We report the discovery of XMMXCS J2215.9-1738, a massive galaxy cluster at z = 1.45, which was found in the XMM Cluster Survey. The cluster candidate was initially identified as an extended X-ray source in archival XMM data. Optical spectroscopy shows that six galaxies within a ~60'' diameter region lie at z = 1.45 ± 0.01. Model fits to the X-ray spectra of the extended emission yield kT = 7.4 keV (90% confidence); if there is an undetected central X-ray point source, then kT = 6.5 keV. The bolometric X-ray luminosity is LX = 4.4 × 1044 ergs s-1 over a 2 Mpc radial region. The measured TX, which is the highest for any known cluster at z > 1, suggests that this cluster is relatively massive for such a high redshift. The redshift of XMMXCS J2215.9-1738 is the highest currently known for a spectroscopically confirmed cluster of galaxies.


In this paper we study linear structured systems described by means of system matrices of which only the zero/non-zero structure is known and where the non-zeros are supposed to have independent values. The structure of linear structured systems can be represented by means of various types of graphs, like directed graphs or dynamic graphs. Here we use both type of graphs because they enable us to formulate and study certain controllability properties in a uniform and straightforward way. In this paper we extend the results of a previous paper containing a partial characterisation of the fixed part of the controllable subspace of linear structured systems. This fixed part is defined as the part of the controllable subspace that is independent of the values to the non-zeros, and therefore can be seen as the robust part of the controllable subspace. It turns out that, by considering the generic dimension of the controllable subspace, a characterisation of the fixed part can be obtained. The latter dimension equals the size of the minimal set of nodes in the dynamic graph that separates between the set of input nodes and the set of final state nodes. Computing the supremal of such minimal separating sets, we are capable of characterising the fixed part. In the paper we indicate how this supremal minimal separating set can be obtained insightfully and efficiently using the recursive nature of the dynamic graph. Our results are illustrated by some meaningful examples.


Phase-separated droplets are excellent means of compartmentalizing functional molecules and have been shown as excellent models for protocells. Although complex functions based on oligonucleotides have been studied, we still lack an understanding of how the oligonucleotide dynamics are affected by the condensed internal environment of these droplets. Particularly, we lack high-resolution experimental measurements of the dynamical parameters that control oligonucleotide diffusion inside the phase-separated droplets. In addition, there is no clarity on how these dynamical parameters differ in the charged (coacervates) vs non-charged (aqueous two-phase system, ATPS) environment of these droplets. In this study, using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), we demonstrate the constrained dynamics of oligonucleotides inside membraneless phase-separated droplets at an unprecedented resolution. We further compare transport properties at different lengths of oligonucleotides as well as salt concentrations. We observe that among all the parameters the oligonucleotide's caging (spatial restriction in the movement) inside the matrix has a considerable impact on the diffusive dynamics. Our study provides a way of unravelling, quantifying and understanding physical parameters governing the polymer transport dynamics inside the phase-separated droplets.


The phonon contribution to the phenomenon of high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates is argued as being masked as polarons generated by the polarization of the charge reservoir accompanying the Jahn-Teller tilting of the apical oxygen.We discuss theMahan oscillator-spring extensionmodel as an analogy to the charge reservoir-CuOplane c-axis polarons. Using the Boltzmann kinetic equation, we show that the polaron dissociates or collapses at a temperature corresponding to the critical temperature of the superconductor.


Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, today released the first national crime atlas, which shows that the Swan Hill area has very high rates of motor vehicle theft.


Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by stem cell‐derived clonal myeloproliferation that is often but not always accompanied by JAK2, CALR, or MPL mutations. Additional disease features include bone marrow reticulin/collagen fibrosis, aberrant inflammatory cytokine expression, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH), constitutional symptoms, cachexia, leukemic progression, and shortened survival.


Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke. New anticoagulation agents have recently provided alternative and promising approaches. This paper reviews the current state of anticoagulation therapy in AF patients, focusing on various clinical scenarios and on comparisons, where possible, between western and eastern populations.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The low pH of sports drinks may cause tooth enamel demineralization. Objective: To measure Vickers hardness of human enamel exposed to sports drinks. Methods: Human molars were used to collect the enamel samples. Each sample had a test surface (exposed to the drinks) and a control surface (unexposed). The samples were exposed to isotonic drinks Gatorade and Powerade, and to maltodextrin drinks Malto Advanced and Malto Active, for 10 minutes every 12 hours over 30 days. The Vickers microhardness test was conducted with three indentations on each surface. The mean of the indentations within each group was considered in the statistical analysis. Sports drinks variables were analyzed with ANOVA/Tukey (p≤0.01). The independent t-test was used in the comparison between the control and test surfaces of each drink (p ≤ 0.05). Results: Enamel exposure to Gatorade (p = 0.000) Malto Advanced (p = 0.000) and Malto Active (p = 0.000) was seen to significantly reduce microhardness, while the isotonic drink Powerade had no significant effect on enamel (p = 0.248). Conclusion: It was concluded that with the exception of the isotonic drink Powerade, all the sports drinks tested caused a reduction in the microhardness of human enamel. Evidence Level III; Therapeutic studies - Investigating the Results of Treatment.


Informed by Mike Wright's insight on entrepreneurial finance research problems, we examine how Chinese angel finance has evolved with institutional changes over two decades. Our longitudinal cases explore the changing roles of personal ties within strengthening regulatory institutions. Rather than the diminishing role anticipated, we found that personal ties remained vital for investment decisions. Although the improved regulatory environment influenced the extent and volume of investment, encouraging greater and longer investments, personal ties still informed decisions. We conclude that angel finance practice has evolved to match the changing Chinese environment. Social ties no longer comprehensively determine investment decisions. Instead, personal ties complement the improving environment. The trust embodied in ties continues to facilitate deal-making by quick decisions and simple contracts. Importantly, we noted how trust reshaped moral hazards and agency problems through the moral obligations of ties. Thus, trust in the individual took more account of the business, but remained centred on personal integrity. We also found that ties with government officials, historically vital in uncertain environments, had become much less important as confidence in the regulatory regime improved. The paper contributes to our understanding of institutions and practices. It highlights culture's continuing role by addressing Mike Wright's concerns and using his guidance.


We consider time reversal of electromagnetic waves in a closed, wave-chaotic system containing a discrete, passive, harmonic-generating nonlinearity. An experimental system is constructed as a time-reversal mirror, in which excitations generated by the nonlinearity are gathered, time-reversed, transmitted, and directed exclusively to the location of the nonlinearity. Here we show that such nonlinear objects can be purely passive (as opposed to the active nonlinearities used in previous work), and we develop a higher data rate exclusive communication system based on nonlinear time reversal. A model of the experimental system is developed, using a star-graph network of transmission lines, with one of the lines terminated by a model diode. The model simulates time reversal of linear and nonlinear signals, demonstrates features seen in the experimental system, and supports our interpretation of the experimental results.


Some issues concerning the development of interactive 3D models for e-learning applications are considered. Given that 3D data sets are normally large and interactive display demands high performance computation, a natural solution would be placing the computational burden on the client machine rather than on the server. Mozilla and Google opted for a combination of client-side languages, JavaScript and OpenGL, to handle 3D graphics in a web browser (Mozilla 3D and O3D respectively). Based on the O3D model, core web technologies are considered and an example of the full process involving the generation of a 3D model and their interactive visualization in a web browser is described. The challenging issue of creating realistic 3D models of objects in the real world is discussed and a method based on line projection for fast 3D reconstruction is presented. The generated model is then visualized in a web browser. The experiments demonstrate that visualization of 3D data in a web browser can provide quality user experience. Moreover, the development of web applications are facilitated by O3D JavaScript extension allowing web designers to focus on 3D contents generation.


BACKGROUND
With the increasing use of herbal medicines, the causality assessment of adverse drug-related reactions becomes more complicated because of the concomitant use of herbs and conventional medications. Epidemiological causal inference can be a central feature of such judgment but may be insufficient. Other scientific considerations include study design, bias, confounding, and measurement issues. The approach of this study is to establish an active safety surveillance system for finished herbal products (FHPs) and to review each adverse event regularly.

METHOD
A single case of serious thrombocytopenia was found in 136 subjects taking FHPs on a clinical trial for 12 weeks, for which the cause was sought.

RESULTS
Because at the end of the first month the patient's platelet counts were normal and the thrombocytopenia developed after the co-medication with conventional drugs, it was suspected that the thrombocytopenia might not be attributed to the use of FHP.

CONCLUSIONS
This report summarizes the criteria of causality assessment under mixed use of herbs and conventional medicine and recommends a feasible process for careful evaluation of adverse drug reactions related to all herbal medicine.


Despite the increasing use of ginseng pharmacopuncture in clinical practice, evidence of its physiological effects, safety, and clinical outcomes is insufficient. The purpose of this review is to summarize previous studies and suggest future challenges for the clinical use of ginseng pharmacopuncture. We systematically searched clinical and animal studies that applied ginseng pharmacopuncture and reviewed the manufacturing processes of ginseng pharmacopuncture solution, safety, physiological responses, and clinical effects. Intravenous or point injection of the ginseng pharmacopuncture solution made by distillation extraction has been commonly used in studies. Ginseng pharmacopuncture does not show any toxicity in animals and humans, while it influenced the heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, and protein synthesis in human subjects. In 25 case reports, patients with cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, skin wrinkles, and allergic rhinitis showed significant improvement of clinical outcomes. We found that more evidence is necessary to conclude that ginseng pharmacopuncture is safe and effective. First, the pharmacopuncture manufacturing process should be standardized on the basis of the safety and efficacy tests. Moreover, studies on the quantitative quality of the components of the solution and on the clinical comparison of various injection methods are required to improve clinical outcomes in the future.


In this work we characterize the underlying processes behind the IR-assisted ionization of helium by extreme ultra violet (XUV) attosecond radiation. We show that, if used in the form of an attosecond pulse train, the XUV radiation can have a good spectral resolution as well as good temporal resolution. Our experimental data and associated theoretical calculations show how to use the properties of attosecond XUV radiation to induce a desired excited state of helium, and how to tune the IR laser electric field to control the ionization pathways.


Many peptide receptors are of pharmaceutical interest and there is thus a need for new ligands for such receptors. Unfortunately, peptides are not suitable as orally administrated drugs since they are associated with poor absorption, rapid metabolism and low sub-receptor selectivity. One approach that should allow identification of more drug-like ligands is to use the structural information of the endogenous ligand to develop peptidomimetic compounds.The main objective of the work described in this thesis was to convert angiotensin II (Ang II, Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe) to small drug-like compounds with retained bioactivity at the AT2 receptor. The study was performed step-wise via incorporation of well-defined secondary structure mimetics and repeated truncation of the peptide. Five scaffolds, comprising a benzene ring as a central element, suitable as a γ-turn or dipeptide mimetics were designed and synthesized. In order to decorate the scaffolds, a method of microwave-assisted alkoxycarbonylation was developed. After incorporation of the scaffolds into Ang II-related peptides or peptide fragments, the affinities for both the AT1 and the AT2 receptor were determined.In the first series of ligands, two tyrosine-related scaffolds were introduced as γ-turn mimetics in Ang II. All five pseudopeptides exhibited good affinities for the AT2 receptor. One compound was chosen for functional studies and was shown to act as an AT2 receptor agonist. After truncation of Ang II it was shown that C-terminal pentapeptide analogs were AT2 receptor selective agonists. A series of pseudopeptides comprising tyrosine-related scaffolds, derived from the pentapeptides, displayed high AT2 receptor affinities. Two compounds had agonistic effect at the AT2 receptor.This study revealed that the N-terminal part was of less importance while a C-terminal Ile residue was a key element for enhanced AT2 receptor affinity. In the final set of compounds, the peptide was truncated to tripeptide C-terminal fragments. After replacing His-Pro by a histidine-related scaffold small drug-like peptidomimetic compounds with nanomolar affinity for the AT2 receptor were identified.


The theme of this master thesis was motivated by a benchmark of the Federation of European Simulation Societies, EUROSIM. The Benchmark deals with the problem of groundwater pollution. A two-dimensional domain filled with water may be considered. In the middle of this area a pollution source is located. This source emits solid constantly or at certain points in time. The distribution of this pollution on the regarded domain is analyzed. For simulation some mathematical background is summarized. The basic equation for pollution distribution is the diffusion equation. Different kinds of this equation are used. In chemistry as well as in biology the reaction-diffusion equation plays a very important role. Of course there are also physical applications of the diffusion, e.g. the heat equation. However, diffusion is also used to foresee the behavior of buyers of stocks in the financial market. In this work the focus is on the convection-diffusion equation. Using this equation the distributive behavior of the pollution influenced by a velocity field is described. Several approaches, ranging from analytical solutions to some chaotic particle movement, are used for realization. In the first part of this thesis the problem definition is restricted to a one-dimensional domain. The second part deals with the already mentioned two-dimensional analysis. In both parts there are three different kinds of simulations used. Analysis always starts with an analytical solution of the equation using certain conditions. In reality it is not always possible to find such analytical solutions. Therefore the second approach covers two commonly used numerical methods, the finite differences and finite element method. Alternative implementations are given using the principle of microscopic particle movements, also known as Brownian motion, as well as the random walk. These processes can be described using stochastic theory including probability theory. An important part of this work is the comparison of these different approaches regarding efficiency, accuracy and implementation. All the disadvantages and advantages will be shown. Also the similarities and differences between them are lined out. The interaction of the different parameters and their influences regarding simulation time and results are examined. This work also includes methods which are not appropriate to simulate diffusion in a useable way. For most of the used conditions an analytical solution can be given. Therefore an exact prototype for the perfect approximation is given and can be used for comparison. In the end all the different used approaches and their properties are summarized. Also an outlook to other possible implementations is given.


In uremic patients, hyperlipoproteinemia is common, but its role as a risk factor in atherogenesis remains controversial. The main abnormality appears to be diminished catabolism of lipoproteins in the face of unchanged or low hepatic synthesis. The relation of diminished catabolism to reduced postheparinlipolytic activity and selective deficiency of hepatic triglyceride lipase remains to be established. Hyperlipoproteinemia in uremic patients, most commonly of the type IV variety, responds to dietary methods (reduction of carbohydrate content, increase in P/S ratio) or pharmacological intervention. Guidelines for therapy remain controversial in view of the uncertainty about the pathogenic role of hyperlipoproteinemia in atherogenesis.


This paper presents a symbolic execution framework devoted to system models, recursively defined by interconnecting component models. Our concern is to allow one to explicitly define interaction rules between components, while taking into account those rules at the symbolic execution phase. The paper introduces a small set of primitives dedicated to this purpose, together with their associated symbolic execution rules.


Solid-state batteries with lithium metal anodes have the potential for higher energy density, longer lifetime, wider operating temperature, and increased safety. Although the bulk of the research has focused on improving transport kinetics and electrochemical stability of the materials and interfaces, there are also critical challenges that require investigation of the mechanics of materials. In batteries with solid-solid interfaces, mechanical contacts, and the development of stresses during operation of the solid-state batteries, become as critical as the electrochemical stability to keep steady charge transfer at these interfaces. This review will focus on stress and strain that result from normal and extended battery cycling and the associated mechanisms for stress relief, some of which lead to failure of these batteries. Description Editor's summary Replacing a liquid electrolyte with a solid one has the potential to improve the capacity and safety of lithium metal batteries. Although the focus has been on the electrochemical behavior, internal stresses and strains can also substantially alter battery performance and lifetime. Kalnaus et al. reviewed our understanding of the mechanics of solid-state batteries and the effect of having multiple solid-solid interfaces. They also looked at ways to alleviate stresses through additional materials and designs to improve the lifetime and performance of these batteries. —Marc S. Lavine A review examines the role of mechanics in solid-state batteries and associated ways to improve performance and lifetime. BACKGROUND Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have important potential advantages over traditional Li-ion batteries used in everyday phones and electric vehicles. Among these potential advantages is higher energy density and faster charging. A solid electrolyte separator may also provide a longer lifetime, wider operating temperature, and increased safety due to the absence of flammable organic solvents. One of the critical aspects of SSBs is the stress response of their microstructure to dimensional changes (strains) driven by mass transport. The compositional strains in cathode particles occur in liquid electrolyte batteries too, but in SSBs these strains lead to contact mechanics problems between expanding or contracting electrode particles and solid electrolyte. On the anode side, plating of lithium metal creates its own complex stress state at the interface with the solid electrolyte. A critical feature of SSBs is that such plating can occur not only at the electrode–electrolyte interface but within the solid electrolyte itself, inside its pores or along the grain boundaries. Such confined lithium deposition creates areas with high hydrostatic stress capable of initiating fractures in the electrolyte. Although the majority of failures in SSBs are driven by mechanics, most of the research has been dedicated to improving ion transport and electrochemical stability of electrolytes. As an attempt to bridge this gap, in this review we present a mechanics framework for SSBs and examine leading research in the field, focusing on the mechanisms by which stress is generated, prevented, and relieved. ADVANCES The push toward renewable resources requires the development of next-generation batteries with energy densities more than double that of current batteries and that can charge in 5 min or less. This has led to a race to develop electrolytes that can both facilitate 5-min fast charging and enable Li metal anodes—the key to high energy. The discovery of solid electrolytes that have high electrochemical stability with Li metal and sulfide solid electrolytes with ionic conductivities greater than those of any liquid electrolyte have spurred a shift in the research community toward SSBs. Although these discoveries have seeded the promise that SSBs can enable the vision of fast charging and a doubling of energy density, realization of this promise is feasible only if the mechanical behavior of battery materials is thoroughly understood and multiscale mechanics is integrated in the development of SSBs. OUTLOOK Several key challenges must be addressed, including (i) nonuniform lithium plating on a solid electrolyte surface and deposition of lithium metal within the solid electrolyte; (ii) loss of interfacial contact within the cell as a result of the volume changes associated with the electrochemical cycling that occurs at electrode contacts and also at grain boundaries; and (iii) manufacturing processes to form SSBs with a very thin solid electrolyte and a minimum of inactive components, including binders and structural supports. Mechanics is a common denominator connecting these problems. Deposition of metallic lithium into the surface and volume defects of a ceramic solid electrolyte results in local high stresses that can lead to electrolyte fracture with further propagation of metallic lithium into the cracks. In manufacturing, as a minimum requirement, the cathode–electrolyte stacks should possess enough strength to withstand the forces applied by the equipment. A better understanding of the mechanics of SSB materials will transfer to the development of solid electrolytes, cathodes, anodes, and cell architectures, as well as battery packs designed to manage the stresses of battery manufacturing and operation. The promise of solid-state batteries. SSBs offer a variety of multifunctional and safe solutions if important breakthroughs are made in engineering cell components and eliminating the need for tremendous external pressure to keep interfaces intact.


This paper discusses novel tensor product (TP) models for the control of two complex components of the vehicle automatic transmission systems, namely the drive line without clutch and, the valve-clutch. The TP models are obtained by a transformation of the linear parameter-varying models derived from the first principle nonlinear mathematical models of the controlled processes. Experimental results validate the performance of the proposed TP models.


Branching story games have gained popularity for creating unique playing experiences by adapting story content in response to user actions. Research in interactive narrative (IN) uses automated planning to generate story plans for a given story problem. However, a story planner can generate multiple story plan solutions, all of which equally-satisfy the story problem definition but contain different story content. These differences in story content are key to understanding the story branches in a story problem's solution space, however we lack narrative-theoretic metrics to compare story plans. We address this gap by first defining a story plan summarization model to capture the important story semantics from a story plan. Secondly, we define a story plan comparison metric that compares story plans based on the summarization model. Using the Glaive narrative planner and a simple story problem, we demonstrate the usefulness of using the summarization model and distance metric to characterize the different story branches in a story problem's solution space.


and then to school medical officers without the prior knowledge and consent of the referring general practitioner. I further understand that this practice is not peculiar to my district. This raises considerable ethical problems, as I am sure that in certain circumstances the information may be considered to be of a highly confidential nature. There is no guarantee of security of records kept by school medical officers and I am sure that the parents are not aware of the dissemination of information about their children. An important point is the fact that it is no longer obligatory for children to be examined by school medical officers so that information about these children is being distributed to people with whom they may never have any professional relationship. We are living at a time in which there is increasing concern about personal liberties and privacy and I would like to have the response of other practitioners about what I feel is a rather sinister procedure.


Diatom assemblages from the surface sediments of the Chukchi Sea have been studied. The diatom taxonomic composition, ecological structure and their quantitative content were analyzed. 138 diatom species belonging to 55 genera were identifi ed. Most common genera are Navicula (17 species), Chaetoceros (13 species), Thalassiosira (10 species). The obtained data will be used for future paleogeographical and paleoecological reconstructions.


BACKGROUND
The design of femoral component used in total hip arthroplasty is known to influence the incidence of periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) in cementless hip arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to determine if 2 potential changes to an existing ABG II-standard cementless implant - addition of a roughened titanium plasma-sprayed proximal coating (ABG II-plasma) and lack of medial scales (ABG II-NMS) could decrease the risk of PFF in the intraoperative and early postoperative periods.

METHODS
Six pairs of human cadaveric femurs were harvested and divided into 2 groups, each receiving either of the altered implants and ABG II-standard (control). Each implant was tested in a biomechanical setup in a single-legged stance orientation. Surface strains were measured in intact femurs, during implant insertion, cyclic loading of the bone with the implant, and loading to failure. Strains with the ABG II-standard and the altered implants were compared.

FINDINGS
ABG II-plasma showed better load-bearing capacity, with an average 42% greater failure load than that of ABG II-standard. The cortical hoop, axial and mean strains ABG II-plasma were less than those of ABG II-standard, demonstrating decreased tensile behaviour and better load transfer to the proximal femur. The final residual hoop strains in ABG II-plasma were closer to those of intact bone as compared to the standard stem. No differences in strains were observed between the standard stem and ABG II-NMS.

CONCLUSION
The increased load-bearing capacity and decreased proximal surface strains on femurs implanted with ABG II-plasma stem should reduce the risks of intraoperative and early postoperative PFF.


Myxogastrids (also referred to as myxomycetes or plasmodial slime moulds) are common to abundant organisms in soils, where they probably account for ~50% of the protozoan component represented by soil amoebae. In the present study, an effort was made to assess the possible effects of various soil amendments on myxogastrids, which exemplify the role of soil protozoans while also being relatively easy to quantify in soil samples. Amendments to soil in either field or microcosm experiments included the addition of water, glucose, a bacterial suspension and the herbicide Dalapon. Both trophic forms and encysted forms of myxogastrids were considered. As general observation, the responses of myxogastrids to the various amendments were distinct in the case of the herbicide, with the most obvious effect being the ratio of trophic to encysted forms. Any assessment of soil protozoans invariably will result in occasions where the population is grossly underestimated if samples are not tested after freezing as well as fresh. Frozen samples provide data on the total encysted population, which appears to "awakened" by the action of freezing.


This paper serves as a brief introduction to a compendium of papers that focus on a Canadian-led collaboration for youth-led praxis (informed committed action) for Tikkun (healing and reconciliation) in local communities. This project and partnership crosses borders to include five sites, youth researchers, various community organizations, and university researchers from different disciplines. This participatory action research partnership promotes the skills that participating youth require to further their civic engagement and leadership potential. The specific objectives of this project are: (1) identifying the places and resources from which marginalized youth (in urban, rural, and indigenous milieus) become aware of injustices and seek opportunities for reconciliation in order to facilitate youth-led advocacy; (2) exploring the ways that these understandings are translated into their embodied experiences; (3) informing the development and mobilization of pedagogical models to repair injustices through youth civic engagement; and (4) expanding the partnership.


This paper investigates the interactions between foreign direct investment (FDI) and country-level individual governance indicators for a sample of 173 countries from 1996 to 2007, and also the effect of legal origin, international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and ownership diffusion on them. We find evidence of positively significant two-way relationships between each of the six individual governance indicators and lagged FDI inflows scaled by lagged GDP to confirm that governance is a function of FDI inflows and vice-versa. The overall interpretation of the results is that FDI inflows, IFRS, ownership diffusion and legal framework of a country 'matter' for macro-level governance in a competitive global business environment while FDI inflows are dependent on individual governance indicators and other macro-economic variables to a large extent. Both IFRS and legal origin have no direct link to FDI inflow. These findings have policy implications for individual governments and international donor organizations to undertake tenable actions for the improvement of country-level individual governance indicators to attract more FDI inflow.


Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) may be frequently challenged by infectious complications, mainly as a result of immunosuppressive treatments administered. Furthermore, infectious agents are known triggers of AIHA onset and relapse. Although being risk factors for mortality, infections are an underestimated issue in AIHA. This review will collect the available evidence on the frequency and type of infectious complications in AIHA, detailing the risk related to each treatment (i.e., steroids, rituximab, splenectomy, classic immunosuppressive agents, and new target drugs). Moreover, we will briefly discuss the infectious complications in AIHA secondary to other diseases that harbor an intrinsic infectious risk (e.g., primary immunodeficiencies, systemic autoimmune diseases, lymphoproliferative disorders, solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplants). Finally, viral and bacterial reactivations during immune suppressive therapies will be discussed, along with suggested screening and prophylactic strategies.


Dressed-photon–phonon (DPP) etching is a disruptive technology in planarizing material surfaces because it completely eliminates mechanical contact processes. However, adequate metrics for evaluating the surface roughness and the underlying physical mechanisms are still not well understood. Here, we propose a two-dimensional hierarchical surface roughness measure, inspired by the Allan variance, that represents the effectiveness of DPP etching while conserving the original two-dimensional surface topology. Also, we build a simple physical model of DPP etching that agrees well with the experimental observations, which clearly shows the involvement of the intrinsic hierarchical properties of dressed photons, or optical near-fields, in the surface processing.


This study aims to explain how the behavior of the millennial generation can have an impact on the financial literacy of that generation and how this literacy or knowledge then greatly affects the ability of the Indonesian millennial generation to manage and invest their funds. Data was collected using a questionnaire with a survey method. The population in this study are all millennials in Jakarta who have made investments. Using a random sampling method, questionnaires were distributed to 206 millennial respondents in several private banks in Jakarta. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling approach with Smart PLS program was used to perform data analysis. The results show that Financial Literacy has a positive and significant effect on Investment Decision, Financial Literacy has a positive and significant effect on Financial Behavior, and Financial Behavior has a positive and significant effect on Investment Decision.


ABSTRACT Local structural movement is a presently continuing phenomenon and there is abundant indisputable evidence in regional basins throughout the world that such movements are occurring in the geologic present. The geologically young marsh and swamp that comprise the alluvial plain of south Louisiana provide a sensitive geomorphic norm upon which surface indications of structural uplift appear in sharp contrasts. Photogeologic anomalies are identified by subtle physiographic deviations from this normal. Principal criteria for anomaly recognition are defined, reviewed and illustrated.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the concentration of a representative growth factor (transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-β]1) eluted from a platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFMatrix), a platelet-rich fibrin membrane (PRFMembrane), and a whole blood clot (BC) over time, and to compare the mitogenic effect of the eluents from each construct.

STUDY DESIGN
In vitro study.

SAMPLE POPULATION
PRFMatrix, PRFMembrane, and BC (n=4/construct/time point).

METHODS
Each construct was placed in tissue culture wells containing media for 7 days. The media was collected and replenished on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 and the concentration of eluted TGF-β1 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Canine tendon cells were subjected to additional aliquots of the conditioned media and the amount of cell proliferation compared.

RESULTS
The media from both PRFM (PRFMatrix and PRFMembrane) constructs contained significantly more (P≤.026) TGF-β1 at days 1 and 3 and produced a significant increase (P≤.044) in cell proliferation at all time points compared with the BC. The PRFMembrane media contained significantly more (P≤.05) TGF-β1 at days 1 and 3 and produced a significant increase (P≤.002) in cell proliferation at all time points compared with the PRFMatrix.

CONCLUSIONS
Both PRFM constructs are comprised of a dense fibrin scaffold that contains increased concentrations of TGF-β1 and are capable of increasing tendon cell proliferation over time when compared with a BC.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The sustained increase in growth factor availability in PRFM constructs may be beneficial in the healing of biologically compromised tissues.


Hummocks, small earth or peat mounds, are widely distributed in the arctic and develop as a consequence of biomass accumulation and cryoturbation in the active layer. There is general agreement that the type of vegetation covering peat hummocks may alter the accumulation rate of organic material and thus hummock growth and local carbon sink dynamics. Studies on hummock plant community compositions from the arctic are very scarce. Here, I present results of a case study from the arctic tree-line near Churchill, Manitoba (Canada). Vegetation composition, hummock height and soil moisture content were recorded in 40 peat hummocks located along a tree-line gradient from open forest to tundra. Based on a cluster analysis I found three moss-dominated types of hummock vegetation, according to (1) a Tomenthypnum nitens (golden fuzzy fen moss) type on low hummocks, (2) a Hylocomium splendens (stair-step moss) type on medium-sized hummocks, and (3) a Pleurozium schreberi (red-stemmed feathermoss) type on hummocks higher than 60-70 cm. I found hummock height to increase towards the forest interior with decreasing water content of the upper organic layer on the hummock top. This is indicated by a significant change in vegetation composition towards drought resistant moss species on higher hummocks. Furthermore, species richness decreased with increase in hummock height. Based on evidence from historical tree-line invasion the overall results suggest that hummock height increases due to peat accumulation over the course of time resulting in a typical change in plant community composition.


ABSTRACT Optimal dosing of gentamicin in neonates is still a matter of debate despite its common use. We identified gentamicin dosing regimens from eight international guidelines and seven Swiss neonatal intensive care units. The dose per administration, the dosing interval, the total daily dose, and the demographic characteristics between guidelines were compared. There was considerable variability with respect to dose (4 to 6 mg/kg), dosing interval (24 h to 48 h), total daily dose (2.5 to 6 mg/kg/day), and patient demographic characteristics that were used to calculate individualized dosing regimens. A model-based simulation study in 1071 neonates was performed to determine the achievement of efficacious peak gentamicin concentrations according to predefined MICs (Cmax/MIC ≥ 10) and safe trough concentrations (Cmin ≤ 2 mg/liter) with recommended dosing regimens. MIC targets of 0.5 and 1 mg/liter were used. Dosing optimization was performed giving priority to the first day of treatment and with the goal of simplifying dosing. Current gentamicin neonatal guidelines allow to achieve effective peak concentrations for MICs ≤ 0.5 mg/liter but not higher. Model-based simulations indicate that to attain peak gentamicin concentrations of ≥10 mg/liter, a dose of 7.5 mg/kg should be administered using an extended dosing interval regimen. Trough concentrations of ≤2 mg/liter can be maintained with a dosing interval of 36 to 48 h in neonates according to gestational and postnatal age. For treatment beyond 3 days, therapeutic drug monitoring is advised to maintain adequate serum concentrations.


By exploiting the sparsity of signal sources in the spatial domain, compressive sensing (CS) based direction of arrival (DOA) estimation has emerged as a promising approach especially in the case of a limited number of snapshots. However, due to the use of a large overcomplete dictionary obtained from a predefined grid, CS-based DOA estimation methods normally suffer from high computational complexity and the grid mismatch problem. Many methods, in particular sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) based off-grid methods, have been developed to address the grid mismatch problem at the cost of high complexity. In this work, we develop a new method for DOA estimation based on marginal likelihood maximization, where the array manifold matrix is learned incrementally, which is in contrast to the use of overcomplete dictionaries or grid matrices in existing CS or SBL based methods. We show that the problem of marginal likelihood maximization over multiple variables can be greatly simplified to maximization of a simple cost function over a sole variable (angle), which enables the learning of the manifold matrix and the development of an efficient solver. The grid mismatch problem is circumvented and the manifold matrix during learning is kept in a small size (slightly larger than the number of sources), leading to low computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate the merits of the proposed method in terms of performance and computational complexity, compared to state-of-the-art SBL-based methods.


Here, we show a new diketopyrrole based polymeric hole-transport material (PBDTP-DTDPP, (poly[[2,5-bis(2-hexyldecyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-diyl]-alt-[[2,2′-(4,8-bis(4-ethylhexyl-1-phenyl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene)bis-thieno[3,2-b]thiophen]-5,5′-diyl]])) for application in perovskite solar cells. The material performance was tested in a solar cell with an optimized configuration, FTO/SnO2/perovskite/PBDTP-DTDPP/Au, and the device showed a power conversion efficiency of 14.78%. The device charge carrier dynamics were investigated using transient absorption spectroscopy. The charge separation and recombination kinetics were determined in a device with PBDTP-DTDPP and the obtained results were compared to a reference device. We find that PBDTP-DTDPP enables similar charge separation time (<∼4.8 ps) to the spiro-OMeTAD but the amount of nongeminate recombination is different. Specifically, we find that the polymeric PBDTP-DTDPP hole-transport layer (HTL) slows-down the second-order recombination much less than spiro-OMeTAD. This effect is of particular importance in studying the charge transportation in optimized solar cell devices with diketopyrrole based HTL materials.


Introduction: Idiopathic, bilateral, and symmetric striatopallidodentate calcinosis (or Fahr's disease) is a rare disease that usually presents between the fourth and sixth decades of life with a variable combination of abnormal movements, Parkinsonism, seizures, and cognitive dysfunction. Asymptomatic cases are being increasingly recognized because of the widespread use of brain CT scanning.
Case presentation: We report a 25-¬year-¬old female who had diffuse intra-cerebral calcification and normal calcium metabolism; her presentation was progressive frontal lobe-like cognitive decline over a period of 6 years; impairment in memory, mental slowness, irritability, apathy, poor night time sleep, and social isolation. She has generalized rigidity but no tremor. Over a period of 1 and a half year of follow-up, she had not developed seizures.
Conclusion: Fahr's disease may present as an isolated frontal lobe-like cognitive dysfunction and that the brain radiological findings do not predict the clinical presentation and course.


Lean manufacturing is a production strategy to eliminate waste and non value added activities in a process while maximizing the value added tasks as required by the customer. The adoption of lean approaches in India has been much slower. Indian industries find many challenges in adopting lean thinking as a standard manufacturing practice. it has been proved from certain studies that implementation of lean thinking in manufacturing sector is highly useful in terms of elimination of waste, proper utilization of workspace, proper organization of workforce, to reduce inventory, to increase productivity and to increase customer satisfaction. This study will guide the Indian industries in selecting lean tools based on the characteristics and expected wastes. The current study comprise of a survey of Indian manufacturing industries. The survey will be useful to explore the current status of lean initiations in Indian manufacturing industries and to prioritize lean practices which are highly useful.


The structure and decay properties of levels between 1 and 40 MeV of excitation energy in rare earth nuclei have been studied. In particular, coupling phenomena and signatures of non-statistical cooling are discussed.


This work presents the development of algorithms for approximate string matching using parallel methods. It intends to do the maximum of molecular sequences comparisons per unity of time. The parallel program implementation has carried out in C on an available twenty processing nodes clustering architecture using a model of parallel programming systems, the MPI (message-passing interface), which is as library of subroutines. In this paper we are also concerned with reporting the speedup and efficiency measures. More precisely, we present a parallel algorithm for approximate sequence matching, showing its implementation and reporting its measures in comparison to its sequential version. We use one of the possible approaches to reduce the time spent on comparisons of molecular database sequences by distributing the data among processors, which achieves a linear speedup (time) and requires constant space memory per processor (Reis, 2001)


Weeds and fungal diseases cause significant losses to grain crops in Australia. In many cases cultural methods of control are effective. However, it is often difficult for farm decision-makers to select the optimum crop rotation, from an economic point of view, given the technical constraints they face. A decision to plant a particular crop will have implications for both current and future profitability because the current decision will alter the constraints faced by the decision-maker in subsequent periods. Dynamic programming is used to solve the rotation problem faced by grain growers in north-western New South Wales in areas where the weed, wild oats (A vena falua or A vena ludoviciana), and the disease, crown rot (Fusarium graminearum Group I), have a significant effect on wheat yields. The solutions to the dynamic programming problem suggest that in many circumstances a stable rotational pattern is appropriate. In the present case the model is solved for a set of conditions which is relevant to only a small part of the wheat-belt of New South Wales. However, the method can be applied to aid decision-making in individual cases where the user may wish to change the underlying agronomic assumptions of the model.


Mitochondria are known to be one of major organelles within a cell and to play a crucial role in many cellular functions. These organelles show the dynamic behaviors such as fusion, fission and the movement along cytoskeletal tracks. Besides mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA is also highly motile. Molecular analysis revealed that several proteins are involved in mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA dynamics. In addition to the degeneration of specific nerves with high energy requirement, mutation of genes coding these proteins results in metabolic diseases. During the last few years, a significant amount of relevant data has been obtained on molecular basis of these diseases but mitochondrial dynamics in cells derived from the patients is poorly understood. So far time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence recovery after photo bleaching and image correlation methods have been used to study organellar motion. Especially, image correlation method has possibility to evaluate diffusion coefficient of mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA simultaneously and directly. When we search candidates for compounds that modulate mitochondrial dynamics by high throughput screening, image correlation method may be useful although the careful interpretation is required for crowded and heterogeneous environment within a cell.


A single form of glutathione transferase (Xc-GST-4.5) having an isoelectric point at pH 4.5 was resolved from Xanthomonas campestris cytosol by affinity chromatography and isoelectric focusing. HPLC,N-terminal amino acid sequence, and SDS-PAGE analyses indicate that Xc-GST-4.5 is composed of two identical subunits, each with a molecular mass of 22 kDa. As indicated by its substrate specificity, immunological reactivity, and CD spectra, as well as by its N-terminal amino acid sequence, Xc-GST-4.5 appears to be distinct from the other bacterial glutathione transferases, Pm-GST-6.0 and Sm-GST-7.3, previously purified from the cytosolic fraction of Proteus mirabilis and Serratia marcescens. Xc-GST-4.5 also appears to be distinct from the GST so far purified from other sources.


Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) can be nodulated by different Rhizobium species. A new species has been recently proposed: Rhizobium etli. Following transcriptional activation of the bacterial nodulation genes using naringenin or bean seed exudate, we have isolated, purified, and characterized R. etli extracellular nodulation factors. They are chitopentameric compounds that are N-methyl-N-vaccenoylated at their non-reducing end. At position 6 of the reducing N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, they are 4-O-acetyl-L-fucosylated. Minor compounds bear a carbamate group on the terminal non-reducing saccharidic residue.


The first stage of the two-stage arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is associated with depressed ventricular function and an unstable immediate post-operative course. It is unclear if this is because of the acute increase in afterload of the thin-walled, low-pressure ventricle by pulmonary artery banding (PAB). To determine the acute effects of afterload increase on the contractile function of thin-walled ventricles, we studied the right ventricular pressure-volume relations of seven sheep before and 30 min after PAB using combined pressure-conductance catheters during inflow reduction. Load independent indices of systolic and diastolic performance were derived from these relations. Pulmonary artery banding increased the mean ratio between right and left ventricular systolic pressure from 0.34 +/- 0.05 to 0.64 +/- 0.10, P < 0.05 (mean +/- SD). There were no significant changes in heart rate and end-systolic volume after banding although there was an incremental trend in the end-diastolic volume and stroke volume. Right ventricular output (530 +/- 163-713 +/- 295 mL min (-1), P < 0.05), slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation (ESPVR) (3.7 +/- 2.8-10.0 +/- 4.8 mmHg mL (-1), P < 0.05) and slope of the pre-load recruitable stroke work (PRSW) relation (9.6 +/- 1.8-15.0 +/- 3.1 mmHg, P < 0.05) were significantly increased indicating improved contractile state after banding. The diastolic function curve was unchanged after banding although the right ventricle (RV) was operating at a larger end-diastolic volume. Hence, the RV of sheep responded to acute pressure overload by demonstrating enhanced contractility and evidence of the Frank-Starling mechanism without associated change in right ventricular diastolic performance.


Magnetized radio filaments are found in abundance in the inner few hundred parsecs of our galaxy. Progress in understanding this population of filaments has been slow over the last few decades, in part due to a lack of detection elsewhere in the galaxy or in external galaxies. Recent highly sensitive radio continuum observations of radio galaxies in galaxy clusters have revealed remarkable isolated filamentary structures in the intracluster medium (ICM) that are linked to radio jets, tails, and lobes. The origin of this class of filaments is not understood either. Here, we argue that the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for the creation of the two populations are the same because of their similarities in morphology, spacing between the filaments, aspect ratio, and magnetic energy densities to the thermal pressure of the medium and that both populations have undergone synchrotron aging. These similarities provide an opportunity to investigate the physical processes in the interstellar medium (ISM) and ICM for the first time. We consider that the origin of the filaments in both the Galactic center and ICM is a result of the interaction of a large-scale wind with clouds, or the filaments arise through the stretching and collection of field lines by turbulence in a weakly magnetized medium. We examine these ideas in four radio galaxy filaments associated with four radio galaxies—IC 40B, IC 4496, J1333–3141, ESO 137–006—and argue that much can be understood in the future by comparing these two populations of filaments.


Cephradine (CED) was administered intravenously to the patients with respiratory infection or urinary tract infection with the dosage of 1.0 approximately 4.0 g daily and their clinical effects were investigated. Good clinical effects of CED were obtained in 5 of 8 cases with respiratory infections and in 2 of 5 cases with urinary tract infections. Side effects were noted in 2 cases, but they improved rapidly by the cessation of the drug administration. One case developed skin eruption and the other case complained general burning, palpitation after intravenous injection and slight insomnia. CED is seemed to be effective antibiotic for the respiratory as well as urinary tract infections clinically. However it was advisable that careful attention should be paid when CED is administered to the patient having drug allergy or nephropathy.


This paper returns to the controversy about the Intrinsic Value of Water (IVW) which should be included in the price paid by the consumer. The IVW is calculated based on the solar energy involved in the water cycle, which annually generates a considerable volume of water of the highest quality without human intervention. In 2014, Mexico invested a budget of 3,700 million USD in water management. This came mainly from government subsidies, with a quarter coming from water rates. The volume of water available is 459 km3, approximately 16.5% of which comes under the field of federal administration, including the volume of dams and the concession of rivers and groundwater. The federal budget divided by the volume of managed water is the water cost (0.043 USD m-3). The federal agency delivers the water in bulk to the states and the municipalities through the Watershed Councils, who determine the price of water to users based on their availability nationwide. The energy required to evaporate the water of the annual precipitation in Mexico is 1.01x1012 kW h year-1. This energy is divided by the precipitate volume and then multiplied by the lower price of kW h to calculate the intrinsic value of water: 0.036 to 0.13 USD m-3. The federal, municipal and intrinsic costs are added to calculate the final value. The IVW is a kind of natural goodwill that each country should pay according to their hydrological balance.


In the pliable index coding (PICOD) problem, a server is to serve multiple clients, each of which possesses a unique subset of the complete message set as side information and requests a new message which it does not have. The goal of the server is to do this using as few transmissions as possible. This work presents a hypergraph coloring approach to the PICOD problem. A conflict-free coloring of a hypergraph is known from literature as an assignment of colors to its vertices so that each edge of the graph contains one uniquely colored vertex. For a given PICOD problem represented by a hypergraph consisting of messages as vertices and request-sets as edges, we present achievable PICOD schemes using conflict-free colorings of the PICOD hypergraph. Various graph theoretic parameters arising out of such colorings (and some new coloring variants) then give a number of upper bounds on the optimal PICOD length, which we study in this work. Our achievable schemes based on hypergraph coloring include scalar as well as vector linear PICOD schemes. For the scalar case, using the correspondence with conflict-free coloring, we show the existence of an achievable scheme which has length $O(\log^{2}\Gamma)$, where $\Gamma$ refers to a parameter of the hypergraph that captures the maximum 'incidence' number of other edges on any edge. This result improves upon known achievability results in PICOD literature, in some parameter regimes.


Haematomas in various body organs have been reported following snake bites. We report the case of a post-menopausal woman who presented with a broad ligament haematoma diagnosed two days after a viper bite which required blood transfusion and laparotomy. This rare possibility should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a woman presenting with a lower abdominal or pelvic mass, anaemia and a bleeding diathesis after a snake bite.


The role of tetrapropylammonium (TPA) ions as a structure-directing agent in the synthesis of pure-silica ZSM-5 (Si-ZSM-5) is investigated by solid-state NMR. It has previously been proposed that the mechanism of structure direction involves preorganization of silicate species around the TPA ions with subsequent assembly of these inorganic-organic composite structures to yield crystalline Si-ZSM-5 with occluded TPA molecules. However, such structures have not been directly observed. Here, ^1H-^(29)Si CP MAS NMR is performed between the protons of TPA and the silicon atoms of the zeolite framework precursors in a deuterated synthesis medium to probe the relationship between the organic and inorganic components. The ^1H-^(29)Si CP MAS NMR results indicate that short-range intermolecular interactions, i.e., on the order of van der Waals interactions (≈3.3 A for H to Si), are established during the heating of the zeolite synthesis gel prior to the development of long-range order indicative of the ZSM-5 structure. ^1H-^(13)C CP MAS NMR spectra suggest that the TPA molecules within the composite inorganic-organic structures adopt a conformation similar to that which they have in the zeolite product. These results thus provide the first direct evidence for the existence of preorganized inorganic-organic composite structures during the synthesis of Si-ZSM-5. They also demonstrate the types of noncovalent intermolecular interactions that are relevant to the existence of an organic structure-directing effect. A modified mechanism of structure direction and crystal growth of Si-ZSM-5 is proposed.


Molecular compounds—comprised of mechanically interlocked components—such as rotaxanes and catenanes can be designed to display readily controllable internal movements of one component with respect to the other. Since the weak noncovalent bonding interactions that contribute to the template-directed synthesis of such compounds live on between the components thereafter, they can be activated such that the components move in either a linear fashion (rotaxanes) or a rotary manner (catenanes). These molecules can be activated by switching the recognition elements off and on between components chemically, electrically, or optically, such that they perform motions reminiscent of the moving parts in macroscopic machines. This review will highlight how the emergence of the mechanical bond in chemistry during the last two decades has brought with it a real prospect of integrating a bottom-up approach, based on molecular design and micro- and nanofabrication, to construct molecular electronic devices that store information at very high densities using minimal power. Although most of the research reported in this review on switchable catenanes and rotaxanes has been carried out in the context of solution-phase mechanical processes, recent results demonstrate that relative mechanical movements between the components in interlocked molecules can be stimulated (a) chemically in Langmuir and Langmuir–Blodgett films, (b) electrochemically as self-assembled monolayers on gold, and (c) electronically within the settings of solid-state devices. Not only has reversible, electronically driven switching been observed in devices incorporating a bistable [2]catenane, but a crosspoint random access memory circuit has been fabricated using an amphiphilic, bistable [2]rotaxane. The experiments provide strong evidence that switchable catenanes and rotaxanes operate mechanically in a soft-matter environment and can withstand simple device-processing steps. Studies on single-walled carbon nanotubes used as one of the electrodes in molecular switch tunnel junctions have revealed that interfacial chemical interactions involving electrodes containing carbon, silicon, and oxygen are good choices when carrying out molecular electronics on the class of rotaxane- and catenane-based molecules reported in this review. This conclusion is supported by differential conductance measurements (at 4 K) made with single-molecule transistors using the break-junction method. It transpires that the electronic transport properties in such devices are more sensitive to the chemical nature of the molecule–electrode contacts than the details of the molecules' electronic structure away from the contacts. This result has profound implications for molecular electronics and highlights the importance of also considering the molecules and the electrodes as an integrated system. It all adds up to an integrated systems-oriented approach to nanotechnology that finds its inspiration in the transfer of concepts like molecular recognition from the life sciences into materials science and provides a model for how, in principle, to transfer elements of traditional chemistry to technology platforms that are being developed on the nanoscale. Before there can be any serious prospect of a technology, there has to be some good, sound science in the making. Molecular electronics is very much in its infancy and, as such, it can be expected to give rise to a great deal of intellectually stimulating science before it stands half a chance of becoming a viable companion to silicon-based technology.


The availability of electronic pocket calculators, at prices which the students can afford, has had a considerable impact on electrical engineering education. Not only has the drudgery from computations been eliminated but it is also possible now to give meaningful and nontrivial problems which test the students' understanding of the details and subtleties of the discipline. A number of topics from circuit and systems theory are used as illustrative examples to demonstrate how the advent of the pocket calculator has changed "formidable" and "tedious" problems to the category "straightforward," and provided a better grasp of the theory.


The use of various fertilizers, chemical, organic or biofertilizers has been formulated and reported; however, most producers have focused on the use of agrochemicals, causing environmental problems. The aim of this paper was to evaluate various fertilizers on germination and production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and its production cost. Evaluated fertilizers were bioles of anaerobic digestion of cow and pig manures, Azospirillum brasilense, and three commercial products (Regena, Nubiotek and Agromil). The experiment was carried out in 2014 under greenhouse conditions, in Tepetitla de Lardizabal, Tlaxcala. It began from tomato cuttings of three months age, every 10 days each treatment was applied in a foliar way and the irrigation to maintain the humidity of field. The best treatment was obtained with biol obtained from the digestion of cow manure, higher yield and lower production cost were obtained by using it (12.9 kg m2 tomato, $0.60 MN kg respectively); followed by the fertilization system used by the producer (Regena with Nubiotek) which was of 11.98 kg m-2 tomato, with a production cost of $ 0.64 MN kg. The use of anaerobic digestion has several advantages, it helps to reduce contamination by the inadequate disposal of manures, and allows the obtaining of biogas combustible for the greenhouses heating. The application of simple procedures, such as anaerobic digestion, are economic and environmentally friendly alternatives to treat agricultural residues and obtain products of agronomic interest.


The discrepancies between experimental findings and the Reactor Safety Study predictions, as well as the rapidly developing data base enabling phenomenological modeling of core-concrete interactions and ex-vessel fission product release, have prompted the development of several new computer models of core-concrete interactions and fission product release during severe accidents. Two such models are the CORCON-MOD2 model of core-concrete interactions and the VANESA model of ex-vessel aerosol and fission product release during core-concrete interactions. The final judge on the adequacy of the development of models of core debris-concrete interactions is, of course, comparison of the model predictions with the results of experiments. The research into ex-vessel core debris behavior differs from research into many aspects of reactor accidents in that there are many experimental results for comparison. Comparisons of code predictions with results of tests using realistic temperatures and conditions should provide an indication of the progress that has been made and, with appropriately chosen tests, an indication of work that needs to be done. 9 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs.


Drilling operations can induce several external excitations to the drillstring and bottom-hole assembly (BHA) due, namely, to the drillstring-wellbore contacts, bit-rock interactions, fluid flow, and mass imbalances. On the one hand, such undesirable excitations may lead to excessive vibrations and damage to the drill bit, BHA, or drill-pipes. On the other hand, some vibration tools are used to intentionally introduce a source of lateral vibrations in the drillstring to reduce the friction effects and enhance the rate of penetration. Whether these vibrations are undesirable or intentional, efficient models are necessary to predict them accurately to help optimize the drilling parameters and vibration tools placement in the drillstring.
 The time-domain analysis can give a detailed portrayal of drillstring vibrations, but usually requires a lengthy computational time, especially for the simulation of long structures. This paper focuses on an alternative analysis using a forced vibration model based on a linearized frequency analysis. It consists of studying the magnitude of the displacement, velocity, acceleration, and internal efforts, when the drillstring is subject to an external harmonic excitation at a given frequency. This numerical model is based on the beam finite element method, where the wellbore-drillstring contact effects are considered using a Jacobian matrix approach.
 The forced vibration model is applied to study the lateral vibrations produced either by mud motors or lateral vibration tools. The comparison between the results of frequency and time-domain analyses shows that the forced vibration model can describe the global behavior of drillstring vibrations with a fast computation. When varying the excitation frequency, critical values giving large vibrations could be identified and avoided by the driller thanks to a heat map representation of the vibration magnitude as a function of the position and excitation frequency.
 The novelty of this work is in showing the capacities and limitations of the forced vibration analysis compared to time-domain analysis. The fast computation of the frequency analysis can provide efficient and accurate predictions and, therefore, could be employed to optimize the BHA design and drilling parameters, and therefore reduce the harmful vibrations and improve the performance of any drilling systems equipped with downhole excitation tools.


The homophily principle that perceived similarities among people produce positive reactions is a cross-cultural, global phenomenon. The prediction that photographs depicting models similar to the target population improve health communication was tested. Three nationally-representative samples (n = 1,796) of adults who are disabled, seniors, or considered overweight/obese were selected from GfK's Knowledge Panel®. Participants read a message promoting physical activity and improved diets and responded to assessments of behavioral intentions, outcome and self-efficacy expectations, and identification. Photographs from a stock photograph service versus photographs created for the research project to match the three populations, Real Health Photos (RHP), were included in the message. Structural equation modeling confirmed that RHP which matched the population increased behavioral intentions mediated by identification (p < 0.05) in the physically-disabled and overweight/obese samples. Messages with only half of the matched RHP images had these same positive indirect effects (p < 0.05). Matched visual images in health messages improved effectiveness by capitalizing on the homophily and identification processes. Health educators should leverage these hardwired, evolutionary, biological phenomena that extend to health status as well as race and ethnicity. For optimal effects, not all persons shown need to be homophilous to the target audience, reducing logistical difficulties in showing diverse persons of various types.


At Fraunhofer IOSB, a concept for a near real-time airborne 3D mapping system for disaster management and security applications was proposed [1]. In addition to an Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS), a RGB camera facing nadir is installed on that platform. Subsequent RBG pictures are used for reconstructing urban scenes, and an ALS point cloud is used as a reference data set to evaluate this work. For in-flight applications, the implemented 3D reconstruction from overlapping nadir images should operate in near real-time. This paper focuses on computational performance and quality considerations of 3D reconstruction of urban scenes with aerial images. Different subpixel disparity levels are considered for generating 3D models. The run-time and quality for depth map generation with two methods are evaluated as well. The PatchMatch Stereo (PMS) algorithm is compared with the Semi-Global Matching (SGM), the most popular algorithm for 3D reconstruction.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 4-week oral administration of manidipine (40 mg daily), a newly developed calcium channel blocker, on blood pressure and renal function in salt-loaded (8% NaCl) spontaneously hypertensive rats. Systolic blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats increased from 167 +/- 4 to 221 +/- 7 mmHg with salt loading for 4 weeks; manidipine completely prevented this elevation in blood pressure. Urinary excretion of sodium in salt-loaded spontaneously hypertensive rats was twelve-fold compared with those receiving a normal diet (0.38% NaCl). The pressure-natriuresis relationship was obtained during week 4 of the metabolic study. At similar renal perfusion pressures, sodium excretion was significantly higher in salt-loaded rats than in rats fed a normal diet. Glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow were similar between the two groups. In salt-loaded spontaneously hypertensive rats, treatment with manidipine improved the pressure-natriuresis relationship toward lower pressures. Further, manidipine attenuated the autoregulation of glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow. These results indicate that manidipine normalizes the relation between sodium excretion and renal perfusion pressure in salt-loaded spontaneously hypertensive rats by resetting pressure natriuresis.


Deep learning algorithms have been successfully used in medical image classification and cancer detection. In the next stage, the technology of acquiring explainable knowledge from medical images is highly desired. Herein, fully automated acquisition of explainable features from annotation-free histopathological images is achieved via revealing statistical distortions in datasets by introducing the way of pathologists' examination into a set of deep neural networks. As validation, we compared the prediction accuracy of prostate cancer recurrence using our algorithm-generated features with that of diagnosis by an expert pathologist using established criteria on 13,188 whole-mount pathology images. Our method found not only the findings established by humans but also features that have not been recognized so far, and showed higher accuracy than human in prognostic prediction. This study provides a new field to the deep learning approach as a novel tool for discovering uncharted knowledge, leading to effective treatments and drug discovery.


The conodont genus Misikella Kozur and Mock, 1974 has previously been considered unimembrate and a possible junior synonym of Neospathodus Mosher, 1968. In the present study, Misikella is considered a valid genus with a tetramembrate conodont apparatus. Only one species, Misikella longidentata, is recognized as belonging in that genus. Other species previously brought to Misikella are considered as having had a bimembrate apparatus and are referred to Axiothea n.gen.


We describe a new, adaptive solver for the two-dimensional Poisson equation in complicated geometries. Using classical potential theory, we represent the solution as the sum of a volume potential and a double layer potential. Rather than evaluating the volume potential over the given domain, we first extend the source data to a geometrically simpler region with high order accuracy. This allows us to accelerate the evaluation of the volume potential using an efficient, geometry-unaware fast multipole-based algorithm. To impose the desired boundary condition, it remains only to solve the Laplace equation with suitably modified boundary data. This is accomplished with existing fast and accurate boundary integral methods. The novelty of our solver is the scheme used for creating the source extension, assuming it is provided on an adaptive quad-tree. For leaf boxes intersected by the boundary, we construct a universal"stencil"and require that the data be provided at the subset of those points that lie within the domain interior. This universality permits us to precompute and store an interpolation matrix which is used to extrapolate the source data to an extended set of leaf nodes with full tensor-product grids on each. We demonstrate the method's speed, robustness and high-order convergence with several examples, including domains with piecewise smooth boundaries.


Abstract This study investigated both the chemical and antioxidative characteristics of wheat flour added with 10, 20 and 30% immature chalssalbori flour; further, the quality characteristics of bread dough during yeast fermentation were assessed. As the addition rate of chalssalbori flour into wheat flour increased, the DPPH radical scavenging capacity, water absorption index, water solubility index and viscosity were all increased. Moreover, the bread dough with an increased addition rate of chalssalbori flour demonstrated an increased pH, reduced fermentative expansion power and a darker yellowish color. The bread dough added with chalssalbori flour after mixing showed higher hardness, gumminess and adhesiveness, but lower cohesiveness and springiness compared to the control; however, th ese texture characteristics were changed during fermentation. In the present study, the mixed flour with 10% immature chalssalbori flour conveyed similar pasting characteristics to those of wheat flour; moreover, its bread dough showed higher springiness and fermentative expansion power. Furthermore, a delay effect of starch retrogradation can be expected compared to the control.


Background: Quantitative real time PCR is an important tool in investigating gene transcription levels under different biological conditions. Accurate results rely on controlling for differences in mRNA quantity and quality between samples, commonly achieved by normalisation to expression of housekeeping genes (HKGs). Expression stability of the HKGs used is critical, but to date no systematic study has been performed in pulmonary fibroblasts.

Methods: Microarray data of gene expression in explanted fibroblasts from SSc-ILD (systemic sclerosis lung biopsies, n=8) and control (normal periphery of resected tumors, n=10) lung tissue was used to assess variation in expression of commonly used HKGs; ACTB , GAPDH , HPRT1 , RPL32 , TBP , and YWHAZ (HUGO nomenclature). The four most stable genes (<15% variability) were tested by qRT-PCR in an independent experiment in which SSc-ILD (n=3) and control (n=3) fibroblasts were cultured in 0.1% BSA for 24hrs, and a further 24hrs with or without IFNγ (10ng/mL). A measure of expression stability (M), the average pairwise variation with each of the other studied genes (with a recommended maximum value of 1.5) for each HKG, was calculated using the program geNorm (Vandesompele, J. et al. Genome Biology 2002;3:34.1-12).

Results: While ACTB and GAPDH were relatively unstable, the four HKGs tested further in geNorm all had an expression stability of M<1.0; the most stable gene was YWHAZ (M=0.56), followed by HPRT1 (M=0.60), RPL32 (M=0.67), and TBP (M=0.70).

Conclusion: We have identified four HKGs suitable for normalisation of mRNA expression levels in human lung fibroblasts under the conditions tested, and show the necessity for empirical identification of HKGs.


With the development of virtual reality (VR)-related technology and the advent of the 5G era, VR-based streaming games or content have been developed and transmitted at high speed. Although VR technology is also being applied in education, health care, manufacturing, and production fields, its main application is for entertainment. VR technology has been developed based on hardware and various contents have been developed accordingly; however, the number of VR content with high entertainment value is insufficient, and there are primarily hands-on contents. In this paper, we propose a method for developing an writing tool that can enhance the productivity in the development and editing of VR content and create VR contents based on a timeline by reflecting the storytelling rather than by a simple empirical type to solve the bias in content style. The proposed VR content writing tool is expected to increase the productivity in VR content development and contribute to the creation of various styles of content. Its implementation can enable developers to create specific stories in a timeline and support several animation effects.


Butyl-methylmethacrylate resin mixtures were tested for brittleness-inducing factors in polymerised resin using a rapid quantitative scoring technique. The major source of brittleness was identified as the reducing agent dithiothreitol, which is commonly included in resin mixtures at 10 mM, to protect against tissue oxidation. Lowering the dithiothreitol content to 5 mM substantially reduced brittleness. Changing the 4:1 ratio of butyl- to methylmethacrylate to 9:1 or 3:2, and reducing the concentration of the catalyst, benzoin ethyl ether, to 0.25% also reduced dithiothreitol-induced brittleness. Polymerisation at temperatures close to 0 degrees C increased dithiothreitol-induced brittleness, but this was controlled in the 4:1 and 9:1 resin mixtures by lowering the catalyst concentration from 0.5 to 0.25%. Degassing the resin mixture with nitrogen gas prior to polymerisation did not reduce brittleness. Immunolabelled onion roots which were embedded using the 3:2 resin mixture ratio, 5 mM dithiothreitol and the 0.25% catalyst concentration, showed excellent preservation of cortical microtubule arrays.


Social enterprises that seek to pursue socially desirable goals through economic profits have received considerable attention in recent years. Despite the widespread attention paid to social enterprises, they often achieve limited success in markets. This research examines how types of enterprises affect consumer judgments. This research considers two types of enterprises: social and for-profit enterprises. Building on the stereotype content model, we propose that consumers perceive social enterprises using the dimensions of warmth and competence. Study 1 shows that a product of a for-profit enterprise is judged as having higher performance, but being less meaningful; in contrast, a product of a social enterprise is judged as warmer, but less competent. Further, in Study 2, we demonstrate that consumers' willingness to buy products can be lowered when the products are offered by a social enterprise. Practical and theoretical implications are further discussed.


We present a combined experimental and theoretical work that investigates the magnetic proximity effect at a ferromagnetic insulator–superconductor (FI–S) interface. The calculations are based on the boundary condition for diffusive quasiclassical Green's functions, which accounts for arbitrarily strong spin-dependent effects and spin mixing angles. The resulting phase diagram shows a transition from a first-order to a second-order phase transition for large spin mixing angles. The experimentally found differential conductance of an EuS-Al heterostructure is compared with the theoretical calculation. With the assumption of a uniform spin mixing angle that depends on the externally applied field, we find good agreement between theory and experiment. The theory depends only on very few parameters, mostly specified by the experimental setup. We determine the effective spin of the interface moments as J ≈ 0.74ℏ.


In the paper, the three-dimensional potential theory based on the source distribution method is adopted to analyze the effect of side hull arrangements on the motions of a trimaran ship traveling in regular waves. Neglecting the steady flow effect, the authors simply apply the three-dimensional pulsating source incorporating the panel method to solve the corresponding diffraction and radiation problems. The hydrodynamic interactions among the main hull and side hulls are considered in the calculations of the exciting forces, added masses and damping coefficients, which are applied to solve the six degrees of freedom motions of the trimaran ship. A trimaran ship model with different stagger and clearance is analyzed. Comparing the results with the existing experimental data shows that the present theoretical prediction method is generally satisfactory, which means that the prediction method based on the three-dimension pulsating source distribution technique is still an efficient tool to analyze the corresponding seakeeping problems for the trimaran ship. The analytical results indicate that the trimaran ship design with smaller stagger and larger clearance is generally advantageous if the seakeeping performance is considered.


Disruption of the lymphatic circulation through breast carcinoma‐associated axillary lymph node dissection, with or without radiation therapy, reportedly is the most common cause of lymphedema in developed countries. There is no cure for breast carcinoma‐associated lymphedema. Although intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) has been acknowledged as a potential component of the multidisciplinary therapeutic strategy in the treatment of patients with breast carcinoma‐associated lymphedema, prospective study of its adjunctive safety and efficacy is required.


Recent advances in distributed source coding (DSC) for mission-driven wireless sensor networks (WSN) are related to the coding for multiple correlated sensors in applications such as real time target tracking and environment monitoring. The characteristic of these DSC applications provides significant potential opportunities in the associated sensor network to utilize multirate transmissions for enhancing network performance. In this paper, we study a methodology for interplay optimization between routing and DSC in WSN, and propose a novel multirate based routing scheme for mission-driven DSC applications that considerably extends network lifetime. The proposed scheme adopts the rate assignment based on the residual energy, and employs a joint rate and energy scheduling mechanism to meet the end-to-end transmission rate constraint, information precision requirement, and the energy constraints in the network for DSC. Simulation results show that this multirate based routing scheme achieves significantly longer network lifetime compared to other existing research in WSN for DSC applications.


Caging studies have been previously reported to be useful for providing valuable information on biological effects of mollusks over short periods of time where resident species are absent. The degree of imposex in caged dog whelk (Nucella lapillus), was measured using the vas deferens sequence index (VSDI) and the Relative Penis Size Index (RPSI) and the extent of shell thickening in caged Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was investigated at t = 0 and t = 18 weeks. Nucella lapillus, when provided with mussels as a food source at the control site at Omey Island on the west Irish coast, did not demonstrate imposex features, whereas those transplanted to port areas did. Dunmore East exhibited the highest level of imposex (3.25 VDSI and 2.37 RPSI). Shell thickening was evident in C. gigas transplanted to Dunmore East, with low effects evident at the control location, Omey Island, and Dublin Bay at t = 18 weeks. Dry weight whole‐body concentrations of organotins were most elevated in all species held at Dunmore East compared with other locations. Greatest δ15N and δ13C enrichment was observed within the tissues of the predatory N. lapillus in all three test sites. Increased assimilation in the Dublin Bay oysters might have been influenced by the presence of more nutrients at this location. Surficial sediment organotin levels were most elevated in the Dunmore East <2‐mm fraction (22,707 μg tributyltin/kg dry weight), whereas low organotin levels were determined from Dublin and Omey Island sediments. The valuable application of cost‐effective caging techniques to deliver integrated biological effects and chemical measurements in the absence of resident gastropod populations in potential organotin/tributyltin hotspot locations is discussed.


Electrokinetic (EK) remediation coupled with activated carbon barrier was evaluated to remove nickel (500 mg/kg) from kaolinite. Laboratory experiments were performed by applying a constant voltage to create electric field strength of 1 or 1.25 V/cm for 3 days. Findings showed that the barrier filled with activated carbon could prevent the formation of reverse electro-osmotic flow, which had an adverse effect on the Ni(II) removal. Application of activated carbon barrier into EK process resulted in an increase of Ni migration from 11 to 47%.


Use of forage succession to increase productivity and upgrade run-out pasture has become an integral part of modern pastoral production systems. Use of new forage types has increased along with increases in area sown. This growth in forage crop use and diversity has largely been without a co-ordinated view to long term benefits and costs in terms of weeds, pests and diseases. This paper describes the potential impacts on insects, weeds and nematodes of a forage succession (pasture to turnips to annual ryegrass to turnips to perennial ryegrass/white clover) that commonly occurs in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Pest distributions, host ranges, phenology and survival biology are used to elucidate strengths and weaknesses of the rotation. Knowledge gaps are identified so that they can be addressed and add to robust forage succession design in the future.


Great as are the benefits to be hoped for in public works, those to be derived from the application of a rational water culture to private grounds are probably in the aggregate far greater. The making of a pond on the home farm is good work for the slack season, and once properly constructed, it is permanent and will, with a minimum of attention, yield returns out of all proportion to its cost. It will yield fresh fish for the table. It will yield healthful sports for the boys and girls who should be kept at home. It will yield beauty; the beauty of a mirroring surface, reflecting trees and hills and passing cloud; the beauty of the aquatics planted on the shoreline, the beauty of the water animals, of flashing dragon flies, and gyrating beetles and leaping fishes. It will add to the joy of living—J. G. Needham.


In this work we test the performance of multiple ESP32 microcontrollers used as WiFi sensor interfaces in the context of real-time interactive systems. The number of devices from 1 to 13, and individual sending rates from 50 to 2300Hz are tested to provide examples of various network load situations that may resemble a performance configuration. The overall end-to-end latency and bandwidth are measured as the basic performance metrics of interest. The results show that a maximum message rate of 2300Hz is possible on a 2.4GHz network for a single embedded device and decreases as the number of devices are added. During testing it was possible to have up to 7 wireless devices transmitting at 100Hz to a wireless receiver via a router while attaining less than 10ms of end-to-end latency. Performance however degrades with increasing sending rates and number of devices. Additionally, performance can also vary significantly from day to day depending on network usage in a crowded environment.


Regular physical activity (PA) is foremost important for well-being and independent living in older age. However, recently, more than 75% of older adults have not been involved in any PA/exercise program at the suggested levels. Understanding their perspective towards PA/exercise provide important information in development of interventions for improving their exercise behavior. A conceptual framework that has been successfully applied for exercise behavior is the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The TPB has well shown the relationship between attitudes and PA/exercise behavior directly or indirectly through intention. Attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are three independent concepts of this theory. In fact, positive attitude, better perceived social pressure, and greater behavioral control result in stronger intention to perform a given behavior. PA/exercise intention is explained more by the TPB constructs in older compared to younger adults. Advancing age is associated with reduction in PA/exercise intention; however, the translation of intention to behavior increases. Furthermore, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control are considered as the strongest determinants of PA/exercise intention among older adults. Hence, the interventions targeting these factors will be valuable in promoting exercise behavior in the elderly.


FIFO, First-In-First-Out, and LIFO, Last-In-First-Out, are well-known techniques for handling sequences. In TEX macro writing they are abundant but are not easily recognized as such. TEX templates for FIFO and LIFO are given and their use illustrated. The relation with Knuth's \dolist, answer ex11.5, and \ctest, p.376, is given.


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently become popular for both recreational and commercial use and UAV networks have thus started to attract the attention of researchers in area of the computer communication and networking. One important topic in UAV networks is congestion control because congestion causes packet losses and delays which result in the waste of all types of network resources such as bandwidth and power. Although there are studies on the performance of TCP congestion control in wireless networks, they focus on terrestrial networks of two dimensions in general. In this paper we study the performance of TCP congestion control in three dimensional UAV networks. In particular, we investigate how TCP congestion control performs in such type of network using various radio propagation models. Our data on the average flow throughput, packet delay, and packet loss rate in UAV networks show that TCP congestion control improves the network performance of UAV networks in general, but it faces challenges when the link losses become severe. Our study thus shows that investigation on new congestion control schemes is stilled needed for the emerging UAV networks.


The minerals of biology have two components, one of which is inorganic and the other organic. Understanding rests initially in the description of the factors that control the nucleation and growth of the inorganic components in the absence of organic materials, and in the study of the organic materials in the absence of the inorganic phase. Brief summaries of these studies are given and then an attempt is made to examine some of the interactive features of the whole mineral. There are very few generalizations that can be formulated yet since each mineral appears to be associated with the metabolic processes of a special cell. Partly, this is due to the diverse function that biominerals perform: supports, protection, sensors, storage and even homeostasis. We must also be aware of the vulnerable nature of precipitation control above the solubility limit. Many widespread medical problems involve the incorrect precipitation of iron and calcium compounds especially.


Operation of PET in 3-D mode, without internal septa results in increased sensitivity but at the cost of increased scatter fraction. Significant amounts of scattered events in 3-D PET either originate from activity outside the FOV (OFOV) or scatter from matter outside the FOV, complicating scatter correction methods. We performed 3-D PET simulations with scanner geometry based on the GE Advance with several phantom geometries designed to characterize all scatter with particular attention to that from outside the FOV. Scatter from OFOV matter was deduced by performing simulations with matter and activity within the FOV only (short phantom). Studies were repeated with phantoms with identical characteristics inside the FOV but with additional OFOV material (long phantom) but no activity outside the FOV. The incremental effect of OFOV activity was then determined by repeating the long phantom studies with additional activity. Scatter was also classified as single or multiple. In summary, the data allow extraction of yields from unscattered and all types of scattered events. The effect of source position, both within and external to the FOV, on scatter was determined by performing a series of simulations with point sources and techniques similar to those described above. The effect of energy discriminator setting (with BGO detectors) was also studied and data sets were generated for five settings from 300 to 425 keV. Using a Zubal phantom with the lungs and heart in the FOV and the abdomen outside the FOV and with a 300 keV discriminator, we find a total scatter fraction of 57%. Of the total scatter, 7.4% comes from OFOV matter, and 24% from OFOV activity. If the discriminator is increased to 425 keV the scatter fraction drops to 36%. OFOV scatter, particularly from OFOV activity, becomes relatively less important with the OFOV matter contribution dropping to 5.3% and OFOV activity contribution to 17%. Additionally, the spatial distributions of scatter from external matter and external activity were found to be different.


Central venous catheter insertion by Seldinger's technique uses a wire guide which could be cause of complications. This case reports a blocked wire guide of which J tip was responsible for knotting. Utilization of vessel dilator of central venous catheterization set (Arrow) permitted to liberate and withdraw the wire guide without surgical operation. A larger use of this wire guide could increase the frequency of such complications.


This article explores the impact of counter-terrorism legislation and policy in Australia. In particular it explores how legislation facilitated prosecution and conviction of persons involved in home-grown terrorism, including analysis of investigation and prosecution policy surrounding the ul-Haque and Haneef cases. Particular attention is given to the terrorism trials involving Benbrika & Ors and Elomar & Ors. What makes these trials intriguing is the fact that most of those convicted could be more easily described as more vulnerable than menacing. Sentencing of those convicted was cognate with no policies for rehabilitation. The small number of convictions under the legislation when considered against the increased funding of counter-terrorism, loss of traditional rights and privileges and Australia's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq raises issues about adequate policy setting in this area.


Wilson's disease, an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism, may defy diagnosis in children. The classical triad of Kayser-Fleischer rings, neurologic dysfunction, and hypoceruloplasminemia may be absent. Patients may be seen initially with acute or chronic hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, or neurologic dysfunction. Guidelines are presented for diagnosis of Wilson's disease based on a review of 25 pediatric and adolescent patients. A high index of suspicion in necessary so that therapy with penicillamine may be begun before irreversible liver or neurologic damage occurs. The prognosis is excellent when diagnosis and treatment are established early.