Dispersion-strengthened copper (DSC) with WC as dispersoid was prepared by means of mechanical alloying (MA) following the traditional powder metallurgy (P/M) route. Influence of WC content on the properties of material was discussed in detail, and result shows that when the volume fraction of WC is 1.6%, the material achieves the best overall property, and a little more particle addition led to a less superior property owing to occurrence of particle agglomeration The as-sintered composite was designed to undergo a deformation of 75%. It is proved that appropriate deformation is helpful to attain a higher density and consequently better properties. Deformed material was then exposed to elevated temperature to test its effect on material. Annealing for 1 h at 1173K caused material to recover quite completely, but no obvious recrystallization was observed. It's supposed the particles handicaps motion of dislocations and material demonstrates good retention of strength with substantial improvement in elongation.


Platycodon grandiflorum A. De Candolle (Korean name, 'Doraji') is a perennial plant containing various triterpenoid saponins. The roots of this plant have traditionally been used as a food material in Korea. Here, we prepared a fermented P. grandiflorum extract (PG). Although it was previously reported that P. grandiflorum A. extract has a variety of physiological functionalities, including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities, little is known about its vascular functions. In this study, we executed a series of experiments to identify the effect of PG on endothelial cells. PG at a high concentration (100 μg/ml) was found to induce cell detachment, whereas PG at a low concentration (0.1 μg/ml) appeared to promote cell proliferation and migration in bovine aortic endothelial cells. The cell detachment induced by the high concentration was not associated with cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. In addition, we found that PG at the high concentration formed a small vesicular structure called an endothelial microparticle (EMP). The EMP was prepared by centrifugal fractionation and determined with flow cytometry and a microscope. Interestingly, PG-induced cell detachment was found to be mediated by EMP. We furthermore determined that PG at the low concentration activated Akt, a crucial cell-signaling molecule, and then controlled cell proliferation and migration. Overall, our findings suggest that PG at low doses maintains vascular stability by promoting endothelial cell proliferation, and enhances the efficacy of wound healing by cell proliferation and migration activity.


Surgery for injuries to the tracheobronchial tree due to blunt trauma occurs over three periods: an emergency period requiring emergency room thoracotomy, an urgent period, and a late period. We observed seven cases in which thoracotomy (tracheobronchial plasty and pneumonectomy/lobectomy) was carried out during the urgent period. Thirty-two similar cases reported in Japan possessed features with the same patterns. It has been considered that lesions were frequently injured near the carina and that the bronchus would be injured symmetrically. However, both our experience and a literature review shows that only 59% of the cases (23/39) were injured near the carina and that 88% of bronchial injuries (14/16) occurred on the right side. This report also reviews the following clinical symptoms and roentogenological signs that contributed to the diagnosis: 1) dyspnea or respiratory distress, 2) subcutaneous and/or mediastinal emphysema, 3) fallen lung sign, and 4) upper rib fractures. Although a flexible bronchofiberscope was performed only in 24 cases (75%) out of the 32 reviewed patients and only 20 (83%) out of the 24 was diagnosed, the examination should be performed for all the patients even with minor or possible injury of the tracheobronchial tree. The results also suggested that an immediate and accurate diagnosis and subsequent emergency thoracotomy may improve the prognosis of the injury for patients during emergency period.


To the Editor. — Although the concept of privacy is hardly novel, it has developed in modern times into a complex and sometimes controversial body of law. Similarly, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease of uncertain epidemiologic origin and history, only recently has become a major phenomenon in Western society. Thus, neither the notion of privacy nor the affliction of AIDS is fully understood by legal and medical professionals, and indeed our concept of both continues to evolve. It seems quite likely that the tension between legitimate confidentiality interests and the needs of society and potentially exposed individuals for disclosure of sensitive medical data as outlined by Dr Dickens 1 will force further maturation of the doctrine of confidentiality. Dr Dickens is concerned that "too much in the law itself compels, justifies, and excuses disclosure of information," 2 and he clearly implies a need for new legislation to curtail


The role of the vaqf in the Ottoman Empire, as in the whole Islamic world,
 was quite significant, especially in a period marked by the founding of new
 oriental settlements. The first endowers in the newly-conquered lands were
 sultans, begs and prominent government officials. Affluent citizens also
 took part in endowing their cities, and women are known to have been among
 them. The aim of the paper, based on Ottoman sources, is to shed light on
 the participation of Muslim women in this kind of humanitarian and lucrative
 activity using the example of the Sanjak of Krusevac (Alaca Hisâr) in the
 sixteenth century.


Surgical treatment of post-traumatic right-sided phrenic hernia is associated with certain technical difficulties due to topographic and anatomical features. Morbid obesity combined with diabetes mellitus type II is one of the main factors complicating any surgical thoracic or abdominal surgery and further rehabilitation. We report simultaneous surgery for complicated post-traumatic right-sided phrenic hernia in a patient with morbid obesity and diabetes mellitus type II. Surgical correction of giant phrenic hernia facilitated further effective treatment of morbid obesity and concomitant diabetes mellitus type II.


We collect data on the masses, radii, etc., of three classes of close binary stars: low-temperature contact binaries (LTCBs), near-contact binaries (NCBs), and detached close binaries (DCBs). We restrict ourselves to systems in which (1) both components are, at least arguably, near the main sequence, (2) the periods are less than a day, and (3) there is both spectroscopic and photometric analysis leading to reasonably reliable data. We discuss the possible evolutionary connections between these three classes, emphasizing the roles played by mass loss and angular momentum loss in rapidly rotating cool stars. We describe a new mechanism, differential rotation as observed in the Sun, which can explain the remarkable efficiency of heat transport in the outer envelopes of contact binaries.


In an earlier paper, Pagano (1969) [Pagano NJ. Exact solutions for composite laminates in cylindrical bending. J Compos. Mater. 1969; 3: 398–411] presented the three-dimensional elasticity solution for orthotropic beams (applicable also to sandwich beams) for the cases of: (1) a phase with positive discriminant of the qudratic characteristic equation, which is formed from the orthotropic material constants and further restricted to positive real roots and (2) an isotropic phase, which results in a zero discriminant. The roots in this case are all real, unequal, and positive (positive discriminant) or all real and equal (isotropic case). This purpose of this article is to present the corresponding solution for the cases of (1) negative discrimnant, in which case the two roots are complex conjugates and (2) positive discriminant but real negative roots. The case of negative discriminant is frequently encountered in sandwich construction, where the orthotropic core is stiffer in the transverse than the in-plane directions. Example problems with realistic materials are solved and compared with the classical and the first-order shear sandwich beam theories.


Abstract : Net sediment transport in the littoral cell extending from Michigan City Harbor, IN, to Burns Waterway Harbor, IN, USA, is from east to west. For the four decades following construction of the Burns Waterway Harbor, net transport averaged about 190,000 yd3/year. Of this amount, accumulation in the fillet east of the Arcelor-Mittel bulkhead was 106,000 yd3/year, while dredging from the Bailly Generating Station cooling water intake was 83,000 yd3/year. The total transport calculated in this study is higher than most published previous estimates. The volume of sediment now bypassing the lakeward end of the bulkhead and entering the Federal harbor is estimated to be 84,000 yd3/year. This value will have to be confirmed from dredging statistics in the future. An average of 61,000 yd3/year of sand has been placed both on beaches at the National Park Service West Beach Unit west of Portage/Burns Waterway and offshore at Ogden Dunes. Full bypassing should to be about three times this amount to equal the longshore transport value of about 190,000 yd3/year.


Branched‐chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism is regulated by the branched‐chain aminotransferase (BCAT2) and the branched‐chain α‐keto acid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDH). BCAT2 and BCKDH expression and activity are modified during adipogenesis and altered in adipose tissues of mice with genetic or diet‐induced obesity. However, little is known about how these modifications and alterations affect the intracellular metabolic fate of BCAAs during adipogenesis, in adipocytes from mice fed a control or high‐fat diet or in C2C12 myotubes. Here, we demonstrate that BCAAs are mainly incorporated into proteins during the early stages of adipocyte differentiation. However, they are oxidized and incorporated into lipids during the late days of differentiation. Conversely, 92% and 97% of BCAA were oxidized, 1.6% and 6% were used for protein synthesis and 1.2% and 1.5% were incorporated into lipids in adipocytes from epididymal and subcutaneous adipose tissue, respectively. All three pathways were decreased in adipocytes from mice fed a high‐fat diet. In C2C12 myotubes, leucine is mainly used for protein synthesis and palmitate is incorporated into lipids. Interestingly, leucine decreased both palmitate oxidation and its incorporation to lipids and proteins; and palmitate increased leucine oxidation and decreased its incorporation to lipids and proteins in a dose‐dependent manner. These results demonstrate that BCAA metabolic fate differs between the early and late stages of adipocyte differentiation and in adipocytes from mice fed a control or high‐fat diet; and that leucine affects the metabolic fate of palmitate and vice versa in C2C12 myotubes. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 808–818, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In order to reveal the coexistence mechanism of ant community in lac plantation, an investigation was made on the ant community composition and the ability of ant species in discovering and holding food resources in a lac plantation in Yayi Town of Mojiang County, Yunnan Province, with the relationships between ant body size and its ability of finding food under habitat heterogeneity probed. There were six dominant ant species in the plantation, i. e., Tetraponera allaborans (Walker), Crematogaster macaoensis Wheeler, Crematogasterferrarii Emery, Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith), Polyrhachis proxima Roger, and Camponotus parius Emery. The hind leg length (y) of the six ant species increased allometrically with their head width (x), and the regression equation was y = 0.56 + 1.02x + 5.97x2 - 10.85x3. Different ant species had significant differences in their actual and relative frequency in discovering food resources in different habitats, but habitat type had no significant effects on the actual frequency in holding food resources by the ant species. The ant species with bigger head width and bigger body size index could discover more food resources in simple habitat. In contrast, the ant species with smaller head width, shorter hind leg length, and smaller body size index could discover more food resources in complex habitat. The heterogeneity of habitat caused the coexistence of ants: the smaller ant species lived in complex habitat, while the larger ones lived in simple habitat. In addition, numerically dominant ant species were unable to possess all resources, and thereby, could provide the opportunity to other ant species for resources acquisition, making the species coexistence come true.


The purpose of this study is to report the author's experience with 32 cases of pleomorphic liposarcoma to further broaden the clinicopathological spectrum. The tumours occurred equally in males and females with ages ranging from 11 to 83 years (median, 56 years). Tumour site included the extremities (17 cases), abdomen/retroperitoneum (4 cases), internal organs (5 cases), thoracic cavity/mediastinum (2 cases), orbit, neck, groin and scrotum (1 case each). The diagnostic pleomorphic lipoblasts were identified in 31 primary tumours and one recurrent tumor but varied widely in proportion between cases or different areas of the same tumor. Four tumors contained sheets or focal aggregates of lipoblasts with epithelioid morphology. The nonlipogenic component in 26 cases had an appearance of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, whereas in six cases it was consistent with intermediate to high grade myxofibrosarcoma. The pleormorphic and epithelioid lipoblasts displayed variable expression of S100 protein. There was no signal of amplified MDM2 gene in 10 cases tested by fluorescence in situ hybridization. This study further illustrates that pleomorphic liposarcoma is a distinctive entity with no relationship to either well differentiated liposarcoma or dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Albeit very rare, pleomorphic liposarcoma can occur in teenaged patients and internal organs.


Introduction. Celiac plexus neurolysis is used in pain management of patients with advanced and unresectable pancreatic cancer. We retrospectively analyzed efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound- (EUS-) guided celiac plexus neurolysis in patients treated in our unit. Methods. Twenty nine subjects with unresectable pancreatic cancer and severe pain despite pharmacological treatment underwent EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis with 98% ethanol. Patients scored their pain according to a 0–10 point scale and were interviewed 1-2 weeks and 2-3 months after the procedure. Results. Twenty five (86%) patients reported improvement in their pain at 1-2 weeks following the procedure. Of these, 7 (24%) reported substantial improvement (decrease in pain by more than 50%) and 4 (14%) complete disappearance of pain. Pain relief was still present in 76% of patients after 2-3 months. Treatment-related side effects included hypotonia in 1 patient, severe pain immediately postprocedure in 2 patients, and short episodes of diarrhea in 3 patients. Conclusion. Endoscopic ultrasound- (EUS-) guided celiac plexus neurolysis is a safe and effective treatment of severe pain from advanced pancreatic cancer.


In a 1966 publication, Chi-Yi Wang used the streamfunction in concert with the vorticity equations to develop a methodology for obtaining exact solutions to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, now known as the extended Beltrami method. In Wang's approach, the vorticity is represented by the sum of a linear function of the streamfunction and an assumed auxiliary function, such that the vorticity equation can be reduced to a quasi-linear partial differential equation, and exact solutions are obtainable for many choices of the auxiliary function. In the present work, a natural extension of Wang's formulation to three-dimensional flows in arbitrary orthogonal curvilinear coordinates has been derived, wherein two auxiliary functions are formed at the outset, with the caveat that the pressure and velocity components may vary in two spatial dimensions. As is the case with two-dimensional extended Beltrami flows, exact solutions are only obtainable when the forms of the auxiliary functions are "simple enough" to render the governing equations solvable. To demonstrate the solutions which may be obtained using the extended formulation, the well-known Kovasznay flow is generalized to a three-dimensional flow. A unique solution in plane polar coordinates is found. An extension to the solution to Burgers vortex has been derived and discussed in the context of existing literature. Finally, a new 3D swirling flow solution which is the angular analogue to Kovasznay flow has been developed.


Amino acid epimerization ratios (aIle/Ile) measured in 295 fossil molluscan shells of 3 genera provide a basis to evaluate the number and relative timing of high-sea-level events represented by deposits blanketing the Nome coastal plain and adjacent nearshore area, northwestern Alaska. Frequency-distribution analysis, along with a new approach that relies on the ranked-data distribution, was used to identify clusters (aminozones) in the aIle/Ile data, each of which presumably represents a discrete period of marine inundation of the study area. Six periods of high relative sea level were distinguished; some are recognized only by redeposited shells rather than in situ bio- or lithostratigraphic units. The oldest period is represented by shells recovered from the deepest sections of two offshore boreholes; aIle/Ile ratios in these shells (1.0) are much higher than in any found onshore and probably date to the late Miocene/early Pliocene. The oldest aminozone lies below nonfossiliferous sediments, which, in turn, are overlain by glacigenic and marine deposits containing largely fragmented shells with aIle/Ile ratios ranging from 0.35 to 0.65. This range coincides with aIle/Ile ratios from various onshore deposits previously ascribed to the middle Pliocene (∼3 m.y.) Beringian transgression. Ratios in this range can be subdivided into three evenly spaced aminozones, each of which may represent multiple, short-duration (10 4 yr) high-sea stands separated by a longer-period (>10 5 yr) sea-level oscillation. On the basis of a new empirical model of parabolic epimerization kinetics and an assumed age of 3.2 m.y. for the oldest Beringian aminozone (the approximate age of the initial submergence of Bering Strait), the estimated length of time represented by the three Beringian aminozones is between 0.5 and 1.7 m.y. The youngest Beringian highstand was followed in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene by a lengthy period of nonmarine deposition during which local valley glaciers advanced onto the coastal plain at least once. Relative sea level apparently did not again surpass that of today until the middle Pleistocene Anvilian transgression, the oldest higher-than-present stand of the Pleistocene, yet considerably younger than previously thought. Glaciers overran the Nome coastal plain at least once following the Anvilian transgression, incorporating abundant shells into their drift. The drift is notched by a shoreline formed during the Pelukian transgression of the last interglaciation. Although well represented onshore, no Pelukian deposits have been found offshore.


This paper aims to use the technique of artificial neural networks (ANN) to estimate the origin-destination matrix (O-D) of soybeans in Brazil for export to explain the variability of flows between O-D pairs, considering the dynamic characteristics existing in O-D matrices. We will then compare the results with the gravity model (GM), which is a model used in strategic planning of the brazilian government also proposed a procedure for the use of anns in travel distribution load. among the four models built in this paper, we have highlighted the combination C-02, with a coefficient of determination (R2) higher than 9% and with a dissimilarity index (DI) 6.92% lower than the GM. It can be observed that anns can be a potential substitute to conventional statistical models because if their easy interface to user programs, but the ANNs are not reported in the literature as options for calculating the travel distribution of Four Steps Method. Thus, this technique is rarely used for the transportation of cargo.


We propose a novel adaptive segment repair scheme to improve traditional MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) failure recovery. The proposed mechanism protects one or more contiguous high failure probability links by setup the segment protection dynamically. The adaptive segment repair scheme aims to obtain balance between resource utilization and fast restoration. With the simulation results, the proposed scheme is demonstrated to reduce failure recovery time as well as increase network resources utilization.


F3.3 This work presents an implementation procedure for finline bandpass filters. Using empirical formulas, a synthesis program was developed to give initial dimension values for a tridimensional TLM (Transmission Line Method) simulation. With the obtained response, new especifications are generated and used in the synthesis part which gives new dimensions. This loop continues until the initial especifications are met within the acceptable error. The TLM simulation difficulties are discussed and simulated results are shown.


A dual laser flow system has been proved and used with a novel staining method for simultaneous quantitative DNA and protein analysis. A diamidinophenylindole compound (DAPI) for DNA has been employed in combination with sulforhodamine (SR 101) for protein. With this dye mixture various cell types of the cervical smear could be identified. Despite some overlapping, clusters of leukocytes, endocervicals, (para)basals, intermediates, superficials and dys/neoplastic cells together with artificial events could be discriminated. Up to now the problem of negative cells which create positive signals (false alarms) in the dys/neoplastic region could not be sufficiently solved.


Abstract In this study are presented chronologies of earlywood (EW), latewood (LW) and tree-ring widths (RW) of a Pinus halepensis (P. halepensis) and Pinus pinea (P. pinea) natural forest stand growing in western Albania. Bootstrapped correlations and pointer year analysis were combined in a dendroclimatological study to evaluate climate-growth relationships in both pine species as well as to assess the spatial outreach of our chronologies evaluating them with those of the same species from other Mediterranean countries. We found that both species responded positively to precipitation and Indexed Percentage Average Precipitation (%AvP) in late summer-early autumn, particularly the LW, whereas summer temperatures constrained the growth of P. halepensis tree-ring features. Current January temperature and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) showed positive relationship with P. pinea LW and RW. The same association was observed when considering PET in spring and P. halepensis LW and RW. Pointer year analysis showed that inhibitory climatic drivers of radial growth for both species were low precipitation from previous winter and current summer, associated with low temperatures during autumn. Our P. halepensis chronology showed a wider spatial outreach than that of P. pinea when compared to those from other Mediterranean countries. We conclude that current January temperatures and September precipitation are very important for P. pinea growth influencing both EW and LW growth whereas P. halepensis is mostly affected by the summer-early autumn climate conditions.


Intussusception is one of the most frequent causes of intestinal obstruction in infants. Rotavirus vaccination has been associated with intussusception in the medical literature. We report a case of a 4-month-old female with intussusception requiring hemicolectomy one week following rotavirus vaccination. We review the pathophysiology, presentation, and management of intussusception with a distinct focus on the history of rotavirus vaccination and risks of intussusception associated with timing of rotavirus vaccine administration. The discussion makes a strong case for rotavirus vaccine counseling regarding signs of intestinal obstruction and the importance of early recognition.


These studies are concerned with "mapping" the temporal order of the precommitment events in the differentiation pathway of the Friend erythroleukemia cell. We have used a single-block procedure in which a differentiation-specific inhibitor of a temperature-sensitive (ts) differentiation-defective mutation was used to block the differentiation program. Later, the block was removed, differentiation was allowed to proceed, and the time required to reach a reference marker was monitored. These studies have indicated that the mutations tsC2GP1 and tsB5A, the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide, and the glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone blocked functions which are required just prior to commitment. We have also used a double-block procedure involving two consecutive restrictive conditions, which suggests that the 3-aminobenzamide- and tsC2GP1-blocked functions constitute a part of a sequentially ordered pathway leading to terminal differentiation. The convergence of the 3-aminobenzamide, dexamethasone, and ts mutational blocks just prior to commitment suggests that the blocked functions may be part of a major control mechanism for commitment. In these studies, we have introduced a cytochalasin B-based assay to monitor commitment. The use of cytochalasin B permits a direct assay for commitment and obviates the need for colony-forming assays using semisolid medium, which have inherent problems such as efficiency of plating.


A high quality superconducting film on a substrate with a low dielectric constant is desired for passive microwave circuit applications. In addition, it is essential that the patterning process does not effect the superconducting properties of the thin films to achieve the highest circuit operating temperatures. YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting films were grown on lanthanum aluminate substrates using laser ablation with resulting maximum transition temperature (T sub c) of 90 K. The films were grown on a LaAlO3 which was at 775 C and in 170 mtorr of oxygen and slowly cooled to room temperature in 1 atm of oxygen. These films were then processed using photolithography and a negative photoresist with an etch solution of bromine and ethanol. Results are presented on the effect of the processing on T{sub c} of the film and the microwave properties of the patterned films.


High pollutant-loading capacities (up to 319 times its own weight) are achieved by three-dimensional (3D) macroporous, slightly reduced graphene oxide (srGO) sorbents, which are prepared through ice-templating and consecutive thermal reduction. The reduction of the srGO is readily controlled by heating time under a mild condition (at 1 10–2 Torr and 200°C). The saturated sorption capacity of the hydrophilic srGO sorbent (thermally reduced for 1 h) could not be improved further even though the samples were reduced for 10 h to achieve the hydrophobic surface. The large meso- and macroporosity of the srGO sorbent, which is achieved by removing the residual water and the hydroxyl groups, is crucial for achieving the enhanced capacity. In particular, a systematic study on absorption parameters indicates that the open porosity of the 3D srGO sorbents significantly contributes to the physical loading of oils and organic solvents on the hydrophilic surface. Therefore, this study provides insight into the absorption behavior of highly macroporous graphene-based macrostructures and hence paves the way to development of promising next-generation sorbents for removal of oils and organic solvent pollutants.


The osteofixtures developed by P.I. Branemark are pure titanium screws implanted percutaneously and intraosseously in the mastoid region. The mechanical properties and biocompatibility towards bone and soft tissues of these titanium fixtures were studied after 80,000 cases of human application, essentially in the field of dentistry. The authors present their preliminary results in the otological field: firstly, the auditory prosthesis with a mean gain of 20 dB over classical prostheses via air and bone transmission and, secondly, the epiprosthesis of the external ear in cases of aplasia with scarred skin.


The debate over the meaning of πίστις Χριστοῦ has been continuing for some time and shows no signs of abating, yet one conclusion has remained constant: the Church Fathers, generally, did not understand πίστις Χριστοῦ in the Pauline materials in the subjective sense as the 'faithfulness of Christ'. Furthermore, there has heretofore been no text that correlates Jesus' faithfulness with his death on the cross in patristic writings. In light of that, the aim of this study is (1) to offer a critique of recent work on πίστις Χριστοῦ in the Church Fathers, and (2) to break the longstanding silence by presenting overlooked evidence from Hippolytus's De Christo et Antichristo that unambiguously relates Jesus' faithfulness to his death on the cross.


Background: Outcomes of patients with high-grade GI-NETs are poor; prognostic markers for risk-stratification are needed.Methods: Consecutive patients, diagnosed with high-grade GI-NETs between 1997-2014, were included. Prognostic factors were identified by the Log-rank test, Cox regression and logistic regression and ROC curve comparisons performed for prediction accuracy. Internal validation of the score by Bootstrap-corrected Harrell Concordance Index (C-index) and Resampling Model Calibration were performed.Results: One-hundred and nine patients were eligible for analysis. Median follow-up time was 9.7 months (1.3-102.9). Median age: 67.7 years (16.3-84.1); 62% male, 84% metastatic; 19% foregut, 5% midgut, 19% pancreas, 28% hindgut and 29% unknown primary. Median ki67: 70% (20-100); ECOG PS 0: 26%, 1: 52%; 70% received chemotherapy. Baseline median alkaline phosphatase (ALK) and LDH were 109 IU/l (45-2035) and 70 IU/l (258-11069), respectively. The maximum model included stage, PS, LDH, Na, ALK, ki67, number of metastatic sites, presence of liver and presence of lung metastases. The score, selected by the lowest Akaike Index Criterion, included liver metastases, PS, ki67, LDH and ALK with 0-6 points assigned to each, resulting in 4 risk groups (A-D) with predicted risk of death, detailed in Table. There was no difference in the survival prediction accuracy between the maximum model and the score. On multivariable analysis, the score was prognostic for overall survival (HR 1.95, 95%CI 1.55-2.47; p < 0.001) and had good discrimination (C-index, 0.76) and calibration (mean error, 0.021; percentile 90, 0.037).Conclusions: This simple score identified high-grade GI-NET patients with meaningful differences in survival and may inform clinical decision-making and trial design.


Earlier studies on binaural dichotic presentation by spectral splitting of speech signal using a pair of complementary comb filters, for improving speech perception by persons with moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, have shown mixed results: from no advantage to improvements in recognition scores corresponding to an SNR advantage of 2 - 9 dB. The filters used in these studies had different bandwidths and realizations. For an optimal performance of the scheme, the perceived loudness of different spectral components in the speech signal should be balanced, especially for components in transition bands which get presented to both the ears. For selecting magnitude responses of such filters, we have investigated the relationship between the signal amplitudes for binaural presentation of a tone to evoke the same loudness as that of the monaural presentation. Listening tests were conducted, on eight normalhearing subjects, for comparing the perceived loudness of monaural presentations to that of the binaural presentation with different combination of amplitudes for the tones presented to the left and right ears, at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz. The sum of the amplitudes of the left and right tones in binaural presentation being equal to that of the monaural tone resulted in monaural-binaural loudness match, indicating that the magnitude response of the comb filters used for dichotic presentation should be complementary on a linear scale. An analysis of the magnitude responses of the comb filters used in earlier studies showed large deviations from the perceptual balance requirement, and those with smaller deviations were more effective in improving speech perception. A pair of comb filters, based on auditory critical bandwidths and magnitude responses closely satisfying the requirement for perceptual balance, was designed as 512-coefficient linear phase FIR filters for sampling frequency of 10 kHz. Listening tests on six normal-hearing subjects showed improvements in the consonant recognition scores corresponding to an SNR advantage of approximately 12 dB. Tests using 12 subjects with moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss showed an improvement in the recognition score in the range 7 - 31 %. Thus the investigations showed that binaural dichotic presentation using comb filters designed for perceptual balance resulted in better speech perception.


A 23-yr-old primagravida sustained a dural puncture during epidural catheter insertion and developed a headache that settled with oral diclofenac and codydramol. On the third day after delivery, she convulsed twice without warning. As plasma urate was increased, the putative diagnosis of an eclamptic fit was made, and magnesium therapy was started. A contrast CT scan revealed that the cause of the patient's symptoms was a subdural haematoma with raised intracranial pressure. A coincidental arteriovenous malformation was noted. This case emphasises the need to consider the differential diagnoses of post-partum headache. The management of acute intracranial haematoma is described.


This paper investigates the mechanisms through which organizations develop dynamic capabilities, defined as routinized activities directed to the development and adaptation of operating routines. It addresses the role of (1) experience accumulation, (2) knowledge articulation, and (3) knowledge codifi- cation processes in the evolution of dynamic, as well as operational, routines. The argument is made that dynamic capabilities are shaped by the coevolution of these learning mechanisms. At any point in time, firms adopt a mix of learning behaviors constituted by a semiautomatic accumulation of experience and by deliberate investments in knowledge articulation and codification activities. The relative effectiveness of these capability-building mechanisms is analyzed here as contingent upon selected features of the task to be learned, such as its frequency, homogeneity, and degree of causal ambiguity. Testable hypotheses about these effects are derived. Somewhat counterintuitive implications of the analysis include the relatively superior effectiveness of highly deliberate learning processes such as knowledge codification at lower levels of frequency and homogeneity of the organizational task, in contrast with common managerial practice.


The purpose of the study was to identify associations between drug prescriptions and the risk of falls in community-dwelling frail elderly people. 360 frail elderly patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment during hospital stay. After discharge, the home falls were recorded by a questionnaire during the follow-up year and a home visit was carried out at the end of the year. Of 279 final patients with complete data, 141 subjects (50.5%) fell once; 62 subjects (22.2%) had a history of two or more falls during the follow-up period. Compared with subjects who did not fall or fell at the most once, those subjects with two or more falls showed a significantly higher prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics, neuroleptics, diuretics, nitrates, and five or more different drugs. In multivariate analysis the prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.02 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.14 to 3.68) and the prescription of five or more different drugs with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.25 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 4.49) were found to be independent risk factors for multiple falls. In this prospective study in community-dwelling frail, elderly people the prescription of tranquillizers/hypnotics and five or more different medications could be identified as independent risk factors for multiple falls.


A cross-sectional study was conducted on ovine lungworms from November, 2010 to April, 2011 slaughtered in the municipal abattoir and private Hotels in Bahir Dar. The objectives of the study were to appreciate lesions, to determine the prevalence of lungworms infection, to identify the species of lungwormsand to describe risk factors. Breeds of sheep under study were Farta and Washera. Gross lesions were determined by postmortem examinations and microscopic lesions were appreciated after hematoxylin eosin stain. The prevalence of lungworms was determined again using postmortem examination of adult parasites found in the lungs. The species of lungworms were identified after microscopic examination. Grossly, the most important lesions were foamy and bloody stained exudates mixed with adult parasites, multifocal patches, firm consistency of lung were detected. Histopathologically, diffused broncho and interstitial pneumonia, alveolitis and desquamation have frequently detected. Eosinophilic inflammatory cell infiltrations around trapped adult parasites, larvae and eggs were also common. Species of lung worms identified were Dictyocaulusfilaria (49.21%), Muelleriuscapillaris (2.34%) and Protostrongylusrufescens (1.56%). The overall prevalence was found to be 57.55% (221/384). In all age groups, D. filaria had the highest prevalence than the other lungworms. The prevalence in Washera and Farta breeds' was 62.5% and 57.22% respectively. In conclusion ovine lungworms were prevalent in sheep originated from Adet, Fogera, Estie, Bahir Dar and Merawi and caused significant damage on the lung and produces characteristic gross and microscopic lesions.


Simulation studies have become the main source of data about small group interactions during prolonged isolation, from which it should be possible to anticipate crew problems during actual space missions. International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and cosmonauts will form one international crew, although living in different national modules. They will have joint flight protocols, and at the same time, fulfill a number of different tasks in accord with their national flight programs. Consistent with these concepts, we studied two simultaneously functioning groups in a simulation of ISS flight. The objective of this study was to investigate physiological parameters (such as catecholamine excretions) related to long-duration confinement in the hermetic chamber, simulating International Space Station flight conditions. We also planned to evaluate the relationship between epinephrine/norepinephrine with group dynamics and social events to predict unfavorable changes in health and work capability of the subjects related to psychological interaction in the isolation chamber.


Information distillation aims to analyze and interpret large volumes of speech and text archives in multiple languages and produce structured information of interest to the user. In this work, we investigate cross-lingual information distillation, where nonEnglish (source language) documents are searched for user queries that are in English (target language). We propose to perform distillation both on the original source language data and their English translations output by machine translation, and combine the two outputs. We experimentally show that combination approach results in 8% to 16% absolute (13% to 31% relative) F-measure improvement over the previous work.


The present manuscript attempts to analyse the legal qualification of synthetic data generated from personal data. Three main conclusions are drawn from our legal analysis: first, full data protection compliance prior to data synthesis would be applicable in many cases; second, according to the identifiability test as enshrined in the definition of personal data, synthetic data will be considered pseudonymous or anonymous data depending on the appropriateness of the data synthesis and the related ex-post control mechanisms; third, the broader question of the legal qualification of synthetic remains an unresolved issue in light of the exegetical discrepancy by law and doctrine on the identifiability test and regulatory model for data protection law.


Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA) is an isothermal in vitro DNA amplification method based upon the coordinated actions of helicases to separate double-stranded DNA and DNA polymerases to synthesize DNA. Previously, a mesophilic form of HDA (mHDA) utilizing the Escherichia coli UvrD helicase, DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment, two accessory proteins, MutL and single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), was developed (1). In an effort to improve the specificity and performance of HDA, we have cloned and purified a thermostable UvrD helicase (Tte-UvrD) and the mutL homolog (Tte-MutL) from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis. Characterization of the Tte-UvrD helicase shows that it is stable and active from 45 to 65 °C. We have found that the Tte-UvrD helicase unwinds blunt-ended DNA duplexes as well as substrates possessing 3′- or 5′-ssDNA tails. Tte-UvrDwasusedtodevelopathermophilichelicase-dependent amplification (tHDA) system to selectively amplify target sequences at 60–65 °C. The tHDA system is more efficient than mHDA, displaying heightened amplification sensitivity without the need for the MutL and SSB accessory proteins. Amplification independent of MutL corresponds with studies demonstrating that maximal Tte-UvrD helicase activity does not require the mutL homolog. The tHDA system allows for rapid amplification and detection of targets present in genomic DNA. The expeditious nature and simplistic design of the tHDA platform makes the technology ideal for use in diagnostic applications requiring rapid identification of organisms at the point-of-need.


Studies suggest a high frequency of epileptic auras with intellectual content among epileptic patients with psychopathology and personality disorders. This study compared measures of personality and psychosocial functioning between epileptic patients with cognitive auras and epileptic patients with noncognitive auras. Ten patients with complex partial seizures who experienced cognitive auras had consistently more depressive traits and psychosocial difficulties than 50 patients with other psychic or nonpsychic auras, particularly if the patients with cognitive auras had left hemisphere epileptiform foci. Cognitive auras may be associated with depressive traits among epileptic patients. The findings were also in agreement with studies that relate the left hemisphere to depression.


The taxonomic diversity (TD) of tropical flora and fauna tends to increase during secondary succession. This increase may be accompanied by changes in functional diversity (FD), although the relationship between TD and FD is not well understood. To explore this relationship, we examined the correlations between the TD and FD of ants and forest age in secondary forests at the α‐ and β‐diversity levels using single‐ and multi‐trait‐based approaches. Our objectives were to understand ant diversity patterns and to evaluate the role of secondary forests in the conservation of biodiversity and in the resilience of tropical forests. Ant assemblages were sampled across a chronosequence in the Lacandon region, Mexico. All species were characterized according to 12 functional ecomorphological traits relevant to their feeding behavior. We found that TD and FD were related to forest age at the alpha level, but not at the beta level. α‐functional richness and divergence increased linearly with species richness and diversity, respectively. Also, the relationship between taxonomic and functional turnover was linear and positive. Our results indicated that functional traits were complementary across the chronosequence. The increase in FD was mainly driven by the addition of rare species with relevant traits. The older secondary forests did not recover all of the functions of old growth forest but did show a tendency to recovery. Because older successional stages support more TD and FD, we suggest developing agriculture and forestry management practices that facilitate rapid post‐agricultural succession and thereby better preserve the functionality of tropical forests.


Statistical moments of the inter-path interference, the inter-chip interference and the intersymbol interference in a direct-sequence binary phase shift keying ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) system are analyzed for the IEEE UWB channel models. Exact expressions for the first- and second-order moments are derived. The effects of the duration of the monocycle pulse, the spreading gain, and the number of interfering symbols on the average powers of the interferences are examined.


What impact do past experiences have on the expectation formation of banks? This article analyses the risk management of Germany's largest bank during the 1970 and 1980s. In this period, financial deregulation and globalization increased the likelihood of credit defaults and forced banks to implement new strategies of risk assessment. The Herstatt failure of 1974 triggered a series of new regulations, partly based on initiatives of the banks themselves. After the sovereign debt crisis of the 1980s, banks introduced a comprehensive strategy of country-risk assessment. They systematically professionalized their information resources and integrated risk and liability management. Economic forecasting was often based on historical data used for the classification and diversification of risks. However, learning from past experiences had limitations, as recent events were often overrated. This had the effect that the banks' country risk assessment focused mainly on developing countries while the industrial world was not included in the schemes. This might explain why many banks have continually underestimated the financial risks present in developed countries since the 1990s.


Solar energy is derived from photons of light coming from the sun in a form called radiation. Solar energy finds extensive application in air and water heating, solar cooking, as well as electrical power generation, depending on the way of capturing, converting and distribution. To enable such application, it is necessary to analyze the horizontal tilt angle of horizontal surfaces – in order that when the solar energy reaches the earth surface to be completely absorbed. This paper tends to describe the availability of solar radiation for south-facing flat surfaces. The optimal monthly, seasonal, and annual tilt angles have been estimated for Pristina. The solar radiation received by the incident plane is estimated based on isotropic sky analysis models, namely Liu and Jordan model. The annual optimum tilt angle for Pristina was found to be 34.7°. The determination of annual solar energy gains is done by applying the optimal monthly, seasonal and annual tilt angles for an inclined surface compared to a horizontal surface. Monthly, seasonal and annual percentages of solar energy gains have been estimated to be 21.35%, 19.98%, and 14.43%. Losses of solar energy were estimated by 1.13 % when a surface was fixed at a seasonal optimum tilt angle, and when it was fixed at an annual optimum tilt angle, those losses were 5.7%. Keywords— Solar energy, Gains; Estimation; Tilt angle; South-facing.


In the greater bandicoot rat, Bandicota indica, of south-east Asia, nine cell associations were documented in the testicular seminiferous epithelium. In about 10% of the tubule cross sections two or more cell associations occurred and, furthermore, some of the generations of germ cells within the cell associations were sometimes either out of phase, or missing, in the tubule cross sections. These features, together with the fact that this species has a highly pleiomorphic sperm head shape, are somewhat reminiscent of those of the seminiferous epithelium in humans and some other primates but not of common laboratory rodents. This species could thus be a good model for investigating irregular patterns of spermatogenesis in naturally occurring wild species of rodent.


Broadband antenna arrays have become increasingly popular for various imaging applications, such as radio telescopes and radar, where high sensitivity and resolution are required. High sensitivity requires the development of large scale broadband arrays capable of imaging distant sources at many different wavelengths, in addition to overcoming noise and jamming signals. The design of large scale broadband antenna arrays requires large number antennas, increasing the cost and complexity of the overall system. Moreover, noise sources often vary, depending on their wavelengths and angular locations. This increases the overall design complexity particularly for broadband applications where the performance depends not only on the required bandwidth, but also on the frequency band.This thesis provides a study of broadband antenna array systems for large scale applications. The study investigates different tradeoffs associated with designing such systems and drives a novel design approach to optimize both their cost and performance for a wide range of applications. In addition, the thesis includes measurements of a suitable array to validate the computational predictions. Moreover, the thesis also demonstrates how this study can be utilized to optimize a broadband antenna array system suitable for a low frequency radio telescope.


We present a study on the dependence of the external Quantum Efficiency (QE) of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) on the device properties and p-contact metallisation. The external QE could be doubled by changing the p-type contact from oxidised Ni/Au to non-annealed Ag. The best value for the external QE of an unpackaged device is 13.5% and is obtained when the reflection from the Ag mirror contact is in phase with the QW emission.


This paper deals with modeling, control and identification issues of 2 degrees of freedom (DOF) low cost driving simulator validated by experimental results with a human in the loop. A first study, dealing with choices of the platform's motion, has conducted us to an original architecture allowing the restitution of longitudinal and yaw movements based mechanics. To better immerse the driver in the virtual world and stimulate his perception, a haptic feedback steering wheel is be implemented to assist the human in driving. The present motion platform is designed to help psychophysicists to assess the effects of yaw components on the simulator sickness. Experimental studies were carried out to devise a characterization of the platform capabilities, frequency responses and for classical drive operation. Conclusion and future works are given.


Despite the efforts towards controlling all well known risk factors, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases are still the most common causes of death. This obvious fact stimulates the investigators to look for new risk factors. We aimed to investigate the relationship between smoking and blood viscosity from this point of view. One hundred people were invited and three groups were formed. group 1 composed of exsmokers, group 2 composed of individuals who had been smoking, group 3 composed of the individuals who never smoked. Measurements of blood viscosity were performed at three different shear rates. Since the hematocrit levels can significantly effect viscosity, in order to avoid this, hematocrit levels were fixed at 40. According to our results we may conclude that smoking effects the measurements of blood.We found that blood viscosity was higher in smokers and exsmokers compared to the ones who never smoked. We think that corrective measures for increased blood viscosity may be important for preventing and/or treatment of related diseases mainly cardiovascular ones.


Underwater object classification is an attractive approach using acoustic remote sensing techniques due to its high coverage capabilities and limited costs as compared to manual method of taking samples from the seafloor. This review paper focuses on the characterization of underwater objects in a coastal environment using different ultrasonic techniques like multibeam echosounder (MBES), a single-beam echosounder (SBES) and sidescan sonar(SSS). Out of these ultrasonic techniques, MBES and SBES are, in general, high-frequency techniques providing information about bathymetry and backscatter for the upper part of the sea bottom. MBES systems provide this information with a better resolution due to the beam opening angle of typically 1 –3 , and high coverage. An SBES provides measurements directly underneath the ship only, but is widespread. For MBES underwater object classification is achieved through the Bayesian approach, employing backscatter measurements per beam. For the SBES, echo shape parameters of the transmitted signal are determined and are combined in a principal component analysis (PCA). Underwater object classification using these ultrasonic techniques is useful for a large range of applications, such as habitat mapping, cable laying, or mine hunting.


Purpose
This paper aims to provide new evidence that corporate site visits give institutional investors better opportunities to obtain information and exert monitoring powers, which reduce listed firms' earnings management.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores how private communications affect firms' earnings management by using a sample of institutional investors' visits to the corporate sites of Chinese listed firms between 2010 and 2018. This study uses the performance-matched Jones model (Kothari et al., 2005) to measure accrual-based earnings management and Roychowdhury's (2006) method to measure real earnings management. The authors also perform several robustness checks including an alternative measure of accounting accruals, a two-stage instrumental regression and the Heckman two-step approach.

Findings
Using a sample of institutional investors' site visits to Chinese listed firms during the 2010–2018 period, this study finds that institutional investors' site visits reduce listed firms' earnings manipulation activities (both accrual-based and real). This association is robust to several checks, including an alternative measure of accounting accruals, a two-stage instrumental regression and the Heckman two-step approach. This study further documents that other private communication approaches such as private in-house meetings and conference calls moderate the effect of site visits.

Practical implications
As the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is one of the few stock markets to mandate that listed firms record and disclose their private communication information, this study also has implications for researchers and policymakers who work in other stock markets.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive study of the impact of private communications on earnings management. This study extends the earnings management literature by examining institutional investors' information acquisition process and revealing a negative association between their site visits and listed firms' earnings management. Moreover, this study examines the effects not only on traditional accounting accruals but also on real earnings management. In addition to studies that emphasize the effect of corporate site visits on individuals and market reactions, this study examines the effect of site visits on firms' financial misbehavior. This study shows that institutional investors' corporate site visits provide external monitoring that mitigates listed firms' earnings management behavior.


The synthesis of new hybrid ferrocene and pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) donor(1)-pi-donor(2) molecular assemblies 16a-c has been carried out by a Wittig-Horner reaction of the respective phosphonate esters 15a-c with 2-(2-ferrocenylvinyl)-9, 10-anthraquinone (18) prepared by olefination of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde (14) and the anthraquinone phosphonium salt 17. Electrochemical studies show that the D(1)-pi-D(2) (D = donor) molecular assemblies 16a-c essentially retain the redox characteristics of both ferrocene and the pi-extended TTF components and the effects of solvent, temperature, scan rate, and working electrode are significant. Most importantly, pronounced intramolecular electronic interactions between the two donor moieties were observed by cyclic voltammetry and Osteryoung square wave voltammetry in both the ground and charged states. Semiempirical calculations support the electrochemical observations.


Given the recent profitability of and demand for pharmaceuticals, from prescription antibiotics and analgesics like CiproflaxinTM and OxyContinTM and men's health drugs such as ViagraTM and VardenafilTM to over-the-counter SenokotTM laxatives and BetadineTM antiseptics, the rush to develop and market new pharmaceuticals has never been greater. The current process is complex and it often takes several years for a drug to reach the market due to the myriad of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Furthermore, the recent FDA guidelines mandating that all New Drug Applications (NDA) be submitted in electronic (paperless) format by the end of 2002 is a catalyst for change in the pharmaceutical industry (FDA Proposes First Requirement for Electronic Submission, 2002; New Drug Application (NDA), 2001). Bayer Pharmaceutical, like its competitors Purdue Pharma and Boots Healthcare, has begun to take steps to assure that its use of information technology will allow it to not only meet FDA guidelines, but achieve its corporate goals of improved efficiency and reduced operating costs.


Object oriented source code occurs in diverse programming languages with documentation using miscellaneous standards, comments in individual styles, or associated test cases that are hard to exploit through information retrieval or knowledge discovery techniques. Typically, the information about object-oriented source code for a software system is distributed across several different sources, which makes processing complex. In this paper we describe the morphology of object-oriented source code and how we pre-process it to improve the retrieval of source code for further reuse. Results from two studies showed that the preprocessed index increases the precision of the search by at least 13% for queries encompassing a whole class and 33% for queries consisting of the class name.


City Bankers, 1890–1914. By Youssef Cassis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Pp. xv+350. ISBN 0-521-44188-9. £40.00. John Bullion's empire: Britain's gold problem and India between the wars. By G. Balachandran. Richmond: Curzon Press, 1996. Pp. xii+252. ISBN 0-7007-0428-0. £40.00. The banking panics of the Great Depression. By Elmus Wicker. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Pp. xviii+174. ISBN 0-521-56261-9. £30.00. The front cover of Cassis's book shows the heavily bearded and mustachioed directors of the Bank of England, gathered in 1903 in the magnificent Court Room. The City was at its peak, the undisputed financial capital of the world. Its interests were the major determining influence on British economic policy. The Bank of England directors were selected, according to ancient tradition, from the City's most prestigious trading houses, including the merchant banks. Towards the end of the nineteenth century it had become obvious that banking was undergoing a radical transformation. A revolution in the structure of English banking had caused the near-disappearance of the old country banker; private family-owned banking firms were under severe pressure and many had been absorbed by the joint-stock banks. However, much had remained the same. It is one of the virtues of Cassis's book, which focuses on the top layer of City bankers, that it shows how much continuity there was. The old private banker fitted smoothly into the new, larger banks. The occupation of private banker, carried out within a family firm, continued to represent the ideal. Banking remained a not particularly onerous job. The typical City banker was a part-timer, who used his position and representation on the boards of other financial companies as a means of furthering his own business interests – he had to, because a board position alone did not pay enough to live like a gentleman. Banking was a respectable way of building up a fortune. The City's strength was its private information network of social and business relationships which made the highly specialized financial system possible but also created opportunities to make money privately. The author shows that the distribution of tasks within the City, as well as the reluctance of the big joint-stock banks to develop into continental-style investment banks, eminently suited the private interests of the board members, 'as though the primary aim of the big deposit banks... was to make possible the activities of the private banking and trading firms and the overseas ventures of the partners of these firms'. What is now considered insider trading was an accepted form of business. There were few professional bank managers; those there were had generally risen through the ranks and had a lower social status. The City's playing field was never intended to be level and appears to have become even more slanted in the period before the First World War.


Background: Culture is the adhesive that binds people's lives. However, there is a lack of an objective and useful tool for assessing cultural competence and practice. The purpose of this study were to assess the learning efficacy of nurses after completing the Cultural Competence Cultivation Program using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).Methods: A quasi-experimental research design was used to evaluate nurses working at a medical center in Taiwan. The nurses were randomly allocated into an experimental group (N = 47), which underwent the Cultural Competence Cultivation Program, and a control group (N = 50), which did not partake in an educational program. After the intervention, the nurses' learning efficacy was assessed using an OSCE. The research data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software for Windows. Results: The average score of the experimental group was significantly higher in the "communication ability and skill" category. Furthermore, the OSCE scores, Standardized Patient Survey (SPS) scores and overall SPS scores were significantly and positively correlated.Conclusion: The findings of this study can serve as a reference for the design of future clinical education programs.


BACKGROUND
Despite the recognition of chemical emergencies, terrorist events, and ongoing threats, little practical guidance exists for healthcare facilities.

METHODS
An approach and materials developed by the Veterans Health Administration in a five-element program over the last 2 years to enhance the existing emergency management program is outlined. Nine steps to the development of a comprehensive all-hazards, emergency plan and program, with auditing and improvement tools are offered.

RESULTS
Cognitive aids for clinical use are available on-line and in hard copy. A hazard assessment modeled patients as emission sources documenting the operations strategies under which level C personal protective equipment will protect healthcare workers. The development of this response program appears to support a broader, long-standing VHA approach to problem solving. This involves bringing together individual talented field staff, representing specific skills, geographic regions, and work styles; investing in face-to-face consensus development; and developing programs with extensive internal peer-review ("field-based," "bottom-up and top-down," and external reviews).

CONCLUSIONS
Comprehensive and effective programs can be constructed at low cost with reasonable speed within large systems with a public mandate, leading to responsible use of public funds internally, and as models for private sector programs. It is the long-term operational cost implications, under budget constraints in health care, which often present the true challenge.


The overall purpose of the present study was to find out the relation of patriarchy and conservatism with domestic violence. This book is based on a study conducted in Islamabad, Pakistan. An attempt was made to determine the magnitude and types of domestic violence endured by women and to get the women's perspective and pervasiveness of domestic violence. Opinions of women in Islamabad were asked to get primary information. Multistage systematic random sampling technique was used to draw sample. The sample size was 162 married women of three different socio-economic class (upper, middle, lower) through an interviewing schedule. Violence against women is a universal phenomenon and worldwide social problem. It is important to consider the various forms of violence in broader terms to understand the intrinsic threat that layers the fabric of society. Findings reveal that domestic violence is the most common form of violence against women. It reflects on the plight of billion of women trapped in cultural and social quagmires around the globe.


A major problem confronting the United States in the 21st century is the 20th century's legacy of toxic waste. The weapons that fought the Cold War, the facilities that manufactured those weapons, and the factories that fueled a prosperous economy left behind a trail of pollution. Seven previously unpublished essays examine the problem of toxic waste in the United States, what is being done about it, and what should be done about it. W. Henry Lambright and Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Dianne Rahm, Sevim Ahmedov, Charles Davis, Robert A. Simons and Kimberly Winson, Santa Falcone, and Toddi A. Steelman and JoAnn Carmin write about such issues as community based environmental management, regional EPA offices and the regulation of hazardous wastes, "brownfields," nuclear and chemical weapons destruction, environmental contamination and the nuclear weapons complex, the privatization of nuclear waste clean-up, and WIPP, Yucca, and hazardous waste transport. The future of humanity demands careful thought about these matters.


The characteristics of the biotin transport mechanism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated in nonproliferating cells. Microbiological and radioisotope assays were employed to measure biotin uptake. The vitamin existed intracellularly in both free and bound forms. Free biotin was extracted by boiling water. Chromatography of the free extract showed it to consist entirely of d-biotin. Cellular bound biotin was released by treating cells with 6 n H2SO4. The rate of biotin uptake was linear with time for 10 min, reaching a maximum at about 20 min followed by a gradual loss of accumulated free vitamin from the cells. Biotin was not degraded or converted to vitamers during uptake. Transport was temperature- and pH-dependent, optimum conditions for uptake being 30 C and pH 4.0. Glucose markedly stimulated biotin transport. In its presence, large intracellular free-biotin concentration gradients were established. Iodoacetate inhibited the glucose stimulation of biotin uptake. The rate of vitamin transport increased in a linear fashion with increasing cell mass. The transport system was saturated with increasing concentrations of the vitamin. The apparent Km for uptake was 3.23 × 10−7m. Uptake of radioactive biotin was inhibited by unlabeled biotin and a number of analogues including homobiotin, desthiobiotin, oxybiotin, norbiotin, and biotin sulfone. Proline, hydroxyproline, and 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid did not inhibit uptake. Unlabeled biotin and desthiobiotin exchanged with accumulated intracellular 14C-biotin, whereas hydroxyproline did not.


The aims of this research are to find out: (1) the program Implementation
Blaze The Way The School have International Level in SMA N I Surakarta (2)
constraints which is facing and strive to overcome it, (3) reached result (grad,
accepted in PTN, and world work, passing program Blaze The Way The School
have International Level.
This Research type represent the descriptive research qualitative. place
And time of research of SMA of Country of I Surakarta, that is semester 1 ( satu)
of July month;moon until year December 2009. Source of data obtained from
document written, informan (headmaster, headmaster proxy, employees staff,
student) and event. Technique of data collecting document / archives, interview and direct
observation. intake Sampel by purposive sampling that is with neting as many as
possible information from various source and its building. validity of data
Authenticity by trianggulasi source of. Analyse the data with the data reduction, data displayed, and conclusion
drawing which interact for the verification of conclusion withdrawal or. Conclusion (1) execution of program RSBI in study activity use the
deliverer of Ianguage inggris step by step that is early 30 % and next semester
40%, ( 2) exploiting ICT by teacher in study have good enough, almost for all
subject by powerpoint, curriculum have adopted and international curriculum
adaptation ( Australian), (3) grad result 3 the last year 100 , and accepted by PTN
by successively, 97,2 %, 96,3 %, and for the year of 2008 / 2009 equal to 94,5 %,
while in PTS of mean Favorite gyrate 2,80%, accepted by PTLN 2,30% and nul (
0%), for the student of which pass direct work. Constraint (1) laboratory ICT (internet network) not yet optimal capacities
to be accessed by s tudent and teacher, ( 2) readiness of curriculum which not yet
been setled to be adapted for by a era demand, less adequate medium prasarana,
sum up the SDM teacher, staff require to be adapted for a student ratio, student
input, activity of training of Ia nguage inggris, study module for the teacher of not
yet walked maximal, medium of prasarana of supporter of library study,
laboratory, building not yet adequate. (3) committee role, society and town
government not yet optimal. Suggestion And recommendation (1) Execution go to school the RSBI
shall be drawn up maturedly and careful non simply targeting mere subsidy or aid.
(2) The importance of readiness of curriculum ( adoption and adaptation), SDM
Headmaster, teacher, staff, student, committee, governmental of town, parent and
society. (3) The availability of learning facilities; laboratory, ICT, internet
network, collection of bilingual books in the library, good science laboratories as
the need of the students. (4) The need of evaluation in every working department
to guarantee the quality at least every three month and the result can be as the
input and evaluation define the next steps.


Objective
Most of the transition literature examines adolescents and young adults with special healthcare needs, though many youth will eventually transition to adult healthcare providers, regardless of medical complexity. This study addresses this gap by examining transition needs and experiences specifically within a college student sample of emerging adults without complex medical needs.

Methods
108 college students (Mage=20.93 years, SD=1.14) completed interviews and questionnaires regarding transition. The most difficult and easiest aspects of healthcare self-management were thematically coded. Differences in questionnaires were assessed across sources of transition education.

Results
52% of college students reported receiving education about managing healthcare from medical providers versus 95% from caregivers. Notably, 57% desired more support. Those receiving medical provider education reported higher responsibility. Students reported most difficulty managing health insurance. Results were similar across racial and ethnic groups and genders.

Conclusions
Gaps in transition preparation include low rates of medical provider education and support regarding health insurance. College students receiving education from medical providers reported greater healthcare responsibility. Provider-led transition education is needed for college students without complex medical needs.

Implications for Impact Statement
This study suggests that college students without complex medical conditions experience gaps in transition preparation. Although half reported talking to their medical provider about transition to adult care, many desired more support, with the greatest difficulty reported in learning to manage health insurance.


Objective: To study the effects of acupuncture on expression of heat shock protein (Hsp) 84 and 86, and brain ageing, in the senescence accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model of Alzheimer's disease. Methods: 7-month-old male senescence resistant mouse strain 1 (SAMR1) and SAMP8 mice were assigned to the following groups, with 15 animals in each group: SAMR1 control (Rc), SAMP8 control (Pc), SAMP8 acupuncture (Pa), SAMP8 sham-acupuncture (Psa). The Pa group was given acupuncture treatment once daily for 15 days. Neuromuscular coordination and cognitive function of the mice were evaluated by the tightrope test and Morris water maze test, respectively. The number of neurons in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus were measured. The levels of oxidative stress and protein carbonyl, mRNA and protein expression levels of Hsp84 and Hsp86 in the hippocampus were detected. Results: Compared with the Rc group, in the Pc mice there was a lower success rate for the tightrope test, impaired cognitive abilities, a decline in neuron numbers, reduced levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), increased levels of superoxide anion and protein carbonyl, and decreased mRNA and protein levels of Hsp84 and Hsp86 (all P<0.05). After acupuncture treatment, the success rate for the tightrope test was elevated, cognitive function was improved, neuron numbers were enhanced, levels of SOD and GSH-Px were increased, levels of superoxide anion and protein carbonyl were decreased, and Hsp84 and Hsp86 mRNA and protein expression were increased in the Pa mice when compared with the Pc and Psa groups (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture may delay brain ageing in SAMP8 mice by reducing oxidative protein damage and promoting Hsp84 and Hsp86 expression.


Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a complex, cyclical and chronic mental illness where self-tracking is central to self-management. Mobile technology is often leveraged to support this. Limited research has investigated the everyday practices of self-tracking for BD, and it is unclear how the normative ontology that is seen in existing self-tracking technology discourses (e.g. the Quantified Self movement) is applicable to the domain of mental health. Combining principles of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)—a staple research design principle in mental healthcare—with design and HCI-oriented research approaches, we conducted interviews and workshops with people with lived experience of BD to explore reasons and methods for self-tracking, and challenges and opportunities for technology. Our results describe recommendations for the design of self-tracking mental health technology. We also reflect upon the complex role of researchers working at the intersection of emerging mental health technologies, the principles of PPI, and HCI research.


Patients with COPD suffer from locomotory skeletal muscle contractile dysfunction. This may be due to the disease per se or as a result of some confounding factor. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether emphysema: (1) reduces force production; (2) increases fatigability; and (3) impairs the speed of recovery in locomotory skeletal muscle in an accepted animal model in which many confounding variables can be controlled. To explore this issue, in situ mechanical properties of gastrocnemius were measured in Syrian Golden hamsters 8 months after intratracheal instillation of either saline (control, n= 5) or elastase (emphysema, n= 7). Emphysema increased excised lung volume (80%; P < 0.01), increased fatigability (control, 25% reduction in maximal strength after 4 min of repeated contractions; emphysema, 55% reduction; P < 0.05) and decreased the recovery rate (half‐times of recovery: control, 7 ± 7 s; emphysema, 92 ± 92 s; P < 0.05) of gastrocnemius muscle. In contrast, emphysema had no effect on maximal force, whether related to body mass or muscle mass, or force–velocity characteristics of gastrocnemius muscle. These data demonstrate that emphysema, independent of physical activity levels, pharmacological intervention, and/or nutritional status, can increase fatigability and impair the speed of recovery of locomotory skeletal muscle contractile function which may contribute to exercise intolerance of COPD patients.


The development of efficient deadlock avoidance policies (DAPs) for sequential resource allocation systems (RASs) is a problem of increasing interest in the scientific community, largely because of its relevance to the design of large-scale flexibly automated manufacturing systems. Much of the work on this problem existing in the literature is focused on the so-called single-unit RAS model, which is the simplest model in the considered class of RASs. Furthermore, due to a well-established result stating that, even for single-unit RASs, the computation of the maximally permissive DAP is intractable (NP-hard), many researchers (including our group) have focused on obtaining good suboptimal policies which are computationally tractable (scalable) and provably correct. In the first part of the paper, it is shown, however, that for a large subset (in fact, a majority) of single-unit RASs, the optimal DAP can be obtained in real-time with a computational cost which is a polynomial function of the system size (i.e., the number of resource types and the distinct route stages of the processes running through the system). The implications of this result for the entire class of single-unit RASs are also explored. With a result on the design of optimal DAPs for single-unit RASs, the second part of the paper concentrates on the development of scalable and provably correct DAPs for the more general case of conjunctive RASs.


XML is represented as a tree and the query as a regular path expression. The query is evaluated by traversing each node of the tree. Several indexes are proposed for regular path expressions. In same cases these indexes may not cover all possible paths because of storage requirements. We propose a signature-based query optimization technique to minimize the number of nodes retrieved from the database when the indexes cannot be used. The signature is a hint attached to each node, and is used to prune unnecessary sub-trees as early as possible when traversing nodes. For this goal, we propose a signature-based DOM(s-DOM) as a storage model and a signature-based query executor(s-NFA). Our experimental results show that the signature method outperforms the original.


Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a rare congenital disorder affecting female reproductive system (agenesis of uterus and upper part of vagina) alone (type 1), or associated with abnormalities of other organs and systems (type 2). We report a case of a 21-year-old woman diagnosed with MRKH due to primary amenorrhea during puberty and operated for formation of neovagina. She was admitted to the Department of Urology with abdominal pain and oligoanuria, where the physical examination and imaging studies revealed a malformation of the upper urinary tract: a solitary dystopia of kidney in the pelvis with stenosis of ureteropelvic junction and hydronephrosis. After initial desobstruction with a DJ stent, a pyeloplasty was performed. Females with primary amenorrhea are often delayed with the diagnosis of potential MRKH syndrome, and those diagnosed with the syndrome should undergo detailed examination to exclude concomitant urinary abnormalities.


Background:  The complex, unique and temporary nature of projects makes project-to-project knowledge transfer challenging and has attracted attention from both practitioners and academic scholars. This challenging nature of project-to-project knowledge transfer led to the proliferation of a host of tools and instruments (so-called knowledge transfer mechanisms) in which little structure can be discovered making selection by (project) managers a difficult task. Aim:  This article aims to deal with this unstructured proliferation of knowledge transfer mechanisms by empirically categorising these transfer mechanisms, thereby reducing the number of mechanisms to groups that share a common characteristic. Setting:  The study takes stock of the wide range of knowledge transfer mechanisms available and analyses them in terms of specific characteristics (e.g. explicitness or reach). Methods:  A multi-method approach is used in which a multi-level latent class analysis is applied on data collected via an expert panel. Results:  Five categories of transfer mechanisms could be empirically established where these mechanisms showed common characteristics. Conclusion:  The taxonomy developed will allow organisations and project managers to more efficiently select appropriate transfer mechanisms for use in project-to-project knowledge transfer.


This article deals with the question of retiring as a test of the conjunctural resilience capacities. The continuity theory and the rupture theory are developed because their content is related to protective factors and risk factors met by retirees: the first theory advocates the use of familiar strategies in familiar areas to maintain internal and external structures. This continuity would protect mental health. The second one emphasises the gap with the working world and its affiliated status. The loss of the professional status would endanger, in a way more or less important, the subjects' mental health. Retiring, as a life event, can be experienced as a trauma or can even be compared by the subjects themselves to other significant periods of their life which have been more or less well overcome. In order to attempt to figure out the conjunctural resilience capacities requested on the first year of retirement, and at the same time, highlighting the available protective factors, two clinical vignettes of two potentially young resilient retirees are presented.


This paper describes the procedure and calculation results of basic design and transient variation of performance of 1 MWe large scale solar thermal power plant (STPP) by using the commercial software of THERMOFLEX and TRNSYS, respectively. In order to simulate the transient variation of STPP, the results of basic design are necessary. The design standard of the STPP is 1 MWe generation with solar only at high DNI condition and then 0.6 MWe output power for 1 hour using stored energy when the DNI becomes lower unable to operate normally. The results of basic design show the important design data of flow rates, water/steam conditions at each equipments and the estimated efficiency of STPP. In addition, dynamic simulation results of STPP are predicted and plotted for one year and three different days weather data of Daejeon.


Background After years of implementing Roll Back Malaria (RBM) interventions, the changing landscape of malaria in terms of risk factors and spatial pattern has not been fully investigated. This paper uses the 2010 malaria indicator survey data to investigate if known malaria risk factors remain relevant after many years of interventions. Methods We adopted a structured additive logistic regression model that allowed for spatial correlation, to more realistically estimate malaria risk factors. Our model included child and household level covariates, as well as climatic and environmental factors. Continuous variables were modelled by assuming second order random walk priors, while spatial correlation was specified as a Markov random field prior, with fixed effects assigned diffuse priors. Inference was fully Bayesian resulting in an under five malaria risk map for Malawi. Results Malaria risk increased with increasing age of the child. With respect to socio-economic factors, the greater the household wealth, the lower the malaria prevalence. A general decline in malaria risk was observed as altitude increased. Minimum temperatures and average total rainfall in the three months preceding the survey did not show a strong association with disease risk. Conclusions The structured additive regression model offered a flexible extension to standard regression models by enabling simultaneous modelling of possible nonlinear effects of continuous covariates, spatial correlation and heterogeneity, while estimating usual fixed effects of categorical and continuous observed variables. Our results confirmed that malaria epidemiology is a complex interaction of biotic and abiotic factors, both at the individual, household and community level and that risk factors are still relevant many years after extensive implementation of RBM activities.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of daily Facebook communications with one's romantic partner on mood and relationship quality. Undergraduate participants from a large Midwestern university who had been involved in a romantic relationship for a minimum of three months completed 14 daily surveys that measured their daily loneliness, mood, relationship satisfaction, and emotional closeness, as well as communications with their romantic partner and all others on Facebook, inperson, and using other forms of communication. Negative Facebook communications with one's partner significantly predicted more daily loneliness, lower daily positive mood, higher daily negative mood, lower daily relationship satisfaction, and lower daily emotional closeness. Positive Facebook communications with one's partner significantly predicted higher daily relationship satisfaction and emotional closeness. This study presents a first step in providing strong evidence for the importance of the effect of Facebook on mood and relationship quality.


Background: Knowledge on distribution and burden of diseases in a community is essential for planning of public health services. In the absence of information on morbidity profile through community-based surveys, facility-based data provide a good alternative. The aim of this study was to describe the morbidity profile of patients attending the Centre for Urban Health All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal (CUHA). Methodology: A record-based descriptive study was carried out in the CUHA Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Information on age, gender, residence, new case, and principal diagnosis were extracted from the outpatient registers for the period between January 2014 and December 2014. Only newly registered patients for the study year (2014) were included. Descriptive analysis was done. Results: A total of 6685 new episodes of illnesses were treated. Adults (>15 years) constituted about 85.0%. Overall, the respiratory disorders were the most common (27.2%) followed by the digestive disorders (10.9%), circulatory disorders (9.9%), musculoskeletal disorders (8.8%), and infectious and parasitic disorders (7.4%). Conclusion: This study gives a brief description of the morbidity profile of patients attending a primary health care center over a period of 1 year. This knowledge would help in planning health services to meet the patients' needs and help in training health staff.


The LHC One-Turn delay FeedBack (OTFB) is an FPGA based feedback system part of the LHC cavity controller, which produces gain only around the revolution frequency (frev = 11.245 kHz) harmonics. As such, it helps reduce the transient beam loading and effective cavity impedance. Consequently, it increases the stability margin for Longitudinal Coupled Bunch Instabilities driven by the cavity impedance at the fundamental and allows reliable operation at higher beam currents. The OTFB was commissioned on all sixteen cavities in mid-October 2011 and has been used in operation since. The commissioning procedure and algorithms for setting-up are presented. The resulting improvements in transient beam loading, beam stability, and required klystron power are analyzed. The commissioning of the OTFB reduced the cavity voltage phase modulation from approximately six degrees peak-to-peak to below one degree at 400 MHz with nominal bunch intensity of 1.1e11 protons.


On the basis of an analysis of changes in biochemical indices of the hepatic function in 41 patients operated upon for obesity of the 3d or 4th stage the authors make a conclusion that ether narcosis exerts a less injuring effect on the liver as compared with fluothane and is believed to be preferable.


This research aims to determine whether the model of this research is acceptable or not. The model of this research is testing the effect of corporate social responsibility and media publicity toward purchase intention of consumer through corporate image as intervening variable. Data collection techniques used in this research was purposive sampling with 100 respondents as data samples. The data analysis was done quantitatively by using WarpPLS 3.0 software. The method analysis used were outer model, inner model, direct effect, indirect effect, Variance Accounted For (VAF) methods, and model of indicates. The result showed that model of this research was acceptable. The direct effect and indirect effect in this research were proven to give an significant effect. According to VAF method showed that the corporate image was included in partial mediation. The output model of indicate showed that the model already fulfill the goodness of fit.


PURPOSE Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. In Nigeria, it accounts for 22.7% of all new cancer cases among women. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) entails using the results from healthcare research to enhance the clinical decision-making process and develop evidence-based treatment guidelines. Level 1 and 2 studies, such as randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials, yield more robust types of evidence. This study reviewed the levels of evidence of breast cancer publications in Nigeria. METHODS We conducted an electronic literature search of all studies published on breast cancer in Nigeria from January 1961 to August 2019. We reviewed all the articles found under the search term "Breast Cancer in Nigeria" on medical databases. RESULTS Our search identified 2,242 publications. One thousand two hundred fifty duplicates were removed, and 520 were excluded. A total of 472 articles were considered eligible for this review. Most of these articles were case series or reports (30.7%), qualitative studies (15.7%), followed by cross-sectional studies (13.3%), laboratory studies (12.9%), case-control studies (6.1%), case reports (7%), and cohort (5.7%). CONCLUSION Breast cancer research in Nigeria is yet to produce much evidence of the types considered to best support EBM. The scarcity of data hampers the implementation of EBM in Nigeria. Currently, most treatment guidelines are adapted from those developed in other countries, despite genetic differences among populations and different environmental influencing factors.


Observations of ionized and neutral gas outflows in radio galaxies (RGs) suggest that active galactic nucleus (AGN) radio jet feedback has a galaxy-scale impact on the host interstellar medium, but it is still unclear how the molecular gas is affected. Thus, it is crucial to determine the physical conditions of the molecular gas in powerful RGs to understand how radio sources may regulate the star formation in their host galaxies. We present deep Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) high-resolution spectroscopy of eight nearby RGs that show fast H i outflows. Strikingly, all of these H i-outflow RGs have bright H2 mid-IR lines that cannot be accounted for by UV or X-ray heating. This strongly suggests that the radio jet, which drives the H i outflow, is also responsible for the shock excitation of the warm H2 gas. In addition, the warm H2 gas does not share the kinematics of the ionized/neutral gas. The mid-IR-ionized gas lines (with FWHM up to 1250 km s−1 for [Ne ii] 12.8 μm) are systematically broader than the H2 lines, which are resolved by the IRS in ≈60% of the detected lines (with FWHM up to 900 km s−1). In five sources, 3C 236, 3C 293, 3C 459, 4C 12.50, and PKS 1549-79, the [Ne ii] 12.8 μm line, and to a lesser extent the [Ne iii] 15.5 μm and [Ne v] 14.3 μm lines, clearly exhibits blueshifted wings (up to −900 km s−1 with respect to the systemic velocity) that match well the kinematics of the outflowing H i or ionized gas. The H2 lines do not show these broad wings, except tentative detections in 4C 12.50, 3C 459, and PKS 1549-79. This shows that, contrary to the H i gas, the H2 gas is inefficiently coupled to the AGN jet-driven outflow of ionized gas. While the dissipation of a small fraction (<10%) of the jet kinetic power can explain the turbulent heating of the molecular gas, our data show that the bulk of the warm molecular gas is not expelled from these galaxies.


Herein, we describe the development of a new, highly efficient label for immunosensing comprising an antibody/PEGylated gold-nanoparticle (AuNP) conjugate in which the antibody molecules are bound to the AuNP surface in a fixed orientation. Our method exploits the high density of positive charges on the major plane of antibodies that exists when the pH of the solution is lower than the isoelectric point of the antibody; the antibody molecules interact with the negatively charged AuNP surface through their major plane, enabling the antigen binding sites to move freely and therefore to reach maximum accessibility. This directed ionic interaction is reinforced by the formation of a peptide bond between the amino group of the Lys residues in the antibodies and the carboxylic groups of the PEGylated-AuNP surface via EDC chemistry. Electrochemical analyses revealed that the fixed-orientation conjugate offers a limit of detection that is 1 order of magnitude lower than that of a randomly oriented label. The performance of the new conjugate as an immunosensing label was assessed for the quantitative detection of IgG in human serum.


MODIS chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) data were assimilated into a coupled hydrodynamic-biological model using an Optimal Interpolation method. Simulations were conducted using MODIS data covering Taihu Lake in May 2009, when algal blooms typically begin to occur. The results of the assimilation approach showed improvements in the estimation of Chla distributions in spatial coherency and temporal continuity. Bias of assimilation (model run after assimilation) was 5.1%, with a RMSE of 49.7%. In comparison, the free run (model run without assimilation) had a bias of -34.9% and RMSE of 176.5%. In situ data used for comparison showed reduced RMSE and the Bias for assimilation. Two sensitivity experiments were used to determine the suitable correlation length scale with respect to observation data accuracy. The result showed that 500m is the optimum scale to construct the background error covariance matrix. The sensitivity experiment of observational data accuracy also showed that more accurate observation data allowed for better assimilation results.


With the increasing discussion on STEM principles in K-12 education, specifically on engineering skills and practicum, public schools look to university-based education researchers for curriculum development. These partnerships are low cost to the school district, yet they remain mutually beneficial. Such is the nature of the growing relationship between Tufts University and Somerville High School, which is initiating a four year "pre-engineering" program for students in its Center for Career and Technical Education (CTE) with the help of the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO). This "pre-engineering" program draws from a number of introductory collegiate engineering and service learning courses, focusing on project-based, interactive class work, some elements of an inverted classroom model, and constructionism. Additionally, the program's development reveals issues that can arise in community-university partnerships, specifically the vital importance of communication between both parties. Programs like "pre-engineering" also provide university students and faculty with opportunities for outreach and community involvement, incorporating a rare service record into the heavily prescribed collegiate engineering track. In this paper, we discuss these issues as well as the focus on engineering as more than a career path for students who are in accelerated math and science programs, stressing the importance of the social functions and components of engineering projects. We will also describe the four-year track that constitutes the "preengineering" program as an intentional progression from basic knowledge of structure, materials, and drafting to complete ownership over all components of an engineering service project in a capstone requirement. Each year builds an increasing awareness of the dynamic engineering design process as a guide, tool, and resource for engineers of all experience levels and fields. We draw upon appropriate math and science skills while also challenging students to consider budgetary restrictions, organizational efficacy, and knowledge of human factors. We hope to illuminate the mutually beneficial outcomes of these community partnerships and establish a solid framework for engineering preparation and instruction in secondary education.