Cold-storage of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) in the blood bank is reportedly associated with alteration in a wide range of RBC features, which change cell storage each on its own timescale. Thus, some of the changes take place at an early stage of storage (during the first 7 days), while others occur later. We still do not have a clear understanding what happens to the damaged PRBC following their transfusion. We know that some portion (from a few to 10%) of transfused cells with a high degree of damage are removed from the bloodstream immediately or in the first hour(s) after the transfusion. The remaining cells partially restore their functionality and remain in the recipient's blood for a longer time. Thus, the ability of transfused cells to recover is a significant factor in PRBC transfusion effectiveness. In the present review, we discuss publications that examined RBC lesions induced by the cold storage, aiming to offer a better understanding of the time frame in which these lesions occur, with particular emphasis on the question of their reversibility. We argue that transfused RBCs are capable (in a matter of a few hours) of restoring their pre-storage levels of ATP and 2,3-DPG, with subsequent restoration of cell functionality, especially of those properties having a more pronounced ATP-dependence. The extent of reversal is inversely proportional to the extent of damage, and some of the changes cannot be reversed.


A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted among a cohort of 1,261 white males employed one or more months in chrysotile asbestos textile operations and followed between 1940 and 1975. Statistically significant excess mortality was observed for all causes combined (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 150), lung cancer (SMR = 135), diseases of the circulatory system (SMR = 125), nonmalignant respiratory diseases (SMR = 294), and accidents (SMR = 134). Using estimated fiber exposure levels in conjunction with detailed worker job histories, exposure-response relationships were investigated. Strong exposure-response relationships for lung cancer and asbestos related non-malignant respiratory diseases were observed. Compared with data for chrysotile miners and millers, chrysotile textile workers were found to experience significantly greater lung cancer mortality at lower lifetime cumulative exposure levels. Factors such as differences in airborne fiber characteristics may partially account for the large differences in exposure response between textile workers and miners and millers.


Microfluidic droplets accommodating a single cell as independent microreactors are frequently demanded for single-cell analysis of phenotype and genotype. However, challenges exist in identifying and reducing the covalence probability (following Poisson's distribution) of more than two cells encapsulated in one droplet. It is of great significance to monitor and control the quantity of encapsulated content inside each droplet. We demonstrated a microfluidic system embedded with a weakly supervised cell counting network (WSCNet) to generate microfluidic droplets, evaluate their quality, and further recognize the locations of encapsulated cells. Here, we systematically verified our approach using encapsulated droplets from three different microfluidic structures. Quantitative experimental results showed that our approach can not only distinguish droplet encapsulations (F1 score > 0.88) but also locate each cell without any supervised location information (accuracy > 89%). The probability of a "single cell in one droplet" encapsulation is systematically verified under different parameters, which shows good agreement with the distribution of the passive method (Residual Sum of Squares, RSS < 0.5). This study offers a comprehensive platform for the quantitative assessment of encapsulated microfluidic droplets.


Biologically active forms of chromium were measured by determining their insulin potentiation on glucose oxidation by isolated fat cells. Adipocytes were isolated from the epididymal fat tissue of rats maintained on a Cr deficient diet. All natural and synthetic Cr compounds tested that yield real biological activity in previous assay systems were active in the assay. Biologically active organic Cr complexes potentiated the action of insulin more than 300% in this bioassay but inorganic Cr complexes yielded little insulin potentiating activity. Nicotinic acid, which interferes in the assay with fat tissue (Roginski, 1974) gave only a slight positive response in the fat cell assay. Cells isolated from two rats can be used for approximately 150 assays and large numbers of control samples are not needed because individual animal variation within an assay is virtually eliminated. This assay is more sensitive and more reproducible and can be used routinely for more samples than any of the previous assay techniques for biologically active chromium. 19 references, 2 figures.


The article presents research methods to detect the frequency of diagnostic errors. Objective: to compare clinical and pathological diagnoses in order to determine the frequency, causes and ways of avoiding diagnostic errors in children with infectious pathology specific to the perinatal period. The authors studied 234 death cases in the intensive care unit for newborns in 2006–2018, and they found diagnostic errors in 18,3% of cases. 53,4% of the diagnostic errors were associated with unrecognized infectious diseases specific to the perinatal period. The authors found that the correct intravital diagnosis was impossible for objective reasons in 65% of cases. Those objective reasons were mainly caused by diagnostic difficulties due to the lack of characteristic clinical data or the atypical course. Almost in every third patient the diagnostic errors were caused by subjective reasons and were associated with the diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and neonatal sepsis. The subjective errors were often caused by the so-called doctor's bona fide delusion due to a lack of knowledge, skills, experience. As the judgment error was the most common reason for misdiagnosis we need to improve the clinicians' cognitive condition. Based on the audit results, the authors proposed the additional diagnostic approaches for certain diseases. One way to reduce errors is to improve educational initiatives for doctors.


Since the incidental discovery in 1981 that intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) are immunomodulatory, they have been investigated in a large number of putative autoimmune diseases. This has led to licensing for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Kawasaki disease, and in neurological disorders for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Although not licensed, randomized controlled trials have also shown IVIg efficacy in other neuroimmunological diseases such as multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP), myasthenia gravis, dermatomyositis, and stiff-person syndrome. However, other indications are currently being explored including Alzheimer's disease, postpolio syndrome, and narcolepsy. There are even reports from experimental studies in stroke. The results of recently published clinical trials in both the classical neuroimmunological disorders as well as for new indications are reported and their role in clinical practice is discussed.


Deterministic timed systems can be modeled as fixed point problems (B. Roscoe and G. Reed, 1988), (R. K. Yates, 1993), (E. A. Lee, 1999). In particular, any connected network of timed systems can be modeled as a single system with feedback, and the system behavior is the fixed point of the corresponding system equation, when it exists. For delta-causal systems, we can use the Cantor metric to measure the distance between signals and the Banach fixed-point theorem to prove the existence and uniqueness of a system behavior. Moreover, the Banach fixed-point theorem is constructive: it provides a method to construct the unique fixed point through iteration. In this paper, we extend this result to systems modeled with the superdense model of time (O. Maler et al., 1992), (Z. Manna and A. Pnueli, 1993) used in hybrid systems. We call the systems we consider eventually delta-causal, a strict generalization of delta-causal in which multiple events may be generated on a signal in zero time. With this model of time, we can use a generalized ultrametric (Generalized ultrametric spaces, I, 1996) instead of a metric to model the distance between signals. The existence and uniqueness of behaviors for such systems comes from the fixed-point theorem of (S. Priess-Crampe and P. Ribenboim, 1993), but this theorem gives no constructive method to compute the fixed point This leads us to define petrics, a generalization of metrics, which we use to generalize the Banach fixed-point theorem to provide a constructive fixed-point theorem. This new fixed-point theorem allows us to construct the unique behavior of eventually delta-causal systems


The focus of this paper is on the intersection of Jean-Paul Sartre's existential philosophy concept of human being, his aesthetic theory and consequent art production. After a short outline of his conception of human existence the first part introduces Sartre's aesthetic views on art considered in two different and to a great extent antithetical forms: as an existential appeal to a situated freedom of man and on the other hand as a temporary escape from the real situation to the world of imagination. The purpose of the first part is to prove that this differentiation of arts, contrasting commited literature with poetry and all other kinds of imaginary art, is well-founded in the very principles of Sartre's existentialism and that the aesthetics becomes functional connection between his philosophy and art. The second part offers an interpretation of French thinker's concrete art work - short story The Wall - in the light of his own aesthetic conception. This work of art is shown as truly fulfilling and in certain aspects even getting over philosophical and aesthetic project of his author.


Learning how patients receive their health treatments is a critical mission for hospitals. To fulfill this task, this paper defines patients' pathways as business process models and tries to apply process mining, real-time location systems(RTLS), and statistical process control (SPC) as a set of techniques to monitor patients' pathways. This approach has been evaluated by a case study in a hospital living lab. These techniques analyze patients' pathways from two different perspectives: (1)control-flow and (2)performance perspectives. In order to do so, we gathered the location data from movements of patients and used a proof of concept framework known as R.IO-DIAG to discover the processes. To elevate the performance analyses, this paper introduces the process capability ratio of the patients' pathways by measuring the walking distance. The results lead to the evaluation of the quality of business processes.


Techniques are developed for determining ruled surface that represent the best possible approximation to a given surface. A combined theoretical and experimental investigation of this technique applied to the design and manufacture of long-lead extruder screws is reported. The results show that it is possible, in some cases, to produce accurate surface geometries by treating the screw as an approximate ruled warped surface with a linear variation in the orientation of the generatrix as it moves along the directrices. It is believed that the proposed approach can be extended to the design and manufacture of other curved surfaces.<<ETX>>


OBJECTIVES
Cytomegalovirus infection is an important problem for transplantation. Although effective antivirals for prophylaxis or preemptive therapy have reduced the severity and consequences of infection, cytomegalovirus viremia and cytomegalovirusrelated disease are still matters for patients and for graft survival. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of cytomegalovirus infections during the first year after transplant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this study, we analyzed the data of 252 liver and kidney transplant patients who had procedures between May 2016 and May 2020. Demographic and laboratory data of patients were recorded retrospectively and analyzed with the SPSS version 25 statistical program.

RESULTS
Our study included 35 liver (14%) and 217 kidney transplant recipients. The ratio of male to female was 3.8, and the median age was 41 years (range, 18-71 years). In our study group, there were 32 patients (12.7%) with cytomegalovirus DNAemia, 13 patients (5%) with cytomegalovirus syndrome, and 6 patients (2.4%) with cytomegalovirus endorgan diseases. Four patients were diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease with histopathology, and 2 patients were diagnosed with cytomegalovirus pneumonia with bronchoscopy and radiology. The mortality rate was 0.8% in the first year.

CONCLUSIONS
Cytomegalovirus reactivations in the first year after transplant play a critical role on graft survival in solid-organ transplant. Regular follow-up of cytomegalovirus DNAemia is crucial for modifying prophylactic and preemptive antiviral regimens.


This study was conducted with the national river, Naeseong stream which is typical alluvial river. In this paper, various sediment transport equations were used to predict and estimate long-term riverbed variation for downstream in Naeseong stream. Statistical variables such as RMSE(Root Mean Square error) and RMAE(Relative Mean Absolute Error) were used to evaluate reliability of HEC-RAS model. Also calculations of time-series of 91 river stations were reviewed. To confirm flow of suspended load of the Naeseong stream, We examined SS concentrations. As a results, SS flow was retained by maintaining over the certain concentration in dry season.


BACKGROUND
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), although rare, is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Some women are at increased risk of VTE during pregnancy and the early postnatal period (e.g. caesarean section, family history of VTE, or thrombophilia), and so prophylaxis may be considered. As some methods of prophylaxis carry risks of adverse effects, and risk of VTE is often low, benefits of thromboprophylaxis may be outweighed by harms.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of thromboprophylaxis during pregnancy and the early postnatal period on the risk of venous thromboembolic disease and adverse effects in women at increased risk of VTE.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (18 October 2019). In addition, we searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) for unpublished, planned and ongoing trial reports (18 October 2019).

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised trials comparing one method of thromboprophylaxis with placebo or no treatment, or two (or more) methods of thromboprophylaxis.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
At least two review authors assessed trial eligibility, extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and judged certainty of evidence for selected critical outcomes (using GRADE). We conducted fixed-effect meta-analysis and reported data (all dichotomous) as summary risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

MAIN RESULTS
Twenty-nine trials (involving 3839 women), overall at moderate to high risk of bias were included. Trials were conducted across the antenatal, peripartum and postnatal periods, with most in high-income countries. Interventions included types and regimens of heparin (low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH)), hydroxyethyl starch (HES), and compression stockings or devices. Data were limited due to a small number of trials in comparisons and/or few or no events reported. All critical outcomes (assessed for comparisons of heparin versus no treatment/placebo, and LMWH versus UFH) were considered to have very low-certainty evidence, downgraded mainly for study limitations and imprecise effect estimates.  Maternal death was not reported in most studies. Antenatal (± postnatal) prophylaxis For the primary outcomes symptomatic thromboembolic events pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and the critical outcome of adverse effects sufficient to stop treatment, the evidence was very uncertain.  Symptomatic thromboembolic events: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.08 to 1.98; 4 trials, 476 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (RR 0.47; 95% CI 0.09 to 2.49; 4 trials, 404 women; very low-certainty evidence); Symptomatic PE: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.02 to 7.14; 3 trials, 187 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (no events; 3 trials, 287 women); Symptomatic DVT: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.04 to 3.10; 4 trials, 227 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (no events; 3 trials, 287 women); Adverse effects sufficient to stop treatment: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.05 to 5.31; 1 trial, 139 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (RR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.54; 2 trials, 226 women; very low-certainty evidence). Peripartum/postnatal prophylaxis Vaginal or caesarean birth When UFH and no treatment were compared, the effects on symptomatic thromboembolic events (RR 0.16; 95% CI 0.02 to 1.36; 1 trial, 210 women; very low-certainty evidence), symptomatic PE (RR 0.16; 95% CI 0.01 to 3.34; 1 trial, 210 women; very low-certainty evidence), and symptomatic DVT  (RR 0.27; 95% CI 0.03 to 2.55; 1 trial, 210 women; very low-certainty evidence) were very uncertain.  Maternal death and adverse effects sufficient to stop treatment were not reported. Caesarean birth Symptomatic thromboembolic events: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 1.30; 95% CI 0.39 to 4.27; 4 trials, 840 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.01 to 7.99; 3 trials, 217 women; very low-certainty evidence); Symptomatic PE: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 1.10; 95% CI 0.25 to 4.87; 4 trials, 840 women; very low-certainty evidence); - LMWH versus UFH (no events; 3 trials, 217 women);  Symptomatic DVT: - heparin versus no treatment/placebo (RR 1.30; 95% CI 0.24 to 6.94; 5 trials, 1140 women; very low-certainty evidence); LMWH versus UFH (RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.01 to 7.99; 3 trials, 217 women; very low-certainty evidence); Maternal death: - heparin versus placebo (no events, 1 trial, 300 women); Adverse effects sufficient to stop treatment: - heparin versus placebo (no events;  1 trial, 140 women). Postnatal prophylaxis No events were reported for LMWH versus no treatment/placebo for: symptomatic thromboembolic events, symptomatic PE and symptomatic DVT (all 2 trials, 58 women), or maternal death (1 trial, 24 women). Adverse effects sufficient to stop treatment were not reported. We were unable to conduct subgroup analyses due to lack of data. Sensitivity analysis including the nine studies at low risk of bias did not impact overall findings.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The evidence is very uncertain about benefits and harms of VTE thromboprophylaxis in women during pregnancy and the early postnatal period at increased risk of VTE. Further high-quality very large-scale randomised trials are needed to determine effects of currently used treatments in women with different VTE risk factors. As sufficiently large definitive trials are unlikely to be funded, secondary data analyses based on high-quality registry data are important.


Abstract This paper purposes to provide an user-friendly intelligent tool, integrating fuzzy controllers and multi-agent techniques, able to motivate and to support behavioral change of energy end-users, having as main objective to re-define the role of energy consumer in "prosumer" in the context of a reorganized decentralized energy market, now reported to intelligent grids (smart grids). Integration of interactive technologies in a decision support system for microgrids energy management optimizes: functioning from an economical point of view, active control of distributed generation, controlled consumption, loading the storage equipment. The added value of the proposed tool consists of integrating decision theory and artificial intelligence concepts in monitoring and control actions, allowing "prosumers": to make energy usage data accessible and to demonstrate that energy savings can be achieved without compromising comfort levels.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), are autoimmune diseases characterized by extensive infiltration of myeloid cells into the central nervous system (CNS). Although myeloid cells are essential to MS/EAE pathology, none of the current MS therapies specifically target them. A promising strategy for bridging this gap may be targeting the biological activity of CSF-1R, a receptor tyrosine kinase important for survival and functioning of certain myeloid cells, such as monocytes and macrophages. It has been shown that CSF-1R inhibitors suppress EAE, but it is not known whether targeting CSF-1R ligands, CSF-1 and IL-34, could be a viable therapeutic strategy. We found that neutralization of CSF-1 with Ab attenuates ongoing EAE, similar to CSF-1R inhibitor BLZ945, whereas neutralization of IL-34 had no effect. Both anti-CSF-1- and BLZ945-treated mice with EAE had greatly diminished numbers of monocyte-derived dendritic cells and microglia in the CNS. However, anti-CSF-1 antibody selectively depleted inflammatory microglia, whereas BLZ945 depleted virtually all microglia, including quiescent microglia. We also found depletion of myeloid cells in the spleen and lymph nodes of anti-CSF-1- and BLZ945-treated mice, but only a modest decrease in encephalitogenic T cell responses, suggesting that the depletion of CNS myeloid cells is more relevant to EAE suppression. Decreased myeloid cell populations in treated mice resulted in reduced production of IL-1β, a key inflammatory mediator in EAE. The treatments also reduced the frequencies of CCL2- and CCR2-expressing cells in the CNS, suggesting that CSF-1/CSF-1R inhibition may hinder recruitment of immune cells to the CNS. Our findings suggest that targeting CSF-1 may be effective in ameliorating myeloid cell-mediated MS pathology, while preserving homeostatic functions of microglia and decreasing risks that might arise from their ablation with small molecule inhibitors of CSF-1R.


The urinary excretion of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) from 2400 to 0600 h was significantly increased following the treatment of ten normal volunteers with a phospho diesterase inhibitor (rolipram 1 mg 8 h for 24 h). The urinary excretion of the metabolite from 0600 to 1200 h was significantly reduced after treatment with rolipram.


Second-order nonlinear optical interactions, including second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG), can reveal a wealth of information about chemical, electronic, and vibrational dynamics at the nanoscale. Here, we demonstrate a powerful and flexible new approach, called phase-modulated degenerate parametric amplification (DPA). The technique, which allows for facile retrieval of both the amplitude and phase of the second-order nonlinear optical response, has many advantages over conventional or heterodyne-detected SHG, including the flexibility to detect the signal at either the second harmonic or fundamental field wavelength. We demonstrate the capabilities of this approach by imaging multigrain flakes of single-layer MoS2. We identify the absolute crystal orientation of each MoS2 domain and resolve grain boundaries with high signal contrast and sub-diffraction-limited spatial resolution. This robust all-optical method can be used to characterize structure and dynamics in organic and inorganic systems, including biological tissue, soft materials, and metal and semiconductor nanostructures, and is particularly well-suited for imaging in media that are absorptive or highly scattering to visible and ultraviolet light.


An important problem in quantum transport is to understand the role of dissipative processes. In this paper the author assume a model in which phase-breaking and dissipation are caused by the interaction of electrons with a reservoir of oscillators through a delta potential. In this model the self-energy is a delta function in space, leading to a kinetic equation with a simple physical interpretation. A novel treatment of the contacts is used to introduce the external current into the kinetic equation. One specializing to linear response the author obtains an integral equation that looks like the Buttiker formula (1961) extended to a continuous distribution of probes. The author show that this equation can be reduced to the usual Buttiker formula which involves only the actual physical probes. Dissipation modifies the transmission coefficients, and the author presents explicit expressions derived from this model. Also, in a homogeneous medium the integral equation reduces to the diffusion equation, it the electrochemical potential is assumed to vary slowly. This paper serves to establish a bridge between the quantum kinetic approach which rigorously accounts for the exclusion principle and the one-particle approach which is intuitively appealing.


[1] We reexamine the problem of inverting C responses, covering periods between 1 month and 1 year collected from 42 European observatories, to constrain the internal structure of the Earth. Earlier studies used the C responses, which connect the magnetic vertical component and the horizontal gradient of the horizontal components of electromagnetic variations, to obtain the conductivity profile of the Earth's mantle. Here, we go beyond this approach by inverting directly for chemical composition and thermal state of the Earth, rather than subsurface electrical conductivity structure. The primary inversion parameters are the composition of the Earth's mantle within the system CaO-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 and geotherm. Given these parameters, we calculate mineral modes at the prevailing physical conditions and combine these with laboratory-based models for the conductivity of individual minerals to estimate the bulk Earth electrical conductivity structure from which C responses are calculated. To further constrain the radial density profile, we also invert for mass and moment of inertia. The results agree with earlier geophysically derived conductivity and seismic velocity models and confirm that inversion of geophysical data for compositional parameters, planetary composition, and thermal state is feasible. The inversion indicates most probable lower mantle geothermal gradients of ∼0.58 K/km, core mantle boundary temperatures of ∼2900°C, bulk Earth molar Mg/Si ratios of ∼1.1, intermediate between the chondrite and pyrolite models, and no significant change in mantle composition across the 670-km seismic discontinuity.


Background and Objectives: Colitis with Clostridium difficile is an important health problem that occurs with an intensity that varies between mild and severe. Surgical interventions are required only in fulminant forms. There is little evidence regarding the best surgical intervention in these cases. Materials and Methods: Patients with C. difficile infection were identified from the two surgery clinics from the 'Saint Spiridon' Emergency Hospital Iași, Romania. Data regarding the presentation, indication for surgery, antibiotic therapy, type of toxins, and post-operative outcomes were collected over a 3-year period. Results: From a total of 12,432 patients admitted for emergency or elective surgery, 140 (1.12%) were diagnosed with C. difficile infection. The mortality rate was 14% (20 cases). Non-survivors had higher rates of lower-limb amputations, bowel resections, hepatectomy, and splenectomy. Additional surgery was necessary in 2.8% of cases because of the complications of C. difficile colitis. In three cases, terminal colostomy was performed and as well as one case with subtotal colectomy with ileostomy. All patients who required the second surgery died within the 30-day mortality period. Conclusions: In our prospective study, the incidence was increased both in cases of patients with interventions on the colon and in those requiring limb amputations. Surgical interventions are rarely required in patients with C. difficile colitis.


The effect of carbohydrates in the drinking water of broiler chickens on Salmonella typhimurium colonization was evaluated. Results indicate that mannose and lactose (2.5%) significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced intestinal colonization of S. typhimurium by at least one-half, as compared with dextrose, maltose, and sucrose. Lactose and mannose also significantly reduced (P less than 0.01) the mean log10 number of S. typhimurium in the cecal contents. Although mannose was the most effective sugar at blocking colonization, lactose may be more practical because it is effective and costs much less than mannose. Provision of carbohydrates in the drinking water had no significant effect on weight gain.


We describe parental attitude towards mass antimicrobial prophylaxis and adolescent booster vaccination to prevent pertussis. A survey was distributed to parents at a large suburban high school where an outbreak of pertussis was occurring. A total of 314 surveys were received among 450 distributed. If antimicrobial prophylaxis was recommended for all students and faculty as a method of controlling a pertussis outbreak in their child's school (i.e. mass antimicrobial prophylaxis), 40% of parents would have their child take the medication and 49% might have their child take the antibiotic but would first consult their child's physician. Having [ges ]2 children attend the high school (OR 2·2, 95% CI 1·10–4·59) and generally favouring immunizations (OR 1·7, 95% CI 0·99–2·87) were predictors of likely compliance with mass antimicrobial prophylaxis. These findings underscore the importance of communicating the rationale of public health intervention efforts to physicians in order to help ensure their success.


This paper describes a methodology developed to systematically pre-process rail profile data from switches and crossings for railway vehicle dynamics simulation. The methodology accepts two data sources, unworn geometries from CAD drawings or worn geometries from digitised track measurements. The method addresses key challenges with the relative positioning and quality improvement of the input data and explains the necessary steps to ensure compatibility with the interpolation schemes used to represent the rail profile in certain multibody software. The case studies presented show how small misalignments in the processed digitised measurements affect simulation results and how simulations can help understand the qualitative evolution of switches and crossings rail profiles in a used track. This paper concludes that one of the most challenging tasks remains the automation of rail pre-processing for measured data because it is difficult to correct vertical and lateral misalignments of the profile cross-sections without a reference system.


The human urothelium belongs to the most efficient biobarriers, and represents a highly rewarding but challenging target for local drug administration. Inadequate urothelial bioavailability is a major obstacle for successful treatment of bladder cancer and other diseases, yet little research has addressed the development of advanced delivery concepts for the intravesical route. A prominent example of how to overcome the urothelial barrier by means of specific biorecognition is the efficient cytoinvasion of UPEC bacteria, mediated by the mannose-targeted lectin domain FimH. Similar mechanisms of non-bacterial origin may be exploited for enhancing drug uptake from the bladder cavity. This review covers the current status in the development of lectin-based delivery strategies for the urinary tract. Different concepts for preparing and optimizing carbohydrate-targeted delivery systems are presented, along with important design parameters, benefits and shortcomings. Bioconjugate- and nano-/microparticle-based systems are discussed in further detail with regard to their performance in preclinical testing.


Immunohistochemical study may be used for detecting micrometastases by their expression of tumor‐associated antigens. In 48 specimens of colorectal cancer from 47 patients, 49 of 249 lymph nodes (median, five per patient; range, 2‐11) examined by light microscopic study contained tumor deposits. Sections of all lymph nodes were also examined by immunohistochemical study for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) expression using the indirect immunoperoxidase staining method. All 49 lymph node metastases (100%) from 20 patients stained positively for CEA and 45 (92%) expressed EMA. Of the 200 lymph nodes without metastases on light microscopic examination, anti‐CEA revealed a single micrometastasis in a patient staged as Dukes' B. No additional metastases were detected with anti‐EMA. In this series of patients immunohistochemical study has, therefore, influenced the histologic staging in only one patient (2%) and thus does not offer a significant benefit over conventional histologic staging.


The composition of varieties of Taxus growing in Estonia was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis with diode array detection (CE-DAD) for the separation of phenolic compounds, and by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) for the determination of taxoids. The main purpose of this study was the chemotaxonomic differentiation of varieties of Taxus by using data from these analyses. Fingerprints scanned at 214 nm on the basis of CE separation at pH 9.3 were used to characterize seven varieties of yew. The contents of four key taxoids (10-deacetylbaccatin, baccatin III, cephalomannine and paclitaxel) in six Taxus varieties were comparatively determined by HPLC-MS. The set of electropherograms/chromatograms of the various Taxus extracts were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), using the peak areas of 16 phenolic compounds and 14 taxoids as characteristics. The formation of distinct clusters in accordance with botanical classification proves the suitability of PCA for differentiating varieties of Taxus.


The social media application TikTok has become a global phenomenon that influences people's social and cultural life. In the context of Islamic law, TikTok's rapid growth raises questions about the app's suitability and compliance with Islamic legal principles. In this journal, we analyze the rise of the TikTok trend from the perspective of Islamic law. Through a qualitative research approach, we investigate the positive and negative impacts of TikTok as well as the implications of Islamic law for its use. We found that TikTok offers benefits in the form of creativity, entertainment and business opportunities, but it can also involve content that is inconsistent with Islamic values. Based on these findings, we recommend the application of criteria and restrictions on the use of TikTok in accordance with Islamic law, as well as the need for public education and awareness regarding the implications of Islamic law in the context of social media. Governments and legal institutions also need to play an active role in regulating and overseeing the use of TikTok.


Within their psychosocial problems, badly ill patients and their families often feel left alone by caregivers, as there are physicians and nurses. It is the caregiver's task to allow patients to communicate all their feelings, not seeking to mollify, or banish them by attempting to cheer up or distract the patient. Sharing means to communicate the patient's and his family's anger, sorrows, social pains, spiritual questions, anxiety, as well as their hope and special aims to reach. The first step for the caregiver is, to set up a profound psychosocial diagnosis and to establish some kind of a hierarchy among all the needs. Both of them, caregiver and patient have to find out their primary goals and challenges in the process of dying and come to an agreement. Communicating with a dying patient and being with him in the last period of his life presupposes a deepened communication with oneself and the own hopes and fears.


Several research studies have shown that unbound pavement layers exhibit anisotropic properties. Anisotropy is caused by the preferred orientation of the aggregate, to which both the shape characteristics of the aggregate and the compaction force itself contribute. The result is that unbound pavement layers have higher stiffness in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. The efficacy of using anisotropic properties to represent unbound layers is demonstrated by comparing pavement surface deflection measurements under wheel loads to finite element predictions based on models that incorporate isotropic and anisotropic properties for the unbound base and subbase layers. The surface deflections in the flexible pavements of the AASHO road test were selected for this comparison because the AASHO road test is such a widely used database and because of the tight control of traffic, pavement cross sections, and material quality at the road test. The paper also analyzes the influence of characterizing pavement layers as isotropic and anisotropic on the predictions of fatigue and permanent deformation performance of flexible pavements using the recently developed National Cooperative Highway Research Program 1-37A models. The results show that the anisotropic behavior of pavement layers explains part of the shift and calibration factors used to relate laboratory measurements to field performance.


The common presumption in food tourism that tourists are neophilic (seek novel taste), due to being 'attracted' to new food at destination, or neophobic (fear of unknown food), based on food as an 'impediment' (Cohen and Aveili, 2004), has recently been challenged, and it is suggested that tourists eating behaviour in uncertainty can be flexible and adaptive (Falconer, 2013). In an attempt to capture tourists' variety seeking behaviour (VSB) in uncertainty, this study aims to explore the role of emotion and impact on Western tourists' VSB with unfamiliar food in Malaysia. Additionally, elicitation factors of emotion are also examined. The study adopts 'culture confusion' and 'affect-heurist' theoretical constructs and extend them into a tourist food consumption framework.
Semi-structured interviews incorporating Critical Incident Technique (CIT) were carried out with fourty-four independent British and German tourists (N=44) to provide experiential patterns as a linkage to explore their emotions and variety seeking experiences. The data were collected between July and August 2014 and analysed through content analysis. The findings indicated that despite tourists' neophilic/ neophobic tendency, emotion plays a key role in directing tourists' variety seeking behaviour with unfamiliar food. Also, impact of emotion on VSB changes across time, transforming tourists' VSB dynamically. The findings indicate negative emotions affected perceived control negatively, which reduced VSB. Positive emotion increases perceived control, which heightened VSB. Four key factors that elicited emotions including 'food attributes', 'intercultural service encounter', 'bodily interference' and 'environment and social eating' were found. The study suggests that fast and rapid emotional affect influences Western tourists' VSB, in their effort to reduce perceived risk and increase perceived control. Finally a conceptual model was developed to illustrate the role and impact of emotion in the transformation of Western tourists' VSB into dynamic and fluid behaviour.


Physiotherapeutic interventions in children with cerebral palsy (CP) are generally focusing on the child's functioning and his/her ability to perform activities in daily life. Children with CP perform many daily activities in the sitting position, such as reaching while eating, playing, or during school tasks. This functional activity largely depends on the ability to control posture, balance, and arm and hand motor skills. Thus, many interventions aim to enhance the child's postural control and upper extremity function. The need of children with CP to improve mobility has led to the development of seating interventions and the adaptive riding intervention. This thesis suggests that in children with spastic CP functioning at GMFCS levels I-III two forms of postural interventions, i.e., specific forms of adaptive seating and adaptive riding, may improve children's functioning, and enhance their postural control during sitting while performing arm reaching. - In children with US-CP, GMFCS levels I-III, FW-tilting with foot-support is associated with better reaching performance; in children with BS-CP, GMFCS levels I-III, a horizontal seat surface with foot-support is associated with better reaching. - The feasibility study on TDAR intervention in children with BS-CP, GMFCS level III, suggested not only that TDAR intervention and the complex evaluation protocol were feasible, but also that 6 weeks of TDAR may be associated with improved gross motor function and postural adjustments Our systematic review on the effect of AdSS in children with severe CP (GMFCS levels IV-V) revealed that the nine best studies available had a low level of evidence. Most promising seems to be AdSSs consisting of a combination of trunk and hip support which may be associated with better postural control and – in turn – better upper extremity activity. This type of AdSS may also be provided as a special purpose AdSS, that may have the potential to improve children's activities and participation. It should be realized that the low level of evidence of the available studies precluded firm conclusions. This implies that additional research in this area is urgently needed.


This article details fundamental aspects of habits, beginning with the fact that habits are dynamic patterns that are learned, and that in coincidence with this learning, habits of mind are formed, as in the formation of expectations, thus of certain if/then relationships. It points out that, in quite the opposite manner of the practice of phenomenology, the strange is made familiar in the formation of habits. It shows how clear-sighted recognition of the seminal significance of movement and phenomenologically-grounded understandings of movement are essential to understandings of habits and the habits of mind that go with them. The article differentiates non-developmentally achieved habits from developmentally achieved habits, but elucidates too the relationship between instincts and habits. It elucidates the relationship in part by showing how, contra Merleau-Ponty, "in man" there is a "natural sign"—or rather, natural signs. By relinquishing an adultist stance and delving into our common infancy and early childhood, we recognize the need for what Husserl terms a "regressive inquiry" and thereby recover 'natural signs' such as smiling, laughing, and crying. At the same time, we honor Husserl's insight that "habit and free motivation intertwine." As the article shows, resolution of the relationship between habit and free motivation requires recognition of nonlinguistic corporeal concepts that develop in concert with synergies of meaningful movement, concepts and synergies achieved not by embodied minds but mindful bodies.


A critical comparison of radiocardiograms with 99mTc- and 131I-albumins was made to determine whether or not 99mTc-albumin can be used as a tracer for measuring blood volume (BV) and cardiac output (CO). Simultaneous injection of both isotopes was given to twenty-two patients to obtain radiocardiograms for each by means of a single scintillation counter with two pulse height analyzers. Such method allows for the determination of the energy levels for both 99mTc and 131I. The radiocardiographic pattern was somewhat different between 99mTc- and 131I-radiocardiograms: The ratio of left to right peak height was 16% on the average lower in the 99mTc-radiocardiogram in the 131I-one. The reason for the lower ratio is explained by greater absorption of 99mTc-radioactivity within the soft tissue interposing between the scintillation probe and heart. The values for 99mtc-derived blood volume were 7.4% on the average larger than those for 131I-derived blood volume (p less than 0.01), although the correlation was excellent (r = 0.98, p less than 0.01). There was no systemic difference between cardiac output determined by 99mTc- and 131I-albumins since the overstimation of blood volume can compensate for the understimation of CO/BV by 99mTc-study. In view of its rapid extravasation, 99mTc-albumin is not so appropriate tracer for accurate measurements of BV and CO/BV, although it may be used for measurement of cardiac output.


An excellent performance of the electron reconstruction, identification and calibration is of vital importance both for precision measurements as well as for searches for new physics. These proceedings present the techniques used for the reconstruc- tion, identification and calibration of electrons in ATLAS at the LHC, and show the performance obtained at the end of Run 1 and early results from Run 2.


The gastrointestinal tract and its associated mucosal immune system have been extensively studied in the context of their involvement in disease processes, both within the tract itself and in its associated organs. However, historically a number of aspects of both gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology have been to some extent overlooked. In particular, the relationship of the gastrointestinal tract with its indigenous microbiota, and also the influence of the tract on behavior and neural systems and vice versa. Here, we describe recent advances in our knowledge and understanding of these areas, and attempt to put these advances in perspective with regard to potential therapeutic strategies.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of digital cervical examination on maternal and neonatal outcomes among women with preterm rupture of membranes.

STUDY DESIGN
This analysis includes data from a previously reported trial of antibiotic treatment during expectant management of rupture of membranes at 24 to 32 weeks' gestation in singleton and twin gestations. Patients from both the randomized trial (n = 299 in the antibiotic group and n = 312 in the placebo group) and the observational component (n = 183) are included in this analysis. The groups were divided into those with one (n = 161) or two digital cervical examinations (n = 27) and those with no digital cervical examinations (n = 606).

RESULTS
The gestational ages at enrollment were similar in the two groups (29 +/- 2 weeks' gestation for one or two examinations vs 29 +/- 2 weeks' gestation for no examinations; P =.85). There were no differences in chorioamnionitis (27% vs 29%; P =.69), endometritis (13% vs 11%; P =.5), or wound infection (0.5% vs 1%; P >.999) between the group with one or two examinations and the no-examination group. Infant outcomes were also similar in the two groups, including early sepsis (6% vs 5%; P =.68), respiratory distress syndrome (51% vs 45%; P =.18), intraventricular hemorrhage (7% vs 7%; P =.67), necrotizing enterocolitis (5% vs 3%; P =.19), and perinatal death (7% vs 5%; P =.45). A composite outcome made up of these neonatal outcomes was not different (56% vs 48%; P =.10) between the group with one or two examinations and the no-examination group. The time from rupture to delivery was shorter in the digital examination group (median value, 3 vs 5 days; P <. 009). Multivariable analysis to adjust for antibiotic study group, group B streptococcal culture status, race, and maternal transfer did not modify these results.

CONCLUSION
Performance of one or two digital cervical examinations during the course of expectant management of rupture of membranes between 24 and 32 weeks' gestation was associated with shorter latency but did not appear to worsen either maternal or neonatal outcome.


The normal structure of mercury is unique in that it is the only metal having rhombehedral symmetry to possess a single lattice structure. This fact, together with the nearness of the structure to f.c.c., make its deformation behaviour particularly interesting. The present investigation describes the orientation dependence of the deformation characteristics of mercury at two different temperatures. The large standard stereographic triangle associated with the low symmetry structure of mercury occupies one sixth of the full stereogram. Theoretical considerations have shown that, within this one triangle, slip on three different variants of the observed mode is possible, the boundaries between the corresponding regions having two distinct characteristics. These predictions have been tested by experiments on single crystals at 77°K and the role of twinning and kinking in the deformation process assessed. Single crystals tested in tension at 4.2°K have been found to undergo a stress-induced phase transformation. Evidence for this reaction is presented in the form of superconductivity and electrical resistance measurements and the martensitic nature of the transition established. Both the properties of the new phase and the nature of its production served to distinguish this transformation from the previously reported low temperature alpha - beta transition. It has thus been labelled the gamma phase. Detailed metallographic observations determined the shear elements associated with this transformation as {113} , g = 0.47, the indices referring to the f.c.r. cell of alpha-mercury. The morphology of the transformed crystals has been interpreted in terms of the accommodation of the martensitic plates in the parent; matrix and the crystallography of the habit plane and associated shear direction. A marked dependence of the occurrence of the transformation on the orientation of the crystal has been interpreted by regarding the shear process associated with the transformation as a conventional deformation mode. Further explanation of the results using various approaches such as lattice geometry and anisotropic elasticity theory has been attempted. The application of the current theories of martensite crystallography to this transformation based on a product crystal structure predicted using the pseudopotential theory of metals is also reported. Finally, an account of an experimental investigation, using an X-ray diffraction technique, to determine the actual product structure is presented.


BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of research examining the impact of standardized uniform style and color for registered nurses (RNs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to appraise published peer-refereed studies on the effect of a standardized uniform style and color for RNs. METHODS: Seven peer-refereed studies exploring standardized uniforms for RNs were identified. Using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine evidence hierarchy, each study was assigned a level of evidence and overall rating. RESULTS: Data suggest that patients felt that RNs appeared professional and were easily identified by a standardized uniform style and color. No strong evidence supports a patient's preference for a specific style and color of uniform. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are inconsistent but demonstrate that a standardized uniform style and color increased the perception of professionalism and recognition of RNs among patients.


Abstract : The phototoxicity of hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas was studied with particular emphasis on various external plant stresses. Greenhouse grown plants and indoor exposure chambers were utilized to test the effect of viral infection, insecticide treatment, weed killer applications, or antioxidant protectants on injury caused by HCl gas. Plant sensitivity did not differ between virus-infected and non-viral plants. Increased injury, however, was seen on plants exposed to HCl gas after one of the insecticide treatments. An experimental antioxidant compound which protects plants from ozone injury did not increase tolerance to HCl gas. Since greenhouse conditions eliminate many natural stresses, HCl exposures were conducted in field plots both in Riverside and at Vandenberg Air Force base, California. Some plants were fumigated only once while others received weekly doses. Field plants were generally more tolerant than the same species grown in the greenhouse. Further, plants exposed at Vandenberg were more sensitive than those at Riverside. Of the plants tested, a native species at Vandenberg was most resistant to HCl. HCl for the field work was generated either by diluting pressurized dry gas in a large volume of flowing carrier gas or by open-burning of small pieces of solid rocket fuel. Portable chambers remained over the field plants only for the duration of the 15-minute exposures. HF gas is considerably more phytotoxic than HCl. Work with this pollutant was limited to a review of the literature and an experiment on the uptake of fluoride salts through the roots.


INTRODUCTION: The anterior column of the spine is often destroyed by trauma, infection or tumours. It is reconstructed by using an autograft, allograft or synthetic cages. The fibular autograft provides good strength, incorporates quickly and has less risk of disease transmission, which is a big advantage in communities with a high incidence of HIV. Various authors cite that its major drawback is the size of its footprint because of the possibility of subsidence. We could not, however, find any literature that measures its size.
 AIM: To measure the size of the footprint of the fibular graft in relation to the surface area of the vertebral endplate. The clinical relevance is that it may guide the surgeon in deciding how many struts of the fibular graft to use in reconstructing the anterior column, and also quantifies the statement that the fibular strut has a small footprint.
 Material and method: CT angiograms are done frequently for peripheral vascular diseases. These angiograms show CT scan images of the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, and fibulae of the same patient. We retrospectively examined 60 scans done during the years 2012 and 2013. From the CT scans, we measured the surface area of the endplates of the vertebral bodies of T6, 8, 12, L2, and the surface area of the cut surface of the proximal 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm of the fibular graft, all in square millimetres (mm2). We then compared the areas of the vertebral measurements to the area of the fibular graft measurements.
RESULTS: The middle third of the fibular graft had the biggest axial surface area. The ratio of the fibular graft surface area to that of the thoracic vertebral endplate is 1:3-6. These ratios suggest that more than one fibular strut graft is required to reconstruct the anterior column in the thoracic spine.
 CONCLUSION: The results show that the fibular graft is better suited for reconstruction in the upper thoracic spine. Below that more than two struts are required.


Although not widely appreciated, prey can manage predation risk by modifying the sequence of their behavioural states. We explored this phenomenon in dugongs (Dugong dugon) subject to spatially and temporally variable risk of tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) predation in Shark Bay, Australia. Dugong behaviour was assayed using focal follows and organised into sequences of foraging, resting, and travelling bouts. We used log-linear analysis to test for sequence differences in relation to habitat (deep, shallow) and predation danger (sharks present, largely absent). Dugongs modified their behavioural sequences between periods of high and low shark abundance: those at risk alternated more frequently between foraging, which constrains anti-predator vigilance, and travelling, which facilitates predator detection. Dugongs also avoided continuous series of resting bouts, during which awareness is reduced, when sharks were present. These changes were only observed in relatively dangerous shallow habitat, which is hunted disproportionately by tiger sharks; behavioural responses to sharks in deep habitat were modest. We conclude that dugongs in risky habitat resort to safer behavioural sequences in response to sharks. Given that human disturbance and predators are perceived similarly by many species, some forms of vessel interaction could compromise the fitness of sirenians by eliciting similar behavioural adjustment.


The PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway plays role in the regulation of many cellular processes. Hyperactivation of mTOR signaling has been implicated in human carcinogenesis, representing an attractive target for cancer therapy. Among other cancer subtypes, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and neuroendocrine tumors are relevant settings in which the deregulation of mTOR pathway is of crucial importance. Different mTOR-inhibitory agents have been developed in recent years. Temsirolimus is approved for advanced RCC; everolimus is registered for the treatment of advanced RCC, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and postmenopausal, hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative, advanced breast cancer. This review is focused on the description of the clinical experience with mTOR-inhibitor agents for the treatment of advanced RCC and neuroendocrine tumors, followed by an excursus on the landscape of the ongoing research in this field.


The Learning to Learn in Further Education Research Project (L2L) is coordinated by the Campaign for Learning and run by researchers at Newcastle and Glasgow Universities. The project involves teachers at two further education (FE) colleges, Lewisham and Northumberland, using practitioner enquiry methodologies to explore and share what works in learning and teaching in their context. This article uses data collected as part of the larger project to explore how the combination of societal, political and economic forces that have shaped provision in this sector impact on students' and teachers' views of learning when compared with the compulsory sector. The authors sought to establish whether factors such as an ethos of performativity and instrumentalisation of the curriculum were indeed at play in shaping understandings of teaching and learning, and what it means to learn in an FE context. Telephone interviews with 16 teachers provided evidence that such pressures were impacting on teaching despite the ambitions of the teachers that their practice be responsive to student need rather than curricular imperatives. Involvement with the university and the L2L project was seen by many as a way of countering perceived constraints on their freedom to exercise professional judgement. Face-to-face mediated interviews with 64 learners drawn from a number of qualification routes revealed a simplistic model for learning based around listening and the practising of skills. The authors discuss the extent to which students appear to understand this as building the necessary foundations for later, more sophisticated learning rather than as requirements of their courses per se.


ABSTRACT We performed GeneChip analyses on RNA from Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LeTx)-treated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages to investigate global effects of anthrax toxin on host cell gene expression. Stringent analysis of data revealed that the expression of several mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-regulatory genes was affected within 1.5 h post-exposure to LeTx. By 3.0 h, the expression of 103 genes was altered, including those involved in intracellular signaling, energy production, and protein metabolism.


The World Health Organization recommends that infants should be breastfed exclusively for at least six months after birth. After this period, it is recommended to start introducing complementary foods, in order to meet the child ́s nutritional, mineral and energy needs. Commercial food products for infants form an important part of the diet for many babies. Thus, it is very important that such food contains sufficient amounts of minerals. Inadequate complementary feeding is a major cause of high rates of infant malnutrition in developing countries. In this study, essential elements: Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Se and Zn and toxic elements: As, Cd, Hg levels were determined in twenty seven different commercial infant food product samples by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). In order to validate both methodologies the reference material: INCT MPH-2 Mixed Polish Herbs and NIST SRM 1577b Bovine Liver by INAA and NIST SRM 1548a Typical Diet and NIST SRM 1547 Peach Leaves by AAS were analyzed. The twenty seven baby food samples were acquired from São Paulo city super markets and drugstores. Essential and toxic elements were determined. Most of the essential element concentrations obtained was lower than the World Health Organization requirements, while concentrations of toxic elements were below the tolerable upper limit. These low essential element concentrations in these samples indicate that infants should not be fed only with commercial complementary foods.


The article presents the results of a study of the surface layers obtained by the deposition of organometallic chromium compounds on the base metal, and the structural changes occurring in them when exposed to additional heat treatment in the form of subsequent annealing. It is noted that the type of coating and its structure primarily depend on the deposition temperature; therefore, there are three main types - kinetic, transitional and diffusional. Each such type of surface layer is determined by its own mechanism of formation, and as the temperature changes, one transforms into another. The metastable state of such surfaces, which are supersaturated solid solutions, upon additional heat treatment leads to significant structural changes and the formation of a nanostructured composite layer. The possibility of obtaining nano-modified layers by forming the structure of a matrix solution with dispersed-dissolved secondary nano-sized particles of chromium carbides is shown. The modes at which crystallization of the amorphous phase begins with the release of nano-sized particles of chromium and chromium carbides have been determined. The modes with the maximum and minimum levels of residual stresses, which directly affect the performance of products, have been established, and the effect of additional annealing on the distribution of residual stresses has been studied. It is shown that the process of crystallization of the amorphous phase during annealing and the parallel process of coagulation of carbides causes the appearance and growth of residual stresses. The influence of residual stresses on the adhesion strength of surface layers, which largely depends on the main parameters of heat treatment - temperature and time, has been investigated. Comparison of adhesion strength before and after annealing showed that the overall level of adhesion strength during heat treatment of coatings decreases insignificantly, by 7-10%.


A numerical simulation model for 252 kV puffer circuit breaker is constructed, by using a proven commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package, PHOENICS. The model takes into account the moving parts in the circuit breaker, turbulence enhanced momentum and energy transport, radiation transport. The arcing process in a SF6 puffer circuit breaker with two hollow contacts is simulated under different conditions, and the simulation results are verified with experimental results. Through simulation, the pressure, temperature and velocity in the arc quenching chamber can be obtained. The simulation model is also capable of predicting the influence of design parameters variations on breaker performance, and can thus help to reduce the number of short-circuit tests during the design stage.


Measurement of the energy cost of walking in children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida is difficult due to the cumbersome nature of equipment used to assess oxygen consumption. Such information collected with a lightweight telemetric system, the Cosmed K2, correlated well with that from a non‐portable breath‐by‐breath system associated with a treadmill. The K2 did not significantly affect regular gait pattern as measured by gait analysis, and repeatability was satisfactory. Measurement of the energy cost of walking in the individual is unreliable in detecting differences of less than 10%; comparison between groups is more useful.


This paper examined wood preservation practices and outlook considering climate change from the perspective of Finnish experts through interviews. Key findings highlighted that: (1) pressure impregnated wood will continually evolve and secure its market, and it seems worthy of developing modified wood products, especially with the increasing attention to recyclability and lifecycle concepts; (2) demand for highly processed surface treatment products is high; (3) opportunities for more sustainable and environmentally friendly wood preservation methods, and thus production volume will increase in the future; (4) increasing mold problems in Finland due to climate change make surface treatment more important than ever; (5) demands for fire protection treatments are increasing, but fire testing fees and processes have slowed product development; (6) although the possibility of the spread of termites triggered by global warming to Finland seems to be a future scenario, this issue needs to be considered in products exported to hot countries; and (7) preservatives have become more critical to protect untreated wood from the adverse effects of climate change. It is believed that this study will help accelerate the transition of innovative and environmentally friendly wood treatments on the Finnish market, thereby promoting the use of wood in the building construction industry.


A continuous flow extracorporeal ventricular assist device (VAD) was modified to support functionally univentricular infants and children awaiting heart transplantation. A centrifugal VAD, designed to flow from 1.5 to 8 L/min, was used as a bridge-to-transplant in four patients with functionally univentricular circulation. A variable restrictive recirculation shunt permitted lower flow ranges in small patients. In hypoxic patients, an oxygenator was incorporated into the circuit. From 2012 to 2015, the modified VAD was placed in four patients with Glenn physiology. Age ranged from 0.97 to 6.98 years (median = 2.2 yrs). Body surface area ranged from 0.41 to 0.84 m2 (median = 0.54 m2 ). One patient was on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation prior to VAD. A recirculation shunt was used in three patients. Three patients required temporary use of an oxygenator for 4, 10, and 27 days. Median time on the VAD was 32.3 days (range = 23-43 days). A decrease in the cavopulmonary pressure was noted in all patients, as was a fall in the B-type natriuretic peptide. Three patients survived transplant and were discharged at 28-82 days post-transplantation. One patient died after 35 days of support. Two patients experienced major bleeding events. Two patients experienced cerebrovascular accidents, one major and one minor. The centrifugal VAD successfully supported palliated functionally univentricular patients awaiting heart transplantation. The modified recirculation shunt facilitated the successful support of patients in whom optimal flows were substantially lower than that recommended by the manufacturer. The continuous-flow VAD effectively decompressed the cavopulmonary system. The design allowed placement of an in-line oxygenator in hypoxic patients. Further investigation is required to decrease the thromboembolic events, and associated morbidity, in patients supported with this device.


BACKGROUND: The sexual desire in the middle-aged and senior women is one of the factors affecting their quality of life and psychological well-being. AIM: The present study was aimed to assess the sexual desire and related factors among married women aged 50-70 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical study, 210 married menopausal women aged 50-70 years were selected by cluster sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic profile questionnaire and Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI), and analysed by SPSS version 22 software using descriptive statistics and independent t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient tests. RESULTS: The mean age of women was 59.40 ± 5.93 years, and the mean sexual desire score was 22.66 ± 17.78 (out of 112). There was a significant relationship between sexual desire score and age, educational level, occupation of women and spouses, age of menopause, marital history, number of pregnancies and children, individual health and pain level (P < 0.001). The sexual desire score had a significant association with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, chronic pain, gastrointestinal problems, chronic ulcers, bladder and intestinal problems, joint and bone disorders, taking cardiac medications, antihypertensive, anticoagulant, insulin, cholesterol-lowering drugs (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The low sexual desire score and its reduction with age and the presence of various diseases and factors affecting sexual desire highlight the importance of diagnostic screening, family related educational planning and the role of health care providers in the health status of the older adults.


Syndiotactic poly(N-n-propylacrylamide)s (PNNPAM) with various racemo (r) diad contents were synthesized, and their phase transition behaviors were studied by high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry and FT-IR spectroscopy. The cooperativity of the phase transition increased with the increase in the r diad content. Compared with the atactic PNNPAM, the number of cooperative units, which shows the monomeric units length undergoing cooperative phase transition, increased 2.5- to 4-fold in the syndiotactic polymers. From the results of FT-IR spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, it was determined that the high cooperativity of the syndiotactic polymers resulted from local formation of an ordered structure in a dehydrated state.


One of the major drawbacks of OFDM is high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) which can result in poor power efficiency and serious distortion in the transmitter amplifier. Tone reservation (TR) is a technique designed to combat this problem by reserving a number of carriers (tones) in the frequency domain to generate a cancellation signal in the time domain to remove high peaks. However TR can have a high associated computational cost due to the difficulties in finding an effective cancellation signal in the time domain by using only a few tones in the frequency domain. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to overcoming this problem by creating a Gaussian pulse as the cancellation signal from only a small number of reserved tones. This facilitates a simple and effective algorithm for reducing peak values while minimizing the occurrence of secondary peaks, the latter being a key factor in contributing to the high computational complexity of tone reservation algorithms.


In this paper, a numerical solution of the modified regularized long wave (MRLW) equation is obtained using the Sinc-collocation method. This approach approximates the space dimension of the solution with a cardinal expansion of Sinc functions. First, discretizing the time derivative of the MRLW equation by a classic finite difference formula, while the space derivatives are approximated by a θ—weighted scheme. For comparison purposes, we also find a soliton solution using the Adomian decomposition method (ADM). The Sinc-collocation method was were found to be more accurate and efficient than the ADM schemes. Furthermore, we show that the number of solitons generated can be approximated using the Maxwellian initial condition. The proposed methods' results, analytical solutions, and numerical methods are compared. Finally, a variety of graphical representations for the obtained solutions makes the dynamics of the MRLW equation visible and provides the mathematical foundation for physical and engineering applications.


Modern psychological and pedagogical studies of professional training of undergraduate students in the specialty "Pedagogy and Psychologyˮ in online learning conditions increase the relevance of research in the field of the "Selfˮ concept. The psychological term "Self" in science has many meanings. On the one hand, the "Selfˮ, as mentioned above, is the result of the separation of a person from the surrounding communication space, which allows them to feel and feel their physical and mental state and to know themself as a subject of activity. On the other hand, self-realization of their own "Self" is an object of self-knowledge for them, especially at the stage of professional development. Diagnostics of the "Self" concept of students in the conditions of professional training was carried out using the methods of S.A. Budassi, M. Kuhn, T. McPartland "Who am I?", "I am in the past. I'm in the present. I'm in the future" and a specially designed questionnaire. The sample consisted of 141 students of Pavlodar Pedagogical University (PPU) and Toraighyrov University (TOU) aged 17 to 23 years, without work experience. Based on the results obtained, the hypothesis of the existence of a relationship between the "Self" concept and the professional training of future specialists was confirmed.


The main objective of this study is to explore implementation strategic management and strategic planning in school. Malaysia has given great emphasis in the field of education with the delivery of PPPM 2013-2025 which is the longest education development plan in education history in Malaysia. Moving forward, various strategic management and strategy plans are introduced to education leaders and teachers. However, despite the efforts, strategic management and strategic planning in school can be questioned. Is it worth for teaching and learning or not? The results of this micro study showed, teachers really lack of understanding the importance strategic management and strategic planning in school. This micro study can provide the authorities to act more effectively and efficiently in every education planning and policy in Malaysia.


This paper examines the globalization of architectural practice, focusing on the global strategies of architectural firms in relation to those of advanced business services and to the evolving network of world cities that provides the spatial framework for economic globalization. A basic geography of global architecture office networks is identified, and multivariate statistical analysis is used to identify four distinctive global arenas in which architectural firms are involved. In a final section, the implications of these findings for architectural education are discussed.


We present the synthesis and analytical, spectroscopic and computational characterization of three amino-substituted benzo[b]thieno[2,3-b]pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles as novel pH probes with a potential application in pH-sensing materials. The designed systems differ in the number and position of the introduced isobutylamine groups on the pentacyclic aromatic core, which affects their photophysical and acid-base properties. The latter were investigated by UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies and interpreted by DFT calculations. An excellent agreement in experimentally measured and computationally determined pKa values and electronic excitations suggests that all systems are unionized at neutral pH, while their transition to monocationic forms occurs at pH values between 3 and 5, accompanied by substantial changes in spectroscopic responses that make them suitable for detecting acidic conditions in solutions. Computations identified imidazole imino nitrogen as the most favorable protonation site, further confirmed by analysis of perturbations in the chemical shifts of 1H and 13C NMR, and showed that the resulting basicity emerges as a compromise between the basicity-reducing effect of a nearby nitrile and a favorable contribution from the attached secondary amines. With this in mind, we designed a system with three amino substituents for which calculations predict pKa = 7.0 that we suggest as an excellent starting point for a potential pH sensor able to capture solution changes during the transition from neutral towards acidic media.


IT IS GENERALLY recognized that repeated injections of any foreign protein may give rise to allergic or anaphylactic reactions. Such responses to corticotropin (ACTH) are familiar, and the hormone itself seems to be the responsible agent. 1 A similar reaction now appears to have occurred with thyrotropin. The hormone, or a protein closely related to and not separated from the hormone, appears to have been the antigen. Although highly purified, the commercial thyrotropin preparation used in the present patient to test thyroid function contains several contaminating serum proteins. 2 The material is prepared from bovine anterior pituitaries and is commonly given diagnostically 3 as a single injection. Mild to severe local reactions at the site of injection and low-grade febrile responses are not infrequent. However, generalized allergic reactions have not hitherto been reported, and the thyrotropin molecule proper has not been suspected as an antigen causing the minor reactions. It


While this is still a lot of fathers who have not understood the importance of their role in the growth of the children one of them in terms of fulfilling the needs of nutrition or nutrition for toddlers, where they still do not understand about proper nutrition for their children serving food that fit and appropriate to the age of the child. The purpose of the study to identify the involvement of fathers in fulfillment nutrition of child's under five yearsin Tuwiri village of Seduri Mojosari Mojokerto. The design of this research was descriptive. The research population was whole father who have a child's under five years in Tuwiri village of Seduri Mojosari Mojokerto as many as 42 people. Samples taken with the total sampling tevhniques. Data collected by questionnaire and processed in editing, coding, scoring, and tabulating, then presented and processed by editing, coding scoring and tabulating. Then presented in the form of frequency distribution table. The results of this study showed most respondents by negative in the fulfillment of child nutrition as much as 22 respondents (52,4%). This shows that the majority of respondents are still many who have not been engaged towards the fulfillment of child's nutrition. This is happens because of most of dads prefer to earn a living. Expected respondents can improve the information received about the way the fulfillment of the toddler nutrition by means of reading a magazine or a newspaper, look at televition on and listen to the guidance so that although the father did not have enough time but the father can still meet the nutritional needs of children. Key Words : Involvement Of Fathers, Nutrition, child's under five years


The paper focuses on transnational wealth elites buying residential properties in New York and London as an investment rather than as a primary residence. The transnational wealth elite is a group of people that have their origin in one locality, but invest their wealth transnationally since they entertain transnational jobs, assets and social networks. New York and London real estate has the unique quality that it is perceived to be highly liquid, i.e. easily resold to other investors. Together with the safe haven and socio-cultural characteristics of both cities and the way the real estate market and its professionals are organised, global city residential real estate functions as a 'safe deposit box'. The paper brings together different geographies: of the wealth elite, of offshore financial centres through which most real estate purchases are organised, and of real estate investment locations. It also maps the consequences of the safe deposit box function of real estate, in terms of not only house prices increases, but also of economic, social and cultural changes and how elite decision-making impacted this comprehensive set of changes in the fabric of the city. In doing this, the paper substantiates work on the financialisation of real estate by focusing attention on the agency of the wealth elite and their investment and legal networks rather than on property developers, housing associations or institutional investors.


Anti-IgE therapy is used to treat children with severe uncontrollable bronchial asthma from 2001. Materials and methods 13 children received anti-IgE therapy at our Clinic from 2008 to 2016. The study included taking clinical case history, laboratory instrumental and mathematic-statistic methods to analyse children, who went to the Clinic for injections 1 time per 2 weeks/ 1 time per 4 weeks. The number of injections was determined according to baseline level of total IgE and children's baseline weight. patient description. 13 children underwent anti-IgE therapy: 9 boys and 4 girls. At the beginning of the therapy all patients were diagnosed with atopic severe persistent uncontrollable bronchial asthma. All patients had polyvalent sensibilization. 9 (69.2%) patients were diagnosed with drug allergy. Age of bronchial asthma onset ranged between 1 and 11 years. Age at the beginning of the therapy – 6–17 years. Baseline level of total IgE ranged from 110–678 IU/ml. At the beginning of the therapy, all patients were receiving combined baseline therapy with high dose equivalent of fluticasone. Assessment of therapy efficiency After first six months, the therapy decreased the frequency of severe aggravations in all patients, and improved external respiration function: increased forced expiratory volume 1 (%) from 82.0±15.2 before therapy to 91.0±25.3, increased peak exhalation speed (%) from 78.2±24.5 to 81.0±14.8. All patients began to show less need for B-agonists, declined frequency of daytime asthmatic attack, improved exercise tolerance; not a single clinically significant aggravation of disease was observed. Disease management assessment (Asthma Control Test) increased from 14.6±1.4 ?? 18.6±1.1. The medication therapy was safe: none of the children experienced adverse effects from injections. Conclusion This data based on our internal experience of using Omalizumab as part of combined therapy for severe uncontrollable bronchial asthma treatment demonstrate the prospects for treatment of the most complicated group of patients. Improvement of disease management was achieved among all patients. However, taking into account pharmacological and economic features of anti-IgE therapy, a very stringent patient selection procedure should be in place of such therapy, and it may only be administered in case of severe uncontrollable course of the disease with proven atopic character and high risk of fatal asthma.


Fourth Generation and beyond broadband wireless mobile networks, specifically 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-Long Term Evolution (LTE) and beyond are considering issues related to the deployment of femtocells. Femtocells have the potential to improve Area Spectral Efficiency (ASE) several folds. However, interference is added to the system due to large number of uncontrolled, user-deployed femtocells. Hence improvement of overall system throughput becomes limited. In this paper, downlink coexistence between macro/micro cells and cochannel femtocells in a single frequency Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)/Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) network is investigated. The impact of density, load and transmit power variation of the femtocells on the performance of macro/micro cell and femtocell users as well as the effect of macro/micro cell load on femtocell performance is presented. Guidelines for femtocell deployment with the objectives of maximizing sum-cell-throughput and maximizing number of active femtocells are derived. Methods of centralized control as well mixed centralized and distributed control of femtocell radio parameters to meet the above objectives are presented. The analysis is done with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specified channel models using system level simulator.


Abstract. This paper presents an underwater laser scanning system and GNSS based trajectory estimation system for scanning from a surface vessle in shallow water. The system has an above-the-water and an underwater component. Above-the-water two low-cost multiband GNSS receivers with an antenna baseline of one meter are used for RTK positioning with heading. The full 6-DOF is estimated by fusing the satellite navigation data with a MEMS-based INS. The 3D data is captured in water using a structured light scanner consisting of a low-light underwater camera and a green cross line laser projector. We describe the development of the system and employed hardware components. We show results of scanning a large test object in a water tank acquired by from a tripod with a motorized yaw axis. Additionally, we demonstrate first results of mobile mapping from a floating platform. We evaluate the performance of the system by measuring the 6-DOF trajectory with an external optical tracking system. Additionally, we assess the quality of the created point cloud using reference objects placed in the scene.


The pressure signal calibration technology of the comprehensive test system which involved pressure sensors was studied in this paper. The melioration of pressure signal calibration methods was elaborated. Compared with the calibration methods in the lab and after analyzing the relevant problems,the calibration technology online was achieved. The test datum and reasons of measuring error analyzed,the uncertainty evaluation was given and then this calibration method was proved to be feasible and accurate.


I have followed the (online) correspondence relating to the rapid sequence spinal technique with some incredulity that we are discussing it at all. What is it that happens to us when the word obstetric prefixes anaesthesia? If one were to propose a new anaesthetic technique with a rate of awareness of pain starting at 10%, one would not expect to be taken seriously, nor would one expect to get ethical approval to study it (not in my hospital anyway). I believe that not following full aseptic preparations and not adding an opioid to the local anaesthetic increase the risk attached to the procedure. We all know that category-1 caesarean sections are a challenge. The anaesthetic we provide has to be safe, effective and fast. When we reduce standards on any of these three, we may be criticised. I suggest that it is precisely when we cut corners that the problems arise. This certainly applies to general anaesthesia in obstetric practice, and may actually explain a great many of the failed intubations. Perhaps we should attempt to stratify and deal with the risks of general anaesthesia in obstetric practice. Converting a failed spinal to general anaesthesia during surgery must be one of the most uncontrolled and hazardous general anaesthetics to administer in obstetrics. I think that the rapid sequence spinal technique will lead to more haste and potentially more failures. In these situations, a general anaesthetic may be required. I do not think a technique that relies heavily on this to get out of trouble can be safe, for that reason alone. Is it time to take a step back and reconsider what we assume to be acceptable practice in the obstetric setting? Maybe, we could even ask women what they think. They have been known to have opinions of their own!


This deliverable focuses on the proling activities developed in the project with the partner's applications. To perform this proling activities, a couple of benchmarks were dened in collaboration with WP5. The rst benchmark is an embarrassingly parallel benchmark that performs a read and then multiple writes of the same object, with the objective of stressing the memory and storage systems and evaluate the overhead when these reads and writes are performed in parallel. A second benchmark is dened based on the Continuation Multi Level Monte Carlo (C-MLMC) algorithm. While this algorithm is normally executed using multiple levels, for the proling and performance analysis objectives, the execution of a single level was enough since the forthcoming levels have similar performance characteristics. Additionally, while the simulation tasks can be executed as parallel (multi-threaded tasks), in the benchmark, single threaded tasks were executed to increase the number of simulations to be scheduled and stress the scheduling engines. A set of experiments based on these two benchmarks have been executed in the MareNostrum 4 supercomputer and using PyCOMPSs as underlying programming model and dynamic scheduler of the tasks involved in the executions. While the rst benchmark was executed several times in a single iteration, the second benchmark was executed in an iterative manner, with cycles of 1) Execution and trace generation; 2) Performance analysis; 3) Improvements. This had enabled to perform several improvements in the benchmark and in the scheduler of PyCOMPSs. The initial iterations focused on the C-MLMC structure itself, performing re-factors of the code to remove ne grain and sequential tasks and merging them in larger granularity tasks. The next iterations focused on improving the PyCOMPSs scheduler, removing existent bottlenecks and increasing its performance by making the scheduler a multithreaded engine. While the results can still be improved, we are satised with the results since the granularity of the simulations run in this evaluation step are much ner than the one that will be used for the real scenarios. The deliverable nishes with some recommendations that should be followed along the project in order to obtain good performance in the execution of the project codes.


The study explores the role of play in Grade R classrooms in the Cape Peninsula. The focus is on perceptions of teachers from differing backgrounds regarding how play is supported and utilised in the classroom. Theories of childhood play as propounded by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky provide the theoretical background to our understanding of child play. Data were collected from 104 teachers in 41 primary schools and early childhood development (ECD) centres in both well-resourced and under-resourced environments, using semi-structured interviews and guided observations of practice. It was found that, although play is a difficult concept to define, it is easy to recognise. Teachers at some schools seem to have less knowledge of the pedagogy of play. Insights into early childhood teachers' views on the role of play in the curriculum have the potential to inform the planning for teacher training and national policy development for early years' learning. For these reasons, it is necessary to define and understand structured and formal play in the diverse contexts of South Africa, specifically by following, through the years, the teachers who utilise play as pedagogical tool.


We examine the use of efficient shift-and-add multiplier structures and multiplier blocks to reduce computational complexity in filter banks. This is more efficient than treating each bank filter separately. We also examine the Farrow (see Proc. Int. Symp. Circuits Syst. (ISCAS), p. 2641-2645) structure, which is used in interpolators. Applying multiplier blocks makes this structure cheaper than the more recognized Lagrange interpolator.


Ancestral land or tana sangkol in Madura is a significant material asset possessed by the Madurese people, with attached social and cultural values that link the living and the dead. Massive development on the island, however, has seen people selling their tana sangkol to foreign investors for conversion into shrimp ponds and hotels. This study aimed to analyze tana sangkol's representation in three short stories, "Anak Cangkul," "Kutukan Tanah Leluhur," and "Tanah Warisan," by Zainul Muttaqin, an author from Sumenep, Madura. The discussion mainly focused on the dramatic contribution of poverty to the sale of tana sangkol to investors, an act that is believed to bring bad luck to the sellers. Furthermore, tana sangkol epitomizes pride to the Madurese people, making them more willing to resist the intrusion of foreign investment. A qualitative research method with a close reading technique was applied and the data were analyzed using the post-colonial ecocriticism theory of Graham Huggan and Helen Tiffin. The results showed that there has been a shift in how the Madurese view their tana sangkol, with them no longer regarding it as sacred ancestral land. Moreover, it is considered to have social and cultural contexts due to its close relationship with the Madurese people's identity. Meanwhile, the oppression toward farmers is seen as structural and hierarchical.


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that culminates in right heart failure and death. Prostacyclin (PGI2) and its derivatives are effective treatments for PAH when administered as continuous parenteral infusions. This treatment paradigm requires medical sophistication, and patients are at risk for complications from an indewelling catheter; drug interruptions may result in rebound pulmonary hypertension and death. We hypothesized that the salivary gland can be repurposed into an endogenous production site for circulating PGI2 through the expression of a fusion protein embodying cyclooxygenase-1 (Cox1) and prostacyclin synthase (PGIS) domains. We utilized ultrasound-assisted gene transfer, a nonviral gene transfer strategy that achieves robust gene transfer to the salivary gland. We initially found that Cox1-PGIS expression in livers of mice using an adenoviral vector dramatically increased circulating PGI2 relative to untreated rats or rats treated with PGIS alone. We then utilized ultrasound-assisted gene transfer to express Cox1-PGIS in the submandibular glands of rats and showed a significant elevation of circulating PGI2 that corresponded to approximately 30% of that seen in humans undergoing intravenous infusion therapy for PAH. These results suggest the feasibility of gene therapy to drive endogenous biosynthesis of PGI2 as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PAH.


We describe a measurement, accurate to a part in a million, of the gyromagnetic ratio of the proton in water, γ'p, by the strong field method. The magnetic induction of a magnet is measured by weighing the force exerted on a rectangular current-carrying coil which has its lower end in the pole-gap. Simultaneously the precession frequency of protons in a water sample in this field is obtained by a conventional nuclear magnetic resonance technique. γ'p is then the ratio of the precession frequency to the magnetic flux density. The significance of the measurement lies not only in the use of the result to calibrate magnetic fields in SI units for other accurate measurements of atomic constants, but also in the realization of the SI definition of the ampere which follows from combining the result with the measurement of γp by the weak-field technique. Our result is γ'p = 2.6751701(27) × 108 s-1 TB169-1 for a spherical water sample at 20°C, where the standard error in the last two digits is in parenthesis.


Aim This study aimed to compare the intraepithelial lymphocytic (IEL) counts by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and by CD3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) in pediatric duodenal biopsies during routine diagnostic practice and to evaluate the interobserver variability between both methods. Materials and methods A retrospective study was conducted on 64 pediatric duodenal biopsies received from January 2017 to December 2018 at the Pathology Laboratory of Ain Shams University Hospitals and classified into three groups: group 1 with established coeliac disease by previous biopsy, group 2 with newly received cases suspicious of coeliac disease with positive anti-tissue transglutaminase with present or absent villous atrophy, and group 3 with normal or unknown anti-tissue transglutaminase. IEL count was evaluated by routine H&E and by CD3 immunohistochemistry by the two authors and categorized into normal (<25 lymphocytes), mildly raised (25–40 lymphocytes), and markedly raised (>40 lymphocytes). Agreements between stains, as well as interobserver agreement, were calculated. Results The overall mean IEL count per 100 enterocytes for H&E was 21.86 [95% confidence interval=18.34–25.38], and for IHC by CD3, it was 26.19 (95% confidence interval=22.52–29.85). The difference was highly significant (P=0.001), with highly significant substantial agreement between H&E and CD3 IHC results (P=0.001; κ=0.694). The overall interobserver agreement for H&E was almost perfect among the cases of all groups, and among groups 1, 2, and 3 (κ=0.946, 0.825, 0.831, 1, respectively). The overall interobserver agreement for CD3 IHC was almost perfect among the cases of all groups, and among groups 1, 2, and 3 (κ=0.975, 1, 1, and 0.956, respectively). Conclusion CD3 can aid in the detection of IELs but only in the proper clinical and serological setting.


Background: As a systematic fungicide, prochloraz is often used to control banana freckle disease, and it is significant to assess the safety and risk of prochloraz. Methods: The dissipation kinetics and distribution of prochloraz in bananas were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: The results showed that the fortified recoveries in bananas were 83.01–99.12%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2.45–7.84%. The half-life of prochloraz in banana peel (3.93–5.60 d) was significantly lower than it was in whole banana (8.25–10.80 d) and banana pulp (10.35–12.84 d). The terminal residue of prochloraz in banana fruits was below the maximum residue level (MRL, China) at pre-harvest intervals (PHI) of 21 d. Moreover, the residue of prochloraz in banana peel was always 1.06–7.71 times greater than it was in banana pulp. The dietary risk assessment results indicated that the prochloraz residue in bananas at PHI of 21 d was safe for representative populations. (4) Conclusions: We found that a 26.7% prochloraz emulsion oil in water (EW) diluted 1000-fold and sprayed three times under field conditions was safe and reliable, providing a reference for the safe application of prochloraz in bananas.