Background: The memory deficit hypothesis has been used to explain the maintenance of repetitive behavior in individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder, yet the majority of studies focusing on verbal memory show mixed results. These studies primarily evaluated memory accuracy via the inclusion or omission of previously encountered material, as opposed to false recognition (i.e., the inclusion of erroneous material). We evaluated false memories and memory processes in individuals with obsessive–compulsive washing symptoms (OC), individuals matched on depression and anxiety without OC symptoms (D/A), and in nonanxious individuals (NAC). Methods: Twenty‐eight OC, 28 D/A, and 29 NAC individuals read OC‐threat relevant, positive, and neutral scenarios and then performed a recognition test. Erroneous recognition of words associated to encoded, but not previously viewed, scenarios were classified as false memories. To evaluate processes underlying memory, participants completed a modified remember/know task to examine whether the OC individuals differed from the other individuals in recollective clarity for false memories of OC‐relevant (e.g., germs), positive (e.g., lottery), and neutral (e.g., bread) material. Results: The OC individuals used "know" more than the D/A and NAC individuals for false memories of threat. For veridical memories, the OC individuals used "know" more than the NAC, but not, D/A individuals. Conclusions: The greater reliance on "know" (i.e., feelings of familiarity) in general and false threat memories in particular in individuals with OC symptoms may add to feelings of uncertainty for threat‐relevant material, which may contribute to compulsive behavior. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. ©2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The aim of the study was to analyze the trends of adolescent substance use in four eastern European countries over the time period from 1994 to 2018. The four countries in focus were selected based on their shared historical backgrounds and major economic and social transformations experienced. Methods: Two decades (1993/1994–2017/2018) of repeated cross-sectional data from the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey were used. Data comprised 42,169 school children 15 years of age (9th grade). The following categories of substance use were included: regular alcohol consumption and drunkenness, tobacco smoking, electronic cigarette smoking, and cannabis use. Trends in substance use over time were tested using Jonckheere's trend test. Results: Prevalence of substance use among adolescents over time revealed that the Baltic states and Poland have faced relatively different temporal trends. In the Baltic states, there was a general increase during the period of 1994–2002, which was followed by a period of peaking or stability between 2002–2010, and then decreasing trends of these risky behaviors from 2010 onwards. In Poland, the same period had less consistent patterns, with decreasing trends starting much earlier on. The prevalence of cannabis use, which had been measured since 2006, had its own unique pattern with many fluctuations within and between countries. Conclusions: The findings on the prevalence of substance use among adolescents from 1994 to 2018 revealed that the Baltic states and Poland have faced relatively different temporal trends. These countries might be facing new public health challenges in a near future, e.g., use of electronic cigarettes and cannabis use among adolescents.


The article analyzes current state of economic activity in the field of cinematography in Ukraine and offers several approaches to its classification, in accordance with criteria defined by legislation of Ukraine. In particular, the following criteria of classification are proposed: parties involved into the activity and corporate objects, purpose of activity, availability of special terms (licensing, patenting, quotas), availability of state support. Emphasis is placed on lack of the term "type of cinematographic activity" in the relevant legislation of Ukraine. Both positive and negative aspects of economic activity in the cinematographic industry which currently affect the activities of economic entities are considered. Examples of different types of cinematographic activity in Ukraine are given as perceived through the prism of entrepreneurship and economic relations in general. Recommendations have been developed aimed to improve the state of cinematographic legislation in Ukraine – both at the level of laws and by-laws. Main types of cinematographic activity in Ukraine are substantiated and singled out on the basis of conducted research.


Background: An important component of the first-trimester scan is nuchal translucency thickness at 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days of gestation. A nuchal translucency ≥3.3 mm is a significant early pregnancy scan finding associated with Trisomies 13, 18, and 21 and congenital heart diseases. Aims: To determine the prevalence and outcome of increased fetal nuchal translucency among pregnant women. Subjects and Methods: A prospective cohort study at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto. This was a prospective study of 265 consecutively recruited women in the first trimester of pregnancy who presented to antenatal clinics over a 20-week period. An NT scan was conducted at 11 weeks to 13 weeks 6 days followed by an anomaly scan at 18–22 weeks. Patients were followed up to delivery and 6-week post-partum. The neonates were examined at delivery and at 6-week postnatal life. Data entry and analysis was done with IBM SPSS version 20. The level of significance was set at less than 0.05. Frequency distribution; student t-test and Chi-squared test. Results: The 95th percentile NT was 3.3 mm and the prevalence of increased NT above 3.3 mm was 3%. The mean maternal age of the participants was 28.1 ± 5.1 years and the modal parity was Para 0. The most common anomalies associated with increased NT were ventricular septal defect and spina bifida. A congenital anomaly was significantly associated with increased NT (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of increased fetal nuchal translucency is relatively high in our environment and is associated with congenital fetal defects. Routine screening with first-trimester ultrasound will help detect congenital anomalies early.


This paper systematically summarized the change characteristic of mangroves and their species composition. The geographical distribution of mangrove plants and their growth status are greatly affected by many external factors, including air temperature, ocean currents, waves, bank slopes, salinity, tides, and sediment and so on. Mangroves in China are mainly distributed in the southeast coast of the tropical and subtropical coastal bays,estuaries and other areas under waters. From Hainan Island towards the north, climate zones extend from central tropical zone(the south of Hainan Island), to northern tropical zone(the north of Hainan Island, south of Leizhou Peninsula and Taiwan Island), to southern subtropical zone(Guangxi province, Guangdong province, Fujian province, the south of Taiwan Island and southern coastal areas of Fujian province), to northern subtropical zone(the north of Fujian province and coastal areas of Zhejiang province). The area and population diversity of mangrove plants decline significantly with increasing latitudes, and forest stand also transforms from arbor to shrub, which fully demonstrated the macroscopically control effect of air temperature for the geographical distribution of mangrove plants. In terms of mangrove cover change, the total area of mangroves in China has been dramatically shrunk from 250 thousand ha in history, to 42 thousand ha in 1950, and to 22.8 thousand ha in2001. In 2001, descending order of existing area of mangroves in China's major provinces is: Guangdong province(9 084.0 ha), Guangxi province(8 374.9 ha), Hainan(3 930.3 ha), Fujian province(615.1 ha), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(510 ha), Taiwan province(278 ha), Zhejiang province(19.9 ha), Macau Special Administrative Region(60 ha). For the species composition of mangrove plants, adding 2 species(Sonneratia apetala and Laguncularia racemosa) of successful introduced true-mangrove plants from abroad, now there is total 38 species of mangrove plants in China, including 26 species of true-mangrove plants and 12semi-mangrove plants.


Analyzes the convergence property of the one-dimensional self-organizing map (SOM). The key of the proof is the application of Ljung's theorem [1977]. With the aid of the theorem, the authors can conclude that convergence of the one dimensional self-organizing map is almost certain if the following conditions are fulfilled, (i) the map is initial in order, (ii) the neighborhood interacting function (NIF) is non-increasing outward throughout the neighborhood interacting set (NIS) and (iii) the input distribution is stationary. Note that these conditions are less restrictive than those obtained previously in two folds: (i) there is no limit on the size of the NIS and (ii) the input distribution is not required to be uniform.<<ETX>>


This letter considers online optimal motion planning of an autonomous agent subject to linear temporal logic (LTL) constraints. Since user-specified tasks may not be fully realized (i.e., partially infeasible) in a complex environment, this letter considers hard and soft LTL constraints, where hard constraints enforce safety requirements (e.g., avoid obstacles) while soft constraints represent tasks that can be relaxed to not strictly follow user specifications. The motion planning of the agent is to generate trajectories, in decreasing order of priority, to 1) guarantee the satisfaction of safety constraints; 2) mostly fulfill soft constraints (i.e., minimize the violation cost if desired tasks are partially infeasible); 3) locally optimize rewards collection over a finite horizon. To achieve these objectives, receding horizon control is synthesized with an LTL formula to maximize the accumulated utilities over a finite horizon, while ensuring that safety constraints are fully satisfied and soft constraints are mostly satisfied. Simulation and experiment results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed motion strategy.


We evaluated a cohort of Canadian donors for T cell and antibody responses against influenza A/California/7/2009 (pH1N1) at 8-10 months after the 2nd pandemic wave by flow cytometry and microneutralization assays. Memory CD8 T cell responses to pH1N1 were detectable in 58% (61/105) of donors. These responses were largely due to cross-reactive CD8 T cell epitopes as, for those donors tested, similar recall responses were obtained to A/California 2009 and A/PR8 1934 H1N1 Hviruses. Longitudinal analysis of a single infected individual showed only a small and transient increase in neutralizing antibody levels, but a robust CD8 T cell response that rose rapidly post symptom onset, peaking at 3 weeks, followed by a gradual decline to the baseline levels seen in a seroprevalence cohort post-pandemic. The magnitude of the influenza-specific CD8 T cell memory response at one year post-pandemic was similar in cases and controls as well as in vaccinated and unvaccinated donors, suggesting that any T cell boosting from infection was transient. Pandemic H1-specific antibodies were only detectable in approximately half of vaccinated donors. However, those who were vaccinated within a few months following infection had the highest persisting antibody titers, suggesting that vaccination shortly after influenza infection can boost or sustain antibody levels. For the most part the circulating influenza-specific T cell and serum antibody levels in the population at one year post-pandemic were not different between cases and controls, suggesting that natural infection does not lead to higher long term T cell and antibody responses in donors with pre-existing immunity to influenza. However, based on the responses of one longitudinal donor, it is possible for a small population of pre-existing cross-reactive memory CD8 T cells to expand rapidly following infection and this response may aid in viral clearance and contribute to a lessening of disease severity.


Background The association between vitamin D levels and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk remains unclear. In this study, the association between serum 25(OH)D and 10-year ASCVD risk was examined in a national sample of middle-aged and older adults. Methods Cross-sectional data from the 2009–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. The Pooled Cohort Equations were used to estimate the risk of a first ASCVD event in 10 years. An adjusted multiple linear regression model was used to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D and ASCVD risk. In addition, we performed sensitivity analysis and interactive analysis to assess the robustness of associations across different subgroups. Results A total of 3354 participants were included in this study. The linear regression model indicated that the risk of ASCVD decreased with the increase in serum 25(OH)D. When analyzed as a continuous variable, serum 25(OH)D was significantly associated with the estimated 10-year risk of ASCVD. In the fully adjusted model, each 10-nmol/L increase in serum 25(OH)D reduced the estimated 10-year ASCVD risk by 0.172% (P < .001). Individuals in the moderate, insufficient, and sufficient vitamin D deficiency groups had a 0.449% (P = .362), 0.957% (P = .046), 1.475% (P = .003) decrease in ASCVD risk, respectively, when a severe vitamin D deficiency group was set as a reference in the fully adjusted model. Conclusion Our data suggest a negative association between vitamin D levels and the predicted 10-year risk of ASCVD. Further studies are required to investigate whether vitamin D supplements could reduce the risk of ASCVD.


Background Patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) experience fatigue which frequently leads to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Secukinumab (SEC) treatment results in rapid improvements in signs and symptoms, physical functioning and HRQoL in patients with active AS versus placebo (PBO) in the phase 3 studies MEASURE 1 (M1) and MEASURE 2 (M2). Objectives To assess the impact of SEC on fatigue in patients with AS, including biologic-naïve patients and those with an inadequate response to TNF therapy (TNF-IR) and to investigate correlations between fatigue and baseline characteristics or clinical endpoints. Methods The two phase 3 studies involved patients with active AS (M1, N=371; M2, N=219). Patients were randomized to receive subcutaneous SEC 150 mg or 75 mg or PBO administered every 4 weeks after initiating therapy. Patients randomized to PBO who did not meet predefined response criteria at week 16 were re-randomized at week 24 to SEC 150 mg or 75 mg. Fatigue was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) scale. The FACIT-F response analyses were based on observed data with no imputation. A change in FACIT-F score of ≥4 from baseline was used to define fatigue response. Possible correlations between baseline characteristics or clinical response criteria and improvements in fatigue at weeks 16 and 52 were investigated using a logistical regression model. Results From week 4 onwards, greater improvements in fatigue response were observed for both SEC groups compared with PBO. At week 16, 66.4% (M1) and 77.6% (M2) of patients receiving SEC 150 mg achieved a fatigue response, compared with 47.7% (M1) and 50.0% (M2) for PBO (p <0.05 for both comparisons; see figure). Response rates for SEC 150 mg at week 16 were numerically higher in biologic-naïve patients (M1, n=271; M2, n=134) than in TNF-IR patients (M1: 68.9% vs 59.4%; M2: 86.0% vs 62.5%, respectively). Responses were sustained at week 52 in both studies (M1, 73.6%; M2, 80.6%) and at week 104 in M1 (71.3%; see figure for M1 data) in the overall population, and in the two subgroups according to prior biologic therapy status. Correlation analyses based on pooled data from both studies did not identify any baseline factors that consistently predicted an improvement or worsening of FACIT-F score at week 16 or 52. Achieving a fatigue response was strongly positively correlated at weeks 16 and 52 with clinical response (ASAS20, 40, 5/6 responses, ASAS partial remission, ASDAS-CRP major improvement and BASDAI 50 response). Conclusions SEC 150 mg provided rapid improvement in fatigue, regardless of prior biologic therapy, and response was sustained up to 104 weeks. Fatigue response showed a strong correlation with improvement in clinical response criteria, indicating a relationship between fatigue and disease activity in AS and is an important treatment goal for patients with AS. Disclosure of Interest T. K. Kvien Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, MSD, Pfizer, Roche and UCB, Consultant for: AbbVie, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Hospira, Merck-Serono, MSD, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz and UCB, P. Conaghan Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche, A. Deodhar Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Consultant for: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, L. Gossec Consultant for: Abbvie, Celgene, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and UCB, M. Østergaard Grant/research support from: Abbvie, BMS, Janssen, Merck, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, Centocor, GSK, Hospira, Janssen, Merck, Mundipharma, Novartis, Novo, Orion, Pfizer, Regeneron, Schering-Plough, Roche, Takeda, UCB, and Wyeth., J. Cañete Consultant for: Abbvie, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Biogen, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Biogen, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, K. Gandhi Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis, H. Richards Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis, N. Williams Consultant for: Novartis, S. Jugl Shareholder of: Novartis, Employee of: Novartis


In this paper theoretical possibilities of statistical yield gradient estimation are discussed for those cases where circuit element probability density functions are truncated or nondifferantible, with a uniform distribution being a special case. With the yield gradient information available, the efficient derivative methods of yield optimization can be used. General derivative formulas are developed and their intuitive and geometric interpretations are given. Relationship between the yield derivatives and the marginal density functions of "pass" (or "fail") points is shown. Two possible algorithms for yield derivative estimation are discussed. The theory developed is also used to provide insight into some other methods of yield optimization.


Inhibitor of DNA binding 3 (ID3) protein binds to and inhibits the function of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors. The expression of ID3 protein in postproliferative Sertoli cells in the testis, as well as its unique, highly region-specific expression profile along the adult epididymis, implies novel functional roles for this regulator of transcription. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Id3 deficiency on male fertility and progeny outcome. We observed that fertility status of Id3(-/-) males is adversely affected. Males having this null mutation did not sire any litters when crossed with wild-type C57Bl/6 females; although pregnancies were induced in these females, these never resulted in the birth of live pups. Additionally, abnormal reproductive outcomes and developmental phenotypes were observed in gestational day 18 fetuses resulting from crosses with an Id3-deficient sire and wild-type CD-1 females; these were characterized by an elevated rate of fetal death, reduced body weights of live fetuses, a higher rate of external malformations, and aberrant skeletal development. Importantly, we observed that mutation of this gene differentially affects the phenotype of resulting offspring, depending on the genotype of the parent, not necessarily the genotype of the fetus itself. These results provide novel insight into the role of Id3, suggesting that Id3 might coordinate gene expression programs in the male reproductive system associated with the generation of healthy offspring.


Abstract Cell suspension cultures of some 12 plants were investigated for anthranilic acid metabolism. Rapid uptake of substrate is accompanied by partial excretion of anthranilic acid-N-glucoside and followed by predominant conversion into tryptophan. Ring cleavage reactions of anthranilate could not be observed but peroxidatic polymerisation occurred to a high percentage. Anthranilic acid-N-glucoside is not permanently stored by the cell cultures.


Developing countries frequently grant corporate income tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment that would ultimately contribute to their economic growth. To secure the effectiveness of these measures at a cross-border level in the context of jurisdictions that eliminate double taxation through the credit method, tax sparing clauses grant a notional credit at residence -namely, a discount on the taxes due, even if no or lower taxes were paid at source-, to prevent the residence country to tax that income and thus allow the investor to retain the tax spared by the source country. This contribution examines the rationale of tax sparing, as well as the relevance of this policy instrument in the Latin-American tax treaty network by analyzing all clauses adopted in it. Also, the author ascertains the decline and probable collapse of tax sparing clauses due to the enforcement of CFC rules and the possible adoption of an income inclusion rule as proposed in the OECD GloBE proposal (Pillar 2).


Data sharing and access control management is one of the issues still hindering the development of decentralized online social networks (DOSNs), which are now gaining more research attention with the recent developments in P2P computing, such as the secure public ledger–based protocols (Blockchains) for monetary systems. In a previous work, we proposed an initial audit–based model for access control in DOSNs. In this article, we focus on enhancing the audit strategies and the privacy issues emerging from records kept for audit purposes. We propose enhanced audit and collaboration strategies, for which experimental results, on a real online social network graph with simulated sharing behavior, show an improvement in the detection rate of bad behavior of more than 50% compared to the basic model. We also provide an analysis of the related privacy issues and discuss possible privacy-preserving alternatives.


We address the problem of robust point-location in a generalized d-dimensional Voronoi diagram. The exact point location requires the solution for expressions of degree four. A natural question is what can be done using expression of smaller degree. We apply polyhedral metrics for this task. In general dimensions two Minkowski metrics can be used L1 (Manhattan metric) and Linfin. The approximation factor is radic(d) and the computation uses expressions of degree one. We also show that a polygonal metric can be applied in two dimensions. The computation involves only 0(lg k) calls of the algorithm ESSA for detecting the sign of a sum using floating-point arithmetic.


Women in Canada are at risk of abortion becoming increasingly difficult to access. In its landmark 1988 ruling, R. v. Morgentaler, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the prohibition of abortion in section 251 of the Criminal Code on the grounds that it violated a section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which guarantees, among other things, "security of the person". However, all of the justices who ruled that section 25 unconstitutional nonetheless claimed that protecting the fetus is a valid objective of federal legislation, leaving open the possibility that a different and carefully crafted law against abortion might be constitutional. Abortion opponents organized in response to the decision, and in 1990, an attempt was made to re-criminalize abortion. This attempt, Bill C-43 came very close to succeeding. In light of the possibility of the reintroduction of criminal law legislation against abortion an important question for women is whether Canadian courts would find a newly·written restrictive abortion law to violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In seeking to answer this question, we were keen to find out whether there are any arguments already present in judicial reasoning about choice in reproduction or about a woman's entitlement to make certain choices, that could be used to beat back the threat of the re-criminalization of abortion. We also wanted to determine whether there are ways of interpreting the concept of reproductive choice that can be found in judicial reasoning that are damaging to the illlerests of women. For these reasons, we embarked upon a systematic review of how the concept of choice has been used in Canadian judicial reasoning about reproduction since Morgentaler (1988). Specifically. we sought to find out how judges think about the relationship between pregnancy and choice.


This paper considers the use of a rational curriculum planning model within nurse education. It suggests that the process of change within the model is oversimplified and mechanistic. As such it denies or ignores the experience of individuals involved in the change process by reducing their personal, cultural and political realities to a level of idealogical control. The unrestrained or unmodified application of a rational approach may, by this control, inhibit the development of change arising from subjective experiences. It may further be viewed as a political strategy which benefits powerful groupings within the school thus institutionalizing this power and maintaining the status quo in terms of power and influence.


Committee Decision Making in Monetary Policy by Hyungju Cha Advisor: Professor Merih Uctum One reason of the criticism about Taylor rule would be that the rule could not provide a micro foundation about the decision-making mechanism. because it is simply describing the policy process in terms of the short-term nominal interest rate. In order to reconcile the tension between critics and supporters of Taylor rule, chapter I employs the theory of team, which investigates how members in a team interact to determine optimal decisions. Using team theory, it is shown how optimal monetary policy is results from committee members' interactions. In chapter II, if the government cannot recognizes that the monetary policy can affect the economy with a lag or if observed data for decision-making is real-time data, following Orphanides (2001, 2003), this policy is not effective as much as their expectation. From Friedman's metaphor of "Fool in the shower", it is reasonable to include time lags in committee decision-making. In chapter II, including lags in the information structure, recognition and administrative lags, optimal inertial monetary policy is derived. In chapter III, FIML and SUR are employed to check if the actual data support the optimal monetary policy obtained under committee decision-making. The empirical evidence supports the inclusion of the lagged interest rate and the persistent shock in errors.


Primary alkyl bis-catecholato silicates have been successfully engaged with aryl and heteroaryl bromide substrates in photoredox/nickel dual catalysis to provide aryl- and heteroaryl-alkyl cross coupling products. The scope of the transformation is wide and the process appears to be tolerant of various functional groups present. Of note, most examples rely on the challenging use of highly reactive primary radicals which constitutes a significant advance in these cross coupling reactions.


In medieval England, a defendant who refused to plead to a criminal indictment was sentenced to pressing with weights as a coercive measure. Using peine forte et dure ('strong and hard punishment') as a lens through which to analyse the law and its relationship with Christianity, Butler asks: where do we draw the line between punishment and penance? And, how can pain function as a vehicle for redemption within the common law? Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this book embraces both law and literature. When Christ is on trial before Herod, he refused to plead, his silence signalling denial of the court's authority. England's discontented subjects, from hungry peasant to even King Charles I himself, stood mute before the courts in protest. Bringing together penance, pain and protest, Butler breaks down the mythology surrounding peine forte et dure and examines how it functioned within the medieval criminal justice system.


Geopolymer matrices represent one of the main sustainable alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and other clinker-based blended cements. Real scale applications are limited and a relevant amount of data is still needed to assess the early age and long-term behavior of these systems. Particularly, the early-age monitoring of geopolymers represent a key parameter for mix design optimization. Most of the available methods for the measurement of temperature evolution due to polycondensation kinetics and early age deformations are related to laboratory activities. The upscaling to in situ techniques represents a crucial step toward technological assessment. To this aim, authors propose to use Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) embedded in the geopolymer matrices. Starting from a case study by authors related to the design of externally bonded fiber reinforced geopolymers for strengthening of existing structures, the matrix was optimized in terms of quartz filler content. The measurements carried out by means of FBG sensors allowed to reduce filler content respect to the abovementioned work. Particularly, quartz content can be reduced by 50%. The temperature associated to polycondensation was slightly below 65°C for the three studied systems, limiting the use of designed metakaolin geopolymer to non-massive structures, since thermal cracking could occur, unless further research will be able to assess the viability of retardants. The experimental results confirm that FBG represent an accurate method for simultaneous shrinkage and temperature measurements for geopolymers and the application in real scale structures for remote sensing could help to create database on inner temperatures and early age deformations.


It is apparent from recent studies on fasting as an introduction to the treatment of obesity1that the weight loss in fasting patients was greater than could be explained on a caloric basis. Preliminary studies indicated that salt excretion significantly exceeded that observed in patients on low-salt diets. The potential importance of these observations was obvious, and quantitative studies were performed on fasting obese patients in an attempt to elucidate the unexplained weight loss. Benedict's2early studies on Levanzin, the professional faster, indicated that weight loss in fasting was greatest during the early fast period. Gamble, Ross, and Tisdale3suggested that early in fasting there was a loss of extracellular fluid, loss of water from reduction in cell volume and water loss from metabolism of cell substance, and these multiple factors accounted for the weight loss in excess of caloric expenditure. Gamble4,5and Hervey and McCance


A key challenge for users and designers of spoken language systems is determining the form of the commands that the system can recognize. Using more than 60 hours of interactions, we quantitatively analyze the acquisition of system vocabulary by novice users. We contrast the longitudinal performance of long-term novice users with both expert system developers and guest users. We find that novice users successfully learn the form of system requests, achieving a significant decrease in ill-formed utterances. However, the working vocabulary on which novice users converge is significantly smaller than that of expert users, and their rate of speech recognition errors remains higher. Finally, we observe that only 50% of each user's small vocabulary is shared with any other, indicating the importance of the flexibility of a conversational interface that allows users to converge to their own preferred


The present invention relates to a conductive polymer film which is excellent in electric conductivity and coating properties for hydrophobic organic material and, more particularly, to a conductive polymer film comprising: a conductive polymer layer; and a coating layer, formed on the conductive polymer layer, comprising a surfactant of which the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) is 10 or greater, polyethylene glycol, or a combination thereof.


In order to know how the catheters are placed abnormally in the epidural space, we inserted the epidural catheters under fluoroscopy. The catheter was placed straightly upward when the epidural puncture was done in the center of epidural space. When the puncture site was nearly close to the side wall of epidural space, we could not insert catheter at all. When the tip of the needle was near the side wall and the inserting catheter slipped upward, catheter was placed straight. When the catheter wedged at the side wall, it made loop and curled or kinked. We thought that the cause of abnormal location of the catheters in epidural space is the right angle between the wall of the epidural space and the direction of catheter.


Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of diarrheal disease worldwide, and currently no preventative interventions are available. C. jejuni is an invasive mucosal pathogen that has a variety of polysaccharide structures on its surface, including a capsule. In phase 1 studies, a C. jejuni capsule conjugate vaccine was safe but poorly immunogenic when delivered alone or with aluminum hydroxide. Here, we report enhanced immunogenicity of the conjugate vaccine delivered with liposome adjuvants containing monophosphoryl lipid A without or with QS-21, known as ALF and ALFQ, respectively, in preclinical studies. Both liposome adjuvants significantly enhanced immunity in mice and nonhuman primates and improved protective efficacy of the vaccine compared to alum in a nonhuman primate C. jejuni diarrhea model, providing promising evidence that these potent adjuvant formulations may enhance immunogenicity in upcoming human studies with this C. jejuni conjugate and other malaria and HIV vaccine platforms. ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni is among the most common causes of diarrheal disease worldwide and efforts to develop protective measures against the pathogen are ongoing. One of the few defined virulence factors targeted for vaccine development is the capsule polysaccharide (CPS). We have developed a capsule conjugate vaccine against C. jejuni strain 81-176 (CPS-CRM) that is immunogenic in mice and nonhuman primates (NHPs) but only moderately immunogenic in humans when delivered alone or with aluminum hydroxide. To enhance immunogenicity, two novel liposome-based adjuvant systems, the Army Liposome Formulation (ALF), containing synthetic monophosphoryl lipid A, and ALF plus QS-21 (ALFQ), were evaluated with CPS-CRM in this study. In mice, ALF and ALFQ induced similar amounts of CPS-specific IgG that was significantly higher than levels induced by CPS-CRM alone. Qualitative differences in antibody responses were observed where CPS-CRM alone induced Th2-biased IgG1, whereas ALF and ALFQ enhanced Th1-mediated anti-CPS IgG2b and IgG2c and generated functional bactericidal antibody titers. CPS-CRM + ALFQ was superior to vaccine alone or CPS-CRM + ALF in augmenting antigen-specific Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokine responses and a significantly higher proportion of CD4+ IFN-γ+ IL-2+ TNF-α+ and CD4+ IL-4+ IL-10+ T cells. ALFQ also significantly enhanced anti-CPS responses in NHPs when delivered with CPS-CRM compared to alum- or ALF-adjuvanted groups and showed the highest protective efficacy against diarrhea following orogastric challenge with C. jejuni. This study provides evidence that the ALF adjuvants may provide enhanced immunogenicity of this and other novel C. jejuni capsule conjugate vaccines in humans. IMPORTANCE Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of diarrheal disease worldwide, and currently no preventative interventions are available. C. jejuni is an invasive mucosal pathogen that has a variety of polysaccharide structures on its surface, including a capsule. In phase 1 studies, a C. jejuni capsule conjugate vaccine was safe but poorly immunogenic when delivered alone or with aluminum hydroxide. Here, we report enhanced immunogenicity of the conjugate vaccine delivered with liposome adjuvants containing monophosphoryl lipid A without or with QS-21, known as ALF and ALFQ, respectively, in preclinical studies. Both liposome adjuvants significantly enhanced immunity in mice and nonhuman primates and improved protective efficacy of the vaccine compared to alum in a nonhuman primate C. jejuni diarrhea model, providing promising evidence that these potent adjuvant formulations may enhance immunogenicity in upcoming human studies with this C. jejuni conjugate and other malaria and HIV vaccine platforms.


Abstract : A method to measure productivity in military outpatient clinics does not exist. Present methodologies are too broad in scope to assess these clinics successfully. A methodology is proposed to measure output by using an indicator based on six weighted components of output measure. These components were derived from the literature concerning productivity measurement, from existing methodologies, and from the author's personal experience.


Collective Identification Procedures (CIPs) model admission rules regulating membership in associations, communities and clubs: the Libertarian identification rule F l is the CIP which essentially relies on self-certification. This paper studies F l in an arbitrary finite atomistic lattice, allowing an unified treatment of collective identification problems with either exogenous or endogenous choice of classification labels. An axiomatic characterization of F l in that general setting is provided and contrasted with previously known characterizations which only work in more specialized (e.g. distributive) lattices, and are therefore confined to collective identification problems with exogenously fixed labels. Non-manipulability properties of F l on a certain simple restricted domain are also considered and shown to hold in any finite atomistic lattice. JEL Classification Numbers: D71, D72.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a member of the KLF4 zinc-finger containing transcription factor family. Reported studies have indicated the involvement of KLF4 in the regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation of B-cells and B-cell malignancies. We have recently reported that KLF4 is overexpressed in pediatric Burkitt lymphomas and is a predictive biomarker for survival. In addition, overexpression of KLF4 predicted unresponsiveness to CHOP treatment (Valencia-Hipolito A et al Leuk Lymphoma. 2014;55:1806-14). Preliminary findings demonstrated that the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) plays, in part, a role in the regulation of KLF4 expression in B-NHL. We hypothesized that (1) the chemical inhibition of KLF4 may result in the inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and sensitization to drug-induced apoptosis in B-NHL cell lines and (2) the inhibition of YY1 would mimic the chemical inhibition of KLF4. Analysis of two B-NHL cell lines revealed that the expression of KLF4 was high in Ramos and low Raji as compared to normal B-cells. Treatment with increasing concentrations (0.5-10 μM) of Kenpaullone (a KLF4 inhibitor) induced in Ramos cells both the inhibition of proliferation and cell survival and the induction of apoptosis; however, there was no effect on the treatment of Raji cells. Treatment of Ramos cells with the combination of Kenpaullone and CDDP potentiated apoptosis as compared to treatment with either the chemical inhibitor or CDDP used alone. The finding with the chemical inhibitor was validated with the transfection of Ramos cells with siRNA-KLF4. In addition, treatment with Kenpaullone inhibited the transcriptional expression of KLF4 (using a reporter assay system with pKLF4-GFP). Additional studies demonstrated that the transfection of Ramos cells with siRNA-YY1 resulted in significant inhibition of KLF4 expression and correlated with the inhibition of proliferation and the induction of apoptosis. The latter is due, in part, as KLF4 suppresses the extrinsic apoptotic pathway by inhibiting the activation and cleavage of caspases 7, 9, and 3.. Our previous analysis in TMA of pediatric lymphomas demonstrated, in all of the tumor tissues, the presence of a positive correlation between the expression of KLF4 and YY1 and that this correlation was markedly significant in the Burkitt subtype. In conclusion, the overexpression of KLF4 may be responsible, in part, in the pathogenesis, malignancy, and drug resistance of B-NHL lymphomas. In addition, the present findings suggest that the chemical inhibition of KLF4 by Kenpaullone treatment or the inhibition of YY1 may be considered as targets for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of B-lymphoma overexpressing KLF4, when used alone or in combination with sub-toxic chemo/immune-drugs. Current studies are evaluating the role of KLF4 inhibition in vivo using B-NHL tumor xenografts models.

Citation Format: Mayra R. Montecillo-Aguado, Gabriel G. Vega, Hector Mayani, Sara Huerta-Yepez, Rogelio Hernandez-Pando, Otoniel Martinez-Maza, Benjamin Bonavida, Mario I. Vega. Inhibition of KLF4 expression in resistant B-NHL cell lines inhibited cell growth and sensitized the cells to drug-induced apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3617. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3617


In this paper we describe an extension of the Kaldi software toolkit to support neural-based language modeling, intended for use in automatic speech recognition (ASR) and related tasks. We combine the use of subword features (letter n-grams) and one-hot encoding of frequent words so that the models can handle large vocabularies containing infrequent words. We propose a new objective function that allows for training of unnormalized probabilities. An importance sampling based method is supported to speed up training when the vocabulary is large. Experimental results on five corpora show that Kaldi-RNNLM rivals other recurrent neural network language model toolkits both on performance and training speed.


ABSTRACT This study analysed the characteristics of 476 corner kicks taken during 52 matches at the FIFA women's World Cup 2019. The effect of current match status/team quality was examined, and the corner characteristics associated with the 17 goals scored from corners (3.6%) and 93 shots on-target (19.5%) were identified. Goals from corners were more likely from dynamic attacks or with 1–4 defenders for short corners. Shots on-target were more likely from corners delivered into GA3&CA3 and the outer zones, ≥6 attackers were inside the delivery area or involved ≥3 intervening attackers. Match status was significantly associated with number of defenders, attackers for short corners, defenders for short corners and type of marking. Team quality was significantly associated with type of delivery, kicking foot, number of attackers, attackers for short corners, defenders for short corners, defenders on posts, number of intervening attackers and offensive organisation. Team quality was not significantly associated with corner outcomes, perhaps a consequence of higher-quality teams not always favouring corner characteristics which are associated with increased success (goals or shots on-target). These results can assist coaches to understand corner characteristics to expect when winning, drawing, or losing, or against different levels of opposition within women's international football.


The marine Permian faunas of the world are subdivided into eight stages and nineteen substages: the Asselian Stage, with the Surenan, Uskalikian, and Kurmaian Substages; the Sakmarian Stage, with the Tastubian, Sterlitamakian, and Aktastinian Substages; the Baigendzinian Stage, with the Sarginian and Krasnoufimian Substages; the Kungurian Stage, with the Filippovian and Irenian Substages (the latter including the Nevolin, Elkin, and Ufimian horizons); the Kazanian Stage, with the Kalinovian and Sosnovian Substages; the Punjabian Stage, with the Kalabaghian and Chhidruan Substages; the Djulfian Stage, with the Urushtenian and Baisalian Substages, and the Dorashamian Stage with the Vedian and Ogbinan Substages and perhaps the Griesbachian Substage or a modification thereof. This offers the most extensive and refined scheme of correlation available for the Permian System, in which brachiopod correlations agree well with those proposed for the less abundant Permian ammonoids, and paleotropical Fusulinacea. Short-lived normal events during the predominantly reversed paleomagnetic late Paleozoic interval offer prospects of a few well-defined horizons within the Permian, but are poorly dated and additional short-lived events may yet be recognized. Radiometric values, although showing considerable scatter, suggest that the length of the period should be extended from earlier estimates, and that it commenced about 300 m.y. B.P., and ended, as generally recognized, about 230 m.y. B.P. Perhaps the best support for these dates is provided by solar chronology, which postulates that the energy budget from the sun varied in rhythmic fashion, leading to major refrigerations every 30 million years or so.


Recently, the question of link or the relationship between the global climate change and the level of economic activity becomes the major issue and comes to the focal point of research. In this study, we try to find out the linkage between environment and economic growth. Let us consider a certain level of income, up to which one may reasonably expect high green house gas-intensive income growth to affect adversely the climate globally. But beyond a critical level, climatic degradation may, in principle, reach a stage where further income growth becomes difficult. Thus, the human race faces the economic as well as social insecurity due to climate change. Climate may act as a constraint to income growth at this latter stage if the greenhouse gas-intensive income growth process is continued. Thus, the global economy faces a serious challenge from the global climate change. To save the world economy or in other way to protect humanity, proper environmental policy should be adopted at appropriate time such that we may control the vulnerability of the climate change.


Electronic structure calculations using density functional theory were performed on potential intermediates in the reaction of Fe(dmpe)(2)N(2) (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) with protons. Three mechanisms were investigated and compared, and the possibility of a two-electron reduction by a sacrificial Fe(dmpe)(2)N(2) complex was considered in each mechanism. A Chatt-like mechanism, involving the stepwise addition of protons to the terminal nitrogen, was found to be the least favorable. A second pathway involving dimerization of the Fe(dmpe)(2)N(2) complex, followed by the stepwise addition of protons leading to hydrazine, was found to be energetically favorable; however many of the dimeric intermediates prefer to dissociate into monomers. A third mechanism proceeding through diazene and hydrazine intermediates, formed by alternating protonation of each nitrogen atom, was found to be the most energetically favorable.


This is a qualitative research with an ethnographic flavour. It seeks to understand the experiences and perspectives of a group of Jamaican students with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on their transitioning from primary to high school. At present, Jamaica does not have a transition policy and many students with disabilities transition to high school but are not receiving the level of support, and accommodations they need.

Interviews were used in this research to gain an insider view of the students' transition experiences. The students' stories of high school were compared for similarities and differences using thematic analysis. Through inductive and deductive analysis their stories were examined and interpreted. Four general themes were identified as factors that influenced how students experienced school. These themes were pedagogy, ableist beliefs, the hidden curriculum and social networks. These themes were related to the theories of social capital and sense of belonging and it is argued that social capital and sense of belonging are likely to significantly impact students' transition experiences, and future outcomes.

The findings suggest students use their social capital in the form of social networks to navigate high school and access academic, emotional and social support. Belonging to a social network is associated with positive feelings towards school, as well as with a greater sense of connectedness to their school.

Recommendations include the creation of a national transition policy to encourage a smooth transition of students from the primary to the secondary level of schooling. It is also suggested that teachers create opportunities for students to build social networks thereby increasing their social capital in schools.

This research contributes to knowledge by presenting a Caribbean perspective on transition. It adds to the literature by giving voice to an often silent minority that is, Caribbean students with disabilities.


The authors have investigated a tactile texture presentation method by which a tactile texture display is driven to convey the sensations of object's surface textures. The image data (a B/W photograph taken carefully) of surface textures proved to be compatible with the surface geometry data-a height map-by an experiment with two simple-shape real texture patches. As a raw geometry data-hence a raw image-was not suitable for the texture display, they proposed to apply a histogram transformation to make the sensation produced by the data close to the real one. They obtained two histogram transformations out of fifty, by which the geometry data were adjusted so that they could best produce texture sensations regarding six real patches. The data adjusted by the transformations proved to present appropriate sensations to novice users who compared the data and the real patches tactually.


This paper reports the development process and the updated information for the course Mixed Signal System Design, in the curriculums of system-on-chip master program and Ph.D. program in electronic system design at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. The course aims to provide a unified view of physical system architectures from chip, circuit board, to cabinets. The course focuses on basic theory and analysis methods as well as design practice for high performance interconnections and packaging in such complex, mixed-signal end-products as mobile terminals and base-stations. Unlike many existing packaging courses, our course emphasizes physical performance constraints of interconnects and packaging and their dependencies on the underlying technologies, their impacts on the resulting system architectures and signal integrity. This is because our targeted students are chip and system designers rather than packaging experts. After this course, the students can choose an appropriate set of implementation technologies from semiconductor level to packaging and board level for their mixed signal end products, physically partition the system functionality across the packaging hierarchy with respect to mixed signal coupling constraints, perform physical performance estimation and trade-off analysis and define the appropriate physical architecture for system implementation.


To investigate the penetration of amino acids and hydrolyzed protein derived from eggwhites (HEWP) into keratin fibers, the structure of cross-sectional samples at various depths of virgin white human hair treated with L-phenylalanine (Phe) and bleached black human hair treated with HEWP was directly analyzed without isolating the cuticle and cortex using Raman spectroscopy. The hydrophobic amino acids clearly penetrated into the virgin white human hair, while hydrophilic amino acids did not penetrate at all. The Phe hydrophobic amino acid content at various depths of the virgin white hair increased by performing the Phe treatment (at 50°C for 16 h), indicating that Phe deeply penetrated into the virgin human hair. Also, the disulfide (SS) and random coil contents at various depths of the bleached human hair increased by performing the HEWP treatment, indicating that HEWP also deeply penetrated into the bleached human hair. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


OBJECTIVE
Until now, there has been no study that demonstrates the effectiveness of Er:YAG laser microprobes to clean and shape the root canal without using any mechanical instrumentation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted on 28 single-rooted extracted central incisors teeth with straight roots. Fourteen were mechanically prepared and served as the control group, and 14 were treated by Er:YAG laser only. From every group, half of the teeth were examined histiolgically and half by SEM. The instrument tested was an Er:YAG laser with microprobes 200-400 micro in diameter and 20 mm in length, coupled onto special handpieces, attached to the delivery fiber of an OPUS 20 Er:YAG laser. The Er:YAG laser was applied with the following parameters: wavelength 2.94 microm; pulse duration 400 msec; repetition rate 10 Hz; energy per pulse 140 mJ for the 400 micro microprobe and 90 mJ for the 200-micro microprobe.

RESULTS
For the control group, histologically, large amounts of residual pulp tissue were found in the root canal cavity, and open tubules were seen in all the specimens; SEM examination showed very uniform root canal, from apical to cervical portion, high number of open tubules, and different levels of canal debridment. For the study group, histologically, no residual pulp tissue was found in the root canal cavity and open tubules were seen in all the specimens; SEM examination showed the root canal free of debris, removed smear layer, open dentinal tubules, and different levels of enlargement.

CONCLUSION
Our results show that the Er:YAG laser special microprobes are effective in shaping, cleaning, and enlarging straight root canals faster and more efficiently then traditional methods.


Cardiovascular manifestations are a frequent finding in hypothyroidism. Thus, blood-pressure measurements, longtime electrographic monitoring, and spiroergometry were examined in 20 patients with transitory hypothyroidism. In the patients with thyroid carcinoma, total thyroidectomy was performed. Measurements were made in hypothyroidism and after TSH-suppression with L-thyroxine. Thirty-five patients in whom intracardiac catheter examination ruled out cardiopulmonary disease served as controls. Cardiopulmonary exercise was done by bicycle exercise testing. In transitory hypothyroidism an increase of diastolic blood pressure was found at rest (p = 0.02) and during exercise (p = 0.002), which was reversible after T4-therapy. Compared to the controls diastolic blood pressure in hypothyroidism was increased at rest (p = 0.014) and during exercise (p = 0.005). ECG-monitoring showed a day-night difference in heart rate in hypothyroid patients and after therapy. The mean heart rate (74 vs. 88 beats per minute; p = 0.0006), the minimal (p = 0.0062) and the maximal heart rate (p = 0.0016) during the day were decreased in hypothyroidism compared to euthyroidism. There were no atrioventricular blocks in transitory hypothyroidism and no increase of ventricular or supraventricular premature beats after high-dose T4-treatment. Spiroergometry showed no change in ventilation and an increased growth in heart rate (p = 0.021) associated with good working capacity in hypothyroid patients. Heart rate at rest (p = 0.004) and at the anaerobic threshold (p = 0.03) were decreased in transitory hypothyroidism.


Breath hydrogen tests were performed after a rice meal (3 g of cooked rice/kg of body weight, equivalent to 1 g of carbohydrate/kg of body weight) on 256 village children (age range 1-59 months) who were known hydrogen (H2) producers. Anthropometric measurements were made every three months and growth rates were calculated. A breath H2 excretion pattern that suggested small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO), which was recognized as a transient maximum level of 10 ppm or more at 20-, 40-, or 60-min breath samples following the rice meal, was present in 53 (20.7%) children, and was more frequent in children 36-47 and 48-59 months old. This breath H2 excretion pattern was detected in 48 (33.3%) of 144 children who were rice malabsorbers (greater than 10 ppm H2 above baseline values in one of the breath samples taken between 90 and 240 min), and in only five (4.5%) of 112 rice absorbers. Children who had SBBO had a high relative risk (10.7) of being rice malabsorbers. Rice malabsorbers have a high relative risk (59.7) of having faltered growth, accompanied by a large etiologic fraction (94%). This same risk (6.68) and an etiologic fraction of 62% exist in children with untreated SBBO. These findings emphasize the need for interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of SBBO or similar conditions as detected by the breath H2 excretion pattern to prevent rice malabsorption and growth faltering.


The shell biosynthesis of oysters plays a critical role in protection against environmental stress, in which cartilage matrix proteins (CMPs) determine the mineralogical and crystallographic properties of the shell. In the present study, a cartilage matrix protein (designated as MgCMP1) was identified from the Pacific oyster Magallana gigas (Crassostrea gigas) with the objective of understanding its possible role in shell formation. The open reading frame (ORF) of MgCMP1 was 1815 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 605 amino acids with two von Willebrand factor (VWA) domains. The mRNA transcript of MgCMP1 was expressed constitutively in all examined tissues with a higher level in the mantle, especially highest in the middle fold (MF) of the three folds of the mantle. In addition, the interaction between recombinant protein MgCMP1 (rMgCMP1) and recombinant protein bone morphogenesis protein 7 (rMgBMP7) was identified in vitro. After injection of dsRNA to inhibit the expression of MgCMP1, the mRNA expression level of Mgcollagen I and Mgcollagen X in the MF of the mantle significantly decreased. After pre-puncturing and acidification treatment (pH 7.8), the thickness and length of the new formation shells were lower than those in control group (pH 8.1), and the positive hybridization signals of the MgCMP1 mRNA transcript in the three mantle folds were obviously weakened, especially in the MF, whereas the mRNA expression level of MgCMP1, Mgcollagen I and Mgcollagen X in the MF of mantle decreased significantly. These results suggested that MgCMP1 was involved in regulating the expression of Mgcollagen I and Mgcollagen X in the MF of the mantle in response to ocean acidification (OA).


Community involvement is seen both as means and as ends in contemporary urban policy, and although increasingly popular with policymakers it is not universally welcomed. Incredulous opponents assert that it does not improve the position of poor people and that it distracts attention from structural inequalities, whereas sceptical believers hold that it boosts social cohesion, and improves the position of powerless groups. The authors provide a framework for understanding these conflicting accounts of the processes and impact of community involvement in area-based initiatives (ABIs). They draw on a review of the relevant literature commissioned by the Home Office. The work is grounded in theories of democracy that claim both developmental and instrumental benefits for participants. A third rationale is found in 'due process' claims for involvement as a fundamental right. This framework suggests that answering questions about what works in community involvement in ABIs requires an empirical focus on aims, processes, and effects. The evidence shows that believers are justified in being sceptical but optimistic, and that opponents will remain incredulous in the light of weaknesses in the practice and outcomes of community involvement in ABIs. The authors conclude by discussing the implications for policy and future research.


We consider the problem of multiuser detection for randomly spread direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple access (CDMA) over flat fading channels. The analysis focuses on the case of many users, and large spreading sequences such that their ratio, which is the system load, is kept fixed. Spectral efficiency of practical linear detectors such as match-filter and decorrelator employing successive interference cancellation (SIC) at the receiver is derived. This is used to extend the notion of strongest users detectors for SIC receivers. The strongest users detectors system design relies on an outage approach where each user transmits in a single layer (fixed rate), and only users experiencing good channel conditions may be reliably decoded, while the other users are in outage, i.e., not decoded. In this scheme, iterative SIC decoding is studied, and it is shown that for equal power users, the optimal rate allocation, for maximizing the expected spectral efficiency, is equal rates for all users. This outage approach analysis is extended for multilayer coding broadcast approach per user. The expected sum-rate, under iterative decoding with linear multiuser detectors, is optimized, and the optimal layering power distribution is obtained. For small system loads, the achievable spectral efficiency with the continuous broadcast approach and a linear matched filter detector exhibits significant gains over the single layer coding approach.


Most current linguistic theories give lexical accounts of several phenomena that used to be considered purely syntactic. The information put in the lexicon is thereby increased in both amount and complexity: see, for example, lexical rules in LFG (Kaplan and Bresnan, 1983), GPSG (Gazdar, Klein, Pullum and Sag, 1985), HPSG (Pollard and Sag, 1987), Combinatory Categorial Grammars (Steedman, 1987), Karttunen's version of Categorial Grammar (Karttunen 1986, 1988), some versions of GB theory (Chomsky 1981), and LexiconGrammars (Gross 1984). We would like to take into account this fact while defining a formalism. We therefore explore the view that syntactical rules are not separated from lexical items. We say that a grammar is lexicalized (Schabes, AbeilK and Joshi, 1988) if it consists of: (1) a finite set of structures each associated with lexical items; each lexical item will be called the anchor of the corresponding structure; the structures define the domain of locality over which constraints are specified; (2) an operation or operations for composing the structures. The notion of anchor is closely related to the word associated with a functor-argument category in Categorial Grammars. Categorial Grammar (as used for example by Steedman, 1987) are 'lexicalized' according to our definition since each basic category has a lexical item associated with it. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MSCIS-90-11. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cis_reports/542 Parsing With Lexcalized Tree Adjoining Grammar MS-CIS-90-11 LINC LAB 164 Yves Schabes Aravind K. Joshi Department of Computer and Information Science School of Engineering and Applied Science University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6389


The growing volume of forensic handwriting examinations of handwritten requisites copies entails the need to determine the range of the most typical mistakes made by experts in examination of these objects. The article gives examples of the most common mistakes in expert reports, the origin of some is analyzed. The system of internal and external forms of peer review of the ENFSI (The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) experts' conclusions is reviewed. To avoid most of mistakes described in the article the author proposes to follow relevant methodological references, to pay close attention to the quality of the examined object, to adhere strictly to all intermediate stages of examination. Also, to use internal and external peer review of conclusions as a form of control more effectively. The information contained in the article can be of practical interest when both reviewing conclusions in state expert institutions and preparing a value judgement regarding an expert/specialist conclusion.


Generations of scholars and practitioners of the art of governance in America have wrestled with the problems of Presidential disability and succession. The Founding Fathers, who knew how to dodge insoluble problems when they saw them, provided only partial answers in the fundamental law, and left the rest to posterity. Following Franklin Roosevelt's death, and Harry Truman's sudden trajectory into the Presidency, interest in the succession rose in recent times, and it climbed even more in Eisenhower's several illnesses. It fell with the advent of the youthful, vigorous John Kennedy, but with his assassination, his successor's medical record, and a vacant Vice Presidency, it reappeared. The result is the Bayh amendment, passed by Congress and now circulating among the states for approval.


Acute fatty liver of pregnancy is an uncommon, potentially fatal disorder. Between 1998 and 2000, two patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy presented at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore. Both patients were in the thirty-sixth week of pregnancy. jaundice and encephalopathy were the predominant symptoms. Both the mothers died after they delivered a stillborn Infant each. The maternal deaths were due to multiorgan failure and/or postpartum haemorrhage and sepsis. The route of delivery was vaginal in both the patients. Extrahepatic and metabolic complications in both cases Included renal failure, sepsis, hypoglycaemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation and gastrointestinal bleeding. Liver biopsy done in both patients was consistent with the diagnosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report from India on acute fatty liver of pregnancy.


In this paper, we present two area-efficient transimpedance type second-order analog filters. In many applications the signal generated and available is current, however the necessary signal for further processing is voltage type. For these applications the presented circuits will be very useful. The technique employed is MOS-only technique and to the best of our knowledge this is the first attempt to implement transimpedance filters with MOS-only technique. Starting from the core circuit biasing is illustrated and the functionality is shown with LTSPICE simulations using TSMC 180nm technology parameters.


Objective: To evaluate our thyroidectomy cases and present our experience. Methods: Sixty-eight thyroidectomy patients who were operated between 2008 and 2012 at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ear Nose and Throat Department were included in the study. The demographic characteristics, pathological diagnosis, surgical procedures, complications, and postoperative clinical follow-up were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of the patients 63 were primary and 5 were revision patients. Thirtyseven patients (54%) were operated for malignant pathology. The most common pathology was papillary carcinoma (44%) then nodular goiter (32%) was seen. Nerve monitor was routinely used in all operations. The most common surgical method is total thyroidectomy (76%). Of the 37 malignant patients 21 had concurrent neck dissection (57%) and one had mediastinal dissection. Total laryngectomy was performed for 2 patients due to laryngeal invasion and concurrent parathyroidectomy was performed for 1 patient due to synchronous parathyroid adenoma. Neck dissection was performed to 3 primary patients (8%) due to lymph node metastasis to the neck. Transient hypocalcemia (15%) was the most common complication in the postoperative period. None of the patients had vocal cord paralysis secondary to the surgery. Conclusion: Preoperative evaluation of patients with thyroid pathology is important. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury could be decreased by the usage of nerve monitor routinely when neck dissection. As the presence of clinical suspicion, performing concurrent neck dissection with thyroidectomy may decrease the neck metastasis during follow-up significantly.


Food and drink manufacturers face the same competitive pressures as every other manufacturing sector, amplified by the special problems of their product and a relatively weak market position. The authors look at the special needs of software to support the industry. Relevant issues include perishability and health issues. The extended supply chain is considered, as is enterprise resource planning. Traceability is important.


The present study focused on possible differences with regard to sex, age, family income and dental status between those who did and those who did not attend a dental health survey. In a village in Northern Norway, all inhabitants aged 20-69 years (180 men and 178 women) were invited by mail to participate in a dental health survey. Two reminders were sent to non-respondents. Eighty-three percent of the target population attended for examination and interviews, and 94% responded to a follow-up questionnaire. Of all non-participants, men, and particularly young men, were overrepresented. Middle-aged people were more likely to participate than were persons under 30 and over 50 years of age. Furthermore, people belonging to the upper income groups seemed to be more willing to participate than those at lower income levels. Apparently, inconvenient working hours and long commuting distances had affected the participation. In addition, it seemed likely that anxiety and local factors had some influence.


The interpretation of genetic information in clinical settings raises moral issues about adequate risk communication and individual responsibility about one's health behavior. However, it is not well-known what role numeric probabilities and/or the conception of disease and genetics play in the lay understanding of predictive genetic diagnostics. This is an important question because lay understanding of genetic risk information might have particular implications for self-responsibility of the patients. Aim: Analysis of lay attitudes and risk perceptions of German lay people on genetic testing with a special focus on how they deal with the numerical information. Methods: We conducted and analyzed seven focus group discussions (FG) with lay people (n = 43). Results: Our participants showed a positive attitude toward predictive genetic testing. We identified four main topics: (1) Anumeric risk instead of statistical information; (2) Treatment options as a factor for risk evaluation; (3) Epistemic and aleatory uncertainty as moral criticism; (4) Ambivalence as a sign of uncertainty. Conclusion: For lay people, risk information, including the statistical numeric part, is perceived as highly normatively charged, often as an emotionally significant threat. It seems necessary to provide lay people with a deeper understanding of risk information and of the limitations of genetic knowledge with respect to one's own health responsibility.


Combined laser multiphoton ionization and fast-conductivity methods have been applied to probe organic contamination on wet particulate samples. This is a first attempt of testing such a technique for this purpose. A special emphasis has been made on establishing correlation between sample water content and detection of pyrene, which has been used as a probe contaminant in this study. Environmental (soil) and artificial samples (silica gel) have been studied. The experimental setup includes a pulsed N(2) laser and a fast-conductivity detection system, operated in an opened chamber under ambient conditions. The correlation between the observed photoionization signals and water content has been investigated in a slow-drying mode, where water has been gradually evaporated. Surface contamination of wet samples has been more efficient than moist ones. This was evident, in the case of soil samples, from the earlier appearance (at lower pyrene concentrations) of saturation-type features of the detected photoionization signals. Assumptions of a contamination model has enabled certain compensation for sample and matrix effects.


The introduction of the restriction of freedom in the domestic system of criminal penalties fully corresponds to the trend of humanization of contemporary Russian criminal and penal policies. However, the effectiveness of this punishment depends not only on the creation of proper conditions for its execution, but also on the correct application of the norms of the criminal law when it is appointed. Unfortunately, in practice, mistakes are often encountered in the establishment of specific restrictions and duties for the convicts restricted of freedom by courts. In the presented article, the author, on the basis of the analysis of existing judicial practice, identifies errors that arise when imposing punishment in the form of restriction of liberty. Particular attention is given to the need for the courts to take into account not only criminal legal but also social characteristics of the convict when imposing a sentence. In order to resolve the identified problems, the author formulates relevant proposals for improving domestic legislation regulating the sphere in question, as well as judicial practice.


Recent Deep Learning (DL) summarization models greatly outperform traditional summarization methodologies, generating high-quality summaries. Despite their success, there are still important open issues, such as the limited engagement and trust of users in the whole process. In order to overcome these issues, we reconsider the task of summarization from a human-centered perspective. We propose to integrate a user interface with an underlying DL model, instead of tackling summarization as an isolated task from the end user. We present a novel system, where the user can actively participate in the whole summarization process. We also enable the user to gather insights into the causative factors that drive the model's behavior, exploiting the self-attention mechanism. We focus on the financial domain, in order to demonstrate the efficiency of generic DL models for domain-specific applications. Our work takes a first step towards a model-interface co-design approach, where DL models evolve along user needs, paving the way towards human-computer text summarization interfaces.


… Objectives: To find the prevalence and etiology of female infertility as well as to study the associated biochemical abnormalities. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Gynecology, Frontier Medical & Dental College, Abbottabad, from July 2016 to June 2017. Study Design: Case-control study. Materials & Methods: All married patients between the ages of 18-35 years were included in the study. Sixty patients who met eligibility criteria were included in one group while sixty normal healthy individuals were included in the second group as controls. Detailed history was taken focusing specifically on age and duration of marriage, menstrual and sexual history and drug history especially use of contraceptives. A thorough clinical examination was performed by an experienced clinician and body mass index was calculated. Laboratory investigations included complete blood examination, hormonal assays, ultrasonography in female patients and semen analysis in male partners. Tubal patency was assessed by hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy was performed, if required. Results: The mean age of infertile patients was 27.4±4.9 years and mean duration of their marriage was 6.6±2.9 years. Majority of patients in our study belonged to lower socio-economic status in both groups. About 50% belonged to lower and 16.67% to poor socio-economic group among infertile subjects while 60% belonged to lower and 10% to poor socio-economic group among controls. The chief presenting complaint was oligomenorrhea followed by galactorrhea and dyspareunia. The chiefunderlying condition was luteal phase deficiency, 60%, followed by hyperprolactinemia, 16.66%, and polycystic ovarian disease, 10%, fibroid uterus, 6.7%, and endometriosis, 6.7%. The serum estradiol levels were 114.6±48.7pg/ml and 233.2±70.8 pg/ ml in follicular and luteal phase among infertile couples. Similarly, serum progesterone, serum prolactin, serum FSH and LH levels were 3.6±4.2 ng/ml, 18.1±12 ng/ml, 6.7±2.7 mIU/ml, and 7±6.6 mIU/ml among infertile patients respectively. Serum estradiol and prolactin levels were significantly higher among infertile patients. Conclusion: Infertility is not a very uncommon condition in our country. It is the need of time to increase awareness and educate masses about infertility as well as establish infertility clinics for early detection and treatment of infertile couples. Large scale multi-centric studies should also be conducted to accurately estimate the prevalence and etiology of infertility in our region.


In this paper, the problem of selecting the best relay using the Amplify-and-Forward method for interference forwarding is investigated in heterogeneous cellular networks. A macrocell user is modeled as a victim exposed to the interference due to the Femtocell network, and 3 macrocell users close to the victim are used as a relay to provide interference forwarding. The links between stations-users and users-users are designed as an unrelated Rayleigh channel model. The best relay selection is made based on distance and small scale channel fading. Computer simulations show success rate against the targeted spectral efficiency.


The present study was conducted on the gross anatomical features of the vertebral column of Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis). It belongs to the order Rodentia and Sciuridae family. The bones of the vertebral column were collected during the post-mortem examination at Veterinary College, Shivamogga, Karnataka. The vertebral formula was found to be C7, T12, L7, S3, Cy27. The foramen transversarium was noticed in all the cervical vertebrae except in C7. The width and length of the centrum were progressively increased from L1 to L7. Haemal arch and haemal processes were observed in Cy4 to Cy9 and Cy10 to Cy19 respectively. The variations in the neural spine, vertebral body length, and transverse process were observed in all the vertebrae. So, these variations in the vertebral column may be attributed for the specialized movements such as gliding, lifting and balancing the body of Indian giant flying squirrel.


The Balkans, over the years, remained an "unfinished business" (Larrabee, 2010) in the agenda of Europe and prevails to be tormented by several fundamental negative trends. In the wake of vicious squabbles marking the instable history of Western Balkans, European Union (EU) decides to provide support to the nations to get on their way of achieving stability and prosperity in the region, which is to be further followed by their accession into EU. The book acumens the knowledge of how EU has laid its steps in the Western Balkans towards a better future and is good for honing one's understanding of its staggeringly changing role.


A phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizer with high switching speed is proposed. Mobile communication networks are evolving towards microcellulars operating in narrowband TDMA and microwave bands to meet the rapidly increasing demands for both voice and data services. Therefore, synthesizers with high switching speed are required for the realization. However, it will be difficult for conventional synthesizers to provide switching times of shorter than 1 ms. The PLL synthesizer proposed is composed entirely of digital signal processors except for a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO control signal is derived by the subtraction of the linear reference phase and the feedback phase; therefore, it does not need the band-limited loop filter which limits the ability of the loop to switch fast. The experimental results show that it can provide switching times as short as 0.1 ms, which is 10/sup 2/ approximately 10/sup 3/ times higher than conventional PLL synthesizers, and spurs of less than -60 dB. >


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of carboprost tromethamine on blood loss during laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) in females. Ninety women, who were scheduled for LM due to symptomatic uterine myomas, were randomly divided into three groups. Twenty-four women were intramyometrially injected with 12 IU diluted vasopressin (vasopressin group), 30 cases received a deep intramuscular injection of 250 µg carboprost tromethamine 30 min prior to myomectomy (carboprost group), and 36 cases received an intramuscular injection of 250 µg carboprost tromethamine followed by a 20 IU oxytocin intravenous infusion at a rate of 120 mU/min during the procedure (carboprost plus oxytocin group). The procedure time, amount of hemorrhage, postoperative reduction in hemoglobin levels, adverse effects, bowel deflation time and time of postoperative hospital stay were compared. The procedure time, amount of hemorrhage and postoperative reduction in hemoglobin levels were not significantly different between the carboprost group and the vasopressin group (P>0.05). In the carboprost plus oxytocin group, the procedure time, amount of hemorrhage and postoperative reduction in hemoglobin levels were 24.3±2.6 min, 51.1±8.4 ml and 6.9±1.5 g/l, respectively, which were significantly less than those in the vasopressin and carboprost groups (all P<0.05). In the carboprost and carboprost plus oxytocin groups, the incidence of mild uterine contraction pain was significantly higher than in the vasopressin group (χ2=12.913, P=0.002). The incidences of other side-effects were not significantly different among the three groups. The times for bowel deflation and postoperative hospital stay were marginally increased in both the carboprost and carboprost plus oxytocin groups, compared with the vasopressin group, although no significant differences were found among the three groups (P>0.05). Deep intramuscular injections of carboprost tromethamine prior to performing myomectomy could be an effective approach for reducing blood loss from intramural LM, in particular when combined with oxytocin intravenous infusion.


A series of 65 patients in whom bone metastasis was the earliest sign of tumour is examined. The diagnostic aspects of the bone metastasis from laboratory examination to radiology, from scintigraphy to bone marrow biopsy are analysed as is the problem of locating the primary tumours that remain of unknown site. The prognosis is poor for all such patients. The possibility of altering the course of the disease and the quality of the patient's life depends on the site and type of the primary neoplasm concerned. Effective systemic palliative treatment is currently only available for plasmacytomas and lymphomas in general, for cancers of the prostate, breast, thyroid and gonads and for a certain number of small cell lung cancers. In the light of the present study and data from the literature it is concluded that the approach to early bone metastasis patients should concentrate on the search for tumours responsive to treatment using simple clinical and instrumental examination techniques.


OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES, an increase in longevity and life expectancy has raised the average age of the world's population. Among the countries currently classified by the United Nations as more developed (with a total population of 1.2 billion in 2005), the overall median age rose from 29.0 in 1950 to 37.3 in 2000 and is forecast to rise to 45.5 by 2050 (Ref 1). This worldwide increase in the average age of the population has, in turn, led to a rapidly increasing number of surgical procedures involving prosthesis implantation, because as the human body ages, the load-bearing joints become more prone to ailments. This has resulted in an urgent need for improved biomaterials and processing technologies for implants, more so for orthopaedic and dental applications.


With the advent of more powerful Quantum Computers, the need for larger Quantum Simulations has boosted. As the amount of resources grows exponentially with size of the target system Tensor Networks emerge as an optimal framework with which we represent Quantum States in tensor factorizations. As the extent of a tensor network increases, so does the size of intermediate tensors requiring HPC tools for their manipulation. Simulations of medium-sized circuits cannot fit on local memory, and solutions for distributed contraction of tensors are scarce. In this work we present RosneT, a library for distributed, out-of-core block tensor algebra. We use the PyCOMPSs programming model to transform tensor operations into a collection of tasks handled by the COMPSs runtime, targeting executions in existing and upcoming Exascale supercomputers. We report results validating our approach showing good scalability in simulations of Quantum circuits of up to 53 qubits.


On March 1, 1951, the Administrator of General Services certified that the proposed presidential tenure amendment submitted to the states by Congress in 1947 had been ratified by thirty-six states, thus making it a part of the United States Constitution. Adoption of this proposal, which becomes the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, disposes of an issue that has agitated American politics periodically since the establishment of the Presidency. Hereafter no person will be eligible for a third term as President if he has served two full elective terms or one full elective term plus more than one-half of another term through succession to the office. President Truman, who would otherwise be rendered ineligible for reëlection following completion of his current term, is exempted from the ban by a qualifying clause which excludes from coverage "any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress." Hostility to long continuance in office, particularly for executive officers, has been a prominent feature of American political thinking since Revolutionary times. Seven of the original state constitutions, all of which were formulated prior to adoption of the federal Constitution, carried clauses limiting reeligibility of the state chief executive.


In pre-production, during assembly of newly produced components geometrical deviations, caused by form errors of the parts, are discovered that can cause either functional or esthetical problems. One commonly used way of solving this is to reposition the components by adjusting their locators, also known as trimming. Traditionally this is done by assembling a number of components, measuring the deviations to surrounding parts, adjusting the locator points, reassembling the components and measuring the result. This is repeated until the result is satisfactory, and is a quite time and effort consuming activity. This paper presents a method and a tool that simplifies this process. Based on inspection data from the initial components all trimming activities are performed in the computer tool presented. After the locators are adjusted, the result is presented directly, which eliminates the need for physical inspection in order to verify the result of the trimming. The presented tool also includes optimization of the trimming. By formulating the problem of minimizing the geometrical deviations as a linear least square problem a general optimization package can be used. The optimization handles both boundaries on the allowed trimming and weighting of the different inspection features. By using the method of influence coefficients, also compliant (non-rigid) components can be handled.


The INFN Tier-1 located at CNAF in Bologna (Italy) is a center of the WLCG e-Infrastructure, supporting the 4 major LHC collaborations and more than 30 other INFN-related experiments.
After multiple tests towards elastic expansion of CNAF compute power via Cloud resources (provided by Azure, Aruba and in the framework of the HNSciCloud project), and building on the experience gained with the production quality extension of the Tier-1 farm on remote owned sites, the CNAF team, in collaboration with experts from the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb experiments, has been working to put in production a solution of an integrated HTC+HPC system with the PRACE CINECA center, located nearby Bologna. Such extension will be implemented on the Marconi A2 partition, equipped with Intel Knights Landing (KNL) processors. A number of technical challenges were faced and solved in order to successfully run on low RAM nodes, as well as to overcome the closed environment (network, access, software distribution, … ) that HPC systems deploy with respect to standard GRID sites. We show preliminary results from a large scale integration effort, using resources secured via the successful PRACE grant N. 2018194658, for 30 million KNL core hours.


The unreported medicinal uses of these plants from kolli hills, Salem District of Tamil Nadu are presented in this paper.


Abstract This paper investigates whether the practice of embedding employability and employer engagement into the curriculum can lead to beneficial outcomes for students, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), participant organisations, and employers in general. The practice is evaluated through the case study of a specialist postgraduate module in Environmental Management Systems (EMS) at the University of Southampton. The pedagogical approach is discussed, along with an analysis of the key learning and employability outcomes. The case study demonstrates the viability of developing a specialist employability profile, with a focus on relevant practical experience through a single module, whilst also enhancing core employability skills. Although the process and outcomes relate to a single specialist module approach, many of the findings are applicable across the range of approaches for embedding employability and employer engagement into the GEES curriculum.


Radiotherapy, conventional or radiosurgery, has been used to control prolactin secretion and tumour growth in prolactinomas both as part of multimodal therapy or rarely as primary treatment. However, considering the radiotherapy side effects, notably hypopituitarism, as opposed to the high efficacy and low toxicity of dopamine agonists (DA) treatment and neurosurgery, radiotherapy is recommended mostly for patients with aggressive or high-risk prolactinomas or in those resistant or intolerant to medical therapy, usually after surgical failure. We provide an overview of the published literature on the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy (conventional fractionated or radiosurgery), in aggressive, high-risk or DA resistant prolactinomas. Radiotherapy has shown a good efficacy and a reasonable toxicity profile in prolactinomas where other treatment modalities failed. In aggressive and high-risk prolactinomas the cumulative percentage for tumour control (reduction plus stable) ranged from 68% to 100%. Most studies reported global hormonal control rates over 50%. In resistant prolactinomas the global secretion control rate (on, but also off DA) ranged from 28% to 89-100%; in most studies over 80%. The 5-year rate of hypopituitarism was around 12-25%. To date there are no controlled study on the use of radiotherapy as a prophylactic treatment in patients with clinical, radiological or pathological markers of aggressiveness. In conclusion, our review supports the use of radiotherapy in patients with growing, clinically aggressive or truly DA resistant prolactinomas. In patients with high-risk or invasive prolactinomas or in those harboring pathological markers of aggressiveness the prophylactic use of radiotherapy should be individualized.


To investigate the relationship between face and equivocation in political interviews, a new typology of questions was devised, based on their face-threatening properties. This typology was applied to the analysis of 18 interviews with the leaders of the three main political parties in the 1992 British General Election. Nineteen different subcategories were distinguished, grouped into three superordinate categories of face which politicians must defend—their own personal face, the face of the party which they represent and face in relation to supporting or not supporting significant others. On the basis of this analysis, a new model of question-response sequences in political interviews was proposed, the main tenet of which is that face is the most important factor in determining whether or not a politician replies to a question. This model provides both a means of predicting the direction of politicians' responses to questions, and a framework for future studies evaluating the performance of both politicians and political interviewers.


Nowadays GIS users have at their disposal an unprecedented amount of spatial information, thanks to the growing acquisition capacity of the applied survey techniques and instruments, and to the development of Spatial Data Infrastructures and OGC Standards for sharing distributed spatial data. In this context there is the need for new GIS applications that cross the boundary of a single organization and are flexible enough to adapt to the environmental changes. This paper evaluates the applicability of the emerging workflow technology for developing new GIS distributed applications that combine automatic services and human interactions, and are able to deal with large amount of spatial data during long-running processing tasks. Moreover, the limits of this technology when applied to the geographical context are highlighted and some possible solutions to these limitations are proposed.


Objective: We aimed to investigate lactating mothers who were admitted to our breast polyclinic and diagnosed as breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Ten lactating mothers with breast cancer from 112 breast cancer patients among 2380 patients admitted to our breast diseases policlinic were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Ten of 112 breast cancer patients were lactating women. The mean age of those patients was 33.2 (28-39) years. The mean lactating period was 8.4 months (5-12 months). The average number of children of the patients was two (1-3 child per patient). The results of the tru-cut biopsis were invasive ductal carcinoma in all patients. All patients were triple negative in regard to receptors, except for one, in whom oestrogen and c-erbB2 receptors were positive, whereas the progesterone receptor was negative. Two of the patients were in follow up due to a galactocele for three months. Four patients had multicentric disease in the same breast. Bone metastasis in three, left supraclavicular lymph node metastasis in two and locally advanced breast carcinoma in one patient were detected. Three patients underwent modified radical mastectomy, one patient was given neoadjuvant treatment, however the remaining six patients were given adjuvant oncological treatment. Conclusion: The diagnosis of breast carcinoma in lactating mother is delayed and therefore, prognosis as well as mortality are negatively influenced.


Abstract : Terrorist activity in Southeast Asia remains a challenge to U.S. national security. In particular, terrorist organizations in the Philippines continue to conduct deadly attacks and attract more recruits despite U.S. and Philippine government counterinsurgency (COIN) efforts. Within the last seven years following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the Philippine and U.S. governments have combined efforts to address insurgency as a threat that hinders peace and security within the Philippines as well as Southeast Asia. Despite the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in Mindanao, the southern region of the Philippines continues to exist as a hub for terrorist recruitment, training, and operations. A key aspect of hindering insurgency growth within the Philippines is deterring terrorist recruitment by first identifying the underlying conditions that promote discontent among the people of Mindanao that make them susceptible to the ideology of militant Islam and then implementing a strategy that includes a full range of activities from kinetic to non-kinetic methods. It is clear that economic conditions, poor governance, lack of adequate social and educational programs are all contributing factors to the instability of Mindanao. What's not so clear is how to disrupt the cycle that sustains the terrorists while gaining the affection of the Muslim minority who have been in opposition with the predominantly Christian government. This thesis examines the counterinsurgency strategy by recognizing effective practices and identifying shortfalls in the approach. Our findings suggest that by applying a mix of soft power, as defined by Professor Joseph Nye, as well as no politik as defined by Professor John Arquilla and Dave Ronfeldt, in relation to hard power practices, an alternative approach to counterinsurgency can offer the U.S. and Philippine governments a long-term sustainable strategy that will diminish future radical Islamic threats and stabilize Mindanao.


Pastries and desserts that is an important place in Turkish cuisine have variety too much according to the designs and cooking materials. This research planned and carried out (1) to analyze the amount of protein, fat, moisture and ash and determine to energy values; (2) to determine the places of in the food change lists of the some bakery products consumed by Turkish people frequently. To this purpose, this research was conducted on total 89 pieces consisting of the salty dry pastries, sweet dry pastries, patty, cake and desserts whose production is in the 4 large patisseries located in Ankara. Functional product development efforts in collaboration with food industry and health care professionals should be done related to compositions of these kind products in order to make to bring them healthier.