In 2020 a large gold hoard was discovered in Vindelev, Jutland, Denmark, containing almost 800g of gold. Among the hoard's artefacts are six runic bracteates discussed here. Two bracteates give important contributions to central discussions in bracteate research. IK 737 is similar to the well-known bracteate IK 58 from Funen. It demonstrates that the much-discussed sequence does not read houaz, but rather horaz, weakening its direct connection to Óðinn through one of his many bynames. IK 738 has one of the best executed inscriptions on a bracteate. The inscription consists of 34 runes (including bind-runes) and its final sequence 'He/who [is] Óðin's man' is a crucial contribution to the discussion of who is depicted on the bracteates, Óðinn or a king? The wording rather indicates the latter.


The exhibition Rites of Life is a photography exhibition which opened on may 19th 2012 at Lansmuseet Gavleborgin Sweden. It contains 51 photographs from all over the world. The theme is the rites we experience in life.The photographer Anders Ryman has traveled throughout the world for seven years studying rites of differentcultures and photographing them. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the exhibition process and to followthe different steps on the way to a complete exhibition. There will also be discussions concerning the contentsof the photographs. Some of the photographs can be perceived as difficult subjects because of the particularceremony being performed or simply the specific scene that is being portrayed. I discuss Hall's and Saussure'stheories on representation and meaning and apply these to the cultures represented in the photographs. Themethods used have been semi-structured interviews with key people at the museum and of course the photographerhimself. My own observations and participation of the daily work is also a source of information. This exhibitionis a touring exhibition which means that the idea is already set and sold to the museum. New problemsthat arise with this kind of exhibition is the need to shape the showroom after these specific ideas and demands.What sets itself apart the most in this case is the limited amount of time and personnel that was assigned to thework with the exhibition. In this particular case the producer Ingela Jonsson has also been the educator and thedesigner which has left her with an enormous responsibility. The result is a fascinating photography exhibitionwhich intrigues the visitor, and challenges them into questioning their prejudices


Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of penetrating keratoplasties, at the University Eye Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, using organ-cultured donor corneas and to identify preoperative risk factors, which may influence the event of graft failure. Methods: In this study, 377 medical records of patients, who underwent penetrating keratoplasty between 2001 and 2011, were reviewed. Organ-cultured donor corneas were obtained from the eye bank, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Donor-related and preoperative recipient-related risk factors for graft failure were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Graft failure occurred in 26% of patients. The following preoperative factors were significantly associated with graft failure by multivariate analyses: high donor age, low donor endothelial cell density, high patient age, indications of infectious keratitis, acute perforation of noninfectious keratitis, prior graft failure, chemical burn, trauma, glaucoma-associated corneal decompensation, high-risk graft indications, corneal edema, anterior chamber lens, diabetes mellitus, atopy, and autoimmune diseases. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a success rate of 74%, which is consistent with previous studies. Various preoperative recipient-related factors seem to influence the outcome of penetrating keratoplasties, whereas few donor-related factors have a significant association with graft failure.


Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is well known for its antibacterial, antioxidant, and hypotensive activities, as well as its antiaging bioactive properties. This study investigated the physicochemical properties and anti-allergic effects of garlic in order to develop a method to produce Makgeolli using garlic. Levels of total sugar, reducing sugar contents, total acid and amino acid contents of garlic Makgeolli were higher than those of the control (normal Makgeolli without garlic), and its alcohol content was 7.0%. Polyphenol contents, DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity and total thiosulfate contents of garlic Makgeolli were a bit higher than those of the control. The main organic acids of garlic Makgeolli were lactic, citric, malic, oxalic and succinic acids. Especially, lactic acid content was 16 fold higher than the control. According to MTT assay, garlic Makgeolli had no significant effect on the viability of human mast cells, and secretion of histamine was more effectively inhibited by garlic Makgeolli than by the control. Garlic Makgeolli was superior to the control in all results of sensory characteristics except in color. Therefore, the anti-oxidant activity and anti-allergic effect of garlic Makgeolli could improve the quality of Korean Makgeolli.


AIM:To study the effect of high fat diet on the expression of sterol regulatory element biding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) in renal tubular cells and rosiglitazone intervention. METHODS:Wistar rats were treated with high fat diet and rosiglitazone for 3 months. The serum glucose,serum insulin and serum triglyceride were detected. Oil Red O staining was used to observe the renal lipid deposit and Masson staining was for the detection of ECM accumulation. SREBP-1,TGF-β1 and FN protein were determined by the methods of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. SREBP-1 mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization. RESULTS:Rosiglitazone prevented effectively the increase in serum glucose,serum insulin and serum triglyceride resulted from high fat diet. High fat diet led to lipid droplet formation in renal tubular cells and interstitial ECM accumulation,which was decreased by rosiglitazone treatment. Compared to normal rats,SREBP-1 protein and SREBP-1 mRNA showed high expressions in high fat diet rats that were lowered by rosiglitazone. The precursor segment and mature segment of SREBP-1 protein were decreased by 27.39% and 27.32%. Similarly,the high expressions of TGF-β1 and FN protein in kidney of high fat diet rats were also prevented by rosiglitazone intervention. Compared to high fat diet rats,the expression of TGF-β1 in rosiglitazone treatment rats was lowered by 19.14%. CONCLUSION:Rosiglitazone prevents effectively the over-expression of SREBP-1 and TGF-β1 in renal tubular cells,and decreases lipid accumulation and ECM production in rats fed with high fat diet.


The mobility of transposable elements (TEs) contributes to evolution of genomes 1,2. Meanwhile, their uncontrolled activity causes genomic instability and therefore expression of TEs is silenced by host genomes 3,4. TEs are marked with DNA and H3K9 methylation that are associated with silencing in flowering plants 5, animals, and fungi 6. Yet, in distantly related eukaryotes TEs are instead marked by H3K27me3 deposited by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) 7–11, an epigenetic mark associated with gene silencing in multicellular eukaryotes 12–15. It was therefore proposed that the ancestral activity of PRC2 was the deposition of H3K27me3 to silence TEs 16. To test this hypothesis we obtained mutants deprived of PRC2 activity and used genomics to analyze the role of PRC2 in extant species along the lineage of Archaeplastida. While in the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae more TEs than genes were repressed by PRC2, an opposite trend was observed in bryophytes Marchantia polymorpha and Anthoceros agrestis. In the red alga, TEs silenced by H3K27me3 are in subtelomeres but in bryophytes, TEs and genes marked by H3K27me3 form coregulated transcriptional units. The latter trend was also observed in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and we identified cis-elements recognised by transcription factors in TEs flanking genes repressed by PRC2. Together with the silencing of TEs by PRC2 in ciliates that diverged early from an ancestor common with Archaeplastida, our findings support the hypothesis that PRC2 deposited H3K27me3 to silence TEs in early lineages of eukaryotes. During evolution, TE fragments marked with H3K27me3 were selected to shape transcriptional regulation that control networks of genes regulated by PRC2. Highlights H3K27me3 marks a decreasing proportion of TEs during evolution of plants The polycomb repressive complex 2 represses TEs in red algae and bryophytes H3K27me3-marked TEs in flowering plants contain transcription factor binding sites Transcription factors bind TEs and regulate networks of genes controlled by PRC2


We report controlled light emissions from spin-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) thin films containing a donor-acceptor pair of fluorescent dyes. Based on their spectral overlap, we selected rhodamine 123 (R123) and rhodamine B (RB) as the donor and acceptor, respectively. For the construction of multilayered thin films, a complex of each dye and poly(sodium 4-sulfonate) (PSS-R123 and PSS-RB) was prepared and then alternately spin coated with poly(allyamine hydrochloride) (PAH). LbL assemblies were fabricated with a sequence of [PAH/PSS-RB]/([PAH/PSS])n/[PAH/PSS-R123]. Since the distance between R123 and RB was precisely adjusted by the number of bilayers (n) of [PAH/PSS] between them, we were able to tune the light emission from the thin film by controlling the efficiency of the energy transfer.


Abstract Cardiac rhabdomyomas represent the most common primary paediatric cardiac tumour and typically regresses over time in the majority of patients. Among those who are symptomatic, surgical resection or catheterisation procedures have traditionally proven effective. More recently, those invasive or challenging tumours have been successfully treated with mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, typically everolimus and sirolimus. This review outlines the current medical literature of the state-of-the-art medical treatment of these tumours. We specifically focus on dosing regimens, duration of therapy, and side-effect profiles of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors among this population. Although the majority of cases responded to mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition, standardised guidelines for dosing and duration of treatment remain to be defined.


BACKGROUND
To compare the patients who underwent early surgical repair of penile fracture, which is one of the urological emergencies, and patients who recovered with conservative treatment concerning long-term sexual functions.

METHODS
The data of 42 patients who applied to our clinic with penile fracture between January 2010 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were categorized into two groups as early operated and followed-up conservatively. The preoperative and postoperative findings of the patients were compared with the International Erectile Function Scale (IIEF-6) scores in the long-term follow-up.

RESULTS
The median age of the patients was 35 (20-65) years and the median follow-up period was 52 (8-120) months. The postoperative mean IIEF-6 score of the patients was 22.98±6.52. There was no significant difference between the surgical and the conservative groups concerning postoperative complications (p=0.460). In the follow-up period, the presence of palpable plaque on the rupture area was significantly higher in the conservative group (p=0.041). However, there was no significant difference between the groups concerning IIEF-6 scores (p=0.085).

CONCLUSION
Although there is no significant difference in long-term IIEF-6 scores between the two groups, the rate of palpable plaque formation is higher in patients followed-up conservatively. Therefore, early surgical repair should be considered in the foreground, especially in patients with a large rupture area.


Abstract : One century after the end of the Philippine War, the consensus among scholars is that the military operations of 1899-1902 constitute the most successful counterinsurgency campaign in United States history. The American military strategy effectively combined elements of military intervention, civic action, social reform, and punitive pacification measures to defeat the guerrilla forces. However, the Army's remarkable historical record of the war is distorted by popular myth and superficial ideological interpretations surrounding the last campaign of the war---the island of Samar. Sensational public revelations of alleged atrocities in the conduct of the Samar campaign led to even more sensationalized courts-martial of American officers charged with violations of the laws of war. Reports of United States military atrocities and graphic revelations of the war's brutality during the Samar campaign courts- martial had a significant effect upon American public attitude. Charges of American cruelty influenced legislation concerning the archipelago and ultimately upon the final disposition of the islands. The abrupt end of the Philippine War in the midst of the Samar courts-martial mitigated the ultimate impact of the cases upon public support for the war. But Samar cast a pall upon the United States military's achievement in pacifying the Philippine Islands, and the campaign to make Samar a "howling wilderness" is perceived as typifying the entire war. The "howling wilderness" courts-martial reflect themes of tension in civil-military relations and the vast influence of public opinion on overseas military adventures that are particularly relevant in a current era of uncertain humanitarian peace operations. The dynamics of the "howling wilderness" courts-martial also reflect the vulnerability of public opinion and support inherent in uncertain military operations aimed at nation-building.


The objectives of this preliminary study were to optimize a carbon dioxide (CO2) application system for field-grown raspberry (Rubus ideaus) under high tunnels and then to compare plant photosynthesis, growth, and fruit yield with and without CO2. Based on plant photosynthesis measures before CO2 application, we placed the drip irrigation tape to apply CO2 in the middle of the plant canopy at 100 cm aboveground and split daily CO2 application from 0700 to 1100 HR and 1400 to 1800 HR. In the morning hours, CO2 concentration in the tunnel was 18% higher than in the afternoon; wind speed often increased later in the day, which may have moved the CO2 even in the tunnel. We maintained an average CO2 concentration of 436 ppm for 4 months, applying about 25 tons of CO2. In tunnels enriched with CO2, yield and berry size from plots 20 ft in length increased 12% and 5%, respectively, compared with untreated tunnels. We measured no corresponding differential response in the number of 6-oz baskets harvested from the full tunnel, leaf CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance (gS), or fluorescence, raspberry cane height, pruned cane biomass, cane diameter, or carbohydrate content of the fruit after CO2 application. Documenting potential plant physiological changes should therefore be a focus of future research.


The reaction of 4-phenyl-2-aminothiazole or 2-amino pyridine with α-bromo acetic (–)-menthyl ester (2c) yields new N-alkyl cycloimmonium bromides (1c, 3) with the chiral (–)-menthyl substituent, which were isolated and fully characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy for the first time. In addition, starting from 4-phenyl-2-aminothiazole, two further N-alkyl cycloimmonium bromides (1a, 1b) were prepared. The molecular and crystal structures of all three thiazole derived N-alkyl cycloimmonium bromides (1a–c) were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In all cases the crystal structures are dominated by N–H···Br hydrogen bonds, which results in the formation of an extensive hydrogen bonded network in the crystal. Interestingly, in all structures S···Br– distances shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii are observed.


A linoleic acid-resistant mutant (Lar-2) of Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8325 has been isolated and partially characterized. The resistance of the mutant may be due to an increased capacity of the bacterial membrane to incorporate linoleic acid.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a new kind of portable ambulatory ECG monitor.

METHOD
The hardware and software were designed based on RCA-CDP1802. New methods of ECG data compression and feature extraction of QRS complexes were applied to software design. A model for automatic arrhythmia analysis was established for real-time ambulatory ECG Data analysis. Compact, low power consumption and low cost were emphasized in the hardware design.

RESULT
This compact and light-weight monitor with low power consumption and high intelligence was capable of real-time monitoring arrhythmia for more than 48 h. More than ten types of arrhythmia could be detected, only the compressed abnormal ECG data was recorded and could be transmitted to the host if required.

CONCLUSION
The monitor meets the design requirements and can be used for ambulatory ECG monitoring.


Safety is crucial for software intensive systems. Safety-related accidents have resulted in great losses of human, system, environment and mission. However, safety concept is far long to be correctly understood and adequately engineered. Safety is more of a social problem than a technical problem, which addresses social risks instead of solely technical hazards. In engineering practices, most of safety-related work has been done under traditional reliability assumptions and approaches. This mismatch results into incomplete and inconsistent information of system risks, which accounts more for system accidents than implementation errors. This paper investigates the overall system properties, such as the corresponding underlying strategy in man-made system design, the basic characters of software intensive systems, and component-based safety-driven system engineering for these systems. It provides a broader view for system safety, which also give specific consideration for mission safety to assure completeness and consistency in engineering. Through injecting component-based ideas and approaches into safety-driven system engineering, a new approached is designed to engineering safety information in software intensive systems. In the end, a case studied shows the process and attributes of the approach.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of the research was to estimate the influence of birth weight discordance on birth status of twins.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Material of the research consisted of 560 foetuses derived from successful twin pregnancies. In the analysis the following factors were taken into consideration: birth status, gasometry, and birth weight discordance.

RESULTS
The degree of birth weight discordance under 10% was noted in 50% of twin pregnancies (n = 140), discordance of 10%-20% was observed in 30.7% (n = 86), and > 20% - in 19.3% (n = 54).

CONCLUSIONS
Birth weight discordance is an important risk factor for fetal and neonatal morbidity which is higher in smaller twins than in larger ones. Along with the degree of birth weight discordance, an increased risk of neonatal complications was observed.


In 1987, the USSR cosmonauts Y. V. Romanenko (326 days), A. I. Laveikin (approximately 176 days), and A. P. Alexandrov (approximately 160 days) made a space mission on Mir. (A. I. Laveikin showed specific cardiovascular responses to exercise tests and was therefore replaced with A. P. Alexandrov). The most important medical result of this mission was that Yu. V. Romanenko, who remained in orbit for 3 months longer than anyone before, working intensively, did not exhibit any changes that were qualitatively different from those observed in previous long-duration space flights. The health status and work performance of other crewmembers were also good, although each of them showed individual responses. The postflight recovery period went smooth.


Off-design performance is of key importance now in the design of automotive turbocharger turbines. Due to automotive drive cycles, a turbine which can extract more energy at high pressure ratios and lower rotational speeds is desirable. Typically a radial turbine provides peak efficiency at U/C values of 0.7, but at high pressure ratios and low rotational speeds the U/C value will be low and the rotor will experience high values of positive incidence at the inlet. The positive incidence causes high blade loading resulting in additional tip leakage flow in the rotor as well as flow separation on the suction surface of the blade.An experimental assessment has been performed on a scaled automotive VGS (Variable Geometry System). Three different stator vane positions have been analysed; minimum, 25% and maximum flow position. The first tests were to establish whether positioning the endwall clearance on the hub or shroud side of the stator vanes produced a different impact on turbine efficiency. Following this, a back swept rotor was tested to establish the potential gains to be achieved during off-design operation. A single passage CFD model of the test rig was developed and used to provide information on the flow features affecting performance in both the stator vanes and turbine.It was seen that off-design performance was improved by implementing clearance on the hub side of the stator vanes rather than on the shroud side. Through CFD analysis and tests it was seen that two leakage vortices form, one at the leading edge and one after the spindle of the stator vane. The vortices affect the flow angle at the inlet to the rotor, in the hub region. The flow angle is shifted to more negative values of incidence, which is beneficial at the off-design conditions but detrimental at the design point. The back swept rotor was tested with the hub side stator vane clearance configuration. The efficiency and MFR were increased at the minimum and 25% stator vane position. At the design point the efficiency and MFR were decreased. The CFD investigation showed that the incidence angle was improved at the off-design conditions, for the back swept rotor. This reduction in the positive incidence angle along with the improvement caused by the stator vane tip leakage flow, reduced flow separation on the suction surface of the rotor. At the design point both the tip leakage flow of the stator vanes and the back swept blade angle caused flow separation on the pressure surface of the rotor. This resulted in additional blockage at the throat of the rotor reducing MFR and efficiency.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Type-1 fuzzy system is able to provide an inference mechanism to reason with imprecise information, but it is unable to do so under linguistic and numerical uncertainties. While the incorporation of interval type-2 fuzzy set can offer a model for handling further uncertainty, it is relatively difficult to extract the footprint of uncertainty information. In addition, fuzzy systems are unable to automatically acquire the linguistic rules to model the problem. In this paper, an interval type-2 fuzzy neural model named Interval type-2 Neural Fuzzy Inference System (IT2NFIS) is proposed, to automatically generate the linguistic model with interval type-2 fuzzy sets and thus their faced uncertainties. The structure identification algorithm is based on Piaget's cognitive view of an action-driven cognitive development in human. IT2NFIS is evaluated on Nakanishi data sets and the results show that IT2NFIS is comparable if not superior to other models.


In her The Transformative Power of Performance. A New Aesthetics Erika
Fischer-Lichte argues that everything which happens in a performance
can be described as a repeated enchanting of the world and transformation
of all the participants of the event. The text is an attempt to consider
the videoinstallation East Side Story by Igor Grubić exactly from this
perspective. It discusses key concept categories utilized by the German
theatre researcher, and at the same time undertakes an attempt to fit
them into the installation of the Chroatian artist. The analysis points out
to the bodily co-presence of the actors and the viewers, the performative
production of materiality of the performance and the way in which the
performance becomes an event. Questions were asked about a performance
live as opposed to a mediated performance.


Popular science sphere of communication is acquiring new features of virtuality, globality, mosaic structure and social orientation, which are essential in fulfilling its functions in modern society. Based on the examination of 92 podcasts, the study deals with podcasting research identifying typical characteristics of the podcast and factors contributing to the spread of podcasting in the popular scientific hypermedia communication. The survey showed that increasing popularity of the podcast in the popular scientific sphere is explained by several factors. First, informing the user becomes more accessible, quicker and easier. Secondly, the listener takes part in interpersonal communication not with a virtual author, but with a real person, gets the opportunity to make his own conclusions based on sounding speech, which is more expressive, emotional, and has a strong impact on the addressee. Thirdly, most podcasts are interviews and discussions, which facilitates the perception and processing of new information making it more structured by means of questions, paraphrasing, exemplification, clarifications, etc. Analysis of the Nature publication podcast helped single out structural features that allow a podcast to function in a hypermedia environment as an independent multimodal node. The conclusions about the emergence of new virtual environment for intercultural interaction and cooperation were made.


This book contains papers from the symposium "Critical Issues, Current and Emerging Technologies for Determination of Crude Fat Content in Food, Feed and Seeds," held in 2003 at the AOCS Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. The topics covered give a broad perspective of the challenges and issues of the value-added enhanced products. This book will be of interest to biotechnology professionals, processors, scientists, nutritionists, economists, new product development and business professionals, official agencies, and others actively engaged in the development and marketing of value-added products.


This paper reviews the development of the quality of the main fiscal data released through the Excessive Deficit Procedures (EDP) since the euro's introduction. As such, this paper presents the outcome of various econometric tests based on all the vintages of the annual main fiscal data (deficit, change in debt) to assess whether qualitative progress took place over the years. Sound Government Financial Statistics (GFS) data are indeed crucial in the context of the fiscal surveillance carried out in the EU. Therefore, we find it useful to carry out a study responding to former criticisms which pointed out that Member States were beautifying their fiscal data and especially their first notified deficit. It was often assumed that Member States could abuse the initial recording of components which bridge the deficit to the change in debt (the so-called deficit-debt adjustments components). To assess this qualitative development properly, the study goes beyond the simple description of the revisions. It proposes innovative ways to identify whether each step of the revision is caused by the upward change in deficit. The study also seeks to better identify the datasets which triggered the qualitative progress observed. JEL Classification: H81, M48


Block chain and distributed ledger technologies have the potential to revolutionize the economy, and this research gives an overview of the technology's fundamentals. The history of this technology may be traced all the way back to the Bitcoin electronic currency system. By emphasizing potentials but also shortcomings, restrictions, and hazards, Block chain and distributed ledger technology may be used in different industries. Block chain has both advantages and problems, and we'll be looking at how we can improve it so that the economy benefits from it in the long run. There are numerous new opportunities for businesses in which prices are frequently directly transferred between participants over the internet in the same straightforward manner in which we tend to pay with cash while driving and in the same convenient manner in which we tend to use instant electronic communication. The block chain technology is primarily classified as a subset of the larger family of distributed ledger technologies, which includes all strategies for redistributed data sharing in situations where replicated and synchronic digital information is distributed across multiple sites, countries, or establishments.


This paper introduces a simplified version of Data Envelopment Analysis a conventional approach to evaluating the performance and ranking of competitive objects characterized by two groups of factors acting in opposite directions: inputs and outputs. Examples of DEA applications discussed in this paper include the London 2012 Olympic Games and the dynamics of the United States' environmental performance. In the first example, we find a team winner and rank the teams; in the second, we analyze the dynamics of CO2 emissions adjusted to the gross domestic product, population, and energy consumption. Adding a virtual Perfect Object – one having the greatest outputs and smallest inputs we greatly simplify the DEA computational procedure by eliminating the Linear Programming algorithm. Simplicity of computations makes the suggested approach attractive for educational purposes, in particular, for use in Quantitative Reasoning courses.


INTRODUCTION
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning has been shown to result in cognitive impairments. These disorders have rarely been reported. The present study aimed to evaluate these disturbances in five patients with a neuroanatomical study.

METHODS
There were two men and three women with an average of 25 years old. Patients were explored several months after acute CO poisoning. Neuropsychological testing was administered to assess memory, intellectual, executive, visual-spatial and constructional functions, language, praxis and gnosis. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in all patients using axial, sagittal and coronal slides with T1 and T2 weighted and flair images. None of the subjects had hyperbaric oxygen. They received 7, 5 mg bromocriptine per day.

RESULTS
All patients presented cognitive disorders including marked impairment in long term memory with a severe defect in recall performance in comparison to recognition memory. Visual memory was more affected than the verbal one. There were also moderate disturbances in intellectual, executive, visual-spatial and constructional functions. One patient presented alexia agraphia, severe visual disturbances, constructional and dressing apraxia. Four patients had depression and one psychic akinesia. Cerebral MRI studies revealed that all patients had bilateral pallidal necrosis, bilateral hippocampal and moderate cortical atrophy. Fornix atrophy was found in 2 patients and corpus mammillary atrophy in 3 patients. Others lesions were also found: bilateral cerebellar in two cases and cortical in three cases. Treatment with bromocriptine was effective in three cases. There was no improvement in the patients treated 14 months and 5 years following CO poisoning.

CONCLUSION
Neuropsychological impairments in CO poisoned subjects include memory, intellectual, executive, and visuospatial defects. In addition to pallidal necrosis, which is a typical feature of CO poisoning, hippocampal and cortical atrophy are often present. Bromocriptine can improve the cognitive disorders.


X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) includes well-established methods to study the local structure around the absorbing element - extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and the effective oxidation number or to quantitatively determine the speciation of an element in a complex matrix - X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). The increased brilliance and intensities available at the new generation of synchrotron light sources makes it possible to study, in-situ and in-operando, much more dilute systems with relevance for natural systems, as well as the micro-scale variability and dynamics of chemical reactions on the millisecond time-scale. The design of the BALDER beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory 3 GeV ring has focused on a high flux of photons in a wide energy range, 2.4-40 keV, where the K-edge is covered for the elements S to La, and the L3-edge for all elements heavier than Sb. The overall design of the beamline will allow large flexibility in energy range, beam size and data collection time. The other focus of the beamline design is the possibility to perform multi-technique analyses on samples. Development of sample environment requires focus on implementation of auxiliary methods in such a way that techniques like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and/or mass spectrometry can be performed simultaneously as the XAS study. It will be a flexible system where different instruments can be plugged in and out depending on the needs for the particular investigation. Many research areas will benefit from the properties of the wiggler based light source and the capabilities to perform in-situ and in-operando measurements, for example environmental and geochemical sciences, nuclear chemistry, catalysis, materials sciences, and cultural heritage.


Gypsum can form penecontemporaneously in carbonate sediments, and it may be altered to anhydrite during burial. Some workers have suggested that gypsum dehydration is complete at burial depths of 3500 ft (1067 m); however, gypsum has been documented at depths as great as 13,100 ft (3993 m). Two examples of deeply buried gypsum illustrate contrasting origins. Gypsum in the Permian San Andres Formation in the Permian Basin of west Texas at a depth of 6000 ft (1829 m) occurs as anhydrite nodules with an outer rind of gypsum, suggesting that anhydrite was rehydrated to gypsum by interaction with interstitial brines. In contrast, gypsum in the carbonate beds of the Cretaceous Ferry Lake Anhydrite of the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin at 13,100 ft (3993 m) occurs as gypsum nodules with a rind of anhydrite, suggesting that the gypsum is primary and in the process of dehydration to anhydrite. These contrasting origins are likely a function of evaporite and carbonate stratigraphy. In the Permian Basin, a thick section of carbonate rocks is overlain by a relatively thin section of evaporites. In the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin, carbonates are interbedded with multiple evaporite beds, which inhibit circulation of interstitial brines. The burial temperature, pressure, and salinity of these formations suggest that gypsum could be preserved as primary or secondary gypsum. The presence of gypsum in reservoir rocks can affect porosity calculations, especially calculations using neutron porosity logs, which measure bound water of hydration in gypsum as porosity. Identification of gypsum at the depth of 13,100 ft (3993 m) indicates that log estimates of porosity in some deep carbonate reservoirs containing gypsum could have significant porosity and water saturation measurement errors.


During the past decade, research into transition-metal-substituted polyoxometalate self-assembly has been greatly developed. This review summarizes the conventional solution syntheses and hydrothermal syntheses of novel substituted polyoxometalates based on the incorporation of paramagnetic transition metals Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu, with an emphasis on the variety of nuclearities and configurations of encapsulated transition metal cores and the rich architectures of overall polyoxometalates.


Reviews progress in understanding some of the mechanisms involved in, and applications of, laser produced plasmas which have been made since the first observation of the phenomenon some 21 years ago. Visual characteristics, formation mechanisms, certain scattering and reflective properties and some spectroscopic applications of pulsed plasmas are discussed. A brief account of work on plasmas initialised and sustained by CW resonantly tuned lasers is given.


This paper presents Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to evaluate the power system reliability indexes. In this paper, loss of load probability (LOLP) is calculated based on the MCS. Simulation results are carried out based on a generation system and MCS is applied. Simulation results denote that MCS presents the results


Objective To compare two losartan regimens (with and without hydrochlorothiazide) and amlodipine in treating mild-to-moderate hypertension regarding their blood-pressure-lowering effect, drug tolerability and quality of life. Design A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, parallel- group, multi-centre study. After 4 weeks of placebo, patients with a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the range 95–115 mmHg were allocated randomly to be administered 50 mg losartan (increased to 100 mg if the DBP was 90 mmHg or more after 6 weeks), 50 mg losartan (plus 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide under the above conditions), or 5 mg amlodipine (increased to 10 mg under the above condition). The tolerability of the treatment and the quality of life were evaluated by spontaneous reporting, active questioning and the Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) index. Study population In total 898 hypertensives, mainly referred from primary health care (mean age 57.8 years) of whom 52% were men. Results Administration of 50 mg losartan (plus 12.5 hydrochlorothiazide if necessary) and of 5 mg amlodipine (or 10 mg if necessary) lowered the blood pressure as well as or better than did 50 mg losartan (or 100 mg if necessary). The incidence of 'any discomfort' and 'swollen ankles' increased with amlodipine but not with losartan treatment. The opposite was found for 'dizziness upon standing'. The incidence of drug-related adverse events and the number of patients withdrawn from therapy were higher with amlodipine than they were with losartan treatment. The PGWB index at week 12 indicated that improvements from baseline had occurred in some domains for the losartan groups whereas it remained unchanged for the amlodipine group. Conclusion Both losartan and amlodipine were effective in lowering the blood pressure and were tolerated well. Administration of 50 mg losartan (plus 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide if necessary) and of 5 mg amlodipine (or 10 mg if necessary) lowered the blood pressure equally well or better than did 50 mg losartan (or 100 mg if necessary). Drug-related adverse effects and withdrawal from the study were more common for the amlodipine group. The clinical significance of the improvements in the PGWB index with losartan needs to be studied further.


Background: Health insurance literacy (HIL) is defined as a person's ability to seek, obtain, and understand health insurance plans, and once enrolled use their insurance to seek appropriate health care services. Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess sociodemographic disparities in HIL, including knowledge of health insurance terms and costs, and confidence in using insurance to access health care in a nationally representative adult sample. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the Health Reform Monitoring Survey, which included 15,168 adults age 18 years and older who responded to surveys in the third quarter of 2015 and first quarter of 2016. Rao-Scott chi-square tests and weighted logistic regression were used for analysis. Key Results: The majority of our sample (51%) reported having inadequate HIL as measured by knowledge of basic insurance terms, and close to one-half (48%) had low confidence in using their insurance to access health care. Logistic regression analysis indicated significant disparities in HIL, with multiple groups identified as being at higher risk for having inadequate HIL (as measured by both knowledge and use of health insurance). These included young adults, women, those with Hispanic ethnicity, those who were not U.S. citizens, and those who were currently unmarried. Also identified to be at risk were those who are unemployed, uninsured, and enrolled in public health insurance plans, and those with lower levels of education and income. Most had inadequate knowledge of their annual out-of-pocket costs and insurance plan's deductible amounts. Conclusions: One-half of U.S. adults rate themselves as having inadequate HIL. Sociodemographic disparities in self-reported HIL underscore the need for increased consumer education, as well as efforts to simplify the health care system by promoting value-based care, supporting delivery system reforms, and designing services to be responsive to consumer HIL needs and abilities. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(4):e250–e258.] Plain Language Summary: In a nationally representative sample of 15,168 adults, the majority had low knowledge about basic health insurance terms and had difficulty using health insurance to access needed health care services. These findings indicate that health insurance literacy is a major concern in our community that disproportionately affects some underserved groups more than others, including young adults, groups with low-income, and people who are uninsured.


Survival for myeloma has improved from a median of 7 months in the 1950s to about 30 months today. Progress in chemotherapy has contributed a great deal to this improvement, although it may also, in part, reflect the improved treatment of infections, renal failure and hypercalcaemia as well as earlier diagnosis. For over 30 years, the gold standard of treatment has been oral melphalan and prednisolone, producing a clinical response in approximately 60% of patients and a median survival of around 36 months. Relapse is unfortunately inevitable in all but a handful and, for the majority, treatment can only hope to produce significant periods of remission with minimal treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Recently, improved results have been seen with the introduction of aggressive chemotherapy and bone-marrow transplantation. Marrow ablative therapies produce remissions in virtually all patients, with complete remissions in approximately 1/3. The best response is seen in those with a lower tumour burden, which will reduce the development of secondary resistance. Current treatment is moving towards an approach using sequential therapy. This involves induction chemotherapy with VAD or a similar regimen such as VAMP (vincristine, adriamycin and methylprednisolone), proceeding to high-dose therapy, often with some form of stem-cell rescue. This ensures minimal tumour burden prior to high-dose treatment as well as reducing graft infiltration, improving general performance status and allowing recovery of renal function. Relapse remains a problem, although the use of IFN may reduce this by prolonging the plateau phase. High-dose therapy should be given early, before prolonged use of alkylating agents induces stem-cell dysplasia, before significant complications arise from the myeloma, and before drug resistance is significant. Unfortunately, these treatments come at a price, in terms of increased treatment-related toxicity. There also remains uncertainty as to the extra benefits of high-dose treatment with marrow rescue over high-dose chemotherapy alone. We await the current MRC trial with interest. For a very few, there is the tantalising possibility of cure with allografting. For those in complete remission after first-line induction therapy, allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation offers the best hope of survival, but comes at a greatly increased risk of toxicity, and it is uncertain if it is superior to autografting for the majority of patients. It may soon be possible to identify those poor prognosis patients in whom an allogeneic transplant should be offered at an early stage. Candidate biochemical markers include serum beta 2 microglobulin, neopterin, IL-6, plasma cell labelling index, CRP or LDH and prognostic clinical features include IgD myeloma or stage III disease at presentation. Many patients will have primary refractory of relapsing disease in whom survival is short despite all current therapeutic modalities. They should therefore be considered for trials of newer agents, drug combinations and therapeutic interventions such as cytokine manipulation or gene therapy. The lack of effective, curative treatment options for patients with myeloma places great importance on effective palliation. While improving survival duration remains elusive in this condition, all possible efforts must be made to ensure quality of life is maximized.


Experience-dependent modulation of neuronal responses is a key attribute in sensory processing. In the mammalian retina, the On-Off direction-selective ganglion cell (DSGC) is well known for its robust direction selectivity. However, how the On-Off DSGC light responsiveness dynamically adjusts to the changing visual environment is underexplored. Here, we report that On-Off DSGCs tuned to posterior motion direction [i.e. posterior DSGCs (pDSGCs)] in mice of both sexes can be transiently sensitized by prior stimuli. Notably, distinct sensitization patterns are found in dorsal and ventral pDSGCs. Although responses of both dorsal and ventral pDSGCs to dark stimuli (Off responses) are sensitized, only dorsal cells show the sensitization of responses to bright stimuli (On responses). Visual stimulation to the dorsal retina potentiates a sustained excitatory input from Off bipolar cells, leading to tonic depolarization of pDSGCs. Such tonic depolarization propagates from the Off to the On dendritic arbor of the pDSGC to sensitize its On response. We also identified a previously overlooked feature of DSGC dendritic architecture that can support dendritic integration between On and Off dendritic layers bypassing the soma. By contrast, ventral pDSGCs lack a sensitized tonic depolarization and thus do not exhibit sensitization of their On responses. Our results highlight a topographic difference in Off bipolar cell inputs underlying divergent sensitization patterns of dorsal and ventral pDSGCs. Moreover, substantial crossovers between dendritic layers of On-Off DSGCs suggest an interactive dendritic algorithm for processing On and Off signals before they reach the soma. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual neuronal responses are dynamically influenced by the prior visual experience. This form of plasticity reflects the efficient coding of the naturalistic environment by the visual system. We found that a class of retinal output neurons, On-Off direction-selective ganglion cells, transiently increase their responsiveness after visual stimulation. Cells located in dorsal and ventral retinas exhibit distinct sensitization patterns because of different adaptive properties of Off bipolar cell signaling. A previously overlooked dendritic morphologic feature of the On-Off direction-selective ganglion cell is implicated in the cross talk between On and Off pathways during sensitization. Together, these findings uncover a topographic difference in the adaptive encoding of upper and lower visual fields and the underlying neural mechanism in the dorsal and ventral retinas.


Following the strategy of using polyfunctional phosphonic acids for the synthesis of open-framework metal phosphonates, the phosphonocarboxylic acid (H2O3PCH2)2NCH2C6H4COOH was used in the hydrothermal synthesis of new Ba phosphonates. Its decomposition led to the first open-framework barium phosphonate [Ba3(O3PCH2NH2CH2PO3)2(H2O)4].3H2O. The synthesis was also successfully performed using iminobis(methylphosphonic acid), (H2O3PCH2)2NH, as a starting material, and the synthesis was optimized to obtain as a pure material. The reaction setup as well as the pH are the dominant parameters, and only a diffusion-controlled reaction led to the desired compound. The crystal structure was solved from single-crystal data: monoclinic; C2/c; a=2328.7(2), b=1359.95(7), and c=718.62(6) pm; beta=98.732(10) degrees ; V=2249.5(3)x10(6) pm3; Z=4; R1=0.036; and wR2=0.072 (all data). The structure of [Ba3(O3PCH2NH2CH2PO3)2(H2O)4].3H2O is built up from BaO8 and BaO10 polyhedra forming BaO chains and layers, respectively. These are connected to a three-dimensional metal-oxygen-metal framework with the iminobis(methylphosphonic acid) formally coating the inner walls of the pores. The one-dimensional pores (3.6x4 A) are filled with H2O molecules that can be thermally removed. Thermogravimetric investigations and temperature-dependent X-ray powder diffraction demonstrate the stability of the crystal structure up to 240 degrees C. The uptake of N,N-dimethylformamide and H2O by dehydrated samples is demonstrated. Furthermore, IR, Raman, and 31P magic-angle-spinning NMR data are also presented.


Ethosomes are noninvasive delivery carriers that enable drugs to reach the deep skin layers and the systemic circulation. Although ethosomal systems are conceptually sophisticated, they are simple in their preparation, safe for use a combination that can highly expand their application. Ethosomes are soft, malleable vesicles tailored for enhanced delivery of active agents. Because of their unique structure, ethosomes are able to encapsulate and deliver through the skin highly lipophilic molecules such as cannabinoids, testosterone, and minoxidil, as well as cationic drugs such as propranolol, trihexaphenidyl, Cyclosporine, insulin, salbutamol etc. Enhanced delivery of bioactive molecules through the skin and cellular membranes by means of an ethosomal carrier opens numerous challenges and opportunities for the research and future development of novel improved therapies. Ethosomes are gaining popularity in designing drug delivery systems for topical and transdermal use for their capability to reach deep skin layers and systemic circulation. Although ethosomes are conceptually sophisticated, they are simple in preparation and safe for use. Although with their high efficiency, the ethosomes show potential for expansion of their applications. The aim of the review to make a comprehensive account on properties and preparation of ethosomes followed by the characterization and the list of drugs encapsulated in ethosomes in last 15 years.


Background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk for cardiovascular adverse events, favored by the progression of arterial stiffness leading to coronary atherosclerosis and concentric left ventricular (LV) geometry. These conditions can lead to LV systolic dysfunction (LVSD) that can be expressed by different parameters such as stress-corrected midwall shortening (sc-MS), a prognostic of CV events in patients with arterial hypertension and diabetes. Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of LVSD in RA patients. Methods From January to June 2014, 198 recruited RA patients were investigated and compared with 198 controls matched for age, gender, body mass index, prevalence of hypertension and diabetes. Echocardiography was performed measuring many parameters expressing LV systolic function: sc-MS (impaired if <86,5%) and S' (impaired if <9.0 cm/sec). Combined circumferential and longitudinal (C&L) function was evaluated by impairment of both sc-MS and S'. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was considered impaired if <50%. Moreover, we evaluated through E/E' ratio a diastolic function and the presence of an excess of LV mass (inappropriate if >123% of measured/predicted ratio). This last parameter has been evaluated in a group of 235 patient. Results LVSD defined by S' reduction was found in 45% of RA patient, by sc-MS in 56% of patients vs 15% of controls (p<0.001). LVEF was impaired in 3% of RA patients and in 1% of controls (p=non significant). A combined C&L dysfunction was detected in 28% of patients and associated with ventricular mass (OR 1.03, p=0.04) and concentric LV geometry (OR 2.76, p=0.03). RA was independently associated with impaired sc-MS and C&L dysfunction. Among RA patient, variables associated with LVSD were higher E/E' ratio and systolic blood pressure. LVM was increased in 64% of patients and in 15% of controls (p<0.001) Conclusions In conclusion we demonstrate through different parameters that among RA patients there is a significant prevalence of LVSD that precedes LVEF impairment. RA has turn to be an independent risk factor for LVSD. These data confirm the need for a careful evaluation of CV risk in RA patients. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Abstract This paper draws upon the DISCUS (Developing Institutional and Social Capacity for Sustainable Development) research project, co-funded by the European Commission. The project was undertaken during 2001 – 2004 and involved an in-depth study of 40 European towns and cities in order to understand the institutional and social factors and conditions that might contribute to policy 'achievement' or 'failure' in local sustainable development policy and practice. Based on the findings of this research it proposes a conceptual framework for local sustainable development, linking the concepts of institutional capital, social capital and governance to provide a model for understanding the governing of local sustainability. The research shows that in those cases that exhibit sustainable development policy achievements, there are also greater levels of civil society activity and knowledge regarding sustainability issues, and high levels of institutional capacity. Confident local government is crucial to the development of institutional capacity and to institutional learning. One aspect of this is local authorities being equipped to address the longer-term issues and to have a strategic vision for a sustainable future.


Evidence of the last glaciation of the Shetland Islands, UK, is re-examined and combined with new data on terrestrial glacigenic deposits and recent offshore data from the continental shelf to produce a dynamic, integrated model of the history of the whole ice cap. • It is shown that evidence which has previously been attributed to last glacial, or earlier, Scandinavian ice incursion, might be explained by the eastwards migration of local ice sheds. • At its maximum, the ice sheet reached the continental shelf edge to the west of the islands, at least 75 km east, at least 50 km north and might be seen as a peninsular extension of the Scottish ice sheet to the south. • The changing patterns of ice flow during deglaciation are reconstructed, implying an early phase of deglaciation at the west and northwest margins (possibly accounting for the suggested eastern migration of the ice shed), followed by retreat at more northern, then eastern, then southern margins. • It is suggested that the above pattern reflects tidewater calving controlled by bathymmetric variation around the ice sheet. • During a later phase of deglaciation, the margin of the ice cap may have grounded at around the current -100m bathymmetric contour and from there retreated terrestrially. • The importance of topographic control on patterns of deglaciation as ice retreated towards the island group is clearly established. • Some minor moraines in parts of Shetland are due to active ice margins but their age is unknown. • Radiocarbon dates reported here show that the last glaciation was Late Weichselian and that the maximum northern extent was at least 50 km north of the islands. • The concepts of an eastwards migrating ice shed and an early, extensive ice cap retreating to a grounding point, could have parallels elsewhere in Scotland during the last glaciation. • The methodology applied in this study of Shetland integrating onshore and offshore data, and developing a dynamic picture of the whole ice cap needs to be applied to the last Scottish ice sheet also.


Using data collected from a private Canberra colposcopy service, we examined the direct costs, to women and government, of the gynaecological care of women with cervical cytological abnormalities and determine the potential savings of implementing the Commonwealth recommendations for the clinical care of women with screen‐detected abnormalities. We performed a case note audit of 502 women who first attended a gynaecologist because of an abnormal Pap smear between 1 January 1989 and 30 April 1990. The smear resulting in their referral ‐ their presenting smear ‐ was categorised as No CIN (showing no evidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia), CIN 1, CIN 2 and CIN 3. The average costs to government (p for trend <0.001) and women (p for trend = 0.006) increase as the presenting smear increases in severity; the median costs to government (p for trend <0.001) and women (p for trend <0.001) also rose with increasing cytological severity. Treatment of CIN 1 and No CIN accounted for half the costs incurred by government and women. Although costs increase with increasing severity of cytological abnormality, adherence to new Australian guidelines for the gynaecological care of women with screen‐detected cervical abnormalities could result in substantial short‐term savings to government and women.


Exopolymers which anchor sessile bacteria to metallic surfaces exhibit the capacity to bind copper ions with high affinity. Ionized carboxyl groups on the polymers appear to participate in cupric ion binding. Formation of complexes between the polymers and cupric ions results in the release of protons from the polymer molecule. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that polymers composed of acidic polysaccharides promote ionization and deterioration of metallic copper surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies revealed that the ionic state of the surface-derived copper varied depending on the type of acidic polysaccharide that was in contact with the surface. The results suggest that exopolymers elaborated by adherent bacteria can enhance corrosion of the surfaces with which they are associated.


Digoxin prescribing for ambulatory patients with uncomplicated congestive heart failure in normal sinus rhythm (UCHF) was evaluated. The audit was conducted at a hospital primary care clinic and was performed retrospectively over a recent 2-year period. The audit focused on the discontinuance of digoxin prescribing and the attendant monitoring necessary. There was 34 patients prescribed digoxin during the study period who were classified as UCHF. Of these, 23 (68%) met our a priori criteria for digoxin discontinuance. However, only three of the 23 were discontinued and none met the criteria for proper follow-up. With regard to monitoring, the average patient was seen once every 2 months, but in fewer than half of the visits the patient was assessed on basic subjective and objective parameters of CHF status and digoxin toxicity. These results are being used in an educational program for the clinic physicians who before the audit had perceived their care of digoxin patients to be optimal.


In an effort to improve the calibration of the Late Triassic time scale, two stratigraphic successions in Italy were investigated for magnetostratigraphy: the Pignola-2 (Southern Apennines) and the Dibona (Dolomites) sections. These sections reveal a sequence of biostratigraphically calibrated (conodonts and palynomorphs) magnetic polarity zones encompassing the Julian/Tuvalian boundary (Carnian). A total of 63 samples have been collected from the Pignola-2 section that helped defining 3 magnetozones. These data are constrained by a published radiometric U/Pb age of 230.91 0.33 Ma from the Aglianico ash-bed (Furin et al. 2006). From the Dibona section, 81 samples have been collected, revealing 2 magnetozones in the Heiligkreuz Fm. (lower part of the succession) and 2 magnetozones in the Travenanzes Fm. (upper part). The Dibona section provided only few high-quality paleomagnetic data in spite of the sampling effort, so we considered only the Pignola-2 section as suitable for the correlation with other Carnian sections from the literature, in order to define the magnetostratigraphy around the Julian/Tuvalian boundary in the Tethys realm. The correlation between the Pignola-2 and the Newark Astrochronological Polarity Time Scale (APTS) provides independent insights on the age of the base of the Newark basin APTS. We found that the U-Pb zircon-dated Pignola-2 level, magnetostratigraphically projected on the Newark APTS, falls within Chrons E5–E4 at around 231 Ma, in agreement with the (extrapolated) astrochronological ages of the Newark APTS.


Absfruct- Experiments with helical electron beams (HEB) of powerful gyrotrons displayed the existence of intense nonstationary processes in HEB. A version of numerical simulation of HEB's is proposed, which is based on the method of large particles. Some results of the analysis are given with account of the electrons reflected from the magnetic mirror and locked in the adiabatic trap. One of the effects detected is intense bombardment of the cathode by the trapped electrons. Besides, formation of quasi-stationary states whose parameters (velocity spread, pitch-factor) differ significantly from those given by the static theory was observed. In the absence of the reflected particles, the solution acquires a stable state. The HEB parameters in this case are almost the same as the static parameters.


Eight patients undergoing hepatectomy received 15 x 10(4) U of ulinastatin during and after surgery and then twice daily for 4 days, and 11 hepatectomized patients served as untreated controls. Between-group differences in age, duration of surgery, volume of blood loss and transfusion, weight of resected liver, and results of preoperative liver function tests were not significant. On postoperative day 1, mean (+/- SD) polymorphonuclear leukocyte elastase levels were significantly lower in the treated patients than in the controls (310 +/- 69 micrograms/L vs 519 +/- 382 micrograms/L; P < 0.05); interleukin 6 levels also tended to be lower in the treated patients than in controls (42.4 +/- 34.0 pg/mL vs 63.3 +/- 43.1 pg/mL). The results indicate that ulinastatin has beneficial effects on host defenses after surgery.


In this paper a distributed handover optimized authentication scheme based on independent session key per access network (HOISKA) is developed for the decentralized multi-service group key management scheme over wireless mobile multicast. It enables a handover user Mi involved in multiple multicast service subscriptions to securely reuse the long term credential initially issued by the trusted authentication server (As) for deriving unique session keys per access network as it performs handover authentication across various access networks. The distributed nature of the scheme enables offloading the authentication function to the area network controllers (AKDs) such that As is not involved during handover exchange authentication signaling. This simplifies handover by reducing handover exchange signalling constituting to handover delays. Handover Access authentication (HAA) phase in HOISKA is presented then analyzed using the delay analytical model. The model proves efficacy by inducing minimum delays with less handover blocking probability while providing same level of security to the widely deployed handover authentication scheme.


The aim of this study was to develop wheat noodles substituted with 10-40% RD43 rice flour. Starch digestibility and physicochemical and sensory properties of RD43 rice noodles and its effect on glycemic response, gut hormones, and appetite sensation in humans were also determined. The results demonstrated that the substitution of 10-40% RD43 rice flour reduced starch digestibility, the hydrolysis index, and rapidly digestible starch (RDS), while increasing undigestible starch in noodles. Noodles prepared with 30% RD43 rice flour slightly increased water absorption (WA), and the swelling index (SI) without altering cooking loss. When compared with the control, 30% RD43 rice showed higher lightness (L*) and lower redness (a*), yellowness (b*) and hardness with similar overall acceptability. In human studies, ingestion of 30% RD43 rice noodles significantly lowered postprandial plasma glucose at 15-90 min. Interestingly, the postprandial concentration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY) also significantly increased at 30 min after the intake of 30% RD43 rice noodles. A significantly lower desire to eat and higher fullness were detected after 30% RD43 rice noodle consumption until 120 min. This suggests that RD43 rice flour could be a potential ingredient in noodles for controlling the glycemic response, short-acting satiety hormones, and appetite sensation.


Mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a form of low‐grade malignant B‐cell extranodal non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is classified as marginal‐zone lymphoma and represents less than 1% of all lung cancer. We describe a case of MALT lymphoma limited exclusively to the lung that came to our attention with infective pleural effusion and concomitant lung consolidation of the left lower lobe. Our case demonstrates that MALT can begin with an acute clinical presentation. The clinical scenario, with fever, parietal chest pain, and leukocytosis, suggested an infective process. Radiological and sonographic examinations and the endoscopic aspect during medical thoracoscopy (MT) were typical of an infective etiology. The histological outcome of non‐specific inflammatory pleuritis confirmed our suppositions. However, the missing resolution of lung consolidation after several weeks led us to an alternative diagnosis. Parenchymal biopsies obtained by bronchoscopy allowed us to reach the correct diagnosis: MALT lymphoma limited to the lung.


Abstract. Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) is the process of differencing two Interferograms for measuring surface movement with an accuracy of millimeter range. The DInSAR process can be applied to observe glacier movement, earthquake deformations, volcanic activities and rate of subsidence or uplift caused due to the extraction of groundwater or coal. By using single pass interferometry technique we can also generate accurate DEM. In this paper, we are presenting the movement of a Chhota Shigri glacier with the help two pass DInSAR technique and mainly we concentrated on the optimum conditions for estimating glacier movement using DInSAR. We got good coherence and Interferogram fringes for L-band sensor with less temporal baseline. Therefore, we generated glacier velocity using ALOS-2 data with 14 days temporal baseline. Initially, we generated Interferogram (defo-pair) by taking 10th March 2015 image as a master and 24th March 2015 image as a slave. But this generated Interferogram also having topographic information and atmospheric errors with the displacement component. Therefore, we used SRTM DEM for removing topographic information from the Interferogram. Because we are using L-band data, results may not be affected by troposphere. Maximum glacier velocity we observed in the accumulation zone as 7.285 cm/day in the month of March and while it's moving towards ablation zone the glacier velocity is decreasing.


Background: The ApaI, TaqI and FokI vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism are associated with risk of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)1. These genetic variants can also determine changes in vitamin D mechanisms of action and affect the clinical course of IBD2. In Brazil, there are a lack of data concerning VDR polymorphisms in IBD patients and its use as a predictor of poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of VDR gene polymorphisms, vitamin D status and the poor prognostic factors in a multiracial IBD population. Methods: A case control study recruited 107 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 43 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 81 control healthy subjects from a tertiary center in Rio de Janeiro. The VDR polymorphisms ApaI, ("Aa," "aa"), TaqI ("Tt," "tt") e FokI ("Ff," "ff") were evaluated in IBD and non IBD groups. The genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in real time technique. Serum 25(OH)D was measured using chemiluminescence immunoassay. Demographic, clinical features and poor prognostic factors of IBD patients were obtained from the chart review. Results: The genotype "aa" (ApaI) (49.5%) and "Tt" (TaqI) (50.5%) were more frequent in CD group. The distribution of polymorphisms was similar between UC and the control group. In CD group, the "a" allele carrier status of ApaI appeared to be a protective factor against the use of immunosuppressors (OR = 0.225; 95% CI, 0.071–0.712). The "t" allele carrier status of TaqI was protective factor against the use of steroids at the time of CD diagnosis (OR = 0.242; 95% CI, 0.065–0.901) but it was associated with the need of more than 2 steroids courses in UC group (OR = 4.19; 95% CI, 1.104–15.901) The 25(OH)D level was measured in 44 IBD patients, and low levels were detected only in 38.6% of cases. No association was observed between clinical features, VDR polymorphisms and vitamin D deficiency. Conclusions: The ApaI and TaqI, but not FokI polymorphisms are associated with CD and a poor prognostic factors. Although the polymorphisms have not been associated with UC, the presence of TaqI polymorphism was associated with poor prognosis predictor in this group. No associations were detected between VDR polymorphisms and vitamin D deficiency in IBD groups.


Spacecraft, military mission requires electronic devices that are radiation hardened to extend exposure to ionizing radiation. Among many other semiconductors MOSFET is highly targeted due to its switching and amplifying application in electronics devices. This study investigates threshold voltage shifts and drain current degradation mechanism for both P-channel and N-channel commercial Si MOSFET subjected to low doses of electron beam radiation. It is observed that at lower dose of electron beam radiation, the mechanism responsible for threshold voltage shifts is generation-recombination of electron -- hole pair. For the N-channel device positive threshold voltage shifts were observed and negative threshold voltage shifts were found in the P - channel device. Electron radiation induced defect states act as traps for drain current degradation. Experiment data to the above mention samples revealed that generation of electron-hole pair and built of traps centers creates the defects such as threshold voltage shifts and drain current degradation. These defects are obtained due to the penetration of 3MeV energy of electron beam dose level from 50KGy to 250KGy. The irradiated devices were evaluated through its shifts in the current and voltage characteristics, results were analyzed and plotted for the both N-channel and P-channel MOSFET.


It is possible to encounter molten fuel pools in the course of events during a hypothetical Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor accident. In such cases it may be important to estimate correctly the rate of melting of the pool walls and bottom, which are governed by the rate of heat transfer to those materials. The heat transfer characteristics of internally heated two-phase pools are thus of interest. Heat transfer measurements were made in the horizontal and downward directions both in transient and in steady state. The transient study involved slow cooling or heating of the pool liquid, while in the steady state case heat was provided by electrical immersion heaters. A permanent gas was injected from a distributed hypodermic tubing network with two hole sizes. Void fraction measurements were also made by static pressure probes. The data is reported as plots of Nusselts number versus Reynolds number and surface evaporation and entrainment effects for a boiling pool were estimated for comparison purposes.


The potency of antiretroviral agents in AIDS clinical trials can be assessed on the basis of an early viral response such as viral decay rate or change in viral load (number of copies of HIV RNA) of the plasma. Linear, parametric nonlinear, and semiparametric nonlinear mixed‐effects models have been proposed to estimate viral decay rates in viral dynamic models. However, before applying these models to clinical data, a critical question that remains to be addressed is whether these models produce coherent estimates of viral decay rates, and if not, which model is appropriate and should be used in practice. In this paper, we applied these models to data from an AIDS clinical trial of potent antiviral treatments and found significant incongruity in the estimated rates of reduction in viral load. Simulation studies indicated that reliable estimates of viral decay rate were obtained by using the parametric and semiparametric nonlinear mixed‐effects models. Our analysis also indicated that the decay rates estimated by using linear mixed‐effects models should be interpreted differently from those estimated by using nonlinear mixed‐effects models. The semiparametric nonlinear mixed‐effects model is preferred to other models because arbitrary data truncation is not needed. Based on real data analysis and simulation studies, we provide guidelines for estimating viral decay rates from clinical data. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


A novel optical MEMS pressure sensor with a SU-8, microstructure is proposed. SU-8 photoresist is used to form the high aspect ratio structure on silicon wafer. The advantage of the novel structure mainly lies in the design of separating sensing membrane deformation with the length change of Fabry–Perot cavity. The principle of the pressure measurement has been introduced. The mechanical model is analyzed and parameters of SU-8 structure are determined by simulation. The fabrication process is described. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor has a reasonable linearity, sensitivity under micro-pressure measurement range from 0 to 0.1 MPa.


New drugs with enhanced electron donor properties that target the ryanodine receptor from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (RyR1) are shown to be potent inhibitors of single-channel activity. In this article, we synthesize derivatives of the channel activator 4-chloro-3-methyl phenol (4-CmC) and the 1,4-benzothiazepine channel inhibitor 4-[-3{1-(4-benzyl) piperidinyl}propionyl]-7-methoxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1,4-benzothiazepine (K201, JTV519) with enhanced electron donor properties. Instead of activating channel activity (∼100 μM), the 4-methoxy analog of 4-CmC [4-methoxy-3-methyl phenol (4-MmC)] inhibits channel activity at submicromolar concentrations (IC50 = 0.34 ± 0.08 μM). Increasing the electron donor characteristics of K201 by synthesizing its dioxole congener results in an approximately 16 times more potent RyR1 inhibitor (IC50 = 0.24 ± 0.05 μM) compared with K201 (IC50 = 3.98 ± 0.79 μM). Inhibition is not caused by an increased closed time of the channel but seems to be caused by an open state block of RyR1. These alterations to chemical structure do not influence the ability of these drugs to affect Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase type 1. Moreover, the FKBP12 protein, which stabilizes RyR1 in a closed configuration, is shown to be a strong electron donor. It seems as if FKBP12, K201, its dioxole derivative, and 4-MmC inhibit RyR1 channel activity by virtue of their electron donor characteristics. These results embody strong evidence that designing new drugs to target RyR1 with enhanced electron donor characteristics results in more potent channel inhibitors. This is a novel approach to the design of new, more potent drugs with the aim of functionally modifying RyR1 single-channel activity.


The book consists of three sections. The first, foundations, provides a tutorial overview of the principles underlying data mining algorithms and their application. The presentation emphasizes intuition rather than rigor. The second section, data mining algorithms, shows how algorithms are constructed to solve specific problems in a principled manner. The algorithms covered include trees and rules for classification and regression, association rules, belief networks, classical statistical models, nonlinear models such as neural networks, and local "memory-based" models. The third section shows how all of the preceding analysis fits together when applied to real-world data mining problems. Topics include the role of metadata, how to handle missing data, and data preprocessing.


A method for predicting the likelihood a mammal will respond therapeutically to a method of treating cancer comprising administering a VEGFR-2 modulator or a dual VEGFR-2 / FGFR-1 modulator wherein the method comprises: (a) measuring in the mammal the level of FGF2; (b) either comparing the level of FGF2 in the sample relative to a standard to permit assignment of the sample to either being a member of an FGF2 positive class or an FGF2 negative class, or comparing the level of FGF2 in the sample relative to a standard, wherein assignment of the mammal to the FGF2 positive sample class or a determination that the mammal has an elevated level of FGF2, indicates an increased likelihood the patient will respond therapeutically to the cancer treatment. Methods of predicting whether a mammal hasreceived an efficacious dose of a VEGFR-2 modulator or a dual VEGFR-2 / FGFR-1 modulator is also disclosed, in addition to kits comprising these methods.


Intellectual property (IP) blocks are being created for reuse and marketed as a means of reducing the development time of complex designs. This in turn leads to a reduction in time to market which results in increased profits. Alliances of companies have been formed to support an open market for IP and standards are being devised to ensure the quality of this IP. Also, a web-based network has been set up to facilitate the matching of providers and consumers. However, a significant problem still needs be addressed: namely, the widespread training of IP creators and integrators. Universities have been offering courses which involve logic synthesis and simulation using VHDL or Verilog along with verification using FPGAs. Now that standards for IP reuse are being developed, these courses need to require students to develop and integrate IP blocks which are compliant with the desired quality level. In this paper, we describe the procedure that we have begun using at the University of Tennessee to train IP creators and integrators to meet these new challenges. In addition, we propose the widespread adoption of this type of training and the development of an infrastructure to support the dissemination of IP shareware.


This assay, termed branched cascade enzymatic amplification (BCEA), can be a novel and straightforward method for sensitive and specific microRNA detection in crude cellular extracts of cancer cells at physiological temperature, by coupling two ordinary polymerases, Klenow fragment exo(-) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase.


Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most commonly encountered sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Management of AF poses a challenge due to the refractory nature of the arrhythmia and the associated thromboembolic complications. Recent studies have implicated both systemic and local cardiac inflammation in the development as well as persistence of AF. This has been validated by the occurrence of high levels of systemic markers of inflammation in patients with post operative as well as chronic AF. High levels of markers of oxidative stress have also been found in patients with chronic AF when compared with controls, indicating a role of systemic reactive oxidative species in the perpetuation of this arrhythmia. Renin angiotension system (RAS) is believed to be unregulated in AF and may contribute to the pathogenesis of AF by producing a state of cardiac or systemic oxidative stress and /or inflammation. In this review, we aim to discuss the emerging evidence linking inflammation, and oxidative stress with AF.


Life-changing illness or experiencing a catastrophic injury changes one's outlook on life. This is a story of one case manager's journey.


Five human glioma tumor lines were transplanted subcutaneously in athymic nude mice. Three of the lines (D-54 MG, U-118 MG, and U-251 MG) were derived from permanent human glioma cell lines, while the other two lines (N-456 and N-519) were established as direct xenografts in mice. Growth rates varied among the lines, but all were treated at a common average tumor volume of 200-300 mm3. Three drugs of known clinical activity against human anaplastic glial tumors were tested in this system. Procarbazine (PCB) produced significant responses in all five tumor lines, carmustine produced significant growth delays in two, and mithramycin produced a slight growth delay in only one. A carmustine-PCB combination produced a greater therapeutic effect than either agent alone against D-54 MG, but the combination was no more effective than PCB alone against U-118 MG. These results parallel clinical experience and indicate that this is a useful model for testing agents of potential activity in brain tumor therapy.


The electron density distribution of Al6 Mn has been studied by a single-crystal x-ray diffraction method. The maximum-entropy method (MEM) is used to construct the electron density distribution (EDD). In the EDD maps, strong covalent bonds between Al atoms and Mn atoms are visible. The number of electrons belonging to each atom and the charge transfer from Al atoms to an Mn atom have been derived from the EDD maps. The negative valence was estimated to be -1.46 for an Mn atom. This negative valence can be understood to be the charge transfer due to the covalent bond with a strong ionic character. These results were compared with pair-potential calculations and band-structure calculations.


Purpose of review Moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a common finding in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this review, we summarize the current evidence on the optimal management of this condition. Recent findings In recent years, several randomized clinical trials have assessed the impact of concomitant restrictive mitral annuloplasty at the time of CABG on reverse left ventricular remodeling, IMR reduction and clinical outcomes. Summary Surgical revascularization alone is a conservative strategy that reduces IMR in a significant proportion of patients. Concomitant restrictive annuloplasty provides better relief of mitral regurgitation in the immediate postoperative period, at the cost of increased perioperative morbidity. The only major randomized trial on the issue of moderate IMR published to date showed no difference in reverse left ventricular remodeling at 1 year between these two approaches. There are insufficient data in the literature to support the routine addition of mitral valve repair to CABG in patients with moderate IMR.


Three human Escherichia coli heat-stable peptide (STh) analogues, each containing a DOTA chelating group, were synthesized by SPPS and oxidative refolding and compared in in vitro and in vivo systems. One analogue, DOTA-F19-STh(1-19), contains an N-terminal DOTA group attached via an amide bond linkage to an STh moiety which is essentially wild-type except for a Tyr to Phe alteration at position 19 of the molecule. A second analogue, DOTA-R1,4,F19-STh(1-19), differs from the first in that asparagine residues in positions 1 and 4 have been altered to arginine residues in order to examine the effect of positively charged groups in the linker domain. A third analogue, DOTA-11AUN-F19-STh(1-19), differs from the first in that it incorporates an 11-aminoundecanoic acid spacer group between the DOTA group and the first asparagine residue. In vitro competitive binding assays utilizing T-84 human colon cancer cells demonstrated that significant alterations to the N-terminal region of the STh molecule were well tolerated and did not significantly affect binding affinity of STh for the guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) receptor. Internalization and efflux studies of the indium-labeled species demonstrated that inclusion of positive charge in the linker moiety inhibits internalization of the compound within tumor cells. The characteristics of the three analogues were compared in an in vivo model utilizing T-84 human colon cancer cell xenografts in SCID mice. Clearance of all analogues was rapid, primarily via renal excretion into the urine, with >89% ID excreted into the urine at 1 h pi for all analogues. The 111In-DOTA-R1,4,F19-STh(1-19) and 111In-DOTA-11AUN-F19-STh(1-19) analogues both had longer residence times in the blood than did the 111In-DOTA-F19-STh(1-19) analogue, probably accounting for increased %ID/g values for tumors and nontarget tissues at 1 h pi. At 4 h pi, significant differences between analogues were only seen with respect to metabolic routes of excretion, indicating that increased blood residence time did not result in increased tumor residualization. Reduction of hepatic uptake of these compounds, however, could have significance in the development of agents for the imaging of hepatic metastases. The ability to manipulate in vivo pharmacodynamics and tumor uptake of radiolabeled STh peptides through modification of linker moieties is under continuing investigation in order to produce optimal imaging and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals.


To provide a small area, a small number of components of simple structure, low current consumption and high productivity of current storage circuit. Application of the current storage circuit in a current-driven type display device such as an OLED display device, the aperture ratio of the pixel can be improved and the reliability of the display device and highly functional display device. Feature of the present invention is the use of new semiconductor transistor element having the shape of a plurality of drain or source. When the semiconductor element and the drive element for writing element, by only two semiconductor elements can be achieved, and read into memory and the current value of the output current, it is easy to significantly reduce the area occupied by the device.


Background Computed tomography (CT) of the brain is performed with high local doses due to high demands on low contrast resolution. Advanced algorithms for noise reduction might be able to preserve critical image information when reducing radiation dose. Purpose To evaluate the effect of advanced noise filtering on image quality in brain CT acquired with reduced radiation dose. Material and Methods Thirty patients referred for non-enhanced CT of the brain were examined with two helical protocols: normal dose (ND, CTDIvol 57 mGy) and low dose (LD, CTDIvol 40 mGy) implying a 30% radiation dose reduction. Images from the LD examinations were also postprocessed with a noise reduction software with non-linear filters (SharpView CT), creating filtered low dose images (FLD) for each patient. The three image stacks for each patient were presented side by side in randomized order. Five radiologists, blinded for dose level and filtering, ranked these three axial image stacks (ND, LD, FLD) as best to poorest (1 to 3) regarding three image quality criteria. Measurements of mean Hounsfield units (HU) and standard deviation (SD) of the HU were calculated for large region of interest in the centrum semiovale as a measure for noise. Results Ranking results in pooled data showed that the advanced noise filtering significantly improved the image quality in FLD as compared to LD images for all tested criteria. No significant differences in image quality were found between ND examinations and FLD. However, there was a notable inter-reader spread of the ranking. SD values were 15% higher for LD as compared to ND and FLD. Conclusion The advanced noise filtering clearly improves image quality of CT examinations of the brain. This effect can be used to significantly lower radiation dose.


In nuclear fusion research, the effective ion charge Zeff, which characterizes the overall content of impurities, can be experimentally derived from the plasma electron-ion bremsstrahlung, given the electron density ne and temperature Te. At Wendelstein 7-X, a multichannel near-infrared spectrometer is installed to collect the plasma bremsstrahlung along 27 lines of sight covering more than half the plasma cross section, which provides information on Zeff over the entire plasma radius. To infer spatially resolved Zeff profiles, a Bayesian model is developed in the Minerva framework. Zeff, ne, and Te profiles are modeled as Gaussian processes, whose smoothness is determined by hyperparameters. These profiles are transformed to fields in Cartesian coordinates, given the poloidal magnetic flux surfaces calculated by the variational moments equilibrium code. Given all these physical quantities, the model predicts line-of-sight integrals of near-infrared bremsstrahlung spectra. The model includes the predictive (forward) models of the interferometer, Thomson scattering system, and visible and near-infrared spectrometers. Given the observations of all these diagnostics, the posterior probability distribution of Zeff profiles is calculated and shown as an inference solution. The smoothness (gradient) of the profiles is optimally chosen by Bayesian Occam's razor. Furthermore, wall reflections can significantly pollute the measurements of the plasma bremsstrahlung, which leads to over-estimation of Zeff values in the edge region. In the first results presented in this work, this problem does not appear, and the posterior samples of Zeff profiles are overall plausible and consistent with Zeff values inferred, given the data from the single-channel visible spectrometer.


The Statistical Reasoning Assessment or SRA is one of the first instruments developed to assess students' statistical reasoning. Published in 1998 (Garfield, 1998a), it became widely available after the Garfield (2003) publication. Empirical studies applying SRA by Garfield and co-authors brought forward two intriguing puzzles: the 'gender puzzle', and the puzzle of 'non-existing relations with course performances'. This present study aims to address those two puzzles, and in doing so to contribute to the validation of SRA, by applying the instrument to a relative large group of students participating in an introductory statistics class. Different from earlier empirical studies, we administered the SRA at the start of our course, what enables us to study the role of preconceptions, both being correct and incorrect in nature, in learning statistics. Findings in this study suggest that both puzzles may be understood in terms of differences in effort students invest in studying: students with strong effort-based learning approaches tend to have lower correct reasoning scores, and higher misconception scores, than students with different learning approaches. Implications of these findings for statistics education are discussed.


Companies with consumer orientation have the opportunity to easier recognize and satisfy the needs of their clients, which combined with a correct offer is a premise for ensuring a desired level of client satisfaction. From the point of view of the business, it is important to determine the consumer orientation, the way it can be measured, and is it justified for the companies to strive to satisfy their clients. The multi-layer character of the consumer orientation requires its conceptualization and operationalisation in the concrete context for a correct measuring of its effect on the client satisfaction. A specific focus in the paper is the considering of the opinion of the managers and employees regarding the consumer orientation and client satisfaction. On this basis the paper studies the presence, direction and strength of impact between these constructs.


This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that aerobic conditioning prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia and preserves the capacity to utilize carbohydrates and to produce lactate during heavy exercise in late gestation. The effects of closely monitored cycle ergometer conditioning (heart rate = 143 +/- 2 beats/min, 25 min/day, 3 days/week) during the second and third trimesters were studied in 18 previously sedentary women (exercised group, EG). A nonexercising pregnant control group (CG, n = 9) was also studied. Data collection times for both groups were as follows: start of the second trimester (Entry), ends of the second (TM2) and third (TM3) trimesters (post-training), and 4-6 months postpartum (nonpregnant control). Respiratory gas exchange was studied and venous blood samples were obtained before, during, and after a graded cycle ergometer test that was terminated at a peak heart rate of 170 beats/min. Measurements included plasma glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, the respiratory exchange ratio at peak exercise, and peak postexercise lactate concentration. A significant aerobic conditioning effect in the EG was confirmed by a 17% increase in O2 pulse at peak exercise between Entry and TM3. As expected, values for free fatty acids in the CG rose with advancing gestational age. The CG showed a clear trend for a rise in plasma insulin with advancing gestational age, under all experimental conditions. Also, peak exercise respiratory exchange ratio and peak postexercise lactate concentration were significantly reduced in late gestation, and plasma glucose decreased significantly during and following the end of TM3 testing. Effects of pregnancy to reduce peak postexercise lactate and to reduce plasma glucose during and after exercise at the end of the third trimester were significantly attenuated in the EG. These effects were attributed to attenuation of pregnancy-induced insulin resistance (as reflected by insulin/glucose ratio) by physical conditioning. These findings support our original experimental hypothesis that aerobic conditioning prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia and preserves the ability to utilize carbohydrate and produce lactate during heavy exercise in late gestation.


Following the IPCC guidelines (2006), the total carbon emissions (2005-2009) from energy consumption and the carbon emissions in three sectors (primary industry, secondary industry and tertiary industry) in Beijing were estimated. Results show that (1) the carbon intensity decreased year by year, and (2) the total carbon emissions and carbon emissions per capita tended to fall down when they reached to the highpoints in 2007. In order to find the path of carbon emissions reduction in the future, present paper introduced and estimated the factors (industrial structure, energy structure and energy efficiency) which had impact on the carbon emissions of Beijing.


We consider parameter estimation for a class of ARCH(∞) models, which do not necessarily have a parametric form. The estimation is based on a normalised least squares approach, where the normalisation is the weighted sum of past observations. The number of parameters estimated depends on the sample size and increases as the sample size grows. Using maximal inequalities for martingales and mixingales we derive a uniform rate of convergence for the parameter estimator. We show that the rate of convergence depends both on the number of parameters estimated and the rate that the ARCH(∞) parameters tend to zero.


Assessment of the effect of hemodialysis on myocardial contractility is complicated by variations in loading conditions that can occur during hemodialysis and by the prevalence of coronary artery disease among patients with chronic renal failure. Therefore, we used a load-independent index of left ventricular contractility, derived from analyses of the rate corrected velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcfc)-end systolic wall stress (ESWS) relationship, to study the acute effects of hemodialysis on left ventricular function in the cases of 15 pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease. Prior to dialysis, Vcfc was appropriate for ESWS (102% ± 16% of predicted) and did not differ significantly from values obtained from a group of nine normal control subjects of similar ages (103% ± 9% of predicted), indicating that the patients' left ventricles were functioning in a normal inotropic state. After dialysis, Vcfc increased to levels beyond those expected for ESWS (118% + 20% of predicted, P<.05 versus control; P <.001 versus predialysis levels), indicating that dialysis was associated with enhancement of the left ventricle's inotropic state. A statistically significant increase in plasma norepinephrine levels was also observed. However, the increase in the percentage of the predicted Vcfc did not correlate with observed changes in this inotropic agent or with dialysis-induced variations in body weight or levels of electrolytes, urea nitrogen, or creatinine, and firm conclusions regarding the identity of the factors responsible for the positive inotropic effect of hemodialysis could not be drawn.


It has been demonstrated that electric fields can minimize surface adhesion of bacteria, but how they affect the near-surface bacterial dynamics has remained largely overlooked. In the present study, the three-dimensional motions of Escherichia coli (E. coli) HCB1 and HCB1414 near a conductive surface under alternating-current (AC) electric fields were monitored with digital holographic microscopy. The period (T) of AC fields exhibited profound effects on near-surface bacterial behavioral patterns and thus affected the surface adhesiveness of E. coli. When T ≥ 1 s, HCB1 cells tumble frequently, and both two strain cells increasingly undergo subdiffusive motions compared to the case without electric fields. The bacterial density near the surface varies due to galvanotaxis depending on the initial polarization of the surface. For shorter periods (T ≤ 0.1 s), the electric fields reduce the near-surface bacterial density by 10%-20% with the surface as either an anode or a cathode. The AC fields directly disturb the intrinsic bacterial rotation. The bacterial body exhibits strong wobbling at T ≥ 1 s. Such wobbling was suppressed with decreasing T, which reduces the collisions between E. coli and the surface and thus leads to declining bacterial density. These results suggest that the use of low-density AC fields with tunable T may be a promising antifouling strategy and merits further investigations.