Objective Low levels of thyroid hormones have been associated with poor clinical outcomes. This metabolic situation, designated euthyroid sick syndrome, has been interpreted as a state of adaptation to different pathological processes, characterized by the decrease in plasma triiodothyronine. The present study seeks to determine the incidence of this disorder in patients with septic shock and its relationship with other severity indices and clinical outcomes. Methods This prospective analytical study evaluated patients admitted to the intensive care unit with septic shock between April 2018 and July 2019. Variables associated with septic shock and thyroid profile were recorded at the time of the septic shock diagnosis and 7, 14, and 21 days later. Results A total of 27 patients who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The incidence of an altered thyroid axis was 96.3%, with a mortality at 28 days of 36.7%. Patients without hormonal alteration did not present negative outcomes. Among those with low triiodothyronine, 42.3% recovered their thyroid function within 28 days, in whom mortality was 0%; 57.7% did not recover their thyroid function, in whom mortality was 66.7%. Those whose thyroid axis was altered and who did not normalize its function required more doses of vasoactives and had deteriorated lactate clearance. Conclusion Patients with septic shock have a high incidence of alteration of the thyroid axis, and this dysfunction is associated with higher mortality.


New ideas are constantly being produced as a changing world demands solutions to new problems. International environmental regimes often present ideas to reduce negative human effects on the environment. Implementation of ideas has often been studied through diffusion theory, where ideas are expected to be implemented in their original version. Translation theory from New Scandinavian Institutionalism allows for an analysis of how ideas invented to solve problems change from introduction to implementation. Ideas heralded through UN processes may face a very long route from introduction to local implementation, during which the idea can become radically changed. Through a thorough study of documents, this article follows the trajectories of the idea of Ecosystem Approach (EA), from its first limited practical application in the US during the 1980s and 90s, during its travels in different United Nations fora, and ending up implemented locally through the 2006 Norwegian Barents Sea Management Plan. The novelty of this study is that the analyses cover a long timeframe combined with a focus on all the different steps of translation combined. This also allows for possible drivers of change to be identified. The results show that there are changes made to the idea to such an extent that what is finally implemented is something quite different from the original idea, and more like "business as usual". According to the theory, discrepancies do not necessarily mean the idea has not been successful; on the contrary, ideas that can be changed may be more likely to become institutionalized.


Using a lower simulation frequency for physics-based control of virtual characters frees computation time that can be used for more complex environment. However, using low simulation frequency may introduce instabilities inside the simulation. In this paper, we demonstrate that even a simple control strategy can be used at a low simulation frequency by adapting the control parameters. Indeed we show that lower frequencies hold a more restrictive space of possible control parameters than higher ones. We propose a method to find optimized control parameters for frequencies as low as 200Hz. As using such low frequencies may introduce foot-ground contact instabilities, we also introduce an additional control feedback on the stance leg. Our controller shows similar robustness as high frequency controller while using 0.8ms per simulation step.


The developmental direction of the Dresden EBIT system is being supplemented by a new model, the Dresden EBISA. A short review of the development history and an outline of the status will be given. Recent measurements of time-resolved and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are presented with focus on the dielectronic recombination resonances of krypton.


Several kinds of arrhythmias, such as ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, bradycardias and conduction disturbances can occur in cardiac catheterization laboratories.The patients' characteristics, the type of procedure, the features of the target vessel and the type of lesion play important roles in the occurrence of arrhythmia. A majority of the arrhythmias tend to revert spontaneously, but special treatment must be given promptly when necessary. In this paper, we will review the pathophysiology, clinical importance and treatment strategies for arrhythmias that occurred during diagnostic cardiac catheterization and PCI in cardiac catheterization laboratories.


Native to Asia, the soft-skinned fruit pest Drosophila suzukii has recently invaded the United States and Europe. The eastern United States represents the most recent expansion of their range, and presents an opportunity to test alternative models of colonization history. Here, we investigate the genetic population structure of this invasive fruit fly, with a focus on the eastern United States. We sequenced six X-linked gene fragments from 246 individuals collected from a total of 12 populations. We examine patterns of genetic diversity within and between populations and explore alternative colonization scenarios using approximate Bayesian computation. Our results indicate high levels of nucleotide diversity in this species and suggest that the recent invasions of Europe and the continental United States are independent demographic events. More broadly speaking, our results highlight the importance of integrating population structure into demographic models, particularly when attempting to reconstruct invasion histories. Finally, our simulation results illustrate the general challenge in reconstructing invasion histories using genetic data and suggest that genome-level data are often required to distinguish among alternative demographic scenarios.


During "quasi-continuous" cultivation in rich and minimal media diploid yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae completely displace isogenic haploid ones. When Pichia pinus are cultivated in the minimal medium, the diploids also have an advantage over isogenic haploids. The results are discussed within the framework of the hypothesis of fixation of diploid phase in the course of biological evolution.


We introduce a new class of structured matrix polynomials, namely, the class of M_A-structured matrix polynomials, to provide a common framework for many classes of structured matrix polynomials that are important in applications: the classes of (skew-)symmetric, (anti-)palindromic, and alternating matrix polynomials. Then, we introduce the families of M_A-structured strong block minimal bases pencils and of M_A-structured block Kronecker pencils,, and show that any M_A-structured odd-degree matrix polynomial can be strongly linearized via an M_A-structured block Kronecker pencil. Finally, for the classes of (skew-)symmetric, (anti-)palindromic, and alternating odd-degree matrix polynomials, the M_A-structured framework allows us to perform a global and structured backward stability analysis of complete structured polynomial eigenproblems, regular or singular, solved by applying to an M_A-structured block Kronecker pencil a structurally backward stable algorithm that computes its complete eigenstructure, like the palindromic-QR algorithm or the structured versions of the staircase algorithm. This analysis allows us to identify those M_A-structured block Kronecker pencils that yield a computed complete eigenstructure which is the exact one of a slightly perturbed structured matrix polynomial.These pencils include (modulo permutations) the well-known block-tridiagonal and block-antitridiagonal structure-preserving linearizations. Our analysis incorporates structure to the recent (unstructured) backward error analysis performed for block Kronecker linearizations by Dopico, Lawrence, Perez and Van Dooren, and share with it its key features, namely, it is a rigorous analysis valid for finite perturbations, i.e., it is not a first order analysis, it provides precise bounds, and it is valid simultaneously for a large class of structure-preserving strong linearizations.


Tropical Diseases in Temperate Climates by Kevin M Cahill MD DTM&H(Lond) pp xiii+ 225 illustrated 90s Philadelphia & Montreal: JBLippincott 1964 London: Pitman Medical The object of this book is to provide the student and the practising physician with 'information sufficient for the comprehension, the diagnosis and the treatment of tropical diseases' with which they may be faced in immigrants and travellers. The emphasis is wholly on these problems as they concern the U-SA. Helminthic diseases are discussed first, with mansonian schistosomiasis given priority and hydatid disease unusual prominence. Protozoal diseases include malaria, ameebiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Bacterial and viral diseases are limited to leprosy and cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, dengue and trachoma; the omission of lymphopathia venereum and other venereal diseases is surprising. The short notes on eye changes in tropical conditions include the only mention of the heemoglobinopathies. There are sections *on spirochietal and rickettsial infections, miscellaneous diseases (for some reason including kuru) and advice for travel in the tropics. The 'clinical approach' mentioned on the dust cover is sometimes obscured by details of pathology and parasitology. The vital importance of a patient's geographical history is indicated only by inference, and the global distribution of the exotic diseases themselves is sparsely treated. The descriptions of diseases are concise enough but there are many controversial points of detail. For example, the author states that nodules in onchocerciasis are related to the death of the adult worms, and that the purpose of taking chloroquine after leaving an endemic malarial area is 'to be certain that all pre-erythrocytic schizonts ... are destroyed'.


Phase III of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment began after the installation of the Neutral-Current Detection (NCD) array in the D2O-filled acrylic vessel. This phase provides an independent measurement of the flux of solar neutrinos, detected via Neutral-Current interactions breaking apart deuterons with the resulting neutrons captured by the NCD array. The measurement with NCDs leads to increased precision on the solar neutrino mixing parameters. This poster presents the signal extraction methods used to measure the SNO phase III solar neutrino fluxes. The signal extraction is an extended log likelihood method designed to perform a joint fit of the photomultiplier (PMT) data and NCD data. The correlations between the observed signals and systematic uncertainties were treated by floating the nuisance parameters, both by a statistical sampling method, and by performing a Markov-Chain Monte Carlo.


Construction vibration during deep excavation supported by diaphragm walls was experimentally investigated. First, measurement on the ground vibration induced by panel excavation for diaphragm wall installation was made inside a construction site. Results showed that the vibration level during excavation was much higher than ambient vibration at most frequencies, especially near the fundamental frequencies of the ground and the grab, and the strongest vibration was induced by the grab impacting the ground and guide walls. At another site, indoor ground-borne vibration was measured at two zebrafish laboratories at B1 and 3F of adjacent buildings during phases of existing pavement demolition, panel excavation, and basement excavation. The behavior of zebrafishes was observed simultaneously to examine the influence of vibration. Pavement demolition caused considerable increase in vibration level at B1 for nearly all frequencies, whereas at 3F the increment was more remarkable yet limited to a narrower bandwidth. Excavation of both panel and basement slightly enhanced the vibration magnitude at B1 at frequencies above 63 Hz or higher yet was hardly influential at 3F. Zebrafishes at B1 exhibited more startle response than those at 3F in all phases possibly because the construction vibration at B1 fell within the frequency range of vibration detection of zebrafishes. According to ISO 2631-1, this indoor vibration was perceptible to people only in some situations yet caused no discomfort.


This paper investigates the electrical, thermal and mechanical properties as well as the environmental performance of polymer cementitious composites (PCCs) as sustainable coating materials for underground power cables and as high-voltage insulators. Particular focus is placed on the optimised mix design and the effect of the manufacturing method on the performance of PCCs, incorporating liquid styrene and acrylic (SA) monomers, wollastonite and muscovite. Microstructural investigations, together with results from strength tests, indicate that the manufacturing method is a key performance parameter. Experimental results show that PCC mixes containing 25% SA emulsion, 12.5% wollastonite and no muscovite provide the most favourable dielectric properties from the mixes investigated. The PCC material has a dielectric strength up to 16.5 kV/mm and a dielectric loss factor lower than 0.12. Additional experiments also show that PCC has good thermal stability and thermal conductivity. The mechanical strength tests indicate that PCC specimens possess reliable strengths which are applicable in structural design. Environmental assessments also show that PCCs possess significantly lower embodied energy and embodied carbon than conventional plastic insulating materials.


We suggest that the newly observed resonance Y (4260) is a χc − ρ molecule, which is an isovector. In this picture, we can easily interpret why Y (4260) → ππJ/ψ has a larger rate than Y (4260) → DD̄ which has not been observed, and we also predict existence of the other two components of the isotriplet and another two possible partner states which may be observed in the future experiments. A direct consequence of this structure is that for this molecular structure Y (4260) → ππJ/ψ mode is more favorable than Y (4260) → KK̄J/ψ which may have a larger fraction if other proposed structures prevail. 1 General discussion The BaBar collaboration has recently announced that a very intriguing new state/structure Y (4260) → π+π−J/ψ is observed in e+e− → ISRπ+π−J/ψ, where ISR stands for Initial-State Radiation [1]. Their results indicate that Y (4260) has spin-parity JPC = 1. Its mass and width are m = 4.26 GeV/c and Γ ∼ 90 MeV/c. An enhancement near 4.26 GeV/c2 is clearly observed in e+e− → ISRπ+π−J/ψ channel, but has not been observed in e+e− → hadrons, especially not in the D(s)D̄(s) channel. It may imply that the branching ratio of Y (4260) → J/ψπ+π− is much larger than that of Y (4260) → DD̄[2]. Since its remarkable characteristics, this discovery stimulates intensive discussions about the structure of Y (4260), especially if there is some new physics involved. First, it exists in the energy-range of ψ family, and one may expect that it involves both c and c̄ since in its strong-decay products there is no single charm(anti-charm). On other aspects, Y (4260) → J/ψπ+π− is a three-body decay whereas Y (4260) → DD̄ is a two-body decay, and usually the former is about two orders smaller than the later due to a suppression from the phase space of final state. However, the data indicate a reversed pattern. This characteristic challenges our theory and demands a plausible interpretation. The newly observed resonance is very unlikely to be accommodated in the regular cc̄ structure even with higher radial and/or orbital excitations. It may be a clear signal for a new structure.


The analytic result of 50 sudden death cases caused by pulmonary embolism showed that their main causes were trauma (42%), heart diseases (32%), surgical operation (20%) and so on. In majority of these cases (80%), thrombus embolus came from deep veins of lower limbs, in some cases (20%) came from cardiac cavity. These cases occurred most frequently in the period of October to December and rarely in the period of April to June. Finally, some problems in forensic examination in this sort of sudden death were discussed in this article.


This study integrated coastal watershed models and combined them with a risk assessment method to develop a methodology to investigate the impact resulting from coastal disasters under climate change. The mid-western coast of Taiwan suffering from land subsidence was selected as the demonstrative area for the vulnerability analysis based on the prediction of sea level rise (SLR), wave run-up, overtopping, and coastal flooding under the scenarios of the years from 2020 to 2039. Databases from tidal gauges and satellite images were used to analyze SLR using Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD). Extreme wave condition and storm surge were estimated by numerical simulation using the Wind Wave Model (WWM) and the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). Coastal inundation was then simulated via the WASH123D watershed model. The risk map of study areas based on the analyses of vulnerability and disaster were established using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Predictions of sea level rise, the maximum wave condition, and storm surge under the scenarios of 2020 to 2039 are presented. The results indicate that the sea level at the mid-western coast of Taiwan will rise by an average of 5.8 cm, equivalent to a rising velocity of 2.8 mm/year. The analysis indicates that the Wuqi, Lukang, Mailiao, and Taixi townships are susceptive, low resistant and low resilient and reach the high-risk level. This assessment provides important information for creating an adaption policy for the mid-western coast of Taiwan.


Although freeze-drying is a widely used dehydration technique for the stabilizing of unstable lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei JCM 8130T (L. paracasei) is destabilized after freeze-drying and subsequent storage. In order to improve the stability of freeze-dried L. paracasei, effects of disaccharides (sucrose and trehalose), polymers (maltodextrin; MD and bovine serum albumin; BSA), and their mixtures on the survival rate of freeze-dried L. paracasei were investigated. The survival rate of non-additive sample decreased slightly after freeze-drying but decreased drastically after subsequent storage at 37 °C for 4 weeks. The reduction was diminished by the addition of disaccharides and polymers. The stabilizing effect of disaccharides was not affected by the co-addition of MD. In contrast, the disaccharide–BSA mixtures had a synergistic stabilizing effect, and the survival rates were largely maintained even after storage. It is suggested that the synergistic effect originates from the conformational stabilization of the dehydrated bacteria.


An array of eight high-speed plastic scintillation detectors has been used to infer a mathematical model for the emission multipliciy of prompt gammas in the spontaneous fission of /sup 252/Cf. Exceptional time resolution and coincidence capability permitted the separation of gammas from fast neutrons over a flight path of approximately 10 cm. About 20 different distribution models were tested. The average energy of the prompt gammas is inversely related to the number emitted; however, this inverse relationship is not strong and the total gamma energy does increase with increasing gamma number. An extension of the experiment incorporated a lithium-drifted germanium gamma spectrometer that resolved nearly 100 discrete gammas associated with fission. Of these gammas, some were preferentially associated with fission in which few gammas were emitted. Certain others were more frequent when many gammas were emitted. Results are presented.


Neural Networks are relatively crude electronic models based on the neural structure of the brain. The brain basically learns from experience. It is natural proof that some problems that are beyond the scope of current computers are indeed solvable by small energy efficient packages. In this paper we propose the fundamentals of neural network topologies, activation function and learning algorithms based on the flow of information in bi-direction or uni-directions. We outline the main features of a number of popular neural networks and provide an overview on their topologies and their learning capabilities.


MAXI, the first astronomical payload attached to ISS JEM‐EF, began operation on August 3, 2009 for monitoring all‐sky X‐ray images every ISS orbit (92 min). This paper reports the first results obtained during the 1‐month test observations. All instruments as well as two main X‐ray slit cameras, the GSC and SSC, worked as we expected. The detection limits of MAXI‐GSC are about 25 mCrab and 8 mCrab for one ISS orbit (92 min) and 1‐day observations, respectively. GSC covers about 76% and 96% of the entire sky for respective single‐orbit and 1‐day observations. MAXI has detected a transient X‐ray pulsar A0535+26, an X‐ray burst, and a gamma‐ray burst in the first month of the test observation period.


Since semantic trajectories can discover more semantic meanings of a user's interests without geographic restrictions, research on semantic trajectories has attracted a lot of attentions in recent years. Most existing work discover the similar behavior of moving objects through analysis of their semantic trajectory pattern, that is, sequences of locations. However, this kind of trajectories without considering the duration of staying on a location limits wild applications. For example, Tom and Anne have a common pattern of Home Restaurant Company Restaurant , but they are not similar, since Tom works at Restaurant , sends snack to someone at Company and return to Restaurant while Anne has breakfast at Restaurant , works at Company and has lunch at Restaurant . If we consider duration of staying on each location we can easily to differentiate their behaviors. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for discovering common behaviors by considering the duration of staying on each location of trajectories (DoSTra). Our approach can be used to detect the group that has similar lifestyle, habit or behavior patterns and predict the future locations of moving objects. We evaluate the experiment based on synthetic dataset, which demonstrates the high effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.


BACKGROUND
To compare the diagnostic efficacy of commercially available rapid diagnostic test devices for Dengue serology. To find out the sensitivity and specificity of rapid diagnostic devices with Elisa results as the Gold standard.

METHODS
During the dengue virus epidemic in Lahore a pilot study was conducted in order to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of two most frequently used immunochromatographic rapid test devices in public sector hospitals. The results of both the kits were compared to each other. Sensitivity and specificity was calculated against results of ELISA as the reference gold standard.

RESULTS
Results of kit-A revealed a very high false negative rate when compared to ELISA where actual prevalence rate shown by ELISA was 96.0% compared to prevalence rate of 44.0% with rapid diagnostic test device kit-A. Similarly the results of rapid test device Kit-B showed high false negative results for dengue virus prevalence. Actual prevalence rate of dengue fever shown by ELISA was 96.0% where as it turned out to be 50% with the kit-B rapid test device. Comparison of Results of two kits revealed no significant difference of test positivity rates.

CONCLUSION
Rapid test devices based on immunochromatographic method supplied in the public sector hospitals are not reliable diagnostic tools for screening for dengue virus infection Health authorities need to review their strategy for supply of more reliable tools during epidemics in order to avoid false negative results.


Among the political experiences that arose in Italy at the end of fascism, one of the most interesting was that of the Catholic Communist Movement, later the Christian Party of the Left (PSC), whose leading figures included the philosopher Felice Balbo (1913-1964). Although the PSC dissolved in December 1945, its members' intellectual and political experience continued in a variety of environments and contexts. Joining the Communist Party as did other former members of the PSC (including Franco Rodano, Mario Motta, and Luciano Barca), Balbo was for many years one of the closest collaborators of the publisher Giulio Einaudi. A staunch supporter of Togliatti's programme of «progressive democracy» seeking a non-ideological Marxism, he gradually took his distance from communism after 1948, when the ideological conflict had become too hardened in Italy. The formulation of a new culture could only take place outside of those ideological positions that threatened to bring the country to catastrophe. His intellectual path was expressed through certain journals that significantly marked Italian cultural life between the 1940s and '50s: "Voce Operaia", the PSC's organ, E. Vittorini's "Il Politecnico", "Cultura e Realta", and "Terza Generazione". The article retraces these steps, taking into account both the context and the cultural significance of the different journals, and Balbo's intellectual progress through them.


Although a number of large-scale studies have demonstrated an increase in predictive validity when SAT® scores are added to high school grades, this increment is often described in terms of a seemingly very small increase in explained variance. This may have led to the erroneous belief among test critics and others that students with low SAT scores would perform, on average, almost as well in college as students with high SAT scores. Using a sample of 41 colleges, the current study shows substantial differences in the percent of students who succeed (defined by a 2.5 or 3.5 college grade point average [CGPA] at the end of one year or four years in college) by SAT score level, even when intensity of the high school curriculum and high school grades are taken into account.


ABSTRACTThe benefits of feeding newborns with human milk are well established. Unfortunately some hospital practices do not support successful breastfeeding; practices such as early hospital discharge after birth, lack of appropriate follow-up primary care providers, and lack of access to breastfeeding support services can contribute to breastfeeding failure, as well as morbidity and mortality in the infant. Infants experiencing breastfeeding difficulties are sometimes admitted to the hospital with diagnoses such as hyperbilirubinemia/jaundice, dehydration/hypernatremia, rule out sepsis, and weight loss/failure to thrive.This article describes a clinical pathway developed with the express purpose of maintaining and enhancing lactation in mother-infant dyads experiencing breastfeeding difficulties.The goal of the pathway is to maintain lactation and breastfeeding while returning the infant to a state of health. A key focus of the pathway is milk transfer, a concept that is missing from much of the research on lactation difficulties.The pathway considers breastfeeding from both a maternal and an infant perspective, with a goal of preserving breastfeeding. It uses technology to support the breastfeeding process and could be useful for all practitioners working with mother-infant dyads experiencing breastfeeding difficulties.


According to the Constitution or laws, individuals today have extensive political rights closely associated with the right to vote. Here is meant the active and passive right of voting. Membership in a party is not only because of the desire, but also for the fact that the party gives individuals the possibility of career progress, further realization of their political rights. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of political parties and individual rights, not only in Albania, but also combined with the European experience. In this paper we will focus on how political parties have evolved as well as the political rights of individuals after the independence in 1912. The development of political parties in Albania has passed in two stages in the communist system where only one party was known and in the democratic system where was recognized political pluralism. Highlighting the role of political parties, as an important promoter of the functioning of state and of the coverage of the political rights of individuals, makes this study important.


Submucosal resection is a very useful method of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for en bloc resection. We began using this method in March 2003 and have resected lesions in 16 patients with gastric cancer. We describe the procedure times and complications associated with submucosal resection from a beginner's point of view. Our first five patients experienced bleeding and perforation. With the aid of a range of instruments and the advice of expert endoscopists, our complication rate became very low and the procedure time much shorter. Endoscopists who seek to perform submucosal dissections easily and safely should avail themselves of training and education from experts in the method. A program for training endoscopists in submucosal dissection is essential.


Threshold and near threshold satellite intensities are examined with respect to threshold behaviour, specifically for certain electron correlations contributing to the intensity of these satellites. It is assumed that the different dominant electron correlations give rise to at least four types of threshold behaviour, making it possible to differentiate to a first approximation among them. These correlations are subdivided phenomenologically into two classes: "intrinsic" and "dynamic" correlations. Experimental evidence is presented for both inner- and outer-shell photoionization, substantiating this semiempirical concept. Our results are also compared with first ab initio calculations. The effect of resonances is emphasized as part of the threshold behaviour but also with respect to their deexcitation into various decay channels. Multielectron processes such as resonant shake-off, as well as two step autoionization and spectator Auger decay, are shown to play important roles in the decay of resonances and satellite states.


The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis of some synthesized substituted 4-quinolinyl and 9-acridinyl hydrazone derivatives were performed to find out the structural requirements of their antimalarial activities. Various 2D descriptors were calculated and used in the present analysis. The 2D-QSAR studies were performed using three statistical methods: the multiple linear regressions, giving square of correlation coefficient (r(2)) = 0.8456, cross validated squared correlation coefficient (q(2)) = 0.7814 and predictable ability (pred_r(2)) = 0.7443; the partial least squares regression, with r(2) = 0.8402, q(2) = 0.7879 and pred_r(2) = 0.7680; and principle component regression, giving r(2) = 0.8392, q(2) = 0.7979 and pred_r(2) = 0.6440. Best equation was selected on the basis of high r(2), q(2) and pred_r(2). The QSAR model indicated that the T_N_O_3, IdAverage, chiV6chain, Most-vePotential and T_C_N_6 played an important role in determining antimalarial activities. The results of the present study may be useful on the designing of more potent analogues as antimalarial agents.


The instability in the cosmic-ray (CR) precursor of a SN shock is studied. The level of turbulence in this region determines the maximum energy of accelerated CRs. The consideration is not limited by the case of weak turbulence. It is assumed that Kolmogorov type nonlinear wave interactions together with the ion-neutral collisions restrict the amplitude of random magnetic field. As a result, the maximum energy of accelerated particles strongly depends on the age of a SNR. It can be as high as $10^{17}Z$ eV in young SNR and falls down to about $10^{10}Z$ eV at the end of Sedov stage ($Z$ is the particle charge). This finding may explain why the SNRs with the age more than a few thousand years are not prominent sources of very high energy $\gamma $-rays. The averaged spectrum of ultrarelativistic CR injected in the interstellar medium is close or somewhat steeper than $E^{-2}$.


Many areas of schist in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota, have a thin zone of disintegrated rock that is 4–10 feet below the ground surface and parallel to it. Fresh, undeformed schist overlying this zone has moved downhill in a mass-wasting process since the present surface was formed.


Understanding the effects of natural solid particles on the phototransformation of pharmaceuticals in aqueous environments is very important, but studies on this are still limited. In this study, natural sands were selected as a solid particle model due to their wide distribution in surface waters during the rainy season, and the phototransformation of diphenhydramine (DP) in the presence of the sands was investigated. The kinetic studies showed that the natural sands exhibited significant photocatalytic activity for the DP photodegradation, and the activity varied depending on their sources. Scavenging experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis demonstrated that O2−˙ and ˙OH were produced in the irradiated natural sand systems, and O2−˙ played a more important role than ˙OH in the photodegradation of DP. The results obtained from H2O2 treatment and deoxygenation experiments verified that the generation of radicals was mainly attributed to the low content of natural organic matter (NOM) in the sands. The possible reaction mechanism was that the NOM in the sands was excited and became triplet-state NOM after irradiation, and then induced the generation of free radicals through an electron transfer mechanism, resulting in DP oxidation. This work indicated that natural sand particles were a key factor affecting the phototransformation of drugs, and should be considered in evaluating their fate in natural waters.


The building block approach is currently used to design composite structures. With this approach, the data from coupon tests are scaled up to determine the design of a structure. Current standard impact tests and methods of relating test data to other structures are not generally understood and are often used improperly. A methodology is outlined for using impact force as a scale parameter for delamination damage for impacts of simple plates. Dynamic analyses were used to define ranges of plate parameters and impact parameters where quasi-static analyses are valid. These ranges include most low-velocity impacts where the mass of the impacter is large and the size of the specimen is small. For large-mass impacts of moderately thick (0.35 to 0.70 cm) laminates, the maximum extent of delamination damage increased with increasing impact force and decreasing specimen thickness. For large-mass impact tests at a given kinetic energy, impact force and hence delamination size depends on specimen size, specimen thickness, layup, boundary conditions, and indenter size and shape. If damage is reported in terms of impact force instead of kinetic energy, large-mass test results can be applied directly to other plates of the same thickness and layup.


Introduction: Primary repair of esophageal atresia (EA) in infants with very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) has been widely performed in pediatric surgery. However, several studies have shown that complication rates in infants with VLBW are high. We hypothesize preterm children benefit from a shorter, less-traumatizing operation in the first days of life, as staged repair implies. Methods: Patients with EA and VLBW were retrieved from the database of a large national patient organization KEKS e.V. Structured questionnaires were sent to all the patients' families; the responses were pseudonymized and sent to our institution. Results: Forty-eight questionnaires from patients were analyzed. The mean birth weight was 1,223 g (720–1,500 g). Primary repair was performed in 25 patients (52%). Anastomotic insufficiency (AI) was reported in 9 patients (19%), recurrent fistula (RF) in 8 (17%), and anastomotic stenosis in 24 patients (50%). Although AI was almost twice as common after primary repair than after staged repair (24 vs. 13%; p = 0.5), the difference was not statistically significant. RF was more frequent after primary repair (28 vs. 4%; p = 0.04), gastroesophageal reflux was more frequent in the group after staged repair (78 vs. 52%; p = 0.04), and both correlations were statistically significant. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was reported in 11 patients (23%) and was observed in 7 of them (64%, p = 0.4) after primary repair. ICH was reported in 60% of patients with ELBW and 75% of patients when ELBW was paired with primary repair. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the complication rate in patients with VLBW is higher than the average of that in patients with EA. The study indicates that a staged approach may be an option in this specific patient group, as less RF and AI are seen after staged repair. ICH rate in patients with ELBW seemed to be especially lower after staged repair. Interestingly, gastroesophageal reflux was statistically significantly higher in the group after staged repair, and postoperative ventilation time was longer. It is therefore necessary to individually consider which surgical approach is appropriate for this special patient group.


Aims
This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of measuring left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods and results
We retrospectively analysed clinical data from 277 patients with STEMI between October 2006 and June 2014. LVEDP and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were perioperatively measured during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The primary endpoint was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) such as cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalisation due to heart failure during the observation period. The independent predictors were identified by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Continuous net reclassification improvement (cNRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were conducted to assess the incremental prognostic value of adding cardiovascular parameters, including LVEDP, to the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score. The mean follow-up period was 44±31 months. A MACE occurred in 33 patients (12.0%). In the Cox proportional hazards regression model, after adjusting for confounding factors, LVEDP was an independent predictor of a MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.17, p<0.001). In addition, the predictive value of the GRACE score for a MACE was significantly improved by LVEDP (NRI 0.66, 95% CI: 0.32-1.01, p<0.001; IDI 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02-0.11, p=0.001), but not by LVEF (NRI 0.14, 95% CI: -0.22-0.50, p=0.44; IDI 0.01, 95% CI: 0.00-0.03, p=0.11).

Conclusions
The results of this study demonstrated that evaluating LVEDP provides an additive prognostic value over conventional risks estimated by the GRACE score among STEMI patients.


Introduction: the identification and analysis of the causes and factors, including the gaps in the legislation, generating an increase in the capital outflow, as well as the improvement of the currency, investment and tax legislation are relevant and important issues. Purpose: to study the problems of the legal regulation to prevent the outflow of capital from the Russian Federation. Methods: the fundamental categories and principles of materialistic dialectics, the generally accepted methods of comparative law became the methodological framework for solving the tasks. As part of the study of the legal foundation to prevent the outflow of domestic capital abroad, the authors also used the methods of analysis and synthesis, functional and systematic approaches, and the formal legal and statistical methods. Results: grounded in the paper the author's point of view is based on the study of the international conventions, treaties and agreements to which Russia is a party, and the domestic legal acts regulating relations in the field of preventing the outflow of domestic capital abroad, as well as the opinion of the competent academic community. Conclusions: the study identified the characteristic features of the process of capital outflow from Russia and developed a list of recommendations aimed at improving the measures of the state legal regulation in the field of combating the outflow of capital abroad.


Abstract Distinctively economic objectives for lifelong education, especially adult learning and education, feature prominently in policy-making agendas and educators' practice in much of the world. Critics contend that humanistic and holistic visions of lifelong learning for all have been marginalised and neglected. The current turn of political attention to issues of planetary environmental sustainability and to global societal transformation and interconnectedness raises further questions and prospects. Two United Nations' publications in 2015: UNESCO's Rethinking Education: toward a global common good? and of the United Nations' Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development pose intersecting concerns for lifelong learning and environmental sustainability. This article engages with those questions in particular regard to the role of adult learning and education. It discusses a field study of non-formal adult education in Ghana. The field study contributes evidence that resiliently humanistic conceptions and practices of non-formal adult education practically succeed to foster transformation, development and human flourishing. That effective humanism gives credence to the ambitiousness of UNESCO and UN agenda for transformation and sustainability and informs international debates.


Objective. To perform a modern bibliometric analysis of the research based on the Roy Adaptation Model, a founding nursing model proposed by Sor Callista Roy in the1970s. Method. A descriptive and longitudinal study. We used information from the two dominant scientific databases, Web Of Science and SCOPUS. We obtained 137 publications from the Core Collection of WoS, and 338 publications from SCOPUS. We conducted our analysis using the software Bibliometrix, an R-package specialized in creating bibliometric analyses from a perspective of descriptive statistics and network analysis, including co-citation, co-keyword occurrence and collaboration networks. Results. Our quantitative results show the main actors around the research based on the model and the founding literature or references on which this research was based. We analyze the main keywords and how they are linked. Furthermore, we present the most prolific authors both in number of publications and in centrality in the network of coauthors. We present the most central institutions in the global network of collaboration. Conclusions. We highlight the relevance of this theoretical model in nursing and detail its evolution. The United States is the dominant country in production of documents on the topic, and the University of Massachusetts Boston and Boston College are the most influential institutions. The network of collaboration also describes clusters in Mexico, Turkey and Spain. Our findings are useful to acquire a general vision of the field.


The ultra-thin gate oxide required for the 0.13 /spl mu/m generation and beyond introduces a significant amount of gate-to-body tunneling current. The gate current modulates the body voltage and therefore the history effect. This paper discusses several methods to minimize the impact of gate current, which can cause excessive history effect in 0.10 /spl mu/m SOI CMOS. Our result demonstrates that the combination of high gate leakage and small junction capacitance can enhance circuit performance due to beneficial gate coupling. Ultra-low junction capacitance can be achieved by aggressive SOI thickness scaling, though, the proximity of source/drain extension and channel depletion to the buried oxide complicates device design and modeling.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The literature has shown that a gap is identified regarding the acute effects of blood flow restriction training on aerobic variables. Objective: to analyze oxygen consumption (VO2) during and after two resistance training sessions: traditional high intensity and low intensity with blood flow restriction. Methods: After one-repetition maximum tests, eight male participants (25.7±3 years) completed the two experimental protocols, separated by 72 hours, in a randomized order: a) high intensity training at 80% of 1RM (HIRE) and b) low intensity training at 20% of 1RM combined with blood flow restriction (LIRE + BFR). Three sets of four exercises (bench press, squat, barbell bent-over row and deadlift) were performed. Oxygen consumption and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption were measured. Results: the data showed statistically significant differences between the traditional high intensity training and low intensity training with blood flow restriction, with higher values for traditional training sessions, except for the last five minutes of the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption measured during training was higher (p = 0.001) for the HIRE (20.32 ± 1.46 mL·kg-1·min-1) compared to the LIRE + BFR (15.65 ± 1.14 mL·kg-1·min-1). Conclusion: Oxygen uptakes rates during and after the exercise sessions were higher for the high intensity training methodology. However, when taking into account the volume of training provided by both methods, these differences were attenuated. Level of Evidence III - Non-consecutive studies, or studies without consistently applied reference stand.


The traditional law of leases imposed no duty on landlords to mitigate damages in the event of tenant breach, whereas the modern law of leases does. An economic model of leases, in which absentee tenants may or may not intend to breach, shows that the traditional rule promotes tenant investment in the property by discouraging landlord entry. In contrast, the modern rule prevents the property from being left idle by encouraging landlords to enter and re-let abandoned property. The model reflects the historic use of the traditional rule for agricultural leases, where absentee use was valuable, and the emergence of the modern rule for residential leases, where the primary use entails continuous occupation.


Twenty-four states have opted out of expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We projected the number of persons who will remain uninsured because of the Medicaid opt-outs and used data from three prior studies to predict the health and financial impacts of the opt-outs. We estimate that as a result of the opt-outs, 7.74 million people who would have gained coverage will remain uninsured. This will result in between 7,076 and 16,945 more deaths than had all states opted-in, as well as 708,195 more persons screening positive for depression, 239,557 more persons suffering catastrophic medical expenditures, 420,273 fewer diabetics receiving medication, 193,735 fewer mammograms, and 441,260 fewer Pap smears. Many low-income adults will suffer health and financial harms because of their state's refusal to expand Medicaid coverage.


P105 Administration of late endothelial progenitor cells enhances cerebral infarction outcome after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats C Moubarik, JL Codaccioni, L Velly, F Sabatier, F Dignat-George, MD Piercecchi, B Guillet, P Pisano Faculté de Pharmacie, unité INSERM U 608, Marseille, France; Département d'anesthésie réanimation, Marseille, France Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a novel promising option for treatment of patients with ischemic diseases. We characterized the effect of late outgrowth EPCs transplantation in a model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rat. EPCs were obtained from human umbilical cord blood. Adult male SpragueDawley rats were subjected to 1 h of MCAO and allocated 24 h after MCAO to transplanted (4–5 · 10 late EPCs IV, n = 12) and control (PBS IV, n = 13). Body weight, adhesive-removal dot test and the mNNS test were performed over the 14 days following MCAO. Seven or 14 days after MCAO, brain infarct volumes, human transplanted cells localization, apoptosis and capillary density staining were done. Animal body weights were significantly higher in the transplanted group 7 days after MCAO (P < 0.05). Significantly higher neurological performance was found in transplanted rats compared to control rats (P < 0.05). Immunochemical staining showed that EPCs survived and were preferentially localized in the ischemic boundary zone. No difference has been observed in term of infarct volume (P = 0.98). At day 3, apoptotic cell number was significantly lower in transplanted rats (48.0 ± 18/mm) compared to control rats (130.0 ± 50/mm) (P < 0.05). Capillary densities showed were significantly increased (P= <0.05) at the boundary of the ischemic lesion in transplanted rats (n = 4; 2.80 ± 0.3) compared to control rats (n = 4; 1.72 ± 0.7) 14 days after MCAO. Late EPCs administered intravenously 24 h after MCAO enter the brain, survive, migrate, and improve functional recovery. This may be involved ischemia-induced apoptosis together with angiogenic response modulation.


Understanding land use transitions requires analyzing how, when facing qualitative environmental change, human agents may modify their beliefs, values, and decision rules. This article first reviews some of the useful theories analyzing how environmental change can have a feedback effect on behaviors, via the environmental cognitions. Then, it discusses three propositions for more cognitively realistic agents in land change science: (i) land use choices result from multiple decision-making processes and rely on various motives, influenced by social norms, emotions, beliefs, and values toward the environment; (ii) social–ecological feedbacks are mediated by the environmental cognitions, that is, the perception, interpretation, evaluation of environmental change, and decision-making; (iii) human agents actively re-evaluate their beliefs, values, and functioning to adapt to unexpected environmental changes. Empirical and modeling studies in land change science can progress by linking the three components of the feedback loop, that is, environmental changes, environmental cognitions, and land use practices.


An apparatus serves for influencing the separation of a flow 2 from a body 1 immersed in the flow. The apparatus excites a shear layer 11 of the flow 2 at the immersed body 1 by periodic blowing and suction in order to act against further separation of the shear layer 11 from the immersed body 1. For this purpose, the apparatus has at least one passive cavity resistor 46, the hollow cylinder 4 of which has at least one opening 6 leading to the surface 10 of the body 1. The cavity resonator 46 is excited by the flow 2 thus creating compressional vibrations, and the compressional vibrations of the cavity resonator 46 excite the shear layer 11.


In recent years, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) became an increasingly valuable tool to investigate neural dynamics of competitive attentional interactions and brain-computer interfaces. This is due to their good signal-to-noise ratio, allowing for single-trial analysis, and their ongoing oscillating nature that enables to analyze temporal dynamics of facilitation and suppression. Given the popularity of SSVEPs, it is surprising that only a few studies looked at the cortical sources of these responses. This is in particular the case when searching for studies that assessed the cortical sources of attentional SSVEP amplitude modulations. To address this issue, we used a typical spatial attention task and recorded neuromagnetic fields (MEG) while presenting frequency-tagged stimuli in the left and right visual fields, respectively. Importantly, we controlled for attentional deployment in a baseline period before the shifting cue. Subjects either attended to a central fixation cross or to two peripheral stimuli simultaneously. Results clearly showed that signal sources and attention effects were restricted to the early visual cortex: V1, V2, hMT+, precuneus, occipital-parietal, and inferior-temporal cortex. When subjects attended to central fixation first, shifting attention to one of the peripheral stimuli resulted in a significant activation increase for the to-be-attended stimulus with no activation decrease for the to-be-ignored stimulus in hMT+ and inferio-temporal cortex, but significant SSVEF decreases from V1 to occipito-parietal cortex. When attention was first deployed to both rings, shifting attention away from one ring basically resulted in a significant activation decrease in all areas for the then-to-be-ignored stimulus.


Five organic fluorescence dyes were synthesized by two- or three-step reactions. These synthetic meth-ods have an advantage of the simple processes, low costs and high yields. The compositions of the five compounds are characterized by IR, ^1H NMR, elemental analyses and fluorescence spectroscopies. The quantum yields of fluorescence were measured.


The recent H1N1 influenza pandemic involved several cases of influenza pneumonia. Although influenza pneumonia may have occurred more frequently in fatal cases, the clinical characteristics of influenza pneumonia in Japan remain unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with influenza pneumonia, for which questionnaires were sent to respiratory physicians working in 2,491 hospitals across Japan. Questionnaires were returned by 994 physicians (39.9%), providing data on 346 influenza pneumonia cases. The case-fatality ratio was 8.2% (27 cases). Pure influenza viral pneumonia was observed in 94 cases, which were most frequently young adults with chief complaints of non-productive cough and dyspnea. Radiological imaging showed diffuse ground-glass opacity. Corticosteroid therapy and mechanical ventilation were more frequently used for pure influenza viral pneumonia, but these modalities were not correlated with poor treatment outcomes. Anti-influenza antiviral drugs were prescribed in 335 cases (96.8%). In the recent pandemic in Japan, several pure influenza viral pneumonia cases were observed, but we found no variances in mortality between the different types of pneumonia. Almost all cases were treated with anti-influenza antiviral drugs, which may have contributed to its relatively low mortality rate.


This article unwraps the nature and source of human errors involved in Radiology, revealing unique elements of the specialty that warrant special consideration in medical malpractice cases. The authors compare these errors to negligent practices in other professions and conclude that a general concept of negligence cannot adequately address the complexities of decision-making in Radiology. After analyzing legal precedent, they develop an innovative jury instruction that recognizes particular situations of error in Radiology that occur in the absence of negligence.


The aim of this master thesis is to analyse the development of existing guidelines for storing of solid biofuels as well as highlighting doubts on how storage and handling of biofuel within CHP industry and paper mass industry. Through interviews and site visits, identify what risk reducing measures that are applied in practice. In an effort to analyse statistics and examine the frequency of the various events statistics have been collected since this information has not been able to be obtained otherwise. The collected statistics show that the likelihood of overheating in the biofuel is considerably larger than the occurrence of a smouldering fire or the large-scale fire. This means that risk reducing measures primarily should endeavour to prevent the occurrence of an overheating fuel stock. The authors recommend focusing on measures to prevent the occurrence of a smouldering fire. The statistics are considered by the authors to constitute a basis for discussion and a hint of past events and is not statistically significant in sufficiently large scale to be used as a basis for decision-making in matters relating to fuel stock. The result of the analysis is that the existing guidelines are not fully developed with the operations experience of the CHP industry.


Articular cartilage mechanical properties and biochemical composition evolve during in utero development and in vivo growth, with marked differences between the fetus, newborn, and young adult. The objective of this study was to esbblish an in vino system to asses the fartors that regulate such growth, in particular by characterizing the growth of fetal and newborn bovine articular cartilage explants during 6 weeks of freeswelling rulture in serunksupplemented medium. During this culture period, both fetal and calf cartilage grew markedly in sue, increasing in cell and matrix components. While the tensile modulus, strength and stiffness of calf cartilage were initially higher than those of fetal cartilage, the tensile properties of both types of cartilage explants fell, to similarly Im levels, during the cnlture period. The increase in cells and matrix, but diminution rather than increase in tensile properties, suggests that regulatory factors other than serum, may trigger the biomechanical maturation of articular cartilage in vivo.


In response to the report by Abraham et al., we present our observations of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) detection in men tested at a public hospital laboratory in Melbourne, Australia, using a multiplex PCR. These studies provide valuable information about TV prevalence in urban communities.


This article examines a South Korean cultural chronotope from the perspective of Korea's world-renowned digital gaming culture, including its professional electronic sports (e-sports) scene and the experiences of amateur gamers in online gaming cafés (PC bang). My analysis centers on two of Korean digital gaming culture's recognizable social types and the spatiotemporal qualities of their play: professional gamers and the quickness embodied in their e-sports performances; and a specific kind of amateur PC bang gamer who is more socially isolated and whose engagement with games is slow and repetitive. I argue that through their performances in digital games' virtual and actual-world participation frameworks, gamers orient to these social types in ways that differentially construe their relationships to semiotic depictions of places, times, and personhoods. Thinking through these orientations and their spatial, temporal, and social qualities is critical to understanding chronotopic representations of contemporary Korea.


A roentgenographic study was carried out on 41 Niebauer -- Cutter Metacarpophalangeal Joint Prosthesis from 1 to 36 months postoperatively, a total of 105 examinations. The examinations were performed in the AP-projection and in the lateral projection by tomography in maximum active extension and flexion. The tomographic examinations revealed implant damage of three kinds: cracking within the midsection; fragmentation of the midsection; fracture of the hinge. Cracking within the midsection was found in 8 implants between 6 and 12 months postoperatively and in 1 implant later than 12 months. Later examinations revealed fragmentation of the midsection in 2 implants previously showing cracks. Hinge fracture was observed in 22 implants. Implant damage was found in a total frequency of 26/41. Bone reaction was found on the tomograms in all the operated joints, and could not be evaluated on the AP-projections. A bony spur was found to develop on the metacarpal bone volarly at the site of the osteotomy in 35 joints. In 2 of these the bony spur reached the base of the proximal phalanx, causing anchylosis. Bone resorption was found in 23 joints, constantly dorsally in the metacarpal bone and volarly in the proximal phalanx. The mechanism of the implant damage is discussed with respect to the shearing forces in the joint and the two materials of differing elasticity constituting the implant. The bone reaction is discussed with respect to the intended fixation of the intramedullary stems.


The large scale photovoltaic (PV) generation station is expected to spread in the future. However, output power of renewable energy sources such as PV is affected by weather conditions and their output tends to be unstable. As a result, the penetration of PV power station makes it difficult to maintain frequency of power system in allowable range. The authors have developed a suppression system to stabilize output power fluctuation of a large scale PV generation station. To reduce short term fluctuation, storage batteries applying SCiBTM are used. In this paper, verification test results are explained and simulation results to improve control performance are also shown.


BACKGROUND
Transplantation before the initiation of dialysis is associated with prolonged allograft survival. It is unclear if this benefit is attributable to greater residual renal function or to avoidance of dialysis exposure. The authors performed an analysis to determine whether higher renal function at transplant was associated with increased patient and graft survival rates.

METHODS
The authors identified individuals who between 1994 and June 2000 were >or= 18 years and had undergone a living donor renal transplant (Tx) as initial form of renal replacement therapy. Pre-Tx and 6-month estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were calculated using the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Survival was compared in those with a pre-Tx eGFR >or=15mL/min to those with an eGFR less than 15 mL/min, after adjusting for demographic variables, co-morbidities, and transplant characteristics. Survival rate then was adjusted for calculated propensity scores.

RESULTS
A total of 4,046 patients were included. Mean pre-Tx eGFR was 9.9 mL/min (0.9 to 57.1 mL/min). There was no difference in graft survival rates by strata of eGFR in any of the tested models, even after correcting for propensity score (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.30). There was no correlation between pre-Tx eGFR and 6-month post-Tx eGFR (r(2) =-0.005).

CONCLUSION
Recipients of preemptive transplants fare equally, regardless of the eGFR at which they receive their transplant. There was no relationship between pre-Tx eGFR and 6-month eGFR, suggesting that post-Tx renal function is independent of the level of pre-Tx renal function. These data suggest that preemptive kidney transplantation should be delayed as long as possible, provided the patient does not have uremic symptoms, and dialysis can be safely avoided.


Anthropocentric experience - The analysis of specific and determining trends, characterizing 20th century music covering a multitude of components, and products of various spheres of human knowledge, which are in society's interest. In the 20th century, new and highly important elements came into being in the music pieces composed within this time frame. The typical sound organizing elements (harmonious and monodic), of the fabric of music were imminently inherent and endowed means of self-expression, assisted in determining philosophical or aesthetic formulations, and thus meshed with direct social philosophical suggestion. I.e. The processes being carried out or acknowledged by musicians and music theory specialists have been in eclectic integrity. Hence, the Researcher's attempt to relate determining processes within certain theoretical frameworks. Therefore, specificities in 20th century music will outline a broad platform in this paper. In it, the Researcher shall focus both on the new sound-organizing approaches of composition and on the new elements in the philosophical interpretation and social positioning of creative work in music.


Background: Neuttrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) was shown to be a good
marker for predicting acute kidney injury (AKI). Some recent reports
demonstrated that NGAL may be an early biomarker for kidney affection in diabetic patients. The aim of this work is
to investigate urinary NGAL (UNGAL) in type 2 diabetic patients with and
without albuminuria. Methods: This study included 46 type 2 diabetic patients
and 15 healthy age and sex matched individuals as the control group. Diabetic patients were divided into three groups according
to urinary albumin excretion (UAE), normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria and
macroalbuminuria. UNGAL was measured in all populations and corrected to urinary creatinine to account
for day to day variation in urine volume and transformed log. Comparison
between 4 groups (control, normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria and
macroalbuminuria) was done. Results: Log UNGAL/Creatinine ratio showed significant difference when comparing control group (0.70 ± 0.58) versus normoalbuminuria (1.71 ± 1.06), microalbuminuria (1.57 ± 0.72) and macroalbuminuria (1.92 ± 0.63), however, there was no
significant difference among diabetic groups. Pearson's correlation showed that
log UNGAL/Creatinine ratio positively correlated with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
and inversely with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Regression
analysis showed that HbA1c, urinary creatinine and eGFR were the independent
predictors of log UNGAL/Creatinine ratio. Conclusion: Tubular
markers like UNGAL may be early elevated in type 2 diabetic patients even
before the incidence of glomerular injury detected by microalbuminuria and it
can be used as an early marker for detection of kidney involvement in diabetic
patients.


During the 2012-2013 school year, a conservative movement against same-sex marriage affiliated with the Manif pour tous — the prominent anti-same sex marriage movement — developed in Martinique. Based on a participative research within the School Academy of Martinique Gender Equality mission, and a field study conducted on the movement against equal marriage rights in Martinique, this article observes the impact of this local movement on school projects in favor of gender equality.


Grulo,yira/ Fieldnvrk 1991, Paper 1YY2-I Alaska suggest that metamorph c rocks west of and within the Coast Belt are correlative with the Yukc n-Tanana Nisling terranes (e.g., Gehrels er a/ . , 1950, in xess; Garzau, 1991; Rubin and  Saleehy,  1991;  Samson el a / . . l')91; McClelland er al., in press; Fitlure 1-17-1). Although ths: juvenile Sm-Nd isotopic signatt re of the Stil ine Terrars: is distinguished from the evolved signature c t aracteristi': of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane (San~,son er a/., I )91), 1Md:lelland and Mattinson (1991) s.1ggested thkt  the  Stikin,z assemblage may be partly corrdative with nid-Pileozoi: rocks in the Yukon-Tanana Tenme. Fieldwork during 1991 foctis8i:d on pre-Pel mian rock:; of the  Stikine  Terrane  to estaidi:;h and  cornlare the  age, character and geologic relation5,hips of the : tikinian basement with the Yukon-Tanana Terrane in southeastem Alaska. Permian and older rock!. of the Stiki le assembhg: were examined in  the Chutin:: River  and Forrest Kerr regions and south of the lskul River to p ~ w i d e a stratigraphic and structural framework for ;geoct ronologic ;Inti


This paper describes an embedded calibration stereovision system that is able to be strongly online and auto-calibrated without placing a calibration device in front of the stereo camera, but with the device hidden inside the cavity of the system via a half-mirror. The stereo camera simultaneously observes a scene passing through the half-mirror and the calibration device reflected from the half-mirror, and makes the formation of an embedded calibration stereo pair containing both scene and the calibration device. The features of the calibration patterns are extracted from the embedded calibration stereo pair to estimate the stereo camera's parameters. We use a polyhedral-mirror to generate multiple virtual images of the calibration device to occupy large part of a scene image for accurate estimation. We also use several mirrors to extend the optical path from the calibration device to the stereo camera for depth recovery of distance objects. The system can be easily used in a wide range of applications without considering variation of camera parameters.


In Section 33 of [2], Bonsall and Duncan define an element t of a Banach algebra to act compactly on if the map a → tat is a compact operator on . In this paper, the arguments and technique of [1] are used to study this question for C*-algebras (see also [10]). We determine the elements b of a C*-algebra for which the maps a→ba, a→ab, a→ab + ba, a→bab are compact (respectively weakly compact), determine the C*-algebras which are compact in the sense of Definition 9, of [2, p. 177] and give a characterization of the *-automorphisms of which are weakly compact perturbations of the identity.


Abstract Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platforms are great energy consumers. Reservoir fluid composition and operating parameters of FPSOs are known to be important parameters for the total energy demand, and also for enhancing overall oil production. In the current research paper, the contribution of eight thermodynamic input parameters of a typical Brazilian FPSO operating on a pre-salt field is quantified by the Smoothing Spline ANOVA method for two responses: (i) energy consumption of the plant and; (ii) overall oil production. Three operation modes are considered in the analysis: Mode 1 (maximum oil/gas content), Mode 2 (50% BS&W) and Mode 3 (maximum water/CO2 content). The input parameters considered in the present research are: output pressure of the first control valve (P1), output pressure of the second stage of separation train (P2), input pressure of the third stage of separation train (P3), output pressure of dilution water pump (P4), output pressure of the main gas compressor (Pc), petroleum temperature of the first heat exchanger (T1), petroleum temperature of the second heat exchanger (T2), and dilution water temperature of heat exchanger (T3) are considered as input parameters. In terms of energy consumption, parameters P3 and Pc are always relevant for all operation modes. Furthermore, P3, P2, and T2 are the most important parameters for overall oil production for all operation modes.


In this letter, bipolar fast-pulse switching in TiO2 -based nanocrossbar devices was investigated. A dedicated measurement setup was used to measure the transient currents during 5-ns resistive switching. Transient peak currents for the set and reset processes were as high as 200 and 230 μA, respectively. The currents observed during fast-pulse switching are explained and simulated by Joule heating, which is needed for fast oxygen-vacancy movement. The measured transient currents enable a further optimization of resistive switches based on TiO2.


The health and sustainability of rural and remote communities is undermined by the international market-based food system. In the reality of these communities the cost of store-bought food is high, the nutritional quality low, and the availability tenuous. Furthermore, homogenization of the market-based food system undermines the diversity and ecological relevance of residents' food knowledge, and thus their resilience and capacity to innovate. Development of a local food system that emerges organically from the unique human and ecological setting encourages the utilization of both locally sourced and market-based food that may strengthen the autonomy and economic vitality of these communities. We will present findings from three research projects with First Nation communities in Northern Ontario. The aim of this research was to understand local and marketbased food behaviour from the perspective of community members. Relationships were examined among food behaviour, food knowledge, food values, perceived food security, cultural connection, and well-being. In one study we also explored the effects of perceived land contamination on these variables. The findings from the research suggest policies in natural resource management, agriculture, and other areas that will support the emergence of a local food system that incorporates forest, cultivated, and store-bought foods and may strengthen the health and sustainability of rural and remote communities.


1. The absorption and secretion of 65Zn in the stomach and intestinal tract regions was studied in sets of two and three sheep which were exchanging digesta via re-entrant cannulas in the proximal duodenum. One sheep from each of the three three-sheep sets was dosed intraruminally with the radioisotope. One sheep from the three two-sheep sets received an intravenous dose. 2. Measurements of 65Zn in blood plasma from intraruminally dosed sheep showed that there was no apparent absorption from the stomach region. Measurements from sheep receiving radioactive digesta intraduodenally showed that mean apparent absorption of 65Zn was 0.07 and mean true absorption was 0.103. There was a large variation in endogenous recycling of 65Zn into the stomach region. 3. Secretion of 65Zn into the stomach and intestinal regions in the intravenously dosed sheep of the two-sheep sets was calculated on the basis of total recovery over 10 d in the digesta and faeces. The present study showed that for every 1 molecule Zn secreted into the stomach region, 2.1 molecules were secreted into the intestinal tract region.


Smart cities intelligently control the functionalities of the city through the use of various electronic methods, sensors, and advanced communication techniques. An intelligent transport system (ITS) is the backbone of smart cities and refers to a system in which numerous vehicles utilize a communication infrastructure to exchange vital information, such as traffic, congestion, and road conditions. One of the key elements of ITS is vehicle tracking or localization, which is the monitoring of a moving vehicle's location using a Global Positioning System (GPS). Accurate vehicle localization is required because many safety and traffic management applications depend on the precise positioning of the vehicles. Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is a new technology that offers attractive features like improved performance gains, enhanced network coverage, and flexible deployment, and is considered a key enabler for the 6G-driven vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems that provide a programmable wireless environment. In this paper, a comprehensive view of a 6G-driven vehicle localization mechanism utilizing IRS is provided. The work also lists the benefits of IRS-enabled sensing in 6G vehicular networks including enhanced security, overcoming blockages, and improved localization. A case study to highlight the advantages of the IRS in vehicle tracking is presented. Finally, we also present the research challenges and future work directions in IRS-enabled vehicle tracking.


Objectives To demonstrate radiological manifestations of various abdominal emergencies including trauma in paediatric patients. Methods Ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance manifestations of various intraabdominal emergencies including trauma were displayed to find and evaluate abdominal pathological lesions under emergency conditions. Results Radiological demonstrations with brief reviews were performed in various intraabdominal emergencies in paediatric patients. They were common and uncommon gastrointestinal and genitourinary emergencies, such as incarcerated intussusception, usual and unusual inguinal hernia including incarcerated hernia and inguinal hernia of the ovary, usual and unusual appearance of acute appendicitis including variable location of appendicitis and a rare case of acute appendicitis in a patient with colonic non-rotation, perforated gastroduodenal ulcer disese, ruptured ovarian cyst, torsion of ovary or testis, torsion of ovarian teratoma and others. Also, a schematic demonstration of intraabdominal trauma with a short explanation was displayed. Conclusions Radiological evaluation for paediatric abdominal emergencies is very useful for proper diagnosis and management.


Most geophysical inverse problems are nonlinear and rely upon numerical forward solvers involving discretization and simplified representations of the underlying physics. As a result, forward modeling errors are inevitable. In practice, such model errors tend to be either completely ignored, which leads to biased and over-confident inversion results, or only partly taken into account using restrictive Gaussian assumptions. Here, we rely on deep generative neural networks to learn problem-specific low-dimensional probabilistic representations of the discrepancy between high-fidelity and low-fidelity forward solvers. These representations are then used to probabilistically invert for the model error jointly with the target geophysical property field, using the computationally-cheap, low-fidelity forward solver. To this end, we combine a Markov-chain-Monte-Carlo (MCMC) inversion algorithm with a trained convolutional neural network of the spatial generative adversarial network (SGAN) type, whereby at each MCMC step, the simulated low-fidelity forward response is corrected using a proposed model-error realization. Considering the crosshole ground-penetrating radar traveltime tomography inverse problem, we train SGAN networks on traveltime discrepancy images between: (1) curved-ray (high fidelity) and straight-ray (low fidelity) forward solvers; and (2) finite-difference-time-domain (high fidelity) and straight-ray (low fidelity) forward solvers. We demonstrate that the SGAN is able to learn the spatial statistics of the model error and that suitable representations of both the subsurface model and model error can be recovered by MCMC. In comparison with inversion results obtained when model errors are either ignored or approximated by a Gaussian distribution, we find that our method has lower posterior parameter bias and better explains the observed traveltime data. Our method is most advantageous when high-fidelity forward solvers involve heavy computational costs and the Gaussian assumption of model errors is inappropriate. Unstable MCMC convergence due to nonlinearities introduced by our method remain a challenge to be addressed in future work.


In this paper we present a 24 GHz-MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) using SiGe HBTs (Hetero Bipolar Transistor) which includes a differential oscillator realized with lumped elements and integrated mixer. The oscillator uses a differential circuit topology. The measured output power into a 1000 differential load is about 2 dBm and the phase-noise is -104 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency. The differential output of the oscillator is used for driving a single balanced mixer. The conversion gain Is around -4 dB, depending on the IF frequency. The area consumption of mixer and oscillator Including all pads is 465 /spl mu/m /spl times/ 475 /spl mu/m.


Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) perovskite has been recognized as a promising oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst due to its superior intrinsic catalytic activity. However, BSCF suffers from serious degradation during the OER process due to its surface amorphization caused by the segregation of A-site ions (Ba2+ and Sr2+). Herein, we construct a novel BSCF composite catalyst (BSCF-GDC-NR) by anchoring the gadolinium-doped ceria oxide (GDC) nanoparticles on the surface of a BSCF nanorod by a concentration-difference electrospinning method. Our BSCF-GDC-NR has greatly improved bifunctional oxygen catalytic activity and stability toward both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and OER compared with the pristine BSCF. The improvement of the stability can be related to that anchoring GDC on BSCF effectively suppresses the segregation and dissolution of A-site elements in BSCF during the preparation and catalytic processes. The suppression effects are ascribed to the introduction of compressive stress between BSCF and GDC, which greatly inhibits the diffusions of Ba and Sr ions. This work can give a guidance for developing the perovskite oxygen catalysts with high activity and stability.


A 12-month-old, desexed female Cocker Spaniel had intermittent bilateral foreleg lameness which was due to panosteitis of the radius and ulna. The disease was in the active 'middle' state. Endosteal and periosteal new bone formation was demonstrated by histological examination and accounted for the diffuse osteosclerotic appearance of the radial and ulnar diaphyses seen on radiographs.


An important problem in multi-stage biometric verification is to select an appropriate reject region. A reject region says which samples to be rejected. Rejecting impostor samples does not incur any cost in terms of user inconvenience, however, erroneously rejecting genuine samples leads to both user and administrator inconvenience. The problem becomes severe in the applications that involve a huge number of biometric transactions. Such applications necessitate the reject rate of genuine samples to be controlled. However, to date, no work has studied on controlling genuine reject rate (GRR) in multi-stage biometric verification. In this paper, we focused on controlling GRR and to this end, developed a rejection method called symmetric rejection method. Our rejection method adds the following benefits to multi-stage biometric verification: (1) it enables the system administrator to control GRR, (2) it allows to calculate the reject region without estimation of score distributions, and (3) it does not use any assumption on the functional form of score distributions. We performed experiments on (1) two fingerprint datasets of 6000 users and (2) two face datasets of 3000 users. For fingerprint data, we achieved 18.96 percent to 70.89 percent reduction in EER by rejecting 1.5 percent to 9.4 percent genuine scores and for face data, we achieved 3.27 percent to 85.83 percent reduction in EER by rejecting 0.3 percent to 14.4 percent genuine scores.


Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are single-photon detectors currently used in many applications as a valid alternative to Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). In fact, SiPMs present several advantages compared to PMTs, in terms of size, ruggedness, insensitivity to magnetic fields and voltage supply.In this work, we evaluated the use of SiPMs produced by FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler)-AdvanSid (Trento, Italy) in Positronium Time Of Flight (Ps TOF) technique. The aim of this technique is the study of the energy of Ps emitted by porous media for advanced experiments in the field of antimatter physics and, in the future, for open porosities characterization.The TOF spectrometer in operation at the positron beam of the University of Trento (Italy) is based on five gamma detectors composed of NaI(Tl) scintillators coupled to PMTs. We compared the performance of one of these standard detectors against a detector formed by two 4 × 4 mm2 SiPMs coupled to a 4 × 4 × 30 mm3 LYSO (Cerium-doped Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate) scintillator. The LYSO+SiPM detector was characterized for timing and energy resolution as well as for the background emission level.It is shown that SiPMs, thanks to their small size and versatility, can be coupled successfully to small scintillators, obtaining more compact detectors with respect to the NaI(Tl)+PMT detectors. The design of an array of detectors with wide angular acceptance and spatial resolution is discussed in order to improve the performances of Ps-TOF setups.


Folklorists should have special interest in this volume. The Hausa people comprise one of the largest tribes in West Africa, located in present day Northern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of the Republic of Niger. Their contact with the Islamic tradition, their pursuit of trade and travel and the wide currency of their language, a true lingua franca around Hausaland, are all factors which contribute to the special significance of Hausa oral tradition. It blends indigenous African elements with Islamic themes, and serves as a meeting point for narratives of several West African tribes. Disciplines African History | African Languages and Societies | Cultural History | Folklore | Near and Middle Eastern Studies | Oral History This review is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/nelc_papers/70 Johnston, H.A.S., A Selection of Hausa Stories (Book Review) Amos, Dan Ben Fabula; Jan 1, 1969; 10, 1; ProQuest pg. 240


This research was conducted within the border of Bartın province between the years of 20152018 for making detailed research on the biology of the important walnut pest Garella musculana identified for the first time in Turkey. The pupas collected from the study area were brought to the laboratory and monitored. It was observed that some pupas were parasitic, and the type of parasitic species that emerged from these pupae was also recorded and the species were diagnosed. As a result of the diagnosis, the parasitoid species were identified as Pimpla spuria (Gravenhorst, 1829). This was the first parasitoid recorded on Garella musculana in Turkey. This situation should be helpful of biological control on Garella musculana in walnut orchards.


The upcoming fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) interface inherits many concepts and techniques from 4G systems such as the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) based waveform and multiple access. Dimensioning 5G NR interface will likely follow the same principles as in 4G networks. It aims at finding the number of radio resources required to carry a forecast data traffic at a target users Quality of Services (QoS). The present paper attempts to provide a new approach of radio resources dimensioning considering the congestion probability, qualified as a relevant metric for QoS evaluation. We distinguish between the spatial random distribution of indoor users, modeled by a spatial Poisson Point Process (spatial PPP) in a typical area covered by a 5G cell, and the distribution of outdoor users modeled by a linear PPP generated in a random system of roads modeled according to a Poisson Line Process (PLP). Moreover, we show that the total requested Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) follows a compound Poisson distribution and we attempt to derive the explicit expression of the congestion probability by introducing a mathematical tool from combinatorial analysis called the exponential Bell polynomials. Finally we show how to dimension radio resources, for a given target congestion probability, by solving an implicit relation between the necessary resources and the forecast data traffic expressed in terms of cell throughput. Different numerical results are presented to justify this dimensioning approach.


Coxiella burnetii, the agent causing Q fever, has been associated with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). To better clarify this link, we analysed the genetic transcriptomic profile of peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with C. burnetii infection to identify possible links to lymphoma. Microarray analyses revealed that 1189 genes were expressed differently (p <.001 and fold change ≥4) in whole blood of patients with C. burnetii infection compared to controls. In addition, 95 genes expressed in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and in patients with C. burnetii persistent infection have allowed us to establish the 'C. burnetii-associated NHL signature'. Among these, 33 genes previously found modulated in C. burnetii-associated -NHL by the microarray analysis were selected and their mRNA expression levels were measured in distinct C. burnetii-induced pathologies, namely, acute Q fever, focalized persistent infection, lymphadenitis and C.burnetii-associated NHL. Specific genes involved in anti-apoptotic process were found highly expressed in leukocytes from patients with C. burnetii associated-NHL: MIR17HG, REL and SP100. This signature differed from that found for NHL-control group. Patients with C. burnetii lymphadenitis presented significant elevated levels of BCL2 and ETS1 mRNAs. Altogether, we identified a specific transcriptionnal signature for NHL during C. burnetii infection reflecting the up-regulation of anti-apoptotic processes and the fact that lymphadenitis might constitute a critical step towards lymphomagenesis.


This paper presents the results of a dryland grazing test conducted on grass-alfalfa mixtures at Swift Current, Sask., from 1956 through 1959. The grasses included were: crested wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. ; Russian wild ryegrass, Elymus junceus Fisch.; and intermediate wheatgrass, A. intermedium (Host.) Beauv., each in a mixture with alfalfa, Medicago spp. A comparison is made between continuous and repeated seasonal grazing on each of the three mixtures. It is believed that the results presented are applicable to a considerable portion of the Brown and Chestnut soils of the Northern Great Plains.


A new method is presented for identifying and comparing closed, bounded, free-form curves that are defined by even implicit polynomial (IP) equations in the X-Y Cartesian coordinates. The method provides a new expression for an IP involving a product of conic factors with unique conic factor centers. The critical points for an IP curve are also defined. The conic factor centers and the critical points are shown to be useful related points that directly map to one another under affine transformations. In particular, the explicit determination of such points implies both a canonical form for the curves and the transformation matrix which relates affine equivalent curves.


Tourism sector which has started to increase in size since the second half the 19th century has
become an important industry in the world due to its economic and social effects.Tourism's
economic profits have caused to not only management support but also local and national
support in promoting tourism's development and investments. However, this fast and
planless growth has caused to bad results. The attention has been drawn to the fact that
natural sources are being using up fast and that has brought new tourism terms and alternative
tourism types which are compatible with nature. Under the roof of sustainable tourism,
tourism which is sensitive to environment and local cultures has predicted that all tourism
types can be sustainable if the specific rules are followed. Sustainable tourism's essential principle is to save cultural and environmental values and try to provide planned and
controlled growth. Also, it tries to make sustainable tourism a concrete concept. Certification
and eco-labelling systems are used to measure with concrete data. Varying in purposes and
extent, certification and eco-labelling systems show the good and bad sides of businesses
about environmental awareness, hygiene, social responsibility, security, energy consumption,
waste management and staff education. And it gives information to customers about
management. Besides, it is seen that businesses use this as a marketing tool.
The aim of this study is to specify the certification and eco-labelling systems used in tourism
managements and present the reasons why they obtained these certification systems, and
determine whether certification systems show changes according to management types.
Alanya and Manavgat districts of Antalya have been chosen as an application area.
Population is four and five star hotels operating in Alanya and Manavgat. Research has been
done by reaching one manager in each population with questionnaire technique. Obtained
data has been analysed with SPSS packet program.
Keywords: Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Certification and Eco-Labelling Systems,
Accommodation Management, Green Marketing, Alanya, Manavgat,


In this paper we present an autonomic Web services architecture that manages both the performance of service containers and the interconnection of those containers into a service overlay network. The advantages of this approach include the easing of management tasks through the autonomic systems ability to self-configure, self-optimise and self-heal. We also benefit from improved resilience and anticipate an improvement in overall performance. In our architecture we incorporate a structured distributed hash table peer-to-peer overlay network within our autonomic Web services container. Our architecture is inherently non-hierarchical, widely distributed and enables SLA compliant deployment of WSRF services. We have simplified the management of such a system by adhering to autonomic principles, and we maintain the performance of the system by tightly integrating SLA compliance and migrating services between containers to preserve QoS. We have developed a workable system for both service deployment and migration without the need for global state.


In2O3 micro-cubes were fabricated via chemical bath deposition (CDB) on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate, over which highly textured Bi2WO6 nanopillars were grown via a diffusion-and-aggregation phenomenon by electrostatic spraying deposition (ESD). The resulting heterojunction bilayer exhibited a photocurrent density value of 1.03 mA cm−2 under visible light of 100 mW cm−2 intensity. Widening the light absorptivity spectrum and reducing the charge recombination enhanced the performance of the heterojunction bilayer films for solar water splitting.


Fusobacterium necrophorum can cause liver abscess, foot rot in ruminants, and Lemire syndrome in humans, Also, its virulence factors can induce the apoptosis of macrophages and neutrophils. However, the detailed mechanism has not been fully clarified. This study investigated the mechanisms of apoptosis and inflammatory factor production in F. necrophorum–induced neutrophils and macrophages (RAW246.7). After infection of macrophages with F. necrophorum, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine labeling assays indicated that F. necrophorum inhibited macrophage proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Hoechst staining and DNA ladder assays showed significant condensation of the nucleus and fragmentation of genomic DNA in F. necrophorum–infected macrophages, Annexin V (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) assay confirmed the emergence of apoptosis in the macrophages and sheep neutrophils with F. necrophorum compared with the control. The group with significant apoptosis was subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), and the sequencing results revealed 2581 up– and 2907 downregulated genes. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that F. necrophorum drove apoptosis and production of inflammatory factors by activating genes related to the Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) and death receptor pathways. Meanwhile, quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blot validation results were consistent with the results of transcriptome sequencing analysis. In conclusion, F. necrophorum induced apoptosis and production of pro-inflammatory factors through the NF-κB and death receptor signaling pathway, providing a theoretical basis for further mechanistic studies on the prevention and control of F. necrophorum disease treatment.


Recent research and applications have demonstrated technologically feasible methods, defined costs, and modeled processes needed to sequester carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in saline-water-bearing formations (aquifers). One of the simplifying assumptions used in previous modeling efforts is the effect of real stratigraphic complexity on transport and trapping in saline aquifers. In this study we have developed and applied criteria for characterizing saline aquifers for very long-term sequestration of CO{sub 2}. The purpose of this pilot study is to demonstrate a methodology for optimizing matches between CO{sub 2} sources and nearby saline formations that can be used for sequestration. This project identified 14 geologic properties used to prospect for optimal locations for CO{sub 2} sequestration in saline-water-bearing formations. For this demonstration, we digitized maps showing properties of saline formations and used analytical tools in a geographic information system (GIS) to extract areas that meet variably specified prototype criteria for CO{sub 2} sequestration sites. Through geologic models, realistic aquifer properties such as discontinuous sand-body geometry are determined and can be used to add realistic hydrologic properties to future simulations. This approach facilitates refining the search for a best-fit saline host formation as our understanding of the most effective ways to implement sequestration proceeds.more » Formations where there has been significant drilling for oil and gas resources as well as extensive characterization of formations for deep-well injection and waste disposal sites can be described in detail. Information to describe formation properties can be inferred from poorly known saline formations using geologic models in a play approach. Resulting data sets are less detailed than in well-described examples but serve as an effective screening tool to identify prospects for more detailed work.« less


Hereford (HH), Angus x Hereford (AH) and Friesian x Hereford (FH) cows were grazed separately at low, medium and high stocking rates over 4 years and mated to Hereford bulls. Stocking rate relationships were developed for weaning weight, pregnancy rates, weaning weight per hectare and profit per hectare. The results demonstrated the economic value of using crossbred cows and provided strong evidence of genotype by stocking rate interactions. The FH cows were the most productive and most profitable at the low stocking rate and the AH cows at the high stocking rate.