Analysis was performed in high power microwave computations and theory and high energy plasma computations and theory. The HPM computations concentrated on generation, sources and propagation. Major codes used were the particle-in-cell codes SOS and ISIS. Topics studies were sources and antennas, propagation, relativistic klystron amplifiers, virtual cathode oscillators, magnetically insulated transmission lines, transvertrons and vircator phase/frequency locking. High energy plasmas were analyzed with MACH2, an implicit continuous Eulerian, arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian nonideal magnetohydrodynamic code. MACH2 modelled a variety of high energy plasmas including plasma flow switches, imploding liners and plasmas, compact toroids, magnetic reconnection and plasma guns. A smooth particle hydrodynamics code was developed to model various conditions, including shock heating, explosions and implosions. An optical multichannel analyzer was also provided to analyze plasma emission line spectra.


Cancer is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide every year. Although significant progress hasbeen achieved in cancer medicine, many issues remain to be addressed for improving cancer therapy.Appropriate cancer patient stratification is the prerequisite for selecting appropriate treatment plan, ascancer patients are of known heterogeneous genetic make-ups and phenotypic differences. In thisstudy, built upon deep phenotypic characterizations extractable from Mayo Clinic electronic healthrecords (EHRs) and genetic test reports for a collection of cancer patients, we evaluated variousgraph neural networks (GNNs) leveraging a joint of phenotypic and genetic features for cancer typeclassification. Models were applied and fine-tuned on the Mayo Clinic cancer disease dataset. Theassessment was done through the reported accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 values as well as throughF1 scores based on the disease class. Per our evaluation results, GNNs on average outperformed thebaseline models with mean statistics always being higher that those of the baseline models (0.849 vs0.772 for accuracy, 0.858 vs 0.794 for precision, 0.843 vs 0.759 for recall, and 0.843 vs 0.855 for F1score). Among GNNs, ChebNet, GraphSAGE, and TAGCN showed the best performance, while GATshowed the worst. We applied and compared eight GNN models including AGNN, ChebNet, GAT,GCN, GIN, GraphSAGE, SGC, and TAGCN on the Mayo Clinic cancer disease dataset and assessedtheir performance as well as compared them with each other and with more conventional machinelearning models such as decision tree, gradient boosting, multi-layer perceptron, naive bayes, andrandom forest which we used as the baselines.


An experimental study has been carried out of the two phase counter-current gas-liquid flow in a packed bed column operated in the proximity of the flooding point under periodic variations of inlet velocity of gas or liquid. Additional experiments have been focused on evaluating axial dispersion characteristics in the proximity of the flooding line in both liquid and gas phase using inert tracers. The transient flow experiments have revealed hysteretic behavior of liquid holdup and gas pressure in the bed. The tracer RTD experiments have shown that no deterioration of axial dispersion in both gas and liquid place takes place unless the flooding phenomenon has already prevailed. In fact, axial dispersion in the gas phase lessens with increasing gas velocity and so does axial dispersion in liquid phase at higher liquid loads.


Heterodimeric complexes incorporating the lipase-like proteins EDS1 with PAD4 or SAG101 are central hubs in plant innate immunity. EDS1 functions encompass signal relay from TIR domain-containing intracellular NLR-type immune receptors (TNLs) towards RPW8-type helper NLRs (RNLs) and, in A. thaliana, bolstering of signaling and resistance mediated by cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Increasing evidence points to the activation of EDS1 complexes by small molecule binding. We used CRISPR/Cas-generated mutant lines and agroinfiltration-based complementation assays to interrogate functions of EDS1 complexes in N. benthamiana. We do not detect impaired PRR signaling in N. benthamiana lines deficient in EDS1 complexes or RNLs. Intriguingly, in assays monitoring functions of SlEDS1-NbEDS1 complexes in N. benthamiana, mutations within the SlEDS1 catalytic triad can abolish or enhance TNL immunity. Furthermore, nuclear EDS1 accumulation is sufficient for N. benthamiana TNL (Roq1) immunity. Reinforcing PRR signaling in Arabidopsis might be a derived function of the TNL/EDS1 immune sector. Although Solanaceae EDS1 functionally depends on catalytic triad residues in some contexts, our data do not support binding of a TNL-derived small molecule in the triad environment. Whether and how nuclear EDS1 activity connects to membrane pore-forming RNLs remains unknown.


The purpose of this article is to identify food deserts using a geographic information system (GIS)-based multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach in the city of Tehran. We have found that, compared to technocratic methods, GIS-based MCDM and taking into account people or their agents' opinions in the food deserts analysis leads to different results. Whereas measuring food deserts based on the distance to large retail food stores indicated that a large part of the northern neighborhoods of Tehran do not have access to large food stores, identifying the food desert through the GIS-based MCDM approach revealed that northern neighborhoods of Tehran have relatively good access to healthy, affordable food. In addition, results indicated that individual factors have a more effective role than environmental factors in food accessibility. Food accessibility analysis revealed that more than 26.6 percent of Tehran's people (2,049,796) are living in very low and low food accessibility areas. Accordingly, to achieve a relatively healthy and inclusive food environment, establishment of a food council, development of mobile food markets and farmers' markets, extension of public transport, enhancement of food literacy, and community-based development of small full-service grocery stores, especially in southern and western sections of Tehran, should be pursued. In addition, addressing Tehran's food desert issues would be incomplete without due attention to the wider political and economic environment.


1. Introduction Although the social context of Flannery O'Connor's fiction has been studied in some detail, especially the racial social context, relatively little O'Connor criticism has detailed the linguistic patterns of O'Connor's style and none thus far has thoroughly analyzed the linguistic patterns of politeness. (1) This neglect is quite surprising given the long history of politeness studies on authors as widely varied as Hemingway (Hardy, "Strategic Politeness"), Shakespeare (Magnusson), Ionesco (Simpson), and Dickens (Cecconi). My analysis of politeness in O'Connor's fiction makes the argument that there is a stylistics of politeness in the fiction: that is, that there are characteristic patterns representing politeness in O'Connor's fiction. In particular, politeness in O'Connor's fiction is intimately linked to O'Connor's concerns with the body, the grotesque, and the sacramental. When asked in an interview how "Southern manners bear on the racial turmoil" of her time, O'Connor answered, "Manners are the next best thing to Christian charity" (qtd. in Magee 102), expressing at once a pessimism about Southern race relations, a faith in the power of manners that would today certainly seem misplaced, whether in the American South or any geographical region, and a keen awareness of the differences between charity and manners. As Jan Nordby Gretlund points out, "the demands of the social order in O'Connor's rural Georgia often prove more than a match for ethical standards and Christian ideas of neighborly love" ("Flannery O'Connor and Class" 123). Charity (love) would ideally create a cohesive society, regardless of race and class. In the absence of charity, the distancing formalisms of manners preserve a civil--if not a loving--society. In elaborating on the relationship between manners and charity, O'Connor expressed doubt in an abundance of "unadulterated Christian charity" in the South but also expressed "confidence that the manners of both races will show through in the long run" (qtd. in Magee 102). In spite of her clear belief in the ideals of Christian charity, O'Connor very much believed in the efficacy and necessity of formality: "Formality preserves that individual privacy which everybody needs and, in these times, is always in danger of losing" (qtd. in Magee 104). And that formality is there to protect everyone, according to O'Connor: When you have a code of manners based on charity, then when the charity fails--as it is going to do constantly--you've got those manners there to preserve each race from small intrusions upon the other. The uneducated Southern Negro is not the clown he's made out to be. He's a man of very elaborate manners and great formality which he uses superbly for his own protection and to insure his own privacy. (Magee 104; also qtd. in Day 137) Given O'Connor's own privileging of religious issues in discussions of her fiction, it is not surprising that social manners have not been among the foremost issues that O'Connor critics have grappled with. D. Dean Shackelford, for example, argues that for O'Connor "earthly values, including those involving racial relations, were, in comparison to spiritual conviction, insignificant" (89). There are exceptions, such as Gretlund, whose analyses of O'Connor's sensitivity to both race and class concentrate their attention on "The Displaced Person" ("Flannery O'Connor and Class," "The Side of the Road"). And there is Ralph C. Wood's recognition of the role of manners in supplying" the constraints necessary for social intercourse" (The Christ-Haunted South 124). Wood's contrastive analysis of the early "Geranium" and the late rewrite "Judgement Day" foregrounds the manners of both Tanner and Coleman in the later story, manners that create both charity and friendship between two people who without those manners would be enemies, against the "fake manners" of the early story (The Christ-Haunted South 134-39). Barbara Wilkie Tedford argues that O'Connor criticism has too frequently focused on "theological implications" (27). …


The operational stability is a current bottleneck facing the quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). In particular, the device working around turn-on voltage suffers from unbalanced charge injection and heavy power loss. Here, we investigate the operational stability of red emissive CdSe QLEDs operated at different applied voltages. Compared to the rising luminance at higher voltages, the device luminance quickly decreases when loaded around the turn-on voltage, but recovers after unloading or slight heat treatment, which is termed fatigue effects of operational QLED. The electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectra before and after a period of operation at low voltages show that the abrupt decrease in device luminance derives from the reduction of quantum yield in quantum dots. Combined with transient photoluminescence and electroluminescence measurements, as well as equivalent circuit model analysis, the electron accumulation in quantum dots mainly accounts for the observed fatigue effects of a QLED during the operation around turn-on voltage. The underlying mechanisms at the low-voltage working regime will be very helpful for the industrialization of QLED.


Electric field gradient at nuclear site in the lattice of tetragonal close packed (TCP) metals such as Indium is computed using the theory developed on the pattern of the Charge Shift Model initiated for hexagonal close packed (hcp) lattice. Numerical results are obtained using FORTRAN programs developed by us for electric field gradient in Indium. A tabulation of lattice sums for electric gradient in this metal suggests that all the three nonequivalent sites under the charge shift ansatz do not simultaneously pass through null electric field gradient for the case when the tcp lattice of the element transforms to body centered cubic lattice with axial ratio unity. At least one non-equivalent electronic site in the frame work of the charge shift model lacks the point symmetry of tetragonal system and contributes an extra electric field gradient.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the protective effect of astragalus on testis tissues following unilateral testicular torsion/detorsion.

METHODS
Thirty healthy adult Wistar rats were equally randomized into Group A (sham-operation control), B (torsion/detorsion) and C (torsion/detorsion plus intraperitoneal injection of astragalus). The testicular torsion/detorsion model was established by the Turner method. All the rats were fed under the same condition for 7 days and sacrificed, and the torsional testes were harvested for the detection of germ cell apoptosis, glutathione activity and the level of malonic diethylaldehyde (MDA).

RESULTS
The apoptosis indexes (AI) of spermatogenic cells in the torsional testes were (5.82 +/- 1.21), (36.18 +/- 8.40) and (20.39 +/- 3.57) in Group A, B and C, significantly higher in Group B and C than in A (P < 0.05) and in Group B than in C (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in glutathione activity in the ipsilateral testes among Group A (48.03 +/- 2.01), B (30.93 +/- 1.25), C (38.44 +/- 1.06) U/mg (P< 0.05), as well as in the level of MDA, (1.43 +/- 0.17), (3.98 +/- 0.36), (2.57 +/- 0.53) nmol/ml, among the three groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Astragalus could significantly reduce the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells, decrease the level of lipid peroxidation and protect glutathione activity in the torsional testis.


A research carried out within the Department of Architectural Design of the University of Florence offers the opportunity to examine, thanks to the design practice exercised on a case study, some theoretical assumptions about the city matured by a part of architectural culture since the second half of last century and perhaps still poorly explored. At the basis of these theories, the break of disciplinary autonomy in the conception of public space is clear: architecture opens up to content from other disciplines in an attempt to recover the identity of places and that sense of appropriation of collective space by citizens. The disciplinary heteronomy is a difficult road but however it seems to be necessary in the attempt to resolve the conflicts inherent in the contemporary city plagued by increasingly marked separations. Limits, separations and degradation are phenomena that are often self-feeding and which space, if not the public one, could be the bearer of those values and solutions able to subvert the state of things?


DNA polymerase activity was measured in mouse embryos at stages before implantation to determine whether it increases in proportion to the amount of DNA synthesis, as it does in populations of differentiated mammalian cells, or remains constant, as it does in early sea urchin embryos. Total enzyme activity was found to be relatively unchanged following fertilization and in the first few cleavage stages. However, between the 12- and 120-cell (blastocyst) stage, the amount of activity increased by several-fold. These results indicate that the relationship between amount of DNA polymerase activity and DNA synthesis in mouse embryos exhibits two phases: in the early cleavage phase it is similar to that in sea urchin embryos, whereas, in the blastocyst phase, it is similar to that in differentiated mammalian cells.


We report hydrophobic perfluoropolymer thin-film encapsulation for enhancing the air ambient stability of inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs). Using a perfluoropolymer, poly(perfluorodecylmethacrylate) (PFDMA), as an encapsulation material, an orthogonal process that enables a solution-processing of encapsulation polymers to be coated directly on the inverted PSCs without damaging the underlying organic components is possible. Particularly, with PFDMA encapsulation, the air ambient stability was significantly enhanced, showing only an efficiency reduction of 23.3% after 456 hours of air exposure. The enhanced device stability can be attributed to the hydrophobic property of the PFDMA surface, which suppresses the transmission of air ambient gas molecules into the solar cells. Thus, the PFDMA coating can be beneficial in achieving high-stability organic electronics by using an easy-to-use route.


A gas-liquid chromatographic methodwas applied to the determination of anomeric forms of isomaltose and glucose produced by Arthrobacter globiformis isomalto-dextranase and glucodextranase. The anomeric forms of products released from isomaltotriose, panose and dextran were quantitatively determined. The isomalto-dextranase that was also capable of splitting the a-1,4-glucosidic linkage of panose was found to exclusively produce a-isomaltose from these substrates, and the glucodextranase, ^-glucose.


Mutations in the Wilson disease copper transporting, P-type ATPase lead to the accumulation of toxic levels of copper in the liver, brain, and kidney causing extensive tissue damage and eventual death. The NH 2 -terminal domain ( (cid:1) 70 kDa), which contains six copies of the heavy metal-associated repeat GMT/HC XX C, is also able to bind zinc. We have used circular dichroism (CD) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to characterize zinc binding to the NH 2 -terminal metal-binding domain. These studies have revealed that zinc is able to bind to this domain with a stoichiometry of 6:1, and upon binding, induces conformational changes in the NH 2 -termi- nal domain. These conformational changes are completely different from those previously observed for copper binding to the domain and lead to an overall loss of secondary structure in the domain. The XAS spectra indicate that zinc is ligated primarily by nitrogen atoms and therefore has low affinity for the heavy metal-asso-ciated repeats where copper has been shown to bind. The differences between zinc and copper binding may serve the basis for the metal-ion mediated regulation of the .


Precise control of the structure of nanogranular materials over different polymorphs is directly related to the manifestation of the desired and resultant properties. The room temperature phase stabilisation of nanocrystalline tetragonal (t)-ZrO2 has been a controversial topic in the literature. Here, we report that the stabilisation of t-ZrO2 is enhanced with the tubular geometry at the nanoscale and that it can be manipulated by carefully selecting the initial structures as-grown. ZrO2 nanotubes (ZNTs) produced via template-directed atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques were in the growth temperature range of 150 through 250 °C, followed by thermal treatment up to 700 °C. The resulting phases of the ZNTs (i.e., tetragonal and/or monoclinic ZrO2) were strongly affected by the interplay between the original deposition and post-annealing temperatures. We further elucidated that both the initially grown phases and the types of crystalline nuclei in the as-deposited nanotubes determine the final microstructures. This observation gives us an unambiguous clue to understanding the controversial results on the phase stabilisation of nanocrystalline t-ZrO2. Calculation results also support that the confinement within the thin wall layers is pronounced during nucleation and growth, which results in the enhanced stabilisation of t-ZrO2. The present results provide us with an insight to the stabilisation of nanocrystalline t-ZrO2 and with a strategy on how to tailor the structures of ZrO2 nanostructures in fine-tuning material properties.


The number and structure of chromosomes of Carassius auratus (L., 1758) (Cyprinidae family) were investigated and karyotype was determined. The specimens used were caught with fishing nets and fish line from Kizilirmak River near Bogazkopru and Yemliha, Kayseri. Gill tissues were used for slide preparation. The total chromosome number (2n) was to be 104. Of these, 12 pairs were identified in metacentric (m) position, 17 in submetasentric (sm) and 23 in acrocentric (a). The arm number of chromosome (NF) was 162.


Open licensing used in open educational resources allows for teaching and learning practices that are not possible with traditional copyright. There is a growing body of empirical research on open pedagogy. However, definitions and instantiations of open pedagogy vary in the literature. The purpose of this review was to systematically search and synthesize empirical findings on open pedagogy. In this, the definitions of open pedagogy across empirical reports were examined. Generally, open pedagogy was defined in the context of open licensing affordances; however, there were exceptions particularly when examining faculty experiences with open pedagogy. Synthesized findings may be used by faculty to inform use of open pedagogy especially when considering issues with student confusion and changing power dynamics.


We have modified the Lowicryl K4M low-temperature dehydration and embedding procedure for immunoelectron microscopy to provide improved ultrastructural detail and facilitate the localization of actin and tubulin in isolated rat adrenocortical cells, chick spinal cord with attached dorsal root ganglia (SC-DRG), and cultured dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Cells and tissues were fixed for immunocytochemistry either in a mixture of 2% paraformaldehyde and 0.25% glutaraldehyde (0.1 M PIPES buffer, pH 7.3) or in a mixture of 0.3% glutaraldehyde and 1.0% ethyldimethylaminopropylcarbodiimide (0.1 M phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.3). Dehydration was in ethanol at progressively lower temperatures to -35 degrees C. Infiltration at -35 degrees C was followed by ultraviolet polymerization at -20 degrees C. Comparable samples were fixed in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and embedded in Epon 812 or Epon-Araldite. Post-embedding immunostaining of thin sections utilized commercially available monoclonal antibodies to tubulin and actin followed by the protein A-gold technique (Roth et al., Endocrinology 108:247, 1981). Actin immunoreactivity was observed at the periphery of mitochondria and between mitochondria and lipid droplets in rat adrenocortical cells and at the periphery of neuronal cell processes of SC-DRG. Tubulin immunoreactivity was associated with microtubules throughout neurites of cultured DRG. Our modified technique allows preservation of ultrastructural details as well as localization of antigens by immunoelectron microscopy.


The adoption of an integrated asset modeling approach was explored to kick-start the corporate digital transformation strategy for its oil and gas section. Besides the integrated asset model, the digital initiatives included predictive maintenance, well performance optimization, and a flow assurance advisor aimed at daily production operations and maintenance, creating a pathway to the digital oilfield (DOF). The integrated asset model would be the main pillar of DOF realization and implementation, its offered technology aimed at short-term, medium-term, and long-term planning.
 The adopted well-proven integrated asset modeling methodology enabled a geological complex with a high-fidelity physics reservoir model, multiple interdependent wells, pipeline networks, process facility models to be integrated seamlessly on a single platform for validation of its existing production operation strategy and field development plan. The black-oil reservoir model was history matched, and the production network models had detailed wellbore and pipeline hydraulics calibrated with the latest well-test data. The compositional fluid modeling allowed the capture of any flow assurance issues that arose across the networks, which were mapped to the corresponding process facility models with physical specifications and operational constraints defined.
 A fully integrated asset model was developed for the studied asset, where liquid/vapor tables were prepared for black-oil delumping (Ghorayeb and Holmes, 2005) of the reservoir models to surface network models (Mora et al. 2015), while fluid models of both production network and process models were validated before mapping to ensure fluid fidelity. The availability of this integrated asset model with an embedded spreadsheet program incorporating some simple economic calculations allowed the flexibility of short-term production optimization and long-term asset planning, which was focused to provide all the vital valuable inputs to better field management, fast and accurate decision making, and optimum safe operation of process units in meeting the sales contract.
 The integrated asset model offered a platform for engineers from different domains to collaborate with aligned common operational and planning objectives. It empowered assessments of production operation strategy and field development scenarios conducted at full field level from pore to process. The customized reporting, the ability to connect to other tools, and to push results to dashboards helped to kick-start the corporate digital transformation strategy.


Nations whose cultural tradition due to historical reasons is not large, especially smaller nations, cannot display centuries-old academic traditions which philosophy as a field of knowledge and research would presuppose. Luckily philosophy is not merely a faculty of knowledge but represents the field of perception to which poets have contributed since the oldest times – in parallel with philosophical practice in ancient Greece and long before philosophy became established as a university discipline in Western Europe. It would be too much to expect from poets a rational systematization in developing their thoughts. However, it does not mean at all that their thought would have been incapable of penetrating into life's darker zones, with which enlightened knowledge has often instinctively kept its distance.


The paper analyses the dynamics of generator-units during start-up of the induction motor drives. A unique mathematical model of integral motor drives has been developed, consisting of: a diesel engine, a synchronous generator and two non-regulated motor drives fed directly from generator-unit terminals. The aim of this paper is to compare dynamics behaviours of the generator-units during starting the second induction motor at the moment when the instantaneous electromagnetic torque of the synchronous generator reached various values


Intense beams of lithium ions offer an efficient and cost-effective source of power for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) if the beams can be adequately focused on target. In 1984, a proof-of-principle experiment on intense beam focusing with protons demonstrated the required beam-divergence at the required source current density. In 1985, the results were scaled to the total current and source radius required for ignition experiments. Scaling to the correct lithium source purity and energy on the particle beam fusion accelerator II (PBFA II) is the next step and will begin in 1986. The advances, risks and advantages of light ions for ICF are presented.


Staphylococcus species are the most frequent causes of infection and infections on indwelling medical devices, which characteristically involve biofilms. This study observes the biofilm forming abilities and to analyze antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus species were found to be biofilm producers by microtitter plate assay method. And to evaluate the antibiofilm property of Moringa oleifera an Indian medicinal plant, known to possess antimicrobial activity. The results demonstrate the high antibiofilm activity of the ethanol extract of the plant against S.aureus (5.21 ± 0.04), respectively. Keywords: Biofilm, Moringa oleifera, Staphylococus aureus, sputum Cite this Article Priya S, Priya M. Biofilm Forming and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Clinical Isolates of  Staphylococcus Species, Research & Reviews: A Journal of Microbiology and Virology. 2015; 5(2): 1–4p


A study of 92 patients operated on for primary hyperparathyroidism revealed that the condition was secondary to renal disease, thyrotoxicosis or malignancy in 35. Review of the literature revealed no reports of experimental studies on the relationship between hyperparathyroidism and thyrotoxicosis or malignancy. In renal disease, however, the author's own investigations show that the traditional concept of hypocalcemia as the most important factor in the development of parathyroid hyperfunction should be rejected. The parathyroid glands probably can be stimulated by various factors in "primary" hyperparathyroidism. Recent studies on the etiology of primary hyperparathyroidism are discussed and it is concluded that the term "primary" should be avoided as the disease is so often secondary.


Abstract : This thesis attempts to create a desire for change in DoD's current approach to Network Application Management (NAM). The evolution of NAM into Integrated Network Application Management (INAM) is a crucial component of Network Centric Warfare and achieving Information Superiority and Interoperability. INAM is outlined as three functional requirements, which are Network Awareness, Mission Prioritization linkage to Network Resources, and the Balancing of Service Management. Scenarios play a key role in illustrating the new threats that DoD faces today. These scenarios also identify limitations and challenges to NAM as it exists today. These challenges require significant improvements in flexibility and responsiveness, while providing for wide integration. Trends supporting change are identified in this thesis. Two of the more important trends are the rise of Architectural and Object Oriented Development. Examples such as Training and Testing Enabled Architecture (TENA), Surveillance and Target Acquisition Network (STAN), and Virtual Proving Ground (VPG) are clear examples of these trends. The merging of the Computer Industry's efforts to expand the reach of Operating Systems with the traditional efforts from Network Management is also a trend that is examined. Organizations like Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) are important to such examinations. Successful change can not be achieved without planning for the transition. This thesis also presents some active transition efforts addressing Network Centric Warfare. TENA, VPG and Naval Postgraduate School's Information Technology Management Master's Program provide three examples of addressing transition in DoD.


Abstract Purpose To quantify employment stability of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who received comprehensive vocational rehabilitation (VR) using different measures to identify difficulties experienced and factors associated with employment stability. Materials and methods 72 individuals with predominantly moderate-severe TBI were interviewed. Neuropsychological assessment scores were collected. Three employment stability measures were used: number of post-injury employers, duration with employer and average weekly hours. Descriptive and predictive analyses were performed. Results 90.2% remained employed at time of interview (Mean = 4.83 years post-injury). However, participants worked significantly fewer hours, 63.9% had changed roles or employers at least once and only 51% achieved their pre-injury level of responsibility. 61% reported a high level of employer support. Self-reported difficulties included physical sequelae, memory problems and fatigue. Post-injury testing found impaired memory (34.4%) and processing speed (49.2%). After accounting for time since injury, demographic and employment variables (older age, male gender, higher pre-injury skill-level, higher level of employer support), higher level of injury-related difficulties and lower level of cognitive function significantly predicted employment stability. Conclusion Injury-related difficulties impact employment long-term, necessitating ongoing work modifications. Individualised VR is important, not only to facilitate return to work but to support long-term employment stability after TBI. Implications for rehabilitation Being male was associated with working more hours, and having faster processing speed, lower levels of fatigue and ongoing physical sequelae were associated with a longer duration with the same employer. Initial return to work is often the first step on a long journey as injury-related difficulties can continue to impact work in the-long term and require lasting modifications to duties and working hours. VR should include ongoing follow-up to facilitate work modifications and support both the employer and the employee in adjusting to these. VR should be individualised to support the impact of the unique cognitive and physical limitations experienced by each individual with TBI, based on the needs and employment demands of each workplace.


It is more than 25 years since the last review of the status of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the United Kingdom (UK). The previous review used the British Red Data Book criteria to assign conservation status to five mayfly and seven stonefly species. The criteria used for assigning the threat status in these publications had the categories Endangered, Vulnerable and Rare, which were defined rather loosely and without quantitative thresholds. The application of these categories was largely a matter of judgment, and it was not easy to apply them consistently within a taxonomic group or to make comparisons between groups of different organisms. The present review has been undertaken to provide an up to date assessment of the status of mayfly and stonefly species in the UK. The IUCN Guidelines have been revised and subsequently updated, and new information on distribution and trends is now available, making it timely to revise the status of all mayfly and stonefly species. Over 275,000 distribution records covering 51 mayfly and 34 stonefly species were analysed and new status assessments provided for these species. This process resulted in one species of stonefly and two species of mayfly being listed as extinct in the UK and a further seven species listed as being at risk of extinction, compared with five species in the previous review. A further 10 species did not have sufficient information to confidently assess their status. Twentysix species were highlighted as being either Nationally Rare or Nationally Scarce. This represents a significant increase upon the previous review when only nine species were highlighted as being Nationally Rare/Scarce.


Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in men, characterized by hair miniaturization, hairline recession, and vertex balding. It affects approximately 50% of men, negatively affecting self-esteem and sociability. Topical minoxidil formulations are approved up to a 5% concentration for men, but patient adherence to treatment is challenged by gradual results that may be perceived as a lack of initial benefit. Herbal extracts, which are also believed to promote healthier-looking hair, have a long history of use in hair care formulations. The safety and efficacy of a twice-daily regimen of 5% minoxidil foam used in combination with a novel botanical hair solution was evaluated in a 12-week, multicenter, single-arm, open label study in 56 subjects with mild to moderate AGA. Assessments included investigator ratings of improvement and subject self-ratings of satisfaction. Investigator ratings indicated significant improvement in scalp hair coverage and perception of overall treatment benefit in as early as 4 weeks (P<.001). Subject self-ratings were significant for improved hair growth and hair appearance in as few as 4 weeks (P<.05). The regimen was well tolerated, and subjects indicated a high degree of satisfaction. Investigator and subject-assessed efficacy and subject satisfaction with this novel regimen provide clinicians with an effective treatment option for AGA that also provides a high level of patient satisfaction, which may help promote patient adherence to long-term treatment.


We study a continuous time model of a levered firm with fixed assets generating a cash flow which fluctuates with business conditions. Since external finance is costly, the firm holds a liquid (cash) reserve to help survive periods of poor business conditions. Holding liquid assets inside the firm is costly as some of the return on such assets is dissipated due to agency problems. We solve for the firms optimal dividend, share issuance, and liquid asset holding policies. The firm optimally targets a level of liquid assets which is a non-monotonic function of business conditions. In good times, the firm does not need a high liquidity reserve, but as conditions deteriorate, it will target higher reserve. In very poor conditions, the firm will declare bankruptcy, usually after it has depleted its liquidity reserve. Our model can predict liquidity holdings, leverage ratios, yield spreads, expected default probabilities, expected loss given default and equity volatilities all in line with market experience. We apply the model to examine agency conflicts associated with the liquidity re-serve, and some associated debt covenants. We see that a restrictive covenant applied to the liquidity reserve will often enhance the debt value as well as the equity value.


Acute infection of surgical incision sites often requires specialized wound care in preparation for surgical closure. Optimal therapy for preparing such wounds for a secondary closure procedure remains uncertain. The authors report wound outcomes after administering acoustic pressure wound therapy in conjunction with negative pressure wound therapy with reticulated open-cell foam dressing changes to assist with bacteria removal from open, infected surgical-incision sites in preparation for secondary surgical closure in three patients. Before incorporating acoustic pressure wound therapy at the authors' facility, the average negative pressure wound therapy with reticulated open-cell foam dressing course prior to secondary surgical closure was 30 days; with its addition, two of three patients underwent successful surgical closure with no postoperative complications after 21 and 14 days, respectively; one patient succumbed to nonwound-related complications before wound closure. Larger, prospective studies are needed to evaluate combining negative pressure wound therapy with reticulated open-cell foam dressing and acoustic pressure wound therapy for infected, acute post surgery wounds.


In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutants are viable with large deletions (rho-), or even complete loss of the mitochondrial genome (rho0). One class of rho- mutants, which is called hypersuppressive, is characterised by a high transmission of the mutated mitochondrial genome to the diploid progeny when mated to a wild-type (rho+) haploid. The nuclear gene CCE1 encodes a cruciform cutting endonuclease, which is located in the mitochondrion and is responsible for the highly biased transmission of the hypersuppressive rho- genome. CCE1 is a Holliday junction specific endonuclease that resolves recombination intermediates in mitochondrial DNA. The cleavage activity shows a strong preference for cutting after a 5'-CT dinucleotide. In the absence of the CCE1 gene product, the mitochondrial genomes remain interconnected and have difficulty segregating to the daughter cells. As a consequence, there is an increase in the fraction of daughter cells that are rho0. In this paper we demonstrate the usefulness of lycorine, together with staining by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), to assay for the mitotic stability of a variety of mitochondrial genomes. We have found that rho+ and rho- strains that contain CT sequences produce a large fraction of rho0 progeny in the absence of CCE1 activity. Only those rho- mitochondrial genomes lacking the CT recognition sequence are unaffected by the cce1 allele.


This paper motivates how the quality of scientific computing applications can be improved by developing them as a program family. In particular, arguments are presented that a program family strategy improves the qualities of reusability and usability. The proposed methodology consists of determining the scientific computing family of interest, then performing a Commonality Analysis (CA) to document the terminology, commonalities (including goals and theoretical models) and variabilities (including assumptions, input variabilities and output variabilities). In the next step the CA is used as a basis for a Domain Specific Language (DSL) from whose instances program family members are automatically generated. The proposed approach is illustrated through two examples: a family of mesh generators and a family of virtual material testing laboratories.


This case of malignant transformation in a mature cystic ovarian teratoma (dermoid cyst) is significant for the atypical manner in which the malignant elements metastasized to lymph nodes without evidence of intraperitoneal dissemination. The disease rapidly progressed and proved to be fatal in this premenopausal woman. The lesson learned is that lymph node inspection should be an integral component of the physical examination and exploratory laparotomy when this apparently benign ovarian neoplasm is encountered. Abnormal findings may be indicative of metastasis from an occult malignant transformation.


The efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine salvage chemotherapy was evaluated in 27 heavily pretreated patients with recurrent and progressive ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer. At least one platinum-based chemotherapeutic regimen had failed in each patient. The median number of previous chemotherapy regimens and cycles of chemotherapy was 4 and 23, respectively. A total of 124 cycles of gemcitabine were delivered (median, 3 cycles). Hematologic toxicity included four patients with grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia and two patients with grade 3/4 neutropenia. Thrombocytopenia and neutropenia resulted in eight dose reductions and a single 1-week treatment delay. Nonhematologic side effects were well tolerated and largely self-limiting. No complete responses were observed. Three patients (11%) demonstrated partial responses to therapy. The duration of response was 7 months for two of the responders and 5 months for the third responder. Stable disease was observed in 14 patients (52%), in whom the median progression-free interval was 5 months. In conclusion, among heavily pretreated patients, gemcitabine has limited antitumor activity in platinum-resistant carcinomas of the ovary, fallopian tube, and peritoneum. The role of gemcitabine in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies of the ovary, fallopian tube, and peritoneum will be determined by studies that define the efficacy of multiagent regimens of chemotherapy that include gemcitabine and by studies that include patients who have been less heavily pretreated.


Abstract : Barrel heating and erosion concerns for the Navy are being brought to light by new extended-range munitions. These munitions have, in general, higher performance requirements and use new propellants. In light of these concerns, the following investigation was performed to determine the thermal and erosion characteristics of the current and proposed munitions. In this report, the calculation methodology governing both the thermal and erosion work is described. Six thermal scenarios were computed to compare the thermal load from various combinations of charges. Single-shot erosion predictions are presented for three charges: MK67 with NACO propellant, MK73 with M3OAl propellant, and EX167 extended-range guided munitions (EROM) propelling charge with EX99 propellant A fourth single-shot erosion calculation was made using the product gas-state variables and gas velocity of the MK73 charge with chemical constituents of EX99 propellant. The erosion results highlight propellant combustion product differences at the surface between the current and newer propellants. The primary conclusion is that carburization leading to iron carbide formation may be an important contributing factor for much of the material lost from the steel barrel once it is exposed through cracks or chips in the surface coating.


The analysis presented in this paper deals with the topic of the integration of a cultural institution in old industrialised urban contexts, and concerns the use of cultural activities not only as factors of diversification of the local economy, but also as elements of innovation and cross-fertilisation for the former industrial functions. The cases of Biella industrial district and Saint-Etienne industrial area are described in light of the current debate on the culture-based urban and regional development. Attention is also paid to the experiences of Cittadellarte- Pistoletto Foundation and Cite du Design, two cultural institutions recently established in the above mentioned contexts and operating as important nodes of innovation and relations between the local and global networks


We uniquely determine the mode number using two erbium-doped fiber laser combs operating in different repetition rates for optical frequency measurement with no dependence on the frequency fluctuation of the laser under measurement.


Having developed the Emergent Learning Model as a conceptual "development framework" to best capture how learning might be designed, developed and deployed if it is learner-centric, we needed to test that model and learn how we might evolve new informal learning ecosystems in contexts beyond the classroom. In the EU call for the "future of learning" in IST 7 it offered 2 strands, one concerning the "classroom of the future" and one concerning "community content." Through links with the City of Manchester and Manchester University we developed the Ambient Learning City project (MOSI-ALONG), which became a JISC-funded project concerned with testing what new practical issues needed to be addressed in creating new learning eco-systems based on "learner-generated digital libraries". We found 3 major issues. Firstly creating new public partnerships, with local authorities and various public bodies not normally concerned with designing learning eco-systems. Secondly in creating learning contexts 'beyond the classroom" we lose many of the hidden values of classroom-based learning and have to create new ones, what we call new metaphors for learning; in MOSI-ALONG this was 'Digital Cabinets of Curiosity.' Thirdly new learning processes need to be created which reflect the context & tools (in our case social media) being used. We developed the "Aggregate then Curate" model, focussing on content curation more than content curation. In this paper we will discuss the practical problems we faced in developing an ambient learning city and how we developed new solutions for partnerships, metaphors and processes for new learning ecosystems.


Pulsed flows, characterized by periodic fluctuations in flow rate, are noise-productive, but an oscillating valve positioned in the exhaust duct can attenuate the main harmonic of pulsed flow. We define a valve adaptive control in the frequency domain implemented by a digital signal processor for experimental purposes. Results show noise reduction at ground level and tracking of process unstationarity.


Background and Aims Algeria is in the fourth rank of road accidents in the world. The Aim of the study was to provide recommendations to government and health authorities, based on hard evidence, for improving health care delivery to children with severe TBI in the referral region of the university hospital center in Oran. Method In this cohort, all children with severe TBI was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the University Hospital Centre of Oran, between the January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2007. Results The average age is 7 years 1⁄2. Road accidents are in the origin of more than 70% of the cases in which 80% are pedestrians. 65 % of pedestrians are injured on roads in rural environment (countryside). The pre hospital management is unfortunately almost absent. 1/3 of children had GCS score < 5. Median Injury Severity Scale (ISS) score was 26 (IQR 21–33; Range 9–75). The polytraumatism represents 1/5 of the cases. The cerebral œdema was found in 3/4 of the cases. On the 573 children, the rate of survival is 61 %. In this study, the road accidents represent the main cause of severe TBI in children and are responsible of a more high mortality essentially due to the absence of prehospital management. Conclusion The improvement of prehospital management must be reduce the mortality and improve the prognosis of severe TBI and the information of the population should be promoted to reduce the frequency of severe TBI.


Comprehensive HIV prevention interventions are increasingly recognized as critical in the global effort to reduce HIV transmission among people who use injection drugs. Scientific evidence clearly shows that a variety of biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions can prevent and reduce injection drug user-driven HIV epidemics, yet social and structural barriers to their implementation remain. This review discusses the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of individual programs for reducing HIV incidence among people who use injection drugs and how, by integrating individual programs as complements within a comprehensive HIV prevention approach, it is possible to achieve, and to sustain, greater results than those of individual programs alone. The article concludes with a discussion of a critical research priority; namely, to improve the implementation of comprehensive HIV prevention interventions in settings of prevalent injection drug use and to overcome the often complex barriers that impede them. Such an effort will require more than research alone, however. It will also require the ongoing commitment of policymakers, public health officials, and the affected communities themselves to use comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention as the most effective strategy to reduce new HIV infections.


This article begins with an econometric analysis of potential socioeconomic determinants of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) coverage. It shows that 'cultural' factors such as language diversity pose challenges to HAART coverage, but that the most important drivers of HAART coverage are: region (notably, living in the hyper-epidemic region of southern Africa) and access to government and donor funding. These economic determinants, however, are underpinned by a further cultural dimension—namely public and donor attitudes towards HIV/AIDS funding. The second part of the article turns to the issue of 'donor culture.' It describes the sea change in attitudes which underpinned the growth in funding for HIV/AIDS and points to the growing backlash against HIV/AIDS funding in which claims are being made that HIV/AIDS has received a greater share of funding than warranted by its contribution to the overall disease burden, and that Africans themselves would prefer HIV/AIDS resources to be allocated to other development objectives. The article argues that neither assertion is supported by the available evidence and that opinion data from the Afrobarometer surveys suggest that high levels of support exist within Africa for continued spending on health and HIV/AIDS, even in the presence of other challenges.


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have recently emerged as a new remote sensing aerial platform, and they are seemingly advancing real-time data generation. Nonetheless, considerable uncertainties remain in the extent to which wildlife managers can integrate UAVs into ecological monitoring systems for wildlife and their habitats. In this review, we discuss the recent progress and gaps in UAV use in wildlife conservation and management. The review notes that there is scanty information on UAV use in ecological monitoring of medium-to-large mammals found in groups in heterogeneous habitats. We also explore the need and extent to which the technology can be integrated into ecological monitoring systems for mammals in heterogeneous habitats and in topographically-challenging community wildlife-management areas, as a complementary platform to the traditional techniques. Based on its ability to provide high-resolution images in real-time, further experiments on its wider use in the ecological monitoring of wildlife on a spatiotemporal scale are important. The experimentation outputs will make the UAV a very reliable remote sensing platform that addresses the challenges facing conventional techniques.


With the slowing down of domestic economy growth and the deteriorating of international economic environment, stimulating domestic demand becomes the major way of the economic growth of our country, and the maximum potential of stimulating domestic demand lies in the rural area. The question of how to analyze the requirement of electric power in rural areas precisely was meaningful to the adjustment of industrial structure, the increase of farmers' income. This paper is intended to make clear the definition and classification of rural area electric power consumption structure firstly, and then analyzing the main factors that influence on electric power demand in rural area, the annual data were taken from China Statistical Yearbook during the period 1980–2010, used variables are electricity consumed in rural areas, value-added of the primary industry, per capita net income of rural households, irrigated area and agricultural machinery total power in the analysis, next applying cointegration analysis, vector error correction model and Granger-causality test. The result shows that there exists a longrun stable relation between these variables, inefficient electric power use for agricultural production and electricity consumption of farming are more than rural residents. In the end, summarized the main conclusions and put forward proposals for development of electric power.


This paper researches legitimacy creation in a publicly-funded trajectory of innovative technological development. It develops a framework of input, throughput and output legitimacy. The framework is developed based on a review of the literature on the creation of legitimacy in innovative technological development. The framework assists in further exploring the potential of the integrated assessment of the legitimacy of technological innovation trajectories in the public sphere, in terms of (1) public accountability (ensuring input legitimacy); (2) science, technology and innovation policy (ensuring throughput legitimacy); and (3) the potential for the implementation of the technology itself in practical contexts (ensuring output legitimacy). The framework is used to analyze a case study about the publicly-funded development of innovative technology for the retrieval of raw materials from waste water. Theoretically, the value of a more processual approach to the conceptualization of legitimacy becomes apparent. Furthermore, the framework assists in the development of practical recommendations on the ways in which to optimize the legitimacy in an earlier stage in the innovation's trajectory. However, due attention should also be paid to the role of regulatory arrangements in the optimization of the legitimacy of publicly-funded technological innovation. This is an avenue for further research.


The region of Lódź, located in the central part of Poland, is very specific with respect to water supply coverage. In this densly populated and extensively industrialised region there is a lack of natural reservoirs of surface water in the nearest vicinity of Lódź. Therefore, over 50% of water for public and domestic use is provided from underground water intakes. It is well known from the literature that in underground water may occur radionuclides in the uranium and thorium decay series. Underground water intakes in Lódź used for public water supplies have been surveyed for the presence of radium-226 and radon-222 since the earlier studies of quality standards of the gross alpha and gross beta activity pointed to their possible excessive values. The surveillance was based on the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The measurements of radium-226 activity showed its different concentrations depending on the age of the water-bearing level. These concentrations fell within the range of < 10 divided by 50 Bqm-3. Measurements of radon yielded similar results and its highest concentrations were found in the Lower cretaceous and Jurassic formations. Radon concentrations ranged from 200 to 11,400 Bqm-3. A maximum annual dose taken into the body in the population drinking this water may account for 0.85 microSv which is lower than the limit recommended by WHO.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

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Recently, a drug-drug interaction between BMS-275183 and the benzimidazole proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was found in ongoing clinical trials resulting in elevated exposure to BMS-275183 and toxicity. Whether the interaction takes place at the level of Pgp (MDR1), BCRP (ABCG2) and MRP2, which are expressed apically in the gut epithelial layer, was evaluated. BMS-275183 was used in in vitro cell survival experiments with wildtype and -MDR1, or -BCRP, or -MRP2 overexpressing MDCKII cells. Active drug transport in monolayers of wildtype and MDR1 overexpressing LLCPK cells (LLCPK-MDR1) and in wildtype and MDR1, or BCRP, or MRP2 overexpressing MDCKII cells in monolayers was also tested. Furthermore, BMS-275183 is being tested orally and i.v. in vivo in wildtype mice and in the MDR1 knockout mice (Mdr1a/1b−/−). IC50 values obtained with the SRB assay of BMS-275183 in MDCKII-wildtype vs -MDR1 were 2.0 + 0.5 and 28 + 3.4 nM, respectively (resistance factor RF=14; p 0.2). BMS-275183 was actively transported by MDR1 in LLCPK-MDR1 and MDCKII-MDR1, at a level that was slightly lower than that of paclitaxel. Active transport was completely inhibited by pantoprazole (1.25 mM; MDR1 and BCRP inhibitor), or zosuquidar (5 μM; MDR1 inhibitor). Moderate transport was also found in MDCKII-MRP2, which could completely be inhibited by the MRP2 inhibitor MK571 (50 μM). Preliminary results obtained in vivo in wildtype and Mdr1a/1b−/− mice indicate a possible interaction between the two drugs. In vitro, BMS-275183 is a good substrate drug for MDR1, a moderate substrate for MRP2 and not a substrate for BCRP. It is warranted to further explore the in vivo interaction between BMS-275183 and PPIs, which is currently ongoing. . Table: Cytotoxicity of BMS-275,183 in MDCKII cell lines a Growth inibition assay after 72 h of drug exposure b RF, resistance factor: ratio between IC50 value of resistant and parental cell lines. Mean (± SD) of at least three experiments.

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This paper aims to present and compare two techniques used to smooth the injected power in the grid from a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based conversion system. The first technique based on an inertial storage system while the second is founded on limiting the power captured by the wind turbine. The overall system composed of a wind energy conversion system (WECS) allowing to convert a wind power into electric power. It is controlled by two converters, grid side converter and a rotor side converter, both are controlled by sliding mode. The storage system is used to consume power which exceeds the setpoint due to storing it or producing more in the event of a lack, the system is controlled through the flywheel side converter by the sliding mode. Numerical simulations were carried out using Matlab/Simulink software.


A United States study of health-care applications in relation to Internet capabilities found distinct, if not unique, requirements for the Internet's evolutionary development. Many health-related processes stand to be reshaped by the Internet. This paper presents a broad overview of the types of applications that the Internet can support in five areas: consumer health, clinical care, financial and administrative transactions, public health, and biomedical research. It also considers the technical challenges.


This analysis proposes new measures of rent creation and rent sharing and assesses their impact on productivity on cross-country-industry panel data. We find first that: (1) anticompetitive product market regulations positively affect rent creation and (2) employment protection legislation boosts hourly wages, particularly for low-skill workers. However, we find no significant impact of this employment legislation on rent sharing, as the hourly wage increases are offset by a negative impact on hours worked. Second, using regulation indicators as instruments, we find that rent creation and rent sharing both have a substantial negative impact on total factor productivity. (JEL E22, E24, O30, L50, O43, O47, C23)


Introduction:
 The quality of chest compressions (CC) is crucial for good outcomes for pediatric cardiac arrest. Verbal prompts from resuscitation leader or CPR coach may help to optimize it. The objective of this study is to describe the frequency of appropriate verbal prompts during pediatric CPR. We hypothesized that verbal prompts for CC would be given less frequently to infants compared to children.

 Methods:
 A report from the Videography In Pediatric Emergency Resuscitation (VIPER) Collaborative, a prospective observational database from three tertiary PEDs from December 2016 to April 2018. All study sites videorecord and review resuscitations and use a pressure sensor/monitor device during CPR. All events where chest compressions (CC) were performed under videorecorded conditions with the monitor device in use were eligible for inclusion. Events where real-time feedback from monitoring devices for CC was available were excluded (ages > 8). Data on CPR performance was collected by a combination of video review and monitor device; CC rate and depth and ventilation rate were extracted in time periods corresponding to individual CPR providers. Data on verbal prompts (time, who gave prompts, what prompt consisted of) were identified during video review.

 Results:
 There were 21 cases with total 182 providers included in database during study periods (infants: n=15, children: n=6). Verbal prompts for compression rate and depth were given in 14/21 (67%) of cases. 19/80 (24%) came from the resuscitation leader; 32/80 (40%) and from a CPR coach. 7 (3.9%) providers doing CC watched ZOLL monitor for feedback. Appropriate verbal prompts for CC rate were given to 4.2 % of providers in infants and 8.8 % in children (p=0.024). And 9.2% in infants and 10.5 % in children (p=0.064) were given to providers for CC depth. After adjusting by confounders, there weren't any significant differences between age groups for both CC rate: OR1.22 (95%CI 0.49-3.05, P=0.670) and depth: OR 2.82 (95%CI 0.73-10.9, P=0.134).

 Conclusions:
 Verbal prompts frequency for CC rate and depth during pediatric CPR was described. There weren't any significant differences between infants and children under 8 years old.


: Falling Man by Don DeLillo is taken by most critics as either a discourse on 9/11 tragic events, or a text dealing with a society in crisis, or a work on terrorism and trauma. Though these leitmotivs are pertinent and explicit, other implicit, dialectic issues receive less attention. Critics also do not incorporate into their analyses DeLillo"s "In the Ruins of the Future: Reflections on Terror and Loss in the Shadow of September." This article forms—in many perspectives—the background and the core from which Falling Man appears. In both the article and the novel, DeLillo considers 9/11 an occasion upon which to fathom the global situation he finds typically unfolding in New York City where a group of Oriental terrorists assault Occidental citizens. In this paper, I analyze both the novel and the article as textually intersectional works exhibiting a specific type of heterogeneous dialectic between characters of two camps: the Western represented by American figures and their world, and the Eastern represented by the terrorists and their world. "Reflections" and Falling Man probe and explore ongoing ideological debates that preoccupy these camps; but the article is narrower and personal, whereas the novel is more universal and impersonal. Contriving heterogeneous dialectic per se, the novelist scrutinizes each body"s conditions and voices his comments and reflections about them. He tackles them neither through an Orientalist approach nor an Occidentalist mentality. Rather, he neutrally positions himself in the middle between the East and the West.


It is a common opinion that today's digital libraries (DL) can no longer be simple \expositions' of digital objects. Users should no more be passive readers, they need to interact with the library, add their annotations and tags, personalize their experience and collaborate with each other. Web 2.0 technologies, such as social bookmarking and online discussions, are already being applied in DLs to allow users to annotate digital objects. However, the lack of semantic structure of such annotations and a clear social model to share and aggregate community contributions makes it dicult to take full advantage of such collabora- tively created knowledge. The SemLib project aims at developing a modular and congurable an- notation system that can be easily plugged into existing digital libraries in order to allow end-users as well as digital libraries content curators to produce meaningful and customizable aggregations of semantically struc- tured annotations produced by communities. In this paper we introduce the SemLib project, discussing the principles and ideas behind the pro- posed annotation system, and present a prototypal implementation.


Objective:To develop an algorithm for optimal use of viral load testing in patients with suspected first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) failure. Methods:Data from a cohort of patients on first-line ART in Cambodia were analyzed in a cross-sectional way to detect markers for treatment failure. Markers with an adjusted likelihood ratio <0.67 or >1.5 were retained to calculate a predictor score. The accuracy of a 2-step algorithm based on this score followed by targeted viral load testing was compared with World Health Organization criteria for suspected treatment failure. Results:One thousand eight hundred three viral load measurements of 764 patients were available for analysis. Prior ART exposure, CD4 count below baseline, 25% and 50% drop from peak CD4 count, hemoglobin drop of ≥1 g/dL, CD4 count <100 cells per microliter after 12 months of treatment, new onset of papular pruritic eruption, and visual analog scale <95% were included in the predictor score. A score ≥2 had the best combination of sensitivity and specificity and required confirmatory viral load testing for only 9% of patients. World Health Organization criteria had a similar sensitivity but a lower specificity and required viral load testing for 24.9% of patients. Conclusion:An algorithm combining a predictor score with targeted viral load testing in patients with an intermediate probability of failure optimizes the use of scarce resources.


Abstract Oxides with generic stoichiometry M_7O_12 occupy, in a generic phase diagram, an intermediate place between fluorite and bixbyite structure types. Their structure is derived from the ideal fluorite structure, and it is characterized by a more or less pronounced ordering of the O vacancies within the average fluorite sublattice. We believe that ternary oxides with this kind of formula provide interesting degrees of flexibility for understanding the structural characteristic of these structures in the context of fission product stabilization in nuclear fuels and in the field of actinide waste forms as well. We would like to discuss the structural characteristics of the chemical bonds in ternary systems consisting of trivalent and hexavalent cations. Eventually, in compounds with generic formula Y_6B^+6O_12, the B cation can be either a transition metal (W, Mo) or hexavalent uranium. We believe that studying the polyhedron of the sevenfold coordinated Y ion is particularly interesting to understand the flexibility of the chemical bonds: it is often described in the literature as a mono-capped trigonal prism, with bond lengths exhibiting an extremely large dispersion, ranging for instance from 2.19 to 2.70 Å in Y_6WO_12. We would discuss the implications of this large dispersion of distances on the chemical bond characteristics and compare DFT models with established experimental knowledge on pristine and irradiated specimens. Graphic abstract


Significant advancements have been made in the characterization and understanding of the degradation behavior of the III-V semiconductor materials employed in Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) diodes. Briefly, for the first time a technique has been developed whereby it is possible to view the entire active region of a solid state laser in a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) using a novel Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) prepared plan-view sample geometry. This technique, in conjunction with TEM cross-section imaging has enabled a three-dimensional characterization of several of the degradation mechanisms that lead to laser failure. It is found that there may occur an initial drop in laser power output due to the development of cracks in the upper mirror layers. In later stages of degradation, dislocations are punched out at stress-concentrating sites (e.g. oxide aperture tips) and these dislocations can then extend over the active region in a manner consistent with recombination enhanced dislocation motion. Alternatively, complex three-dimensional dislocation arrays which exhibited dendritic-like growth and which cover the entire active region can nucleate on a single defect.


The antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability of combination therapy with candesartan cilexetil, 16 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide (CC/HCTZ), 12.5 mg was compared with that of amlodipine, in a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, parallel-group study in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension inadequately controlled by monotherapy.After a two week run-in period on existing therapy, patients with a sitting diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90—110 mmHg and a sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 180 mmHg were switched to either CC/HCTZ (n=101) or amlodipine (n=102), once-daily by mouth. After eight weeks of AA treatment, both regimens reduced mean trough blood pressure (BP) by a similar amount: mean sitting SBP/DBP reductions were -15.4/-11.9 mmHg for CC/HCTZ, and -15.7/-12.0 mmHg for amlodipine (group differences, p=0.835/0.963). The BP of 84.2% of patients on CC/HCTZ and 84.5% on amlodipine was controlled (sitting DBP < 90 mmHg and sitting SBP < 140 mmHg) (p=1.00). Six (5.9%) patients on CC/HCTZ and 18 (17.6%) on amlodipine discontinued treatment, including one (1% O ) and 12 (11.8%) owing to ad C verse events R (p<0.001).The most common adverse event was peripheral oedema, which occurred in two patients on CC/HCTZ and 19 on amlodipine. In conclusion, CC/HCTZ and amlodipine were equally effective in reducing BP in hypertensive patients not controlled by monotherapy, but CC/HCTZ was much better tolerated.Tolerance is an important clinical consideration in the chronic treatment of an asymptomatic disease.


In viticulture, there are several applications where bud detection in vineyard images is a necessary task, susceptible of being automated through the use of computer vision methods. A common and effective family of visual detection algorithms are the scanning-window type, that slide a (usually) fixed size window along the original image, classifying each resulting windowed-patch as containing or not containing the target object. The simplicity of these algorithms finds its most challenging aspect in the classification stage. Interested in grapevine buds detection in natural field conditions, this paper presents a classification method for images of grapevine buds ranging 100 to 1600 pixels in diameter, captured in outdoor, under natural field conditions, in winter (i.e., no grape bunches, very few leaves, and dormant buds), without artificial background, and with minimum equipment requirements. The proposed method uses well-known computer vision technologies: Scale-Invariant Feature Transform for calculating low-level features, Bag of Features for building an image descriptor, and Support Vector Machines for training a classifier. When evaluated over images containing buds of at least 100 pixels in diameter, the approach achieves a recall higher than 0.9 and a precision of 0.86 over all windowed-patches covering the whole bud and down to 60% of it, and scaled up to window patches containing a proportion of 20%-80% of bud versus background pixels. This robustness on the position and size of the window demonstrates its viability for use as the classification stage in a scanning-window detection algorithms.


The superposition of medical images, technically known as co-registration, can take a major role in determining the topographic and morphological changes in functional diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This paper describes a study focused on to find an alternative cost function method for medical images co-registration through the study of performance and robustness of the TSallis Entropy in Statistical Parametric Mapping package (SPM). Images of Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) of 3 patients morphologically normal were used for the construction of anatomic phantoms containing predetermined geometric variations. The simulated images were co-registered with the original images using traditional techniques and the proposed method. The comparative analysis of the Root Mean Square (RMS) error showed that the Tsallis Entropy was more efficient in the intramodality alignment, while the Shannon Entropy in the intermodality one; revealing therefore the importance of the implementation of the Tsallis Entropy in SPM for applications in neurology and neuropsychiatric evaluation.


Doctors and practices enjoy, for the most part, taking care of a high-profile patient. However, with the gratification and ego boost that come from being "chosen" to care for these individuals, there are potential risks and decision-making principles that must not be compromised. As a physician, a high-profile patient is a patient and an individual in need of care and expertise, and medically is no different than any other patient who seeks evaluation and treatment. As a practice, there is a need to understand how to interact and manage the expectations of the high-profile patient. This article will discuss the advantages, risks, and obstacles of and staff preparation for managing such patients.


Abstract Most recent research on character evolution attempts to identify either (1) homology or homoplasy (systematic use of the term character), or (2) the adaptive function or selective regime underlying the origin of a character ("adaptationist" use of the term character). There have been relatively few serious considerations or examples of neutral character evolution above the molecular level. Wing feather taxis in birds, the presence or absence of the fifth secondary feather, provides an intriguing possible example of nonadaptive character evolution. We examine the phylogenetic pattern of wing feather taxis among birds to (1) determine its polarity in modern birds (Neornithes), (2) hypothesize the frequency and taxonomic locations of changes in the taxic state, (3) test whether taxis is relatively labile or inert phylogenetically, and (4) allow preliminary consideration of whether adaptive or selectively neutral processes have produced those patterns. Minimum tree length necessary to explain the distribution of wing feather taxis was calculated at the family level using Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA–DNA hybridization tree (1990). Parsimony analysis indicates that the eutaxic condition (fifth secondary present) is ancestral in modern birds, and that diastataxy (fifth secondary absent) has originated independently at least 7 times and reversed to the eutaxic condition on at least 13 occasions within modern birds. Despite multiple independent origins and reversals, wing feather taxis is extremely conserved throughout the tree, such that one or the other state completely characterizes many large multiordinal or multifamilial clades. Lack of obvious correlations with morphological and ecological traits suggest that no single adaptive scenario will explain the evolution of wing feather taxis. Instead, the biological details and phylogenetic patterns make nonadaptive, or selectively neutral evolutionary processes, such as genetic drift, an equally if not more plausible explanation for the distribution of wing feather taxis.


This paper is concerned with microbubble dynamics in a blood vessel surrounded by elastic tissue subject to ultrasound, which are associated with important applications in medical ultrasonics. Both the blood flow inside the vessel and the tissue flow external to the vessel are modeled using the potential flow theory coupled with the boundary element method. The elasticity of tissue is modeled through the inclusion of a pressure term in the dynamic boundary condition at the interface between the two fluids. Weakly viscous effects are considered using viscous potential flow theory. The numerical model is validated by comparison with the theoretical results of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation for spherical bubbles, the numerical results for acoustic bubbles in an unbounded flow, and the experimental images for a spark generated bubble in a rigid circular cylinder. Numerical analyses are then performed for the bubble oscillation, jet formation and penetration through the bubble, and the deformation of the vessel...


The quasi-linearization procedure of Booton is applied to obtain an analytic approximation to phase-lock receiver threshold. Only the situation of an unmodulated sinusoid embedded in additive white Gaussian noise has been considered. The threshold signal-to-noise power ratio in the two-sided loop noise bandwidth of a phase-lock receiver of arbitrary transfer function was found to be 1.34 db. At threshold the rms loop error is 1.0 radian. The special situation of a high gain second-order receiver was also treated. In order to compare the analytical results with possible future measurements, the high S/N bandwidth was chosen as a reference point. Referred to this high S/N bandwidth, the threshold signal-to-noise power ratio of -0.2 db and a corresponding rms loop error of 1.16 radians were derived. The applicability of Booton's linearization procedure to nonlinear systems with statistical inputs has been experimentally verified in control system applications similar in nature to the phase-lock loop with excellent results. It is therefore anticipated that the application to phase-lock loop analysis should yield a mathematical model which describes the system more closely than strictly linear approximations.


The structural engineer working on the refurbishment of buildings with traditional timber joints is often faced with the task of assessing the strength of the truss in its present condition, with possible damage or deterioration from years of service. Current practice is to avoid replacement or strengthening where possible (Hume, 1991). Modern codes of practice do not refer to the strength of traditional joints, and simple methods of equilibrium are unduly conservative. A study was undertaken to investigate the strength of two commonly occurring types of eaves joint, using both laboratory tests on scaled joints, and computational analyses of detailed stress distributions in the timber. Materials tests on the shear capacity of timber showed that the along-grain shear strength is not single-valued but is best defined by a Mohr-Coulomb model, and that measured values defining a shear envelope were considerably in excess of values recommended by British Standard 5268 (1990). The computational analysis indicated that the stresses along a plane of shear failure in an eaves joint was highly non-uniform. Close correlation was achieved between the failure loads of several scale model truss joints and detailed finite element analyses of stresses along and normal to the failure plane combined with the Mohr-Coulomb envelopes. Introduction For several hundred years, the construction of joints in timber roof trusses followed a traditional pattern based upon notches, tenons, laps, dovetails, Transactions on the Built Environment vol 15, © 1995 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509 286 Architectural Studies, Materials & Analysis scarfs and dowels (Harris, 1978, and Hewitt, 1980). The carpenter sized the timbers and selected the joint type and proportions by experience. No structural analysis was conducted, because the mathematical skills were not generally available, and the loads and timber strengths were completely unknown. Despite this situation, failures were rare because the timber sizes were chosen to be generous, and the craft guilds ensured apprenticeships for trainee joiners, so that safe practices were handed down. In addition, the requirement of adequate stiffness to limit deflections led to the use of heavy sections. In the present day, the structural engineer may need to assess, in building refurbishment, the factor of safety of timber trusses which have deteriorated with time, and which may be required to carry additional loads based upon modern Standards. BS 5268 Section 7.3 (1990), offers some guidance on modern stress graded timbers and gang nail joints, but this is a very different form of construction to the traditional roof truss (Yeomans, 1992). Two types of eaves joint became widely used in roofs of halls and larger houses, and are often to be assessed during refurbishment work. They are the simple notch (sometimes also dowelled, tenoned, or strapped), and the inclined notch (sometimes dowelled or strapped), see figure 1. While the loads impinging upon an eaves joint of a Victorian timber truss may now be readily calculated by the structural engineer, the strength of a notched joint is less definitive. A simple approach would be to assume a shear failure along the grain due to the horizontal component of the rafter force, resisted by an average shear strength of the timber. This, however ignores the detailed mechanics of the joint, and the complex pattern of stresses around the joint. Figure 1 Two types of eaves joint, and the plane of shear failure.


Drug resistance imposes a major obstacle in ovarian cancer treatment. All patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer are treated with a combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin. While 70% of ovarian cancers respond to carboplatin, less than 50% respond to paclitaxel. Inhibition of kinases that modulate primary paclitaxel resistance, could enhance response to therapy. A Kinase siRNA library was screened in ovarian cancer cell lines to determine which kinases regulate paclitaxel sensitivity. Among 45 hits from high throughput screening, 14 target proteins (AATK, ACRBP, BMP2K, CHUK, EDN2, IKBKB, ILK, RAPGEF3, RAPGEF4, RFP, SIK2, STK24, STK39 and TBK1) regulated sensitivity to paclitaxel and were differentially expressed or overexpressed in a fraction of ovarian cancers. siRNAs against each of these kinases were tested for the ability to enhance sensitivity to paclitaxel in each of 12 ovarian cancer cell lines that reflected the heterogeneity observed in ovarian cancers including mutations of TP53, BRCA1/2, KRAS, BRAF, PI3K and PTEN. Knockdown of 10 individual genes enhanced paclitaxel sensitivity by at least two folds in different cell lines. A subscreen using combinations of these 14 kinase siRNAs in the six most responsive cell lines were carried out to select pairs of kinase siRNAs which could further potentiate paclitaxel sensitivity. IKBKB and STK39 kinase siRNAs had the greatest activity. We discovered that knockdown of IKBKB and STK39 stabilized microtubules judged by a microtubule fractionation assay and levels of acetylated and detyrosinated tubulin. IKBKB and STK39 kinase siRNAs also induced apoptosis. Double knockdown of microtubule stabilizing kinases IKBKB and STK39 resulted in greater enhancement in microtubule stability and apoptosis, leading to additive sensitization of paclitaxel. Small molecule inhibitors are available for IKBKB. As inhibition drugs become available for STK39, these observations can be translated to the clinic. Citation Format: Hailing Yang, Xiaoyan Wang, Ahmed Ahmed, Lakesla Iles, Geoffrey Bartholomeusz, Zhen Lu, Robert C. Bast Jr.. Combinations of kinase siRNAs potentiates paclitaxel sensitivity in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4670.


The effects of both arachidonic acid (AA) and inhibition of its metabolism on the antibody-induced changes in the mechanical contraction and action potentials of the isolated papillary muscles were studied. It has been shown that antibody-dependent induction of AA oxidation led to the initiation of Ca2+ entry through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels of a myocyte. Inhibition of the lipoxygenase way of AA peroxidation prevented Ca2+ overload of cardiomyocytes more than inhibition of the cyclooxygenase way, but less than blocking Ca2+ channels.


The present study aims to compare two traditional extraction techniques. A volatile compound from Tamarindus indica seed was obtained with Soxhlet extraction (SE) and hydrodistillation using the Clevenger apparatus (HDC). The extraction yield and chemical composition of the essential oil samples were compared. Both oils extracted were analyzed with GC-MS, and forty-one chemical compounds were identified in essential oil components from SE while forty chemical compounds were found in the HDC-extracted oil sample. The major essential oil components present in both the SE and HDC method are cis-vaccenic acid, 2-methyltetracosane, beta-sitosterol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)-, and n-hexadecanoic acid in varying concentrations. Moreover, the essential oils obtained by both methods look similar quantitatively but differ qualitatively. The HDC method produced more oxygenated compounds that contribute to the fragrance of the oil. The major constituents observed in the essential oil extracted by SE methods include cis-vaccenic acid (17.6%), beta-sitosterol (12.71%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)- (11.82%), n-hexadecanoic acid (8.16%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, methyl ester (5.84%), oleic acid (4.54%), and 11-octadecenoic acid and methyl ester (3.94%). However, in the hydrodistillation technique, the oil was mostly composed of 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)- (23.72%), cis-vaccenic acid (17.16%), n-hexadecanoic acid (11.53%), beta-sitosterol (4.53%), and octadecanoic acid (3.8%). From the data obtained, HDC seems to be a better method for extraction of Tamarindus indica essential oil compared to the Soxhlet extraction apparatus.


Perfusion CT is a technique that can be readily incorporated into the existing CT protocols that continue to provide the mainstay for anatomical imaging in oncology to provide an in vivo marker of tumour angiogenesis. By capturing physiological information reflecting the tumour vasculature, perfusion CT can be useful for diagnosis, risk-stratification and therapeutic monitoring. However, a wide range of perfusion CT techniques have evolved and the various commercial implementations advocate different acquisition protocols and processing methods. Acquisition choices include first pass studies or delayed imaging, temporal resolution versus image noise, and single location sequences or multiple spiral acquisitions. Data processing may be semi-quantitative or, using either compartmental analysis or deconvolution, produce results that are quantified in absolute physiological terms such as perfusion, blood volume and permeability. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the more common CT perfusion protocols and offers proposals that could allow for easier comparison between studies employing different techniques.


Barium sulphate (BaSO4) precipitation has been suggested to occur by non-classical pathways that include the formation of a dense liquid precursor phase, nucleation of primary nanoparticles and two levels of oriented aggregation resulting in micron-sized barite single crystals. In this study we build from this previous knowledge and explore how Ba2+ and SO42− ions associate in solution prior to nucleation of a solid phase and the effects of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in these pre-nucleation and post-nucleation stages. With this aim, in situ potentiometric experiments and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of time-resolved quenched samples were carried out. Additional bulk precipitation experiments in which supersaturation was achieved by rapid mixing of Ba- and SO4-bearing solutions were performed. The resultant precipitates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (FESEM and ESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. Our study provides evidence that barium sulphate precipitation occurs via the formation of ion associates in solution (ion pairs and/or clusters), that are significantly destabilized in the presence of PAA. This is associated with a noticeable delay in nucleation in the presence of PAA. Thus, our results provide indirect evidence that suggests that prenucleation ion associates must form prior to solid BaSO4 nucleation. Alternatively, BaSO4 mineralization in the presence of PAA seems to occur by a different route that consists in the formation of Ba-PAA globules in solution followed by an amorphous hydrated BaSO4 phase that transform into crystalline barite nanoparticles. PAA seems to stabilize this amorphous phase, which nevertheless also forms in the absence of PAA. Finally, single micron-sized crystals are formed by the oriented attachment of distinguishable smaller subunits, thus forming mesocrystals in the presence and absence of PAA.


As the basic application of PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) theories and technologies, electronic authentication services (thereinafter referred to as EAS) is defined as to provide authentic identities and identity verification services for participants involved in network-based activities. Due to its complexity of constructing PKI, most application systems including e-business platforms need to integrate EAS provided by a third party into their own business processes. Based on exploration on the requirements of EAS for e-business together with careful study and engineering practice in this area, this paper presents a complete solution of EAS based on PKI for enabling e-business. Architecture of EAS and its functionality components are brought forth and illustrated first. Then we brought forward a cross-domain trust model and method of managing different trust sources to achieve cross-domain trust and configurable trust-policy. To integrate EAS with e-business systems agilely, we put forward an agile integrating solution utilizing technologies such as web service and remote scripting.


Epididymis is a sex steroid (androgen + estrogen)-sensitive duct provided with spontaneous motility, allowing sperm transport. We previously reported that the oxytocin (OT) receptor (OTR) mediates an estrogen-dependent increase in epididymal contractility. Because endothelin (ET)-1 also regulates epididymal motility, we tested its sex steroid dependence in a rabbit model. We demonstrated that estrogens up-regulate responsiveness to ET-1, which is reduced by blocking aromatase activity (letrozole, 2.5 mg/kg) or by triptorelin (2.9 mg/kg)-induced hypogonadism, whereas it is fully restored by estradiol valerate (3.3 mg/kg weekly) but not by testosterone enanthate (30 mg/kg weekly). However, changing sex steroid milieu did not affect either ET-1, its receptor gene, or protein expression. Two structurally distinct OTR-antagonists [(d(CH2)5(1), Tyr(Me)(2), Orn(8))-OT and atosiban] almost completely abolished ET-1 contractility, without competing for [125I]ET-1 binding, suggesting that OT/OTR partially mediates ET-1 action. Immunohistochemical studies in human and rabbit epididymis demonstrated that both OT and its synthesis-associated protein, neurophysin I, are expressed in the epithelial cells facing the muscular layer, suggesting local OT production. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated a high abundance of OT transcripts in human epididymis. OT transcript was also originally detected and partially sequenced in rabbit epididymis. To verify whether ET-1 regulates OT release, we used rabbit epididymal epithelial cell cultures. These cells expressed a high density of [125I]ET-1 binding sites and responded to ET-1 with a dose-dependent OT release. Hence, we propose that an ET-1-induced OT/OTR system activation underlies the estrogen-dependent hyperresponsiveness to ET-1. These local sources might promote the spontaneous motility necessary for sperm transport.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Approximately 30% of clinical stage 1 (CS1) nonseminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) and 15-20% of CS1 seminoma relapse without adjuvant treatment. Despite this, the 5-year survival for CS1 is 99%. The purpose of this review is to assess if active surveillance should be standard for all patients with CS1 testis cancer independent of risk factors.

RECENT FINDINGS
Recent data from Princess Margaret suggest a nonrisk-adapted surveillance approach avoids treatment in ∼70% of patients. Most relapse early at a median time of 7.4 months. The majority of relapses are confined to the retroperitoneum (66%) and only one modality of treatment is required: chemotherapy only in 61% and RPLND only in 73%.

SUMMARY
Surveillance is the preferred option and a safe proven strategy for the management of CS1 disease independent of risk factors. The prognosis for CS1 disease is excellent and the decision to offer surveillance or adjuvant treatment needs to highlight the treatment-related morbidity in an otherwise fit and healthy young man.


Purpose: This study was performed to identify the presence of mechanoreceptors in the tibial remnants of injured anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) in human knees by immunohistochemistry. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one specimens of tibial remnants of ACLs from patients with ACL ruptures were obtained during arthroscopic ACL reconstruction procedures. As a control, two normal ACL specimens were taken from healthy men at the time of traumatic above the knee amputations. The ACL specimens were serially frozen-sectioned at a thickness of 40 ㎛. The average number of sections from each specimen was 71.5 (total 1,502) in the remnant group and 132 (total 264) in the control group. Immunohistochemical staining was used for detection of the neural elements. The mechanoreceptors were identified under a light microscope and their locations and amounts were recorded. An independent sample t-test was used for analysis. Results: In the remnants of the ACLs, ten mechanoreceptors were identified in 7 (33.3%) out of 21 cases. Nineteen mechanoreceptors were detected in the two normal ACLs, which demonstrated an even distribution at both the tibial and femoral attachments. There was no significant difference between the MR-present group (7 cases) and the MR-absent group (14 cases) with respect to the number of sections, age, and time from injury to surgery. Conclusion: The identification of mechanoreceptors in the remnants of ruptured ACL specimens could support the necessity for the preservation of the tibial remnant during ACL reconstruction to improve joint proprioception.


Predicting the economy's short-term dynamics -- a vital input to economic agents' decision-making process -- often uses lagged indicators in linear models. This is typically sufficient during normal times but could prove inadequate during crisis periods. This paper aims to demonstrate that non-traditional and timely data such as retail and wholesale payments, with the aid of nonlinear machine learning approaches, can provide policymakers with sophisticated models to accurately estimate key macroeconomic indicators in near real-time. Moreover, we provide a set of econometric tools to mitigate overfitting and interpretability challenges in machine learning models to improve their effectiveness for policy use. Our models with payments data, nonlinear methods, and tailored cross-validation approaches help improve macroeconomic nowcasting accuracy up to 40\% -- with higher gains during the COVID-19 period. We observe that the contribution of payments data for economic predictions is small and linear during low and normal growth periods. However, the payments data contribution is large, asymmetrical, and nonlinear during strong negative or positive growth periods.


This article is trying to elaborate Arkoun's thought on the applied Islamology, which is an effort to evaluated, develop and activates some deficiencies of Western traditional islamology. In Arkoun's point of view, the studies of classical islamology are so rigid and inflexible. They tend to restrict their studies on certain and selected works of Islam, so their works are not empirical, unfruitful, could not answer the Muslims need in the contemporary world. Therefore, the applied islamology should leave the shackle of classical episteme of medieval era that is colored by romanticism in the past and develop to toward the modern episteme with the religious anthropological tool. The problem is how to link the methodological and Epistemological gap between Islamic thought that has been cut from its old tradition and the progressive modern thought. To link this gap, according to Arkoun, the bath should be dealt with by applied islamology, i.e., al-turāth (tradition or cultural heritage) and modernity.


The aim of this article is to establish the existence, in the Korean language, of a marker of pluralization TUL, which acts either as a nominal suffix, or as a thematic particle. The nominal suffix (NS) is the marker of an operation of local pluralization limited to the suffixed noun, whereas the thematic particle (TP) is that of an operation of global pluralization enlarged to the whole sentence. The main characteristics of the NS are: - its limitation in use to the case of undetermined plurality. - its obligatory (and not optional as often stated) use in some contexts (with the deictics for example) - its compatibility with animate nouns The main characteristics of the TP are : - its mobility , since it may be attached to nearly any element in the sentence. - its commun distributionwith the other Korean thematic particles - more than strictly grammatical enunciative function.