Introduction Liver function tests (LFTs) are commonly measured upon admission to hospital. LFT derangement on admission not only prompts investigation of pathology but also predicts short-term mortality. Longer-term implications of short-term changes in these tests are less well-studied. We sought whether fluctuations in LFTs during admission predict 12-month mortality and, if so, which LFTs were the best predictors. Method We included patients admitted non-electively for a period of at least 7 days to General Medicine at an urban Australian hospital from 2005 to 2012. LFTs (bilirubin, albumin, gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) were measured on admission and repeated at least once with the greatest change in each noted. Only the first relevant admission of each patient was analysed. Patients were excluded if they died during admission, were admitted to Intensive Care or carried a diagnosis of malignancy or liver disease. A logistic regression model was developed to determine 12-month mortality incorporating patients' age, gender, co-morbidity index, heart failure diagnosis and admission LFTs. A second model also included intra-admission changes in LFTs. Results Of 4160 patients analysed, median age was 79 years (IQR 66–86), 25% had heart failure and 12-month post-discharge mortality was 17%. Admission albumin was low in 39% of patients; admission ALT was high in 14% of patients. Admission albumin predicted 12-month mortality better than other LFTs at admission. 12-month mortality was greater by: 37% (p = 0.02) with a standing diagnosis of heart failure; 4% (p < 0.001) with a 1g/L intra-admission decrease in albumin; and 6% (p = 0.05) with a 100 IU/L intra-admission increase in ALT. Comparison of the two models showed that the intra-admission change model was superior to the admission-value model at predicting 12-month mortality. Of intra-admission changes in LFTs, a drop in albumin was the best individual predictor of 12-month mortality; a rise in ALT added predictive power. Conclusion Changes in LFTs predict long-term mortality better than a single value. In the absence of known liver disease, albumin predicts long-term mortality of elderly inpatients better than transaminases. This may reflect systemic influences on albumin such as nutritional status. Patients whose albumin falls during admission are at high risk of death within a year even if admission albumin levels are normal. Attention should be directed to reduce these patients' mortality risk or consider planning end-of-life care. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


This paper examines techniques for the efficient use of high dimensional feature sets in the detection of micro-calcifications in mammograms. The paper focuses on techniques for dimensionality reduction and discriminant analysis. The paper examines the use of principal components and Fisher's linear discriminant for dimensionality reduction along with parametric and nonparametric statistical techniques for discriminant analysis.<<ETX>>


Predictive maintenance is a powerful maintenance strategy that makes it possible to significantly reduce operation and maintenance costs of public, commercial and industrial environments. It is a complex data-driven process, which tries to forecast future states of company assets. On one hand it prerequisites condition monitoring of components on machine level. On the other hand it demands the integration of the collected data with other management information systems. Digitization and especially the advent of big data science bring along promising opportunities to create effective smart monitoring and predictive maintenance applications. The aim of this research is to examine the possibilities of a predictive maintenance framework based on the design principles of Industry 4.0 and recent developments in distributed computing, Big Data and Machine Learning. It introduces numerous enabling technologies such as industrial Internet of things, standardized communication protocols, as well as edge and cloud computing. Moreover, it takes a deeper look at data analytical techniques and tools, and analyses performance of well-known machine learning algorithms. Paper proposes architecture of a predictive maintenance framework based on existing software and hardware solutions. As a proof of concept, a real-life smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) application system is created and tested to demonstrate the possibilities of the proposed PdM framework.


Aims. We present the analysis of the [α/Fe] abundance ratios for a large number of stars at several locations in the Milky Way bulge with the aim of constraining its formation scenario. Methods. We obtained FLAMES-GIRAFFE spectra (R = 22 500) at the ESO Very Large Telescope for 650 bulge red giant branch (RGB) stars and performed spectral synthesis to measure Mg, Ca, Ti, and Si abundances. This sample is composed of 474 giant stars observed in 3 fields along the minor axis of the Galactic bulge and at latitudes b = −4 ◦ , b = −6 ◦ , b = −12 ◦ . Another 176 stars belong to a field containing the globular cluster NGC 6553, located at b = −3 ◦ and 5 ◦ away from the other three fields along the major axis. Stellar parameters and metallicities for these stars were presented in Zoccali et al. (2008, A&A, 486, 177). We have also re-derived stellar parameters and abundances for the sample of thick and thin disk red giants analyzed in Alves-Brito et al. (2010, A&A, 513, A35). Therefore using a homogeneous abundance database for the bulge, thick and thin disk, we have performed a differential analysis minimizing systematic errors, to compare the formation scenarios of these Galactic components. Results. Our results confirm, with large number statistics, the chemical similarity between the Galactic bulge and thick disk, which are both enhanced in alpha elements when compared to the thin disk. In the same context, we analyze [α/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] trends across different bulge regions. The most metal rich stars, showing low [α/Fe] ratios at b = −4 ◦ disappear at higher Galactic latitudes in agreement with the observed metallicity gradient in the bulge. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < −0.2) show a remarkable homogeneity at different bulge locations. Conclusions. We have obtained further constrains for the formation scenario of the Galactic bulge. A metal-poor component chemically indistinguishable from the thick disk hints for a fast and early formation for both the bulge and the thick disk. Such a component shows no variation, neither in abundances nor kinematics, among different bulge regions. A metal-rich component showing low [α/Fe] similar to those of the thin disk disappears at larger latitudes. This allows us to trace a component formed through fast early mergers (classical bulge) and a disk/bar component formed on a more extended timescale.


Defective activation of chloride channels is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF). Recently we have described activation of a volume-sensitive, outwardly rectifying chloride conductance (I(OR)) through the src-like tyrosine kinase p56(lck). Here we show that p56(lck) activates I(OR) independently of CFTR. In lymphocytes from healthy donors, chloride channels could be opened by either intracellular cAMP, p56(lck) or osmotic swelling. In CF lymphocytes, p56(lck) and cell swelling but not cAMP could activate chloride channels. Regulation of I(OR) by p56(lck) thus represents an alternative pathway of stimulating membrane chloride conductance that is left intact in cystic fibrosis.


Abstract Dehydrogenative polymerization of isoconiferin (IC; coniferyl alcohol γ-O-β-D-glucopyranoside) catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was carried out. The polymerization of IC proceeded in a homogeneous system, resulting in a water-soluble dehydrogenation polymer (IC-DHP). The degree of polymerization (DP) of IC-DHP was significantly higher than that of a standard dehydrogenative polymer (CA-DHP) obtained from coniferyl alcohol (CA) in a heterogeneous system. Under optimum conditions, the DP of IC-DHP was 44 (M n=1.5×104), whereas that for CA-DHP was only 11 (M n=3.0×103, as acetate). Spectroscopic analyses confirmed that IC-DHP has a lignin-like structure containing D-glucose moieties attached to the lignin side-chains. The D-glucose unit introduced into γ-O position of CA essentially influenced the water solubility and molecular mass of the resulting DHP.


Many rural community-managed water supply programs in developing countries have been characterized
by poor performance. In response, governments and non-governmental organizations have organized two
types of "post-construction support" for village water and sanitation committees. The first, "demand-driven"
approach leaves it largely up to communities themselves to seek out repair and other support services and to
pay for them when needed. The second is a more "supply-driven" approach – to provide unsolicited technical
assistance, training, trouble-shooting, and even financial assistance to communities. We evaluate the effect
of these types of post construction support on the technical sustainability of community water supplies in
rural Ghana using data collected from 200 villages in Volta and Brong Ahafo.


The book ends with an overview of the self-organizing map literature and a glossary. I have never seen a literature overview of this quality, comprehensiveness, and refinement. Just devising the taxonomic categories must have taken months. The result is a marvelous tool for finding just about any information that exists regarding self-organizing maps. Rarely has any subject been provided with such an index of knowledge. This is an achievement for which Kohonen deserves extra special praise. The glossary is excellent and covers a number of terms not discussed in the text (references for most of these are given). This glossary will be of great use to students just learning the jargon, as well as to more experienced individuals who have not had the luxury of learning the terminology gradually as it developed over the past three decades. In summary, Kohonen has created a masterpiece. I unhesitatingly recommend it. The book is required for my year-long graduate neural-network class at the University of California, San Diego. Everyone, from the most experienced researchers and practitioners to rank beginners, will profit from this book. The workshop was organized in connection with a three-year basic research project in the ESPRIT framework, called NACT, a project funded by the European Union and a collaboration between Daimler-Benz of Germany and the University of Glasgow. A major aim of the projecVworkshop i s to develop a systematic engineering procedure for designing neural controllers for nonlinear dynamic systems. The techniques developed are being evaluated on concrete industrial problems from within the Daimler-Benz group of companies. Selected workshop participants were asked to substantially expand and revise their contributions to make them into the chapters of this book. The book consists of 11 chapters and is divided into three parts. Part I is devoted to the theoretical and practical results on neural adaptive control technology resulting from the NACT project. Part I1 is devoted to results of nonlinear control, relevant to the theory of neurocontrol. Finally, Part 111 presents various aspects of neural conuol arid its applications. The book concludes with a subject index. The purpose of this book is to introduce to students of neu-ral networks a wide variety of mathematical perspectives which contribute conceptual and technical insights into the power and limits of processing and learning in connectionist networks. Each contributed chapter is, to a greater or lesser extent, a tutorial on one corner of mathematics together with …


The different applications for which ATM broadband networks can be used are discussed. With regard to the ATM layer, the CCITT has standardized two kinds of virtual connections: virtual channel connections (VCCs) and virtual path connections (VPCs), where a VPC can be considered as an aggregate of VCCs. It is shown that two large groups of applications can be supported using either the VPC or VCC concept. In the first range of applications, only semipermanent VPC connections are supported. In the second, fully on demand VCC connections are offered to the subscribers. A flexible broadband signaling capable of handling all sorts of manipulations in a multimedia environment is described. The signaling is shown to be applicable to distributive digital TV.<<ETX>>


Abstract Gastric hamartomatous inverted polyp (GHIP) is rare, with few reports of carcinogenesis from GHIP during long‐term follow‐up. A 51‐year‐old woman was diagnosed as having a submucosal tumor (SMT) during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in 2008. In 2016, although the size and height of the lesion had not changed, she was referred to our hospital for further investigation of the lesion. EGD depicted a gastric SMT of 20 mm in diameter in the greater curvature of the upper gastric body, and a biopsy specimen showed a well to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Following successful laparoscopic total gastrectomy, histopathological examination revealed an intramucosal adenocarcinoma arising in GHIP.


This article provides an overview of the student anti-sweatshop movement and argues that the movement has been somewhat successful at changing policies. The pri-mary objectives are twofold: first, to supplement existing literature on the anti-sweatshop movement by offering an account of its emergence and evolution at Indiana University-Bloomington; and second, to describe the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), a United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) initiative that proactively seeks to improve conditions for workers producing university-licensed apparel.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UROD), a heme biosynthetic pathway enzyme that converts uroporphyrinogen to coproporphyrinogen, was recently identified as a potential anticancer target. UROD inhibition leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), likely mediated by the Fenton reaction, which decreases cancer cell viability and sensitizes cells to cisplatin and radiation. Because there is no known chemical UROD inhibitor suitable for translational research, we aimed to design, synthesize, and characterize such a compound. In silico design and docking was used to identify a potential porphyrin analogue. Subsequent synthesis produced a porphodimethene (named PI-16) that inhibited UROD in an enzymatic assay (IC50 = 9.9 µM). PI-16 did not affect porphobilinogen deaminase (at 62.5 µM), thereby exhibiting some specificity. In cellular assays, PI-16 reduced FaDu and ME-180 cancer cell viability with half maximal effective concentrations of 22.7 µM and 26.9 µM, respectively, whereas normal oral epithelial (NOE) cells were only minimally affected. PI-16 combined effectively with cisplatin and radiation, with potent synergy being observed with cisplatin (Chou-Talalay combination index < 1). This work presents the first known synthetic UROD inhibitor, and sets the foundation for the design, synthesis, and characterization of higher affinity and more effective compounds.

Citation Format: Kenneth W. Yip, Zhan Zhang, Noriko Sakemura-Nakatsugawa, Jui-Wen Huang, Shijun Yue, Yulia Jitkova, Terence To, Emil Pai, Aaron Schimmer, Jonathan Lovell, Jonathan Sessler, Fei-Fei Liu. A porphodimethene chemical inhibitor of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2510. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2510


An efficient data hiding method is proposed in the smart cyber-attacks such as data theft, virus attacks on the transmitting of whole confidential data, partial confidential data via private and government networks. The transmitting data over the internet is one of the better solutions to make a work easy and fast even though protecting data from the smart hackers is vital role in the cyber-crimes. There are various protection techniques of confidential data like digital watermarking, digital signals with embedding data into images, audio and videos. The existing watermarking techniques using RSA is a time consuming process for number of iterations to be performed even in signal decryption of image. These complexities of iterations to be overcome by the Least Significant Bits, DWT transformation and Arnold transformation were failing in all aspects of security requirements. The proposed method of reversible data hiding has an efficient encryption in medical images, health care image and data transmitting in various organizations.


Professor Stanley Prusiner has won this year's Nobel prize for medicine for his pioneering work on prions. Deborah Josefson examines his groundbreaking and frequently controversial research

Stanley Prusiner persisted with his radical theories on prions ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stanley Prusiner, professor of neurology and biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, has won the 1997 Nobel prize for medicine for his work on prions. This new class of infectious agents are thought to underlie a variety of sporadic, transmissible, and hereditary neurodegenerative disorders including kuru, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, fatal familial insomnia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Professor Prusiner's work has long been controversial because it challenges conventional biomedical dogma which holds that an infectious agent must contain nucleic acid. The Nobel prize winner's revolutionary concept was that a deformed protein could serve as an infectious particle and propagate in the absence of genetic material. Professor Prusiner dubbed these proteins "prions"-short for proteinaceous infectious particles.

The Karolinska Institute, which bestowed the prize, said: "Stanley Prusiner has added prions to the list of well known infectious agents including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Stanley Prusiner's discovery provides important insights that may furnish the basis of understanding the biological mechanisms underlying other types of dementia related illnesses-for example, Alzheimer's …


Targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is a promising therapeutic strategy for various cancers associated with alterations in the FGFR1 gene. In this study, we developed a highly cytotoxic bioconjugate based on fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), which is a natural ligand of this receptor, and two potent cytotoxic drugs—α-amanitin and monomethyl auristatin E—with completely independent mechanistic modes of action. Utilizing recombinant DNA technology, we produced an FGF2 N- to C-end dimer that exhibited superior internalization capacity in FGFR1-positive cells. The drugs were site-specifically attached to the targeting protein using SnoopLigase- and evolved sortase A-mediated ligations. The resulting dimeric dual-warhead conjugate selectively binds to the FGFR1 and utilizes receptor-mediated endocytosis to enter the cells. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the developed conjugate exhibits about 10-fold higher cytotoxic potency against FGFR1-positive cell lines than an equimolar mixture of single-warhead conjugates. The diversified mode of action of the dual-warhead conjugate may help to overcome the potential acquired resistance of FGFR1-overproducing cancer cells to single cytotoxic drugs.


Objective: A scoping review of available advice to address eating problems experienced by people who wear dentures was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The objective was to identify and map type, volume, and content of the available eating advice. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, and grey literature databases and Google were searched. Relevant content pertaining to study type, peer-review vs. grey literature, country of origin, advice content, and methods to evaluate effectiveness was mapped. Results: Of the 4591 records identified from peer-reviewed literature, 56 full papers underwent duplicate screening, resulting in 26 papers (from Germany (n = 1), Europe (n = 1), India (n = 2), Japan (n = 7), UK (n = 6), USA (n = 6), or other (n = 3)) being included in the review. These yielded 18 different items of relevant eating advice. Of the 258 screened websites, 63 were included, yielding 30 different items of eating advice. The most-cited advice was to eat soft food and avoid hard and sticky food, cut food into bite-sized pieces, and chew on both sides of the mouth and chew slowly and thoroughly. The identified advice was not supported by reference to peer-reviewed evidence. Advice included some conflicting messages and some advice was non-compliant with authoritative nutritional advice (e.g., avoid red meat, take a vitamin supplement). Conclusion: There is support for providing eating advice at the time of denture provision. A broad range of advice based on clinical experience to support people who wear dentures to overcome the functional limitations exists. However, the efficacy of this advice in improving diet and eating experience has not been tested.


Significant technical, regulatory and media attention has recently been given to the use of electrical storage batteries onboard a line-haul (long-distance) locomotive or "energy storage tender" (coupled adjacent to a locomotive) as a means of improving railroad fuel efficiency and reducing freight locomotive exhaust emissions. The extent to which electrical energy stored onboard could supplement or replace diesel generated power has yet to be quantified or proven. There are significant technical design, maintainability, logistical and safety challenges to making this technology commonplace, especially for over-the-road (line-haul) freight trains.The use of electrical batteries to provide some amount of point-source fuel- and/or emissions-free locomotive power is not a new concept. Recent claims that onboard storage of locomotive propulsion energy is "new locomotive technology" are unfounded. The world's first all-battery-powered locomotive was built in 1838 only 34 years after the world's first steam locomotive operated. A total of 126 identifiable locomotives using onboard batteries to store propulsion energy have been built and operated to some extent in the United States (US) since 1920. Almost all were low-power switching locomotives and none are currently in revenue freight service. Two high-horsepower line-haul experimental engineering test locomotives with an experimental battery design and regenerative dynamic braking have been built (in 2004 and 2007) but very little revenue service testing has occurred.This paper reviews propulsion battery-equipped locomotives over the past 95 years in the US, and discusses future options and possibilities including the technical and logistical challenges to such propulsion.Capturing dynamic braking energy (developed by locomotive traction motors during deceleration or downhill operation) could be a source of onboard battery recharging, but will require significant additional locomotive control system development work to achieve practicality. New battery technologies are being developed but none are yet practical for large-scale locomotive applications. Retrofitting of large amounts of onboard battery storage on existing (or even future) diesel-electric locomotives will be limited by onboard space constraints. The development and use of energy storage "tenders" will bring complications to locomotive and train operations to make effective use (if commercialized) practical and safe.This paper is also intended to provide technical background and clarity for various regulatory agencies regarding battery energy storage technologies for future locomotive propulsion.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


ABSTRACT The study aimed to determine between leadership style of problem solving and decision-making with the performance of health centers Wara Selatan Palopo City in 2012. The study was observational with a cross-sectional study. The total sample was 60 peoples. The study used a questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. The analysis used chi-square test. The study showed that in solving problems, 45 respondents (75.0%) chose participation in the leadership style. In decision-making, there were 30 respondents (50.0%) chose consultative leadership style. Based on the bivariate analysis showed that there was a relationship between leadership styles based on solving a problem with the performance of health workers (X²hit (9.630) > X²tab (7,81) with medium relationship (0,401). And there was a relationship between leadership styles based on decision making with the performance of health workers (X²hit (8.658) > X²tab (7,81) with medium relationship ( 0,380). From these results, the suggestions are: there should be a link between leadership style of the head of health centre Wara selatan i.e instruction, consultation, participation and delegation with the performance of health workers i.e attendance, cooperation, quality of work, attitude, and knowledge about work for solving daily problem. A head of health center should apply a more flexible leadership style in accordance with the existing situation for the better performance of the health workers Keywords: Leadership Style, Performance, Health Workers


Faced with social problems such as rapidly aging society, the solutions have been expected in sports medicine. Humans became widely distributed on the earth from their birth by acquiring abilities to walk in an upright position and to adapt themselves to various natural environments. However, seeking a 'comfortable environment' in modern civilization has deteriorated these genetic characteristics of humans, and the consumption of resources and energy to acquire such a 'comfortable environment' has induced global warming-associated natural disasters and the destruction of social order. To halt this vicious cycle, we may reactivate the genetic characteristics in humans by doing exercise. To do this, we have developed a health promotion program for middle aged and older people, Jukunen Taiikudaigaku Program, in cooperation with the Japanese government, developed high-intensity interval walking training (IWT), and examined the physical and mental effects on 5,400 people for these 10 years. We found that IWT for 4 months increased physical fitness by 10–20%, decreased the indices of life-style related diseases by 10–20%. Since a prescription of IWT can be conducted by using an IT network system called e-Health Promotion System, the participants in the program were able to receive the prescription even if they lived remote from trainers, enabling them to perform IWT at their favored places and times, and also at low cost. Moreover, we found some single nucleotide polymorphisms closely related to inter-individual differences in the responses to IWT. Further, the system enables us to assess the inactivation/activation of genes for inflammatory responses which has been suggested to be involved in life-style related diseases. Also, the system enables us to search foods to promote health when they are consumed during exercise training. Thus, the system would have strong potential to promote health of middle-aged and older people in advanced aging society. key words: interval walking training, portable calorimeter, e-health promotion system, genomic variations, epigenetic effects, supplements


Passionate, dramatic, secretive, and misunderstood, Romeo and Juliet represent adolescence in ways that strike a familiar chord for audiences today. My essay suggests, however, that these young characters likely appeared to Shakespeare's original audiences as troubling, unsettling figures, because Romeo and Juliet dismantles extant understandings of young people in Shakespeare's England. I argue that the play's staging evokes the guarded interiority of its young protagonists and establishes private spaces in which they constitute themselves as adolescent subjects. Private space, in turn, makes possible a private language: a kind of teen-speak recognizable today but among its earliest manifestations.


The paper presents simulation researches of influence of damages in bearings in induction machine on instantaneous current and voltage supply. For analyze was adopted model of phenomena, which rely on the fact, that current and voltage deformation is result of irregularity of load torque in machine. Damages, which appear in the wave, are visible as additional harmonics in the spectrum, owing from modulation of waves by characteristic frequencies for given type of bearings damages. Results of simulations, made in PSpice program, are also shown in this paper. Simulations were made using simple model of induction machine, which consist of oscillating resistance and inductor circuit. Conclusions, which came from those simulations, are also showed.


Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is the most common oilseed crop grown in the province of Skane in southern Sweden, where this study was performed. B. napus is often associated with various insect pests. This study regards two of these; the cabbage seed weevil (Ceutorhynchus obstrictus) and the brassica pod midge (Dasineura brassicae). While direct infestations by C. obstrictus usually do not pose a major threat to B. napus cultivations, the attacks will often facilitate infestation by D. brassicae, which can cause considerable damage and subsequent yield loss through its destruction of pods. This study focuses on within-field and landscape factors that may affect abundance and damage by D. brassicae in 18 rape fields during spring and summer of 2018. Parameters investigated include chemical treatment, abundance of C. obstrictus, landscape complexity (proportion of e.g. forested areas), the proportional area of oilseed rape grown in the previous year, and distance to the nearest previous years' oilseed rape field. Effects of chemical treatments were assessed by establishing a pesticide-free control zone in each of the study fields. Samples were collected for nearly 10 weeks from April to July. Two field surveys of pod damages were performed during this period; the first during early pod set and the second during late pod set.
The results showed that chemical treatment had an effect on damages in early pod set. There was a progression in damage at the field edges to the field interior in early- and late pod set and in damages early in the crop season to later in the season. No relation between damages and the abundance of C. obstrictus and D. brassicae was found, nor between abundances of the study organisms. The gender ratio of D. brassicae displayed more males than females. An exceptionally warm and dry climate during the spring and summer of 2018 did have an impact on this study. The weather conditions affected the growth of the rapeseed plants and complicated the surveys of damages. The climate may also have affected the abundances of weevils and pod midges; indeed, a considerably lower number of weevils during this season compared to the number of weevils in a study carried out during the season of 2017 was shown. Analyses of damage between regions within the province showed no significant differences between them, and landscape complexity was not correlated to abundances of the study organisms or damages by D. brassicae. Positive correlations between the proportion of rapeseed fields from the previous year and damage by D. brassicae could be reported, however, these relationships were not consistent between damages in early- and late season or between damages at the field edge and in the inner parts of the fields. The distance to the nearest previous year's rapeseed field could not explain the abundances or damages, but a probable cause for this is the dense cultivation of rapeseed fields in Skane.


BACKGROUND
The optimal fixation of metacarpal fracture should provide sufficient stability to permit early functionfor all types of fracture. However; it must preserve surrounding soft tissue during application and not require secondary removal due to its prominence. The prototype of metacarpal locked intramedullary nail (MCLN) was designed by our institute aiming to achieve those allfeatures.

OBJECTIVE
To biomechanically test our newly designed, locked metacarpal nail and compare with common current available fixation methods.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Thirty chicken humeri were devided into 3 groups (n = 1 per group) according tofixation techniques: MCLN, 1.5 mm miniplate (Synthes), and Kirschner wire. After complete fixation, all specimens were osteotomized at mid-shaft creating transverse fractures. Five specimens from each group were tested by load of failure under axial compression, and another five under bending force.

RESULTS
In axial compression model, the loads tofailure in MCLN group was greatest (460 ± 17 N), which was significant higher than the Kirschner wire group. The MCLN group also showed the highest load to failure in bending test (341 ± 10 N). This value reaches statistical significance when compared with plate and Kirschner wire groups.

CONCLUSION
The MCLN construct provided higher stability than miniplate and Kirschner wire fixation both in axial and bending mode. Together with the minimally invasive and soft tissue-friendly design concept, this study suggests that MCLN is promising fixation option for metacarpal fracture.


INTRODUCTION
Page kidney (PK) is a rare condition caused by parenchymal compression due to a subcapsular hematoma. Irreversible damage of the graft may occur if this condition is not recognized and treated properly.

CLINICAL CASE
We describe the case of a 16-year-old man with chronic renal failure secondary to corticosteroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (CRNS) caused by NPHS2 mutations. The patient underwent a 5th fifth living-related KT. The graft was placed intraperitoneally and reperfused well without complications. On the 4th postoperative day his labs demonstrated raising creatinine associated with refractory hypertension, gross hematuria and anemia. Urgent ultrasound revealed a subcapsular hematoma with signs of parenchymal compression. PK phenomenon was suspected and urgent surgical intervention decided.

COMMENTS
PK is a rare but an emergence potentially treatable and reversible complication after pediatric KT. Early diagnosis based on clinical suspicion and suggestive imaging are the key points for a favorable outcome.


Mathematical modelling is garnering more attention and focus at the secondary level in many different countries because of the knowledge and skills that students can develop from this approach. This paper serves to summarize what is it known about secondary mathematical modelling to guide future research. A targeted and general literature search was conducted and studies were summarized based on four categories: assessment data collected, unit of analysis studied, population, and effectiveness. It was found that there were five main units of analysis into which the studies could be categorized: modelling process/sub-activities, modelling competencies/ability, blockages/difficulties during the modelling process, students' beliefs, and construction of knowledge. The main findings from each of these units of analysis is discussed along with future research that is needed.


Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about companies' social responsibility (SR) practices. As a result, they are increasingly skeptical when companies do not provide clear information about these practices. One way to overcome this skepticism is to strengthen consumer trust through improved supply chain transparency. To create transparency requires a company to both gain visibility into its supply chain and disclose information to consumers. However, the current SR literature has only focused on the effect that disclosure has on consumer trust, while the effect of visibility on trust in communications is not well understood. Our work addresses this gap. In this paper, we employ an incentivized, human-subject laboratory experiment to investigate the impact of visibility on consumer trust in a company's SR communication, and as a result, its impact on consumers' purchase decisions. To further enhance our understanding of consumer behavior, we examine how consumer heterogeneity and workers' conditions in the upstream supply chain influence our results. We apply causal mediation analysis to answer our research questions. We find that increasing visibility always strengthens consumer trust. Furthermore, opportunities exist for a trust-driven revenue benefit (due to greater visibility) when consumers are highly prosocial or have low general trust beliefs, or when the impact of an SR initiative is small. Our results underscore the crucial role that supply chain visibility plays in engendering consumer trust. Moreover, our identification of trust as a mechanism to help explain the effect of visibility on sales of SR products can provide companies with more actionable recommendations.


Subdwarf B (sdB) stars are hot, subluminous stars which are thought to be core-helium burning with thin hydrogen envelopes. The mechanism by which these stars lose their envelopes has been controversial, but it has been argued that binary star interaction is the main cause. Over the past decade we have conducted a radial-velocity study of a large sample of sdB stars, and have shown that a significant fraction of the field sdB population exists in binary systems. In 2002 and 2003, we published 23 new binary sdB stars and the definitions of their orbits. Here, we present the continuation of this project. We give the binary parameters for 28 systems, 18 of which are new. We also present our radial-velocity measurements of a further 108 sdBs. Of these, 88 show no significant evidence of orbital motion. The remaining 20 do show radial-velocity variations, and so are good candidates for further study. Based on these results, our best estimate for the binary fraction in the sdB population is 46-56 per cent. This is a lower bound since the radial-velocity variations of very long period systems would be difficult to detect over the baseline of our programme, and for some sources we have only a small number of measurements.


Since Vinogradoff described merchet payments as 'the most odious' of the numerous manorial exactions for which villein tenants were liable, the fine for marriage, classically defined as a levy due from the villein upon the marriage of his daughter, has received a good deal of attention from historians. Although the issue of marriage licences has accordingly been tackled from various perspectives, in recent years the subject at the heart of a number of contributions to the topic was the question of seigneurial control. In tackling this matter, one has to ask what kind of control a manorial lord could or would want to exercise over the matters of matrimony of his social inferiors. An important contribution to the debate was provided in 1979 by Eleanor Searle. A key element in her argument was that marriage licences essentially constituted a tax on the chattels taken as dowry by the bride into her marriage, and as such were not universally enforced. Further, in her view merchet did not so much constitute a test of the status of the individual as one of tenure. At the same time she argued that merchets could be used by the lord to vet prospective marriage partners and thus control the transfers of tenant property lest the latter should slip into freehold tenure. By imposing financial disincentives, merchets, it was argued, also encouraged endogenous marriages. Richard Smith, while arguing that the rates of licences to marry were unlikely to reflect a proportional tax on dowries, nevertheless showed that merchets were not universally exacted and tended to fall predominantly upon richer tenants. Thus he took issue with R. Faith, who in a rejoinder to Searle's contribution suggested that the marriage licence constituted a tax on the marriage itself and was as such universally exacted. In order to consider these problems and test some of the propositions that have been made, this study aims to examine the practice of seigneurial exaction and hence the function of marriage licences, on the one hand, and the relevance and nature of tenant evasion of merchet payments on the other, on one manor from 1330 to 1377. Changes in seigneurial policy towards merchet payments will be analysed and placed in the wider context of the demographic and socio-economic changes affecting manorial life in this period. Within this framework three intertwined aspects of the licence to marry will be examined. First, focusing on the question of which tenants were liable to pay merchets and what constituted the criteria for this liability, the theory and practice of merchet exaction will be considered. Secondly the reasons for the lord's interest in the marriages of his tenants in conjunction with the routes open to him to influence villein marriages to his advantage will be explored. Thirdly the extent and consequences of tenant evasion of merchet fines will be assessed, whilst the clash between lord and tenant over marriage fines will be viewed in the wider context of lord–tenant friction, especially in the post-Black Death period. Central to this discussion, the role and importance of women in this particular act of non-compliance will be examined.


Learning Management Systems (LMS) takes place as an interaction in the internet environment, with different methods for retrieving class content, materials, subject related information, resources and student teacher interactions. Since the interaction details of the LMS such as Moodle is stored in its database as log files, those logs can be used to analyze and understand the weak and good students. Discussions, Forums, Assignments, wikis and the course are the main categories of the logs which are resided in the logs. This research was done to develop a Business intelligence (BI) tool to identify the able students and less able students log patterns with Moodle which is immensely helpful to identify the less able students very early and find remedies to improve their educational standard. Moodle dataset of MSc Business Management students of University of Moratuwa was used for the research. Store procedures were written in java to extract the xml format data to store the log details to mysql server. BI capabilities such as organizational memory, information integration, insight creation and visualization were covered. Sql server 2012 was used as the main database to develop the data warehouse. Dimensions were created to generate the necessary cubes. Apart from that sql server integration services were used to enhance the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process. Data cubes were analyzed with Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) queries. finally dashboards were built using power BI too. Power Pivot graph and the power table were used to present interactive details to the end users. Number of patterns was realized to identify the less able students. Based on assignment submission, number of time a user used the system, number of times pages and resources were accessed, new patterns were identified and presented to the users to get the decision which is immensely helpful to the academics and the students.


A rapid reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed and validated for the determination of Rosiglitazone maleate in tablets. Isocratic chromatography was performed on a Kromasil C18 (250X4.6mm) with buffer:acetonitrile:methanol in the ratio of 65:25:10 as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min-1 and the detection was monitored out by photodiode array detector at 235 nm. The retention time for Rosiglitazone maleate was found to be 5.720 min. Good linearity was demonstrated in the range of 160-260 μg/ml (r~0.9975). Various chromatographic parameters including precision, accuracy, system suitability, specificity, LOD, LOQ and robustness have been evaluated. The proposed method was statistically evaluated and can be applied for routine quality control analysis of Rosiglitazone maleate


Background: Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are believed to be important in the pathogenesis of cigarette smoke-induced emphysema, but this hypothesis has only been proven in the mouse and its applicability to other species, particularly humans, is uncertain. The role of MMPs in smoke-induced small airway remodeling is unknown. Methods: We examined the effects of a dual MMP-9/MMP-12 inhibitor, AZ11557272, on the development of anatomic and functional changes of COPD in guinea pigs exposed daily to cigarette smoke for up to 6 months. Results: At all times, smoke-induced increases in lavage inflammatory cells, lavage desmosine (a marker of elastin breakdown) and serum TNF α were completely abolished by AZ11557272. At 6 months there was an increase in lung volumes and airspace size. AZ11557272 returned the pressure- volume curve to control levels, decreased smoke-induced increases in TLC, RV, and VC by about 70%, and also reversed smoke-induced airspace enlargement by about 70%. There was a very strong correlation between surface to volume ratio and both lavage desmosine and serum TNF α levels. AZ11557272 protected against smoke-mediated increases in small airway wall thickness, but did not prevent smoke-induced increases in mean pulmonary artery pressure. Conclusions: An MMP-9/MMP-12 inhibitor can substantially ameliorate morphologic emphysema, small airway remodeling, and the functional consequences of these lesions in a non-murine species. These findings strengthen the idea that MMPs are important mediators of the anatomic changes behind COPD in humans, and suggest that MMP-9 and MMP-12 may be potential intervention targets.


Background Cardiac involvement is factor of poor prognosis in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Due to current data, heart lesions in EGPA are associated with higher peripheral eosinophilia. However, data about cardiac manifestations of EGPA are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of heart involvement in patients with EGPA, and to study interrelation of heart lesion and peripheral eosinophilia and other signs of the disease. Objectives Were analyzed 19 case histories of patients with EGPA (13 women and 6 men, mean age ± SD – 49.8±14.8 years, mean disease duration – 4.6±3.76 years). The patients were treated in Saratov regional hospital, rheumatology department. Methods Were used clinical tests and echocardiography. Results 7 (36.8%) patients had features of heart damage. In 2 patients were found clinical signs of myocarditis, confirmed with echocardiography (ejection fraction 48 and 50%, respectively). In 1 patient was found fibrosis of atrioventricular valves, in 3 patients – signs of valvular insufficiency, in 1 – was diagnosed coronariitis. Eosinophils number was increased in 11 patients: in 4 from 7 patients with cardiac involvement and in 8 from 11 without heart lesion. The highest number of eosinophils was found in 2 patients with miocarditis (40 and 43%, respectively). Improvement in miocarditis and ejection fraction under the treatment was associated with decrease of eosinophils count. In other patients during the treatment (12–24 month of follow-up) eosinophils count was normalized. There were no new features of cardiac involvement under the treatment. Conclusions Patients with EGPA frequently have cardiac involvement. Miocarditis is associated with high eosinophils' count. Heart involvement is reversible and has no trend to progression under the treatment. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The authors propose a fast and effective solution for automatic segmentation of white matter lesions by using T1 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) image modalities with no need for manual segmentation and atlas registration. Initially, a brain tissue segmentation method is used to segment the T1 image into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), grey matter and white matter. Based on the obtained tissue segmentation results, the region of interest (ROI) of the FLAIR image is created by subtracting the CSF from the FLAIR image. Subsequently, the authors calculate the z-score of the intensities in the ROI and define a threshold to perform a preliminary identification of abnormalities from normal tissues. The abnormalities obtained at this stage are used as the prior knowledge for the modified level-set technique. The proposed level set method here is applied based on local Gaussian distribution to precisely detect the boundaries of the white matter lesions in the ROI. The level set method based on local Gaussian distribution fitting energy is robust to the intensity inhomogeneity of MR data and therefore capable of precisely extracting the boundaries of white matter lesions. Experimental analysis and quantitative comparisons with the peak-seeking and state-of-the-art white matter lesion segmentation (WMLS) techniques demonstrate that the algorithm is a stable and effective approach which significantly outperforms other trusted solutions for white matter lesion segmentation.


Flare emissions in X-ray and EUV wavelengths have previously been modeled as the plasma response to impulsive heating from magnetic reconnection. Some flares exhibit gradually evolving X-ray and EUV light curves, which are believed to result from superposition of an extended sequence of impulsive heating events occurring in different adjacent loops or even unresolved threads within each loop. In this paper, we apply this approach to a long duration two-ribbon flare SOL2011-09-13T22 observed by the Atmosphere Imaging Assembly (AIA). We find that to reconcile with observed signatures of flare emission in multiple EUV wavelengths, each thread should be heated in two phases, an intense impulsive heating followed by a gradual, low-rate heating tail that is attenuated over 20–30 minutes. Each AIA resolved single loop may be composed of several such threads. The two-phase heating scenario is supported by modeling with both a zero-dimensional and a 1D hydrodynamic code. We discuss viable physical mechanisms for the two-phase heating in a post-reconnection thread.


A "complex system" is in general any system comprised of a great number of heterogeneous entities, among which local interactions create multiple levels of collective structure and organization. Examples include natural systems ranging from bio-molecules and living cells to human social systems and the ecosphere, as well as sophisticated artificial systems such as the Internet, power grid or any large-scale distributed software system. A unique feature of complex systems, generally overlooked by traditional science, is the emergence of non-trivial superstructures which often dominate the system's behaviour and cannot be easily traced back to the properties of the constituent entities. Not only do higher emergent features of complex systems arise from lower-level interactions, but the global patterns that they create affect in turn these lower levels — a feedback loop sometimes called immergence. In many cases, complex systems possess striking properties of robustness against various large-scale and potentially disruptive perturbations. They have an inherent capacity to adapt and maintain their stability. Because complex systems require analysis at many different spatial and temporal scales, scientists face radically new challenges when trying to observe complex systems, in learning how to describe them effectively, and in developing original theories of their behaviour and control. The aim of this roadmap is to identify a set of wide thematic domains for complex systems research over the next five years. Each domain is organized around a specific question or topic and proposes a relevant set of "grand challenges", i.e., clearly identifiable problems whose solution would stimulate significant progress in both theoretical methods and experimental strategies.


The main contribution of the paper is a sliding mode based design of a discontinuous disturbance observer used in feedback compensation of parameter uncertainties and exogenous disturbances. The experimental system is a DSP controlled single-degree-of-freedom motion control system, it consists of a conventional DC servo motor with harmonic gear and encoder feedback. The inertia load is coupled by a relatively rigid shaft. With the help of the proposed disturbance compensation, the servo system is forced to track a reference model. The relatively big parameter perturbation, external disturbance and friction are estimated and compensated. Experimental results are presented.


Introduction
 Venous thromboembolism (VTE) (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]) is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Over the last decade, there has been an increase in awareness and major advances in early diagnosis and treatment of VTE. This study sought to estimate the mortality and associated diagnoses in hospitalized patients with a primary diagnosis of DVT or PE using a nationally representative database.
 Methods
 The 2017 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) was used for analysis. The NIS uses a stratified probability sample of 20% of all inpatient discharges, representing over 97% of the US population. Sampling weights were applied to hospital discharges for DVT and PE using applicable ICD-10 codes to generate nationally representative estimates. Pearson's chi-squared test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparisons to assess statistical significance.
 Results
 Of the nearly 36 million hospital admissions in 2017, 579,860 had DVT included in the index list of diagnoses during the hospitalization, and 105,635 had DVT as the primary admission diagnosis. Within the primary DVT admissions (median age (interquartile range (IQR)): 64 years (51-77)), 102,505 were acute DVT, and 3,130 were chronic DVT. There were 376,140 admissions with PE as one of all diagnoses and 188,245 with PE as the primary admission diagnosis. Among primary PE admissions (median age (IQR): 64 years (52-75)), 16,205 (8.6%) were saddle PE (Figure 1a). Overall, there were 826,155 people diagnosed with PE or DVT as one of any diagnoses, and 129,845 were diagnosed with both DVT and PE.
 Mortality
 The all-cause mortality in admissions with a primary diagnosis of DVT (0.8%) was significantly lower than for all other NIS admissions at 1.96% (p<0.001) (Figure 1a). Among primary DVT admissions who had in-hospital mortality, the median age (IQR) at death was 72 years (61-82), which was comparable to 73 years (61-83) for all other NIS hospitalizations. The median (IQR) length of stay (LOS) of primary DVT admissions who had in-hospital mortality was 5 days (3-10).
 For primary PE admissions, the all-cause mortality (3.0%) was significantly higher than all other NIS admissions (p<0.001). Among the PE admissions, mortality in those with saddle PE (4.2%) was significantly higher than all other PE cases (p<0.001) (Figure 1b). The median (IQR) age at death for PE patients was 71 years (60-81) and was comparable to all other NIS hospitalizations. The median (IQR) LOS for deaths in PE admissions was 3 days (1-7).
 Besides the known cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, smoking, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, the most common diagnoses in those who died with DVT or PE as a primary diagnosis were acute kidney failure, cancer, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Table 1).
 Health Care Utilization
 The median (IQR) hospital charges for DVT and PE admissions were $27,476 ($15,053-$54,874) and $29,158 ($17,471-$52,636) respectively. These were comparable to all NIS hospitalizations at $26,841 ($12,969-$54,568).
 For hospitalizations for DVT and PE resulting in death, the median (IQR) hospital charges were $60,689 ($24,775-$137,830), and $55,218.50 ($29,373-$106,313) respectively which were comparable to all NIS deaths at $56,107 ($23,117-$131,768).
 Discussion/Conclusions
 In the United States, DVT or PE was listed as one of the discharge diagnoses in approximately 825,000 admissions in 2017 and was the primary reason for admission in 300,000 cases (0.8% of all admissions). PE was seen more often as a primary cause for hospitalization, while DVT was more often seen as a comorbidity.
 The all-cause mortality among admissions for PE was greater than that for DVT. The subset of PE patients with saddle embolism had the highest mortality rate of all admissions for VTE.
 Besides cardiovascular risk factors, cancer, acute kidney failure, and CKD were among the most common comorbidities seen in admissions with PE and DVT that had in-hospital mortality.

 Streiff: Bayer: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Portola: Consultancy; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Research Funding; NHLBI: Research Funding; PCORI: Research Funding; NovoNordisk: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Dispersol: Consultancy; BristolMyersSquibb: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Takemoto:Novartis: Other: DSMB Aplastic Anemia Trial; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


In fully addressing the context within which the current Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) is founded, it is necessary to demonstrate its attempts at achieving cultural significance but there is also a need to discuss with rigor the inherent biases that are present within it. This paper will firstly present a brief history of this statistical manual which will highlight that it is in a process of evolution as empirical research continues to re shape the manner in which mental disorders are classified. Furthermore, the basis for such an endeavour is the assumption that mental illness is a universal concept with the ability to be applied cross culturally and in a variety of settings. This will be challenged from a perspective that ethnocentric biases within the DSM, as well as factors specific to the Caribbean experience impact the manifestation and interpretation of mental illness in Trinidad and Tobago, proving it difficult to apply the DSM-IV "wholesale" without further adjustment suitable to the cultural context.


Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a slowly progressive condition characterized by poorly reversible airflow limitation that is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung. It has been shown that there is a seroepidemiological association of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection with many inflammatory conditions. Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate seroprevalence in Hp patients with COPD and to determine whether there is an association between Hp infection and COPD. Methods: Forty-nine voluntary patients with COPD and 50 healthy control subjects of similar age and sex were included in the study. Hp-specific IgG was measured with a commercially available kit from venous blood samples. Results: Serum levels of Hp-specific IgG and Hp IgG seropositivity were significantly higher in the patients with COPD than in the control subjects (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). In addition, when the patients with COPD were grouped according to Hp IgG seropositivity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) values were lower in the seropositive patients compared to seronegative patients, and Hp serum IgG levels were correlated with FEV1 values, which indicate the severity of COPD, in the COPD group (r = –0.306, p = 0.032). Conclusion: The results suggest that there is an association between Hp infection and COPD, and Hp IgG levels are correlated with the severity of COPD.


OBJECTIVE
Given the harms associated with injecting drug use to both individuals and community and the paucity of such data from rural areas, the study aimed to compare: patterns of drug use, harms, and service access and utilisation among rural and metropolitan injecting drug users (IDU).

DESIGN
Cross-sectional survey, using interviewer-administered structured questionnaire.

PARTICIPANTS
One hundred and sixty-four rural and 96 metropolitan IDU from seven different New South Wales Area Health Services, recruited through needle and syringe programs (NSPs), snowballing techniques and advertisement.

RESULTS
Age, gender, education and employment were similar for rural and metropolitan participants. Both samples reported use of a range of drugs, but rural participants were less likely than metropolitan participants to report daily heroin use (2% vs 10%), but more likely to report having injected morphine (50% vs 21%) in the last six months. Similar proportions reported using a needle/syringe after another person. Rural participants were less likely to report use of NSPs (36% vs 80%) and reported a number of barriers to NSP access and also to drug treatment services. Rural participants reported a significantly longer period of time between blood-borne virus testing.

CONCLUSION
Samples of rural IDU are similar to metropolitan, although report some differences in patterns of drug use. Service provision, including access to new injecting equipment, blood-borne virus testing and drug treatment was found to cause considerable problems for rural IDU. These issues warrant further consideration.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effectiveness of treating giant pituitary adenomas invading cavernous sinus with neuroendoscopy assisted by multiple techniques.

METHODS
A total of 72 patients who underwent neuroendoscopic surgery and 55 patients who underwent microscopic surgery for giant pituitary adenomas were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. Both groups received expanded endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach, intraoperative application of navigation, and Doppler.The clinical data of two groups were compared.

RESULTS
The two groups were significantly different in total tumor removal rate, operation time, postoperative nasal patency, and postoperative recurrence rate (P=0.004, P=0.0003, P=0.000, and P=0.002, respectively), whereas the cerebrospinal fluid leakage, postoperative diabetes insipidus, and cranial nerve injury were not significantly different (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Expanded neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach assisted by multiple techniques is the preferred surgical method for giant invasive pituitary adenomas invading cavernous sinus.The lateral cavernous sinus approach and the further molecular biology research will bring more options for the treatment of invasive pituitary adenomas.


The single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) or comet assay, which measures DNA strand breaks in individual cells, was used to analyse DNA damage and repair induced by the SN1-type alkylating carcinogens N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea in CHO cells. The comet assay was comparable in sensitivity to the alkaline elution assay. The alkyl-adducts detected as DNA single-strand breaks (ssb) by this technique were completely repaired within 24 h after treatment. These data indicate that long-lived lesions, such as alkylphosphotriesters, are not converted into ssb under the standard SCGE alkaline conditions (pH 13.5). The lesions revealed by the comet assay are mainly apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites and breaks formed as intermediates in the base excision repair process of N-alkylpurines. When SCGE was performed at pH 12.5 instead of pH 13.5 a lower level of ssb was detected and these breaks were completely resealed within 2 h after treatment. These data suggest that different subsets of lesions are detected under different pH conditions. The SCGE combined with inclusion within the cells of endonuclease III revealed that a high portion of AP sites induced by alkylation damage were not converted into ssb by alkali. The level of endonuclease III-sensitive sites decreased as a function of the repair time and by 24 h after treatment no sites were left on the DNA. The use of this modified SCGE assay allows the estimation of the total amount of unrepaired AP sites present on DNA. Alkylation-induced ssb as detected by the comet assay should be regarded as an indicator of repair rate and balance more than a measure of actual DNA damage.


Population studies of EGRET gamma-ray sources indicate that there is a distinctive population of bright sources at low galactic latitudes. The sources have a distribution consistent with that of young galactic objects, with a concentration toward the inner spiral arms. There is a subgroup that displays strong variability with timescales from days to months. Following an earlier suggestion by Kaufman Bernadó et al. (2002), we explore the possibility that these sources could be highmass microquasars. Detailed models for the gamma-ray emission that include inverse Compton interactions of electrons in the relativistic jets and photons from all local fields (stellar UV photons, synchrotron photons, soft X-ray photons from the accretion disk, and hard X-ray photons from a corona) are presented. We conclude that microquasars are excellent candidates for the parent population of the subgroup of variable low-latitude EGRET sources.


In living and engineered systems of active particles, self-propulsion induces an unjamming transition from a solid to a fluid phase and phase separation between a gas and a liquidlike phase. We demonstrate an interplay between these two nonequilibrium transitions in systems of persistent active particles. The coexistence and jamming lines in the activity-density plane meet at the jamming transition point in the limit of hard particles or zero activity. This interplay induces an anomalous dynamic in the liquid phase and hysteresis at the active jamming transition.


Differential transcript usage (DTU) plays a crucial role in determining how gene expression differs among cells, tissues, and different developmental stages, thereby contributing to the complexity and diversity of biological systems. In abnormal cells, it can also lead to deficiencies in protein function, potentially leading to pathogenesis of diseases. Detecting such events for single-gene genetic traits is relatively uncomplicated; however, the heterogeneity of populations with complex diseases presents an intricate challenge due to the presence of diverse causal events and undetermined subtypes. SPIT is the first statistical tool that quantifies the heterogeneity in transcript usage within a population and identifies predominant subgroups along with their distinctive sets of DTU events. We provide comprehensive assessments of SPIT's methodology in both single-gene and complex traits and report the results of applying SPIT to analyze brain samples from individuals with schizophrenia. Our analysis reveals previously unreported DTU events in six candidate genes.


This short report presents a response to an article written by Cibulsky et al. (2016). The paper by Cibulsky et al. presents a useful and timely overview of the evidence surrounding the technical and operational aspects of mass casualty decontamination. It identifies three priority targets for future research, the third of which is how casualties' needs can be met in ways that best support compliance with and effectiveness of casualty decontamination. While further investigation into behavioural, communication and privacy issues during mass decontamination is warranted, there is now a substantial body of research in this area which is not considered in detail in the succinct summary provided by Cibulsky et al. (2016). In this short report, we summarise the available evidence around likely public behaviour during mass decontamination, effective communication strategies, and potential issues resulting from a lack of privacy. Our intention is to help further focus the research needs in this area and highlight topics on which more research is needed.


Studies on the relation of collective memory and political science – from distance to symbiosis Abstract A cursory overview of the political science literature reveals that collective memory is not a prominent issue in the field. This remark is a routinely repeated theme in the limited number of political science publications pertaining to the problems of collective memory. How-ever, this trend is slowly starting to turn around. The growing importance of this issue as a part of political science research can be explained through the declining role of positivism as the dominant research paradigm and the increasing importance of constructivism privileging ideas, culture and discourse as explanatory factors. This article provides an overview of the main themes considered by the studies at the intersection of political science and collective memory studies. Among them are: the political significance of identity constructed through the references to collective memory of the past; the issue of retrospective legitimacy of multifarious objects and phenomena to maintain power relations and finally the political construction of knowledge about the past. ----- Bibliographie: Lipinski, Artur: Kollektives Gedachtnis in der Politikwissenschaft – von Distanz zur Symbiose. Ein Forschungsbericht, JB historie, 1-2013, S. 247-268. https://doi.org/10.3224/jbh.v7i1.15


The principal methods used currently to evaluate the energy of giant air-shower primaries are compared in the light of a conflict between a recent report from the Yakutsk experiment Diminstein et al. (1982) and results of experiments at Haverah Park Cunningham et al. (1980) and Volcano Ranch Linsley (1973), Watson (1975). It is shown that the different methods used for converting from a ground parameter to primary energy in these three experiments give excellent agreement. The cosmic-ray energy spectrum is redetermined, with improved statistical accuracy, for the highest energies, above 4*1019 eV.


Environmental effects which significantly reduce the fatigue life of metals are discussed. Corrosion fatigue is a major concern in the engineering application of high strength fasteners in marine environments. The corrosion fatigue failure of an AISI 41L4O high strength steel blade to hub attachment bolt at the MOD-OA 200 kW wind turbine generator was investigated. The reduction of fatigue strength of AISI 41L4O in marine environments and to obtain similar corrosion fatigue data for candidate replacement materials was studied. The AISI 4140, PH 13-8Mo stainless steel, alloy 718 and alloy MP-35N were tested in axial fatigue at a frequency of 20 Hz in dry air and natural seawater. The fatigue data are fitted by regression equations to allow determination of fatigue strength for a given number of cycles to failure.


The commonly used approach to model the effect of end caps in the analysis of cylindrical wire antennas is shown to be inaccurate. A new approach is proposed with superior accuracy at practically no extra computational cost. The new technique uses the full or exact thin wire kernel.


The serotonin(5-HT) syndrome(SS) is a condition of both the central and peripheral 5-HTergic hyperstimulation, characterized by a constellation of 5-HT-related side effects(confusion, agitation, restlessness, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, diaphoresis, shivering or tremor in the setting of the recent addition of 5-HTergic agents. The SS is produced most often by the concurrent use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and other 5-HTergic agents. However, more recent reports suggest that the tricyclic antidepressant or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) monotherapy induces the SS. Recently, for the operationalized assessment of both the presence and the severity of the core symptoms of the SS, Hegerl et al. developed the Serotonin Syndrome Scale(SSS) as a modification of the diagnostic criteria of the SS proposed by Sternbach. Since, in Japan, some novel 5-HTergic agents have been, and will be in use, recognition of the SS is quite important. Therefore, for clinical application of SSS, we prepared the Japanese-language version (JSSS).


This article provides a historical and critical overview of Sino-Japanese studies in Hong Kong from the early postwar era to the present. By dividing its history into three periods, it aims to demonstrate the role of Hong Kong in Sino-Japanese studies as a bridge for Japanese, Chinese and Western academic traditions. Equipped with language skills and global perspectives, Hong Kong scholars can research issues in Sino-Japanese studies in a different manner from their Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts. This article also looks into a number of pressing issues that have undermined the further development of the field.


ABSTRACT The fish family Bathymasteridae, commonly known as ronquils, is reviewed based on an examination of nearly 500 adult and larval specimens. An identification key based on adults is provided. Information on adult morphology, including a detailed description of the cephalic lateralis system for all members of the family, is included as well as information on the early life history stages of each genus. The family Bathymasteridae is distinguished within the suborder Zoarcoidei by the presence of ctenoid scales; well-developed pelvic bones and pelvic fins; numerous vomerine, palatine, and dentary teeth; and several internal osteological features. The Bathymasteridae includes seven species classified in the genera Ronquilus, Rathbunella, and Bathymaster, and is broadly distributed in the North Pacific, from Baja California to the Sea of Japan. The monotypic genus Ronquilus is found from southern California to the Gulf of Alaska. Rathbunella contains two species restricted to the coasts of California and Baja California. Bathymaster is the most diverse and broadly distributed genus, containing four species ranging from British Columbia around the Pacific Rim to the northern Sea of Japan.


The levels of obesity are continuously increasing across Saudi Arabia. The rising levels of obesity and overweight children are found to be the major concerns for the Saudi Arabian population. The current research is aimed at creating evidence regarding the increasing levels of obesity in Saudi Arabia and investigates the current policies and strategies that could help in reducing the levels of obesity across the country. The researcher collected the data from secondary sources under the qualitative research design. The data is collected from authentic resources and analysis is presented in tabular form. The research shows many implications for the Saudi Arabian people mainly as it suggests strategies and preventive measures that could control the levels of obesity in Saudi Arabia and reduce the burden of diseases. Through the increased awareness regarding the control and prevention of obesity and methods of increasing physical activity the levels of obesity can be controlled.


Purpose
The purpose of this study, accordingly, is to not only offer insights about Arab international students' stress management and adjustment mechanisms while abroad but also bring to light the extent to which these digital citizens' use of social media networks reinforces their citizenship values and preserves their national identity during the COVID-19 global health crisis.

Design/methodology/approach
The researcher adopted the descriptive approach, which is the appropriate scientific method for this type of research studies, grounded on an examination of the reality or phenomenon, depending on its quantitative analysis and its accurate description by means of collecting data, using the measurement tool of questionnaire to identify the role of social media in relation to citizenship during the COVID-19 global health crisis.

Findings
Jordanian exchange students heavily rely on social media during the pandemic, choosing Facebook as their most favorable choice during the pandemic to connect with family and friends near and far, while choosing WhatsApp as the most favorable choice for promoting citizenship values during the pandemic, with an average willingness to actually discuss citizenship through social media. The findings affirm results and conclusions of previous studies about the crucial role of social media in international students' cross-cultural experiences, especially during stressful events like the COVID-19 global health crisis.

Originality/value
Unfortunately, and even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 global health crisis, Arab international students, including exchange students, are already underrepresented in studies of international students' adjustment and stress management in hosting countries (Farrugia et al., 2017; Meleis, 1982). This marginalization, or partial exclusion, of Arab international students' experiences abroad should alert scholars of missed research opportunities that should alter existing knowledge about international students, especially when we realize, for example, that Arab international students showed the highest stress level among international students – including Asians who, according to previous studies, usually struggle the most (Bai, 2016:103).


Valuing the firm in business simulations is of utmost im-portance since it is the traditional way in which total or partial student performance is evaluated in most simula-tions. We propose a valuation model based on the methods used in traditional valuation. The model, which can be em-bedded in the simulation code, forecasts cash flows based on historical data and performs valuation using the Dis-counted Cash Flows method (DCF). The terminal value of the firm is estimated using either DCF or EBITDA multi-ples, depending on the instructor's choice. Short-term sales growth is estimated on historical growth using regression analysis while long-term growth is based on a growth rate decided by the instructor within a certain range. Cash flows are built using four value drivers: sales growth, prof-it margin, assets requirement, and cost of capital. The for-mer three simplifies the valuation of the firm at the begin-ning of the simulation when no historical data is available. The cost of capital is arbitrarily selected by the instructor according to guidelines summarizing the most important financial theories regarding this variable.


Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis alterations have been found in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is unclear whether trauma exposure during adulthood in the absence of psychopathology is also associated with HPA-axis dysregulation. Thirty-six trauma-exposed peacekeepers, 23 nonexposed peacekeepers, and 25 nonexposed civilians, all without lifetime psychopathology were studied. Basal HPA-axis functioning was assessed with salivary cortisol samples obtained over 2 days. HPA-axis reactivity was assessed with the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test. Lower afternoon salivary cortisol levels were found in both veteran groups versus controls after adjustment for confounders. The authors concluded that this study does not support the idea that HPA-axis functioning is durably altered by trauma exposure during adulthood in men.


The success of vital pulp therapy techniques is considerably dependent on the technique employed,the inflammatory status of the pulp tissue,the type of pulp therapy agent used and period of observation. The commonly used agents are calcium hydroxide ,Resin modified glass ionomer cement and mineral trioxide aggregate. The permanent restoration following the pulp capping plays a very crucial role in the success of the treatment. The commonly used restorations are composites,amalgam and bilayered restoration.The aim of this study was to assess the type of base materials in pulp capping and its influence on permanent restoration.A cross sectional study done at Saveetha Dental College with the sample size of 69 was analysed. The factors like age ,gender,base material ,type of teeth and permanent restoration were assessed. The P value of less than 0.05 was considered to be significant.Result of type of base material showed,Calcium hydroxide >Calcium hydroxide +Resin modified glass ionomer cement >Bio aggregate material and the permanent restoration showed Composite >Bilayered restoration > Amalgam.The statistical analysis showed the p value =0.338( >0.05) ,which implies that there is no significant association between the type of base material with the type of permanent restoration.The current study showed that calcium hydroxide and composite restoration were the preferred options of base material and permanent restoration respectively.But with recent advances it has been proved that Bioaggregate material has better properties than calcium hydroxide ,which is no longer a gold standard material.


A new hybrid two-step method for computation of P-SV seismic motion at inhomogeneous viscoelastic topographic structure is presented. The method is based on a combination of the discrete-wavenumber (DW), finite-difference (FD), and finite-element (FE) methods. In the first step, the DW method is used to calculate the source radiation and wave propagation in the background 1D medium. In the second step, the FD-FE algorithm is used to compute the wave propagation along the topographic structure.
 The accuracy of the method has been separately tested for inclusion of the attenuation and for inclusion of the free-surface topography through numerical comparisons with analytical and independent numerical methods.
 The method is a generalization of the hybrid DW-FD method of Zahradník and Moczo (1996) for localized structures with a flat free surface.
 Numerical computations for a ridge, sediment valley, and the ridge neighboring the sediment valley show that a ridge can considerably influence the response of the neighboring sediment valley. This means that the neighboring topographic feature should be taken into account even when we are only interested in the valley response.


To improve face-to-face interaction with robots, we developed a model for generating interactive facial expressions by using a simple recurrent network (SRN). Conventional models for robot facial expression use predefined expressions, so only a limited number of expressions can be presented. This means that the expression may not match the interaction and that the person may find the expressions monotonous. Both problems can be overcome by generating expressions dynamically. We tested this model by incorporating it into a robot and comparing the expressions generated with those of a conventional model. The results demonstrated that using our model increases the diversity of face-to-face interaction with robots.


In the 1980s, HADES was the first URL dedicated to the study of the geological disposal of radioactive waste in a deep clay formation, the Boom Clay. It was not until the early 2000s, after a siting process, that Andra implemented the Meuse/Haute-Marne URL, in the Callovo-Oxfordian formation at a depth of about 500 m in order to develop the Cigéo project (French industrial centre for geological disposal). Andra therefore relied heavily on the work carried out in HADES, through numerous cooperation projects (participation in in-situ experiments) both between Andra and ONDRAF/NIRAS & SCK CEN (Euridice) and/or with Mont Terri consortium, and within European projects (CLIPEX, RESEAL, etc.). This was driven by a dual objective: (a) to prepare its own experimental programmes in the Meuse/Haute-Marne underground laboratory (methodology, experimental devices and protocols, etc.), and (b) to have general knowledge on the behaviour of argillaceous rocks, in particular in terms of similarity and differences between the various argillaceous rocks.
 The paper illustrates the contribution of HADES to the Andra programme. This concerns the characterisation of the claystone behaviour, host rock and swelling clay-based seals (HM, THM, EDZ, etc.), and the design and the behaviour of underground structures and seals in deep clay formation (constructability, lining/support, etc.).


Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Children we examined the impact of community socioeconomic status on four dimensions of adolescent and young adult premarital sexual activity— the timing of first intercourse the frequency of intercourse the number of different sex partners and the likelihood of engaging in unprotected intercourse. We found significant positive effects of a multi-item index of community socioeconomic disadvantage on all but the timing of first premarital intercourse net of controls for the socioeconomic and demographic status of adolescents and their families. None of the most commonly cited explanations for neighborhood effects on adolescent behavior can fully explain these associations. Only the attitudes and behaviors of peers account for even a small portion of the observed impact of community disadvantage on youth sexual behavior. Adolescents' acceptance of premarital childbearing educational aspirations and attachment to school and parental supervision although frequently associated with youth sexual behavior do little to mediate the impact of community disadvantage on sexual activity. (authors)


A novel magnetic adsorbent Fe3 O4 /reduced graphene oxide-carbon nanotubes, was prepared by one-pot solvothermal synthesis method. It was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry. The diameter of Fe3 O4 microparticles was about 350 nm, which were covered by carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide sheets, while carbon nanotubes inserted between the reduced graphene oxide sheets effectively prevented their aggregation. The composite had large surface area and good magnetic property, suiting for magnetic solid-phase extraction and the determination of sulfonamides, by coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimized conditions (including extraction time, amount of adsorbent, solution pH, ionic strength and desorption conditions), a good linear was achieved in the concentration range of 5-500 μg/L and the low limits of detection and low limits of quantification were 0.35-1.32 and 1.16-4.40 μg/L, respectively. The enrichment factors were estimated to be 24.72 to 30.15 fold. The proposed method was applied for the detection of sulfonamides in milk sample and the recoveries were 88.4-105.9%, with relative standard deviations of 0.74-5.38%.


In this paper, a novel low-complexity time-of-arrival (TOA) estimation strategy and a conceptual receiver setup for ultrawideband (UWB) signals is proposed, and its performance is evaluated. The receiver consists of an analog peak detector followed by two RC filters with different time constants. From two exponentially decaying signals, the TOA of the first peak of the received signal is reconstructed. This solution requires simple signal processing and sampling rates on the order of only a few tens of megahertz. At the same time, the achieved range error is at centimeter level since the large signal bandwidth used is fully exploited. To allow for performance flexibility, a statistical framework is proposed in which results of multiple initial TOA estimates are combined into a final estimate. Impairments due to narrowband interference are investigated, and a coarse acquisition scheme based on maximum energy detection is described. This last step is required for proper operation of the TOA receiver. A link budget analysis, which is based on the FCC power limitations for UWB signals, shows that reliable ranging is feasible up to 300 m in line-of-sight situations and up to 60 m in non-line-of-sight cases. The presented solution avoids the main technological challenges, namely extremely high sampling rates and complex processing at the receiver, which currently limit practical implementations of high-precision UWB positioning systems.


This paper introduces the concept of a low-cost wireless digital communication system for voice communication based on a technique called adaptive rate delta modulation. This technique uses a tri-level threshold to produce delta-modulated pulses only when the amplitude has changed by a predetermined amount. This technique significantly reduces the average pulse rate required for transmission and lowers the noise generated by delta modulation under zero input conditions. The receiver for such a modulation is reduced to simple pulse detection and a counter to recreate the original signal. The characteristics of delta modulation result in a system that does not require headers, packets or other synchronizing schemes. Multiple users can concurrently use the same channel for "open microphone" communication allowing for simultaneous transmit and receive, and simple voice combining.


Background Teenage pregnancy is considered a high-risk pregnancy in terms of reproductive outcome and the subsequent financial constraint. Objective To assess the prevalence of teenage pregnancy, associated risk factors, and outcomes in the context of Nepal. Method We searched electronic databases to search relevant articles published from January 2000 till October 2020 using the keywords with appropriate Boolean operators. All the data were extracted into a standardized form designed in Excel. We conducted a statistical analysis using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (CMA) version 3. Data pooled for proportion with 95% confidence interval (CI). A Forest plot was used to visualize the degree of variation between studies. Result Fourteen studies were included in the analysis after the rigorous screening of 4425 studies. Prevalence of teenage pregnancy was 13.2% (Proportion, 0.132; CI, 0.077- 0.215). Among teenage pregnancies, 11.8% were already multigravida (Proportion, 0.118; CI, 0.029-0.374). Among teen pregnancies, 18.6% were illiterate; among the literate, only 25.9% were of education above grade 10,31.9% were unaware of contraceptive methods, and only 3.2% reported using any contraception methods. 75.4% of teenage pregnancies had a vaginal delivery with or without episiotomy, 6.5% by instrumental deliveries, and 21.5% by cesarean section. Preterm delivery was 12.0%, and post-term delivery was 8.2%. Abortion was reported in 11.1% of teenage pregnancies. Major tears were reported in 52.9%, obstructed labor was in 4%, and pre-labor rupture of the membrane was in 7.0% of teenage pregnancies. The low birth weight of newborns was 19.4%. Stillbirth and neonatal deaths were 1.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Nepal was 13.2%. The majority of them did not use any form of contraceptives; and had low education. Several maternal and neonatal complications were reported among teenage pregnancies.


This study investigates elastic deformation driven by the Hall drift in a magnetized neutron-star crust. Although the dynamic equilibrium initially holds without elastic displacement, the magnetic-field evolution changes the Lorentz force over a secular timescale, which inevitably causes the elastic deformation to settle in a new force balance. Accordingly, elastic energy is accumulated, and the crust is eventually fractured beyond a particular threshold. We assume that the magnetic field is axially symmetric, and we explicitly calculate the breakup time, maximum elastic energy stored in the crust, and spatial shear–stress distribution. For the barotropic equilibrium of a poloidal dipole field expelled from the interior core without a toroidal field, the breakup time corresponds to a few years for the magnetars with a magnetic-field strength of ∼1015 G; however, it exceeds 1 Myr for normal radio pulsars. The elastic energy stored in the crust before the fracture ranges from 1041 to 1045 erg, depending on the spatial-energy distribution. Generally, a large amount of energy is deposited in a deep crust. The energy released at a fracture is typically ∼1041 erg when the rearrangement of elastic displacements occurs only in the fragile shallow crust. The amount of energy is comparable to the outburst energy on the magnetars.


Agent-based Modelling (ABM) is a very efficacious conceptualisation paradigm that easily allows the representation of very complex physical systemscomposed of autonomous, possibly intelligent, interacting entities. For this reason, Agent-based systems (ABS) have been incorporated into simulation as a mean of effectively increasing the realism through adaptation and learning abilities. The integration between ABM and simulation, namely Agent-based Modelling and Simulation (ABMS), however, can be further exploited bymodelling the simulation system as a Multi Agent System (MAS). To achieve this, the first step is to provide ABSs with discrete event simulation (DES)concepts (simulation time and services) and an interaction protocol.In this paper, we present a formulation of DES in terms of MAS through the design of software framework, named SimJADE, for the ABMS.


This study selected the Weigan- Kuqa river delta oasis in Xinjiang, where located a large areas of saline soil as the study area, using EM38 conductivity meter and ASD Field Spec Pro FR spectrometer, studied the correlation relationship between the arid zone saline soil hyper spectral and surface soil conductivity. The soil conductivity estimating model under the 3 different spectral index is established. And the scientific basis for saline soil remote sensing monitoring in a further way was provided.


This paper reports on the radiation induced attenuation of light at 1310 nm and 1550 nm in 12 commercially available single mode (SM) optical fibers. The fiber samples are exposed to gamma rays from a 60Co source and to a high energy physics radiation field. The attenuation is studied as a function of total dose, dose rate, light power and temperature. Radiation hard fibers from one manufacturer show an extraordinary low attenuation for light at 1310 nm that does not exceed 5 dB/km even after a total dose of 1 MGy. 2500 km of this type of fiber have been produced by the manufacturer and quality assurance measurements of the production batches are presently ongoing.


There is a strong association between sleep and health. Both mental and physical health are very much dependent on adequate sleep quality and duration; likewise, healthy sleep is much dependent on good physical and mental health. Not surprisingly, there is a very high rate of comorbidity between sleep disturbances and mental and physical health problems. Insomnia is the most common of all sleep disorders, affecting nearly 25% of all adults at least occasionally and 10% on a more persistent basis. Chronic insomnia produces negative consequences on numerous aspects of quality of life and is a risk factor for mental (e.g., depression) and physical (e.g., hypertension) health problems. After presenting an overview of some basic facts about sleep and the impact of sleep loss on different areas of functioning, this chapter reviews the nature and treatment of insomnia. The nature of insomnia complaints and its epidemiology is summarized, with a summary of the evidence on its natural history, prevalence, risk factors, and long-term course. This is followed by a description of validated assessment methods for sleep/wake complaints and a review of current therapeutic options for the management of insomnia, with a predominant emphasis on cognitive-behavioral approaches.

Keywords:

sleep;
insomnia;
health;
treatment


In this work, we present a new paradigm, called 4D-StOP, to tackle the task of 4D Panoptic LiDAR Segmentation. 4D-StOP first generates spatio-temporal proposals using voting-based center predictions, where each point in the 4D volume votes for a corresponding center. These tracklet proposals are further aggregated using learned geometric features. The tracklet aggregation method effectively generates a video-level 4D scene representation over the entire space-time volume. This is in contrast to existing end-to-end trainable state-of-the-art approaches which use spatio-temporal embeddings that are represented by Gaussian probability distributions. Our voting-based tracklet generation method followed by geometric feature-based aggregation generates significantly improved panoptic LiDAR segmentation quality when compared to modeling the entire 4D volume using Gaussian probability distributions. 4D-StOP achieves a new state-of-the-art when applied to the SemanticKITTI test dataset with a score of 63.9 LSTQ, which is a large (+7%) improvement compared to current best-performing end-to-end trainable methods. The code and pre-trained models are available at: https://github.com/LarsKreuzberg/4D-StOP.


With the rise of new retail concepts, commodity trading has evolved from the traditional supply-to-consumer linear single-track relationship into a brand-new Internet platform-based S2b2c social networking system.1 Despite this, over 90 percent of wood product enterprises have an extremely limited understanding and application of this new kind of web service platform-based marketing systems. To reveal the impact of web service platforms on the growth of wood product enterprises, this study proposes an analytical framework that integrates the web service platform synergy, the social network synergy, and the corporate innovation capability. Using this framework, the effects of social network and web service platform synergies on the corporate innovation capability are analyzed, with a particular focus on exploring the mediating role of web service platform synergy between the social network synergy and the corporate innovation capability. Based on the questionnaire survey data of 489 large, medium, and small-wood product enterprises in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta regions, the following empirical results are derived through a combination of stepwise regression and Sobel test: (1) Web service platform synergy has a significant positive impact on the corporate innovation capability; (2) Social network synergy has a significant positive impact on the corporate innovation capability; (3) Social network synergy has a significant positive impact on the establishment of web service platforms; and (4) Web service platform synergy has a partial intermediary relationship between social network synergy and innovation capability, accounting for 34.05 percent of the total effect. The results of this study indicate that like social networks, web service platforms are the strategic resources of enterprises. In the context of open innovation, it is essential for the wood product enterprises to deeply integrate with the social networks and web service platforms, which helps enhance their innovation capability.