Empirical observations on the Dutch economy are used to illustrate an earlier analysis that OECD tax policy creates inefficiency unemployment. Note (A): Gross minimum wages in OECD countries appear to rise disproportionately, and they thereby cause increasing unemployment at low productivity levels. The cause for the rise in gross minimum wages is a tax policy which happens to disregard a particular social convention. Tax exemption is annually adjusted for inflation. At the same time, social subsistence tends to rise with the general level of income. The combination causes subsistence jobs to be subjected to rising tax obligations. Due to the notion of subsistence, the tax obligation tends to be translated into rising gross wages. In 45 years the gradual process has built up to sizable proportions. The resulting unemployment is also inefficient. Taxes below the legal gross minimum could be abolished, since people may not work below that minimum and thus don't pay taxes anyway. This means that there exists a Pareto improving solution from which all could benefit. Note (B): This point and its empirically warranted consequences have been discussed by the author elsewhere. Most notable in his work are: (1) a new economic synthesis, (2) theorems in mathematical economics on the role of information in attaining social welfare, (3) a policy analysis on the failure of the checks & balances of the present-day Trias Politica, (4) a warning for the risk of unprecedented violence in the next century, and (5) an advice of a constitutional amendment for the creation of an Economics Supreme Court, with a limited task but grounded in the scientific ethic.


Finite element (FE) modeling of the passive ligamentous spine is widely used to assess various biomechanical behaviors. Currently, FE models that incorporate the vertebrae, ligaments, and the personalized geometry of the bony spine may be used in conjunction with external loads from the muscles. However, while the muscles place a load (moment) on the spine and support it simultaneously, the effect of the passive support from the adjacent spinal muscles has not been considered. This study thus aims to investigate the effect of passive support from the psoas major, quadratus lumborum, and erector muscles on the range of motion (RoM) and intradiscal pressure (IDP) of the lumbar spine. Various L2-sacrum spinal models that differed only in their muscle properties were constructed and loaded with a pure moment (2.5–15.0 Nm) alone or combined with a compressive (440 or 1000 N) follower load. The RoM and IDP of the model that excluded the effect of muscles closely matched previous FE results under the corresponding load conditions. When the muscles (40–160 kPa) were included in the FE model, the RoM at L2 was reduced by up to 6.57% under a pure moment (10 Nm). The IDP was reduced by up to 6.45% under flexion and 6.84% under extension. It was also found that the erector muscles had a greater effect than the psoas major and quadratus muscles.


The contributions to the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) and the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) was last presented to the international nuclear data community at ND2016. Since ND2016, integral benchmark data that are available for nuclear data testing has continued to increase. The 2018 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Criti-cality Safety Benchmark Experiments (ICSBEP Handbook) now contains 574 evaluations with benchmark specifications for 4,916 critical, near-critical, or subcritical configurations, 45 criticality alarm placement/shielding configuration with multiple dose points apiece, and 215 configurations that have been categorized as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications. The 2018 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook) contains data from 159 different experimental series that were performed at 54 different nuclear facilities. Currently 156 of the 159 evaluations are published as approved benchmarks with the remaining three evaluations published as drafts. Measurements found in the IRPhEP Handbook include criticality, buckling and extrapolation length, spectral characteristics, reactivity effects, reactivity coefficients, kinetics, reaction-rate distributions, power distributions, isotopic compositions, and/or other miscellaneous types of measurements for various types of reactor systems. Additional benchmark evaluations will be included in the 2019 editions of these handbooks. These handbooks continue to represent the standard for neutronics benchmark experiment evaluation.


We study the thermal transport in completely unzipped carbon nanotubes, which are called graphene nanoribbons, partially unzipped carbon nanotubes, which can be seen as carbon-nanotube–graphene-nanoribbon junctions, and carbon nanotubes by using molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the thermal conductivity of a graphene nanoribbon is much less than that of its perfect carbon nanotube counterparts because of the localized phonon modes at the boundary. A partially unzipped carbon nanotube has the lowest thermal conductivity due to additional localized modes at the junction region. More strikingly, a significant thermal rectification effect is observed in both partially unzipped armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes. Our results suggest that carbon-nanotube–graphene-nanoribbon junctions can be used in thermal energy control.


Nursing is an occupation which is always faced with common ethical problems and paying attention to ethical behavior can exert a considerable effect on the organizational activities and results. Ethicalclimate is also considered among the factors influencing the staff ethical behavior and decision making. The present study was conducted aiming at the relationship between ethicalclimate and nurses' ethical behavior. The present study is of the descriptive-analytical type. The study sample includes 251 nurses working in Ali Ibn Abitaleb and Khatam Al- Anbia hospital in Zahedan in 2014 and for collecting the information a three-part questionnaire was applied the first part of which pertained to demographic characteristics, the second part included Olson ethicalclimate questionnaire and the third part was related to the Luis ethical behavior questionnaire. Data was analyzed by making use of SPSS 19 and descriptive statistical methods, independent sample t-test and variance analysis. The results obtained in the present study indicated that the ethicalclimate governing hospitals is deemed as optimum from the nurses' perspective (the average score= 94.78). There was not observed a significant difference between the ethicalclimate mean scores and ethical behavior (P>0.05). Nurses' demographic characteristics were not in a significant relationship with ethicalclimate (P>0.05). The results obtained in the present study indicated that there is no significant relationship between ethicalclimate and ethical behavior.


Abstract Multistage interconnection networks (MINs) have been widely adopted in communication networks especially in telecommunication and multiprocessor environments. This paper aims to evaluate the reliability performance of shuffle exchange network with an additional stage (SEN+), based on Monte Carlo method using computerized simulation. The evaluation is further improvised by deploying stratified sampling into the Monte Carlo method. SEN+ described in this paper is confined to multiprocessor environment based on identical switching elements used in interconnecting multiple processors. It is shown that Monte Carlo method is capable of providing reliability evaluation for SEN+ system.


Abstract Abscesses of the pterygopalatine fossa are extremely rare. The cases reported in the literature are all secondary to dental or periodontal disease. We present a case of an abscess in this site which was a complication of chemotherapy and was the result of haematogenous spread.


Empyema caused by clostridial infections is rare especially in the absence of invasive thoracic procedures. We present the case of an 81-year-old man without a history of preceding trauma who presented with shortness of breath and nonproductive cough and grew Clostridium perfringens only in the pleural cavity. He was predisposed to the infection due to his swallowing dysfunction. He was treated with penicillin and chest tube placement for drainage and subsequently improved.


This paper summarizes recommended procedures for evaluation and synthesis of geometry data from pipelines subjected to repeat in-line inspections (ILI) using strapdown Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) tools. The paper provides an overview of IMU tool instrumentation (gyroscopes, accelerometers and odometers), a brief summary of IMU tool data processing and discusses IMU tool sensitivity and accuracy specifications. The paper also provides a review of the approaches that are used to identify ground movement signatures in IMU data profiles. Based on a single IMU survey, it can be difficult to determine with certainty if a given bending strain feature was induced during construction of the pipeline (e.g., by conforming the pipeline profile to an uneven trench profile) or was the result of post-construction movement of the pipeline (e.g., due to geohazards along the alignment such as landslides, karst, etc.). Because such a large percentage of vendor identified bending strain anomalies in IMU surveys are the result of construction, comparison of pipeline geometry changes between two (or more) inertial inspections is normally a more reliable method of identifying areas of actual post-construction movement of the pipeline. This is because a high degree of repeatability is observed in overlays of the pipeline geometry data signatures obtained from different IMU surveys at construction-induced bending features whereas the geometry signals associated with real pipeline movement frequently exhibit change patterns in out-of-straightness, pitch and heading and curvature/bending strain profiles that correspond to increasing pipe curvature and deformation. The primary focus of this paper is to summarize recommended data deliverables and plots of three-dimensional pipeline geometry profile data from different IMU tool surveys at vendor-identified bending strain anomalies including multi-panel overlay plot packages as well as survey-to-survey difference or change profiles that greatly assist in distinguishing if the feature is the result of construction or due to post-construction movement and to aid in the evaluation of pipeline deformation states.


The accuracy of real-time system depends not only on the system's outputs but also on the time at which these outputs are produced. The most important characteristic of real-time systems is that they have strict timing requirements that must be guaranteed and satisfied. The task set can be scheduled by a number of policies including dynamic priority or fixed priority (FP) algorithms. The success of a real-time system depends on whether all jobs of all the tasks can be guaranteed to complete their executions before their timing deadlines. If they can then we say the task set is scheduling. [1] In resource sharing we have assume set of independent task. However tasks may share resources to communicate with each other e.g. through shared memory. Because resources are sparse e.g.  I/O devices duplication would be expensive. The Earliest Deadline First (EDF) algorithm is one of the most widely studied dynamic priority scheduling policies for real-time systems.  These resources are typically protected by semaphores or mutexes provided by a real-time operating system (RTOS). [1]  If a high-priority task is suspended waiting for a lower-priority task to complete its use of a non-preemptable resource, then priority inversion occurs.[2] The task is said to be blocked by the lower priority task. For uniprocessor fixed priority scheduled systems, blocking time can be minimised by the use of a Priority Ceiling inheritance Protocol (PCP).
A transaction processing system is a computer database system that balances and control purchases of goods and services within a business network. A common example may be a consumer purchasing a product on an online store [3].


A series of di-palladium complexes with thiolato ligands containing urea groups for hydrogen bonding have been prepared. Three of these complexes have been structurally characterised by X-ray crystallography showing some interesting supramolecular interactions between the metal complexes and counter-anions. 31P NMR solution studies have been carried out to gain some insight into the different conformations of the complexes in solution. To support the experimental findings, computational studies have been performed demonstrating the preference for one of the two conformers in the presence of the appropriate solvent and anion. The anion-binding properties of two of these metallo-receptors have been studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Binding constants (in DMSO) between the receptors and specific anions (e.g., [H2PO4]− ) are in the order of 103.


Chatter vibrations result in reduced productivity, poor surface finish and decreased cutting tool life. Milling cutters with nonconstant pitch angles can be very effective in improving stability against chatter. In this paper, an analytical stability model and a design method are presented for nonconstant pitch cutters. An explicit relation is obtained between the stability limit and the pitch variation which leads to a simple equation for determination of optimal pitch angles. A certain pitch variation is effective for limited frequency and speed ranges which are also predicted by the model. The improved stability, productivity and surface finish are demonstrated by several examples in the second part of the paper.


In this paper, the onset voltage of negative corona is theoretically predicted for point-cup gaps positioned in air. The method of calculation is based on the criterion developed for the formation of repetitive negative corona Trichel pulses. Field distributions are determined through charge simulation method coupled with least-square error method for optimal charge distribution and accurate field computation. Different gap dimensions are studied. Accurate distributions, not only for the potential but also for the electric field have been obtained throughout the entire interelectrode space. Negative onset voltage of corona is calculated at different gap dimensions and different air pressures.. The values of calculated onset voltages agreed well with those measured experimentally within 5%.


We introduce a unified framework for measuring risk in the context of Markov control processes with risk maps on general Borel spaces that generalize known concepts of risk measures in mathematical finance, operations research and behavioral economics. Within the framework, applying weighted norm spaces to incorporate also unbounded costs, we study two types of infinite-horizon risk-sensitive criteria, discounted total risk and average risk, and solve the associated optimization problems by dynamic programming. For the discounted case, we propose a new discount scheme, which is different from the conventional form but consistent with the existing literature, while for the average risk criterion, we state Lyapunov-type stability conditions that generalize known conditions for Markov chains to ensure the existence of solutions to the optimality equation.


CCR4 is a chemokine receptor highly expressed by Th2 cells, and regarded as a potential therapeutic target for atopic dermatitis (AD). CCL17 and CCL22 are the CCR4 ligands, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is shown to promote the expression of CCL17 and CCL22 by dendritic cells. Here, by using dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a TSLP inducer, and a hydrogel patch as a transcutaneous delivery device for ovalbumin, we developed a novel murine AD model and investigated the e ff ect of Compound 22, a CCR4 antagonist. We fi rst found that the mRNA expression of TSLP together with CCL17 and CCL22 was increased in the skins treated with DBP. Furthermore, the topical application of ovalbumin and DBP e ffi ciently and rapidly induced AD-like skin lesions in BALB/c mice, which were characterized by ear swelling accompanied by in fi ltration of eosinophils, mast cells, and CCR4-expressing Th2 cells in the skin lesions, and elevated total IgE levels in the sera. Using this AD model, we demonstrated that cutaneous administration of Compound 22 inhibited Th2 cell in fi ltration and ameliorated the AD-like skin lesions. These results suggest that our AD model could be useful for studying new therapeutic strategies. Collectively, CCR4 antagonists may be a promising approach for treating AD.


Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is the earliest and most severe form of all inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) and the most frequent cause of inherited blindness in children. The phenotypic overlap with other early-onset and severe IRDs as well as difficulties associated with the ophthalmic examination of infants can complicate the clinical diagnosis. To date, 25 genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of LCA. The disorder is usually inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion, although rare dominant cases have been reported. We report the mutation spectra and frequency of genes in 27 German index patients initially diagnosed with LCA. A total of 108 LCA- and other genes implicated in IRD were analysed using a cost-effective targeted next-generation sequencing procedure based on molecular inversion probes (MIPs). Sequencing and variant filtering led to the identification of putative pathogenic variants in 25 cases, thereby leading to a detection rate of 93%. The mutation spectrum comprises 34 different alleles, 17 of which are novel. In line with previous studies, the genetic results led to a revision of the initial clinical diagnosis in a substantial proportion of cases, demonstrating the importance of genetic testing in IRD. In addition, our detection rate of 93% shows that MIPs are a cost-efficient and sensitive tool for targeted next-generation sequencing in IRD.


Background Can home-based computerized cognitive training programs be a useful tool to sustain cognition and quality of life in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD)? To date, the progressive nature of the disease has made this question difficult to answer. Computerized platforms provide more accessibility to cognitive trainings; however, the feasibility of long-term, home-based computerized programs for patients with AD dementia remains unclear. Objective We aimed to investigate the feasibility of a 24-week home-based intervention program using the Constant Therapy app and its preliminary efficacy on cognition in patients with AD. Constant Therapy is a program developed for patients with speech and cognitive deficits. We hypothesized that patients with AD would use Constant Therapy daily over the course of the 24-week period. Methods Data were collected over a 48-week period. We recruited participants aged between 50 and 90 years with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to AD or mild AD dementia. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Constant Therapy (n=10) or active control (n=9) group. The Constant Therapy group completed a tablet-based training during the first 24 weeks; the second 24 weeks of computerized training were optional. The active control group completed paper-and-pencil games during the first 24 weeks and were invited to complete an optional Constant Therapy training during the second 24 weeks. Every 6 weeks, the participants completed the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). The participants independently accessed Constant Therapy using an Apple iPad. Our primary feasibility outcomes were the rate of adherence and daily use of Constant Therapy over 24 weeks. Our secondary outcomes were Constant Therapy performance over 24 weeks and change in RBANS scores between the 2 experimental groups. Results Feasibility analyses were computed for participants who completed 24 weeks of Constant Therapy. We found that long-term use of the Constant Therapy program was feasible in patients with AD over 24 weeks (adherence 80%; program use 121/168 days, for 32 minutes daily). These participants showed an overall improvement in accuracy and latency (P=.005) in the Constant Therapy scores, as well as specific improvements in visual and auditory memory, attention, and arithmetic tasks. The Constant Therapy group showed improvement in the RBANS coding subtest. No unexpected problems or adverse events were observed. Conclusions Long-term (eg, 24 weeks) computerized cognitive training using Constant Therapy is feasible in patients with AD in the mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia stages. Patients adhered more to Constant Therapy than to the paper-and-pencil training over 24 weeks and improved their performance over time. These findings support the development of future randomized controlled trials that will investigate the efficacy of Constant Therapy to sustain cognitive function in patients with AD. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02521558; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02521558


The midwifery council at Bournemouth University, each year, is set the objective to organise and deliver a conference for student midwives. It is a very lengthy task that requires a lot of dedication from the students who make up the council; they work tirelessly to arrange speakers for the day. Previous speakers at the conferences have included Michel Odent, Milli Hill and representatives from charities. Although time consuming, the day is highly valued by the students and it equips each council member with organisational, public-speaking and time-management skills that are essential for midwifery practice today.


Retrospective analysis of 1,020 conventional antegrade small-bowel examinations revealed that the variable which correlated most highly with abnormal radiographic findings was the clinical complex of history, physical examination, and laboratory data which prompted suspicion of small-bowel disease. Thirty indications of possible small-bowel disease were divided into groups carrying (a) a high suspicion and (b) a low suspicion of disease. Pertinent abnormalities were revealed by 14.2% of examinations in the high-suspicion group, compared with 4.9% in the low-suspicion group. The individual indications covered a spectrum of 0-34% abnormality. Overall, 9.7% of examinations (99/1,020) revealed abnormalities, but only 6.6% (67/1,020) were pertinent to the clinical problems. The authors conclude that the efficacy of the small-bowel series is directly dependent upon the reason(s) for which it is performed.


This paper presents the results of two studies in Lao PDR that assessed people's willingness to pay (WTP) using the Contingent Valuation Methodology (CVM). The first study investigated the WTP of residents for the sustainable development and maintenance of urban parks in the city using Saysetha Park as the case study. In this study residents expressed that urban parks are very important to them as they are areas for relaxation and areas to conserve urban biodiversity. The WTP survey revealed that the residents' mean WTP is 10,741kip/month/household. With this amount, it was estimated that a monthly water bill surcharge of 3,000/kip/month/household may be recommended to maintain urban parks. The second study assessed the WTP for biodiversity conservation and sustainability in the Houay Nhang Protected Area. Using CVM, the WTP responses showed that the monthly contribution that would be acceptable to the people is 5,000 kip. The logit regression shows that this WTP value is influenced by bid prices, gender, and educational levels. The respondents recognized the importance of the protected area for environmental and biodiversity protection.


A peristaltically actuated device for minimally invasive surgery (PADeMIS) is being developed at Technical University of Ilmenau. PADeMIS will be manufactured from silicone rubber and its design is being optimized by finite element analysis (FEA). Due to the small dimensions of the device an extensively automated fabrication technology, based on lithography, is developed. Furthermore, a controlling unit is built up


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Introduction

Early-stage, localized melanoma is well treatable by surgical resection yielding 5-year survival rates of 98%. Patients with advanced melanoma, however, have progressively worse 5-year survival rates of 62% and 16% in those with regional lymph node involvement and distal metastasis, respectively. Understanding molecular events that occur early in melanoma development may inform clinical decision-making and uncover novel therapeutic targets.

Experimental Procedures

We analyzed microRNA (miR) expression levels by Exiqon LNA arrays of RNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded primary melanomas (n=92). We compared miR expression levels between primary tumors that did and did not metastasize (2.5-year minimum follow-up) to derive a predictive signature. Further, we used this analysis and a comparison between thick (>2mM) and thin (<2mM) lesions to identify candidate miRs most closely associated with a metastatic phenotype. We selected 40 candidate miRs from these analyses based on strength of significance and expression level for screening in a fluorescence-based in vitro invasion assay to test their functional relevance in a characteristic metastasis assay. Active candidates were further characterized in invasion assays across a larger panel of melanoma cell lines as well as by proliferation assays to distinguish between proliferative and invasive effects.

Results

The expression of 26 miRs was significantly altered (t-tests, FDR<.01) in primary tumors that metastasized vs. those that did not. We built a logistic regression model using these 26 miRs to test their ability to classify tumors (metastatic vs. non-metastatic), and selected 6 significant miRs (p-values<0.04) as a signature that has robust predictive power with an AUC of 93% of the ROC curve. We are currently validating our results in a second, large cohort of primary melanomas (n=114). Further analysis revealed that 197 miRs were significantly (p<.01) altered in thick v. thin lesions. Moreover, of the 40 candidates selected from these analyses for invasion assay screening, we identified 5 miRs (miR-215, miR-374b*, miR-382, miR-516b, and miR-7) that robustly inhibit in vitro invasion in a panel of 5 melanoma cell lines, supporting the functional relevance of the miR profiling. Of those, miR-215, miR-382, and miR-516b over-expression yields cell-type specific growth inhibition, while miR-7 and miR-374b* impact invasion only. miR target identification is ongoing.

Conclusions

MicroRNA expression alterations occur at early stages of melanoma development. This study furthers our understanding of the molecular defects that occur during melanomagenesis and how they may impact the progression from a treatable primary tumor to an invasive and ultimately metastatic disease. These results suggest that miRNA expression changes may be predictive of melanoma metastasis and/or functionally impact melanoma progression.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-340. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-340


Past aggregate time-series studies, conducted under the assumption of a representative economic agent, frequently show that the demand for narrowly defined M1, especially non-interest-yielding demand deposit, is unstable during periods of financial innovations. Whether this is longitudinally the case among life-cycle savers is unclear. This study utilizes longitudinal data to take another look and find that volatility in the demand for non-interest-earning checking accounts in the mid and late 1990s is attributable solely to the portion held for the transactions motive. When the conventional Baumol-Tobin model is extended to include human capital and family formation variables representing the life-cycle motive, equilibrium money demand is a stable function of both economic and demographic variables.


Most malignant bone tumors of the lower extremity can be treated with limb salvage. However, some patients with a large extraosseous tumor mass require an amputation. We report the case of a patient with parosteal osteosarcoma of the distal part of the femur for whom limb salvage was impossible because of inadequate primary treatment. In order to avoid a high amputation through the femur and consequently poor function, a free vascularized osseous myocutaneous autograft was harvested from the amputated leg to lengthen the stump and improve prosthetic fitting and function. To the best of our knowledge, this procedure has not been reported previously in the literature. Our patient was informed that data concerning his case might be submitted for publication.

Aforty-five-year-old man was admitted to our clinic because of posterior pain in the the distal part of the thigh. A tumor of the distal part of the femur had been observed for four years prior to this visit without any further diagnostic evaluation. Plain radiographs made at our clinic showed a parosteal tumor of the posterior aspect of the distal part of the femur with ossification of the tumor matrix (Fig. 1). Magnetic resonance imaging exhibited a tumor measuring 8 × 6 × 5 cm, and technetium-99 bone scintigraphy showed a high tracer uptake with a ratio of 3.5 to 1 compared with that on the contralateral side. Although parosteal osteosarcoma was the leading diagnosis, two extensive open biopsies performed through a lateral approach revealed the histological diagnosis of a desmoplastic fibroma. This diagnosis was confirmed by other pathologists to whom the case had been referred. Curettage was performed, in a third procedure, through a posterior approach. The definitive histological diagnosis based on examination of the whole specimen was dedifferentiated parosteal osteosarcoma, which again was confirmed by two other pathologists. …


The cost of accelerators for heavy-ion inertial fusion energy (HIF) can be reduced by using the smallest possible clearance between the beam and the wall from the beamline. This increases beam loss to the walls, generating ion-induced electrons that could be trapped by beam space charge potential into an "electron cloud", which can cause degradation or loss of the ion beam. In order to test the physical mechanism model of ion induced electrons production we have measured the impact of K+ ions with energies up to 400 KeV on stainless steel surfaces near grazing incidence, using the ion source test stand (STS-500) at LLNL. The electron yield will be discussed and compared with experimental measurements from 1 MeV K+ ions in the High-Current Experiment at LBNL.


HYPOTHESIS
Quality of life of patients after biliary reconstruction for laparoscopic injuries is comparable to that of patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

DESIGN
Outcomes study.

SETTING
Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS
Records of 59 consecutive patients undergoing surgical reconstruction of the biliary tract after injury induced by laparoscopic cholecystectomy between 1990 and 1997 were reviewed. Hepp-Couinaud technique or Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was used in 53 patients; other procedures included cholangiojejunostomy, choledochorrhaphy, and hepaticoduodenostomy.

INTERVENTIONS
Quality-of-life questionnaires (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36]) were mailed to each patient in the group and to patients who underwent uneventful laparoscopic cholecystectomy, matched individually by year, sex, and age group. Values from the general population matched by age and sex were gathered (national norms). Minimum time of follow-up was 5 years.

RESULTS
Eighty-nine (81%) of 110 potential respondents to the survey completed the SF-36 questionnaires. All 8 values evaluated in the SF-36 questionnaire (physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health index) for patients undergoing biliary reconstruction were similar to those of both their matched controls (all P >.10) and national norms (all P >.05). The standardized physical component scale was also similar between the 2 groups (cases vs controls, 51 vs 48; P =.47), as was the standardized mental component scale (cases vs controls, 55 vs 55; P =.60).

CONCLUSIONS
With a minimum of 5 years of follow-up, the quality of life after surgical biliary reconstruction compares favorably with that of both patients undergoing uneventful laparoscopic cholecystectomy and national norms.


The CDF Collaboration has analyzed 955 pb-1 of CDF II data collected between March 2002 and February 2006 to search for electroweak single top quark production at the Tevatron. We employ three different analysis techniques to search for a single top signal: multivariate likelihood functions; neural networks; the matrix element analysis technique. The sensitivities to a single top signal at the rate predicted by the Standard Model are 2.1 σ, 2.6 σ and 2.5 σ, respectively. The first two analyses observe a deficit of single top-like events and set upper limits on the production cross section. The matrix element analysis observes a 2.3 σ single top excess and measures a combined t-channel and s-channel cross section of 2.7-1.3+1.5pb.


IN THIS paper an investigation to determine the incidence of cararact in patients with atopic dermatitis is reported. Such cataracts, first described by Andogsky, 1 were called "dermatogenous cataracts"; this term, however, included cataracts associated not only with atopic dermatitis but with several other dermatoses. Since Coca 2 the term "atopic cataract" has been employed. There is no report in the literature of the study of a large series of patients with atopic dermatitis (such as is given here) to determine the incidence of atopic cataract. Too few of the reported cases of atopic cataract afford a proper description to justify the conclusion that such cataract is distinctive and can be ascribed to the cutaneous disease. In some reports no mention is made of examination with the slit lamp, and in others the changes in the lens are not described in sufficient detail to convey a proper concept of such


Large-scale tumor sequencing projects, like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), have implicated thousands of somatic mutations in cancer. These initiatives have incentivized many improvements in somatic variant detection. However, we have observed that important pathogenic variants are often missed due to stringent filtering, tumor heterogeneity, tumor contamination of normal, low tumor purity, alignment challenges, and other issues. These idiosyncrasies can impede variant detection algorithms from reliably calling even the most clinically relevant variants. To rescue this missed variation we devised a knowledge based variant identification strategy. We mined the literature and other variant databases for pathogenic variation and assembled them into an integrated Database of Curated Mutations (DoCM - www.docm.info). The DoCM contains 488 variants across 63 genes implicated in 34 cancer types. We developed an algorithm to identify any pathogenic variant signal, for all variants in the DoCM, in aligned sequence data. As a proof of principle, we applied this approach to four cancer types sequenced by TCGA: acute myeloid leukemia (AML), breast cancer, ovarian carcinoma, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma. Obvious sequencing and alignment errors, like variants in homopolymer runs, were excluded from subsequent analysis by manual review. Across these four TCGA projects, which includes 1,840 individuals, 1,757 clinically relevant variants were identified, 1,223 of which had not been previously reported in TCGA studies. To validate this approach, custom capture probes were designed for all of the DoCM variants, new libraries constructed and deep sequencing performed on 96 tumor and matched normal samples from the AML and breast cancer TCGA projects. Following this strategy, we were able to confirm the rescue of clinically relevant somatic mutations that were missed in the original TCGA analysis. We propose a knowledge-driven variant detection approach be considered as standard practice to avoid false-negative calls of events likely to be clinically relevant Citation Format: Benjamin J. Ainscough, Malachi Griffith, Jason Kunisaki, Adam Coffman, Joshua F. McMichael, James M. Eldred, Jason R. Walker, Robert S. Fulton, Richard K. Wilson, Obi L. Griffith, Elaine R. Mardis. Identifying clinically important somatic mutations through a knowledge-based approach. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr PR01.


The present invention describes compositions for treating keratin fibers, in particular human hair, which significantly improve the conditioning properties as well as the gloss and the feel of keratin fibers, particularly human hair, compared to compositions of the prior art. The inventive compositions contain, as essential ingredients at least one selected cationic surfactant and at least one selected ester of 3-methyl-1-butanol.


The article considers humility as one of the key categories in the practical ethos of Russian Orthodoxy. Sociological and theological problems related to this category are discussed and formulated. The main emphasis is on the analysis of the relationship in the pair "the one who humbles - the one who gives humility". The formulation of the problem of humility in this form is not obligatory, but it is precisely this problem that has received a certain spread in Orthodox discourse today. The reduction of the fullness of the problem to such a configuration of relations leaves many important subjects out of consideration, but at the same time allows us to concentrate on one problematic point noted in modern Orthodox discourse.To discuss the logic of the ethics of humility was chosen the following text - "Asceticism according to Orthodox Christian teaching" by S. Zarin. On its basis, the dominant interpretation is described – "humility as acceptance of humiliation." Relying on texts discussing humility both inside and outside the Church, the author shows that one of the central virtues of Russian Orthodoxy is embodied in such a practice, which has a number of "ambiguous" consequences.At the same time, the author points out the deep rootedness of the category of humility in Orthodox ethics and suggests turning to the texts of the New Testament in search of a nuance in the understanding of humility and suggestions for the embodiment of this virtue in practice, capable of minimizing these ambiguous consequences. This nuance – mutuality – the author finds in the Epistles of the st. Paul. By analyzing the meaning of humility and the use of this concept in the text of the epistles of the apostle, the importance of recmutuality of actors entering into interaction is shown.In conclusion, the presence of such an interpretation in the Russian Orthodox tradition, namely in the texts of Theophanes the Recluse, is discussed. Thus, the assumption is substantiated that such an interpretation is not alien to the Orthodox worldview. The author suggests that the emphasis on mutuality in understanding and practicing humility could help to remove a number of negative effects that are fixed today (and were fixed earlier) both inside and outside the Church.


Survey data show that the expected growth rates of consumption across countries vary widely and are not highly correlated. This data contradict the simplest of open-economy models in which there is a freely traded non-state-contingent bond and purchasing power parity holds. This paper explores two alternative explanations for the finding: that households in each country in effect face different ex ante real interest rates or that there are significant credit constraints, so that expected consumption growth rates are driven largely by expected income growth. The empirical evidence strongly supports the latter hypothesis. These findings challenge the modeling of consumption that is at the heart of many, if not most, macroeconomic models.


Nanowires are structures with features on the nanoscale, and it is therefore essential to study their properties on that scale. We present optical data from a variety of nanowire‐based structures using cathodoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy. One important feature of nanowires is the stacking sequence of the crystal, either zincblede, wurtzite or a mix of the two. We show that this has an impact on the optical properties. In radial quantum wells, the thickness can be controlled on a monolayer level, in the case of flat side facets of the nanowires. With rough side facets, the quantum well collapses into quantum dots, as revealed by cathodoluminescence imaging. In order to extend the emission wavelength of light‐emitting diodes into the ultraviolet or to cover the whole visible range, we use nanowire‐seeded truncated pyramids as bases for these devices, based on either GaInN (visible) and AlGaN (ultraviolet).


In his book The Future of Socialism (1956), CAR Crosland confronted the traditional socialist movement's belief that to achieve the abolition of poverty, the creation of a social service state, greater equalisation of wealth and full employment, capitalism had to be abolished. While Crosland sought to reformulate socialism in terms of a serious academic critique of capitalism, Peter Hain reflects on the mixed fortunes of Labour parliamentary administrations since the rise of Margaret Thatcher and the shift to New Labour. In seeking solutions to Labour's lack of public support and partial failure to achieve socialist goals, he turns to Crosland's analysis to inform and enlighten the strategy for the Labour Party to revive its traditional aims. The strength of Hain's book lies in the author's analysis of Labour Party parliamentary politics in which he served in both Tony Blair's and Gordon Brown's administrations. He has positive but critical views on the policies of New Labour: positive from the point of view of bringing many people out of poverty, for reducing the gender pay gap, for promoting gay rights, for employment protection and the introduction of the minimum wage. However, he is critical of New Labour's policy change which enabled market forces to predominate over state action – accepting Thatcher's neoliberalism which entailed deregulation, particularly of the financial sector, curbs on trade union action and private finance of the public sector. The book has some well-researched sections, notably on the rise in inequality and the crisis in the financial sector. The way out of the downward spiral is to be found in Crosland's emphasis on state-led growth which would follow investment for innovation. He emphasised the need to develop new technology and a skilled work force. Reform of the banking system, a British investment bank, active government policy in support of infrastructure as well as basic research all figure high on Hain's agenda. His vision follows that of Crosland for a libertarian, pluralistic, democratically accountable and decentralised Labour government pursuing social justice. The major solution envisaged, following Crosland, is economic growth spurred by Keynesian policies. It is here perhaps that the author could have made a more robust contrast between the essentially state-centred analysis of Crosland and the more regionalised and globalised world of the twenty-first century. The book is thoughtful and well written and it provides a useful overview of recent developments, written from a positive but critical socialist perspective.


ectopic pregnancy or pre-term delivery, we selected 224 controls subjects of the same ethnic distribution as that of RM subjects (Supplementary Table S1). The Supplementary Table (S1) reflects that there were no significant differences in terms of ethnicity among the patients and controls and that the differences seen in KIR frequencies are not due to non-ethnically matched controls as mentioned by Moffett and Hiby in their letter to the editor. For the genotyping of KIR in our samples, we have largely followed the method described by Vilches et al. (2007), with some modifications suiting to our lab conditions. Vilches et al. (2007) primers amplify all the KIR alleles in the current Immuno-polymorphism Database (version 1.4.0, 4 June 2007). Individuals were determined to be negative for a KIR gene when a band of the expected size was absent in the presence of the control band. For easier size discrimination of KIR2DS4 full length and deletion variants, aliquots of PCR products of 2DS4 were run separately on the gel, and individuals were assigned positive when either or both the variants gave signals, whereas when both the variants were absent, the individual was labeled as 2DS4 negative. The data were verified and validated by Dr Raja Rajalingam from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), CA, USA. We used the working definition of assigning the KIR A and B haplotypes given by Rajalingam et al. (2008). Individuals who carried a fixed gene set of nine genes consisting of KIR3DL3–2DL3–2DL1– 2DP1–3DP1–2DL4–3DL1–2DS4–3DL2, characteristic of Group A haplotypes, were considered as having two copies of Group A KIR haplotypes (AA genotypes). On the other hand, individuals lacking any of the four variable genes (KIR2DL1, 2DL3, 3DL1 and 2DS4) were regarded as carrying two copies of Group B haplotypes (BB genotypes). All the remaining combinations were regarded as heterozygotes carrying both the haplogroups, i.e. AB genotypes. The RM control data reported by us varies from a previous report in North Indian population (Rajalingam et al., 2002) at several loci. To our understanding, this difference is because of the fact that our control data represent the healthy parous females of the eastern Uttar Pradesh Province of Northern India, and the absence of male individuals results in a bias as far as a representative population is concerned. Thus, we reckon our data cannot be considered as a representative of North Indian population because of the gender bias. Our data can very well be regarded as representative RM control data. Presently, we are working on the normal distribution of KIR genotypes among males and females from this part of the country which may provide a wider landscape of KIR distribution We agree with Moffett and Hiby that before publishing our control population data, we should confirm the accuracy and reliability of the KIR typing by using the DNA provided by the UCLA International KIR Exchange Program. However, the confusion about the role of KIR in RM is possible only through a multicentric study where samples of different ethnicities using the same selection criteria for the RM group are being used.


The paper provides outcomes of treatment in 37 patients with cervical diskal hernias, operated on by endoscopic portal microsurgery. Surgery involved the use of video endoscopic techniques, microsurgery under fluoroscopic control. The duration of an operation was 22 +/- 2.7 min. Hospital stay was not more than 24 hours. Fair early and late outcomes were noted in 94.1% of the patients.


ABSTRACTThis study aims to determine the variables contained in the tourism of halal and thayyib which are adjusted to the 5 principles in sharia maqashid, namely protection of the soul, protection of property, protection of offspring, protection of religion, and protection of lives. The development of halal tourism destinations in Indonesia is the center of public attention, because it has enormous potential. This can be seen from the religious enthusiasm of the people in Indonesia, whi are predominantly Muslim, the potential of very attractive natural resources to be developed into attractive halal tourism destinations. In Indonesia, there area already a number of destinations decleared as halal tourism destinations, but many also consider that halal tourism is still a trend and brand, because of partial halal substance such as restaurants and hotels. Thus it is very important to present Islamic principles which from the basis or guidelines for the implementation of the halal concept by presenting several variables in the development of halal tourism potential in Indonesia as ameasure. This research uses literature study and uses descriptive qualitative analysis.Keyword:shariamaqashid,halaltourism,thayyib


In this paper, we develop and analyze a nonparametric method for estimating the class of integral probability metrics (IPMs), examples of which include the Wasserstein distance, Dudley metric, and maximum mean discrepancy (MMD). We show that these distances can be estimated efficiently by solving a linear program in the case of Wasserstein distance and Dudley metric, while MMD is computable in a closed form. All these estimators are shown to be strongly consistent and their convergence rates are analyzed. Based on these results, we show that IPMs are simple to estimate and the estimators exhibit good convergence behavior compared to ø-divergence estimators.


An analytic model for computing the radiation properties of the quadrifilar helix volute antenna is discussed and various design considerations for GPS applications are presented. The effects of modifying the antenna length and diameter on the antenna amplitude and phase performance are presented, and using the antenna for dual-frequency operation is discussed. The effects of phase imbalances are presented and compared with measured pattern anomalies. >


The Story Cloze Test (SCT) is a recent framework for evaluating story comprehension and script learning. There have been a variety of models tackling the SCT so far. Although the original goal behind the SCT was to require systems to perform deep language understanding and commonsense reasoning for successful narrative understanding, some recent models could perform significantly better than the initial baselines by leveraging human-authorship biases discovered in the SCT dataset. In order to shed some light on this issue, we have performed various data analysis and analyzed a variety of top performing models presented for this task. Given the statistics we have aggregated, we have designed a new crowdsourcing scheme that creates a new SCT dataset, which overcomes some of the biases. We benchmark a few models on the new dataset and show that the top-performing model on the original SCT dataset fails to keep up its performance. Our findings further signify the importance of benchmarking NLP systems on various evolving test sets.


In this paper we present multiband optical polarimetric observations of the VHE blazar PKS 2155-304 made simultaneously with a H.E.S.S./Fermi high-energy campaign in 2008, when the source was found to be in a low state. The intense daily coverage of the dataset allowed us to study in detail the temporal evolution of the emission and we found that the particle acceleration timescales are decoupled from the changes in the polarimetric properties of the source. We present a model in which the optical polarimetric emission originates at the polarised mm-wave core and propose an explanation for the lack of correlation between the photometric and polarimetric fluxes. The optical emission is consistent with an inhomogeneous synchrotron source in which the large scale field is locally organised by a shock in which particle acceleration takes place. Finally, we use these optical polarimetric observations of PKS 2155-304 at a low state to propose an origin for the quiescent gamma-ray flux of the object, in an attempt to provide clues for the source of its recently established persistent TeV emission.


A (vertex) $\ell$-ranking is a labelling $\varphi:V(G)\to\mathbb{N}$ of the vertices of a graph $G$ with integer colours so that for any path $u_0,\ldots,u_p$ of length at most $\ell$, $\varphi(u_0)\neq\varphi(u_p)$ or $\varphi(u_0)<\max\{\varphi(u_0),\ldots,\varphi(u_p)\}$. We show that, for any fixed integer $\ell\ge 2$, every $n$-vertex planar graph has an $\ell$-ranking using $O(\log n/\log\log\log n)$ colours and this is tight even when $\ell=2$; for infinitely many values of $n$, there are $n$-vertex planar graphs, for which any 2-ranking requires $\Omega(\log n/\log\log\log n)$ colours. This result also extends to bounded genus graphs.
In developing this proof we obtain optimal bounds on the number of colours needed for $\ell$-ranking graphs of treewidth $t$ and graphs of simple treewidth $t$. These upper bounds are constructive and give $O(n\log n)$-time algorithms. Additional results that come from our techniques include new sublogarithmic upper bounds on the number of colours needed for $\ell$-rankings of apex minor-free graphs and $k$-planar graphs.


Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2) has been reported to be over-expressed in 20-30% of the breast cancer patients and related to poor prognosis. Affibody ZHER2 is a small protein which has high affinity to HER2 screened by phage display. Human Serum Albumin (HSA), as the main protein in plasma, has been commonly used to extend the small peptides serum half-life. Its high solubility, stability and excellent ability to carry multiple ligands in blood stream make it a good candidate for drug delivery. In this presentation, we report the development of albumin-affibody fusion proteins in the aim of targeted delivering chemotherapeutics to HER2 positive cells. Two HSA fusion proteins have been successfully constructed, expressed and purified, one with a single ZHER2 domain at the albumin C terminus (rHSA-ZHER2) and the other has two tandem copies of ZHER2 (rHSA-(ZHER2) 2 ). Both of the fusion proteins maintained the HER2 and fatty acid (FA) binding ability inherited respectively from the two parental proteins demonstrated by in vitro assays. Upon binding to the HER2, rHSA-ZHER2 only showed mild effect on HER2 positive SK-BR-3 cells, while rHSA-(ZHER2) 2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of SK-BR-3 cells. More interestingly, a strong activation of both MAPK and AKT signaling was observed. Our results prove the feasibility of the fusion proteins to be used as drug carriers. Currently two formulations are under investigation, one is to complex the fusion protein with FA modified chemo drugs, and the other is to make them into nanoparticles. These two proteins not only can be explored as a potential drug delivery vehicle, but also may provide us with a good molecular tool to study the HER2 signaling pathway. Citation Format: Daoyuan Dong, Zhijun Li, Zhiyu Li. Human serum albumin and affibody fusion proteins for targeted drug delivery to HER2 positive cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr B36.


Saami influence on Scandinavian grammar?
Older histories of the Scandinavian languages (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian) commonly assume that German has influenced the Scandinavian languages heavily. By contrast, they do not assume any significant influence from the Saami languages. This traditional view has, however, been challenged in an interesting monograph by Kusmenko (2008). While Kusmenko's hypotheses have been met with scepticism by some specialists of Scandinavian, they have also been received favourably by some, notably Bull (for example in this journal, 2017). Yet Bull also points to an important weakness in Kusmenko's argument – the near-absence of lexical influence despite the supposedly heavy grammatical influence. However, Bull argues that this absence is apparent rather than real; in Norwegian dialects in the very North, Saami loan-words are more numerous. In this paper, I argue that evidence from these dialects is not necessarily very relevant, since Kusmenko's hypotheses primarily concern dialects further south. While Kusmenko and Bull are justified in criticising the ideological bias in much language historiography in Norway, and while it now seems clear that prestige relations between speakers of Saami and Scandinavian need not have been the same a millennium ago as they were a century ago, the more strictly linguistic evidence adduced by Kusmenko is still not convincing. The absence of good parallels make his scenario look less plausible.


Premixed turbulent flames are of increasing practical importance and remain a significant research challenge in the combustion community. In this paper we discuss a numerical methodology we have developed that combines a low-Mach number formulation combined with adaptive mesh refinement to exploit the variation of scales associated with premixed flame simulations. This combined approach, when implemented on parallel computing hardware, improves computational efficiency by several orders of magnitude.


The plasmid composition of the Plectonema boryanum Gom. Cyanobacterium, strain CALU 465, was analyzed. A small pSM1 plasmid, size 1.5, was chosen for genetic engineering. The physical map, constructed for the plasmid, was used to create the pSTS series, i.e. vector construction for the P. boryanum cyanobacterium. A method was selected and tested for the introduction of the vector into host cells. The needed orientation of pSM1 cyanobacterium plasmid within the vector as well as a possible role of its separate elements in inheriting the construction by host were defined.


Practically, clocking system like flip-flop (FF) consumes large portion of total chip power. In this paper, a novel low-power pulse-triggered flip-flop (FF) design is presented. Pulsetriggered FF (P-FF) has been considered as a popular alternative to the conventional master –slave based FF in the applications of high speed. First, a simple two-transistor AND gate design is used to reduce the circuit complexity. Second, a conditional pulse-enhancement technique is devised to speed up the discharge along the critical path only when needed. As a result, transistor sizes in delay inverter and pulsegeneration circuit can be reduced for power saving. The maximum power saving against rival designs is up to 39.4%.Compared with the conventional transmission gatebased FF design; the average leakage power consumption is also reduced by a factor of 3.52. Index Terms – Flip-flop, low power, pulse-triggered


The most promising way to improve the performance of dynamic information-flow tracking (DIFT) for machine code is to only track instructions when they process tainted data. Unfortunately, prior approaches to on-demand DIFT are a poor match for modern mobile platforms that rely heavily on parallelism to provide good interactivity in the face of computationally intensive tasks like image processing. The main shortcoming of these prior efforts is that they cannot support an arbitrary mix of parallel threads due to the limitations of page protections. In this paper, we identify parallel permissions as a key requirement for multithreaded, on-demand native DIFT, and we describe the design and implementation of a system called SandTrap that embodies this approach. Using our prototype implementation, we demonstrate that SandTrap's native DIFT overhead is proportional to the amount of tainted data that native code processes. For example, in the photo-sharing app Instagram, SandTrap's performance is close to baseline (1x) when the app does not access tainted data. When it does, SandTrap imposes a slowdown comparable to prior DIFT systems (~8x).


Infrared camera systems may be made dramatically smaller by simultaneously collecting several low-resolution images with multiple narrow aperture lenses rather than collecting a single high-resolution image with one wide aperture lens. Conventional imaging systems consist of one or more optical elements that image a scene on the focal plane. The resolution depends on the wavelength of operation and the f-number of the lens system, assuming a diffraction limited operation. An image of comparable resolution may be obtained by using a multi-channel camera that collects multiple low-resolution measurements of the scene and then reconstructing a high-resolution image. The proposed infrared sensing system uses a three-by-three lenslet array with an effective focal length of 1.9mm and overall system length of 2.3mm, and we achieve image resolution comparable to a conventional single lens system having a focal length of 5.7mm and overall system length of 26mm. The high-resolution final image generated by this system is reconstructed from the noisy low-resolution images corresponding to each lenslet; this is accomplished using a computational process known as superresolution reconstruction. The novelty of our approach to the superresolution problem is the use of wavelets and related multiresolution method within a Expectation-Maximization framework to improve the accuracy and visual quality of the reconstructed image. The wavelet-based regularization reduces the appearance of artifacts while preserving key features such as edges and singularities. The processing method is very fast, making the integrated sensing and processing viable for both time-sensitive applications and massive collections of sensor outputs.


Three main geological units are distinguished in the Mount McGerrigle area of north-central Gaspe, each different in lithology, structural style, and age: a Cambro-Ordovician, complexly deformed assemblage of eugeosynclinal rocks is discordantly intruded by a composite pluton, and is unconformably overlain by mildly deformed Silurian–Devonian platform deposits. Three phases of deformation (F1, F2, F3) have affected the Quebec and Schickshock Groups of Cambro-Ordovidian age. The F1, deformation was accompanied by lowgrade regional metamorphism resulting in a penetrative planar fabric. The F2 deformation deformed pre-existing structures and produced the prevalent northeasterly trending and shallowly plunging folds. The third phase was least penetrative, resulting in broad and upright east-northeasterly striking F3 folds that modify the orientation of F2 structures. The forcefully injected Mount McGerrigle pluton, a late intrusion of the Acadian orogeny, truncates and deforms the F1 and F2 fabric elements of...


Heracleum persicum (golpar) is an endemic medicinal plant that is commonly known as hogweed or Persian hogweed. It contains flavonoids and furanocoumarins that probably could stimulate both cell- and antibody-mediated immune responses. Besides, golpar has a substantial immunostimulatory effect on beta-lymphocytes and macrophages that played important role in antibody synthesis. Its extract at a supplementation level of 1-2.5 ml/l in drinking water showed a remarkable increase in the total immunoglobulins (Ig) (70%), immunoglobulin G (IgG) (100%) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) (94%) titres and an increase in antibody titre against Newcastle disease virus (96%) in broilers. In addition, supplementation positively affected the feed intake (9.4%), weight gain (14.7%) and food conversion ratio (FCR) (8.7%) in broilers. Moreover, in several studies, it has potential as an antifungal, antidiabetic, hypocholesterolaemic and growth enhancer agent; which endorsed its extensive contents of phytochemicals (terpenoids, triterpenes, furanocoumarins, volatile substances, flavonoids and alkaloids). It has a positive effect on the levels of glutathione (GSH), peroxidation lipids (MDA), the total antioxidant capacity of plasma or ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and glutathione s-transferase (GST), in addition to modulatory effects on liver enzymes including alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST). After reviewing the published literature, it was apparent that golpar has multidimensional biological effects. Nevertheless, little research is available on the effects of golpar on productive performance and other health-related parameters in avian species. Hence, this review encourages veterinarians and poultry researcher to undertake further work to demonstrate the promising beneficial effects of golpar at effective levels to potentially replace the synthetic antibiotic growth promoters in commercial poultry diets.


Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a viral pathogen that causes acute respiratory illnesses in young pigs. Since 1987, PRRSV has contributed substantial economic losses to the swine industry. Elevation of proinflammatory cytokines in PRRSV-infected pigs is thought to contribute to PRRSV pathogenesis. In this study, PRRSV VR-2385, a Type 2 strain with moderate virulence, was found to induce phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) at serine 727 (pSTAT1-S727) in MARC-145 cells. No phosphorylated STAT1 at tyrosine 701 was detected, which indicates that the pSTAT1-S727 elevation was interferon-independent. The PRRSV-induced pSTAT1-S727, however, was dose-dependent and its levels increased with infection time. IngelVac PRRS MLV strain had a minimal effect on pSTAT1-S727. Compared to MLV-infected cells, VR-2385 infection caused significantly higher level of expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1 beta (IL-1beta) and IL-8. The VR-2385-induced pSTAT1-S727 and cytokine expression were reduced after SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), or methylthioadenosine (MTA), a methyl transferase inhibitor, was added to the cells. The SB203580 and MTA-mediated inhibition suggested that the virus-induced pSTAT1-S727 was dependent on p38 MAPK pathway. In primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), VR-2385 also induced pSTAT1-S727 and expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including IL-1beta, IL-8, chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10). Similarly, SB203580 treatment of PAM cells blocked the elevation of pSTAT1-S727 and cytokine expression. Overexpression of individual viral proteins showed that non-structural protein 12 (nsp12) was able to induce elevation of pSTAT1-S727 and the expression of IL-1β and IL-8. These results indicated that PRRSV VR-2385 induces pSTAT1-S727 and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, which contributes to the insight of PRRSV pathogenesis.


Using two-step laser excitation, we obtained the spectrum of highly excited nf series of Al. Stark effect induced forbidden transition lines, line shifts and line broadening are also observed. The theoretical analysis is presented.


Health-care slows the natural growth of mortality, indirectly increasing utility from consumption through longer lifetimes. This paper solves the problem of optimal dynamic consumption and healthcare spending with isoelastic utility, when natural mortality grows exponentially to reflect the Gompertz' law. Optimal consumption and healthcare imply an endogenous mortality law that is asymptotically exponential in the old-age limit, with lower growth rate than natural mortality. Health spending steadily increases with age, both in absolute terms and relative to total spending. Differential access to healthcare can account for observed longevity gains across cohorts.


The inadequacies of current methods of measuring proteins in white wines are briefly discussed, and measurement by gel column analysis, with ultraviolet detection at 280 nm, is proposed as being well suited to their determination. A rapid automated procedure for direct analysis of residual wine proteins is described. The concentrations found varied greatly, to a maximum of 840 mg per liter protein. Molecular weights of protein constituents were considered to be in the range 10,000-50,000. About half of total wine protein is apparently bound to a minor quantity of grape phenolics, and this portion is thought to be responsible for protein haze. Bentonite fining is not selective between the two fractions.


The question of how much speakers consider their addressees perspectives is a topic of debate. In these experiments, I examine this question in a novel way by observing overhearer reactions to the conversational constraints set on the conversations interlocutors. I compare how the overhearers to monologues and dialogues understand directions. These experiments were conducted in a computer-mediated environment, but are expected to have a degree of generalizability to face-to-face communication as well as implications for human-computer interaction.


Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanism of anti tumor activity of Clerodendron infortunatum extract (CIE) under in vitro condition. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxic activity of CIE extract was tested on murine tumor cells (Dalton's lymphoma ascites cells - DLA) and normal mouse cells (splenocytes) by trypan blue dye exclusion assay. The ability of the extract to induce apoptosis was measured via acridine orange and propidium iodide dual staining method.  Apoptosis induction was confirmed by the analysis of level of expression of various apoptotic genes like bax , bcl-2 , caspase 8 and caspase 9 . Results: The extract showed a dose dependent anti-proliferative activity on DLA cells whereas mouse splenocytes were found to be not affected.  Treatment of DLA cells with CIE increased the number of apoptotic events in DLA cells.  Increase in the bax / bcl-2 ratio along with an escalation in the expression of caspase 9 by almost 60 fold confirmed the induction of intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Conclusions: CIE showed effective anti-proliferative activity on DLA cells by the induction of intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.


Temporal causal modeling has been a highly active research area in the last few decades. Temporal or time series data arises in a wide array of application domains ranging from medicine to finance. Deciphering the causal relationships between the various time series can be critical in understanding and consequently, enhancing the efficacy of the underlying processes in these domains. Grouped graphical modeling methods such as Granger methods provide an efficient alternative for finding out such dependencies. A key parameter which affects the performance of these methods is the maximum lag. The maximum lag specifies the extent to which one has to look into the past to predict the future. A smaller than required value of the lag will result in missing important dependencies while an excessively large value of the lag will increase the computational complexity along with the addition of noisy dependencies. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for estimating this key parameter efficiently. One of the primary advantages of this approach is that it can, in a principled manner, incorporate prior knowledge of dependencies that are known to exist between certain pairs of time series out of the entire set and use this information to estimate the lag for the entire set. This ability to extrapolate the lag from a known subset to the entire set, in order to get better estimates of the overall lag efficiently, makes such an approach attractive in practice.


Summary Conditions affecting the responses of human platelets to epinephrine were examined. In platelet-rich plasma prepared from blood anticoagulated with hirudin or PPACK (D-pheny- lalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginine chloromethyl ketone), epinephrine did not cause shape change or aggregation. In a Tyrode-albumin- apyrase solution containing a concentration of Ca2+ in the physiological range, and fibrinogen, epinephrine in concentrations as high as 40 μM did not induce platelet shape change, caused either no primary aggregation or very slight primary aggregation, and did not induce thromboxane formation, release of dense granule contents, or secondary aggregation. In contrast, in citrated platelet-rich plasma, epinephrine induced two phases of aggregation. This is not attributable to the generation of traces of thrombin since the same effects were evident when blood was taken into a combined citrate-hirudin anticoagulant or a combined citrate-PPACK anticoagulant. In a modified Tyrode-albu- min-apyrase solution containing approximately 20 μM Ca2+, 1 mM Mg2+, and fibrinogen, epinephrine induced extensive aggregation after a lag phase, but no primary phase was evident; thromboxane formation and release of dense granule contents accompanied the aggregation response. These responses were also observed when PPACK was included with the acid-citrate- dextrose anticoagulant, and in the washing and resuspending fluids. In the presence of aspirin or the thromboxane receptor blocker BM 13.177 a few small aggregates were detected by particle counting and by scanning electron microscopy; with the latter inhibitor, the platelets in the aggregates retained their disc shape; secondary aggregation and the responses associated with it did not occur. Thus thromboxane A2 formation is not necessary for the formation of these small aggregates, but is required for extensive aggregation and release. As with other weak agonists, the close platelet-to-platelet contact in the low Ca2+ medium appears to be necessary for full secondary aggregation. Omission of fibrinogen from the low Ca2+ medium prevented both primary and secondary aggregation in response to epinephrine. An antibody (10E5) to the glycoprotein Ilb/IIIa complex was completely inhibitory in the presence of fibrinogen. Thus the response of human platelets to epinephrine is influenced by the concentration of Ca2+ and the presence of fibrinogen in the medium in which they are suspended.


The third-order nonlinear optical properties of a series of polythiophenes are investigated with the Z-scan method under picosecond pulse laser irradiation at 532 nm. The copolymers exhibit a good nonlinear response: large nonlinear refraction coefficients without nonlinear absorption. The signs of nonlinear refraction coefficients are positive, which are opposite to the negative signs of the polythiophene reported before. The mechanism accounting for the process of nonlinear refraction under pulse laser excitation is analyzed from the viewpoint of the electron-donor/acceptor units of polythiophenes. Moreover, changes of nonlinearity according to the lengths of main chains in polythiophene molecules are discussed.


The ZnO and Zn1-xMnxO minicrystal were synthesized by chemical vapor transport (CVT). The electron trap structure (donor level) and process on the temporal behavior of photoelectrons of materials were respectively studied by thermo-luminescence and microwave absorption dielectric spectrometry. There are two peaks in the thermo-luminescence spectra in pure ZnO, one is -183 ℃ and the other is -127 ℃, which shows two kinds of electron trap energy level produced by the intrinsic defects in ZnO;but obtain very low thermo-luminescence that only equals to ten percent of pure ZnO in Zn1-xMnxO, which shows that its intensity of electron trap is less. The studies of microwave absorption dielectric spectrometry show that conduction band photoelectrons are two-step exponential decay process in ZnO, the lifetime of rapid process is 83 ns, while slow process is 828 ns, the reason of delay is relaxation effects of electron trap to conduction band photoelectrons. The intensity of electron trap is less in Zn1-xMnxO minicrystal, the relaxation effects of conduction band photoelectrons from electron trap is little, so electrons disappeared quickly at conduction band, and the decay process of photoelectrons is only 10~20 ns.


Within the framework programs of the EU for Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Aero-Engines (EEFEA) MTU has developed a highly efficient cross-counter flow heat exchanger for the application in intercooled recuperated aero-engines. This very compact recuperator is based on the profile tube matrix arrangement invented by MTU and one of its outstanding features is the high resistance to thermal gradients. In this paper the combined thermomechanical design of the recuperator is presented. State-of-the-art calculation procedures for heat transfer and stress analysis are combined in order to perform a reliable life prediction of the recuperator. The thermal analysis is based upon a 3D parametric finite element model generation. A program has been generated, which allows the automatic generation of both the material mesh and the boundary conditions. Assumptions concerning the boundary conditions are presented as well as steady state and transient temperature results. The stress analysis is performed with a FEM code using essentially the same computational grid as the thermal analysis. With the static temperature fields the static loading of the profile tubes is determined. From transient thermal calculations successive 3D temperature fields are obtained which enable the determination of creep life and LCF life of the part. Finally, vibration analysis is performed in order to estimate the vibration stress of the profile tubes during engine operation. Together with the static stress a Goodman diagram can be constructed. The combined analysis shows the high life potential of the recuperator, which is important for economic operation of a recuperative aero-engine.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


In all known cellular organisms, from the smallest bacteria to the tallest of trees, DNA stores the instructions for maintenance, growth and m crucially m reproduction that have allowed life to proliferate to the far reaches of our planet. When a cell divides to form two equivalent cells, it must first copy its genome using an enzyme known as a replicative DNA polymerase. This protein functions as part of a replisome, which is a group of specialized proteins that work in concert to duplicate, faithfully, DNA molecules numbering several million bases in length. As a graduate student, I studied the atomic-level structure, biochemical properties and evolution of the replicative polymerase, and some of its helper proteins, in the replisome of the Gram-negative γ-proteobacterium Escherichia coli. Interestingly, although some replisome proteins are universally conserved, the replicative polymerases themselves are not, and those from Bacteria appear, on the basis of sequence and structure, unrelated to those from the two other domains of life, Eukaryota and Archaea. This lack of homology is evidence of the convergent evolution of two different types of polymerases and suggests that bacterial DNA replication may be a promising target for antibiotic development. Within bacteria, there are two main types of replicative polymerases m the PolC homologs and the DnaE1-pol homologs. PolC homologs appear to be limited to the low-GC Gram-positive bacteria that comprise the phyla Firmicutes and Tenericutes, while nearly all others use a DnaE1-pol.In this thesis, I align a diverse set of DnaE1-homologs and identify among them two main versions, one like the polymerase from E. coli (Eco-like) and the other like that of Thermus aquaticus (Taq-like). Using a second alignment, I observe that the Eco-like polymerase almost always appears with an editing protein, DnaQ-exonuclease, which removes mismatch errors during DNA synthesis. Guided by these sequence data, I analyze previously solved structures of the E. coli and T. aquaticus polymerases and place the sequence and structure interpretations in the context of known bacterial phylogeny. Taq-like DnaE1-pol, which is a constitutively active polymerase that contains DNA-editing exonuclease activity in its PHP domain, is the ancestral version and, based on its presence in cyanobacteria, likely dates back roughly 3,500 million years, nearly to the origin of life on Earth. In contrast, Eco-like DnaE1-pol can adopt a distorted conformation incompatible with DNA synthesis and has a PHP domain that lacks editing activity and, instead, binds a DnaQ-exonuclease for editing in trans. Because mitochondria are descended from an α-proteobacterium, the Eco-like polymerase predates the emergence of eukaryotes more than 1,500 million years ago.In addition to identifying the two main types of DnaE1-pol, I describe significant progress toward crystal structures the E. coli replicative polymerase in complex with DNA. Furthermore, I demonstrate the precise structural conservation of the PHP domain in this polymerase by restoring metal binding to it using only three point-mutations.


RINGLE, AND STANLEY I?. BALCERZAK. Oxygen delivery following transfusion of stored blood. I. Normal rats. J. Appl. Physiol. 37(l) : 60-63. 1974 .-Blood stored in acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) develops increased oxygen affinity secondary to progressive decline of red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) levels. The ability of stored blood to supply oxygen to tissues was studied in rats exchange-transfused with either stored or fresh blood. Skin bubble oxygen tension (Psbo,) and central venous oxygen tension (PEo,) served as indices of tissue oxygenation. Mean DPG levels fell immediately after transfusion with stored blood but rose rapidly to 70y0 of the preexchange level by 9 11. P50 values paralleled DPG levels. Psbo, fell from a mean of 34 mmHg before transfusion to a mean of 27 mmHg at 24 h after transfusion. P??o, levels fell abruptly and markedly and remained significantly depressed for 9 h after transfusion. Rats transfused with fresh blood had minimal decreases in DPG, P 50, PCoz, and Psbo, values. Normal rats exchange-transfused with ACD-stored blood have a significant decrease in red cell DPG and increase in red cell oxygen affinity; although regeneration of DPG and oxygen affinity is relatively rapid, such animals have a significant interval of impaired tissue oxygenation.


That a change of wave-length occurs in X-ray scattering was first indicated by absorption measurements with the ionisation chamber, which showed that the absorption coefficient of a light element like aluminium was slightly greater for the scattered than for the primary X-rays. Later more conclusive and direct evidence was obtained when spectrometric analysis of the scattered X-rays was made first by the ionisation and afterwards by the photographic method. This analysis disclosed the existence of an unshifted as well as the shifted line, and showed also that the latter becomes relatively more prominent with diminishing wave-length and lower atomic number of the scattering element. After the main features of the Compton effect were established by means of spectrometric measurements, however, absorption measurements with the ionisation method have again been employed for a detailed study of the phenomenon, for such measurements are much quicker than the spectrum experiments, where the final energy available is much smaller on account of the double scattering involved. As mentioned above, the absorption measurements were based on the slight increase in the absorption coefficient of a light element when the wave-length changes from the unmodified to the modified value. The much larger and sudden diminution in absorption of X-rays when the frequency is altered from the short to the long wave-length side of the critical K-absorption limit of the element used as a filter, furnishes us with an easy and convenient method of exhibiting the wave-length change in X-ray scattering. In the present paper will be described a photographic wedge photometer based on this principle, which enables the characteristics of the Compton effect to be readily observed. It may be pointed out that the same idea could no doubt be utilised also in connection with the ionisation measurements of the Compton effect.


COVID-19 related travel restrictions, including complete border closures, have been one of the first containment measures to be implemented by many countries and have been continuously adjusted according to the epidemiological situation in departure and destination countries. Despite some easing since mid-2020, the level of such restrictions remain high, especially in Europe and North America. The economic costs of restrictions on international travel are apparent in those sectors most directly impacted, as documented here. However, given their important interlinkages, a uniquely sectoral focus is likely to underestimate the broader macroeconomic costs, which are also assessed, albeit with less precision. The importance of these linkages is borne out by the fact that those OECD countries with the largest travel and tourism sectors -- such as Greece, Iceland, Portugal, Mexico and Spain -- are among those that have experienced the largest falls in GDP in 2020 . Indeed, the pre-crisis size of the travel and tourism sector is found to better explain cross-country differences in GDP growth in 2020, than exposure to any of the other sectors considered most vulnerable to COVID-19, or the average stringency of wider country lockdown measures during 2020. These estimates serve as a means to gauge the potential economic benefits of a rapid return to more normal travel arrangements facilitated by the implementation and agreements around testing and vaccination protocols.


The accurate and reliable detection or prediction of freezing of gaits (FOG) is important for fall prevention in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and studying the physiological transitions during the occurrence of FOG. Integrating both commercial and selfdesigned sensors, a protocal has been designed to acquire multimodal physical and physiological information during FOG, including gait acceleration (ACC), electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), and skin conductance (SC). Two tasks were designed to trigger FOG, including gait initiation failure and FOG during walking. A total number of 12 PD patients completed the experiments and produced a total length of 3 hours and 42 minutes of valid data. The FOG episodes were labeled by two qualified physicians. Each unimodal data and combinations have been used to detect FOG. Results showed that multimodal data benefit the detection of FOG. Among unimodal data, EEG had better discriminative ability than ACC and EMG. However, the acqusition of EEG signals are more complicated. Multimodal motional and electrophysiological data can also be used to study the physiological transition process during the occurrence of FOG and provide personalised interventions.


This study presents an aerodynamic design and numerical analysis of a centrifugal compressor in gas turbines for SOFC-gas turbine hybrid system application. Total-to-total pressure ratio of the compressor is 3.6:1 that could be used widely for small and large SOFC-gas turbine systems. The compressor consists of a centrifugal impeller and a wedge diffuser. Conceptual design and aerodynamic design with mean line analysis and quasi-3D analysis are performed, and aerodynamic parameters as well as design variables are discussed from the design results. A numerical analysis based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation was performed for the flow analysis of the compressor. The results show that the centrifugal compressor designed meets the design target, and the aerodynamic parameters and results of the compressor can be used for the aerodynamic design of centrifugal compressors and the feasibility study of SOFC-gas turbine system design.


Spontaneous intraperitoneal bladder rupture in a 38 year old man with a spastic paraparesis since infancy is described. Delayed diagnosis resulted in peritoneal autodialysis so providing an opportunity for documentation of biochemical abnormalities. Surgery resulted in a successful outcome. The literature on this rare condition is outlined and difficulties in diagnosis are discussed. The diagnostic value of urea and electrolyte levels in ascitic fluid is emphasized.


BACKGROUND
Arteriovenous fistula maturation requires dilatation of the anastomosed artery and vein. The factors that affect dilatation and the mechanisms by which dilatation promotes maturation are not understood. This pilot study tested two hypotheses: that low arterial elasticity is associated with maturation failure, and that vessel dilatation is required for adequate fistula blood flow during dialysis.

METHODS
Thirty-two patients underwent preoperative measurement of small artery elasticity index, and pre-anastomosis measurement of artery and vein luminal diameters during fistula surgery. Fistulas were considered mature if they were used successfully in three consecutive treatments within 6 months. A mathematical model was used to determine whether vessel dilatation is needed for adequate fistula flow.

RESULTS
Six fistulas were excluded from analysis of maturation because dialysis did not begin within 6 months. Twenty-one of the remaining 26 fistulas were located in the upper arm. Six of 26 failed to mature, and all 6 developed stenosis. The average small artery elasticity index was lower in failed than in matured fistulas (2.25 versus 3.71 ml/ mmHg x 100, P = 0.02). Artery and vein diameters of the 32 patients ranged from 2.5 to 5.0 and 3.5 to 7.0 mm, respectively. When the diameters were applied to the mathematical model, predicted fistula flows ranged from 412 to 1380 ml/min.

CONCLUSIONS
Low arterial elasticity is associated with stenosis and fistula maturation failure. However, vessel dilatation is not needed for adequate blood flow except at the smaller diameters in this study. We speculate that low elasticity promotes development of stenosis. Larger studies are needed to confirm these promising results and to determine whether therapies directed at improving elasticity can improve maturation.


In this paper we discuss some of our recent research work designing tabletop interfaces for co-located photo sharing. We draw particular attention to a specific feature of an interface design, which we have observed over an extensive number of uses, as facilitating an under-reported but none-the-less intriguing aspect of the photo-sharing experience - namely the process of 'getting sidetracked'. Through a series of vignettes of interaction during photo-sharing sessions we demonstrate how users of our tabletop photoware system used peripheral presentation of topically incoherent photos to artfully initiate new photo-talk sequences in on-going discourse. From this we draw implications for the design of tabletop photo applications, and for the experiential analysis of such devices.


The shooting and bouncing ray tracing method (SBR) has been widely applied for the radio wave propagation prediction in outdoor and indoor scenes. However, it costs a lot of time to implement the calculation when the computational scenes are large and complex. Regarding to the most time-consuming part of the SBR, we run the ray tracing and intersection judgement in the graphics processing units (GPUs). On the other hand, the generation of the rays are completed in the CPU. With the proposed GPU-based SBR method, the computational efficiency is enhanced about 16 times compared with the traditional CPU-based SBR method. Since the proposed method mainly deals with the tracing and intersection, the accuracy is same as the CPU-based method.


This paper is the fourth in a series of related papers debating aggression and violence in sport. The first was the ISSP Position Stand (PS; Tenenbaum, Stewart, Singer, & Duda, 1997), the second a rejoinder (Kerr, 1999), and the third a reply to Kerr's rejoinder (Tenenbaum, Sacks, Miller, Golden, & Doolin, 2000). The purpose of this fourth paper is to revisit five of the major issues in the debate on aggression and violence in sport concerned with arguments put forward by Kerr (1997), which were subsequently misinterpreted and misrepresented by Tenenbaum et al. (2000). The purpose of this paper is to correct some of these errors and to continue to argue that the PS needs to be revised and redrafted before it will be acceptable to the groups at which it is aimed, especially those involved in team contact sports.


This work presents a methodology for the simulation of bonding wires under the circumstance when signals with RF frequencies are employed and thus, the impedances of the parasitic resistances, capacitances and inductances of these interconnections are no longer negligible. A s-parameters extraction strategy for each of the wirebonds will be shown with the help of Agilent's EM simulator ADS resulting in a netlist in spectre which will be used in the test-bench of the designed IC to emulate the behavior of the bondwires and thus making possible a proper dimensioning and tuning of the RF chip to ensure a better performance of the encapsulated RF IC. Finally the design example of a power amplifier is proposed and some aspects of the interaction of this block with the wirebonds are studied.


Chain-free radical polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), at 50 °C and 121–133 bar, with tertiary-amyl-per-pivalate as a free radical initiator, using a 5-L pilot scale batch reactor. Experiments were carried out both in the absence and in the presence of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) carboxylate surfactants. Stabilizers were employed under the free acid form and as sodium and calcium salts. An expanded fibrillated poly(TFE) was obtained in all experiments. In the case of surfactant-free polymerizations, the product was mainly constituted by irregular shape macroparticles having size in the range 200–500 μm. Quite interestingly, when the free acid surfactant was used, a clear acceleration of the polymerization rate was observed and smaller polymer particles with more regular quasi-spherical morphology were obtained. Melt fusion crystallinity of as-polymerized poly(TFE) seemed not substantially affected by the presence of the stabilizers and was rather high (80–86%) suggesting that polymerization mainly occurs at polymer particle surface. All these elements suggest that FLUOROLINK® 7004H PFPE carboxylic acid decreases coagulation of primary polymer particles leading to an increase in polymer surface area. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 257–266, 2008


Introduction: Despite advances in technology, many people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) still experience severe hypoglycemic events (SHEs). This study explored the perceived humanistic burden of T1D in adults using continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in the US with or without recurrent SHEs.
 Methods: In 60-minute semi-structured interviews, adult CGM users with self-reported T1D diagnosis (≥5 yrs.) described the burden of TID on quality of life (QoL). Participants ranked the 'top 3' negative impacts of T1D on QoL. Subgroup analyses were conducted in participants with recurrent SHE (rSHE; ≥2 SHEs last yr.) and without recurrent SHE (nSHE; ≤1 SHEs last yr.).
 Results: Participants (N=31; 42% rSHEs, 58% nSHEs) were 74% female and 81% were married. Mean age of T1D diagnosis was 28 yrs. Median SHEs in the past year in the rSHE group were 3 and in the nSHE group were 0. Both groups had mean HbA1c of 7.1%. rSHE and nSHE participants used hybrid closed loop systems (hCLS) (53.8% vs. 44.4%), multiple daily injections (23.1% vs. 33.3%) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump without hCLS (23.1% vs. 22.2%), respectively. All participants reported negative impacts on physical health, mental health, sleep, relationships, leisure activities, work/studies, and sex life. The 'top 3' ranked impacts for the rSHE cohort were physical health and sleep (tied at first) followed by leisure activities. Impacts to physical health, mental health, and relationships were 'top 3' for the nSHE cohort.
 Conclusions: Recurrent severe hypoglycemia is observed to persist despite use of advanced diabetes technology. Negative impacts on physical health ranked as the primary concern in both rSHE and nSHE cohorts. However, moderate variability in ranked negative impact order was observed between the cohorts.

 A.Boateng-kuffour: None. P.Callahan: Consultant; Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Abbott Diabetes, HealthCore Inc., BMS, Employee; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Genesis Research. K.Chandarana: Employee; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Stock/Shareholder; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. J.L.Gaglia: Advisory Panel; Dompé, Consultant; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Abata Therapeutics, Avotres Inc., Current Health, Research Support; Avotres Inc., Dompé, Imcyse, Stock/Shareholder; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. M.Phinney: None. E.Guzman ortega: Research Support; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. R.N.Krupnick: Consultant; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. M.Reaney: None. W.H.Polonsky: Consultant; Abbott Diabetes, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance, Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Intuity Medical, Inc., MannKind Corporation, Provention Bio, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis U.S., Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.


This paper summarizes the experimental work carried out at the Material technologies Laboratory of the ENEA Trisaia Research Centre (UTTRI-TEM) for the energy performance characterization of basalt fiber panels with different thicknesses. In particular, the determination of the thermal conductivity with the heat flow meter methods, (in accordance with UNI EN 12667:2002), the determination of the physical characteristics of the material, such as compressive strength (in accordance with UNI EN 826:2013), the absorption of water in the short term (according to standard EN 1609). The final data may be used for a comparative evaluation of basalt fiber with traditional insulating materials and will be the basis for a future development of new panel, based on basalt fiber, able to guarantee thermal conductivity values lower than those existing with substantially contained economic costs.


The basic design considerations and applicable codes and standards requirements necessary for proper circuit sizing are set forth, based on the 1990 National Electric Code (NEC). Consideration is given to load current, insulation temperature rating, equipment terminal requirements, ambient temperature, voltage drop, energy costs, equipment grounding conductor size, raceway effects, etc. Examples are given describing the typical but often incorrect method and several alternative, but correct methods. Finally, guidelines and examples are given on methods to streamline this process using computer-generated, standardized tables for feeders, motors, and transformers. These tables reduce design time and assure increased quality control in the design process. >