In this review we discuss health measurement with a focus on psychometric methods and methodology. In particular, we examine some of the key issues currently facing the use of clinician and patient rating scales to measure the health outcomes of disease and treatment. We present three key facts and flag one crucial problem. First, the numbers generated by scales are increasingly used as the measurements of the central dependent variables upon which clinical decisions are frequently made. The rising profile of rating scales has significant implications for scale construction, evaluation, and selection, as well as for interpreting studies. Second, rating scale science is well established. Therefore, it is important to learn the lessons from those who have built and established the science over the last century. Finally, the goal of a rating scale is to measure. As such, over the last half century, developments in rating scale (psychometric) methods have caused a refocus in the way we should be measuring health. In particular, newer methods have significant clinical advantages over traditional approaches. These should be seriously considered for inclusion in everyday practice. This leads us to the central problem with health measurement, which is that we cannot currently be sure what most rating scales are measuring. This is because the methods we have in place to ensure the validity of rating scales fall short of what is actually required. We expand on this point, and provide some potential routes forward to help address this important problem.


E-mail: email@example.com Department of General Practice Institute of Health and Society University of Oslo and Department of Administration Vestfold Hospital Trust She contributed to the study concept, design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, literature review, drafting/revision of the manuscript, and approved the submitted version. Maria Romøren PhD (born 1974), is a general practitioner and researcher. She has a doctorate in sexually transmitted diseases. The author has completed the ICMJE form and reports no conflicts of interest.


We report on two classes of autoequivalences of the category of Yetter-Drinfeld modules over a finite group, or, equivalently the Drinfeld center of the category of representations of a finite group. Both operations are related to the $r$-th power operation, with $r$ relatively prime to the exponent of the group. One is defined more generally for the group-theoretical fusion category defined by a finite group and an arbitrary subgroup, while the other seems particular to the case of Yetter-Drinfeld modules. Both autoequivalences preserve higher Frobenius-Schur indicators up to Galois conjugation, and they preserve tensor products, although neither of them can in general be endowed with the structure of a monoidal functor.


An exact expression for the partial wave hard sphere quantum propagator in three-dimensional space is given in terms of the Fourier transform of an expression involving spherical Bessel functions. For the s wave case, the Fourier transform is calculated analytically. This Fourier transform is also evaluated for the general case by contour integration in terms of a Laplace transform and residues contributions. The accuracy of previous approximations for a hard sphere quantum propagator can thus be evaluated. In particular, the Van Vleck–Gutzwiller classical approximation is found to be very accurate provided that the classical action is greater than only a few units of reduced Planck constant.


Based on the narratives of four women, this project report examines otherness in the contemporary society. The four women; Jane, Sigrid, Karen and Marianne define themselves as being highly sensitive – a relatively new phenomenon, which has occurred in Danish society, as well as in the rest of the western world.
To put an insight into the understanding of otherness and being highly sensitive, we produced four individual interviews with the aforementioned women. The interviews as well as our scientific approach in the project have been inspired by symbolic interactionism. Our theoretical approach is based on theories represented by Richard Jenkins, Erving Goffman and Axel Honneth.
The analysis in the project demonstrates that narratives of otherness are formed very differently depending on individual circumstances. Some of the women generates the highly sensitivity as a positive and useful personality trait in their daily lives, while the other women produce the highly sensitivity as a limiting part of their daily life. Furthermore the project calls for a widening of the concept society. In the narratives of the women society is defined as working life and other relational contexts. They create very different pictures of whether they find that their otherness is being acknowledged by society.


Compressed sensing (CS) is a signal acquisition paradigm to simultaneously acquire and reduce dimension of signals that admit sparse representations. When such a signal is acquired according to the principles of CS, the measurements still take on values in the continuum. In today's "digital" world, a subsequent quantization step, where these measurements are replaced with elements from a finite set is crucial. We focus on one of the approaches that yield efficient quantizers for CS: Σ∆ quantization, followed by a one-stage tractable reconstruction method, which was developed in [20] with theoretical error guarantees in the case of sub-Gaussian matrices. We propose two alternative approaches that extend the results of [20] to a wider class of measurement matrices including (certain unitary transforms of) partial bounded orthonormal systems and deterministic constructions based on chirp sensing matrices.


The sociocultural context of racism influences the behaviors of Black men and may reflect healthy paranoia (Sue, Capodilupo, & Holder, 2008). No published studies however, have directly examined the sociocultural experiences that influence Black men's endorsement of paranoid-like behaviors. An online study was conducted with a nonclinical sample of Black men (N = 104) who completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III (MCMI-III) Paranoid scale (Millon, Millon, Davis, & Grossman, 1994) and reported why they endorsed certain items. Responses to weighted items on this scale were analyzed using modified consensual qualitative research (CQR) procedures (Spangler, Liu, & Hill, 2012). The results indicated that this sample of Black men endorsed items reflective of clinical paranoia because they have life experiences that make them mistrustful. Their item responses were systematically categorized into the following categories: (a) life lessons learned in close relationships, (b) negative experiences at work or school, and (c) experiences living in oppressive contexts. Participant responses also reflected coping strategies categorized as: (d) personal coping (through awareness, acceptance, and meaning-making), (e) relational coping (through analysis and boundary enforcement), and (f) coping with systemic oppression. These results suggest that adaptive coping with life experiences may be misinterpreted as paranoia when the sociocultural context is not carefully considered.


High performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with fluorescence scanning densitometry was used for the quantitative determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soluble organic fraction of air particulate samples. A method using normalized emission response ratios was developed to determine sample identity and to test for peak homogeneity. To preserve the high sample throughput of HPTLC, the two-point calibration method was used for quantitation. The principal advantages of HPTLC as a screening technique for environmental samples are its low cost, methodological simplicity, high sample throughput, and the ability to analyze crude samples with a minimum amount of sample cleanup.


The authors report two cases of severe herpetic keratitis and briefly discuss the possible mechanism of acquired idoxuridine resistance of herpes simplex virus. They believe that acquired resistance to IDU may be due to the treatment itself because of activity site of the inhibitor, i.e. the viral DNA.


As the recent development of the IT services, there is a urgent need of effective diagnosis system to present appropriate solution for the complicated problems of breakdown control, a cause analysis of breakdown and others. So we propose an intelligent diagnosis system that integrates the case-based reasoning and the artificial neural network to improve the system performance and to achieve optimal diagnosis. The case-based reasoning is a reasoning method that resolves the problems presented in current time through the past cases (experience). And it enables to make efficient reasoning by means of less complicated knowledge acquisition process, especially in the domain where it is difficult to extract formal rules. However, reasoning by using the case-based reasoning alone in diagnosis problem domain causes a problem of suggesting multiple causes on a given symptom. Since the suggested multiple causes of given symptom has the same weight, the unnecessary causes are also examined as well. In order to resolve such problems, the back-propagation learning algorithm of the artificial neural network is used to train the pairs of the causes and associated symptoms and find out the cause with the highest weight for occurrence to make more clarified and reliable diagnosis.


Telehealth applications such as Video-over-IP and remote sensor monitoring are rapidly growing in utilisation and it has now expanded to the patient's homes. These Telehealth applications are, however highly delay sensitive and require high quality (and bandwidth priority) in order to provide satisfactory performances. However, at the patient's home area network (HAN) environment, typically there is no Internet traffic management system which highly affects the quality of these applications. As HAN expands its capacity by adding new devices in its network, the need for a network management system become urgent and necessary. In this study, we propose an infrastructure based method to improve Telehealth application quality by managing the quality and distribution of the Internet traffic among the connected devices in a HAN environment. We setup a HAN environment using existing devices readily available at home and tested the setting with typical Telehealth application needs that includes Video-over-IP, VoIP, data and other multimedia traffic. Our simulation results showed that our method is capable of providing better services. Our method indicated that it can provide ~11% lesser packet-loss under 12Mbps background traffic, while increasing 10% of the CPU load for Traffic management.


The significant interest in and reference to regional innovation networks for health capacity building within international and regional public health and development strategies has not been matched with the operational support they need. There is little guidance about how to create and sustain such networks and about how north-south collaborations can contribute to their success. This Article describes a model for building African health capacity through regional health innovation networks that focuses on the complete pathway from idea to commercialization of health technologies, and it suggests guidelines for effective north-south collaborations to support this approach. In doing so, the Article highlights the importance of local legal and business capacity building as part of a product-focused, network-based health innovation strategy.


Many environmental aspects such as the optical flow and one's own movement can affect posture stabilization. However, little is known about how these two features can be combined as participants maintain upright stance during grasping actions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moving room discrete movements (approaching to or moving back from participants) combined with grasping an object on postural control stability. Twelve participants stood upright inside a moving room, moved discretely approaching or moving away from the participants, as they had to remain still or grasping a stationary or an approaching ball. Body displacement and correlation coefficient values were obtained during the movement of the moving room and mean sway amplitude were used to infer postural stability before and after room's movement. Results indicated that grasping and movement of the moving room disrupted and induced body sway, even after the grasping action, however in those conditions in which optical flow was created, due to the moving room and moving ball, postural sway was less pronounced. Based upon these results, we can suggest that in those conditions that structured optical flow is available, even when posture might be destabilized due to one's own movement, postural control takes advantage of the optical flow to maintain postural equilibrium.


Numerical simulation was performed for the rotor blade with fixed tab in hover using an unstructured mesh Navier-Stokes flow solver. The inflow and outflow boundary conditions using 1D momentum and 3D sink theory were applied to reduce computational time. Calculations were performed at several operating conditions of varying collective pitch angle and fixed tab length. The aerodynamic effect of fixed tab length was investigated for hovering efficiency, pitching moment and flapping moment of the rotor blade. The results show that it affects linearly increasing on the pitching moment of the rotor blade but does not affect on the flapping moment. The required power is less than 45kw for ground rotating test in hover. Numerical simulations also show that the vortex generate not only from the tip of the rotor blade but also from the fixed tab on the rotor blade.


Recent studies suggest cone degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may result from intracellular energy depletion. We tested the hypothesis that cones die when depleted of energy by examining the effect of two bioenergetic, nutraceutical agents on cone survival. The study had three specific aims: firstly, we, studied the neuroprotective efficacies of glucose and creatine in an in vitro model of RP. Next, we utilized a well-characterized mouse model of RP to examine whether surviving cones, devoid of their inner segments, continue to express genes vital for glucose, and creatine utilization. Finally, we analyzed the neuroprotective properties of glucose and creatine on cone photoreceptors in a mouse model of RP. Two different bioenergy-based therapies were tested in rd1 mice: repeated local delivery of glucose and systemic creatine. Optomotor responses were tested and cone density was quantified on retinal wholemounts. The results showed that glucose supplementation increased survival of cones in culture subjected to mitochondrial stress or oxidative insult. Despite losing their inner segments, surviving cones in the rd1 retina continued to express the various glycolytic enzymes. Following a single subconjunctival injection, the mean vitreous glucose concentration was significantly elevated at 1 and 8 h, but not at 16 h after injection; however, daily subconjunctival injection of glucose neither enhanced spatial visual performance nor slowed cone cell degeneration in rd1 mice relative to isotonic saline. Creatine dose-dependently increased survival of cones in culture subjected to mitochondrial dysfunction, but not to oxidative stress. Despite the loss of their mitochondrial-rich inner segments, cone somas and axonal terminals in the rd1 retina were strongly positive for both the mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of creatine kinase at each time point examined. Creatine-fed rd1 mice displayed enhanced optomotor responses compared to mice fed normal chow. Moreover, cone density was significantly greater in creatine-treated mice compared to controls. The overall results of this study provide tentative support for the hypothesis that creatine supplementation may delay secondary degeneration of cones in individuals with RP.


TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a type II membrane protein belonging to the TNF family that regulates apoptotic cell death, cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and inflammation. However, the role of TWEAK in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. In this study, we have investigated the effect of neutralizing anti-TWEAK mAb on the development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a well-established murine model of RA. Administration of anti-TWEAK mAb significantly ameliorated paw swelling, synovial hyperplasia, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The levels of proinflammatory chemokines such as MCP-1 and MIP-2 in serum and knee joints were reduced by this treatment. Consistently, recombinant TWEAK enhanced the proliferation of MCP-1 and MIP-2 production by synovial cells from CIA mice in vitro. Histological examination also revealed that the treatment with anti-TWEAK mAb suppressed the development of small vessels in synovial tissues. These results indicated anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic effects of the TWEAK blockade in CIA, which may be also beneficial for the treatment of RA.


A young girl 20 years old with mandibular prognathism, has been treated with orthodontics and surgical treatment in between. Mandibular set back was done intra orally 5 mm length and bilateral sagital split ramus osteotomy method. And rigid fixation was done by inserting three 2 mm bicortical screws for stabilizing the fragment. This method allowed the bony segments to heal properly and allowed the patients to function sooner.


Chang, K. F., Conner, R. L., Hwang, S. F., Ahmed, H. U., McLaren, D. L., Gossen, B. D. and Turnbull, G. D. 2014. Effects of seed treatments and inoculum density of Fusarium avenaceum and Rhizoctonia solani on seedling blight and root rot of faba bean. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 693-700. Production of faba bean cultivars with tannin-free seed on the Canadian prairies has potential for use in human food and as a feedstock for livestock and aquaculture. However, root rot is a major constraint to production. The effects of fungicide seed treatments on root rot caused by Fusarium avenaceum and Rhizoctonia solani, and the effect of inoculum density on seedling emergence, nodulation, root rot severity and yield of faba bean were examined across 12 station years from 2009 to 2011 at sites in Manitoba and Alberta. Fusarium avenaceum reduced seedling emergence more than R.solani, but both pathogens had a similar impact on seed yield. The effects of inoculum density and seed treatment were generally significant for seedling emergence, root rot severity and seed yield for both pathogens. The interaction effects of inoculum density×seed treatment for F.avenaceum and R.solani were only significant for seed yield and seedling emergence. Seedling emergence and seed yield declined with increasing inoculum level for both F. avenaceum and R.solani. Fungicidal seed treatments with Apron Maxx (fludioxonil+metalaxyl) and Vitaflo 280 (carbathiin+thiram) consistently improved emergence and seed yield in trials inoculated with F.avenaceum or R.solani. This study demonstrated that seed treatment to manage root rot of faba bean is warranted.


Background: Recent studies on e-health web-based solutions show promising results. The main goal of this study was to facilitate change and increase daily life functioning for people who experienced traumatic stressors. Methods: 10 women aged from 20 to 61 years, who experienced at least one traumatic event, participated in this study. 8 session internet-based stress management program developed by the authors of this study included writing task once in a week, with a response from a professional psychologist. Functioning and health measures were made online. Research was funded by a grant (No. MIP-011/2012) from the Research Council of Lithuania. Findings: Stress management program had significant positive effects on health and daily functioning of participants. Discussion: This study demonstrated promising results of web-based e-health solutions for trauma exposed persons, and indicates perspectives of cost-effective stress management programs for prevention of health related problems.


Clinical and microscopic pathologic findings at second look surgery for ovarian neoplasm were evaluated in 31 patients to assess the changes induced by chemotherapy and to evaluate prognostic signs. Significant microscopic changes were found in one-third of cases including nuclear hyperchromasia, and decreased differentiation. Minimal changes in inflammatory response were noted as well as a suggestion of an effect on clot organization. Differences between clinical and microscopic response were marked. Good clinical response was generally associated with minimal or absent tumor found at the second look.


A denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating bacterium (YKP-9) was isolated from activated sludge of a 5-stage biological nutrient removal process with step feed system. This organism was a Gram-negative, coccus-shaped, facultative aerobic chemoorganotroph. It had a respiratory type of metabolism with oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite as terminal electron acceptors. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain YKP-9 was most similar to the 16S rRNA gene sequence of Paracoccus sp. OL18 (AY312056) (similarity level, 97%). Denitrifying polyphosphate accumulation by strain YKP-9 was examined under anaerobicanoxic and anaerobic-oxic batch conditions. It was able to use external carbon sources for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis and to release phosphate under anaerobic condition. It accumulated polyphosphate and grew a little on energy provided by external carbon sources under anoxic condition, but did neither accumulate polyphosphate nor grow in the absence of external carbon sources under anoxic condition. Cells with intracellular PHA cannot accumulate polyphosphate in the absence of external carbon sources under anoxic condition. Under oxic condition, it grew but could not accumulate polyphosphate with external carbon sources. Based on the results from this study, strain YKP-9 is a new-type denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating bacterium that accumulates polyphosphate only under anoxic condition, with nitrate and nitrite as the electron acceptors in the presence of external carbon sources.


Shaar Haaliya--Israel's Ellis Island during the mass immigration of the 1950s--is a case study that challenges the historian's understanding of the concept of quarantine. It was isolated and fenced off for declared health purposes and was widely referred to as a quarantine, but archival and historiographical documentation suggest that Israeli public health policy did not define it as such. I track the discussion and conflict surrounding Shaar Haaliya's function and perception as a quarantine. This is a story that illuminates the way fear of disease converged with fear of immigration as well as the way defiance of public health institutions took shape in a unique framework of citizenship and during a unique wave of migration.


We studied the spatial overlap of on and off subregions in macaque primary visual cortex and its relation to the response modulation ratio (the F1/F0 ratio). Spatial maps of on and off subregions were obtained by reverse correlation with a dynamic noise pattern of bright and dark spots. Two spatial maps, on and off, were produced by cross-correlating the spike train with the location of bright and dark spots in the stimulus respectively. Several measures were used to assess the degree of overlap between subregions. In a subset of neurons, we also computed the F1/F0 ratio in response to drifting sinusoidal gratings. Significant correlations were found among all the overlap measures and the F1/F0 ratio. Most overlap indices considered, and the F1/F0 measure, had bimodal distributions. In contrast, the distance between on and off subregions normalized by their size was unimodal. Surprisingly, a simple model that additively combines on and off subregions with spatial separations drawn from a unimodal distribution, can readily explain the data. These analyses clarify the relationship between subregion overlap and the F1/F0 ratio in macaque primary visual cortex, and a simple model provides a parsimonious explanation for the co-existence of bimodal distributions of overlap indices and a unimodal distribution of the normalized distance.


The growth of the company listed on the IDX is experiencing the highest achievement as the most listed exchange of IPO in the ASEAN region. The fluctuation of the profit generated by PT. Prasidha Aneka Niaga Tbk. which tends to suffer losses in the year of research, the research aims to predict bankruptcy at PT. Prasidha Aneka Niaga Tbk. using the Altman Z-Score and Zmijewski method. The method of study that was used is a descriptive method. The data used is based on the annual financial report. The results showed that bankruptcy predictions using the Altman model of the company's Z-Score were in the grey area and had potential bankruptcy category. While bankruptcy predictions using Zmijewski the company is in a healthy category. Based on the said calculations, the company has produced different results, but judging from the ratio of each model the company is in position of vigilant bankruptcy.


Background: The application of medical accident insurance could not only cover parts of patients' property loss caused by non-medical negligence, but also reduce the risks of medical staff during medical services. However, the compensation mechanism for medical accidents is unsound in china. Methods: In order to figure out the awareness and acceptance of the medical accident insurance in Shanghai medical institutions, medical staff and patients, a questionnaire survey was conducted. The feedback, which in total came from 22 medical institutions, 1,689 medical staff and 1,342 patients, was statistically analyzed by chi-square test.Results:Only 22.72% of the 22 hospitals in this questionnaire survey purchased medical accident insurance. As a result, medical accident insurance only accounts for 3.13% of medical compensation, which was far lower than the negotiated compensation ratio (61.25%) and the medical liability insurance compensation ratio (14.38%). This may be due to the low awareness of medical accident insurance, and our survey also proves this phenomenon. In this survey, we find that only a small proportion (22.73%) of medical institutions purchase medical accident insurance. What is more unexpected is that the vast majorities of patients (50.00%) and medical workers (64.00%) have only heard of it and are not aware of it. Although nearly half of the patients (45.16%) and medical workers (58.26%) are willing to buy medical accident insurance, there were still some patients and medical workers who were uncertain (32.80% and 38.82%, respectively) or unwilling to buy it (8.94% and 16.02%, respectively). The reason is nothing more than that no benefits will occur while the cost is high. Among those willing to buy, the majority of the patients (58.19%) and medical workers (54.39%) only accept the amount of insurance less than RMB 200 yuan. Conclusions: The acceptability and cognition of medical accident insurance in medical workers and patients are still at a low level in Shanghai. In addition, preliminary data from medical institutions purchasing medical accident insurance shows that the insurance can effectively reduce medical disputes and ease economic burden. To sum up, medical accident insurance has good application prospect and space in Shanghai, China.


Abstract. Following the previous efforts of INTERACT (INTERcomparison of Aerosol and
Cloud Tracking), the INTERACT-II campaign used multi-wavelength Raman lidar
measurements to assess the performance of an automatic compact micro-pulse
lidar (MiniMPL) and two ceilometers (CL51 and CS135) in providing reliable
information about optical and geometric atmospheric aerosol properties. The
campaign took place at the CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory
(760  m a . s . l . ; 40.60 ∘  N, 15.72 ∘  E) in the
framework of ACTRIS-2 (Aerosol Clouds Trace gases Research InfraStructure)
H2020 project. Co-located simultaneous measurements involving a MiniMPL, two
ceilometers and two EARLINET multi-wavelength Raman lidars were performed
from July to December 2016. The intercomparison highlighted that the MiniMPL
range-corrected signals (RCSs) show, on average, a fractional difference with
respect to those of CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (CIAO) lidars ranging
from 5 to 15 % below 2.0  km  a.s.l. (above sea level), largely
due to the use of an inaccurate overlap correction, and smaller than 5 %
in the free troposphere. For the CL51, the attenuated backscatter values have
an average fractional difference with respect to CIAO
lidars   20–30 % below 3  km and larger above. The
variability of the CL51 calibration constant is within ± 46 %. For the
CS135, the performance is similar to the CL51 below 2.0  km a . s . l . ,
while in the region above 3  km a . s . l . the differences are about
 ± 40 %. The variability of the CS135 normalization constant is within
 ± 47 %. Finally, additional tests performed during the campaign using the CHM15k
ceilometer operated at CIAO showed the clear need to investigate the CHM15k
historical dataset (2010–2016) to evaluate potential effects of ceilometer
laser fluctuations on calibration stability. The number of laser pulses shows
an average variability of 10 % with respect to the nominal power which
conforms to the ceilometer specifications. Nevertheless, laser pulses
variability follows seasonal behavior with an increase in the number of laser
pulses in summer and a decrease in winter. This contributes to explain the
dependency of the ceilometer calibration constant on the environmental
temperature hypothesized during INTERACT.


We have developed 220 and 440-GHz cameras using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) for astronomical observations. The optical system of the MKID camera is based on double-slot antennas and extended hemispherical silicon lens arrays. The lens diameter is three times the target wavelength. The 220-GHz camera and the 440-GHz camera have 9 pixels and 102 pixels, respectively. The silicon lens array has been directly machined using a high-speed spindle on an ultra-precision machine. The shape fabrication error and the surface roughness of the top of the lens were typically less than 10 μm (peak-to-valley) and about 0.7 μm (rms), respectively. The beam patterns of the MKID camera were measured and are in good agreement with the calculations.


The article deals with the main features and challenges inherent in teaching LSP and professional training of interpreters/translators in banking and finance, with a special emphasis on its stylistic aspects.


Over the past decade in particular, sustainable development has become an important aspect of at Malaysian local governments. There are many ways in which sustainability issues can be incorporated in an organisation. In relation to that, this study looks at the perceptions of stakeholders in knowledge transfer of sustainable development at Malaysian local governments' planning approval. An intended study is to provide an in-depth and better understanding of the strength and weaknesses and other relevant factors that promote or hinder the Sustainable Development. The respondents are from the selected stakeholders based on the discussion with the local governments. They are interviewed and the analysis is conducted using qualitative method. This study is to contribute to the enrichment of knowledge on the role of Local Governments in Sustainable Development. Therefore, this research seeks to find out the knowledge transfer practices of sustainable development at local governments in Malaysia, which is needed to be improved for sustainability deliverables.


Abstract Stornesite-(Y), end-member formula Y⃞2Na6(Ca5Na3)Mg43(PO4)36, is a new Y-dominant analog of the meteoritic mineral chladniite. A representative electron microprobe analysis is SiO2 = 0.02, P2O5 = 48.11, SO3 = 0.05, MgO = 23.16, MnO = 0.24, FeO = 15.55, Na2O = 5.04, CaO = 5.66, SrO = 0.02, Y2O3 = 1.43, Yb2O3 = 0.24, UO2 = 0.01, Sum = 99.53 wt%, which gives Y0.68Yb0.06Na8.69Ca5.40Sr0.01Mg30.71Fe11.56 Mn0.18Si0.02S0.04P36.22O144. Overall, Y + REE range from 0.542 to 0.985 atoms per formula, and atomic Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio from 0.684 to 0.749. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction gives trigonal symmetry, R3̅, a = 14.9628(27) Å, c = 42.756(11) Å, V = 8290(4) Å3, calculated density = 3.196 g/cm3, Z = 3. The mineral is isostructural with synthetic chladniite, but the (0, 0, 0) site is dominantly occupied by Y instead of Ca. Bond lengths are considerably shorter than for Ca sites; Y and Yb are fully ordered at this site, which is our rationale for recognizing stornesite-(Y) as a distinct species. The strongest lines in the powder pattern [d in Å, (I), (hkl)] are 3.67 (40) (0 3 6, 3 0 6), 3.52 (40) (0 0 12, 3 1 2, 1 3 2̅), 2.94 (60) (0 1 14, 3 2 2̅, 2 3 2), 2.73 (100) (2 0 14, 0 3 12, 3 0 12), 1.84 (40) (1 5 14, 5 11̅4̅ , 0 6 12, 6 0 12). The mineral is optically uniaxial +, nω = 1.6215(10) and nε = 1.6250(10) at 589 nm. Its color is pale yellow in standard thin sections. Stornesite-(Y) is found as inclusions in fluorapatite nodules in two paragneiss specimens from Johnston Fjord, Stornes Peninsula (whence the name) and in a third from Brattnevet, Larsemann Hills. Associated minerals are wagnerite, xenotime-(Y), monazite-(Ce), P-bearing K-feldspar, biotite, sillimanite, quartz, and pyrite; it is commonly altered to rusty material and secondary phosphates. Grains are anhedral, subhedral, or locally euhedral with hexagonal or rhombic outlines; maximum dimensions are 1 × 0.25 mm. It is inferred to have formed at 800.860 °C, 6.7 kbar by reaction of biotite with an anatectic melt locally enriched in P by interaction with fluorapatite.


A dual-shutter MEMS variable optical attenuator (VOA) is designed for advanced tuning functions such as linear attenuation relationship and simultaneous coarse and fine tunings. The mechanism behind is to take advantage of the additional shutter to render one more degree of freedom for attenuation adjustment. Although dual-shutter VOAs with asymmetric functionalities have been reported before, these intrinsic capabilities owing to asymmetry have not been extensively investigated. In experiment, the fabricated VOA device has demonstrated a linear tuning over a 20-dB range with respect to the driving voltage of one shutter, and it has also realized simultaneously coarse tuning (2.5 dB/V) and fine tuning (0.1 dB/V) by the two shutters. Ideally, the tuning can start from any available working point, linear to any controlling parameter, at any slope of linearity, and with any tuning resolution. Theoretical attenuation model has also been developed to provide a roadmap for the VOA design and choice of working point. An interesting finding is that over a certain range the linear attenuation can be obtained by moving a fixed aperture rather than by reducing the aperture size, which greatly relaxes the difficulty of shutter position control. The measured results match well with the theoretical data, implying the possibility of developing a look-up table to locate the shutter positions quickly. The dual-shutter VOA accomplishes these features without the need of high-precision control systems and therefore gives a structure-based rather than a control-system-based solution, clearly advantageous over the previously developed VOAs.


Waardenburg syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease with incidence of 1 in 40000 that manifest with pigmentation defects of skin, hair and iris, sensory neural hearing loss and various defects of neural crest derived tissues. Mutations in EDN3, EDNRB, MITF, PAX3, SNAI2 and SOX10 genes. We report two isolated cases of newborn who presented with complaints of vomiting since day one of birth and other symptoms of intestinal obstruction and all clinical features were consistent with Waardeburg syndrome in the form of white forelock in the midline along with heterochromia iridium, bright red fundal reflex with choroidal depigmentation. Exploratory laparotomy in both cases confirmed Hirschprung disease with histopathological examination report. No family history was noted in both cases.


The Three Gorges Project (TGP) has greatly enhanced the heterogeneity of the underlying surface in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA), thereby affecting the hydrologic processes and water quality. However, the influence of the differences of underlying surfaces on the hydrologic processes and water quality in the TGRA has not been studied thoroughly. In this research, the influence of the heterogeneity of landscape pattern and geographical characteristics on the spatial distribution difference of hydrologic processes and water quality in the different tributary basins of the TGRA was identified. The TGRA was divided into 23 tributary basins with 1840 sub-basins. The spatial differentiation of the hydrologic processes and water quality of the 23 tributary basins was examined by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The observed data between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2013 were used to calibrate and validate the model, after which the SWAT model was applied to further predict the runoff and water quality in the TGRA. There are 25 main model parameters, including CN2, CH_K2 and SOL_AWC, which were calibrated and validated with SWAT-Calibration and Uncertainty Procedures (SWAT-CUP). The landscape patterns and geomorphologic characteristics in 23 tributary basins were investigated and spatially visualized to correlate with surface runoff and nutrient losses. Due to geographical difference, the average total runoff depth (2010–2013) in the left bank area (538.6 mm) was 1.4 times higher than that in the right bank area (384.5 mm), total nitrogen (TN) loads in the left bank area (6.23 kg/ha) were 1.9 times higher than in the right bank area (3.27 kg/ha), and total phosphorus (TP) loads in the left bank area (1.27 kg/ha) were 2.2 times higher than in the right bank area (0.58 kg/ha). The total runoff depth decreased from the head region (553.3 mm) to the tail region (383.2 mm), while the loads of TN and TP were the highest in the middle region (5.51 kg/ha for TN, 1.15 kg/ha for TP), followed by the tail region (5.15 kg/ha for TN, 1.12 kg/ha for TP) and head region (3.92 kg/ha for TN, 0.56 kg/ha for TP). Owing to the different spatial distributions of land use, soil and geographical features in the TGRA, correlations between elevation, slope gradient, slope length and total runoff depth, TN and TP, were not clear and no consistency was observed in each tributary basin. Therefore, the management and control schemes of the water security of the TGRA should be adapted to local conditions.


Recently a number of studies demonstrated impressive performance on diverse vision-language multi-modal tasks such as image captioning and visual question answering by extending the BERT architecture with multi-modal pre-training objectives. In this work we explore a broad set of multi-modal representation learning tasks in the medical domain, specifically using radiology images and the unstructured report. We propose Medical Vision Language Learner (MedViLL), which adopts a BERT-based architecture combined with a novel multi-modal attention masking scheme to maximize generalization performance for both vision-language understanding tasks (diagnosis classification, medical image-report retrieval, medical visual question answering) and vision-language generation task (radiology report generation). By statistically and rigorously evaluating the proposed model on four downstream tasks with three radiographic image-report datasets (MIMIC-CXR, Open-I, and VQA-RAD), we empirically demonstrate the superior downstream task performance of MedViLL against various baselines, including task-specific architectures.


The dihedral angle between the two aromatic ring systems in the title compound, C15H12N2O, is 42.6 (1)°. The angle at the O atom is widened to 117.7 (1)°.


Exactly 101 years ago, German scientist Alfred Lothar Wegener, sailed against the prevailing wisdom of his day when he posited that not only have the Earth's continental plates receded from each other over the course of the Earth's history, but that they are currently in a state of motion relative to one another. To explain this, Wegener set forth the hypothesis that the Earth must be expanding as a whole. Wegener's inability to provide an adequate explanation of the forces and energy source responsible for continental drift and the prevailing belief that the Earth was a rigid solid body resulted in the acrimonious dismissal of his theories. Today, that the continents are generally receding from each other is no longer a point of debate but a sacrosanct pillar of modern geology and geophysics. What is debatable is the energy source driving this phenomenon. Herein, we hold that continental drift is a result of the Earth undergoing a secular radial expansion. An expanding Earth hypothesis is currently an idea that is not accepted on a general consensus level. Be thatas it may, we show herein that the law of conservation of angular momentum and energy entail that the Earth must not only expand as a consequence of the secular recession of the Earth-Moon system from the Sun, but invariably, that the Moon must contract as well. As a result, the much sort for energy source driving plate tectonics can (hypothetically) be identified with the energy transfers occurring between the orbital and rotational kinetic energy of the Earth. If our calculations are to be believed—as we do; then, the Earth must be expanding radially at a paltry rate of about +1.50 mm/yr while the Moon is contracting radially at a relatively high rate of about -410 mm/yr.


This study is a follow-up of a 1965 investigation of the only known focus of Onchocerca volvulus in Colombia. In the first phase of the current study, 254 persons were examined. Of the 19 individuals found to be infected with O. volvulus, the youngest was a 16-year-old male. Among those included in the 1965 study, 22 were examined again for microfilariae. Two were positive in both studies, 4 were positive in 1965 but negative in 1977 and the remaining 16 were negative on both occasions. The prevalence of infection, based on identification of microfilariae in skin snips, was lower in the current study (7.5%) than the 15.1% recorded 12 years earlier. However, a 50% response to the Mazzotti test (administration of oral diethylcarbamazine) among a limited number of people upstream from the previously identified endemic area suggests that infection with O. volvulus may be quite widespread.


This article draws on personal narrative, literary criticism, and multicultural Canadian literature to interrogate George Elliott Clarke's conceptualizations of a Black Canadian literature and a racialized African-Canadian literary canon in his 2002 essay collection Odysseys Home: Mapping African-Canadian Literatures. Clarke's work is juxtaposed with my own experience as a bi-racial, multi-ethnic, Black, Negro, mulatto, half-caste, African-Canadian woman, and with those of non-Black scholars, to expose the shifting contours of ethnicity and the blurred and blurring boundaries of Canadian blackness in multi-, mixed-, and indeterminately racial Canada. Through these critical comparisons, I suggest that a racialized African-Canadian literary canon excludes the multiple Canadian cultures in which our literatures are formed, and supports racial constructs that no longer fit the shapes of our multi-ethnic, diasporic, postcolonial skins. I conclude that upon the fertile ground tended by Clarke's Black literary activism, a de-racialized African-Canadian literature may grow.


Since the first report appeared in 1979, the incidence of potentially life threatening allergic reactions to latex has increased. We performed Cesarean section on a 28 yr old women who showed a severe latex allergic reaction that induced fetal distress. In the 39 th week of pregnancy, delivery was induced with oxytocin and a vaginal examination was performed using latex gloves. Chest tightness, dyspnea, urticaria, maternal hypotension (78/50 mmHg) and fetal bradycardia (40-90 beats/min) appeared suddenly 10 min after the vaginal examination. In addition to the subcutaneous injection of 0.3 mg epinephrine, diphenhydramine 45.5 mg and dexamethasone 4 mg was administered intravenously. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental and succinycholine, and maintained with isoflurane and epidural lidocaine. After operation, no additional problems were evident, except an itching sense. Potentially life threatening allergic reactions to latex should be considered in those with a high risk of latex allergy, and efforts should be made to provide this group with a latex-free environment.


This teaching case is part of a case series that deals with the introduction of a digital multi-sided platform (MSP) – a digital space that aims at increasing collaboration, data sharing, and visibility among the actors involved in different transport and logistics environments. Each case focuses on different aspects and implications related to this introduction. This particular case takes us to the urban context, as it follows the founder and managing director of a small Logistics Service Provider (LSP) in the area of Brussels. The case discusses if and how the introduction of a multi-sided digital platform can improve collaboration with customers and contribute in the optimization of the urban freight transport system, while at the same time decreasing the carbon footprint. The case attempts to draw particular attention to the role a digital platform can play in creating a comprehensive urban logistics system that goes far beyond the platform itself.


The effect of contraceptive surgical manipulations on mammary gland changes was investigated in mice models. Total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, unilateral tubal ligation and moderate uterine compression were performed in various subgroups of 500 mice. Mammary gland tumors (adenomas, adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas) were observed in an average of 50% (between 20 and 66%) of the operated animals about 6 months after surgery, while the controls remained free of tumors. Surgical interference with the reproductive capacity seems to have an effect on the mammary glands, inducing neoplastic changes. The relationship of our results to the influence of contraceptive procedures on the appearance of mammary gland tumors in women is discussed.


Lipocortins, a group of corticosteroid-induced phospholipase-inhibitory proteins, are thought to play a prominent role in the mediation of the anti-inflammatory effects of steroids. The synthesis and release of these proteins may represent a major endogenous mechanism of regulation of extracellular phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. Because soluble PLA2 activity has been associated with circulatory collapse in hyperphospholipasemic conditions, such as septic shock and pancreatitis, we examined the relationship between circulating PLA2 activity and adrenocortical function. In a prospective study of 10 episodes of septic shock, serum PLA2 and cortisol levels correlated significantly in all survivors (p less than 0.0001), whereas such a correlation was absent in all nonsurvivors (p less than 0.07). No significant correlation of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), or PLA2 and ACTH, was found in any patient, suggesting that the stimulus for cortisol release arises from outside the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. These data suggest that, in human beings, the regulation of soluble PLA2 activity may be mediated by adrenocortical hormones, perhaps through the intermediary action of lipocortins.


Case: A 22-year-old female patient was referred to the orthopaedic department for further examination after a radiopaque area was observed in the T6 vertebra in her chest radiograph. Computed Tomography (CT) showed a sclerotic mass with smooth borders, involving the entire body of the T6 vertebra, left posterior elements, posterior of the rib past the left zygapophyseal joint, and a "flowing candle wax" image toward the T7 vertebra. Spinal melorheostosis was considered radiologically in the patient, but malignancy could not be completely excluded. Thereupon, open biopsy was performed under general anesthesia. Conclusion: Spinal melorheostosis is a rare condition. Histological examination should be considered in cases where the diagnosis remains suspicious after clinical and radiological evaluations.


Recently, medium access control (MAC) protocols for ad hoc networks using smart antennas are presented. Smart antennas can improve the network capacity by electronically controlling the directivity of the main lobe and null points. Most of researches focus on controlling the main lobe to the destined node. However, since interference from other nodes incurs degradation of throughput, null steering to enhance SINR is also significant challenge. In this paper, we discuss the use of beam patterns with both the main lobe and the null point. First, we calculate some beam patterns with the both main lobe and the null point in the case of ESPAR antenna. Next, we propose a MAC protocol using the beam patterns with the both main lobe and the null point. In the proposed MAC protocol, a receive node can obtain a high gain toward its transmitter by the main lobe and can reduce the interference from other communications by the null point; we expect that the proposed protocol is a promising technique to improve throughput performance.


Social networking websites play an important role in our lives. These websites provide several services that allow users to enjoy their time in cyberspace by providing them space to represent their personalities in the virtual world. Using Goffman's dramaturgical theory, this study aims to identify the way Malaysian women represent themselves, by depicting and managing their virtual identities through Facebook while exploring the way they construct their identities and realize their online presence. A convenience sampling survey was used to collect data through Facebook. A total of 133 female students from a Malaysian university were involved in the study on their self-representations (online and offline); highlighting the way they presented their identities online and suggesting whether their offline influenced the virtual identities. It also explored the relationship between offline and online self-representation among the students. The findings showed a changing self-representation of the Malaysian women based on their utilization of the different Facebook services. The concept of "I" and "you" on the front and backstage is invoked as a theoretical form to understand how representation is made among the close and distant others. The findings showed a significant effect of the offline feelings on the Online self-representation and revealed a strong relationship between the offline and online presence. It indicated the difficulty of separation between virtual and real identity.


Abstract.
 PALYNOLOGICAL STUDY OF LA VETEADA FORMATION AT ITS TYPE LOCALITY (UPPER PERMIAN), FAMATINA RANGE, LA RIOJA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA. STRIATE, PLICATE AND COLPATE POLLEN GRAINS. This is a systematic study of the palynological assemblages recorded in the upper part of the La Veteada Formation (upper La Veteada Association), which constitutes the section of the type locality, La Rioja Province, Argentina. In this contribution, 72 species of striate (monosaccate and bisaccate), plicates and colpate pollen grains are presented. Four new species are described: Meristocorpus veteadensis sp. nov., Lueckisporites biformis sp. nov., Lunatisporites lenticularis sp. nov., and Marsupipollenites costatus sp. nov. and, a new combination, i.e., Striatopodocarpites gopadensis (Bharadwaj and Srivastava) comb. nov is proposed. This palynoflora has a marked dominance of striate pollen grains which have great species diversity of Striatopodocarpites (with 11 species)-Protohaploxypinus (9 species)-Lueckisporites (9 specics)-Lunatisporites (8 species) complex, showing scarse participation of the genera Vittatina, Weylandites, Marsupipollenites, Corisaccites, Staurosaccites and Pakhapites, as well as pollen grains referred to Cordaitales (Potonieisporites, Cannanorop ollis, Caheniasaccites, Plicatipollenites, Barakarites). It shares taxa recorded in the LW (Argentina), Vc-Lv (Brazil) and IS-AC (Uruguay) biozones. Tables include full taxonomic composition of the microflora of the La Veteada Formation at its type locality, the palynostratigraphic correlation of the Neopaleozoic strata of central Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay, and the global previous stratigraphic records of the species recorded and discussed herein. The palynoflora of the upper La Veteada Formation is referred to the Late Permian (Lopingian) based on the stratigraphic range of all the recognized species. Consequently, it is considered the youngest Permian palynoflora recorded hitherto in Argentina and South America.


Causes of hematuria outside pregnancy are all implicated in hematuria occurring in pregnancy in addition to pregnancy-specific causes such as pre-eclampsia and placenta percreta. When no organic cause is found, hematuria is classed as Idiopathic. Most authorities believe idiopathic hematuria is due to peculiar changes in the urinary tract resulting from mechanical and hormonal factors related to pregnancy. Such hematuria usually begins in late second trimester through the third trimester and resolves after delivery. A case is presented of idiopathic hematuria in a 33-year old mother of 3 whose hematuria resolved at 34 weeks as abruptly as it had started at 18 weeks in pregnancy. Clinical features suggest the cause to be the Nutcracker phenomenon. The need for noninvasive investigations and conservative management is stressed as well as the rarity of such cases resolving before delivery.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To test the effectiveness of a six-month senior elastic band exercise programme on the self-perceived health status and sleep quality of older adults living in community settings.

BACKGROUND
Health issues common among older adults living in community settings include poor physical and mental health conditions and sleep quality. Engagement in appropriate exercise programmes facilitates alleviating these health issues among older adults.

DESIGN
A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from six senior-citizen activity centres in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to either an experimental group (three centres, n = 97) or a control group (three centres, n = 102) based on the senior-citizen activity centres they attended.

METHODS
The participants in the experimental group carried out the Senior Elastic Band exercise programme for six months (three times per week and 40 minutes per session) in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the control group maintained their daily activities. The participants' self-perceived health status and sleep quality were examined at the baseline, three-month interval and six-month interval.

RESULTS
In total, 169 participants completed the six-month study: 84 constituted the experimental group and 85 constituted the control group. At the three-month interval, the participants in the experimental group had greater improvements in self-perceived physical health, overall sleep quality, sleep latency and sleep duration compared with those in the control group; these significant changes continued throughout the six-month study.

CONCLUSIONS
The Senior Elastic Band exercise programme showed promising effects in improving the self-perceived physical health and sleep quality of older adults living in community settings.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Healthcare professionals can incorporate the Senior Elastic Band exercise programme as one of the health promotion activities for older adults living in community settings.


Abstract This research study contributes to the ever-expanding literature by examining multivariate cointegration and causality relationships between electricity consumption, economic growth and other growth determinants for quarterly South African data collected between 1994/Q1 – 2014/Q4. The motivation behind this current research case study becomes apparent when taking into consideration that no previous studies have gone further than bivariate and trivariate analysis in investigating the electricity-growth nexus in South Africa. In conducting our empirical investigation, our obtained empirical results are two-fold in nature. Firstly, we find significant multivariate long-run cointegration relationships between economic growth, electricity consumption and other growth determinants. Secondly, our empirical analysis offers support in favour of the neutrality hypothesis, that is, the notion of no causal effects existing between electricity consumption and economic growth in the long-run. However, we find that exports directly cause electricity consumption whereas economic growth, domestic investment and employment levels causally flow to exports.


Interest in permanent magnet synchronous machines for safety-critical applications has been increasing over the years. One of the most common methods for providing fault tolerance to a permanent magnet machine is the active control from the drive side. This method requires designing machines with the lowest possible mutual coupling between phases and a self-inductance that is high enough to limit the fault currents. Fractional-slot concentrated windings have been proposed as the most advantageous solution to meet these requirements. When comparing the numerous combinations of phases, poles and slots that give rise to a fractional-slot concentrated winding, the usual criteria only focus on obtaining a single-layer winding and do not actually consider the relationship between the self-inductance and the mutual inductance between phases. Moreover, they give no recommendations regarding the optimal number of phases from a magnetic point of view. The present work aims to cover this gap by obtaining analytical expressions for the calculation of the inductances in a permanent magnet machine. The derived expressions are investigated regardless of the geometry of the machine, and the criteria for selecting the most promising combinations in terms of the machine's fault tolerance are extracted.


We present an overview of laser results we obtained with Yb-doped calcium fluoride and its isotype strontium fluoride. In order to study the laser performance in femtosecond and high power regimes, spectral and thermal properties are first discussed including the potential of these crystals at room and cryogenic temperatures. Experimental demonstrations of high-power and ultrashort pulse oscillators and amplifiers are presented and analyzed.


Traditional global navigation satellite system (GNSS) terminals for satellite navigation adopt independent channels to track the signals from different satellites, which results in a lack of information interaction between the channels. Inspired by the vector tracking idea, and drawing lessons from the principle that in the position domain the Taylor expanded pseudorange observations can be used for positioning via the least squares method, this paper proposes a novel least squares-based multi-channel parameter joint estimation (MPJE) method in the signal domain, which not only retains the advantages of channel fusion, but also maintains the flexibility and diversity of the localization algorithm. With achieving optimal carrier to noise ratio as the goal, the proposed method obtains the required code loop and carrier loop parameters for signal tracking in the domain of whole channels. Experimental results indicate that this method fully achieves the assistant fusion advantages of frequency lock loop (FLL), phase lock loop (PLL) and delay lock loop (DLL), making good use of the robustness and dynamic properties of the FLL and the measurement accuracy of the DLL, and is helpful for achieving stable and accurate signal tracking under weak signals and high dynamic stress environments.


Shape, size and relative position in space perception were tested in 17 right brain damaged (RBD) patients with neglect symptoms, 10 RBD patients without neglect and 11 controls. Simultaneous pair comparison task in free vision was used. Two arrangements of the visual display were used: side by side and top-bottom. Neglect patients' performance was comparable to RBD and controls in the shape and size test, but was below the other groups in the relative space position test. The selective failure of neglect patients in the position task did not depend on the spatial arrangement of the visual display, which may indicate a general perceptual deficit, rather than a deficit restricted to the neglect hemifield.


This article examines, by means of a case study, recent trends in media ownership in the Czech Republic and their impact on media pluralism and journalistic autonomy. The analysis focuses mainly on the ever-intensifying processes of ownership concentration and conglomeration, as well as on the presence and rising significance of local media owners, many of whom belong to the Czech business and industry elites. In this context, the article investigates both the allegations and the growing evidence of political and business instrumentalization of the media in the hands of these "industry tycoons." The author argues that this kind of coupling of business, media, and political sectors constitutes an ever more prominent feature of the Czech media system, and can be regarded as an indicator of its gradual "Italianization." Contributing to the debates about the risks of concentrating foreign ownership in the post-transformation media markets, this case study also demonstrates that the increasing power of local media owners certainly does not represent a trouble-free alternative either.


A dual-port transparent multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna resonating at sub-6 GHz 5G band is proposed by using patch/ground material as transparent conductive oxide (AgHT-8) and a transparent Plexiglas substrate. Two identical circular-shaped radiating elements fed by using a microstrip feedline are designed using the finite element method (FEM) based high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) software. The effect of the isolation mechanism is discussed using two cases. In case 1, the two horizontally positioned elements are oriented in a similar direction with a separate ground plane, whereas in case 2, the elements are vertically placed facing opposite to each other with an allied ground. In both cases, the transparent antennas span over a −10 dB band of 4.65 to 4.97 GHz (300 MHz) with isolation greater than 15 dB among two elements. The diversity parameters are also analyzed for both the cases covering the correlation coefficient (ECC), mean effective gain (MEG), diversity gain (DG), and channel capacity loss (CCL). The average gain and efficiency above 1 dBi and 45%, respectively with satisfactory MIMO diversity performance, makes the transparent MIMO antenna an appropriate choice for smart IoT devices working in the sub-6 GHz 5G band by mitigating the co-site location and visual clutter issues.


The theory of network coding is hardly ever used and cannot be mapped to general wireless sensor network (WSN) topologies without careful consideration of technology constraints. Severe energy constraints and low bandwidth are faced by platforms of low computational power. We show how network coding methods can be implemented with low computational power. We discuss extensive experimentation in simulation of scalability for arbitrarily large networks. It is configured according to the results from mote hardware measurements. The testbed implementation and the mote software implementation is kept completely generic. All phases, including the initialization, are implemented and work for mesh networks of any size without modification. Our work explains important considerations for applying network coding to WSNs. The gain from applying the method over ad-hoc on-demand (AODV) like routing closely approaches the optimum value of 2. Thereby WSN resource constraints are relaxed and network lifetime is prolonged.


We herein report two patients with paroxysmal dyskinesias (PD) as the initial manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). PD can occur in clinically definite MS or rarely be the presenting symptom. They are produced by demyelinating lesions at any level in the motor pathway or in the thalamus. MRI disclosed an area of demyelination in the posterior limb of the internal capsule contralateral to the PD in the patients reported herein. PD associated with MS do not adjust completely to the accepted classifications of PD, therefore they should be considered a special category of dyskinesias.


In recent years, we have seen many applications of secure query in two-tiered wireless sensor networks. Storage nodes are responsible for storing data from nearby sensor nodes and answering queries from Sink. It is critical to protect data security from a compromised storage node. In this paper, the Communication-efficient Secure Range Query (CSRQ)—a privacy and integrity preserving range query protocol—is proposed to prevent attackers from gaining information of both data collected by sensor nodes and queries issued by Sink. To preserve privacy and integrity, in addition to employing the encoding mechanisms, a novel data structure called encrypted constraint chain is proposed, which embeds the information of integrity verification. Sink can use this encrypted constraint chain to verify the query result. The performance evaluation shows that CSRQ has lower communication cost than the current range query protocols.


Background: Postoperative dysphagia in patients after Nissen fundoplication might be related to the technique used for the closure of the esophageal hiatus.
Methods: A total of 18 patients with gastro esophageal reflux were randomized to undergo laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with either anterior (9 patients) or posterior (9 patients) repair of the diaphragmatic hiatus. Outcomes were assessed for dysphagia, reflux and satisfactory outcome following surgery.
Results: Clinical outcomes 18 months after surgery were available for 100% of patients. There was no significant difference between the 2 techniques for symptoms of dysphagia all through the short term follow-up evaluation. Better control of heartburn was achieved in patients in the anterior hiatal repair group. Patients from both groups were equally satisfied with the overall outcome after surgery.
Conclusion: Within the 18 months follow-up evaluation, there was no significant difference in dysphagia between anterior and posterior hiatal repair. However, long term follow up studies should be done to confirm this outcome.


The world today also faces a large number of complex crises: Financial crisis; Terrorism; Numerous armed conflicts in recent years; Health disasters, such as the HIV/AIDS crisis; Natural disasters, such as recurrent droughts and floods earthquakes and hurricanes, tsunami, etc.; Crisis on account of process of making economic, as well as political transitions, etc.Globalization, either alone or in combination with technological change, often exposes societies to greater income insecurity. More than half of the world's population is excluded from any type of statutory social security.In most developing countries, the family is the traditional social institution for the care of the elderly and is expected to continue the role of care-giver as the principal source of support and security in old-age.Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. But there is quite a bit of confusion about what social security means, and also about the concept of social protection. The traditional concept of social security is included in various ILO standards (64, 67, 102 etc)(1976).They cover mainly income which is lost due to the inability to work (including old age) or to obtain remunerative work, or by reason of the death of the Bread winner, Medical coverage, Social insurance etc. The ILO has an administrative concept of social protection, which basically includes social security and labour protection. But this definition has been felt as too narrow for the problems faced by developing countries.There is growing awareness that social security should be understood within the context of the development process. This includes not only Pension schemes and Health insurance, but also unemployability, issues of gender discrimination, child labour, the formal –informal sectors of employment etc. Hence a wider concept of social security is needed in order to respond to the realities faced by informal economy workers, who constitute the majority of the world labour force. Sen (1999) takes a very broad definition of social security, makes it equivalent to all policies that promote and protect living standards. Dreze and Sen (1991) as well as Burgess and Stern (1991) distinguish two aspects of social security, which they define as the use of social means to prevent deprivation (promote living standards) and vulnerability to deprivation (protect against falling living standards).In general, there are three principal ways to extend social security: Through efforts to extend statutory social insurance; Extend coverage through community-based schemes; Extend social security is through the promotion of cost-effective tax financed social benefits.Social security in countries like India needs to be viewed as part of, and fully integrated into, anti-poverty policies, providing access to productive assets, employment guarantees, minimum wages and food security. Further there is a gender dimension also. This paper looks at social security as part of the development process and reviews the current practices followed in various countries including India and suggests improvement of the same by initiatives of government involving the various stake holders of the community including Corporates as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.


We present a case report of a male with multifocal and extensive basal cell carcinoma. Due to extremely large size and deep tumor infiltration, he was not a surgical candidate. Combined modality treatment of fractionated radiation with concurrent vismodegib was chosen. Concurrent treatment was previously reported in the palliative and recurrent setting. This is the first case of concurrent vismodegib and radiation therapy for upfront definitive management. The patient experienced complete response in all treated lesions.


Effects of a 3-d mesenteric vein n-butyrate infusion (25 mmol/h) on net metabolism of nutrients by portal-drained viscera (PDV) and liver were measured in six Hereford x Angus steers. Steers were fed a pelleted 75% concentrate: 25% alfalfa diet at 135 kcal of ME/kg BW.75. Six measurements of blood flow and net metabolism of nutrients were obtained at hourly intervals immediately before beginning and ending n-butyrate infusion. Measurements were obtained during two trials, with three steers (457 kg BW, 28 mo of age in Trial 1; 478 kg BW, 19 mo of age in Trial 2) in each trial. The infusion of n-butyrate increased (P less than .01) net PDV release of n-butyrate. Infusion increased net liver removal of n-butyrate (P less than .01) and L-lactate (P less than .02) and release of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB; P less than .02) and increased (P less than .03) liver extraction ratio for alanine. Net total splanchnic (PDV plus liver) release of n-butyrate (P less than .03) and BOHB (P less than .01) were increased, and net total splanchnic release of L-lactate (P less than .05) and propionate (P less than .07) were decreased by n-butyrate infusion. The infusion of n-butyrate decreased (P less than .01) net PDV release and liver removal of propionate in five of six steers. Infusion had no effect (P greater than .10) on insulin and glucagon concentration or net flux. In a companion in vitro study, L-lactate metabolism to glucose and CO2 by calf hepatocytes was decreased (P less than .08) by n-butyrate addition (2.5 mM). Effects of n-butyrate on liver L-lactate and alanine metabolism suggest that pyruvate carboxylase activity was increased, but our study failed to show a consistent effect of n-butyrate infusion on liver glucose production.


This paper presents modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic deaths to understand behavior of it, predict the peak point of the deaths and cases and produces a short-term forecast using the growth models for the reported data of Turkey. The data which is used in this study are gathered of daily announced by Minister of Health. Von Bertalanffy model has outperformed to the other models considered in this study. However, exponential model has predicted the total deaths and total cases better than the others. And, exponential model has given the best prediction errors among them regarding to the death and positive case figures for last months. Observed data have tended to increase since the last days of August. This could mean that the COVİD-19 threat has reached to a critical stage to crack down on prevention of pandemics spread. Or it could sign the beginning of a second wave of epidemics. More studies must be realized to learn more about the pandemic when the new data are available.


Summary In this study, five different isolation protocols to extract total RNA from biopsies of equine endometrium were compared in terms of quality and quantity of RNA samples with respect to downstream gene transcription analysis, such as Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Three phenol-chloroform based protocols (TRIzol, TRItidy, EZ-RNA) and two column based protocols (UltraClean TM and E.Z.N.A. ® ) that were commercially available were used. Each protocol yielded good quality total RNA and distinct 28S and 18S rRNA bands were observed in agarose gel electrophoreses. Amount of total RNA isolated was lower for EZ-RNA protocol. Column based protocols had RNA contaminated with great amount of genomic DNA, however, DNAse-I digestion was able to fully clean the DNA contamination from RNA in all the protocols used. Following cDNA synthesis and PCR, GAPDH, a housekeeping gene, bands were amplified from all the samples. In conclusion, all the protocols used extracted good quality but different amounts of total RNA and it is strongly recommended that RNA samples must undergo DNAse-I digestion before RT-PCR to eliminate gDNA contamination..


The cosmic chemical enrichment as measured from damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs) will be underestimated if dusty and metal-rich absorbers have evaded identification. Here we report the discovery and present the spectroscopic observations of a quasar, KV-RQ 1500–0031, at z = 2.520 reddened by a likely dusty DLA at z = 2.428 and a strong Mg II absorber at z = 1.603. This quasar was identified as part of the KiDS-VIKING Red Quasar (KV-RQ) survey, specifically aimed at targeting dusty absorbers which may cause the background quasars to escape the optical selection of e.g. the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar sample. For the DLA we find an H I column density of logN(H I) = 21.2 ± 0.1 and a metallicity of [X/H] = − 0.90 ± 0.20 derived from an empirical relation based on the equivalent width of Si IIλ 1526. We observe a total visual extinction of AV = 0.16 mag induced by both absorbers. To put this case into context we compile a sample of 17 additional dusty (AV > 0.1 mag) DLAs toward quasars (QSO-DLAs) from the literature for which we characterize the overall properties, specifically in terms of H I column density, metallicity and dust properties. From this sample we also estimate a correction factor to the overall DLA metallicity budget as a function of the fractional contribution of dusty QSO-DLAs to the bulk of the known QSO-DLA population. We demonstrate that the dusty QSO-DLAs have high metal column densities (logN(H I) + [X/H]) and are more similar to gamma-ray burst (GRB)-selected DLAs (GRB-DLAs) than regular QSO-DLAs. We evaluate the effect of dust reddening in DLAs as well as illustrate how the induced color excess of the underlying quasars can be significant (up to ~1 mag in various optical bands), even for low to moderate extinction values (AV ≲ 0.6 mag). Finally we discuss the direct and indirect implications of a significant dust bias in both QSO- and GRB-DLA samples.


Recent developments in the supercomputing area in Finland are briefly reviewed. These include both acquisitions of new hardware and organisational matters. The environment for network supercomputing in Finland is described. The Finnish supercomputer center, CSC (standing for the Center for Scientific Computing), is introduced.


In the consideration of a medical topic we must recognize its importance as depending on: first, the frequency with which the disease occurs, and secondly, the severity of the disease if left untreated. Taking this as our standard of test we must recognize in rickets a disease of considerable importance. Frequency .—In Europe the disease is very common, especially is this so in England, and to such an extent that in some countries it is known as the "English disease." The proportion of all children, attending certain clinics, having rickets is given as follows: Dresden, 25 per cent.; Berlin, 11 per cent., Parague, 31 per cent. In the higher classes the proportion is much smaller. Merei states that in Manchester one in five children of well-to-do families had rickets, and the proportion is about that great in the wealthier classes. Its severity when left untreated varies considerably. In the milder cases


Review of Margaret McCarthy. Mad Mädchen: Feminism and Generational Conflict in Recent German Literature and Film. New York: Berghahn Books, 2017.


The insular cortex has been linked to a multitude of functions. In contrast, the nearby claustrum is a densely connected subcortical region with unclear function. To view the insula-claustrum region from the molecular perspective we analyzed the transcriptomic profile of these areas in six adult and four fetal human brains. We identified marker genes with specific expression and performed transcriptome-wide tests for enrichment of biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components. In addition, specific insular and claustral expression of genes pertaining to diseases, addiction, and depression was tested. At the anatomical level, we used brain-wide analyses to determine the specificity of our results and to determine the transcriptomic similarity of the insula-claustrum region. We found UCMA to be the most significantly enriched gene in the insular cortex and confirmed specific expression of NR4A2, NTNG2, and LXN in the claustrum. Furthermore, the insula was found to have enriched expression of genes associated with mood disorders, learning, cardiac muscle contraction, oxygen transport, glutamate and dopamine signaling. Specific expression in the claustrum was enriched for genes pertaining to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), severe intellectual disability, epileptic encephalopathy, intracellular transport, spine development, and macroautophagy. We tested for enrichment of genes related to addiction and depression, but they were generally not highly specific to the insula-claustrum region. Exceptions include high insular expression of genes linked to cocaine abuse and genes associated with ever smoking in the claustrum. Brain-wide, we find that markers of the adult claustrum are most specifically expressed in the fetal and adult insula. Altogether, our results provide a novel molecular perspective on the unique properties of the insula and claustrum.


This paper describes the results of a long-term search for a historically-consistent theory of mathematical procedures in Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions. The mathematical nature of Bach's works has entered popular myth. Comments about the supposed numerical bases of his compositions date back to his lifetime, and were perpetuated in the obituary and later biographies. Theorists contemporary with Bach strongly imply that numerical ordering and the use of proportions were important to the composer, but tantalisingly they do not say how, nor with what a composer should order a composition or how he should create proportions. Was there a well-tried and tested numerical method underlying the general guidelines described by early eighteenth-century theorists? Did Bach use proportions to organise his works? And if so would it be possible to find them in his scores? Working from historical sources and the autograph scores the initial negative results of my research were overturned by an unexpected breakthrough which led to the formulation of the theory of proportional parallelism. The technical nature of the new theory is demonstrated in four parallel levels of numerical structure found in Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, the six violin sonatas and partitas, BWV 1001-1006. That these parallel proportions are found in all compositions Bach published or transcribed in Fair Copy raises important issues for the Bach scholar and editor, and demonstrates the far-reaching scope of the new theory.


The general collinearity conditions at phase boundaries for mixtures are proved by thermodynamic identities for density and for entropy as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition. In the case of density/temperature/pressure/composition collinearity is always found at the cricondentherm or any temperature extremum, whereas for entropy/temperature/pressure/composition collinearity is always found at the cricondenbar or any pressure extremum. Qualitative phase diagrams for a typical binary system are presented in accordance with the derived inequalities. Whether a particular slope, involving the above variables, from the homogeneous side of the phase boundary is greater or less than that from the heterogeneous side depends on location on the phase boundary with respect to cricondentherm, critical point, and cricondenbar.


The pyruvate dehydrogenase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase activities of Bacillus subtilis were found to co-purify as a single multienzyme complex. Mutants of B. subtilis with defects in the pyruvate decarboxylase (E1) and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) components of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex were correspondingly affected in branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex activity. Selective inhibition of the E1 or lipoate acetyltransferase (E2) components in vitro led to parallel losses in pyruvate dehydrogenase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex activity. The pyruvate dehydrogenase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes of B. subtilis at the very least share many structural components, and are probably one and the same. The E3 component appeared to be identical for the pyruvate dehydrogenase, 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes in this organism and to be the product of a single structural gene. Long-chain branched fatty acids are thought to be essential for maintaining membrane fluidity in B. subtilis, and it was observed that the ace (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex) mutant 61142 was unable rapidly to take up acetoacetate, unlike the wild-type, indicative of a defect in membrane permeability. A single pyruvate dehydrogenase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex can be seen as an economical means of supplying two different sets of essential metabolites.


Bacteriophage lambda particle has dimensions similar to those of many mammalian viruses and recent structural evidences revealed a shared ancestry between tailed bacteriophages and mammalian DNA viruses. Considering these features as well as the double-stranded nature of its genome, bacteriophage lambda might comprise a great advantage for phage-mediated gene delivery into eukaryote cells. A recombinant lambda phage, bearing reporter gene GFP (λ-GFP) was constructed and utilized to transfect AGS cell line. λ-GFP particle-mediated GFP expression as well as their internalization by AGS cell line was investigated.


Abstract The juvenile stages of the isopod family Gnathiidae have a large impact on marine ecosystems through their parasitic interactions with marine fishes, as well as being a substantial food source for the cleaner fish guild. However, the taxonomy of Gnathiidae is based on non-feeding adult males. Adults are difficult to obtain owing to their cryptic lifestyle in the sea floor, while the juveniles can be collected in abundance either from their hosts or using emergence traps. Given the known diversity of the hosts, and assuming host partitioning among species, the diversity of gnathiids could be much greater than currently recognised. We argue that the systematics of this group should recognise this ecological role, and develop the taxonomy of the juvenile stages. We provide a detailed external anatomy of one species, Gnathia aureamaculosa, that has been used extensively in recent ecological studies. Images from scanning electron microscopy of two juvenile instars are compared with two other species, and the literature surveyed to illustrate a range of taxonomically useful traits. The expansion cuticle of the pereion shows how gnathiids are able to expand enormously during a blood meal and also lends caution on using total body length for comparative purposes. A range of morphometric and categorical features are available on the non-expandable sections of the body, such as the head, pleotelson and uropods. Of the three species illustrated, the shape of the eyes and head, and the shape and setation of the pleotelson uropods are diagnostically useful. Evidence from the literature shows that the free-living juveniles are not mancas; the manca instars are passed during the internal developmental period. Anatomical observations cast doubt on the classification of Gnathiidae as Cymothoida, in agreement with recent phylogenetic studies.


Given a mesh of wireless nodes for WiFi customers covering a city district, we describe a genetic algorithm-based approach to the problem of selecting a small fixed number of nodes as gateways to the internet, and linking the remaining nodes to the gateways either directly or by 'hopping', to create an efficient mesh network structure. The algorithm uses a modification of kmeans clustering to allocate nodes to gateways.


(in latex) The Mixed Volume of $n$ polytopes in $n$-dimensional space is a multilinear function with respect to Minkowski addition and scalar multiplication that generalizes the notion of volume. The current interest in efficient methods for computing it is mainly due to Bernstein''s theorem [Be] which bounds the number of common roots of a system of polynomial equations by the Mixed Volume of the respective Newton polytopes. In this paper we propose an algorithm that uses polyhedral methods to significantly improve upon the efficiency of the method based on evaluating the inclusion-exclusion formula and obtain a practical algorithm.


Natural animals such as crotaline and boid snakes have the ability to detect infrared radiation, which is emitted by any living object while it is invisible to human eyes. To evade thermal detection, various attempts, such as the stealth or low observability technologies, are generally made to reduce the infrared signature. However, the validity of these technologies is background dependent. In this paper, the first, large‐scale, far‐infrared, unidirectional invisibility cloak in air environment is experimentally demonstrated. The cloak constructed from germanium can smoothly guide the infrared wave around the hidden object when facing the incident wave direction. The cloak works for full polarization in a broad far‐infrared spectrum. This work provides a new way to manipulate infrared radiation for future applications.


Background/Aims: Alcohol consumption has been shown to cause neuroinflammation and increase a variety of immune-related signaling processes. Microglia are a crucial part of alcohol-induced neuroinflammation and undergo apoptosis. Even though the importance of these inflammatory processes in the effects of alcohol-related neurodegeneration have been established, the mechanism of alcohol-induced microglia apoptosis is unknown. In prior research, we discovered that alcohol increases expression of salt-inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) in rodent brain tissue. In this study, we sought to determine what role SIK1 expression plays in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation as well as whether and by what mechanism it regulates microglia apoptosis. Methods: Adult C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups and for 3 weeks treated with either 0%, 5%, 10%, or 15% alcohol during 3 hour periods. The mice were sacrificed and their brains excised for analysis. Additionally, primary microglia were isolated from neonatal mice. SIK1 expression in alcohol-treated brain tissue and microglia was analyzed via RT-PCR and western blotting. TUNEL staining, caspase-3, and caspase-9 activity assays were performed to evaluate microglial apoptosis. Cell fluorescence staining and NF-κB luciferase activity assays were used to evaluate the effects of SIK1 expression on the NF-κB signaling pathway. Results: SIK1 expression was increased in the brains of mice that consumed alcohol, and this effect was seen in mouse primary microglia. SIK1 knockdown in microglia increased alcohol-induced apoptosis in these cells. Furthermore, SIK1 reduced NF-κB signaling pathway factors, and SIK1 knockdown in microglia promoted alcohol-induced NF-κB activity. TUNEL staining, caspase-3, and caspase-9 activity assays consistently revealed that alcohol-induced microglial apoptosis was inhibited by depletion of p65. Finally, we determined that NF-κB signaling is required for alcohol-induced, SIK1-mediated apoptosis in microglia. Conclusion: This study establishes for the first time not only that SIK1 is crucial to regulating alcohol-induced microglial apoptosis, but also that the NF-κB signaling pathway is required for its activity. Overall, our results help elucidate mechanisms of alcohol-induced neuroinflammation.


At the beginning of the 21st Century, we are facing some major problems: One is the environmental problems, such as: pollution, acid rains the global warming, climate change, loss Agro biodiversity and ozone layer depletion; GMO and LMO's, Therefore providing Food testing work to monitor our food supply for hazardous chemicals and contaminants to ensure human and animal safety, often means testing hundreds of samples for hundreds of chemical compounds every day, and  the results must be  turned around very rapidly. To meet the steady demand of food supply, application of fertilizer is indispensable in modern agriculture. Role of fertilizers has already been proven by many countries with green revolution and by attaining food self-sufficiency within short period of time. Actually, application of synthetic/chemical fertilizers not only supplies essential nutrients to food crops but also provides them in an easily available manner. Therefore, these fertilizers can quickly enhance the growth and productivity of food crops and are quick to gain popularity. However, extensive use of such fertilizer leads to serious environmental concerns. Nitrate leaching and surface/groundwater pollution due to increased use of fertilizer is directly related to human health problems. Global agricultural production should focus on both food and nutrition security. Ensuring that, sufficient nutritious food is available and accessible, and produced in a sustainable manner, is a great challenge for the agricultural sector. Output will need to be increased while managing scarce natural resources, reducing carbon intensity and adverse environmental impacts throughout the food chain, enhancing the provision of environmental services such as carbon sequestration and flood and drought control, and conserving biodiversity. Agricultural intensification is the answer, but it must be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.


This paper presents 10 kW grid connected photovoltaic inverter with high frequency transformer. This inverter system consist of DC/DC Converters, 2 high frequency transformers in parallel, diode full bridge rectifiers and 3 phase inverter. Proto Type inverter is manufactured and experimented. High frequency link DC-DC converter increases input DC voltage and supplies power to the inverter, which can energize directly the grid without LF step-up transformer. This system is lighter, more efficient and economical than the inverter with utility frequency transformer.


After considering Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the mass-speed relationship of special relativity i.e. the Einstein-Lorentz mass formula can be extended to a more complete equation, which predicts that abnormal ultra-high energy electrons will be generated with a small probability when the electron beam passes through an accelerating electric field. The author used the accumulating detection method of a large number of events to test at the electron storage ring of BEPCII, of which results show that under the beam energy of 2GeV there is emission of abnormal ultra-high energy electrons with the highest energy reaching 400TeV at downstream of the RF cavity. For this reason, it is recommended that particle physicists conduct more experiments to fully verify this previously unknown phenomenon and further discover new physics.


The cII protein of bacteriophage lambda has a decisive role in the regulatory switch between the lysogenic and lytic pathways of viral development. Recent work has indicated that cII may be the primary control function providing for the initial partition between the two pathways, with other host and viral regulatory genes acting to determine the levels of cII in an infected cell. We have studied the synthesis and stability of cII protein with two experimental systems, phage infection and a cII-producing plasmid. We have found that the stability of cII is controlled by the host hflA and viral cIII genes; hflA protein facilitates degradation of cII, whereas cIII protects cII. The synthesis of cII appears to be under the positive control of the host himA and himD genes. We conclude that posttranscriptional regulation of cII by host and viral genes is critical for the choice of a developmental pathway.


The global welfare implications of home market effects in trade models with imperfect competition are little understood. This paper proposes a simple model in which such implications can be easily analyzed. It shows an overall tendency of imperfectly competitive sectors to inefficiently cluster in locations that offer market access advantages. The more so the stronger the market power of firms as well as the intensity of increasing returns to scale and the lower the trade costs. As such features are likely to differ widely across sectors, those results provide theoretical ground to the promotion of regional policies that are also sectorspecific and not only region-specific as currently in the EU.


The relationship between occupational stress and burnout was investigated through a meta-analysis of 81 studies and 364 correlations. Occupational stress was measured by role conflict, role ambiguity, workload, cumulative role stress, job specific stress/stressors, and work setting characteristics. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 1981 and 1986 versions, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment components of burnout, measures of tedium, and the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals. Thirty occupations in human and non-human service organizations throughout four publication periods were examined. Results indicated occupational stress strongly predicts burnout in non-human service organizations like industry and manufacturing as well as the human services. Job specific stressors most strongly predict burnout across organization types and occupation. Occupational stress predicts emotional exhaustion and depersonalization more than perceptions of reduced personal accomplishment. The findings support the use of transactional models of stress which consider occupational context as a precipitator of burnout, especially emotional exhaustion.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. A number of screening trials have been carried out over the past two decades and have failed to demonstrate a reduction of lung cancer-related mortality. Recent advances in new forms of technology – spiral low-dose CT – have resuscitated interest in screening programs. Preliminary results are promising but the outstanding question is whether the magnitude of improvement is sufficient to affect a measurable reduction in lung cancer mortality?


Torticollis in children may result from a wide variety of pathologic processes. We retrospectively analyzed 288 patients seen in a tertiary care pediatric orthopedic facility for the evaluation of torticollis over a 10-year period to ascertain the frequency of nonmuscular causes of this condition. Fifty-three of these children (18.4% of the study population) had a nonmuscular etiology for their torticollis. Of these 53 patients, Klippel-Feil anomalies were present in 16 (30%), and an underlying neurologic disorder was present in 27 (51%). These neurologic conditions included ocular disorders in 12 (23%) patients, brachial plexus palsies in nine (17%) patients, and lesions involving the central nervous system in six (11%) patients. We conclude that nonmuscular causes of torticollis are collectively not rare. In a child without an identifiable muscular etiology for torticollis, Klippel-Feil anomalies or an underlying neurologic disorder is likely to be the cause of the deformity in the majority of patients.


We present a new generalized Ramo-Shockley theorem (GRST) to evaluate contact currents, applicable to classical moment-based simulation techniques, as well as semiclassical Monte Carlo and quantum mechanical transport simulation, which remains valid for inhomogeneous media, explicitly accounts for generation/recombination processes, and clearly distinguishes between electron, hole, and displacement current contributions to contact current. We then show how this formalism may be applied to Monte Carlo simulation to obtain equations for minimum-variance estimators of steady-state contact current, making use of information gathered from all particles within the device. Finally, by means of an example, we demonstrate this technique's performance in acceleration of convergence time.