abies can be a source of learning thanks to the specific kind of training in infant bservation that Esther Bick's method provides: weekly observation sessions n the infant's home environment, from birth until 2 years of age. The three ifferent phases of the procedure can be seen as a methodological model for the hought processes it involves: after the weekly home observation session with aby and family, the observer writes out an observation, which is then read to a eminar group led by an analyst trained in the method. This is a process that, in mphasizing and sustaining the observer's attentiveness and containing function, lso strengthens them. Unlike other observation methods, the principal aim of raining in this instance is the development of the observer's own capacity for ttention, reflection and containment. We discuss how this method is a highly recious instrument for professionals in different field of mental health.


Aims The RCPCH guideline entitled Pathways to Diagnosis: The Diagnosis of Brain Tumours was published in 2008 and later accredited by NHS (NICE) Evidence. The HeadSmart: Be Brain tumour aware campaign was launched in 2011 to amplify the guidance and has successfully halved the total diagnostic interval in the UK. We are conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to update the guideline using current published evidence. Methods Medline, Pubmed and Embase databases were searched without language restriction from January 2005–August 2015. Key words were "brain tumour (s)", "brain tumour (s)", "brain neoplasm (s)", "diagnosis", "signs (s)", "symptom (s)", "presentation (s)". All references were restricted to "all child". All papers containing data of brain tumour presentation, diagnosis or presenting signs and symptoms were included. A standard data extraction form was used to record the numbers of children with each symptom/sign. Some studies were detailed on individual symptoms (headache, vomiting, papilloedema) whilst others recorded complexes (eg intracranial pressure). If a symptom/sign was not recorded, it was assumed not to have occurred in that population. Results 20,068 papers were identified by the search terms. We reviewed 664 papers in full of which 71 met the inclusion criteria describing the signs and symptoms in 3818 children. A total of 152 symptoms were identified of which 80% presented with signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure (including headache and vomiting). Visual symptoms (16%), ataxia (11%), CN palsies (10%) and seizures (9%) together with raised ICP made up the top 5 presenting signs/symptoms. HeadSmart data shows that children with midline supratentorial tumours and adolescents have the longest total diagnostic intervals. Subgroup analyses of tumour location, children under the age of 2, and young people is ongoing. Where no substantial clinical research evidence is identified, a formal consensus method will be used to formulate recommendations. Conclusions Our HeadSmart data has given us valuable guidance as to which subgroups to focus this analysis on. The presentation will summarise the new recommendations which will help us meet the government target of all cancer diagnoses within 4 weeks. The revised draft guideline will be discussed at the conference.


:  Selections of the Grundrisse were translated into English beginning in 1964; a full translation did not appear until 1973. Anglophone Marxian social science has changed dramatically since then; this article attempts to assess the role of the Grundrisse in these changes, focusing specifically on anthropology and geography. In geography the effects are most apparent in the work of David Harvey, who was among the earliest Anglophone social scientists to undertake a full reinterpretation of Marx in the light of the Grundrisse. I identify four insights that can be seen in Harvey's writings and elsewhere in recent human geography, but whose relation to the Grundrisse is not often acknowledged. In anthropology, the effects of the Grundrisse are perhaps even more pronounced but also more complex and obscure; nonetheless, a similar, and similarly under-acknowledged, influence can be discerned, especially in historical anthropology and recent studies of value. I suggest that the Grundrisse's translation into English has facilitated a convergence of anthropology and geography, and that critical ethnography in this vein is needed to grapple with the financialization of everything, in which commodification is only a preliminary step.


UNLABELLED
Epilepsy and epileptic seizures are common brain disorders in the elderly and are associated with increased mortality that may be ascribed to the underlying disease or epilepsy-related causes.

OBJECTIVE
To describe mortality predictors of epilepsy and epileptic seizures in elderly inpatients.

METHOD
Retrospective analysis was performed on hospitalized elderly who had epilepsy or epileptic seizures, from January 2009 to December 2010. One hundred and twenty patients were enrolled.

RESULTS
The most common etiology was ischemic stroke (37%), followed by neoplasias (13%), hemorrhagic stroke (12%), dementias (11.4%) and metabolic disturbances (5.5%). In a univariate analysis, disease duration (p = 0.04), status epilepticus (p < 0.001) and metabolic etiology (p = 0.005) were associated with mortality. However after adjustment by logistic regression, only status epilepticus remained an independent predictor of death (odds ratio = 13; 95%CI = 2.3 to 72; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION
In this study status epilepticus was an independent risk factor for death during hospitalization.


In this paper, high strain rate compression properties of aramid and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene composites in the out-of-plane direction are tested at room temperature on a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar apparatus. Tests were conducted on composites reinforced with woven or Uni-Directional (UD) fabrics made from aramid or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene as well as on composites reinforced with hybrid reinforcement. The strain rate is varied in the tests by changing the projectile shooting pressure. Four different pressures 2, 4, 6 and 8 bar were selected to change the strain rate. Stress–strain and energy absorption behaviour of eight type of samples were noted. Hybrid samples showed better performance in the energy absorption compared with other samples.


Atomic diffusion, including the effects of radiative accelerations on individual elements, leads to important variations of the chemical composition inside stars. The accumulation of important elements in specific layers leads to a local increase of the average opacity and to hydrodynamic instabilities that modify the internal stellar structure. This can also have important consequences for asteroseismology.


This article reviews the literature dealing with scholarly information behavior around the use of e-journals. Its aims are to examine the use and impact the availability of e-journals has had on the community of scholars, mainly from the UK, but looking also at literature from other countries. Results demonstrated the huge rise in availability and take-up of e-journals, although there are mixed findings regarding the fate of the print format. Access to e-literature is dominated by keyword searching, with subject-specific (e.g., chemical abstracts); or general academic (Web of Knowledge) gateways and search engines (typically Google) all used above publishers platforms, alerts, and other ways to find literature. The value of e-journals has been shown to be high, both in terms of in gaining new insights and helping with teaching, and in measure of "Contingent valuation": the time or cost incurred by not having provision. Barriers to e-journal use included non-purchase of titles by the library and years or volumes not available electronically. Although many disciplinary differences exist, due to their differing natures and means of scholarly communication, nevertheless, the review concludes that it is now unthinkable for researchers to work without the convenience and comprehensiveness that e-journals provide them.


Abstract Orthognathic surgery is a typical approach for treating maxillofacial deformities. However, orthognathic surgery results in positional changes in the condyles. In a previous review, the effects of orthognathic surgery on temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are not provided. Hence, in this study, we investigate the morphological changes in TMJs after mandibular and bi-maxillary osteotomies. The relationship between the morphological parameters of TMJs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) is discussed. Finite element contact stress analysis is performed, and the results show that the two abovementioned surgeries can improve maxillofacial deformities, although the positions of the condyles are changed. Moreover, preoperative stress asymmetry of the left and right TMJs is observed, which remain after the surgeries. TMD patient-specific analysis shows that three joint spaces (medial joint space, lateral joint space, superior joint space) are significantly correlated with TMD symptoms.


In order to capture the essence of employee dynamics within the ever-changing landscape of modern organizations, a naturalistic inquiry using a holistic approach was employed. This technique emphasized the millennial generation's communication strengths as compared to those of previous generation workers. The perceptions of millennial students, millennial workers, multi-generational managers, university professors, and IT professionals were analyzed through a constant, comparative analysis and grouped so that grounded theory was allowed to emerge. The products of this inquiry include practical solutions aimed at reducing the uncertainty for multi-generational managers, specifically regarding the supervision of younger generation workers. In addition, the results of this study suggest that traditional business communication practices, when coupled with an increased use of information and communication technologies that are specifically designed to bolster collaboration and interpersonal communication, have the potential to maximize internal and external communication effectiveness. The data collected within this study provided an overview of the underlying values and perceptions behind millennial behavior. This synopsis, captured through millennial focus groups and face-to-face interviews, acquiesces to the literature surrounding the millennial generation. As outwardly portrayed, the individuals within this study are technically advanced, goal-oriented people who want the freedom and balance to work efficiently and effectively. In addition, the millennials used herein respect the traditional organizational structure, but only to the limit that its hierarchical nature does not stunt innovation achieved through adaptability and collaboration.


Silicon-carbide-based MOS capacitors were formed on either 3C (epitaxial on Si) or 4H substrates and using SiO2 gate dielectrics both with and without interfacial nitrogen. The charge trapping properties of these structures were examined after exposure to ionizing radiation. In all cases interfacial nitrogen results in improved trap density and increased oxide charge trapping. For equivalent nitrogen content, 3C-based devices exhibit more charge trapping than the 4H-based equivalents.


BACKGROUND Single-parent families are burdened with dual roles as parents amidst economic poverty due to the lack of a spouse. Single parents also face the complications of time poverty. AIM To examine the time use of single-parent families by dividing their time into occupational area and explore the differences in time deficiency and life satisfaction. METHODS In this study, the time usage in the '2019 time of life survey' data of the National Statistical Office is classified based on the fourth edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, and the time use and satisfaction of single-parent families classified according to sex. In the '2019 time of life survey' of the National Statistical Office, the subjects who selected single-parent families in the 'single parent-parent-grandchild households' item were first selected. The data of 404 parents from single-parent families were selected next. The time usage, time deficiency, and life satisfaction were analyzed by occupational area. RESULTS The subjects spent the most time resting and sleeping, followed by engaging in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), work, and health management. As a result of comparing the subjects by sex, it was found that the male subjects spent more time on work than the female subjects, and the female subjects spent more time on IADLs, education and social participation. As a result of comparing time deficiency and life satisfaction, the male subjects felt that they lacked time compared to the female subjects. There was no significant difference in life satisfaction. By examining whether single-parent families' time use by occupational area affected the time deficiency, it was found that male's working time make them feel they have less time, while female's leisure time makes them feel they have more time. CONCLUSION This study made it possible to determine the characteristics of single-parent households' time use and sex differences. Furthermore, it is expected to be used as basic data for measures to solve not only time poverty, but also economic poverty in single-parent families.


The development of a novel ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna is reported. The antenna, based on a microstrip transmission line, forms a quasi-horn and possesses an extremely wide bandwidth of many decades with relatively high gain. It does not require a balun or transition at the input port and is inherently matched. Two such antennas, when used as transmit and receive elements, have a high isolation between them, even when they are placed next to each other and no absorbing material is used. Measured results show a return loss of better than 10 dB from 0.2 to more than 20 GHz, gain from 7.5 dBi at 2.6 GHz to 17.6 dBi at 18 GHz, and good radiation patterns. Although not measured, the antenna should also perform well at much higher frequencies than 18 GHz. With proper size and shape, the antenna can achieve a relatively flat gain response over an extremely wide bandwidth. Calculated and measured radiation patterns also agree reasonably well.


Twenty-eight Odonata species were recorded in the Poliskyi Nature Reserve (Zhytomyr oblast', North Ukraine) in 2006 and 2007, 18 of which were reported for the first time from this location. This included such rare species as Somatochlora arctica (second record in the Ukraine, first record for 100 years), Leucorrhinia dubia, Leucorrhinia rubicunda and Leucorrhinia albifrons. A breeding site and a dense population of Nehalennia speciosa were found in a bog near the river. Zholobnytsya. The record of Orthetrum coerulescens is the northernmost in Ukraine.


A typical flour milling process is a very linear operation that is almost entirely void of recycled streams where separate fractions from each operation go ahead as new streams to the next operation. In some cases, there are opportunities for combining some streams, for recycling particles that have been insufficiently broken to go back to the same roller mill. This study introduces this recycle concept in flour milling process at second break system. The recycle grinding assessment was made using a Satake STR-100 test roller mill. The recycle process was started after the second break system and the number of recycle grinding was up to 7 regrinds. The particle size distribution and ash analysis were produced to describe the behaviour of the recycle grinding performance. The material release was sifted on a range of sieves and the ash content was analysed using a laboratory furnace. The performance for each recycle stage was investigated. It was determined that it is possible for some coarse particles that contain only bran to keep being recycled in the recycle circuit. A purging operation was recommended to be included in the recycle system, to separate the unwanted particles. ???? 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.


The present investigation shows that autoreactive effector cells that transfer experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) can be activated from spleens and lymph nodes of Lewis rats given a single injection of 25 micrograms myelin basic protein (BP) in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), despite the fact that the cell donors do not develop EAE. Rather, these donor rats are unresponsive to EAE when given an encephalitogenic emulsion of BP in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Lymphoid cells from rats given a single injection of BP-IFA were almost as effective as cells from BP-CFA-treated rats with respect to transferring EAE after in vitro activation with BP or concanavalin A (Con A). Irrespective of whether donors received BP in IFA or CFA, BP-cultured spleen and lymph node cells (SpC and LNC, respectively) transferred EAE, whereas Con A-cultured SpC but not LNC exhibited effector cell activity. Con A-cultured LNC were able to transfer EAE if the cultures were reconstituted with irradiated adherent phagocytic cells (which could be obtained from normal Lewis rat spleens) or with conditioned medium from these adherent SpC. These findings indicate that accessory cells are required for in vitro induction of this T cell-mediated autoimmune response.


Excitation functions and a few isomeric cross-section ratios for production of (1) 192Au, 193Au, 194Au, 195Au and 192Ir nuclides in a-induced reactions on 191,1931r, (2) 197T1, 197mHg, 198m'gT1, W9T1 and 2°0T1 nuclides in c~-induced reaction in 197Au and (3) 183Re and 184m'gRe nuclides in ainduced reaction in 181Ta and 185Re are obtained from the measurements of the residual activities by the conventional stacked-foils technique from threshold to 50MeV. The excitation function and isomeric cross-section ratios for nuclear reaction lSlTa(a, n)184m'gRe are compared with the theoretical calculation using the code Stapre which is based on exciton model for pre-equilibrium phase and Hauser-Feshbach formalism taking angular momentum and parity into account for the equilibrium phase of the nuclear reaction. All other experimental excitation functions are compared with the calculations considering equilibrium as well as pre-equilibrium reaction mechanism according to the geometry dependent hybrid (GDH) model and hybrid model of Blann using the code Alice/91. The high energy part of the excitation functions are dominated by pre-equilibrium reaction mechanism whereas the low energy parts are dominated by equilibrium evaporation with its characteristic peak. The GDH model provides a potentially better description of the physical process (i.e., a higher probability for peripheral collisions to undergo precompound decay than for central collisions) compared to hybrid model. However in the energy range of present measurement most of the excitation functions are fitted reasonably well by both GDH model and hybrid model with initial exciton number No = 4(N~ -----2,Np = 2 , N h = 0). Barring a few reactions we have found the overall agreement between theory and experiment is reasonably good taking the limitations of the theory into account.


The battlefield at Culloden (Scotland), which witnessed the defeat in April 1746 of the forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in a battle against forces loyal to the Hanoverian King George II, remains a site charged with powerful associations. Largely forgotten for a century, the memories of the battle were steadily revived and recast under the influence of romantic Jacobitism, eventually turning the battlefield from undifferentiated moorland into sacred space. This article traces this process and reflects on its lasting implications. After surveying the nature of Jacobitism, especially its transformation from a political to a predominantly romantic movement, it considers film representations of Culloden as a way of unpacking the myths of romantic Jacobitism. The type of reinterpretations found in film, however, have only slowly permeated the narratives presented at the site itself. The conclusion discusses issues arising from the experience of Culloden, making particular reference to the recently announced Memorial Project.


METHODS
The dose needed for high image quality in l.a. DSA, was determined by investigation of the necessary relationship between dose and image quality. This method is based on measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio and of the contrast-detail detectability. It has been tested on two different systems (Philips integris V3000, Philips Diagnost 97).

RESULTS
Our measurements prove that an image intensifier entrance dose of 1.1 microGy (image intensifier diameter 38 cm) is sufficient for high image quality in DSA. An increased dose value does not lead to an improvement in image information. For details larger than the pixel size the 512 matrix produces a higher signal-to-noise ratio with a higher contrast-detail detectability, whereas higher spatial resolution results by the use of a 1024 matrix. In rotational angiography, high image quality can be achieved at an image intensifier entrance dose of 1.1 microGy. In contrast to sequences without rotation, image quality is decreased through movement unsharpness. As the maximum exposure time 25 ms should be selected. The use of a 1024 matrix does not lead to a better spatial resolution in rotational angiography.


Current noise and conductivity in composites of conductive spherical polyaniline particles covered with non-conductive poly(vinyl alcohol) layers dispersed in the same polymer medium were investigated. As the polyaniline particles are fully separated by insulating material, conductive percolation is not possible and electrical conductivity occurs only by thermally assisted charge hopping or possibly tunnelling. An interpretation in terms of quiet conductive paths through the polyaniline particles and noisy conductance through the poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix is given.


The thermal behaviour of mixed aqueous dispersions of ubiquinone-10 with dipalmitoylglycerophosphocholine, dimyristoylglycerophosphocholine or egg phosphatidylcholine has been examined by differential scanning calorimetry. Ubiquinone-10 was found to undergo a series of thermal transitions in the heating process in the temperature range 290-300 K prior to a major melting endotherm at 317 K. The temperature of this endotherm was unaltered when the coenzyme was codispersed with phospholipid but enthalpy determinations showed that up to about 5% (mol/ol) and 20% (mol/mol) of ubiquinone-10 was removed from the transition in mixtures with dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl derivatives of phosphatidylcholine respectively. Likewise the pre-transition and main endothermic transitions of the saturated phospholipids were largely unperturbed by the presence of ubiquinone-10 but up to 22% (mol/mol) and 8% (mol/mol) of the dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl derivatives of phosphatidylcholine respectively were removed from the endotherm. These data suggest that at molar percentages less than 20% ubiquinone-10 a high proportion of the coenzyme is molecularly mixed within the phospholipid bilayer but as the proportion increases there is a greater tendency for the coenzyme to form aggregates that display typical melting and crystallization behaviour.


Introduction: Activating mutations in FLT3 are present in a significant fraction of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases. Patients with FLT3 mutations have a significantly worse prognosis than patients with wild type FLT3, suggesting that the activated kinase is a driver of the disease. AC220 is a novel class III receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor. It has highly potent activity against FLT3 and is highly selective for wild type and mutant FLT3 and other class III RTKs, including KIT, CSF1R/FMS, RET and PDGFR. AC220 is currently in a phase I clinical study for relapsed or refractory AML patients. Human pharmacokinetic (PK) data from early cohorts are presented along with the preclinical profile in support of the rationale for the clinical evaluation of AC220 in AML. Methods: Cellular efficacy of AC220 was evaluated in the FLT3-dependent human leukemia cell line MV4;11. This cell line was implanted in a mouse xenograft model, which was used to assess animal efficacy. In preclinical studies, pharmacokinetics were determined in rats and dogs. The clinical study is a phase I, first-in-man, multi-center, open label, sequential dose escalation study. AC220 is administered once daily as an oral solution for 14 days with a starting dose of 12 mg. At least three centers in the U.S. enrolled AML patients into three-patient cohorts. Results: AC220 inhibits proliferation of MV4;11 cells with subnanomolar potency (IC50 = 0.3 nM). In the mouse MV4;11 xenograft model, tumor regression is observed at 3 mg/kg (9 mg/m2, p.o., qd), and tumor growth inhibition at 1 mg/kg (3 mg/m2, p.o., qd). The terminal half-life is 5.7 hours in rats and 5.9 hours in dogs. In the clinical study, one male and two female patients were enrolled into cohort 1. The weight range for these patients is 77.9 to 101.27 kg. The average plasma concentrations at the 12 mg dose are 11.2 ng/mL at day 1, 37.9 ng/mL at day 8 and 42.9 ng/mL (0.06 μM) at steady state (by day 15), with an apparent terminal half-life of at least 2.8 days. Inter-patient variability of steady state plasma concentrations within the 3-patient cohort is low. Conclusions: At the human dose of 12 mg, AC220 is well tolerated and absorbed. It has a long terminal half-life and the inter-patient pharmacokinetic variability is low. Steady state is predicted to be reached within 8 to 14 days with minor peaks and troughs. There is a strong correlation between efficacy in the mouse model and AC220 plasma levels (adjusted for plasma protein binding) relative to potency in the MV4;11 cell-based assay. At the human dose of 12 mg (average 5.2 mg/m2), the plasma level of AC220 at steady state (0.06 μM, when adjusted for plasma protein binding) is approximately twofold higher than the MV4;11 cell IC50. Continued exploration in patients is warranted to determine the role of AC220 in the treatment of AML.


Summary Scholars generally conduct research at a single level of analysis (such as the individual, the group, or the organization level), although they often turn to the next-lower level for explanatory mechanisms. I suggest that robust understanding of social and organizational dynamics requires attention to higher as well as lower levels of analysis. The benefits of research and theory that 'brackets' one's focal phenomenon by attending to constructs at both higher and lower levels of analyses are illustrated with findings from research on aircraft cockpit crews, hospital patient care teams, and professional musical ensembles. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


172 patients with impotence symptoms were investigated by SBBBV-test, orthostatic blood pressure, Doppler examination of the superficial and deep penile arteries, penile-brachial index, visual sexual stimulation, papaverin test, and measurement of bulbocavernous reflex latency time. Visual sexual stimulation and papaverin test correlated well with each other, and so did papaverin test and PBI in cases of arterial insufficiency. SBBBV was simple to perform and useful in detecting autonomic neuropathy. There were characteristic differences in the pattern of erectile failure between young and old patients. The differentiation to organic or psychogenic erectile failure was easier in the young age groups, whereas the old patients more often had a combination of vascular and psychogenic aetiology.


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China is a poor but rapidly developing country; its per capita, nominal income is about $1,700 (about 1/25 of that of the United States in 2005). Never the less, as a fast-growing country with an average growth rate of 9.8 percent a year over the past 25 years, China's income prospects are bright. Total GDP is predicted to equal that of the United States by 2032.1 Given such rapid growth, economic intuition would indicate that China has little need to save and instead has a strong incentive to consume today because the fundamental purpose of saving is to enable future consumption. In other words, Chinese households may improve their welfare by consuming more now because they can reasonably expect to be much richer in the future. Despite this fact, China's saving rate is one of the highest in the world. The figure shows that China's personal saving rate is about 25 percent and national saving is roughly 47 percent of GDP (in 2005, compared with 0.5 percent personal saving and 12 percent national saving in the United States)— and these savings rates have increased in recent years. Why do Chinese households save today to consume even more in the future? Several factors may contribute to this behavior. First, the economic reform in China that started in 1978 increased income uncertainty because many jobs were no longer governmentpaid: People save more because they are more uncertain about their future. Second, since 1978 the Chinese government has gradually shifted the burden of retirement income to households. Hence, increased savings are needed for retirement, which formerly was essentially free. This change further increased the already high personal saving rate. Third, China's financial market and banking system is still underdeveloped and only recently began to reform. As a result, borrowing for housing, education, medical care, and other big expenses is very difficult. Even today, mortgages require at least a 30 percent down payment, assuming a loan can be obtained. In addition, real estate prices are very high compared with incomes. In Beijing and Shanghai, for example, the median price of a 1,000-square-foot apartment is about $100,000 at current exchange rates. If the average annual income per capita in Beijing and Shanghai is about $2,000, then the average Chinese worker needs to save his or her entire annual income (a 100 percent saving rate) for about 50 years to buy an apartment. Even if a borrower can obtain a mortgage, the 30 percent down payment means a one-time payment of $30,000—equivalent to about 15 years' income (ignoring interest payments). Such high real estate costs have boosted the savings rate. Economic theory predicts that the development of financial market and social insurance programs may dramatically reduce China's saving rate (at both household and national levels). Such a decline in the saving rate may slow China's speed of growth because economic growth is driven partially by domestic investment, which in turn is financed mostly by domestic saving.


The efficiency and acceptability of domestic IUDs were reviewed in large populations of women. The estimates of IUD efficiency and acceptability made using original computation procedures indicated these parameters to be noticeably lower as compared to figures reported in the literature. (author's)


Myelodysplastic syndrome is a hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and leukemic progression. Accumulation of various kinds of genetic alterations in oncogene and tumor suppressor gene develops and accelerates the disease. Recently, alpha-catenin gene has been identified as a candidate gene in the 5q- anomaly. Diagnostic criteria have been updated by Valent et al. WHO classification has become popular and WHO classification-based prognostic scoring system will be employed to evaluate prognosis. In our country, clinical studies on vitamin K2+D3 and cyclosporine A were conducted in low-risk patients, and their efficacy and safety have been reported. In US, molecular-targeting therapy with lenalidomide or demethylase is approved by FDA.


Ontology matching produces correspondences between elements of two ontologies and it is a basic problem in many database application domains. A Description Logics-based ontology matching approach is proposed. The approach achieves the matching by means of semantic interpretation. The algorithm of deciding ontology correspondences (such as equivalence, more general, less general, disjointness, overlapping) is presented, which is reasoned based on concept inclusion. The reasoner RacerPro is selected to deduce ontology mapping, and the experimental results demonstrate that the approach is feasible.


This two-volume set from Greenwood explores eating disorders and their causes, treatment, and prevention. The editor, Justine Reel, is a researcher and licensed counselor specializing in disordered eating, obesity prevention, and sports psychology, and she has assembled a knowledgeable team of psychologists, nutritionists, eating disorder specialists, and researchers as contributors to this encyclopedia. Articles in the volume are listed alphabetically and include topics on medical and psychological disorders, sports medicine and exercise, popular culture, therapies, and comorbidities common to eating disorder patients.


Aim: Insulin bolus doses are mainly based on ambient glucose level and planned carbohydrate (CHO) intake, although fat and protein content of food also impact glycemic excursions. We examined the impact of macronutrient intake on glycemic outcomes in youth with T1D. Methods: Youth (N=136, ages 8-17) with T1D provided diet (3-day food records) and glucose (3-day masked CGM [iPro™]) data every 3 months for 1 year (5 time points). Diet data were analyzed using Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR). Macronutrient % intake was derived as the mean for each 3-day period. Glycemic outcomes were A1c and CGM metrics: glucose % time in range (TIR) 70-180 mg/dL, % time (T) 180, and glucose CV. Longitudinal mixed models assessed the effect of macronutrient intake on glycemic outcomes. Results: Youth (48% male) had a mean age of 12.8±2.5 years and T1D duration of 5.9±3.1 years; youth checked BGs 5.6±2.4 X/day and 73% used insulin pumps. At baseline, A1c=8.1±1.0%, %TIR=49±17% (11.8 hrs), %T 180=44±20% (10.6 hrs), and CV=41±8%; macronutrient % intake was 48±5% CHO, 36±5% fat, and 16±2% protein. Over 1 year, differences in macronutrient intake affected glycemic outcomes (Table). Conclusions: Our data confirm the significant impact of fat and protein intake on glycemic outcomes. These findings offer an opportunity to tailor algorithms to assist with meal-time bolus dosing and automated insulin delivery systems. Disclosure R.O. La Banca: None. L.K. Volkening: None. E. Dassau: Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., DreaMed Diabetes, Tandem Diabetes Care, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Roche Diabetes Care. Other Relationship; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Insulet Corporation, Roche Diabetes Care. S.N. Mehta: None. L.M. Laffel: Advisory Panel; Self; Roche Diabetes Care. Consultant; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ConvaTec Inc., Dexcom, Inc., Insulet Corporation, Insulogic LLC, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. Funding National Institutes of Health (P30DK036836, K12DK094721)


Fundamentals of the Schottky contacts and the high-temperature current conduction through three kinds of Schottky diodes are studied. N-Si Schottky diodes, GaN Schottky diodes and AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes are investigated by I–V–T measurements ranging from 300 to 523 K. For these Schottky diodes, a rise in temperature is accompanied with an increase in barrier height and a reduction in ideality factor. Mechanisms are suggested, including thermionic emission, field emission, trap-assisted tunnelling and so on. The most remarkable finding in the present paper is that these three kinds of Schottky diodes are revealed to have different behaviours of high-temperature reverse currents. For the n-Si Schottky diode, a rise in temperature is accompanied by an increase in reverse current. The reverse current of the GaN Schottky diode decreases first and then increases with rising temperature. The AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode has a trend opposite to that of the GaN Schottky diode, and the dominant mechanisms are the effects of the piezoelectric polarization field and variation of two-dimensional electron gas charge density.


Abstract Although there are many interventions to reduce mental health–related stigma in university or college students, their overall effect is unknown. This article systematically reviews intervention studies and aims to identify the effective approaches. We searched 11 bibliographic databases, Google, Web sites of relevant associations, and reference lists and contacted specialists. A total of 35 studies (N = 4257) of a wide range of interventions met the inclusion criteria. Social contact or video-based social contact interventions seemed to be the most effective in improving attitudes and reducing desire for social distance. Evidence from one study suggests that a lecture that provided treatment information may enhance students' attitudes toward the use of services. However, methodological weaknesses in many studies were also found. There was a lack of evidence for interventions in medical students, for long-term effects of interventions, or for having a positive impact on actual behaviors. Further research having more rigorous methods is needed to confirm this.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. The incidence of the disease increases with age. Demographic forecasts predict aging of the population and an increase in the obesity rate in the society, the factors that contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. Thus, the nearest future will most likely bring an epidemic of the disease. While estimations of direct and indirect costs of OA have been developed in many countries, no such analyses have been made available for Poland. The total cost associated with disability pensions, hiring professional care and general loss of work productivity exceeds the direct cost of diagnostics and treatment. On a country scale, OA and its consequences require significant expenditure on the part of the health care system, social security system and the national budget. Optimization of this cost will require completion of epidemiological and pharmacoeconomic analyses and transformations in the health care and social security systems. The job market will also need to be adapted to the inevitable changes by means of introducing necessary legal adjustments to facilitate continued employment of persons >50 years of age with musculoskeletal disorders.


The majority of Nigerians live on less than $1.90 per day, which clearly reflects Nigeria's high level of poverty. Sadly, the younger generation is being severely affected by this adverse situation. With the population of youth being approximately sixty eight million however, the country could reduce the level of poverty by further promoting youth engagement in entrepreneurship.
The promotion of entrepreneurship could make a positive impact and encourage economic growth and development. This white paper is an attempt to investigate the economics of entrepreneurial activities of Muslim youth corps members in Kano state. Its focus is as follows:

Identify various entrepreneurial activities by the Youth Corp Members.
Examine the factors determining their participation in entrepreneurship activities.
Suggest solutions to identified constraints of entrepreneurial activities.

A multistage sampling technique was used to select sixty respondents among corps members and primary data was collected with structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that more than 80% of the respondents were between 20-30 years of age.  The majority of the respondents were male and 90%  were non-native, while 40% engaged in entrepreneurship.
The inferential statistics showed that age, level of parents' education, stipends received and membership of an association, determined participation in entrepreneurial activity. The study therefore recommends awareness creation on the importance of skill acquisition and implementation for income generation among the youth, as well as enactment and implementation of appropriate governmental policies to boost entrepreneurship of economic growth.


Neurons in particular layers of cingulate cortex and in limbic thalamic nuclei exhibit peak firing rates in response to a positive conditional stimulus (CS+) in particular stages of discriminative learning. A given area is maximally activated by the CS+ in the initial, an intermediate, or a late stage of behavioral acquisition, and activation in all of the areas diminishes as training continues after the peak of activation occurs. Thus, the topographic distribution of activation in these areas depends on the stage of behavioral acquisition. The present study determined whether the acquisition-related changes of the topographic distributions of peak firing rates in CS-elicited activity are driven exclusively by the repetition of conditioning trials (i.e., practice) or may occur as well with the passage of time, similar to putative processes of memory consolidation. Multiunit activity was recorded in cingulate cortex and in the anterior dorsal (AD), anterior ventral (AV), and medial dorsal (MD) thalamic nuclei as rabbits learned to step in response to a warning tone (CS+) to prevent a scheduled foot-shock, and to ignore a different tone (CS-) not predictive of foot-shock. The rabbits received two training sessions, S1 and S2. S2 followed S1 immediately in one group of rabbits and after 48 h in a different group. Significant neuronal discharge increments occurred from S1 to S2 in the 48-h group but not in the 0-h group, for the areas (posterior cingulate cortex, AV thalamic nucleus) that previously showed only late-stage activation. Significant discharge increments occurred from S1 to S2 in the 0-h group but not in the 48-h group in areas (anterior cingulate cortex, the AD, and MD thalamic nuclei) that previously exhibited early stage activation. These results indicate that the trial-driven topographic distribution changes also occur with the passage of time after limited initial training. It is suggested that the trial-driven and time-related changes may have a common functional relevance concerning memory consolidation.


We examined the effects of polyamines such as putrescine and cadaverine on the biosynthesis and secretion of insulin in the mouse pancreatic β-cell line, MIN-6. Basal insulin secretion (BIS) and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from the MIN-6 cells were significantly increased by 20 min- or 24 h-treatment with micromolar concentrations of polyamines. To determine whether the enhancement was due to increase of insulin production by polyamines, we investigated the insulin mRNA and protein production. Both insulin mRNA and protein production were found to be not significantly affected by the polyamine treatment. Next, we examined the expression of several transcription factors (TFs) related to insulin synthesis and secretion in order to identify upstream events responsible for the promotion of insulin secretion of MIN6 cells by polyamines. Of the 6 TFs tested, MafA was induced by treatment of polyamines. MafA mRNA and protein expressions increased with treatment of polyamines. Overall results suggest that cadaverine and putrescine promote the insulin secretion process rather than the insulin biosynthesis from MIN6 cells. Also MafA may be involved in the enhanced insulin secretion process. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms for promotion of insulin secretion by polyamines.


Introduction The COVID-19 viral pandemic has taken the world by surprise. The pandemic has caused a great impact on the mental health and wellbeing of pregnant women with mental health difficulties. Healthcare providers veered towards video-telemedicine to safely and swiftly provide services to its users. Objectives To determine impact of Video-telemedicine on: 1. Access to Care 2. Ease of Use 3. Quality of Care 4. Difficulties of Use 5. Future Prospects of Video Telemedicine Methods We have decided to conduct a targeted survey to 100 pregnant women who are known to Perinatal Mental Health services to assess the new methods of contact that the viral pandemic has enforced upon healthcare providers. Results Pre-pandemic: video-telemedicine was ranked as least preferred Post-pandemic it is ranked as second favourite. 70.4% of responders have confirmed that video-telemedicine significantly facilitated access to care. 23.3% of responders insisted video-telemedicine made the service better. 50% of responders thought it was much easier to use video options to access their care services needs 95.4% of responders felt that video-telemedicine alternatives should remain post-pandemic Conclusions Video-telemedicine options have significantly improved the access and quality of services provided by Community Health Services to pregnant women during the pandemic. Video options can also make it easier to reach critical care without negatively affecting the quality of wholistic care provided, in fact, it can sometimes improve it. It is important that the psychiatric field learn from this pandemic and implement these services permanently. Bigger and wider studies need to be done in the future to support these conclusions. Disclosure No significant relationships.


In this paper a new authentication technique in online voting system using facial recognition of the voter is used. In India, currently there are two types of voting system in practice. They are secret Ballet paper and Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), but both of the process have some limitation or demerits. In India online voting has not been yet implemented. The current voting system is not safe and secure too. The voters need to go to distributed places like polling booths and stand in a long queue to cast their vote, because of these reasons most of the people misses their chance of voting. The voter who is not eligible can also cast its vote by fake means which may leads to many problems. That's why in this project we have to propose a system or way for voting which is very effective or useful in voting. In our approach we have three level of security in voting process. The first level is the verification of unique id number (UID), second level is the verification of election id number (EID) and third level is face recognition or face matching. The security level of our system is greatly improved by the new application method for each voter. The user authentication process of the system is improved by adding face recognition in an application which will identify whether the particular user is authenticated user or not.


. A bang-bang iteration method equipped with a component-wise line search strategy is introduced to solve unconstrained optimization problem- s. The main idea of this method is to formulate an unconstrained optimization problem as an optimal control problem to obtain an optimal trajectory. Howev- er, the optimal trajectory can only be generated by impulsive control variables and it is a straight line joining a guessed initial point to a minimum point. Thus, a priori bounds are imposed on the control variables in order to obtain a feasible solution. As a result, the optimal trajectory is made up of bang-bang control sub-arcs, which form an iterative model based on the Lyapunov function's theorem. This is to ensure monotonic decrease of the objective function value and convergence to a desirable minimum point. However, a chattering behavior may occur near the solution. To avoid this behavior, the Newton it- erations are then applied to the proposed method via a two-phase approach to achieve fast convergence. Numerical experiments show that this new approach is efficient and cost-effective to solve the unconstrained optimization problems.


Cationic lipids are exploited as vectors ('lipoplexes') for delivering nucleic acids, including genes, into cells for both therapeutic and cell biological purposes. However, to meet therapeutic requirements, their efficacy needs major improvement, and better defining the mechanism of entry in relation to eventual transfection efficiency could be part of such a strategy. Endocytosis is the major pathway of entry, but the relative contribution of distinct endocytic pathways, including clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis and/or macropinocytosis is as yet poorly defined. Escape of DNA/RNA from endosomal compartments is thought to represent a major obstacle. Evidence is accumulating that non-lamellar phase changes of the lipoplexes, facilitated by intracellular lipids, which allow DNA to dissociate from the vector and destabilize endosomal membranes, are instrumental in plasmid translocation into the cytosol, a prerequisite for nuclear delivery. To further clarify molecular mechanisms and to appreciate and overcome intracellular hurdles in lipoplex-mediated gene delivery, quantification of distinct steps in overall transfection and proper model systems are required.


Base station (BS) sleeping is an effective way to reduce the energy consumption of mobile networks. Previous efforts to design sleeping control algorithms mainly rely on stochastic traffic models and analytical derivation. However, the tractability of models often conflicts with the complexity of real-world traffic, making it difficult to apply in reality. In this paper, we propose a data-driven algorithm for dynamic sleeping control called DeepNap. This algorithm uses a deep Q-network (DQN) to learn effective sleeping policies from high-dimensional raw observations or un-quantized systems state vectors. We propose to enhance the original DQN algorithm with action-wise experience replay and adaptive reward scaling to deal with the challenges in nonstationary traffic. We also provide a model-assisted variant of DeepNap through the Dyna framework for inferring and simulating system dynamics. Periodical traffic modeling makes it possible to capture the nonstationarity in real-world traffic and the incorporation with DQN allows for feature learning and generalization from model outputs. Experiments show that both the end-to-end and the model-assisted version of DeepNap outperform table-based  ${Q}$ -learning algorithm and the nonstationarity enhancements improve the stability of vanilla DQN.


The entrainment of fluid across a sheared density interface has been examined experimentally in a purging cavity flow. In this flow, a long straight cavity with sloped entry and exit boundaries is located in the base of a straight open channel. Dense cavity fluid is entrained from the cavity into the turbulent overflow. The cavity geometry has been designed to ensure there is no separation of the overflow in the cavity region, with the goal of avoiding cavity-specific entrainment mechanisms as have been encountered in most previous experiments using similar arrangements. Results are obtained over a bulk Richardson number range $Ri_{b}=g\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}D/\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{0}U_{b}^{2}=1$ to 19, where $D$ and $U_{b}$ are the depth of the mixed layer and bulk velocity in the cavity, respectively. The experiments cover the Reynolds number range $Re=U_{b}D/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}=7100$ to 15 100 and interface length to mixed layer depth ratios of 2.4 to 16. Particle image velocimetry and laser induced fluorescence measurements indicate the flow regime over this entire range is one dominated by the Holmboe wave instability. The non-dimensional entrainment rate, $E=u_{e}/U_{b}$ , is shown to scale with the bulk Richardson number. We find that the entrainment scaling $E=CRi_{b}^{-1.38}$ applies over the entire experimental range, with no apparent dependence on interface length. The exponent in the scaling is similar to previous non-cavity-based sheared interface flows, however, the constant $C$ is up to an order of magnitude smaller. Close agreement is, however, obtained by instead correlating entrainment with the local gradient Richardson number centred on the interface, rather than bulk quantities. We obtain $E=0.0021Ri_{g}^{-0.63}$ for data over $10<Ri_{g}<50$ , where $Ri_{g}=\langle g\unicode[STIX]{x2202}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{0}\unicode[STIX]{x2202}z\rangle /\langle (\unicode[STIX]{x2202}U/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}z)^{2}\rangle$ . The density interface is much thinner and therefore more stable in the present flow configuration compared with other published results for the same bulk Richardson number. We suggest that our configuration ensures a sharp mixing layer profile at the upstream end of the cavity even at relatively low bulk Richardson numbers of $Ri_{b}=1$ and that the reduced mixing in the Holmboe wave regime allows the interface to retain its sharp character over the cavity length, resulting in weak sensitivity to cavity length.


The present work shows the development of experimental set up of improved bamboo processing machine with a capability of doing two operations in a single unit. The details of different components, construction and working are explained in this paper. The force required to split the bamboo in 8 pieces is also included in this paper. This paper also includes the traditional process of processing the bamboo.


To evaluate the influence of gas and liquid axial mixings on the separation efficiency of packed column, an approximate mathematical solution of HETP (equivalent height to a theoretical plate) under continuous operation has been proposed based on the mixing pool model. The mass transfer and hydrodynamic data of structured packing, Mellapak 350Y, obtained in a high pressure tower have been used to test the validity of the proposed model. Compared with the SRP model and the Gualito model, it is found that for high pressure distillation process the present mathematical prediction shows a mean relative error of about 10% to the experimental data,the accuracy of which is the same as that by the Gualito model but better than that by the SRP model.


Mirai is botnet which targets out-of-date Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. The disruptive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack last year has hit major Internet companies, causing intermittent service for millions of Internet users. Since the affected devices typically do not support firmware update, it becomes challenging to expel these vulnerable devices in the wild.
Both industry and academia have made great efforts in amending the situation. However, none of these efforts is simple to deploy, and at the same time effective in solving the problem. In this work, we design a collaborative defense strategy to tackle Mirai. Our key idea is to take advantage of human involvement in the least aggressive way. In particular, at a negotiated time slot, a customer is required to reboot the compromised device, then a "white" Mirai operated by the manufacturer breaks into the clean-state IoT devices immediately. The "white" Mirai expels other malicious Mirai variants, blocks vulnerable ports, and keeps a heart-beat connection with the server operated by the manufacturer. Once the heart-beat is lost, the server re-implants the "white" Mirai instantly. We have implemented a full prototype of the designed system, and the results show that our system can evade Mirai attacks effectively.


We report a revised sequence of a cDNA that encodes a human galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase. The cDNA is 1295 bases in length and encodes a 43,000 Mr protein. The sequence was derived from a cDNA clone isolated from a transformed human lymphoblast cell line and amplified in a polymerase chain reaction. The revised sequence reveals a higher degree of amino acid conservation between the human enzyme and the homologous enzymes from Escherichia coli and yeast than was previously thought to exist.


At the beginning of the 20th century the classical electron theory (or, perhaps more appropriately, the classical electromagnetic mass theory) - the first physical theory that dared ask the question of what inertia and mass were - was gaining momentum and there were hopes that physics would be finally able to explain their origin. It is argued in this paper that if that promising research path had not been inexplicably abandoned after the advent of relativity and quantum mechanics, the contemporary physics would have revealed not only the nature of inertia, mass, and gravitation, but most importantly would have outlined the ways of their manipulation. Another goal of the paper is to try to stimulate the search for the mechanism responsible for inertia and gravitation by outlining a research direction, which demonstrates that the classical electromagnetic mass theory in conjunction with the principle of equivalence offers such a mechanism.


Temperature and effective thermal conductivity (including the convective effects due to tissue blood flow) profiles have been mapped both within a perfused phantom model containing a differentially perfused pseudo-tumour and in patients undergoing microwave (915 MHz) hyperthermia. These measurements demonstrate the influence of differential thermal characteristics of tumour vs. normal tissue on the temperature distributions obtained during hyperthermia. Effective thermal conductivity was measured using a self-heated thermistor probe, and temperature profiles were measured by means of conventional thermocouples and fibre-optic temperature probes. Measurements of effective thermal conductivity obtained in patients prior to microwave hyperthermia, and temperature profiles obtained once steady-state treatment conditions had been attained, show a strong relation between the effective thermal conductivity profile and the ability to obtain therapeutic temperatures without excessive heating of intervening tissues. These observations were confirmed in phantom experiments, demonstrating that this perfused phantom is a more realistic physical model than the conventional unperfused gels usually employed as physical models for hyperthermia experiments. These results demonstrate that tissue thermal clearance is an important determinant of treatment temperature fields, independent of and in addition to the SAR distribution of the particular applicator. Effective thermal conductivity measurements of the different tissues constituting the volume to be heated could be an important index in the planning and optimization of treatment strategies.


Learning to write computer programs and engaging students in introductory programming subjects are difficult tasks. This study presents the results obtained when using flipped classroom and peer instruction methodologies in an introductory course of programming. Before the lecture, out‐of‐class study and on‐line homework questionnaires were applied, and peer instruction was used in the classroom to encourage students' participation and discussion, assisted by an on‐the‐fly assessment app. The main academic results, the degree of involvement in the course activities, and the students' feedback were collected and compared with similar data from previous academic years. Significantly better pass (χ2 = 12.94, p < .001) and dropout rates (χ2 = 7.08, p < .01) were obtained when using flipped classroom and peer instruction. Laboratory attendance also improved significantly (χ2 = 27.62, p < .001). Our results showed significant positive correlations between the work performed at home and the grade obtained in the final exam (ρ = 0.51, p < .001). According to the students' opinions, class preparation at home increased significantly (χ2 = 46.59, p < .001) by 33% due to the new methodologies used. These results, based on a sample of six offerings of the same programming course, suggest that the application of flipped classroom and peer instruction improves the quality of the autonomous work of the students as well as their involvement in the lectures, and therefore, their knowledge acquisition improves.


Radioactive disequilibria and Th isotopes in volcanic rocks change in response to the extent and rate of partial melting, the attainment of chemical and isotopic equilibrium, and the presence and composition of a vapour phase before and during melting. Enrichments of 230Th with respect to 238U by 10-60% in MORB and intraplate alkalic magmas are attributed to the greater incompatibility of Th in small degree silicate partial melts. Inverse correlations between (230Th)/(238U) and (230Th)/(232Th) ratios indicate either that partial melting lasts more than 105 years, or that smaller degree melts take scores of millenia longer to move from the site of last chemical equilibrium with the source to the eruption site. Disequilibrium enrichments of 226Ra with respect to 230Th and of 231Pa with respect to 235U by 150-300% occur in oceanic island arc basalts and MORB. The excess 226Ra in arcs is related to magma genesis, but the other disequilibria may reflect alteration or assimilation within the crust. When these large disequilibria accompany magma genesis they indicate transfer times between source and surface of a few decades to a few millenia and suggest an open system or chemical disequilibrium during melting. Th and U isotope and concentration systematics for lamproites suggest that melting was fast enough to preclude chemical equilibrium between source and melt. Non- silicate fluids may fractionate U-series radionuclides differently and to a greater extent than do silicate melts. This property may explain the U-Th-Ra characteristics of carbonate- and water-rich melts, and distinctive Th isotopic compositions in magmas derived from metasomes in the subcontinental lithosphere.


Abstract The particle size and shape are of momentous significance for the mechanical properties of plastic composites. However, natural fillers, like wood, are not consistent in these attributes. In order to investigate the shared traits between these characteristics, WPCs were produced using polypropylene, hardwood and softwood fillers with different particle sizes and a coupling agent. Afterwards, specimens were processed using an injection molding machine. The filler sizes and shapes were measured using dynamic image analysis. Furthermore, a shortening of coarser particles was detected. Mechanical tests were carried out to gain information about the tensile, flexural and Charpy impact properties. Neither very coarse nor very fine particles showed the best results. Instead, medium-sized particles proved to be the best option. The evaluation of the particle geometry verified a definite correlation between the shape and the mechanical properties, especially regarding the convexity, which can be a useful indicator of the quality of fiber-matrix interaction. The fiber orientation in the matrix was visualized with images taken by X-ray micro tomography.


A significant difference in wear scar formation between tested and retrieved knee implants of the same type has been reported. In this study, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model has been designed with the aim to gain knowledge of relationships between simulator input parameters and generated wear scars. One hundred twenty-four short-term tests were conducted with four implants of a single design using a four-station knee simulator in load control mode. Data points of the wear scar boundaries were transferred into bitmap images for computer analysis. Eighty percent of these discretized wear scars formed the output training set for a back-propagation neural network. The input training set was selected from the related simulator input motion and load parameters. The remainder of the testing matrix was used for network cross-validation and testing. Training resulted in 82.9% accuracy of the input-to-output relationship and 69.3% predictive capability. The predictive capabilities of the network may be further enhanced by utilizing a modification of the learning algorithm.


The level of activity in factories and refineries across Alberta is an important barometer of the overall economy. In February, the province's manufacturers were churning out product at a fast pace, nearly surpassing a recent record high. But more importantly, they're making more efficient use of labour. Alberta's manufacturing shipments totalled $6.509 billion in February, an increase of 1.8% over January, and 18.4% over the same month in 2011. Nationally, manufacturing shipments were down very slightly (-0.3%) to $49.121 billion, but still up 6.3% from a year ago. Statistics Canada reported this morning lower sales for the motor vehicle assembly, food, and motor vehicle parts industries. These losses were mostly offset by increases in aerospace product and parts, non-metallic mineral products, and petroleum and coal products industries. Alberta's gain was largely due to a strong 6.5% uptick in petroleum refining. The output from upgraders and refineries in the province is counted as a manufactured product, but because these facilities can occasionally go 'off-line' for repair and maintenance, overall manufacturing levels can fluctuate. Manufacturers in Alberta appear to be growing more efficient, especially when it comes to labour. While shipments are up 18%, manufacturing employment in the province is down by more than 12% from a year ago. While that sounds like bad news (especially for workers in manufacturing), it is actually a positive economic sign. Manufacturers are investing in better machinery and equipment, and becoming more productive. Basically, they're producing more output with fewer workers.


The study evaluated the performance o f the table egg marketing system in Ghana by analysing the market, structure, price integration processes and the impediments to table egg. marketing efficiency. The methods of analysis employed included descriptive analysis, marketing margin analysis and econometric (regression) analysis. The market structure analysis, using the commodity sub-systems approach, showed that marketing channels for the table egg are moderately organised with the producer-retailer network being the dominant channel. There were few wholesalers but a large number of retailers. The distribution of the marketing margin appeared to favour the producers more, than the Wholesalers and retailers. Over 60 percent of marketing margin is taken up by transactional costs, largely the cost of transportation. The econometric models employed in the regression analysis of monthly prices o f table eggs revealed that there is no short run market integration between the wholesale destination market (Accra area) and the wholesale producer markets (Sunyani and Kumasi areas). Also in the long run, there exists no market integration. The results however suggest that there exists moderate commodity arbitrage and price adjustment between market pairs. The outcome o f the analyses shows that the table egg marketing system is operational but that price changes in the destination market do not result in parallel changes in the producer markets in the short run or long run. Low prices, inadequate storage facilities, inadequate capital, transportation difficulties and insufficient market information serve as impediments to efficient arbitrage and integration of the markets (producer and destination markets). It is, therefore, recommended that farmer groups be strengthened to centralise table egg marketing. Additionally, government policy should be geared towards the promotion o f egg consumption, processing, improved market information flow between producing and consumption areas and the provision of credit to producers to enhance efficient price formation and integration of the table egg marketing system in Ghana. v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh


Introduction: The causal relation between STN-DBS and speech problems and the associated clinical features are in the incipient stages of being investigated. Methods: All the Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects with and without STN-DBS who applied to our movement disorders outpatient clinics between January 2022 and June 2022 and agreed to participate in the study were enrolled. The demographic data and clinical features were noted. Besides, the MDS-UPDRS was administered during the medication off-state in all subjects. All the participants completed the voice handicap index (VHI). Besides, the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ) and the quality of life (QoL) scales including the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and the Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale were also administered to all the individuals. Results: We have included 66 patients with PD (F/M = 23/43). Thirty-five patients were those with DBS therapy whereas 31 patients were without. The results of the comparative analyses between the patients with and without DBS therapy revealed that the DBS group had a higher disease duration (P = 0.006) and FOGQ scores (P = 0.008). The VHI scores did not differ between groups (P = 0.577), and the correlation analyses did not reveal an association between the VHI scores and the duration of DBS therapy. However, the VHI scores correlated with the disease duration as well as the FOG scores. Conclusion: We did not find convincing evidence supporting the increased risk of speech disturbance with STN-DBS therapy. We suggest that the frequent existence of speech disturbance in this patient subgroup with STN-DBS is associated with the classical nature of PD.


Adopting the view that a more active participation of indigenous peoples in the trade of their knowledge assets would promote their socioeconomic development raises difficult questions of legitimacy and method. Questions of legitimacy are posed by the potentially modernising effects of development endangering traditional ways of indigenous peoples' social organisation. Questions of method arise when studying how international law, including international economic law, could better contribute to furthering the development interests of indigenous peoples in the trade of indigenous cultural heritage (ICH). There will be many areas where modern law and indigenous custom collide. These questions are the focus of the first part of the paper. The second part studies international law's potential to stimulate ICH trade for the sake of indigenous socioeconomic development. To this end, it first assesses how interests of indigenous peoples in trade and development of ICH are currently institutionalised in international economic law. The paper then examines whether preferential trade rules for indigenous cultural goods and services would be an adequate tool to advance the interests of indigenous peoples in ICH trade and development.


Galactosemia is an inborn error of carbohydrate metabolism which results from the recessive inheritance of an enzymatic deficit in the metabolism of galactose. The disease is treatable and preventable by the elimination of all sources of galactose from the diet, particularly milk and milk products. The severity of the pathological manifestations of galactosemia are directly related to the amount of galactose fed and the duration of the feedings. For this reason, the early recognition of this disease is necessary to avoid the extensive tissue injury involving the liver, brain, ocular lens, and kidneys and to reduce the mortality. The purpose of this communication is to report a case of galactosemia along with a family study based on the assay of P-gal-transferase activity in the erythrocytes of the patient, his parents, and his siblings. Report of a Case The patient was born on July 6, 1959, and was first admitted to


Nanostructured polymer solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a promising low-cost alternative to conventional silicon-based photovoltaic devices. Since PSCs can be fabricated by processing polymers, eventually together with other organic materials, from solution and depositing them onto different types of substrates by roll-to-roll production processes, they offer important advantages over their inorganic counterparts due to easy and fast processing and low cost of fabrication. Despite the progress made in this field, PSCs are still in the early research and development stage. For PSCs to become practical efficient devices, several issues need to be addressed, including further understanding of their operation and stability and better control of the morphology formation, mainly morphology of the photoactive layer, which directly determines the performance of PSC devices. Photoactive layers of PSCs are ultra-thin films (200-250 nm at maximum) composed of a mixture of electron donor and electron acceptor materials. Both the processing conditions of donor/acceptor mixtures from solution and eventual postproduction treatments like thermal annealing have a large influence on performance of PSC, because they strongly affect the scale of phase separation (which should ideally be in the range of ~10 nm for efficient exciton dissociation), distribution of phases through the thickness of the layer (which largely determines free charges transport to the electrodes) and eventual crystalline order (beneficial for higher mobility of free charges). The research described in this thesis focuses on the relationship between 3D nanoscale morphology organization of photoactive layers and performance of corresponding PSC devices, with aim to identify the critical morphology parameters contributing to high power conversion efficiency of PSCs. For comprehensive 3D morphology characterization, the technique of electron tomography (or transmission electron microtomography) was intensively applied, among other techniques. In electron tomography, a series of 2D projections taken from a specimen tilted inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is used to reconstruct a 3D image of the specimen with a nanometer-scale resolution. This 3D image can then be used, voxel by voxel, to study in detail the specimen's morphological organization. The general principles of electron tomography are introduced in Chapter 2, as well as the most important aspects of this technique specific for polymer-based films such as photoactive layers of PSCs. The first applications of electron tomography to photoactive layers of PSCs (described in Chapter 3) showed that the existence of 3D nanoscale networks of donor and acceptor components is indispensable for efficient PSC devices. Such networks ensure effective exciton dissociation at the donor/acceptor interface and effective charge carrier transport from any place in the photoactive layer to the electrodes. It has long been speculated that the volume of photoactive layers should consist of bi-continuous nanoscale interpenetrating networks of the donor and acceptor materials but it was for the first time that such networks were observed directly with nanometre resolution. The most efficient up to now PSC system, viz. the one based on combination of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the electron donor and the fullerene derivative (PCBM) as the electron acceptor material, has been studied with electron tomography in more detail (see Chapters 4 and 5). Electron tomography has proved indispensable to quantify with high accuracy the amount of crystalline P3HT nanowires in (annealed) P3HT/PCBM layers through the whole layer thickness; information that was inaccessible before application of electron tomography. It was found that the most crucial parameters for performance of P3HT/PCBM solar cells are the high overall crystallinity of P3HT and enrichment of crystalline P3HT closer to the positive (hole collecting) electrode. Such enrichment should ensure that the percolation pathways within the P3HT and PCBM phases leading to the corresponding electrodes are more effective and that the possibilities of charge recombination are limited, while higher overall crystallinity of P3HT ensures higher mobility of holes (that have in this system intrinsically lower mobility than electrons). Different types of vertical distribution of crystalline P3HT in P3HT/PCBM layers prepared on the same (PEDOT:PSS) substrate were observed by electron tomography in this project, viz. more crystalline P3HT next to the positive electrode, more crystalline P3HT next to the negative electrode and homogeneous distribution of P3HT through the layer thickness (see e.g. Section 4.7). Previous studies suggested that PCBM was preferentially concentrated next to the positive electrode in the P3HT/PCBM films and P3HT next to the negative electrode and that the reason for this is the high surface energy of the PEDOT:PSS layer. Our observations do not support this hypothesis and dismiss the key role of the underlying substrate's surface energy. Instead, the existence and type of composition gradients through the thickness of the active layer was found to be largely determined by the molecular weight distribution and regioregularity of P3HT (and possibly by impurities present in both P3HT and PCBM) and by kinetic aspects of film formation due to different solution viscosity, different time it takes for the solvent to evaporate and eventual differences in local solvent concentration. All these aspects have an impact on formation of nuclei and subsequent growth and distribution of (nano)crystals throughout the photoactive layer. What limits the application of electron tomography in photoactive layers of PSCs is the (often) rather poor contrast in TEM between the carbon-based donor and acceptor materials. The poor contrast complicates the segmentation of 3D datasets and thus limits the quantitative information that can be extracted from the electron tomography datasets. Sometimes the contrast in carbon-based (nano)crystalline specimens can be improved by applying HAADF-STEM (high-angle annular dark field scanning TEM) imaging mode instead of conventional bright-filed TEM mode, as we have observed in MDMO-PPV/PCBM system (see Chapter 3). To make it possible to segment and hence elaborately quantify the P3HT/PCBM and other datasets, one could also look into the possibilities that imaging filters offer, e.g. the median or smoothing filters for reducing noise, Laplacian (or differencing) operator for edge enhancing, Sobel or Kirsch transform for edge finding/detection, etc. The other approach would be to apply an alternative reconstruction method (instead of SIRT used in this project), viz. discrete tomography (DART) where the data are segmented in-situ during reconstruction. The 3D datasets that could be straightforwardly segmented and quantified in great detail were obtained from the photoactive layers of hybrid solar cells composed of P3HT and ZnO that give a high contrast in TEM. The nanoscale 3D morphology of P3HT/ZnO layers could be statistically analyzed for percolation pathways and for the scale of phase separation (by quantifying spherical contact distances). This quantitative analysis enabled differentiating between charge generation and charge transport as limiting factors to the device performance (see Chapter 7). It was also observed that the control over morphological organization of the photoactive layers is difficult to achieve by spontaneous morphology formation during film deposition from solution, especially in case of thicker films, as described in Chapter 4. A way to get a better control is to form desirable nanostructures, such as crystalline P3HT nanowires, in solution (dispersion) prior to the active layer deposition. Two approaches to cause P3HT crystallization have been tried in this project (see Chapter 6): one (a so-called solvatochromic approach) is based on using mixed solvents (i.e. adding an excess of a poor solvent to a solution of P3HT in a good solvent) and the other (thermochromic) approach is based on preparing a saturated solution of P3HT at elevated temperature and then cooling it down to room temperature. Both approaches have resulted in formation of crystalline P3HT nanowires, as confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and microscopy techniques (TEM and AFM). However, the amount of the obtained P3HT nanowires was relatively low and formation of an undesirable precipitate was often observed. In case of thermochromic approach, the precipitate was most probably formed due to too rapid cooling of the saturated solutions. This research should be further continued to find out how to prevent the precipitate formation, increase the yield of crystalline P3HT nanowires and make their practical applications in solar cell devices possible. With a better understanding (facilitated by electron tomography) of how the 3D morphology of photoactive layers affects the device performance and with an improved control over the 3D morphology formation, bulk-heterojunction PSCs will eventually come closer to the stage of practical efficient devices.


Photographs are a recurrent motif in Dan Pagis's poetry, which attests to the profound connection between his poetry and various aspects of the art of photography. In Pagis's work, poems dealing with photographs usually illustrate the limitations of memory. It is ironic that photographs, which can ostensibly bring us closer to the past, serve as additional means in the poetics of displacement that characterizes the poetry of a survivor unable, or unwilling, to remember. In my article I focus on the erasure of memory that characterizes most of his poetry. I prefer to analyze Pagis's use of photographs to point to the captivity of consciousness, and offer several prominent examples that place his photography poems in the broader context of his oeuvre.


The purpose of this study was to increase the current understanding of the acoustic characteristics of voices with advancing age. The relationship between age-related changes in body physiology and certain acoustic characteristics of voice was studied in a sample of 80 men representing four chronological age groupings (20-29, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79) who were all of good physical condition. Each subject was asked to phonate the vowel /a/, /i/, and /u/ for as long as possible at comfortable frequency and intensity level and read the sentence. A promising voice analysis program (Multi-Dimensional Voice ) was used to measure the fundamental frequency (), jitter, shimmer, variation, peak-amplitude variation, smoothed pitch perturbation quotient, smoothed amplitude perturbation quotient, soft phonation index, -tremor intensity index, amplitude tremor intensity index, and noise-to-harmonics ratio from the samples.


In scientific data analysis, clusters identified computationally often substantiate existing hypotheses or motivate new ones. Yet the combinatorial nature of the clustering result, which is a partition rather than a set of parameters or a function, blurs notions of mean, and variance. This intrinsic difficulty hinders the development of methods to improve clustering by aggregation or to assess the uncertainty of clusters generated. We overcome that barrier by aligning clusters via optimal transport. Equipped with this technique, we propose a new algorithm to enhance clustering by any baseline method using bootstrap samples. Cluster alignment enables us to quantify variation in the clustering result at the levels of both overall partitions and individual clusters. Set relationships between clusters such as one‐to‐one match, split, and merge can be revealed. A covering point set for each cluster, a concept kin to the confidence interval, is proposed. The tools we have developed here will help address the crucial question of whether any cluster is an intrinsic or spurious pattern. Experimental results on both simulated and real data sets are provided. The corresponding R package OTclust is available on CRAN.


The angle dependences of magnetization and hyperfine–enhanced 169Tm NMR in concentrated Van Vleck paramagnet LiTmF4 have been studied at temperature 4.2 K. NMR has been observed at frequencies 372.7 MHz at 15 kOe and 653 MHz at 25 kOe. The magnetization of LiTmF4single crystal was measured at magnetic fields up to 55 kOe. The NMR spectra as well as magnetization were substantially anisotropic. Experimental dependences are in good agreement with calculated ones obtained with taking into account the influence of magnetostriction on crystall field.


Induction machines are the widely used machines in many industrial applications. Enlistment machines are generally utilized as a part of enterprises because of its ease and least upkeep. In more electric aircraft (MEA), both ac and dc electric power with different voltage levels is required for different airplane loads. This paper introduces an enlistment generator-based ac/dc crossover electric power age framework for MEA. In the proposed system design, a fast enlistment starter/generator and a lowspeed acceptance generator are introduced on the high pressure (HP) and low pressure (LP) spools of the motor, separately. In creating method of activity, the bigger part of the steady voltage variable recurrence ac power is produced by the HP generator while the dc control request is shared by both HP and LP generators. A control conspire is produced to manage the ac stack voltage and organize dc control age between the two generators. The proposed induction generator-based ac/dc hybrid generation system outcomes in reduced hardware requirement compared with both ac and dc primary generation systems. Index Terms Aircraft, distributed power generation, generators, induction motors, power generation control.


Engagement of membrane immunoglobulin (mIg) on B cells results in reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ƒ¢ƒμm) and apoptosis, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses. In this study, we show that the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)-JNK1 signaling pathway participates in mIg-induced apoptosis in normal B cells as well as WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells. Stimulation of WEHI-231 cells with anti-IgM induces phosphorylation and subsequent activation of ASK1, leading to JNK activation. Anti-IgM stimulation produces superoxide anions (O2-), accompanied by loss of ƒ¢ƒμm and an increase in cells with sub-G1 DNA content. Anti-IgM-induced O2- production, loss of ƒ¢ƒμm, and increase in the sub-G1 fraction were all reduced substantially in WEHI-231 cells overexpressing a dominant-negative form of ASK1, compared with control vector alone. The mIg-mediated O2- production, loss of ƒ¢ƒμm, and increase in the sub-G1 fraction were partially abrogated by the reactive oxygen species scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Similarly to WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells, the mIg-mediated apoptotic features were moderately compromised in mouse ASK1-deficient B cells. Taken together, these results suggest that mIg engagement induces JNK activation through ASK1 activation, resulting in production of O2- that leads to loss of ƒ¢ƒμm and finally to apoptosis.


This study attempts to determine the social, economic, and psychological impacts of the 2018 temporary closure of educational institutions in Sudan amid several internal incidents and the ongoing closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic on students, teachers, and families. Most educational systems worldwide were temporarily closed and negatively affected. Nevertheless, it seemed as if the crises in Sudan extremely damaged the process of the overall educational system simply because the closure of the institutions initially began as a result of several internal incidents by the end of the academic year 2017-2018. The closure lasted until August 2019, when schools were reopened, and within almost six months; again, a decision was made in February 2020 for the entire closure of educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued for more than one and a half years. The impact of total closures of universities and colleges in Sudan affected students' academic achievement in different ways because the situations in Sudan were primarily different before the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the negative implications of the long–term closure were greater not only on the students' academic achievement but also on the teachers' sources of income, which resulted in economic issues for many families. To undertake this study, both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were used. The researchers designed and distributed a questionnaire to a sample of 39 Sudanese university teachers to examine their attitudes towards the impact of the several internal incidents behind the closure of the entire educational institutions on overall academic achievement and online education as an alternative to face-to-face or traditional teaching. Although very few universities launched e-learning units during the last two decades, it seemed as if their purposes were very limited and mainly designed to serve a few students under certain conditions. Additionally, the researchers observed the efficient application of the e-learning educational system during the COVID-19 pandemic, represented by the Blackboard platform at both Qassim University and Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. The data analysis resulted in some significant findings, among which are the following: First, students were regularly paying the price of the poor infrastructure that contributed to preventing the application of an effective e-learning system in Sudan. Second, the long–term closure throughout 2018 has resulted in the accumulation of several student batches and generally complicated the scene. Third, the long–term closure influenced university students in different ways: academically, socially, economically, and psychologically.


Radar interferometry (InSAR) is a valuable tool to measure surface motion. Applying time series techniques such as Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI), InSAR is able to provide surface displacements maps with mm-precision. However, InSAR can still be further optimized, e.g. by exploiting spatial characteristics of the signal of interest. This study addresses surface deformation associated with geological faults. In principle, this signal is generally spatially smooth but with significant-to-large gradients at fault locations. We first focus on optimizing InSAR time series analysis, in particular the PSI method, for this specific class of ground deformation processes. Secondly, we apply the improved technique to study fault-related motion in the southern Netherlands, with special interest in detecting neotectonic motion in the Roer Valley Graben and deformation in the abandoned mines of South Limburg. The proposed optimization adapts PSI to analyze in an iterative manner the signal of interest to estimate spatially the probability density function of displacements. Since the signal is expected to change quickly near faults, we do not restrict this distribution to be unimodal but we allow it to have any shape. Finally, we use the determined distribution to constrain, through Bayesian inference, phase unwrapping (the operation of unfolding the phase outside its natural range of (?pi, pi] radians). We demonstrate a substantial benefit of the Bayesian approach as we show a decrease in the number of unwrapping errors. This thesis also suggests a method that analyzes interferometric phases to estimate noise variance. It is built upon the assumption that coherence can be spatially correlated. The estimated stochastic parameters are used in phase unwrapping by assigning lower weights to noisy observations. The improved methodology is applied to study fault-related motion in the southern Netherlands, exploiting data from three satellite missions: ERS-1, ERS-2 and Envisat. In particular, we focus on two main areas: the Roer Valley Graben and the abandoned mines of south Limburg. In the Roer Valley Graben area, a deformation signal associated with geological faults is detected. However, we do not observe any significant indication to atribute a tectonic origin to this signal for two main reasons. First, during large part of the studied period the most of the graben uplifts with respect to adjacent horsts at rates of ~1 mm/yr, behaving opposite to predicted by tectonics. Second, the deformation signal in this area appears to be largely related to water pumping. For example, we observe an uplift signal of about +4 mm/yr that matches in time and space with the cease of pumping in the Erkelenz Coal District, which is located in the Peel horst, adjacent to the Roer Valley Graben. Concerning the mines of South Limburg, we detect strong surface displacements (uplift) which appear to be centered on the old mines and constrained by tectonic faults. The signal is variable in space and time, with uplift rates up to 20 cm in 18 years, and relatively large gradients across faults (~5 cm/km), in the same time span. Laterally the uplift signal propagates towards the west in this period. The comparison of surface displacements with rising groundwater levels reveal a strong correlation between the two, suggesting the groundwater to be the cause of the uplift. Assuming that rising ground water levels in the abandoned mines are responsible for the uplift, we estimate the relation between the groundwater and the associated uplift. The skeletal storage coefficient, which directly depends on porosity, is on average 0.5±0.1·10?3, implying that 1 m of water level increase produces 0.5 mm uplift. As we expect that the water may rise many tens of meters, especially in the western side, this may result in several additional centimeters of future uplift. Essentially, the surface displacements that we observe in the southern Netherlands seem to be mainly caused by fluctuations in groundwater flow, which appear to be constrained by faults.


Forty-one patients with codon 17, A-T mutation of beta-thalassemia, which is commonly found in Thailand, were studied to determine whether it is possible to predict phenotypic severity from genetic factors. The clinical phenotype of homozygotes for codon 17, A-T and compound heterozygotes for codon 17, A-T and beta+-thalassemia may be used to predict a severe phenotype with TM. However, the clinical phenotype of compound heterozygotes for codon 17, A-T and beta+-thalassemia or Hb E were variable and could not be accurately predicted. The association of alpha-thalassemia2 and milder disease was and was not evident in patients with codon 17, A-T and Hb E. The association between Hb CS gene or the presence of XmnI-Ggamma polymorphism and a mild clinical phenotype is not apparent, indicating the involvement of other ameliorating determinants or genetic modifications.


Biodevices employ the knowledge of physics and chemistry to probe biological systems. In our view, this makes them an attractive topic for Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter with its combined interests in solids and liquids, and biological systems. We have therefore invited a number of specialists to submit papers to this special issue—specialists in the widest sense. Our ambition has been to find out about the interesting challenges from the physics point of view: those problems, whose solution needs physics understanding, but the solution itself is then relevant to obtain new knowledge on biological systems. The papers in this issue reflect this ambition. In particular, we think we have achieved a good mix of experimental and theoretical papers—the latter of which form a necessary but often neglected complement to a mainly experimental and technological field. By topic, the papers can be placed in roughly three groups. The first group contains papers whose authors study biodevices based on the molecular recognition capacity of DNA and its variants made available through nanotechnology. The contributions by Halperin et al, Binder et al and Heim et al address the functioning of DNA-microarrays, a tool which has revolutionized modern biology, but whose precise functioning is still a matter of debate. The contributions by Lukatsky et al and Albrecht et al address two different approaches to biomolecular recognition assays. While in the work by Lukatsky et al the phase-behaviour of colloidal systems is exploited, the assay proposed by Albrecht et al relies on single-molecule concepts. The second group of papers describes techniques that directly probe biological material. The work by Nagel et al and Marshall et al exploits electromagnetic waves from different parts of the spectrum. Thielecke et al show how living cells can be manipulated mechanically and analysed at the same time. In the third group we have assembled a selection of approaches that probe biomaterials with microfluidics, a field which is becoming more and more important for practical applications, but which at the same time still poses important challenges for our understanding. The work by Dootz et al and Terao et al addresses microfluidic manipulations of DNA. A different aspect is touched by the papers by Pallandre et al and Arscott et al which are concerned with the development of microfluidic chips, and micro-capillaries for mass spectrometry applications in proteomics, respectively. Finally, Hong et al explain how microfluidics can be put to use for molecular biology. We hope that the high-quality contributions to this issue will receive the interest they deserve among the readers of Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.


This paper addresses the problem of describing the significant intra and inter variability of 3D deformable structures within 3D image data sets. In pursuing it, a 3D probabilistic physically based deformable model is defined. The statistically learned deformable model captures the spatial relationships between the different objects surfaces, together with their shape variations. The structures of interest in each volume are parameterized by the amplitudes of the vibration modes of a deformable spherical mesh. For a given 3D image in the training set, a vector containing the largest vibration modes describing the desired object is created. This random vector is statistically constrained by retaining the most significant variation modes of its Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansion on the considered population. The surfaces of the modeled structures thus deform according to the variability observed in the training set. A preliminary application of a 3D multi-object model for the segmentation of 3D brain structures from MR images is presented.