Aims : In Italy, Law no. 180 of 1978 changed the legal requirements for compulsory admissions to psychiatric inpatient facilities. This paper reports data on compulsory admissions gathered in the framework of a large-scale national survey of Italian public and private acute inpatient facilities. Methods : In Phase 1, structured interviews were conducted with each participating facility's head psychiatrist in all Italian regions with the exception of Sicily. In Phase 2, socio-demographic, clinical, and treatment-related information was collected for 1,577 patients admitted to 130 public and 36 private inpatient facilities in Italy during an index period for 2004. These patients were also rated using the 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Personal and Social Performance Rating Scale. Results : In 2001, the percentage of compulsory admissions, with respect to the total number of admissions to public units authorized to make compulsory admissions (N = 289), was 9.0 percent (n = 12,799), for a total of 114,570 hospital days. Conclusions : In Italy, the reform law did not lead to a higher compulsory admission rate than is found in other European countries. Compulsory admission is determined not only by psychopathological variables (e.g., diagnosis and severity) but also by the patient's level of functioning and degree of social integration, which play a relevant role.


Abstract 1  The autumn gum moth, Mnesampela privata, is an endemic Australian geometrid that utilizes a number of species within the genus Eucalyptus as hosts. Based on field observations, the moth is thought to be leaf‐type specific for juvenile as opposed to adult eucalypt foliage. 2  Laboratory binary choice assays of the oviposition preference of host novice M. privata confirmed that eggs were more likely to be laid upon juvenile rather than adult foliage of Eucalyptus dunnii and two subspecies of E. globulus. This oviposition preference was not influenced by differences in leaf size or adherence to leaves by ovipositing moths. The high specific leaf weights common to adult leaves were associated with reduced oviposition. 3  Although neonates fed on both juvenile and adult leaves of most of the trees studied, performance was greater on juvenile as opposed to adult foliage. Juvenile leaves typically had lower specific leaf weights and were nutritionally superior to their adult counterparts. Specific leaf weights above 0.236 mg/mm2 (associated with low water, i.e. = 56.5%, and nitrogen, i.e. = 1.23%, contents) were associated with reduced larval performance. Younger adult leaves, those with lower specific leaf weights, allowed slightly greater larval consumption. 4  When ovipositing, this eucalypt‐specific moth discriminates between leaf types of its heterophyllous hosts in favour of types with the lowest specific leaf weight. Less tough leaf types, which are also higher in nitrogen, enable neonates to attain larger body weights.


In this paper, we propose novel low-energy scheduling algorithms with low computational complexities for the heterogeneous body area network (BAN) systems, considering task graphs with deadlines (timing constraints) and precedence relationships to satisfy. Our proposed novel scheme, referred to as "critical-path information track-and-update", analyses the critical-paths, identifies the slack and distributes it over tasks such that the overall energy consumption is minimised. Our dynamic scheduling algorithm utilises the results from the static scheduling algorithm and attempts to aggressively reduce the energy consumption. Simulations for the task graph for a typical BAN application show that our static and dynamic scheduling algorithms deliver 25% and 15% more energy savings respectively compared to typical slack reclamation based scheduling algorithms.


Digital Filters that interact with dynamic process, produce high quality responses with synchrony and time constraints in critical form. This kind of filters have been known as RTDF (Real-time Digital Filters). This paper explain the next topics: a) Art of state about Filters theory, Real-time theory and Real-time Digital Filter theory. b) Development of theoretical concepts to describe local and global properties of RTDF. c) Implementation of RTDF like as parameter estimator of a D. C. motor. Including an exhaustive analysis of concurrent tasks, precedence constraints and timing constraints in a PC.


Evidence has accumulated that postnatal tissues contain developmentally early stem cells that remain in a dormant state as well as stem cells that are more proliferative, supplying tissue-specific progenitor cells and thus playing a more active role in the turnover of adult tissues. The most primitive, dormant, postnatal tissue-derived stem cells, called very small embryonic like stem cells (VSELs), are regulated by epigenetic changes in the expression of certain parentally imprinted genes, a molecular phenomenon previously described for maintaining primordial germ cells (PGCs) in a quiescent state. Specifically, they show erasure of parental imprinting at the Igf2-H19 locus, which keeps them in a quiescent state in a similar manner as migrating PGCs. To date, the presence of these cells in adult postnatal tissues have been demonstrated by at least 25 independent laboratories. We envision that similar changes in expression of parentally imprinted genes may also play a role in the quiescence of dormant VSELs present in other non-hematopoietic tissues. Recent data indicate that VSELs expand in vivo and in vitro after reestablishment of somatic imprinting at the Igf2-H19 locus by nicotinamide treatment in response to stimulation by pituitary gonadotrophins (follicle stimulating factor, luteinizing hormone and prolactin) and gonadal androgens and estrogens. These cells could be also successfully expanded ex vivo in the presence of the small molecule UM177.


The importance of travel time reliability in traffic management, control, and network design has received a lot of attention in the past decade. In this paper, a network travel time distribution model based on the Johnson curve system is proposed. The model is applied to field travel time data collected by Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The authors further investigate the network-level travel time reliability by connecting the network reliability measures such as the weighted standard deviation of travel time rate and the weighted skewness of travel time rate distributions with network traffic characteristics (e.g., the network density). The weighting is done with respect to the number of signalized intersections on a trip. A clear linear relation between the weighted average travel time rate and the weighted standard deviation of travel time rate can be observed for different time periods with time-varying demand. Furthermore, both the weighted average travel time rate and the weighted standard deviation of travel time rate increase monotonically with network density. The empirical findings of the relation between network travel time reliability and network traffic characteristics can be possibly applied to assess traffic management and control measures to improve network travel time reliability. Publication Year 2017


The authors obtain upper and lower bounds on the bottom of the spectrum and essential spectrum for a region Omega contained in RN which is provided with a hyperbolic-type conformal metric. Their bounds are designed to provide quantitative information when the boundary L of Omega is fractal and make fundamental use of the Minkowski dimension. If L is the limit set of Kleinian group Gamma acting on the hyperbolic space HN+1, they are able to obtain sharper information when the conformal metric on the region of discontinuity Omega ( Gamma ) contained in RN=RN union ( infinity ) is chosen to be Gamma invariant.


This work describes a 3-D finite element study of mode I fatiguecrack growth in the small-scale yielding (SSY) regime with zero T-stress. Under remotelyapplied, constant amplitude cyclic loading with a ratio KminKmax0, closurealong the crack front and behind the growing crack occurs when model nodes impingeon a frictionless, rigid plane. The material behavior follows a purely kinematichardening, constitutive model with constant hardening modulus. Dimensionalanalysis suggests, and the computational results confirm, that the normalized remoteopening load value, KopKmax, at each location along the crack front remainsunchanged when the peak load (Kmax), thickness (B) and material flow stress (0)all vary to maintain a fixed value of KKmax0B. Through parametric computationsat various K levels, the results illustrate the effects of normalized peak loadson the through-thickness opening-closing behavior.


Abstract The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty requires that past and present work sites be cleaned up unless removal would result in greater adverse environmental impact than leaving the contaminant in its existing location. In the early 1990s Australia began the documentation of contaminated sites associated with its research stations, which resulted in an extensive record of contamination at abandoned stations and waste-disposal sites. Currently the technical capability to remediate these sites does not exist because of environmental challenges that are unique to the cold regions. Investigations indicate that clean-up operations in the past have proceeded without adequate precautions and without effective monitoring. To address these problems, three research priorities have been identified to assist meeting international and national obligations to clean up these sites. They are: understanding contaminant mobilisation processes; development of ecological risk assessment for use in monitoring and setting priorities; and development of clean-up and remediation procedures. This study provides sufficient information to guide the completion of a clean-up at Casey Station and to indicate how other similar sites should be managed. The next stage is to develop the theory into an operational plan to include detailed protocols for clean-up, monitoring, site remediation, and management of the waste stream from site to final repository. To achieve this, the Australian Antarctic Division has established a contaminated sites taskforce to facilitate the transition from research and development of techniques to implementation of suitable clean-up options.


Imaging using magnetic resonance (MR) provides superior softtissue contrast resolution over other screening techniques used in medicine. Analysis of the images is generally performed by spatial-domain-analysis-based processing techniques, yet, as with most techniques, improvements to the identification and separation of signal sources are being sought continuously. A recent approach that has demonstrated potential and promise1 considers a set of multiple MR frames as a single multispectral image, where each spectral band in the set is acquired during a particular pulse sequence. Independent component analysis (ICA) is then used to enhance tissue contrast. The technique is capable of blindly separating unknown signal sources into statistically independent components without prior knowledge. For the approach to be effective, however, there can be no more than one gaussian signal source in the data.2 Since noise in MR images is nongaussian,3 ICA seems a very appropriate analysis technique for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While ICA has shown its strengths in MRI, it also suffers from a drawback, known as 'overcomplete ICA.' It occurs when p, the number of unknown signal sources (generally the number of tissue types), is greater than the number of combined images, L, used in the separation. This condition often occurs in brain imaging using MRI. The number of tissues of interest, such as cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), skull, skin, and muscle, is always greater than the number of MR pulse sequences (e.g., spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times, proton density) obtainable. Under such circumstances, the three independent components resulting from ICA must accommodate p > 3 signal sources, and thus more than one signal source must be accommodated in a single component. In this case, the full Figure 1. (a) Simulated MR and (b) 'ground truth' images of braintissue substances shown in (a). Images were generated by the simulator at McGill University (http://www.bic.mni.mcgill.ca/brainweb/). PDW1: Proton-density weighted, T1W1: Spin-lattice weighted, T2W1: Spin-spin weighted.


A new algorithm of multidimensional scaling is proposed. It performs metric or nonmetric analyses of two- or three-way data. It is a simple, convergent algorithm analogous to ALSCAL, but it approximately optimizes the least-squares fit of distances (not squared). This paper mainly considers the nonmetric two-way case.


A 19-month-old Belgian Blue heifer was referred to the Veterinary Clinic of Liege University. The heifer was 2 months pregnant by insemination and presented hyperthermia, anorexia and weight loss. Rectal palpation revealed a large, depressible abdominal mass. Diagnosis of parietal fibrinous peritonitis (PFP) was made by ultrasound, revealing a liquid and fibrin filled cavity attached to the abdominal wall. Blood analysis indicated an inflammatory status. Analysis of a PFP fluid sample confirmed bacterial contamination. Treatment, apart from fluids, antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, consisted of surgical drainage and repeated flushing of the cavity. Complete resorption of the cavity was observed after 5 weeks. The heifer remained pregnant but died 7 months later, after elective caesarean section, due to generalised peritonitis. This is the first report of PFP in an animal without a history of laparotomy. The PFP may have been caused by an insemination-induced trauma.


Recently, plastic or polyethylene bottles have been widely used by cosmetic manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. They have the advantage of being unbreakable and light in weight. The ``spray-type'' bottle gives a fine, vaporized or jet application, depending upon the position in which it is held and the consistency of the substance used. On certain occasions in dermatological practice, it may be advantageous to use this type of packaging. This is particularly desirable in the case of the discriminating patient. The usual watery solutions may be easily applied with the spray-type bottle. It delivers a fine mist which may be directed toward the desired area. This simplifies the application, for no cotton or gauze is needed. Shake lotions may also be applied with the spray-type container, but instead of a fine mist a direct jet is obtained, which may be directed toward the affected area. The application of this type of


Abstract Many studies have been conducted on the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater using biosurfactants, but few papers have been published on the removal of heavy metals from soil contaminated with crude oil using this method. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of rhamnolipid biosurfactants in removing nickel, chromium, and cadmium from soil contaminated with crude oil. In this study, first rhamnolipid was produced from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PTCC1340 and then confirmed by Thin-Layer-Chromatography (TLC) and Fourier-Transformation-Infrared-Spectroscopy (FTIR). In the next step, a sandy soil (2 mm diameter) was mixed with the crude oil (API = 32.83, viscosity = 6.21cp) at 258C for 2 weeks. The washing parameters included temperature, pH and rhamnolipid dosage. Based on our results, the heavy metal removal of nickel, chromium and cadmium from soil contaminated with crude oil at the optimum condition (258C, 0.8 g/L and pH 11) was 43.05%, 34.73% and 52.81%, respectively. Based on the results, rhamnolipids are found to have considerable potential for removing heavy metals especially cadmium, and the soil washing by the produced biosurfactant leads to the removal of heavy metals without the destructive effects of chemical surfactants and subsequently reduces environmental pollution. Therefore, this biosurfactant rhamnolipid may have a good potential for application in bioremediation of crude oil contamination.


As placenta barrier controls material exchanges between mother and fetus during pregnancy, studies on the placental transport mechanism of drugs is of great importance to analyze the efficacy, safety and toxicity of drugs. BeWo cells are derived from human choriocarcinomas, which can form monolayer trophoblast cells to offers an efficient placenta barrier in vitro for estimating nutrient and drug intake, efflux and transport. This essay focuses on the establishment and characteristics of BeWo cell model, and the advance on studies on nutrient and drug intake, efflux and transport mechanism by applying the model.


Conventional wisdom in the management literature holds that diversity is positively correlated with performance. Yet, the findings from the construction field indicate that this is not always the case. In an effort to study the interaction between diversity and performance in the construction industry, this paper presents the elements of a theoretical mathematical model to explore the relationship between diversity and knowledge sharing which is a precursor of performance. This model includes five dimensions of diversity: ethnicity, age, experience, language and education. At the heart of the mathematical model is a fuzzy based system that generates the probability of knowledge sharing among members with different demographic attributes. The presented fuzzy system will, in future work, become the foundation of an agent based model used to study the impact of worker interactions on productivity.


Dynamical systems with finite number of degrees of freedom and one constraint are considered; this constraint, called a super-Hamiltonian, is assumed to be a quadratic function of all canonical coordinates and momenta. The authors examine those topological properties of the orbits generated by the super-Hamiltonians that are relevant to the existence of cross-sections (Gribov problem). The well known results on the so-called real normal form of quadratic Hamiltonian functions are extended to super-Hamiltonians and briefly summarised. They are used to separate the classical dynamical equation. The dynamics in the separation subspaces helps to find the topology of the orbits and to give its complete description. One of the results is that the number of generic super-Hamiltonian families that do not admit cross-sections grows with the number of degrees of freedom much more rapidly than the number of families that do. Thus, orbit topology that does not admit cross sections is not just a marginal, pathological effect.


The existence of international students makes an investigation of the impact on a country's economy topical. Despite the complexity of measuring the economic impact of education tourism, many countries have conducted analyses to justify that international higher education students have a positive impact on the public economy. In the Gulf States, efforts to reform and modernize higher education to create knowledge-based societies are ongoing. Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) share a regional vision to make the Arab Gulf a hub for a world-class education. Arab higher education systems that were long characterized by mass production of graduates and incremental support from the state are now shifting to new Western models of higher education. Several factors, including the development of the knowledge economy, massive access to higher education and increasing higher education differentiation are contributing to this push. To achieve this vision, the Gulf States have adopted the Western research university model by hosting international branch campuses (IBCs) in the region. GCC governments have also embraced study abroad scholarship programs that sponsor large numbers of Gulf nationals to study in Western universities.


Pain is one of the most common, distressing and feared symptom among cancer and other patients in need of palliative care. An estimated 25% of cancer patients and 25 million people die in pain each year. Effective pain and symptom management are the core elements of palliative care which aims at reducing suffering and improving quality of life (QOL) throughout the course of illness starting from diagnosis, in sync with curative treatments and at end of life. There is a prevailing shortage of manpower apt to deal with pain and providing cost-effective palliative care and with the rise of cancer, other chronic diseases and explosion of new life-prolonging therapeutic modalities, this 'Patient-pain and palliative physician' discrepancy is only going to increase, more so in developing countries. The need of the hour is to train all healthcare physicians and nurses especially those working in the field of chronic pain in principles of effective pain and symptom palliation, to integrate cancer pain and symptom management into existing pain management fellowships and to introduce a holistic pain and palliative care model at all levels of healthcare system. Simultaneously, of equal importance is to conduct research, evidence building and formulate policies and guidelines for meticulous symptom management among the diverse category of patients and diseases so as to have a personalized and individualistic approach to patient management. In this comprehensive review, we have pondered upon the need, advantages, barriers and recommendations to achieve ideal 'Integrated pain and palliative medicine' services, their equitable implementation and delivery to 'whomsoever in need of them'.


Poyang Lake is suffering from persistent eutrophication, which is degrading the local ecosystem. A better understanding of the mechanisms that drive eutrophication in lake systems is essential to fight the ongoing deterioration. In this study, hydraulic residence time (HRT) was used to evaluate Poyang Lake's trophic state. A hydrology and ecosystem forced model was constructed to simulate long-term changes in algae and aquatic plant biomass and total phosphorous (TP). A comparison analysis revealed that between 1812 and 1828 (i.e., a consistent-change stage), climate and hydrology were the main driving forces, while algae and aquatic plant biomass contributed only 20.9% to the trophic changes in Poyang Lake. However, between 1844 and 1860 the biomass predominated contributing 63.6%. This could be attributed to nutrient absorption by algae and aquatic plants. A correlation analysis of the water TP and algae and aquatic plant biomass revealed a strong positive relationship. However, the algae and aquatic plant growth rate tended to decline after the biomass reached half of the maximum. This research reconstructs the long-term trophic evolution of Poyang Lake and provides a better understanding of the relationship between climatic and hydrological changes and lake ecosystems.


Monokines may contribute to the regulation of hematopoiesis and circulating numbers of leukocytes during chronic inflammation. The hematologic effects of daily intravenous injection of the recombinant monokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) were therefore studied in the bone marrow and circulation of rats over the course of a week. TNF induced daily neutrophilia and lymphopenia with no evidence of tachyphylaxis. TNF also induced a slight decrease in early myeloid forms in the marrow, but, more strikingly, induced a marked erythroid hyperplasia of late normoblasts, although no changes other than a slight reticulocytosis were noted in the peripheral red blood cell compartment. IL-1 also induced daily neutrophilia and lymphopenia with no evidence of tachyphylaxis. IL-1 differed from TNF in the induction of a significant myeloid hyperplasia and in the lack of any effect on the erythroid elements of the marrow. The lack of tachyphylaxis to the chronic administration of both TNF and IL-1 suggests that the mechanism of endotoxin-induced tachyphylaxis is not at the level of the effector cell response to these endogenous cytokines. G-CSF induced a biphasic peripheral neutrophilia first peaking on day one, reaching a nadir on day 4, and then rising progressively again until day 7. The low level of neutrophilia on day 4 is not due to marrow depletion of neutrophils secondary to the neutrophil releasing activity of G-CSF because the marrows of G-CSF-treated rats on both days 3 and 7 contained over twice the number of mature neutrophils as controls. Thus, the trough in the neutrophilia induced by G-CSF is postulated to be due to an as-yet unidentified negative feedback mechanism that inhibits neutrophil release from the marrow.


PURPOSE
The main purpose of this study was to examine how children with isolated speech sound disorders (SSDs; n = 20), children with combined SSDs and language impairment (LI; n = 20), and typically developing children (n = 20), ages 3;3 (years;months) to 6;6, differ in narrative ability. The second purpose was to determine if early narrative ability predicts school-age (8-12 years) literacy skills.

METHOD
This study employed a longitudinal cohort design. The children completed a narrative retelling task before their formal literacy instruction began. The narratives were analyzed and compared for group differences. Performance on these early narratives was then used to predict the children's reading decoding, reading comprehension, and written language ability at school age.

RESULTS
Significant group differences were found in children's (a) ability to answer questions about the story, (b) use of story grammars, and (c) number of correct and irrelevant utterances. Regression analysis demonstrated that measures of story structure and accuracy were the best predictors of the decoding of real words, reading comprehension, and written language. Measures of syntax and lexical diversity were the best predictors of the decoding of nonsense words.

CONCLUSION
Combined SSDs and LI, and not isolated SSDs, impact a child's narrative abilities. Narrative retelling is a useful task for predicting which children may be at risk for later literacy problems.


The hydrophobic, low melting, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (BMIm) salts [BMIm][BPh4] (1), [BMIm][B(C6H4Me-4)4] (2), [BMIm][B{C6H4(CF3)-4}4] (3), [BMIm][B{C6H3(CF3)2-3,5}4] (4), [BMIm][B{C6H4(C6F13)-4}4] (5), [BMIm][B{C6H4(SiMe3)-4}4] (6), [BMIm][B(C6H4{SiMe2(CH2CH2CF3)}-4)4] (7), [BMIm][B{C6H4(SiMe2C8H17}-4}4] (8) and [BMIm][B(C6H4{SiMe2(CH2CH2C6F13)}-4)4] (9) have been prepared. Systematic variation of the substituents on the tetraphenylborate anion allowed an assessment of their influence on the physical properties of the imidazolium salts. Structural investigations using NMR and IR spectroscopy, combined with single crystal X-ray structure determinations for 2, 3, 5 and 6, revealed hydrogen-bonding interactions between the imidazolium ring protons and the borate anion, both in the solid state and in solution. These interactions are weakened upon the introduction of electron-withdrawing substituents in the anion and follow the order 3,5-(CF3)2 < -C6F13 < -CF3 < -SiMe2CH2CH2C6F13 < -SiMe2CH2CH2CF3 < -H < -Me < -SiMe3. The melting points of the salts depend primarily on the bulk of the lipophilic substituents, and decrease with increasing size. Bulky lipophilic substituents dramatically enhance the solubility of the imidazolium borates 8 and 9 in hexane and reduce their relative polarity. These unique properties make imidazolium borates 8 and 9 interesting as amphiphilic ionic liquids with low polarity. Attempts to crystallise 7 resulted in decomposition. A single-crystal X-ray structure determination of the product, isolated in 6% yield, showed that a carbene-tris[4-{dimethyl(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)silyl}phenyl]borane adduct was formed.


The fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) stalks were investigated to determine the changes in their basic properties after oven-heat treatment. The oven-heat treatment was conducted at 100 °C or 190 °C for 15 min. There were slightly noticeable morphological, chemical, and thermal alterations in oven-heat treated OPEFB stalk fibers for short duration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the treated fibers had smooth surfaces and irregular heavy deposition of cementing agents. The highest cellulose content (41.68%) was present in OPEFB stalk fibers treated at 100 °C for 15 min, whereas the highest crystallinity index (48.74%) occurred in fibers treated at 190 °C for 15 min. The fibers comprised cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose with a high percentage of C, O, K, and other elements. Based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, oven-heat treated and untreated OPEFB stalk fibers had similar thermal stability characteristics.


A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) 13 and 15 are secreted zinc proteinases involved in the turnover of von Willebrand factor and cancer suppression. In the present study, ADAMTS13 and 15 were subjected to inhibition studies with the full-length and N-terminal domain forms of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)-1 to -4. TIMPs have no ability to inhibit the ADAMTS proteinases in the full-length or N-terminal domain form. While ADAMTS13 is also not sensitive to the hydroxamate inhibitors, batimastat and ilomastat, ADAMTS15 can be effectively inhibited by batimastat (Kiapp 299 nM). In conclusion, the present results indicate that TIMPs are not the regulators of these two ADAMTS proteinases.


RECENT EXPERIMENT on fully impregnated cable-type paper insulation, has shown that under certain conditions use of a paper of low density results in a higher dielectric strength than does the use of a paper of higher density.1 It has also been shown that failure of such insulation usually begins in the oil channels between successive turns of paper tape.


Walsucochins A (1) and B (2) with an unprecedented skeleton were isolated from Walsura cochinchinensis. Their structures including absolute configuration were elucidated by spectral methods. A biosynthetic pathway of 1 and 2 was postulated. Both 1 and 2 exhibited significant cell protecting activities against H2O2-induced PC12 cell damage.


Objective: To explore the characteristics of cortical morphology in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients with subcortical ischemic depression (SID) and its relationship with clinical symptoms. Methods: A total of 88 patients with CSVD in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled from July 2017 to July 2020. The subjects were divided into CSVD-non depression group (CSVD-ND, n=58) and SID group (n=30) according to the geriatric depression scale (GDS). The 3D-T1 MRI images were obtained from all subjects. The computed anatomy toolbox 12 (CAT 12) was used for image processing and cortical segmentation to obtain the cortical thickness (CTh) and surface metrics, including gyrification index (GI), sulcus depth (SD) and fractal dimension (FD). A comparison at the vertex- and region-of-interest (ROI)-wise levels were performed by the general linear model, and correlation analysis were conducted between cortical morphometric measurements and GDS scores. Finally, mean CTh (mCTh) was extracted for binary logistic regression analysis. Results: At the vertex-wise level, compared with the CSVD-ND group, the SID patients showed increased CTh in clusters mainly located in the posterior default mode network (pDMN), such as the precuneus(Pcu), the superior parietal gyrus (SPG) and the right postcentral gyrus (PoCG). As for the surface measurements, the GI value and the FD value were increased in clusters of Pcu and inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), respectively, in the SID group. ROIs analyses showed that apart from the Pcu, the SPG and the right PoCG, CTh alterations in the SID group were involved in a wider range of regions, extending to the right precentral gyrus ((2.27±0.20) cm3 vs (2.12±0.26) cm3, P=0.007), the left paracentral gyrus ((2.18±0.20) cm3 vs (2.05±0.23) cm3, P=0.008) and so on, than that in the CSVD-ND group.Compared with the CSVD-ND patients, the SID patients showed increased GI in the right PoCG ((25.31±1.11) vs (24.23±1.27), P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that CTh in the right Pcu was positively correlated with the GDS scores (r=0.4, P<0.05). Further binary logistic regression analysis showed that in comparison with the subjects in the reference group (<2.367 cm3), the odds ratio(95%CI) for SID patients in the highest tertile of mCTh (>2.473 cm3) were 6.373 (1.254-32.389) after multivariable adjustment (sex, age, years of education, total intracranial volume, traditional imaging findings of CSVD, cognitive function (CAMCOG-C) and mCTh). Conclusion: Both CTh and cortical complexity were increased in CSVD patients with SID, especially in the clusters of pDMN, and CTh may be an important risk factor for SID.


The occurrence of spoiler microrganisms in creamy ricotta during its shelf-life was assessed. The results showed the following contamination levels: < 0.3 MPN/g of coliforms, < 1.0 x 102 CFU/g of coagulase producing Staphylococcus and total aerobic mesofilic counts of between 2.0 x 102 and 2.45 x 104 CFU/g. The aerobic mesofilic counts decreased with storage time, with the samples being kept during twenty days under refrigerating condition (7 oC). The results of creamy ricotta microbiological assessment showed satisfactory hygienical-sanitary conditions.


Neodymium: YAG laser has become an alternative to conventional palliative therapy for rectal cancer. Between January 1986 and December 1989, 31 patients were treated with endoscopic laser evaporation for rectal cancers with obstruction (n = 17), bleeding (n = 3) and non-obstructive luminal narrowing (n = 11). Contraindications against surgery were multiple metastases (n = 16), poor general health (n = 7), refusal by patient (n = 5) and extensive local invasion (n = 3). Laser treatment was tolerated well with an initially good response in 29 patients. Palliation could be maintained in 20 patients with laser only; two patients had an unsatisfactory control of symptoms and in eight cases a diverting colostomy was eventually required, largely due to extramural tumor growth. Complications were limited to one stenotic scar. There were no laser-related deaths. Patients survived on average 10.8 (0.1-49) months, 2-year survival was 26%. We conclude that endoscopic neodymium: YAG laser therapy is an efficient and safe palliative method to control intraluminal, obstructing or bleeding rectal cancers.


Due to advances in surgical procedures and the biocompatibility of materials used in total joint replacement, more and younger patients are undergoing these procedures. Although state-of-the-art joint replacements can last 20 years or longer, wear and corrosion is still a major risk for implant failure, and patients with these implants are exposed for longer to these corrosive products. It is therefore important to investigate the potential effects on the whole organism. Released nanoparticles and ions derived from commonly used metal implants consist, among others, of cobalt, nickel, and chromium. The effect of these metallic products in the process of osteolysis and aseptic implant loosening has already been studied; however, the systemic effect on other cell types, including neurons, remains elusive. To this end, we used human iPSC-derived motoneurons to investigate the effects of metal ions on human neurons. We treated human motoneurons with ion concentrations regularly found in patients, stained them with MitoSOX and propidium iodide, and analyzed them with fluorescence-assisted cell sorting (FACS). We found that upon treatment human motoneurons suffered from the formation of ROS and subsequently died. These effects were most prominent in motoneurons treated with 500 μM of cobalt or nickel, in which we observed significant cell death, whereas chromium showed fewer ROS and no apparent impairment of motoneurons. Our results show that the wear and corrosive products of metal implants at concentrations readily available in peri-implant tissues induced ROS and subsequently cell death in an iPSC-derived motoneuron cell model. We therefore conclude that monitoring of neuronal impairment is important in patients undergoing total joint replacement.


The concept and the embodiment design of a frame for a race motorcycle is addressed. The motorcycle is designed for the Moto3 World Championship. The aim is to develop a frame that could be eventually produced by die casting.Given the basic geometry of the motorcycle and the engine dimensions, a multi-body model is derived by Modelica. The model is able to simulate the dynamic behaviour of the motorcycle in the two most critical conditions of use, namely braking and passing over a cleat. A comparison with experimental data has allowed the validation of the model.By means of Optistruct, an optimized structure for the frame is proposed and compared to the one derived by an experienced designer. A technique is proposed for the computation of stresses in the frame that exploits, in an integrated manner, FEM and multi-body modeling. A fatigue analysis aimed at assessing the life of the frame is performed.The combination of the most advanced modeling tools has enabled the design of a very light and stiff frame, additionally a process has been derived for future development of optimised motorcycle frames.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


A nondestructive resonance technique for measuring the textural qualities of apple fruit was evaluated. The resonance frequency, f, and the mass, m, were measured on each intact fruit, and a factor, f2 m, was computed. This resonance factor, f2 m, directly reflected the elastic properties of the fruit flesh and correlated significantly with sensory judgements of apple firmness during harvest. The dynamic resonance test is not as reliable an index of sensory firmness as the pressure test, but it has the advantage of being nondestructive.


Cancer chemotherapy was purely palliative until the early sixties. Tumor cures have been since obtained, first in malignant trophoblastoma and Burkitt's lymphoma, and more recently in Hodgkin's disease, diffuse histiocytic lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia in children, Wilms's tumor and osteosarcoma. Preliminary data are suggestive of tumor cures in testicular teratomas and, possibly, in small cell carcinoma of the lung. Five patients with trophoblastoma, Hodgkin's disease, melanoma, chronic myelocytic leukemia and anaplastic carcinoma of the lung are briefly presented, all without evidence of tumor relapse 3 years or more after chemotherapy. Theoretical bases for improvement of the curative effect of cancer chemotherapy are discussed, including the development of new agents, and new pharmacological problems concerning drug interactions, complexes of drugs with macromolecules or immunoglobulins and liposomes are considered.


ABSTRACT Although adherence is an important key to the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART), many people living with HIV (PLWH) fail to maintain optimal levels of ART adherence over time. PLWH with the added burden of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection possess unique challenges that potentially impact their motivation and ability to adhere to ART. The present investigation sought to (1) compare ART adherence levels among a sample of HIV/HCV-coinfected versus HIV-monoinfected patients, and (2) identify whether ART-related clinical and psychosocial correlates differ by HCV status. PLWH receiving ART (N = 215: 105 HIV/HCV-coinfected, 110 HIV-monoinfected) completed a comprehensive survey assessing ART adherence and its potential correlates. Medical chart extraction identified clinical factors, including liver enzymes. Results demonstrated that ART adherence did not differ by HCV status, with 83.7% of coinfected patients and 82.4% of monoinfected patients reporting optimal (i.e., ≥95%) adherence during a four-day recall period (p = .809). Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that regardless of HCV status, optimal ART adherence was associated with experiencing fewer adherence-related behavioral skills barriers (AOR = 0.56; 95%CI = 0.43–0.73), lower likelihood of problematic drinking (AOR = 0.15; 95%CI = 0.04–0.67), and lower likelihood of methamphetamine use (AOR = 0.14; 95%CI = 0.03–0.69). However, among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients, optimal adherence was additionally associated with experiencing fewer ART adherence-related motivational barriers (AOR = 0.23; 95%CI = 0.08–0.62) and lower likelihood of depression (AOR = 0.06; 95%CI = 0.00–0.84). Findings suggest that although HIV/HCV-coinfected patients may face additional, distinct barriers to ART adherence, levels of adherence commensurate with those demonstrated by HIV-monoinfected patients might be achievable if these barriers are addressed.


With the emergence of deep learning techniques, smartphone apps are now embedded on-device AI features for enabling advanced tasks like speech translation, to attract users and increase market competitiveness. A good interaction design is important to make an AI feature usable and understandable. However, AI features have their unique challenges like sensitiveness to the input, dynamic behaviours and output uncertainty. Existing guidelines and tools either do not cover AI features or consider mobile apps which are confirmed by our informal interview with professional designers. To address these issues, we conducted the first empirical study to explore user-AI-interaction in mobile apps. We aim to understand the status of on-device AI usage by investigating 176 AI apps from 62,822 apps. We identified 255 AI features and summarised 759 implementations into three primary interaction pattern types. We further implemented our findings into a multi-faceted search-enabled gallery. The results of the user study demonstrate the usefulness of our findings.


Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD will have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or be overly active. The hallmarks are hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention that are beyond reasonable developmental expectations for a child's age. The science behind Brillia is based on a new way to combine homeopathy and antibody science. The active ingredient of Brillia, Lapine S-100 immune globulin, is produced using antibodies to the brainspecific S-100 protein (S-100B). This protein is an essential regulator of many different intracellular and extracellular brain processes, e.g., various enzyme activities, calcium homeostasis, communication between neurons, etc. Thus, the clinical study of the efficacy of Brillia for Children for the treatment of anxiety disorders, disturbances of behavior, and attention, accompanied by increased excitability, irritability, and hyperactivity, are very important and promising. To determine the efficacy of Brillia for Children for the treatment of anxiety disorders, disturbances of behavior, and attention, accompanied by increased excitability, irritability, and hyperactivity in children, two clinical studies were carried out. Methods: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study of Brillia evaluating clinical efficacy and safety for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was conducted. Prior to inclusion in the study, the patients or their legal guardians were provided with information about the study and signed an informed consent form. Patient information collected during the study is strictly confidential. *Correspondence to: Timothy Allen, Global Allied Pharmaceuticals, Center for Excellence in Research and Development, 160 Vista Oak Dr. Longwood, FL 32779, USA, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


In this work we focus on fine-tuning a pre-trained BERT model and applying it to patent classification. When applied to large datasets of over two millions patents, our approach outperforms the state of the art by an approach using CNN with word embeddings. In addition, we focus on patent claims without other parts in patent documents. Our contributions include: (1) a new state-of-the-art method based on pre-trained BERT model and fine-tuning for patent classification, (2) a large dataset USPTO-3M at the CPC subclass level with SQL statements that can be used by future researchers, (3) showing that patent claims alone are sufficient for classification task, in contrast to conventional wisdom.


Aims This study aimed to analyse the medical records of a cohort of 19 Turner Syndrome patients attending three specialist primary lymphoedema clinics to elucidate the key features of the lymphatic phenotype of Turner Syndrome and provide vital insights into its diagnosis, progression and management. Lymphoedema of the hands, feet and cervical region is a common and key diagnostic indicator of Turner Syndrome, present in >60% of patients, though is poorly described in the literature. Methods The study sample of 19 female patients was obtained from specialist primary lymphoedema clinics at three major centres and located by identifying all patients with Turner Syndrome and lymphoedema from hospital databases. Patient and genetic notes were identified through the use of patient-specific numerical identifiers. These notes were thoroughly analysed and examined and any important information inserted into a spreadsheet pro forma. Results The majority of patients presented at birth with 4-limb lymphoedema which often resolved in early childhood but frequently recurred in later childhood. There was 1 case of systemic involvement (e.g. intestinal or pulmonary lymphangiectasia). The swelling was confined to the legs and hands with no facial or genital swelling. The most significant discovery from this research was a pattern observed from the lymphoscintigraphy results, which suggested that the lymphatic phenotype of Turner Syndrome may be due to lymphatic functional hypoplasia of lymphatic tracts. Conclusion Turner Syndrome frequently presents at birth with 4-limb lymphoedema which often resolves in early childhood but may recur at any age. The lymphoscintigraphy results suggested that the lymphatic phenotype in Turner Syndrome may be due to lymphatic functional hypoplasia, a new perspective which may highlight the importance of this test as a baseline assessment of lymphoedema in Turner Syndrome patients.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY We aimed to evaluate the biomechanical properties of quadriceps tendon graft with a bone plug ending (QTBP) and a quadriceps graft with a tendinous ending(QTT) fixed on the femoral side with different fixation devices. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-five paired 2-year-old calf QTs and 25 paired 2-year-old sheep femurs were used for this study. 90x8 mm central part of the quadriceps tendons with or without a bone plug was harvested. 8×25 mm tunnel was placed in lateral condyles. The QTT was fixed with four different fixation devices, including the adjustable suspensory system (QTT-ASS, group 1), biodegradable interference screws (QTT-BIS, group 2), titanium interference screws (QTT-TIS, group 3), and an adjustable suspensory system + biodegradable interference screws (QTT-(ASS+BIS), group 4); QTBP was fixed with titanium interference screws (QTBP-TIS, group 5). All groups were tested in a servohydraulic materials testing machine. Stiffness(N/mm), slippage of the tendon(mm), and the ultimate tensile load-bearing ability(N) of the groups were tested. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used with the Monte Carlo simulation technique to compare the nonparametric variables of stiffness, slippage, and ultimate tensile load. Dunn's test was used for the post hoc analyses. RESULTS Group 3 had the stiffest fixation (median 45.09 N/mm). The amount of slippage was highest in group 1(median 6.41mm). Group 1 was the most resistant group against a tensile load during the load-to-failure test(464 N). Fixing the QTT with the ASS and BIS in group 4 increased both stiffness and ultimate tensile load strength. There was no significant difference between the QTBP and QTT fixed with titanium screws. Fixing QTT with titanium screws was significantly superior to fixation with BIS(p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that QTBP fixation with TIS have no advantage over QTT fixation with TIS on the femoral side. Although the QTT group fixed with ASS was the most resistant group against tensile forces during load-to-failure test, amount of slippage was highest for this group as well. Thus, if an ASS is to be used, a strong tension force must be applied prior to tibial side fixation to prevent further slippage of the graft in the tunnel. Key words: anterior cruciate ligament, quadriceps tendon graft, femoral side, fixation, biomechanical properties.


The financial report is an important tool for mediating relationships between users and providers of the report. Level of reliability and relevance of a report need to be tested so that the information contained can be used as a basis for decision making. Opinion given by the auditor is an assessment of the audited financial statements. Going concern audit opinion is regarded as a negative trend over the sustainability of a company maintaining its business.
This study aimed to examine the effect of the financial and non-financial factors to the going concern audit opinion. The financial factors in question are the size of company and debt default, while the non-financial factors are audit opinion of the previous year and the reputation of the audit firm. The sample used in this study are manufacturing companies listed in Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) 2010-2013. Purposive sampling method is used to determine the number of population. The study population comprised 96 of 24 samples of the company with observation period of 4 (four) years. Data analysis using logistic regression analysis model.
The results showed that the debt default and the previous year's audit opinion significantly influence the going concern audit opinion. The size of the company and the reputation of the audit firm has no significantly effect on the going concern audit opinion.


This paper discusses some key points in the philosophical, political and economic thought of the famous Indian Muslim poet Dr. Mohammad Iqbal. Iqbal sought to reform the Muslim identity and the wider Islamic world in order to deal with the Western challenge. He was deeply perturbed by the ideological domination of the East by the West in the political, cultural and social spheres. His political and economic perceptions, as indicated in his poems, seek to revive the self-confidence and creativity in the Muslim Ummah (Community). Iqbal exhorts the Muslims to realise their identity and selfhood (Khudi) to confront the Western challenge. Iqbal's politico-economic thought is tinged with his dislike of capitalism and colonial rule. As an anti-dote to these elements, Iqbal speaks positively of socialism and its main proponents in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century although he rejects the atheistic form of socialism. Iqbal also purposes a reconstruction of Islamic thought in order to make it compatible with the demands of the modern world. All in all, Iqbal's philosophy reveals an eclectic mixture of Islamic modernism, anti-imperialism, pan-Islamism and a desire for a socially equitable society within an Islamic framework.


AIM
To place the causes and level of psychological stress among general practitioners (GPs) within the context of the overall morale in the profession and to describe solutions suggested or achieved in response.

METHODS
Postal survey of a random sample of GPs in New Zealand. Levels of morale and psychological distress (GHQ-12) were assessed. Respondents scored categories of workload stress and generated solutions to perceived stressors.

RESULTS
The response rate was 448/ 658 (68%). Potent causes of work stress were excessive paperwork, bureaucracy, multiple problem consultations, time pressures and combining work with family life. Overall mean 5 point Likert scale ratings for perceived stress and morale were 3.47 (SD 0.98) for morale, and 4.15 (SD 0.85) for stress. GHQ scores: of 448 respondents 143 (33%) scored 4-8, and 43 (10%) scored >8. The most commonly suggested solutions were simplifying paperwork, increasing the General Medical Subsidy, increasing locum provision and providing united professional representation.

CONCLUSIONS
Potent sources of stress and low morale continue to affect New Zealand general practice, with significant numbers of GPs recording high levels of psychological distress. Morale was higher than in the UK, but lower than in Ireland. GPs have developed a range of potential solutions they would like implemented.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology. Recent work has shown that systemic autoimmunity precedes inflammation of the synovium in RA patients. We developed a method to study the cellular composition of lymph nodes in the earliest phases of RA. Objective Cross-sectional analysis of the phenotype and functional characteristics of T cells from lymph nodes of individuals in different phases of rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods Seven individuals with arthralgia but without any evidence of arthritis upon physical examination who were/but positive for IgM rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF) and/or anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA; RA risk group) and 7 DMARD and biological naïve RA patients were included in the study. All study subjects underwent ultrasound-guided inguinal lymph node biopsy. T cell subsets T-helper (Th)1, cytotoxic T cell (Tc)1, Th2, Tc2, Th17, Tc17, regulatory T cells (Treg) and follicular T cells (Tfh) were analysed by multi-colour flow cytometry. Cytokine profiles were determined after stimulation with Phorbol Myristate Acetate (PMA) and Ionomycin in the presence of Brefeldin A and Golgi Stop. We used directly labelled antibodies for CD45, CD3, CD4, CD8, IFN-y (Th1/Tc1), IL-4 (Th2/Tc2), IL-17A (Th17/Tc17) foxp3, and IL-10 (Treg). Results Different T-helper cell subsets could be distinguished in the RA risk and arthritis group. An increase of CD4+IL-17A T cells (Th17; p = 0.04) and of CD4+IL-10 producing T cells (p = 0.014) could be observed in the early arthritis group compared to the RA risk group. Interestingly, a significant correlation between CD4+IL-10 producing T cells and ACPA titers (r = 0.78; p = 0.0016) and between CD4+IL-17A producing T cells and IgM-RF levels (r = 0.57; p = 0.04) was found when combining both study groups. In addition, within the RA risk group the levels of CD4+ IL-10 producing T cells correlated significantly with the TOTTJC28 (r = 0.8097; p = 0.03). Within the early arthritis group no significant correlations between T cell subsets and disease activity were found. Conclusions Flow cytometry analysis of cells collected using ultrasound-guided inguinal lymph node biopsy suggests an increase in activated T cells producing IL-17A and IL-10 in patients with early RA. Moreover, the number of these T cells correlates with autoantibody levels suggesting an important role of these T cells in the humoral autoimmune response. These data indicate that inflammatory changes in lymph nodes are present during the earliest phases of RA which may provide new insights in early immuno-logical changes associated with RA pathogenesis.


Abstract. Unlike yield, the plant calcium (Ca) : magnesium (Mg) ratio increases at higher soil Ca : Mg and decreases at lower soil Ca : Mg. Edible plant tissue Ca : Mg at various soil ratios has not been robustly studied. Such studies are appropriate because high Ca : Mg dietary ratios may be associated with increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and human dietary Ca : Mg ratio is rising as populations integrate more processed foods into traditional diets. This review explores whether increasing the soil Ca : Mg ratio is likely to increase edible plant tissue Ca : Mg ratio, a result that could, if substantial, affect human health. A literature search gathered published articles reporting Ca and Mg values for plants grown in soils or nutrient solutions with various Ca : Mg ratios. For each study, soil or solution ratio was plotted against plant ratio, and Pearson's r and 2-tailed P values were calculated. Findings reveal that reporting Ca and Mg content of edible plant tissues is rare in studies assessing the impact of soil Ca : Mg on crop yields, nutrient uptake or crop quality; Ca : Mg of whole plants and most shoots increases as soil Ca : Mg rises; leaf Ca : Mg of some but not all crops increases as soil Ca : Mg rises; Ca : Mg ratios of edible grain, fruit and root tissues are smaller than those of leaves or shoots of the same crop; and Ca : Mg of grain, bean and fruit tissue may not respond to changes in soil Ca : Mg as much as Ca : Mg of plants, shoots and leaves. However, the data are too sparse for conclusions or even speculation. Further measurements of Ca and Mg in edible tissues destined for human consumption are necessary to asses any impact of soil Ca : Mg on the rising dietary Ca : Mg of humans and its health consequences.


The question of Senecan influence on Elizabethan tragedy has been fiercely debated since J.W. Cunliffe published his seminal study in 1893. In the last half-century massive critical attention to this problem has been renewed. Recent interpretations of Senecan influence vary enormously, but there continues to be a tacit convergence on the view established by Cunliffe, namely that influence must be understood as a matter of local motif borrowing. This view is underpinned by the assumption that Senecan drama is made up of loosely related rhetorical exercises and that it thus lacks any coherent tragic vision. Building on recent work that challenges this bias against the plays as plays, this article re-examines the function of the Chorus in Seneca in order to transcend its interpretation as a static appendage of Stoic commonplaces. Rather than interrupting the flow of the action, the Senecan Chorus is carefully designed to evolve with the former so that it generates an overwhelming tragic climax. This climax is that of the avenger's furor, understood as tragic solipsism. It is this evolving Chorus and its vengeful madness that Kyd assimilated into his pioneering play of the 1580s.


This report discusses Congressional issues regarding Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, which are integral components of both national policymaking and military operations, including counterterrorism operations. ISR systems are costly and complicated, and the relationships among organizations responsible for designing and operating these systems are equally complicated.


Four cases of renal hemangioma are presented. Renal hemangioma is difficult to detect because this benign vascular tumor never demonstrates any abnormalities on renal arteriography. Computed tomography in two resected cases of cavernous hemangioma revealed a low-density mass without any enhance effect, while the others diagnosed by the selective renal arteriography demonstrated no abnormality on computed tomography. We postulate that both angiographic and computed tomographic appearances of the renal hemangioma could depend on its vascular components. Related reports are also reviewed.


Natural floral organ degeneration or abortion results in unisexual or fully sterile flowers, while abiotic stresses lead to sterility after initiation of floral reproductive organs. Since normal flower development is essential for plant sexual reproduction and crop yield, it is imperative to have a better understanding of plant sterility under regular and stress conditions. Here, we review the functions of ABC genes together with their downstream genes in floral organ degeneration and the formation of unisexual flowers in Arabidopsis and several agriculturally significant cereal grains. We further explore the roles of hormones, including auxin, brassinosteroids, jasmonic acid, gibberellic acid, and ethylene, in floral organ formation and fertility. We show that alterations in genes affecting hormone biosynthesis, hormone transport and perception cause loss of stamens/carpels, abnormal floral organ development, poor pollen production, which consequently result in unisexual flowers and male/female sterility. Moreover, abiotic stresses, such as heat, cold, and drought, commonly affect floral organ development and fertility. Sterility is induced by abiotic stresses mostly in male floral organ development, particularly during meiosis, tapetum development, anthesis, dehiscence, and fertilization. A variety of genes including those involved in heat shock, hormone signaling, cold tolerance, metabolisms of starch and sucrose, meiosis, and tapetum development are essential for plants to maintain normal fertility under abiotic stress conditions. Further elucidation of cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms about regulation of fertility will improve yield and quality for many agriculturally valuable crops.


In Central America, a popular beverage is made from some roasted oilseeds, named jicaro seeds. Jicaro seeds are numerous and embedded in the pulp of the fruit of jicaro (Crescentia alata H.B.K), a calabash tree, native from Mexico and spread in dry areas of Central America. After fermentation, the seeds are separated from the pulp, sun dried and roasted in order to develop a specific flavor before being ground and used for making the beverage. These seeds are highly valued in several countries of Central America due to their high nutritional value and pleasant aroma. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of roasting on the composition of volatile compounds of jicaro seeds. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of volatile compounds in unroasted and roasted jicaro seeds (140 oC for 140 s) were carried out using Solvent Assisted Flavor Evaporation (SAFE) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 27 volatile compounds were identified and quantified. Styrene appeared to be the main compound with a concentration of 22.57 and 47.0 mg/kg in unroasted and roasted seeds respectively. Many volatile compounds were already found in the unroasted seeds (19 out of 27). Others appeared in roasted seeds such as pyrazines and aldehydes. Most of compound concentrations increased with the roasting process, except for some alcohols or esters. A decrease of some reducing sugars and free amino acids was observed, probably due to Maillard reactions. Additionally, 22 impacting odor compounds of roasted seeds, extracted by Headspace Solid Phase Micro Extraction (HS-SPME), were identified by ten untrained panelists using Gas Chromatography Olfactometry (GCO). Ethyl-2-methylbutyrate was the only one recognized by 100% of the panelists as characteristic of jicaro note with concentrations of 0.16 mg/kg and 0.47 mg/kg in unroasted and roasted seeds respectively, while pyrazines were associated to roasted note. This ester, along with pyrazines, aldehydes, ketones and alcohols, contributes to the specific and pleasant aroma of jicaro seeds and its beverage. Its odor activity value (OAV) was of 1808, with an odor threshold at 0.26 ppb.


A theory of light scattering in fluids produced by local fluctuations of refractive index is developed from the theory of X-ray scattering in fluids which is applied to the phenomena of critical opalescence in one-component liquids due to density fluctuations and in two-component liquid mixtures due to concentration fluctuations. The dependence of the scattered light intensity on wave-length and scattering angle can be derived from the theoretical expressions when the correlation of the fluctuations in two volume elements as a function of the distance of these elements is known. The theory is used for determining the shape of the correlation function for a number of binary mixtures from the measured angular distribution of the scattered light intensity, as described in part I by means of numerical computation of Fourier integrals. It is found that the mixtures belonging to class I (as defined in part I) are characterized by a correlation function with a range of negative correlation, and those belonging to class II by a correlation function of nearly Gaussian shape. The absolute magnitude of the concentration fluctuations near the critical mixing point is also calculated from the observational material. A tentative qualitative explanation for the different shapes of the correlation function for the two classes of mixtures is presented.


A coal distributor is necessary to mix and split raw coal for subsequent processing in a parallel module coal preparation plant. The sputnik hydraulic distributor, a static device with two internal chambers and tangential water pipes, is widely employed for this purpose. Biased properties in the discharging slurry streams may lead to many problems. It is useful to develop a mathematical model to aid the design, control and optimisation of the operation. For this purpose, we have recently developed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model which uses homogeneous two-phase flow method to solve the three-dimensional distribution of water flow and its volume fraction and a discrete element method (DEM) to describe the motion of coal particles in the distributor. In this article, extensive numerical experiments based on the CFD model are conducted and the detailed fluid flow pattern is analysed to understand the main causes for water maldistribution inside a 12-way coal distributor, aiming to identify the optimum operational condition and design for practice. Variables considered include water flow rate and velocity, layout of water inlets, size and position of the inserted table, geometry of orifice slots and outlet size. The initial momentum of tangential inlet jet is found to be most important to minimise biased mass flow rate among outlets. Three mechanisms, namely, geometric distribution, swirl distribution and gravity distribution, are found to be responsible for the water distribution. To test the outcomes, the flow of coal particles is also simulated using DEM. Several cases with different operational conditions are considered to clarify the influence of water flow on particle flow and the relationship between water distribution and particle flow distribution at the outlets. The findings should be useful in the development of a better understanding of this complicated gas-liquid-particle flow system or new designs and control strategies for coal distributors.


Nonprofit organizations should consider using incentive-based management programs so long as such programs are studied thoughtfully, implemented carefully, and closely tied to other important management practices. The article describes the experiences of one nonprofit organization, Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America (CSFA), in successfully conducting a staff incentive program during the past several years. The author also reports briefly on the results of a recent survey among CSFA staff involved in the incentive plan, outlining the benefits of such a program in helping the organization to reach its objectives. Finally, the author addresses potential pitfalls to avoid in implementing an effective staff incentive program.


Many theories are evolved in economics and management to explain the imbalance in demand and supply of goods and services or consumption pattern, resource allocation, and so on. All these theories explain a common fact, competition to acquire resources to maximize wealth. All the wars the human race fought in the past were for one purpose, to acquire and accumulate wealth. In all these, few stakeholders of the universe are ignored: human beings, environment, earth and other living creatures on earth. Deep deforestation and overuse of natural resources have questioned the survival of mankind itself. How long the greed and competition for unquestionable global leadership will go on and what would be the fate of unprivileged in these? Can their survival be challenged? Can we think an alternative inclusive paradigm for management to ensure justice to everything on earth to survive peacefully? Yes we can, through a spiritual leadership for sustainable growth and business.


In electric power stations, it is often necessary to make accurate measurements of current or power when the instruments are located near to the cables carrying large alternating currents. The magnetic field produced by these currents may constitute a serious source of error in the measurements unless careful precautions are taken to guard against such disturbing effects. This paper summarizes the various principles and methods for detecting and minimizing the errors which may arise from this source. The principal methods are; (1) to so arrange the cables carrying the large currents that they produce as little stray magnetic effect as possible; (2) to use instruments of the shielded or of the astatic type; (3) to repeat readings with the instrument connections reversed; and (4) to avoid all loops in the connecting leads.


The exchange of human breast milk, a common and well-established practice, has become a site of public controversy in the US. There is controversy over the use of the internet to facilitate milk exchange and public interest in the practice has been stimulated by a research article published in the journal Pediatrics that identified high levels of potentially harmful bacteria in breast milk sold online. In this article we use feminist critical discourse analysis to critically examine how breast milk sharing is represented in a sample of 30 articles from US print newspapers published in 2010–2013. We found complex and contradictory images of human milk, with medically supervised milk banks represented as a life-saving entity, nature's 'liquid gold', whereas peer sharing of breast milk was represented as dangerous, and in this context breast milk was represented as a potentially life-threatening substance. Women who donated milk to milk banks were represented as altruistic and those who obtained their babies' milk from the milk bank were represented as responsible and acting in the best interests of their babies. In contrast women who participated in peer milk sharing were represented at best as ill-informed about the risks to babies and at worst, morally reprehensible for disregarding the risks. Mothers who fed their babies this milk were represented as irresponsible and playing 'Russian roulette' with their babies. We argue that such contradictory representations are grounded in concerns in high income countries such as the USA with the control and surveillance of the female body through discourses of risk and are based on cultural constructions of individualism and intensive mothering.


Intestinal microbiota is the factor that identifies considerably the human health. The impact of the microbial factor on a child begins long before his birth. Children have certain features in forming of immune response and intestinal microbiocenosis even before birth. Decline in diversity of intestinal microbiota is common in children with allergic disease even during first months of life, before allergic pathology development. Capabilities for microbiota development adjustment are sufficiently restricted. However it is clinically proven that early (within the first hours of life) breastfeeding attachment, breastfeeding itself within at least first 6 months of life, the use of prebiotics in milk formulas as well as the use of probiotics can give positive results on allergy management. In this review we present results of recent metaanalyses and consensus papers of international medical communities about use of probiotics and prebiotics in prevention and treatment of allergic diseases. Despite great scientific and practical interest to this topic, authors of metaanalyses bring our attention to the lack of evidence-based clinical trials.


Juvenile trout enter Loch Leven during autumn and winter from the nursery streams, spend their adolescent phase offshore until reaching a length of 0.30 cm, and then move to the littoral areas in early summer. There are two types of littoral area:'favourable'areas from which movement of individual fish in the summer is very restricted, and'unfavourable'areas used briefly in early summer from which movement away is pronounced. Trout are absent from the littoral areas in winter. In subsequent summers homing to previous feeding areas is characteristic of fish from'favourable'areas, with a tendency for older fish to move to the south east area of the loch. Spawning runs occur simultaneously into the main inflows, chiefly between October and December. Emigration into the outflow occurs, but is probably unimportant.


A new minimal path active contour model for boundary extraction is presented. Implementing the new approach requires four steps (1) users place some initial end points on or near the desired boundary through an interactive interface; (2) a potential searching window is defined between two end points; (3) a graph search method based on conic curves is used to search the boundary; and (4) a "wriggling" procedure is used to calibrate the contour and reduce sensitivity of the search results on the selected initial end points. The last three steps are performed automatically. In the proposed approach, the potential window systematically provides a new node connection for the later graph search, which is different from the row-by-row and column-by-column methods used in the classical graph search. Furthermore, this graph search also suggests ways to design a "wriggling" procedure to evolve the contour in the direction nearly perpendicular to itself by creating a list of displacement vectors in the potential window. The proposed minimal path active contour model speeds up the search and reduces the "metrication error" frequently encountered in the classical graph search methods e.g., the dynamic programming minimal path (DPMP) method.


A composite strontium isotopic seawater curve was constructed for the Miocene between 24 and 6 Ma by combining 87Sr/86Sr measurements of planktonic foraminifera from Deep Sea Drilling Project sites 289 and 588. Site 289, with its virtually continuous sedimentary record and high sedimentation rates (26 m/m.y.), was used for constructing the Oligocene to mid-Miocene part of the record, which included the calibration of 63 biostratigraphic datums to the Sr seawater curve using the timescale of Cande and Kent (1992). Across the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, a brief plateau occurred in the Sr seawater curve (87Sr/86Sr values averaged 0.70824) which is coincident with a carbon isotopic maximum (CM-O/M) from 24.3 to 22.6 Ma. During the early Miocene, the strontium isotopic curve was marked by a steep rise in 87Sr/86Sr that included a break in slope near 19 Ma. The rate of growth was about 60 ppm/m.y. between 22.5 and 19.0 Ma and increased to over 80 ppm/m.y. between 19.0 and 16 Ma. Beginning at ∼16 Ma (between carbon isotopic maxima CM3 and CM4 of Woodruff and Savin (1991)), the rate of 87Sr/86Sr growth slowed and 87Sr/86Sr values were near constant from 15 to 13 Ma. After 13 Ma, growth in 87Sr/86Sr resumed and continued until ∼9 Ma, when the rate of 87Sr/86Sr growth decreased to zero once again. The entire Miocene seawater curve can be described by a high-order function, and the first derivative (d87Sr/86Sr/dt) of this function reveals two periods of increased slope. The greatest rate of 87Sr/86Sr change occurred during the early Miocene between ∼20 and 16 Ma, and a smaller, but distinct, period of increased slope also occurred during the late Miocene between ∼12 and 9 Ma. These periods of steepened slope coincide with major phases of uplift and denudation of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau region, supporting previous interpretations that the primary control on seawater 87Sr/86Sr during the Miocene was related to the collision of India and Asia. The rapid increase in 87Sr/86Sr values during the early Miocene from 20 to 16 Ma imply high rates of chemical weathering and dissolved riverine fluxes to the oceans. In the absence of another source of CO2, these high rates of chemical weathering should have quickly resulted in a drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and climatic cooling through a reversed greenhouse effect. The paleoclimatic record, however, indicates a warming trend during the early Miocene, culminating in a climatic optimum between 17 and 14.5 Ma. We suggest that the high rates of chemical erosion and warm temperatures during the climatic optimum were caused by an increase in the contribution of volcanic CO2 from the eruption of the Columbia River Flood Basalts (CRFB) between 17 and 15 Ma. The decrease in the rate of CRFB eruptions at 15 Ma and the removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide by increased organic carbon burial in Monterey deposits eventually led to cooling and increased glaciation between ∼14.5 and 13 Ma. The CRFB hypothesis helps to explain the significant time lag between the onset of increased rates of organic carbon burial in the Monterey at 17.5 Ma (as marked by increased δ13C values) and the climatic cooling and glaciation during the middle Miocene (as marked by the increase in δ18O values), which did not begin until ∼14.5 Ma.


For the minimal QCD axion model it is generally believed that overproduction of dark matter constrains the axion mass to be above a certain threshold, or at least that the initial misalignment angle must be tuned if the mass is below that threshold. We demonstrate that this is incorrect. During inflation, if the Hubble scale is low, the axion tends toward an equilibrium. This means the minimal QCD axion can naturally give the observed dark matter abundance in the entire lower part of the mass range, down to masses $\sim 10^{-12}$ eV (or $f_a$ up to almost the Planck scale). The axion abundance is generated by quantum fluctuations of the field during inflation. This mechanism generates cold dark matter with negligible isocurvature perturbations. In addition to the QCD axion, this mechanism can also generate a cosmological abundance of axion-like particles and other light fields.


AIMS
To determine the impact of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on quality of life and to determine the predictors of quality of life, particularly the role of symptomatology and autonomic function.

METHODS AND RESULTS
The study group comprised 73 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (mean age 54.1 years, 51 males). On average, patients had a 3-year history of one paroxysm per week lasting 2 h. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey) and compared with age-matched controls. Autonomic function was assessed using Holter monitoring with analysis of heart rate variability and autonomic function tests. Symptoms during paroxysms of atrial fibrillation were also scored. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of quality of life. Quality of life scores were markedly lower in patients than in controls in four of the eight subscales (P<0.001): physical role function, emotional role function, vitality and general health. Structural heart disease did not predict quality of life, whereas frequency of paroxysms was predictive only of physical role function. In contrast, autonomic variables (baroreflex-sensitivity, total power (heart rate variability), response to deep breathing, 30-15 ratio (standing up)) were predictive in all four respective subscales (P<0.05), depressed vagal function being predictive of low scores. Symptoms, particularly severe perspiration, were also predictive of low scores (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that paroxysmal atrial fibrillation causes significant impairment of quality of life. Further, symptomatology and autonomic function are important predictors of quality of life in this patient group.


Some plant families have a specialized type of pollination system, with floral lipid rewards for pollinators, which is common. In neotropical Malpighiaceae species like Pterandra pyroidea, this specialized type of pollination system is apparently shifting from floral oils/lipids to pollen reward. Mass spectrometric analysis (GC/MS-EI) indicated that P. pyroidea floral oil has a unique chemical composition, i.e., few fatty acid constituents possessing acetoxy groups at positions 5 and 7, which is distinct from the other floral oils of sympatric Malpighiaceae species. The structure of the major floral oil constituent, a novel fatty acid, anti-5,7-diacetoxydocosanoic acid, was confirmed based on synthesis, mass fragmentation, and 1H and 13C NMR analyses; the compound is herein named pterandric acid.


Hierarchical metric-space clustering methods have been commonly used to organize proteomes into taxonomies. Consequently, it is often anticipated that hierarchical clustering can be leveraged as a basis for scalable database index structures capable of managing the hyper-exponential growth of sequence data. M-tree is one such data structure specialized for the management of large data sets on disk. We explore the application of M-trees to the storage and retrieval of peptide sequence data. Exploiting a technique first suggested by Myers (1994), we organize the database as records of fixed length substrings. Empirical results are promising. However, metric-space indexes are subject to "the curse of dimensionality" and the ultimate performance of an index is sensitive to the quality of the initial construction of the index. We introduce new hierarchical bulk-load algorithm that alternates between top-down and bottom-up clustering to initialize the index. Using the Yeast Proteomes, the bi-directional bulk load produces a more effective index than the existing M-tree initialization algorithms.


Glucocorticoid excess often causes variety of cardiovascular complications, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and cardiac hypertrophy. To abrogate its cardiac side effects, it is necessary to fully disclose the pathophysiological role of glucocorticoid in cardiac remodelling. Previous clinical and experimental studies have found omentin-1, one of adipokines, exists beneficial effects in cardiovascular diseases, and closely associated with metabolic disorders. However, there is no evidence to address the potential role of omentin-1 in glucocorticoid excess -induced cardiac injuries. To uncover the links, the present study utilized rat model with glucocorticoid-induced cardiac injuries, and clinical patients with abnormal cardiac function. Chronic administration of glucocorticoid excess suppressed the rat serum omentin-1 concentration, which closely correlated with cardiac functional parameters. Intravenous administration of adeno-associated virus encoding omentin-1 upregulated circulating omentin-1 level, and attenuated glucocorticoid excess-induced cardiac hypertrophy, and functional disorders. Overexpression of omentin-1 also improved cardiac mitochondrial function, including reduction of lipid deposits, induction of mitochondrial biogenesis, and enhanced mitochondrial activities. Mechanistically, omentin-1 phosphorylated and activated GSK3β pathway in hearts. From a study of 28 patients with Cushing's syndrome and 23 healthy subjects, plasma level of glucocorticoid was negatively correlated with omentin-1, which exhibiting positively association with cardiac ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Collectively, the present study provided a novel role of omentin-1 in glucocorticoid excess-induced cardiac injuries, and found omentin-1/GSK3β pathway was a potential therapeutic target in combating side effects of glucocorticoid.


Recent changes in the construction method of piles to minimize noise, along with the development of high-strength reinforcement, have provided an economical high performance RC pile development to compensate for the disadvantages of existing PHC piles. In this study, a methodology for the development of cross - section details of high performance RC piles of various performances is presented by freely applying high strength steel and concrete. This study suggested a technique for calculating bending moments for a given axial force corresponding to the allowable crack widths and this can be used for serviceablity check. In calculating the design shear force, the existing design equation applicable to the rectangular or the I section was modified to be applicable to the hollow circular section. In particular, in the limit state design method, the shear force is calculated in proportion to the axial force, and the procedure for calculating PV diagram is established. Last, the section details are determined through PM diagrams that they have the similar flexural and axial-flexural performances of the PHC pile A, B and C types with a diameter of 500 mm. To facilitate the application of the selected standard sections to the practical tasks, the design PM diagram and design shear forces are proposed in accordance with the strength design method and limit state design method.


During the late phase of the HIV-1 replication cycle, the Gag polyproteins are transported to the plasma membrane (PM) for assembly. Gag targeting and assembly on the PM is dependent on interactions between its matrix (MA) domain and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2). Subsequent to Gag assembly, the envelope (Env) protein is recruited to the PM for incorporation into virus particles. Evidence suggests that the incorporation of the Env protein is mediated by interactions between the MA domain of Gag and the cytoplasmic tail of the gp41 subunit of Env (gp41CT), a mechanism that remains to be elucidated. Trimerization of the MA domain of Gag appears to be an obligatory step for this interaction. The interplay between gp41CT, the MA trimer, and the membrane has yet to be determined. Our lab has pioneered methods and approaches to investigate, at the molecular level, how the retroviral MA domains of Gag interact with membranes, a key requirement for understanding the Gag assembly and Env incorporation. Herein, we devised innovative approaches that will enable the structural characterization of the gp41CT–MA–membrane interactions. We employed structural biology (NMR and cryo-electron microscopy, biophysical methods, and biochemical tools to generate a macromolecular picture of how the MA domain of Gag binds to the membrane and how it interacts with gp41CT. To this end, we: (i) determined the three-dimensional structure of HIV-1 gp41CT and characterized its interaction with the membrane, (ii) engineered trimeric constructs of gp41CT and the MA to recapitulate the native and functional states of the proteins, and (iii) utilized membrane nanodisc technology to anchor the MA and gp41CT proteins. Our studies will allow for a detailed structural characterization of the gp41CT–MA–membrane interactions, which will advance our knowledge of HIV-1 Gag assembly and Env incorporation.


The Embryonic Stem Cell Test (EST) is an well established and standardized in vitro method to predict the embryotoxic potential of chemicals and is based on the capacity of murine embryonic stem (ES) cells to differentiate under specific culture conditions into beating cardiomyocytes.An efficient differentiation requires the use of cell culture medium supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum (FCS). Unfortunately, FCS has a great lot to lot variability with regard to its composition. Therefore selected batches of FCS have to be pre-tested if they support differentiation and proliferation of ES cells before the EST can be performed. In order to optimize the culture conditions in the EST our aim was to establish serum-free culture conditions. Chemically defined serum-free culture conditions would provide several advantages: (1) improved protocol transfer to other laboratories (2) improved reproducibility of the differentiation assay, (3) no interference of undefined serum component with the test substance (reproducible bioavailability) and (4) application of the EST in high/medium-throughput screening systems.Chemically-defined serum-free media supplemented with several growth and differentiation factors known to be important for cardiogenesis in vivo have been tested. Our results demonstrate that under these conditions cardiac embryonic stem cell differentiation can be achieved in vitro in a highly standardized and reproducible manner. In addition, we were able to demonstrate the applicability of the serum-free EST to test chemicals with different embryotoxic potentials.


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When restoring severely damaged endodontically treated teeth, a post and core restoration is a common procedure. The post and core
fabrication is usually performed chair side using acrylic resin for the direct core build–up.
Because of multiple roots and root divergence, second maxillary premolars and molars need a different approach. In this clinical situation a multiple piece dowel-core with separate dowels should be employed. Several methods have been proposed for accomplishing this:
– The core can be made in two pieces held together by interlocking lugs.
– The core can be made with a channel into which an accessory dowel is cemented. This secondary post can be prefabricated or it can be cast (custom made).
Both techniques can either be performed in the clinic (direct technique) or in the lab (indirect technique).
It is obvious that the indirect technique saves clinical time, but increases costs due to lab fees.
Post space preparation is a common procedure performed using a combination of Gates-Gliden drills and Peeso reamers.
The aim of this article is to discuss all the different techniques , analyse the clinical and lab procedures and show several examples covering the majority of cases.


Estimating pairwise affinity matrices for given data samples is a basic problem in data processing applications. Accurately determining the affinity becomes impossible when the samples are not fully observed and approximate estimations have to be sought. In this paper, we investigated calibration approaches to improve the quality of an approximate affinity matrix. By projecting the matrix onto a closed and convex subset of matrices that meets specific constraints, the calibrated result is guaranteed to get nearer to the unknown true affinity matrix than the un-calibrated matrix, except in rare cases they are identical. To realize the calibration, we developed two simple, efficient, and yet effective algorithms that scale well. One algorithm applies cyclic updates and the other algorithm applies parallel updates. In a series of evaluations, the empirical results justified the theoretical benefits of the proposed algorithms, and demonstrated their high potential in practical applications.


Kansas City Power & Light's (KCP&L) Hawthorn Unit #5 is a coal fired power plant that was originally built in 1969. In 2000, the condenser had new condenser tube bundles installed with Admiralty tubes during the Hawthorn rebuild project. An evaluation of the unit in 2014 identified the potential for the conversion from open to closed cycle cooling. At the same time of the evaluation, multiple failures, causing high silica (derates), required action again in 2016. With improvements in condenser technology, and after evaluation of all the options available — including investment payback — it was decided to rebundle the condenser once again to improve the heat transfer surface area, and to anticipate the (future) requirement for the unit to operate at a higher design pressure on the circulating water side.
 The current 1″ OD Admiralty Brass tubes and Muntz metal tube sheets were replaced with 7/8″ OD Titanium tubes and solid Titanium tube sheets. The waterboxes were also replaced with new carbon steel boxes, internally coated with a high solids epoxy lining, together with sacrificial anodes for cathodic protection. The new tube bundles and waterboxes were both designed for a higher design pressure. This was due to the possibility of a future cooling tower installation that would require an increased design pressure for the circulating water system. This Case Study Paper reviews the background to the requirement for new condenser tube bundles and waterboxes, compares the existing and replacement designs, reviews the installation process, and provides a summary of the project lessons learned. It is also intended to be of use to Plants that are considering changing from open to closed cooling cycle.


Dental radiography is an important component of comprehensive patient care. One of the most frequently used extraoral radiographic techniques is panoramic radiography. Panoramic radiographs lose value when the quality of the diagnostic radiographs is poor. In their application, there are still many errors that occur in panoramic radiographs.

 This study aimed to determine the quality and frequency of panoramic radiograph errors due to patient preparation and positioning errors at the Soelastri Dental and Oral Hospital, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (RSGM Soelastri UMS), Indonesia.

 This type of research is descriptive, quantitative, observational, and takes a retrospective approach. A total of 312 panoramic radiographs of patients at RSGM Soelastri UMS from January to December 2021 who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken at random stages and evaluated. Radiographs were compared with ideal quality, given a National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) rating, and the frequency of errors that occurred was evaluated.

 The most common rating obtained on panoramic radiographs in this study was 2 of 173 (55.45%). The frequency of preparation errors was 1.22%, while the frequency of patient position errors was 98.78%. The highest patient position error was not placing the tongue on the palate, which was 49.68%.

 The quality of panoramic radiographs at RSGM Soelastri UMS in the period from January–December 2021 generally has a rating of 2, according to the NRPB, and there are still errors in patient preparation and positioning.


This study aimed to analyze the association between elevated gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), hepatic steatosis, and fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From August 2013 to August 2018, a community‐based study was conducted in the northeastern part of Taiwan. Patients who underwent abdominal ultrasonography (US) and had no history of alcoholic liver disease were included. According to a US examination showing fatty liver degree, 1566 patients with NAFLD were divided into four groups: normal GGT, isolated GGT elevation, isolated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation, and both GGT and ALT elevation groups. Further 1147 participants with normal serum ALT, GGT, and the abdominal US were included as the control group. GGT levels were associated with high sensitivity C‐reactive protein, lower adiponectin, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. A stepwise increase in odds ratio (OR) for MetS was found in the normal GGT group (OR = 1.71), isolated GGT elevation group (OR = 3.06), isolated ALT elevation (OR = 4.00), and both GGT + ALT elevation group (OR = 4.17) than the control group. Linear regression analysis revealed a positive association between GGT/ALT value and hepatic steatosis degree, GGT value, and degree of hepatic fibrosis. Hence, GGT elevation is associated with MetS, hepatic steatosis, and fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.