Surveys have shown that about 40% of serious motor and generator problems are due to the deterioration of stator winding insulation. Over the past several years, practical methods have been developed for measuring the partial discharge activity in the high voltage insulation of stator windings, since partial discharges are a symptom of most insulation failure mechanisms. An online partial discharge test, called the TGA test, has now been specifically developed for turbine generators and large motors. The TGA test allows fossil and nuclear power plant staff to reliably perform a partial discharge test on motors and turbine generators. This paper presents several case studies of the use of this new partial discharge test technology on generators. Test results show that machines with deteriorated windings have a partial discharge activity at least 30 times higher than good windings. The availability of these test methods enables utilities to economically and reliably plan stator winding maintenance and avoid unexpected failures.<<ETX>>


A closed-loop control system for controlling the key grip of a C6 tetraplegic patient was developed. Natural sensors served as the source of the feedback signal. The neural signals from cutaneous receptors were picked up by an implanted cuff electrode placed around the radial branch of the median nerve innervating the lateral part of the index finger. Mechanical stress applied to the skin, like pressure and slips, resulted in an increase in amplitude of the recorded neural signal. The goal of the study was to determine whether the recorded neural signals were able to indicate the slip of an object during lateral grasp and whether the slip could be stopped by increasing the grasp force through functional electrical stimulation of the thumb adductor and flexor.


The paper provides the results obtained in the course of the cooperative All-Union programme on multifactor prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), which has been implemented over 3 years to examine the efficiency of preventive actions aimed at correcting the levels of CHD risk factors. The study was conducted in 6 centers of the country among a non-organized male population aged 40-59 years. The outcome of the preventive measures, largely nonpharmacological ones, made during 3 years suggests that the prevalence of the major CHD risk factors may be reduced in the population. The preventive actions are the most beneficial in arterial hypertension and smoking.


This paper addresses the problem of rumor source detection with multiple observations, from a statistical point of view of a spreading over a network, based on the susceptible-infectious model. For tree networks, multiple independent observations can dramatically improve the detection probability. For the case of a single rumor source, we propose a unified inference framework based on the joint rumor centrality, and provide explicit detection performance for degree-regular tree networks. Surprisingly, even with merely two observations, the detection probability at least doubles that of a single observation, and further approaches one, i.e., reliable detection, with increasing degree. This indicates that a richer diversity enhances detectability. Furthermore, we consider the case of multiple connected sources and investigate the effect of diversity. For general graphs, a detection algorithm using a breadth-first search strategy is also proposed and evaluated. Besides rumor source detection, our results can be used in network forensics to combat recurring epidemic-like information spreading such as online anomaly and fraudulent email spams.


Autonomic computing is a new paradigm inspired by the biological world. It allows networks to self-organize control decisions. To ensure an efficient self-organization, an autonomic network must define a new distributed and decentralized plane containing all the network knowledge, called "knowledge plane". In this paper, we propose a new knowledge dissemination mechanisms in order to maintain this knowledge plane. The developed approach is composed by three modules to address scalability and interoperability issues: (1) cluster the network nodes and elect a leader for each cluster to contain the knowledge, (2) use an overlay network to disseminate knowledge between leaders for interoperability concerns and, (3)disseminate only useful knowledge to nodes in each cluster to reduce the amount of knowledge to be distributed. To evaluate our approach, we construct a knowledge plan based on QoE measurement. Numerical results obtained for IPTV different traffics level merged on operators network show that our approach improves clearly performances regarding load balancing charges.


The History of Hinduism and Buddhism-Charles Eliot 2020-12-17 "The History of Hinduism and Buddhism" in 3 volumes is a work by Charles Eliot whose aim is to give a sketch of Indian thought or Indian religion, for the two terms are nearly equivalent in the book, and of its history and influence in Asia. As the author pointed out, it is impossible to separate Hinduism from Buddhism, for without it Hinduism could not have assumed its medieval shape and some forms of Buddhism, such as Lamaism, countenance Brahmanic deities and ceremonies, while in Java and Cambodia the two religions were avowedly combined and declared to be the same. Neither is it convenient to separate the fortunes of Buddhism and Hinduism outside India from their history within it, for although the importance of Buddhism depends largely on its foreign conquests, the forms which it assumed in its new territories can be understood only by reference to the religious condition of India at the periods when successive missions were despatched. This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices.


Abstract Objective: The aims of this study were to develop a revised version of the Meaning In Life Measure (MILM; Hill et al., 2019) and investigate its multilevel measurement invariance at the between-person and within-person levels and multi-group measurement invariance across gender, age, and cultural groups. Methods: We analyzed an international dataset including data from 1600 sessions with 384 clients in five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America) using multilevel item response theory and multilevel factor analysis. Results: We found that the revised 5-item MILM-5 had satisfactory reliability and structural validity with the overall sample. Further, it demonstrated measurement invariance across the between- and within-person levels, and also across gender and age groups. Across representative countries within continents, the MILM-5 had the same overall factor structure but all factor loadings and item intercepts significantly differed across cultural contexts. Implications are discussed regarding the assessment of meaning in life in international clinical settings.


Summary Generalization of improvement in the behavioural treatment of psychotic patients must be planned in after-care settings, and for durability over time. The transfer of clinical gains is not an automatic by-product of treatment with severely and chronically impaired mental patients. Treatment strategies that facilitate generalization from hospital to community are illustrated in a case study using empirical data. Systematic and specific treatment programmes were co-ordinated between a state hospital ward and a community-based day hospital. Setting step-wise and limited goals is a feature of successful outcomes. Maintaining consistency in reinforcement contingencies from hospital to community settings, using natural reinforcers, pinpointing functional behaviours as therapeutic goals, over-learning, and training natural caregivers are methods that promote generalization.


1. The electrical and the mechanical activity of isolated frog muscle fibres have been simultaneously recorded in a physiological solution which allows the development of a large tubular sodium current. 2. Under such experimental conditions, fibres develop long‐lasting action potentials and strong mechanical responses. 3. In voltage‐clamp experiments a slow inward current is revealed for depolarizations higher than +20 mV from the resting potential. This current increases until +40 to +50 mV and then decreases to reverse near +90 mV. The amplitude of the mechanical response increases with the potential to reach an optimum value between +40 and +50 mV and then decreases to stabilize when the depolarization is near +90 mV. 4. In the presence of picrotoxin the slow inward current is reversibly inhibited and the tension‐depolarization curve has an S‐shape as found in normal physiological conditions. 5. The dependence of a part of the contraction upon the slow inward current is reinforced by the fact that in a 50% sodium solution the amplitude of the current and that of the contraction are reduced in the same proportion. 6. Detubulated fibres failed to generate such a sodium inward current. 7. When sodium ions are replaced by lithium ions a slow inward lithium current develops but it does not induce a mechanical response. 8. Tetracaine reversibly inhibits the current‐dependent component of the contraction without affecting the potential‐dependent one. 9. It is concluded that the contraction recorded in the present experimental conditions is the sum of two components: one is potential‐dependent and the other depends on a sodium‐induced calcium release mechanism.


Cyclisation of 9-(benzotriazol-1-yl)acridine to the pentacycle 8H-quino[4,3,2-kl]acridine in a range of low-boiling solvents is mechanistically distinct from previously published photochemical (carbene) and thermolytic (radical) cyclisations. Fragmentation of the triazole ring of to a diazonium intermediate, and its subsequent heterolysis (-N(2)) and cyclisation is facilitated by solvation of intermediate zwitterionic species. Derivatives of 2- and 3-aminoquinoacridines methylated in the 8-position can be converted to 8,13-dimethylquino[4,3,2-kl]acridinium iodide salts with methyl iodide and were required for biological examination as potential telomerase inhibitors. The chloro group in 3-chloro-8-methyl-8H-quino[4,3,2-kl]acridine can be replaced efficiently by benzylamino, 4-morpholinyl and cyano substituents in palladium(0) mediated reactions.


The relationship between traditional biomass energy consumption and economic growth is examined in 15 Sub-Saharan Africa countries based on available World Bank data for the period of 1990–2019, in terms of biomass energy per capita and real GDP per capita. Three sets of countries, showing different relations of GDP and biomass are discussed. On one hand, the largest set of countries shows increasing GDP and increasing biomass use per capita. On the other hand, the next largest set of countries shows increasing GDP and decreasing biomass use per capita. There is also a small set of countries with decreasing GDP, with examples of both increasing and decreasing biomass use per capita. For most of these countries we find a positive relationship between biomass energy consumption and GDP, per person. The results indicate that biomass energy use does not necessarily fall with increasing GDP, and also that several countries have introduced successful measures to reduce biomass use.


AA Archiiologischer Anzeiger JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies AASOR Annual of the American Schools of JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Oriental Research JEOL Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux AAAS Annales archeologiques arabes JESHO Journal of the Economic and Social syriennes History of the Orient ADAJ Annual of the Department of Antiquities JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies of Jordan JSOT(S) Journalfor the Study of the Old AfO Archiv fir Orientforschung Testament (and Supplement) AHw W. von Soden, Akkadisches LA' Lexikon der Agyptologie Handworterbuch MARl Mari. Annales des Recherches AJA American Journal of Archaeology Interdisciplinaires ANEP J.B. Pritchard. The Ancient Near East MDOG Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orientin Pictures Gesellschaft ANET J.B. Pritchard. Ancient Near Eastern NABU Nouvelles Assyriologiques Breves et Texts Relating to the Old Testament Utilitaires AnAn Anatolia Antiqua NEA Near Eastern Archaeology AnSt Anatolian Studies NEAEHL The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament Excavations in the Holy Land


The ultralow thermal conductivity $\kappa$ observed experimentally in intentionally roughened silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is reproduced in phonon Monte Carlo simulations with exponentially correlated real-space rough surfaces similar to measurement [J. Lim, K. Hippalgaonkar, S. C. Andrews, A. Majumdar, and P. Yang, Nano Lett. 12, 2475 (2012)]. Universal features of thermal transport are revealed by presenting $\kappa$ as a function of the normalized geometric mean free path $\bar\lambda$ ($0<\bar\lambda<1$); the diffusive (Casimir) limit corresponds to $\bar\lambda=1/2$. $\kappa$ vs $\bar\lambda$ is exponential at low-to-moderate roughness (high $\bar\lambda$), where internal scattering randomly interrupts phonon bouncing across the SiNW, and linear at high roughness (low $\bar\lambda$), where multiple scattering events at the same surface results in ultralow, amorphous-limit thermal conductivity.


In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) construction printing has emerged as a viable alternative to conventional construction methods. Particularly promising for large scale construction are collective printing systems consisting of multiple mobile 3D printers. However, the design of these systems typically relies on the assumption of continuous communication between the printers, which is unrealistic in dynamically changing construction environments. As a first step toward decentralized collective 3D printing, we explore an active sensing framework allowing individual agents to reconstruct the shape of the structure, toward assessing other agents' progress in the absence of direct communication. In this vein, the shape of the structure is discretized as a 2D lattice embodying its topology, such that the problem is equivalent to the inference of a network. We leverage environmental modifications introduced by each agent through the printing of new layers to track the structure evolution. We demonstrate the validity of a sequential approach based on system identification through numerical simulations. Our work paves the way to decentralized collective 3D construction printing, as well as other applications in collective behavior that rely on the physical medium to transfer information among agents.


This study qualitatively examined the evolving experience and change process occurred when 14 clinical psychology doctoral trainees worked directly with refugee clients as part of their multicultural counselling training (MCT). The trainees' post-session critical incident journals were collected and analyzed based on the Grounded Theory Method. A superordinate theme emerged from the data analysis in response to the research questions of this study - Increased Awareness and Responses to Make Cultural Adaptations to Therapy. This superordinate theme, with its 8 subthemes, suggest that in learning how to respond to and build relationship with refugee clients, trainees experienced a dynamic developmental progression, involving elements of cultural awareness, knowledge, and skill. A three-progned 'Cognitive-Affective-Behavioural' model was also identified and hypothesized to help conceptualize the effects/impacts on trainees' overall development of multicultural competence through building relationship and offering culturally-informed therapy to refugees. Implications for MCT theory-building, research and practice are discussed.


Abstract Similar morphology and confused historical taxonomy of Hybognathus hankinsoni (brassy minnow) and Hybognathus placitus (plains minnow) have made determination of their historic distributions and conservation status unclear in eastern Colorado basins. We developed logistic regression models from morphometric measurements to predict species identity of Hybognathus collections from Colorado and adjacent counties (n = 1154 specimens in 134 lots). A model based on orbit diameter, standard length, and eye position correctly predicted 98% of the specimens examined and 100% of the museum lots. Hybognathus hankinsoni have larger eyes centered on a horizontal line through the tip of the snout, whereas H. placitus have smaller eyes centered above the tip of the snout. The two species were historically sympatric in the Platte, Republican, and Smoky Hill River basins, whereas H. placitus was allopatric in the Arkansas River basin. The taxonomic characters defined here will allow accurate identification of future collections to determine the status of these native fishes.


Quantum-dot molecules were constructed on a semiconductor surface using atom manipulation by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at 5 K. The molecules consist of several coupled quantum dots, each of which comprises a chain of charged adatoms that electrostatically confines intrinsic surface-state electrons. The coupling takes place across tunnel barriers created reversibly using the STM tip. These barriers have an invariant, reproducible atomic structure and can be positioned-and repeatedly repositioned-to create a series of reconfigurable quantum-dot molecules with atomic precision.


Somatic mutation in the X-linked phosphatydylinositol glycan class A ( PIG-A ) gene causes glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor deficiency in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, in humans, a requirement for the development of the disease paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). While progress has been made in understanding PNH and especially in treatment of intravascular hemolysis secondary to cell surface deficiency of CD59, why PIG-A mutant stem cells expand in the setting of immune-mediated bone marrow failure remains obscure. We produced a conditional PigA knock-out animal model ( PigA −/− ) by cross-breeding mice carrying germline insertion of two lox sites flanking exon 6 of PigA gene with mice carrying the transgene Cre-recombinase driven by the human c-fes promoter. The resultant B6 Fes-cre Pig A flox ( PigA −/− ) mice had PigA gene inactivation specifically in hematopoietic cells. We observed that GPI-deficient (GPI − ) bone marrow (BM) and spleen cells from PigA −/− mice contained much larger proportions of lymphocytes, especially CD8 + T cells, in comparison to GPI + cells. The expansion of GPI − CD8 + T cells was not associated with any obvious hematological phenotype, and blood and BM cell counts were relatively normal in PigA −/− mice. In comparison to GPI + cells analyzed by microarray, GPI − BM cells showed up-regulation in expression of genes important for immune function responses. Pathway analysis revealed that differentially-expressed genes were clustered in several groups related to immunological function, such as lymphocyte markers (CD8b1, CD8a, CD3e, CD3d, CD7, CD2, CD5, CD6, CD28, CD96, CD27), proteins related to T cell activation (Lck, Zap70, Fyn, Zeta, Lat, Traf1, Tcf7, Ctla2a/Ctla2b), TCR components (Tcr-beta-V13, Tcr-beta-V8.2, Tcr-alpha, Tcr-beta- J, Tcr-gamma), chemokines and C-C motifs (Ccl5, CXCR6, Ccr7), and molecules of the killer lectin-like receptor subfamily (Klrc1, Klrc2, Klra7, Klra8). We transplanted into lethally-irradiated recipients BM cells from PigA −/− mice (pre-incubated with aerolysin to lyse GPI + cells) or BM cells from normal PigA +/+ donors. By microarray, transplanted GPI − cells retained the phenotype of untransplanted GPI − cells, with a much increased CD8 + T cell proportion and up-regulated immune function gene expression in comparison to transplanted normal BM cells. The enlarged GPI − CD8 + T cell pool had a significantly lower proportion of CD11a + cells than did GPI + CD8 + T cells, suggesting that GPI − CD8 + T cells were generally less active. There was no difference in the proportion of CD44 − naive T cells between GPI − CD8 + and GPI + CD8 + T cells; GPI − CD8 + T cells were not NK cells as they lacked surface NK1.1 staining. The percentage of CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + regulatory T cells in GPI − cells was only 10% of that in GPI + cells in peripheral blood in both untransplanted and transplanted animals, indicating that the expanded T cell population in the GPI − cell fraction contained few cells with immunosuppressive property. We further investigated T cell clonality by usage of T cell receptor beta variable region (Vbeta); approximately 5-6 Vbeta subfamilies were over represented in the GPI − CD8 + T cells. In particular, Vbeta 5.1/5.2 was prominent in GPI − CD8 + T cells, constituting 22-23 ± 5% GPI − T cells from untransplanted and transplanted animals; a significant increase in comparison to 8-9.1 ± 0.5% Vbeta 5.1/5.2 clonal representation in GPI + CD8 + T cells. Our results are consistent with an antigen-driven T cell response in the GPI − lymphocyte population, independent of pancytopenia. Functionally, GPI − CD8 T cells showed no response to lectin stimulation as measured by gamma interferon production, but they were capable of effecting target cell apoptosis when co-incubated with minor-H antigen mismatched BM cells in vitro . Our data agrees with observations in humans, in which an immune process driven by a restricted set of (unknown) antigens appears active in the pathogenesis of PNH (Gargiulo et al., Blood 2007). We conclude that deletion of PigA gene in hematopoietic cells, independent of frank hematopoietic failure, leads to enrichment of lymphocytes, especially CD8 T cells, in the GPI − cell fraction that have an inactive and naive phenotype. These expanded, clonally-restricted, T cells may provide an initial pool of immune effectors, which in the proper immune activated environment, contribute to bone marrow failure in PNH.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) has been found to be low in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Overexpressing MnSOD in PDAC has decreased growth rate of cancer cells. microRNAs, short 20-25 nucleotide RNA molecules, can function as oncogenes or as tumour suppressors. It has been shown that microRNA-301a is specifically up-regulated in PDAC specimen and inhibition of microRNA-301a has a decreased growth rate of PDAC cells. Aim: This study is to determine the relationship between the level of MnSOD and microRNA-301a regulation regarding the growth inhibition of PDAC. Methods: we carried out two experiments. A total of 60 PDAC specimens, along with 20 normal pancreatic tissues were obtained for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) studies to evaluate MnSOD and microRNA-301a expression. All pathology findings for the specimens were scored by two pathologists who were both blinded to the subjects. We also established a xenograft PDAC mouse model to study the growth rate in vivo. Nude BALB/C mice, 6 weeks old, were injected subcutaneously with 5×106 human PDAC (PanC-1 cells transfected with micro-301a antisence and control). Tumor-bearing animals were maintained for 8 weeks. Tumor growth was followed and tumor volume (TV) was determined using the standard formula, TV = (L xW2)/2. Results: There were significant decreases of MnSOD expression in PDAC specimens (1.5±0.06) compared to normal controls (2.5±0.07; p < 0.05). microRNA-301a expression was significantly increased in PDAC specimens (0.85±0.046) compared to normal controls (0.1±0.05; p < 0.05). The animal study findings indicated that microRNA-301a antisence transfection can significantly decrease the growth rate of inoculated PDAC cells. The decrease the growth rate is associated with the increased MnSOD levels (Fig 1) and decreased NF-kappaB expression. Conclusions: 1) MnSOD levels are negatively associated microRNA-301a expression in PDAC tissues; 2) increased levels of MnSOD are associated with microRNA-301a down-regulation and inhibition of PDAC.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2074.


Staff innovative behaviour is critical for organisations if they wish to survive and continue expanding effectively. This study investigated the effect of visionary leadership on staff innovative behaviour in Kwara State, Nigeria. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between visionary leadership and staff innovative behaviour in Kwara State-owned colleges of education. Quantitative research design was used for the study. A sample of 220 respondents were randomly selected from the sample colleges of education with the use of Research Advisor (2006) table to determine sample size of known population. Pearson correlations and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the collected data. The results show that leadership empowerment, intellectual stimulation, and adaptiveness were positively and significantly correlated with staff innovative behaviour. The result also shows that staff innovative behaviour can be influenced by visionary academic leaders.  It was therefore recommended that academic leaders should continue to boost up the style of leadership empowerment, intellectual stimulation as well as adaptiveness towards the realization of staff innovative behaviour


Stereo-vision is extensively used for intelligent vehicles, mainly for obstacle detection, as it provides a large amount of data. Many authors use it as a classical 3D sensor which provides a large tri-dimensional cloud of metric measurements, and apply methods usually designed for other sensors, such as clustering based on a distance. For stereo-vision, the measurement uncertainty is related to the range. For medium to long range, often necessary in the field of intelligent vehicles, this uncertainty has a significant impact, limiting the use of this kind of approaches. On the other hand, some authors consider stereo-vision more like a vision sensor and choose to directly work in the disparity space. This provides the ability to exploit the connectivity of the measurements, but roughly takes into consideration the actual size of the objects. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic representation of the specific uncertainty for stereo-vision, which takes advantage of both aspects - distance and disparity. The model is presented and then applied to obstacle detection, using the occupancy grid framework. For this purpose, a computationally-efficient implementation based on the u-disparity approach is given.


We report here the design, fabrication and experiments of a hollow in-plane microneedle, with which a biosensor is integrated to extract interstitial fluid from skin for glucose measurement. The design of hollow in-plane microneedles leads to a simple fabrication process. Different from common methods for immobilizing enzyme, we use capillary force to immobilize enzyme on the surface of microelectrodes. The experimental results showed a good linearity for the characteristic curve of glucose concentration, when it varies from 0 to 500mg/dl with respect to current signal value. The sensitivity of 0.4238nA was obtained.


In this paper, we present an interactive approach for intuitively editing colors and opacity values in transfer functions
for volume visualization. We introduce the concept of a relative visibility histogram, which represents the
difference between the global visibility distribution across the full volume and the local visibility distribution
within a user-selected region in the viewport. From this measure, we can infer what subset of the 3D volume the
user intends to select when they click on a region in the 2D rendered image of the data set, and use this to modify
relevant parts of the transfer function. We use this selection mechanism for two alternative purposes. The first is
to allow output-driven editing of the transfer function, whereby a user can change the opacity values and colors
of features without directly having to manipulate the transfer function itself. The second is to extract visually
dominant features in any user-selected region of interest, so that the user may individually edit their appearance
and then merge these to create new transfer functions. Our approach is lightweight compared to similar techniques
and performs in real-time.


Adverse cutaneous drug reaction (ACDR) is a common issue in dermatology practice and it is crucial for every medical practitioner to remain updated of its pattern. It was a hospital based crosssectional observational study, conducted over 130 patients with adverse cutaneous drug reactionin the outpatient department of dermatology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). Majority of reaction was developed within one week of taking drug. Fixed drug eruption (FDE) was present in 18.5% cases followed by  maculo-papular, Stevenson-Johnson-Syndrome-Toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS- TEN), urticaria, urticaria + angioedema, lichenoid drug reaction, erythema multiforme, acneiform eruption, exfoliative dermatitis, pityriasiform, hyperpigmentation, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, drug induced hypersensitive syndrome, vasculitis, purpura, photosentivity, psoriasiform and other non-specific reactions. Anti convulsants (26.9%), NSAIDs (20.0%) and anti amtimicrobials (17.7%) are the most common drug group causing adverse cutaneous reaction.  Many of the ACDR caused by anticonvulsants, NSAID and antimicrobials are even life threatening.
Bangladesh Med J. 2018 Jan; 47 (3): 32-36


Learning-based methods have recently enabled performance leaps in analysis of high-dimensional functional MRI (fMRI) time series. Deep learning models that receive as input functional connectivity (FC) features among brain regions have been commonly adopted in the literature. However, many models focus on temporally static FC features across a scan, reducing sensitivity to dynamic features of brain activity. Here, we describe a plug-in graph neural network that can be flexibly integrated into a main learning-based fMRI model to boost its temporal sensitivity. Receiving brain regions as nodes and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals as node inputs, the proposed GraphCorr method leverages a node embedder module based on a transformer encoder to capture temporally-windowed latent representations of BOLD signals. GraphCorr also leverages a lag filter module to account for delayed interactions across nodes by computing cross-correlation of windowed BOLD signals across a range of time lags. Information captured by the two modules is fused via a message passing algorithm executed on the graph, and enhanced node features are then computed at the output. These enhanced features are used to drive a subsequent learning-based model to analyze fMRI time series with elevated sensitivity. Comprehensive demonstrations on two public datasets indicate improved classification performance and interpretability for several state-of-the-art graphical and convolutional methods that employ GraphCorr-derived feature representations of fMRI time series as their input.


ABSTRACT Background: In most countries chronic diseases lead to high health care costs and reduced productivity of people in society. The best way to reduce costs of health sector and increase the empowerment of people is prevention of chronic diseases and appropriate health activities management through monitoring of patients. To enjoy the full benefits of E-health, making use of methods and modern technologies is very important. Methods: this literature review articles were searched with keywords like Patient monitoring, Mobile Health, and Chronic Disease in Science Direct, Google Scholar and Pub Med databases without regard to the year of publications. Results: Applying remote medical diagnosis and monitoring system based on mobile health systems can help significantly to reduce health care costs, correct performance management particularly in chronic disease management. Also some challenges are in patient monitoring in general and specific aspects like threats to confidentiality and privacy, technology acceptance in general and lack of system interoperability with electronic health records and other IT tools, decrease in face to face communication between doctor and patient, sudden interruptions of telecommunication networks, and device and sensor type in specific aspect. Conclusions: It is obvious identifying the opportunities and challenges of mobile technology and reducing barriers, strengthening the positive points will have a significant role in the appropriate planning and promoting the achievements of the health care systems based on mobile and helps to design a roadmap for improvement of mobile health.


A novel approach to analytically evaluate the bit error probability in optically preamplified direct-detection systems is presented, which can take into account the effects of pulse shaping, chirping, filtering at the transmitter and the receiver, both pre- and postdetection, chromatic dispersion, and ASE noise. The method is computationally very fast in that the saddle point integration method for solving the resulting line integral of a particular moment generating function is adopted. A closed-form approximation for the bit error probability is also provided, which is within 0.01 dB from the exact numerical results.


Many attempts have been made to give responsibility for leadership in health to community committees or inter-sectoral bodies. Often such attempts have failed due to lack of common understanding, vision and direction. The article provides a tool that can explore difference is in perception and facilitate the creation of a shared vision among leaders who have different backgrounds and insights with regards to health and community development. Through a test case at the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia this article provides an example of how the tool can be used in the change processes which are essential in any health reform. The test case describes the use of a Hospital Management Board, but the tool will be useful for any board, committee or group that is heterogeneous in respect of knowledge, view and insights.


A large percentage of companies implementing ERP experience schedule and budget overruns. In the two Air Force ERP projects studied in this thesis, DoD has experienced a schedule slippage of 3-4 years and life-cycle cost estimates almost doubled in each of these projects. Given the scale and complexity of these projects, and the number of different stakeholders involved, evaluation of the delay by checking off the high-level critical success factors as per literature does no good. Misaligned incentives between stakeholders especially sponsor organization and system integrator, failure to accommodate rework in the master project plan, choosing the right contract terms, lack of in-house technical expertise, control of sponsor over project execution were some of the aspects which emerged to be important during the case study analysis; and were re-validated using the system dynamics model. The impact of the different contract models on the Critical Success Factors, depending on the level of knowledge on legacy and the completeness of requirements, has also been examined. A System Dynamics model is developed to help in evaluating Lead System Integrator v/s Project management in-house governance models. We consider factors such as the sponsor's ability to adjust the RICE component estimations and the credibility of the contractor-staff working on the project. This thesis sets an outline for importance of governance models and delving deeper onto the process of selecting a contractor and setting incentives which help align the goals of the contractor to those of the sponsor organization. Thesis Supervisor: Professor Stuart Madnick Title: John Norris Maguire Professor of Information Technologies, Sloan School of Management Professor of Engineering Systems, School of Engineering


An indirect measure of adherence to drug regimens was developed from pharmacy records of prescription refills. This measure was validated by demonstrations of significant relationships between compliance with hydrochlorothiazide and propranolol and expected physiologic effects of these drugs (decreased blood pressures and decreased pulse rates, respectively). The measure was used to survey compliance with 20 common drugs prescribed to 419 outpatients for long-term administration on regular schedules. Eight of the study drugs showed very low levels of compliance, suggesting "take-as-needed" (PRN) use, in spite of medical record, pharmacy record, and label instructions for regular administration. For the whole survey population, 12 truly "non-PRN" drugs showed a considerable gradient in mean compliance rates, ranging from digoxin (76.6 per cent) to hydralazine (50.4 per cent). Within-patient differences in mean compliance with different drugs were shown (e.g., hydrochlorothiazide 61.2 per cent versus potassium chloride 41.2 per cent mean compliance, p < 0.001). Correlations between compliance rates with different drugs in a single regimen were sometimes strikingly low. We conclude that 1) chart and prescription directions for regular administration are not sufficient to identify "non-PRN" drugs in compliance studies; 2) when compliance is an outcome measure in health care trials, drug mix is an important confounding variable; 3) in outpatient clinical settings, it may be appropriate to be inherently more suspicious of noncompliance with some drugs than others; and 4) patients may comply at different rates with individual drug components of a single regimen.


In this work we demonstrate that fine Ti 3 SiC 2 powders can be tape-cast and/or cold-pressed and pressureless-sintered in Ar-or Si-rich atmospheres to produce fully dense, oriented microstructures in which the basal planes are parallel to the surfaces. Carbon- and/or Si-rich environments suppress grain growth. In the case of the tape casting, the C-residue from binder burnout results in small core grains relative to the surface grains that can grow significantly. When sintering in high Si activities, titanium silicide phases form at the grain boundaries that slow grain growth. Annealing the latter in Ar at 1600°C, for extended periods (30 h), rids the samples of these grain-boundary phases, which in turn results in grain growth. The advantage of the latter process is that the final grain size distribution is more uniform from surface to bulk.


Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide and occurs in nearly one out of eight women. Currently there are three techniques to diagnose breast cancer: mammography, FNA (Fine Needle Aspirate) and surgical biopsy. In this paper, we develop a system that can classify "Breast Cancer Disease" tumor using neural network with Feed- forward Backpropagation Algorithm to classify the tumor from a symptom that causes the breast cancer disease. The main aim of research is to develop more cost-effective and easy-to-use systems for supporting clinicians. For the breast cancer tumor diagnosis problem, experimental results show that the concise models extracted from the network achieve high accuracy rate of on the training data set and on the test data set. Breast cancer tumor database used for this purpose is from the University of Wisconsin (UCI) Machine Learning Repository. Keywords-component; backpropagation; data mining; breast cancer


The objective of the study was to develop matrix tablets for oral controlled release of Deflazacort. In present study controlled release tablets of deflazocart were successfully developed using wet granulation method. To achieve better patient compliance and for prolonged release of drug from the dosage form. Formulation development of diffusion based controlled release matrix tablets of Deflazacort using polymers such as HPMC K100M, Ethylcellulose 50CPS and HPC and their combinations and selection of the best formulation among them. Flow properties – Angle of repose, loose bulk density, tapped density and also % Carr's compressibility was determined for all the formulations which showed good flow property. The thickness found uniform, hardness and friability values of all the formulation tablets prepared by wet granulation method were within the limits and found to be mechanically stable. In vitro dissolution results showed that % of drug release was prolonged in formulation F12 that is up to 12 hours when compared to other formulations. This indicates that the drug released from the formulation F12 was effective up to 12 hours.


Recognizing the Affordable Care Act as a crucial opportunity to close the children's insurance coverage gap, the Atlantic Philanthropies created the KidsWell Campaign to try to achieve universal children's health care coverage and support an enduring infrastructure that would remain after Atlantic's funding ended. This report presents descriptive, interim findings on two evaluation research questions: (1) to what extent has state grantees' participation in KidsWell strengthened advocacy networks and capacities so far? and (2) which advocacy activities do grantees believe to be most effective in securing policy advances for children's health care coverage? Evaluators find that participation in KidsWell has strengthened state grantee networks and capacities; most grantees report that KidsWell resources helped grantees develop effective advocacy campaigns by strengthening partnerships within states. Grantees believe coalition-building and direct contact with elected officials to be the most effective activities they undertook.


We report a male infant with an association of hypothyroidism and unusual facies, including blepharophimosis, which is similar to the dysmorphic features observed in the condition first described by Young and Simpson [(1987) J Med Genet 24:715-7161. On the other hand, the patient also shares many features with those reported as having Ohdo blepharophimosis syndrome [Ohdo et al, (1986) J Med Genet 23:242-244]. Previous case reports are reviewed and difficulties concerning the differential diagnosis of these conditions are discussed.


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that is characterized by autoantibody production and inflammatory disease involving multiple organs. Premature atherosclerosis is a common complication of SLE and results in substantial morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). The reasons for the premature atherosclerosis in SLE are incompletely understood, although chronic inflammation is thought to play an important role. There is currently no known preventative treatment of premature atherosclerosis in SLE. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressive agent that is commonly used for treatment of patients with SLE. In order to study the impact of this drug on murine lupus disease including premature atherosclerosis development, we treated gld.apoE−/− mice, a model of SLE and accelerated atherosclerosis, with MMF. We maintained seven-week old gld.apoE−/− mice on a high cholesterol Western diet with or without MMF. After 12 weeks on diet, mice receiving MMF showed decreased atherosclerotic lesion area compared to the control group. MMF treatment also improved the lupus phenotype, indicated by a significant decrease circulating autoantibody levels and ameliorating lupus nephritis associated with this model. This data suggests that the effects of MMF on the immune system may not only be beneficial for lupus, but also for inflammation driving lupus-associated atherosclerosis.


In the present study, a novel and practical method, white light interference, was proposed to characterize the lamellar pores covered by thermally sprayed YSZ and LZ splats. In this method, only an ordinary optical microscopy (OM) was employed. Colorful Newton rings and parabolic shapes of the lamellar pores were widely observed by OM. The crack spacing and the shapes of the lamellar pores captured by OM were well consistent with those by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focus ion beam (FIB). Besides, mechanical analyses were carried out and the results were well consistent with those by OM. Most importantly, the essential fact that the lamellar pores resulted from transverse cracking/delamination in thermal sprayings was highly elaborated.


In pole-phase modulation, the phase order is coming down by pole ratio times in high pole mode, which results in the higher magnitude of spatial harmonics as well as higher torque ripple. In this article, the available three identical voltage-fed windings per effective phase in three-phase 12-pole (3PH-12PO) mode are used to develop the simple multilevel inverter (MLI) configuration for minimizing torque ripple. The proposed MLI scheme is realized with three five-leg inverter modules. Each five-leg inverter module will generate three-level voltage across the phase, thereby resultant voltage seen by each phase winding is five-level voltage in 3PH-12PO mode. This multilevel voltage will improve the torque ripple profile of the motor drive. In addition, the proposed MLI scheme along with phase grouping will enrich the linear modulation range of the pole-phase-modulated induction motor (PPMIM) drive in nine-phase four-pole (9PH-4PO) mode. The switches used to generate a multilevel voltage in 3PH-12PO mode are effectively utilized for blocking the flow of circulating currents. As compared with other conventional nine-phase five-level inverters the proposed five-level inverter requires only 30 switches and it does not require extra clamping diodes/capacitors and extra bidirectional switches for isolating neutrals in 9PH-4PO operation. The validation of proposed MLI scheme is done on a 5-hp nine-phase IM with Ansys Maxwell as well as laboratory prototype for entire modulation range using V/f = constant control.


We investigate optical properties starting from the Anderson model using the slave-boson method in a mean field and random phase approximation (RPA) method. It is shown that the structure of the low-frequency optical spectrum persists up to a temperature which is higher than the Kondo temperature.


Geophysical exploration methods can be valuable for the investigation of filled storage reservoirs. Impressed current circuits or natural ground potentials are analyzed for this purpose. General structural data are obtained from horizontal resistivity profiles. Ground bed details and seepage zones can be located by means of underwater equipotential surveys. Salinity and temperature measurements serve for the hydrological investigation of submerged springs and streams in natural lakes. The proposed interpretation methods can be readily adapted to specific local conditions.


Reduction, catalyzed by the bacterial nitroreductases, is the quintessential first step in the biodegradation of a variety of nitroaromatic compounds from contaminated waters and soil. The Enterobacter cloacae nitroreductase (EcNR) enzyme is considered as a prospective biotechnological tool for bioremediation of hazardous nitroaromatic compounds. Using diverse computational methods, we obtain insights into the structural basis of activity and mechanism of its function. We have performed molecular dynamics simulation of EcNR in three different states (free EcNR in oxidized form, fully reduced EcNR with benzoate inhibitor and fully reduced EcNR with nitrobenzene) in explicit solvent and with full electrostatics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the variance‐covariance matrix showed that the complexed nitroreductase becomes more flexible overall upon complexation, particularly helix H6, in the vicinity of the binding site. A multiple sequence alignment was also constructed in order to examine positional constraints on substitution in EcNR. Five regions which are highly conserved within the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) binding site were identified. Obtained results and their implications for EcNR functioning are discussed, and new plausible mechanism has been proposed. Proteins 2012; © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


CRYSTALLOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF GLAUCONITE FROM ORDOVICIAN ROCKS OF THE PODLASIE DEPRESSION IN RELATION TO LITHOLOGY AND ORIGIN Summary The authors performed a detailed crystallochemical analysis of glauconite from the Dobre borehole in the western part of the Podlasie Depression. The examined glauconite is a component of an Ordovician glauconitite belonging – after W. Bednarczyk (1969) – to the Lawer Arenigian. This mineral deserved a detailed examination as presenting an almost pure accumulation, easy to separate and as the relation to rocks neighbouring in the profile is well marked and characteristic. The authors took also into account the fact that the glauconite occurring in the Ordovician of Middle and north-eastern Poland often suggested some conclusions concerning conditions of sedimentation during Ordovician and sometimes helped to fix the stratigraphic position of the glauconite rock. However, no detailed crystallochemical investigation of Ordovician glauconite of Poland has been performed, whereas a fairly rich analytical material has been published abroad. The glauconite of the Dobre borehole was submitted to microscopic, X-ray, thermal and chemical analyses. The results of analyses were interpreted on diagrams which allowed conclusions on the position of the investigated glauconite in relation to other clay minerals, in relation to glauconites of different age, and also some conclusions as to the probable origin of this mineral. The glauconitite from which the glauconite was separated for analysis reposes on a conglomerate composed of phosphorite pebbles. Towards the top the glauconitite grades into a layer of clay minerals and hematite, whereas the Upper Arenigian is developed as a calcareous dolomite with nests of iron ores. Determined in a thin section the mineral composition of the glauconitite is as follows: glauconite 70.9, calcite 12.0, hematite with admixture of clay minerals 12.9, quartz 4.5% by volume. The glauconite has an intensive green colour and shapes characteristic for autochthonous glauconites. The cement of, the glauconitite is composed of calcite, hematite and clay minerals of optical character approaching that of glauconite. The X-ray analysis (Fig. 1) showed a well ordered structure of glauconite, a lack of larger amount of swelling layers in crystallites of the investigated glauconite and a low content of divalent octahedral cations. The DTA curve (Fig. 2) demonstrates a simple composition of the investigated sample and also a lack of larger amounts of swelling layers. The chemical analysis performed by classical methods gave a following formula of glauconite: (K 0.70 Na 0.01 Ca 0.04 )[(Al 0.76 Fe 3+ 0.78 Mg 0.31 Fe 2+ 0.15 )(Si 3.64 Al 0.36 )O 10 (OH) 2 ] These results show that the glauconite from the Dobre borehole does not remarkably differ in its chemical composition from many other glauconites and its formula is fairly close to many chemical formulas of glauconites from various geological formations. It differs, however, from average chemical formulas of glauconites in having a higher amount of aluminium and lower amounts of divalent cations. It contains an inconspicuous number of swelling layers and represents an arrangement which may be treated as a monomineral aggregate in which it differs from most known glauconites which are very often heterogenous systems. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the data obtained place the glauconite from the Dobre borehole within the field of Ordovician glauconites. The crystallochemical characteristic of the investigated glauconite shows a full agreement between structure, composition and geological age of glauconites defined by V. D. Shutov et al. (1973). However, the authors emphasize the fact, that the origin of glauconite remains in many aspects uncertain. They express the view that the glauconite could not be formed directly from a solution because the necessary concentration of K + does not exist in natural conditions. Consequently one must adopt a hypothesis of a glauconitization process of argillaceus material during sedimentation and especially during diagenesis (K. Smulikowski, 1954; J. F. Burst, 1956; J. Hover, 1961). V. D. Shutov et al. (1973) adopted a hypothesis of a diagenetic transformation of dioctahedral smectites, especially nontronite and also Fe-Al-montmorillonite. An alkaline environment favours the increase of fixation of Al 3+ in the tetrahedral positions and the presence of K + is a condition for transformation of smectites into micaceous minerals through an intermediate stage of mixed-layered phases. A lack of larger amounts of mixed-layers in the glauconite from the Dobre borehole, a high content of K + and a well ordered structure demonstrate a remarkable advancement of the diagenetic transformation of the primary argillaceous weathering material deposited in the Ordovician sedimentation basin. The remarkably large amount of Al 3+ in the octahedral position, lower than average content of Mg 2+ and high content of K + may be treated as an evidence that the transformation process attained the stage of illitization, which is in agreement with the view of V. D. Shutov et al. (1973), concerning the connection between the aluminium content especially the octahedral Al 3+ in glauconite and its age and late diagenetic recrystallization.


We have used deep images from the Hubble Space Telescope to study the evolution in the morphologies, sizes, stellar masses, colors, and internal color dispersion of galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field-North. We selected two galaxy samples at 0.7 ≤ z ≤ 1.4 and 1.9 ≤ z ≤ 3.0 from a near-infrared, flux-limited catalog with complete photometric and spectroscopic redshift information. At z ~ 1 the majority of galaxies with M(B) ≤ -20.5 have rest-frame optical morphologies of early- to mid-type Hubble-sequence galaxies, and many galaxies show strong transformations between their rest-frame UV and optical morphologies. In stark contrast, galaxies at z ~ 2.3 all have compact and irregular rest-frame optical morphologies with little difference between their rest-frame UV and optical morphologies, and with no clearly evident Hubble-sequence candidates. The mean galaxy size increases from z ~ 2.3 to z ~ 1 by roughly 40%, and the number density of galaxies larger than 3 kpc increases by a factor of ≈7. The size-luminosity distribution of z ~ 1 galaxies is broadly consistent with that in the local universe, allowing for passive evolution. However, we argue that galaxies at z ~ 2.3 are not the fully formed progenitors of present-day galaxies, and they must continue to grow in both their sizes and stellar masses. We have quantified the differences in morphology by measuring the galaxies' internal UV-optical color dispersion, which constrains the amount of current star formation relative to older stellar populations. The mean and scatter in the galaxies' UV-optical total colors and internal color dispersion increase from z ~ 2.3 to z ~ 1. At z ~ 1 many galaxies with large internal color dispersion are spirals, with a few irregular and interacting systems. Few z ~ 2.3 galaxies have high internal color dispersion, and we infer that those that do are also actively merging. Using simple models, we interpret the change in the total color and internal color dispersion as evidence for the presence of older and more diverse stellar populations at z ~ 1 that are not generally present at z ≳ 2. The z ~ 2.3 galaxies do not increase their stellar diversity as rapidly as they could given basic timescale arguments and simple models. We conclude that the star formation histories of galaxies at z ≳ 2 are dominated by discrete, recurrent starbursts, which quickly homogenize the galaxies' stellar content and are possibly associated with mergers. The increase in the diversification of stellar populations by z ~ 1 implies that merger-induced starbursts occur less frequently than at higher redshifts, and more quiescent modes of star formation become the dominant mechanism. This transition in the mode of star formation coincides with the emergence of Hubble-sequence galaxies, which seems to occur around z ~ 1.4.


In literature there is a great variety in the definitions and identified critical features of sustainability of educational innovations. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the entire range of factors influencing the sustainability and its core aspects. A systematic review was performed in which electronic databases were searched for peer reviewed articles, published between 2002 and 2017. Based on results of 44 publications, the following definition could be constructed: "Sustainability refers to the process of integrating the intervention's core aspects in organizational routines, which are adaptive to ongoing work, with maintenance or continuation of improved results." We found four main factors influencing sustainability of educational innovations: school organizational, innovation, individual, and context characteristics. The empirical-based model developed in this review should be validated in practice to create transparency and focus in sustainability research.


Due to different combinations of agriculture, livestock and forestry managed by rotation, succession and intercropping practices, integrated agriculture production systems such as integrated crop–livestock systems (iCL) constitute a very complex target and a challenge for automatic mapping of cropping practices based on remote sensing data. The overall objective of this study was to develop a classification strategy for the annual mapping of integrated Crop–Livestock systems (iCL) at a regional scale. This strategy was designed and tested in the six agro-climatic regions of Mato Grosso, the largest Brazilian soybean producer state, using MODIS satellite time-series images acquired between 2012 and 2019, ground data with heterogeneous distribution in space and time and a Random Forest classifier. The results showed that: 1. the use of unbalanced training samples with a class composition close to the real one was the right classifier training strategy; 2. the use of a single training database (pooling samples from different years and regions) to classify each region and year individually proved to be robust enough to provide similar classification accuracies in comparison to those based on the use of a database acquired for each region and for each year. The final hierarchical classification overall accuracy was 0.89 for Level 1, the cropping pattern level (single and double crops DC); 0.84 for Level 2, the DC category level (integrated system iCL soy-pasture/brachiaria, soy-cotton and soy-cereal); 0.77 for Level 3, the iCL level (iCL1 soy-pasture and iCL2 soy-pasture mixed with corn). The F-scores for DC, iCL and iCL1 cropping systems presented high accuracy (0.89, 0.85 and 0.84), while iCL2 was more difficult to classify (0.63). This approach will next be applied across the entire Brazilian soybean corridor, leading to an operational tool for monitoring the adoption of sustainable intensification practices recognized by Brazil's Agriculture Low Carbon Plan (ABC PLAN).


Objective Nitric oxide (NO) has a toxic effect on neuronal cells related to glutamate receptors. NO released from post-synaptic cells with glutamate receptors can induce nearby cell death. In this experiment, we examined the effect of NO on cochlear hair cells. Methods Two concentrations, 0.5 and 0.1 molar concentration (MC) of 1-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-(3-aminopropyl)-3-isopropyl-1-triazene (NOC-5), which is a NO donor, were placed on the round window of the guinea pig cochlea and its morphological changes were investigated at 12, 28, 72 h after the treatment. Results By the trypan blue dye extrusion method, the cell death was recognized in the outer hair cells at the percentage 0, 36.0±6.6, 4.9±1.2% at 12, 28, 72 h after treatment respectively in the group 0.5 MC NOC-5, but no inner hair cell death was recognized. In the group of 0.1 MC NOC-5 and control any cell death was not detected. Transmission electron microscopy revealed this cell death was characteristic of apoptosis. Conclusion The findings that apoptosis was induced in the outer hair cells of the organ of Corti by NO suggests the possibility that the cochlea is affected when extra NO release occurs there, leading to cochlear dysfunction.


In this article, a novel multilayer substrate‐integrated waveguide (SIW) linear phase filter is proposed. Four SIW cavities are placed in two layers based on a standard low temperature cofired ceramic technology. Neural network is used to improve the efficiency of design. One slot which is etched on the top metal layer of SIW cavity is adopted to suppress the first high mode. Flat group delay characteristics can be achieved in the filter that has a rejection level of −25 dB in upper stopband. The filter has a 55% area reduction in comparison with planar structure. Good agreement is acquired between measured and simulated results. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2357–2360, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24595


The original spin foam model construction for 4D gravity by Barrett and Crane suffers from a few troubling issues. In the simple examples of the vertex amplitude they can be summarized as the existence of contributions to the asymptotics from non-geometric configurations. Even restricted to geometric contributions the amplitude is not completely worked out. While the phase is known to be the Regge action, the so-called measure factor has remained mysterious for a decade. In the toy model case of the 6j symbol this measure factor has a nice geometric interpretation of V−1/2 leading to speculations that a similar interpretation should be possible also in the 4D case. In this paper we provide the first geometric interpretation of the geometric part of the asymptotic for the spin foam consisting of two glued 4-simplices (decomposition of the 4-sphere) in the Barrett–Crane model in the large internal spin regime.


Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) plays a critical role in DNA repair processes. Small molecule inhibitors of PARP for the treatment of cancer are currently being investigated either single agents or in combination therapy with other DNA damaging agents. Based on recent published data, PARP inhibitors have shown promising results as a powerful therapeutic anticancer agents, especially in tumors deficient in BRCA-1or BRCA-2 function. In this study, we present a novel synthetic inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) for their anti-tumor activity in various types of tumor xenograft model. Among new synthetic PARP inhibitors, JPI-283 shows synergistic effects in vitro cell cytotoxicity with DNA damaging agent such as Temozolomide(TMZ), SN-38, and CDDP. Also, JPI-283 represents a potential anticancer activity in BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutant cells as a single agent. In tumor xenograft model studies, the combination of JPI-283 with TMZ by oral dosing results in more than 60-70% tumor growth inhibition rate, compared to the control group in CAPAN-1, U87MG, MDA-MB-468 and SW620 tumor xenograft model. In addition, the combination of JPI-283 with CDDP shows superior antitumor activity compared to that of AZD2281 with CDDP in MDA-MB468 triple negative breast tumor xenograft model. The pharmacokinetics of JPI-283 in mouse and rat shows over 50% bioavailability. These findings suggest that JPI-283 would be an attractive therapeutic candidate for the treatment of cancer including DNA repair deficient cancer. Citation Format: Ji-Seon Park, Jang-Hyun Kim, Kwang-Woo Cheon, Bo-Young Cho, Kang-Jeon Kim, Han-Chang Lee, Young-Cheol Kim, Hyung-Chan Oh, Hyun-Ho Lee, Jeong-Min Kim. The development of a novel PARP inhibitor with potent antitumor activity in various tumor xenograft models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 825. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-825


Question Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is affecting millions of people worldwide. It seems that it affects mostly adults older than 40 years of age, and the death rate is highest for older individuals in the population. What should I tell parents worried about their children contracting the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19, and what symptoms should I look for to determine if there is a need to test for the virus?Answer The COVID-19 global pandemic affects all ages. Severe respiratory manifestations have been the mainstay of illness in adults, with what seems to be rapid deterioration necessitating mechanical ventilation. Only 5% of those tested and found to have COVID-19 have been younger than 19 years, possibly owing to limited testing, as the symptoms in children are usually mild. Symptoms in children include fever, dry cough, rhinorrhea, sore throat, and fatigue, and in 10% diarrhea or vomiting. Rarely dyspnea or hypoxemia were also described. Blood tests and imaging have been shown to be of little value in children and should only be ordered for those in whom you would normally order these investigations for viral-like illness. No specific therapy is available and supportive care with rest, fluids, and antipyretics for children is the recommended approach. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever and pain can be given. Antiviral and immunomodulatory treatment is not recommended at this time for otherwise healthy children, and corticosteroids should also not be used. Children with immunocompromised states should be isolated and avoid contact with others.


The combination of simulation and optimization, essentially unheard of in practice a decade ago, is much more accessible today, thanks in large part to the development of commercial optimization software designed for use with existing simulation packages. Despite this growth, untapped applications abound. This panel, which includes developers of simulation-optimization packages, will discuss this untapped potential, barriers to broader applicability, and approaches for overcoming these barriers. This paper starts off with a brief introduction by the panel's organizer, followed by position statements from the panelists.


Recent constitutional developments relative to the war on terror raise critical questions concerning civil-military relationships in Anglo-American legal history dating back to the seventeenth century. Even before American independence was declared, leaders of the patriot cause recognized the need to respect property rights and related individual liberties while conducting war against a determined, combat-hardened army operating on American territory. At the same time a long-standing tradition of distrust and outright fear of the coercive power of standing armies led to the creation of a watchdog committee of Congress designed to serve directly at military headquarters and to play a major role in strategic planning, logistics operations, and liaison between the Continental Congress and its army commanders. Forcible seizure of private property was curtailed through military discipline as well as by the institution of formal evaluation procedures in state civil courts. Through the Revolutionary War there was continuing tension between respect for civilian rights and property on one hand, and, on the other hand, there was a pressing necessity for mobilizing services and materiel to meet the emergency needs of American armies.


We consider methods that integrate systems of differential equations $dy/dt=f(y)$ by taking advantage of a decomposition of the right-hand side $f=\sum f^{[\nu]}$. We derive a general necessary and sufficient condition for those methods to be symplectic for Hamiltonian problems. Special attention is given to the case of additive Runge--Kutta methods.


Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a bacterial toxin that causes fever in humans. Our small-molecule chemosensor named Zn-dpa-C2OPy shows rapid ratiometric fluorescence response to LPS in water with a detection limit of 11 pM, which is lower than that of our previously reported sensor. Spectroscopic measurements (fluorescence, absorbance, 1H NMR, and fluorescence lifetime), dynamic light scattering measurements, and transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the fluorescence response was induced by the changes in the aggregation state via multi-point recognition of LPS through hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, in addition to the coordination between the zinc(II)-dipicolylamine moiety of the chemosensor and the phosphate group of LPS. The proposed Zn-dpa-C2OPy chemosensor was applied to an original flow injection analysis (FIA) system with a self-developed dual-wavelength fluorophotometer, and a high throughput of 36 samples per hour was achieved. These results demonstrate the feasibility of this unique methodology combining a ratiometric fluorescent chemosensor and FIA for continuous online monitoring of LPS in water.


Monocarboxylate Transporter 2 (MCT2) is a major pyruvate transporter encoded by the SLC16A7 gene. Recent studies pointed to a consistent overexpression of MCT2 in prostate cancer (PCa) suggesting MCT2 as a putative biomarker and molecular target. Despite the importance of this observation the mechanisms involved in MCT2 regulation are unknown. Through an integrative analysis we have discovered that selective demethylation of an internal SLC16A7/MCT2 promoter is a recurrent event in independent PCa cohorts. This demethylation is associated with expression of isoforms differing only in 5′-UTR translational control motifs, providing one contributing mechanism for MCT2 protein overexpression in PCa. Genes co-expressed with SLC16A7/MCT2 also clustered in oncogenic-related pathways and effectors of these signalling pathways were found to bind at the SLC16A7/MCT2 gene locus. Finally, MCT2 knock-down attenuated the growth of PCa cells. The present study unveils an unexpected epigenetic regulation of SLC16A7/MCT2 isoforms and identifies a link between SLC16A7/MCT2, Androgen Receptor (AR), ETS-related gene (ERG) and other oncogenic pathways in PCa. These results underscore the importance of combining data from epigenetic, transcriptomic and protein level changes to allow more comprehensive insights into the mechanisms underlying protein expression, that in our case provide additional weight to MCT2 as a candidate biomarker and molecular target in PCa.


The intersection of terrorism and organized crime is a central global security concern. However, the conditions that contribute to this intersection or hinder its development are widely debated. Drawing on prominent cases of ideologically driven violent nonstate actors engaged in illicit economies, some scholars argue that this intersection is a logical evolution. Other scholars, focusing on the fact that relatively few groups engage in both organized crime and terrorism, argue that ideological differences hinder this intersection. We use data on 395 terrorist organizations to analyze how organizational and environmental factors affect the likelihood of terrorist involvement in illicit drug trafficking. Our analysis shows that the degree of connectivity within networks of terrorist groups is the most significant predictor of a group engaging in drug trafficking. Further, contrary to the theorized effects of ideology, an explicit religious ideology has no significant effect while an ethnopolitical ideology actually increases the likelihood of drug trafficking.


The protein produced from the SMC3 gene helps control chromosomes during cell division. Before cells divide, they must copy all of their chromosomes. The copied DNA from each chromosome is arranged into two identical structures, called sister chromatids, which are attached to one another during the early stages of cell division. The SMC3 protein is part of a protein group called the cohesin complex that holds the sister chromatids together.


In this paper, a method is presented to identify the physical and modal parameters of multistory shear building based on substructural technique using block pulse generalized operational matrix and genetic algorithm. The substructure approach divides a complete structure into several substructures in order to significantly reduce the number of unknown parameters for
each substructure so that identification processes can be independently conducted on each substructure. Block pulse functions are set of orthogonal functions that have been used in recent years as useful tools in signal characterization. Assuming that the input-outputs data of the system are known, their original BP coefficients can be calculated using numerical method. By using generalized BP operational matrices, substructural dynamic vibration equations can be converted into algebraic equations and based on BP coefficient for each story can be estimated. A cost function can be defined for each story based on original and estimated BP coefficients and physical parameters such as mass, stiffness and damping can be obtained by minimizing cost functions with genetic algorithm. Then, the modal parameters can be computed based on physical parameters. This method does not require that all floors are equipped with sensor simultaneously. To prove the validity, numerical simulation of a shear building excited by two different normally distributed random signals is presented. To evaluate the noise effect, measurement random white noise is added to the noise-free structural responses. The results reveal the proposed method can be beneficial in structural identification with less computational expenses and high accuracy.


Abstract

Social norms and correct public orientation are the internal norms and motivation of garbage classification behavior for residents. From the perspective of government's daily public of living garbage classification management and the public orientation entering into government supervision, which is divided into different norms and their expressing types; and study management-oriented social norms, its expression type and direct influences through public opinion and publicity, threshold effect and superimposition effect on how to affect the community residents' living garbage classification. The conclusion is drawn the management-oriented social norms and the public orientation should be coordinated systematically and cooperate with each other to maximize the impact. More extensive the coverage of public opinion or information is, more positive role it can play in promoting garbage classification behavior by management-oriented social norms. The coordination between positive descriptive norms and injunctive norms, together with public orientation are very important. The key starting point is to form a situation in which public opinion and propaganda and management-oriented social norms work together to form a joint force.

JEL classification numbers: C51, Q28, Q53.
Keywords: Management-oriented social norms, Garbage classification behavior, Public orientation, Threshold effect, Influence mechanism.


Within a ubiquitous environment, home and office furniture can be maximally utilized to provide ease, especially if the items are designed based on smart technology. For this reason, the acceptance of smart furniture has soared over the years. Given the vast influence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 on technological advancement in furniture design, it is imperative to examine information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for the elderly in the context of smart furniture design and implementation. This article presents a review of the state-of-the-art literature in smart solutions for the elderly based on publications under ICT smart solutions for these elderly, along with smart furniture options and manufacturer activities in terms of fixing market prices for these furniture materials. Furthermore, patenting rights on some existing smart furniture designs for the elderly, given the current trends in worldwide acceptance, are examined. Moreover, this article also highlights opportunities introduced by IoT-based solutions for the elderly as current trends in research and their effects on human life. Some smart product examples from different enterprises are also presented. New, innovative and active designs must be developed, focusing upon human healthcare, and in turn providing greater comfort and convenience for elderly people. To fulfil these requirements, the also selected technical aspects of new Smart Furniture solutions in connection to the cost of these solutions are discussed. Simultaneously, Smart Furniture solutions need to be flexible, low-cost, easy to buy and install without expert knowledge, and widely available on the market.


G-quadruplex (G4) sites in the human genome frequently colocalize with CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)-bound sites in CpG islands (CGIs). We aimed to clarify the role of G4s in CTCF positioning. Molecular modeling data suggested direct interactions, so we performed in vitro binding assays with quadruplex-forming sequences from CGIs in the human genome. G4s bound CTCF with Kd values similar to that of the control duplex, while respective i-motifs exhibited no affinity for CTCF. Using ChIP-qPCR assays, we showed that G4-stabilizing ligands enhance CTCF occupancy at a G4-prone site in STAT3 gene. In view of the reportedly increased CTCF affinity for hypomethylated DNA, we next questioned whether G4s also facilitate CTCF recruitment to CGIs via protecting CpG sites from methylation. Bioinformatics analysis of previously published data argued against such a possibility. Finally, we questioned whether G4s facilitate CTCF recruitment by affecting chromatin structure. We showed that three architectural chromatin proteins of the high mobility group colocalize with G4s in the genome and recognize parallel-stranded or mixed-topology G4s in vitro. One of such proteins, HMGN3, contributes to the association between G4s and CTCF according to our bioinformatics analysis. These findings support both direct and indirect roles of G4s in CTCF recruitment.


Based on the contributions of critical theory, the present text aims to expose in which ways the state intervenes in technological advancement within the capitalist system and the conditions in which it grants tools, both to ruling classes and to the dominated classes, to access, develop and implement technology. The argument that is upheld is that the state apparatus has to cover the necessary conditions so that knowledge in technological matters continues to be generated, but it is also essential that it provide the pertinent conditions so that the working class has the appropriate tools to be able to operate it.


The pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus Linnaeus, 1758) was in the recent past one of the most characteristic species in the Uruguayan grasslands. However, today the species is very rare, with small relict populations inhabiting in few ranches. To improve our understanding of pampas deer habitat use in modified ecosystems and propose management guidelines we analyzed the pampas deer feeding ecology at Los Ajos ranch. We performed an annual vegetation survey with the purpose to identify the main components of pampas's deer diet and the spatial overlap with livestock. Vegetation offer was characterized by predominance of monocotyledon plants; in three of the four sample periods. The preference values for the crops were positive for ryegrass in winter (0.24) and spring (0.54), the moments of greatest productivity of this pasture; while the rice crops values were negative all year round. The spatial overlap indexes with sheep show a complete exclusion, whereas with cattle the indexes gave values of 0.95 in spring to 0.14 in summer. The niche amplitude was significantly correlated with the spatial overlap levels with cattle. Pampas deer foraging behaviour is opportunistic, typical of mixed feeders. Conservation efforts should focus on implementation of management guidelines of agriculture and cattle breeding activities.


Because road infrastructures have significant impact on driving safety, their risk levels need to be evaluated dynamically according to drivers' perception. To achieve this, this paper proposes two field strength models to quantify the impact of road infrastructures on drivers. First, road infrastructures are classified into two types (continuous and discrete). Then, two field strength models for these types are proposed. Continuous field strength model describes the impact of long-belt-shape infrastructure by differential and integral methods. Discrete field strength model describes the static and dynamic characteristics of infrastructures. This model includes four parameters: mass of vehicles, mass of infrastructures, warning level, and kinetic energy of road infrastructures. The field strength is a relative concept, which changes with vehicle state. At the end of this paper, risk assessment principles are listed to clarify the nature of road infrastructure risk evaluation. A workflow of risk assessment and a case study are presented to illustrate the application of this novel method. The result of this study shows that ① the field strength is positively related to its risk level; ② the distribution of road infrastructure risks explains driver behaviour correctly; ③ drivers tend to keep driving in low-risk area. These findings help to explain the impact mechanism of road infrastructures on drivers, which can be applied in AI-based driving assistance system in the future.


A directly coupled magneto-mechanical model is proposed for simulating the effect of the magnetostriction and electromagnetic stress in iron. The model is based on the general balance laws of electromagnetism, mechanics, and continuum thermodynamics. It is implemented in 2-D by using a conforming finite element method for the magnetic vector potential and the displacement field. The method is applied to two different types of induction machines.


Summary form only given. Spatially extended degenerate cw optical parametric oscillators (DOPOs) are predicted to display a rich variety of spatio-temporal behaviour in two transverse dimensions. Typical examples are the dynamical scaling of phase domains, randomly distributed cavity solitons, formation of spatial patterns and optical turbulence. Many of these features can be difficult to observe in real devices since they require input energies which are too large. Here we show that in the case of a higher finesse for the pump field than for the signal field, complex spatio-temporal phenomena can move extremely close to the signal generation threshold thus making their experimental observation more feasible.


Named Entity Recognition (NER) is a process to identify words or phrases as a named entity, such as a person, location, time expression, or organization. In this research, we are interested in developing a NER which able to identify the time expression entity in Balinese text documents. The time expression entity becomes an important component in the text because it is usually followed by important facts and information. NER was built using a rules-based approach. The rules are built based on direct observation of documents and pay attention to the morphological and contextual structures. Based on the experiments conducted, the average results of the precision, recall, and f-measure values were 0.85, 0.87, and 0.85.


Abstract In the Polish Lowlands, three main ice lobes, referred to as Odra, Vistula and Mazury, formed during the Last Scandinavian Glaciation. These lobes protruded at least several kilometres beyond the main ice margin and it is believed that they represent terminal parts of the ice streams. Applied geostatistical analysis based on numerous geological data has allowed an approximate reconstruction of the Odra ice lobe substratum in the area of northwest Poland and northeast Germany. A spatial representation of the Odra lobe substratum clearly illustrates the adverse slope of the glacier bed, but also indicates areas morphologically prone to ice streaming. It is suggested that the ice took advantage of local topography that enabled advance out of the Baltic basin; consequently, the ice followed a topographic low which, in combination with favourable hydraulic conditions of its substratum, likely initiated ice streaming.


Abstract Background Percutaneous closure is nowadays still deemed challenging in patent forame ovale (PFO) associated to multi-fenestrated atrial septal aneurysm (ASA). This anatomic arrangement is still considered a significant risk factor for recurrence of paradoxical embolism. Theoretically, transcatheter approach could be theoretically even more complex in the case of dextrocardia and visceral situs inversus. Case summary A 59-year-old man with history of migraine with aura and multiple cryptogenic strokes was referred for percutaneous closure of a PFO with associated ASA. He had been previously submitted to repeat attempt of percutaneous closure with not self-centering and self-centering devices that failed due to unfavorable anatomic characteristics (dextrocardia with situs viscerum inversus, huge ASA, multiple fenestrations, large PFO). Based on this "complex" anatomy, a sequential 2-step interventional approach aiming to reduce size and mobility of the atrial septal aneurysm with a suture-based approach (Noblestich™ EL, HeartStitch, Fountain Valley, CA, USA) and to close any eventual accessory fenestrations with a not self-centering occluding device was planned. At the end of the procedure, the ASA completely disappeared and no residual shunt was imaged at TEE bubble test. Discussion We describe a very rare case of symptomatic ASA-PFO in dextrocardia with situs viscerum inversus as well as an innovative approach to treat such complex anatomic setting by using the suture-based closure of a PFO to reduce size and mobility of an ASA in order to deploy dedicated not-self-centering occluding devices.


Velocities of particles passing through the load coil region of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) attached to a quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS) were measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV). Particles were produced either by laser ablation (LA) of solid targets or from drying analyte-spiked microdroplets ejected by a piezoelectrically actuated quartz capillary. For instance, velocities determined under conditions typically applied to LA-ICP-MS analyses were found to range between 10 and 20 m s−1, depending on the axial position. Our data, furthermore, evidence significant changes of the gas velocity upon modifications of the ICP operating conditions such as plasma power, gas flow rate, and torch injector diameter if helium is admixed in excess of >50% of the total gas flow passing through the injector. For instance, an increase of the ICP RF power from 800 to 1600 W resulted in particle velocity gradients up to 15 m s−1 kW−1 measured after the third turn of the RF-coil. Temporal changes in velocity, i.e. particle accelerations over the axis of the load coil region were specified to 300–1000 m s−2. In addition, ICP-MS analyses of laser-produced aerosols carried out at constant volumetric flow rates but reduced injector diameters made signal intensities of elements such as Y, Ce, or U drop by up to two orders of magnitude suggesting incomplete particle evaporation as well as notably different aerosol penetration depths. Sensitivities measured in this case turned out to correlate with boiling points of the respective oxides rather than the element-specific ionization potentials commonly observed. The mechanisms controlling gas velocity and sensitivity variations are discussed and consequences on LA-ICP-MS analyses are drawn.


The most effective way to preserve agricultural product is drying. However, vegetable drying is an energy-consuming procedure. Convective drying is the mode considered in this work. The study intends to explore a new way of pumpkin drying, which reduces drying time and minimizes heat consumption. The study considers pumpkin thin slices and pumpkin samples with cubic shape. The samples were subjected to free convection airflow at different temperatures (40 °C, 46 °C, 52 °C, and 60 °C) for each run. A varying airflow temperature was also considered. Airflow velocity was generated by buoyancy forces for each temperature. Drying curves were plotted and fitted to the widely used thin-layer drying models. The modified Page model came out as the best-fitted model. The effective diffusivity coefficient was determined for each case using the slope moisture curve. It appeared that diffusivity was high and drying time was short, for high temperature. Drying processes for slice configuration and cube configuration showed that the latter was more efficient. When applying the regime of increasing temperatures to the cubic samples, data analysis showed that effective diffusivity was higher during the third step in comparison to all the other drying temperatures and the total drying time was similar to that obtained at drying regime on high temperature. With this procedure, the final consumed energy was much less and the time was shorter.


Since CD4 + T cell help has been proposed to be required for maintaining the activity of tumor-specific CD8 + T cells, tolerance in tumor-specific CD4 + T cells may seriously impair the efficacy of therapeutic tumor vaccines. To overcome this problem, we devised a strategy to "engineer" CD4 + T cell help by treating tumor-bearing animals with nonmyeloablative conditioning and transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that have been genetically modified, via lentiviral transduction, to express an antigen containing "foreign" CD4 + T cell epitopes. After hematopoietic reconstitution, animals received the combination of an autologous tumor cell vaccine and an infusion of primed CD4 + T cells specific for the expressed epitopes. Using influenza hemagglutinin (HA) as the model antigen, we first confirmed that transplantation of HA-transduced HSCs led to efficient expression of HA by antigen-presenting cells, as demonstrated by the clonal expansion of adoptively transferred, HA-specific CD4 + transgenic T cells in mice receiving HA-transduced HSCs but not in mice receiving nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) gene-transduced HSCs. Next, BALB/c mice harboring 13 day old, metastatic 4T1 mammary cancer were treated with removal of the primary, nonmyeloablative conditioning and transplantation of HA-transduced syngeneic HSCs, and following hematopoietic reconstitution, with concomitant autologous tumor cell vaccination and adoptive transfer of in vitro activated, HA-specific transgenic CD4 + T cells. This therapy was successful in curing the majority of tumor bearing mice, and was superior to the same therapy given to mice transplanted with NGFR-transduced stem cells. Finally, we found that the anti-tumor effect of vaccination plus exogenous T cell help was abolished by the adoptive transfer of either CD4 + or CD8 + T cells from tumor-bearing mice, suggesting that tumor-bearing mice contain both potential effectors and suppressors of anti-tumor immunity, the latter of which are abolished by the non-myeloablative conditioning. These results highlight the importance of CD4 + T cell help in the induction of therapeutic anti-tumor immunity.


We argue that the divergence in time for the asymptotic observer occurs because of specifying the position of the Horizon beyond the Planck scale. In fact, a similar divergence in time will also occur for an in-going observer in Gravity's Rainbow, if we again specify the position of the Horizon beyond the Planck scale. On the other hand, if we accept the occurrence of a minimum measurable length scale associated with a universal invariant maximum energy scale in Gravity's Rainbow, then the time taken by both the in-going and asymptotic observers will be finite.


This paper describes a novel method of modeling the differential via on multilayered printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in high-speed digital designs based on the analytical equations for characteristic impedance and effective dielectric constant. In the absence of measured or electromagnetic simulated data traditionally needed to extract these parameters, this method can quickly and efficiently predict the behavior of the differential via holes on PCBs using a circuit simulator.


GESTATION AND SEX The idea that the time in the menstrual cycle when intercourse takes place might have some influence on the sex of the child is not a new one.' There has been no direct support for this hypothesis, however, and attempts to examine it on experimental animals have given conflicting results.25 Indirect evidence which may have a bearing on the matter has recently been obtained by T. McKeown and B. MacMahon6 in an investigation of sex differences in length of gestation of mammals. Their starting-point was the wellestablished fact that the period of gestation is slightly longer for girls than for boys, and their own observation that the proportion of male children decreases as the period of gestation increases. The relationship was not the same in all the mammals examined. Pregnancy was longer for males than for females in the cow, horse, and possibly the sheep, and appeared to be longer for females than for males in the guineapig as well as in man. In commenting on these observations McKeown and MacMahon focused attention on the data for man and the cow, species in which the interpretation is somewhat simplified by the fact that only one foetus is usually present. They suggest that in the cow the most likely explanation of the longer gestation of males is that the proportion of males conceived is higher if mating takes place early in heat; this is to say that in relation to time of ovulation-which occurs after the end of heat in the cow-it is the date of mating which is early and not the date of birth which is late. At first sight this possibility would appear to be ruled out in the case of man, since the sex difference in duration of pregnancy is probably attributable to a difference in foetal weight; second-born females and first-born males are of approximately the same birth weight, and are delivered after about the same period of gestation. But in cattle gestation is dated from mating, whereas in man it is dated from onset of menstruation, and hence provides no information about the time of mating in the cycle. In short, the observations on the cow suggest that sex of offspring may be related to time of mating, whereas the human data are wholly, and inevitably, inconclusive. This conclusion is necessarily cautious. McKeown7 has noted that, if the sex of the child is related to the


PURPOSE
Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is an important cause of visual impairment and can be modeled by optic nerve transection, which causes the death of 90% of RGCs within 14 days postaxotomy. We performed a proteomic study to identify and quantify proteins in the rat retina after optic nerve transection. Our goal was to isolate potential targets for therapeutic intervention to prevent RGC degeneration.

METHODS
iTRAQ proteomics was used to analyze adult rat retinas at 1, 3, 4, 7, 14, and 21 days postaxotomy. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), a target identified by iTRAQ, was delivered by intraocular injections. Wortmannin or PD98059 were coadministered with HDGF to determine if the protective effects of HDGF are dependent on PI3 kinase or MAP kinase activity, respectively.

RESULTS
At a false-discovery rate of 5%, 216 proteins were identified by iTRAQ proteomics, 71 of which showed changes in expression (<0.7× or >1.3×) at one time point after injury: 52 proteins had expression peaks, whereas 19 showed downward expression spikes. Levels of GAPDH did not change after axotomy. Among these differentially expressed proteins was HDGF. HDGF delivery significantly increased RGC survival compared with control treatments, and increased Akt phosphorylation in the retina at 24 hours after intraocular injection. RGC rescue by HDGF was dependent on both MAP kinase and PI3 kinase activity in the retina.

CONCLUSIONS
We have identified numerous proteins that are differentially regulated at key time points after axotomy, and how the temporal profiles of their expression parallel RGC death. Using these data, we showed that HDGF is a potent neuroprotective factor for injured adult RGCs.


A type of unstable ring resonator that includes a prism beam expander is proposed. Neither lenses nor curved mirrors are used, and transverse mode discrimination is achieved, despite the one-dimensional beam expansion, by configuring the cavity mirrors to cause 90° image rotation during a round-trip pass. The output beam has a filled-in rectangular cross section, and the cross section of the resonator mode is also rectangular.


The structure and thermodynamic properties of the interface between a drop of liquid and its vapour have long been matters of controversy. The system can be described in terms of its macroscopic thermodynamic properties, in terms of local thermodynamic properties or in the language of statistical mechanics. It is shown that the second of these routes leads to difficulties but that there is good evidence that the first and third are concordant, at least as far as the term in R-1 in an expansion in powers of the reciprocal of the drop radius, R. There are, however, serious problems if the expansion is taken to higher powers of R-1.