Designing nanoprobes in which quantum dots (QDs) are used as photoluminescent labels is an especially promising line of research due to their possible medical applications ranging from disease diagnosis to drug delivery. In spite of the significant progress made in designing such nanoprobes, the properties of their individual components, i.e., photoluminescent QDs, vectorization moieties, and pharmacological agents, still require further optimization to enhance the efficiency of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Here, we have developed a method of engineering compact multifunctional nanoprobes based on functional components with optimized properties: bright photoluminescence of CdSe/ZnS (core/shell) QDs, a compact and effective antitumor agent (an acridine derivative), and direct conjugation of the components via electrostatic interaction, which provides a final hydrodynamic diameter of nanoprobes smaller than 15 nm. Due to the possibility of conjugating various biomolecules with hydroxyl and carboxyl moieties to QDs, the method represents a versatile approach to the biomarker-recognizing molecule imaging of the delivery of the active substance as part of compact nanoprobes.


ABSTRACT Ilha Grande is a Brazilian island that has a high vegetal biodiversity with a well-documented prehistoric human occupation but has few paleoenvironmental studies developed in this area. In view of this, multiproxy analysis of lagoonal sediments including radiocarbon dating were carried out on a 139cm-long continental sediment core. The aim of our study was to recognise and explain environmental dynamics in this region during the Holocene (∼5200 cal yr BP). The palynomorphs indicate the continuous presence of Atlantic Forest under humid conditions during the last Holocene sea-level highstand, after 5200 cal yr BP. A phase of low palynomorph concentrations was followed by a marked increase in palynomorph accumulation and diversity which may be linked to the subsequent drop of the sea-level. Dinoflagellate cysts showed a higher accumulation at the base of the sediment core. The high accumulation of charcoal particles identified between approximately 3700 and 3000 cal years BP might indicate human activity related to the long-lasting bonfires kept burning by the inhabitants of the archaeological site of Ilhote do Leste.


Probiotics and probiotic-related nutritional interventions have been described to have beneficial effects on immune homeostasis and gut health. In previous studies, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) soluble mediators (LSM) have been demonstrated to exert beneficial effects in preclinical models of allergic sensitization, bacterial infection, and intestinal barrier function. In the context of allergic diseases, differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs) and their interactions with T cell populations are crucial for driving tolerogenic responses. In this study, we set out to evaluate whether these LSM can modulate DC maturation and have an impact on prompting protective and/or tolerogenic T cell responses. Monocytes were isolated from PBMC of healthy blood donors and cultured in the presence of GM-CSF, IL-4, and LSM or unconditioned bacterial culture medium control (UCM) during 6 days to induce DC differentiation. Subsequently, these DCs were matured in the presence of TNF-α for 1 day and analyzed for their phenotype and ability to induce autologous T cell activation and differentiation to model recall antigens. After 7 days of co-culture, T cells were analyzed for activation and differentiation by flow cytometry of intracellular cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10, and IL-17A), activation markers (CD25), and Foxp3+ expression. LSM did not alter DC numbers or maturation status. However, these DCs did show improved capacity to induce a T cell response as shown by increased IL-2 and IFN-γ producing T cell populations upon stimulation with recall antigens. These enhanced recall responses coincided with enhanced Foxp3+ expression that was not observed when T cells were cultured in the presence of UCM-treated DCs. By contrast, the number of activated T cells (determined by CD25 expression) was only slightly increased. In conclusion, this study reveals that LSM can influence adaptive immune responses as shown by the modulation of DC functionality. These mechanisms might contribute to previous observed effects in animal models in vivo. Altogether, these results suggest that LSM may provide an alternative to live probiotics in case life bacteria may not be used because of health conditions, although further clinical testing is needed.


The role of the REV3 gene function in UV-induced mutagensis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been examined by determining the reversion of 12 well-defined cyc1 mutations in diploid strains homozygous for the rev3--1 or rev3--3 allele. The 12 cyc1 alleles include one ochre, one amber, four initiation, two proline missense, and four frameshift mutations. We find that the rev3 mutations reduce the frequency of UV-induced reversion of all of the cyc1 alleles, though different classes of alleles respond to a different extent. These results imply that the REV3 gene function is required for the production of a wide variety of mutational events, though probably not all, and show that each of the three REV loci have different mutational phenotypes. Such diverse phenotypes are not predicted by the unitary model for bacterial mutagenesis (CAILLET-FAUQUET, DEFAIS and RADMAN 1977; WITKIN 1976), suggesting that this is at best an incomplete description of eukaryotic mutagenesis.


BACKGROUND
Ten isolates of anaerobic fungi of Piromyces genus from wild cattle and blue bulls (five isolates from each host species) were evaluated for their fibrolytic ability in pure culture, their suitability for use as a microbial additive in buffaloes and their effect on methane emission.

RESULTS
In pure culture, only two out of five isolates from wild cattle degraded wheat straw efficiently, whereas all five isolates from wild blue bulls did. Isolate CF1 (from cattle) showed the highest apparent digestibility (53.4%), true digestibility (70.8%) and neutral detergent fibre digestibility (75.0%) of wheat straw after 5 days of incubation. When added to buffalo rumen fluid, all five isolates from cattle increased (P < 0.05) in vitro apparent digestibility of wheat straw compared with the control (received autoclaved culture), but all five isolates from blue bulls failed to influence in vitro digestibility of wheat straw. Isolate CF1 showed the highest stimulating effect on straw digestion by buffalo rumen fluid microbes and increased apparent digestibility (51.9 vs 29.4%, P < 0.05), true digestibility (57.9 vs 36.5%, P < 0.05) and neutral detergent fibre digestibility (51.5 vs 26.9%, P < 0.05) of wheat straw compared with the control after 24 h of fermentation. There were also significant increases in fungal count and enzyme activities of carboxymethylcellulase and xylanase in the CF1-added group compared with the control group. Gas and methane production g(-1) truly digested dry matter of straw were comparable among all groups including the control.

CONCLUSION
Wild cattle and blue bulls harbour some anaerobic fungal strains with strong capability to hydrolyse fibre. The fungal isolate CF1 has high potential for use as a microbial feed additive in buffaloes to improve digestibility of fibrous feeds without increasing methane emission per unit of digested feed.


In this paper, we develop a new attack on Damg̊ard-Merkle hash functions, called the herding attack, in which an attacker who can find many collisions on the hash function by brute force can first provide the hash of a message, and later "herd" any given starting part of a message to that hash value by the choice of an appropriate suffix. We introduce a new property which hash functions should have–Chosen Target Forced Prefix (CTFP) preimage resistance–and show the distinction between Damg̊ard-Merkle construction hashes and random oracles with respect to this property. We describe a number of ways that violation of this property can be used in arguably practical attacks on real-world applications of hash functions. An important lesson from these results is that hash functions susceptible to collision-finding attacks, especially brute-force collision-finding attacks, cannot be used to prove knowledge of a secret value.


Totem-pole power factor correction (PFC) is a simple and highly efficient topology. It is being widely used in high-density and high-efficiency power supply design. However, engineers still face many design challenges, including PFC current reversing prevention at input voltage drop, lightning surge protection, current harmonic reduction, and ac crossover current spike elimination. These challenges are not closely related to each other and there is no single control that can solve all the design issues. This article reviews the main design challenges and provides comprehensive solutions to these issues. Most of the solutions are novel or are used for the first time in PFC control. These solutions are integrated into the industry's first continuous conduction mode (CCM) totem-pole PFC analog controller IVCC1102 [1]. A 2.5 kW SiC-based totem-pole PFC prototype [1] is built to demonstrate the robustness and performance improvement with the proposed solutions.


Banks in developed countries share a common concern that prolonged low nominal interest rates may pose a threat to their business, as the level of nominal interest rates is often positively correlated with bank profits in the data. It is not well understood, however, how low nominal interest rates impact bank profits and what they imply for banking stability. To address these issues, this study theoretically explores how the level of nominal interest rates affects bank profits and banking stability in the long run by extending a model of bank runs constructed by Gertler and Kiyotaki (American Economic Review, 2015). The model, calibrated to Japan and other developed countries, makes three predictions: (1) low interest rates do indeed reduce bank profits by compressing the deposit spread; (2) due to the presence of the effective lower bound of the policy rate and a slow recovery of bank net worth after a run, low interest rates bring the economy closer to a state where a bank run equilibrium can exist; (3) although there are quantitative differences across countries, a decline in nominal interest rates does not necessarily bring the economy to a state with a bank run equilibrium on its own, except for in severe cases where the TFP growth rate or the target inflation rate falls below zero.


Barium cerate-based electrolytes have been extensively studied for intermediate-temperature (600 to 800°C) solid-state ionic devices because of their high ionic conductivities at these temperatures. However, the long-term stability of these materials under the conditions of intended applications, such as in a water vapor-containing atmosphere, has been controversial in recent literature. In this study, a gadolinium-doped barium cerate, BaCe 0.8 Gd 0.2 O 3 , has been tested in an atmosphere containing 50 volume percent water vapor at 600 and 700°C for 1000 h. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, and electrochemical measurements indicate that there is no creditable evidence to suggest an observable decomposition of BaCe 0.8 Gd 0.2 ,O 3 to Ba(OH) 2 and CeO 2 under the testing conditions for up to 1000 h, further confirming the stability of the material under fuel cell conditions demonstrated by others.


Adsorption of Rhesus monkey erythrocytes to the plasma membranes of measles virusinfected cells is frequently carried out to detect the presence of plasma membrane-associated measles virus hemagglutinin. The hemagglutinin is a viral genome-coded structural glycoprotein of the measles virionthat is associated with the plasma membrane of the host cell during measles virus replication. BGM/MV, a non-virogenic line of Africangreen monkey kidney cells persistently-infected withmeasles virus, adsorbed Rhesus monkey erythrocytes in an inverse fashion relative to the number of cells present in the culture and the time post-seeding. Serological studies employing the hemadsorption-inhibition and membrane immunofluorescence assay procedures, suggested that this phenomenon was not mediated by the viral hemagglutinin. Assays for Simian virus-5 and mycoplasma, contaminating agents that induce erythrocyte adsorption, were negative. Incubation of BGM/MV cells at 33°C or with graded concentrations of fetal calf serum, to stimulate the metabolismof resting (G o) cells, suggested that adsorption was related to a phase(s) of the cell growth cycle other than Go , foradsorption was prolonged and stimulated in a dose-response fashion, respectively. Comparative adsorption studies employing the parent cell line (BGM), not infected with measles virus, were performed using various species of erythrocytes. While both cell lines adsorbed Rhesus monkey erythrocytes in an inverse fashion relative to cell density, differences were noted in the adsorption of some of the other species of erythrocytes. These data suggest that Rhesus monkey erythrocyte adsorption to BGM/MV cells was mediated by a receptor(s) of cellular origin.


The reaction of ground state boron atoms, 11B(2Pj), with allene, H2CCCH2(X1A1), was studied under single collision conditions at a collision energy of 21.5 kJ mol(-1) utilizing the crossed molecular beam technique; the experimental data were combined with electronic structure calculations on the 11BC3H4 potential energy surface. The chemical dynamics were found to be indirect and initiated by an addition of the boron atom to the pi-electron density of the allene molecule leading ultimately to a cyclic reaction intermediate. The latter underwent ring-opening to yield an acyclic intermediate H2CCBCH2. As derived from the center-of-mass functions, this structure was long-lived with respect to its rotational period and decomposed via an atomic hydrogen loss through a tight exit transition state to form the closed shell, C2v symmetric H-C is equivalent C-B=CH2 molecule. A brief comparison of the product isomers formed in the reaction of boron atoms with methylacetylene is also presented.


Likelihood-based methods of statistical inference provide a useful general methodology that is appealing, as a straightforward asymptotic theory can be applied for their implementation. It is important to assess the relationships between different likelihood-based inferential procedures in terms of accuracy and adherence to key principles of statistical inference, in particular those relating to conditioning on relevant ancillary statistics. An analysis is given of the stability properties of a general class of likelihood-based statistics, including those derived from forms of adjusted profile likelihood, and comparisons are made between inferences derived from different statistics. In particular, we derive a set of sufficient conditions for agreement to $O_{p}(n^{-1})$, in terms of the sample size $n$, of inferences, specifically $p$-values, derived from different asymptotically standard normal pivots. Our analysis includes inference problems concerning a scalar or vector interest parameter, in the presence of a nuisance parameter.


The electrochemical behaviour of highly toxic hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas has been investigated in six room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) containing imidazolium/pyrrolidinium cations and range of anions on a Pt microelectrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV). HCl gas exists in a dissociated form of H(+) and [HCl2](-) in RTILs. A peak corresponding to the oxidation of [HCl2](-) was observed, resulting in the formation of Cl2 and H(+). These species were reversibly reduced to H2 and Cl(-), respectively, on the cathodic CV scan. The H(+) reduction peak is also present initially when scanned only in the cathodic direction. In the RTILs with a tetrafluoroborate or hexafluorophosphate anion, CVs indicated a reaction of the RTIL with the analyte/electrogenerated products, suggesting that these RTILs might not be suitable solvents for the detection of HCl gas. This was supported by NMR spectroscopy experiments, which showed that the hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid underwent structural changes after HCl gas electrochemical experiments. The analytical utility was then studied in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][NTf2]) by utilising both peaks (oxidation of [HCl2](-) and reduction of protons) and linear calibration graphs for current vs. concentration for the two processes were obtained. The reactive behaviour of some ionic liquids clearly shows that the choice of the ionic liquid is very important if employing RTILs as solvents for HCl gas detection.


Identifying accident patterns is one of the most vital research foci of driving analysis. Environmental or safety applications and the growing area of fleet management all benefit from accident detection contributions by minimizing the risk vehicles and drivers are subject to, improving their service and reducing overhead costs. Some solutions have been proposed in the past literature for automated accident detection that are mainly based on traffic data or external sensors. However, traffic data can be difficult to access, while external sensors can end up being difficult to set up and unreliable, depending on how they are used. Additionally, the scarcity of accident detection data has limited the type of approaches used in the past, leaving in particular, machine learning (ML) relatively unexplored. Thus, in this paper, we propose a ML framework for automated car accident detection based on mutimodal in-car sensors. Our work is a unique and innovative study on detecting real-world driving accidents by applying state-of-the-art feature extraction methods using basic sensors in cars. In total, five different feature extraction approaches, including techniques based on feature engineering and feature learning with deep learning are evaluated on the strategic highway research program (SHRP2) naturalistic driving study (NDS) crash data set. The main observations of this study are as follows: (1) CNN features with a SVM classifier obtain very promising results, outperforming all other tested approaches. (2) Feature engineering and feature learning approaches were finding different best performing features. Therefore, our fusion experiment indicates that these two feature sets can be efficiently combined. (3) Unsupervised feature extraction remarkably achieves a notable performance score.


Abstract The food environment poses many challenges to low-income rural residents as they struggle to sustain themselves and their families. Rural settings in the United States are characterized by poorer food access and availability, including costlier and lower-quality produce, in comparison with urban settings. The practices employed by low-income residents to cope with these rural food environments have nutritional consequences and sometimes even broader health implications. However, these practices can also be interpreted as acts of creative agency. Using insights from earlier work on the environmental determinants of food-related behaviors, and a sociological perspective on the role of individual agency in the process of structuration, this research categorizes food-related hardships, acquisition strategies, and resources, and demonstrates how food access is negotiated within the more or less flexible constraints of rural settings characterized by the unavailability of inexpensive, high-quality foods.


Abnormal airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) proliferation is an important pathological process in airway remodeling contributes to increased mortality in asthma. Mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism have a central role in the maintenance of the cell function. In this study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced ASMCs proliferative model was used to investigate the effect of mitochondria on the proliferation of ASMCs and the possible mechanism. We used cell and molecular biology to determine the effect of dynamin‐related protein 1 (Drp1) on LPS‐mediated ASMCs cell cycle progression and glycolysis. The major findings of the current study are as follows: LPS promoted an increased mitochondrial fission and phosphorylation of Drp1 at Ser616 (p‐Drp1 Ser616). LPS‐induced ASMCs proliferation and cell cycle progression, which was significantly inhibited application of Drp1 RNA interfering. Glycolysis inhibitor 2‐deoxyglucose (2‐DG) depressed ASMCs proliferative process induced by LPS stimulation. LPS caused mitochondrial metabolism disorders and aerobic glycolysis in a dependent on Drp1 activation. These results indicated that Drp1 may function as a key factor in asthma airway remodeling by mediating ASMC proliferation and cell cycle acceleration through an effect on mitochondrial metabolic disturbance.


The correlation between seizure-induced hypermetabolism and subsequent neuronal damage was studied in 10-day-old (P10), 21-day-old (P21), and adult rats subjected to lithium-pilocarpine status epilepticus (SE). Local CMRglc (LCMRglc) values were measured by the [14C]2-deoxyglucose method for a duration of 45 minutes starting at 60 minutes after the onset of SE, and neuronal damage was assessed by cresyl violet staining at 6 days after SE. In P21 and adult rats, LCMRglc values were increased by 275 to 875% in all thalamic, cortical, forebrain, and hypothalamic regions plus the substantia nigra. In addition, at P21 there were also large increases in LCMRglc in brainstem regions. In P10 rats, metabolic increases were mostly located in cortical and forebrain regions plus the substantia nigra but did not affect hypothalamic, thalamic, or brainstem areas. In adult rats, there was an anatomical correlation between hypermetabolism and neuronal damage. At P21, although hypermetabolism occurred in regions with damage, the extent of damage varied considerably with the animals and ranged from an almost negligible to a very extended degree. Finally, in P10 rats, although quite pronounced hypermetabolism occurred, there was no neuronal damage induced by the seizures. Thus, in the present model of epilepsy, the correlation between marked hypermetabolism and neuronal damage can be shown in adult rats. Conversely, immature rats can sustain major metabolic activations that lead either to a variable extent of damage, as seen at P21, or no damage, as recorded at P10.


This paper deals with a mathematical model of a gas discharge arrester, developed within the Matlab/Simulink program environment on the basis of physical and mathematical parameters. The model includes important physical phenomena regarding a gas discharge arrester, such as its overvoltage causing triggering, discharge processes, electric arc, and a possible repeated dielectric breakdown in gas due to the heat released from the arc to the gas. This paper includes computations for the operating conditions of a gas discharge arrester connected to an ac circuit. The computing results are compared with those measurements of electrical quantities performed on a gas discharge arrester.


Objectives This study aimed to assess the accuracy of the International Ovarian Tumour Analysis (IOTA) logistic regression models (LR1 and LR2) and that of subjective pattern recognition (PR) for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Methods and Materials This was a prospective single-center study in a general gynecology unit of a tertiary hospital during 33 months. There were 292 consecutive women who underwent surgery after an ultrasound diagnosis of an adnexal tumor. All examinations were by a single level 2 ultrasound operator, according to the IOTA guidelines. The malignancy likelihood was calculated using the IOTA LR1 and LR2. The women were then examined separately by an expert operator using subjective PR. These were compared to operative findings and histology. The sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and accuracy of the 3 methods were calculated and compared. Results The AUCs for LR1 and LR2 were 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.92–0.97] and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90–0.96), respectively. Subjective PR gave a positive likelihood ratio (LR+ve) of 13.9 (95% CI, 7.84–24.6) and a LR−ve of 0.049 (95% CI, 0.022–0.107). The corresponding LR+ve and LR−ve for LR1 were 3.33 (95% CI, 2.85–3.55) and 0.03 (95% CI, 0.01–0.10), and for LR2 were 3.58 (95% CI, 2.77–4.63) and 0.052 (95% CI, 0.022–0.123). The accuracy of PR was 0.942 (95% CI, 0.908–0.966), which was significantly higher when compared with 0.829 (95% CI, 0.781–0.870) for LR1 and 0.836 (95% CI, 0.788–0.872) for LR2 (P < 0.001). Conclusions The AUC of the IOTA LR1 and LR2 were similar in nonexpert's hands when compared to the original and validation IOTA studies. The PR method was the more accurate test to diagnose ovarian cancer than either of the IOTA models.


Despite many studies documenting the prevalence of various co-occurring psychiatric symptoms in children and adults with ASD, less is known about how these symptoms relate to subtypes defined by particular phenotypic features within the ASD population. We examined the severity and prevalence of comorbid symptoms of psychopathology, emotion dysregulation, and maladaptive behaviors, as well as adaptive functioning, in a group of 65 minimally verbal children (n = 33) and adolescents (n = 32) with ASD. On the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI-5), for all the symptom classifications except oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, more participants in our sample showed elevated or clinically concerning severity scores relative to the general population. On the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI), the mean scores for Reactivity and Dysphoria factors in our sample were lower than in the autism calibration sample, which included a large number of inpatient youth with ASD. Overall, few differences were found between the children and adolescents within this severely impaired group of ASD individuals based on clinical cutoff scores on the CASI-5 and EDI factor scores. Psychiatric comorbidities and emotion dysregulation measures were not correlated with autism symptom severity or with measures of adaptive functioning, and were largely unrelated to IQ in our sample. The number of clinically significant psychiatric symptoms on the CASI-5 emerged as the main predictor of maladaptive behaviors. Findings suggest a wide range of co-occurring psychopathology and high degree of maladaptive behavior among minimally verbal children and adolescents with ASD, which are not directly attributable to autism symptom severity, intellectual disability or limitations in adaptive functioning.


We introduce a novel formulation for incorporating visual feedback in controlling robots. We define a generative model from actions to image observations of features on the end-effector. Inference in the model allows us to infer the robot state corresponding to target locations of the features. This, in turn, guides motion of the robot and allows for matching the target locations of the features in significantly fewer steps than state-of-the-art visual servoing methods. The training procedure for our model enables effective learning of the kinematics, feature structure, and camera parameters, simultaneously. This can be done with no prior information about the robot, structure, and cameras that observe it. Learning is done sample-efficiently and shows strong generalization to test data. Since our formulation is modular, we can modify components of our setup, like cameras and objects, and relearn them quickly online. Our method can handle noise in the observed state and noise in the controllers that we interact with. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by executing grasping and tight-fit insertions on robots with inaccurate controllers.


Reindeer lichens are on a dramatic decline in Sweden, with a 71 % decrease in abundance over the last 60 years. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) management, undertaken by indigenous Sámi people, depend upon extensive winter grazing grounds with abundant reindeer lichen cover. The objective of this pilot study is to restore the ecosystem function of reindeer winter grazing in post-industrial environments, by developing an artificial dispersal program of reindeer lichen thalli. This study is performed in co-operation with the mining corp. of LKAB and in consultation with Laevas reindeer herding district. There are two components to this study: I) a comprehensive literature review of indigenous and scientific knowledge regarding reindeer winter grazing and artificial reindeer lichen dispersal; and II) a field assessment of relationships between fructiose lichen occurrence and environmental variables within a coarse grid overlapped on a mosaic of vegetation patches in various successional stages, which cover part of a 28-year old abandoned quartzite heap. My findings validate that a well-drained substrate with a thin humus layer or barren ground together with the occurrence of bryophytes (not Sphagnum spp.) had the highest abundance of fructiose lichens. In contrast, abundant organic soil layer, high soil moisture, and extensive cover of graminoids and herbs showed low abundance of fructiose lichens. I conclude that reindeer lichens are indeed present in a few findings but are still facing environmental and dispersal limitations to become abundant. These limitations can be understood in the light of moisture regimes, instability or compaction of substrate, and limitations within the colonization-pool, and are further discussed with suggested revegetation implementations.


Paul Bowles had already established himself as an important composer when at age 39 he published "The Sheltering Sky" and became recognized as one of the most powerful writers of the postwar period. From his base in Tangier he produced globally ranging novels, stories, and travel writings that set exquisite surfaces over violent undercurrents. His elegantly spare novels chart the unpredictable collisions between "civilized" exiles and a Morocco they never grasp, achieving effects of extreme horror and dislocation. This Library of America Bowles set, the first annotated edition, offers the full range of his achievement: the portrait of an outsider who was one of the essential American writers of the last century. In addition to his novels-"The Sheltering Sky" (1949), "Let It Come Down" (1952), "The Spider's House" (1955), "Up Above the World" (1966)-and his collected stories-including such classics as "A Distant Episode" and "Pages from Cold Point"-they contain his masterpiece of travel writing, "Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue" (1963). Throughout, Bowles shows himself a master of gothic terror and a diabolically funny observer of manners as well as a prescient guide to everything from the roots of Islamist politics to the world of Moghrebi music. With a hallucinatory clarity as dry and unforgiving as the desert air, Bowles sends his characters toward encounters with unknown and terrifying forces both outside them and within them.


Inherent or acquired drug resistance is the major obstacle in cancer therapy. An individual prediction of response to cancer therapy would be highly appreciated. It has been reported that the mitochondrial function of cancer cells correlates with the treatment response in different cancer entities (Chonghaile et al., Science 2011 and Vo et al., Cell 2012). However, as the method of BCL-2 peptide priming measurement ("BH3 profiling") seemed to be rather complicated and error-prone in our hand we sought to determine mitochondrial function by analyzing cellular respiration. We established three different drug resistant human cancer cell lines (MV4-11, HL-60 and NCl-H82) by continuous exposure to Sorafenib, Cytarabine (Ara-C) or Etoposid (VP-16) respectively. Cellular respiration was measured as oxygen consumption rate (OCR) 24h after drug exposure employing the XF96 extracellular Flux Analyzer. Viability, reduction equivalents NADH/NADPH and mitochondrial membrane potential of the cells were concomitantly determined by flow cytometry via 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) exclusion, (4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) staining with flow cytometric analysis, respectively. All resistant cancer cells maintained their respiration capacity upon exposure to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chemotherapeutics or topoisomerase inhibitors, whereas the respiration of drug sensitive cancer cells decreased significantly. Moreover, resistant MV4-11 and HL-60 cells exhibited a metabolic shift towards glycolysis after drug treatment. In contrast sensitive cancer cells showed a decline in respiration and glycolysis in a dose dependent manner. Decrease of respiration was evident at 24h post treatment, while the onset of apoptosis was measurable 48-120h later. Reduction equivalents NADH/NADPH but not mitochondrial membrane potential were diminished in sensitive cells after 24h drug exposure, but dose dependency was more distinct with OCR analysis. The increase of glycolysis in resistant cell lines was also not detectable with the MTT assay. Our data indicate cellular metabolism and in particular respiration as an early, sensitive and reliable surrogate parameter of drug sensitivity in viable cells that might therefore be applicable in order to determine drug responsiveness in primary cancer cells in a prospective manner. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


After the 1941 Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, a series of articles appeared simultaneously in American magazines. A 22 December 1941 article in Time gives advice to its Caucasian readers on "How To Tell Your Friends From the Japs," as does an article in Life magazine entitled "How To Tell Japs From the Chinese." From the perspective of the late twentieth century, the racism of these texts seems obvious. At the time of their appearance, how did this racism remain unmarked? This paper has two purposes: the first, examining the way racist statements about people of Japanese descent become established, as well as the way those statements become connected to pre-existing racist statements about people of Chinese descent; the second, examining how articles and photographs in magazines such as Time and Life negotiate this pre-existing "network of statements."


CFD analyses of the three-dimensional turbulent flow in the impeller and diffuser of an axial flow pump including suction and discharge parts are presented and compared with experimental data. The purpose of the current study is to validate the CFD method for the performance analysis of the main coolant pump for SMART and to investigate the effect of suction and discharge shapes on the pump performance. To generate a performance curve, not only the design point but also the off-design points were computed. The results were compared with available experimental data in terms of head generated. At the design point, the analysis accurately predicts the experimental head value. In the range of the higher flow rates, the results are also in very good agreement with the experimental data, in magnitude but also in terms of slope of variation. For lower flow rates, the results shows that the analysis considering the suction and discharge well describe the typical S-shape performance curve of the axial pump.


This work critically analyzes the series "When they see us", based on real facts, made available on the Netflix digital platform. This series was chosen for, to a certain extent, breaking with a white, male and heterosexual hegemony reproduced in the series main on crime. The series features the creator and director of the series Ava DuVernay, a black woman. The question to be answered by the work will be: how does the series When they see us articulate as racial and gender categories in the illegal imprisonment of the five black adolescents? It starts from the theoretical framework of critical criminology, with racial, class, sex and gender cuts. The technique used will be deductive, with the exploratory methodology of bibliography. The analysis carried out points to a central fact: the racist selectivity of the American prison system. The series managed to portray the current reality of the penal system, both in the US and in Brazil, and apply how it was strategically planned for the control of black bodies. In addition to the selectivity of the system, the series depicts the inhumane way that people deprived of their liberty are subjected, and also how gender, race and class structure this system.


This study investigated cytotoxicity and inflammation caused by human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to respirable aerosols produced during the land application of stabilized sewage sludges (biosolids). BEAS-2B cells were exposed to respirable aerosols (PM(10)) derived from soils, biosolids stabilized by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD), temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD), and composting (COM) as well as animal manures stabilized by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AMAD) and composting (ACOM). Anaerobically digested particles (MAD, TPAD, AMAD) induced the highest cytotoxicity with LD(50) levels of 70 microg/cm(2), 310 microg/cm(2) for, and 375 microg/cm(2) for MAD, AMAD, and TPAD, respectively. Conversely, there was no observed cytotoxicity for soils, composted biosolids, or composted manures at the in vitro doses tested. Inflammatory responses, measured by interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 release, were 2- to 15-fold greater in biosolids and manures than for equivalent doses in soils. Biosolids treatment rankings for human bronchial epithelial cell toxicity and inflammation were similar to the rankings found in recent biosolids pathogen content studies-from lowest pathogen content or toxicity to highest, rankings were as follows: COM < TPAD < MAD. Coupling in vitro responses with modeled tracheobronchial lung surface doses that may occur during a biosolids land application event suggests that an inflammatory aerosol exposure in the TB region could only occur under worst case scenarios (exercising human with reduced lung capacity at <65 m set backs), but examination of lower in vitro doses as well as consideration of the head and lower lung respiratory tract regions are needed to more definitively describe the links between biosolids aerosols and the potential for respiratory inflammation.


This paper presents measurements of CO2 concentration and pressure in a new, highly instrumented and versatile, 1.5-stage gas turbine facility. The rig, which has been specifically designed for investigations related to hot gas ingestion, features interchangeable rim-seals, blading configurations, and the capability to operate at a wide range of flow coefficients. The turbine section includes an upstream and a downstream wheel-space on either side of a rotor disc featuring turned blades. Measurements of CO2 concentration and steady static pressure were used to assess the pressure field in the turbine annulus and to investigate the performance of a radial clearance rim seal in both wheel-spaces. The wealth of data presented will be of great significance for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) validation studies considering downstream cavities. Pressure measurements were made at various locations in the turbine annulus for a range of flow coefficients. In the annulus upstream of the rotor blades the square root of the peak-to-trough pressure difference was shown to increase linearly with the flow coefficient. The radial variation in concentration effectiveness in the upstream and downstream wheel-spaces is provided for a range of sealing flow rates at an operating point near the design condition for the stage. In both cases, the concentration on the stator walls was virtually invariant with the radius and equal to that in the rotating core. The results also showed that for the same effectiveness, a smaller value of non-dimensional sealing flow is required in the downstream wheel-space, indicating a weaker driver for ingress. Off-design measurements of the value of the sealing flow parameter when the concentration effectiveness is 95% in both wheel-spaces are also provided for a range of flow coefficients. In the upstream wheel-space, the sealing flow parameter, and hence ingress, is shown to increase linearly with flow coefficient and be proportional to the square root of the peak-to-trough difference of the circumferential pressure variation in the annulus. Downstream of the blades, both the sealing flow parameter and the square root of the peak-to-trough pressure difference reach a minimum near the operating point, indicating that ingress is affected by the vane pressure field immediately downstream of the seal clearance.


The problem considered is the diffusion of material from a solid cylinder initially containng a uniform concentration and immersed in a well-stirred bath which maintains the external concentration at zero. The Fourier-Bessel series form of the fraction of the original material removed from the cylinder as a function of time converges very slowly for small time. An alternate form was obtained, which converges reasonably rapidly for small time. The convergence acceleration method of P. Wynn was also used to provide an efficient method for computation. Numerical examples and program listings are included.


An extensive set of neutron dosimeters ranging from the core center to beyond the reactor vessel were irradiated during the first two operating cycles of the MK-III core to allow a detailed characterization of the neutron spectra and flux distributions for this new core configuration. New analysis methods for predicting the reaction rates for comparison with the dosimetry measurements based on the MCNP code were developed. Analysis of previous MK-II cycle 34-35 dosimetry tests was used to verify the methods. Core models were developed for the different types and locations of dosimetry test subassemblies and biasing schemes were developed. MCNP optimization techniques and the C/E differences were explored. Most of the important parameters that affect the reaction rate calculations and measurements were investigated. In most cases, MCNP provides more accurate estimations of reaction rates and neutron flux than DORT. This indicates that treatment of heterogeneous structure is needed in the predictions for the irradiation test subassembly with no fuel and the irradiation field with large flux gradients.


This paper describes a supervisory control system for a multi-fingered robotic hand. The proposed method enables a slave robotic hand to grasp an object in a remote environment in several ways, manipulate it, and mimic several non-grasping motions. The key components of the proposed control system are a grasping selector in the master system and motion controllers and a controller selector in the slave system. The grasping selector learns to detect motions commanded by an operator using datagloves. We developed two methods to learn the operator's hand shapes, one that prioritizes the learning time and one that prioritizes the probability of correct detection. The controller selector determines the current command and awaits a transition, while the motion controllers stably realize the currently commanded motion. We have demonstrated the stable operation of a three-fingered robotic hand using the proposed method.


Drawing from experience in producing a film on the surgical procedure of female sterilization, 4 guidelines to technical film production for training purposes are presented and discussed in this paper. In order of presentation in the text, the paper 1st encourages identifying and securing a technical expert, then clearly identifying steps of the technical procedure, involving trainees and trainers in the production process, and working with experienced producers, scriptwriters, and crew members. Returning to the 1st guideline, the technical advisor will have a central presence during all photography and editing, and ideally should not have any personal investment in the procedure being shown. Prior to script finalization and sorting, research is urged to ensure concrete procedural steps. Printed materials, slides, interviews of experienced clinicians, procedure observation, and test videotape shooting may be called upon and employed as parts of the research phase. Trainees should participate during preliminary research, script development, and pretesting of early film versions, their suggestions for change incorporated where appropriate in the final version. On the final point of securing experienced workers, country nationals sensitive to relevant cultural and background dynamics should be included in the team. The special concerns of airport security regulation and customs requirements knowledge are essential, as well as their attention to assuring adequate on-site electricity for camera equipment.


BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) screening in Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programs is important to improve TB detection, prevention and treatment.

METHODS
As part of a national PMTCT program evaluation, mother-infant pairs attending 6-week and 9-month immunization visits were enrolled at 141 maternal and child health clinics throughout Kenya. Clinics were selected using population-proportion-to-size sampling with oversampling in a high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence region. The World Health Organization (WHO) TB symptom screen was administered to HIV-infected mothers, and associations with infant cofactors were determined.

RESULTS
Among 498 HIV-infected mothers, 165 (33%) had a positive TB symptom screen. Positive maternal TB symptom screen was associated with prior TB (P = 0.04). Women with a positive TB symptom screen were more likely to have an infant with HIV infection (P = 0.02) and non-specific TB symptoms, including cough (P = 0.003), fever (P = 0.05), and difficulty breathing (P = 0.01). TB exposure was reported by 11% of the women, and 15% of the TB-exposed women received isoniazid preventive therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Postpartum HIV-infected mothers frequently had a positive TB symptom screen. Mothers with a positive TB symptom screen were more likely to have infants with HIV or non-specific TB symptoms. Integration of maternal TB screening and prevention into PMTCT programs may improve maternal and infant outcomes.


We present a reconstruction of the mass distribution of galaxy cluster Abell 1689 at z = 0.18 using detected strong lensing features from deep ACS observations and extensive ground based spectroscopy. Earlier analyses have reported up to 32 multiply imaged systems in this cluster, of which only 3 were spectroscopically confirmed. In this work, we present a parametric strong lensing mass reconstruction using 34 multiply imaged systems of which 24 have newly determined spectroscopic redshifts, which is a major step forward in building a robust mass model. In turn, the new spectroscopic data allows a more secure identification of multiply imaged systems. The resultant mass model enables us to reliably predict the redshifts of additional multiply imaged systems for which no spectra are currently available, and to use the location of these systems to further constrain the mass model. Using our strong lensing mass model, we predict on larger scale a shear signal which is consistent with that inferred from our large scale weak lensing analysis derived using CFH12K wide field images. Thanks to a new method for reliably selecting a well defined background lensed galaxy population, we resolve the discrepancy found between the NFW concentration parameters derived from earlier strong and weak lensing analysis. The derived parameters for the best fit NFW profile is found to be c200 = 7.6 ± 1.6 and r200 = 2.16 ± 0.10 h Mpc (corresponding to a 3D mass equal to M200 = [1.32 ± 0.2] × 1015 h70 M☉). The large number of new constraints incorporated in this work makes Abell 1689 the most reliably reconstructed cluster to date. This well calibrated mass model, which we here make publicly available, will enable us to exploit Abell 1689 efficiently as a gravitational telescope, as well as to potentially constrain cosmology.


It is estimated that there will be an increase in the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the coming decades. Thus, the pharmacological attributes of products of plant origin should be considered as an important economic and scientific strategy in the investigation of therapeutic alternatives, since their experimental validations are indispensable to substantiate the reliability of these products in the treatment of chronic diseases. Like biologically active compounds, Review Article Gondim et al.; EJMP, 25(1): 1-10, 2018; Article no.EJMP.43561 2 Eucalyptol, also known as 1,8cineole, is the major constituent of the leaf oil of eucalyptus species, such as Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus tereticornis. It is a terpenoid oxide, free of steroid-like side effects. This study is based on a review of the specialised literature with purpose to discuss the biological effects of Eucalyptol in the respiratory system and its interaction with some of the most promising targets in the treatment of COPD, such as: receivers and membrane channels, oxidative stress, transcription and expression of cytokines, cell adhesion molecules and neutrophil chemotaxis, proteases and remodeling.


The LS300 viscometer permits automated measurements of viscosity at several shear rates of non-Newtonian fluids. We determined whole blood and plasma viscosity, aggregation, red blood cell deformability, and hematocrit of 66 healthy adults. The effects of the anticoagulants EDTA, heparin and citrate, and of centrifugation on blood viscosity (n=12) and red blood cell geometry (n=5) were investigated. With regard to the whole blood viscosity of adults, the best agreement was obtained by Casson's calculation compared to the methods of Ostwald, Bingham and Newton. The approximated flow curve of plasma showed only marginal differences between the method of Newton and Ostwald, whereas the latter gave the best quality of approximation. Centrifugation and the anticoagulants had a significant impact on whole blood viscosity and yield shear stress, whereas erythrocyte geometry remained unaffected. By linear regression of hematocrit with viscosity and yield shear stress, its impact on blood viscosity could be calculated in a hematocrit range of 0.32-0.50. Determination of whole blood viscosity should be performed in a standardized manner at several shear rates and without centrifugation of the blood samples.


Following the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape incident in December, 2012, a host of rape law reforms were introduced in India, including stringent punishment and death penalty under the Criminal Law Amendment Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. This article questions the effectiveness of such punitive measures in dealing with sexual violence. While, the legislative reforms offer tougher sentencing, they place less emphasis on victims' rights and also tend to ignore the social context in which sexual violence occurs. The present paper offers the critique of punitive populism of the legislation through four discourses: Rape as 'loss of honour', Rapists as a 'monster' syndrome, Perspectives of victimsurvivors and Retributive justice and marginalised identities. By exploring victim-survivors' participation, restorative and transformational practices and acknowledging the larger socio-cultural context in which sexual violence takes place, this article sheds light on a range of strategies to address sexual violence from the perspectives of victims.


The zero-field hyperfine splitting of 159Tb in ferrimagnetic Tb2Co17 has been studied by NMR at 4.2 K. Distinct domain and wall spectra are obtained from the dominant rhombohedral phase; weaker spectra from the two inequivalent lanthanide sites in the hexagonal phase have also been observed. The data are interpreted in terms of the single-ion mean-field model. Estimates of the extra-ionic hyperfine fields and the electric-field gradients, and the antishielding ratios at the rhombohedral and hexagonal sites have been made using exchange and crystal-field parameters derived from magnetization and anisotropy measurements. Results are discussed in the light of complementary data obtained from other sources.


In this paper, we focus on model reduction of biomolecular systems with multiple time-scales, modeled using the Linear Noise Approximation. Considering systems where the Linear Noise Approximation can be written in singular perturbation form, with $\epsilon$ as the singular perturbation parameter, we obtain a reduced order model that approximates the slow variable dynamics of the original system. In particular, we show that, on a finite time-interval, the first and second moments of the reduced system are within an $O(\epsilon)$-neighborhood of the first and second moments of the slow variable dynamics of the original system. The approach is illustrated on an example of a biomolecular system that exhibits time-scale separation.


Background/Aims: The liver has the unique capacity to restore its mass by hepatocyte proliferation after injury or transplantation. The present study investigated whether the regenerating liver responds to immune stimuli in the same way as the quiescent one. Methods: We performed partial hepatectomy (PHx) in mice, then stimulated the mice with concanavalin A (ConA) to study their immune responses. Plasma Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and cytokine levels as well as liver inflammatory infiltration were measured to evaluate liver damage. Transcriptional factors were further detected to study the underlining mechanisms. Results: Our results showed that PHx mice were resistant to ConA-induced liver inflammation and injury, as evidenced by both morphological and biochemical observations. Then we went further to study the mechanisms. We found marked signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation 48 hours after PHx. When STAT3 activation was blocked with its inhibitor JSI-124, PHx mice also developed severe liver inflammation after ConA stimulation. Conclusion: The regenerating liver is resistant to ConA induced immune assaulting, and STAT3 is the major player in the protection process.


Ecosystems provide the invaluable service of collecting and storing solar energy as fossil fuels (e.g., coal, petroleum, and natural gas). These concentrated forms of energy were gifted to us by the sun and collected and stored for our use by ancient ecosystem services. However, our legal and economic systems fail to recognize the value of this ecosystem service that is embedded in fossil fuels. As a result, society uses fossil fuels as though they were free and inexhaustible. This market failure means that fossil fuels are being consumed more quickly than they can be replenished, which in turn has affected the world's environment. This ecosystem services price subsidy had led to overuse and waste of the resource in the free market, which would not be occurring if the price of the fossil fuels included the cost of its manufacture by the world's ecosystems. Ironically, almost none of the literature on ecosystem services, including some of the groundbreaking work of the late 1990s, considers fossil fuels in this context. Until we begin to understand stored energy as an ecosystem service, we cannot reasonably expect to manage our fossil fuel energy resources sustainably. Current international and domestic energy law and policy nearly completely ignores this feature of fossil fuel energy. The ultimate consequences of this disconnect are not just a matter of concern to energy policy, but are of the utmost significance to national security as well. This Article proposes that it is necessary to value the ecosystem services that manufactured fossil fuels, and to find a legal mechanism to internalize that value into the marketplace, either as a cost on the fossil fuel resource or a subsidy on renewable energy alternatives that seek to collect solar energy and convert it into a usable form. The Article concludes by considering a legal decision-making model as an example of how to incorporate ecosystem service values into energy decision-making.


Introduction . Improving nurses and nursing student's knowledge and attitudes toward patients with HIV/AIDS is vital for providing quality care to each patients. The purpose of this study is to identify the knowledge and the attitudes of nursing students toward patients living with HIV/AIDS. Methods . This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Klabat (Unklab), Airmadidi. The inclusion criteria for the nursing students were as follows: being at least 18 years of age; being a fourth-year in course and as a nurse profession program nursing student; and having consent to participate in the research. The sample comprised of 90 nursing students. The study used two data collection tools: (1) the HIV/AIDS Knowledge Questionnaire and (2) the HIV/AIDS Attitude Questionnaire. Results . Participant's knowledge were moderate or good, but they generally have negative attitude towards patients with HIV/AIDS. On the result of statistic test, there was no statistically significant relation between nursing students  knowledge level and attitude scale toward patients with HIV/AIDS,    p = 0.804 (p > 0,05). Conclusions . The current results reveal that nursing students have good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, but they have a negative attitude. Therefore their attitudes need to be improved. Keyword: HIV/AIDS, knowledge, attitudes, nursing student Full printable version: PDF


TI-IE CANADIAN I STITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL FFAIRS iS to be congratulated upon its initiative in arranging for the English edition of M. Marcel Cadieux's thoughtful and discerning essay, first published in Montreal in 1962 with the laudable aim of bringing to the attention of young Canadians, particularly from French-speaking Canada, opportunities for a career in the Canadian Foreign Service. As one of the senior members of that service who had previously published a study of the Department of External Affairs, the author was well qualified for his self-imposed assignment. Although the Department is fifty-five years old this year, it was only in 1927 that a Canadian mission first appeared in a foreign country, inevitably the United States, as Mr. Vincent Massey, its first head, has recently reminded us. Now there are some 350 Foreign Service officers of whom a little less than half are stationed in Ottawa. How they are recruited, the manner in which they are promoted, what their duties are at home or abroad, the case for generalists or specialists in the Department, and their role as civil servants are dealt with in brief chapters which repay careful reading. The author repeatedly emphasizes that the character and traditions of the service are still in the making, remarking, for instance, that the heads of the main divisions of the Department in Ottawa are normally officers of about fifteen years' experience. As he pith fly summarizes it, "Canadian diplomacy, like any youngster, is still wondering how it will finally look."


A cold-water extract of olive leaves (Olea europaea L.) is useful as a texture-improving agent for food protein gels. In this work, the compound contributing to the improvement of gel properties was investigated by using the egg white gel (EWG) as a model for food protein gels. Adding 1.0% (w/v) cold-water extract (OLEx) greatly improved the elasticity (2.1 times), viscosity (4.5 times), and breaking stress (1.4 times) of the EWG. Chemical analyses of the protein revealed that the enhancement of physical properties by OLEx was attributed to protein cross-linking activity of polyphenols. LC/MS and NMR analyses indicated that a major protein cross-linker is the dialdehydic form of demethoxycarbonylelenolic acid linked to hydroxytyrosol (3,4-DHPEA-EDA), which is an aglycone derived from oleuropein, a major polyphenol of olive leaves. These results suggest that 3,4-DHPEA-EDA generated by cold-water extraction from the leaf improves the physical properties, that is, texture, of protein gels.


The present study explored the perceptions, experiences, and needs of mental health professionals (MHPs) providing mental health services (MHS) to older adults in North Central Florida. Twenty MHPs from a variety of professional backgrounds were recruited. In-depth interviews focused on their motivation for working with elders, continuing education (CE) needs, professional qualities (personality characteristics, knowledge, and awareness) necessary for working with the elderly, and barriers to service provision. Patience was the most frequently cited basic personality characteristic needed; understanding of age-related physical/health problems was reported as the most important knowledge factor; and medications and age-related medical issues were the type of CE needed. Most MHPs perceived aging positively, and reported that working with the elderly was "rewarding." Perceived barriers to service provision were primarily funding related. Implications for recruiting and training more MHPs in geriatrics/gerontology are discussed.


ABSTRACT Immigrants are often exposed to conditions of economic deprivation or to hardships of a social nature connected to their status. These factors increase their feeling of impotence, thus slowing down the integrative process. An element that could counter these disadvantaged conditions is participation in an association that promotes immigrants' demands on a socio-political level. The first aim of this study is understanding the relationships between involvement and integration. The authors hypothesize that youth engaged in community are more integrated than not engaged immigrant youth. The second aim is to investigate the relationship between the type of activity, type of association and integration. The participants were 644 immigrant youth (Age range 19–35, 56.2%) that were involved in the community. The results show that involved immigrant youth report higher levels of both ethnic and national identity compared to not involved youth. Regarding the type of activity carried out, there is a statistically significant difference between activity of a social type, which obtains higher means, and of a civic type, which rather obtains lower means. While exploratory, the study shows and confirms the relationship between community engagement, young immigrants' integration process and construction of identity.


—Providing situational awareness in light of severe coordinated cyber-attacks on power grids, where many measurements may be untrusted, is necessary for reliable monitoring and resilient operation of the grid. In this scenario, the set of good measurements is by itself insufficient for state estimation due to loss of observability. In this paper, we present a resilient state estimation algorithm, based on output clustering. By augmenting the measurement set by respective cluster variables, the system observability is regained, and a reliable state estimate can be computed. We show the numerical performance of our proposed algorithm and its ability to successfully replace corrupted measurements using cluster variables through an example on the IEEE 24-bus power system.


BACKGROUND
Resistance to beta-lactams in Haemophilus influenzae is mostly due to the presence of TEM beta-lactamases. beta-Lactamase-negative ampicillin resistance (BLNAR) also occurs as a result of PBP3 modifications. BLNAR strains are particularly common in Japan and France, and strains with combined mechanisms of altered PBP3 and beta-lactamase (BLPACR) are emerging. Although the prevalence of beta-lactamase-positive strains is high, TEM-derived extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-mediated cephalosporin resistance, which is common in Enterobacteriaceae, has not been reported in H. influenzae. In this study, the ability of ESBLs TEM-3, -4 and -5 to confer beta-lactam resistance in H. influenzae strains with or without modified PBP3 was tested.

METHODS
The genes encoding TEM-1, -3, -4 and -5 were cloned into plasmid pLS88 and were used to transform H. influenzae Rd and BLNAR H. influenzae Rd strains with PBP3 modifications. MICs were determined using CLSI macrobroth dilution. The ability of amoxicillin/clavulanate pre-diffusion disc tests to discriminate between ESBL-producing strains and other strains was also tested.

RESULTS
The presence of ESBLs in BLNAR strains conferred cefotaxime resistance, but H. influenzae Rd strains expressing ESBLs and BLNAR strains expressing TEM-1 remained cefotaxime susceptible. The amoxicillin/clavulanate pre-diffusion tests were able to discriminate the ESBL-producing strains from the other strains.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of altered PBP3 increases the effect of ESBLs in recombinant H. influenzae strains to produce cefotaxime resistance. Amoxicillin/clavulanate pre-diffusion disc tests can discriminate ESBL-producing strains from other strains.


Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an abundant and renewable carbon source than can be used as feedstock for the synthesis of value-added materials. One such material is acrylic acid, and acrylate derivatives, which can be used in the production of super absorbent polymers, adhesives, and coatings. The oxidative coupling of CO2 and ethylene offers a more atom-economical and sustainable approach acrylic acid formation relative to the petroleum-based synthesis currently in use. This dissertation examines the ability of the first-row transition metals Nickel (Ni) and Iron (Fe) to yield acrylate from CO2 and ethylene. A wealth of research on Ni-mediated CO2-ethylene coupling reactions laid the groundwork for a variety of in-depth investigations into ancillary ligand effects and the role of additives in the multi-component system. Moderate improvements to catalytic activity were observed but ultimately the progress of this system has stalled, and investigations turned to the development of novel Fe complexes. A family of low valent Fe complexes were found to facilitate CO2-ethylene coupling. However, the insertion of two CO2 units was observed, resulting in the formation of the dicarboxylate product methylmalonic acid (MMA). A one electron oxidation was found to slow the rate of second CO2 insertion and mixtures of propionic acid (PA) and MMA were obtained.


Abstract A novel flexible radio frequency (RF) sensor is designed to facilitate the accurate testing of various samples used in the biomedical industry at the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency band. The proposed RF biosensor comprises a liquid channel-loaded interdigitated capacitor, which is integrated on a coplanar waveguide structure. The prototype of the sensor is fabricated on a 0.13 mm thin biodegradable polyethylene terephthalate polyester film to perform the testing of various bio-graded samples by recording the corresponding resonant frequency. It is observed that there is a noticeable change between the measured resonant frequencies of these samples, which primarily occurs due to the difference in their dielectric properties. The designed sensor was used to monitor and investigate the quality of glycerol, which is the most commonly used raw ingredient in the biomedical and food industry. The determination of glucose concentration in base fluids is considered to ease the challenges faced by doctors and biochemists regarding the monitoring of glucose concentration. It is found that the proposed sensor can quantify the glycerol purity up to the minimum specified adulteration level of 2 and 1% corresponding to toxic contaminants diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, respectively, and the glucose concentration of 0.5 mg/ml.


Weighted distributions in general and length-biased distributions in particular are very useful and convenient for the analysis of lifetime data. These distributions occur naturally for some sampling plans in reliability, ecology, biometry and survival analysis. In this note an increasing failure rate property for lifetime distributions is used to define a natural ordering of the weighted reliability measures. Some useful bounds, probability weighted moment inequalities and variability orderings for weighted and unweighted reliability measures and related functions are presented. Stochastic comparisons and moment inequalities for weighted reliability measures and related functions are given.


The extracts of many plants used in traditional medicine contain curative agents that are used in many modern medicines. As part of the quest for potentially valuable plants of medicinal value, the plant species Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn. and Quassia amara L. were chosen based on ethno-pharmacological knowledge from Suriname, South America. Phyllanthus amarus (whole plant) was collected in the city Paramaribo and in the country, and Quassia amara (wood) was collected in the countryside of Suriname. The aim of this study was to optimize extraction methods in order to maximize the recovery of secondary metabolites in the crude extracts of P. amarus and Q. amara. This was accomplished by examining the influence of different extraction solvents on the presence of secondary metabolites in the extracts by thin layer chromatography (TLC), determining the most suitable mobile phase for the plant extracts, and determining the most suitable detection method. Ten grams of each species were extracted (w/v 1:10) with 50% methanol in water, 99% methanol, and 50% methanol in chloroform. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used to analyze the compounds in the plant extracts. In order to detect the most compounds, it was necessary to determine the optimal mobile phase (chloroform/methanol 9:1; 95:5; or 98:2) and most suitable detection method (I: UV-254 nm and Phosphomolybdic acid reagent; II: UV-365 nm and Dragendorff reagent; III: ethanolic sulfuric acid reagent; or IV: ethanolic sulfuric acid and UV-365 nm). For both plant species, crude extracts from methanol and chloroform-methanol yielded the highest number of fractions. Mobile phase chloroform/methanol 95:5 eluted the most fractions and had the best separation. Detection method I detected a wide variety


Objective To critically analyze the evidence and efficacy of cannabis to treat surgical and nonsurgical back pain via a Systematic Review. Methods We conducted a systematic review to investigate the efficacy of cannabis to treat non-surgical and surgical back pain. A literature search was performed with MEDLINE and Embase databases. Only RCTs and prospective cohort studies with concurrent control were included in this study. Risk of bias and quality grading was assessed for each included study. Results Database searches returned 1738 non-duplicated results. An initial screening excluded 1716 results. Twenty-two full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Four articles ultimately met pre-determined eligibility and were included in the study. Two studies addressed post-SCI pain while other two studies addressed low back pain. No studies specifically examined the use of cannabis for surgical back pain. The type of cannabis varied between study and included THC, dronabinol, and Nabilone. A total of 110 patients were included in the four studies reviewed. In each study, there was a quantifiable advantage of cannabis therapy for alleviating back pain. There were no serious adverse effects reported. Conclusions In all articles, cannabis was shown to be effective to treat back pain with an acceptable side effect profile. However, long-term follow up is lacking. As medicinal cannabis is being used more commonly for analgesic effect and patients are "self-prescribing" cannabis for back pain, additional studies are needed for healthcare providers to confidently recommend cannabis therapy for back pain. Study Design Systematic review.


This paper surveys the trade literature on international technology transfer, paying particular attention to the role of foreign direct investment. A central question of interest is whether technologies introduced by multinationals diffuse to local firms. Major conclusions of theoretical models as well as the relevant empirical evidence regarding technology spillovers are discussed. The paper also discusses the potential impact of host country policies regarding trade, foreign direct investment, and intellectual property rights protection on international technology transfer. *This paper is intended to serve as a background paper for the World Bank's "Microfoundations of International Technology Diffusion," research project. I thank Amy Glass, Bernard Hoekman, Aart Kraay, Aaditya Mattoo, Howard Pack, and Jim Tybout for helpful comments.


Sediment samples were collected during three Ocean Network Canada expeditions to three hydrothermal vent fields at the Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The sediments were collected at variable distances (≤ 2000 m) from the vents fields by push core and, in some cases, by suction sampling from base of a chimney structure. The geochemistry of the sediments was investigated in order to understand their formation and the mass fluxes associated with these hydrothermal systems. Qualitative and quantitative approaches have been applied to deconvolve sediments bulk compositions into mass fractions of the different components that they are made up of. Qualitative analysis identified five different end-member components (hydrothermal plume particles, hydrothermal chimney fragments, terrigenous sediment, basalt fragments and organic matter). Using Q-mode factor analysis only three main components are identified. This is due to the geochemical similarity of (i) the hydrothermal plume particles and hydrothermal chimney fragments which are grouped together in this analysis, and (ii) the terrigenous sediment and basalt which are also grouped. Mass fractions of each component were calculated by using a numerical inversion procedure. The samples collected at the base of the chimney are composed of 20-40% plume particles and 56-72% chimney fragments with little contribution from other sediment sources. With increasing distance from the vent fields the contributions of these "hydrothermal" sources to the sediments drop rapidly to <50% within 90 m of the vents and <25% within 120 m from the vents. The mass fraction and chemical composition of the plume particles component, along with the estimates of the chemical flux out of hydrothermal vents and sedimentation rates in the area, are used to make a preliminary estimation of the chemical flux into the ocean.


Abstract Detecting new units of pathogenesis in the liver fibrosis due to alcoholism, chronic viral Hepatitis B and C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), autoimmune, parasitic and metabolic diseases and other, reveals perspective for new non-invasive serum biomarkers. In fibrosis, from the wide variety of markers enzymes, proteins and cytokines are mainly used. While direct biomarkers reflect the stage of fibrosis and fibrinogenesis, indirect markers allow assessment of the general liver functions. The combination of direct and indirect markers increases the diagnostic reliability and therefore these panels and indices are investigated quite intensively in recent years in order to decrease the number of liver biopsies without completely replace it, which is still regarded as the reference method.


Generalized argyria is a blue‐gray hyperpigmentation of the skin resulting from ingestion or application of silver compounds, such as silver colloid. Case reports have noted improvement after Q‐Switched Neodymium–Yttrium Aluminum Garnet laser (1,064 nm QS Nd:YAG) laser treatment to small surface areas. No reports have objectively monitored laser treatment of generalized argyria over large areas of skin, nor have long‐term outcomes been evaluated.


The importance of the chaperon mechanism (via ArCN or ArH complex formation) is investigated for the title reaction. All calculations employ the classical trajectory method to obtain the reactive cross sections while the equilibrium constants are estimated from statistical mechanics. A detailed analysis of the various approximations to the equilibrium constant is presented. Exploratory calculations based on the energy transfer mechanism are also reported. In addition, the decay rates of the HCN* and ArCN* species are examined in order to get insight on the detailed microscopic molecular dynamics. The chaperon mechanism is found to be important only at low temperatures, while the energy-transfer mechanism dominates for moderate and high ones.


The term smart environment refers to physical spaces equipped with sensors feeding into adaptive algorithms that enable the environment to become sensitive and responsive to the presence and needs of its occupants. People with special needs, such as the elderly or disabled people, stand to benefit most from such environments as they offer sophisticated assistive functionalities supporting independent living and improved safety. In a smart environment, the key issue is to sense the location and identity of its users. In this paper, we intend to tackle the problems of detecting and tracking humans in a realistic home environment by exploiting the complementary nature of (synchronized) color and depth images produced by a low-cost consumer-level RGB-D camera. Our system selectively feeds the complementary data emanating from the two vision sensors to different algorithmic modules which together implement three sequential components: (1) object labeling based on depth data clustering, (2) human re-entry identification based on comparing visual signatures extracted from the color (RGB) information, and (3) human tracking based on the fusion of both depth and RGB data. Experimental results show that this division of labor improves the system¿s efficiency and classification performance.


The response functions for forage, animal gain, and stocking rate were estimated from data obtained in a three-year fertilization experiment on California annual range. Degree-days; the interactions between degree-days and nitrogen, between degree-days and phosphorus-sulphur, and between nitrogen and phosphorus-sulphur; and the lagged forage variable were significant in explaining the variations in forage growth, animal gain, and stocking rate. The impact of PS was more important in interaction with DD or N than by itself. The correct impact of moisture was not found due to misspecification of the variable in the model. The models for the first year and the three years combined were well behaved; however, the models for the last two years combined neither explained adequately nor behaved well.


In this work the alternative method for quantification of potassium diclofenac was studied, using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrocopy (DRIFTS), together with partial least squares regression (PLS). Two spectra of 20 samples with different concentrations (0.15-0.50 mg/g) of potassium diclofenac in starch had been colleted in Nicolet Magna 550 spectrophotometer, with resolution of the 4 cm-1 and 32 scans. For multivariate regression 14 samples had been used for calibration set and 6 samples had been used for validation set. For the PLS modeling, the spectral information (3715-3088 cm-1 and 1634-1191 cm-1) after multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and autoscaling preprocess, had been processed in Pirouette® 2.7. The best models with better coefficient regression (R2), these were improved using root mean square error of validation (RMSEV). The new technique propose using DRIFTS/PLS shows an excellent choices for the quality control of the productive process of factories and drugstores that produce or handle these materials in large scale, presenting low time of analysis, no sample destruction and no wastes production.


A laser-diode driver GaAs IC incorporating an optional NRZ/RZ (non-return-to-zero/return-to-zero) conversion facility, having ECL (emitter-coupled logic) and SCFL (source-coupled FET logic)-compatible inputs and providing a 0-60-mA adjustable output current into a 50- Omega /5-V termination at bit rates up to 2 Gb/s NRZ and maintaining a clear eye opening of 50 mA at 2.5 Gb/s NRZ bit rate has been designed, using a commercial 1- mu m gate-length (F/sub tau /=12 GHz) GaAs MESFET foundry service. The high maximum output current is obtained by implementing the output driver as a cascode differential amplifier. The logic circuitry implemented using a novel, DCAL (diode-clamped active-load) SCFL family, which is based on gate-width scaling rather than on absolute values, so that the on-chip logic voltage swing is less sensitive to process variations than conventional SCFL. A 60% improvement in noise margin is also obtained. To verify laser driving performance a back-to-back optical-fiber transmission experiment was performed, giving good optical eye diagrams at 2.5 Gb/s. The electrooptical interplay between laser-diode driver and laser-diode has been demonstrated using SPICE simulations. >


Purpose of review Randomized clinical trials of cancer cachexia interventions are based on the premise that an increase in the muscle mass of patients is associated with consequent improvements in muscle function, and ultimately, quality of life. However, recent trials that have succeeded in demonstrating increases in lean body mass have been unable to show associated increases in patient physical function. In this review, we examine the potential causes for this lack of association between muscle mass and function in cancer cachexia, paying particular attention to those factors that may be at play when using body composition analysis techniques involving cross-sectional imaging. Moreover, we propose a new population-specific model for the relationship between muscle mass and physical function in patients with cancer cachexia. Recent findings The ROMANA 1 and 2 trials of anamorelin (a novel ghrelin agonist) and the POWER 1 and 2 trials of enobosarm (a selective androgen receptor modulator) were able to demonstrate improvements in patient lean body mass, but not the functional co-primary endpoints of handgrip strength and stair climb power, respectively. We report similar confirmatory findings in other studies, and describe potential reasons for these observations. Summary The relationship between muscle mass and muscle function is complex and unlikely to be linear. Furthermore, the relationship is influenced by the techniques used to assess nutritional endpoints [e.g. computed tomography (CT)]; the nature of the chosen physical function outcome measures; and the sex and severity of the recruited cachectic patients. Such factors need to be considered when designing intervention trials for cancer cachexia with functional endpoints.


We report on synthesis of Mn-doped Ge nanowires and their magnetic and electrical properties. The vertically aligned Mn:Ge nanowires wer grown on the germanium substrate by vapor-liquid-solid mechanism using Au as catalyst and GeCl4 and MnCl2 as precursor. Anomalous X-ray scattering measurement makes it clear that Mn atoms are substitutionally incorporated with the diamond network of host Ge sites. Also X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra at Mn L2,3-edges showed that doped Mn has local spin moment with the 3d5 electronic configuration above room temperature, meaning that the ferromagnetism originates from doped Mn2+ ions.


To evaluate the weed control provided by various combinations of PRE applications of napropamide (Nap) and POST applications of mesotrione (Mes) in newly planted and 1-yr-old cranberry vines, six 2-yr experiments were conducted during 2009-2012. Three sites were treated in the year of planting plus the subsequent year (called "new plantings") and three sites were treated in their second year of growth plus the subsequent year (called "second-year plantings"). Ten treatments, delivered in 3,735 L ha-1 water, were administered each year: Nap at 3.36 kg ai ha-1 applied once, twice, thrice or once followed by (fb) one application of Mes at 210 g ai ha-1; Nap at 5.04 kg ha-1applied once, twice or once fb one application of Mes at 210 g ha-1; Mes at 210 g ha-1 applied once or twice; and nontreated. At new planting sites, plots receiving treatments other than a single Nap application had less total weed biomass compared to nontreated plots. At second-year plantings, all herbicide-treated plots had less total weed biomass than nontreated plots; in addition, plots receiving Mes-only treatments had less total weed biomass than Nap-only treatments. Correlation analysis indicated that monocot biomass production was the primary positive predictor for total weed biomass. Herbicides did not adversely affect cranberry biomass production but overall vine colonization was poor for four of the six sites indicating that other factors, including cultivar choice, planting method, and water management, may play a larger role in rapid cranberry vine colonization than the suppression of initial weed biomass. Given the complementary range of efficacy for Nap and Mes, a combination PRE-POST herbicide program of a low rate of Nap fb Mes may be the most cost-beneficial program in many instances. If cost is a limiting factor, applying a single application of Mes to a new planting should be included as a component of cranberry bed establishment since this practice consistently resulted in significantly less initial weed biomass compared to areas left nontreated. Nomenclature: Mesotrione; napropamide; cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton.


Flow duration curves (FDCs) are useful tools for many water resource development and management purposes. Many water resource projects are located at ungauged sites, however, for which FDCs are required but unavailable due to the lack of observed flow records. Both the polynomial and area-index methods are introduced herein to synthesize FDCs at ungauged sites and estimate their uncertainties for the upper catchments of the Cho-Shuei Creek in Taiwan. The major difference between these two methods is that the area-index method only uses drainage area to explain regional variation, whereas the polynomial method uses annual rainfall, altitude, and drainage area. Results obtained by using cross validation at 15 stations indicate that the polynomial method produces better estimates of synthetic FDCs at ungauged sites than the area-index method. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis through bootstrap resampling reveals that the polynomial method has less uncertainty in synthesizing FDCs than the area-index method.


A pilot study with the anti-leprosy agent clofazimine was conducted on seven patients with cheilitis granulomatosa or complete Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Beneficial effects were observed in all patients, dependent on the degree of the clinical expression of the disease: the variable attacks of lip swelling, characteristic for the edematous phase of this disease, were suppressed promptly and completely in all patients. Persistent residual swelling of the lips, caused by cellular inflammatory infiltrates, which was present in four patients prior to therapy, responded much less rapidly and--in three out of four--only incompletely. After drug withdrawal, four patients remained free of symptoms for periods ranging from 5 to 45 months; the remaining three patients relapsed after intervals of 3-18 months. The mode of action clofazimine takes in cheilitis granulomatosa is not understood at the present time but is likely to be linked to the phagocytosis-stimulating effect of this drug on macrophages.


The wide consensus in research with regard to the modernity of keeping companion animals lies behind the prevailing conclusions about attitudes toward the canine species in pre-modern societies. These were reviewed mainly from a utilitarian perspective. Characterized, in part, by the protective shelter of the extended household and, as such, free of the tensions affecting the nuclear family in industrial cities, pre-modern societies supposedly lacked in the emotional stress and indigence that condition or encourage dog keeping. A careful examination of the sources, both narrative and pictorial, however, suggests more ambivalent attitudes thus challenging widespread research premises and justifying further analysis. This study, covering rural and urban societies in the ancient and medieval periods, examines references to dogs as companion animals in traditional societies.


The key to successful elimination of tuberculosis (TB) is treatment of cases with optimum chemotherapy. Poor chemotherapy over time has led to drug-resistant disease. Drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis develops by the selective growth of resistant mutants. The incidence of drug-resistant cases depends on the number of bacilli and the drug-resistant mutants in the lesion. The latter is low for individual drugs and even lower for two and three drugs. Therefore, use of combination chemotherapy with three or more drugs results in cure. However, irregular treatment, inadequate drugs, inadequate drug doses or addition of a single drug to a failing regimen allows selective growth of resistant mutants and acquired drug-resistant TB. Contacts of these resistant cases develop primary drug resistant TB. Thus, drug resistance in tuberculosis is a "man-made problem". Anti-TB chemotherapy must be given optimally by (i) ensuring adequate absorption of drugs, (ii) timely diagnosis and management of drug toxicities and (iii) treatment adherence. New classes of anti-TB drugs are needed; but are unlikely to become available soon. It is vital that the 21st century physicians understand the basic principles of TB chemotherapy to ensure efficient use of available drugs to postpone or even reverse epidemics drug-resistant TB.


Samples of low density polyethylene previously subjected to physicochemical treatments–thermal treatment (TT) at 105 and 150°C or accelerated aging treatment (AAT)–were subjected to biodegradation by a consortium of four fungi during 9 months. Morphological, structural, and surface changes and mineralization were evaluated. TT samples showed decreases in the onset melting temperature (To), melting point (Tm), relative crystallinity (Φ), and mean crystallite size (L110). The degradation products in all treated samples were carbonyl and double bonds groups. The biological treatment (BT) affected the properties of all treated samples. To at 3 months decreased with respect to sample at 0 months; the changes were higher in TT samples; the samples then remained without significant changes. Increases in Φ were observed in TT samples within a 3-month BT, after which reductions occurred. After a 9-month BT, increases in L110 were registered in all samples (up to 2.6 nm). The highest mineralization value (3.26%) was obtained with the AAT. The reported changes suggested that the fungi mainly digest the amorphous phase of polyethylene in the first stage of the experiment, but later they also digest small crystals. Superficial growth of microorganisms occurred, and penetration of hyphae was observed in most oxidized samples. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 265–271, 2004


Fatty acids are known to possess antibacterial, antimalarial and antifungal activity. The development of resistance of microbes, including fungi and yeasts, towards antimicrobial agents already in use, necessitates the search for alternative antimicrobials, including fatty acids and their derivatives (e.g. methylated and hydroxyl fatty acids). Although fatty acids may not be as effective as chemical fungicides, they pose less environmental risks. They are not only biodegradable, but exhibit a high degree of specificity. In addition, fatty acids are accepted food additives and importantly, pathogenic fungi are less likely to become resistant to antifungal fatty acids. The most important target of antifungal fatty acids is the cell membrane. They cause an increase in membrane fluidity, which will result in leakage of the intracellular components and cell death. Other targets include protein synthesis, which may be inhibited by myristic acid analogues, fatty acid metabolism as well as topoisomerase activity which may be inhibited by amongst others acetylenic fatty acids.


This paper examines the tracking control problem for a class of feedback linearizable nonlinear systems for which there is no available analytic model. Based on the ability of fuzzy systems to approximate any nonlinear mapping, the unknown nonlinear system is represented by a Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy system. First, we represent the nonlinear plant with an adaptive TS fuzzy system, where the parameters are adjusted via adaptive laws according to the Lyapunov and passivity theories. Then, a fuzzy adaptive feedback linearizing controller is designed under the constraint that only the output of the plant is available for measurement. According to this constraint, a plant state observer is introduced in the proposed control structure. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed methodology is experimentally validated with a real-time implementation.


Introduction The BTS Pulmonary Nodule Guidelines recommend the use of nodule volumetry as a biomarker of malignancy in pulmonary nodules (PNs). Unfortunately, there is significant inter-scan volumetry measurement variability not representing true growth, of up to 25% (Gietema et al., 2007), with reliable growth detection requiring a scan time interval of up to 12 months. CT Texture analysis (CTTA) does not require volumetry detectable growth to detect change and may be a useful biomarker of malignancy. Aims and objectives To assess the repeatability of texture features extracted from PNs and compare this to the inter-scan variability of volume measurements. Materials and methods 40 patients, (20 with an indeterminate PN and 20 with pulmonary metastases) underwent two Low Dose Volumetric CT scans within a 60 minute period. 20 texture features previously used in combination to predict nodule probability of malignancy (BTS 2015) were extracted from each automatic contoured region surrounding the PN. The variability of texture measurements within individual nodules was assessed by computing the relative differences between baseline and validation scans. Mean and standard deviation (sd) were estimated from the relative differences. Lower and upper limits of repeatability (LLR and ULR) were calculated as mean ± 1.96 × sd. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was also used to assess the repeatability of the image features for this group of patients. Results Nodule volumes ranged from 76 to 8130 mm3, (mean 2D diameter 8.7 mm; sd 3.2) and were not statistically different between baseline and validation scans (p = 0.92, Wilcoxon rank sum test). The mean difference in volume between the two scans was 37.4 mm3 (6.2%, sd 30.4). 18 out of 20 textural features displayed ULR and LLR below ± 26.2% (sd ≤ 12.3%). These were less variable than nodule volume (mean = 1.2%; sd = 14.4%; LLR = −27.0%; ULR = 29.5%). All features had high repeatability (0.87 ≤ ICC ≤ 0.99), see Figure 1. Conclusion The repeatability of CTTA was comparable to automatic volumetric measurements that are currently recommended for use in clinical practice. To our knowledge this is the first study to assess CTTA repeatability, a promising biomarker of malignancy. Abstract P21 Figure 1


The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of empirical therapy with anidulafungin in patients with invasive candidiasis in real clinical practice in Russian healthcare institutions.Materials and methods. In a prospective multicenter (n = 23) ERA study in 2015–2017, 92 adult patients with invasive candidiasis were included. Depending on the type of anidulafungin administration, patients were divided into 2 comparable demographic groups. In the 1st group (n = 52; median age 50.5 ± 13.9 years (19–75 years); men ‒ 62 %), invasive candidiasis was microbiologically confirmed after the initiation of empirical anidulafungin therapy. In the 2nd group (n = 40; median age 47.15 ± 18.01 years (18–98 years); men — 65 %), patients received anidulafungin only after microbiological confirmation of invasive candidiasis. The groups did not statistically differ in risk factors, etiology of invasive candidiasis, the frequency of various organs damage, and also in APACHE II and SOFA score at the time of anidulafungin administration.Results and conclusion. Overall survival on the 30th day after laboratory confirmation of invasive candidiasis was statistically significantly higher in the empirical therapy group (66 % vs 58 %; p = 0.04 416). In addition, the empirical anidulafungin therapy was lead to a significant decrease in the duration of stay in intensive care units (13.5 ± 19.7 days vs 21 ± 15 days) and the total treatment time (22 ± 18 days vs 29 ± 21 days).


Abstract Objective Bacterial colonization of the airway may contribute to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Whether airway colonization increases risk for later adverse respiratory outcomes is less clear. We described tracheal aspirate culture results obtained from preterm infants receiving mechanical ventilation at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) and evaluated the association between bacteria type and the risk for prolonged supplemental oxygen use. Study Design We conducted a retrospective, single-center cohort study comparing infants (1) with and without a tracheal aspirate culture that grew a Gram-negative rod (GNR) and (2) with and without a culture that grew a Gram-positive cocci (GPC). Results Among 121 infants, 65 (53.7%) and 51 (42.2%) had a tracheal aspirate culture that grew a potentially pathogenic GNR and GPC prior to 36 weeks PMA, respectively. GNR were associated with increased risk for death or use of supplemental oxygen at discharge (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8–21.1), and use of supplemental oxygen at discharge among survivors (aOR, 5.5; 95% CI, 1.6–19.0). GPC did not affect the risk for any study outcomes. Conclusion GNR but not GPC in the airways of preterm infants receiving mechanical ventilation at 36 weeks PMA is associated with increased risk for prolonged supplemental oxygen use.