Suppose that a test customer in an M/D/1 queueing system can get service only if he has access to the server and a separate event E has occurred. All other customers only require access to the server. The time until the event E occurs is assumed to be an exponentially distributed random variable, if the test customer reaches the server before E occurs, he must then return to the back of the queue. At any time, however, the test customer is allowed to give up his place in the queue and join the back of the queue. The test customer represents a computational task that depends upon the results of an associated task. The test customer's mean delay until service is derived assuming that he always maintains his position in the queue until he reaches the server. Conditions are given for which this "move-along" policy is optimal, i.e., minimizes the test customer's mean delay until service. A condition is also given for which the move-along policy is not optimal.


While the four commentaries reflect a range of different perspectives on my target paper (Vihman, 2017), all basically accept the overall approach, which has been central to my research for 30 years. Each commentary proposes ways of deepening aspects of the ideas expressed or points out limitations and potential areas in which elaboration would be useful. This response takes up each commentary in turn.


Objectives To characterize the risk of solid and hematological cancer in a large, well-characterized cohort of patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (SjS). Methods The GEAS-SS multicenter registry is a network of Spanish reference centers with specific clinical experience in the management of SjS patients. By January 2016, we had analyzed the development of cancer in 1300 consecutive patients fulfilling the 2002 SjS classification criteria. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis allowed adjustment for age at diagnosis, gender and the statistically-significant baseline variables associated with cancer in the univariate analysis. The sex- and age-specific incidence rates (SIR) of cancer were estimated from 2012 Spanish mortality data modeling, using a set of age-, sex- and site-specific incidence:mortality ratios. Results After a mean follow-up of 91 months (9922.3 person-years), 127 (9.8%) patients developed 133 cancers. The most frequent type of cancer was B-cell lymphoma (34% of cancers, including 27 MALT and 19 non-MALT B-cell lymphomas). Systemic activity at diagnosis of primary SjS correlated with the risk of hematological neoplasia (HR 1.06, p<0.001). Positive cryoglobulins at SjS diagnosis were associated with a high risk of either B-cell or non-B-cell lymphoma subtypes. Patients with cytopenias had a high risk of non-MALT B-cell and non-B-cell cancer, while those with low C3 levels had a high risk of MALT lymphomas and those with monoclonal gammopathy and low C4 levels had a high risk of non-MALT B-cell lymphomas. The estimated SIR for solid cancer was 1.13 (95% CI 0.88–1.46) and 11.02 (95% CI 8.35–14.54) for hematological cancer. SIRs for specific cancers were 36.17 (95% CI 25.44–51.43) for multiple myeloma and immunoproliferative diseases, 19.41 (95% CI 7.29–51.72) for Hodgkin lymphoma, 6.04 (95% CI 3.43–10.64) for other non-Hodgkin lymphomas, 5.17 (95% CI 1.94–13.79) for thyroid cancer, 4.81 (95% CI 1.81–12.83) for cancers of the lip and oral cavity and 2.53 (95% CI 1.05–6.07) for stomach cancer. Conclusions One third of cancers developed by patients with primary SjS are B-cell lymphomas. The prognostic factors identified at SjS diagnosis differed according to the subtype of B-cell lymphoma developed. Primary SjS is also associated with an enhanced risk of development of some types of non-hematological cancers (thyroid, oral cavity and stomach). Disclosure of Interest None declared


Purity Lost investigates the porous nature of social, political, and religious boundaries prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean-from the Black Sea to Egypt-during the Middle Ages. In this intriguing study, Steven A. Epstein finds that people consistently defied, overlooked, or transcended restrictions designed to preserve racial and cultural purity in order to establish relationships with those different from themselves. These mixed relationships-among people who did not share language, creed, or skin color-undermined the pervasive claims of purity. They forced people to reflect on their own identities and the bonds-whether social, political, religious, or racial-that defined their lives. Drawing on examples from daily life and interstate politics, Epstein takes a close look at the renegades and rule-breakers of this era. He explores race, master/slave relationships, diplomatic relations between Christian Italians and Muslim Turks, religious conversions from Christian to Muslim and vice versa, and religious boundaries of the human and the angelic. Epstein reveals the modern view of cultural, ethnic, and religious purity in the early modern Mediterranean as a mirage, and he offers new insights into how present-day conceptions about creed, color, ethnicity, and language originated.


The appraisal of undivided and indivisible real estate shares represents a recurring and underestimated issue by professional appraisers. This problem requires a logical solution considering that the undivided real estate shares are more difficult to sell and, consequently, there is a decrease of their market value. It follows that issue can be referred, in theoretical and practical terms, to the real estate investment risk valuation and on how to convert this risk into an expected rate that can compensate it. In this paper the Capital Asset Pricing Model has been integrated with Penalized Spline Semiparametric Method in order to obtain an algorithm that allows to rationalize the appraisal of undivided real estate shares using easily accessible data.


This paper presents the historical evolution of medical diagnosis related to diseases without lesions. We focus on this problematic field of history of medicine observing the difficulties to get clinical evidences using pattern procedures. We approach the nosological classifications for these diseases during the 19 th century based on three paradigms: irritability, arc-reflex, central nervous system. During the 20 th century, we focus on the psychogenetic paradigm and on the transformations that those diagnosis have had in the different editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Finally, we approach some of the new names that diseases without lesions have achieved nowadays, taking functional somatic syndromes as a contemporary example and analyzing the (i)legitimacy dilemma that surround that kind of illnesses.


"Strategies and Policies in Digital Convergence" is the authoritative reference source describing issues in business strategy and public policy rising from digital convergence. Cutting-edge descriptions of mobile communications, broadband networks, and digital multimedia broadcast services are provided. This Premier Reference Source presents new business opportunities generated by digital convergence, and raises governance issues caused by this union. It provides a comprehensive overview of the technological aspects of digital convergence and the resulting business strategies and public policies.


In this paper, we develop a numerical mixed flexible-rigid body model to take into account the effects of the external disturbances acting on a flexible manipulator secondary to the oscillatory transmitral blood flow in the left ventricle. The manipulator is made of a flexible rubber-like material to further extend the surgical robotic-based catheters' degrees of freedom and steer-ability in beating-heart prosthetic aortic valve implantation procedure. Along with the developed numerical model, a detailed description of the catheter's mechanical architecture and the actuation system is also provided. Necessity of employing such a model for the designed system is clearly justified using simulation studies.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Comprehensive cerebral metabolites involved in morphine dependence have not been well explored. To gain a better understanding of morphine dependence and withdrawal therapy in a model highly related to humans, metabolic changes in brain hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rhesus monkeys were measured by H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, coupled with partial least squares and orthogonal signal correction analysis. The results showed that concentrations of myoinositol (M-Ins) and taurine were significantly reduced, whereas lactic acid was increased in hippocampus and PFC of morphine-dependent monkeys. Phosphocholine and creatine increased in PFC but decreased in hippocampus after chronic treatment of morphine. Moreover, N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), g-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, glutathione, methionine, and homocysteic acid also changed in these brain regions. These results suggest that chronic morphine exposure causes profound disturbances of neurotransmitters, membrane, and energy metabolism in the brain. Notably, morphine-induced dysregulations in NAA, creatine, lactic acid, taurine, M-Ins, and phosphocholine were clearly reversed after intervention with methadone or clonidine. Our study highlights the potential of metabolic profiling to enhance our understanding of metabolite alteration and neurobiological actions associated with morphine addiction and withdrawal therapy in primates. VC 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This work presents the drying process of apricots and apples which have been considered for drying in a solarassisted forced convection tray dryer. The logarithmic model has been used to describe the drying behavior of apples and apricots at different air temperatures (50 °C to 80 °C) and at different air velocities (0.5 m/s to 2 m/s) based on experimental data from several studies. The slice thickness of apples has been assumed at 10 mm with initial moisture content 87 % d. b; the main diameter of apricots was 40 mm with initial moisture content 80 % d. b. The changes in moisture content with drying time during the drying period have been presented indicating the absence of the constant rate period. In addition, drying air flow rates and temperatures had an important effect on the drying time and on the moisture removal from apricots and apples. Finally, the effective moisture diffusivity values have been estimated from Fick's diffusion model pointing out that it has been increased with the increase of the drying air temperature.


Eukaryotic genes are combinatorially regulated by a diversity of factors, including specific DNA-binding proteins called transcription factors (TFs). Physical interactions between regulatory factors have long been known to mediate synergistic behaviour, commonly defined as deviation from additivity when TFs or sites act in combination. Beyond binding-based interactions, the possibility of synergy emerging from functional interactions between TFs was theoretically proposed, but its governing principles have remained largely unexplored. Theoretically, the interplay between the binding of TFs and their effects over transcription has been challenging to integrate. Experimentally, probing kinetic synergy is easily confounded by physical interactions. Here we circumvent both of these limitations by focusing on a scenario where only one TF can be specifically bound at any given time, which we build using a synthetic biology approach in a mammalian cell line. We develop and analyze a mathematical model that explicitly incorporates the details of the binding of the TFs and their effects over transcription. The model reveals that synergy depends not only on the biochemical activities of the TFs, but also on their binding kinetics. We find experimental evidence for this result in a reporter-based system where fusions of mammalian TFs with engineered zinc fingers bind to a single, shared site. A complex synergy landscape emerges where TF activity, concentration and binding affinity shape the expression response. Our results highlight the relevance of an integrated understanding of TF function in eukaryotic transcriptional control.


Embryonic stem cell (ESC) derivation from single blastomeres of 8-cell mouse embryos results in lower derivation rates than that from whole blastocysts, raising a biological question about the developmental potential of sister blastomeres. We aimed to assess the ability of 8-cell blastomeres to produce epiblast cells and ESC lines after isolation, and the properties of the resulting lines. Our results revealed unequal competence among sister blastomeres to produce ESC lines. At least half of the blastomeres possess a lower potential to generate ESCs, although culture conditions and blastomeres plasticity can redirect their non-pluripotent fate towards the epiblast lineage, allowing us to generate up to seven lines from the same embryo. Lines originated from the same embryo segregated into two groups according to their transcriptional signatures. While the expression of genes related to pluripotency and development was higher in one group, no differences were found in their trilineage differentiation ability. These results may help to improve our understanding of the ESC derivation process from single blastomeres and cell fate determination in the preimplantation mouse embryos.


Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are important atmospheric trace gases for determining air quality, human health, climate change, and ecological conditions both regionally and globally. In this study, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), total column nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were used from 2005 to 2020 to identify pollution hotspots and potential source areas responsible for air pollution in Jiangsu Province. The study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution and variability of NO2 and SO2, the SO2/NO2 ratio, and their trends, and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis was performed to identify potential source areas. The spatial distributions showed higher values (>0.60 DU) of annual mean NO2 and SO2 for most cities of Jiangsu Province except for Yancheng City (<0.50 DU). The seasonal analyses showed the highest NO2 and SO2 in winter, followed by spring, autumn, and summer. Coal-fire-based room heating and stable meteorological conditions during the cold season may cause higher NO2 and SO2 in winter. Notably, the occurrence frequency of NO2 and SO2 of >1.2 was highest in winter, which varied between 9.14~32.46% for NO2 and 7.84~21.67% for SO2, indicating a high level of pollution across Jiangsu Province. The high SO2/NO2 ratio (>0.60) indicated that industry is the dominant source, with significant annual and seasonal variations. Trends in NO2 and SO2 were calculated for 2005–2020, 2006–2010 (when China introduced strict air pollution control policies during the 11th Five Year Plan (FYP)), 2011–2015 (during the 12th FYP), and 2013–2017 (the Action Plan of Air Pollution Prevention and Control (APPC-AC)). Annually, decreasing trends in NO2 were more prominent during the 12th FYP period (2011–2015: −0.024~−0.052 DU/year) than in the APPC-AC period (2013–2017: −0.007~−0.043 DU/year) and 2005–2020 (−0.002 to −0.012 DU/year). However, no prevention and control policies for NO2 were included during the 11th FYP period (2006–2010), resulting in an increasing trend in NO2 (0.015 to 0.031) observed throughout the study area. Furthermore, the implementation of China's strict air pollution control policies caused a larger decrease in SO2 (per year) during the 12th FYP period (−0.002~−0.075 DU/year) than in the 11th FYP period (−0.014~−0.071 DU/year), the APPC-AC period (−0.007~−0.043 DU/year), and 2005–2020 (−0.015~−0.032 DU/year). PSCF analysis indicated that the air quality of Jiangsu Province is mainly influenced by local pollution sources.


Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infection disease caused by SFTSV, a newly discovered bunyavirus. Suspected SFTS cases were first reported in 2006 in Anhui province, China and SFTSV was first isolated in 2009 in Henan province, China. The disease has been reported in more than 23 provinces in central and eastern China and it was also reported in South Korea and Japan. SFTS is a hemorrhagic fever with major clinical manifestations of fever, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms and leucopenia. In severe SFTS patients, the clinical conditions may proceed quickly and result in multi-organ failure. The average case fatality rate was approximately 10% in humans. The incidence rate of SFTS was significantly higher in old age people and fatal cases mainly occurred in elderly people. SFTS is most likely to be transmitted by tickbite and it also can be transmitted from person to person. The potential reservoir hosts of SFTSV including goats, dogs, cattle, chicken and even birds. This article reviews the latest advances on SFTS epidemiology characteristics including risk factors, sources of infection, distribution of SFTS cases, transmission route and aetiological characteristics, laboratory testing, clinical symptoms, susceptible population, relationship between the meteorological factors and SFTS.


The novel methods used to develop brain machine interfaces (BMIs) present systems neuroscientists with the opportunity to now ask fundamentally new types of questions. This paradigm shift has been driven by three key developments. First, it is now possible to perform simultaneous, massively parallel recording of brain signals from microelectrode arrays chronically implanted in multiple brain areas over several months. Second, advances in computing power enables sophisticated, real-time signal processing to be performed on these large data sets. Third, recent theoretical advances clarify how the mutual information between individual neurons or between distinct neuronal populations could play a key role in neural coding. We contend these advances present a high-leverage opportunity to accelerate understanding of neuronal computation and communication.


Chitosan/hydroxyapatite (CS/HA) bone repair scaffolds crosslinked by glutaraldehyde (GA) were prepared. Characterization of morphology, structure, mechanical property, and porosity of scaffolds were evaluated. The influences of CS viscosity, HA content, and crosslinking degree on properties of scaffolds were discussed. SEM images showed that CS/HA scaffolds were porous with short rod-like HA particles dispersing evenly in CS substrate. When [η]CS = 5.75 × 10−4, HA content = 65%, and crosslinking degree = 10%, the resulting CS/HA scaffolds had a flexural strength of 20 MPa and porosity of 60%, which could meet the requirements of bone repair materials. The scaffolds were used as drug carriers for icariin, and the impacts of loading time and crosslinking degree of scaffolds on drug-loading dose were discussed. The suitable loading time was 24 h and it would be better to keep crosslinking degree no more than 10%. The drug release behavior demonstrated that the icariin-loading CS/HA scaffolds could achieve basic drug sustained release effect. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1539–1547, 2013


BACKGROUND
The authors undertook an experimental trial, in order to compare one layer interrupted sutured large bowel anastomosis with that of biofragmentable anastomotic ring (BAR). This device creates an inverted serosa-to-serosa anastomosis. It is designed to fragment after hydrolysis and it is passed within the faeces after healing of the anastomosis. Fourteen dogs were operated on, having been performed 28 anastomoses, 14 with conventional way and 14 with the BAR, both in the same bowel, on alternate sequence and 10cm from each other.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Performing time, technical difficulties, postoperative complications and the healing anastomotic quality were studied. Histological examination was done not only by traditional technique but also by using computerized program, in order to measure the amount of inflammatory infiltration at the anastomosis site.

RESULTS
All dogs tolerated the operation well and postoperative period was uneventful. At laparotomy, after an average time of 33 days, perianastomotic adherence was mostly noted in the sutured anastomosis. Anastomotic index had no significant difference in both methods, but inflammatory change was mostly detected in sutured anastomosis, on which the amount of edema infiltration was significantly higher.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on these results, the authors conclude that the BAR anastomosis appears to be a safe alternative, uniform, more rapid and easy technique, with better healing. No difference in the clinical results was noted.


Urban forestry is practiced both in North America and Europe, but is viewed in different ways. North America is a highly urbanized continent, which allows them to have a greater number of researchers focused in on an idea of urban forestry. Europe on the other hand is a continent with a great number of different countries and cultures each focused on their own ideas. Even though they are both practicing the same thing, the methods and reasoning behind it are very different. For urban forestry to grow in North America, it will require innovation from younger students beginning in urban forestry programs at universities. For Europe, it will require the countries to have a minimum number of research assignments and projects in urban forestry. By comparing the two sides, it can be seen that each continent can learn from the other and by harmonizing the two it can create the greatest growth. Table of


The authors describe how the knowledge of expert-systems analysts is being input to use in an automated critic for specification debugging. They are working on a system, named Kate, that tries to acquire a problem specification that includes a description of the objects, transitions (actions), and constraints of the intended system. They have built a computer-based critic as part of the Kate environment that has its roots in a set of protocols they collected over several analysis sessions. The critic has three major components: a model of the domain, a matcher to connect parts of the model to the specification being analyzed, and a critique to supply the analysis. The model represents a set of policy issues for building systems in a particular domain and a set of relevant problem specification cases to consider for systems in the domain. The critic has been run on a library database problem. The results are presented and compared with a critique by an experienced library analyst.<<ETX>>


This paper deals with the design of a new robust adaptive controller for parallel manipulators based on sliding mode and modelbased adaptive control. More precisely, the proposed controller relies on continuous finite-time terminal sliding mode (TSM) control and the linear-in-the-parameters property of the inverse dynamics of the manipulator. The main motivation behind the proposed scheme is to improve the tracking performance of fast and accurate parallel manipulators while guaranteeing the closed-loop system's robustness. Based on the linear-in-the-parameters property of the inverse dynamics of the manipulator, an adaptive law is proposed in order to estimate in real-time the dynamic parameters of the manipulator. The proposed controller has the advantage of relying on the desired reference trajectories instead of measured ones which can improve its robustness and efficiency. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller, real-time experiments are conducted on a four-degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator called Veloce.


Head Injury and Postconcussive Syndrome is an edited book of 27 chapters on topics related to closed head injury. The editors are a neurologist and neuropsychologist, respectively, from the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Of the 45 contributors, 17 are affiliated with this medical school. The book is aimed at health care professionals in general, rather than at 1 medical specialty or only at physicians. The stated purpose is to help clinicians take a more science-based approach to dealing with less severe head injuries. As the book's title suggests, most of the chapters focus on mild or moderate head injuries and on neurological and behavioral factors in the postconcussional syndrome. The chapters are divided into 5 sections. The introductory section includes background chapters on diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, neuropathology, and prevention of motor vehicle crashes. The prevention chapter, by Daniel McGehee, gives an overview of


We constructed a microsatellite library from four Crocidura russula Y chromosome-specific bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones. Only one of eight microsatellites was male-specific, despite genome walking to obtain more flanking sequence and testing of 93 primer combinations. Potential reasons for this low success are discussed. The male-specific locus, CRY3, was genotyped in 90 males, including C. russula from across the species range and two related species. The large difference in CRY3 allele size between eastern and western lineages supports earlier reports of high divergence between them. Despite polymorphism of CRY3 in Morocco, only one allele was found throughout the whole of Europe, consistent with previous studies that suggest recent colonization of Europe from a small number of Moroccan founders.


used in the study was a relatively small volume. It has been demonstrated that 10 ml epidural saline generates a higher level of analgesia with hyperbaric agents [2]. Using hyperbaric contrast medium, Takiguchi et al. demonstrated three segments of myelographic cephalad extension after EVE using 20 ml, with the patient in a 45 reverse Trendelenburg position [2], although some of this extension was likely to be attributable to the diffusion characteristics of contrast medium [3]. Doganci et al. demonstrated a ceiling effect using EVE with 15 ml after normobaric bupivacaine administration [4]. Secondly, intrathecal fentanyl (25 lg) used in the study might have confounded the results. Although it is clear that intrathecal opioids augment spinal anaesthesia, currently available data have not demonstrated their dose responsiveness [5]. The addition of fentanyl could have affected the results in a study such as this, with its delicate design. Thirdly, Mardirosoff et al. demonstrated that the effect of EVE is time sensitive [6]. While Loubert et al. administered EVE immediately after the spinal bupivacaine injection, patients in the EVE group were kept in a sitting position during the injection which resulted in a longer procedural time (average 12.9 s), with a much wider SD. We suspect this short delay could nevertheless have allowed enough time for part of the intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine to travel caudally, passing the peak of lumbar lordosis and therefore diminishing the EVE effect. In summary, we believe that the effect of EVE is dependent on multiple variables, including the patient's position, the timing of the injection, the volume of epidural saline, the baricity of the intrathecal medication, adjuvant medication and patient perception, which may explain the lack of effect found by Loubert et al.


This study examines the performance of peak-clipped optical BPSK-SSB signal. The effectiveness of peak clipping for PAPR reduction and the degradation caused by peak clipping are numerically analyzed. PAPR of optical BPSK-SSB signal becomes high because of the peaky Hilbert-transformed signal component. PAPR improvement of 43.7% is attained by clipping the peaks of the Hilbert-transformed signal. Assessment of spectral degradation reveals that both waveform clipping and modulator nonlinearity contribute to sideband suppression degradation. Analyses of the 100-km transmitted signal results show that PAPR reduction by peak clipping alleviates the nonlinear phase shift caused by self-phase modulation (SPM), which produces a less degraded signal at the detector. Peak clipping can improve the SPM threshold of the studied system by 2.63 dB.


Considering the presupposition that chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and varicose veins classifications are extremely difficult, and that none of those presently in use are sufficiently complete, the authors propose the classification of the haemodynamic venous disease (HVD) and of the varicose veins from the clinical, anatomotopographical, etiopathogenetical and haemodynamical point-of-view. This type of classification allows us to closely follow the disease's evolution, to distinguish the benign forms from the more aggressive ones, and to evaluate the results of the medical, surgical and schlerotherapical treatments, from the efficiently, functional, instrumental and aesthetically point-of-view.


A qualitative study, based on family systems theory, was undertaken in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of predictive testing and of living with the risk or reality of Huntington disease (HD), on couple relationships. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 couples; in 9 couples the at‐risk partner had undergone testing, and of these, 4 were already affected with HD. At‐risk partners in the remaining five couples had not been tested. Interview transcripts were analyzed to obtain a range of themes, which reflect the salient experiences of these couples in relation to HD. Most couples reported that receiving a predictive test result had little or no adverse effect on their relationship. However for two couples who separated after the at‐risk partner received a non‐carrier result, emotional factors associated with years of living with the HD risk, rather than the result itself, were regarded as having caused irreparable damage to the relationship. For two couples who have remained together since the diagnosis of one partner, loyalty was identified as the main factor contributing to the continuance of the relationship. The separations of the other two couples in which one partner was diagnosed were attributed to emotional distancing, and to the obsessive behavior of the affected partner. The findings of this study highlight both the individuality and the complexity of psychological effects on the intimate relationships of couples who live with the risk or reality of HD, and provide important insights for professionals offering support to these couples. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This paper investigates factors that improve the performance of exporting firms in the food and beverages manufacturing subsectors in Zimbabwe. The research developed and tested four models on the mediating effects of the export marketing mix strategy (the 4Ps), on the association between commitment to export, experience on the international market, promotion of exports and firm export performance. A mixed sequential approach using qualitative and quantitative techniques has been used by the researchers in collecting data for the study. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), and content analysis were used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The research has confirmed a positive relationship between the 4Ps, experience in international markets, commitment to exporting with export performance. Management's commitment to export, place, product and attractiveness of foreign markets have emerged as strong precursors for improvement in exporting by firms. The validated conceptual model makes significant contribution to theory the literature for export performance. The outcomes of this research offer recommendations to exporting firms, especially, those operating in emerging economies. For Zimbabwean exporters, distribution channel, and product adaptation are significant in developing exports on a sustainable basis.


ABSTRACT Fitness application service providers are offering rewards, such as points to users as incentives for service use. However, it is questionable whether this reward offering is an effective measure for persuading consumers to use fitness applications continuously. This study examines how reward affects continued use of fitness applications. An online survey was conducted on 268 people who actually used the fitness application. Respondents were divided into two groups at random, an extrinsic reward group and a non-extrinsic reward group, to check the effects of the rewards. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Factors influencing a user's continuous intention to use fitness applications will vary depending on whether rewards are provided. For the extrinsic reward group, perceived enjoyment and perceived privacy protection were significant variables to continue use of a fitness application. However, for the non-extrinsic reward group, monetary value was a significant variable. For continuous use of a fitness application, if rewards are provided, it is necessary to emphasize intrinsic factors such as fun rather than extrinsic factors such as savings and cost. On the other hand, without rewards, it is necessary to highlight extrinsic factors rather than intrinsic factors.


Fractional flow reserve is a simple and efficient tool to assess the severity of an intermediate lesion in order to determine the optimal therapy. However there are some limitations to its use. We observed that in patients with an occluded artery, FFR measurements in the vessel supplying collaterals can be underestimated leading to inappropriate therapy.


Those connected with the petroleum industry will need no introduction to The Petroleum Handbook. It is a technically-oriented manual whose aim is to provide explanations of the processes of today's petroleum industry, from crude oil exploration to product end use, with some historical background and explanation of the economic context in which the oil, gas and petrochemical businesses operation. Much of the material in this sixth edition is completely new and includes the latest information on world oil and gas reserves, future prospects, transportation, storage, refining, marketing, research, and environmental conservation.


Recent developments in quantum hardware indicate that systems featuring more than 50 physical qubits are within reach. At this scale, classical simulation will no longer be feasible and there is a possibility that such quantum devices may outperform even classical supercomputers at certain tasks. With the rapid growth of qubit numbers and coherence times comes the increasingly difficult challenge of quantum program compilation. This entails the translation of a high-level description of a quantum algorithm to hardware-specific low-level operations which can be carried out by the quantum device. Some parts of the calculation may still be performed manually due to the lack of efficient methods. This, in turn, may lead to a design gap, which will prevent the programming of a quantum computer. In this paper, we discuss the challenges in fully-automatic quantum compilation. We motivate directions for future research to tackle these challenges. Yet, with the algorithms and approaches that exist today, we demonstrate how to automatically perform the quantum programming flow from algorithm to a physical quantum computer for a simple algorithmic benchmark, namely the hidden shift problem. We present and use two tool flows which invoke RevKit. One which is based on ProjectQ and which targets the IBM Quantum Experience or a local simulator, and one which is based on Microsoft's quantum programming language Q#.


The effective research-extension linkage in agriculture and veterinary universities depends on multiple factors. To analyze such factors, the present study was carried out with a sample of 80 researchers and 40 extensionists from four veterinary universities in India. The correlation and regression analysis revealed that most of the dimensions of functional R-E linkage were less affected by the selected profile characteristics of respondents. Their information accessibility, job-experience, training/seminar familiarity and perception of management have a positive and significant relationship with linkage strength. So, these factors should be addressed by the university to strengthen and design effective linkage strategies for research and extension.


Abstract The article analyses Youth, a Chinese melodrama directed by Feng Xiaogang in 2017, as a representation of China during a transitional period in history. It explores issues of nostalgia and nostophobia in connection with the complexities of memory, representation, and viewing pleasure. It discusses how sound and image trigger memories and conflicting emotional reactions. In the film's nostalgic and elegiac re-enactment of a controversial past, the military art troupe performs songs and dances extolling socialist virtues as their own lives gradually unravel with the dawn of a post-socialist era. The article elaborates on how Youth reflects and enlivens personal and collective social memory as well as how we negotiate our ambivalent feelings towards the representation of a controversial past.


Kefir is fermented milk product containing bacteria and yeast, whereas glucomannan from porang (Amorphophallus oncophyllus) tuber has known as prebiotic in vivo. Diets with a high fat and high sugar will stimulate metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study were to determine the effect of synbiotic kefir (goat milk kefir enriched with porang glucomannan) on blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), free fatty acid (FFA), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), gene expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), and insulin producing cells in rat fed high- fat and high- fructose (HFHF) diet. Rats were divided into 5 groups: normal; high fat high fructose (HFHF); HFHF + probiotic kefir; HFHF + synbiotic kefir; and HFHF + simvastatin. There was no significantly differences in plasma blood glucose in HFHF rat after treated with synbiotic kefir. However, synbiotic kefir could decrease HbA1c and plasma TNFα, and inhibit the increasing FFA in HFHF rats. Probiotic and synbiotic kefir could decrease gene expression of PPARγ2 in both of adipose and liver tissue in HFHF rats, but had no effect on total number of Langerhans islet and insulin producing cell. In conclusion, synbiotic kefir could ameliorate the health of rats in condition of high-fat and high-fructose diet, through decreasing in HbA1c, TNFα, and gene expression of PPARγ2 and also prevent the increasing of FFA. Therefore, synbiotic kefir containing porang glucomannan is expected to be a suggestion for the food industry to develop synbiotic-based functional foods which has the potential to improve metabolic syndrome


Abstract Despite efforts to understand the amorphization mechanisms of zeolites upon heating and subsequent dehydration, little is known about the extent of Si-Al disorder and topological variations in both crystalline and amorphous phases during amorphization. In this study, we investigated the atomic structure and the extent of configurational disorder (e.g., Si-Al ordering) in Na-zeolite A and other dehydrated phases during their temperature-induced amorphization using multi-nuclear solid-state NMR. We also report the first multi-nuclear (17O, 29Si, and 27Al) NMR spectra of the intermediate amorphous phases. 29Si MAS NMR results confirm the prevalence of amorphous phases up to ∼1073 K and variation in Q-species for the crystalline phases. The 27Al quadrupolar coupling constant of the [4]Al peak in Nazeolite A and the intermediate amorphous phases increase with increasing temperature, which suggests an increase in the topological disorder associated with the structural distortion around [4]Al. 2D 17O 3QMAS NMR spectra resolve the crystallographically distinct Si-O-Al sites in Na-zeolite A and three types of oxygen linkages namely, Si-O-Al, Si-O-Si, and Al-O-Al in the intermediate amorphous phases, which provides an unambiguous experimental evidence for an increase in the Si-Al disorder during the amorphization of zeolite. The detailed structural changes in Na-zeolite A and other dehydrated phases at various temperatures provide insights into the structural changes of other aluminosilicates during amorphization, thereby highlighting the changes in Si-Al ordering.


Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an RNA virus that causes respiratory illnesses mainly in children. In severe cases, it can lead to neurological complications such as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). EV-D68 belongs to the enterovirus genera of the Picornaviridae family, which also includes many other significant human pathogens such as poliovirus, enterovirus A71 and rhinovirus. There are currently no vaccines or antivirals against EV-D68. In this review, we present the current understanding of the link between EV-D68 and AFM, the mechanism of viral replication, and recent progress in developing EV-D68 antivirals by targeting various viral proteins and host factors that are essential for viral replication. The future directions of EV-D68 antiviral drug discovery and the criteria for drugs to reach clinical trials are also discussed.


This paper takes a metareasoning-based approach to classification learning, framing the learning problem as one of self-diagnosis and self-adaptation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) research on metareasoning for agent self-adaptation has generally focused on modifying the agent's reasoning processes. In this paper, we describe the use of metareasoning for retrospective adaptation of the agent's domain knowledge. In particular, we consider the use of meta-knowledge for structural credit assignment in a classification hierarchy when the classifier makes an incorrect prediction. We present a scheme in which the semantics of the intermediate abstractions in the classification hierarchy are grounded in percepts in the world, and show that this scheme enables self-diagnosis and self-repair of knowledge contents at intermediate nodes in the hierarchy. We also provide an empirical evaluation of the technique.


The here presented work describes a surface profiling technique, for which the term closed-loop optical coherence topography (CLOCT) was proposed [1]. This technique is a scanning beam, servo-locked variation of low-coherence interferometry. It allows for the sub-wavelength-resolution tracking of a weakly scattering macroscopic-scale surface with the absence of significant real-time computational overhead and is thus particularly well suited to real-time surface profiling of in vivo, macroscopic biological surfaces.


Non-galactorrhoeic hyperprolactinaemia is one of the major causes of infertility, usually overlooked worldwide. Observed increasing incidence and prevalence, result in high medical cost and poor outcome of infertility treatment.  The high possibility of missing this clinical entity which is usually a biochemical diagnosis need to be critically looked into as there is paucity of data in this aspect thus necessitating this study.A cross sectional study of eighty-seven (87) sub-fertile females with age range of 31 and 42 years attending the Assisted Reproductive Unit of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (U.I.T.H) Ilorin, Nigeria were recruited for the study. Their descriptive parameters and information were extracted from their hospital folders.Forty-eight (55.2%) of the 87 of the subfertile females had hyperprolactinaemia without galactorrhoea while thirty-nine (44.8%) had galactorrhoeic hyperprolactinaemia. Mean ages of galactorrhoeic and non-galactorrhoeic hyperprolactinaemia patients were 39.2±6.1 and 37.3±6.9 respectively, and when they were compared there was no statistically significant difference with p-value of 0.194. There was significant positive correlation between age, duration and serum level of prolactin in both galactorrhoeic and non-galactorrhoeic hyperprolactinaemia.We concluded that non-galactorrhoeic hyperprolactinaemia is an hidden common cause of infertility and an appraisal of this clinical entity is important more so that it is the major presentation of hyperprolactinaemia in our study. The import of the study therefore is that person with suspected case of infertility should be investigated for hyperprolactinaemia even in the absence of galactorrhea as well as holistic interpretation of hormonal profile as prompt and proper treatment will yield a fruitful result. Keywords: Non-galactorrhoeic Hyperprolactinaemia, Subfertile females, Assisted Reproductive Unit


We initiate the systematic construction of gauged matter-coupled supergravity theories in two dimensions. Subgroups of the affine global symmetry group of toroidally compactified supergravity can be gauged by coupling vector fields with minimal couplings and a particular topological term. The gauge groups typically include hidden symmetries that are not among the target-space isometries of the ungauged theory. The gaugings constructed in this paper are described group-theoretically in terms of a constant embedding tensor subject to a number of constraints which parametrizes the different theories and entirely encodes the gauged Lagrangian. The prime example is the bosonic sector of the maximally supersymmetric theory whose ungauged version admits an affine 9 global symmetry algebra. The various parameters (related to higher-dimensional p-form fluxes, geometric and non-geometric fluxes, etc.) which characterize the possible gaugings, combine into an embedding tensor transforming in the basic representation of 9. This yields an infinite-dimensional class of maximally supersymmetric theories in two dimensions. We work out and discuss several examples of higher-dimensional origin which can be systematically analyzed using the different gradings of 9.


This paper describes the nnmerical analysis of ceiling jets relevant to the "T" pattern flame which accelerates the fire growth due to a flame burning upward along a corner, using a three-dimensional field model. It vas found in calculations that ceiling jets split into two directions along ceiling-wall intersections when a heat source is located at a marked distance from a corner. Isotherms, velocity vectors and isobaric contours of the split ceiling jet showed the configulation similar to the "T" pattern in the experiments of Williamson et al. The "T"-shaped flow was investigated using "open" and "closed" type fire rooms. Further , it was found that the distance between the corner and heat source plays an important role in forming the "T" pattern and that the temperatures and pressures at the ceiling corner oscillate regularly.


This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and the severity of self-harm behaviors based on the suicidal intents of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) for self-harm. This was a retrospective study on patients admitted to the ED between March 2017 and December 2020 owing to self-harm behaviors and were grouped into a suicide attempt (SA) and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) group. A total of 642 (73.5%) and 232 (26.5%) patients were classified into SA and NSSH groups, respectively. In the SA group, 270 (42.1%) patients reported consuming alcohol, which was independently associated with ≥12 years of formal education and no history of psychiatric hospitalization. In the NSSH group, 87 (37.5%) patients reported consuming alcohol, which was associated with male sex, being married or unmarried but living together, ≥12 years of formal education, and no history of depression. Alcohol consumption could predict ED disposition in the SA group but not in the NSSH group. The impact of alcohol consumption varied according to suicidal intents among patients admitted to the ED for self-harm behavior. Regardless of suicidal intent, patients with a higher education level tended to drink alcohol when engaging in self-harm behaviors.


Violence consists of a pattern of coercive behaviors used by a competent adult or adolescent to establish and maintain power and control over another competent adult or adolescent. These behaviors, which can occur alone or in combination, sporadically or continually, include physical violence, psychological abuse, talking, and nonconsensual sexual behavior. Research indicates that different types of violence are used as a means of enforcing discipline in the family and the school context. Children and adolescents who grow up in an environment where violence has a natural place tend to resort to violence at every stage of their lives without question. The aim of this research was therefore to preservice teachers' perception of the concept of violence through the use of metaphors. Accordingly, answers to the following questions were sought: What metaphors do the youth use to describe the concept of violence? Under which conceptual categories can these metaphors be grouped in terms of their common features? How do the conceptual categories vary in relation to the students' gender and the subjects they study at university? The study was conducted in 2009 with the help of 303 students at Mersin University and Eskişehir Osmangazi University (Faculty of Education). Incomplete statements such as "Violence is like..., because..." were used in an attempt to understand the students' perception of violence. The students were given questionnaire to complete the statements. Demographic questions were also asked on the students'age, gender and departments. The data were analyzed through qualitative analysis, and processes such as frequency distribution and quantitative correlation data were evaluated through SPSS data analysis. It emerged that the students used 74 metaphors of violence that could be divided into seven categories: (1) Violence as a way of controlling others; 2) Violence as part of social and affective life; (3) Violence as devastation; (4) Violence as learned helplessness; (5) Violence as a consequence of poor communication; (6) Violence as a phenomenon with psychological and physical effects; (7) Violence as a state of mind with long-term ongoing effects. The findings on these categories are presented and recommendations made. The analysis of the research results according to the students' departments indicated that the metaphors describing violence were grouped mainly under the theme (category) of "Violence as a way of controlling others". As the students in these fields of study received an education focused more on concrete and precise facts, they tended to perceive violence in a more conceptual way.


The geometric isotope effect (GIE) on low barrier hydrogen-bonded systems of acetic acid dimer, formic acid dimer, and their anion clusters is analyzed by HF and hybrid DFT levels of the multi-component molecular orbital (MC_MO) method, which directly includes nuclear quantum effect of proton/deuteron. Our optimized geometries for both neutral and anionic species with HF level of MC_MO method have reproduced the overall tendency of the GIE of the corresponding experimental ones. On the other hand, the results for anionic clusters with hybrid BHandHLYP functional of MC_MO method give poor agreement due to the underestimation of the barrier height of hydrogen-bonding. Our multi-component analysis clearly demonstrates that the hydrogen-bonding interaction energy is strongly affected by the distribution of nuclear wavefunction.


Hypertension   and   diabetes   mellitus   (DM)   are the      two       major      inter-correlated      risk       factors      of cardiovascular   diseases,    which    considered    as    the    major causes  of  morbidity  and  mortality.  This  study  is  set  up  to determine   control   rate,   and   the   social   demographic   and health   related   behaviours   risk   factors   in   association   with control   rate   in   hypertensive   and/or   diabetes   patients   who are  under  treatment.  Cross  sectional  study  was  carried  out in  this  study.  Data  have  been  collected  by  well-trained paramedics through direct interviews using structured questionnaire     with     the     participants.     A     conventional sampling  which  is  one  of  the  main  types  of  non-probability method  was  used  for  collecting  data.  SPSS  version  16  was used   for   analysing   data.   338   patients   were   recruited   into the   study,   150(44.1%)   of   participants   with   hypertension,88(25.9%) with diabetes and the rest 100(29.4%) with both diseases.   Patients   who   diagnosed   with   hypertension   weremore  under  control  83  (55.3%)  in  comparison  with  diabetic23(26.1%)   and   patients   who   were   diagnosed   both conditions 18(18.0%). High control rate was observed in hypertension  patients  compared  to  diabetes  and  those diagnosed   both   conditions.   Cor   morbidity   was   the   main cause of uncontrolled rate.


The Bayesian approach allows one to easily quantify uncertainty, at least in theory. In practice, however, the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method can be computationally expensive, particularly in complicated inverse problems. We present a methodology for improving the speed and efficiency of an MCMC analysis by combining runs on different scales. By using a coarser scale, the chain can run faster (particularly when there is an external forward simulator involved in the likelihood evaluation) and better explore the posterior, being less likely to become stuck in local maxima. We discuss methods for linking the coarse chain back to the original fine-scale chain of interest. The resulting coupled chain can thus be run more efficiently without sacrificing the accuracy achieved at the finer scale.


The main objective of this paper is to find appropriate parameters for a resource revenue fund model in the industrial part of the World, with Estonia as an example. Based on literature review and case studies of resource revenue funds, four parameters are suggested: the period of resource revenue flow, the magnitude of the revenue flow relative to GDP, relative development level of the country and institutional development level. Additionally, four resource revenue fund models are characterized: fiscal, mixed, Permanent Income Fund and Sovereign Development Fund.Analysis shows that for a country where the main natural resource is oil shale (as is the case in Estonia), the most suitable resource revenue fund model would be a blend of fiscal modelling and Sovereign Development Fund.


Characterizing a microlensing planet is done by modeling an observed lensing light curve. In this process, it is often confronted that solutions of different lensing parameters result in similar light curves, causing difficulties in uniquely interpreting the lens system, and thus understanding the causes of different types of degeneracy is important. In this work, we show that incomplete coverage of a planetary perturbation can result in degenerate solutions even for events where the planetary signal is detected with a high level of statistical significance. We demonstrate the degeneracy for an actually observed event OGLE-2012-BLG-0455/MOA-2012-BLG-206. The peak of this high-magnification event (Amax ∼ 400) exhibits very strong deviation from a point-lens model with Δχ2 ≳ 4000 for data sets with a total of 6963 measurements. From detailed modeling of the light curve, we find that the deviation can be explained by four distinct solutions, i.e., two very different sets of solutions, each with a twofold degeneracy. While the twofold (so-called close/wide) degeneracy is well understood, the degeneracy between the radically different solutions is not previously known. The model light curves of this degeneracy differ substantially in the parts that were not covered by observation, indicating that the degeneracy is caused by the incomplete coverage of the perturbation. It is expected that the frequency of the degeneracy introduced in this work will be greatly reduced with the improvement of the current lensing survey and follow-up experiments and the advent of new surveys.


The rising demand for single-use polymers calls for alternative waste treatment pathways to ensure a circular economy. Here, we explore hydrogen production from waste polymer gasification (wPG) to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic incineration and landfilling while generating a valuable product. We assess the carbon footprint of 13 H2 production routes and their environmental sustainability relative to the planetary boundaries (PBs) defined for seven Earth-system processes, covering H2 from waste polymers (wP; polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene), and a set of benchmark technologies including H2 from natural gas, biomass, and water splitting. Our results show that wPG coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS) could reduce the climate change impact of fossil-based and most electrolytic routes. Moreover, due to the high price of wP, wPG would be more expensive than its fossil- and biomass-based analogs but cheaper than the electrolytic routes. The absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) revealed that all pathways would transgress at least one downscaled PB, yet a portfolio was identified where the current global H2 demand could be met without transgressing any of the studied PBs, which indicates that H2 from plastics could play a role until chemical recycling technologies reach a sufficient maturity level.


Fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) is a potent morphogen that regulates the ontogenesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, which control the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, and therefore reproductive success. Indeed, FGF8 and FGFR1 deficiency severely compromises vertebrate reproduction in mice and humans and is associated with Kallmann Syndrome (KS), a congenital disease characterized by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism associated with anosmia. Our laboratory demonstrated that FGF8 signaling through FGFR1, both of which are KS-related genes, is necessary for proper GnRH neuron development in mice and humans. Here, we investigated the possibility that non-genetic factors, such as the epigenome, may contribute to KS onset. For this purpose, we developed an embryonic explant model, utilizing the mouse olfactory placode (OP), the birthplace of GnRH neurons. We show that TET1, which converts 5-methylcytosine residues (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylated cytosines (5hmC), controls transcription of Fgf8 during GnRH neuron ontogenesis. Through MeDIP and ChIP RT-qPCR we found that TET1 bound to specific CpG islands on the Fgf8 promoter. We found that the temporal expression of Fgf8 correlates with not only TET1 binding, but also with 5hmC enrichment. siRNA knockdown of Tet1 reduced Fgf8 and Fgfr1 mRNA expression. During this time period, Fgf8 also switched histone status, most likely via recruitment of EZH2, a major component of the polycomb repressor complex-2 (PRC2) at E13.5. Together, these studies underscore the significance of epigenetics and chromatin modifications to temporally regulated genes involved in KS.


Background: Evidence is accumulating that carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) might become an alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for the treatment of high-grade carotid artery disease (CAD). Evaluating the efficacy of this novel technique in single institutions in addition to performing further large trials can help to guide optimal patient management in everyday practice. Methods: In this study we compared the early outcome of 100 prospectively followed patients who underwent CAS with a retrospectively reviewed group of 142 patients that underwent CEA over the same time period. Only patients who had received pre- and postsurgical evaluations by a neurologist were included. According to the criteria set forth by the large trials the occurrence of minor or major strokes, myocardial infarction and death within 30 days was analysed. Results: Both groups had similar age and sex distributions, as well as cerebrovascular risk factors. In the group of CAS patients 63 (63%) and in the group of CEA patients 92 (65%) had a symptomatic carotid stenosis, respectively. For symptomatic patients the overall complication rate (any stroke or death) was 6.5% (3 minor and 3 major strokes) in the surgical and 8% (2 minor strokes, 2 major strokes, and 1 death) in the non-surgical group (n.s.). For asymptomatic patients there was one minor stroke (2%) in the surgical and no stroke or death in the non-surgical group. As a frequent non-neurological complication the post-procedural course was complicated by groin hematoma requiring surgery in 3 CAS patients, and neck hematoma requiring additional surgery in 3 CEA patients. Conclusions: Within our academic institution we found comparable complication rates for CAS and CEA in patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic high-grade CAD. Although these early results are promising and support the notion that CAS may become an alternative treatment option for CAD in everyday practice, the long-term efficacy of CAS has to be evaluated critically by means of further prospective studies.


In this paper, we are interested in the teaching of probability
theory in Prague and Czechoslovakia, in particular during the
1930s. We focus specially on a textbook, published in Prague by
Karel Rychlik in 1938, which uses Kolmogorovs axiomatization, a
very exceptional fact before World War II.


Satellite remote sensing technology is increasingly gaining recognition as an important source of operational agro meteorological services. Spatial daily rainfall product from geostationary satellite is one of the important data source for quick evaluation of suitability of sowing conditions and other economically relevant agricultural operations (irrigation, fertilizer applications, spraying etc.) by farmers as well as disaster (drought, flood) warning causing crop loss and also to derive weather derivatives for crop insurance. In view of that a study was taken up to explore the use of satellite based rainfall data at different temporal scales. Under the present study, comparison has been made between Kalpana-1 high resolution (0.25° x 0.25°) rainfall estimates for four south-west monsoon months (June-September) in two contrasting monsoon periods of 2008 (normal) and 2009 (drought) with in situ measurements andforecast (1° x 1°) at nine AMFUs (Agro-Meteorological Field Units) in different agro climatic zones.Initial analysis show less correlation and large root mean square error (RMSE) of Kalpana-1 daily rainfall estimates with measurements and forecast. However, correlation was found to increase significantly from 60 to 80% over weekly to fortnightly scale with concomitant decrease in RMSE.


A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) is a scaffolding protein that associates with intracellular molecules to regulate multiple signal transductions. Although the roles of AKAP12 in the central nervous system are still relatively understudied, it was previously shown that AKAP12 regulates blood-retinal barrier formation. In this study, we asked whether AKAP12 also supports the function and integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In a mouse model of focal ischemia, the expression level of AKAP12 in cerebral endothelial cells was upregulated during the acute phase of stroke. Also, in cultured cerebral endothelial cells, oxygen-glucose deprivation induced the upregulation of AKAP12. When AKAP12 expression was suppressed by an siRNA approach in cultured endothelial cells, endothelial permeability was increased along with the dysregulation of ZO-1/Claudin 5 expression. In addition, the loss of AKAP12 expression caused an upregulation/activation of the Rho kinase pathway, and treatment of Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 mitigated the increase of endothelial permeability in AKAP12-deficient endothelial cell cultures. These in vitro findings were confirmed by our in vivo experiments using Akap12 knockout mice. Compared to wild-type mice, Akap12 knockout mice showed a larger extent of BBB damage after stroke. However, the inhibition of rho kinase by Y-27632 tightened the BBB in Akap12 knockout mice. These data may suggest that endogenous AKAP12 works to alleviate the damage and dysfunction of the BBB caused by ischemic stress. Therefore, the AKAP12-rho-kinase signaling pathway represents a novel therapeutic target for stroke.


We model the mathematical process whereby new mathematical theories are invented. Here we explain the use of conceptual blending for this purpose, and show examples to illustrate the process in action. Our longerterm goal is to support machine and human mathemat-


Structured representations of entity names are useful for many entity-related tasks such as entity normalization and variant generation. Learning the implicit structured representations of entity names without context and external knowledge is particularly challenging. In this paper, we present a novel learning framework that combines active learning and weak supervision to solve this problem. Our experimental evaluation show that this framework enables the learning of high-quality models from merely a dozen or so labeled examples.


ABSTRACT Enabling functional communication is critical for accessibility in school and society for all pupils. This systematic review analyzed the results of educational studies on developing communication skills for learners (≤21 years) with autism spectrum disorder and comorbid intellectual disability. Systematic database searches were conducted using ERIC, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Seventeen of 208 peer-reviewed articles in English published between 1990 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria. The analysis identified various educational approaches, ranging from using alternative linguistic tools (e.g., signs and gestures) to physical devices (e.g., visual cues), and also examined instructional approaches used by educators. The synthesis shows heterogeneity of methods used, resulting in weak evidence for any model's impact on this pupil group's communication skills development and concomitant possibilities to affect their school situation. In addition, the analysis demonstrated that personnel performance crucially affects children's opportunities to learn regardless of the approach used. Directions for future research are concluded.


The aim of the present work was to investigate the evolution of thermal and mechanical properties during the polymerisation of a thermosetting resin that is typical of those used as the matrix in advanced composites. The mechanism of the cure reaction was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in both dynamic (thermal scanning) and isothermal modes, and procedures for correlating the two types of calorimetric data were developed. The model finally chosen encapsulates the diffusioncontrolled mechanism of reaction by establishing a one-to-one relationship between the degree of cure and the glass transition temperature, which is assumed to be a structural parameter during the polymerisation. A detailed experimental investigation of specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, secondary transformations (gelation and vitrification), thermal and chemical volume changes and stress relaxation moduli was carried out to establish a suitable database for the resin. Where possible, a closed analytical model was employed; alternatively, an interpolation procedure was developed to evaluate the changes in a selected property during a more complex temperature profile. Experimental equipment was developed to perform shrinkage measurements on the neat resin system; the results obtained were later compared with experimental data from standard liquid dilatometry tests. A simulation of the curing of a bi-material cantilever beam is presented as a test case to highlight the influence of property changes on the final curvature. Sample curvature during the experiment was recorded using a digital camera and then analysed using graphical software. The correlation between the observed values of curvature and the results of a finite element based simulation was used to validate the kinetics model and property modelling for the chosen thermosetting resin.


BACKGROUND
Mesenchymal hamartoma (MH) of the liver constitutes the third or fourth most common tumor of the liver in childhood and occurs most commonly in the first two years of life. MHs of the liver are seldom aspirated, and reports on the role of fine needle aspiration (FNA) in the diagnosis of MH are scarce. Clinically, cytologically and even histologically, MH can be mistaken for a number of reactive and neoplastic hepatic lesions that may occur in children under 2 years of age.

CASE
A 10-month-old Pakistani female presented with a history of a right-sided, nonpainful abdominal swelling. Abdominal computed tomography showed a large, partly solid and partly cystic, heterogeneous hepatic mass. FNA cytology showed clusters of both epithelial and mesenchymal/spindle-shaped cells with pieces of loose connective tissue. A cytologic differential diagnosis of mesenchymal hepatic hamartoma and hepatoblastoma of the possible mixed mesenchymal/epithelial subtype was rendered. The histopathologic diagnosis of the resected tumor mass was benign mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver.

CONCLUSION
In children under 2 years of age who present with partly solid and partly cystic hepatic masses, the possibility of MH of the liver should be considered. FNA has a role in the diagnosis of MH. The cytopathologist should be aware of the patient's age, radiologic features and cytologic appearances of this rare, benign neoplasm. Histologic examination of tru-cut biopsies and immunohistochemical stains can help to exclude other pediatric neoplasms that may show cytologic features similar to or mimicking those of MH.


Serum cortisol concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay in cancer patients undergoing experimental therapy with recombinant interferon-alpha 2. Cortisol concentration rose steadily after interferon administration and was significantly different from that on control day at 8 h following intramuscular injection of interferon-alpha 2. Cortisol elevation was increased as weekly doses of interferon were increased (0-120 X 10(6) units). Recent clinical trials of interferons for treatment of neurological and malignant diseases provide a compelling need to understand the actions and side effects of exogenously administered interferons.


Objective. The current paper aimed to discuss developing the online newborn hearing screening certification course and revisions made from pre-pandemic face-to-face strategies to the online implementation in response to COVID-19 limitations. Furthermore, it aimed to create recommendations for the refinement of the course.
Methods. The development of the adaptation consisted of document review, focus group discussions among program faculty before and after implementation, which covered the demand for the certification course, opportunities for adaptation, situational limitations, and online implementation advantages and concerns. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis of the online course was done.
Results. The certification course was developed within a month and retained the same learning objectives going into an online implementation. One significant change was the addition of a local experience module which allowed for the participation of regional newborn hearing screening coordinators. More resources were required from both instructors and learners to implement successfully. Due to the asynchronous nature of the online course, the evaluation scheme was adapted accordingly. However, teaching strategies were limited. The pricing of the course was also not optimal.
Conclusion. Although there were merits in adapting the certification course to the online learning platform, there were areas for refinement. These were the alignment of all course modules to learning objectives, the addition of varied teaching methods, and the revision of pricing for the course.


This paper presents the decomposition property of fuzzy systems using a simple, constructive, decomposition procedure. That is, by properly dividing the input space into sub-input spaces, a general fuzzy system is decomposed into several sub-fuzzy systems which are the simplest fuzzy systems in the sub-input spaces. Based on the decomposition property of fuzzy systems, the analysis of fuzzy systems can be divided into two steps: first, analyze the properties of the simplest fuzzy systems, and then, use the decomposition property to extend the results to general fuzzy systems. Using this idea, two applications of the decomposition property are given. The first is the application to the representation capability analysis of fuzzy systems. The second is the application to the analysis of a class of nonlinear control systems. Then, based on the piecewise affine fuzzy-system model, the existence condition and the design of a stable control for a class of single-input single-output (SISO) nonlinear systems are presented.


Working physicists, and especially astrophysicists, value a good `back-of-the-envelope' calculation, meaning a short, elegant computation or argument that starts from general principles and leads to an interesting result. This book guides students on how to understand astrophysics using general principles and concise calculations — endeavouring to be elegant where possible and using short computer programs where necessary.
The material proceeds in approximate historical order. The book begins with the Enlightenment-era insight that the orbits of the planets is easy, but the orbit of the Moon is a real headache, and continues to deterministic chaos. This is followed by a chapter on spacetime and black holes. Four chapters reveal how microphysics, especially quantum mechanics, allow us to understand how stars work. The last two chapters are about cosmology, bringing us to 21st-century developments on the microwave background and gravitational waves.


This study examines whether U.S. audit firms experience reputational damage when clients are accused of misconduct that does not affect auditor litigation risk. Auditors have minimal, if any, responsibility related to non-GAAP securities fraud class actions, our proxy for such misconduct, but bounded rationality suggests that auditors could still incur reputational damage from these suits. In the year after suit filing, fees are lower for the auditor's clients in the same city-industry as the sued client, but are unchanged for clients of other auditors in the same city-industry. This effect is stronger (1) for new engagements, suggesting auditors must provide incremental discounts to win new clients, and (2) when suits are severe, likely because the negative information is more salient. Overall, these results provide evidence that reputation is an important incentive for U.S. audit firms. This study also contributes to mounting archival evidence of systematic biases and cognitive errors by corporate decision-makers.


In this paper, we examine the direct effects of sulphate and black carbon (BC) aerosols in China on East Asia monsoons and its precipitation processes by using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) 3.0 model. It is demonstrated that sulphate and BC aerosols in China both have the effects to weaken East Asia monsoons in both summer and winter seasons. However, they certainly differ from each other in affecting vertical structures of temperature and atmospheric circulations. Their differences are expected because of their distinct optical properties, that is, scattering versus absorbing. Even for a single type of aerosol, its effects on temperature structures and atmospheric circulations are largely season-dependent. Applications of T-test on our results indicate that forcing from BC aerosols over China is relatively weak and limited. It is also evident from our results that the effects of synthetic aerosols (sulphate and BC together) on monsoons are not simply a linear summation between these two types of aerosols. Instead, they are determined by their integrated optical properties. Synthetic aerosols to a large degree resemble effects of sulphate aerosols. This implies a likely scattering property for the integration of BC and sulphate aerosols in China.


The aim of the article is to discuss Jasmila Žbanic's Esma's Secret (Grbavica, 2006), On the Path (Na Putu, 2010) and For Those Who Can Tell No Tales (Za one koji ne mogu da govore, 2013) as a trilogy addressing the consequences of Bosnian War. The films are considered in the theoretical framework of women's cinema as world cinema, exploring their location in relation to globalization. The article hence analyses each film's aesthetic in light of influential feminist concepts and theories such as Rey Chow's age of the world target, Adriana Cavarero's horrorism and caring, E Ann Kaplan's trauma and Judith Butler's ethics. In these films the violated body is neither victimized nor considered as a natural being: each character is a biopolitical subject, geo-culturally located, and produced through processes originating from dynamics of power and responsibility, guilt and care.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) at different frequencies on plasma vasoactive substance levels in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MIR) injury rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of acute myocardial ischemia.

METHODS
A total of 40 Wistar rats were randomized into control, model, high frequency (HF, 120 Hz) and low frequency (LF, 20 Hz) groups (n = 10 in each group). The MIR model was established by occlusion of the anterior descending branch (ADB) of the left coronary artery for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 40 min. EA (3 V, 120 Hz or 20 Hz) was applied to bilateral "Neiguan" (PC 6) for 50 min immediately after occlusion of ADB. Subsequently, the contents of plasma endothelin (ET), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), thromboxane B 2 (TXB2) and 6-Keto-PGF1, were assayed by radioimmunoassay, and the content of serum nitric oxide (NO) was detected by nitrate reductase method.

RESULTS
Compared with the control group, the contents of plasma ET, ANP and TXB2 in the model group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and that of plasma 6-Keto-PGF1α in the model group was notably decreased (P < 0.05), but no significant change was found in serum NO level (P > 0.05). Compared with the model group, the contents of plasma ET, ANP and TXB2 were considerably decreased, and plasma 6-Keto-PGF1α and serum NO contents were obviously increased in both HF and LF groups (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the HF and LF groups in plasma ET , ANP, TXB2 and 6-Keto-PGF1α contents (P > 0.05), but the HF EA was markedly superior to the LF EA in up-regulating the content of serum NO (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
EA stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) can down-regulate the contents of plasma ET, ANP and TXB2 and up-regulate contents of plasma 6-Keto-PGF1α and serum NO in MIR rats, which may contribute to its effect in relieving acute ischemic myocardial injury. The effect of HF EA is better than LF EA in raising blood NO level.


We have periodically poled 42/spl deg/ rotated Y-cut near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate crystals. These crystals enable QPM in surface-normal configurations for scaling to large apertures. Initial SHG results are consistent with theoretical expectations.


The coherent reception of direct sequence-code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) is considered, when chaotic sequences are used instead of conventional pseudo-noise (PN) spreading code. A piecewise linear map (PWL) is used as chaotic spreading sequence (CSS). Additive white Gaussian noise channel (AWGN) is assumed. An analytical expression of the bit error rate in the single user case is presented.


A new preparation method (reduction-decomposition process) for high purity SrCO_3 was investigated, which mainly includes four processes: reduction, leaching, purification and precipitation. The affecting factors about S~(2-) behaviors in leaching process and the effects of variables on purity and particle sizes distribution of SrCO_3 were analyzed theoretically and practically. It is concluded that with the increase of temperature or decrease of pH value in leaching process, the strontium recovery increases, but SrS decomposes and hydrogen sulphide (H_2S) gas discharges. The purity of SrCO_3 is dependent on dissolution-recrystallization times, for example, the purity of (SrCO_3) is as high as 99.97% when it is recrystallized three times. Besides, the solution concentration of Sr(OH)_2 and flow rate of CO_2 have important effects on particle size distribution of SrCO_3 particles, especially, the particle sizes of (SrCO_3) meanly distribute in 0.11.0 μm when the flow rate of CO_2 is about 2 000 mL/min and other parameters are invariable.


Objectives: To examine the relationship between radiation therapy delay and risk of subsequent breast events in the ipsilateral breast and to identify factors that are associated with delay in women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Methods: From the Missouri Cancer Registry, we identified the women who were diagnosed with first primary DCIS between 1996 and 2011 and treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS). Radiation therapy delay was defined as the first radiation therapy that was delivered greater than eight weeks after BCS. Propensity scores were calculated for radiation therapy delay and no radiation therapy during the first course of treatment. A propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of ipsilateral breast tumors. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with delay. Results: Among 5,916 patients, 1,053 (17.8%) received radiation therapy greater than eight weeks after BCS and 1,702 (28.8%) did not receive radiation therapy during the first course of treatment. During the 72- month follow-up, 182 (3.1%) developed ipsilateral breast tumors. After adjustment for propensity scores, the HR of ipsilateral breast tumors was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.00-1.59; p = 0.049) for radiation therapy delay and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.03-1.76; p = 0.03) for no radiation therapy compared with timely radiation therapy. Radiation therapy delay was associated with black race, being non-married and on Medicaid, later years of diagnosis, larger tumor size micropapillary architecture, and positive surgical margin. Conclusions: Receipt of radiation therapy greater than eight weeks after BCS was associated with a significantly increased risk of ipsilateral breast tumors in women with DCIS. Timeliness of radiation therapy should be improved, particularly for black and Medicaid patients. Citation Format: Ying Liu, Shumei Yun, Min Lian, Graham Colditz. Radiation therapy delay and risk of ipsilateral breast tumors in women with ductal carcinoma in situ . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2576.


OBJECTIVES: Cerebral pressure passivity is common in sick premature infants and may predispose to germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage (GM/IVH), a lesion with potentially serious consequences. We studied the association between the magnitude of cerebral pressure passivity and GM/IVH. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled infants <32 weeks' gestational age with indwelling mean arterial pressure (MAP) monitoring and excluded infants with known congenital syndromes or antenatal brain injury. We recorded continuous MAP and cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy hemoglobin difference (HbD) signals at 2 Hz for up to 12 hours/day and up to 5 days. Coherence and transfer function analysis between MAP and HbD signals was performed in 3 frequency bands (0.05–0.25, 0.25–0.5, and 0.5–1.0 Hz). Using MAP-HbD gain and clinical variables (including chorioamnionitis, Apgar scores, gestational age, birth weight, neonatal sepsis, and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology II), we built a logistic regression model that best predicts cranial ultrasound abnormalities. RESULTS: In 88 infants (median gestational age: 26 weeks [range 23–30 weeks]), early cranial ultrasound showed GM/IVH in 31 (37%) and parenchymal echodensities in 10 (12%) infants; late cranial ultrasound showed parenchymal abnormalities in 19 (30%) infants. Low-frequency MAP-HbD gain (highest quartile mean) was significantly associated with early GM/IVH but not other ultrasound findings. The most parsimonious model associated with early GM/IVH included only gestational age and MAP-HbD gain. CONCLUSIONS: This novel cerebrovascular monitoring technique allows quantification of cerebral pressure passivity as MAP-HbD gain in premature infants. High MAP-HbD gain is significantly associated with GM/IVH. Precise temporal and causal relationship between MAP-HbD gain and GM/IVH awaits further study.


The naming of nursing phenomena and representing the phenomena in a standardized manner suitable for encoding in computer-based systems is a challenge for the nursing profession at the national and the international level. Considerable progress has been made in the development of classification systems for nursing practice. The focus of this article is on language systems developed to represent nursing judgements in computer-based systems, in particular the electronic health record. A review of two current systems and their proposed revisions (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, NANDA, Taxonomies I and II, and the International Classification for Nursing Practice, ICNP, Alpha and Beta versions), according to the features suggested by the Computer-based Patient Record Institute (CPRI) for classification systems appropriate for implementation in computer-based systems, suggests that the evolving versions extend the current versions in terms of sufficient granularity (depth and level of detail) and atomic and compositional character. However, it is not clear from the literature available to date whether the characteristics that are most closely related to definition of a formal terminology (i.e. clear and non-redundant representation of concepts, syntax and grammar for logical constructions of compositional terms, synonyms and language independence) will be part of the evolving vocabularies. Formal terminology models and related tools have the potential to complement, extend, and refine existing nursing classification systems.


Objective: To evaluate the predictive factors for occurrence of atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients. Design and method: Overall, 3684 volunteers with AH from 11 cities of Bulgaria participated in a cross-sectional study on the World Hypertension Day in 2014 and 2015. Same structured questionnaire was applied in the two surveys with questions about the registered episodes of AF, symptoms, treatment, demographic characteristics, diabetes mellitus, and home blood pressure measurement (BP). The BP, heart rate, weight and waist circumference were measured, BMI was calculated. Results: The mean age of the participants was 59.81 ± 16.44 years, 55% were female. The median duration of AH was 9 years. AF was present in 386 (11%) of them and in 282 (73%) of those with the arrhythmia it was treated, with no difference by year of examination or gender. New AF was diagnosed in 4% in this hypertensive population. The mean blood pressure was 141.86 ± 22.14/85.46 ± 11.97 mmHg in males and 133.75 ± 20.27/79.67 ± 10.99 mmHg in females (p < 0.001). The prevalence of AF was not significantly correlated with the BP values or with the quartiles of the BP distribution. However, the mean duration of AH was significantly longer in the patients with the arrhythmia compared to those in sinus rhythm – 14.1 vs 10 years for the known AF (p < 0.0001) and 14.75 vs 10.65 years for new AF (p < 0.0001). The hypertensive patients with AF (new or known) had almost twice more frequently duration of AH longer than the median (>9 years) than those without the arrhythmia – 23.4% vs 12.2% (p < 0.0001). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the hypertensive patients with onset of their AH more than 9 years had twice higher risk of developing AF (RR = 2.03, 95%CI 1.52–2.69, p < 0.0001), after adjustment for age, sex, measures of obesity, presence of diabetes, and BP. Conclusions: The prevalence of AF in an urban hypertensive population was approximately 1 in 8. Neither the present values of BP nor the severity of AH at the moment had effect on the occurrence of AF. The most powerful predictor of AF was the duration of AH more than the median.


Experimental evidence of extremely high spatial resolution of tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) has been recently demonstrated. Here, we present a full quantum chemical description (at the density functional level of theory) of the non-resonant chemical effects on the Raman spectrum of an adenine molecule mapped by a tip, modeled as a single silver atom or a small silver cluster. We show pronounced changes in the Raman pattern and its intensities depending on the conformation of the nanoparticle-substrate system, concluding that the spatial resolution of the chemical contribution of TERS can be in the sub-nm range.


Abstract Background Open or arthroscopic partial resection of the elongated ulnar styloid is the surgical treatment of choice for ulnar styloid impaction syndrome. Case Description A patient with a severely elongated processus styloideus ulnae (PSU) with a chronic impaction of the distal-radial margin against the triquetrum suffered a traumatic triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) Palmer 1B rupture and DRUJ instability. The length of the PSU was 9 mm. After failed conservative treatment, a partial oblique arthroscopic resection of the PSU and simultaneous TFCC reinsertion were performed with uneventful recovery. Literature Review Arthroscopic resection has emerged as an alternative to the traditional open PSU resection for the treatment of styloid impaction syndrome. A transverse resection is described as the treatment of choice. Regarding the extent of resection subtotal ligament sparing resection or resection to the lower margin have been suggested. Clinical Relevance Surgical planning of PSU resection should take into consideration the anatomy of the impingement. The extent of resection should be planned individually, and sometimes an oblique resection may be the preferred option.


Synthetic Human GRF 1-44, kindly provided by R. Guillemin1, was given IV bolus (1 ug/kg/b.w.) to 37 children or adolescents with severe growth failure due to GH deficiency prior to GH therapy, including 9 with Idiopathic Isolated (11.), 6 with Idiopathic Panhypopituitarism (IP.), 19 with GH deficiency secondary to a brain tumor (BT.).In II., IP. and BP. mean plasma GH peakds after GRF were 10, 8.2 and 16.1 ng/ml respectively compared to 4, 2.6 and 4.5 after glucagon propanolol. Acute IV bolus of GRF seems to discriminate with a higher efficiency GH deficiency secondary to a brain tumor from idiopathic, although overlap is observed. However in case of a "too good" GH response to acute IV bolus of GRF, possibility of brain tumor must strongly be (re)considered.One case with severe growth retardation, marked boulimia without obesity and idiopathic isolated GH deficiency shows a dramatic GH peak at 88 ng/ml 15 mn after GRF, which suggests a primary GRF deficiency possibly due to a defect of the Arcuate Nucleus region. Such a marked GH peak was also observed in two cases of anorexia nervosa.These data provide evidences of GRF usefulness in the diagnosis of the etiology and (or) the pathophysiology of GH deficiency. They also raise the possibility that GRF could play a role in the regulation of appetite.1. Salk Institute. La Jolla. Cal. U.S.A.


Our auditory system constantly keeps track of our environment, informing us about our surroundings and warning us of potential threats. The auditory looming bias is an early perceptual phenomenon, reflecting higher alertness of listeners to approaching auditory objects, rather than to receding ones. Experimentally, this sensation has been elicited by using both intensity-varying stimuli, as well as spectrally varying stimuli with constant intensity. Following the intensity-based approach, recent research delving into the cortical mechanisms underlying the looming bias argues for top-down signaling from the prefrontal cortex to the auditory cortex in order to prioritize approaching over receding sonic motion. We here test the generalizability of that finding to spectrally induced looms by re-analyzing previously published data. Our results indicate the promoted top-down projection but at time points slightly preceding the motion onset and thus considered to reflect a bias driven by anticipation. At time points following the motion onset, our findings show a bottom-up bias along the dorsal auditory pathway directed toward the prefrontal cortex.


Opioid delta receptors seem to be involved in blood pressure regulation of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), possibly by an interaction with the sympathetic nervous system. In the present study the effect of four weeks' chronic delta receptor antagonism with ICI 154 129 on development of blood pressure was evaluated in young SHR. Contents of adrenaline and noradrenaline and the opioid peptides beta-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin were measured in brain stem, mid brain, hypothalamus, and adrenal glands. After four weeks' treatment, systolic blood pressure was lower when compared with control SHR. During chronic delta antagonism, concentrations of adrenaline were higher in hypothalamus, mid brain and adrenal glands, contents of noradrenaline were higher in hypothalamus and adrenal glands than in control rats, contents of opioid peptides were not altered with the exception of an increase of beta-endorphin concentration in the hypothalamus. The changes in concentrations of catecholamines following chronic delta antagonism may reflect an alteration of sympathetic activity and could contribute to the retardation of blood pressure development.


This paper presents the implementation on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) of an integrated battery charger controller for Electrical Vehicle (EV) application. The control strategy is based on cascaded loops where the currents controllers of the inner loops are integrated on a FPGA and the voltage controller of the outer loop is implemented on a processor board. The aim is to take benefits from the two devices advantages. An advanced RST controller is used to control the sinusoidal currents. The FPGA simulation results are compared to Matlab/Simulink simulations.


The COVID-19 pandemic has affected populations globally, including Ghana. Knowledge of the COVID-19 disease, and the application of preventive public health interventions are pivotal to its control. Besides a lockdown, measures taken against the spread of the virus include the wearing of face masks, social distancing, regular hand washing with soap and, more recently, vaccination against the virus. In order to establish a possible link between the knowledge of the disease and compliance with preventive measures, including vaccination, a cross-sectional study employing an interview-structured questionnaire was conducted in six regions of Ghana (n = 1560). An adequate level of knowledge of COVID-19 (69.9%) was reported. The linear multiple regression analysis further explicated the differences in the knowledge of COVID-19 among the respondents by their knowledge of cholera and influenza (adjusted R-Square = 0.643). Despite this profound knowledge of the illness, two thirds of the respondents were unwilling to follow basic preventive measures and only 35.3% were willing to be vaccinated. Amazingly, neither knowledge of COVID-19 nor the socio-demographic characteristics had any meaningful influence on the practice of preventive measures. Personal attitude leading to efficient public compliance with preventive measures, therefore, is a critical issue demanding special attention and effective interventions by the government and locals with authority to curb the spread of the pandemic which surpasses the traditional channels of public health communication. This includes a roll-out of persuasion, possibly including public figures and influencers, and in any case, a balanced and open discussion addressing the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to avoid new variants and comparable problems currently facing many countries of Western Europe. Indeed, a profound hesitancy against vaccination may turn African countries such as Ghana for many years into hotspots of new viral variants.


Abstract This paper presents our recent results concerning the use of carbohydrates as cheap, chiral, and enantiopure starting materials in the construction of a variety of densely functionalized molecules. The compatibility of ring-closing metathesis with standard carbohydrate chemistry is demonstrated in the synthesis of new stereoisomers of deoxystreptamine and neamine–important building blocks for the generation of synthetic aminoglycosides with potential antibacterial activity. Ring-closing metathesis is also a key step in the rapid synthesis of new indolizidines and quinolizidines, and in a new solid-phase assisted carbohydrate-based combinatorial scaffold strategy. Further, some of our latest results in the conformational analysis of sugar amino acid-based peptide mimetics and in the development of a novel Ugi-type three-component reaction of sugar-derived azido-aldehydes are discussed.


The Electron Spin Resonance Spectra at 9 GHz of iron doped rutile in both powder and single crystal form has been obtained at a variety of temperatures. The single crystal results have confirmed previous data; the Fe(^3+) ion enters the lattice substitutionally for the Ti(^4+) ion and the spectrum exhibits a pronounced anisotropy. The powders exhibited a variety of features not all of which were due to iron. The iron lines were identified both from the single crystals data and experimentally by comparing samples containing varying amounts of iron at several temperatures. An approach to calculate the powder spectra from the Spin Hamiltonian was examined and discarded in faviour of a faster, approximate, method. The latter assumed that the observed lines could be explained in terms of two separate transitions each with an effective spin of S = ½. Using an analytical formula for the overall powder line shape gave rather poor results but a program based on calculating the lineshape numerically using the g(^-1) factor of Oasa and Vanngard gave good results. This program can be used to simulate the spectra of other ions provided their behaviour can be approximated by transitions of spin ½.