The concept of ``age'' as a parameter for the description of the state of development of high energy showers in the atmosphere has been in use in cosmic ray studies for several decades. In this work we briefly discuss how this concept, originally introduced to describe the average behavior of electromagnetic cascades, can be fruitfully applied to describe individual showers generated by primary particles of different nature, including protons, nuclei and neutrinos. Showers with the same age share three different important properties: (i) their electron size has the same fractional rate of change with increasing depth, (ii) the bulk of the electrons and photons in the shower (excluding high energy particles) have energy spectra with shapes and relative normalization uniquely determined by the age parameter, and (iii) the electrons and photons in the shower have also the same angular and lateral distributions sufficiently far from the shower axis. In this work we discuss how the properties associated with the shower age can be understood with simple arguments, and how the shapes of the electron and photon spectra and the relative normalization that correspond to a certain age can be calculated analytically.


On January 1948, with the establishment of Center for Methodological Studies of Torino , the project of the unification of the methodology took shape. It was successfully initiative whom added many supporters inside the scientific and cultural field. Upon that, for over thirty years the Center has promoted conferences, meetings, national and international congresses, focused on the application of the methodology in its declinations towards mathematics, science, technology, logic, humanistic and language. Today we recovered an archival heritage of more than 4000 artifacts, currently located to the Academy of Sciences of Torino. After having found them in Torino, 2011 in the Palazzo Nuovo's cellar, has been started a meticulous work consisting in their reorganization, analysis, study and classification. The description of that activity is the core of the article. The heritage is an extraordinarily rich and priceless historical documentation. As evidence of the twentieth century knowledge, are available reports, letters and acts of the congresses, which today still represents a high epistemological value and deserves further study.


Using a cell-based assay, we have identified optimal residues and key recognition elements necessary for inhibition of gamma-secretase. An (S)-hydroxy group or 3,5-difluorophenylacetyl group at the amino terminus and N-methyltertiary amide moiety at the carboxy terminus provided potent gamma-secretase inhibitors with an IC(50) <10 nM.


Service level agreements (SLAs) are widely adopted forms of performance-based contracts in operations management practice, and fill rate is the most common performance metric among all the measurements in SLAs. Traditional procedures characterizing the order-up-to level satisfying a specified fill rate implicitly assume an infinite performance review horizon. However, in practice, inventory managers are liable to maintain and report fill rates over a finite performance review horizon. This horizon discrepancy leads to the deviation between the target fill rate and actual achieved fill rate. In this study, we first examine the behavior of the fill rate distribution over a finite horizon with positive lead time. We illustrate and analytically prove that the expected achieved fill rate exceeds the target fill rate, which implies that there exists some inventory "waste" (i.e. overstocking). Based on this observation and the complexity of the problem, we propose a simulation-based algorithm to reduce excess inventory while maintaining the contractual target fill rate. In a large fraction of computational cases, we show that the improvement in the inventory system is over 5%. Further, we extend our basic setting to incorporate the penalty for failing to meet a target, and show how one can solve large-scale problems via stochastic approximation. The primary managerial implication of our study is that ignoring the performance review horizon in an SLA will cause overstocking, and moreover, this problem is more severe when the lead time is large and the review horizon is small.


We have investigated whether tyrosine kinases modify the activity of voltage-dependent Ba(2+) currents (I(Ba)) recorded from guinea-pig gastric myocytes by use of patch-clamp techniques. All experiments were carried on single smooth muscle cells, dispersed from the circular layer of the guinea-pig gastric antrum. Genistein ( > or = 10 microM), a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reduced the peak amplitude of I(Ba) in a voltage- and concentration-dependent manner. Daidzein ( > or = 30 microM), an inactive analog of genistein, also inhibited I(Ba) in a concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, other types of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (lavendustin A and tyrphostin 23) suppressed the peak amplitude of I(Ba) in a concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that tyrosine kinases may be essential to regulate Ca(2+) mobilization through voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in gastric myocytes.


Olfactory learning and floral scents are co-adaptive traits in the plant–pollinator relationship. However, how scent relates to cognition and learning in the diverse group of Neotropical stingless bees is largely unknown. Here we evaluated the ability of Melipona eburnea to be conditioned to scent using the proboscis extension reflex (PER) protocol. Stingless bees did not show PER while harnessed but were able to be PER conditioned to scent when free-to-move in a mini-cage (fmPER). We evaluated the effect of: 1) unconditioned stimulus (US) reward, and 2) previous scent–reward associations on olfactory learning performance. When using unscented-US, PER-responses were low on day 1, but using scented-US reward the olfactory PER-response increased on day 1. On day 2 PER performance greatly increased in bees that previously had experienced the same odor and reward combination, while bees that experienced a different odor on day 2 showed poor olfactory learning. Bees showed higher olfactory PER conditioning to guava than to mango odor. The effect of the unconditioned stimulus reward was not a significant factor in the model on day 2. This indicates that olfactory learning performance can increase via either taste receptors or accumulated experience with the same odor. Our results have application in agriculture and pollination ecology.


ABSTRACT Outstanding high-school students in Israel are presented with the option of postponing their mandatory military service to pursue academic studies. The current paper focuses on female students aged 16–18 who are faced with this option, and compares those who are motivated to pursue academic studies to those who are more inclined to join the army immediately after high school. Through this comparison, we try to assess the impact of the students' Future Time Perspective (FTP), as well as their demographic data, on their motivation to learn. The results demonstrated that FTP in the group of students who were motivated to learn was significantly higher compared to the group of students who were not interested in enrolling into academic studies before military service. These findings point to a positive relationship between FTP and motivation to learn immediately after high school, and perhaps even learning motivation in general.


FOXA3 is a transcription factor involved in the macrophage cholesterol efflux and macrophage reverse cholesterol transport reducing the atherosclerotic lesions. Thus, the present study aimed to establish if the FOXA3 polymorphisms are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) and cardiometabolic parameters. Two FOXA3 polymorphisms (rs10410870 and rs10412574) were determined in 386 individuals with SA and 1070 controls. No association with SA was observed. The rs10410870 polymorphism was associated with a low risk of having total cholesterol >200 mg/dL, non-HDL-cholesterol > 160 mg/dL, and a high risk of having LDL pattern B and insulin resistance adipose tissue in individuals with SA, and with a high risk of having interleukin 10 <p25 and magnesium deficiency in controls. The rs10412574 polymorphism was associated with a low risk of insulin resistance of the adipose tissue and a high risk of aspartate aminotransferase >p75 in individuals with SA, and with a low risk of LDL pattern B and a high risk of a magnesium deficiency in controls. Independent analysis in 846 individuals showed that the rs10410870 polymorphism was associated with a high risk of aortic valve calcification. In summary, FOXA3 polymorphisms were not associated with SA; however, they were associated with cardiometabolic parameters in individuals with and without SA.


The salinity status in the Iraq needs a continuous assessment because it is continuously changing due to many factors. This article highlights the problem in the country and aims to assess the increasing salinization of some water resources. It suggests some recommendations for optimizing the beneficial utilization of this phenomenon. Experimentally, water samples were collected from 1242 site in the Iraq country and chemically analyzed to estimate the salinity parameters and indices for the agricultural suitability including the sodium percentage (Na%), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and the permeability index (PI). The analysis results have indicated wide variations in the pH, EC, TDS and types of soluble ions for the estimated resources. The general trend of TDS and EC as parameters of water salinization for some governorates may indicate the presence of some organic contaminants. The TDS approximately equalled the EC in Karbala, Ninewa and Thi-Qar. The sequence of the predominating ions was Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ and NO3‒a> SO42‒ > Cl‒ > HCO3‒, respectively for the governorates Anbar, Babylon, Baghdad, and Basrah. The predominance of some types of cations and/or anions may be related to environmental, geological, and human practices factors. Many samples can be suitable for irrigation and agricultural use with good Na% (20-40%), acceptable Mg% (<50%), excellent SAR (<10), and PI class 2 and 3. Despite the severity of the problem, suitable management can use the saline water resources for sustainable development to turn the disadvantages into advantages. Suggested Solutions are presented for the agricultural sustainability including the irrigation and fertilization management, planting trees in the right location, biotechnology, and genetic engineering. Examples for the desalination technologies are discussed such as the Bio-Electro-remediation and Reverse electro-dialysis (RED) as an energy-efficient water desalination using Capacitive Deionization (CDI) technique and freeze desalination.


Dental caries is the most prevalent oral disease in the world especially developing countries like India. It affects children as early as 6 months of age and often carries itself throughout the life of an individual. Compounding to the existing problem of high incidence of caries, there are very few dental professionals in India, those too unequally distributed (dentist to population ratio: 1:100000 in rural areas and 1:35000 in urban areas). Moreover, they cater primarily to curative and restorative needs rather than preventive needs of population. The plight of story is further strengthened by the fact that there is no comprehensive oral health programme or policy in India. The book focuses on feasibility of oral health training of community health workers (anganwadi workers)in improving the oral health status of preschool children in a Northern City of India. It also highlights the importance of including Snyder test (a caries activity test) in field settings which requires minimum laboratory facilities; is easy to perform, read and interpret; is cost effective and does not require strict cold chain conditions.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the development of the lung of preterm infants given exogenous surfactant in the neonatal period versus control babies through the evolution of respiratory mechanics (RM) parameters.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Retrospective analysis of babies < or = 30 weeks' gestation admitted to our intensive care unit in the period 1990-94 in which RM parameters had been followed for the first two years of life. Babies were divided into two groups depending on the fact that they received endotracheal porcine surfactant 200 mg/kg for prophylaxis or rescue treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (treatment group, No.37) or not (control group, No.41). Evaluation of RM were performed by means of PèDS at the post-conceptual age of 38-42 wks and/or 3-6 mth and/or 9-12 mth and/or 18-24 mth in spontaneous breathing after sedation with chloral hydrate and positioning of an oesophageal balloon. Chronic lung disease (CLD) was defined a posteriori as presence of polypnea at discharge independently from oxygen-therapy and from radiological findings, including also the most severe forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

RESULTS
The treatment and control group did not differ for birth weight and gestational age (1060 +/- 293 vs 1189 +/- 321 g. and 28.1 vs 28.3 +/- 1.5 wks respectively), however the babies of the treatment group had higher incidence of RDS, mechanical ventilation, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, and use of caffeine (p < 0.01 vs the control group). No difference was found in the incidence of CLD at discharge between the two groups. No difference was found between the treatment and the control group at the various times of the examinations concerning respiratory frequency, tidal volume, minute ventilation, dynamic compliance of the respiratory system (indexed both to body weight and length), and respiratory system resistances. The above cited parameters, except respiratory system resistances, showed significant changes from the first to the last evaluation (p < 0.01) in both groups, indicating a continuous improvement of the RM properties of the lung in the first two years of life. As regards respiratory system resistances, these were significantly reduced in the first two years of life in the treatment group (from 73.9 +/- 38.5 to 31.3 +/- 5.8 cmH2O/L/sec; p < 0.05), while there was no significant improvement in the control group (from 65.1 +/- 26.1 to 42.8 +/- 41.6 cmH2O/L/sec; p = ns).

CONCLUSION
The use of surfactant both as prophylactic and rescue treatment of RDS seems able to guarantee the lung of the preterm infant to develop in a regular way, in spite of high incidence of respiratory diseases and unfavourable effects of respiratory therapies. This study also allows to have standard reference values of RM parameters for ex-preterm infants in the first two years of life to evaluate their lung development.


Even though a variety of well-established methods exists for forensic scientists, evaluating the potential of presently un-adopted techniques within the forensic society will always be of high importance. Demand for reduced turnover time is always requested and so are methods that show high ability to discriminate samples that originate from different sources. Glass is common as construction material and in consumer goods. Since glass easily breaks, traces of glass often occur in criminal cases. An obvious assignment for the forensic scientist will be to establish the link between the glass fragments collected on a suspect and the glass from the broken window at the scene of crime. Determination of the refractive index of the seized glass by the oil immersion method is a common method in forensic laboratories. During the last decades, it has been observed that the refractive index has become more similar for glass from different sources. Hence, the evidential value of glass may decrease when refractive index is the single parameter used to determine the origin of glass from the suspect. Consequently, new methods are necessary, and analysis of lead isotope ratios is relevant in this perspective. This work establishes a novel method for analysis of lead isotope ratios in order to differentiate glass from different sources. To perform such analysis by Multi-Collector Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, an analytical protocol is developed. The statistical method of Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference Test for multiple comparisons of samples appeared helpful in a forensic context.


This study was conducted in a mathematics classroom context using the Lesson Study and Open Approach as the problem solving method. The purpose of this study was to investigate the students' usage of relational thinking strategies for establishing the relationship between conceptual and procedural knowledge. The researcher explained to the students the usage of relational thinking strategies to establish the conceptual and procedural knowledge by teaching experiment methodology. The target group included 6 fourth grade students in the academic year 2012 at Sa-Nam-Bin School, Khon Kaen Province. The data were collected by using the participatory observation, informal discussion, and in-depth interview with target group students. The research findings revealed that the relational thinking strategies for establishing the relationship between students' conceptual and procedural knowledge was to recognize the relationship between the corresponding number, the ability to construct the new number sentence with equivalence with former number sentences by writing the number of representation, and the ability to use the number sentence with equivalence in order to find the answer leading to a secure procedure and meaning type idea causing the occurrence of relationship between conceptual and procedural knowledge.


Strawberry is a highly desirable fruit with a unique taste and a good source of bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. However, it has a short post-harvest shelf life, mainly due to the soft rot caused by Rhizopus stolonifer. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of essential oils (EOs) of Mentha piperita, Cymbopogon martinii, Cinnamomum camphora, and Mentha spicata using spore germination and micro-well dilution assays, and to test the effects of the vaporphase application of M. spicata and C. martini on the incidence and severity of soft rot in strawberry artificially inoculated with R. stolonifer. In in vitro tests, C. martinii and M. spicata EOs were the most effective, inhibiting more than 95% of the spore germination. Additionally, in the microwell dilution test, these EOs had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) (5 and 10 μg/mL, respectively), and for the microwell dilution test, the lowest MIC (5 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL, respectively) and MFC (10 μg/mL for both). High in vivo inhibitory effects of M. spicata and C. martinii EOs were observed at 10% concentration, with 100 and 78% reduction, respectively, in the R. stolonifer-induced spoilage. Our results suggest that C. martinii and M. spicata EOs can be used as efficient natural fungicides and can be an alternative to synthetic fungicides for preserving fresh strawberries from soft rot.


Background: With the sky rocketing caesarean section rates an increasing number of women face the issue of mode of delivery in their current pregnancy. There are conflicting reports regarding the safety of a trial for vaginal birth after caesarean delivery (VBAC) in terms of uterine rupture, maternal and perinatal morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the obstetric and fetal outcomes of patients presenting at term with a history of one previous LSCS. Methods: A six months prospective, observational study was conducted where all patients who had a term pregnancy with a history of previous one LSCS in between were included after obtaining their consent for participation. The obstetric and fetal outcomes of these patients in the present pregnancy were noted and tabulated. A descriptive analysis of these outcomes was carried out. Results: 320 Patients at term, with a history of previous one LSCS were studied. Of these, trial for a VBAC was attempted by 182 patients and 46.70% had a successful VBAC. 138 patients underwent an elective repeat caesarean delivery. 65.62% of the patients who had a history of previous vaginal delivery (s) had a successful VBAC. Out of 18 patients who were induced with PGE2 gel, only 22.22% delivered vaginally. Scar dehiscence was seen in 2.72% of the patients who opted for a trial for VBAC. Perinatal morbidity was higher in cases of repeat caesarean delivery than in those who had a successful VBAC (12.12% Vs 0 percent). Maternal complications were also higher in patients who had a repeat LSCS compared to those who had a successful VBAC (12.76% Vs 2.74%). Conclusion: With an increase in the proportion of patients with a history of previous LSCS, it is essential for health care institutions to have proper antenatal counseling regarding VBAC and a well defined management protocol in an effort to increase the number of VBACs and bring down the overall caesarean rates. Patients with a history of prior vaginal delivery have an increased likelihood for a successful VBAC. A successful VBAC is associated with a lower perinatal and maternal morbidity than repeat caesarean delivery. This is relevant for counseling women about their choices after a


Zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) has become a popular choice in nanomedicine and in the treatment of infections. The present study investigated the sensitivity of Proteus vulgaris to ZnO NPs. The bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of P. vulgaris were determined by using turbidity and colony count methods. The oxidative stress induced by the treatment of ZnO NPs was evaluated by investigating the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with lipid peroxidation (LP) analysis. The results showed the highest bacterial growth inhibition of 76.21±1.91 and 87.49±3.29% determined using the turbidity and colony count methods, respectively. The highest oxidative stress effects were observed in P. vulgaris exposed to 100 µg/mL of ZnO NPs for 24 h as shown by 510.90±108.53% increase in ROS production and 328.77±44.36% increase in LP level. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum illustrated the possible involvement of functional groups such as amine, alkane, acid and alkene from the bacterial cell wall in allowing the surface attachment of nanoparticles on the bacterial cells. Hence, the present study clearly demonstrated the sensitivity of P. vulgaris to ZnO NPs.


the need for more carefully controlled and intensive, rather than extensive, research both in clinical and experimental hypnosis. This current edition of the annual review of new developments in the field of "stress" follows the pattern of the previous ones. The first hundred pages are occupied by a summary of the concept of "stress" as developed by Selye and his colleagues. A great deal of this repeats material from previous editions, some of it word for word. A series of nine review articles is then inserted. These include a discussion of primary aldosteronism by Conn, the effects of hormones on inflammation by Dougherty, stress and the catechol hormones by von Euler, Seymour Gray on adrenal and gastric secretion, Dwight Ingle on the etiology of disease, Don Nelson on factors effecting adrenocortical secretion, Ernst Scharrer on neurosecretion, Spitz on psychiatric stress in infancy, and Stoerk on the lymphoid tissue, cortisone, and immunity. These authors are qualified and their reviews are interesting, although for the most part they don't add previously unpublished material. The remainder of the book, a total of 550 pages, is devoted to a bibliography arranged both in subject and author sequence. In addition to the bibliography, there is an index to the bibliography and a short handbook for interpreting the symbols which are used in bibliographic notation. The Fifth Annual Report of Stress, like its predecessors, will be of value to those who accept the basic tenets of Selye's approach to physiology, and the review section will also be of interest to anyone seeking an authoritative resume of recent advances in the areas under consideration. This interesting biography gives a splendid picture of a unique character and great scientist. The author has brought out in a striking way how Dr. Minot's curiosity constantly led him on into new paths. In addition to this graphic account of Dr. Minot, the author has pointed out the great changes that have taken place in American medicine during the past twenty-five years. He emphasizes the important role that Dr. Edsall played in the development of research at Harvard, but in his enthusiasm for his subject does not give adequate credit to the important part the Johns Hopkins Medical School played during these years; this is splendidly brought out by Shryock in his book about the influence of Johns Hopkins on American medicine. In addition to outstanding contributions of Dr. Minot, the book …


We present an efficient
method for solving linearly constrained convex programming. Our algorithmic framework employs an implementable proximal step by a slight relaxation to the subproblem of proximal point algorithm (PPA). In particular, the stepsize choice condition of our algorithm is weaker than some elegant PPA-type methods. This condition is flexible and effective. Self-adaptive strategies are proposed to improve the convergence in practice. We theoretically show under mild conditions that our method converges in a global sense. Finally, we discuss applications and perform numerical experiments which confirm the efficiency of the proposed method. Comparisons of our method with some state-of-the-art algorithms are also provided.


The bore-hole pumps are important equipment used for the secondary oil recovery. In their structure, there are friction couples, which are strongly stressed at wear like cylinder-piston and the valves. The operating durability of the bore-hole pumps is practically determined by the reliability of these couples, which are made from different metallic materials depending on the work conditions. The paper presents a study concerning the operating reliability of those friction couples. The paper conclusions can be used both of the design and of the exploitation of these pumps.


Purpose of this open study was the evaluation of rhinosurgery effect on the course of obstructive apnea syndrome (OSA). 25 patients 25-60 years old with nasal obstruction and OSA were examined: neurologic, otorhynolaryngologic studies and cardiopulmonary monitoring were conducted before and 3-4 months after nasal surgery. 50% or more decline of sleep apnea index (SAI) was observed in 6 (24%) persons, in other 6 (24%) persons SAI has grown up 50% or more, no significant difference was shown in 13 patients (52%). No correlation of SAI shift after surgical treatment with physical, anamnestic and respiratory data were demonstrated. Nasal surgery leads to positive results referring to pharyngeal obstruction not more than in 24% of cases. Today we have no proved predictors of high nasal correction effect on the severity of OSA.


Increasing reading comprehension is a vital skill to improving general reading skills. Teachers can incorporate the specific reading comprehension strategies of 5 finger retell and fluency checks. We worked with elementary aged students from average 4th grade and kindergarten classrooms and a center-based classroom for students with Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD). Data were collected to determine the effectiveness of both the 5 finger retell and fluency check strategies that were implemented during our six-week study to improve reading comprehension. Following the six week study period, data analysis indicated that student reading comprehension increased in all study groups. As a result of the findings of this Action Research Project, we will continue to implement both the 5 finger retell and fluency check strategies in our classrooms. Every teacher ultimately has the same wish for their students; they want them to not only succeed but to excel in all areas of life. One of the ways that can facilitate this wish is to give the gift of literacy. In order to become literate, all children must increase their comprehension of what is being read to them aloud or what they are reading individually. All students learn comprehension at varying rates and need differing amounts of guidance to increase comprehension. Some students need little to no help comprehending while others struggle to attend long enough to accurately restate what they've heard or read. As teachers, we strive to help individual students increase their reading comprehension. Many students have difficulty comprehending what they read. All schools need to have some sort of remedial reading program provided to help struggling students. Low reading skills affect both reading fluency and comprehension for elementary school students. Reading skills are foundational building blocks at this age and the earlier students with low reading skills receive interventions, the greater the interventions will impact the students' reading careers (Hausheer, Hansen, & Doumas, 2011). Knowing how to read words has ultimately little value if the student is unable to construct meaning from the text (Klinger, Vaughn, & Boardman, 2007). If schools are able to provide what the students need, there will be more success for everyone involved. Cooperative learning can be an effective strategy to increase student success. Caposey and Heider (2003) conducted a research study using cooperative learning. Cooperative learning occurs when students form small groups and help one another learn a specific skill or subject area. Students learn effectively in a cooperative setting by working toward a common goal. "The more students work in cooperative groups, the more they understand, retain, and feel better about themselves and their peers" (Caposey & Heider, 2003, p. 21). Cooperative learning is not always the easiest way for a teacher to prepare and teach. Yet, when it is used in a classroom setting, children have to take more responsibility for their learning. Research has shown that this interaction helps children learn more effectively and has proven to be successful (Caposey & Heider, 2003). "Research shows there are several underlying causes for poor reading comprehension. Among the reasons are the complex process of learning to read, the type of instruction, method for decoding, prior knowledge, a diverse population, and development of vocabulary " (Caposey & Heider, 2003, p. 14 ). Students with low literacy skills have less access to the regular curriculum, are prone to poor self-esteem, low motivation, behavioral problems, and academic underachievement. According to Neumann, Ross, & Slaboch (2001), putting an emphasis on early interventions with reading instruction so that students are capable readers by the third grade is necessary because low reading scores have been linked to weakness in phonics and phonemic awareness skills. Consequently, K-3 instruction in many schools has focused heavily on phonemic awareness, phonics, and word recognition. The over-emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, and word recognitions has led to a breakdown in the teaching process for students who struggle with literacy skills related to the specific skills and strategies taught versus where the learning gap frequently occurs. Research conducted by Klinger, Urbach, Golos, Brownell, & Menon (2010) displayed that teachers of students with learning disabilities across several states and classroom setting models had a tendency to focus on literacy skills related to phonological awareness and decoding. It was noted that strategies related to increasing comprehension were rarely observed and even less frequently explicitly taught. Struggling learners require more explicit instruction on specific comprehension strategies that can be used to obtain both surface level information and critical thinking information from text. Increasing fluency is a key way of increasing a student's comprehension skills. Teachers can use a variety of methods to increase reading fluency. These include choral reading, echo reading, partner reading, reading along silently as oral reading is being modeled, using poetry, and reader's theatre. These methods can be used in either small groups during reading, or as an intensive intervention implemented three times a week in 20 minute intervals (Neumann, Ross, & Slaboch, 2004). Students all learn in different ways. Many need a variety of learning styles presented to them in order to succeed. The program conducted in the research study found that children have increased benefits in their learning by using auditory, visual and kinesthetic stimulations (Hausheer et al., 2011). When teachers incorporate different ways to learn, they are helping reach various students. Many students learn best one way, but others need to learn the same information through varying learning styles. This also benefits students who need increased repetition in differing ways. Another example of why teachers need to use a variety of teaching methods in order for students to succeed is that it gives students a chance to do the same thing multiple times in numerous ways. Students learn through reading, writing, speaking and listening. By the time a child is six years old, their vocabulary should include thousands of words (Caposey & Heider, 2003). If a child is not exposed to vocabulary for various reasons, he or she may struggle right from the beginning. Not only do teachers need to focus on fluency activities, they also need to incorporate and teach comprehension strategies. Building background knowledge and learning new vocabulary is essential to understanding the material being read. Failure to make connections and learn new words will hinder student comprehension. Students must be able to decode words routinely and with ease to be successful readers. Emerging readers may make decoding errors, and put a great deal of effort into reading words correctly. Thus, emerging readers have no additional cognitive resources to draw upon to be successful with comprehension. They may be able to read the words but fail to connect them in a way to give meaning to their oral reading (Neumann, Ross, & Slaboch, 2004). Other aspects holding students back from comprehending literature is lack of fluency or not able to participate, in reading behaviors such as making words, identifying words in text, and writing words as they attempt to protect themselves from failure (Jordai, 2011). These are strategies teachers can incorporate in their small groups. Comprehension is an important element during all states of literacy development. Students who read more fluently are able to focus on meaning, hold more of the information in their working memory, and incorporate their own background knowledge with what they have read. Reading with accuracy and effective speed allows the reader to focus on the meaning of the words (Neumann, Ross, & Slaboch, 2004). This again proves the importance of fluency and speed that students need to be successful at comprehension. Most teachers do some form of guided reading or small group instruction during their literacy block. Working with smaller groups of students allows teachers to reach students where their skills are at on individual levels. When this occurs, students have more gains by getting more personalized attention and creating a bond with the instructor (Hausheer et al., 2011). This allows students to gain confidence in their abilities. "Guided reading is helpful for students who are fluent readers but lack comprehension skills. It forces them to think about what they have read" (Caposey & Heider, 2003, p. 19). Teachers who take the time to plan for their small group instruction are benefiting all students involved. When teachers work with small groups, students can master comprehension skills through the use of repetition. They hear the selection both from their own lips and others in the group, including the teacher. From all this research, we decided to conduct a study in each of our own classrooms to discover what effect a specific reading strategy program will have on comprehension by elementary age learners. In each of the three classrooms, we collected data on a five-finger retell intervention and reading fluency checks with our students. Retelling a story demonstrates a student's ability to identify the story's important events and also provides a purpose for continued reading (Klinger et al., 2007). Jennifer teaches in a low income, rural, small town school in northern Minnesota. She conducted the study in her classroom of 16 students consisting of 6 boys, 10 girls, and 2 special education students who were not a part of the study because they leave the classroom during this time. Ellie's kindergarten class is part of a large school district in a northern suburb of the Twin Cities. Many students in her school building qualify for Title 1 services as well as Free and Redu


A novel Pd(ii) double complex, [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4], containing the 1,4-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine (BAPP) ligand is investigated. X-ray crystallography of a single crystal confirmed the structure of the [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex. The spectroscopic behavior was also elucidated using elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex against all tested microbial strains was lower than that of the BAPP ligand except for C. albicans. The cytotoxic impacts of the BAPP ligand and its [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex were evaluated in vitro for HepG2, CaCo-2 and MCF7 cell lines as well as the WI-38 normal cell line. The anticancer activity was markedly improved by the complexation. The [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex could selectively inhibit the tested cancer cells in a safe way to the non-tumorigenic cell (WI-38). From the DNA binding studies with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, the [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex interacts more efficiently with the calf thymus DNA than its BAPP ligand through the intercalative binding mode. In the absence of an external reductant, the [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex cleaved the intact supercoiled pBR322 DNA under physiological conditions in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, electrophoretic experiments were performed in the presence of different radical scavengers, namely DMSO, NaN3 and KI, and ruled out the hydrolytic mechanistic pathway of the reaction and suggested that the oxidative mechanism is the preferred one. The results of the binding affinity of the [Pd(BAPP)][PdCl4] complex to human DNA were modeled using a molecular docking study showing that the complex interacts more strongly with human DNA than the ligand. Finally, an in vitro pharmacokinetic study was assessed through in silico ADME predictions.


By re-expressing the generalized SchrOdinger equation in its coordinate represenration in terms of amplitude and phase of the state vector, a quantum-mechanical change of a system can be made to correspond to an ensemble of classical motions of the system to which is added some internal potential. This ensemble may be taken as the statistical. This enables an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics with which is associated that classical picture. Such a formulation leads, however, if developed straightforwardly according to the picture, to a theoretical scheme quite different from that of ordinary quantum mechanics. concerning the problems other than the equation of motion. Furthermore, this formulation is not applicable to Fermions when spin, or exclusion principle is taken jrlto account. Bohm's recent renewed form of the statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics referring to this formulation is criticized in several points. On this formulation we can construct a singular ensemble which is shown to correspond to the tranformation kernel of the wave function to infinitesimally later instant, and thus a connection between this formulation and that of Feyninan's is taken out. Hydrodynamical picture formally equivalent to the statistical picture in one-body problems is also considered, and from such analogy certain formal generalization of SchrOdinger equation is suggested.


The aim of this study is to review previous studies on human errors in the service delivery processes. Service industry is sharply growing in the advanced countries. Many people are looking for something to contribute to the service industry. Although there are many research topics related to service domain that human factors and ergonomics specialists can do contribute, a few researchers are studying such topics. This paper indicated how previous researches on human factors and human errors have addressed the service domain, in order to prompt human factor study on the service domain. A variety of sources were inspected for literature reviews, including books and journals of managements, medicine, psychology, consumer behavior as well as human factor and ergonomics. The characteristics of human errors in the service domain were investigated. Human error studies in several service sectors were summarized such as medical service, automotive service operation, travel agent service and call center service. Until now, human factors community was not much interested in human errors in service domain. However, there is much space to contribute to service domain; human error identification, human error analysis and control of human error. The research of human error in service domain can provide clues to improve service quality. This paper helps to guide to identify human error of service domain and to design service systems.


Abstract:
 Komposch, H. 2016. Fissurina subcorallina (lichenized Ascomycota, Ostropales), another drop in the bucket. — Herzogia 29: 473–478. The fertile and isidiate lichen species Fissurina subcorallina is described as new from Costa Rica, where it was collected on a tree bole in the basal height zone of a moist lowland rainforest near the coastline. It is distinguished from the other isidiate Fissurina species by transverse (6–)7-septate ascospores and coralloid isidia. The crack-like lirellae are comparable with those of F. dumastii and are grouped in fertile zones.


The local structure of mechanically alloyed Mg50Co50 and its deuteride, Mg50Co50D75, was investigated using the atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of neutron and synchrotron X-ray total scattering data. The purpose of our study was to obtain the structural information of these amorphous alloys and understand their hydrogen storage properties. We found that the body centered cubic (bcc) structural model with the uniform distribution of Mg and Co atoms proposed by earlier studies was not able to explain neutron and X-ray PDFs at the same time. Our data suggest that the local environment of Mg is different from that of Co. A two-phase model composed of MgCo2 and Mg2CoD5 (Mg2Co for the alloy sample) qualitatively reproduced the main features of experimental PDFs and explained the amount of hydrogen absorbed by MgxCo100-x.


Wilson's disease is a rare condition characterized by a defect in biliary excretion of copper, due to a mutation of both alleles of "Wilson's disease" gene (ATP7b gene). Many different mutations have been identified in affected patients. Since the clinical presentation of the disease is highly heterogeneous, it has been suspected that this variability could be related to different phenotypes. In this paper, Folhoffer et al. report a series of 109 Hungarian patients with Wilson's disease. The authors identified 8 novel, previously unreported, mutations of ATP7b gene in their population. However, 17% of patients with an established diagnosis of Wilson's disease still did not have any identifiable mutation. Since not all exons were analyzed, more studies are needed to identify the corresponding mutations. Overall, the authors failed to document any genotype–phenotype correlation suggesting that non genetical factors are involved in the clinical variablility of the disease.


Abstract. A refractometer system using four modified Wu-type heterodyne interferometers with a variable length vacuum cell is presented. The proposed system has two working modes: (1) a moving mode for measuring the absolute air refractive index at the start of a measurement and (2) a static mode for monitoring the air refractive index fluctuation with the same bandwidth as a traditional displacement interferometer. The system requires no gas filling or pumping during the measurement and can be used for real-time refractive index compensation. Comparison experiments with empirical equations are conducted to investigate the feasibility and performance of the proposed system. The standard deviation of the measurement difference between the proposed system and empirical equation is 2.8 parts in 107, which is close to the uncertainty of our refractive index reference based on the accuracy of the environmental sensors. The relative refractive index tracking is a few parts in 108 with a bandwidth of 10 Hz, but high bandwidths are readily achievable.


The paper discusses the parading shift from delayed book and journal print information services to fast items like open access and institutional repositories for scholarly world and impact of the revolutionary inventions. In this context, LIS curricula should include the components like areas of library automation, networking, internet, website development, digital technology (including digital library/institutional repositories, open source movement) etc. It also discuses about the constraints and opportunities of the library schools and key to success of


A human immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 monoclonal antibody directed against the cell surface receptor CD40 with potential immunostimulatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon intratumoral administration, agonistic anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody ADC-1013 binds to CD40 on antigen-presenting dendritic cells, which leads to the activation and proliferation of effector and memory T -cells, and enhances the immune response against tumor cells. In addition, this agent binds to the CD40 antigen present on the surfaces of tumor cells, which induces antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC). T his eventually inhibits the proliferation of CD40-expressing tumor cells. CD40, a stimulatory receptor and a member of the tumor necrosis factor (T NF) receptor superfamily, is expressed on various immune cells, such as macrophages, dendritic cells and various tumor cell types; it plays a key role in the activation of the immune system. Qeios · Definition, February 2, 2020


Abstract Objective: To compare different treatment modalities for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) based on real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) or self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) combined with multiple daily injections (MDIs) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). Research Design and Methods: Sixty-five T1D patients were followed up for a year. Of these, 27 started RT-CGM as part of a sensor-augmented insulin regimen (SAIR); within this SAIR group, 15 subjects started sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy and the remaining 12 continued with MDIs (MDIs + RT-CGM). A second group of 20 patients initiated CSII without RT-CGM, while a third group of 18 subjects continued on MDIs and SMBG. The main endpoints were reduction of HbA1c, glycemic variability (GV), and incidence of hypoglycemia. Results: After a year, the baseline mean HbA1c in the SAIR group (8.3%) decreased to 7.1% (P < 0.0001); both SAIR subgroups, SAP and MDIs + RT-CGM, showed comparable improvement. The CSII group also had reduced HbA1c (8.4% ± 0.9% vs. 7.9% ± 0.7%; P < 0.05). Both SAIRs were superior to MDIs (P = 0.002) and CSII (P = 0.0032). GV was also lowered, both in the SAIR (P < 0.0001) and CSII (P < 0.05) groups. Reduced incidence of hypoglycemia was observed only with SAIR (8% ± 4% vs. 6% ± 3%; P < 0.01). Conclusion: Both SAIRs, SAP and MDIs + RT-CGM, provided significant and comparable decrease of HbA1c with concurrent reduction of hypoglycemia. This improvement was greater than that seen with CSII. The combination of RT-CGM and MDIs can be a suitable alternative to SAP for some patients.


We present a security analysis of the SPREADS1 system, a distributed storage service based on a centralized peer-to-peer architecture. We formally modelled the salient behavior of the actual system using ABCD, a high level specification language with a coloured Petri net semantics, which allowed the execution states of the system to be verified. We verified the behavior of the system in the presence of an external Dolev-Yao attacker, unearthing some replay attacks in the original system. Furthermore, since the implementation is also a formal model, we have been able to show that any execution of the model satisfies certain desirable security properties once these flaws are repaired.


Abstract Nakajima, T., Yukawa, O., Azuma, C., Ohyama, H., Wang, B., Kojima, S., Hayata, I. and Hama-Inaba, H. Involvement of Protein Kinase C-Related Anti-apoptosis Signaling in Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in Murine Thymic Lymphoma (3SBH5) Cells. Radiat. Res. 161, 528–534 (2004). Protein kinase C (PKC; also known as PRKC) is known to be an important participant in radiation-induced apoptosis. However, its role is not fully clarified. Using 3SBH5 cells, which are radiation-sensitive thymic lymphoma cells, the involvement and functions of PKC were assessed in radiation- induced apoptosis. PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), a PKC activator, inhibited the radiation-induced apoptosis in 3SBH5 cells. On the other hand, chelerythrine, a PKC inhibitor, potentiated apoptosis. In addition, Gö6976, a classical PKC (cPKC) inhibitor, which specifically inhibits PKC (α and βI), also promoted apoptosis. Interestingly, post-treatment (20 min after irradiation) with Gö6976 had no effect on the radiation-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that cPKC is activated early after irradiation for anti-apoptosis signaling and contributes to the balance between cell survival and death. Indeed, an increase of cPKC activity involving PKC (α, βI and βII) was observed in the cytosolic fraction 3 min after irradiation with 0.5 Gy. However, no translocation of cPKC was observed in the cells after irradiation. Our findings indicate that activation of cPKC (α or β) soon after irradiation is critical to the understanding of the regulation of radiation-induced apoptosis in radiation-sensitive cells.


Purpose: To examine the interaction between New Product Development (NPD) capabilities and Business Model Innovation (BMI) by studying the adaptation of capabilities in a manufacturing firm as it adopts a service business model. Approach: An in-depth case study is used to identify design capabilities and document how these have been developed as the firm has adapted its NPD processes to the needs of its service business model. Findings: Design capabilities are proposed as a facilitator of servitization, allowing a manufacturing firm to develop service offerings that build on resources such as knowledge and experience. Conversely, the scope of servitization is restricted by the extent to which these design capabilities can be updated to suit the demands of a new business model. Practical implications: Servitization is presented as an imperative for manufacturing firms, yet research has not addressed the implications for NPD nor investigated how BMI affects NPD capabilities. This study shows the need to identify whether current NPD processes help or hinder BMI and proposes how managers can adapt NPD processes to a new business model. Originality: A three-stage process is identified for adapting NPD processes – as BMI changes the nature of products and services required, existing processes are supplemented by design activities requiring expert knowledge, these are subsequently refined into design methods that can be incorporated into the NPD process, and eventually design tools allow automation and efficiency.


Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a common cause of chronic dyspepsia worldwide. Its prevalence in the developing world remains understudied, however. Given that H. pylori is the most significant risk factor for developing gastric cancer, an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of population-based screening and eradication of H. pylori is warranted. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of H. pylori, to identify risk factors associated with H. pylori colonization, and to assess the efficacy of triple therapy on H. pylori eradication within a region of sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: We administered a dyspepsia questionnaire to 376 randomly selected adult residents of the Namutumba District in Uganda. Participants submitted a stool sample for H. pylori fecal antigen testing. H. pylori-positive participants were given standard triple therapy. The efficacy of triple therapy on H. pylori eradication was established by fecal H. pylori antigen testing and improvement in dyspepsia scores after treatment. Dyspeptic, H. pylori-negative participants were administered daily omeprazole for one month. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with H. pylori positivity, chronic dyspepsia, and H. pylori eradication failure.Results: The prevalence of H. pylori within the study population was 48%. A higher level of education was significantly associated with H. pylori positivity. 87% of study participants reported at least one symptom of dyspepsia, with 43% reporting moderate or severe dyspepsia. Dyspepsia severity was independent of H. pylori status. Standard triple therapy resulted in ~90% eradication. Missing four or more doses of the triple therapy regimen was significantly associated with H. pylori eradication failure.Conclusions: Chronic dyspepsia is a common complaint in this sub-Saharan population but is not by itself a defining feature of H. pylori positivity. Clinical suspicion for H. pylori within this population should nonetheless remain high, given the high prevalence of positivity among all those with dyspepsia, including many with relatively mild dyspeptic symptoms. Population-based screening and adherence to standard triple therapy are effective at eradicating H. pylori within this region. Trial Registration: This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (TRN: NCT04525664, registered 24 August 2020 – Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04525664). This study adheres to CONSORT guidelines.


The electronic structure of calcium clusters containing up to 13 atoms is studied within the general gradient approximation ~GGA! of the density-functional formalism. For the calcium dimer it is observed that the exchange functional in GGA overestimates the binding energy, while a hybrid approach including HartreeFock exchange gives a better agreement with the experimental results. Binding energies, optimized geometries, vibrational frequencies, and thermodynamic properties have been calculated for several isomers at each cluster size. Various structures corresponding to saddle points of the energy curve are reported, along with the isomerization reaction path for Ca5 ,C a 6, and Ca7. It was found that Ca12 undergoes a structural transition as a function of temperature, changing structure at T5318 K. A comparison of the minimum energy isomer geometry and binding energy obtained for each cluster size with those obtained from the Murrell-Mottram empirical potential shows that this potential overestimates the binding energies and does not adequately predict the optimized structures for several cluster sizes.


In this paper the epitaxial growth mechanism on vicinal GaAs(001) surface is studied using the kinetic Monte Carlo simulation method. The Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier has great influence on the growth mechanism of the vicinal surface. The simulation results show that the downward movement to a lower step of the adatoms can be inhibited by Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier at low temperature, while the adatoms can move to the lower step at high temperature. At the beginning of growth, the adatoms are almost distributed uniformly on the steps. When the surface coverage reaches to certain value, the step nucleation begins. Meanwhile, the adatoms begin to accumulate at the upper step because of the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier. If there were no Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier, the adatoms at the upper step could be depleted completely. The Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier has great influence on the growth mode of the vicinal surface, and it will increase the temperature for onset of the step growth mode.


Objective: To establish the statistical interobserver and intraobserver concordance of thoracic pedicle screw placement in scoliosis surgery, with a 4-week interval between the two analyses. Methods: Of 55 patients that evaluated the intraand interobserver concordances of the screw positions (according to the Abul-Kasim classification) using the Kappa coefficient. Results: The intraobserver concordance ranged from a Kappa coefficient of 0.516 to 0.889 ("moderate" to "almost perfect") between the two analyses performed four weeks apart. Interobserver concordance ranged from 0.379 to 0.633 ("reasonable" to "strong"). Conclusion: The intraobserver concordance was always greater than the interobserver concordance. No concordance coefficient was classified as "insignificant" or "weak". Level of Evidence III; Retrospective study.


Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed neoplasia in men. Currently, there is no available non-invasive tool to assist in the identification of the aggressive form of this disease. Cell-free nucleic acid has been tested as a potential new molecular tool that can be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs, that are shown to impact the development and progression of prostate cancer and their detection in plasma have been indicated as a promising non-invasive tool for disease screening and prognosis assessment. Among the several deregulated miRNAs that are observed in prostate cancer, the miRNA-141-3p was observed with upregulated expression levels in prostate cancer, particularly in the metastatic lesions. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to verify the diagnostic potential of miR-141 as a circulating tumor marker for prostate cancer and determine its functional role in modulating tumorigenesis in prostate cancer metastatic cell lines. MiR-141 expression analysis was performed in plasma samples of 102 prostate cancer patients without treatment and of 50 health controls by RT-qPCR. The experimental assays were performed by transfecting the PC3 cell line using miRNA-141 mimic/ inhibitor systems and directly accessing their effect in classical tumor phenotypes. Expression of the miR-141 were found significantly upregulated in the metastatic patients' plasma specimens (FC=9.11, p=0.04; AUC=0.66) when compared to the patients without metastasis, showing its screening potential for prostate cancer metastasis. The in vitro ectopic expression of miR-141 in PC3 cell line showed a significant increased in cell proliferation, associated with changes in cell cycle (decreased number of cells in the G1 phase). Conversely, the inhibition of miR-141 showed an increase in the migratory ability, cell adhesion and in the Docetaxel cytotoxicity of the PC3 cells. Western-blot analysis showed that the inhibition of the miR-141 levels reduced the expression of the EMT inducers markers E-CADHERIN and CLAUDIN, and up-regulated the levels of ZEB-1, pAKT and VIMENTIN, consistent with their repression roles in the EMT process. These findings showed that miR-141 presents a direct function in controlling some of the in vitro metastatic phenotypes in prostate cancer, through the regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition expression proteins. In conclusion, miR-141 presents a potential use as a minimally invasive molecular marker for prostate cancer diagnosis and can be used as a druggable target for therapy, particularly in the metastatic clinical setting. Citation Format: Marilesia Ferreira de Souza, Ilce Mara de Syllos Colus, Aline Simoneti Fonseca, Hellen Kuasne, Paulo Emilio Fuganti, Deepak Kumar, Silvia Regina Rogatto, Luciane Regina Cavalli. Cell-free miR-141 as a molecular marker for prostate cancer metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1476. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1476


The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) effect of interferon (IFN)-thymosin α1 (TA1) in a transgenic Dunaliella salina (TDS) system in vitro and in vivo. The toxicity of TDS in the HepG2.2.15 cell line was assessed using an MTT assay. The effect of TDS on the secretion of HBV early antigen (HBeAg) and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in culture supernatants was measured using ELISA. In addition, HBV-DNA was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Drug treatment experiments were performed in vivo on ducks congenitally infected with duck HBV (DHBV). The drug was administered once daily for 21 continuous days. Blood was drawn from all ducks prior to treatment, following treatment for 7, 14 and 21 days, and following drug withdrawal for 5 days. Serum DHBV-DNA was determined using quantitative PCR. In addition, the histology of duck liver tissues was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin, and orcein staining. The results demonstrated that TDS suppressed cell viability and HBsAg and HBeAg secretion in HepG2.2.15 cells. Furthermore, the treatment index values for HBsAg and HBeAg following TDS treatment were 2.96 and 3.07 respectively, which were greater than those of the IFN-α treated group. In addition, the DHBV-infected duck model experiments indicated that serum DHBV-DNA levels were significantly decreased in the group of TDS (20 g/kg) following treatment for 7, 14 and 21 days compared with the control group. Following withdrawal of the drug for 5 days, the levels of DHBV-DNA did not relapse in the medium and high dose groups of TDS (10 and 20 g/kg, respectively). Histological analysis of duck liver also demonstrated that TDS and IFN-α treatment alleviated inflammation and HBsAg signals in duck livers. In conclusion, TDS markedly suppresses HBV replication in vitro and in vivo and its anti-HBV effect is greater than that of IFN-α.


Fuel wood smoke is known to be associated with a number of ocular diseases such as cataract, pterygium and dry eye syndrome amongst others. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 290 kitchen staff in senior secondary schools in the Kumasi metropolis to identify the type of fuel and cooking stoves used and the ocular pathologies affecting them. Ocular examinations were performed on the kitchen staff. The study included administration of questionnaire, clinical and ocular history taking, visual acuity measurements, external eye examination, ophthalmoscopy, and Schirmer's tear function test. The study revealed that 22.1% of the respondents had worked in the kitchens for a period of over twenty years. The major ocular complaints found amongst the 290 respondents were itching eyes (50.3%) and excessive tearing (40.3%). Majority (75.2%) of the kitchen staff were suffering from one or more eye diseases. The commonest ocular diseases were dry eyes (46.6%) pterygium (31.1%) and corneal ulcer (8.3%). All (100%) of the schools used firewood as their primary source of fuel. Most (76.9%) of the schools however used Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to cook certain kinds of meals. Ventilation was poor in 53.9% of the schools visited. Very smoky kitchens were seen in 84.6% of the schools. In conclusion, it was observed that the Kitchen staff of Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis are at high risk of developing eye diseases that may be attributed to the working environment.


IT IS KNOWN that paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria occurs most frequently in persons with congenital syphilis. The case to be presented is of particular interest because the patient was born and raised in the subtropical climate of Hawaii. The manifestations of hemoglobinuria did not occur in any degree of severity until he was exposed a cold climate, as was that in Korea. REPORT OF CASE A 22-year-old Hawaiian man was referred to our hospital on Jan. 12, 1952, because of a history of voiding dark-red urine. Four days prior to admission the patient felt unusually cold and chilled and voided port-wine-colored urine. He reported to the local dispensary on the same day, but physical examination and subsequent urine specimens failed to reveal any abnormality. The patient was asymptomatic until Jan. 12. On that day, while en route to the hospital, he was exposed to the cold for about two hours. Subjectively,


A variety of novel molecularly targeted drugs have been introduced for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) over the last several years. Pazopanib is the most recent addition and functions as a potent inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase. Pazopanib has been studied in two large randomized clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy and tolerability of this drug in RCC. Based on these results, pazopanib has become the sixth targeted agent approved for the treatment of RCC. This review will focus on pazopanib's in vitro activity, clinical effectiveness, side-effect profile and how it can be integrated among the other available drugs in the management of RCC.


Dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) is a phenomenon where the energy of a soliton in a dissipative system increases without limit at certain values of the system parameters. We have found that the DSR phenomenon is robust and does not disappear when perturbations are introduced into the model. In particular, parameter management is benign to DSR: the resonance property remains intact even when a pulse experiences periodic changes of system parameters in a laser cavity. We also show that high energy pulses emerging from a laser cavity can be compressed to shorter durations with the help of linear dispersive devices.


This essay, based on academic research on the representation of death, grief and science, deals with the new resurgence of taxidermy in New York City, where a new generation of artists and artisans explore the aesthetic and ethical limits of this practice. As taxidermy deals with lifeless bodies of animals it becomes a delicate issue for many, in which the central element of debate would be around the legitimacy of using the corpse of an animal and the need for preserving or exhibiting it. Different perspectives of this practice are analysed by means of classical taxidermy, the anthropomorphic style or contemporary art based on taxidermy practises, in order to address questions such as: Is ethical taxidermy possible? Is commemorative taxidermy of a beloved pet acceptable? Why does taxidermy appeal or disgust? Is taxidermy controversial just because it questions the limits of life, death and decay? What is the contribution of the new generation of taxidermists?

Keywords: art, death, New York City, preservation, taxidermy


The question of haunting itself has its own interest, but one might also wonder why Dicken's Christmas Carol - a Christmas story - should be at all haunted. While some connection between Christmas, winter and the supernatural can be traced back through Shakespeare and no doubt beyond, Dickens seems especially interested in the manifestation of ghosts and phantoms at Christmas-time. Indeed, by publishing his own and many others' seasonal ghost stories in his magazines, Household Words and All the Year Round, he can be attributed with making the ghost story a sort of Victorian Christmas tradition (Cox xiii). Moreover, in his Christmas tales, Dickens saw no contradiction in combining the Gothic effects of ghost stories with sentimental scenes to present his religio-social message of charity, compassion and communal affection.


This study is carried out to reveal which units teachers who encounter problems about falling behind the science course curriculum in secondary school in the 5th grade through the 8th grade prefer to focus on less and the reasons for their preferences. Survey model was used in the research study. Total 302 science teachers from 28 different cities in Turkey participated in the study carried out in 2015-2016 academic year. The research data were gathered via questionnaire form developed by the researcher. The results of the study revealed that nearly two-thirds of the science teachers spent less time teaching the units related to the 'Earth and Universe' subject area to catch up on the curriculum in case of holidays, meetings, and exams held apart from the planned schedule. The units including ecology subjects within the subject area of Living Things and Life follow it. When the units are examined considering the grades, 'Natural Processes' unit, the last unit of the 8th grade, ranked first. The reasons why science teachers put less emphasis on these units is the place/order of the units in curriculum, timetable of the centralized exam held in the country and timetable of the last written exams in schools, distribution of questions in the centralized exam, the number of gains from the unit and content, and the students' pace in understanding the subject.


Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, where the disease might spread in a medical facility setting, the common problems found in every country is the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical personnel – especially the disposable N95 respirators. Thus, a higher amplitude to disinfect and reuse N95 is urgently needed. In this study, we designed an effective and safe disinfection methods through an Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) chamber in Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital to control the shortage of PPE by disinfecting and reusing disposable N95 respirators. Purpose: To evaluate the dosage and effectiveness of UV-C radiation for disposable N95 respirators disinfection in our designated UVGI chamber. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design to determine the dose and the effectiveness of UV-C radiation in eradicating SARS-CoV 2 on disposable N95 respirators. Results: Using two different distances from the light source, we confirmed the inverse square law of UV-C radiation power. Irradiation for 2 hours with a radiation dose of 1080 mJ/cm2 resulted in undetected SARS-CoV-2 gene based on PCR examination in 10 out of 10 samples. Conclusion: This UVGI chamber is a potential solution for hospitals or medical facilities to overcome the limitations that occurred in the pandemic by disinfecting PPE.


Peculiar, nearly spherical balls composed of hard, igneous and metamorphic rock types were found in scattered debris in concrete-lined stilling basins of Folsom and several other dams in California. Ball formation is related to extremely turbulent flow conditions in an entrapment "container" and is associated with an undesirable erosion of "container" concrete lining. Proper design of basins, post-construction cleanup, and protection from contamination by visitors can eliminate formation of rock balls and reduce erosion of the lining.


The SignON project (www.signon-project.eu) focuses on the research and development of a Sign Language (SL) translation mobile application and an open communications framework. SignON rectifies the lack of technology and services for the automatic translation between signed and spoken languages, through an inclusive, humancentric solution which facilitates communication between deaf, hard of hearing (DHH) and hearing individuals. We present an overview of the current status of the project, describing the milestones reached to date and the approaches that are being developed to address the challenges and peculiarities of Sign Language Machine Translation (SLMT).


Abstract Background There is limited evidence on the strategies, resources, and tools shown to improve winter mobility and community participation. Objective This paper describes a multifaceted approach taken to develop an mHealth application that provides information, resources, and strategies to facilitate winter mobility for mobility device users, service providers, community organisations, and researchers. Methods The study was conducted in three phases: (1) A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was completed to identify literature that reported on tools, strategies, resources, and recommendations used to promote winter mobility; (2) Online asynchronous focus groups were conducted to identify the type of content that mobility device users wanted to include in the web-based application; and (3) A prototype mHealth application was developed based on the findings from the previous phases. Using a rapid prototyping process that included stakeholder review through an online survey, four cycles of application design and development were undertaken. Results The scoping review identified 23 peer-reviewed studies and limited grey literature on winter mobility strategies, resources and recommendations. Twenty-four participants from across Canada engaged in one of five focus groups. Focus group analysis led to the development of the content categories for the mHealth application. The initial prototype application developed was reviewed by; 27 mobility device users, 16 health care providers, and seven consumer organisation representatives identified areas of strength and further refinement in regard to application design. Conclusions The approach used in this study provided a method to develop an application based on the ideas, needs, and interests of a variety of stakeholders. Once fully developed, the application has the potential to fill the gaps related to the lack of a unified collection of winter mobility strategies and resources, and open the dialogue on methods to improve winter participation among mobility device users. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Despite winter conditions being a common challenge among mobility device users, there is an absence of an organised approach towards helping individuals manage their winter mobility needs. As the development and usage of mHealth applications continues to increase, it is valuable to use methods of designing applications based on the ideas, needs, and interests of a variety of stakeholders. Development of a framework for collating information on winter mobility strategies and resources is the first step towards launching an mHealth application.


Musical experiences and native language are both known to affect auditory processing. The present work aims to disentangle the influences of native language phonology and musicality on behavioral and subcortical sound feature processing in a population of musically diverse Finnish speakers as well as to investigate the specificity of enhancement from musical training. Finnish speakers are highly sensitive to duration cues since in Finnish, vowel and consonant duration determine word meaning. Using a correlational approach with a set of behavioral sound feature discrimination tasks, brainstem recordings, and a musical sophistication questionnaire, we find no evidence for an association between musical sophistication and more precise duration processing in Finnish speakers either in the auditory brainstem response or in behavioral tasks, but they do show an enhanced pitch discrimination compared to Finnish speakers with less musical experience and show greater duration modulation in a complex task. These results are consistent with a ceiling effect set for certain sound features which corresponds to the phonology of the native language, leaving an opportunity for music experience-based enhancement of sound features not explicitly encoded in the language (such as pitch, which is not explicitly encoded in Finnish). Finally, the pattern of duration modulation in more musically sophisticated Finnish speakers suggests integrated feature processing for greater efficiency in a real world musical situation. These results have implications for research into the specificity of plasticity in the auditory system as well as to the effects of interaction of specific language features with musical experiences.


Devonian–Middle Jurassic terrane assemblies in the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada Foothills consist chiefly of ophiolite-chert-argillite sequences. Mafic-ultramafic complexes are oceanic, whereas associated fine-grained deep-water terrigenous sediments were derived mainly from adjacent, previously docked Klamath-Sierran terranes. Coeval calc-alkaline arc rocks are volumetrically rare. Geologic and petrochemical relations suggest a rifted arc origin for Klamath mafic metavolcanic units inter-layered with distal turbidites in the 170–200 Ma North Fork terrane; detrital zircon U-Pb ages indicate that the clastic debris had a regional eastern Klamath source. The Eastern Hayfork cherty melange contains ophiolitic scraps and distinctive olistostromal sandstone blocks evidently derived from the nearby Eastern Klamath Antelope Mountain Quartzite. The seaward 200 Ma Rattlesnake Creek terrane is an ophiolitic melange with North Fork petrotectonic affinities. The North Fork–Eastern Hayfork–Rattlesnake Creek amalgam correlates with the Calaveras Complex and the outboard Jura-Triassic arc belt in the Sierran Foothills. Geochemical bulk-rock and zircon U-Pb age data support interpretation of the 200 Ma Jura-Triassic arc as an adjacent offshore mafic belt overlying a 300 Ma ophiolitic basement. These oceanic complexes were sutured against the Central Metamorphic Belt–Eastern Klamath–Feather River–Northern Sierra terrane backstop before deposition and deformation of the outboard Upper Jurassic Galice and Mariposa formations. Klamath-Sierran terrane assemblies reflect ∼230 m.y. of transpression-transtension involving only minor episodes of subduction, producing ubiquitous ophiolite-chert-argillite lithologies and rare felsic arc rocks.

In contrast, the Late Jurassic to largely Cretaceous Klamath–Sierra Nevada quartzo-feldspathic volcanic-plutonic arc attests to massive calc-alkaline magmatism attending a strong eastward component of underflow by the Farallon plate. The coeval Galice-Mariposa formations, followed by the Cretaceous Great Valley forearc and Franciscan trench deposits, are first-cycle felsic debris shed mainly from the Klamath-Sierran arc. These units record ∼70 m.y. of rapid sialic crustal growth attending major periods of approximately margin-normal convergence. This profound transition in northern California included Devonian–Middle Jurassic rifting, drifting, and stranding of ophiolite-chert-argillite terranes along an adjacent curvilinear continental margin, then nearly head-on Cretaceous subduction that resulted in massive calc-alkaline igneous activity, the erosion of which generated the felsic Great Valley Group forearc basin and Franciscan Complex trench clastic sedimentary units.


A new double-moment bulk microphysics scheme predicting the number concentrations and mixing ratios of four hydrometeor species (droplets, cloud ice, rain, snow) is described. New physically based parameterizations are developed for simulating homogeneous and heterogeneous ice nucleation, droplet activation, and the spectral index (width) of the droplet size spectra. Two versions of the scheme are described: one for application in high-resolution cloud models and the other for simulating grid-scale cloudiness in larger-scale models. The versions differ in their treatment of the supersaturation field and droplet nucleation. For the high-resolution approach, droplet nucleation is calculated from Kohler theory applied to a distribution of aerosol that activates at a given supersaturation. The resolved supersaturation field and condensation/deposition rates are predicted using a semianalytic approximation to the three-phase (vapor, ice, liquid) supersaturation equation. For the large-scale version of the scheme, it is assumed that the supersaturation field is not resolved and thus droplet activation is parameterized as a function of the vertical velocity and diabatic cooling rate. The vertical velocity includes a subgrid component that is parameterized in terms of the eddy diffusivity and mixing length. Droplet condensation is calculated using a quasi-steady, saturation adjustment approach. Evaporation/deposition onto the other water species is given by nonsteady vapor diffusion allowing excess vapor density relative to ice saturation.


It has been estimated that around 4% of patients on community caseloads have long-term indwelling catheters (Pomfret, 2000). Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to be aware of the different closed drainage systems available, so that they can offer patients choices to suit their lifestyle and preferences. Leg bags are one option, which can be customised to maximise patient comfort and dignity. This paper discusses the impact that urinary incontinence can have on patient quality of life, and one range of leg bags that has been developed to meet patients' specific needs.


Abstract This paper presents the findings from the first qualitative study to consider the relationship between intersex experience and law, representing a significant contribution to a currently under-researched area of law. Since 2013 there has been a global move towards the legal recognition of intersex, with Australia, Germany and Malta all using different techniques to construct and regulate intersex embodiment. This paper is the first to compare and problematise these differing legal approaches in the legal literature. In doing so it demonstrates that many of these approaches are grounded in ideas of formal equality that lead to the entrenchment of vulnerability and fail to build resilience for the intersex community. Through engagement with the intersex community a more contextual account of substantive equality is enabled, encouraging new approaches to law and social justice. Our qualitative study revealed that prevention of non-therapeutic medical interventions on the bodies of children was understood to be the key method to achieving equality for intersex embodied people. Whilst this is the cornerstone of intersex-led legislative reform, such an approach necessitates support through a mixture of formal and substantive equality methods such as anti-discrimination law, education and enforcement procedures. This paper concludes by offering a series of recommendations to legislators capable of enabling substantive intersex equality.


This paper studies whether the Mortensen and Pissarides (MP) search and matching model can explain the observed labor market fluctuations in Japan. To do this, this study first establishes a number of key facts about the cyclical properties of the Japanese labor market. Although the standard MP model correctly predicts the observed regularities in the cyclical fluctuations of unemployment and job vacancies, it cannot generate the observed unemployment and vacancy fluctuations in response to productivity shock of reasonable size. This paper extends the matching model by incorporating firm-specific training costs whose role is emphasized in the Japanese labor market. Relative to the standard MP model, the extended model generates larger cyclical fluctuations in unemployment and job vacancies. However, it still falls short of what observed in the Japanese data.


Objective: Being visually impaired increases the likelihood of sleep disorders and altered behavior. This study investigated physiological and behavioral differences in two similar mice substrains when exposed to constant light (LL) - CBA/J with retinal degeneration and CBA/CaJ mice (no retinal degeneration). Material and Methods: Male CBA/J and CBA/CaJ mice were placed into a 12:12 light:dark cycle or constant light (LL). Open field behavior, metabolic markers, and home-cage circadian activity were observed. Results: CBA/CaJ mice have greater circadian period lengthening, increased weight gain, reduced glucose, and increased novelty-induced locomotor activity in LL, compared to CBA/J mice. LL reduced thyroid hormone and insulin in both substrains. Discussion: While several baseline substrain differences were elucidated, CBA/CaJ mice were more effected by the exposure to LL than the blind CBA/J mice. These results illustrate that LL causes alterations in physiology and behavior and that circadian photoreceptivity might contribute to these effects.


: The use of Taguchi method with grey relational analysis to establish the process parameters in electro-discharge machining of EN-31 alloy steel with selected tool electrode materials brass, aluminium, and graphite. Throughout the study, multiple quality characteristics like tool wear rate (TWR) & metal removal rate (MRR) are focused. The effort has been made to minimize tool wear rate and maximize metal removal rate to produce high-quality finishing of the die. The process parameters, namely Peak Current, Pulse on time, Electrode Material are optimized with respect to tool wear rate and metal removal rate, using the Taguchi quality design concept, an L 9 Orthogonal Array table is chosen for the experiments. From the grey analysis, a grey relational grade is obtained and based on this value; an optimum level of process parameters has been identified. Furthermore, using analysis of variance (ANOVA) method, significant contributions of various process parameters have been determined. The results of the confirmation experiment show that the optimal process parameters may be determined successfully so as to benefit up numerous quality characteristics (TWR & MRR) through this approach.


As Ontologic knowledge gets more and more important in agent-based systems, its handling becomes crucial for successful applications. We propose a hybrid approach, in which part of the ontology is handled locally, using a "client component", and the rest of the ontological knowledge is handled by an "ontology agent", which is accessed by the other agents in the system through their client component. We propose specific methods for representing, storing, querying and translating ontologies for effective use in the context of the "JITIK" system, which is a multiagent system for knowledge and information distribution. We report as well a working prototype implementing our proposal.


The present study aims to examine the long-run and short-run effects of economic development, energy consumption pattern, trade openness and urbanization on environmental quality in ten Asian most populous economies. The analysis examines panel data from 1988 to 2018 by employing an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. The results indicate that the struggles to raise development are increasing the CO 2 emissions in these emerging populous countries. Moreover, the utilization of non-renewable energy sources (gas, coal, oil) is associated with high carbon emissions affecting environmental quality adversely and worsening the atmosphere at the zonal level too. Furthermore, the empirical findings highlight that urbanization and trade openness partake to the reduction of CO 2 emission and hence are considered environmental friendly. Finally, the government should formulate the strategies which help to reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources and promote the consumption of efficient gas energy source to raise development and better environmental quality in populous countries of Asia and hence the strategies will be helpful for the comfort and happiness of this part of the emerging region.


A position-controlled pneumatic actuator using pulsewidth modulation (PWM) valve pulsing algorithms is described. The system consists of a standard double-acting cylinder controlled with two three-way solenoid valves through a 12-bit A/D PC board. The mechatronic system has the advantage of using on/off solenoid valves in place of more expensive servo valves and it may be applied to a variety of practical positioning applications. A proportional-integral (PI) controller with position feedforward has been successfully implemented. Several experimental tests are carried out to evaluate the robustness of the control system and performances of the novel PWM algorithm implemented. The actuator's overall performance is comparable to that achieved by other researchers using servo valves.


This study explores Islamic law's flexibility in addressing global humanitarian issues, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic in Lampung Province, Indonesia. The research investigates how Islamic teachings can be applied flexibly to benefit humanity through a literature review and field study methods. The study found that the policies implemented by the local and central governments in Lampung Province align with the values of religious teachings, particularly in safeguarding the human soul (hifdz nafs), the highest value before property and religion. The policy limits people's worship and social and economic activities, but these restrictions are necessary to prevent and overcome the spread of the virus. This study concludes that religious teachings are flexible and can be applied creatively to address humanitarian crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: Flexibility of Islamic law, Global humanitarian issues, COVID-19 pandemic.


The paper presents Relation Based Access Control RelBAC, a model and a logic for access control which models communities, possibly nested, and resources, possibly organized inside complex file systems, as lightweight ontologies, and permissions as relations between subjects and objects. RelBAC allows us to represent expressive access control rules beyond the current state of the art, and to deal with the strong dynamics of subjects, objects and permissions which arise in Web 2.0 applications (e.g. social networks). Finally, as shown in the paper, using RelBAC, it becomes possible to reason about access control policies and, in particular to compute candidate permissions by matching subject ontologies (representing their interests) with resource ontologies (describing their characteristics).


—This paper presents a hierarchical framework for planning and control of in-hand manipulation of a rigid object involving grasp changes using fully-actuated multifin- gered robotic hands. While the framework can be applied to the general dexterous manipulation, we focus on a more complex definition of in-hand manipulation, where at the goal pose the hand has to reach a grasp suitable for using the object as a tool. The high level planner determines the object trajectory as well as the grasp changes, i.e. adding, removing, or sliding fingers, to be executed by the low-level controller. While the grasp sequence is planned online by a learning- based policy to adapt to variations, the trajectory planner and the low-level controller for object tracking and contact force control are exclusively model-based to robustly realize the plan. By infusing the knowledge about the physics of the problem and the low-level controller into the grasp planner, it learns to successfully generate grasps similar to those generated by model-based optimization approaches, obviating the high computation cost of online running of such methods to account for variations. By performing experiments in physics simulation for realistic tool use scenarios, we show the success of our method on different tool-use tasks and dexterous hand models. Additionally, we show that this hybrid method offers more robustness to trajectory and task variations compared to a model-based method.


Too often, supply chain and procurement leaders are not well-prepared for complex negotiations with key suppliers. So what does it take to get ready for even the toughest adversaries? Here are seven techniques that top supply management negotiators put into action--techniques that prove effective even when the deck is stacked against them.


Here is a brief paper that answers the question as to why there is a 7 year economic cycle. The answer lies in demographics.


A point of a digital space is called simple if it can be deleted from the space without altering topology. This paper introduces the notion simple set of points of a digital space. The definition is based on contractible spaces and contractible transformations. A set of points in a digital space is called simple if it can be contracted to a point without changing topology of the space. It is shown that contracting a simple set of points does not change the homotopy type of a digital space, and the number of points in a digital space without simple points can be reduces by contracting simple sets. Using the process of contracting, we can substantially compress a digital space while preserving the topology. The paper proposes a method for thinning a digital space which shows that this approach can contribute to computer science such as medical imaging, computer graphics and pattern analysis.


Many small wholesale grain markets in India are characterized by large numbers of sellers and a relatively small number of buyers, thereby lending the price formation process open to manipulation through collusion. Government intervention limits the extent of such manipulation through the institution of regulated markets, where the rules of exchange are clearly spelled out and the price formation process is transparent. Unfortunately, recent studies that document how agricultural markets operate—especially in Northern India—and the extent to which they hinder or serve farmers, are rare. In this paper we attempt to fill this gap by studying the functioning of a regulated basmati paddy market in the state of Haryana in North India. [Working Paper No. 91]


A review of the literature concerning the analysis of nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry is made and it is compared with own experience. The advantages and the limits of this technique are examined. The practical problems in the interpretation of the histograms and the value of the measurements are discussed. The importance of this analysis in diagnosis and in staging of many tumors and the clinical involvements are emphasized. In many tumors DNA ploidy represents a new independent prognostic variable that is useful to separate the cases with a potential worse behaviour in an early stage, when other classic parameter are not available. It is also stressed the importance of flow cytometric DNA analysis of tumor cells. This is made on the same tissues that pathologists use for histopathological diagnosis and the results are important in many cases for a diagnostic accuracy.


Background IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic condition of unknown etiology, characterized by highly fibrotic lesions with dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates rich in IgG4+ plasma cells and CD4+ T cells (1). Given the longstanding history of atopy that characterizes a proportion of patients with IgG4-RD, it has been suggested that TH2 cytokines contribute to the pathogenesis of this condition (2). However, we recently demonstrated that allergic manifestations are not increased in patients with IgG4-RD compared to the general population (3). Similarly, CD4+TH2 cells are expanded only in the peripheral blood of IgG4-RD patients with concomitant atopy, questioning the hypothesis of IgG4-RD as a TH2 driven condition (4). Objectives We aimed to characterize CD4+ T cell subsets in IgG4-RD subjects. Methods We used flow cytometry to identify CD4+ effector/memory T cells as well as Th1, Th2, and T regulatory cells in a cohort of 101 IgG4-RD patients. Gene expression analysis was used to further characterize expanded cells. Results were validated by flow cytometry. Next-generation sequencing of the T cell receptor β chain gene was performed on CD4+ T cells in a subset of patients to identify their clonality. Tissue infiltration by specific T cells was examined using quantitative multi-color imaging. Results CD4+ effector/memory T cells with a cytolytic phenotype (cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)) were expanded in IgG4-RD patients compared to healthy controls. Next-generation sequencing revealed prominent clonal expansions of these CD4+CTLs but not of CD4+GATA3+ memory TH2 cells in subjects with IgG4-RD. The dominant T cells infiltrating a range of inflamed IgG4-RD tissue sites were clonally expanded CD4+CTLs that expressed granzyme A and perforin. Clinical remission induced by rituximab-mediated B cell depletion was associated with a reduction in disease-associated CD4+ CTLs. Conclusions IgG4-RD is prominently linked to clonally-expanded CD4+ CTLs in peripheral blood as well as in inflammatory tissue lesions. A TH2 signature might be primarily linked to a concomitant atopic diathesis. CD4+ CTLs might be of pathogenic importance in other fibrotic conditions including IgG4-RD. References Della-Torre E, Lanzillotta M, Doglioni C. Immunology of IgG4-related disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 2015 Aug;181(2):191–206. Kamisawa T, Anjiki H, Egawa N, Kubota N. Allergic manifestations in autoimmune pancreatitis. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Oct;21(10):1136–39. Della Torre E, Mattoo H, Mahajan VS, Carruthers M, Pillai S, Stone JH. Prevalence of atopy, eosinophilia, and IgE elevation in IgG4-related disease. Allergy. 2014 Feb;69(2):269–72. Mattoo H, Della-Torre E, Mahajan VS, Stone JH, Pillai S. Circulating Th2 memory cells in IgG4-related disease are restricted to a defined subset of subjects with atopy. Allergy. 2014 Mar;69(3):399–402. Disclosure of Interest None declared


As the literature does not contain enough measurement data to create dedicated correlations for the Nusselt number and convective heat transfer inside box type windows, CFD simulations are performed to study the type of natural convection in such windows. Validation is attempted with the help of the turbulence benchmark of Betts and Bokhari (2000) and comparison with other simulations found in the literature. The k-ω SST model of Menter (1994) is selected to perform a wide range study of the cavity aspect ratios and Rayleigh numbers expected in box windows, enabling an analysis of the types of convections encountered. A new correlation is introduced to calculate the convective heat transfer, and finally, the study is augmented to investigate the effects the temperature stratification has on critical glazing surface temperatures.


A method is introduced to measure the risk of being non-compliant and the cost of reducing the risk by performing internal audits with the help of automated audit tools. Risk exposure of a business process is defined in terms of the prevalence of non-compliant process instances that are subject to penalty. The risk exposure can be reduced by detecting the non-compliant process instances in advance with the help of manual audits and automated auditing tools. The cost of this hybrid approach, however, should be kept less than the reduction amount of risk exposure.