According to the new Abortion act, abortion is free on request up to the end of the 18th week of pregnancy. Thereafter the approval of the National Board of Health and Welfare is necessary to obtain an abortion and there must be special reasons for the permission. During the first 5 years of the Act, the Committee on Abortions and sterilizations at the National Board developed a policy to deal with the applications for abortion after the 18th week. These cases are only 1% of the total number of abortions (about 300/year). Primarily, the author discusses the Baord's interpretation of the concept of "special reasons." (Author's modified)


Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly employed to track changes in autonomic nervous system and respiratory activity during sleep. However, conventional HRV spectral indices can be seriously confounded by inter-subject differences or intra-individual changes in ventilation and ventilatory pattern, especially in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). We highlight the approach we have undertaken to circumvent this problem by introducing "respiration-adjusted" spectral indices of HRV. Since fluctuations in sleep state also affect HRV considerably, we describe a method for combining the information derived from sleep staging and the information derived from cardiorespiratory measurements. We also introduce a new complementary index of autonomic function, BRSPTT, based on measurements of heart period and pulse transit time. We demonstrate that this surrogate measure of baroreflex gain correlates well with the corresponding measures of baroreflex sensitivity based on noninvasive blood pressure measurements. Our experience to date suggests that BRSPTT, along with respiration-adjusted spectral measures of HRV, are useful as clinical tools for assessing autonomic dysfunction in OSAS.


Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada Istituto Officina dei Materiali (IOM)-CNR, Laboratorio TASC, Area Science Park, S.S.14, Km 163.5, I-34149 Trieste, Italy International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Strada Costiera 11, I-34100 Trieste, Italy


The chitosan nanocomposites were rapidly prepared by simple solution method. This biopolymer matrix was modified by prepared nanoscale silver (Ag) using in situ synthesis from precursor and nanomontmorillonite (NMMT). The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The water vapor properties (WVP) of nanocomposites were investigated using gravimetric standard. The antibacterial activity of nanocomposite was measured by the well diffusion method on Muller–Hinton Agar against Escherichia coli (E. coli) by zone inhibition. Based on the obtained results, the nanocomposite can have a good candidate for different applications and food packaging industry.


Numerous factors affect the academic achievement of students as they undergo the transition of proceeding to secondary grades. This article discusses the findings related to factors affecting the academic achievement of secondary grade students from the students' perspective. A qualitative study was conducted at a secondary school with a sample of students who had experienced a decline in their performance in secondary grades. Respondents were queried with regard to various factors relating to their academic achievement. Issues relating to student motivation were highlighted as the most prominent factors affecting their academic achievement. The findings revealed that students' lack of motivation was the consequence of unvaried and ineffective methodologies adopted by most teachers in delivering the lessons.


Yaa-Knuatmaeo or Folia orthosiphonis showed both favourable and non favourable effects of stone prevention. Uric acid and uric acid containing stone may be prevented by the increased alkalinity of the urine after drinking Orthosiphon tea. The unfavourable effect of orthosiphon being the excretion of oxalate in the urine may result in higher risk of stone formation. However, this study may or may not apply to the stone patients since it has been done only on healthy persons and all parameters were within normal limits. We feel that Orthosiphon tea may be beneficial in prevention of uric acid stone formation. This study was supported by a grant from the Medicinal Herbs Development Fund, Mahidol University.


The study objective is to evaluate early results of radiosurgical treatment (RST) of drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia (TN) of various etiology. Materials and methods. Between 01.01.2016 and 01.07.2018 at the Radiosurgery Center of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine, 14 patients with drug-resistant TN underwent RST. Per magnetic resonance imaging, prior to treatment 7 patients had neurovascular conflict, 2 had demyelination of the root of the trigeminal nerve due to multiple sclerosis, and 5 patients showed no pathologies of the brain. Irradiation of the cisternal portion of the trigeminal nerve at the distance of 7.5 mm from the entry into the brainstem with prescribed dose of 90 Gy was performed. Follow-up period was 8–20 months. The difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) at the affected and healthy sides was evaluated in patients with TN prior to RST to divide them into 2 groups: with significant FA decrease and with moderate FA decrease. Results. All patients who underwent RST with PD >80 Gy (85.7 %) noted decreased level of pain or its full disappearance. In 11 (78.5 %) patients, anesthetic effect manifested itself 3–6 weeks after RST, in 1–3 months after RST. Full analgesic effect was achieved in a patient with idiopathic type II TN (PD 84 Gy) 3 months after RST, in a patient with neurovascular conflict and type I TN (PD 86 Gy) 6 weeks after RST, in a patient with multiple sclerosis and type I TN (PD 81 Gy) 3 weeks after RST. In the last-mentioned patient, pain returned 12 months after RST but with lower intensity. In 2 (14.3 %) patients (PD 80 Gy), no positive effect was observed in 6 months of follow up. Hypesthesia of a face area (RST complication) was diagnosed in only 1 (7.2 %) patient 8 months after RST, and it persisted for 6 weeks gradually regressing. There was no statistically significant correlation between FA decrease and RST outcome, but it was observed that outcome was more favorable in patients with moderately decreased FA. Conclusion. RST of drug-resistant forms of TN with PD >80 Gy significantly reduces pain syndrome 3–6 weeks after treatment and is characterized by low risk of complications.


Objective: To study the protective effect of Bisphosphonates (Pamidronate) in patients of primary osteoporosis in Pakistani setup.Study Design: Quasi experimental study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at department of orthopedic and spine surgery, CMH Rawalpindi, from Sep 2011 to Sep 2013.Material and Methods: A non probability convenience sample was collected from 50 patients who visited orthopaedics department with complaints of generalized aches and pains and diagnosed to have primary osteoprosis. Osteoporosis was confirmed by DEXA scan, with a T-score of more than -2.5. Pamidronate-a bisphosphonate, was given I/V on monthly basis along with oral calcium. After 6 month and one year DEXA scan was repeated to observe its effect on bone mineral densityResults: Osteoporosis T score of DEXA scan was seen to improve by 19.3% (0.193 T score improvement) with a p-value less than 0.05.Conclusion: Pamidronate treatment increased bone mineral density in osteoprotic patients.


To enhance the optical output and modulation bandwidth, the interdigitated tilted-charge light-emitting diodes with different geometries are fabricated and measured. The optical output scales with the emitter area only when the emitter lateral-feeding width is less than 5 m. When emitter size exceeds certain width, the light output is more dependent on the peripheral effect. Increasing the distance between the bottom contact and emitter mesa can also improve the light output by 1.8 times. However, it limits the optical modulation bandwidth due to the increasing resistance effect. The fast spontaneous modulation of tilted-charge LED is also demonstrated by the 3 Gb/s eye diagram.


Objective: To biomechanically assess the angular stability provided by 3 techniques for reconstruction of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament. Methods: Eight cadaveric elbows were tested with the lateral collateral ligament complex intact, disrupted from the origin at the lateral epicondyle, and reconstructed with 3 different techniques using ulnar bone tunnels: a suture "lasso" or palmaris longus tendon "lasso" both docked with a metal button at the origin, and a doubled-over palmaris longus tendon docked with metal buttons at both the origin and ulnar insertion. Elbows were tested with a physiologic elbow simulator, and varus angular position was quantified with an optical tracking system. Statistical analysis was performed using a repeated measures analysis of variance test to determine whether significance existed, and a Tukey post hoc analysis to compare statistical difference between native, disrupted, and repair states. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between all repairs and the disrupted state (P < 0.05). The varus angulation after the repairs showed that the suture reconstruction was closest to the native case. The tendon reconstructions were similar to each other but less similar to the native elbow. Quantitatively, the suture reconstruction was within an average of 0.86 degrees of the native elbow throughout range of motion. Conclusions: A suture reconstruction was most similar to a native elbow, but both tendon reconstructions significantly improved angular stability under varus gravitational loads.


The study of the formation of an accounting and control system for information and analytical support of management objectives is presented. The principles and foundations of its formation for the tactical and strategic objectives of business management are defined. When forming strategically oriented financial indicators, the cost of the company's capital takes the basic place. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that the developed accounting and control system of information and analytical support of the company's market value management goals and its business processes is integrated with other management systems in the mode of their parallel automation. The interconnections of all formalized systems are reduced to the creation of an organizational and functional management structure a company whose information basis is integrated accounting and quality management of business processes.


Molecular Enzymology Group Colloquium Organized by D. Fell (School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Brooke University) and D. Kell (Department of Biological Sciences, University College, Wales, Aberystwyth), Edited by D. Fell and Sponsored by Xenova Ltd, Zeneca Bioproducts, Glaxo Research and Development Ltd and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. 653rd Meeting held at the University of Sussex on 13-1 6 December 1994.


One of the tasks of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, MSB (Myndigheten for Samhallsskydd och Beredskap), is to partake in relief efforts in foreign countries. Before these relief efforts, roads are inspected for accessibility to ensure that communications will work. The road inspections are currently being performed by hand with the use of pen and paper, which brings difficulties to distribution of information. During the course of this thesis project, Sweco Position Karlstad has developed a digital road inspection tool for MSB that recieves information from a road inspector and stores this information in a database. This road inspection tool may in the future replace the pen and paper inspections and ease the work of the road inspectors. In this dissertation, a prototype of a web map that displays data from a road inspection is presented. Using a web map to display the results of a road inspection offers several advantages, as it eases distribution of information and allows end users to make selections about what data they want to view.


The gut microbiome plays a critical role in regulating host immunity and can no longer be regarded as a bystander in human health and disease. In recent years, circadian (24 h) oscillations have been identified in the composition of the microbiota, its biophysical localization within the intestinal tract and its metabolic outputs. The gut microbiome and its key metabolic outputs, such as short chain fatty acids and tryptophan metabolites contribute to maintenance of intestinal immunity by promoting barrier function, regulating the host mucosal immune system and maintaining the function of gut-associated immune cell populations. Loss of rhythmic host-microbiome interactions disrupts host immunity and increases risk of inflammation and metabolic complications. Here we review factors that drive circadian variation in the microbiome, including meal timing, dietary composition and host circadian clocks. We also consider how host-microbiome interactions impact the core molecular clock and its rhythmic outputs in addition to the potential impact of this relationship on circadian control of immunity.


Because no studies of psychotherapy treatments for night eating syndrome (NES) have been published, we conducted a pilot study of a 10-session cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for NES. Twenty-five patients (19 female, 6 male) were screened and comprehensively assessed before being enrolled. At each visit, patients completed the Night Eating Symptom Scale (NESS), were weighed, and number of awakenings and the number of nocturnal ingestions and daily caloric intake were calculated from weekly food and sleep records. Mixed model regression analyses [of the data] showed significant decreases in caloric intake after dinner (35.0% to 24.9%); number of nocturnal ingestions (8.7 to 2.6 per week); weight (82.5 to 79.4 kg); and NESS score (28.7 to 16.3; all p values <0.0001). Number of awakenings per week, depressed mood, and quality of life also improved significantly (p values <.02). This first clinical trial of CBT for NES shows significant improvements in the core aspects of NES and weight reduction, suggesting the need for a controlled treatment trial.


Generating function techniques for analyzing the error event and the bit-error probabilities for trellis codes are considered. The conventional state diagram approach for linear codes where the number of states is equal to the number of trellis states cannot be applied directly to arbitrary trellis codes, and instead, a state diagram where the number of states is equal to the square of the number of trellis states must be used. It is shown that for an interesting class of trellis codes a modified generating function can be defined for which the number of states {\em is equal to} the number of trellis states. The class of codes considered includes trellis codes of rate R=(n-1)/n based upon set partitioning whenever the first partition breaks the signal constellation into two subsets which have the same "configuration matrix," i.e., the same ordered set of mutual distances. The complexity of calculating this modified generating function is the same as for the ordinary generating function of a convolutional code with the same number of trellis states. Bounds on the performance of some interesting codes are given based upon this method.


The Principles of European Law on Service Contracts (PEL SC) were drafted between 1999 and 2006 by the Tilburg Team of the Study Group on a European Civil Code (SGECC). A slightly modified version of the PEL SC has recently been implemented in Book IV.C of the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR). The purpose of the meeting of the Private Law Division of the German Association of Comparative Law on September 18, 2009 in Cologne was to investigate to what extent the PEL SC reflect the experience of the major European jurisdictions and how they may be evaluated against the background of these experiences. Given that purpose, this paper elaborates on the background of the PEL SC, their genesis, and the method of devising them. The following are the main issues addressed in this paper. Who was actually involved – and in what capacity – in the research and how did the quality assurance system used by the SGECC operate in the course of the project (II.)? What is generally regarded to be the key feature of the research approach taken by the Tilburg Team (III.)? This involves the decision not to start drafting the PEL SC on the basis of national rules that already existed for several specific service contracts but, instead, to opt for a functional analysis of all kinds of services frequently rendered in practice. The paper concludes with a few thoughts on the question how others might proceed in further evaluating the PEL SC, in light of the research approach adopted by the Tilburg Team (IV.).


The consequences of the diseases that are often occured on workers is a huge loss for the company and the workers. In order to overcome the problem of disease, workplace health promotion (WHP) efforts are needed, in particular to change the workers behavior. The application of behavioral change in the workplace are more complex. Changes in behavior are not just driven by individual factors, but also by the role of external factors, so that the targeted WHP is a multilevel basis. This article describes the formula WHP multilevel models that can be applied to change unhealthy worker behavior. The selection model of behavior change should be considered in the formulation of a multilevel WHP. It is used as a reference to modify the behavior that will be addressed. Furthermore, the principle of selecting strategies and behavior change methods, tailored to the target level of intervention. Overall, these principles are formulated in a comprehensive reference WHP program and implemented effectively and efficiently in the workplace. This article can be a reference for those who will implement WHP with behavioral changes in a multilevel approach.


Background: Motor progression varies even among those with a single diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and little is known about the trajectory of motor signs prior to death. Understanding deterioration patterns may help clinicians counsel patients and proactively plan interdisciplinary care, including palliative care. The objective of this study was to examine and describe Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score (UPDRS-III) trajectories at the end of life in PD. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for deceased PD patients who attended the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Program at the University of Alberta for at least 5 years between 1999 and 2018. UPDRS-III scores were recorded for all visits. Trajectory patterns were visualized with Loess curves stratified by sex and age at diagnosis. Piecewise linear models were used to individually model the UPDRS-III scores, and the trajectories obtained were clustered based on their features. Results: Among the 202 charts reviewed, 84 meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed. The UPDRS-III increased over time regardless of sex and age. Distinct trajectory variations present in PD (e.g., Consistent Deterioration, Stability-Deterioration, Improvement-Deterioration, Deterioration-Improvement-Deterioration) were identified. Twenty-five percent of the patients were classified as Undetermined/Irregular trajectories. In addition, regardless of trajectory type, many patients experienced a steep increase in UPDRS-III approaching death. Those with disease diagnosis after age 65 years had a shorter survival time, compared to PD patients with a younger age of onset. Conclusion: Our study identified dominant types of motor trajectory in PD that can help clinicians understand their patients' course of illness. This information can help counsel patients regarding the variability in motor deterioration and should alert physicians to recognize a terminal decline. Age of disease onset was correlated with survival time.


An augmented virtual environment (AVE) fuses dynamic imagery with 3D models. The AVE provides a unique approach to visualize and comprehend multiple streams of temporal data or images. Models are used as a 3D substrate for the visualization of temporal imagery, providing improved comprehension of scene activities. The core elements of AVE systems include model construction, sensor tracking, real-time video/image acquisition, and dynamic texture projection for 3D visualization. This paper focuses on the integration of these components and the results that illustrate the utility and benefits of the resulting augmented virtual environment.


The early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a challenge for medical scientists worldwide, leading to a number of research efforts that focus on biosensor development for AD biomarkers. However, the application of these complicated biosensors is limited in medical diagnosis, due to the difficulties in robust sensing platform development, high costs, and the necessity for technical professionals. We successfully developed a robust straightforward manufacturing process for the fabrication of multi-chamber paper devices using the wax printing method and exploited it to detect amyloid beta 42 oligomers (AβO42, a significant biomarker of AD) using copper-enhanced gold nanoprobe colorimetric immunoblotting. Small hydrophilic reaction chambers could concentrate the target sample to the desired size to improve the sensing performance. The copper-enhanced gold nanoprobe immunoblot using the designed multi-chamber platform exhibited a highly sensitive performance with a limit of detection of 320 pg/mL by the naked eye and 23.7 pg/mL by a smartphone camera. This process from sensing manufacture to sensing conduction is simple to perform whenever medical technicians require time- and cost-savings, without complicated instruments or the need for technical professionals, making it feasible to serve as a diagnostic tool worldwide for the early monitoring of AD and scalable devices for the sensing application of various biomarkers in clinical settings.


The efficacy and safety of carbon‐ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for locally advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer (LA‐NSCLC) remain unclear. We reported the clinical outcomes of CIRT for LA‐NSCLC. Data for 141 eligible patients who received CIRT between 1995 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Local control (LC), locoregional control (LRC), progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. The median age was 75.0 years. Overall, 21 (14.9%), 57 (40.4%), 43 (30.5%) and 20 (14.2%) patients had T1, T2, T3 and T4 disease, respectively. Moreover, 51 (36.2%), 45 (31.9%), 40 (28.4%) and 5 (3.5%) patients had N0, N1, N2 and N3 disease, respectively. Furthermore, 34 (24.1%), 42 (29.8%), 45 (31.9%) and 20 (14.2%) patients had stages IIA, IIB, IIIA and ΙΙΙB disease, respectively. Overall, 62 (44.0%), 60 (42.6%), 8 (5.7%) and 11 (7.8%) patients had adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and others, respectively. The median dose was 72.0 Gy (relative biological effectiveness). No patient received concurrent chemotherapy. Median follow‐up periods were 29.3 (1.6‐207.7) and 40.0 (10.7‐207.7) months for all patients and survivors, respectively. Two‐year LC, PFS and OS rates were 80.3%, 40.2% and 58.7%, respectively. Overall, 1 (0.7%), 5 (3.5%) and 1 (0.7%) patient developed Grades 4 (mediastinal hemorrhage), 3 (radiation pneumonitis) and 3 (bronchial fistula) toxicities, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed adenocarcinoma and N2/3 classification as significant poor prognosticators of PFS. CIRT is an effective treatment with acceptable toxicity for LA‐NSCLC, especially for elderly patients or patients with severe comorbidities who cannot be treated with surgery or chemoradiotherapy.


It is clear that the world community realized the need for a Declaration on bio-ethics and human rights. It led to an assignment given by the member states to UNESCO to develop a declaration. During the development of the declaration many stakeholders were involved in a transparent process, which led to the approval of the declaration unanimously by all 191 member states, in 2005. The strength of this declaration is found in the fact that for the first time in human history, mankind is united regarding bio-ethical principles as a form of human rights and is therefore morally committed to compliance with the ethos of the declaration. This declaration may be particularly valuable in developing countries because in general a bio-ethical infrastructure is lacking. Christians do not need to feel uncomfortable about global or universal ethical principles, because there is enough evidence in their writings to support universal ethics, as long as the principles do not clash with principles found in Scripture.


Representation and reasoning with spatial information is a fundamental aspect of artificial intelligence. Qualitative methods have become prominent in spatial reasoning. In geophysical explorations, one of the aspects is to determine compass direction between the regions. In this paper, we present an efficient approach to cardinal directions between free form regions. The development is very simple, mathematically sound and can be implemented efficiently. The extension to 3D is seamless; it needs no additional formulation for transition from 2D to 3D.It has no adverse impact on the computational efficiency, as the technique is akin to 2D. This work is directly applicable to geographical information systems for location determination, robot navigation, and spatio-temporal networks databases where direction changes frequently.


Low gap (∼1.6 eV) a-Si : H films have been prepared by using helium diluted silane as source gas mixture in the usual radiofrequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition method (13.56 MHz). The films have characteristics suitable for use as active layer of the bottom cell of a dual gap double junction a-Si solar cell. The films have been prepared at different rf-power densities and chamber pressures and characterized in detail. The role played by helium in improving the structure of a-Si : H and lowering of the band gap has been analysed. The cells fabricated with the said material show higher short circuit current density (Jsc = 8.9 mA cm−2) and lower light induced degradation (9–10%) before stabilization.


Building new advanced multimedia telecommunications services in a distributed and heterogeneous environment is very difficult, unless there is a methodology to support the entire service development process in a structured and systematic manner, and assist and constrain service designers and developers by setting out goals and providing specific means to achieve these goals. Therefore, in this paper, after a brief presentation of a proposed service creation methodology, its service design phase is examined in detail focusing on the essential activities and artifacts. In this process, the exploitation of important service engineering techniques and UML modelling principles is especially considered. Finally, alternative and complementary approaches for service design are highlighted and a validation attempt is briefly outlined.


The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) describe a course of action to address poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). More specifically, SDG 6 clarifies how water quality, quantity and access are crucial to human well-being, and yet human activities are compromising water resources through over-exploitation, pollution, as well as contributing to the spread of disease. Globally aquatic ecosystems are highly threatened and concerted efforts by governments and civil society to 'turn the situation around' are simply not working. Human-created problems require human-centred solutions and these require different ways of thinking and acting to those behaviour patterns that are contributing to the challenges. In this paper, we first consider causal approaches to attitude change and behaviour modification that are simply not working as intended. We then explore enabling responses such as citizen science and co-engaged action learning as more tenable alternatives. SDG 6 has a focus on clean water and sanitation for all. The SDGs further clarify how the extent to which this goal can be realized depends, to a large extent, on stakeholder engagements and education. Through stakeholder engagements and educational processes, people can contribute towards SDG 6 and the specific indicator and target in SDG 6.b – Stakeholder participation. Following a three-year research process, that investigated a wide range of participatory tools, this paper explores how the Stream Assessment Scoring System (miniSASS; www.minisass.org) can enable members of the public to engage in water quality monitoring at a local level. The paper continues to demonstrate how miniSASS can contribute to the monitoring of progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.3, by providing a mechanism for data collection indicator 6.3.2. miniSASS is proving popular in southern Africa as a methodology for engaging stakeholder participation in water quality monitoring and management. The technique costs very little to implement and can be applied by children and scientists alike. As a biomonitoring approach, it is based on families of macroinvertebrates that are present in most perennial rivers of the world. The paper concludes by describing how useful the miniSASS technique can be for addressing data gaps for SDG 6.3.2 reporting, and that it can be applied in most regions of the world.


Various varieties have been developed in Malaysia, mainly to improve rice response to environmental changes, pests, and diseases, as well as to increase rice productivity under stressful conditions. Despite being semi-aquatic plants, rice is intolerant to complete submergence for a long period. This study was conducted to evaluate the response of seven Malaysian rice varieties at the vegetative stage under submergence stress. Two-week-old rice seedlings were submerged for 14 days, and the changes in plant height, chlorophyll content, and soluble sugar content were determined. The survival percentage of these varieties was observed after 14 days of de-submergence, where UKMRC2 and MR220CL possessed high survivability (90% & 60%, respectively). After submergence, all varieties showed height increment and reduced chlorophyll and soluble sugar contents. Based on our analyses, UKMRC2 performed better than other varieties, although slightly less than IR64-Sub1. It was confirmed that UKMRC2 is the submergence-tolerant variety, and its response to underwater germination was also determined. Our result showed that UKMRC2 might possess tolerance to anaerobic germination conditions, and more studies are needed to understand its molecular mechanism for submergence. In conclusion, many varieties used were susceptible to submergence, and the development of more submergence-tolerant varieties is crucial for Malaysia's food security sustainability.


The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) was established by the Department of Homeland Security to communicate the risk of a terrorist event. In order to explore the potential psychological impacts of HSAS we analyzed the effects of terror alerts on the law enforcement community. We used data from the New Jersey Cop 2 Cop crisis intervention hotline. Incidence Rate Ratios--interpreted as average relative increases in the daily number of calls to the Cop 2 Cop hotline during an increased alert period--were computed from Poisson models. The hotline received a total of 4,145 initial calls during the study period. The mean daily number of calls was higher during alert level elevation compared to prior 7 days (7.68 vs. 8.00). In the Poisson regression analysis, the Incidence Rate Ratios of number of calls received during elevated alert levels compared to the reference period of seven days preceding each change in alert were close to 1, with confidence intervals crossing 1 (i.e. not statistically significant) for all lag periods evaluated. This investigation, in the context of New Jersey law enforcement personnel, does not support the concern that elevating the alert status places undue stress upon alert recipients.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the discriminant accuracy of exercise thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

DATA IDENTIFICATION
A survey of the National Library of Medicine MEDLINE database.

STUDY SELECTION
The key medical subject headings used were coronary disease, myocardial infarction, radionuclide imaging, and thallium. A total of 122 retrieved studies were considered relevant and were reviewed in depth.

DATA EXTRACTION
Only studies reporting both the sensitivity and specificity of thallium scintigraphy were analyzed.

RESULTS
Discriminant accuracy for diagnosis and prognosis was summarized in terms of pooled sensitivity and specificity.

CONCLUSIONS
Exercise thallium scintigraphy is useful in the noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease, especially in patients with abnormal resting electrocardiograms, restricted exercise tolerance, and intermediate probability of having disease at the time of testing as well as of defining the prognosis of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, especially in those with previous myocardial infarction. Because of various shortcomings in the published record, however, the marginal discriminant accuracy and cost effectiveness of thallium scintigraphy compared with conventional clinical assessment and exercise electrocardiography remain controversial.


The use of the English language in China, and especially in Chinese education has been increasing for several decades, despite various attitudes towards its use (Hu, 2009; Niu & Wolff, 2003; Wang, 2015). In the traditional perspective of world Englishes (Kachru, 1992), China lies in the expanding circle, where English is regarded as a foreign language. However, since China's implementation of the opening-up policy, the teaching of the English language has gained momentum by becoming a key subject in China's education system. Currently, policies in China make English a subject of study from grade three at primary school and as one of the three compulsory subjects in the national university entrance exam (Gaokao), and a compulsory course for university students of all majors (Hu, 2003; Li, 2016).


T concept of a sentinel lymph node (SLN) in cancer implies that lymphatic metastases are not a random event but a process that follows an orderly pattern along a predictable pathway. It presumes that a sequential progression of tumor cells within the lymphatic system exists and that the primary tumordraining lymph node possesses the capacity to act, at least temporarily, as a barrier against tumor cell dissemination. Biopsy of the SLN can determine whether a metastasis of the tumor has occurred at an early stage, having significant diagnostic and therapeutic implications for patients with cancer. Recently, several groups, including ours, have used tissue from sentinel node biopsies (SNB) to analyze either the immunological or molecular characteristics of the SLN. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss how the application of several molecular technologies and usage of the gene chip will further increase the sensitivity of assays to detect malignant cells and the ramifications this may have to tailor chemotherapeutic and biotherapeutic interventions in the future. In addition, we will provide an introduction to immunology and review how the immunological analysis of the SLN may lead to innovative new vaccines and biological treatments for cancer. It is hoped that this review will provide an introduction to the current research issues in the field and provide a basis for scientists and physicians from different disciplines to consider how their expertise might be applied to pose or answer questions about the SLN.


safetyand efficacy of commonly useddietary supplements for individuals withsomedegreeof familiarity withsupplements. Content: Thecommon names of dietary supplements areorganized alphabetically. Withineach monograph, thereare sectionsregarding evidence for common uses, dosing, adverseeffects, interactions, mechanismsof action,and detaileddiscussion of the efficacyevidenceavailable. The authorsmakegood use of tables to highlightand summarize critical information. This is helpful as, at times, the reader may get bogged downin thedepthof datain thetext. The information within sectionsis wellorganized, andthe useof headings andsubheadings makes it easy for the reader to quickly identify the relevant sections. Monographs containtablesthat reviewthe evidenceavailable for a productand provide the readerwitha thumbnail sketchof the clinical trialsavailable. A moredetailed description canbe found in thebodyof thetext. The last sectioncontainsa variety of appendices that have usefulinformation. Therearechartsof supplements withselected properties (hypoglycemic, hypotensive, diuretic, hormonal), whichmightbe helpful in ensuring that products patients are takingdo not exacerbate an underlying disease state. In addition, therearecondition tables listing thequality of evidence for dietarysupplements in the management of a numberof common conditions. Usability: The data providedare up-to-date and fairly comprehensive. The cost may be prohibitivefor some practitioners and makes it moreexpensive thanmanyotherresources related to thistopic. Highlights: The depth of informationprovidedabout clinical trials and the emphasison critical analysis of the literatureare the greatest strengths of thisresource. Limitations: Approximately 100of the mostcommonly usedsupplementsare presented. This enablesthe text to providemore information on thoseproducts, but as a consequence, someproductsmay not be included. Comparison with Other Related Books: This book provides more detailed informationthan most others on this topic. While this can be usefulfor academics and students, it may not be the best resource for a clinician looking for a quick referenceand quick responsefor patient care.Otherresources mayalso provideinformation on a greatervariety of dietary supplements. Reviewer'sSummary: This is a useful reference thatdoesa goodjob of providingdetailed information about a limitednumberof products. Due to thecostof this resource and the depthof information provided, it is bestsuited fora libraryor otherreference facility.


Recent pre-clinical and clinical studies have revealed the C-reactive protein gene (CRP) is related to the degree of acute rise in plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene could associate with increased risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, obstructive pulmonary disease, periodontitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Less is known about the role of variabilities of circulating levels of CRP due to SNPs as an individual biological marker of CV risk and poor clinical outcomes due to CV reasons. The results of clinical trials and some meat-analysis are controversial in this issue. The short commentary is depicted the possible role of SNPs in CRP gene as a personified biological marker of CV risk.


Background Zolpidem is used for the short term treatment of insomnia. Recently, new recommendations about its normal recommended daily dose have been published: 10 mg in adults and 5 mg in older patients and those with reduced liver function, in order to minimise the risk of adverse events. Purpose To analyse the use of zolpidem in hospitalised patients, considering the daily dose they were taking before admission and during hospitalisation. Material and methods Retrospective observational study conducted over 3 months in a tertiary level hospital. All patients receiving treatment with zolpidem were included. A pharmacist reviewed the daily dose the patient was taking and identified possible adverse effects which could be related to the drug treatment. Two subgroups were made to evaluate the results: adults (age <65 years) and older patients (age >65 years). Results 68 patients were included (21 adults, 47 older patients). In adults, doses were: 10 mg in 17 (80.9%), 5 mg in 3 (14.3%) and 20 mg in 1 (4.8%). In older patients doses were: 10 mg in 32 (68.1%) and 5 mg in 11 (23.4%). The rest of the older patients (8,5%) took more than one different dose. No patient had reduced liver function. Adverse events such as dizziness, weakness and/or drowsiness were described in 10.3% of hospitalised patients (7.4% older patients). 71.4% of them were taking higher than the recommended doses of zolpidem. 67.6% of patients had been prescribed zolpidem before admission, 32 older patients (90.6% with the 10 mg dose). 8.8% of all patients were admitted to an emergency unit after a dizziness episode or a fall, a cardiovascular aetiology being rejected. All of them were taking zolpidem before admission and 66,67% were older patients with higher than the recommended dose. Conclusion A high rate of older patients were taking higher than recommended doses of zolpidem. In some cases it happened at the same time that symptoms occurred which could be related to the adverse effects of zolpidem on the CNS when higher than recommended doses are taken. The latest recommendations about dosage should be considered to prevent possible adverse events. No conflict of interest.


Thymidine kinase (TK) activity was studied in thymus and spleen of mice after glucocorticoid and heparin administration. Glucocorticoids (cortisone and hydrocortisone) injected intraperitoneally caused a prolonged 80--90% decrease in TK activity of both lymphoid organs. Heparin per se administered in depot-form subcutaneously did not alter the enzyme activity in the lymphoid organs significantly. By contrast, heparin injected 6 hours before glucocorticoid treatment inhibited the decreasing effect of cortisone but not that of hydrocortisone on TK activity in the thymus and fully inhibited the effect of both hormones on the enzyme activity of spleen. In addition the combined use of heparin and cortisone increased the splenic TK activity above the control value on the 2nd day after treatment. The possible mode of action of heparin is discussed.


We revisit, both numerically and analytically, the finite-time blowup of the infinite-energy solution of 3D Euler equations of stagnation-point type introduced by Gibbon et al. (Physica D, vol. 132, 1999, pp. 497–510). By employing the method of mapping to regular systems, presented by Bustamante (Physica D, vol. 240 (13), 2011, pp. 1092–1099) and extended to the symmetry-plane case by Mulungye et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 771, 2015, pp. 468–502), we establish a curious property of this solution that was not observed in early studies: before but near singularity time, the blowup goes from a fast transient to a slower regime that is well resolved spectrally, even at mid-resolutions of $512^{2}.$ This late-time regime has an atypical spectrum: it is Gaussian rather than exponential in the wavenumbers. The analyticity-strip width decays to zero in a finite time, albeit so slowly that it remains well above the collocation-point scale for all simulation times $t<T^{\ast }-10^{-9000}$ , where $T^{\ast }$ is the singularity time. Reaching such a proximity to singularity time is not possible in the original temporal variable, because floating-point double precision ( ${\approx}10^{-16}$ ) creates a 'machine-epsilon' barrier. Due to this limitation on the original independent variable, the mapped variables now provide an improved assessment of the relevant blowup quantities, crucially with acceptable accuracy at an unprecedented closeness to the singularity time: $T^{\ast }-t\approx 10^{-140}$ .


Taking the temporal dimension into account during the analysis of Web usage data has become a necessity since the way a site is visited may well evolve due to modifications in the structure and content of the site, or even due to changes in the behavior of certain user groups. Consequently, the models associated with these behaviors must be continuously updated. One solution to this problem is to update these models using summaries obtained by means of an evolutionary approach based on clustering methods. To do this, we carry out various clustering strategies that are applied on time sub-periods. We compare the results obtained using this method with those reached by traditional global analysis.


The availability of O2 is believed to be one of the main factors regulating nitrification and denitrification and the release of NO and N2O. The availability of O2 in soil is controlled by the O2 partial pressure in the gas phase and by the moisture content in the soil. Therefore, we investigated the influence of O2 partial pressures and soil moisture contents on the NO and N2O release in a sandy and a loamy silt and differentiated between nitrification and denitrification by selective inhibition of nitrification with 10 Pa acetylene. At 60% whc (maximum water holding capacity) NO and N2O release by denitrification increased with decreasing O2 partial pressure and reached a maximum under anoxic conditions. Under anoxic conditions NO and N2O were only released by denitrification. NO and N2O release by nitrification also increased with decreasing O2 partial pressure, but reached a maximum at 0.1–0.5% O2 and then decreased again. Nitrification was the main source of NO and N2O at O2 partial pressures higher than 0.1–0.5% O2. At lower O2 partial pressures denitrification was the main source of NO and N2O. With decreasing O2 partial pressure N2O release increased more than NO release, indicating that the N2O release was more sensitive against O2 than the NO release. At ambient O2 partial pressure (20.5% O2) NO and N2O release by denitrification increased with increasing soil moisture content. The maximum NO and N2O release was observed at soil moisture contents of 65–80% whc and 100% whc, respectively. NO and N2O release by nitrification also increased with increasing soil moisture content with a maximum at 45–55% whc and 90% whc, respectively. Nitrification was the main source of NO and N2O at soil moisture contents lower than 90% whc and 80% whc, respectively. Higher soil moisture contents favoured NO and N2O release by denitrification. Soil texture had also an effect on the release of NO and N2O. The coarse‐textured sandy silt released more NO than N2O compared with the fine‐textured loamy silt. At high soil moisture contents (80–100% whc) the fine‐textured soil showed a higher N2O release by denitrification than the coarse‐textured soil. We assume that the fine‐textured soil became anoxic at a lower soil moisture content than the coarse‐textured soil. In conclusion, the effects of O2 partial pressure, soil moisture and soil texture were consistent with the theory that denitrification increasingly contributes to the release of NO and in particular N2O when conditions for soil microorganisms become increasingly anoxic.


above 2800 M.; mosses are common about springs up to 3600 m., but liverworts are entirely lacking. More than one-half the species (2io) are classed as belonging to the central Andes, 6o being endemic. There are no endemic genera, but notable among this group are such aggregates as 6 species of Adesmia, 2 of Boopis, I2 of Senecio, and 2 new varieties of Koeleria. The other elements are the northern tropical with i6 species, the subtropical with


A total of 277 rufous-collared sparrows, Zonotrichia capensis Müller, 1776 (Emberizidae), were examined for external parasites. The birds were captured using mist nets in seven locations in northern and central Chile. Additionally, seven carcasses from central Chile (the Biobío region) were necropsied to evaluate the presence of endoparasite infection. Ectoparasites were found on 35.8% (99/277) of the examined birds and they were represented by the following arthropods: feather mites Amerodectes zonotrichiae Mironov and González-Acuña, 2014 (Analgoidea: Proctophyllodidae), Proctophyllodes polyxenus Atyeo and Braasch, 1966 (Analgoidea: Proctophyllodidae), and Trouessartia capensis Berla, 1959 (Analgoidea: Trouessartiidae); a louse Philopterus sp. (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera); and ticks Amblyomma tigrinum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) and Ixodes auritulus Neumann, 1904 (Acari: Ixodidae). Two of the seven necropsied carcasses were infected with the acanthocephalan Mediorhynchus papillosus Van Cleave, 1916 (Gigantorhynchida: Gigantorhynchidae). To our knowledge, this study reports P. polyxenus, Philopterus sp., A. tigrinum, and M. papillosus for the first time for Z. capensis and expands the distributional range for T. capensis to Chile.


In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, a request was made to have the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP), National Defense University (NDU), develop a theory of cyberpower. It was noted that there was a need to develop a holistic framework that would enable policy makers to address cyber issues in proper perspective. To satisfy that tasking, CTNSP convened five workshops, drawing on experts from government, industry, academia, and think tanks. Those workshops addressed a broad set of issues related to the evolution of cyberspace, cyberpower, cyberstrategy, and institutional factors that influence those factors (e.g., governance, legal issues). To develop the desired theory, this paper systematically addresses five key areas. First, the paper defines the key terms that are associated with cyber issues. Particular emphasis is placed on the terms "cyberspace", "cyberpower", and "cyberstrategy". Second, the paper categorizes the elements, constituent parts, and factors that yield a framework for thinking about cyberpower. Third, the paper explains the major factors that are driving the evolution of cyberspace and cyberpower. To support that effort, the paper presents strawman principles that characterize major trends. Fourth, the paper connects the various elements of cyberstrategy so that a policy maker can place issues in proper context. Finally, the theory anticipates key changes in cyberspace that are likely to affect decision making. In view of the dramatic changes that are taking place in cyberspace, it is important to stress that this effort must be regarded as a preliminary effort. It is expected that the theory will continue to evolve as key technical, social, and informational trends begin to stabilize.


ABSTRACT This study explores the effects of exposure to a reality television narrative depicting genetic testing on attitudes and intentions, looking particularly at the effects of narratives containing elements of misinformation on genetics-related knowledge accuracy. In an experiment, participants completed a baseline survey, viewed a high versus low-accuracy narrative, then completed a follow-up survey. Exposure to a low-accuracy narrative was associated with lower knowledge accuracy. Indirect effects of identification and transportation on intentions to talk to a doctor about genetic testing also were detected via attitudes and reduced message counterarguing. Results illustrate the negative implications of inaccurate narratives on knowledge, which is concerning given the public's low level of genetic literacy, as well as the critical role narrative engagement may play in shaping public attitudes and intentions regarding genetic testing.


Real-time tracking of moving objects in natural scenes has taken a great role in computer vision. In order to track the targets, we have to determine the object models. But, it is hard to determine them in advance. Moreover, to realize real-time operations, each frame operation should be done in short time. In this paper, we propose a filter processing for tracking and an automatic filter construction system. No specific hardware is used. The filters are designed by the system itself in each environment, and are able to extract their color features which are not contained in other areas. The proposed system generates color filters which can derive feature segments using clustering process. After that, it re-assembles the filter to obtain better performance by genetic algorithm. We show how the filters are effective for object detection and tracking a target.


Abstract. Glacier surges are prevalent in the Karakoram and
occasionally threaten local residents by inundating land and initiating mass
movement events. The Kyagar Glacier is well known for its surge history, and
in particular its frequent blocking of the downstream valley, leading to a
series of high-magnitude glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Although the surge
dynamics of the Kyagar Glacier have been broadly described in the
literature, there remains an extensive archive of remote sensing
observations that have great potential for revealing specific surge
characteristics and their relationship with historic lake outburst floods.
In this study, we propose a new perspective on quantifying the surging
process using successive digital elevation models (DEMs), which could be
applied to other sites where glacier surges are known to occur. Advanced
Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer DEMs, High Mountain
Asia 8-meter DEMs, and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM were used to
characterize surface elevation changes throughout the period from 2000 to
2021. We also used Landsat time series imagery to quantify glacier surface
velocities and associated lake changes over the course of two surge events
between 1989 and 2021. Using these datasets, we reconstruct the surging
process of the Kyagar Glacier in unprecedented detail and find a clear signal of
surface uplift over the lower glacier tongue, along with uniformly
increasing velocities, associated with the period of surge initiation.
Seasonal variations in surface flow are still evident throughout the surge
phase, indicating the presence of water at the glacier bed. Surge activity of the
Kyagar Glacier is strongly related to the development and drainage of the
terminal ice-dammed lake, which itself is controlled by the drainage system
beneath the glacier terminus.


The requirement for protein kinase C (PKC) during triggering of murine CD8+ CTL was investigated. To this, CTL were depleted for PKC by pretreatment with PMA. This procedure neither influenced alpha/beta-TCR, CD3-epsilon, CD8, CD2, and lymphocyte function-associated Ag-1 expression, nor CTL-target cell conjugate formation. Although cytolytic effector function of PKC-depleted CTL triggered via alpha/beta-TCR structures was completely inhibited, target cell lysis induced via CD3-epsilon remained unaffected. Furthermore this PKC-independent cytolysis pathway was not associated with the release of serine esterases. Analyses at the clonal level revealed that PKC depletion blocked the cytolytic response of up to 95% of alpha/beta-TCR triggered CTL clones. The data suggest the existence of a distinct signaling pathway triggered via CD3-epsilon that is not associated with exocytosis of serine esterases and probably independent of PKC.


A hybrid quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSC) composed of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) as light harvesters and TiO(2) and 3,3'''-didodecyl-quaterthiophene (QT12) as electron and hole conductors, respectively, has been fully processed in air. The sensitizer has been introduced into the TiO(2) nanoporous layer either by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method or by attaching colloidal QDs either directly or through molecular cables (linkers). As previously observed for QDSCs based on liquid electrolytes, the efficiency depends on the way of QD attachment, the direct adsorption of QDs being the procedure yielding the best results. Thermal annealing was applied in order to enhance the device response under illumination. Remarkable open circuit potentials are attained (close to 1 V), leading to an efficiency of 0.34% (AM 1.5G) in initial tests. Although low, it ranks as one of the highest values reported for solid state QDSCs based on titanium dioxide and colloidal quantum dots.


The extracellular domain of the p55 TNF receptor (TNFrED) is an important therapeutic protein for targeting tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The expression level of the TNFrED is low for bioproduction, which is presumably associated with the complication of pairing 24 cysteine residues to form correct disulfide bonds. Here we report the application of the yeast display method to study expression of TNFrED, a multimeric receptor. Randomly mutated libraries of TNFrED were screened, and two mutants were identified that express several-fold higher protein levels compared with the wild type while still retaining normal binding affinity for TNF-α. The substituted residues responsible for the higher protein expression in both mutants were identified as proline, and both proline residues are adjacent to cysteine residues involved in disulfide bonds. Analysis of the mutant residues revealed that the improved level of expression is due to conformational restriction of the substituted residues to that of the folded state seen in the crystal structures of TNFrED thereby forcing the neighboring cysteine residues into the correct orientation for proper disulfide bond formation.


One of the commonest requests that medical educators get from clinical colleagues is to run training sessions on how to give feedback to students and trainees. Personally, I have a mixed reaction when I receive an invitation to do this. It is always good to know that clinicians are taking their teaching role seriously. At the same time, the requests often seem to be based on a naive assumption that the skill of giving feedback to trainees can be mastered just by learning some simple educational techniques, rather than being developed as part of an ethos of trust, respect and mutual challenge. To improve the quality of feedback, you really need to address both.

Guidance from the literature on giving feedback is fairly consistent.1 The purpose of feedback is to promote self-regulation in trainees, through helping them to recognise any discrepancies between what they are doing and what they ought to do.2 There are various sets of rules for giving feedback. The best-known are "Pendleton's rules", named after the psychologist who helped to formulate them.3 According to these rules, feedback should always follow certain fixed stages: first, the learner and then the teacher …


Only slight pulp reactions to glass ionomer cements occurred when inserted in Class V cavities of dog teeth. Most inflammatory reactions were due to bacteria at the tooth/filling interface. Special dentin reactions were noted in almost half the teeth, including hematoxyphilic bands in the dentin and a disturbance of the mineralization pattern of predentin. The clinical significance of these dentin reactions is not known.


Avascular necrosis of the nipple is a serious complication of reduction mammaplasty with nipple transposition. A study was undertaken to measure the skin circulation in the nipple before, during and after this operation. In 14 patients undergoing a reduction mammaplasty according to the method of Strömbeck, the skin circulation was measured in 25 breasts with laser doppler flowmetry (LDF) and fluorescein flowmetry (FF). LDF showed that the skin circulation increased after de-epithelialization to 204.4 +/- 31.0% of the preoperative value (100%) (mean +/- SEM, p less than 0.01). After the upper and lower glandular resection the circulation was reduced to 90.7 +/- 12.3% of the preoperative value. The division of the lateral pedicle did not affect the circulation. After the skin had been sutured, the circulation was 71.5 +/- 9.1% of the preoperative value (p less than 0.01). One to four days postoperatively the circulation was 100.3 +/- 13.2% of the preoperative value. At FF uniform fluorescence was observed in the nipple postoperatively in all patients but two, in whom avascular necrosis later developed. Our results thus show that the circulation in the nipple after reduction mammaplasty by the Strömbeck method is adequate and that it is safe to divide the lateral dermal pedicle.


We obtain upper estimates for the Lipschitz constants of the metric ε-projection operator P in terms of the modules of convexity and smoothness of the space when the following three parameters are varied: the approximee x, the convex approximating set M, and the accuracy of approximation ε>0. These estimates are unimprovable in the class of all normed linear spaces. We use them to obtain new stability evaluations for continuous selectors of the operator P.


This paper reports on the recognition component of an intelligent tutoring system that is designed to help foreign language speakers learn standard English. The system models the grammar of the learner, with this instantiation of the system tailored to signers of American Sign Language (ASL). We discuss the theoretical motivations for the system, various difficulties that have been encountered in the implementation, as well as the methods we have used to overcome these problems. Our method of capturing ungrammaticalities involves using mal-rules (also called 'error productions'). However, the straightforward addition of some mal-rules causes significant performance problems with the parser. For instance, the ASL population has a strong tendency to drop pronouns and the auxiliary verb 'to be'. Being able to account for these as sentences results in an explosion in the number of possible parses for each sentence. This explosion, left unchecked, greatly hampers the performance of the system. We discuss how this is handled by taking into account expectations from the specific population (some of which are captured in our unique user model). The different representations of lexical items at various points in the acquisition process are modeled by using mal-rules, which obviates the need for multiple lexicons. The grammar is evaluated on its ability to correctly diagnose agreement problems in actual sentences produced by ASL native speakers.


Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading mortality causes. According to the latest guidelines, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is one of the main non-invasive methods for diagnosis of CHD, which allows for quantification of stenosis severity and the characterization of stenotic lesions.
Aim of the study. It is to study the role, diagnostic value and dependence of coronary artery calcification on the degree of stenotic lesion of the coronary arteries and anthropometric parameters in patients with coronary artery disease examined by computed tomography.
Materials and methods. According to the purpose of the study, 46 patients were included: 32 (69.6 %) males and 14 (30.4 %) females. The average age of the patients was 59.0 ± 9.8 years, height – 172 ± 9 cm, weight – 85.6 ± 12.9 kg, body mass index (BMI) – 28.6 ± 4.13, body surface area (BSA) – 1.98 ± 0.17 m2. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Independent t-tests were conducted between two groups of patients (Agatston index ≥400 and <400), using P < 0.05 as a significant value. Pearson correlation coefficient was employed to determine independent coronary calcium predictors using P < 0.05 as a significant value.
Results. According to the results of the age analysis, significant differences were found among both groups of patients (P = 0.02). Notable differences in the number of affected coronary arteries between Groups 1 and 2 with an Agatston index ≥400 and <400 (P < 0.01) were found. During the correlation analysis, a significant moderate positive correlation of the SYNTAX score level with Agatston index (r = 0.69, P < 0.01) was revealed.
Conclusions. The degree of coronary arteries calcification with Agatston score ≥400 is an independent predictor of severe coronary heart disease with multivessel lesion of the coronary arteries. The degree of calcification of coronary arteries with Agatston score ≥400 is more common in males. Height, weight, BMI and BSA do not influence the degree of coronary calcification arteries and Agatston score level.


A delayed position feedback is considered to investigate the local and global dynamics induced by the delay in a parametrically excited system. A method is proposed to obtain the approximate resonant solution from which one can easily predict the delay-induced bifurcation branches. Also, the basin of attraction is obtained numerically when single equilibrium or three equilibriums occur in the system under consideration. It is found that the appropriate choice of the time delay and the feedback gain can improve the fractal of the boundary of the basin and stabilize the motion to the expected equilibrium state.


One of the major problems experienced with LAN-based videoconferencing systems is the degradation of conference latency and fidelity due to network congestion. In this paper, we present a comprehensive transmission control framework describing the relationship of latency and fidelity to properties of human perception and network congestion. We discuss how network factors such as physical link capacity and size of maximum transmission units may exacerbate the effects of congestion on the conference and how the impact of congestion can be ameliorated through judicious adaptation of the media streams' bit and message rates. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of an adaptive transmission control algorithm based upon the framework to produce low-latency, high-fidelity conferences over congested internetworks.


The authors reported a rare case of chronic subdural hematoma presenting bilateral visual impairment caused by papilledema. A 49-year-old man was admitted to our department due to left blurred vision. On admission, ophthalmological examination revealed visual acuity disturbance on the left eye, bilateral nasal visual field defect and papilledema. CT scan and MRI demonstrated bilateral subdural hematoma. No remarkable findings were detected on cerebral angiography. After evacuation of bilateral subdural hematomas, his visual symptoms recovered. In this report, we discuss the mechanism of visual impairment caused by chronic subdural hematoma.


Magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be a powerful tool for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) and evaluating surrogate markers of the disease activity. However, biomarkers may provide more accurate information regarding ongoing immune responses leading to demyelination and treatment effects in MS patients. Although serum biomarkers are easily accessible, they do not provide clear-cut results, whereas cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers provide unequivocal information, although samples cannot be repeatedly obtained. For diagnosis, the presence of oligoclonal IgG bands remains important. In addition, measuring the levels of adhesion molecules, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and complement regulator factor H in the serum and evaluating the proportion of Th1/Th2 cells in the blood may be clinically feasible for monitoring the disease activity. In CSF samples, increased IL-8, IL-12, IL-17, CCL3, CCL5 and CXCL10 levels indicate active disease, and the flow cytometry findings of CSF cells can be used to detect increases in Th1 and CD4(+)CD25(+) cells during relapse. Biomarkers closely linked to the disease activity may be informative of the pathogenesis of MS, while those associated with tissue damage or repair may be targets of new treatment strategies. Establishing the latter will be a primary point of research in the near future.


Background: Efforts to develop personalized medicine and individualized cancer care must be undertaken with widespread participation in biobanking especially among ethnic/racial populations that disproportionally experience excess burden of cancer incidence and mortality. The concept of biobanks is thought to be a promising way to identify the links between genetic and environmental factors in relation to disease, particularly cancer. Yet there is skepticism among the general public about the purpose of these repositories. If public engagement, understanding, and trust are established, biobanks may serve as an important resource to address issues of limited generalizability that are present in current clinical and genomics research. This research describes a series of community engagement processes and formative research activities (phase I), part of an ARRA pilot project to assess community attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, and informational needs on human biospecimen collection and biobanking. Congruent with the goals of the parent grant, the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network, an NCI-funded community networks program for tackling health disparities, this project supports the development of collaborative community-academic linkages resulting in tools that limit and/or eliminate barriers to closing the gap on cancer health disparities. Methods: Interactive activities undertaken to engage community members on the topic of biobanking included educational presentations, a biobanking tour, and formation of a Community Advisory Group (CAG). The CAG, comprised of key community stakeholders, provided ongoing feedback on study methods, recruitment strategies, focus group content, educational materials, and offered important community insights about biobanking. It is expected that these activities will add to a growing community level of understanding of biobanking as "opening new pathways for researchers to bring about new treatments." Currently underway are a series of 12 focus groups and 10 key informant interviews examining community members' knowledge and attitudes about biospecimen collection; motivations toward research participation; ethical concerns; and learning preferences for the topic. Results: Data gained from this formative research phase will aid in identification of strategies to effectively frame educational messages with deference to health literacy, cultural competency, and encourage informed decision making (phase II). In keeping with a community-based participatory approach, study outputs include: 1) a CAG that could be used to advise future studies and inform policies on biobanking research; 2) a set of educational communication tools for advancing understandings about biomedical technologies in an easy-to-understand manner; and 2) linkages to Minority Biospecimen/Biobanking-Geographic Management Program Regional initiatives (BMap-GMap). Conclusion: Use of community engagement methods to improve communications on biospecimen collection/biobanking is one way to bring constituents' voices into discussions and influence the way biobanks are implemented. It is expected that public engagement from idea conception to implementation will prove central to mobilizing community participation in biobanking. Future studies are expected to test the efficacy of these tools for decision priming. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A18.


Peroxiredoxin (Prx) is an important peroxidase that can protect organisms against various oxidative stresses. In this study, a member of Prx family, designated LvPrx, was cloned from Litopenaeus vannamei . Sequence and phylogenetic analyses indicated that LvPrx belongs to the 2-Cys Prx (Prx IV) isoform. The recombinant LvPrx protein was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli , and the purified LvPrx proteins were shown to reduce H 2 O 2 in vitro in the presence of dithiothreitol, indicating that LvPrx is a functional peroxiredoxin. Using qRT-PCR, the mRNA expression levels of LvPrx were determined in the haemocytes of L. vannamei at different stages after being challenged with WSSV and TSV at different doses. The results showed that the expression levels of LvPrx were significantly up-regulated ( P < 0 . 05 ) during 4-24 h after both WSSV and TSV challenge, suggesting that LvPrx may participate in the shrimp's immune response to viral infection.


— The aim of this study is to analyze influence of differences of heat insulation methods on indoor thermal environment and comfort of apartment buildings. This study analyzes indoor thermal environment and comfort on units of apartment buildings using calculation software "THERB" and compares three different kinds of heat insulation methods. Those are outside insulation on outside walls, inside insulation on outside walls and interior insulation. In terms of indoor thermal environment, outside insulation is the best to stabilize room temperature. In winter, room temperature on outside insulation after heating is higher than other and it is kept 3-5 degrees higher through all night. But the surface temperature with outside insulation did not dramatically increase when heating was used, which was 3 to 5 o C lower than the temperature with other insulation. The PMV of interior insulation fall nearly range of comfort when the heating and cooling was use.


In this paper we extend the traditional GARCH(1,1) model by including a functional trend term in the conditional volatility of a time series. We derive the main properties of the model and apply it to all agricultural commodities in the Mexican CPI basket, as well as to the international prices of maize, wheat, pork, poultry and beef products for three different time periods that implied changes in price regulations and behavior. The proposed model seems to adequately fit the volatility process and, according to homoscedasticity tests, outperforms the ARCH(1) and GARCH(1,1) models, some of the most popular approaches used in the literature to analyze price volatility.


The pump-probe excitation of a two-level dipolar (d≠0) molecule, where the pump frequency is tuned to the energy level separation while the probe frequency is extremely small, is examined theoretically as an example of absolute phase control of excitation processes. The state populations depend on the probe field's absolute carrier phase but are independent of the pump field's absolute carrier phase. Interestingly, the absolute phase effects occur for pulse durations much longer and field intensities much weaker than those required to see such effects in single pulse excitation.


Different fractionated extracts (in ethanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and water) of two mangrove plants Kandelia candel and Brownlowia tersa have been investigated here for diuretic and laxative bioactivity. In diuretic test, frusemide (5 mg/kbw) was used as standard and the parameters like volume of urine up to 6th hour, pH, density, conductivity and Na+, K+, Cl- contents of collected urine were measured. Ethyl acetate fraction of Kandelia candel showed significant diuretic activity (p<0.001) at 200 mg/kbw and 400 mg/kbw dose compared with control. For aerial parts of Brownlowia tersa, chloroform fraction demonstrated better diuretic activity. Both the active fractions were found to work as loop diuretics. In laxative activity test, bisacodyl (10 mg/kbw) was used as standard and a significant percent increment of fecal output (p<0.0001) was observed for ethyl acetate fraction of Kandelia candel at both the doses. For Brownlowia tersa, the ethyl acetate and water fractions demonstrated significant laxative effect. Phytochemical analysis for both the plants extracts exhibited the presence of carbohydrate, reducing sugar, steroids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids and flavonoids etc. Further studies may be carried to isolate and characterize the active compound(s) responsible for the claimed activity.


This paper presents performance and feasibility analyses for important mesh-connected architectures that contain sparse broadcast buses. Two basic architectures, that implement bus intersections differently, are given special attention. The first architecture simply allows row/column bus crossovers. The second architecture has separable buses and implements such intersections with switches for further flexibility. Both architectures have lower cost than the mesh with multiple broadcast, which has buses spanning each row and each column, but the former architectures maintain to a high extent the powerful properties of the latter mesh. The architecture with separable buses is shown to often perform better than the higher-cost mesh with multiple broadcast. Architectures with separable buses that employ store-and-forward routing often perform better than architectures with contiguous buses that employ high-cost wormhole routing. All these architectures are evaluated in reference to cost, and efficiency in implementing several important operations and application algorithms. The results prove that these architectures are very promising alternatives to the mesh with multiple broadcast; in addition, their implementation is cost-effective and feasible.


Spatial navigation involves multiple cognitive processes including multisensory integration, visuospatial coding, memory, and decision-making. These functions are mediated by the interplay of cerebral structures that can be broadly separated into a posterior network (subserving visual and spatial processing) and an anterior network (dedicated to memory and navigation planning). Within these networks, areas such as the hippocampus (HC) are known to be affected by aging and to be associated with cognitive decline and navigation impairments. However, age-related changes in brain connectivity within the spatial navigation network remain to be investigated. For this purpose, we performed a neuroimaging study combining functional and structural connectivity analyses between cerebral regions involved in spatial navigation. Nineteen young (μ = 27 years, σ = 4.3; 10 F) and 22 older (μ = 73 years, σ = 4.1; 10 F) participants were examined in this study. Our analyses focused on the parahippocampal place area (PPA), the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), the occipital place area (OPA), and the projections into the visual cortex of central and peripheral visual fields, delineated from independent functional localizers. In addition, we segmented the HC and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) from anatomical images. Our results show an age-related decrease in functional connectivity between low-visual areas and the HC, associated with an increase in functional connectivity between OPA and PPA in older participants compared to young subjects. Concerning the structural connectivity, we found age-related differences in white matter integrity within the navigation brain network, with the exception of the OPA. The OPA is known to be involved in egocentric navigation, as opposed to allocentric strategies which are more related to the hippocampal region. The increase in functional connectivity between the OPA and PPA may thus reflect a compensatory mechanism for the age-related alterations around the HC, favoring the use of the preserved structural network mediating egocentric navigation. Overall, these findings on age-related differences of functional and structural connectivity may help to elucidate the cerebral bases of spatial navigation deficits in healthy and pathological aging.


In this work, 0.5Mn–NiCo2S4 core–shell nanowire arrays are rationally designed and directly employed as binder-free electrode materials for supercapacitors. The as-fabricated product exhibits a high areal capacity of 3.13 C cm−2 at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 and an excellent stability with 78.59% capacity retention after 6000 cycles. An asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor, assembled by utilizing 0.5Mn–NiCo2S4 core–shell nanowires as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode, achieves a relatively high volumetric energy density of 8.80 mW h cm−3 at a volumetric power density of 220.103 mW cm−3 and a high retention of 2.29 mW h cm−3 at a power density of 704.51 mW cm−3. Besides, the asymmetric device shows remarkable cycling stability with 83.93% capacity retention after 6000 cycles.


Lymphatic metastasis is the predominant cause of the low overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), as there are no faithful methods available predicting early metastasis. Recent studies suggest an effect of podoplanin expression on metastatic spreading to lymph nodes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of podoplanin expression on lymphatic metastasis and tumor cells, and to find the relationship between podoplanin expression and prognosis of patients with ESCC. We evaluated the level of podoplanin expression on tumor cells and the lymphatic vessel density change of tumor mass compared with normal tissue from the same patient through D2-40 immunohistochemistry staining, and analyzed associations between these two variables and various clinicopathologic parameters individually or conjunctively. There was an association between podoplanin expression and the frequency of lymph node metastases. In 45 patients (80%), podoplanin was expressed on the tumor cells. Twenty-one patients (37.5%) showed high levels of expression. The 5-year disease-free survival rate (5%) for patients with high levels of podoplanin expression was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than for patients with low and moderate expression of podoplanin (54% and 27%, respectively). We concluded that podoplanin is expressed frequently in ESCC, and that the expression of podoplanin on cancer cells, lymphatics, or both is correlated with lymphatic metastasis and clinical outcome.


This paper addresses control of DC voltage in a multi-terminal HVDC system. The proposed control strategy in this paper utilizes multi-agent control methodology to control the set values of the DC voltages of converters. The input data used for the proposed control is based on either local or a combination of local and remote information. For the remote data, a time delay for received information is considered. Some case studies are presented using MATLAB/Simulink to show the performance of the proposed control method.


Purpose Depression is a common and serious medical illness, considered as a public health issue because it interferes with the interpersonal, social and professional functioning of the individual, and its frequency is constantly increasing. According to a recent review, approximately 34 per cent of nursing students had experienced depression worldwide. The university period may represent a moment in which the mental well-being of students is subjected to stress with a relative predisposition to the development of diseases related to mood disorders. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence and examine the socio-demographic correlates of depressive symptomatology. Design/methodology/approach In April 2019, a questionnaire was administered to all the nursing students of University of Palermo of the three years of course, accompanied by informed consent. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. The statistical significance level chosen for all analyses was 0.05. The results were analyzed using the STATA statistical software version 14. Results are expressed as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95 per cent confidence intervals. Findings The sample consists of 493 students who completed the questionnaire, and the average age of the sample participants is 21.88 years. The multivariable logistic regression model shows that the risk to have depressive symptomatology is significantly associated with the following independent variables: female gender (aOR 1.91), being single (aOR 1.87), second year of study (aOR 1.94), third year of study (aOR 1.92), not performing regular physical activity (aOR 1.78) and perceived low health status (aOR 3.08). Originality/value This study shows that belonging to the female gender, being further along in the years of study, having a chronic illness and perceiving a low state of health are all factors that can increase the risk of developing the symptoms of depression; rather, regular physical activity, friendship and romantic relationships can be considered factors protecting them from the risk of falling into depression that can undermine both the study and work performance. Certainly, it is important to analyze all the involved variables to improve the global health not only of the nursing students but of all the students.


We present a new kind of structural Markov property for probabilistic laws on decomposable graphs, which allows the explicit control of interactions between cliques and so is capable of encoding some interesting structure. We prove the equivalence of this property to an exponential family assumption, and discuss identifiability, modelling, inferential and computational implications.


Introduction: The vertical and sagital position of the maxilla and mandible is influenced by the size and the angulation of the cranial base. Sellae turcica is part of the cranial base. It is located in the middle cranial fossa. Thus, the growth and the development of this bony structure are influenced by neural and general skeletal pattern as well. Cephalometric analysis is an important part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. From numerous cephalometric landmarks, the S- sellae point is commonly used to describe the cranial base. Also, it is used to evaluate other bony structures' position towards it. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the shape and the dimension of the sellae turcica in different types of malocclusions. Materials and Methods: 136 randomly selected lateral cephalometric radiographs were analyzed. Also, skeletal and facial pattern was identified and the shape and sagital dimension of the sellae was measured. Results: Statistical analysis presented no significancy regarding sellae's shape in different types of malocclusion. However, the skeletal class II cases presented the most anarchic sellae shapes. Comparing linear measurements of skeletal length and sellae diameter, we found that the smallest diameter of the sellae appears in class III malocclusions. Thus, other skeletal length presents the lowest mean values also. Statistically significant differences among maxillary, mandibular, and cranial base length and sellae diameter were found in class I malocclusion (p=0.013). Conclusions: Sella morphology appears to have certain correlation with cranial and jaw base length and jaw base relationship in skeletal Class I Romanian population


The temperature anisotropy (T per /T par > 1) of ions in the magnetosheath drives the mirror instability. We performed two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) hybrid simulations in open boundary models to study the nonlinear mirror mode structures. In the open boundary systems, because of the propagation of EMIC waves, we can obtain the clearer non propagating mirror mode structures. We analyzed the relation between the mirror instability and the magnetic peaks and dips which are pe-culiar magnetic structures observed in the magnetosheath. In the 2D open boundary model, we obtain the clear magnetic dips at the nonlinear stage. The magnetic structures become larger in the parallel directions rather than the perpendicular directions. In the 3D model, on the other hand, the mirror instability makes the magnetic peaks structures with the same parameters. We obtain the cigar-like magnetic peaks structures, because of the nonlinear evolution of mirror instability and the symmetric structure in the perpendicular directions. We also performed parametric analyses on the ion beta in both 2D and 3D models. We find that the magnetic peaks also arise in the 2D high beta case as shown in the Cluster observations. Considering the pressure balance between the magnetic field and plasma, we show how the ion beta dependence of the magnetic structures appears. In all parameters, we obtain the magnetic peaks in the 3D models.


All the evolution of the scientific knowledge about Cosmic Rays (CRs) in the 20 t h century leads to the following statement: Cosmic Rays constitutes a time and spatial variable flux of fully ionized energetic atoms and sub-atomic particles with specific abundances and energies that continuously permeates the solar system, reaching the Earth and producing ionization and nuclear reactions in our atmosphere. Since the primary CR flux is composed of charged particles, it is expected that any magnetic irregularity and/or turbulence affects their large scale transport and consequently its energy spectrum. Moreover, since the interaction of the CR particles with the terrestrial atmosphere produces not only atmospheric ionization, but also nuclear reactions (creating a cascade of secondary particles), it is easy to understand that near ground CR measurements (direct or indirect) may allow us to study the physical processes involved in the journey of CR particles (including the birth conditions of the lower energetic ones and the propagation of the higher energetic ones through the heliosphere) before reaching the terrestrial environment, and also along the transport of the secondary particles into the Earth's atmosphere. In this sense, considering a cosmic ray particle as a "celestial messenger" is reasonable. Therefore, several works have been using the CR footprints found in the terrestrial surface (through the ground-based measurement of cosmogenic tracers) as a tool for solar and atmospheric studies. It is present here a discussion concerning the time evolution of the CR scientific knowledge and a brief review of the physical concepts of those celestial messengers.


We discuss the concept and costs of resolving accounting issues. We first characterise the (degree of) resolution of an accounting issue as a continuous concept, arguing that an accounting issue is unresolved where an established solution is either uncertain or produces financial information with undesired consequences. We then describe standard setters and market participants as possible institutions that can contribute to such resolution. A series of standard-setting cases illustrates different settings as well as sources and degrees of resolution. We then review extant studies that speak to two important cost factors shaping the supply of accounting solutions: costs of learning about accounting solutions and opportunity costs arising from reduced incentives for innovations in accounting. We conclude with suggestions for future research and implications for standard setting.


Cerebral palsy is leading cause of physical disability in childhood. This interferes with normal ambulation. Rectus femoris muscle spasticity has been reported to be a cause of stiff knee gait in the patients with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to analyse changes in sagittal knee joint kinematic parameters following botulinum toxin injection to the rectus femoris. Fifteen patients were included in the study. A Vicon Motion capture system with Plug-in-Gait model was used for the pre- and post-treatment gait analysis of knee joint angles as well as knee joint flexion velocity. The results from statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in the knee joint range of motion as well as velocity of knee joint flexion in the pre-swing and early swing phase of gait cycle. Although statistical results did not show any significant improvement, it was noted that there was variation in the outcomes for individual patients, with some showing improvements.


A chemical strategy toward the selective synthesis of unsymmetrical tripyrranes was developed for the formation of meso-aryl and -nitromethyl substituted A3B porphyrins. The iodine catalyzed addition of meso-substituted dipyrromethanes to nitrovinylarenes to generate unsymmetrical 5-aryl-10-(nitromethyl) substituted 15-azatripyrranes, 15-oxatripyrranes and 15-thiatripyrrane under mild conditions has been investigated. The multicomponent reactions of 15-azatripyrranes provided the construction of meso-aryl and -nitromethyl substituted A3B-porphyrins. To the best of our knowledge, the first examples of 5-aryl-10-(nitromethyl) substituted 15-azatripyrranes, 15-oxatripyrranes and 15-thiatripyrrane, and 5-(nitromethyl)-10,15,20-tris(aryl)porphyrins are introduced in this study.


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in cooperation with the nuclear industry is constructing an improved probabilistic fracture model for 'extremely Low Probability of Rupture' in the piping of a nuclear power plant called xLPR. This paper focuses on the xLPR model's treatment of uncertainty for in-service inspection. In the xLPR model, uncertainty is classified as either aleatory or epistemic, and both types of uncertainty are described with probability distributions. Earlier PFM models included aleatory, but ignored epistemic, uncertainty, or attempted to deal with epistemic uncertainty by use of conservative bounds. Thus, inclusion of both types of uncertainty in xLPR should produce more realistic results than the earlier models. This work shows that by including epistemic uncertainty in the xLPR ISI module, there can be a significant effect on rupture probability; however, this depends upon the specific scenarios being studied. Some simple scenarios are presented to illustrate those where there is no effect and those having a significant effect on the probability of rupture.


The algorithms for creating and manipulating sound by electronic or digital means have grown in number and complexity since the creation of the first analog synthesizers. The techniques for visualizing these synthesis models have not increasingly grown with synthesizers, neither in hardware nor in software. In this paper, the possibilities to graphically represent and control timbre are presented, based on displaying the parameters involved in its synthesis model. A very simple data set was extracted from a commercial subtractive synthesizer and analyzed in two different approaches, dimensionality reduction and abstract data visualization. The results of these two different approaches were used as leads to design a synthesizer prototype: the Spectron synthesizer. This prototype uses an Amplitude vs. Frequency graphic as it´s main interface to give information about the timbre and to interact with it, it´s control offers a simplification in the amount of variables of a classic oscillator and expands its possibilities to generate additional timbre.


Style transfer is the image synthesis task, which applies a style of one image to another while preserving the content. In statistical methods, the adaptive instance normalization (AdaIN) whitens the source images and applies the style of target images through normalizing the mean and variance of features. However, computing feature statistics for each instance would neglect the inherent relationship between features, so it is hard to learn global styles while fitting to the individual training dataset. In this paper, we present a novel learnable normalization technique for style transfer using graph convolutional networks, termed Graph Instance Normalization (GrIN). This algorithm makes the style transfer approach more robust by taking into account similar information shared between instances. Besides, this simple module is also applicable to other tasks like image-to-image translation or domain adaptation.


Electropolymerization and characterization of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped
with functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWANTs) polyaminobenzene sulfonic acid
(PABS) and different dopants were studied. It was fabricated by a simple oxidative electropolymerization
method. The nanocomposite coatings have been prepared by using electrochemical
methods from aqueous solutions, such that the components were deposited onto platinum electrode
substrate. The morphology of composite films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy
(SEM). The electrochemical and physical properties of the resulting composites were evaluated
by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques in 0.1 M LiClO4 aqueous solutions. The value of
specific electrochemical capacitance of the composite films is considerably higher than that of the
pure polymers films. The improved properties of the electrodes were obtained by using these
composite films. The dopant substances used were sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1,2-Dihydroxy-
benzene-3,5-disulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate (tiron).


Occupational stress affects individual's potency and its organisation's work environment. Occupational stress is becoming one of the alarming problems worldwide due to intense pressure, deadlines and competition to survive. Earlier studies reveal that occupational stress can cause serious damage to the health of employees which ultimately incur huge losses to organisation and its environment. The work of nationalised bank employees is one of the stressful jobs in present day as they are dealing with financial transaction and expected with accuracy. The research paper aims to compare the various dimensions of sources of stress among bank Executives under study with respect to their Gender, Length of Service and Designation. Sample of the study has been selected from nationalized banks of Udham Singh Nagar region of Uttarakhand. The functioning of banking sector has witnessed drastic changes because of liberalization, privatisation, and globalisation and information technology. So with these challenges employees leading forward by delivering their services which consequently resulting in pressure and work under consistent pressure results in disturbance in an employee's mental and physical wellness. The entry of private banks has influenced the expectations of customers as they have initiated numerous value added services. In the light of these grounds it is vital to study the work related stress confronted by bank employees and the stressors responsible for causing stress. In this research paper terms like occupational stress, work stress and job stress are used synonymously.


A method for eliciting or inducing a protective immune response in a subject against a pandemic subtype of influenza virus comprises administering to the subject a composition comprising (i) at least one immunogen of an endemic influenza subtype, and (ii) an immunogen-free immunostimulating complex as adjuvant.