The purposes of this study are : 1. to analyze the influence between the education level of financial staff on the application of accrual accounting. 2. to analyze the effect of the experience of running the cash basis toward accruals on the accrual accounting application.This research design is quantitative research by using regression test, where the principal data from samples of a population is collected by distributingquestionnaire instrument. Hypothesis testing performed by Multiple Linear Regression was used to test the effect between variables of education staff finance level (X1) and experience running cash basis toward Accrual (X2) on Accrual Accounting (Y) application. The results of this study indicate that: a) The level of education of financial staff (X1) has a positive influence on the application of accrual accounting (Y). This is indicated by the results of research showing that staff education level has an explanation power of 59.3%. b) The result of experience analysis running cash basis toward accrual (X2) show value t count equal to 4,744 with sig. 0,000. Therefore the value of sig. <0.05 then Ho is rejected, which means experience running the cash basis (X2) has a positive effect on the application of accrual accounting (Y).


Military simulations since the early history of mankind as well as the armed conflicts have been used in different scenarios and different armies as a teaching and knowledge tool, and especially to determine if using the immediate feedback assessment is valuable for planning and developing military operations plans, without dire consequences. Accordingly, implementation projects in this field have to deal with the use of simulation technology in order to achieve new goals, since the odds of making a mistake or success are good for improving decision making capabilities in the simulated battlefield, whose direct impact might lead, among other things, to try to extract powerful-life-lessons-learned from simulation games, even from the unintended consequences that might arise from a legal sanction.


To investigate the role of light in controlling copepod grazlng behavlor, feeding responses of adult female Acartia tonsa Dana were determined under light conditions similar to those in natural, subsurface waters. Measured feeding responses were then related to feeding behavior under similar light conditions in nature. Copepods were adapted to a range of light intensities before being offered food (Thalassiosira weissflogii, 0.5 mm3 1 l ) . Thirty min later gut contents were measured by gut fluorescence of chlorophyll a and pheopigment a. The grazing index was inversely related to the light intensity at which the copepods were adapted. The most dramatic change in grazing occurred at light levels close to those found in the copepod's natural habitat during twilight. An endogenous nocturnal feeding rhythm was found in a separate experiment. A 96 h field study in the Newport River estuary, North Carolina, USA, revealed a nocturnal feeding pattern in A. tonsa and a negative correlation between feeding and light intensity during daylight hours. No significant correlations were found between copepod feeding and in situ concentrations of chlorophyll a, pheopigment a and combined pigments. These results challenge Gauld's (1953) hypothesis that nocturnal grazing results from nocturnal vertical migration into a food-rich layer; they offer a reasonable explanation of how light may time grazing. Results indicate that migration and feeding may be independent behaviors separately controlled by light cues.


Status of microcirculation, bioelectrical activity of myocardium and tolerability to physical loads were studied in 120 patients with myocardial infarction with capillary and tropic insufficiency, divided into four groups, over time, before and after course exposure to physical factors such as the "Venoruton" ointment phonophoresis and electromagnetic radiation of millimeter range, as well as complex medicamentous therapy, used alone or in combination. The most striking therapeutic effect was achieved with the above physiotherapeutic measures being combined.


A serious game is a media based on the narrative of a game focused on learning. The narrative of a game brings elements and mechanics that motivate the participation and engagement of the players. This is because games are a constant in human development as they formalize cultural activities with social function, being full of meanings. Moreover, the possibilities found in the game narratives contribute to the construction of more participatory plots, since the player can act actively in the course of the story. The narrative and engagement of serious games are of prime importance to distance learning in the health field. In Brazil, the Open University of the Unified Health System (UNA-SUS/UFMA) develops serious games as educational resources to train health professionals. This paper presents the design process of the Clinical Case Game, a serious game for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, addressed to doctors in Brazil. A multidisciplinary and human-centred design approach was adopted to develop the game. It involved medical doctors, educators, IT professionals, information designers and game designers, who coordinated the team and acted on the balance of the dynamics involved, that is, the narrative and playful pleasure. The methodology employed consisted of a workshop; content and prototype production; prototype testing with users; and refinements for the final version of the game. The results suggested that narrative unity must be coherent for serious games on health and highlight the relevance of serious games as high potential resources in the educational process.


According to Hinduism, especially the Samkhya-Yoga system, viruses, bacteria and other microscopic creatures are classifid as external diseases (adibhautika duhka) which cause such severe illness as Covid-19 so as found in the Usadha in different terms. This paper aims at understanding the discourse of imunity maintenance in Hindu tradition, especially those implied by the Samkhya-Yoga sistem of philosophy and Usadha Bali. Within the concept of both systems, it is found that the life and health means having knowledge (pramana) with the peak of viveka'discriminative knoledge of dualism', siddhi, and sakti. The life is not due to being into death, yet rather meaning having been the process of returning to the root cause of life. Having elaborated the data, the discourse of the imunity maintenance may be implied within the concept of sadhana telu: jnana bhyudreka 'knowledge of tattwa', indriya yoga marga 'mistical sense practice of yoga' and trsna dosa ksaya 'diminishing all the will or dosa'. Therefore, the Samkhya-Yoga and Usadha serves to harmonize the physical, mental and spiritual through certain practices of yoga.


The objective: reduction of the frequency of perinatal complications in women with early preterm labor after the ART, based on the improvement and implementation of the algorithm for diagnostic and therapeutic and prophylactic measures. Materials and methods.We analyzed the course of 130 single-pregnancy pregnancy women with restored fertility after the use of therapeutic assisted reproductive technologies programs that ended with early premature births. The study of the subpopulation composition of lymphocytes and the content of activation markers of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed using the method of quadratic color laser flow cytometry and a set of monoclonal antibodies. The concentration of cytokines IFN- γ, IL-4, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21 and IL-22 in serum of pregnant women was determined by solid-phase immunoassay analysis. The material for studying and analyzing the morpho-functional state of the fetoplacental complex was the results of pathomorphological study of the litter in all cases of early premature birth. By our own research, we established the frequency, structure and leading causes of early premature birth after assisted reproductive technologies, optimized the tactics of conducting induced pregnancies of high obstetric risk, formulated practical recommendations for implementation in practical medicine of Ukraine. Results. For introduction into practical medicine of Ukraine with the purpose of decreasing the frequency of perinatal complications and effective provision of obstetric and gynecological care, we recommend that the following provisions be included in the clinical protocol for the management of pregnancy of high obstetric risk in women after assisted reproductive technologies: 1. To predict the risk of early premature birth in women after ancillary reproductive technologies, the diagnostic algorithm should additionally include the definition of the main indicators of the serum cytokine profile: proinflammatory serum cytokines IFN- γ, IL-2, IL-12, IL-18; anti-inflammatory regulatory cytokine IL-10; quantitative indicators of NK cells with the phenotype CD3-CD16+CD56+, CD94+ lymphocytes and peripheral blood CD71 transferrin. 2. Use of medication correction – Micronized progesterone (200 mg/day). 3. At the gestational age of 28–33 weeks, with the premature rupture of the membranes optimal and effective is the expectant management of pregnancy for 5 days with subsequent delivery of women through the natural birth canal, which makes it possible to achieve the maximum possible degree of maturity of the fetus with a minimum risk of ascending infection in newborns. Conclusions. The effectiveness of our improved algorithm is a significant reduction in women after assisted reproductive technologies, early preterm labor (2.8 times), placental dysfunction (2.3 times), premature rupture of the membranes (in 2, 1 time), fetal distress (3,6 times), abdominal degeneration (2.9 times) and implementation of intraaminal infections (2.6 times; p<0.05). The total morbidity of newborns in the early neonatal period decreased 2.4 times, and perinatal losses were absent. Key words: assisted reproductive technologies, RPP, PRPO, markers of activation of lymphocytes, cytokines.


ALTHOUGH the British ophthalmologist has not adopted Toti's operation or its modifications, in the treatment of chronic dacryocystitis, with the enthusiasm of his Continental colleagues, the British, ophthalmic literature of the past fifteen years contains articles extolling the superiorify of this operation over the simple excision of sac. Traquair, 1932 and 1941, Lyle, Cross, Simpson and Fraser, 1948, have all published figures with a high percentage of successes, which are in themselves a forcible recommendation for this operation. This paper is based on the cases of external dacryocystorhinostomy, sixty in all, performed in the Leeds,General Infirmary between October, 1941, and December, 1947. The operation was undertaken infrequently at first,but its frequency increased as its good results became obvious and its comparative simplicity was realised. Now it is the operation of choice for chronic dacryocystitis up to the age of sixty years. The purpose of this article is not to quote further results in complete agreement with those already published, but rather to show that the exact technique is not of very great importance, and that the operation can be undertaken with equally good results by the less experienced ophthalmic surgeon. Traquair emphasises this when he says, speaking of external dacryocystorhinostomy gives excellent results even in the hands of relatively inexperienced operators." I-n the sixty cases quoted, the operation was an external dacryocystorhinostomy, and only two were carried out with the assistance of an E.N.T. surgeon, once to assist an ophthalmic chief, and once to assist an ophthalmic registrar. The numbers are divided more or less, equally between the two ophthalmic firms of the Leeds General Infirmary, each of which has its own method of performing the operation. Method " A." Except for details of local anaesthesia, the technique is substantially that of Traquair. The anaesthesia is produced by the Moffett method of postural anaesthesia for intranasal surgery, using Brompton cocaine solution,


Introduction. The paper describes the role of Russian transnational corporations in the development and implementation of the Adults' Education and Vocational Education and Trainings programs in foreign countries as the promotion of Russian technologies. As the competition between the universities in the international educational markets rises, they see the increasing need for the fixation of the programs they offer onto the needs of the global companies, broadening the possibilities for the students to obtain relevant qualifications and skills, and corresponding diversification of educational programs. Among the possible directions for the increase in the educational services that are offered for export could be adults' educational programs, vocational education and trainings.
Materials and Methods. The study of the additional vocational education programs for foreign students was carried out with specialized questionnaire. 180 higher education institutions took part in the survey. The analysis of the corporate segment of additional professional education services for foreign markets was carried out on the basis of semi-formalized in-depth expert interviews.
Results. Based on the collected empirical data we were able to identify main participants of the Adults' Education and Vocational Education and Trainings export and structure and spheres of the programs as well as target countries in this market in three years' time. It was revealed that the most successful providers of the educational programs are the universities that on the one hand offer already well developed and sought-after educational programs on the Russian Adults' Education and Vocational Education and Trainings market, and on the other hand – already have stable partnership ties with countries that send students to undergraduate programs.
Discussion and Conclusion. This study elaborates on the role of universities in promoting competitive technologies through the distribution of Adults' Education and Vocational Education and Trainings. Mechanisms for formation and implementation of corporate training programs by universities for Russian industrial corporations are structured. Barriers for the attraction of foreign students are discussed to increase the scope of training. Results of the study can be recommended for the universities concerned with the development of the Adults' Education and Vocational Education and Trainings sector in the international context.
Keywords: export education, university, adults educational programs and vocational education and trainings, structure of the market for educational programs, promotion of technologies, corporate education


Experimental evidence coming from Andre Robert studies indicates that prostaglandins (PG) administered exogenously or released endogenously by mild irritants prevent the formation of gross mucosal lesions induced by various ulcerogens such as absolute ethanol, bile salts, hypertonic solution and acidified aspirin. This action appears to be independent of their gastric inhibitory effects. Mild irritants such as 5 mM NaCl, 20% ethanol and 20 mM taurocholate prevent gastric necrosis through adaptive cytoprotection involving an increase in the generation of endogenous PG. In addition, PG have been shown to increase gastric mucosal blood flow and to stimulate mucosal bicarbonate as well as mucus secretion and these effect may contribute to their gastro-protective action. As demonstrated recently, PG prevented the damage of isolated gastric glands in vitro condition, where systemic, neural and hormonal factors are excluded. Gastro-protection is not the unique property of PG, however the mucosal generation of protective PG is essential for gastro-protective effects of solcoseryl. This paper reviews not only protective factors but also the mechanism and possible pathogenic implications of three related compounds thromboxanes, leukotrienes and platelet activating factor (PAF) in acute mucosal injury by topical irritants. The release of these mediators have been thought to be involved in the mechanism of mucosal injury, especially damage to the microvascular endothelium. Whether gastro-protection plays crucial role in the mechanism of ulcer healing remain unknown, however in chronic studies, PG failed to affect the speed of ulcer healing. On the other hand, epidermal growth factor (EGF) exhibits both gastro-protective and ulcer healing properties due to the potent trophic action and to the stimulation of polyamine biosynthesis. The accumulation of EGF in a large quantities in the ulcer area by the antiulcer drugs such as sucralfate and De-Nol may explain their well-known enhancing effects on ulcer healing.


In this paper, typical process chains of metal processing/gear manufacturing are examined according to the pinch method with regard to their potential for heat recovery and their suitability for heat pump applications. The focus is on machine tools and parts washing machines as fluctuating heat sources and sinks. Heat sources at a low temperature level, such as the cooling of machine tools, are becoming increasingly important in contrast to conventional fossil waste heat sources due to the electrification of energy and production systems. Based on energy monitoring data from a real production system, this paper uses a simple example production line to illustrate the extent to which both the interdependencies in a material flow and a varying system size increase the energy efficiency of the overall system and how they influence the dimensioning of heat-pump-storage-solutions. Finally, the inclusion of statistical fluctuations and their significance for thermal crosslinking of production machines is discussed.


Polymeric
graphitic carbon nitride materials have attracted significant interest in
recent years and found applications in diverse light-to-energy conversions such
as artificial photosynthesis, CO2 reduction or degradation of
organic pollutants. However, their utilization in synthetic photocatalysis especially
in the direct functionalization of C(sp3)−H bonds remains
underexplored. Herein, we report mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN)
as a heterogeneous organic semiconductor photocatalyst for direct arylation of
sp3 C−H bonds via a combination of hydrogen atom
transfer and nickel catalysis. Our protocol has a broad synthetic scope (>70
examples including late-stage modification of densely functionalized bio-active
molecules), is operationally simple, and shows high chemo- and
regioselectivity. Facile separation and recycling of the mpg-CN catalyst in
combination with its low preparation cost, innate photochemical stability and
low toxicity are beneficial features overcoming typical shortcomings of
homogeneous photocatalysis. Additionally, mechanistic investigations indicate
that an unprecedented energy transfer process (EnT) from the organic
semiconductor to the nickel complex is operating.


In Greece, medicines are a social good and thus it is directly affected by population data. In order to safely produce and distribute medicines to the general public, pharmaceutical companies have to comply with domestic and international regulations and are affected by different legal frameworks (Greece's, the EU's, national). In recent years, several productive and commercial sectors have been shrinking due to crisis, reducing their profits, while the unstable environment does not favor growth investment.
The current paper presents a theoretical background to the basic principles of Strategic Management. Then, a review of the principles, features and tools of Total Quality Management, as well as the different approaches or methods of Total Quality Management, is made.
Given that the pharmaceutical industry has always followed very strict legislation and responded accordingly to in-depth controls and inspections, the Guidelines on Quality of Medicines and the Quality Management Practices commonly followed in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide were later on recorded.
Chapter 4 comprises the recording of the current state of the industry, according to IOBE data for the period 2015-2016, with reference to demand and supply factors, demographic trends and developments as well as economic developments.
Finally, the prospects of the industry, in relation to the global developments and the positive and negative data concerning development that emerged after processing the data recorded in the previous chapter, are presented.


Background The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has powerfully broadened the scope of treatment options for malignancies with an ongoing increase of indications, but immune-related adverse events (irAEs) represent a serious threat to treatment success. Agents directed against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or its ligand 1 (PD-L1) are known to cause renal complications with an incidence of 3%. In contrast, subclinical renal involvement is estimated to be much higher, up to 29%. We recently reported about urinary flow cytometry-based detection of urinary PD-L1-positive (PD-L1+) kidney cells correlating with tubular PD-L1-positivity that reflected susceptibility to develop ICI-related nephrotoxicity as an irAE attending ICI treatment. Therefore, we designed a study protocol to evaluate urinary detection of PD-L1+ kidney cells as a tool for non-invasive biomonitoring of renal complications in cancer patients treated with ICIs. Methods A prospective, controlled, non-interventional, longitudinal, single-center observational study will be conducted at the Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology of the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. We intend to enroll approximately 200 patients treated with immunotherapy from the Departments of Urology, Dermatology, and Hematology and Medical Oncology of the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. First, we will assess clinical, laboratory, histopathological, and urinary parameters in addition to urinary cell collection. Then, we will perform a correlative analysis between urinary flow cytometry of different PD-L1+ cell of renal origin with the onset of ICI-related nephrotoxicity. Discussion Because of growing ICI-treatment applicability with an expectable incidence of renal complications, providing cost-efficient and easily performable diagnostic tools for treatment-attendant and non-invasive biomonitoring becomes vital to improve both renal and overall survival rates in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. Trial registration https://www.drks.de, DRKS-ID DRKS00030999.


The problem of determining the shape of a two-dimensional impenetrable obstacle from a set of measurements of its far-field scattering amplitude is solved by formulating the problem as a non-linear operator equation, which is then solved by an iterative method. The use of the null-field method to solve the direct problem at each iteration leads to efficient evaluation of the Frechet derivative of the non-linear operator. Results of numerical trials with simulated data are presented.


Consider the 3D Ising model on a box of side length $n$ with minus boundary conditions above the $xy$-plane and plus boundary conditions below it. At low temperatures, Dobrushin (1972) showed that the interface separating the predominantly plus and predominantly minus regions is localized: its height above a fixed point has exponential tails. Recently, the authors proved a law of large numbers for the maximum height $M_n$ of this interface: for every $\beta$ large, $M_n/ \log n\to c_\beta$ in probability as $n\to\infty$.
Here we show that the laws of the centered maxima $(M_n - \mathbb{E}[M_n])_{n\geq 1}$ are uniformly tight. Moreover, even though this sequence does not converge, we prove that it has uniform upper and lower Gumbel tails (exponential right tails and doubly exponential left tails). Key to the proof is a sharp (up to $O(1)$ precision) understanding of the surface large deviations. This includes, in particular, the shape of a pillar that reaches near-maximum height, even at its base, where the interactions with neighboring pillars are dominant.


1. The present experiment was undertaken to investigate the influence of oral creatine supplementation, shown previously to increase the total creatine content of human skeletal muscle (Harris RC, Soderlund K, Hultman E. Clin Sci 1992; 83: 367-74), on skeletal muscle isokinetic torque and the accumulation of plasma ammonia and blood lactate during five bouts of maximal exercise. 2. Twelve subjects undertook five bouts of 30 maximal voluntary isokinetic contractions, interspersed with 1 min recovery periods, before and after 5 days of placebo (4 x 6 g of glucose/day, n = 6) or creatine (4 x 5 g of creatine plus 1 g of glucose/day, n = 6) oral supplementation. Muscle torque production and plasma ammonia and blood lactate accumulation were measured during and after exercise on each treatment. 3. No difference was seen when comparing muscle peak torque production during exercise before and after placebo ingestion. After creatine ingestion, muscle peak torque production was greater in all subjects during the final 10 contractions of exercise bout 1 (P < 0.05), throughout the whole of exercise bouts 2 (P < 0.01), 3 (P < 0.05) and 4 (P = 0.057) and during contractions 11-20 of the final exercise bout (P < 0.05), when compared with the corresponding measurements made before creatine ingestion. Plasma ammonia accumulation was lower during and after exercise after creatine ingestion. No differences were found when comparing blood lactate levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We report a 16‐month‐old patient with meningoencephalocele, absence of the radii, ambiguous genitalia, and transient neonatal thrombocytopenia. The phenotype strongly suggests the von Voss‐Cherstvoy syndrome. Thrombocytopenia was present during the first 2 weeks of life and not found in subsequent determinations. This observation suggests that thrombocytopenia is a transient part of the syndrome. Among the patients reported so far our case appears to represent the mildest phenotype. Despite the neonatal complications and meningoencephalocele, the patient currently has normal psychomotor development. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract In its judgement of July 25, 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case C-528/16, Confédération paysanne and Others, held that organisms obtained by techniques of mutagenesis are 'genetically modified organisms' (GMOs). It follows from the Court's reasoning that genome-edited organisms, ie organisms resulting from techniques of directed mutagenesis, are GMOs as well and are fully regulated by Directive 2001/18/EC. However, Directive 2001/18/EC only stipulates rules for the deliberate release and placing on the market of GMOs. By contrast, the European Union (EU) has adopted a separate set of rules laid down in Directive 2009/41/EC, which apply to the so-called 'contained use' of 'genetically modified micro-organisms' (GMMs). Whether also genome-edited micro-organisms are GMMs and, thus, subject to Directive 2009/41/EC is of crucial importance since contained use activities with genome-edited micro-organisms are currently carried out extensively, eg in laboratories and research facilities. An in-depth legal analysis shows that the CJEU's interpretation of Directive 2001/18/EC can be extended to Directive 2009/41/EC which means that, in the end, genome-edited micro-organisms are GMMs invariably subject to Directive 2009/41/EC.


Liver cancer is the fifth and seventh most common cause of cancer in men and women, respectively. Wnt/β-catenin signalling has emerged as a critical player in both the development of normal liver as well as an oncogenic driver in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on the current understanding, this article summarizes the possible mechanisms for the aberrant activation of this pathway with specific focus on HCC. Furthermore, we will discuss the role of dickkopfs (DKKs) in regulating Wnt/β-catenin signalling, which is poorly understood and understudied. DKKs are a family of secreted proteins that comprise at least four members, namely DKK1-DKK4, which act as inhibitors of Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Nevertheless, not all members antagonize Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Their functional significance in hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be further characterized for which these studies should provide new insights into the regulatory role of DKKs in Wnt/β-catenin signalling in hepatic carcinogenesis. Because of the important oncogenic roles, there are an increasing number of therapeutic molecules targeting β-catenin and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway for potential therapy of HCC.


We present a ground‐motion prediction equation (GMPE) for Turkey and Iran to investigate the possible regional effects on ground‐motion amplitudes in shallow active crustal earthquakes. The proposed GMPE is developed from a subset of the recently compiled strong‐motion database of the Earthquake Model of the Middle East Region project (see [Data and Resources][1]). A total of 670 Turkish and 528 Iranian accelerograms with depths down to 35 km are used to estimate peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and 5% damped elastic pseudospectral acceleration ordinates of 0.01  s≤ T ≤4  s. The moment magnitude range of the model is 4≤ M w≤8, and the maximum Joyner–Boore distance is R JB=200  km. The functional form considers three major fault mechanisms (strike slip, normal, and reverse). The nonlinear soil behavior is a function of V S 30 (average shear‐wave velocity in the upper 30 m of soil profile). Our observations from empirical and estimated ground‐motion trends advocate regional differences in the territories covered by Iran and Turkey that originate from the differences in Q factors, kappa, and near‐surface velocity profiles. These factors eventually affect the magnitude‐ and distance‐dependent scaling of spectral amplitudes in Iran and Turkey. In essence, the ground‐motion amplitudes of these two neighboring countries would draw patterns different than the ground‐motion estimates of GMPEs developed from the strong‐motion databases of shallow active crustal earthquakes from multiple countries.

Online Material: MATLAB code and regression coefficients for computing the response spectrum and distance scaling.

 [1]: #sec-7


Policies in relation to paging are designed to achieve effective in-hospital communication. This study recorded data in relation to pages received by interns over a two-week period. A survey was conducted assessing perceptions on paging and existing hospital policy. Four interns collected data in relation to 20 regular-day, 4 extended-day and 4 on-call (two weekday and two weekend) shifts (n = 423 pages). Sixty-nine pages (16%) were made during pager-free periods. On average 3 minutes per hour were spent dealing with pages. Compliance with ISBAR ranged from 50.1% to 83.4%. Of the episodes where pages were made during protected times (n = 85), 67% did not meet urgent criteria. While the majority of these pages were from nurses, they were less likely to violate the policy than other staff (relative risk 0.648, p = 0.016). Efforts need to be made to ensure pager-free periods are respected in the interest of effective communication, staff morale and protected training time.


OBJECTIVES
To compare vaginal axis and posterior cul-de-sac measurements in women who have undergone hysterectomy and women with an intact uterus.

METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study comparing magnetic resonance imaging findings in women who had undergone hysterectomy with women with an intact uterus. The primary outcome was change in the upper, middle, and lower vaginal axes relative to the pelvic inclination correction system line. Secondary outcomes included angles between the upper-middle and middle-lower vagina, depth of the posterior cul-de-sac, and total vaginal length.

RESULTS
In the hysterectomy group, the middle vaginal axis was significantly more anterior as compared with the intact uterus group (61.3 degrees ± 12.7 vs 49.4 degrees ± 23.6, P = 0.01). The upper-middle and the middle-lower vaginal angles were significantly more obtuse in the hysterectomy group than the intact uterus group (112.3 degrees ± 28.7 vs 69.3 degrees ± 56.6, P = 0.01 and 145.4 degrees ± 13.2 vs 130.9 degrees ± 29.7, P = 0.02, respectively). The mean depth of the posterior cul-de-sac and the total vaginal length were significantly shorter in the hysterectomy group than the intact uterus group (5.5 mm ± 7.6 vs 21.8 mm ± 11.9, P < 0.0001 and 78.7 mm ± 3.9 vs 100 mm ± 15.9, P < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
The vaginal anatomy of women who have undergone hysterectomy differs significantly from that of women with an intact uterus.


It is shown theoretically that the contrast of synchrotron white-beam topographs, in most cases, is the superposition of the intensities produced by incoherent point sources situated on the entrance surface of the crystal. This is the reason for the similarity between synchrotron topographs and laboratory translation topographs. It is a consequence of the spectral width of the radiation and of the particle beam size and divergence in the storage ring. Upper and lower bounds are given for the coherence length. The natural collimation of synchrotron radiation and the effect of the source-to-crystal and crystal-to-film distances are taken into account. The results are valid for a large class of synchrotron sources. 0108-7673/90/060449-11 $03.00


Shimazaki et al. analyzed oral health examination indings for 4,484 male and female employees aged 35 to 74 in relation to past participation in oral health examinations reported in a questionnaire1) and concluded that workplace oral health examination accompanied by oral health instruction may be effective for maintenance of periodontal health. We think this is an important publication; however, the following issues need to be addressed. Firstly, the job proile of the employees at the workplace (company) where oral health examination was carried out needs to be mentioned. The information is paramount to understanding whether the work directly or indirectly affected oral health of the employee2, 3). Secondly, interexaminer reliability should have been calculated for the dentists performing the periodontal examination and dental hygienists delivering the oral health instructions4). The glaring difference between employees undergoing workplace oral health examination (36.8%) and workplace general health examination needs to be significantly narrowed. It has been reported previously that the role of home dentists is not preventive oriented; hence, it is necessary to provide regular oral health examination and health promotion programs for the adult population in the workplace in Japan. Also, in conformity to the present study, an oral health awareness campaign was carried out in four workplaces in north-east London in which gingival bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing depths (PD) were measured using a controlled pressure probe5). The results showed the mean percentage of sites probing 4 mm and above per subject reduced from 38 to 25% in the test group. This conirmed the clinical effectiveness of a workplace-based oral health awareness campaign. Hence, the dissemination of the idea of workplace oral health examination including oral health instruction may affect oral health beneicially and enhance oral health quality of life. Thanking you.


Objective To explore the correlations of radiomic features of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) with microvessel density (MVD) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on single-input and dual-input two-compartment extended Tofts (SITET and DITET) models. Methods We compared the quantitative parameters of SITET and DITET models for DCE-MRI in 30 patients with HCC using paired sample t-tests. The correlations of SITET and DITET model parameters with CD31-MVD and CD34-MVD were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis. A diagnostic model of CD34-MVD was established and the diagnostic abilities of models for MVD were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Results There were significant differences between the quantitative parameters in the two kinds of models. Compared with SITET, DITET parameters showed better correlations with CD31-MVD and CD34-MVD. The Ktrans and Ve radiomics features of the DITET model showed high efficiency for predicting the level of CD34-MVD according to ROC analysis, with areas under curves of 0.83 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusion Compared with SITET, the DITET model provides a better indication of the microcirculation of HCC and is thus more suitable for examining patients with HCC.


................................................................................................................................... 1 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... 4 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 5 The 'black cancer': A historian's lens .................................................................................... 5 The 'modern black plague': Mechanistic insight from the 21 century ................................. 7 Genomic sequencing technologies and personalized medicine: Advancing discoveries in melanoma pathobiology .......................................................................................................... 9 Epigenetic alterations in melanoma: A new frontier in cancer pathobiology ....................... 10 DNA demethylation and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine: Epigenetic fidelity unraveled ............. 11 'Loss' of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine: From bench to bedside ............................................... 12 Melanoma in focus: A troublesome diagnosis ...................................................................... 14 Melanoma pseudomaturation and the pre-existing nevus: The challenge of histologically heterogeneous, malignant melanocytic lesions ..................................................................... 15 Nodal nevus: A diagnostic pitfall of sentinel lymph node evaluation .................................. 17 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................... 19 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................................................. 20 Ethics statement .................................................................................................................... 20 Acquisition of histopathologic samples for immunohistochemical study ............................ 20 Immunohistochemistry protocol, clinical data acquisition, and quantitative analysis of primary cutaneous melanomas ............................................................................................. 21 Immunohistochemistry protocol, clinical data acquisition, and analysis of sentinel lymph node biopsy cases .................................................................................................................. 22 Acquisition of patient melanoma tissue samples for next-generation sequencing and corresponding clinical data ................................................................................................... 23 DNA isolation and next-generation sequencing ................................................................... 23 Quantitative and additional analytics of somatic mutation data ........................................... 24 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 26 I. Melanoma pseudomaturation or pre-existing nevus associated with primary cutaneous melanomas ................................................................................................................................ 26 Histopathologic and clinical outcome data ........................................................................... 26 5-hydroxymethylcytosine immunoreactivity in MPEN versus MPM .................................. 28 II. Metastatic melanoma or nodal nevus in sentinel lymph node biopsies ............................... 36 Clinical and histopathologic data of primary cutaneous melanomas corresponding leading to sentinel lymph node biopsy .................................................................................................. 36 Detailed histopathologic and microanatomic data of sentinel lymph node biopsies ............ 36 5-hydroxymethylcytosine immunoreactivity within sentinel lymph node biopsies ............. 39 III. Targeted next-generation sequencing of patient melanoma samples ................................. 44 General somatic mutation distribution and characteristics ................................................... 44 High frequency of mutations identified in key epigenetic regulators ................................... 44 High frequency of UVB-signature mutations among key epigenetic regulators .................. 51 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................... 55 5-hydroxymethylcytosine immunoreactivity highlights pseudomaturing subpopulation of melanoma cells while distinguishing pre-existing nevus from bona fide melanoma ........... 55


High performance compressor airfoils at a low Reynolds number condition at ~Re51.3310 5 ! have been developed using evolutionary algorithms in order to improve the performance of the outlet guide vane (OGV), used in a single low pressure turbine (LPT) of a small turbofan engine for business jet aircrafts. Two different numerical optimization methods, the evolution strategy (ES) and the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA), were adopted for the design process to minimize the total pressure loss and the deviation angle at the design point at low Reynolds number condition. Especially, with respect to the MOGA, robustness against changes of the incidence angle is considered. The optimization process includes the representation of the blade geometry, the generation of a numerical grid and a blade-to-blade analysis using a quasi-three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver with a k-v turbulence model including a newly implemented transition model to evaluate the performance. Overall aerodynamic performance and boundary layer properties for the two optimized blades are discussed numerically. The superior performance of the two optimized airfoils is demonstrated by a comparison with conventional controlled diffusion airfoils (CDA). The advantage in performance has been confirmed by detailed experimental investigations, which are presented in Part II of this paper. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1737780#


The effect of drought on most agricultural crops results inmany problems for the producers in Nigeria and even other parts of the world. These problems include reduced vegetative parameters and yield loss which consequently lead to reduced income for the growers of the crops. The most direct way of avoiding drought is to discover or create drought tolerant varieties of sweet potato. Sweet potato is a crop which is part of the Nigerian diet due to its perceived nutritive values. A field experiment was carried out in Bowen University, Iwo to evaluate different cultivars of sweet potato for drought tolerance. The experimental design was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates and three treatments including the mild water stress (32 days of drought), severe water stress (from the day of drought till harvest) and nowater stress (control). Results showed that under the control treatment, the highest yield was from the Local variety 1 with 127.63 g while the lowest yield under control was from Local variety 2 with 39.20 g. Under the mild water stress, the highest yield was from Introduced variety 1 with 272.46 g while the lowest yield was from Local variety 2 with 59.66 g. Under the severe water stress, the highest yield was from Local variety 1 with 41.15 g while the lowest yield was from Introduced variety 1 with 0 g. The highest yield among the three treatment methods was under the mild water stress treatment from Introduced variety 1 with 272.46 g.Therefore, variety 3, the local variety, is recommended under severe drought based on the above reason but under moderate drought,the Introduced variety i.e. variety 1 (orange fleshed sweet potato) is preferred because it had the highest yield and is also of high nutrient content compared to the other varieties.


A series of research studies have recently identified an issue called strain localization in welded wire reinforced (WWR) members. This phenomenon reportedly concentrates strains at welded cross wire locations and severely limit ductility. Those that identified the phenomenon used it to imply that WWR is unsafe because it does not warn of failure. This research program is investigating details to mitigate the strain localization effect and demonstrate the WWR can be used safely. Sixteen beams have been constructed using WWR and rebar with various cross wire spacing, using a realistic design. The strain localization phenomenon was not demonstrated, but WWR slabs are somewhat less ductile than traditionally reinforced members. The WWR members were shown to provide adequate ductility for warning of impending failure visually and with a well-accepted ductility measure. Future study will focus on proving ability of WWR to provide load redistribution, investigating the effect of cross wire diameter on strain localization and developing simple and easy to use guidelines for proper WWR detailing.


Reducing the wafer breakage rate and sawing thinner wafers will decrease the cost of solar cells. This study was carried out in order to identify ways to achieve this goal. In this study, the cutting force characteristics using an ingot tilting-type diamond multi wire-sawing machine were analyzed. The cutting force was analyzed while varying the tilting angles and wire speed. The obtained data were analyzed by classifying the tangential cutting force and the normal cutting force. In this cutting force experiment, the difference between the forces was confirmed; it was found that it rises with increasing the tilting angles and decreases when the wire speed elevates. The resulting value can be utilized as basic data for the determination of an ideal cutting recipe.


High-speed low-power phase-locked loops (PLLs) are an integral part of frequency synthesizers and clock recovery circuits. This paper describes the design of a 2 GHz PLL that employs a number of circuit techniques to reduce the power dissipation to 1.6 mW with a 3 V supply. Fabricated in an 18 GHz 0.6 /spl mu/m BiCMOS technology, the PLL utilizes fully-differential signals to improve the rejection of common-mode disturbances. The PLL design has a fairly standard architecture, but with the phase detector, the low-pass filter (LPF), and the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) merged so as to save power dissipation. The amplifier interposed between the LPF and the VCO operates at low frequencies, thus consuming negligible power.


Oxygen supplementation is necessary to prevent mortality in severely premature infants. However, the supraphysiological concentration of oxygen utilized in these infants simultaneously creates retinovascular growth attenuation and vasoobliteration that induces the retinopathy of prematurity. Here, we report that hyperoxia regulates the cell cycle and retinal endothelial cell proliferation in a previously unknown Myc-dependent manner, which contributes to oxygen-induced retinopathy.


In this article, a numerical scheme was implemented for solving the partial integro-differential equations (PIDEs) with weakly singular kernel by using the cubic B-spline Galerkin method with quadratic B-spline as a weight function. backward Euler scheme was used for time direction and the cubic B-spline Galerkin method with quadratic weight function was used for spatial derivative. We observed from the numerical examples that the proposed method possesses a high degree of efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the numerical results are in suitable agreement with the exact solutions via calculating L_2 and〖 L〗_∞ norms errors. Theoretically, we discussed the stable evaluation of the current method using the Von-Neumann method, which explained that the present technique is unconditionally stable.


Background Ecological Approach To (EAT) Family Style is a 16-week responsive feeding Early Care and Education (ECE) intervention, utilizing a multilevel improvement system of 4 implementation strategies: (a) provision of a 7-lesson, on-line professional development training for administrators and teachers (b) administrative support; (c) performance monitoring, feedback, and assistance through follow-up coaching; and (d) use of incentives. The 7 lessons cover role modeling, peer modeling, sensory exploration, self-regulation, children serve themselves, praise and rewards, and family engagement, each relying on goal setting. The evidence-based practices and implementation system was delivered to ECE administrators and teachers completing one online lesson/week followed by a coaching session with a trained coach. EAT Family Style is guided by the self-determination theory. The objective of this study was to evaluate the EAT Family Style intervention through the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.Methods Center-based ECE administrators (n=8) and teachers (n=17) caring for preschool (3-5 years) children and coaches (n=9) who participated in the EAT Family Style intervention were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and coded deductively by 3 coders using RE-AIM dimensions as a priori codes and placed into themes and sub-themes using thematic analysis. Results All participants perceived that EAT Family Style improved children's nutritional and developmental outcomes and encouraged a positive mealtime environment (Effectiveness). Coaches and administrators reported EAT Family Style aligned with their professional goals and beliefs. Coaches found professional development incentives important, whereas administrators/teachers specifically valued in-service training credit hours (Adoption). Teachers reported successful implementation of EAT Family Style practices in the classroom. Administrators and coaches supported the teachers through administrative and coaching strategies (Implementation). All participants reported they intended to continue using the intervention. Administrators and teachers discussed incorporating EAT Family Style practices into handbook/school policy (Maintenance).Conclusion(s) EAT Family Style was viewed as feasible by participants. Its 4-pronged implementation strategy has the potential to improve the uptake of evidence-informed feeding practices in ECEs.


CASE
A 59-year-old man with previously well-functioning partial knee replacement was admitted with a warm, swollen, and painful knee. The clinical presentation was consistent with prosthetic joint infection (PJI), but the synovial fluid analysis was negative for microbial growth. Further discussion revealed earlier Campylobacter jejuni enterocolitis that subsequently provoked reactive arthritis (ReA) mimicking PJI. The patient was treated with oral naproxen and intra-articular injection of triamcinolone and recovered completely without antibiotics or surgery. After 29 months, the knee is functioning normally.

CONCLUSION
ReA is rare but should be included in the differential diagnosis of PJI.


Tutoring is part of the teaching–learning process; this is considered a complementary strategy to support the development of integral and competent professionals. When teachers deal with large groups of students such as in digital learning environments, tutoring becomes a time‐consuming and difficult task that can cause distraction and overload. This paper presents an experimental study to associate students and teachers for tutoring according to their skills and affinities using the clustering methods of k‐means, expectation maximization, and farthest first. The study harvests data of 1,199 university students and 35 teachers. The results reached 100% of compatibility between clusters using expectation maximization and farthest first.


The performance of several adaptive filter (AdF) algorithm implementations was investigated in the context of cleaning noisy ambulatory ECGs. Together with a noisy ECG signal, both body movement measured with accelerometers and skin-electrode impedance (SEI) were considered as reference signals to the AdF. ECG with artificial motion artifacts were generated by combining clean ECGs with noise signals. Several implementations and combinations of AdFs, and two reference signals (accelerometers and SEI) were investigated. Performance was measured by evaluating the output (sensitivity (Se) and positive predictivity (+P)) of a beat detection (BD) algorithm. Using AdF algorithm improved the performance of a BD algorithm as compared to non-filtering. SEI used as reference signal outperformed accelerometers. A variant of LMS, LMS sign-error, gave the best performance from all implementations considered. However, distortion observed in the filtered signal is high and therefore, these results cannot be extended to other features within the ECG.


The three previous studies about the suggested retail prices (SRPs) and the new title output of new scholarly books (covering the years 1989–2000; 2000–8; and 2009–11) revealed certain well-defined patterns for books published by university presses and commercial scholarly publishers. During those years, the price for commercial scholarly published books exceeded the SRP for university presses in the humanities, the social sciences, and in the scientific, technical, and medical categories, and commercial presses annually released more than three times the number of scholarly books than university presses did in these major book categories. Were these new title output and pricing trends between 1989 and 2011 also evident in 2012–14? What pricing and marketing theories and practices did commercial scholarly publishers use to enable them to charge higher SRPs than university presses? In a period of economic uncertainty, when far too many university presses face fiscal questions from university trustees and administrators and several presses have been on the verge of closing in recent years, what strategies can university presses utilize to generate more revenues for their books and remain a vitally important part of the entire scholarly publishing ecosystem?


. Another method to obtain Pythagorean Triple Preserving Matrices is proposed and a singular case is put in evidence. Also, a possible connection with physics is sketched by proving that the set of these matrices is a group. In the last section, we generalize our method to Weighted Pythagorean Triple Preserving Matrices. An interesting open problem is generated by the fact that this type of matrix appears as a product of two matrices of order 4 with a form suggesting quaternions.


AbstractInteraction of barotropic tides with subsurface topography is vital to ocean mixing. Yet the behavior of large-amplitude, nonlinear, internal solitary waves (ISWs) that can cause strong mixing remains poorly understood, especially that of higher-mode and multimodal internal waves. Therefore, a 2.5-dimensional, nonhydrostatic model with adjustable vertical resolution was developed to investigate effects of upper-ocean stratification on tidally induced multimodal internal waves and to show how they are generated by the subcritical ridge where only upward-propagating internal wave beams (IWBs) are present. The effects of the stratification on properties and characteristics of the excited IWBs and on the energy partition of the radiated mode-1 and mode-2 internal waves were investigated based on the model results. Higher modes of internal waves can also be effectively generated in the IWBs by the subcritical topography, and the contribution to IWBs from higher modes increases with the upper-ocean stra...


In this work, we present a method to produce micro and nanostructured surfaces containing bioadhesive features embedded in an antifouling matrix. These surfaces are fabricated by combining plasma polymerization and electron beam lithography. This combination allows the fabrication of structured surfaces in just two steps and without the use of solvents. ToF‐SIMS analysis demonstrates that the e‐beam treatment induces a chemical change at the surface depending upon the radiation dose employed. In particular, a decrease of peaks characteristic of the PEO‐like fragments (e.g. CH3O+, C3H7O+, C3H5O2+) and a correspondent increase of hydrocarbon moieties such as C2H3+ and C3H3+ is observed in the irradiated zones. These results are supported by XPS analysis that indicate a slight reduction of the intensity of the C–O component in the C1s core level spectrum after irradiation similar to that observed in UV‐treated PEO‐like films. Experiments with proteins show a preferential adhesion of the biomolecules to the irradiated zone indicating the good potential of this technique for the development of nanostructured biosensing platforms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Alongside the development of quantum algorithms and quantum complexity theory in recent years, quantum techniques have also proved instrumental in obtaining results in diverse classical (non-quantum) areas, such as coding theory, communication complexity, and polynomial approximations. In this paper we survey these results and the quantum toolbox they use.


Artemisia spp are one of the most important traditional medicinal plants of Ethiopia which are used for the treatment of infection and non-infection health problems. The genus Artemisia (Astraceae) consists of about 500 species worldwide. Previous reports indicated that the different species of Artemisia have a wide array of biological activities including antimalarial, cytotoxic, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity. In this study, the main aim was to investigate chemical components of Artemisia spp. (A. abyssinica, A. absinthium and A. annua) and evaluate their antimicrobial activities against bacterial strains. The results indicated that the crude extract of these plants were effective against some selected strains of bacterial strains. Here we isolated the well-known antimalarial drug artemisinin (7 mg, 0.004%) from Artemisia annua leaves using a rapid n-hexane fractionation method. The n-hexane extract of A. abyssinica, ethyl acetate extract of A. absinthium and n-hexane of A. annua showed varying degrees of inhibiting effect against bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923T, Salmonella enteritidis ATCC13076T, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC1053T, boydii ATCC1233T, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922T, hospital acquired Acinetobacter baumannii. The ethyl acetate extract of Artemisia absinthium (A.abe) showed the maximum inhibiting effect (35 mm) against A. baumannii. The minimum zone of inhibition (< 3 mm) was recorded for test extract of A.ap against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC1053T. Ethyl acetate extract of Artemisia absinthium (A.abe) was more effective against these selected bacterial strains and the zone of inhibition ranged from 5-35 mm. The minimum inhibition zone (8 mm) was detected against S. typhimurium ATCC 13311T for both A.ac and n-hexane- EtOAc fraction (8:2) of Artemisia abyssinica. The maximum zone of inhibition (25 mm) for fraction (A.ach F4) of Artemisia abyssinica obtained by column chromatography was recorded against S. pyogen ATCC 19615. However, there was no zone of inhibition detected for boydii ATCC1233T due to these test extracts. Significant variations (P = 0.887) were observed between all test extracts of these medicinal plants at 95% of confidence intervals. There is no zone of inhibition or growth for negative control. But, clear zones of inhibition were detected for positive control due to some standard impregnated disks. Based on our results we recommend that various species of Artemisia seem to have great potential for in-depth investigation for various antimicrobial activities that assists the effort in searching for antimicrobial lead compounds.


ABSTRACT The seedless barberry, 'Bidaneh,' is one of the most important cultivated small fruits in Iran. This cultivar is propagated only by suckers, and so, the establishment of large-scale orchards is not possible in a short period of time. During this research, different grafting methods were evaluated on the grafting success rate of 'Bidaneh' on wild types of barberry. More than 1000 grafts including cleft grafting (with hard shoots and green/semi-hard shoots), omega grafting, T-budding, and chip budding (at mid-spring and late summer) methods were performed for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019). The results showed that the grafting methods have significant effects on the percentage of callus formation and graft success (P < .01). The chip budding method resulted in the maximum callus formation (36.7%), and graft success (30%). The rate of callus formation and graft success in the cleft grafting with semi-hard shoots was 2% and 18%, respectively. No callus formation and graft success were found in the cleft in hard stem and omega grafting methods. The graft success was zero in T-budding, despite of 18.33% callus formation. The results revealed the success of grafting of 'Bidaneh' on wild barberry species for the first time. However, increasing the graft success rate requires further research.


Our situation as occupants of the Milky Way (MW) Galaxy, bombarded by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, provides an intimate view of physical processes that can lead to the dynamical heating of a galactic disc. While this evolution is instigated by Sagittarius, it is also driven by the intertwined influences of the dark matter halo and the disc itself. We analyse an N-body simulation following a Sagittarius-like galaxy interacting with a MW-like host to disentangle these different influences during the stages of a minor merger. The accelerations in the disc plane from each component are calculated for each snapshot in the simulation, and then decomposed into Fourier series on annuli. The analysis maps quantify and compare the scales of the individual contributions over space and through time: (i) accelerations due to the satellite are only important around disc passages; (ii) the influence around these passages is enhanced and extended by the distortion of the dark matter halo; (iii) the interaction drives disc asymmetries within and perpendicular to the plane and the self-gravity of these distortions increase in importance with time eventually leading to the formation of a bar. These results have interesting implications for identifying different influences within our own Galaxy. Currently, Sagittarius is close enough to a plane crossing to search for localized signatures of its effect at intermediate radii, the distortion of the MW's dark matter halo should leave its imprint in the outer disc and the disc's own self-consistent response is sculpting the intermediate and inner disc.


Abstract  As an octanoic acid 13CO2 breath test is frequently used to test gastric emptying of solid food, the purpose of the present study was to study whether oxidative breakdown of octanoic acid is affected by severe liver disease. The design of our study was twofold. First, cirrhotic patients (n = 82) of varying severity were compared with healthy controls (n = 17). Values of half‐time, time point of maximal expiration and cumulative recovery of octanoic acid breath tests (OBT) were not significantly different between them. Secondly, cirrhotic patients (n = 10) were studied before placement of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, 4–7 days later and 1–2 months later. Values of half‐time, time point of maximal expiration and cumulative recovery of consecutive OBTs did not change significantly. The OBT may therefore be a suitable test in the future to detect delayed gastric emptying of solids in cirrhotic patients with reduced liver function and portal hypertension.


Abstract : Background: Psychiatric hospitalizations, due to suicide ideation (SI) or suicide attempt (SA), are a risk factor for fatal and non-fatal suicidal self-directed violence. Mental health related inpatient stays are now the leading cause of hospitalizations within the Armed Forces, yet little is known about suicidal military psychiatric inpatients. Purpose: (1) To describe the demographic, military service, psychiatric, and hospitalization-related characteristics of a sample of service members psychiatrically hospitalized for suicide-related events; (2) To examine differences between patients admitted for SI versus SA across a number of available data categories; and (3) To determine if the observed significant differences among these two groups are maintained when adjusting for gender. Method: A retrospective, cross-sectional, review of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of 955 active-duty military, Reserve, and National Guard members psychiatrically hospitalized for SI (n = 534) versus SA (n = 421) at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (between 2001 and 2006) was performed. Results: The sample was primarily men (69%), from the Army, with an average age of 26. Men were overrepresented in the SI group whereas women were overrepresented inthe SA group. Individuals in the SI group were significantly more likely to demonstrate documented Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood, deferred Axis II diagnosis, unidentified lifetime trauma, and psychosocial stressors associated with adjustment to military life. In comparison, individuals in the SA group were significantly more likely to demonstrate Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotion and Conduct, Borderline Personality Disorder, Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, childhood sexual abuse and adulthood domestic violence trauma histories, and psychosocial stressors associated with end of military service.


Tetranectin (TN), CA-125 and CASA were measured in serum prior to 63 second-look and 5 third-look operations for ovarian cancer. Patients with residual tumor had significantly lower levels of TN and higher levels of CASA and CA-125 compared with tumor-free patients. The predictive values PVPos = 100% and PVNeg = 50.9% were found for TN at 9.3 mg/l. For CASA, a predictive value PVPos = 100% was found at 10 U/ml with a corresponding PVNeg = 52.7%. At the cut-off 35 U/ml for CA-125, the PVPos was 100% and the PVNeg = 53.6%. By combining the markers, PVNeg increased to 61.7% with a PVPos on 100%. Significantly differences in survival were found by lifetable analysis between patients tested as positive and negative respectively for any of the markers. Using multivariate Cox analyses, it was found that every marker had an independent prognostic function for survival.


PURPOSE
To compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements made with two different protocols of optical coherence tomography in eyes with band atrophy (BA) of the optic nerve and controls.

METHODS
Twenty-nine eyes with BA from chiasmal compression and 30 normal eyes underwent RNFL scans using both the fast (256 A-scans) and the regular (512 A-scans) protocols. The two sets of measurements were compared.

RESULTS
In eyes with BA, fast RNFL measurements were significantly greater compared with regular RNFL measurements in the superior and inferior quadrants and significantly smaller at the 30-degree segments located at the 3 and 6 o'clock meridians. In normal eyes, fast RNFL measurements of the total average, superior and inferior quadrants and the segments corresponding to the 1, 3, 4 and 12 o'clock meridians were significantly greater than regular protocol measurements. Measurements with both protocols were significantly different in eyes with BA compared to normal eyes.

CONCLUSIONS
Although both fast and regular RNFL measurements were equally efficient at differentiating eyes with BA from controls the fast protocol yielded greater values in areas with thick RNFL and smaller values in areas with thin RNFL when compared with the regular scanning protocol. One should be aware of such differences when comparing measurements with both scanning protocols.


Abstract 196 Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have emerged as an attractive modality to decrease transplant-related mortality (TRM). However, the potential higher relapse rate and graft rejection after RIC allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) are still under considerable debate. To further optimize the outcome of RIC allo-HSCT, we designed a novel RIC regimen called FBA/FBAA. Fludarabine (Flu) and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) have a synergistic effect on leukemia cells and regimens such as FLAG (Flu+Ara-C+G-CSF) have been proven to be effective in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The nonmyeloablative regimen comprising Flu and busulfan (Bu) has been demonstrated to have favorable effects on engraftment, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Therefore, we assume that the combination of Flu, Bu and Ara-C as a novel RIC regimen for allo-HSCT would further enhance the transplant efficacy for AML patients. We report here 52 AML patients treated with allo-HSCT from HLA identical siblings (26/52, 50%) and unrelated donors (26/52, 50%) enrolled from March 2007 to March 2009. There were 31 male and 21 female patients with median age of 33 years (range:14∼60). At the time of conditioning, 47 patients were in CR1 (1 AML-M 1 , 8 M 2 , 21 M 4 , 15 M 5 , 2 M 6 ) and 5 in CR2 (2 M 2 , 3 M 5 ). HLA typing was performed with high-resolution technology. Amongst 52 patients, 42 had donors matched for HLA-A, -B and -DRB 1 alleles, while 10 had 1 allele mismatched donor. In the sibling donor group, the patients received Flu 30 mg/m 2 x5d, Bu 0.8 mg/kg q6h×3d and Ara-C 1.5g/m 2 ×5d (FBA). In the unrelated donor group, ATG-Fresenius 5 mg/kg×4d was combined with FBA conditioning (FBAA). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporin and methotrexate. The median dose of mononuclear cells infused was 5.95 ×10 8 /kg (0.77∼20.10×10 8 /kg), with 5.08 (0.29∼18.0) ×10 6 CD34 + cells/kg. All patients successfully achieved hematopoietic reconstitution. The median time to engraftment of neutrophils >0.5×10 9 /L and platelet >20×10 9 /L were 14.3 (8∼25) days and 16.5 (9∼30) days post- transplantation, respectively. The chimeric status measured by short tandom repeat (STR)-PCR showed that the complete chimeras at day +30 and day +90 were 86.1% and 92.1%, respectively. No graft rejection occurred. During the median follow-up of 9.1 months (1∼28 months), only 8 patients (15.4%) developed acute GVHD (aGVHD grade II: 7, grade III∼IV:1). Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) occurred in 23 of 48 patients (47.9%) who survived more than 3 months, with only 4 (8.3%) extensive type. 8 patients (15.4%) relapsed, and were treated with chemotherapy combined with infusion of frozen G-CSF mobilized donor peripheral blood stem cells or donor lymphocytes. 4 of these patients went into complete remission (1 relapsed after 3 months). During the follow-up period, a total of 9 (17.3%) deaths from transplant-related pneumonia (4, 7.7%) and relapsed disease (5, 9.6%) occurred. The probability of OS at +100 days, 1 year and 2-years were 100%, 78.0% and 73.9%, respectively, while the probability of DFS were 100%, 78.0% and 65.9%, respectively. The OS were 81.8% and 74.1% respectively at 1 year, 81.8% and 67.4% (P=0.352) respectively at 2 years for related and unrelated donor group. Similarly, the DFS were 81.8% and 74.1% respectively at 1 year, 71.5% and 60.6% (P=0.439) respectively at 2 years for related and unrelated donor group. In conclusion, these interim results demonstrate that the FBA/FBAA regimen is a safe and effective conditioning regimen for allo-HSCT for AML patients, with effective engraftment, low incidence of graft rejection and relapse as well as decreased incidence of severe aGVHD and cGVHD. We await the complete analyses of the results and verification of the above results. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The paper is in several parts. We explain the context of the study area that is characterized by land acquisition and transfer (LAT) by local government (often against the wishes of the local villagers). We report on a methodology that is simple, yet robust, that enables local land users and other interested parties to quantify the social capital of local people in rural and peri-urban areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR) and assess the extent to which social capital influences the bargaining power of land users when faced with acquisition of their cropland, grazing land, woodlands, water and other environmental goods and services. Finally, we explore the notion that social capital can be a force to create a more even playing field and influence the outcomes of land grab for industrial, infrastructure and urban development.
Interest in the concept of social capital and its application has increased rapidly over the past few years with the realization that social bonds and norms are important for achieving sustainability.  Ferdinand Tönnies identified the value of the ideas surrounding social capital as early as 1887, but later scholars gave it a theoretical framework.  Social capital implies that there are aspects of social structure and organization that act as resources for individuals, allowing them to realize their personal aims and interests. Often, social capital is defined as trust, norms of reciprocity, and networks among individuals that can be drawn upon for individual or collective benefit. Social capital is different between urbanites and rural dwellers, especially farmers.
In this paper, we focus on how social capital serves the interests of individuals or collectives.  Social capital based on kinship and geopolitical position plays an important role in affecting rural land transfer. Rural land transfer (also called LAT) is becoming a highly contested matter as China moves to implement its plan to increase the proportion of urban dwellers to 70% by 2030(Ma et al., 2018). Natural capital (a sub-set of social capital) should always be maintained as it is critical to sustainable economic development representing, as it does, a multidimensional concept that mirrors the different frameworks of various scientific disciplines and social groups used in valuing nature. Widespread and rampant LAT that accompanies accelerated economic development in peri-urban and rural areas (Ma et al., 2018) needs to take critical natural capital into account.


The creation of a Microfinance Innovation Fund was a prominent feature of the Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project in Indonesia. To coopt success, before establishing the Fund, the project provided technical assistance to build the capacity of partner banks, created a Board for the Fund, setup guidelines for operations, extended loans and deposits at near-market rates, and partnered with PT. Permodalan Nasional Madani that assumed the role of Fund custodian. The Microfinance Innovation Fund is set to continue successful fund operations long after project completion.


The dense central regions of tidally disrupted galaxies can survive as ultracompact dwarfs (UCDs) that hide among the luminous globular clusters (GCs) in the halo of massive galaxies. An exciting confirmation of this model is the detection of overmassive black holes in the centers of some UCDs, which also lead to elevated dynamical mass-to-light ratios (M/L dyn). Here we present new high-resolution spectroscopic observations of 321 luminous GC candidates in the massive galaxy NGC 5128/Centaurus A. Using these data we confirm 27 new luminous GCs, and measure velocity dispersions for 57 luminous GCs (with g-band luminosities between 2.5 × 105 and 2.5 × 107 L ⊙), of which 48 are new measurements. Combining these data with size measurements from Gaia, we determine the M/L dyn for all 57 luminous GCs. We see a clear bimodality in the M/L dyn distribution, with a population of normal GCs with mean M/L dyn = 1.51 ± 0.31, and a second population of ∼20 GCs with elevated mean M/L dyn = 2.68 ± 0.22. We show that black holes with masses ∼4%–18% of the luminous GCs can explain the elevated mass-to-light ratios. Hence, it is plausible that the NGC 5128 sources with elevated M/L dyn are mostly stripped galaxy nuclei that contain massive central black holes, though future high spatial resolution observations are necessary to confirm this hypothesis for individual sources. We also present a detailed discussion of an extreme outlier, VHH81-01, one of the largest and most massive GC in NGC 5128, making it an exceptionally strong candidate to be a tidally stripped nucleus.


Background: Hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HR+/HER2-) is the most common type of metastatic breast cancer (mBC). While overall the prognosis among these patients is poor with short progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), those with multiple metastatic sites (multiple mets) may have even worse clinical outcomes due to multiple organ involvement. This real-world study examined clinical outcomes among HR+/HER2- mBC patients with multiple mets. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, a sample of postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC was collected from community-based oncology practices in the US. Patients were required to have failed a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor and later initiated a new treatment (defined as the index therapy) for mBC between July 1, 2012 and April 15, 2013. Patients were classified into two mutually exclusive groups: multiple mets or single metastatic site (single met), based on the number of non-lymph-node metastatic sites at index therapy initiation. PFS, time on treatment (TOT), and OS were compared between the two study groups using Kaplan-Meier analyses with log-rank tests and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for baseline characteristics, including age, race, insurance, mBC type, and months from initiation of last adjuvant endocrine therapy to mBC diagnosis, index therapy type, index therapy line, adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and prior chemotherapy for mBC. Patients without an event were censored at the last follow-up. In addition, separate Cox proportional hazard models were conducted including an interaction term between line of therapy and study group to assess the impact of multiple mets on clinical outcomes across different lines of therapy. Results: A total of 408 patients in the single met group and 291 patients in the multiple mets group were included. Patients with multiple mets had worse ECOG performance status and a higher rate of prior chemotherapy use for mBC compared with patients in the single met group. Relative to patients with single met, patients with multiple mets were associated with significantly shorter PFS (log-rank test p Conclusion: Among HR+/HER2- mBC patients, those with multiple mets had significantly worse clinical outcomes, highlighting substantial disease burden and unmet need for more efficacious treatment for these patients. Citation Format: Xie J, Hao Y, Li N, Lin PL, Ohashi E, Koo V, Wu EQ. Clinical outcomes among HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients with multiple metastatic sites. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-20.


Retinal vessel segmentation is critical in detecting retinal blood vessels for a variety of eye disorders, and a consistent computerized method is required for automatic eye disorder screening. Many methods of retinal blood vessel segmentation are implemented, but these methods only yielded accuracy and lack of good sensitivity due to the coherence of retinal blood vessel segmentation. Another main factor of low sensitivity is the proper technique to handle the low-varying contrast problem. In this study, we proposed a five-step technique for assessing the impact of retinal blood vessel coherence on retinal blood vessel segmentation. The proposed technique for retinal blood vessels involved four steps and is known as the preprocessing module. These four stages of the pre-processing module handle the retinal image process in the first stage, uneven illumination and noise issues using morphological operations in the second stage, and image conversion to grayscale using principal component analysis (PCA) in the third step. The fourth step is the main step of contributing to the coherence of retinal blood vessels using anisotropic diffusion filtering and testing their different schemes and get a better coherent image on the optimized anisotropic diffusion filtering. The last step included double thresholds with morphological image reconstruction techniques to produce a segmented image of the vessel. The performances of the proposed method are validated on the publicly available database named DRIVE and STARE. Sensitivity values of 0.811 and 0.821 on STARE and DRIVE respectively meet and surpass other existing methods, and comparable accuracy values of 0.961 and 0.954 on STARE and DRIVE databases to existing methods. This proposed new method for retinal blood vessel segmentations can help medical experts diagnose eye disease and recommend treatment in a timely manner.


This article addresses planning for natural disaster management. It focuses on composing preventive measures before a natural disaster. Assuming a potential tsunami hitting the coast of Sanur (the southern and eastern coastal-fronts of Kota Denpasar - Bali's capital), analysis is grounded by conducting numerical-based computer modeling. It relies on three sets of data: slope, coefficient of surface roughness, and wave height impact. This computer modeling generates scenarios of potential inundation whose catastrophic consequences would have serious impacts on urban life, individuals, and the island's economy. Based on the height of the wave hitting the coast, three scenarios of 5, 10, and 15 Meters are projected. A numerical-based modeling system provides hypothetical data that is then deterministic in analyzing critically impacted urban areas before any spatial-based evacuation scenario can be developed. The study concludes that Denpasar is potentially in a perilous situation. There is a great and present danger that demands impact-based mitigation planning for natural disasters, which is currently absent. Working with a priority, study findings lead to the most urgent need to constitute a plan for tsunami-based mitigation for Serangan Island – one among ten administrative territories of the selected case study - inundation caused by all three scenarios fully submerge that. However, given Denpasar's extensive and encompassing littoral zones, the need for such a plan – for all ten spatial units that come under its administration - is now urgent and of maximum priority.


Plant roots are inhabited by an enormous variety of microorganisms, including fungi, which can control the growth as well as regulate the health of the host plants. The mycobiome composition of the roots of wheat plants, especially spelt, under drought stress has been rarely investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the composition of fungal communities in the root endosphere and rhizosphere of three Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta L. cultivars and one Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare L. cultivar, grown under drought and controlled conditions in different soil preparations. Culture-dependent fungal community profiling was performed to examine the impact of rhizocompartments (endosphere, rhizosphere), host genotype, watering status and different soil preparation on roots mycobiome structure. A total of 117 fungal strains, belonging to 22 genera, were found to colonize the internal and external parts of roots in T. aestivum ssp. spelta L. and T. aestivum ssp. vulgare L. cultivars. The results showed that the part of root and soil preparation type significantly determined the mycobiome composition of wheat roots.


Mass loss in the mouse testis per unit of absorbed dose was used as a means of comparing acute external with protracted internal whole body irradiation. The external and internal sources were X-rays and 22Na respectively. Estimates of the absolute dose to the testis from 22Na were made. The effects of acute and protracted radiation on the integrated loss in mass in the testis per unit of absorbed dose are similar.


The demand for SAR Saudi Arabian Real for hajj which is very high especially during the hajj season. Rupiah exchange rate trends (Rp) against SAR and USD which continue to weaken potentially increase the risk of exchange rate while the hajj pilgrims do not hedge sharia so that it can affect the pilgrimage fund managed by Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH). Alternative islamic hedging can be implemented with various durations, pricing and the value of hajj funds, however research and simulation have not been design to address the most optimal design. Meanwhile, there is an understanding that it would not be profitable to do islamic hedging. This study aims: (i) to analyze islamic hedging transactions for sharia-based pilgrim funds through a static simulation, (ii) to identify the amount of cost savings gained, optimal time and pricing as well as the exact time and amount of hajj funds for islamic hedging, (iii) to provide recommendations to BPKH.
This study uses static simulation with Islamic hedging scheme using a simple forward contract ('Aqd al Tahawwuth al-Basith) and comparative analysis methods on the data of 25% of pilgrim funds in Bank Syariah Commercial Bank (BUS) during 2003-2016. The simulation involves a BUS conducting a contract of sale and purchase of USD with a conventional commercial bank (BUK), then BUK entered into a SAR selling agreement with a foreign bank (BA). The calculation of premium uses financial indicators as a reference, among others, Sharia Interbank Money Market (PUAS), Interbank Money Night (PUAB) and Saudi Arabia Interbank Offer Night (SAIBON) rate.
Based on the simulation of islamic hedging finds that: (i) the optimal time period is 12 months due to the longer the period of islamic hedging, the greater the cost savings, (ii) the ideal time for islamic hedging is when the IDR weakens against USD about 20%-30% and 40%-50%, (iii) the worst time for islamic hedging is when IDR increase 10%-20% to SAR, (iv) the amount of hajj funds could earn the maximum cost savings if islamic hedging was conducted with the amount of Rp 2.4 trillion up to Rp 2.7 trillion and Rp 5.2 trillion up to Rp 8.5 trillion.
Based on the result, this research propose to BPKH are:(i) BPKH is recommended to undertake shariah hedging with consideration of the right time and the optimal amount of hajj fund and the potential cost savings that can be obtained,(ii) the ideal time for islamic hedging is when the IDR weakens against USD and SAR, while the IDR increase against USD and SAR is not recommended, (iii) the amount of hajj funds could earn the maximum cost savings is Rp 2.4 trillion up to Rp 2.7 trillion and Rp 5.2 trillion up to Rp 8.5 trillion, (iv) the optimal time period is 12 months. Therefore, BPKH needs to monitor the rupiah fluctuation against SAR and USD as well as the yield of money market instruments prior to sharia hedging.


While many books focus on the broader, socially ethical topics of widening participation and promoting equal opportunities, this text focuses specifically on the lecturer's professional responsibilities. It covers everyday, real-life moral dilemmas which confront university teachers when dealing with students and colleagues - whether arising from facilitated discussion in the classroom, deciding whether it is fair to extend a deadline, investigating suspected plagiarism or dealing with complaints.


This paper presents the simulation of series resonant converter system with proposed 32 pulse density modulation (PDM) patterns which transfer the electrical energy obtained from PV panels to load with high power density. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is achieved by deleting some control pulses. Therefore, zero current switching (ZCS) is achieved at 100 kHz resonant frequency. The average output power changes of series resonant converter are given according to the proposed 32 PDM patterns. Both the MPPT algorithm and the high frequency series resonant converter are controlled by TMS320F28335 DSP. In the 600 W PV system, soft switching condition is achieved by using the proposed 32 PDM technique.


Background Psoriasis [Ps] is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting about 1–2% of the world population; approximately 20–30% of patients have psoriatic arthritis [PsA]. PsA can affect peripheral and axial joints, eyes, ileum, colon and skin. Genetic studies reveal common candidate genes including IL23R, IL12B, STAT3, and CARD9, all associated with IL-23 signalling. We demonstrated increased frequencies of Th17 cells in patients with Ps and PsA and the clinical importance of IL-23/Th17 is revealed by the efficacy of biologics targeting this pathway. Whilst IL-17 was thought to be pathogenic in inflammatory conditions such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the redundancy of IL-17 but essential requirement for GM-CSF release by Th17 cells was shown. GM-CSF+ T cells were identified in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with multiple sclerosis but a role in the aetio-pathogenesis of PsA has not been established. Objectives 1) Are GM-CSF+ T cells enriched in peripheral blood and synovial fluid obtained from patients with PsA? 2) Is GM-CSF co-produced with IFN-g? 3) Do CD4+GM-CSF+ T cells express surface markers characteristic of Th17? 4) Is GM-CSF release augmented by exogenous IL-23 and/or IL-12? Methods PBMC or synovial fluid derived from patients with PsA, or healthy donor (HD) PBMC, were stimulated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 +/− recombinant IL-23 or IL-12. Supernatants were harvested and analysed by ELISA for IL-17, IFN-γ or GM-CSF. Alternatively, cells were activated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, and evaluated for the expression of the Th17-associated cell surface markers CCR6, CD161 & IL-23R plus IL-17A, IFN-g and GM-CSF by flow cytometry. Results GM-CSF release from PsA PBMC was higher than that of HD, whereas IFN-g levels were higher in HD. This was most significant on comparing the ratio of IFN-g to GM-CSF. On examining the co-expression of GM-CSF and IFN-g in CD4+ T cells, PsA patients had higher proportions of GM-CSF+ single positive and fewer GM-CSF+IFN-g+ relative to HD. There was also marked enrichment of CD4+GM-CSF+ cells in synovial fluid. On evaluating the expression of the Th17-associated markers CCR6, CD161 and IL-23R, we demonstrated that whereas almost all CD4+IL-17+ cells expressed CCR6, approximately 50% of CD4+GM-CSF+ cells expressed this chemokine receptor. Surprisingly, there were fewer PsA patient CD4+GM-CSF+ peripheral blood T cells co-expressing CCR6, CD161 and IL-23R relative to HD. Finally, IL-23 has been shown to render Th17 cells more pathogenic, hence we examined the effect of this cytokine on GM-CSF release. We showed that whilst IL-17 release was enhanced by exogenous IL-23, GM-CSF release was significantly downregulated with little effect on IFN-g. In contrast, IL-12 increased IFN-g and GM-CSF, and reduced IL-17. Conclusions IL-23 and Th17 cells are therapeutic targets in PsA, and mouse models of inflammation suggest that pathogenic Th17 cells release GM-CSF. We reveal that GM-CSF release is elevated in patients with PsA, and GM-CSF+ cells are enriched in diseased joints. However, only a proportion of GM-CSF+ cells exhibited features of Th17. Furthermore, IL-23 downmodulated GM-CSF whilst enhancing IL-17. Given that GM-CSF was mainly produced by cells not co-expressing IFN-g in PsA patients [in contrast to healthy donors], this subset may be pathogenic in PsA and warrants further investigation. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Background Although SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects adults, the increasing emergence of infected pediatric patients has been recently reported. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the value of imaging in relation to the clinical severity of this pandemic emergency. Objectives To demonstrate the relationships between clinical and radiological COVID-19 findings and to determine the most effective standardized pediatric clinical and imaging strategies predicting the disease severity. Patients and Methods. This observational study enrolled eighty pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. The studied patients were categorized according to the disease severity and the presence of comorbidities. Patients' clinical findings, chest X-ray, and CT imaging results were analyzed. Patients' evaluations using several clinical and radiological severity scores were recorded. The relations between clinical and radiological severities were examined. Results Significant associations were found between severe-to-critical illness and abnormal radiological findings (p = 0.009). In addition, chest X-ray score, chest CT severity score, and rapid evaluation of anamnesis, PO2, imaging disease, and dyspnea-COVID (RAPID-COVID) score were significantly higher among patients with severe infection (p < 0.001, <0.001, and 0.001) and those with comorbidities (p = 0.005, 0.002, and <0.001). Conclusions Chest imaging of pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection may be of value during the evaluation of severe cases of infected pediatric patients and in those with underlying comorbid conditions, especially during the early stage of infection. Moreover, the combined use of specific clinical and radiological COVID-19 scores are likely to be a successful measure of the extent of disease severity.


In this paper, several modications of the quasi-interpolation operator of Scott and Zhang (30) are discussed. The modied operators are dened for non-smooth functions and are suited for application on anisotropic meshes. The anisotropy of the elements is reflected in the local stability and approximation error estimates. As an application, an example is considered where anisotropic nite element meshes are appropriate, namely the Poisson problem in domains with edges.


During the last decade, anomaly detection has attracted the attention of many researchers to overcome the weakness of signature-based IDSs in detecting novel attacks, and KDDCUP'99 is the mostly widely used data set for the evaluation of these systems. Having conducted a statistical analysis on this data set, we found two important issues which highly affects the performance of evaluated systems, and results in a very poor evaluation of anomaly detection approaches. To solve these issues, we have proposed a new data set, NSL-KDD, which consists of selected records of the complete KDD data set and does not suffer from any of mentioned shortcomings.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and a common cause of nosocomial infections. Aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are a class of enzymes that catalyze the covalent attachment of amino acids to their cognate tRNAs during protein biosynthesis. We describe here the enzymatic characterization and development of a screening platform based on prolyl‐tRNA synthetase (ProRS) from P. aeruginosa.


"Urbanization of places" in China has produced a large group of landless farmers, who have never left their home villages but are compelled to adjust to an urban way of life. Using ethnographic data collected in three transitional communities, this study examines the transformation of child care arrangement patterns in the families of landless farmers during this transition. Generation-based child care arrangements, in which both paternal grandparents become primary caregivers of children, while their parents take up full employment in the city, have replaced the previous gender-based pattern. Although the new arrangements create challenges for the newly urbanized families, they are largely accepted by all family members because they are in line with the "urban" values of efficiency and survival. But these values still conflict with the ideals of urban motherhood, and this contradiction often leaves the mothers of young children feeling guilty and anxious. This study enriches the literature on family child care construction under structural changes and reflects on the meaning of urbanization in China.


s of some of the theses listed as completed may be found in "Dissertation Abstracts," published bi-monthly by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.


The efficacy and efficiency of 5874 diagnostic X-rays at the Department of Traumatology, University Clinics of Frankfurt, West-Germany, were reviewed. Efficiency of the method was extremely high with false results in only 0.00017%. The efficacy of the diagnostic traumatologic X-ray procedures could be markedly increased with a more critical approach in indications and the avoidance of routine diagnostic X-rays mainly of the skull. This study shows an optional reduction of traumatologic X-rays of 16% and a concomitant reduction in costs of 17.2%.


In this paper a dynamic model of the provision of a public good with incomplete information is developed. For a finite population, in addition to the standard underprovision type of results, inefficiency occurs because of a delay in contributions. For an infinite population, although delay may disappear, underprovision remains so that equilibrium is still inefficient. Policy implications of these results are described, emphasis being put on possible government intervention with incomplete information.