In this article, two criteria are suggested to inspect whether a model of geospatial information diffusion is valid to fill in the missing observation in a gap unit. The first criterion serves for inspecting a gap unit in the study area, from which a sample is taken to train the model. The second criterion serves for a gap unit outside the area but nearby. The standard deviation of the trained model plays a key role in the former. The valid radiance determined by the maximum distance between the units of the sample point passed the test and the center of the study area plays an important role in the latter.


BACKGROUND
Some reports have indicated that when a cause for Horner syndrome can be determined, it is most often chest and neck tumors and stroke. Others have suggested that Horner syndrome is more frequently caused by surgical procedures in the neck and chest. These differences may be explained by disparate accrual methods. Therefore, we decided to compare the cause of Horner syndrome in cases where the diagnosis was confirmed by apraclonidine testing conducted by ophthalmologists to cases in which the diagnosis was made entirely on clinical grounds mostly by nonophthalmologists.

METHODS
We applied a new search engine to the inpatient and outpatient electronic medical records text at the University of Michigan Medical Center from 1996 to 2018 for Horner syndrome with and without pharmacologic confirmation through ocular instillation of apraclonidine 0.5%. Among apraclonidine-confirmed cases, 159 met inclusion criteria. Among apraclonidine-unconfirmed cases, more than 2,000 cases were identified, so that we included only the first 159 cases that met inclusion criteria. In these 318 cases, we documented patient demographics, ophthalmologic features, imaging, underlying cause, and whether the cause was discovered before or after the diagnosis of Horner syndrome.

RESULTS
In the cohort of 159 apraclonidine-confirmed cases of Horner syndrome, a cause was identified in 97 (61%). Procedures in the neck, chest, skull base, and paraspinal region accounted for most of the identified causes, with cervical carotid dissection the next most common cause. In a cohort of 159 cases of Horner syndrome not tested with apraclonidine because the clinical diagnosis appeared firm, procedures again accounted for the largest percentage, but tumor was the next most common cause. In both groups, when a cause for Horner syndrome could be identified, that cause was nearly always known before Horner syndrome was identified. However, in an important minority of cases, mostly involving carotid dissection or tumor, the identification of Horner syndrome was critical to the discovery of those conditions.

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of causes of Horner syndrome depends on the accrual method. Among pharmacologically-confirmed cases, the cause was often undetermined or due to a preceding neck or chest procedure. Among pharmacologically-unconfirmed cases, a substantial proportion had also been caused by neck and chest procedures, but tumors in that region were also common. When a cause of Horner syndrome was found in both cohorts, it was usually known before Horner syndrome was discovered, making Horner syndrome an afterthought. However, in an important minority of cases where the cause was not yet known, the identification of Horner syndrome was valuable in leading to important diagnoses such as carotid dissection and tumor.


Pancreatic cancer continues to be a major unsolved health problem in the world. The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is extremely poor with a median survival of 3-4 months and the 5-year survival being 1-4%. This poor prognosis is primarily because of a lack of effective therapies, and thus development of new treatment modalities is needed. One of these treatments could involve specific immunotherapy, for which elucidation off the molecular basis of T cell-mediated recognition of cancer cells is required. We report here six different genes and 19 immunogenic epitopes from pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells and T-cell receptor beta usage of HLA-A2-restricted CTL clones reacting to some of these epitopes. Sixteen of 19 epitopes were found to possess the ability to induce HLA-A2-restricted CTL activity in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with pancreatic and also colon adenocarcinomas. These results should provide a scientific basis for the development of specific immunotherapy for pancreatic and colon cancer patients.


The paper describes the comparison between three types of reliability methods: code type level I used by a designer, full level I and a level III method. Two cases that are typical for civil engineering practise, a cable-stayed subjected to traffic load and the installation of a soil retaining sheet pile wall, have been analysed with the three reliability methods and conclusions are drawn with respect to accuracy and computational effort. As expected the level III method uses more computational effort than a code type level I method. It is however shown that in practise, the effort for the level III reliability method is only slightly more than used in a full level I method. For new kind of structures and/or materials, where there is only little experience, a level III methods is then to be preferred above the level I method because it gives direct insight into the structural reliability and decisive parameters. Besides the structures will either be safer or more economically build in comparison to structures designed using the level I safety factors


Within self-organizing networks (SON), the cell outage compensation (COC) functionality is one of the most important use cases in self-healing in mobile communication networks. The state of the art has proposed different COC techniques, each of them to be indistinctly applied to all cells in outage. Conversely, this paper presents an important improvement of the COC function by adapting different COC strategies to different cell outage situations. With this objective, a novel COC methodology is proposed. When a cell outage occurs in a network, a detailed analysis of the faulty situation is carried out. The result of this analysis allows us to classify the degradation produced by the cell outage in the neighboring cells. Depending on this degradation, different COC algorithms should be applied to each affected neighboring cell. In addition, as another contribution, some COC algorithms based on handover parameters modifications have been applied to a COC problem. Results have shown that, by adapting the strategy to the outage impact on neighboring cells, the proposed method outperforms classic strategies.


We experimentally verified that anisotropic Hermite-Gaussian modes can be generated from a hemi-cylindrical laser cavity and can be transformed into high-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes using an extra-cavity cylindrical lens. We further combined the Huygens integral and the ABCD law to clearly demonstrate the transformation along the propagation direction. By controlling the pump offset and the pump size in hemi-cylindrical cavities, we experimentally observed the unique laser patterns that displayed the optical waves related to the coherent superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes.


A hybrid membrane pseudocapacitive deionization (MPDI) system consisting of a hydrated vanadium pentoxide (hV2 O5 )-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrode and one activated carbon electrode enables sodium ions to be removed by pseudocapacitive intercalation with the MWCNT-hV2 O5 electrode and chloride ion to be removed by non-faradaic electrosorption of the porous carbon electrode. The MWCNT-hV2 O5 electrode was synthesized by electrochemical deposition of hydrated vanadium pentoxide on the MWCNT paper. The stable electrochemical operating window for the MWCNT-hV2 O5 electrode was between -0.5 V and +0.4 V versus Ag/AgCl, which provided a specific capacity of 44 mAh g-1 (corresponding with 244 F g-1 ) in aqueous 1 m NaCl. The desalination performance of the MPDI system was investigated in aqueous 200 mm NaCl (brackish water) and 600 mm NaCl (seawater) solutions. With the aid of an anion and a cation exchange membrane, the MPDI hybrid cell was operated from -0.4 to +0.8 V cell voltage without crossing the reduction and oxidation potential limit of both electrodes. For the 600 mm NaCl solution, the NaCl salt adsorption capacity of the cell was 23.6±2.2 mg g-1 , which is equivalent to 35.7±3.3 mg g-1 normalized to the mass of the MWCNT-hV2 O5 electrode. Additionally, we propose a normalization method for the electrode material with faradaic reactions based on sodium uptake capacities.


In Focus: Seress, G, Sándor, K, Evans, KL, Liker, A. (2020) Food availability limits avian reproduction in the city: An experimental study on great tits Parus major . Journal of Animal Ecology. 89. Animals in urban areas face a multitude of stressors, but how each stressor impacts survival and fitness can be difficult to disentangle. We need experimental manipulations of suspected stressors to examine causal relationships with traits of free-living urban and rural animals. In this issue, Seress and colleagues take on an intensive experimental approach to test whether one potential stressor-limited natural food sources in cities-can explain reduced avian reproductive success in urban areas. They employ a full factorial design, including both food supplemented and control broods in both urban and forest great tit Parus major populations. The findings are clear. Reduced food availability is the key factor limiting urban offspring growth and survival, at least in this well-studied species. Indeed, the extra insects fed to urban chicks greatly reduced the significant differences in survival rates and body sizes between urban and forest broods. The findings are also sobering. Urban insect populations would need to more than double to erase differences in reproductive success between urban and rural bird populations, an unlikely outcome with the ever-increasing urbanization of habitats.


A 40-year-old woman presented with a 7-year-old type IV rectovaginal fistula (cloaca) and an associated "ectopic anus" deformity. The initial step of the operation was the creation of two v-shaped full-thickness skin flaps. Subsequently, a longitudinal repair was performed. The initial elevation of the flaps facilitates the identification of muscular structures needing repair. The overlap of the flaps as a final step of the operation corrects the "ectopic anus" deformity. Critical steps of the operation are described in detail and illustrated.


Mercury vapour depolarized-light scattering spectra have been measured at various densities and temperatures up to 1070 K for the first time. Absolute-intensity calibration has been done. Comparisons of the zeroth and second spectral moments with theoretical calculations using various available pair potentials and the dipole-induced-dipole approximation for the pair polarizability anisotropy have been performed. The large disagreement between experimental values and theoretical calculations is attributed to the breakdown of the classical point dipole approximation.


Objective: To investigate blood flow velocity changes, pulsatility and resistivity index values of orbital vessels in Behçet's disease with or without ocular involvement (groups I and II) and healthy volunteers (group III). Methods: Twenty-five eyes in the first group, 24 eyes in the second group and 24 eyes in the third group were examined by using color Doppler imaging. Peak systolic and end-diastolic blood flow velocity measurements, pulsatility and resistivity index values were measured in ophthalmic, central retinal, nasal and temporal ciliary arteries and the central retinal vein. Results: The end-diastolic blood flow velocity measurements in all arteries were significantly higher in groups II and III than in group I, but resistivity and pulsatility indexes of all arteries were higher in group I than the other two groups. There was no significant difference in blood flow velocity of the central retinal vein in the three groups. Conclusion: Detection of increased vascular resistance of orbital vessels may predict the diagnosis of ocular involvement in Behçet's disease.


Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, on-site Incident Commander (IC) practical training and examinations in Sweden were canceled as of March 2020. The graduation of one IC class was, however, conducted through Remote Virtual Simulation (RVS), the first such examination to our current knowledge. This paper presents the necessary enablers for setting up RVS and its influence on cognitive aspects of assessing practical competences. Data were gathered through observations, questionnaires, and interviews from students and instructors, using action-case research methodology. The results show the potential of RVS for supporting higher cognitive processes, such as recognition, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, and allowed students to demonstrate whether they had achieved the required learning objectives. Other reported benefits were the value of not gathering people (imposed by the pandemic), experiencing new, challenging incident scenarios, increased motivation for applying RVS based training both for students and instructors, and reduced traveling (corresponding to 15,400 km for a class). While further research is needed for defining how to integrate RVS in practical training and assessment for IC education and for increased generalizability, this research pinpoints current benefits and limitations, in relation to the cognitive aspects and in comparison, to previous examination formats.


Treatment of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor leads to a decrease in the number of epidermal growth factor receptors on the cell membrane. The mRNA for the epidermal growth factor receptor decreases in a comparable fashion. This decrease appears due to a decrease in the transcription of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene because first, there is no difference in the stability of the epidermal growth factor receptor mRNA, second, newly transcribed epidermal growth factor receptor mRNA is decreased in nerve growth factor-differentiated cells, and third, constructs containing the promoter region of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene are transcribed much less readily in nerve growth factor-differentiated cells than in untreated cells. The decreases in mRNA are not seen in the p140 trk -deficient variant PC12nnr5 cells nor in cells containing either dominant-negative Ras or dominant-negative Src. Treatment with nerve growth factor also increases the cellular content of GCF2, a putative transcription factor inhibitory for the transcription of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene. The increase in GCF2, like the decrease in the epidermal growth factor receptor mRNA, is not seen in PC12nnr5 cells nor in cells expressing either dominant-negative Ras or dominant-negative Src. The results suggest that nerve growth factor-induced down-regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor is under transcriptional control, is p140 trk -, Ras-, and Src-dependent, and may involve transcriptional repression by GCF2.


All families must confront positive and negative influences when raising children. This challenge is greater for new immigrants, who must negotiate the additional influences of culture and environment and incorporate their family history into their life in a new country. This article summarizes findings regarding the well-being of Latino youth on domains important to functioning later in life (e.g., mental health, substance use, school functioning, early adult role-taking). The summary is followed by a discussion of the psychosocial risks that threaten the successful adaptation of Latino youth in immigrant families and the protective factors that facilitate their adaptation. A framework of practice guidelines and case applications is proposed to guide helping professionals in assessing the needs of Latino youth.


Semantic segmentation models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have gained much attention in relation to remote sensing and have achieved remarkable performance for the extraction of buildings from high-resolution aerial images. However, the issue of limited generalization for unseen images remains. When there is a domain gap between the training and test data sets, the CNN-based segmentation models trained by a training data set fail to segment buildings for the test data set. In this article, we propose segmentation networks based on a domain adaptive transfer attack (DATA) scheme for building extraction from aerial images. The proposed system combines the domain transfer and the adversarial attack concepts. Based on the DATA scheme, the distribution of the input images can be shifted to that of the target images while turning images into adversarial examples against a target network. Defending adversarial examples adapted to the target domain can overcome the performance degradation due to the domain gap and increase the robustness of the segmentation model. Cross-data set experiments and ablation study are conducted for three different data sets: the Inria aerial image labeling data set, the Massachusetts building data set, and the WHU East Asia data set. Compared with the performance of the segmentation network without the DATA scheme, the proposed method shows improvements in the overall intersection over union (IoU). Moreover, it is verified that the proposed method outperforms even when compared with feature adaptation (FA) and output space adaptation (OSA).


The authors report the case of a female infant with bone marrow aplasia associated with neonatal giant-cell hepatitis. In addition to noting the exceptionality of this case, the possible interdependence of the two processes is discussed, and it is proposed that bone marrow aplasia, as in the adult, may represent a complication of viral disease (hepatitis).


Bond graphs offer a domain-neutral graphical technique for representing power flows in a physical system. They are particularly powerful for representing systems that operate in multiple energy domains, such as thermal models of electronic circuits, mechanical vibrations in acoustic systems, etc. A bond graph library was created for Modelica with graphical Dymola support. The library is presented in this paper. Applications from different domains are offered to document its use.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a fluid that circulates throughout the central nervous system. It is located between the brain and skull and protects the brain and spinal cord from trauma brought upon by movement, falls, blows, etc. More importantly, many of neurological diseases have direct contact with cerebrospinal fluid hydrodynamics and ventricular pressure. Therefore, understanding of the CSF hydrodynamics and ventricular pressure can be very useful for understanding of the pathologic processes and treatment of these diseases. In this study we intend to use a three-dimensional finite element analysis to simulate and investigate this process. For this purpose a fluid-structure interaction analysis of Ansys 12 software has been used. Brain shape modeling was performed using MRI photos in CATIA software.


Introduction and objectives Concern about the DNA quality for next-generation sequencing encourages use of dedicated preparative kits. The purpose of this study was to attempt to sequence ten stored DNA samples that had been prepared from human blood using phenol chloroform methods 12–17 years earlier, frozen at -70 C and not subjected to special treatments. Methods The ten DNA samples that had been defrosted on multiple occasions, were defrosted again for library preparations using the Agilent SureSelect Target Enrichment System for Illumina paired-end multiplexed sequencing. Sequencing was performed on an Illumina HiSeq 2000 instrument for 2 × 100 base reads. Sequencing data were processed with RTA version 1.7.45 with default filter and quality settings, aligned to human genome build hg18 using CASAVA Eland pair algorithm, and demultiplexed with CASAVA 1.7. Results All libraries passed stringent quality control steps at each step of library generation. More than 10 Giga bases (Gb) of sequence was generated from each read. High quality scores meant that even the data from the last of the 200 sequencing cycles were usable, with a cycle 200 median Phred score of 25. More than 3.3 million clusters passed filters for each read, and more than 86% of the sequence reads aligned to the human genome. For each sample, approximately 8 million primary sequence reads uniquely mapped to the captured region of interest. Conclusions Extremely high quality DNA sequences can be obtained using stored DNA samples prepared many years earlier, and not subjected to any special treatments in the intervening years. The findings will be of particular importance to research communities where acquisition of new samples is not always possible.


This article aims to show how the globalized securities market in general and a transnational legal business structure named variable interest entity (VIE) in particular has challenged our conventional understanding of "foreignness" as a geographical concept in cross-border capital flow and ushers in a new type of foreign investment which I call "offshore domesticated foreign finance" (ODFF). By performing a case study on Alibaba—one of the world's leading VIE-structured Internet companies—and mapping out the company's fund-raising history and personnel appointment mechanism with the help of company releases and news reports, this article shows how ODFF makes a company de jure foreign-incorporated and -owned but de facto China-based and Chinese-controlled. This article also demonstrates that ODFF's primary function is to allow China-based Internet firms to tap into international financial markets while helping Chinese entrepreneurs and managers—despite their minority shareholdings—to control the company. These findings shed light on how financial globalization has transformed the cross-border capital movement and corporate governance.


An effective Incentive/Disincentive (I/D) rate should fall above what a contractor needs to turn a profit by exceeding Contractor's Additional Cost (CAC) for expediting construction and below the total cost saving by the agency. However, determining this type of I/D rate has been extremely challenging because of contractor's reluctance to disclose pertinent CAC data and state transportation agencies' lack of a systematic method for determining I/D rates, resulting in frequent misapplications and substantial losses in public resources. The objective of this study is to develop an effective method for determining I/D amounts for high-impact infrastructure projects. To achieve its objective, this study employs an integrated analysis to capture schedule, CAC, and total savings concurrently by combining an existing scheduling simulation with a stochastic analysis. A regression analysis is performed to predict the CAC growth rate by analyzing the relationship between CAC and the agency's specific schedule goal. A stochastic model that accounts for heterogeneity of drivers' value of time is developed to estimate the total savings achieved by early completion. The robustness of the proposed model is then validated through a case study.


Herein, we give a detailed experimental analysis for scaling law behavior in the "moderately dense" and "high-density" brush regimes for poly(methyl methacrylate) brushes swollen in a range of solvent conditions. This expansive experimental analysis aims to validate decades of mean field theory predictions on power law scaling behavior of grafted polymer chains. Brushes with grafting densities (σ) ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 nm(-2) are prepared by atom-transfer radical polymerization. The swollen thickness (h) is characterized using liquid cell ellipsometry, and the solvent quality is varied using mixtures of acetone and methanol. In a good solvent, the exponential scaling behavior (h ∝ σ(n)) has the typical n = 1/3 dependency for grafting densities of σ ≤ 0.4 nm(-2). For grafting densities of >0.4 nm(-2), n increases, indicating the transition from the moderately dense to the high-density brush regime. However, in a poor solvent, the scaling behavior is independent of σ and scales as h ∝ σ(0.80), approaching the theoretical expectations of h ∝ σ(1). An abrupt transition between these scaling law behaviors occurs at the Θ-solvent condition of ∼45% (v/v) methanol in acetone. While our experimental results parallel trends predicted by mean field theory, differences are observed and appear to be attributed to self-solvation of the polymer, polydispersity in the molecular weight, and chain termination.


Abstract Prevention of diabetes-associated complications is closely linked to preventing and controlling hyperglycemia. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a glucose metric and a risk factor for chronic complications, is not reliable under certain clinical conditions, does not capture glyemic variability and glucose dynamics. There is evidence that glycemic variability is an independent predictor variable of hypoglycemia and a potential risk marker for vascular diabetes complications. Despite advanced glucose monitoring methods, monitoring of glucose with blood glucose meters remains indispensible as an adjunct to HbA1c measurements, because it gives direct feedback on short-term changes in glucose levels. Optimized diabetes treatment and prevention or delay of diabetes complications needs both key glucose control metrics on a daily basis, involving fasting, preprandial, and postprandial glucose levels as well as advanced, user-friendly monitoring methods. The broad application of systems for continuous glucose monitoring in clinical settings is partly hampered by lacking measures generally accepted for analysis of glucose profiles and as standards for reporting of glucose data. We performed a literature search, using PubMed and Scopus and included relevant literature published online up to March 1, 2016. In this review, we discuss the importance of several glucose measures for primary and secondary prevention of diabetes complications and possibilities for evaluation of monitored glucose data with special consideration of glycemic variability, glucose dynamics, and the utility of continuous glucose monitoring.


Hebbian learning is widely accepted in the fields of psychology, neurology, and neurobiology. It is one of the fundamental premises of neuroscience. The LMS (least mean square) algorithm of Widrow and Hoff is the world's most widely used adaptive algorithm, fundamental in the fields of signal processing, control systems, communication systems, pattern recognition, and artificial neural networks. These learning paradigms are very different. Hebbian learning is unsupervised. LMS learning is supervised. However, a form of LMS can be constructed to perform unsupervised learning and, as such, LMS can be used in a natural way to implement Hebbian learning. Combining the two paradigms creates a new unsupervised learning algorithm, Hebbian-LMS. This algorithm has practical engineering applications and provides insight into learning in living neural networks. A fundamental question is, how does learning take place in living neural networks? "Nature's little secret," the learning algorithm practiced by nature at the neuron and synapse level, may well be the Hebbian-LMS algorithm.


The morphological features of cholinergic nerves in the ovary, a determination of the level of acetylcholinesterase activity in different periods of the oestrous cycle and an attempt to determine if a relationship existe between AChE activity and the hormonal state of animal are described in this paper. Mature pigs were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups and killed on 1st to 2nd d of oestrous cycle (group I; n = 6), on 13th to 14th d (group II; n = 7), and 16th to 18th d of the oestrous cycle (group III; n = 6). First signs of oestrus were designated the zeroth d. Histochemical evaluation of the most abundant cholinergic innervation was shown in ovaries of animals in group III, weaker cholinergic representation was found in animals of group I, and weakest in group II. Whereas the lowest activity of AChE determined by biochemical test was observed in the ovaries of group I, AChE activity in the ovaries on 13 to 14 and 16 to 18 d of oestrous cycle was 8- to 10-fold higher, respectively, in relation to the animals of group I. These results suggest that there exists a relationship between AChE activity in the ovary and ovarian steroid hormones and that this may be an important factor regulating the ovarian blood flow in the course of oestrous cycle in pigs.


GENETIC CLASSIFICATION OF MORAINIC DEPOSITS Summary The Commission on the Origin and Lithology of Quaternary Deposits, INQUA, took the initiative to unify both the nomenclature and the systematics of morainic deposits. The classification of morainic deposits presented in this paper is one of possible answers to this initiative. The term - moraine - was left by the present author to determine the form produced by a glacier, whereas the material melted out of the glacier ice is consequently called by him - morainic deposit. This latter was formed at the cost of the glacier. The present classification of morainic deposits is based on genetical criteria. On the one hand, the palaeogeographical conditions of deglaciation, the dynamics of sedimentary processes and the way of formation of morainic deposits are considered for various taxonomical grades, on the other one, each taxonomical unit is determined by a specific complex of lithological features (Tables 1 and 2). The following are taxonomical units distinguished by the present author: I order - genetical type, II order - group of facies, III order - facies, IV order - subfacies, V order - family, VI order - lithotype (stratigraphic or regional). The morainic deposits, according to the conception or A. P. Pavlov, are a genetical type. They may be subdivided into the following two groups of facies: II A – subaeral (continental) facies, and II B - subaqueous (underwater) facies - in relation to the site of deglaciation (on land and underwater). Group II A includes both ablation till facies (III 1) and basal till facies (III 2), whereas group II B comprises, depending upon the kind of water basin in which the melting out of rock matrial in a glacier takes place, the following facies: thalassotopic facies (III 3), limnotopic facies (III 4) and fluviotopic facies (III 5). In the subaqueous morainic deposits transition formations are frequently found to pass into type aqueous deposits (marine, lacustrine or fluvial). The dynamics of glaciations and deglaciation processes is reflected in the form of the appearance of morainic deposits. This fact was a basis to distinguish the following subfacies (IV): active ice subfacies, stagnant ice subfacies, and dead ice subfacies (on land); as well as drift ice subfacies and ice tongue subfacies (among subaqueous facies). The frequency of the individual subfacies is changing and depends, first of all, upon the physic-dynamical nature of a glacier and the kind of the subglacial relief. Thus, the ablation facies (III 1) may be divided into the stagnant ice subfacies (IV 1) end the dead ice subfacies (IV 2). The basal till facies comprises, in addition to the subfacies mentioned above (IV 4 and IV 5), the active (piled) ice subfacies (IV 3), too. The morainic deposits of this subfacies were formed during the inland ice advance onto the terrain hindrances such as thresholds, edges, elevations, a.o. In this case, the active ice was piled up, and after its melting, morainic deposits were laid down, characterized by a considerable thickness determined by the height of the hindrance. Small, distinctly wedged out patches and lenticles of the morainic deposits, are a remainder of the dead ice blocks. The morainic material melted out of various blocks and fragments of the glacier ice floating in a water basin was previously graded fractionally and then sedimented. In the deposits of sensu strict aqueous sedimentation it makes lenticles and intercalations. These are morainic deposits of drift ice subfacies (IV 6 and IV 8). Morainic deposits of ice tongues may have been formed when the glacier front was on the bottom of a water basin. This took place in shallow water (littoral) basins. The families of morainic deposits were distinguished on the basis of lithological criteria. Here are two families distinguished: boulder clays (V 1, V 3, V 5, V 6, V 8, V 11, V 14 and V 16) and boulder sands and gravels (V 2, V 4, V 7, V 9, V 12 and V 15). Within the drift ice subfacies a family of graded boulder clays (V 10 and V 13) occurs. The family of boulder sands and gravels was not distinguished in the drift ice subfacies, mainly due to some difficulties in separating these deposits from the sands of water sedimentation sensu stricto. Each family, e.g. that of boulder clays, includes a series of stratigraphical or regional lithotypes (VI). The subdivision into lithotypes depends upon the vertical and horizontal lithologic variations in morainic deposits of a given family. The amount of lithotypes is not constant and, first of all, depends on the exactness of geological reconnaissance made in the region considered. At present, for example, we can determine the lithotypes of boulder clays for various Pleistocene stratigraphical units that correspond to both glacial epochs and stages. A complex of the features determining a lithotype is not uniform either in the individual regions or stratigraphical horizons. A differentiation in properties of the lithotypes is for the most part of quantitative character, and only sporadically of qualitative one. Each feature of the morainic deposits appears in a definite relation to the remaining features of these deposits. Such mutual relations are a result of the genesis of the morainic deposits, thought to be an algebraic sum of all the weathering, denudation and sedimentary processes that take place under the definite historic-palaeogeographical, facial and physic-dynamical conditions. It should be added here that the genetic classification presented in this paper concerns unaltered morainic deposits only. 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Abstract The paper presents a technique for designing a self-optimizing filter to combine noisy measurements of the same physical quantity as measured by different instruments into a single time-series representative of the measured quantity (signal). The procedure minimizes the output power (sum of the squared amplitudes) of a filter that is run over the data, subject to a set of constraints on filter coefficients to characterize signal information. Practical applications of such a data-adaptive weighting algorithm are also illustrated.


This study investigated pre-service teachers' perceptions of technological pedagogical content knowledge of digital games (TPACK-G), the correlation of TPACK-G constructs, and the relation of TPACK-G to personal factors and levels of motivation and self-efficacy. Participants were 96 pre-service teachers from a university in the northeastern United States. Data were collected using online surveys. Quantitative approaches were performed to analyze the data. Results indicated that game content knowledge (GCK) and game pedagogical knowledge (GPK) significantly predicted pre-service teachers' game pedagogical content knowledge (GPCK), with GPK being the strongest predictor. Pre-service teachers with high levels of motivation or self-efficacy for digital game integration had significantly better TPACK-G than those with low levels. Personal factors, including gender and prior experiences with digital games, were found to be influential to pre-service teachers' TPACK-G. This study adds to the understanding of the application of the TPACK model in the context of digital game use for pre-service teachers.


We conducted a case-control exome-wide association study to discover germline variants in coding regions that affect risk for pancreatic cancer, combining data from 5 studies. We analyzed exome and genome sequencing data from 437 patients with pancreatic cancer (cases) and 1922 individuals not known to have cancer (controls). In the primary analysis, BRCA2 had the strongest enrichment for rare inactivating variants (17/437 cases vs 3/1922 controls) (P = 3.27x10-6; exome-wide statistical significance threshold P < 2.5x10-6). Cases had more rare inactivating variants in DNA repair genes than controls, even after excluding 13 genes known to predispose to pancreatic cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35; P = .045). At the suggestive threshold (P < .001), 6 genes were enriched for rare damaging variants (UHMK1, AP1G2, DNTA, CHST6, FGFR3, and EPHA1) and 7 genes had associations with pancreatic cancer risk, based on the sequence-kernel association test. We confirmed variants in BRCA2 as the most common high-penetrant genetic factor associated with pancreatic cancer and we also identified candidate pancreatic cancer genes. Large collaborations and novel approaches are needed to overcome the genetic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer predisposition.


The purpose of this study was to highlight the effects of natural plant essential oils (EOs) on sous-vide sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets. Three different treatments were prepared by addition of: 1) no essential oil (C), 2) laurel (Laurus nobilis) EO (L), and 3) basil (Ocimum basilicum) EO (B). In general, incorporation of the EOs did not cause significant changes in the proximate composition (P > 0.05). The addition of L caused a darker and more greenish-yellow colour, while addition of B did not have a considerable alteration in colour parameters. All the evaluated sensory parameters were within the acceptable ranges. No statistical differences (P > 0.05) were recorded in sensory parameters among the samples except L samples with the lowest flavour score. Although the initial pH values of the samples were similar to each other, some significant changes were recorded during the storage (P < 0.05). B samples had lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values in earlier stages of the storage (P < 0.05), while L samples barely showed antioxidant effects after 7 days. However, L samples had lower trimethylamine levels for up to 7 days of storage compared to the other samples (P < 0.05). Consequently, the findings indicated that the use of natural compounds in sous-vide sea bass fillets was effective to maintain oxidative stability and freshness, particularly in earlier stages of the storage.


Purpose To investigate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in a group of infertile patients with oligoasthenozoospermia and asymptomatic urethritis and to assess the relationship between chlamydial infection and semen quality. Patients and methods Two hundred and fifty male patients with a history of primary infertility and idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia were recruited from the Andrology and STD's outpatient clinic, Kasr Al-Ainy Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. The exclusion criteria included any evidence of urinary tract infection or any clinical symptoms of urethritis. Urine examination and detection of C. trachomatis by nested-PCR was performed for cases with the positive first glass. Results The incidence of asymptomatic urethritis among infertile men was 20% (50 patients out of 250), and this urethritis-positive group showed chlamydial DNA in the first voided urine in 30% of the urethritis-positive infertile men (15 patients). Urethritis-positive infertile men had a significantly lower sperm motility and sperm count and significantly higher abnormal forms. Conclusion Infertility in the couples with proved chlamydial infection may be related to the microbiological pathogen. Asymptomatic urethritis can be a factor in the deterioration of semen parameters, whether the cause of urethritis is Chlamydia spp. or another pathogen; however, an accurate diagnosis of Chlamydia spp. by nested PCR is necessary to guide specific effective therapy.


Abstract This study deals with incorporating predictions of sea level rise into practical municipal planning. Predictions of global mean sea level rise can be made with more confidence than many other aspects of climate change science. The world has warmed in the past century, and as a result global mean sea level has risen and is expected to continue to rise. Even so, there are significant uncertainties regarding predictions of sea level. These arise from two main sources: the future amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the ability of models to predict the impact of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. Current knowledge regarding the effect of global warming on sea level rise is reviewed. Global mean sea level is expected to rise by 3–30 cm by 2040, and 9–88 cm by 2100. An important remaining uncertainty is the future contribution of surface water storage (for example, lakes and reservoirs) to changes in sea level. In addition, there are also significant local sea level effects that need to be taken account in many regions of the globe, including isostatic and tectonic effects. The thermal expansion component of sea level rise is also likely to vary regionally, due to regional differences in the rate of downward mixing of heat and to changes in ocean currents. The current state of planning for sea level rise in Australia is reviewed. While not all coastal municipalities include sea level rise in their planning schemes, the recent adoption in a number of States of new planning schemes with statutory authority creates a changed planning environment for local government. Coastal urban planning needs to take sea level rise into account because its effects will be apparent during the typical replacement time of urban infrastructure such as buildings (before about 70 years). For local planning, ideally a risk assessment methodology may be employed to estimate the risk caused by sea level rise. In many locations, planning thresholds would also have to be considered in the light of possible changes in storm surge climatology due to changes in storm frequency and intensity, and (in some locations) changes to return periods of riverine flooding. In the medium term (decades), urban beaches will need beach re-nourishment and associated holding structures such as sea walls. Changes in storm and wave climatology are crucial factors for determining future coastal erosion.


Field experiments were conducted at two locations in 2003 and 2004 to determine dark tobacco tolerance and weed control from postemergence over-the-top (POT) and postemergence-directed (PD) applications of trifloxysulfuron and halosulfuron. Trifloxysulfuron was applied at 3.6 or 5.3 g ai/ha and halosulfuron was applied at 36 or 53 g ai/ha. Trifloxysulfuron POT injured 'Narrowleaf Madole' dark tobacco 16 to 33% and halosulfuron POT caused 32 to 33% injury at 1 wk after treatment (WAT). Tobacco plant height at 1 WAT with POT applications was also reduced by up to 31% at one of two locations. Tobacco injury from POT applications had dissipated to 6 to 12% by 4 WAT. Despite extensive early-season injury, most POT herbicide applications did not significantly reduce tobacco yield, mean grade index, and gross revenue compared to tobacco that only received pretransplant applications of sulfentrazone plus clomazone. Dark tobacco was much more tolerant to PD applications of either herbicide, with no more than 4% injury observed at 1 WAT. Neither herbicide controlled horsenettle more than 57% at either application rate or method. Although trifloxysulfuron and halosulfuron could contribute to tobacco weed control programs by providing postemergence control of several common weed species, PD applications would be the only acceptable method of application due to excessive injury observed from POT applications of these herbicides. Nomenclature: Clomazone; halosulfuron; sulfentrazone; trifloxysulfuron; horsenettle, Solanum carolinense L. SOLCA; dark tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L. 'Narrowleaf Madole'.


Chronic hepatitis C is a global health problem; most patients are at risk for developing fibrosis and cirrhosis. Histological examination of liver biopsies is currently the gold standard for the detection of early liver damage, but there is a strong need for better noninvasive methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum osteopontin (OPN) level, serum cytokeratin 18 M30 (CK-18 M30) neoepitope level and the histological severity of hepatic fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) induced patients. Subjects and methods: This study included 89 subjects, 70 with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, they were classified into 2 groups according to METAVIR fibrosis stage as follows: group I (stage 2 or less was considered as mild liver fibrosis) included 50 patient, group II (stage 3 or more was considered as extensive fibrosis) included 20 patients and 19 healthy matched age and gender as a control group. All subjects were submitted to the following: Through history taking, complete clinical examination, and serum concentrations of osteopontin and cytokeratin 18 M30 neoepitope were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results revealed that there were high significant differences of OPN and CK-18 M30 between patients and control (P<0.001). There was a high significant difference of OPN (P<0.001) and a significant difference of CK-18 M30 (P=0.02) when compared between mild fibrosis and extensive fibrosis groups. There was a high significant correlation of serum OPN concentrations with severity of liver fibrosis degree (r=0.75, P<0.001), while the serum CK-18 M30 concentrations showed a significant correlation (r=0.33, P=0.005). In ROC curve serum OPN at the cut-off point of 3.1 ng/ml could discriminate mild from extensive fibrosis with sensitivity of 95%, serum CK-18 M30 at the cut-off point of 293 ng/ml could discriminate mild from extensive fibrosis with sensitivity of 70%. Finally from obtained study, results showed that serum OPN levels was better than CK-18 M30 in identification the degree of hepatic fibrosis and could be used as a biomarker to assess the stage of fibrosis in HCV patients which would help to reduce the number of liver biopsies.


As the first step of a research on the establishment of control strategy for grapevine diseases and insects, the current status of pest control and yield losses by them were surveyed from grapevine growers of Korea. For insects, the most difficult to control was a grapevine stem borer and a grapevine clearwing moth was the next. On the other hand, several diseases including anthracnose, downy mildew, powdery mildew, bird's eye rot, leaf blight, were answered by the growers. The occurrence of the pests varied to the cultural practices. Yield loss was more serious in rainfall intercept culture than in plastic film house culture and diseases caused more loss in yield than insects did. However, the grapevine grower's potential for the identification of the kinds of pests was not high enough. When the pest was observed, the growers consulted mainly with local pesticide dealers or neighbouring growers and usually applied the pesticides prescribed by the dealer. More than half of the growers did not use pest control calendar, and most of the growers applied pesticides before any symptom appeared. Also, more than half of the growers applied mixture of at least more than 1 kind of pesticide and nutrients. Insecticides were applied less than 5 times during the season, but it was more than 6 times for fungicides. In the pesticide selection, the growers checked control effect first, regardless of the registration, and the pest control cost per unit area varied very much depending on the growers.


The paper discusses sources and characteristics of noise in the dental surgery as well as the mechanism of noise-induced hearing loss. Analysis of the influence of office noise on the hearing of dental doctors has been carried out and the significance of nonoccupational factors noted. Suggestions have been offered on how to reduce noise levels in the surgery.


Fig. 1. We present LookAtChat, an online group chat system that takes advantage of eye-tracking technology available with ordinary webcams to visualize eye contacts in group chats. LookAtChat implements and evaluates both 2D directional and 3D perspective layout to inform users with spatial cues. To convey eye contacts in a), b) directional layout renders arrows between video streams, while out-glowing the video window of users who are looking at you. c) Perspective layout transforms video streams to gaze targets, while slightly shaking the video window of users who are looking at you. As a proof-of-concept, LookAtChat explores the potential of using gaze information during online video chat.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the dental health behavior and self-perceived dental treatment need, in relation to depressive symptoms and symptoms of anxiety, among a general population drawn from a sample of 31-yr-old-men and women born in Northern Finland in 1966 (n = 8463). The dental health behavior included toothbrushing frequency and the frequency of dental check-ups. Depressive symptoms, as well as symptoms of anxiety, were determined on the basis of the Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25). The participants were also asked about their education and family income. Subjects with a high number of depressive symptoms had lower toothbrushing frequency as well as a lower frequency of dental visits than subjects with no or only a few depressive symptoms. Morover, the self-perceived dental treatment need was more common among those with a high number of depressive symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety were significantly associated with lower toothbrushing frequency. The results support the view that there is an increased risk for impaired dental health among subjects with depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety.


Extracts of two species of Polygala were subjected to a bioscreening study to detect cytotoxic activity by the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. The results obtained for the crude extracts, hexanic and dichlorometane fractions of Polygala sabulosa Aw. Benn. were promising. These results suggest that in those plant extracts, which showed activity for this bioassay, more specific bioassays should be encouraged, in order to confirm these conclusions.


We find robust evidence that cohorts of male graduates who start college during worse economic times earn higher average wages than those who start during better times. This gap is not explained by differences in selection into employment, in economic conditions at the time of college graduation, or in field of study choices. Graduates who enroll in bad times are not more positively selected based on their high-school outcomes, but they achieve higher college grades, sort into higher-paying occupations, and earn higher wages conditional on their grades. We find similar but less robust patterns for female graduates. Our results suggest that individuals who enroll during economic downturns exert more effort during their studies.


Histologic studies were carried out through biopsy of the endometrium of 61 barren cows. The animals showed no visible clinical signs of a disease of the genital organs. With the method used with cows affected with latent endometritis there were in 57.37 per cent of the cases degenerative and inflammatory changes (49.18 per cent of the diseased animals were with chronic catarrhal endometritis, and 8.19 per cent had atrophic endometritis), and 42.62 per cent showed no changes in the endometrium. The latent endometritis observed was manifested with degeneration and desquamation of the surface epithelium, and a moderate lymphocytic and plasmacellular infiltration along with necrobiosis of the uterine glands and proliferation and hyalinization of the connective tissue in the propria and the walls of the blood vessels.


Speech perception normally utilizes multiple acoustic cues in perception of specific speech sound contrast. This study investigates which acoustic cues are responsible for syllable final stop consonant voicing in English using speech and non-speech stimuli. Specifically we study vocalic duration and F1 offset frequency cues using three experimental paradigms. Two paradigms used behavioural methods and explored identification (Exp1) and discrimination (Exp2) and one an electrophysiological method to investigate the neural correlates of processing in a mismatch negativity (MMN) experiment (Exp3). In Exp1 we presented the [bot]-[bod] continuum varying either in duration or F1 cues. Exps 2 and 3 employed a 2 (Frequency: high low) x 2 (Duration (long, short) design resulting in four different versions of English non-words [bot] and [bod] and their corresponding non-speech analogues. Nine subjects participated in Exp 1 and eight in Exps 2 & 3. The findings from Exp 1 revealed that the duration cue plays an important role in British English syllable final stop voicing. Further support for this finding was revealed in Exp 3 with larger MMN amplitude for the duration cue compared with the frequency cue.


A second major effort is currently underway toward the development of vehicles with autonomous capabilities. The Autonomous Land Vehicle and Advanced Ground Vehicle Technology programs highlighted the first efforts in autonomous vehicles. The second push is fueled by the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) program. The Surrogate Teleoperated Vehicle and Demo I programs have placed current technology into the soldiers' hands. Demo II seeks to advance the state-of-art in multiple autonomous military vehicles.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation, in particular the mid-wavelength range (UVB; 290-320 nm), is one of the most significant risk factors for the development of skin cancer. Toll like receptor-4 (TLR4) has been shown to play an important role in cancer, but the role that it plays apparently depends on the stage of tumor development, the tumor type and the initiating agent. The purpose of this study was to delineate the contribution of TLR4 in UVB induced cutaneous tumor development using TLR4 deficient C3H/HeJ mice and TLR4 proficient C3H/HeN (WT) mice. We observed that UVB induced skin carcinogenesis was retarded in terms of tumor incidence, and tumor latency, in mice deficient in TLR4 compared to WT mice, whereas significantly greater (p<0.05) numbers of tumors occurred in WT mice. Further, we found that tumor-bearing WT mice produced more IL-17 and IL-10 (p<0.05), whereas TLR4 deficient mice produced more IFN-γ (p<0.05). CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cells from WT mice produced more IL-10 (p<0.05) than regulatory T-cells from TLR4 deficient mice. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in Foxp3 expression in skin of WT mice than TLR4 deficient mice. Time course kinetics of tumor development revealed an increase in MyD88 and TRAF6 expression in skin and tumors of WT mice in comparison to TLR4 deficient mice. These results indicate that, TLR4 promotes tumor development in this model. Strategies to inhibit TLR4 may allow us to develop immunopreventive and immunotherapeutic approaches for management of UVB induced skin cancers.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2691. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2691


The authors present new results on the energy scaling behaviour of the lateral distribution of Cerenkov radiation in photon-induced air showers. It is shown that the lateral distribution of Cerenkov radiation scales with energy provided that the showers are observed at the same stage of development. They also show that earlier calculations on the lateral distribution of Cerenkov radiation in air showers are in favour of their results.


Due to the discriminate use of plant chemicals and their resultant negative impact on the environment, researchers are interested in monitoring plant behavior as modified by various nonchemical influences such as magnetic fields. A pot experiment was designed to assess the growth potential of Albizia procera Roxb. (Sufed Sirin) and Leucaena leucocephala Lam. (Ipil Ipil) seedlings, established from seeds exposed to a magnetic field (MF) of 75 millitesla for 3 different time intervals, 5 min, 10 min, and 15 min respectively. After the seeds were exposed to a MF of 75 mT for 15 min, A. procera plants showed 49% more germination than in the control (41%), whereas L. leucocephala plants gained 37% more germination in the same treatment. A. procera had maximum plant height (13.1 cm) when seeds were exposed to a MF of 75 mT for 15 min, while the height gained by the control was only 7.1 cm. Similarly, L. leucocephala gained maximum plant height (17.8 cm) when seeds were treated with MF for 15 min, i.e. 137% greater than the height gained from nontreated seeds (7.5 cm). Seed exposure to MFs also resulted in higher collar diameter in both plants. In high-MF-treated A. procera (18.6 cm) seedlings, root length was 3 times longer than in the control (6.5 cm); MF-treated L. leucocephala seedlings gained maximum (63% longer) root length (18.9 cm), as well. A. procera had its maximum root-to-shoot ratio (R/S) (1.9) in the seedlings treated with low MF (5 min), whereas L. leucocephala had its maximum R/S (1.6) in nontreated seeds. Seeds exposed to MF for 5 min resulted in minimum R/S (0.9). The results clearly suggested that by increasing the time intervals for seed exposure to the fixed MF of 75 mT, the sowed seeds of both species showed higher growth rate.


Imazethapyr, alone and in combination with other herbicides, was applied PPI, PRE, and POST to pinto beans to determine weed control and selectivity to the crop. All of the herbicides improved pinto bean yield as compared with the unweeded control. Imazethapyr applied PPI and POST provided excellent control of black nightshade, kochia, Russian thistle, prostrate pigweed, and redroot pigweed. Barnyardgrass control with imazethapyr ranged from 58 to 96% and increased to 98% or greater when imazethapyr was combined with metolachlor, pendimethalin, trifluralin, or EPTC. Pinto bean yield was not reduced from any herbicide treatment compared to the handweeded control.


The shift toward a health equity framework for eliminating the health disparities burden of racial/ethnic minority populations has moved away from a disease-focused model to a social determinants framework that aims to achieve the highest attainment of health for all. The New York University Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) has identified core themes and strategies for advancing population health equity for Asian American populations in New York City that are rooted in the following: social determinants of health; multisectoral, community-engaged approaches; leveraging community assets; improved disaggregated data collection and access to care; and building sustainability through community leadership and infrastructure-building activities. We describe the strategies CSAAH employed to move the dial on population health equity.


Clinical examinations were performed on 16 elderly patients (over 90 years of age) who were treated surgically during the past 2 years and 9 months for femoral neck fracture. Patients aged over 90 account for 15.7% (16 cases) of the population aged over 65 (102 cases). Cardiac failure was the most frequent preoperative complication. Principal complications seen during operation were hypotention and arrythmia. 9 patients regained walking ability and 7 could move by wheelchair.Walking ability afteroperation was lower than before trauma, but no patients remained bedridden. 8 of the 13 patients who lived in their own homes befor trauma could return. But 1 patient needed to stay in a health care facility, while 4 patients had to be taken to other hospitals.Early surgical treatment and early postoperative rehabilitation are also important for preventing complications and improving the quality of life in elderly patients (over 90). We felt the need to prepare the patients to return back to their normal lives after hospitalization.


This study examined the effect of squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 (SCCA1) and SCCA2 on TNF-α-induced cell death in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. The viability of MISK81-5 and sMISK cells treated with TNF-α dose-dependently decreased. The sMISK cells which stably overexpressed SCCA1 and SCCA2 cDNA showed a greater resistance against the cell death induced by TNF-α than the controls. Immunocytochemical staining for cytochrome c showed a punctate pattern in the cytoplasm of the TNF-α-untreated cells. After treatment with TNF-α, the punctate staining pattern was preserved in the transfectants, while this pattern disappeared in the controls. In the transfectants, the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to cytosol after TNF-α treatment was lower than in the controls. A decreased level of active caspase-9 was also observed in the transfectants. These results suggest that both SCCA1 and SCCA2 play a role in the prevention of TNF-α-induced cell death in vitro, by inhibiting the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c to some degree.


There is a growing research literature on the technical aspects of internet censorship and circumvention, but the user's experience with circumvention tools has received less attention. Empirical data about the use of circumvention tools, especially in countries that engage in substantial web filtering, is hard to find. Measuring the use of circumvention tools is inherently difficult given that the function of these tools is to protect the identity of the users. There are a few exceptions. Since 2007, researchers from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University have conducted in-depth evaluations of prominent filtering circumvention tools. Relying on data collected from website visits, search terms and self-reported information from the service providers, researchers at the Berkman Center estimated that less than 3% of internet users, in countries (including China) that engage in substantial filtering, use any circumvention tools. They also indicated that the actual number of the users is likely to be considerably less than this estimate (Roberts, Zuckerman, and Palfrey 2011). Comparing the estimate from the Berkman Center with my own findings, this question emerges: why is the adoption rate of proxy services is much higher among Western expatriates than among the general population of internet users in China? When studying the specific role of structure in affecting people's consumption preferences, researchers have to consider the factors of availability of the media product in the market, and of users' awareness enabled by the media environment (Webster 2009). This chapter first investigates the market that provides the VPN services, followed by a discussion of how expatriates learn about their circumvention options, especially the adoption of VPN service, in the Chinese context.


This paper describes the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) project to enable the incorporation of Fukushima Lessons Learned into new Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) nuclear plant designs and projects. This includes large scale plants and Small Modular Reactors (SMR).EPRI, working with the bulk of the US nuclear industry, compiled the Utility Requirements Document (URD) for new passive and evolutionary ALWRs. The ∼3,400 pages of functional design and project requirements in the URD became one of the bases documents for the current AP1000, ESBWR and EPR designs. The URD was and is a declaration of requirements of Owners/Operators for any new nuclear plant they might purchase. The 2013 revision 12 of the URD incorporated specific design and project requirements that are directly linked to industry summary conclusions and recommendations concerning the Fukushima event. During 2013 and 2014, EPRI, with assistance from the Department of Energy (DOE), is developing the URD requirements for selected SMRs.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


In multi-label learning, each training example is represented by a single instance (feature vector) while associated with multiple class labels simultaneously. The task is to learn a predictive model from the training examples which can assign a set of proper labels for the unseen instance. Most existing approaches make use of multi-label training examples by exploiting their labeling information in a crisp manner, i.e. one class label is either fully relevant or irrelevant to the instance. In this paper, a novel multi-label learning approach is proposed which aims to enrich the labeling information by leveraging the structural information in feature space. Firstly, the underlying structure of feature space is characterized by conducting sparse reconstruction among the training examples. Secondly, the reconstruction information is conveyed from feature space to label space so as to enrich the original categorical labels into numerical ones. Thirdly, the multi-label predictive model is induced by learning from training examples with enriched labeling information. Extensive experiments on fifteen benchmark data sets clearly validate the effectiveness of the proposed feature-induced strategy for enhancing labeling information of multi-label examples.


Introduction and objective. SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has deeply impacted in Spain. In cancer patients (pts) the lethality has been higher than in normal population, but, little is known on the impact in adults with ALL. Our objective was to analyze the frequency, clinical characteristics and outcome of adult ALL patients infected by SARS-CoV-2.

 Methods. Between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020 (the period of the peak of COVID-19 infection in Spain) two registries from the PETHEMA (Programa Español de Tratamientos en Hematologia) and GETH (Grupo Español de Trasplante Hematopoyético y Terapia Celular) groups were activated to recruit adult patients with ALL and COVID-19 infection confirmed by PCR. The PETHEMA registry was based on ASH proposal (www.ashresearchcollaborative.org/covid-19-registry) and the GETH registry was specifically performed for hematological diseases and COVID-19 infection. Both registries were merged for this study. Eighty-four Spanish centers were contacted and weekly reminds were sent until May 19, 2020. The demographic and clinical characteristics of ALL and COVID-19 infection, the comorbidities, the treatment and outcome were collected. The study was closed for follow in July 10, 2020.

 Results. Fifty-six of 84 centers answered the survey and 28 patients with ALL and COVID-19 infection were identified in 17 of them, especially on March (n=11) and April (n=15). Median age was 46 (range 20-78) yrs. and 19 were aged over 40 yrs. Fifteen pts were male, 1 was active smoker and 9 showed one or more comorbidities (chronic liver disease [n=2] diabetes [n=1], hypertension [n=5], cardiopathy [n=2], prior malignancy [n=1] and hypogammaglobulinemia [n=1]). ALL was of B-cell precursors in 18 pts (Ph+ in 6) and T in 10. Twenty-six pts were on treatment of LAL (induction [n=10], consolidation [n=3], maintenance [n=1], HSCT [n=5], rescue [n=6], and palliative [n=1]). Eight patients were previously submitted to allogeneic HSCT, CAR T [n=1] or immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies (inotuzumab, n=4) and 21 were receiving immunosuppressive drugs (corticosteroids in 11, fludarabine in 4, among others). Eleven pts showed neutropenia <0.5x109/L and 18 lymphocytopenia <0.5x109/L. Median value of C reactive protein was 28.7 mg/L (0.9-311.7) and D-dimer 690 ng/mL (120-31,200). The main clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection were: fever (n=18), cough (n=16), shortness of breath (n=9) and asthenia (n=11) and 5 pts were asymptomatic. The most frequency therapies were hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine (n=23), combined or not with lopinavir/ritonavir. Tocilizumab was given to 8 pts. Twelve pts required oxygen supply and 7 required ICU support (median stay 16 [1-47] days). COVID-19 was solved in 18 pts, although 5 pts showed PCR+ persistence (median 25 [16-91] days) after resolution of symptoms. The treatment of ALL was stopped/modified in 11 pts. Nine pts dead (COVID-19 [n=6], COVID-19 and ALL progression [n=2] and COVID-19 andPseudomonassepsis [n=1]). A trend for higher mortality was observed in patients with neutropenia <0.5x109/L and in those with lymphocytopenia <0.5x109/L.

 Conclusion. The frequency of adult patients with ALL and COVID-19 infection can be considered high, given the low incidence of adult ALL. COVID-19 infection was frequent in patients with advanced age and on ALL therapy. The frequency of severe COVID-19 infection and the mortality were high.
 Supported in part by 2017 SGR288 (GRC) Generalitat de Catalunya and "la Caixa" Foundation.

 Disclosures

 Ribera:
 Pfizer, Amgen, Ariad, Novartis:Consultancy, Speakers Bureau;Pfizer, Amgen:Research Funding.Barba:
 Amgen, Celgene, Novartis, Pfizer:Speakers Bureau;Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, Shire:Consultancy.


ABSTRACT Music education in the United States is typified by students in large ensembles, like band and orchestra, learning to perform pieces of Western art music. One organisation working to expand curricular offerings within the field is Little Kids Rock (LKR), which has invested millions of dollars training music teachers and providing instrument resources for popular music pedagogy. Though this organisation has demonstrated success in its ability to propagate 'modern band' programmes, the effects of its investment are not known. LKR administers an end-of-year survey to its participating teachers to assess teachers' perceptions of their music programmes. However, LKR do not publish meaningful information regarding the outcomes and impact of its activities. The present study examined free-response data from the 2018 end-of-year survey. Using the passive and active identity and learning realisation (PAILR) model as our analytical framework (Froehlich, Hildegard C., and Gareth Dylan Smith. 2017. Sociology for Music Teachers: Practical Applications. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315402345), the authors analysed themes using grounded theory to produce a logic model to describe the effects of LKR's investment. Results indicate participating teachers perceive a positive impact on students, including being more engaged in their learning, and more musically independent. Additionally, teachers believed they were more engaged and committed to their profession, and more able to teach previously disengaged students.


[eng] In his study of twelve French metropolises, Jean-Michel Floch argues that the level of segregation, defined as the spatial separation of groups with different living standards within cities, is higher, in the city‑centres as well as the suburbs than in the outer-suburbs. It is also more marked in the higher living standards. This commentary argues that income segregation in French cities is low for international standards. Based on issues around the measurement . and comparability of income segregation indices, it elaborates on three issues. The first is that, contrary to popular belief, the segregation of poverty contributes little to overall city segregation, while the segregation of affluence as a large contributor remains under-debated. The second is that an empirical or normative benchmark for segregation is needed to frame the discussion around " too much" segregation. The third is that the actual degree of physical disconnection between income groups, and between income groups and city amenities and services, is not truly measured by current income segregation measures, limiting the usefulness of such measures for policy designs.


Lattice constant is one of the most principle crystal parameters, which critically determines physical, chemical, mechanical and thermodynamic, and other properties. Conversely, material properties could be tuned for specific applications by tailoring the lattice constants. Practically, the lattice constants were modified by controlling surface/boundary/interface, lattice solute/defect and external conditions (e.g. temperature, stress, etc.). Literature inspections on the lattice constants of nanocrystalline (nc) materials show ambiguous results indicating either lattice contraction or expansion. To clarify the contradictory results, in this work, nc Se specimens with different grain sizes were prepared by mechanical milling. Quantitative x-ray-diffraction measurements revealed that the nc Se specimens exhibit large lattice expansions with decreasing grain size. The measured lattice expansion in nc Se can be understood on the basis of the stress field generated at grain boundary (GB) due to the excess GB free volume. The measured unit cell volumes of nc Se were well fitted using a GB stress field model from which the excess GB volume also shows processing method dependence.


Interim leadership appointments in higher education are a common strategy used to fill leadership gaps in executive positions. Because student affairs executives are particularly vulnerable to high turnover rates, interim appointments are becoming more widespread. Even with the prevalence of this trend, little attention has been given to the ripple effect that the appointment has on the professional student affairs staff. Building on Farquhar's (1991) framework of organizational dynamics during interim administrations, this single site case study explored the interim executive appointment on a student affairs division at a mid-sized, public, four-year university in the southeastern United States. Fifteen interviews were conducted during the winter of 2011 of professional staff members who were directly affected by the turnover. In addition to the interviews, the staff was observed during regularly scheduled department/division meetings. The university's web site and campus wide email communications provided supporting documents for analysis. Many of the findings were consistent with framework used in this study. However, in addition to Farquhar's concepts, the interim's charge was found to be a significant issue for the staff in that neither the interim leader nor his staff clearly understood the goals of the interregnum. The ambiguity of the charge created circumstances within the division where expectations were mismanaged, productivity decreased, and factions arose between individuals in the division. Recommendations for practice include clarification of the interim's goals and improving communication with and among the staff.


Background: The prognosis of cytogenetic normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) varies. Finding new biomarkers affecting the prognosis of these patients may bring a new strategy for precise classification and treatment. CD52 play a significant role in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, the potential role of CD52 in CN-AML remains largely elusive. Methods: We analyzed the prognostic role of different expression levels of CD52 in 58 CN-AML from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and validate these results with 345 CN-AML patients from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Results: CN-AML patients with high CD52 mRNA expression have a poorer prognosis compared to low CD52 expression ( event-free survival [EFS], P =0.056; overall survival [OS], P=0.043; log-rank test) and the results was verified by GSE12417 (OS, P=0.0197; log-rank test) and GSE71014 (OS, P=0.0197; log-rank test). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may improve prognosis of patients with CD52 high . Multivariate cox regression analysis show that the expression level of CD52 (HR=1.503; 95%CI:1.158-1.949 ; P=0.002) was a prognostic factor independent of age (HR=3.045; 95%CI:1.524-6.086; P=0.002) and FLT3 mutation status (HR=2.219; 95%CI:1.123-4.382; P=0.022). CD52 gene expression show a predictive effect on EFS (1-year survival- area under the curve [AUC]:0.685, 2-year survival-AUC:0.752) and OS (1-year survival-AUC: 0.717, 2-year survival-AUC:0.770). Besides, we also found that there is a significant negative correlation between CD52 mRNA expression and DNA methylation . CD52 DNA demethylation may responsible for the high level of CD52 mRNA. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in CD52 high and CD52 low suggests that leukemia cell adhesion-related pathways may be associated with poor prognosis in CD52 high patients . Conclusions: CD52 gene mRNA overexpression is an independent adverse prognostic factor for CN-AML, which could be reversed by HSCT. CD52 DNA demethylation may responsible for the high level of CD52 mRNA. The poor prognosis of patients with CD52 high may involves in leukemia cell adhesion-related pathways. Whether CD52 monoclonal antibodies play a role in high risk patients need further research.


A common problem in speech recognition for foreign accented speech is that there is not enough training data for an accent-specific or a speaker-specific recognizer. Speaker adaptation can be used to improve the accuracy of a speaker-independent recognizer, but a lot of adaptation data is needed for speakers with a strong foreign accent. In this paper we propose a rather simple and successful technique of stacked transformations where the baseline models trained for native speakers are first adapted by using accent-specific data and then by another transformation using speaker-specific data. Because the accent-specific data can be collected offline, the first transformation can be more detailed and comprehensive, and the second one less detailed and fast. Experimental results are provided for speaker adaptation in English spoken by Finnish speakers. The evaluation results confirm that the stacked transformations are very helpful for fast speaker adaptation.


This article investigates the use of right-dislocation in Catalan and Spanish. We have measured the productivity of right-dislocation in a corpus of an original Catalan text and its Spanish translation regarding four variables: category, grammatical function, discourse function, and distance with respect to the antecedent. The analysis shows that right-dislocation is a marginal phenomenon in Spanish, not only from a quantitative (10 occurrences vs. 232 occurrences in the Catalan text), but from a qualitative point of view: right-dislocation in Catalan affects all the categories, grammatical functions, discourse functions, and distances with respect to the antecedent, whereas in Spanish it is restricted to nominals (SD and DEM) and sentences (SC), to subject and object functions, mainly to a the (re)introduction of a topic in the discourse, and to extreme distances (1 and 4). So then, in order to fulfill the tasks covered by right-dislocation in Catalan, Spanish must resort to other mechanisms —
the placement of the dislocate in situ, its omission, or left-dislocation—, which suggests that the difference between these languages has to do with the different discourse management of the same collection of syntactic resources.


The symbolic significance of membership in NATO is widely recognized by Russian and foreign experts. However, attempts to systematically assess its role as a marker of the political status has not been made. This article intends to fill this gap, considering not only positive, but also negative consequences of symbolic capital associated with the NATO membership. In order to determine the possible contradictions, benefits and costs for states from participating in the alliance, the authors examined the record of its three participants – France, Germany and Turkey. The comparison of these three cases enables to trace various status consequences of participation in a bloc for players whose material capacities and overall symbolic capital in the international system undergo different transitions. The theoretical literature and empirical record of the selected NATO members confirm that states compete in the international system for highly differentiated symbolic capital embodying various kinds of recognition. Status markers are complex social constructs, combining various political meanings. Meanwhile, states are not always able to control which types of social recognition will be activated by their inclusion in particular institutions. Despite the fact, that they may be interested only in some of the meanings associated with a status marker, they are compelled to take into account its other political connotations. As a result, NATO membership could bear for states a range of various social consequences. This could lead to a situation when several of them are equally relevant for the same actor, but some contain positive value, while others are assessed negatively. In addition, actors could face a contradiction between the status and practical consequences of participation in the alliance.


. In medicine, the advancement of new technologies creates challenges to providers both in learning and in maintaining competency in required skills. For those medical providers located in remote environments, access to learning can be even more formidable. This work describes a collaboration created to facilitate the use of new communication technologies in providing distance training and support to health care personnel deployed in remote areas.


Prolonging the lifetime and providing a reliable communication performance of underwater acoustic sensor network (UASN) nodes are challenging issues due to the severe nature of the underwater acoustic channel. Traditional methods that ensure the reliability of communications by using retransmissions such as automatic repeat request (ARQ) negatively affect the lifetime of UASNs since they are not energy efficient. Fountain codes (FC), which is a forward error correction technique, aim to solve the energy efficiency problem of ARQ method by transmitting the original data frame and some redundant frames together in the network without using retransmissions. The number of redundant frames to be transmitted is dynamically adjusted to achieve a predetermined reliability criterion at the receiver node. In this study, an integer linear programming (ILP) method is proposed which maximizes the lifetime of UASNs by using FCs. Our results show that FC method provides better performance metrics (e.g., network lifetime, end-to-end delay, and energy consumption) than the traditional ARQ method.


Levels of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) were detected in semen under basal conditions. No significant correlation to levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in blood was found. The beta-hCG level did not increase within 3-7 days after a 5000 IU dose of hCG was injected intramuscularly. Human chorionic gonadotropin was detected in semen only after injection. beta-Human chorionic gonadotropin in the semen represents a degradation product of circulating LH.


Over the past few decades, vehicle control systems have been developed to enhance vehicle handling and passenger safety. These systems seek to prevent unintended vehicle behavior through active vehicle control, assisting drivers in maintaining control of their vehicles. Unfortunately, these systems are limited by the lack of knowledge of the vehicle's state and operating conditions. Knowledge of the vehicle's sideslip angle, which relates its lateral velocity to its longitudinal velocity, is important information that is largely unavailable for current safety systems. The tire's lateral handling limit, which is the maximum grip a tire has on the road during a turn, is also generally unknown. As a result, current systems are reactive; they must detect a problem before corrective action can be taken. If onboard systems had accurate knowledge of sideslip angle (or equivalently, tire slip angle) and could predict the peak friction limit, control systems could anticipate rather than react to loss of control situations, further enhancing vehicle handling and increasing passenger safety. This thesis presents several model-based estimation methods which utilize the early lateral limit information contained in steering torque measurements and the added sensing capability of GPS. During periods of GPS signal loss, a nonlinear observer is developed that utilizes pneumatic trail information in steering torque to identify both vehicle sideslip angle and the lateral force limits. Mathematically guaranteed to converge, the nonlinear observer uses readily available measurements on production vehicles. Most importantly, it takes advantage of the friction information encoded in the tire pneumatic trail, enabling early detection of the limits before they are reached. Finally, this work develops an envelope controller to keep the vehicle in a safe operating region using the estimated handling limit information from


Background The school-age years, approximately ages 7 through 11, represent a natural transition when children begin assuming some responsibility for their asthma management. Previously, we designed a theoretically derived, tailored parent–child shared asthma management mobile health app prototype, Improving Asthma Care Together (IMPACT). Objective The purpose of this study was to use human-centered design (HCD) to iteratively refine IMPACT to optimize user experience and incorporate evidence-based longitudinal engagement strategies. Methods This study used a mixed methods design from December 2019 to April 2021. Our app refinement used the HCD process of research, ideation, design, evaluation, and implementation, including 6 cycles of design and evaluation. The design and evaluation cycles focused on core app functionality, child engagement, and overall refinement. Evaluation with parent–child dyads entailed in-person and remote concept testing and usability testing sessions, after which rapid cycle thematic analyses identified key insights that informed future design refinement. Results Twelve parent–child dyads enrolled in at least one round of this study. Eight of the 12 child participants were male with a mean age of 9.9 (SD 1.6) years and all parent participants were female. Throughout evaluation cycles, dyads selected preferred app layouts, gamification concepts, and overall features with a final design prototype emerging for full-scale development and implementation. Conclusions A theoretically derived, evidence-based shared asthma management app was co-designed with end users to address real-world pain points and priorities. An 8-week pilot study testing app feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy is forthcoming.


In the technology of the cultivation of K. pneumoniae vaccine strain 204 with a view to obtaining biomass for the production of antigenic preparations the traditionally used culture medium with full nutritional value has been replaced by the alternative variant of synthetic medium. The specific physiological and morphological features of this strain grown in synthetic culture medium have been studied and described. Irrespective of the composition of the culture media used for cultivation, the antigenic preparations have been shown to have no difference in their chemical composition, immunogenic and toxic properties.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The increase in body fat is a natural and progressive process with aging, allowing fat infiltration in ectopic sites, such as skeletal muscle, which disrupts its function. Objective: To evaluate the association between body composition, fat infiltration into the low back multifidus muscles, and history of low back pain. Methods: This is a transversal and qualitative study that included young adult subjects of both sexes, and excluded individuals with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders and pregnant women. Fat infiltration into the multifidus and cross section area by magnetic resonance imaging; body composition by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and physical activity level determined by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were evaluated. The sample was divided by sex and. Pearson and Spearman's correlation and stepwise linear regression were performed. For this study, a p<0.05, a level of significance of 5% and confidence interval of 95% were adopted. Results: Thirty-two individuals were evaluated (59.37% women; 40.63% men). There was a correlation between fat percentage and total cross-sectional area (CSAtotal) (r=0.525; p=0.021), in women, and with lean abdominal mass (r= −0.648; p=0.017) and Body Mass Index (BMI) (r= −0.644; p=0.018) in men. There was also an association, in women, between fat percentage and cross section area (R2=0.275; p=0.021; CI=0.364 − 3.925) and, in men, with lean abdominal mass (R2=0.420; p=0.017; CI: −9.981- [-1.235]). Conclusion: There was correlation between fat percentage in the multifidus and CSA in women, and lean abdominal mass and BMI in men. There was also an association between fat percentage and cross section area in women, and lean abdominal mass in men. However, there was no evidence of any correlation between pain and low back dysfunction. Level of evidence I; Diagnostic studies - Investigating a diagnostic test.


Apatite grains in a stratabound manganese ore body from Eastern Ghats in Leliguma, Koraput district south Orissa, India were studied under optical and electron microscope. Apatite shows bimodal occurrence: one associated with granite/pegmatitic phase and other with manganese phase, and exhibits different microstructure and composition. Apatite in pegmatitic association (occurring as inclusion in quartz and feldspar) is small in size and occurs as subhedral grains having irregular boundaries and poor in manganese content (MnO: 0.16%). Apatite associated with manganese mineral phases (cryptomelane / romanechite) is mostly euhedral, relatively larger in size, contains higher manganese value, and exhibits some peculiar features like twinning, zoning, overgrowth, and occasionally contains inclusion of quartz and feldspar grains. Apatite grains occurring as inclusions within quartz and feldspar are of hydrothermal origin and formed along with pegmatitic minerals. Such apatite is almost devoid of manganese but relatively enriched in Sr, F and LREE content. The apatite in manganese mineral association formed during supergene process. The apatite of latter generation appears as idiomorphic crystals; contains up to 6.85% of MnO in solid solution and shows relatively higher HREE values. The higher HREE values may be due to its derivation from stratiform Mn-ore bodies and associated granitised rock during remobilization, solution and precipitation of Mn –rich fluid along structurally weak planes resulting in development of a stratabound ore body.


The reaction 38Ar( alpha ,p gamma )41K was used to populate levels up to 3.3 MeV excitation in 41K. Solid 38Ar targets were used. Gamma-ray angular distributions and linear polarisations were measured at alpha-particle energies of 9.50 and 10.75 MeV. Analysis of these data yielded spin and parity assignments of Jpi =3/2+, 3/2-, 7/2+, 5/2+, 5/2-, 9/2+, 7/2+, 11/2+, 11/2- and 13/2+ for levels at 1560, 1582, 1677, 1698, 2317, 2495, 2509, 2528, 2761 and 2774 keV. Gamma-ray multipole mixing ratios were deduced for many transitions and several branching ratios were measured. A simple shell-model calculation was carried out in an attempt to clarify the structure of positive-parity states.


Sarcopenia often affects patients with various types of cancer, and has been reported to affect patient prognosis and therapeutic effects. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on the relationship between gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel combination therapy (GnP) and sarcopenia in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. The present study analyzed the relationship between overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, disease control rate, adverse events (AEs) and sarcopenia in patients with pancreatic cancer treated with GnP. A total of 121 consecutive patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received GnP as first-line chemotherapy between January 2015 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. GnP consisted of 1,000 mg/m2 gemcitabine and 125 mg/m2 nab-paclitaxel, which were administered on days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks. The skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated using bioimpedance analysis (BIA) as an index of sarcopenia prior to GnP. The patients were divided into sarcopenia (n=41) and non-sarcopenia (n=80) groups using cutoff values of 8.87 and 6.42 kg/m2 for male and female patients, respectively. The sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups had a median OS of 8.1 and 13.9 months, respectively [hazard ratio (HR) 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53-1.20], and a median PFS of 4.3 and 6.3 months, respectively (HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.42-0.95). The response and disease controls rate were not statistically different between the groups (20 vs. 32%, P=0.20; 81 vs. 80%, P=1.0). In addition, comparison of common grade 3 and 4 AEs between the two groups revealed no statistically significant differences. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that SMI obtained by BIA may be a predictor of treatment response and prognosis in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who undergo GnP.


Socioeconomic and demographic factors can affect the impact of telehealth education programs that use interactive compressed video technology. This study assessed program satisfaction among participants in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' School Telehealth Education Program delivered by interactive compressed video. Variables in the one-group posttest study were age, gender, ethnicity, education, community size, and program topics for years 1997-1999. The convenience sample included 3,319 participants in junior high and high schools. The School Telehealth Education Program provided information about health risks, disease prevention, health promotion, personal growth, and health sciences. Adolescents reported medium to high levels of satisfaction regarding program interest and quality. Significantly higher satisfaction was expressed for programs on muscular dystrophy, anatomy of the heart, and tobacco addiction (p < 0.001 to p = 0.003). Females, African Americans, and junior high school students reported significantly greater satisfaction (p < 0.001 to p = 0.005). High school students reported significantly greater satisfaction than junior high school students regarding the interactive video equipment (p = 0.011). White females (p = 0.025) and African American males (p = 0.004) in smaller, rural communities reported higher satisfaction than White males. The School Telehealth Education Program, delivered by interactive compressed video, promoted program satisfaction among rural and minority populations and among junior high and high school students. Effective program methods included an emphasis on participants' learning needs, increasing access in rural areas among ethnic groups, speaker communication, and clarity of the program presentation.


Reacting acrylic rosin with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) produced an ester (acrylic rosin ester, RAH) with double bonds that was used as a cross-linking monomer for the preparation of polystyrene microspheres through suspension polymerization, replacing the traditional monomer divinyl benzene. The effects of monomer weight ratio, reaction temperature, gelatin level, and stirring speed on the polymer microspheres were investigated. The structures, morphologies , and properties of the polymer microspheres were analyzed and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, optical microscopy, and laser particle size analysis. The results indicated that the polymer microspheres with the best spherical shape were prepared with a monomer weight ratio of mSt/mRAH = 2:1, with azodiisobutyronitrile and gelatin in the amounts of 1 and 6 wt % of total monomers. The particle size of the polymer microspheres varied with the reaction conditions.


The importance of network traffic classification has grown over the last decade. Coupled with advances in software and theory, the range of classification techniques has also increased. Network operators can predict demands in future traffic to high accuracy and better identify anomalous behavior. Multiple machine learning tools have been developed in this field and each have had varying degrees of success. In this paper we use supervised machine learning within a neural network to develop a model capable of achieving high classification accuracy and maintaining low system throughput. We compare our model to previous work on Bayesian neural networks and other standard classification techniques in the context of real-time classification. The spatial and temporal stabilities of the different models will also be compared. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the convergence times of each model and the size of training dataset. Emphasis will be placed on experimental design and methodology to adequately justify and contextualize our analysis, as well as clarify the limitations of our results. Challenges in the field and areas for further work will also be discussed.