Background:Although pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis has increased in the last decades in Spain, there are no consistent epidemiologic data. Our aim was to describe the changing pattern of pediatric IBD incidence in Spain in the last 14 years. Methods:A retrospective survey of patients diagnosed below 18 years of age in the period 1996–2009 was performed. Patients' data were obtained from the hospitals' databases. To avoid reduced accrual of cases diagnosed by adult physicians, adult IBD units in referral centers were invited to participate. Seventy-eight centers participated in our survey. Rates of incidence were calculated using age-stratified population-based epidemiologic data. Incidence rates were compared for the last 14 years (1996–2009). Results:In total, data from 2107 patients were obtained: 1,165 Crohn's disease (CD, 55.3%), 788 ulcerative colitis (UC, 37.4%), and 154 IBD unclassified. The sex distribution was 56.4% male, with higher predominance for CD (59.3%) as compared to UC (52.8%) and IBD unclassified (53.2%) (P = 0.012). The median age at diagnosis was 12.3 years (p25–75 9.7–14.6) with significant differences between diseases. IBD incidence increased from 0.97 to 2.8/100,000 inhabitants <18 years/year in the study period. Although this increase is more evident for CD (from 0.53 to 1.7), UC has also risen considerably (0.39 to 0.88). Conclusions:This is the first attempt to calculate the current incidence of pediatric IBD in Spain. A significant increase of incidence rates in the study period was observed. In the last 14 years pediatric IBD incidence has almost tripled, with a more important CD increase.


The rate of increase in oxygen uptake (VO2) at the onset of a step change in work rate can be studied to provide information about the physiological mechanisms that control this process. Several systems must interact to produce the total response. These can be grouped into oxygen transport and oxygen utilization mechanisms. In this paper, the hypothesis that one or the other of these mechanisms limits the adaptation of VO2 to a change in work rate will be examined. In addition to the traditional approach with step changes in work rate, the responses to other work rate forcing functions will be reported. These include ramp, impulse, and pseudorandom binary sequence work rate changes. The evidence that is accumulating from studies involving transitions from different baseline levels of exercise, as well as studies of the effects of hypoxia and beta-adrenergic receptor blockade, has led to the conclusion that oxygen transport mechanisms limit the rate of increase in VO2. However, the dynamic response of VO2 in the presence of adequate oxygen is not much different from that of oxygen limited conditions.


Crowdsourcing is regarded as one prospective solution for effective supervised learning, aiming to build large-scale annotated training data by crowd workers. Previous studies focus on reducing the influences from the noises of the crowdsourced annotations for supervised models. We take a different point in this work, regarding all crowdsourced annotations as gold-standard with respect to the individual annotators. In this way, we find that crowdsourcing could be highly similar to domain adaptation, and then the recent advances of cross-domain methods can be almost directly applied to crowdsourcing. Here we take named entity recognition (NER) as a study case, suggesting an annotator-aware representation learning model that inspired by the domain adaptation methods which attempt to capture effective domain-aware features. We investigate both unsupervised and supervised crowdsourcing learning, assuming that no or only small-scale expert annotations are available. Experimental results on a benchmark crowdsourced NER dataset show that our method is highly effective, leading to a new state-of-the-art performance. In addition, under the supervised setting, we can achieve impressive performance gains with only a very small scale of expert annotations.


BACKGROUND
Public health measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have led to disruptions in daily life, such as job loss and changes in activity. The present study examines the relationship between pandemic-related life events and disuse (prolonged sitting coupled with inactivity) among adults.

METHODS
A cross-sectional study of 4084 adults in Israel (September 2020). The primary independent variables were pandemic-related life events, such as job loss. The primary dependent variable was disuse as measured by the Rapid Assessment Disuse Index (RADI). The RADI was examined continuously and dichotomously as a low RADI score (<26: yes/no).

RESULTS
Linear regression indicated that experiencing a major life event during the pandemic was associated with lower RADI scores (-1.04; 95% confidence interval, -1.48 to -0.61). Similarly, logistic regression revealed that those experiencing a major life event had 1.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.34) times greater odds for low RADI scores in comparison to those not experiencing an event.

CONCLUSIONS
Experiencing pandemic-related major life events was linked to less sitting time and increased activity levels among Israeli adults. Future research should examine underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship to facilitate the design and implementation of targeted interventions.


The majority of failures of mechanical components are caused by fatigue. Unlike many conventional engineering components, implants in the body are subjected to complex multidirectional loading patterns, thus fatigue not only occurs under axial, fully or partly reversed loading, but also under torsional loading.

The fatigue behaviours of self-reinforced poly lactide composite (PLA) of unidirectional PLA fibres in PLA matrix containing tricalcium phosphates (TCP), (PLA-PLA-TCP) produced via pre-pregging technique has been investigated. Quasi-static test results indicated that PLA-PLA-TCP is stronger in tension than in compression and torsion and is significantly influence by moulding temperature. Uniaxial fatigue testing at 37° C in saline solution established S-N (Wohler) curves for both axial and torsional loading for two moulding temperatures (140°C and 150°C). Compression loading showed significant effect on the axial fatigue behaviour. Biaxial fatigue results showed that the addition of torsion to axial loading significantly reduced the fatigue life. Out-of-phase loading was less detrimental to the fatigue life than in-phase. Fatigue development was evaluated by reduction in secant modulus and increase in energy absorbed. The threshold number of cycles at which damage starts to accumulate in the composite was found to be load ratio and direction dependent.
The effects of the degradation process in saline solution on the fatigue behaviour of the composite were also studied at 25% of the ultimate tensile and shear stresses. The specimens were immersed for 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks periods before testing. The results indicated that even though immersion in saline solution reduced the static and cyclic properties of the composite, it still had good strength retention and comparable to the cortical bone at the end of 20 weeks of degradation period.

Microscopy examination on the fracture surface indicated that in uniaxial tension-compression fatigue, the failure was dominated by compression and failed via microbuckling mechanism. Biaxial fatigue failure was dominated by shear mechanisms with evidence of interfacial failure and fatigue striations.


A 64-year-old man developed acute renal failure after hemicolectomy during which the peritoneal cavity was irrigated with a 0.2% solution of mercuric chloride. Renal failure was preceded by abdominal pain and hypotension, and followed by adynamic ileus, wound disruption, and a severe peritoneal reaction. The mechanism of this injury, together with the development of renal failure and its management, are discussed.


Image analysis using texture as a spatial feature can be employed to segment regions of a complex scene or in the classification of surface materials. The relationship between most textural images and their description is mathematically intractable. In this paper the authors propose a new statistical measure, which is not based on a pre-defined formulation. Here, the local information in all directions around a pixel and its neighbourhood is represented in a 'directional RANK-strength' vector. The proposed method leads to texture classification and segmentation methods. Both algorithms have been tested on natural images with results in agreement with perceived ones.<<ETX>>


File access from different workplaces within an organization is important to reduce the inconsistency of the data among the files. Hence, there is a need for common online drive within the organization. Public cloud storage services or online drives can be used for this purpose. However, there are certain security related issues in using the public cloud storage. Hence, private cloud storage is more suitable for building a common online drive within the campus, as the data is within the firewall of the organization. The data that occupies the private cloud storage can be of different file types such as TXT, PPT, DOC, PDF, RAR, EXE, MP3, AVI, etc. Since the storage space is limited in the private cloud storage, data should be optimally utilized. Towards this objective, deduplication technique has been used. The primary contribution of this paper is to incorporate deduplication for different categories of files. Further, this paper also analyses the unique characteristics of the various categories of files. Based on this analyis, this paper provides a mechanism for selecting suitable chunking and hashing techniques to minimize the computational overhead.


Structure-based drug design protocols may encounter difficulties to investigate poses when the biomolecular targets do not exhibit typical binding pockets. In this study, by providing two concrete examples from our labs, we suggest that the combination of metadynamics free energy methods (validated against affinity measurements), along with experimental structural information (by X-ray crystallography and NMR), can help to identify the poses of ligands on protein surfaces. The simulation workflow proposed here was implemented in a widely used code, namely GROMACS, and it could straightforwardly be applied to various drug-design campaigns targeting ligands' binding to protein surfaces.


Given that heart disease can cause abnormal motion dynamics over the cardiac cycle, understanding and quantifying cardiac motion can provide insight for clinicians to aid with diagnosis, therapy planning, and determining prognosis. The goal of this paper is to extract population-specific motion patterns from 3D displacements in order to identify the mean motion in a population, and to describe pathology-specific motion patterns in terms of the spatial and temporal components. Since there are common motion patterns observed in patients with the same condition, extracting these can lead towards a better understanding of the disease. Quantifying cardiac motion at a population level is not a simple task since images can vary widely in terms of image quality, size, resolution, and pose. To overcome this, we analyze the parameters obtained from a cardiac-specific Polyaffine motion-tracking algorithm, which are aligned both spatially and temporally to a common reference space. Once all parameters are aligned, different subjects can be compared and analyzed in the space of Polyaffine transformations by projecting the transformations to a reduced order subspace in which dominant motion patterns in each population can be extracted. Using tensor decomposition, the spatial and temporal aspects can be decoupled in order to study the components individually. The proposed method was validated on healthy volunteers and Tetralogy of Fallot patients according to known spatial and temporal behavior for each population. A key advantage of this method is the ability to regenerate motion sequences from the models, which can be visualized in terms of the full motion.


Nonadiabatic dynamics simulations at the SA-CASSCF level were performed for the two most stable keto-N7H and keto-N9H tautomers of hypoxanthine in order to obtain deep insight into the lifetime of the optically bright S1((1)ππ*) excited state and the relevant decay mechanisms. Supporting calculations on the ground-state (S0) equilibrium structures and minima on the crossing seams of both tautomers were carried out at the MR-CIS and CASSCF levels. These studies indicate that there are four slightly different kinds of conical intersections in each tautomer, exhibiting a chiral character, each of which dominates a barrierless reaction pathway. Moreover, both tautomers reveal the ultrafast S1→ S0 decay, in which the S1 state of keto-N9H in the gas phase has a lifetime of 85.5 fs, whereas that of keto-N7H has a longer lifetime of 137.7 fs. An excellent agreement is found between the present results and the experimental value of 130 ± 20 fs in aqueous solution (Chen and Kohler, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, 14, 10677-10689).


The banking industry plays a facilitatory role in moving toward a cashless society. This study investigates the impacts of cashless payments (ATM, internet banking, mobile banking, credit card, debit card, charge card and e-money) on banking performance for eight local commercial banks in Malaysia over the period of 2005 to 2018. The findings show that cashless payments are positively related to the return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) of banks, except e-money. Furthermore, the study demonstrates cashless payments have improved the cost-to-income ratio of banks, except ATMs. Meanwhile, this study disaggregates the sample into subperiod analysis to further examine the transition effect of cashless payments on banks' performance. The results show that banks' profitability performance is mainly driven by the usage of cashless payments in the first wave of progressive development, while cashless payments do not show progressive impact on banks' efficiency performance. This suggests that cashless payments do not add value to banks' performances in the long run.


The effect of dimensional interaction was investigated for the perceptual dimensions of electrocutaneous pitch and loudness. Stimuli were delivered transcutaneously through a concentric bipolar electrode positioned above a cutaneous nerve bundle. Subjects classified stimuli as "high" or "low" the basis of perceived intensity or frequency. Classification reaction times were measured for stimuli differing on one dimension alone (baseline), on two correlated dimensions (correlation), or on two dimensions, each varying randomly (filtering). Interactions were manifested when, compared to baseline (RT=453 ms), reaction times were slower in the filtering condition (RT=472 ms) and faster in the correlation condition (RT=418 ms). This interaction effect is a potentially important consideration for the design of efficient sensory feedback schemes employing electrocutaneous stimulation.


Two three-phase squirrel-cage induction motors are used as a propulsion system of an electric vehicle (EV). A simple XC3S1000 FPGA is used to simultaneously control both electric motors, with field oriented control and space vector modulation techniques. To electronically distribute the torque between the two electric motors, a simple, yet effective, strategy based on a uniform torque distribution has been implemented. Experimental results obtained with a multi-motor EV prototype demonstrate the proper operation of the proposed system.


ABSTRACT Throughout much of the Great Lakes basin, reproduction of several fish species is impaired by deficiency of thiamine in their eggs, an effect attributed to consumption of thiaminase-containing forage species, primarily alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus.) Because the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) nesting on islands in Lake Ontario is known to consume considerable amounts of alewife, we examined cormorant food habits and measured thiamine content in eggs collected in 1999 from six separate nests of cormorants from colonies near Lake Ontario and contrasted them with food habits and eggs of cormorants from Oneida Lake where the alewife is rare. Thiamine concentrations in eggs varied between 4.31 and 11.24 nmoleslg with no significant (P>0.18) difference between mean concentrations for Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake (8.08 vs 8.36 nmoles/g) even though alewife comprised approximately 65 vs 0 % of their diets, respectively. Consumption of other thiaminase-containing species was minor in both lakes. Therefore, consumption of alewife and other thiaminase containing fishes by cormorants on Lake Ontario did not appear to significantly impair the levels of thiamine in their eggs. However, we found that the concentration of thiamine in eggs (T; nmoles/g) was inversely related (P<0.02) to lead (Pb) concentration (μg/g) according to the equation: T = −3.142 Pb + 16.25. This relationship may reflect the known ability of thiamine to chelate lead and increase its excretion.


BACKGROUND
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a common cause of neurological morbidity, which can have an impact on quality of life. Symptomatic postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (SPSEH) is a rare condition, but can cause permanent neurological deficits and disability if not managed properly. However, there are limited studies on the outcomes of SPSEH after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) were performed for 2-level CSM. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the clinical outcomes and incidence of SPSEH after ACDF compared with SPSEH after anterior cervical corpectomy and ACCF for 2-level CSM to reduce surgical complications of 2 level CSM.

METHODS
A total of 551 patients (261 males and 290 females) who underwent ACDF or ACCF for 2-level CSM from January 2009 to February 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative indexes (age, sex, body mass index, bone mineral density, preoperative coagulation, and past medical history), perioperative indexes (length of hospital admission, blood loss, and operation times), preoperative and postoperative neurological statuses, complications, fusion rate, and the SPSEH incidence for ACDF or ACCF were compared simultaneously.

RESULTS
With the exception of blood loss (P<0.001), no significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of sex, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, platelet count, length of hospital admission, operation time, the final follow-up Japanese Orthopedic Association score, visual analog scale score, fusion rate, and complications. The overall incidence rate for SPSEH after ACDF was 1.9%, while the rate for SPSEH after ACCF was 0.4%. Following hematoma removal, only one patient showed any improvement in neurological function, despite treatment with hyperbaric oxygen and neurotrophic drugs.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicated that surgical management of 2-level CSM using ACDF or ACCF showed similar clinical outcomes, fusion rate, complications, and perioperative parameters, with the exception of blood loss. However, SPSEH preferentially occurs after surgery with ACDF. Therefore, whether ACCF surgery for 2-stage CSM is the superior treatment modality.


Studies in the last decades have shown that teachers' illnesses originate in the paradox between their mission and the invisibility of teaching in the eyes of the school organization. The objective of this study is to identify possible intersections between the excess and strictness of the demands, made without providing the conditions needed for the required teaching work, and the reports of frustration among those professionals. To assess the work of nine teachers in the classroom, the authors adopted the methodology of work activity ergonomics. It was found that the teachers, after intervening countless times to separate students fighting in class, at other times do not turn their attention to the fact. In such moments they ignore the lack of discipline, seemingly expressing a strategy to deal with the disturbance. The results indicate the preparation of a planning model with time estimates for the numerous activities established by the school's new mission, aiming to reduce crowding in the classroom and avoid the overlapping of tasks, which contribute markedly to the students' disruptions.


preferences for options that do not secure optimal outcomes, like the ones catalogued by sunstein, derive from two sources: cognitive heuristics and deontological rules. although rules may stem from automatic affective reactions, they are deliberately maintained. because strongly held convictions have important behavioral implications, it may be useful to regard cognitive heuristics and deontological rules as separate sources of nonconsequential judgment in the moral domain.


Reaction of 1-amidino-3-arylthioureas (1) with aryl isothiocyanates yielded 1-aryl-2-arylamino-4-imino-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1,3,5-triazine-6-thiones (3) which contained the more electron releasing aryl substituent at the ring nitrogen. The reaction of the S-benzyl derivatives of (1) with aryl isothiocyanates could be directed to give the same type of triazinethione derivatives but with the desired aryl substituent at the ring nitrogen.


The selection of facility location has become attentively studied problem over the past several years. The choice of facility location is becoming major challenges that face strategic managers of the company. Facility location problem includes more than one dimension. For this reason, many criteria should be considered in the selecting process. In this study, a decision making method Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) is employed for this problem. An application example of a label manufacturer is presented to show the applicability and suitability of the proposed method. In this study the criteria of facility location selection for the label production company are "raw material supply", "proximity to customer", "proximity to airport", "proximity to harbor", "transportation cost", "availability of skilled labor", "labor cost", "proximity to industrial zone", "government facilities" and "construction cost (investment cost)". Evaluating facility locations and selecting one of them are complicated tasks due to the fact that various criteria or objectives must be considered in the decision making process. Also in many real world cases the criteria are not equally important for the strategic managers. In this study, we proposed a facility location selection analysis model considering both Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and VIKOR method. Subjective and objective opinions of managers/experts turn into quantitative form with AHP. VIKOR technique is used for calculating the facility locations' ratings.The aim of this paper is to determine the appropriate facility location providing the most company's satisfaction for the criteria identified. In this paper, data taken from a well-known label company in Turkey is used to illustrate the facility location selection procedure. The company detects 10 different criteria for facility location. These are "raw material supply", "proximity to customer", "proximity to airport", "proximity to harbor", "transportation cost", "availability of skilled labor", "labor cost", "proximity to industrial zone", "government facilities" and "construction cost (investment cost)". Apparently, facility location selection is a multi-criteria problem that includes both quantitative and qualitative factors. It is necessary to make trade-off between these tangible and intangible factors while considering a suitable location. There are alternative locations. These are Avcilar, Cerkezkoy, Hadimkoy, Ikitelli and Tuzla. In analyzing the data, AHP and VIKOR methodologies are used for the outranking of location alternatives.The "C6: Availability of skilled labor" (0.266), "C10: Construction cost (investment cost)" (0.193) and "C7: Labor cost" (0.155) are determined as the three most important criteria in the facility location selection process by using AHP. Proposed model results show that A2 (Cerkezkoy) is the best alternative with Qj value.


While Friedrich Nietzsche's explosive impact on literary modernism is widely acknowledged, the existent critical literature overlooks modernist writers' shared engagement with Nietzsche's governing preoccupations, namely of nihilism and meaningless suffering. Departing from the tendency to consider Nietzsche's relationship to modernism largely in terms of his revolutionary, iconoclastic appeal, I shall argue that works by D. H. Lawrence, Franz Kafka, and Samuel Beckett dramatise and explore the problem of nihilism, and its inextricable tie to suffering, in terms that echo Nietzsche's analysis of this psycho‐physiological phenomenon. I shall therefore invoke Nietzsche's thought as a heuristic tool to examine Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, Kafka's The Trial, and Beckett's Endgame. I shall begin by arguing that Nietzsche's most consistent usage of the term nihilism denotes the failure to experience oneself as an agent. As the cognitive and the physiological intertwine in Nietzsche's thought, I shall contend that Nietzsche identifies suffering to precipitate feelings of nihilism. While observing that Nietzsche defines his philosophical project in opposition to the Christian interpretation of suffering, I shall note that he nevertheless acknowledges the role of the ascetic ideal in averting suicidal nihilism: Christianity provides a means to appropriate senseless suffering and enables its adherents to conceive of themselves as willing agents. I shall proceed by examining Nietzsche's discourse on excessive suffering given that he considers those traditional means to counter nihilism as redundant. Doing so, I shall attend to the discordant postures in Nietzsche's thought which, I argue, gravitate around the problem of unbearable suffering. Turning to the aforementioned modernist texts, I shall demonstrate that the need to ascribe value to suffering weighs heavily in each of the fictional landscapes characterised by illness, exhaustion and powerlessness: Lawrence, Kafka, and Beckett dramatise the frailty of the modern subject denuded of the traditional means to justify or redeem one's suffering. Relatedly, I shall invoke Nietzsche's notion of the self‐preservative economy to analyse the recurrence of defensive, self‐protective subjectivities in these respective texts, observing the characters' reactionary recoil from the other. Furthermore, registering that the characters' experience of suspended agency provokes a compensatory negation of the other, Nietzsche's thought on cruelty and ressentiment, or the vindictive spirit of the impotent, shall feature prominently in my study of literary modernism.


Aims: To develop and pilot the Ecologically-Valid Test of Executive Dysfunction (Eco-TED) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Method: Seven different Eco-TED tasks were developed as part of a joint project. The current study is concerned with three of these: the Consent Form Test and the School Bag and Lego Tasks. Twenty children with ASD and 20 age and IQ-matched controls completed the Eco-TED, as well as two already-developed executive function tasks: the Zoo Map and Six Part Tests from the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome in Children (BADS-C). Participants were between 8 and 13 years old and had an IQ > 70. A variety of parent-report questionnaires were also administered. Fourteen participants repeated the Eco-TED approximately one month later to assess test-retest reliability. The data were analysed using both raw and empirically derived deficit scores. Individual variability in performance was explored, as well as correlations between outcome measures and retest scores. Results: No group differences were found when raw scores were analysed. Using deficit scores, group differences were found for the School Bag and Lego Tasks: composite scores indicated that ASD participants were more impaired than controls. Test-retest correlations were low and Eco-TED scores did not generally correlate with BADS-C scores, age or IQ. Conclusion: Significant differences in impairment were found for the School Bag and Lego Tasks using a deficit scoring method. It seems likely that at least planning, prospective memory, working memory, attention, inhibition and interference control are implicated. The extent to which the Eco-TED correlates with everyday outcome variables, its criterion validity and test-retest reliability all require further investigation.


In present work, the influences of TiO2 nanoparticles addition on the tribological and mechanical behavior of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) were investigated. The composites samples containing TiO2 nanoparticles at various percentages (0, 1, 3, and 6 wt. %) were prepared by melt mixing process using single screw extruder at 325 °C and 20 rpm. A pin-on-disc sliding test machine was used for measurement of wear volume and the friction coefficient. The counterface was made of steel carbide with roughness 0.1 μm Ra. The tests were run at a sliding speed of 0.4 m/s and 1 m/s, the contact pressure 0.65 Mpa with different sliding distances (5, 10, 15 and 20 km). Mechanical properties of PPS nanocomposites were studied to evaluate the influence of the nanoparticles addition, as well as examined the relation between the tribological and mechanical behavior. It was found that nanoparticles could further enhance the tribological properties. The lowest wear volume and friction coefficient was observed at 1 m/s was PPS+1wt. %, and for 0.4 m/s was observed in PPS+6wt. %. The results indicate that the mechanical of PPS nanocomposites have been improved, the impact strength and hardness increased with the incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles. The density was also increased with TiO2 nanoparticles.


We investigated the long‐term effects of maintaining high hemoglobin (Hb) on renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis. Subjects (Hb < 10 g/dL and serum creatinine (Cr) 2–6 mg/dL) were randomized to either a high Hb group (N = 161, 11.0 ≤ Hb < 13.0 g/dL) receiving darbepoetin alfa or to a low Hb group (N = 160, 9.0 ≤ Hb < 11.0 g/dL) with epoetin alfa, stratified according to baseline Hb and serum Cr levels, comorbidity of diabetes, and study centers. Primary endpoints were composites of the following events: doubling of serum Cr, initiation of dialysis, renal transplantation, or death. Three‐year cumulative renal survival rates (95% CI) were 39.9% (30.7–49.1%) and 32.4% (24.0–40.8%) in the high and low Hb groups, respectively (log‐rank test; P = 0.111). A Cox proportional‐hazards model adjusted by age, sex and the randomization factors showed a significantly lower event rate in the high Hb group (P = 0.035). The estimated hazard ratio (95% CI) for the high versus the low Hb group was 0.71 (0.52–0.98), the risk reduction was 29% in the high Hb group. Incidences of serious adverse cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between the high and low Hb groups (3.1% and 4.4%, respectively). No safety issues were noted in either group. Maintaining higher Hb levels with darbepoetin alfa better preserved renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis.


The research studies the role of contextual moderating variables on the relationship between person-oriented leadership behaviors (POLBs) and team performance. The authors claim that the varying effect sizes between POLBs and team performance are large because of the context the team is functioning in. Therefore, based on the framework of Johns (2006), this paper aims to investigate the moderating role of the relevant demographic (leader gender), social (in-group collectivism and team size), task (skill differentiation) and methodological (common method bias and the rater of the team performance) contextual variables in the study.,The authors accumulated evidence from 48 independent primary studies (N team = 4,276) to run the meta-analytic analyses. The authors followed the procedures described by Schmidt and Hunter (2015). For the categorical moderators, the analyzes were aided by the Hunter–Schmidt meta-analysis programs (2.0) (Schmidt and Le, 2014), which is an interactive software using a random-effects model. In the analyzes for the continuous moderators, the authors used Lipsey and Wilson's (2001) statistical package for the social sciences macros and run meta-regressions using a random-effects model with unrestricted maximum likelihood.,The results indicate that the relationship weakens when female leaders exhibit these behaviors and when the team size increases. On the other hand, in-group collectivism strengthens the relationship. The study also found that the common method bias and the assessment method of the team performance are significant moderators altering the relationship.,The study highlights the perceptual differences and biases based on leader gender. Acknowledging these biases may help practitioners to appreciate the female qualities in leadership and decrease the undervaluation of female effectiveness. To create high-performing teams, leaders in high in-group collectivist countries are expected to develop a family feeling in the team by showing their concern for personal issues and build close interpersonal relationships. Researchers should use multiple sources to assess the predictor and criterion variables and also opt for more objective assessment methods for team performance.,With this study, the authors follow a substantively different perspective compared to the past meta-analytic reviews on this relationship. Rather than testing the inquiry whether there is a relationship between the two variables, the authors specifically focus on the role of contextual moderating variables. Several researchers have acknowledged that contextual considerations are critical in leadership-team performance research. Nevertheless, the body of research remains to be not cohesive. Thus, the study answers a call in the leadership area for a more context-based and cohesive understanding of the effects of leadership on team performance.


To ensure secure and trustworthy execution of applications in potentially insecure environments, vendors frequently embed trusted execution environments (TEE) into their systems. Applications executed in this safe, isolated space are protected from adversaries, including a malicious operating system. TEEs are usually build by integrating protection mechanisms directly into the processor or by using dedicated external secure elements. However, both of these approaches only cover a narrow threat model resulting in limited security guarantees. Enclaves nested into the application processor typically provide weak isolation between the secure and non-secure domain, especially when considering side-channel attacks. Although external secure elements do provide strong isolation, the slow communication interface to the application processor is exposed to adversaries and restricts the use cases. Independently of the used approach, TEEs often lack the possibility to establish secure communication to peripherals, and most operating systems executed inside TEEs do not provide state-of-the-art defense strategies, making them vulnerable to various attacks. We argue that TEEs, such as Intel SGX or ARM TrustZone, implemented on the main application processor, are insecure, especially when considering side-channel attacks. In this paper, we demonstrate how a heterogeneous multicore architecture can be utilized to realize a secure TEE design. We directly embed a secure processor into our HECTOR-V architecture to provide strong isolation between the secure and non-secure domain. The tight coupling of the TEE and the application processor enables HECTOR-V to provide mechanisms for establishing secure communication channels between different devices. We further introduce RISC-V Secure Co-Processor (RVSCP), a security-hardened processor tailored for TEEs. To secure applications executed inside the TEE, RVSCP provides hardware enforced control-flow integrity and rigorously restricts I/O accesses to certain execution states. RVSCP reduces the trusted computing base to a minimum by providing operating system services directly in hardware.


Abstract Copper p‐toluenesulfonate acetic acid has been established as an efficient combined catalytic system for chemoselective conversion of aldehydes to diacetates in high yields at ambient temperature in short reaction times. For the catalytic system, the amount of copper p‐toluenesulfonate reduced to 0.3 mol%. After the reaction, copper p‐toluenesulfonate can be easily recovered and reused for at least 10 runs.


The paper focuses on the experimental work of Stefan Themerson (St. Francis and The Wolf of Gubbio or Brother Francis' Lamb Chops, an Opera in 2 Acts, text and music by Stefan Themerson, drawings by Franciszka Themerson, De Harmonie – Gaberbocchus Press, Amsterdam–London 1972) and the question of intermediality in general. An interpretation of the 'semantic opera' (written in 1954–1960, as a continuation of Semantic Divertissements [1962] and factor T [1956]), places Themerson's idea in the context of the aesthetics of intermediality. The author signals a terminological confusion connected with the understanding of St. Francis and The Wolf of Gubbio (semantic opera; hybrid work; intermedial work, etc.) and argues that the aesthetics of intermediality appear to be an important and inspiring context for the interpretation of Themerson's text and life. In this case, considerations on the subject of textuality show, on the one hand, different relations between literature, painting, music and theatre (artistic intermediality), and, on the other, the phenomenon of intermediality as the aesthetics of existence.


The first year of life is crucial in the mental and physical development of a baby. Harmonious motor development of a healthy child depends on many factors, including the type of feeding and the position of feeding, because the child of the first year of life spends up to a third of the day eating. Objective to evaluate the relationship between the position of feeding in infants and the harmonicity of their motor development. patients and methods: the study involved 52 healthy children at the age of 10 months. Children were divided into groups depending on the type of feeding and the basic body position during feeding: 34% of children breast fed (group 1) with the location of the child lying on one side most of the time, 33% mixed (group 2) equally on the side and half-sitting, 33% bottle feeding (group 3) – half-sitting on the arms of their mothers. Children in these groups did not differ significantly in weight and growth. Harmonicity of motor development was measured according to the Scale of early motor development (SED), created in our Centre. This Scale is based on the principles and points of V. Vojta motor ontogenesis. According to the SED, the maximum score of motor development at 10 months is 26 points. Motor skills of the infants were measured by a physiotherapist. Results The medians of the SED scores in the groups were: Me1=25, Me2=23, Me3=22. In the group of the infants with natural feeding we observed the most harmonious motor development, which could be due to the baby's position during the feeding. Conclusions Position of the baby during the natural feeding creates favourable conditions for the realisation of the physiological motor development and could be recommended for the use during mixed and bottle feeding.


Synchysis scintillans is a vitreous condition in which multiple golden brown opacities are formed as a result of chronic vitreous hemorrhage. Anterior chamber synchysis scintillans was described in patients with afakia or lens subluxation. We report a case of a 63-year-old man with a history of left eye trauma and complete loss of vision, who presented for left eye discomfort. The slit lamp examination revealed crystals of synchysis scintillans and rare inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber, stromal iris atrophy, circumferential posterior iris synechiae, and complete lens opacity. Total retinal detachment was observed on ocular ultrasonography. Intraocular pressure value was in normal range. The distinctiveness of this case is the mechanism of vitreous crystals mobilization into the anterior chamber through an atrophic iris while intraocular pressure remains normal.


Sociologists and economists reach quite different conclusions about how intergenerational mobility in the UK compares for those growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. Persistence in social class is found to be unchanged while family income is found to be more closely related to sons' earnings for those born in 1970 compared to those born in the 1958. We investigate the reasons for the contrast and find that they are not due to methodological differences or data quality. Rather, they are explained by the increased importance of differences in income within social class for sons' earnings in the second cohort. When economists measure intergenerational mobility their ideal is to see how permanent income is transmitted across generations. Our investigations show that the importance of within-social class differences in income mean that a single measure of income is a better predictor of permanent income status than fathers' social class. We would not, therefore, expect the results for changes in intergenerational mobility based on income and social class to necessarily coincide.


Territorial males of Polistes fuscatus (subspecies variatus) respond to intruders with a chain of behavior of increasing intensity as follows: (1) no reaction, (2) orient, (3) pursue, (4) grasp, and (5) either grapple (with male intruders) or attempt copulation (with females). In the laboratory test objects combining different visual, chemical, and behavioral stimuli were tethered and waved in front of perched territorial males to determine the role of each in eliciting a male response. All test objects elicited an orient response. The overall color or contrast with the background and shape of the test object had little effect on male response. The black and yellow banded coloration characteristic of conspecifics released pursuit and grasping behavior, while chemical cues in combination with the banded coloration released grasping and grappling or attempt copulation. Recognition of sex was based on chemical cues and not on the sexually dichromic coloration. From this and previous studies we conclude that the black and yellow banded coloration of conspecifics is the most important visual stimulus for long-range attraction (> 15 cm) of males, while at close-range or on contact a cuticular surface pheromone and a sex pheromone from the venom are important in the recognition of conspecifics and for discrimination between the sexes.


The aim of the work was to study the influence of UV radiation of a spark discharge plasma and a mercury lamp on the state of membrane structures of peritoneal macrophages. The objects of the study were peritoneal macrophages of rats. The total number of cells after exposure and their viability were analyzed. Oxidative modification of proteins was recorded by fluorescence of tryptophan, tyrosine and products of non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins. The concentration of sialic acids was determined spectrophotometrically, and the intensity of adhesion properties of cells was estimated by the ability to adhere to the plastic. It was shown that the radiation of a spark discharge plasma and UV lamp with the selected exposure regimes affect the structural components of membranes of peritoneal macrophages. The ability to adhere is enhanced by short exposure regimes, and under long-term conditions, adhesion properties decrease. The change in adhesion is probably associated with a decrease in the concentration of sialic acids on the cell surface, as well as with the intensification of oxidative modification of proteins. It has been established that spark plasma and UV lamp radiation promote the oxidation of aromatic amino acids and the accumulation of glycosylation products of proteins.


Their intrinsic properties render single quantum systems as ideal tools for quantum enhanced sensing and microscopy. As an additional benefit, their size is typically on an atomic scale that enables sensing with very high spatial resolution. Here, we report on utilizing a single nitrogen vacancy center in nanodiamond for performing three-dimensional scanning-probe fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. By measuring changes of the single emitter's lifetime, information on the local density of optical states is acquired at the nanoscale. Three-dimensional ab initio discontinuous Galerkin time-domain simulations are used in order to verify the results and to obtain additional insights. This combination of experiment and simulations to gather quantitative information on the local density of optical states is of direct relevance for the understanding of fundamental quantum optical processes as well as for the engineering of novel photonic and plasmonic devices.


Broad use of underground sensing led to development of a new signal processing algorithms which can extract much more information about soil and underground objects physical characteristics. These algorithms require information about how specific attenuation is dependent upon frequency, about phase velocity of radio waves in soil or about signals phase structure in cases when underground objects are present or absent. This kind of information can be easily obtained when using probinging signal with stepped change of a carrier frequency. Radar systems with this kind of sensing signals are called Stepped Frequency Continues Wave (SFCW) GPR.


The purpose of this study is to examine the factors of financial leverage that influence
on listed companies in Bursa Malaysia from 1995 until 2014. Factors of leverage
affected each company as it may bring harm to the company if it driven by bad
influence. The level of influences itself will show the capabilities of every company
whether they are in good condition or not. It is also important for them when they
want to apply for loan or funds. Level of leverages are very importance since it is
indicator for every company for them to go further as it will determine some
decisions such as investment, and international business. If the financial leverage of
company is too bad, this can affect the company in many aspects such as
shareholder's trust and also in financial industries if they want to make loans. This
research is conducted due to researchers need to analyze the relationship of factors
towards leverage that influences listed companies in Bursa Malaysia. Many factors
were involved in this study, which are collateralized asset, profitability, and growth
opportunity in Malaysia. In this study, researchers used construction, consumer,
finance, plantation and trading service sectors that listed on Bursa Malaysia which
are from year 1995 to 2014. The researcher found that the collateralized asset,
profitability and growth opportunity on listed companies in Bursa Malaysia have a
positive relationship with the financial leverage. Panel data consist of secondary data
gathered Malaysia firm have been used for this study which employed Panel
Regression Fixed Effect Model. Researcher use Econometric views 9 (E-Views 9) as
medium to analyzed and interpret descriptive, normality and regression. Lastly,
researchers have come out with the conclusion and recommendation about the
research that can be done in the future.


Frailty comes from decline of functions in multi-organs, not a single organ dysfunction (disease). This accounts for comorbidity in the elderly, both in the acute and chronic ill conditions. In the Kyorin University Hospital, which have a role of emergency hospitals in the western area of Tokyo, more than seventy percent of the patients admitted to the geriatric ward are emergent cases. They have multi-diseases; the most frequent one is pneumonia(from aspiration). Often, their ADL is poor and have cognitive disorders, which is why they stay in the ward long. Geriatric syndrome indicates signs and symptoms frequently observed in the elderly. Because geriatric syndromes stem from multi-system dysfunction, they cannot be treated well enough. However, if geriatric syndromes are left untreated, the ADL declines in a steady state. Usually, geriatric syndromes cannot be treated by medication, but well-planned care can prevent progression. From this sense, not a medicine but multidisciplinary approach, such as cooperation with nurse, dietitian, PT, OT, pharmacist, social worker, care programmer and others, is the key to preventing elderly people from failing to the disabled state.


Root pruning and care during the first two nursery transplantings of four tree species significantly increased the percentage of plants with good root systems. The earlier the plants were moved from the seedflat into peat pots and then into gallon cans, the higher the percentage of plants with good root systems, and the larger they grew in caliper and height. Plants root-pruned during the early moves were larger than those not pruned. However, later root pruning resulted in smaller plants than those moved earlier, or than those moved at the same time but not root pruned.


Politics has published a variety of articles recently on compulsory voting including Saunders' argument against it. This article argues against Saunders and makes some general claims. I show that there is a democratic values-based case for voter compulsion and that the case for compulsory turnout is not 'parasitic' on the case for compulsory voting as has been alleged. In making my argument I show that there is no general case for (or against) political compulsion. Instead, arguments must be predicated on the particular characteristics of different political systems.


Introduction: Cognitive biases leading to diagnostic errors are associate with adverse outcomes and compromise patient safety and contribute to morbidity and mortality. Exploration and identification of cognitive biases have been a difficult task for the clinicians and medical educators. The literature is deficient in the identification of cognitive biases in surgical trainees. The objective of the study was to identify various cognitive biases that may negatively impact clinical reasoning skills and lead to diagnostic errors in trainees of general surgery. Materials and Methods: A quantitative study was conducted involving 48 trainees of general surgery to explore the various cognitive biases. The questionnaire was devised and consisted of ten items devised to explore five biases. .Descriptive statistical analysis was done on SPSS 20 and the respondents with score >25 were categorized as predisposed to error scores of 20-25 were taken as a borderline and overall score of <25 was insignificant for the presence of cognitive bias. Results: Premature closure was the most frequent cognitive bias found significant in 34 (70%) of trainees followed by anchoring bias in 14 (58, 3%) trainees. The relative frequencies of different biases are shown in Table 2. The mean score of the questionnaire was 22.7 (range 10 to 38) SD 7.2. Ten out of forty-eight (21%) trainees with a mean score of >25 showed a clear inclination toward cognitive errors whereas 11 (22%) with a score in the range of 21 to 25 were categorized as having an equivocal tendency towards committing an error, Whereas 27 (56%) with a score of less than 20 were less prone to cognitive errors. Conclusion: The two most common errors seen in the study were anchoring bias and premature closure and both are related to information gathering. A larger study is required to explore the association of cognitive bias with different specialties and experience of clinicians.


We address security solutions to protect the communication of the wireless components of a home health care system. We analyze especially the problem of exchanging secrets to satisfy authentication of entities. We outline some important aspects that must be guaranteed given the existence of low-cost and resource-constrained RFID components. Appropriate solutions must, therefore, enable several nodes, with different computing and communicating capabilities, to securely interact and communicate.


The results of a new series of precision lifetime measurements on alkali atoms by means of beam–gas–laser spectroscopy are reported and discussed. The lifetimes of the first excited states in lithium, sodium, potassium and rubidium were measured with uncertainties ranging from ±0.14% to ±0.25%. The results are discussed in comparison with other recent experimental and theoretical work. The longstanding discrepancy between ab initio line strength calculations and the measurements of Gaupp et al. [Phys. Rev. A26, 3351 (1982)] for the resonance transitions in lithium and sodium is resolved by the new measurements in favour of the theoretical calculations. Finally the role of the beam divergence in lifetime measurements on fast particle beams is discussed and a method to correct for this effect is presented. The importance of the beam divergence effect is illustrated by additional recent lifetime measurements on helium and on lithium.


WHO designated coronavirus as pandemic. A virus that shook world's economy and influenced multiple vicinities. There are multitudes who were infected, numerous recovered, some lost their lives and many are struggling. The great unwashed have adopted precautionary measures in order to break the chain. Sealings and Lockdowns are preventative methods to reduce the contacts of transmission. It's a state where it's like bottoms out concomitant to which manufacturing industries have been influenced. Human race is struggling to attain a better survival.


There is a clinical need for early detection of tumor response to therapy. This study aimed to determine whether metabolites of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) detected in solid mouse tumors in situ by I9F magnetic resonance spectroscopy (19F MRS) correlated with response to 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. After injection of FDG (1.4 mmol/kg i.p.), uptake and metabolism was monitored for 2 h in RIF-1 tumors. FDG was detectable immediately, and after 10 min, a second broad peak was detected 5-6 ppm upfield. 19F MRS analysis of cell and tumor extracts in vitro showed that the upfield peak (> or =15% of the total detectable 19F signal) consisted of the epimer alpha-fluorodeoxymannose (FDM) and various conjugates. Mice treated with 5-fluorouracil (130 mg/kg) received, 48 h later, a repeat dose of FDG. The change in the rate of FDM formation, but not the FDG or total 19F signal, correlated significantly with the response to 5-fluorouracil (P = 0.032), suggesting that 19F MRS of FDM metabolism in vivo may be a novel means of predicting tumor response.


Baeten and Bergstra added real time to ACP and introduced the notion of integration, which expresses the possibility of an action happening within a time interval. In order to axiomatize this feature, they needed an "uncountable" axiom, This paper deals with prefix integration, and integration is parametrized by conditions, which are inequalities between linear expressions of variables. We present an axiomatization for process terms and propose a strategy to decide bisimulation equivalence between process terms by means of this axiomatization.


Environmental control methods include natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation as well as upper-room ultraviolet light. The aim of environmental control method is to reduce the concentration of infectious respiratory aerosols (droplet nuclei) in the air, and to control the direction of infectious air. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the status of environmental tuberculosis control measures at hospitals in Vhembe district, Limpopo Province. A quantitative research methodology was adopted. The setting was seven hospitals at Vhembe district, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The sampling approach was non-probability using purposive sampling method targeting only the following; Outpatient Department waiting areas, Outpatient Department sputum collection areas, Outpatient Department examination rooms, TB wards and medical wards. The sample size consisted of five areas/wards in each of the seven hospitals making a total of thirty five areas/wards. Data were collection through observation using a structured checklist. The study found inadequate ventilation at hospitals in Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa. It was recommended that wherever possible waiting areas, sputum collection areas, examination rooms and wards should be opened to the environment. Keywords : Environmental controls, natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.


BackgroundSerum prolactin (PRL) concentration is known to transiently increase in rats; however, its change is obscure and the role of it is also unclear in women. We studied the relationship between estradiol (E2) and PRL production and the role of transient hyperprolactinemia in the late follicular phase of the gonadotropin-stimulated cycle.Methods(1) Serum E2 and PRL concentrations were measured on an early follicular day and immediately before a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection in 60 patients with normoprolactinemia. Twelve of the 60 patients also received a gonadotropin injection with bromocriptine, and serum hormone levels were compared with those without bromocriptine. (2) Preovulatory serum E2 and PRL concentrations were compared between the natural and clomiphene treatment cycles in 14 hormonally normal women. (3) Changes of serum PRL concentrations were measured before and after E2 loading in five premature ovarian failure (POF) patients. (4) The E2 production by granulosa cells in the presence of PRL was measured.Results and ConclusionSerum E2 and PRL concentrations were significantly increased by the gonadotropin injection. Bromocriptine treatment completely inhibited the PRL increase, but further increased serum E2 concentration on the late follicular day. The E2 loading increased serum PRL levels in POF patients. The clomiphene treatment increased serum E2 but decreased PRL concentrations. Prolactin significantly decreased E2 production by granulosa cells. A feedback loop may exist between E2 and PRL to control the excess E2 production induced by gonadotropin injection.


Rats have been exposed for periods of 120 to 240 minutes to an atmosphere containing 6 +/- 0.7 mg per cu.m mercury vapor. All rats developed an acute respiratory distress which lead to death within 2 to 210 hours (mean 53.5 h). Microscopical examination of the lungs showed an oedema rich in fibrin, an epithelial necrosis, hyaline membranes and in two cases an interstitial fibrosis. Mercury levels in the lungs ranged between 0.5 and 9.37 micrograms per gramme wet weight. The activity of pulmonary superoxide dismutase was decreased to 1.57 +/- 0.66 micrograms per mg of soluble proteins, compared with the level of 5.01 +/- 0.76 micrograms per mg in control rats. This study confirm the pulmonary toxicity of mercury vapors observed in human intoxication.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The present study aimed to investigate the competencies of qualifiers from three-year degree and three-year diploma courses in England at one, two and three years after qualification.

BACKGROUND
The provision of three-year preregistration nursing degrees in the UK has increased in recent years and in many colleges degrees are offered alongside the existing three-year diploma courses. Yet little is known about the relationship between these different education programmes and the competence of qualifiers.

METHODS
A cross-sectional survey design was employed to make comparisons of both self-reported and line-manager-rated competencies of graduate and diplomate nurses who had qualified up to three years previously.

INSTRUMENTS
A revised version of the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire was used to measure both overall competence and also eight specific nursing competencies. A shortened version of this scale was also used to assess internal consistency across measures. Two additional competencies, research awareness and policy awareness, were also measured.

RESULTS
Structural equation modelling found very little difference in the overall competence and specific competencies of graduates and diplomates. Where differences were found in the self-report data, diplomates scored more highly than graduates in the constructs of planning and social participation; however, these differences became non-significant when background variables were controlled for.

LIMITATIONS
The findings are interpreted with caution due to the size of differences, the size of some of the samples of respondents and the developmental stage of the instrument used.

CONCLUSIONS
It does not appear that graduates and diplomates in England differ in their level of competence to any great extent as measured by the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire. Areas of further work are discussed in the light of the findings.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
While this may alleviate concerns about clinical disparities between the two groups, it raises questions about the proposed benefits to nursing of three-year preregistration degrees in terms of quality of care during the first three years of qualification.


The various features of this investigation, especially from a medico-legal point of view, would have been of greater interest could we have used spontaneous tumors, thus dealing with natural cancer. Lack of sufficient material, however, made necessary the use of propagated tumors. Not only were artificial cancers employed, but it seemed doubtful at first whether a definite result could be elicited by their use, since they vary considerably in rate of growth and spontaneous regression is frequent. The material used, however, proved very satisfactory. Based on the latest series of transplants, 330 male animals furnished 98 per cent of takes, and these 3.6 per cent of regressions. Among females takes are fewer and regressions more numerous. The tumor was originally spontaneous in the strain of animals in which it has been transplanted, now through 60 generations. Some 250 young mice were inoculated with the grafts by the usual trocar method. Only progressive growths suitable for measurement were used, many tumors being discarded. From the takes 134 tumor mice were finally used, 48 being females. The procedure was as follows.


We present a brief overview of a splinter session on M dwarf stars as planet hosts that was organized as part of the Cool Stars 17 conference. The session was devoted to reviewing our current knowledge of M dwarf stars and exoplanets in order to prepare for current and future exoplanet searches focusing in low mass stars. We review the observational and theoretical challenges to characterize M dwarf stars and the importance of accurate fundamental parameters for the proper characterization of their exoplanets and our understanding on planet formation.


By means of a review of the literature, the authors argue the case for early treatment of posterior cross bites. They outline the particularities and advantages of various therapeutic techniques including grinding down the interfering cusps of deciduous canines and palatal expansion in the mixed dentition.


In Video over IP services, perceived video quality heavily depends on parameters such as video coding and network Quality of Service. This paper proposes a model for the estimation of perceived video quality in video streaming and broadcasting services that combines the aforementioned parameters with other that depend mainly on the information contents of the video sequences. These fitting parameters are derived from the Spatial and Temporal Information contents of the sequences. This model does not require reference to the original video sequence so it can be used for online, real-time monitoring of perceived video quality in Video over IP services. Furthermore, this paper proposes a measurement workbench designed to acquire both training data for model fitting and test data for model validation. Preliminary results show good correlation between measured and predicted values.


The study evaluated diversity within New Zealand white and Chinchilla rabbit crosses using four structural protein loci: Hemoglobin (Hb), Albumin (Alb), Transferin (Tf) and Carbonic anhydrase (CA). Blood (4mls) was sampled from a total of 49 rabbits through ocular venipuncture. The samples collected were analysed using cellulose acetate electrophoresis to estimate the genetic variability within the populations. The degree of heterozygosity, deviation from Hardy-Weinberg's  Equilibrium (HWE), F , and F values were estimated. All four proteins IS ST loci studied were found to be polymorphic. CA and Alb produced two codominant alleles which controlled three different genotypes. While the two observed codominant alleles in Hb and Tf controlled two genotypes. The haemoglobin locus had the highest heterozygosity value (0.87) while the lowest value (0.53) was recorded at the Albumin locus. Significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P 0.05). Negative F values IS were obtained for all the studied loci indicating the deficiency of homozygotes in the population and that mates were less related in comparison to the average relationship of the population. The results obtained could serve as a reference point in the genetic improvement of the rabbit genetic resource. Key words: Heterozygosity, Rabbit crosses, Polymorphism, Hardy-Weinberg, Protein electrophoresis


Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) typically associated with a worse prognosis than other localized extranodal lymphomas with similar histological characteristics. The defining feature of PCNSL is its confinement to the central nervous system (CNS), with proclivity for growth within the leptomeningeal as well as intraocular compartments. Primary CNS lymphoma rarely disseminates outside the CNS and accounts for less than 5% of all primary brain neoplasms. At least 95% of PCNSLs are of large B-cell histology, the most common subtype of NHL. Consistent with the trend seen in systemic NHLs, the incidence of PCNSL has markedly increased over the past three decades, both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Because PCNSL is relatively rare, the identification of molecular prognostic biomarkers and the definition of a standard therapeutic strategy have been challenging. The authors discuss the current knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of CNS lymphomas and review the recent advances in gene expression profile analysis and identification of novel prognostic biomarkers.


I INTRODUCTION Justice Brennan's concurring opinion in Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart (1) puts citizenship and the public at the heart of the purpose of media coverage of legal proceedings: Commentary and reporting on the criminal justice system is at the core of the First Amendment values, for the operation and integrity of that system is of crucial import to citizens concerned with the administration of government. Secrecy of judicial action can only breed ignorance and distrust of courts and suspicion concerning the competence and impartiality of judges: free and robust reporting, criticism, and debate can contribute to public understanding of the rule of law and to comprehension of the functioning of the entire criminal justice system, as well as improve the quality of that system by subjecting it to the cleansing effects of exposure and public accountability. (2) That is, media coverage of legal proceedings should further the public understanding of those proceedings and of the legal system generally and should foster oversight over its functioning. Unfortunately, much coverage of legal proceedings now serves to increase ratings rather than to increase the public's understanding of the justice system. (3) Moreover, examples like early coverage of the Duke lacrosse case show that the press can exacerbate--rather than expose--abuses of the judicial system and the legal system generally. Since the advent of the Internet, however, additional media outlets--like blogs and wikis--have begun to change the relationship between media coverage of legal proceedings and the public. (4) That is partly because these newer media outlets are noninstitutional; they cover stories differently than do traditional media outlets. Just as importantly, these noninstitutional media outlets change the role of the reader in coverage of legal proceedings. Whereas these new media outlets carry their own risks, at their best, they go a long way toward accomplishing Brennan's goal of making the judicial system more transparent for the public. This article explores select instances of noninstitutional media coverage of legal proceedings--by focusing on blogs--and examines the ways this coverage may differ from institutional coverage. Part II uses Timothy Cook's description of institutional media to lay out distinctions between institutional and noninstitutional media. Part III provides several case studies of noninstitutional legal coverage. Part IV explores what distinguishes noninstitutional coverage from institutional coverage. Part V describes some risks and checks unique to noninstitutional production on the Internet. Part VI concludes by returning to the role of the blog reader. II A DESCRIPTION OF INSTITUTIONAL MEDIA The distinction between "institutional" and "noninstitutional" media is a more meaningful one than that between "old" and "new" media. The initial move by established media outlets to Internet publication did not lead to an immediate change in either the practices of production or the end product: existing media outlets "repurposed" the content that appeared in their newspaper or broadcast outlet, providing the same story in fairly static form. (5) Thus, if there is anything new about "new" media on the Internet, it largely derives from the rise of noninstitutional outlets as an alternative to Internet production offered by the institutional press. Timothy Cook's Governing with the News provides a useful definition of the characteristics of institutional media. Cook shows the many ways in which the institutional character of the press contributes to coverage that is, in process and content, very homogenous: "The news media, despite different technologies, deadlines, and audiences are structured similarly in their internal organizations, the way they interact with sources, the formats they use, and in the content they provide. …


Allergic diseases are type 2 inflammatory reactions with an increasing worldwide prevalence, making the search for new therapeutic options pertinent. Allergen immunotherapy is the only disease-modifying approach for allergic rhinitis, though it can result in systemic reactions. Recently, peptide immunotherapy (PIT), involving T cell epitope peptides that bind to major histocompatibility complexes, have been developed. It is speculated that they can induce T helper cell type 2 anergy, Treg cell upregulation or immune deviation. Promising results in cat dander, honeybee venom, Japanese cedar pollen, grass pollens, ragweed and house dust mite clinical trials have shown safety, efficacy and tolerability to PIT. Hence, PIT may hold the potential to change the treatment algorithm for allergic rhinitis.


Two groups of noninbred male guinea pigs (initial bw 250-300 g) received test rations in which 50% of standard ration protein were substituted for milk protein (P 20/80) and its enzymatic hydrolysate (H 20/80). The influence of P 20/80 and H 20/80 on some parameters of the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) barrier function and 17-OCS metabolism was studied. The action of H 20/80 as compared to P 20/80 was expressed in the intensified excretion of free fraction of 17-OCS and glucuronides. The content of hydroxylated glucocorticoids increased in both fractions. At the same time elevated total proteolytic activity in the gastric mucosa and a tendency to decreased GIT permeability for chicken ovalbumin macromolecules were observed in animals that received H 20/80. It has been suggested that enzymatic hydrolysates of food proteins influence endocrine regulation of metabolic processes.


A novel, versatile and robust technology to manufacture transparent micropipettes, suitable for biological applications, is presented here. Up to three deep reactive ion etchings have been included in the manufacturing process, providing highly controlled geometry of reservoirs, connection cavities and inlet ports. Etching processes have been used for the definition of chip and reservoir and for nozzle release. Additionally, special design considerations have been developed to facilitate micro-to-macro fluidic connections. Implementation of anodic bonding to seal a glass substrate to the fluidic structure etched on Si, allowed observation of the flow inside the reservoir. Flow tests have been conducted by filling channels with different fluids. Flow was observed under an optical microscope, both during capillary filling and also during pumping. Dispensing has been demonstrated by functionalizing the surface of an AFM cantilever. Mechanical tests performed by piercing live mouse cells with FIB-sharpened micropipettes suggest the design is sturdy for biological piercing applications.


DISSERTATION: Comparing Rates of Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescent Females with and without Autism STUDENT: Elizabeth Freeman Floyd DEGREE: Doctor of Philosophy COLLEGE: Teachers College DATE: December 2018 PAGES: 136 Adolescent females experience substantially higher rates of the majority of anxiety disorder subtypes than do adolescent males. Evidence of the same gender differences might be expected in adolescent females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A sample of adolescent females with ASD were recruited from the local catchment area to complete the Personality Assessment Inventory-Adolescent (PAI-A). Matched female control subjects (i.e., not diagnosed with ASD) were obtained from the PAI-A clinical and community standardization samples. Analyses of score patterns on the anxiety and anxiety-related scales and subscales of the PAI-A were conducted between groups. Results yielded similarities in patterns between the ASD and clinical samples not found between the ASD and community samples. Evidence suggests adolescent females on the autism spectrum experience symptoms of anxious distress more closely aligned with those in clinical settings than those in the general community, supporting the existence of similar gender differences in anxiety rates in this population.


Introduction Diabetes mellitus type 1 is an autoimmune disorder in which damage to beta cells are proposed to be due to abnormal T cell immune response.1 Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an endocrine, metabolic disease in which the key metabolic abnormality is chronic hyperglycemia due to an imbalance between insulin production and insulin action.2,3 However, several lines of evidence suggest that there are shared mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction in both types of diabetes mellitus.4


The past century saw unprecedented rises in life expectancy and living standards. It also witnessed major structural changes, the rise of "big government" and two globalizations. Yet, the century's economic history was marred by policy and market failures resulting in a massive world-wide depression, frequent financial crises (particularly in the developing world), and several inflation spurts. Central planning set back development for one-third of the world's population; transition to the market economy was at best slow, in some instances disastrous. Income distribution within countries changed little, while productivity convergence between rich and poor economies was virtually absent. Policy-making learnt some lessons from the 1930s experience, particularly in the areas of macroeconomic management, international cooperation, and free trade. Dogmatic recipes, however, were often resorted to at home, aided and abetted by the pretensions of the economics profession. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.


The Reseacrh conducted in Microfinance Institution of UEK-SP Bulan Purnama Padang Bulan Village Senapelan Distric Pekanbaru City . The aim of research is to analysis a social performance a nd financial performance of Microfinance Institution . The social performance using the MIX Market analysis tool comprised of 16 indicators and measure financial performance analysis tools Pearlscon sistsof 17 ratios . Secondary data obtained by the method of documentation in the form of financial statements from 200 9 to 2013 which comprises the balance sheet , loan statements , reports results of operations , the general state of the research and inany other information deemed necessary to supportand complement the data as well as data from related agencies among the research . Social performance of UEK-SP Bulan Purnama has achieved the social and social mission seen is out real and the dept of out reach of IMF, UEK-SP . The financial performance of UEK-SP Bulan Pur n ama showed that 17 rasio indicator PEA R LS There are 8 indicators are in an ideal condition while the 9 indicators of the conditions are not ideal protection Ratios (Protection) (P1,P2) , the ratio of out standing loans (E1), Delinquency ratio or Non Perfoaming Loan (A1), the ratio ofnetincome (R12), The ratio of current assets ungenerate (L3), Assets growth (S1) , Loangrowth ( S2) and the growth of institutional capital ( S6). Keywords : UE K -SP, Social Performance, Financial P erformance.


The spectre of Brexit has raised issues of concern for Roma communities living and working in Scotland and other parts of the UK. The effective ending of freedom of movement has produced new uncertainties and insecurities for people living outside their EU countries of origin, especially for those who are racialised and stigmatised by 'hostile environment' policies. Brexit is best understood as both a process and effect of everyday bordering as well as a continuation of historically embedded structural divisions. This paper looks at everyday Roma life in Glasgow, via the work of the NGO Romano Lav (Roma Voice), to assess how Brexit is impacting on people's lives. Further, the paper examines how Scotland can best move forward in terms of independence and the European project. It is argued that a second independence referendum that gives full political independence to Scotland is the only way to secure future EU membership.


In this paper we discuss the stochastic facility location model in which the distances between the facility and demand points are rectangular and each weight is normlilly distributed independent random variable with unknown mean and known variance. We are interested in rmding the value of information. In general, perfect information is not attainable, but sample information may be obtained. Thus in this paper we find the expected value of sample information. In addition, the expected net gain of sampling and the optimal sample size are found.


Conspectus Porphyrin chemistry is Shakespearean: over a century of study has not withered the field's apparently infinite variety. Heme proteins continually astonish us with novel molecular mechanisms, while new porphyrin analogues bowl us over with unprecedented optical, electronic, and metal-binding properties. Within the latter domain, corroles occupy a special place, exhibiting a unique and rich coordination chemistry. The 5d metallocorroles are arguably the icing on that cake. New Zealand chemist Penny Brothers has used the word "misfit" to describe the interactions of boron, a small atom with a predilection for tetrahedral coordination, and porphyrins, classic square-planar ligands. Steve Jobs lionized misfits as those who see things differently and push humanity forward. Both perspectives have inspired us. The 5d metallocorroles are misfits in that they encapsulate a large 5d transition metal ion within the tight cavity of a contracted porphyrin ligand. Given the steric mismatch inherent in their structures, the syntheses of some 5d metallocorroles are understandably capricious, proceeding under highly specific conditions and affording poor yields. Three broad approaches may be distinguished. (a) In the metal–alkyl approach, a free-base corrole is exposed to an alkyllithium and the resulting lithio-corrole is treated with an early transition metal chloride; a variant of the method eschews alkyllithium and deploys a transition metal–alkyl instead, resulting in elimination of the alkyl group as an alkane and insertion of the metal into the corrole. This approach is useful for inserting transition metals from groups 4, 5, and, to some extent, 6, as well as lanthanides and actinides. (b) In our laboratory, we have often deployed a low-valent organometallic approach for the middle transition elements (groups 6, 7, 8, and 9). The reagents are low-valent metal–carbonyl or −olefin complexes, which lose one or more carbon ligands at high temperature, affording coordinatively unsaturated, sticky metal fragments that are trapped by the corrole nitrogens. (c) Finally, a metal acetate approach provides the method of choice for gold and platinum insertion (groups 10 and 11). This Account provides a first-hand perspective of the three approaches, focusing on the last two, which were largely developed in our laboratory. In general, the products were characterized with X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, and a variety of spectroscopic methods. The physicochemical data, supplemented by relativistic DFT calculations, have provided fascinating insights into periodic trends and relativistic effects. An unexpected feature of many 5d metallocorroles, given their misfit character, is their remarkable stability under thermal, chemical, and photochemical stimulation. Many of them also exhibit long triplet lifetimes on the order of 100 μs and effectively sensitize singlet oxygen formation. Many exhibit phosphorescence in the near-infrared under ambient conditions. Furthermore, water-soluble ReO and Au corroles exhibit impressive photocytotoxicity against multiple cancer cell lines, promising potential applications as cancer phototherapeutics. We thus envision a bright future for the compounds as rugged building blocks for new generations of therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) agents.


Background & objectives: The effect of vitamin D supplementation on response to antiviral therapy in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and 4 infection still remains unclear, with studies yielding inconsistent results. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on treatment outcome in patients with genotype 1/4 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. Methods: Sixty consecutive, treatment-naïve, genotype 1 and 4 chronic HCV patients were included in the study. The patients were randomized into two groups: Vitamin D supplemented group received pegylated (PEG)-interferon α-2a 180 μg per week plus ribavirin (RBV) (1000-1200 mg/d) together with vitamin D3 (2000 IU/d) and control group received identical therapy without vitamin D (32 patients). Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, body mass index and baseline laboratory values. Lower vitamin D levels were associated with higher grades of fibrosis in liver histology (vitamin D >20 ng/ml - 70% vs vitamin D <20 ng/ml - 37%, P<0.05). Vitamin D supplemented group had similar rapid viral response (40 vs 28%, P=0.36), complete early viral response (53.2 vs 40%, P=0.34), end of treatment response (64 vs 46%, P=0.17) and sustained virological response (SVR) (60 vs 44%, P=0.19) as compared to control group. Interleukin 28B polymorphism [odds ratio (OR)-15.37, 95% confidence interval (CI)-2.32-101.76, P=0.04] and baseline serum vitamin D levels (OR-6.36, 95% CI-1.36-29.61 P=0.02) were independent predictors of SVR in genotype 1/4 CHC. Vitamin D supplementation was not found to be predictor of response in genotype 1/4 CHC on multivariate analysis (OR-2.79, 95% CI- 0.63-12.34, P=0.74). Interpretation & conclusions: The present study showed that addition of vitamin D to PEG/RBV combination therapy in treatment-naïve patients who were infected with HCV genotype 1/4 had no effect on the rates of rapid, early and sustained viral responses.


— The Gulf of Panama is a highly productive marine ecosystem at the southern edge of North America. Although the Gulf's aquatic bird populations have been remarked upon by ornithologists for over 50 years, nesting populations have been neither systematically studied nor completely characterized. In 2005 and 2006, the entire Gulf of Panama was inventoried to document the nesting status of seabirds and other colonial waterbirds. Over 50,000 birds of 20 species nesting at 57 sites were documented. Seabirds nested during the dry season, the period of oceanographic upwelling. Coastal colonial waterbirds nested at the end of the dry season and in the early wet season, when inland feeding habitats were optimal. Brown Pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) were the most numerous seabird with over 4,800 nests and 10,000 individuals counted. Over 3,600 Neotropic Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax brasilianus ) nests and over 2,200 Magnificent Frigatebird ( Fregata magnificens ) nests were documented. Cattle Egrets ( Bubulcus ibis ) were the most abundant colonial wading birds, followed by Great Egrets ( Ardea alba ). Great Egrets were the first wading birds to nest, Cattle Egrets the last. Seven sites contained over 1,000 nests. Colony locations and numbers differed markedly from the historic literature. Some historic information is erroneous, but other differences reflect changes in distribution. More nesting Brown Pelicans and Sooty Terns ( Sterna fuscata ) and fewer Neotropic Cormorants were found than expected from the literature. New sites documented included some of global or regional conservation importance. This paper presents the first breeding records for Panama of Little Blue Heron ( Egretta caerulea ), Glossy Ibis ( Plegadis falcinellus ), and Bridled Tern ( Sterna anaethetus ), and third record for Cocoi Heron ( Ardea cocoi ). There is no evidence for long-term declines of seabirds or colonial wading birds in the Gulf of Panama. Populations reaching conservation thresholds globally or biogeographically include Brown Pelican, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron ( Tigrisoma mexicanum ), White Ibis ( Eudocimus albus ), Glossy Ibis, and Bridled Tern. The Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) exceeded conservation thresholds for Central America. Six new sites of global importance for bird conservation were identified and the continued importance of another site confirmed. The continued health of the waterbird populations of Panama will depend on environmental education and protection of important colony sites from disturbance and development . Received: 29 September 2006, accepted 25 May 2007.


Debates on media competency and media literacy are going on now for a few decades. Many concepts have been developed in various disciplines. Along with that, discourses on visual literacy have been intensified, too, although visuals have been used in educational contexts throughout history. But only recently, after almost three thousand years of historiography, turns like iconic turn, pictorial turn, and mediatic turn have been claimed. Visual competencies as well as competencies of visuals and their epistemological relevance are intensively discussed in arts, architecture, philosophy as well as in educational, communication, and media studies. In this situation, we are facing new conceptual challenges for media education and media literacy discourses. On the one hand, there is a long tradition of ``visual education´´ and ``aesthetic education´´, on the other hand, visual literacy, visual competency, media literacy, new literacies are being requested. The paper starts (1) with an outline of selected aspects o
f the debates on media competency and media literacy, followed (2) by a discussion of more recent concepts of ´visual competence´ and ´visual literacy´ and their relevance for media education. Finally (3), the contribution aims at sounding out conceptual alternatives to the literacification of everything and their relevance for media pedagogy and educational theory.


Background Migraine is associated with altered sensory processing and cortical responsivity that may contribute to susceptibility to attacks by changing brain network excitability dynamics. To gain better insight into cortical responsivity changes in migraine we subjected patients to a short series of light inputs over a broad frequency range ("chirp" stimulation), designed to uncover dynamic features of visual cortex responsivity. Methods EEG responses to visual chirp stimulation (10–40 Hz) were measured in controls (n = 24) and patients with migraine with aura (n = 19) or migraine without aura (n = 20). Average EEG responses were assessed at (i) all EEG frequencies between 5 and 125 Hz, (ii) stimulation frequencies, and (iii) harmonic frequencies. We compared average responses in a low (10–18 Hz), medium (19–26 Hz) and high (27–40 Hz) frequency band. Results Responses to chirp stimulation were similar in controls and migraine subtypes. Eight measurements (n = 3 migraine with aura; n = 5 without aura) were assigned as "pre-ictal", based on reported headache within 48 hours after investigation. Pre-ictally, an increased harmonic response to 22–32 Hz stimulation (beta band) was observed (p = 0.001), compared to interictal state measurements. Conclusions We found chirp responses to be enhanced in the 48 hours prior to migraine headache onset. Visual chirp stimulation proved a simple and reliable technique with potential to detect changes in cortical responsivity associated with the onset of migraine attacks.


The mechanisms governing the increases in force production in response to short periods of strength training have yet to be fully elucidated. We examined whether muscle architectural adaptation was a contributing factor. Ultrasound imaging techniques were used to measure quadriceps muscle architecture at 17 sites in vivo in trained and untrained legs of men and women after 2.5 and 5 weeks of unilateral knee extension training, as well as in a nontraining control group. Despite increases in knee extensor strength of the trained and untrained (women only) legs, there were no changes in muscle thickness, fascicle angle, or fascicle length in any of the muscles tested. The moderate correlation between vastus lateralis thickness (middle site) and eccentric (r = 0.55; P < 0.05) and concentric (r = 0.46; P < 0.1) torque after, but not before, training is suggestive of neural rather than architectural adaptations predominating in the early phase of training. Muscle Nerve, 2006


OBJECTIVE To carry out a comparative descriptive study of the healthcare activity of an outpatient clinic specialising in "Hearts and Lungs". Unit of analysis: care event. A procedure to construct the events was worked out. DESIGN A prospective study of the care activity over a year, with a retrospective review at two years to construct the events. SETTING Torreforta-La Granja Primary Care Centre, Tarragona. PARTICIPANTS Included 1,312 patients (catchment area of 37,266 people), who consulted the doctor. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS 3,467 attendances were recorded, of which 3,207 were selected, with 1,477 care events being identified on the basis of the information collected from the attendances. Daily average attendances were 13.09 +/- 3.5, by mainly male (56.3%) patients aged 53 +/- 20. Analysis by events showed a low number of visits, with an intensive use of the health resources available in the centre and low use of more complex resources. There was a low use of medical processes per event, with a high level of coverage or extent of these investigations. Hospital contacts per event identified an important amount of complementary activity concerning the emergency services and outclinics. CONCLUSIONS The comparative analysis makes clear that the records based on attendance over-represent long events and undervalue the extent of investigations.


Information on presentation and outcome of moyamoya vasculopathy (MMV) in European countries is limited. We investigated patient characteristics, treatment and outcome of patients with MMV. We retrieved patient characteristics and treatment information and determined functional outcome (modified Rankin Score (mRS); type of school/work) by structured telephone interviews. We performed uni- and multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of poor outcome. We included 64 patients with bilateral MMV. In children (31 patients), median age was 5 years (interquartile range (IQR) 2–11) and in adults (33 patients), it was 33 years (IQR 28–41). Predominant mode of presentation was ischemia (children 84%; adults 88%). Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at presentation was ≤2 in 74%. Revascularization was performed in 42 patients (23 children). Median follow-up time was 46 months (IQR 26–90). During this period, 16 patients had recurrent stroke(s) and four patients died. In 73% of the patients (83% surgical group; 55% medically treated group), mRS was ≤2; 46% were able to return to regular school or work, of whom only 41% were on the same level. Univariable analysis revealed that surgical treatment was associated with lower odds of poor outcome ((mRS ≥ 3), OR 0.24; p = 0.017). This association was no longer statistically significant (OR 3.47; p = 0.067) in the multivariable model, including age and diagnosis (moyamoya disease or moyamoya syndrome). In this cohort of patients with MMV who presented in a single European center, a large proportion had good functional outcome. Nevertheless, less than half were able to attend regular school or were able to work at their previous level, indicating a large impact of the disease on their life.


The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of counting incremental lines of dental root cementum for biological age determination, and to compare it with alternative methods. Two samples were taken: 51 teeth from 49 individuals of known age obtained at the Stomatological Clinic, Vilnius University, as well as the canine teeth from the remains of 48 individuals from the mass graves of Tuskulenai in Vilnius (inhumed 1944-47). In the latter sample, the chronological age of 43 individuals was known through personal identification. Undecalcified teeth were sectioned with the Leica SP 1600 microtome diamond saw, and incremental line count as a blind test was made on sections of 35 to 100 microns thickness. Incremental line count was possible in 82-86 percent of cases. The results of three independent counts showed that intra-observer bias has no significant impact. Biological age was estimated by adding incremental line number to the average age of tooth eruption. It was found that mean absolute error was 6.46 years for the 1st sample, 6.27 years for the 2nd sample, and in some cases exceeded 10 years. For the 2nd sample, the results were compared to those of other methods such as endocranial suture ossification, pubic symphysis morphology and the "combined" method of Nemeskéri. All four methods yield a similar correlation in regard to an individual's chronological age. The highest correlation was found for the combined method, and the lowest one for public symphysis morphology. All correlations had a similar standard error. Thus our assessment is less enthusiastic than in some past studies; it is suggested that the incremental lines rather have a similar use as other methods.


Background: Squalene epoxidase gene is an azole antifungal target enzyme in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway in fungi—the inhibition of enzyme aggregate squalene, a type of ergosterol derivative depletion that leads to fungal growth inhibition. Squalene epoxidase widely diverges in three fungal groups of dermatophytes Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. Methodology: The study has demonstrated a variety of squalene epoxidase genes in the dermatophyte genome. Squalene epoxidase gene was also studied for possible single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the Trichophyton group's homologs and found multiple SNP positions that induce non-synonymous mutation and change the sequence of amino acid into protein structure that can change phenylalanine to leucine. Results: Squalene epoxidase is widely present in dermatophytes. Mutation in the squalene epoxidase gene can mislead normal sterol formation in the fungal cell membrane that induces fungal resistance against several drugs, including azoles and polyenes. Squalene epoxidase gene carries 2 - 3 transcripts and 2 - 3 number of exons. Squalene epoxidase gene has FAD-dependent oxidoreductases and NADP binding domain conserved domains in fungal groups of dermatophytes. Conclusion: This study analyzed the abundance of the squalene epoxidase gene, suggesting that squalene epoxidase gene resistant mutants can occur naturally. Thus squalene epoxidase gene should be extensively studied in order to increase the potential of available antifungals.


A series of materials based on titanium dioxide nanoparticles and anthraquinone dyes have been modelled using the quantum mechanical minimalistic model. Based on the computational results some spectral and photoelectrochemical properties of these materials have been predicted. Experimental studies indicate that the quantum-chemical predictions are correct. New materials exhibit interesting switching properties and moderate photosensitization towards visible light. Furthermore, based on excited state properties of dye–semiconductor hybrids diverse photocatalytic properties, including the activation of molecular oxygen, can be predicted.


Effect of n-pentyl glycosides and alkyl alpha-L-sorbopyranosides on IgE antibody formation in rats and mice were investigated. When n-pentyl alpha-L-sorbopyranoside was given subcutaneously or orally, the IgE antibody formation in rats and mice was suppressed, while no suppression of hemagglutinin formation was observed. The study on timing of administration indicated that n-pentyl alpha-L-sorbopyranoside significantly suppressed the secondary IgE antibody response when administered before the secondary immunization.