Broad band near infrared (NIR) light sources are currently of great interest in many application areas, especially in near infrared spectroscopy, biomedical imaging and phototherapy. Commonly used NIR emitters are incandescent lamps, Globars and (Al,Ga)As light emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the NIR sources available on the market have shortcomings such as low efficiency and poor stability, that limit their application. Near infrared phosphor converted (pc)-LED is one of the most reliable alternatives for traditional NIR light sources in terms of cost and performance. An infrared pc-LED is based on a blue or near UV emitting (Ga,In)N semiconductor chip and a suitable broad band NIR emitting phosphor. In the development of new broad band NIR pc-LEDs a huge challenge is to find stable luminescent materials, that efficiently convert light of the pumping source (blue LED) into broad band NIR radiation. The temperature of high power (Ga,In)N LEDs can reach temperature up to 450 K during operation, which means that the on-chip NIR converter (phosphor) should not suffer from thermal quenching up to this temperature. One of the most promising materials for the development of NIR pc-LEDs are Cr3+ doped crystals. Due to the strong interaction of Cr3+ ions with the crystal field and lattice vibrations, the Cr3+ photoluminescence can be tailored by a variation of the crystal compositions. Depending on the crystal field of a host lattice, Cr3+ ions show narrow R-line emission (2E → 4A2) in a strong crystal field or/and broad band emission (4T2→ 4A2) in a weak crystal field. In this thesis, we focus on the synthesis and optical properties of Cr3+ phosphors emitting between 650 and 1100 nm upon excitation in the blue spectral range. Materials we investigate are borates, garnets, scandates, and phosphates, in which Cr3+ ion occupies intermediate and weak crystal field sites. The aim is to develop Cr3+ phosphors showing an efficient broad band emission with a bandwidth of ~100 nm and low emission loss at higher temperatures. The optical properties of Cr3+ ions in crystals are examined in terms of spectroscopic parameters such as crystal field strength 10Dq, Racah parameters B and C, and electron phonon-coupling parameters. Additionally, we investigate the influence of the host lattice on the energy gap between the two low-lying 2E and 4T2 excited states of Cr3+. The research provides insight into factors that contribute to thermal quenching of the 2E/4T2 emission of trivalent chromium and this can be used in the development of new efficient NIR converters for pc-LEDs. We show that a small relaxation in the excited state, i.e. a small Stokes shift has to be coupled to a relatively high energy emission of the 4T2 level to realize an efficient NIR converter. Similarly, reduction of the Stokes shift will increase the luminescence quenching temperature but at the same time narrow the spectral width of the NIR emission where a broader bandwidth is desired. Clearly, the development of the 'ideal' NIR broad band phosphor should involve a balance between optimization of different parameters.


Abstract Amphibians are among the most endangered organisms on Earth; however, few monitoring studies have been conducted in the tropics despite high amphibian diversity in these regions. To help fill this gap, we completed fieldwork to reassess the status of the Bloody Bay Poison Frog (Mannophryne olmonae, an endemic from the island of Tobago), classified as "Critically Endangered" by the original IUCN Global Amphibian Assessment, though recently downgraded to "Vulnerable." To assess occupancy patterns and population stability, we used occupancy modeling with three years of listening survey data (2011–2013) from 35 sites. To examine patterns of relative abundance and recruitment, we gathered frog encounter rate and body size data from 18 stream-side transects. To assess current distributional limits, we conducted listening surveys at and beyond the known range limits. Together, these data suggest that M. olmonae is more widely distributed than previously reported (we found 23 extralimital populations), is present at a high percentage of sites surveyed (>70%), and is successfully reproducing along all of the stream-side transects on which they were found. Also, we found M. olmonae in a variety of forest types including both degraded secondary forest and abandoned cacao plantations. These field data were instrumental in downgrading this species and emphasize that species of conservation concern need to be monitored on the ground after listing, and these efforts must be continued to detect ongoing change. Our study suggests that even brief surveys in limited areas can quickly provide useful conservation data.


We formalize the Dolev-Yao model of security protocols, using a notation based on multiset rewriting with existentials. The goals are to provide a simple formal notation for describing security protocols, to formalize the assumptions of the Dolev-Yao model using this notation, and to analyze the complexity of the secrecy problem under various restrictions. We prove that, even for the case where we restrict the size of messages and the depth of message encryption, the secrecy problem is undecidable for the case of an unrestricted number of protocol roles and an unbounded number of new nonces. We also identify several decidable classes, including a DEXP-complete class when the number of nonces is restricted, and an NP-complete class when both the number of nonces and the number of roles is restricted. We point out a remaining open complexity problem, and discuss the implications these results have on the general topic of protocol analysis.


Imaging techniques are high in demand for modern nondestructive evaluation of large-scale concrete structures. The travel-time tomography (TTT) technique, which is based on the principle of mapping the change of propagation velocity of transient elastic waves in a measured object, has found increasing application for assessing in situ concrete structures. The primary aim of this technique is to detect defects that exist in a structure. The TTT technique can offer an effective means for assessing tendon duct filling of prestressed concrete (PC) elements. This study is aimed at clarifying some of the issues pertaining to the reliability of the technique for this purpose, such as sensor arrangement, model, meshing, type of tendon sheath, thickness of sheath, and material type as well as the scale of inhomogeneity. The work involved 2D simulations of wave motions, signal processing to extract travel time of waves, and tomography reconstruction computation for velocity mapping of defect in tendon duct.


The recognition that long-acting local anaesthetics, particularly bupivacaine the de facto standard long-acting local anaesthetic, were disproportionately more cardiotoxic than their shorter-acting counterparts stimulated the development of the bupivacaine congeners, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine. These agents, like all local anaesthetics, can produce cardiotoxic sequelae by direct and indirect mechanisms that derive from their mode of local anaesthetic actions, i.e. inhibition of voltage-gated ion channels. While all local anaesthetics can cause direct negative inotropic effects, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine are less cardiotoxic than bupivacaine judging by the larger doses tolerated in laboratory animal preparations before the onset of serious cardiotoxicity (particularly electro-mechanical dissociation or malignant ventricular arrhythmias). Additionally, they are less toxic to the CNS than bupivacaine judging by the larger doses tolerated before the onset of seizures. This may be clinically important because CNS effects may be involved in the production of serious cardiotoxicity. Preclinical studies in humans are a 'blunt instrument' in their ability to distinguish significant differences between these drugs because of the relatively small doses that can be used. Nevertheless, available evidence from human studies corroborates the preclinical laboratory animal studies. Because clinically significant differences between these drugs are more quantitative than qualitative, i.e. toleration of a larger dose before manifestation of toxicity, we have concluded that these newer agents have a lower risk of causing serious cardiotoxicity than bupivacaine. Thus, compared with bupivacaine, the newer agents may be seen as 'safer', but they must not be regarded as 'safe'.


THE binding of gallium (Ga) to transferrin (Tf) was studied in plasma from control patients, in patients with untreated Parkinson's disease (PD) and in patients with PD treated either with levodopa (L-dopa) alone or in combination with selegiline. Mean percentage Ga–Tf binding was significantly reduced in untreated and treated PD compared with controls. Binding, however, was significantly greater in treated than in untreated patients. There was no difference in binding between patients treated with L-dopa alone and those treated with L-dopa and selegiline. The data support the hypothesis that oxidation reactions may be of pathogenic significance in PD.


Background: Drug resistant-tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients are provided universal drug susceptibility testing (UDST), anti-TB drugs for the treatment of DR-TB, nutritional support (Nikshay Poshan Yojana - the financial incentive of rupees five hundred per month for each notified DR-TB patient for the duration for which the patient is on anti-TB drugs) by the Government of India. Methods: This retrospective cohort record-based study was conducted in DR-TB patients. Some 1095 DR-TB patients who have initiated treatment at Nodal DR-TB Centre, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanga, and continued their anti-TB drugs at home blocks were followed till their treatment outcome was known. Data were analyzed by statistical experts of DMCH. Results: Treatment supporters comprised 688 (62.83%) females and 407 (37.17%) males. Different types of treatment supporters noted were accredited social health activists (ASHAs) 622 (56.80%), family members 365 (33.33%), and community health workers 108 (09.86%). Treatment outcome as transfer out was observed in 08 (1.29%), 10 (2.74%), and 13 (12.03%) cases among ASHAs, family members, and community health workers, respectively [statistically significant (p < 0.0001)]. Conclusion: ASHAs proved to be the best treatment supporters in comparison to both family members and community health workers for multi-drug resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) patients.


A comparative study of syn vs anti carboxylic acids in hybrid peptides based on experimental electron density studies and theoretical calculations shows that, in the anti form, all three bond angles surrounding Ccarboxyl of the -COOH group are close to ∼120°, as expected for a C-sp2 atom, whereas in the syn form, the ∠Cα-C(O)-Ohydroxyl angle is significantly smaller by 5-10°. The oxygen atom in the carboxyl group is more electronegative in the anti form, so the polarity of the acidic O-H bond is higher in the anti form compared to the syn form, as observed within the limitations of H atom treatment in X-ray diffraction. Consequently, the investigated anti carboxylic acid forms the strongest O-H···O hydrogen bond among all model compounds. Furthermore, according to natural bond orbital analysis, the oxygen lone pairs are clearly nonequivalent, as opposed to the general notion of hybridization of equivalent sp2 and sp3 lone pairs on carbonyl or hydroxyl oxygen atoms. The hybridization of the lone pairs is directly related to the directionality and strength of hydrogen bonds.


In this paper, we present, Wi-Mesh, a WiFi vision-based 3D human mesh construction system. Our system leverages the advances of WiFi to visualize the shape and deformations of the human body for 3D mesh construction. In particular, it leverages multiple transmitting and receiving antennas on WiFi devices to estimate the two-dimensional angle of arrival (2D AoA) of the WiFi signal reflections to enable WiFi devices to "see" the physical environment as we humans do. It then extracts only the images of the human body from the physical environment, and leverages deep learning models to digitize the extracted human body into a 3D mesh representation. Experimental evaluation under various indoor environments shows that Wi-Mesh achieves an average vertices location error of 2.81cm and joint position error of 2.4cm, which is comparable to the systems that utilize specialized and dedicated hardware. The proposed system has the advantage of reusing the WiFi devices that already exist in the environment for potential mass adoption. It can also work in non-line of sight (NLoS), poor lighting conditions, and baggy clothes, where the camera-based systems do not work well.


Abstract : The report describes research on inorganic compounds for use as positive electrodes in a rechargeable lithium battery. First, desired characteristics of the candidate electrode materials were considered, including theoretical voltages and idealized weight relationships and, therefore, the maximum watt hours per pound that could be expected. Two dozen separate compounds were considered in this preliminary analysis from among seven general classes of inorganic compounds that included the metal salts of carbonates, cyanides, cyanates, thiocyanates, hydroxides, sulfides, and methoxides. Second, electrolytes to be used in combination with the candidate electrode compound were developed. One prerequisite for rechargeability in the electrolyte development was the presence of an anion common to both the positive electrode compound and to the electrolyte solute. An electrolyte resistivity lower than 1000 ohm-cm also was sought in these studies as well as stability of the electrolyte with the positive electrode compound and with lithium. (Author)


This paper presents the comprehensive reviews for mitigation of the harmonic problems in the power supply which is caused by the non-linear characteristic based loads. The presence of harmonics leads to transformer heating, electromagnetic interference and solid state device mal-functioning. Hence keeping in view of the above concern, research has been carried out to mitigate harmonics. The most popular and best modulation method used among Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique is Space Vector Modulation (SVM) method as it generates low total harmonic distortion (THD). This paper also represents the current status of mitigation of power quality problems by FACTS controllers. The authors strongly believe that the literature survey will be very much useful to the researchers for finding out the relevant references in the field of power quality problems mitigated by FACTS controllers.


New developments in contraceptive methods and fertility control for 1974 are enumerated. Combination preparations were tested which contained 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol instead of 50 mcg, to reduce the incidence of side effects. Low-dose and depot gestagen preparations are also being tested. Vaginal rings releasing progesterone work to inhibit ovulation or affect cervical secretions. Post-coital ethinyl estradiol or d-norgestrel administration is used as a contraceptive method. The Copper 7 IUD is preferred for nulliparae, while the Copper-T 200 is considered to be the best available IUD. IUDs which release progesterone or chloroquine are being tested. The Dalkon shield was removed from the market because of a higher incidence of infection. Plastic spermicidal film has not proven practicable as a contraceptive method. Better condom construction and better public promotion of condom use have been developed. Prostaglandins are not suited for menstrual regulation; use of the Karman catheter with pressure on the plunger instead of negative pressure has proven very successful. Abortion is best performed in the first trimester. Vacuum aspiration with preceding prostaglandin priming to prevent later cervical insufficiency is the preferred method. Female sterilization is best performed by laparoscopy with electrocoagulation. Clips and sterilization by hysteroscopy and chemical tubal occlusion are still in the experimental stages. During male sterilization, the proximal end is ligated and fastened under the fascia, while the other end is coagulated. This procedure guarantees reversibility in 75% of the cases. A 'male pill' and immunological contraceptive methods are also being tested.


The piercing of a road tunnel in the flank of a limestone (Maim) anticline in the Neuehatel Jura uncovered karstic forms transformed for the most part, by decarbonated soils. Mineralogical analysis of these latter, through the use of X-ray diffraction, reveals a great analogy with the surface soils. At more than 200 meters depth, the same allochtone mineralogical suite of aeolian origin hwich constitues the largest part of the soils of the High Jura Mountains in Switzerland, is found: An abundance of ferriferous chlorite, and of quartz, plagioclase and potassic feldspar. The various factors favoring this deep infiltration are discussed.


Polarization of light is an important issue in optical system design, performance, and analysis. Measurement of poiarization has progressed past the calibration of polarization elements and has become a metrology tool used in a wide variety of fields. Communications, remote sensing, display technologies, and optical computing are a few of the active areas of research that require higher quality polarization elements and better knowledge of instrumental polarization effects. Mathematical analysis of polarization in optical systems, elements, and materials has produced a new understanding that leads to more precise control of polarization in optical systems, new applications that exploit polarization, and a variety of new instruments based on polarization. The SPIE conference Polarization Analysis and Measurementli that tookplace in July of 1994 was thelatestin a series ofconferences on polarization that reported on current developments in analysis ofpolarization in optical systems, design of polarimeters, applications of polarization measurement, and advances in the mathematical understanding of polarization phenomena. The 17 papers in this special section describe areas of recent intense interest and development in polarization research. The papers may be conveniently divided into three subgroups: (1) design and measurements of optical components and polarization devices, (2) mathematical analysis and modeling of polarization in materials and optical systems, and (3) new developments in polarimetric instrumentation. The first group of eight papers describes measurements and design of new polarization elements and optical devices. Interference effects that can occur when photoelastic modulators are used with laser sources are described in the first paper. The author describes the effect and its physical source, and presents corrective steps that can be taken to address this important effect. The second paper presents an analysis of a three-mirror system that can be used to produce retarders for the VUV, aregion for which few birefringent materials exist. The third paper describes a novel imaging polarimeter and gives examples ofits use. The fourth and fifth papers discuss linear polarizers and birefringent waveplates, respectively. The uniformity and performance of these basic elements is important information for optical engineers who are selecting elements for use in their own systems. In the sixth paper, a magnetically controllable waveplate using ferrofluids is described that holds potential for fast polarimetric modulation. The seventh paper describes retardance and diattenuation measurement results on a PLZT modulator. These measurements show a surprising dependence ofdiattenuation on applied voltage. The eighth and last paper in the first group gives results ofpolarization measurements on a diamond-turned mirror as a function of scattering angle. Significant research has been carried out on the mathematical constructs for polarization analysis and modeling of optical systems, resulting in better understanding of depolarizing systems, the polarization effects of scattering, and the interpretation of measured Mueller matrix data. In the first paper of this second group, the general theory of unitary matrices is applied to the characterization of depolarizing or scattering systems. Additional information about the optical system in question can be extracted from the eigenvectors of the matrix parameterization of the system. The next paper describes the polarization of scattering and gives modeling and experimental results. A third paper in this second group discusses a unified formalism for polarization optics that is useful in understanding complicated polarization phenomenon in optical media, with particular application to optical fibers and fiber optic systems. The next author describes the latest developments in polarization ray tracing with a comparison of the various polarization formalisms and a descrip-


Sleep Apnea is an anomaly in sleeping characterized by short pause in breathing. Failure to treat sleep apnea leads to fatal complications in both psychological and physiological being of human. Electroencephalogram (EEG) performs an important task in probing for sleep apnea through identifying and recording the brain's activities while sleeping. In this study, computer aided detection of sleep apnea from EEG signals is developed to optimize and increase the prompt recognition and diagnosis of sleep apnea in patients. The time domain, wavelets, and frequency domain of the EEG signals were computed, and features were extracted from these domains. These features are inputted into two machine learning algorithms: Support Vector Machine and K-Nearest Neighbors of different kernel functions and orders. Evaluation metrics such as specificity, accuracy, and sensitivity are computed and analyzed for the classifiers. The KNN classifier outperforms the SVM in classifying apnea from non-apnea events in patients. The KNN order 3 shows the highest performance sensitivity of 85.92%, specificity of 80% and accuracy of 82.69%.


Regulatory T (Treg) cells are fundamental in the control of immunity and excessive tissue pathology. In paracoccidioidomycosis, an endemic mycosis of Latin America, the immunoregulatory mechanisms that control the progressive and regressive forms of this infection are poorly known. Due to its modulatory activity on Treg cells, we investigated the effects of anti-CD25 treatment over the course of pulmonary infection in resistant (A/J) and susceptible (B10.A) mice infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. We verified that the resistant A/J mice developed higher numbers and more potent Treg cells than susceptible B10.A mice. Compared to B10.A cells, the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells of A/J mice expressed higher levels of CD25, CTLA4, GITR, Foxp3, LAP and intracellular IL-10 and TGF-β. In both resistant and susceptible mice, anti-CD25 treatment decreased the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cell number, impaired indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression and resulted in decreased fungal loads in the lungs, liver and spleen. In A/J mice, anti-CD25 treatment led to an early increase in T cell immunity, demonstrated by the augmented influx of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells to the lungs. At a later phase, the mild infection was associated with decreased inflammatory reactions and increased Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine production. In B10.A mice, anti-CD25 treatment did not alter the inflammatory reactions but increased the fungicidal mechanisms and late secretion of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines. Importantly, in both mouse strains, the early depletion of CD25+ cells resulted in less severe tissue pathology and abolished the enhanced mortality observed in susceptible mice. In conclusion, this study is the first to demonstrate that anti-CD25 treatment is beneficial to the progressive and regressive forms of paracoccidioidomycosis, potentially due to the anti-CD25-mediated reduction of Treg cells, as these cells have suppressive effects on the early T cell response in resistant mice and the clearance mechanisms of fungal cells in susceptible mice.


The International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) is a global network for international exchange and cooperation in research and
innovation in building and construction.
Task Group 85: R&D Investment and Impact, was established to create an international network of knowledge-exchange that would deliver new understandings about leveraging R&D investment in the construction industry.
This report summarises the collaborative work and achievements of TG85, 2011–2014.


The press mold is provided with an inner punch (23), an intermediate punch (24) disposed along the outer circumference of the inner punch (23) and having an intermediate punch inclined section (24a) on the leading end, an outer punch (25) disposed along the outer circumference of the intermediate punch (24), and a die (27) having a die inclined section (27a) to face the intermediate punch inclined section (24a), the central axes (20) of each being disposed on the same axis. Pressing in the edge of a bottomed container (22) using the outer punch (25) while the intermediate punch (24) is moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which the outer punch (25) is being pressed when the bottom of the bottomed container (22) is restricted by the inner punch (23) and the die (27) thickens the bottomed container inclined section (22a) of the bottomed container (22) that is clamped by the intermediate inclined section (24a) and the die inclined section (27a).


Introduction

Large numbers of neutrophils are present in the bronchiectasis airway. Why these neutrophils fail to phagocytose and kill bacteria is unclear.

Methods

Peripheral blood and sputum neutrophils were isolated from 23 patients with bronchiectasis. Flow cytometry was used to assess neutrophil receptor expression, oxidative burst and phagocytosis of FITC-labelled P. aeruginosa. These were compared to peripheral blood neutrophils from 9 healthy control subjects. Patients were classified as mild/moderate or severe bronchiectasis based on HRCT scoring and the presence of P. aeruginosa.

Results

No differences were observed in peripheral blood neutrophils between bronchiectasis patients and controls. Sputum neutrophils from patients showed reduced expression of FcγRIIIb, complement receptor 1 (CR1) and CD88 compared to control neutrophils. Expression correlated with severity of bronchiectasis- figure 1.

![Figure][1]

Severe bronchiectasis was associated with reduced oxidative burst and reduced phagocytosis.

Decreased expression of FcγRIIIb and CD88 were observed after incubating peripheral blood neutrophils with patient sputum sol and was prevented by pre-treating sputum with the specific elastase inhibitor MeOSu-AAPV-CMK.

Conclusion

Airway neutrophils in bronchiectasis show reduced phagocytosis, correlated with reduced phagocytic receptor expression. Neutrophil elastase is a major mediator of airway neutrophil dysfunction in bronchiectasis.

 [1]: pending:yes


The effect of systemic mannitol administration on retinal adhesive force in the rabbit was investigated in vivo. The retinal adhesive force, 1 hour after intravenous mannitol injection (2.5 g/kg), was 45% greater than that in control eyes. When adhesiveness had been weakened by injecting Ca(2+)-free edetic acid (EDTA) solution into the subretinal space, intravenous mannitol still enhanced adhesion. Mannitol administration seems to be effective in enhancing retinal adhesion, even under the conditions where it has been weakened by other mechanisms.


This paper argues the suitability of the information field view of organizational semiotics (OS) paradigm, as a complement to the information flow view of objective methods in determining requirements of NISs. This for the requirements specification of NISs opens the way to argue social and organizational issues, particularly semantic and pragmatic issues, as dominators and essential complements to the objective requirements specifications of NISs. The paper first, magnifies the social and organizational perspective, in contrast with the technological objective perspective for NISs requirements specifications. Then it presents the OS paradigm to study an organization as an information system. After that it illustrates how information of an organization is produced based on analyzing a process of producing the organization's object world from its subject system. Next, it delivers an approach for getting business requirements of NISs. Finally, it shows how the approach can be applied to a hospital case study.


The author conducted energy audit institution Izhevsk State Technical University named after Kalashnikov. The measures to increase the efficient use of energy resources.


An important part of the descriptive power of mathematics derives from its ability to represent formal concepts in a highly evolved, two-dimensional system of symbolic notations. Tools for the mechanisation of mathematics and the automation of formal reasoning must eventually face the problem of re-mathematization of the logical, symbolic content of the information, especially in view of their integration with the World Wide Web. In a different work [APSS00c], we already discussed the pivotal role that XML [eXtensible Markup Language] technology [XML] is likely to play in such an integration. In this paper, we focus on the problem of (Web) publishing, advocating the use of XSL [eXtensible Stylesheet Language] Transformations, in conjunction with MathML [Mathematical Markup Language], as a standard, application independent and modular way for associating notation to formal mathematical content.


We consider discrete analogue of model pseudo-differential equations in discrete plane sector using discrete variant of Sobolev--Slobodetskii spaces. Starting from the concept of wave factorization for elliptic periodic symbol we describe solvability conditions for the equations and corresponding discrete boundary value problems. We give also a comparison between discrete and continuous solutions in appropriate discrete normed spaces.


Illicit cryptocurrency mining has become one of the prevalent methods for monetization of computer security incidents. In this attack, victims' computing resources are abused to mine cryptocurrency for the benefit of attackers. The most popular illicitly mined digital coin is Monero as it provides strong anonymity and is efficiently mined on CPUs.Illicit mining crucially relies on communication between compromised systems and remote mining pools using the de facto standard protocol Stratum. While prior research primarily focused on endpoint-based detection of in-browser mining, in this paper, we address network-based detection of cryptomining malware in general. We propose XMR-Ray, a machine learning detector using novel features based on reconstructing the Stratum protocol from raw NetFlow records. Our detector is trained offline using only mining traffic and does not require privacy-sensitive normal network traffic, which facilitates its adoption and integration.In our experiments, XMR-Ray attained 98.94% detection rate at 0.05% false alarm rate, outperforming the closest competitor. Our evaluation furthermore demonstrates that it reliably detects previously unseen mining pools, is robust against common obfuscation techniques such as encryption and proxies, and is applicable to mining in the browser or by compiled binaries. Finally, by deploying our detector in a large university network, we show its effectiveness in protecting real-world systems.


Today, although mobile applications make our lives easier, the service quality provided by such applications has become a vital element in increasing customer satisfaction. This research paper aims to identify the significant mobile service quality factors (Application Design, Ease of Use, Information Content, Reliability, Responsiveness, Empathy, Security and Prices and offers) that influence customer satisfaction and loyalty in Qatar's telecommunications sector. To answer the research question and test the hypotheses that form the study model, data were collected through an online questionnaire of 195 random customers who use Ooredoo or Vodafone mobile applications in Qatar. The proposed model was evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that Ease of Use, Information Content, Responsiveness, and Security are the most significant factors that affect M-Customer Satisfaction. Also, there is a strong relationship between M-customer Satisfaction and M-loyalty. On the contrary, Application Design, Reliability, Empathy, and Prices and offers did not affect M-customer satisfaction. Thus, the managers in telecommunication companies should adopt a strategy that focuses on the M-service quality factors that most influence M-customer satisfaction to increase customer satisfaction rates and loyalty to their products and services. It will also help reduce overall costs by delivering those products and services to a higher proportion of customers through the mobile application rather than physical branches. This paper also helps the researchers use the proposed model in future research to understand these relationships in other countries better.


On 2017 August 17 the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors detected for the first time the signal, GW170817, from the coalescence of a binary system of neutron stars (Abbott B.P. et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 119 (2017) 161101). Exactly 1.7 s after the merger time (12:41:04 UTC) the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst, GRB170817A (Abbott B.P. et al., Astrophys. J. Lett., 848 (2017) L13; L14). An extensive observing campaign involving more than 70 world-wide ground and space observatories was performed leading to the discovery of the counterpart signals across all the electromagnetic spectrum (Abbott B.P. et al., Astrophys. J. Lett., 848 (2017) L12). This observational campaign marks the birth of multi-messenger astronomy, which uses gravitational waves and electromagnetic emission. The collected multi-messenger data confirmed ten-year-old theoretical models. And at the same time, the richness of details of the taken data will require to develop new theory and to make other observations in the coming years to be interpreted


Multi-mode photonic lightwave circuits (PLCs) provide new avenues for extending the performance of single mode systems. As an example, they can potentially provide increased bandwidth by multiplexing information into different waveguide modes[1]. For practical applications of multi-mode PLCs to be developed, a measurement technique is required to investigate detailed mode profiles and propagation constants in complex circuits. Photon scanning tunnelling microscopy (PSTM) provides a means of experimentally tracking the femtosecond inter-modal delays observed in PLCs with the ability to discriminate modes by their spatial profiles inside the waveguide.


In this study we compare the extent of informed trading across investor types in the Korean stock market using intraday quote and trade data from January 2006 to September 2013. We estimate for each stock the probability of information-based trading (PIN) using trades that are initiated by foreign institutional investors, domestic institutional investors, and domestic individual investors separately. The results show that PIN values of foreign and domestic institutional investors are much higher than those of individual investors. Contrary to the belief of some market participants, however, we find that PIN values of foreign institutional investors are lower than those of domestic institutional investors, suggesting that domestic institutional investors engage in more informed trading than foreign institutional investors. We also find a strong cross-sectional relation between PIN and stock/firm attributes.


A 70-year-old woman was referred to the department due to a symptomatic severe calcific-aortic stenosis. During pre-operative trans-radial approach coronagraphy occurred a iatrogenic dissection of the left main artery with total occlusion and cardiac arrest (asystole). Successful resuscitation is achieved with an emergency strategy of percutaneous direct stenting revascularization combined with cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres.


In steel and paper rolling mill industrial plants, where dc drive systems are widely used, improving dynamic and steady state performance properties plays a significant role in achieving a good quality of product. In this paper we intend to study the steady state performance of those systems in response to changed input reference, where an optimized transfer function based feed-forward compensating technique is proposed and applied to enhance their order of astatism without inserting additional integrators in the forward path of the closed loop system and therefore achieving improvement of the corresponding tracking error accuracy performance. The simulation results have shown a noticeable and important achievement in accuracy performance of the studied system when subjected to changing input reference.


Abstract In Tertiary basins, biostratigraphy can provide much more information about sequence stratigraphy than the identification of condensed sections using foraminiferal, nannofossil and dinocyst abundance and diversity peaks. Palynology may also allow systems tracts to be differentiated by consideration of miospore assemblages which may reflect changes in the character of coastal geomorphology during periods of sea level fall, sea level rise or stillstand. During phases of sea level fall, lower coastal plain facies, and their associated plant communities, will be of minimal extent, whereas during phases of rising sea levels, successive drowning of coastal areas often results in a marked expansion in the representation of brackish water plant communities, such as mangroves. Stillstand phases may be marked by coastal progradation and the expansion of upper coastal plain facies and associated freshwater swamp plant communities. Also, in cases where sea level fluctuations are glacio-eustatic, and hence climatically driven, it may be possible to differentiate highstand from lowstand scenarios through consideration of evidence for climatic change. Palynological studies of well-dated Quaternary sections from the Southeast Asian area provide excellent analogues which can be used to demonstrate the character of terrestrially derived miospore assemblages during periods of known sea level fall (e.g. during the time immediately following the last interglacial, after 110,000 yrs BP), sea level lowstand (e.g. during the last glacial maximum, 25,000 - 17,000 yrs BP), or from the last sea level rise during the early Holocene, (10,000 - 6,000yrs BP) and subsequent sea level highstand (6,000 - 0 yrs BP). On the basis of these analogues, a generalized model is proposed which can be applied to the identification of systems tracts within many Southeast Asian basins, as well as Neogene basins from other tropical regions. Using the proposed model, the biostratigraphic character of each systems tract will be discussed by reference to Neogene examples from the Niger Delta and Southeast Asia.


Somatic features (morphometric or meristic features, i.e., body weight, length of body, tail, hind foot and ear) and reproduction characteristics (number of embryos in uterus, reproduction potential, duration of reproduction season) are the basic attributes of the biology of a species. In the present paper, biometry of somatic characteristics and reproduction potential of two mountain vole species, the Tatra vole (Microtus tatricus) and the snow vole (Chionomys nivalis) which originate from various sites of Slovakia, were investigated. Among somatic features, the body length, tail length, hind foot length, length of ear and body weight were assessed. The highest variability was found in body length and the lowest one in the hind foot length. These characteristics were evaluated separately for sub-adult and adult individuals, and males and females. Values of somatic features and body weight of both species are larger in males than in females. Throughout the life of these rodents, the ratio between the length of tail and length of body does not vary considerably. The reproductive potential of the two species is, compared to other small mammals, very low and the length of reproductive season is shorter in the extreme conditions of the mountain environment. Thanks to a sufficient data set, it was possible to evaluate the influence of altitude on somatic features as well as on reproduction potential of M. tatricus and it was found that the average values of somatic features and body weight increased with increasing altitude.


This article compares the South African civil-law and Islamic-law positions with regard to the financial protective measures available to a wife at the time of marriage and divorce. In this regard, the respective matrimonial property systems are discussed, with special emphasis on civil antenuptial and Muslim marriage contracts. In addition, other protective measures inherent to the two systems to prevent prejudice both during the marriage and at the time of divorce, are discussed. It is submitted that, although the provisions of Islamic law do not provide the same financial protection for wives compared to the South African civil law, the Islamic concept of mahr could potentially be used in the Muslim marriage contract to enhance financial security of a Muslim wife at the time of divorce. The article also considers dual marriages where the same spouses marry each other in terms of both civil and Islamic law. In particular, the incorporation of the Islamic concept of mahr into civil antenuptial contracts is discussed with reference to the legal position in Canada to illustrate potential legal problems.


This paper investigates the observability problem when the network contains current magnitude measurements. Use of these measurements may lead to multiple solutions and therefore to the loss of unique observability for certain measurement configurations. The paper proposes a simple method based on the commonly used measurement residual covariance matrix, in order to detect the possibility of multiple solutions for a given measurement set. The proposed test is simple to implement and uses the already available matrices and data structures of the commonly used weighted least squares state estimation programs. It can be utilized as a planning tool during the initial stages of measurement system design as well as an online observability analysis tool to enhance the capability of the existing observability programs which can not properly process the current magnitude measurements. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method on sample power systems.


All OECD countries will face a growing population of older people with complex needs but despite this common challenge they have taken different approaches to financing services. The main thesis of this chapter is that we are at a crossroads in thinking about financing care for older people with multimorbidity and multiple needs. One path leads to detailed care plans, bundling payments, transferring risk and traditional market competition. The other path leads to whole system targets with minimum specification, pooled budgets and innovative market models. Demographic and epidemiological realities will force governments to chose and they need to think carefully about which direction to go.


Head trauma is a possible cause of E.C.G. modifications originating in the brain and unresponsive to pure symptomatic cardiac therapy. On the other hand, these perturbations react in a favourable way to treatment aimed at protecting the heart against descending nociceptive influx caused by brain injury. This report shows the results of a retrospective electrographic study of 220 unoperated patients with head injuries aged 15 to 30 years. A correlation is established between E.C.G. findings and depth of coma. The authors discuss their findings and suggest an etiologic pathology based on clinical and experimental factors.


A gravity survey of the Jiddah area between lat 21°23' and 21°48' N., long 39°03' and 39°20' E., carried out in early 1977, covers an area of 744 km2 and includes 215 stations, at an average spacing of 1.9 km. The resulting simple Bouguer gravity anomaly map shows a series of four large (7-15 mgal) gravity anomaly highs along a north-trending gravity gradient located immediately west of outcrops of Precambrian rocks. The regional Bouguer gravity anomaly field of the map area decreases eastward at an approximately constant rate of about 1.1 mgal-km-1. Several anomalies suggest northeast-trending, right-lateral strike-slip faulting throughout the area. Interpretation of the Bouguer gravity anomaly map, combined with geologic, aeromagnetic, and paleomagnetic data, leads to an interpretive model in which the gravity gradient marks the boundary zone between Precambrian continental crust to the east and oceanic sea-floor crust overlain by marine sedimentary rocks to the west. The strike-slip faults in the area are probably the landward extension of offshore Red Sea transform faults, and, because they penetrate and offset continental crust, their study may yield useful information about the mechanism of transform faulting. The gravity anomaly highs are interpreted to result from shallow intrusive bodies, probably gabbroic in composition, that are buried a few hundred meters below the surface and that are approximately 2 km thick.


The inactivation os six strains from three different groups of viruses with 0.001 M binary ethyleneimine at 37 C proceeded at the same rate in either bovine serum or cell culture medium. The inactivant did not impair the growth-promoting capacity of bovine serum used in cell culture, nor did it affect the antibody activity of guinea pig hyperimmune serum.


Investigating whether there were common biological responses to climate and fishing across seven Northwest Atlantic ecosystems, a minimum/maximum autocorrelation factor analysis of biological indicators for each region revealed a common primary multivariate trend of a rapid change during the 1980s and early 1990s. There was a strong common pattern in the biological indicators responsible for the primary multivariate temporal trend in the five more northerly regions: an increase in the abundance of phytoplankton, an increase in biomass at mid-trophic levels, and a decline in predatory groundfish size. The common associations between patterns and drivers were fishing indices and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, but all associations weakened when co-varying drivers were held constant. The results are consistent with known long-term effects of intense fishing, such as a decline in average fish size and changes in species composition. Less fishing pressure has allowed some regions to recover to former predatory biomass levels since the late 1990s, but the bulk of the biomass consists of fewer species. However, fishing was not the only driver, and a more mechanistic understanding of how the climate affects lower trophic levels is needed to contextualize climate effects in heavily fished ecosystems.


This paper proposes a novel semi-dynamic inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) scheme for multi-cell OFDMA systems. The objective of the novel scheme is to strike a balance between ICI minimization and frequency reuse factor (FRF) maximization. Firstly, we divide cell-edge users into non-overlapping user groups based on users' geometry, and classify each group's available bandwidth, which includes both orthogonal resource and non-orthogonal resource, into several ranks according to traffic load in neighboring groups. Then, different allocation strategies are applied correspondingly to different ranks of resource. The novel scheme achieves variant complexity and overhead according to traffic load. Simulation results show that the novel scheme can significantly enhance the cell edge throughput and reduce blocking probability, especially for networks with heavy-loaded spots in cell-edge area.


Pragmatic Inquiry brings together a remarkably creative transcontinental and interdisciplinary group of researchers who met on a regular basis over four years to explore together novel analytical tools to make sense and account for social reality. It will give the reader a renewed sense of possibilities for capturing social complexity. Each chapter zooms in on a different conceptual device that aims to illuminate relatively unexplored aspects of reality. The authors draw on the work of influential scholars – for instance, Foucault's notion of "dispositif" – but they go beyond them by digging in greater depth, extending and transposing such concepts to new objects.


The echocardiographic findings in two patients with type A Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with pre-excitation localized at the anterior left ventricular wall are reported. The M-mode echocardiogram demonstrated premature anterior systolic motion of the postero-basal left ventricular endocardium that preceded the normal systolic contraction of the left ventricle. Despite the fact that the bundle of Kent reaches the epicardium of the left ventricular wall and that ventricular contraction probably begins at the subepicardial surface, the echocardiographic observations of the premature contractions were limited to the subendocardial layers.


To the Editor: The purpose of this letter is to comment on an article, "Experimental Simulation of Aphakia," by Robert C. Welsh, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology 49:84-86 (Feb) 1965. Since 1960, when I became a monocular aphakic and 1961, when I became a binocular aphakic, I have become aware of the fact that cataract surgery offers one of the greatest gifts to one's fellow man, but most ophthalmologists are unaware of the fact that they, in giving their patients cataract spectacles, are creating visual invalids. I am sure that all of us have had patients say, "Doctor, have you ever experienced this procedure?" I am also sure that we have a little more respect and, perhaps, empathy for the patient on whom we are performing a procedure that we too have experienced. Dr. Welsh, specializing in cataract surgery, has felt this very keenly and I commend him


The population is naturally growing in the UK which constantly affects the level of households needed. Recently changes in lifestyle such as decreasing household sizes have started to contribute directly upon housing demand. The government regards housing highly on their lost of priorities and have initiated policies that seek to raise the level of Brownfield housing developments nationally to a 60% target of all new house building. This should limit the spread of urbanisation and subsequently protect what is left of rural England. National targets are reassessed at a regional level by Local Planning Authorities, taking into account the specific demands on housing in each area and setting targets that reflect the needs of their community. Cheshire has reached its target for housing supply up until 2011, but must continue to identify sufficient land to meet local housing needs for the future. There are a higher proportion of listed buildings within Cheshire than other counties, many of which are now vacant and have fallen into a state of disrepair. Converting and redeveloping them into housing developments would enhance and regenerate the look of the area whilst benefiting the community by providing more housing. Within this report, research studies were undertaken to examine the feasibility of restoring Cheshire's listed buildings as a contribution towards meeting future housing needs. The results show the benefits and constraints in terms of the Council, the Public and the Developers. Research has shown there is significant encouragement for redevelopment from Local Planning Authorities within Cheshire, the area is affluent in heritage sights of which a significant amount have now been redeveloped to housing developments.


This paper addresses the issue of robust and joint source-channel decoding of arithmetic codes. We first analyze dependencies between the variables involved in arithmetic coding by means of the Bayesian formalism. This provides a suitable framework for designing a soft decoding algorithm that provides high error-resilience. It also provides a natural setting for "soft synchronization", i.e., to introduce anchors favoring the likelihood of "synchronized" paths. In order to maintain the complexity of the estimation within a realistic range, a simple, yet efficient, pruning method is described. The algorithm can be placed in an iterative source-channel decoding structure, in the spirit of serial turbo codes. Models and algorithms are then applied to context-based arithmetic coding widely used in practical systems (e.g., JPEG-2000). Experimentation results with both theoretical sources and with real images coded with JPEG-2000 reveal very good error resilience performances.


The synthesis of dioxolane-functionalized hexacenes and heptacenes is reported. While heptacenes were too reactive to be successfully isolated, hexacenes showed higher stability and characteristic long-wavelength fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state as crystalline powders.


A case of Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome successfully treated by transcutaneous epicardial radiofrequency ablation is described in a patient with a posteroseptal accessory pathway who had failed prior attempts of conventional endocardial and coronary venous system approaches. Simultaneous endocardial and pericardial space mapping was performed and only ablation from the pericardial space was successful, suggesting an epicardial course of the accessory pathway. (PACE 2004; 27:259–261)


Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is traditionally diagnosed by a histopathological assessment of an endometrial biopsy, leaving up to 30% of patients undiagnosed due to technical failure or an inadequate amount of tissue. The aim of the current study is to assess whether mutational analysis of cervical cytology or pipelle endometrial biopsies improves the diagnostic accuracy of traditional histopathological diagnosis of EC. This prospective multicentre cohort study included patients surgically treated for EC or a benign gynaecological condition (control group). A Pap brush sample, cervicovaginal self‐sample, pipelle endometrial biopsy and surgical specimen of either the EC or normal endometrium were obtained. A targeted next‐generation sequencing panel was used to analyse these samples for mutations in eight genes. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated. Fifty‐nine EC patients and 31 control patients were included. In these patients, traditional histopathological diagnosis by pipelle had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 100%. For EC patients, 97% of surgical specimens contained at least one mutation. Mutational analysis of Pap brush samples, self‐samples and pipelle endometrial biopsies yielded a sensitivity of 78, 67 and 96% with a specificity of 97, 97 and 94%, respectively. Combining one of these three methods with histopathological pipelle endometrial biopsy evaluations yielded a sensitivity of 96, 93 and 96%, respectively. Our study has shown that mutational analysis of either cervical cytology or pipelle endometrial biopsies improves diagnosis of EC. Prospective validation will support implementation in clinical practice.


In this paper, we analyze the dynamical behavior of the delayed fractional-order tumor model with Caputo sense and discretized conformable fractional-order tumor model. The model is constituted with the group of nonlinear differential equations having effector and tumor cells. First of all, stability and bifurcation analysis of the delayed fractional-order tumor model in the sense of Caputo fractional derivative is studied, and the existence of Hopf bifurcation depending on the time delay parameter is proved by using center manifold and bifurcation theory. Applying the discretization process based on using the piecewise constant arguments to the conformable version of the model gives a two-dimensional discrete system. Stability and Neimark–Sacker bifurcation analysis of the discrete system are demonstrated using the Schur-Cohn criterion and projection method. This study reveals that the delay parameterτin the model with Caputo fractional derivative and the discretization parameterhin the discrete-time conformable fractional-order model have similar effects on the dynamical behavior of corresponding systems. Moreover, the effect of the order of fractional derivative on the dynamical behavior of the systems is discussed. Finally, all results obtained are interpreted biologically, and numerical simulations are presented to illustrate and support theoretical results.


A euthyroid woman in her 50s with papillary thyroid cancer and primary hyperparathyroidism was referred to our hospital for surgery. Her surgery was scheduled for 4 months later but was postponed because she was diagnosed with COVID-19. Five months after the first visit, she was admitted to our hospital to undergo the planned thyroid lobectomy and parathyroidectomy. Her blood tests on admission showed thyrotoxicosis, with negative thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor and thyroid-stimulating antibody. Notably, her anti-thyroglobulin antibody and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody, which were originally negative, became positive after SARS-CoV-2 infection. She was diagnosed with painless thyroiditis. Her general condition and vital signs were stable, and the surgery was cautiously performed. Histopathological examination of the resected thyroid revealed papillary thyroid carcinoma, and the findings were consistent with painless thyroiditis. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and her thyroid function improved 2 weeks after the operation.


: There are three widely held beliefs among epistemolo-gists: (1) the goal of inquiry is truth or something that entails truth; (2) epistemology aims for a reflectively stable theory via reflective equilibrium; (3) epistemology is a kind of inquiry. I argue that accepting (1) and (2) entails denying (3). This is a problem especially for the philosophers (e.g., Duncan Pritchard and Alvin Goldman) who accept both (1) and (2), for in order to be consistent, they must reject (3). T here are three widely held beliefs among epistemologists: (1) the goal of inquiry is truth or something that entails truth; (2) epistemology aims for a reflectively stable theory via reflective equilibrium; (3) epistemology is a kind of inquiry. 1 Yet accepting (1) and (2) entails denying (3), or so I shall argue.


Hybrid and multi-cloud become prominent infrastructure strategy of enterprise. However, the complexity of such infrastructure is a considerable challenge. It is common to see that multi-cloud infrastructure is divided into several smaller units to facilitate the management. The division criteria are geolocation, cost, security, etc. Therefore, how to manage application deployment in such partitioned environment is an intriguing topic of multi-cloud management. We propose a policy-based deployment in multi-cloud infrastructure, which contains policy evaluation and TOSCA standard based orchestration. The system architecture is introduced and a case study with two empirical scenarios is discussed. The results indicate that the proposed policy-based deployment is useful in finding suitable resource and improving deployment efficiency.


This paper is a continuation of a study published recently by the authors. It presents and discusses computed personal absorbed dose in the lens of the eye (D p lens/Φ), and a relative biological effectiveness (RBE)-weighted absorbed dose (in terms of an newly proposed operational quantity RBE × D p lens/Φ), conversion coefficients for the lens of the eye for neutron exposure at incident energies from thermal to ∼20 MeV and at angles of incidence from 0° to 90° in 15° increments, at 180° and for rotational incidence irradiation geometry (from 0° to 360° in 5° increments). These conversion coefficients were obtained from a simulation model developed for this study that contains the stylised eye model, embedded in the adult UF-ORNL mathematical phantom, whereby the previously stated RBE-weighted absorbed dose was obtained using the proposed RBE versus neutron energy distribution compiled in a previous paper by the authors. The simulations carried out for this study using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code version 6.2, were conducted in a realistic human eye model, for the left and right sensitive and whole volume of the lens of the eye, considering the recent proposed redefinition of the operational quantities for external radiation exposure in International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) report 95. A comprehensive set of tabulated data for neutron fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients (D p lens/Φ in pGy cm2) and RBE-weighted absorbed dose (RBE × D p lens/Φ in pGy cm2) conversion coefficients is included in this paper as a function of incident neutron energy and angle of incidence. Data for D p lens/Φ (pGy cm2) are compared to similar data from the literature for validation of our model. Data for RBE × D p lens/Φ (in pGy cm2), were also compared to the equivalent operational quantity H p(3,α)/Φ (in pSv cm2) conversion coefficients calculated at 3 mm depth in a cylindrical phantom for different incident neutron energies and angles of incidence from 0° to 75° in 15° increments to demonstrate the relevance of this newly proposed operational quantity for doses resulting in tissue reactions (deterministic effects) which should be quoted in Gray (RBE-weighted absorbed dose, RBE × D (Gy)), rather than Sievert (Sv) which is reserved for stochastic effects. The current neutron weighted absorbed dose (RBE × D p lens) is proposed for the tissue reactions in the eye-lens for neutron radiation as per National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements report 180 and in line with the recent proposal for the review and revision of the System of Radiological Protection to Keeping the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations fit for purpose. This method would bring better alignment between the dose limits in ICRP 118 and the new operational quantity consistent with the units of the new eye-lens dose limits without being overly conservative. The utilization of the proposed new operational quantities, as outlined in ICRU 95, has the potential to address the ongoing challenge in enforcing regulatory limits for neutron eye dose, specifically the use of Gy instead of Sv. It should be noted that the applicability of this will vary from country to country as in many countries the legislation is likely to mandate the use of H p(3) until the regulation is amended. This approach can serve as an interim solution while awaiting the issuance of the new ICRP general recommendations, which is expected to take several years. Implementing the new operational quantities can contribute to enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of neutron eye dose limit enforcement.


Robotic technologies for rehabilitating motor impairments from neurological injuries have been the focus of intensive research and capital investment for more than 30 years. However, these devices have failed to convincingly demonstrate greater restoration of patient function compared to conventional therapy. Nevertheless, robots have value in reducing the manual effort required for physical therapists to provide high-intensity, high-dose interventions. In most robotic systems, therapists remain outside the control loop to act as high-level supervisors, selecting and initiating robot control algorithms to achieve a therapeutic goal. The low-level physical interactions between the robot and the patient are handled by adaptive algorithms that can provide progressive therapy. In this perspective, we examine the physical therapist's role in the control of rehabilitation robotics and whether embedding therapists in lower-level robot control loops could enhance rehabilitation outcomes. We discuss how the features of many automated robotic systems, which can provide repeatable patterns of physical interaction, may work against the goal of driving neuroplastic changes that promote retention and generalization of sensorimotor learning in patients. We highlight the benefits and limitations of letting therapists physically interact with patients through online control of robotic rehabilitation systems, and explore the concept of trust in human-robot interaction as it applies to patient-robot-therapist relationships. We conclude by highlighting several open questions to guide the future of therapist-in-the-loop rehabilitation robotics, including how much control to give therapists and possible approaches for having the robotic system learn from therapist-patient interactions.


OBJECTIVE
The criteria for defining subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) are debated and a real gold standard test or combination of tests is lacking. Recently, late-night salivary cortisol (MSC) has been described as a sensitive and easy-to-perform marker for diagnosing overt hypercortisolism. No data are available on the role of MSC in the diagnosis of SH. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MSC levels in the diagnosis of SH in patients with adrenal incidentalomas (AI).

METHODS
In 103 (females/males, 69/34) patients with AI, MSC levels were studied. One milligram overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST), urinary-free cortisol (UFC), and ACTH plasma levels were also evaluated. Patients were defined as affected by SH if they showed two of the following criteria: DST>83 nmol/l, ACTH <2.2 pmol/l, and UFC >193 nmol/24 h.

RESULTS
No difference in MSC levels in patients with SH (3.1+/-3.1 nmol/l) compared with patients without SH (2.2+/-2.8 nmol/l) was observed. In patients with SH, MSC levels were significantly correlated with DST (r=0.4, P<0.05). Using the cut-off of 5.1 nmol/l, the sensitivity and specificity of MSC levels for diagnosis of SH is 22.7 and 87.7% respectively.

CONCLUSION
In patients with AI, normal levels of MSC do not exclude SH, whereas high levels may suggest the presence of SH identified by conventional tests. Thus, MSC is not suitable as a screening test, although it may be used in conjunction with other tests as the confirming test in selected patients.


Avalanche pose a significant problem in most mountain regions of Russia. The constant growth of economic activity in highlands and the increased avalanche hazard lead to the demand to develop the methods of large- scale avalanche hazard assessment. This is needed for the determination of appropriate avalanche protection and life safety measures in avalanche-prone areas, as well as for economical reasons. The data obtained from large-scale avalanche risk assessments using our method should be valuable for various economical estimations of developing mountain regions in Russia The actuality of natural hazard risk estimations is also determined by the Federal Law of Russian Federation. According to the National Standards, such estimations should take place during the engineering surveys of the object. However, the required standard algorithm and formulas for such assessments do not exist (and cant be found) in official documentation. According this problem, our main purpose was to develop the large-scale risk assessment method and to approbate it on the developing but poorly researched ski resort areas. This method includes the formulas to calculate collective and individual avalanche risk. The results of risk analysis are shown in quantitative data that can be used to determine levels of avalanche risk (appropriate, acceptable and inappropriate) and to suggest methods to decrease the individual risk to acceptable level or better. It makes possible to compare risk quantitative data obtained from different regions, analyze it and evaluate the economical feasibility of protection measures.


OBJECTIVE
Citation is the name given for a scientific publication in order to be used as a reference by another publication. In this study, we reviewed the most frequently cited publications in urology from Turkey. Although the number of citations is not completely definitive on its own, it shows the importance and effect of the publication. Besides the number of citations directly determines the impact factor of the journals and this factor is generally used in the evaluation of the quality and importance of the journal.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
On March 7-14, 2016, 51 studies with highest number of citations from Turkey are determined from Science Citation Index Expanded database index and the journals in which studies are published, the authors of the publications, their cities and departments, study types, publication date of the studies and the number of citations are recorded.

RESULTS
The most frequently encountered subjects in the publications that are mostly cited from Turkey are urolithiasis (23.5%), infertility (15.6%), benign prostatic hyperplasia (11.7%), sexual dysfunction (11.7%) and bladder carcinoma/urothelial carcinoma (9.8%). Distribution of 51 publications is as follows: 18 case series, 11 randomized study, 7 non-randomized study, 6 study, 3 review, 3 cross-sectional studies and 3 survey studies. Of all the studies, 68.6% are from Ankara, İstanbul and İzmir and 72.5% of them have originated from the university hospitals.

CONCLUSION
It is important to show the most cited Turkish publications in order to show the contribution in the world literature regarding to urology. The most cited publications in Turkey belong to urolithiasis and andrology areas. When the citation analysis publications in urology and different areas both in Turkey and in the world, it is observed that the number of our qualified publications is at acceptable levels.


The increasing number of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens challenges modern technologies of drug discovery. Combinatorial chemistry approaches are based on chemical libraries. They enable the creation of high-affinity low-molecular-weight ligands of the therapeutically significant molecular targets of human cells, thus opening an avenue toward a directed design of highly effective therapeutic agents. Nevertheless, these approaches face insurmountable difficulties in antibiotic discovery. Natural compounds that have evolved for such important characteristics as broad specificity and efficiency are a good alternative to chemical libraries. However, unrestricted use of natural antibiotics and their analogues leads to avalanche-like spread of resistance among bacteria. The search for new natural antibiotics, in its turn, is extremely complicated nowadays by the problem of antibiotic rediscovery. This calls for the application of alternative high-throughput platforms for antibiotic activity screening, cultivation of "unculturable" microorganisms, exploration of novel antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters, as well as their activation and heterologous expression. Microfluidic technologies for the screening of antibiotic activity at the level of single cells are, therefore, of great interest, since they enable the use of a single platform to combine the technology of ultrahigh-throughput screening, next-generation sequencing, and genome mining, thus opening up unique opportunities for antibiotic discovery.


In the present work, the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in a coupled long Josephson junction based on magnesium diboride are studied by establishing a system of equations of phase differences of various inter- and intra-band channels starting from the microscopic Hamiltonian of the junction system and simplifying it through the phenomenological procedures such as action, partition function, Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation (bosonization), Grassmann integral, saddle-point approximation, Goldstone mode, phase dependent effective Lagrangian and, finally, Euler-Lagrange equation of motion. The system of equations are solved using finite difference approximation for which the solution of unperturbed sine-Gordon equation is taken as the initial condition. Neumann boundary condition is maintained at both the ends so that the fluxon is capable of reflecting from the end of the system. The phase dependent current is calculated for different tunnel voltage and averaged out over space and time. The current-voltage characteristics are almost linear at low voltage and non-linear at higher voltage which indicates that the more complicated physical phenomena at this situation may occur. At some region of the characteristics, there exist a negative resistance which means that the junction system can be used in specific electronic devices such as oscillators, switches, memories etc. The non-linearity is also sensitive to the layer as well as to the junction thicknesses. Non-linearity occurs for lower voltage and for higher junction and layer thicknesses.


This article introduces several articles (in this current issue) centered on contemporary, psychoanalytically informed clinical treatments of children and adolescents. In doing so, it revisits the concept of expansionism in psychoanalytic self psychology and underscores a new type of "expansionism": The application of contemporary theories to non-psychoanalytic clinical milieus, particularly those pertaining to contexts of working with children and adolescents.


The latest EAU guidelines on the evidence based-management of prostate cancer (P.Ca.), with regard to pharmacological androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), reiterate that the primary objective of hormonal therapy is to slow down the progression of the disease to the greatest possible extent. Degarelix a new product for the treatment of hormone-dependent P.Ca. has recently become available in Italy. This product is classified as a GnRH antagonist and provides safe and effective ADT. It completely blocks the synthesis and release of gonadotropins (LH and FSH), thus rapidly reducing the testosterone levels without causing clinical flare. The results of the clinical trials (36 months) demonstrate that degarelix, compared to high-dose leuprorelin (7.5 mg), suppresses levels of testosterone and PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) more rapidly and reduces levels of FSH and musculoskeletal events associated with treatment (pain, muscle weakness, spasms, oedema/joint stiffness, arthralgia, osteoporosis and osteopoenia) to a greater extent. In addition, these results demonstrate a significant increase in the probability of PSA progression-free survival, suggesting a possible delay in the onset of the "castration-resistant" stage. The information available to date supports the use of this new molecule as a valid alternative to GnRH agonists in the treatment of hormone-sensitive P.Ca.


Application of mathematical model of multi state system for oil supply system is considered in this paper. This paper describes a method for estimation of changes of one component states and its influence on themultistate system reliability by dynamic reliability indices. We examine the oil supply system to allow a different number of states for the oil supply system and for each pipelineby proposing dynamic reliability indices for investigation of this system. These indices estimate the influence upon the multi-state system reliability, which is the oil supply system from an oil source to three stations through several oil pipelines, say four. The mathematical approach of logical differential calculus is used for analysing the change in the multi-state system reliability that is caused by modification of some system components states.


The aim of this research is to analyze experimentally the influence of atmospheric conditions on a series of measurements obtained by a terrestrial laser scanner. The scan series represents a dike covered by containers. These containers are gradually filled with water during the experiment to simulate a controlled dike collapse. From the morning of 25.09.2008 till the afternoon of 27.09.2008 two kinds of measurements were made. The first one assessed the atmospheric condition by measuring variations in radiation, temperature and humidity, which were taken as weather attributes for future analysis. The second measurements were made by the terrestrial laser scanner ScanStation 2 from Leica. During the experiment a total of 159 scans with a resolution of 5 cm on 50 m distance of the dike were made. On the scanned region twelve stable virtual targets were selected based on intensity and range. Three scan attributes were determined for each target at each of the 159 epochs: number of observed points, mean distance between scanner and target, and also standard deviation of these distances. The resulting scan attributes are compared to the 3 atmospheric attributes described above. The results indicate that scans affected by fog can be detected automatically by analyzing independent meteorological data. A weak linear relation of about 2 mm range increment per degree temperature increment at 70 m distance should be further investigated.


Objective:To detect the expression of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1(PDK1) and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) in human middle ear cholesteatoma tissue and to analyze their correlation.Method:Immunohistochemical method was taken to detect the expression and location of PDK1 and NF-κB in 60 cases of cholesteatoma tissue and 30 cases of normal ear skin specimens.SPSS 19.0 software was used to analyze the data. Result:Immunohistochemistry revealed PDK1 was positive in cytoplasm and the positive expression rate in cholesteatoma was significantly higher than normal skin (P <0.05); NF-κB expressed in the nucleus of cholesteatoma and the positive expression rate in cholesteatoma significantly higher than normal skin(P <0.05);In cholesteatoma specimens,there was a significant positive correlation between protein PDK1 and NF-κB(P <0.05). Conclusion:Abnormal expression of PDK1 and NF-κB may be related to the proliferation of cholesteatoma epithelium and they reinforce each other.


Cavity mediated modification of material properties and phenomena is a novel research field largely motivated by the experimental advances in strong light-matter interactions. Despite this progress, exact solutions for extended systems strongly coupled to the photon field are not available, and both theory and experiments rely mainly on finite-system models. Therefore a paradigmatic example of an exactly solvable extended system in a cavity becomes highly desireable. To fill this gap we revisit Sommerfeld's theory of the free electron gas in cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). We solve this system analytically in the long-wavelength limit for an arbitrary number of non-interacting electrons. This exact solution allows us to consider the thermodynamic limit for the electrons and to demonstrate several new features: The four fundamental response functions (matter-matter, photon-matter, matter-photon and photon-photon) are proportional to each other and all exhibit plasmon-polariton excitations, which modify the conductive properties of the electron gas. In contrast to finite systems, no ground state exists if the diamagentic $A^2$ term is omitted. Further, we show that the thermodynamic limit can be performed only if we take simultaneously the size of the matter system and the amount of photon modes to infinity. To accomplish this we introduce an effective theory for the photon field. The effective coupling and the ultraviolet behavior of the theory are well-defined, and the continuum of modes leads to a renormalization of the electron mass, which in contrast to the usual single-particle renormalization depends on the full electron density. Lastly, we show how the matter-modified photon field leads to a repulsive Casimir force and how the continuum of modes introduces dissipation into the light-matter system. Several of the presented findings should be experimentally accessible.


Developing and integrating advanced image sensors with novel algorithms in camera systems are prevalent with the increasing demand for computational photography and imaging on mobile platforms. However, the lack of high-quality data for research and the rare opportunity for in-depth exchange of views from industry and academia constrain the development of mobile intelligent photography and imaging (MIPI). To bridge the gap, we introduce the first MIPI challenge, including five tracks focusing on novel image sensors and imaging algorithms. In this paper, Quad Joint Remosaic and Denoise, one of the five tracks, working on the interpolation of Quad CFA to Bayer at full resolution, is introduced. The participants were provided a new dataset, including 70 (training) and 15 (validation) scenes of high-quality Quad and Bayer pairs. In addition, for each scene, Quad of different noise levels was provided at 0dB, 24dB, and 42dB. All the data were captured using a Quad sensor in both outdoor and indoor conditions. The final results are evaluated using objective metrics, including PSNR, SSIM, LPIPS, and KLD. A detailed description of all models developed in this challenge is provided in this paper. More details of this challenge and the link to the dataset can be found at https://github.com/mipi-challenge/MIPI2022.


In addition to 5-(y-methoxy) -cinnamylidene-4-methoxy-but-3-enolide ( = piperolide), whose occurrence in roots and stems of Piper sanctum was described previously, there has been found the corresponding 7,8-oxidoderivative as its main concomitant. The isolation procedure — chromatography on charcoal columns using lipophilic solvents — is described. The structure 3 is mainly based on spectroscopic studies of its tetrahydro-derivative.


While the rise of the medical sciences in the nineteenth century has been studied quite extensively over the last few decades, the development of modern biomedicine during the twentieth century is still a relatively little researched area. This biography of Rudolf Magnus, whose main contributions to experimental pharmacology and neurophysiology belong to the first quarter of the twentieth century, is therefore a welcome addition to our knowledge. Written by Magnus's son Otto, this book builds on family documents as well as scientific papers and publications. It provides detailed information on Rudolf Magnus's background and upbringing in a prosperous, educated Jewish family in Brunswick, before it continues with the period of his medical studies in Heidelberg. Here Magnus was especially influenced by the physiologist Wilhelm Kuhne, under whose supervision he graduated MD in 1898 with a study on direct blood pressure measurement in the exposed (animal) artery. In the same year he became assistant to Kuhne's son-in-law, the Heidelberg pharmacologist Rudolf Gottlieb. In 1908 Magnus was appointed to a pharmacological professorship at the University of Utrecht, the first such chair in the Netherlands, which he held until his death. Support from the Rockefeller Foundation allowed him to build here a large institute.

Rudolf Magnus's work, both in Heidelberg and Utrecht, reflected the then very close connections between physiology and pharmacology, as can be seen from the numerous extracts of his research papers that this biography provides in English translation. Under Gottlieb, Magnus worked experimentally on diuresis and the mode of action of diuretics and digitalis; and he devised his own method for pharmacological tests on the isolated mammalian intestine, which later in Utrecht enabled him and his assistant Joan Willem le Heux to identify the role of choline in producing intestinal movements. From early on Magnus was also engaged in neurophysiological research. This became his main field in the Utrecht institute, where he explored the so-called "righting reflexes", which control animal posture and which proved to be useful signs for the clinical diagnosis of human neurological conditions. For this research he and his collaborator Adriaan de Kleijn were considered for the award of the Nobel Prize, when Magnus died unexpectedly in 1927. Magnus had also wider cultural interests, as documented by his Heidelberg lectures on Goethe as a scientist, which are summarized with extracts in English translation in a separate chapter of this biography.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect that this book brings out, chiefly through presenting Magnus's notes on his experiences at the International Congresses of Physiologists between 1895 and 1923, is his close relationship to British physiology. Magnus admired the experimental skills of John Newport Langley and Charles Scott Sherrington, both of whom he visited for joint research (in 1905 and 1908, respectively), following a period of laboratory work with Edward Albert Schafer in Edinburgh in 1901. The other side to Magnus's enthusiasm for British researchers was his estrangement from his own head of department, Gottlieb, who eventually dismissed him as his assistant with a letter in 1908 (pp. 193f.), shortly before the offer from Utrecht University became known. Magnus's service as a German medical officer in the First World War, during which he performed research on war gases in the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, caused a cooling period for his international relations, so that he was relieved when Sherrington resumed contact after years of silence in 1922.

Despite the wealth of interesting and relevant detail that this biography provides, it is not easy reading. Otto Magnus often lets the historical documents and scientific accounts speak for themselves, rather than giving us a continuous narrative of his father's life and achievements. However, readers with a serious interest in the history of twentieth-century physiology and pharmacology, and in the scientific community that promoted these disciplines, will be richly rewarded.


The lack of direct support for multidimensional arrays in JavaTM has been recognized as a major deficiency in the language's applicability to numerical computing. It has been shown that, when augmented with multidimensional arrays, Java can achieve very high‐performance for numerical computing through the use of compiler techniques and efficient implementations of aggregate array operations. Three approaches have been discussed in the literature for extending Java with support for multidimensional arrays: class libraries that implement these structures; extending the Java language with new syntactic constructs for multidimensional arrays that are directly translated to bytecode; and relying on the Java Virtual Machine to recognize those arrays of arrays that are being used to simulate multidimensional arrays. This paper presents a balanced presentation of the pros and cons of each technique in the areas of functionality, language and virtual machine impact, implementation effort, and effect on performance. We show that the best choice depends on the relative importance attached to the different metrics, and thereby provide a common ground for a rational discussion and comparison of the techniques. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The correct differential diagnosis of dementia has an important impact on patient treatment and follow-up care strategies. Tc-99m-ECD SPECT imaging, which is low cost and accessible in general clinics, is used to identify the two common types of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). Two-stage transfer learning technology and reducing model complexity based on the ResNet-50 model were performed using the ImageNet data set and ADNI database. To improve training accuracy, the three-dimensional image was reorganized into three sets of two-dimensional images for data augmentation and ensemble learning, then the performance of various deep learning models for Tc-99m-ECD SPECT images to distinguish AD/normal cognition (NC), LBD/NC, and AD/LBD were investigated. In the AD/NC, LBD/NC, and AD/LBD tasks, the AUC values were around 0.94, 0.95, and 0.74, regardless of training models, with an accuracy of 90%, 87%, and 71%, and F1 scores of 89%, 86%, and 76% in the best cases. The use of transfer learning and a modified model resulted in better prediction results, increasing the accuracy by 32% for AD/NC. The proposed method is practical and could rapidly utilize a deep learning model to automatically extract image features based on a small number of SPECT brain perfusion images in general clinics to objectively distinguish AD and LBD.


In this paper, the possible Kronecker invariants of a matrix pencil obtained by simultaneous one row and one column completion of a given matrix pencil are characterized. This presents a new approach to the General Matrix Pencil Completion Problem (GMPCP), where simultaneous row and column completion is considered.


Modification of a smectite with organic surfactants leads to the formation of an organo-mineral complex characterized by a positive charged (Bajda et al, 2015). The process involves the exchange of naturally occurring cations, eg. Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + by large organic cations of surfactants. This alteration makes it possible to use organo-smectites as sorbents to remove anionic forms of Mo(VI) and W(VI) from aqueous solutions. The concentration of molybdenum in the environment is significantly enhanced by anthropogenic inputs from coal-resource development, fly ash, sewage sludge and hard-rock mining activity (Kalembkiewicz, Soco, 2009). W(VI) is released to the environment through its use in winter tires or by its applications in industry e.g. enriches alloys or electrotechnics (Gustafsson, 2003). The environmental behavior of molybdenum and tungsten once they dissolve becomes very complex as Mo(VI) and W(VI) anions occur as a monomer only in alkaline or neutral solutions. Bentonite from the Jelsovy Potok in Slovakia, rich in montmorillonite phase, was used in the sorption experiments (Bajda et al. 2015). Through the preparation of a series of experiments it was possible to define the impact of various surfactants, their amount and organo-smectites' properties order on the sorption capacity and pH effect. Smectite has been modified with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DDTMA), didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDDDMA), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) and   dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DHDDMA) in amounts of: 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 of cation exchange capacity (CEC). Experiments of Mo(VI) and W(VI) sorption on organo-smectites were conducted under various concentrations of Mo(VI) and W(VI) (0 – 20 mM) and in wide range of pH's (1-13). The effectiveness of modifications follows the order DDTMA-smectite-> HDTMA-smectite> DDDDMA-smectite > DHDDMA-smectite. The unmodified smectite did not remove Mo(VI) and W(VI) aninos from the aqueous solution at all. In the removal of Mo(VI), sorption efficiency follows the order: DDTMA-smectite > DDDDMA-smectite >  HDTMA-smectite> DHDDMA-smectite. In case of W(VI) the  efficiency of the removal can be place: DDDDMA-smectite> DDTMA-smectite> HDTMA-smectite> DHDDMA-smectite.  With an increasing concentration of Mo(VI) or W(VI) in the solutions, the sorption increases. The maximum sorption capacity in the removal of Mo(VI) was 1710 mmol Mo(VI)/kg in case of smectite modified with DDTMA at 0.5 CEC.  The best result of tungsten sorption was 5882 mmol W(VI)/kg and it was obtained for DDDDMA-smectite (0.5 CEC). Results showed that the sorption is more effective at a lower pH, in both Mo(VI) and W(VI) removal. The smectite modified with surfactant with double carbon chain (DDDDMA, DHDDMA) proved to be a better sorbent. With an increasing amount of surfactant attached to the smectite, the sorption efficiency increases.


Abstract Background: Asthma hospitalizations are an ambulatory care-sensitive condition; a majority originate in emergency departments (EDs). Objective: Describe trends and predictors of adult asthma hospitalizations originating in EDs. Methods: Observational study of ED visits resulting in hospitalization using a nationally representative sample. We tested trend in hospitalization rates from 2006 to 2014 using logistic regression, then assessed the association between hospitalization rates and patient and hospital characteristics using hierarchical multivariable regression accounting for hospital-level clustering. Results: Total ED asthma visits increased 15% from 2006 to 2014, from 1.06 to 1.22 million, while the likelihood of hospitalization decreased (20.9–18.2%, p < 0.01). Adjusting for increased asthma prevalence, ED visit rates and hospitalization rates decreased by 10 and 21%, respectively. Hospitalization was independently associated with older age, female gender (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.20–1.26), higher Charlson score (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.97–2.01), Medicaid (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.08) and Medicare (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.22–1.31) insurance, and trauma centers (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.12–1.60). Hospitalization was less likely for uninsured visits (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.67–0.73), lower income areas (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.85–0.93), non-metropolitan teaching hospitals (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.71–0.96), Midwestern (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.69–1.01) or Western regions (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.56–0.83). Unmeasured hospital-specific effects account for 15.8% of variability in hospital admission rates after adjusting for patient and hospital factors. Conclusions: Total asthma ED visits increased, but prevalence-adjusted ED visits, and ED hospitalization rates have declined. Uninsured patients have disproportionately more ED visits but 30% lower odds of hospitalization. Substantial variation implies unmeasured clinical, social and environmental factors accounting for hospital-specific differences in hospitalization.


Tea ingredients can effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection at adequate concentrations. It is not known whether tea intake could impact the susceptibility to COVID-19 or its severity. We aimed to evaluate the causal effects of tea intake on COVID-19 outcomes. We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess the causal associations between tea intake (N = 441,279) and three COVID-19 outcomes, including SARS-CoV-2 infection (122,616 cases and 2,475,240 controls), hospitalized COVID-19 (32,519 cases and 2,062,805 controls), and critical COVID-19 (13,769 cases and 1,072,442 controls). The MR analyses indicated that genetic propensity for tea consumption conferred a negative causal effect on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78–0.97, P = 0.015). No causal effects on hospitalized COVID-19 (0.84, 0.64–1.10, P = 0.201) or critical COVID-19 (0.73, 0.51–1.03, P = 0.074) were detected. Our study revealed that tea intake could decrease the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting the potential preventive effect of tea consumption on COVID-19 transmission.


Researchers often focus on the development process and the final product (source code) to investigate and predict software defects. Unfortunately, these models may not be applicable to software projects in which there is no access to the data sources regarding development process. For example, in cases when a company conducts tests on behalf of its business contractors, it is only possible to evaluate in-process quality of the company based on its testing process. We present an industrial case at Ericsson Turkey that illustrates such a business constraint. We define a set of in-process testing metrics that are extracted from acceptance test execution logs of a large scale software application developed at Ericsson Turkey. We measure the acceptance testing process of 15 weeks using these metrics, and predict the number of defects reported in weekly acceptance tests. We report our measurement, model construction and assessment steps in this paper.


The recognition of connected handwritten digit strings is a challenging task due mainly to two problems: poor character segmentation and unreliable isolated character recognition. The authors first present a rational B-spline representation of digit templates based on Pixel-to-Boundary Distance (PBD) maps. We then present a neural network approach to extract B-spline PBD templates and an evolutionary algorithm to optimize these templates. In total, 1000 templates (100 templates for each of 10 classes) were extracted from and optimized on 10426 training samples from the NIST Special Database 3. By using these templates, a nearest neighbor classifier can successfully reject 90.7 percent of nondigit patterns while achieving a 96.4 percent correct classification of isolated test digits. When our classifier is applied to the recognition of 4958 connected handwritten digit strings (4555 2-digit, 355 3-digit, and 48 4-digit strings) from the NIST Special Database 3 with a dynamic programming approach, it has a correct classification rate of 82.4 percent with a rejection rate of as low as 0.85 percent. Our classifier compares favorably in terms of correct classification rate and robustness with other classifiers that are tested.


The modification of a newly developed method for determination of apparent total N-nitroso compounds by chemical denitrosation and chemiluminescence detection of nitric oxide (thermal energy analysis) is described. The minimum level of reliable measurement was 0.1 ppm, and the repeatability of the method was 0.2 ppm, based on the response of N-nitrosoproline(NPro). Seventy-three samples of cured-meat products, including frankfurters, bacon, and ham, were examined; 50 samples contained less than 1 ppm. The largest amounts, up to 24.8 ppm, were detected in canned corned beef. This method has several advantages over other methods.