A growing number of studies have systematically examined the relationships between religiousness and value priorities. However, few studies have utilized multidimensional constructs of religiousness or attempted to distinguish among the value priorities of the religious. Using a general public sample and a churchgoer sample in the United Kingdom, this article examines the associations between Schwartz's values, several general religion measures, and conceptualization of God. Religiousness aligns most strongly along the conservation/openness to change value dimension, and spirituality is rotated further toward self-transcendence values. Findings suggest a shift among the religious away from an emphasis on security. God concepts are uniquely related to some value types. Particularly among the churchgoers, for whom God concepts may be especially formative, characteristics attributed to God are reflected in value priorities. These findings support the theoretical assertion that conceptualization of God is a foundational religious belief implicated in more specific values, attitudes, and beliefs.


The need for continuing education in orthodontics is recognised by many practitioners and the demand for post-graduate courses is high. The limitations of such courses, particularly the short technique type, are recognised and within the West Midlands the value of a longer term clinical attachment has been emphasised. The West Midlands has a well established orthodontic consultant service with fifteen NHS and one honorary consultant; the specialist practitioner service is small by national standards. All of the orthodontic consultants have long supported the clinical assistant post as a valuable vehicle for practitioners' continuing education. Building on the example given by the consultants in the four Thames Regions, a structured, centralised academic programme has been developed to enhance the clinical training given during these two year posts.


Abstract This contribution re-examines textural relationships in metapelitic schist from five metamorphic zones separated by four isograds along the west flank of the Frenchman Cap dome in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera. There is a muscovite-out isograd formed by muscovite-dehydration melting in the kyanite-field. Two others, including one coinciding with the muscovite-out isograd, mark the appearance of sillimanite, which was produced along with biotite by garnet breakdown in the presence of melt. Two others mark the disappearance of kyanite: one formed during retrogression, the other coinciding with a shear zone (the Monashee décollement). Only the muscovite-out isograd, therefore, corresponds with the classical definition of an intersection of the topography with a prograde, isogradic-surface. This contribution exemplifies the need to use a descriptive definition of isograd as the trace of a surface across which a specific change in metamorphic mineralogy takes place. It is further proposed to specify their origin whenever possible with terms such as prograde-, retrograde- and structural-isograds. This revised terminology for isograds will improve our understanding of metamorphic terrains by helping to localize cryptic shear zones, gain a better understanding of the retrograde path and put firmer constraints on viable tectonic models.


INTRODUCTION
By the time medical students graduate many wish to work part-time while accommodating other lifestyle interests.

AIM
To review flexibility of medical registration requirements for provisional registrants in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada.

METHODS
Internet-based review of registration bodies of each country, and each state or province in Australia and Canada, supplemented by emails and phone calls seeking clarification of missing or obscure information.

RESULTS
Data from 20 regions were examined. Many similarities were found between study countries in their approaches to the registration of new doctors, although there are some regional differences. Most regions (65%) have a provisional registration period of one year. Extending this period was possible in 91% of regions. Part-time options were possible in 75% of regions. All regions required trainees to work in approved practice settings.

DISCUSSION
Only the UK provided comprehensive documentation of their requirements in an accessible format and clearly explaining the options for part-time work. Australia appeared to be more flexible than other countries with respect to part- and full-time work requirements. All countries need to examine their registration requirements to introduce more flexibility wherever possible, as a strategy for addressing workforce shortages.


For a special coupled mKdV system, which can be derived from a two-layer fluid model, Hirota's bilinear direct method is used to construct and yield the complexiton solutions. The detailed physical properties of complexitons are further illustrated graphically.


Adverse reactions to medications are extremely common and display a characteristic clinical morphology such as Fixed Drug Eruption (FDE), Stevens-Johnson syndrome, urticaria, hypersensitivity syndrome, pigmentary changes, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, photosensitivity, vasculitis etc. Fixed drug eruption is an immune mediated cutaneous lesion of acute onset which recur a same site & residual hyperpigmentation after healing .Here we report a case of 45 year old woman had consumed T.Ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily for fever. After the second dose she developed multiple well defined erythematous, oedematous plaques of varying size over the left forearm dorsum of hands, feet, chest, Rt.thigh & perioral hyperpigmentation. Similar history was present 6 months back. A presumptive diagnosis of Ciprofloxacin induced Fixed Drug Eruption was made & drug was stopped. The patient was admitted & treated with systemic & topical steroids. She recovered. Possibility of occurrence of FDE with ciprofloxacin must be kept in mind while prescribing


Mobile robots and passenger vehicles are frequently required to operate at high speeds, on terrain that is sloped or uneven. These systems can be susceptible to rollover, particularly during severe maneuvers. This paper presents an analysis of rollover stability measurement for mobile robots operating at high speeds. The analysis examines the accuracy of a commonly accepted rollover stability metric during operation on sloped and rough terrain. The effects of sensor placement, center-of-gravity position estimation error, and wheel dynamics are examined. It is shown that these effects can have a significant impact on stability measurement during high speed operation


That is an quasi-experimental study that aims to improve and make portable an existing method for projecting light points to estimate geometrical properties of a cavity. A computer vision system was developed in order to process input images and calculate volume and depth of a cavity in a plain surface. An error of 1,51% for depth and -10,42% for volume occurred. So this is an adequate method for estimating geometrical properties of cavities with accuracy errors compatible with those errors described in the literature.


Intracellular recordings have been made from neurons of the superficial dorsal horn in slices of the lumbar and thoracic spinal cord of young adult rats. Three broad categories of neurons could be distinguished on the basis of their firing patterns to intracellular current pulses and their afterhyperpolarizations (AHP); there was no detectable difference in the regional distribution of the three types. Category 1 cells were characterized by maintained firing to intracellular depolarizing current pulses, brief action potential durations and polyphasic AHPs. Category 2 cells showed spike adaptation, without spike attenuation, during intracellular current pulses, and had monophasic AHPs. Category 3 cells fired only 1 or 2 spikes to maintained depolarizing pulses and had smaller monophasic AHPs than category 2 neurons. Spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potential (epsp and ipsp) activity was seen with psp durations varying widely. Low intensity electrical stimulation of afferent fibres, or of superficial white matter, resulted in polyphasic epsps and/or ipsps. The spike discharge in response to such afferent inputs correlated with the membrane properties of the cells, such that the synaptic responses of category 1 neurons were usually bursts of spikes, whereas category 2 and 3 neurons either failed to fire or fired only a single spike. These results in adult rat spinal cord suggest that the discharge pattern within synaptic sensory responses of superficial dorsal horn neurons is determined by postsynaptic membrane properties as well as by the pattern of the afferent input.


The scalp is a part of our body that like all, needs our care. Although you do not believe it, there are many diseases that attack it, even silently, so we need to be informed to avoid getting sick, knowing the causes and the way to treat them so that we can finally fight them. Sometimes the use of many chemicals cause conditions to our hair, as well as not using an appropriate shampoo. There are diseases that develop on the scalp, which can generate a slow process of hair growth and even worse, can cause accelerated hair loss, either temporarily or otherwise, permanent. There are diseases in the scalp that can affect hair growth, causing it to fall temporarily or permanently. A distinction should be made between the conditions of the scalp, making a diagnosis as accurate as possible thanks to the timely intervention of a competent professional. Scalp diseases are those that are acquired due to germs and other microorganisms that affect the bark where the hair is born and can cause problems when applying a treatment. Being informed about these capillary problems, knowing their causes and knowing how to treat them allows us to have all the necessary tools to combat them without neglecting the health and aesthetics of hair. Hair diseases can affect the normal growth of our hair and even cause the hair to fall momentarily or even permanently


Emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants with concerning phenotypic mutations is of public health interest. Genomic surveillance is an important tool for pandemic response, but many laboratories do not have the resources to support population-level sequencing. We hypothesized that a spike genotyping nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) could facilitate high-throughput variant surveillance.

We designed and analytically validated a one-step multiplex allele-specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detect three non-synonymous spike protein mutations (L452R, E484K, N501Y). Assay specificity was validated with next-generation whole-genome sequencing. We then screened a large cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens from our San Francisco Bay Area population.

Between December 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021, we screened 4,049 unique infections by genotyping RT-qPCR, with an assay failure rate of 2.8%. We detected 1,567 L452R mutations (38.7%), 34 N501Y mutations (0.84%), 22 E484K mutations (0.54%), and 3 (0.07%) E484K+N501Y mutations. The assay had near-perfect (98-100%) concordance with whole-genome sequencing in a validation subset of 229 specimens, and detected B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.427, B.1.429, B.1.526, and P.2 variants, among others. The assay revealed rapid emergence of L452R in our population, with a prevalence of 24.8% in December 2020 that increased to 62.5% in March 2021.

We developed and clinically implemented a genotyping RT-qPCR to conduct high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 variant screening. This approach can be adapted for emerging mutations and immediately implemented in laboratories already performing NAAT worldwide using existing equipment, personnel, and extracted nucleic acid.


SPIHT(set partitioning in hierarchical tree) algorithm is a wavelet based zerotree image encoding algorithm known for its high efficiency.However,its high memory requirement and long execute time consumption are obstacles to implement real-time compression.This paper presents a new fast and low memory image zerotree encoding algorithm.This algorithm processes wavelet coefficients of horizontal,vertical,diagonal and low frequency subband respectively,and a nearly optimal bit allocation stage is applied in the above subband to get better compression performance.Experimental results show this algorithm outperforms the original SPIHT algorithm in PSNR and efficiently reduces both the memory requirement and the time consumption.


We report on a table-top, high-power, terahertz (THz) solid-state emitter driven by few-cycle near-infrared pulses at 16 MHz repetition rate in gallium phosphide (GaP) crystals. Two external nonlinear multi-pass cells are used to shorten the output of a home-built, 100 W, 265 fs, 6.2 μJ Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator, operating at 1030 nm, to 18 fs with 3.78 μJ pulse energy. The broadband spectrum of the THz driver allowed for the extension of the THz cutoff frequency to 5.7 THz at the dynamic range of 104. By employing the high-power Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator, the low efficiency of the THz generation is circumvented, resulting in the generation of up to 100 μW, multi-octave THz pulses at 5 THz cutoff frequency in a 2 mm thick GaP crystal.


IN recent numbers of this journal, P. R. S. Moorey has, as readers will remember, contributed two very useful articles, attempting to reconstruct certain operations of the Oxford (Weld)—Field Museum excavations at Kish (1923-193 3), which had never till then been adequately reported. For this purpose, he had at his disposal both the interim reports published at the time and the unpublished correspondence between Langdon and Watelin, still surviving in the Ashmolean Museum, on which these reports were partly based. Of these two articles, it is perhaps the second which has proved most stimulatingly informative to Mesopotamian archaeologists, since it goes far towards clarifying vitally important stratigraphic evidence, which the excavators at the time were hardly in a position to understand. Moorey's work on the records of the Ingharra sounding had also to take into consideration a great volume of information subsequently acquired by means of comparable excavations elsewhere and a diversity of more recent archaeological studies. This would have been easier if the records themselves had been of the sort which we should today expect from a competent field director, supported by the usual specialist assistants. Instead they present a curious picture of collaboration between a French archaeologist in the field and an American philologist at Oxford. Watelin was doubtless, in Langdon's words " a great archaeologist " ; but his reports, translated, interpreted and sometimes " improved on " by Langdon, are in some passages mutually contradictory and in others incomprehensible. There are no sections save for two inadequate diagrams; plans, only of selected buildings, and approximate levels are only occasionally given in feet or metres beneath an arbitrary " plain-level" or below the surface of the mound, (which naturally undulates precipitately). Unhappily Watelin died in 1934, the year in which the outstanding report was published, having made clear that he regarded it only as " an interim record of work still proceeding ". Under these circumstances, Moorey's article can only be considered as a triumph of painstaking analysis and patient reasoning. One of the present writer's few excuses for returning to the subject is the intriguing character of the exercise in " detection " with which it has presented us, and the consequent


A computable general equilibrium model is applied to evaluate the opportunity costs of not adopting Bt cotton, a genetically-modified (GM) insect resistant cotton, in Benin, Burkina-Faso, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, and Uganda when it is adopted in other countries. Our model uniquely employs country-specific partial adoption rates and factor-biased productivity shocks in the cotton and oilseed sectors of all adopting regions. Assuming a 50% adoption rate, the opportunity cost of not adopting Bt cotton in the seven surveyed countries amounts to $41 million per year, which is a significant but lower cost than that suggested by the results of previous studies. Trade liberalization only marginally increases this estimate.


Objective . To assess the information value of comparing the results of formalizing intraoperative changes in transcranial motor evoked potentials during surgical correction of spinal deformities of various etiologies. Material and Methods . Study design: analysis of monocentric retrospective unselected cohort over 5 years, evidence class 2b. Surgical correction of spinal deformity under neurophysiological control was performed in 364 patients (mean age 12.80 ± 0.40 years). The scores of changes in motor evoked potentials were used to compare the pyramidal system response to surgical aggression in patients with congenital spinal deformities, idiopathic scoliosis, and systemic skeletal diseases. Results. Basic motor responses in patients with systemic diseases of the axial skeleton are to a greater extent depressed and unstable than in those with congenital deformity and idiopathic scoliosis. On surgery completion, these differences are exacerbated. Five identified types of response of the spinal cord conduction pathways to surgical correction of spinal deformity allow comparing intraoperative  neuromonitoring results in different groups of patients. The most dangerous types of response are observed more often in patients with congenital and systemic pathologies than in those with idiopathic scoliosis. Conclusion . The proposed method for the rank assessment of intraoperative changes in motor evoked potentials during surgical correction of spinal deformity allows comparative studies of patients' reactions to surgical intervention in different etiological and age groups. The greatest risk of iatrogenic motor disorders in the postoperative period is observed in patients with systemic skeletal pathology.


Do high income households save more? This simple question is crucial when answering many public policy questions such as: are consumption taxes regressive? What is the effect of a tax increase targeting high income? Should we subsidize retirement savings?,& Saving rates have always been found positively linked to current income. Nevertheless, saving behavior might be related to a long-term decision and hence not be only linked to current income. Indeed, households could tend to smooth their consumption. For instance, in case of exceptionally high income, they could increase their savings. Thus saving should be determined by another concept of income: permanent income, defined as actualized sum of expected income without transitory variations. We study the link between saving rate and income using French data and combining five different methods always used separately so far. Hence we were able to compare results from different methods obtained on same data and check for robustness. Our results show consistently that saving rate is positively correlated with current and permanent income.


Solution-processed n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the fullerene derivative {6}-1-(3-(2- thienylethoxycarbonyl)-propyl)-{5}-l-phenyl-[5,6]-C61 (TEPP) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in a multiring source/drain structure are reported. Devices with TEPP show high electron mobility up to 7.8 x 10-2 cm2/Vs in the saturation regime for bottom-contact OFETs with Au S/D electrodes with a solution-processed fullerene derivative. The ON/OFF ratios reported in this letter, which are in the range of 105 -106, are among the highest values reported for such devices. This mobility is always higher compared to PCBM devices prepared in identical conditions. The mobility of TEPP and PCBM increased with increasing temperatures in the range of 100-300 K with activation energy of 78 and 113 meV, respectively, which suggests that the thermally activated hopping of electrons is dominant in TEPP.


Cerebrovascular injury while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be caused by excessive brain perfusion during hypoxemic reperfusion. Previous studies have postulated that the most vulnerable period of time for cerebrovascular injury is during the transfer period to ECMO. Therefore, our objective was to compare brain perfusion and hemodynamics in a piglet endotoxic shock ECMO model. The effect of ECMO flow on microcirculation of different brain regions was compared between 10 control pigs and six pigs (7–10 kg) administered IV endotoxin to achieve a drop in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) of at least 30%. Cardiac output (CO), brain oxygen utilization, and microcirculatory blood flow (BF) were compared at baseline and 2 hours after ECMO stabilization. Matching ECMO delivery with baseline CO in control animals increased perfusion (p < 0.05) in all areas of the brain. In contrast, with endotoxin, ECMO returned perfusion closer to baseline levels in all regions of the brain and maintained brain tissue oxygen consumption. Both control and endotoxic pigs showed no evidence of acute neuronal necrosis in histologic cerebral cortical sections examined after 2 hours of ECMO. Results show that during endotoxic shock, transition to ECMO can maintain brain BF equally to all brain regions without causing overperfusion, and does not appear to cause brain tissue histopathologic changes (hemorrhage or necrosis) during the acute stabilization period after ECMO induction.


Muscle atrophy is characterized by the loss of muscle function. Many efforts are being made to prevent muscle atrophy, and exercise is an important alternative. Methylglyoxal is a well-known causative agent of metabolic diseases and diabetic complications. This study aimed to evaluate whether methylglyoxal induces muscle atrophy and to evaluate the ameliorative effect of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in a methylglyoxal-induced muscle atrophy animal model. Each mouse was randomly divided into three groups: control, methylglyoxal-treated, and methylglyoxal-treated within aerobic exercise. In the exercise group, each mouse was trained on a treadmill for 2 weeks. On the last day, all groups were evaluated for several atrophic behaviors and skeletal muscles, including the soleus, plantaris, gastrocnemius, and extensor digitorum longus were analyzed. In the exercise group, muscle mass was restored, causing in attenuation of muscle atrophy. The gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus muscles showed improved fiber cross-sectional area and reduced myofibrils. Further, they produced regulated atrophy-related proteins (i.e., muscle atrophy F-box, muscle RING-finger protein-1, and myosin heavy chain), indicating that aerobic exercise stimulated their muscle sensitivity to reverse skeletal muscle atrophy. In conclusion, shortness of the gastrocnemius caused by methylglyoxal may induce the dynamic imbalance of skeletal muscle atrophy, thus methylglyoxal may be a key target for treating skeletal muscle atrophy. To this end, aerobic exercise may be a powerful tool for regulating methylglyoxal-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.


Until recently, human life spans were very unreliable. Our ancestors counterbalanced
this insecurity by pursuing various non-egocentered strategies. With the life span's increasing length and standardization, these became obsolete and were abandoned. Today, almost all of us have the chance of living life to its maturity. In order to make full use of it, however, we must plan full-size life careers from a very early stage. Otherwise the years gained will largely be wasted.
The article starts by summarizing demographic development over the last three
centuries. These "hard facts" are then correlated with evidence from other
sources, for example from fairy tales and sayings. Finally, recent developments in
Japan, the country with the highest life expectancy in the world today, are discussed.


RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Health care spending has increased steadily over the last 50 years, but there is a consensus that this trend cannot continue indefinitely. The ideal solution would bring about cost reductions coupled with improvements in quality, but this has remained an elusive goal. In this article, a novel idea is proposed that consists of adopting a project type of production in health care, instead of the current mass production methods used in the modern 'health care factories'.

METHODS
The author demonstrates that health care services in general, and medical services in particular, fit the category of projects. This is accomplished through a comprehensive study of the main features of projects and medical services and a comparative analysis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
The author infers that the productivity gains brought by project management to so many other human endeavours can be brought to health care. It is also claimed that if project management is adopted in health care, then physicians would be the natural project managers because of their proficiency with the casuistic method (one-off, non-repetitive production) and because of their experience in 'managing' their patient's cases that is indeed what doctors have been doing for as long as their profession exists.


The article focuses on analyzing Bitcoin, its crucial features and applications of crypto-currencies in the context of political consequences. These kinds of instruments have value and their role as a means of payment has been constantly increasing. The attempts to use crypto-currencies by countries that actively try to take advantage of their specific functions and mechanisms is noticed. One of the particular areas of activity aims to bypass economic sanctions. In this situation, the following actors, such as Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, and Russia may be pointed out. As an addition to activities directed at avoiding sanctions, there are also projects of creating crypto-currencies by the state. In essence, these actions are supposed to improve the economic situation of particular actors. Crypto-currencies also bring challenges which are related to the processes of functioning of the state. Law and security are the main areas in this regard.


OBJECTIVES
Early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a priority for Viet Nam's National TB Control Programme. In many laboratories, quality systems are weak; few have attained accreditation. We implemented a structured training and mentoring program for TB laboratories and measured impact on quality.

METHODS
Six TB culture laboratories implemented the Strengthening TB Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (TB SLMTA) program, consisting of three training workshops and on-site mentoring between workshops to support improvement projects. Periodic audits, using standardized checklists, monitored laboratories' progress toward accreditation readiness.

RESULTS
At baseline, all six laboratories achieved a zero-star level. At exit, five laboratories attained three stars and another one star. Overall checklist scores increased by 44.2% on average, from 29.8% to 74.0%; improvements occurred across all quality system essentials.

CONCLUSIONS
The program led to improved quality systems. Sites should be monitored to ensure sustainability of improvements and country capacity expanded for national scaleup.


Procedural computer languages have long been used in many aspects of mathematics pedagogy. In this work, we examine the use of Prolog, a declarative language for the same purpose. We find the facts+rules aspect of Prolog to be a novel platform for developing coding lessons to supplement the learning of mathematics. Specific examples are presented.


The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. This report was funded by a grant from the State Coverage Initiatives program. Some information on Washington comes from complementary work funded by that state's Office of Financial Management. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.


Background: People living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) face high levels of prejudice and discrimination from both the community and medical professionals, but no measure of prejudice toward people living with BPD exists. Aims: The current study aimed to adapt an existing Prejudice toward People with Mental Illness (PPMI) scale and investigate the structure and nomological network of prejudice toward people with BPD. Methods: The original 28-item PPMI scale was adapted to create the Prejudice toward People with Borderline Personality Disorder (PPBPD) scale. The scale and related measures were completed by three samples: 217 medical or clinical psychology students, 303 psychology undergraduate students, and 314 adults from the general population. Results: The original four-factor structure of the PPMI was supported in the PPBPD scale. Reported prejudice toward people with BPD was more negative than prejudice toward people with mental illness in general. The association of the PPBPD scale with antecedents and consequences was assessed, including social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, personality traits, empathy, prior contact, and feelings toward other stigmatized groups and mental illnesses. Conclusions: This study provided evidence for the validity and psychometric properties of the PPBPD scale across three samples and investigated anticipated relationships with theoretically related antecedents and consequences. This research will help improve understanding of the expressions underlying prejudice toward people with BPD.


A watershed based model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), along with transfer coefficients is used to assess alternative principles of allocating nutrient load reduction in the Raccoon River watershed in central Iowa. Four principles are examined for their cost-effectiveness and impacts on water quality: absolute equity, equity based on ability, critical area targeting, and geographic proximity. Based on SWAT simulation results, transfer coefficients are calculated for the effects of nitrogen application reduction. We find both critical area targeting and downstream focus (an example of geographic proximity) can be more expensive than equal allocation, a manifestation of absolute equity. Unless abatement costs are quite heterogeneous across the subwatersheds, the least-cost allocation (an application of the principle of equity based on ability) have a potential of cost savings of about 10% compared to equal allocation. We also find that the gap between nitrogen loading estimated from transfer coefficients and nitrogen loading predicted by SWAT simulation is small (in general less than 5%). This suggests that transfer coefficients can be a useful tool for watershed nutrient planning. Sensitivity analyses suggest that these results are robust with respect to different degrees of nitrogen reduction and how much other conservation practices are used.


The probability of assigning spatial resources in a wireless communication network using space division multiple access is addressed in this paper. The proposed formulation is based on the knowledge of the cumulative distribution function of the signal to interference plus noise ratio from which the spatial allocation probability is easily derived. From the obtained expression different cases are presented and discussed.


A design methodology and equations are described for lumped-element filter prototypes having low-pass, high-pass, bandpass, or bandstop characteristics with theoretically perfect input- and output-match at all frequencies. Such filters are a useful building block in a wide variety of systems in which the highly reactive out-of-band termination presented by a conventional filter is undesirable. The filter topology is first derived from basic principles. The relative merits of several implementations and tunings are then compared via simulation. Finally, measured data on low-pass and bandpass filter examples are presented, which illustrate the practical advantages, as well as showing excellent agreement between measurement and theory.


This article features a Chicana teacher, Alva Rivera, who, in a series of interviews and conversations over 3 years, described to us her approaches and philosophies that assist her in being highly successful with language-minority students. Her insighs provide practical applications of theory for working with language-minority students and are based on her personal experiences and connections within the Chicana/o community, her depth of professional development, and 16 years of teaching. Of particular interest is Rivera's ability to integrate relevant concepts from diverse educational models to meet students' needs and abilities. This professional knowledge base is exemplified in her ability to modulate language use and task difficulty so that students experience success in her classroom. The deep understanding of her students' families and their cultural backgrounds expressed by Rivera facilitated communication between the school and students' homes. Also, Rivera described how she supported the professional development of novice teachers working with language-minority students.


This paper review presents Single Event Effects (SEE) irradiation tests under heavy ions of the test-chip of D-Flip-Flop (DFF) cells and complete readout integrated circuits (ROIC) as a function of temperature, down to 50 K. The analyses of the experimental data are completed using the SEE prediction tool MUSCA SEP3. The conclusions derived from the experimental measurements and related analyses allow to update the current SEE radiation hardness assurance (RHA) for readout integrated circuits of infrared image sensors used at cryogenic temperatures. The current RHA update is performed on SEE irradiation tests at room temperature, as opposed to the operational cryogenic temperature. These tests include SET (Single Event Transient), SEU (Single Event Upset) and SEFI (Single Event Functional Interrupt) irradiation tests. This update allows for reducing the cost of ROIC qualifications and the test setup complexity for each space mission.


We review the role of emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder (BPD). We briefly discuss the historical development of BPD as a disorder where emotional regulation plays a key role. We review the concept of emotion regulation in general and explore both one-factor and two-factor models of emotion regulation. We discuss cognitive and attentional aspects of emotion regulation, and explore these regulatory controls as operating as both voluntary as well as automatic processes. We then turn to other neurophysiological models of emotion regulation in general and examine how those models, both neurophysiologically and neuroanatomically, are expressed in individuals with BPD. We examine how neuroimaging, both anatomical and functional, reveals the roles that various neuroanatomical structures play in the regulation of emotion in BPD. We conclude by creating a neurodevelopmental model that describes how a complex matrix involving the interplay of constitutional/biological predispositions with environmental stressors as well as with parental effectiveness in response to the child's emotion expression can impact key aspects of adult cognitive, affective, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning that culminate in a diagnosis of BPD.


Background/Rationale : PRKCQ, a member of the novel protein kinase C family, was identified in a functional genomic screen for regulators of anoikis resistance/anchorage-independent survival (Irie et al., 2010). Interestingly, it is preferentially expressed in the triple negative/basal subtype of breast tumors compared to Luminal or Her2+ tumors. We sought to determine the functional role of PRKCQ in triple negative breast cancer and evaluate PRKCQ as a candidate therapeutic target for this subtype. Materials and Methods . Consistent with its expression in triple negative patient breast tumors, PRKCQ is also highly expressed in several triple negative breast cancer cell lines. We utilized both gain- and loss-of-function approaches in these cell lines to determine the requirement for PRKCQ in oncogenic growth and survival using in vitro and in vivo models. Results . Isoform-specific downregulation of PRKCQ using shRNA vectors severely impaired growth of triple negative breast cancer cells in 2D monolayer and 3D Matrigel cultures. In 3D cultures, PRKCQ downregulation not only inhibited growth, but impaired the formation of invasive branching. PRKCQ downregulation also inhibited the growth of MDA231 primary tumor xenografts. All of these data support a requirement for PRKCQ expression in triple negative breast cancer cell growth. To determine if PRKCQ is sufficient to drive oncogenic phenotypes, we overexpressed PRKCQ in a non-transformed immortalized breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A. PRKCQ expression conferred EGF-independent growth, migration and anoikis resistance. In PRKCQ-expressing MCF-10A cells, EGFR phosphorylation and activation were preserved in the absence of exogenous EGF ligand addition. We are currently elucidating the mechanisms responsible for PRKCQ-mediated, sustained activation of EGFR. Conclusions . PRKCQ is critically required for growth of triple negative breast cancer cells. Increased expression of PRKCQ is sufficient to drive oncogenic, growth factor-independent growth, survival and migration. Interestingly, PRKCQ could play a dual role in the development of triple negative breast cancer, as it may also function in the immune microenvironment to support the growth of these tumors. Therefore, PRKCQ is an attractive candidate therapeutic target for patients with triple negative breast cancer. Citation Format: Hanna Y Irie, Gwyneth Halstead-Nussloch, Koichi Ito. PRKCQ, a novel protein kinase C preferentially expressed in triple negative breast cancer, drives oncogenic growth, survival and migration [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-05-10.


Self-esteem was hypothesized to moderate relationships between peer group interaction and two work-related variables, job performance and job strain. The study found support for the general hypothesis. Peer group interaction had a greater impact on the two work-related variables for low than for high self-esteem individuals.


We present in this paper some especial procedures for the numerical solution of the optimal schedule problem of a multi-item single machine. A method of discretization and a computational procedure are described which allows us to calculate the solution in a short time and with a precision of order k, being k the size of the discretization. The principal feature of this method is the fact that the nodes of the triangulation mesh are joined by segments of trajectories of the original system. This feature allows us to obtain the k-order precision which, in general, is impossible to obtain by usual methods. We also develop a highly efficient algorithm that converges in a finite number of steps.


At first sight, this soft-backed book, printed economically by offset litho, promised to be yet another undistinguished elementary introductory text in numerical analysis. However, I quickly discovered that the book is in fact quite excellent for the clarity and simplicity with which the author puts over the fundamentals of digital computing and a range of popular topics in numerical analysis. There is no hesitation in identifying it as one of the very best books available at this level. Wherever possible, the author uses wellchosen graphical illustrations of the various numerical processes, giving a good basic insight into the mechanisms involved. The topics covered are: algorithms, arithmetic, iterative methods (non-linear equations), simultaneous linear equations, interpolation, approximation, differentiation and integration, and differential equations. Each chapter gives references to other well-known text books, and numerical exercises. Algorithms and truncation errors are derived wherever possible, again in the clearest of manners, and eomputational procedures are laid out in appropriate cases, such as the solution of linear equations by direct and iterative methods (without using matrix notation anywhere, incidentally). The relative properties and advantages of different methods, for example RungeKutta and predictor-corrector, are explained. In short, the book is a very suitable text for introductory courses and for self-learning, and at an attractive price. We have already started to recommend it to our students.


Heat in the Immunoscore is a good predictor of outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer, as a recent review [3] notes. "What that means is, if you are diagnosed with early stage colon cancer that is "hot" and have surgery to remove the primary tumor, your prognosis is good and your cancer will be unlikely to return," Bender explains. "If it's cold, your probability of relapsing is much higher."


AbstractBackground. The mechanism of whiplash injury has not been revealed yet. We analyzed in vivo cervical spine motion during simulated rear-end car collisions to clarify the whiplash injury mechanism.Method. The subjects were ten male volunteers. The ethics committee approved the protocol of this study. The subjects sat on a sled that glided backward on inclined rails and crashed into a damper at 8 km/hr. Cineradiography recorded the cervical spine motion during impact and the motion analysis of each vertebra was performed.Findings. During simulated rear-end impacts, torso motion forced the cervical spine to extend from the lowest vertebrae. This early extension motion of lowest cervical vertebrae caused the cervical spine to flex in the early phase. After this initial flexion motion, extension motion started from the lowest motion segment and gradually moved to the upper segments. Approximately 110 ms after impact, while the upper segments were still in the flexion mode, the lower segments have alrea...


Background Lapatinib is a dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2 inhibitor. Overexpression of these receptors is frequently observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). As growing proportion of HNSCC is characterized by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, we aimed at evaluating the efficacy of lapatinib as function of HPV status in HNSCC cell lines. Methods Two HPV-positive and two HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines were used. Proliferation, cell cycle, and Annexin V assays were performed to test their sensitivity to lapatinib. Combination of lapatinib and ionizing radiation was evaluated with clonogenic survival assays. Akt, EGFR and HER2, and E6/E7 expression and activation were analyzed by immunoblotting and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results Lapatinib reduced E6 and E7 expression and Akt phosphorylation, inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death in HPV-positive cell lines. An additive effect of lapatinib with radiation was observed in these cells. Lapatinib had no effect on HPV-negative cells. Conclusion Lapatinib efficacy restricted to the HPV-positive cells suggests that HPV status could be a potential marker for enhanced response to lapatinib in HNSCC.


Tazemetostat (EPZ-6438 or E7438) is a selective small molecule inhibitor of the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) histone methyltransferase (HMT). EZH2 is the catalytic subunit of the multi-protein HMT complex known as polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which is responsible for mono-, di-, and trimethylation (me3) of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27). An exploratory objective for the phase 1 study of tazemetostat in subjects with advanced solid tumors or B-cell lymphomas was to explore the pharmacokinetic: pharmacodynamic (PK: PD) relationships such as correlation of H3K27me3 inhibition in patient tissue with systemic drug exposure. Pre-clinical xenograft models of EZH2 inhibition have previously shown tumor regression correlating with dose-dependent H3K27me3 decreases in both tumor tissue and skin epidermis (Knutson 2014). H3K27me3 reduction in the epidermis was calculated as a change in percentage of H3K27me3 positive cell employing an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay with subsequent image analysis. These studies and the low feasibility of obtaining matched pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies, led to the selection of skin as a surrogate tissue for evaluation in the phase 1 study at screening and 28 days post dose and the use of IHC as a PD biomarker of target inhibition. Examination of phase 1 skin biopsies exhibited dose and exposure-dependent decreases in the percentage of H3K27me3 positive cells, however, the magnitude of reduction (60%) was less than observed in pre-clinical models (80%). Further investigation of the IHC images revealed a difference of H3K27me3 levels in distinct layers or strata of the skin. The stratum spinosum exhibited a distinct dose and exposure-dependent loss of H3K27me3 staining while the stratum basale showed a concomitant minimal loss of H3K27me3. These observations gave rise to the possibility of a stratum-specific PD response in skin to tazemetostat exposure. To fully evaluate this notion, a more sophisticated, unbiased, image analysis algorithm was employed to measure H3K27me3 levels across the strata of the epidermis. The image analysis algorithm was designed to identify three distinct regions: the full thickness epidermis, stratum basale to stratum corneum; the stratum basale alone; and the stratum spinosum. Iterative rounds of optimization were performed to identify the basale layer while excluding follicles and glands. Because skin has inherent challenges related to the chromogenic similarity between DAB and melanin, careful attention was paid to the negative control to ensure that endogenous melanin was not included in the analysis. Segregation of the stratum basale layer from the remainder of the epidermis led to a refined H3K27me3 analysis and resulted in an improved correlation of H3K27me3 inhibition with drug exposure. This analysis highlights that the zonal layers of the epidermis may require separate evaluation when analyzing skin as a surrogate tissue for proof of mechanism studies. Although more accessible for repeat biopsy, the use of skin as a surrogate tissue does not preclude the need to understand the PD effects in the target tumor tissue. To that end, optional paired tumor biopsies are being collected in the Phase 2 tazemetostat trial and will be evaluated for PD endpoints including H3K27me3 in addition to other biomarkers. Citation Format: Alice A. McDonald, Galina Kuznetsov, Namita Kumar, Amy Weaver, Trevor Do, Jeff Dzubay, Heike Keilhack, Nigel waters, Nathalie Rioux, Stephen J. Blakemore. Advanced image analysis of H3K27 trimethylation in skin from subjects dosed with the EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr B6.


Abstract A stratigraphical outline of the Hecla Hoek succession summarizing post-war work in Ny Friesland is presented for the first time. This shows a geosynclinal series of sediments reaching down at least 15,000 m. below Cambrian in a more or less continuous succession. It is compared with other Hecla Hoek successions in Svalbard.


Microstructure of plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coating has an influence on the lifetime under service conditions in aero engine. This paper focuses on problems of preparing and comparing ceramic samples and characterising microstructure features such as porosity and cracks within coating cross sections by image analysis. The results can be used for developing standards and best practices for characterization plasma-sprayed coatings. The methodology was evolved to relate coating microstructure to spraying parameters and properties of coating. It would help to develop new ceramics coatings or optimise them.


: Congestive heart failure eats up a lot of this country's health care dollars. Posthospitalization care is important to preclude readmissions and keep costs down. Telemedicine offers a solution to this challenge.


The physicochemical characteristics of green tea prepared by four kinds of alkaline ionized water (AIW; pH 8.57, 8.85, 9.23, and 10.06, respectively) were evaluated. Green tea was made by soaking commercial green tea leaves in AIW at for 10 min (1.0 g/100 mL). Total phenol contents, total flavonol contents, and ascorbic acid contents of green tea decreased with increasing pH of AIW. Increasing pH of AIW tended to decrease lightness (L) and redness (a) of green tea but increase yellowness (b) in Hunter color values. The amount of epicatechins and radical scavenging activity of green tea also decreased with increasing pH of AIW, while caffeine was not significantly affected. Tyrosinase inhibition activity was the highest in AIW of pH 8.85.


Objectives Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD) is a rare inflammatory disorder characterised by organ infiltration by non-Langerhans' histiocytes. Although rare, ECD is clearly an overlooked diagnosis. No data specifically addressing the most frequent presentations of ECD at the time of onset in a large cohort of patients are currently available. Methods We reviewed all the published cases in the English literature of histologically-confirmed ECD. We excluded reports in which data regarding onset and diagnosis were not univocal, as well as repeated reports of the same case(s). We also included in the analysis 10 new unpublished patients from our cohort. We analysed the disease presentation with particular regard to the manifestations that induced patients to seek medical attention and their subsequent evolution. Results In the cumulative cohort of 259 cases, ECD predominantly presented with skeletal symptoms, diabetes insipidus, neurological and constitutional symptoms. Diabetes insipidus and constitutional symptoms, if not present at onset, seemed to only seldom develop. There were differences in ECD presentation and course among different age groups of patients. Conclusions Physicians should be aware of the extraordinarily heterogeneous clinical presentations and manifestations of ECD in order to include ECD in the differential diagnosis of several conditions.


This community service activity is carried out to increase understanding of dental and oral health in the community, carried out in the Fisheries Kampung Galangan Kapal Region, Tallo District, Makassar. The problem in this area is the lack of understanding of oral health so that people are less concerned about oral hygiene, the lack of public knowledge about the availability of dental and oral health service facilities has an impact on the lack of community visits. The solution taken is to provide education about oral health in daily life, using poster media, demonstrations and the distribution of pocket books. The expected output target is to increase dental health knowledge which will be followed by an increase in dental and oral health knowledge in the community. The method used is to provide counseling, direct demonstration, examination and prevention of dental and oral diseases. Activities undertaken are counseling to the mother, examination and care for the mother, as well as preventive measures on the child and ending with a final evaluation.


With interest we have read the article of Wang et al,' and the letter of Price and Rossabout the use and interpretation of the short Synacthen test (SST). We think, however, that there are other issues not raised in these papers. The SST is well validated for the evaluation of the pituitary-adrenal reserve.v' In addition to the route of administration and the time of sampling, the dosage of ACTH should be discussed. It has been shown recently that the dose of 250 Ilg ACTH is an unphysiologically high stimulus that may overestimate adrenocortical reserve.>" We have compared the effects of the classical 250 Ilg ACTH 1-24 dose versus the sensitive 1 Ilg ACTH 1 24 dose stimulation on the plasma cortisol and ACTH levels in healthy control subjects (n = 8) and in patients suspected of having adrenocortical insufficiency (n = 18). Plasma cortisol, and ACTH I_39 (endogenous) levels were measured with luminoimmunoassays on an Immulite analyser (Diagnostic Products Corp, Los Angeles, CA, USA). ACTH 1-24 (Synacthen) used a double antibody RIA (Diagnostic Products Corp, Los Angeles, CA, USA). In healthy control subjects 1Ilg ACTH 1-24 induced sufficient release of cortisol within 30 min [t = 0: O'33 (0'12) Ilmol/L, t = 30 min: O· 73 (0'27) Ilmol/L]. The effects of 250 ug dose of ACTH 124 on plasma cortisol concentrations were not significantly different [0'34 (0·12)llmol/L and 0·77 (0'26)llmol/L, respectively]. The increase in the concentration of the exogenous ACTH (ACTH 1-24) during 1 Ilg SST was of the same magnitude as the increase of endogenous ACTH (ACTH I _39) during a physiological stress response (venous puncture) [ACTH I_39 peak values of 10·5 (l·8pmol/L versus 9·2 (1'2) pmol/L, respectively]. However, concentrations of ACTH 1-24 were significantly higher after stimulation with 250 ug SST [151'0 (9·8)pmol/L]. In addition, only one of the 18 patients suspected of having adrenal insufficiency showed an insufficient plasma cortisol response after 250 Ilg SST (peak cortisol value < O'5Ilmol/L or increase < 0·15 Ilmol/L). Whilst five of these 18 patients showed inadequate increase in plasma cortisol concentration « 0·15 Ilmol/L) during the sensitive, I Ilg SST stimulation. All these patients had clinical evidence of adrenal insufficiency which improved Letters 115


Timing errors in transmission and reception electronic channels of medical ultrasound imaging systems are generally smaller than one-tenth of a wavelength and do not influence the focusing quality of the system. However, these errors influence the performance of the near-field-signal-redundancy algorithm for correcting phase-aberrations generated by speed heterogeneity in the medium due to its high sensitivity to errors. The effect of timing errors is to make the transmission and reception phase-aberration profiles different. When the difference is much smaller than the period of the signal, an algorithm has been proposed in a previous work to measure the average of the transmission and reception phase-aberration profiles, and it can be used as an approximation to correct phase-aberrations on both transmission and reception. However, when the difference is large, the transmission and reception phase-aberration profiles need to be measured separately. In this paper, several algorithms that use reciprocal signals are proposed to measure the difference profile of the transmission and reception phase-aberration profiles. Their performances are theoretically analyzed, simulated, and experimentally tested. From the measured average and difference profiles, the transmission and reception phase-aberration profiles can be derived separately and used to correct phase-aberrations on transmission and reception, respectively.


This article considers the differing legal and policy responses to the common trends of family restructuring away from marriage within Britain and Europe. Conceding that Europe is in the process of losing heterosexual marriage as a universal epicenter of family law at the very time when legal harmonization within Europe is being promoted, it goes on to explore the best way forward for regulating same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. It concludes that the legal response to these trends should be "de-moralized" but principled. A plurality of legal regulative structures to accommodate the now diverse family forms that are found within our less marriage-centric societies should be put in place providing at least some default protection for all families, yet allowing people to opt out and make their own arrangements.


A brief overview of some topics in flavour physics is carried out, illustrating the probing power of flavour, and its role in shedding light on the NP model at work. Following a short discussion of flavour and CP violation in the lepton sector, the anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons are revisited. Subsequently, several hadronic observables are discussed, with a particular focus on tensions related to B-meson decays. A few examples of ambitious NP models aiming at addressing the flavour problem(s) are also considered. (The topics selected do not aim at providing a full comprehensive overview of quark and lepton flavour physics; they rather consist in a small subset, complying with time requirements, and reflect a personal viewpoint.)


The prevalence of cigarette smoking in Australian secondary school students in 1993 was estimated from a survey of 22 696 12- to 17-year-old students from 332 secondary schools (and feeder schools) in all states and the Northern Territory. Self-administered questionnaires were answered anonymously by groups of up to 20 students selected randomly from school rolls, a method that replicated previous surveys in 1984, 1987 and 1990. Current smoking (smoking at least one cigarette in the week preceding the survey) at 12 years of age was 8 per cent in boys and 7 per cent in girls, but in those 17 years of age the prevalence was much higher (28 per cent of boys, 31 per cent of girls). Age was also associated with the mean number of cigarettes smoked per week by current smokers (8.6 in boys and 7.0 in girls at age 12 and 43.8 in boys and 32.0 in girls at age 17). After controlling for sex, age, school type and state of residence, the percentage of 12- to 15-year-olds who were current smokers rose from 15.7 per cent to 17.5 per cent between 1990 and 1993, an effect that was more pronounced in boys. On the other hand, the mean number of cigarettes smoked by 12- to 15-year-old current smokers dropped from 23 per week to 19.5, and the reduced consumption was greatest in boys. Furthermore, there was no increase in the proportion of students who smoked on three or more days per week, which suggests the increase was limited to occasional, casual or social smoking.


This dissertation analyzes the role and determinants of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. A number of papers have stressed that educational and labor market outcomes are largely pre determined by the cognitive and non-cognitive skills accumulated during early childhood. Some of these papers recommend investing in this type of skills to raise educational enrolment and attainment, to reduce disparities between ethnic groups or to weaken the intergenerational trans mission of socio-economic status. Yet a number of questions are still open: Is early investment in skills always the best option Do cognitive and non-cognitive skills account for most of the intergenerational transmission of socio-economic status What are the most important inputs of these skills The first essay compares the efficiency of two alternative policies aimed at fostering educational enrolment. The results indicate that a direct grant in the form of a tuition subsidy is more efficient than an equally expensive unconditional parental income subsidy given when individuals are still in their childhood. The shift in the cognitive skills distribution following the latter subsidy is too small to generate a large increase in college enrolment. The second essay tests for stochastic monotonicity in intergenerational socio-economic mobility tables. The results provide evidence of monotonicity both unconditional and conditional on educational attainment, cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The third essay shifts the attention to the determinants of these skills, and in particular to the effect of using a computer at home on children's development. The results indicate that time spent on the computer has a positive effect on cognitive skills. For the non-cognitive skills the evidence is more mixed, with the direction of the effect depending on the type of skill and the age of the children.


a Speech Recognition is a system used to recognize word commands from human voices and then translated them into data that can be understood by a computer. The advantages of Speech Recognition include speed and ease of use. Merdeka Malang is a private university founded on January 29, 1964. The University of Merdeka Malang still doesn't have a strategy in recommending new students based on historical data calculations in choosing faculties. and majors. In calculating the history, if you use a manual system, they will be constrained by the time and accuracy of the data, causing the data to be less valid.Therefore, there is a need for a system that can exchange data in real-time so that the data displayed is always up to date without manual data updating. This process is useful for monitoring and accelerating the process of calculating student interest data, which can later be recommended to future new students. Moreover, The speech technique used is using speech recognition which is used for processing speech data on smartphones while sending data using the XAMPP web server which is used to exchange data from smartphones to servers.


Comparison of the spectral resolving power of different types of spectrometer can be facilitated by the use of the spectral modulation transfer function (SMTF). It is the Fourier transform of the instrument spectral response function. The SMTF's of the two imaging spectrometers included in the Advanced Land Imager of the EO-1 satellite are shown as examples. The SMTF offers a way to specify the spectral resolution required for the detection of known spectral features. It can also be used to determine the ultimate resolution that can be achieved through processing signals form any given instrument and observation.


Recent advances in the field of inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) have yielded sophisticated frameworks which relax the original modeling assumption that the behavior of an observed agent reflects only a single intention. Instead, the demonstration data is typically divided into parts, to account for the fact that different trajectories may correspond to different intentions, e.g., because they were generated by different domain experts. In this work, we go one step further: using the intuitive concept of subgoals, we build upon the premise that even a single trajectory can be explained more efficiently locally within a certain context than globally, enabling a more compact representation of the observed behavior. Based on this assumption, we build an implicit intentional model of the agent's goals to forecast its behavior in unobserved situations. The result is an integrated Bayesian prediction framework which provides smooth policy estimates that are consistent with the expert's plan and significantly outperform existing IRL solutions. Most notably, our framework naturally handles situations where the intentions of the agent change with time and classical IRL algorithms fail. In addition, due to its probabilistic nature, the model can be straightforwardly applied in an active learning setting to guide the demonstration process of the expert.


As a consequence of a general result about finite group actions on 3‐manifolds, we show that a hyperbolic 3‐manifold can be the cyclic branched cover of at most fifteen inequivalent knots in S3 (in fact, a main motivation of the present paper is to establish the existence of such a universal bound). A similar, though weaker, result holds for arbitrary irreducible 3‐manifolds: an irreducible 3‐manifold can be a cyclic branched cover of odd prime order of at most six knots in S3 . We note that in most other cases such a universal bound does not exist.


A winner of the John S. Knight Assignment Sequence Prize, this sequence originates from the Department of History, Hist 100, Revelry, Rivalry, and Consumption: Nineteenth-Century Holidays and Civic Life. The sequence asks students to compose different types of essays. Using a range of sources concerning St. Patrick's Day and Independence Day, students write two essays as historical "explanatory narratives." In a third essay, about the characteristics of Thanksgiving in the mid-nineteenth century, students apply or test a theory by taking a position on the merits of that theory. The sequence includes preparatory writing such as study questions, study of language, and outlines. 13 page pdf


Abstract In this paper we introduce a computationally enriched experimental tool designed to investigate language ideology (change). In a free response experiment, 211 respondents returned three adjectives in reaction to the labels for five regional varieties, one ethnic variety and two supra-regional varieties of Belgian Dutch, as well as the standard accent of Netherlandic Dutch. Valence information (pertaining to the positive/negative character of the responses) and big data–based distributional analysis (to detect semantic similarity between the responses) were used to cluster the response adjectives into 11 positive and 11 negative evaluative dimensions. Correspondence analysis was subsequently used to compute and visualize the associations between these evaluative dimensions and the investigated language labels, in order to generate "perceptual maps" of the Belgian language repertoire. Contrary to our expectations, these maps unveiled not only the dominant value system which drives standard usage, but also the competing ideology which frames the increasingly occurring non-standard forms. In addition, they revealed a much richer stratification than the "one variety good, all other varieties bad" dichotomy we had anticipated: while VRT-Dutch remains the superior (albeit increasingly virtual) standard for Belgian Dutch, the stigmatized colloquial variety Tussentaal is gradually being accepted as a practical lingua franca, and the Ghent-accent is boosted by modern prestige (dynamism) features. Even more crucially, separate perceptual maps for the older and younger respondents lay bare generational change: there is a growing conceptual proximity between VRT-Dutch and Tussentaal in the younger perceptions.


The question of the need for "camps" of simulationists (the "deterministic-continuous" and the "stochastic-discrete" camps) is addressed by delineating both the differences and the likenesses of their approach.


A microstrip bandpass filter implemented with dualspiral resonators is described in this letter. The dual-spiral resonators make the filter compact and allow implementation of positive and negative inter-resonator couplings. Implementation of the positive and negative couplings is used to introduce a pair of finite frequency transmission-zeros in the filter response. The two zeros are designed to be close to the passband, thus improving the selectivity of the filter. As an example, a four-stage cross-coupled dual-spiral filter is designed and fabricated using superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 thin films deposited onLaAlO3 substrate.


World population is increasing, rendering shrinkage of arable land.
Therefore, package of practices followed in the agrarian sector is for vertical
expansion of productivity. Over the last few years, the ideas on a carbon smart
and health conscious world propagate a holistic view of organic cultivation,
which promotes a qualitative production of food. Coastal plains and riverine
valleys used to be well known for food production. In the realms of climate
change there are issues of Mean Sea Level rise, saline water inundation and
various related issues rendering rnuch of these productive lands unavailable
for agriculture. Even with stringent regulations, most of these lands are
converted into residential areas affecting the equations with respect to food
production. Various researchers suggested that in the years to come, globally
people will have to look at the seas for food. To meet the requirement of fish by
2050 vis-6-vis the population, at current level of management and restrictions,
there seems to be much more dependence on marine fisheries sector to be
exercised for livelihood.


Pt–Ni nanostructures are a class of important electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. This work reports a systematic study on the reaction mechanism of the formation of Pt–Ni seed-core-frame nanostructures via the seeded co-reduction method involving the Pt seeds and selective co-reduced deposition of Pt and Ni. The resultant structure consists of a branched Pt ultrafine seed coated with a pure Ni as rhombic dodecahedral core and selective deposition of Pt on the edges of the cores. Both the type of Pt precursor and the precursor ratio of Pt/Ni are critical factors to form the resulting shape of the seeds and eventually the morphology of the nanostructures. These complex hierarchical structures can be further graved into hollow Pt–Ni alloy nanoframes using acetic acid etching method. The larger surface area and higher number of low coordinate sites of the nanoframes facilitate the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pt–Ni alloy for methanol oxidation as compared to their solid counterparts. This study elucidates the structural and compositional evolution of the complex nanoarchitectures and their effects on the electrocatalytic properties of the nanostructures.


than go back to a Hebrew word which has an unsuitable meaning besides being attested in Arabic anyway. Likewise M. kennen 'shelter' is exactly paralleled by A. kannan, while M. gennen is probably a doublet of the same or from A. jannan which would have a similar meaning. As for M. xewlah 'cast, hurl', the root shlh also exists in Arabic with this meaning, and the intrusive w may be compared with the w in zhwl and other secondary quadriliteral roots formed from triliterals with the insertion (generally) of /, m, or w.


The ability to predict area-delay characteristics of designs without actually implementing them is important in producing quality designs in a reasonable time. A mathematical model for predicting the area-delay tradeoff curve for pipelined and nonpipelined data paths, given a data flow graph and a choice of module styles, is proposed. The model has been validated against designs generated by pipelined and nonpipelined data-path synthesis programs. >


ABSTRACT: Recent work in management accounting offers several novel insights into firms' cost behavior. This study explores whether financial analysts appropriately incorporate information on two types of cost behavior in predicting earnings—cost variability and cost stickiness. Since analysts' utilization of information is not directly observable, we model the process of earnings prediction to generate empirically testable hypotheses. The results indicate that analysts "converge to the average" in recognizing both cost variability and cost stickiness, resulting in substantial and systematic earnings forecast errors. Particularly, we find a clear pattern—inappropriate incorporation of available information on cost behavior in earnings forecasts leads to larger errors in unfavorable scenarios than in favorable ones. Overall, enhancing analysts' awareness of the expense side is likely to improve their earnings forecasts, mainly when sales turn to the worse. JEL Classifications: M41; M46; G12.


Abstract : The integer resonances affecting beam motion in the presence of external field imperfections in the modified betatron are studied. An upper bound is obtained on the magnitude of field error that may be tolerated. A numerical example shows that for practical parameters the resulting bound is very restrictive. The effect of longitudinal temperature and other possible stabilizing effects are discussed. (Author)


Guanabenz (WY-8678) was given to pregnant rats to examine its effects on dams, their fetuses, and offspring. The drug was administered orally to rats at 15, 5 and 1 mg/kg/day from the 7th days of gestation. The vehicle used was 5%-Arabic Gum at dose level of 5 ml/kg, and a control experiment where only the vehicle was administered was also conducted. The results obtained were as follows. 1. In the observation of the dams, the increase of body weight tended to be repressed in the 15 mg/kg group, and body weight decreased in the 30 mg/kg group. 2. The drug produced decreased spontaneous movement, sedation, and lacrimation of red exudate in dams. 3. Half of the 30 mg/kg group had a resorption, but there were no remarkable effects on length of gestation and nursing in the nursing group. 4. The weight of the thymus decreased dose-dependency. 5. No difference was observed in each group in the number of corpora lutea, the number of resorptions, the number of live fetuses, sex ratio, and mean placental weight of the fetuses. The mean body weight of the fetuses decreased in the 30 and among 15 mg/kg groups. 6. In observation of the fetuses, no difference was observed among groups regarding external and visceral malformations. In the skeletal observation, retardation of ossification of the forelimb and hind limb was observed in the 30 and 15 mg/kg groups, and retardation of ossification of the sternebra was observed in the 30 mg/kg group. 7. In observation of the offspring, the number of implantations, the number of live fetuses, delivery rate, and viability rate decrease in the 30 mg/kg group. No difference was observed among groups as to postnatal development symptoms, the faculties of sensation, and emotion. From these results, it is conducted that Guanabenz has no teratogenic potential in rats and the safe dosage levels seems to be below 5 mg/kg/day.


The existence of a predominantly symmetrical spin configuration (spin polarized phase) and `diluted' density of states (pseudo-gap) in a layer under the Fermi level in a quantum wire is predicted. The condition of cross-over from a non-polarized phase to a polarized one was derived. The effect essentially depends upon screening. The transition occurs for sufficiently low electron density in a wire and is accompanied by an acute decrease of the electron density of states near the Fermi level. It may result in a corresponding decrease in conductance.


High-resolution synchrotron and neutron single-crystal diffraction data of 18-crown-6/(pentakis)urea measured at 30 K are combined, with the aim of better appreciating the electrostatics associated with intermolecular interactions in condensed matter. With two 18-crown-6 molecules and five different urea molecules in the crystal, this represents the most ambitious combined X-ray/synchrotron and neutron experimental charge density analysis to date on a cocrystal or host-guest system incorporating such a large number of unique molecules. The dipole moments of the five urea guest molecules in the crystal are enhanced considerably compared to values determined for isolated molecules, and 2D maps of the electrostatic potential and electric field show clearly how the urea molecules are oriented with dipole moments aligned along the electric field exerted by their molecular neighbors. Experimental electric fields in the range of 10-19 GV m-1, obtained for the five different urea environments, corroborate independent measurements of electric fields in the active sites of enzymes and provide an important experimental reference point for recent discussions focused on electric-field-assisted catalysis.


The concentrations of cefamandole, cloxacillin and fusicid acid were measured in the serum and heart tissue of 100 recipients of these drugs before cardiac surgery. During cardiopulmonary bypass, mean (+/- standard deviation) peak concentrations in serum of all patients were 63.0 +/- 34.0 micrograms of cefamandole per ml, 30.8 +/- 17.7 micrograms of cloxacillin per ml, and 32.4 +/- 10.8 micrograms of fusidic acid per ml. Mean (+/- standard deviation) concentrations in atrial appendages taken 1 h (+/- 15 min) after infusion were 21.3 +/- 11.0 micrograms of cefamandole per g, 23.8 +/- 17.3 micrograms of cloxacillin per g, and 10.7 +/- 4.2 micrograms of fusidic acid per g. No cloxacillin could be detected in 5 of 39 heart specimens. Mean tissue-to-serum ratios at 1 h for cefamandole, cloxacillin, and fusidic acid were respectively 0.35, 0.73, and 0.33. Fusidic acid, a drug which is highly effective in vitro against both methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, was detectable in heart tissue in concentrations which were 12 times higher than the MICs of this agent against these resistant microorganisms.


In This paper, we presents a full on-chip and area efficient low-dropout voltage regulator (LDO) which, exploiting the technique nested miller compensation with active capacitor (NMCAC) to eliminate the external capacitor without compromising the stability of the system in the full output current range. The external capacitor is removed allowing for greater power system integration for system on-chip applications. The proposed LDO is that provides a fast transient response, a low quiescent current 51 μA with a dropout voltage of 192 mV and output variation 69 mV when a full load step 0-50 mA is applied. It designed in 0.18 μm CMOS process.


The article emphasizes the role of magnesium in a woman's body, the causes and symptoms of its deficiency. It also describes the role of estrogens, combined oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy in the development of magnesium-deficient states, and the relationship between these states and vitamin B6. The paper overviews multicenter studies on the treatment of magnesiumdeficient conditions from the standpoint of evidence-based medicine, which show the need to maintain an adequate level of magnesium  and pyridoxine in the treatment of estrogen-dependent diseases.


ABSTRACT Fathers' sensitivity and child attachment security and externalizing and internalizing problems were investigated among families headed by two adoptive gay fathers. A sample of 68 fathers and their 34 children aged 1–6 years participated in the study. Fathers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist. Parental sensitivity and child attachment security were assessed by independent coders with Q-sort methodology during parent–child interactions at home. Results indicate that few children had low attachment security scores and behavior problems in the clinical range. Fathers' sensitivity within parenting couples appeared similarly high, as did children's attachment security. In contrast to the weak association found in past studies among heterosexual fathers, a significant moderate correlation was found between paternal sensitivity and child attachment security. Also, children with higher levels of attachment security had less externalizing problems.


Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate how traumatic axonal injury (TAI) lesions in the thalamus, basal ganglia, and brainstem on clinical brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are associated with level of consciousness in the acute phase in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). There were 158 patients with moderate to severe TBI (7–70 years) with early 1.5T MRI (median 7 days, range 0–35) without mass lesion included prospectively. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores were registered before intubation or at admission. The TAI lesions were identified in T2*gradient echo, fluid attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion weighted imaging scans. In addition to registering TAI lesions in hemispheric white matter and the corpus callosum, TAI lesions in the thalamus, basal ganglia, and brainstem were classified as uni- or bilateral. Twenty percent of patients had TAI lesions in the thalamus (7% bilateral), 18% in basal ganglia (2% bilateral), and 29% in the brainstem (9% bilateral). One of 26 bilateral lesions in the thalamus or brainstem was found on computed tomography. The GCS scores were lower in patients with bilateral lesions in the thalamus (median four) and brainstem (median five) than in those with corresponding unilateral lesions (median six and eight, p = 0.002 and 0.022). The TAI locations most associated with low GCS scores in univariable ordinal regression analyses were bilateral TAI lesions in the thalamus (odds ratio [OR] 35.8; confidence interval [CI: 10.5−121.8], p < 0.001), followed by bilateral lesions in basal ganglia (OR 13.1 [CI: 2.0–88.2], p = 0.008) and bilateral lesions in the brainstem (OR 11.4 [CI: 4.0–32.2], p < 0.001). This Trondheim TBI study showed that patients with bilateral TAI lesions in the thalamus, basal ganglia, or brainstem had particularly low consciousness at admission. We suggest these bilateral lesions should be evaluated further as possible biomarkers in a new TAI-MRI classification as a worst grade, because they could explain low consciousness in patients without mass lesions.


Strictly finite-range (SFR) potentials are exactly zero beyond their finite range. Single-particle energies and densities as well as S-matrix pole trajectories are studied in a few SFR potentials suited for the description of neutrons interacting with light and heavy nuclei. The SFR potentials considered are the standard cut-off Woods--Saxon (CWS) potentials and two potentials approaching zero smoothly: the SV potential introduced by Salamon and Vertse and the SS potential of Sahu and Sahu. The parameters of these latter were set so that the potentials may be similar to the CWS shape. The range of the SV and SS potentials scales with the cube root of the mass number of the core like the nuclear radius itself. For light nuclei a single term of the SV potential (with a single parameter) is enough for a good description of the neutron-nucleus interaction. The trajectories are compared with a bench-mark for which the starting points (belonging to potential depth zero) can be determined independently. Even the CWS potential is found to conform to this bench-mark if the range is identified with the cutoff radius. For the CWS potentials some trajectories show irregular shapes, while for the SV and SS potentials all trajectories behave regularly.


In this paper, the joint processing of an adaptive array and a maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE) is proposed to cope with frequency-selective fading. The proposed scheme generates replicas of multiple desired paths with different delays received at all antennas. The errors between the array outputs and the replicas are branch metric combined in the Viterbi algorithm to estimate the most likely transmitted sequence. The replicas are also used as reference signals for controlling array weights to suppress long delay paths. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can provide a better bit error rate performance than a conventional adaptive array or a conventional MLSE in frequency-selective fading channels.


This paper examines the role of social safety nets in community resilience and performance of food security projects in Loima sub-County of Turkana County, Kenya. The study was conducted in Loima Sub-County which is in Turkana County of Kenya. The study area is among the poorest in Kenya due to frequent droughts, insecurity and low investments by successive regimes. The study employed semi-structured questionnaires, interview guides and observation check lists to gather data and information on the study variables. A total of 491 households were sampled across 11 sub-locations. The study findings showed that social safety nets have weak positive influence on community resilience and performance of food security projects (r2 = R2 = 0.1757). This implied that social safety nets explained 17.57% of the variation of performance of food security projects while the other percentage was explained by other variables different from social safety nets. The overall F statistic of F = 30.49 (p=0.05) was statistically significant since at (p = 0.000 < 0.05) hence was suitable to analyze the relationship between social safety nets and performance of food security projects. The study found out that the amount of cash transferred from the social safety nets helped vulnerable households to purchase consumable goods but did not enhance livelihood diversification through ownership of productive assets. Resources from the social safety nets were not sufficient to cover every vulnerable household, they were influenced by targeting mechanist, institutional coordination as well as both local and national politics. The study concluded that due to frequent disasters as well as underdevelopment of infrastructure in Loima Sub-County, social safety nets alone were not sufficient to address household food insecurity in long-term. Therefore, the study recommended the need to link the social safety nets with other development programs for long-term resilience building to food insecurity.


The article analyzes the influence of the relationship of basic subjects with general technical subjects in the learning process for students of marine specialties. It is possible to realize this connection by developing and implementing engineering problems that a student at the BSMA will have to face both in primary courses and in the study of special subjects. Our early research results indicate the effectiveness of the use of such a teaching method as a means of developing students' thinking. Our institution is a specific technical university. Graduates have to work in extremely dangerous situations at sea, and they have to decide the fate of passengers, ship and cargo in a matter of minutes. Therefore, special thinking is an essential feature of a sailor. While studying, along with other subjects, students study various marine equipment, conduct observations of measuring instruments (for example, temperature in the engine room, in turbine pumps, etc.). The article considers the engineering problem - determining the value of the linear temperature coefficient of a thermistor in Excel. Based on the basic data, a graph of the dependence of temperature on resistance is constructed, a linear temperature coefficient and the reliability of the approximation value are determined. It is established whether the device used is laboratory. The corresponding conclusions are made.


This paper presents electrothermal models for sizing the electric motors with their cooling system for Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion. A design approach is proposed to reach high specific powers. An electric motor is sized using tools based on loadability concepts. Its performances are validated by Finite Element Analysis. Cooling system is sized based on adapted hydraulic calculations and temperatures are verified using Lumped Parameter Thermal Model.


Nitric oxide is a significant biologic mediator in a number of physiologic processes. Clinical and laboratory studies in both human and animal models have uncovered a number of conditions responsive to nitric oxide therapy. The use of inhaled nitric oxide is rapidly expanding into neonatal and pediatric critical care. Presently, the primary clinical indication for nitric oxide is pulmonary hypertension of either a primary or secondary etiology. Some patient populations that are refractory to conventional management demonstrate significant improvement when receiving nitric oxide therapy. This article discusses the physiologic properties of nitric oxide, as well as its diagnostic and therapeutic indications. Specific issues regarding nitric oxide delivery, monitoring, safety standards, and nursing care are also addressed.


Secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients (SC-CIP) is a rare cholestatic liver disease triggered by long-term intensive care treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of gastrointestinal bleeding in SC-CIP. Patients with diagnosed SC-CIP were retrospectively identified and compared to a control group of patients with cardiac surgery and intensive care treatment but without the development of SC-CIP. Fifty-three patients with SC-CIP and 19 controls were included in the study. The frequency of gastrointestinal bleeding was 30% in SC-CIP (16 patients) and 5% in the control group (1 patient) (p = 0.03). Bleeding occured in the mean 13 months after admission to an intensive care unit in SC-CIP, three patients (19%) suffered bleeding during intensive care treatment. Three SC-CIP patients (19%) had cirrhosis at the time of bleeding, five (31%) had splenomegaly, and four (25%) received oral anticoagulation. In SC-CIP, 13 bleedings were identified in the upper gastrointestinal tract, two in the lower, and one remained unknown. The most common reasons for bleeding were gastroduodenal ulcers. In total, 80% of patients needed blood units, and one death due to bleeding occurred in SC-CIP. In conclusion, gastrointestinal bleeding is a frequent complication in patients with SC-CIP. Whether the liver disease itself or cofactors cause the susceptibility for bleeding remains unclear.


A giant meningocelic sac has not been usually described in adult patients, due to the fact that it shows a low incidence and few newborn have survived to date though the malformation is benign. We report two cases of patients born with the described malformation and who were not operated at that time, so they reached adulthood with bigger sacs. They needed surgery to remove the sacs, for a different reason. The older one had a fistulous abcess but the LCR did not come out, and it did not improved by the application of topic and antibiotic treatment. The other patient showed a progressive growth of the malformation during the last year, skin hardening and pain. The histological study of the dried sacs proved the existence of a carcinomatous degeneration. In the patients we have treated, it seems that a chronic irritation of the LCR and the appearance of multipotent cells in the meningocele may favour the malignancy of the tissues surrounding the sac. This possible malignancy, already described in the bibliography, suggests a prompt elective surgical treatment of the patients with these congenital lesions as soon as possible.


ABSTRACTObjective- This study aimed to determine the potential cost-savings for implementing continuous vital sign monitoring in a hospital's medical-surgical units.Methods- A cost-savings analysis was designed to calculate potential cost-savings for an average-sized U.S. community hospital (153 total beds) over a one-year time horizon. Analysis parameters were extracted from national databases and previous studies that compared outcomes for patients receiving continuous vital sign monitoring (SpO2, HR, and RR) or standard of care (intermittent vital sign measurements) in medical-surgical units based on a targeted literature review. Clinical parameters and associated costs served as analysis inputs. The analysis outputs were costs and potential cost-savings using a 50% and 100% adoption rate of continuous monitoring technologies across the medical-surgical unit.Results- Potential annual cost-savings for in-hospital medical-surgical stays were estimated at $3,414,709 (2022 USD) and $6,829,418 for a 50% and 100% adoption rate, respectively. The cost-savings for an adoption rate of 100% equated to a ∼14% reduction in the overall annual cost of medical-surgical unit stays for an average-sized hospital. The largest contribution to potential cost-savings came from patients that avoided serious adverse events that require transfer to the intensive care unit; this resulted in annual cost-savings from reduced average length of stay between $1,756,613 and $3,513,226 (50% and 100% adoption rate, respectively). Additional cost-savings can be attained from reductions in in-hospital cardiac arrest-associated hospitalizations and decreased rapid response team activation.Conclusions- Our findings demonstrate that there is the potential for cost-savings of over $6.8 million dollars per year in an average-sized US community hospital by improving patient outcomes through implementation of continuous monitoring technologies in medical-surgical units. Continuous vital sign monitoring technologies that increase patient mobility and facilitate recovery may further contribute to cost-savings and should be considered for economic analyses. Future research is needed to explore these health-related outcomes.


The Young Researchers Forum offers young researchers the possibility to meet and discuss research topics and methodologies, share and develop ideas, learn from each other and gain knowledge from senior researchers. Young Researcher Sessions are organized at the Conference on Brain Disorders, to provide a unique platform for Young Researchers/Investigators for presenting latest research projects with an in-depth analysis. Pulsus Academies cordially invites Young Researchers from Universities/Institutes/Industries to present a short oral presentation during the forum. These oral presentations should be of 10 minutes duration in related scientific track followed by 5 minutes question hour. Therefore, presenters are encouraged to give comprehensive and dynamic talks. Applications will be selected based on past research productivity and future promise.


The nanowires technology has proved itself to be fairly promising in order to develop more e cient optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and LEDs. It becomes therefore interesting to be able to characterize nanowires samples with a high precision, so that the light emitted from each single nanowire can be detected and analyzed. The purpose of this thesis project was to test if solid immersion microscopy represents a valid tool in order to increase the resolution of optical microscopy enough to distinguish between single nanowires in arrays. A solid immersion lens was fabricated, and then it was tested on a number of di erent samples in order to characterize it and to compare the results with the ones obtained by standard optical microscopy. Solid immersion microscopy led generally to a higher resolution in case of white light images. Photoluminescence and electroluminescence measurements were also performed; even though the experimental realization of such measurements was somehow trickier, solid immersion microscopy provides room for further improvements in resolution.


Source of material: Crystals of the title compound were obtained as yellow needles by slow evaporation of a solution of stoichiometric quantities of anilinium iodide and lead(II)iodide in dimethylsulphoxide. The anionic framework consists of double chains of edge-sharing Pblô-octahedra, which is structurally analogous to NHtCdCb. Both the cation and the solvent molecule are disordered. The cation is linked to the anionic framework and the oxygen atoms of the solvent molecules via hydrogen bonds. The phenyl ring is disordered over two orientations related to each other by a 90° rotation about the N C bond. The two orientations of the solvent molecule are generated by the mirror plane with the C and O atoms lying in the plane.


Heart failure, mostly associated with cardiac hypertrophy, is still a major cause of illness and death. Oxidative stress causes contractile failure and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, associated with aging and heart failure, suggesting that mitochondria-targeted therapies could be effective in this context. The purpose of this work was to characterize how mitochondrial oxidative stress is involved in cardiac hypertrophy development and to determine if mitochondria-targeted therapies could improve cardiac phenotypes. We used neonatal and adult rat cardiomyocytes (NCMs and ACMs) hypertrophied by isoproterenol (Iso) to induce an increase of mitochondrial superoxide anion. Superoxide dismutase 2 activity and mitochondrial biogenesis were significantly decreased after 24h of Iso treatment. To counteract the mitochondrial oxidative stress induced by hypertrophy, we evaluated the impact of two different anti-oxidants, mitoquinone (MitoQ) and EUK 134. Both significantly decreased mitochondrial superoxide anion and hypertrophy in hypertrophied NCMs and ACMs. Conversely to EUK 134 which preserved cell functions, MitoQ impaired mitochondrial function by decreasing maximal mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial membrane potential and mitophagy (particularly Parkin expression) and altering mitochondrial structure. The same decrease of Parkin was found in human cardiomyocytes but not in fibroblasts suggesting a cell specificity deleterious effect of MitoQ. Our data showed the importance of mitochondrial oxidative stress in the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Interestingly, we observed that targeting mitochondria by an anti-oxidant (MitoQ) impaired metabolism specifically in cardiomyocytes. Conversely, the SOD mimic (EUK 134) decreased both oxidative stress and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and restored impaired cardiomyocyte metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis.