Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is regarded as a viable therapeutic choice for Parkinson's disease (PD). The two most common sites for DBS are the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus (GPi). In this study, the clinical effectiveness of these two targets was compared.Methods: A systematic literature search in electronic databases were restricted to English language publications 2010 to 2021. Specified MeSH terms were searched in all databases. Studies that evaluated the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III were selected by meeting the following criteria: (1) had at least three months follow-up period; (2) compared both GPi and STN DBS; (3)at least five participants in each group; (4)conducted after 2010. Study quality assessment was performed using the Modified Jadad Scale.Results: 3577 potentially relevant articles were identified,3569 were excluded based on title and abstract, duplicate and unsuitable article removal. Eight articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were scrutinized (458 PD patients). Majority of studies reported no statistically significant between-group difference for improvements in UPDRS ш scores.Conclusions: Although there were some results in terms of action tremor, rigidity, and urinary symptoms, which indicated that STN DBS might be a better choice or regarding the adverse effects, GPi seemed better; but it cannot be concluded that one target is superior. Other larger randomized clinical trials with longer follow-up periods and control groups are needed to decide which target is more efficient for stimulation and imposes fewer adverse effects on the patients.


Background: The Bullard laryngoscope can be useful in management of difficult airway. When the endotracheal tube is advanced over the original Bullard laryngoscope stylet, the endotracheal tube sometimes makes contact with structures around the vocal cords, especially the right arytenoids. A similar problem also occurs with flexible fibreoptic intubation and it has been shown that use of the Parker Flex‐Tip™ tube usually resolves the problem. In this study we tested our hypothesis that use of the Parker Flex‐Tip™ tube might improve endotracheal tube passage with the Bullard laryngoscope. Methods: Forty patients scheduled for elective anaesthesia were randomly assigned into group ST (standard tube) or Group PT (Parker Flex‐Tip™ tube). The time taken to achieve successful endotracheal tube placement after obtaining the best laryngeal view, the number of attempts at intubation and the incidences of successful intubation at first attempt and of re‐direction of the Bullard laryngoscope during intubation were recorded. Unpaired t‐test and &khgr;2‐test were employed and P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Use of the Parker Flex‐Tip™ tube reduced the time required for successful endotracheal tube placement after the best laryngeal view was obtained from 14 ± 6 to 6 ± 2 s (P < 0.01). It also reduced the incidence of requirement for re‐direction of the Bullard laryngoscope during intubation from 10/19 to 1/19 (P < 0.01). The incidence of successful intubation at the first attempt (18/19 vs. 15/19) was higher in the PT group but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: During intubation with the Bullard laryngoscope, use of the Parker Flex‐Tip™ tube is associated with more rapid success and a lower incidence of re‐direction of the Bullard laryngoscope during endotracheal intubation when compared to a standard endotracheal tube.


The morning twilight of the presunrise sky was measured at the Hoher-List Observatory during the total eclipse of 22 July 1990. The location of observation was far away from the central eclipse zone. The luminance showed a deep minimum in twilight during the main phase of the solar eclipse compared with normal conditions. A first order scattering model explains the observations reasonably well and shows that the sky radiation during the first phase of twilight at a location far away from the central umbra depends primarily on the height profile of the air pressure between ~ 100 and 200 km.


Background: In Cuba an excellent system of surveillance exists, but has to face the challenge of constant demographic changes and populations' movements inside and outside of the country, among other. An efficient system of alert and answer against the presentation of diseases exists, but these programs may take into account the budget for the public health activities and the complexity of the propagation; the use of mathematical models could support this effort. Objective: To characterize a series of time of acute respiratory diseases in Camagüey province and to evaluate it with an appropriate method to its behavior. Methods: Rates of series of time weekly of acute respiratory diseases were used, reported between the years 2000 to 2007 of Camagüey province, Cuba. To characterize these series Matlab V-7,4-2006 program was used. The stationarity was evaluated with the simple autocorrelation method, the linearity behavior was carried out with the test designed by Brock, Dechert and Scheinkma, with the method based on the spectral geometry that was determined if the series was stochastic or determinist. Errors were compared in the predictions with ARMA and GARCH models, errors and prediction curves were analyzed. Results: The non stationary behavior of the series is demonstrated, based on the simple autocorrelation function. The test indicates that the studied series was not lineal. The spectral Geometry test concluded that the series comes from a stochastic system. In this stationary, not lineal and stochastic series was more adequate GARCH model than ARMA, given the smallest error and more adjustment of the prediction curve. These results demonstrated the necessity to classify the series of time before being analyzed, to propose the most appropriate model. Conclusions: The studied series turned out to be not lineal, no stationary and stochastic and the prediction was superior in this case, with the model GARCH compared with ARMA.


The purpose of this study is to investigate 8th grade middle school students' knowledge in reading, interpreting, and drawing line graphs in heat-temperature unit. 157 eight graders attending a public school in Ankara, Turkey, voluntarily participated in the study. A test composed of 14 open ended items was administrated to the students after the heat-temperature unit was taught at the beginning of the spring semester in 2013-2014 academic year. Content analysis method was used for data analysis. The findings showed that the students correctly answered slightly more than half of the questions in the test with a mean score of 51.3 out of 100. Based on the findings, we inferred that students encountered difficulties in reading and interpreting graphs provided in the unit of heat and temperature. For instance, students had difficulties in calculation of temperature difference. With this respect, only a small percentage (15%) correctly subtracted negative integers. Moreover, students had difficulties in drawing heating and cooling curves. Overall findings emphasized that we need further research on the integration of the disciplines of science and mathematics.


The study addresses the following question: what is the source of the Dark Energy? The study provides sound argumentations that Electromagnetic Waves, from separate sources, can consolidate, even though such consolidations seem to embed paradoxes. The study also proposes a physical experiment which might implement consolidations of Electromagnetic Waves, from separate sources. In addition to the above, the study also addresses paradoxes related to the Mutual Annihilation and the Pair Production processes. The study proposes a resolution for all these paradoxes which also concludes that most of the Dark Energy might be related to Electromagnetism and that the Electric Charge is also a form of Energy.


1 The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of berberine, an alkaloid extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine coptis, on rat liver fibrosis induced by multiple hepatotoxic factors. 2 Male Wistar rats were separated into five groups, a normal control group, a fibrotic control group and fibrotic groups treated with three different doses of berberine. The fibrotic models were established by introduction of multiple hepatotoxic factors, including CCl4, ethanol and high cholesterol. Rats in the treatment groups were administered 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg berberine, intragastrically, daily for 4 weeks. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hepatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and hepatic hydroxyproline (Hyp) content were determined. Liver biopsies were obtained for histological and immunohistochemical studies to detect the expressions of a‐smooth muscle actin (SMA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐b1. 3 The results showed that, compared with the fibrotic control group, serum levels of ALT and AST and hepatic content of MDA and Hyp were markedly decreased, but the activity of hepatic SOD was significantly increased in berberine‐treated groups in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, histopathological changes, such as steatosis, necrosis and myofibroblast proliferation, were reduced and the expression of a‐SMA and TGF‐b1 was significantly downregulated in the berberine‐treated groups (P < 0.01). 4 These results suggest that berberine could be used to prevent experimental liver fibrosis through regulation of the anti‐oxidant system and lipid peroxidation.


Pipelines are coated with insulating material that minimizes heat losses to the environment. Reeled pipe can experience nominal bending strain in the order of 1% to 2%. Thick coating on the pipe is inherently more highly strained, because of concentrations that occur at the interface between parent coating and field joint coating. Occasionally, contractors who specialize in pipe-lay using the reeling method have experienced difficulties relating to unexpected disbondment and cracks in coating at these interfaces. Any disbonded coating is routinely identified and repaired, but it is important to understand the influential factors that could lead to this type of coating disbondment. It is known in the industry that parameters such as temperature, reeling speed and pipe tension are influential but the relative influence of the factors is not well understood. In addition, there is currently no industry code or recommended practice that proposes the strain levels that the coating could safely withstand prior to cracking. This paper addresses thermo-mechanical aspects of coating design and presents a novel approach to quantify which parameters have the largest influence.
 In the presented assessments, coating strain was assessed using finite element analysis. Material input was selected from a combination of typical values and specific laboratory test results for polypropylene (PP) and injection molded polypropylene (IMPP). An essential aspect was that the mechanical and thermal properties of the PP were related to temperature and strain rate. Strain rates in the coating during reeling operations were obtained from global FE models. Detailed local FE models incorporated all the material and load inputs and temperature conditions that are necessary to determine peak strain values in the coating; the peak strain values would indicate the locations of potential coating disbondment.
 The study is purely a strain assessment and excludes any potential for defects or delamination in the coating that could result from its manufacturing process. This strain-based study revealed that coating temperature during reeling is the most influential factor on strain level in the coating. Reeling speed and pipe tension are parameters providing secondary influences.


Text Classification, also known as text categorization, is the task of automatically allocating unlabeled documents into predefined categories. Text Classification means allocating a document to one or more categories or classes. The ability to accurately perform a classification task depends on the representations of documents to be classified. Text representations transform the textural documents into a compact format. Text Classification plays an important role in information mining, summarization, text recovery and question-answering. It uses several tools from information retrieval (IR) and Machine Learning. Here we are reviewing the effectiveness of different supervised and unsupervised learning approaches in text classification. KeywordsText Mining, Text Classification, Feature Extraction,Term Weighting, Linear SVC, SGD,K-Mean with cosine similarity.


Heparin/heparan sulfate (H/HS) are ubiquitous biopolymers that interact with many proteins to induce a range of biological functions. Unfortunately, how these biopolymers recognize their preferred protein targets remain poorly understood. It is suggested that computational simulations offer attractive avenues but a number of challenges, e.g., difficulty of selecting a comprehensive force field, few simple tools to interpret data, among others, remain. This work addresses several such challenges so as to help ease the implementation and analysis of computational experiments. First, this work presents a rigorous comparison of two different recent force fields, CHARMM36 and GLYCAM06, for H/HS studies. Second, it introduces two new straightforward parameters, i.e., end-to-end distance and minimum volume enclosing ellipsoid, to understand the myriad conformational forms of oligosaccharides that evolve over time in water. Third, it presents an application to elucidate the number and nature of inter and intra molecular, non-direct bridging water molecules, which help stabilize unique forms of H/HS. The results show that non-specialists can use either CHARMM36 or GLYCAM06 force fields because both gave comparable results, albeit with small differences. The comparative study shows that the HS hexasaccharide samples a range of conformations with nearly equivalent energies, which could be the reason for its recognition by different proteins. Finally, analysis of the non-direct water bridges across the dynamics trajectory shows their importance in stabilization of certain conformational forms, which may become important for protein recognition. Overall, the work aids non-specialists employ computational studies for understanding the solution behavior of H/HS.


We develop a present-value asset pricing model with an econometrically useful representation that accommodates a plethora of stylized assumptions about beliefs. Using 20th century S&P500 data we use our model to compare the empirical fit of belief assumptions associated with rational expectations, asymmetic information, learning, behavioral effects and evolution. Among these, asymmetric information with evolution is particularly useful both in terms of statistical criteria and in terms of ability to explain the equity premium, excess volatility and predictability of returns. Our work suggests that popular relaxations of rationality can easily lead to econometric representations that may be impossible to work with in empirical research. Furthermore, replication of stylized facts may be too weak a requirement when evaluating such models. Fortunately, there exist simple relaxations of rationality that are sufficient to drastically improve the empirical fit of models with full rationality.


We report on the polarized IR and Raman study of the misfit layer compound . The obtained data were compared with those obtained on the parent layer compounds LaSe and . On an assumption of a charge transfer of 1.14 electrons per formula unit from the LaSe to the layers the decrease of the plasma frequency in the misfit compound with respect to that in the parent layer compounds is qualitatively explained. A qualitative model of electronic structure formation of the misfit layer compound from electronic bands of the parent layer compounds is discussed. An in-plane optical anisotropy related to the small misfit between the LaSe and layer structures has been detected.


This chapter discusses the potential challenges and benefits of information technology and economic development in Sri Lanka by reviewing the awareness and readiness of the selected opportunities. This chapter also identifies the enabling factors and bottlenecks, and forecasts the future growth of ICT developments in Sri Lanka as a host in Asia. Furthermore, developing ICT, professional services, and offshoring opportunities should be a high priority for the development strategy of the country. This chapter presents the findings from the survey that assessed the potential for ICT in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island state of contrasts in terms of its economic development and ICT capability. Research on a Web survey of government institutes revealed that 30% of ministries in the country do not have Web sites or may not have Web access since they are inactive. 38% of the ministries are still in the infant stage, and information available on Web pages is often little in content and limited to a few pages. Only about 17% of ministries offer interactive Web content, where users have access to regularly updated information, can communicate through e-mail, and can download government documents through the Internet.
15% of the ministries provide some online services to the citizens. Public- and private-sector economic entities do not develop Web sites in the local language; all Web sites are in English even though 80% of the population depend on their own local language. The majority in Sri Lanka do not speak English.


Background: Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a congenital absence of ganglion cells in the lining of the large intestine that can cause functional intestinal obstruction. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of Hirschsprung's disease in patients referring to a pediatric hospital in south of Iran over a period of 9 years. Methods: This retrospective research was carried out on all neonates, infants and children who referred to the largest pediatric Hospital of Hormozgan in Bandar Abbas, Southern of Iran due to suspected signs and symptoms of hirschsprung's disease during the 9 years from March, 2005 to March, 2013.Demographic data and clinical symptoms of these patients were extracted from medical records available in hospital archives by a checklist. Results: Among the 85177 hospitalized patients in koodakan hospital of Bandar Abbas, a total of 425 cases had Hirschsprung's disease (HD) with an overall male-to-female incidence ratio of 1.72. An overall increasing trend was observed in studied time. Chronic constipation (92.2%) and abdominal distension (91.1%) were the most common complaints. There were 21 deaths (4.9%) in cases with HD but none of the deaths in this population were attributable to HD. Conclusions: Based on the result the incidence of hirschsprung's disease was elevated in recent years. However, more studies in several provinces are required to determine the exact value of incidence and further associations. Keywords : Hirschsprung's disease, neonates, infants, children


In the 1970s, the relatively new discipline of Women's Studies was taught by educators whose primary fields were literature, psychology, sociology, or history. One problem that faces many instructors is the double-bind situation that Women's Studies courses are popular, so the dynamic teacher may find herself/himself teaching more courses--sometimes with as many as 120 undergraduates--writing more papers, and attending more conferences. Some students see literary readings such as Doris Lessing's "To Room Nineteen" as an attack on their traditional mothers. Explanation and re-explanation of truths and realities in society, while necessary in the classroom, are energy-draining over a period of time, and can cause instructor fatigue and "burn out." Additionally, evolving consciousness sometimes turns student rage on the instructor; also, the Women's Studies instructor can find herself/himself spending more and more time with more and more students. The final hurdle for many instructors is that Women's Studies is seen as a "mongrel" discipline, which is not helpful in the tenure process. Many academics fail to perceive the legitimacy of feminist literary criticism, but feel that anyone writing is this area can get any article or book published. The vulnerability of courses in Women's Studies to educational budget cuts is another drawback. Those who teach Women's Studies, however, feel that it can go a long way in helping men and women to more completely understand each other and the society which shaped their attitudes. (NKA) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************


Using text as a source of psychological and cognitive information has become a popular subject (Robinson, Navea & Ickes, 2013; Donahue, Liang & Druckman, 2014; Wolfe & Goldman, 2003). To do this, researchers use a variety of methods to analyze text, but Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) has become one the more common techniques. LIWC is a tokenbased method that contains multiple dictionaries representing various psychological states (positive affect, leisure, religion, social words) and keeps a running tabulation of how many words in a given text occur in each category. Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) is a context-based method that uses statistics to calculate similarity between different texts based off the surrounding words. As a common strategy of analyzing text for psychological states, it is important LIWC be truly representative of the aspects it explores. The dictionaries must accurately represent the categories they measure to be an authentic assessment of the analyzed psychological and cognitive states. This current study seeks to use LSA to improve LIWC. The hypothesis is that a combination method of the two will perform better than the application of a single token-based method. LIWC and two other token-based methods were compared to a combination LSA-token method. The two techniques were applied to a set of headlines that had been previously judged by humans in terms of emotion and positive/negative valence. The first part of the experiment compared the token-based methods to confirm that they were different from each other but still successful measures of the stimuli. The second part of the experiment compared the correlation between the token-based method and the correct response of the pre-tagged data against the correlation of the combination method and the pre-tagged stimuli. The findings did not support the hypothesis, as the combination method performed worse than the token-based methods. These results, however, suggest further investigation into the power of LSA and its reliance on context. Specifically, LSA may be suited for analysis of longer, more semantically complex texts, not short, basic samples, like the headlines used in this study. Running Head: COUNT OR CONTEXT: INVESTINGATING METHODS OF TEXT ANALYSIS


This paper is a survey of trends in the post-war development of continuous-wave and frequency-modulated radar with emphasis on systems designed to operate to short range. The larger part of the material is concerned with systems which use a single microwave generator as both a transmitting tube and as a source of local oscillator power. The discussion is organized around the various methods of analysis which may be used to study these systems. Hitherto unpublished work on a statistical method, developed at the Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratories, is summarized. Some information of a practical nature on microphonism, nonlinearities, feedthru, and saturation is included. A bibliography of work done in the post-war period is also included.


Abstract : The aim of this research program was to identify the functional unit in the brain for reward or positive reinforcement. On the assumption that the simplest possible unit is the single brain cell, we have attempted to reinforce individual neuronal firing patterns by direct applications of neurotransmitters or drugs to the cell soma. Our most satisfactory experiments have been performed on large pyramidal cells in hippocampal brain slices. The probability of neuronal firing increased sharply when reinforced by contingent applications of dopamine or cocaine; the same injections applied independently of neuronal firing had no such effect and in fact tended to suppress activity. There is an indication of pharmacological specificity: included among substances that are ineffective are GABA, serotonin, acetylcholine, imipramine, ethanol, and saline. Some features of behavioral operant conditioning are not observed in the neuronal experiments; reinforcement schedules are ineffective and relearning is not enhanced. Such features thus may reflect properties of neuronal systems rather than of individual cells, Finally, we have begun to consider the biochemical events that may mediate the cellular reinforcement process. Proteins that control cellular firing rates may be modified (phosphorylated) via biochemical cascade involving the conjunction of Ca(++) influx and dopamine receptor stimulation. Originator supplied keywords include: Operant conditioning, Neuronal conditioning, Reward, Adaptive networks, Positive reinforcement, Learning.


This paper describes the design and commissioning of the LHCb Vertex detector (VELO). It shows preliminary results on efficiency (in general better than 95%) and precision (from 8 to 30 μm) using particles from one of the LHC injections tests. This paper also discusses tests with a high particle rate crossing a VELO sensor. These tests were performed in order to emulate an incident with the LHC beam.


A double forecasting model based on conditional expectation was proposed through probability distribution of demand of automobile loan. The demand of automobile loan is the sum of all compound variables which indicated that automobile loan was credited to customer occurring in a certain period of time. Probability distribution of automobile loan was acquired using throughout probability theory. In view of such a fact, demand of automobile loan can be viewed as an conditional mathematic expectation. The forecasting model is proposed using growing function. Theoretical analysis and Case study shows that model based on conditional expectation is better than other model available with respect to forecasting demand of automobile loan.


We report on results of systematic analyses of the entire three X-ray data sets of Jupiter taken by Suzaku in 2006, 2012, and 2014. Jovian diffuse hard X-ray emission was discovered by Suzaku in 2006 when the solar activity went toward its minimum. The diffuse emission was spatially consistent with the Jovian inner magnetosphere and was spectrally fitted with a flat power-law function suggesting non-thermal emission. Thus, a scenario in which ultra-relativistic (tens of MeV) electrons in the Jovian inner magnetosphere inverse-Comptonize solar visible photons into X-ray bands has been hypothetically proposed. We focused on the dependence of the Jovian diffuse hard X-ray emission on the solar activity to verify this scenario. The solar activity in 2012 and 2014 was around the maximum of the 24th solar cycle. By combining the imaging and spectral analyses for the three data sets, we successfully separated the contribution of the diffuse emission from the emission of Jupiter's body (i.e., the aurora and disk emission). The 1–5 keV luminosity of the diffuse emission has been stable and did not vary significantly, and did not simply depend on the solar activity, which is also known to affect the high-energy electron distribution in the Jovian inner magnetosphere scarcely. The luminosity of the body emission both in 0.2–1 and 1–5 keV, in contrast, probably depended on the solar activity and varied by a factor of 2–5. These results strongly supported the inverse-Compton scattering scenario by the ultra-relativistic electrons. In this paper, we estimate spatial and spectral distributions of the inverse-Compton scattering X-rays by Jovian magnetospheric high-energy electrons with reference to the Divine–Garrett model and found a possible agreement in an inner region (≲10 RJ) for the X-ray observations.


Crop simulation programs allow analyzing and exploring various tillage-rotation combinations and management. This study was conducted to apply and evaluate the DSSAT program under Egyptian conditions. The study was carried out to investigate the effect of tillage system, fertilizer rates and cereal/legume rotation on the crop yield and soil quality. The CERES-maize and CROPGRO-broad bean models were used to simulate the studied crop yield. Field observations showed that, the effect of tillage systems during the summer season of 2013 did not differ significantly due to studied maize traits. Regarding, winter season of 2013/2014), the results showed that, CA tillage system increased significantly all studied broad bean traits as compared with the other tillage systems. Referring to, the summer season of 2014, CA system scored the significant high values for the studied maize traits. As for the effect of studied NPK fertilizer levels, results indicated that, 100% of the recommended doses of NPK favored the values of the studied maize and broad bean traits significantly during summer 2013 and winter 2013/2014, as compared by 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers, while, there are no-significant difference between the two fertilizer levels for maize traits in the third season (summer, 2014). With regard to, the first order interaction effect between the tested factors, results of the three trial seasons revealed that, growing maize or broad bean under the condition of conservation agriculture (CA) and fed by 100% or 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers scored the greatest values for most of maize studied traits and broad bean, and the differences between them did not reach the significant level. On contrast, the lowest value were resulted under the condition of Conventional agriculture (CT) and fed by the 50% of the recommended dose of NPK fertilizers. The models that were used in this study also reflected this trend. The CERES-maize and CROPGRO-broad bean models greatly discovered stimulation for grain yield/fed., harvest index as affected by interaction effect between tillage systems and fertilizer rats, which their RMSE ranged between excellent and good, RMSE = (8.44, 12.19) and (11.70,16.79) and (0.15, 12.02) for summer 2013, winter 2013/2014 and summer 2014 seasons respectively, through (maize→ broad bean→ maize) crop sequence.


The decapod fauna of six World War II shipwrecks at depths from 75 to 2000 m was examined in 2004 in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to conduct video transects on the wrecks and through the adjacent debris fields. Shipwrecks were used as surrogates for deep-sea drilling platforms to determine if structures in deep waters serve as artificial reefs. We focused on two genera and three species of decapod crustaceans: Munidopsis spp., Munida spp., Eumunida picta S. I. Smith, 1883, Rochinia crassa Milne-Edwards, 1879, and Chaceon quinquedens (S. I. Smith, 1879). Differences in abundance m-2 were compared among three locations (on, near, and away from [> 300 m] the wreck) to determine if the presence of the wrecks affected crab distributions. The two most abundant crab species were observed only at four of the six shipwrecks, and two species were observed at a single site. All crabs, except R. crassa, had no spatial correlation to proximity of the wreck; however, crab abundance varied significantly on different substrates. Crab abundance was significantly correlated with depth; some species were stenobathyal while others were eurybathyal, but all species were found within their previously reported depth ranges. Drilling structures act as artificial reefs/aggregation sites in the deep sea for some species, but not others.


The analysis of two cases of diagnosis of occupational malignant tumors of the lung in the professions of the welder and smelter using data from the International Cancer study Agency and the sanitary and hygienic characteristics of working conditions.


In the process of visualizing quantitative spatial data, it is necessary to classify attribute values into some class divisions. In a previous paper, the author proposed a classification method for minimizing the loss of information contained in original data. This method can be considered as a kind of smoothing method that neglects the characteristics of spatial distribution. In order to understand the spatial structure of data, it is also necessary to construct another smoothing method considering the characteristics of the distribution of the spatial data. In this paper, a spatial clustering method based on Akaike's Information Criterion is proposed. Furthermore, numerical examples of its application are shown using actual spatial data for the Tokyo Metropolitan area.


Based on simple frequency response function (FRF) measurements, we give the user some guidance in the selection of an appropriate nonlinear block structure for the system to be modeled. The method consists in measuring the FRF using a Gaussian-like input signal and varying in a first experiment the root-mean-square (rms) value of this signal while maintaining the coloring of the power spectrum. Next, in a second experiment, the coloring of the power spectrum is varied while keeping the rms value constant. Based on the resulting behavior of the FRF, an appropriate nonlinear block structure can be selected to approximate the real system. The identification of the selected block-oriented model itself is not addressed in this paper. A theoretical analysis and two practical applications of this structure identification method are presented for some nonlinear block structures.


We tested the hypothesis that cerebral malaria is caused by blood-brain barrier inflammation and cerebral edema. In a group of 157 Thai patients with strictly defined cerebral malaria, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressures were normal in 79% and were lower in fatal cases than in survivors (means +/- 1 SD, 144 +/- 58 and 167 +/- 51 mm CSF, respectively, P = 0.051). CSF: serum albumin ratios (X 10(3)) in 39 of them were significantly higher than in 61 British controls (medians 8.5 and 5.5, respectively, P = 0.04), but were no higher in 7 fatal cases. In a group of 12 patients this ratio was not significantly higher during coma than after full recovery (means +/- 1 SD, 9.0 +/- 6.2 and 6.7 +/- 4.2, respectively, P greater than 0.1). CSF alpha 2-macroglobulin concentrations were always normal. CSF : serum 77Br- ratios were elevated in 11/19 comatose cases but fell to normal 4 to 9 days later in 11/11 cases. Dexamethasone treatment had no significant effect on bromide partition. The percentage of an intravenously administered dose of 125I-human serum albumin detectable per ml of CSF 6 hr after intravenous injection was 2.4 +/- 1.3 X 10(-5) in 14 comatose patients and 4.4 +/- 4.0 X 10(-5) in 9 of them during convalescence (P greater than 0.1). These results demonstrate that the blood-CSF barrier is essentially intact in patients with cerebral malaria and give no support to the idea that cerebral edema is the cause of coma.


In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resultant cancellation of geoscience fieldwork, as well as outstanding accessibility issues inherent in conducting fieldwork, we developed a virtual geological fieldtrip (VFT) to the Huronian age deposits in the Whitefish Falls area, Ontario, Canada. This region is a geologically significant site in which many Ontario universities conduct undergraduate teaching due to the high-quality exposures. In this contribution we describe and comment on the development of this openly available resource, the motivations in doing so, the challenges faced, its pedagogical impact and relevance, as well as provide suggestions to others in the development of such resources. Our multimedia VFT combines 360° imagery, georeferenced data on integrated maps, and multi-scale imagery (aerial/drone, outcrop, and thin section images). The VFT was built using the Esri Storymaps platform, and thus offers us the opportunity to review the effectiveness of building such resources using this medium, as well as our approach to doing so. We conclude that the Esri Storymaps platform provides a sound medium for the dissemination of multimedia VFTs, but that some aspects of in-person fieldwork remain hard to replicate. Most notably, 'hands on experience' and specific activities such as geological mapping. In addition, while VFTs alleviate some accessibility barriers to geoscience fieldwork, substantial barriers remain that should remain the focus of both pedagogical and geoscience work.


Herein, we report the physicochemical and structural properties of a new solubility-switchable ionic liquid (IL) comprising the glycerammonium (GA) cation with a hydrophilic group, the GA cation attached to an acetal-based protective group (PGA), and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (TFSA). The interionic volumes (Vinter) of the hydrophobic [PGA][TFSA] and hydrophilic [GA][TFSA] ILs were evaluated based on solution density, revealing weaker ion-ion interactions in these relative to conventional ILs. The [PGA][TFSA] and [GA][TFSA] also exhibit poor ion-conducting properties, with up to an order of magnitude lower ionic conductivity () and self-diffusion coefficient (D) compared with conventional ILs. Radial distribution functions derived from high-energy X-ray total scattering experiments (Gexp(r)) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (GMD(r)) indicate that nearest-neighbor ion-ion interactions in the [PGA][TFSA] and [GA][TFSA] are comparable to those in imidazolium-based IL. Conversely, these are appreciably weakened at the second- and third-neighbors, and thus, less structured in the long range (r >15 Å), and very different from the highly ordered imidazolium IL. The atom-atom pair correlation function derived from the MD simulations disclose that at a local scale, specific interactions are absent, with only an electrostatic interaction in the [PGA][TFSA], whereas the GA cations interact with TFSA anions via hydrogen bonding of diol groups in the GA and O atoms in the TFSA. This difference might be a molecular origin of a hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the solubility-switchable IL; i.e., no hydrogen bonding group within the PGA cation leads to weak ion-hydration to be a phase separation of [PGA][TFSA] and water, in contrast, the GA cations are easily hydrogen bonded with water molecules to be miscible in aqueous solutions.


Objectives Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease with multifactorial etiopathogenesis. Among the environmental factors, mucosal infections and the inducing pathobionts are gaining increasing attention. We here set out to explore the gut-joint-axis and the impact of Clostridioides difficile infection on subsequent arthritis. Methods We combined C. difficile infection in DBA/1J × B10.Q F1 mice with collagen induced arthritis (CIA). Mice were infected via oral gavage and infection was monitored by weight loss, colonic histology, and antibodies against bacteria. Scoring of arthritis was performed macroscopically. Intestinal microbiomes were analyzed and immune responses were monitored via quantification of transcription factor-specific mRNA isolated from the inguinal and mesenteric lymph nodes. Results Infection with C. difficile VPI 10463 resulted in significant weight loss and severe colitis yet accelerated the reversal towards the original microbiome after antibiotic treatment. Spontaneous clearance of VPI 10463 infection reduced the incidence of subsequent CIA and led to mesenteric Treg and Th2 polarization. However, this attenuating effect was abrogated if VPI 10463 was eradicated via vancomycin followed by fecal microbiota transplantation. Moreover, VPI 10463 infection following the onset of CIA lacked therapeutic potential. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that infection with C. difficile VPI10463 induced an inflammation of the gut that protected from subsequent arthritis development in mice. Both, microbial changes to the gut and immune cell mobilization and/or polarization may have contributed to arthritis protection. The prospect of potential therapeutic benefits resulting from C. difficile infections or some byproduct thereof call for further experiments that help elucidate exact mechanisms.


Requiring all the nodes in a large-scale wireless sensor network to communicate their data to their respective destination will deplete the energy of the nodes quickly due to the long-distance and multi-hop nature of the communication and will also results in network contention. Therefore to increase longevity and support scalability, nodes are often grouped into disjoint and mostly non-overlapping clusters. Clustering saves energy and reduces network contention by enabling locality of communication: nodes communicate their data over shorter distances to their respective cluster-heads. The cluster-heads aggregate these data into a smaller set of meaningful information. Not all nodes, but only the cluster-heads need to communicate far distances to their respective destinations. In this paper, we propose a distributed clustering approach for our proposed real time data placement model for WSNs. It is assumed that the sensor nodes are aware of their locations in their deployment area, and they are time synchronized. For data dissemination and action in the wireless sensor network the usage of Action and Relay Stations (ARS) has been proposed.


We report the fabrication of high performance organic solar cells by spray‐coating the photoactive layer in air. The photovoltaic blends consist of a blend of carbazole and benzothiadiazole based donor–acceptor copolymers and the fullerene derivative PC70BM. Here, we formulate a number of photovoltaic inks using a range of solvent systems that we show can all be deposited by spray casting. We use a range of techniques to characterize the structure of such films, and show that spray‐cast films have comparable surface roughness to spin‐cast films and that vertical stratification that occurs during film drying reduces the concentration of PCBM towards the underlying PEDOT:PSS interface. We also show that the active layer thickness and the drying kinetics can be tuned through control of the substrate temperature. High power conversion efficiencies of 4.3%, 4.5% and 4.6% were obtained for solar cells made from a blend of PC70BM with the carbazole‐based co‐polymers PCDTBT, P2 and P1. By applying a low temperature anneal after the deposition of the cathode, the efficiency of spray‐cast solar‐cells based on a P2:PC70BM blend is increased to 5.0%. Spray coating holds significant promise as a technique capable of fabricating large‐area, high performance organic solar cells in air.


We characterized the enzymic properties of ADP-ribosyl cyclase in rat parotid acinar cells by using a fluorescence technique. ADP-ribosyl cyclase is capable of synthesizing the Ca2+ -mobilizing nucleotide cADP-ribose (cADPR) from NAD(+) and has previously been shown to be regulated by cGMP via a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (G kinase). We therefore investigated whether NO/cGMP-activated pathways are present in rat parotid acinar cells and whether NO/cGMP signalling exerts control over cellular Ca2+ signalling processes. Our results showed that stimulation of acinar cells with adrenaline, isoproterenol, substance P and NO resulted in a rise in the [cGMP]. In addition, NO induced a release of Ca2+ from intracellular ryanodine-sensitive stores via a cGMP/G-kinase-mediated process. Thus our data reveal that a rise in [cGMP], caused by either neurotransmitter or NO activation, activates a G kinase, which in turn controls Ca2+ release from ryanodine-sensitive stores. Since parotid acinar cells possess ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity, we propose a model in which cADPR is the link between NO/cGMP signalling pathways and release of Ca2+ from ryanodine-sensitive stores.


The role of the edge waves during the propagation of the tsunamis has been observed in nature. In this paper we study the features of the tsunamis generated by landslides around a conical island to understand the propagation and trapping mechanisms of the waves. Run-up measurements have been processed with the wavenumber-frequency analysis (k-f) to identify the dispersion relation followed by the waves that propagate alongshore. It is shown that the 0th-order edge waves mode is the only one relevant for shoreline run-up. Furthermore, a detailed two-dimensional k-f revealed that other waves modes play a role during the propagation.


There is a considerable need to develop comprehensive, systematic mechanisms to analyze the vast number of proteins that orchestrate various cellular functions and to identify proteins associated with disease or that are affected by pharmacological agents. Two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2‐D PAGE) continues to be relied upon to analyze protein constituents of cells and tissues. We have developed a Laboratory Information Processing System (LIPS) as a computer‐based tool for capturing quantitative and qualitative changes in thousands of proteins detected in 2‐D gels of various types. Protein databases have been developed to serve as a repository for data processing of the basic and derived data and of findings derived from different studies. There have been remarkable advances both in database technology as well as in the computer hardware that have benefited our effort at mining protein data from 2‐D gels. We here review our current efforts aimed at improving the performance and features of our 2‐D related protein databases, with particular emphasis on the tools we utilize for database mining via a systematic analysis of information known as post‐planned analysis.


Background and Aims: Innovative technologies supporting healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients in the review of self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) data may aid clinical and educational approach to diabetes management. MyStar Connect® (MSC) is a diabetes data management software that helps HCPs review patient data and adjust diabetes therapy. Filtering mechanisms are needed to visualize data efficiently. We developed a pattern recognition engine (PRE) for visualization of glycemic patterns of SMBG data in MSC. Method: 3-month of SMBG data from 184 insulin- and non-insulin treated patients, at low testing frequency (0.5-2 tests per day), were independently evaluated by three expert assessors. Daily and weekly hypo- and hyperglycemic patterns were identified, and compared to those identified by the PRE. Discrepancies were reconciled through discussion between the assessors. The rate of agreement between assessors and PRE was evaluated. The analyses were conducted separately for hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic patterns. Results: Daily patterns: 56 hypoglycemic and 247 hyperglycemic patterns were identified by the PRE. No disagreement was noted in the assessment of hypoglycemic patterns between the PRE and the assessors. In 23 cases of hyperglycemic patterns, a disagreement was noted, due to the PRE missing a pattern considered as present by the assessors. After further clarification, 18 cases were reconciled. Therefore, the rate of agreement between the PRE and the assessors was 100% for hypoglycemic patterns and 98% for hyperglycemic patterns. Weekly patterns: The assessors recognized that the PRE provided information not easily inferable by simple review of SMBG data. PRE was therefore considered reliable for all the patterns identified. Conclusion: The implementation of PRE can represent a useful tool to guide HCPs' treatment decisions and educate patients performing SMBG at a low frequency. Disclosure G. Vespasiani: Consultant; Self; METEDA Srl. Other Relationship; Spouse/Partner; METEDA Srl. A. Nicolucci: None. M. Saleh: Employee; Self; Sanofi. J. Sieber: Employee; Self; Sanofi. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Sanofi. G. Prosperini: None. C. Suraci: None. M. Galetta: None. G. Grassi: None.


In the western Algerian steppe, the public authorities have carried out actions aimed at rural development (agricultural development programs) and combating desertification (grazing reserves) to counter the significant and rapid loss of vegetation cover of pastures by overgrazing, and the consequent impacts on local livelihoods. In the Rogassa area, these actions have impacted land tenure and the ancestral and collective way of land use and access. These changes have caused transformations in lifestyle and pasture management. This research aims to characterize how such changes are affecting local pastoralists and what their perceptions are about them. A selective sampling of 150 agropastoral households was carried out by interviewing their heads, analyzing socioeconomic, land tenure and government perception variables. Most agropastoralists access land under tribal tenure, conditioned by local social structures. Pastures are prevailingly perceived by pastoralists as insufficient, and the perception of grazing reserves is largely negative. Pastoralists are worried about land degradation and declining grazing lands, and are looking for solutions and alternatives. However, state interventions have been uncoordinated and have not considered their customary land rights. The generalized awareness of environmental deterioration points to the need for better communication and intervention strategies to be developed by authorities in the future that involve the inhabitants of these lands.


15 children with malignant epilepsy showing no response to conventional antiepileptic drugs or hormone therapy were administered intravenous immunoglobulin (Endobulin, Immuno) at a dosage of 400 mg/kg per day on the 1st and 15th day and subsequently every three weeks for 6 months. 7 of these 15 patients showed IgG2 subclass deficiency. A significant reduction in attacks, or even absence of attacks was observed in 10 out of 15 children after six months of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Apart from one patient with ringchromosomopathy, all the children with IgG2 subclass deficiency responded to this therapy. The reduction of attacks after i.v. immunoglobulin therapy correlates with the improvement or normalization of the EEG findings. At present, the authors consider the number of patients still too small to make a final assessment, but they believe that intravenous immunoglobulin holds an important position in the treatment of malignant epilepsy in childhood.


In a globalised world social welfare professionals confront a diversity of clients, with needs which are demonstrably culturally determined. As such, professional understanding of the nexus between clients and their environmental control strategies is paramount. The medium through which families negotiate their surroundings, occupation, shelter, and safety are significant matters to Aboriginal people within Australia. The progression from former Aboriginal "assimilationist" policy to present approaches exposes problematic contemporary needs-based approaches to public policy intervention. The highly troublesome policy intervention history prompts a reconceptualisation of "needs"-based approaches to Aboriginal welfare. Theoretical perspectives on needs support culturally-safe methodologies for innovation in social service delivery. The role of social work is highlighted in promoting such a policy in respect of environmental control.


Abstract Due to global climate change and anthropogenic pressures on the landscape, one of the current geographical problems is retention of water in agricultural landscapes. One possibility to tackle this issue is the construction of artificial water bodies, which has historical traditions in the form of fishponds in Central European landscapes. Unfortunately, many such water bodies were transformed into arable lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. In this study, the identification and spatial distribution of these extinct water bodies is subject to examination, using place names in a GIS environment. Some 375 place names were selected from the official database of place names in the Czech Republic. This set of names was compared to current maps, as well as to old maps from the Habsburg monarchy from 1783–1880 (1st, 2nd and 3rd Military Survey). The map resources were used to find out if a place name was related to an extinct fishpond, and in which period the pond ceased to exist. Using spatial statistics, the existence of areas with a high concentration of place names referring to extinct ponds is demonstrated. It has also been established that areas linked to fishpond extinction in the same period now face more frequent droughts. Thus, the set of place names can be used to identify not only extinct water bodies, but also to serve as being potentially useful in other analyses using GIS, as well as in the public sphere (reclamation).


Vehicle NVH control has gained increasing attention of domestic auto makers in an effort to promote vehicle's quality. To solve the problem, the integrated product testing and simulation modeling are necessary. One example of system NVH problem that can be benefited by this approach is the powertrain torsional vibration. The key technology in this approach is the development of an effective simulation model. First of all, dynamic parameters such as the torsional stiffness,moment of inertia and torsional damping of individual parts are measured or calculated. Then, these parameters are used to simulate the powertrain torsional vibration for its natural frequencies, mode shapes and frequency responses. With this method, the vehicle's performance can be optimized easily.


The rotating parallel hole collimator is designed to image data produced by medium energy isotopes. This collimator has thick septa and differs from a conventional medium energy collimator by having the ability to rotate so that data will not have shadows from the septa. With these improvements, it is possible to obtain higher resolutions. However, possible misalignments in the rotation of the collimator could cause the projection data to have degraded resolutions. Comparisons of resolutions are made between the projection data and SPECT images both with and without summing of the projections. A line source filled with 0.4-1.3 mCi of /sup 131/I was imaged on a SPECT system. The rotating hole collimator and a medium energy collimator were placed on adjacent heads of the camera. Results indicate that with proper rotation, there will be no degradation of the SPECT image from the rotating collimator. For the case of a 9 cm radius of rotation, the rotating parallel hole collimator's full width at half maximum was measured to be 5.2-5.8 mm. The conventional collimator had a full width at half maximum of 9.3-9.8 mm.


The Specter Range thrust (SRT), which extends from Mercury to Amargosa, Nevada, emplaces Precambrian silicic rocks of the Wood Canyon Formation onto middle Paleozoic folded rocks which constitute the regional carbonate aquifer. Field evidence suggests that the regional carbonate aquifer and underlying aquitard in the Specter Range have been thinned by nearly 35%, or 3,000 m along detachment horizons parallel or sub-parallel to bedding. Several regional detachments that generally coincide with sections of shaly or sandy beds also commonly affect hundreds of meters of adjacent beds as shown by breccia composed of granules to small boulders, as well as local large boulders and mega blocks, especially in dolomite units. Quartzose clastic confining units generally are strongly brecciated and may be unexpectedly porous and permeable. The stratigraphically highest breccia mass is preserved only in the southern Specter Range, where it comprises tens to hundreds of meters of breccias derived mainly of Silurian and Devonian dolomite beds. In these units, brecciated throughout, the formation of breccia is highly variable with the smallest grain size commonly developed along steep, narrow zones within coarser, massive breccia composed of mega-blocks and bedded sections cut and disrupted by numerous fractures and faults generally marked by breccias.The detachments and related contractional structures locally affect Tertiary strata that constrain the timing of deformation between about 15 and 10 Ma. As previously recognized, transpression at a left-step along the right-lateral Las Vegas Valley Shear Zone (LVVSZ), between Mercury and Amargosa, Nevada is likely responsible for the contraction. Stratigraphic studies have shown that the LVVSZ accommodates several tens of km of movement.The brecciated carbonate aquifer and clastic aquitard may provide fast pathways for groundwater moving from the NTS southward. Monitor wells in the vicinity of Rock Valley fault, north of the Specter Range, could provide information about southward-moving-groundwater before reaching the faulted and brecciated rocks of the Specter Range.


Understanding dynamic behaviors of moving objects using positioning technologies for construction safety monitoring is still an open research issue. One task; that is a small subset in the widespread field of objects dynamics is the enrichment of the location data of users with the semantic information for studying their mobility patterns in the context of the environment. However, incorporating the semantics related to the environment gets complex in case of the dynamic construction sites where the site spaces are kept evolving with time. For instance, new walls and infrastructure supports are added often on sites, while others are detached. Similar situations open more challenges to keep track of the changes in the attributes of the locations which involve with time for integrating semantics into the location data. Eventually, such changes to the site' locations will result in different user mobility patterns. For capturing the semantics of a dynamic environment and then understanding the user mobility patterns, a system is proposed based on semantic trajectories and Hidden Markov Model (HMM). In the end, Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach is used for visualizing the most probable user movements to help safety managers in monitoring site activities remotely by preventing other workforce from accessing such hazardous locations that involve unsafe movements.


Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry makes possible the simultaneous measurement of homovanillic acid (HVA), vanilmandelic acid (VMA) and 3, 4-dihydroxy mandelic acid (DOMA) in 2ml urine samples. The equipment used was the Shimadzu LKB 9000 GC-MS (MID-PM). The TMSi derivatives of the compounds were analysed by the GC-MS system equipped with a 3ft. X 3mm column packed with 1.5% OV-1 and the temperature was programed from 130 degrees to 260 degrees C at 10 degrees C/min increments. The mass spectrum showed molecular ions at m/e 326, 414, and 472 which correspond to the TMSi derivatives of HVA, VMA AND DOMA respectively. The peaks at m/e 326 (HVA), 297 (VMA) and 355 (DOMA) were applied to avail themselves of simultaneous multiple ion analyses by GC-MS. As little as 1pg of the compounds injected into the column could be measured reproducibly. The sensitivity is of the order of pg or ng, and the linearity of the response is maintained up to at least 200ng. The procedure was simpler and less time consuming than previous methods. It consists of extraction of the free acid into ether followed by complete silylation of the phenolic, alcoholic and carboxylic acid group with bis (trimethylsilyl) acetamide. Recoveried of HVA, VMA, DOMA added to urine were 93.8%, 71.2% and 23.6% respectively. The specificity of this method surpasses and cannot be compared to any other existing quantitative methods.


This paper deals with an analysis of impedance-differential protection algorithm applied to locate faults on a double-circuit transmission line. In particular, the study of fault location accuracy for the case of using the relation between currents for negative-sequence not for zero-sequence, as it was presented so far, is provided. It results from the well-known fact that zero-sequence impedances are in practice considered as quite unreliable data. Therefore, one has to limit usage of zero-sequence impedance parameters as much as possible. Such approach was applied in this paper and therefore the use of the additional relation of currents for negative-sequence is under investigation. The fault signals from ATP-EMTP simulation on the sample double-circuit transmission line was applied for evaluating the fault location accuracy. References 8, figures 4, table 1.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of product quality and price on purchasing decisions for wardah products in the city of karawang, this research method used quantitative methods with descriptive and verification approaches. The population used in this study is using social media followers Instagram Wrdah Beauty as much as 2,900,000 with 100 samples used. The validity of the data used is the validity and reliability test and the classical assumption test using linearity, normality, homoscedasticity, non-autocorrelation, and multicollinearity tests. The data analysis technique used is a simple regression analysis technique with partial and simultaneous hypothesis testing. The results of this study are there is a positive and significant influence on the quality of product to purchasing decisions.


Background The age of patients referred for kidney transplantation has increased progressively. However, the precise influence of age on transplant outcomes is controversial. Methods Etrospective study in which graft and recipient survival were assessed in a cohort of ≥75 years old kidney recipients and compared with a contemporary younger one aged 60-65 years through a propensity score analysis. Results We included 106 recipients between 60-65 and 57 patients of ≥75 years old with a median follow-up of 31 [13-54] months. Unadjusted one- and five-year recipient survival did not significantly differ between the older (91% and 74%) and the younger group (95% and 82%, P=0.06). In the IPTW weighted Cox regression analysis, recipient age was not associated with an increased risk of death (HR 1.88 95%CI [0.81-4.37], P=0.14). Unadjusted one- and five-year death-censored graft survival did not significantly differ between both groups (96% and 83% for the older and 99% and 89% for the younger group, respectively, P=0.08). After IPTW weighted Cox Regression analysis, recipient age ≥75 years was no associated with an increased risk of graft loss (HR 1.95, 95%CI [0.65-5.82], P=0.23). Conclusions These results suggest that recipient age should not be considered itself as an absolute contraindication for kidney transplant


This paper presents the eschatological view of the Spirit Baptism in Paul's writing.  The Spirit Baptism and eschatology in Paul's perspective are thoughts that function hand in hand with each other and cannot be separated.  In Paul, Spirit Baptism is the fulfilment of the Old Testament promise in which God declares to His people that He will be with (stay among) His people through the pouring out of His Spirit.  This promise is understood by His people as the eschatological promise of God.  This pouring out of the Spirit upon God's people should be understood as the doctrine of Spirit Baptism which has eschatological role in Paul's theology.  This paper will emphasize the background of Paul's understanding of the Spirit Baptism as it relates to the soteriological dimension work of the Holy Spirit.


Purpose : To develop and characterize an herbal gel prepared from methanol root extract of Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) (Stinging nettle) for the treatment of arthritis in mice. Methods : A methanol root extract from Urtica dioica was prepared, and a gel was then prepared using Carbopol 934. The prepared gel was subjected to various physical tests (color, appearance, pH, texture, viscosity) and in vivo evaluation, including primary skin irritation, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory tests, in arthritic mice and compared with 2 % indomethacin gel, which was used as standard. Results : The prepared herbal gel was of light gray color with a smooth texture. It showed a pH of 7.1 and a viscosity of 21.2 cps. The gel exhibited pseudoplastic rheology, as evidenced by shear thinning with increased shear rate. It was non-irritating to the skin in primary skin irritation test in mice and showed 55.05 % inhibition of paw edema in a carrageenan-induced hind rat paw edema model, comparable to that of the standard gel (53.93 %), after 24 h. The gel showed 58.21 % analgesia, versus 61.19 % analgesia for the indomethacin gel standard in writhing test. Conclusion : The topical gel from methanol root extract of U. dioica may be an efficacious and safe alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but this requires further investigations to ascertain its safety and clinical efficacy. Keywords : Rheumatoid arthritis, Urtica dioica , Stinging nettle, Anti-inflammatory activity, Analgesic activity, Herbal therapy


Diabetes management is changing not only with novel treatments but also in patient demography. This presents clinical challenges and influences our view of diabetes therapies. Insulin analogues have been developed to overcome some of the limitations of traditional human insulins, with the aim of providing a more physiological pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile. The rapid‐acting insulin analogue insulin aspart has been investigated in many clinical trials over the past 10 years and the aim of this review is to present the insulin aspart clinical trial data from across the spectrum of patients with diabetes. Five studies have looked at insulin aspart use (including continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion) in children and adolescents, where the analogue was as effective and well tolerated as soluble human insulin. One large‐scale, randomized, controlled trial in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes observed trends towards a reduction in major hypoglycaemia, fewer preterm deliveries and lower birthweight with insulin aspart compared with soluble human insulin. Two 6‐month, randomized, controlled, multicentre, multinational, parallel‐group, open‐label trials reported significant reductions in haemoglobin A1c and major nocturnal hypoglycaemia with insulin aspart compared with soluble human insulins in patients with type 1 diabetes. There are fewer data involving insulin analogue use in hospitals and in elderly patients with diabetes, but some recent studies have investigated insulin aspart in the emergency department, intensive/non‐intensive care setting and in a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study in patients aged ≥ 65 years. In summary, the evidence would suggest that insulin aspart is suitable for use in a variety of patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Sixty-one shoulders in 57 adolescents underwent primary arthroscopic shoulder stabilization for labral tears sustained during contact sports (all Stanmore type 1). Mean follow-up was 22 months, mean age 16.8 (13–18) years. Postoperatively, the median subjective improvement was 90%, median VAS pain was 0 and mean Oxford Instability Score was 26.8. Sixty-one per cent returned to preinjury sporting level. A higher than expected proportion reported recurrent dislocation, with 15% followed up for 1 year and 31% for 4 years. Of these 11 requiring further surgery, 90% of redislocations occurred while playing rugby. Sex, type of sport, hyperlaxity and tear morphology were not significantly related to recurrence. Adolescents are at high risk for recurrence following arthroscopic stabilization. Patients should be counselled for the higher recurrence rate and consideration should be made for other aetiological factors such as returning to contact sports and joint hyperlaxity.


Introduction It is well recognized that pain may be provoked by the stimulation of many deep-lying somatic structures, such as muscle, tendon, periosteum, etc. (Lewis, 1942). It was noted by Lewis (1938) that the quality of this pain is independent of the method of stimulation adopted, and that it differs markedly from the quality of the pain which can be aroused from skin. In consequence he suggested that the pain nerves of the skin form a system different from that to which those nerves supplying deeper tissues belong. This contention he supported by observing that the reflexes resulting from painful stimulation of the skin and those due to stimulation of deeplying tissues tended to be of a different character. In 1939, Lewis and Kellgren brought forward additional evidence for the specificity of reflex responses obtained from these two sources. So far, however, no anatomical evidence has been produced which would lend colour to the theory of two separate systems subserving the sensation of somatic pain. It has been shown (Weddell, 1945) that in normal skin the network of nerve endings subserving the sensation of pain is disposed in such a manner that any one area of skin is supplied by several overlapping terminals derived from different axons. Weddell, Sinclair, and Feindel (1948) have recently investigated the innervation pattern of skin from which an abnormal reaction to painful stimuli was obtained. They found that in such areas the terminals associated with painful sensation were invariably isolated from each other, and that the interweaving of adjacent terminal fibres which is characteristic of the normal skin did not occur. As a result of this investigation they suggested that alterations in the peripheral pattern of innervation of the skin may be responsible for alterations in the quality of the sensation perceived following the application of a painful stimulus. Thus they


Access to an archive of videos recording popular trials organized according to "Mayan law" filmed by indigenous people in Santa Cruz del Quiché, Guatemala, prompted the author to propose a collaborative video project with local indigenous mayors. This took place in a postwar region characterized by high levels of criminality and social violence, where the presence of state law was minimal or inexistent. The article discusses the possibilities and challenges of this collaborative project and emphasizes the uses of video in indigenous legal practices. It offers theoretical reflections on a range of issues, including legal pluralism, indigenous video, intertextuality and collaborative anthropology. Mayan Justice Practices and Community Video Anthrovision, 6.2 | 2018 15


Researchers at Università Politecnica delle Marche, Queen Mary University of London and the Alan Turing Institute have recently collaborated on a research project aimed at identifying beehive states using machine learning. Their study, prepublished on arXiv, investigated the use of both support vector machines (SVMs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for beehive state recognition, using audio data.


Existing mechanisms for handover authentication mainly focus on designing a secure authentication module, little attention has been paid to protect users' privacy when they are authenticated by the access points for data access. Further, most existing approaches do not support user revocation. In this paper, we present a secure and efficient authentication protocol named Handauth. Similar to the mechanisms of this field, Handauth provides user authentication and session key establishment. However, compared to other well-known approaches, Handauth not only enjoys both computation and communication efficiency, but also achieves strong user anonymity and untraceablility, forward secure user revocation, conditional privacy-preservation, AAA server anonymity, access service expiration management, access point authentication, easily scheduled revocation, dynamic user revocation and attack resistance. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is feasible for real applications.


Studies assessing differences between intraracial and interracial marriages typically use race data from one time point. Yet because racial identification can vary across time, context, or perspective, whether a relationship is defined as intraracial or interracial can also differ. We use a sample of 2,845 respondents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997, whose marriages are intraracial (based on 2002 data) to examine whether marital stability differs for those whose racial identification varied across waves and whether this effect is moderated by gender. Approximately 6% of respondents in intraracial relationships had inconsistent racial identities. We also find evidence that the association between racial variation and marital stability differs by gender. Women whose race varied are more likely to divorce than any other group, including static-race couples and men whose race varied. More attention should be given to intraracial heterogeneity, especially as groups that are more likely to have varying racial identities grow in number.


We developed a wavelength-tunable second harmonic scattering experimental setup to investigate dispersion of the nonlinear optical response of three different nanocrystal suspensions (LiNbO3, ZnO and BiFeO3). Special attention was paid to reproducibility issues with the implementation of a detailed protocol that allows correcting for the setup spectral response. The absolute, orientation-averaged second order susceptibilities of the three nanomaterials were then assessed in the 700-1300 nm spectral range evidencing very specific optical signatures. The well-defined resonances observed for ZnO and BiFeO3 near their electronic transitions were found to be poorly described by the Miller's rule.


Laplace transforms which admit a holomorphic extension to some sector strictly containing the right half plane and exhibiting a potential behavior are considered. A spectral order, parallelizable method for their numerical inversion is proposed. The method takes into account the available information about the errors arising in the evaluations. Several numerical illustrations are provided.


This paper introduces a new British English speech database, named the homeService corpus, which has been gathered as part of the homeService project. This project aims to help users with speech and motor disabilities to operate their home appliances using voice commands. The audio recorded during such interactions consists of realistic data of speakers with severe dysarthria. The majority of the homeService corpus is recorded in real home environments where voice control is often the normal means by which users interact with their devices. The collection of the corpus is motivated by the shortage of realistic dysarthric speech corpora available to the scientific community. Along with the details on how the data is organised and how it can be accessed, a brief description of the framework used to make the recordings is provided. Finally, the performance of the homeService automatic recogniser for dysarthric speech trained with single-speaker data from the corpus is provided as an initial baseline. Access to the homeService corpus is provided through the dedicated web page at http://mini.dcs.shef.ac.uk/resources/homeservice-corpus/. This will also have the most updated description of the data. At the time of writing the collection process is still ongoing.


We consider the dynamics of a nonrecombining haploid population of finite size that accumulates deleterious mutations irreversibly. This ratchet-like process occurs at a finite speed in the absence of epistasis, but it has been suggested that synergistic epistasis can halt the ratchet. Using a diffusion theory, we find explicit analytical expressions for the typical time between successive clicks of the ratchet for both nonepistatic and epistatic fitness functions. Our calculations show that the interclick time is of a scaling form that in the absence of epistasis gives a speed that is determined by size of the least-loaded class and the selection coefficient. With synergistic interactions, the ratchet speed is found to approach zero rapidly for arbitrary epistasis. Our analytical results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.


Cyclists, moped drivers and pedestrians, the vulnerable road users, place particular demands on the traffic network. To meet these demands plans include separate paths, roads with reduced speed and cycle paths along the main road as part of the major elements in the traffic system. One method is described in detail theoretically and with the aid of examples which allows the possibility of realistic planning by giving priority to the demands of vulnerable road users. The method involves the use of indices of inconvenience and conflict as well as roadside interviews. The index of inconvenience is based on the nuisance or insecurity to which cyclists or moped drivers are exposed when being overtaken by cars. The index of conflict is found by multiplying the amount of traffic -per hour or per quarter of an hour -which is in conflict. Road side interviews give information on the competition between different cycle path routes.


To improve the efficiency of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based methods for robot manipulator trajectory planning in random working environment. Different from the traditional sparse reward function, we present three dense reward functions in this paper. Firstly, posture reward function is proposed to accelerate the learning process with a more reasonable trajectory by modeling the distance and direction constraints, which can reduce the blindness of exploration. Secondly, to improve the stability, a reward function at stride reward is proposed by modeling the distance and movement distance of joints constraints, it can make the learning process more stable. In order to further improve learning efficiency, we are inspired by the cognitive process of human behavior and propose a stage incentive mechanism, including hard stage incentive reward function and soft stage incentive reward function. Extensive experiments show that the soft stage incentive reward function proposed is able to improve convergence rate by up to 46.9% with the state-of-the-art DRL methods. The percentage increase in convergence mean reward is 4.4%~15.5% and the percentage decreases with respect to standard deviation by 21.9%~63.2%. In the evaluation, the success rate of trajectory planning for robot manipulator is up to 99.6%.


Co-crystallization of the prominent Fe(ii) spin-crossover (SCO) cation, [Fe(3-bpp)2]2+ (3-bpp = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine), with a fractionally charged TCNQδ− radical anion has afforded a hybrid complex [Fe(3-bpp)2](TCNQ)3·5MeCN (1·5MeCN, where δ = −0.67). The partially desolvated material shows semiconducting behavior, with the room temperature conductivity σRT = 3.1 × 10−3 S cm−1, and weak modulation of conducting properties in the region of the spin transition. The complete desolvation, however, results in the loss of hysteretic behavior and a very gradual SCO that spans the temperature range of 200 K. A related complex with integer-charged TCNQ− anions, [Fe(3-bpp)2](TCNQ)2·3MeCN (2·3MeCN), readily loses the interstitial solvent to afford desolvated complex 2 that undergoes an abrupt and hysteretic spin transition centered at 106 K, with an 11 K thermal hysteresis. Complex 2 also exhibits a temperature-induced excited spin-state trapping (TIESST) effect, upon which a metastable high-spin state is trapped by flash-cooling from room temperature to 10 K. Heating above 85 K restores the ground-state low-spin configuration. An approach to improve the structural stability of such complexes is demonstrated by using a related ligand 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2′-yl)pyridine (bzimpy) to obtain [Fe(bzimpy)2](TCNQ)6·2Me2CO (4) and [Fe(bzimpy)2](TCNQ)5·5MeCN (5), both of which exist as LS complexes up to 400 K and exhibit semiconducting behavior, with σRT = 9.1 × 10−2 S cm−1 and 1.8 × 10−3 S cm−1, respectively.


phenotypes of steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. The protein and mRNA levels of liver periostin in mice fed the MCD diet for 8 weeks were also significantly upregulated (data not shown). These data suggest that periostin may be involved in the development of MCD diet-induced NASH. To determine whether periostin deficiency abrogates the progression of NASH, we used a periostin-deficient mouse model. Heterozygous B6;129-Postn/J (Postn ) mice were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine, USA). Periostin-deficient and periostin wild type mice were generated from crossing Postn with Postn mice. After feeding the MCD diet for 4 weeks, periostin-deficient mice exhibited significantly less TGs in their livers compared to the wild type group (Fig. 1D). The serum level of alanine aminotransferase was markedly decreased in Postn / mice compared to wild type mice (Fig. 1E), indicating that the MCD diet produced a more severe liver injury in wild type mice than in Postn / mice. Moreover, MCD diet feeding resulted in an increased collagen deposition in wild type mice, as shown by Sirius red staining; however, collagen deposition was significantly lower in Postn / mice than in wild type mice after being on the MCD diet (Fig. 1F and G), suggesting that Postn / mice exhibited significantly less histological fibrosis compared to the wild type group. We also found that mRNA levels of the inflammatory and fibrotic factors IL-6, TGF-b1, and a-SMA were markedly increased in livers of MCD diet-fed wild type mice compared to the chow diet-fed wild type controls; however, the mRNA levels of IL-6, TGF-b1, and a-SMA were significantly lower in the liver tissue of Postn / mice than in wild type mice after being on the MCD diet for 4 weeks (Fig. 1H). Therefore, these data suggest that a deficiency in periostin abrogates the development of MCD diet-induced NASH in mice. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that periostin is highly expressed in MCD diet-induced NASH and that periostin knockout mice show a markedly lower degree of steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis compared with wild type mice after being fed the MCD diet. As previously mentioned, hepatic periostin levels are significantly upregulated in monogenic-induced obese mice and HFD-fed mice, as well as in patients with fatty liver disease [8]. Therefore, these data demonstrate that periostin is a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for hepatosteatosis, NASH and even other liver diseases. Pere Ginès Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Liver Unit, Barcelona, Spain ⇑Corresponding author. Address: Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Liver Unit, Villarroel 170, Barcelona 08036, Spain. Tel.: +34 932271713. E-mail address: firstname.lastname@example.com JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY


The anti-inflammatory and related activities of bukittinggine were evaluated in comparison with reference drugs. The results obtained revealed that bukittinggine exhibited a significant inhibitory effect in carrageenin-induced hind paw edema and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Its anti-inflammatory activity in both test models was comparable to that of acetylsalicylic acid. Bukittinggine also showed an inhibitory effect on the late proliferative phase of the inflammatory process in cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats. In carrageenin-induced rat pleurisy, bukittinggine exhibited marked inhibitory activity on exudative formation, accumulation of leukocytes and on PGE2-like activity in the exudate. Furthermore bukittinggine could significantly reduce fever in yeast-induced hyperthermic rats and possessed analgesic activity comparable to that of acetylsalicylic acid when tested in acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. However, bukittinggine exhibited only a weak effect in the tail-flick test when compared with morphine. It is likely that bukittinggine possesses a mechanism of anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic action similar to that of acetylsalicylic acid.


A series of biocomposite materials was successfully prepared by reinforcing advanced calcium phosphate cement with hydroxyapatite fibrous and elongated plate-like particles. Powder X-ray diffraction showed that ball-milled biocomposite precursors (dicalcium and tetracalcium phosphates) entirely transform to a single phase hydroxyapatite end product within 7 h at 37 °C. Electron microscopy showed that the resultant biocomposites are constituted of nanoscaled cement particles intimately associated with the reinforcement crystals. The influence of shape, size, and concentration of the hydroxyapatite filler on the compression strength of reinforced cements is discussed. The best compression strength of 37 ± 3 MPa (enhancement of ∼50% compared to pure cement) was achieved using submicrometer-sized hydroxyapatite crystals with complementary shapes. Nanoindentation revealed that averaged elastic modulus and hardness values of the cements are consistent with those reported for trabecular and cortical human bones, indicating a good match of the micromechanical properties for their potential use for bone repair. The stiffness of the biocomposites was confirmed to gradate-compliant cement matrix, cement-filler interface, and stiff filler-as a result of the structuring at the nanometer-micrometer level. This architecture is critical in conditioning the final mechanical properties of the functional composite biomaterial. In vitro cell culture experiments showed that the developed biomaterial system is noncytotoxic.


To improve the physique of the entire nationality is the cadinal policy for the development of sports cause in our country.During the 21st Century,the mass sports activities in our country will develop towards the directions of entertainment,commerce,rural urbanization,the older aged,family,diversification and nationalization.Thus,we should take measures to strengthen the conduction of propaganda,the construction of sports instruction ranks and sports clubs,improve the utilization ratio of sports sources and facilities,draw more social funds and help some small community sports organizations,to push forward the development of mass sports activities.


Our previous studies have shown that monocyte activation and release of O2 are required for monocyte-mediated low density lipoprotein (LDL) lipid oxidation. We have also found that intracellular Ca2+ levels and protein kinase C activity are requisite participants in this potentially pathogenic process. In these studies, we further investigated the mechanisms involved in the oxidation of LDL lipids by activated human monocytes, particularly the potential contributions of the cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) signaling pathway. The most well-studied cPLA2, has a molecular mass of 85 kDa and has been reported to be regulated by both Ca2+ and phosphorylation. We found that cPLA2 protein levels and cPLA2 enzymatic activity were induced upon activation of human monocytes by opsonized zymosan. Pharmacologic inhibition of cPLA2 activity by AACOCF3, which has been reported to be a specific inhibitor of cPLA2 as compared with sPLA2, caused a dose-dependent inhibition of cPLA2 enzymatic activity and LDL lipid oxidation by activated human monocytes, whereas sPLA2 activity was not affected. To corroborate these findings, we used specific antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit cPLA2. We observed that treatment with antisense oligonucleotides caused suppression of both cPLA2 protein expression and enzymatic activity as well as monocyte-mediated LDL lipid oxidation. Furthermore, antisense oligonucleotide treatment caused a substantial inhibition of O2 production by activated human monocytes. In parallel experimental groups, cPLA2 sense oligonucleotides did not affect cPLA2 protein expression, cPLA2 enzymatic activity, O2 production, or monoctye-mediated LDL lipid oxidation. These studies support the proposal that cPLA2 activity is required for activated monocytes to oxidize LDL lipids.


Four children with early language delays (ELD) were compared to a control group of 12 children with respect to their preschool language abilities from age 2 1/2 to 5 years and their verbal skills at the end of Grade 2. The language-delayed children each initially showed severe and broad impairments in syntactic, phonological, and lexical production. Over time, their deficits became milder and more selective, such that normal or nearly normal speech and language proficiency was exhibited by age 60 months. Nevertheless, when followed up 3 years later, three of the four cases were severely reading disabled. These findings are discussed with respect to prior findings and hypotheses about the sequelae of early language delay and the relationship of language development to reading achievement.


Systems dynamics and agent-based models are used here to examine the spread of fixed line phones in Britain over 120 years. Both models approximately fit the data and it is shown that in this case the two approaches can be used to complement each other. The SD model is simpler and produces a better fit while its deterministic nature facilitates sensitivity analysis. The agent-based model provides greater explanatory power, which can in turn be used to fine tune the systems dynamics model. Together, they can be combined to tell a plausible story about the adoption of telephones.


This study created hamburger patties by substituting a portion of the meat with sea tangle (Laminaria japonica) powder and/or cooked rice to reduce fat and calories and to add the functional components of the sea tangle. Four types of experimental patties were prepared: Control, L, LI, and LII. L was the patty with sea tangle powder substituted for 2.5% of the meat and LI and LII were patties with cooked rice containing sea tangle powder substituted for 25 or 50% of the meat. In all experimental patties, moisture content increased and crude fat and cholesterol content decreased, pH increased, and malondialdehyde concentration decreased compared to those in the control. The substitutions made the color of the patties darker with dimmed redness and amplified yellowness. The substitutions also made the cooking loss weight and diameter of the patties lessen but that of thickness increased. In the sensory evaluation, symmetry and color of the patties improved significantly by substituting sea tangle powder and/or cooked rice for meat, and no adverse effect on preference for the experimental patties and hamburgers was observed. Therefore, substituting sea tangle and/or cooked rice for a portion of the meat could be used to develop healthier patties without any adverse influence on preference or sensory evaluation.


Background Sarcopenia refers to age-related loss of muscle mass and function. However, autoimmune sarcopenia refers to excessive weight loss usually with disproportionate muscle wasting due to cytokine excess. Previous studies have found a frequency of autoimmune sarcopenia of about 15 to 20%. The progressive loss of muscle mass lead to decrease in physical activity and a rise in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. There is currently no widely accepted definition of sarcopenia in autoimmune diseases. Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of muscle wasting in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods In a cross-sectional study, we screened the patients from outpatient clinic in the rheumatology service and were excluded patients with chronic disorders of heart, kidney and liver, also the patients that were on HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors treatment; we performed medical history and physical examination, specialist in clinical nutrition made the anthropometric measures, blood samples were taken for clinical laboratory analysis. Activity scales for each disease were made, DAS-28 in RA and MEX-SLEDAI in SLE patients. We determined the whole body lean mass using Dual-emission X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Statistical analysis was performed using arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Student T test; chi-square and Fisher exact test when appropriate and Spearman rank correlation test all using SPSS program (v 12.0). Results Forty-six patients with autoimmune disease (AID), twenty six patients with RA and 20 with SLE according to the 1987 ACR criteria and 25 healthy subjects were analyzed; mean age of AID was 40±13.4 vs. 39±18 years in control group. Ninety-four percent were women. 90% of the AID group was taking hydroxychloroquine and 80% was on mild doses of corticosteroids. The anthropometric measures revealed obesity in 28% of the patients vs 16% in control group. The frequency of sarcopenia in AID group was 26% (12 pts) vs 20% (5 pts) in control group, p=0.000; There was no difference in the cases of sarcopenic-obesity. The risk of sarcopenia in sedentary patients was OR 1.93 (IC 95% 0.385 to 9.7). There was no correlation between activity scales of AID and sarcopenia rho =0.121 for SLE and rho=0.170 in RA patients. The use of hydroxychloroquine is not protection for muscle wasting OR 1.4 (IC 95% 0.147 to 14.59). Finally the risk of sarcopenia in patients with AID was OR 1.4 (IC 95% 0.434 to 4.596). Conclusions Our work demonstrated that patients with AID have a slightly risk of sarcopenia when are compared to control group. This finding may affect the quality of life and promote the increasing of morbidity in such patients. References Santos MJ, Vinagre F, Canas Da silva J, Gil V, Fonseca JE. Body composition phenotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis: a comparative of caucasian female patients. Clin Exp Rheum; 2011 29: 470-476 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing technology in all fields of science and engineering. The amount of data emitted by the sensors used in the various fields is high. Therefore, efficient knowledge from such large datasets is a clear requirement of many users. This large data is far from perfect; it has many defects (such as noise, missing values, outliers etc.) and is not suitable for analysis because it can lead to incorrect conclusions. So, data preprocessing is a required technique for such data. Data preprocessing is an important and essential step, the main goal of which is to dedicate techniques to clean, refine, repair and improve that raw data. This paper proposes a survey on IoT data preprocessing and its techniques. This paper discusses exiting research on data preprocessing in the IoT context and, introduces the background of IoT data preprocessing and present literature reviews of the advanced research on data preprocessing techniques. The classification of various preprocessing approaches with techniques is clearly depicted in the figure. Various approaches of preprocessing cleaning, transformation, reduction and integration are described. In addition, methods for such approaches in IoT data preprocessing are also discussed. IoT Data preprocessing techniques on various applications are tabulated. Finally, issues and challenges, most useful in future work, are discussed.


Objectives To safely expand and adapt the normal workings of a large critical care unit in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods In April 2020, UK health systems were challenged to expand critical care capacity rapidly during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic so that they could accommodate patients with respiratory and multiple organ failure. Here, we describe the preparation and adaptive responses of a large critical care unit to the oncoming burden of disease. Our changes were similar to the revolution in manufacturing brought about by 'Long Shops' of 1853 when Richard Garrett and Sons of Leiston started mass manufacture of traction engines. This innovation broke the whole process into smaller parts and increased productivity. When applied to COVID-19 preparations, an assembly line approach had the advantage that our ICU became easily scalable to manage an influx of additional staff as well as the increase in admissions. Healthcare professionals could be replaced in case of absence and training focused on a smaller number of tasks. Results Compared with the equivalent period in 2019, the ICU provided 30.9% more patient days (2599 to 3402), 1845 of which were ventilated days (compared with 694 in 2019, 165.8% increase) while time from first referral to ICU admission reduced from 193.8±123.8 min (±SD) to 110.7±76.75 min (±SD). Throughout, ICU maintained adequate capacity and also accepted patients from neighbouring hospitals. This was done by managing an additional 205 doctors (70% increase), 168 nurses who had previously worked in ICU and another 261 nurses deployed from other parts of the hospital (82% increase). Our large tertiary hospital ensured a dedicated non-COVID ICU was staffed and equipped to take regional emergency referrals so that those patients requiring specialist surgery and treatment were treated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions We report how the challenge of managing a huge influx of patients and redeployed staff was met by deconstructing ICU care into its constituent parts. Although reported from the largest colocated ICU in the UK, we believe that this offers solutions to ICUs of all sizes and may provide a generalisable model for critical care pandemic surge planning.


Introduction. Given its very strong antioxidant properties, Moringa oleifera is particularly noteworthy among medicinal plants. The high contents antioxidants in the M. oleifera determining her antioxidant activities deciding for very important anticancer properties. Aim. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the cytotoxic and anticancer activity of Moringa oleifera. Material and methods. This review was performed based systematic analysis of literature. Analysis of the literature. The results of scientific research conducted in vitro indicate that extracts from Moringa oleifera significantly affect the development of human cancer cells such as myeloma, leukemia, cervix, breast, colon, lung, liver, neuroblastoma, pancreas, colorectal, epidermoid, oral, ovarian, muscular, prostate, skin. Conclusion. This indicates Moringa oleifera as that they may be used as a therapeutic agent to support oncological therapies.