-Abstract-The clinical picture in severe cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza is markedly different from the disease pattern seen during the epidemics of seasonal influenza as many of those affected were previously healthy young people. Current predictions estimate that during a pandemic wave, 12∼30% of the population will develop clinical influenza (compared with 5∼15% for seasonal influenza) with 4% of those patients requiring hospital admissions and one in five requiring critical care. Until July 6, 94,512 people have been infected in 122 countries, of whom 429 have died with an overall case-fatality rate of <0.5%. Most of the confirmed cases of S-OIV (Swine- Origin Influenza A Virus) infection have been characterized by a self-limited, uncomplicated febrile respiratory illness and 38% of the cases have also included vomiting or diarrhea.Efforts to control these outbreaks are based on our understanding of novel S-OIV (Swine-Origin Influenza A Virus) and the previous influenza pandemics.So, this review covers the experience with S-OIV (Swine-Origin Influenza A Virus) for the admission and background data and the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of H1N1 in pediatric patient with S-OIV (Swine-Origin Influenza A Virus) at YUMC, 2009.


Objective: Psychosocial factors have proven their importance as a major risk factors for some diseases of a high social importance. Atherosclerosis and its complications is one of the most often reason for morbidity and mortality in developed societies. Aim of the current study is to compare influence of the psychosocial factors in patients with or without atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension. Design and method: Current study is a prospective randomized study including 403 patients with or without proven atherosclerosis (angiography data for coronary, carotid or peripheral artery disease) at the mean age of 61,9 ± 7,56 years, 256 (61%) men and 157 (39%) women. Standardized questionnaires have been used to assess: risk factors and co-morbidities (smoking, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, DM and family history) and self-assessment for satisfaction of the social position, happiness, freedom and professional realization. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v21. Results: There was significant difference between studied groups when compared complex assessment for psychosocial factors. In the group without AH and without atherosclerosis the complex assessment for the psychosocial factors was significantly higher than in patients with proven atherosclerosis (81,47 ± 34,98 vs. 55,24 ± 44,06 points respectively). The same was for the group of patients with AH. For patients without proven atherosclerosis and with such (73,44 ± 36,67 vs. 44,92 ± 45,97 points). Conclusions: In concusion, there is straight difference among patients with and without proven atherosclerosis concerning psychosocial factors. This difference is significant also in the groups with and without arterial hypertension. Psychosocial factors are one of the most important factors for atherosclerosis and consequence morbidity and mortality and are most important as target for primary and secondary prevention.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) in inducing ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who failed to conceive after medical methods of ovulation induction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective study of all women who underwent LOD as a treatment for anovulatory infertility between January 2010 and December 2011 was conducted. Women diagnosed to have PCOS by the Rotterdam criteria were considered for the study. Those who had PCOS but were associated with male factor infertility, deep infiltrating endometriosis and submucous fibroids were excluded.

RESULTS
A total of 43 women underwent LOD during the study period. Majority were aged 26 to 30 years and two-thirds were overweight or obese. Most (72%) of them had primary infertility. Other factors which could have contributed to infertility such as superficial endometriosis, septate uterus and unilateral tubal block were observed in 30.2% of the women, which were dealt with concomitantly. When we excluded the 14% who were lost to follow up, 23 of 43 (53.5%) women achieved pregnancy and almost 70% of them did so within the first 6 months. None of our study population had ovarian hyperstimulation or multiple pregnancy.

CONCLUSION
LOD thus not only helps in regulating ovulation and enhancing conception rates but also provides an opportunity to assess the pelvis for other potential causes of subfertility which could be treated at the same time. We therefore believe that diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy should be offered quite high-up in the hierarchy of infertility investigations and treatment.


To explore and evaluate the long-term effects of diverse online teaching methods to minimize the negative influences of online teaching of basic courses in clinical medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-nine students in grade 2017 majoring in clinical medicine (five-year program) were enrolled in this study (study group). They received online teaching of six basic clinical courses, including diagnostics, basic clinical skills, general surgery, medical imaging, and doctor‒patient communication, from March to July 2020. The study first introduced the process of online teaching, especially basic clinical skills such as history taking, physical examination, internal punctures, electrocardiography and so on. Then, they reviewed the schedules to reinforce these skills when the students returned to school. The final exam scores of four clinical courses, including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics, and the scores of graduation examinations were used to evaluate the long-term effects of online teaching. These scores were compared with students in grade 2014 who learned through offline teaching (control group). After graduation examinations, questionnaires were distributed to understand the influence of online teaching on learning clinical courses, internships and postgraduate entrance examinations. The results showed that the scores of internal medicine part I and surgery part II in the study group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Differences were not statistically significant in scores of internal medicine part II, surgery part I, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics between the two groups (P > 0.05). Two students postponed graduation in grade 2017, so 47 students took part in the graduation examination. The scores for knotting, dressing change, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). For the three items internal punctures, four-step palpation in obstetrics, and assessment of children's growth and development, the scores in the study group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between these two groups in the three items of history taking, physical examination and disinfection (P > 0.05). All 47 participants in the study group completed the questionnaire survey, with a response rate of 100%. Twenty students thought that the online learning experience had a great influence on learning clinical courses such as internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics, whereas 27 students thought it had a slight influence. There were 23 students who thought online learning had a great influence and 24 students who thought it had a slight influence when attending the internship qualification examination. Thirteen students thought that the influence on the internship was great, 30 students thought it was slight, and 4 thought that online learning had no influence. Regarding which course had the most influence on the internship, 36 students thought it was diagnostics, 7 students thought it was general surgery, and 3 students thought it was other courses. Among the 40 students who participated in the entrance examination for a master's degree, 2 thought the online learning experience had a great influence, 19 thought it had a slight influence, and 11 students thought it had no influence. Among the six courses that influenced the re-examination for postgraduate students, 16 students thought the most influential course was diagnostics, 5 students chose general surgery, and 1 student thought it was another course. Exploration of diverse online teaching methods is helpful and successful for mastering clinical knowledge. However, online teaching had a great influence on some basic clinical skills that require more practice. The strategy used to reinforce these skills after returning to school makes up for the shortage of these practical skills in online courses to a certain extent.


The problem of interaction between Russian currency appreciation and positive dynamics of macroeconomic indicators is studied. Main economic factors of ruble appreciation are analyzed. Consequences of the Russian Central Bank's policy directed to oppose ruble appreciation and problems in financial area due to the increase of money supply through the exchange market are considered. Influence of exchange rate appreciation on economic growth, inflation, export, import, capital flows are discussed. It is concluded that Russian ruble appreciation stimulates an increase in efficiency of the Russian economy.


The thickness shear mode forms and frequency spectrum of AT-cut plano-convex and biconvex quartz crystal resonators are obtained by an approximate analytic method. The results show good agreement with the mode forms observed by x-ray topography and the measured frequencies.


The development of tropospheric convection was observed with the Chung-Li VHF stratosphere-troposphere (ST) radar in Taiwan, Republic of China. Deep convection evolved into thunderstorms during which radar echoes from lightning were recorded with a particular high time resolution program. These lightning echoes usually exist for only several tens to a few hundred milliseconds. To investigate the fine structure in the amplitude and phase of the lightning returns, the necessary time resolution has to be in the order of a few milliseconds. Such time resolutions are for the first time applied with VHF ST radar and the initial results are presented in this paper. Rapid jumps in the phase path were occurring together with sudden amplitude changes. This indicates that the scattering regions change their position, which could be on different branches of the lightning stroke. Large radial velocities of the lightning scattering regions up to several tens of meters per second were observed. Also, strong velocity shears were noticed in these lightning echo regions. Power peaks in Doppler spectra corresponding to velocities of about 300 m s−1 were occasionally detected. It is contemplated that these are caused by Bragg scattering from sound waves resulting from the lightning shock wave. Also a periodic velocity and amplitude modulation of a thin sheet of radar reflectivity was observed which one could attribute to infra-sound with a frequency of about 6–7 Hz. Preliminary conclusions are drawn finally to confirm that our observations are generally consistent with backscatter from lightning.


Background: Postoperative pneumonia (POP) is a frequent complication following cardiac surgery, related to increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. The objectives of this study were to investigate the risk factors associated with POP in adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery and to develop and validate nomogram models. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study in four cardiac centers in China. Adults operated with elective open-heart surgery from 2016 to 2020 were included. Patients were randomly allocated to training and validation sets by 7:3 ratio. Demographics, comorbidities, laboratory data, surgical factors, and postoperative outcomes were collected and analyzed. Risk factors for POP were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis. Nomograms were constructed based on the multivariate logistic regression models and were evaluated with calibration, discrimination and decision curve analysis. Results: A total of 13,380 patients meeting the criteria were included and POP developed in 882 patients (6.6%). The mortality was 2.0%, but it increased significantly in patients with POP (25.1 vs. 0.4%, P < 0.001). Using preoperative and intraoperative variables, we constructed a full nomogram model based on ten independent risk factors and a preoperative nomogram model based on eight preoperative factors. Both nomograms demonstrated good calibration, discrimination, and were well validated. The decision curves indicated significant clinical usefulness. Finally, four risk intervals were defined for better clinical application. Conclusions: We developed and validated two nomogram models for POP following elective cardiac surgery using preoperative and intraoperative factors, which may be helpful for individualized risk evaluation and prevention decisions.


Summary
To investigate the DNA sequence homology between the multicapsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Autographa californica and the multicapsid and single capsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Orgyia pseudotsugata, the stringency of hybridization conditions was varied. Thirteen to 25% homology between the multicapsid viruses of A. californica and O. pseudotsugata was detected in 20, 30 and 40% formamide, indicating that fairly stable duplexes were being formed. Under the most stringent conditions in 50% formamide little homology was detected. In contrast to the multicapsid viruses, the single capsid virus of O. pseudotsugata demonstrated about 10% sequence homology in 20% formamide, but these duplexes were unstable and the percentage homology decreased markedly in the higher formamide concentrations. Examination of the specific regions of homology by hybridizing labelled DNA to Southern blots of the virus DNAs revealed that the regions of homology between these viruses were not limited to one region of the genome but were found on a number of restriction fragments.


Stochastic dynamic behavior of solar energy necessitates the use of robust controllers for photovoltaic (PV) power electronics interfaces to maximize the energy harvest by continuous operation at maximum power point (MPP). This paper proposes a sensorless current model predictive control maximum power point tracking (SC-MPC-MPPT) algorithm. By predicting the future behavior of the power conversion stage, the proposed controller features fast and stable performance under dynamic ambient condition and negligible oscillation around MPP at steady state. Moreover, it does not require expensive sensing and communication equipment and networks to directly measure the changing solar insolation level. The power conversion stage includes an upstream boost dc/dc power conversion to a dc-link capacitor, and a downstream seven-level sub-Multilevel Inverter (sMI) from the dc-link capacitor to the grid. The sMI is using three power arms cascaded with an H-bridge inverter. This topology brings considerable benefits such as reduced number of power switches and their gate drivers when compared to the traditional multilevel inverters. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is employed for current regulation of the sMI, thus eliminating the need of cascaded classical control loops and modulator. The proposed SC-MPC-MPPT technique for a boost converter is implemented experimentally using the dSPACE DS1007 platform.


The purpose of this study was to assess of the surgical outcomes in the group of patients with multiple aneurysms who were undergoing surgery during the acute stage of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The Hunt and Hess grading scale was used to describe their neurological condition at admission. To describe the outcomes, we used the Glasgow Outcome Scale. One-stage treatment of all aneurysms by means of single craniotomy or coiling doesn't lead to the deterioration of a patient's condition. The outcomes were determined by a patient's neurological condition at admission rather than the number of aneurysms, which were clipped or coiled. With acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, when there occur multiple aneurysms, a sequential multimodal approach may prove more beneficial.


Atherosclerotic lesions preferentially occur at vessel bifurcations and bends where local fluid flow can be classified as 'disturbed' or associated with oscillatory low shear stress. Recent evidence suggests a key role of Sphingosine 1 Phosphate (S1P) signaling in atherosclerosis. S1P binding to receptors S1P1 and S1P3 have shown to have atheroprotective effects whereas S1P signaling via S1P2 has shown to be proatherogenic. Using our newly developed microfluidic Endothelial Cell (EC) Culture Model (ECCM), we investigated how the fluid flow behaviors regulate/influence S1P signaling in ECs. Cells cultured under disturbed flow exhibited low levels of S1P1 and high expression of S1P2.


Using household-level survey data, this study investigates households' latrine preference and financing mechanisms for improved latrines in the Ningo-Prampram district in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Descriptive and inferential analyses are employed for data analysis and reporting. The results of the study show that a majority of the sampled households practice open defecation due to lack of funds and space for an improved latrine. Most of the households prefer the flush/pour-flush to the piped sewer system latrine or the ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. About half of the households prefer to use own funds via savings or 'susu' to build their latrines, and very few prefer funds from the financial institutions (FIs), albeit the FIs are interested in providing loans for household latrines. Empirical results from a binary logistic model show that there is some relationship between households' latrine financing decisions and their socioeconomic and community characteristics, such as gender, education, household composition, income, tenancy, type of defecating practiced and type of community. The study recommends the need to educate households to consider 'cheaper' and more feasible latrine technologies, and also adopt joint-resource mobilization strategies for their latrines. There is also the need to educate the households on the possibility and conditions for alternative sources of funds for improved latrines. Policy efforts by the government and other stakeholders toward a sustainable uptake of improved sanitation should also consider the household and community factors that may influence a household's latrine preference and financing decision.


Question and Answer (Q&A) websites such as Yahoo! Answers provide a platform where users can post questions and receive answers. These systems take advantage of the collective intelligence of users to find information. In this paper, we analyze the online social network (OSN) in Yahoo! Answers. Based on a large amount of our collected data, we studied the OSN's structural properties, which reveals strikingly distinct properties such as low link symmetry and weak correlation between indegree and outdegree. After studying the knowledge base and behaviors of the users, we find that a small number of top contributors answer most of the questions in the system. Also, each top contributor focuses only on a few knowledge categories. In addition, the knowledge categories of the users are highly clustered. We also study the knowledge base in a user's social network, which reveals that the members in a user's social network share only a few knowledge categories. Based on the findings, we provide guidance in the design of spammer detection algorithms and distributed Q&A systems. We also propose a friendship-knowledge oriented Q&A framework that synergistically combines current OSN-based Q&A and web Q&A. We believe that the results presented in this paper are crucial in understanding the collective intelligence in the web Q&A OSNs and lay a cornerstone for the evolution of next-generation Q&A systems.


Federated learning (FL) facilitates collaborative learning among multiple clients in a distributed manner, while ensuring privacy protection. However, its performance is inevitably degraded as suffering data heterogeneity, i.e., non-IID data. In this paper, we focus on the feature distribution skewed FL scenario, which is widespread in real-world applications. The main challenge lies in the feature shift caused by the different underlying distributions of local datasets. While the previous attempts achieved progress, few studies pay attention to the data itself, the root of this issue. Therefore, the primary goal of this paper is to develop a general data augmentation technique at the input level, to mitigate the feature shift. To achieve this goal, we propose FedRDN, a simple yet remarkably effective data augmentation method for feature distribution skewed FL, which randomly injects the statistics of the dataset from the entire federation into the client's data. By this, our method can effectively improve the generalization of features, thereby mitigating the feature shift. Moreover, FedRDN is a plug-and-play component, which can be seamlessly integrated into the data augmentation flow with only a few lines of code. Extensive experiments on several datasets show that the performance of various representative FL works can be further improved by combining them with FedRDN, which demonstrates the strong scalability and generalizability of FedRDN. The source code will be released.


This paper presents the method of automatic knowledge retrieval from the Web. In this approach, millions of Internet users who naturally and constantly create and update the content of the Web are treated as the "voluntary contributors" who provide knowledge concepts without any need for additional motivation or coordination of their efforts. Obviously, only a small part of the statements accessible on the Web are valid knowledge axioms. Below, the "web knowledge concepts" filtering and verification methods are described, based on the similarity measurements with the concepts found in the manually created knowledge database. The results obtained with the system demonstrated that it is able to automatically retrieve semantic equivalents of several concepts submitted by the volunteer contributors, as well as the concepts that while being valid entries to a knowledge database, provide more details compared to the ones found in the manually developed database.


Primary lymphoma of bone is a rare clinicopathological entity, but accurate diagnosis is important as the tumor is usually radiosensitive and associated with a good prognosis when locally eradicated. To our knowledge primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the zygoma has not been previously reported. We describe a case in which the radiographic appearances were misleading and computed tomography (CT) was important in diagnosing a malignant lesion. The differential diagnosis is discussed.


This research was conducted in 2020 to investigate the influence of melatonin (10, 50 and 100 μM) given in three methods (immersion, irrigation and foliar spraying), on some physiological aspects of tomato seedlings exposed to root knot nematodes. The seedlings were inoculated with 1000 infective juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita [(Kofoid and White) Chitwood]. Dualex® optic sensor was used to in situ measure total chlorophylls, flavonols and anthocyanins contents and nitrogen balance index (NBI). Results indicated that while no significant effects were observed on chlorophyll content, melatonin ameliorated the adverse effects of M. incognita on chlorophyll depending on the concentration and mode. Flavonols were at the highest in the irrigated plants and the lowest in the immersed ones, between 06-1.1, exhibiting a significant difference. NBI was affected by the method the melatonin was applied, and immersing boosted it, while irrigation caused a significant decrease. Irrigation resulted in significantly higher anthocyanins compared to the other two methods. One observation was that applying melatonin in the low and medium concentrations to the nematode containing soil increased the anthocyanins. Melatonin merits a value in developing a response against the nematode but needs further elucidation.


This paper proposes a differential protection scheme for power transformers using wavelet transform and neural network algorithms. It utilizes the wavelet transformation (WT) analysis as a preliminary feature extractor and an artificial neural network (ANN) as the pattern classifier. Extensive simulation studies show that the wavelet transform provides an effective signal representation for classification of different transient cases. The combination of WT and ANN achieves outstanding performance and the ability to discriminate internal faults fast and accurately. Details of the proposed relay design are given in the paper. Some performance studies results are also given.


Heat pipe is the most widely used heat exchanging device in removal of heat from any given system at a faster rate. The thermal characteristics of heat pipe with single and multi-layered screen mesh wicks have been observed with two working fluids water and acetone. Heat pipe of length 250 mm and 12.7 mm outer diameter, made of copper material is used in all the trials of with and without wick structure. A 100 mesh stainless steel screen wire mesh is chosen as wick structure. Experiments were conducted at different heat loads and various inclinations with 100% fill ratio in evaporator. The performance is measured based on total thermal resistance and overall heat transfer coefficient. The heat pipe is found effective at 60o inclination with acetone as a working fluid and with four layered screen mesh wick. Uncertainty in thermal resistance and heat transfer coefficient is calculated for a heat input of 10W at 0 and 60 inclinations.


Background: Screening for low bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been the traditional method for determining osteoporosis. Panoramic radiography is widely used in dentistry. Purpose: To determine the relationships between the values of dental panoramic indices (the mental index (MI), antegonial index (AI), panoramic mandibular index (PMI)) and the values of skeletal BMD (femoral BMD (f-BMD), and vertebral BMD (v-BMD)) in 25 osteoporotic men. Material and Methods: In the panoramic radiographs obtained from a total of 25 male individuals with osteoporosis, the means were calculated for MI, AI, and PMI values measured in the right and left mandible. DXA measurements of the femur and lumbar vertebrae BMD were also calculated. The correlation between these variables was assessed. Results: No correlation was found between the BMD values of the femur and lumbar vertebrae and values of MI, AI, and PMI. Conclusion: No significant correlation was found between the mandibular and non-mandibular measurements in men with osteoporosis. MI, AI, and PMI indices should not be used in the evaluation of the skeletal status, because they are not reliable tools in screening for osteoporosis.


The euro area, after a poor growth performance in 2002, has stepped aside in 2003 the word economic recovery. Concurrently, as was easily predictable since its inception, all the flaws of the SGP emerged once the European economy started to loose speed. Compared to the strongly proactive fiscal policy in the US and the UK, Europe remained substantially inertial, with an almost neutral policy stance. As a result, and despite a growth rate of 0.4 % in 2003 -- as compared with 3.1 % for the US and 2.3 % for the UK -- the area had in 2003 a much lower public deficit than these two countries! The main flaws of the SGP become then obvious: it lacks flexibility; it is asymmetric; it disregards the intertemporal content of public spending; it neglects the long term sustainability of public finance. The arguments -- both theoretical and empirical -- in favour of the SGP appear so weak that the question arises if it is not following a hidden agenda. Reform proposals have been advocated since long and they are not mutually exclusive: -- to focus on structural deficits -- to apply the golden rule of public finance, the task of defining what belongs to investment spending being left to the European council and to the European parliament. -- to take into account long term sustainability, not so much as a mean of punishing high debt countries, but to reward low debt ones. But even if all these reforms are adopted, the new SGP would at most be a second best solution. The real missing element is an area-wide fiscal policy actor capable of interacting with the ECB, so as to assure an efficient policy-mix. Even if this solution is not conceivable in the present political setting, it may be considered as a benchmark to foster both more coordination inside the European council and more reactivity (i.e. more growth responsibility) from its part.


The essence and significance of strategic analysis in the process of determining the strategic direction of enterprise development are considered. Approaches to the implementation of strategic analysis of the external environment are studied, the tools and methods of its implementation are determined. It is established that the main methods of assessing the impact of environmental factors are PEST-analysis and SWOT analysis. The purpose of PEST-analysis is to determine the impact of political, legal, economic, socio-cultural, and technological aspects of the environment, which allows identifying environmental factors that most affect the activities of business structures, as well as to predict favorable or threatening dynamics of their impact. Given the globalization of society, deepening and exacerbation of global problems, it is proposed to supplement the matrix of PEST-analysis of macro-environmental factors with the block "Global Problems" which covers economic, energy, demographic, social, environmental, and other spheres of human existence to change the factors of the external environment form the corresponding changes in the internal environment. The PEST-analysis itself allows for the development of the factors of the new middle, as it infuses the most into the scope of the household structures, and also transfers it to the more friendly and threatens the dynamism with the inflow of the cich factors. Protest, then, it means, that the globalization of the suspension and the diagnosis of global problems of the people is fueled by the correlation of the efficiency of all social and economic systems. Therefore, it is important to add the PEST-analysis matrix with the "Global Problems / Global Problems" block, which inject me into the singing world, and start the development of all officials of the new middle middle class, right into the middle of the earth.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

ErbB-2 is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor overexpressed/amplified in ∼15% of breast cancer patients and its overexpression correlates with poor prognosis. These patients are treated with trastuzumab (T), an anti-ErbB-2 monoclonal antibody, but only 40-60% of them respond when used in combination with chemotherapy. This lack of response is due to de novo or acquired resistance to T. In previous studies we have demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) transactivates ErbB-2, and subsequently activates Akt and NF-κB pathways in T-sensitive cell lines, which leads to an increase in cyclin D1 levels and proliferation, even in the presence of T.

In this work we explored the role and the underlying mechanism of TNF in T resistance. In JIMT-1 and KPL-4, two de novo T-resistant cell lines, targeting TNF with etanercept (E, TNFR2-human Fc IgG fusion protein) in presence or absence of T did not affect cell growth. Remarkably, combined administration of T plus E decreased in vitro proliferation of both cell lines. Moreover, we observed a reduction in Akt and p65 NF-κB phosphorylation in the combined treatment, measured by Western Blot (WB). Similar results were obtained in vivo: tumor growth inhibition of the E+T group was >50% for JIMT-1 and >70% for KPL-4 vs. control, E or T groups. To explore acquired resistance to T, we engineered the T-sensitive BT-474 cell line to stably overexpress TNF (T2). Our results show that T2 xenografts are resistant to T administration while control tumors expressing empty vector (C2) dramatically regressed under the same treatment. Histopathological studies shed some light to understand the mechanism of TNF-induced T resistance by demonstrating that T2 tumors showed mucinous foci. It has been reported that one of the mechanisms of T resistance in JIMT-1 is due to mucin 4 (MUC4) expression, a transmembrane glycoprotein that masks the ErbB-2 epitope recognized by T. Evaluation of MUC4 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed a more intense MUC4 staining in T2 than in C2 tumors, which was confirmed by WB of cell extracts. Treatment with E and E+T in JIMT-1 and KPL-4 tumors showed weak to null staining for MUC4, in contrast to the strong staining obtained in IgG or T-treated tumors by IHC. Interestingly, in vitro treatment of JIMT-1 and KPL-4 cells with E, induced an increase in T binding measured by flow cytometry. In addition, T2 cells exhibited reduced binding of T and reduced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity compared to C2 cells, which was reversed by MUC4 knockdown. Finally, p65 NF-κB knockdown in T2 cells impaired TNF-induced MUC4 expression.

These results indicate that TNF plays an important role in T resistance stimulating MUC4 expression through activation of NF-κB pathway. Our data suggest that both TNF and MUC4 could be used as biomarkers of resistance to T. Furthermore, blockage of TNF could be a promising therapy for ErbB-2-positive breast cancer patients with acquired or de novo T resistance.

Citation Format: Maria F. Mercogliano, Mara De Martino, Leandro Venturutti, Martin A. Rivas, Gloria Inurrigarro, Isabel Frahm, Cecilia J. Proietti, Franco Izzo, Patricia V. Elizalde, Roxana Schillaci. TNFα-induced MUC4 elicits trastuzumab resistance in ErbB-2-positive breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 712. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-712


In this paper, a new speech endpoint detector in noisy environment is proposed. According to the previous research, the energy feature in the speech region is easily distinguished from that in the speech absent region. In conventional method, the endpoint can be found by applying the edge detection filter that finds the abrupt changing point in feature domain However, since the frame energy feature is unstable in noisy environment, the accurate edge detection is not possible. Therefore, in this paper, the novel feature extraction method based on spectrum envelop pattern is proposed. Then, the edge detection filter is applied to the proposed feature for detection of the endpoint. The experiments are performed in the car noise environment and a substantial improvement was obtained over the conventional method.


The article is devoted the comparative analysis of charges for the complete life cycle of 80-foot carriageplatform and carriage-platform of sectional type on the example of two models of carriages-platforms for the containers produced by JSC "Azovmash". The indexes of comparative efficiency are examined from a viewpoint of company-operator of railway freight transportations – a potential proprietor of carriages-platforms.


A Barnyard Competition, h u m o r o u s sketch, by R. B. Hayward. Standard instrumentation $2.50. It has words for those who care to sing, and it has sound effects for those who have talent for giving dramatic representations of our barnyard friends: the rooster, cow, horse, duck, dog, donkey, and of course the cuckoo. Its classification may be either easy or difficult, depending upon the talent available!


Particle-In-Cell (PIC) methods are frequently used for kinetic, high-fidelity simulations of plasmas. Implicit formulations of PIC algorithms feature strong conservation properties, up to numerical round-off errors, and are not subject to time-step limitations which make them an attractive candidate to use in simulations fusion plasmas. Currently they remain prohibitively expensive for high-fidelity simulation of macroscopic plasmas. We investigate how amortized solvers can be incorporated with PIC methods for simulations of plasmas. Incorporated into the amortized solver, a neural network predicts a vector space that entails an approximate solution of the PIC system. The network uses only fluid moments and the electric field as input and its output is used to augment the vector space of an iterative linear solver. We find that this approach reduces the average number of required solver iterations by about 25% when simulating electron plasma oscillations. This novel approach may allow to accelerate implicit PIC simulations while retaining all conservation laws and may also be appropriate for multi-scale systems.


Euglena a green flagellated freshwater alga is used as a model organism for its adaptive abilities and metabolic flexibilities in many research activities. In the present study, antioxidant properties of the Euglena sp. was investigated using methanol solution and free radical scavenger that is DPPH. The result obtained in this study showed that with the increase in the concentration of the extract the percentage of antioxidant activity was increased. The present work furnishes useful and important information in order to increase the studies about antioxidant capacity and functional value of Euglena sp. for pharmaceutical research.


In the knowledge society, learning is not only knowledge acquisition or participation in social practice with adopting established norms. It is also a process of creating new knowledge collaboratively when dealing with complex problems which involve cross-discipline knowledge and innovative thinking. How to get engineering students prepared with the increasingly growth of complexity in their professional life with the skills of collaboration, management and innovation as well as awareness of knowledge creation? This paper discuss this question through the examining a case study of an international student satellite project, in which students play a main role of organization and management.


This paper proposes a new Information-Time index as the basis for item selection in computerized classification testing (CCT) and investigates how this new item selection algorithm can help improve test efficiency for item pools with mixed item types. It also investigates how practical constraints such as item exposure rate control, test difficulty (i.e., cut point), test length constraint, and test time constraint affect the effectiveness of this new item selection algorithm. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used, and item parameters from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress science assessment were used to build the data pool for an assessment combining 3 grades and consisting of 246 dichotomous items and 266 polytomous items. To create an Information-Time index, a response-time distribution was simulated. The Information-Time index was found feasible and effective in CCT with a mixed item pool. The Information-Time index for item selection worked well with other testing variables like item exposure control, test difficulty, and test constraints. (Contains 2 tables and 19 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


BACKGROUND
In the past patients have rarely changed doctor. The UK Government has made such change easier and it appears to be becoming more common. Changing doctor without changing address may be indicative of dissatisfaction with the GP service. Previous research in this area has been largely quantitative.

OBJECTIVE
To identify why patients change their GP although they have not moved house.

METHOD
Qualitative investigation of patients' experiences. In depth interviews of 24 patients were conducted to determine why they had left their previous doctor. Letters describing the process of change were received from a further 17 patients. Analysis was performed using standard qualitative techniques.

RESULTS
The decision to change was in most cases multi-factorial. Interviews yielded more detailed and richer accounts than letters. For interviewees, rudeness or the attitude of the doctor was the commonest reason. Overall, 19 different reasons, in four categories, were identified. The largest single category was accessibility, closely followed by attitudinal problems. Clinical issues and personal characteristics of the doctor were less common. The majority of those responding by letter gave only one reason, usually distance.

CONCLUSION
Patients change doctor after careful consideration and commonly for interpersonal reasons. There is usually one critical factor in the decision to change. Factors may be modifiable or non-modifiable. Critical event audit may enable GPs to analyse the reasons why patients leave their lists.


The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate in vitro antimicrobial activities of different extracts (ethanol, benzene and aqueous) of Clerodendrum inerme plant parts. In vitro antimicrobial efficacy of various extracts of C. inerme was assessed by disc diffusion method against Gram positive ! Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) Gram negative! Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Psedomaonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and fungal strains Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404), Aspergillus flavus (ATCC 9807), Candida albicans (ATCC5027) and Candida glabrata (ATCC 66032). The methanol leaves extract exhibited highest zone of inhibition against S. aureus and A. niger (16.67 ±0.47 and 15.0±0.0 mm, respectively) with low MIC values (0.78 mg/ml for each). However, none of activity is shown by aqueous extract against tested pathogenic strains. Results of the present investigation indicate that Clerodendrum inerme possess compounds with antimicrobial properties and hence can be exploited for future natural plant based antimicrobial agents.


Summary: Methyl viologen (10 μM) markedly inhibited acetylene reduction (nitrogen fixation) by old but not young cultures of Gloeocapsa sp. LB795, apparently by causing the alga to produce H2O2. H2O2 inhibited acetylene reduction when added to cultures at concentrations greater than 10 μM. As catalase (EC 18.104.22.168) is not present in Gloeocapsa sp. LB795, H2O2 is probably removed by a non-enzymic reaction with ascorbate and also by an enzyme-catalysed reaction with glutathione. Enzymes catalysing the decomposition of H2O2, were most active in young cells which were therefore better able than old cells to metabolize H2O2 produced in the presence of methyl viologen. The maximum activities of these enzymes coincided with maximum nitrogenase activity during the growth of batch cultures, and may provide a protective mechanism for nitrogenase.


Purpose - This study investigates how review length and sentiment impact consumers' purchase intentions, using real online reviews as the data source. The study aims to understand how the length and tone of a review affect a potential buyer's decision-making process when considering a purchase.
Design/methodology/approach - A 2 (comment length: long vs. short) × 2 (comment sentiment: positive vs. negative) × 2 (product type: practical vs. hedonic) experiment was conducted.
Findings - Results indicate that longer reviews have a greater impact on consumers' perceived usefulness compared to short reviews, but do not affect purchase intentions. Review sentiment is found to have a stronger impact than review length, especially for negative sentiment. The study also suggests that consumers pay more attention to reviews of practical products, and that reviews have less influence on hedonic products.
Research implications or Originality - The implications of these findings are relevant for both merchants managing reviews and consumers reviewing products.The results of this research could help businesses and marketers optimize their online review strategies to maximize their impact on consumer behavior.


Essentially all of the completed/in progress studies during the last contract period have involved the NIST HPMS unit. Three distinct areas of in-house research are recognizable: (i) determinations of binding energies and entropies for association and cluster ions, which is accomplished by measuring the temperature dependence of the appropriate equilibrium, (ii) measurement of the temperature dependence unimolecular and bimolecular rate constants, and (iii) evaluation of PA`s, HA`s, and IP`s via measurement of variable-temperature equilibria of the type AH{sup +} + B {leftrightarrow} BH{sup +} + A, A{sup -} + BH {leftrightarrow} AH + B{sup -}, and A{sup +} + B {leftrightarrow} B+ + A. Key results from some representative projects are summarized below.


`Anywhere, Anytime and Any Device' is often used to characterize the next generation Internet. Achieving the above in light of the increasing use of the Internet worldwide, especially fueled by mobile Internet usage, and the exponential growth in the number of connected devices is non-trivial. In particular, the three As require development of infrastructure which is highly available, performant and scalable. Additionally, from a corporate standpoint, high efficiency is of utmost importance. To facilitate high availability, deep observability of physical, system and application metrics and analytics support, say for systematic capacity planning, is needed. Although there exist many commercial services to assist observability in the data center, public/private cloud, they lack analytics support. To this end, we developed a framework at Twitter, called Chiffchaff, to drive capacity planning in light of a growing user base. Specifically, the framework provides support for automatic mining of application metrics and subsequent visualization of trends (for example, Week-over-Week (WoW), Month-overMonth (MoM)), data distribution etcetera. Further, the framework enables deep diving into traffic patterns, which can be used to guide load balancing in shared systems. We illustrate the use of Chiffchaff with production traffic.


BACKGROUND
Type one Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is defined by acute decompensated heart failure leading to secondary acute kidney injury. No studies evaluates the reliability of transthoracic echocardiography as an help tool for diagnosis and optimization of CRS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess echocardiographic parameters in patients with CRS in the Intensive Care Unit.

METHODS
We conducted an observational, prospective, single-center study in the ICU department of a general hospital. Patients admitted in the ICU and presenting with type 1 CRS were included. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at baseline and at day end after treatment by the same trained operator for the same patients. We report various echocardiographic indices at these two timepoints.

RESULTS
27 patients were included. At baseline 96.3% of patients had signs of congestion (IVC dilation > 2 cm), 76 % had an altered S-wave (< 11.5 cm/s), 72.73% had an altered TAPSE (< 17 mm), 85.19% had an elevated RV/LV diameter ratio (> 0.6). Between baseline and D end, IVC size and, the number of patients with an elevated RV/LV diameter ratio significantly decreased. Weight decreased, whereas natriuresis significantly increased, and the amount of vasopressors support decreased. Diuresis, and S-wave velocity showed non-significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS
Main echocardiographic findings at baseline in patients with type 1 CRS consist of a right ventricular dysfunction associated an IVC dilation. We report that weight, RV/LV diameter ratio, and IVC diameter might constitute good follow-up parameters to monitor treatment response.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the changes of different urinary symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and its correlation with preoperative clinical parameters.

METHODS
Two hundred and eighty-one BPH patients were followed-up 3 - 6 months after TURP, whose postoperative International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Quality of Life (QOL) score were compared with those of preoperation. The relationship between the symptom score changes and clinical data were analyzed. The patients aged (70 +/- 6) years, with preoperative prostate volume (75 +/- 39) ml, T-PSA (5 +/- 5) ng/ml, Qmax (8 +/- 3) ml/s, average tissue weight resected (32 +/- 19) g. Before operation, mean IPSS was 24 +/- 7, QOL 4.6 +/- 1.0, mean obstructive symptom score was 3.6 +/- 1.2, mean irritation symptom score was 3.5 +/- 1.0.

RESULTS
After operation mean IPSS was 7 +/- 7 and QOL was 1.2 +/- 1.1, which were significantly decreased. The deduction rate of the mean obstructive symptom score was greater than that of the mean irritative symptom score. Among the 7 urinary symptoms, nocturia and frequency were the two that changed least, with postoperative score of 2.2 +/- 1.1 and 1.2 +/- 1.4 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Scores of urinary symptoms and QOL of BPH patients were significantly improved after TURP. The improvements of the symptom scores and QOL are correlated to the preoperative scores. There is no correlation between symptom score improvements and patients' age, preoperative prostate volume, T-PSA, Qmax and tissue weight resected. Improvement of average obstructive symptom score is greater than that of irritative symptom score. Among the seven symptoms, nocturia is the one with lowest improvement after TURP.


A multibranched carbazole linked triazine centre based molecule (TRZ-Cz) was synthesized using the Wittig–Horner reaction and used as a fluorescent probe for the detection of picric acid (PA). The thermally more stable alkylated carbazole moiety was purposely introduced into TRZ-Cz, and could play a significant role in enhancing the thermal stability and solubility, reducing the steric hindrance, and increasing the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between the carbazole donor and the triazine acceptor moiety. In this paper, we employed the TRZ-Cz molecule in the detection of different nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). Among these various NACs, hydroxyl containing nitro compounds are effectively quenched; this may be due to the π–π interactions between TRZ-Cz and the acidic phenolic hydroxyl groups. The TRZ-Cz molecule exhibits a high quenching response to PA with high sensitivity and selectivity, compared to other analytes. TRZ-Cz shows good aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effects in a H2O/THF (7:3 v/v) mixture and these aggregates are also able to detect PA. This study offers details for the design and preparation of a new multibranched molecular fluorescent probe for the detection of PA, with low toxicity, easy synthesis steps, and high selectivity.


Harmonic generation from solid surface plasmas is studied using a subpicosecond Nd:glass laser system. For a 45 degrees angle of incidence, the speculars up to the fifth harmonics are blue shifted when the laser intensity exceeds 2 x 10(16) W cm(-2). The second harmonic is blueshifted by approximately 16 A, and the fifth harmonic is blue shifted by approximately 51 A for p polarization at the intensity of 1 x 10(17) W cm(-2). We observed the blue shift of the fifth harmonics and found that the magnitude of blue shift is higher compared with that for the second harmonics. The blue shift is interpreted as a collisionless absorption due to the anomalous skin effect. It is also found that the divergence of harmonics preserves a smaller divergence when using a shorter pulse length for the driving laser.


Background : The irrational use of drugs remains a key health problem in many developing countries. The prevalence of irrational drug use and factors associated with it were investigated at Kapiri Mposhi District Hospital in Zambia. Methods : The outpatient records (n = 680) of clinical encounters from the hospital registry department for the year 2010 were analysed. The selection process adapted a random sampling method using the patient logbook in order to get a representative sample. Standardised World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing and facility indicators were used to describe irrational drug use. The composite measure of irrational drug use was used to determine the prevalence of irrational drug use at the hospital. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with irrational drug use. In addition, a selfadministered questionnaire was administered to assess the availability of key medical personnel at the hospital. Findings : Overall prevalence of irrational drug use was 51.4% (n = 680) at Kapiri Mposhi District  Hospital Outpatient Department. Disaggregating the composite indicators revealed that antibiotics  (65.4%) and polypharmacy (52.2%) were the highest contributors to irrational drug use. A mean of 2.5 (SD 1.07) drugs were prescribed, with a low rate of prescribing by generic name 56.9% (95%CI 52.4-58.8). The proportion of prescriptions for antibiotics was 65.4% (95%CI 61.7- 68.9) and for injections, it was 9.7% (95%CI 7.48-11.9). A high percentage of drugs were from the essential drugs list (95.9%) while drug availability was 92%. The essential drug list was not available at the hospital. The availability of prescribers was 55% whereas that of dispensers was 67%. In multivariate logistic   regression, polypharmacy was the main determinant of irrational drug use. A oneunit increase in drug use increased the odds of using antibiotics by 2.7 times (P < 0.001; OR=2.68, 95%CI 2.20-3.25) and injections by 2.3 times (P < 0.001; OR=2.28, 95%CI 1.75-2.97). Conclusion : The prevalence of irrational drug use at Kapiri Mposhi District Hospital was high suggesting  the need for rationalisation. Overuse of antibiotics, polypharmacy and the use of non-generic names were the identified drug-use problems. These findings suggested that there is a need for continuous monitoring of rational prescribing of drugs and strengthening of factors that support the rational use of drugs.


We systematize available thermodynamic information on transition metal diborides, with emphasis on the enthalpy of formation, the vibrational entropy and the melting temperature. When experimental information is lacking, e.g., for metastable compounds, we obtain estimates through interpolation and extrapolation procedures introduced by us. Our results are used, i.a., to account for the change from stable to metastable transition metal diborides as one proceeds along a transition‐metal line in the Periodic Table. Our method of analysis combines available experimental thermodynamic and lattice–parameter data with CALPHAD calculations of phase diagrams and knowledge from solid state theory on electron states and lattice vibrations. An important point in the analysis is that in the high‐temperature vibrational entropy, atomic masses are separated from the interatomic forces. That allows us to introduce a quantity with the dimension of energy, which depends only on the electronic structure and shows a regular ...


A regioselective synthesis of 8,9-dichloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-2-benzazepine (LY134046, 10) and its 3-methyl analogue 26 from 6,7-dichloro-3-hydroxyphthalide (16) is described. The key step involved 1,4-hydride addition to the α,β-unsaturated nitrile 17 to give the saturated nitrile 18 using sodium borohydride in 2-propanol. In the preparation of LY134046 10, the COOH group in 18 was first esterified and then the nitrile function was selectively reduced with borane to yield the aminoester 20. The aminoester 20 was then cyclized to the azepinone 21 which on reduction with borane provided LY134046 10 in an overall yield of 22%. The route is adaptable to the preparation of hitherto unknown 3-substituted-2-benzazepines as demonstrated by the preparation of the 3-methyl analogue 26. In this case the nitrile 18 was reacted with an excess methylmagnesium iodide to give the ketoacid 22. Esterification of 22 followed by reductive amination with sodium cyanoborohydride and ammonium acetate provided the aminoester 24, which was then converted to the target benzazepine 26 as described earlier for the title compound. The reaction conditions and the reagents used throughout the sequence are fairly mild and many functional groups may be tolerated. The only limitation to this procedure is the availability of the corresponding hydroxyphthalide. A variation in the choice of reagent in the Grignard reaction of 18 should provide an access to a variety of 3-substituted-2-benzazepines.


The purpose of this study is to find out wether the emplementation of CSR in Islamic bank has met the standards and examines the influence of CSR expenditure toward third party fund, loan amount, and profitability. The population in this study consists of all Islamic bank that are and operate in Indonesia in the range of 2014-2017 period. A total sample of 46 companies were used in this study as determined by purposive sampling method. The data used is secondary data. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics, classical assumption and hypothesis testing of correlation and regression method using SPSS 23 software. The analysis showed that the implementation of CSR activities by Islamic bank in Indonesia has sufficient and CSR expenditure have positive significant influenced toward third party fund, loan amount, and profitability.


The biochemical data relating to the physiological distribution of potassium and its regulating factors in the normal human body are explained. Reference is then made to the clinical symptoms and aetiopathogenesis of hypokalaemia. A serious case coupled with flaccid quadriplegia in a 34-yr-old male is presented. Stress is laid on the usefulness of correct investigation of the history, and the fundamental resort to complete electrolytic screening in patients presenting with polyuria, polydipsia, arrhythmia and flaccid quadriplegia.


Background : Whereas considerable insight has been gained and progress made in optimum feeding in early infant feeding same cannot be said with nutrition in late infancy. Tacking challenges associated with nutrition in late infancy demands that extant practices and their shortcomings are exposed. Objectives : To evaluate and document practices regarding feeding in late infancy in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods : Using a communitybased household survey involving three representative political wards in Egor Local Government Area of Benin City, feeding practices in late infancy were evaluated using a mix of structured and non-structured, pre-tested questionnaires on 522 mothers of infants aged >6months to 11 months. This was done between June and September, 2009. Results : The age range of mothers was 17-48 years. Diverse ethnic groups were represented with the Binis constituting the largest (48.6%). Bottle feeding rate (BOTFR) was 2.55% and Bottle feeding practice was unassociated with maternal occupation (χ 2  = 2.741; p=0.740) and family socioeconomic status (χ 2 =10.145; p=0.930). Timely complimentary feeding rate (TCFR) was very high (92.7%). Delayed introduction of complimentary feeding was very low (3.6%). Maize gruel (pap) was the commonest (76.6%) complementary food utilized and commonly (99.5%) this was enriched with a variety of other items with milk as the commonest item used. Fish was the commonest (41.0%) animal product used as complimentary food. Use of animal feeds was however generally low and their use was uninfluenced by family socio-economic status (χ 2  = 5.424, p=0.066). Conclusions / Recommendations : Bottle feeding rate remains unacceptably high even into late infancy. Factors fostering this should be exposed and tackled because of the dangers inherent in the practice. Timely complimentary feeding practice is encouraging and needs to be supported and sustained for its benefits. Key Words : Nutrition, Late, Infancy, Complimentary feeding, Benin City.


The Relation University, Company and State UEE defined through the eight committees created in Colombia to position the investigation like central axis of the triad one, impliesthe revision of the paper that in ahead must assume the companies and the universities for the success of the nexus. The scene raises the debt that both estates show as opposed to the definition of the subjects that in particular force them to work jointly within the triad one. The systemic methodology, drawn up under the epilogue of the order of the organizations, stipulates that these can work in unison or in key when they are understood like structure, and recognize what they do to each other. However, slope has left all a leaf of conciliations, understandings and repairs that they will have to be reviewed to the light of spirit UEE.


An overview of expert systems technology is provided from a development point of view. The intent is to provide assistance in the practical aspects of constructing expert systems. Emphasis is placed on the benefits and limitations of expert systems, the various phases of the development processes, and the software tools used to expedite the development. Special attention is given to the interface with engineering management. >


The Newmark method is an effective method for numerical time integration in dynamic problems. The results of Newmark method are function of its parameters (β, γ and ∆t). In this paper, a stationary mode I dynamic crack problem is coded in extended finite element method )XFEM( framework in Matlab software and results are verified with analytical solution. This paper focuses on effects of main parameters in Newmark method for dynamic XFEM problems. Also use of the response surface method (RSM) a regression model is presented for estimating error of dynamic stress intensity factors (DSIF) with high validity according to results of analysis of variance (ANOVA). This work enables one to understand the effect of Newmark parameters on error of DSIFs and to find optimum β and γ for a determined number of time steps (N). This procedure is highly effective in order to manage the computational cost and enhance the accuracy at the desired domain. The effect of the considered parameters on error, is investigated using RSM in Minitab software and optimum state for minimization of errors is illustrated. doi: 10.5829/ije.2018.31.01a.08 NOMENCLATURE dyn I K Mode I dynamic stress intensity factor Greek Symbols dyn II K Mode II dynamic stress intensity factor 0  Applied stress (MPa) c t The time when applied stress wave reaches the crack tip for the first time (s)  Density (kg/m ) t  Time step (s)  Poission's ratio 3 c N t t   Number of time steps  Parameter of Newmark method 1 E Error of dynamic stress intensity factors in a vicinity of time c t (%)  Parameter of Newmark method 2 E Error of dynamic stress intensity factors in a vicinity of time 3 c t (%) Superscripts d C Dilatational wave speed ( m/s) aux Auxiliary fields ( ) H x Heaviside or jump function dyn Dynamic l F Singular or asymptotic enrichment functions Subscripts E Young modulus of elastisity (GPa) in Interaction


Background:Besides onychomatricoma (OM), which shows a clinical band pattern of nail plate thickening, 2 new onychomatrical tumors with this clinical feature have recently been described: onychocytic matricoma (OCM) and in situ onychocytic carcinoma. Objective:The purpose of this study was to present 4 cases of OCMs and compare their clinical and histopathologic characteristics with usual OMs. Methods:We studied 4 cases of OCMs with nail clipping in 3 cases and an extensive immunohistochemical study for hair-related keratins and epithelial keratins. Nail clipping of OCMs was compared with the distal nail plate of 5 cases of OMs. Results:All cases showed an acquired localized longitudinal band pattern of a thickened nail plate with yellow discoloration in 2 cases and a black streak in 2 cases. All cases showed a V-shaped keratogenous epithelial tumor with a papillomatous pattern of growth. The nail plate was thickened with small holes in a honeycomb pattern. In contrast, the 5 OMs showed the classical pattern of a panonychoma fibropapilliferum. The nail plate showed large cavities in a honeycomb pattern. Conclusions:This case series raises awareness of the clinical value of longitudinal pachyonychia coupled with nail clipping in the early detection of onychomatrical tumors as generic diagnosis with a limited differential diagnosis and a simple therapeutic approach. Nail clipping could be an aid in the surgical planning of onychomatrical tumor. A diagnosis of a benign growth could be suggested when the average dimensions of cavities are superior to 0.15 mm sparing the patient from an excisional procedure with its risk of subsequent permanent nail dystrophy. In contrast, nail clipping with a honeycomb pattern of minute cavities with average dimension inferior to 0.10 mm should prompt a biopsy of the distal matrix to rule out a malignant lesion.


In 70 cadavers of the persons at the age of 15-92 external and internal diameters and radiuses, wall thickness, cross section area of the pulmonary stem and the left pulmonary arteries were measured. Increase of all the parameters with age was stated. For each size regressing equations were introduced. By means of dispersion analysis the effect of the age factor on the diameters and thickness of the vessel walls was determined. Radius/cross section relations of the pulmonary stem and those of both pulmonary arteries were studied. Indices of the relative vessel wall thickness were calculated and their comparison with the arteries of the systemic circulation was done.


This article reads the online Inupiat game Kisima Inŋitchuŋa ( Never Alone ) alongside traditional Inuit games. Games have been used to assert self-determination for Inuit communities for thousands of years and have continued to change to accommodate contemporary political and social needs. Games are tools to instill values and life-ways in camp-life and now articulate Inuit nationhood through international Arctic game competitions. The article argues argue that Never Alone reinterprets the values, experiences, and social structure of traditional Inuit competition for Inupiaq communities by adapting a traditional story into an online puzzle-platform game. Through an online platform, the game reinterprets the community houses in which games are played into a digital form. This brings Inupiat self-determination into broader conversation with Inuit interests throughout the Arctic. The paper discusses the relationship between Arctic games and changing definitions of Inuit sovereignty. It elaborates on the ways Never Alone engages with Inuit gaming protocols to rearticulate gaming values across the Northern circumpolar. Finally, the varying ways the game challenges Inuit and non-Inuit players will be discussed.


Latinos are more likely to experience uncontrolled pain, and institutional death, and are less likely to engage in advance care planning. Efforts to increase access to palliative care must maximize primary palliative care and community based models to meet the ever-growing need in a culturally sensitive and congruent manner. Patient navigator interventions are community-based, culturally tailored models of care that have been successfully implemented to improve disease prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. We have developed a patient navigation intervention to improve palliative care outcomes for seriously ill Latinos. We describe the protocol for a National Institute of Nursing Research-funded randomized controlled trial designed to determine the effectiveness of the manualized patient navigator intervention. We aim to enroll 240 Latino adults with non-cancer, advanced medical illness from both urban and rural clinical sites. Participants will be randomized to the intervention group (five palliative care patient navigator visits plus bilingual educational materials) or control group (usual care plus bilingual educational materials). Outcomes include quality of life (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy), advance care planning (Advance Care Planning Engagement survey), pain (Brief Pain Inventory), symptom management (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-revised), hospice utilization, and cost and utilization of healthcare resources. This culturally tailored, evidence-based, theory-driven, innovative patient navigation intervention has significant potential to improve palliative care for Latinos, and facilitate health equity in palliative and end-of-life care.


Reviews are unbiased information obtained from the sources outside an organization, which makes them more reliable in the eyes of customers. Online shoppers are very much concerned about product reviews before making any decision regarding buying the product. Product reviews plays an important role in determining what kind of product is. Such reviews provide useful information about customer concern and their experience with the product. Consequently, these reviews will be helpful for a business making products for the purpose of product recommendation, better customer understanding and attracting more loyal customers. As ecommerce has become so popular, numbers of reviews are increasing day by day. It is difficult for a customer to read all the reviews manually. In this paper, an approach is developed which is used to obtain the summary from thousands or hundreds of online reviews. This approach uses extraction summarization for summarizing the reviews thereby selecting the original sentences and putting it together into a new shorter text explaining the overall opinion about the product. Although previous studies of deriving useful information from customer reviews focus on categorical or numerical data and textual data has been ignored. But textual data are of equal importance so it should not be ignored. So, this approach includes every aspect of the review in the summary so that a customer would be able to make a right decision regarding product.


Visual cues play a key role in how users assess the privacy/security of a website, but often remain inaccessible to people with visual impairments (PVIs), disproportionately exposing them to privacy and security risks. We employed an iterative, user-centered design process with 25 PVIs to design and evaluate GuardLens, a browser extension that improves the accessibility of privacy/security cues and helps PVIs assess a website's legitimacy (i.e., if it is a spoof/phish). We started with a formative study to understand what privacy/security cues PVIs find helpful, and then improved GuardLens based on the results. Next, we further refined Guardlens based on a pilot study, and lastly, conducted our main study to evaluate GuardLens' efficacy. The results suggest that GuardLens, by extracting and listing pertinent privacy/security cues in one place for faster and easier access, helps PVIs quickly and accurately determine if websites are legitimate or spoofs. PVIs found cues such as domain age, search result ranking, and the presence/absence of HTTPS encryption especially helpful. We conclude with design implications for tools to support PVIs with safe web browsing.


Twenty preservice teachers were interviewed prior to commencement of their teacher educa- tion course to establish the conceptions of teach- ing and approaches to learning with which they entered the course. Students were categorised as surface, deep or achieving in their learning orien- tations (Biggs, 1987). Five conceptions of teach- ing were identified: the nurturing helper, author- ityand disciplinarian, shaper of children's lives, presenter of information and facilitator of think- ing and learning. There was a consistent rela- tionship between conceptions of learning and conceptions of teaching. Surface learners tended to see teaching as transmission of information. There were very few deep learners, however they tended to see teaching as facilitation of thinking and learning. Achieving learners tended to see teaching as nurturing. Achieving learners also indicated that shaping children's lives and imposing discipline were important. Beginning Teacher Education Students' Conceptions of Teaching and Learning Because of their extensive experience of class- room life, prospective students enter teacher edu- cation programs with well established concep- tions of teaching and learning (Britzman, 1986; Calderhead, 1988; Feiman-Nemser, McDiarmid, Melnick & Parker, 1988; Weinstein, 1990). For . example, Lortie (1975) referred to the long "apprenticeship of observation" in schools which forms the basis of students' knowledge of teach- ers' work. This student experience has resulted in the belief by many preservice teachers that to become a teacher it is merely necessary to behave like the teachers they have observed (Feiman- Nemser et al., 1988). Consequently, many stu- dents ·enter teacher education with an over-opti- mistic confidence in their ability to teach and a lack of appreciation for the complexity of class- room practice (Book, Byers & Freeman, 1983). Additionally, Feiman-Nemser et a!. (1988) found that many students believed that teaching conVol. 20, No. 1, 1995 sisted merely of giving students information and Hollingsworth (1989) found that student teachers frequently believed that learning resulted from the provision of teacher-directed information. Other researchers have found that students see teachers in a nurturing role. Weinstein (1990) reported that a capacity to be friendly and caring was the most frequently mentioned attribute of a "really good" teacher. Book et a!. (1983) found that substantial numbers of students entering teacher education saw teaching as an extended form of parenting. Similarly, Calderhead (1988) reports that many students build ideal images of teaching which emphasised the teacher as a guide, confidant and friend. There is some evidence to suggest that concep- tions of teaching correspond with conceptions of learning. For example, Feiman-Nemser et al. (1988) report that the belief that teaching is the giving of information is supported by the under- standing that learning is the reproduction of teacher-given information. Prior beliefs and understandings exert a major influence on the impact of teacher education on students' development as teachers. Hollingsworth (1989) found that prior beliefs pro- vided a filter through which students viewed their teacher education and classroom experi- ence. Thus, she argued that preprogram beliefs interacted dynamically with program content and classroom practice. Similarly, Korthagen (1988) reports that students' learning orientations influenced their ability to benefit from teacher education. Specifically, he found that a reflective (internal) approach to learning fitted more com- fortably with a reflective teacher education pro- gram. Students with an external learning orien- tation often dropped-out of the program. Teachers' images, conceptions and ~eliefs also exert a powerful influence on their classroom practice (Calderhead, 1988). For example, Anning (1988) found that teachers' beliefs about


Cassava, has received much research on improved varietal development in Ghana. The National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) have released about 24 improved cassava varieties since 1993, which are high yielding, disease and pest resistant and early maturing. However, adoption by smallholder farmers is very low leading to low outputs and low incomes. Adoption could be improved with greater understanding of farmers' cassava variety attributes preferences. Using stated preference technique, specifically, choice experiment applied across 450 farm households, we evaluated farmers preferences for cassava variety attributes in Ghana and identified farm household-specific and institutional factors that governed the preferences. The empirical results showed that in-soil storage (longevity) and disease resistance are important attributes for farmers' choice of cassava varieties. Farmers have lower utility towards high productivity. Farmers are willing to forgo some extra incomes and yields in order to obtain a more disease and pest resistant varieties and increased longevity of matured roots in the soil. This implies that until market chains are expanded the introduction of new and improved varieties would not contribute significantly towards utilities. Among other things, age, gender, extension and years of farming experience, are the major factors causing household heterogeneity of cassava varieties preferences. Based on our experimental results, we derived important policy implications for breeding priority setting and cassava varieties adoption.


Density stratification between freshwater and brine is periodically formed during massive evaporation events, which often associates deposition of organic-rich sediments. Here, we investigated phototrophic communities and nitrogen cycle during the deposition of two organic-rich shale beds of gypsum–shale alternation, representing the initial stage of the Messinian salinity crisis (Vena del Gesso, Northern Apennines, Italy). The structural distributions and the carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of geoporphyrins show a common pattern in the two shales, indicating the predominance of a particular phototrophic community under freshwater–brine stratified conditions. The ~6‰ difference in δ13C of total organic carbon between PLG 4 and 5 shales was associated with similar shift in δ13C of the porphyrins derived from chlorophyll c, suggesting that the eukaryotic algae producing chlorophyll c were the major constituent of the phototrophic community. Importantly, these porphyrins show δ15N values (−7.6‰ to −4.7‰) indicative of N2-fixation. We suggest that nitrate-depletion in the photic zone induced the predominance of diazotrophic cyanobacteria, which supplied new nitrogen for the chlorophyll c-producing eukaryotic algae. The large difference in the δ13C values of porphyrins and total organic carbon between PLG 4 and 5 shales are interpreted to reflect the depth of the chemocline, which fluctuates in response to changes in the regional evaporation–precipitation balance. Such variation in the chemocline depth may have dynamically changed the mode of the nitrogen cycle (i.e., nitrification–denitrification–N2-fixation coupling vs. phototrophic assimilation of ammonium) in the density-stratified marginal basins during the Messinian salinity crisis.


This paper summarizes the methodological aspects and findings of a long-term study involving 89 depressed patients who were admitted to the Royal Maudsley Hospital between 1965 and 1966, and who were followed- up 18 years later. Less than 20% of the survivors had remained well and > 33% of the series suffered unnatural death or severe chronic distress and handicap. Patients whose index episode marked their first psychiatric contact had a 50% chance of readmission within their lifetime, but those with previous admissions had a 50% chance of readmission within 3 years. High neuroticism scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory on recovery, and when ill but referring to the pre-morbid state, were associated with poor overall outcome and chronicity. High obsessional interference scores on the Leyton Obsessional Inventory on recovery were also associated with poor long-term outcome, impaired social adjustment, more time spent in hospital and with the subsequent development of schizophrenic or schizoaffective episodes. Subtyping according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria, DSM-III, Newcastle Index and PSE/Catego criteria had little prognostic utility. However, DSM-III melancholia was shown to have an interactive effect with the personality measure neuroticism such that melancholic individuals, who at index had high neuroticism scores, were very likely to have a poor outcome.


During the iQSo's, in a frontier atmosphere of enterprise and sharp struggle, an American television system took shape. But even as it did so, itspioneers pushed beyond American borders and became programmers to scores of other nations. In its first decade United States television was already a world phenomenon. Since American radio had for some time had international ramifications, American images and sounds were radiatingfrom transmitter towers throughout the globe. They were called entertainment or news or education but were always more. They were a reflection of a growing United States involvement in the lives of other nationsan involvement of imperial scope. The role of broadcasters in this American expansion and in the era that produced it is the subject matter of The Image Empire, the last of three volumes comprising this study.


During the years of 1941 to 1946, 2,910 premature infants were admitted to the Premature Station of the Children's Division of Cook County Hospital. Of this number 17.9% died. The influence of birth weight on survival rate was demonstrated.
 There were more female premature infants than males (1.23:1).
 The female infants had a higher survival rate than the male infants (15.3% mortality rate for females as compared with 21.9% for males).
 There were more nonwhite than white premature infants in this series. The nonwhite infants had a mortality rate of 15.7% whereas the white infants had a mortality rate of 20.6%. Possible explanations for this difference included racial factor and the factor of transportation of a prematurely born infant from one place to another.
 Of the infants born at Cook County Hospital where the factor of transfer was nonexistent, nonwhite infants had a mortality rate of 16.3%; the white infants, 21.1%. Female infants survived better than did the male infants (female mortality rate, 13.4%; male mortality rate, 22.2%).
 Of the infants transferred to Cook County Hospital, the white infants survived better than the nonwhite (21% as compared with 25.3%). The female infants in this group likewise showed greater survival ability as compared with the male infants (20.2% for females; 24.1% for males).
 There was no month of the year in which prematurity was consistently higher than the other months.
 The death of prematurely born infants likewise is not influenced by the month of the year. The mortality rate is related to the number of admissions and not to month or season.


BACKGROUND
There are few population-based studies of the natural history and epidemiology of herpes zoster. Although a relatively common cause of morbidity, especially among the elderly, contemporary estimates of herpes zoster incidence are lacking. Herein we describe a population-based investigation of incident and recurrent herpes zoster from 1990 through 1992 in a health maintenance organization.

METHODS
The health maintenance organization's automated medical records contain clinical and administrative information about care rendered to patients in ambulatory settings, emergency departments, and hospitals. Cases of herpes zoster were ascertained by screening the medical record for coded diagnoses. The predictive value of a herpes zoster diagnosis code was determined by review of a sample of patient records. Records from all patients with potential recurrences were also reviewed.

RESULTS
The overall incidence, based on 1075 cases in 500,408 person-years, was 215 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 192 to 240 per 100,000) and did not vary by gender. Although the rate increased sharply with age, approximately 5% of the cases occurred among children younger than 15 years. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus was documented in 5% of the persons with incident herpes zoster and cancer in 6%. Four persons had confirmed recurrences of herpes zoster (744 per 100,000 person-years; 95% confidence interval, 203 to 1907); three of these persons were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

CONCLUSIONS
The recorded incidence of herpes zoster was 64% higher than that reported 30 years ago; the age-standardized rate was more than twofold higher. Immunosuppressive conditions had little impact on overall incidence, although they were strongly associated with early recurrences.


This paper proposes a multi-spectral imaging system, developed using a commercial-grade camera, under two commonly used illumination. Rather than using conventional direct or diffuse light, the novelty of our method is to use a cross-polarized imaging system to eliminate glare and specular
 highlights. Two RGB images are captured under two different color temperature lighting conditions. An improved reflectance estimation method is developed to transform camera RGB under two illumination to spectral reflectance using a regulated model, combining the polynomial expansion of the
 camera signals with optimally selected feature. The method was tested using both a semi-gloss ColorChecker SG (140) and matte ColorChecker DC (240) chart. The results indicate that the proposed method significantly outperforms the traditional methods both in terms of spectra and colorimetric
 accuracy. This new multi-spectral imaging system is sufficiently precise to predict spectra properties and its performance within an acceptable range.


Subsyndromal symptoms of depression (SSD) in patients with schizophrenia are common and clinically important. SSRI's appear to be helpful in alleviating depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia who have SSD in patients age 40 and greater. It is not known whether SSRI's help improve functioning in this population. We hypothesized that treating this population with the SSRI citalopram would lead to improvements in social, mental and physical functioning as well as improvements in medication management and quality of life.


Objectives: To evaluate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compliance and define predictors of CPAP compliance among Saudi patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after applying an educational program. Methods: This prospective cohort study included consecutive patients diagnosed to have OSA based on polysomnography between January 2012 and January 2014 in King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All patients had educational sessions on OSA and CPAP therapy before sleep study, and formal hands-on training on CPAP machines on day one, day 7, and day 14 after diagnosis. The follow-up in the clinic was carried out at one, 4, and 10 months after initiating CPAP therapy. Continuous positive airway pressure compliance was assessed objectively. Logistic regression model was used to assess the predictors of CPAP adherence. Results: The study comprised 156 patients with a mean age of 51.9±12.1 years, body mass index of 38.4±10.6 kg/m2, and apnea hypopnea index of 63.7±39.3 events/hour. All patients were using CPAP at month one, 89.7% at month 4, and 83% at month 10. The persistence of CPAP-related side effects and comorbid bronchial asthma remained as independent predictors of CPAP compliance at the end of the study. Conclusion: With intensive education, support, and close monitoring, more than 80% of Saudi patients with OSA continued to use CPAP after 10 months of initiating CPAP therapy.


Various urban and spatial changes have lately taken place in Zagreb. They can be observed in the context of urban renewal and unplanned construction, by which we mean a general lack of city planning, resulting in random building with both positive and negative aspects. In the first part of the paper we look at the latest forms of the spatial development of Zagreb, new urban structures which appear in the city and certain negative aspects of such development. We would especially like to point out the following negative aspects: a) unplanned/ uncontrolled building, b) disturbed relations between the private and the public, c) alliance between the capital and the politics, d) architecture submitted to the market rule, e) overbuilding (excessive residential and commercial building), f) low standard/bad quality building and g) poor positioning regarding the city infrastructure. This paper presents the results of some research on a few concrete cases of urban changes ( building and renewal). Although there are numerous examples of spatial and urban structure changes in Zagreb, we have chosen four cases which clearly show the most important aspects and elements of urban renewal: a) main city squares (presently undergoing changes and in construction), b) new business towers, c) underground parking garages and d) shopping malls. We also look at four different types of urban actors who influence the changes in Zagreb. They are economic actors, political actors, the civil society and professionals/experts. The second part of the paper examines only one type of actors, that is, work, methods and achievements of the civil society organisations. Recently they have taken an active part in the changes of the urban structure of Zagreb. The main goal of the research is to present the media picture of urban renewal by analysing the content of newspaper articles about new business towers, shopping malls, underground garages, city squares. Also we wish to consider the negative aspects of building, look at four types of urban actors and point to their activities and opposing interests.


The sociotechnical perspective is often seen as one of the foundational viewpoints—or an "axis of cohesion"— for the Information Systems (IS) discipline, contributing to both its distinctiveness and its ability to coherently expand its boundaries. However, our review of papers in the two leading IS journals from 2000 to 2016 suggests that IS research has lost sight of the discipline's sociotechnical character—a character that was widely acknowledged at the discipline's inception. This is a problem because an axis of cohesion can be fundamental to a discipline's long-term vitality. In order to address this issue, we offer ways to renew the sociotechnical perspective so that it can continue to serve as a distinctive and coherent foundation for the discipline. Our hope is that the renewed sociotechnical frame for the IS discipline discussed in the paper holds potential to contribute to the enduring strength of our diverse, distinctive, yet unified discipline. It also prompts members of the discipline to think more deeply about what it means to be an IS scholar.


Schistosomiasis is a common cause of morbidity especially among rural children in less developed countries. The extent and distribution of schistosomiasis infection among school-age children was assessed and the association between some childhood activities and prevalence of infection was determined in northern Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted during which stool and urine samples were collected from children 6-15 years. Samples were analysed using the Kato-Katz technique and the 10 ml urine filtration methods respectively. Data on water contact activities were also collected. The level of infection was compared in relation to location and water contact activities. A total of 1,764 children participated in the study. Prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium infection was 18.9%. The highest level of infection (33.1%) was found among children resident in the southern part of the district, the lowest among those in the eastern (3.6%) and northern (3.8%) parts. S. mansoni infection was 10.9%. The highest level of S. mansoni infection (54.2%) was found among children resident in the central part of the district. The overall prevalence of infection (S. haematobium+S. mansoni) was moderate (27.1%). More males (32.5%) than females (20.2%) were infected (χ2=32.8, P<0.0001). Children aged 9-12 years had the highest prevalence of infection (31.8%; 95% CI: 28.4- 35.5) with the lowest among those aged 6-8 years (23.9%; 95% CI: 20.2-28.0). Swimming in the canals (χ2=404.4, P<0.0001) and working on tomato farms (χ2=37.7, P<0.0001) were risk factors for infection. Herding cattle appeared to have protected the children from infection (χ2=34.8, P=0.0001). Schistosomiasis is prevalent throughout the district with children resident in the central and southern parts of the district being more at risk of infection. There is the need to put in place an integrated and effective schistosomiasis control programme.


Vernae—often but not exclusively taken to be home-born slaves—are usually thought to have had a privileged role within the ancient Roman household. While previous studies have highlighted how these individuals were represented with affection or as surrogate members of the freeborn family, this article uses epigraphic evidence from Pompeii to argue that the reality for at least some vernae was much more grim. A full examination of Pompeian attestations of the word verna reveals that there was a connection to prostitution in over seventy per cent of extant appearances of the noun. Furthermore, contextualizing this phenomenon within the corpus of prostitution-related graffiti more broadly reveals that verna was the single most commonly used descriptor in advertisements for sexual services at Pompeii. Ultimately, the epigraphic evidence from Pompeii suggests that vernae were not safe from sexual exploitation, and it may have been their status as vernae that made them attractive to those wishing to purchase sex.


The United Nations is a vital part of the international order. Yet this book argues that the greatest contribution of the UN is not what it has achieved (improvements in health and economic development) or avoided (global war or the use of weapons of mass destruction). It is, instead, the process through which the UN has transformed the structure of international law to expand the range and depth of subjects covered by treaties. The book offers the first sustained analysis of the UN as a forum in which and an institution through which treaties are negotiated and implemented. Chapters are written by authors from different fields, including academics and practitioners, lawyers and specialists from other social sciences (international relations, history, science), professionals with an established reputation in the field and younger researchers and diplomats involved in the negotiation of multilateral treaties, as well as scholars with a broader view on the issues involved. The volume provides unique insights into UN treaty-making. Through the thematic and technical parts, it also offers a lens through which to view challenges lying ahead and the possibilities and limitations confronting this understudied aspect of international law and relations. This Introduction elaborates on some of these themes and provides a roadmap for the rest of the volume.


This study aimed to determine how to cost-effectively improve safety for people who cycle on low-volume rural roads in New Zealand. Following a literature review and Crash Analysis System consultation, two treatments were identified for on-road trial: 1) Advisory signs on passing distance and 2) A 2-1 layout (adapted to the New Zealand context). The latter became a shared space arrow treatment after the 2-1 component was discontinued for safety reasons. The key performance measures of vehicle approach speed, vehicle passing distance, and bicycle speed were measured using an integrated suite of instrumentation on four bicycles. No significant differences were found between either of the treatments and baseline on any of these measures; however, Metrocount data indicated that there was a significant 2km/h speed reduction in the signage treatment area. The instrumentation data provided baseline measures of approach speed (76.8km/h), passing distance (2.12m) and bicycle speed (23.67km/h). Recommendations for future work on cyclist safety on low-volume rural roads include the development of standardised share the road signage, the further adaptation of the 2-1 design to the New Zealand context, the implementation of a robust communication and engagement strategy for innovative research, and baseline data collection to better inform countermeasures.


Moment-closure methods are popular tools for simplifying the mathematical analysis of stochastic models defined on networks, in which high dimensional joint distributions are approximated (often by some heuristic argument) as functions of lower dimensional distributions. Whilst undoubtedly useful, several such methods suffer from issues of non-uniqueness and inconsistency. These problems are solved by an approach based on the maximization of entropy, which is motivated, derived and implemented in this paper. A series of numerical experiments are also presented, detailing the application of the method to the susceptible–infected–recovered model of epidemics, as well as cautionary examples showing the sensitivity of moment-closure techniques in general.


Accessible summary
This study asked people with learning disabilities what it was like to find out they had a learning disability.
It found that the experience of finding out they have a learning disability can be a difficult experience which takes time to come to terms with.
This research could help professionals support people better with this.

Summary
Studies have focused on the experience of diagnosis from the perspectives of parents of children with learning disabilities, but there has been limited methodologically rigorous investigation into the experience for the person themselves. Eight participants were recruited from a range of different backgrounds. Interviews were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Three main themes emerged. The first concerned awareness of difference. Participants described becoming aware of an unwanted difference at school. Adolescence appeared as a time when an increased understanding of disability developed. In the second theme of 'the relationship with nondisabled others', participants described their opinions on labelling and their perspectives on how others viewed them. The final theme explored coping responses to stigma.