Several studies suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BPD) are neuroprogressive illnesses. Besides clinical features, neurobiological mechanisms have been suggested to contribute to the neuroprogression of mood disorders. Biological factors that have been shown to contribute significantly toward the neuroprogressive course of these disorders are inflammatory markers, such as cytokines. Cytokines have been extensively investigated, primarily in the serum of MDD and BPD patients, and these studies show cytokine abnormalities in both adolescent and adult patients with mood disorders. However, cytokine abnormalities in the brain may also contribute toward neuroprogression, but brain cytokines have not been adequately investigated. To examine the role of cytokines in neuroprogression, we have studied the markers of adaptive and innate immunity in postmortem brain obtained from teenage and adult suicide victims and gene expression of cytokines and their membrane-bound receptors in lymphocytes of MDD and BPD patients. Cytokines and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) were studied in 24 teenage suicide victims and 24 normal control (NC) subjects, and also in 22 adult depressed suicide victims and 20 adult NC subjects. We found that the protein and mRNA expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were significantly higher in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We also found that the protein and mRNA expression of TLRs, which are major mediators of innate immunity, is increased in the PFC of adult depressed suicide victims and NC subjects. In patients, mRNA and protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was significantly increased in both MDD and BPD patients. Similarly, mRNA expression of some specific membrane-bound receptors, such as IL1R1, TNFR1, IL1RA, were significantly increased in lymphocytes of MDD and BPD patients. These studies indicate the existence of abnormal cytokines and TLRs in the brain of teenage and adult suicide victims. Future studies, including both teenage and adult postmortem samples, will be needed to further clarify the role of cytokines and TLRs in neuroprogression.


Genome-wide association analyses have identified an ovarian cancer susceptibility locus near BNC2 at 9p22.2 (OR 0.82, p 5.1 × 10 −19 , Nat Genet 41:996-1000, 2009), based on 1,772 and 2,354 Stage I cases and controls, 4,803 and 5,237 Stage 2 cases and controls, and extensive Stage 3 analysis in independent samples. Here, we report on Stage 3 analysis of nine additional regions with Stage 2 results at p −4 . Stage 1 samples were genotyped using the Illumina 610Quad and imputed at up to 2 million SNPs; Stage 2 samples were genotyped on an Illumina iSelect of 22,790 SNPs. Stage 3 samples from 4,335 cases (including 2,197 serous subtype) and 5,951 controls (14 studies) were genotyped using Illumina or Sequenom at up to 32 SNPs on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11, and 17. No evidence of heterogeneity by study site was observed. Logistic regression revealed four regions with ordinal p ≤ 10 −7 in all cases or serous subtype only. The most significant finding for all cases was for rs2072590 at 2q31.1 (all cases OR 1.15, p=8.1 × 10 −13 ; serous only OR 1.19 p=9.0 × 10 −13 ) which is located 3.8 kb 3-prime of HOXD3, a homeobox gene which also had an intronic SNP (rs2301301) with p=3.1 × 10 −5 (all cases). Second, we observed a locus at 8q24.21 highlighted by rs10088218 (all cases OR 0.84, p=1.3 × 10 −9 ; serous only OR 0.75 p=2.2 × 10 −14 ). This locus resides on the opposite side of MYC and 1.3 Mb from the 8q24 regions harboring loci for other cancers, and is independent of the other cancer-associated variants (r 2 −7 ; serous only OR 1.26, p=3.2 × 10 −8 ). Finally, at 17q21.32, rs9303542 was associated with risk particularly among serous cases (all cases OR 1.13, p=1.5 × 10 −6 ; serous only OR 1.16 p=4.3 × 10 −7 ); this SNP is intronic to SKAP1 (src kinase associated phosphoprotein 1). We evaluated the functional role of genes at these loci in ovarian cancer and normal ovarian epithelial cells and in an in vitro model of neoplastic initiation and progression from normal ovarian epithelial cells after CYMC and KRAS activation. Both BNC2 and TiPARP were down regulated in cancer versus normal cells (p=5 × 10 −9 and p=3.4 × 10 −5 , respectively) suggesting that loss of function is required for cancer development. Over-expressing CMYC (at 8q24) induced neoplastic transformation of normal ovarian cells. Both BNC2 and TiPARP were down-regulated following CMYC over-expression and showed significant loss of function with further transformation after mutant KRAS activation (p=7.8 × 10 −7 and p=6.3 × 10 −4 , respectively). These results emphasize the importance of genome-wide association studies and consortia for the identification of moderate-risk alleles in rare cancers. Importantly, our findings unravel the genetic components of this disease and suggest functionally-significant novel targets. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3860.


This paper proposes a high accuracy classifier for human activity based on data collected with a single tri-axial accelerometer mounted on the right part of the hip. The accuracy of this classifier is very important for detecting the postures. Therefore we use methods like acceleration magnitude and neural network and compare them to find the best solution.


Pandemic COVID-19 untuk Kelelahan Perawat Pada Pandemic Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic causes increased burdens and anxiety when performing tasks for long periods of time and can lead to decreased energy and ultimately psychosocial fatigue. The aim of the study was to analyze the Decrease in Energy and Nurse Fatigue during the COVID-19 Pandemic Disaster. Research design using cross sectional. The study population was all nurses in Kediri City, the research sample was several nurses who were taken by accidental sampling technique. The independent variable of this research was the decrease in energy, the dependent variable of this research was the fatigue of nurses. The statistical test used the Spearmen rho test with α <0.05. The results showed that most respondents had a decrease in energy from mild to extreme (57%) and the majority of respondents experienced fatigue from mild to total fatigue (72.1%). The results showed that there were 2.3% of nurses who experienced extreme energy reduction with exhaustion or total fatigue. The results of statistical tests with Spearman's rho obtained Ρ value <0.001, which means that there is a significant relationship between decreased energy and fatigue. Lack of energy is related to the fatigue that occurred in nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic, so prevention is needed so that nurses can carry out energy management so that it does not cause an impact from nurse fatigue.


We provide data on the distribution of 23 big-headed fly species (Diptera: Brachycera: Pipunculidae) from Fars province, southern Iran. Two new species of the genus Tomosvaryella Aczél, T. angulata sp. nov. and T. pistacia sp. nov., are described and illustrated. The new species show a clear morphological affiliation to the T. congoana species-group that was hitherto only known from the Afrotropical region. Nine species recorded herein represent first records for Iran. The number of pipunculid species recorded from Iran is now raised to 30. By DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene, males and females could be unequivocally associated with each other for most species.


We present the results of a research project in which we analyze the discourses of schoolteachers around sexuality and their response to the online course Comprehensive Sex Education, implemented by the Argentine Ministry of Education. The course was attended by over 3.000 schoolteachers from all over the country during the period 2008-2011. By using qualitative social research techniques, we analyzed the participation of the schoolteachers in the virtual forums of the online course during the 2009 and 2010 editions. We identified the main categories which emerged from the teachers' reflections and biographical stories around the dimensions of gender, sexual rights, the role of schools in sex education, and their view on their own biographical experiences.


Conductive thiophene-based polymers have garnered great attention for use in organic electron materials such as electrochromic and thermoelectric materials. However, they suffer from poor electron transport properties and long-term stability, leading to limited development eventually. Here, we proposed a strategy of functionalized thiophene-based polymers with oligo(ethylene glycol) or alkyl side chains and synthesized a series of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy bithiophene)s (PEDTs) to tune their electrochromic and thermoelectric properties. An alkyl group bearing electronic ability at the thiophene ring effectively achieved a large increase in the electrical conductivity with nearly invariable Seebeck coefficient, resulting in an enhancement by 1 order of magnitude for the thermoelectric power factor. Moreover, the electrochromic properties of functionalized PEDTs gained an effective improvement in the optical contrast and coloration efficiency as well as stability with multicolor changes between neutral and oxidized states. The functionalized PEDTs can be proposed as an alternative strategy to tune the electrochromic and thermoelectric properties for organic polymer materials.


Unveiling spatial expression patterns across tissues has been key for studying de-velopmental processes, division of labor mechanisms, as well as variations in health and disease. Along the rapid development of improved experimental as-says, computational methods have been shown to successfully recover spatial information from non-spatial single-cell data using reference atlases and/or as-sumptions about tissue organization such as relative smoothness of expression. However, spatial reconstruction can still be challenging for complex tissues, especially given a limited reference atlas. Here we show how information about tissue microenvironments statistics, such as cell type neighborhoods, or co-localization priors, can enhance tissue reconstruction in such cases. Specifically, we incorpo-rate co-localization priors as a generalization of novoSpaRc, an optimal transport-based framework for tissue reconstruction given single-cell data, which relies at its core on an interpolation between a structural correspondence assumption between expression and physical space and a potential reference atlas. We demonstrate that incorporating cell type co-localization priors can enhance the reconstruction of the mammalian organ of Corti and testicular spatial structure.


The present invention relates to electrochemical methods for altering a biological characteristic of an aquatic organism such as an algae or bacterium. The invention includes alterations to biologicalcharacteristics such as growth rate, membrane permeability and buoyancy.


OBJECTIVE
Prehabilitation, intended as a multidisciplinary approach where physical training is combined with educational and counselling training, in cardiology could optimizing care, and has been shown to be able to reduce morbidity and mortality in several diseases. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of a prehabilitation program in elderly patients (over 65) with chronic heart failure and to evaluate functional and quality indices of life.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
This is randomized, single blind controlled trial. Fourteen older adult patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned into the study or the control group. Patients in the study group underwent physical training organized into 10 twice-weekly meetings, nutritional and lifestyle counseling.

RESULTS
In the Study Group, the quality of life improved significantly (EQoL-5D), and between the two groups there is a statistically significant difference in the motor dimension of SF-36.

CONCLUSIONS
Because of our preliminary results, prehabilitation program should be included among the management strategies of in elderly patients with chronic heart failure to better manage their disease and to improve their Quality of Life.


During the eighteenth, nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, water wheels were important hydraulic energy converters. It is estimated that in England 25,000–30,000 wheels were in operation around 1850; in Germany 33,500 water wheels were recorded as late as 1925. Today, only very few water wheels are still in use. Low head hydropower is seldom exploited, since cost-effective energy converters for these conditions are not available. A small number of companies are currently again manufacturing apparently economically attractive over- and undershot water wheels; the performance characteristics of these wheels are however unclear so that the assessment of the potential of a site as well as their design and efficient operation relies on estimates. A number of engineering textbooks and three detailed experimental studies of water wheel design and performance were published between 1850 and 1935, but nowadays appear to be virtually unknown. A detailed study of these reports was conducted, and the performance characteristics of overshot water wheels were analysed in order to assess the application of such wheels for electricity generation. It was found that water wheels have to be designed for a given flow rate, head difference and intended operating regime. Properly designed overshot wheels have an efficiency of 85%, undershot wheels of approximately 75% for 0.2 < Q/Qmax < 1.0, making this type of energy converter suitable for the exploitation of highly variable flows.Water wheels must, however, be operated within certain parameter ranges in order to be able to perform efficiently; they appear to offer an efficient and cost-effective solution for the exploitation of low head hydropower sources.


Recent evidence on the chemoprevention of breast cancer has come from a number of sources: 1) Recent data on a new SERM – lasofoxifene – suggests this might be an attractive option, but further details are needed to fully evaluate its role. 2) Update on the tamoxifen and raloxifene preventive trials have shown a continued benefit after treatment completion, and an overview is ongoing to combine all the post-treatment data on risks and benefits. 3) Simple biomarkers for the preventive effect of tamoxifen have been reported. These include both genetic markers such as 2D6 polymorphisms and the observation that 12-18 month changes in breast density are predicative of the subsequent preventive benefit of this drug. A report from the ATAC trial indicating that the occurrence of endocrine symptoms predicts response to both tamoxifen and anastrozole may also have relevance in the preventive setting. 4) Long term follow-up of the adjuvant trials using aromatase trials has provided new evidence on the duration of a potential preventive effect by looking at isolated new contralateral tumours. This has been an excellent model for tamoxifen and may well also be so for the AIs. 5) New data confirm the long term protective effect of aspirin on breast cancer, but suggests it needs to be taken for at least 10 years to get a benefit. Mixed data have appeared for the statins. These issues will be reviewed and discussed. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr ES2-1.


This paper outlines the performance of the recent policies to strengthen the Brazilian productive structure and to support the country's innovation. The method selected for the analysis is the case study. Based on bibliographic, documental, and empirical evidences, the objective of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Brazilian Technology System (SIBRATEC), founded in 2007. The effectiveness of this system will be assessed through an outline of the institutional arrangement of the Technological Extension Network in Rio de Janeiro (SIBRATEC-ET Rede RJ) which supports competitiveness of micro, small and medium industrial enterprises (MPMEs) in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Results indicate that the institutional aspects of the arrangement do not contribute to facilitate the support to enterprises. The levels of efficiency and efficacy achieved with the use of the available technical-administrative state capabilities have failed to correspond to the expectation of providing consistent support to the state's industrial base. However, the instruments SIBRATEC-ET Rede RJ uses to assist local MPMEs are flexible and designed aiming to adjust to the identified enterprises' demands, which evidences great adherence in the provision of support to improve the performance and the capacities of enterprises, in order to reach the level of key-technologies.


The study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Dendrobium officinale flower extraction (DOFE) on alcohol-induced liver injury and its probable mechanisms in mice. The chemical composition of DOFE was performed via UPLC/MS. Male Kunming mice were used to establish alcohol-induced liver injury models by oral gavage of 56% alcohol. Results showed that DOFE dramatically attenuated the increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), and triacylglycerol (TG). Meanwhile, hematoxylin and eosin and Oil Red O staining showed that DOFE attenuated degeneration, inflammatory infiltration, and lipid droplet accumulation. DOFE was also found to suppress the activity of malonaldehyde (MDA) and enhanced the level of glutathione (GSH) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) in the liver. The protection of DOFE against oxidative stress was associated with the downregulation of hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase l (NQO1). Additionally, DOFE suppressed inflammation via downregulating Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and nuclear factor kappa-B P65 (NF-κB P65). Thus, DOFE exhibited a significant protective effect against alcohol-induced liver injury through its antisteatosis, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effect.


This article introduces the scope and activities linked to an end of studies project. This project is a collaboration between UNIZA and ENAC and includes work of Pascal Roches and Thierry Druot on top of the student and his UNIZA tutor mentioned above. This article describes the environment of ENAC and the particular department CADO in which the project is being accomplished. It also sets the definition of the project, its main goals and deliverables. Finally, it shows methods of the work that has been done so far, that is the completion of the database of 324 commercial aircraft, which took the largest amount of time so far. It also introduces the software, which will be used to define different models required to calculate initial dimensions and performance parameters of battery or fuel cell concept aircraft.


Updates on an operational database bring forth the challenge of keeping the frequent itemsets up-to-date without re-running the itemset mining algorithms. Studies on dynamic itemset mining, which is the solution to such an update problem, have to address some challenges as handling i updates without re-running the base algorithm, ii changes in the support threshold, iii new items and iv additions/deletions in updates. The study in this paper is the extension of the Incremental Matrix Apriori Algorithm which proposes solutions to the first three challenges besides inheriting the advantages of the base algorithm which works without candidate generation. In the authors' current work, the authors have improved a former algorithm as to handle updates that are composed of additions and deletions. The authors have also carried out a detailed performance evaluation study on a real and two benchmark datasets.


Squamous cell carcinoma represents more than 90% of esophageal cancers; its prognosis is still extremely severe. A treatment consisting in the combined use of preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy is now in course of experimentation at Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan. Over a period of 28 months (July 1985 to October 1987), 21 patients with 22 lesions (stage III) underwent a double contrast study of the esophagus, both before and after therapy. The radiological evaluation of the lesions after treatment was compared with the pathological diagnosis. Radiological diagnosis has been confirmed in 86.3% of cases (19/22 lesions) as far as mucosal detailing was concerned. On the contrary, radiological evaluation has proven unreliable as far as submucosal layers were concerned. No radiological false positives have been observed.


Nonbranded/unauthorized vendors had been manufacturing/selling what they described as bosutinib, while the material supplied was actually an isomer of bosutinib. This raised concerns within the worldwide research community around the established control strategies for bosutinib. This manuscript summarizes that the appropriate testing was in place to ensure product quality, along with additional experimentation that was performed to confirm that testing (methods) can differentiate the potential isomeric compounds. Testing includes the use of IR for identity confirmation of raw materials, material characterization by NMR, single crystal X-ray to confirm structure, and evaluation of several potential isomers by HPLC, melting point, and IR, thus demonstrating the control strategy needed to ensure the product controls.


Reactions of [PPh4]2[WS4] in CH3CN with excess n-hexylbromide, 1,4-dichlorobutane, 2-(bromomethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran) (bmthp), and 2-(bromoethyl)-1,3-dioxane (bedo) followed by extraction with THF afforded a series of alkylthiolatotrithiotungstate complexes, [PPh4][(RS)WS3] (1: R = n-hexyl; 2: R = ClCH2CH2CH2CH2; 3: R = mthp; 4: R = edo), and the analogous reactions of [PPh4]2[MoS4] in CH3CN–THF with excess bmthp and bedo also generated [PPh4][(RS)MoS3] (5: R = mthp; 6: R = edo), albeit in low yields.
Treatment of [PPh4]2[WS4] in CH3CN with excess (S)-(+)-3-bromo-2-methyl-1-propanol turned out to give a trinuclear, [PPh4]2[W3S8((S)-(+)-OCH2CH(Me)CH2Br)2] (7). Compounds 1–7 were characterized spectroscopically and the crystal structures of 2–7 were determined by X-ray analysis. All the mononuclear complexes 2–6 assume tetrahedral structures, being coordinated by one thiolate sulfur and three terminal sulfido ligands, and no additional coordination was observed by the O-donor portions of mthp or edo. The structure of 7 consists
of a linear W3 spine and two (S)-(+)-OCH2CH(Me)CH2Br ligands are coordinated at the central W atom.


We propose a new setting for testing properties of distributions while receiving samples from several distributions, but few samples per distribution. Given samples from $s$ distributions, $p_1, p_2, \ldots, p_s$, we design testers for the following problems: (1) Uniformity Testing: Testing whether all the $p_i$'s are uniform or $\epsilon$-far from being uniform in $\ell_1$-distance (2) Identity Testing: Testing whether all the $p_i$'s are equal to an explicitly given distribution $q$ or $\epsilon$-far from $q$ in $\ell_1$-distance, and (3) Closeness Testing: Testing whether all the $p_i$'s are equal to a distribution $q$ which we have sample access to, or $\epsilon$-far from $q$ in $\ell_1$-distance. By assuming an additional natural condition about the source distributions, we provide sample optimal testers for all of these problems.


Bismaleimide (BMI) resins are a new breed of thermosetting resins used mainly for high temperature applications and have major usage in aerospace. BMI polymer coatings were deposited on aluminum and mild steel substrates. The effect of corrosion on mild steel and aluminum by Ringers Solution and there protection using BMI coatings were observed. X-ray diffraction studies showed crystalline nature of the BMI coatings. Surface contact angle measurements were carried out using goniometer.


Collaboration between organizations benefits from knowledge links -- a form of strategic alliance that gives organizations access to the skills and capabilities of their partner and opportunity to create new capabilities together. Using the example of alliances between two universities and SAP AG, the market leader in Enterprise Software, the paper suggests some management practices to improve goal congruence, trust and alignment between different organizational cultures. For example, face-to-face interactions are critical for building a close relationship over time. A theoretical framework of the five phases of partnership development and the three challenges faced by knowledge link partnerships is proposed, along with implications for management, universities and research.


Current quality of service models such as those embodied in the differentiated services proposal, rely on data path aggregation to achieve scalability. Data path aggregation bundles into a single aggregate multiple flows with the same quality requirements, hence decreasing the amount of state to be kept. A similar scalability concern exists on the control path, where the state required to account for individual reservations needs to be minimized. There have been several proposals aimed at control path aggregation, and the goal of the paper is to expand on these works in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the various parameters that influence the efficiency of different approaches. In particular, we focus on inter-domain control aggregation, and compare an autonomous system (AS) sink-tree based approach with two examples of a shared AS segment based approach, in terms of the amount of state kept, both per AS and per edge router Our main contributions are in providing a greater understanding into the design of efficient control path aggregation methods.


Centrioles were studied in living and fixed testes of neuropteran insects by light, phase-contrast, and electron microscopy. Giant centrioles, measuring up to 8.0 µ in length (according to the species), develop in meiotic prophase, whereas only minute centrioles are found in spermatogonia. The giant centrioles have essentially the same ultrastructure as described for smaller centrioles, but their periodic structure is more clearly defined. The growth of giant centrioles consists of two phases. First, a procentriole lengthens to the size of its mother centriole, as in mitosis; then the four centriolar rods of one cell continue their growth simultaneously and at the same rate. At their distal ends centriolar vesicles are attached. These originate from invaginations of the cell membrane and apparently contribute to the growth of the centrioles. Neuropteran spermatids, like those of other insects, have only one centriolar rod, while spermatids of many other animals contain two centrioles. The origin and significance of this difference are unknown.


This paper reports an evaluation of the properties of medium-quality concrete incorporating recycled coarse aggregate (RCA). Concrete specimens were prepared with various percentages of the RCA (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The workability, mechanical properties, and durability in terms of abrasion of cured concrete were examined at different ages. The results reveal insignificant differences between the recycled concrete (RC) and reference concrete in terms of the mechanical and durability-related measurements. Meanwhile, the workability of the RC reduced vastly since the replacement of the RCA reached 75% and 100%. The ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) results greatly depend on the porosity of concrete and the RC exhibited higher porosity than that of the reference concrete, particularly at the transition zone between the RCA and the new paste. Therefore, the sound transmission in the RC required longer times than that in the reference concrete. Moreover, a predictive equation relating the compressive strength to the UPV was developed.


An active oil-oxidizing bacterium, named Nap C was isolated from the sediment sample of Port Dickson coastal area for this study. Nap C is a gram negative, rod shape marine bacterium. It forms spore when the condition is not favorable. Three different types of treated marine sediment; sand, silt and clay were used in this study. The degradation of Malaysian Tapis A crude oil in the different types of marine sediment were assessed. Silt type of marine sediment was found to sustain highest biodegradation compared to clay type and sand type. 86.67% of the Malaysian Tapis A crude oil was degraded in silt type of marine sediment within 10 days of incubation. Where as there were only 60% and 73% of the Malaysian Tapis A crude oil was degraded in sand and clay type of marine sediment respectively. Microbial biomass estimation in the sediment was estimated by indirect phospholipid enumeration technique.


Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)is an excellent technique to reduce the effect of frequency selective in time varying multipath channels by dividing the transmission bandwidth into many narrow-band subcarriers, each of which exhibits an approximately flat fading. Cyclic extensions are added to OFDM symbols to allow time for mutipath signals from the previous symbol to die away before the information from the current symbol is gathered. In this paper, a modified OFDM scheme for image transmission is proposed. The new proposal is based on modification of the OFDM structure through using unequal power allocation for the successive OFDM symbols. Unequal cyclic time guard is also applied with unequal power allocation. The proposed method is compared with the conventional OFDM. Results show that the performance is improved at lower average cyclic extension periods and lower average power when using the proposed method. The performance study of OFDM scheme is examined with and without forward error correction (FEC).


AIM AND OBJECTIVES
To evaluate changes in compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO), compassion satisfaction (CS) and fear of COVID-19 among Spanish nurses by comparing two assessment points: before and after the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a great impact in healthcare worker's professional quality of life, especially among nurses. CF, BO and fear of COVID-19 decisively affect the care provided by nurses and put them at risk for mental health problems, so longitudinal studies are essential.

DESIGN
A repeated cross-sectional design was carried out with a time-lapse of 12 months.

METHODS
A total of 439 registered nurses in December 2020 and 410 in December 2021 participated in this study through an online survey. Data were collected using the Professional Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Occupational and sociodemographic variables were also analysed. This article adheres to the STROBE guidelines for the reporting of observational studies.

RESULTS
The fear of COVID-19 has not been reduced among nurses. The levels of BO remain stable and continue to be high in half of the professionals. CF has been reduced with a small effect size (d = 0.30), while CS has also decreased (d = 0.30). Positive correlations were found in both assessment points between fear of COVID-19 and BO (r = .44, p ≤ .001; r = .41, p ≤ .001) and also between fear of COVID and CF (r = .57, p ≤ .001; r = .50, p ≤ .001). Negative correlations between fear and CS were also found (r = - .16, p = .001; r = - .22, p ≤ .001).

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Programmes to reduce fear of COVID-19, BO and CF are needed to improve mental health and to prevent psychological distress among nurses, as well as to increase CS and preserve the productivity and quality of nursing care.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION
The nurses collaborated by participating in the present study anonymously and disinterestedly.


Collaborative workplaces are increasingly used in production systems. The possibility of direct collaboration between robots and humans brings many advantages, as it allows the simultaneous use of human and robotic strengths. However, collaboration between a collaborative robot and a human raises concerns about the safety of the interaction, the impact of the robot on human health, human efficiency, etc. Additionally, research is unexplored in the field of the collaborative robot's audio-visual effects on the worker's efficiency. Our study results contribute to the field of studying collaborative robots' audio-visual effects on the worker's behavior. In this research, we analyze the effect of the changing motion parameters of the collaborative robot (speed and acceleration) on the efficiency of the worker and, consequently, on the production process. Based on the experimental results, we were able to confirm the impact of robot speed and acceleration on the worker's efficiency in terms of assembly time. We also concluded that the sound level and presence of a visual barrier between the worker and robot by themselves have no effect on the worker's efficiency. The experimental part of the paper clearly identifies the impact of visualization on work efficiency. According to the results, the robot's audio-visual effects play a key role in achieving high efficiency and, consequently, justifying the implementation of a collaborative workplace.


The iron overload disorder hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) predisposes humans to serious disseminated infection with pathogenic Yersinia as well as several other pathogens. Recently, we showed that the iron-sulfur cluster coordinating transcription factor IscR is required for type III secretion in Y. pseudotuberculosis by direct control of the T3SS master regulator LcrF. In E. coli and Yersinia, IscR levels are predicted to be regulated by iron bioavailability, oxygen tension, and oxidative stress, such that iron depletion should lead to increased IscR levels. To investigate how host iron overload influences Y. pseudotuberculosis virulence and the requirement for the Ysc type III secretion system (T3SS), we utilized two distinct murine models of HH: hemojuvelin knockout mice that mimic severe, early-onset HH as well as mice with the HfeC282Y∕C282Y mutation carried by 10% of people of Northern European descent, associated with adult-onset HH. Hjv−∕− and HfeC282Y∕C282Y transgenic mice displayed enhanced colonization of deep tissues by Y. pseudotuberculosis following oral inoculation, recapitulating enhanced susceptibility of humans with HH to disseminated infection with enteropathogenic Yersinia. Importantly, HH mice orally infected with Y. pseudotuberculosis lacking the T3SS-encoding virulence plasmid, pYV, displayed increased deep tissue colonization relative to wildtype mice. Consistent with previous reports using monocytes from HH vs. healthy donors, macrophages isolated from HfeC282Y∕C282Y mice were defective in Yersinia uptake compared to wildtype macrophages, indicating that the anti-phagocytic property of the Yersinia T3SS plays a less important role in HH animals. These data suggest that Yersinia may rely on distinct virulence factors to cause disease in healthy vs. HH hosts.


This report discusses bundling and public policy issues for Congress. The federal Universal Service Fund - the federal subsidy program that assures affordable telephone rates for high-cost (rural) and low-income telephone customers as well as for schools, libraries, and rural health facilities - is supported by an assessment on interstate telecommunications revenues only. But it is difficult to identify the portion of revenues generated by a bundled service offering attributable to the interstate telecommunications portion of that bundle.


Studied was the immunizing capacity of Eimeria tenella oocysts, treated with gamma rays at the rate of 6000 R, in 10- and 20-day-old chickens. The oocysts sporulated after treatment. Applied at the rate of 50,000 R they showed lower virulence and were capable of inducing resistance to reinfection with nonirradiated oocysts at rates that were three times as much. Following reinfection some birds manifested subclinical coccidiosis but survived. This showed that the immunization with oocysts that had been irradiated with 6,000 R had its peculiar aspects.


It is awfully significant to enquire how the lower casts Dalit women have read about socio-economic and cultural aspects of Dalit colony life, that have changed our life and society. I argue that the colonies serve as an index of their inferior social status. It serves more of their ghettoisation than for their empowerment. It further distances them from society and helps to appropriate their labour. This is the continuation of the age-old practice of caste discrimination and deprivation that kept them away from the mainstream while appropriating their labour for the general development of society. This paper focuses on the rereading of social norms which evolved through my probing of the social history of 'caste colony' as part of my research, especially in Dalit women.


Atrial rate is known to modulate ventricular response during atrial fibrillation (AF). The resulting pulse irregularity translates into widely varying inter-beat intervals (IBIs) extracted from recorded surface electrocardiogram (ECG) activity. In AF, the random nature of the IBIs makes them difficult to analyze using traditional methods, and little work has investigated the relationship between ventricular response and persistent AF (persAF) disease progression. In this paper, we propose nonlinear approaches for characterizing IBI dynamics in patients undergoing catheter ablation for the treatment of persAF.


A unified logic optimization method efficient at handling both AND/OR-intensive and XOR-intensive functions is proposed. The method is based on iterative BDD decomposition using various dominators. Detail analysis of decomposable BDD structures leading to AND/OR, XOR and MUX decompositions are presented. Experiment shows that our synthesis results for AND/OR-intensive functions are comparable to those of SIS, and results for XOR-intensive functions are comparable to those of techniques targetting specifically XOR decomposition.


Multithreaded programs coordinate their interaction through synchronization primitives like mutexes and semaphores, which are managed by an OS-provided resource manager. We propose algorithms for the automatic construction of code-aware resource managers for multithreaded embedded applications. Such managers use knowledge about the structure and resource usage (mutex and semaphore usage) of the threads to guarantee deadlock freedom and progress while managing resources in an efficient way. Our algorithms compute managers as winning strategies in certain infinite games, and produce a compact code description of these strategies. We have implemented the algorithms in the tool Cynthesis. Given a multithreaded program in C, the tool produces C code implementing a code-aware resource manager. We show in experiments that Cynthesis produces compact resource managers within a few minutes on a set of embedded benchmarks with up to 6 threads.


The dual Meissner effect is described and numerically observed in a gauge-invariant way in lattice Monte-Carlo simulations of pure SU(2) QCD. A gauge-invariant monopole-like quantity on the lattice is defined by a gauge-invariant Abelian-like field strength. The Abelian-like field strength is expressed in terms of a unit-vector in color space which is constructed by a non-Abelian field strength itself. It is just equal to the absolute value of the corresponding non-Abelian field strength except for the sign. In this note we show the theoretical background and most numerical results will be published in a separate report \cite{Suzuki:2005lat052} in this conference.


Dutch horticulture, and especially the growth of flowers and plants, has a dominant position in world markets. The vast majority of flowers and a oonsiderable part of lhe market for plants are in the hands of Dutch producers. This is remarkable because most growers of flowers and plants are smalI,family-owned firms. In addition, the network is decentralized: there is no central party organizing knowledge flows. How these small firms have been able to conquer world markets is the topic of this chapter. The conclusjon will show that knowledge exchange and innovation have led to a unique network that has enabled family firms to dominate the international market for flowers and plants. The success in innovation and knowledge sharing is explained by the fact that several complementary and overlapping mechanisms have come into being that stimulate innovation and solve the problem of network knowledge management. Informal relationships and implicit understandings play a significant role in preventing knowledge-sharing problems in the sector. The effectiveness of these mechanisms is enhanced substanlially by the fact that the network is located in a very small region.


We present a framework for the systematic study of parametric variation in planar mechanical parts and for efficiently computing approximations of their tolerance envelopes. Part features are specified by explicit functions defining their position and shape as a function of parameters whose nominal values vary along tolerance intervals. Their tolerance envelopes model perfect form Least and Most Material Conditions (LMC/MMC). Tolerance envelopes are useful in many design tasks such as quantifying functional errors, identifying unexpected part collisions, and determining device assemblability. We derive geometric properties of the tolerance envelopes and describe four efficient algorithms for computing first-order linear approximations with increasing accuracy. Our experimental results on three realistic examples show that the implemented algorithms produce better results in terms of accuracy and running time than the commonly used Monte Carlo method.


The effect of thinning has not been investigated previously in young even-aged Chinese fir [Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.] stands in Southern China. In long-term experiments, the effect of thinning on growth and yield of Chinese fir trees at five spacing levels was studied (2 × 3 m, 2 × 1.5 m, 2 × 1 m, 1 × 1.5 m and 1 × 1 m) thinned or left unthinned every 2 years from age 10. Trees in 2 × 3 m spaced unthinned plots were used as controls. Tree growth at the highest planting densities was lower in thinning treatments than in the control. The highest proportions of small, intermediate- and large stems were in plots with initial planting densities of 1 × 1 m, 1 × 1.5 m and 2 × 1 m, respectively. Merchantable volume increment after thinning showed no significant difference but increased with the initial planting density. The proportion of large-diameter trees and merchantable volume were highest in the controls. The total stand volume in thinning treatments increased with increasing initial planting density, but was lower than that of the control. Thinning Chinese fir stands with a planting density greater than 2 × 1 m could increase tree diameter but not merchantable volume. A stand density of less than 2 × 3 m is most profitable for increased tree growth and merchantable volume.

 Key words: Diameter class distribution, thinning, Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook., merchantable volume


Personalized medicine has been identified as a powerful tool for addressing the myriad of health issues facing different health systems globally. Although recent studies have expanded our understanding of how different factors such as genetics and the environment play significant roles in affecting the health of individuals, there are still several other issues affecting their translation into personalizing health interventions globally. Since African populations have demonstrated huge genetic diversity, there is a significant need to apply the concepts of personalized medicine to overcome various African-specific health challenges. Thus, we review the current state, progress, and challenges facing the adoption of personalized medicine in Africa with a view to providing insights to critical stakeholders on the right approach to deploy.


The effects of interactions between the genotype and environmental conditions are expressed in the phenotype. Comparing the performances of genotypes under the same range of environmental conditions allows for relative measurements to be made of the different levels of plasticity among those genotypes. The objective of this research was to evaluate the different responses of two wine grape cultivars, native Aglianico and international Cabernet Sauvignon, under different pedoclimatic conditions in terms of the functional traits that govern grapevine bud fruitfulness, vegetative growth, and yield development. The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons (2020 and 2021), in six commercial Vitis vinifera L. vineyards, located in three distinct viticultural regions of central-southern Italy (Molise, Campania, and Sicily). In each experimental vineyard, the bud fruitfulness, number of leaves, total leaf area per vine, midday vine water status, and fruit yield were measured. The obtained results showed that bud fruitfulness was higher for Aglianico than for Cabernet Sauvignon in each experimental site, while the variability of plant responses between the vineyards was lower for Cabernet Sauvignon cultivar compared to those for Aglianico. The genetic × environmental interactions were expressed predominantly during berry ripening stages, while plasticity was generally greater in Aglianico than in Cabernet Sauvignon.


In this paper, we analyse sequential sampling strategy based on the negative binomial distribution in the context of chemical pest control with reference to environmental pollution and food security. Type I error means spraying the crops when it is not necessary and type [[ error means not spraying the crops when it is necessary. The analysis demonstrated that keeping both probabilities of type I and II errors at possible minima provide better protection against wrong decisions, however, the sequential process requires more observations (large sample size) and more so at the state of profound indifference. On the other hand, if we want to spray when necessary, that is, when the infestation has reached economic threshold, we should keep probability of . type [[ error at a possible minimum and if we want to avoid unnecessary pollution of the environment, we should keep probability of type I error at a possible minimum and have better protection against wrong decisions in each case without taking more observations.


To study discrimination in labour/housing markets, and among street-level bureaucrats in the welfare state, present both theoretical and methodological challenges. In the sociological study of discrimination, experiments have seldom been used to study how street-level bureaucrats make their decisions. The context of decision-making is different in the state and in markets, but experimental methods can provide new knowledge of how perceptions of deservingness may potentially lead to discrimination in the welfare state. Using a vignette experiment on Norwegian street-level bureaucrats ( N = 645), we investigate if their perceptions of recipients' ethnic background, and perceived 'unfavourable' behaviour, affect the propensity to impose a time-limited termination of unemployment benefits due to non-compliance with activity requirements. The experiment finds that the propensity to terminate the unemployment benefit was initially less for the recipient with an ethnic minority name, compared to the recipient with an ethnic majority name. However, when information about 'unfavourable' behaviour was added to the vignette, the propensity to sanction the ethnic minority recipient strongly increased. The results suggest that perceived deservingness-traits are crucial for understanding possible discrimination when street-level bureaucrats face ethnic minorities in the welfare state. Ethnic markers interact with markers of 'deservingness'. Theoretical and methodological implications when studying potential discrimination among street-level bureaucrats are discussed.


Arterial hypertension is a very common disorder. In most cases the cause is unknown and therefore classified as essential or primary hypertension. Primary aldosteronism (PA), characterized by an inappropriate aldosterone secretion, has traditionally been estimated to account for approximately 1 % of all hypertensive cases. By using the aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) as a screening tool, the detection of patients with PA has been facilitated. Recent international screening studies have found a high prevalence of the disease accounting for up to 10 % of hypertensive individuals. Thus, PA is recognized to be the most common cause of secondary hypertension. However, the prevalence of PA varies between study populations and the frequency among hypertensive patients in primary health care remains uncertain. When we planned these studies, no studies had previously been done in Swedish primary health care.
Confirmatory tests are necessary in the evaluation of patients with increased ARR.
The fludrocortisone suppression test (FST) is considered to be a reliable method for the
diagnosis of PA since it confirms an autonomous aldosterone production. However, the
investigational procedure varies between centres. The cut off level for aldosterone depends
on the analytical methods applied and there is no consensus on supplementation with NaCl.
Furthermore, the optimal duration of the test is unknown. The test is somewhat cumbersome
for the patients, and has traditionally been performed as an in-patient procedure. It is not
without risks, especially due to the accumulation of extracellular fluid and hypokalemia.
The oral captopril suppression test has less side effects compared to the FST, and could
potentially be useful as a confirmatory test for PA, especially in primary health
care. The evaluation of the test has previously been based on decreasing concentrations of
aldosterone. However, the evaluation of the test with the ARR for the diagnosis of PA has not
been assessed. Moreover, the reliability of the captopril suppression test for the diagnosis of
PA remains uncertain.

The general aim of this thesis is to estimate the prevalence of PA among patients with
hypertension in a Swedish primary care setting, and to evaluate the performance of
confirmatory tests in the diagnosis of PA, using modern methods for the analysis of serum
aldosterone and plasma renin. Reference values for different confirmatory diagnostic tests for
PA were obtained as part of the research project.

In paper I and IV hypertensive patients were screened for PA by the aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR). Patients with a high ARR were referred for confirmatory testing. In paper I, 17 of 200 patients (8.5%) with previously diagnosed and medically treated hypertension were found to have PA. In paper IV, 11 of 200 newly diagnosed and untreated hypertensive patients (5.5%), were diagnosed with PA. Thus, both screening investigations confirmed a high prevalence of the disease.

In paper II, reference values for aldosterone and renin were obtained for the FST in healthy subjects. The cut off value for S-aldosterone was 225 pmol/L after four days with FST or 305 pmol/L if the test was restricted to three days. Furthermore, the investigation showed that FST can be shortened to three days and that a 500 mg NaCl supplementation equivalent to the obligatory daily losses is sufficient for a reliable outcome for the test. The specific time during the day for blood sampling was not of particular importance.

In paper III, reference values for a 25 mg Captopril test for aldosterone, renin and ARR were obtained in healthy subjects. The results were then applied in hypertensive patients screened for PA with a high ARR. The evaluation showed that the captopril test is not reliable as a confirmatory test in the diagnosis of PA. The specificity for the discrimination between PA and patients with primary hypertension was very low, especially for patients with alterations in the renin angiotensin regulatory system. In the clinical setting, the post captopril ARR is only marginally better for the diagnosis of PA, compared to the basal ARR. However, an ARR at 120 min within the normal range strongly argues against PA. On the other hand, a high ARR (> 130 pmol/mIU) after the captopril test not only supports the diagnosis of PA, but also suggests the possibility of an aldosterone secreting adrenal adenoma.

In conclusion, the prevalence of PA among hypertensive patients in a Swedish primary health care area is higher than previously known. Thus, the family practitioner should consider incorporating ARR screening for PA in the evaluation of patients with hypertension, not only among those with traditional signs for PA, but especially in patients who have been newly diagnosed.


The meta-generalized-gradient-approximation (meta-GGA) for the exchange-correlation energy, as constructed by Tao, Perdew, Staroverov, and Scuseria (TPSS) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 146401 (2003)], has achieved usefully consistent accuracy for diverse systems and is the most reliable nonempirical density functional (and the most reliable nonhybrid) in common use. We present here an optimized version of this TPSS functional obtained by empirically fitting a single free parameter that controls the approach of the exchange enhancement factor to its rapidly-varying-density limit, while preserving all the exact constraints that the original TPSS functional satisfies. We find that molecular atomization energies are significantly improved with the optimized version and are even better than those obtained with the best hybrid functionals employing a fraction of exact exchange (e.g., the TPSS hybrid), while energy barrier heights are slightly improved; jellium surface energies remain accurate and almost unchanged. The one-parameter freedom of the TPSS functional may be useful even beyond the meta-GGA level, since the TPSS approximation is a natural starting point for the higher-level hyper-GGA.


The FSAI and the AIB algorithms are among the preconditioners for solving large and sparse linear system of equations. In this note, we show that the FSAI algorithm in the special case results in the AIB algorithm.


Abstract Decades after its observation and description by T. P. Wright (1936), unit cost improvement is a well-documented characteristic of production processes. Since that time, however, it has remained chiefly an empirical phenomenon. Cost analysts have few objective tools to apply to the prediction of cost improvement in future production programs. This problem is particularly acute in the aerospace industry. In this arena, prime contractor and government cost analysts must provide estimates for multi-billion dollar programs involving new products and technologies, which may not be entering production for years. Current methodologies involve the use of analogies and standards that are subjective and often difficult to justify. The research described in this paper, making use of a dataset comprised of 30 diverse aerospace programs, investigated whether parametric methods can be employed to model variation in cost improvement. Using a simple theory of cost improvement based on the scale, complexity, and design stability of the products, it found that parametric models may have utility in predicting the cost improvement of future programs.


The authors summarize the role of the vascular endothelium in hemostasis, thrombosis, vasomotor regulation, inflammation and angiogenesis. Quiescent endothelium is antithrombogenic, whereas perturbed endothelial cells become thrombogenic. The endothelium produces both vasodilating substances like endothelial derived relaxing factor and prostacyclin and vasoconstrictive compounds such as the endothelins. The presence of leucocyte adhesion molecules on the endothelial surface allows specific interactions with circulating leucocytes. Surface expression of HLA-antigens class I and II further underscores the importance of the endothelial cells in the inflammatory process. In the recent years it has become evident that the endothelial cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of diseases such as atherosclerosis, preeclampsia, hemolytic uremic syndrome and certain vasculitides.


By using the cone theory and the monotone succession skills,it is studied the existence uniqueness of fixed point for a class of increasing operators without continuity and compactness and concave or convex conditions in Banach spaces.The results presented here improve and generalize some corresponding results for increasing operator.


Time Wizard, the tool we present, is aimed at the design and assessment of applications for real-time applications. It permits the assessment of the system not only at the inter-task level but at the intra-task level as well. It helps the designer to fine tune the task implementation, providing tight bounds for worst case analysis, and helping to decide among implementation alternatives. At the specification level, Time Wizard's extensions to Petri nets provide better modularisation of the design while enforcing a methodology for producing consistent real-time designs. Time Wizard is part of a bigger system aimed at hardware-software codesign but, being self-contained, it may be used as a separate tool for real-time system specification.


The yearly floods of the Mekong Delta caused by the Mekong River have been considered a blessing; it purifies the agricultural lands and deposits a fresh layer of silt on the surface, which keeps the delta fertile. However, the growing demand for agricultural products internationally and nationally has pushed the farmers to harvest all year long, which has lead to a situation where the floods are more of a curse than a blessing. Besides the growing agricultural demand, the continuous urbanization has also caused the yearly flood to become less accepted. Furthermore, it is expected that the flooding problems will only increase even more in future due to climate change. A possible solution to reduce the frequency of flood risks is by constructing a flood diversion channel between the Mekong River and the Gulf of Thailand. The purpose of this flood diversion channel is to reduce the water level of the Mekong River during high water preventing it from flooding. The question is, if a flood diversion channel is a realistic measure to achieve this objective and to reduce flood risks. A feasibility study divided into two parts has been made, to find out how realistic a flood diversion channel, as measure is to reduce flood risks. The first part of the study is to find out what the required technical conditions are for constructing a flood diversion channel. The second part of the study concentrates on the question whether the effects of sediment deposition by the flood diversion channel into the Gulf of Thailand prohibits the construction of a flood diversion channel. The conclusion of this feasibility study is that a flood diversion channel can be a solution to reduce current flood risks caused by the Mekong River. However, when future climate changes are taken into account the diversion channel is only sufficient to reduce the increased flood risk of the Hau River; additional measures are necessary to also lower the water level of the Tien River. The concern of sediment deposition at Phu Quoc is unjustified. Deposition of sediment near the shore of the discharge location can even have a positive side effect for the eroding coastline. The preferred flood diversion channel is to construct a deep channel of approximately 70 km long and depending on the withdrawal necessities the width of the channel will be between the 340 and 680 meters. The flood diversion channel withdraws at Chau Doc, goes along the Vinh Te channel for as long as possible and crosses the K. Tam Ngan channel to eventually discharge at the Middle location into the Gulf of Thailand.


Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the biological properties of Neem ( Azadirachtaindica ) leaves in terms of its cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of A. indica leaf extracts were evaluated against pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli, B. subtilis, B. cereus, S. pneumonia, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa by using agar disc diffusion method. The cytotoxic activity of the plant extracts was tested using Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay. Results: Acetone extract exhibited stronger inhibition against gram negative bacteria ( E. coli and P. aeruginosa) with MIC values of 10mg/ml and 25mg/ml respectively. In contrast, chloroform extract exhibited stronger inhibition against gram positive bacteria ( B. subtilis , B. cereus, S. pneumonia , and S. aureus) with the MIC value of 10mg/ml for all bacteria. The cytotoxicity that was evaluated based on the LC 50 values of the extracts. Results showed that acetone extract has higher cytotoxicity than chloroform extract with the LC 50 values of 6.00µg/ml and 11.92µg/ml respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that both acetone and chloroform extracts of A. indica leaves have strong antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities.


.. Objectives: To know the frequency of gastroesophageal carcinoma and its management at Isra University Hospital Hyderabad Sindh. Study Design: Descriptive, Prospective. Place and Duration of Study: Isra University Hospital Hyderabad during the period of January 2014 to January2016. Patient and Methods: Fifty two patients with gastroesophageal malignancy were scrutinized for elective and emergency surgery according to the stage and tumor resectability & observed for postoperative complication rate. Data is prepared in SPSS version 17. Inclusion Criteria: Carcinoma of esophagus and stomach. Exclusion Criteria: Benign lesions of esophagus and stomach (Tuberculosis, Bourevet's syndrome, Band of Ladd's, Diaphragmatic Hernia, Phyto/Tricobezoar). Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) caused by bilio pancreatic, retroperitoneal or abdominal wall mass. Results: Among fifty two patients 11(22%) were with carcinoma of esophagus and 41(78%) with carcinoma stomach causing GOO; accounting 38(73%) male & 14(27%) females with age range of 29-69 years. Major presenting complaints of carcinoma of esophagus were progressive dysphagia from solid to liquid with significant weight loss while history of heamatemesis was found in only two patients. Carcinoma stomach mainly presented with symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO); partial or complete I.e. vomiting, fullness and epigastric mass with weight loss. Out of total 52 patients; 35 were biopsied and staged preoperatively while 17 patients could not be biopsied before surgery either because of inadequate tissue specimen or scope negotiation problem. However after surgery their biopsy was found out malignant. All such patients were optimized before surgery for correction of hemoglobin, electrolyte imbalance and nutritional support Feeding jejunostom & gastrojejunostomy were mainly performed for carcinoma esophagus and stomach while for resectable tumors Ivor Lewis, McKeon or Billroth I or II were also performed according to the general patient condition and the local resectability of the tumor mass. Our post-operative complication rate was 26% and comprised nausea, vomiting, wound infection, and delayed gastric emptying which were treated conservatively. Our operative mortality was none. Conclusion: Most of our cases were in advanced stage of malignancy which was mainly dealt with Feeding jejunostomy & Gastrojejunostomy. However Esophagogastric intubation in advanced malignancy is the safe & effective alternative if available.


IL-2-inducible T cell kinase (ITK) is the predominant Tec family kinase in T cells. ITK functions to regulate the magnitude of T cell receptor signaling. Deficiencies in ITK in humans leads to a fatal lymphoproilferative syndrome due to uncontrolled Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Yet, Itk−/− mice mount protective immune responses against several acute viral infections. To address this dichotomy, we have studied the role of ITK in anti-viral T cell responses to latent γ-herpesvirus infection using mouse γ-herpesvirus 68 (MHV68). Despite a delayed response at D7 post-infection, Itk−/− mice controlled MHV68 replication in the spleen at D14, and WT and Itk−/− mice showed no differences in their viral titers in the spleen during latency. However, MHV68-infected Itk−/− mice (n=11/24) spontaneously developed a severe gastrointestinal pathology after D100 post-infection, whereas WT mice (n=24/24) showed no disease symptoms. Following LPS-induced virus reactivation, Itk−/− mice also showed this pathology in the gut accompanied by a high viral titer in the intestine at various time points during viral latency, while WT mice remained healthy. Consistently, the number of gut-resident T cells were substantially less in Itk−/− mice than WT with or without infection. We also found that P-selectin binding on activated Itk−/− T cells or small molecule inhibitor of ITK (PRN694)-treated WT T cells is greatly impaired. Overall, these data suggest that ITK plays an important role in T cell migration to γ-herpesvirus-infected gut tissue following reactivation from latency.


Recently, there has been a radial shift from traditional online social networks to content-generated social networks (CGSNs). Contemporary CGSNs, such as Dianping and TripAdvisor, are often the targets of click farming in which fake reviews are posted in order to boost or diminish the ratings of listed products and services simply through clicking. Click farming often emanates from a collection of multiple fake or compromised accounts, which we call click farmers. In this paper, we conduct a three-phase methodology to detect click farming. We begin by clustering communities based on newly-defined collusion networks. We then apply the Louvain community detection method to detecting communities. We finally perform a binary classification on detected-communities. Our results of over a year-long study show that (1) the prevalence of click farming is different across CGSNs; (2) most click farmers are lowly-rated; (3) click-farming communities have relatively tight relations between users; (4) more highly- ranked stores have a greater portion of fake reviews.


. Modulated reheating scenario is one of the most attractive models that predict possible detections of not only the primordial non-Gaussianity but also the tensor fluctuation through future CMB observations such as the Planck satellite, the PolarBeaR and the LiteBIRD satellite experiments. We study the baryonic-isocurvature fluctuations in the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis with the modulated reheating scenario. We show that the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis can be consistent with the modulated reheating scenario with respect to the current observational constraint on the baryonic-isocurvature fluctuations.


In this work, two SAE 52100 grades with different oxygen contents were repeatedly quenched and the influence of this cyclic heat treatment as well as the role of the oxygen content level on the mechanical properties of the material were investigated by rolling contact fatigue tests. The repeated quenching process increased the retained austenite content and had little influence on the material's hardness. The prior austenite grain size was decreased and consequently, refinement of the martensitic phase in both types of materials occurred. The higher content of the retained austenite (higher fracture toughness) and the refinement of the microstructure accounted for the higher fatigue properties of the repeatedly quenched material. Flaking failure was present in the material quenched only once, after 4.3x107 cycles (higher oxygen content) and 108 cycles (lower oxygen content). Flaking failure did not occur in the samples treated by repeated quenching. The results show the importance of both optimized heat treatment and alloy cleanness for the lifetime of bearing steel.


ABSTRACT The skew-probit link function is one of the popular choices for modelling the success probability of a binary variable with regard to covariates. This link deviates from the probit link function in terms of a flexible skewness parameter. For this flexible link, the identifiability of the parameters is investigated. Next, to reduce the bias of the maximum likelihood estimator of the skew-probit model we propose to use the penalized likelihood approach. We consider three different penalty functions, and compare them via extensive simulation studies. Based on the simulation results we make some practical recommendations. For the illustration purpose, we analyse a real dataset on heart-disease.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most leading causes of cancer-related death in the world because most of cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, when the development of resistance to chemotherapy is more frequent. To face this situation, new therapeutic drugs are desperately needed for patients with advanced cancer, but making safe and efficacious drugs remains expensive and time consuming. Given the high attrition rates, substantial costs and slow pace of new drug discovery and further development, repurposing of 9old9 drugs is increasingly becoming an attractive proposition. The objective of this study was to perform a high-throughput screen (HTS) of an FDA-approved drug library (1622 compounds) to specifically identify candidates that can significantly reduce the cell survival of colon cancer cells. Among all, Albendazole which is an anthelmintic drug demonstrated promising in vitro efficacy against colon cancer cells with relatively low toxicity in normal cells. Albendazole is known to bind to the colchicine-sensitive site of β-tubulin, inhibiting their polymerization into microtubules. The decrease in microtubules in the intestinal cells of the parasites decreases their absorptive function, especially the uptake of glucose by the adult and larval forms of the parasites, and also depletes glycogen storage. Insufficient glucose results in insufficient energy for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and thus parasite dies eventually during helminthic infection. Here, we determined to molecular mechanism/s by which Albendazole regulates colon cancer cell viability. To explore the global changes in colon cancer cells, we performed mass spectrometry analysis in colon cancer cells treated with Albendazole. One of the major proteins which was downregulated by Albendazole was RNF20. RNF20 is a E3 ubiquitin ligase catalyzing histone H2B monoubiquitination, interacts with the motor protein Eg5 during mitosis and participates in spindle assembly. Inhibition of these proteins induces apoptosis by interfering with antiapoptotic proteins Bcl2 family and arrests cells remarkably at G2/M phase in colon cancer cells. Furthermore, Albendazole inhibits invasion and colony formation in vitro, induced apoptosis in tumoroids derived from APCmin mice (Spontaneous colon cancer model) and xenograft tumor formation in vivo. These results indicate that albendazole may have therapeutic potential in colon cancer and provide the framework for future studies of albendazole in CRC. Citation Format: Iram Fatima, Rizwan Ahmad, Saiprasad Gowrikumar, Susmita Barman, Rafay Abu, Vikas Kumar, Amar B. Singh, Punita Dhawan. Albendazole enhances apoptosis through targeting RNF20/Eg5 interaction in colon cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 936.


Sentra UKM MERR Surabaya is an icon symbolic for Usaha Kecil Menengah (UKM) which is built in Surabaya. Sentra UKM MERR Surabaya currently experiencing problems with the stock record which still using stock card to record the stock so that mistakes still happen and also the transactions such as sales report, best seller UKM, best selling item, products report, customer report, ukm report and stock mutation report that doesn't work well. On the other hand the promotions of the products also doesn't work really well, we can see it from the visitor that only approximately 50 people. The solutions that given is build an online shop that can manage sales transactions, give more actual data about the stock product and helps promoting the products. Besides that, it also facilitate communication between Sentra UKM MERR Surabaya, UKM and customers. This online shop can help administration to manage the sold product without the stock card and this application can generate reports such as sales report, best seller UKM, best selling item, products report, customer report, ukm report and stock mutation report. Based on the results of user evaluation obtained value 67,5% that stands for very good and 32,5% stands for good.


In the article, the editorial Board of the journal refers to a significant event in the life of the region of recent times – the awarding of the honorary title of «City of Labor Valour» to Saratov Saratov. The reasons for making such a decision by the President of the Russian Federation are considered. It shows the contribution of Saratov as one of the largest military-industrial centers of the country in ensuring victory in the Great Patriotic War and the most important facts of the labor feat of its residents.


Summary Amidolytic assay of antithrombin III on capillary blood can validly substitute for similar assays performed on venous blood, as an excellent correlation exists (r = 0.95). For the amidolytic assays of heparin cofactor activity, a much less satisfactory correlation is found (r = 0.81). Results are far more dispersed and a decrease is observed in late capillary samples. Using a low heparin concentration to assay heparin cofactor activity leads to surprisingly high activities for capillary blood. The same type of discrepancy is observed during the earliest stages of clotting of venous blood.


In this paper we study how IoT technology can be introduced and used in different sectors; industrial IoT, smart energy, smart homes, smart cities, health care and social care, sports and well-being. The research has given increased insights into opportunities and obstacles for the introduction of IoT in different sectors. The main obstacles are considered to be i) specific IoT solutions often tend to be a small part of the overall solution, ii) lack of knowledge about which overall services the IoT solution may be part of, iii) Fragmentation and insufficient scalability, iv) Distrust and hesitation among actors to share data and platforms and finally, v) fear of changing the own business model. The analysis of our cases indicates that most of the challenges occur due to the fact that the solutions initially have been developed using a single firm business model. In order to survive or grow a networked business model is needed.


ata based on questionnaire measures from parents in New Zealand, the UK, and Sweden on attitudes toward advertising to children is presented. There is cross-national evidence that attitudes in this area are affectively strong and consistent and data is presented on responses to particular attitude statements that support this claim. An exploratory factor analysis on the Swedish and UK data suggests a factor structure in respondents with both positive and negative attitudinal clusters toward advertising to children. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in order that the international debate on advertising and marketing to children is informed by cross-cultural research.


A reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) integrating solid oxide fuel (SOFC) and a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) usually utilizes compressive seals. In this work, the vermiculite seals of various thickness and compressive load during thermal cycles and long-term operation were investigated. The leakage rates of seals were gradually increased with increasing thickness and input gas pressure. The thinner seals had good sealing performance. The compressive load was carried out at thinner seals, the possible holes were squeezed, and finally the leakage rates were lower. With a fixed input gas pressure of 1 psi, 2 psi, and 3 psi, the leakage rates of 0.50 mm vermiculite remained at around 0.009 sccm/cm, 0.017 sccm/cm and 0.028 sccm/cm during twenty thermal cycles, while the leakage rates remained at around 0.011 sccm/cm for about 240 h. Simultaneously, elemental diffusions between seals and components were limited, implying good compatibility. Furthermore, the open circuit voltage (OCV) remained at around 1.04 V during 17 thermal cycles, which is close to Nernst potentials. The stack performance confirmed that the vermiculite seals can meet the structural support and sealing requirements. Therefore, the vermiculite shows good promise for application in stacks during thermal cycles and long-term operation.


In the present study mRNA from the subcutaneous adipose tissue of 68 obese (defined as a body mass index > or = 27.3 for men and > or = 27.8 for women) and 38 lean subjects was screened for mutations in the ob gene coding region. No mutations in the coding region of the human ob gene were detected using Conformation Sensitive Gel Electrophoresis in 105 subjects. A first base substitution (G to A) was detected in one individual, which changed a valine to a methionine at position 94. The mRNA of all subjects contained the codon for glutamine-49, ruling out the possibility of a splice defect occurring during the removal of intron 2. These observations suggest that defects in the ob gene sequence itself are not the primary cause of obesity in humans.


Abstract : A quantitative method for extracting minority carrier diffusion and drift lengths is developed and demonstrated in a heavily-doped semiconductor heterostructure. This method advances the high resolution transport imaging technique yielding key material parameters with a single non-destructive measurement. This is the first demonstration of an SEM-based contact-free non-destructive technique for high-resolution minority carrier lifetime measurement. The measured values are in excellent agreement with theoretical calculations. The imaging transport technique is also employed to image the nature of the generation region as a function of beam energy probe current and sample atomic number. These types of images should be useful to allow for experimental verification of resolution limits in CL and EBIC associated with interaction volume effects in bulk materials and can be obtained without additional sample preparation. Finally several suggestions for further research are offered including mapping of radiation damage in solar cells near-contact E field mapping and studies of low-dimensional structures such as superlattices and quantum wires. These nanoscale structures are poised to usher-in the next revolution in solid-state electronic devices.


In this article, the author analyzes the concept of religious foundations of culture and power as a problem of Russian political consciousness. The paper reveals the patterns of interaction between the religious and political traditions of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. The author provides Bargradsky project case as a unique example of such influence, identifying its mean in the later Russian Empire's political history. Philosophical-political case that is analyzed in the article makes it possible to trace the inner links between religious attitudes and political imagination of Russian monarchical circles and to identify the peculiarities of religious and political self-awareness of Russian power, its mechanisms for the selecting the ideas, symbols, images of the national political, religious and artistic culture in the last period of the Russian Empire. From our point of view, it would be most effective to combine the cultural-historical and the philosophical and historical approaches both in the reconstruction of Bargradsky project and in studies of Russian political culture. The article examines both the political conditions of activities and spiritual-cultural goals of Bargradsky Committee on Bargradsky project in Italian Bari as well as in Saint Petersburg in the 1910s. The author discusses the religious concept of Russian political culture, applying philosophical-historical method for the analyses Bargradsky Committee activity and its attempt to slow down the degradation of the Russian autocracy. The major emphasis is placed on the political and philosophical way of analysis as well as on the possibility of introducing the results of philosophical-historical research into current debates on the issue of alternatives to Russian history.


The gastrointestinal tract constitutes a physiological interface integrating nutrient and microbiota-host metabolism. Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have been reported to contribute to decreased body weight and fat accretion. The modulation by dietary CLA of stomach proteins related to energy homeostasis or microbiota may be involved, although this has not been previously analysed. This is examined in the present study, which aims to underline the potential mechanisms of CLA which contribute to body weight regulation. Adult mice were fed either a normal fat (NF, 12% kJ content as fat) or a high-fat (HF, 43% kJ content as fat) diet. In the latter case, half of the animals received daily oral supplementation of CLA. Expression and content of stomach proteins and specific bacterial populations from caecum were analysed. CLA supplementation was associated with an increase in stomach protein expression, and exerted a prebiotic action on both Bacteroidetes/Prevotella and Akkermansia muciniphila. However, CLA supplementation was not able to override the negative effects of HF diet on Bifidobacterium spp., which was decreased in both HF and HF+CLA groups. Our data show that CLA are able to modulate stomach protein expression and exert a prebiotic effect on specific gut bacterial species.


This paper explain a different type process for absolute exponential stability (AEST) of a group of continuous time recurrent neural networks with locally Lipschitz continuous and monotone non decreasing activation function. The result extends and improves the existing the analysis of absolute stability (ABST) and absolute exponential stability (AEST). Keywords: Neural network; absolute exponential stability; global exponentially stability.


Growing environmental restrictions in energy production industry calls for greater efficiency and cleaner fuel burning processes. Biomass (wood chips) as a fuel is in great demand for boiler and power plants as it is considered widely available and relatively clean. While combining woodfuel flue gas and condensing economizers significantly raises the efficiency and makes it even more viable solution for energy production although the biomass fuel usage still has reservations in waste heat, which could be utilized. The calculation algorithm is presented for evaluation of subcooled biomass flue gas components concentration values which determine the leftover heat energy value carried by flue gas flow. Several cases of biomass quality (regarding moisture w=45%, 50%, 55% and 60%) and combustion process quality (regarding air excess value λ=1,2; 1,5; 1,8) in the flue gas temperature range of 50 to 20°C and effects for flue gas internal dynamic were examined. It was determined that water vapour amount depends only on temperature, while every other component concentration change with different air excess and temperature values. It was observed that further usage of biomass flue gas could result in up to 13% additional heat energy recovery for 1MW of fuel input, system combination together with condensing economizers could result in up to 31% of heat energy recovery.


INTRODUCTION ;
Neurocutaneous disorders are genetically determined disorders showing both
cutaneous and neurologic involvement. The definition includes both hereditary and
nonhereditary phenotypes but excludes acquired disorders.
Either they follow the established Mendelian modes of inheritance or they
represent lethal mutations surviving by mosaicism, or they belong to the group of
chromosomal disorders.
Some clinicians still use phacomatosis to categorize particular neurocutaneous
diseases characterized by patchy lesions involving the skin and the nervous system.
Unfortunately, this term has diminished rather than increased our understanding of these
disorders because the group of phacomatoses has never been well defined. Today, this
term should no longer be used for the classification of neurocutaneous diseases but may
be applied, together with a specifying adjective, to some genetically determined diseases
characterized by the presence of multiple nevi, such as phacomatosis
pigmentovascularis.
AIM OF THE STUDY :
1. To study the incidence of Neurocutaneous disorders in the outpatients attending
the Department of Dermatology in Government General Hospital, Chennai, from
July 2006 to September 2008.
2. To determine the age and sexwise distribution of Neurocutaneous disorders.
3. To study the clinical morphology and distribution of lesions.
4. To correlate the morphological lesions with the histopathological freatures.
5. To evaluate incidence of associated systemic abnormalities.
6. To determine the involvement in other family members.
CONCLUSION
1. In the study of 109 cases of Neurocutaneous syndromes, Neurofibromatosis
topped the list followed by Tuberous sclerosis complex.
2. NF – Type –I accounted for the maximum number of Neurofibromatosis.
3. The most common clinical sign in NF was CALM followed by mollusca
fibrosa.
4. Axillary, inguinal, palmar and plantar freckling were the notable pigmentary
changes in NF.
5. Lisch nodules accounted for 81.3% of the cases in NF.
6. Skeletal abnormalities in the form of kyphoscoliosis, local gigantism and facial
asymmetry were reported.
7. One case of sarcoma complicating NF was observed.
8. A case of NF-II with multiple intracranial tumours in MRI was detected.
9. Tuberous sclerosis complex is the second most common neurocutaneous
disorder.
10. Angiofibroma was observed in 100% cases followed by ash leaf macules
(85%).
11. Few patients had sub-ependymal nodules and cortical tubers.
12. One patient with astrocytoma and one patient with renal angiomyolipoma were
observed.
13. Classical features of XP were observed in a patient who also had cutaneous malignancies – BCC over the nose and SCC over the cheek.
14. Sturge – Weber syndrome with unilateral port wine stain with seizures was
reported in our study.
15. One case of unilateral naevus comedonicus was reported.
16. Two cases of Waardenburg syndrome ( mother and child ) was observed in our
study. Both had white forelock, heterochromia iridis and deafness.
17. Two cases of epidermal naevus syndrome with extensive involvement and
seizures were noted.
18. Two cases of giant congential melanocytic naevus were reported.
19. A case of Elejalde syndrome with typical clinical manifestations was observed.
20. One case of oculocutaneous albinism was reported.
21. One case of Adams Oliver syndrome with Dandy Walker malformation has
been reported.


This paper investigates the use of second-generation radio frequency identification (2G-RFID) technology to enable better quality of service in future networks. With encoded rules as mobile codes stored in radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, the system extendibility and practicability can be effectively improved. However, due to the openness of the mobile codes, the realization of conveying intelligence brings a critical issue, i.e., how to prevent mobile codes from being misused or abused to avoid malicious attacks, which cause the disruption of back-end systems. We address this issue by the use of role-based access control (RBAC) through introducing context-aware computing. Then, we propose a two-level security enhancement mechanism (2L-SEM), i.e., joint contextual-authentication-based and role-analysis-based secure middleware design. According to the given contextual restrictions in terms of time and location, the proposed mechanism filtrates illegal and invalid mobile codes contained in the RFID tags. Finally, a typical case study is given to illustrate the deployment of the proposed 2L-SEM within a 2G-RFID system. The experimental results show the effectiveness of guaranteeing the safe execution of mobile codes in the 2G-RFID system.


Sheep immunized with live or inactivated vaccine were challenged with a virulent strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Clinical manifestations, penetration of listeriae into the mucous membranes and persistence in organs were noted. Bacteriaemia caused by intravenous injection of high doses of virulent strain disappears in 3 days. Readily after inoculation, listeriae penetrate into the gastrointestinal tract where they persist for 8 days. Listeriae appear from the 3rd day in the conjunctiva and nasal mucous membranes with clinical symptoms of conjunctivitis and rhinitis whence they are eliminated in 8 to 14 days. The brain, liver and spleen of animals that died in 5 to 7 days were loaded with listeriae. Organs from immune animals sacrificed 14 days after challenge were negative by cultivation even when listeriomas were in the liver and spleen. Rapid penetration and persistence of listeriae are an expression of their increased affinity to epithelia of systems which are not only the portal of their entry but even the site of their secondary propagation and thus a source of infection.


The current book serves as a problems and solutions manual for the textbook, Modern Atomic and Nuclear Physics (Revised Edition), published in 2010. Since in the main textbook, all chapters end up with a variety of problems and questions that cover various fields, it is always beneficial that solutions to these problems are provided, so that the readers get better understanding and clear idea of the subject. The authors have, therefore, prepared the current solution manual with such intentions in their minds. Using this manual, students can get further guidelines of the various modern physics concepts and evaluate their own progress. An additional useful aspect of this manual is that students can easily acquire important knowledge and can understand the basic concepts by looking at the solutions to specific problems. By making a possible work out of the problems with the solutions, the students can check the progress of their understating as well. Furthermore, instructors, graduate students and researchers working in the area of modern atomic and nuclear physics can equally benefit from the solution manual. The text of the manual consists of a total of 104 pages, covering solutions over 14 chapters, which are written in a clear, systematic and comprehensive way. The book focuses on the important key chapters beginning with 'Theory of Relativity', 'The Configuration of Atom: Rutherford's Model', 'Fine Structure in Atomic Spectra: Electron Spin', 'Atoms Containing Many Electrons: The Pauli Exclusion Principle', 'Xrays', 'Introductory Quantum Mechanics I: Concepts', 'Introductory Quantum Mechanics II: The Schrödinger Equation', 'Basic Concepts of Nuclear Physics', 'Radioactive Decay', 'Nuclear Forces and Nuclear Models', 'Nuclear Interactions and Reactions', 'Hyperfine Interaction', and 'High-Energy Physics'. This manual contains all the problems related with these topics along with their solutions in a detailed manner. All of the problems are solved in a clear and simple manner. The text of the book reads easily and the authors are successful in explaining each point of the problem in a clear way. For improving the understanding of the reader, the authors have added extra diagrams and tables to clarify the problem in a simple and logical order. The book is suitable for graduate students and researchers working in the area of atomic and nuclear physics. The authors are definitely successful in describing and clarifying the problems with their possible solutions. This solution manual brings out valuable information on modern atomic and nuclear physics, and will be a good source for learning such important knowledge.


To describe clinical features and outcomes of seven patients with pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in the setting of underlying primary Sjögren's syndrome from a single center, we reviewed medical records of consecutive patients with pulmonary MALT lymphoma evaluated at our facility from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2015 for clinical features, laboratory, pathologic and radiographic findings, management, and outcomes. Out of 13 patients with pulmonary MALT lymphoma, 7 (54 %) met the criteria for Sjögren's syndrome. The mean age at lymphoma diagnosis was 66 years; male–female ratio was 1:6. One-third of patients were asymptomatic at the time lymphoma was discovered. When symptomatic, patients reported nonspecific pulmonary complaints such as cough and dyspnea. All patients had positive antinuclear antibody and anti-SSA/Ro antibody. Rheumatoid factor was positive in six cases. A monoclonal gammopathy was present in three patients; the remaining four had polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. The radiologic, morphologic, and immunohistochemical features of primary Sjögren's syndrome-associated pulmonary MALT lymphomas did not differ significantly from pulmonary MALT lymphoma cases in general. All treatment modalities used resulted in complete and sustained response. One patient died 11 years after initial diagnosis with no lymphoma but of another cause. The remaining six patients are still alive and disease-free to date. The present series confirms the favorable course of pulmonary MALT lymphoma in Sjögren's patients. The overall imaging and pathologic features are in accordance with pulmonary MALT lymphoma not associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Further studies should be carried out in order to better understand pulmonary MALT lymphomagenesis, treatment, and outcomes in Sjögren's patients.


A more extensive interpretation of quality control in radio-oncology is opposed to the conception mostly restricted to technical inspections. A review is given of the most important medical and physical aspects of an optimized radiotherapy. Some examples are chosen from the great number of national and international recommendations agreed upon in order to standardize the measures of quality control. Finally some simple radiobiologic models are presented and the corresponding precision requirements are compared with the uncertainties of the dose determination resulting in clinical practice.


In this paper some newly discovered properties of the Streeter-Phelps oxygen sag equation are examined. The convexity of the critical dissolved oxygen (DO) deficit is established, and it is shown that the critical DO deficit can be represented by a conical surface. By using these properties it is shown how to approximate with a high degree of accuracy the critical deficit as a linear function of initial BOD loading and initial oxygen deficit. The linear approximating equation will find use in mathematical programing formulations of water quality management problems.


This article argues that the discipline of world history, with its interdisciplinary ties to the social sciences and its incorporation of the cultural insights of recent historiography, makes an ideal tool for conveying the complexities of the contemporary world in a "user-friendly" way. It argues further that one particular global structural analysis, from the author's world history textbook Frameworks of World History, exposes a deep pattern that helps explain many of the central conflicts in contemporary global politics. By highlighting the tension that has existed between individual communities, or hierarchies, and the networks that connected those communities, a tension going back as far as the modern human species, the article exposes the deep roots of the central conflict between today's global network and its cultural value of capitalism on the one hand, and modern hierarchies and their central value of nationalism on the other. The cultural aspect of this analysis offers a possible route forward from the problems and repressive politics that flow from this central conflict.


Flexible plasmonic devices with electrical tunability are of great interest for diverse applications, such as flexible metamaterials, waveguide transformation optics, and wearable sensors. However, the traditional flexible metal–polymer plasmonic structures suffer from a lack of electrical tunability. Here the first flexible, electrically tunable, and strain‐independent plasmons based on graphene–mica heterostructures are experimentally demonstrated. The resonance frequency, strength, quality factor, electrical tunability, and lifetime of graphene plasmons exhibit no visible change at bending radius down to 1 mm and after 1000 bending cycles at a radius of 3 mm. The plasmon‐enhanced infrared spectroscopy detection of chemicals is also demonstrated to be unaffected in the flexible graphene–mica heterostructures. The results provide the basis for the design of flexible active nanophotonic devices such as plasmonic waveguides, resonators, sensors, and modulators.


The hepatoprotective effect and the possible mechanism of action of AICA-phosphate (AIP) were studied. Both the morphological and biochemical data proved the protective i.e. the connective tissue reducing effect of AIP in cirrhotic rat liver. Labelled AIP incorporated very intensively into microsomal RNA, suggesting that the compound may take part in the de novo purine synthesis. The increased rate of protein synthesis can be the consequence of the incorporation into RNA, promoting the regenerative processes in injured cells.


Heart sound characteristics are linked to blood pressure, and its interpretation is important for detection of cardiovascular disease. In this study, heart sounds' auscultation, acquired from children patients (27 patients, 10.2±3.9 years, 35.7±20.8 kg, 132.3±25.5 cm), were automatically segmented to extract the two main components: the first sound (S1) and the second sound (S2). Following, a set of time, frequency, and wavelet based features, were extracted from the S2, and analyzed in relation to the noninvasive cuff-based measures of blood pressure (mean blood pressure of 78±8.8 mmHg). A multivariate regression analysis was performed for each S2 feature set to determine which features better related to the blood pressure measurements. The best results, in the leave-one-out evaluation, were obtained using the frequency features set, with a MAE of 6.08 mmHg, a MAPE of 7.85%, and a ME of 0.31 mmHg, in the estimation of the mean blood pressure.