Background Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were found to be a potential therapeutic choice for low extremity deep vein thrombosis. The aim of our research was to investigate the effect of resveratrol (RSV) on EPCs that may promote thrombus resolution and its potential pathway. Material/Methods EPCs were pretreated with RSV and migration; angiogenesis were evaluated ex vivo. Expression of miR-138 and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was also tested. A murine model of venous thrombosis was developed as an in vivo model. The effects of RSV treatment on mice with inferior venous thrombosis were evaluated. Results We found that RSV increased EPCs migration and tube formation ex vivo. RSV significantly inhibited miR-138 expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that FAK was a target of miR-138 and revealed that FAK knockdown downregulated migration and angiogenesis of RSV-treated EPCs. In addition, RSV-induced EPCs promoted thrombus resolution in a murine model of venous thrombosis. Conclusions We found the first evidence that intravenous injection of RSV-treated EPCs enhanced thrombus resolution in vivo. RSV exerted its role by reducing miR-138 expression and therefore upregulated FAK.


ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate clinical and histopathologic features of consecutive exotropia. Methods: Thirty patients with consecutive exotropia and negative forced duction testing underwent unilateral medial rectus resection and advancement. Abnormal scleral attachment (appearance of stretched scar or slipped muscle) was documented and compared with histopathology results. The term "stretched scar" is used when tendon-like scar appears between muscle fibers and scleral attachment. The term "slipped muscle" is used when a thin capsule is attached to the sclera and the muscle fibers retracted posteriorly in the capsule. Histopathologic results of resected medial rectus muscles of 11 control patients were compared with cases of consecutive exotropia. Surgical success was defined as <10 PD deviation at both distance and near, 6 months after the surgery. Dose–response and risk factors for abnormal scleral attachment were also evaluated. Results: Forty percent of the cases had abnormal scleral attachment. Nineteen patients (63%) showed successful results. The mean dose–responses were for near 4.7 and for distance 4.2 prism diopters per millimeters of resection plus advancement. Preoperative medial rectus underaction was a risk factor for abnormal scleral attachment. The mean muscle percentage in pathology was 10 ± 18.7 in patients with abnormal scleral attachment, 28.3 ± 27.9 in other consecutive exotropia patients, and 26.5 ± 30.6 in 11 control eyes. Conclusion: This study showed surgical success of 63% with one-muscle surgery in consecutive exotropia. Calculated dose–responses could be helpful in surgical planning. In the cases with preoperative medial rectus underaction, risk of abnormal scleral attachment is increased.


Dataset expansion can effectively alleviate the problem of data scarcity for medical image segmentation, due to privacy concerns and labeling difficulties. However, existing expansion algorithms still face great challenges due to their inability of guaranteeing the diversity of synthesized images with paired segmentation masks. In recent years, Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DPMs) have shown powerful image synthesis performance, even better than Generative Adversarial Networks. Based on this insight, we propose an approach called DiffuseExpand for expanding datasets for 2D medical image segmentation using DPM, which first samples a variety of masks from Gaussian noise to ensure the diversity, and then synthesizes images to ensure the alignment of images and masks. After that, DiffuseExpand chooses high-quality samples to further enhance the effectiveness of data expansion. Our comparison and ablation experiments on COVID-19 and CGMH Pelvis datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of DiffuseExpand. Our code is released at https://anonymous.4open.science/r/DiffuseExpand.


BACKGROUND
Chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to be useful adjuncts to daily oral home care in the control of plaque and gingivitis. The objective of the study was to evaluate effect of two oral rinses; Chlorohexidine and Listerine on Plaque and Gingivitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A doubled blind study was done on 150 patients visiting OPD of oxford general hospital for 2 months to compare the efficiency of two commercially available mouth rinses i.e. chlorohexdine (0.2%) & Listerine on plaque & gingivitis, along with a Placebo.

RESULTS
At the end of 28 weeks chlorohexdine & listerine significantly reduced plaque growth & gingivitis compared to a Placebo however chlorohexdine was more effective than Listerine.

CONCLUSION
Chlorehexidine (0.2%) and a phenolic mouth rinse significantly reduced plaque growth and gingival inflammation compared to a placebo mouthrinse, however chlorhexidine rinse was more effective against plaque regrowth than the phenolic rinse. How to cite this article: Goutham BS, Manchanda K, Sarkar AD, Prakash R, Jha K, Mohammed S. Efficacy of two commercially available Oral Rinses - Chlorohexidine and Listrine on Plaque and Gingivitis - A Comparative Study. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(4):56-61.


- Supercapacitors as novel energy storage devices between conventional capacitors and batteries, with more specific capacitance and energy densities than conventional capacitors and more power densities than batteries are to be used in many fields. Supercapacitor is regarded as one of good alternatives for meeting the requirement of market with excellent power performance and high cyclability. This paper deals with the characteristics of charge and discharge behavior of supercapacitor module for developing 42V hybrid energy storage system with lead acid battery and supercapacitor in order to adopt to 42V power net for vehicle. An analysis performed in this paper indicates that supercapacitor storage system may be cost effective for high cycle applications


We assessed the usefulness of Cladocera remains for establishing the ecological status of oxbows and also tested the association of Cladocera species with various vegetation types. Cladocera remains were collected from the surface sediment of four habitat types (tangled vegetation, open water, reeds and tunnels) and 15 physical and chemical parameters of surface water were studied. In the surface sediment samples, we identified 32 Cladocera taxa. There was a significant difference in the number of species amongst habitat types as per ANOVA. The benthic and plant associated Cladocera communities of reeds, tangled vegetation, open water and tunnels were clearly separated from each other by NMDS ordination. CCA showed that habitat types had characteristic Cladocera species: Pleuroxus species were frequent in the tangled vegetation habitat, while Chydorus species were frequent in the open water. Remarkably, in reeds, Bosmina species were frequent, although these species are usually common in open water. Specimens of the Alona genus were found everywhere. Our findings suggest that the remains of Cladocera species may be useful indicators to assess and monitor the structure of freshwater lakes.


An efficient synthetic method for (-)-coriolin has been developed on the basis of a [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of a 1-(methylthio)-2-siloxyallyl cationic species and vinylsulfides. An enantiomerically pure C-ring unit was prepared through optical resolution of five-membered allyl ester 6b using a lipase. The first [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of C-ring unit (S)-7 gave bicyclic ketones 8 and 9, which were easily converted into vinyl sulfide 11. Stereoselective construction of the A-ring was achieved by the second [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of the BC-ring unit. New methods for introduction of the oxygen functional groups to the triquinane skeleton were also developed for the last stages of the total synthesis. Thus, the C7 hydroxyl group was introduced by epoxidation of dienol silyl ether 17, and stereocontrolled construction of the spiro epoxide moiety was accomplished on the basis of a Darzens-type reaction.


Gummy smile constitutes a relatively frequent aesthetic alteration characterized by excessive exhibition of the gums during smiling movements of the upper lip. It is the result of an inadequate relation between the lower edge of the upper lip, the positioning of the anterosuperior teeth, the location of the upper jaw, and the gingival margin position with respect to the dental crown. Altered Passive Eruption (APE) is a clinical situation produced by excessive gum overlapping over the enamel limits, resulting in a short clinical crown appearance, that gives the sensation of hidden teeth. The term itself suggests the causal mechanism, i.e., failure in the passive phase of dental eruption, though there is no scientific evidence to support this. While there are some authors who consider APE to be a risk situation for periodontal health, its clearest clinical implication refers to oral esthetics. APE is a factor that frequently contributes to the presence of a gummy or gingival smile, and it can easily be corrected by periodontal surgery. Nevertheless, it is essential to establish a correct differential diagnosis and good treatment plan. A literature review is presented of the dental eruption process, etiological hypotheses of APE, its morphologic classification, and its clinical relevance.


We consider the theory of closed p-branes propagating on (p + 1)dimensional space-time manifolds. This theory has no local degrees of freedom. Here we study its canonical and BRST structures of the theory. In the case of locally flat backgrounds one can show that the p-brane theory is related to another known topological field theory. In the general situation some equivalent actions can also be written for the topological p-brane theory. PACS number: 11.15.-q, 11.25.-w


Abstract During the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, sports organizations and companies had to look for new ways to connect with their customers by offering physical activity (PA) alternatives to do at home. This study explores the perceptions of 175 undergraduate sports science students regarding their social media (SM) and PA patterns during the first Spanish COVID-19 lockdown period (March to May 2020). From their homes, the students completed an ad hoc online questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software to perform descriptive and inferential analysis (t-test). The results show that the participants used SM during the COVID-19 lockdown to visualize or practice PA, perceiving SM platforms as channels through which to motivate themselves to perform PA, promote it or learn about new training disciplines. Significant gender differences were found with respect to the practice of PA using SM, with females showing higher scores than males. YouTube and Instagram were the most used SM platforms for viewing or practicing PA. In terms of practical implications, this study reinforces the role of SM in sports management for creating opportunities to connect with customers and offer innovative PA proposals in the challenging period brought on by COVID-19.


Background: Sebum production is associated with several factors including hormonal, and nutritional factors. Sleeping pattern could also affect changes in androgen levels associated with sebum production and acne. During Ramadan, moslems are obliged to fast from dawn to sunset, causing nutritional intake and sleeping pattern changes. Objectives: This study was aimed to find association between nutritional intake and sleeping pattern during Ramadan with sebum production. Methods: Ramadan fasting practitioners (40 male, mean age ±SD : 19.19±1.03 years) were evaluted before and 3 weeks into Ramadan fasting. Parameters assessed were nutrient intakes (using 24-hour food recalls), sleep quality and duration (using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and sleep diary. Sebum productions were measured using SebutapeR technique. Results: Significant decreases were found in protein (p=0.014), total fat (p=0.031), milkshake(p=0.001) and cheese intakes (p=0.013). Glycemic load was also decreased significantly (p=0.006). Despite no reduction in total sleep duration, night sleep duration was significantly reduced during Ramadan (p=0.000) associated with more subjects with poor sleep quality (p=0.039). Sebum production was increased significantly during Ramadan (p=0.028) Conclusion: Despite lower glycemic load and dairy products intakes, and lower sleep duration, Ramadan fasting was associated with increased sebum production. It was likely a result of circadian rhythm shift in sebaceous glands activities.


Colman's critique of classical game theory is correct, but it is well known. Colman's proposed mechanisms are not plausible. Insufficient reason does what "team reasoning" is supposed to handle, and it applies to a broader set of coordination games. There is little evidence ruling out more traditional alternatives to Stackelberg reasoning, and the latter is implausible when applied to coordination games in general.


An approach of character recognition of license plate image based on multiple classifiers is proposed in this paper. For numbers and English characters, features are extracted from binary character images by ET1, DT12 and jumping. For Chinese characters, features are extracted from gray-scale character images by Gabor filters which are specially designed from statistical information. In order to access a high recognition rate, 3 classifiers are used. They are SVM, BP ANN and minimum distance classifier. All the classifiers are arranged by a structure of voting. Experiments show that the proposed method has effective performance on Chinese character image recognition.


AIMS
This study aimed to test the effects of a novel diabetes self-management education (DSME) programme focused on multilevel social resources utilization on improving self-management behaviour, social resources utilization and haemoglobin Alc (HbA1c ) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS
A randomized controlled design was used. A total of 118 participants with T2DM from two communities were recruited through randomized sampling, and randomly assigned to the novel DSME group or the traditional DSME group. DSME focusing on multilevel social resources utilization was implemented in the novel DSME group. Data were collected at baseline (T0 ), at the end of the intervention (T1 ) and 3 months after the end of intervention (T2 ) from 3 March to 16 November 2014.

RESULTS
Comparing these two groups, the participants in the novel DSME group reported significantly better improvement in self-management behaviour and social resources utilization at T1 and T2 (all p < 0.01). A significant difference was found in the mean improvement of HbA1c level between the two groups at T2 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The novel DSME programme focused on multilevel social resources utilization can effectively enhance T2DM patients' self-management behaviour and social resource utilization and lower HbA1c levels. More importantly, the effects could last longer.


Colloidal (COM) or macromolecular organic matter makes up a significant portion of the bulk dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool in aquatic environments. Because of their high specific surface areas and complexation capacities, marine colloids are of great importance not only in the global carbon cycle but also in the biogeochemical cycling of many particle‐reactive nuclides and trace elements in the ocean. However, the colloidal pool as a whole is still poorly understood and largely uncharacterized. Recently, cross‐flow ultrafiltration and other separation techniques, which have been successfully used to isolate marine colloids, combined with a multitracer approach, have greatly advanced our understanding of the cycling of COM and its associated trace elements in marine environments. In this paper we focus on recent developments on isotopic and elemental composition of colloids which allow organic matter cycling in marine environments to be constrained. Major sections review sampling techniques for aquatic colloids, concentrations and distribution of COM, biochemical and elemental (organic and inorganic) characterization, and stable isotopic (13C and 15N) and radioisotopic (14C and 234Th) characterization of marine colloids. We discuss sources and turnover rates of organic matter in the ocean, importance of benthic boundary layer processes in the cycling of DOM, changes in the paradigms of marine organic matter cycling, and research needs for a better understanding of the biogeochemistry of marine colloids.


Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is one of the non-thermal methods of food processing. PEF technology has been reported and recognized by a number of food researchers as an alternate method of conventional thermal processing for fluid and semi-fluid foods. Recently, the PEF technique application has been exploited in the field of extraction of bio-molecules, drying enhancement and enzyme activity modification. PEF has also proved significant and more effective application with moderate thermal treatment for food preservation as hurdle technology. Although significant work was found in the domain of milk and fruit juice processing and preservation, but limited reported work was found in the area of application of PEF for vegetable juice processing while no reported work was found on PEF treatment of mint and curry leaves juices. This paper reports about application of PEF and its effects in sensory qualities of the vegetable juices after a specified treatment. Few vegetable juices were treated, i.e. cabbage, cucumber, bitter gourd along with mint leaves and curry leaves. No changes in sensory properties were found between treated and untreated samples.


Background: The 21st century is characterized as "the century of life sciences", as the scientists are now able to manipulate the hereditary material of living beings. Already, genes are used for the preparation of biodegradable, artificial new materials as well as for construction products. Stem cells are a new therapeutic tool of medicine, different from what we have been using until today. Moreover, with their plasticity, they offer the possibility of replacement of cells and tissues, especially in cases such spinal cord injury, strokes, burns, heart diseases and diabetes. Aim: The main aim of the present review was to explore the possibilities offered by genetic engineering, especially in the research field of embryonic stem cells, their possible therapeutic applications, as well as the embryonic stem cell research, which raises intense ethical and legal considerations. Method and material: A literature review was performed both in Greek and international journals. Furthermore, we investigated legislative approaches and databases of biomedical studies and sites of the European Union Member States national bioethics committees. Results: Ethical and legal concepts were of utmost importance for the stakeholders involved. Furthermore, the possibilities offered by genetic engineering, especially in the field of research on embryonic stem cells were highlighted. Conclusions: The potential therapeutic applications of its use lead to an extensive reference regarding the issue of using embryonic stem cells, which creates intense ethical and legal considerations that require sustained interdisciplinary research on the best use of this new option for the good of humanity.


The technologies of heterogeneous oligomerization of light alkenes C 2 –C 4 , both currently used in industry and potentially applicable for production of motor fuel components are considered. Main types of systems used as heterogeneous catalysts for the said processes are discussed, among which are «solid phosphoric acid», amorphous aluminosilicates, zeolites, ion exchange resins, anion modified metal oxides, as well as nickel-containing catalysts. Particular attention is paid to dimerization of isobutylene to produce isooctene to be hydrogenated to isooctane.


Why do films certain remain influential throughout film
history? The purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer this
question. To do so, we adopt some quantitative approaches that
facilitate an objective interpretation of the data. The data source
we have chosen for this study is the Internet Online Movie
Database (IMDb), and in particular, one of its sections called
"Connections", which lists references made to a film in
subsequent movies and references made in the film itself to
previous ones. The extraction and analysis of these networks of
citations allows us to draw some conclusions about the most
influential movies in film history, identifying their
distinguishing features, and considering how their popularity
has evolved over time.


This thesis investigates the Athabasca oil sands as a site removed from the public's perception. As a result of physical distance and specialization, the oil sands are perceived dominantly through images circulated by artists, activists, and industry. The image-based experience constructs an illegible territory on paper and screens, stemming from a site whose complexities resist representation. Through this research, I will analyze the perception of sites that are not directly experienced and create a visual infrastructure for oil sand representations already widely circulated, that are 'siteless' in the imagination of those for whom the site is off-limits. Architecturally, this work will focus on the role of scale in transitioning images from inaccessible realities to highly disseminated paper spaces, and onwards to the imagination. How can we read this land and what are the challenges and limits of representational media?


Previous studies have revealed the beneficial effects exerted by dietary fiber in human inflammatory bowel disease, which were associated with an increased production of SCFA in distal colon. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the probable mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of a fiber-supplemented diet (5% Plantago ovata seeds) in the trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) model of rat colitis, with special attention to its effects on the production of some of the mediators involved in the inflammatory response, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and nitric oxide (NO). Rats were fed the fiber-supplemented diet for 2 wk before TNBS colitis induction and thereafter until colonic evaluation 1 wk later. The results obtained showed that dietary fiber supplementation facilitated recovery from intestinal insult as evidenced both histologically, by a preservation of intestinal cytoarchitecture, and biochemically, by a significant reduction in colonic myeloperoxidase activity and by restoration of colonic glutathione levels. This intestinal anti-inflammatory effect was associated with lower TNFalpha levels and lower NO synthase activity in the inflamed colon, showing significant differences when compared with nontreated colitic rats. Moreover, the intestinal contents from fiber-treated colitic rats showed a significantly higher production of SCFA, mainly butyrate and propionate. We conclude that the increased production of these SCFA may contribute to recovery of damaged colonic mucosa because they constitute substrates for the colonocyte and, additionally, that they can inhibit the production of proinflammatory mediators, such as TNFalpha and NO.


Recent advancements in DAS technology open new ways for borehole-based seismic monitoring of CO2 geosequestration. Compared to 4D surface seismic monitoring, repeated VSP surveys with DAS receivers reduce the cost and invasiveness of time-lapse CO2 monitoring considerably. However, standard borehole imaging techniques cannot provide the same level of reservoir illumination as 3D surface seismic. The performance of VSP imaging can be significantly improved with interferometric utilization of free-surface multiples. We present results of a feasibility study of interferometric imaging with a synthetic walkaway VSP dataset, followed by its application to field walkaway VSP data recorded by conventional borehole geophones and two types of DAS (standard and engineered fibers). Both experiments (synthetic and field) demonstrate that interferometric imaging is a viable method to extend the subsurface image beyond the coverage of standard VSP imaging. Specifically, the interferometry approach provides a more detailed upper section of the subsurface, while standard migration of primary reflections provides a more detailed bottom part of the image. Comparison of the standard and engineered fibers shows that both fibers are sensitive to free-surface multiples, but the engineered fiber provides much higher signal to noise ratio, and thus is preferable for interferometric imaging with multiples. The result obtained with the engineered DAS cable shows that in the depth range suitable for both methods, the VSP interferometric image of reflectors is comparable to the surface seismic image. The experiment on the field DAS data proves that DAS is sensitive enough to record the non-primary wavefield for imaging and monitoring of the subsurface.


Administrative law is in considerable ferment as the Supreme Court has become increasingly receptive to attacks on its core doctrines. In a new book, two towering figures in the world of administrative law, Professors Cass Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule, mount a defense of those doctrines premised on Lon Fuller's jurisprudential theory of the morality of law. They argue that although much of administrative law is not aligned with the text of the Constitution or the Administrative Procedure Act, it largely comports with an equally legitimate (or, perhaps, higher) authority—morality. Another preeminent administrative law scholar, Professor Richard Epstein, tests that defense in a new book of his own. He argues that Fuller's framework is an inadequate standard because it does not recognize that procedural defects undermine a law's legitimacy and assumes, erroneously, that law's morality may be judged independent of any assessment of the substance of the law.

This Book Review examines both books and concludes that Epstein has the better argument. Not only is Fuller's framework incomplete, but Sunstein and Vermeule ignore ways that modern administrative law violates that framework. They do not, for example, account for biased decision-making when agencies exercise judicial power, which violates Fuller's rule that there must be no discrepancy between a law's text and its application. Epstein's criticisms, however, are incomplete. He misses another significant problem with Fuller's framework: It is of dubious applicability to a constitutional republic. Fuller's framework rests on the assumption that law is created by an absolute monarch. As such, Fuller's rules are the only constraints on the king's lawmaking ability. The various branches of a constitutional republic, however, face additional constraints that are both procedural and substantive. All three debaters accept the application of Fuller's framework to American administrative law without asking whether it can be imported wholesale into a constitutional republic that separates and limits power. The modern administrative leviathan has broken those constraints. With the assistance of Congress and the Supreme Court, the administrative state has usurped legislative and judicial powers that the Framers assigned elsewhere. Sunstein and Vermeule try to convince their readers that, despite all that, the beast is not dangerous. They have failed.


A study has been made on the State 1-State 2 transitions exhibited by the unicellular green algae Chlore&apyrenoidosa. ChlorophyUl fluorescence induction curves from algae adapted to State 1 or State 2 have been analyzed and a comparison made with similar curves produced by decreasing the intensity of light going to the photosystem II reaction centers. In both cases, quenching of the maximum fluorescence yield (Fm) and the initial fluorescence yield (F.) were observed so that the Fvs/Fm ratio and the area above the induction curve (A,,.,) remained constant. The State 1-State 2 transition also produced changes in the 8,B component indica- tive of some alteration within photosystem II organization. The implications of these experiments on the in vivo mechanism for energy redistribution between the two photosystems are discussed in terms of changes in absorption cross-section rather than being due to spillover from photosys- tem II to photosystem L. These changes may reflect the phosphorylation of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complex and its subsequent migration away from the photosystem II core leading to its closer association with photosystem I.


Chatbots are becoming important today because of their various technical functions. They are commonly known for providing legal guidance on processes and general information. However, chatbots can also help solve issues of social disconnectedness. This article takes a wide view of the various types of chatbot that deal with socio-legal issues, with a focus on the use of chatbots by organisations that provide certain forms of legal services, such as community legal services. It highlights the chatbot's ability to create a social impact, while ensuring adherence to rules of legal ethics and principles of ethics in Artificial Intelligence.


Introduction: Airway reversibility is often seen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Impulse oscillation technique can assess respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs). Within-breath (expiratory-inspiratory) alterations in Rrs and Xrs may reflect dynamic airway compression in COPD. Aims and Objectives: To find out whether the within-breath analysis of Rrs and Xrs is valid for the assessment of airway reversibility in COPD. Methods: Before and after inhalation of sarbutamol, 48 patients with stable COPD and 16 control smokers underwent spirometry and impulse oscillation measurements of Rrs and Xrs. The COPD patients were classified as responders (R; n = 18) or non-responders (NR; n = 30) based upon whether or not post-bronchodilator forced expiration volume in 1 second (FEV1) was increased by ≥12% or ≥200 mL. Within-breath differences in Rrs at 5Hz (ΔR5) and 20Hz (ΔR20), Xrs at 5Hz (ΔX5), resonant frequency (ΔFres), and low-frequency reactance area (ΔAX) were analysed. Results: Pre-bronchodilator spirometry parameters, ΔR5, ΔR20, ΔX5,and ΔFres were similar between R and NR. Only ΔAX was higher in R compared with NR. Following inhalation, ΔX5 and ΔAX were significantly improved in R when compared with NR and controls (p Conclusions: Airway reversibility in COPD may result from the change in respiratory reactance. The within-breath analysis of Xrs may be useful for the assessment of drug responsiveness in COPD.


The changes made by emerging technologies brought a significant effect on how people deal with everyday living even the least and reserved individuals in the community. In the Philippines, especially the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) a commission empowered to take the necessary protection and preservation of welfare, rights, and culture among IP's has been affected by this rapid changes, particularly the Ancestral Domains. It has twenty (20) Certified Ancestral Domain Title (CADT's), two (2) ongoing and CADTiables comprising areas of the Caraga region. Gathering and producing of information has always been a challenge but over the years it was eventually resolved into manually storing and keeping of data into the computer. Time, being an essential factor in the delivery of service to the IP clients and vital in coordination with other agencies, as much as possible the office responds immediately to the needs of the clients by providing them with reliable and accurate data. However, with the current status quo, retrieving files will take time, thus delaying coordination and delaying delivery of service to the clients. A "Web-based GIS Ancestral Domain Management Using Pull Technology" is a response to the pressing needs of the commission to the delivery of service to their clients, a digitized spatial data banking. The system is packed with a variety of technologies such as Mobile, Web, GIS, and other mapping tools and frameworks; scripting languages and database software integrating therein that made it functional. Thus, providing a convenient and efficient way of information generation.


Author(s): du Plessis, Lindsay Danielle | Advisor(s): Thomas-Tobin, Courtney S | Abstract: Delinquent behavior is an important public health issue that contributes to health disparities among Black young adults. While all young adults face risk of delinquency, Black Americans may be particularly at risk. Black youth are disproportionately arrested at high rates and once detained, they are funneled deeper into the system. Therefore, there is a need to identify the risk and protective factors associated with delinquency among this population to inform intervention efforts and decrease the numbers of Blacks in the criminal justice system. Prior research has identified structural, environmental, and social factors, including exposure to trauma, which lead to delinquent behavior. Although recent studies have recognized the importance of trauma in shaping delinquency and demonstrate that Black Americans experience more trauma than other groups, there has been limited consideration of the role of trauma in shaping delinquent behavior among this population. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify the multiple types of trauma faced by Black young adults, evaluate the pathways linking trauma to delinquency, and assess gendered patterns in these relationships. Data was used from one wave of the Transitions Study, which is a community-based epidemiological study of stress and well-being during transitional life periods among young adults in South Florida. The effective sample size was 483 Black young adults. Results indicated that exposure to trauma was slightly higher among men than women, with family trauma and witnessed violence as the most common types experienced. Gender-stratified models also showed that experienced violence and witnessed violence were more common among men, and family trauma and sexual abuse were more common among women. Logistic regression models revealed that experienced violence was associated with the highest odds of being delinquent, whereas family trauma had a smaller association with delinquency. When assessing gendered patterns, witnessed violence was more influential for men, and experienced violence was more influential among women. Taken together, the findings of this study highlight the importance of gender for shaping traumatic experiences and their association with delinquency among Black young adults. Moreover, they underscore the significance of trauma as a correlate of delinquent behavior that should be further explored.


The development of internet technology and the ease of access of various communication equipment, have an influence on the style of consumers to shop effectively and efficiently. Web-based electronic commerce in business competition requires more creative and innovative ways to better indulge consumers to remain loyal. Therefore the Costomer Relationship Management (CRM) method is determined by the company to get as many costomers as possible in order to establish good relationships with consumers. Istana Karpet dan Perabot is one of the companies engaged in the sale of furniture. In the process of ordering as long as this happens it is done by the way consumers come directly to the store. The system that has been used often creates obstacles in the process of providing information about the latest products and making orders. In overcoming this problem, the Istana Karpet dan Perabot requires a computational system that is able to introduce its products and place orders online.


The number of vehicle accidents is rapidly increasing and causing significant economic losses in many countries. According to the World Health Organization, road accidents will become the fifth major cause of death by the year 2030. To minimize these accidents different types of collision warning systems have been proposed for motor vehicle drivers. These systems can early detect and warn the drivers about the potential danger, up to a certain accuracy. Many researchers study the effectiveness of these systems by using different methods, including Electroencephalography (EEG). From the literature review, it has been observed that, these systems increase the drivers' response and can help to minimize the accidents that may occur due to drivers unconsciousness. For these collision warning systems, tactile early warnings are found more effective as compared to the auditory and visual early warnings. This review also highlights the areas, where further research can be performed to fully analyze the collision warning system. For example, some contradictions are found among researchers, about these systems' performance for drivers within different age groups. Similarly, most of the EEG studies focus on the front collision warning systems and only give beep sound to alert the drivers. Therefore, EEG study can be performed for the rear end collision warning systems, against proper auditory warning messages which indicate the types of hazards. This EEG study will help to design more friendly collision warning system and may save many lives.


The drumset is a 20th-century American instrument whose historical development has largely been the result of African American creativity. It stands today as one of the most widely played, recognized, and powerful instruments used on the global stage. The trap drumset emerged in the late 1890s, when single percussionists were forced for economic and logistical reasons to operate a multitude of instruments. Snare and bass drums of the concert and marching bands in New Orleans provided a base to which, from 1900 to 1930, other accessories or "trappings" - hence the name traps - were added. This diverse sound palette enabled percussionists to accompany films, theater, and other stage shows and dances. Additions included whistles, cowbells, tympani, chimes, marimba, bells, bird calls, and many other instruments. Early drummers, in their search for new sounds, also adopted the instruments they heard played by Chinese immigrants in urban areas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, like the small Chinese cymbal (Bo), large gong (Da Luo), woodblock (Ban), temple blocks (Mu-Yu), and the first tom-tom (Bangu), usually a thick painted pigskin drum head tacked on to a red painted wooden shell. Later, during the 1920s and 1930s, high-hat cymbals - at first less than one foot high and called low boys (Papa Joe Jones told me in 1981 that he invented the longer rod which brought the high hat to its present, aptly named height, but the Leedy drum company stole his idea and took all the rewards) - bass drum pedals, manufactured mounted and floor tom-toms, and larger cymbals came to be included in the drumset. By the bebop innovation of the 1940s, the drumset had assumed the basic form still in use today - bass and snare drums, tom-toms, high-hat cymbals, and ride and crash cymbals. In addition to its physical history, I suggest that the drumset has a spiritual heritage traceable to the ancient drum orchestras of West Africa, especially in the coastal rain forest region from Ivory Coast through Ghana, Togo, and Benin to Nigeria, where drumming is highly diversified into variously pitched and timbred drums, bells, and rattles. In these areas there is a master drummer who directs the dynamic interplay of song, dance, and drumming with conversational dialogues (calls and responses). An ensemble of distinct personal drum voices, each with its own pitch range, timbre, and rhythm, specified by tradition, repertoire, and occasion of performance, comes together to make a composite statement. This dynamic living force creates a space for the "gods to descend," for people to connect with each other, with nature, with life, and with themselves. An interplay of coordinated independent voices characterizes the function, sound, and feel of the drumset performer in the African American "jazz" tradition and West African drumming. The historical genocide of captive peoples and the radically different geographic, social, and political circumstances in the "new world" account for the evolution of this new instrument, which produced an ensemble of multiple sounds, speaking in a composite voice, mirroring the dramatic action of an ensemble, soloist, or dance. Dancers at the Savoy ballroom or tap dancers on the sidewalks of 125th Street in New York interact with the music: Not only do they dance to the music, but they create new rhythms, new music, as a response to what they hear. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, when musical instruments, especially drums (which could be used for communication and revolt, as well as spiritual remembrances and affirmation), were forbidden, African American people used their bodies as instruments. The coordinated interdependence of multiple percussive instrumental voices in a composite statement is found in the "Pattin' Juba" hand-clapping and foot-stomps of African American peoples throughout the South (Jones and Hawes 37-40). Juba is a clapping play similar to the "hambone" patting and movements many Americans learned in the 1950s and '60s. …


Smallholder agroecosystems play a key role in the world's food security providing more than 50% of the food produced globally. These unique agroecosystems face a myriad of challenges and remain largely unsupported, yet they are thought to be a critical resource for feeding the projected increasing human population in the coming years. The new challenge to increase food production through agricultural intensification in shrinking per capita arable lands, dwindling world economies, and unpredictable climate change, has led to over-dependence on agrochemical inputs that are often costly and hazardous to both human and animal health and the environment. To ensure healthy crop production approaches, the search for alternative ecofriendly strategies that best fit to the smallholder systems have been proposed. The most common and widely accepted solution that has gained a lot of interest among researchers and smallholder farmers is the use of biological agents; mainly plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) that provide essential agroecosystem services within a holistic vision of enhancing farm productivity and environmental protection. PGPMs play critical roles in agroecological cycles fundamental for soil nutrient amelioration, crop nutrient improvement, plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, biocontrol of pests and diseases, and water uptake. This review explores different research strategies involving the use of beneficial microorganisms, within the unique context of smallholder agroecosystems, to promote sustainable maintenance of plant and soil health and enhance agroecosystem resilience against unpredictable climatic perturbations.


Estimating soil carbon content as the product of mean carbon concentration and bulk density can result in considerable overestimation. Carbon concentration and soil mass need to be measured on the same sample and carbon contents calculated for each individual sample before averaging. The effect of this bias is likely to be smaller (but still greater than zero) when the primary objective is to determine stock changes over time. Variance and mean carbon content are significantly and positively related to each other, although some sites showed much higher variability than predicted by this relationship, as a likely consequence of their particular site history, forest management, and micro-topography. Because of the proportionality between mean and variance, the number of samples required to detect a fixed change in soil carbon stocks varied directly with the site mean carbon content from less than 10 to several thousands across the range of carbon stocks normally encountered in temperate and Boreal forests. This raises important questions about how to derive an optimal sampling strategy across such a varied range of conditions so as to achieve the aims of the Kyoto Protocol. Overall, on carbon-poor forest sites with little or no disturbance to the soil profile, it is possible to detect changes in total soil organic carbon over time of the order of 0.5 kg (C) m(-2) with manageable sample sizes even using simple random sampling (i.e., about 50 samples per sampling point). More efficient strategies will reveal even smaller differences. On disturbed forest sites (ploughed, windthrow) this is no longer possible (required sample sizes are much larger than 100). Soils developed on coarse aeolian sediments (sand dunes), or where buried logs or harvest residues of the previous rotation are present, can also exhibit large spatial variability in soil carbon. Generally, carbon-rich soils will always require larger numbers of samples. On these sites, simple random sampling is unlikely to be the preferred method, because of its inherent inefficiency. More sophisticated approaches, such as paired re-sampling inside relatively small plots (see, for example, Ellert et al., 2001) are likely to reduce sample size significantly and lead to detection of smaller differences in carbon stocks over time. However, it remains to be shown that at these sites the application of efficient sampling designs will result in the detection of differences relevant for the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol (cf., Conant et al., 2003). Finally, it should also be noted that, compared to the accuracy with which changes in atmospheric carbon content can be detected (less than 1 p.p.m. CO2), changes in soil carbon stocks are very uncertain. A release of 0.5 kg (C) from 1 m2 of soil surface is equivalent to an increase in CO, concentration of about 125 p.p.m. in the air column above the same area.


The experimental results on the right - left scattering asymmetry of helicopter-polarized atoms, either in state or colliding with Ar, are presented and qualitatively interpreted in the framework of the sudden-locking model. It is shown that this model provides a simple description of key features of the cross section difference and the relation between it and the total cross section for scattering of unpolarized atoms.


The thermal degradation behavior of Natural Rubber /Chitosan (NR/CS) blends compatibilised with maleic anhydride (MA) was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The TGA shows that the MA modified blends are more stable than the pure blends. MA acts as a reactive compatibiliser in NR/CS blends. MA grafted NR chain is highly reactive towards the functional group on the chitosan moiety, and when pressing at elevated temperature interaction develops between the maleic anhydride treated NR and chitosan. Better adhesion between the two phases with the incorporation of MA is achieved which results in an enhancement in the thermal stability. The activation energy of degradation was analyzed using the Horowitz-Metzger equation. The compatibilisation resulted in an increase in the activation energy. The glass transition temperatures of NR/CS blends were increased substantially by the addition of MA and this indicates better compatibility between the two phases. The morphology of the compatibilised blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy and it shows a continuous morphology. The water absorbability of blends decreases with the addition of compatibilizer in the blend.


This work presents a rapid, low-cost, highly sensitive and specific capacitive sensor for detection of Gram negative bacteria in a field setting. Recognition of Gramnegative bacteria is based on specific detection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) by LPS-specific aptamer probe immobilized on electrode sensors. An inhomogeneous AC electric field is applied on sensor electrodes and induces positive dielectrophoresis that attracts LPS particles to the sensor electrodes for rapid detection. The same AC signal is also used to detect the binding reactions occurred on the sensor surface. The AC signal was optimized, and the binding between LPS and the specific aptamer was demonstrated. The detection limit reaches as low as 4.9 fg/mL for free LPS molecules and 53 #/mL of bacteria within a 30s' response time, meeting the needs of onsite bacteria detection.


A novel algorithm is developed based on fractional signal processing approach for parameter estimation of input nonlinear control autoregressive (INCAR) models. The design scheme consists of parameterization of INCAR systems to obtain linear-in-parameter models and to use fractional least mean square algorithm (FLMS) for adaptation of unknown parameter vectors. The performance analyses of the proposed scheme are carried out with third-order Volterra least mean square (VLMS) and kernel least mean square (KLMS) algorithms based on convergence to the true values of INCAR systems. It is found that the proposed FLMS algorithm provides most accurate and convergent results than those of VLMS and KLMS under different scenarios and by taking the low-to-high signal-to-noise ratio.


Enhanced transport of trace metal in porous media can occur in the presence of a ligand or "carrier" that has a high affinity for binding the pollutant, is dispersed and mobile in the soil environment, is recalcitrant with respect to microbial degradation, and is acceptable to the public. These aspects of the facilitated transport to trace metals are discussed with respect to a naturally occurring carrier: extracellular polymers of bacterial origin. The literature is reviewed regarding the production and composition of bacterial extracellular polymers, the processes relevant to the facilitated transport of trace metals in soil by bacterial polymers, and potential for transformation of polymers in soils by microbial degradation. Model calculations of contaminant retardation are presented for the case of polymer-mediated transport of cadmium in a sandy aquifer material. The available information suggests that extracellular polymers can bind metal ions and are mobile in the soil environment. Extracellular polymers also appear to be relatively slowly degraded by soil microorganisms. These properties and the supporting model calculations indicate that extracellular polymers of bacterial origin merit consideration as agents that may be applied to contaminated soils to enhance trace metal mobility.


We compared the relationships between response to a crisis intervention program and long-term outcome in 31 depressed outpatients with and without DSM-III-R personality disorders (PD). The presence of PD predicted a poorer 2-year outcome. PD subjects with better working alliance and increased insight at termination of crisis intervention had increased compliance with long-term psychiatric treatment (p < .005) and better 2-year outcome (p < .005). Increased compliance with long-term psychiatric treatment predicted better long-term outcome in PD patients (p < .005). None of these significant relationships was observed in the comparison group without PD, suggesting that establishing an effective treatment process may be especially important for outcome in PD patients.


Ceftriaxone treatment of bacterial infections can be associated with biliary complications, more commonly in children than adults, in a dose-dependent manner. This study describes a clinical case series of children with ceftriaxone-related cholelithiasis. We performed a retrospective analysis of cases of ceftriaxone-related biliary complications admitted to the Pediatric Clinic, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Italy, during the period 2005-2015. Four children with cholelithiasis occurring during, or soon after, the treatment with ceftriaxone are reported. Case 1 (6-month-old), case 2 (9-year-old) and case 4 (10-year-old) were symptomatic, while case 3 (3-year-old) was asymptomatic. After the ultrasonographic diagnosis of gallstones (cases 1 and 2) or biliary sludge (cases 3 and 4), ceftriaxone treatment was withdrawn, and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was started in cases 1 and 2. A complete recovery was observed in all but case 1, in whom cholelithiasis was still detectable at one-year follow-up by ultrasonography. This case underwent a triple antibiotic protocol for bacterial meningitis. The protocol included rifampicin, which is known to have an effect in decreasing hepatic concentration of bile salts. Therefore, in this case, both rifampicin and UDCA were of no benefit in preventing or treating ceftriaxone biliary complications. The current pharmacological approach for the treatment of ceftriaxone-related cholelithiasis seems to be ineffective, likely due to the high calcium content of gallstones. Therefore, the best strategy of intervention for ceftriaxone biliary complications in children remains the prevention of the risk factors.


A new kind of weak Noether symmetry for a general holonomic system is defined in such a way that the methods to construct Hojman conserved quantity and new-type conserved quantity are given. It turns out that we introduce a new approach to look for the conserved laws. Two examples are presented.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate three-year outcomes of following a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy targeting low disease activity (LDA) for patients with elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) and to confirm safety profile of T2T.

METHODS
Treatment was adjusted to target LDA with conventional synthetic DMARDs, followed by biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) in 197 MTX-naïve EORA patients (mean age 74.9 years) with moderate-to-high disease activity. Non-implementation of T2T was evaluated at week 12, 24, 36, 52, 76, 104, and 128. To evaluate risks of using MTX, bDMARDs, and glucocorticoids, 2122 periods of 3 months each were analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression models.

RESULTS
84.7% of patients received methotrexate, 34.0% glucocorticoids with DMARDs and 41.6% bDMARDs during the observation period. Sixty-nine of the 197 patients failed to adhere to T2T because of comorbidities or the patient´s own decision: 33 failed once, 19 twice, 10 three times, and 6 four times or more. Simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission and HAQ Disability Index (HAQ-DI) ≤0.5 at 3 years were achieved in 57.8% and 70.3% of the 128 patients adhering to T2T, and 34.8% and 43.5% of the 69 patients who did not adhere to T2T, respectively, and these were significantly different. Eighty-nine SAEs of any type were reported in 61 patients. MTX, bDMARDs, and glucocorticoid were not associated with SAEs when adjusted for mean SDAI during the observation period and comorbidities at baseline.

CONCLUSION
T2T strategy for EORA by using MTX and bDMARDs was effective with acceptable safety profile. Adhering to T2T led to better outcomes.


Objective: The aim of the study was to describe our experience in patients who underwent nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) with tumor thrombectomy. Patients and Methods: Three consecutive patients who underwent NSS and tumor thrombectomy for localized single/multifocal renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) in conjunction with tumor thrombus between 2007 and 2011 were included. Open partial nephrectomy and thrombectomy was performed. Reconstruction included main renal vein, collecting system, and remaining parenchymal closure. One of the cases required additional artery repair and flushing with preservation solution. Results: Ischemic time was kept for 30–40 min. Mean estimated blood loss was 183.3 cc (range:100–300). One patient required the transfusion of 1 packed red blood cells unit. One of the patients developed a urinary fistula requiring double-J stenting. Hospital staying ranged between 5 and 8 days. None of the patients required renal replacement therapy either postoperatively or in the follow-up. Serum creatinine level at last follow-up (mean 83 months) ranged from 0.8 to 2.8 mg/dL. Conclusion: Our experience supports the feasibility of imperative partial nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy for cases of RCC with renal vein involvement by tumor thrombus. In experienced hands, this approach may offer the patient a low morbidity postoperative course and long-term freedom from disease while maintaining the renal function, thus avoiding the need of renal replacement therapy.


Objective: To isolate, evaluate and characterize the potential bioactive compound producing actinomycetes from soil sample of different location of Gwalior. Method: A total of 11 strains of actinomycetes were isolated from soil collected from different location of Gwalior. The isolates were characterized by using morphological and biochemical methods. 11 isolates were identified and subjected to submerged fermentation methods to produce crude extracts. The fermented biomass was extracted by organic solvent extraction method and tested against bacterial strains by agar well diffusion method. Results: All the isolates of this study were gram positive and their colony morphology was studied microscopically. Morphologically Isolates had branched mycelium. All 11 isolates were biochemically characterized. Majority of isolates (90.90%) were able to hydrolysis of starch; 18.18% isolates were produced proteolytic caseinase and utilize casein as carbon source efficiently; all isolates were negative for indole production; 81.81% isolates were positive for citrate utilization test, all isolates were negative for gas and hydrogen sulphide production while 18.18% isolates were found positive for glucose fermentation and 27.2% for sucrose fermentation. In this study it has been found that 27.27% isolates were reported with broad spectrum antibacterial activity. In this study it has been found that GWL 3 and GWL 6 demonstrate highest bactericidal activity against Salmonella typhi with 15mm ZOI. This study also concludes that maximum number of isolates exhibit antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi.


In general, the tension forces of hanger cable in suspension bridges play an important role in evaluating the bridge state. The vibration method, as a conventional one, has been widely applied to estimate the tension forces by using the measured frequencies on hanger cables. However, the vibration method is not applicable to short hanger cables because the frequency of short cables is severely sensitive to the flexural rigidity. Thus, in this study, the tension forces of short hanger cables, of which the length is shorter than 10meters, were estimated through back analysis of the cable frequencies measured from Gwang-An suspension bridge in Korea. Direct approach to back analysis is adopted using the univariate method among the direct search methods as an optimization technique. The univariate method is able to search the optimal tension forces without regard to the initial ones and has a rapid convergence rate. To verify the feasibility of back analysis, the results from back analysis and vibration method are compared with the design tension forces. from the comparison, it can be inferred that back analysis results are more reasonable agreement with the design tension forces of short hanger cable. Therefore, it is concluded that back analysis applied in this study is an appropriate tool for estimating tension forces of short hanger cables.


Adequacy as the extent to which translation corresponds to the source text has always been a salient feature of any machine translation service. For this reason, the main objective of this comparative study was to analyze and compare translation adequacy in machine vs. human translation from English into the Persian language. In other words, this study sought to investigate whether machine translation product was adequate enough as compared to human translation. For this purpose, seven various texts were selected and translated from Persian to English by two translation students as well as machine translation services including Google Translate and Bing Translation. In addition, a reference translation by two expert translators was prepared against which human and machine translations were compared and analyzed. Moreover, the Sketch Engine software was exploited to analyze the translations. The results of the study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between human and machine translations as compared to the reference translation and that machine translations were adequately appropriate translations. The findings of this research might have useful implications for research in the field of machine translations. In addition, the results of this research have practical implications for those who are interested in doing research in machine translation.


The authors report the results of a randomised double-blind study comparing the antithrombotic activity of a new anti-platelet drug (Triflusal) with that of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). 99 patients who underwent hip surgery were included in the study (total hip replacement, osteosynthesis of a pertrochanter fracture or Moore's prosthesis for intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck). Of the 48 patients having received Triflusal, 7 (14.5%) developed deep vein thrombosis as indicated by 125I-fibrinogen isotopic scanning and confirmed by phlebography. Of the 51 patients treated with ASA, 11 (21.6%) presented the same complication as diagnosed by the same techniques. This difference is not statistically significant, considering the number of cases studied. Nevertheless, Triflusal appears to provide prevention of thromboembolic risk to patients who have undergone hip surgery, particularly total hip replacement.


In this article, we look into geodesics in the Schwarzschild-Anti-de Sitter metric in (3+1) spacetime dimensions. We investigate the class of marginally bound geodesics (timelike and null), while comparing their behavior with the normal Schwarzschild metric. Using $\textit{Mathematica}$, we calculate the shear and rotation tensors, along with other components of the Raychaudhuri equation in this metric and we argue that marginally bound timelike geodesics, in the equatorial plane, always have a turning point, while their null analogues have at least one family of geodesics that are unbound. We also present associated plots for the geodesics and geodesic congruences, in the equatorial plane.


In the context of ambient assisted living, automatic speech recognition (ASR) has the potential to provide textual support for hearing aid users in challenging acoustic conditions. In this paper we therefore investigate possibilities to improve ASR based on binaural hearing aid signals in complex acoustic scenes. Particularly, information about the spatial configuration of sound sources is exploited and estimated using a recently developed method that employs probabilistic information about the location of a target speaker (and a simultaneous localized masker) for robust real-time localization. Two different strategies are investigated: straightforward better-ear listening and a multi-channel beamforming system aiming at enhancement of a target speech source with additional suppression of localized masking sound. The latter method is also complemented by better-ear listening. Both approaches are evaluated in different acoustic scenarios containing moving target and interfering speakers or noise sources. Compared to using nonpreprocessed signals, we obtain average relative reductions in word error rate of 28.4% in the presence of a localized interfering noise, 19.2% in the case of a concurrent talker and 23.7% in presence of a concurrent talker in spatially diffuse noise. A post-analysis assesses the relation of localization performance and beamforming for improved speech recognition in complex acoustic scenes.


The purpose was to evaluate quantitatively the magnetic resonance contrast enhancement of normal extraocular muscles and the use of temporal muscles as a reference of enhancement. Eighty extraocular and 20 temporal muscles were taken into analysis. Before contrast administration, mean intensity of extraocular muscles was found to be higher than that of temporal muscles (p < 0.000). With contrast agent, all extraocular muscles were enhanced more (111% enhancement) than the temporal muscles (45% enhancement, p < 0.000). Lateral recti had the lowest signal intensity, both in pre- and postcontrast images (p < 0.005). Normal extraocular muscles showed prominent enhancement on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Temporal muscles were also enhanced in all subjects, urging the observers to compare the enhancement of extraocular muscles not with the latter.


A new GaAs current-mode (CM) chip-to-chip interconnection circuit is presented that provides high signal transfer speed with a 50 /spl Omega/ active termination and reduced input voltage swing. The power dissipation is shown to be 1/8 of an ECL I/O at the same data rate, 4 mW per pin, using a standard 2 V power supply. The driver-receiver operates with a current swing under 1 mA and provides a large noise margin.


First experiences in the diagnosis of human papilloma viruses are reported. The method of in situ hybridization was used together with biotin tests for types of HPV: 6/11, 16/18 and 31/33/51. The study was performed on the preparations of of the cervix tissue with displasmic proliferation and laryngeal papilloma tissues. There have been examined 37 specimens: in 6 were found sequence of HPV genoma for types 6/11 and in 1 specimen for types 16/18 and 31/33/51/.


Ankyrins are a multigene family of proteins that function as adapters between the cytoskeleton and trans-membrane proteins, such as ion channels. Previous studies have shown the linkage between ankyrin and ionic transport proteins such as Na+-K+ ATPase, voltage-dependent Na+ channels and Ca2+ channels. In the present study, we have investigated the subcellular distribution of ankyrin and its relationship to the Na+-Ca2+ exchange protein in immature and adult rabbit ventricular myocytes. Isolated single cardiomyocytes from neonatal, juvenile and adult rabbit hearts were examined by immunofluorescence labeling techniques, using antibodies against ankyrin and the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger. We found that in neonatal rabbit cardiac myocytes, ankyrin labeling was mainly present at the Z disk, whereas the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger was only present on the peripheral sarcolemma. At 2 weeks of age, ankyrin labeling was still predominantly observed at the level of the Z disks as well as in the partially developed T-tubules. In the adult cells, however, ankyrin and the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger seem to be co-localized within T-tubules and at the costamere region of the peripheral sarcolemma. Immunogold labeling studies at the higher resolution electron microscopic level using cyrosection tissues of rabbit heart at different ages confirm these findings. These results indicate that the distribution pattern of ankyrin and the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger changes with development in rabbit ventricular myocytes.


This experiment was carried out in a greenhouse condition to study the effect of phosphorus, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen on mineral accumulation in braquiaria MG-4 (Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-4) above ground forage DM and peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo) mixture, in soil of low fertility. The experimental design was a completely randomized in a 5x2x2 factorial arrangement, with five P rates (25, 50, 75, 100 and 200 mg/kg of soil), two inoculations (inoculated and no inoculated) and two levels of N (with and without N), with four replicates. The harvest of the above ground parts of plants was at 60 days after seed germination to determine the accumulated amounts of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S. The phosphorus and mainly the nitrogen fertilization increased the accumulation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S in plant DM of braquiaria MG-4, however, this was not observed for mycorrhization. For forage peanut, a reduction of these minerals was observed with application of N, whereas the mycorrhization resulted in an increase of them. On the other hand, the phosphorus caused little increase in the accumulation of minerals in plant DM of peanut forage.


This study aimed to investigate the effects of β-carotene and vitamin E on serum biochemistry, body condition score, and the number of offspring in  sheep during the flushing period. To this purpose, forty Romanov sheep 45 (±1 kg) body weight and 3 years of age were allocated into one of four  experimental treatments with 10 replicates for 6 weeks: the control (only flushing), and three treatment groups injected intramuscularly with 1, 2, and 4  ml β-carotene + vitamin E in the third week of flushing, respectively. The 4-ml treatment of β-carotene + vitamin E evidently increased the follicle-  stimulating hormone level. The 2-ml treatment of β-carotene + vitamin E increased the triglyceride concentration in the serum. Body condition score,  offspring number, and biochemical parameters (cholesterol, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, aspartate aminotransferase, beta hydroxyl butyric acid,  total protein, and glucose) were not affected by any levels of β-carotene + vitamin E administration. These findings indicate the positive role of β-carotene  + vitamin E administration on pregnancy rate and some blood parameters during flushing.


Differentiable simulators are an emerging concept with applications in several fields, from reinforcement learning to optimal control. Their distinguishing feature is the ability to calculate analytic gradients with respect to the input parameters. Like neural networks, which are constructed by composing several building blocks called layers, a simulation often requires computing the output of an operator that can itself be decomposed into elementary units chained together. While each layer of a neural network represents a specific discrete operation, the same operator can have multiple representations, depending on the discretization employed and the research question that needs to be addressed. Here, we propose a simple design pattern to construct a library of differentiable operators and discretizations, by representing operators as mappings between families of continuous functions, parametrized by finite vectors. We demonstrate the approach on an acoustic optimization problem, where the Helmholtz equation is discretized using Fourier spectral methods, and differentiability is demonstrated using gradient descent to optimize the speed of sound of an acoustic lens. The proposed framework is open-sourced and available at \url{https://github.com/ucl-bug/jaxdf}


Tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex material made up of fibrous proteins and ground substance (glycosaminoglycans, GAGs) that are secreted by cells. ECM contains important biological cues that modulate cell behaviors, and it also serves as a structural scaffold to which cells can adhere. For clinical applications, where immune rejection is a constraint, ECM can be processed using decellularization methods intended to remove cells and donor antigens from tissue or organs, while preserving native biological cues essential for cell growth and differentiation. In this study, a decellularized ECM-based composite hydrogel was formulated by using modified GAGs that covalently bind tissue particles. These GAG-ECM composite hydrogels combine the advantages of solid decellularized ECM scaffolds and pepsin-digested ECM hydrogels by facilitating ECM hydrogel formation without a disruptive enzymatic digestion process. Additionally, engineered hydrogels can contain more than one type of ECM (from bone, fat, liver, lung, spleen, cartilage, or brain), at various concentrations. These hydrogels demonstrated tunable gelation kinetics and mechanical properties, offering the possibility of numerous in vivo and in vitro applications with different property requirements. Retained bioactivity of ECM particles crosslinked into this hydrogel platform was confirmed by the variable response of stem cells to different types of ECM particles with respect to osteogenic differentiation in vitro, and bone regeneration in vivo. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 147-159, 2018.


This paper presents the Load Increase Index, which is a new computationally efficient loadability limit index derived from the continuation power flow method. The continuation power flow is a well-known procedure for identifying the maximum loading point of a static power system network. The proposed index is a byproduct of the continuation power flow, and may be obtained with little extra computational effort while yielding considerable information about the distance to the critical loading point. This paper also presents the mathematical relationship of the proposed index to two other commonly used voltage stability indices: the smallest singular value of the loadflow Jacobian and the determinant of the loadflow Jacobian. The proposed index has been verified on numerous test systems of various sizes.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Introduction: Preclinical in-vivo micro CT studies of liver metastasis are difficult due to poor inherent soft tissue contrast and the need for highly technical, manual analysis of the data. Research has implicated that Kupffer cells in the liver encapsulate liver metastases providing an opportunity to deliver macrophage-specific contrast agents for the detection of small metastatic lesions. A new, long-acting preclinical CT contrast agent that targets Kupffer cells has been developed that may allow automated detection of liver lesions via CAD software. Method: A pancreatic cancer liver metastasis model was created by surgically implanting human pancreatic cancer cell line (L3.6pl) within the spleen. Mice were injected with the contrast agent and scanned to obtain baseline anatomy of the liver before implantation. The mice were scanned 1 day after implantation and weekly after that for 5 weeks to monitor the liver metastasis progression. The control group followed an identical protocol but with a sham surgery. Liver tissues were harvested and fixed in paraffin blocks after the last scan. Paraffin blocks were scanned using high resolution micro CT before IHC staining. Human Mitochondrial and F4/80 IHC were used to identify L3.6pl and Kupffer cells, respectively. The CT images were compared to the IHC images from the same block to verify that the locations of the contrast agent and the Kupffer cells were related. Once the pattern of contrast agent and metastatic tumors had been identified, CAD software was developed for automatic tumor detection. Results: The contrast agent was evenly distributed throughout the healthy liver tissue within 1 hour post injection. In healthy mice, the homogenous distribution of contrast remained unchanged for at least 6 weeks. In liver metastasis models, the contrast began to concentrate in various areas of the liver within 2 weeks post implantation. As tumors developed and grew, the contrast became highly concentrated on the borders of tumors creating a 3 dimensional outline of the lesion. IHC staining and micro CT imaging of the fixed tissue verified that the tumors are surrounded by Kupffer cells and that the distribution of concentrated contrast agent matched them. Software was able to detect the tumors based on these contrast outlines and compare them over successive weekly scans. Conclusion: Our new imaging method enables automated detection and evaluation of liver metastasis 1 mm or smaller from as early as 2 weeks. In addition to allowing better visualization, it provides new insight into macrophage motility within the liver. CAD software can take advantage of this unique capability to automate data analysis and allow for large scale longitudinal studies. This new imaging method could be a useful tool to facilitate longitudinal imaging of liver metastases in mice and has the potential for translation into clinical practice.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 363. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-363


Existing weakly or semi-supervised semantic segmentation methods utilize image or box-level supervision to generate pseudo-labels for weakly labeled images. However, due to the lack of strong supervision, the generated pseudo-labels are often noisy near the object boundaries, which severely impacts the network's ability to learn strong representations. To address this problem, we present a novel framework that generates pseudo-labels for training images, which are then used to train a segmentation model. To generate pseudo-labels, we combine information from: (i) a class agnostic objectness network that learns to recognize object-like regions, and (ii) either image-level or bounding box annotations. We show the efficacy of our approach by demonstrating how the objectness network can naturally be leveraged to generate object-like regions for unseen categories. We then propose an end-to-end multi-task learning strategy, that jointly learns to segment semantics and objectness using the generated pseudo-labels. Extensive experiments demonstrate the high quality of our generated pseudo-labels and effectiveness of the proposed framework in a variety of domains. Our approach achieves better or competitive performance compared to existing weakly-supervised and semi-supervised methods.


An investigation was made of the pharmaceutical properties and the in vitro dissolution rates of 18 commercially available brands of tolbutamide tablets, all of which met the limits set by the Food and Drug Regulations for tablets sold in Canada.A marked variation in dissolution rates was found, which bore no relation to the official disintegration time. These wide variations in dissolution rate point to a need for (a) a comprehensive study of the in vivo effects of different tolbutamide tablets, and (b) an official test that sets limits for the rate of dissolution of tolbutamide tablets, in addition to the one that places limits on disintegration time.


Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with DM have increased risk of poor outcomes. The DTP was created to equip AYA with knowledge, support, and skills to foster successful lifelong DM self-management. This 1-year (4 visits) program pairs clinical care with peer-group discussions led by a multidisciplinary team focused on informed decision making of issues relevant to AYA with DM. The purpose of this study was to characterize the population referred to DTP and evaluate concerns, program adherence and outcomes. Medical records were reviewed and surveys administered. To date 153 AYA were referred (51% females, 99% T1DM, age at 1st visit 18.8±1.4 yrs, age at onset 9.7±4.7 yrs, HbA1c 9±2%). In ranking concerns of 5 complications (retinopathy, neuropathy, reproductive health complications, nephropathy and hypertension) at the 1st DTP visit, 60% of males and 57% of females who completed the survey rated retinopathy as their number 1 or 2 concern. Reproductive health and hypertension were listed as their least concern by 43% of males and 42% of females respectively. In terms of program adherence, the majority (60%, n=92) completed DTP on schedule (1 year). Of these, 42% transferred to adult care, 52% continued care at the institution and 6% were lost to follow up. Of those who did not complete DTP over 1 year (40%), 25% transferred to adult care before DTP completion, 60% are completing DTP in more than 1 year, and 15% were lost to follow up. Those who transferred to adult care (irrespective of program completion time), versus those who did not, had lower HbA1c at all DTP visits (e.g., 1st visit: 8.1 ± 1.4% vs. 9.4 ± 1.7%, p=0.01). In terms of outcomes for those that completed the program, no differences were found in HbA1c from the 1st to 4th visit. In conclusion, AYA referred to DTP appear to be a high-risk population based on their HbA1c and suboptimal program adherence. This highlights the need for methods (e.g., telehealth) to continue to engage this population and ongoing self-management support. Disclosure I. Libman: Consultant; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. J.T. Krall: Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company. A.F. Fischl: None. J. Finney: None. A.M. Diaz: None. L.M. Siminerio: Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company. D. Charron-Prochownik: None. D.J. Becker: None. Funding David Paul Diabetes Transition Care Research Initiative Fund


We develop a generic all-inductive procedure to measure the band structure of spin waves in a magnetic thin stripe. In contrast to existing techniques, our method works even if several spin wave branches coexist in the investigated frequency interval, provided that the branches possess sufficiently different group velocities. We first measure the microwave scattering matrix of a network composed of distant antennas inductively coupled to the spin wave bath of the magnetic film. After a mathematical transformation to the time-domain to get the transmission impulse response, the different spin wave branches are viewed as wavepackets that reach successively the receiving antenna after different travel times. In analogy with time-of flight spectroscopy, the wavepackets are then separated by time-gating. The timegated responses are used to recalculate the contribution of each spin wave branch to the frequency domain scattering matrix. The dispersion relation of each branch stems from the absolute phase of the time-gated transmission parameter. The spin wave wavevector can be determined unambiguously if the results for several propagation distances are combined, so as to get the dispersion relations.


Studies on the role of juvenile hormone (JH) in adult social Hymenoptera have focused on the regulation of two fundamental aspects of colony organization: reproductive division of labor between queens and workers and age-related division of labor among workers. JH acts as a gonadotropin in the primitively eusocial wasp and bumble bee species studied, and may also play this role in the advanced eusocial fire ants. However, there is no evidence that JH acts as a traditional gonadotropin in the advanced eusocial honey bee or in the few other ant species that have recently begun to be studied. The role of JH in age-related division of labor has been most thoroughly examined in honey bees. Results of these studies demonstrate that JH acts as a "behavioral pacemaker," influencing how fast a worker grows up and makes the transition from nest activities to foraging. Hypotheses concerning the evolutionary relationship between the two functions of JH in adult eusocial Hymenoptera are discussed.


Background: Workplace violence is a serious occupational risk for global workforce and healthcare workers are at greater risk of violence than other service workers. However, no studies have been investigated about this phenomenon in Ethiopia. Objective: to assess the prevalence and predictors of workplace violence against nurses working in referral hospitals of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Method: Facility based cross sectional study was conducted among nurses working in all referral hospitals of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Two hundred fifteen (215) nurses were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Binary and multiple logistic regressions were used to see factors associated with workplace violence. Result: Out of 203 nurses participated in the study, 168(82.2%) of the nurses have experienced workplace violence during the previous 12 months.  Among these 81.8%, 9.9%, 47.3%, and 23.2% had history of verbal abuse, sexual harassment, bulling/mobbing and physical violence respectively within the past 12 months. Nurses working in inpatient departments were 4 times more likely to experience workplace violence than those who did not (AOR=4.326, 95% C.I., 1.594, 11.739. Clients who wait long for service above the recommended time were 3 times more likely to create workplace violence than those who did not (AOR=2.960, 95% C.I.1.214, 7.217). Conclusion and recommendation : Most of the nurses (82.8%) have experienced workplace violence in the last 12 months. However majority of them (83.9%) did not report the incidents of workplace violence. Keywords : prevalence, predictors, workplace violence, nurses, referral hospitals, Ethiopia


In this paper, we present photon counting integral imaging based on compressive sensing to improve the quality of reconstructed 3D scene. The proposed method recovers elemental images have higher SNR than the conventional imaging under ultra-low light conditions. To show the feasibility of the proposed method, the preliminary experiments are presented.


The primary goal of the Carnegie Chicago Hubble Program (CCHP) is to calibrate the zero-point of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) Hubble Diagram through the use of Population II standard candles. So far, the CCHP has measured direct distances to 11 SNe Ia, and here we increase that number to 15 with two new Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB) distances measured to NGC 5643 and NGC 1404. We present resolved, point-source photometry from new Hubble Space Telescope imaging of these two galaxies in the F814W and F606W bandpasses. From each galaxy's stellar halo, we construct an F814W-band luminosity function in which we detect an unambiguous edge feature identified as the TRGB. For NGC 5643, we find μ 0 = 30.48 ± 0.03(stat) ± 0.07(sys) mag, and for NGC 1404 we find μ 0 = 31.36 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.05(sys) mag. From a preliminary consideration of the SNe Ia in these galaxies, we find increased confidence in the results presented in Paper VIII. The high precision of our TRGB distances enables a significant measurement of the 3D displacement between the Fornax cluster galaxies NGC 1404 and NGC 1316 (Fornax A) equal to 1.50−0.39+0.25 Mpc, which we show is in agreement with independent constraints found in the literature.


The variable elevation of raised Quaternary marine terraces in the Greater Antilles is interpreted to be due principally to variable tectonic uplift. Such terraces are highest and most numerous in northwestern Haiti and southeastern Cuba. Elsewhere, they tilt noticeably away from this focus and are at lower elevations and less numerous. The dome-like uplift is in a region characterized by graben faulting and late Cenozoic alkaline volcanism, an association which invites comparison with the Rhine and East African Rift Systems. Quaternary tilting is also inferred from the depth variations over shallow submarine banks. A profile across a number of these banks to the east of Jamaica indicates a local synclinal axis.


Abstract Surveys based on self-reported hygiene-relevant routine behaviors have played a crucial role in policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, using anchoring to test validity in a randomized controlled survey experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, we demonstrate that asking people to self-report on the frequency of routine behaviors are prone to significant measurement error and systematic bias. Specifically, we find that participants across age, gender, and political allegiance report higher (lower) frequencies of COVID-19-relevant behaviors when provided with a higher (lower) anchor. The results confirm that such self-reports should not be regarded as behavioral data and should primarily be used to inform policy decisions if better alternatives are not available. To this end, we discuss the use of anchoring as a validity test relative to self-reported behaviors as well as viable alternatives to self-reports when seeking to behaviorally inform policy decisions.


Plant sterols are important agricultural products for human health and consequently, for nutrition industries. In the present study, free sterol contents of crude Turkish cottonseed oil samples have been determined in a single analytical run by using a solid phase extraction step prior to the detection with a gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector. Free hydroxyl groups of Stigmasterol, β-Sitosterol, Campesterol and Brassicasterol were derivatized by using N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl trifluoroacetamide to enhance their volatility and, sterol content of the samples were, then, separated from their matrix by using a octadecylsilane cartridge. The eluates were injected into the gas chromatographic system and satisfactory recovery ratios were obtained. After having validated the method, it was applied into the analysis for cottonseed oil samples for their free sterol levels.


The fundamental way to improve the processing speed of pattern recognition is to implement the data processing function by hardware circuits. A simple integrated device by combining hollow four quadrant orientation detector (hollow FOQUOD) with an amorphous silicon thin film transistor as a switch element has been successfully fabricated. This device is called active hollow FOQUOD. The hollow FOQUOD detector can extract the edge position and its orientation from an object image with a precision of 5/spl deg/ which is consistent with the theoretical simulation. It is demonstrated that the thin film transistor can indeed switch the hollow FOQUOD detector on and off and avoid the crosstalk problem when used in a 3/spl times/3 two-dimensional array. >


Among the indirect estimation approaches of soil water content in the upper layer of the soil, the "triangle method" is one of the most common that relies on the simple relationship between the optical and thermal features sensed via Earth Observation. These features are controlled by water content at the surface and within the root zone but also by meteorological forcing including air temperature and humidity, as well as solar radiation. Night- and day-time MODIS composites of land-surface temperature (LST) allowed applying a version of the triangle method that takes into account the temporal admittance of the soil. In this study, it has been applied to a long time-series of pair images to analyze the seasonal influence of the meteorological forcing on a triangle method index (or temperature–vegetation index, TVX), as well as to discuss extra challenges of the diachronic approach including seasonality effects and the variability of environmental forcing. The Imera Meridionale basin (Sicily, Italy) has been chosen to analyze the method over a time-series of 12 years. The analysis reveals that, under these specific environmental and climatic conditions (strong seasonality and rainfall out of phase with vegetation growth), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and LST pairs move circularly in time within the optical vs. thermal feature space. Concordantly, the boundaries of the triangle move during the seasons. Results showed a strong correlation between TVX and rainfall normalized amplitudes of the power spectra (r2 ~0.8) over the range of frequencies of the main harmonics.


Eight poorly known or unusual crustose and pileate basidiomycete species were studied. These included the type specimens of three monotypic genera: Chrysoderma alboluteum from Reunion is conspecific with Cerocorticium molle; Dendrophysellum amurense from the Russian Far East is a species of Vararia; and Hyphoradulum conspicuum belongs in Pseudolagarobasidium and is the first representative of the genus from Europe. Corticium murrillii, from Mexico, is congeneric with Corneromyces kinabalui. New combinations Vararia amurensis, Pseudolagarobasidium conspicuum, and Corneromyces murrillii are proposed. Mycobonia flava and M. brunneoleuca are macroscopically similar species with diagnostically distinct basidiospore shape and size. Mycobonia disciformis is accepted in Mycothele, and Mycobonia winkleri represents a species of unknown affinities. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies indicate that Mycobonia is embedded in Polyporus sensu stricto and is a synonym of Polyporus. Transferring M. brunneoleuca and M. flava to Polyporus requires the creation of the replacement names, P. polyacanthophorus and P. epitheloides.


The past three decades have witnessed a proliferation of treatments of the Shoah by Israeli writers born after the event who explore the impact the Holocaust has had on their society. In two such works, "Momik," the opening section of David Grossman's novel, See Under: "Love" (1986), and a short story by Yehudit Katzir, "Schlaffstunde" that appeared in her collection Closing the Sea (1989), the authors choose to do so through the prism of child fantasies about the Land of Over There. In each work, but to varying degrees based on distance from the event, the child protagonists seek to come to terms with the terrors that so visibly weigh on the minds and hearts of the primary adult figures in their lives. Beyond any autobiographical relevance for authors growing up in the 60s and 70s, these depictions may also serve as a figure for contemporaneous Israeli society, when discussion of the Holocaust was largely suppressed and its legacy perceived as a contradiction of the heroic myth so inextricably bound up with the rise of the State. In these works, use of the child voice may thus be connected with the search for alternative modes counter to the monolithic claims of the Zionist epic narrative that have served to silence the small, individual voice.


Advances in computational power over the last few decades have dramatically opened up the modeling capability of the typical researcher. Although laborious analysis and approximations of physical systems were quite the norm some decades ago, today complex problems can be simulated extensively before being built or committed to design. Today, the pursuit of computational experimentation has displaced, to a large extent, either laboratory experimentation or extensive theoretical analysis, especially in systems in which the governing equations are well developed. Indeed, in the field of electromagnetics (EM), where only select canonical problems are amenable to analytical solutions, computer simulations have allowed for great flexibility in searching for new applications to Maxwell's equations. In light of this flexibility, however, one should not abandon completely either the approaches or models researchers have developed over the years.


Two new familial cases of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome are reported. The cases present a number of original aspects with regard to anomalous transmission of the defect, the common finding of a single ileal polyp and associated malformations in the first of the two cases. The clinical aspects of the disease are discussed together with the histology of the polyps in relation to their possibility or otherwise of degenerating. Finally, the various surgical techniques indicated for the treatment of this rare condition are examined.


The cytokine, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), has a history of more than 40 years. TGF-β is secreted by many tumor cells and is associated with tumor growth and cancer immunity. The canonical TGF-β signaling pathway, SMAD, controls both tumor metastasis and immune regulation, thereby regulating cancer immunity. TGF-β regulates multiple types of immune cells in tumor microenvironment, including T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages. One of the main roles of TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment is the generation of regulatory T cells, which contribute to the suppression of anti-tumor immunity. Because cancer is one of the highest causes of death globally, the discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors by Honjo and Allison in cancer immunotherapy earned a Nobel Prize in 2018. TGF-β also regulates the levels of immune checkpoints inhibitory receptors on immune cells. Immune checkpoints inhibitors are now being developed along with anti-TGF-β antibody and/or TGF-β inhibitors. More recently, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) were applied to cancer immunity and tried to combine with TGF-β blockers.


Despite the promise of extremely efficient matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) by ReRAM crossbar arrays (RCAs), maintaining high accuracy has been challenging due to nonidealities such as wire resistance (also known as IR drop) and I-V nonlinearity (i.e., voltage-dependent conductance). For system architects, a fast method to accurately predict the MVM output of an RCA under nonidealities is highly desirable. While IR drop alone without I-V nonlinearity can be efficiently predicted, the existence of I-V nonlinearity makes the problem much harder. In this paper we propose a novel algorithm based on iterative refinement, which can predict with high accuracy the outcome of an MVM operation on an RCA in the presence of both I-V nonlinearity and IR drop. Our experiments using binary RCAs of different sizes demonstrate that our proposed method is order-of-magnitude more accurate than previous methods in terms of RMS error. We also present case studies predicting hardware-realistic accuracy of binarized neural networks on RCAs as well as nonideality-aware retraining, demonstrating the efficacy of our method for early design space exploration of ReRAM-based accelerators.


The propagation of an initially antisymmetric disturbance through a relaxing medium in one-dimension is considered. If dissipation and dispersion effects are small compared with the effect of nonlinearity, the disturbance approaches the classic N-wave profile with narrow shocks controlled by relaxation processes. As the N-wave propagates it spreads and decays in amplitude, affecting key balances between competing physical processes. In this paper we analyse the change in the shock structure as the outer solution evolves, using asymptotic analysis supplemented by numerical results. Two numerical schemes are described - an implicit scheme with variable spatial mesh which allows good resolution of the shock structure, and a pseudospectral scheme which is used when multiple relaxation modes are considered. Experimental measurements (Pawlowski et al 2005 and Yuldashev et al 2008) reveal the appearance of a slowly decaying shock tail previously unexplained by analysis of the augmented Burgers equation. In this paper we demonstrate that this phenomenon occurs when one of the relaxation timescales is comparable to the time of pulse duration.