The current study aimed to verify the existence of aggregative behavior in Subulina octona (Bruguiere, 1789) and to obtain behavioral evidence of chemical mediation of this behavior. We used 150 adult animals allocated in 15 boxes with humus (10 animals per box). In each box we placed four identified plastic disks in an equidistant position. These disks worked as shelters for the animals. In experiment I, 10 animals were put in the middle of each box. After 24, 48, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hours we observed the number of formed aggregations, as well as the position of the aggregates (in each shelter), the number of individual per aggregation and the number of isolated individuals. In order to test the hypothesis of conditioning of disks by chemicals compounds, the experiment II was carried out. All the individuals were transferred to other boxes with humus, three new disks and the disk containing the larger aggregate after the 168 hours of the experiment I (denominated conditioned disk). We verified, after 24 and 48 hours, the number of individuals below the conditioned disk. In experiment I, aggregations were observed in every used box and in every time intervals. In all boxes, there was a significant increase in the number of individuals per aggregation and a reduction in the number of isolated individuals until the end of the experiment (ANOVA, p < 0.005). In experiment II, after 24 hours, six from 15 boxes presented aggregations under the conditioned disk, and after 48 hours, seven boxes presented aggregations under conditioned disk. These were the aggregations with a larger quantity of individuals, which suggests the conditioning of the used disks by some factor, possibly a chemical compound.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common tumor worldwide and the leading cause of death amongst patients with cirrhosis. There are an estimated 500,000 or more new cases diagnosed each year in the world, with recent data suggesting an increase in incidence in the United State. Since the majority of HCC occurs in the setting of cirrhosis, an effective protocol for treatment needs to be in place addressing both management of underlying cirrhosis and cancer.


This article seeks to provide a comprehensive review of the international law on confidentiality in arbitration both in terms of theory and in practice (by examining national legislation and the rules of the various institutions). The essential point is that the problem is not in defining confidentiality but in defining the exceptions to the duty of confidentiality where such a duty is recognized. The argument is made that, in practice, it is difficult to come up with a comprehensive formula for, or list of, all the exceptions to the obligation of confidentiality. However, there is an examination of the most comprehensive and recent attempt to codify the exceptions to the duty of confidentiality in the New Zealand Arbitration Act 1996 (2007 Amendment). Nonetheless, even as the New Zealand Arbitration Act 1996 recognizes, no code can be fully comprehensive, and there must be room for an independent third party (either the tribunal or the curial court) to rule on permitted exceptions to the obligation of confidentiality.


Vancomycin-induced immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare type of drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) that can lead to life-threatening consequences as a result of its use. We herein report a case of a 74-year-old male with a history of diabetes mellitus type II, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke who presented to the ICU with sepsis. The patient was on heparin for 20 days prior to presentation, with platelet levels at the time within normal limits as per his baseline. Following the introduction of vancomycin to his clinical regimen in the treatment of sepsis, the patient developed a significant drop in platelet count from 400 x10³/mm³ to 70 x10³/mm³. Discontinuation of the drug leads to improvement of the platelet counts confirming the diagnosis of vancomycin-induced ITP.


This study aimed to verify the association between health-related physical fitness and academic performance in adolescents. Overall, 326 students aged 15-18 years of the Federal Institute of Sergipe (IFS) participated in this cross-sectional study. Data relating to physical fitness were collected by applying the following tests: body mass index, sit and reach, abdominal in one minute and one mile running, which comprise the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance testing battery. Academic performance was measured by the grades of two-month period in the disciplines that comprise the following areas of knowledge: languages and codes, natural sciences and humanities, obtained from the IFS school record. Students with average grades ≥ 6.0 were considered on satisfactory academic performance. The prevalence of physical unfitness in the sample was 15.8% (girls 15.4%; boys 16.4%) in body composition, 32.3% (girls 23.1%; boys 41.5%) in flexibility, 93.0% (95.8% girls; 90.2% boys) in muscular strength and 86.9% (85.3% girls; 88.5% boys) in cardiorespiratory endurance. On academic performance, the prevalence of adolescents below the average grade was 8.8% (girls 5.6%; boys 12.0%) in languages and codes, 24.5% (girls 19.5%; boys 29.5%) in natural sciences and 12.8% (girls 11.9%; boys 13.7%) in humanities. Adolescents with low cardiorespiratory endurance levels were more likely to have worse academic performance (OR=2.39; CI95%=1.05 to 5.44). It was concluded that low cardiorespiratory endurance levels were associated with worse academic performance.


Bois noir is caused by 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani', and it is one of the most important and widespread diseases in the Euro-Mediterranean region. There are complex interactions between phytoplasma and grapevines, weeds, and vectors. These ecological relationships can be tracked according to molecular epidemiology. The aims of the 2-year study (2014–2015) were to describe incidence and spatial distribution of Bois noir in a vineyard with three grapevine varieties in Sicily, and to identify the molecular types of the tuf and vmp1 genes in these naturally infected grapevines, according to the potential reservoir plants and vectors. Disease incidence in 2015 was significantly higher in 'Chardonnay' (up to 35%) than for 'Nero d'Avola' and 'Pinot noir' (<5%). All grapevine, weed, and insect samples were infected by 'Ca. P. solani' tuf-type b. Most of the collected insects were strictly related to Vitis spp. and belonged to Neoaliturus fenestratus, Empoasca spp., and Zygina rhamni. The characterization of the vmp1 gene revealed six different vmp types in grapevines (V1, V4, V9, V11, V12, V24), three in weeds (V4, V9, V11), and four in insects (V4, V9, V11, V24). Notably, V4, V9, appear both in hosts and vectors, with V9 predominant. Virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis based on the nucleotide sequences supported the data of the conventional RFLP. Connections between the molecular data recorded in the vineyard ecosystems and the application of innovative tools based on the geostatistical analysis will contribute to further clarification of the specific ecological and epidemiological aspects of 'Ca. P. solani' in Sicily.


Background Hackathons aim to develop solutions to preidentified problem domains and catalyse startup cultures. Recently, the teaching and learning potential of hackathons has also been documented. In this study, we make the case for utilisation of hackathons as an alternative teaching and learning tool geared towards entrepreneurship and as an opportunity for interprofessional integration. Methods This research study followed up with participants from the third hackathon at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Hack MedEd was about solutions to problems of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education with an emphasis on low-income to middle-income countries. Participant evaluation data were filled at the end of the hackathon and gathered from three focused group discussions (FGDs): immediately before and after the event, a delayed follow-up after 11 months was recorded. Results Of 116 participants, the majority (71%) were under 30 years old, and over half were female. The evaluations provided by hackers were positive overall with a mean score of 4.37 out of 5 on a Likert Scale. During the FGDs, participants spoke positively of the process and felt that, by the end of the hackathon, they had learnt something new. In the delayed follow-up FGD, teams that had undergone incubation expressed that they had gained a critical and simple skillset that they might not have acquired otherwise. Conclusion Hackathons business incubation programmes may be considered an alternative teaching and learning tool—especially for individuals studying or working within the healthcare discipline within low-resource settings.


Drop it! A highly enantioselective catalytic cascade reaction of α-ketoacids and aldehydes is achieved using the title catalyst and water as the solvent. Fluorescence imaging shows that the catalyst is mainly distributed on the surface of emulsion droplets. Optically active isotetronic acids can be obtained with this method and the emulsion droplets are responsible for the high reactivity and enantioselectivity.


Six hours after work in an empty, non-ventilated silo a 27-year-old Yugoslav worker suffered acutely from cough, dyspnea and general weakness. He was admitted to the hospital with severe partial respiratory insufficiency, and after emergency intubation artificial respiration had to be installed. X-ray showed a severe symmetrical alveolo-interstitial opacity. The heart configuration was normal. History revealed that the neighbouring silo had been filled with green corn the day before. Both silos were connected by a common drain-wall. Furthermore, a yellowish discolouration of the new paint in the empty silo was noted. Based on these facts silo-filler's disease was diagnosed. The patient recovered rapidly under high doses of steroids. Lung function was normalized within nine days, and the patient was released from the hospital. Steroid therapy was continued for six weeks.


enclosures. Using national, local, and German-language camp newspaper articles, event logs and reports from German and U.S. military archives, inspection reports from the International Committee of the Red Cross, letters, diaries, and interviews with American civilians (from 1980) and former POWs (from 2004), Billinger reconstructs the particularities of the camps in North Carolina and the prisoners' lives in chronological detail. Separate chapters focus on the biographies of seven former POWs; main camps, Fort Bragg and Camp Butner; the branch camps, such as Camp Mackall and Camp Davis; the POW labor program, which improved the labor shortage caused by the war and migration; and the reorientation program, which trained numerous pro-American prisoners in "American democracy" for work in the American zone of occupation. Billinger includes supplementary sections on the repatriation of the POWs, many of whom were unexpectedly transferred to France, Belgium, or England for reparation labor after they had been promised immediate repatriation and employment with the U.S. military in Germany; graves and memories maintained by local commemoration groups for German POWs who passed away while in captivity; and correspondences of a Jewish, political prisoner in Nazi Germany who was mistaken for a soldier by Allied troops and ended up in U. S. captivity. Unfortunately, these materials serve neither an analytical purpose nor a critical argument. Despite its title, the book conveys Billinger's "sympathy[] for former members of the Wehrmacht" (xv) and his goal to counteract American stereotypes about German soldiers as "Nazis." Indeed, not all German soldiers were German nationals, and not all of them identified with National Socialist ideology, as illustrated in the unique spatial arrangement of Camp Butner. The camp housed—in separate compounds—"Nazi" POWs and "Allied" POWs, the latter of whom were Polish, Czech, Dutch, or French nationals who requested to be repatriated or volunteered to fight for the Allies. Yet, exemplifying the diversity among German soldiers did not require a new study or exclusive attention to the POW experience in North Carolina. Attempting to complicate American stereotypes, in fact, Billinger relies too heavily on popular German myths that permeate his interviewees' narratives and several of his sources: the myth of the "clean" Wehrmacht and the myth that German prisoners were underdogs and were recognized as such, especially by African American soldiers. Unfortunately, the book does not contextualize the presence of "Nazis" within the particular history and culture of the American South. In spite of the book's uncritical use of sources, readers interested in the local history of North Carolina should find the anecdotes interesting and very informative. University of Kansas Andrea Weis


Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is currently used in artificial joints as the best polymer for bearing against metallic counterparts. It has a low coefficient of friction, a good resistance against wear, and a high toughness. In recent years however, the suitability of this material has been questioned due to the association between implant loosening by osteolysis in the joint vicinity and polyethylene debris. Friction characteristics at polyethylene-prosthesis articular interface influence the state of stress at and around articular regions and consequently the extent of surface damage and wear of both materials in contact. In this investigation, following our earlier bone-implant friction studies [1–3], uni- and bi-directional friction properties of polyethylene-metal interface are measured under different contact pressures and two conditions of wet and dry.


The emergence of foundation models in Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing have resulted in immense progress on downstream tasks. This progress was enabled by datasets with billions of training examples. Similar benefits are yet to be unlocked for quantum chemistry, where the potential of deep learning is constrained by comparatively small datasets with 100k to 20M training examples. These datasets are limited in size because the labels are computed using the accurate (but computationally demanding) predictions of Density Functional Theory (DFT). Notably, prior DFT datasets were created using CPU supercomputers without leveraging hardware acceleration. In this paper, we take a first step towards utilising hardware accelerators by introducing the data generator PySCF$_{\text{IPU}}$ using Intelligence Processing Units (IPUs). This allowed us to create the dataset QM1B with one billion training examples containing 9-11 heavy atoms. We demonstrate that a simple baseline neural network (SchNet 9M) improves its performance by simply increasing the amount of training data without additional inductive biases. To encourage future researchers to use QM1B responsibly, we highlight several limitations of QM1B and emphasise the low-resolution of our DFT options, which also serves as motivation for even larger, more accurate datasets. Code and dataset are available on Github: http://github.com/graphcore-research/pyscf-ipu


Objective: Early intervention to reduce cognitive decline and preserve functioning is a compelling public health issue. Because impaired attention occurs early in the process of cognitive impairment, focusing training strategies upon attention may be a potential intervention to prevent further cognitive decline. We sought to test the effects on cognitive performance and daily functioning of a new cognitive training program that focuses on attention. Method: This single-blind randomized controlled trial lasted 6 months and included two phases. Assessments were conducted at baseline, at 3 months, and at 6 months. The study was performed in four community older adult centers. Ninety-three participants with subjective cognitive impairment without dementia were included. Forty-seven participants were randomized to the Integrated Attention Training Program (IATP), and 46 were randomized to the control group. The two arms of the study included the IATP (intervention group) and a health-related education program (active control group). Results: No significant interactions were identified between group and time for the Clinical Dementia Rating–Sum of Boxes and other secondary outcomes, except for the Digit Forward Score (p < .05; effect size, 0.057). When the preintervention and postintervention results were compared, the IATP group showed significant improvement in grand mean effect (p < .05) and accuracy (p < .05) in the Attention Network Test, Digit Backward Score (p < .05), Category Verbal Fluency Test (p < .05), and Trail Making Test A (p < .01) immediately after the intervention. These improvements were sustained 3 months after the intervention. Conclusion: The IATP showed domain-specific effects but had no effects on global cognition or functioning. It could not show a superior benefit in cognition and functioning when compared with non-specific mental stimulation in a group format. Further studies are needed to determine the role of attention in cognitive training.


Over the past decade behavior analysts have paid increasing attention to the clinical phenomena of pathological gambling. Explorations have varied from animal models to therapeutic interventions. Perhaps no topic has received greater attention in the behavioral gambling literature than the discounting of delayed consequences. Delay discounting has been noted as both a conceptual framework to understand problem gambling as well as a dependent variable by which to deduce level of pathology. Regardless of hypothesized process, discounting appears to be a topic of great interest to those within the behavioral community. This special section of the Analysis of Gambling Behavior brings together a theoretical account of problem gambling from Fantino and Stolarz-Fantino as well as fourteen commentaries from an impressive list of authors within and beyond the traditional bounds of behavior analysis. Together these articles highlight the wide range of perspectives on the causes of pathological gambling, as well as how delay discounting fits within such causal mechanisms.


The COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world in 2020 forced all educational institutions to search for new ways of teaching and learning. Furthermore, education institutions such as the University of South Africa (UNISA), like all other universities, found themselves with a huge task of promoting digitalization. As a traditional distance education institution, UNISA had to refine digitalization in a time of decolonization in the Global South. This case study examined the role of educational managers in sustaining effective digitalization. Eight UNISA managers were selected and interviewed to understand how they perceived the role of digital leaders. Furthermore, the study sought to understand why it is critical that managers should be in the forefront of digitalization. The study found that at present in Africa it is critical for digitalization to be combined with decolonization. Additionally, when digitalization and decolonization are implemented simultaneously, they become vehicles for social justice and democracy. This then means that education can be a tool for liberation and achievement where the digital divide is minimized. When implemented well, education institutions become institutions with access for success. The conclusions show that a set strategy based on a new vision for a university will harness digital leadership. The participants also mentioned strategic documents at the university; on the one hand are the Five Pillars of Change whilst on the other are the Eight Dimensions of Transformation. Furthermore, the participants claimed that their institution was on the road to success whilst building UNISA as an institution "Towards the African University that builds futures."


Set at the end of World War II, this novel explores the lives of four very disparate people who find themselves holed up together in a ruined villa north of Florence as the war retreats around them. The author was awarded the 1992 Booker Prize for this book.


Applanatumols A (1) and B [(±)-2], two unique meroterpenoids with a novel spiro[benzofuran-2,2′-bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane] ring system and a naturally unusual dioxacyclopenta[cd]inden motif, respectively, were isolated from Ganoderma applanatum. Their structures were determined using spectroscopic data. In particular, the absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were assigned by X-ray diffraction analysis using the Flack parameter and ECD calculations, respectively. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for 1 and 2 is proposed. The biological activities of 1 and 2 against renal fibrosis were accessed in rat proximal tubular epithelial cells.


Author(s): Johnson-Freyd, Theodore Paul | Advisor(s): Reshetikhin, Nicolai | Abstract: This dissertation addresses a number of related questions concerning perturbative "path" integrals. Perturbative methods are one of the few successful ways physicists have worked with (or even defined) these infinite-dimensional integrals, and it is important as mathematicians to check that they are correct.Chapter 0 provides a detailed introduction. We take a classical approach to path integrals in Chapter 1. Following standard arguments, we posit a Feynman-diagrammatic description of the asymptotics of the time-evolution operator for the quantum mechanics of a charged particle moving nonrelativistically through a curved manifold under the influence of an external electromagnetic field. We check that our sum of Feynman diagrams has all desired properties: it is coordinate-independent and well-defined without ultraviolet divergences, it satisfies the correct composition law, and it satisfies Schrodinger's equation thought of as a boundary-value problem in PDE. Path integrals in quantum mechanics and elsewhere in quantum field theory are almost always of the shape ∫ f es for some functions f (the "observable") and s (the "action"). In Chapter 2 we step back to analyze integrals of this type more generally. Integration by parts provides algebraic relations between the values of ∫ (-) es for different inputs, which can be packaged into a Batalin–Vilkovisky-type chain complex. Using some simple homological perturbation theory, we study the version of this complex that arises when f and s are taken to be polynomial functions, and power series are banished. We find that in such cases, the entire scheme-theoretic critical locus (complex points included) of s plays an important role, and that one can uniformly (but noncanonically) integrate out in a purely algebraic way the contributions to the integral from all "higher modes," reducing ∫ f es to an integral over the critical locus. This may help explain the presence of analytic continuation in questions like the Volume Conjecture. We end with Chapter 3, in which the role of integration is somewhat obscured, but perturbation theory is prominent. The Batalin–Vilkovisky homological approach to integration illustrates that there are generalizations of the notion of "integral" analogous to the generalization from cotangent bundles to Poisson manifolds. The AKSZ construction of topological quantum field theories fits into this approach; in what is usually called "AKSZ theory," everything is still required to be symplectic.Using factorization algebras as a framework for (topological) quantum field theory, we construct a one-dimensional Poisson AKSZ field theory for any formal Poisson manifold M. Quantizations of our field theory correspond to formal star-products on M. By using a ``universal'' formal Poisson manifold and abandoning configuration-space integrals in favor of other homological-perturbation techniques, we construct a universal formal star-product all of whose coefficients are manifestly rational numbers.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an original mixed least squares method for solving problems in dynamic elasticity. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed approach involves two different types of unknowns: velocities and stresses. The approximate solution to the dynamic elasticity equations is obtained via a minimization of a least squares functional, consisting of two terms: a term, which includes the squared residual of a weak form of the time rate of the constitutive relationships, expressed in terms of velocities and stresses, and a term, which depends on the squared residual of the equations of motion. At each time step the functional is minimized with respect to the velocities and stresses, which for the purpose of this study, are approximated by equal order piece-wise linear polynomial functions. The time discretization is based upon the backward Euler scheme. The displacements are computed from the obtained velocities in terms of a finite difference interpolation. The proposed...


This 'Families and Relationships' e-Special Issue contains a selection of 10 articles previously published in Sociology. In this Introduction, we first outline the broader sub-disciplinary context and explain our selection criteria. The increased popularity of families and relationships as a focus of sociological study is reflected in the dominance of articles published in the 1990s and later. Our selection highlights the following developments within the field: the shift from the sociology of the family to a sociology of families; the debates surrounding late modernity and the individualisation thesis; increased diversity regarding types of family and kinds of issue that have been researched; and continued theoretical development that has widened the scope of study. We include reflections on how the selected articles speak to developments in the discipline at large and in the field of families and relationships, as well as what the future might hold for the field.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting intra‐oral scanner accuracy by analyzing variation in measurements of a dental model according to scanning distance. A dental cast, including a prepared left mandibular first molar, was used. Rectangular frames measuring 20 × 30 mm with heights of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mm were made. The model was scanned 10 times with a reference scanner to obtain the true value. Scanning was performed 10 times at four distances of 0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mm with the frame of each height using the following intra‐oral scanners: TRIOS; CS 3500; and PlanScan. In the linear distance measurement method (2D), measurements were taken at five parameters using the Rapidform software. In the best‐fit alignment method (3D), using the Geomagic Control X, the root mean square values of the two scan images were calculated. In the 2D comparison, the different from the reference value was the smallest at 2.5 and 5.0 mm. In the 3D comparison, 2.5 and 5.0 mm were the most accurate, and 0 mm was the least accurate among the four distances. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first to evaluate the accuracy of scanning distances, and found a difference between the accuracy of the scanning distance and the accuracy of the scanner. Moreover, the results of this study indicated that the scanning distance was a variable affecting accuracy. Clin. Anat. 32:430–438, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Leukorrhea (Vaginal discharge) is one of the reproductive health problems that adolescent girls face. According to research, 75% of women worldwide have experienced leukorrhea. Leukorrhea, alternatively referred to as fluor albus, is a symptom of the female reproductive organs disease that can result in severe complications if left untreated. It is believed that a low level of knowledge, negative attitudes, and bad personal hygiene habits contribute to pathological leukorrhea. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of knowledge, attitudes, and personal hygiene behaviour on pathological leukorrhea in adolescent girls attending the Vocational High School (SMK) 'Aisyiyah Palembang in 2020. This study used an analytical cross-sectional design and a simple random sampling method with 92 respondents. The results indicated a statistical significance between pathological leukorrhea and knowledge (p-value 0.004), attitude (p-value 0.001), and personal hygiene behaviour (p-value 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the bad personal hygiene behaviour variable (p-value 0.018) was the most determinant associated with pathological leukorrhea (PR = 3.305, 95 per cent confidence interval [CI]:1.232-8.868). This study concludes that persistently bad personal hygiene practices may increase the risk of pathological leukorrhea in adolescent girls. Suggestions for young women to reduce their reliance on pantyliners, wear sweat-absorbing underwear, and avoid tight underwear.


Prof. Markovits has been a prescient commenter on antitrust. His early and insightful characterization of the harm from merger as the loss to consumers from being able to trade off their two top choices can be seen in the use of diversion ratios in unilateral effects merger cases. So too does the change in assessing unilateral effects mergers from market concentration to direct measurement of competitive effects match his skepticism of market definition. I share Prof. Markovits's view that prior dominance should not be a prerequisite for monopolization cases, at least those involving exclusionary practices. I am skeptical that intent should play a role in monopolization, other than as a source of expert evidence that a practice will be harmful. Whether antitrust should be about maximizing consumer welfare or punishing powerful actors with bad intent may be a fundamental divide in perspective in the antitrust community.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by immune cell infiltration to the central nervous system (CNS) as well as loss of myelin. Characterization of the cells in lesions of MS patients revealed an important accumulation of myeloid cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). Data from the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS supports the importance of peripheral myeloid cells in the disease pathology. However, the majority of MS therapies focus on lymphocytes. As we will discuss in this review, multiple strategies are now in place to target myeloid cells in clinical trials. These strategies have emerged from data in both human and mouse studies. We discuss strategies targeting myeloid cell migration, growth factors and cytokines, biological functions (with a focus on miRNAs), and immunological activities (with a focus on nanoparticles).


BACKGROUND
There has been a recent trend in the use of laparoscopic-assisted one-stage pull-through in the management of Hirschsprung's disease (HD). We describe our initial experience using laparoscopy with a transanal coloanal anastomosis as described by Rintala and Lindhal for HD.

METHODS
Six children with biopsy-confirmed HD underwent laparoscopic-assisted pull-through using Rintala's transanal endorectal coloanal anastomosis. The procedure was done through one 5-mm camera port and two 5-mm working ports. The transition zone was identified by seromuscular biopsies obtained laparoscopically. The sigmoid colon and proximal rectum were mobilized laparoscopically. A transanal endorectal mucosal dissection and a coloanal anastomosis were done, using an absorbable monofilament 5/0 polyglyconate suture.

RESULTS
Six children aged 4 weeks to 36 months underwent this procedure laparoscopically. Two cases had to be converted to an open procedure as a result of dense pelvic adhesions. The entire mobilization of the bowel as well as biopsy confirmation of the transition zone was done laparoscopically in all 6 cases. The median operative time was 135 minutes (range, 120-240 minutes). All 6 children tolerated full enteral feeds after 48 hours and the median hospital stay was 7 days (range, 6-10 days). There were no early postoperative complications. Two cases developed mild enterocolitis that resolved with conservative management. The overall functional outcome was good in all cases with no soiling, stool incontinence, or constipation at a median follow-up period of 12 months (range, 4-27 months).

CONCLUSION
Laparoscopic-assisted pull-through, apart from being cosmetically superior, permits obtaining biopsies as well as an adequate mobilization of the bowel. The transanal endorectal coloanal anastomosis technique is simple and easy to perform, with a minimal dissection which causes less damage to the internal sphincter and pelvic nerves.


The formation and development of Russia's nuclear missile programs is of great scientific, theoretical and practical importance in modern political science in view of the aggravation of international relations involving the Russian Federation, which is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The Russian Federation has the second largest nuclear missile stockpile and the political doctrine of this state declares the possibility of their use, which poses a threat to global peace and the existence of humankind in general. Given the above challenges, the purpose of this article is to analyze the formation and stages of development of Russia's nuclear missile programs in order to understand the political nature of these processes and prospects for the use of this type of weapon. The article uses historical and political science research methods, with the primary emphasis on the methods of historical reconstruction and analytical interpretation. The article examines the formation of Russian nuclear missile programs at various historical stages. The author breaks down the development of the Russian nuclear missile programs and characterizes each period. This breakdown covers three stages: 1) 1940s – 1991, when nuclear missile programs were established; 2) 1991–2014, when nuclear missile programs carried a primarily defensive function; 3) 2014 – to the present, when nuclear missile programs are used to politically influence Western countries in order to consolidate the annexed territories. The author proves that the distinctive practical features of the current Russian nuclear missile programs include the increase of quantitative and qualitative indicators of nuclear missile capability, as well as the use of these programs in foreign policy positioning and influencing international processes.


Report by Usman Jaffer Checked by Abdel Rahman Omer Manchester Royal Infirmary

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether water soluble contrast small bowel follow through studies are useful in the management of patients with suspected adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO). In total, 152 papers were found using the reported search, of which 21 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The clinical bottom line is that administration of oral contrast medium in patients with ASBO reduces the need for …


Many classification models work poorly on short texts due to data sparsity. To address this issue, we propose topic memory networks for short text classification with a novel topic memory mechanism to encode latent topic representations indicative of class labels. Different from most prior work that focuses on extending features with external knowledge or pre-trained topics, our model jointly explores topic inference and text classification with memory networks in an end-to-end manner. Experimental results on four benchmark datasets show that our model outperforms state-of-the-art models on short text classification, meanwhile generates coherent topics.


The mortality of broiler chicken during transportation caused losses to the farmers. Administration of antioxidant, such as vitamin C and vitamin E able to reduce the mortality rate, and thus generates a better profit. Seventy two commercial broiler chickens were used as subjects to study the synergistic effect of vitamin C and vitamin E on transportation stress response of broiler chickens. The broiler chickens were experienced 3 hours of transportation period, while broiler chickens that experienced zero hour of transportation period were act as control in the study. Four treatments were studied, where, (1) without administration of vitamin (2) administration of 60 mg/kg of vitamin C (3) administration of 30 mg/kg of vitamin E (4) administration of 60 mg/kg of vitamin C and 30 mg/kg of vitamin E. Heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and chicken's body temperature were measured as the stress indicator. The results supported the presence of synergistic effect of vitamin C and vitamin E, 0.72±0.06 significantly reduces the transportation stress response of broiler chicken in terms of H/L ratio when compares to the treatment with administration of vitamin C, 1.14±0.08, with vitamin E, 1.51±0.11, and without administration of vitamin, 1.61±0.11. While results of body temperature showed no significant among treatments and hour of transportation. This could possibly due to environmental factors such as weather affecting the ambient temperature. The application of this study into the broiler industry requires further study and analysis for the feasibility and cost efficiency of application.


This review is devoted to the analysis of the literature data on the development of tools for diagnostics of Zika fever and detection of etiological agent – Zika virus (ZIKV) belonging to the Flaviviridae family. Preventive vaccines and antiviral drugs are also considered. RT-PCR method is critical for confirmation of Zika fever diagnosis. ZIKV RNA may be detected in blood serum, saliva, amniotic and cerebrospinal fluids, urine, semen, vaginal and cervical secretions. The duration of viremia in case of Zika fever is short; therefore the presence of ZIKV RNA in urine and sperm for up to 26 and 80 days, respectively, extends the time interval for the detection of this pathogen. Detection of IgM antibodies by serological methods is not a good reason to confirm a recent infection, since antibodies of this class, specific to flaviviruses, circulate in the bloodstream for more than 12 weeks. The IgM show high diagnostic value in confirmation of congenital infection only. There is a problem of differential diagnostics of flavivirus infections caused by antigenically related viruses that are dangerous for humans, for instance, Dengue, Yellow fever, West Nile fever viruses, tick-borne and Japanese encephalitis viruses. It is associated with the similarity of their genomes and, consequently, similar antigenic structure of viral proteins, structural glycoprotein E in particular. More reliable results can be obtained by using the nonstructural glycoprotein NS1, produced by molecular biology methods, as an antigen for the detection of specific antibodies. This viral protein can also be used in serological tests, as a clinical indicator in case of acute Zika fever. Forty five types of candidate vaccines against ZIKV, such as inactivated, live attenuated, recombinant, peptide, recombinant DNA and RNA-based, virus-vector and virus-like particle ones were designed and studied. It was established that their protective efficacy is mediated by induced antibodies, specific to structural glycoprotein E which initiates receptor binding and fusion with the membranes of infected cells. Currently, there is no licensed preparation for treating patients with flaviviral infections. Various drugs are screened, both with known antiviral effect and approved for use in clinical practice, and new compounds that inhibit the penetration of viral particles into host cells (structural glycoprotein E being the target) and virus replication (targets are NS5, NS2B nonstructural proteins).


Abstract: An organism's body shape is influenced by its ecology and environment through selective pressure and phenotypic plasticity. The shape of turtle shells is impacted by locomotor efficiency, and shell shape has been shown to differ between populations occupying different water flow regimes. However, it is not known whether other aspects of the environment, such as water turbidity or plant density, similarly impact shape by influencing locomotor efficiency. We used geometric morphometric methods to analyze the shell shapes of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) from several populations in Wisconsin. Water turbidity was found to be correlated with different shell shapes among the populations. In more turbid water, turtle shells were narrower than shells in clear water, and there was an interactive effect between water turbidity and plant density such that shells were anteriorly taller in high plant densities with high water turbidity than in low water turbidity. Shell shape also differed between the sexes and varied with adult size. These correlations suggest that aspects of the aquatic environment in addition to water flow may impact turtle shell shape by influencing locomotor efficiency and that this variation is detectable even within a species and region.


UNLABELLED
The septic complications after hip arthroplasty are extremely severe due to frequent chronicity and prosthesis looseness, despite the expensive long-term antibiotic treatment. Starting from the well-know function of the greater omentum to isolate any septic intraperitoneal processes (an "extended lymph node"), we initiated a surgical technique which uses the greater omentum in the treatment of septic complications after hip surgery.

METHOD
The technique consist in mobilisation of the greater omentum along the right or left gastroepiploic artery according to the affected hip, and placing it in the septic area after passing it anterior or posterior of the inguinal ligament. Between 1997 and 2004 we performed this technique on 5 patients (4 men and 1 woman) with ages ranking between 24 and 47, which presented chronic infections after hip arthroplasty (4 cases) and after iliac bone resection-reconstruction for fibrosarcoma (1 case).

RESULTS
The post-operatory evolution was favourable in all cases. In one case the local septic process pursued demanding a reintervention that revealed that the great omentum has been retracted from the hip area. In 4 cases the septic processes has withdraw spectacularly.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of the greater omentum in the treatment of septic complications after hip and pelvic surgery represents in some cases the only effective solution. This technique requires a good collaboration between orthopaedic and general surgeons.


(1) Objectives: Epilepsy disorder is likely to increase with aging, leading to an increased incidence of comorbidities and mortality. In spite of that, there is a lack of information regarding this issue and little knowledge of cognitive and emotional responses in aging subjects following epileptogenesis. We investigated whether and how aging distress epilepsy-related behavioral and biochemical outcomes are associated with cognition and emotion. (2) Methods: Young and middle-aged Wistar rats (3 or 12 months old) were treated with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 35 mg/kg) and injected on alternated days for 20 (young rats) and 32 days (middle-aged rats). Kindling was reached after two consecutive stages 4 plus one stage 5 or 6 in Racine scale. Control and kindled rats were evaluated in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and object-recognition tests and their hippocampus was collected 24 h later for mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) dosage. (3) Results: Middle-aged rats presented a higher resistance to develop kindling, with a decrease in the seizure severity index observed following the 4th and 9th PTZ injections. Middle-aged rats displayed an increased duration of the first myoclonic seizure and an increased latency to the first generalized seizure when compared to younger rats. The induction of kindling did not impair the animals' performance (regardless of age) in the object-recognition task and the EPM test as well as it did not alter the hippocampal levels of MAPKs. (4) Significance: Our findings reveal that, despite age-related differences during epileptogenesis, middle-aged rats evaluated after kindling performed similarly during discriminative learning and emotional tasks in comparison to young animals, with no alteration of hippocampal MAPKs. Additional investigation must be carried out to explore the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these responses, as well as the long-term effects displayed after kindling.


There are many types and methods of simulation, but among them special attention should be paid to methods based on the theory of heuristic self-organization. All algorithms of the method of group argumentation (MGVA) are characterized by structural commonality on the principle of self-organization, which require insignificant requirements for a priori information to search for an infinite number of options. The advantage of the algorithm of the method of group
consideration of arguments in comparison with other algorithms of this class is the presence of possibilities of expansion of the vector of initial data and the device for elimination of collinearity - reception of orthogonalization. MGVA consists of two blocks: pre-processing of observations taking into account the system of selected reference functions and calculation of selection applicants. As a result of the algorithm, models capable of controlling the process taking into account the phenomena accompanying a certain process are obtained. Given the commonality of the main provisions of the theory of self-organization of artificial neural networks and MGVA, the network variables are added to the model as a variable Z. As a result, we obtain a neural network that describes the physical phenomena accompanying the process. This will significantly increase the efficiency and accuracy of process management.


Intrusion detection systems (IDS) protect computer systems by providing alerts which might be caused by malicious attacks. Learning methods were introduced into intrusion detection to automatically improve the performance using history data. Yet high quality data requires heavy labor of experts or expensive monitoring process. Meanwhile, IDS should minimize a nonuniform cost of the misclassification. In the paper, we aim to reduce the burden of labeling data for constructing the intrusion detection classifier with the least misclassification cost. We proposed a novel active cost-sensitive learning method for intrusion detection using the technologies of active learning and cost-sensitive learning. The proposed method uses a popular cost-sensitive learning method Metacost as the base classifier and a sampling criterion of the largest misclassification cost. The results of the experiments on intrusion detection datasets of KDDCUP 99 show that the proposed method is effective.


Resistance to cisplatin (DDP) is a major obstacle in the clinical treatment of advanced gastric cancer (GC). Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) play a significant regulatory role in the development and drug resistance of GC. In this study, we reported that the lncRNA LINC-PINT was downregulated in DDP-resistant GC cells. Functional studies showed that LINC-PINT inhibited proliferation and migration of DDP-resistant GC cells in vitro, and overexpression of LINC-PINT could enhance the sensitivity of DDP-resistant GC cells to DDP. Further investigation revealed that LINC-PINT recruited enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to the promotor of ATG5 to inhibit its transcription, leading to the suppression of autophagy and DDP resensitization. Collectively, our results revealed how the LINC-PINT/EZH2/ATG5 axis regulates autophagy and DDP resistance in GC. These data suggest that LINC-PINT may be a potential therapeutic target in GC.


Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be resistant to conventional treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). On the other hand, biologic therapy is costly and may be inconvenient for many patients. Pamidronate is a potent bisphosphonate with the capacity of modifying the biological activity of the immune system cells. It may thus be used as an anti-inflammatory agent in patients with inflammatory joint diseases. Materials and Methods: To assess the effectiveness of pamidronate in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, we selected 38 patients with rheumatoid arthritis to enroll in a pilot study to receive pamidronate and conventional treatment with prednisolone and DMARDs in combination. These patients received 60 mg of pamidronate for 3 consecutive months and were followed for 6 months since the first infusion. Results: The mean visual analogue score (VAS) and disease activity score (DAS28) fell steadily until one month after the third infusion. However, no improvements were observed during the 3 months after the last infusion of the drug. All patients, except one, reported decreased pain in response to 3 consecutive pulses of pamidronate and most had improvements in the assessed laboratory and clinical indices. The drug was tolerated well in our patients. Conclusion: Pamidronate infusions had beneficial effects on various clinical and laboratory parameters of patients, but alleviation of symptoms were temporary and did not last for more than 6 months. This treatment option can be a choice for difficult cases of rheumatoid arthritis with severe pain and osteoporosis.


Background: The ideal method for repair of inguinal hernia would cause minimal discomfort to the patient, both during the surgical procedure and in the postoperative course. It would be technically simple to perform and easy to learn, would have a low rate of complications and recurrence, and would require only a short period of convalescence. However, the most effective method in any given patient is not clearly defined and consequently surgery for recurrent inguinal hernia after mesh repair is usually a difficult operation due to the disadvantage of re-operating through dense fibrotic scar tissue around the mesh with the risk of testicular damage and a large number of local hematoma. To avoid the disadvantage of re-operating through scar tissue and dense fibrotic scar tissue around the mesh, the open posterior pre peritoneal mesh repair was popularized by Nyhus as a good alternative for recurrent inguinal hernias. In previous study, Saber and co-workers reported that open pre peritoneal hernia repair offers many advantages over the trans inguinal repair for recurrent hernia. This approach gives results far superior to those of the commonly used anterior approach. Methods: Patients in this study were divided consecutively in two main groups: A and B. Group A patients were subjected to open posterior preperitoneal approach, those of group B were subjected to transinguinal anterior tension-free repair. All of our patients were gentlemen with total number was 60 patients; 30 for each group, their ages ranged between 42 and 65 years. The study duration was from January 2009 to January 2011 in department of general surgery, B.J Medical college and civil hospital, Ahmedabad, India. Results: There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding patients' age and body mass index. Age ranged between 42 and 65 years with a mean age as 53.5 years. The mean operative time in group A was 71.3 min±25.2 (40-120). In group B, the mean value was 94.5 min±28.5 (60-150). The mean hospital stay was 1- 3 days (2.1 ± 0.8) in group A and 2-6 days (3.7 ± 1.5) in group B. In the other hand, the mean time to return work was 8.2±1.15 (7-10) days in group A while in group B was 11.2 ± 2.3 (7-15) . Therefore, the mean time off from work in group A was 10.3 ± 1.95 days and in group B was 14.9±3.8 (P < 0.05).Chronic postoperative pain was observed in 4 patients in group A (13.33%) , in 9 patients in group B (30%). Conclusions: In recurrent inguinal hernia, the open posterior approaches are more effective in term of operative outcome. The open pre peritoneal hernia repair offers many advantages. It is inexpensive, has a low recurrence rate, and allows the surgeon to cover all potential defects with one piece of mesh. Postoperative recovery is short and postoperative pain is minimal. This approach gives results far superior to those of the commonly used anterior approach.


We consider several methods for generating initial guesses when iteratively solving sequences of linear systems, showing that they can be implemented efficiently in GPU-accelerated PDE solvers, specifically solvers for incompressible flow. We propose new initial guess methods based on stabilized polynomial extrapolation and compare them to the projection method of Fischer [15], showing that they are generally competitive with projection schemes despite requiring only half the storage and performing considerably less data movement and communication. Our implementations of these algorithms are freely available as part of the libParanumal collection of GPU-accelerated flow solvers.


21st Century nursing is the paste that holds a patient's medical care venture together. Across the whole quiet insight, and any place there does somebody need care, attendants work indefatigably to distinguish and ensure the necessities of the person. Past the revered standing for empathy and commitment lies a profoundly particular calling, which is continually advancing to address the requirements of society. From guaranteeing the most exact findings to the continuous training of general society about basic medical problems; attendants are fundamental in shielding general wellbeing. Nursing history specialists face the test of deciding if care gave to the wiped out or harmed in classical times was nursing care.


In this paper, effort has been made to transform coordinates from Nigerian Transverse Mercator (NTM) system to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system using a Simple Mathematical Model. The data used are the simulated UTM coordinates of points in the Mid Belt of UTM projection system which also fall in zone 32 of the UTM projection system, which also covers Rivers State of Nigeria. The equivalent NTM coordinates of these points were obtained using the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) Multiple Regression Equations as programmed in Geographic Calculator software. An orthophoto imagery used by the Rivers State Government Geographic Information System (RIVGIS) to chart surveys in the State was used to overlay the results obtained by the Model All the computations were carried out using Microsoft excel program. Based on the results obtained by the Mathematical Model, it can be inferred that the Model is an alternative tool for coordinate transformation from NTM system to UTM system. The analysis further revealed that the error does not follow a progressive pattern, which indicates that the Model is not good enough for geodetic or engineering purposes. However, the results show that the Model is significant for plane surveys where calculating land composition and topography considers a set expanse of land as a flat plane.


This paper presents an user friendly software tool based on MATLAB Graphical User Interface (GUI) to educate analytically the performance of an induction machine as generator under different configurations like Self Excited Induction Generator (SEIG) and Grid Connected Induction Generator (GCIG). The operation of induction machine as SEIG and GCIG is very tricky to understand, however the steady state analysis of induction generator is vital in the operation and control of present day power grid with large wind energy penetration. Keeping this in mind, in order to make the teaching, self-learning and analysis of induction generator simple, a front end visual tool is created employing the GUI capabilities of MATLAB and embedding the mathematically modelled operating conditions in MATLAB code. The results of the analysis are displayed in this tool as plots and phasor diagram with necessary options to select and view the particular result. This software tool on induction generator assists in teaching, facilitates self-learning of students and also helps in better analysis of induction machine in industries. Moreover, an overall report of the performance analysis of the induction generator under different conditions can also be generated in PDF format.


Agrarian expertise has been employed in the context of Swedish development aid since the 1950s. Throughout this time, the Swedish institutions of higher agrarian education—the Agricultural College, the College of Forestry, and the Veterinary College, in 1977 merged to form the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences—have played important roles. In this dissertation I consider three problems with respect to these institutions' involvement in development aid: (1) How and why did actors at the three colleges begin framing their expertise in a development context? (2) How did Swedish agrarian experts approach the problem of development in contexts about which they had little prior knowledge? (3) How and why did a long-term institutional collaboration evolve between the agrarian institutions of higher learning and the Swedish development aid authorities, and what were its characteristics?

The study follows actors and their standpoints through three different aid projects: international courses in animal reproduction at the Veterinary College first planned and held in the mid-1950s; the planning and implementation of the Chilalo Agricultural Development Unit in the 1960s and 1970s; and SLU's support to higher forestry education in Ethiopia in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It also examines the growth and subsequent decline of a continuous institutional collaboration between the institutions of higher agrarian education and SIDA, the Swedish government agency responsible for development aid. Based on my findings, I argue that the framing of Swedish agrarian expertise as relevant to the developing countries—particularly at the Agricultural College in the 1960s—was part of a broader attempt to widen the scope of agrarian science in Sweden in response to social change at home. At the same time, the development strategies proposed by the Swedish experts were anchored in the particulars of the Swedish agrarian context. This made them attuned to the local adaptation of technologies and to the value of practical knowledge but less sensitive to the societal contexts and social effects of their interventions. Their attempts to bring their knowledge to bear on the developing world also helped create a long-lasting institutionalized relationship between SLU (and the three colleges before it) and the Swedish development aid authorities, through which SLU exercised influence on much of Sweden's agrarian development aid from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s.


Malnutrition in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is classically ascribed to an increased resting energy expenditure (REE) secondary to high cost of breathing. However, malnutrition correlates only weakly with the severity of respiratory dysfunction, which suggests other mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible role of diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT). Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between DIT and nutritional status, in particular fat-free mass (FFM) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis in 26 patients with stable COPD (mean FEV1 +/- SEM = 36.5 +/- 3.8% of predicted). Ten patients were undernourished (weight < 90% of ideal body weight [IBW] and/or FFM < 69% of IBW), and 16 were normally nourished. Diet-induced thermogenesis was determined by comparing postprandial energy expenditure and REE, the latter being measured after an overnight fast and the former over 4 h after a mixed test meal of 0.4 times REE load. No statistical difference in DIT was found between undernourished and eutrophic patients. There was no relationship between DIT and nutritional or functional parameters, notably FFM. These results suggest that malnutrition is not a consequence of an increased DIT.


The Urban population of country is growing at a phenomenal pace and has its implications on the infrastructure of cities. India's inadequate infrastructure has long been identified as a serious basis for holding back the economy's growth. Here attempts have been made to examine the recommendations given by the Rakesh Mohan Committee known as India infrastructure Report (1996), who had done an exhaustive study and contributed to improving the understanding of the issues involved in the commercialization and financing requirements of infrastructure. Further the recent process of provision of effective infrastructure development for the identified Indian cities given in JNNURM, whether it is in converge or diverge to the approaches suggested in IIR 1996 and what further progress have been made with the implementation of JNNURM policy also have been reviewed. Certain issues have been generated such as "Can JNNURM makes Indian Cities 'Magnets of Hope'?" If these recommendations are on same lines which were given in 1996, then what further improvements have been made in past years? Where we are now and from where we go? The greater urgency has risen to address these crucial issues.


OBJECTIVE
Online youth-focused health programs often include parent modules-that equip parents with skills to assist their child in improving their health-alongside youth-specific content. BRAVE Self-Help, an evidence-based program designed for children and teenagers with early signs of anxiety, is a popular Australian program that includes six parent modules. Despite its popularity and proven efficacy, BRAVE Self-Help shares the same challenge as many online self-help programs-that of low participant engagement. Using parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help as 'information rich' participants, we explored (a) factors that influenced parent engagement in online health programs, and (b) their recommendations for enhancing parent engagement.

DESIGN AND OUTCOME MEASURE
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS
Social-, family- and program-related factors drove parents' program engagement and recommendations. Social sub-themes related to the benefits of professional and community support in promoting more engagement. Family sub-themes included difficulties with program engagement due to competing priorities, perceptions that condition severity influenced engagement, and feelings that previously-acquired health knowledge reduced motivation to engage. Program sub-themes included perceived usefulness and ease-of-use.

CONCLUSION
Program designers could target support systems, include flexible delivery options, and use iterative design processes to enhance parent engagement.


Research in cross-cultural management and cultural diversity has often implicitly viewed national culture as a stable, enduring characteristic that can affect individual and organizational behavior. This article draws attention to the utility of considering national culture as a malleable rather than a fixed construct. Based on this conception of national culture, the authors examine the potential impact of culture and cultural change on business strategy. This examination is based on observations of differential business strategy employed among firms in Singapore compared to firms in Hong Kong and Taiwan. These differences, viewed as a reflection of cultural differences, suggest that significant partial changes in national culture can occur in a relatively short period of time. Although much of the previous literature has emphasized the factors of socioeconomic development and technological advancement as sources of influence on cultural change, this article considers the influence of government policies on national culture and business behaviors.


A technique to measure the shell trajectory in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions is presented. The x-ray self emission of the target is measured with an x-ray framing camera. Optimized filtering limits the x-ray emission from the corona plasma, isolating a sharp intensity gradient very near the ablation surface. This enables one to measure the radius of the imploding shell with an accuracy better than 1 μm and to determine a 200-ps average velocity to better than 2%.


This chapter discusses the role of international law in addressing environmental problems. It reviews the salient legal principles: the preventive principle, the precautionary principle, the concept of sustainable development, the polluter-pays principle, the sic utere tuo principle, and the obligation of environmental impact assessment. It gives an overview of the key multilateral conventions covering traffic in endangered species, protection of the ozone layer, transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, climate change, and protection of the marine environment.


Root separation bounds play an important role as a complexity measure in understanding the behaviour of various algorithms in computational algebra, e.g., root isolation algorithms. A classic result in the univariate setting is the Davenport-Mahler-Mignotte (DMM) bound. One way to state the bound is to consider a directed acyclic graph (V, E) on a subset of roots of a degree d polynomial f (z) ∈ C[z], where the edges point from a root of smaller absolute value to one of larger absolute, and the in-degrees of all vertices is at most one. Then the DMM bound is an amortized lower bound on the following product: Π(α, β)∈E |α - β|. However, the lower bound involves the discriminant of the polynomial f, and becomes trivial if the polynomial is not square-free. This was resolved by Eigenwillig, 2008, by using a suitable subdiscriminant instead of the discriminant. Escorcielo-Perrucci, 2016, further dropped the in-degree constraint on the graph by using the theory of finite differences. Emiris et al., 2019, have generalized their result to handle the case where the exponent of the term |α - β| in the product is at most the multiplicity of either of the roots. In this paper, we generalize these results by allowing arbitrary positive integer weights on the edges of the graph, i.e., for a weight function w : E → Z<0, we derive an amortized lower bound on Π(α, β)∈E |α - β|w(α, β). Such a product occurs in the complexity estimates of some recent algorithms for root clustering (e.g., Becker et al., 2016), where the weights are usually some function of the multiplicity of the roots. Because of its amortized nature, our bound is arguably better than the bounds obtained by manipulating existing results to accommodate the weights.


This is the second of four invited panel papers prepared specifically for the National Collaborative Task Force Engineer-Leaders Project. The Project concerns the deliberate advancement of professional graduate engineering education relevant to the needs of creative engineering practice in industry to enhance U.S. technological innovation and competitiveness. The strength of the innovation and leadership capacity of America's professional engineering base in our civilian, aerospace, and defense industries is a critical asset in our global economic recovery. As with other learned professions, there are progressive skill sets and actions that must be learned or developed at the advanced levels of the practice of engineering. This series of papers addresses the skills continuum in three main parts: a) Part I addresses the Direct Leadership Skills and Actions required for Engineering Levels [1-3]; b) Part II addresses the Organizational Leadership Skills and Actions required for Engineering Levels [4-6], and; c) Part III addresses the Strategic Leadership Skills and Actions required for Engineering Levels [7-9]. The overall analysis sets the foundation for building a coherent professional graduate curriculum and dynamic educational process reflective of how experienced engineering professionals learn, grow, and create new technology in industry. This paper addresses Part II: the Organizational Leadership Function, Skills and Actions that engineers must learn and develop from Group Leader, Functional Area Manager, Systems Engineer through Technical Program Manager Levels [4-6].


Conventional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are increasing in use; however, not all environments can support the typical wireless sensor model, which utilizes RF as a communication medium. Hostile sensing and communication environments, such as underwater and subterranean, require the practical use of other methods. In particular, the underwater domain has necessitated the use of acoustics to enable communication in underwater WSNs. Previous work in this area consists of sensor nodes built with bulky, costly acoustic modems. In contrast, we present the low cost, small form factor CORAL testbed, which consists of piezo-transducers, a microcontroller-based architecture and interface circuitry. We illustrate the operation of a prototype, show the performance in various environments, and explain its integration into a micronode for underwater WSNs. We conclude with a discussion on the results, limitations, and challenges, as well as a discussion on potential applications


The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in the number of genes linked to neurological disorders, necessitating new models to explore underlying mechanisms and to test potential therapies. Over a similar period, many laboratories adopted zebrafish as a tractable model for studying brain development, defining neural circuits and performing chemical screens. Here we discuss strengths and limitations of using the zebrafish system to model neurological disorders. The underlying premise for many disease models is the high degree of homology between human and zebrafish genes, coupled with the conserved vertebrate Bauplan and repertoire of neurochemical signaling molecules. Yet, we caution that important evolutionary divergences often limit the extent to which human symptoms can be modeled meaningfully in zebrafish. We outline advances in genetic technologies that allow human mutations to be reproduced faithfully in zebrafish. Together with methods that visualize the development and function of neuronal pathways at the single cell level, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to understand how disease-associated genetic changes disrupt neural circuits, a level of analysis that is ideally suited to uncovering pathogenic changes in human brain disorders.


Single-view point cloud completion aims to recover the full geometry of an object based on only limited observation, which is extremely hard due to the data sparsity and occlusion. The core challenge is to generate plausible geometries to fill the unobserved part of the object based on a partial scan, which is under-constrained and suffers from a huge solution space. Inspired by the classic shadow volume technique in computer graphics, we propose a new method to reduce the solution space effectively. Our method considers the camera a light source that casts rays toward the object. Such light rays build a reasonably constrained but sufficiently expressive basis for completion. The completion process is then formulated as a point displacement optimization problem. Points are initialized at the partial scan and then moved to their goal locations with two types of movements for each point: directional movements along the light rays and constrained local movement for shape refinement. We design neural networks to predict the ideal point movements to get the completion results. We demonstrate that our method is accurate, robust, and generalizable through exhaustive evaluation and comparison. Moreover, it outperforms state-of-the-art methods qualitatively and quantitatively on MVP datasets.


OBJECTIVE
Directed attention, the ability to allocate and direct attention toward a salient stimulus, is impaired in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This construct is often assessed with target detection or oddball tasks, and individuals with ADHD perform poorly on such tasks. However, to date, the specific brain structures or neural mechanisms underlying target detection dysfunction in individuals with ADHD have not been identified. The authors' goal was to investigate neural correlates of target detection dysfunction in ADHD using event-related fMRI.

METHOD
Behavioral and brain activation data were collected while subjects performed a visual oddball task. Participants included 14 right-handed male adolescents with ADHD (combined type) and 12 typically developing age- and handedness-matched male comparison subjects.

RESULTS
Individuals with ADHD made significantly more errors of commission than comparison subjects. Further, relative to comparison subjects, individuals with ADHD showed significantly less activation in the bilateral parietal lobes (including the superior parietal gyrus and supramarginal and angular gyri of the inferior parietal lobe), right precuneus, and thalamus.

CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents with ADHD demonstrated significant impairments in their ability to direct and allocate attentional resources. These difficulties were associated with significant aberrations in the parietal attentional system, which is known to play a significant role in attention shifting and detecting specific or salient targets. Thus, dysfunction in the parietal attentional system may play a significant role in the behavioral phenotype of ADHD.


Through short essay films, Christine Rogers and Catherine Gough-Brady, creative practice researchers and filmmakers, attempt to collaborate with each other and the theories of ethnographers and documentarians David and Judith MacDougall. Christine and Catherine use the writing and films of the MacDougall's as prompts to turn their attention to the processes of filming. Christine speaks to how holding the camera viewfinder to her face can manufacture belonging, and at other times, provide welcome distancing. Catherine explores observational filmmaking as a methodology that can applied to other endeavours, for instance academia. Alongside this, Catherine uses this film to explore how to create a visual dialogue (or collaboration) between filmic elements within the film. Because of their divergent responses the final works by Christine and Catherine become related rather than collaborative. They reveal that this may result from them both allowing research questions to arise as part of their independent creative processes, rather than being set at the outset.


Model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL) offers an attractive approach to learn control policies for high dimensional systems, but its relatively poor sample complexity often necessitates training in simulated environments. Even in simulation, goal-directed tasks whose natural reward function is sparse remain intractable for state-of-the-art model-free algorithms for continuous control. The bottleneck in these tasks is the prohibitive amount of exploration required to obtain a learning signal from the initial state of the system. In this work, we leverage physical priors in the form of an approximate system dynamics model to design a curriculum for a model-free policy optimization algorithm. Our Backward Reachability Curriculum (BaRC) begins policy training from states that require a small number of actions to accomplish the task, and expands the initial state distribution backwards in a dynamically-consistent manner once the policy optimization algorithm demonstrates sufficient performance. BaRC is general, in that it can accelerate training of any model-free RL algorithm on a broad class of goal-directed continuous control MDPs. Its curriculum strategy is physically intuitive, easy-to-tune, and allows incorporating physical priors to accelerate training without hindering the performance, flexibility, and applicability of the model-free RL algorithm. We evaluate our approach on two representative dynamic robotic learning problems and find substantial performance improvement relative to previous curriculum generation techniques and naive exploration strategies.


Abstract:Many assume that the ending of Luke's Gospel, compared with the ending of Acts, is just not that interesting. In contrast, I argue, through narrative analysis and comparison with the ending of Acts, that the ending of Luke's Gospel reflects a profoundly sophisticated and nuanced kind of closure. The ending makes connections to the opening chapters, fulfills long-standing narrative expectations, offers resolution through eyewitness encounters with the risen Jesus, and closes with a scene of leave taking and blessing. Although the ending alludes to events yet to take place (in Acts), these features serve more to bridge the two volumes than to generate irresolution. Yet the two endings have real differences: Luke's Gospel narrates a departure for Jesus, whereas Acts does not clarify the fate of Paul. Acts 28 draws attention to unresolved tensions around salvation for Israel in ways Luke 24 does not. For these reasons, the ending of Luke's Gospel offers greater closure to the story of Jesus's earthly ministry than Acts does to the story of global witness. Whereas the story of Acts is one of beginnings (Acts 1:1), the story of Luke's Gospel is primarily one of things fulfilled (Luke 1:1, 4).


We theoretically study the effect of the motion and the merging of Dirac cones on the interlayer magnetoresistance in multilayer graphene-like systems. This merging, which can be induced by a uniaxial strain, gives rise in a monolayer Dirac electron system to a topological transition from a semi-metallic phase to an insulating phase whereby Dirac points disappear. Based on a universal Hamiltonian, proposed to describe the motion and the merging of Dirac points in two-dimensional Dirac electron crystals, we calculate the interlayer conductivity of a stack of deformed graphene-like layers using the Kubo formula in the quantum limit where only the contribution of the n = 0 Landau level is relevant. A crossover from a negative to a positive interlayer magnetoresistance is found to take place as the merging is approached. This sign change of the magnetoresistance can also result from a coupling between the Dirac valleys, which is enhanced as the magnetic field amplitude increases. Our results describe the behavior of the magnetotransport in the organic conductor α-(BEDT)2I3 and in a stack of deformed graphene-like systems. The latter can be simulated by optical lattices or microwave experiments in which the merging of Dirac cones can be observed.


The end of 2019 began the beginning of 2020, starting with the Wuhan-China Virus Covid-19 to rapidly attack various countries around the world. Indonesia has become one of the countries that is not entitled to use the dangerous virus Covid-19, government work together in overcoming this epidemic virus, include the Navy. Indonesian Navy was directly involved as one of the main entities in the quarantine process by involving its medical personnel and Indonesian Warship (KRI) dr. Soeharso. This paper will discuss the role of the Indonesian Navy in overcoming the covid-19 plague virus pandemic with the aim of the Navy to further enhance its role in national defense to try to educate. The method in this article uses descriptive qualitative research and theory analysis of George C. Edward III policy implementation. The results:  Communication factors to improve the transmission sub factors, clarity and consistency in mitigating the education. Resource factor is finding for medical personnel due to the limited need for urgent support equipment. Disposition factor considering the ability of the Navy that has a quick and responsive response. Bureaucratic structure factor is need for SOPs to be provided again is sought for the structure of the Navy in urging educators, handled by the Indonesian Navy's "Puspek Nubika" can support its role in helping the eradication of educators nationally. There is still a need to extend the Navy's preparedness to face the challenges of educators so that the Navy can be more useful in tackling the pandemic nationally. Keywords : Covid-19, George C. Edward, Indonesian, Navy, Pandemic. DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-5-02 Publication date: May 31 st 2020


INTRODUCTION
Lupus nephritis is the most severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its development and the effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy substantially influence patients' quality of life and survival.

AIM
In this retrospective observational investigation, the long term-outcome of patients with lupus nephritis, followed at the St. Margit Hospital Immunonephrological Outpatient Clinic, was evaluated.

RESULTS
Between 1997 December 1 and 2019 April 30, 73 patients (age 33.7 ± 15 years, 82% female, 18% male) were under care with median observation of 119 [between 3-264] months. At diagnosis, eGFR showed 68 [7-120] ml/min, proteinuria was 2800 [23-16812] mg/day; 10 patients needed dialysis treatment acutely. Renal biopsy, performed in 68 patients, proved proliferative lupus nephritis in 55 and pure membranous lupus nephritis in 6 patients. Administering combined immunosuppressive therapy, complete remission was achieved in 50 and partial remission in 21 cases; one or repeated relapses developed in 28 subjects. Two patients, by the time they got under our care, had already required chronic dialysis, and in the long term, three more patients progressed to end-stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy. Renal function stabilized in all other participants, clinical activity of SLE, SLEDAI score, complement levels and immunserology results improved significantly.

CONCLUSIONS
Lupus nephritis can be effectively treated by combined induction and prolonged maintenance immunosuppression, but to prevent progression of the disease, long-term care is necessary by co-operation of nephrologist and immunologist. To provide adequate prevention and therapy of the SLE's multiorgan involvement and also the potential complications of immunosuppression, multidisciplinary team is needed with all specialists who may facilitate these patients' complex care. For the long-term management of patients with lupus nephritis, the nephrologists have to be responsible, and the multidisciplinary teams also have to be under their direction. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(31): 1293-1301.


On February 1994 a large area close to Trecate was affected by an oil blow-out from an AGIP rig located within the Ticino Regional Park. One month later an airborne survey has been carried out in the framework of the CNR Lara Project, by utilizing the Daedalus AA5000 MIVIS spectrometer with 102 channels from visible to thermal infrared. Different authors stress, for oil slicks discrimination, the utility of laser and microwaves based techniques, but the high spatial and spectral MIVIS resolutions can improve the detection of the relative coverage by spilled oil. This task has been performed by applying hyperspectral unmixing methods to the MIVIS calibrated data, obtaining an oil fractional image with respect to other chosen end-members. The analysis has shown a good agreement between the results of the unconstrained unmixing technique applied to MIVIS data and the ground truths, offering a tool useful to quantify in a synoptic overview the effects of oil spills over land, by relating the ppm of oil with the oil hyperspectral information gathered by MIVIS.


This work presents the mechanical and electrical field behavior results of polymer-covered overhead conductors submitted to natural aging. Experimental spacer cable lines were exposed to distinct weather conditions and environmental stresses in Northern and Southern Brazil. The main goal of these experimental lines was the development of a field laboratory for long-term evaluation of electrical equipment used in spacer cable lines submitted to natural aging and under normal operational conditions. Polymer-covered overhead conductors were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, surface resistivity measurements, dielectric strength, tracking resistance and abrasion resistance tests. It was observed that environmental stresses such as sunlight radiation, relative humidity and other variables have strong influence upon long-term performance on polymer-covered overhead conductors.


This is a useful book full of practical advice to professional people in the health field who have something they want to put in writing for publication. It is written by an editor and is full of examples of how not to say it, drawn from a long and somewhat discouraging experience. It includes specific instructions on abbreviations, spellings and capitals which bother a doctor; discusses the common grammatical mistakes which bother an editor, and even has a short essay on the practice of drawing fallacious conclusions from inadequate data which bothers a statistician and makes him despair of the medical profession. There is also technical information on how to prepare a manuscript, correct a proof and deal with editors and publishers. It is aimed strictly at practicing physicians, dentists, nurses and pharmacists. Another chapter or two might have made it useful also to medical scientists, but as it stands, it will not be of much value to them except in the most general way.


Background
Unpredictable volume maintenance in the long term is a major limitation of autologous fat grafting.

Objectives
The authors compared results of autologous lipotransfer to the face with or without enrichment of fat with the stromal vascular fraction (SVF).

Methods
Thirty patients with asymmetric depletion of facial volume were included in a prospective study. Patients were randomly assigned to undergo a single session of autologous fat transfer with washed adipose tissue (control group) or with washed adipose tissue combined with the pellet of centrifuged lipoaspirate, which contained the SVF (enriched group). Patients were evaluated clinically and from photographs. A subset of 5 patients in each group underwent computed tomography (CT) preoperatively and 12-months postoperatively for quantitative assessment of graft retention. Washed and fractionated lipoaspirates were evaluated histochemically and with flow cytometry to determine relative abundances of viable cells.

Results
No major complications occurred. CT findings 12 months postoperatively indicated that patients who received SVF-enriched fat had significantly better volume retention (9.6% volume loss vs 24% in the control group; P = 0.013). Independent surgeons more frequently rated long-term aesthetic outcomes as "excellent" for patients in the enriched group (82.5% vs 47.6% for control group). Laboratory results indicated that each pellet contained approximately 16,000 intact adipose-derived stem cells.

Conclusions
Lipotransfer with SVF-enriched adipose tissue is safe and associated with improved volume retention, compared with transplantation of unenriched fat. The SVF can be dissociated from lipoaspirate by centrifugation to yield a large quantity of viable regenerative cells, without enzymatic digestion.

Level of Evidence
2.


The Stanford Linear Accelerator Energy Doubler (SLED) system for the PAL (Pohang Accelerator Laboratory) XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) is required to operate with an RF input power of 80 MW and a pulse width of 4 µs. Due to the high radiation dose from RF breakdown at coupling holes and power dividers in such a high-power operation, a modification of the original SLED system is called for. We designed a new SLED system with a biplanar 3-dB power divider and dual side-wall coupling-irises by using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The new SLED system proved to be a good solution that reduced the probability of RF breakdown in high-powered operations due to the reduced field gradient and surface current. In addition, a time-domain simulation was carried out to estimate the performance of new SLED system and to study the process for the question of the SLED output waveform.


The complexity of features extraction has a great influence on the program and processing speed of iris recognition system. Inappropriate feature extraction methods use in the representation of iris images may affect the classification accuracy of iris recognition system. It is important in iris recognition technology to look into different feature extraction techniques. This paper addresses the challenge of how to deduce the effectiveness of some feature extraction methods by carrying out comparative analysis on selected feature extraction techniques: Gabor Wavelet Transform, Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) and Haar Wavelet Transform. The experimental evaluation of the feature extraction techniques based on CASIA iris dataset gave different results of each technique. Finally, it was showed that the Gabor Wavelet Transform technique outperformed the other two techniques in term of recognition accuracy, training and testing time.


Seventeen observers participated in an observer variation study of the clinical evaluation of ascites. In a blinded design, eight patients with diagnoses of liver disease were examined. Fourteen observers examined the patients twice in order also to estimate the intra-observer variation. The accuracy of the observers' statements was compared with ultrasound findings, by which mean ascites was demonstrated in two patients. Poor correspondance between the observers' gradings and volume estimations, and poor accuracy of the gradings, make qualitative and quantitative ascites estimations useless. The inter-observer agreement was found to be low although the intra-observer agreement was good. The observers' subjective certainty of correctness of their own findings, marked as certain/uncertain, did not reflect the chance of making a correct statement on each particular occasion. The individual patient's general ability of inducing certainty did relate the chance of forming a correct diagnosis. Ultrasonic investigation of the abdomen is recommended in all situations in which demonstration of ascites is essential to diagnosis or therapy.


An ultra low power continuous-time 2nd order delta-sigma modulator fabricated in 0.18u CMOS operates at 1.8V, dissipates 1.75mW, and occupies 0.36mm2. The prototype modulator features the option of either a lowpass or bandpass quantization noise transfer function to investigate the performance of this ADC technology in lowpass and bandpass applications. The measured performance over a 200kHz bandwidth in lowpass mode is 75dB dynamic range, while the measured performance over a 1 MHz band around a 2MHz IF is 53dB dynamic range. This level of performance makes the ADC suitable for various wireless applications such as GSM and Bluetooth transceivers.


A geometrical optical model for the image formation of Makyoh (or magic-mirror) topography is presented. General relations are given on the optical settings. The basic equations of the imaging are derived. Fundamental features of the imaging are pointed out, and optimum working conditions are established. Simulations of the image of an isolated defect (hillock or depression) and a periodic (sinusoidal) surface are presented for different optical settings. Supporting experimental images are presented.


In the past decade, more and more researchers have concentrated on orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) based radio vortex wireless communications, which is expected to provide orthogonality among different OAM-modes. The uniform circular array (UCA) is considered as one promising antenna structure for OAM based radio vortex wireless communications. However, most studies regarding UCA focus on the scenario where the transmit and receive UCAs are aligned with each other. In this paper, we investigate the radio vortex wireless communications with non-coaxial UCA, i.e., the UCA transceivers are parallel but non-coaxial. We study the channel model and develop the mode-decomposition scheme to decompose the OAM-modes. Then, we discuss the impact of included angles on the channel model under non-coaxial scenario. Numerical results are presented to evaluate our developed scheme and show that the spectrum efficiency of the non-coaxial UCA transceiver in some cases is larger than that of the aligned UCA transceiver based radio vortex wireless communications.


As the general concept of living on water in Serbia has not moved far from raft-type floating structures, the idea about urban development and activation of river courses, changing spatial-physical, economic, technological and modern sociological needs of living has to be changed and incorpo-rated in the tendencies of modern architectural designing. Floating buildings, as architectural structures, are based on the principle of floatability, with flexible installations i.e. the system cannot sink as it can move with the fluctuation of water levels. Development and use of floating structures in large European cities as a new tendency in architecture could be the basis for defining the principle and technologies for construction of floating buildings in architectural designing and mapping of attractive locations for the referent model in Serbia. This research deals with the possibilities of de-veloping the practice of designing floating structures in Serbia in terms of construction technology and energy performances. The objective of this paper is to explain the principles and technologies in construction of floating buildings as the key parameters in architectural designing of such structures on water areas in Serbia. This paper offers a concept of floating buildings on river courses and other water areas that could be applied in Serbia and which would be based on systematisation of data about already constructed floating buildings in Europe.


Echinopines A and B [(+)-1 and (+)-2], two naturally occurring compounds characterized with a unique [184.108.40.206] carbon framework, have been synthesized in both enantiomeric and racemic forms. Their total synthesis involves a novel intramolecular rhodium-catalyzed cyclopropanation (4 --> 16) and a samarium diiodide-mediated ring closure (3 --> 37).


OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-enhanced MRI in experimental models of infectious disease and to analyze the intracellular uptake of SPIO.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Nine rats with infectious arthritis of the knee or soft-tissue infection were imaged on an MRI unit on days 4-6 after i.v. injection of a bacterial suspension. All animals were imaged on a T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequence before and 24 hours after administration of SPIO. The nine rats were classified into two groups according to the dose of SPIO. We calculated the relative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) change and compared the relative SNR change with the histologic findings. We analyzed iron-loaded cells and the intracellular uptake of iron particles according to the dose of SPIO.

RESULTS
The SNR value decreased in proportion to the increase in the number of iron-laden macrophages or fibroblasts in the wall of the soft-tissue abscess (p < 0.01). The intracellular uptake of iron particles was shown in fibroblasts as well as in macrophages, and their uptake in the fibroblasts was greater than that in the macrophages (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the intracellular uptake of iron particles according to the dose of SPIO (p > 0.1).

CONCLUSION
SPIO-enhanced MRI can be useful in evaluating infectious disease of the joint or soft tissue and is influenced by the uptake of iron particles in fibroblasts as well as macrophages.


Analytical models are proposed for thin- and ultra-thin film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs operating in weak or strong inversion. The models take into account all the device parameters. The cases of two and three interfaces with a silicon substrate are considered in the modeling and compared with one another. These models give the main electrical MOSFET parameters in ohmic operation (subthreshold swing and threshold voltage) for these structures. The basic approximation is the consideration of a linearly varying potential in the Si film, which has been inferred on the basis of numerical simulations. Various behaviors depending on the Si film and the buried insulator thickness as well as the interface charges, Si film doping, or substrate regime are simulated to assess the properties and the performances of SOI MOS transistors and to validate the analytical models. >


Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae), using the brine shrimp lethality test, led to the isolation of oleanolic acid. Oleanolic acid showed bioactivity against a panel of six human solid tumor cell lines, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and yellow fever mosquito larvae Aedes aegypti. Details of the isolation and bioactivities are described.


In the Republic of Srpska elementary school system there no any official evaluation of mathematics education outcome exists. This work is a part of our broader research on students' geometrics knowledge in the primary schools. The goal is to investigate geometric competencies of children from six to ten years old at the elementary school level in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Towards this end, the authors offered geometric tasks about parallelograms to a small number (15) of elementary school students via interviews. In this paper, some selected results are presented with the focus on students' conceptualization of geometric shapes. The emphasis of this study is on classification, identifying differences, and defining geometric objects.


The evaluation of moderately large deflections of inhomogeneous beam with fixed ends is presented using the Integral Equation Method (I.E.M.). The I.E.M. technique previously developed for the beam with fixed ends is here applied newly introducing internal zonal subdivisions. The nonlinearity due to fixed ends is included in the numerical method via an iterative procedure which has a numerical stability and a rapid convergence. In the analysis we consider the problem in which the flexural rigidity of the beam varies continuously along the length of the beam. A number of numerical examples of the beam with various boundary conditions are analyzed for deflections and the results are presented in the form of graphs.