Silymarin, an extract from seeds of Silybum marianum , is used by 8-33% of patients to self-treat chronic viral hepatitis C in the United States. Studies in humans and rodents suggest that biliary excretion of glucuronide and sulfate conjugates is the major route for silymarin's elimination. To determine the role of multidrug resistance associated-protein 2, Mrp2 (Abcc2), in the biliary excretion of silymarin, the hepatobiliary disposition of the six major silymarin flavonolignans was studied using isolated perfused livers (IPRLs) from wild-type (WT) and Mrp2-deficient (TR - ) Wistar rats. For all flavonolignans, approximately 96% of the dose was cleared from perfusate within 30 min in both WT and TR - livers, and < 5% of parent was recovered in bile or perfusate by the end of the perfusion. In WT livers, the percentage of dose excreted as conjugates into bile varied for each flavonolignan (silychristin, 51.6% ± 9.3; silydianin, 101.5% ± 28.3; silybin A, 21.0% ± 8.3; silybin B, 31.7% ± 13.2; isosilybin A, 50.5% ± 23.6; isosilybin B, 42.8% ± 19.3). Among the flavonolignans, only silydianin was primarily glucuronidated and almost completely recovered in bile. In TR - livers, biliary excretion of flavonolignan conjugates was reduced 80-92%, with 30-83% of each flavonolignan conjugate recovered in perfusate compared to only 5-30% at 90 min. Biliary excretion of glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of all flavonolignans were reduced by 94-98% and 73-84% respectively, in TR - IPRLs. These data indicate a primary role for Mrp2 in the biliary elimination of silymarin flavonolignan conjugates.


We applied static and dynamic hybrid functional density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the interactions of one and two excess electrons with ethylene carbonate (EC) liquid and clusters. Optimal structures of (EC)n and (EC)n- clusters devoid of Li+ ions, n = 1–6, were obtained. The excess electron was found to be localized on a single EC in all cases, and the EC dimeric radical anion exhibits a reduced barrier associated with the breaking of the ethylene carbon–oxygen covalent bond compared to EC-. In ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations of EC- solvated in liquid EC, large fluctuations in the carbonyl carbon–oxygen bond lengths were observed. AIMD simulations of a two-electron attack on EC in EC liquid and on Li metal surfaces yielded products similar to those predicted using nonhybrid DFT functionals, except that CO release did not occur for all attempted initial configurations in the liquid state.


The influence of coupling between flexural and extensional deformation and coupling between structure and acoustic volume on the dynamic response of piezoelectric ceramic transducer elements mounted on metal diaphragms is analyzed using three analytical methods: 1) classical boundary value techniques; 2) simple direct variational procedures; and 3) finite element methods. The analyses are able to predict the voltage output of the transducer, including resonant amplitudes and shapes, with reasonable accuracy and also to indicate critical front and back acoustic volume design parameters needed to control resonance. The finite element model includes a general formulation for axisymmetric layered shells of revolution (which degenerates to a circular plate), whose average normal displacement is coupled to the long wavelength motion of air in adjacent cavities (acoustic stiffness), ports (acoustic mass), and porous plugs (acoustic damping). The methods outlined here are also applicable to window-enclosure response to sonic boom excitation, skull-brain impact studies, and the study of respiratory mechanics.


Currently, patients with brain neoplasms must undergo both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to take advantage of CT's density information and MR's soft tissue imaging capabilities. A method has been developed that allows virtual simulation, digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), and 3-D treatment planning of patients with brain neoplasms to be generated using only one T1-weighted MR data set. DRRs of an anthropomorphic RANDO head phantom were generated using MR and CT imaging. The MR based DRRs provided structural information equivalent to CT based DRRs. The spatial linearity of CT and MR image sets was evaluated by measuring the percent distortion and spatial error. There was no statistical difference in spatial linearity or accuracy between the CT and MR image sets. MR and CT based treatment planning were compared using a variety of different treatment accessories, field sizes, photon energies, and gantry positions. Doses at various points throughout the head phantom were used as comparison points between CT based heterogeneous, CT based homogenous, and MR based homogenous treatment planning of the head phantom. Lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters were used to verify the dosimetric accuracy of MR based treatment planning by taking measurements at these points. For treatment plans with fields that pass through large air cavities, such as the maxillary sinus, homogenous treatment planning produces unacceptable dosimetric error (2%-4%). For treatment plans with fields that pass through the skull, MR homogenous treatment planning can be used with a dosimetric accuracy of +/- 2%.


Function tags are a context-sensitive annotation applied to words and phrases of natural language text, marking their syntactic or semantic role within a larger utterance. As researchers improve results on various other problems in "pure" natural language processing (e.g part-of-speech tagging, parsing), those who work in the more "applied" NLP fields (e.g. question-answering, temporal analysis) are seeking more powerful sorts of linguistic annotation as input for their own systems. Hence, function tags.
In the first part of the thesis, I present the problem of function tagging: why it is an interesting problem, who has worked on similar thing, and what exactly I intend to do. I briefly review the function tags of the Penn treebank, and explain the specific metrics by which I will evaluate my work.
In the second part of the thesis, I introduce the many features that I will use to train a function tagging system, and then I present some systems that make use of them: one using feature trees, one using decision trees (briefly), and one using perceptron models. For each system, I give a brief historical perspective, an overview of where it has been used before and why I think it will be useful in this task. I will then try a number of feature combinations with interesting properties; and finally, present the best-performing tweaked-out version of that system.
Finally, in the third part of the thesis, I bring them all together and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system in various situations. More interestingly, I will present an analysis of what features prove to be the most helpful for the different function tagging subtasks. Lastly, I will present a comparison to other systems performing related tasks, and speculate on some interesting future work.


This study offers prospective data on the psychological well-being of men and women before and after a marital separation, in comparison with a control group who remained married during the same period. Data were gathered as part of the Minnesota Family Health Study on a primarily middle-class White sample. Primary variables were current psychological well-being, self-esteem, mastery, substance use, and family income. Findings were quite different for men and women. Prior to separation, men in the disrupted group had lower psychological well-being scores than the continuously married group had, but showed no declines in any of the measures in the follow-up period. Separated women scored lower than did women from continuing marriages on psychological well-being prior to the separation, and they declined further afterwards. Separated women also increased their use of alcohol and other substances, and experienced a decline in family income. Findings are discussed in terms of the social causation hypothesis and the social selection hypothesis for understanding the relationship between divorce and mental health in adults.


Olive anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species causes dramatic losses of fruit yield and oil quality worldwide. A total of 185 Colletotrichum isolates obtained from olives and other hosts showing anthracnose symptoms in Spain and other olive-growing countries over the world were characterized. Colony and conidial morphology, benomyl-sensitive, and casein-hydrolysis activity were recorded. Multilocus alignments of ITS, TUB2, ACT, CHS-1, HIS3, and/or GAPDH were conducted for their molecular identification. The pathogenicity of the most representative Colletotrichum species was tested to olive fruits and to other hosts, such as almonds, apples, oleander, sweet oranges, and strawberries. In general, the phenotypic characters recorded were not useful to identify all species, although they allowed the separation of some species or species complexes. ITS and TUB2 were enough to infer Colletotrichum species within C. acutatum and C. boninense complexes, whereas ITS, TUB2, ACT, CHS-1, HIS-3, and GADPH regions were necessary to discriminate within the C. gloesporioides complex. Twelve Colletotrichum species belonging to C. acutatum, C. boninense, and C. gloeosporioides complexes were identified, with C. godetiae being dominant in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Tunisia, C. nymphaeae in Portugal, and C. fioriniae in California. The highest diversity with eight Colletotrichum spp. was found in Australia. Significant differences in virulence to olives were observed between isolates depending on the Colletotrichum species and host origin. When other hosts were inoculated, most of the Colletotrichum isolates tested were pathogenic in all the hosts evaluated, except for C. siamense to apple and sweet orange fruits, and C. godetiae to oleander leaves.


This chapter discusses the clinical features, diagnosis, and management of HIV distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP); toxic neuropathies, with emphasis on the antiretroviral (ARV)-associated neuropathies; and other neuropathies found in HIV-infected individuals. Subjects were classified as having asymptomatic DSP if they only had neurologic signs or as having symptomatic DSP if they also had paresthesias or pain in a study by Schifitto and coworkers. The study showed that use of these drugs was not a significant risk factor for incident symptomatic DSP. Such an effect may be related to preservation of immune function, forestalling the potential occurrence of neurotoxicity. This study also addressed the important issue of whether the presence of asymptomatic DSP is a risk factor for incident symptomatic DSP. Thus, it is not surprising that patients with advanced HIV infection and severe immunosuppression remain at the greatest risk of neurotoxicity due to ARV agents. The incidence, severity, progression, and reversibility of peripheral neuropathy from zalcitabine (ddC), as with other toxic neuropathies, are dose dependent. Unlike other toxic neuropathies, dapsone-induced peripheral neuropathy involves primarily motor nerves. Mononeuropathy multiplex (MM) is an infrequent manifestation of HIV infection. A reduced number of oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus have also been described, although the clinical significance of this is unclear. It has been suggested that the pathophysiological mechanism may be due to HIV infection itself as well as an autoimmune mechanism. It may arise from HIV itself or from medications used to treat HIV infection and other concomitant infections.


In this contribution, we provide new insights on the temporal fluctuations of surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) of large single molecules such as proteins. Because they can only fit partly into small active volume, SERS analysis is referred to spectral pointillism where only protein subdomains are shined and the whole protein landscape is built from the dynamics of successive individual spectra. By applying our approach on bovine serum albumin, we show that single protein subdomains are mostly comprised of three distinct amino acids. Surface amino acids such as lysine are preferentially detected in the open form of the protein. The investigation of the tryptophan Fermi doublet in the single protein regime is highly instructive on the protein conformation. We finally demonstrate that spectral pointillism enables to correlate individual amino acids with structural information.


It has been shown that dyspepsia can be associated with COPD and in some cases closely linked to COPD exacerbations. The association of dyspepsia with COPD severity (FEV1, respiratory failure) and medications is not well described. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of dyspepsia in a large canadian COPD cohort and to identify risk factors.

We retrospectively reviewed files of 1247 COPD patients. We classified patients as dyspepsia-positive (D+: 513 patients or 41%) or dyspepsia-negative (D-: 734 patients or 59%). Mean age was similar in D+ and D- (71,6 y/o versus 70,2) and we found no difference in FEV1 (44,97% versus 45,07%, p>0,05). Dyspepsia was more frequent in female patients (54,4% versus 45,4%, p 1/year) was also associated with dyspepsia (80,3% versus 71,7%, p<0,001). Finally, dyspepsia was positively related to cardio-vascular and osteoporotic comorbidities (86,7% versus 68,4%, p< 0,001). No relation was found with medications use, notably inhaled corticosteroids.

Conclusion: As reported by other publications, our retrospective study noted a high prevalence of dyspepsia in COPD patients and there was no relation with disease severity (expressed by the FEV1). Female sex, frequent acute exacerbations and comorbidities appear to be associated with dyspepsia. Surprisingly, we found a negative association with smoking status. Dyspepsia treatment consequences should now be addressed closely (QOL, exacerbations, FEV1 decline).


There has been tremendous growth within the past decade in the number of individuals who have joined "the information highway" and have become empowered to use a computer to gain information about their world. In the United States, there are relatively few governmental restrictions imposed upon citizens who seek to communicate with others over the Internet. However, restrictions are the norm rather than the exception in other parts of the world. This paper examines the general issues of computer-mediated information access and content rights to illustrate the current diversity of opinion about the assembly, ownership and transmission of Internet messages. It illustrates different strategies imposed by national governments to restrict Internet use, and shows how many of the restrictions are in the direct violation of the United Nations and G-7 international agreements. The paper ends with concepts that individual users might wish to adopt to help establish and support their rights in the online world: the fostering of economic progress and technological advancement for all the world's peoples; the acceptance of cultural diversity in all its forms; and the necessity of education to the importance of communication in general and online communication in particular. (Contains 36 references.) (Author/JMK) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


Lateral spreading tumors (LSTs) of the colon are lesions over 10 mm in diameter that are low in height and grow superficially. They are increasingly being diagnosed in Western cohorts. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of dextrose 50% solution in the endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of LSTs. The study population consisted of 21 patients with LSTs of the colorectum. The mean size of the LSTs was 23.52±13.60 mm. Dextrose 50% solution was injected, via a variceal needle, into the submucosa to lift up the LST sufficiently from the proper muscle layer. Subsequently, a snare was positioned around the lesion and then closed while being pressed against the mucosa, with suction being applied to draw the lesion into the snare. Blended current was used for resection. If necessary, a piecemeal technique was used to achieve complete resection. Immediate and delayed complications were recorded. After the EMR, patients were followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months or later, using total colonoscopy. Endoscopic resection was completed in all LSTs. Of the 21 LSTs, 15 (71.4%) were resected en bloc and 6 (28.6%) piecemeal. The mean amount of injected dextrose 50% solution was 14.86±9.13 mL. One patient (4.78%) had immediate bleeding after EMR, which was stopped endoscopically. Histologic examination of resected LSTs showed adenoma with high-grade dysplasia 9 (42.9%), adenoma with low-grade dysplasia 10 (47.6%), and invasive carcinoma 2 (9.5%). Twenty patients were followed up for 37.9±24.03 months. Local recurrent disease was detected in 4 patients (20%), all within 6 months of the index EMR. These recurrent lesions were completely resected endoscopically. The contribution of submucosal injection of dextrose 50% is significant for a safe and efficient EMR of LSTs of the colorectum.


Kinetic Monte Carlo on coarse-grained systems, such as nucleic acid secondary structure, is advantageous for being able to access behavior at long time scales, even minutes or hours. Transition rates between coarse-grained states depend upon intermediate barriers, which are not directly simulated. We propose an Arrhenius rate model and an intermediate energy model that incorporates the effects of the barrier between simulated states without enlarging the state space itself. Applying our Arrhenius rate model to DNA hairpin folding, we demonstrate improved agreement with experiment compared to the usual kinetic Monte Carlo model. Further improvement results from including rigidity of single-stranded stacking.


The Sutural Amplitude Index (SAI), obtained by measuring the maximum height of sutural elements and the length of the suture pattern on ammonoid shells, provides a useful indicator of relative habitat depth for ammonoids with similar shell morphotypes. A higher SAI indicates greater septal support for the shell wall against implosion under increased hydrostatic pressures in deeper waters. Relating the sutural amplitude indices of ammonites found in a well-studied depositional basin, such as the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, to morphotype distributions illustrates the utility of this index in bathymetric interpretations. □Ammonoidea, sutures, Sutural Amplitude Index, Cretaceous, Greenhorn Cyclothem. Western Interior.


The EPF family is a group of transcription factors containing canonical Cys2/His2-type zinc finger motifs that were first discovered in plants. These zinc finger proteins are characterized by two zinc fingers that are separated by spacers of various lengths, which are much longer than typical spacers (HC-link) in cluster-type zinc finger proteins. We describe here direct evidence that the two zinc fingers make contact with two tandemly repeated AGT core sequences that are separated by about 13 base pairs, by contrast to the cluster-type zinc finger proteins that bind to contiguous triplet sequences. DNA binding affinities were sensitive to the spaces between the core sequences, and the sensitivity to the spacing was greatly affected by the DNA sequence between the core sequences, with GC-rich sequences endowing much higher specificity than AT-rich sequences. Among the members of the EPF family, EPF1 was less sensitive to the spacing than EPF2-5. These results suggest that EPFs recognize their cognate target DNAs not only by the sequence of the core sites but also by the spacing between the core sites and, moreover, that different members in the EPF family distinguish their specific target genes by reference to these two parameters. This represents a unique type of target-sequence recognition among Cys2/His2-type zinc finger transcription factors. In addition, site-directed mutagenesis studies demonstrated that the two zinc fingers contribute synergistically to the binding to DNA, indicating that both fingers are necessary for the high affinity DNA binding.


The asymmetric patterns of superradiance from Bose–Einstein condensates are studied for the spatially inhomogeneous pump pulse with the semiclassical Maxwell-Schrodinger equations. The coupling dynamics between the optical field and condensate in the strong pulse and a faded wing in the weak coupling regime are discussed, which not only explain the spatial effects in the process of superradiance, but also supply a new method to control its patterns.


A new Doppler VOR system has been developed which provides site independence for users of conventional VOR receivers as well as increased accuracy when an airborne attachment is employed. Some essential features of a completed system are described. This system solves the siting problem in conventional receivers with present-day accuracy. Some basic receiver problems related to Doppler VOR engineering are discussed. Increased accuracy can be obtained with the new system when a conventional receiver is optimized for high instrumental accuracy. In another receiver improvement, a harmonic discriminator is used and offers the advantages of multilobe operation without any attachment to the ground station.


This paper is a study of the hazards experienced by those passengers who had to enter the water when the liner Lakonia was abandoned at sea in December 1963 with the loss of 124 lives. The main purpose was to see whether many of the deaths were likely to have been caused by falls in body temperature during immersion, and whether people in the water acted in ways that would have increased or decreased the rate at which their temperatures fell. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that exercise accelerated and conventional clothing retarded the falls in body temperature of volunteers who were immersed for 20 minutes or more in water too cold for them to achieve thermal balance. A study of people's actions in an actual disaster was necessary to assess whether casualties would be appreciably reduced in future if this information was more widely distributed among potential victims of accidents at sea.


This article examines the debate on native Amazonian infanticide triggered by the lobbying of the NGO ATINI-Voice for Life in both cyberspace and the Brazilian media. It argues that this debate has been carried out in Western terms- the supposed isomorphism between the notions of 'humanness' and 'personhood'- and, as such, contributes little to understanding this unusual indigenous practice. To avoid the dual peril of 'cultural imperialism' and 'cultural relativism,' the article adopts a native point of view. The article contends that native Amazonians consider humanness and personhood as independent 'states of being.' It explores this perception through the analysis of a series of ethnographic 'snapshots' in the light of recent theoretical developments. The author concludes that rather than confirming the 'primitiveness' of native Amazonian societies, this debate exposes the fracture of the Western notion of 'human/person,' as well as the profound- but potentially positive- crisis of 'modern' Western thought.


In this paper, we report a simple, reliable and sensitive colourimetric visualization of melamine in milk products using citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Upon exposure to ppb-level melamine, gold nanoparticle solution exhibits a highly sensitive colour change from red to blue and rapid aggregation kinetics within the initial 5 min, which can directly be seen with the naked eye and monitored by UV-vis absorbance spectra. As confirmed by the comparison with six other typical amino compounds, the melamine molecule itself contains multiple strong-binding sites to the surface of Au NPs and thus plays a role of molecular linker to efficiently crosslink Au NPs. Further evidence is that the sensitivity is significantly improved when NaHSO(4) is added to promote the ligand exchange between citrate and melamine at the surface of Au NPs. The NaHSO(4)-optimized Au NPs system provides a rapid colourimetric assay for the rapid detection of melamine down to approximately 25 ppb in real milk products.


We have numerically investigated the unique effects of the core-shell nanoparticles on the integrated microdisk resonator. By attaching the core-shell nanoparticle to the disk resonator with gold core and polymer shell, the coupling between the disk resonator and the core-shell nanoparticle results in shift of the resonance wavelength of the disk resonator, depending on the core size/shell thickness of the nanoparticle. An invisibility phenomena found from the coupled core-shell nanoparticle and integrated disk resonator system is emphasized; at certain core size/shell thickness ratio, compared with the original resonance wavelength without core-shell nanoparticle, there is almost no resonance wavelength shift observed. The detailed interaction mechanism between the disk resonator and the nanoparticle is revealed in the electromagnetic field intensity distribution at the resonator resonance wavelength. The dependence of the position and number of core-shell nanoparticles is also discussed. Future studies on this coupled photonic systems will stimulate wide variety of applications.


The food basket contains minimum consumption rates of foodstuffs; it is approved by the Russian Parliament (the State Duma) and forms the basis of the living standards calculations thus influencing expenditure budget and minimum wage. These characteristics of the food basket traditionally attract attention of economists, but its social and medical aspects are usually ignored. At the same time people use the food basket as a model of consumption behavior, and it forms their habits of healthy or unhealthy nutrition. In practice, the goal of budget economy preponderates over social goals, and therefore the food basket features dangerous imbalances which contribute to high morbidity and mortality. The author shows that the food basket does not meet modern medical requirements since it contains excessive amount of saturated fats and salt and is low on fruit, vegetables and fish. As part of an interdisciplinary research, the author develops a method of harmonization of economic and medical factors of the food basket. The current state policy in the field of public health should be brought up to date on the basis of improving the food basket, reducing maximum permitted content of transfatty acids and salt in foods, and permitting free import of fruit, vegetables and fish from any country of the world.


Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is one of the most promising processing techniques for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. By the use of precise satellite products (orbits, clocks and biases) and sophisticated algorithms applied on the observations of a multi-frequency receiver, coordinate accuracies at the decimetre/centimetre level for a float solution and at the centimetre/millimetre level for a fixed solution can be achieved. In contrast to relative positioning methods (e.g. RTK), PPP does not require nearby reference stations or a close-by reference network. On the other hand PPP has a non-negligible convergence time. To make PPP more competitive against other high-precision GNSS positioning techniques, scientific research focuses on reducing the convergence time of PPP.

In this contribution, we present results of PPP with focus on integer ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR) using satellite products from different analysis centers. The resulting coordinate accuracy and convergence behaviour are evaluated in various test scenarios. In these test cases we distinguish between the use of satellite products from Graz University of Technology, which are calculated using a raw observation approach, and nowadays publicly available satellite products of different analysis centers (e.g. CNES, CODE). All those products enable PPP-AR in different approaches. To shorten the convergence time, we investigate and compare different PPP processing approaches using GPS and Galileo observations. The use of 2+ frequencies and alternatives to the classical PPP model, which is based on two frequencies and the ionosphere-free linear combination are discussed (e.g. uncombined model with ionospheric constraint). The PPP calculations are performed with the in-house software raPPPid, which has been developed at the research division Higher Geodesy of TU Vienna and is part of the Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software (VieVS PPP).


LETOR is a package of benchmark data sets for research on LEarning TO Rank, which contains standard features, relevance judgments, data partitioning, evaluation tools, and several baselines. Version 1.0 was released in April 2007. Version 2.0 was released in Dec. 2007. Version 3.0 was released in Dec. 2008. This version, 4.0, was released in July 2009. Very different from previous versions (V3.0 is an update based on V2.0 and V2.0 is an update based on V1.0), LETOR4.0 is a totally new release. It uses the Gov2 web page collection (~25M pages) and two query sets from Million Query track of TREC 2007 and TREC 2008. We call the two query sets MQ2007 and MQ2008 for short. There are about 1700 queries in MQ2007 with labeled documents and about 800 queries in MQ2008 with labeled documents. If you have any questions or suggestions about the datasets, please kindly email us (firstname.lastname@example.com). Our goal is to make the dataset reliable and useful for the community.


Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of 1 mg glucagon injected intramuscularly (i.m.), subcutaneously (s.c.), or intravenously (i. v.) were studied in 6 nondiabetic men rendered hypoglycemic by s.c. injection of 10 U regular insulin. At 90 min after the insulin injection, when blood glucose levels had fallen to a mean of 49 mg/dl, glucagon was administered. Ten minutes later plasma glucagon levels had risen from a mean of 246 to 3233 pg/ml (s.c. experiment) and from 250 to 2638 pg/ml (i.m. experiment). Accordingly, there was no difference in blood glucose behavior whether glucagon was injected s.c. or i.m. In the i.v. experiment, plasma glucagon levels were significantly higher during the first 15 min after the glucagon injection when compared with the other experiments. The initially high levels of plasma glucagon after i.v. administration were associated with a steeper rise of glycemia during the first 5 min after glucagon injection; the maximal increase of blood glucose was, however, not different when compared with the s.c. or i.m. route of glucagon administration. Thus, in case of severe hypoglycemia, therapeutically administered glucagon will be most efficient when injected i.v., but there is no difference between the i.m. and s.c. routes of administration with regard to the efficacy to increase blood glucose levels.


The evidence is clear that plastic pollution is a huge problem threatening the survival of the modern world. Psychological researchers have risen to the challenge to investigate people's behaviours, attitudes and perceptions around environmentalism. One area of psychology that has been scarcely researched in regard to environmentalism is impression formation. People form impressions of others based on a number of factors, but one of these is their conformance to norms. We wanted to investigate if the use of reusable plastics had become a norm for the university population, and whether failing to comply to this norm would result in negative impression formation by a group of 165 participants. In a mock-friendship app style, participants viewed images of people pictured with single-use or reusable items, and their impressions were gaged using a number of traits. We also investigated if there were differences in the formation of these impressions, by measuring their ocean connectedness level. We found that for one of the photosets, participants did indeed hold a more negative impression of someone if they held reusable items, but overall this was not affected by their ocean connectedness. There was a small issue with the images containing branding, however this sparks potential for future research. Our results can be used to help implement behaviour change. Not conforming to this norm results in negative impressions, which people want to avoid, so making this norm more popularised outside of the university population, will result in more conforming to avoid any negative judgements.


Geothermal heat, as renewable energy, shows great advantage with respect to its environmental impact due to its significantly lower CO2 emissions than conventional fossil fuel. Open and closed-loop geothermal heat pumps, which utilize shallow geothermal systems, are an efficient technology for cooling and heating buildings, especially in urban areas. Integrated use of geothermal energy technologies for district heating, cooling, and thermal energy storage can be applied to optimize the subsurface for communities to provide them with multiple sustainable energy and community resilience benefits. The utilization of the subsurface resources may lead to a variation in the underground environment, which might further impact local environmental conditions. However, very few simulators can handle such a highly complex set of coupled computations on a regional or city scale. We have developed high-performance computing (HPC) based hydrothermal finite element (FE) simulator that can simulate the subsurface and its hydrothermal conditions at a scale of tens of km. The HPC simulator enables us to investigate the subsurface thermal and hydrologic response to the built underground environment (such as basements and subways) at the community scale. In this study, a coupled hydrothermal simulator is developed based on the open-source finite element library deal.II. The HPC simulator was validated by comparing the results of a benchmark case study against COMSOL Multiphysics, in which Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is modeled and a process of heat injection into ATES is simulated. The use of an energy pile system at the Treasure Island redevelopment site (San Francisco, CA, USA) was selected as a case study to demonstrate the HPC capability of the developed simulator. The simulator is capable of modeling multiple city-scale geothermal scenarios in a reasonable amount of time.


Large supramolecular protein complexes, such as the molecular machinery involved in gene regulation, cell signaling, or cell division, are key in all fundamental processes of life. Detailed elucidation of structure and dynamics of such complexes can be achieved by reverse-engineering parts of the complexes in order to probe their interactions with distinctive binding partners in vitro. The exploitation of DNA nanostructures to mimic partially assembled supramolecular protein complexes in which the presence and state of two or more proteins are decisive for binding of additional building blocks is reported here. To this end, four-way DNA Holliday junction motifs bearing a fluorescein and a biotin tag, for tracking and affinity capture, respectively, are site-specifically functionalized with centromeric protein (CENP) C and CENP-T. The latter serves as baits for binding of the so-called KMN component, thereby mimicking early stages of the assembly of kinetochores, structures that mediate and control the attachment of microtubules to chromosomes in the spindle apparatus. Results from pull-down experiments are consistent with the hypothesis that CENP-C and CENP-T may bind cooperatively to the KMN network.


Trends in the percentages of the US population covered by state-issued nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including restaurant and bar restrictions, stay-at-home orders, gathering limits, and mask mandates, were examined by using county-specific data sets on state-issued orders for NPIs from March 1, 2020, to August 15, 2021. Most of the population was covered by multiple NPIs early in the pandemic. Most state-issued orders were lifted or relaxed as COVID-19 cases decreased during summer 2020. Few states reimplemented strict NPIs during later surges in US COVID-19 cases over the winter of 2020-2021. The exceptions were mask mandates, which covered about 80% of the population between August 2020 and February 2021, and the most restrictive gathering limits, which covered a maximum of 66% of the population in early 2020 and 68% of the population in winter 2020-2021. Most NPIs were lifted by the end of the analysis period.


Tellurate glasses have recently gained wide attention because of their potential as hosts of rare earth elements for the development of fibres and lasers covering all the main telecommunication bands and promising materials for optical switching devices [4, 5]. Recently, tellurate glasses doped with heavy metal oxides or rare earth oxides have received great scientific interest because these oxides can change the optical and physical properties of the tellurate glasses [5].


A highly sensitive differential Helmholtz photoacoustic sensor with active noise reduction was reported. Coupled to one cavity of the photoacoustic cell, an intensity-modulated excitation light would reflect multiple times to produce photoacoustic signal, and meanwhile cause the solid-state photoacoustic effect forming differential mode noise with the frequency same as the photoacoustic signal, which could not be suppressed by conventional differential technology. Wavelength modulation technology is a splendid method to restrain this effect, which is not suitable for light sources with not adjustable wavelength. To suppress this kind of noise, an intensity-modulated compensation light was coupled to another cavity, whose central wavelength was at the non-absorption line of the measured gas. The compensation light was of the same frequency, phase, and power as the excitation light, by which the solid-state photoacoustic effects were produced to form destructive interference called active noise reduction. The experiment results showed that the active noise reduction significantly improved the signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-background ratio. Compared with the differential, the differential with active noise reduction improved signal-to- noise ratio by about 1.2 times and signal-to-background ratio by about 9.4 times. When low-power near-infrared lasers were employed as the two light sources, the minimum detection limits for acetylene and methane reached 21 and 200 ppb, respectively.


Background: Our research group has shown that resistive breathing (RB) induces pulmonary inflammation in previously healthy animals. We hypothesized that RB would exacerbate pulmonary inflammation and emphysema, when superimposed on COPD animal models. Aim and Objective: To investigate the synergistic effect of RB on pulmonary inflammation and emphysema, when combined with experimental models of COPD. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) for 1 or 6 months. In another group, mice were exposed to 0.75 units of elastase (PPE) intratracheally. Resistive breathing was applied by suturing a nylon band around the trachea to reduce surface area to half, for 24 hours following CS exposure or for the last 24 or 72 hours of 21 days after elastase treatment in total. Following RB, lung mechanics were measured and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed. Emphysema was quantified by the Mean Linear (Lm) and the Destructive index (DI) in lung tissue sections. Surfactant Protein (SP)-D plasma levels were measured. Results: CS exposure for 1 and 6 months increased BAL cell number (p Conclusion: RB exacerbates pulmonary inflammation and emphysema in COPD animal models.


Common law evolves not only through the outcomes of cases but also through the reasoning and citations to precedent employed in judicial opinions. We focus on citations to precedent by the U.S. Supreme Court. We demonstrate how strategic interaction between justices during the Court's bargaining process affects citations to precedent in the Court's opinion. We find that the majority-opinion writer relies more heavily on precedent when the Court's decision is accompanied by separate opinions. We also show that diversity of opinion on the Court, a factor often overlooked, has a significant relationship with citations to precedent. Finally, our results indicate that the ideology of the median justice influences citation practices more than ideology of the majority-opinion writer.


Electronic banking has blurred the boundaries between different financial institutions, enabled new financial products and services, and made existing financial services available in different packages. The aim of the paper was to determine the adoption, challenges and some critical successes of electronic banking in the Ghana.A sample of 10 members of staff was purposively selected from the population and a cross section of 50 customers of ECOBANK was randomly selected. The primary source of data was obtained from interviews and questionnaires which were administered to ten (10) officials of ECOBANK and fifty (50) clients who are using one or more e-banking service of the bank. Secondary data was also collected from research reports, ECOBANK Ghana and other published materials. The findings showed some of the advantages of e-banking were easy access to money and account information 24-hours and time saving for customers to carry out other duties, eradication of long queues as associated with the traditional mode of banking. It is recommended education on marketing of e-banking products should be encouraged in the bank to attract more customers; also more ATM facilities should be placed at vantage locations within the city to reduce distance and time in accessing the facility. Further it is recommended that banks should reduce the charges E-banking attracts to lure more customers to patronize the products.


Improving safe operation of rotating machinery by using structural health monitoring (SHM) relies on robustness and reliability of the sensors being used. Prior analysis of single components is crucial, particularly if the system is mounted in remote and inaccessible areas. In our approach, a three-step process was pursued to evaluate accelerometers in SHM applications: accelerometer selection, protective coating evaluation and characterization of sensors before mounting. Uncertainty analysis of accelerometers was used for selecting components comprehensively. The influence of protective coating was evaluated by analyzing eigenfrequencies of the coating volume. Sensors were finally validated with two setups inspired by the properties of rotating machinery. The approach highlights the importance of controlled component selection and reasonable characterization of sensors to increase the benefit of SHM in rotating machinery.


Background: The small blood volume of mice complicates tacrolimus pharmacokinetic studies in these animals. Here we explored dried blood spot (DBS) as a novel method to measure tacrolimus blood concentrations in mice. DBS samples were collected from three sampling sites (cheek, tail and heart) and compared with heart whole blood samples measured via LC-MS/MS. Results: Tacrolimus concentrations in the whole blood samples ranged from 2.56 to 27.64 μg/l. DBS of cheek vein blood was the most reliable sampling site, with a mean bias of 0.15 μg/l (95% CI: -4.20 to 4.50). Conclusion: The DBS cheek method can be used for serial monitoring of tacrolimus blood concentrations in mice, offering an animal-friendly method for tacrolimus pharmacokinetic studies in mice.


Cell cycle parameters of myocytes of the heart conduction system (CS) and working ventricular (WM) myocytes were determined using different autoradiographic methods. By the labeled mitoses technique, no significant difference in the mean durations of G2 + 1/2 M and S phases was found between myocytes from CS and WM. The double labeling method (with 14C- and 3H-thymidine) has given the mean durations of the S-phase of the same order as did labeled mitoses technique in both CS and WM. Label dilution experiment has shown that at each stage under investigation the mean values of cell cycle duration are rather similar in CS and WM myocytes and increase in both the compartments from the 15th day of embryonal development up to the 7th day post partum. These results suggest that the lower indices of labeled nuclei in CS, as compared with WM, may be explained mainly by the smaller fraction of proliferating cells among the total cell population.


Neural stem cells divide during embryogenesis and post embryonic development to generate the entire complement of neurons and glia in the nervous system of vertebrates and invertebrates. Studies of the mechanisms controlling the fine balance between neural stem cells and more differentiated progenitors have shown that in every asymmetric cell division progenitors send a Delta-Notch signal back to their sibling stem cells. Here we show that excessive activation of Notch or overexpression of its direct targets of the Hes family causes stem-cell hyperplasias in the Drosophila larval central nervous system, which can progress to malignant tumours after allografting to adult hosts. We combined transcriptomic data from these hyperplasias with chromatin occupancy data for Dpn, a Hes transcription factor, to identify genes regulated by Hes factors in this process. We show that the Notch/Hes axis represses a cohort of transcription factor genes. These are excluded from the stem cells and promote early differentiation steps, most likely by preventing the reversion of immature progenitors to a stem-cell fate. Our results suggest that Notch signalling sets up a network of mutually repressing stemness and anti-stemness transcription factors, which include Hes proteins and Zfh1, respectively. This mutual repression ensures robust transition to neuronal and glial differentiation and its perturbation can lead to malignant transformation.


Formation and relaxation dynamics of electron polarons in lithium niobate crystals is investigated by measuring transient absorption induced by blue femtosecond pulses. Anisotropy in absorption change distinguishes between small free polarons and small bound polarons, revealing that the dynamics is influenced by MgO-doping and stoichiometry control. In crystals doped with MgO at concentrations above threshold, small free polarons are generated within 100 fs and decay at tens of nanosecond. In the presence of antisite defects, sequential formation of polaronic states occurs: electrons initially trapped as small free polarons become trapped as small bound polarons at picosecond time scale. The results are relevant for nonlinear optical applications of pulsed or high-power lasers.


BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the histochemical characteristics of the thickened inner acellular layer (IL) of the lamina propria specifically present in the human seminiferous tubules of testes showing impaired spermatogenesis.

METHODS
Eighteen biopsies for the investigation of infertility and 10 orchiectomies for testicular cancer and cryptorchidism were used. Lectin staining [peanut agglutinin (PNA), Maackia amurensis (MAA), Sambuccus nigra (SNA)], PNA lectin staining with sialidase digestion, immunohistochemistry and binding assay of progesterone were performed and analysed quantitatively.

RESULTS
The IL of the thickened lamina propria of the seminiferous tubules in the testes showed PNA lectin affinity and binding affinity for progesterone. Both affinities of MAA and SNA were in the IL of only fairly thickened lamina propria. Furthermore, a positive correlation was present between the thickness of the lamina propria and the accumulation of glycoconjugates showing PNA lectin affinity (r = 0.829, P < 0.001) or progesterone (r = 0.629, P < 0.001) in the IL. However, ILs show no immunoreactivities of progesterone receptor, androgen receptor or human serum albumin. Progesterone inhibited the binding affinity of PNA lectin to the IL (P < 0.001), but not the affinity to the spermatogenic cells. In addition, sialidase digestion increased the PNA affinity not in the IL but in the spermatogenic cells (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that the IL of the thickened lamina propria always consists of glycoconjugates with PNA lectin affinity and possible binding affinity to progesterone. In addition, the glycoconjugates in the IL may be predictors of abnormal spermatogenesis in the testes of infertile patients.


Purpose
Physical activity professionals often lack the experience and knowledge to implement the pedagogical and behavioral strategies required to successfully work with people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To enable individuals with ASD to achieve the benefits of exercise, physical activity professionals must be knowledgeable and skilled in relation to delivering evidence-based practices (EBP). The recent worldwide coronavirus disease pandemic highlights the value and necessity of effective online learning. Recent research has suggested that online settings are a viable setting for professional learning. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to assess an online course's impact on physical activity professionals' frequency of use and self-efficacy toward using EBPs with individuals with ASD.

Design/methodology/approach
The online program was developed to provide training for a wide-range of professionals interested in working with people with ASD. A survey was administered to participants prior to and after completion of the online course to collect data on sample demographics, and the participants' perceived frequency and self‐efficacy in using EBPs. Eighty-six physical activity professionals participated in the study.

Findings
Overall, their self-efficacy toward EBPs and frequency at which participants reported to use EBPs increased significantly from pretest to posttest (p < 0.05). The participants also reported using three of the nine covered EBPs more frequently at post-course completion. In addition, participants' self-efficacy toward eight of the EBPs was significantly higher post-intervention.

Originality/value
Findings from this study suggests that a well-structured online intervention has promise for preparing physical activity professionals to work with people with ASD.


PURPOSE
This study was designed to assess public awareness and symptoms of dry eye in Japan by a population-based, self-diagnosis study.

METHODS
Two thousand five hundred participants chosen randomly from the general population were sent a questionnaire consisting of 30 questions pertaining to symptoms and knowledge of dry eye.

RESULTS
Awareness of the condition called "dry eye" was very high at 73%. Most of the knowledge of dry eye was obtained through the media (e.g., television, 58.8%; newspapers/magazines, 46.6%), and only a fraction of the knowledge was from physicians (6.8%). As many as 33% of participants responded that they believed they had dry eye according to the self-diagnosis criteria, of which 25% used over-the-counter eyedrops daily. The majority of eyedrop users were dissatisfied with their therapeutic effects, and only 11% sought professional help. Habits in lifestyles that were associated with self-diagnosed dry eye were contact lens use (p < 0.001), a history of allergic conjunctivitis (p = 0.002), and video display terminal tasks (p = 0.058).

CONCLUSION
Although public awareness of dry eye in Japan was high, only a minority of the population seems to consult professionals for diagnosis and symptomatic relief.


The euroFOT project is the first large-scale Field Operational Test (FOT) of multiple Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in Europe. It will evaluate the impact of ADAS on safety, traffic efficiency, environment, driver behaviour and user acceptance in real life situations with normal drivers by means of collected data from instrumented vehicles. By offering valuable information for the short- and long-term impact of ADAS the euroFOT project aims to encourage the deployment of ADAS. Altogether, about 1000 vehicles equipped with different ADAS technologies will take part in the field operational test. The FOT is coordinated by five Vehicle Management Centers (VMC) and carried out at various operation sites across six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom). Within this paper the approach and the requirements for implementing a reliable and automated incident detection process by means of CAN-data for assessing the impact of ADAS at the German1-VMC are presented.


Cyanobacteria are the largest, most diverse and widely distributed group of photosynthetic N 2 fixing prokaryotes. Cyanobacteria play a vital role in mangrove community food webs. The aerial root system of mangrove trees provides a hard substratum for the attachment of ep iphytic algae such as diatoms and cyanobacteria. The paravanar estuary is open type estuary having semidiurnal tides w ith tidal extending up to a distance of about 10 km. The Poondiyankuppam village is located about 8 km from estuarine mouth. A total of 13 Cyanophycean members were identified. The identified genera were Chroococcus turgidus, Phormidium molle, Merismopedia elegans, Oscillatoria salina, Oscillatoria curviceps, Oscillatoria perornata,Oscill atoria ornate, Oscillatoria minnesotensis, Spirulina subsalsa, Microcoleus acutissimu, Microcoleus chthnoplastes, Nostoc microscopicum, Nostoc carneum.Kadalundi mangrove vegetation provides suitable niche for the growth of phytoplanktons like cyanobacteria. By documenting the cyanobacterial flora of mangrove ecosystems provides a solid foundation for scientific descriptions like ecology to begin the formulation of good management practice.


A study on the ecology and distribution of snails of medical importance was conducted in water bodies from four different communities (Old Karmo, Gwagwa, Deidei I and Deidei II) in Abuja Municipal Area Council, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria. Three species of snails; Bulinus globosus , Lymnaea natalensis and Melanoides tuberculata were identified. The total number and percentage of snails collected from the four sites were 309. Comprising of 56 (18.12%) from Old Karmo, 115 (37.22%) from Gwagwa, 78 (25.24%) from Deidei (I) and 60 (19.42%) from Deidei (II) respectively. Gwagwa and Deidei (I) recorded the predominant number of species encountered in the study. The following floras were identified from the study-sites; Megathyrsus maximus , Guinea grass and Commelina nigritana (African dayflower) were identified from the sampled water bodies. Findings indicate that favourable conditions exist in Abuja Municipal Area Council that supports the breeding of the snails which are intermediate hosts of medical/ veterinary importance under suitable physicochemical parameters which determines the extent of their population and distribution in the area. Keywords: Ecology; snails; schistosomiasis; physico-chemical parameters; freshwater


Objectives Communication with children is an important way to reduce the effect of empty nest syndrome and increase life satisfaction of older adults. Under new network environment, more and more young people rely on non-face-to-face (nFTF) technology to communicate with parents, instead of face-to-face (FTF) communication due to the constraints of living condition and busy schedule of job. We are wondering whether it is good for older adults' life satisfaction. Specifically, can nFTF provide the same benefit as FTF does to increase older adults' life satisfaction? How to use nFTF to benefit older adults best? Theories From the perspective of family support (for instance, emotional support and instrumental support), this paper mainly uses Media-Richness Theory and Social Presence Theory to analyse the different capability of FTF and nFTF to increase older adults' life satisfaction. Besides, we try to examine in which situation increasing nFTF can benefit older adults. Design The data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) is used to test our hypotheses. Results FTF is better than nFTF to increase life satisfaction. Only in the context that FTF is harder or less available (frequency of FTF is less than once every six months), nFTF is positively related to increasing life satisfaction; when the frequency of FTF is more than once every six months, more nFTF will not provide an extra benefit for older adults. In the present paper, we systematically analyse the difference of FTF and nFTF, and extend previous studies, which focus on nFTF's advantage, to in what context nFTF can cooperate with FTF to increase older adults' life satisfaction.


Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid tumor in pediatric cases. NB accounts for about 8% of malignancies in patients younger than 15 years, and since 50% of newly diagnosed cases metastasize to regional lymph nodes, bone marrow, bone, liver, and skin, the disease is usually diagnosed in its late stages. Overexpression of N-MYC, which is characterized by poor prognosis in NB, changes the progression of the disease and the course of the treatment. Targeting these pathways may be a treatment option in NB, since the mTOR and AURKA pathways interact with N-MYC and directly cause protein stabilization. The widespread use of conventional chemotherapeutics has some limitations associated with their common side effects and the bioavailability of the drugs. New therapeutic approaches have focused on nanoparticle (NP) -based therapies, and chemoimmunoagents in the form of many NPs are being tried in NB. Here, we review new therapeutic approaches that would help to treat NB.


Mycoplasma contamination remains a major concern in the biopharmaceutical industry especially in tissue culture based viral vaccine and its presence and/or its endotoxin-like metabolites in the final products can result in pyrogenic responses ranging from fever and chills, to irreversible and fatal septic shock. This study was conducted by in vitro screening of mycoplasma in the different ingredients used in production of Foot and mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using universal primers that are specific to the 16S rRNA region. Tested items include growth media, cell lines, trypsin, seed virus and working virus. Also the study evaluates the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of neomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin, polymyxin B and ciprofloxacin on mycoplasma contaminated cell lines. Our results showed that the prepared growth media, trypsin, seed virus as well as working virus were mycoplasma free and three tested cell lines were also free while another two lines were mycoplasma positive. The mycoplasma positive cell line are poorly grown in comparison with the free line using the same growth media and the virus yield from the apparently normal contaminated line was very low. Ciprofloxacin can be used for treating valuable cell line after 12 days in 25mg/L and after 18 days in 10mg/L. Ciprofloxacin plus regular antibiotic may keep the line sterile for prolonged time but treatment of contaminated cell line is not advisable. So, prophylactic control by strict personal hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) and adopt appropriate aseptic techniques is the core solution.


This paper presents a syntactic description of a fragment of German that has been worked out within the machine translation project Eurotra. It represents the syntactic part of the German module of this multilingual translation system. The linguistic tool for the following analyses is the so-called CATframework. In the first two sections of this paper an introduction of the formalism and a linguistic characterization of tile framework is given. The CAT formalism as a whole is a theory of machine translation, the syntactic analysis part which is the subject of this paper is an LFG-like mapping of a constituent structure onto a functional structure. A third section develops principles for a phrase structure and a functional structure for German and the mapping of phrase structure onto functional structure. In a fourth section a treatment of unbounded movement phenomena is sketched. As the CAT-framework does not provide any global mechanisms I try to give a local treatment of this problem.


BACKGROUND
In older adults, current equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are not validated and may misclassify elderly persons in terms of their stage of chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE
To derive the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS) equation, a novel estimator of GFR in elderly participants.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional. Data were split for analysis into 2 sets for equation development and internal validation.

SETTING
Random community-based population of a large insurance company.

PARTICIPANTS
610 participants aged 70 years or older (mean age, 78.5 years).

INTERVENTION
Iohexol plasma clearance measurement as gold standard.

MEASUREMENTS
GFR, measured as the plasma clearance of the endogenous marker iohexol, to compare performance of existing equations of estimated GFR with measured GFR of the gold standard; estimation of measured GFR from standardized creatinine and cystatin C levels, sex, and age in the learning sample; and comparison of the BIS equations (BIS1: creatinine-based; BIS2: creatinine- and cystatin C-based) with other estimating equations and determination of bias, precision, and accuracy in the validation sample.

RESULTS
The new BIS2 equation yielded the smallest bias followed by the creatinine-based BIS1 and Cockcroft-Gault equations. All other equations considerably overestimated GFR. The BIS equations confirmed a high prevalence of persons older than 70 years with a GFR less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (BIS1, 50.4%; BIS2, 47.4%; measured GFR, 47.9%). The total misclassification rate for this criterion was smallest for the BIS2 equation (11.6%), followed by the cystatin C equation 2 (15.1%) proposed by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration. Among the creatinine-based equations, BIS1 had the smallest misclassification rate (17.2%), followed by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation (20.4%).

LIMITATION
There was no validation by an external data set.

CONCLUSION
The BIS2 equation should be used to estimate GFR in persons aged 70 years or older with normal or mild to moderately reduced kidney function. If cystatin C is not available, the BIS1 equation is an acceptable alternative.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
Kuratorium für Dialyse und Nierentransplatation (KfH) Foundation of Preventive Medicine.


This article explores Balzac's exposure, in La Muse du département, of the social function of indiscretion relative to the fathering of Dinah de La Baudraye's children. Lousteau's infamous dispatch of a faire-part broadcasting his paternity, and his earlier defamatory crumpling of Dinah's organdie dress, fuel the public scandal that allows adulterine reproduction to lay claim to the status of an aberration. Gossip about Dinah's marriage therefore follows the hypocritical logic of the open secret: public knowledge of La Baudraye's impotence continues to masquerade as a secret, while his calculated complaisance is underpinned by the Civil Code's assertion that the father of a child conceived within marriage is the husband. Balzac's intercalated Gothic narrative of a clandestine birth (Histoire d'un bras), in which the surgeon's indiscretion has dire consequences, serves as an ironic foil for the cynical complicity of husband, lover, and doctor (Bianchon) in the main plot of the novel.


This study presents a novel grounded coplanar waveguide (CPW) to fundamental rectangular waveguide mode transition for W-band applications. The designed waveguide-to-CPW transition is optimised to achieve low-loss. The maximum insertion loss of the waveguide-to-CPW back-to-back transition is -1.8-dB in a frequency range of 91.2-113.2-GHz, corresponding to a large 22- bandwidth. Since the structure benefits from a simple topology and in order to demonstrate the claims, it is fabricated in-house. The measurement results are presented and are in very good agreement with the simulations.


Mu-3 virus (Mu-3), a neuropathogenic strain of the mouse hepatitis virus, induces the apoptosis of pyramidal neurons in CA2 and CA3 subregions of the hippocampus at 4 days post-inoculation (dpi), without showing destructive changes or viral invasion there at 3 dpi. Since it has been considered that the apoptotic lesions occur through the indirect effects of infection, local expression of cytokines was examined in the brain in our previous study, revealing that the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 is produced by pyramidal neurons of CA2 and CA3 after infection. However, infection of primary brain culture failed to elevate IL-10 production. Therefore, in order to examine whether Mu-3 infection elevates IL-10 production, CD11b-expressing Peritoneal Exudate Cells (PECs) were used, which showed an increased level of IL-10 production in the supernatant of PEC culture after infection. The finding that IL-10-producing cells expressed Lewis X (Lex) supports our previous hypothesis that Lex expression is involved in the immunosuppressive state induced by viral infection. In addition, in combination with an experiment involving ex vivo infection, it was indicated that Mu-3 elicits M2 macrophages or Gr-1+CD11b+ Myeloid- Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) that produce IL-10 and TGF-β to circumvent the host immune response after infection.


In-lab rearing of the predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus cucumeris on the fodder mites Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Carpoglyphus lactis has been assessed. The study was performed for species kept separately and together. All trials were carried out in 5-fold replications during 25 days at temperature 23–25 °C, the length of daylight of 18 hours, and relative humidity of 85–90 %. After 25 days, T. putrescentiae outnumbered C. lactis in 1.3 times while reared separately, and in 118 times in cases when they were reared together. After 25 days of rearing the predatory mites N. cucumeris and A. swirskii together the first one outnumbered the second one in 9.1 times while feeding on T. putrescentia and in 3.2 times while feeding on C. lactis. The possibility of in-lab rearing of N. cucumeris on both species of the fodder mites was shown, while A. swirskii feeding on T. putrescentiae demonstrated the increase of its density during first two weeks only. Neoseiulus cucumeris is more competitive than A. swirskii because it can achieve high density on different species of fodder mites. Different species of mites must be strictly isolated from each other during their rearing to prevent contamination.


The protein content and amino acid composition of the uterine milk of swine and cattle were analyzed using slaughterhouse-derived samples. For both species, the majority of the dry matter of uterine milk consisted of materials of protein nature (swine: 68.1%, cattle: 73.3%). Free amino acids constituted approximately 0.3% (swine) and 0.5% (cattle) of the dry matter. In the uterine milk of sows, the high ratio of serine, glycine and acidic amino acids (overall ratio: 65%) was remarkable. No such striking values were found for the bovine species; however, the uterine milk of cows was also characterized by the predominance of acidic amino acids. Total amino acid content of the uterine milk was compared with that of freshly milked colostrum. With the exception of glutamic acid in sows and methionine and glutamic acid in cows the uterine milk and the colostrum had identical amino acid content. It is concluded that the embryotroph can be considered a transition between the blood and the colostrum.


Hypothesis: Endolymphatic hydrops in temporal bones with otologic syphilis directly relates to osteitis, new bone formation, and/or resorption along the course of the endolymphatic system. Background: Ménière's disease and otosyphilis both cause progressive endolymphatic hydrops, and the mechanism of hydrops formation in each disease process remains unclear. Traditionally, osteitic changes of the labyrinthine capsule were thought to lead to endolymphatic hydrops in syphilitic temporal bones. More recently, authors have suggested that microgummata and inflammatory change obliterating the endolymphatic duct and sac may cause endolymphatic hydrops in otosyphilis. Methods: This is a histopathologic study of 11 temporal bones from patients with otosyphilis. Gathered data include presence/absence of endolymphatic hydrops of the cochlea, saccule, and utricle; bony changes involving the endolymphatic duct and sac; a description of bony changes throughout the temporal bone; and the degree of atrophy of the organ of Corti, spiral ganglion, and stria vascularis. Results: The presence of osteitic changes surrounding the endolymphatic duct and sac and whether the endolymphatic system was obliterated did not directly correlate with the presence of endolymphatic hydrops in this study. Conclusion: We reject the hypothesis that otologic syphilis is directly related to osteitis, new bone formation, and/or resorption along the course of the endolymphatic duct and sac. Although a change in the endolymphatic system may contribute to the formation of endolymphatic hydrops in otologic syphilis, it is not the only cause. Whether otosyphilis and Ménière's disease share a common mechanism of endolymphatic hydrops formation remains unclear, and the relationship between these causes of hydrops should be investigated further.


This paper presents a project of Web-based Distance Learning support system. The system has been built based on the Internet and World Wide Web facility. The system could be accessed with a web browser which is directed to a certain web server address so that students can do learning process just like in the real situation, such as student admissions, taking course materials, syllabus, assignments, students grades, class discussions through web, and doing online quizzes. Students could also join collaboration works by giving opinions, feedback and student produced paper/web which can be shared to the entire learning community. Therefore, it will build a collaborative learning environment where lectures together with students make constructive knowledge databases for entire learning community.
This system has been developed based on Active Server Pages (ASP) technology from Microsoft which is embedded in a web server. Web pages reside in a web server which is connected to an SQL Database Server. Database server is used to store structured data such as lectures/students personal information, course lists, syllabus and its descriptions, announcement texts from lecturers, commentaries for discussion forum, student's study evaluations, scores for each assignment, quizzes for each course, assignments text from lectures, assignments which are collected by students and students contribution/materials.
This system has been maintained by an administrator for maintaining and developing web pages using HTML. The administrator also does ASP scripts programming to convert web pages into active server pages. Lectures and students could contribute some course materials and share their ideas through their web browser.
This web-based collaborative learning system gives the students more active role in the information gathering and learning process, making the distance students feel part of a learning community, therefore increasing motivation, comprehension and interaction with other students.


Due to the increasing threat of terrorism, it has become more and more important to detect abnormal behaviour in public areas. In this paper, we introduce a system to identify pedestrians with abnormal movement trajectories in a scene using a data-driven approach. Our system includes two parts. The first part is an interactive tool that takes an overhead video as an input and tracks the pedestrians in a semi-automatic manner. The second part is a data-driven abnormal trajectories detection algorithm, which applies iterative k-means clustering to find out possible paths in the scene and thereby identifies those that do not fit well in any paths. Since the system requires only RGB video, it is compatible with most of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems used for security monitoring. Furthermore, the training of the abnormal trajectories detection algorithm is unsupervised and fully automatic. It means that the system can be deployed into a new location without manual parameter tuning and training data annotations. The system can be applied in indoor and outdoor environments and is best for automatic security monitoring.


We address the problem of noise regression in the output of gravitational-wave (GW) interferometers, using data from the physical environmental monitors (PEM). The objective of the regression analysis is to predict environmental noise in the GW channel from the PEM measurements. One of the most promising regression methods is based on the construction of Wiener–Kolmogorov (WK) filters. Using this method, the seismic noise cancellation from the LIGO GW channel has already been performed. In the presented approach the WK method has been extended, incorporating banks of Wiener filters in the time–frequency domain, multi-channel analysis and regulation schemes, which greatly enhance the versatility of the regression analysis. Also we present the first results on regression of the bi-coherent noise in the LIGO data.


Seizures containing large numbers of units of narcotics, goods dangerous to health and doping are often sent to the Swedish National Forensic Centre (NFC). Only a fraction of these capsules or tablets can be analyzed, therefore the samples need to represent the whole seizure. If the samples show content variations Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in combination with hyperspectral imaging has been shown to be a promising tool to gauge the homogeneity in the seizures based on the chemical content. The objective of this thesis was to further develop and then validate a method for the separation of pregabalin and gabapentin capsules using NIR hyperspectral imaging and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Capsules containing different amounts of pregabalin and gabapentin were prepared and analyzed. Additionally, authentic seizures were analyzed to confirm that the method fulfilled its purpose. The result of this study showed that use of hyperspectral data in the wavelength range 16501750 nm gave the best differentiation between pregabalin and gabapentin capsules. Capsules containing the ratio 70-30 % gabapentin and pregabalin could be separated distinctively from capsules containing pure gabapentin. Multiple authentic seizures could be separated into groups correctly depending on the capsules or tablets content.


Drugs used for therapeutic interventions either alone or in combination may sometimes cause unexpected toxicity to the muscles, resulting in a varying degree of symptomatology, from mild discomfort and inconvenience to permanent damage and disability. The clinician should suspect a toxic myopathy when a patient without a pre-existing muscle disease develops myalgia, fatigue, weakness or myoglobinuria, temporally connected to the administration of a drug or exposure to a myotoxic substance. This review provides an update on the drugs with well-documented myocytoxicity and cautions the clinicians to be alert for the potential toxicity of newly marketed drugs; highlights the clinical features and pathomechanisms of the induced muscle disease; and offers guidance on how best to treat and distinguish toxic myopathies from other acquired or hereditary muscle disorders. Practical issues regarding the diagnosis and management of statin-induced myopathies are emphasized. Myotoxicity resulting from direct insertion of transgenes to the muscle, an exciting new tool currently tested for treatment of muscular dystrophies, is also discussed.


A new flow procedure based on multicommutation with chemiluminometric detection was developed to quantify gentamicin sulphate in pharmaceutical formulations. This approach is based on gentamicin's ability to inhibit the chemiluminometric reaction between luminol and hypochlorite in alkaline medium, causing a decrease in the analytical signal. The inhibition of the analytical signal is proportional to the concentration of gentamicin sulphate, within a linear range of 1 to 4 μg mL−1 with a coefficient variation <3%. A sample throughput of 55 samples h−1 was obtained. The developed method is sensitive, simple, with low reagent consumption, reproducible, and inexpensive, and when applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations (eye drops and injections) it gave results with RSD between 1.10 and 4.40%.


To relax convexity assumptions imposed on the functions in theorems on sufficient conditions and duality,new concepts of generalized d I-G-type I invexity were introduced for nondifferentiable multiobjective programming problems.Based upon these generalized invexity,G-Fritz-John( G-F-J)and G-KarushKuhn-Tucker( G-K-K-T)types sufficient optimality conditions were established for a feasible solution to be an efficient solution.Moreover,weak and strict duality results were derived for a GMond-Weir type dual under various types of generalized d I-G-type I invexity assumptions.


New directions in material applications have allowed for the fresh insight into the coordination of biophysical cues and regulators. Although the role of the mechanical microenvironment on cell responses and mechanics is often studied, most analyses only consider static environments and behavior, however, cells and tissues are themselves dynamic materials that adapt in myriad ways to alterations in their environment. Here, we introduce an approach, through the addition of magnetic inclusions into a soft poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomer, to fabricate a substrate that can be stiffened nearly instantaneously in the presence of cells through the use of a magnetic gradient to investigate short-term cellular responses to dynamic stiffening or softening. This substrate allows us to observe time-dependent changes, such as spreading, stress fiber formation, Yes-associated protein translocation, and sarcomere organization. The identification of temporal dynamic changes on a short time scale suggests that this technology can be more broadly applied to study targeted mechanisms of diverse biologic processes, including cell division, differentiation, tissue repair, pathological adaptations, and cell-death pathways. Our method provides a unique in vitro platform for studying the dynamic cell behavior by better mimicking more complex and realistic microenvironments. This platform will be amenable to future studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying mechanical sensing and signaling that influence cellular behaviors and interactions.


The Barik formation is a low-permeability conventional tight-gas reservoir, in Block 61 in the Sultanate of Oman, comprised of a series of interbedded sandstone and mudstone (shale) layers. To achieve the most efficient and economic development of this formation sequence, the wells require the application of massive hydraulic fracturing. Such an approach was developed and deployed during the Appraisal stage of the programme and a considerable effort was placed in ensuring that the fracture height was contiguous, resulting in an effective drainage across all layers of the Barik formation. This approach was then encapsulated in the Full Field Development (FFD) planning Basis of Design (BoD) and was established as the approach to be taken throughout FFD.
 Until the field development was well underway, a single fracture treatment had proven sufficient to stimulate the entire Barik reservoir. However, as the development moved into the Southern area of the field, a substantial thickening of the Barik sequence was encountered and with this change successful complete vertical propped fracture coverage became much more challenging to achieve in an effective and repeatable manner. This paper demonstrates the approaches that were subsequently taken with the fracture design, the fracturing fluid selection and the fracture perforation strategy to address this issue and restore the achievement of complete fracture/formation coverage.
 Throughout the paper a number of examples will be presented that demonstrate the issues and effects that arose with the thickening of the Barik formation. The paper will then go on to examine how these effects were identified, what surveillance was used and the various characteristics that were displayed and how they were inferred. It will examine how the various issues were addressed, what changes were made to the fracturing strategy and demonstrate, through direct results, the outcomes that were subsequently achieved.
 This paper will focus on some of the principal issues that can arise when moving a developing fracture BoD in a laminated sequence into a more thickly developed environment with more extensive height and bulkier sands. The paper will provide a number of detailed examples of the issues themselves, and describe the detrimental and impactful effects that they may have on fracture coverage and hence well productivity and EUR. Additionally, the paper will describe the approaches that can be used in order to successfully address these effects. The paper will clearly demonstrate that when such considerations are taken into account that a successful suite of outcomes can be achieved.


The Damocloids are a group of unusual asteroids that recently added a new member: 2010 EJ104. The dynamical evolution of the Damocloids may reveal a connection from the Main Belt to the Kuiper Belt and beyond the scattered disk. According to our simulations, two regions may be considered as possible origins of the Damocloids: the scattered disk, or a part of the Oort cloud, which will be perturbed to a transient region located between 700 AU and 1000 AU. Based on their potential origin, the Damocloids can be classified into two types, depending on their semi-major axes, and about 65.5% of the Damocloids are classified into type I which mainly originate from the Oort cloud. Whether the Damocloids are inactive nuclei of the Halley Family of Comets may depend on their origin.


The rates of phosphorescence decay of 4,7-dimethylindanone (2), 6,9-dimethylbenzosuberone (3), and several related compounds have been analyzed between 4 and 100 K to determine the contributions of intramolecular hydrogen atom tunneling from the o-methyl group to the excited state carbonyl oxygen. Changes in the benzocycloalkanone ring size from five to seven not only affect the geometry at the reaction center, but they also affect the electronic configuration of the triplet excited state in a significant manner. While the triplet state of 5,8-dimethyltetralone (1) in nonpolar glasses can be clearly described as having a predominant n,pi configuration, compounds 2 and 3 have a significantly larger contribution of the less reactive pi,pi state. 4,7-Dimethylindanone (2) is stable under cryogenic conditions and in solution at ambient temperature. In contrast, triplet lifetimes and product analysis indicate that 6,9-dimethylbenzosuberone (3) reacts by quantum mechanical tunneling at temperatures as low as 4 K. A surprisingly small isotope effect k(H)/k(D) approximately 1.1 between 4 and 50 K increases steadily up to k(H)/k(D) approximately 5.1 at 100 K. This unusual observation is interpreted in terms of a vibrationally activated quantum mechanical tunneling process with hydrogen atom transfer at the lowest temperatures being mediated by zero-point-energy reaction-promoting skeletal motions. Results presented here indicate that the combined effects of increasing pi,pi character and unfavorable reaction geometry contribute to the diminished reactivity of o-methyl ketones 2 and 3 as compared to those of tetralone 1.


Digital audio programme material may be transferred from one system or location to another using a variety of means. Recording media such as disks and tapes may be physically transported, but there are compatibility problems between systems; real-time interfaces may be used to replace analogue interconnections for signal routing, and computer-style networks may be used for the transfer of audio in the form of data files. The relative merits of different approaches to programme interchange are examined with reference to operational requirements, and the various problems of data format and compatibility are examined.


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In a world where all of life is on the edge of extinction and destruction by humankind, those who practice religion-and-science within a mutual dialogue bear the responsibility of doing so with this edge of life in mind. To speak of religion-and-science as a field of inquiry is to acknowledge the ethical responsibilities it entails. If one task of Zygon is to reformulate religion in light of the future dialogue of religion-and-science, we need to think about what kind of hope for the future is needed. Clearly, we are not simply called to repeat the past or comment on what has already been done by other academics. To help accomplish these goals and to reflect on the mission and future of Zygon, I appeal to the metaphor of improvisation, particularly as it is embodied in the visual and performing arts.


Background Corticosteroid therapy can unbalance diabetes, particularly when administered orally, but also during articular infiltration. Corticosteroid infiltrations are an integral part of the therapeutic arsenal in rheumatology. They are utilized to treat congestive articular flare-ups of osteoarthritis or inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Periarticular or ductal pathologies, such as trochanteric bursitis, rotator cuff pathology and carpal-tunnel syndrome, may require the use of these infiltrations. Caution is often required when using corticosteroid infiltrations in diabetics. Objectives The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether or not diabetic patients undergoing a corticosteroid infiltration during hospitalization had a diabetes imbalance. Methods Diabetic patients having undergone a corticosteroid infiltration during hospitalization between 2009 and 2015 were sought. We collected data regarding their rheumatological pathology, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting glycemia on the day of the infiltration, the next day and after 48 hours. Results A total of 114 patients were included in our study. The average age was 72.1±9.4 years. All of them had Type 2 diabetes, and 35 of them were treated with insulin. Average HbA1c was 7.3±0.1%. Overall, 47 (41.2%) patients had an HbA1c below 7%. A total of 31 (27.2%) patients had a diabetes imbalance after infiltration, and 19 of these, who were taking oral antidiabetics, required 48 hours of rapid insulin to balance their glycemia. Overall, 12 patients increased their insulin dose. Out of the 47 patients with good HbA1c, 7 (14.9%) of them had a glycemia imbalance, versus 24 (35.8%) who were unbalanced out of the 67 patients whose HbA1c exceeded 7% (p=0.013). Conclusions Corticosteroid infiltrations can lead to a diabetes imbalance, thus making it necessary to administer a few days of rapid insulin or to increase the insulin dose. A patient whose HbA1c is below 7% has a low risk of unbalancing his/her diabetes after corticosteroid infiltration. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Background and objective: It is necessary to identify factors influencing smoking in order to design effective interventions to reduce this behavior. This study aimed to determine the predictive factors of smoking among adults of Arak city based on Transtheoretical model (TTM). Methods: This analyticalcross sectional study was carried out on 328 smokers 30 years of age and older in the city of Arak in 2014. Samples were selected randomly from family file numbers of Arak. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire including demographic information and questions related to Transtheoretical structure Model (stages of change, processes of change, temptation, Pros and Cons of smoking) and were analyzed using oneway ANOVA, Pearson correlation and linear regression. Results: Most of the subjects (52.7%) were in the precontemplation stage of smoking cessation. Linear regression revealed that variables of change stages (R2 = -0.46, p > 0.001), temptation (R2 = -0.18, p > 0.001), hazards of smoking (R2 = -0.12, p > 0.001), early age of smoking (R2 = -0.14, p > 0.006), dramatic relief process of change (R2 = -0.12, p > 0.015) and the number of friends who smoke (R2 = -0.12, p > 0.048) were the predictor of daily smoking rates. The model was able to predict 37% of smoking rate variance. Conclusion: Most subjects were in the precontemplation stage of quitting smoking and according to predictive factors of smoking it is necessary to plan an effective educational program for quitting smoking. Paper Type: Research Article.


"Menopause results in a progressive decline in ovarian production of 17[beta]-estradiol (E2), increased adiposity and a higher risk for type-2 diabetes, but hormone replacement therapies containing E2 reverse most of these effects. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism(s) by which E2 modulates insulin sensitivity (IS) and susceptibility to metabolic disease. By using a short-term ovariectomized mouse (surgical removal of ovaries, OVX) and pharmacological replacement of E2, here we have developed a model to study the short-term effects of menopause and E2 replacement therapies on mitochondrial function and IS, within a simplified context (i.e. in the absence of obesity). Given the primary role that skeletal muscle and liver play in glucose homeostasis, the aims of this work are two-fold. First, to determine whether decreased mitochondrial and cellular redox function represent the underlying molecular mechanisms for menopause-induced insulin resistance, and how E2 replacement can reverse these effects. Second, to determine the effects of ovarian E2 depletion and replacement on liver mitochondrial and redox functions, with a specific emphasis on NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (mitochondrial complex I) kinetics and its associated H2O2 emitting potential. The studies herein provide evidence that E2 protects mitochondrial function and redox homeostasis in skeletal muscle by increasing complex I and IIII activities, enhancing electron transfer supercomplex assembly, preventing free radical leak, and decreasing lipid packing of mitochondrial membranes. We report, for the first time, the detection of E2 in skeletal muscle mitochondria, thus providing compelling evidence that E2 localizes to mitochondrial membranes and regulates mitochondrial function through the ""fine-tuning"" of electron transfer efficiency. Finally, while OVX by itself did not induce major changes on mitochondrial function in the liver (at least in a short-term OVX model), E2 treatment had detrimental effects on mitochondrial function, particularly targeted to complex I. This highlights the remarkably opposite effects E2 can exert on such critical organelles as the mitochondria across tissues with a different ""bioenergetics signature"", as well as at physiological versus pharmacological concentrations. Collectively, this study offers insights into novel molecular mechanisms by which menopause sets, and E2 replacement reverses, a pro-diabetogenic state, and further advances our knowledge on the mechanisms behind tissue-specific effects of estrogens. The present findings reveal new horizons in the development of novel pharmacological interventions to prevent metabolic dysfunction in naturally or surgically-induced post-menopausal women."


Biodiesel as fatty acid alkylesters has become attractive because of its environmental benefits. A non-edible oil as starting material for biodiesel production appears desirable and does not compromise the edible oils used mainly for food and feed. The present article discusses the enzymatic alcoholysis of crude Jatropha curcas oil in solvent free medium for the production of valuable fatty acid alkyl esters for use as biodiesel. Among various microbial lipases commonly tested in the literature, the highest initial rate (>18 μmol h–1 mg–1) with different alcohols was observed with immobilized lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia, but the activity depends on the amount of water. The best conversion (93%) to produce ethyl esters was achieved with lipase immobilized on the polypropylene carrier Accurel 1282 after 16 h at low enzyme concentration (3% w/w). Moreover, the transesterification could be conducted for at least 160 h during 10 batch runs without significant loss of activity. This reduces the costs for immobilized lipase and can thus make the enzymatic biodiesel production commercially more viable, especially starting from a non-edible plant oil.


In the present investigation of a spherically symmetric electrically neutral anisotropic static fluid, we present a new solution of the Einstein's general relativistic field equations. The solution shows positive finite central pressures, central density and central red shift. The causality condition is obeyed at the centre. The anisotropy parameter is zero at the center and monotonically increasing toward the surface. The adiabatic index is also increasing towards the surface. All the other physical quantities such as matter-energy density, radial pressure, tangential pressure, velocity of sound and red shift are monotonically decreasing towards the surface. Further by assuming the surface density , we have constructed a model of massive neutron star with mass 2.95 with radius 18 km with all degree of suitability.


Purpose: Previous studies have established that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Several studies have demonstrated that the assessment of patients' attitudes or behaviors regarding their physical health problems is an important parameter in initiating positive health behaviors and providing patients with metabolic control. To determine whether schizophrenia patients' attitudes towards physical health affect the prevalence of MetS, we conducted a questionnaire survey of schizophrenia patients. Methods: We obtained 7,655 and 15,461 questionnaire responses from 520 and 247 facilities for outpatients and inpatients, respectively. The final analysis included data from a total of 6,576 subjects (2,213 outpatients and 4,363 inpatients). We assessed the effects of patients' attitudes as risk factors for having MetS using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of MetS was higher in outpatients compared with inpatients (34.7% and 13.2%, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that positive attitudes towards disease prevention and health care were related to a lower prevalence of MetS for outpatients and inpatients. In addition, greater knowledge of, and interest in, physical risk were associated with a lower prevalence of MetS only in outpatients. Conclusions: We detected substantial gaps in knowledge and negative health attitudes among respondents, suggesting that educational programs should be incorporated into current management protocols for patients with a high risk of MetS.


Maintaining high availability of IaaS services at a reasonable cost is a challenging task that received recent attention due to the growing popularity of Cloud computing as a preferred means of affordable IT outsourcing. In large data-centers faults are prone to happen and thus the only reasonable cost-effective method of providing high availability of services is an SLA aware recovery plan; that is, a mapping of the service VMs onto backup machines where they can be executed in case of a failure. The recovery process may benefit from powering on some of these machines in advance, since redeployment on powered machines is much faster. However, this comes with an additional maintenance cost, so the real problem is how to balance between the expected recovery time improvement and the cost of machines activation. We model this problem as an offline optimization problem and present a bicriteria approximation algorithm for it. While this is the first performance guaranteed algorithm for this problem, it is somewhat complex to implement in practice. Thus, we further present a much simpler and practical heuristic based on a greedy approach. We evaluate the performance of this heuristic over real data-center data, and show that it performs well in terms of scale, hierarchical faults and variant costs. Our results indicate that our scheme can reduce the overall recovery costs by 10-15% when compared to currently used approaches. We also show that fault recovery cost aware VM placement may farther help reducing the expected recovery costs, as it can reduce the backup machine activations costs.


Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology is a promising biological method for modern wastewater treatment. However, granulation time have become a major issue for the application of AGS technology especially in low strength wastewater. Recent studies on granulation are focusing towards rapid start-up granulation process. Diatomite, a friable light-coloured sedimentary rock was introduces in this study to enhanced the granules formation. This study highlight the effect of diatomite towards the microbial community during the transformation of seed sludge until development of granules. DNA extraction and Metagenomic analysis was conducted with three samples (seed sludge, control AGS, AGS diatomite) to compare the microbial community. The microbial community analysis revealed the alpha diversity, phylum and class level, and the abundance of EPS producing bacteria of each bacteria samples respectively. Diatomite has a significant influence towards the microbial diversity (High Shannon index alpha diversity). Also, diatomite promotes the abundance of functional bacteria especially EPS producing bacteria, which seen as a crucial elements in granulation process.