Co-occurrence statistics for sequential data are common and important data signals in machine learning, which provide rich correlation and clustering information about the underlying object space. We give the first bound on the convergence rate of estimating the co-occurrence matrix of a regular (aperiodic and irreducible) finite Markov chain from a single random trajectory. Our work is motivated by the analysis of a well-known graph learning algorithm DeepWalk by [Qiu et al. WSDM '18], who study the convergence (in probability) of co-occurrence matrix from random walk on undirected graphs in the limit, but left the convergence rate an open problem.
We prove a Chernoff-type bound for sums of matrix-valued random variables sampled via an ergodic Markov chain, generalizing the regular undirected graph case studied by [Garg et al. STOC '18]. Using the Chernoff-type bound, we show that given a regular Markov chain with $n$ states and mixing time $\tau$, we need a trajectory of length $O(\tau (\log{(n)}+\log{(\tau)})/\epsilon^2)$ to achieve an estimator of the co-occurrence matrix with error bound $\epsilon$. We conduct several experiments and the experimental results are consistent with the exponentially fast convergence rate from theoretical analysis. Our result gives the first sample complexity analysis in graph representation learning.


Depression is the fourth leading cause of adolescent illness and disability worldwide. A growing evidence base demonstrates that Short Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy [STPP] is an efficacious treatment for moderate to severe adolescent depression. However, with research in its infancy, key factors contributing to efficacy are unknown. Service users' lived experiences provide valuable insight in this area. This study aimed to elucidate what adolescents value in treatment by inductively exploring lived experiences of STPP. Five adolescents with the largest reduction in depressive symptoms scores between baseline and end of treatment, who had taken part in a large-scale randomized controlled trial, were sampled. In-depth interviews carried out soon after the end of therapy were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified: "Therapy as a Transformational Process", "Explorative and Exposing: The Therapeutic Space" and "Being Heard and Working Together: The Therapeutic Relationship". Adolescents valued a process of collaborative exploration with the therapist which when it was achieved was felt to facilitate a deep-rooted transformation in self-perception. Additionally, they described how an adjustment was needed to the particular frame of a psychoanalytic therapy. However, not all participants with a good treatment outcome experienced therapy in this way, suggesting a potential gap between the quantitative assessment of outcomes, and the way young people experience and understand the change process. Clinical implications and directions for research are discussed.


We hypothesized that keeping one's balance with eyes open in the dark is different and more difficult than eyes closed because the brain continues to process visual inputs in the dark when the eyes are open. On the other hand, when the eyes are closed, the visual system does not signal incongruent information with which the brain must compare the other sensory systems. A variety of cognitive (subtracting backwards by seven as quickly and accurately as possible) and support surface (fixed versus sway-referenced) conditions were used to probe the neural mechanisms underlying the sensory organization processes in healthy young adults. Peak-to-peak anteroposterior sway performance revealed two dissociated components of the treatment effects. The first component came from the visuospatial factor. Balance control during eye closure and eyes open in the dark were found to be similar but poorer than baseline condition (eyes open under typical lighting). The second component was the effect of task difficulty in which balance control in the sway-referenced condition was worse compared to fixed support during eye closure or eyes open in the dark. Analyses of the cognitive performance also revealed different underlying neural mechanisms of the experimental conditions. Subtraction speed under the fixed support surface condition was similar among all the conditions but was faster with eyes closed during the sway-referenced support surface condition. Accuracy was not affected among the visual and surface conditions. We conclude that sensory processing load with eyes closed is lower than eyes open in the dark, thereby allowing cognitive performance to proceed more efficiently. Performing a difficult subtraction task with eyes closed may afford a decrease in dual-task interference since similar brain areas, particularly the parietal region, are involved in both tasks. The results are discussed with reference to clinical application and spatial disorientation in aviation.


The researches on the Turkish modernization can become scientific only when they can analyze the issue together with its economic and class foundations. Because, the material pre-exists the ideologies, ideals, and beliefsat the center of the social structure. The personal will, tradition or the admiration for another civilization can be effective in shaping the modernization process. However, it is not enough just to explain the social history with the personal preferences or tradition. The economic and class elements shaping the personal will and tradition should be explored. The purpose of this article is to examine the modernization process of the early Republican period on a class basis. The Turkish modernization is a process of social change into a capitalist society under the leadership of the bourgeoisie. The economic and political struggle of the bourgeoisie against the feudal classes of the earlier periods necessarily brought a secular content to the Turkish modernization. On the other hand, another obstacle to the capitalist society structure is the large segments of society based on labor such as the peasants and workers. The efforts of the Turkish modernization to protect its political power from the large segments of the society based on labor in the early Republican period and later constitute its corporatist character. The reasons for the success or failure of the Turkish modernization today should be sought in its foundations, which are based on the bourgeoisie and aim for the private capital accumulation, rather than its secular character or desire to reshape the folk culture.


There is no high level of evidence that lung metastasectomy offers better outcome in terms of survival than non-operative treatment. Retrospective case series have identified some preoperative and postoperative risk factors for recurrence and survival that have impacted current practice. Indication for lung metastasectomy should be an individual decision, taken by multidisciplinary boards. However, once the decision for resection has been made, the surgeon has to figure out the best strategy to achieve complete resection with minimal harm to the patient. The least invasive procedure is therefore usually a combination of a minimally invasive access route with a lung-sparing resection technique. Multiport and especially uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) are therefore ideal approaches from an access point of view. For metastases that cannot be removed by extra-anatomic resections, sublobar anatomic resections are an alternative to lobectomy. Combining the advantages of the uniportal access with the technique of the parenchyma sparing segmentectomy minimizes postoperative morbidity. We present this option, illustrated with 3 videos of cases undergoing uniportal segmentectomy for lung metastasis.


The nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond (NV centre) is a leading candidate for solid-state implementations of quantum information technologies. Among other useful properties, it is a bright source of single photons. It is difficult, though, to collect the emitted photons in a single spatial and spectral mode which is often needed for quantum information applications. One way to improve the single-mode collection efficiency is to embed an NV centre in a high-finesse cavity. The coupling of the NV centre dipole to the cavity mode gives rise to the Purcell enhancement -- an increase of the emission into the cavity's spectral and spatial mode.
The goal of this project will be to develop a fibre-based microcavity and to use it for the observation of enhanced single-photon emission from a diamond nanocrystal. It will involve a wide range of experimental techniques, for example basic optics (particularly Gaussian beam propagation), CO2 laser ablation, surface analysis by optical and atomic force microscopes, interferometry, photon counting, etc. There will also be a certain amount of data analysis, simulations and theoretical calculations.


Mapping crop variables at different growth stages is crucial to inform farmers and plant breeders about the crop status. For mapping purposes, inversion of canopy radiative transfer models (RTMs) is a viable alternative to parametric and non-parametric regression models, which often lack transferability in time and space. Due to the physical nature of RTMs, inversion outputs can be delivered in sound physical units that reflect the underlying processes in the canopy. In this study, we explored the capabilities of the coupled leaf–canopy RTM PROSAIL applied to high-spatial-resolution (0.015 m) multispectral unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data to retrieve the leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), leaf area index (LAI) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) of sweet and silage maize throughout one growing season. Two different retrieval methods were tested: (i) applying the RTM inversion scheme to mean reflectance data derived from single breeding plots (mean reflectance approach) and (ii) applying the same inversion scheme to an orthomosaic to separately retrieve the target variables for each pixel of the breeding plots (pixel-based approach). For LCC retrieval, soil and shaded pixels were removed by applying simple vegetation index thresholding. Retrieval of LCC from UAV data yielded promising results compared to ground measurements (sweet maize RMSE = 4.92 μg/cm2, silage maize RMSE = 3.74 μg/cm2) when using the mean reflectance approach. LAI retrieval was more challenging due to the blending of sunlit and shaded pixels present in the UAV data, but worked well at the early developmental stages (sweet maize RMSE = 0.70m2/m2, silage RMSE = 0.61m2/m2 across all dates). CCC retrieval significantly benefited from the pixel-based approach compared to the mean reflectance approach (RMSEs decreased from 45.6 to 33.1 μg/m2). We argue that high-resolution UAV imagery is well suited for LCC retrieval, as shadows and background soil can be precisely removed, leaving only green plant pixels for the analysis. As for retrieving LAI, it proved to be challenging for two distinct varieties of maize that were characterized by contrasting canopy geometry.


This paper describes an algorithm for generating test signals to efficiently test the linearity of ADCs. Linearity is an important testing item for ADCs, and it takes a long time (hence is costly) to test low-sampling-rate, high-resolution ADCs. We here propose to generate a test signal consisting of multiple sine waves, to precisely test the linearity for specific important codes (such as around the center of the output codes), using an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) and an analog filter. We have performed MATLAB simulation to validate our algorithm, and the results show that in some cases the testing time can be reduced to half that for conventional sine wave histogram testing.


Firm's environment is becoming more complex and dynamic, consequently continuous innovation is considered a key element to gain competitive advantage. According to the knowledge-based view, knowledge is considered the central element in the innovation process and its effective management is the key to achieve higher innovation performance. Since social networks involve knowledge and information embedded into inter-organizational network, social capital is considered the engine fuelling the innovation activities. Through an intensive review of the literature, the chapter seeks to uncover the effect of social capital on innovation through enhancing its fundamental knowledge-based activities. The social capital literature provided controversial approaches about its contribution to the innovation performance. The chapter contributes to the literature by mapping the different views, trying to clarify its contribution to the enhancement of knowledge-based activities, and revealing the effect of different social configurations on innovation outcomes. To do so, the chapter first analyzes the different views of social capital and explains its contribution within the organization studies. Further, the key role of the knowledge and its management to the innovation outcomes is discussed. Finally, the chapter clarifies the implications of social capital to the innovation performance and its typologies as radical or incremental ones, as well as designs a theoretical framework for recognizing both its beneficial and constraining effect. Further, the chapter proposes a balanced approach to the structural social capital reconciling two controversial camps in the literature. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-875-3.ch013


BACKGROUND
A very important issue in living kidney donor transplantation is whether the donation is safe for the donor. The aim of this study was to examine survival and causes of death in kidney donors and to assess the renal function in those who had donated a kidney more than 20 years ago.

METHODS
A total of 459 living donor nephrectomies were performed in Stockholm from 1964 until the end of 1994. By using national registers, all 430 donors living in Sweden were traced. Donor survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Expected survival was computed using the Hakulinens method and was based on national mortality rates.

RESULTS
Forty-one subjects had died between 15 months and 31 years after the donation. The mortality pattern was similar to that in the general population, the majority dying of cardiovascular diseases and malignancies. After 20 years of follow-up, 85% of the donors were alive, whereas the expected survival rate was 66%. Survival was thus 29% better in the donor group. One third of the donors (aged 46-91 years) who had donated >20 years ago had hypertension. There was a deterioration in the renal function with increasing age, similar to what is seen among normal healthy subjects. The average glomerular filtration rate in donors aged 75 years and over was 48 ml/min/1.73 m2.

CONCLUSIONS
To donate a kidney does not seem to constitute any long-term risk. The better survival among donors is probably due to the fact that only healthy persons are accepted for living kidney donation.


We study distributed stochastic nonconvex optimization in multi-agent networks. We introduce a novel algorithmic framework for the distributed minimization of the sum of the expected value of a smooth (possibly nonconvex) function–the agents' sum-utility–plus a convex (possibly nonsmooth) regularizer. The proposed method hinges on successive convex approximation (SCA) techniques, leveraging dynamic consensus as a mechanism to track the average gradient among the agents, and recursive averaging to recover the expected gradient of the sumutility function. Almost sure convergence to (stationary) solutions of the nonconvex problem is established. Finally, the method is applied to distributed stochastic training of neural networks. Numerical results confirm the theoretical claims, and illustrate the advantages of the proposed method with respect to other methods available in the literature.


An increasing number of children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis are being identified and treated with disease-modifying therapies. As more rapid diagnosis is made possible due to the heightened awareness of pediatric multiple sclerosis among the pediatric and neurological communities, and the availability of MRI, the number of pediatric multiple sclerosis patients requiring treatment will grow over time. This review draws on information from adult and pediatric neurology sources and summarizes current available data on the management of pediatric multiple sclerosis.


The paper reports on a study of the impact of traditional and design & build delivery methods to ameliorate schedule delays in the South African construction projects. A case study approach of two similar projects was adopted for the study. Data was compiled from document analysis and semi-structured interviews. Selection of projects was purposive and convenience based. A comparative analysis of the two projects was performed on delays to inform on which delivery method ameliorated better the impact of schedule delays. Findings were that design and build marginally reduced the impact of consultant related delays. Little impact was however found for client, contractor and design change related delays. Most construction projects suffer delays, which inevitably increases the contract sums. Reducing the impact of delays is therefore critical. Choice of a delivery method offers an opportunity to reduce the delays and therefore it is valuable to understand which delivery method offered better results. Findings underscore the importance of seeking alternative methods to improve performance. The design and build method seemed to perform better than the traditional method on delay reduction. The implication is that although clients prefer "safe" methods, alternative delivery methods offered better results.


Background ALL is the most common childhood malignancy. The children with ALL are treated with methotrexate (MTX) based chemotherapy protocols. MTX causes unpredictable serious hepatic and renal side effects. Silymarin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and stimulates tissue regeneration. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of Silymarin on MTX-based chemotherapy-induced Hepatic and renal toxicity in children with ALL. Patients and Methods 80 children with newly diagnosed ALL were enrolled in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups. Group I included 40 children with ages ranging from 4–13 years and the mean age of 6.85± 2.89 years, who received Silymarin 420 mg/day in 3 divided doses for one week after each MTX dose. Group II included 40 children, with ages ranging from 4–12 years and the mean age of 7.30±2.6 years, who received placebo for one week after MTX therapy. For all patients liver functions including serum bilirubin, total proteins, albumin, globulin and albumin-globulin ratio, alkaline phosphatase, ALT and AST, prothrombin time and activity and renal functions including blood urea and serum creatinine, serum cystatin C and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were done to assess hepatic and renal toxicity before and after chemotherapy. Results There were no significant differences between group I and II as regard liver and renal functions before chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, there were significantly higher values of ALT and AST and alkaline phosphatase, and significantly lower Prothrombin activity in group II compared with group I. No significant differences between group I and II were found in total bilirubin, serum protein, and albumin levels. There was significantly lower blood urea, serum creatinine, and cystatin C and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in group I compared with group II. Conclusion Silymarin improved some hepatic and renal functions in children with ALL who received MTX-based chemotherapy protocols. Recommendations: Extensive multicenter studies could be recommended to prove the hepatic and renal protective effects of Silymarin in patients with ALL who received MTX-based chemotherapy protocols.


We study the attractive interactions between rodlike charged polymers in solution that appear in the presence of multivalence counterions. The counterions condensed to the rods exhibit both a strong transversal polarization and a longitudinal crystalline arrangement. At short distances between the rods, the fraction of condensed counterions increases, and the majority of these occupy the region between the rods, where they minimize their repulsive interactions by arranging themselves into packing structures. The attractive interaction is strongest for multivalent counterions. Our model takes into account the hard-core volume of the condensed counterions, and their angular distribution around the rods. The hard-core constraint strongly suppresses longitudinal charge fluctuations.


Over the last decade, polar surface area (PSA) has become a ubiquitous term in medicinal and computational chemistry circles. This article charts the development of the increasingly efficient methods for the calculation of PSA before illustrating its usefulness through selected examples drawn from the medicinal chemistry literature. Consideration of PSA is shown to assist in the improvement of cellular potency, intestinal absorption and blood-brain barrier permeation or restriction to the peripheral circulation.


Fenestrated connective tissue sheets, derived from the sclera as meridional extensions, form the main support for the posterior portion of the lamina cribrosa. The sheets consist of a dense collagenous tissue, often with elastic fibers, and in monkeys with pigment cells. Astrocytes fill the spaces between successive sheets and line the rim of each fenestration. Anteriorly, at the level of the choroid, the connective tissue elements disappear and the lamina cribrosa becomes entirely glial. The anterior portion of the lamina cribrosa is an extensive structure that occupies virtually the entire optic nerve head and accounts for much of its volume. The astrocytes are modified in arrangement and internal structure, reflecting their function of supporting the unmyelinated nerve fibers as they make a 90° turn. The disc capillaries are enclosed within the glial framework, but whether the astrocytes are an important part of the nutritional pathway to visual axons is not known.


Objective To estimate age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality among adults with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Germany. Research design and methods The German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998 (GNHIES98) included a mortality follow-up (median follow-up time 12.0 years) of its nationwide sample representative of the population aged 18–79 years. After exclusion of participants with type 1 diabetes, age- and sex-stratified mortality rates (MR) were calculated for 330 GNHIES98 participants with diagnosed T2D (self-reported diagnosis or antidiabetic medication), 245 with undiagnosed T2D (no diagnosed T2D, glycated hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% (≥48 mmol/mol)), and 5975 without T2D. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) comparing MR of persons with and without T2D were estimated. Age-/sex-standardized MR and MRR were calculated including persons aged 45 years or older. MRR were used to estimate the number of years of life lost (YLL) due to diagnosed diabetes in 2010. Results Over 75 994 person-years, 73 persons with undiagnosed T2D, 103 with diagnosed T2D, and 425 persons without T2D died. MRR were significantly higher in younger age groups, except for analyses limited to women or diagnosed T2D. Age- and sex-standardized MRR (95% CI) among persons aged 45 years or older were 1.96 (1.41 to 2.71) for undiagnosed, 1.68 (1.26 to 2.23) for diagnosed, and 1.82 (1.45 to 2.28) for total (undiagnosed or diagnosed) T2D. Sex-stratified analysis revealed similar age-standardized MRR for undiagnosed (1.56 (0.79 to 3.06)) and diagnosed T2D (1.56 (1.03 to 2.37)) among women, and a higher age-standardized MRR for undiagnosed (2.06 (1.43 to 2.97)) than diagnosed T2D (1.70 (1.10 to 2.63)) among men. YLL due to diagnosed diabetes in Germany in 2010 were 164 600 (35 000 to 279 300) among women and 169 900 (28 300 to 328 300) among men. Conclusions In Germany, age- and sex-standardized all-cause mortality is almost twice as high for adults with T2D as for adults without T2D. The T2D-associated excess risk of mortality appears to be most pronounced in younger adults and among men unaware of their T2D.


This work represents an effort to synthesize all four forms of polyaniline (PANI) in its organometallic versions. Polymers containing substituted 1,4-benzoquinone diimine or 1,4-diaminobenzene units in the backbone exhibiting the general structure (C≡CC(6)H(4)-N═C(6)X(4)═N-C(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n) and (C≡CC(6)H(4)NH-C(6)X(4)-NHC(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n) along with the corresponding model compounds (C≡CC(6)H(4)-N═C(6)X(4)═N-C(6)H(4)C≡C)(PtL(2)Cl)(2) and (C≡CC(6)H(4)NH-C(6)X(4)-NHC(6)H(4)C≡C)(PtL(2)Cl)(2) (L = PBu(3); X = H, F, Cl) were synthesized. The polymers and corresponding model compounds were characterized (including (1)H and (31)P NMR, IR, mass spectra, elemental analysis, and X-ray structure determinations) and investigated for their redox properties in the absence and in the presence of acid. Their optical properties, including ns transient spectroscopy were also investigated. These properties were interpreted through density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) computations. These materials are found to be oligomers (GPC) with thermal stability (TGA) reaching 350 °C. The greatest stabilities were found in the cases with X = F. Using a data bank of 8 X-ray structures of diimine derivatives, a relationship between the C═N bond distance and the dihedral angle between the benzoquinone ring and the flanking phenyl planes is noted. As the size of the substituent X on the benzoquinone center increases, the degree of conjugation decreases as demonstrated by the C═N bond length. The largest dihedral angles are noted for X = Cl. These polymers exhibit drastic chemical differences when X is varied (X = H, F, Cl). The completely reduced polymer (C≡CC(6)H(4)NH-C(6)H(4)-NHC(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n) (i.e., X = H) was not chemically accessible whereas in the cases of X = F, Cl, these materials were obtained and represent the first examples of fully reduced organometallic versions of PANI (i.e., leucoemaraldine). For the (C≡CC(6)H(4)-N═C(6)X(4)═N-C(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n) polymers, the completely oxidized form for X = H was isolated (pernigraniline), but for X = F and Cl, only the largely reduced mixed-valence form (i.e., emaraldine) was obtained via chemical routes. In acidic solutions, the chemically accessible polymer for X = H, (C≡CC(6)H(4)-N═C(6)H(4)═N-C(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n), exhibits two chemically reversible waves indicating that the reduced form (C≡CC(6)H(4)NH-C(6)H(4)-NHC(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2))(n) can be generated. The absorption spectra of the highly colored diimine-containing species exhibit a broad charge transfer band (assigned based on DFT calculations (B3LYP); C(6)H(4)C≡C-PtL(2)-C≡CC(6)H(4) → N═C(6)X(4)═N) in the 450-800 nm window red shifting according X = H → Cl → F, consistent with their relative inductive effect. The largest absorptivity is measured for X = H because this polymer is fully oxidized whereas for the cases where X = F and Cl, these polymers exists in the mixed valence form. The ns transient absorption spectra of two polymers (X = F; reduced and mixed-valence polymers) were measured. The triplet excited state in the mixed-valence polymer is dominated by the reduced diamine residue and the T(1)-T(n) absorption of the diimine is entirely quenched.


This paper discussed the concept of decision making on the model of sea security system to overcome the cases related to territorial trespasses by foreign countries in the east maritime region of Indonesia. The most common cases are illegal fishing, illegal logging, and borders trespasses. In order to find an apt strategy in minimazing the trespasses in this area, this study conducted a simulation on the task for ship patrol using optimized method called Binary Genetic Algorithm (BGA). This model was used to select the optimized ship patrol combination in each zone with 3 scenes that were 5, 7 and 9 zones. The purpose of these divisions was to get the fleet mix, the best ship in each zone with minimum operational cost for the maximum coverage area. The parameter used in this study was crossover probability (Pc< 75%) and mutational probabilty (Pm=0,1) that was conducted to 10-100 population, 5001000 generations. The results of the simulation of 3 zones were; for 5 zone, the fleet mix obtained was {Z1=8; Z2=8; Z3=4; Z4=5; Z5=2}, for 7 zone, the fleet mix obtained was {Z1=4; Z2=4; Z3=4; Z4=2; Z5=4; Z6=3; Z7=3}, and for 9 zone, the fleet mix obtained was{Z1=2; Z2=3; Z3=2; Z4=7; Z5=4; Z6=2; Z7=2; Z8=3; Z9=2}, and based on the comparison of the width of the coverage area and the operational cost between those zones, the most ideal implementation was 9 zones because it had 1.686.803.53 Mile for its coverage area and its operational cost was IDR 4,164,270,892.


Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is a useful technique to characterize layered samples and thin films. It gives access to their optical properties and thickness. Such measurements are done in transmission, which requires access to the sample from opposite sides. In reality this is not always possible. In such cases, reflection measurements are the only option, but they are more difficult to implement. Here we propose a method to characterize films in reflection geometry using a polarimetric approach based on the identification of Brewster angle and modeling of the measured signal to extract the refractive index and thickness of the sample. The technique is demonstrated experimentally on an unsupported single layer thin film sample. The extracted optical properties and thickness were in good agreement with established transmission terahertz spectroscopy measurements. The new method has the potential to cover a wide range of applications, both for research and industrial purposes.


Troxerutin, a trihydroxyethylated derivative of rutin, has been well-demonstrated to exert hepatoprotective properties. In the present study, we attempted to explore whether the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms were involved in troxerutin-mediated protection from D-gal-induced liver injury. The effects of troxerutin on liver lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymatic activities, and the expression of inflammatory mediator were investigated in D-gal-treated mice. The results showed that troxerutin largely attenuated the D-gal-induced TBARS content increase and also markedly renewed the activities of Cu, Zn-SOD, CAT, and GPx in the livers of D-gal-treated mice. Furthermore, troxerutin inhibited the upregulation of the expression of NF-kappaB p65, iNOS, and COX-2 induced by D-gal. D-Gal-induced tissue architecture changes and serum ALT and AST increases were effectively suppressed by troxerutin. In conclusion, these results suggested that troxerutin could protect the mouse liver from D-gal-induced injury by attenuating lipid peroxidation, renewing the activities of antioxidant enzymes and suppressing inflammatory response. This study provided novel insights into the mechanisms of troxerutin in the protection of the liver.


The Energy Pattern Factor (EPF) method is a less computational method of estimating the available wind power density of an area and wind speed variation account for the energy power density throughout a given period. Using the Average daily wind speed data for an 11 year period (2004-2014) obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological (NIMET) Station located around the Kaduna Airport, Mando, Kaduna. The Average Annual Energy Pattern Factor of Kaduna was estimated to be 1.03 and from the energy pattern factor, the average annual available wind power density was calculated to be 222.13 W/m 2 . This calculated wind power density falls within the stipulated values under wind power class 4 of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the US Department of Energy (DOE), and is considered very adequate to drive utility sized wind turbines. Keywords: Energy Pattern Factor, Wind Speed, Wind Power Density, Utility Sized Wind Turbines


Data from the LHC at 7, 8, and 13 TeV have so far yielded no evidence for new particles beyond the 125 GeV Higgs boson; in particular, there have been no signs of SUSY. However, the complementary nature of physics with $e^+e^-$ collisions still offers many interesting scenarios in which SUSY can be discovered at the ILC. These scenarios take advantage of the capability of $e^+e^-$ collisions to observe events with missing four-momentum -- a signature not available at hadron colliders, where only transverse imbalance is observable. Due to low backgrounds and trigger-less operation, detectors at $e^+e^-$ colliders can observe events with much less visible energy than what is possible at hadron colliders. In this contribution, we will present detailed simulation studies done with the ILD concept at the ILC. These studies include simulation of the full SM background, as well as realistic accelerator conditions. We will show results both on expected discovery and exclusion reaches for the most challenging SUSY channels, such as higgsinos or winos at low mass differences. Evaluations of precision of model-parameter measurements, in case of discovery, will also be given. We also report on how such measurements can be used to put constraints on parts of the sparticle-spectrum beyond direct reach, and to discriminate between different models of SUSY breaking at high scales.


The relationship of blood pressure to serum creatinine was studied in 59 patients with bilateral polycystic kidney disease admitted to Sahlgrenska sjukhuset in Goteborg for various reasons during the years 1967-71. Hypertension. defined as a resting recumbent blood pressure of ~l60/100 mmHg. was found in 82'Z of all patients. In patients with normal serum creatiniine, the incidence hypertension was 75%. indicating that an increased blood pressure commonly precedes impairment of renal function, as determined by serum creatinine. Factors such as age, urinary tract infections, renal artery stenosis, or diabetes were not significantly correlated to the deveiopment of hypertension. As expected. a higher blood pressure was found in patients with advanced renal insufficiency, the exception being patients with terminal uremia.


Paraelectric K0.99Li0.01Ta1−xNbxO3 (x = 0.38, 0.39, 0.40) lead‐free single crystals have been grown by the top‐seeded solution growth method. All the crystals have Curie temperature (Tc) close to room temperature (RT), and possess large relative dielectric constants near Tc. A scanning Michelson interferometer was used to investigate the electrostrictive (ES) behavior of the crystals. The crystals show pure ES characteristics and large electrosrictive coefficients. The ES coefficient Q11 of K0.99Li0.01Ta0.60Nb0.40O3 reaches as high as 0.12 m4/C2, about six times of the value of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics.


Breast cancer is well known leading causes of mortality in the females. Current studies have suggested that the imbalances in inflammatory and immune-associated proteins may also give rise to breast cancer and disease progression. Toll like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of innate immune system that protect the host against bacterial and viral infection. It not only express in innate immune cell, its expression also found in breast cancer cells. Activation of TLRs leads to the activation of inflammatory pathways. Recent reports provide such evidences, which suggest the important role of TLRs in breast cancer pathogenesis and recurrence. TLRs are not only involved in cancer development, but also involve in anticancer immunotherapy. There are some agonists and antagonist of TLRs, used in anticancer immunotherapy, is targeted in clinic successfully.


Tuberculous pericarditis is a rare but dangerous disease with a mortality of 20% to 40%. Early diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy are critical, and open pericardial biopsy appears to be the most reliable diagnostic tool. Corticosteroids, in conjunction with antituberculous medication, are effective in suppressing the early granulomatous inflammatory response. Pericardiectomy should be considered early when the response to a medical regimen is delayed or inadequate.


Abstract In the present work, the Jameson and Mavriplis and the Liou and Steffen unstructured algorithms are applied to solve the Euler and the Navier-Stokes equations in three-dimensions. The governing equations in conservative form are solved, employing a finite volume formulation and an unstructured spatial discretization. The Jameson and Mavriplis algorithm is a symmetrical second-order one, while the Liou and Steffen algorithm is a flux vector splitting first-order upwind one. Both schemes use a second-order Runge-Kutta method to perform time integration. The steady state problems of the supersonic flow along a ramp and of the "cold gas" hypersonic flow along a diffuser are studied. The results have demonstrated that both schemes predict appropriately the shock angles at the ramp and at the lower and upper walls of the diffuser, in the inviscid case. In the viscous study, only the Liou and Steffen scheme yielded converged results, obtaining good ramp shock angles.


【Objective】 The effects of inorganic N content in soil on the N rate for obtaining maximum yield, N utilization rate and the relation of cabbage yield and quality with N rate in spring cabbage-corn-winter cabbage rotation system were conducted. 【Method】 Field location experiments were carried out to study the changes of crop yield, N utilization rate, water-soluble sugar content, Vc content and nitrate content in different inorganic-N content soils after application of 0, 90, 180, 270, 360, 450 kg•ha^(-1) N. 【Result】 Inorganic N content in the soil could influence the maximum N fertilizer rate for obtaining maximum yield of spring cabbage significantly. The result indicated that the changes of soil inorganic N only affect N fertilizer application rate during the growing season. When the N fertilizer rate was 1.8-3.2 times of the N fertilizer rate for obtaining the maximum cabbage yield, the excess applied N rate has caused NO3(superscript -)-N enrichment in the ground water. The N rate and inorganic N content in soil can affect the N utilization rate of cabbage, the cabbage-corn rotation system is good for enhancement of N utilization rate. When the N rate was at 90 kg•ha^(-1), high-yield of cabbage and best-quality were obtained simultaneously. 【Conclusion】 Inorganic N content in soil effects the maximum N rate and the N utilization rate remarkably. The N fertilizer after-effect of Saijiang black soil is obvious, cabbage-corn crop rotation can raise N utilization rate. The N rate influences cabbage yield and the quality. In order to obtain better quality, N rate must be reduced.


This article argues that while the prolific scholarship on the Victorian press arguably does not constitute a coherent research field that engages with common concerns, broader trends can be identified into which much of the scholarship falls. Specifically, many studies of the Victorian press can be categorized around three questions: the level of continuity or rupture between mid-Victorian newspapers and the New Journalism beginning in the 1880s; the press's role in social control; and the role of the press in buttressing and challenging separate spheres ideologies.


Drying as one of the oldest food preservation processes is also the most
energy demanding process. Nowadays, when conventional energy sources are declining, reduction/rationalization of energy consumptions in industrial processes is of great importance. One of the more successful ways of saving energy and make the process energy efficient is the integration of heat pumps within the existing technological processes. Heat pump systems are successfully used for different applications such as heating and cooling, and drying as well. In addition, the quality of final dried product is a priority that can be accomplished by heat pump assisted drying systems. This paper presents up-to-date survey in the field of air source heat pump assisted drying of food: fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.


As part of critical review of the Geometroidea and Noctuoidea described by Linnaeus the species described by Carl Clerck (1710-1765) are reviewed. Clerck (1759) described 25 nominal species of Geometroidea and Noctuoidea, all of Swedish origin, 22 of which are currently regarded as valid. 17 lectotypes are designated, 9 from the Clerck Collection, 6 from the Linnaeus Collection, and 2 from De Geer's collection. The name fulvago Clerck is a new junior synonym of Agrochola helvola (Linnaeus, 1758). The name "fulvago: Linnaeus 1761" is a later citation of Oerck's name, and thus should not replace the name Xanthia sulphurago (Denis & Schiffermuller, 1775). The name hepatica Clerck is a new senior synonym of Lithophane socia (Hufnagel, 1766). For Polia hepatica auct., nec Clerck, the name tincta Brahm, 1790 is available.


The trend of multimode and integration of RPT repeater increases the workload of Radio Frequency (RF) test, while traditional manual test methods are inefficient and prone to errors. Using automatic control technology, a RF test system for RPT repeater was proposed by Microprogrammed Control Unit (MCU). The system supports computer command control, and Monitor Panel (MP) automatically switches switch matrix (SM) in real time according to the preset parameters of the controller. Application cases for main unit and user unit test in different scenarios show that it can achieve intelligent control, and has fast switching speed, high isolation, and simple structure, thus improving the efficiency of RF test.


The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between different types of screen behavior and depression, taking into account exercise and sleep among children and adolescents. A total of 23,573 Japanese children and adolescents (aged 8–15 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Different types of screen behavior, weekly exercise time, sleep duration, and prevalence of depression were assessed using a questionnaire. Independent associations between various types of screen behavior and prevalence of depression were examined using logistic regression analyses after adjusting for age, school, sleep duration, exercise time, and other screen behavior types. A two-way analysis of covariance was conducted to examine whether exercise and sleep can attenuate the negative effects of screen behavior. The associations between screen behavior and depression varied by screen behavior types and participant characteristics. More time spent engaging in newer types of screen behavior, including social media, online games, and online videos, was associated with a higher prevalence of depression. In contrast, more time spent on TV was associated with a lower prevalence of depression. Sufficient exercise can lower the prevalence of depression, regardless of the length of time and content of the screen, and its associations were particularly significant for junior high school girls. Sleep was not associated with the prevalence of depression among any participant group except elementary school boys. Our findings suggest that age- and sex-specific intervention strategies that also consider screen-based behavior can effectively lower the risk of depression in children and adolescents.


We continue our study of Sierpiński-type colourings. In contrast to the prequel paper, we focus here on colourings for ideals stratified by their completeness degree. In particular, improving upon Ulam's theorem and its extension by Hajnal, it is proved that if κ is a regular uncountable cardinal that is not weakly compact in L, then there is a universal witness for non-weaksaturation of κ-complete ideals. Specifically, there are κ-many decompositions of κ such that, for every κ-complete ideal J over κ, and every B ∈ J, one of the decompositions shatters B into κ-many J-sets. A second focus here is the feature of narrowness of colourings, one already present in the theorem of Sierpiński. This feature ensures that a colouring suitable for an ideal is also suitable for all superideals possessing the requisite completeness degree. It is proved that unlike successors of regulars, every successor of a singular cardinal admits such a narrow colouring.


Spin-echo small-angle scattering (SESANS) technique is a method to measure the structure of materials from nano- to micrmeter length scales. This method could be important for studying the packaging of DNA in the eukaryotic cell. We measured the SESANS function from chicken erythrocyte nuclei which is well fitted by the exponential function G(z) = exp(−z/ξ), where ξ is the correlation length of a nucleus (in experimental data ξ = 3, 3 μm). The exponential decay of G(z) corresponds to the logarithmic pair correlation function γ(r) = ln(ξ/r). As the sensitivity of the SESANS signal depends on the neutron wavelength, we propose the SESANS setup with the changeable wavelength in the range from 2 to 12 Å. Such option allows one to study in great detail the internal structure of the biological cell in the length scale from 10−2μm to 10 μm.


We estimate the effect of international trade on average labor productivity at the country level. Our empirical approach relies on summary measures of trade that, we argue, are preferable on both theoretical and empirical grounds to the one conventionally used. In contrast to the marginally significant and non-robust effects of trade on productivity found previously, our estimates are highly significant and robust even when we include institutional quality and geographic factors in the empirical analysis. We also examine the channels through which trade and institutional quality affect average labor productivity. Our finding is that trade works through labor efficiency, while institutional quality works through physical and human capital accumulation. We conclude with an exploratory analysis of the role of trade policies for average labor productivity. (JEL F43, O40)


The role of intrinsic k⊥ in semi-inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS) processes (l p → lhX) is studied with exact kinematics within QCD parton model at leading order; the dependence of the unpolarized cross section on the azimuthal angle between the leptonic and the hadron production planes (Cahn effect) is compared with data and used to estimate the average values of k⊥ both in quark distribution and fragmentation functions. The resulting picture is applied to the description of the weighted single spin asymmetry Asin(φπ−φS) UT recently measured by the HERMES collaboration at DESY; this allows to extract parameters for the quark Sivers functions. The extracted Sivers functions give predictions for the COMPASS measurement of Asin(φπ−φS) UT in agreement with recent data, while their contribution to HERMES Aπ UL is computed and found to be small. Predictions for Asin(φK−φS) UT for kaon production at HERMES are also given.


Between January 1982 and June 1985, 105 patients with brain metastases of malignant solid tumours were treated in the Robert Janker Clinic. In order to optimize the overall response rates, concomitant radiotherapy and cytostatic chemotherapy was used. In most cases the primary tumour was located in the breast or the lung. Radiotherapy was performed with a Cobalt 60 equipment. The whole brain was irradiated in daily fractions of 15 Gy up to total dose of 45 Gy. Using a slit-course technique this dose was distributed to the three cycles of chemotherapy and given simultaneously, i.e. 15 Gy/ by course. The chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of ifosfamide daily for five days at 2g/m2 and the nitrosurea derivative carmustin (BCNU) at 30 mg/m2 on days 1, 3 and 5. After a free interval of four to five weeks the concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy was repeated twice. The tolerance of the treatment was generally good; no severe haematological or gastrointestinal complications occurred. There was a complete and permanent alopecia in all patients caused by the radiation. All patients received a cranial computerized axial tomographic scan prior to and after the treatment. According to the criteria of the International Union Against Cancer, there was a complete remission in 26 of the 105 patients and a partial remission in 49; 19 patients showed a stable disease. Only 12 of the 105 treated patients had a progression of their metastases. Only patients with partial or complete remissions after the treatment belong to the "long-term" survivors.


Gene-environment interactions likely account for some degree of the variance in response rates that are clinically observed with antenatal corticosteroids, breast milk prophylaxis, surfactant administration, early recognition and treatment of sepsis, utility of non-invasive ventilation, and judicious exposure to supplemental oxygen. While these therapies and practice guidelines have significantly decreased overall neonatal mortality in the NICU, they have not made a marked impact on the frequency and severity of conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotizing enterocolitis, and periventricular leukomalacia. One possible explanation is that genetic factors in the neonate modulate response to external intervention or preventative agents, culminating in variable levels of injury and different degrees of resolution and repair. Gene-environment explanations are supported by the observed heritability of BPD in twin studies, but they do not differentiate the interactions between neonate and offending toxin or pathogen, from interactions between neonate and intervention or therapeutic agent. Likely, both kinds of interactions are important in determining outcome.


Our country's international status as a cultural power has been further enhanced, and the protection of intangible cultural heritage containing the essence of traditional culture is also gradually being carried out. In addition, with the rapid development of the digital environment, the public's cultural needs continue to grow, and the contradiction between the supply and demand of public digital cultural services continues to intensify. Converting intangible cultural heritage into digital form for protection and providing resource services for the public has become an important trend in the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage at home and abroad, and it is also an inevitable requirement to solve the contradiction between supply and demand. Improving public cultural services is one of the key projects. At present, our country's research and practice of intangible cultural heritage digitization and services are also in progress, but there is no research on intangible cultural heritage digital resource services and system construction from the perspective of information service elements. Based on the digital resource service of intangible cultural heritage, the manual course is one of the main skill courses for preschool education majors. At this stage, the short class hours of manual courses, the lack of class hours, the low utilization rate of teaching materials, and the disconnection between the content and the needs of the kindergarten are all problems that need to be solved at present. Just relying on cross-references between schools, the manual knowledge and skills mastered by graduates are not comprehensive enough to complete the manual tasks assigned by the kindergarten. This paper implements the concept of intangible cultural heritage and hopes that by studying the manual knowledge and skills that today's kindergarten teachers need to possess, the content of existing manual courses can be adjusted in a targeted manner, so that the electronic culture dissemination of manual curriculum resources for preschool education is more reasonable, meeting the requirements of kindergarten teachers in terms of manual knowledge and skills.


New configurations for bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters suitable for the ultra high frequency (UHF) band are proposed. In contrast with a monolithic crystal filter, the resonators of the proposed filter are electrically coupled through a piezoelectric film deposited on the filter substrate. Equivalent circuit analysis and simulation results are described. The simulation results suggest the possibility of BAW filters in the UHF band. Because the proposed filter is suitable for the silicon diaphragm structure, development of highly sophisticated integrated electronic circuits with piezoelectric filters is expected.


The human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) Vpu protein is 81 residues long and has two cytoplasmic and one transmembrane (TM) helical domains. The TM domain oligomerizes to form a monovalent cation selective ion channel and facilitates viral release from host cells. Exactly how many TM domains oligomerize to form the pore is still not understood, with experimental studies indicating the existence of a variety of oligomerization states. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the propensity of the Vpu TM domain to exist in tetrameric, pentameric, and hexameric forms. Starting with an idealized α-helical representation of the TM domain, a thorough search for the possible orientations of the monomer units within each oligomeric form was carried out using replica-exchange MD simulations in an implicit membrane environment. Extensive simulations in a fully hydrated lipid bilayer environment on representative structures obtained from the above approach showed the pentamer to be the most stable oligomeric state, with interhelical van der Waals interactions being critical for stability of the pentamer. Atomic details of the factors responsible for stable pentamer structures are presented. The structural features of the pentamer models are consistent with existing experimental information on the ion channel activity, existence of a kink around the Ile17, and the location of tetherin binding residues. Ser23 is proposed to play an important role in ion channel activity of Vpu and possibly in virus propagation.


Improvements in airway imaging technology provide the potential for an improved understanding of airway pathology and upper airway mechanics. We present here a preliminary report on the applicability of cone beam computed tomography technology in conjunction with multidimensional digital analysis for the purposes of clinical airway management. The use of this technology for airway imaging in anesthesiology has not been reported. Traditional skeletal and soft tissue images as well as distance and volume measurements were obtained without difficulty. Three-dimensional image reconstructions as well as "virtual laryngoscopy" were achieved with resulting excellent image quality, suggesting a broad range of possibilities for upper airway examination and analysis. A modified Muller test with volumetric rendering of the airway passages under baseline and negative pressure conditions was also performed, made possible as a result of the system's short (9 s) scanning times. We believe that cone beam computed tomography technology offers an additional dimension to airway evaluation that has considerable potential.


Today, the Zionist occupation of Palestine and the continued dislocation of Palestinians for nearly a hundred years through brute force – combined with the former's discursive hegemony over its victims – remain as major obstacles to the construction of a peaceful and stable international political order in the Middle East. The so-called Palestinian problem remains the key to understand the failure of the Middle Eastern sub-system to produce sustainable peace in the region. This brief introduction to the special issue seeks to explain the general perspective and summarise main arguments of the contributors who have approached the issue of Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lenses of various fields of study such as international law, foreign policy analysis and discourse analysis. As will be seen, all the authors offer notable critical reflections that challenge established understandings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the mainstream Western media and scholarly literature.


A syndrome of ulcerative dermatitis (UDSSC) previously has been described as unique to the Shetland sheepdog and rough collie dog. The pathogenesis of this disease is poorly understood and it has been suggested that it may be a variant of canine dermatomyositis (DM) which is also seen in these breeds. Information on the clinical presentation and previous medical history was collected from five Shetland sheepdogs and three rough collie dogs previously diagnosed with UDSSC. Characteristic features of the disease were adult onset in the summer months with annular, polycyclic and serpiginous ulcerations distributed over sparsely haired areas of the body. Skin biopsies taken from active lesions were compared in a blinded fashion with histological sections from seven Shetland sheepdogs and one rough collie with DM. Dermatomyositis was characterized histologically as a cell poor interface dermatitis associated with follicular atrophy. In contrast, the lesional pattern of UDSSC is that of a lymphocyte-rich interface dermatitis and folliculitis with vesiculation at the dermal-epidermal junction. The authors conclude that these represent two distinct diseases and that UDSSC may be a vesicular form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus seen in the adult rough collie dog and Shetland sheepdog.


The complicated life cycle of helminths requires a lasting infection of their hosts. The parasites must avoid destruction by the host's immune response but also prevent exacerbated immunopathology. Activation of immunoregulatory mechanisms during helminth infection establishes a protective homeostatic immune response. We reported the presence of CD4+Foxp3+regulatory T cells (naTreg) in S. mansoni-egg-induced hepatic granulomas. In immunizations they controlled egg-induced cytokine production. Strikingly, with disease progression the frequency of CD103+naTregs significantly increased. CD103 (the αE chain of αEβ7 integrin) is an activation marker for naTregs with potential roles for migration/maintenance of naTregs at inflammatory sites. Using CD103-deficient mice we investigated the role of CD103 in schistosomiasis. Most infected CD103-KO mice succumbed during transition from acute to chronic inflammation. They developed lower Th-2 responses, reduced Th-2-pathology but exacerbated liver damage. The frequency of naTregs in granulomas was not changed. Importantly, transfer of CD103-competent naTregs rescued infected CD103-KO mice. We demonstrate for the first time the essential protective role of naTregs in schistosome-infected immunocompetent hosts. Although CD103 is not necessary for the presence of naTregs in granulomas, it seems to be pivotal for their function in schistosomiasis.


We discuss the generation of two types of entangled state of two photons-- noon state which is entangled in number and polarization, and polarization entangled state which is entangled in polarization and frequency. We consider a single quantum dot coupled with a bimodal cavity in strong coupling regime. We analyze the effect of exciton-phonon coupling on the concurrence of the generated entangled states. We find that for both states concurrence is maximum in the absence of the anisotropic energy gap between exciton states and remains unchanged in the presence of exciton-phonon coupling. However, for finite anisotropic energy gap concurrence decreases on the increasing temperature of phonon bath.


Lobbying has become an increasingly prominent topic in European Union's political and institutional debates over the last twenty years. Regulatory efforts to address lobbying practices have developed accordingly. The European Parliament set up its transparency register in 1995, followed by the Commission in 2008. In 2011 the two institutions merged their two instruments in a joint European Transparency Register. In 2014 Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker put the issue of transparency of lobbying regulation on the political agenda, committing to introduce a proposal for a mandatory register by 2016. Further, as of 1 December 2014 onwards, the Commission has undertaken to publish information regarding the meetings of the Commissioners, the members of their cabinets and Directors-General with lobbyists.There is a widespread consensus among policy-makers – the European Union being no exception – that transparency of lobbying and the accountability of decision making are connected in a cause-consequence relationship. According to this interpretation, the more the activities of pressure groups are transparent, the more policy-making is perceived as accountable. However, opinions differ on how to concretely benefit accountability with increased transparency of lobbying activities. Two questions are particularly debated. (1) To begin with, there is no agreed notion of the boundaries of transparency of lobbying activities. Does transparency of lobbying only concern the availability of information on the economic and human resources involved by pressure groups, or it should also include other information (e.g. the objectives of lobbying and/or the ethical behaviour of lobbyists)? Further, are business organizations and civil society organisations subjected to different rules of transparency? (2) Second, it is disputed what should be the best approach to regulate lobbying activities. Non mandatory lobbying registers – as in the case of the European Union – are often criticized because of the incomplete and inaccurate information they offer. To transform the European Transparency Register from a voluntary to a mandatory system, however, is a complex endeavor, both on the political and the legal sides. Furthermore, mandatory registers do not escape criticism. In the United States, for instance, many have cancelled their registration to the federal register (while still working as lobbyists) when the federal government decided to tighten up the rules governing the transparency of lobbying.This paper has two main goals. The first is to illustrate the efforts put by European Union's institution to regulate lobbying activities, the shortcomings of the current regulation and the impact of these shortcomings (both in purely economic terms and for institutional accountability). The second goal is to discuss how transparency and institutional accountability are related – and what problems are generated by this relationship – in order to understand how reform of lobbying regulation may concretely benefit to increase the accountability of European Union.


Plutella xylostella granulovirus (PlxyGV) contains homologs of 15 Autographa californica MNPV (AcMNPV) late expression factor (lef) genes. The prospective products of 14 PlxyGV lef genes (ie-0 is not included) share 13%-53% amino acid similarity with their corresponding homologs of AcMNPV, among which LEF-9, LEF-8 and P47, three subunits of the virus-encoded RNA polymerase, share 49%, 53% and 46% sequence identity, respectively. In this study, an established transient expression system was used to test the ability of the PlxyGV LEFs to activate an AcMNPV vp39 promoter-driven reporter gene in SF9 cells. It was shown that PlxyGV le f-2 replaced the corresponding AcMNPV gene and exhibited partial activity in the context of the remaining set of AcMNPV le fs. PlxyGV LEF-2 was found to contain additional 100aa and 70aa at the C-terminus in comparison with the LEF-2 of other GVs and lepidopteran NPVs respectively.


Effect of concentration of sodium bisulfite to vitamin C content, total sulfite residue and consumer hedonic level of rambutan syrup has been studied. Research method was experiment by complete random design. Vitamin C content was analyzed by the iodium titration, the total sulfite  residue by  distillation analysis  (Rangana, 1977),  and consumer hedonic  level  by  hedonic scale  test  with  80  untrained panelists. Analysis data was done by analysis variance at 5% level of significance and continued with the Tukey test. Based on research result showed that concentration of sodium bisulfite have a significant effect to   vitamin C content and total sulfite residue of rambutan syrup. Vitamin C content and total sulfite residue increased with the increasing concentration of sodium bisulfite. Concentration of sodium bisulfite has a significant effect to aroma of rambutan syrup, otherwise no influence at color andflavor.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

920

Tissue microarray analysis of Connexin-26 and Drg-1 in Bladder Cancer. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) are an excellent method to examine protein expression and to perform rapid profiling of molecular tumor markers. We have evaluated the expression of Cx-26 and Drg-1 on a TMA of bladder cancer specimens to determine the significance of these proteins in bladder cancer. Cx-26 is a component of the gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) network. GJIC provides intercellular communication which is necessary for cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. The loss of expression of connexins and gap junction assembly has been found in a variety of cancers. Recent data suggests Cx-26 plays a role specifically in bladder carcinogenesis. Several human bladder cancer cell lines either lack or have low Cx-26 expression. Drg-1 is also implicated in cancer. Its function is relatively unknown, but it was found upregulated in differentiation induced colon cancer cells. Data suggests Drg-1 is regulated by the tumor-suppressor gene PTEN. Recent IHC analysis found that PTEN expression correlated with Drg-1 in prostate and breast cancers. We recently completed TMA analysis with PTEN and wanted to determine if this correlation also existed in bladder cancer. IHC probing of a TMA consisting of 251 human transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder was performed using antibodies to Cx-26 and Drg-1. Four tumor types were examined: nonpapillary invasive grade (G) 3, papillary invasive G3, papillary noninvasive G3, and papillary noninvasive G2. The slides were scanned and analyzed using Applied Images automated system and software. Both Cx-26 and Drg-1 had moderate expression in most of the four tumor types. The staining pattern of Cx-26 and Drg-1 was altered in the bladder cancer specimens. Cx-26 expression in normal urothelium was focused and punctate, whereas in cancer tissues the staining was diffuse throughout the cytoplasm. We found Drg-1 expression among some cancer specimens to be membraneous as well as cytoplasmic where there was only cytoplasmic staining in the normal urothelium. Among the tumor types, Drg-1 exhibited the lowest expression in nonpapillary invasive G3 (p<0.0001). The expression of Cx-26 was lower in papillary invasive G3 than in nonpapillary invasive (p=0.003). Our analysis also identified a moderate negative correlation between Cx-26 and Drg-1 expression (Spearman correlation coefficient = -0.19 (p=0.04)). However, we did not find a significant correlation between Drg-1 and PTEN. Survival analysis was performed and a Cox proportional hazards model including T-stage and Drg-1 as prognostic factors suggested that Drg-1 was a marginally significant predictor to recurrence free survival (HR=1.54, p=0.05). This tissue microarray analysis demonstrated that the expression of Cx-26 and Drg-1 are altered, suggesting that these molecules should be studied further to determine their role in bladder cancer progression.


Abstract Fracture porosity and permeability has long been recognised as the major controlling factor in production of huge quantities of hydrocarbons from limestone reservoirs in S.W. Iran. The production mechanism remains poorly understood as does the nature and distribution of effective fracturing. The Oligocene aged Asmari limestone, which forms the main reservoir of the Khuzestan oil fields, provides outcrops of completely exposed anticlines often separated only by complementary synclines from their producing counterparts at depth. The abundance of surface data available from such anticlines, which are virtual replicas of producing structures, makes possible a better understanding of reservoir characteristics. Small scale and photoscale fracture and lineament patterns have been studied in terms of density and orientation with respect to structural position, both locally and regionally. Small scale fracture patterns are structurally unrelated to Tertiary folding; they show no preferred orientations and exhibit a constant density irrespective of structural position for a given bed thickness. In contrast, photo or large-scale fracturing on exposed Asmari anticlines shows definite density variations with structural position and a simple orthogonal pattern related to tension fracturing as a result of Tertiary folding. The superficial nature of gravitational slump structures on surface structures is clear. It is thought that photoscale fracturing on surface structures may include fracturing and faulting of a superficial nature. The anticline is imagined as relaxing by outward movement of its flanks on the removal of overburden pressure. Data of this superficial nature is not regarded as applicable to buried anticlines. High production areas on developed fields are difficult to explain in terms of density of fracturing of the two scales already referred to. Smaller scale airphotos of an oilfield area, where Fars sediments (including mobile evaporites) cover producing reservoirs, were studied and all linear fractures plotted and processed. The resultant pattern of fracturing and density distribution was quite different from that expected. At this scale the lineament and fracture pattern exhibits three clear maxima, which do not appear to be related to Tertiary folding but rather to the structural grain of the underlying basement. The three maxima are aligned north-south, east-west and approximately N20°E. It is significant to note that high and low production areas on Bibi Hakimeh and Gachsaran oilfields are aligned along the N20°E trend of large scale linear features. It is suggested that renewed movements along these basement trends have resulted in the enhancement of small scale fracture porosity and permeability within the Asmari reservoir along preferred zones. The relation of large scale fracture density to variations in well productions is not clear, but studies of rock porosity for Bibi Hakimeh field give some clue as to a possible production mechanism. By plotting wells according to fracture density and rock porosity, graphs can be drawn which relate production to predominant fracture porosity or predominant rock porosity or to both. The usefulness of fracture and lineament studies as an aid to oil field development is dear.


A finite element algorithm is presented for simultaneous calculation of the steady state, axisymmetric flows and the crystal, melt/crystal and melt/ambient interface shapes in the Czochralski technique for crystal growth from the melt. The analysis is based on mixed Lagrangian finite element approximations to the velocity, temperature and pressure fields and isoparametric approximations to the interface shape. Galerkin's method is used to reduce the problem to a non-linear algebraic set, which is solved by Newton's method. Sample solutions are reported for the thermophysical properties appropriate for silicon, a low-Prandtl-number semiconductor, and for GGG, a high–Prandtl–number oxide material. The algorithm is capable of computing solutions for both materials at realistic values of the Grashof number, and the calculations are convergent with mesh refinement. Flow transitions and interface shapes are calculated as a function of increasing flow intensity and compared for the two material systems. The flow pattern near the melt/gas/crystal tri-junction has the asymptotic form predicted by an inertialess analysis assuming the meniscus and solidification interfaces are fixed.


ALTHOUGH the fluids used in the machining of metal are included generally under the heading of lubricants, it is well known that their main function is that of a coolant. However, the importance of these oils and solutions to the engineering industry, the very large amounts consumed and the fact that the efficiency of any machining operation depends greatly on their condition, all warrant their inclusion in any series of articles dealing with reclamation. These fluids belong to two main classes. The straight cutting oil (which in practice is more often than not a blend of mineral oil plus fatty oil, sulphur‐ or chlorine‐containing body), and the soluble oil which yields an aqueous emulsion, milky or clear, and of varying fineness of dispersion.


In this paper, we have discussed the problem of traffic and how to solve it using WSN and IoT. As we know IoT is the latest technology and is being used in many sectors nowadays at it very effective. As we know the problem of traffic management is increasing nowadays is big cities which causes many problems like traffic, accidents and pollution. Management of traffic is very important and a tedious job. There have been many methods used to solve these Problems. Also, the issues like car theft have also increased now a days, also due to high traffic ambulance also have problems in reaching the hospitals fast. In this paper, we have discussed the technique of solving this problem using IoT. There will be a sensor node and a base node the sensor node will be used to count the traffic in each lane and will send the information to the base node and the base node will take the decision of allocation of them. Also, the base node will have an RFID reader connected which will be continuously Reading for the RFID cards that will be present at the cars and compare it with the data base and search for the stolen cars and ambulance and will notify after the stolen car is detected. This will help to solve the traffic management problem the theft problem and the emergency situations for the ambulance. Keywords— IOT, WSN, RFID


A new device and procedure for the in situ quantification of the extent of the self-healing and the kinetics of self-healing of polymeric materials were proposed. The device consisted of flowing an inert gas below the sample placed in a hermetically closed chamber. When the sample was perforated/damaged, the gas passed through the hole made in the polymeric material and the gas flow rate declined as the self-healing was produced. Once the gas flow rate stopped, the self-healing was completed. The proposed method was simple, quick, and reproducible, and several in situ self-healing experiments at different temperatures could be performed in the same sample. As a proof of concept, the new device and method have been used for measuring the self-healing ability of different polyurethanes.


This article considers Luther's statement in thesis 21 of the 1545 doctoral disputation of Petrus Hegemon (1545) concerning the difficulty of belief in creatio ex nihilo, and suggests that this difficulty shapes the later Luther's theology in significant ways. The difficulty is reconstructed as a gradual movement into the mystery of the creatio ex nihilo. The first site of difficulty correlates the knowledge of creatures as particulars with the knowledge of the Creator as the source of existence. The move towards a second site is propelled by the question of inevitable death, which Luther answers by moving from material and natural generation to the resurrection and then to the creatio ex nihilo. At the third site, Luther addresses such disturbing questions as the suffering of the righteous, the historical cycle of political power, and the harshness of reprobation. He answers these questions by integrating the symmetrical biblical statements of the annihilatio and the creatio with a theological theory of divine omnipotence. God's hiddenness is understood as God's omnipotence working at the specific locations of self-negation, as well as behind the ebb and flow of historical-political contingency. Faith presses into the hidden mystery, grounded in the certainty that all things are effected by the Creator whose nature is self-giving goodness, and established by the hope that the light of glory will determine more fully the God who is to be honored above all.


The proneural genes achaete (ac) and scute (sc) confer to Drosophila epidermal cells the ability to become sensory mother cells (SMCs). In imaginal discs, ac-sc are expressed in groups of cells, the proneural clusters, which are thought to delimit the areas where SMCs arise. We have visualized with the resolution of single cells the initial stages of sensory organ development by following the evolving pattern of proneural clusters and the emergence of SMCs. At reproducible positions within clusters, a small number of cells accumulate increased amounts of ac-sc protein. Subsequently, one of these cells, the SMC, accumulates the highest amount. Later, at least some SMCs become surrounded by cells with reduced ac-sc expression, a phenomenon probably related to lateral inhibition. Genetic mosaic analyses of cells with different doses of ac-sc genes, the sc expression in sc mutants, and the above findings show that the levels of ac-sc products are most important for SMC singling-out and SMC state maintenance. These products do not intervene in the differentiation of SMC descendants. The extramacrochaetae gene, an antagonist of proneural genes, negatively regulates sc expression, probably by interfering with activators of this gene.


The pharmacodynamic effects of different intravenous and subcutaneous doses of a new recombinant hirudin (IK-HIR02) on platelet adhesion, platelet-induced thrombin formation and on platelet count have been studied in 18 healthy volunteers in a bicenter study. Single intravenous bolus injections of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/kg IK-HIR02 in 6 volunteers caused a significant dose-dependent prolongation of platelet-induced thrombin generation time (PITT) and a significant inhibition of platelet adhesion to glass. Single subcutaneous doses of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg IK-HIR02 slightly prolonged PITT and inhibited platelet adhesion to glass for up to 8 h. Repeat subcutaneous injections of 0.3 mg/kg IK-HIR02 b.i.d. in 6 healthy volunteers led to a prolongation of PITT and also to a reduction of platelet adhesion. In platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from blood samples which had been collected using hirudin as anticoagulant (0.7 micrograms/ml), the platelet count was constantly higher than in citrate PRP which had been sampled at the same time. The recombinant hirudin IK-HIR02 inhibits platelet adhesion to glass and also PITT. Both effects which have not been described before are most likely due to a direct inhibition of thrombin-induced platelet activation. These effects may contribute to the antithrombotic action of hirudin and probably have to be considered when hirudin is used in higher doses as an antithrombotic agent together with platelet function inhibitors to avoid excessive bleeding.


Hyperinflation of the lungs is associated with activity limitation and reduced quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing has proven useful, not only in establishing this link, but also in determining which interventions modify exercise endurance and the mechanisms by which this is achieved. In COPD, dynamic hyperinflation is reduced during exercise by interventions that either increase the potential for expiratory flow or increase the time available for expiration. Two classes of intervention improve exercise tolerance by increasing expiratory flow. Bronchodilators reduce expiratory airflow resistance by increasing the diameter of the airways. An alternative intervention, though less practical, is to reduce the density of the gas exhaled through obstructed airways, such as occurs when breathing a mixture of helium and oxygen (heliox). In contrast, supplemental oxygen and exercise rehabilitation programs improve endurance by reducing respiratory ventilatory drive and, therefore, respiratory rate. The different mechanisms exploited by these interventions to reduce dynamic hyperinflation suggest that combination treatments should yield additive benefits. This has been proven in the case of combinations of rehabilitative exercise training with supplemental oxygen, or with the bronchodilator tiotropium, both of which have been found to yield additive effects. With such interventions, we already have options for improving the mobility of patients with COPD. With a firm understanding of the physiologic basis of exercise limitation, we can focus on defining new and better strategies to improve exercise tolerance.


BACKGROUND
Inpatient Palliative Care (PC) consultations help develop a patient-centered and quality-of-life-focused plan of care for patients with serious illness. Discharge summaries (DSs) are an essential tool to maintain continuity of these care plans across multiple locations and providers.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective chart review of selected DSs of patients who received inpatient PC consultations at the University of Kansas Hospital from July 2011 to May 2015. The study included patients 18 years or older, patients who were discharged alive, and patients who were not discharged with hospice care. Code words and their related phrases, developed by an expert panel of geriatric medicine and palliative medicine physicians, were used to evaluate the DSs. They were categorized into PC, symptom management, hospice and palliative home health, decision making, and plan of care. We also identified whether there was communication between the primary team and PC team, as well as family meeting status in the PC consultation and notes.

RESULTS
Of the 961 chart reviews, no code words were found in 22.8% of the DSs. PC was mentioned in only 63.3% and was the only code word in 5.3%.

CONCLUSION
More than one in five DSs lacked any code words of the completed PC consultation and more than one in three DSs lacked mention of PC. As DSs are the main source of provider communication, it is critical they reflect the key discussion points from the PC consultation, which will improve the transition of care and provider communication.


In concern to the continuously rising global prevalence of obesity, diabetes and associated diseases, novel preventive and therapeutic approaches are urgently required. However, to explore and develop such innovative strategies, a meticulous comprehension of the biological basis of these diseases is extremely important. Past decade has witnessed an enormous amount of research investigation and advancement in the field of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, with the gut microbiota receiving a special focus in the triangle of nutrition, health and diseases. In particular, the role of gut microbiota in health and diseases has been one of the most vigorous and intriguing field of recent research; however, much still remains to be elucidated about its precise role in host metabolism and immune functions and its implication in the onset, progression as well as in the amelioration of metabolic ailments. Recent investigations have suggested a significant contribution of the gut microbiota in the regulation and impairment of energy homeostasis, thereby causing metabolic disorders, such as metabolic endotoxemia, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Numerous inflammatory biomarkers have been found to be associated with obesity, diabetes and risk of other associated adverse outcomes, thereby suggesting that a persistent low-grade inflammatory response is a potential risk factor. In this milieu, this review intends to discuss potential evidences supporting the disturbance of the gut microbiota balance and the intestinal barrier permeability as a potential triggering factor for systemic inflammation in the onset and progression of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.


In recent years, games with a focus on narrative have been a growing area. However, so far, interactive narrative aspects have not been the focus of video game education (with the noted exception of a small number of programs in game writing), which indicates that many narrative designers are self-trained. The insular status means that many designers use private vocabulary and conceptualizations that are not directly transferable. This state of affairs is an obstacle to productive discourse and has negative consequences for the further development of the professional field. By starting an educational program, we aim to address this problem using the opportunity to also include perspectives outside of games. We report on the first iteration of a minor in interactive narrative design, and reflect on lessons learned, while considering future trajectories for this and similar programs.


Talented students compete fiercely for seats at Boston and New York exam schools. These schools are characterized by high levels of peer achievement and a demanding curriculum tailored to each district's highest achievers. While exam school students do very well in school, the question of whether an exam school education adds value relative to a regular public education remains open. We estimate the causal effect of exam school attendance using a regression-discontinuity design, reporting both parametric and non- parametric estimates. The outcomes studied here include scores on state standardized achievement tests, PSAT and SAT participation and scores, and AP scores. Our estimates show little effect of exam school offers on most students' achievement. We use two-stage least squares to convert reduced form estimates of the effects of exam school offers into estimates of peer and tracking effects, arguing that these appear to be unimportant in this context. Finally, we explore the external validity of RD estimates, arguing that as best we can tell, there is little effect of an exam school education on achievement even for the highest-ability marginal applicants and for applicants to the right of admissions cutoffs. On the other hand, a Boston exam school education seems to have a modest effect on high school English scores for minority applicants. A small group of 9th grade applicants also appears to do better on SAT Reasoning. These localized gains notwithstanding, the intense competition for exam school seats does not appear to be justified by improved learning for a broad set of students.


This project is about the study of carbonate sedimentology and structural geology of the limestone cliff face in Gunung Kanthan, Chemor, in Kinta Valley, Perak. The area is mostly made up of limestone hills that were remnants of massive carbonate beds covered with alluvial sediments and it has been mined by Lafarge Malayan Company. Due to the excavation and extraction of the limestone, the cliff face is now exposed and provides the opportunity to study the area. This research will provide geological study of the area as well as providing a geological map of the study area. The study is divided into two parts in which the first part is the geological mapping of the area followed by the relation of carbonate facies to the petrophysical properties of the area. The study also includes a number of test such as sedimentary logging and thin section analysis which allows us to determine and examine the mineral composition found in the rock.


Spiroplasma citri is a plant-pathogenic mollicute, phylogenetically related to Gram-positive bacteria. Spiroplasma cells are restricted to the phloem sieve elements and are transmitted by leafhopper vectors. Recent research has allowed depicting a unique scenario in S. citri pathogenicity, where sugar metabolism plays a major role. In vitro S. citri uses fructose, glucose, and trehalose, which are imported through the Phosphoenolpyruvate phosphoTransferase System (PTS). When both fructose and glucose are present, fructose is used preferentially. The fructose-PTS permease is made of one single polypeptide IIABCFru, whereas the glucose permease is split into two polypeptides IICBGlc and IIAGlc encoded by two separated genes ptsG and crr. The glucose IICBGlc and trehalose IIBCTre permeases function with a single IIAGlc domain, enabling the spiroplasma to rapidly adapt from glucose to trehalose and vice versa. Upregulation of expression of the PTS permease genes by the relevant sugar also illustrates the adaptive capacity of the spiroplasma. S. citri mutants unable to import glucose and trehalose are still highly pathogenic. In contrast, mutants unable to import fructose induce very mild and delayed symptoms, indicating that fructose and glucose play distinct roles in spiroplasmal pathogenicity. While fructose is used as a substrate by the spiroplasma to grow, glucose accumulates in source leaves of the host plant, leading to physiological disorders and down-regulation of photosynthesis genes. Fructose utilization by the spiroplasmas is postulated to deprive companion cells of fructose, thereby impairing sucrose loading in the sieve elements. Alternatively, preferential use of fructose is hypothesized to increase invertase activity, leading to glucose accumulation, and inhibition of photosynthesis. Both model mechanisms may contribute to S. citri pathogenicity.


Since the formal sector of Nigerian economy cannot fully employ the Nation.s active population, degeneration of human condition in the society becomes inevitable and this leads to poverty in all ramifications. The immanent condition has spurred creative and innovative individuals to embrace entrepreneurial endeavours as a sanctuary from nascent unemployment, underemployment and the general economic quagmire. This is so as small-scale enterprises is believed to provide easy entry into entrepreneurship as it may require relatively little financial capital especially when put against the travails of securing favourable employment in the formal sector of Nigeria. The poor, unemployed and the retrenched in both developed and developing nations have continually embraced entrepreneurship as a means of job creation and income generation. Nonetheless, of the several challenges confronting Nigerian entrepreneurs, access to micro-credit constitutes the biggest problem as it is crucial to the economic empowerment of small business entrepreneurs. Thus, this paper explores the significance of micro-credit support in poverty amelioration among entrepreneurs and the overall impact of inaccessibility of credit to entrepreneurship development in Nigeria as a whole. It also examines other forms of capital needed for an enterprise to succeed or fail if entrepreneurs lack them. The paper however adopted an eclectic theoretical approach in explaining the subject matter with Marxist and Weberian postulations. It concludes by proffering action-oriented recommendations.


This study demonstrates the moment resistance performance of various splice connections of cross-laminated timber (CLT) subjected to flatwise bending. A total of 33 samples in two groups (half-lapped and single-splined) were tested under four-point bending. The influence of fastener types on the half-lapped connections was investigated. Additionally, different lap lengths were considered to understand the influence of lap length on different fastener types. Steel plates with two different thicknesses and plywoods were attached with bolts onto the bottom face only to make the single spline connections. Additionally, plywoods were attached to the CLT members in two ways: (i) with the bolt only and (ii) glue plus bolts. The effect of bolt diameters on the spline connections was also examined, and the connections were tested along both the major and minor axes. To determine the characteristic values of the resistance properties, a statistical analysis was carried out following EN 14358:2016. The results indicate the bolted lap connections experience plastic deformations, whereas the screwed lap connections exhibit relatively linear behaviour until failure. The bolted and screwed lap connection with a lap length of 100 mm showed 39% and 33% higher moment capacity, respectively, than that with a 75 mm lap length. Additionally, the rotational rigidity and ductility of the lap connections increase with the increase in lap length. Irrespective of lap lengths, the bolted lap connections show higher moment capacity, support rotation and ductility, but lower rotational rigidity than screwed lap connections. An increase in bolt diameter increases moment capacity but decreases rotational rigidity. Compared to the plywood spline connections, the steel spline connections showed approximately 24%, 5% and 73% higher moment capacity, rotational rigidity and ductility, respectively. Additionally, the plywood spline connections without glue performed better than glued connections. Overall, compared to the half-lapped connections, the single-spline connections showed better performance.


In recent years political theorists have become increasingly interested in lotteries as a tool for decision making or the selection of public officials. Ultimately, however, this topic remains rather marginal in the political science literature, as well as in real-world institutions (with the possible exception of the accounts of deliberative democracy and citizens' juries).Against this background, the collection of essays under review represents a helpful effort to provide theoretical underpinnings for future research. Its editor, Peter Stone, claims that his anthology includes 'every significant theoretical paper on lotteries published in English between 1959 and 1998' (p. 2). The essays can be divided into three main categories. The first set of authors tackle the question of 'what is lottery?' (in chronological order: Sher, Kornhauser and Sager, and Wasserman). The second group is interested in the assignment of political office by lot (Mueller et al., Mulgan, Engelstad and Knag). Finally, a number of authors focus upon the random allocation of goods (Wolfle, Greely, Goodwin, Eckhoff, Hofstee and Broome). These papers are preceded by a thoughtful and extremely useful road map (the editor's introduction), as well as by an article published in 1959 by Swedish sociologist Vilhelm Aubert (ch. 1). According to Stone,Aubert was the first author to tackle the topic from a theoretical perspective since Thomas Gataker's Of the Nature and Use of Lots (1619). Any scholar interested in random selection in public life should have this reader in their library.Apart from the theoretical insights, especially with regard to the relationship between lotteries and theories of justice, it contains insightful examples from the use of lotteries in the past (in places such as ancient Greece, medieval Italian republics and Swiss cantons) and references to key authors (e.g. Aristotle, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Dahl). The main limitation of the book is inherent in its declared focus upon papers published in English only. The risk is that significant theoretical insights in other languages are ignored. Finally, it is a pity that this volume, especially with respect to its declared scope as 'a reader', does not provide an index of authors and key concepts, or a handy overview of the cited literature at the end of the book. Note 1 See, e.g., H. Buchstein, Demokratie und Lotterie, 2009; F. Cordano and C. Grottanelli (eds), Sorteggio pubblico e cleromanzia dall'antichità all'età moderna, 2001; and Y. Sintomer, Petite histoire de l'expérimentation démocratique:Tirage au sort et politique d'Athènes à nos jours, 2011.


Drill cores obtained during the drilling of the Bendix/Department of Energy radon emanometry grid, Red Desert, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, have been analyzed for Polonium-210 and studied using alpha sensitive, nuclear emulsions. These nuclear track plates provide descriptive information on the physical distribution of U-238 and its alpha emitting daughter products. Microscopic examination of exposed and developed plates on which non-ore zone core samples were dispersed suggests that U-238 and its long-lived daughters U-234, Th-230, and Ra-226 deposit on grain surfaces in very low concentrations (U-238 in sub-picogram amounts). Many of these atoms are bound to the surfaces so lightly that they, as well as Rn-222, are free to enter the underlying emulsion where their decays are recorded. Concentrations of alpha activity usually associated with discrete uranium minerals were not observed. Ra-226 appears to be more mobile than Rn-222. Measurements of Po-210 in the sequential decay, Rn-222 (3.8 days) ^rarr Pb-210 (22 years) ^rarr Po-210 (138 days), provide an indirect means of estimating the number of Rn-222 atoms that have decayed in a sample over the last 80 to 100 years. Many Po-210 highs have been observed in the Red Desert cores, some directly associated with uranium mineralization. To date, evidence for the predicted Po-210 concentration gradient produced by the decay of mobile, unsupported Rn-222 either in transit to the surface or over short distances, has not been found. These Po-210 analyses and microscopic studies suggest that observed Rn-222 and Po 210 surface anomalies may be associated with widely dispersed very low concentration halos of Ra-226 or its longer lived parents which surround the ore. End_of_Article - Last_Page 998------------


Background: Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of bone marrow, caused by microorganisms, developed from odontogenic infection, and usually also affects the cortical bone and periosteum. There are several classifications of the osteomyelitis, according to the affected anatomy, acute and chronic, suppurative and non-suppurative. The treatment of the osteomyelitis is surgery and antibiotic therapy. Objective: A case report of a management of chronic osteomyelitis came from odontogenic infection. Case: A-39-years old male patient who came to the hospital, presented complaining of pain and swelling of the right mandibular region for 1 year. From the dental history, tooth on the right lower jaw had been extracted about two years ago. Osteomyelitis had developed from odontogenic infection. On examination, there was an asymmetrical face, right-sided facial swelling and an extraoral fistula, edentulous at 46 and 47 regions. Panoramic radiograph showed radiolucent regions which surround aportion of dense bone. Management: The treatment were sequstrectomy and fistulectomy which performed under general anesthesia. Conclusion: A sequestrectomy is a surgical intervention in treatment of the chronic osteomyelitis to remove the necrotic bone, improve the blood supply in the involved area thereby allowing adequate penetration of antibiotic.