservative groups that have as their core mission a traditional Christian and anti-Communist educational agenda. At the forefront of these groups is the influential and conspicuous ' Escola sem Partido ' (ESP) movement that has forcefully campaigned against Freire's critical pedagogy across the country and promoted physical and online abuse of teachers since 2014. This article asks how Freire's philosophies can be an ally in the struggle for democratic education in the current political climate in Brazil. It employs a method of dialogical narrative to bring Freire's theories and critical methodology to life and test their potency against the ESP educational philosophies. It initially employs Freire's core ideas to examine the ESP policies and parliamentary bills. In the second part, it analyses documents and online content produced by civil society resistance to ESP pressures. The findings show the vitality of Freire's pedagogical philosophy to empower oppressed communities in their demands for quality education. The narrative concludes by demonstrating the vital role of the critical consciousness process and of Freire's pedagogy of freedom to support ongoing struggles by teachers and communities to block ESP attempts to abolish critical thinking in Brazilian public education.


ABSTRACT In the fairly short historical period since the adoption of a new constitution, there appears to be an increasing openness and visibility of same-gender relationships and families in South Africa. For example, gay and lesbian couples started to adopt children in openly gay relationships during the decade of the 1990s, previously married parents live more openly with their same-gender partners, and lesbian couples are creating their own families due to changed legislation regarding donor insemination. This article highlights findings from a study that explored the experiences of children growing up in lesbian-headed families. Utilizing a narrative inquiry, I captured the reported experiences of the children from their perspectives as they interacted with people in their lives. I also inquired into the ways in which they negotiate the heteronormativity of society. The findings reveal an interconnectedness between key aspects of disclosure, awareness, OKness, openness, and openmindedness. Capturing these experiences of children provides us with insight into how children themselves experience their life worlds and expand our understanding of what it means for children growing up with lesbian parents.


The purpose of this paper is inductively identifying the business model of Islamic (participation) banks in Turkey via using bank characteristics, meaning balance sheet ratios.,The methodology starts from bank characteristics and ends with identification of bank business model according to these characteristics under the assumption that there is one single business model (say Model A) for all Turkish Islamic banks. What the author aims to find is the properties of this business model. Regarding the method, seven bank characteristics from liability side and five characteristics from asset side of bank balance sheets were established. While representing these characteristics, the author uses charts and tables. Necessary data are gathered from the Central Bank of Turkey. Time frame of monthly data is from December 2005 to March 2015. In total, there are 1356 observations.,Value proposition of business model of Turkish Islamic banks depends on participation in collecting funds. In terms of customer segmentation, there is dominance of private sector. While using the funds, the main preference is loans, meaning that value proposition depends on loan products, especially murabahah. Thus, revenue streams depend on mark-up. Overall, business model of Turkish Islamic banks seems similar to traditional banking based on intermediation with some peculiarities. There are also some evidences which can be interpreted as signs toward decline in this traditional role like decrease in deposits, increase in funds from financial institutions and decrease in loans.,It can be said that original idea of participation banks has been followed on the liability side of Turkish Islamic banks. However, decrease in deposits recently needs detailed investigation to create convenient policies especially by Islamic banks. Similar investigation and policy creation is needed also for the developments of increase in funds from financial institutions and decrease in loans. Furthermore, as the original idea of participation is not followed by business model of Turkish Islamic banks, rethinking and acting is needed in that regard.,Main contributions of this paper are as follows: first, it fills a gap in the field where studies regarding business model of Islamic banks are scarce. Second, it fills a gap in literature of Islamic banking in Turkey where most of the studies are about development or jurisprudence of Islamic banks. Third, it provides a decade-long evidence regarding business model of Islamic banks in Turkey. Fourth, the findings provide an initial step for the construction of a business model canvas for Turkish Islamic banks. Fifth, discussion of findings leads to number of important questions which can pave the way for new research studies.


We explore whether protein-RNA interfaces differ from non-interfaces in terms of their structural features and whether structural features vary according to the type of the bound RNA (e.g., mRNA, siRNA, etc.), using a non-redundant dataset of 147 protein chains extracted from protein-RNA complexes in the Protein Data Bank. Furthermore, we use machine learning algorithms for training classifiers to predict protein-RNA interfaces using information derived from the sequence and structural features. We develop the Struct-NB classifier that takes into account structural information. We compare the performance of Na¨ıve Bayes and Gaussian Na¨ıve Bayes with that of Struct-NB classifiers on the 147 protein-RNA dataset using sequence and structural features respectively as input to the classifiers. The results of our experiments show that Struct-NB outperforms Na¨ıve Bayes and Gaussian Na¨ıve Bayes on the problem of predicting the protein-RNA binding interfaces in a protein sequence in terms of a range of standard measures for comparing the performance of classifiers.


Objectives: This research aims to carry out a first validation of the QAR-Precon screening questionnaire applied in Catalonia during the drivers' initial training, analyse the differences in risky road user behaviour according to two main variables: whether they had any experience of an accident and sex and examine the different risky road user patterns of pre-drivers. Methods: In order to group the questionnaire variables together, an exploratory factorial analysis (principal component analysis (PCA)) was used. Subsequently, the reliability coefficients of the questionnaire and the subscales were calculated. Lastly, ANOVA models were used to compare differences in the whole sample and a cluster analysis was performed to identify different risky pre-driver groups. Results: The factorial analysis (PCA) reveals the existence of five risk factors (speed and risk, external circumstances, distraction, alcohol and driving and other elements of driving) that explain 44.6% of the variance. More males than females reported that they had a higher tendency to take risks in all the risky factors exposed and injured pre-drivers reported less awareness of road safety than pre-drivers who had not been injured. A two-cluster solution indicated that it was possible to distinguish a group of pre-drivers who engaged in high risky behaviour (high group) from the group who engaged in moderate and low levels of risky road user behaviour (low group). Conclusions: The implications of these findings for programme designs and training initiatives to improve efficiency in reducing the accident rate are discussed.


This paper describes the channelization method for the forward link of ultra mobile broadband (UMB) forward link. It is optimized for encoding/decoding processing time, diversity (especially for latency sensitive data), peak-to-average ratio, link budget (i.e., minimum rate at cell edge), access terminal memory requirements, scalability across various deployment bandwidths to achieve high throughput and highly reliable wireless communications.


The present age, a new culture phenomenon appears which is difficult to understand and explain modern image with modernism. And it often happens without any doubt in some aspects. This phenomenon appears not only culture and art but also all the area. Therefore, it even raises an issue of a period genius. From this dissertation proper hour use Post-modern Image Advertisement as expected with modernism Image Advertisement after the what kind of relationship tries to observe the feature and a useful characteristic and Post-modern Image advertisement, further is a possibility of trying to foresee the Image advertisement of future from the contemporary history sliced raw fish.


Purpose A chronic activation of the circulating renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which contributes to a salt-avid state and appearance of congestive heart failure (CHF), is accompanied by a systemic illness. Featured is the presence of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in such diverse tissues as skin, skeletal muscle, heart, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and blood plasma. This altered redox state appears when endogenous antioxidant defenses are overwhelmed or when they are deficient. Zinc is a micronutrient integral to Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) activity; it protects against superoxide-mediated cytotoxicity. Urinary Zn excretion is increased in chronic hyperparathyroidism (HPT). We hypothesized that hypozincemia would accompany the secondary HPT seen with chronic aldosterone/salt treatment (ALDOST) and thereby would compromise Cu/Zn SOD activity. Methods In plasma, we monitored Zn, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and a1-antiproteinase (AP) activity, an inverse correlate of oxidative stress. In PBMC we measured total SOD activity and that of its isoforms, Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD. Uninephrectomized rats received ALDOST (0.75 μg/h and 1% NaCl/0.4% KCl in drinking water) and were compared to untreated age-/gender-matched controls. Results In ALDOST vs controls, we found that Zn was reduced (95.2 6 3.5 vs 110 6 1.5 μg/dL, p < .05); PTH was increased (87 6 11 vs 53 6 10 pg/mL, p < .05); and a1-AP activity was reduced (22.9 6 1.4 vs 36.8 6 0.9 μmol/L, p < .001). Cu/Zn-SOD activity was reduced (p < .05) compared to controls (3.97 6 0.26 vs 4.99 6 0.09 U/mg total protein) and accounted for the decline in total SOD activity (4.58 6 0.29 vs 5.56 6 0.10 U/mg total protein, p < .05), whereas MnSOD activity, representing a smaller component of total SOD activity in PBMC, was unchanged (0.58 6 0.05 vs 0.60 6 0.04 U/mg total protein). Conclusions Hypozincemia accompanies the secondary HPT found in rats with aldosteronism, where it may contribute to the systemic appearance of oxidative stress, including reduced plasma a1-AP activity and PBMC Cu/Zn SOD activity. Our findings suggest that monitoring of serum Zn and its supplementation could be beneficial in patients with CHF.


Half of the awards to be presented at the April 26 meeting of the National Academy of Sciences to honor outstanding contributions to science will be given to earth scientists. Kerry E. Sieh, assistant professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology's Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, will receive the National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research. In 1980, Bell Laboratories established the award, honoring William O. Baker, to provide additional funding for innovative research projects by young scientists. The award carries a $15,000 prize. Sieh was cited for 'development and application of innovative field techniques for studying active faults to identify and date paleoearthquakes, thereby providing quantitative assessment of earthquake hazards.'


Background: Everyone in the mental health system may be at one time or the other, at risk for self harm and suicide. This study was done to assess the suicidal risk of patients who are admitted in psychiatric ward of a tertiary care hospital at Kochi, Kerala and to develop a guidelines for suicidal prevention for staff nurses. Materials and Methods: The research design adopted for this study was non-experimental descriptive design. The sample for the present study consisted of 30 patients who are admitted in psychiatry ward of Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi. The sampling technique used is convenience sampling. The researchers developed a suicide risk assessment scale. The validity and reliability of the tool was tested. The method used in this study was interview with structured questionnaire. Result: Results shown that 100% did not have suicidal plan as such, but 13.3% of them had death wishes. Majority of the subjects 96.6% had symptoms such as guilt, hopelessness, helplessness, shame, impaired problem solving. In 69% of the subjects there were more than 4 symptoms, 90% of the subjects had significant life events such as financial loss, loss of loved one, love failure, failure in examination, majority of them i.e. 74.1% had at least 2 events. History of suicide attempt is seen only in 6.7% of the subjects, 93.3% of them and 83.3% them didn't have any significant history. There was a significant association between suicidal risk and educational level. Conclusion: Many patients had expressed the depressive symptoms and also it has been observed that there was a significant association between suicidal risk and educational level. A guideline for suicidal prevention has been distributed to all staff nurses working in the psychiatric ward after getting validated from experts.


OBJECTIVE Few prospective data exist on the risk of diabetes in individuals serving in the U.S. military. The objectives of this study were to determine whether military deployment, combat exposures, and mental health conditions were related to the risk of newly reported diabetes over 3 years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data were from Millennium Cohort Study participants who completed baseline (July 2001–June 2003) and follow-up (June 2004–February 2006) questionnaires (follow-up response rate = 71.4%). After exclusion criteria were applied, adjusted analyses included 44,754 participants (median age 36 years, range 18–68 years). Survey instruments collected demographics, height, weight, lifestyle, military service, clinician-diagnosed diabetes, and other physical and mental health conditions. Deployment was defined by U.S. Department of Defense databases, and combat exposure was assessed by self-report at follow-up. Odds of newly reported diabetes were estimated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Occurrence of diabetes during follow-up was 3 per 1,000 person-years. Individuals reporting diabetes at follow-up were significantly older, had greater baseline BMI, and were less likely to be Caucasian. After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, education, race/ethnicity, military service characteristics, and mental health conditions, only baseline posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was significantly associated with risk of diabetes (odds ratio 2.07 [95% CI 1.31–3.29]). Deployments since September 2001 were not significantly related to higher diabetes risk, with or without combat exposure. CONCLUSIONS In this military cohort, PTSD symptoms at baseline but not other mental health symptoms or military deployment experience were significantly associated with future risk of self-reported diabetes.


We investigated the use of an overoxidized nanofiber polypyrrole (OONfPPy) modified pencil graphite electrode (PGE) as a sensor for the determination of dopamine (DA) in this work. The performance of the modified electrode was studied using differential pulse voltammetric method. The surface of the modified electrode was characterized by an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The calculated electroactive areas of the bare electrode and OO 10 NfPPy 5 PGE were found to be 4.54 x 10 -8 cm 2 and 1.05 x 10 -6 cm 2 , respectively. The sensor (OO 10 NfPPy 5 PGE) showed a high selectivity to DA with a detection limit of 6.95 × 10 -9 M (S/N=3). To demonstrate the validity of the sensor for the determination of DA, pharmaceutical and human serum samples were performed.


A description is given of the experimental procedures used to transfer the photometric scales of the National Measurement Laboratory to a radiometric base. Tungsten halogen lamps and gas-filled tungsten-filament lamps, operated at the distribution temperature 2856 K, are calibrated as standards of illuminance by using an electrically calibrated radiometer to measure the irradiance when a filter simulating the V (λ) function is interposed between the lamp and radiometer. A value of 682 lm W-1 has been adopted for Km, the maximum spectral luminous efficiency of radiation, because the measurements have shown that this value gives continuity with the Laboratory's previous scale of luminous intensity. It is expected that the photometric base unit will eventually be redefined so as to provide an exactly known, internationally agreed value for Km.


The aim of this study was to examine the effect of long-term treatment with glucocorticoids on the uterine response to oestradiol. Ovariectomized rats were treated with crystal triamcinolone acetonide (0.1 mg/100 g, i.m.) or saline (0.1 ml/100 g i.m.) for 29 days. Over this period five injections were administered, one per week. On the second day after the last triamcinolone injection, rats were treated with a single injection of oestradiol dipropionate (5 micrograms/100 g, s.c.) or vehicle (olive oil, 0.1 ml/100 g, s.c.). The effects of oestradiol in the uterus were determined by measuring mitotic index, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labelling index (BrdU was injected 2 h before the rats were killed; 2 mg/100 g, i.p.), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-labelling index 24, 36 and 48 h after the injection of oestradiol or vehicle. Long-term treatment with glucocorticoids resulted in dissimilar changes in oestradiol-induced proliferation in epithelial and connective-tissue (stroma) components of the uterus. In luminal and glandular epithelia, there was an initial reduction in proliferation at 24 h, followed by an increase at 36 h and a further reduction at 48 h after the oestradiol injection. In stromal cells of the endometrium, triamcinolone treatment caused a large constant increase in oestradiol-induced proliferation throughout the experiment. The glucocorticoid treatment had no effect on the parameters without oestradiol administration.


The Crusades had a tremendous impact particularly on the Western Europe; these wars led to the development of the European civilization. The Crusades necessarily include both destructive and constructive elements. It expanded the trade, exploration, and scientific inventions much significantly for the Europe. Similarly, but not as deep and wide as on the Western Europe, the Crusades impact could be seen on some socio-religious elements of the Muslim world. Further, the bitter legacy of these wars widened the hostility, hatred, and dissent between the West and the Muslim world that still is perceived in one way or the other. The present paper attempts to revisit the impact of the Crusades into a broader social, economic, political, and religious context. It will first investigate the Crusades' impact on the Muslim world and, then accordingly and importantly on the Western Europe vis-a-vis trade, economy, religion, knowledge, scientific inventions, literature to name a few prominent areas. The Crusade imagery, ideology and symbolism are so much powerful and immense so that it has subsided and undermined the constructive/positive impact the Western Europe achieved by confronting with the Orient/Muslim world. The paper concludes that the Crusades' positive impact and interaction if broadly highlighted and explored, and if given considerable space in public and academic discourses then the possibilities of the East-West tension and hostility could be alleviated to a considerable extent.


Geological evidence indicates large continental‐scale Antarctic ice volume variations during the early and mid‐Miocene. On million‐year timescales, these variations can largely be explained by equilibrium Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) simulations. In contrast, on shorter orbital timescales, the AIS needs not be in equilibrium with the forcing and ice volume variations may be substantially different. Here, we introduce a conceptual model, based on ice dynamical model results, to investigate the difference between transient variability and equilibrium differences of the Miocene AIS. In our model, an ice sheet will grow (shrink) by a specific rate when it is smaller (larger) than its equilibrium size. We show that phases of concurrent ice volume increase and rising CO2 levels are possible, even though the equilibrium ice volume decreases monotonically with CO2. When the AIS volume is out of equilibrium with the forcing climate, the ice sheet can still be adapting to a relatively large equilibrium size, although CO2 is rising after a phase of decrease. A delayed response of Antarctic ice volume to (covarying) solar insolation and CO2 concentrations can cause discrepancies between Miocene solar insolation and benthic δ18O variability. Increasing forcing frequency leads to a larger disequilibrium and consequently larger CO2‐ice volume phase differences. Furthermore, an amplified forcing amplitude causes larger amplitude ice volume variability, because the growth and decay rates depend on the forcing. It also leads to a reduced average ice volume, resulting from the growth rates generally being smaller than the decay rates.


Reports an error in "Between-person methods provide limited insight about within-person belief systems" by Mark J. Brandt and G. Scott Morgan (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2022[Sep], Vol 123[3], 621-635). In the article (https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000404), the third sentence in the second paragraph of the Participants and Procedure section should appear instead as follows: Over this period, participants complete two surveys per month (12 waves in total). Each survey is open for approximately 2 weeks. Participants can complete the survey at any point during the 2 week period. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2022-19898-001.) Belief systems are individual-level phenomena that describe the interrelationships of the political attitudes of a person. However, the modal study of the structure of political ideologies and beliefs uses cross-sectional survey data to estimate what is central to the belief system or the dimensionality of the belief system, aggregating across many people. Cross-sectional data, however, are ill-suited to the task of studying individual-level phenomena because they contain an unobservable mixture of within-person and between-person variation. In this project, we use longitudinal datasets from the Netherlands (representative) and the United States (convenience), spanning between 6 months and 10 years, to we ask whether between-subjects methods can help us understand the within-person structure of belief systems. First, we use Bayesian STARTS models (Lüdtke et al., 2018) to assess what type of variance cross-sectional studies are likely tapping into. We find that variability in measures of ideology and political beliefs is primarily due to stable between-person differences, with relatively smaller amounts of variation due to within-person differences. Second, we estimate between-person, within-person, and cross-sectional correlations between all items in our study and find that between-person correlations are larger and in some cases differ in their direction from within-person correlations. Furthermore, cross-sectional correlations are most similar to between-person correlations. Taken together, these findings indicate that the modal study may help describe differences between people, but is ill-suited to tell us about the structure of individuals' belief systems. New methods are necessary for a complete understanding of political belief systems that clarify both between- and within-person processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


Telemedicine technologies are increasingly being used to deliver healthcare services because of their potential to eliminate distance barriers and improve access to care. Additionally, telemedicine has led to the improved clinical outcomes and cost-savings as demonstrated by multiple studies in different disease populations (1-4). Findings from these studies include reduction in hospitalizations and use of other acute healthcare services, as well as improvement in the quality of life, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction particularly in patients with chronic diseases (1-4).


Burge in her recent review (November 1989 JRSM, p 673) postulates that abnormal protease activity may contribute to altered cell proliferation, differentiation and keratinization in Darier's disease. This seems highly plausible, especially if one looks at the abnormalities of cell proliferation and differentiation that exist in a disease where abnormal protease activity has definitely been identified. For example, in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), where we know that production of collagenase, serine protease and cysteine protease is abnormal', there is a recognized tendency to neoplasiawith squamous cell carcinoma found in affected areas. Also, evidence that controlling protease activity can greatly modify the extent of skin disease in RDEB adds further weight to her argument. For example, RDEB collagenase is much more thermolabile at low calcium concentrations than in normals", and levels of this protease are greatly increased. Reducing calcium levels controls collagenase activity! and, in RDEB, calcium chelators appear to halve blistering", and calcium channel agents have dramatically improved dysphagia", Keratinocyte proliferation can also be inhibited by attenuating calcium activity, this time by antagonizing the intracellular calcium receptor calmodulin (CaMf. It is hard to assess whether proteases are involved here because CaM has a direct cell cycle effect", CaM is also linked to DNA repair and DNA polymerase-o" and dysfunction here could explain the increased risk of dermal malignancy in RDEB. Cysteine protease, also calcium dependent, is also crucial to the dynamic organization of cell structure''; processing proteins in cell membranes, cytoskeleton and microtubules. Thus, protease abnormalities could well explain the altered cell dynamics in Darier's disease and this merits further clinical investigation. D P MACLEOD 94 Woodwarde Road,


Well-ordered mesoporous Pt nanoparticles (MPNs) with uniform olive shapes are synthesized by using two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as a hard template. The average particle sizes are controllable in the range of 150 to 230 nm by changing the reduction time. Low-angle XRD profiles for the obtained MPNs show three distinct peaks assignable to the (10), (11), and (20) planes of a highly ordered 2D hexagonal symmetry. From high-magnification SEM images, periodically arranged Pt nanowires are observed clearly, which are a negative replica of the 2D hexagonally ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15). Furthermore, the single crystallinity of the Pt fcc structure coherently extends over the whole particles. As a result of such unique character as well as high surface area, the obtained MPNs show distinctly enhanced electrocatalytic properties for methanol oxidation reaction compared to other Pt samples, such as Pt black.


A global picture of a random particle movement is given by the convex hull of the visited points. We obtained numerically the probability distributions of the volume and surface of the convex hulls of a selection of three types of self-avoiding random walks, namely, the classical self-avoiding walk, the smart-kinetic self-avoiding walk, and the loop-erased random walk. To obtain a comprehensive description of the measured random quantities, we applied sophisticated large-deviation techniques, which allowed us to obtain the distributions over a large range of support down to probabilities far smaller than P=10^{-100}. We give an approximate closed form of the so-called large-deviation rate function Φ which generalizes above the upper critical dimension to the previously studied case of the standard random walk. Further, we show correlations between the two observables also in the limits of atypical large or small values.


Carbapenem resistance mediated by metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) such as New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) has become a major factor threatening the efficacy of essential β-lactam antibiotics. Starting from hit fragment dipicolinic acid (DPA), 8-hydroxy- and 8-sulfonamido-quinoline-2-carboxylic acids were developed as inhibitors of NDM-1 with highly improved inhibitory activity and binding affinity. The most active compounds formed reversibly inactive ternary protein-inhibitor complexes with two zinc ions as proven by native protein mass spectrometry and bio-layer interferometry. Modification of the NDM-1 structure with remarkable entropic gain was shown by isothermal titration calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy of isotopically labeled protein. The best compounds were potent inhibitors of NDM-1 and other representative MBL with no or little inhibition of human zinc-binding enzymes. These inhibitors significantly reduced the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of meropenem for multidrug-resistant bacteria recombinantly expressing blaNDM-1 as well as for several multidrug-resistant clinical strains at concentrations non-toxic to human cells.


: Continuous intraosseous injections of antibiotics were used in 104 patients in the operative treatment of bony and osteo-articular panaritium with putting primary sutures on the wound. Healing by first intention was noted in most cases.


The use of SEM as an adjunct to TEM and electrophysiological examination of the cochlea is now well established. It has provided a relatively simple method of assessing the effect of noise, ototoxic drugs, electrical stimulation, etc. on the surface features of the organ of corti. A controlled experiment was undertaken to document the surface autolytic changes in rat cochleas by fixation at intervals up to eight hours post mortem. These were compared with human material fixed between 40 minutes and eight hours post mortem. The results complement previous light and transmission electron microscopy studies, gives insight into the optimal and acceptable fixation times for the two species and act as a guide for the interpretation of human material.


Comparison of thermal resistances of pike, muskellunge, and their F1 hybrid indicates close similarity between the two species. There appears to be some hybrid vigour in that the hybrids tend to be more resistant to thermal stress at the average acclimation and test temperatures encountered in the experiments. The greatest difference between the hybrids and parents occurred at the lowest test temperatures. Differences between the parent species were apparent only in their response to acclimation temperature, the slope of the curve of resistance time on acclimation temperature being much steeper for muskellunge than that for pike.


Granule ripples are found mainly in four regions of the Kumtagh Desert in China; they are characterized by an asymmetrical shape, with gentle lower slopes on both sides and abrupt crests. The ripples tend to be oriented perpendicular to the prevailing winds, except when they form near obstacles such as yardangs. The wavelengths (λ) range between 0·31 m and 26 m and heights (h) range from 0·015 m to 1 m. The relationship between wavelength and height can be described by a simple linear function, and the mean ripple index (λ/h) is about 20·4 for the study sites. The sediments are poorly sorted, with negative to very negative skewness at lee and stoss slopes and between‐ripple troughs, which confirms the 'poured in' and 'shadow' appearance described by previous researchers. The bimodal or trimodal distributions of grains (with modes of −1·16φ, −0·5φ and 3·16φ) and the enrichment of coarse particles at the ripple surface (with coarse granule contents ranging between 5·2% and 62·1%) indicate that the underlying layer is the original sediment source and that the granule ripples resist erosional processes. Although the impact of saltating particles and, consequently, the creep and reptation of coarse grains are responsible for granule ripple initiation at a micro‐scale, however, the characteristics of local sediments, wind regimes and topographical obstacles, as well as the feedbacks among bedform and airflow, more strongly affect the development and alignment of granule ripples at a macro‐scale.


Numbers of burrowing nematodes (Radopholus similis) in banana planting material were reduced by paring the infested tissue from the planting bit, or by dipping the bits in water at 53-55°C for 20 minutes or in nematicides at ambient temperatures (ethoprophos 600 ppm for 20 minutes; fenamiphos 250 ppm for 10 minutes; oxamyl 1000 ppm for 20 minutes; dibromochloropropane 5000 ppm for 1 minute). Heavy paring was necessary before hot water treatment for good nematode control, but with dips of ethoprophos, fenamiphos and DBCP, good control was achieved with light paring. In a field trial, germination, early growth and bunch weights of plants from bits dipped for 20 minutes in 1000 ppm of oxamyl, benomyl or thiabendazole at ambient temperatures (23 to 25°C) or at 53 to 55°C were not increased when compared with the standard hot-water treatment.


In this paper we target the Fixed-Point (FxP) implementation of Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) filters evaluated with state-space equations. We assume that wordlengths are fixed and that our goal is to determine binary point positions that guarantee the absence of overflows while maximizing accuracy. We provide a model for the worst-case error analysis of FxP filters that gives tight bounds on the output error. Then we develop an algorithm for the determination of binary point positions that takes rounding errors and their amplification fully into account. The proposed techniques are rigorous, i.e., based on proofs, and no simulations are ever used. In practice, Floating-Point (FP) errors that occur in the implementation of FxP design routines can lead to overestimation/underestimation of resulting parameters. Thus, along with FxP analysis of digital filters, we provide FP analysis of our filter design algorithms. In particular, the core measure in our approach, Worst-Case Peak Gain, is defined as an infinite sum and has matrix powers in it. We provide fine-grained FP error analysis of its evaluation and develop multiple precision algorithms that dynamically adapt their internal precision to satisfy an a priori absolute error bound. Our techniques on multiple precision matrix algorithms, such as eigendecomposition, are of independent interest as a contribution to Computer Arithmetic. All algorithms are implemented as C libraries, integrated into an open-source filter code generator and tested on numerical examples.


As The ICT is an industry which is the basis of the technology convergence, It is the driving force of development for new business opportunities and existing industries. But, Most of the existing studies for ICT convergence have identified the trend for convergence in technological terms. So, It is difficult to identify the convergence trend in the subject innovation perspective which lead the innovation activities In the ICT industry. The newly entered companies in the ICT industry are key indicators to identify the convergence trend. They have two specific characteristics that show the wide range of the convergence technology and the application rate of the convergence. Because previous studies did not take into account these two characteristic of the newly entered companies, So it is hard to analyze the exact convergence trend. Therefore, In this paper, we classify the patents for the ICT industry depending on the subject innovation. Then, we deduct the core convergence technology in the ICT industries and application area of the non-ICT industries.


A growing number of people live in urban areas. Urbanization has been associated with an increased prevalence of mental disorders, but which mechanisms cause this increase is unknown. Psychological distress is a good indicator of mental health. This study sought to examine the relationship between urbanization and distress among adults in the Eastern Townships (southern region of Quebec, Canada). In the 2014–2015 Eastern Townships Population Health Survey (N = 10,687 adults living in one of the 96 Eastern Townships communities), distress was measured with the K6 distress scale (≥ 7). Urbanization was estimated by the residential density of the community treated in quintiles. Logistic regression analyses were carried out with adjustments for individual and environmental characteristics. Women, young people aged 18–24, single parents, those without diplomas, those without a job, those with < $20,000 in income, adults with two or more chronic physical illnesses, adults with bad perceived health, or those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods exhibited more distress. The unadjusted estimate between density and distress is only significant for the fifth quintile when compared with the first quintile (OR 1.23; 95% CI: 1.06–1.42). The relationship is practically the same after controlling for individual characteristics but decreases considerably after controlling for environmental characteristics (lack of trees, social deprivation, intersection density, vegetation index, and land use mix). This study was the first to examine an association between urbanization and distress by considering individual and environmental characteristics. The latter seem to explain the relationship between these concepts.


UNLABELLED
The management of persistent postoperative pleural effusion is still considered difficult. We report here our experience with such a case, successfully managed with fenestration of the diaphragm-the first of it's kind. Clinical Experience: A two-year-old boy with double outlet right ventricle, underwent right heart bypass procedure. Due to low output and high venous pressure, he was on ventilator until the 26th postoperative day. The pericardial and right pleural effusion persisted till the 60th postoperative day. Right phrenic nerve palsy and atelectasis of right lower lobe were suspected to contribute to it. We performed a plication of the right diaphragm and fenestration of the pericardium and right diaphragm. A T-shaped incision was made on the right diaphragm and the edges were trimmed and strengthened with non-absorbable suture into a circular shaped defect of 1.5 cm diameter. The defect was closed with a Dacron mesh allowing passage of fluid across. Pleural effusion decreased immediately and he was discharged a month after the procedure. Experimental Study: The above procedure was experimented in rabbits in whom a contrast medium injected into the pleural cavity could easily drain into the peritoneum through the fenestation, proved by fluoroscopy.

CONCLUSION
Fenestration of the diaphragm is an effective procedure to manage persistent pleural effusion.


The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) gene and quinolone resistance determinant (qnr) and the pattern of antibiotic resistance in the ESBL-producing Escherichia coli clinical isolates. The 42 ESBL-producing strains from total 274 isolates were detected using a double disk synergy test. They were isolated from various specimens, such as urine (28 strains), sputum (6 strains), pus (3 strains), wound (2 strains), blood (2 strains), and tissue (1 strain). Using the PCR with the specific primers ESBL, ESBL and qnr gene types were determined. Thirty-five strains possessed one or two ESBL genes. CTX-M-1 type was the most abundant followed by CTX-M-9 type and TEM, but SHV, CTX-M-2, and CTX-M-8 gene types were not detected. qnr gene types were detected from ten isolates in the order of qnrB4, qnrB1, and qnrS. Coexistence of ESBL and qnr genes was found. ESBL-producing isolates showed high resistance against some antibiotics, such as cefotaxmie (80.0%), levofloxacin (82.9%), and ampicillin (100%). Neither a synergy effect from the coexistence of ESBL and qnr genes on antibiotic resistance nor a correlation between the production of qnr gene and quinolone resistance were found.


The piezoelectric, dielectric, and electromechanical properties of the (KCe) co‐substituted calcium bismuth niobate (CaBi2Nb2O9, CBN) were investigated. The piezoelectric activities of CBN ceramics were significantly enhanced and the dielectric loss tan δ decreased by (KCe) substitution. The Ca0.9(KCe)0.05Bi2Nb2O9 ceramics possess the optimal piezoelectric properties, and the piezoelectric coefficient (d33), Curie temperature (TC), and electromechanical coupling factors (kp and kt) were found to be 16 pC/N, 868 °C, 8.6%, and 23.8%, respectively. The excellent dielectric and electromechanical spectra, together with the high piezoelectric activities and ultrahigh Curie temperature, make CBN ceramics promising candidates for high temperature piezoelectric applications. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has abruptly affected how health care is provided. The pressing issues for many organizations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic include identifying infection control standards, staffing and equipment needs, establishing care protocols, minimizing staff exposure, and ensuring staff is educated on latest updates. As clinical guidelines, testing protocols for diagnosis, and treatment regimens continue to evolve, it has become increasingly difficult for health care providers to keep up with the new information. This pandemic has affected all levels of care including postacute care services such as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF). IRFs also have unique challenges such as how to safely provide rehabilitation for these patients. Decision support is a common concept in clinical informatics. As defined by the Health Information Management System Society (HIMSS), clinical decision support is "a process for enhancing health-related decisions and actions with pertinent, organized clinical knowledge and patient information to improve health and healthcare delivery." The primary focus is to present the user with information to better inform them during decision making to improve patient safety and outcomes. Decision support can take many forms such as rules and alerts that appear based on user actions. The use of standardized order sets that have the relevant orders for a particular diagnosis or condition is a common example. Another example is the presentation of key information on a computer screen in the electronic health record (EHR) or on a printed report. Decision support can be a useful strategy to help alleviate many of the challenges seen with the rapidly evolving information regarding COVID-19. Although there are examples of the application of decision support in response to COVID-19 in acute care settings, this article focuses on the application of decision support in an IRF. The purpose is demonstrate the use of decision support to aid in the screening, diagnosis, and evaluation of patients with COVID-19 in an IRF as well as informing providers of the latest information related to COVID-19.


Chemical reaction and optical dynamics in the liquid phase are strongly affected b) specific solute-solrent interactions. The dynamical pan ofthis coupling leads to energy fluctuations. It films out that nonlineai optical spectroscopic techiques provide the key to map out the dynamics of the sdutcsdvent coupling undcrlyingthe optical lineshape In case dsoiutionr. pump-probe. mEient holc buming, re"nce Ranan scancrinp and photon echo h w been extensively used. In this connibution,lve discuss the concept of photon echo in greater detail. Femtosecond photon echo i s \re11 suited to probe salvation dynamics becillur it creates a time windowihmugh whichthia dynamical process CM be monirored. Forthe last several years, a v a s variety of difierent photon echo techniques that give the most direct access to the solvation dynamics process. have k e n developed The '&nplest" experiment is n special way of performing time-integrated photon echo. the so-called echo-peak shift It war shoun that the most rrmarkablc feature a i the echo pea*-shift is'tha: in many cases it reflects fably well the solvation dynamics at most of the time scales However. there are fundamental reasons far a complete failure af this elperiment to represent the initial. most controversial pan of solvation dynamics. A more adlanced and more difficult to accoiliplish scheme employs time gating when the radiation mined by the sample due to inonlinear iiitcraction with the excitation pulses, ib mixed wilh a gatc pulsc in a nonlinear optical crystal In this way the cclio intensity pmfile is mapped out in time. from which the system's d y d o at any time scale can he e d y reconatructPd Racically. both uforrmentioced techuques yield the information on the time scales of energy fluctuation around its mean position. tloirei er. they can in01 give an) information on the timedependant changes of the mean energ) itself such a b thc dynamical Stakes shifi. To do so. one needs IO h o u thc initantiieou frequency (or the pha\r) o f the induced nonlinear polarization. 'ibis is accumplished by heterodyne detection ofthe pholon echo. The echo sipnai is mixed on the quadratic &rector with the local oscillato~ f ic ld ahich phase i5 locked la the echo. .Moreover. the heterodyne detected photon echo has been shown tu a l l w performing very spccial experiments such as suppressing inreramolecular vibrationill mode(s) that obscure [he m e soh ation dynamics or exercising coherent control oyer nonlinear polariaauan It ha? k e n also shown that the spectral interferometry pmvider the same infomation as heterodyne-detected echo. king less experimentally involved. The physics of the deduced correlation function is analysed in temis of underand overdamped Brownian orcillatan, represenling intramolecular vibrations and solwnl motions. respectively. The spectral densit). ofthe solvent motions. which damhate the sol\.ation response, agxees well uith the spectral densily obtained f" optical K m effect mmwemenls in the c u e ofacctonitrilr, but in the case ofethylene glycol and ather h, drogen-bonded sol~ents only the lowfrequency p m s o~cdap . This indicates that polarizability changes arc not the only ibtor de:ermining the effectiveness of the solute-salvent coupling. 'Ihe fact that only a fen Broumihn oscillato~i are needed to simulate the compicx optical dynamics of a dye molecule In solution d i d a r e s the use of the multimode Bronnian oscillator model for liquid m.te dynamics. The folollm~ing ,tep n,ill he to project ths parametrimtion onto a more microscopic model. 09.15 QTuB3


The topic of anonymity is conceptually and practically challenging. Among reasons for this are the multiple elements across different levels of analysis, varied contexts, and the variety of goals and dimensions that cross-cut these; 2) conflicting rationales and values; and 3) contested and/or opposing social, cultural and political trends and counter-trends. In order to better understand anonymity, this conceptual analysis article raises and suggests possible answers to the following questions: what are the major types of information that can be associated with anonymity? (nine are identified, such as location and attitudes); what do we mean by personal information (using a series of concentric circles, distinctions are drawn between individual, private, intimate, unique and core identification); what are some of the major factors affecting behaviour involving anonymity, and judgments of anonymity (e.g., the structure of the communication and the type of activity involved); what are the major values that support or oppose anonymity? (e.g., openness in communication vs. accountability); what trends and counter-trends encourage or discourage anonymity (e.g., technologies that make the meaningless meaningful as against increased freedom of choice with respect to identity); what broader principles are relevant to public policy in the area (e.g., informed consent and reciprocity); and what kinds of questions should be asked in setting policy (e.g., clear statement of goals, awareness of unintended consequences).


In 1935 Constance Pascal (1877–1937), France's first woman psychiatrist, published Chagrins d'amour et psychoses (The Sorrows of Love and Psychosis). My analysis of her monograph will consider: her major article leading up to Chagrins; Pascal's debts to her predecessors, particularly Morel and Kretschmer; her relationship to the French psychoanalytic movement; her co-option of psychoanalysis as a tool in her own therapeutic work with patients in the state psychiatric system; and her social/cultural interpretations of her woman patients. The literary and philosophic aspects of her work are emphasized as well as her contribution to French psychiatry.


The aims of the present study were, firstly, to determine the reliability and reproducibility of an agility T-test and Yo-Yo 10 m recovery test; and secondly, to analyse the physical characteristics measured by sprint, agility, strength and endurance field tests in wheelchair basketball (WB) players. 16 WB players (33.06 ± 7.36 years, 71.89 ± 21.71 kg and sitting body height 86.07 ± 6.82 cm) belonging to the national WB league participated in this study. Wheelchair sprint (5 and 20 m without ball, and 5 and 20 m with ball) agility (T-test and pick-up test) strength (handgrip and maximal pass) and endurance (Yo-Yo 10 m recovery test) were performed. T-test and Yo-Yo 10 m recovery test showed good reproducibility values (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.74-0.94). The WB players' results in 5 and 20 m sprints without a ball were 1.87 ± 0.21 s and 5.70 ± 0.43 s and with a ball 2.10 ± 0.30 s and 6.59 ± 0.61 s, being better than those reported in the literature. Regarding the pick-up test results (16.05 ± 0.52 s) and maximal pass (8.39 ± 1.77 m), players showed worse values than those obtained in elite players. The main contribution of the present study is the characterization of the physical performance profile of WB players using a field test battery. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the agility T-test and the aerobic Yo-Yo 10 m recovery test are reliable; consequently they may be appropriate instruments for measuring physical fitness in WB.


For the purpose of analyzing the effect of pipeline thickness on ECT system include sensor and image reconstruction, radius-electrode ratio is defined as the ratio of inner and outer radius of pipeline. The rules of 8-electrode sensor parameters such as capacitance, capacitance change, and change rate of capacitance and sensitivity map are discussed by ANSYS and Matlab, which are combined to simulate sensor characteristic. With the increase of radius-electrode ratio, capacitance sensitivity to inner media increases, and the effect of pipeline thickness on capacitances of four typical inter-electrode pairs is much different under the same inner radius. LBP algorithm is adopted to reconstruct the ECT images of stratified flow, core flow and annular flow with different radius-electrode ratios. Simulation results show that image error under high radius-electrode ratio is small, and the image reconstructed from stratified flow is better than the ones from core flow and annular flow, especially in the condition of low radius-electrode ratio. As a result, ECT with low radius-electrode ratio is benefit to image reconstruction.


In massive pulmonary embolism (PE), fibrinolytic therapy is a potential lifesaving treatment; therefore, if other treatments are not available, the physicians encounter this question: can we accept the risk of complications from fibrinolytic therapy, especially intracranial hemorrhage, in the presence of absolute contraindication, in order to save the patient's life? Here, we describe three cases of massive PE with absolute contraindication for fibrinolytic therapy who presented to emergency department following dyspnea. Since, surgical or catheter embolectomy were not available and patients were very high risk for transferring to another hospital, systemic fibrinolytic was administered. The patients improved clinically and were discharged from hospital. It seems that, if no other acceptable treatments are available, physicians could consider fibrinolytic therapy, even at the presence of contraindication, to save the patient's life.


Two captive vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) were presented with lethargy, hyporexia, weight loss, and progressive neurologic signs. One of the guineafowl was seropositive for Sarcocystis falcatula (1:50 dilution). Both guineafowl died within 5 d of presentation. Histologic examination revealed nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis with gliosis, associated with occasional schizonts in the neuropil. Using fresh-frozen brain tissue, PCR was performed to amplify the ITS1 RNA region and portions of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene (18S gene) and the 28S ribosomal RNA gene (28S gene). Analysis of nucleic acid sequences from the resulting amplicons indicated that Sarcocystis calchasi was the likely cause of disease. To our knowledge, S. calchasi–associated disease has not been reported previously in the order Galliformes.


Background: The treatment strategies for ocular adnexa lymphomas (OALs), including conjunctiva, orbital, and lacrimal gland lymphomas, remain controversial. In this study, we assessed the efficacies and outcomes of different modality treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery for OALs. Methods and Materials: Between Jan. 1990 to Dec. 2013, patients receiving first-line chemotherapy (oral alkylating agents, rituximab-based treatment, or CHOP [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and steroid]-like regimens), radiotherapy (30 to 50 Gy, in 1.8- to 2.0- Gy per daily fractions), and surgery for newly diagnosed OAL were included in this study. The clinicopathologic features, including patients9 characteristics, primary lymphoma locations, pathology subtypes, treatment modality, event-free survival (EFS) following first-line therapy, and OS (OS) were analyzed. Results: There were 56 men and 37 women with median age of 58 years were included. Of them, 79 patients (85%) were diagnosed with low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, 5 (5%) with high-grade transformed MALT lymphoma, and 9 (10%) with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Orbit was the most common involved location (45 patients, 48%), followed by conjunctiva (35 patients, 38%), and lacrimal gland (13 patients, 14%). Of 79 patients with stage I-IIE1 disease, 22 received chemotherapy, 34 with radiotherapy, and 23 patients with other modality treatments (18 with surgery, 4 with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and 1 with intra-lesional injection of rituximab). The 5-year EFS for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other modality treatment was 89.2%, 89.7%, and 83.1%, respectively, whereas the 5-year OS for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other modality treatment was 100%, 90.4%, and 87.5%, respectively. Of 14 patients with stage IIE2 to IV disease, the 5-year EFS for chemotherapy alone (n=9) and combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy (n=5) were 68.6%, 80%, respectively, whereas the 5-year OS for both group was 80.0%. Among 42 patients receiving radiotherapy, 7 (16.7%) patients developed cataract, 4 (9.5%) patients with keratitis, and 2 (4.8%) patients with maculopathy. In multivariate analysis, high-grade transformation (P=0.049) was the significant factor for shorter EFS of 1 st -line treatment. Old age (> 60 years) (p = 0.014), advanced stage (stages III and IV) (p = 0.03), and high-grade transformation (p = 0.018) were the prognostic factors of poor OS. Conclusions: In addition to radiotherapy, our data indicate that chemotherapy as first-line therapy provides good disease control and less radiotherapy-associated side effects for patients with stage I to IIE1 OALs. Old age, advanced stage, and high-grade histology subtype remain poor prognostic factors for OALs, and new treatment strategies for these patients are warranted. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Transient transfection assays with various deletion mutants of the mouse inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) promoter linked to a CAT reporter gene demonstrated that, besides the downstream NF-kappaB site, the region from -973 to -925 which contains a potential binding site for NF-kappaB (upstream NF-kappaB site) also mediated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-inducibility in mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Site-specific mutation of three conserved nucleotides within the upstream NF-kappaB site abolished additional induction by LPS as well as maximal expression of iNOS by IFN-gamma plus LPS. In contrast, site-specific mutation of the downstream NF-kappaB site caused almost all reduction in expression of the reporter gene by LPS or LPS plus IFN-gamma. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with the two NF-kappaB sites showed LPS-induced NF-kappaB binding to both probes and its higher affinity to the upstream NF-kappaB site. Taken together, these suggest that the upstream NF-kappaB site having enhancer function, besides the downstream NF-kappaB site as a core promoter, is essential for maximal expression of the iNOS gene.


In this report, we point out that in the case of two-dimensional nanocrystals or quasi-crystals like graphene, there is an interesting anomalous behaviour of Fermions. This could potentially be useful. The point is that some electromagnetic properties depend on the non-commutative geometry of the crystal structure rather than on the chemistry of the crystal material. Issues related to magnetism are also commented upon.


As a consequence of the increasing use of software in safety-critical systems and the considerable risk associated with their failure, effective and efficient algorithms for program verification are of high value. Despite extensive research efforts towards better software verification technology and substantial advances in the state-of-the-art, verification of larger and complex software systems must still be considered infeasible and further advances are desirable. In 2011, Property Directed Reachablity (PDR) was proposed as a new algorithm for hardware model checking. PDR outperforms all previously known algorithms for this purpose and has additional favorable algorithmic properties, such as incrementality and parallelizability. In this dissertation, we explore the potential of using PDR for program verification and - as product of this endeavor - present a sound and complete algorithm for intraprocedural verification of programs with static memory allocation that is based on PDR. In the first part, we describe a generalization of the original Boolean PDR algorithm to the theory of quantifier-free formulae over bitvectors (QF\_BV). We implemented the algorithm and present experimental results that show that the generalized algorithm outperforms the original algorithm applied to bit-blasted versions of the used benchmarks. In the second part, we present a program verification frontend that uses loop invariants to construct a model of the program that overapproximates its behavior. If the verification fails using the overapproximation, the QF\_BV PDR algorithm from the first part is used to refine the model of the program. We compare the novel algorithm with other approaches to software verification on the conceptional level and quantitatively using standard competition benchmarks. Finally, we present an extension of the proposed verification framework that uses a previous dynamic approach to program verification to strengthen the discussed static algorithm.


Administration of desoxycorticosterone and NaCl resulted in an increased sodium and potassium content of the aorta in rats becoming severely hypertensive. Equivocally hypertensive animals on this regimen showed smaller increases in sodium and a decrease in potassium. Sodium restriction prevented both hypertension and changes in arterial wall chemistry from occurring in rats receiving desoxycorticosterone. Hypertension per se may be fundamentally associated with an increased potassium and sodium content in artery, as experimental renal hypertension is characterized by a similar electrolyte alteration.


The Applause Best Plays Yearbook was started by Burns Mantle in 1919 and has appeared every year since then, becoming the standard reference book for American Theater. This volume features synposes and excerpts for the ten best plays of the 1990-1991 season, including: The American Plan * Falsettoland * The Good Times Are Killing Me * Lost in Yonkers * Miss Saigon * Our Country's Good * Shadowlands * Six Degrees of Separation * The Substance of Fire * The Sum of Us. This value-packed volume also includes Al Hirschfeld's complete gallery of the theater season as well as essays and statistics about the season around the United States, the Off-Off-Broadway season, the various awards, and more. Also includes lots of photos from the productions and a special citation for La Bete.


Rhynchophylline is a major tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid in Uncaria rhynchophylla, which has been extensively used as traditional herb medicine for the prevention of convulsions and hypertension. However, there is still little evidence about the neuroprotective effects of rhynchophylline for Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative condition currently without any effective cure. In this present study, the neuroprotective molecular mechanisms of rhynchophylline were investigated in a cellular model associated with PD. It is shown that rhynchophylline (10–50 μM) greatly prevented neurotoxicity caused by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) in primary cerebellar granule neurons, as evidenced by the promotion of cell viability as well as the reversal of dysregulated protein expression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Very encouragingly, we found that rhynchophylline markedly enhanced the activity of the transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) at both basal and pathological conditions using luciferase reporter gene assay, and reversed the inhibition of MEF2D caused by MPP+. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of PI3-Kinase or short hairpin RNA-mediated gene down-regulation of MEF2D abrogated the protection provided by rhynchophylline. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that rhynchophylline could potentiate PI3-K/Akt to attenuate GSK3β (the MEF2D inhibitor) in response to MPP+ insult. In conclusion, rhynchophylline inhibits MPP+-triggered neurotoxicity by stimulating MEF2D via activating PI3-K/Akt/GSK3β cascade. Rhynchophylline is served as a novel MEF2D enhancer and might be a potential candidate for further preclinical study in the prevention of PD.


In this paper an approach for the transparent use of real-time Java in control and automation is described. The proposed approach, which is in the context of the model integrated mechatronics paradigm, exploits the function block (FB) construct for the design model and the real-time Java specification for the implementation one. Specific interpreters allow for the automatic generation of FB types' implementation models in terms of real-time Java and the transformation of the application's FB networks to deployment specifications that are next utilized by a launcher to initialize and execute the control application on the proposed execution environment. The proposed approach favours deployment and re-deployment of distributed control applications and exploits the real-time specification for Java to meet their stringent nonfunctional requirements


Although the use of lasers in medical diagnosis and therapies, as well as in fundamental biomedical research is now almost routine, advanced laser sources and new laser-based methods continue to emerge. Due to the unique ability of ultrashort laser pulses to deposit energy into a microscopic volume in the bulk of a transparent material without disrupting the surrounding tissues, the ultrashort laser-based microsurgery of cells and subcellular components within structurally complex and fragile specimens such as embryos is becoming an important tool in developmental biology and reproductive medicine. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of ultrashort laser pulse interaction with the matter, advantages of their application for oocyte and preimplantation embryo microsurgery (e.g., for oocyte/blastomere enucleation and embryonic cell fusion), as well as for nonlinear optical microscopy for studying the dynamics of embryonic development and embryo quality assessment. Moreover, we focus on ultrashort laser-based approaches and techniques that are increasingly being applied in the fundamental research and have the potential for successful translation into the IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinics, such as laser-mediated individual embryo labelling and controlled laser-assisted hatching.


Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef protein is N-terminally myristoylated, a modification reported to be required for the association of Nef with cytoplasmic membranes. As myristate alone is not sufficient to anchor a protein stably into a membrane, it has been suggested that N-terminal basic residues contribute to Nef membrane association via electrostatic interactions with acidic phospholipids. Here, data are presented pertaining to the role of the myristate and basic residues in Nef membrane association, subcellular localization and function. Firstly, by using a biochemical assay for membrane association it was shown that, whereas myristoylation of Nef was not essential, mutation of a cluster of four arginines between residues 17 and 22 reduced membrane association dramatically. Mutation of two lysines at residues 4 and 7 had negligible effect alone, but when combined with the arginine substitutions, abrogated membrane association completely. By using indirect immunofluorescence, it was demonstrated that mutation of either of the two basic clusters altered the subcellular distribution of Nef dramatically. Thirdly, the requirement of the arginine and lysine clusters for Nef-mediated CD4 down modulation was shown to correlate precisely with membrane association. These data suggest that membrane localization and subcellular targeting of Nef are controlled by a complex interplay of signals at the N terminus of the protein.


Background. There are contradictory data on the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the tumor tissue in endometrial cancer (EС). Objective: to assess HPV infection rates in EC tumor tissues and to establish the relationship between the status of HPV infection and tumor morphological characteristics. Materials and methods. 57 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of EC patients aged 47–78 years were studied. HPV DNAs were found in 54.4 % of samples. Results and conclusion. We did not reveal an association between the HPV tumor status and age, metastasis or invasion depth. However, there was an interdependence between HPV infection and some morphological characteristics of the tumor: its histological type (adenocarcinomas with squamous cell differentiation were HPV-positive 1.8 times more frequent compared to adenocarcinomas without one; in the first case, tumor tissues were more often infected with HPV 16, and in the second case with HPV 18); tumor grade (in the total cohort and in serous-papillary adenocarcinomas, tumors with higher grades were more often HPV-infected: from 0 to 81.8 % and from 0 to 100 % respectively); disease stage (in the total cohort the percentage of HPV-positive tumors in stage II was 2.4 times and in stage III – 1.6 times higher than in stage I, and stage IA tumors were HPV-positive 2.3 times more often than IB tumors); type of tumor growth (tumors with infiltrative growth type were HPV-positive 1.7 times more often than with exophytic growth, and 2.2 times more often than with mixed growth). The achieved results do not allow us to conclude with confidence that HPV is the main tumor forming factor in EC.


Abstract This article will review risankizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin 23 (IL-23) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. The article will detail the mechanism of action and dosing strategies. Efficacy in induction and maintenances will be reviewed from available clinical trials as well as an evaluation of safety of the medication for use in Crohn's disease and other immune mediated diseases. Finally, a discussion of when to use this medication for treatment in Crohn's disease as well as how to monitor patients after medication initiation will be discussed.


Background. Infusion therapy (IT) is one of the main methods of drug therapy optimization. The essence of IT is to correct homeostasis disorders in order to detoxify, to restore the disrupted microcirculation and tissue perfusion, to eliminate the disorders of rheological and coagulation blood properties, to eliminate metabolic disorders, to improve drug delivery to the pathological focus, to restore circulating blood volume, to normalize fluid and electrolyte and acid-base balance.
Objective. To describe modern IT.
Materials and methods. Analysis of the literature sources on this topic.
Results and discussion. Requirements for modern plasma substitutes include safety, sufficient and long-lasting volemic effect, rapid renal excretion, lack of accumulation and effect on the coagulation system, maximum similarity to blood plasma, and availability. There are several classes of plasma substitutes, and each of them has its own indications. For example, crystalloids are prescribed for dehydration, and colloids – for hypovolemia. The infusion volume is calculated based on the physiological needs of the organism, taking into account pathological fluid loss (fever, shortness of breath, postoperative wound drainage, vomiting, polyuria). Endogenous intoxication (EI) – a pathological condition that occurs as a result of exposure to toxic substances of exogenous or endogenous nature, which cause dysfunction and the development of extreme conditions – is an important field of IT application. EI can accompany chronic heart failure, peripheral vessels atherosclerosis, autoimmune and allergic diseases. Toxins have a direct (direct destruction of proteins and lipids, blocking of synthetic and oxidative processes in the cell) and indirect (microcirculation system and vascular tone disorders, changes of blood rheological properties) adverse effects. Clinical manifestations of EI include fever, malaise, and the dysfunction of various internal organs. As EI depletes the natural mechanisms of detoxification, worsens the clinical course of the disease, reduces drug sensitivity, suppresses immunity, it is an indication to detoxification via infusion. The tasks of the latter are to improve tissue perfusion, to provide hemodilution with a decrease in the toxins' concentration, to stimulate diuresis, to eliminate acidosis, and to maintain the functional state of hepatocytes. For this purpose, solutions of polyatomic alcohols (Reosorbilact, Xylate, "Yuria-Pharm") can be used. Reosorbilact increases the circulating blood volume, improves microcirculation and rheological blood properties, increases tissue perfusion, promotes "wash-out" of toxins, corrects acidosis and fluid and electrolyte balance, normalizes hepatocyte function, improving the own detoxification mechanisms. In case of microcirculation disturbances, it is reasonable to use the combined IT with the inclusion of Reosorbilact, Latren and Tivortin ("Yuria-Pharm"). Latren increases the elasticity of erythrocytes, reduces the aggregation of erythrocytes and platelets, normalizes the electrolyte composition of blood plasma, and Tivortin acts as a substrate for the formation of nitric oxide – the main signaling molecule of the endothelium. In addition to EI, IT usage is often prescribed for diabetic ketoacidosis. In such cases, it is advisable to use Xylate ("Yuria-Pharm"), which has antiketogenic properties, improves hemodynamics, corrects acidosis, and does not increase blood glucose levels. Xylate is recommended to be used only after preliminary rehydration with the help of isotonic saline solutions.
Conclusions. 1. IT is an important method of treating a number of diseases. 2. EI accompanies not only diseases that involve intoxication syndrome, but also almost all internal diseases. 3. Reosorbilact and Xylate are the optimal solutions for detoxification. 4. It is reasonable to use combined IT, for example, the combination of Reosorbilact with Latren and Tivortin.


PURPOSE: To describe and compare ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients' reported cost of care (out-of-pocket costs, use of time, and consultations with healthcare organizations) and nurses' cost of care (use of time and consultations with other professionals such as other nurses, physicians, and anesthesiologists) when patients receive 2 different types of patient education (Internet-based or face-to-face). METHOD: Pretest/posttest design. SAMPLE: Random assignment of all ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients in a university hospital in Finland. INTERVENTION: The experimental group received Web-based patient education and the control group received face-to-face patient education. OUTCOMES OF INTEREST: Financial and time costs. FINDINGS: Pre-, intra-, and postoperative costs did not differ between the groups. However, Internet-based education was more time-consuming for the patient and face-to-face education was more time-consuming for the nurse. There were no differences between the groups in patients' use of consultations of healthcare professionals. Nurses' consultations were few and did not differ between the groups. The small number of patients' and nurses' consultations indicates that patients in both education methods had enough knowledge to deal with the surgery.


The prevailing view among many observers of the Middle East is that the states in the Arab Gulf are fragile entities on the verge of popular revolt and governmental collapse. The complaint most often heard is that the governmental structures of these states are not keeping up with the stresses and strains that have accompanied the dramatic, and at times traumatic, social changes that ten years of oil wealth have wrought upon their societies. The source of these views, of course, is the memory of the revolution that so swiftly overtook Iran and toppled Pahlavi rule. A closer look at the Gulf states and a review of their efforts in establishing the Gulf Co-operation Council (Gcc), however, shows that many of these fears are misplaced and that events in the Gulf are often misunderstood. This article posits that primarily through the individual and collective efforts of the six GCC states Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the Gulfs stability and the West's access to oil will be ensured. Indeed, these states, along with Iraq, are determined to provide substantially for their own defence. The key to their search for self-defence, however, is the West's willingness to provide them with the necessary armaments and technical assistance. There is no question that interstate relations in the Middle East often shudder with turbulence and instability. In the Gulf, the five-year-long Iran-Iraq War offers horrific testimony to this fact. But apart from that conflict, the internal affairs of the


Under photoinhibitory illumination of spinach PSII membranes, the oxygen-evolving complex subunits, OEC33, 24 and 18, were released from PSII. The liberated OEC33 and also OEC24 to a lesser extent were subsequently damaged and then exhibited smeared bands in SDS/urea-PAGE. Once deteriorated, OEC33 could not bind to PSII. The effects of scavengers and chelating reagents on the damage indicated that hydroxyl radicals generated from superoxide in the presence of metal ions were responsible for the damage. These results suggest that, like the D1 protein of the PSII reaction center complex, OEC subunits suffer oxidative damage and turnover under illumination.


This study investigated the levels of messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) for inhibin-sA subunit in goat primordial, primary and secondary follicles, as well as in cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and mural granulosa / theca cells of antral follicles. The effects of activin-A (100ng mL-1) and/or follicle stimulating hormone (FSH, 50ng mL-1) on growth and expression of mRNA for activin-A and FSH receptor (FSH-R) in secondary follicles cultured for six days were evaluated. The data showed that the expression of inhibin-sA is lower in secondary follicles than in primary follicles and is higher in large antral follicles than in small antral follicles. After culture, activin-A and/or FSH promoted growth of secondary follicles, while FSH increased the levels of mRNA for inhibin-sA, and activin-A increased the levels of FSH-R mRNA. In conclusion, mRNA for inhibin-sA is expressed at different levels in pre-antral and antral follicles and activin-A acts as a stimulator of the FSH-R expression in goat follicles. On its turn, the expression of inhibin-sA is stimulated by FSH, which together with activin-A promotes secondary follicle growth in-vitro.


A new channel assignment algorithm using a modified Hopfield neural network is proposed. The channel assignment problem is formulated as an energy minimization problem that is implemented by a modified discrete Hopfield network. Also a new technique to escape local minima is introduced. The interconnection weights between the neurons are designed in such a way that each neuron receives inhibitory support from neurons that violate the constraint conditions and receives excitatory support from external input. Various initialization techniques which use the specific characteristics of frequency assignment problems in cellular radio networks such as co-site constraint, adjacent channel constraint, and co-channel constraint and updating methods are investigated. Other than the already proposed neural network algorithms, this new algorithm fixes no frequencies of the cells before the frequency assignment procedure. This new algorithm, together with the proposed initialization and updating techniques and with no fixed frequencies in certain cells, has better performance results than the results reported previously utilizing fixed cells.


ABSTRACT The safety and efficacy of medications for preventive treatment of migraine is the subject of current concern and investigation in health care. Two single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topiramate for migraine prophylaxis. Seventy patients with a diagnosis of migraine were randomly assigned to topiramate-treated and placebo groups. The studies consisted of a 4-week baseline phase, a 6—8 week titration, and 8–12 weeks of maintenance. Topiramate was titrated from an initial dose of 25 mg/day to a target dose of 100 mg BID. The primary efficacy measure, the mean 28-day migraine frequency, was lower in topiramate-treated patients than in the placebo group (3.2 versus 3.8, P=.001). Similarly, topiramate treatment resulted in a significantly greater mean reduction in migraine frequency than did placebo (1.55 versus 0.47, P=.001) and a significantly higher responder rate (35.3% versus 8.3%, P=.008). Paresthesia was the most common side effect reported with topiramate treatment. Other topiramate-associated adverse events included altered taste, memory impairment, diarrhea, and appetite suppression/weight loss. The rates of discontinuation were similar for the topiramate group (n=10) and the placebo group (n=8). These results suggest that topiramate is effective and well tolerated in the preventive treatment of migraine headaches.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To report patient and family intensive care experiences using the Measuring the Intensive Care Experience (MICE) tool across two intensive care units (ICU).

BACKGROUND
The patient and family experience of care is an important indicator for quality improvement of ICUs, yet few studies evaluate both patient and family experiences in relation to overall care quality as well as specifically measuring quality of medical care, nursing care and organisational care as well as overall experience of the quality of intensive care.

DESIGN
A cross-sectional survey.

METHODS
A 23 item survey was administered to ICU patients and their family members across two ICUs, a regional 189-bed hospital and a metropolitan 227-bed hospital in Queensland, Australia. The response rate was 272 of 394 ICU patients (36.4%). STROBE guidelines were used in reporting this study.

RESULTS
Findings indicate a highly positive overall experience of ICU care among patients and families. However, patients reported areas of unmet needs following their stay in ICU broadly related to (1) symptom management, education and information support, and (2) improving the incorporation of patient and family care ICU-related shared decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS
Supportive interventions are needed that target improve symptom management and inform and education ICU patients.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
The MICE survey facilitated the identification of a range of areas requiring quality improvement. Improving the integration of patients and families into shared decision-making and support is a key aspect for quality improvement.


We report the case of a 34-year-old Malay, admitted for constipation and abdominal pain at 35 weeks of gestation. Initially, she was diagnosed to have paralytic ileus and was managed conservatively. As her condition did not improve, emergency laparotomy was performed for suspected intestinal obstruction. She delivered a baby boy weighing 2.84kg with good Apgar score through a caesarean section. Intra-operatively, she was noted to have sigmoid volvulus and sigmoidopexy was performed. Post-partum, colonoscopy and bowel decompression was performed. She recovered well and was discharged on day 5. This case illustrates the need to diagnose or suspect volvulus in pregnant woman presenting with severe constipation as early surgical intervention can reduce morbidity to both mother and fetus.


Seven new prenylbicyclogermacrane diterpenoids, pacificins K--Q (1--7), were isolated from the methylene chloride solubles of the Formosan soft coral Nephthea elongata. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and their cytotoxicity against selected cancer cells was measured in vitro.


IntroductionIn recent years, Israel has been undergoing a process of change in its attitude towards people with autistic spectrum disorders. The most important progress is evident in the recognition of their basic right to a full and productive life, a life of self-fulfillment and integration into all aspects of society, as opposed to remaining on the periphery of society. A clear manifestation of this trend is the Law of Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities 1998. The Equal Rights Law defines both the rights of those with disabilities and the obligation of Israeli society to protect those rights. In the last decades a similar transition has occurred in most developed countries around the world. An example of this is the International Convention of the United Nations, signed in 2006, that deals with the rights of persons with disabilities. Israel approved the Convention in September of 2012, when in fact it had already included its principles earlier, as part of the Law of Equal Rights.Higher education is a necessary tool for developing a society and creating and transmitting the knowledge that shapes it. As the key to the individual's social and vocational integration, it is of utmost importance to make the higher education system in Israel accessible. Creating an accessible campus for students, teachers, workers, and visitors is dependent not only on making it easy to travel to, move in, and find one's way around it, but also on enabling full and equal access to all the services it offers.Some Israeli universities, such as Ariel University, feel obligated to meet the needs of groups of students on the autistic spectrum and to allow them to reach their full potential. This research project offers information on the various services and human assistance offered by the university, as well as by public institutions and community nonprofit organizations, in order to maximize accessibility and integration into student life.The high functioning autistic student - Asperger syndromeAsperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) considered to be on the "high functioning" end of the spectrum. The main difference between Asperger syndrome and autism is that the former better preserves linguistic skills, while still demonstrating pragmatic deficiencies, the absence of non-verbal facial expressions, clumsy behavior, and "special" narrow and idiosyncratic fields of interest (1). On the one hand, Asperger Syndrome is characterized by impairment and restrictions in the fields of interpersonal communication, social interaction, and adaptation, as well as expressions of imagination. On the other, there is normal development in language acquisition and usage, cognitive capability (some individuals with Asperger syndrome are exceptionally gifted in mathematical calculations, writing, or drawing), adaptive behavior (except for social interaction), interest, and curiosity (for the most part exaggerated and obsessive and focusing on a narrow activity or field).Students with Asperger syndrome can also achieve erratic and irregular results on educational and psychological testing. A student with autism or Asperger syndrome may be a "math whiz" in algebra, but unable to make simple change at a cash register. Or, he or she may have an astonishing memory for statistics or prose, but forget to bring his or her supplies to class day after day. "Uneven skills development is a hallmark of autism" (2).Research on students with high functioning autism shows that the majority are interested in learning but only a few actually learn. They, themselves, mention obstacles such as difficulty coping with the social aspects of studying and lack of confidence (3).Integration into higher educationIntegration is a psychological concept that refers to the establishment of a connection between an individual with special needs and a "normative" person. In this research project, we deal with integration that increases the inclusion and involvement of the special needs student in the social and academic life of the university. …


Abstract Structured analytic techniques (SATs) are intended to improve intelligence analysis by checking the two canonical sources of error: systematic biases and random noise. Although both goals are achievable, no one knows how close the current generation of SATs comes to achieving either of them. We identify two root problems: (1) SATs treat bipolar biases as unipolar. As a result, we lack metrics for gauging possible over-shooting—and have no way of knowing when SATs that focus on suppressing one bias (e.g., over-confidence) are triggering the opposing bias (e.g., under-confidence); (2) SATs tacitly assume that problem decomposition (e.g., breaking reasoning into rows and columns of matrices corresponding to hypotheses and evidence) is a sound means of reducing noise in assessments. But no one has ever actually tested whether decomposition is adding or subtracting noise from the analytic process—and there are good reasons for suspecting that decomposition will, on balance, degrade the reliability of analytic judgment. The central shortcoming is that SATs have not been subject to sustained scientific of the sort that could reveal when they are helping or harming the cause of delivering accurate assessments of the world to the policy community.


Hydrated fly ash (HFA) is being produced in Texas by first adding water to Class C fly ash and allowing it to hydrate in curing pits for several weeks. HFA typically attain unconfined compressive strengths as high as 15 MPa. Once the HFA gains an acceptable level of strength, it is crushed using specialized equipment to produce an aggregate material with characteristics very similar to those of conventional granular materials such as crushed limestone. In certain regions of Texas, where quality aggregate base materials are in short supply, this synthetic aggregate material has been used in the construction of road bases on an experimental basis. Experience from the use of HFA ash in these different regions has been quite variable. This paper provides an overview of HFA as a construction aggregate, and documents the experience from its use as a road base material.


Background and Goal of Study: It has been reported that change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) was dependent on the change in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) during adult cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (1). It was also reported that CBF was associated with MAP during deep hypothermic CPB in children (2). However, the relation between the CBF and MAP seems still unclear during the mild or moderate hypothermic CPB in the pediatric cardiac surgery. In this study, we measured the change in CBF velocity (CBFV) by using transcranial Doppler (TCD) under the constant pump flow rate during the mild or moderate hypothermic CPB in children and evaluated the relation between the CBFV and MAP. We also evaluated the contribution of other factors such as blood gas and body temperature. Materials and Methods: After institutional approval and parental informed consent, 12 pediatric patients (1-66 months) undergoing elective cardiac surgery were studied. After a steady non-pulsatile CPB pump flow of 150 mL/min/kg was established during mild and moderate hypothermic CPB, CBFV in the middle cerebral artery was measured by using transcranial Doppler. Mean CBFV (Vm) was recorded every 15 min concurrently with MAP, nasopharyngeal temperature (Tnaso), PaO2, PaCO2 and hemoglobin since just after the steady CPB pump flow rate was obtained (T0). Results and Discussion: Seventy-four measurement points were obtained. When the value of Vm was regarded as 100% at T0, those values were changed from 41% to 149% during CPB even under the constant pump flow rate. This change was not correlated with the change in MAP (Correlation coefficient (R): 0.14, P = 0.23) (Figure 1). Changes in PaO2, PaCO2 and hemoglobin were not also significantly correlated. However, significant correlation with change in Tnaso was observed (R: 0.58, P< 0.01).