The chelicerae of male Myrmarachne plataleoides, a salticid spider from Sri Lanka, are about five times the length of those of conspecific females. Intrasexual selection is thought to account for this structural dimorphism. The elongation of the male's chelicerae has resulted in morphological and behavioural differences in the feeding process of males and females. Males, unlike females, lack a fang duct and cannot envenom prey. During feeding, males use their fangs to skewer prey. The prey's contents are extracted from the holes in its cuticle where the spider's fangs protrude through the prey near the spider's mouth.


AIM
The author's group report, for the first time, on the development of a quantum dot (QD)-based fluorescent somatostatin (somatotropin release-inhibiting factor [SRIF]) probe that enables specific targeting of somatostatin receptors. Receptor-mediated endocytosis of SRIF was imaged using this probe.

MATERIALS & METHODS
Biotinylated SRIF-analog (SRIF-B) and streptavidin (Sav)-coated QDs were used for the probe synthesis. A dye-labeled streptavidin complex was used to evaluate the effect of Sav binding on the activity of SRIF-B.

RESULTS
A preconjugated probe of the form SRIF-B:Sav-QD, was inactive and unable to undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis. An alternative in situ bioconjugation strategy, where SRIF-B and Sav-QD were added in two consecutive steps, enabled visualization of the receptor-mediated endocytosis. The process of Sav binding appeared to be responsible for the inactivity in the first case.

CONCLUSION
The in situ two-step bioconjugation strategy allowed QDs to be targeted to somatostatin receptors. This strategy should enable flexible fluorescent tagging of SRIF for the investigation of molecular trafficking in cells and targeted delivery in live animals.


This report provides an overview of the situation in Ukraine. Following the February 2014 collapse of the Kremlin-supported government of President Viktor Yanukovych, there was an emergence of a pro-Western, pro-reform government and an energized public generally anxious to lessen Moscow's influence, committed to addressing the need for serious reform and determined to draw closer to Europe and the United States.


As the treatment of metacarpal fractures is today still a controversial subject, we conducted an analysis of the literature in order to present the different therapy guidelines, indications, and their results. The data from the follow-up of 1602 patients was taken from literature which dated from 1 January 1984 to 31 March 1996. A total of 522 patients who underwent surgery received K-wires, screws or external minifixateur. The conservative approaches ranged from immobilization to various methods of mobilization with different aids or without fixation of the fracture. The mobilization in a brace provided good to excellent results in 95% of the cases; however, the failure rate of therapy was 23% because of local bruises and skin necrosis (3%). The mobilization with handcast, tape etc. attained good to excellent results in 94% of the cases. Here, no complications occurred. Both the immobilization treatment and the surgery provided good to excellent results in 85% of the cases. The reposition of fractures of the fifth metacarpal was successful in only 15% of the cases. Fractures with dislocations below 30 degrees, a shortening of less than 5 mm, no rotational displacement or that below 10 degrees, no articular incongruency, and no relevant soft tissue trauma do not need surgery according to our results and should be treated with early mobilization as suggested by the survey. Beyond these limits a primary surgical therapy is justified. The immobilization of metacarpal fractures over a period of more than 3-4 weeks is not necessary.


This report demonstrates how parallel computation can be implemented in the Framsticks environment. A number of possible multithreaded and distributed architectures and configurations is shown. The main part of this report discusses and explains two experiment definitions (prime-mt and standard-mt) that exploit multithreading. These experiment definitions are included in the official Framsticks distribution. The first one serves as a minimal example of how parallelization can be implemented in Framsticks. The second one is more complex: it shows how to deal with Slave experiments that do not have an internal stop condition, how to migrate the evolved genotypes between Slaves, and how to use Slave checkpoint events to monitor the progress of evolution.


The government of Solomon Islands declared former Australian high commissioner Patrick Cole and police commissioner Shane Castles as persona non grata in 2006. The incidence had worsened the relationship between Solomon Islands and Australia. The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, wants RAMSI to evacuate from his country. In order to resolve this dispute, the 37th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in 2006 established the Forum Troika of the past, present and incoming chairs to review RAMSI and its future. RAMSI is a regional measures and the peacekeeping operation to rebuild a "Failed State" to restore its order and rule of law. Although the Solomon government has some arguments over RAMSI with Australia, the achievements and contributions of this peacekeeping operation could not be ignored. This paper points out the background of RAMSI peacekeeping operation, its nature, legal status, and prospect.


Abstract. Identifying the genetic and physiological background of phenotypic variability between animals of different nutrient turnover is a well recognised prerequisite for efficient breeding strategies. Published results relevant for our recently initiated project on properties of the nutrient transformation in cattle with respect to secretion type and accretion type are reviewed. For a deeper insight into the genetic and physiological background of both types, an experiment has been initiated using segregating F2 offspring's of crosses of Charolais bulls and German Holstein cows. It will be shown that, with respect to their phenotypic and physiological properties, these two breeds are especially suitable for a study of the accretion and secretion type. The basis of the experimental design and the intended investigations are described.


Background During joint inflammation and destruction, a variety of proteases are upregulated, including different cathepsins and matrix-metalloproteinases (MMP). Enzyme activity and osteoblast activation can be quantitated in vivo by using activatable and targeting near-infrared probes. This also provides us with a tool to non-invasively monitor treatment efficacy on enzyme activity and bone remodelling. The authors investigated the role of MMPs in chondrocyte death and subsequent irreversible cartilage damage, using biophotonic imaging. Methods Collagen-induced arthritis was induced in male DBA1/J mice by immunisation with bovine collagen-type II. Mice received either anti-IL-1 sera (200 l intravenously) or normal rabbit serum as a control at day 21. Ten days later, Sense 680 probes (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA) were injected intravenously and 6 h later mice were imaged using the IVIS Lumina (Caliper Life Sciences, Hopkinton, MA, USA). The ProSense 680 probe becomes activated upon enzymatic cleavage by cathepsins. The MMPSense 680 can be activated by different MMPs. OsteoSense 680 is a fluorescent biphosphonate that binds to hydroxyapetite, a biomarker for osteoblast activation. After imaging the ankle and knee joints were dissected and processed for histology or x-ray. Ankle joints were x-ray photographed and scored for bone destruction. Subsequently, serial sections were made and stained with H&E to study inflammatory cell influx, chondrocyte death, bone loss and cartilage destruction and with Safranin-O to study proteoglycan depletion. Sections were also stained for VDIPEN, a neoepitope of aggrecan cleaved by MMPs. Results All the probes showed an increased fluorescent signal intensity during arthritis. Both the ProSense and MMPSense signal was reduced three times by the anti-IL-1 treatment, whereas the OsteoSense signal was reduced 1.5 times. On the other hand, OsteoSense signal was two times higher in mice showing mild bone loss, compared to no bone loss as measured by x-ray, suggesting an increased osteoblast activity to counterbalance bone loss. Correlations were found between MMP activity and chondrocyte death (r=0.77, p<0.0001), proteoglycan depletion (r=0.65, p=0.0002) and VDIPEN staining (r=0.81, p<0.0001), while less correlation was found between cathepsin activity and chondrocyte death (0.39, p=0.0064). Conclusion Imaging of these three probes is a sensitive method to measure joint inflammation, connective tissue destruction and repair, and overall is fluorescence imaging a valuable tool to monitor a treatment response. These findings also suggest that irreversible cartilage damage caused by chondrocyte death is a result of enhanced MMP activity rather than cathepsin activity.


The current approach to screening for pre‐eclampsia is based on guidelines that rely on medical and obstetric history in early pregnancy to select a high‐risk group that might benefit from low‐dose aspirin. However, combined screening tests with the addition of biophysical and biochemical measurements have shown significantly better detection rates for preterm pre‐eclampsia. Furthermore, the administration of aspirin for the 10% screen‐positive group can lead to a significant reduction in severe and preterm forms of pre‐eclampsia. This review aims to answer frequently asked questions related to the clinical implementation of screening and the management of screening results.


As the use of ultrasonic transducers has increased so has the need to measure and characterize their pressure fields. Currently available hydrophones are limited by long scan times, and multiple source pulses to measure large area fields. Using a 2D capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array and associated electronics we are able to improve on these limitations. The CMUT inherently allows for a tunable sensitivity by changing DC bias. Motivated by the need to improve the characterization of megasonic cleaners used in semiconductor processing we were able to implement such an area hydrophone.


A number of preterms who had participated in a study of visual recognition memory when they were 6 months of age were seen at older ages to assess the predictive validity of the early visual measures for cognitive outcome. The Bayley scales were administered at 6, 12, and 24 months, the Stanford-Binet at 34 and 40 months, and the WISC-R at 6 years. Novelty scores, which reflect the relative amount of time infants look at new compared to familiar stimuli, constituted the measure of infant visual processing. These scores, obtained by averaging over performance on the 3 or 4 problems administered at 6 months of age, were consistently and significantly related to cognitive measures from 24 months to 6 years, with correlations ranging from r = .53 to r = .66. Parental education, which was unrelated to novelty scores, bore a strong relationship to outcome beginning at 24 months. Although both measures contributed uniquely to the variance in cognitive outcome at 24 months and 6 years, visual novelty scores made a stronger contribution than did parental education. Neither 6- nor 12-month Bayley scores, nor various perinatal variables, were related to outcome.


Virtualization brought an immense commute in the modern technology especially in computer networks since last decade. The enormity of big data has led the massive graphs to be increased in size exponentially in recent years so that normal tools and algorithms are going weak to process it. Size diminution of the massive graphs is a big challenge in the current era and extraction of useful information from huge graphs is also problematic. In this paper, we presented a concept to design the virtual graph vGraph in the virtual plane above the original plane having original massive graph and proposed a novel cumulative similarity measure for vGraph. The use of vGraph is utile in lieu of massive graph in terms of space and time. Our proposed algorithm has two main parts. In the first part, virtual nodes are designed from the original nodes based on the calculation of cumulative similarity among them. In the second part, virtual edges are designed to link the virtual nodes based on the calculation of similarity measure among the original edges of the original massive graph. The algorithm is tested on synthetic and real-world datasets which shows the efficiency of our proposed algorithms.


Purpose: Indian Agriculture is 3rd most significant contributor to GDP and more than 50% of the population is dependent on agriculture, Indian agriculture accounts for15% of the country's Gross Value added to the economy, and agriculture policies and schemes implemented by the government to increase the production, income level of farmers, employment, growth of the rural area, provide Digital agricultural stack in area of IoT, block chain, Geographic Information System(GIS) Kisan Drones, Big data, as per the report of NITI Aayog AI in agriculture would be worth $ 2.6 bn and Agri-Startups promote the circular economy with sustainable farming in the area of Millet, organic farming and vertical farming. It is an important pillar of sustainability and it is recognized as 7 out of 17 Sustainable development goals. Sustainable agriculture farming is the order of the 21st century in India which currently has 4.43 million organic farmers, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23, and a much-needed alternative to conventional for protecting the well-being of the farmers and Society, Economy and Ecosystem. India is Self-reliant in the production of Sugar, Rice, Wheat and food grains. Due to Government Schemes like Atmanirbhar, Minimum Support Price(MPS), PM Kisan Scheme, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), PM Gati-shakti, National Agriculture Market(e-NAM), Young –Entrepreneurs Accelerator Fund for Agri-Startups, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PMVY), establishing more Farmer producers Organizations(FPO), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Agricultural Technology Management Agency(ATMA), NABARD in providing finance for farm and non-farm sector, PM-PRANAAM for protecting mother earth. These initiatives are to increase the investment opportunities in agriculture, efficiency, and productivity in agriculture for doubling the income of the farmers.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The research article is a descriptive study with exploratory research and secondary data collected from News articles, Journals, Government websites, Books, magazines, and reports for the analysis.
Findings: Organic farming and sustainable agriculture is good for the economy and environment. The study reveals that in India Sustainable green revaluation in Agriculture Technology and moving towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDG).
Type of Paper: Case Study.


As part of a study to evaluate a new programmable pacemaker, 15 patients received lithium‐powered R‐wave inhibited, unipolar pulse‐generators (CPI* Model 0505). Five were initial implants (Group I) and 10 were pulse generator replacements (Group II). The follow‐up period ranged from 1 to 18 months (mean 11 months). There were 5 deaths unrelated to the pacemaker. Three instances of pacemaker failure were identified and were characterized by a sudden loss of pacemaker output. The malfunction, traced to a 10 kHz timing crystal, has been corrected in subsequently manufactured pulse‐generators. In 11 patients, the pacemakers were programmed at a pulse width which was twice the threshold determined at 3 months. Four were programmed at 0.1 ms, three at 0.2 ms and four at 0.4 ms. Although no complications were seen in patients programmed at 0.1 ms pulse width, it might be advisable to leave pacemakers at 0.2 ms or greater for chronic pacing in patients with a pulse width threshold at 0.05 ms.


This study demonstrates that the deletion in the PK region occurred naturally in the FMDV genome. The isolated O/ME-SA/PanAsia lineage FMDV with an 86-nt deletion in the PK region showed a pig-adapted characteristic that could cause clinical signs in swine but not bovines. Compared to the wild-type FMDV strain, which possesses full infection capacity in both swine and bovines, the recombinant virus with the 86-nt deletion in the PK region is deficient in causing disease in bovines. Deletion of the previously reported 43 nt in the PK region also led to significantly decreased pathogenicity of FMDV in bovines. This study indicates that the PK region is a novel determinant of the tropism and virulence of FMDV. ABSTRACT Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease. It is characterized by genetic instability and different antigenic properties. The nonstructural protein 3A is a primary determinant of the tropism and virulence of Cathay topotype FMDVs. However, several other determinants are also speculated to be involved in viral tropism and virulence. Deletion of 43 nucleotides (nt) in the pseudoknot (PK) region of the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) has been found to coexist with the identified 3A deletion in Cathay topotype FMDV genomes. In this study, we isolated an O/ME-SA/PanAsia lineage FMDV strain, O/GD/CHA/2015, that includes an 86-nt deletion in the PK region and shows a porcinophilic phenotype. To investigate the potential role of the PK region in viral pathogenicity, we generated a recombinant FMDV strain with an incomplete PK region and compared its virulence and pathogenesis to the intact FMDV strain in swine and bovines. Deletion of the 86 nt in the PKs had no major effects on the pathogenicity of the virus in swine but significantly attenuated its ability to infect bovine cells and cattle, indicating that the PK region is a newly discovered determinant of viral tropism and virulence. The role of the 43-nt deletion existing in the Cathay topotype FMDV was also investigated by evaluating the infection properties of genetically engineered viruses. Consistently, the 43-nt deletion in the PK region significantly decreased the pathogenicity of the virus in bovines. Overall, our findings suggest that the PK region deletion occurred naturally in the FMDV genome and that the PK region is highly associated with viral host range and functions as a novel determinant for FMDV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE This study demonstrates that the deletion in the PK region occurred naturally in the FMDV genome. The isolated O/ME-SA/PanAsia lineage FMDV with an 86-nt deletion in the PK region showed a pig-adapted characteristic that could cause clinical signs in swine but not bovines. Compared to the wild-type FMDV strain, which possesses full infection capacity in both swine and bovines, the recombinant virus with the 86-nt deletion in the PK region is deficient in causing disease in bovines. Deletion of the previously reported 43 nt in the PK region also led to significantly decreased pathogenicity of FMDV in bovines. This study indicates that the PK region is a novel determinant of the tropism and virulence of FMDV.


The major kinase capable of phosphorylating tau in a porcine brain extract was suggested to be a brain cdc2-like kinase, called cdk5. Tau protein components of microtubules assembled in the brain extract using ATP were phosphorylated to a higher level, and showed a slower electrophoretic mobility than those assembled with GTP. Most of this phosphorylation and electrophoretic mobility shift, that occurred in the brain extract incubated with ATP, were inhibited by butyrolactone I, a specific inhibitor of cdc2 kinase and cdk5. Further, butyrolactone I inhibited phosphorylation of tau exogenously added to the brain extract by approximately 70%. cdk5 purified from porcine brain decreased the electrophoretic mobility of dephosphorylated tau by in vitro phosphorylation of tau to the level present in microtubules polymerized with ATP. cdc2 kinase purified from starfish oocytes also phosphorylated tau and shifted its electrophoretic mobility to an extent greater than that obtained with cdk5. Western blot analysis showed that cdc2 kinase phosphorylated epitopes recognized by SMI31, 33, 34, and tau 1 antibodies in tau proteins , while cdk5 phosphorylated the site recognized by SMI33 (corresponding to phosphorylation at Ser235 in the longest human tau isoform) and partially phosphorylated the tau 1 site. Phosphorylation experiments performed on tau in brain extracts, in the presence of okadaic acid, suggested the presence of both okadaic acid-sensitive and -insensitive phosphatases acting on phosphorylated Ser235. Rat tau that was prepared immediately after decapitation showed a similar phosphorylation state to tau in microtubules polymerized with ATP, suggesting that tau is relatively phosphorylated in vivo.


Osseointegration (OI) is being used for the direct skeletal attachment of prosthetic limbs using an intramedullary stem that extends percutaneously from the subject's residual limb. For this technology to be successful, bone ingrowth and remodeling around the implant must occur. Physicians need an effective way to assess bone remodeling to make informed treatment and rehabilitation decisions. Previous studies utilizing two‐dimensional imaging X‐ray as a tool to monitor bone‐remodeling around OI devices have limitations. This study describes methodology that was developed utilizing computed tomography (CT) imaging as a tool for analyzing bone remodeling around a percutaneous OI implant. Six transfemoral amputees implanted with a percutaneous osseointegrated prosthesis (POP) had CT scans taken of their residual femur at 6 and 52 weeks postoperatively. Three‐dimensional femoral models were processed using custom MATLAB script to collect cortical and medullary morphology measurements. Morphology data from 6‐ and 52‐week scans were compared to quantify bone remodeling around the POP implant. Fifty‐two weeks after implantation of the POP device, increases in cortical bone area and thickness were observed around the porous‐coated stem. Minimal changes were observed in the medullary canal parameters within the periprosthetic regions. This study successfully utilized CT imaging and three‐dimensional modeling techniques to analyze longitudinal data of bone remodeling around a transfemoral percutaneous implant. These methods have the potential to be used as a clinical tool for evaluating orthopedic implants in vivo. Data collected suggests that the POP device achieved the desired bone remodeling around the porous‐coated region of the implanted stem.


Abstract. Yuncheng area is one of the most extensive distributions of ground fissures in Shanxi basin, especially in Yanhu District of Yuncheng, the disaster of ground fissures and ground subsidence are the most serious. According to previous studies, the development and distribution of the ground fissures in this area are mainly controlled by the underlying active faults. In order to provide a better understanding of the formation mechanism, the deformation of ground fissures and its surrounding environment should be taken into consideration. In this paper, PS-InSAR technology was employed to assess the time-series ground deformation of Yuncheng ground fissures and its surrounding area with X-band TerraSAR images from 2013 to 2015. The interaction between ground fissures activity and land subsidence, groundwater, precipitation and surrounding faults will be discussed.


The Drosophila melanogaster species complex consists of four species: D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia and D. mauritiana. To identify these closely related species, researchers often examine the male genitalia, especially species‐specific shapes of the posterior process, as the most reliable and easily observable character. However, compared to genetic aspects, the evolutionary significance of the posterior process and other genital parts remains largely unexplained. By comparing genital coupling among these species, we revealed that the posterior processes, which are hidden under the female abdominal tergite VII when genital coupling is established, mesh with different parts of the intersegmental membrane between the tergite VIII and the oviscapts and that this membrane region broadens in a species‐specific manner. Furthermore, in D. simulans and D. sechellia, this membrane region is likely to incur wounds from the sharply pointed tip of the posterior process. On the basis of the use and functions of these and other genital parts, we discuss possible evolutionary forces underlying the diversification of genitalia in this group.


One of the most studied images in Gower's writing is that of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which appears both in VC Book 7 and in the Prologue of CA. Yeager takes a new look at the statue through the lens of the associated imagery of Christ's body and the body politic of the late Middle Ages. The opening section of his essay traces the history of the image from St. Paul, for whom the "body of Christ" provided a means of conceiving of the unity of the church in its many parts, to Boniface VIII, who revivified the metaphor in order to emphasize the supremacy of the "head." Secular theorists such as John of Salisbury, meanwhile, adopted the metaphor for political institutions as a way of expressing both the diversity of functions of the different ranks and also the naturalness of the political hierarchy. In the middle section of his essay, Yeager shows how this imagery is reflected in the chronicle accounts of the uprising of 1381, in which executions are almost without exception described as decapitations: the loss of the head represented from one point of view the breakdown of order in the destruction of God-ordained authority, and from the other (that of the peasants rather than the chroniclers), the overthrow of unjust rule. When Gower writes, in VC 7.5-6, "The golden head of Nebuchadnezzar's statue has now been cut off / Yet the two feet of iron and clay still remain" (Yeager's translation, p. 159), he is clearly invoking the same association between the body of the statue and organized hierarchical society, and echoing the views of the chroniclers. Yeager refers to Gower's description here as "but slightly modified from Daniel" (p. 160). Actually, his discussion draws attention to a fundamental change that Gower has made, for in the Biblical version it is the feet of clay and not the head that are destroyed. Gower sticks more closely to the vision in Daniel in his second use of the image, in the Prologue of CA. Without noting the shift, Yeager argues that the statue also provides a key to the fundamental political message of Gower's English poem. In support of his case, he also cites Gower's use of the episode of Nebuchadnezzar's madness from a later chapter of Daniel. In his conclusion he draws together a rich pattern of resonances from the different sources that he has invoked. The title "Vox Clamantis," he points out, associates Gower both with John of the Apocalypse and with John the Baptist. "And here beheading takes its place again, for of course the familiar icon of the Baptist is a severed head, symbolic at once of the dangers of speaking truth in the kingdom of Herod, a puerile, fitful tyrant, servant to his bodily lust and subject hence to rash decisions under Salome's rule. . . . If the poet is the Baptist (and the John of Revelation), then Richard (by the completion of the Vox at least, and in the Cronica Tripertita) is a type of Herod" (p. 163). In CA, however, Nebuchadnezzar learns before it is too late. Gower "offers his king and country a second chance. That no one took it cannot be placed at Gower's door" (p. 165). In a private correspondence, Yeager lamented "probably the worst typo in my scholarly life" in the sentence with which this essay concludes, which should read as follows: "The wrongs in his society Gower continually tried to right, never more thoughtfully and connectedly than when he brings the body – bodies shaped in every kind – to our attention, as our guides" (p. 165). [PN. Copyright The John Gower Society. JGN 19.1]


The medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) plays a salient role in physiological processes such as spatial cognition and spatial coding. mEC layer II stellate neurons, in particular, influence these processes. Interestingly, ventral and dorsal stellate neurons diversely affect these processes and have distinct intrinsic membrane properties and action potential firing patterns. Little, though, is known about how ventral stellate neuron intrinsic excitability is regulated. We show that ventral stellate neurons predominantly possess T-type Ca2+ currents encoded by CaV3.2 subunits, with dorsal stellate neurons having small or no currents. Further, twice as much CaV3.2 mRNA was present in ventral than dorsal mEC. In line with T-type, CaV3.2 Ca2+ current biophysical properties, depolarising stimuli activated these currents in ventral, but not dorsal, neurons. Here, these currents acted in concert with persistent Na+ currents to elevate input resistance and tonic action potential firing. CaV3.2 currents also enhanced excitatory post-synaptic potential decay and integration solely in ventral neurons. These results reveal that CaV3.2 currents, together with persistent Na+ currents, impart the characteristic intrinsic membrane and firing properties of ventral stellate neurons. This signifies that specific voltage-gated conductances distinctly affect ventral and dorsal mEC stellate neuron activity and functions such as spatial memory and spatial navigation.


In this study we assessed the land suitability for black pine forests ( Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold) in Tuscany Region (Central Italy), and for the most frequent minor species in the pine stands – chestnut, turkey oak and beech - in a climate change scenario. The habitat suitability maps were constructed by the land suitability method of FAO using climatic parameters (temperature and precipitation) and physical parameters (slope of the land and soil characteristics). The climate change scenario used is the A2 scenario of HadCM3 model. The predictive ability of cartographic models was evaluated with ROC statistical analysis. The accuracy of the habitat suitability maps was good (AUC = 0.875 for chestnut, and 0.813 for black pine), especially for beech (AUC = 0.952); for the turkey oak, the quality of the cartographic model was lower (AUC = 0.628) than the other species. The results indicate the presence of critical environmental issues for about 20% of the total area of pine forests (10,071 ha), a proportion that rises to 50% in the climate change scenario considered. The models obtained for minor species indicate that turkey oak and chestnut could play a useful role in the future for the re-naturalization of black pine forests in the context of environmental changes.


Neural memory, with many aspects (associative, cognitive, declarative, episodic, implicit, procedural, semantic, working, short/long-term), emerges from the mental processes of the active neural net. Our goal is to describe memory as an emergent, generic process which evolved from bacterial signaling, constrained by the laws of chemistry and capabilities of cell biology. We invoke tripartite interactions of 3 compartments: [ neurons ] [ nECM] ( neu ral extracellular ma trix ) [ dopants] (comprising diffusible metals and neuro-transmitters (NTs)). The neuron manipulates the dopants to form metal-centered complexes within the nECM (which functions as a "memory material") to encode cognitive units of information ( cuinfo ) (singular/plural). Psychic states  (emotions) as well as physiologic responses (feelings), both are chemically  encoded with >90 NTs which can bind to metals tethered to nECM,  to literally embody "emotional memory", chemographically  represented. The evolution of a brain operating in emotive and logical modes of memory and mentation, suggests a "phase" diagram, wherein the logical  and emotive modes of memory emerge coincident with increasing brain size, capacity and complexity. The tripartite mechanism permits of a chemical perspective to the evolution of "rational" and "emotive" modes of neural memory.


Overpopulation Is the Problem I greatly enjoyed reading "The Millennium Assessment," by Fred Powledge (BioScience 56: 880–886). It presented a reasonable program to discover how bad things are, which is, I suppose, frequently necessary to have fresh ammunition to use in trying to wake up our national leadership. What I find lacking in the whole approach, not only in this article but in the profession as a whole, is the failure to openly recognize that none of it matters as long as we fail to correct the underlying cause of nearly all of our problems: overpopulation. We already know enough to recognize that without a reduction of the population of humans, no proposed programs will have any real effect. The human population grows more rapidly than any ecological protection or amelioration program can be produced or take effect.


Background: Traditionally, inflammatory bowel disease has been a disease entity associated with European ancestry. Despite claims of rarity, numerous studies have emerged which indicate that the prevalence of IBD has increased in various ethnic groups worldwide. We illustrate that IBD is indeed a multi-ethnic disease and the clinical characteristics of IBD in our setting are presented in this study. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study of the medical records of IBD patients presenting to the Department of Gastroenterology, area 554 of the Charlotte Makexe Johannesburg Academic Hospital was undertaken. One hundred twenty-six patients with IBD referred to this tertiary gastrointestinal centre from 2005 through 2010, were assessed. Demographic and historical characteristics, clinical features as well as drug and surgical interventions were assessed according to a predetermined patient data collection form. Results: Analyses demonstrated that 63.5% of the sample had UC, 34.1% had CD and 2.4% were diagnosed as having IC, with a female to male ratio of 1.4: 1. There were comparable numbers of White, Indian and Black patients with UC but very few Black patients contributed to the CD burden. Moreover, CD was established as a more severe disease entity as manifest by a higher proportion of extra-intestinal manifestations, in addition to higher complication and surgery rates in this group. Conclusion: Our findings show that although Caucasians still represent the greater fraction of IBD cases, the numbers of Black South Africans affected by this disease have grown. Moreover, in contrast to earlier studies, we found that disease in Black patients is milder compared to White and Indian counterparts. We have been able to illustrate that IBD is in fact a multi-racial disease entity as shown to affect various ethnic groups.


The goal of the article is to characterize the conservative homeomorphisms of a closed orientable surface $S$ of genus $\geq 2$, that have finitely many periodic points. By conservative, we mean a map with no wandering point. As a particular case, when $S$ is furnished with a symplectic form, we characterize the symplectic diffeomorphisms of $S$ with finitely many periodic points.


OBJECTIVE
To summarize clinical features of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) in children.

METHODS
The clinical data of 35 children with PID from September 2005 to December 2008 were studied retrospectively, including illness history, birth history, family history, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, diagnosis, treatment and outcome.

RESULTS
Of the 35 cases of PID, 6 cases were confirmed with combined T- and B-cell immunodeficiency, 4 cases with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia, 22 cases with selective IgG subclass deficiency, 1 case with common variable immunodeficiency and 2 cases with chronic granulomatous disease. All cases had fever and recurrent infections. Respiratory and digestive tract infections were the most common clinical manifestation. Some of the PID cases lagged behind the normal children of the same age in growth and development. Human gamma-globulin transfusion and anti-infection therapy were administered. Two patients discontinued the therapy, one was transferred to the other hospital and the other 32 patients were discharged following improvement in clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
PID should be considered in children who suffer from recurrent infections and autoimmune diseases or do not respond to long-term use of antibiotics. Immunologic tests should be done as early as possible for the children.


Sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a frequent complication of sepsis and is associated with a higher risk of short-term mortality and long-term cognitive impairment. The EEG is a sensitive complement to the clinical examination that can also detect and quantify encephalopathy and identify features with prognostic value, such has lack of reactivity. Moreover, despite their effect on outcome is still debated, the EEG is the only tool to detect non-convulsive seizures which can occur in a septic setting. Understanding the pathophysiology of SAE is fundamental to define potential therapeutic targets. Neuroinflammation plays a important role in the development of SAE and many blood and imaging biomarkers have recently shown a promising ability to distinguish SAE form non-SAE patient. In recent years, some interesting mediators of inflammation were successfully targeted in animal models, with a significant reduction in the neuroinflammation and in sepsis-induced cognitive decline. However, the complexity of the host response to sepsis currently limits the use of immunomodulation therapies in humans. Alteration in regulatory systems of cerebral blood flow, namely cerebral autoregulation (CA) and neurovascular coupling, contribute to SAE development. Nowadays, clinicians have access to different tools to assess them at the bedside and CA-based blood pressure protocols should be implemented to optimize cerebral prefusion. Its inauspicious consequences, its complex physiopathology and the lack of efficacious treatment makes of SAE a highly active research subject.


The use of political violence to attain political goals has long been a source of concern. Once thought to be exclusive to countries with high levels of general violence, recent evidence suggests that harassment and intimidation of political elites in the UK is more widespread than previously thought. Using data from the 2017 general election candidate survey, we find that four in every ten candidates experienced at least one type of harassment. Evidence suggests that women and young candidates are more likely to suffer from harassment and intimidation. We conclude by formulating an agenda for future research, focussing, in particular, on the perception of harassment and the effect of harassment on political careers.


Summary. We previously reported a modified sperm stress test (MOST), low scores (< 0.39) in which were associated with sperm‐related abnormal in vitro fertilization. Preliminary observations suggested that the presence of male sperm antibodies (ASA) could give low MOST scores. It was therefore decided to undertake a study to verify this possible association and also to ascertain if such a relationship was causal in nature. Six hundred and fifty semen samples from patients consulting for infertility were assessed for basic seminal characteristics, motion parameters (CASA), ASA and MOST. Thirty‐nine samples (6%) were ASA‐positive. Samples with and without ASA showed similar characteristics, except for percentage of normal forms and MOST scores (0.35 ± 0.03 vs. 0.67 ± 0.01, P < 0.001, for ASA‐positive and ‐negative, respectively). There was a strong statistical association between presence of ASA and low MOST scores (P < 0.0001). One‐hundred per cent of ASA‐positive samples displayed low MOST scores. To verify the nature of this relationship, we incubated ASA‐free spermatozoa with ASA‐positive and ‐negative (control) sera. Despite an increase in the percentage of ASA‐bearing spermatozoa in those aliquots incubated with ASA‐positive serum, their original (pre‐incubation) MOST scores remained unchanged. Furthermore, the rate of lipid peroxidation, indirectly reflected in MOST scores, was not different in the aliquots incubated with ASA. In conclusion, there seems to be a strong association between presence of ASA and low MOST values in semen samples of infertile patients; however, the relationship does not appear to be causal.


Very early, in 1896, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the founding father of X-rays, attempted to measure diffraction and refraction by this new kind of radiation, in vain. Only 70 years later, these effects were measured by Ulrich Bonse and Michael Hart who used them to make full-field images of biological specimen, coining the term phase-contrast imaging. Yet, another 30 years passed until the Talbot effect was rediscovered for X-radiation, giving rise to a micrograting based interferometer, replacing the Bonse–Hart interferometer, which relied on a set of four Laue-crystals for beam splitting and interference. By merging the Lau-interferometer with this Talbot-interferometer, another ten years later, measuring X-ray refraction and X-ray scattering full-field and in cm-sized objects (as Röntgen had attempted 110 years earlier) became feasible in every X-ray laboratory around the world. Today, now that another twelve years have passed and we are approaching the 125th jubilee of Röntgen's discovery, neither Laue-crystals nor microgratings are a necessity for sensing refraction and scattering by X-rays. Cardboard, steel wool, and sandpaper are sufficient for extracting these contrasts from transmission images, using the latest image reconstruction algorithms. This advancement and the ever rising number of applications for phase-contrast and dark-field imaging prove to what degree our understanding of imaging physics as well as signal processing have advanced since the advent of X-ray physics, in particular during the past two decades. The discovery of the electron, as well as the development of electron imaging technology, has accompanied X-ray physics closely along its path, both modalities exploring the applications of new dark-field contrast mechanisms these days. Materials science, life science, archeology, non-destructive testing, and medicine are the key faculties which have already integrated these new imaging devices, using their contrast mechanisms in full. This special issue "Phase-Contrast and Dark-field Imaging" gives us a broad yet very to-the-point glimpse of research and development which are currently taking place in this very active field. We find reviews, applications reports, and methodological papers of very high quality from various groups, most of which operate X-ray scanners which comprise these new imaging modalities.


The aim of this study is to examine the acceptability and effectiveness of a nurse-led hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance clinic in high-risk patients with cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis. Early detection of HCC is associated with better treatment outcomes and improved survival. International guidelines recommend 6-monthly surveillance of patients at risk of developing HCC. A nurse-led HCC surveillance protocol was established to support patients in adherence to surveillance protocols. The design used was retrospective document analysis. Retrospective analysis of healthcare records of patients referred to the clinic between August 2009 and December 2015. Extracted data included attendance of clinic visits, blood testing, ultrasound or other imaging, and outcomes. Ultrasound was attended within 6 months in 30.3% of cases and within 7 months in 71.2% of cases. The median time between Nurse-Led Clinic appointments, ultrasound scans and blood testing did not exceed 9 months. First year FibroScans were attended by 82.9% (63/76) patients; endoscopy was indicated for 42 and attended by 35 (83.3%) patients. Lesions were identified in 16 patients (21.5%) and HCC diagnosed in two patients. One patient died because of HCC and one to sub-dural haematoma. Nurse-led HCC surveillance was an effective method of monitoring patients with cirrhosis at high risk of developing HCC. Well-defined protocols enable timely identification of patients with HCC or hepatic decompensation so that management strategies can be implemented without delay. The potential benefits identified by this study warrant further, rigorous evaluation.


Each year, millions of rescue operations occur in Germany. Despite rising numbers, there is a shortfall of systematic quality management (QM). Focusing on finding the required quality parameters, this work aims at linking heterogeneous and distributed data sources on the patient-level. Presented here is necessary IT infrastructure for linking patients' data records properly and efficiently. The focus of the IT infrastructure is to provide a lightweight and easy applicable solution with an utmost generic approach.


2637 INNO-406 is an orally available, dual Abl/Lyn kinase inhibitor that is up to 55-times more potent than imatinib against CML cell line and BaF3 cells over expressing wild type Bcr-Abl. Numerous Bcr-Abl mutant proteins (except T315I) are sensitive to INNO-406 in vitro. INNO-406 inhibits ABL, KIT and PDGFR kinases and demonstrates specific Src kinase activity against Lyn kinase, resulting in greater selectivity than the dual ABL/SRC inhibitor dasatinib. This differential selectivity may result in an improved safety profile. In this phase I study, patients with imatinib-resistant or intolerant Philadelphia (Ph+) chromosome-positive leukemias were eligible for treatment with INNO-406. 12 pts [median age: 58 yrs (range 18-74); 5 male, 7 female; median CML duration: 53 months (range 5-266); median time on imatinib: 39 months (range 5-129); chronic phase CML (6 pts), accelerated phase CML (2 pts), blast phase CML (1 pt), Ph+ ALL (3 pts); previous treatment with nilotinib (5 pts) or dasatinib (2 pts)] have been enrolled in the following dose cohorts (mg/day): 30 (3 pts), 60 (3 pts) and 120 (6 pts), and have been on treatment between 7 and 123 days. 8/12 pts remain on study; 4 pts discontinued with disease progression: chronic phase CML (2 pts), blast phase CML (1 pt), Ph+ ALL (1 pt) [all data unmonitored]. The only INNO-406-related AE that has been reported was a grade 1 QTc interval elevation in one patient without any clinical sequelae. No fluid retention events have been reported. Early pharmacokinetic data have demonstrated INNO-406 blood levels comparable to drug concentrations found to be potent against Bcr-Abl cell lines in vitro. Of the six patients who have completed at least 1 month of treatment, three have evidence of clinical response. Patient 5, a chronic phase CML treated with imatinib for 69 months before developing resistant disease with a Y253H mutation, has a cytogenetic response (minimal; 75% Ph+) after 1 month of INNO-406 therapy. Patient 4, an accelerated phase CML treated with imatinib and nilotinib for 16 and 6 months, respectively, before becoming intolerant to nilotinib, has maintained a complete hematologic remission following 3 months of INNO-406 therapy at a dose of 60 mg/day. Patient 1, a chronic phase CML treated with imatinib for 51 months before developing resistant disease without a mutation, has maintained stable white cell counts after 4 months of therapy at a dose of 30-60 mg/day, with a 55-fold reduction in Bcr-Abl transcript levels after 1 month of INNO-406 therapy. INNO-406 is well tolerated in patients with CML and Ph+ ALL when administered at a dose of 120 mg/day, with encouraging evidence of clinical activity in imatinib-resistant and nilotinib-intolerant patients at the hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular levels. In the absence of DLTs, dose escalation continues to identify a recommended phase II dose.


High salinity water, containing high TDS and chloride, is a common problem in coastal areas of Indonesia. The chloride content in water causes water to taste salty. It occurs in a small community of Tambak Cemandi Village, Sidoarjo. The groundwater has chloride content up to 3,694.3 mg/L, hardness 2,071 mg/L (CaCO3), and total coliform 7,100 MPN/100 mL. Membrane technology has been overgrowing all over the world in the water desalination process. This study aims to examine the basic concepts, principles, advantages, and disadvantages of membrane technology and its application in brackish water treatment for drinking purposes. This research was conducted by literature review, secondary data analysis, and application of case studies. The case study is applied to small scale drinking water treatment (flow rate 0.2 L/second) with brackish raw water from groundwater in Tambak Cemandi Village, where some of the population do not have access to safe drinking water. The study concludes that RO membranes with UF pre-treatment are adequate to treat 98%, 96%, and 100% of chloride content, hardness, and total coliform and fulfilled Indonesia Ministry regulation's drinking water quality standard. The treatment can serve 202 people with an operational cost of Rp. 1,198/people.day.


Advances in digital health have enabled clinicians to move away from a reliance on face to face consultation methods towards making use of modern video and web-based conferencing technology. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote telecommunication methods have become much more common place in mental health settings. The current study sought to investigate whether remote telecommunication methods are preferable to face to face consultations for adults referred to an Autism and ADHD Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, whether there are any differences in preferred consultation methods between adults who were referred for an assessment of Autism as opposed to ADHD. 117 service users who undertook assessment by the ADHD and Autism Service at South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership Foundation Trust from April to September 2020 completed an adapted version of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ). Results demonstrated that service users found remote telecommunication to be useful, effective, reliable and satisfactory. Despite this, almost half of service users stated a general preference for face to face consultations. There was no difference in the choice of methods of contact between Autism and ADHD pathways. Remote telecommunication methods were found to be an acceptable medium of contact for adults who undertook an assessment of Autism and ADHD at an NHS Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Purpose Although laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands are considered a standard treatment for severe obesity, their use remains controversial. We evaluated rates of band explantation and the incidences of complications leading to and following band explantation. Materials and Methods This retrospective review was performed on patients that underwent adjustable gastric band explantation. For each of the three groups of patients that underwent explantation, we compared demographic and anthropometric data, band duration in situ, operative approach, and morbidities. Results Between January 2009 and October 2018, a total of 267 patients underwent primary laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery. Of these 267 patients, 99 (37.1%) underwent band explantation. Numbers (%) of patients in the slippage (SL), band erosion (BE), and intolerance (IT) groups were 13 (13.1%), 39 (39.4), and 47 (47.5%), respectively. Mean %EBMIL values at explantation in these groups were 74.6±45.5, 79.7±40.3, and 36.1±46.0, respectively (p<0.001), and mean times for maintaining bands in situ were 45.1±28.0, 39.4±24.3, and 51.2±22.7 months, respectively. Isolated band removal was performed for slippage (SLi, n=12), band erosion (BEi, n=39), and intolerance (ITi, n=31). The numbers (%) of patients in the SLi, BEi, and ITi groups that experienced a surgical complication (Clavien-Dindo class ≥1) were 0 (0.0%), 24 (61.5%), and 3 (9.7%), respectively (p<0.001). In the BEi group, four patients (4/39, 10.3%) underwent reoperation after AGB removal. Conclusion During our 10 years of experience, 37.1% of adjustable gastric band had to be removed. Intra-abdominal abscess and intragastric bleeding were rare but serious complications after explantation. Potential candidates for adjustable gastric band should be informed of the high long-term risk of band explantation and its associated morbidities.


Ordered and disordered pattern formation of solitons is experimentally investigated in the passively mode-locked doubleclad erbium-doped fiber laser. Soliton complexes of about 500 pulses are obtained which organize in different patterns analogous the states of the matter. We have identified a soliton gas, a supersonic soliton gas flow, a soliton liquid, a soliton polycrystal and a crystal of solitons.


This letter deals with small target detection in passive millimeter wave (PMMW) imaging. Specifically, it focuses on a general detection scheme, where, first, the background is suppressed through a background prediction algorithm, and then the detection is accomplished. A precise prediction of the background is essential to a successful outcome. In practical applications, background estimation problem is more suitable to be considered as a nonlinear regression problem. Kernel methods are effective to solve the nonlinear problem. To improve the accuracy of the background prediction with kernel methods, we utilize robust loss function, to tolerate the noise outliers, and regularization methods, to avoid overfitting of the data. Experiments are conducted on PMMW images collected by a synthetic aperture imaging radiometer. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


A recent development in the adhoc network is a vehicular network called VANET (Vehicular Adhoc Network). Intelligent Transportation System is the Intelligent application of VANET. Due to open nature of VANET attacker can launch various kind of attack. As VANET messages are deal with very crucial information's which may save the life of passengers by avoiding accidents, save the time of people on a trip, exchange of secret information etc., because of this security is must be in the VANET. To ensure the highest level of security the network should be free from attackers, there by all information pass among nodes in the network must be reliable i.e. should be originated by an authenticated node. Authentication is the first line of security in VANET; it avoids nonregistered vehicle in the network. Previous research come up with some Cryptographic, Trust based, Id based, Group signature based authentication schemes. A speed of authentication and privacy preservation is important parameters in VANET authentication. This paper addresses the computational analysis of authentication schemes based on ECC. We started analysis from comparing plain ECC with our proposed AECC (Adaptive Elliptic Curve Cryptography) and EECC (Enhanced Elliptic Curve Cryptography). The result of analysis shows proposed schemes improve speed and security of authentication. In AECC key size is adaptive i.e. different sizes of keys are generated during key generation phase. Three ranges are specified for key sizes small, large and medium. In EECC we added an extra parameter during transmission of information from the vehicle to RSU for key generation. Schemes of authentications are evaluated by comparative analysis of time required for authentication and key breaking possibilities of keys used in authentication.


With the developments and applications of the advanced information technologies such as cloud computing, internet of thing, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing era are coming. In this respect, one of the specific challenges is to achieve a connection of physical resources on the shop floor with virtual resources, for real-time response, real time process optimization, and simulation, which is merged by big data problem. In this respect, Digital Twins (DT) concept is introduced as a key technology, which includes physical resources, virtual resources, service system, and digital twin data. DT considers current condition of physical resource and prediction of future events to make a responsive decision. However, due to the complexity of building a digital equivalent in virtual space to its physical counterpart, very little applications have been developed with this purpose, especially in the industrial manufacturing area. Therefore, the types of data and technology required to build the DT for a manufacturing system are presented in this work, trying to develop a framework of DT based manufacturing system, which is supported by the virtual reality for virtualization of physical resources.


Wide bandgap nitride semiconductors have recently attracted a great level of attention owing to their direct bandgaps in the visible to ultraviolet regions of the spectrum as emitters and detectors. However, this material system with its favorable heterojunctions and transport properties began to produce very respectable power levels in microwave amplifiers. If and when the breakdown fields achieved experimentally approaches the predicted values, this material system may also be very attractive for switching power devices. In addition to the premature breakdown, a number of scientific challenges remain including a clear experimental investigation of polarization effects. In this paper, transport properties as pertained to electronic devices and potential switching devices, and polarization effects will be treated.


This paper describes the optimal design for the geometry of a stator slot to reduce torque ripple for use in high-speed spindle motor applications. The proposed method consists of the following three steps: first, choose the parameters of the stator slot that has a strong influence on the stator current, stator winding loss, iron loss, total loss, efficiency, and torque by using the analysis of the effects of stator slot geometry; second, create factors and levels in the Taguchi method to obtain the optimal combination of the stator slot parameters from the analysis effect of the parameter results; third, using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to determine the optimal value from the optimal combination of the results of the Taguchi method. Optimal design and performance analysis was performed using the Finite element Method (FEM) and verification by using equivalent circuit analysis. The optimization results were evaluated by comparing them with original performance. According to the test results and analysis, the optimal design of the stator slot geometry produce better performance than original design.


A survey of 2000 voice identification comparisons made by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) examiners was used to determine the observed error rate of the spectrographic voice identification technique under actual forensic conditions. The qualifications of the examiners and the comparison procedures are set forth. The survey revealed that decisions were made in 34.8% of the comparisons with a 0.31% false identification error rate and a 0.53% false elimination error rate. These error rates are expected to represent the minimum error rates under actual forensic conditions.


The tridimensional sexual desire proposal (i.e., dyadic to partner, dyadic to attractive other and solitary) has been empirically supported. However, solitary sexual desire and its relationship to other dimensions of sexual functioning has received less attention. Hence, we examined the capacity of solitary sexual desire to explain the subjective orgasm experience (Study 1) and sexual arousal (Study 2) in the context of solitary masturbation. Study 1, composed of 2406 heterosexual adults (M age = 39.72, SD = 11.81), assessed for solitary sexual desire, dyadic sexual desire, and the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience obtained through solitary masturbation, along with other associated parameters. Study 2, consisting of 41 heterosexual young people (M age = 22.49, SD = 3.17), evaluated the genital response (penile circumference/vaginal pulse amplitude) and subjective arousal to sexually explicit films related to solitary masturbation. In both men and women, solitary sexual desire accounted for a significant percentage of the subjective orgasm experience obtained through solitary masturbation. In addition, in women, the propensity for sexual arousal was explained by solitary sexual desire. It is concluded that solitary sexual desire -as opposed to dyadic- is important to explain sexual arousal and orgasm in the solitary masturbation context. These results highlight the importance of addressing sexual desire in the solitary context, given its implications with other dimensions of sexual functioning.


Introduction: Interosseous suture buttons can be used as an alternative technique for fixation of Lisfranc lesions. Theoretically, it may overcome the disadvantages of the rigid construct provided by plates and screws. The aim of the present study was to provide short-term results of Lisfranc injuries treated with the suture button technique. Methods: Sixteen consecutive patients with Lisfranc injuries requiring an operation were treated using the Mini Tight Rope® (Arthrex, Naples, FL). Medical records and radiographic images were analyzed with respect to functional outcomes, complications, need for reoperation and radiographic outcomes. The mean follow-up was 32 months. Functional outcomes were measured by the AOFAS midfoot score and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at the latest follow-up. Results: At a mean follow-up of 32 months, the average AOFAS score was 95.8 and the mean VAS was 0.6. All patients but one were able to return to their previous activities. A total of 9 complications were observed in 6 patients, with discomfort at the button insertion site being the most common (4). Other complications included evidence of radiographic arthritis (3), loss of reduction (1) and extensor hallucis longus tendinopathy (1). Only 1 patient required a reoperation for removal of the suture button. Conclusion: Use of the suture button for fixation of Lisfranc injuries showed excellent results in the short-term. However, arthritis and/or loss of reduction were noted in 3 patients during follow-up, which could have been caused by the severity of the primary injury itself or by a lack of stability provided by the construct. Further studies are required to evaluate whether the suture button technique provides enough fixation to maintain reduction and prevent the development of arthritis in the long-term.


Factors that regulate leukocyte entry and spread through CNS parenchyma during different types of CNS insults are incompletely understood. Reactive astrocytes have been implicated in restricting the spread of leukocytes from damaged into healthy parenchyma during the acute and local innate inflammatory events that follow CNS trauma, but the roles of reactive astrocytes during the chronic and widespread CNS inflammation associated with adaptive or acquired immune responses are uncertain. Here, we investigated the effects of transgenically targeted ablation of proliferating, scar-forming reactive astrocytes on the acquired immune inflammation associated with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). In wild-type mice with EAE, we found that reactive astrocytes densely surrounded perivascular clusters of leukocytes in a manner reminiscent of astrocyte scar formation after CNS trauma. Transgenically targeted ablation of proliferating astrocytes disrupted formation of these perivascular scars and was associated with a pronounced and significant increase in leukocyte entry into CNS parenchyma, including immunohistochemically identified macrophages, T lymphocytes and neutrophils. This exacerbated inflammation was associated with a substantially more severe and rapidly fulminant clinical course. These findings provide experimental evidence that reactive astrocytes form scar-like perivascular barriers that restrict the influx of leukocytes into CNS parenchyma and protect CNS function during peripherally initiated, acquired immune inflammatory responses in the CNS. The findings suggest that loss or disruption of astrocyte functions may underlie or exacerbate the inflammation and pathologies associated with autoimmune diseases of the CNS, including multiple sclerosis.


eighteenth than to the nineteenth and twentieth century varieties. Morality originates in sentiments of approbation, and at the centre of this field of affectionate approval is human wellbeing. Politics is a matter of compromise made possible by widespread but imperfect agreements in judgement. Medical practice, social policy and education are about promoting and protecting the interests of human kind. Regular readers of the JME will engage most directly with the first 100 pages in which Wamock's liberal, humanist, intuitionistic welfarism is directed towards questions of life, death, experimentation and paternalism; but there is much to enjoy, and to be informed by, in later chapters.


ABSTRACT Among 477 patients with susceptible Enterobacter spp., 49 subsequently harbored third-generation cephalosporin-resistantEnterobacter spp. Broad-spectrum cephalosporins were independent risk factors for resistance (relative risk [OR] = 2.3, P = 0.01); quinolone therapy was protective (OR = 0.4, P = 0.03). There were trends toward decreased risk for resistance among patients receiving broad-spectrum cephalosporins and either aminoglycosides or imipenem. Of the patients receiving broad-spectrum cephalosporins, 19% developed resistance.


Platelet functions and morphological changes of megakaryocytes were investigated in three cases with chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL). The bleeding time was prolonged, the ADP, collagen, epinephrine-induced aggregation of platelets decreased in one case. The adhesiveness, epinephrine-induced aggregation and adenine nucleotide content of platelets decreased in one other case. Megakaryocyte size in CNL was larger than in CML and this difference of the megakaryocyte sizes was related to DNA content distribution of the megakaryocytes. Atypical megakaryocytes were apparently found in one case. The present study suggests that CNL is a stem cell disorder.


With new infrared radial velocities we have computed orbits of the M giants in three southern S-type symbiotic systems. AE Ara and SS 73-147 have circular orbits with periods of 803 and 820 days, respectively. The eccentric orbit of Y CrA has a period that is about twice as long, 1619 days. Except for CH Cyg it is currently the S-type symbiotic system with the longest period for which a spectroscopic orbit has been determined. The Paschen δ emission line velocities of AE Ara are nearly in antiphase with the M giant absorption feature velocities and result in a mass ratio of 2.7. Emission lines in the 1.005 μm region for the other two symbiotic systems are not good proxies for the hot components in those systems. There is no evidence that these three symbiotics are eclipsing. With spectral classes of M5.5 or M6, the three giants presumably also have velocity variations that result from pulsations, but we have been unable to identify specific pulsation periods in the absorption line velocity residuals.


This study investigated the effects of 10-day lower limb cast immobilization on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ regulation. Muscle biopsies were analysed in eight healthy females for maximal rates of SR Ca2+ release, Ca2+ uptake and Ca2+ ATPase activity at control, during immobilization at day 3 (IM 3), day 6 (IM 6) and day 10 (IM 10). Quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and 1-repetition maximum (1RM) leg extension strength were measured to determine the extent of muscle size and strength adaptations. Muscle CSA and strength decreased following 10 days of immobilization (11.8 and 41.6%, respectively, P < 0.01). A decrease in SR Ca2+ uptake rate (analysed per g wet wt) was found at IM 3 (13.2%, P=0.05), with a further decrease at IM 10 (19.8% from control, P < 0.01). At IM 10, a decrease in SR Ca2+ uptake rate (per mg protein) also occurred (19.9%, P < 0.01). Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase activity and rate of Ca2+ release were not altered with 10 days of immobilization. This study observed a decrease in SR Ca2+ uptake rate, muscular atrophy and strength loss over 10 days of immobilization in humans.


We describe a simple, low-level approach for embedding probabilistic programming in a deep learning ecosystem. In particular, we distill probabilistic programming down to a single abstraction---the random variable. Our lightweight implementation in TensorFlow enables numerous applications: a model-parallel variational auto-encoder (VAE) with 2nd-generation tensor processing units (TPUv2s); a data-parallel autoregressive model (Image Transformer) with TPUv2s; and multi-GPU No-U-Turn Sampler (NUTS). For both a state-of-the-art VAE on 64x64 ImageNet and Image Transformer on 256x256 CelebA-HQ, our approach achieves an optimal linear speedup from 1 to 256 TPUv2 chips. With NUTS, we see a 100x speedup on GPUs over Stan and 37x over PyMC3.


To assess the effect of MK-421 (enalapril) we treated six hospitalized hypertensive patients receiving constant sodium intake with incremental doses of this new angiotensin-converting enzyme blocking drug. After a few days of placebo treatment, MK-421 was given in single daily doses, starting with 1.25 mg and increasing until blood pressure was adequately controlled. On the lowest dose, converting enzyme activity was reduced by 50%, but angiotensin II and blood pressure did not change significantly. There were, however, significant increases in noradrenaline, renin, and aldosterone. With higher doses there was a more pronounced reduction in converting enzyme activity, while angiotensin II, aldosterone, and blood pressure all fell significantly. Renin levels rose, but noradrenaline and adrenaline were reduced. Orthostatic hypotension was not observed. With continued treatment, renal vasodilatation and enhanced natriuresis occurred together with a 1.2 kg decrement in body weight. Concurrently plasma volume rose, but renal blood flow remained unchanged. The data indicate that MK-421 effectively lowers blood pressure, and it does so by converting enzyme inhibition; sodium loss and a decrease in sympathetic activity are associated features. Since plasma volume increased despite enhanced natriuresis, the drug may act both at the arteriolar and at the venular level.


Extensively class tested, this text takes an innovative approach to explaining the process of software testing: it defines testing as the process of applying a few well-defined, general-purpose test criteria to a structure or model of the software. The structure of the text directly reflects the pedagogical approach and incorporates the latest innovations in testing, including techniques to test modern types of software such as OO, web applications, and embedded software.


AIM
To evaluate the efficacy of deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus (DBS STN) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using different methods of targeting according to the dynamics of motor symptoms of PD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study involved 90 patients treated with DBS STN. In 30 cases intraoperative microelectrode recording (MER) was used. MER was not performed in 30 patients of the comparison group. The control group consisted of 30 patients with PD who received conservative treatment. Hoehn and Yahr scale, Tinetti Balance and Mobility Scale (TBMS), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life-39 Scoring System (РDQ-39), Schwab & England ADL Scale were used. Levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD, 2010) was calculated for each patient.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
The effect of DBS STN using intraoperative microelectrode recording on the main motor symptoms, motor complications, walking as well as indicators of quality of life and daily activities was shown. In both DBS STN groups, there was a significant reduction in the LEDD and marked improvement of the control of motor symptoms of PD. A significant reduction in the severity of motor fluctuations (50%) and drug-induced dyskinesia (51%) was observed. Quality of life and daily activity in off-medication condition were significantly improved in both DBS STN groups of patients, irrespective of the method of target planning (75-100%), compared with the control group.


The Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders ASKAP and MeerKAT will produce prodigious amounts of data that necessitate automated source finding. The performance of automated source finders can be improved by pre-processing a dataset. In preparation for the WALLABY and DINGO surveys, we have used a test HI datacube constructed from actual Westerbork Telescope noise and WHISP HI galaxies to test the real world improvement of linear smoothing, the Duchamp source finder's wavelet de-noising, iterative median smoothing and mathematical morphology subtraction, on intensity threshold source finding of spectral line datasets. To compare these pre-processing methods we have generated completeness-reliability performance curves for each method and a range of input parameters. We find that iterative median smoothing produces the best source finding results for ASKAP HI spectral line observations, but wavelet de-noising is a safer pre-processing technique. In this paper we also present our implementations of iterative median smoothing and mathematical morphology subtraction.


The policy of permitting self-care of minor illnesses often results in misuse/abuse of drugs in Nigeria. This study examines the scope of misuse/abuse of some over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics by people treating pains of minor illnesses. Randomly selected adults presenting at community pharmacies, government hospitals and clinics with pains of minor illnesses were involved in a cross-sectional survey using self-administered questionnaires and personal structured interviews. The generated data was entered into SPSS 10.0 for Windows for statistical analysis. There was strong correlation between socio-demographics and analgesics misuse/abuse. Some 411(20.65%) respondents on acetaminophen and ibuprofen exceeded the maximum dose per day, while 606(30.45%) suffered adverse drug events (ADEs) resulting from drug overdose. About 507(25.48%) respondents used analgesics once daily, 355(17.84%) twice daily and 293(14.72%) thrice daily; 319(16.03%) of whom were combined analgesic misusers/abusers. Although 201(10.1%) respondents agreed that analgesic misuse/abuse was risky, 1314(66.03%) were not aware of the risks involved. About 67(33.33%) respondents remained indifferent and 569(28.59%) took analgesics for ailments unrelated to their indications. The status of most OTC analgesics should be changed to prescription only medications (POMs) sold in pharmacies rather than retail outlets. The public is strongly encouraged to seek non-pharmacological methods of pain relief before using analgesics. Keywords: Medicine, drugs, over-the-counter analgesics, illnesses, pain, Nigeria International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences , 6(1): 125-130, 2010


Tuberculous infections of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are rare, as are descriptions of their radiologic findings, including those of CT. The authors recently encountered two cases of tuberculosis which developed in the paranasal sinus and the nasal cavity. Both were diagnosed by means of tissue biopsies taken from the mucosa of the maxillary sinus during endoscopic sinus surgery and Caldwell-Luc 's operation, respectively. In one case biopsy revealed caseous epitheloid granuloma, shown on histopathological examination to be consistent with tuberculosis. The other case involved a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis, in which nasal biopsy showed the presence of chronic granulomatous inflammation. In both cases CT scanning revealed a heterogeneous enhanced soft tissue mass in the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity, and associated findings consisting of surrounding bony thickening of the maxillary sinus and focal bony erosion or destruction were noted. CT findings of the latter showed prominent mass extension to the skull base, which was difficult to differentiate from the tumorous condition of the sinonasal cavity. After taking antituberculous medication for about two months, both patients showed substantial improvement.


A growing amount of public procurement data is being made available in the EU for the purpose of improving the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of government spending. However, there is a large heterogeneity, due to the lack of common data formats and models. To this end, we developed an ontology network for representing and linking tender and company data and ingested relevant data from two prominent data providers into a knowledge graph, called TBFY. In this poster paper, we present an overview of our knowledge graph.


INTRODUCTION
Patients suffering clinical dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease have a high risk of developing malnutrition caused by all the physiological, socio-economic and psychological changes related to the disease, together with the ageing process.

OBJECTIVE
To describe the nutritional condition of a group of patients with Alzheimer's dementia according to the degree of disease severity. Patients were selected from the University of Antioquia Neurosciences Group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Descriptive cross sectional study. Patients were assessed and information was collected about their body composition, food consumption behaviour, clinical, and psychosocial variables.

RESULTS
77 patients were studied; their mean age was 65, 5 +/- 12.8 years. 48 had a family history of Alzheimer's disease; 39 were diagnosed more than 60 months before the study started; the most frequently found degree of severity was moderate, the most common type of dementia was the early family form. 26 began the disease process before they were 50 years old. Significant differences for Body Mass Index, brachial adipose area and brachial lean area were found (p = 0.001, p = 0.000, p = 0.000, respectively) between patients with the different degrees of disease severity. These parameters measures were lowest in patients with severe disease. The intake of calcium and folate was the lowest amongst the nutrients studied.

CONCLUSION
The nutritional state is impaired in patients suffering Alzheimer's dementia from the early stages of the disease. The most important nutritional and clinical abnormalities found were depletion of the lean and fat stores, low intake of calcium and folate and clinical signs of the disease. Changes in these parameters worsen as the disease progresses.


The ore at the Dwyer fluorite mine, near Wilberforce, Ontario, consists of calcite–fluorite dikes that show clear signs of flowage. Those dikes and the large-scale development of fenites at the expense of a granite–monzonite pluton can only be explained by the existence of a subjacent body of carbonatite. The dikes consist of ribbons of calcite and fluorite and contain subhedral crystals of fluorapatite aligned with the ribbons. The dikes also carry crystals of aegirine-augite, titanite, and bastnäsite-(Ce). Both the fluorapatite and aegirine-augite contain micrometric globules of boundary-layer melt that crystallized in situ to calcite, fluorite, quartz, bastnäsite-(Ce), hematite, and titanite. Fragments of the REE-enriched fenite show signs of incipient rheomorphism at a temperature estimated to be at least 725 °C. The large-scale alkali metasomatism occurred toward the end of the Grenville orogenic cycle, at a time of crustal relaxation, roughly 200 million years after emplacement of a granite–monzonite pluton. By analogy with occurrences elsewhere, it is likely that the carbonatitic melt separated immiscibly from a nepheline syenitic parental melt. Fluor-calciocarbonatitic magmatism likely is genetically linked to the U and Th mineralization in the area and contributed to the unusual geological complexity of the Bancroft–Haliburton region.


Abstract Despite the growing use of sanctions as a post-Cold War foreign policy instrument, there is limited research on sanctions in a tourism context despite their substantial impact on destinations and tourist flows. Although there is significant research on sanctions in political science, international relations, economics, and public policy, very few studies explicitly examine the effect of sanctions on tourism. This study therefore examines the intricate geopolitical relationship between sanctions and tourism via a scoping review of relevant literature. Each of the four main types of sanctions that were identified: financial, sectoral, diplomatic and individual, have different implications for tourism at various scales. The findings show that tourism is profoundly affected by sanctions impacting tourism and hospitality businesses and destination image, severely restricting international travel, and disrupting financial investment and supply chains. More comprehensive sanctions may lead to substantial economic and personal hardship in destinations as well as indirect effects including decline in the value of currency and inflationary pressures. Nevertheless, despite the development of smart and targeted sanctions they rarely affect the coercive capacity of the targeted government and induce political behavioural change. Resistive economies can develop in response to sanctions in which domestic tourism assumes greater significance as a result of reductions in international mobility. Some destinations facing sanctions also focus on specific international markets from non-sanctioning countries as well as a country's diaspora. Overall, the study of sanctions deepens knowledge of the interrelationships between geopolitics, foreign policy and tourism and its ramifications for destinations. Significant gaps in knowledge for future research include the role of domestic politics in influencing sanctions policy, the selection of tourism as a specific target for sanctions, and the development of destination adaptation strategies to sanctions.


Certified home care agencies are challenged to meet an increasing demand for services while faced with a predicted severe nursing shortage. Meeting this demand will depend on an agency's ability to recruit and retain a qualified nursing staff. Knowledge of the extent of the nursing shortage, along with information of administrators' perceptions of the problem and activities they have implemented to alleviate a shortage will provide information to meet this new challenge.


Ever since Kant, attempts to close down metaphysical inquiry in philosophy have proliferated. Yet the interest in metaphysics persists and is showing signs of resurgence among students concerned with raising the most basic questions about life and being as a whole. This book is an attempt to reopen the fundamental question of being and to pursue that question in a way that is critical and systematic. Oliva Blanchette begins by establishing the necessity of raising the question of being as being after the natural sciences and phenomenology have run their course and pursuing it according to a method that is properly metaphysical as well as critical. He then proceeds to examine how we think of being according to a logic that is at once universal and concrete leading to a transcendental conception of being as analogous. After elaborating on the properties of being as one, active, true, and good, the author inquires into the structure of being and its constitutive principles as becoming and as finite. This brings him to a consideration of how being is communicated among a plurality and a diversity of beings according to a universal order of nature and history. Blanchette concludes by showing the necessity of raising the question of a totally transcendent Being at the end of metaphysics and of answering the question in the affirmative, even though the essence of what we are affirming escapes the grasp of our understanding. The discourse is thus shown to have a beginning, a middle, and an end of interest to anyone concerned with the defense of metaphysics not only as having a standing in philosophy but also as arriving at such a standing only through a critical reflection on being as given in experience. It requires a special interest in raising the universal question of being, but it is accessible to anyone who has arrived at the point of exercising critical judgment about what there is in reality in the course of any investigation that is scientific or phenomenological.


Presently, there are many types of rapid HIV kits in the market; each kit produces a different image to indicate the status of the patient's HIV testing result. Despite the use of rapid HIV kits in HIV testing that provide fast and accurate testing results with specificity and sensitivity of 99%, these kits cannot be operated alone by the patient. Self testing for HIV is not allowed by law in many countries such as USA, Canada, India, etc. It must be done by qualified health care professionals, which might not be available in poor, low-resource areas. A low-cost and smart electronic device has been developed recently by the author of this paper and his research team to perform HIV testing using one type of the available rapid HIV kits. However, this device was not designed to be low-cost or to be used in low resource settings. In this paper, a reengineering design approach will be addressed to enhance the developed device used for HIV testing to support all these types of the rapid HIV kits that available in the market. The device will be used to produce an electronic low-cost Point-Of-Care (POC) that can be used for HIV testing in low-resource settings. The device will use the Reconfigurable System-On-Chip (RSOC) design approach. The device can perform the testing in less than a second and its cost is estimated to be less than $100.


In this article we summarize the perspectives given by a range of health policy researchers as presented at the fifth annual meeting of the Surgical Outcomes Club at the annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago, Illinois, on October 11, 2009. During that session, the participants reviewed 3 main areas that are summarized here: history of physician/surgeon workforce policy, current beliefs, recent policy activity, and issues related to forecasting/planning the future surgical workforce.


The first phytochemical investigation of Friesodielsia desmoides leaves and twigs led to the isolation and identification of three new hybrid flavan–flavanones, friesodielsones A–C (1–3), together with 18 known compounds (4–21). The structures of compounds 1–3 were elucidated through intensive analysis of spectroscopic data and their absolute configurations at C-2 and C-4 were determined by a combination of 1H NMR and CD spectroscopy. The configuration at C-2′′ is tentatively assigned as 2′′S based on biosynthesis considerations. Compounds 2 and 15 significantly inhibited NO production with IC50 values of 10.21 ± 0.074 and 7.56 ± 0.087 μM, respectively, whereas compounds 11 (IC50 = 28.14 ± 0.024 μM) and 12 (IC50 = 37.21 ± 0.017 μM) were moderate inhibitors.


Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a promising diesel after treatment technology that enables low nitrogen oxides (NOx) tailpipe emissions with relatively low fuel consumption. Future emission legislation is pushing the boundaries for SCR control systems to achieve high NOx conversion within a tailpipe ammonia (NH3) slip constraint, and to provide robustness to meet in-use compliance requirements. This work presents a new adaptive control strategy that uses an ammonia feedback sensor and an online ammonia storage model. Experimental validation on a 12-liter heavy-duty diesel engine with a 34-liter Zeolite SCR catalyst shows good performance and robustness against urea under- and over-dosage for both the European steady-state and transient test cycles. The new strategy is compared with a NOx sensor-based control strategy with cross-sensitivity compensation. It proved to be superior in terms of transient adaptation and taking an NH3 slip constraint into account.


Nitrogen enrichment, immobilization, or inhibition of nitrification were used to investigate the influence of available nitrogen on the seedling recruitment of antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata [Pursh] DC) and annual grass competition. The influence of nitrogen enrichment on antelope bitterbrush seedling recruitment depended on the form of nitrogen applied. Ammonium sulfate applications markedly enhanced growth of herbaceous annuals resulting in the loss of all antelope bitterbrush seedlings the first growing season. Enrichment with calcium nitrate marginally enhanced growth of herbaceous annuals and enhanced the growth of antelope bitterbrush seedlings. Immobilization of nitrogen with carbon (sucrose) applications suppressed the growth of herbaceous annuals and produced large, vigorous antelope bitterbrush seedlings. Similar results were obtained by inhibiting nitrification with applications of nitrapyrin or combining nitrapyrin and carbon applications.


Two DC 10–30 aircraft are now in full operation with British Caledonian Airways, the first having commenced operations with the airline in March this year and the other in May. The decision for BCAL to acquire wide‐body equipment had to be made on the basis that the in‐service date would be commercially right for the airline, and involved factors such as operating patterns, fleet size and market growth. Three types were initially considered; the Lockheed TriStar 1011–500, Boeing 747, and the DC 10–30. At the time that the decision was made (mid‐1976), it was apparent that the TriStar‐500 could only be considered further if the go‐ahead decision was assured, and the ‐100 proposed as an interim type was considered to fit in reasonably with BCAL's plans. The Boeing 747 SP was thought to provide too much capacity for the immediate and foreseeable requirements of the airline, and was more expensive. The final decision to acquire two DC 10's was taken in July last year, the deal also involving the option to acquire a further two aircraft at a later date.


Clinical benefits of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) over surgery emerge soon after intervention and show durable, consistent trends within 1 year. TAVR by transfemoral access is associated with improved outcomes compared with TAVR by transthoracic access. Reconstructing time‐to‐event individual patient data is advantageous and allows higher flexibility in terms of meta‐analysis design and modeling of data.


SUSURGALUR journal will provide a peer-reviewed forum for the publication of thought-leadership articles, briefings, discussion, applied research, case and comparative studies, expert comment and analysis on the key issues surrounding the history education and historical studies in general and its various aspects. Analysis will be practical and rigorous in nature. The SUSURGALUR journal, with Print ISSN 2302-5808, was firstly published on March 24, 2013, in the context to commemorate the BLA (Bandung Lautan Api or Bandung a Sea of Flames)'s Day in Indonesia. Since issue of September 2013 to date, the SUSURGALUR journal has jointly been organized by the Lecturers of APB UBD (Academy of Brunei Studies, University of Brunei Darussalam) and the Lecturers of International and Historical Study Program FASS (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) UBD in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam; and published by Minda Masagi Press as a publisher owned by ASPENSI (the Association of Indonesian Scholars of History Education) in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. This journal is published twice a year i.e. every March and September.  Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam: March 24, 2016. Assoc. Prof. Awang Dr. Haji Asbol bin Haji Mail Vice Chief Editor of the SUSURGALUR Journal in Bandung, Indonesia; and Senior Lecturer at the International History Program, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences UBD (University of Brunei Darussalam) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.


The end of value-free economics presents a positive outlook for Islamic economics. Nonetheless, progress is only viable when this discipline has a solid scientific structure. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the economic man imperative in projecting Islamic economics as a normal science. This paper first explores Islamic economics' current state of readiness to fulfill its promising future. Unfortunately, the authoritative view is that Islamic economics is not in proper order. Consequently, Arif's (1985a and 1985b) Islamic economics scientific structure is utilized to locate that stage which requires serious improvement. At the basis of micro-foundation stage, the economic man imperative emerges out of this identification exercise. Thus, the most important implication here is the replacement of homo Islamicus with the concept of 'universal man' which proffers several advantages. Apart from the other stages in the structure, this 'universal man' needs immediate refinement to strengthen the edifice of Islamic economics science.


Compact wavelength splitters based on angled multimode interferometers (AMMIs) on silicon nitride platforms working in visible lights are reported for fluorescence sensing applications. A diplexer and triplexer with different footprints are designed and experimentally demonstrated. The diplexer and triplexer have the insertion loss of ∼1.7 and ∼2.7  dB/channel with cross talks of less than -22  dB and -17  dB on target wavelengths, respectively. These splitters are used to distinguish the signals collected from two fluorescent dyes that give different emission spectra when excited with an excitation source, due to their different Stokes shifts. In the case of the triplexer, a third port is to collect the excitation light, both to monitor the remaining excitation power and to reduce the interference at the signal ports. A termination structure at the end of the AMMIs and input and output tapering waveguides as a part of the wavelength splitters are designed and their performances are presented.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Increased hepatic vascular resistance in cirrhosis is in part due to reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. This is related to insufficient NO synthesis from endothelial nitric oxide synthase and to enhanced NO scavenging by superoxide radicals (O(2)(-)). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-oxidase is an important source of O(2)(-) that increases vascular tone in different cardiovascular disorders. Thus, our aims were to study the molecular and biochemical state of NADPH-oxidase in cirrhotic livers and to investigate its possible role in modulating hepatic vascular tone in cirrhosis.

METHODS
NADPH-oxidase expression and enzymatic activity were determined in control (n = 8) and CCl(4)-cirrhotic (n = 8) rat livers. Additional control (n = 6) and CCl(4)-cirrhotic (n = 10) rats were treated with apocynin (a selective NADPH-oxidase inhibitor) or its vehicle. Mean arterial pressure, portal pressure, and superior mesenteric arterial blood flow were measured in vivo. Moreover, hepatic endothelial function was evaluated in isolated and perfused rat livers by dose-response curves to acetylcholine. In addition, in 6 control and 6 cirrhotic human livers NADPH-oxidase activity and expression were evaluated.

RESULTS
Rat cirrhotic livers had no increased NADPH-oxidase protein expression or activity in relation to control livers. NADPH-oxidase inhibition did not modify splanchnic or systemic hemodynamics in control or cirrhotic rats and did not improve the impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilatory response to acetylcholine of cirrhotic livers. Human cirrhotic livers also did not exhibit increased NADPH-oxidase expression or activity.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that NADPH-oxidase activity is decreased in the cirrhotic livers and therefore cannot explain increased hepatic O(2)(-), endothelial dysfunction, and increased vascular tone in cirrhotic livers.


The automotive industry is a major customer of the technical textiles market. In this industry, seat covers are the most important application area of technical textiles. As the customer demands increase and competition among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) becomes more intense, the test standards for technical textiles are gradually being raised and becoming more thorough. Higher breaking and tearing strengths and breaking elongation are specifications required for advanced seat covers. It is a fact that deficiencies in these specifications have some effect on field returns (the return of failed cars to field service), raising costs and loss of confidence in the product and the producer. This paper investigates breaking and tearing strengths, and breaking elongation performances of the technical textiles used for automobile seat covers. The fabrics used in this research were supplied from seat cover fabric manufacturers who produce these fabrics for multinational automotive companies. The data obtained from the tests are evaluated statistically. The results indicate that flat woven and woven velour seat cover fabrics are the best in terms of breaking and tearing strength performances. Circular knitted automobile seat cover fabrics give the greatest elongation measures.


Fe_3Al-based iron aluminides have been of interest for many years because of their excellent oxidation and sulfidation resistance. However, limited room temperature ductility (<5%) and a sharp drop in strength above 600 °C have limited their consideration for use as structural materials. Recent improvements in tensile properties, especially improvements in ductility produced through control of composition and microstructure, and advances in the understanding of environmental embrittlement in intermetallics, including iron aluminides, have resulted in renewed interest in this system for structural applications. The purpose of this paper is to summarize recent developments concerning Fe_3Al-based aluminides, including alloy development efforts and environmental embrittlement studies. This report will concentrate on literature published since about 1980, and will review studies of fabrication, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance that have been conducted since that time.