A new scenario for neutron-star cooling is suggested by the correspondence between pion condensation, induced by critical spin-isospin fluctuations, and the metal-insulator phase transition in a 2D electron gas. Above the threshold density for pion condensation, the neutron single-particle spectrum acquires an insulating gap that quenches neutron contributions to neutrino production. In the liquid phase just below the transition, the fluctuations play dual roles by (i) creating a multisheeted neutron Fermi surface that extends to low momenta and activates the normally forbidden direct Urca cooling mechanism, and (ii) amplifying the nodeless P-wave neutron superfluid gap while suppressing S-wave pairing. Lighter stars without a pion-condensed core undergo slow cooling, whereas enhanced cooling occurs in heavier stars via direct Urca emission from a thin shell of the interior.


Introduced and invasive species make excellent natural experiments for investigating rapid evolution. Here, we describe the effects of genetic drift and rapid genetic adaptation in pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) that were accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes via a single introduction event 31 generations ago. Using whole-genome resequencing for 134 fish spanning five sample groups across the native and introduced range, we estimate that the source population's effective population size was 146,886 at the time of introduction, whereas the founding population's effective population size was just 72-a 2040-fold decrease. As expected with a severe founder event, we show reductions in genome-wide measures of genetic diversity, specifically a 37.7% reduction in the number of SNPs and an 8.2% reduction in observed heterozygosity. Despite this decline in genetic diversity, we provide evidence for putative selection at 47 loci across multiple chromosomes in the introduced populations, including missense variants in genes associated with circadian rhythm, immunological response and maturation, which match expected or known phenotypic changes in the Great Lakes. For one of these genes, we use a species-specific agent-based model to rule out genetic drift and conclude our results support a strong response to selection occurring in a period gene (per2) that plays a predominant role in determining an organism's daily clock, matching large day length differences experienced by introduced salmon during important phenological periods. Together, these results inform how populations might evolve rapidly to new environments, even with a small pool of standing genetic variation.


A two-dimensional numerical simulation of acoustic waves in a closed rectangular acoustic chamber is completed. Numerical computations are performed by solving the two-dimensional, unsteady, viscous, non-linear Navier-Stokes system of equations. Finite difference methodology was used accurate to second order both in time and space. No-slip, no through flow and zero heat flux are set boundary conditions. Acoustic waves are generated by a vibrating membrane or piston on one wall. Computations are completed for variation in viscosity of the fluid. Results of the temperature profiles seem to agree with analytical solutions for a standing wave in an enclosure and those obtained experimentally with low perturbation to mean pressure ratio. Temperature nodes and anti-nodes each was found to occur near walls and midway through the chamber respectively, results associated with a half wavelength standing wave.


We present a detailed description on how to build a thin wire electrostatic trap (TWIST) for ultracold polar molecules. It is the first design of an electrostatic trap that can be superimposed directly onto a magneto-optical trap (MOT). We can thus continuously produce ultracold polar molecules via photoassociation from a two species MOT and instantaneously trap them in the TWIST without the need for complex transfer schemes. Despite the spatial overlap of the TWIST and the MOT, the two traps can be operated and optimized completely independently due to the complementary nature of the utilized trapping mechanisms.


Massive cross-sectional evidence exists indicating that children of more educated parents outperform their schoolmates. However, evidence for causal interpretation of this association is weak. We examine a causal relationship using two approaches for identification within the same data: cousins with twin parents and adopted children. We find no effect of mothers' education on children's school performance using the children-of-twins approach. However, for adopted children, mother's education has a small positive effect. Tracking the work experience of parents during offspring childhood, we find no support that this effect can be explained by a higher labor force participation among more educated mothers.


We evaluated the cell viability activity of methanolic extract of Murraya paniculata leaf (MEMPL) on leukemia cells. MEMPL significantly reduced the cell viability in a time and concentration dependent manner in both the acute myeloid and acute lymphoid cells. Several apoptosis indicators were found in cancer cells, including chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation according to the morphological study. These findings suggest that MEMPL exhibited anticancer activity in leukemic cell lines. Flow cytometric analysis found a significant number of cells in the early and late stages of apoptosis. MMP shift assay revealed a significant change in mitochondrial membrane potential in MEMPL-treated leukemic cells. The cells were mostly in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle when they were arrested. These findings reveal that MEMPL showed anticancer activity in leukemic cell lines.


An important expression of the non-linear character of the ocean's meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is the scaling of its amplitude with the magnitude of the vertical mixing coefficient (diffusivity) of heat and salt. This paper extends recent work that indicated that the Atlantic and Pacific MOC exhibit different scaling behaviour. An idealized two-basin model configuration is used to study the meridional overturning circulation under restoring boundary conditions. In particular, the effects of wind forcing and the choice of the parametrization of lateral mixing are examined. Without wind, the scaling is similar in the two basins and consistent with theoretical predictions, provided that the diffusivity is small enough. Towards higher diffusivities the scaling of the overturning diverges.With non-zero wind, the sensitivity is strongly determined by the choice of the lateral mixing scheme. In case of traditional horizontal diffusion, the scaling behaviour is asymmetric due to spurious diapycnal mixing.With the Gent-McWilliams parametrization, the scaling is symmetric for the lower range of diffusivities, where results agree partly with theoretical scaling relations. In all cases considered, the pycnocline depth has the same sensitivity to diffusivity in both basins, implying that there is no universally valid relation between overturning strength and pycnocline depth.


In order to minimize the deviation of the position of spherical superconducting inertial fusion energy (IFE) target from the laser shot point, a target trajectory adjusting system using a magnetic lens was analysed. The system consists of magnets or coils placed symmetrically along the line between the target injection point and the laser shot point. An approximation to the magnetic charge, which forms the magnetic lens, is obtained for general configuration. The magnitude of the magnetic charge limits allowable target displacement at the magnetic lens. Sensitivity analysis of the target deviation is reported to design an active adjusting system which compensates for the perturbation of the parameters of an individually injected target.


Functional foods and food supplements are two of the major classes of nutraceuticals or food-related products that have health benefits, such as improving health and prevention and treatment of disease. The aim of this present study is to introduce the main factors influencing functional food consumptions as well as food supplement consumption, searching for the answers to the following research questions: (1) What factors affect functional food and food supplement consumption and to what extent? (2) What is the most authentic source of information in customers' decision making? Results of secondary and primary researches suggest that the most important factors in decision making are: experience in earlier consumption, nutrients, quality and price.  Food supplements are complex products and therefore, it is difficult for consumers to check the quality of these products at point of purchase; thus food-safety is a major issue for customers when buying food supplements. It can also be concluded that the availability and reliability of the source of information can greatly determine customer's decision making. The most authentic source of information according to customers' opinion were the following: health care professionals, sales staff and health-related articles. These variables should be taken into account for marketers and businesses when considering product development or improving communication on nutritional and health benefits of functional food and food supplements.


Objectives The present study aimed to validate screening tools that could be used to identify depression among workers. Design Diagnostic test study. Settings Workers from three Japanese companies agreed to participate. Participants Recruitment for the group 1 occurred between January 2001 and February 2004, and 89 participants (81 men and 8 women with a mean age of 38.4±6.6 years) (98.8%) took part in the study. Recruitment for the group 2 occurred between July 2000 and February 2004, and 1500 participants (1408 men and 92 women with a mean age of 40.9±7.2 years) (94.2%) took part in the study. Demographic data are shown in supplementary table 1. Interventions Primary and secondary outcome measures: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and a two-question case-finding instrument (TQI) were administered to 89 workers and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was conducted to verify the diagnosis of depression. A second group of 1500 workers completed the BDI and TQI to detect possible sample bias for the distribution of depression. Specificity, sensitivity and positive predictive value were calculated in order to obtain the optimal cut-off scores for BDI and TQI and receiver operating characteristic curves, and Youden Index were applied to further refine the optimal cut-off scores. Results When paired together, BDI score ≥10 and TQI score of 2 adequately identified workers who had major depressive disorder and those who had other psychiatric disorders that are frequently comorbid with major depressive disorder. Conclusions The combination of BDI score ≥10 and TQI score of 2 can adequately screen for current and potential cases of depression among workers. Furthermore, BDI and TQI offer the advantage of being relatively easy to administer to a large number of workers. Early detection of depression could improve treatment outcomes and decrease economic burden. Trail registration


When our eyes dart from place to place, the brain smooths the scene by briefly blanking out visual perception when the eyes jump, a momentary blindness known as saccadic suppression. Some argue that the brain does this solely based on information coming from the retina, while others think it uses additional, nonretinal signals coming from brain areas such as those that move the eyes. Now researchers have the first hard evidence for such an "extraretinal" mechanism. On page
 2460, researchers report that they have identified visual neurons that distinguish between real movements of a scene and the shifts caused by saccades.


The significance of sex differences in the level of estrogen receptors (ER) in hepatocytes for direct effects of estrogens in male and female rat livers was investigated. 4-5-fold increase in ER level and 20-30%-elevation in plasma angiotensinogen (AG) occurred after a single injection of 0.5 microgram of hexestrol (HE) in female and gonadectomized male rats. In male liver, where the cytosol ER content is two fold lower than that in female rats, nuclear ER level was shown to be very low and unchanged after HE injection, plasma AG also did not change. Injection of 0.5 microgram of ethinylestradiol produced similar effect. Injection of a greater dose of estrogen caused an enhancement in plasma AG level in males. The existence of sex differences in hepatic ER level seems to cause in some conditions different response of metabolic processes in male and female rat liver after estrogenization.


Early detection of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) within its intermediate and definitive hosts is crucial for case finding and disease surveillance, especially in low-endemic areas. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) has many advantages over traditional methods of DNA-amplification, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including high sensitivity and specificity whilst being deployable in resource-poor schistosomiasis-endemic areas. Here, we evaluated the performance of a basic RPA assay targeting the 28srDNA gene fragment of S. japonicum (Sj28srDNA) using schistosome-infected Oncomelania hupensis (O. hupensis) and mouse models, compared to the traditional pathological method and a PCR assay. Overall S. japonicum infection prevalence within O. hupensis hosts by microscopic dissection, PCR and RPA was 9.29% (13/140), 32.14% (45/140) and 51.43% (72/140), respectively, presenting significant differences statistically (χ2 = 58.31, p < 0.001). It was noteworthy that infection prevalence by PCR and RPA performed was 34.44% (31/90) and 53.33% (48/90) in snails within 6 weeks post-infection, while the dissection method detected all samples as negatives. In addition, the basic RPA assay presented positive results from the fourth week post-infection and third day post-infection when detecting fecal DNA and serum DNA, respectively, which were extracted from a pooled sample from mice infected with 20 S. japonicum cercariae. This study suggests that the RPA assay has high potential for early detection of S. japonicum infection within its intermediate and definitive hosts.


In order to understand and model many physical processes relating to the atmosphere and ocean, it is necessary to consider how the two are coupled. The air–sea fluxes of momentum, heat, and mass are the key quantities linking the two fluids. However, since fluxes over the sea are difficult and costly to measure, especially over the time and space scales required for model input, they have long been parameterized in terms of more readily available mean parameters and bulk exchange coefficients. In this paper we review the present state of the art of parameterizing air–sea turbulent fluxes. A data set of eddy-correlation fluxes compiled during eight field experiments, and representing a wide range of conditions, is used to investigate traditional bulk flux parameterizations (i.e. wind-speed dependent momentum coefficients, constant sensible and latent heat coefficients), as well as several more recent algorithms. Particular emphasis is given to the effect of sea state on the fluxes.


The aim of this paper was to review current end of life (EOL) practice in Italy. The authors have made an appraisal of the existing literature in order to understand current end of life care practice in Italy. This manuscript focuses on analyzing the dying process, the transoceanic similarities and differences in the end of life decision-making practice, and the family involvement. The authors acknowledge the importance of the recent Englaro court case verdict on current practice in Italy. Dying has changed as a process over the last century in term of causes of death, costs, communication of the prognosis, and needs of the patient's family. Regardless of national and international guidelines, there is no agreement among Italian doctors regarding the gold standards of daily clinical practice at the EOL.


Ticks, blood-feeding arthropods, and secrete immunosuppressive molecules that inhibit host immune responses and provide survival advantages to pathogens. In this study, we characterized the immunosuppressive function of a novel tick salivary protein, DsCystatin, from Dermacentor silvarum of China. DsCystatin directly interacted with human Cathepsins L and B and inhibited their enzymatic activities. DsCystatin impaired the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL1β, IFNγ, TNFα, and IL6 from mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) that had been stimulated with LPS or Borrelia burgdorferi. Consistently, DsCystatin inhibited the activation of mouse BMDMs and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells by downregulating the surface expression of CD80 and CD86. Mechanically, DsCystatin inhibited LPS- or B. burgdorferi-induced NFκB activation. For the first time, we identified that DsCystatin-attenuated TLR4 signaling by targeting TRAF6. DsCystatin enhanced LPS-induced autophagy, mediated TRAF6 degradation via an autophagy dependent manner, thereby impeded the downstream phosphorylation of IκBα and the nuclear transport of NFκB. Finally, DsCystatin relieved the joint inflammation in B. burgdorferi or complete Freund's adjuvant induced mouse arthritis models. These data suggested that DsCystatin is a novel immunosuppressive protein and can potentially be used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.


Adsorption of oxygen onto Cu(100) leads to formation of a well-ordered surface structure known as the `missing row' (MR) reconstruction. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to characterize the chemical properties of this MR structure, which serves as a well-defined analogue for oxidized copper surfaces used in catalysis for CO2 hydrogenation. Specifically, the interaction of CO2 with the MR structure has been studied and compared measurements on the bare Cu(100) surface and on a partially-reduced MR surface prepared by exposure to H2.

The results show that the reduction of the MR structure initially takes place at the lower terraces adjacent to step edges and at defects, producing a new phase which appears to have an amorphous structure. XPS results show a new oxygen species appearing upon reduction, which is attributed to this new structure. The XPS data further show that CO2 sticks more strongly on the oxygen-rich surfaces than on clean Cu(100), though CO2 adsorbs dissociatively on clean Cu(100) and the reduced MR surface, but not on the pure MR structure. Preliminary catalytic tests using an in-situ flow reactor showed conversion of CO2 to CO above 650 C, although the signal was weak. These results demonstrate the feasibility of further experiments using this cell for in-situ surface x-ray diffraction experiments to be conducted in the future.


Although ice chromatography is a useful probe of ice interfaces, its low separation efficiency has often made difficult to access the ice/water interface. Coupling of this method with shear-driven flow chromatography, which has high separation potential, solves the problems involved in ice chromatography. This paper reports on shear-driven flow ice chromatographic instrumentation, and discusses the separation performance. Electrostatic separation of positively and negatively charged dyes is demonstrated with an OH^--doped ice plate as a stationary phase.


Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. These cells have been shown to accumulate random mutations as a function of time; however, some of these mutations are non-random and can cause the expansion of the stem cells that contain them, creating a benign 'preleukemic' state that has recently been dubbed "Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential" (CHIP). As these clones expand, they can occasionally acquire additional mutations that create a profound advantage for these cells, yielding an AML " founding clone". Founding clones generate subclones that have unique properties that are probably defined by the specific mutations that they contain. These subclones, found in virtually all AML cases, shape the responses of AML patients to therapy, and often contribute to relapse. Clonal heterogeneity is therefore a hallmark of AML at presentation, and approaches to assess risk of relapse must take this into account. Further, approaches to cure this disease will probably require successful targeting of the mutations that initiate the disease, which are the only ones that are found in all the cells within the tumor. Frequently, the initiating mutations that expand the preleukemic clone are persistent when patients are in clinical remission, strongly suggesting that these events are important for relapse. The precise mechanisms by which canonical initiating events predispose to AML are largely unknown, but many of these mutations do cause significant changes in the epigenome that are probably relevant for pathogenesis. Citation Format: Timothy J. Ley. The AML genome(s). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr PL03-02.


. Patient and public involvement in research. Patient and public involvement (PPI) entails research being carried out 'with' members of the public, rather than 'to', 'about' or 'for' them. The word public can refer to patients, potential patients, carers and people who use health and social care services, people from organisations that represent people who use services as well as members of the public. People with lived experience of a particular service or health condition may add value to the research and even influence the research question. The involvement may occurr in any stage of the research process, but preferably since the very start, when the study is designed. To obtain a real involvement and participation some practical tips are suggested. In this paper advantages but also difficulties related to PPI are presented, based both on the literature but also from the authors' experience.


We present a theoretical and experimental study on the bandwidth of parametric down-converted photons generated from periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal pumped by a pulsed laser. By comparison of crystals with different lengths and pump beams of different bandwidths, we demonstrate that the bandwidth of down-converted photons will increase for a broader bandwidth of pump pulse and decrease for a longer crystal, but the influence of crystal length will become weaker along with increase of both crystal length and pump pulse bandwidth. Especially under the conditions of our experiment, the bandwidth almost remains unchanged for longer crystals when pumped by a femtosecond laser. This may be helpful for schemes in which pulsed lasers are used to pump PPLN crystals.


Abstract Background: None of the previous papers has examined alcohol advertising on the internet versions of television programs popular among underage youth. Objectives: To assess the volume of alcohol advertising on web sites of television networks which stream television programs popular among youth. Methods: Multiple viewers analyzed the product advertising appearing on 12 television programs that are available in full episode format on the internet. During a baseline period of one week, six coders analyzed all 12 programs. For the nine programs that contained alcohol advertising, three underage coders (ages 10, 13, and 18) analyzed the programs to quantify the extent of that advertising over a four-week period. Results: Alcohol advertisements are highly prevalent on these programs, with nine of the 12 shows carrying alcohol ads, and six programs averaging at least one alcohol advertisement per episode. There was no difference in alcohol advertisement exposure for underage and legal age viewers. Conclusions: There is a substantial potential for youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet through internet-based versions of television programs. The Federal Trade Commission should require alcohol companies to report the underage youth and adult audiences for internet versions of television programs on which they advertise.


Communication delay is detrimental to the performance of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) systems. In this paper, we incorporate communication delay explicitly into control design and propose a delay-compensating CACC. In this new CACC system, the semi-constant time gap (Semi-CTG) policy, which is modified on the basis of the widely-used CTG policy, is employed by a linear feedback control law to regulate the spacing error. The semi-CTG policy uses historical information of the predecessor instead of its current information. By doing so, communication delay is fully compensated, which leads to better stability performance. Three stability properties—local stability, string stability, and traffic flow stability—are analyzed. The local stability and string stability of the proposed CACC system are guaranteed with the desired time gap as small as the communication delay. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the delay-compensating CACC has better string stability and traffic flow stability than the widely-used CACC system. Furthermore, the proposed CACC system also shows the potential for improving traffic throughput and fuel efficiency. Robustness of the proposed system against uncertainties of sensor delay and vehicle dynamics is also verified with simulation.


Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. V.The memoirs of 1891, five in number, are published in the usual quarto form under the following titles: Energy and Vision, by S. P. Langley; Contributions to Meteorology, by Elias Loomis; Report of Studies of Atmospheric Electricity, by T. C. Mendenhall; The Embryology and Metamorphosis of the Macroura, by W. K. Brooks and F. H. Herrick; On the Application of Interference Methods to Astronomical Measurements, by A. A. Nicholson. The illustrations are numerous and good.


Although the frequency of infection with P. aeruginosa has declined in many centers treating neutropenic patients with cancer, infections still occur and can be accompanied by considerable morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, patterns of infection can change again, and Pseudomonas may reemerge. Thus, in high-risk, immunocompromised patients, adequate bacterial coverage for P. aeruginosa should be part of any empiric regimen. Third-generation cephalosporins are an important part of the therapeutic armamentarium for the empiric management of neutropenic patients. Assuming a low level of resistance at a given center, however, only ceftazidime and cefoperazone possess sufficient antipseudomonal activity to be used for monotherapy. If other third-generation cephalosporins are used, it is imperative that an aminoglycoside or an antipseudomonal penicillin be added. But even when combined with an aminoglycoside, ceftriaxone would not be a good choice for neutropenic patients. It is an important agent in non-neutropenic hosts or in other immunocompromised patients in whom infection with Pseudomonas is unlikely to occur.


There are many parts of the world that have been affected and changed because of humans activities. Land use/cover change (LULC) is one them. Monitoring and forecasting changes of LULC is very important which aims at development of conservation and sustainable utilization, one them is urban land use plan. In this study the main objective was to analyzed and forecasted land cover changes that will happen in the future based on historical changes which happened 11 years before. To achieve the goals, there are 11 years (2007 to 2017) of remote sensing images (MODIS MCD12QI V6) from Bodetabek area which has been classified into 16 classes based on University of Maryland classification scheme (UMD) and has been processed in several stages to be use as the dataset. There are view of method has been use to finished the experiment, change detection method has been used to computed the data to be analyzed and forecasted used least squares method.


Twenty four hour intragastric acidity was measured by continuous recording using intragastric combined glass electrodes in 46 duodenal ulcer patients within 48 hours of endoscopic confirmation of active ulceration. Acidity during predefined time periods was compared with that measured in 40 healthy controls without gastrointestinal disease: it was significantly higher in duodenal ulcer patients at all times, but 25% of ulcer patients had median 24 hour acidity within the interquartile range of the normal group. During the evening (18,00 to 22,00 h) ulcer patients had considerable acidity with a median of 39.8 (63.1-31.6) mmol/l (interquartile range) compared with 5.6 (22.3-0.4) mmol/l of controls. It is suggested that antisecretory treatment be directed to decrease this period of unbuffered acidity, as well as during the night, which is presently considered of prime importance.


We measured synaptic vesicle mobility using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of FM 1-43 [N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(4-(dibutylamino)styryl) pyridinium dibromide] stained mouse motor nerve terminals obtained from wild-type (WT) and synapsin triple knock-out (TKO) mice at room temperature and physiological temperature. Vesicles were mobile in resting terminals at physiological temperature but virtually immobile at room temperature. Mobility was increased at both temperatures by blocking phosphatases with okadaic acid, decreased at physiological temperature by blocking kinases with staurosporine, and unaffected by disrupting actin filaments with latrunculin A or reducing intracellular calcium concentration with BAPTA-AM. Synapsin TKO mice showed reduced numbers of synaptic vesicles and reduced FM 1-43 staining intensity. Synaptic transmission, however, was indistinguishable from WT, as was synaptic vesicle mobility under all conditions tested. Thus, in TKO mice, and perhaps WT mice, a phospho-protein different from synapsin but otherwise of unknown identity is the primary regulator of synaptic vesicle mobility.


The methodology of microbiological evaluation of disinfectants in permanently being questioned because the laboratorial protocols do not correspond to the real conditions under which these products are used. In 1985 the Use-Dilution method of AOAC was adopted in Brazil for microbiological qualification of chemical disinfectants for commercial purposes. Domestic disinfectants are tested in this way against Salmonella choleraesuis and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC strains, was chosen for this evaluation Vibrio cholerae in view of its current importance in Brazil, in terms of Public Health associated with the study of the disinfectant's antimicrobial activities. Nineteen disinfectant products for domestic use for available to the public were evaluated microbiologically by means of simplified Use-Dilution test with 10 carriers. The active compounds of the products included formaldehyde, phenols, cresols, quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorine and ethanol. Seven were mixtures of these. According to the recommendations for their use, sixteen products should be used undiluted. Under these conditions, 9 disinfectants were vibriocides and 7 did not demonstrate this antibacterial activity. Four products in dilutions not clearly specified were also ineffective. The vibriocide products which must used without dilution were tested again, diluted at 1:2. These solutions did not inactivate V. cholerae showing that, microbiologically, their active compounds are used in limited concentrations. Commercial alcohol (95.5 degrees GL) at 1:3, chlorine 2.8% Agua sanitária at 1:200 and Lysoform at 1:20 came up to the standards required by the test.


Changes in climate overtime due to natural variability and human activity poses a serious threat to human rights, and indeed to human existence. Climate change has and will continue to contribute to an increase in the frequency and intensity of events which adversely affect the full enjoyment of a broad range of human rights. Women are more likely to experience the adverse effects caused by climate change than men because women constitute most of the world's poor and are often directly dependent on natural resources that are threatened by climate change as their primary source of food and income. In developing nations of Africa, women often face systemic discrimination, cultural stereotypes and social, economic and political barriers that limit their adaptive capacity. Hence, climate change negatively affects women's rights to food and livelihood, water, health, education and participation in environmental decision making. The paper combines theoretical insights with primary data to highlight the peculiar circumstances of women in Africa which increases their vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change and the extent of protection under the human rights system. Drawing on women experiences in Nigeria and Ethiopia, it argues for more attention to women's ecological, economic and human rights deficits in a changing climate and the policy implications for future efforts to address the adverse impacts of climate change.


We report the case of a major neonatal form of Crouzon syndrome of ophthalmic finding in a new-born of 21 days of age with no background of consanguinity. The clinical manifestations were marked by signs of Crouzon syndrome associated with dyspnea. The skull radiograph showed a decline of maxillary and closing sutures. The brain scan was marked by a bilateral fronto-parietal hypotrophy with agnenesis of the left temporal. She had received a lateral tarsorrhaphy in prevention to keratopathy of exposure. We noted a substantive consideration of normal eye and no recurrence throttle of eyeball 6 months after tarsorrhaphy. The major forms of Crouzon syndrome is a source of complications including exposure keratopathy and optic atrophy requiring ophthalmological caring in awaiting for a craniofacial surgery.


Blood flow and glucose metabolism of the tumors and perifocal edematous tissues were evaluated using positron emission tomography (PET). Thirty-one brain tumor cases were investigated 12 non glial tumors (9 meningiomas and 3 metastatic tumors) and 19 gliomas (these were classified in 5 astrocytomas, 7 anaplastic astrocytomas and 7 glioblastomas, according to the malignancy). The diagnosis were confirmed pathologically in 30 cases. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were measured by O-15 labeled gases inhalation methods. Cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMFglu) were measured by F-18 Deoxyglucose intravenous injection method and calculated by Hutchins's formula. The rate constant (ks) and lumped constant (LC) used in this study were the same as those published by Phelps et al. in 1979. The blood flow and glucose metabolic rates of tumors were measured by the same methods. The results were as follows: 1) Meningiomas showed very high blood flow and blood volume with a wide range. The OEF and metabolic rate for glucose (MRglu) values were very low. 2) Metastatic tumors showed the low values of blood flow, metabolic rate for oxygen (MRO2) and OEF. 3) The blood flow and MRglu values on gliomas were varied with no significant differences between the three subgroups. On the other hands, as the malignancy of the glioma increased, a statistically significant increase in blood volume and a decrease in OEF were noted. 4) The OEF values from the various types of tumors studied were significantly lower than those obtained from the normal tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Major reactive oxygen species (ROS)–producing systems in vascular wall include NADPH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase, xanthine oxidase, the mitochondrial electron transport chain, and uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase. ROS at moderate concentrations have important signaling roles under physiological conditions. Excessive or sustained ROS production, however, when exceeding the available antioxidant defense systems, leads to oxidative stress. Animal studies have provided compelling evidence demonstrating the roles of vascular oxidative stress and NO in atherosclerosis. All established cardiovascular risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking enhance ROS generation and decrease endothelial NO production. Key molecular events in atherogenesis such as oxidative modification of lipoproteins and phospholipids, endothelial cell activation, and macrophage infiltration/activation are facilitated by vascular oxidative stress and inhibited by endothelial NO. Atherosclerosis develops preferentially in vascular regions with disturbed blood flow (arches, branches, and bifurcations). The fact that these sites are associated with enhanced oxidative stress and reduced endothelial NO production is a further indication for the roles of ROS and NO in atherosclerosis. Therefore, prevention of vascular oxidative stress and improvement of endothelial NO production represent reasonable therapeutic strategies in addition to the treatment of established risk factors (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus).


The ability to control redox reactions at the solid/gas interface is demonstrated for the first time, by considering gaseous flame plasma as an electrolyte. An innovative method to perform potentio-dynamic experiments in a liquid-free electrochemical system using flame plasma is described. This novel approach can help apply the well-established foundations of electrochemistry developed almost exclusively in liquids, to the new context of gas plasma. There are limited examples using plasmas as media to study redox reactions but no examples of voltammetry in the gas phase at true solid/gas interfaces. Successful electrochemical measurements are illustrated by doping the flame plasma with both inorganic and organic species, and recording distinct faradaic peaks at defined potentials in cyclic voltammograms. The sensitivity of the system is highlighted by the ability to distinguish between several amino acids, pinpointing specific functional groups. The most significant innovation responsible for these measurements is the development of a reference electrode able to function at temperatures over 1300 K. Extensive assessment of several materials has enabled the development and optimisation of a reference electrode, allowing an extension of the potential window to 10 V; an unprecedented value in electrochemistry. After careful experimentation and appropriate control experiments, the features observed are confirmed as specific reduction processes at the solid/gas interface. Undoubtedly, and perhaps expectedly, there are significant departures from the analogous process in condensed phases. The physical origin of these electrochemical signals is discussed and a framework of interpretation upon which a full mechanistic understanding can be based is provided. The scope of commercial and academic impact is extensive. Liquid-free electrochemistry presents access to a plethora of redox reactions, which lie outside potential limits defined by liquids. The prospect of new redox chemistries will enable new technological applications such as electrodeposition and electroanalysis, which have significant economic and environmental benefits.


Using parsec-resolution simulations of a typical galaxy merger, we study the triggering of starbursts by connecting the (inter-)galactic dynamics to the structure of the interstellar medium. The gravitational encounter between two galaxies enhances tidal compression over large volumes, which increases and modifies the turbulence, in particular its compressive mode with respect to the solenoidal one. This generates an excess of dense gas leading to intense star formation activity. Along the interaction, the compressive turbulence modifies the efficiency of gas-to-star conversion which, in the Schmidt–Kennicutt diagram, drives the galaxies from the sequence of discs to that of starbursts.


This present study was to develop a suitable matrix-type transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) of metformin hydrogen chloride (HCL) using two different polymeric combinations, i.e., hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose and ethyl cellulose (EC). Six matrix patches were prepared by using these polymers using propylene Glycol as plasticizer and vegetable oils (eucalyptus oil) as permeation enhancers in dichloromethane and Methanol(1:1) as a solvent system. The formulations were characterized, including uniformity of weight, drug content, moisture content, moisture uptake, flatness, folding endurance, and thickness to study. The stability of the formulations and in vitro dissolution of the experimental formulations were performed to determine the amount of metformin HCL present in the patches, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the prepared TDDS were taken to see the drug distribution pattern. Drug–excipient interaction studies were carried out using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic technique. In vitro dissolution studies showed that the drug distribution in the matrix was homogeneous and it was found that the maximum drug release in 24 hrs was with formulation F6 (containing Eucalyptus oil


The aim of the present work is to introduce a pattern-based method for assisting the user during the temporal Requirement Specification (RS) phase. Indeed, since the user usually has to handle abstract notation as well as mathematical-based languages within this phase, RS is becoming more and more tedious and error-prone especially when dealing with complex systems. The authors' method begins by defining a new typology while taking into account all the common temporal requirements one may meet when specifying a system. Then, a literal word-based formal grammar able to express all the types of the identified requirements has been developed. Actually, the goal is to assist the user during the requirement identification with some means that are simple, intuitive, albeit rigorous. Finally, a generic set of observation patterns relative to the new time constraint taxonomy is defined. In practice, to check a given temporal constraint, its relative observation pattern is instantiated to obtain an observer that will stand for a watchdog for the associated requirement on the system.


This paper analyzes the consequences of the interaction between two different levels of government (regulators) in the development of housing policy when their decisions determine the level of competition in the housing market. The analysis discusses the implications derived from a lack of coordination between a local regulator who controls the supply of land for housing development and a central regulator who decides on housing subsidies. The results suggest that lack of coordination has significant effects on prices and supply of houses, housing developers' profits, and buyers' surplus.


This paper examines the applicability of the Vroom-Yetton model of leadership and decision making to the battlefield behavior of ten commanding generals in six major battles of the American Civil War. The purpose of the paper was twofold. The first objective was to see if it is possible to utilize official war records, autobiographies, biographies of close associates, and scholarly works to reconstruct the thinking of decision makers in the past and frame this thinking within a contemporary theory of leadership and decision making. The second objective was to illustrate the potential value of using prior events as retrospective test cases for a contemporary leadership theory. Although no attempt was made to suggest that the selection of the appropriate decision making and leadership style was the determining factor in the outcome of major battles of the Civil War, the study provided some interesting findings. The findings suggest that when the selected commanders on the field acted consistently with the prescriptions of the Vroom-Yetton model they were more often successful in accomplishing the goals of the campaign. In addition, the findings suggest that even though the commanders tended to favor autocratic styles, the lack of information sharing and consensus building resulted in serious disadvantages. In the cases examined, the pressure for prompt decision making was not sufficient to justify the loss of information that resulted from the determination to act alone.


Summary It is commonly – but wrongly – assumed that there are no important differences between the clinical presentations of major depressive disorder and bipolar depression. Here we compare clinical course variables and depressive symptom profiles in a large sample of individuals with major depressive disorder (n=593) and bipolar disorder (n=443). Clinical characteristics associated with a bipolar course included the presence of psychosis, diurnal mood variation and hypersomnia during depressive episodes, and a greater number of shorter depressive episodes. Such features should alert a clinician to a possible bipolar course. This is important because optimal management is not the same for bipolar and unipolar depression.


A low magnetic field magnetic resonance imaging system for small animal lung imaging using hyperpolarized He gas is presented. The hyperpolarized He gas at 1 mbar pressure and 30% polarization is obtained by the metastability exchange optical pumping technique. The magnetic resonance imaging unit is based on a permanent magnet of open geometry, built from a new generation Nd–B–Fe magnetic material. It produces the magnetic field of 88 mT with homogeneity better than 50 ppm in the 10 cm diameter sphere, after application of passive shimming. The magnetic field gradients of 30 mT/m are generated by a set of biplanar, actively shielded gradient coils. The first H images of various biological objects, as well as He images of the rat lung in vivo obtained in the described system are shown. In terms of sensitivity and resolution, the technique is superior to conventional H magnetic resonance imaging, and offers great possibilities in early diagnosis of lung diseases.


1. Pyrimidine nucleosides such as thymidine, uridine or cytidine are oxidized readily at 0 degrees by osmium tetroxide in ammonium chloride buffer. There is virtually no oxidation in bicarbonate buffer of similar pH. Oxidation of 1-methyluracil yields 5,6-dihydro-4,5,6-trihydroxy-1-methyl-2-pyrimidone. 2. Osmium tetroxide and ammonia react reversibly in aqueous solution to form a yellow 1:1 complex, probably OsO(3)NH. A second molecule of ammonia must be involved in the oxidation of UMP since the rate of this reaction is approximately proportional to the square of the concentration of unprotonated ammonia. 3. 4-Thiouridine reacts with osmium tetroxide much more rapidly than does uridine. The changes of absorption spectra are different in sodium bicarbonate buffer and in ammonium chloride buffer. They occur faster in the latter buffer and, under suitable conditions, cytidine is a major product. 4. Polyuridylic acid is oxidized readily by ammoniacal osmium tetroxide, but its oxidation is inhibited by polyadenylic acid. Pyrimidines of yeast amino acid-transfer RNA are oxidized more slowly than the corresponding mononucleosides, especially the thymine residues. Appreciable oxidation can occur without change of sedimentation coefficient.


ABSTRACT Qu, S.; Lv, J., and Liu, J., 2020. Visualization analysis for global water resources based on digital earth. In: Hu, C. and Cai, M. (eds.), Geo-informatics and Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 105, pp. 47–50. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The rapid growth of population has placed continuous increasing pressure on water resources. It is of great significance for the sustainable development of water resources to make rational use of limited water resources and to give full play to the maximum use efficiency of water resources. To make rational use of water resources and to protect them, effective monitoring and management of water resources must be performed. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new method of global water resources monitoring and management, that is, the visual analysis method of global water resources based on digital earth. Through the three-dimensional digital modeling of global water resources, the visual analysis of global water resources is realized, including the distribution of water resources, water area, water resources depth, pollution degree, and other visual analysis, which provides effective means and decision-making basis for water resources monitoring and management.


Study Design It is a case series involving clinical presentation, radiological findings, surgical technique and long term outcome of Non-dysraphic intramedullary spinal cord lipomas in adults along with the review of the literature. Purpose The purpose of the study is to find out from our series as well as from literature what determines the long term outcome and how it can be improved in patients diagnosed to have intramedullary spinal cord lipomas. Overview of Literature Non-dysraphic spinal intramedullary lipomas in adults are extremely rare. Majority of cases occur in children and in cervico-dorsal regions. Only eight cases of dorso-lumbar spinal lipomas without spinal dysraphism in adults have been reported in the English literature till 2013. Methods Here we report our experience with three such cases in the dorsolumbar region and discuss the surgical technique and the long term outcome of such cases. Results Review of literature and from our own cases we conclude that long term outcome after surgery is determined by the preoperative neurological status. Conclusions Earlier surgical intervention with preserved neurological status results in better outcome. Radical subtotal excision without producing iatrogenic postoperative neurological deficit should be the goal of the surgery and it stabilizes the disease process in the long run. When early clinico-radiological signs of recurrence develop, such patient's to be reoperated immediately to prevent them from developing a fixed neurological deficit.


Since the mid-1980s, the shock-in-jet model has been the preferred paradigm to explain radio-band flaring in blazar jets. We describe our radiative transfer model incorporating relativistically-propagating shocks, and illustrate how the 4.8, 8, and 14.5 GHz linear polarization and total flux density data from the University of Michigan monitoring program, in combination with the model, constrain jet flow conditions and shock attributes. Results from strong Fermi-era flares in 4 blazars with widely-ranging properties are presented. Additionally, to investigate jet evolution on decadal time scales we analyze 3 outbursts in OT 081 spanning nearly 3 decades and find intrinsic changes attributable to flow changes at a common spatial location, or, alternatively, to a change in the jet segment viewed. The model's success in reproducing these data supports a scenario in which relativistic shocks compress a plasma with an embedded passive, initially-turbulent magnetic field, with additional ordered magnetic field components, one of which may be helical.


A new approach to improve Si detector radiation hardness/tolerance, termed as DRIVE (Detector Recovery/Improvement Via Elevated-temperature-annealing), has been realized by annealing of oxygen-rich (magnetic Czochralski), proton-irradiated Si detectors (with negative space charge before annealing) at medium temperature for a few hours. The DRIVE approach has been proved to lead to the dramatic decrease in detector leakage current, decrease in detector negative space charge concentration, and an eventual space charge sign inversion from negative to positive. Defect studies have shown significant reduction in overall defect concentrations after annealing.


Background: Hypertension is one of the common medical complications of pregnancy and contributes significantly to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is associated with alteration of hematological profile, of which thrombocytopenia is the most common which may be accompanied by a clinically evident consumptive coagulopathy or may be the sole abnormality seen. White blood cells are positively associated with inflammation. In medicine, neutrophilto-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used as a marker of subclinical inflammation. An elevated ratio of peripheral neutrophil to lymphocytes has been recognized as a poor prognostic indicator in various cancers.

Aims and Objectives: The objectives were to study and compare coagulation profile and NLR in pregnancy-induced hypertensive (PIH) patients with matched controls and to correlate the above parameters in relation to the severity of pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Materials and Methods: Investigations were carried out in 90 PIH patients, aged 20–35 years, and in 90 normal pregnant women who are anthropometrically matched controls. Statistical analysis was done using Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA test, SPSS software version 20. Result: A significant decline in total platelet count (TPC), increase in prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, bleeding time, and clotting time was seen in PIH as compared to normal pregnancy. NLR is also significantly raised in PIH compared to normal pregnancy.

Conclusion: TPC and NLR estimation can be taken as an early and rapid procedure for screening preeclampsia cases at admission followed by serial platelet counts while monitoring coagulation indices.


Abstract In recent years, the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid (PPE) has emerged as a new autogenous grafting material in rhinoplasty and septoplasty of nasal deviation. However, no studies have outlined the precise size, shape, and morphologic features of the PPE. Therefore, this study aimed to provide detailed information on the anatomical and morphologic characteristics of the PPE to assist surgeons in performing surgeries that are more precise. About 104 Chinese patients who underwent paranasal computed tomography were assessed in this study. By analyzing the features of the PPE reconstructed with 3-dimensional models, the characteristics of the PPE at different stages of development and according to sex were observed. The PPE had a flat shape, and its lower part was relatively thin. It usually developed horizontally with age, which contributed to expansion of the PPE area. The dimensions of the PPE were significantly larger in male patients than in female patients. Through the reconstruction and measurement of Chinese patients' PPE, the authors have established precise information about the PPE's anatomical and morphologic features. The flat shape and proper size, which are similar to those of nasal septum cartilage, make the PPE an ideal alternative to conventional autogenous grafting materials. The findings might be useful to surgeons in helping them perform surgeries that are more precise.


Environmental noise plays a key role in determining the efficiency of transport in quantum systems. However, disorder and localisation alter the impact of such noise on energy transport. To provide a deeper understanding of this relationship we perform a systematic study of the connection between eigenstate localisation and the optimal dephasing rate in 1D chains. The effects of energy gradients and disorder on chains of various lengths are evaluated and we demonstrate how optimal transport efficiency is determined by both size-independent, as well as size-dependent factors. By discussing how size-dependent influences emerge from finite size effects we establish when these effects are suppressed, and show that a simple power law captures the interplay between size-dependent and size-independent responses. Moving beyond phenomenological pure dephasing, we implement a finite temperature Bloch–Redfield model that captures detailed balance. We show that the relationship between localisation and optimal environmental coupling strength continues to apply at intermediate and high temperature but breaks down in the low temperature limit.


Bed rest has historically been used therapeutically in the management of many chronic maladies prevalent in elderly persons. Unfortunately, the deleterious consequences of immobility predispose elderly persons to significant functional decline and reduced quality of life. Prolonged inactivity reduces the physiologic reserve of most organ systems, particularly the musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary systems. Consequently, muscle weakness, contracture formation, postural hypotension, and thrombogenic events are common in bed-bound patients. Fortunately, contemporary studies have dispelled the myth that inactivity fosters healing and have suggested techniques that may prevent immobility-induced dysfunction and ensure beneficial outcome in fragile and aging populations.


Previous descriptions of class E amplifiers and frequency multipliers have required a radio frequency choke between the dc power supply and the active device "switch." In this paper, it is shown that class E operation may be maintained with the RF choke replaced by a smaller reactance. The analysis technique used is similar to that used by Raab in his description of class E amplifiers in that the equations describing circuit operation are obtained from Fourier series methods and the assumption of an infinite output network Q . The equations so obtained are used to determine (1) optimum operation (maximum power output capability at 100-percent efficiency) at any harmonic and (2) design equations that yield the requisite component values for optimum operation. The equations show that class E circuits may be configured to accommodate devices with arbitrary output capacitance and that class E amplifiers may be configured to provide greater power output capability than can be obtained using an RF choke design. Class E circuits with moderate values of output network Q were constructed and tested. The measured performance of these experimental circuits shows excellent agreement with the theoretical performance predicted by the equations.


Using an X-ray television system on anesthetized cats, we directly measured internal diameter (ID) changes in identical small pulmonary vessels (100-1,100 microm ID) in response to inhalations of 25, 250, and 2,500 ng/kg/min aerosolized prostacyclin (PGI2), 4 and 34 ppm nitric oxide (NO), and the combination of aerosolized PGI2 and NO. We also compared ID changes during 250 ng/kg/min PGI2 inhalation both with and without an Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 30 mg/kg I.V.) pretreatment. In the arteries, inhaled PGI2 increased 100-900 microm vessel ID in a dose-dependent manner but caused no significant, or only slight, ID increases in the vessels larger than this. The greatest ID increase ( approximately 22%) was in the 100-500 microm arteries in response to 2,500 ng/kg/min PGI2 inhalation. PGI2 also increased the ID of the veins (6-12%), but the results were not dose related. NO inhalation also resulted in non-uniform ID response patterns similar to PGI2 with no significant, or only minimal, ID increases of the arteries >900 microm. The simultaneous inhalation of 2,500 ng/kg/min PGI2 and 34 ppm NO increased the arterial ID (maximum approximately 34%) more than either drug alone and to almost the same extent as brought about by injected papaverine (2 mg/kg), a smooth muscle relaxant. Inhaled PGI2 (250 ng/kg/min) decreased pulmonary arterial pressure and increased arterial ID to nearly the same extent with or without L-NAME pretreatment. These results indicate that inhaled PGI2 and inhaled NO locally dilate 100-900 microm pulmonary arteries in a dose-dependent manner and with a similar ID response pattern, and that the combination of these drugs produces a more enhanced vasodilator effect compared to their separate effects and induces the maximum dilated states. The data also suggest that inhaled PGI2 dilates these arteries directly, rather than via secondary release of endogenous NO.


Ultrasonic experiments on a dry Colton sandstone placed in a triaxial pressure machine show that effective stress changes lead to distinct anisotropic velocity changes in compressional waves and shear waves. The stress imprint can be recognized from the associated velocity pattern by relating the velocities to the three normal stress directions. The ultrasonic velocities indicate that the sensitivity of the different waves to stress predominantly depends on stresses applied in the polarization and propagation directions of the particular wave mode. Also, stress‐induced changes in shear‐wave splitting are observed.


We studied electrical transport in dilute magnetic semiconductors, which is determined by scattering free carriers by localized magnetic moments. While calculating the scattering time and the mobility of the majority and minority-spin carriers, we took into account both the effects of thermal spin fluctuations and of the spatial disorder of magnetic atoms. These effects are responsible for the magnetic-field dependence of electrical resistivity. Namely, the application of the external magnetic field suppresses the thermodynamic spin fluctuations, thus promoting negative magnetoresistance (MR). Simultaneously, scattering by built-in spatial fluctuations of the atomic spins increases with the magnetic field. The latter effect is due to the growth of the magnitude of random local Zeeman splittings with the magnetic field. It promotes positive MR. We discuss the role of the above effects on MR of semiconductors where magnetic impurities are isoelectronic


Abstract Pyriofenone is an aryl phenyl ketone fungicide that is newly registered in Korea in 2013 tocontrol powdery mildew on food. The objective of this study was to develop reliable and sensitive analyticalmethod for determination of pyriofenone residue in agricultural products for ensuring the food safety. Thepyriofenone residues in all samples(Korean melon, pepper, potato, mandarin, soybean, and hulled rice) wereextracted with acetonitrile, partitioned with dichloromethane, and then purified with a silica cartridge. Thepurified samples were analyzed by HPLC-UVD and confirmed with LC-MS. The linear range of pyriofenonewas 0.05~5 mg/kg with the correlation coefficient (r 2 ) > 0.999. Average recoveries of pyriofenone ranged from72.8% to 99.5% at the spiked level of 0.05 and 0.5 mg/kg, while the relative standard deviation was2.3%~6.4%. In addition, the limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg,respectively. The results revealed that the developed and validated analytical method was suitable forpyriofenone determination in agricultural products. Key words Fungicide, HPLC-UVD, LC-MS, Pyriofenone


A novel parameter adaptive estimation method based on improved ellipse fitting model is proposed to calibrate the interference error by using GPS heading reference. A process is developed with estimating accurate parameters base on LMS adaptive algorithm. The experimental results show that compensation result of this method is better. It enables the digital magnetic compass realize automatic error compensation.


In this work, we develop a computational framework for optimal design of experiment in parametric signal reconstruction. We apply this to the optimal design of one dimensional Q-space, Q-ball imaging and multiple Q-shell experimental design. We present how to construct sampling scheme leading to minimal condition number, and compare to state-of-the-art sampling methods. We show in particular a better noise performance of these scheme through Monte-Carlo simulations for the reconstruction of synthetic signal. This demonstrates the impact of this computational framework on acquisition in diffusion MRI.


Background: Transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TNG) youth often describe exploring identities andcommunities online Studies of cisgender youth connect increased digital technology use with loneliness anddecreased body image Digital technology use in adolescent school experiences has increased over time, andsuddenly youth across the U S are in completely digital school environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic With educational systems employing and encouraging these tools, it is critical to understand the technologyuse of TNG youth and how this affects their health Objective: To compare features of digital technology use of cisgender and TNG youth, as well as interactions of this use with well-being Methods: Using Qualtrics panels, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of adolescents (ages 13-18) and their parents about digitaltechnology use Youth assessment included the Adolescent Digital Technology Interactions and Importance(ADTI) scale, with subscales assessing the purpose of technology use, and the short Problematic and RiskyInternet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS-3) Health-related measures included validated instruments assessing body image, parental support, loneliness, well-being, fear of missing out (FOMO), and parent social media use We compared ADTI scores between gender groups with analysis of covariance Generalized estimatingequation (GEE) analysis was conducted to compare the proportions of subjects at risk for problematic internetuse (PRIUSS-3 >3) All comparisons were adjusted for age and parent social media use Pearson's correlationanalyses evaluated the correlations between parent support, body image, loneliness, well-being, and FOMOvs ADTI and PRIUSS-3 scores Results: Among 4575 adolescent-parent pairs, there were 53 (1 16%) TNG youth TNG youth showed higher probabilities of problematic internet use than cisgender peers (0 91 vs 0 69,p=0 004) TNG youth had signicantly higher scores for use of technology to explore identity/go outside one'soffline environment (ADTI 2) compared to cisgender youth (mean 18 45 vs 15 76, p = 0 0085) Parental supportcorrelated positively with ADTI 2 scores for TNG youth (0 05), though correlated negatively with ADTI 2 scoresfor cisgender youth (-0 22, p=0 043) In a pattern different from cisgender peers, problematic internet usescores for TNG youth correlated positively with body image (0 26 vs -0 17, p = 0 0025) and well-being (0 33 vs -0 08, p = 0 0019) Conclusion(s): TNG youth are at increased risk for problematic internet use compared tocisgender peers, though motivations for digital technology use may differ TNG youth are more likely to usedigital technology to explore identity and go outside one's offline environment Correlation of digital usemeasures with positive body image and well-being also suggests that this population may uniquely benetfrom digital experiences, which may challenge current denitions of problematic internet use in thispopulation Future research, screening and intervention efforts should address both positive and problematicdigital technology use among TNG youth Demographics of Cisgender and TNG Youth Participants Comparison of Correlation Coefficients of ParentSupport, Body Image, Loneliness, Well-being, and Fear of Missing Out versus Digital Technology Interactionsand Problematic Internet Use Outcomes for Transgender/Nonbinary and Cisgender Youth


The erodibility of a grain on a rough bed is controlled by, among other factors, its relative projection above the mean bed, its exposure relative to upstream grains, and its friction angle. Here we report direct measurements of friction angles, grain projection and exposure, and small-scale topographic structure on a variety of water-worked mixed-grain sediment surfaces. Using a simple analytical model of the force balance on individual grains, we calculate the distribution of critical shear stress for idealized spherical grains on the measured bed topography. The friction angle, projection, and exposure of single grain sizes vary widely from point to point within a given bed surface; the variability within a single surface often exceeds the difference between the mean values of disparate surfaces. As a result, the critical shear stress for a given grain size on a sediment surface is characterized by a probability distribution, rather than a single value. On a given bed, the crtitical shear stress distributions of different grain sizes have similar lower bounds, but above their lower tails they diverge rapidly, with smaller grains having substantially higher median critical shear stresses. Large numbers of fines, trapp.ed within pockets on the bed or shielded by upstream grains, are effectively lost to the flow. Our calculations suggest that critical shear stress, as conventionally measured, is defined by the most erodible grains, entrained during transient shear stress excursions associated with the turbulent flow; this implies a physical basis for the indeterminacy of initial motion. These observations suggest that transport rate/shear stress relationships may be controlled, in part, by the increasing numbers of grains that become available for entrainment as mean shear stress increases. They also suggest that bed textures and grain size distributions may be controlled, within the constraints of an imposed shear stress and sediment supply regime, by the influence of each size fraction on the erodibility of other grain sizes present on the bed.


It has proven efficacy in reducing asthma exacerbations, but the effect size of montelukast (a leukotriene receptor antagonist) for varied severity of asthma exacerbations is not systematically assessed. This study was designed to systematically explore the evidence for montelukast, as first-line or add-on therapy, in preventing and treating asthma exacerbations in adult patients with asthma. Randomized controlled trials were searched in PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Embase, and OVID up to March 2013, where montelukast prevented or treated asthma exacerbations in adults. Primary outcomes were the number of patients experiencing exacerbations in chronic asthma and hospitalizations in acute asthma. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), risk difference, and number needed to treat (NNT) were calculated and pooled. Adverse events were also assessed in chronic asthma. Twenty trials for chronic asthma and six for acute asthma were identified. In comparison with placebo, adults with chronic asthma receiving montelukast had significantly reduced number of exacerbations (OR = 0.60 and 95% CI, 0.49, 0.74; NNT = 17 and 95% CI, 12, 29). However, montelukast was inferior to inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) (OR = 1.63; 95% CI, 1.29, 2.0) and ICS plus long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA; OR = 3.94; 95% CI, 1.64, 9.48) as the first-line therapies and LABA (OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05, 1.42) as the add-on therapies in reducing asthma exacerbations. In acute asthma, montelukast could statistically improve peak expiratory flow percent predicted (p = 0.008) and reduce systemic corticosteroid intake (p = 0.005). Montelukast had low risk in hoarseness and insomnia. Our meta-analysis suggests that montelukast significantly reduces mild, moderate, and part of severe exacerbations in chronic mild to moderate asthma, but it has inferior efficacy to ICS or ICS plus LABA.


Cables are subject to local impedance faults, or soft faults, e.g., following mechanical alterations. While their occurrence can be detected, no simple procedure exists for assessing whether a fault is critical and requires intervention. Previous work has demonstrated that the amplitude of echoes generated by time-domain reflectometry (TDR) does not measure how severe such faults are, hindering attempts at introducing early warning schemes that could prevent these faults from eventually evolving into hard faults, i.e., open or short circuits. This paper introduces a model-based identification procedure that is capable of accurately inferring how severe an impedance modification along a cable is, together with its length. It has the advantage of operating at lower frequencies than other more complex identification methods, while being intrinsically stable and well defined since faults are identified and located in separate steps, without requiring nonlinear regression techniques. The proposed method is also shown to remove the typical ambiguities found in the interpretation of TDR signals by reinstating a single reflection peak in reflectograms. General feasibility conditions for the identification of impedance faults are discussed, proving that only sufficiently long faults can univocally be identified. The accuracy of the proposed method is tested against experimental results obtained for faults of increasing severity in coaxial cables, for which TDR is shown to yield accurate estimates only when testing over a bandwidth almost $10\times $ wider.


Abstract I analyze the effect of linear taxation on discrete choices between risky occupations. In the basic model, two occupations differ in the magnitude of income risks, and citizens differ in their expected productivity in one of the occupations. I derive sufficient conditions under which income redistribution encourages a greater part of the population to choose the riskier occupation associated with higher expected income. The results are then generalized to an arbitrary number of groups of citizens facing an arbitrary number of discrete occupational choices belonging to the same linear distribution class.


I use the European Community Household Panel to ask whether unemployment affects the relationship between education and subsequent earnings growth. show that individuals with more education have more to lose in terms of subsequent earnings growth from the experience of unemployment. This result partially compensates the fact that more education reduces the incidence of unemployment: unemployment is less likely among the better educated, but its occurrence has more sizeable effects on subsequent earnings growth.


This study aimed to investigate the morphological patterns of the genital tract after long-term treatment of deslorelin acetate in a female cat, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist currently used in adult cats to obtain transient oestrus suppression. A 1-year-old Chartreux female cat was treated with 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate to suppress oestrus manifestations. The treatment was repeated for a total of × 3 every 2 years. After 8 years, the female cat came into oestrus again, but she was no more implanted, and an ovariohysterectomy was performed. Before surgery, an ultrasound examination was performed that showed a normal uterus and the presence of about 5 follicles in ovaries. Concentrations of oestradiol, progesterone, and vaginal smears were compatible with oestrus. During surgery, a very short ovarian pedicle was observed yet neither uterus nor ovaries presented appreciable alterations. At histology, the ovaries presented a juvenile appearance with numerous primordial and periovulatory follicles. The uterus showed marked endometrial hyperplasia with polypoid projection and atrophic myometrium. Based on this case report, deslorelin acetate is a powerful drug able to preserve ovarian function. However, the suppression of gonadotrophin, especially for a long period, has a detrimental atrophic effect on the target organs during treatment and, on the opposite, hyperplastic changes may occur after the restoring of normal cyclicity.


Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance studies show that the primary mechanism of triplet formation following photoexcitation of julolidine-anthracene molecules linked by a single bond and having perpendicular pi systems is a spin-orbit, charge-transfer intersystem crossing mechanism (SOCT-ISC). This mechanism depends on the degree of charge transfer from julolidine to anthracene, the dihedral angle (theta1) between their pi systems, and the magnitude of the electronic coupling between julolidine and anthracene. We compare 4-(9-anthracenyl)-julolidine with the more sterically encumbered 4-(9-anthracenyl)-3,5-dimethyljulolidine and find that fixing theta1 congruent with 90 degrees serves to enhance SOCT-ISC by increasing the change in orbital angular momentum accompanying charge transfer. Given that the requirements for the SOCT-ISC mechanism are quite general, we expect it to occur in a variety of electron donor-acceptor systems.


Here, we critically evaluated the knowledge on cutaneous melanoma (CM) and uveal melanoma (UM). Both cancer types derive from melanocytes that share the same embryonic origin and display the same cellular function. Despite their common origin, both CM and UM display extreme differences in their genetic alterations and biological behavior. We discuss the differences in genetic alterations, metastatic routes, tumor biology, and tumor-host interactions in the context of their clinical responses to targeted- and immunotherapy.


Gonococcal adherence to human host epithelial surfaces appears to be an important feature in pathogenesis of gonorrhea. Attaining and maintaining close association with epithelial cells may involve interactions of both gonococcus to epithelial cell and gonococcus to gonococcus; it is suggested that two distinct gonococcal surface components--pili and outer membrane protein II--play complementary roles in promoting these close associations with mucosal cells. Both pili and outer membrane protein II occur in several different molecular forms among gonococci of a given strain, and expression of a particular form of each changes at high frequency in vitro. If analogous changes occur in vivo, gonococci may have a sizeable repertoire of surface facades to cope with changing or different cellular and humoral components of the host.


The purpose of this study is to know how visual-field obstruction from fire smoke influences a resident's necessary time to reach fire escape and evacuation movement in a high-rise apartment housing. Generally, fire smoke not only gives visual-field obstruction and breath troubles to residents but interrupts their evacuation behavior. If a fire smoke layer is formed in the core department when evacuee enters at the evacuation staircase until, residents will be made to undergo a range of vision obstacle. In order to set a situation like that, participants wore eye bandage which had been made especially before the experiment. Also as a comparative standard, through no.1442 Japanese construction ministry notices about the building evacuation safety verification method, this study calculated smoke layer's dissent time and evacuation time. Then to compare with the former, the participants without an eye bandage joined a experiment once again. This study has understood how fire smoke effects on one's evacuation delay by analyzing residents' evacuation time to reach the staircase and movement route, however, in this study a toxic gas is not considered because it might threaten participants not to breathe.


Regions of persistent westward directed flows are often observed equatorward of the auroral oval in the dusk‐midnight sector. In general, the midnight narrow flows are termed as subauroral ion drifts and the duskside broader flows are termed subauroral polarization streams (SAPS). SAPS/subauroral ion drift electric fields play an important role in controlling the dynamics of the midlatitude ionosphere. In this paper we analyze longitudinally extended observations of SAPS measured by midlatitude Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radars under varied geomagnetic conditions. We find that SAPS speeds exhibit a strong dependence on geomagnetic activity, with flows exceeding 1,500 m/s during geomagnetic storms and dropping to 100 m/s during periods of geomagnetic quiet. Moreover, SAPS flows turn increasingly poleward when moving from the midnight sector toward dusk and this effect is more pronounced during disturbed geomagnetic conditions. The variations in SAPS speeds with magnetic local time (MLT) are also found to be strongly dependent on geomagnetic conditions. Specifically, SAPS speeds increase quasilinearly with MLT during disturbed geomagnetic conditions, whereas during relatively quiet geomagnetic conditions there is no discernible trend. This behavior suggests the possibility of different mechanisms influencing SAPS during geomagnetically quiet conditions. Average cross‐SAPS potentials increase with geomagnetic activity and typically vary between 15 and 45 kV. Finally, a new empirical model of SAPS potentials has been developed parameterized by Asy‐H index, MLT, and magnetic latitude.


Clinical academics—medical doctors with additional training in basic science or clinical research— play a pivotal role in translating biomedical research into practical bedside applications. However, international studies suggest that the proportion of clinical academics relative to the medical workforce is dwindling worldwide. Although efforts to reverse this trend are ongoing in many countries, there is little perceptible dialogue concerning these issues in Oman. This article explores the current status of clinical academic training pathways worldwide, concluding with a framework for the implementation of a dual-degree medical-research training programme in Oman in order to stimulate and develop a sustainable national clinical academic workforce.


Over a decade ago, in August 1977, the First Marine
Mammal Stranding Workshop was convened in Athens, Georgia. That workshop, organized by j.R. Geraci and D.J. St. Aubin, not only considered biology and pathology of stranded marine mammals, but it also served as a springboard for the formation of regional marine mammal stranding networks in the United States. The ramifications have been extremely important to the field of marine mammalogy since, for some species, examination or rehabilitation of stranded specimens serves as virtually the only source of information on distribution, anatomy, physiology,
reproduction, and pathology. The First Marine Mammal
Stranding Workshop led to increased awareness of the
marine mammals themselves, as well as the logistic and
legal factors associated with effective handling of the
animals.

A number of individuals indicated that they felt that a
Second Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop held prior
to the Seventh Biennial Conference on the Biology of
Marine Mammals (Miami, Florida; December 1987) would be both timely and productive. Accordingly, we organized the workshop and scheduled it to occur on 3-5 December. Our goals for the workshop were several, including 1) providing descriptions of some research, especially new techniques, regarding stranded marine mammals; 2) providing a forum where scientists could interact and possibly initiate cooperative research activities; 3) presenting information regarding procedures used effectively to handle stranded animals; 4) assessing ways to standardize data and specimen collection, archiving, and retrieval; and 5) providing a forum for assessing accomplishments and status of regional stranding networks to date, as well as for making recommendations regarding future activities of the networks. Nearly 100 individuals representing Federal and State governments, academic institutions, the oceanarium industry, consulting groups, conservation organizations, and the private sector attended the workshop (see Workshop Participants, this volume). (PDF file contains 166 pages.)


The RFID system has the risk of location tracking and user privacy. Even the cryptograph access method using hash function and re-encryption is difficult to it applies because there is a limit of computing and storage capacity of Tag. In this paper, the AES is used for the lightweight authentication, and the step by step procedure could change the key value three times. This could prevent the key exposure. The symmetric keys of the tag and server are successively changed by the random number generated by tag, reader and server. As a result, the output of the tag and reader always changes. These key changes could make it possible to prevent eavesdropping, replay attack, location tracking.


This article is based on the result findings of a research on the student reading interest conducted in Madrasah lbtidaiyah (primary school level) Pembangunan Ciputat and Madrasah lbtidaiyah Sirajul Falah Parung - Bogor. Both Madrasahs were chosen because there is a significant different of social economic background. The research focused on students primary school level in both madrasahs with the assumption that madrasah lbtidaiyah Pembangunan represent students who have background of middle and above social economic and Madrasah Sirojul Falah represent students who have low social economic background. The research described some student reading interests in Madrasah lbtidaiyah Pembangunan and Madrasah lbtidaiyah Sirajul Falah in term of family role, teacher and librarian role, and student community environment role in influencing their reading interests. The method of research used both library and field researches. The instruments used to collect the required data taken from field research with conducting observation, distributing questionnaires and interviewing the respondents. Some result findings of this research are that the most interesting hobby of students from both madrasahs is not reading, there is significant different in term of interesting books that most students from Ml Pembangunan preferred the adventure story rather than other kinds of story and most students Sirojul Falah preferred the kind of religious story rather than others. Unfortunately, this research found that the role of teacher and librarian in improving reading interest is very low in both Ml Pembangunan and Sirojul Falah. Key Words: Reading interest, hobby, middle social economic background, and low social economic background.


This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Please check back later for the full article.

 Research has produced a substantial body of knowledge that has the significant possibility to improve human health and well-being. Much of that knowledge is published, yet read only by other researchers. Alternatively, this research becomes "evidence-based practice," (EBP) knowledge obtained under specific controlled conditions that is meant to improve some aspect of human health or wellbeing. The world where humans live their everyday lives tends to be complex and messy. These EBP's, when employed in the scientifically uncontrolled world, are frequently ineffective.
 Implementation science (IS) is a relatively new but rapidly growing field intended to remedy this situation. IS was established to study the most effective strategies to integrate evidence-based interventions into public and community health and health care delivery. IS asks whether an intervention can be effectively delivered in a specific local context, that is, "under what conditions and in what contexts can any change-oriented action be effective in the real world?"
 Anthropology has contributed significantly to implementation science, yet it can contribute much more. Well-equipped to answer many of the questions posed by IS, anthropology's theory and methods allow us to understand and broker both emic and etic perspectives and to represent the richness, fluidity, and complexity of context. Both anthropology and IS recognize the importance of context and locality, are real-world oriented, and embrace complexity and non-linearity. Both are comfortable with the emergent nature of research-produced knowledge, and both employ both qualitative and quantitative methods.
 Beyond these congruencies in perspectives and approaches, the rationale for having more anthropology in implementation science is not only because it's a good fit. Anthropology attends to power structures and differentials, phenomena that, while sometimes included in IS, are not frequently critiqued. Anthropology can furnish a questioning, critical perspective of the object of study and how it's studied, a perspective that is lacking in much IS work. Indeed, this is something that anthropology does best, and it is integral to anthropology's conceptual orientation.


ABSTRACT The goal of learning can obtain because of media of learning. Media is mediator than deliver a message or information which instructional purpose or contain a learning. There are many media that use by the teacher in teaching learning process. Each of media is that use by the teacher is media form. Media form is such a handout. Handout is something that given to the learners when the process of learning. The teacher can make a handout from several literature which have relevancy with basic competence that will obtained by the students. Based on the observation and interview that have been conducted in SMA N 1 Jujuhan that in this school do not use a handout in process of learning. And that school only use a LKS and book. The LKS have not picture with colour, and that picture only for several material.The purpose of this research to resulted a pictorial handout with mind map in Kingdom Protista material which valid and practical. This research is the development research that use model 4-D which have 4 step define step, design, develop and disseminate. The data of this research is primary data is the direct data that get from the lecturer, teachers, and students. The analysis data is descriptive analysis. The result of research that have been got is average validity by lecturer and teacher amount 84 %. The deserve a handout measure from same aspect a deserve content, language, presentation and graphic. The average praktikalitas by teacher amount 90,56 %. The practicality of handout measure by several aspect easy of emplaying, effective of the time and presentation. The average or praktikalitas students amount 87,65 % and measure by several aspect easy of emplaying, effective of the time and presentation. Based on that cases the conclusion is handout that resulted have been valid and very practical.


Abstract Background Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) constitutes a public health concern in Europe. Certain coastal municipalities in southern Norway are considered TBE risk areas and in the last two years, there have been increasing numbers of TBE cases. Since the majority of infections are claimed to be asymptomatic, the aim of the current study was to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) among unvaccinated adults living in a TBE endemic area in Norway. Methods One thousand one hundred and twenty-three blood donors living in Vestfold and Telemark county were included and associated sera were analysed for TBEV IgG antibodies. Information regarding tick bites, previous flavivirus exposure and knowledge regarding TBE and TBE prevention were obtained through a questionnaire. Results Fifty-eight samples were reactive by ELISA, of which 21 (36.2%) were confirmed by a TBEV-specific serum neutralization test. Of the 21 blood donors with neutralizing TBEV antibodies detected, 17 reported previous TBE vaccination. Thus, only four blood donors (0.4%) had TBEV neutralizing antibodies consistent with previously undergone TBEV infection. Regarding TBE awareness, half of the blood donors were familiar with TBE, but only 35% were aware of a preventive TBE vaccine. Conclusions Our study indicates low prevalence of subclinical TBEV infections among blood donors living in Vestfold and Telemark county and there is a lack of awareness among general public.


. With the continuous progress of the time, technology is also developing rapidly, among which Building Information Modeling (BIM) has also become a hot topic in prefabricated constructions. Previous research has made it clear that BIM can promote the development of prefabricated construction. However, in practical applications, BIM technology has not been well developed in prefabricated construction. In order to find out the obstacles to the development of BIM technology in China's prefabricated construction, and identify the relationship between obstacles, this study identified 20 obstacles through literature review. This study used the Decision-making Test and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) model to get the importance of each obstacle and the causality between them, and provides a solution to the development of BIM technology in China to promote the development of BIM technology in new construction methods.


Hyper interfacial bonding process was developed as a new conceptual joining process for ultra fine-grained steels. This process is characterized by sequential bonding procedures, namely, the extremely rapid heating of surface by high frequency induction heating, removing the heating coil rapidly and pressure joining by applied stress. The average grain size of ultra fine-grained steel used was 1.50 μm. The width of HAZ in hyper interfacial bonded joint was approximately 3.5 mm. Bainite, ferrite and pearlite were formed in the higher temperature region of HAZ, and M-A constituents were formed in the lower temperature region of HAZ. Grain size adjacent to the bonding interface had grown to approximately 16 μm, and the maximum hardness of joint was about Hv250. Tensile strength of joint was 558 MPa at the heating time of 0.17 s. The elongation and the reduction area of joint were comparable to those of the base metal when the upset length was more than 0.1 mm.


In this paper we describe an extension to the MATLAB Phased Array Toolkit that adds a configurable clutter object to model clutter signals returned along a specified signal path. The clutter model is based on the Simkins Unified Clutter Model[1]. The current implementation supports sea clutter in any of five sea states with configurable polarization, grazing angle, and beam width. We describe the implementation and give examples of modeled clutter returns.


Manual performance during military operations in cold and windy climates is severely hampered by decreased dexterity, but valid dexterity decrease predictors based on climatic factors are scarce. Therefore, this study investigated the decrease in finger dexterity for nine combinations of ambient temperature (-20, -10 and 0°C) and wind speeds (0.2, 4 and 8 m·s2), controlled in a climatic chamber. Finger dexterity was determined by the Purdue pegboard test. Twelve subjects with average to low fat percentage were exposed to cold air for one hour with and without extra insulation by a parka. The subjects were clothed in standard work clothing of the Royal Netherlands Air Force for cold conditions. Extra insulation did affect cold sensation but not finger dexterity. The deterioration in finger dexterity depended upon Wind Chill Equivalent Temperature (WCET) and the square root of exposure time (r=0.93 for group average). A simple model is constructed that may be valuable to predict the risk for strong dexterity decrease during military operations in the cold, but more work should be done to determine critical values in dexterity for a wide variety of operational tasks.


BACKGROUND
Tissue biopsy remains the conventional technique for tumor genotyping. The main limitations are it is invasive and provides only partial snapshot during disease progression. Liquid biopsy approaches via plasma and urine are possible alternatives, and the current study aims to provide comparative analyses for plasma and urine derived disease genotyping.

METHODS
Blood and urine specimens were collected from 150 individuals with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Patients had multiple metastases and advanced stages of cancer. Common genetic mutations including KRAS and BRAF genetic abnormalities were evaluated. Patients were also serially monitored and compared.

RESULTS
In all cases, plasma and urine cell free DNA were successfully recovered and were of good quality for genetic analysis. Median recovered DNA from both urine and plasma samples were higher in mCRC patients than healthy volunteers indicating disease associations. Among the identified mutations, matched tumor tissue profiles compared to results from plasma ctDNA was 92%. For urine cell free DNA, the concordance among the identified mutations was 91%. Both sample types were closely matched to reference standards of tissue biopsy and indicated good clinical utility. Serial measurements indicated trends within each patient group that was linked with disease outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
In the current study, our data indicated that both plasma and urine cell free DNA can be utilized to address possible disease progression in colorectal cancer patients. More importantly, this also provide risk stratifications that correlated to disease outcome. This can potentially aid in early clinical intervention for patients with possibly worse outcomes.


In our previous paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A15, 101 (1998)], the integral equations that are suitable for simulations of near-field optics with use of an uncoated dielectric probe were proposed. We extend the integral equations to near-field optical circuits by using a metal-coated dielectric probe with an aperture. The derivation of the integral equations is described in detail for the incident TM mode, because it is impossible to derive them with the same procedures as those used in the case of the uncoated dielectric probe. Simulations of the illumination/collection mode of a two-dimensional scanning near-field optical microscope (2D-SNOM) are performed. All numerical results satisfy the energy conservation law within an accuracy of 1%. One-dimensional scanning images of a 2D-SNOM obtained by using the metal-coated dielectric probe with an aperture and those obtained by using the uncoated dielectric probe are compared, and advantages of the metal-coated dielectric probe are described.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the usefulness of the aplanation tonometer (Glaucotest model) for primary care screening of ocular hypertension (OH) in 40 to 80-year olds.

DESIGN
A descriptive prospective study.

SETTING
Teruel Health Centre (urban).

PATIENTS
Users between 40 and 80 of both sexes, selected after four on-demand consultations. The sample was randomised and stratified for age against the general public seeking care. Patients diagnosed with glaucoma or OH, or who were blind for any reason, were excluded.

INTERVENTION
Measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) with a Heine Glaucotest aplanation tonometer with a head for 18 mmHg. Those patients with IOP figures above 18 mmHg were referred to the ophthalmology service, so that they could be tested there with a Goldmann tonometer. OH was defined as IOP above 21 mmHg.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
There was a sample of 354 patients, 38% men and 62% women, average age 63.5. A tonometer reading > 18 mmHg was recorded in 49 cases. These were referred to the ophthalmologist, who confirmed IOP in 10 cases (2.8% of the total). The positive predictive value for IOP, with a cut-off point at 18 mm Hg in our study, was 20.4%. 60% of patients with IOP presented risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS
We found that the aplanation tonometer used was suitable for IOP screening in primary care centers.