The complexes [RuRCl(CO)(BTD)(PPh3)2] (R = CH=CHtBu, CH=CHC6H4Me-4, CH=CHC5H4FeC5H5; BTD = 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole) and [Ru{C(C≡CPh)=CHPh}(CO)(PPh3)2] reacted with pentynoic acid to yield the same complex, [RuCl(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2], through cleavage of the vinyl ligand. In contrast, the products [RuR(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2] were formed when NaO2CCH2CH2C≡CH was used. An osmium example, [Os(CH=CHC6H4Me-4)(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2], was also prepared from treatment of [Os(CH=CHC6H4Me-4)Cl(CO)(BTD)(PPh3)2] with NaO2CCH2CH2C≡CH. Coupling of the pendant alkyne in [RuCl(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2] to yield the homodimetallic complex [{RuCl(O2CCH2CH2C≡C)(CO)(PPh3)2}2] was achieved by using [PdCl2(PPh3)2], CuI and NEt3. The reactivity of the alkyne unit was further exploited by the metallation of the alkyne with ClAu(PR3) (R = Ph, Cy) and Co2(CO)8 to yield the multimetallic species [Ru(CH=CHC6H4Me-4)(O2CCH2CH2C≡CAuPR3)(CO)(PPh3)2] and [Ru(CH=CHC6H4Me-4)(O2CCH2CH2CC{Co2(CO)6}H)(CO)(PPh3)2]. The structures of the complexes [Ru(CH=CHC6H4Me-4)(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2] and [Ru(CH=CHtBu)(O2CCH2CH2C≡CH)(CO)(PPh3)2] were determined crystallographically.


Finding the location and concentration of groundwater contaminant sources typically requires the solution of an inverse problem. A parallel hybrid optimization framework that uses genetic algorithms (GA) coupled with local search approaches (GA-LS) has been developed previously to solve groundwater inverse problems. In this study, the identification of an emplaced source at the Borden site is carried out as a test problem using this optimization framework by using a Real Genetic Algorithm (RGA) as the GA approach and a Nelder–Mead simplex as the LS approach. The RGA results showed that the minimum objective function did not always correspond to the minimum solution error, indicating a possible non-uniqueness issue. To address this problem, a procedure to identify maximally different starting points for LS is introduced. When measurement or model errors are non-existent or minimal it is shown that one of these starting points leads to the true solution. When these errors are significant, this procedure leads to multiple possible solutions that could be used as a basis for further investigation. Metrics of mean and standard deviation of objective function values was adopted to evaluate the possible solutions. A new selection criterion based on these metrics is suggested to find the best alternative. This suggests that this alternative generation procedure could be used to address the non-uniqueness of similar inverse problems. A potential limitation of this approach is the application to a wide class of problems, as verification has not been performed with a large number of test cases or other inverse problems. This remains a topic for future work.


BACKGROUND: Information regarding acute exacerbation (AE) in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is limited. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to elucidate the clinical features and outcome of AE among ILD patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 667 consecutive ILD (nonidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [IPF] ILD, n = 463; IPF, n = 204) patients. ILD patients meeting the 2016 definition of AE-IPF were identified. Information analyzed included pulmonary function tests, 6-min walk tests, and right heart catheterization data, among others. Cox regression models were used to identify independent predictors of survival. RESULTS: AE was identified in non-IPF ILD (n = 113) and IPF (n = 74). Compared with AE-IPF patients, non-IPF ILD patients with AE were of younger age, predominantly women, and primarily nonsmokers (all, P < 0.0001). The estimated survival probabilities at 1, 3, and 5 years were 88%, 75%, and 70%, respectively, in the ILD without AE group; 80%, 57%, and 50%, respectively, in the non-IPF ILD with AE group; and 53%, 38%, and 28%, respectively, in the AE-IPF group (P < 0.0001 by log-rank analysis). Age, body mass index, IPF diagnosis, AE, diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide <35% predicted, 6-min walk distance <300 meters, and cardiac index were independent predictors of survival in the ILD cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Non-IPF ILD patients with AE have distinct clinical features compared to AE-IPF patients. Importantly, AE is one of many independent risk factors associated with worsened outcomes regardless of the underlying ILD type.


This study analyzed landing strategies used by athletes with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and copers compared to uninjured controls. Thirty participants were asked to perform a single-leg forward jump followed by a single-leg landing. Compared to uninjured controls, those with CAI athletes had significantly greater hip flexion and ankle eversion angles at initial landing, suggesting preference for using hip movements and extra ankle eversion angles to avoid ankle inversion when landing. CAI athletes were also found to have significantly decreased peroneus longus activation and higher ankle inversion velocity were both found during descending phase. And these were potential contributors to cause ankle inversion injury as there were likely many others. Based on these findings, CAI athletes may need to utilize more multi-joint or multi-muscle strategies during landing to maintain stability and prevent re-injury.


Autoimmune Diversity
Autoimmune diseases often show polygenic inheritance, making the identification of potential causal genetic variants difficult, especially across ancestrally divergent populations. Andreoletti et al. examined the transcriptomes of bulk immune cells from 120 systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients of Asian and European ancestry. Disease-specific genetic signatures were revealed, as well as ancestrally associated differences in SLE molecular pathways and the role of gene expression variation in disease severity. Because SLE severity differs among populations, this study highlights the need to examine disease genetics in multiethnic cohorts for underlying differences and to explore the clinical treatment options for individuals of differing ancestries.

Commun. Biol. 4 , 488 (2021).


Now that complex Agent-Based Models and computer simulations spread over economics and social sciences - as in most sciences of complex systems -, epistemological puzzles (re)emerge. We introduce new epistemological concepts so as to show to what extent authors are right when they focus on some empirical, instrumental or conceptual significance of their model or simulation. By distinguishing between models and simulations, between types of models, between types of computer simulations and between types of empiricity obtained through a simulation, section 2 gives the possibility to understand more precisely - and then to justify - the diversity of the epistemological positions presented in section 1. Our final claim is that careful attention to the multiplicity of the denotational powers of symbols at stake in complex models and computer simulations is necessary to determine, in each case, their proper epistemic status and credibility.


The invention of artificial lighting makes people's work and rest gradually eliminate the constraints of natural light circadian rhythms. Sleep rhythm disorder and sleep loss are caused by the changing work schedule and long-term mental stress under the fast-paced life in modern society seriously, which affect people's health. With the development of technology in transportation, it is faster and more convenient to move between regions, people's living environments are changing, and the sleep scenario has become more complex. Studies have shown that the non-visual effects of light can induce sleep behavior by affecting melatonin secretion and the associated circadian rhythm system. Natural light is considered the most effective circadian rhythm synchronizer in humans. This study focuses on the short-term rest scene during travel and uses the induced effect of light to explore the instant effect of sound and light environment perception on promoting sleep. In the form of realization, the elements such as seats, interactive control systems, and semi-closed cabin bodies are integrated and reconstructed. The interior environment of the vehicle cabin is designed with somatosensory interaction and environment coordination. These vehicle cabins will be modularly combined to achieve an optimized combination of compact space layout and user privacy. In addition, these vehicle cabins will use photoelectric display technology to create a light environment with rhythmic changes in the cabin while meeting the differentiated needs of different users at the visual level. The design provides a new experience for resting during travel, making it possible for short-term and efficient rest in human living space and visual function. The research mainly focuses on the participatory experience of light-guided rest, explores the role of ambient light in improving sleep efficiency through quantitative methods, and explores public resting facilities for efficient rest with the consideration of the human body, sense, and control.


We examine the time evolution of a two-level ion interacting with a light field in a harmonic oscillator trap and in a trap with anharmonicities. The anharmonicities of the trap are quantified in terms of the deformation parameter τ characterizing the q-analogue of the harmonic oscillator trap. Initially the ion is prepared in a Schrödinger cat state. The entanglement of the centre-of-mass motional states and the internal degrees of freedom of the ion results in a characteristic collapse and revival pattern. We numerically calculate the population inversion I(t), quasi-probabilities Q(t) and partial mutual quantum entropy S(P) for the system as a function of time. Interestingly, small deformations of the trap enhance the contrast between population inversion collapse and revival peaks as compared to the zero-deformation case. For β = 3 and 4 (β determines the average number of trap quanta linked to centre-of-mass motion) the best collapse and revival sequence is obtained for τ = 0.0047 and 0.004, respectively. For large values of τ, decoherence sets are accompanied by loss of amplitude of population inversion, and for τ ~0.1 the collapse and revival phenomenon disappear. Each collapse or revival of population inversion is characterized by a peak in the S(P) versus t plot. During the transition from collapse to revival and vice-versa, we have a minimum mutual entropy value that is S(P) = 0. Successive revival peaks show a lowering of the local maximum point indicating a dissipative irreversible change in the ionic state. An improved definition of the collapse and revival pattern as the anharmonicity of the trapping potential increases is also reflected in the quasi-probability versus t plots.


The type 2 immune response, induced by infection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), has been linked to asthma development, but it remains unclear how the response is initiated. Here, we reported that the high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein promotes the type 2 response in the later stage of RSV infection. In mice, we found that type 2 cytokines were elevated in the later stages, which were strongly diminished after administration of anti-HMGB1 antibodies. Further investigation revealed that HMGB1 expression was localized to CC10+ club cells in the lung. In the clinic, levels of HMGB1 in nasopharyngeal aspirates in hospitalized infants with RSV bronchiolitis [median (interquartile range) 161.20 ng/ml (68.06-221.30)] were significantly higher than those without lower respiratory tract infections [21.94 ng/ml (12.12-59.82); P < 0.001]. Moreover, higher levels of HMGB1 correlated with clinical severity. These results reveal a link between viral infection and the asthma-like type 2 responses that are associated with long-term consequences.


Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease affecting pulmonary arterial vasculature and the right side of the heart. The disease is notorious for its ominous course and high accelerated rates of mortality. Due to its varied etiology, it requires stepwise evaluation to differentiate various causes of PAH. With the advent of new drugs and improved registry-based data, there has been a global effort to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease. Therefore, all efforts should be made for quick diagnosis and uniform workup to reach the etiologic and hemodynamic diagnosis. There is a need of specialized PAH clinics and PAH specialists to cater to the needs of these patients who require multidisciplinary clinical care. This review aims to discuss the important aspects of the disease and its management in a ward round scenario as a case-based discussion format to put emphasis on the recent guidelines and classification.


Dihydropyrimidones/ thiones are an important class of heterocyclic compounds reported in 1893 for the first time by P. Biginelli. It possess wide spectrum of biological activities like including anti-tubercular, Anti-malarial, anticancer, anti-HIV activity, analgesic, antiepileptic, CNS activity, anti-inflammatory, antitumor activity. The present review gives brief information about the biginelli reaction and biological activities of dihydropyrimidones.


Asthma is now recognized as a common cause of disability of great economic cost and preventable deaths. In this study we aimed to test our hypothesis based on the relationship between body mass index and bronchial asthma .Among the patients with acute asthma admitted to the emergency ward and pulmonology clinic, we sought to determine the prevalence of obesity, as well as the effect of body mass index (BMI) on asthma severity, in this high-risk group patients. To investigate the relation between body mass index and asthma severity, we con¬ducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 501 volunteered patients with bronchial asthma. To identify the severity of the asthma's situation, a questionnaire was prepared requesting the following information: age, sex, clinical signs and symptoms. After the participants answered to the questionnaire, all active or ex-smoker patients were excluded. A trained observer assessed airway reversibility, peak flowmetry and spirometry in asthmatic patients. The results showed that the dyspnea is the most common symptom in the asthmatic patients, recurrent episodic wheezing (95.7 %), cough (92.6 %), nasal polyp (29.7%) and dermatitis (16.2%). Mild persistent asthma (step 2) was the most common type of asthma severity classification (139; 27.74%) and 275 (54.87%) of asthmatic patients had normal weight (BMI, 19-25.9), 182 (36.34%) of patients were either overweight (BMI, 26 to 29.9) or obese (BMI > 30; 14.57%) and 44 (8.79%) were underweighted (BMI


Air transportation industry becomes more competitive because that the restrictions on new access to market were eased and related enough for each airline to choose the freight rate and the route without rein. New competitors are pursuing convergence strategy which focuses on low freight rate as a niche strategy for increasing market share by stimulating low cost demand. This strategy is now spreading all over the world such places as Europe, Asia, Oceania and etc. As of December 1, 2004, hundreds of low cost carriers are participating actively in the market and finding their level as a new strategic group in the air transportation industry with expanding their market. In case of USA, however, many airlines, which had newly entered to the market, went into bankruptcy in the mid-1980s. People Express in USA established in 1980 is one of the examples of failure. In case of Japan, Hokkaido International Airline, a typical low cost carrier which established in 1997, filed for bankruptcy. This study is for examining the strategic implication closely through the study on management strategy and cases of failure of low cost carriers.


Polyclonal antibodies were raised to synthetic peptides having amino acid sequences corresponding with the N- or C-terminal part of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor alpha 5-subunit. These anti-peptide alpha 5(2-10) or anti-peptide alpha 5(427-433) antibodies reacted specifically with GABAA receptors purified from the brains of 5-10-day-old rats in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were able to dose-dependently immunoprecipitate up to 6.3 or 13.1% of the GABAA receptors present in the incubation, respectively. In immunoblots, each of these antibodies reacted with the same two protein bands with apparent molecular mass of 53 or 57 kDa. After exhaustive treatment of purified GABAA receptors with N-Glycanase, each of these antibodies identified two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 46 and 48 kDa. Additional treatment of GABAA receptors with neuraminidase and O-Glycanase resulted in an apparently single protein with molecular mass of 47 kDa, which again was identified by both the anti-peptide alpha 5(2-10) and the anti-peptide alpha 5(427-433) antibody. These results indicate the existence of at least two different alpha 5-subunits of the GABAA receptor that differ in their carbohydrate content. In contrast to other alpha- or beta-subunits of GABAA receptors so far investigated, at least one of these two alpha 5-subunits contains O-linked carbohydrates.


A 1996 survey of 1200 families in the principality of Asturias, Spain, provided data for development of a model simultaneously determining the number and quality of children within the framework of the New Home Economics. The model emphasized interaction between the quality and quantity of children, female labor force participation, and family leisure activities. A system of simultaneous equations was estimated to contrast empirically the main linkages between the endogenous variables and those characterizing the economic and social position of the family: male and female wage rates, non-labor income, age and education of the spouses, rural or urban residence, and others. The model was estimated using a two-stage least squares method. The estimates obtained were consistent with the study hypotheses, reflecting satisfactorily the effects of the demographic and economic variables studied on the number and quality of children, labor force participation of women, and leisure activities, as well as interrelations among the endogenous variables.


Summary Background The global pandemic of COVID-19 cases caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 is ongoing. We describe here the clinical course of COVID-19 in a cohort of confirmed cases in Wuhan, China, treated with the repurposed potential experimental therapeutics IFN-α2b, arbidol or a combination of IFN-α2b plus arbidol. Methods 77 adults with confirmed COVID-19 were treated with either nebulized IFN-α2b (5mU,b.i.d.), arbidol (200mg dispersible tablet, t.i.d.) or a combination of IFN-α2b plus arbidol. Serial SARS-CoV-2 testing along with hematological measurements, including cell counts and blood biochemistry, serum cytokine levels, temperature and blood oxygen saturation levels were recorded for each patient during their hospital stay. Findings Treatment with IFN-α2b with or without arbidol significantly reduced the duration of detectable virus in the upper respiratory tract and in parallel reduced duration of elevated blood levels for the inflammatory markers IL-6 and CRP. Interpretation IFN-α2b should be investigated as therapy in COVID-19 cases.


The isolation of sub fractions of cell membranes on the basis of their solubil ity in non-ionic detergents has led to the discovery of lipid domain structure in membranes. Detergents used for this purpose include Triton, Brij, Lubrol and CHAPS. Different lipid constituents are known to resist solubilization by different detergents and the resulting fractions may associate with different membrane proteins. In general, the detergent-resistant membrane fractions tend to be dominated by saturated molecular species of sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine and invariably include significant proportions of choles terol. The lipid composition is consistent with formation of liquid-ordered phases. The present evidence favours a model in which the lateral segregation of membrane proteins takes place on the basis of their affinity for liquid ordered lipid domains within the membrane.


Public policy discussion of the problem of food deserts has concentrated on proximity to retail food stores providing nutritious, affordable foods. Because they offer a wide array of healthful products at lower prices, physical access to a supermarket or supercenter has come to be the standard of adequacy. Less attention has been given to how economic incentives influence access to retail food stores in the wider food environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enacted a sizable increase in SNAP benefits effective April 2009. Though the primary purpose of the increase was to stimulate the economy, we argue that it had a secondary effect of encouraging SNAP participants to redeem more of their benefits at larger, lower-priced retailers. To investigate the effect of this policy change, we use county-level, administrative data on SNAP redemptions at different types of authorized food stores from May 2007 to May 2010. Data from the Economic Research Service's Food Desert Locator are used to classify counties according to the percent of their population residing in food deserts. Results show that the SNAP benefit increase is associated with a greater percentage of redemptions at superstores. Estimates are stable across a number of specifications that also control for gas prices and store-type density. Within our sample of counties, we show that an $80 maximum SNAP benefit increased the percentage of benefits redeemed at supermarkets by 1.4 percentage points. In order to achieve a similar increase in redemptions at superstores, store density would have to increase from one superstore every 24 square miles to 1 superstore every 15 square miles. Impacts of the benefit increase were positive, but somewhat smaller in areas with more of their population residing in food deserts.


The emergence of the new economy that is based on knowledge in the present era has definitely affected everyone and every organization including libraries. Knowledge is seen by most organizations as an overriding and important commodity and if managed properly can assist the organizations to improve their services and remain sustainable and significant in the near future. This study is carried out to assess the organizational working culture of the National Library of Malaysia as to whether it would support the efforts of managing knowledge in the organization. The explorative study using triangulation method consisting of interviews, observations and questionnaire were conducted to investigate the situation. Two hundred questionnaires on knowledge management issues were distributed to the staff of the organization and a total of 72% of it was duly filled and returned. Analysis of the data revealed that most of the respondents that participated in the survey are familiar with the concept of knowledge management and that the National Library has all the required tools and systems to manage knowledge in the organization. However it was anticipated to come up with a Knowledge Management System whereby persons with specific knowledge and expertise can be located easily and the organization should document the best practices and expertise it requires to successfully conduct the services offered to the library users. Therefore a conceptual framework called the l'NM Knowledge Bank is proposed in the final chapter hopping that it could act as the medium for knowledge capturing and dissemination in the organization.


We estimated the prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection and associated risk factors in 750 individuals attending the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center of Rio Grande (VCT/RG), in Southern Brazil, and identified viral genotypes. Demographic data and risk factors for HCV transmission were also collected and analysed. Anti-HCV antibody-positive individuals were tested for HCV-RNA and genotyped by sequencing the 5′ untranslated region of the viral genome. Prevalence estimates of anti-HCV and HCV-RNA were 6% and 5.5%, respectively. We identified genotypes 1 (67%), 2 (2%) and 3 (31%); the latter was more prevalent than in other regions of Brazil. Anti-HCV prevalence in VCT/RG users was similar to previous reports. Age, previous blood transfusion, sexual orientation and injecting drug use were independent predictors of HCV infection. The presence of multiple risk factors was also associated with a higher risk for HCV infection. HCV genotype was not associated with any variable analysed in this study.


Heterogeneous catalysts based on subnanometer metal clusters often exhibit strongly size-dependent properties, and the addition or removal of a single atom can make all the difference. Identifying the most active species and deciphering the reaction mechanism is extremely difficult, however, because it is often not clear how the catalyst evolves in operando. Here, we use a combination of atomically resolved scanning probe microscopies, spectroscopic techniques, and density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations to study CO oxidation by a model Pt/Fe3O4(001) "single-atom" catalyst. We demonstrate that (PtCO)2 dimers, formed dynamically through the agglomeration of mobile Pt-carbonyl species, catalyze a reaction involving the oxide support to form CO2. Pt2 dimers produce one CO2 molecule before falling apart into two adatoms, releasing the second CO. Olattice extraction only becomes facile when both the Pt-dimer and the Fe3O4 support can access metastable configurations, suggesting that substantial, concerted rearrangements of both cluster and support must be considered for reactions occurring at elevated temperature.


The authors present the results of their comparative experimental study on phantoms, of three mammographies. Their study clearly demonstrates the advantages gained by the use of combined film and screen reinforcer compared to classical radiographic procedures using fine-grain film without screen reinforcers. The quality of the images obtained appeared to them to be equal, if not superior, and this seemed to be confirmed by use in clinical practice. Irradiation doses are about one third of the usual dose. They conclude that it would be of value to use mammographs powered by strong generators, as the irradiation dose, under these conditions, would be reduced even further.


Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system became an important material for the current researchers. As like other communication systems, OFDM system needs to employ the channel coding to reduce the Bit Error Rate (BER) such as the concatenated Reed Solomon-Convolution code (RS-CC). To enhance more the BER problem, a Reed Solomon-Recursive Convolution code (RS-RCC) over Additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and fading channel has been used in this letter with same complexity of (RS-CC). The simulation results prove that the suggested method for different kinds of constellation mapping of various coding rates gives better BER performance than the old method represented by RS-CC.


Objective To carry out a baseline survey on utilization of sexually transmitted disease (STD) laboratory testing in STD institutions and medical facilities in order to provide information for enhancing STD testing capacity at national surveillance sites. Methods Specially designed questionnaire was used to collect information on STD laboratory testing from 105 nationally designated STD control institutions and all medical facilities which provided STD services as part of STD surveillance sites, and SPSS 11.5 was employed for data analysis. Results The percentages of nontreponemal antibody tests for syphilis RPR/TRUST qualitative and quantitative testing, treponemal antibody tests for syphilis TPPA/TPHA, gonococcal culture and chlamydia antigen testing employed in STD control institutions were 96.77%, 74.19%, 79.57%, 58.06% and 65.59%, respectively, and the above-mentioned testing methods used in the 1048 medical facilities were 74.52%, 34.73%, 39.98%, 35.59% and 42.94%, respectively. The medical facilities at different levels and of different types and ownerships employed different proportions of STD testing methods. Conclusion The proportions of various STD laboratory testing methods are relatively low in medical facilities as part of STD surveillance sites and the overall STD laboratory testing capacity at the national STD surveillance sites should be strengthened.


Introduction The impact of host biomarkers on predicting clinical outcomes in C. difficile infection (CDI) has rarely been assessed using integrated clinical and immune data sets. We aimed to identify host systemic immune and clinical factors associated with severe CDI and mortality using microarray technology. Method We analysed data from a prospective cohort of inpatients at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust from 2009 to 2013. Co-morbidities, history, laboratory data, imaging and endoscopy data were recorded. Serum subclass and strain-specific anti-toxin and anti-surface layer protein (SLP) antibody responses were determined by an established and validated C. difficile antigen-specific protein microarray. Anti-toxin A and B neutralising antibodies (NAb) were assessed using a Caco-2 cell-based NAb assay. A reverse-phase protein microarray assay was used for the simultaneous quantification of serum interleukin- (IL-) 1-α, IL-1-β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12/IL-23, Il-27, tumour necrosis factor-α, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), transforming growth factor-β. Logistic regression models with univariate and multivariate analyses were used. Results Of 151 study subjects (52.3% female, median age 72y, range 19-98y), severe CDI was present in 32%; 30 day mortality was 8.6%. For severity, peak white cell count (109/L) is partitioned into 3 categories. Anti-toxin A IgG is partitioned into 2 categories. Using these two factors alone a clinical prediction rule can be produced (figure) which correctly categorised 91.3% of the cohort into mild or severe. Accuracy can be further improved by examining IFN-γ, anti-SLP001 lgA, anti-toxin B IgG2. For 30 day mortality, anti-SLP001 IgG, anti-SLP002 IgG and anti-pCDTb IgG2 were each partitioned into 2 categories. Using these 3 factors, a predictive tool for 30 day mortality was able to correctly categorise 94.7% of the cohort. Accuracy can be further improved by examining anti-toxin B IgG, anti-toxin B IgA and anti-SLP001 IgA. Conclusion We present two novel microarray-based clinical risk stratification tools for patients with CDI who may benefit from receiving early, more aggressive and personalised treatment interventions. These models correctly categorise severity and 30 day all-cause mortality in 91.3% and 94.7% of this cohort respectively. Abstract OC-058 Figure 1 Disclosure of Interest T. Monaghan: None Declared, T. Jilani: None Declared, M. Hamed: None Declared, O. Ahmad: None Declared, B. MacKenzie: None Declared, D. Humphreys Conflict with: Owns UCB stock options, C. Shone: None Declared, K. R. Acharya: None Declared, C. Loscher: None Declared, I. Marszalowska: None Declared, M. Lynch: None Declared, M. Wilcox Conflict with: Astellas, AstraZeneca, Abbott, Actelion, Alere, Bayer, bioMerieux, Cerexa, Cubist, Da Volterra, Durata, Merck, Nabriva, Pfizer, Qiagen, Roche, Seres, Synthetic Biologics, Conflict with: As per grant/research support, P. Quinlan: None Declared, O. Negm: None Declared


Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether limitation during the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) was associated with life-space mobility in older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to generate a regression model for life-space mobility score. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study with a convenience sample included older people (aged ≥ 60 years old) with COPD. We assessed participants ' lung function (spirometry), life-space mobility (University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment questionnaire), severity of dyspnea (Modi fi ed Dyspnea Index) and limitation during the performance of ADL (London Chest Activity of Daily Living). We used Pearson ' s correlation to investigate the associations between the measures, and multiple linear regression to detect which of the measures in fl uenced life-space mobility. Statistical signi fi cance was set at 5%. Results: Fifty participants completed all the assessments (29 females [58%]; mean ± SD age of 67 ± 6 years old, FEV 1 47 ± 29% of predicted, and body mass index 22.5 ± 11.6 kg/m 2 ). Their mean scores for life-space mobility and for limitation during the performance of ADL were 49.7 ± 27.2 and 16.46 ± 9.74, respectively. We found a strong inverse correlation between limitation during the performance of ADL and life-space mobility (r = − 0.57, p = <0.01) as well as between severity of dyspnea and life-space mobility (r= 0.86, p= <0.01). Both sex and limitation during the performance of ADL were considered as independent factors associated to life-space mobility (R 2 = 0.56). Conclusion: In this study, limitations during the performance of ADL and dyspnea had a strong correlation with life-space mobility in older adults with COPD. Also, alongside sex, the limitation during the performance of ADL is an independent factor associated with lifespace mobility in a regression model.


Abstract Tourism in the Polar Regions is flourishing. Yet, because of a series of geographical and infrastructural barriers, tourism in the Polar and sub-Polar Region is a constant challenge for tourists and operators. Polar destinations also tend to be oriented toward one tourism season only with gaps between the peak and low seasons. While polar destinations are at differing stages of development, Rovaniemi – the capital of Finnish Lapland – stands out as a very important North European tourism centre. However, even with successful tourism operations (in terms of figures – economic and attendances), Rovaniemi still encounters many development challenges. Using previously published literature, field observation and semi-structured interviews with two of Rovaniemi's main operators, this articles aims at identifying and discussing some of the challenges facing the tourism industry in this locality. In the process, the article discusses the difficulty of naming this form of travel. Stressing that tourism in the Polar and sub-Polar Regions has up to now been mostly studied from a geographical perspective, the article emphasises the need for a complementary sociological approach to the study of tourism in the Polar Regions.


focuses on differentiation through the use of the Universal Design for Learning framework, impactful literacy practices, teacher perceptions of differentiation in literacy, and the development of school-based literacy leaders. Abstract Abstract Students derive meaning from knowledge that is presented to them in various ways. An instructor may present information through different modalities, though direct verbal instruction is the mode most often employed (Beesley & Apthorp, 2010). Research indicates that, when information is constructed through the use of visual representations, students gain deeper and more enduring understanding of the content (Jewitt, 2008; Kress, 1997). This article provides an explanation and definition of nonlinguistic and linguistic visual representations, a review of what research indicates in the integration of them, and examples of the inclusion of concept-based visual representations in a college course that focuses on training pre-service teachers in literacy pedagogy.


Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a disease characterized by diffuse sclerosis of skin and organs and small vessel vasculopathy. Despite it, large vessels can also be involved with ulnar artery vasculopathy, revealing as a more frequent feature of SSc. The aim of this paper is to assess the macrovascular involvement of SSc patients through an ultrasound (US) evaluation of radial and ulnar arteries. Methods: Radial and ulnar resistance indices (RIs) and peak systolic velocity (PV) (cm/s) together with clinical features of SSc patients were evaluated. Raynaud phenomenon (RP) and healthy control (HC) groups were used for comparison. Results: Forty-three SSc patients were evaluated. Twelve patients (28%) had ulnar artery occlusions (UAOs). In nine cases (75%), UAOs were bilateral. A high UAO prevalence (42%) was found in SSc patients with late nailfold-video-capillaroscopy (NVC) pattern (p = 0.0264). Patients with UAOs had digital ulcers (DUs) in 10 cases (83.3%). Radial and ulnar PVs were lower in SSc and RP patients than the HC group. Radial and ulnar RIs were higher in SSc and RP patients than the HC group. A decision tree analysis led to the classification of 70% of SSc patients with an ulnar RI > 0.82 and ulnar PV > 2.8 cm/s. The most influential variables on UAO development were interstitial lung disease (ILD) (p = 0.002) and NVC pattern (p = 0.002). A positive correlation was shown between modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) and ILD (p = 0.283; r = 0.033), mRSS and DU (r = 0.344; p = 0.012) and DU and ILD (r = 0.303; p = 0.024). Male sex was associated with increased UAO frequency (p = 0.042). Conclusions: UAO is a peculiar feature of severe SSc present in 28% of the cases, particularly associated with the presence of ILD and late NVC pattern. In 75% of the cases, UAOs are bilateral. DUs are very frequent in patients with UAOs (83%). The RI evaluated by US could be useful to distinguish SSc from HC patients. US could be a useful tool for assessing high-risk DU development in patients.


"U gave me a 0 on my project and I don't know why. Email me back by midnight tonight and fix it, please thank you." Some students send emails like this to their teachers, and then are shocked when the teacher doesn't immediately reply. Poor email etiquette can cause a strain between teachers and student. However, if used properly, email communication between students and instructors has a positive impact on student success (Weiss & HansonBaldauf, 2008). The formality of students' emails impacts teachers' attitudes toward the emails themselves, their responses to students, as well as the level of credibility the instructors perceive in the email, and their willingness to comply with a request in the email (Stephens, Houser, & Cowan, 2009).In emails with their teachers, students often use casual wording and spelling that is normally employed in text messaging and social media. Text messaging is extremely common among students, with 88% of teenagers using text messaging and sending an average of 3,364 texts a month (Pew Research Center, 2012), so it is understandable, (but not acceptable) that informal writing habits carry into their emails to their instructors. Students are probably unaware of the poor impression conveyed by casual emails.Consequently, if teachers expect their students to send proper emails, they should make an effort to ensure that students are aware of what is appropriate.The Need for Etiquette InstructionEmail is a common and valuable form of asynchronous communication between teachers and students (Leidman, Piwinsky, & McKeague, 2012), but it can be more than a tool for answering questions or submitting assignments. When used as an educational aid, email can be purposeful and helpful in the secondary classroom. Teachers can use email to deliver content before a class for "hipped" learning, to address individual student concerns and questions, and to provide students with supplementary materials related to their career interests and future goals (Nyaumwe, 2012). In addition, the teacher can provide individualized attention for students, adapt assignments, or provide guidance for long term projects (D'Souza, 1992). Such instructional uses of email may enhance secondary students' education.For students who are a little intimidated by the teacher, email presents a way to ask questions without having to talk to the teacher in person (Duran, Kelly, & Keaten, 2005). Unfortunately, email also seems to make it easier for people to say things more bluntly than they would in face-to-face communication (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008); therefore, students should be taught to review their emails before sending them to their teachers.Failure to adequately and appropriately express themselves can impact students' future opportunities. Communicating and collaborating well are qualities that employers value because they are necessary for working with others to achieve common goals (Wagner). In addition, students need to develop strong, written interpersonal communication skills in order to express themselves clearly for diverse audiences (Hartman & McCambridge, 2011). Clearly, communicating effectively, through email is an important part of high school students' development, so secondary teachers should help students learn good behaviors for sending emails to teachers, potential employers, and colleagues.Teaching Proper Email EtiquetteInstructors should communicate their expectations for appropriate email use at the beginning of each course or school year (Bolkan & Holmgren, 2012) including constructive reasons for emailing instructors. According to one study, students initiated more than half of the emails between instructors and students, and teachers believed they were too casual and inappropriate (Duran, Kelly, & Keaten). Specific instruction on constructive purposes of email may help improve communication between secondary students and their teachers. …


Background. CareToy (CT) System has been recently developed and validated in preterm infants with positive effects at short-term both on visual and motor development. Objective. We aimed to assess the feasibility of CT training in infants with Down Syndrome (DS) and to evaluate the effects of the CT training in promoting their neurodevelopment. Methods. 10 infants with DS aged 6.16 ± 1.54 months were recruited and allocated in two groups: CareToy (CT) or Standard Care (SC). 5 infants of the CT group performed CT Intervention in the clinical setting for 5 weeks; other 5 infants were followed as SC for the same period. Data about the feasibility of the intervention were collected. Moreover, all recruited infants performed motor and visual assessment at baseline (T0) and in the week after the CT or SC periods (T1; 5 weeks after T0). Results. All infants allocated in the CT group performed the CT training with good compliance. In all outcome measures the mean delta changes (T1-T0) showed promising positive effects of the training in the CT group, compared to SC. Conclusions. CT demonstrated its feasibility for providing EI also in infants with DS and its effects seems promising. However, further large RCT studies are needed.


Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising devices for sustainable energy production, wastewater treatment and biosensors. Anode materials directly interact with electricigens and accept electrons between cells, playing an important role in determining the performance of MFCs. In this study, a novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite film modified Indium-tin oxide (ITO) anode was fabricated through graft polymerization of PANI after the modification of γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) on ITO substrate, which was followed by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembling of CNTs and PANI alternatively on its surface. (CNTs/PANI)n/APTES/ITO electrode with low charge transfer resistance showed better electrochemical behavior compared to the bare ITO electrode. Twelve layers of CNTs/PANI decorated ITO electrode with an optimal nanoporous network exhibited superior biocatalytic properties with a maximal current density of 6.98 µA/cm2, which is 26-fold higher than that of conventional ITO electrode in Shewanella loihica PV-4 bioelectrochemical system. MFCs with (CNTs/PANI)12/APTES/ITO as the anode harvested a maximum output power density of 34.51 mW/m2, which is 7.5-fold higher than that of the unmodified ITO electrode. These results demonstrate that (CNTs/PANI)12/APTES/ITO electrode has superior electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties compared to the bare ITO electrode, while the cellular toxicity of CNTs has an effect on the performance of MFC with (CNTs/PANI)n/APTES/ITO electrode.


In this paper, we present some parallel implementations of domain decomposition techniques for the solution of the drift diffusion equations involved in 2D semiconductor device modeling. The model describes the stationary state of a device when biases are applied to its bounds. The mixed dual formulation is retained. Therefore, we have to deal with a system of six totally coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. This system is decoupled and discretized in time by a semi-implicit nonlinear scheme using local time stepping. At each time step, we have to solve three systems of two nonlinear partial differential equations. The first system is associated with electrostatic potential, the second with the negative charges (electrons) and the third with the positive charges (holes). Each pair of equations is naturally discretized in space by mixed finite elements defined on 2D unstructured meshes and then solved by a Newton-Raphson method [HM94]. At each step of the Newton-Raphson method, a linear system of equations has to be solved. Depending upon which nonlinear system is being solved, these linear systems can be either symmetric positive definite or unsymmetric. These systems are sparse with a maximum of five nonzero entries per row due to the mixed finite element triangulation. A complete simulation is decomposed into two phases: first the solution of the equilibrium problem, then the solution of the static problem. The equilibrium problem consists of applying a zero potential to the bounds of the device and its numerical solution only involves the solution of symmetric positive definite linear systems. In this paper, we consider only the solution of the equilibrium problem. Our objective is to obtain a fully parallel code in a distributed memory environment with MPI as message-passing library. The formulation is mainly vectorial and is naturally parallelizable. The main difficulty consists of the efficient implementation of suitable linear solvers. This numerical kernel is the most time consuming part of the code. In this respect, we investigate substructuring approaches using either direct or iterative linear solvers.


Abstract Objectives The present study characterizes the relationship between bimodal benefit and hearing aid (HA) performance, cochlear implant (CI) performance, and the difference in the performances of the two devices. Methods Fourteen adult bimodal listeners participated in the study. Consonant, vowel, and sentence recognition were measured in quiet and noise (at a +5 and +10 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) with an HA alone, a CI alone, and with the combined use of an HA and CI in each listener. Speech and noise were presented directly in front of the listener. Results The correlation analyses showed that bimodal benefit was significantly associated with the difference in performances of a CI and an HA in all testing materials, with HA-alone performance in vowel recognition, and with CI-alone performance in sentence recognition. However, regression analyses showed that the independent contribution of the difference in performance across ears to bimodal benefit was significant, irrespective of the testing material or the SNR: the smaller the difference, the greater the benefit. Further, the independent contributions of HA-only performance and CI-alone performance were not significant factors in predicting the existence of bimodal benefit across testing materials and SNRs when the effect of the difference between CI and HA performance was removed from the model. Conclusion The results suggest that bimodal benefit is limited by how effectively the modalities integrate, rather than HA-only or CI-alone performance, and that this integration is facilitated when the performances of the modalities are similar.


Social stress is ubiquitous in the lives of social animals. While significant research has aimed to understand the specific forms of stress imparted by particular social interactions, less attention has been paid to understanding the behavioral effects and neural underpinnings of stress produced by the presence and magnitude of social interactions. However, in humans and rodents alike, chronically low and chronically high rates of social interaction are associated with a suite of mental health issues, suggesting the need for further research. Here, we review literature examining the behavioral and neurobiological findings associated with changing social density, focusing on research on chronic social isolation and chronic social crowding in rodent models, and synthesize findings in the context of the continuum of social density that can be experienced by social animals. Through this synthesis, we aim to both summarize the state of the field and describe promising avenues for future research that would more clearly define the broad effects of social interaction on the brain and behavior in mammals.


Background Acute promyelocytic leukemia differentiation syndrome (APL DS) is a common and severe complication seen in patients with APL treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and/or arsenic trioxide (ATO). The presenting symptoms of APL DS are diverse, and rare symptoms are easy to be misdiagnosed. Therefore, it is very crucial to identify DS from uncommon signs to avoid delay in treatment. Case Presentation Here, we report a patient of APL who developed severe abdominal pain during ATRA and ATO therapy, with increasing leukocyte count. Organic diseases were firstly excluded, and empiric treatment for DS was adopted. The abdominal pain was gradually relieved and the patient eventually achieved complete remission. Conclusion This case history suggests that APL DS may manifest as severe abdominal pain, and the early identification of DS and immediate treatment could improve the prognosis of patients.


Background: Procurement plays a significant role in the improvement of overall economic efficiency of Chinese enterprises. However, due to the resources waste and lack of professional knowledge of procurement, increasing procurement cost has become a serious problem for small and medium-sized enterprises (hereafter SMEs) especially in manufacturing industry. Meanwhile, with growing environmental awareness of public and sustainable development strategies by the Chinese government, Chinese enterprises has started to implement sustainable supply chain management, where sustainable procurement is a key step in pushing forward this objective. Purpose: The purpose is to investigate the current situation of sustainable procurement in Chinese family manufacturing business. Method: The thesis is a descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative method. The theoretical framework is based on the relevant previous researches. The empirical data was collected via twelve semi-structured interviews. The multiple case study strategy was applied in this thesis and twelve family businesses were involved. Both the theoretical framework and empirical data are strongly relevant to the research purpose and the research questions. Conclusion: By analyzing empirical findings, two summary tables were developed in regard to the two research questions respectively, where some aspects are in accordance with the theoretical framework, while some others were only identified from empirical findings. To sum up, there are six types of current practices to answer the first research questions, while ten types of drives to the second research question, which are all identified from the companies' perspective. Further study: Further studies are recommended on the economic dimension or economic outcomes of sustainable procurement in Chinese family manufacturing business.


In the past several years we have been engaged in developing methods of systematically and objectively scoring small samples of speech obtained in a standardized fashion (Gleser, Gottschalk, and John, 1959; Gottschalk, Gleser, Daniels, and Block, 1958; Gottschalk, Gleser, Magliocco, and D'Zmura, 1961; Gottschalk, Gleser, Springer, Kaplan, Shanon, and Ross, 1960; Gottschalk, Springer, and Gleser, 1961). One important purpose for focusing our attention on verbal behavior has been to develop objective measures of an individual's emotional level or psychological state at any particular time. Such measures would be of great value, for example, in assessing changes in level and lability of emotional response in reaction to psychoactive drugs or psychotherapy, and in determining the relationship of psychological to physiological or biochemical responses in an individual. There are relatively few objective measures of immediate emotional state. Most psychological tests have been


Forty-one patients with tetanus in different stages of the disease on whom tracheostomies were performed are discussed in this paper. Out of these, 21 died, giving a mortality rate of just over 50%, which is about equal with those reported from other centers. It was found that patients in Stage III of the disease referred for tracheostomy hardly ever recovered. Patients in Stage II on whom tracheostomy was performed early stood the best chance of survival and recovery. However, if the operation was delayed in Stage II patients, there was a much greater chance for complications to develop, mostly due to aspiration of secretions into the tracheobronchial tree with consequent bronchopneumonia. There were four deaths, all in Stage III patients undergoing tracheostomy, where no definite or conventional identifiable cause could be determined. There were three deaths due to "technical failure" in tracheostomized tetanus patients, which underlines the difficulties and technical problems encountered in satisfactorily maintaining a totally paralyzed patient without any means of communication.


The goal of the project is to explore main determinants of transaction governance mode between manufacturer and distributor firms. The model proposed in this paper integrates the concept of trust with main transaction cost economics' dimensions and is formulated in the form of multinomial logit function. The model will be estimated with data from a sample of Georgian manufacturing industry. The main hypothesis of the study is that trust will modify the influence of traditional transaction cost economics dimensions on the choice of exchange governance mode.


The multiple criteria nature of most real world problems has boosted research on multi-objective algorithms that can tackle such problems effectively, with the smallest possible computational burden. Particle Swarm Optimization has attracted the interest of researchers due to its simplicity, effectiveness and efficiency in solving numerous single-objective optimization problems. Up-to-date, there are a significant number of multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization approaches and applications reported in the literature. This chapter aims at providing a review and discussion of the most established results on this field, as well as exposing the most active research topics that can give initiative for future research.


Breast cancer is prevalent in Ethiopia that accounts 34% among women cancer patients. The diagnosis technique in Ethiopia is manual which was proven to be tedious, subjective, and challenging. Deep learning techniques are revolutionizing the field of medical image analysis and hence in this study, we proposed Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for breast mass detection so as to minimize the overheads of manual analysis. CNN architecture is designed for the feature extraction stage and adapted both the Region Proposal Network (RPN) and Region of Interest (ROI) portion of the faster R-CNN for the automated breast mass abnormality detection. Our model detects mass region and classifies them into benign or malignant abnormality in mammogram(MG) images at once. For the proposed model, MG images were collected from different hospitals, locally.The images were passed through different preprocessing stages such as gaussian filter, median filter, bilateral filters and extracted the region of the breast from the background of the MG image. The performance of the model on test dataset is found to be: detection accuracy 91.86%, sensitivity of 94.67% and AUC-ROC of 92.2%.


Confusion exists over the application of the Principle of Reciprocity to NMR signal strength calculations when wavelength in a sample is comparable to the latter's size. A simple and easily reproduced bench experiment that validates the principle is therefore described. Building on the experimental results, elementary mathematics are employed to derive simple equations for the B1 fields in both the negatively and the positively rotating frames. Using these equations, the reader is then guided through the steps needed to deduce correctly the signal received in an NMR experiment. The article should serve as a resource for those attempting signal strength calculations. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 12: 173–187, 2000


Unmanned construction is a construction method of operating construction machines from a remote place by using radio waves. In Japan, unmanned construction has many applications in disaster sites where people can not enter. However, unmanned construction is less than half of the construction efficiency as compared to normal boarding operations. We need to improve construction efficiency of unmanned construction. In normal unmanned construction, the operator mainly operates construction machines while looking at the image of the boarding camera installed in the cabin. However, visual information such as angle of view of images taken by boarding cameras is smaller than actual boarding conditions, which is considered to be one of the factors that lowers the work efficiency of unmanned construction. Therefore, it is necessary to consider a new camera system that can acquire visual information equivalent to boarding status. However, the detail range of field of view and the gaze target in boarding conditions have not been clarified. In this study, we measured the line of sight of the operator in boarding operations using the eye-mark recording system. From the results, we examined the field of view and the gazing target in boarding condition.


Solution-processed semiconductors are in demand for present and next-generation optoelectronic technologies ranging from displays to quantum light sources because of their scalability and ease of integration into devices with diverse form factors. One of the central requirements for semiconductors used in these applications is a narrow photoluminescence (PL) line width. Narrow emission line widths are needed to ensure both color and single-photon purity, raising the question of what design rules are needed to obtain narrow emission from semiconductors made in solution. In this review, we first examine the requirements for colloidal emitters for a variety of applications including light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, lasers, and quantum information science. Next, we will delve into the sources of spectral broadening, including "homogeneous" broadening from dynamical broadening mechanisms in single-particle spectra, heterogeneous broadening from static structural differences in ensemble spectra, and spectral diffusion. Then, we compare the current state of the art in terms of emission line width for a variety of colloidal materials including II-VI quantum dots (QDs) and nanoplatelets, III-V QDs, alloyed QDs, metal-halide perovskites including nanocrystals and 2D structures, doped nanocrystals, and, finally, as a point of comparison, organic molecules. We end with some conclusions and connections, including an outline of promising paths forward.


Filter design involves a trade-off between the size of the filter class over which optimization is to be performed and the size of the training sample. As the number of parameters determining the filter class grows, so too does the size of the training sample required to obtain a given degree of precision when estimating the optimal filter from the sample data. A common way to moderate the estimation problem is to use a constrained filter requiring less parameters, but then a trade-off between the theoretical filter performance and the estimation precision arises. The overall result strongly depends on the constraint type. Approaches presented in this paper divide the filter operation into two stages and apply constraints only to the first stage. Such filters are advantageous since they are fully optimal with respect to certain subsets of the filter window. Error expression, representation, and design methodology are discussed. A generic optimization algorithm for such two-stage filters is proposed. Special attention is paid to three particular cases, for which properties, design algorithms, and experimental results are provided: two-stage filters with linearly separable preprocessing, two-stage filters with restricted window preprocessing, and twostage iterative filters.


The quantum yield, φ, of nitrite formation in the 302 nm band photolysis of fluid or frozen aqueous nitrate solutions increases monotonically with temperature over the range 238−294 K. The presence of formate increases φ 5-fold but does not modify its temperature dependence. Considering that the detection of nitrite as a product is only possible after the initial photofragments (NO_2^- + O) escape the solvent cage and that the diffusivity of ice, D_(ice), is about 6 orders of magnitude smaller than that of supercooled water, D_(aq), at the same temperature, we infer that nitrate photodecomposition takes place in similar liquidlike media at all temperatures. We found that the nitrite dispersed into the bulk is subsequently degraded by OH radicals, another primary photoproduct that can be scavenged by formate. The fact that experimental φ values in ice are actually larger than those derived from linear φ vs D_(aq)T^(1/2) extrapolation of aqueous phase data, as expected for cage processes in homogeneous media, suggests that the photochemically relevant properties of the quasi-liquid layer covering ice below the normal melting point resemble those of bulk supercooled water, but other effects, such as the dissipation of excess photon energy into the medium, may also play a role.


Background: Malaria is an important parasitic vector-borne disease with considerable infectivity and world-wide distribution. Since prevalence of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum at the malarious areas such as Iran and reliable reports from many countries indicating emergence of chloroquine- resistant strains of P.vivax , this study was conducted to monitor the current response of vivax and falciparum plasmodia to chloroquine in Bandar-Abbas district, a malarious area in Iran. Methods: The study was conducted at the Bandar-Abbas district in Hormozgan province, Iran. 123 patients were enrolled and considered. The patients were treated with a standard 3 -day regimen of chloroquine and were followed-up clinically and parasitologically. The results were interpreted as mean parasite clearance time (MPCT) in P. vivax and early treatment failure (ETF) , late treatment failure (LTF) and adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) in P. falciparum . Results: The patients with vivax malaria were responded to the regimen of chloroquine within 24-216 hours. Most cases of the parasite clearance time occurred at 48 hours (50.40%) , and less of them at 120 , 168 , 192 and 216 hours with 0.81% for each of them. MPCT in this study was calculated as 61.07 (±26/47) hours for all of the patients. 33.33% and 66.66% of the patients with falciparum malaria were found at ACPR and LTF groups, respectively. Conclusion: This study confirms the efficacy of chloroquine on P.vivax . The extended parasite clearance time in a number of patients may be an early sign for reduced susceptibility of P.vivax to chloroquine in the studied areas. Most of the patients with falciparum malaria (66.66%) considered in this study did not respond to the regimen of chloroquine because of chloroquine- resistance in P.falciparum at the area. Abstract


A nondimensional analysis of particle behavior during cross-type optical particle separation was performed. A new dimensionless number, S, was defined as the ratio of the optical force to the viscous drag force, and the effects of varying S on particle motion were examined. For large S, the particles undergo acceleration, deceleration, and release as they pass through the laser beam. The retention distance is much longer for large S than for small S. In addition, the effects on particle behavior of varying the wavelength of the laser beam, the particle size, and the index of refraction of the particles were investigated. Furthermore, an analytical expression of the retention distance for large S was validated.


BACKGROUND
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy has achieved complete remission and durable response in highly refractory patients. However, logistical complexity and high costs of manufacturing autologous viral products limit CAR T cell availability.

METHODS
We reported the early results of a phase I/II trial in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) using donor-derived CD19 CAR T cells generated with the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon and differentiated into cytokine induced killer cells (CIK).

RESULTS
The cellular product was produced successfully for all patients from the donor peripheral blood (PB) and consisted mostly of CD3+ lymphocytes with 43% CAR expression. Four pediatric and 9 adult patients were infused with a single dose of CAR T cells. Toxicities reported were two grade I and a grade II cytokine release syndrome (CRS) cases at the highest dose, in the absence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), neurotoxicity, or dose-limiting toxicities. Six out of 7 patients, receiving the highest doses, achieved CR and CRi at day 28. Five out of 6 patients in CR were also minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative. Robust expansion was achieved in the majority of the patients. CAR T cells were measurable by transgene copy PCR up to 10 months. Integration site analysis showed a positive safety profile and highly polyclonal repertoire in vitro and at early time points after infusion.

CONCLUSION
SB-engineered CAR T cells expand and persist in pediatric and adult B-ALL patients relapsed after HSCT. Anti-leukemic activity was achieved without severe toxicities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov NCT03389035.

FUNDING
This study was supported by grants from AIRC; CRUK; FC AECC; Ministero della salute; FRRB.


The large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) is one of the most economically important mariculture fish species in China. In this study, the genetic diversity and relationship among a wild stock, four farmed stocks and a selectively bred strain of large yellow croaker were assessed by 14 microsatellite markers. A total of 108 different alleles were detected over all loci. The average number of allele per locus ranged from 5.57 to 7.93, with an average of 6.75; the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.572 to 0.665 and from 0.649 to 0.751, with an average of 0.621 and 0.694, respectively; the Shannon's diversity index ranged from 1.34 to 1.64, with an average of 1.48. The selectively bred strain had the lowest genetic diversity; all farmed stocks showed a slight reduction of genetic variability contrasted with wild stock. All stocks suffered severe bottleneck. The pair-wise FST, the phylogenetic tree, the factor correspondence analysis and the model based clustering analysis revealed that, the Ningbo stock, which was from Zhejiang province, was different from the remaining stocks from Fujian province. This study suggested that (1) the farmed stocks were at relatively low level of genetic diversity compared with the wild stock; (2) samples from Ningbo investigated in this study have a distinct divergence with those from Fujian province; (3) there had emerged significant differentiation among farmed stocks.


This paper looks at many contemporary issues in cross-cultural social research with indigenous knowledge (IK). The paper draws some practical examples and experiences based on two PhD research works done in two countries in the South – Zambia (Banda, 2008) and Bangladesh (Islam, 2009). The paper argues that this is the Eurocentric assumption which holds that no body of knowledge can be owned by a tribe or group of people and that alternative knowledge to universal knowledge is ignorance. Finally, this paper highlights the need for more research in IK by researcher from both the North and the South, but taking into account the peculiarities and complexities conducting research in IK.


Since making it out as the most powerful nation following the Second World War, Washington has demonstrated and employed two independent yet interlocking policies of Exceptionalism and Containment in its foreign policy. American exceptionalism is ingrained in its pride as the most powerful military and economic power, and a champion of democracy. While Washington sees itself as exceptional, it also believes that the fruition of its national interest and strategic objectives depends on bestowing friendly states with exceptional code. To place the discussion in perspective, we take Iran as a case study and explore the transition of Iran from being a recipient of American exceptional code, a strategic tool of American containment policy, to becoming an object of containment itself. The article applies George Kennan's exceptionalism and containment strategy on USA–Iran relations in both Shah's rule and post-revolution era. We conclude that decades of US exceptionalism in the region have multiplied into regional challenges for the USA itself and raised the importance of Iran and increased its security threats.


RATIONALE
Administration of intravenous crystalloid solutions is a fundamental therapy for sepsis, but the effect of crystalloid composition on patient outcomes remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES
To compare the effect of balanced crystalloids versus saline on 30-day in-hospital mortality among critically ill adults with sepsis.

METHODS
Secondary analysis of patients from the Isotonic Solutions and Major Adverse Renal Events Trial (SMART) admitted to the medical intensive care unit with an ICD-10-CM code for sepsis, using multivariable regression to control for potential confounders.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Of 15,802 patients enrolled in SMART, 1,641 patients were admitted to the medical intensive care unit with a diagnosis of sepsis. A total of 217 patients (26.3%) in the balanced crystalloids group experienced 30-day in-hospital morality, compared with 255 patients (31.2%) in the saline group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.59 - 0.93; P = 0.01). Patients in the balanced group experienced a lower incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days (35.4% vs 40.1%; aOR 0.78; 95% CI 0.63 - 0.97) and a greater number of vasopressor-free days (20 ± 12 vs 19 ± 13; aOR 1.25; 95% CI 1.02 - 1.54) and renal replacement therapy-free days (20 ± 12 vs 19 ± 13; aOR 1.35 [1.08 - 1.69]), compared to the saline group.

CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with sepsis in a large randomized trial, use of balanced crystalloids was associated with a lower 30-day in-hospital mortality compared to use of saline. Clinical trial registration available at www.clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT02444988.


Anopheles sinensis is the most widely distributed species which mainly transmit the Plasmodium vivax malaria in China. Transgenic techniques have been successfully established in many other mosquitoes, but not previously reported in An. sinensis. In this study, the piggyBac transposable element vector pBac[3xP3-EGFP afm] and the piggyBac helper plasmid phspBac were coinjected into preblastoderm eggs of An. sinensis, and the progenies were screened for eye EGFP fluorescence using a fluorescence microscope. A transformation frequency of 21.43% per fertile G0 was obtained. Two transgenic lines, AS2 and AS4, were established and characterized. Maintenance of transformed lines indicates that the transgene has been stable over twelve generations to date. Southern blot hybridization and inverse PCR analyses of genomic DNA demonstrated a precise piggyBac-mediated, single copy insertion of the pBac[3xP3-EGFP afm] transposon in each transgenic line. The sequence of insertion sites shows the usual canonical pattern of piggyBac integration into TTAA target sites. The eye-specific expression of GFP was continuously observed during larval, pupal and adult stages. Fluorescence was also observed in the neural tube and the anal papillae of larval stages starting from 1 day old larvae in the individuals of both transgenic lines. This work shows that piggyBac can be used for germline transformation in An. sinensis, yielding high transformation frequencies. This efficient method of stable gene transfer in An. sinensis opens the way for promising basic research and new genetics-based methods of control for this malaria vector. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


In 1970, Folkman proved that for any graph G there exists a graph H with the same clique number as G. In addition, any r ‐coloring of the vertices of H yields a monochromatic copy of G. For a given graph G and a number of colors r let f(G, r) be the order of the smallest graph H with the above properties. In this paper, we give a relatively small upper bound on f(G, r) as a function of the order of G and its clique number. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 40, 493–500, 2012


OBJECT
The aim of this study was to compare transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) in a degenerative disc model in rabbits to determine the better candidate for disc cell therapy.

METHODS
Mesenchymal stem cells and NPCs were transplanted in a rabbit model of disc degeneration. Changes in disc height, according to plain radiography, T2-weighted signal intensity on MR imaging, histology, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG)/DNA, and associated gene expression levels, were evaluated among healthy controls without surgery, sham-operated animals in which only disc degeneration was induced, MSC-transplanted animals, and NPC-transplanted animals for a 16-week period.

RESULTS
Sixteen weeks after cell transplantation, in the MSC- and NPC-transplanted groups, the decline in the disc height index was reduced and T2-weighted signal intensity increased compared with the sham-operated group. Safranin O staining showed a high GAG content, which was also supported by sGAG/DNA assessment. Disc regeneration was also confirmed at the gene expression level using real-time polymerase chain reaction. However, no significant differences in expression were found between the NPC- and MSC-transplanted groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Study data showed that MSC transplantation is effective for the treatment of disc degeneration and seems to be an ideal substitute for NPCs.


General intelligence (g) is highly correlated with working-memory capacity (WMC). It has been argued that these central psychological constructs should share common neural systems. The present study examines this hypothesis using structural magnetic resonance imaging to determine any overlap in brain areas where regional grey matter volumes are correlated to measures of general intelligence and to memory span. In normal volunteers (N = 48) the results (p < .05, corrected for multiple comparisons) indicate that a common anatomic framework for these constructs implicates mainly frontal grey matter regions belonging to Brodmann area (BA) 10 (right superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus) and, to a lesser degree, the right inferior parietal lobule (BA 40). These findings support the nuclear role of a discrete parieto-frontal network.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Anticoagulants such as heparins and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are effective for thrombosis prevention and treatment, but are associated with the risk of bleeding and other limitations, spurring the search for improved drugs. Areas covered: to evaluate the newer anticoagulants, focusing on those tested in phase III clinical trials such as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) and warfarin analogues. DOACs such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban are licensed for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and treatment of venous thromboembolism, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban for postoperative thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing elective hip or knee arthroplasty and rivaroxaban for secondary prevention of acute coronary syndromes. ASO interfering with Factor XI hepatic synthesis were effective and safe for thromboprophylaxis in elective knee arthroplasty. Expert opinion: DOACs have overcome some limitations of anticoagulants such as VKA, but are still associated with a risk of bleeding and they lack both standardized and widely available tests measuring their anticoagulant effect and a reversal agent, except for idarucizumab, specific for dabigatran, in case of major or life threatening bleeding or emergency surgery. Agents targeting Factor XI and possibly Factor XII may be ideal anticoagulants, as they can prevent thrombosis with low bleeding risk.


Tissues respond to damage by increasing inflammation and epithelial cell motility. How damage detection and responses are orchestrated is unclear. Overexpression of the membrane bound protease, Matriptase, or mutation of its inhibitor, Hai1, results in inflamed epithelia, in which cells have increased motility and are prone to carcinoma. How Matriptase leads to these cellular outcomes is unknown. We demonstrate that zebrafish hai1a mutants show increased H2O2, NfκB signalling, and IP3R-mediated calcium flashes, and that these promote inflammation, but do not generate epithelial cell motility. In contrast, inhibition of the Gq subunit rescues both the hai1a inflammation and epithelial phenotypes, with the latter recapitulated by the DAG analogue, PMA. We demonstrate that hai1a has elevated pERK, inhibition of which rescues the epidermal defects. Finally, we identify RSK kinases as pERK targets disrupting adherens junctions in hai1a mutants. Our work maps novel signalling cascades mediating the potent effects of Matriptase on epithelia, with implications for tissue damage response and carcinoma progression.


Membrane proteins are an essential part of the body's ability to maintain normal life activities. Further research into membrane proteins, which are present in all aspects of life science research, will help to advance the development of cells and drugs. The current methods for predicting proteins are usually based on machine learning, but further improvements in prediction effectiveness and accuracy are needed. In this paper, we propose a dynamic deep network architecture based on lifelong learning in order to use computers to classify membrane proteins more effectively. The model extends the application area of lifelong learning and provides new ideas for multiple classification problems in bioinformatics. To demonstrate the performance of our model, we conducted experiments on top of two datasets and compared them with other classification methods. The results show that our model achieves high accuracy (95.3 and 93.5%) on benchmark datasets and is more effective compared to other methods.


A numerical program has been written to calculate the temperature-time history of a uniformly pulse-heated composite superconductor cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection. The program determines the maximum sudden temperature rise from which the conductor can still recover the superconducting state. The program includes the effects of (1) current sharing, (2) the temperature variation of the specific heat of both the matrix and the superconductor, and (3) the temperature variation of the heat transfer coefficient. Using this program, one may optimize force-cooled conductors with respect to stability by simultaneously varying the copper-to-superconductor (Cu/SC) ratio and the metal-to-helium ratio. Use of stability-optimized conductors allows a given stability level to be maintained for a particular field and bath temperature and the pressure drop and pumping losses to be reduced.


We determined the nature of the fourth nucleotide from the 3'-end of several Escherichia coli tRNAs, and tabulated these results with the same data for all known tRNA sequences. We find a striking constancy of the fourth nucleotide in tRNAs specific for a given amino acid. Furthermore, tRNAs specific for chemically related amino acids are very likely to have the same nucleotide at the fourth position. One possible explanation for these regularities is the "discriminator" hypothesis: The code by which tRNA is recognized by its cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase is logically hierarchical, with the fourth nucleotide serving as a primary "discriminator" site to subdivide the tRNAs into groups for recognition purposes. Each such group could have its own recognition code, or could be further subdivided by a secondary discriminator site. According to this hypothesis, chemically similar amino acids have the same discriminator nucleotide because they evolved from a single set of related amino acids indistinguishable to a primitive system. There are other possible explanations for the observed regularities at the fourth nucleotide. For example, it is conceivable that the position is used for a direct physical interaction with the amino acid in the charging process, and chemically similar amino acids naturally select the same nucleotide. Further experiments can be expected to clarify this question.


Silver in Hybrid Membranes Facilitates Separation of Ethene and Ethane Researchers at the Osaka National Research Institute in Japan have achieved good selectivity of ethene against ethane in separation processes using inorganic– organic hybrid membranes containing silver(I) ions. The organic poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) part increased the flexibility of the inorganic network and immobilized the silver ions, which can function as olefin carriers. The membranes showed higher selectivity at higher temperatures, as thermal energy enhances the decomplexation rate of the silver olefin complexes. Separation of paraffins and olefins is usually carried out by cryogenic distillation. Among the alternatives that were investigated to replace this energy-intensive process, the use of facilitated support membranes containing Ag+ ions seemed to be promising. While supported liquid membranes and ion-exchange membranes require saturation of the feed gas with solvent, silver polymer membranes can be used to separate paraffins and olefins without water. The limitation of these membranes to low temperatures has now been overcome by replacing the pure polymer membrane with an organic–inorganic hybrid membrane as reported in the March issue of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. The hybrid membranes were prepared via a sol-gel route using tetraethoxysilane, propyl triethoxysilane, water, and HNO3. After several hours of stirring, PVP and later AgBF4 were added. Membranes were produced by dip-coating on a porous aluminum tube. Two membranes containing ~10 wt% PVP, one with and one without silver, as well as a membrane containing ~20 wt% PVP and silver ions, were prepared. Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry measurements suggested that the silver ions were bound to the amide group of the PVP segments. The silica matrix gave the membranes enhanced thermal stability; the PVP made the inorganic network more flexible and nonporous. While the membrane without silver ions showed little selectivity for ethene, both of the silver-containing membranes gave PC2H4 /PC2H6 ratios that increased with increasing temperature. At 423 K, values of 1.9 and 2.3 were observed for the membranes containing 10 wt% and 20 wt% PVP, respectively. The researchers said that selectivity of the membranes could be improved by, "(1) raising the temperature to increase the decomplexation rate of C2H4 from Ag+ and (2) increasing the PVP content." The researchers attribute the latter effect to the ability of the PVP to increase the flexibility of the inorganic framework and the immobilization of Ag+ in the polymer segments. CORA LIND


Abstract Three new phomalone derivatives, phomalichenones E-G (1–3), and seven known analogues (4–10) were isolated from the cultures of a deep-sea-derived fungus Alternaria sp. MCCC 3A00467. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including the 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD spectrum. Among the compounds isolated, phomalichenone F (2) presented cytotoxic activity against human myeloma cancer U266 cells with IC50 value of 24.99 μg/mL. The most active compound, 10, showed cytotoxicity against U266, HepG2 and A549 cells with IC50 values of 13.26, 14.69 and 24.39 μg/mL, respectively. Graphical Abstract


Normally, different financial institutions, i.e. banks, offer a vari ety of loans with different lending rates, according to a basic interest rate and the e xperience of the repayment patterns. In this paper, we construct and present a theore tic linear stochastic control model in order to evaluate the associated credit ris k and obtain the optimal strategy for the determination of the level of the lending inter est ates by optimizing the accumulated profit. Each sub-portfolio of loans is treated sepa rat ly during a unit interval while at the end of the each time period there is some ki nd of solvency interaction. We assume that the repayment pattern follows a Brownian motion and using advanced optimization techniques, the optimal solutions are derived. AMS (classification): 60E15, 91B28, 91B70, 93E20


Abstract The importance and impact of current globalization processes on relationships between peoples, institutions and structures—particularly, the (initial) retreat of the sovereign state and its return to power in its post sovereign form—are urgent issues for feminists. To depict this emerging reality, this article revisits the male-framed discourse and praxis of IR by focusing on the construction of sovereignty from the idea of the 'sovereign man.' From this vantage point, I will then demonstrate how globalization processes have undermined the integrity of state sovereignty through the weakening of the supremacy of state territoriality and its power to define identities and rules. At this historical juncture, the women's movement is faced with a dual challenge. At one level, the women's human rights project has gained ground with the codification of women's rights as well as the continuous participation of women's organizations at various levels of global governance structures like the United Nations. At another level, this achievement is being diluted by a clash of interests with other global governance regimes such as the trade and financial regimes advanced by international institutions like the World Trade Organization. The emerging trend is that of the post-sovereign state reasserting its monolithic status on the world stage and working with non-state entities so long as they serve the interests of the state. The women's movement must continue to engage with the state, while critically contesting it simultaneously.


A growing literature on professional service firms is hindered by the ambiguity of its central concept, which leads to an overly-narrow empirical focus and to over-generalizations that may tout inefficiencies as best practice. To address this ambiguity, I develop a theory of the distinctive characteristics of professional service firms and their organizational implications. I identify three distinctive characteristics--knowledge intensity, low capital intensity, and professionalized workforce - with which I propose a taxonomy of four types of knowledge intensive firms - Classic PSFs, Professional Campuses, Neo-PSFs, and Technology Developers - whose varying degrees of professional service intensity predict different organizational features. The analysis highlights the danger of conflating the implications of professionalization with those of knowledge intensity and calls for comparative research across a wider range of professional services.


A content of a biliary ways microflora and its correlation with clinical form and severity of inflammatory-destructive processes in hepatopancreatobiliary zone were studied up. The investigation objective was the optimization of a treatment--diagnostic tactics for the complications and remote recurrences rate reduction in a complicated biliary calculous disease. There was established, that a standard bacteriological investigation do not give a possibility to estimate some causes of a biliary ducts affection, a chlamidial infection in particular. So on, for the individual antibacterial therapy choosing a more detailed and modern examination of patients is needed.


In this paper, we present a solution to design a simulation model for mobile node with multiple radio interfaces in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks (MANET). This solution extends the mobile node architecture in NS2 network simulator to allow analysis and evaluation of the performance of multichannel mobile ad-hoc wireless networks. Simulation results show that the effectiveness of multi-radio mobile node model. Network performance with new mobile node architecture is greatly improved as the number of wireless interfaces increased.


Abstract The wave-induced bedload transport and spatial distribution of its magnitude in the southern Baltic coastal zone of Poland are estimated. The vicinity of Lubiatowo was selected as a representative part of the Polish coast. It was assumed that transport is a function of shear stress; alternative approaches, based on force balances and discharge relationships, were not considered in the present study. Four models were studied and compared over a wide range of bottom shear stress and wind-wave conditions. The set of models comprises classic theories that assume a simplified influence of turbulence on sediment transport (e.g., advocated by authors such as Du Boys, Meyer-Peter and Müller, Ribberink, Engelund and Hansen). It is shown that these models allow to estimate transport comparable to measured values under similar environmental conditions. A united general model for bedload transport is proposed, and a set of maps of wave bedload transport for various wind conditions in the study area is presented.


Background As the world population is progressively ageing, more and more elderly patients will require cancer surgery. Although curative surgery is the treatment of choice for resectable colorectal cancer (CRC), it is still debated whether elderly frail patients should undergo major cancer surgery due to the increased risk of postoperative and long-term mortality. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the impact of age and comorbidities on postoperative mortality/morbidity and long-term outcomes, looking for potential age-related survival differences. Methods A total of 1,482 patients operated for CRC at our institution between January 2005 and October 2020 were analysed. The independent effect of age and comorbidities on postoperative complications was assessed by a logistic model, while the effect on overall survival (OS) and cancer-related survival (CRS) was estimated by a Cox regression model. Results The median age in the cohort was 67.8 years. Postoperative mortality was very low in the whole cohort (0.8%) and contained even in older age groups (3.2% in patients aged 80–84 years, 4% in the 85–90-year age group). The cumulative incidence of postoperative complications was doubled in patients with comorbidities (32.8% vs. 15.1%, p = 0.002). With regard to OS, as expected, it exponentially decreased with advancing age. Conversely, differences in CRS were less pronounced between age groups and absent in patients with stage 0–I CRC. Analysis of all causes and cancer-related mortality revealed a peak within 2 years from surgery, suggesting a prolonged impact of surgery. In patients aged 75 years and above, all-cause mortality showed a steep increase 1 year after surgery, while cancer-related mortality plateaued at about 4 years after surgery. On multivariable analysis, OS, but not CRS, was significantly influenced by age. Conclusions Although acceptable results of surgery in elderly patients, OS is strongly dependent on age: older people die more from competing causes than cancer-related treatments compared to younger age classes. The preoperative identification of risk factors for low OS may help the selection of those elderly patients who would benefit from curative CRC surgery.


Is glad to hear Pierson will be in Havana June 9th or 10th; has fixed date for signing of sugar loan contract for June 10; Cubans will make ceremony of the signing; reemphasizes importance of bringing people with him who can help in drafting of authorizing act for the $25,000,000 credit and the new loan contract as well as people who can advise on agricultural and public works projects; has advised Cuban Government to have tentative drafts ready when Pierson and his associates arrive so that there will be something concrete to work on; thinks it would be advisable to discuss with Cubans principles which are to govern selection of projects Bank would consider; agrees with Pierson that Havana waterworks project presents difficulties, but thinks it should be undertaken.


Abstract Historians have maintained that popular music had an influence upon individuals and in turn society. Yet the historiography of popular music has focused far more on bands and wider social reactions to the music than on understanding how and why fans consumed music. This article demonstrates how a more fan-centric approach can allow for more subtle understandings of the influence and role of popular music in the twentieth century. During the 1970s, progressive rock was an important part of life for many young music fans. It provided them with escape, entertainment and a sense of individualism, community and intellectual reward, much of which centred upon the idea that the genre was different, uncommercial and difficult to access and understand. Progressive rock also encouraged some debate around issues of class amongst the young and helped cement the importance of individualism in middle-class and educated circles. However, many of the values articulated in progressive rock, not least the discontent with contemporary society and the emphasis on intellectual values, were also shared by many within the broader social framework that fans wanted to rebel against. Moreover, other musical subgenres liked to imagine themselves as similarly 'different' and thus progressive rock shows that the real significance of popular music for historians is not the music itself but rather how it was consumed and thought about by the fans themselves.


I examine competition in the sector of mortgage life insurance, in particular the periodic switching right (PSR), by which the borrower can change his insurer once every period (say, every year). The PSR is likely to have pro competitive effects (lower premium), but by the same move, to lead to excessive segmentation. The main theoretical prediction of the PSR is that, in equilibrium, everyone will pay every year a premium reflecting his current risk, meaning that the risk of future risk evolution is not covered. This destruction of insurance is appreciated negatively by consumers. The trade-off is between, on the one hand, a lower price for insurance, and on the other hand, a lower quality of insurance. I simulate the cost of the PSR and find about 5–15 % of the total insurance cost. This order of magnitude is slightly smaller than the benefit one can expect from increased competition. All in all, a switching right limited in time would bring the benefits of competition and avoid most of the cost of segmentation.


Understanding Vortex induced vibration (VIV) phenomenon is essential as it plays important role in designing marine risers which used in oil extraction from the seabed to the offshore platforms were exposed to external flows that may trigger dangerous VIV oscillations. The present two-dimensional numerical simulations of circular bluff body is a continuation of previous efforts trying to study the effect of frequency and amplitudes of the cylinder oscillation that is confined in the cross-flow and inline flow separately. The k-e turbulence model is used to simulate the turbulent flow to evaluate the drag and lift coefficient of circular towards the flow characteristics which used time independent test (transient) and tested at different Reynolds number between 10000 and 100000 with uniform velocities of 1.35m/s and 13.5m/s. Results from dynamic response of a cylinder bluff body vibrating at frequencies variation of 1.48 Hz, 2.77 Hz and 3 Hz within 0.3m, 0.5m and 0.7m amplitudes variation were observed in this study. It is shown that for inline flow, the vibration at 0.3m amplitude is significantly low for drag and lift coefficient value for Re at 100000 compared to Re at10000. Meanwhile for the cross flow value it is observed that gives high percentages with 39% of drag coefficient and with 59% of lift coefficient compare to inline flow at high amplitude. However at low mode amplitude the cross flow contributes more with 19% of drag coefficient and 11% for lift coefficient compare to inline flow. The result also show that the cylinder oscillate higher at frequency shedding value with higher magnitude for the cross flow compare to the inline flow. Consequently, in order to get better performance, the vortex modes in the wake of oscillating cylinder have been found to be dependent on the amplitude distribution along the length of the model. The results concludes that in order to avoid inevitable vibration it is advisable by increasing damping or splitter when designing marine riser to generate more stable vortex shedding frequency.


The ability to control postural steadiness is an important determinant of overcoming the internal and external environmental stimulus across the falls for stoke patients. Traditionally, assessments of postural steadiness are based on patient's ability to control the angular deviation of the center of mass (COM) within the base of support. In this study, a wireless inertial-based sensing modality with augmented biofeedback training protocol was developed and used for clinical evaluation. Eighteen cerebral vascular accident patients were recruited for the assessment. The experimental results revealed that biofeedback strategy together with motor skill learning protocol appears to be an important variable for improving postural steadiness during tandem stance.