Existing evidence demonstrates that B1 cells exert protective effects in atherosclerosis through production of anti-inflammatory natural IgM antibodies that recognize oxidation-specific epitopes (OSE), such as MDA-LDL, present in diseased arteries. The bone marrow is a known niche for B1 antibody production. However, the mechanisms underlying B1 localization to the bone marrow and B1 antibody production are currently unclear. Our lab has correlated surface marker expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells with clinical markers of atherosclerosis in a human cohort. Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 on circulating B1 cells associates with decreased plaque burden in coronary arteries and increased plasma levels of anti-MDA-LDL IgM antibodies. To study the role of CXCR4 in modulating B1 cell function more directly, we generated mice with B cell-specific loss of CXCR4 (CXCR4BKO). 8-week-old CXCR4BKO mice demonstrate a significant reduction in B1 number in the bone marrow relative to littermate controls (CXCR4WT). No significant changes in B1 number were seen in the aorta, peritoneal cavity, or spleen. Using ELISA and ELISPOT, CXCR4BKO mice were demonstrated to have decreased circulating IgM levels and fewer IgM antibody-secreting cells (ASC) in the bone marrow, but not in spleen. CXCR4BKO and CXCR4WT mice were placed on 9 weeks Western diet (WD) or control chow diet and then analyzed for IgM ASC number. CXCR4WT WD-fed mice have increased IgM ASC's in the bone marrow relative to CXCR4WTchow-fed controls. This increase did not occur in WD-fed CXCR4BKO mice. Our data demonstrate that CXCR4 mediates B1 localization to the bone marrow and IgM production in mice, and indicate an atheroprotective role for CXCR4 on B1 cells.


Mobile mapping is a multidisciplinary technique which requires several dedicated equipment, calibration procedures that must be as rigorous as possible, time synchronization of all acquired data and software for data processing and extraction of additional information. To decrease the cost and complexity of Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS), the use of less expensive sensors and the simplification of procedures for calibration and data acquisition are mandatory features. This article refers to the use of MMS technology, focusing on the main aspects that need to be addressed to guarantee proper data acquisition and describing the way those aspects were handled in a terrestrial MMS developed at the University of Porto. In this case the main aim was to implement a low cost system while maintaining good quality standards of the acquired georeferenced information. The results discussed here show that this goal has been achieved.


Background: With respect to the prevalence of leishmaniosis in our country and the problems occurred in the therapeutic approaches and also with respect to the previous successful reports of paromomycin efficacy in this regard, the present study was conducted to determine the effects of paromomycin and gentamicine sulphate on promastigotes of Leishmania major.

Materials and methods: It was an experimental study. The base of films composed of ethyl cellulose and HPMC (hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose) containing paromomycin 15% and gentamicine 0.5%. To determine the rate and duration release from the films and its killing effects on leishmania promastigotes, a cloning system of parasite was established by using a set of modified NNN medium without liquid layer. The medium plates were divided in 3 groups, the media contain of drug films, placebo films, and media containing no film.

Results: results showed no colonies of Leishmania in a 30mm radius envelop the drug films. On the other hand, grown colonies of Leishmania promastigotes were found in placebo and control plates. Frequency of dead parasites were 98% and 5% in the placebo-control plates and drug plates, respectively (p<0.000).

Conclusion: Paromomycin and gentamicine drug films have good potential of drug releasing and suitable killing effects in vitro condition. It is suggested that the therapeutic effect of this new form of drug be achieved in human models.


As people move into advanced old age, they may experience cognitive impairments and frailty, making it difficult for them to live without support from others. Caregivers might decide to use aged care monitoring devices (ACMDs) to support older adults under their care. However, these devices raise privacy concerns as they collect and share sensitive data from the older adult's private life in order to provide monitoring capabilities. This study involved interviewing formal and informal caregivers who used/may use ACMDs to investigate their views on privacy. The study found that although caregivers consider protecting older adults' privacy important, they may overlook privacy in order to gain benefits from ACMDs. We argue that ACMD developers should simplify privacy terms and conditions so that caregivers can make well-informed decisions when deciding to use the device. They also should consider providing users with flexible privacy settings so that users can decide what data to collect, whom to share it with and when.


Among 128 patients with glaucoma, 19 underwent a revision of a goniotrepanation with scleral flap. Adequate regulation of IOP was achieved in this way, in some cases with additional medication. This revision of the filtering bleb can be recommended as the operation of choice for all forms of glaucoma in which goniotrepanation with scleral flap was performed and in which pressure could not be regulated with additional medication.


The knowledge and skills required for personal finance management are becoming more important due to a number of trends. At the same time, research of student's financial literacy either completely lacks or shows that financial knowledge and skills are insufficient. The present first-of-its-kind study in Bulgaria addresses this discrepancy. The purpose of the article is to present the results from an empirical study on the financial literacy of students at Bulgarian universities. From a methodological perspective the article is based on a quantitative empirical research. The research has found that the level of financial literacy is influenced by characteristics such as gender, student income, and responsibility for the financial decision-making, but does not depend on student specialty, university, educational degree or taking a course in personal finance management. If the impact of financial literacy on students' financial decisions and behaviour is concerned, the results show that the knowledge and skills required for personal finance management influence how one controls the budget in a household, the behaviour in cases of decreased income, and retirement savings. However, financial literacy does not influence the availability of a household budget, the frequency of budget control and the availability of an emergency fund.


Once thought to be rare, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from systemic cancer is becoming more common as cancer patients are living longer. Lung, breast and malignant melanoma comprise the majority of solid tumor cases with this condition. The hallmark of the disease and the differential diagnosis are discussed. Only the identification of malignant cells in the cerebrospinal fluid provides as clear-cut diagnosis. Biochemical markers, thus far, cannot substitute for a positive cytology, but may aid in the diagnosis. We report and discuss 3 cases of complete biochemical and radiological assessment and variable degree of aggressiveness of treatment. Better control of the systemic cancer may result in prolongation of life.


Should we take advantage of their uricosuric properties in clinical practice?

The interesting study published in this issue of the journal by Takahashi et al sheds light on two drugs, losartan and fenofibrate, which have hypouricaemic properties, in addition to their main therapeutic effects.1

Losartan potassium is an orally active angiotensin II receptor antagonist used for the treatment of hypertension. This product and its long life metabolite E-3174 are potent antagonists at the AT1 receptor. The observation that losartan increases urinary uric acid excretion and reduces serum uric acid level was first made in a pilot study conducted in healthy subjects and published in 1992. Uric acid fractional clearance was mainly increased during the first four hours after drug intake in a time course consistent with a direct effect of the drug. The increase was found to be dose dependent and to persist after seven days of administration.2 Angiotensin is known to lower uric acid renal clearance,3 but the uricosuric effect of losartan did not appear to be mediated by angiotensin inhibition: in one study, infusion of E-3174, the active metabolite of losartan, did not modify uric acid excretion, although it efficiently decreased blood pressure.4 The early and transient uricosuric action of losartan was therefore attributed mainly to the mother compound. Further suggestions of an effect independent of angiotensin II receptor blockade came from the observation that the uricosuric effect did not vary with a sodium diet5 and was not seen with other angiotensin II receptor antagonists.6–8

"Losartan and E-3174 target the urate anion exchanger URAT1"

Losartan and its metabolite E-3174 …


Enol esters and conjugated enynes are valuable structural motifs for synthetic chemistry and material sciences. Herein, the synthesis of tetra-substituted enol ester 2-iodobenzoate derivatives was achieved in good yields at room temperature through a gold-catalyzed acyloxyalkynylation of sensitive ynol ethers with ethynylbenziodoxolones (EBXs), the latter acting as bifunctional reactants. The conversion is highly regioselective with a broad substrate scope. Mechanistically, an Au(III) species is the key intermediate of an Au(I)/Au(III) redox cycle. The reaction is synthetically useful and can easily be scaled up to gram scale.


Primary dysmenorhea refers to painful contractions of menses which are without organic complications and its incidence is about 80%. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of vitamin B1 (vit. B1) and ibuberofen on the treatment of primary dysmenorhea. This clinical trial study was done on medicine students of Islamic Azad University, Sari branch, in 2010. One hundred and fifty-two students that had moderate and severe dysmenorhea were sited in two groups randomly. The first group (76 girls) received 100 mg/day vit. B1 in the luteal phase and the second group received 400 mg ibuberofen when their pain started (duration of this study was 2 months). After data collection, data analysis was done by SPSS version software and we used chi-square tests, t-test, Mann-Whitney and Freidman tests (α = 0.05). There was significant difference between intensity and duration of pain before and after treatment by ibuberofen (p = 0.000) and vit. B1 (p = 0.000). Furthermore, there was no difference between the intensity of pain after intervention in the two groups in the first month (p = 0.414), but there was difference in the second (p = 0.000) and third (p = 0.000) months. Also, there was no difference between the two groups about needing more drugs to reduce the pain (p = 0.401). The effect of vit. B1 and ibuberofen are similar, but vit. B1 has less complications and it is more accepted and used in treatment of primary dysmenorhea.

 Key words: Primary dysmenorhea, Ibuberofen, vitamin B1 (vit. B1).


Twenty (20) of Verticillium dahliae were isolated from wilted potato specimens collected from six districts in Guizhou, China. All the isolates were evaluated for pathogenicity on two potato cultivars, Favorita (susceptible) and Hui-2 (resistant) using the root dip inoculation (RDI) and microsclerotia inoculation (MI). All of the V. dahliae isolates appeared to be pathogenic on both cultivars but VGZ-HZ-4 isolate gave the highest wilt incidence comparing to the others, seconded by VGZ-SC-1 and VGZ-XW-1. Combined analysis of wilt incidence resulting from using two inoculation methods for VGZ-HZ-4 and VGZ-XW-1 isolates on the two potato cultivars showed that the MI gave a higher wilt incidence than that of the RDI and cultivar Favorita had a higher wilt incidence than that of Hui-2. These two V. dahliae isolates were further used as representative isolates for mycelial inhibition (MyI) test with 33 Trichoderma isolates under a dual culture condition on potato dextrose agar plate. The 33 Trichoderma isolates consisting of 21 isolates isolated from potato soils from seven districts of Guizhou, 11 isolates from single spore isolates of the TGZ-150 isolate preserved at Guizhou Institute of Plant Protection (GZIPP) and one isolate TGZ-OLD-81 also preserved at the GZIPP. Most of the single spore isolates and TGZ-SC-4 were found to have higher MyI efficiency than that of the rest. The results indicate that the Trichoderma isolates in this study have initial modes of action of biological control to protect potato crop against V. dahlia.

 Key words: Trichoderma, potato wilt disease, growth inhibition, Verticillium dahliae, antagonistic fungi.


As electronic text files increase in number and diversity, the problem of devising a more effective information retrieval interface grows more important. Future designs may draw upon cognitive theories at categorization and metaphor to understand how users interact with text—both paper and electronic. Relevant literature in cognitive psychology and information science suggests the importance of the user's physical environment in thinking about abstract entities, such as categories of documents. Empirical studies have established a basis for understanding how we think about, file, remember, and locate text. Results from a study of 20 historians—an exemplary group in terms of their close studies of texts and the broad scope of their inquiries—imply the importance of metaphors for storage and retrieval of documents. The study found that metaphors and subjective categories were frequently applied to documents collected and created by these scholars. Two physical factors—spatial configuration and document form—were often considered before topic in determining document storage locations in the office. Developers of information systems should consider qualitative aspects of cognition in their designs. System developers might also consider segmenting the audience for computer interfaces, as well as designing generic tools that apply to all users. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Summary Traditionally, the literature assumed that solo practitice best exemplifies the ideal professional work arrangement and that when professionals become salaried employees their professionalism is seriously threatened. The primary goal of this paper is to examine lawyers' sense of professionalism across two work contexts: solo practitioner offices and law firm settings. We also examine status distinctions within law firms, between associates and partners, and compare both to independent practitioners. Solo practitioners and law firm partners are similar on most key dimensions of professionalism, whereas the greatest contrasts occur between partners and associates within law firms. Partners and solo practitioners share similar experiences of autonomy and service as owner-managers, whereas partners and associates share greater collegiality among professionals, perhaps fostered through law firm cultures. All three groups report comparable amounts of variety in their work and are equally committed to the practice of law. The key factors that account for gaps in professionalism reflect the nature of law practices, primarily through time spent with corporate clients and pressure to generate profits. We conclude that different versions of lawyers' professionalism are influenced by the everyday aspects of their work and one version is not necessarily more professional than the other. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Note In 2005 important provisions of the Hungarian Competition Act (hereinafter "HCA") were amended . Also, new rules about the criminalisation of certain collusions in public procedures were…


The canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter (cMOAT), also termed MRP2, is a recently identified ATP-binding cassette transporter. We previously established stable human cMOAT cDNA-transfected cells, LLC/cMOAT-1 from LLC-PK1 cells, and LLC/CMV cells that were transfected with an empty vector. We found that LLC/cMOAT-1 cells have increased resistance to vincristine (VCR), 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin, and cisplatin but not to etoposide. The multidrug resistance-reversing agents cyclosporin A (CsA) and 2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-5-(trans-4,6-dimethyl-1,3, 2-dioxaphosphorinan-2-yl)-2, 6-dimethyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-3-pyridinecarboxylate P-oxide (PAK-104P) almost completely reversed the resistance to VCR, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin, and cisplatin of LLC/cMOAT-1 cells; and DL-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine, (3'-oxo-4-butenyl-4-methyl-threonine(1), (valine(2)) cyclosporin (PSC833), and 3-([(3-(2-[7-chloro-2-quinolinyl]ethenyl)phenyl)-((3-dimethylamino-3- oxopropyl)-thio)-methyl]thio)propanoic acid (MK571) partially reversed the resistance to these drugs. CsA and PAK-104P at 10 microM enhanced the accumulation of VCR in LLC/cMOAT-1 cells almost to the level in LLC/CMV cells without the agents. The efflux of VCR from LLC/cMOAT-1 cells was enhanced compared with LLC/CMV cells and inhibited by CsA and PAK-104P. Transport of leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) and S-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione also was studied with membrane vesicles prepared from these cells. LTC(4) and S-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione were actively transported into membrane vesicles prepared from LLC/cMOAT-1 cells. The K(m) and V(max) values for the uptake of LTC(4) by the LLC/cMOAT-1 membrane vesicles were 0. 26 +/- 0.05 microM and 7.48 +/- 0.67 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. LTC(4) transport was competitively inhibited by PAK-104P, CsA, MK571, and PSC833, with K(i) values of 3.7, 4.7, 13.1, and 28.9 microM, respectively. These findings demonstrate that cMOAT confers a novel drug-resistance phenotype. CsA and PAK-104P may be useful for reversing cMOAT-mediated drug resistance in tumors.


Fine-tuning pre-trained deep networks on a small dataset is an important component in the deep learning pipeline. A critical problem in fine-tuning is how to avoid over-fitting when data are limited. Existing efforts work from two aspects: (1) impose regularization on parameters or features; (2) transfer prior knowledge to fine-tuning by reusing pre-trained parameters. In this paper, we take an alternative approach by refactoring the widely used Batch Normalization (BN) module to mitigate over-fitting. We propose a two-branch design with one branch normalized by mini-batch statistics and the other branch normalized by moving statistics. During training, two branches are stochastically selected to avoid over-depending on some sample statistics, resulting in a strong regularization effect, which we interpret as "architecture regularization." The resulting method is dubbed stochastic normalization (StochNorm). With the two-branch architecture, it naturally incorporates pre-trained moving statistics in BN layers during fine-tuning, exploiting more prior knowledge of pre-trained networks. Extensive empirical experiments show that StochNorm is a powerful tool to avoid over-fitting in fine-tuning with small datasets. Besides, StochNorm is readily pluggable in modern CNN backbones. It is complementary to other fine-tuning methods and can work together to achieve stronger regularization effect.


ABSTRACT Research investigating the cognition of children exposed to non-familial trauma is scarce and the effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this population remain unclear. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the cognition of children exposed to motor vehicle accidents given the high incidence of this trauma globally. It was hypothesized that children with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS; i.e., children with subthreshold or a full diagnosis of PTSD; n = 6) would perform significantly worse on cognitive measures compared to children exposed to trauma only (TO; i.e., children with very minimal or no PTSS; n = 10) and a healthy control group (n = 19). Analyses showed children with PTSS demonstrated significantly poorer perceptual reasoning F(2,32) = 7.21, p = .01, partial η2 = .31; verbal learning F(2,32) = 3.87, p = .05, partial η2 = .20; and delayed verbal memory F(2,32) = 4.40, p = .05, partial η2 = .22, compared to HCs. The magnitude of the differences between the groups was large. Differences in immediate verbal recall, executive functioning, and verbal intellectual abilities were moderate to large in magnitude, with the PTSS group performing worse than both groups, but these findings did not reach significance. Overall findings from this study provide further support for the notion that children exposed to non-familial trauma with significant PTSS display cognitive difficulties compared to healthy children.


Acute pancreatitis is a common gastrointestinal cause of hospitalizations across the world. The most common etiologies of acute pancreatitis include gallstones, excessive alcohol use, hypertriglyceridemia, or, rarely, trauma. Traction-induced pancreatitis is an uncommon but previously reported cause of acute pancreatitis. We present a 60-year-old male with a past medical history of cerebral palsy who presented to our facility with acute pancreatitis secondary to a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.


A three-server coded caching scheme was presented recently by Luo et al. that extends the single-server coded caching scheme by Maddah-Ali and Niesen. Forming user sets as in the single-server case, Luo et al. show that by "pairing" such user sets that satisfy certain conditions, the rate of the three-server scheme may be reduced to less than two-thirds of the rate of the single-server scheme. Yet, in some cases, the pairing is not perfect (i.e., some of the sets are left unpaired) and the requirements of the unpaired sets must then be satisfied by a sub-optimal scheme. This results in the so-called "pairing loss", leading to a transmission rate greater than one-half of the single-server scheme due to imperfect pairing.In this paper, it is shown that instead of just pairing user sets, groups of 2 and 6 user sets can be formed, enabling a more efficient organization. It is shown that within groups of size 6 (and 2), the user demands can be satisfied at a rate equal to one-half that of the single-server scheme. Then, through a specific example, a grouping algorithm is given that forms all user sets into such groups of size 2 or 6. Hence, the three-server rate may be uniformly reduced to exactly half the single-server rate, eliminating the pairing loss altogether.


TPS399 Background: Combination therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor lenvatinib showed antitumor activity as first-line treatment for advanced clear cell RCC (ccRCC) in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-581/CLEAR study (NCT02811861). Antitumor activity has also been shown with the hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor belzutifan (MK-6482) in ccRCC and with MK-1308A (coformulation of pembrolizumab and the CTLA-4 inhibitor quavonlimab) in non–small cell lung cancer. Therefore, HIF-2α or CTLA-4 inhibition with a PD-1 and VEGF inhibition backbone combination may provide additional benefit as first-line treatment in ccRCC. This open-label, randomized, phase 3 study (NCT04736706) will compare first-line treatment with the novel combination therapies pembrolizumab + belzutifan + lenvatinib (arm A) or MK-1308A + lenvatinib (arm B) with pembrolizumab + lenvatinib (arm C) for advanced RCC. Methods: Approximately 1,431 adults with metastatic ccRCC, measurable disease per RECIST v1.1, and KPS score ≥70% who had not previously undergone systemic therapy for advanced ccRCC will be enrolled. Patients will be randomly assigned 1:1:1 to arm A (belzutifan 120 mg + lenvatinib 20 mg orally once daily [QD] + pembrolizumab 400 mg IV every 6 weeks [Q6W]), arm B (MK-1308A [quavonlimab 25 mg + pembrolizumab 400 mg] IV [Q6W] and lenvatinib 20 mg orally QD), or arm C (pembrolizumab 400 mg IV [Q6W] + lenvatinib 20 mg orally QD). Treatment will continue until documented disease progression, withdrawal of consent, or other discontinuation event; patients will receive pembrolizumab and MK-1308A for up to 18 cycles (̃2 years). Stratification factors are International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) score (favorable vs intermediate vs poor), region of the world (North America vs Western Europe vs rest of world), and sarcomatoid features (yes vs no). Response will be assessed by CT or MRI per RECIST v1.1 by blinded independent central review (BICR) at week 12 from randomization, Q6W through week 78, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Adverse events and serious adverse events will be monitored throughout the study and for 90 days after treatment. Dual primary end points are progression-free survival per RECIST v1.1 by BICR and overall survival for arm A or arm B versus arm C in patients with IMDC intermediate/poor status and in all patients regardless of IMDC status. Secondary end points are objective response rate and duration of response per RECIST v1.1 by BICR, patient-reported outcomes, and safety. The study is recruiting patients at sites across, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Clinical trial information: NCT04736706.


Introduction: Zinc (Zn) is an important nutrient element for humans and plants that controls many biochemical and physiological functions of living organisms. Zinc deficiency is common in high pH, low organic matter, carbonatic, saline and sodic soils. Salinity is a major abiotic environmental stresses that limits growth and production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Bioavailability of Zn is low in calcareous and saline soils having high levels of pH and calcium. Desorption of Zinc (Zn) from soil as influenced by biological activities is one of the important factors that control Zn bioavailability. Few reports on the effects of salinity on the availability and desorption kinetics of Zn are available. Rupa et al. (2000) reported that increasing the salt concentration led to increase Zn desorption from soil due to ion competition on soil exchangeable sites. Different kinetic equations have been used to describe the release kinetics of nutrients. Reyhanitabar and Gilkes (2010) found that the power function model was the best equation to describe the release of Zn from some calcareous soil of Iran, whereas Baranimotlagh and Gholami (2013) stated that the best model for describing Zn desorption from 15 calcareous soils of Iran was the first-order equation.less attention has been paid to kinetics of Zn release by DTPA extractant over time by inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae fungi in comination with soil salinity.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizae fungi (MF) inoculation on release kinetic of Zn in a calcareous soil at different salinity levels after in cornplantation
Materials and Methods: A composite sample of bulk soil from the surface horizon (0-30 cm) of a calcareous soil from southern part of Iran was collected, air dried, passed through 2 mm sieve, and thoroughly mixed. Routine soil analysis was performed to determine some physical and chemical properties. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of agriculture college of Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran. A factorial experiment as a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted in greenhouse conditions. The first factor consisted of salinity levels (0, 15 and 30 cmol(c) kg-1 salt supplied as a 3:2:1 Na:Ca:Mg chloride salts) and the second factor was microbial inoculation (without inoculation, fungi, bacteria, bacteria + fungi).Soil samples were extracted using DTPA extractant for periods of 0.5, 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours. Cumulative Zn released (q) as a function of time (T) was evaluated using seven different kinetic models. A relatively high values of coefficient of determination (r2) and low values of standard error of estimate (SEE) were used as criteria for the selection of the best fitted models. Statistical analysis of data was done using MSTATC package (Mstatc, 1991). Comparison between means was performed using Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) at the significant level of P < 0.05. Also, charts were drawn by excel computer package.
Results and Discussion: Investigation of Zn release patterns showed that the control and all treated soils had a uniform pattern of Zn release. Overall, Zn release patterns were generally characterized by an initial fast reaction at first two hours, followed by slower continuing reaction. It seems likely that the release of zinc is controlled by two different mechanisms. Two-step process of releases (rapid and subsequent slow) is attributed to the existence of places with different energy. The use of all microbial treatments increased the initial release of Zn compared to control. The most and the least Zn initial release observed in fungi-bacterial and bacterial treatment respectively. By application of all microbial treatments, Zn release rate declined compared to control and the lowest decrease observed in fungal treatment. In general, Zn initial release was increased and Zn desorption rate was decreased by increasing of salinity levels. Also, soluble and exchangeable forms of Zn had the highest influence on Zn release control.
Conclusions: Results showed that simplified Elovich, two constant rate and parabolic diffusion kinetics models showed good description of the Zn release. Based on the highest correlation coefficient and the lowest mean standard error of the estimate, simplified elovich determined as the best kinetic model. So it seems that the main mechanism controlling the Zn release in the tested soil is diffusion phenomena.


We present Spitzer Space Telescope 3.6 and 4.5 μm observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 at 43, 74, and 264 days post-merger. Using the final observation as a template, we uncover a source at the position of GW170817 at 4.5 μm with a brightness of 22.9 ± 0.3 AB mag at 43 days and 23.8 ± 0.3 AB mag at 74 days (the uncertainty is dominated by systematics from the image subtraction); no obvious source is detected at 3.6 μm to a 3σ limit of >23.3 AB mag in both epochs. The measured brightness is dimmer by a factor of about 2–3 times compared to our previously published kilonova model, which is based on UV, optical, and near-infrared data at ≲30 days. However, the observed fading rate and color (m3.6–m4.5 ≳ 0 AB mag) are consistent with our model. We suggest that the discrepancy is likely due to a transition to the nebular phase, or a reduced thermalization efficiency at such late time. Using the Spitzer data as a guide, we briefly discuss the prospects of observing future binary neutron star mergers with Spitzer (in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo Observing Run 3) and the James Webb Space Telescope (in LIGO/Virgo Observing Run 4 and beyond).


We report sequential triggered slip at 271–384 km distances on the San Andreas, Superstition Hills, and Imperial faults with an apparent travel-time speed of 2.2 ± 0.1  km/s, following the passage of surface waves from the 4 July 2019 (17:33:49 UTC) Mw 6.4 and 6 July 2019 (03:19:53 UTC) Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquakes. Slip on remote faults was not triggered instantaneously but developed over several minutes, increasing in duration with distance. Maximum slip amplitudes varied from 10  μm to 5 mm within minutes of slip nucleation, but on the southernmost San Andreas fault slip continued for two months and was followed on 16 September 2019 by a swarm of microearthquakes (Mw≤3.8) near Bombay Beach. These observations add to a growing body of evidence that fault creep may result in delayed triggered seismicity. Displacements across surface faults in the southern epicentral region and on the Garlock fault in the months following the Ridgecrest earthquakes were negligible (<1.1  mm), and they are interpreted to characterize surface strain adjustments in the epicentral region, rather than to result from discrete slip on surface faults.


The improvement of mortality rates in many countries over the world has a major impact on cost associated with living longer due to mortality and morbidity risk. In particular, the trend in life expectancy of Malaysian population has steadily increased for many years where in 2017, Malaysian are expected to live up to 74.8 years compared to 74.3 years in 2011. Life expectancy can be defined as the average period of a person may expect to live, while the definition of disability-free life expectancy is the average number of years a person is expected to live without health disability.  If a person takes a good care and services through the advancement of medical technology, it may expend the period of life expectancy for a person. Thus, longevity may have a positive relationship with health expenditure. United State for instance spends more on health across years, however United State becomes the outlier as compared to other countries with higher percentage of increase in life expectancy per dollar spent on health expenditure. Disability or disability-free life expectancy can rise at certain degree among Malaysian. The general public do not know whether longevity will expose a person to a greater period spend in disability state or not. Therefore, this paper presents healthy life expectancy vs. health expenditure by Sullivan method in Malaysia to provide further understanding of morbidity rate for Malaysian population due to longevity. This paper calculates the disability-free life expectancy for Malaysian population which then will be used in country comparison. Relationship between disability-free life expectancy and health expenditure will be studied. Sullivan method will be applied in the calculation by using a period life table based on age and gender groups.


This study is inspired by the problem of claims against terrorism as an expression of momentary interest, activities program, and products of history constructivism. To solve such problem, the study uses a critical historical analysis approach of Karl Rudolf Bultmann. The study concludes that terrorism, as a part of the wholeness of history, has played critical roles, namely the control role to the tyrannical-dominance and the role of ideology actualization. With the provision of institutionalized historical legacy, terrorism is not merely a temporary expression but it penetrates into borders of period of the history. In addition, with an emphasis on problem solving at the contemporary era, terrorism action is charged to provide a momentary response. Conceptual sources of this study are the view of Ahmad Jainuri about the character of terrorism and the view of Diniesh D'Souza on the profile and the main motive of terrorism. Based on evidences, data, and discussions of experts as well the terror doers themselves, the author argues that the essential meaning of terror—as a compelled action—lays in the fact that it is a noble meaning of historical and ideological aspects as well as a transcendent honor, which cross over the boundary of all conditions or all kinds of worldly reward.
Keywords: Terrorism, contemporary, Islam, action.


A high-pressure CO2 process applied to ready-to-eat food products guarantees an increase of both their microbial safety and shelf-life. However, the treatment often produces unwanted changes in the visual appearance of products depending on the adopted process conditions. Accordingly, the alteration of the visual appearance influences consumers' perception and acceptability. This study aims at identifying the optimal treatment conditions in terms of visual appearance by using an artificial vision system. The developed methodology was applied to fresh-cut carrots (Daucus carota) as the test product. The results showed that carrots packaged in 100% CO2 and subsequently treated at 6 MPa and 40 °C for 15 min maintained an appearance similar to the fresh product for up to 7 days of storage at 4 °C. Mild appearance changes were identified at 7 and 14 days of storage in the processed products. Microbiological analysis performed on the optimal treatment condition showed the microbiological stability of the samples up to 14 days of storage at 4 °C. The artificial vision system, successfully applied to the CO2 pasteurization process, can easily be applied to any food process involving changes in the appearance of any food product.


Plasma treatment is an interesting technology with many potential applications in industry. At present, more and more often we encounter papers that deal with utilization of plasma technology in food industry. This mini-review provides an overview of the latest developments in this area. At the beginning the principles of plasma interaction with solid surfaces are shortly discussed. The next chapters are focused on sterilization of food from bacteria and fungi. The infl uence of plasma treatment on the food quality and nutritional parameters is discussed in last section.


This thesis is focused on different applications of the ItraxTM Core Scanner (Itrax) in palaeoclimatic, diagenetic and pollution studies in marine sediments. The elemental composition of these sediments are usually obtained by techniques (as spectrometry (ICP-OES, ICP-MS) or conventional X-ray fluorescence (XRF)) that need the preparation of discrete samples, implying several working days. Several XRF core scanners (as the Itrax) have been developed as an alternative for these techniques, providing high-resolution geochemical data directly from sediment cores in a few hours. Even though the Itrax has been used in many scientific studies there is still not a common protocol to select the best measurement parameters in each case. For that reason, one of the objectives of this thesis is the optimization of the measurement conditions of this equipment and the data processing for getting better results according to the objectives of each study. To achieve that, several sedimentary cores were selected in deep waters (Galician Continental Margin and Alboran Sea) and coastal zones (Rias Bajas and Ria de Huelva), including a wide diversity of sedimentary environments, physico-chemical properties, textural characteristics and even different environmental problems. Some factors that affect the measurements as the tube used, the X-ray exposure time, and the storage time were evaluated in these cores. Moreover, different data processing were tested and they were compared with quantitative data obtained from conventional XRF, ICP-OES and ICP-MS analyses. These data were combined with other conventional sedimentologic and geochemical tools for detecting diagenetic processes, Heinrich Events and marine pollution, allowing the monitoring and the evaluation of the bioavailability of these pollutants. The results demonstrated that the best balance between data quality and the core preservation are obtained by using a X-ray exposure time of 20 seconds. The best option for data processing was the application of running-means on the re-evaluated data with the same depth discrete sampling interval. The combination of the Itrax geochemical profiles with pore-water analyses, colour data and SEM analyses allowed the detection of diagenetic processes and the location of the oxidation front in the sediment cores. Moreover, the combination of these profiles with a robust chronological model and with magnetic susceptibility profiles allowed the detection of Heinrich Events. Increasing the exposure time to X-ray it was possible the detection of trace metal pollution (as Hg and Cd), including rare earth elements in very low concentrations. These data allowed the extrapolation of the pollution levels from some ICP-OES analyses, the determination of its origin according to the relationships between different elements, and the identification of the levels where these pollutants could be more bioavailable (according to the inc/coh ratio). The pollution was monitored with time through the profiles and the sedimentation rates were estimated considering the pollutants peaks as time markers, obtaining similar results as those obtained from 210Pb and 137Cs dating. Moreover, Itrax data complemented the radionuclides analysis by minimizing the matrix effect in the sediments. In summary, the combination of the ItraxTM Core Scanner with other techniques of chemical analysis allowed minimizing the analysis time. In this way, it represents a powerful complementary tool of environmental diagnosis in palaeoclimatic, diagenetic and pollution studies.


THE fact that nobody has written a book about Roman diplomacy inspired Dr. Szidat with the notion of examining Caesar's diplomatic activity in Gaul between 58 and 50 B.C. There is not much of it, and anybody who regarded brevitas as a virtue might have dealt with the subject satisfactorily in a reasonably short article. However, by endless repetition and by much statement of the obvious Dr. Szidat has spun it out into a book. He is handicapped, of course, by the fact that we have little first-hand evidence with which to compare Caesar's own reports: just two letters of Cicero, Fam. xv. 1 and 2— and even here, it has to be admitted, there is evidence of 'diplomatic contact' only in xv. 2, Cicero's two meetings with Ariobarzanes. And what comes out of it all ? The 'Maxim of the Dangerous Neighbour'; the 'principle' of reference to Roman consuetude, evidenced in a number of Roma historians; the label of superbia (and, surely, adrogantia) for any hostile viewpoint; the maxim of Bundesgenosserwerteilung; the stressing of earlier Roman beneficia. Otherwise references to earlier Roman history, like P. Scipio's trumpeting of Roman, particularly his own, past services to allies, are lacking. Why? Because Caesar realized that the barbarous Gauls knew no history.


This paper explores possible uncontemplated effects and behavioural implications created by duty-to-negotiate provisions in international instruments. More precisely, the paper considers how five different international instruments approach the subject, namely the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC), Principles of European Contract Law (PECL), Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) and Common European Sales Law (CESL). The extent to which these international and European legal instruments correspond to recent economic and behavioural findings is examined. Moreover, an economically inspired analysis is conducted of the uncontemplated consequences of the duty to renegotiate that well-intended international lawmakers never anticipated. Further, it is suggested that game theoretical and behavioural reasons might exist for adopting a cautious approach to the duty to renegotiate in instances of unforeseen contingencies as found in the CISG as well as the English, German, US and Scottish law of contracts. JEL classification : C23, C26, C51, K42, O43


Present studies determined the roles of the cyclooxygenase (COX) versus the lipoxygenase (LO) pathways in the metabolic pathway of arachidonic acid (AA) in the internal anal sphincter (IAS) tone. Studies were performed in the rat IAS versus the nontonic rectal smooth muscle (RSM). Indomethacin, the dual COX inhibitor, but not nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), the LO inhibitor, produced a precipitous decrease in the IAS tone. However, when added in the background of indomethacin, NDGA caused significant reversal of the IAS tone. These inhibitors had no significant effect on the RSM. To follow the significance of COX versus LO pathways, we examined the effects of AA and its metabolites. In the IAS, AA caused an increase in the IAS tone (Emax=38.8+/-3.0% and pEC50=3.4+/-0.1). In the RSM, AA was significantly less efficacious and potent (Emax=11.3+/-3.5% and pEC50=2.2+/-0.3). The AA metabolites (via COXs) PGF2alpha and U-46619 (a stable analog of thromboxane A2) produced increases in the IAS tone and force in the RSM. Conversely, AA metabolites (via 5-LO) lipoxin A4, 5-HETE, and leukotriene C4 decreased the IAS tone. Finally, the contractile effects of AA in the IAS were selectively attenuated by the COX-1 but not the COX-2 inhibitor. Collectively, the specific effects of AA and the COX inhibitor, the Western blot and RT-PCR analyses showing specifically higher levels of COX-1, suggest a preferential role of the COX (specifically COX-1) pathway versus the LO in the regulation of the IAS tone.


Osteoporosis affects one in three women. There has been some confusion among women and health professionals about the management of osteoporosis since the publication of the Women's Health Initiative and Million Women studies. This guidance regarding estrogen-based and non-estrogen-based treatments for osteoporosis responds to the controversies about the benefits and risks of individual agents. Treatment choice should be based on up-to-date evidence and targeted to individual women's needs.


Eicosanoids have been historically involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases. Lipoxins (LXs) and epi-LXs show physiological effects relevant to inflammation regulation. In this study, we focused on LX precursors based on the hypothesis that their entrance and metabolism into the cell may facilitate their targeting at the inflammation site. Because compound chirality is of considerable importance in the efficacy of therapeutic agents, our aim was to study the anti-inflammatory effects of various epimers of LXA(4) precursors compared to LXA(4). Blood polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) were incubated with 15(S)- or 15(R)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), 14(R)-,15(S)-, or 14(S),15(S)-diHETE, and LXA(4) and then stimulated with the calcium ionophore A23187. We found that 15(R)-HETE rather than 15(S)-HETE was preferentially metabolized and that 15-epi-LXs were produced in larger amounts than LXs. In contrast, when PMNs were incubated with the diastereoisomers of 14,15(S)-diHETE, 14-epi-LXB(4) was produced in lower amounts than LXB(4). Enantiomers of 15-HETE and diastereoisomers of 14,15-diHETE and LXA(4) were able to significantly decrease LTB(4) release by PMNs. These results suggest a potential resolution of the inflammatory process through endogenous anti-inflammatory mediators released by the way of trans-cellular metabolism.


The notion of partitioning a centralized controller into a decentralized, hierarchical structure suitable for integrated flight/propulsion control (IFPC) implementation is discussed. A systematic procedure is developed for determining partitioned airframe and engine subsystem controllers (subcontrollers), with the desired interconnection structure, that approximate the closed-loop performance and robustness characteristics of a given centralized controller. The procedure is demonstrated by application to IFPC design for a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft in the landing-approach-to-hover-transition flight phase. >


Background/Aims Predialysis hyponatremia has been recently reported to be associated with mortality in incident hemodialysis patients. However, whether hyponatremia is associated with unfavorable outcomes in elderly patients remains unknown. We hypothesized that nephrology referral inf luences hyponatremia, and aimed to define how nephrology referral affects the association between hyponatremia and mortality in the elderly. Methods We retrospectively assessed mortality in 599 incident hemodialysis patients aged ≥ 70 at a tertiary university hospital, between 2000 and 2010. We analyzed 90-day and 1-year all-cause mortality (ACM) in relation to predialysis serum sodium (sNa). We divided the patients into two groups according to predialysis glucose-corrected sNa: hyponatremia (< 135 mmol/L) and normonatremia (135 to 145 mmol/L). Results Low estimated glomerular filtration rate, high phosphorus, low albumin, nonpreparation of arteriovenous fistula or graft, and late referral were associated with a low sNa in the elderly. Among 599 patients, 106 and 174 patients died at the 90-day and 1-year follow-ups, respectively. Each 10-mmol/L increase in predialysis sNa tended to be associated with lower 90-day and 1-year ACM. When patients were stratified by nephrology referral, hyponatremia was associated with increased mortality in early referral group (90-day ACM: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.335, p = 0.041; 1-year ACM: HR = 1.790, p = 0.024). However, hyponatremia was not associated with mortality in late referral group. Conclusions Predialysis hyponatremia at hemodialysis initiation is associated with late referra


Purpose: To investigate the effect of Yushen zhuyun decoction (YSZYF) on rats with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the major phytochemical constituents of YSZYF. Rats with DOR (DOR rats) were prepared by administration of tripterygium glycosides (TWP) orally (50 mg/kg) for 15 days. Thereafter, DOR rats were treated orally with YSZYF (300, 600 and 900 mg/kg). After 15 days' treatment, ovary index was calculated and blood was obtained to determine serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), inhibin (INH) and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) by radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the ovary was subjected to histopathological examinations. Results: Phytochemical investigation indicated that the major constituents of YSZYF are acteoside, loganin, lcariin and echinacoside. Compared to the control rats, YSZYF treatment enhanced the ovary index of DOR rat ( p < 0.05); furthermore, YSZYF treatment also enhanced the number of follicles and corpus luteum, as well as alleviated inflammatory reaction in ovary tissues. Additionally, the serum levels of FSH and T were elevated by treatment of YSZYF ( p < 0.01), whereas E2, INHB and AMH concentrations decreased ( p < 0.01), compared to control rats. Conclusion: The findings indicate that YSZYF improves ovarian reserve of DOR rats, and thus has a potential for treating infertility. Keywords: Yushen zhuyun decoction, Diminished ovarian reserve, Infertility, Acteoside, Loganin, Lcariin, Echinacoside


This book synthesizes much material on women in the Jewish world (from the Old Testament, Apocrypha, Mishna, and Dead Sea Scrolls), in the Hellenistic world (from various authors—Homer to Ovid) and in the New Testament. While there are occasional references to the fact that the canonical Gospels are not "verbatim recordings of Jesus' words or televised pictures of his actions" (p. 102), there is no evidence of the application of form critical or redaction critical method to the materials. Chapters on the "Manner of Jesus" and the "Teaching of Jesus" treat the materials in a reflective descriptive manner. After a topical treatment in the first part of the book, the authors move into a study based on the books of the New Testament: Paul and Woman, Synoptic Gospels and Acts. Johannine writings (Gospel, Letters and Revelation in one chapter). There is a wealth of material here drawn from classic authors as well as New Testament sources, but lack of any methodical base makes it difficult to follow much development. However, it is valuable to have all these materials gathered into one volume. The summary statements which appear at the end of various chapters comment in a favorable manner on the position of women and their role in ministry in the early church and today.


The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of nanoemulgel for transdermal delivery of Cyclosporine. Different nanoemulsion components (oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant) were selected on the basis of solubility and emulsification ability. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed using titration method to figure out the concentration range of components. Guar gum was added as gel matrix to convert nanoemulsion into nanoemulgel. Drug loaded nanoemulsions and nanoemulgels were characterized for particle size, transmission electron microscopy, viscosity, pH, rheology, spreadability, drug content, in vitro skin permeation using rat abdominal skin and stability studies. Nanoemulgel containing 20% oleic acid as oil, 65% Tween 80, and Transcutol P as surfactant cosurfactant mixture, 15% water, 2% drug, and 0.5% Guar gum was concluded as optimized formulation (BF5). The drug content o f t he optimized formulation was found to be 99.5 %. The flux value through rat skin was found to be 0.078 mg/cm2 /h. The ex vivo permeation profile of optimized formulation was compared with nanoemulsion and marketed formulation. Nanoemulgel showed significantly higher (P < 0.05) cumulative amount of drug permeated and flux along with lower lag time and skin retention than marketed formulation. Thus, the study substantiated that nanoemulgel formulation can be used as a feasible alternative to conventional formulations of cyclosporine with advanced permeation characteristics for transdermal application.


The theoretical grounding of the management system of animal feedingstuff milling of the region was performed. The facilities of animal feedingstuff milling are divided according to the degree of independence of business conducting and directions of sales of the products manufactured. The factors of the internal and external environment of the animal feedingstuff milling of the region were considered. The analysis was performed and the tendencies in the development of animal feedingstuff milling of the region and the system of its management were revealed; the directions of the development of animal feedingstuff milling of the agrarian region were grounded. The potential capacity of the regional market of animal feedingstuff for livestock breeding of the region was calculated. It was offered to form the body of economic management in the form of an independent legal entity bearing the responsibility for execution of the functions imposed on it to develop and implement the plan of development of animal feedingstuff milling – JSC Animal Feedingstuff Cluster of the Altai Territory.


Book synopsis: The authors of the essays collected here explore the ways in which late antique groups defined their own socio-political borders and created secure in-group identities by means of discourses on "heresy" and "heretics." A wider definition of "heresy" and "heretics" as real or constructed "internal opposition" and "internal enemies" leads to a new understanding of ancient sources as well as to new comparative possibilities. Some of the contributing authors look at the social setting of heresiology, and examine how it served to regulate interaction between communities. Others consider the different functions of "heresy"-making discourse as a simultaneous process of describing and disqualifying groups of perceived dissenters. Combining presentations from various fields, the authors reconsider the phenomenon of 'heresy' in late antiquity in the broadest possible scope. They focus on examples of the ways in which late antique groups defined themselves as righteous, in the process of describing imagined communities as vicious. They analyze cases in which authors or groups sought to present dangerous encounters by describing the "other" in highly conventionalized terms established through heresiological traditions and the creation of cliches and stock characters. The authors also examine cases in which heresy-making discourses effectively "push with the left and bring in with the right," as the Babylonian Talmud has it, inasmuch as the proclamation of a radical divorce from 'heretics' allowed for the domestication of their ideas and practices.


A human bio monitoring study, investigating most consumed fish species exposure to heavy metals was done in northern part of Iran, Miankale Peninsula, in winter 2019. Metals levels were evaluated in various tissues of fish, as well as Turkmen pregnant women's biological indicators. For this purpose, 20 water and sediment, 14 fish and 16 human samples were collected. Concentration of Cr, Co, Cu, As, Hg and Pb metals were determined by ICP-MS device. The highest mean concentration of Cu and Cr in water (93.35 and 80.91 µg/l respectively), Hg and Pb in sediment (7.4 µg/g for both), Cu and Pb in liver (27 and18.9 µg/g for C.carpio; 1414 and 31.7 µg/g for L.auratus), muscle (10 and 18.8 for C.carpio; 37.2 and 8.27 µg/g for L.auratus), and skin (26.4 and 9.9 for C.carpio; 10.8 and 11.74 µg/g for L.auratus) of both fish species, and Cu in blood (2.53 mg/l), hair (8.87 µg/g), fingernail (36.46 µg/g), and toenail (29.04 µg/g) samples were observed, while Co had the lowest concentration in all samples. Liver in fish samples and fingernail in pregnant women were the tissues with the highest heavy metals accumulation, whereas the lowest concentrations of heavy metals were observed in the muscles of fish species and pregnant women's blood sample. Hg concentration in water and sediments, the muscle of fish, and pregnant women's blood and hair samples were higher than the values suggested by various organizations. This study showed that the level of heavy metals, especially Hg, in water, sediments and fish is a threat to human health. Therefore, it is recommended that the necessary information about the consumption of seafood with high amounts of Hg should be provided in this area.


Reinforcement learning is a machine learning answer to the optimal control problem. It consists in learning an optimal control policy through interactions with the system to be controlled, the quality of this policy being quantified by the so-called value function. An important subtopic of reinforcement learning is to compute an approximation of this value function when the system is too large for an exact representation. This survey reviews state of the art methods for (parametric) value function approximation by grouping them into three main categories: bootstrapping, residuals and projected fixed-point approaches. Related algorithms are derived by considering one of the associated cost functions and a specific way to minimize it, almost always a stochastic gradient descent or a recursive least-squares approach.


(1) Background: Severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) is the leading cause of death in children. Serious extracranial injury (SEI) commonly coexists with sTBI after the high impact of trauma. Limited studies evaluate the influence of SEI on the prognosis of pediatric sTBI. We aimed to analyze SEI's clinical characteristics and initial presentations and evaluate if SEI is predictive of higher in-hospital mortality in these sTBI children. (2) Methods: In this 11-year-observational cohort study, a total of 148 severe sTBI children were enrolled. We collected patients' initial data in the emergency department, including gender, age, mechanism of injury, coexisting SEI, motor components of the Glasgow Coma Scale (mGCS) score, body temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose level, initial prothrombin time, and intracranial Rotterdam computed tomography (CT) score of the first brain CT scan, as potential mortality predictors. (3) Results: Compared to sTBI children without SEI, children with SEI were older and more presented with initial hypotension and hypothermia; the initial lab showed more prolonged prothrombin time and a higher in-hospital mortality rate. Multivariate analysis showed that motor components of mGCS, fixed pupil reaction, prolonged prothrombin time, and higher Rotterdam CT score were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in sTBI children. SEI was not an independent predictor of mortality. (4) Conclusions: sTBI children with SEI had significantly higher in-hospital mortality than those without. SEI was not an independent predictor of mortality in our study. Brain injury intensity and its presentations, including lower mGCS, fixed pupil reaction, higher Rotterdam CT score, and severe injury-induced systemic response, presented as initial prolonged prothrombin time, were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in these sTBI children.


BACKGROUND
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have low bone mineral density (BMD). Dietary calcium is important for them in the prevention of osteopenia and osteoporosis. There are no reports on the status of BMD in Indian patients with IBD.

METHODS
Dietary calcium intake and cumulative steroid and immunosuppressive drug use was noted in 46 randomly selected patients (mean [SD] age 40.5 [14.7] years; 28 men) with IBD (ulcerative colitis 22, Crohn's disease 24). To compare values of BMD for patients, data from 46 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (age 40.5 [14.6] years; 28 men) were selected from an existing database of healthy Indian volunteers whose BMD had been measured in a community-based survey carried out among people residing in Delhi (unpublished data). BMD was measured using DXA (Hologic QDR 4500). Osteopenia and osteoporosis were defined as per the standard WHO criteria.

RESULTS
The mean duration of disease was 87.7 (78.3) months. The mean calcium intake by 41 patients (89.1%) was <200 mg/day, by 2 patients (4.3%) 200-400 mg/day and by 3 patients (6.4%)>400 mg/day. Significantly lower values of BMD at the spine and hip regions were seen in patients with both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease as compared with Indian healthy controls. In comparison to age- and sex-matched healthy controls, 29 (63%) and 21 (45.6%) patients had either osteopenia or osteoporosis at the spine and hip region, respectively. Of them, 4 and 7 patients had osteoporosis at the spine and hip region, respectively. There was no correlation between values of BMD and the age of patient, duration of disease, and cumulative steroid dose.

CONCLUSIONS
Two thirds of Indian patients with IBD have low BMD. Since the intake of dietary calcium is inadequate in a majority of these patients, they should be advised to increase the intake of dairy products.


Over 150 years ago, Cohnheim and Durante formalized the concept that cancers might arise from a small subset of cells with stem cell properties 1-3, and in 1961, Till and McCulloch demonstrated for the first time that the existence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the bone marrow, which was postulated that stem-like cells might be the origin of cancer 4. However, only recently did an increased interest in cancer stem cells (CSC) occur, thus spurring great advances in cancer stem cell biology. The CSC model was first developed in 1994 when malignant initiating cells were discerned in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 5. Afterwards, similar CSC model was extended to some solid tumors that originated in the breast, brain, lung, prostate, colon, head and neck, and pancreas 6-12. Most importantly, the development of CSC hypothesis has fundamental implications in terms of understanding the biology of muti-step tumorigenesis, the prevention of cancer, and the creation of novel effective strategies for cancer therapy.


We explore the consequences of incorporating parity and time reversal ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetries on the dynamics of nonreciprocal light propagation exhibited by a class of nonuniform periodic structures known as chirped $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The interplay among various grating parameters such as chirping, detuning, nonlinearities, and gain/loss gives rise to unique bi- and multi-stable states in the unbroken as well as broken $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regimes. The role of chirping on the steering dynamics of the hysteresis curve is influenced by the type of nonlinearities and the nature of detuning parameter. Also, incident directions of the input light robustly impact the steering dynamics of bistable and multistable states both in the unbroken and broken $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric regimes. When the light launching direction is reversed, critical stable states are found to occur at very low intensities which opens up a new avenue for an additional way of controlling light with light. We also analyze the phenomenon of unidirectional wave transport and the reflective bi- and multi-stable characteristics at the so-called $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry breaking point.


Mr. President, Dr. Rozeboom, Members of the Society:
I consider it a distinct privilege that, as Chairman of your Committee, I am allowed to present to Dr. Lloyd E. Rozeboom, the Society's new Award for research in the field of tropical medicine, which is known as the Bailey K. Ashford Award.
As you know, this award, which was made possible through the generosity of Eli Lilly & Company, is being presented this year for the first time. It consists of travel expense to and from the meeting, $1,000.00 and a bronze medal. According to the requirements established by the donors, it is to be given annually to "a citizen of the United States, less than 35 years of age, in recognition of demonstrated research in the field of tropical medicine, taking into consideration independence of thought and originality."


After a theoretical and analytic study of the body effect in MOS transistors, this paper proposes two different approaches of this parasitic phenomenon. Thanks to these models, a design methodology, which takes advantage of the bulk input, can be brought into play. Thus, turning the CMOS drawback into an analog advantage, it gives an efficient alternative to overcome the CMOS VLSI wireless mass-market design constrains. In order to illustrate this advance, two RF building blocks are presented in this paper. Well suited to low power/low voltage applications, these circuits implemented in a 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS VLSI technology are well matched to multi-standard architectures and system on chip implementations.


The reaction of ethyl cation with benzene has been investigated in a combined experimental and theoretical approach. Under single collision conditions, proton transfer affording protonated benzene concomitant with neutral ethene represents the major reaction channel. From pressure-dependent measurements, an absolute cross section of 7 +/- 2 A(2) at hyperthermal energies (about 1.0 eV in the center of mass frame) is derived for this channel, from which a phenomenological rate constant of about 2.9 x 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1) is estimated at low energies. The energy behavior of the cross section as well as several side reactions leading to C-C coupling imply that the reaction of C(2)H(5)(+) with C(6)H(6) proceeds via a long-lived association product, presumably the covalently bound protonated ethylbenzene (ethylbenzenium ion). With regard to chemical processes in the atmosphere of Titan, present results imply that termolecular association of C(2)H(5)(+) with benzene to produce protonated ethylbenzene is very likely to occur. The condensation of alkyl cations with arenes thus provides an alternative route for the growth of larger hydrocarbon molecules.


Deep learning-based linkage of records across different databases is becoming increasingly useful in data integration and mining applications to discover new insights from multiple sources of data. However, due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, organisations often are not willing or allowed to share their sensitive data with any external parties, thus making it challenging to build/train deep learning models for record linkage across different organizations' databases. To overcome this limitation, we propose the first deep learning-based multi-party privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) protocol that can be used to link sensitive databases held by multiple different organisations. In our approach, each database owner first trains a local deep learning model, which is then uploaded to a secure environment and securely aggregated to create a global model. The global model is then used by a linkage unit to distinguish unlabelled record pairs as matches and non-matches. We utilise differential privacy to achieve provable privacy protection against re-identification attacks. We evaluate the linkage quality and scalability of our approach using several large real-world databases, showing that it can achieve high linkage quality while providing sufficient privacy protection against existing attacks.


This article discusses the persistent deployment of racial stereotypes in contemporary stand-up comedy and its potential hegemonic or counter-hegemonic effects. It asks whether racial stereotypes should be avoided or condemned altogether, considering the risks of interpretative ambiguity and offensiveness, or, alternatively, whether there are specific performative strategies and conditions that might make racial stereotype humour a powerful weapon in the anti-racist toolbox. As regards the first, several critiques are considered and it is shown that racial stereotype humour, and its reception, may harbour multiple, subtle forms of racism. In terms of defences, racial stereotype humour's role of discharging stubborn psycho-affective investments is highlighted, as well as its function as 'subversive play'. The article further pays special attention to aspects of audience reception (such as issues of missed subtlety and 'clever' laughter) and the importance of the comic's racial positionality in performing racial stereotypes.


Crew Resource Management (CRM) courses are designed to teach pilots about non-technical (cognitive and social) skills that are essential for effective and safe flight operations. This article presents a summary of the empirical development of the European taxonomy of pilots' non-technical skills (NOTECHS) and associated rating method. It describes the system components and the experimental validation. The system has four Categories: Co-operation, Leadership and Managerial Skills, Situation Awareness, Decision Making, each subdivided into Elements and behavioural markers. The latter are examples of effective and ineffective behaviours supporting the evaluation and debriefing, as well as giving indications for retraining, if this is required. Operational principles for fair and objective use of the NOTECHS system and training guidelines for raters are outlined.


Humans sense most of the environment through their eyes. Detecting people's activities and context from their visual behavior using mobile eye trackers is well studied. Typically, these systems require some kind of calibration prior to usage, unsuitable for the end user. Cameras that actively record the user's field of view became a valid alternative for lifelogging applications. But such approaches do not include gaze information and may cause privacy challenges. In this work we propose an in-depth analysis of the first long-term corneal imaging dataset (i.e., the reflection of the environment on the human eye). All data was manually labeled with information about the attended objects. This was compared to an automatic approach using a state-of-the art neural network.


Because school violence is widespread, social and emotional competence must be targeted. Second Step is a social and emotional violence-prevention curriculum that teaches prosocial skills and reduces aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Second Step implementation on students (N = 403) in preschool through fourth grade who were predominately Latino, English language learners, and from families with low socioeconomic status. The data of 165 out of the 403 students were included in the present study. Analyses consisted of paired-samples t-tests to identify changes in social and emotional knowledge and behavioral and emotional risk. Results showed that there was a significant increase in both social and emotional knowledge and behavioral and emotional risk following the implementation of Second Step. These results are discussed with regard to previous and future research, limitations, and implications for school practice.


This paper describes a fundamental rethinking of the basis for the evaluation of the sunlight potential of spaces. It aims to provide a methodology to answer the question: how much sunlight can enter a room? The measure proposed is the cross-sectional area of sunlight beam that:
(a) passes through a window; and, (b) enters the main volume of the internal space. The new measure – called the sunlight beam index – is described, and examples are given for a realistic residential house. The sunlight beam index (SBI) is determined for all full year on a timestep basis (e.g. 15 minutes) but can be aggregated into monthly or yearly totals. The annual total provides a single measure for: one window; a group of windows; or, all the windows for an entire
dwelling. Thus the measure is ideally suited for rating, planning and/or guideline purposes


A current-mode front-end circuit with low voltage and low power for analog hearing aids is presented. The circuit consists of a current-mode AGC (automatic gain control) and a current-mode adaptive filter. Compared with its conventional voltage-mode counterparts, the proposed front-end circuit has the identified features of fre- quency compensation based on the state space theory and continuous gain with an exponential characteristic. The frequency compensation which appears only in the DSP unit of the digital hearing aid can upgrade the perfor- mance of the analog hearing aid in the field of low-frequency hearing loss. The continuous gain should meet the requirement of any input amplitude level, while its exponential characteristic leads to a large input dynamic range in accordance with the dB SPL (sound pressure level). Furthermore, the front-end circuit also provides a discrete knee point and discrete compression ratio to allow for high calibration flexibility. These features can accommodate users whose ears have different pain thresholds. Taking advantage of the current-mode technique, the MOS tran- sistors work in the subthreshold region so that the quiescent current is small. Moreover, the input current can be compressed to a low voltage signal for processing according to the compression principle from the current-domain to the voltage-domain. Therefore, the objective of low voltage and low power (48 W at 1.4 V) can be easily achieved in a high threshold-voltage CMOS process of 0.35 m (VTON C jVTOPj 1.35 V). The THD is below 45 dB. The fabricated chip only occupies the area of 1 0.5 mm 2 and 1 1 mm 2 .


Introduction Chronic stress is known to produce significant behavioral, endocrinological, and neurobiological changes. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is commonly used as a safe mucolytic drug. Sulpiride is a selective dopamine antagonist with antipsychotic and antidepressant activity. Aim As the mechanism of stress is not known the aim of this work was to evaluate the histological and immunohistochemical changes that might occur in rat ovaries after stress exposure and the possible protective effect of sulpiride and NAC. Materials and methods Thirty-six rats were divided into four groups: group I was the control group (n=6); group &Igr;&Igr; (n=6) was injected with sulpiride at 0.28 mg/kg body weight/day for 1 month; group &Igr;I&Igr; (n=6) was injected with NAC at 150 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally for 5 days; group &Igr;V (the stress group) (n=18) was divided into three equal subgroups: subgroup &Igr;Va, in which rats were exposed to crowding only for 1 month, subgroup &Igr;Vb, in which rats were exposed to crowding along with sulpiride treatment for 1 month, and subgroup &Igr;Vc, in which rats were exposed to crowding for 1 month along with NAC treatment for 5 days. Results Stress resulted in a significant increase in luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and prolactin levels and a significant decrease in progesterone and estrogen levels. Sulpiride treatment resulted in a significant decrease in progesterone and estrogen levels and increase in prolactin, with decreased reaction for estrogen receptor. NAC led to a significant increase in the level of estrogen and progesterone, with no effects on other parameters, and increased reaction for estrogen receptor. The ovary of both the stress and the sulpiride group revealed cystically dilated follicles lined with granulose cells separated by a proliferation of ovarian stroma (luteinized stromal cells). NAC-treated group showed decreased number of atretic follicles and thickness of theca layer. Conclusion NAC had a protective role against the induced damage but sulpiride did not counteract the impairing effects of stress. It is beneficial to use NAC in people exposed to stress.


The aim of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction is the early, complete and sustained restoration of bloodflow in the infarct-related artery. In a randomized trial in 421 patients with acute myocardial infarction front-loaded rt-PA (100 mg in 90 min) showed a significantly higher 90-min patency (84.4%) in comparison with APSAC (70.3%). In-hospital mortality was significantly lower after rt-PA (2.4%) versus 8.1% after APSAC. While a single bolus injection of rt-PA produced lower patency and higher reocclusion rates, double bolus injections showed more promising results (90 min patency > 70%). A new recombinant plasminogen activator BM 06.022 (r-PA) with a longer half life can be given as a single bolus injection. In a dose-finding study r-PA produced rapid thrombolysis with a 90-min patency of 66% (10 MU) and 76% (15 MU). There was no excess in re-occlusions or bleeding complications. Although these results are quite promising, the search for the ideal thrombolytic strategy is still ongoing.


During normal fetal development, a variety of cell-signaling pathways are regulated in a coordinated manner so that cells can proliferate, move, and even die off in an organized fashion that allows organs to develop. Over the past decade, there have been tremendous advances in understanding how the musculoskeletal system develops. Knowledge about these pathways and how they regulate cell behavior can be applied to musculoskeletal pathologic conditions and repair processes. Many of the pathways that are important in development can be targeted therapeutically; interestingly, many such agents have been identified by their teratologic potential. Identifying the role of these key signaling pathways in musculoskeletal disorders carries strong potential to rapidly identify new therapeutic approaches. Genetically modified organisms, such as transgenic mice, are important tools in this work. Because these organisms have genetic abnormalities from the start of development, they can be used to study the role of genes or cell-signaling pathways both in development and in pathologic and repair processes that occur in maturity. A symposium sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, the Orthopaedic Research Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Kyphon, and Stryker, on developmental biology in orthopaedics, was held in Toronto in October 2006 to review the state of the art in developmental biology of the musculoskeletal system, determine how this information could be applied to disorders treated by orthopaedists, and foster greater collaboration between orthopaedic investigators and developmental biology researchers. The participants also identified several areas of focus for future research that they thought would have particularly fruitful potential.

Development begins with fertilization of the ovum; this fertilized cell is called a zygote. The zygote undergoes rapid mitotic divisions and cellular differentiation, leading to the development of a …


Persistence of stock returns is an extensively studied and discussed theme in the analysis of financial markets. Antipersistence is usually attributed to volatilities. However, not only volatilities but also stock returns can exhibit antipersistence. Antipersistent noise has a somewhat rougher appearance than Gaussian noise. Heuristically spoken, price movements are more likely followed by movements in the opposite direction than in the same direction. The pertaining integrated process exhibits a smaller range – prices seem to stay in the vicinity of the initial value. We apply a widely used test based upon the modified R/S-Method by Lo [1991] to daily returns of 21 German stocks from 1960 to 2008. Combining this test with the concept of moving windows by Carbone et al. [2004], we are able to determine periods of antipersistence for some of the series under examination. Our results suggest that antipersistence can be found for stocks and periods where extraordinary corporate actions such as mergers & acquisitions or financial distress are present. These effects should be properly accounted for when choosing and designing models for inference.


Sustained oscillations occur in many biological organisms and some chemical reactions. Belousov-Zhabotinskii (BZ) reaction is one these chemical oscillators, however, since its oscillatory behaviour is analogous to ones in observed in many biological systems, BZ reaction is often considered as a prototype for bio-chemical oscillators. In this work, by considering a delay model of the Oregonator, which covers the sustained oscillatory mechanism of BZ reaction, we presented some qualitative results in order to find a domain in parameter space that ensures the presence of sustained oscillations. By using the unique positive equilibrium of the model, some necessary and/or sufficient results presented to describe its asymptotic behaviour. Then, by using these results, some numerical computations are presented to describe an oscillatory occurence domain in the parameter space.


Background Many peri- and postmenopausal women use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to relieve menopausal symptoms. However, the side effects of different HRT use (ever/current/former vs. never HRT use) on lung cancer risk in women were not completely consistent. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to examine the connection between current, former or ever HRT use and the incidence of lung cancer among women. Methods We systematically searched the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and VIP databases to identify relevant articles published from the inception of the respective databases to February 18, 2022. On the relationship between different HRT use and the incidence of lung cancer among women. Relevant risk estimates [relative risks (RRs), odds ratio (OR)] were combined based on specific study types. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. This analysis has been registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42020219728). Publication bias was tested based on Egger's and Begg's tests. Results A total of 22 studies (13 prospective cohort studies and 9 case-control studies) were included, comprising 911,194 participants and 17,329 patients. Compared to never HRT users, in pooled cohort studies, current HRT users had a statistically decreased risk of lung cancer [RR 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86–0.97, I2=22.9%], and similar results were found among the postmenopausal women with current HRT use (RR 0.91, 95 CI: 0.85–0.98, I2=36%), while in pooled case-control studies, ever HRT users had a decreased risk of incidence of lung cancer [odds ratio (OR) 0.75, 95% CI: 0.69–0.81, I2=0%] as did female non-smokers with ever HRT use (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66–0.87, I2=36.8%). Conclusions Current or ever HRT use is partly correlated with the decreased incidence of lung cancer in women. Concerns about the incidence of lung cancer can be reduced when perimenopausal and postmenopausal women use current HRT to reduce menopausal symptoms. Meanwhile, given the roles of hormone receptors and relevant genes single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) among females, HRT use should be cautiously administered and individualized.


Two studies explored whether adolescents can and will construct abstract visualizations to structure complex information. Experiment 1 showed that students can structure novel information with visualizations. Seventh-, 9th-, and 10th-grade students were directed to construct visualizations of complex transmission problems in biology (e.g., epidemiology). Two-thirds of the resulting visualizations at each grade level captured the structure of the problems. The 9th/10th graders primarily constructed path diagrams (i.e., directed graphs), and the 7th graders constructed more original visualizations. Experiment 2 showed that students will analogically transfer specific visualizations and will transfer the strategy of visualizing. On pre- and posttests 7th graders solved transmission problems without cues to visualize. During an intervention, students in two treatments constructed and learned visualizations for three problem types. In the Path treatment, one problem type involved path diagrams. In the No-Path treatment an alternate problem type was used as a filler visualization task. Overall, 50% more students used visualizations on the posttest compared to the pretest. Students in the Path treatment analogically transferred the path diagram to the posttest, whereas students in the No-Path treatment spontaneously constructed alternative visualizations. These findings suggest that instruction in visualizing may develop a strategy that students can and will use to understand the structure in complex and novel information.


Although chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) has high yield potential, its seed yield is often low and unstable due to the impact of abiotic stresses, such as drought and heat. As a result of global warming, both drought and heat are estimated to be major yield constraints between one-quarter and one-third per annum. In the present review, genomic-mediated breeding strategies to increase resilience against global warming. Exacerbated drought and heat stresses have been examined to understand the latest advancement happening for better management of these challenges. Resistance mechanisms for drought and heat stresses consist of (i) escape via earliness, (ii) avoidance via morphological traits such as better root traits, compound leaves, or multipinnate leaves and double-/multiple-podded traits, and (iii) tolerance via molecular and physiological traits, such as special tissue and cellular abilities. Both stresses in chickpeas are quantitatively governed by minor genes and are profoundly influenced by edaphic and other environmental conditions. High-yield genotypes have traditionally been screened for resistance to drought and heat stresses in the target selection environment under stress conditions or in the simulacrum mediums under controlled conditions. There are many drought- and heat-tolerant genotypes among domestic and wild Cicer chickpeas, especially in accessions of C. reticulatum Ladiz., C. echinospermum P.H. Davis, and C. turcicum Toker, J. Berger, and Gokturk. The delineation of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes allied to drought- and heat-related attributes have paved the way for designing stress-tolerant cultivars in chickpeas. Transgenic and "omics" technologies hold newer avenues for the basic understanding of background metabolic exchanges of QTLs/candidate genes for their further utilization. The overview of the effect of drought and heat stresses, its mechanisms/adaptive strategies, and markers linked to stress-related traits with their genetics and sources are pre-requisites for framing breeding programs of chickpeas with the intent of imparting drought tolerance. Ideotype chickpeas for resistance to drought and heat stresses were, therefore, developed directly using marker-aided selection over multiple locations. The current understanding of molecular breeding supported by functional genomics and omics technologies in developing drought- and heat-tolerant chickpea is discussed in this review.


To characterize the actual flow behavior of polymer, polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) macromolecular tracers were synthesized by copolymerization and graft routes. The two tracers were then used to obtain the residence time distribution (RTD) functions of PS and PP in a twin-screw extruder. The effect of temperature on RTD is discussed using different tracers. The mixing characteristics of different tracers in the extrusion of PS and PP were compared by measuring the overall and partial RTDs. The dependence of the overall and partial RTDs on the tracer types was investigated. The effects of mixing intensity, miscibility, and melting difference on the measured distribution were also discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:310–316, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers


Abstract
This chapter focuses on how to leverage public transport infrastructure to produce walk-friendly environments, positioning public transport as a walk-enhancing mode. What are the steps that public transport operators can take to create walk-friendly environments? Do more comfortable waiting conditions result in stronger loyalty from the existing customer base and stronger buyout from new customers? This novel approach stemmed from a partnership with the public transport operator Transdev on a real-life experiment in Grenoble to provide a more comfortable walking and resting experience for public transport users. Named Carrefour de Mobilite ('the crossroads of mobility'), the experiment prototyped urban design interventions to enhance the access and waiting experience of users engaged in mixed-mode commuting. An ex ante/ex post evaluation was deployed to ascertain whether walk-friendlier environments encourage a more intensive use of public space and easier shifting between public transport modes. The findings show that when users perceive dedicated infrastructure as walk-friendly, they consider it more visible and more attractive, and find it comfortable enough to spend longer waiting times there. The evaluation would have benefited from an extension of the perimeter covered by the sensor technology measuring system which was not feasible because of budget constraints. The experiment reached out beyond the initial target public and captured children and older women as well, providing an amenity which was lacking for these groups and resulting in a livelier and more diverse environment for everyone. This lean and low-cost experiment shows that activating public space near public transport hubs enhances their attractiveness in the eyes of the public transport users.


In this contribution a method to reduce the computational complexity of adaptive subband filtering is presented. Alternatively, the approach can be utilized to keep the complexity as it is in a conventional scheme, but to reduce the delay introduced by non-critical subsampled filterbanks (meaning to shorten the length of the filterbanks' prototype filters). This is achieved by using different subsampling rates for the reference channels on one hand and for the desired and the output channels on the other hand. Experiments and real-time measurements performed with systems for acoustic echo cancellation show either a reduction of complexity of about 30 percent or a delay reduction of about 50 percent (depending on the optimization objective). At the same time the steady-state error (remaining error power due to aliasing after convergence) can be kept at the same level.


Women's low levels of statutory land acquisition, is a growing concern in Zambia. Although several legal and institutional frameworks have been put in place to ensure equality of access to statutory land between women and men, women's acquisition of statutory land has not improved compared to that of men. This paper explores impediments to statutory land acquisition among women.  Empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions are explored using a case study of Mumbwa District. The paper argues that opportunity for women to acquire full rights of ownership of statutory land having rights guaranteed by the state through the constitution and to occupy, use and to transfer land at own volition, and also having the power to enforce such rights  represent the strongest form of secure access to land. The paper concludes that access to statutory land in the study site is in favour of men, either by legal provisions and regulations that favour men's rights over women's rights or by socio-cultural norms. Further that important impediment to women's access to statutory land include: lack of women awareness of land rights; traditional pre-marital counselling; financial constraints; bureaucracy in land acquisition processes; patriarchy and gender imparity in decision making structures. The impediments to women's access to statutory land are a threat to women's economic empowerment which is essential in promoting equality between men and women and elimination of poverty.  It is submitted that it is imperative for land administrators to provide institutional structures that can protect and strengthen fairness in access to statutory land within the framework of a land policy and the law. Keywords: statutory land, equality, land acquisition, Zambia


The inception of the Indian Constitution in 1950 was a significant event not only in the political history of India but also in the history of 'social justice' and 'human rights'. At the same time, it has opened up new avenues of human welfare and development in the Indian subcontinent by providing equal rights and privileges to the citizens at large. The Constitution of independent India was meant more than a mere legal manuscript—that likely to structure the norms of governing as well as define the functions of various key institutions and political actors—for the whole society in general and underprivileged sections in particular. The latter were exploited in multiple ways over the centuries owing to the dominant social order of Hindu society, and perhaps this is why, they had a lot of expectations from the newly adopted legal document. The primary aim of the paper is to examine the fact that to what extent the Indian Constitution comprises the vision of B. R. Ambedkar and more specifically, to explore the ways in which the social and political philosophy of Ambedkar have influenced the development of constitution-making in India.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 [COVID-19] is an infectious disease, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2], that reached pandemic proportions in 2020. Despite the fact that it was initially characterized by pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, is now clear that the nervous system is also compromised in one third of these patients. Indeed, a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients suffer nervous system damage via a plethora of mechanisms including hypoxia, coagulopathy, immune response to the virus, and the direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 on endothelial cells, neurons, astrocytes, pericytes and microglia. Additionally, a low number of previously healthy individuals develop a variety of neurological complications after receiving COVID-19 vaccines and a large proportion of COVID-19 survivors experience long-lasting neuropsychiatric symptoms. In conclusion, COVID-19 is also a neurological disease, and the direct and indirect effects of the virus on the nervous system have a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of these patients. Here we will use the concept of the neurovascular unit, assembled by endothelial cells, basement membrane, perivascular astrocytes, neurons and microglia, to review the effects of SARS-CoV-2 in the nervous system. We will then use this information to review data published to this date on the neurological manifestations of COVID-19, the post-COVID syndrome and COVID-19 vaccines.


Mathematical models and computer simulations are useful for examining alternative control strategies to include in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. A three-tropic-level model comprising the celery plant, Apium graveolens L., the leafminer Liriomyza trifolii [Diptera: Agromyzidae) and the parasitoid Digllyphus intermedius (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was developed. Both antixenotic and antibiotic celery plant resistance were included along with the parasitoid, to examine their effects on leafminer larval populations. Better control of the leafminer was observed when these types of resistance were included in combination with the parasitoid, when compared to the parasitoid acting alone. However, the parasitoid acting alone seemed to be better than either of the two forms of resistance in the absence of the parasitoid. The use of models to study the interaction of plant resistance and biological control in IPM programs is emphasized.


The central segment of the Aleutian Trench (162{degree}W to 175{degree}E) is an intraoceanic subduction zone that contains an anomalously thick sedimentary fill (4 km maximum). The fill is an arcward-thickening and slightly tilted wedge of sediment characterized acoustically by laterally continuous, closely spaced, parallel reflectors. These relations are indicative of turbidite deposition. The trench floor and reflection horizons are planar, showing no evidence of an axial channel or any transverse fan bodies. Cores of surface sediment recover turbidite layers, implying that sediment transport and deposition occur via diffuse, sheetlike, fine-grained turbidite flows that occupy the full width of the trench. The mineralogy of Holocene trench sediments document a mixture of island-arc (dominant) and continental source terranes. GLORIA side-scan sonar images reveal a westward-flowing axial trench channel that conducts sediment to the eastern margin of the central segment, where channelized flow cases. Much of the sediment transported in this channel is derived from glaciated drainages surrounding the Gulf of Alaska which empty into the eastern trench segment via deep-sea channel systems (Surveyor and others) and submarine canyons (Hinchinbrook and others). Insular sediment transport is more difficult to define. GLORIA images show the efficiency with which the actively growing accretionary wedge impoundsmore » sediment that manages to cross a broad fore-arc terrace. It is likely that island-arc sediment reaches the trench either directly via air fall, via recycling of the accretionary prism, or via overtopping of the accretionary ridges by the upper parts of thick turbidite flows.« less