Background: There is a risk of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) from baby delivery. Many clinical guidelines recommend pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) as the conservative treatment for PFD because pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) play a crucial role in development of PFD. However, there is disagreement about the method and intensity of PFM training and the relevant measurements. To pilot the study in PFM training, we designed a Pelvic Floor Workout (PEFLOW) for women to train their pelvic through entire body exercises, and we planned a trial to evaluate its effectiveness through comparing the outcomes from a group of postpartum women who perform PELFLOW at home under professional guidance online with the control group. Methods/design: The randomized controlled trial was projected to be conducted from November 2021 to March 2023. A total of 260 postpartum women would be recruited from the obstetrics departments of the study hospital and women would be eligible for participation randomized into experimental or control groups (EG/CG) if their PFM strength are scaled by less than Modified Oxford grading Scale (MOS) to be less than grade 3. Women in EG would perform a 12-week PEFLOW online under the supervision and guidance of a physiotherapist, while women in CG would have no interventions. Assessments would be conducted at enrollment, post intervention (for EG) or 18th to 24th week postpartum (for CG), and 1 year postpartum. Assessment would be performed in terms of pelvic floor symptoms, including MOS, cough stress test, urinary leakage symptoms, pelvic organ prolapse quantitation (POP-Q), and vaginal relaxation, clinic examinations including Pelvic floor electrophysiological test, Pelvic floor ultrasound and Spine X-ray, overall body test including trunk endurance test, handgrip test, body composition test, and questionnaires including International Physical Activity Questionnaire Score-Short Form(IPAQ-SF), Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Questionnaire-20 (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7), the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Primary analysis will be performed to test our main hypothesis that PEFLOW is effective with respect to strengthen PFM strength. Discussion: This trial will demonstrate that pelvic floor-care is accessible to most women and clinical practice on PFD may change relevantly should this study find that Online PEFLOW approach is effective to improve PFMs. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05218239.


The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) is a novel instrument that combines high-contrast imaging with high-resolution spectroscopy to enable high-dispersion coronagraphy (HDC) techniques that allow us to characterize directly imaged exoplanets at a spectral resolution of R~35,000. At this resolution, individual absorption lines in planetary atmospheres are spectrally resolved, allowing for measurements of molecular abundances to constrain chemical composition, planetary radial velocities to constrain orbital configurations, and planetary spin to constrain angular momentum evolution. I will provide an overview of the instrument, with a focus on its novel fiber injection unit (FIU) and the use of single mode fibers. I will discuss new HDC techniques we are developing that take advantage of the single-mode fibers of KPIC to both spatially and spectrally filter out the bright glare of the host stars to study the faint exoplanets. In particular, we have demonstrated the ability to forward model the high-resolution spectrum of diffracted stellar speckles, allowing us to directly fit our data without the need for cross-correlation functions. I will present some early science observations from KPIC that successfully demonstrate its technical capabilities, with the highlight being the first detection of all four HR 8799 planets at high spectral resolution. I will conclude with future avenues to push the sensitivity of HDC techniques and discuss possible synergies with other exoplanet characterization techniques such as long-baseline interferometry.


Prenatal ultrasound has resulted in the earlier recognition of genitourinary-related abnormalities. This is a review for urologists of the normal developmental anatomy, physiology, and ultrasound characteristics of representative urogenital abnormalities with guidelines for diagnostic or therapeutic intervention.


The resolution of a host name to an IP-address is a necessary predecessor to connection establishment and HTTP exchanges. Nonetheless, DNS resolutions often involve multiple remote name-servers and prolong Web response times. To alleviate this problem name servers and Web browsers cache query results. Name servers currently incorporate passive cache management where records are brought into the cache only as a result of clients' requests and are used for the TTL duration (a TTL value is provided with each record). We propose and evaluate different enhancements to passive caching that reduce the fraction of HTTP connection establishments that are delayed by long DNS resolutions. Renewal policies refresh selected expired cached entries by issuing unsolicited queries. Trace-based simulations using Web proxy logs demonstrated that a significant fraction of cache misses can be eliminated with a moderate overhead. Simultaneous-validation (SV) transparently uses expired records. A DNS query is issued if the respective cached entry is no longer fresh, but concurrently, the expired entry is used to connect to the Web server and fetch the requested content. The content is served only if the expired records used turn out to be in agreement with the query response.


In the paper a theoretical model of a simply supported three-layer one-dimensional plate with a distributed actuator/sensor pair has been examined. A velocity feedback control is used to achieve active damping of structure. The transfer functions relating the out-of-plane deformation to the actuator voltage input for the system without control loop and for the system with velocity feedback as well as the open-loop transfer function are obtained. The numerical results show the influence of the actuator/sensor location and controler parameters on the modal system response.


Over time scales of thousands to millions of years, and in the absence of rejuvenating disturbances that initiate primary or early secondary succession, ecosystem properties such as net primary productivity, decomposition, and rates of nutrient cycling undergo substantial declines termed ecosystem retrogression. Retrogression results from the depletion or reduction in the availability of nutrients, and can only be reversed through rejuvenating disturbance that resets the system; this differs from age-related declines in forest productivity that are driven by shorter-term depression of nutrient availability and plant ecophysiological process rates that occur during succession. Here we review and synthesize the findings from studies of long-term chronosequences that include retrogressive stages for systems spanning the boreal, temperate, and subtropical zones. Ecosystem retrogression has been described by ecologists, biogeochemists, geologists, and pedologists, each of which has developed somewhat independent conceptual frameworks; our review seeks to unify this literature in order to better understand the causes and consequences of retrogression. Studies of retrogression have improved our knowledge of how long-term pedogenic changes drive shorter-term biological processes, as well as the consequences of these changes for ecosystem development. Our synthesis also reveals that similar patterns of retrogression (involving reduced soil fertility, predictable shifts in organismic traits, and ecological processes) occur in systems with vastly different climatic regimes, geologic substrates, and vegetation types, even though the timescales and mechanisms driving retrogression may vary greatly among sites. Studies on retrogression also provide evidence that in many regions, high biomass or "climax" forests are often transient, and do not persist indefinitely in the absence of rejuvenating disturbance. Finally, our review highlights that studies on retrogressive chronosequences in contrasting regions provide unparalleled opportunities for developing general principles about the long-term feedbacks between biological communities and pedogenic processes, and how these control ecosystem development.


Since HLA B27 and ankylosing spondylitis are more common in American Indians than other Americans, the association between radiological sacroiliitis (SI) and HLA B27 was examined among the Pima Indians. SI (grade II to IV) was found in 20 per cent of randomly selected Pima adults. B27 was present in 50 per cent of males, but in only nine per cent of females with SI, vs a population frequency of 18 per cent. Among first degree relatives of probands with SI, radiologic changes were found no more frequently than in a randomly selected age matched control series. Uveitis occurred in 18 per cent of the B27 positive subjects, but in only five per cent of the B27 negative subjects (p less than 0.05). B27 was associated with SI and uveitis in Pima males, but no association was demonstrated between B27 and SI in Pima females.


Point cloud analysis is challenging due to the irregularity of the point cloud data structure. Existing works typ-ically employ the ad-hoc sampling-grouping operation of PointNet++, followed by sophisticated local and/or global feature extractors for leveraging the 3D geometry of the point cloud. Unfortunately, those intricate hand-crafted model designs have led to poor inference latency and performance saturation in the last few years. In this paper, we point out that the classical sampling-grouping operations on the irregular point cloud cause learning difficulty for the subsequent MLP layers. To reduce the irregularity of the point cloud, we introduce a DualNorm module after the sampling-grouping operation. The DualNorm module consists of Point Normalization, which normalizes the grouped points to the sampled points, and Reverse Point Normalization, which normalizes the sampled points to the grouped points. The proposed PointNorm utilizes local mean and global standard deviation to benefit from both local and global features while maintaining a faithful inference speed. Experiments on point cloud classification show that we achieved state-of-the-art accuracy on ModelNet40 and ScanObjectNN datasets. We also generalize our model to point cloud part segmentation and demonstrate competitive performance on the ShapeNetPart dataset. Code is avail-able at https://github.com/ShenZheng2000/PointNorm-for-Point-Cloud-Analysis.


In this study, the vulnerability tests were carried out through the techniques of penetration, crack and impersonation the wireless network connections in which the thing in the industry 4.0 was communicating. The MAC addresses of all the devices by the penetration technique has been seen in the network identified. The device is dropped from the network using de-auth attacks with MAC address. As a result of this, the operation of Industrial 4.0 systems is interrupted or stopped. It is possible to predict the standard passwords of the distributors with WPS feature turned on by means of cracking techniques and to penetration the wireless network or to disable the network. In the end, it can be seen that the existing data can be deleted or collected by adding a new device to the system with the fake technique of the wireless network. The results showed that WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security were not sufficiently used in the wireless network. As a result of the penetration methodology, it was determined that the use of wireless networks would not be a solution in the connections where data security was high in Industry 4.0.


The recent development of a new kind of public transportation system relies on a particular double-steering kinematic structure enhancing maneuverability in cluttered environments such as downtown areas. We call bi-steerable car a vehicle showing this kind of kinematics. Endowed with autonomy capacities, the bi-steerable car ought to combine suitably and safely a set of abilities: simultaneous localisation and environment modelling, motion planning and motion execution amidst moderately dynamic obstacles. In this paper we address the integration of these four essential autonomy abilities into a single application. Specifically, we aim at reactive execution of planned motion. We address the fusion of controls issued from the control law and the obstacle avoidance module using probabilistic techniques.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Our intensive study of TNF-α inducing protein (Tipα), a carcinogenic factor secreted from H. pylori, revealed that nucleolin acts as a receptor of Tipα in a mouse gastric cancer cell line (MGT-40). Although nucleolin is a major nucleolar protein, nucleolin was found in the cell membrane by cell fractionation and on the cell-surface by flow cytometrical analysis. We further found that nucleolin shuttles Tipα from cell surface to the cytosol, resulting in expression of TNF-α gene, an endogenous tumor promoter. Moreover, a large amount of nucleolin was found in the membrane fraction of MGT-40 cells, but not in that of mouse normal glandular stomach. These results suggest that abnormal localization of nucleolin occures in gastric cancer, as an associated process of carcinogenesis. In the light of this evidence, we think that the abnormal localization of nucleolin on cell surface produces the optimal carcinogenic environment for Tipα binding in gastric cancer development by H. pylori infection. Experimentally we found that large amounts of nucleolin were expressed on the surface of four human gastric cancer cell lines (MKN-45, MKN-74, AGS, and KATOIII), with smaller amounts on that of another cell line (MKN-1), although the total amounts of nucleolin were almost the same among these five cell lines. It is important to note that the amounts of cell-surface nucleolin are correlated well with those of Ras-GTP form, the active form of Ras protein in these cell lines, and we confirmed that MKN-1 cells had the lowest amounts of Ras-GTP form among the five lines. Moreover, the treatment of AGS cells with okadaic acid, a tumor promoter and inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, reduced the amount of nucleolin localized on cell-surface, indicating that abnormal localization of nucleolin on cell surface can be induced by Ras signaling pathway and post-translational modifications. Thus, we discuss the relationship between the abnormal localization of nucleolin and the disorder in the Ras signaling pathway in gastric cancer development.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1934. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1934


Histone modifications are now well-established mediators of transcriptional programs that distinguish cell states. However, the kinetics of histone modification and their role in mediating rapid, signal-responsive gene expression changes has been little studied on a genome-wide scale. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), a major regulator of angiogenesis, triggers changes in transcriptional activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Here, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) to measure genome-wide changes in histone H3 acetylation at lysine 27 (H3K27ac), a marker of active enhancers, in unstimulated HUVECs and HUVECs stimulated with VEGFA for 1, 4, and 12 h. We show that sites with the greatest H3K27ac change upon stimulation were associated tightly with EP300, a histone acetyltransferase. Using the variation of H3K27ac as a novel epigenetic signature, we identified transcriptional regulatory elements that are functionally linked to angiogenesis, participate in rapid VEGFA-stimulated changes in chromatin conformation, and mediate VEGFA-induced transcriptional responses. Dynamic H3K27ac deposition and associated changes in chromatin conformation required EP300 activity instead of altered nucleosome occupancy or changes in DNase I hypersensitivity. EP300 activity was also required for a subset of dynamic H3K27ac sites to loop into proximity of promoters. Our study identified thousands of endothelial, VEGFA-responsive enhancers, demonstrating that an epigenetic signature based on the variation of a chromatin feature is a productive approach to define signal-responsive genomic elements. Further, our study implicates global epigenetic modifications in rapid, signal-responsive transcriptional regulation.


In this work, following our previous work on molybdate glasses, we employ a combination of neutron diffraction and neutron Compton scattering, augmented by ab initio harmonic lattice dynamics and Reverse Monte Carlo modelling to characterise the force-constant disorder in the tungsten oxide-based glasses. Specifically, we discuss the correlations between the average interatomic force constant magnitudes inferred from neutron Compton scattering and the glass formation ability, measured in terms of the value of the glass transition temperature, as well as the average bond-lengths and interatomic distances obtained from diffraction data analysis. Moreover, we provide a comparative analysis of the widths of force-constant distributions of individual atomic species in glasses and their precursor metal oxides based on the distributions of the widths of nuclear momentum distributions. Furthermore, we assess the degree of softening of atom-projected vibrational densities of states induced by the force-constant disorder in the glasses.


A repository of research theses submitted by Morling College Education post-graduate students in partial fulfilment of either the Master of Education or the Master of Education (Leadership).


In 2005, in an article in Military Review titled "Anthropology and Counterinsurgency: The Strange Story of their Curious Relationship," Dr. Montgomery McFate launched a serious academic assault on the anthropological tradition of noninvolvement in mission-related military and counterinsurgency research. Dr. McFate was then instrumental in the establishment of the Human Terrain System in 2006, which has "embedded" social scientists with front-line army units in Iraq and Afghanistan. This has caused great concern among anthropologists and renewed interest in the professional ethics of the discipline. This article critically reviews McFate's accounting of the relationship between anthropology and counterinsurgency and argues that it is her particular reading of history of that relationship that is curious and strange. Viewed in its proper historical context, and illustrated with the example of the politics and ethics of my research on community support for the Irish Republican Army and Irish National Liberation Army in Northern Ireland, the antipathetic relationship that had evolved was perfectly appropriate, ethical, and in no sense "curious" or "strange." This article critiques McFate's article as a fundamentally flawed revisionist history intended to legitimate and facilitate the active involvement of anthropologists with the US military in the "war on terrorism" in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond.


The CADE ATP System Competition (CASC) evaluates the performance of sound, fully automatic, classical logic, ATP systems. The evaluation is in terms of the number of problems solved, the number of acceptable proofs and models produced, and the average runtime for problems solved, in the context of a bounded number of eligible problems chosen from the TPTP problem library, and specified time limits on solution attempts. The 6th IJCAR ATP System Competition (CASC-J6) was held on 24th and 28th June 2012. The design of the competition and its rules, and information regarding the competing systems, are provided in this report.


AIM--To investigate serum placental-type alkaline phosphatase (PLAP-type) activities in women with squamous and glandular malignancies of the reproductive tract using an immunoradiometric assay. METHODS--PLAP-type immunoreactivity was measured in 180 women with non-ovarian malignancies of the reproductive tract and the values were compared with those from 334 controls. The cases comprised 18 vulval, nine vaginal, 103 cervical, 46 endometrial, and five fallopian tube cancers. RESULTS--Serum PLAP-type activities were no different from controls in patients with squamous cell tumours. Women with adenocarcinoma of the cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tube had increased values: women with endometrial cancer had a median value nearly four times greater than that of controls. There was no direct correlation between PLAP-type activities and stage of disease in patients with endometrial cancer, but values reverted to normal after treatment. CONCLUSIONS--Serum PLAP-type measurements are of no value in the management of patients with squamous cell tumours of the female reproductive tract. Raised activities can, however, be found in glandular tumours, in particular endometrial cancer where serum PLAP-type measurements may be of value in predicting remission.


ABSTRACT A Salmonella enterica serotype Cubana isolate exhibiting resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics, including oxyimino-cephalosporins and imipenem, was isolated from a 4-year-old boy with gastroenteritis in Maryland. β-Lactam resistance was mediated by a conjugative plasmid that encoded KPC-2, a class A carbapenemase previously found in a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from the Maryland area as well. Sequence analysis of the flanking regions indicated a potential association of blaKPC-2 with mobile structures.


PURPOSE
To assess the role of residual tumor resection performed after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell tumors (GCT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between July 1987 and October 1999, postchemotherapy resections of residual tumors were performed in 57 patients who had been treated with HDCT for relapsed or refractory GCT and who had achieved a partial remission to this treatment.

RESULTS
Complete resections of residual masses were achieved in 52 (91%) of 57 patients who were rendered disease free; in five (9%) of 57 patients, the resections were incomplete. Resection of a single site was performed in 39 (68%) of 57 patients, and the remaining 18 (32%) of 57 patients required interventions at two or more residual tumor sites. Necrosis was found in 22 (38%) of 57 patients, mature teratoma with or without necrosis was found in nine (16%) of 57 patients, and viable cancer with or without additional necrosis or mature teratoma was found in 26 (46%) of 57 patients. Viable cancer consisted either of residual germ cell or undifferentiated cancer in 22 (85%) of 26 patients, with additional non-GCT histologies in the remaining four patients. Patients with viable cancer had a significantly inferior outcome after surgery compared with patients with necrosis and/or mature teratoma even if all cancer was completely resected. Pulmonary lesions with a diameter of more than 2 cm were the only predictive variable for viable cancer in univariate analysis.

CONCLUSION
Resections of all residual tumors should be attempted in patients with relapsed or refractory GCT and partial remissions after HDCT.


BACKGROUND
The Prostate cancer is the 2nd most common cancer worldwide for males, and the 5th most common cancer overall, with an estimated 900,000 new cases diagnosed in 2008 (14% of the total in males and 7% of the total overall) aim of this study was to assess some of the most proposed environmental factors influencing the incidence of prostate cancer among Iranian men. Smoking, opioids, occupation and living location were considered as studied risk factors of the prostate cancer in this research.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Two groups of affected men with prostate cancer and controls aged 50-75 years referred to medical clinics were subjects in this case-control study. Living and working place, smoking and drug consuming habits were assessed for any associations with prostate cancer.

RESULTS
The largest number, of patients, in order, belonged to Tehran, provincial capitals, major industrial cities, small towns and villages, respectively. The disease showed links with smoking and drugs with a significant difference between controls and patients (P value <0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Our recent evidence duplicates previously done researches confirming the serious adverse effects of smoking and drugs on the prostate cancer occurrence in Iranian men. Living place bearings some hazardous behaviors which increases the rate of diseases as well as advanced chance for associated cancers like prostate.


PURPOSE
We performed a multiregistry analysis to assess relative differences in accrual sufficiency and race/ethnicity reporting in trials of common urological cancers and other nonurological solid organ tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We queried ClinicalTrials.gov and the ISRCTN (International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number) Registry for closed phase III and IV trials focused on prostate, colorectal, kidney, bladder, testicular, breast and lung cancer. Identified trials were cross-verified with appropriate published data sources. Comparative accrual sufficiency and rates of race/ethnicity reporting were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with accrual status and race/ethnicity reporting.

RESULTS
A total of 326 trials were identified based on our prespecified criteria, of which 63% reported sufficient accrual by time of closure and 58% reported data by race/ethnicity. Nonurological trials were significantly more likely to mention race data than urological trials (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.24-8.55, p = 0.02). Industry sponsored trials were more likely to meet accrual targets than government funded projects (OR 5.44, 95% CI 1.64-18.20, p = 0.001). Although funding source did not influence race reporting, the reported recruitment of participants of African ethnicity was lower in industry sponsored trials (11.49% vs 3.18%, p <0.01). Two-thirds of the studies did not report baseline characteristics by African American race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS
Insufficient accrual and inadequate race/ethnicity reporting are prevalent issues, limiting interpretation of the results of clinical trials of major solid organ malignancies. Addressing these shortcomings would enhance result validity by raising statistical power and improving the transparency of reporting to better evaluate the generalizability of results.


In this paper, a new online scheme is presented to design the optimal coordination control for the consensus problem of multiagent differential games by fuzzy adaptive dynamic programming, which brings together game theory, generalized fuzzy hyperbolic model (GFHM), and adaptive dynamic programming. In general, the optimal coordination control for multiagent differential games is the solution of the coupled Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) equations. Here, for the first time, GFHMs are used to approximate the solutions (value functions) of the coupled HJ equations, based on policy iteration algorithm. Namely, for each agent, GFHM is used to capture the mapping between the local consensus error and local value function. Since our scheme uses the single-network architecture for each agent (which eliminates the action network model compared with dual-network architecture), it is a more reasonable architecture for multiagent systems. Furthermore, the approximation solution is utilized to obtain the optimal coordination control. Finally, we give the stability analysis for our scheme, and prove the weight estimation error and the local consensus error are uniformly ultimately bounded. Further, the control node trajectory is proven to be cooperative uniformly ultimately bounded.


From the perspectives of Saudi female journalists, the current study examined the predictive associations between gender discrimination, supervisor support, government support, and work-related outcomes (i.e., job stress and job satisfaction). Supporting our predictions, regression analyses results revealed that perceptions of gender discrimination were positively and perceptions of supervisor support were negatively associated with job stress. In addition, we found that perceptions of supervisor support and government support had positive associations with job satisfaction. Findings are discussed considering women's participation in the media industry in Saudi Arabia in relation to gender discrimination, supervisor and government support of women.


This study investigated children's ability to produce compounds by asking them to label contrasting subcategories (e.g., tea-pot vs coffee- pot) as distinct from generic categories (e.g. pot, chair). Sixty Hebrew- speaking children, aged 2;0 to 7;4, and 12 adults, answered three questions about each of a series of picture-sets. The first question checked their ability to understand novel compound (noun-noun) labels for a subcategory, and everyone did very well on this. The next two questions elicited labels for a further subcategory and the perti nent generic or basic category. Adults and older children produced compound nouns as labels for subcategories, and favoured one-word labels for generic categories. Two- and three-year-olds produced mostly inappropriate, one-word labels for both levels of categories. But children's subcategory labels, whether compounds or nouns with relative clause or prepositional phrase adjuncts, consistently included a dimension of contrast, while their generic category labels mentioned the absence of such a dimension. These findings suggest that children early on recognize contrasts among subcategories and between these and generic level categories, but that it takes them some time to learn to produce the appropriate linguistic devices.


The 2008 Global Financial Tsunami severely impacted global economies including the East Asian markets. Coming on the heels of the prolonged 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, economists are keenly interested to compare and contrast these two financial crises. An analysis of foreign exchange and money market pressure indexes indicates that the impact of the 2008 Global Financial Tsunami was far less severe than the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Therefore, we anticipate a speedy recovery in East Asian markets. Furthermore, speculative attacks were also less significant during the 2008 Global Financial Tsunami. It is obvious that the nature of the most recent Financial Tsunami was different from that of the Asian Financial Crisis. Our results provide a reference for nations which are going through a financial crisis.


Abstract Simultaneous optimization of multiple Planning Target Volumes (PTVs) of varying size and location in the cranium is a non‐trivial task. The rate of dose falloff around PTV structures is variable and depends on PTV characteristics such as the volume. The metric R50% is one parameter that can be used to quantify dose falloff achieved in a given treatment plan. An important treatment planning question is how to construct optimization conditions that result in the efficient production of acceptable plan outcomes considering metrics such as R50%. Guidance provided in literature suggests generating multiple shell control structures around each PTV. The constraints applied to these shells can vary significantly depending on PTV volume. Additionally, there is no clear guidance on how to prospectively determine objective constraints for the optimization shells to achieve a specified goal of R50%. Based on physical principles and empirical evidence, we provide clear quantitative guidance on how to translate the desired R50% outcome into appropriately sized optimization structures around PTVs via an equation that depends on a desired goal for R50% and the volume of PTV. Optimization schema are also provided that allow the goal R50% to be approached or achieved for all PTVs individually. We demonstrate the application of the methodology using commercially available treatment planning software and radiotherapy treatment equipment.


A computational study of tetrahedrene at the RCCD/cc-pVDZ level led to a singlet-state structure with a lowest energy vibrational mode of 660 cm(-1). The corresponding triplet state was found to be ca. 37 kcal/mol lower in energy than the singlet state. The heat of formation of the singlet state was estimated to be 270 kcal/mol. An isomeric singlet bicyclic dicarbene bis-bicyclo[1.1.0]cyclobutylidene was found to be approximately 94 kcal/mol lower in energy than tetrahedrene.


Prostate dysfunction is the most common condition among aged men, which causes adverse complications and may result in serious diseases. Artemisia has been studied since time immemorial in several studies all showing its ability in preventing and treating different diseases. However, so far there have been no studies focusing on the possible role of Artemisia in the protection of prostate histoarchitecture toxicity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective role of Artemisia in the amelioration of histological and hormonal depression affected by sodium fluoride (NaF). A total of 28 male adult Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups (n=7). Animals in the control group received normal saline. The second group received NaF by oral gavage at a dose of 12 mg/kg body weight (B.W.) three times a week. The third group received concurrent treatment with NaF at a dose of 12 mg/kg B.W. three times a week, as well as extraction of Artemisia absinthium at a dose of 100 mg/kg B.W. The fourth group was treated only with extraction of Artemisia absinthium at a dose of 100 mg/k B.W. After 60 days, B.W. and the absolute weight of the prostate were measured. Blood samples and tissues were collected for measuring testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, as well as luteinizing hormone concentration, conducting paraffin-embedded sections with hematoxylin, and eosin routine staining. The findings revealed that Artemisia supplement significantly increased body and absolute weight of prostate gland in the group treated by NaF. In addition, mitigating the histological changes throughout the restoration of all prostate components appeared nearly as normal structural tissue. Moreover, the height of glandular epithelium decreased, follicular lumen enlarged, dark secretion materials with homogeneity disappeared of invagination intraluminal, and normal stroma appeared in regular shape. All in all, the results of this study pointed out that Artemisia had a protective effect against NaF-influenced prostate toxicity via stabilizing male hormones, re-composing histoarchitecture, and returning abnormal biomorphic parameters to a nearly normal state.


This paper proposes a new architecture for textual inference in which finding a good alignment is separated from evaluating entailment. Current approaches to semantic inference in question answering and textual entailment have approximated the entailment problem as that of computing the best alignment of the hypothesis to the text, using a locally decomposable matching score. While this formulation is adequate for representing local (word-level) phenomena such as synonymy, it is incapable of representing global interactions, such as that between verb negation and the addition/removal of qualifiers, which are often critical for determining entailment. We propose a pipelined approach where alignment is followed by a classification step, in which we extract features representing high-level characteristics of the entailment problem, and pass the resulting feature vector to a statistical classifier trained on development data.


Xylanase C from Aspergillus kawachii has an optimum pH of 2.0 and is stable at pH 1.0. The crystal structure of xylanase C was determined at 2.0 A resolution (R-factor = 19.4%). The overall structure was similar to those of other family 11 xylanases. Asp37 and an acid-base catalyst, Glu170, are located at a hydrogen-bonding distance (2.8 A), as in other xylanases with low pH optima. Asp37 of xylanase C was replaced with asparagine and other residues by site-directed mutagenesis. Analyses of the wild-type and mutant enzymes showed that Asp37 is important for high enzyme activity at low pH. In the case of the asparagine mutant, the optimum pH shifted to 5.0 and the maximum specific activity decreased to about 15% of that of the wild-type enzyme. On structural comparison with xylanases with higher pH optima, another striking feature of the xylanase C structure was found; the enzyme has numerous acidic residues concentrated on the surface (so-called 'Ser/Thr surface' in most family 11 xylanases). The relationship of the stability against extreme pH conditions and high salt concentrations with the spatially biased distribution of charged residues on the proteins is discussed.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of the largest number of deaths worldwide and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common form of lung cancer. In this study, we carried out an integrated meta-analysis of the mutations including single-nucleotide variations (SNVs), the copy number variations (CNVs), RNA-seq and clinical data of patients with LUAD downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We integrated significant SNV and CNV genes, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the DEGs in active subnetworks to construct a prognosis signature. Cox proportional hazards model (LOOCV) with Lasso penalty was used to identify the best gene signature among different gene categories. The patients in both training and test data were clustered into high-risk and low-risk groups by using risk scores of the patients calculated based on selected gene signature. We generated a 12-gene signature (DEPTOR, ZBTB16, BCHE, MGLL, MASP2, TNNI2, RAPGEF3, SGK2, MYO1A, CYP24A1, PODXL2, CCNA1) for overall survival prediction. The survival time of high-risk and low-risk groups was significantly different. This 12-gene signature could predict prognosis and they are potential predictors for the survival of the patients with LUAD.


The geology and surface morphology of Bell Regio (18–42°N, 32–58°E) are investigated using a combination of Magellan, Venera, and analogous terrestrial data. The properties of surface units are compared to either direct terrestrial analog measurements or to the behaviors predicted by theoretical models. Five major volcanic sources are identified from geologic mapping (Tepev Mons, Nefertiti corona, a large shield volcano east of Tepev, and two small edifices southeast of Tepev). The volcano Api Mons lies northeast of the main Bell uplift. The oldest volcanic units are associated with an extensive low shield volcano east of Tepev Mons and a small edifice southeast of Tepev. The annular flow apron of Tepev Mons formed next, with volcanism at a second small edifice on the southeast flank of Tepev Mons producing the youngest flow units. Comparisons between Magellan data, terrrestrial radar images, and field topography profiles suggest that only three units resemble terrestrial a'a flows; the remainder are consistent with smoother pahoehoe-type surfaces. This suggests that most of the flow units were erupted at relatively low volume effusion rates (<100 m3/s) over long periods of time or had very low viscosities. One flow unit has a knobby texture which resembles large tumuli or ridge structures. Much of the tectonic deformation in the area is in the form of fractures circumferential to the edifices and isolated blocks of tessera terrain; there are no rift zones such as those which occur at Beta Regio, Atla Regio, or Western Eistla Regio. Tepev Mons is characterized by very steep slopes (up to 40° along the east flank), a relatively flat summit, and two large (11 and 31 km) calderas. Though covered in places by high-dielectric material, the Tepev Mons summit area is relatively smooth with the exception of annular rough deposits which ring the two calderas. These calderas are quite shallow (on the order of a few hundred meters at most), with no discernible difference in radius between individual altimeter footprints inside and outside the larger eastern feature. Magellan and Venera data suggest that the eastern caldera is covered by a layer of unconsolidated material. Ejecta from Miriam crater has produced a halo with a dielectric constant of 6–7 surrounding Nefertiti corona, and Potanina crater ejecta is the likely source material for radar-dark wind streaks south of Tepev Mons. A low-dielectric (e = 2–3) triangular region on the south flank of Tepev Mons may be a pyroclastic or crater ejecta deposit which has been spread westward by the wind. This region has undergone a wide variety of volcanic processes, with a major shift in eruptive style from the older low-relief eastern volcanic center to the steep slopes and large summit calderas characteristic of Tepev Mons and the two smaller edifices.


Four new polyoxygenated cyclohexenes, 2-O-acetyl-6-O-methylzeylenol (2), 2-O-benzoyl-3-O-debenzoylzeylenone (5), 3-O-debenzoylzeylenone (6) and 3-O-debenzoylgrandiflorone (8), were isolated from the leaves of Uvaria purpurea. 2-O-acetyl-6-O-benzoylzeylenol (3) was also isolated for the first time as a natural product. Compounds 5–7 each showed inhibitory activity against the root growth of Lactuca sativa. Their structures were established by spectroscopic and chemical methods.


The enzymatic synthesis of several sorbitol diesters whose HLB values are similar to those of monoglycerides (the largest single type of food-grade emulsifiers) has been studied. The procedure is carried out by the simple addition of the polyol to a solution of the fatty acid and is based on continuous precipitation of the diester formed at a low temperature. A solvent of relatively low toxicity (acetone) was used. Pure fatty acids of different chain lengths (lauric and caprylic acids) were employed. The procedure was also tested using the acids obtained from total hydrolysis of olive oil, as an example of industrial feedstocks of fatty acids. This synthesis strategy gave complete conversion of sorbitol and >95% yields of the corresponding 1,6-diesters. In addition, a strategy to reduce the reaction time is reported. The enzymatic procedure permits minimization of the solvent/sugar ratio because it does not require complete dissolution of the sugar in the organic solvent. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The long-term effect of lucerne use, in reducing drainage of water below the root zone and runoff (water excess), has not been examined in south-western Australia (Western Australia). The main aims of the paper were to determine how the long-term mean water excess was influenced by the proportion of lucerne in the rotation and the length of the lucerne phase in relation to soil type and location. A simulation model was used to compare scenarios, drawing on historical weather data from 1957 to 2001. Simulations were performed for 2 locations (high and low rainfall) and 2 soil types (high and low water-holding capacity). Lucerne significantly and rapidly (within 2-3 years) reduces the long-term mean water excess in rotations consisting of 2-4 years of lucerne followed by 1-4 years of wheat compared with continuous wheat. For every 10% increase in the percentage of lucerne years in the total rotation length, the mean water excess decreased by 17-20 mm (7-9%) at Kojonup (high-rainfall site) and 7-8 mm (8-9%) at Buntine (low-rainfall site) compared with the water excess associated with continuous wheat at each location. The proportion of lucerne in the rotation had a greater effect on the water excess than the effect of different soil types. Variation in the water excess due to variation in rainfall was greater than the reduction in water excess due to lucerne. This makes the decisions about when to grow lucerne to reduce water excess difficult if livestock enterprises are less profitable than cropping enterprises. The simulations show that lucerne mean yearly biomass ranges from 4.5 to 6.9 t/ha at Kojonup and from 1.6 to 4.7 t/ha at Buntine, depending on soil type and stage of lucerne in the land use sequence. It is worth considering that lucerne has the potential to reduce subsequent wheat yields with removal in autumn.


Objective: This study investigates the association of COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates with 2020 presidential election voting preference in Florida counties and the moderating role of age, race, ethnicity, and other community characteristics. Methods: Florida county COVID-19 infection and vaccination counts through September 2021 were supplemented with socioeconomic characteristics and 2020 presidential election results. Poisson regression measured the association of infection and vaccination rates with county political preferences, race, ethnicity, and other county demographic and economic characteristics. For models of April through September 2021 infection rates, the same county characteristics were assessed alongside county vaccination levels. Results: Each 1% increase in county full vaccination rates was associated with 82.47 fewer infections per 100 000 during the span of April to September 2021. Vaccination rate was the largest and most statistically significant determinant of vaccine era infections. Each 1% increase in the county share of votes for the 2020 Republican presidential candidate was associated with 109.7 more COVID-19 infections per 100 000 through March 2021 and a 0.546% decrease in county vaccination rates through September 2021. Conclusions: At the county level, COVID-19 vaccination rates are associated with infection rates, with a higher county population proportion of fully vaccinated associated with fewer infections per 100 000. County political preference in the 2020 presidential election is significantly associated with county-level COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates.


The glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, liraglutide, has been shown to be effective in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effects of liraglutide (25 nmol/day for 8 weeks) on the cognitive ability of 12-month-old 5× familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) mice. The spatial cognitive ability was improved in 5×FAD mice after administration of liraglutide, associated with an increased number of pyramidal cells in the cortex and hippocampus. Liraglutide also alleviated the ultrastructural changes in chemical synapses and pyramidal cells and reduced local and universal inflammation in AD mice. Furthermore, liraglutide reduced the expression of amyloid β protein through the regulation of nuclear factor kappa B/beta-secretase 1 pathways in AD mice. The potential of liraglutide to improve the cognitive function in AD animals offers an effective pharmacological approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases.


Although social workers are actively involved in helping parents and children in child abuse cases, the legal profession and the courts currently establish and influence social policies regarding such abuse. For social workers not trained in law, this article highlights the historical background of child abuse, reviews cases of child abuse and neglect that have set legal precedent, and discusses the legal requirement that makes reporting suspected cases of child abuse mandatory.


Observational evidence suggests that our universe is currently evolving towards an asymptotically de Sitter future. Unfortunately and in spite of much recent attention, various quantum, holographic and cosmological aspects of de Sitter space remain quite enigmatic. With such intrigue in mind, this paper considers the 'construction' of a toy model that describes an asymptotically de Sitter universe. More specifically, we add fluid-like matter to an otherwise purely de Sitter spacetime, formulate the relevant solutions and then discuss the cosmological and holographic implications. If the objective is to construct an asymptotically de Sitter universe that is free of singularities and has a straightforward holographic interpretation, then the results of this analysis are decidedly negative. Nonetheless, this toy model nicely illustrates the pitfalls that might be encountered in a more realistic type of construction.


Given previous research on the risks associated with cycling in young adult dating relationships, the present study examines the frequency with which cyclical dating relationships (relationships that end and renew) persist into cohabitation and marriage, the characteristics of these relationships, and the constraints associated with cycling during these stages using a nationally representative sample of cohabiting (n = 323) and married (n = 752) couples. Using retrospective accounts, results suggest that over one-third of cohabiters and one-fifth of spouses have experienced a breakup and renewal in their current relationship. Additionally, partners who have experienced cycling are at greater risk for further cycling and experiencing greater constraints to permanently ending the relationship, greater uncertainty in their relationship's future, and lower satisfaction.


At the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, D.C., last week, researchers expressed cautious optimism that the field is gaining momentum. The primary reason: tantalizing hints from two high-profile, phase II trials of antibodies that latch onto β amyloid, a protein that forms sticky masses in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. To some, the small number of people studied and the modest results were far from persuasive. But to others at the meeting, the findings provide some of the first encouraging evidence that β amyloid is a target for treatment. One next step is to try to stimulate the body's own immune defenses with an antiamyloid vaccine—an approach that failed in the past but is now getting a second look.


Formation of intrinsic acceptor defects in ZnO is rare due to the low formation energy of donors. Understanding this phenomenon is of interest for the fabrication of high quality light emitting diodes. Herein, we examine the temperature dependent formation of defects in nanocrystalline ZnO through a combination of X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) together with X-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES) and electron spin resonance (ESR). Certain defects are shown to form under low temperature and are unstable above 700 °C. These defects have high g-values characteristic of acceptors and short spin-lattice relaxation times. XEOL measurements show that acceptor defects with a characteristic red luminescence are also formed under these conditions. Low g-value (donor) defects forming at temperatures >700 °C are shown to have spin-lattice relaxation characteristic of nonradiative recombination centers.


Background Traditional predictor analysis identifies characteristics that determine binary outcomes in EIA but variability is still observed in disease courses. Growth mixture modeling allows refinement of predictor analysis by identifying an optimal number of clusters of individuals with similar disease trajectories in observed data. Objectives Determine which baseline characteristics define trajectory clusters, and examine differences in medication use in the clusters. Methods The cluster-based trajectory modeling strategy was applied to data from the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH) study. Patients were assigned to mutually exclusive trajectories by their DAS28 scores over time, based on a posterior membership probability. To determine variables distinguishing the clusters, cross-tabulations of individual-level cluster assignments with individual-level characteristics were carried out. ANOVA was used to compare differences between clusters, applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Results Five mutually exclusive clusters (Cl-1 to 5) were identified (2,215 patients, 24 months of follow-up). Cl-1 (n=519, 24.4%) begins in low disease activity and achieves remission; Cl-2 (n=337, 20.3%) begins in high disease activity and achieves remission; Cl-3 (n=759, 27.6%) begins in moderate disease activity and achieves low disease activity; Cl-4 (n=503, 21.3%) begins in high disease activity and achieves moderate disease activity; and Cl-5 (n=97, 6.3%) begins and remains in high disease activity. The clusters varied in the proportion of individuals meeting 2010 RA classification criteria (Cl-1 61%, Cl-5 97%) and being seropositive (Cl-1 56% RF and 49% anti-CCP, Cl-5 72% RF and 63% anti-CCP). Socio-demographics and health status varied in cluster assignment. Patients in Cl-1 were younger (<50 years 54%, 32%>42% in Cl-2-5), with more males (36%, 23-25% in Cl-4, 5). Cl-1 patients had fewer comorbidities (mean 1.9, Cl-5 3.1) and more who never smoked (50%, 29% in Cl-5). Cl-5 had more minority populations (77% Caucasian or European, 93% in Cl-1), lower income (24% <$20,000 per year, 8% in Cl-1), and lower employment rates (39%, 70% in Cl-1). These clusters differed in therapeutic use, with Cl-4, 5 patients using lesser and/or lower doses of methotrexate by 24 months (31.5% and 17.5% respectively, vs 38.7%>43.6% for Cl-1-3, p=0.017). Cl-5 more frequently required steroids at the initial visit (72.8%, 50.1-57.3% in Cl-1-4) and 37.5% were still on steroids by 24 months, p=0.004. Cl-5 patients required early start of biologic therapy (34.0% by month 12, 2.2-14.9% in Cl-1-4, p<0.001). Conclusions Disease trajectories in EIA are influenced by socio-demographic and health status factors including age, sex, comorbid disease, smoking status, ethnicity, income, and employment. Differing therapeutic requirements are reflected in these trajectories. To achieve further improvements in EIA outcomes, population health strategies addressing social determinants of health and patient-tailored treatment strategies are needed. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.2946


Background: Wilms Tumor (WT) is the most common pediatric kidney cancer and in approximately 2% of cases presents a familial predisposition. In both sporadic and inherited WT cases, several genes have been identified as being somatically mutated. The most frequent WT mutated genes are WT1, CTNNB1 and WTX, that together account for approximately 30% of cases. In addition, mutation in other genes such as TP53, IGF2, DIS3L2, FBXW7, MYCN, and DICER have also been described in few cases. However, up to 60-70% of Wilms tumors remain without any associated driver mutation. In this sense, the aim of this project was to identify novel somatic and de novo alterations possibly associated with WT tumorigenesis through exome sequencing. Methods: The study design consisted of performing exome sequencing of 4 samples related to a sporadic WT patient: patient blood and tumor samples, in addition to mother9s and father9s blood samples. Coding regions of genomic DNA were enriched using SureSelect Human All Exon 50Mb Kit (Agilent). Libraries construction and sequencing at SOLiD 4 and 5500xl were performed following the manufacturer9s instructions. Resulting sequences were mapped to a reference genome with Bioscope and NovoalignCS software. Sequence variants were identified with SAMtools and filtered if present on dbSNP database. Initially a small set of de novo and somatic mutations were selected to be validated by sanger sequencing. Results: From 84 unknown de novo alterations, we selected 11 for validation according to the following criteria: all loss of function variants (1 splice site and 2 nonsenses; 8 missense variants that were classified as pathogenic in the prediction programs SIFT and/or Polyphen2 and were not at highly repetitive or homologous regions of the genome. From these 11 candidates, only one was confirmed to be a de novo mutation, while the remaining ten were either false positive or inherited variants. Regarding somatic alterations, 8 candidate mutations were identified and selected for validation. After sanger sequencing, only one was validated as a somatic mutation, one variant was also present in patient9s blood and 6 alterations were not confirmed in the tumor, suggesting it to be sequencing artifacts. The gene affected by the validated somatic mutation encodes an important protein involved in RNA regulation and cell differentiation, and was not described to be mutated in any tumor type until now. Remarkably, this somatic mutation affects a highly conserved amino acid of this gene and this residue is a known binding site for a magnesium cofactor that is essential for the protein activity. The presence of this mutation was further evaluated in a cohort of 97 Wilms tumor samples and found to be present in 10% of cases. Preliminary functional studies of HEK293 cells transfected with an expression vector of this mutation demonstrated an impaired activity of the mutated protein. Conclusion: In this study we were able to identify one de novo and one somatic novel mutations in Wilms tumor. Initial results from our group suggest that this somatic mutation represents a driver and frequent event in this type of tumor. Citation Format: Giovana T. Torrezan, Elisa N. Ferreira, Mayra T M Castro, Adriana M. Nakahata, Pedro A. Galante, Daniel T. Ohara, Bruna D. Barros, Mariana Maschietto, Isabela W. Cunha, Cecilia M L Costa, Beatriz D. Camargo, Dirce M. Carraro. Identification of somatic and de novo mutations by exome sequencing in sporadic Wilms tumor. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pediatric Cancer at the Crossroads: Translating Discovery into Improved Outcomes; Nov 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;74(20 Suppl):Abstract nr A29.


Recent research has shown that more globalized countries - defined as those with stronger international trade and financial linkages - tend to have larger governments. The empirical evidence reported in this paper shows that globalization is also associated with the government's fiscal stance, nationally and subnationally. Greater access to external sources of finance, which can be facilitated through globalization, is associated with increased market scrutiny over policies, resulting in a higher premium on fiscal discipline.


Thank you very much for downloading room temperature tunable color center lasers. As you may know, people have look hundreds times for their favorite novels like this room temperature tunable color center lasers, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some malicious virus inside their computer. room temperature tunable color center lasers is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the room temperature tunable color center lasers is universally compatible with any devices to read.


This book covers various short texts on Islamic studies. Some of which are adapted from several sources and have been fitted to the Islamic Higher Education syllabus. Its contents are focused more on reading comprehension, vocabulary building, along with structure items and exercises.


The orbit theory of the electrostatic electron cyclotron resonance maser (EECRM), which is similar to the orbitron maser, is presented based on models with both circular and noncircular steady-state electron orbits. In contrast to the nonlinear theory of the magnetostatic electron cyclotron resonance maser (MECRM), the concept of converting efficiency is introduced. The efficiencies for TE, TM, and TEM modes are calculated in various cases. Numerical analyses show that in the interaction process the radio-frequency (RF) fields attract energy mainly from the potential energy of electron beams. The nonlinear interaction mechanisms and the effects of some parameters are also studied. >


Background: Overall survival (OS) remains the definitive primary efficacy endpoint to evaluate previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapies, but it requires prolonged follow-up. An earlier endpoint assessed post-treatment would expedite clinical trial conduct and accelerate patient access to effective new therapies. Our objective was to formally evaluate event-free survival (EFS) as a surrogate endpoint for OS in untreated AML.
 Methods: Individual patient data were analyzed from 2,475 patients (pts) from 4 multicenter, randomized controlled phase III trials of active treatment in previously untreated AML using anthracycline and cytarabine induction chemotherapy as the concurrent control (CALGB 10201, n=506, enrollment period 2003-2006, age 60-88 years (y); CALGB 10603, n=717, enrollment period 2008-2015, age 18-60 y, FLT3-mutated pts only; SWOG 0106, n=595, enrollment period 2004-2009, age 18-60 y; ECOG-ACRIN 1900, n=657, enrollment period 2002-2008, age 17-60 y). Individual patient-level surrogacy examines the association between the individual patients' EFS and OS time after adjusting for treatment effect, and was assessed using the copula bivariate survival model (Kendall's tau). Trial-level surrogacy measures how precisely the treatment effect on OS can be predicted on the basis of observed treatment effect on EFS, and was evaluated using both linear regression (R2WLS) weighted by trial size and Copula bivariate (R2Copula) models. Pre-specified criteria for surrogacy required either R2WLS or R2Copula ≥0.80, neither below 0.7, with either lower bound 95% Confidence Interval (CI) >0.60. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using different EFS definitions (Table 1).
 Results: With a median follow-up of 50.2 months for the 896 patients still alive, the median OS and EFS across all four trials were 20.9 months (95% CI: 19.0-22.7) and 5.6 months (95% CI: 4.5-6.4), respectively. Trial-level surrogacy for EFS was strong (R2WLS=0.79; R2Copula=0.89), indicating a high correlation of treatment effect between EFS and OS. At the individual patient-level, however, EFS showed weak association with OS (tau= 0.52), compared to the strength of trial-level surrogacy. The discrepancy between patient-level EFS and OS was greatest among patients who did not achieve a CR, followed by those who achieved a CR but relapsed (Figure 1).
 Sensitivity analysis on alternative EFS definitions showed that the trial-level surrogacy was similar, but individual patient-level surrogacy varied across different EFS definitions (Table 1). This is consistent with what we previously reported (ASH 2016): EFS estimates differed considerably based on the definition of induction failure (IF) in a single arm setting, but this had minimal impact on the estimation of the treatment effect using EFS in randomized trials. In addition, when considering only relapse and death as events (definition 4), both individual patient- and trial-level correlations were high.
 Conclusions: Correlation between EFS and OS was impacted by patients not achieving CR during induction. Despite the lack of patient-level correlation, a strong correlation between hazard ratios for treatment effects was observed between EFS and OS on the trial level. Hence, it remains debatable whether EFS represents a clinical benefit in itself for patient with untreated AML considering the strong correlation in treatment effects. Further validation is needed due to the small number of trials included and the heterogeneity across trials.
 Acknowledgment: We gratefully acknowledge the important contributions of the late Dr. Stephen H. Petersdorf, SWOG S0106 Study Chair.
 Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, U10CA180794, U10CA180820, U10CA180888;
 Clinicaltrials.gov Identifiers: NCT00085124 (10201), NCT00651261 (10603), NCT01253070 (11001), NCT00085709 (SWOG S0106), and NCT00049517 (ECOG-ACRIN E1900)

 Uy: Curis: Consultancy; GlycoMimetics: Consultancy. Larson:Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; BristolMyers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Ariad/Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding.


The status of a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) often has significant impact on a physician's willingness and ability to provide quality medical care. A physician may face substantial penalties for refusing to treat a patient with HIV. Even the referral of a patient with HIV to a specialist in the disease may constitute a discriminatory act. The law provides certain guidelines which, if followed, may help keep the physician out of the courtroom.


Although the application of palm oil fuel ash and pulverised burnt clay in selfconsolidating concrete is gaining prominence, their application singly in binary mixes is associated with some setbacks. In this study, a blend of Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) and pulverised burnt clay (PBC) was used as partial replacement of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) to produce self-consolidating high performance concrete (SCHPC). Fifteen different mixes were prepared with varying percentages of blended POFA/PBC, high range water reducing admixture (HRWR) and water to binder ratio (W/B) ranging from 0.30-0.40. Three key fresh properties were investigated. The filling ability was evaluated based on the slump flow, 500mm slump flow time (T500), inverted slump cone flow spread and time, Orimet flow time and v-funnel flow time. The passing ability was evaluated with respect to J-ring flow and L-box blocking ratio. Furthermore, the segregation resistance was determined based on the sieve segregation index and column segregation factor. A comparative analysis was carried out on the results based on the correlations established among the fresh properties of the respective mixes. The research findings revealed strong correlations between most of the fresh properties of the respective SCHPC.


For at least the past three decades, the sociology of football and its supporter cultures has been responsive to the social issues which have emerged within it. Today, the fact that fans rejoice and protest at overseas purchases of their club means that the time has come for research to reflect on elite-level English football's position in a transnational space. In this context, this article focuses on the football supporters' protests connected to Liverpool FC, centring on the Spirit of Shankly mobilization, and uses Manuel Castells' theories to understand them. The argument that emerges is important for sociologists understanding the contemporary world because it illustrates the connections between local sites around the world, the internet as a tool through which collective action takes place, and discusses what 'power' means in these contexts.


Abstract This paper introduces and evaluates the Adding and Doubling Method (ADM) for solving the Bateman equations for depletion systems with varying numbers of nuclides and compares it to the Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method (CRAM), both implemented in the reactor physics analysis application Griffin. ADM, when applied to the Crank-Nicolson Finite Difference method, can produce results comparable in accuracy and precision to CRAM with comparable run times for systems with 35 or 297 nuclides. For systems with more than 300 nuclides, the matrix-matrix operations required by ADM are significantly more costly than the matrix-vector operations required by CRAM, making CRAM the more efficient method for systems with large numbers of nuclides. ADM is an accurate method that maintains other advantages over CRAM in that it does not depend on pre-generated coefficients or require complex number operations. ADM also manages to outperform CRAM by a factor of more than 250 in terms of run time for depletion systems that require multiple Bateman solves while the depletion matrix and time step size remain constant over all depletion intervals.


44 supra- and intercondylar fractures were treated with the "Dynamic Condylar Screw" (DCS). Our experience with this device in a teaching hospital with surgeons of different training levels was encouraging, since there was no complication due to the insertion technique in this complex fracture setting. When we compare our results obtained with the DCS with those in the literature achieved with the angled blade plate, we got the same or better results in respect to implant failure, infection, fracture healing and function.


OBJECTIVE
Lower uterine segment thickness was measured by transvaginal ultrasound examination and its correlations with the occurrence of uterine dehiscence and rupture was examined.

METHODS
The thickness of the muscular layer of the lower uterine segment was measured in 186 term gravidas with previous uterine scars and its correlation with uterine dehiscence/rupture was investigated.

RESULTS
Uterine dehiscence was found in 9 cases or 4.7%. There were no cases of the uterine rupture. The thickness of the lower uterine segment among the gravidas with dehiscence was significantly less in than those without dehiscence (p< 0.01). The cut-off value for the thickness of the lower uterine segment was 1.6 mm as calculated by the receiver operating characteristic curve. The sensitivity was 77.8%; specificity 88.6%; positive predictive value 25.9%; negative predictive value 98.7%.

CONCLUSION
Measurement of the lower uterine segment is useful in predicting the absence of dehiscence among gravidas with previous cesarean section. If the thickness of the lower uterine segment is more than 1.6 mm, the possibility of dehiscence during the subsequent trials of labor is very small.


The synthesis, crystal structure, and characterization of the noncentrosymmetric semiorganic material (NH(4)).Sr[l-(+)-C(4)H(2)O(6).B(OH)(2)].4H(2)O were reported. Crystals were synthesized through slow evaporation at room temperature, utilizing SrCl(2).6H(2)O, C(4)H(4)O(6), H(3)BO(3), and NH(3).H(2)O as reagents, and its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 (No. 1) with a = 6.4633(10) A, b = 7.0452(13) A, c = 7.0745(12) A, alpha = 85.351(5) degrees , beta = 77.678(5) degrees , gamma = 73.276(4) degrees , and Z = 1. It exhibits a two-dimensional layered structure along the c axis, consisting of SrO(9) polyhedra, BO(4) tetrahedra, tartrate molecules, NH(4)(+) cations, and H(2)O molecules. IR spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) were also performed on the reported material. Nonlinear optical measurements, using 1064 nm radiation, indicate that the material has SHG properties, with an efficiency of approximately 1.5 times that of KH(2)PO(4).


Given a sampled signal, in general, is not possible to compute its period, but just an approximation. We propose an algorithm to approximate the period, based on the Discrete Fourier Transform. If that transformation uses data length for multiples of the true period, some of its harmonics have null value. Thus, the best candidate to be a multiple of the period minimizes the value of those harmonics. The validation for noiseless data shows an upper bound in the error equal to a quarter of the time between two consecutive samples, whereas the result for noisy data demonstrates robustness. As application, the algorithm estimates the period of physiological signals, and tracks the frequency of the power grid in real time, which evidence its versatility


Transurethral ethanol ablation of the prostate (TEAP) has emerged among the treatment alternatives to transurethral resection of prostate as a promising minimally invasive therapy that can be performed on an outpatient basis with fewer complications. It was introduced approximately 5 years ago, and to date, 12-month results are encouraging. We herein review the procedure and outcomes of TEAP.


We acknowledge and congratulate Narra J Co-Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Kuldeep Dhama, as Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) 2021 by Clarivate. Dr. Kuldeep Dhama, is a Principal Scientist at ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Izatnagar, India. He is a NAAS (National Academy of Agricultural Science, India) Associate, Fellow-Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM), UK, and has worked as Nodal Officer, WTO, and a member of Wildlife Health Specialist Group (IUCN). His research and teaching experience cover microbiology, immunology, virology, public health, medicine, and biomedicine. He is actively serving as Editor-in-Chief, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Editor, Associate Editor, Guest Editor and Member of Editorial Board for more than 15 scientific journals. Dr. Kuldeep Dhama role as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Narra J will enhance the quality of the Narra J one of the reputable journals in the near future. In his 27 years of research experience, he has published not only a great quantity of research (over 578 research publications indexed in Scopus with h-index of 50), but has published in highly respected journals such as Nature. Congratulations on an impactful career!


Entrepreneurial orientation of ethnic minority small businesses has prompted thus study to explore entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of Malaysian Indian ethnic entrepreneurs. This paper, reveals an overview of profile of Malaysian Indian ethnic entrepreneurs' and the level of entrepreneurial orientation. The paper reports and analyses the findings of 201 questionnaires which were collected from selected areas in Malaysia such as Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Penang and Kedah. The paper illustrates an overview entrepreneurial profile among Malaysian Indian ethnic entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the result also shows that the is no gender difference in term of entrepreneurial orientation level among Malaysian Indian ethnic entrepreneurs. Discussion and implication of this study introduced in the last section on this paper.


Objectives: The objective of the study are to determine BPA release and genotoxicity differences between three adhesives, and to determine the relationship between BPA release and genotoxicity. Methods: Three branded adhesives materials were polimerized in mold and immersed in pH 7 and 4 artificial saliva from 24 to 720 hours. The artificial saliva was tested with spectrofotometry test to see BPA release at 24, 240, 480, and 720 hours, then freeze dried to get solid extract. Combination of the extract and lymphocite culture (male and female) then tested with in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus (MN) assay to see genotoxicity level of three adhesives at 24, 240, 480, and 720 hours as well. Results: The highest BPA release occured at 720 hours by Tetric N-Flow: 0,013μg/L; Filtek Z350XT: 0,11μg/L; Flowtain LV: 0,036μg/L respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between BPA release with time (F = 505,98; p=0,00) and brands (F = 147,65; p = 0,00). Time and BPA release interaction also showed a statistically significant difference (F=13,35; p=0,00). Genotoxicity can be seen at 720 hours on Flowtain LV sample (MN frequency: male: 0,044; female: 0,053). Conclusions: The number of BPA release of all brand was increasing from 24 to 720 hours and did not influenced by brands. Genotoxicity can be seen from one of the adhesive brand at 720 hours.There was correlation between BPA leaching and micronucleus frequency. DOI:  10.14693/jdi.v22i3.402


In order to determine the protein requirements of the Korean rockfish Sebastes schlegeli six isocaloric diets containing crude protein level from 20% to 60% were fed to two groups of fish, small and large size, with the initial average body weight of 8 g and 220 g respectively. White fish meal was used as a sole protein source. Daily weight gain, daily protein retention, daily energy retention, feed efficiency, protein retention efficiency and energy retention efficiency were significantly affected by the dietary protein content (p<0.05). The growth parameters (that is, daily weight gain, daily protein retention and daily energy retention) increased up to 44 % protein level with no additional response above this point. The protein requirements were determined from daily weight gain using two different mathematical models. Second order polynomial regression analysis showed that maximum daily weight gain occurred at 56.7 % and 50.6 % protein levels for the small size group and the large size group, respectively. However the protein requirements, determined by the broken line model, appeared to be about 40% for both groups. Nutrient utilization also suggested that the protein requirements of both groups were close to 40%. When daily protein intake was considered, daily protein requirements per 100 g of fish, estimated by the broken line model, were 0.99 g and 0.35 g for the small and large size groups respectively. Based on these results, a 40% dietary crude protein level could be recommended for the optimum growth and efficient nutrient utilization of the Korean rockfish weighing between 8 g and 300 g.


Improving the mechanical and physical properties of bio-composite materials involves the incorporation of plant fibers such as Jute, Hemp, Kenaf, Ramie, Sisal, Linen, etc. The existence of Diss grass (Ampelodesmos mauritanicus) in abundance in the east of Algeria especially in Khenchela region and taking into account their mechanical resistance and their low density, which justifies their choice of use in composite materials. Tensile and hardness tests for different volume fractions (from 05% to 20%) of short fibers of Diss are performed. The increase in fiber content and their treatment improves the mechanical characteristics of the composite materials. These concentration levels are added to a Polyester resin matrix. Our work relates to the study of a composite material reinforced by a vegetable fiber of which different volume ratio of short Diss fiber are considered. The results collected are purely experimental.


Physics, as known from our local, around—earth experience, meets some of its applicability limits at the time just preceding the period of primeval nucleosynthesis. Attention is focussed here on the effects of the nucleon size. Radiation—belonging nucleons are found to produce an extremely high pressure at kT ≈ some tens or hundreds of MeV. Quark deconfinement at higher energies would not change the results.


We present an autonomous goal-directed strategy to learn how to control a redundant robot in the task space. We discuss the advantages of exploring the state space through goal-directed actions defined in the task space (i.e. learning by trying to do) instead of performing motor babbling in the joints space, and we stress the importance of learning to be performed online, without any separation between training and execution. Our solution relies on learning the forward model and then inverting it for the control; different approaches to learn the forward model are described and compared. Experimental results on a simulated humanoid robot are provided to support our claims. The robot learns autonomously how to perform reaching actions directed toward 3D targets in task space by using arm and waist motion, not relying on any prior knowledge or initial motor babbling. To test the ability of the system to adapt to sudden changes both in the robot structure and in the perceived environment we artificially introduce two different kinds of kinematic perturbations: a modification of the length of one link and a rotation of the task space reference frame. Results demonstrate that the online update of the model allows the robot to cope with such situations.


Studies investigating factors affecting prognosis in primary myelofibrosis have been numerous over the years because of the high heterogeneity with regard to its natural clinical course. Recently, the increasing application of reduced-intensity conditioning with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as well as the ongoing rapid development of new experimental agents, such as JAK2 inhibitors, have made the requirement for simple and accurate scoring systems to select individual patients for the most appropriate treatment strategy even more critical. This short report summarizes the state of the art and the most recent advances in this area.


Modern high speed (RF) transistors encounter certain delay while operated at high frequency or under fast transient condition. This effect is named as Non Quasi Static (NQS) effect. In this work, NQS effect is analyzed in a concise manner so that it can be readily implemented in a compact model using the VerilogA description language. The basic physics behind this effect is investigated in small signal domain and results are compared with the published work. Compact modeling with HICUM model is performed with both measured and device simulated data. At last, an improved excess phase circuit is proposed to model the NQS effect.


Most hearing losses are progressive in nature, yet treatment with amplification for the first-time user is an abrupt change to new, higher levels of ongoing sound stimulation. The ability of a hearing aid user to adapt successfully to a new set of hearing aids is dependent on the ability to accept these new listening levels. In a similar manner, a previous user of amplification also may show difficulties in adjustment to new devices if the sound processing or quality is significantly different. Adaptation management is the process by which the user is moved from a previous sound experience to a new experience gradually over time. In progressive steps, a variety of circuit settings are adjusted to change the performance of the devices to move from a sound picture more similar to the patient's current experience to a new sound picture that represents the new desired sound processing. Programmable circuitry has made the application of adaptation management a simple process.


Comparisons of Eustachian tube (ET) functions studied by sequential contrast computerized tomography (CT) and by tubotympanic aerodynamics (TTAG) were made. ET clearance function was assessed by the shape of the cartilaginous portion before, during and at the end of swallowing; ventilatory function was studied by TTAG. ET clarity, real-time dynamics and resolution were all better when observed with sequential CT. Contrast medium was instilled into the middle ear via a drumhead perforation and 1 scan/sec taken during swallowing. We classified ET function based on the presence or absence of a) movement of the cartilaginous portion, and b) contrast medium in the ET as i) movement present, contrast medium seen in ET: ii) movement absent, contrast medium present in ET; and iii) movement present, no contrast medium in the ET. Ventilatory and clearance functions did not parallel one another, attributable to some mechanical, differences between the two functions.


We present a new structure for complex adaptive IIR notch filters which is useful for the rejection of narrowband interference from broadband signals in QPSK communications systems. The proposed structure is based on a gradient algorithm. A performance analysis for convergence properties is developed. It is shown that the convergence speed does not depend on the variance of input white noise. The effects of colored Gaussian noise on convergence speed are analyzed. The results of computer simulation are shown which confirm the theoretical prediction.


Construction is unarguably one of the most dangerous industries whereby many hazardous tasks and conditions exist, which may pose injuries, risks and fatalities to the workers. Hence, safety inspections are continuously carried out to maintain a safe environment. These typically involve safety officers who circulate around the construction site to detect unsafe working conditions, and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. However, the task of efficiently supervising a large number of workers and consistently identifying all possible violations is still considered manual and tedious. Therefore, this paper takes the initial steps and presents work targeted at automating the safety inspection process using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These are commonly known as drones and are small, aerial camera-equipped robots capable of rapidly visualizing spacious environments. More specifically, in this study, a UAV system is used to capture real-time videos from a construction site. The videos are then streamed to a central automated system and analyzed using digital image processing techniques to check whether construction workers are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), in particular hard hats. The components of the proposed system were created and preliminary results highlighted the potential of using camera-equipped UAVs and computer vision to automate safety inspections in construction environments.


Introduction and Objectives Despite the effectiveness of inhaled and systemic corticosteroids in controlling and preventing asthma exacerbations, suboptimal rates of adherence to treatment have been well documented. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of patients′ beliefs about their medicine in determining their adherence to inhaled corticosteroids. The aim of this study was to examine in-depth people′s concerns about inhaled and systemic corticosteroids for asthma and their relation to treatment adherence, and to assess the use of and satisfaction with available sources of information about corticosteroids to inform the development of interventions to support patients. Method Validated questionnaires measuring concerns about steroid inhalers and tablets (Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire), satisfaction with information (Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale) and adherence (Medication Adherence Report Scale) were sent to Asthma UK members or completed online via the Asthma UK website. Results 2659 people returned questionnaires. Respondents reported a range of concerns about steroid medicines. The most prevalent concerns about steroid inhalers were about potential long-term effects (60%) side effects (sore throat or oral thrush (43%); effects on the voice (37%)) and becoming dependent on the inhaler (36%). The most prevalent concerns about steroid tablets were about long-term effects (81%), side effects (concerns about weight gain (66%); weakened bones (65%)) and general worry about taking the tablets (62%). People had stronger concerns about steroid tablets compared to steroid inhalers (p<0.0001). Concerns about treatment were associated with lower adherence to steroid inhalers (p<0.0001) and steroid tablets (p<0.0001). The most frequent sources of information used by people to address their concerns were reading the patient information leaflet and consulting nurses and doctors. Two-thirds of the sample indicated that they were dissatisfied with the information they had received about steroid treatments. Conclusion People with asthma had a range of concerns about steroid medicines which impacted negatively on adherence. For many, treatment concerns had not been alleviated by the available information sources. Developing and implementing interventions that address patients′ concerns about the side effects of corticosteroids may improve adherence to asthma treatment and improve asthma control.


In this study, a chair with 5 or 6 legs was designed using the commercial program CATIA V5 in order to efficiently design considering the load conditions. In addition, the stress analysis and shape optimization were carried out using ANSYS Workbench for the chair consisting of stainless steel, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys and structural steel. As a result, a chair with five legs showed the maximum equivalent stress at the end of the edge of the wheel parts and on the other hand, a chair with six legs showed the maximum equivalent stress at the corner of the connecting parts of the pillar and leg. In addition, the material and the weight was reduced by shape optimization for the chair model with 5 legs and maximum equivalent stress for stainless steel was found that greatly relaxed, compared with that of before shape optimization model.


Increased mass transport due to hemispherical diffusion is observed to occur in 3D porous carbon electrodes defined by interferometric lithography. Enhanced catalytic methanol oxidation, after modifying the porous carbon with palladium nanoparticles, and uncharacteristically uniform conducting polymer deposition into the structures are demonstrated. Both examples result in two regions of hierarchical porosity that can be created to maximize surface area, via nanostructuring, within the extended porous network, while taking advantage of hemispherical diffusion through the open pores.


Caring for the caregivers of patients with cancer is an increasingly important part of cancer care. In the past few years, several cancer centers have started caregiver-focused services and programs. However, the number of centers that offer such programs and what they provide is unclear. This article will review the extent to which the 61 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers that primarily provide patient care also offer evidence-based support programs for caregivers.


We present a new lower bound on the state-complexity of linear codes, which includes all the existing bounds as special cases. For a large number of codes this results in a considerable improvement upon the DLP bound. Moreover, we generalize the new bound to nonlinear codes, and introduce several alternative techniques for lower bounding the trellis complexity, based on the distance spectrum and other combinatorial properties of the code. We also show how our techniques may be employed to lower bound the maximum and the total number of branches in the trellis. The asymptotic behavior of the new bound is investigated and shown to improve upon the known asymptotic estimates of trellis complexity.


Serial visual, brainstem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials have been recorded in 36 MS patients. The follow-up lasted 18 months. A correlation among neurophysiological modifications and clinical status of the tested pathways was inconstantly found. At the end of the study responses at the three modalities worsened in a higher percentage of progressive patients with respect to stable ones (in 41% instead of 11% of cases). Final latencies were more delayed in progressive that in stable cases.


The protection of cultured sole, Solea senegalensis, against Vibrio harveyi and Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida was evaluated following the use of a divalent vaccine prepared with formalized whole cells and extracellular products of virulent strains of both pathogenic microorganisms and administered by the immersion route. Two prolonged immersions of 5-10 g fish in the divalent bacterin at a 1-month interval gave high levels of protection similar to those obtained when the respective monovalent vaccines were administered by the intraperitoneal route [relative percentage of survival (RPS) values >70%], which indicates that the former procedure can be a useful strategy with small fish. The high protection afforded by the divalent vaccine in sole lasted for 4 months after which the RPS values against both pathogens decreased significantly.


The impact of bread making and baking procedure on rutin, quercetin and polyphenol concentration and antioxidant activity of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) bread and breads made of mixtures of tartary buckwheat and wheat flour was studied. A decrease in polyphenol concentration through baking was observed in all samples. The high DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging capacity in mixed breads (32-56%) and in tartary buckwheat bread (85-90%) decreased slightly through the bread making process, while an increase of antioxidant activity in bread made of 100% wheat flour during bread making was observed. With the addition of water to mixtures containing tartary buckwheat during the preparation of the dough, rutin concentration decreased, while quercetin concentration increased. The rutin concentration continued to decrease during the bread baking process, while the concentration of quercetin remained stable. After baking, rutin (0.47 mg/g) was present only in bread made of 100% tartary buckwheat flour along with quercetin (4.83 mg/g).


Culture has become one of the fastest growing sectors in post-industrial economies. To know its function and to expand its performance as a factor of inflow in the economy will allow us to improve living conditions, favoring the better organization of productive processes and access to cultural goods. Internationalizing means considering different levels of relationship and business execution, from the buying and selling of products and services to investment in assets in other countries (direct investment and portfolio investment). Soft power is included in this discussion because of its potential to give a country an internationalization strategy with regard to cultural products. The main objective of the study is to analyze the influence of soft power as a moderating variable in the internationalization of Brazilian cultural products. The development of explanatory models on the internationalization of Brazilian cultural products has been little explored. The proposed framework presented here relates to the variables "made in", preference, and internationalization of Brazilian cultural product with the moderating variable of soft power, aiming to provide opportunities for further discussions on the subject, besides enabling its application for future studies.


The Br NMR in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnetic is investigated in the ordered state at low temperatures. Two distinct peaks of the Br NMR spin-echo spectrum were observed at MHz and MHz accompanied by a broad signal ranging from 34 to 55 MHz in zero field. The peak frequencies are independent of temperature and the ratio of the frequencies is the same as that of the quadrupole moments of and . This suggests that the quadrupole resonance of Br is perturbed by the distribution of the internal magnetic field. Theoretical results obtained under the assumption that the Mn spins have disordered structure in the c-plane due to the frustration effect agree with the experimental data.


Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams features the oldest known art in the world—Paleolithic-era paintings in France's Chauvet Cave. His documentary not only reveals the cave's wonders, but offers a subtle commentary on 3D and its relationship to cinematic space, spectacle, science, art, and older media techniques and forms.


This article explores the concept of authenticity in authentic leadership in higher education institutions (HEIs) using the case of one of the private universities in Uganda. Authenticity has become the gold standard for leadership in organizations to make impact. The cognitive dissonance theory used in this study describes authentic leadership as one that knows its own self through self-discovery. Qualitative data was collected from 30 participants through interviews. Document review and participant observation were conducted to supplement the interviews and content analysis was done to appreciate the qualitative data. The research questions addressed were; 1) Is authentic leadership about owning one's personal experiences? 2) Why has the concept of authenticity of leaders become popular in administration today?The study found that authenticity of leadership has become a game changer in organizations today. The study concluded that authenticity of leaders has become a gold standard in management today because it necessitates owning one's personal experience (self-awareness) not only as an ethical behavior but also highly valued in administration. The implication of the study was that authentic leaders have best human resource practices aligned to both the short-term and long-term strategic goals of an organization.


This week's issue of STKE complements a special issue of Science that explores the Evolution of Language. Translation of biological knowledge into standardized and machine-readable formats is needed to enable efficient exchange information and modeling of signaling mechanisms, as well as to promote integration of information on cell signaling with records in other databases of biological information. Two Perspectives describe different symbolic languages being applied to this problem. STKE is also tackling the problem of making cell signaling pathway information in the Connections Maps database accessible to novices and experts through the Web site, as well as to computers for analysis through a machine-readable file. First approaches involve creating an XML schema based on the Systems Biology Markup Language.


The Mastrogiovanni case was a revolutionary case in the field of Italian forensic psychiatry. A recent judgment of the Court of Cassation has defined what the legal limits of mechanical restraint should be. On the other hand, even today, there is a gap in the scientific community about the presence of guidelines governing mechanical restraint. It is probably time to create specific guidelines to protect the psychiatric patient and the mental health worker.


Language policy is a tool for regulating the status of languages and allocating benefits and resources in society for language groups. Thus, language policy has both an instrumental and symbolic value for the ethnic groups and is a source of conflict between language groups and the state in many countries. This study aims to analyze the perceptions and positions of two groups in Turkey, Kurds and Circassians, regarding language rights. The data for the analysis was obtained out of the texts that are published by some groups in these communities, and interviews with the representatives of these groups. Overall, language policy is percieved as a matter of recognition by the Kurdish groups, while for the Circassians the primary problem is to increase language use of the community and to develop the language. Therefore, while Kurdish groups demand their language to be treated equally in status with the Turkish language, the Circassian groups demand support for the education and development of the language. In order to accomodate the needs and interests of each particular language group, language policies should take these differences into consideration.


To preserve the product quality as well as to reduce the logistics and storage cost, drying process is widely applied in the processing of porous material. In consideration of transport phenomena that involve a porous medium during drying, the complex morphology of the medium, and its influences on the distribution, flow, displacement of multiphase fluids are encountered. In this chapter, the recent advanced mass and energy transport models of drying processes are summarized. These models which were developed based on both pore- and continuum-scales, may provide a better fundamental understanding of non-isothermal liquid–vapor transport at both the continuum scale and the pore scale, and to pave the way for designing, operating, and optimizing drying and relevant industrial processes.