Main catalytic properties of commercially available neuraminidase preparations from noncholeric vibrios were studied. The enzymatic activity was measured using a simple resorcinol procedure. Optimal conditions for neuraminidase effect: pH 5.5-6.0 and buffer composition, were characterized. Affinity of the enzyme to various substrates was studied using 10 natural and synthetic sialoconjugates. Km values were studied for fetuin, ovomucin and transferrin used as optimal substrates. When influence of meta ions, detergents, complexes and other compounds was studied, activation of neuraminidase was found in presence of bivalent metal ions, especially of Ca2+, while chelate-forming complexes and heavy metal salts inhibited the enzyme. These results may be used in studies of the neuraminidase action mechanism and regulation of its activity.


Introduction. Spruce (Picea abies L.) is a tree belonging to Pinaceae family (Pinaceous). It is large tree (to 50 m heigh), which produce neesdes and cones. Spruce essential oil, is used in medicine. Its components are following: borneol, limonene, camphora, bornyl acetate, α- and β-pinene, 3-carene, β-phellandrene, camphene and cadinene. The oil exhibited antimicrobial activity towards bacterial, viruses, yeastlike fungi and mycoses. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of spruce oil on yeastlike fungi. Material and methods. The data included 31 yeastlike fungi isolated from patients from oral cavity. The strains belonging to the genus: Candida albicans (15 strains), C. glabrata (2), C. guilliermondii (2), C. humicola (1), C. kefyr (2), C. krusei (2), C. lusitaniae (1), C. parapsilosis (3), C. tropicalis (2) and C. utilis (1). Moreover investigated 9 reference strains. The susceptibility (MIC) yeastlike fungi to spruce oil (Semifarm) was determined by plate dilutions technique in Sabouraud agar. The inoculums contained 105 CFU per spot. The agar plate were inoculated using the Steers replicator. Incubation of agar plates was performed in aerobic conditions, at temp. 37°C for 24-48 hours. The MIC was defined as the lowest concentrations of spruce oil completely inhibited growth of tested strains of yeastlike fungi. Results. The results indicated, that tested strains of yeastlike fungi were susceptible to oil in concentrations 7.5-≥ 20.0 mg/ml. The growth of the strains from genus Candida albicans was inhibited by concentrations 7.5-≥ 20.0 mg/ml. The spruce oil was active on Candida glabrata strains in concentrations 10.0-20.0 mg/ml. The less sensitivity characterized the genus of Candida lusitaniae, Candida utilis (MIC = 15.0 mg/ml), Candida krusei and Candida parapsilosis (MIC 15.0-≥ 20.0 mg/ml). The oil was the lowest active towards strains of Candida guilliermondii, Candida humicola, Candida kefyr and Candida tropicalis. The growth of these strains was inhibited by concentrations 20.0 mg/ml and high. Conclusions. The strains from genus of Candida were the moderate susceptible to spruce oil. The oil was the lowest active towards strains from genus Candida guilliermondii, Candida humicola, Candida kefyr i Candida tropicalis.


We consider inference on the first principal direction of a p -variate elliptical distribution. We do so in challenging double asymptotic scenarios for which this direction eventually fails to be identifiable. In order to achieve robustness not only with respect to such weak identifiability but also with respect to heavy tails, we focus on sign-based statistical procedures, that is, on procedures that involve the observations only through their direction from the center of the distribution. We actually consider the generic problem of testing the null hypothesis that the first principal direction coincides with a given direction of R p. We first focus on weak identifiability setups involving single spikes (that is, involving spectra for which the smallest eigenvalue has multiplicity p-1). We show that, irrespective of the degree of weak identifiability, such setups offer local alternatives for which the corresponding sequence of statistical experiments converges in the Le Cam sense. Interestingly, the limiting experiments depend on the degree of weak identifiability. We exploit this convergence result to build optimal sign tests for the problem considered. In classical asymptotic scenarios where the spectrum is fixed, these tests are shown to be asymptotically equivalent to the sign-based likelihood ratio tests available in the literature. Unlike the latter, however, the proposed sign tests are robust to arbitrarily weak identifiability. We show that our tests meet the asymptotic level constraint irrespective of the structure of the spectrum, hence also in possibly multi-spike setups. Finally, we fully characterize the non-nullasymptotic distributions of the corresponding test statistics under weak identifiability, which allows us to quantify the corresponding local asymptotic powers. Monte Carlo exercises confirm our asymptotic results.


Hui Chen, Chia-Hao Chang, Chi-Lu Sun, Kwang-Tsao Shao, Su-Zan Yeh, and Gerard DiNardo (2016) Blue marlin Makaira nigricans is economically important for fisheries worldwide. However, overfishing has substantially reduced the stock size. Better knowledge of blue marlin population genetics will help improve management and conservation. Previous genetic studies concluded that the Pacific blue marlin should be considered a single stock. This study investigated the population genetic structure of blue marlin inhabiting the Pacific and eastern Indian oceans based on mtDNA cytochrome b (cyt b) and control region (CR) sequence variation. We collected tissue samples (n = 183) from three Pacific and one Indian Ocean, and determined the sequences of 1140 bp of cyt b and 905 bp of CR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that blue marlin contain two clades, the Atlantic clade and the ubiquitous clade, and that all the eastern Indian and Pacific individuals collected for this study belonged to the ubiquitous clade. All eastern Indian and Pacific blue marlin possess extremely high haplotype diversity (h) and low nucleotide diversity (π). The results of pairwise ΦST, hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA) all support that there is no population differentiation among eastern Indian and Pacific blue marlin. Neutrality tests and pairwise mismatch distribution analysis both indicated that eastern Indian and Pacific blue marlin have undergone a rapid population expansion on the order of 0.30 to 0.65 million years ago (mya). This study demonstrates that blue marlin in the Pacific and eastern Indian oceans constitute a single stock. International cooperation will be required to preserve blue marlin as a resource; moreover, the high genetic variation of blue marlin in this region suggests that unique haplotypes in the population are sensitive to high harvesting levels and could disappear.


This volume contains the papers selected for presentation at the 2014 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence (WI'14), held as part of the 2014 Web Intelligence Congress (WIC'14) at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, from 11 to 14 in August, 2014. The conference was sponsored and co-organized by the IEEE Computer Society, the Web Intelligence Consortium (WIC), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the University of Warsaw, Polish Mathematical Society and Warsaw University of Technology.


This study designs a process for identifying trips and activities based on global positioning system (GPS) survey data. The proposed identification process is composed of four steps, namely determining status segments, detecting activities, identifying trips, and recognising short-time activities. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm shows a high level of identification accuracy compared with the travel diaries reported in the paper-form travel survey. By providing the identification method of the short-time activities, this study resolves the problem of overlooking short-time activities in conventional travel surveys and increases the accuracy of trip detection. This work also facilitates the study of the spatial and temporal distributions of short-time activities related to travel behaviours such as temporary parking. By proposing a method for identifying trips and activities from GPS data, the findings provide a research scheme for detecting other travel information based on GPS data such as travel mode and trip purpose, reasonable decisions for urban transportation planning and management.


We present the boomerang technique, which makes it possible to suspend and resume drag-and-drop operations. A throwing gesture while dragging an object suspends the operation, anytime and anywhere. A drag-and-drop interaction, enhanced with our technique, allows users to switch windows, invoke commands, and even drag other objects during a drag-and-drop operation without using the keyboard or menus. We explain how a throwing gesture can suspend drag-and-drop operations, and describe other features of our technique, including grouping, copying, and deleting dragged objects. We conclude by presenting prototype implementations and initial feedback on the proposed technique.


Filing is a form of dental mutilation which is often practiced as an initiation rite function, that is symbolization that one has already entered and adult culturally; and symbolyzation to remind and to commemorate the family members which have already passed away. Filing was found in almost all ethnic population in Indonesia in the past time; however, nowadays, it is not much done anymore because of several factors. Nevertheless, some ethnic populations still continue this tradition. The patterns of dental filing on those populations relate to the peopling history in the region. The research materials include dentitions of the adult human skulls of Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara Timur from some paleoanthropological-archaeological sites, as well as isolated permanent dental sample from modern Bali population. The methods used is visual comparative descriptive method. The variation of dental filing patterns include oclusal, labial and lingual grinding, extraction and the sharpening. This patterns relate to the cultural chronology continuity and the peopling of Australomelanesid and Mongolid populations in Indonesia region. This filing patterns may indicate the biological affinity.


. We define the q-deformed Gelfand-Dickey bracket on the space of q-pseudodifference symbols which agrees with the Poisson Virasoro algebra of E.Frenkel and N.Reshetikhin and its generalizations and prove its uniqueness (in a natural class of quadratic Poisson structures). The associated hierarchies of nonlinear q-difference equations are also constructed.


Abstract :Following the lead of historians Vincent Scully and Kenneth Frampton, scholars have tended to interpret the architecture of Louis I. Kahn (1901–74) as primarily influenced by the Beaux-Arts system of design, as well as the ancient ruins that Kahn saw during his brief travels around the Mediterranean. As a result, little attention has been paid to the links between Kahn and Frank Furness (1839–1912), the two leading Philadelphia architects of their respective eras. But new research presented here demonstrates that Kahn in fact engaged deeply with Furness's work: he opposed the demolition of Furness-designed banks, proposed the preservation and renovation of Furness's buildings at the Philadelphia College of Art, and even joined the board of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to spearhead the restoration of its Furness-designed building. Careful examination of Kahn's engagement with Furness demonstrates how Kahn's philosophy of design was rooted in an American way of making buildings, and it places Kahn—at last—squarely within a Philadelphia architectural tradition spanning from Furness through the twentieth century.


Purpose To compare the outcomes of primary uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair using pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), scleral buckling (SB), or combined scleral buckling with vitrectomy (SB/PPV). Patients and Methods Single-institution, retrospective, observational study of 179 patients with primary RRD managed at a large academic hospital system. We excluded patients with less than 6 months of follow-up, previous vitrectomy or buckle, giant retinal tears, aphakia, recurrent forms of RRD, or extensive proliferative vitreoretinopathy (Grade C or worse) documented on exam or requiring membrane peel. Outcome measures included primary anatomical success at 6 months, functional success defined as BCVA ≥ 20/200, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using logMAR scoring. Subgroup analysis was performed in the following patient groups: phakic, pseudophakic, inferior detachments, and prior pneumatic retinopexy. Results Primary anatomical success was achieved in 145 of 179 eyes (81.0%), with SB/PPV showing a significantly greater success rate (p = 0.046) when compared to SB and PPV. Functional success was achieved in 137 of the 145 anatomically successful eyes (94.5%), with values ranging between 92% and 97% amongst the interventions (p = 0.552). No difference was found in final BCVA (p = 0.367). Patients with inferior detachment had an odds ratio of 2.15 for primary anatomic failure. Prior pneumatic retinopexy did not significantly affect any of the primary outcomes. Conclusion SB/PPV yielded a significantly better primary anatomical success rate when compared to SB and PPV. Functional success and final BCVA was similar amongst the interventions. Inferior detachments were associated with worse primary anatomic outcomes. Prior pneumatic retinopexy did not significantly affect surgical outcomes.


UCH-L1 (ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1) is a protein, which plays an important role in ubiquitin-proteasome system. Many previous reports showed the relation between UCH-L1 and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, as well as can- cer. However, the mechanism still remains unclear. In the aim to investigate the functions and regulatory mechanism of UCH-L1 in living organism, Drosophila melanogaster model was utilized to examine the role of UCH-L1. This chapter provides a summary on recent findings related to the roles of UCH-L1 based on the model. First, abnormal expression of Drosophila ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (dUCH) leads to the defects on fly tissue development and function. Gain function of dUCH in the eye ima - ginal discs induced a rough eye phenotype in the adult, partly resulting from induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis, upset of photoreceptor cell distribution and omma- tidium apical mispatterning. Interestingly, the dUCH overexpression of induced rough eye phenotype was completely recused by co-expression either Sevenless or Draf of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Besides, knockdown dUCH in dopaminergic neurons resulted in some Parkinson's disease—like phenotypes in fly. Taken together, those findings in Drosophila model contributed a significant dUCH in tissue development and function.


Abstract The microstructure sensitive multistage fatigue model captured the fatigue life of a powder metal FC-0205 steel alloy. Uniaxial strain controlled fatigue data and microstructure information from sets of high and low porosity specimens calibrated the model. Strain–life behaviour depicted that above the plastic strain limit of 0·002 mm mm−1 in the low cycle fatigue regime, where ubiquitous plasticity occurred, the different porosity levels gave distinct, visibly different results. However, specimens tested below the plastic limit in the high cycle fatigue regime, where failure was dominated by local cyclic microplasticity, showed unclear fatigue lives at different porosity levels. Fractography using scanning electron microscopy showed no clear presence of striations; however, asserted striations in powder metal specimens were similar to geometrical features observed on fracture surfaces of monotonically loaded specimens. The experimental and microstructure data calibrated a fatigue model that allowed for satisfactory prediction of the varying porosity specimen strain–life curves.


The title of this research is "Perbedaan Hasil Belajar Siswa Menggunakan Media Pembelajaran Visual dan Audiovisual Kelas X SMA PGRI 2 Banjarmasin Tahun Ajaran 2014/2015". The objective of this research is for examining the differences of students' learning result between visual learning media with audiovisual learning media. The population in this research is an class X of SMA PGRI 2 Banjarmasin total students 164 people, the samples of this research are students of  X 1 as experimental class of visual learning media and students of X 2 as experimental class of audiovisual learning media, so there are 42 students as samples for this research. The method used in experiment with quantitative approach. Kind of data that used are primer data that found from the test of learning result and secunder data that found from observation and document study. This research is analysed by using Uji T technique, which is by using T test formula. The result of counting that can be found from the students taught by using visual learning media is > or 9,54 > 2,02 and from the students taught by using audiovisual learning media is > or 6,78 > 2,04. It means , there is a significance difference between pre-test result and post-test result. Because there is an increasing number from the mean of learning result , about 9,54 from visual learning media and 6,78 from audiovisual learning media. Because it bigger than, it means the differences of students' learning result between visual learning media with audiovisual learning media is significance in table 0,05 and 0,01 so the hypothesis is can be accepted. Furthermore, geographic teachers can use visual learning median and audiovisual learning media in teaching and learning process as an effort for improving students' learning result . Keywords: Differences Learning Result, Visual Learning Media, Audiovisual Learning Media.


Future space-based optical interferometers, such as the Space Interferometer Mission Planet Quest (SIM), require thermal stability of the optical wavefront to the level of picometers in order to produce astrometric data at the micro-arc-second level. In SIM, the internal path of the interferometer will be measured with a small metrology beam whereas the starlight fringe position is estimated from a large concentric annular beam. To achieve the micro-arc-second observation goal for SIM, it is necessary to maintain the optical path difference between the central and the outer annulus portions of the wavefront of the front-end telescope optics to a few tens of picometers. The Thermo-Opto-Mechanical testbed (TOM3) was developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to measure thermally induced optical deformations of a full-size flight-like beam compressor and siderostat, the two largest optics on SIM, in flight-like thermal environments. A Common Path Heterodyne Interferometer (COPHI) developed at JPL was used for the fine optical path difference measurement as the metrology sensor. The system was integrated inside a large vacuum chamber in order to mitigate the atmospheric and thermal disturbances. The siderostat was installed in a temperature-controlled thermal shroud inside the vacuum chamber, creating a flight-like thermal environment. Detailed thermal and structural models of the test articles (siderostat and compressor) were also developed for model prediction and correlation of the thermal deformations. Experimental data shows SIM required thermal stability of the test articles and good agreement with the model predictions.


Here, we present results from the most comprehensive compilation of Holocene peat soil properties with associated carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates for northern peatlands. Our database consists of 268 peat cores from 215 sites located north of 45°N. It encompasses regions within which peat carbon data have only recently become available, such as the West Siberia Lowlands, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Kamchatka in Far East Russia, and the Tibetan Plateau. For all northern peatlands, carbon content in organic matter was estimated at 42 ± 3% (standard deviation) for Sphagnum peat, 51 ± 2% for non-Sphagnum peat, and at 49 ± 2% overall. Dry bulk density averaged 0.12 ± 0.07 g/cm3, organic matter bulk density averaged 0.11 ± 0.05 g/cm3, and total carbon content in peat averaged 47 ± 6%. In general, large differences were found between Sphagnum and non-Sphagnum peat types in terms of peat properties. Time-weighted peat carbon accumulation rates averaged 23 ± 2 (standard error of mean) g C/m2/yr during the Holocene on the basis of 151 peat cores from 127 sites, with the highest rates of carbon accumulation (25–28 g C/m2/yr) recorded during the early Holocene when the climate was warmer than the present. Furthermore, we estimate the northern peatland carbon and nitrogen pools at 436 and 10 gigatons, respectively. The database is publicly available at https://peatlands.lehigh.edu.


The phenotypes related to tea gray blight resistance were evaluated by the artificial inoculation method in the accessions of tea germplasm preserved at the National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science in Makurazaki, Kagoshima Prefecture. The genotypes of 453 plants including 89 main tea cultivars in Japan were also determined by using the parent-offspring genetic analysis of many cross combinations. A wide variation in the resistance of tea plants to tea gray blight was observed both in terms of phenotypes and genotypes. The majority of the Assam plants (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) showed a high level of resistance and very few variations, both in genotypes and phenotypes. The Japanese native plants (C. sinensis var. sinensis) showed a wider genetic diversity than any other groups of plants in the resistance to tea gray blight. Since many of the tea plants derived from other countries were highly resistant to the disease and harbored 2 Pli genes which confer a high level of resistance, they are very important materials for the breeding of cultivars that are resistant to the disease. The phenotype and genotype analysis was found to be very useful to identify doubtful cultivars.


A method for generating tests for gate-level stuck-at faults in sequential machines is given, which is applicable when a state-table description of the machine under test is either given or extractable from the given description. A test generation procedure for faults in the state table is first described. The test generation procedure is polynomial in the size of the state table, and is complete and accurate in the following sense. For every given state-table fault, the procedure provides either a minimum-length test, or a proof that the fault is undetectable. This test generation procedure is used for generating complete test sets for stuck-at faults in a gate level implementation of the machine, by translating stuck-at faults in the gate-level implementation into faults in the state table. The translation includes modeling and extraction. Modeling consists of a simple method to select a small subset of state-table faults such that a test set for these faults yields very high coverage of stuck-at faults in the actual implementation. Extraction consists of accurate translation of stuck-at faults in the implementation into equivalent state-table faults, and can be used to derive tests for stuck-at faults which are not detected by the test set for the modeled faults. Based on the test generation algorithm developed and the modeling and extraction of stuck-at faults to translate them into state-table faults, a method to achieve 100% fault-efficiency for stuck-at faults is proposed, and experimental results for stuck-at faults are presented. Short test sequences are shown to be obtained. >


Crystalline precipitates from molybdenum-containing nuclear waste glasses are complex, often containing multiple cations which confound routine structural techniques. A simplified mixed-alkali borosilicate model glass was found to have minor crystalline phases which could not be identified by x-ray diffraction. Multinuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed sharp peaks characteristic of crystallinity superimposed on the broader glass signals, but were unattributable to any known molybdate phases. When a comprehensive range of cesium molybdates failed to reveal any matches with the observed 133Cs magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR peaks in the composite glass/crystalline material, a series of mixed-alkali sodium-cesium molybdate phases was synthesized. 23Na, 133Cs and 95Mo MAS NMR revealed the formation of two mixed-cation molybdates which correlate with the observed NMR peaks for the phase-separated model glass. This work highlights the prominence of multiple crystalline phases in Mo-bearing nuclear waste glasses, and demonstrates the unique utility of solid-state NMR as a fingerprinting approach to identifying complex phases, especially where x-ray diffraction is limited by multiple phases, low concentrations or substitutionally disordered precipitates.


In some situations, economic theory provides directions for constructing an econometric model, while in others (generalized) linear modeling is used only for convenience. The latter is especially true for modeling transport demand functions as economic theory is often limited to predicting whether a covariate is expected to have a positive or a negative impact. However, functional misspecification can have serious consequences for estimation, prediction, and further inferences. The authors introduce a semiparametric model and a corresponding estimation procedure that is easy to interpret and implement. Using an empirical study of university students' transport choices in the Bilbao area, we illustrate how this procedure can help to significantly improve statistical analysis. More specifically, our procedure allows the utility that individuals get from the mode of transport to be modeled and estimated in a flexible way, thus essentially mitigating the danger of misspecification errors.


This paper provides an overview of the analysis of the indirect effects of active labour market policies. Indirect effects arise where some of the improved labour market outcomes for programme participants come at the expense of other workers or jobseekers. The paper outlines some common theories about how indirect effects operate, and discusses approaches to estimating the strength of indirect effects. It also presents a brief summary of relevant empirical findings. The paper is intended as a relatively non-technical guide for policy analysts working on the design, costing, and evaluation of active labour market policies.


Morphogenesis in Caulobacter appears to be driven by internal cues, with stages of the cell division cycle acting as checkpoints for specific developmental events. Genetic studies have identified signal transduction pathways mediated by members of the His-Asp phosphorelay proteins that are essential both for cell cycle control and developmental regulation. These pathways provide a molecular mechanism for the coordination of developmental events with cell cycle progression. The strains were classified as either dna or div mutants, depending on whether DNA replication is blocked at the nonpermissive temperature. dna mutants blocked in either DNA chain initiation (DNAi) or DNA chain elongation (DNAe) fail to complete DNA synthesis (DNAc). In addition to their functions in adaptation to environmental changes, some of these signal transduction proteins also play essential roles in developmental and cell cycle regulation. In one model, activation of the signal transduction pathway controlling PleD during the swarmer-to-stalked-cell transition leads to flagellum ejection and loss of motility, and the PleC-DivK signal transduction pathway functions in late predivisional cells to initiate motility. Other signal transduction proteins that remain to be identified are those regulating activation of flagellar rotation in response to the PleC kinase and the protein kinase or kinases that presumably regulate the PleD-mediated loss of motility and stalk formation. A major goal of future research will be to identify the cell cycle, and possibly environmental, cues to which these and other signal transduction pathways respond.


Oscillatory behavior of the transverse magnetoresistance has been used to investigate the conduction band structure of PbTe. From the oscillatory periods, it is established that the minima in the conduction band consist of four equivalent 〈111〉 prolate ellipsoids with a mass anisotropy of approximately 5.5 and located at the Brillouin zone edge. The decay of the oscillation amplitudes with temperature yields a transverse ellipsoid mass of mT*=(0.030±0.005)m0. High field oscillations have been detected that point to the existence of a second band located at the center of the zone, having a mass of about 0.08 m0, and lying within ±0.002 ev of the ellipsoid minima. The phase of the oscillations suggests that spin splitting of the Landau levels may be quite large in PbTe.


A number of states have passed caps on non-economic and punitive damage awards in civil cases. The conventional wisdom is that the passage of these caps is driven by "out-of-control" jury awards that need to be reigned in. However, it could be the case that voters harboring anti-litigation, pro-tort reform sentiments are more likely to support the passage of caps even in the absence of an upsurge in awards. To examine the effect of jury awards on the passage of caps, we estimate semi-parametric hazard models of cap passage using data from the Jury Verdict Research Reporter.


Although point clouds are characterized as a type of unstructured data, timestamp attribute can structure point clouds into scanlines and shape them into a time signal. The present work studies the transformation of the street point cloud into a time signal based on the Z component for the semantic segmentation using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks. The experiment was conducted on the point cloud of a real case study. Several training sessions were performed changing the Level of Detail of the classification (coarse level with 3 classes and fine level with 11 classes), two levels of network depth and the use of weighting for the improvement of classes with low number of points. The results showed high accuracy, reaching at best 97.3% in the classification with 3 classes (ground, buildings, and objects) and 95.7% with 11 classes. The distribution of the success rates was not the same for all classes. The classes with the highest number of points obtained better results than the others. The application of weighting improved the classes with few points at the expense of the classes with more points. Increasing the number of hidden layers was shown as a preferable alternative to weighting. Given the high success rates and a behaviour of the LSTM consistent with other Neural Networks in point cloud processing, it is concluded that the LSTM is a feasible alternative for the semantic segmentation of point clouds transformed into time signals.


On June 4th, 2009, the third Dutch Process Control Security Event took place in Amsterdam. The event, organised by the Dutch National Infrastructure against Cybercrime (NICC), attracted both Dutch process control experts and members of the European SCADA and Control Systems Information Exchange (EuroSCSIE). A set of plenary sessions and parallel workshops addressed a wide range of topics. Sean McGurk, the Director of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) discussed in his keynote speech the US Control Systems Security Programme (CSSP). Later, in a subsequent workshop, he answered a set of questions by the audience about cyber security and the benefits of international cooperation. Nate Cube, CTO and Co-founder of Wurldtech Security Technologies, discussed the cyber vulnerabilities of process control systems based upon the Industrial Cyber Security Vulnerability Database. A set of parallel workshops followed. We will highlight some of them.


The algorithm presented simplifies polyhedral meshes within prespecified tolerances based on a bounded approximation criterion. The vertices in the simplified mesh are a proper subset of the original vertices. The algorithm, called Superfaces, makes two major contributions to the research in this area: it uses a bounded approximation approach, which guarantees that a simplified mesh approximates the original mesh to within a prespecified tolerance (that is, every vertex v in the original mesh will lie within a user specified distance /spl epsiv/ of the simplified mesh); its face merging procedure is efficient and greedy-that is, it does not backtrack or undo any merging once completed and thus, the algorithm is practical for simplifying very large meshes.


TTP is a new immunomodulating drug of natural origin, registered in Poland for human use. In the randomised, double blind study to assess the therapeutic efficacy of the Tołpa Torf Preparation (TTP) in the recurrent respiratory tract infectious participated 39 young patients (age 16-22). TTP was administered orally, 5 mg daily for three weeks. During 3 months follow-up period favourable results of treatment were obtained in 14 of 20 TTP treated patients and in 8 of 19 of the placebo patients. The therapeutic effects were seen even after the 6 months follow-up period. The phagocytic activity of granulocytes was significantly stimulated in the TTP--treated patients but not in the placebo-treated patients. The results suggest that TTP is effective drug in the treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections with undefined infectious etiology. In the period of the treatment as well as during 6 months observation no side effects were noticed.


We propose a new method with a software tool for parametric robust control synthesis by symbolic-numeric computation. The method is a parameter space approach and it is especially effective for analysis and design of fixed structure controllers of rational type. The real quantifier elimination (QE), which is one of the recent progresses in the symbolic computation, plays a key role in our development The QE-based approach can uniformly deal with a lot of important design specifications for robust control such as frequency restricted H/sub /spl infin// norm constraints, stability (gain/phase) margin and stability radius specifications, and pole location requirement by reducing such specifications to a particular type of formulas called a "sign definite condition (SDC)". This is also useful for improving the efficiency of QE computations since we can utilize an efficient QE algorithm specialized to the SDC. We have developed a MATLAB toolbox for robust parametric control based on a parameter space approach accomplished by QE. The QE-based parameter space approach and numerical simulation of specifications for specific controller parameter values taken from a controller parameter space are integrated conveniently in our toolbox with the assistance of a graphical user interface. This enables control engineers to achieve multi-objective robust controller synthesis smoothly. We also discuss how to merge the numerical computation and the symbolic operation to make our new design methods more efficient in practical control design.


The article presents the results of the development of an information-measuring system for monitoring the sanitary status of tree stands. The main purpose of such a system is to minimize the impact of the operator on the results of monitoring the sanitary status of tree stands by indirectly controlling the quality characteristics of the tree sap (by establishing the dependence of these characteristics on climatic factors) with the possibility of remote monitoring and control of the process of express control. The developed monitoring system allows to conduct a contactless (remote) survey of sensors, which are recorded in close proximity to the root system of selective trees from an array of tree plantations, and further, by mathematical treatment of climatic characteristics (acidity and salinity index, air temperature) zoning temperature health status. The system also allows you to predict the dynamics of extending the areas of tree planting. This enables those responsible for tree planting to take preventative measures to prevent such droughts. The main advantage of the developed information measurement system is its complete computerization, which eliminates a number of external subjective influences by the operator or the responsible person (necessity of visual inspection of the maximum number of trees in the array, erroneous perception of visual information, etc.). This, in turn, avoids systematic methodological errors, thereby improving the accuracy, speed and reliability of the monitoring and control results of this system.


In order to move to a greener economy, Panel Industry needs to imply convention development and environmental sustainability. The three important measures to characterize environmentally friendly solutions would comprise of 1) the raw material from sustainable sources, 2) minimal waste generation and 3) process conformance with health and safety standards. In a bid to become more environmentally friendly sustainable, Indian plywood Industries Research and training Institute has carried out research on the suitability of fast growing plantations species for the manufacture of wood composites viz plywood, particle board, medium density fiber board, compregs, laminated veneer lumber. These panel products conform to the requirements of Indian standards. Adhesives from renewable sources such as lignin, tannin, soya, black liquor etc. by replacing phenol in Phenol formaldehyde adhesives. Technology for utilisation of various agro and forest residue such as rice straw, rice husk, wheat straw, casurina, chirpine needle, Coir as raw material to manufacture wood alternatives has been successfully developed by IPIRTI. Low formaldehyde or no formaldehyde emission adhesives for panel products that conform to International standards have led to the development of green technology by minimizing the greenhouse gas emissions. Utilising the industrial waste such as fly ash for the manufacture of wood geopolymer composite would be a new insight for the green construction industry. The Efforts made by IPIRTI in innovating green technology/process have stood the Indian wood based industry in good stead for the benefits of people of the country. Keywords: Green technology, Plantations species, Forest conservation, Environment


The semiconductor industry remains one of the most rapidly changing industries, and its fate of always being on technology's cutting edge has not always been enviable. In the 1970s, the industry was concentrated in municipalities using the Uniform Building Code (UBC) [1]. None of the code's occupancy classifications were really appropriate, so semiconductor fabrication facilities (FABs) were designated as an "H" or hazardous occupancy. This vagueness reflected uneducated, arbitrary, and inconsistent interpretations of the codes that made it difficult to construct and manage facilities. To address this, many of the leading‐edge semiconductor companies dedicated staff to work with code officials to assure that any codes governing the industry could be applied uniformly, and would contain reasonable protection requirements. Continuing that practice will ensure the industry's ability to operate safe facilities despite an atmosphere of constant change.


This article assumes the premise that there is no alternative other than sustainable development. The necessary escalation to sustainability will force organizations and public administration to adopt an adequate stand to the sustainable development, mainly when it comes to the promotion of policies that shall guarantee the fulfillment of the triple bottom line (sustainability tripod) for the next generations, also respecting cultural and political issues. This research has collected data from four cities all around the globe using forty-six 'ISO 37.120:2018' core indicators. We have compared, using an adapted fuzzy logic model, the general sustainability score of cities in developing and developed countries. The event of trying to determine a methodology that can be used by any city of any country requires a considerable amount of researching, especially when it comes to choosing which better indicators are fit to the challenge - at the end of the article, we offer a schematic of a smart sustainable city, which we have called "sustainability mandala". Using the same system (with different weighs for each variable,), those answers will help public managers to understand their indexes as a result of positive efforts over the indicators, always on the pursuit of a really sustainable society.


The Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), as a high-efficiency algorithm of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), is widely used in Digital Signal Processing (DSP), wireless communication systems, spectrum analysis, and image processing. Approximate computing has shown effectiveness and feasibility to enhance the hardware efficiency of these applications. However, most approximate units in previous works are designed case by case, which has low efficiency and is difficult to find the optimal design. In this paper, a top-down design strategy for approximate floating-point (FP) FFT is proposed, which includes a mantissa bit-width adjustment algorithm and a step-by-step multiplier approximation algorithm. With the mantissa bit-width adjustment algorithm, the approximate 64 FP FFT achieved 50% area reduction and 70% power-delay product (PDP) reduction compared to the exact design with a 60dB Signal Noise Ratio (SNR) requirement, which is also at least 52% and 33% better than the previous approximate FP FFT. After using the step-by-step multiplier approximation algorithm, the approximate mantissa multiplier with an 8-bit fractional part reduced the area and PDP by 81.15% and 93.70%, respectively. The feasibility of the proposed approximate FFT design is verified in the channel estimation module of a wireless communication system, spectrum analysis, and image processing system.


Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), pleiotropic cytokines with osteotropic activities, are produced by multiple cells in the skeletal tissue, including macrophages and osteoblasts. They are thought to be pivotally involved in pathological bone resorption, such as that seen with aseptic loosening. Thalidomide is reported to have antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory effects in a number of inflammatory diseases. We investigated the effect of thalidomide on titanium (Ti) particle-induced TNFalpha and IL-6 production by both human macrophage U937 and osteoblast MG-63 cell lines. They were stimulated with 1 x 10(7) Ti particles/ml and treated simultaneously with or without various concentrations of thalidomide (from 2.5 ng/ml to 25 microg/ml) for 24, 48, or 72 h. Cell viability and proliferation were measured. TNFalpha and IL-6 in the supernatant of the culture media were also analyzed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that with a concentration of thalidomide of less than 2.5 microg/ml the viability of the two cell lines did not differ significantly from that of controls treated simultaneously with 1 x 10(7) Ti particles/ml. Cell proliferation was inhibited to some extent when they were treated with thalidomide 2.5 microg/ml co-cultured with 1 x 10(7) Ti particles/ml. Thalidomide treatment was found to inhibit TNFalpha production in a dose-dependent manner in human macrophages exposed to Ti particles. At the clinically achievable drug dose of 2.5 microg/ml, 34.4% TNFalpha inhibition occurs. Thalidomide had no effect on IL-6 secretion in these cultures. These data support the idea that thalidomide may have potential for treating prosthetic loosening in humans.


We present a systematic study of dijet suppression at RHIC using the VNI/BMS parton cascade code. We examine the medium modification of the dijet asymmetry $A_j$ and the energy distribution within the dijets. Understanding the sensitivity of these observables to properties of the deconfined medium and to experimental factors is vital if dijets are to be useful for QCD tomography. VNI/BMS provides a controllable test-bed with sufficient complexity to model jet modification without confounding results with fluctuations from hydrodynamics and hadronization. Dijets are examined under the modification of: the jet transport coefficient $\hat{q}$; the path length of leading and sub-leading jets; jet cone angle and the jet-medium interaction mechanism. We find that $A_j$ is very sensitive to the distance traveled by the secondary jet, the jet shape is dominated by $\hat{q}$ and the nature of the interaction mechanism.


Abstract According to police records, many rape cases are closed because victims withdraw from the police investigation. However, little is known about the causes of victim withdrawal, and findings need to be replicated in other cultural contexts, as existing literature primarily stems from the US and UK. Based on a sample of rapes reported in a Danish police district, the present study was aimed at enhancing our understanding of the characteristics and causes of recorded victim withdrawal from the police investigation following rape using a mixed-methods approach. The objective of the study was twofold. The first objective was to investigate the impact of selected case characteristics on the likelihood of recorded victim withdrawal using a logistic regression analysis. Results showed that stranger assaults and cases with no verbal or physical victim resistance or no forensic examination were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of recorded victim withdrawal. The second objective was to qualitatively explore police documented reasons for victim withdrawal in files using content analysis. Results indicated that victims may withdraw from the investigation for several reasons, for instance due to psychological distress associated with participating in an investigation. The findings underline potential barriers for the cooperation between victims and police in the investigation of rapes and should be used for establishing initiatives toward reducing the risk of victim withdrawal in rape investigations.


In this work, several contributing factors to the observed mass bias in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) have been identified. Analyses of the isotopic compositions of B deposited on sampler and skimmer cones demonstrate enrichment of 10B on the former and 11B on the latter. Grounding the capacitive discharge system to enhance sensitivity also magnified the level of 11B enrichment on the skimmer cone more than four-fold. This supersonic expansion of the ion beam behind the sampler is confirmed to be an important source of mass bias. Isotopic analyses of the Fe, Zn and Tl leached from used extraction lenses yielded a linear relationship between the levels of lighter isotope depletion and mass ratio. Although consistent with the space-charge effect, the fact that isotopically-heavy deposits were found demonstrates that the ion beam diverges into a relatively wide solid angle in the field-free region behind the skimmer. This severely impairs transmission of, in particular, the lighter isotopes. For a wide range of elements (Li, B, Fe, Ni, Cu, Sb, Ce, Hf and Re), the magnitude of the mass bias was found to be affected by the sample gas flow rate, as well as the distance between the sampler and the end of the torch, i.e., the sampling depth, employed in the Neptune multi-collector ICP-MS instrument. Mathematical analysis of the profiles of intensity variations as a function of these instrumental parameters revealed that the response peaks closer to the torch for the heavier isotopes of all studied elements. Owing to this spatial non-coincidence, tuning for maximum intensity on either isotope will result in sampling from a region where even slight plasma instabilities will be translated into substantial variations in mass bias. Therefore, in-plasma processes also contribute to the degree and temporal stability of mass bias. In light of these findings, recommendations for optimizing multi-collector ICP-MS with respect to obtaining the highest possible precision are presented.


Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects an estimated 123 million persons worldwide and is the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in most countries. Approximately 75% of persons with chronic HCV were born between the years 1945–1965 and screening of patients in this birth cohort is now advocated. Unfortunately, these recommendations are not readily applied and a sizable population of infected persons who could benefit from treatment fall outside the birth cohort. Universal screening for HCV would be optimal. However, the primary limitation once patients are identified is accessing treatment which remains restricted in most countries.


Obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases, and is caused when the energy intake is greater than the energy expenditure. We aimed to determine the mechanism whereby acid-hydrolyzed silk peptide (SP) prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity, and whether it induces browning and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in white adipose tissue (WAT), using in vivo and ex vivo approaches. We determined the effects of dietary SP in high-fat diet-fed obese mice. The expression of adipose tissue-specific genes was quantified by western blotting, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence analysis. We also investigated whether SP directly induces browning in primarily subcutaneous WAT-derived adipocytes. Our findings demonstrate that SP has a browning effect in WAT by upregulating AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression. SP also suppresses adipogenesis and promotes FAO, implying that it may have potential as an anti-obesity drug.


The semantic web is an emerging technology that helps to connect different users to create their content and also facilitates the way of representing information in a manner that can be made understandable for computers. As the world is heading towards the fourth industrial revolution, the implicit utilization of artificial-intelligence-enabled semantic web technologies paves the way for many real-time application developments. The fundamental building blocks for the overwhelming utilization of semantic web technologies are ontologies, and it allows sharing as well as reusing the concepts in a standardized way so that the data gathered from heterogeneous sources receive a common nomenclature, and it paves the way for disambiguating the duplicates very easily. In this context, the right utilization of ontology capabilities would further strengthen its presence in many web-based applications such as e-learning, virtual communities, social media sites, healthcare, agriculture, etc. In this paper, we have given the comprehensive review of using the semantic web in the domain of healthcare, some virtual communities, and other information retrieval projects. As the role of semantic web is becoming pervasive in many domains, the demand for the semantic web in healthcare, virtual communities, and information retrieval has been gaining huge momentum in recent years. To obtain the correct sense of the meaning of the words or terms given in the textual content, it is deemed necessary to apply the right ontology to fix the ambiguity and shun any deviations that persist on the concepts. In this review paper, we have highlighted all the necessary information for a good understanding of the semantic web and its ontological frameworks.


Abstract. Decades of policy in developed regions has successfully reduced total anthropogenic emissions of gas-phase organic compounds, especially volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with an intentional, sustained focus on motor vehicles and other combustion-related sources. We examine potential secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and ozone formation in our case study megacity (Los Angeles) and demonstrate that non-combustion-related sources now contribute a major fraction of SOA and ozone precursors. Thus, they warrant greater attention beyond indoor environments to resolve large uncertainties in their emissions, oxidation chemistry, and outdoor air quality impacts in cities worldwide. We constrain the magnitude and chemical composition of emissions via several bottom-up approaches using chemical analyses of products, emissions inventory assessments, theoretical calculations of emission timescales, and a survey of consumer product material safety datasheets. We demonstrate that the chemical composition of emissions from consumer products as well as commercial and industrial products, processes, and materials is diverse across and within source subcategories. This leads to wide ranges of SOA and ozone formation potentials that rival other prominent sources, such as motor vehicles. With emission timescales from minutes to years, emission rates and source profiles need to be included, updated, and/or validated in emissions inventories with expected regional and national variability. In particular, intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (IVOCs and SVOCs) are key precursors to SOA, but are excluded or poorly represented in emissions inventories and exempt from emissions targets. We present an expanded framework for classifying VOC, IVOC, and SVOC emissions from this diverse array of sources that emphasizes a life cycle approach over longer timescales and three emission pathways that extend beyond the short-term evaporation of VOCs: (1) solvent evaporation, (2) solute off-gassing, and (3) volatilization of degradation by-products. Furthermore, we find that ambient SOA formed from these non-combustion-related emissions could be misattributed to fossil fuel combustion due to the isotopic signature of their petroleum-based feedstocks.


Provided are a method and a device that make it possible to perform DVD treatment with uneven target consumption reliably minimized. This PVD treatment method includes the following: performing PVD treatment by producing discharges between a positive electrode (3) and a negative electrode (4) inside a vacuum chamber (2) to vaporize the negative electrode (4); and during said PVD treatment, circulating a cooling medium through a cooling channel formed on either the positive electrode (3) or the negative electrode (4), i.e. the cooled electrode, thereby cooling said electrode, and reversing the circulation direction of said cooling medium.


Aim The rate of complications among neonates with incorrectly positioned umbilical venous catheters (UVCs) is considerably increased. This prospective study aimed to evaluate whether the use of birth weight (BW) or body surface measurements as a guide for proper depth estimation of the UVC insertion was more accurate. Patients and methods A total of 104 neonates were assigned to two groups according to procedure used for proper UVC depth insertion: shoulder–umbilicus length graphs versus BW-based formula. Radiological assessment of correct catheter tip position was determined in both groups. Results The overall success rate for UVC insertion was 96% (100/104). However, in 51% (48/94) of the neonates, the UVC was not advanced to the estimated depth. Comparing infants whose UVC was secured at the correct depth and was not in the liver between the weight and measurement method, there was no significant difference in the appropriate site radiologically, but none of catheters not secured at the estimated depth were in appropriate site radiologically in the weight group, whereas some of catheters not secured at the estimated depth were in appropriate site radiologically in the measurement group, with significant difference. However, the weight method shows more sensitivity and accuracy when compared with the measurement group (100 and 75% vs. 50 and 50%, respectively), with the same specificity at 50% each. Conclusion A correct depth of insertion was more accurately achieved and showed a higher sensitivity using the BW formulae compared with the body surface measurement method.


The structure and composition of articular cartilage provides unique mechanical properties which effectively dampen and distribute loads during weightbearing. Acute traumatic damage to the articular cartilage destroys the original structure and composition of the articular cartilage and impairs its function. Lesions in articular cartilage can cause patients severe disabling symptoms from the affected joint. These symptoms also run the risk of developing into degenerative osteoarthrosis with time. Unfortunately, articular cartilage does not have any real ability to heal itself after injury. Different treatment methods have been developed in an attempt to restore the function of the injured joint and to prevent further deterioration in the articular cartilage. Some of these methods have produced promising results in clinical studies, but further research is necessary to establish their efficacy and indications for treatment. Today, no controlled studies that compare these different methods are available.


The complex TpW(NO)(PMe3)(η2-benzene) was treated with an excess of phenol to generate TpW(NO)(PMe3)(η2-2H-phenol) as a mixture of two stereoisomers. This complex in the presence of base undergoes reactions with several common classes of electrophiles, including benzaldehyde, alkyl iodides, and Michael acceptors, to form new C−C bonds. Methyl and ethyl iodide react at C2 to form 2-alkyl-2H-phenol complexes, whereas the Michael acceptors react at C4 to give 4-alkyl-4H-phenol complexes. In both cases, the electrophile adds to the complexed phenol stereoselectively, anti to the metal. In the case of benzaldehyde, an aldol condensation reaction occurs at C2 to form a rare example of a thermally stable o-quinone methide complex. Crystal structures of the 2-ethyl-2H-phenol and the phenyl o-quinone methide complexes are included.


When creating applications that should be available on multiple computing platforms, designers have to cope with different design tools and user interface toolkits. Incompatibilities between these design tools and toolkits make it hard to keep multi-device user interfaces consistent. This paper presents Jelly, a flexible design environment that can target a broad set of computing devices and toolkits. Jelly enables designers to copy parts of a user interface from one device to another and to maintain the different user interfaces in concert using linked editing. Our approach lowers the burden of designing multi-device user interfaces by eliminating the need to switch between different design tools and by providing tool support for keeping the user interfaces consistent across different platforms and toolkits.


A quantum critical endpoint related to a metamagnetic transition causes distinct signatures in the thermodynamic quantities of a compound. We argue that, irrespective of the microscopic details of the considered material, the diverging differential susceptibility combined with the Ising symmetry of the endpoint give rise to a number of characteristic metamagnetic phenomena. In the presence of a magnetoelastic coupling, one finds a correspondence of susceptibility, magnetostriction and compressibility and, as a result, a pronounced crystal softening, a diverging Grueneisen parameter, a sign change of thermal expansion alpha(T), and a minimum in the specific heat coefficient gamma(H). We illustrate these signatures and their relation on the metamagnetic crossover at 8 T in the prototypical heavy-fermion system CeRu2Si2.


To the Editor: I read with great interest the report on grand mal seizures being induced by extended-release bupropion hydrochloride (bupropion ER), written by David J. Rissmiller, DO, and Thomas Campo, DO,1 in the October 2007 issue of JAOA—The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. I too have observed this association between bupropion ER and grand mal seizures. In treating a 42-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with bipolar depression, I prescribed the anticonvulsants lamotrigine (titrated to a final dosage of 200 mg/d) and clonazepam (2 mg/d) over a period of 2 months. Bupropion ER (150 mg/d) was initiated at week 6 and continued for 2 weeks. Upon titration of bupropion ER to 300 mg per day at week 6, the patient experienced a grand mal seizure after 2 days of therapy at the increased dose. All use of bupropion ER was then immediately discontinued. Results of a computed tomographic scan and a lumbar puncture test both proved negative. The patient was then rechallenged within a week with bupropion ER (150 mg/d initially, titrated to 300 mg/d at start of second week). She experienced a second grand mal seizure after 2 days of therapy at the higher dose. The patient had reported no personal history of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or epilepsy. She had previously been prescribed tramadol hydrochloride (100 mg/d) to relieve chronic shoulder pain, but tramadol had been discontinued 6 weeks prior to her first office visit in the present case. In light of previous reports2-7 that there is a lower incidence of seizures with bupropion ER than with the immediate-release formulation, I feel that the case of my patient and that reported by Drs Rissmiller and Campo1 are clinically important. It is particularly meaningful that the seizures associated with bupropion ER in my patient occurred in conjunction with the use of two anticonvulsants, lamotrigine and clonazepam. I hope that the report by Drs Rissmiller and Campo1 will generate renewed interest in the association between bupropion ER and grand mal seizures.


Aim: To study the prevalence and the most common of the developmental dental anomalies in dental students (2018-1019).

Material and methods: The dental students in the collage of Dentistry/Baghdad university were included in this study, 600 students were clinically and radiography examined and assessment of the dental anomalies was carried on which included the number of anomalies, shape and positions of the anomalies.

Results: In the current study, 250 dental students had a dental anomalies among 600 dental students that were examined, the highest percentage of the dental anomalies were recorded in males than in females, the highest percentage was recorded in 23 years old (36%) followed by 22 years old (28.8%), and the lowest percentage was recorded in 18 years old (1.2%). Also the highest percentage was recorded in number of anomalies (33.2%) followed by acquired anomalies (30.8%) and the lowest percentage was recorded in the shape of anomalies (8.8%) and the congenital missing of the second premolar recorded as the highest percentage (36.3%) than other number of anomalies followed by the congenital missing of the lateral incisor (24%) and the congenital missing of the lower incisor recorded the lowest percentage (12%). Also the positional anomalies showed that Impaction of the third molar recorded higher percentage (57.3%) than the impaction of the upper canine (42.7%). Peg lateral recorded higher percentage (63.6%) than dens evagination, for the acquired dental anomalies erosion recorded lowest percentage (36.3%) than attrition anomalies.

Conclusion: Dental anomalies can be caused by genetic factor and local factor; males are affected more than females. Number anomalies were recorded to be the highest percentage than other types and the impacted third molar recorded a higher percentage than an impacted canine.


The nature of the organic ligands is crucial in influencing the dimensionality of bi–metallic cyanide–bridged systems. By controlling the number of coordination sites around a metal ion, we show that systems with new structure and original architecture may be obtained. Blocking four of the coordination sites around NiII and MnII, new structures with new architectures can be obtained depending on the position of the remaining two available sites: in the trans or cis position.


A patient with multiple congenital malformations, including imperforate anus, bilateral cryptorchidism and microphallus, is described. At 4 months of age the infant had generalized convulsions and hypoglycaemia. Bilateral hydronephrosis was diagnosed at 8 months of age. At 10 months he was diagnosed as having panhypopituitarism secondary to anterior pituitary hypoplasia, shown on CT and MRI scans. This clinical picture partially resembles that of Hall‐Pallister syndrome. However, the absence of some typical features such as craniofacial and limb abnormalities and, above all, hypothalamic hamartoblastoma, would also suggest the possibility of a new, previously unreported, syndrome.


An analysis was made of microstructure of hypereutectic Al-2.0 wt.% Fe alloy treated by laser surface remelting (LSR), microhardness test, and electrochemical behavior test and their numerical simulation was done. Microstructure was analyzed by optical microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and Vickers microhardness tests. Results obtained in this study indicate in LSR-treatment occurred rapid heating and followed by rapid cooling, resulting in formation of a thin recast layer with a refined microstructure, with dissolution of precipitates and inclusions and formation of metastable phases, however, an overlapping line on consecutive weld fillets was observed. Furthermore, analysis of Vickers hardness were done in the cross-sectional area of treated sample and on the treated sample surface, therefore, result a greater microhardness of the treated region than untreated substrate. Through the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test, laser surface remelting-treated workpiece exhibit higher polarization resistance than untreated, at 11 times higher and capacitive behavior of material is related to aluminum oxide layer properties, then, microstructure characteristic caused by overlapping ratio and multi-track has a strong effect on electrochemical process.


While the full promise of genomic medicine may be many years in the future, personalized health care (PHC) can begin solving important health care needs now and provide a framework for the adoption of genomic technologies as they are validated. PHC is a strategic approach to medicine that is individualized, predictive, preventive, and involves intense patient engagement. There is great need for more effective models of care as nearly half of Medicare patients age 65 and older have three or more preventable chronic conditions and account for 89% of Medicare's growing expenditures. With its focus on reactive care, the current health care system is not designed to effectively prevent disease nor manage patients with multiple chronic conditions. PHC may be a solution for improving care for this population and therefore has been adopted as the delivery platform along with a new personalized health plan tool for 230 multi-morbid, homebound Medicare recipients in Durham, North Carolina who have been high utilizers of health care resources. PHC integrates available personalized health technologies, standards of care, and personalized health planning to serve as a model for rational health care delivery. Importantly, the PHC model of care will serve as a market for emerging predictive and personalized technologies to foster genomic medicine.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum miR-103 for breast cancer and its correlation to the clinicopathological features of the patients.

METHODS
We collected the serum samples and corresponding formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) surgical specimens from 50 breast cancer patients, using the serum samples from 50 healthy women as the control. The total RNA was extracted from the samples for quantitative analysis of miR-103 using real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTS
The serum levels of miR-103 expression were significantly higher in the cancer patients than in the healthy control group (P<0.01). In the cancer patients, high miR-103 expression was significantly correlated to advanced clinical stage (P<0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). miR-103 showed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area of 84.3%, and a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 70% in discriminating breast cancer patients from the control subjects.

CONCLUSION
Serum miR-103 can serve as a potential diagnostic marker for breast cancer and provides useful information of the clinicopathological features of the patients.


We use the spectral kinetic theory of soliton gas to investigate the likelihood of extreme events in integrable turbulence described by the one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (fNLSE). This is done by invoking a stochastic interpretation of the inverse scattering transform for fNLSE and analytically evaluating the kurtosis of the emerging random nonlinear wave field in terms of the spectral density of states of the corresponding soliton gas. We then apply the general result to two fundamental scenarios of the generation of integrable turbulence: (i) the asymptotic development of the spontaneous (noise induced) modulational instability of a plane wave, and (ii) the long-time evolution of strongly nonlinear, partially coherent waves. In both cases, involving the bound state soliton gas dynamics, the analytically obtained values of the kurtosis are in perfect agreement with those inferred from direct numerical simulations of the the fNLSE, providing the long-awaited theoretical explanation of the respective rogue wave statistics. Additionally, the evolution of a particular non-bound state gas is considered providing important insights related to the validity of the so-called virial theorem.


In England, general practice vocational training schemes (GP VTS) have traditionally lasted for three years. Many commentators have suggested that such a short period of structured training is inadequate to prepare GPs for the variety of experiences and challenges that they encounter within the first years of their practice. The education of GPs in all regions of England is administered by the local Deanery whose task is to commission postgraduate medical and dental education and to implement national policies on postgraduate dental and medical education. Deaneries have developed higher professional education (HPE) programmes to address further training needs for newly qualified GPs. This report is the first of a series evaluating the experience of HPE participants in the London area and focuses on the area of self and professional development.


Chinese Poetry and Translation: Rights and Wrongs offers fifteen essays on the triptych of poetry + translation + Chinese. The collection has three parts: "The Translator's Take," "Theoretics," and "Impact." The conversation stretches from queer-feminist engagement with China's newest poetry to philosophical and philological reflections on its oldest, and from Tang- and Song-dynasty classical poetry in Western languages to Baudelaire and Celan in Chinese. Translation is taken as an interlingual and intercultural act, and the essays foreground theoretical expositions and the practice of translation in equal but not opposite measure. Poetry has a transforming yet ever-acute relevance in Chinese culture, and this makes it a good entry point for studying Chinese-foreign encounters. Pushing past oppositions that still too often restrict discussions of translation-form versus content, elegance versus accuracy, and "the original" versus "the translated" - this volume brings a wealth of new thinking to the interrelationships between poetry, translation, and China.


Given the incidence and severity of acute intoxication, this issue is of considerable importance today for the Emergency Departments (ED). The objective of this study was to evaluate acute intoxications by psychopharmacological medications and abuse of drugs for patients managed in an Outpatient Emergency Department. Retrospective analyses were performed on data on admissions to the Emergency Department for the years 2012 and 2013, in Holy Trinity Hospital, Cagliari, Italy; the reference population were outpatients with intoxication reported as the main problem, taken from a total population of outpatients with every kind of medical problem admitted to the ED during the studied period. The sample included patients of all ages with acute intoxication by psychopharmacological medications and drugs of abuse (psychoactive drugs and alcohol). For the year 2012, the number of total Emergency Room (ER) visits because of intoxication amounted to 338 and 243 of these were due to the abuse of drugs (72%), representing 0.72% of the total number of ER outpatients visits (n=33823). For the year 2013, this percentage increased reporting 287 outpatients for intoxication by drugs of abuse (79% of those admitted because of intoxication, n=362), representing 0.83% of the total number of ER outpatients visits (n=34,476). If we consider jointly outpatients with intoxication because of drug abuse for the two years (n=530), the descriptive analysis shows that: 56.0% are male and 44.0% females. Yellow as priority code had been assigned in 67.7% cases and red in 9.2% cases (χ2=10.053, df=3, p=0.018). Patients with a diagnosis of psychiatric illness were 40.8%; with diagnosis of drug addiction 18.5%, 10.9% alcoholism, drug addiction and alcoholism 2.6%; psychiatric condition associated with drug addiction and/or alcoholism 4.5% (χ2=85.697, df=7, p<0.001). The drugs taken were: psychopharmacological medications 46.2%; alcohol 22.6%; mixed drugs and alcohol abuse 13.7% (χ2=104.870, df=8, p<0.001). This study showed that there is a high level of comorbidity between psychiatric disease (Bipolar Disorders: 28.7%, Unipolar Mood Disorders: 48.6%, Psychosis: 9.3%, Anxiety Disorders: 10.2%) [1] and acute intoxication in patients who are admitted to an Emergency Department; this data, which show an increase of admissions of such patients during the examined period prove the necessity to reflect on the importance of an appropriate management of this patient population.


A 44 years old female patient suffering from juvenile diabetes, showed a subcutaneous insulin resistance. Intravenous insulin application was the therapy of choice. Due to various problems of vascular access (mainly thrombosis and infectious problems) an arterio venous shunt was implemented as a last choice. Repeated puncture and insertion of common butterfly canule led to a gnarled transformation of the used vessel. The risk of thrombosis and failing of the vascular access was evident. In the absence of alternatives we tried injection systems for subcutaneous insulin application. The advantage of these systems is lower diameters and more flexible materials, suggesting higher biocompatibility. During this therapy the gnarled transformation decreased, the blood flow in the vascular shunt improved. The use of the small (subcutaneous) infusion systems for intravascular application of insulin showed that to be a save alternative in this case.  doi:10.4021/jem85w


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different glycerol concentrations and different sperm concentrations on stallion epididymal sperm motility indicators after thawing. For statistical analysis, 25 stallions were used. Collection of the epidydimal spermatozoa was performed as a retrograde flush of cauda epididymis and ductus deferens within 12 h post castration. After evaluation, the resuspended spermatozoa were centrifuged, the supernatant removed and the spermatozoa resuspended in Gent semen extender to get three different groups with different concentrations of sperm (250 × 106 in ml, 500 × 106 in ml, 1000 × 106 in ml) and different final glycerol concentrations (2%, 4%, and 6%). Therefore, 9 different samples were finally obtained from each stallion. The spermatozoa were packed and placed in a fridge (4 °C) for 2 h, then placed in liquid nitrogen vapour (−80 to −100 °C) and after 25 min plunged into the liquid nitrogen and stored at −196 °C for at least 5 days. The selected straws were individually thawed in a 38 °C water bath for 30 s prior to post-freezing analysis. Motility indicators were assessed at 0, 60, 120, and 180 min after thawing. Parametric test was used for analysis; the measured indicators were total motility, progressive motility, curvilinear velocity, straightness, and average-path velocity. In this study, the best results were reached in samples diluted into a concentration of 1,000 × 106 in ml, regardless of the concentrations of glycerol.


The article highlights and analyses the attitude of the public of the city of Kherson and Kherson Governorate to the events of 1917–1918, including the period of activity of the Ukrainian Central Rada, the attempt to fight for power by the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks' resistance to the process of becoming Ukrainian forces. Attention is paid to the characteristics of the meetings, congresses of the region, which were aimed at demonstrating the attitude of the political forces and local authorities of the Kherson region to the main state-political acts of the period — the Universals of the Central Rada and the reaction to the Temporary Instruction to the General Secretariat of the Provisional Government in Ukraine. During the mentioned period, the Kherson District Meetings, the Regional Congress of Farmers and the Provincial Ukrainian National Congress were held. In general, representatives of these meetings supported the Central Rada and the autonomy of Ukraine. The opposition to the Ukrainian issue was the Kherson Revolutionary Council, the Council of Rural Deputies of the Kherson province, negatively held the Ukrainian congresses, and also opposed the broad representation of national minorities at these meetings. Attention is drawn to the political activity of the city community, in particular, the city government, as well as officials authorized by heads of public institutions of the city. The main directions of activity of national Ukrainian forces are described: Unions of Ukrainian national organizations, "Ukrainian House", which later became "Enlightenment" and others. It is noted that the Kherson public supported the activities of the Central Rada, demanded the inclusion of the Governorate under the jurisdiction of the General Secretariat, opposing the Provisional Instruction of the Provisional Government. The Ukrainian forces of the Kherson province were at the organizational stage of activity.


Our purpose was to describe the hypoplastic or plexiform inferior petrosal sinus as a potential cause of false-negative sampling results in patients with Cushing's disease. Five hundred and one patients with surgically proven Cushing's disease and negative or equivocal magnetic resonance imaging scans of the pituitary gland underwent petrosal sinus sampling. Four patients (0.8%) with surgically proven Cushing's disease had false-negative results of petrosal sinus sampling. Retrograde inferior petrosal sinograms in these patients were reviewed to evaluate the anatomy of the inferior petrosal sinuses for abnormalities that could have contributed to this misdiagnosis. In addition, the retrograde inferior petrosal sinograms of 100 consecutive patients were reviewed to establish the frequency of asymmetric and/or hypoplastic inferior petrosal sinuses. All four patients with false-negative results of petrosal sampling demonstrated a hypoplastic or plexiform inferior petrosal sinus ipsilateral to an ACTH-secreting microadenoma. When the sampling catheter was in the hypoplastic petrosal sinus, retrograde sinograms from the contralateral side demonstrated anomalous drainage patterns on the side of the hypoplastic sinus. Because the negative results of petrosal sinus sampling false-suggested the presence of the ectopic ACTH syndrome, curative transsphenoidal surgery in these four patients was delayed up to 31 months. We conclude that the presence of a unilateral hypoplastic or plexiform inferior petrosal sinus can result in anomalous drainage from the pituitary gland that may lead to false-negative sampling results in patients with Cushing's disease.


cOnOmists have long sought to improve on gross domestic product as a measure of growth and wellbeing. What is needed, many say, is a new way to gauge economic, environmental, and social sustainability. For those at the bottom of the income pyramid, living on a dollar a day or less, such musings may seem both irrelevant and farfetched. But work by the commission on the measurement of economic Performance and social Progress—set up by the French government under the leadership of economists Joseph stiglitz and amartya sen—represents the culmination of many years of effort to reduce reliance on per capita income growth or consumption. Distributional indicators, such as poverty statistics constructed from household income and expenditure surveys, help spotlight the plight of the poor. in some countries, such as india, the announcement of official poverty figures is a major event with significant political and policy implications. and in the past two decades many countries have begun to conduct household surveys aimed at chronicling poverty, with the result that poverty statistics are more widely available across the globe. What have we learned from the new data? setting aside the effects of the crises of the late 2000s and looking back two decades from the mid-2000s, the broad facts can be classified into the following stylized patterns (Kanbur, forthcoming). Where there has been no economic growth, poverty has risen. this is true of many african and some Latin american countries. in a large number of countries, including the biggest ones, such as india and china, and even in some african countries, such as Ghana, there has been fast growth by historical standards, and poverty—the percentage of the population below the poverty line—has fallen, as measured by official data. What is interesting, however, is the disconnect between the optimistic picture painted by these official data on poverty and the more pessimistic view of grassroots activists, civil society, and policymakers more generally. this disconnect does not, of course, lend itself to quantification in the way that official Poverty, Disconnected


Compatibility of selected insecticides, fungicides and weedicides, commonly used in sugarcane, with Beanveria bassiana (Balsamo-Criv.) Vuill. Beauveria brongniarl ii (Sacc.) fetch and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorukin, the entomopathogenic fungi that occur naturally on several pests of the crop, was evaluated in in vitro assays. Radial growth, biomass and spore production used as parameters did not show consistent trend for the five insecticides tested. On the basis of per cent reduction in spore production, however, chlorpyriphos (0.04%) was most toxic to all three fungi (100%); lindane (0.04%) was most toxic to B. brongniartii (100%) but least toxic to B. bassiana (26.3%) and M. anisopliae (17.1%); monocrotophos (0.036%) was moderately toxic to B. bassiana (43.0%) and M, anisopliae (35.2%), and least toxic to B. brongniartii (13.4%); malathion (0.10%) was most toxic to M. anisopliae (88.2%) and B. brongniartii (69.1%), and moderately toxic to B. bassiana (43.0%); endosulfan (0.035%) was moderately toxic to all three species (49.5-58.1%). Carhendazim (0.05%) was completely toxic to all three fuugi (100%); maneozeb 0.08% was also equally toxic to all three fungi (69.5-100.0%). Glyphosate (0.205%) was most toxic (88.1%) to B. bassiana and moderately toxic to B. brongniartii (39.3%) and M. anisopliae (58.2%); atrazine (0.35%) was moderately toxic (40.5-55.7%) to all three fungi; 2.4-D (0.20%) was moderately toxic to B. bassiana (45.9%) and B. brongniartii (63.3%), and least toxic (17.7%) to M. anisopliae . The implications of the results in sugarcane pest management involving entomopathogenic fungi are discussed.


SUMMARY Single nerve fibre discharge was recorded from mechanoreceptors associated with the air-breathing organ in double-pithed specimens of the bowfin, Amia calva L. These receptors were innervated by the vagus nerve and although their exact location was difficult to determine, most appeared to be located along the anterio-ventral wall of the single lung. All receptors increased tonic discharge with step increases in lung volume, above a threshold level, and were slowly adapting. There was a dynamic, ratesensitive burst of activity associated with lung inflation and a dynamic, ratesensitive inhibition of discharge associated with deflation. These responses were qualitatively similar to those of the tonic stretch receptors found in fish swimbladder and mammalian gut. All receptors were insensitive to changes in intrapulmonary partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide. These observations suggest that receptors capable of transducing the rate, as well as the degree, of inflation and deflation are associated with primitive lungs, and may have arisen from tonic gut receptors.


The unique strained ring structure in cyclopropane fatty acids (CFA) conveys oxidative stability and lubricity to lipids. These attributes are highly valuable for industrial applications such as cosmetics and specialist lubrication but there is currently no commercial source of the lipid. Here, built on recently engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the authors have developed an efficient strategy for CFA production. Expression of the Escherichia coli cyclopropane fatty acid synthetase (Ec.CFAS) in the engineered yeast resulted in formation of cis-9,10-methylene-hexadecanoic and octadecanoic acids in both the phospholipid (PL) and triacylglycerol (TAG) fractions. CFA concentration in TAG of engineered yeast is 12 mg CFA g-1 DCW (fourfold above the strain expressing CFAS only). The yield of CFA increases from 13.2 to 68.3 mg L-1 , the highest reported in yeast, using a two-stage bioprocess strategy that separated cell growth from the lipid modification stage. Strategies for further improvement of this valuable lipid are proposed.


Animal and in vitro studies have shown that the sympathetic nervous system modulates the contractility of skeletal muscle fibres, which may require adjustments in the motor drive to the muscle in voluntary contractions. In this study, these mechanisms were investigated in the tibialis anterior muscle of humans during sympathetic activation induced by the cold pressor test (CPT; left hand immersed in water at 4°C). In the first experiment, 11 healthy men performed 20 s isometric contractions at 10% of the maximal torque, before, during and after the CPT. In the second experiment, 12 healthy men activated a target motor unit at the minimum stable discharge rate for 5 min in the same conditions as in experiment 1. Intramuscular electromyographic (EMG) signals and torque were recorded and used to assess the motor unit discharge characteristics (experiment 1) and spike‐triggered average twitch torque (experiment 2). CPT increased the diastolic blood pressure and heart rate by (mean ±s.d.) 18 ± 9 mmHg and 4.7 ± 6.5 beats min−1 (P < 0.01), respectively. In experiment 1, motor unit discharge rate increased from 10.4 ± 1.0 pulses s−1 before to 11.1 ± 1.4 pulses s−1 (P < 0.05) during the CPT. In experiment 2, the twitch half‐relaxation time decreased by 15.8 ± 9.3% (P < 0.05) during the CPT with respect to baseline. These results provide the first evidence of an adrenergic modulation of contractility of muscle fibres in individual motor units in humans, under physiological sympathetic activation.


OBJECTIVE
The present study was carried out to evaluate lung functions and develop prediction equations in Indian boys.

SUBJECTS
1555 normal healthy schoolboys from Hyderabad city who were in the age group of 5 to 15 years were selected for the present study.

DESIGN
The anthropometric parameters such as height, sitting height, weight, and chest circumference were measured and body surface area (BSA) and percent body fat (% Fat) were derived. The lung functions studied were FEV1, FVC, FEV1% and PEFR.

RESULTS
The height, sitting height, weight, BSA, chest circumference, body fat as well as FEV1, FVC, FEV1 % and PEFR were comparable with Indian boys. The height for age, weight for age and weight for height were found to be lower than 50th percentile of NCHS standards in the subjects studied. Similarly the lung function values of the study population were found to be lower than the values of corresponding western population.

CONCLUSION
Regression equations were derived to predict FEV1, FVC and PEFR using physical characteristics. Height, chest circumference and fat free mass were the best predictors for FEV1, FVC, and PEFR. Age, height, sitting height, weight, chest circumference and fat free mass showed significant association with lung functions.


The generation of erythropoietin purportedly involves the interaction of an enzyme, of renal origin, and a circulating plasma protein substrate. Cobalt, which has the capacity to stimulate erythropoietin formation, was evaluated for its effects on renal and plasma protease activity; in addition, the nature of the erythrogenic mechanism was investigated. Rats receiving one s.c. injection of cobalt demonstrated significant increases in activity of renal cathepsins A and B. The activity of a plasma protease was also elevated in rats after cobalt treatment. Cathepsins A and B and plasma protease were sensitive to the same enzymatic inhibitory agents, and all three enzymes demonstrated activity patterns similar to that of the renal erythropoietic factor [enzyme(s) presumed responsible for generating erythropoietin] in rats treated with cobalt. These data may help to elucidate the mechanism of erythropoiesis.


The 395 Ma Brazil Lake granitic pegmatite, a rare occurrence of an LCT-type (Li–Cs–Ta) pegmatite in the Meguma Terrane of Nova Scotia, Canada, is hosted by metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Silurian White Rock Group. Previous mineralogical studies showed the pegmatite formed in two distinct stages, an early spodumene – K-feldspar – quartz ± muscovite stage that was followed by a pervasive metasomatic stage in which albite and secondary muscovite grew at the expense of earlier K-feldspar. The economically important oxide phases (Ta–Nb) are intimately associated with secondary albite. Determination of the stable isotopic (δ18O, D) values for silicate phases (quartz, K-feldspar, spodumene, albite, muscovite, garnet, tourmaline) provide insight into the origin of the pegmatite-forming melt and its subsequent internal evolution. A primary δ18O signature for the melt of +8‰ is calculated using the δ18Ovalues of quartz and Δquartz – whole-rock values from studies on other granitic suites. Interpreted in the context of the geological setting, the δ18O data preclude a dominantly metasedimentary source and suggest, instead, that the pegmatite-forming melt originated via partial melting of a mixed igneous ( i.e., volcanic)- sedimentary source. The calculated δ18OH2O–δDH2O values, at 500°C, correspond to the field for magmatic waters, but some isotopic data, including δD for fluid-inclusion extracts, suggest late-stage incursion of metamorphic water that had equilibrated with the surrounding metasedimentary rocks. Mineral–mineral fractionation ( e.g., ΔQtz–Ms) does not reflect equilibrium within the pegmatite, which may have resulted from several processes, including non-equilibrium crystallization, variable degrees of isotopic exchange during protracted cooling, or interaction with an external reservoir(s). The data for albite (δ18O = +9.1‰, n = 6) are consistent with a magmatic origin, albeit late in the evolution of the pegmatite, on the basis of textural arguments. A model is proposed for the origin of the extensive albite-enriched zones, which involves introduction of a sodic melt derived at depth after protracted fractionation of the same parental melt from which the Li-rich parts of the pegmatite originated.


The free ion yield (ΦR) resulting from the fluorescence quenching of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) by various electron donors in acetonitrile has been studied using ns laser photoconductivity. The influence of the chemical nature of the doors is established in a general manner. For a given oxidation potential Eox(D/D+), the rate constant of geminate ion recombination, kbac, decreases significantly as the electronic delocalization of the donor increases. As a consequence multiple Marcus plots are observed in the inverted region. These plots show decreasing curvature when going from stilbenes to amines as donors. This 'fan effect' is tentatively explained by considering the detailed roles of the parameters V, λ and hν in the Marcus model.


The paper reviews recent publications in ethnomethodology (EM) from sympathetic but critical perspective. It is agreed that EM has made major contributions to sociological theory and to the empirical investigation of everyday life. A number of major reservations are made, however. The author suggests that some contemporary versions of EM—conversation analysis in particular—have an unduly restricted perspective. They give rise to a sociology which is behaviorist and empiricist, and which does not reflect the interpretative origins that inspired EM. Far from being a coherent and homogenous movement, the author suggests, EM is marked by inconsistency.


Backgrounds: Centrilobular zonal necrosis (CZN) is described as a histological feature present in a small number of autoimmune hepatitis (CZN-AIH) patients. CZN may be detected in the absence of significant interface hepatitis, which is the most important histological finding of AIH. The clinical and histopathological spectra of CZN-AIH were not homogeneous, and the concept of CZN-AIH as a distinctive subtype of AIH remains controversial, due to the rarity of CZN-AIH and the ambiguous definition of CZN. Methods: To elucidate the clinical and immunogenetic features of CZN-AIH, a total of 102 biopsy samples of AIH, obtained at The Jikei University Katsushika Medical Center and Jikei University Hospital from 2000 to 2018, were reviewed. The 32 patients whose biopsies showed CZN were selected as the CZN-AIH group, and the remaining 70 were grouped as the non-CZN-AIH controls (control AIH). Data on clinical, histopathologic, and immunogenetic features were statistically compared between the CZN-AIH and the control AIH group. Additionally, the impact of the onset pattern (acute or chronic) and coexistent significant interface hepatitis in CZN-AIH was determined. Results: In CZN-AIH, the frequency of acute-onset cases was significantly higher than that in control AIH (56.2% vs 32.9%; P < .05), and the number of cases with moderate-to-severe interface hepatitis in liver histology was significantly lower (37.5% vs 87.1%; P < .001). Compared to the control AIH, cases of CZN-AIH had lower immunoglobulin G level (P < .001), lower antinuclear antibodies titer (P < .001), and lower AIH score (P < .001). The immunogenetic disproportionate distribution of HLA-DR phenotypes in control AIH (increased HLA-DR4 and decreased HLA-DR9) was not found in CZN-AIH. Moreover, CZN-AIH was less frequently relapsed (P < .05). For the acute-onset CZN-AIH cases, the clinical features were hardly indistinguishable from the chronic CZN-AIH cases. Similarly, the existence of interface hepatitis did not influence on the pathophysiology of CZN-AIH. Moreover, the acute-onset CZN-AIH cases is clinically distinguishable from acute-onset control AIH Conclusion: CZN can characterize as a distinct AIH subtype, regardless of onset-pattern or coexistence of significant interface hepatitis. To further strengthen this hypothesis, collection of more CZN-AIH cases is needed.


Summary
Heating adenovirus types 8 and 12 for 2 to 3 min. at 56° simultaneously reduced both interferon-inducting capacity and infectivity. In contrast, virus inactivated by u.v.-irradiation effectively stimulated interferon production in chick cells.
Chick cells infected with adenovirus type 12 and incubated at 25°, 35° or 40° produced about the same amount of interferon but the kinetics of interferon production differed, i.e. at the higher temperatures interferon formation commenced earlier.
The possibility that the penton antigen may be responsible for interferon induction by human adenoviruses in chick cells is discussed.


A simple, understandable FORTRAN computer program for the location of hypocenters of local and regional earthquakes is presented. The program is designed for interactive timesharing use and offers the ability to locate earthquakes quickly, obviating the need of punching data cards and submitting them to a central computer facility. Variations of the program have been run on Honeywell 6023 and DEC PDP 11/70 computers.


Spiritual caregivers often meet clients with another spiritual or religious orientation than their own, as they care for clients from a diversity of backgrounds and for clients who draw from multiple religious traditions. How do spiritual caregivers deal with religious diversity in their own lives? Do they themselves draw from more than one religious tradition? How do they function in a multireligious environment? Are they willing to provide interfaith spiritual care and do they see themselves as able to do so? What challenges do they see for the future? A survey was conducted among spiritual caregivers in healthcare settings, the military and penitentiary institutions in the Netherlands (n=208) to answer these questions. Implications of the results for the future of spiritual care are discussed.


Three tricyclic ring system, pyridazino[6,1-b]quinazolin-10-ones, benzimidazolo-pyridazine thione, and 1,2,4-benzotriazino-pyridazinethione along with imidazo-[1,2-b]-pyridazinethione, 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazine-thione derivatives were synthesized starting from 6-chloropyridazin3-(2H)-thione. Some disulfide and sulfide derivatives were also prepared. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds was tested. Some of these compounds possess a highly response against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi.


Atenolol, a cardioselective beta-blocking agent, at dose levels of 0.03, 0.06, and 0.12 mg/kg intravenously, produced prolongation of atrioventricular nodal conduction in 22 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. In a dose of 0.12 mg/kg body weight atenolol produced significant prolongation of sinus cycle length, sinus node recovery time, atrioventricular node conduction, and the effective and functional refractory periods of the atrium and the atrioventricular node. No significant effects were observed on the His Purkinje system or the effective refractory periods of the ventricle. In these actions atenolol closely resembles propranolol. However, because in contrast to propranolol it increases atrial refractoriness, it may have advantages in the treatment of atrial arrhythmias.