Tap It Out: Exploring the Role of Crossmodal Feedback on Rhythmic Sequence Production Janelle Szary University of California, Merced Eric Chiu University of California, Merced Ramesh Balasubramaniam University of California, Merced Abstract: Most everyday actions are guided by multisensory input, which bestows considerable behavioral advantages. For instance, when tapping in time to an external event (such as a metronome) one receives both tactile feedback, via contact of the effector with the contact surface, and auditory feedback, from the event itself. Previous findings demonstrate that if tactile feedback is removed when tapping in time to an external metronome, variance of timing error increases (Studenka, Zelaznik, & Balasubramaniam, 2012). The present study investigates the role of acoustic feedback on rhythmic sequence production. Participants move their dominant hand in the sagittal plane while their motion is recorded in 3D. They receive either auditory feedback, generated when their hand crosses a virtual surface, or receive no feedback. We discuss the effects of the absence of audio feedback on the variance of timing errors, and in the context of rhythmic coordination.


Background Depression often occurs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In stable COPD, the prevalence of clinical depression ranges between 10 and 42%. The risk of depression is higher in patients with severe COPD, compared with control participants, reaching up to 62%, in oxygen-dependent patients. Aim The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of depression in COPD patients. Patients and methods The present study was carried out on 100 male COPD patients and 10 female COPD patients admitted to Mansoura Chest Hospital and the chest department of Benha University Hospital during the period from 2014 to 2016. All participants were submitted to Beck's depression Inventory questionnaire. Results The degree of depression assessed by Beck's score increased significantly with the degree of COPD, use of long-term oxygen therapy, and low BMI. Conclusion The prevalence and severity of depression increase with increasing severity of COPD.


: An analysis of the work on transplanting 264 cadaver kidneys has shown a considerable decrease of delayed functions of the transplants due to an adequate anti-ischemic defense in the donor's organism and during operation in the recipient's organism. An exact scheme of medicamentous management of the potential donors and the corresponding transfusion therapy during transplantation of the kidney has reduced the percentage of delayed functions in renal transplants from 54.4 to 25.8%.


Ring dove parents share in incubation and brooding such that the male sits for a block of time toward the middle of the day and the female sits the rest of the time. In order to evaluate the role of the sexes in determining nest exchange, approaches to the nest, the timing of incubation behavior, and the topography of interactions at the nest site were continuously monitored. Most nest exchanges (87%) were initiated by the nonsitting mate. There was less variability associated with the onset of sitting by the female than by the male. The male entered the nest area repeatedly from the time of lights-on until nest exchange several hours later. In contrast, the female rarely entered the nest area when the male was sitting, and when she did approach, nest exchange usually ensued. When the male's entrances to the nest area were prevented until the usual time of nest exchange, the timing of the subsequent sitting bout and nest exchange was not altered, which indicates that male visits are not a necessary prerequisite for nest exchange. Each pair developed a cooperative interaction as incubation progressed. When mates were exchanged among physiologically synchronized pairs, a serious disruption of sitting resulted. It is concluded that behavioral synchrony between the mates in the form of each pair's bond is as necessary as physiological synchrony in maintaining intermate cooperation in parental behavior of ring doves.


We present the case of a child presenting vesicoureteral reflux after ureteral reimplantation and endoscopic treatment. In a second cistoscopy to repeat endoscopic treatment a new orifice in the medium third of the tunnel of the previous ureteral reimplantation was discovered. This orifice acted as a shunt and maintained reflux. The patient was treated by further occlusion of the orifice with another injection of "Dextranómero/Nasha".


© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Reuse permitted under CC BYNC. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Machine learning (ML) is a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that performs a classification, prediction and/or optimisation task. Similar to brain neurons, neural networks output a label after multiple information layers connection, resembling human thinking. AI is already influencing care in many areas, such as radiology, pathology, dermatology and ophthalmology. In ophthalmology, a variety of multimodal imaging examinations are fundamental in the screening, diagnosis and monitoring of diseases and provide data input for AI development. Some applications, such as the IDx Technologies (Coralville, USA) which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration 3 years ago, are already used in clinical practice as a screening tool. 3 Surprisingly, algorithms can even predict gender, age and cardiovascular risk through retinal images. 4 5 AI may reduce subjectivity and interobserver disagreement in clinical practice. Especially in lowincome (LIC) and lowtomediumincome countries (LMIC), preventable blindness causes such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and agerelated macular degeneration could be prevented with screening programmes, home monitoring systems or telemedicine. AIbased screening could systematise screening and improve eye care in remote areas. ML requires highquality, welllabelled, representative and large datasets, but at present, ophthalmological MLready datasets are only available in a few countries. One hundred seventytwo countries do not have representation in training and validation cohorts. Although data from all world countries are a distant goal, equivalent representation of all continents, ethnicities and the maximum number of countries is desired to reduce ML bias. Demographic information and other social determinants of health are typically not contained in these datasets, making it challenging to interrogate algorithms for bias. 8 Highquality data are also fundamental for environmentalspecific algorithm validation, which is essential before AI implementation. Available automated DR algorithm performance varies considerably in performance in the real world due to limited training data, including heterogeneity in disease presentations and suboptimal image quality. In addition, diverse sociodemographic and ethnic representation are necessary if generalisability is a goal. In LICs and LMICs, there is a growing gap between the ophthalmologist workforce and the population size. Twothirds of ophthalmologists live in only 17 countries and in those countries, most practice in the urban centres. AI applications can expand access to eye care and may reduce preventable blindness, which is currently 80% of cases. In addition to diversifying datasets to build AI technology in healthcare, we must invest in building capacity for health informatics and data science across countries. International collaboration between research groups should be incentivised to narrow disparities in AI research in order to reduce world blindness.


The computer architecture and organization course is essential in all computer science and engineering programs, and the most selected and liked elective course for related engineering disciplines. However, the attractiveness brings a new challenge, it requires a lot of effort by the instructor, to explain rather complicated concepts to beginners or to those who study related disciplines. The usage of visual simulators can improve both the teaching and learning processes. The overall goal is twofold: 1)~to enable a visual environment to explain the basic concepts and 2)~to increase the student's willingness and ability to learn the material. A lot of visual simulators have been used for the computer architecture and organization course. However, due to the lack of visual simulators for simulation of the cache memory concepts, we have developed a new visual simulator EDUCache simulator. In this paper we present that it can be effectively and efficiently used as a supporting tool in the learning process of modern multi-layer, multi-cache and multi-core multi-processors. EDUCache's features enable an environment for performance evaluation and engineering of software systems, i.e. the students will also understand the importance of computer architecture building parts and hopefully, will increase their curiosity for hardware courses in general.


Dear Editor, cyproterone acetate (CPA) is an anti-androgenic medication with progestin like properties. It is used in treating acne, hirsutism, poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and in birth control pills in females and in prostate cancer in males. It is used with or without ethinyl estradiol and works by suppressing the action of testosterone on the tissues. This drug gained popularity as it was the first anti-androgen drug.  Despite its efficacy, it is not free from side effects including headache, migraine, depression, weight gain, and elevated liver enzymes(1). Although unavailable in the United States, cyproterone acetate has been used internationally for many years.(2)
However, some recent studies published on this drug have raised serious concerns. A study by Weill et Al. pointed out the association between use of high doses of cyproterone acetate and intracranial meningiomas in women(3).  In this cohort study, a crude relative risk of 5.2 (95% CI 3.2 to 8.6) and adjusted hazard ratio of 6.6 (95% CI 4.0 to 11.1) was found between CPA and meningiomas. This relation was dose dependent, and the risk decreased when discontinued the use of CPA. This is not the only study that reported these relations. A study carried out by Gil, in as early as 2011, pointed out a similar causal connection(4), but had less impact due to low power. Moreover, people exposed  to CPA experienced earlier onset of meningioma.(5).
This worrying revelation raises the question, is the drug safe to be prescribed.
CPA is easily available in Pakistan like many other countries. Hyperandrogenic disorders are high in Pakistan and physicians find this drug effective against those conditions. We suggest that this drug be prescribed with caution and in low doses. CPA therapy conjugated with estradiol should be preferred as it had fewer adverse effects. The patients who take CPA in high doses should be made aware of the high risks of the drug. If prolonged use is necessary, regular MRIs should be considered and prompt measures should be taken in case of any unprecedented finding. In patients with a history of meningiomas, this drug should be strictly restricted. Many other drugs, such as spironolactone(6) are being tested for use as a safety relay for CPA. However, more extensive research is required to find safe alternatives for cyproterone acetate.


With the current high consumption of fossil fuels and the rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, there is a strong need for energy efficient and selective capture of CO2 from fossil-fuelled power plants and other large industrial sources. Among the various adsorbents explored by the scientific community for CO2 removal from flue gases, graphene is receiving increased attention because of its unique molecular structure and many exciting properties such as high mechanical strength, excellent thermal conductivity, good chemical stability, large accessible surface area, and tunable porosity. In addition, the facile surface functionalization of graphene leads to production of innovative graphene-based materials that have the potential to be applied as advanced next-generation CO2 adsorbents. As a consequence, graphene and its derivatives have been the subject of intense experimental investigations and theoretical studies in recent years, probing their unmatched structural versatility for CO2 abatement. This review aims at bringing together the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cross-disciplinary field of graphene-mediated CO2 adsorption and it provides new research directions for making further advances toward practical deployment of graphene-based CO2 adsorbents.


Two new Schiff base acids, namely benzylidene glycine(I) and salicylidene ß- alanine(II)  were  prepared  by  new  procedure  using  sodium  hydroxide  as catalyst.
The main aim of the project was the determination of pKa values for these acidic imines using conductivity method, the method as found simple, precise and accurate for determination of pKa of compounds, All conductivities parameters of benzylidene glycine and salicylidene ß-alanine and their sodium salts in deionized water were mentioned . The variation of acidities of acids(I) and(II) were also included. The thermodynamic  reactions parameters namely ∆G°, ∆H and ∆S° for these ionization reactions of acids were discussed and interpreted .


Evaluation of conformity of major commodity food industries to sanitation standards was carried out. Major fourteen food industries were investigated include dairy industry, bakery, beverage factory, fish processing industry, brewery, cereal processing and fruit canning industry. The survey shows that most Nigerian food industries were designed, constructed and operated without sufficient consideration for many important sanitary factors and without adequate facilities of the right kind or the type of conditions which would promote good personal hygiene and impeccable plant sanitation. Few of the industries performed satisfactorily in some of the area investigated while four companies attained the minimum standard specified in this survey on all overall basis. Much more attention needs to be paid to rodent and pest control, water treatment, waste disposal and utilization.


Background This study aimed to investigate whether lupeol could inhibit the inflammatory mediators associated with the regulation of macrophage phenotypes and functions in rats with diet-induced metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods Forty specific-pathogen-free Sprague Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks to establish an MS model. Lupeol was prepared and administered to the rats intraperitoneally at 20, 50, or 100 mg/kg (the lupeol 20 mg/kg, lupeol 50 mg/kg, and lupeol 100 mg/kg groups respectively). After 28 days of continuous intraperitoneal administration, rats were anesthesia and euthanasia. The obesity index, blood glucose and lipid metabolism indexes of rats in each group were measured. The levels of insulin and inflammatory factors in each group were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The pathological changes of liver tissue in rats were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and oil red O staining. The polarization levels of M1 and M2 macrophages in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The transcription levels of M1 and M2 macrophages markers were detected by qRT-PCR. The expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and arginase-1 (Arg-1) proteins in heart tissues of rats in each group were analyzed by Western blotting. Results Lupeol significantly recovered fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels, and reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), in the liver. It also elevated the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-4 and IL-10, in the MS model. Further, after treatment with lupeol, the levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were decreased, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were increased. Importantly, in the MS model group, lupeol remarkably inhibited M1 macrophages polarization (F4/80+iNOS+) while elevating M2 macrophages polarization (F4/80+CD206+) remarkably. At the same time, the levels of M1 markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, were markedly inhibited, while those of M2 markers, such as arginase-1, IL-10, CD206, and TGF-β, were markedly elevated in the MS model rats. Conclusions Lupeol might promote M2 polarization of macrophages to relieve damage caused by MS.


Background: Initiatives to improve end-of-life care are hampered by our nascent understanding of what quality care means to patients and their families. The primary purpose of this study was to describe what seriously ill patients in hospital and their family members consider to be the key elements of quality end-of-life care. Methods: After deriving a list of 28 elements related to quality end-of-life care from existing literature, focus groups with experts and interviews with patients, we administered a face-to-face questionnaire to older patients with advanced cancer and chronic end-stage medical disease and their family members in 5 hospitals across Canada to assess their perspectives on the importance. We compared differences in ratings across various subgroups of patients and family members. Results: Of 569 eligible patients and 176 family members, 440 patients (77%) and 160 relations (91%) agreed to participate. The elements rated as "extremely important" most frequently by the patients were "To have trust and confidence in the doctors looking after you" (55.8% of respondents), "Not to be kept alive on life support when there is little hope for a meaningful recovery" (55.7%), "That information about your disease be communicated to you by your doctor in an honest manner" (44.1%) and "To complete things and prepare for life's end — life review, resolving conflicts, saying goodbye" (43.9%). Significant differences in ratings of importance between patient groups and between patients and their family members were found for many elements of care. Interpretation: Seriously ill patients and family members have defined the importance of various elements related to quality end-of-life care. The most important elements related to trust in the treating physician, avoidance of unwanted life support, effective communication, continuity of care and life completion. Variation in the perception of what matters the most indicates the need for customized or individualized approaches to providing end-of-life care.


Objective: To identify whether red blood cell distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) and mean platelet volume (MPV) levels can predict clomiphene citrate resistance (CC-R) in infertile, anovulatory females with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Methods: A total of 89 infertile patients who were admitted to a tertiary center diagnosed with non-obese PCOS were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: the first group comprised 53 non-obese patients with PCOS and CC-R, and the second group included 36 non-obese patients with PCOS and CC-S. RDW-CV, RDW-SD, and MPV values, along with routine whole blood count parameters were compared between the groups. Results: RDW-CV values were found to be significantly higher in the patients with CC-R compared to those with CC-S (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were found to be 69%, 58.1%, 34.5%, and 12.5%, respectively, at an RDW-CV level of 12.85. The odds ratio was calculated as 3.077 (95% CI 1.245–7.603) in terms of the cut-off point. Conclusion: We think that RDW-CV which is a marker of inflammation is a simple, cheap, and accessible marker for the prediction of CC resistance.


We have recently demonstrated by electron microscopic cytochemical methods that unfixed human fibroblasts exhibit intense MG2+ dependent adenosine triphosphatase (nATPase) activity in circumscribed areas of the cell nucleoli. The nATPase was specific for ATP and dATP and was inhibited by other ribonucleoside triphosphates. Its intranucleolar localization relative to nucleolar chromatin, and segregation into nucleolar zones after actinomycin treatment of the cells, suggested that the reaction took place in fibrillar centers. This ATPase has now been further characterized by electron microscopic cytochemistry. It was determined that short fixation permitted retention of most of the ATPase activity, and that the enzyme was active at high ionic strength (up to 400 mM KCl), but that the enzyme activity was very sensitive to elevated temperatures. DNA dependence of the enzyme was shown by inhibition of the reaction by DNase pretreatment in parallel with the removal of DNA from the cell, while pretreatment with RNase had no significant effect. The nATPase activity was also selectively inhibited by treatment of the cells with antagonists of the B subunit of DNA gyrase, novobiocin, and coumermycin, but not by nalidixic or oxolinic acids, which interfere with the A subunit of gyrase. Inhibitors of RNA synthesis, actinomycin D and aminonucleoside of puromycin, potentiate rather than inhibit nATPase reaction. The results suggest that nATPase functions to alter the degree of supercoiling or catenation of nucleolar organizer DNA, and is in reality a DNA topoisomerase that hydrolyzes ATP during its action.


To test the feasibility of administering the GnRH antagonist [(Ac-pClPhe1,pClPhe2,DTrp3,DArg6,DAla10) GnRH] intermittently to inhibit ovulation, this agent was given to normal ovulatory cynomolgus monkeys once weekly for 4 weeks. Ovulation was blocked in all females (eight of eight) throughout the 32 study weeks and resumed within 14.3 +/- 3.8 (+/- SEM) days in six of eight primates. Interestingly, mean tonic serum estradiol levels were not significantly reduced during treatment. Conversely, although midcycle levels of estradiol were not found, moderate estradiol levels occurred but they did not elicit preovulatory LH surges during the week after GnRH antagonist injection. In a second study directed at clarifying the mechanism(s) by which estrogen-induced LH surges were blocked, monkeys received GnRH antagonist in the early through the midfollicular phase of the menstrual cycle during which an estrogen (n = 3) or a GnRH (n = 4) challenge test was given on cycle day 6. Among monkeys receiving estradiol benzoate or a bolus dose of GnRH during the GnRH antagonist regimen, only those given GnRH (four of four monkeys) had increased LH secretion. These responses were similar to those of control monkeys (n = 3). Indeed, the pituitary was refractory (three of three monkeys) to estrogen-positive feedback for the LH surge. These findings indicate the potential utility of intermittent GnRH antagonist treatment to achieve contraception by ovulation inhibition, without creating a severely hypoestrogenic milieu attendant with the risks of negative sequelae effecting bone calcium loss, hot flushes, and atrophy of estrogen-dependent genital tissues.


Clinical symptoms and biochemical findings related to liver dysfunction are not generally reported among the presentation features of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in infancy and childhood. To our knowledge this is the first paper reporting two children with a clinical and biochemical picture of hepatic glycogenosis at the presentation of T1DM. In both cases at beginning of insulin therapy liver function and dimensions were absolutely normal, even though glycometabolic status had been severely altered for many days at T1DM onset. Both hepatomegaly and aminotransferase abnormalities were first found only some days after the institution of treatment with supraphysiological insulin doses. In both patients the improvement of glycometabolic control under insulin therapy was followed within some weeks by a complete physical and biochemical recovery, as typically reported in hepatic glycogenosis. These case reports demonstrate that hepatic glycogenosis can occur at any stage of T1DM and may even be one of its earliest manifestations, together with those classically reported at the onset of T1DM. Since long-standing hyperglycaemia and overinsulinisation are metabolic pre-requisites for hepatic glycogen storage, liver glycogenosis should be expected to be not uncommon during the first phases of T1DM, especially in the cases who are initially treated with supraphysiological insulin doses.


ABSTRACT International education options have expanded in most school systems around the world with promises of curricular innovation. However, there has been limited attention given to the consequences of this shift for social inequalities embedded in pre-existing institutional hierarchies. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, a two-year high school curriculum, has been prominent among recent private curricula, centred on notions of international mindedness and global preparedness. This article seeks to examine the consequences of the presence of the IB Diploma in a school system that is socioeconomically and academically stratified and shaped by strategies of academic distinction focused on local hierarchies. Using quantitative data on IB Diploma students and schools in Australia, it analyses the interaction of the IB Diploma with social inequalities in a system that combines a high level of between-school stratification and a comprehensive (unified) curriculum. We show how the IB Diploma has been successfully used by socially dominant and academically powerful families to consolidate their academic capital and secure educational advantage, thus contributing to the reproduction of social inequality in domestic circuits of schooling. Against its perceived innovative status, the IB Diploma has paradoxically contributed to fostering traditional forms of schooling – including within-school tracking – and a narrowing of the curriculum – including through its strong focus on examinations. It is argued that the social impact of emerging international curriculum options can only be adequately understood if they are simultaneously contextualised within historically constituted local school and curriculum hierarchies.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a risk-based intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis strategy for the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease.

STUDY DESIGN
Cases and controls were selected from infants born to women with one or more risk factors: preterm labor or rupture of membranes, prolonged rupture of membranes (>18 hours), fever during labor, or previous child with group B streptococcal disease. Cases were matched with controls by birth hospital and gestational age. Data abstracted from medical records were analyzed to estimate the effectiveness of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis.

RESULTS
We analyzed data from 109 cases and 207 controls. Nineteen (17%) case versus 69 (33%) control mothers received an acceptable regimen of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. In adjusted analyses, the effectiveness of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis was 86% (95% confidence interval, 66%-94%). When the first dose of antibiotics was given > or =2 hours before delivery, the effectiveness increased to 89% (95% confidence interval, 70%-96%); when it was given within 2 hours of delivery, the effectiveness was 71% (95% confidence interval, -8%-92%). Effectiveness was lowest in mothers with intrapartum fever (72%, 95% confidence interval, -9%-93%). On the basis of a 70% prevalence of maternal risk factors expected among cases in the absence of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, we estimate that the risk-based strategy could reduce early-onset group B streptococcal disease by 60%.

CONCLUSIONS
The risk-based approach to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is effective in preventing early-onset group B streptococcal disease. To achieve the maximum preventive effect, the first dose of antibiotics should be administered at least 2 hours before delivery.


CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE
Stroke is a relevant issue within public health and requires epidemiological surveillance tools. The aim here was to validate a questionnaire for evaluating individuals with stroke symptoms in the Stroke Morbidity and Mortality Study (Estudo de Mortalidade e Morbidade do Acidente Vascular Cerebral, EMMA), São Paulo, Brazil.

DESIGN AND SETTING
This was a cross-sectional study performed among a sample of the inhabitants of Butantã, an area in the western zone of the city of São Paulo.

METHODS
For all households in the coverage area of a primary healthcare unit, household members over the age of 35 years answered a stroke symptom questionnaire addressing limb weakness, facial weakness, speech problems, sensory disorders and impaired vision. Thirty-six participants were randomly selected for a complete neurological examination (gold standard).

RESULTS
Considering all the questions in the questionnaire, the sensitivity was 72.2%, specificity was 94.4%, positive predictive value was 92.9% and negative predictive value was 77.3%. The positive likelihood ratio was 12.9, the negative likelihood ratio was 0.29 and the kappa coefficient was 0.67. Limb weakness was the most sensitive symptom, and speech problems were the most specific.

CONCLUSIONS
The stroke symptom questionnaire is a useful tool and can be applied by trained interviewers with the aim of identifying community-dwelling stroke patients, through the structure of the Family Health Program.


The administration of high quality colostrum reduces preweaning morbidity, mortality and, therefore, economic losses related to replacement animals. It also stimulates and improves calf growth, increasing milk production and longevity of the future dairy cows. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of breed and parity of the dam on colostrum quality, and of breed and gender of the calf, and time from calf birth to the administration of the first colostrum meal on the transfer of passive immunity to the calf by the field test of the Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) on calf serum. A further objective was to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the field FPT test through a second laboratory phase improving the turbidity evaluation. The amount of IgG fed to calves (IgG concentration multiplied by the volume of colostrum administered) was influenced by dam parity as significant differences (P < 0.05) were detected between firstand fourth-parity cows, and between secondand fourth-parity cows. The administration of good quality colostrum (IgG > 50 mg/ml) between 5 and 9 h of life was able to reduce the risk of FPT more effectively than the administration performed within the first 4 h of life. However, further studies on larger sample size is needed to confirm the present findings. The spectrophotometric measurements confirmed the results obtained by the field turbidity test at 14% sodium sulphite dilution. It would be interesting in future to expand the dataset and validate the spectrophometric method.


Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive disease with rapid degeneration. Respite care is an essential service for improving the well-being of both patients with this disease and their family caregivers, but accessibility of respite services is limited. This study investigates perspectives on respite admission among people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the hospitals supporting them. Method: We conducted semistructured interviews among 3 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 12 family members, exploring demographic information and their awareness and experience of respite admission. We also interviewed 16 representatives from hospitals about awareness of and preparation for respite admission for patients with this disease, the role of regional networks for intractable diseases, and knowledge about communication support schemes. Results: We found significant differences in the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale between patients who had and had not received respite admission. Qualitative analysis of the data indicated that respite admission was a contributory factor in continuing and stabilizing home care. Limited provision of social services and hospital care quality were barriers to respite admission. Conclusion: Respite admission was essential to continued home care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Severe-stage patients were eligible for respite admission. Its accessibility, however, was limited, especially for patients living in rural areas. Supporting hospitals had limited capacity to respond to patients' needs. Individualized care and communication were internal barriers to respite admission.


The article presents the results of the study of the unity of the physic and spirit in shaping a healthy lifestyle according to the world-famous outstanding scientist Albert Einstein based on the materials of rare publications about the life and works of scientists and athletes, including Olympic champions. The paper shows the deep inner connection between the healthy lifestyle and the worldvie,  uses the sources studying the life and works that have not got much publicity or consideration in the literature devoted to the healthy lifestyle and physical culture.


We study coherent backscattering of intense laser light from three immobile two-level atoms using the master equation approach. The master equation is solved analytically, and the triple scattering spectrum is expressed in quadratures. We show that this solution can be obtained via a self-consistent combination of single-atom spectral responses, and is equivalent to the solution following from the diagrammatic pump-probe approach. We deduce the general expressions for single-atom building blocks which can be used in simulations of multiple inelastic scattering of laser light in the bulk atomic medium.


A 29-year-old lady with a bad obstetric history and portal vein thrombosis, presented to the Skin OPD for facial lesions. On examination, angiofibromas on face, shagreen patch and periungual fibromas were observed. She also had dental pits and a retinal hamartoma. Investigations revealed hamartomas in the brain and kidney. Hematological work-up showed protein C and S deficiency with Factor V Leiden positivity. Except for the cutaneous symptoms, the patient did not have any clinical manifestations in other organs affected by tuberous sclerosis. A similar association of tuberous sclerosis with protein C deficiency has been reported in only one case in literature.


BBC documentaries about Third World countries, their problems, and what talented, devoted people with missionary zeal from the developed world are doing about them are common. Unfortunately, they perpetuate the erroneous impression that people from the developing world are helpless dimwits waiting to be delivered from their tribulations.

QED's "Lifeline Express" is another documentary in this genre. The Englishman Sir John Wilson, his wife Jean, and Voltas, an Indian public limited company, seem to be the moving force behind the hospital train which travels between Indian villages, holding health camps that bring "hope to the hopeless."

The film begins with the story of Bismilla, a 7 year old girl who has only ever crawled because of poliomyelitis which she had when she was …


The scientific ascent of humankind comes in two forms: incremental progress with traditional thinking, and paradigm transition. The latter typically engenders intense debate, often long lasting, before the transition of the paradigm is deemed acceptable. The magnetospheric discipline is no exception, especially in view of the sparse observations available to reach conclusive theory‐data closure. Scientific controversies serve an important role in identifying significant unresolved issues for progress to be made. This review highlights key issues on four controversies present in magnetospheric physics: (1) the on‐and‐off debate on whether the magnetic field combined with the plasma bulk flow or the electric field combined with the current density is the primary quantity in treating magnetospheric problems; (2) the proper interpretation of transient dayside magnetospheric phenomena, i.e., whether they are related to flux transfer events, plasma transfer events, or solar wind pressure pulses; (3) the physical processes responsible for substorm onset; and (4) justifications for substorms or enhanced magnetospheric convection as the cause of magnetic storms. In issue 1 the merits and limitations of the two approaches are expounded. In issue 2 the predicted similarities and differences between the three interpretations are summarized. In issue 3 the strengths and weaknesses of prominent existing substorm models are elaborated on. In issue 4 the two contributors to storms are recognized and combined. Each controversy has an element of a paradigm transition. The resolutions of these controversies appear to also have one common element in that the presumption of only one theory to be correct may not be valid; a synthesis of existing theories may provide a better understanding of all features associated with the phenomenon.


We analyze per capita GDP convergence among Colombian departments between 2000 and 2016 using the distribution dynamics approach. Compared with previous studies, we provide a more complete view by including some additional information such as the asymptotic half-life of convergence, mobility indices and the continuous version of the ergodic distributions. In addition, we also extend the analysis to evaluate whether patterns could differ if weighted by either the population living in each department or their economic sizes, together with the existence and magnitude of spatial spillovers. The unweighted, unconditional analysis corroborates and supplements previous findings, especially those indicating that convergence patterns differ strongly under either pre-2008 or post-2008 trends. Both the weighted and space-conditioned analyses indicate that convergence could be much faster when these factors are introduced in the analysis. Implications are especially relevant when weighting by population, since results indicate that the number of people escaping from relative poverty would be much higher than the figure predicted by the unweighted analysis.


We take Shunde District, Foshan City in Guangdong Province for example, to carry out SWOT analysis of urban greening maintenance and management. The strengths of greening management and maintenance in Shunde District are as follows: (i) The greening area and quality are continuously improved in the downtown of Shunde District; (ii) The management and maintenance work is carried out well; (iii) The management and maintenance level tends to be increasingly perfected. The weaknesses of greening management and maintenance are as follows: (i) The fees for greening management and maintenance are very low; (ii) There is corner as yet untouched in the junction of some town streets; (iii) The greening management and maintenance technicians are unprofessional; (iv) The greening management is not in place; (v) There is management vacancy phenomenon in the management and maintenance of regional green space; (vi) The design and construction phase is flawed. Finally, based on the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of greening, we put forth the recommendations for the development of management and maintenance in urban green space.


Room-temperature photoluminescence and optical transmittance spectroscopy of Co-doped (1 × 1014, 5 × 1016, and 1 × 1017 cm−2) and Cu-doped (5 × 1016 cm−2) ZnO wafers irradiated by D—D neutrons (fluence of 2.9 × 1010 cm−2) have been investigated. After irradiation, the Co or Cu metal and oxide clusters in doped ZnO wafers are dissolved, and the wurtzite structure of ZnO substrate for each sample remains unchanged and keeps in high c-axis preferential orientation. The degree of irradiation-induced crystal disorder reflected from the absorption band tail parameter (E0) is far greater for doped ZnO than the undoped one. Under the same doping concentration, the Cu-doped ZnO wafer has much higher irradiation-induced disorder than the Co-doped one. Photoluminescence measurements indicate that the introduction rate of both the zinc vacancy and the zinc interstitial is much higher for the doped ZnO wafer with a high doping level than the undoped one. In addition, both crystal lattice distortion and defect complexes are suggested to be formed in doped ZnO wafers. Consequently, the Co- or Cu-doped ZnO wafer (especially with a high doping level) exhibits very low radiation hardness compared with the undoped one, and the Cu-doped ZnO wafer is much less radiation-hard than the Co-doped one.


A feedback-based adaptive network is described wherein at least a portion of the network elements report operating information relating to network conditions to a centralized data store. The information which is reported to the data store is analyzed by a policy engine which includes a plurality of application specific plug-in policies for analyzing selected information from the data store and for computing updated control information based upon the analysis of the information. The updated control information is fed back to selected network elements to thereby affect operation of the selected elements. Additionally the adaptive, feedback-based network of the present invention may include a network quality monitoring system for evaluating performance characteristics or other aspects of the network based upon predetermined standards or criteria.


"Magic Stones" documents, in stunning and evocative photographs, our ancestors' obsession with stone. Throughout Europe stone has been used to create dwellings for the living and the dead, as a canvas for our earliest art, to celebrate the heavens and in ways that are still, even today, beyond our understanding. From the sun-drenched temples of Malta and the great tombs and alignments of Brittany to the labyrinths of icy Finland, this fascinating book explores these stones in their landscape, as part of nature and as a powerful reminder that, thousands of years on, they still hold a certain magic and mystery. This is the most wide-ranging photographic record of ancient European stone structures published to date. It is an inspirational celebration of the beliefs and achievements of our ancient ancestors. It features an authoritative introduction by leading archaeologist Julian Richards.


Fullerene (C60) containing cross-linked poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) polymers (CFPH) with varying C60 content were synthesized by free radical polymerization. The fullerene content in the cross-linked polymers was determined by TGA analysis. The swelling properties of these fullerene containing hydrogels (CFPH) were studied in distilled water (pH=7.2) at room temperature (25 o C) and compared to the corresponding hydrogel without fullerene (CPHEMA). The equilibrium swelling ratio is lower for the fullerene containing hydrogels (54.68% and 40.0% for hydrogels having 6.0 wt% and 18.0 wt% fullerene respectively) due to the presence of hydrophobic fullerene moieties inside the hydrogels than that of the hydrogel (68.75%) without fullerene. The hydrophobic fullerene nanomaterials acting as inherent nanofillers obstruct the path of water permeation inside the polymers thereby taking more time to achieve equilibrium swelling for fullerene containing hydrogels than that of the hydrogel without fullerene. The kinetics of swelling behavior of such fullerene containing cross-linked hydrogels (CFPH) was observed to follow Fickian behavior. Increase of temperature and ionic strength of the medium decrease the water uptake capacity of the fullerene containing cross-linked hydrogels. Fullerene containing hydrogels may be useful in drug delivery system and other biomedical applications. Copyright © 2014 VBRI press.


Background The respiratory illnesses caused by influenza virus can be dramatically reduced by vaccination. The current trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine is effective in eliciting systemic virus-specific antibodies sufficient to control viral replication. However, influenza protection generated after parenteral immunization could be improved by the induction of mucosal immune responses. Methodology/Principal Findings Transcutaneous immunization, a non-invasive vaccine delivery method, was used to investigate the quality, duration and effectiveness of the immune responses induced in the presence of inactivated influenza virus co-administered with retinoic acid or oleic acid. We observed an increased migration of dendritic cells to the draining lymph nodes after dermal vaccination. Here we demonstrate that this route of vaccine delivery in combination with certain immunomodulators can induce potent immune responses that result in long-term protective immunity. Additionally, mice vaccinated with inactivated virus in combination with retinoic acid show an enhanced sIgA antibody response, increased number of antibody secreting cells in the mucosal tissues, and protection from a higher influenza lethal dose. Conclusions/Significance The present study demonstrates that transdermal administration of inactivated virus in combination with immunomodulators stimulates dendritic cell migration, results in long-lived systemic and mucosal responses that confer effective protective immunity.


Persistent impairment of pulmonary defense reflexes is a critical factor contributing to pulmonary complications in patients with spinal cord injuries. The pulmonary chemoreflex evoked by activation of bronchopulmonary C-fibers has been reported to be abolished in animals with acute cervical hemisection (C2Hx). The present study examined whether the pulmonary chemoreflex can recover during the chronic injury phase and investigated the role of bronchopulmonary C-fibers on the altered breathing pattern after C2Hx. In the first protocol, bronchopulmonary C-fibers were excited by intrajugular capsaicin administration in uninjured and complete C2Hx animals 8 wk postsurgery. Capsaicin evoked pulmonary chemoreflexes in both groups, but the reflex intensity was significantly weaker in C2Hx animals. To examine whether spared spinal white matter tissue contributes to pulmonary chemoreflex recovery, the reflex was evaluated in animals with different extents of lateral injury. Linear regression analyses revealed that tidal volume significantly correlated with the extent of spared tissue; however, capsaicin-induced apnea was not related to injury severity when the ipsilateral-to-contralateral white matter ratio was <50%. In the second protocol, the influence of background bronchopulmonary C-fiber activity on respiration was investigated by blocking C-fiber conduction via perivagal capsaicin treatment. The rapid shallow breathing of C2Hx animals persisted after perivagal capsaicin treatment despite attenuation of pulmonary chemoreflexes. These results indicate that the pulmonary chemoreflex can recover to some extent following spinal injury, but remains attenuated even when there is moderate spinal tissue sparing, and that altered breathing pattern of C2Hx animals cannot be attributed to endogenous activation of bronchopulmonary C-fibers.


Amylin is a member of the calcitonin family of hormones cosecreted with insulin by pancreatic β cells. Cell culture assays suggest that amylin could affect bone formation and bone resorption, this latter function after its binding to the calcitonin receptor (CALCR). Here we show that Amylin inactivation leads to a low bone mass due to an increase in bone resorption, whereas bone formation is unaffected. In vitro, amylin inhibits fusion of mononucleated osteoclast precursors into multinucleated osteoclasts in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. Although Amylin +/− mice like Amylin-deficient mice display a low bone mass phenotype and increased bone resorption, Calcr +/− mice display a high bone mass due to an increase in bone formation. Moreover, compound heterozygote mice for Calcr and Amylin inactivation displayed bone abnormalities observed in both Calcr +/− and Amylin +/− mice, thereby ruling out that amylin uses CALCR to inhibit osteoclastogenesis in vivo. Thus, amylin is a physiological regulator of bone resorption that acts through an unidentified receptor.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical, imaging and pathogenic features of pulmonary nocardiosis and the drug resistance of Nocardia.

METHODS
The clinical and radiological data of 2 cases of pulmonary nocardiosis in this hospital were presented, and 32 cases reported in the Chinese literature since 1982 were reviewed.

RESULTS
Among the 34 cases of Nocardia infections, there were 26 cases of pulmonary nocardiosis, and 4 of whom died. Multiple organ infection occurred in 11 patients, including 7 with pulmonary and skin infections, 3 with pulmonary, skin and intracranial infections, and 1 with pulmonary and intracranial infections. All patients with pulmonary nocardiosis had cough. Of the 34 cases, 27 had fever, including intermittent fever in 5, and sustained fever in 22 cases. Of the 11 cases of pulmonary nocardiosis complicated with skin or intracranial dissemination, 8 patients were immunocompromised and 3 were immunocompetent (chi(2) = 2.08, P > 0.05). Three cases died in the immunocompromised group and 1 died in the immunocompetent group. Nocardia asteroides was identified in 14 cases, Nocardia brasiliensis in 4 cases, and the other 8 were not classified. In the patients with complicated skin or intracranial infections, 8 were caused by Nocardia asteroids, and 2 were caused by Nocardia brasiliensis. Chest X-ray or CT imaging of the lungs showed pleural effusion in 8, masses in 7, infiltrates in 6, cavities in 6, and nodular lesions in 5 cases. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that Nocardia was sensitive to sulfonamide, amikacin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, minocycline, fluoroquinolones, and linezolid.

CONCLUSIONS
Immunosuppression is the most important predisposing factor for pulmonary nocardiosis. The most common pathogenic bacterium is Nocardia asteroids, which is frequently associated with disseminated lesions. The radiographic abnormalities of the lung show pleural effusion, masses, infiltration or cavity. With the increasing rate of resistance of Nocardia to the sulfonamide, the combination of antibiotic regimen according to susceptibility testing needs to be considered. Poor outcome is mostly found in immunocompromised hosts.


Actual performance of photovoltaic module with solar tracking is presented. Solar radiation can be converted into electrical energy using photovoltaic (PV) modules. Performance of polycristalline silicon PV modules with and without solar tracking are investigated experimentally. The PV module with dimension 698 x 518 x 25 mm has maximum power and voltage is 45 Watt and 18 Volt respectively. Based on the experiment data, it is concluded that the performance of PV module with solar tracking increases in the morning and afternoon compared with that of fixed PV module. It increases about 18 % in the morning from 10:00 to 12:00 and in the afternoon from 13:30 to 14:00 (local time). This study also shows the daily performance characteristic of the two PV modules. Using PV module with solar tracking provides a better performance than fixed PV module.


The aims of this study are to: (1) explain the characteristics of inter-modal network system in Nabire; (2) analyze the demand for inter-modal nodes in Nabire regency; and (3) find out the concept of inter-modal network system development and inter-modal nodes in Nabire.The method used in this study was descriptive method with qualitative and quantitative analyses. The data were collected by using observation.
The results reveal that, firstly, the characteristic of inter-modal transportation system network is still relatively limited; some areas are not yet connetted with road network. Secondly, the demand for transportation nodes occur in tree districts:  Wanggar, Makimi, and Uwapa District. It is determined because the areas are the field of urban development, platation, agriculture, mining, and marine culture.That function to connect the villages that have the potentiality to be production centers; Trirdly, the development of inter-modal network system is conducted with: the contruction of unstructured road that connectecs the centers of sosio-economic activities in each district; the improvement of road based on the servis status; and the development of alternative routes as the city ring road. Next, the concept of inter-modal transportation node development includes: the regional terminal located in Nabire subdistrict as the meeting point of northern and mid cross traffic of trans-Papua road network (which server as the gateway to Dogiyai and Paniai regencies).


Some research claims that the cultural features of people may have a major impact on driving behavior and can play a serious role in the driving safety. Indeed, unlike machines that follow the instructions strictly, drivers have their own will and may disobey; they sometimes do things completely opposite to the instructions given by the central vehicle system. On the other side, it is proven that the traffic flow guidance feedback strategy has a significant effect on improving road traffic flow capacity. This paper deals with traffic flow dynamics while real-time information is integrated. Drivers' obedience rate to the instructions provided by an intelligent transportation system (ITS) is also considered. In addition, we implemented the process of pre-filtering the drivers for better managing the traffic, to the best of our knowledge; thus this process is not considered in the related literature. We introduced a dynamic weighted vehicle density feedback strategy (DWVDFS) with SUMO software 19.386-16 for determining whether traffic congestion happens or not. The simulation model considers three-route scenarios with one entrance and one exit. The added value of the proposed pre-filtering process and DWVDFS is also evaluated.


BACKGROUND: Granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) is a safe and effective agent for mobilization of neutrophils in normal donors, consistently resulting in cell yields per leukapheresis (LA) procedure that are superior to those with other agents. LA components also contain platelets, whose clinical relevance is unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study describes the kinetics of and analyzes the factors determining the ANC and platelet count increments seen with each of three transfusions of granulocytes collected from HLA‐matched sibling donors receiving G‐CSF (n=10; maximum of 3 LA procedures/donor). The transfusions were given to recipients (n=10) on alternate days beginning. Day 1 after allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT). RESULTS: Significant, sustained increments in the recipient ANCs were observed after the transfusion of G‐CSF‐mobilized LA components. The mean peak posttransfusion increments in the ANCs were 1195, 729, and 631 per microL with transfusion of donor LA components on Days 1, 3, and 5, respectively. The length of time that the mean posttransfusion ANC was at or above the baseline (pretransfusion) value was 25 to 37 hours, depending on the post‐BMT day when the component was administered. No consistent relationship was observed between LA component granulocyte dose, baseline recipient ANC, or temperature elevation and post‐transfusion ANC increments. Large numbers of platelets (mean, 2.55 × 10(11)) were present in LA components, and this resulted in significant increments from baseline in the mean platelet count 1 hour after LA component transfusions. Between Days 1 and 7, the duration of severe neutropenia was shorter and the percentage of patients requiring nondonor platelet transfusions was less in study patients who received LA component transfusions than in a similar historical control group who did not. CONCLUSION: The transfusion of G‐CSF‐mobilized, HLA‐matched LA components to allogeneic BMT recipients resulted in significant and sustained increments in the ANC and the platelet count. Within the range examined, a relationship between neutrophil dose and an increment in the ANC was not demonstrated.


Arc, one virus-like gene, crucial for learning and memory, was dis-covered by researchers in neurological disorders fields, Arc mRNA's single directed path and allowing protein binding regional restric-tively is a potential investigation on helping shuttle toxic proteins responsible for some diseases related to memory deficiency. Mean time to switching (MTS) is calculated explicitly quantifying the switching process in statistical methods combining Hamiltonian Markov Chain(HMC). The model derived from predator and prey with typeII functional response studies the mechanism of normals with intrin-sic rate of increase and the persisters with the instantaneous discovery rate and converting coefficients. During solving the results, since the numeric method is applied for the 2D approximation of Hamiltonion with intrinsic noise induced switching combining geometric minimum action method. In the application of Hamiltonian Markov Chain, the behavior of the convertion (between mRNA and proteins through 6 states from off to on ) is described with probabilistic conditional logic formula and the final concentration is computed with both Continuous and Discret Time Markov Chain(CTMC/DTMC) through Embedding and Switching Diffusion. The MTS, trajectories and Hamiltonian dynamics demonstrate the practical and robust advantages of our model on interpreting the switching process of genes (IGFs, Hax Arcs and etc.) with respects to memory deficiency in aging process which can be useful in further drug efficiency test and disease curing. Coincidentally, the Hamiltonian is also well used in describing quantum mechanics and convenient for computation with time and position information using quantum bits while in the second model we construct, switching between excitatory and inhibitory neurons, similarity of qubit and neuron is an interesting object as well. Especially with the interactions operated with phase gates, the excitation from the ground state to excitation state is a well analogue to the neuron excitation. Not only on theoretical aspect, the experimental methods in neuron switching model is also inspiring to quantum computing. Most basic one is as stimulate hippocampus can be identical to spontaneous neural excitation(|g>|e>), pi-pulse is utilized to drive the ground state to the higher state. There thus exists prosperous potential to study the transfer between states with our switch models both classical and quantum computationally.


Despite decades of research, the reduction behavior of pertechnetate, TcO4−, is not well understood and represents one of the largest knowledge gaps in the transition metal series. Conventional wisdom presumes the reduction of TcO4− in aqueous systems to predominantly follow either a rapid two electron, or three electron process to form either a TcV or TcIV species. This study for the first time demonstrates the importance of the TcVI species through systematic characterization by multiple spectroscopic techniques. The reduction of TcO4− was examined in a matrix of 5 M NaNO3 at 0–2 M NaOH. Results of the cyclic voltammetric evaluation of reduction to TcVI, Nernstian analysis of the visible spectroelectrochemical signal, and structural spectroscopic EPR and XPS analysis of the reduction product generated by bulk electrolysis consistently support an electron transfer stoichiometry corresponding to a 1e− reduction. This TcVI species is markedly more stable than had been previously considered, with decomposition kinetics that correspond to a half-life of 1.91 ± 0.07 days, fully 6 orders of magnitude longer than previously reported for an aqueous solution. These results reveal the importance of a TcVI intermediate species in high ionic strength alkaline solutions and significantly contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of TcO4− reduction and formation of low-valent Tc species.


At the onset of the LH surge in the rat, the proliferation of granulosa cells in preovulatory follicles is inhibited, aromatase activity is attenuated, and the cells enter a further phase of differentiation to form the CL. Whereas the LH surge induces these changes in the granulosa cells, it is possible that the actions of LH are mediated or modulated by paracrine and/or autocrine factors. A factor that may modulate the actions of LH is transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha). TGF alpha has the ability to inhibit granulosa cell growth and induce a change in the pattern of steroidogenesis from estrogen to progesterone synthesis, a change characteristic of early luteinization. To investigate whether there is a temporal relationship between the appearance of LH receptors and TGF alpha in the adult rat ovary, we localized LH receptors and TGF alpha during follicular development, atresia, and CL formation. In the interstitial compartment, the pattern of immunostaining for LH receptors and TGF alpha remained constant and was not affected by the stage of follicular development. As thecal cells differentiated from the stroma and formed several layers around the secondary follicle, the thecal cells stained positively for both LH receptors and TGF alpha. This immunostaining in thecal cells persisted in preantral, antral, and preovulatory follicles, even in follicles that became atretic. Granulosa cells did not contain detectable levels of LH receptor until the large antral stage of follicular development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The object of this study is coals of different stages of metamorphism and the volatile products of their thermal decomposition. Currently, based on the basic genetic signs of metamorphism, there is no reliable regulatory framework for determining the hazardous properties of mine plastics, including the propensity of coal for spontaneous combustion. Difficulties in systematization consist in the absence of at least one classification parameter, which determines the need for an additional analysis of the physicochemical properties of coals of different stages of metamorphism and the volatile products of their thermal decomposition as an object of study.Thanks to the obtained functional dependences characterizing the elemental composition of fossil fuels in the entire range of a series of metamorphism, it is possible to evaluate the classification indices of fossil fuels. The result shows that changes in the properties of coal as a result of transformations of the internal structure can take maximum or minimum values. It is impossible to judge the change in the properties of coals from the elemental content of these components by the monotonous and one-sided changes in the components С0, О0, and N0. The nature of the dependence of Н0 on Vdaf and specific gravity (Kd) suggests that coals acquire new properties after Vdaf decreases by less than 30–25 %, and specific gravity at Kdg 1.3It is noted that coals with the same properties can in some cases be characterized by different values of the classification indicators (Vdaf Cdaf, Kd), in others–- coals with different values of the classification indicators have the same properties. The changes in the physicomechanical and calorific value of coal from Vdaf and Сdaf are complex and ambiguous. This is indirect evidence of changes in the internal structure of coals in the process of their geological transformation. The restructuring of the internal structure of coal led to a change in their electromagnetic characteristics.It is proposed, when establishing the propensity of coal for spontaneous combustion by genetic and technological parameters, to use modern knowledge in the field of geology, historical geology and paleontology, physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, as well as experience in the industrial use of coal.


Raising the level of design abstraction to achieve a system synthesis capability requires electronic design automation (EDA) tools for design capture, analysis and verification at the new level of abstraction, as well as tools for synthesis at the next lower level of abstraction. It is essential that simulation libraries exist that support the new toolset. In system synthesis, elements of the desired product functionality will be specified as combinations of functional primitives in a high-order language or as flowgraph representations. Implementation trade offs will require the designer to simulate the performance of these functions when implemented in ASICs, FPGAs, or software. Simulation will require extensive libraries of primitives and their performance characteristics on a wide variety of hardware and software implementations. The paper considers system synthesis and some problems in system-level simulation. >


The aim of this cadaveric study was to evaluate the intraoperative kinematics of the native knee including two-dimensional translation of the femur using a navigation system. Eight native knees of 4 fresh-frozen whole-body cadavers were used for the study. The kinematics of each knee were analyzed intraoperatively using the navigation system. Although anterior-posterior translation could not be assessed directly, it could be calculated using a formula derived from the parameters in the navigation system. The native knee showed external rotation of the femur in early knee flexion, transient internal rotation in mid flexion, and gradual external rotation in late flexion. There was no marked change in the coronal rotation angle of the mechanical axis during knee flexion. The femoral center moved anteriorly in early knee flexion and posteriorly in late flexion. The distance moved in the medial-lateral direction was relatively smaller than that in the anterior-posterior direction. Two-dimensional translation of the surgical epicondylar axis showed a medial pivot-like motion. In this cadaveric study, the kinematics of the native knee, including two-dimensional translation of the femur, could be satisfactorily assessed intraoperatively using a navigation system. The intraoperative kinematics of the knee can be analyzed in more detail using this methodology. J. Med. Invest. 66 : 367-371, August, 2019.


Book Description For Digital Electronics courses requiring a comprehensive approach to Digital concepts with an emphasis on PLD programming and the integration of the latest Quartus II software. This text presents a step-by-step, practical approach to an enhanced and easy understanding of digital circuitry fundamentals with coverage of CPLD's, VHDL and Altera's Quartus II software. Coverage begins with the basic logic gates used to perform arithmetic operations, and proceeds up through sequential logic and memory circuits used to interface to modern PCs. The author combines extensive teaching experience with practical examples in order to bring entry level students up to speed in this emerging field.


This report provides a sample of public opinion questions concerning the current tax system, the Internal Revenue Service, and proposals for tax reform. It will be updated as new poll results become available. The report is for the use of Members as they consider legislation currently before the 105 Congress.


The aim of this study was to investigate trends in road traffic crashes (RTCs) managed by an emergency service, Rescue 1122, in 2011 in Punjab, Pakistan. RTC data were collected from 35 districts of Punjab and reviewed retrospectively. Data analysis revealed that the service responded to 12 969 RTC emergencies during August 2011 (Ramadan), compared with an average of 11 573 RTCs per month from January to August 2011. The younger age group (11-27 years) was victims in 29% of RTCs; 39% were due to speeding and 43% occurred in peak rush hours (14:00-18:00) before iftar (breakfast).Results of the study showed that Rescue 1122 faced more RTCs during Ramadan compared with the preceding months. Road safety is an important public health issue in Pakistan. Although there have been great improvements in roads in the past few years, much work needs to be done to deal with mounting trends in RTCs. Public awareness, political will and stringent law enforcement are key factors.


Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) of the pancreas have malignant potential. Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) is a common widely used biomarker for cancers. However, the role of CA125 in predicting the malignant change of MCNs is currently unidentified. Patients with resected and pathologically confirmed MCN were identified from a prospectively maintained database. The predictive role of serum CA125 in assessing malignant change of MCNs was analyzed and compared with serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). This study included 164 patients with MCN (low/moderate grade, 153 cases; high grade and invasive, 11 cases). The serum levels of CA125 in the high grade and invasive group (45.1±42.1 U/ml) was significantly higher than those in the low/moderate grade group (21.0±46.2 U/ml, P=0.006). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CA125 (0.75) for predicting malignancy of MCNs was higher than that of CA19-9 (0.68) or CEA (0.72). The prediction value of CA125 was improved when combined with CEA (CA125 alone, sensitivity 36.4%, specificity 90.6%, accuracy 86.6%; combined with CEA, sensitivity 45.5%, specificity 88.2%, accuracy 85.0%). It was concluded that serum CA125 shows value in predicting the malignant change of MCNs, especially when combined with serum CEA.


As the speed gap between memory and disk is so large today, caching and prefetch are critical to enterprise class storage applications, which demands high performance. In this paper, we present our study on performance of a mid-range storage server produced by the Quanta Computer Incorporation. We first analyzed the existing caching mechanism in the server and then developed a fast caching methodology to reduce the cache access latency and processing overhead of the storage controller. In addition, we proposed a new adaptive prefetch scheme reduces the average disk access time seen by the host. Via trace-driven simulation, we evaluated the performance of our new caching and adaptive prefetch schemes. Our results showed the performance improvement for the TPC-C on-line transaction benchmark.


The objective of the present paper was to link reach‐scale streambed reactive uptake of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved oxygen (DO) to subsurface flow paths in an alpine stream (Oberer Seebach (OSB)). The topography adjacent to the stream channel largely determined flow paths, with shallow hillslope groundwater flowing beneath the stream and entering the alluvial groundwater at the opposite bank. As computed from hydrometric data, OSB consistently lost stream water to groundwater with fluxes out of the stream averaging 943 ± 47 and 664 ± 45 L m−2 h−1 at low (Q < 600 L s−1) and high (Q > 600 L s−1) flow, respectively. Hydrometric segregation of streambed fluxes and physicochemical mixing analysis indicated that stream water was the major input component to the streambed with average contributions of 70–80% to the hyporheic zone (i.e., the subsurface zone where shallow groundwater and stream water mix). Surface water was also the major source of DOC with 0.512 ± 0.043 mg C m−2 h−1 to the streambed. The DOC flux from shallow riparian groundwater was lower (0.309 ± 0.071 mg C m−2 h−1) and peaked in autumn with 1.011 mg C m−2 h−1. I computed the relative proportion of downstream discharge through the streambed as the ratio of the downstream length (Ssw) a stream water parcel travels before entering the streambed to the downstream length (Shyp) a streambed water parcel travels before returning to the stream water. The relative streambed DOC retention efficiency, calculated as (input‐output)/input of interstitial DOC, correlated with the proportion (Ssw/Shyp) of downstream discharge (r2 = 0.76, p = 0.006). Also, did the streambed metabolism (calculated as DO uptake from mass balance) decrease with low subsurface downstream routing, whereas elevated downstream discharge through the streambed stimulated DO uptake (r2 = 0.69, p = 0.019)? Despite the very short DOC turnover times (∼0.05 days, calculated as mean standing stock/annual input) within the streambed, the latter constitutes a net sink of DOC (∼14 mg C m−2 h−1). Along with high standing stocks of sediment associated particulate organic carbon, these results suggest microbial biofilms as the major retention and storage site of DOC in an alpine stream where large hydrologic exchange controls DOC fluxes.


We developed novel photosensitizing drug-carrying nanoparticles with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) forester. In this study, chlorin e6 (Ce6, a model photosensitizing drug) was grafted to a poly(l-lysine) [poly(Lys)] derivative containing multiple PEG segments and carboxylic acids at its pendant chain and 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid (DOHA) at one terminal site on its backbone. The conjugate was bound to the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a result of non-covalent interaction between its DOHA moiety and AuNPs. These nanoparticles enabled elevated singlet oxygen generation due to the dequenching event of Ce6 molecules shielded in PEG forester. This system resulted in highly improved in vitro/in vivo photodynamic tumor cell ablation over the nanoparticles without PEG forester. We believe that this system with PEG forester for photosensitizing drugs possesses great potential for tumor therapy.


Diosgenin can inhibit the growth of A375 and K562 cell lines and induce their apoptosis with an effect on pro-apoptotic members of Bcl-2 family. To study the SAR of diosgenin derivatives, and to improve the anti-tumor activity of diosgenin, a series of novel diosgenin derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their anti-tumor activities in vitro were evaluated. The results revealed that most of the new derivatives had potent effects against K562, A375 and A549 (three tumor cell lines) in vitro, and had no or less effect against H293 and L02 (two normal cell lines). Particularly, some compounds (e.g. 1, 6-8) showed excellent activities on K562 with IC50 values ranging from 1.96 to 4.35 micromol x L(-1).


The inelastic mean free path of electrons (IMFP) is an important material parameter for description of electron transport processes in solids. This parameter is particularly useful for quantifying the electron spectroscopies, in particular Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and elastic peak electron spectroscopy. In this work, a brief overview of the IMFP determination is presented. Generally, there are two groups of methods to determine the IMFP: (i) calculations using the theoretical model based on the experimental optical data, and (ii) calculations using theory relating the IMFP and the measured probability elastic electron backscattering from solids. Major advances in the development of the second group of methods were made in three laboratories; these advances are reviewed here. The elastic backscattering probability, in absolute or relative units, can be conveniently evaluated from the elastic peak intensity. However, much effort is needed to develop the theory for calculating the IMFP, which typically involves the Monte Carlo simulations of electron trajectories in solids. Presently, this theory and typical procedures of the spectra processing are implemented in the software package EPESWIN developed by Jablonski. In recent years, much attention is devoted to the phenomenon of the electron energy losses in the surface region of solids. Reliability of the theory of elastic backscattering is distinctly improved if this effect is taken into account.


The vessel geometry and densitometry in single-view coronary angiograms are analyzed with an emphasis on the local features and how they vary along a vessel segment. With the aid of a tracking algorithm the two-dimensional contour of a vessel segment is represented by one-dimensional functions, in terms of lumen width, direction, and intensity along the vessel centerline. A quantitative validation of this contour representation approach is established by using the computer-generated imagery. The spatial frequency responses of the vessel contour functions
are characterized for human coronary cineangiograms and for digital subtraction angiograms. The lumen width functions have 90% of the signal energy concentrating below a spatial cutoff frequency of 2.5 to 3.7 per average lumen width. The application of the contour representation to vessel image compression is demonstrated. The result of this study provides a guideline for spatial filtering of the coronary arteriograms. The methodology should also be useful in analyzing coronary arterial abnormalities and tortuosity.


CONTEXT.—
Regulatory approval of pembrolizumab for treatment of gastric and gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma required a reproducible scoring method for use of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) protein expression as a companion diagnostic to identify likely responders to therapy.

OBJECTIVE.—
To develop an immunohistochemical scoring algorithm that includes PD-L1 expression for tumor and immune cells, that is, the combined positive score.

DESIGN.—
Four previously treated tumor types in the KEYNOTE-012 and KEYNOTE-028 studies were analyzed descriptively with a version of the PD-L1 immunohistochemical 22C3 pharmDx assay labeled for investigational use only to determine the relative importance of PD-L1 expression in tumor versus immune cells as a biomarker for pembrolizumab response. A combined positive score was developed as a novel scoring method and was compared with the tumor proportion score in cohort 1 from the KEYNOTE-059 study (G/GEJ cancer). External reproducibility was assessed.

RESULTS.—
Per combined positive score cutoff of 1 or more, the prevalence of PD-L1 expression in patients with G/GEJ cancer was 57.6% (148 of 257 patients), with reasonable enrichment of responses (odds ratio, 2.8). Per tumor proportion score cutoff of 1% or more, prevalence was 12.5% (32 of 257 patients), with minimal enrichment (odds ratio, 1.4). External reproducibility assessments demonstrated interpathologist overall agreement of 96.6% (591 of 612; 95% CI, 94.0%-98.7%) and intrapathologist overall agreement of 97.2% (595 of 612; 95% CI, 95.3%-98.9%).

CONCLUSIONS.—
Combined positive score is a robust, reproducible PD-L1 scoring method that predicts response to pembrolizumab in patients with G/GEJ cancer. This novel scoring method supported US Food and Drug Administration approval of pembrolizumab as third-line therapy for G/GEJ cancer and has facilitated investigation in other indications.


Introduction Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is the most common cause of syncope in children and adults. Previous studies suggest a genetic component accounts for approximately 20% of cases, although the genes responsible are often unidentified. I studied the DNA of two distantly related individuals with VVS enrolled into the 100,000 Genomes Project to identify causal mutations. Method DNA was extracted from the patients, and analysed using an Ingenuity Variant Analysis program to detect the presence of mutations. The severity of each detected mutation was subsequently examined using two programs: Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant (SIFT) and Polymorphing Phenotyping v2 (PolyPhen-2). Results Using Ingenuity Variant Analysis, a mutation in the ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme), EPAS1 (Endothelial PAS Domain Protein 1) and PLCG2 (Phospholipase C Gamma 2) genes of the VVS patients were identified. Further analysis using SIFT and PolyPhen-2 indicated the ACE mutation was likely to produce a defective protein whilst the EPAS1 and PLCG2 mutations were unlikely to have any effect on protein function. Conclusion My results support the involvement of the ACE mutation in the cause of VVS within the two studied patients. This may point towards a novel target for therapy within the individuals, should the findings be successfully validated.


To the Editor: WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) is a human polyomavirus first detected in respiratory samples in 2007 (1). It has since been detected worldwide (2–7), including the People's Republic of China (8), but whether it is a causative respiratory pathogen remains speculative. To investigate the potential role of WUPyV in respiratory diseases and its prevalence in Tianjin, China, we examined samples obtained from children with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) by using PCR for the VP2 and LTAg genes, as described previously (1). As a control, we also tested samples from patients who did not have respiratory diseases.

Case-patients were 174 inpatients, hospitalized for LRTIs March–April 2008 and September 2008–February 2009, and 68 outpatients treated for URTIs November–December 2009 at Tianjin Children's Hospital. Controls were 43 outpatients with illnesses other than respiratory diseases treated at Tianjin Xianshuigu Hospital. Most patients with LRTIs had pneumonia or bronchitis. Case-patient age ranged from 3 hours to 12 years; for 1 patient, age was unknown (Table). Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples were collected from hospitalized children, and throat swabs were obtained from outpatients with URTIs and from control children.

Table

Age distribution of children infected with WU polyomavirus, Tianjin, People's Republic of China, 2008–2009*

Of the 174 nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens tested, 28 (16%) had WUPyV VP2 gene–positive fragments; 24 had LTAg gene–positive fragments. Four VP2-positive but LTAg-negative fragments were sequenced; nucleotide sequences were identical to WUPyV strains in GenBank. Mean age of WUPyV-infected patients was 11.7 months (range 12 days–39 months); 10 patients (36%) were <6 months of age, 10 (36%) were 6 months–1 year, 7 (25%) were 1–2 years, and 1 (4%) was 2–5 years of age. The age distribution was similar to that of the original cohort. We found WUPyV-positive samples in most months, except for March 2008. Highest proportion of WUPyV-positive samples occurred in December 2008 (27%), followed by April 2008 (25%), November 2008 (22%), and February 2009 (19%).

We detected WUPyV VP2 fragment–positive specimens by multi-PCR using the Seeplex RV Detection kit-1 (Seegene, Seoul, South Korea) for other respiratory viruses, including adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, 3 (PIV1, 2, 3), influenza viruses A and B, rhinovirus (rhinovirus V), human metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSV A, B), and coronaviruses OC43/HKU1 and 229E/NL63, according to the manufacturers' instructions. First strands of cDNA were produced by using the RevertAid First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Fermentas, Glen Burnie, MD, USA). Human bocavirus (HBoV) was tested as described previously (9).

Twenty (71%) case-patients were co-infected with other respiratory viruses, most commonly RSV B (9/28, 32%), followed by HBoV (6/28, 21%), rhinovirus V and PIV3 (4 each of 28, 14%), human metapneumovirus (3/28, 11%), adenovirus and influenza A (2 each of 28, 7%), and 229E (1/28, 4%). Of 20 patients with co-infections, 14 (50%) were infected with 2 viruses; 2 (7%) with 3 viruses (WU, RSV B, PIV3; and WU, influenza virus, A, HBoV); 3 (11%), with 4 viruses (WU, RSV B, PIV3, influenza A; WU, RSV B, PIV3, HBoV; and WU, RSV B, rhinovirus V, HBoV); and 1 (4%), with 5 viruses (WU, RSV B, PIV3, BoV, rhinovirus V).

Three (4%) of 68 throat swabs from outpatients with URTIs were WUPyV positive, substantially lower than from inpatients with LRTIs. Among 3 WUPyV-positive case-patients, 2 were 2 years of age and 1 was 3. No WUPyV was detected in 43 control samples.

The prevalence of WUPyV in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections in Tianjin was 16.1%, higher than 7.1% found in a study in the United States (3); 4.9% in Germany (4); 4.5% in Australia (5); 6.29% in Thailand (6); and 2.2% in Lanzhou, China (8). Variation may be due to different geographic and age distributions of the virus. Another study reported that frequencies of WUPyV in URTIs (6.7%) and LRTIs cases (7.1%) were comparable (10). However, we found the incidence of WUPyV in patients with LRTIs (16.1%) was higher than in patients with URTIs (4.4%). Among WUPyV-infected patients with LRTIs, 71.4% were 5 years of age, none was WUPyV positive. This finding suggests WUPyV may play a major role in young children, especially infants, with LRTIs.

Most WUPyV infection has been detected during later winter and early spring (2,4,5) although other research showed no seasonal distribution (6). We found 2 peaks, in April and December 2008 (L. Xiaoyan et al., unpub. data). We also detected 1 WUPyV-infected case in September 2008, which suggests WUPyV could also occur in summer months.

Frequency of WUPyV co-infection with other pathogens varied from 42.1% to 79.7% (4–6). Although we showed a co-infection rate of 71.4%, there were 8 (28.6%) of 28 patients with respiratory illness in whose specimens we detected only 1 virus, WUPyV. No WUPyV was detected in samples from 43 control patients, whereas in patients with LRTIs and URTIs, infection rates were 16.1% and 4.4%, respectively. These findings suggest WUPyV may be a potential pathogenic agent in children with acute respiratory tract infections. More comprehensive case–control investigations are needed to determine the association of WUPyV infections with respiratory diseases.


Water-dispersed reduced graphene oxide/chitosan oligosaccharide (RGO-CTSO) was prepared by chemical reduction of graphene oxide and synchronous functionalization with biocompatible chitosan oligosaccharide (CTSO). ζ potential measurement indicated that RGO-CTSO was highly stable in the acidic aqueous solution. RGO-CTSO was used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as the growth template of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The enhanced direct electron transfer of E. coli on the RGO-CTSO-modified GCE was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Compared with GCE or RGO-modified GCE, RGO-CTSO-modified GCE was more suitable for the adhesion growth of E. coli to improve direct electron transfer. The biocompatibility and versatility of RGO-CTSO made it promising for use as an anode material in microbial fuel cells.


We have developed a surface analysis system that allows us to analyse the elemental composition of a sample with three-dimensional spatial resolution. The neutral material sputtered from a sample surface by Ga + ion impact is post-ionized by non-resonant multiphoton ionization with an ArF excimer laser at 193 nm. The photoions are selected by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Lateral resolution is achieved by scanning the surface with the tightly focused primary ion beam. The depth analysis is achieved by sequentially removing layers of material and sweeping the unfocused ion beam over the sample surface, interleaved with raster scanning the ion beam. We tested the performance of the apparatus by analysing the surface of a pixel detector for x-ray imaging. The sample consists of an array of Ti/Al Schottky contacts grown on a GaAs substrate. We measured the distributions of elements Al, Ti, Ga and As in three dimensions over a lateral area of 150 × 150 μm 2 . The depth resolution was 20 nm and the lateral resolution was 3 μm, which does not yet approach the limitations of the apparatus. This demonstrates for the first time that three-dimensional imaging of the element distribution of a large area sample is feasible with high spatial and depth resolution by laser post-ionization of sputtered neutrals.


This research investigates the feasibility and usefulness of designing an authoring environment for diagram-based Computer Based Assessment (CBA). CBA systems present students with an environment that permits them to solve exercises. Upon completion, solutions to the exercises are marked automatically, and the results, along with instructional feedback, are returned to the students. CBA exercises are authored by educators who gain practical and pedagogic benefits from automating the assessment of their students. Until now, facilities to develop CBA have only been implemented for exercises where the answers are text-based. The deliverables described in this dissertation implement novel solutions to problems in three areas. The first area concerns the customisation of graphic editors to the learning material. The proposed solution is an object-oriented framework for visually specifying and authoring diagram editors. The second area presents techniques for describing the marking criteria of exercises. The proposed solution is a generic marking system designed to support the development of pluggable marking tools for the numerous and inherently different types of diagram domains. The third area is concerned with the integration of the two previous designs with the functions of a CBA system. For this reason provisions were made in the design and implementation of the CourseMaster CBA system. CourseMaster was implemented to improve and replace the Ceilidh CBA system. Ceilidh has been successfully used throughout academia for the assessment of coursework in computer programming. Evaluation results on diagram-based domains, such as circuit design and software design, indicate that the automation of the assessment of diagrams can be as effective and useful as that of programs. CourseMaster has been available within academia since 1999, providing support for the marking of programming coursework. The diagram authoring extension, entitled DATsys, was integrated into CourseMaster in May 2000. Together they provide a novel and realistic foundation towards authoring, running, and administering diagram-based CBA.


The locations(longitudes and latitudes) of the tropical cyclones(TCs) making landfall on the Chinese mainland from 1949 to 2008 are investigated in detail by using ArcGis and FORTRAN routine.The southeast coastline [110 to 122°E) with most landfall TCs was selected as the key region,which was divided into 12 subsections with 1° intervals of longitude.The study period was from July to September in each year.The result showed that the average sustaining time of TCs making landfall on the subsections east of 118°E is longer than those west of 118°E.Before landfall,the averaged TC intensity in the subsections east of118°E is stronger than that west of it.After landfall,however,the difference between the west and east is not significant.The index of destructive potential for the period before/after landfall was defined as TDP1/TDP2.The maximum of TDP1/TDP2 occurred in the subsection of [119,120°E)/[110,111°E).The ENSO impact on the frequency and average location of landfall TC over the whole region at 110 to 122°E is not obvious,but the effect varies with specific subsections.There is little differences of averaged TDP1 in the subsections between different phases of ENSO events,but the averaged TDP2 is larger in the warm events than that in the cold events.The rainstorm days of each station caused by TCs in different subsections were counted respectively.The results suggested that the rainstorm days of the subsections east of 118 °E are much more than those west of 118°E.The larger values are primarily distributed at the subsections of [119,120°E) and [110,111°E).


Objective To study the clinical effect and applied value of pecutaneous transtuminl angioplasty(PTA) and pecutaneous transtuminl angioplasty and stenting( PTAS) on lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease(LEAOD). Methods From May 1995 to January 2009, pecutaneous transtuminl angioplasty and stenting treatment was performed in 169arteriosclerosis obliterans LEAOD patients. Results Total achievement ratio was 97.63% (149/169).Except the PTAS treatment for 4 LEAOD patients was failed,the others were doing well for clinical symptom disappear or better, whose average ankle brachial index(ABI) were 0.11~0.58(0.37±0.19) and 0.69~1.16 (0.88±0.17) respectively. The statistical result showed a significant difference in ABI (P0.05). follow-up visiting for 3~60 months; The encumbered superficial femoral artery (63 patients in Arteria iliaca, 55 patients in middle-upper 2/3 segment of superficial femoral artery and 35 patients in meta-infer 1/3 segment) keep smooth bloodstream with a proportion of 98.53%, 92.65%, 91.18%, 89.71%; 91.67%, 86.67%, 81.67%, 73.33%; 85.37%, 78.05%, 68.29%, 56.09% respectively, the time of follow-up visit was 6, 12, 36 and 60 months. Conclusion The PTA and PTAS treatment for LEAOD was a safe and effective option. ,which could make obstructed blood vessel long-term enlighten in effect and remarkably raise the haemodynamics index.


Through their consumption behavior, households are responsible for more than 70% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the GHG emission reduction potential due to the household behavior is very high. Energy consumption is the main source of the GHG emission in households. There are two main ways to reduce GHG emissions in households: use of renewable energy, energy efficiency improvement, and energy conservation due to changes in the energy use patterns. The highest energy saving potential in households is linked with building renovation, followed by the use of energy efficient appliances (including lighting). Renewable energy microgeneration technologies in households also provide opportunities for GHG emission reduction. Although there have been many policies developed to reduce GHG emissions from energy consumption in households, they still need to be more effective. This paper aims to assess willingness of Lithuanian households to reduce GHG emissions from energy consumption in households by embarking on energy renovation of buildings, use of energy efficient appliances and use of renewable energy technologies. The willingness to pay for these GHG emission reduction measures allows to compare household preferences with respect to available support measures and assess the adequacy of such measures. The paper also discusses household attitudes toward the main policies and measures for GHG emission reduction. The results show the highest willingness to pay for energy efficient appliances, followed by renewable energy technologies. The willingness to pay for energy renovation is the lowest one and such s measure requires significant state support.


DC characteristics of a GaAs MESFET, which is grafted onto an optically flat quartz substrate, are presented and discussed in this paper. The authors utilised a GaAs MESFET having small current capability in order to avoid heat effects and to magnify the effects brought by transplantation. Improved pinch-off and saturation behaviours, as well as increased drain–gate breakdown voltage, stemming from the insulating property of the quartz substrate were observed. Negative shift of threshold voltage and degraded low-field mobility were also observed and both were attributed to the stresses acting on the active region.


We present an optimized approach for the calculation of the density of fully coupled vibrational states in high-dimensional systems. This task is of paramount importance, because partition functions and several thermodynamic properties can be accurately estimated once the density of states is known. A new code, called paradensum, based on the implementation of the Wang-Landau Monte Carlo algorithm for parallel architectures is described and applied to real complex systems. We test the accuracy of paradensum on several molecular systems, including some benchmarks for which an exact evaluation of the vibrational density of states is doable by direct counting. In addition, we find a significant computational speedup with respect to standard approaches when applying our code to molecules up to 66 degrees of freedom. The new code can easily handle 150 degrees of freedom. These features make paradensum a very promising tool for future calculations of thermodynamic properties and thermal rate constants of complex systems.


Extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) is an enzyme associated with the extracellular matrix that plays a protective role during reactive oxygen species mediated inflammatory responses. Previously, we reported that neutrophils are essential for protection during infection with Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and that high ecSOD activity is detrimental to host resistance during infection, while lack of ecSOD activity is beneficial. Furthermore, using depletion studies, it was determined that neutrophils from ecSOD KO mice are more protective than neutrophils from ecSOD expressing mice during LM infection. To understand how ecSOD modulates neutrophil function during LM infection, bacterial uptake and phagosomal escape were measured. A higher percentage of neutrophils from the spleen and liver of ecSOD KO mice associated with and allowed for phagosomal escape of LM. However, using MFI as an indicator of the relative number of bacteria per neutrophil, we observed that the ratio of cell associated to cytosolic bacteria was higher in ecSOD KO neutrophils in comparison to neutrophils with ecSOD activity. These data suggest that the absence of ecSOD activity enhances neutrophil association with LM and simultaneously limits LM escape from the phagosome. Future studies utilizing neutrophils obtained from other organs as well as from infected mice should help conclusively determine how the lack of ecSOD activity enhances the protective capabilities of neutrophils.


The 23-kDa integral membrane proteins of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum (Sm23 and Sj23) are Ag of some interest in terms of both antiparasite vaccination and immunodiagnosis. We have raised an antiserum against a recombinant fusion protein expressing the extracellular hydrophyllic domain of Sm23 (Sm23HD-pGEX) and used this serum, as well as other antibody reagents reacting with Sm/Sj23, in immunochemical analyses. The immunogenicity and antigenicity of Sm23HD-pGEX, and the surprising lack of cross-reactivity between Sm23 and Sj23 support the hypothesis that Sm/Sj23 are host-like molecules with a very limited number of B cell epitopes that are likely to reside in the extracellular hydrophilic domain. We also present evidence that, unlike the highly immunogenic Sj23, Sm23 is not immunogenic in chronically infected mice. Moreover, we confirm a surface location for Sj23 in adult worms, in S. japonicum.