The article argues that interactions in qualitative interviews and ethnography can be analyzed as relations between intersectional social positions. It draws attention to the importance of class and geographical location in such analysis. It further argues that such interactions work through typifications, that they have a power dimension and that they entail processes of identity formation. The identities being offered through these processes can, however, be negotiated or resisted. The article then analyses such interactions as they were experienced in two research projects the author participated in: His PhD project about young marginalized ethnic minority men, and the collective project INTERLOC which focused on the interplay between gender, class, ethnicity and 'race' in an underprivileged Danish suburb. It is demonstrated that relationality influences the assumptions research participants have about the researcher. It is also demonstrated that the research encounter entails powerful mechanism of identity formation. The informants, however, sometimes resist these processes resulting in blurred and unstable, sometimes antagonistic, power relations. It is finally argued that analyses of such interactions can provide central insight into the subject studied.


Pluripotency is defined as the capability of cells to differentiate into cell types derived from each of the three embryonic germ layers (Kelly et al., 2011). Induced pluripotency defines a process of epigenetic reprogramming in which epigenetic changes implemented during differentiation are reversed to generate cells with a stem-like phenotype. Fibroblasts (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006; Sommer et al., 2009), human keratinocytes (Aasen et al., 2008) and nasal mucosal cells ( Ono et al., 2012) can be reprogrammed to stem-like cells with introduction of four stem cell transcription factors Oct4, KLF4, Sox2 and c-Myc (OKSM). Previous studies have provided evidence that the adhesion and cellular signaling provided by a glycoprotein, known as E-cadherin, has essential functions in pluripotency. Induced pluripotency has potential medical application which the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) apply as clinical tools for modeling diseases, drug development, and to deliver cell-replacement therapy to support regenerative medicine (Goldthwaite, 2011). The present review summarizes our current knowledge on the role of E-cadherin, its cellular signaling and cytoskeletal interactions in the induction and maintenance of pluripotent cells.


Needs analysis and description of language use in target situations are used to define the communicative demands of the target situation (Basturkmen & Elder, 2004). In spite of these steps taken in designing LSP courses, many L2 learners still face communication challenges in the workplace. Such is the case of L2 nursing students who experience various language related issues in their clinical placements. These results are not surprising given that L2 instruction traditionally targets the acquisition of the standard norm of the target language (Valdman, 2000). Indeed, L2 textbooks appear heavily influenced by the prescriptive view of language. This study focuses on the content analysis of French L2 commercial textbooks for nursing students. The materials were analyzed to identify the language use domains presented to students as well as the language features recommended to perform them. The results were then compared to transcriptions of 15 hours of recorded professional interactions between bilingual French-English nurses and French-speaking patients in a nursing home in Western Canada. The analysis reveals that commercial materials do not fulfill students' communicative needs. The concept of pedagogical norm (Valdman, 1976, 2000) appears as a useful tool to improve the communicative content of LSP textbooks


OBJECTIVES
In pediatric radiotherapy, the enhanced radiosensitivity of the developing tissues combined with the high overall survival, raise the possibility of late complications. The present study aims at comparing two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) planning regarding dose homogeneity within target volume and dose to organs at risk (OARs) to demonstrate the efficacy of 3D in decreasing dose to normal tissue.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Thirty pediatric patients (18 years or less) with different pediatric tumors were planned using 2D and 3D plans. All were CT scanned after proper positioning and immobilization. Structures were contoured; including the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs). Conformal beams were designed and dose distribution analysis was edited to provide the best dose coverage to the PTV while sparing OARs using dose volume histograms (DVHs) of outlined structures. For the same PTVs conventional plans were created using the conventional simulator data (2-4 coplanar fields). Conventional and 3D plans coverage and distribution were compared using the term of V95% (volume of PTV receiving 95% of the prescribed dose), V107% (volume of PTV receiving 107% of the prescribed dose), and conformity index (CI) (volume receiving 90% of the prescribed dose/PTV). Doses received by OARs were compared in terms of mean dose. In children treated for brain lesions, OAR volume received 90% of the dose (V90%) and OAR score were calculated.

RESULTS
The PTV coverage showed no statistical difference between 2D and 3D radiotherapy in terms of V95% or V107%. However, there was more conformity in 3D planning with CI 1.43 rather than conventional planning with CI 1.86 (p-value <0.001). Regarding OARs, 3D planning shows large gain in healthy tissue sparing. There was no statistical difference in mean dose received by each OAR. However, for brain cases, brain stem mean dose and brain V90% showed better sparing in 3D planning (brain stem mean dose was 61% in 2D and 51% in 3D (pvalue 0.0001) and Brain V90% was 17.6 in 2D and 8.6 in 3D (p-value 0.001). Similarly, there was overall significant decrease in doses receive by healthy tissues in term of OARs score which was 0.24 in 3D and 0.40 in 2D planning (p-value 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
This study confirms that 3D conformal radiotherapy is more effective than 2D conventional radiotherapy in decreasing dose to normal tissue without compromising dose distribution, homogeneity and dose coverage to PTV.

KEY WORDS
Conformal radiation therapy - Pediatric tumors - Dosimetry.


The first-instar larva of Meladema coriacea Laporte, 1835 is redescribed, and that of Neostutopterus hornii (Crotch, 1873) is described for the first time. A generic key to first-instar larvae of Colymbetini is presented, but it does not include the monobasic New World genera Bunites Spangler and Hoperius Fall, whose young larvae are unknown. Polarity is determined for a set of 12 characters of first-instar larvae, and the distribution of character states among genera is used to reconstruct phylogeny. It suggests that Meladema Laporte and Neoscutopterus J. Balfour-Browne together form the most derived lineage of the Colymbetini, whereas Colymbetes Clairville is the least derived genus.


An analysis of the photocurrents produced by nonuniform illumination of a sensitive photoconductor is given. It is shown that for sensitive photoconductors in the steady state, the current density is a constant throughout the bulk of the photoconductor, under all conditions of excitation. The expression for the photocurrent density as a function of illumination and applied field is then obtained through an integration of Poisson's equation, with a model of the photoconductor as a thin, flat slab and illumination incident perpendicular to one face. The boundary conditions take into account the existence of secondary photocurrents drawn in from the electrodes by space charge resulting from the primary excitation. It is found that large secondary photocurrents can be obtained under nonuniform excitation if the shallow electron trap density is low and electron capture cross section of hole-containing centers is low. Experimental results are reported for photocurrents in sensitive evaporated films of CdS:Ag, which satisfy the geometry requirements of the analysis.


We consider the problem of energy transport in a chain of coupled dissipative quantum systems in the presence of non-Markovian dephasing. We use a model of non-Markovianity which is experimentally realizable in the context of controlled quantum systems. We show that non-Markovian dephasing can significantly enhance quantum transport, and we characterize this phenomenon in terms of internal coupling strengths of the chain for some chain lengths. Finally, we show that the phenomenon of dephasing-assisted quantum transport is also enhanced in the non-Markovian scenario when compared to the Markovian case. Our work brings together engineered environments, which are a reality in quantum technologies, and energy transport, which is typically discussed in terms of complex molecular systems. We then expect that it may motivate experimental work and further theoretical investigations on resources which can enhance transport efficiency in a controllable way. This can help in the design of quantum devices with lower dissipation rates, an important concern in any practical application.


Purpose: To investigate uncertainties in small field output factors and detector specific correction factors from variations in field size for nominally identical fields using measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Methods: Repeated measurements of small field output factors are made with the Exradin W1 (plastic scintillation detector) and the PTW microDiamond (synthetic diamond detector) in beams from the Elekta Precise linear accelerator. We investigate corrections for a 0.6x0.6 cm2 nominal field size shaped with secondary photon jaws at 100 cm source to surface distance (SSD). Measurements of small field profiles are made in a water phantom at 10 cm depth using both detectors and are subsequently used for accurate detector positioning. Supplementary Monte Carlo simulations with EGSnrc are used to calculate the absorbed dose to the detector and absorbed dose to water under the same conditions when varying field size. The jaws in the BEAMnrc model of the accelerator are varied by a reasonable amount to investigate the same situation without the influence of measurements uncertainties (such as detector positioning or variation in beam output). Results: For both detectors, small field output factor measurements differ by up to 11 % when repeated measurements are made in nominally identical 0.6x0.6 cm2 fields. Variations in the FWHM of measured profiles are consistent with field size variations reported by the accelerator. Monte Carlo simulations of the dose to detector vary by up to 16 % under worst case variations in field size. These variations are also present in calculations of absorbed dose to water. However, calculated detector specific correction factors are within 1 % when varying field size because of cancellation of effects. Conclusion: Clinical physicists should be aware of potentially significant uncertainties in measured output factors required for dosimetry of small fields due to field size variations for nominally identical fields.


Bilateral trigeminal neuralgia is a rarely observed suffering. It is usually localised on one half of the face and few years after therapy or idiopathic regression it appears on the other side. In exceptional cases trigeminal neuralgia appears on both sides at the same time. Neurovascular decompression or neurotomy in the pontocerebellar angle are the most effective therapy. In the last 25 years of 257 surgically treated patients with trigeminal neuralgia bilateral pain was found in 12 cases (5%). Retrospective assessment of the used method, in our department, in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia demonstrated efficacy of this procedure.


In The present study, included the collection of (100) samples from different clinical sites. Clinical samples were collected from patients who were visit and admitted All-Hilla teaching hospital at the period from November (2017) to February (2018). Cultural, biochemical and VITEK2 system were used for identification, and depending on the VITEK2 system (VITEK-2 GN Kit), revealed that twenty one (21) Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were recovered, The percentage conformational identification of P. aeruginosa was performed using VITEK2 system of (21) P. aeruginosa was (99%). Nine(42.8%) samples were isolated from burns, 5(23.8%) samples from wound, 3(14.2%) from urine, 2(9.5%) from ear swab, and 1(4.7%) sample was isolated from both blood and sputum. The phenotypic detection of some virulence factors for all isolates were detected. Detection of capsule was done by using capsule staining technique was carried out for P. aeruginosa isolates; it was found that all P. aeruginosa isolates (100%) have a capsule surrounding the bacterial cell. Hemolysin production by P. aeruginosa was studied; it was found that 12(57.1%) isolates were able to produce extracellular hemolysin on blood agar. P. aeruginosa isolates were also investigated for their ability to produce siderophores. The results showed that 9(42.8%) isolates of P. aeruginosa were able to produce siderophores. Protease production by P. aeruginosa isolates was studied; it was found that all these isolates (100%) have this enzyme as appear as a zone around the colony when being grown on (M9) media after adding of (3ml) of (5%) Trichloroacetic acid and incubation for (24 hrs.). Ability of P. aeruginosa to produce lipase has been investigated; it found that all these isolates (100%) were able to produce lipase after incubation for (48 hrs.) on egg yolk agar. Also, bacterial biofilms cause chronic diseases that are difficult to control and in the present study, differentiation of bacteria as biofilm producers and non-biofilm producers was done by using (ELISA) TCP method, a total of (21) isolates were tested for their ability to produce biofilm. From these isolates, (19) isolates were form strong biofilm, (2) isolates were form moderate biofilm.


Correct tunnel placement is critical to the success of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. In the revision setting this is more difficult as anatomic landmarks may be distorted or missing and secondary landmarks may be necessary. Native anatomy was not well replicated by early ACL reconstruction procedures and consequently did not optimally restore stability. The over-the-top position placed a nonanatomic graft too anteriorly on the tibia and too proximally on the femur with graft of supraphysiological length. This resulted in vertical grafts with a propensity to impinge, lengthen, and become lax. Notchplasty was a method of reducing impingement of grafts and is less often indicated with anatomic graft positioning. Trans-tibial drilling and clockface tunnel positioning are falling out of favor as graft positioning more closely replicates native anatomy, and more precise anatomic landmarks are used to guide graft positioning through the anteromedial portal. Current recommendations for femoral tunnel positioning are now the center of the femoral ACL origin at 1.7 mm proximal to the bifurcate ridge and 6.1 mm posterior to the intercondylar ridge. Recommendations for the tibial tunnel are the center of the tibial insertion at 7.5 mm medial to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, 7.9 mm lateral to the medial plateau cartilage border, and 13 mm anterior to the retroeminence ridge. Radiographically the tibial tunnel is 41% from anterior on the Amis and Jakob line and 47% from the medial side. A thorough knowledge of relevant anatomy and rationale for anatomic placement are necessary to ensure consistent optimal graft placement in revision ACL reconstructions.


Combination regimens that include artemisinin derivatives are recommended as first line antimalarials in most countries where malaria is endemic. However, the mechanism of action of artemisinin is not fully understood and the usefulness of this drug class is threatened by reports of decreased parasite sensitivity. We treated Plasmodium falciparum for periods of a few hours to mimic clinical exposure to the short half-life artemisinins. We found that drug treatment retards parasite growth and inhibits uptake of hemoglobin, even at sublethal concentrations. We show that potent artemisinin activity is dependent on hemoglobin digestion by the parasite. Inhibition of hemoglobinase activity with cysteine protease inhibitors, knockout of the cysteine protease falcipain-2 by gene deletion, or direct deprivation of host cell lysate, significantly decreases artemisinin sensitivity. Hemoglobin digestion is also required for artemisinin-induced exacerbation of oxidative stress in the parasite cytoplasm. Arrest of hemoglobin digestion by early stage parasites provides a mechanism for surviving short-term artemisinin exposure. These insights will help in the design of new drugs and new treatment strategies to circumvent drug resistance.


To decrease immunogenicity of the rat kidney, grafts were perfused with an anti-MHC class II monoclonal antibody (mAb). How effectively this procedure blocked class II-positive cells, which were mainly dendritic in appearance, was checked by immunostaining renal sections after perfusion and comparing them with in vitro stained sections. Optimum conditions were applied for graft pretreatment before transplantation. This procedure prolonged graft survival, though not satisfactorily from the biological point of view (9.6±0.8 versus 7.7±0.5 days in the control group; P<0.02). The dendritic cells were not killed but blocked. Several hours after transplantation, the mAb dissociated from these class II-positive cells. It was also shown that donor cells migrate into the recipient's spleen early after transplantation. The number of these cells was smaller when the transplanted organ was perfused with the mAb. Further studies are suggested to deplete the graft of donor dendritic cells more adequately. They should also combine graft perfusion with anticlass II mAb and recipient immunosuppression at reduced doses.


Prostate cancer and its various forms of treatment remain a source of significant controversy and morbidity despite recent advances. In response, there is an increasing trend toward the development of treatments aimed at cancer prevention and at maximizing the preservation of function without sacrificing cancer control. This article reviews the current prostate cancer literature and reports on improvements in existing surgical treatments and developing technologies aimed toward achieving these goals. Specific therapies addressed include improvements in surgical techniques, laparoscopy, robotics, cryosurgical and thermal ablation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound.


Some further experimental data to complement those previously published by the authors (see Biomed. Techn., vol.18, p.222 of 1973) are presented.


BACKGROUND:
The pre-transplant period is complex and includes lots of procedures. The severity of liver disease predisposes to a high number of hospitalizations and high costs procedures. Economic evaluation studies are important tools to handle costs on the waiting list for liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the total cost of the patient on the waiting list for liver transplantation and the main resources related to higher costs.

METHODS:
A cost study in a cohort of 482 patients registered on waiting list for liver transplantation was carried out. In 24 months follow-up, we evaluated all costs of materials, medicines, consultations, procedures, hospital admissions, laboratorial tests and image exams, hemocomponents replacements, and nutrition. The total amount of each resource or component used was aggregated and multiplied by the unitary cost, and thus individual cost for each patient was obtained.

RESULTS:
The total expenditure of the 482 patients was US$ 6,064,986.51. Outpatient and impatient costs correspond to 32.4% of total cost (US$ 1,965,045.52) and 67.6% (US$ 4,099,940.99) respectively. Main cost drivers in outpatient were: medicines (44.31%), laboratorial tests and image exams (31.68%). Main cost drivers regarding hospitalizations were: medicines (35.20%), bed use in ward and ICU (26.38%) and laboratorial tests (13.72%). Patients with MELD score between 25-30 were the most expensive on the waiting list (US$ 16,686.74 ± 16,105.02) and the less expensive were those with MELD below 17 (US$ 5,703.22 ± 9,318.68).

CONCLUSION:
Total costs on the waiting list for liver transplantation increased according to the patient's severity. Individually, hospitalizations, hemocomponents reposition and hepatocellular carcinoma treatment were the main cost drivers to the patient on the waiting list. The longer the waiting time, the higher the total cost on list, causing greater impact on health systems.


BACKGROUND
The development of certain biologic characteristics in human colorectal tumor xenografted onto nude mice are described with respect to their precocious passages, i.e., passaging below 10 onto athymic mice.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
The biologic characteristic monitoring involved the determination of modifications occurring in cytoplasmic lectin binding and spontaneous development in nuclear size and DNA content. The lectin immunohistochemistry included the characterization of staining modifications in the glandular parts of the colorectal xenografts of wheat germ, Dolichos biflorus, peanut, Solanum tuberosum and Ulex europaeus I agglutinins. The nuclear modifications were monitored by means of the digital cell image analyses of Feulge-stained nuclei.

RESULTS
The results show that although the xenografted human colorectal lines may be relatively stable according to their macroscopic growth over serial passaging, certain of their microscopic characteristics develop markedly. Three lectins, i.e., wheat germ agglutinin, Solanum tuberosum, and Ulex europaeus I, showed a glandular binding which remained relatively stable over serial passaging, whereas the peanut binding exhibited some variations and the DBA binding progressively disappeared. These cytoplasmic modifications occurring over time were less pronounced than those that occurred with respect to nuclear measurements, i.e., size and DNA content.

CONCLUSIONS
Nuclear DNA content heterogeneity as revealed by DNA histogram typing rather than by DNA index assessments increased markedly in the colorectal xenografts over their serial passaging on nude mice.


Network models are essential to perform power flow analyses. In this paper a supervised regression method creating simplified network models using measurements is presented. It is an iterative method creating a network model by minimizing the difference between measurements and obtained power flow using measured net-exchanges for each node. The method is tested in a case study for the Nordic Synchronous Area considering each bidding zone as a node. The simplified network model is created using a training set and is validated using various validation methods. The obtained reactances are not correct in absolute terms; however results indicate that the obtained power flows using the created network model are accurate enough for several different applications.


Objective To observe curative effect of Xiyanping injection in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Methods Sixty patients with AECOPD were divided into two groups according to the severity: mild patients were then randomly divided into conventional treatment group and Xiyanping injection group,while severe patients were then randomly divided into conventional treatment group and the routine treatment + Xiyanping injection group.All the patients were treated for 2 weeks,then general conditions were observed,including body temperature,breathing,pulse,and diet.The changes of sputum volume and lung auscultation sound among groups were compared.Results The therapeutic effect on patients with Xiyanping injection alone in mild group had no significant difference compared with those with conventional treatment(P0.05),while in severe group,the difference of efficacy between conventional treatment + Xiyanping injection group and the routine treatment group alone was statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion Xiyanping injection improves symptoms of severe AECOPD patients significantly,and it has a definite effect in the treatment of AECOPD.


From a European perspective, there are two themes in American epidemiology which have become influential in the last two decades. One of these is clinical epidemiology, represented by the recent book ofthat name by Sackett, Haynes, and Tugwell, and the other is a disciplined analytical approach which seeks to develop epidemiological methodology as a mature scientific discipline in its own right. This trend now has its clearest proponent in this book by Ken Rothman. It is a forthright approach, as the title suggests that other forms ofepidemiology are obsolescent. There is much truth in this assertion. The book is most suitable for readers who are familiar with basic epidemiology. Rothman's reader is challenged to understand the origin of biases and limitations of study design, and to understand analytical methods almost from first principles. For many British epidemiologists, whose basic training is often epitomised by the approach that "if it is an important result it will be obvious in a very simple table", and the assumption that one must ask a statistician about any quantitative question, this book will come as both a challenge and a revelation. The approach is mathematical in that epidemiology is presented as a quantitative science, although the mathematics can be handled with diligence by anyone who has managed a basic statistics course. Readers who are uncomfortable even with this level of numeracy should not be deterred, because many of the most important sections are those which deal with analytical issues qualitatively using a wqll reasoned, logical approach. I would particularly recommend the first section emphasising the importance of modern epidemiological methods in contemporary medicine, and the sections on causal inference and the objectives and strategies of epidemiological studies. Beyond these, there is a useful chapter on statistics in epidemiological analysis, which takes the view that to do epidemiology properly one must understand the role and the limitations of statistics and use statistical methods within the overall epidemiological strategy, rather than the other way round. The sections on matching and on multivariate analysis show the same approach, demonstrating how much clarity can be brought to the topic by a careful understanding of the epidemiological issues involved in these techniques. The book should perhaps be entitled "Modern epidemiological analysis". Although there is much on 263


Abstract We tested the suitability of fecal sexual steroid hormone metabolites for use in endocrinological studies of free-ranging, small bats. We monitored estrogen and 20-oxo-pregnane metabolites in fecal samples collected daily from 19 free-ranging female Saccopteryx bilineata during the assumed mating season. Median fecal estrogen metabolite levels equaled 0.09 ng/g for the pre- and postovulatory periods and 4.2 ng/g for the follicular phase of the estrous cycle in female S. bilineata. Median fecal 20-oxo-pregnane metabolite levels were 50.9 ng/g in pre-estrous, 88.8 ng/g in estrous, and 190.2 ng/g in postestrous females. Reliability of fecal steroid metabolite analysis was supported by results of video observations. Two successful copulations for a single male–female pair were recorded; mating coincided with peak fecal estrogen levels (7.0 ng/g) in the copulating female. In contrast, 2 observed mating attempts in a 2nd male–female pair occurred approximately 19 days after the female's physiological estrus and fecal estrogen metabolites in the rejecting female were only 0.2 ng/g. Fecal 20-oxo-pregnane levels were almost 3 times lower in fecal samples collected from the copulating female than those from the rejecting female (157 ng/g versus 410 ng/g). All females that were still present in the colony 6 months later gave birth to a single offspring between late May and early June. Gestation length averaged (mean ± SE) 169 ± 2 days. During the 20 days preceding parturition, fecal 20-oxo-pregnane metabolites were approximately 100 times higher than during the mating period. Fecal 20-oxo-pregnane metabolites of lactating females were comparable to those during the mating season. Noninvasive fecal steroid analysis can be a valuable tool for monitoring reproductive events in colonies of free-ranging small-sized bats.


Child marriage is a prevalent social problem in developing countries, including Indonesia, and its implementation has been prohibited in all regions of Indonesia. The revision of the marriage law that lifts up the minimum age limit for child marriage and the implementation of the child protection policy does not inevitably guarantee that the practice of child marriage can be avoided. The research objective of this study was to analyze the success of the factors and the effectiveness of the implementation of policies on handling the practice of child marriage in achieving sustainable goals in Indonesia. Data collection was performed using a profile approach utilizing data from the National Development Planning Agency of 2016-2019, desk review of the literature, and stock-taking of relevant research studies. Moreover, the effectiveness of policy implementation is assessed using a contingency analysis of the factors of policy commitment and government capacity. The results showed that the effectiveness of policy implementation from the factor of policy commitment was performed through the integration of the goals of SDGs into the national strategy for preventing child marriage, enforcement of main policy changes, mapping of regional-based issue trends and root causes, mapping of regional-level derivative policies issued before main policy revision changes, harmonization and synchronization of various policies through derivative policies, planning and development at the regional and village levels. Adjustment in the factor of implementation capacity of policy is indicated by institutional convergence and synergy of various parties, including learning from various good practices in the regions. The contingency matrix-based policy application model for handling the practice of child marriage will be effective if it utilizes a progressive model.


Dermal fibroblasts maintain the skin homeostasis by interacting with the epidermis and extracellular matrix. Their senescence contributes to functional defects in the skin related to aging. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic agents that could inhibit fibroblast senescence. In this study, we investigated the effects of Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide (CDP), a natural anti-inflammatory component, on the progression of senescence in human dermal fibroblasts. Normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were cultured in passages, and highly senescent cells were selected as senescent cells. CDP treatment increased the cell proliferation in senescent NHDFs and decreased the proportion of senescence-associated-β-galactosidase-positive cells. The treatment suppressed the senescence-related secretory phenotype, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was reduced, alleviating H2O2-induced oxidative stress. CDP mitigated ROS formation via the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor/heme oxygenase-1 pathway in senescent cells and was involved in the suppression of upstream p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase. These results indicate that CDP is an antioxidant that can alleviate age-related inflammation and may be a useful compound for skin anti-aging.


Objective Given sufficient evidence regarding the role of gender on variation of RMR in adult and school children, few data are available about the gender effect on RMR in pre-school children. The present study attempted to investigate gender differences contribute to variations in RMR. Methods Information was obtained for thirty children aged 2–6 years. Measurements were taken of height, age, weight and total body composition which was determined using both DXA and deuterium dilution. The DXA was also used to determine body composition in different regions of the body. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry. Results No significant gender differences were found with respect to age (F = 0, P = 0.998), weight (F = 0.02, P = 0.884), height (F = 0.33, P = 0.570), and BMI SDS (F = 0.51, P = 0.480). In addition, no significant difference was found between boys and girls for total fat free mass (FFM) (F = 1.30, P = 0.265) and log Fat Mass (FM) (F = 1.2, P = 0.228) measured by DXA, and total FFM (F = 0.79, P = 0.38) and log FM (F = 0.70, P = 0.41) obtained with deuterium after correction for age effect. This study demonstrated that there is no significant difference between pre-school boys and girls for RMR (F = 0.16, P = 0.690). In a multiple regression analysis, only log weight was significantly associated to RMR, variation of which amounted to 75.3%. Conclusions We found that no significant differences in body composition between pre-school boys and girls may lie behind the lack of gender effect on RMR in this age group.


An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is tasked to explore an unknown environment and to map the features it finds, but must do so without the use of infrastructure-based localisation systems such as GPS, or any a priori terrain data. The UAV navigates using a statistical estimation technique known as simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) which allows for the simultaneous estimation of the location of the UAV as well as the location of the features it sees. SLAM offers a unique approach to vehicle localisation with potential applications including planetary exploration, or when GPS is denied (for example under intentional GPS jamming, or applications where GPS signals cannot be reached), but more importantly can be used to augment already existing systems to improve robustness to navigation failure. One key requirement for SLAM to work is that it must reobserve features, and this has two effects: firstly, the improvement of the location estimate of the feature; and secondly, the improvement of the location estimate of the platform because of the statistical correlations that link the platform to the feature. So our UAV has two options; should it explore more unknown terrain to find new features, or should it revisit known features to improve localisation quality. These options are instantiated into the online path planner for the UAV. We present the SLAM algorithm and evaluate two important properties about the algorithm which assist in developing a path planning module for the UAV. The first of these is the use of the probabilistic measure of "entropy" as an information-based measure of the certainty in the map and vehicle locations, and is used as a utility function for planning the UAVs trajectory and determining the order in which features in the map are observed. The second is an observability analysis of SLAM which presents the unobservable states which are dependent on vehicle maneuvers. The analysis dictates the type of manoeuvres required by the UAV while observing features in order to maintain accurate statistical estimates of the map and vehicle location. This has the effect of reducing the action space that the path planner needs to search over. Using these two properties, we demonstrate an online path planner that intelligently plans the vehicle's trajectory while exploring unknown terrain in order to maximise the quality of both the map and vehicle location. Results of the online path planning algorithm are presented using a 6-DoF simulator of our UAV. The results show that the vehicle localisation errors are constrained and that the number of features and the size of the map steadily grows during the flight.


Nowadays, the electrocardiograph (ECG) is certainly the most effective tool to identity anomalies in the cardiac activity. In this paper, we propose a remote medical monitoring system for ECG data. The system is composed of two parts, which are portable remote medical monitoring unit and the monitoring center. The portable remote medical monitoring unit consists of Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) with the embedded operating system, a custom ECG board, and a GPRS module capable of transmitting information to processing centers. The monitoring center is composed of the monitoring station and the information processing system which realizes information management, real-time analysis, wireless transmission, a warning mechanism for emergency and ECG diagnosis. The aim of this project is to provide an ECG medical monitoring for the user (patient or potential patient) at any time and any place, if there is any abnormal change of ECG data.


The time series properties of the farm-wholesale price spread are used to generate conjectural elasticities, measuring marketing firms' market power in a commodity market. Results show that dynamic models improve upon traditional static models by capturing intertemporal supply and prices effects. Efficiency gains of the estimates are also observed.


A quantum chain model of multiple molecule motors is proposed as a mathematical physics theory for the microscopic modeling of classical force-velocity relation and tension transients in muscle fibers. The proposed model was a quantum many-particle Hamiltonian to predict the force-velocity relation for the slow release of muscle fibers, which has not yet been empirically defined and was much more complicated than the hyperbolic relationships. Using the same Hamiltonian model, a mathematical force-velocity relationship was proposed to explain the tension observed when the muscle was stimulated with an alternative electric current. The discrepancy between input electric frequency and the muscle oscillation frequency could be explained physically by the Doppler effect in this quantum chain model. Further more, quantum physics phenomena were applied to explore the tension time course of cardiac muscle and insect flight muscle. Most of the experimental tension transient curves were found to correspond to the theoretical output of quantum two- and three-level models. Mathematical modeling electric stimulus as photons exciting a quantum three-level particle reproduced most of the tension transient curves of water bug Lethocerus maximus.


The Science Committee is committed to presenting the best neuroscientific research at the Annual Meeting and is pleased to share the following 23 abstracts presented as part of the Emerging Science program. Each Emerging Science abstract qualified by having key aspects of research conducted after the October 23, 2017, abstract submission deadline. They are new and of sufficient scientific importance to warrant expedited presentation and publication.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate time-trial (TT) performance in the presence of one competitor and in a group with competitors of various abilities. Methods: In a randomized order, 24 participants performed a 5-km cycling TT individually (IND), with one similarly matched participant (1v1), and in a group of four participants (GRP). For the GRP session, two pairs of matched participants from the 1v1 session were used. Pairs were selected so that TT duration was considered either inferior (INF) or superior (SUP) compared to the other pair of participants. Results: Overall, TT duration (P = 0.86, ηp2 < 0.01) was not different between conditions, while heart rate (HR) was significantly greater in GRP compared to IND (P < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.16). For INF, a large effect size for both mean power (P = 0.07, ηp2 = 0.15) and HR (P = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.16), indicates greatest effort in GRP. Pacing behavior was affected by competition but similar in 1v1 and GRP for SUP, while large effect sizes indicate an increased power output in the initial 750-m for INF in GRP. Additionally, for INF, there was a significant correlation with ego orientation for an increase in TT duration between the GRP session and both the IND (r = 0.43, P = 0.04) and 1v1 (r = 0.54, P = 0.01) sessions. Conclusion: For INF participants, intensity was increased when competing in GRP. Yet, the presence of the SUP competitors resulted in lesser performance improvements for ego oriented INF participants. These findings demonstrate that consideration should be given to the ability of competitors in a group setting to provide adequate motivation.


Wireless cooperative networks, which is based on exploiting coordination among multiple access nodes, has been considered as a promising approach to improve the spectral efficiency, reduce the energy consumption, and extend the network coverage of future wireless communication systems. In practice, the actual benefit of multi-node cooperation is affected by a variety of factors, including the quality of channel state information (CSI), the constraints on the feedback and backhaul links, hardware impairments, resource allocation and data processing schemes. This thesis investigates the design of resource allocation algorithms and the performance of different coordinated transmission schemes for downlink wireless cooperative systems under practical constraints. First, we consider multi-node cooperation in homogeneous cooperative networks. In [Paper A], a power allocation scheme is proposed for a worst case scenario, where the carrier phases between base stations (BSs) are un-synchronized so that joint transmission must be performed without precoding. We show that in this scenario, joint transmission happens with higher probability when the maximum transmit power is high, or the users are in the overlapped cell-edge area. In practice, the network is divided into clusters of coordinated BSs, and the cooperation gain is limited by the inter-cluster interference. In [Paper B] different fractional frequency reuse schemes are proposed to coordinate inter-cluster interference. Simulation results show that the proposed schemes can efficiently reduce the inter-cluster interference and provide considerable performance improvement in terms of both the cell-edge and cell-average user data rate. [Paper C] compares different coordinated transmission schemes, considering the effects of the feedback and backhaul latency. Compared to zero-forcing coherent joint transmission, we show that non-coherent joint transmission and coordinated scheduling are more robust to channel uncertainly. The second part of the thesis focuses on heterogeneous cooperative networks. In [Paper D], we analyze the performance of amplify-and-forward two-way relaying with in-phase and quadrature-phase imbalance (IQI) at the relay node. Different design guidelines and power allocation schemes are proposed to improve the system reliability under a total transmit power constraint. [Paper E] investigates adaptive power allocation for hybrid automatic repeat request based relay networks. Our results demonstrate that depending on the relay positions and the total power budget, the system should switch between the single-node transmission mode and the joint transmission mode, in order to minimize the outage probability. Finally, [Paper F] studies the joint design of precoding and load balancing for energy-efficient small cell networks with imperfect CSI. An optimal BS association condition is parameterized, which reveals how it is impacted by different system parameters. Our results also show that putting BSs into sleep mode by proper load balancing is an important solution for energy savings in heterogeneous networks.


Background. Limb amputation is a life-changing event that can cause significant disruptions in many important areas of existence. Aim of this study. To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients with limb amputation and identify the factors affecting the quality of life of patients with limb amputation among Egyptian patients. Research Design. It was a descriptive exploratory design. Setting. The study was conducted in Orthopedics and Surgical Department in Emergency Hospital at Mansoura University Hospitals. Sample. A sample of convenience of 100 adult male and female patients who met the inclusion criteria was included. Tools. (a) Structured interview questionnaire (SIQ) was used to collect personal data, (b) short form (36) health status questionnaires: this part was utilized to assess the quality of life among Egyptian patients with amputation. Results. The result of this study indicates that most participants experienced a change in the quality of life. There is a statistically significant difference between total QOL aspects and each of the following: age, gender, educational level, and type of work. Conclusion. Limb amputation tends to cause increased disability for those amputated patients. The age, gender, place of amputation, and marital status are found as statistically significant factors with physical component and psychological component.


In recent days, customer care is one of the pivotal aspects in business environment. Quick and reliable response to any of customer question was highly correlated to customer satisfaction and obviously affect the conversion rate of any kind of products or services offered to them. Jogja Sewa Camera is a small company which the main business is to rent a camera. That company serve no less than 25 booking request and questions about the product they offered to the customer. With the limitation of operational staff, the work for responding the customer booking request and question is a bit overwhelmed. Thus, an automated mechanism was built in this research to help the company to handle the customer service. In this research, a chatbot based on Line Messaging Platform was developed for automatic customer service. This chatbot can answer any of frequent or common question and booking request from the customer.


Oleanolic acid (OA) is a bioactive triterpenoid in medicinal plants. It possesses various pharmacological properties, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. The effects of OA in chondrocytes, however, are not well characterized. Here, we used rabbit articular chondrocytes as a cellular model to investigate the effects and regulatory mechanisms of OA on dedifferentiation and pro-inflammation. OA promoted dedifferentiation of chondrocytes by inhibiting type II collagen and pro-inflammatory activity by increasing cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Furthermore increased phosphorylation of p38 kinases and down-regulated phosphorylation of ERK was observed. Inhibition of p38 with SB203580 in OA-treated cells rescued the expression of type II collagen and suppressed the expression of COX-2. However, ERK inhibition with PD98059 accelerated the OA-induced inflammatory responses. These results suggest that OA induces loss of type II collagen expression via the p38 pathway and induces inflammation through the p38 and ERK pathways in rabbit articular chondrocytes.


Citrus scab caused by Elsinoe fawcettii is cosmopolitan in humid citrus-growing areas. We have previously demonstrated that production of non-host selective elsinochrome phytotoxin is a prerequisite for fungal full virulence and lesion formation. In this study we evaluated 71 field-collected isolates from Florida for pathogenicity and toxin production and found most of the isolates to be pathogenic to rough lemon, grapefruit and sour orange and able to produce elsinochromes in axenic culture. Elsinochromes were recovered, for the first time, from leaf lesions infected by 21 isolates, including four isolates that did not produce any measurable toxin in culture. There was no direct correspondence between the level of elsinochrome production in culture and virulence among the isolates. However, Elsinoe isolates failed to produce elsinochromes in culture and in planta were non-pathogenic to citrus hosts tested. Several isolates were non-pathogenic or only moderately virulent to the citrus hosts tested even though they could produce elsinochromes in culture, a phenotype not previously described in Florida.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical efficacy, prevention and management complications and choice of indication with Descemet membrane stripping with automated endothelium keratoplasty (DSAEK).

METHODS
Clinical case series. Nine patients (9 eyes) with bullous keratopathy underwent DSAEK procedure from Peking University Eye Center, Peking University Third Hospital during September to December in 2007. Visual acuity, cornea transparency, graft position, corneal thickness, curvature, astigmatism and endothelial cells density (ECD) were observed over 3-7 month follow-up period.

RESULTS
One patient with iris cornea endothelium syndrome was fail to insert graft into anterior chamber and changed procedure to penetrating keratoplasty. Eight patient successfully performed procedure. One graft dislocation in was managed in first day after surgery. All 8 grafts remained transparent and improved visual acuity. After surgery, mean corneal thickness was (775 +/- 30)microm. Mean corneal curvature was (44.19 +/- 2.28) D. Mean corneal astigmatism was (2.20 +/- 0.83) D. Mean endothelial cells density was (1439 +/- 296) cells/mm(2).

CONCLUSIONS
DSAEK is a less damage, faster recovery vision, safer procedure. It is expected to be the important procedure to treat bullous keratopathy.


The AgSTAR project of the U.S. EPA analyzed the possibility of installing anaerobic digesters with energy generation and nutrient capture in all confined dairy operations in the US with 500+ cows, with a total potential capacity of more than 2,000 digesters nationwide. This study uses environmental life cycle assessment to identify the potential benefits of disposing locally accessible commercial food waste with manure at those digesters (via co-fermentation) in comparison to other disposal options. Anaerobic digesters show an advantage compared to compost or landfill for all impact indicators examined: human health, climate change, ecosystem quality and water withdrawal. For greenhouse gases, the installation of digesters could potentially reduce 20-25 million metric tons (MMT) CO2e of fugitive methane emissions from manure compared to current manure management practices, 10 MMT CO2e of fugitive methane emissions from landfilled food waste, and another 10 MMT of CO2e from avoided electricity, fertilizer production and peat moss production by harvesting energy, nutrients, and fibers from digesters, respectively.


CONTEXT
Elevated homocysteine is a strong risk factor for osteoporotic fractures among elders, yet it may be a marker for low B-vitamin status.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to examine the associations of plasma concentrations of folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and homocysteine with bone loss and hip fracture risk in elderly men and women.

DESIGN
This was a longitudinal follow-up study of the Framingham Osteoporosis Study.

SETTING
Community dwelling residents of Framingham, MA, were included in the study.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1002 men and women (mean age 75 yr) was included in the study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Baseline (1987-1989) blood samples were used to categorize participants into plasma B-vitamin (normal, low, deficient) and homocysteine (normal, high) groups. Femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) measured at baseline and 4-yr follow-up was used to calculate annual percent BMD change. Incident hip fracture was assessed from baseline through 2003.

RESULTS
Multivariable-adjusted mean bone loss was inversely associated with vitamin B6 (P for trend 0.01). Vitamins B12 and B6 were inversely associated with hip fracture risk (all P for trend < 0.05), yet associations were somewhat attenuated and not significant after controlling for baseline BMD, serum vitamin D, and homocysteine. Participants with high homocysteine (>14 micromol/liter) had approximately 70% higher hip fracture risk after adjusting for folate and vitamin B6, but this association was attenuated after controlling for vitamin B12 (hazard ratio = 1.49; 95% confidence interval 0.91, 2.46).

CONCLUSIONS
Low B-vitamin concentration may be a risk factor for decreased bone health, yet does not fully explain the relation between elevated homocysteine and hip fracture. Thus, homocysteine is not merely a marker for low B-vitamin status.


Characterizing the density of states (DOS) width accurately is critical in understanding the charge‐transport properties of organic semiconducting materials as broader DOS distributions lead to an inferior transport. From a morphological standpoint, the relative densities of ordered and disordered regions are known to affect charge‐transport properties in films; however, a comparison between molecular structures showing quantifiable ordered and disordered regions at an atomic level and its impact on DOS widths and charge‐transport properties has yet to be made. In this work, for the first time, the DOS distribution widths of two model conjugated polymer systems are characterized using three different techniques. A quantitative correlation between energetic disorder from band‐bending measurements and charge transport is established, providing direct experimental evidence that charge‐carrier mobility in disordered materials is compromised due to the relaxation of carriers into the tail states of the DOS. Distinction and quantification of ordered and disordered regions of thin films at an atomic level is achieved using solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. An ability to compare solid‐state film morphologies of organic semiconducting polymers to energetic disorder, and in turn charge transport, can provide useful guidelines for applications of organic conjugated polymers in pertinent devices.


OBJECTIVE
To determine element contents in normal human lung tissue and compare their differences between districts.

METHODS
Total 56 elements in 16 normal human lung tissues of 4 cities were detected by ICP-MS, ICP-AES and GF-AAS, and the measurement accuracy and precision were estimated.

RESULTS
All element determination values of national standard reference materials were in accord with the certified or reference values, the recovery rates were in the rang of 95% - 110%, and the RSD of most elements are less than 10%. The method is proved accurately and crediblely. The similar distributions of elements in lung samples of 4 cities were found in the study. Except 6 elements (Cu, Rb, Ge, Ce, Hg and Pb), the significant differences of the contents of all 50 measured elements were not observed between 4 cities.

CONCLUSION
The results indicated that the element contents could be stable in healthy human lung tissues in 4 cities.


Objective. To identify the main causes of nosocomial measles outbreaks and factors that caused stable secondary transmission of this infection in healthcare institutions. Materials and methods. We analyzed 336 nosocomial measles outbreaks according to the data from 1521 'Reports of epidemiological investigation of measles cases…' registered between 2011 and 2019. We performed operational and retrospective epidemiological analysis, as well as evaluation and descriptive analysis. Results. Our retrospective analysis demonstrated that nosocomial measles outbreaks were registered every year with the number of reported cases ranging from 7 (in 2011) to 105 (in 2018). Most frequently, outbreaks were registered in infectious disease hospitals (32%) and departments for infectious diseases in multidisciplinary hospitals among patients with acute respiratory viral infections (28.1%). Less frequently, measles was diagnosed among patients treated in other hospital departments, dispensaries (18.6%), admission departments (11.8%), and polyclinics (9.5%). The factors that contributed to the emergence of nosocomial measles outbreaks included no alertness for measles among doctors and poor epidemic prevention and control in hospitals. Conclusion. To reduce the incidence of nosocomial measles, it is necessary to ensure that patients admitted to hospitals (nonemergency hospitalization) and caregivers have information about measles vaccinations. It is also important to increase the vaccination coverage among healthcare professionals and promote compliance with sanitary and epidemiological control measures in hospitals. Key words: vaccination, nosocomial outbreaks, measles


Mixtures of aqueous solutions of dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) form immiscible 2-phase systems that are suitable for the separation of viable, functionally-competent cells on the basis of their surface properties. With the appropriate choice of ionic composition, these systems will separate cells on the basis of charge-related surface characteristics. We have previously shown that in charge-sensitive phase systems, human B lymphocytes have a low partition coefficient (K) and T cells have an intermediate K. The cell subpopulation with the highest K values contains large null lymphocytes that have most of the antibody-dependent and natural killer activities. The present study further characterizes this latter cell subpopulation. 8-33% of peripheral blood lymphocytes in normal persons had high K values. About 50% of these cells had typical Giemsa-staining granules characteristic of killer cells and one third had Fc receptors, but lacked complement receptors. Although 15-30% of the cells with high K values formed rosettes with sheep erythrocytes, there was virtually no response to T-cell mitogens such as PHA and Con A. Mixing cells having high K values with mitogen-responsive T cells from intermediate cell fractions revealed no evidence of suppressor-cell activity to explain the poor mitogen response. The studies indicate that a heterogeneous population of cells share charge-related surface properties resulting in a high partition coefficient. These cells comprise a significant proportion of human peripheral blood lymphocytes and include virtually all of the large granular lymphocytes as well as a large population without this morphology that shares the feature of unresponsiveness to T-cell mitogens.


Using the device of an implant (Fig. 1) for direct stimulation of the eighth cranial nerve (Zwicker et al., 1986) measurements have been performed after implantation of one electrode in the nervus suralis of the first author. The results show that threshold of sensation is reached at voltage amplitudes of about 600 mV for sinusoidal stimuli almost frequency independent in the range between 100 Hz and 3 kHz (Fig. 2). The impedance of the electrode (Fig. 3) was found to be remarkably smaller compared with values measured by Zollner (1982) in Ringer's solution. No clear relation between threshold value or impedance and active electrode area could be detected. However, there was a clear dependence of the threshold voltage on the angle between the direction of puncture of the electrode and the direction of the nerve. Parallel puncturing resulted in a 13 dB less sensitive threshold in relation to perpendicular puncturing. The practical dynamic range between the threshold of sensation and the threshold of pain was found to be 10 to 12 dB.


Preliminary results of the investigations conducted in a deep-litter barn were presented in the paper. The research was carried out during the summer season, from June till August 2014. Results of continuous measurements of the indoor temperature and air humidity revealed considerable diversification of the temperature and humidity conditions in the barn. Exceeded limit indoor temperature was registered, particularly in July when the ambient temperatures were high. The most unfavourable indoor conditions in the building occurred in July during 24 days of animal rearing. In the other analysed months (June and August) the recommended value of the indoor air temperature was noted during 13 days of animal rearing. The indoor air relative humidity also exceeded the maximum permissible values, although the animals remained on the pasture for a major part of the day.


To evaluate the effectiveness of weapon systems, the advantages and disadvantages of grey relational analysis and TOPSIS for multiattribute decision-making is pointed out, and an effectiveness evaluation model of weapon systems by combining grey relational analysis and TOPSIS is proposed. The model aggregates the grey relational grade and the distance to a new integrated closeness and reflects not only the trend but also the situation of the alternative. The example illuminates that the model is effective for the effectiveness evaluation of weapon systems.


Exposure to particulate matter air pollution causes inflammatory responses and is associated with the progression of atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular mortality. Macrophages play a key role in atherogenesis by releasing proinflammatory cytokines and forming foam cells in subendothelial lesions. The present study quantified the inflammatory response in a human macrophage cell line (U937) after exposure to an ambient particulate sample from urban dust (UDP) and a diesel exhaust particulate (DEP). The effect of native UDP and DEP was compared with their corresponding organic extracts (OE-UDP/OE-DEP) and stripped particles (sUDP/sDEP) to clarify their respective roles. Exposure to OE-UDP, OE-DEP, UDP, DEP, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin led to a greater increase of interleukin (IL)-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression than did the stripped particles, whereas sUDP, sDEP, UDP, and DEP led to a greater production of C-reactive protein and IL-6 mRNA. The particles and the organic extract-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and cytochrome P450 (CYP)1a1 was significantly suppressed by co-treatment with an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) antagonist, indicating that these effects are mainly mediated by the organic components, which can activate the AhR and CYP1a1. In contrast, the induction of C-reactive protein and IL-6 seems to be a particle-related effect that is AhR independent. The inflammatory response induced by particulate matter was associated with a subsequent increase of cholesterol accumulation, a hallmark of foam cells. Together, these data illustrate the interaction between particulate matter and the inflammatory response as well as the formation of cholesterol-accumulating foam cells, which are early markers of cardiovascular disease.


Objectives Whether patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is effective on migraine is controversial. This article was aimed at assessing the efficacy of PFO closure on migraine based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases up to October 2020 evaluating PFO closure versus control in patients with migraine, then conducted a meta-analysis of all RCTs and observational studies, respectively. The main outcomes were (1) respond rate: complete cessation of migraine; (2) reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks per month; and (3) reduction in migraine days per month. Results Seven studies (3 RCTs and 4 observational studies), containing 887 migraine patients, were identified. (1) The respond rate of PFO closure on migraine was significantly higher than control group both in RCT subgroup and observational studies subgroup (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.35-11.04, P = 0.01 in RCTs; OR 8.28, 95% CI 2.31-29.67, P = 0.001 in observational studies). (2) Reduction in frequency of migraine attacks was higher in PFO closure group compared with control group in the RCT subgroup analysis (mean difference (MD) = 0.57, 95% CI 0.23-0.90, P = 0.0009). (3) Reduction in migraine days was also higher in PFO closure group compared with control group in the RCT subgroup analysis (MD = 1.33, 95% CI 0.35-2.31, P = 0.008). Conclusions PFO closure might be suitable for migraine patients, especially for migraine with aura, by cessation of migraine headaches or reducing migraine attacks and migraine days.


For simulation to be truly useful for investigating many problems in agricultural economics, non-simplifying optimization techniques need to be employed. General methods for simulation optimization that do not inhibit system characterization or analysis are available, and they would appear to provide much of the mathematical and optimizing rigor demanded by economists. This paper describes the theory and algorithm of a robust and efficient simulation optimization approach, the Complex Method. An example of implementing the algorithm is illustrated using a pest management problem.


We study properties of the minimal surface in the Area Law Solution \cite{M93}, \cite{M19a}, \cite{M19b}. We find out that Area Law holds exactly for 2D turbulence as well as for arbitrary planar loop in higher dimensions. This relies on our previous result $\alpha = \frac{1}{2}$ in which case the second moment of circulation can be proven to reduce to the area inside the planar loop. In $d=3$, we demonstrate how the Stokes condition $\partial_i \omega_i(r)=0$ is exactly satisfied for the minimal surface solution in virtue of vanishing mean curvature at the minimal surface. In order to satisfy Loop Equation beyond planar loops, we introduce self-consistent conformal metric on the surface designed to preserve Stokes condition but to compensate the terms in the loop equation. We derive nonlinear integral equation for this conformal metric as a function of a point on a surface.


With the explosive growth of the World Wide Web, the public is gaining access to massive amounts of information. However, locating needed and relevant information remains a difficult task, whether the information is textual or visual. Text search engines have existed for some years now and have achieved a certain degree of success. However, despite the large number of images available on the Web, image search engines are still rare. In this article, we show that in order to allow people to profit from all this visual information, there is a need to develop tools that help them to locate the needed images with good precision in a reasonable time, and that such tools are useful for many applications and purposes. The article surveys the main characteristics of the existing systems most often cited in the literature, such as ImageRover, WebSeek, Diogenes, and Atlas WISE. It then examines the various issues related to the design and implementation of a Web image search engine, such as data gathering and digestion, indexing, query specification, retrieval and similarity, Web coverage, and performance evaluation. A general discussion is given for each of these issues, with examples of the ways they are addressed by existing engines, and 130 related references are given. Some concluding remarks and directions for future research are also presented.


Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming increasingly important in the orthopedic and dental sectors thanks to two major advantages: the possibility of custom manufacturing and the integration of complex structures. However, at smaller scales, surface conditions of AM products are not mastered. Numerous non-fused powder particles give rise to roughness values (Sa) greater than 10 μm, thus limiting biomedical applications since the surface roughness of, e.g., metal implants plays a major role in the quality and rate of osseointegration. In this study, an innovative hybrid machine combining AM and a femtosecond laser (FS) was used to obtain Ti6Al4V parts with biofunctional surfaces. During the manufacturing process, the FS laser beam "neatly" ablates the surface, leaving in its path nanostructures created by the laser/matter interaction. This step decreases the Sa from 11 to 4 μm and increases the surface wettability. The behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells was evaluated on these new AM+FS surfaces and compared with that on AM surfaces and also on polished surfaces. The number of cells attached 24 h after plating is equivalent on all surfaces, but cell spreading is higher on AM+FS surfaces compared with their AM counterparts. In the longer term (days 7 and 14), fibronectin and collagen synthesis increase on AM+FS surfaces as opposed to AM alone. Alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin production, and mineralization, markers of osteogenic differentiation, are significantly lower on raw AM surfaces, whereas on the AM+FS specimens they display a level equivalent to that on the polished surface. Overall, these results indicate that using an FS laser beam during the fabrication of AM parts optimizes surface morphology to favor osteoblastic differentiation. This new hybrid machine could make it possible to produce AM implants with functional surfaces directly at the end of AM, thereby limiting their post-treatments.


Compression-permeability cells are utilized for measurement of porosity and permeability of compressible cakes. Shortcomings of the cells have tended to be minimized in the literature. Data are presented which show that the stress distribution in typical C-P cells is highly nonuniform because of wall friction. For compressible materials, the porosity and permeability would also be nonuniform. Use of large L/D ratios and minimizing wall friction are essential to proper use of C-P cells.


In this work I will put forward the idea that Max Weber's conception of the "ideal type" may have a role in the process aimed at formulating a reliable concept of scientific law and scientific theory. The connection between Weber, theorist of socio–historical science, and postpositivist philosophy of science has been made possible by Carl Hempel, who grasped the importance of Weber's work and, at the same time, interpreted the movement towards modernization of neo-empiricism by supporting the passage to a semantic conception of scientific theories. I will therefore analyze the role of idealizing procedure in the formation of theoretical entities and in the process of organization and coordination of laws that govern complex causal systems.


Background Whereas there is increasing evidence that loss of expression and/or function of the thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) could result in a selective advantage for tumor development, the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and human cancer is a controversial issue. It has been reported that hypothyroidism might be a possible risk factor for liver and breast cancer in humans, but a lower incidence of breast carcinoma has been also reported in hypothyroid patients Methodology/Principal Findings In this work we have analyzed the influence of hypothyroidism on tumor progression and metastasis development using xenografts of parental and TRβ1–expressing human hepatocarcinoma (SK-hep1) and breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-468). In agreement with our previous observations tumor invasiveness and metastasis formation was strongly repressed when TRβ–expressing cells were injected into euthyroid nude mice. Whereas tumor growth was retarded when cells were inoculated into hypothyroid hosts, tumors had a more mesenchymal phenotype, were more invasive and metastatic growth was enhanced. Increased aggressiveness and tumor growth retardation was also observed with parental cells that do not express TRs. Conclusions/Significance These results show that changes in the stromal cells secondary to host hypothyroidism can modulate tumor progression and metastatic growth independently of the presence of TRs on the tumor cells. On the other hand, the finding that hypothyroidism can affect differentially tumor growth and invasiveness can contribute to the explanation of the confounding reports on the influence of thyroidal status in human cancer.


We study a classic Cournot market, which we extend to a two-stage game with endogenous cost formation: the retailers' marginal cost represents purchases from a price-setting, revenue-maximizing supplier. Any demand uncertainty falls to the supplier, who acts first and sets the wholesale price under incomplete information concerning the retailers' willingness to pay. We introduce the generalized mean residual life (GMRL) function of the supplier's belief distribution F and show that his revenue function is unimodal, if the GMRL function is decreasing – (DGMRL) property – and F has finite second moment. In this case, we characterize the supplier's optimal price as a fixed point of his MRL function and provide a bound on the market-inefficiency due to demand uncertainty, which is tight over the class of DMRL distributions. We then turn to the class of DGMRL random variables and study their moments, limiting behavior, and closure properties. Under the additional assumption that F has a density, we establish its relation to the widely used class of increasing generalized failure rate (IGFR) random variables. If a random variable is IGFR, then it is DGMRL. We provide a sufficient condition for the converse to be true and show that the limiting behavior of the GMRL and GFR functions is closely linked under a reciprocal relationship.


To sustain momentum for the achievement of the sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL) objectives, a means of charting global progress to 2030 is needed. The World Bank and the International Energy Agency led a consortium of 15 international agencies to establish the SE4ALL global tracking framework (GTF), which provides a system for regular global reporting, based on rigorous yet practical, given available databases - technical measures. This note is based on that framework. This note uses data from the GTF to provide a regional and country perspective on the three pillars of SE4ALL for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The first section considers energy access. This note looks at the renewable energy and energy efficiency goals.


Aim: To assess the relation between the anterior dental crowding in Class I molar occlusion with the dental arch parameters in both dental arches and for both sexes. Materials and Methods: This study presented data from examination of the study casts for a sample of 106 maxillary and 142 mandibular dental arches of pupils of the intermediate school in Mosul City aged 12–15 years of Iraqi origin. The sample was divided into three main groups according to anterior dental crowding degree (0–2.0 mm, 2.1–4 mm and over 4.0 mm). This was done by calculation of dental arch space available (dental arch perimeter) by utilizing the segment arch technique. The six segment technique assessed by using a modified sliding caliper gauge. The mesio–distal crown width of each tooth was measured, to get the space necessary, and the difference between the space available and the space necessary is negative value represent the amount of crowding. The data was analyzed utilizing statistical analyses at p≤0.05 significant level. Results: all the dental arch parameters were insignificantly decreased throughout the three groups accompanied by increase in the degree of anterior dental crowding except the dental arch perimeter which decreased significantly, while intercanine and the canine–molar parameters were insignificantly increased in both dental arches and for both sexes. Conclusion: The inter–canine parameter increase in crowding case whereas the other parameters are decrease.


New heterobinuclear lanthanide complexes with benzoxazole-substituted 8-hydroxyquinolines, [Ln(ligand)(2)(mu-ligand)(2)Na] (Ln: Yb, Lu), have been prepared and their structure established by X-ray crystallography, (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and photophysical studies. The complexes display efficient ligand-sensitized near-infrared luminescence of ytterbium at 925-1075 nm with lifetimes and quantum yields as high as 22 micros and 3.7%, in the solid state, and 20 micros and 2.6% in CH(2)Cl(2) solution, respectively. These quantum yields are the highest reported to date for ytterbium complexes with organic ligands containing C-H bonds. A long-wavelength and intense intraligand charge-transfer transition (lambda(max) = 446-456 nm; epsilon approximately 1.2 x 10(4) M(-1) cm(-1)) allows for the excitation of infrared luminescence with visible light up to 600 nm. Remarkable features of these complexes include (i) quantitative ligand-to-Yb(III) energy transfer resulting in high overall efficiency of the ytterbium luminescence, (ii) unusually short radiative lifetime of the Yb(III) ion, 706-745 micros for solutions in CH(2)Cl(2), calculated from the f-f absorption spectra, and 513-635 micros estimated for solid state samples from quantum yield and lifetime data, and (iii) the unexpected large influence of second-sphere composition on the radiative lifetime of ytterbium.


In economics, opportunity cost is defined as the benefit foregone by choosing another course of action. Considering opportunity costs enables the improved handling of trade-offs to better support strategic decision-making. We introduce the concept of opportunity cost into life cycle assessment (LCA). In our framework, opportunity cost extends the system expansion paradigm to support better alignment with a circular economy (CE). Opportunity cost thinking is considered to be most useful for the efficient allocation of scarce economic capital for the creation of economic value. In the environmental domain, we use such thinking to account for the implications of 'wasting waste.' In this paper, we consider a case of treated wastewater sludge being used as a source of nutrients as a vehicle to study the points at which LCA can support a CE. Our conclusions, however, have wider repercussions because there are many more situations in which product systems are analytically demarcated from the web of connections in which they are embedded.


Abstract This paper proposes a simulation algorithm of transition probability function based on logistic distribution. This method mainly models popularity and state transition probability functions by acquiring consumers' music preferences and likes. Through this mathematical model, this paper obtains the best results that are more in line with consumer preference. This paper conducts a simulation experiment by collecting Netease cloud music data. Finally, through the comparison with the empirical data, it is further demonstrated that the algorithm model in this paper has particular practical value.


Quality Assurance in the education sector is one of the major initiatives of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in its Three-Year Plan for 2006-09. To achieve the outcome of enhanced quality at all levels of education, COL has been focusing its attention on quality assurance in higher education and teacher education. We are proud of our association with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of India in recent years, which has built capacity in quality assurance among personnel at all levels of the system. The partnership has also led to development of a quality assurance framework and resource materials for assessing and assuring the quality of higher education and teacher education institutions.


The invention relates to a method for reducing the content in elements of the third main group of the periodic system, especially in boron- and/or aluminum-containing compounds of technically pure halosilanes for producing purified halosilanes, especially high-purity chlorosilanes. The invention further relates to an installation for carrying out said method.


As a result of a series of centralization reforms, initiated in 2000, a great number of studies have discussed that the center entrenched its control over regional subjects in Russia. Yet, several regional unrests observed in the recent years demonstrates an urgent need for an overhaul of the Russian center-periphery relationship, to which only limited attention has been paid yet. This study explains this instability by the increase of outsider governor deployments. Exploiting an original dataset of all governors from 1991 to 2019, patterns of outsider deployments and the effect of such deployments on the regional political processes are examined. Although President Boris Yel'tsin initially held the right to appoint and dismiss most governors in the first half of the 1990s, he did not try to dispatch outsider governors not firmly embedded in the regional societies. Whereas governors began to be elected through the popular gubernatorial elections in almost all of the regions since 1995, outsider candidates rarely won the posts of governors. In Vladimir Putin's first and second terms (2000-2008), the power balance between the center and regions radically changed in favor of the center. In addition, scholars have argued that the center's dominance over regional elites increased rapidly due to the de facto appointment system of governors was introduced in 2004. Nevertheless, even then, outsider governor deployments remained exceptional cases. Since the influence of United Russia as a dominant party was limited at that time, federal elites had to receive the endorsement of governors, as regional bosses, to secure the stability of the regime. However, after the triumph of United Russia in the 2007 parliamentary election and the advent of President Dmitrii Medvedev, the Presidential Administration embarked on active replacements of regional bosses with outsider governors loyal to the center. the


As a primary school student in the 1960s I learnt the recorder. This paper explores how the recorder became a staple of Australian primary school music programs. At that time recorders were comparatively recently revived Renaissance musical instruments that were adopted by music educators as a way for children and their teachers to engage in instrumental music making in classes. The inclusion of recorders in school music lessons was not always as successful as hoped but a lucky few had recorder teachers who were expert musicians like my teacher. This personal history explores the arrival and presence of the recorder in school music in South Australia. Data were gathered from primary and secondary documentary sources, personal recall and an interview with my recorder teacher, Cecily Wood. This research considers a commonplace occurrence in the lives of many Australian children and by focusing on a taken-for-granted practice in school music, adds to the historical record and to our understanding of what we do and why we do it.


The redox characteristics of some substituted chromene derivatives has been investigated in different nonaque- ous solvents such as, 1,2- dichloroethane (DCE), dichloromethane (DCM) and acetonitrile (AN) using 0.1mol dm -3 tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP) as a supporting electrolyte at platinum, gold and glassy carbon electrodes, using cyclic voltammetry. Through controlled potential electrolysis (CPE), the product of oxidation and reduction can be sepa- rated and identified. The product of oxidation was found to be the corresponding bis-compound. On the other hand, the reduction occurs in a single two electron process to give the dianion, which abstracts protons to saturate the (-C=O) bond. The effect of substituents on the redox mode of an electroactive site has also been studied.


Background and Objectives Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a clinically heterogeneous immune-mediated disease. Diagnostic biomarkers for CIDP are currently lacking. Peptides derived from the variable domain of circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) have earlier been shown to be shared among patients with the same immunologic disease. Because humoral immune factors are hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of CIDP, we evaluated IgG variable domain–derived peptides as diagnostic biomarkers in CIDP (primary objective) and whether IgG-derived peptides could cluster objective clinical entities in CIDP (secondary objective). Methods IgG-derived peptides were determined in prospectively collected sera of patients with CIDP and neurologic controls by means of mass spectrometry. Peptides of interest were selected through statistical analysis in a discovery cohort followed by sequence determination and confirmation. Diagnostic performance was evaluated for individual selected peptides and for a multipeptide model incorporating selected peptides, followed by performance reassessment in a validation cohort. Clustering of patients with CIDP based on IgG-derived peptides was evaluated through unsupervised sparse principal component analysis followed by k-means clustering. Results Sixteen peptides originating from the IgG variable domain were selected as candidate biomarkers in a discovery cohort of 44 patients with CIDP and 29 neurologic controls. For all 16 peptides, univariate logistic regressions and ROC curve analysis demonstrated increasing peptide abundances to associate with increased odds for CIDP (area under the curves [AUCs] ranging from 64.6% to 79.6%). When including age and sex in the logistic regression models, this remained the case for 13/16 peptides. A model composed of 5/16 selected peptides showed strong discriminating performance between patients with CIDP and controls (AUC 91.5%; 95% CI 84.6%–98.4%; p < 0.001). In the validation cohort containing 45 patients and 43 controls, 2/16 peptides demonstrated increasing abundances to associate with increased odds for CIDP, while the five-peptide model demonstrated an AUC of 61.2% (95% CI 49.3%–73.2%; p = 0.064). Peptide-based patient clusters did not associate with clinical features. Discussion IgG variable domain–derived peptides showed a valid source for diagnostic biomarkers in CIDP, albeit with challenges toward replication. Our proof-of-concept findings warrant further study of IgG-derived peptides as biomarkers in more homogeneous cohorts of patients with CIDP and controls. Classification of Evidence This study provides Class III evidence that the pattern of serum IgG-derived peptide clusters may help differentiate between patients with CIDP and those with other peripheral neuropathies.


The authors show that the chemical separation method generates a carbon-rich product that allows them to study the microstructure of PVC irradiated at doses above 15 MGy. They show the existence of new structures not clearly identifiable with known carbon structures. Studies with HRTEM revealed highly ordered structure which may be related to fullerene rather than graphitic materials.


A very huge amounts of fruit wastes are available as sugar laden wastes world over. In fact, there is a need to recover value added products from these wastes. Fruit wastes are rich in sugars and carbohydrates which can be recovered and utilized for the production of bioethanol. Gasoline is being used at very huge scales globally. Therefore, plenty of bioethanol would be required to be produced if bioethanol has to replace gasoline as a fuel. Present studies are directed towards finding cost effective ways to recover sugars from fruit wastes starting initially without using any acidic or enzyme catalysts. In the present studies fruit wastes, such as, peels of banana (BP), pineapple (PAP), papaya (PP) and mango (MP) were used. The studies were aimed to find out the potential of these fruit wastes to produce total reducing sugars (TRS), pentose sugars (PS) and bioethanol. Simple soaking in water and steaming resulted in the recovery of free sugars. Enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase and xylanase enzymes was found to show good yields of total reducing sugars and pentose sugars. BP and PAP were found to be the potential candidates for the production of bioethanol. In comparison to the enzymatic hydrolysis, the acidic hydrolysis using dilute H2SO4 was found to give higher yields of TRS and PS from fruit wastes in shorter times. However, the enzymatic hydrolysis was found to be a better choice for the production of bioethanol from the BP and PAP hydrolysates in order to avoid the inhibitory effect of yeast toxicants produced. Since the pretreatments by using costly chemicals are the costly steps in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass the presently developed pretreatment step seems to be a cost-effective method of pretreatment for the enzymatic hydrolysis. Therefore, simple water soaking, and steaming was found to be an inexpensive way to recover free sugars from fruit wastes. Enzymatic hydrolysis followed by the fermentation of hydrlysate using Saccharomyces cerevisae was found to produce bioethanol from the water-steam pretreated fruit wastes. Possible mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis has also been suggested. Effect of enzyme concentration on the hydrolysis of PAP and BP for different times at 50°C was studied. Present studies showed that fruit wastes could be exploited as a potential source of bioethanol through simple water-steam soaking followed by the hydrolysis and fermentation processes.


In the present investigation, studies on difference in energy interaction parameters and comparative absorption spectrophotometry involving 4ƒ-4ƒ transitions of Pr(III) with dibenzoyl methane [Pr(dbm)3(H2O)2] and their adducts with dinitrogen donor ligands like ophenanthroline (phen) and bipyridyl (bipy) complexes in different solvents like CH3OH, CH3CN and DMF have been carried out. Variation in the spectral energy interaction parameters like Salter Condon (FK,EK), Lande spin orbit coupling (ξ4f), nephelauxetic ratio (β), bonding parameter (b1/2), percent covalency (δ) were calculated and intensity parameters have been computed on computer using partial multiple regression analysis. The difference in the energy parameters with respect to nitrogen donor atoms and with various solvents reveals that the chemical environment around the Pr(III) ion has great impact on 4ƒ-4ƒ transition. Any change in the environment results in modification of the absorption spectra.


To improve the low-cycle fatigue properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu 7075 aluminum alloy laser-welded joints, a post-weld treatment method for double-sided ultrasonic impact treatment (DSUIT) was used to treat the joints. The mechanism of different DSUITs on the microstructure and fatigue properties of welded joints was analyzed. The results showed that DSUIT reduced the welding defects and roughness of the joint surface, and the dendrite structure at the upper and lower surfaces of the joints was broken to form a plastic deformation layer (PDL) with an approximate thickness of 100 μm. Furthermore, the texture strength and grain size at the PDL were reduced. A beneficial residual compressive stress was introduced into the upper and lower surfaces of the joints after the DSUIT. When the number of cycles was 2 × 106, the maximum fatigue strength of the joints was 103.02 MPa after DSUIT, indicating an increase of 111.8% of the untreated joints of 48.62 MPa. Moreover, observance of the fatigue fracture of the joints revealed that the PDL produced by the DSUIT inhibited the initiation and propagation of cracks at the surface. Therefore, the DSUIT effectively improved the low-cycle fatigue properties of the joints.


This paper extends an earlier study by the author [Phys. Rev. D, vol. 98, 064041 (2018), arXiv:1809.01993] in several significant ways. To begin with, the extra spatial dimension is assumed to be time dependent, while the redshift and shape functions, as well as the extra dimension, are functions of both $r$ and $l$, the respective radial and extra coordinates. The main goal is to determine the conditions that allow the throat of the wormhole to be threaded with ordinary matter (by respecting the null energy condition) and that the same conditions lead to a violation of the null energy condition in the fifth dimension, which can therefore be credited with helping to sustain the wormhole. The dependence of the metric coefficients on $l$ and time $t$ may either help or hinder the ability to use ordinary matter, while an unrestricted dependence on the fifth dimension could lead to a curvature singularity at the throat. Finally, the extra dimension may be extremely small or even curled up.


Background Although hyperinflammatory response influences the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), little has been reported about the utility of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related biomarkers in reflecting the prognosis. We examined whether TNF receptors (TNFRs: TNFR1, TNFR2) and progranulin (PGRN) levels, in addition to interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), are associated with mortality or disease severity in COVID-19 patients. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at Juntendo University Hospital. Eighty hospitalized patients with various severities of COVID-19 were enrolled. Furthermore, serum levels of TNF-related biomarkers were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Twenty-five patients died during hospitalization, and 55 were discharged. The median (25th and 75th percentiles) age of the study patients was 70 (61–76) years, 44 (55.0%) patients were males, and 26 (32.5%) patients had chronic kidney disease (CKD). When comparing with patients who received and did not receive treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU), the former had a higher tendency of being male and have diabetes, hypertension, and CKD; had higher levels of white blood cells, D-dimer, and lactate dehydrogenase; and had lower body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and lymphocyte counts. Significant differences were observed in TNFR, PGRN, IL-6, and CRP levels between each severity (mild–severe) group. Furthermore, the serum levels of TNFR, IL-6, and CRP, but not PGRN, in ICU patients were significantly higher than in the patients who were not admitted to the ICU. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high levels of TNFR2 were only associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 even after adjustment for relevant clinical parameters. Conclusions High TNFR2 level might be helpful for predicting mortality or disease severity in patients with COVID-19.


This paper makes the following original contributions. First, we develop a unifying framework for testing shape restrictions based on the Wald principle. The test has asymptotic uniform size control and is uniformly consistent. Second, we examine the applicability and usefulness of some prominent shape enforcing operators in implementing our framework. In particular, in stark contrast to its use in point and interval estimation, the rearrangement operator is inapplicable due to a lack of convexity. The greatest convex minorization and the least concave majorization are shown to enjoy the analytic properties required to employ our framework. Third, we show that, despite that the projection operator may not be well-defined/behaved in general parameter spaces such as those defined by uniform norms, one may nonetheless employ a powerful distance-based test by applying our framework. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that our test works well. We further showcase the empirical relevance by investigating the relationship between weekly working hours and the annual wage growth in the high-end labor market.


Stress-induced methylglyoxal (MG) functions as a toxic molecule, inhibiting plant physiological processes such as photosynthesis and antioxidant defense systems. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the MG detoxification through glutathione metabolism in indica rice [Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica cv. Pathumthani 1] under salt stress by exogenous foliar application of paclobutrazol (PBZ). Fourteen-day-old rice seedlings were pretreated with 15 mg L−1 PBZ foliar spray. After 7 days, rice seedlings were subsequently exposed to 0 (control) or 150 mM NaCl (salt stress) for 12 days. Prolonged salt stress enhanced the production of MG molecules and the oxidation of proteins, leading to decreased activity of glyoxalase enzymes, glyoxalase I (Gly I) and glyoxalase II (Gly II). Consequently, the decreased glyoxalase activities were also associated with a decline in reduced glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione reductase (GR) activity. PBZ pretreatment of rice seedlings under salt stress significantly lowered MG production and protein oxidation, and increased the activities of both Gly I and Gly II. PBZ also increased GSH content and GR activity along with the up-regulation of glyoxalase enzymes, under salt stress. In summary, salinity induced a high level of MG and the associated oxidative damage, while PBZ application reduced the MG toxicity by up-regulating glyoxalase and glutathione defense system in rice seedlings.


Neural Networks are infamously sensitive to small perturbations in their inputs, making them vulnerable to adversarial attacks. This project evaluates the performance of Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DDPM) as a purification technique to defend against adversarial attacks. This works by adding noise to an adversarial example before removing it through the reverse process of the diffusion model. We evaluate the approach on the PatchCamelyon data set for histopathologic scans of lymph node sections and find an improvement of the robust accuracy by up to 88\% of the original model's accuracy, constituting a considerable improvement over the vanilla model and our baselines. The project code is located at https://github.com/ankile/Adversarial-Diffusion.


The evolutionary consequences of generalised versus specialised habit is a central issue in organismal biology. Theory predicts that specialist species may have greater capabilities than generalist species in particular habitats but will not be able to maintain this excellence across a broad range of habitats. The evolutionary consequences of ecological specialisation, in terms of functional capabilities, were investigated in the lizard genus Niveoscincus from Tasmania. Breadth of microhabitat occupation and ecologically relevant locomotor capabilities were quantified across the genus. Laboratory performance trials demonstrated that some species excelled in just a few of the five performance traits measured, while other species performed well at all traits but did not excel at any. Results of comparative analyses demonstrate that there is a significant evolutionary correlation between microhabitat breadth and range of locomotor capabilities. These results provide convincing evidence that habitat specialists have a correspondingly limited range of locomotor capabilities.