OBJECTIVE
Excitotoxic neuronal death induced by epilepsy is associated with α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate acid (AMPA) receptors. The GluR2 subunit of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) may bind with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). The GluR2/GAPDH complex co-internalizes upon stimulation of AMPARs, which might be involved in the development of epilepsy. In this research, we hypothesized that disruption of the GluR2/GAPDH interaction with an interfering peptide would protect against neuronal damage in vivo.

METHODS
Rat models of epilepsy were induced by pilocarpine hydrochloride. TAT-GluR2NT1-3-2 peptide was synthesized to block interaction between GluR2 and GAPDH. Fluoro-Jade B and TUNEL staining were used to detect degeneration and apoptosis of neurons after interference by the peptide. Co-immunoprecipitation assay and western-blot was performed to confirm that the peptide disturbed interactions between GluR2 and GAPDH.

RESULTS
The time of epileptic seizure was found to be delayed after peptide interference. It was concluded that administration of an interfering peptide is able to significantly reduce degeneration and apoptosis of neurons. The GluR2/GAPDH interaction and GAPDH nuclear expression were upregulated in the hippocampus of rats subjected to pilocarpine-induced seizures.

CONCLUSION
Disruption of the GluR2/GAPDH interaction by administration of an interfering peptide protects against seizure-induced neuronal damage that is dose dependent. Thus, the GluR2/GAPDH interaction may be a novel therapeutic target for development of treatment for epilepsy.


What happens to theatre in an algorithmically driven world, and what becomes possible when algorithms and the software they constitute are put to work to make theatre? A Piece of Work by Annie Dorsen considers this question an exigent problem to be solved—algorithmically and theatrically.


IR absorption and Raman scattering are known as complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques, which are widely used as a method for characterizing molecules in a label free manner [1]. The rule of mutual exclusion states no normal mode of molecules with the center of symmetry can be both IR- and Raman-active [1]. However, complete information of the normal modes acquired by IR and Raman spectroscopy can be essential for precise characterization of molecular compounds [2].


The affective domain is essential; people have always relied on it to help explain the realities of life. The affective domain is now considered to be a rich reservoir for producing second language lesson content. The cognitive domain is essential for learning to take place, but the lesson content for language practice is usually more interesting when it springs from the affective domain of the learners. From their personal experiences, learners come to the classroom with an infinite amount of potential lesson material, which, if correctly tapped, may be used to enrich the class and produce an exciting and satisfying experience of language practice. This article suggests that several strategy models exist to facilitate the release of the learners' affective domain. One specific strategy model, the "Situation" is described in detail. It is designed to evoke comments from the learners which will be charged with their personal opinions, values, feelings, humor, or experiences. The part students play in creating lesson content generates motivation in three ways: (1) via the anticipation they feel toward imminent peer responses, (2) via their own creative abilities, and (3) via the trust they build with the teacher who accepts their creative responses.


Summary form only given. When simulating high power microwave tubes, tube operation can influence the pulsed power network as well as vice versa. Commonly used approximations, such as a wave emitting/absorbing boundary condition, do not capture the dynamic mutual interaction of pulsed power with the microwave tube. For example, impedance collapse due to diode closure will cause both a drop in the pulsed power input voltage and increased current draw, an effect which might be simulated incorrectly if the wave emitting boundary condition assumes the pulsed power produces a prescribed voltage. We have modified the ICEPIC code to include lumped circuit elements as described in Taflove but recast into modifications of the current on the computational mesh rather than modified electric field updates. Using these lumped elements we have created an LC circuit model of the pulsed power drive: this model produces a flat-top voltage profile across a resistive load similar to experimental results. We also compare LC-circuit driven magnetron simulations with wave-driven simulations and experiment. We also study introducing mutual inductances between stages of the pulsed power by placing inductors adjacent to each other in simulation


This work aimed to evaluate fruit quality and nutrient content of Cavendish banana cultivars produced under different greenhouse covers in Tenerife Island (Spain) and compare them with other bananas production regions in the island. Observation on fruit quality under greenhouse were carried out in the experimental station of Pajalillos of ICIA Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias on a plot planted with in vitro plants of two cultivars ('Grand Nain' and 'Gruesa') in their fifth crop cycle, cultivated under four greenhouse covers: Celloclim (thermic plastic), 20 × 10 mesh, white mesh and 16 × 10 mesh. Data were also collected in open air cultivation in 3 different locations of Tenerife: Cueva del Polvo, Hoya Meleque and Canaria Forestal. Nutrients levels in the dry mass of 'Gruesa' and 'Grand Nain' banana leaf did not show differences between cultivars nor among different greenhouse covers. The parameters analysed related to fruit quality were not also influenced by covers or cultivars and nor relevant differences were also detected between open air condition and greenhouse cultivation. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


[1] The photolysis frequencies of ozone (O3; to singlet oxygen, JO1D) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2; JNO2) were recorded at the remote coastal site Finokalia (35°20′N, 25°40′E), on the island of Crete, Greece, during the period 2002–2006. We present a study of their main climatological aspects and a quantification of the effect of aerosol and total ozone column on these frequencies. The 5-yr mean Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 380 nm in the area is equal to 0.27 ± 0.13 and reduces JNO2by 5%–14% at a solar zenith angle (sza) of 60°, compared to an aerosol-free atmosphere. It also leads to a similar reduction of JO1D by 5%–15% at the 60° sza, for an average total ozone column (300–320 Dobson units (DU)). The effect of regional background AOD (∼0.1) is a reduction of JNO2 and JO1D by up to 6% for sza in the range 15° to75°, respectively. During high aerosol loads (AOD 0.5–0.7) the percentage reduction of Js was found to be as much as 30%–40% at high sza. The day-to-day variability of total ozone column over the area, of the order of 20 DU, was found to result in a 12% change in JO1D at 60° sza as compared with zero AOD conditions. A reduction of Js corresponding to a 24% decrease in the local noon JO1D value and a 5% decrease in local noon JNO2 were found to result in a 12% reduction in the 24 h mean net chemical production of O3, using a chemical box model.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have recently been demonstrated to be able to substantially improve the land cover classification accuracy of hyperspectral images. Meanwhile, the rapidly developing capacity for satellite and airborne image spectroscopy as well as the enormous archives of spectral data have imposed increasing demands on the computational efficiency of CNNs. Here, we propose a novel CNN framework that integrates one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) CNNs to obtain highly accurate and fast land cover classification from airborne hyperspectral images. To achieve this, we first used 3D CNNs to derive both spatial and spectral features from hyperspectral images. Then, we successively utilized a 2D CNN and a 1D CNN to efficiently acquire higher-level representations of spatial or spectral features. Finally, we leveraged the information obtained from the aforementioned steps for land cover classification. We assessed the performance of the proposed method using two openly available datasets (the Indian Pines dataset and the Wuhan University dataset). Our results showed that the overall classification accuracy of the proposed method in the Indian Pines and Wuhan University datasets was 99.65% and 99.85%, respectively. Compared to the state-of-the-art 3D CNN model and HybridSN model, the training times for our model in the two datasets were reduced by an average of 60% and 40%, respectively, while maintaining comparable classification accuracy. Our study demonstrates that the integration of 1D, 2D, and 3D CNNs effectively improves the computational efficiency of land cover classification with hyperspectral images while maintaining high accuracy. Our innovation offers significant advantages in terms of efficiency and robustness for the processing of large-scale hyperspectral images.


Three biocompatible polymers, polyethylene glycol (PEG), dextran and chitosan, have been used in this work to control the colloidal stability of magnetic nanoparticles (14 ± 5 nm in diameter) and to vary the aggregation state in order to study their effect on relaxometric and heating properties. Two different coating strategies have been deeply developed; one based on the formation of an amide bond between citric acid coated nanoparticles (NPs) and amine groups present on the polymer surface and the other based on the NP encapsulation. Relaxometric properties revealed that proton relaxation rates strongly depend on the coating layer hydrophilicity and the aggregation state of the particles due to the presence of magnetic interactions. Thus, while PEG coating reduces particle aggregation by increasing inter-particle spacing leading to reduction of both T1 and T2 relaxation, dextran and chitosan lead to an increase mainly in T2 values due to the aggregation of particles in bigger clusters where they are in close contact. Dextran and chitosan coated NPs have also shown a remarkable heating effect during the application of an alternating magnetic field. They have proved to be potential candidates as theranostic agents for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Finally, cytotoxicity of PEG conjugated NPs, which seem to be ideal for intravenous administration because of their small hydrodynamic size, was investigated resulting in high cell viability even at 0.2 mg Fe ml−1 after 24 h of incubation. This suspension can be used as drug/biomolecule carrier for in vivo applications.


A method for pulp processing includes a cold caustic extraction stage in which the spent cold caustic solution and the spent liquid used to wash the extracted pulp are concentrated by an evaporation system. The concentrated liquid can be used as part of the neutralization and cooking liquor in the pulp process, leading to increased efficiency without significant reduction in pulp quality. Highly concentrated filtrate from the cold caustic extraction stage may help reduce hemicellulose deposition on wood fiber during the cooking step.


Antidotes drug is indicated in intoxication or poisoning patients, in addition to the antidote drugs, it can also be used as an appropriate therapeutic indication of his own medicine. The high increasing number of the antidote drug used every year in inpatient instalation Undata hospital, for exmple atropine, N-acetylcysteine and pyridoxine (vitamin B6). Therefore, this study aims to determine the percentage of drug use of antidote category indicated as an antidote therapy in Undata hospitals Central Sulawesi Province period 2016-2018. This is a descriptive study with retrospective approach and using purposive sampling techniques.The results showed that the sample size was 75 patients, with the percentage of drug use as antidotes category in Undata Hospital Central Sulawesi province period 2016-2018, namely pyridoxine (vitamin B6) of 49.33%, N-acetylcysteine drug of 42.66% and the atropine drug of 8%. The use of antidotes drug category are indicated as an antidote to the poisoning therapy drugs obtained 0%. It can be concluded that there is no antidote drug category that used as an antidote therapy on patients with drug poisoning in inpatient instalation Undata hospital Central Sulawesi Province Period 2016-2018.


Wheelchair-bound patients suffer from a number of constraining ailments that affect the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and integumentary system. The increased risk of pressure ulcers in wheelchair users can be attributed to the combination of consistent single-point pressure and lack of regional movement for an extended period of time, leading to reduced blood circulation to the lower extremities. Pressure ulcers are especially prevalent in elderly wheelchair-bound patients due to the increased fragility of the skin with age. A study by Stockton and Parker estimated the rate of pressure ulcers in all wheelchair users to be nearly 60% [1] and the 2010 US Census reported that 30.6 million Americans have a major mobility disability that require the assistance of a wheelchair, cane or walker [2]. Products currently on the market claim to either distribute pressure more evenly across the surface or stimulate the region of pressure. The former include gel cushions which ease stress by distributing the pressure load but do not initiate movement, while the latter regularly alternate mechanical cushions that initiate movement but do not target region of highest load. Because many patients are unable to independently identify, communicate, or adjust their bodies when there is excess pressure being placed on a specific area, a method of reducing a patient's single-point pressure on a seat without requiring direct user input could greatly improve the quality of life of wheelchair users.


Objective: We present a novel intensity-based algorithm for medical image registration (IR). Methods and materials: The IR problem is formulated as a continuous optimization task, and our work focuses on the development of the optimization component. Our method is designed over an advanced scatter search template, and it uses a combination of restart and dynamic boundary mechanisms integrated within a multi-resolution strategy. Results: The experimental validation is performed over two datasets of human brain magnetic resonance imaging. The algorithm is evaluated in both a stand-alone registration application and an atlas-based segmentation process targeted to the deep brain structures, considering a total of 16 and 18 scenarios, respectively. Five established IR techniques, both featureand intensity-based, are considered for comparison purposes, and ground-truth data is used to quantitatively assess the quality of the results. Our approach ranked first in both studies and it is able to outperform all competitors in 12 of 16 registration scenarios and in 14 of 18 registration-based segmentation tasks. A statistical analysis confirms with high confidence (p < 0.014) the accuracy and applicability of our method. Conclusions: With a proper, problem-specific design, scatter search is able to provide a robust, global optimization. The accuracy and reliability of the registration process are superior to those of classic gradient-based techniques.


HIV-1 molecular epidemiology studies carried out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil have identified the prevalence of subtypes B, F1 and BF1 recombinants. A high percentage of HIV-1 subtype B isolates in Rio de Janeiro harbor the GWG motif at the V3 tip (B'' variant) instead of the canonical GPG motif (B variant). To trace the dynamics of the HIV-1 variants over time in different exposure categories in Rio de Janeiro, the HIV-1 proviral DNA from heterosexual men (HET) and men who have sex with men (MSM) from two distinct time periods (1990-1992 and 2008-2010) were extracted, and the env-gp120 region was amplified. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine the viral subtype, and Bayesian analysis was used to trace the HIV-1 transmission networks. A predominance of subtype B was observed in both study periods, independent of the exposure risk category. An increase of non-B subtypes was observed in the HET group, but these subtypes were maintained among the MSM group. The distribution of HIV-1 subtype B signatures in the first and second periods studied were, respectively, HET (GPG) [44.8-51.5%], (GWG) [13.8-33.3%], and (GXG) [41.4-15.2%] and MSM (GPG) [34-50%], (GWG) [55.3-30.6%], and (GXG) [10.7-19.4%]. In the first period, an association between GWG and MSM was verified while a significant reduction of this association was observed during the second period. The phylogenetic tree and the BaTS program detected the clustering of isolates only according to the B signatures but not by exposure risk category. Our findings indicate a stable prevalence of HIV-1 subtypes B and F over time in Rio de Janeiro and further suggest that the B'' subclade of subtype B was possibly introduced into the MSM group in this area of Brazil.


ABSTRACT Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain 629 is an endophyte isolated from Theobroma cacao L. Here, we report the draft genome sequence (3.9 Mb) of B. amyloliquefaciens strain 629 containing 16 contigs (3,903,367 bp), 3,912 coding sequences, and an average 46.5% G+C content.


We have constructed and characterised a glucose sensor using glucose oxidase (GOD) covalently attached to carboxylic acid polyethyleneglycol (PEG), called (PEG–GOD). This modified enzyme was entrapped afterwards within poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT) films electrogenerated on glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. The composite (PEG–GOD/PEDT) film is more porous than the film without enzyme (PEDT+PEG). Data from electrochemical quartz microbalance (ECQM) and pH-stat experiments indicate a good relative activity of the modified enzyme, ca. 12–15%. Amperometric measurements, using ferrocenemethanol as the redox mediator, confirms that the modified enzyme is catalytically active. The effect of film thickness was also investigated. The sensitivities were quite similar for modified-GOD electrodes (ca. 3 mA cm−2 M−1) and unmodified-GOD electrodes (ca. 2.7 mA cm−2 M−1) but a better stability was obtained with modified PEG–GOD electrodes.


In this paper, a new technique for fine tuning of spacecraft autopilots based on pulse-width pulse-frequency (PWPF) modulators is presented. PWPF is one of the most commonly used approaches to control signal modulation. Its main application is found in spacecraft controllers to produce discontinuous on-off control signals for two situational actuators. The main reasons for the popularity of this method are the reduced energy consumption and the quasi linear operation with high degrees of freedom in adjustment. But, due to multiplicity and nonlinear relationship between parameters, fine tuning of PWPF is known to be an engineering problem. Similar complexity is observable in adjusting the incorporated controller parameters. These involvements regarding the industrial and academic background of PWPF are not properly explored. The paper shows how particle swarm optimization (PSO) can be invoked to set both controller and PWPF parameters. Several spacecraft autopilots have been designed to show effectiveness of the proposed method.


Additive manufacturing is praised to have low material waste compared to conventional subtractive manufacturing methods. This is not always the case when the computer aided design (CAD) model consists of large overhangs. In such cases, fabrication of support structures are required to fill the space between the CAD model and the manufacturing bed. In post processing, these support structures must be removed from the model. These supports become waste and reduce the buy-to-fly ratio. In this paper, we present a pre-fabricated reusable modular support structure system which minimizes the fabrication of conventional support structures. The conventional supports are replaced with modular support blocks wherever possible. The blocks are stacked under the overhang with a robot arm until the overhang of the model is reached. Conventional supports can be fabricated on top when needed with fused filament fabrication. This strategy reduces fabrication of conventional supports. Thus, faster fabrication times are obtained with higher buyto-fly ratios.


This paper presents the survey of work done in existing systems for student performance analysis and monitoring. As well as the survey to understand and analyze the existing system and the algorithms that are used in it and to propose a system that will analyze student performance and will guide them by displaying the areas where they need improvement, in order to contribute to a student's overall development by generating a score card for the same. This paper presents the analysis of student performance on the basis of academic performance, research and innovation, self-development and extra-curricular activities. – Performance Analyzer, Score Card, Student Development, Student Performance, Student, Classification, Association rules.


Objectives
A multiple biofortified food crop trial targeting iron, zinc, and vitamin A deficiencies among young children and their breastfeeding mothers is planned in India. We sought to determine iron bioavailability from biofortified and conventional crop mixes representative of planned meal components.

Methods
A 24-meal menu was developed based on pearl millet, sweet potato, and lentils targeted for a feeding trial. Crops were procured from India, cooked, and freeze-dried before two rounds of an established in vitro digestion/Caco-2 iron bioavailability assay. Samples used a fixed weight adjusted for sweet potato water content. Representative crop proportions were determined using k-means clustering, combined such that samples included either all biofortified or all control crop varieties, and analyzed in triplicate. Outcomes were Caco-2 iron uptake and uptake normalized to iron per sample for fractional bioavailability. Data were analyzed with generalized linear models in SAS accounting for crop proportions and variety.

Results
Across both experiments, biofortified pearl millet alone demonstrated higher iron uptake than conventional varieties (5.01 ± 1.66 vs. 2.17 ± 0.96 ng ferritin/mg protein, P ≤ 0.036). Addition of sweet potato to pearl millet did not change iron uptake for biofortified varieties (P ≥0.13), but increased control iron uptake for all amounts of sweet potato (P ≤ 0.006), which did not differ from biofortified varieties (P ≥ 0.08). Lentil proportion increased iron uptake (β = 4.6 ± 2.2, P = 0.009), with no effect of variety or a lentil by variety interaction (P ≥ 0.56). The overall effect estimate of biofortified vs. control was (β = 1.79 ± 0.91, P = 0.08). Iron uptake normalized to iron per sample was higher for control crops (P ≤ 0.02), and enhanced by sweet potato, while inhibited by pearl millet (both P < 0.001).

Conclusions
A Caco-2 assay predicts that biofortified pearl millet alone has greater iron bioavailability than control pearl millet. The addition of sweet potato and lentils increased overall and relative iron bioavailability, while reducing differences between biofortified and control varieties. Matrix effects, processing, and promoters/inhibitors of iron absorption should be considered in addition to total iron concentration when optimizing iron bioavailability.

Funding Sources
This work was supported by HarvestPlus and the USDA.

Supporting Tables Images and/or Graphs


The progenitor cells in the cerebral cortex coordinate proliferation and mitotic exit to generate the correct number of neurons and glial cells during development. However, mechanisms for regulating the mitotic cycle of cortical progenitors are not fully understood. Otx1 is one of the homeobox-containing transcription factors frequently implicated in the development of the central nervous system. Mice bearing a targeted deletion of Otx1 exhibit brain hypoplasia and a decrease in the number of cortical neurons. We hypothesized that Otx1 might be crucial to the proliferation and differentiation of cortical progenitors. Otx1 knockdown by in utero electroporation in the mouse brain reduced the proportion of the G1 phase while increasing the S and M phases of progenitor cells. The knockdown diminished Tbr1+ neurons but increased GFAP+ astrocytes in the early postnatal cortex as revealed by lineage tracing study. Tbr2+ basal progenitors lacking Otx1 were held at the transit-amplifying stage. In contrast, overexpression of wildtype Otx1 but not an astrocytoma-related mutant Y320C inhibited proliferation of the progenitor cells in embryonic cortex. This study demonstrates that Otx1 is one of the key elements regulating cortical neurogenesis, and a loss-of-function in Otx1 may contribute to the overproduction of astrocytes in vivo.


The paper proposes a declarative communication service specification language that is easy to write for one who is not an expert in communication networks and a method of automatically generating communication software from communication service specifications written in the language. It is assumed that a communication system consists of homogeneous processes. With this language, we can specify a communication service without defining messages between processes. All states of a process and messages that are necessary to achieve a communication service will be generated by this method. The efficiency of the communication software generated by the method almost never degrades even if the size of a communication service specification has been increased.<<ETX>>


In recent years, a lot of energy-smart community demonstration projects are being conducted around the world. The principal concept is the optimization of energy utilization in the whole community not the individuals in order to contribute to the coexistence of CO2 reduction and QOL (Quality of Life). CEMS (Community Energy Management System) is one of the key technologies, which manages power demand and supply appropriately in the community. We developed Community EMS which cooperate with and request demand response to consumer EMS involving HEMS, BEMS, EV-charging management center through"Keihanna Eco-City Next Generation Energy and Social System Demonstration Project". CEMS also control community storage battery in order to compensate for the lack of demand response. In this paper we propose the method to improve the effect of demand response and describe the verification through Keihanna Demonstration Project.


Protected areas may function as islands of habitat in otherwise adverse environments for many species of North American animals. It is currently unclear how to maintain suitable foraging habitat for bats within these areas. Bats are nocturnal and highly mobile, making their specific needs difficult to determine. Using data collected from acoustically surveyed sites within protected areas in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio, a biodiversity hotspot, we developed spatially explicit macrohabitat models using maximum entropy modeling (Maxent). We then used data collected by citizen scientists to test these models to determine their success in predicting species presence. We found that the models were successful (AUC values > 0.75) at predicting the occurrence of the seven species for which models were developed, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Lasiurus borealis, Lasiuruscinereus, Myotis lucifugus, Myotiss eptentrionalis, Nycticeius humeralis, and Perimyotis subflavus.  Within protected areas, it is important to manage for heterogeneous habitat composition at this intermediate scale to maintain potential for foraging areas for all occurring bat species. Data collected by citizen scientists is useful to test spatially explicit models and can potentially be used to monitor long term changes in bat species composition in these systems and across regions.

 Key words: Bats, maxent, northwest Ohio, citizen science, parklands.


The dissemination of research-based information has been a hallmark of North Carolina State University's (NCSU) land grant mission for more than 100 years. Through county Cooperative Extension Centers, NCSU maintains a strong relationship with the citizens of North Carolina. However, many students do not understand the importance of the mission of a land grant university, and most do not know that North Carolina State University has an extension program. Furthermore, students do not understand the extension mission, administrative structure, or approach to educate the public. There are many ways to bring extension into the undergraduate classroom and to encourage graduate students to build strong extension components into their research. As part of undergraduate teaching, we often share our extension experiences and questions and enlist undergraduate students to assist in answering extension-related questions. In an upper level Natural Resources Advocacy course, to introduce undergraduate students to extension and help them gain an appreciation for public education, students conduct a semester-long project focused on a realworld environmental issue. The students gather information from the scientific literature, survey stakeholders, and then reinforce correct perceptions and address incorrect perceptions through popular articles and public presentations. The NCSU Leopold Wildlife Club, primarily composed of undergraduate students, presents hands-on programs to elementary school groups, organizes educational booths at the local wildlife expo, and assists with maintenance of the native plant landscape demonstration surrounding the NCSU Fisheries and Wildlife Program main office. Additionally, graduate students are encouraged to participate in extension so that results of each research project are published and presented to a lay audience. As leaders in extension, we play a vital role in educating tomorrow's natural resource professionals. We should maximize the time we have with students and teach the importance of public education.


Background Research shows that people with autism spectrum disorder and their families often experience social stigma. The internalization of social stigma can lead to the occurrence of self-stigma, understood as an internalized cognitive-affective self-directed and rigid process that results in individuals agreeing with stigmatizing opinions and applying them to themselves. Experiencing self-stigma can lead to a cognitive fusion with negative thoughts–especially those about oneself. Previous studies show that self-compassion reduces feelings of suffering, shame and self-stigma in a group of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to test the relationship between self-stigma and cognitive fusion among parents of children with ASD. The moderating role of self-compassion as a protective factor was also verified. Methods The following questionnaires were used: Perceived Public Stigma Scale, Perceived Courtesy Stigma Scale, Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. The study included 233 Polish parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (including 218 women). Results The results showed a positive correlation between fusion and both affiliate (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and public stigma (r = 0.33, p < 0.001). Fusion and self-compassion were significant predictors of affiliate stigma. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between fusion and depression (β = −0.11, p < 0.05) and the relationship between fusion and stress (β = −0.11, p < 0.05). Cognitive fusion with negative beliefs about oneself can contribute to self-stigma. Defusion-oriented actions are an opportunity to distance oneself from emerging thoughts and eliminate their negative consequences. Self-compassion manifests itself in a compassionate and accepting attitude towards oneself and improves the individual's well-being. Actions taken to strengthen the indicated factors could contribute to a better quality of life of parents of children with ASD.


The survival of smallholder olive-oil producers is a growing concern for the European Union. Despite subsidies (such as single farm payment), competition from intensive producers and increasing operating costs results in abandonment or a change to intensification which has long term negative environmental impacts. This dissertation explores ways to provide useful information to aid smallholder survival in Almeria Province. Through interviews with smallholder producers, a review of relevant literature, and a case study of best practices in sustainable olive-oil production from Oro del Desierto, this research produced a useful finding; organic production is economically viable in the long term therefore is a potential adaptation option for survival over intensification of production. If smallholder growers produce high-quality extra virgin organic olive-oil, and employ effective marketing strategies and sustainable practices, their methods can be economically viable as they sell to a growing niche market. Additionally, organic production offers many environmental benefits such as increasing biodiversity.


Methods of radar detection of bioobjects are considered. An optimal method for detecting a passive bioobject, without a response radio transmitter, and research activity was selected.


This paper deals with the laboratory investigation of cathode-ray-tube(CRT-) glass-based glass foam, the so-called "GeofilBubbles" which can be applied in many fields, mainly in the construction industry (lightweight concrete aggregate, thermal and sound insulation, etc.). In this study, the main process engineering material properties of raw materials, such as particle size distribution, moisture content, density, and specific surface area, are shown. Then, the preparation of raw cathode ray tube glass waste is presented including the following steps: crushing, grinding, mixing, heat curing, coating, and sintering. Experiments were carried out to optimize process circumstances. Effects of sintering conditions—such as temperature, residence time, and particle size fraction of green pellet—on the mechanical stability and particle density of glass foam particles were investigated. The mechanical stability (abrasion resistance) was tested by abrasion test in aDeval drum. Furthermore, the cell structure was examinedwith optical microscopy and SEM. We found that it was possible to produce foam glass (with proper mechanical stability and particle density) from CRT glass.Thematerial characteristics of the final product strongly depend on the sintering conditions. Optimum conditions were determined: particle size fraction was found to be 4–6mm, temperature 800C, and residence time 7.5min.


The World Health Organization (2011) has emphasized communication as one of the biggest challenges and places risk communication among the essential competencies required to tackle a pandemic. In light of the Covid-19 crisis, the aim of this paper is to assess how information forms and sources influence the public's information-seeking behaviors, and the perception of government's crisis response strategies during the pandemic. An online survey was conducted between March 14 and April 14, 2020, the first four weeks after the declaration of the State of Alarm in Spain. The online questionnaire included questions regarding information-seeking behavior, trust in different sources and channels, perception of government communication management, message retention, and demographic questions. Findings show a synchronous use of multiple media and platforms in line with channel complementarity theory. Three of the four most used information channels are considered mainstream news media. However, the second source of information is WhatsApp. People who relied more on the mainstream news media for Covid-19 information are generally most likely to express positive opinions of the government's communication strategy. Findings also show that people less able to make correct attributions of governmental information were the most critical of the government's crisis response. Finally, trust in public authorities' decreases as the crisis evolves as a general matter. It is specially truth for the WHO, but there is also a striking exemption for local governments. Implications for theory and empirical research and recommendations and new issues to address are identified and discussed.


A Mutual Fund is an ideal investment vehicle for today"s complex and modern Financial Scenario, There has been growing importance of mutual fund investment in India. In this paper, managing mutual fund, operations of mutual fund, comparison between investments in mutual fund and bank. have been considered The impacts of various demographic factors on investors" preference towards mutual funds have also been studied. For measuring various phenomena and analyzing the collected data effectively and efficiency for drawing sound conclusions, simple percentage analysis, based on scores (range), ANOVA, two-way table and correlation analysis has been used to analyze the various demographic factors. The study also helps to understand the role of investment pattern and preference of investors behind investing in mutual funds.


The approach to crime which is distinctively sociological assumes that the criminal acquires his interest, ability, and means of self-justification in crime through his relationship to others. This conception contrasts sharply with those psychoanalytic and biological approaches which conceive of crime as the expression of innate impulses which the criminal has not learned to control It will be noted, however, that in recent years, the sociological conception has been largely accepted by many persons identified with disciplines other than sociology.


The study of large animal embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in vitro has implications for the understanding of lineage differentiation and transgenesis. The first step for ESC derivation is the attachment of the embryo to a substrate on which they can form outgrowths. However, the culture conditions for large animal embryo attachment and ESC derivation have not been studied extensively. Defining culture conditions for embryo attachment such as culture medium and substrate is an important first step for derivation of inner cell massderived stem cells. The aim of this study was to compare different types of culture media and substrates for their ability to support attachment of in vitro produced bovine embryos in culture. Bovine embryos were produced in vivo following established protocols. Blastocysts formed on day 8 after fertilization were transferred to 12-well culture plates containing different types of culture media (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium, DMEM or Medium 199, M199) and substrates [bovine fetal fibroblasts, goat fetal fibroblasts, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (STO) or non-cellular substrates (gelatin, laminin, fibronectin)]. Percentage of attached embryos and number of days since fertilization required for attachment were recorded. Bovine blastocysts preferrably attached to feeder cells rather than noncellular substrates and there was an interaction of feeder cell type and culture medium used. Therefore, the choice of both feeder cell type and culture medium has to be considered when optimizing conditions to derive cell lines from bovine embryos.


YOUNiiK - the outfit for smartphone & co.! Phone cases, tablet cases and styling foils for smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, coffee machines, receiver and much more protect and style your gadgets - with your photo or trendy designs!


Abstract Objective To evaluate whether consumption of breakfast cereals is associated with BMI in a sample of Greek adolescents. Design A cross-sectional health and nutrition survey. Setting and subjects During 2004–5, 2008 schoolchildren aged 12–17 years were selected from twelve schools located in Vyronas region (Athens metropolitan area). Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. A semi-quantitative FFQ was applied and multiple logistic regression analysis was used. Results Overall, 4·7 % of boys and 1·7 % of girls were obese, whereas 19·4 % of boys and 13·2 % of girls were overweight. Only 20·7 % of boys and 15·5 % of girls reported that they consume cereals as a first choice for breakfast. Consumption of breakfast cereals was associated with lower BMI in boys (P = 0·08) and girls (P = 0·019), irrespective of age and physical activity status. More prominent results were observed for daily cereal consumption or for more than two daily servings of cereals consumed for breakfast. Consumption of pre-sweetened breakfast cereals was associated with lower BMI compared with non-pre-sweetened or no intake of cereals, in both genders (P < 0·001). Consumption of breakfast cereals was associated with 33 % (95 % CI 14 %, 48 %) lower likelihood of overweight/obesity, irrespective of age, sex and physical activity status. Conclusions Consumption of breakfast cereals was associated with lower BMI levels and a lower likelihood of overweight/obesity in both genders; thus a solid basis for public health professionals could be built when issuing advice on weight management.


A sliding mode controller is used to estimate the maximum power point as a reference for it to track that point and force the PV system to operate in this point. In sliding mode control, the trajectories of the system are forced to reach a sliding manifold of surface, where it exhibit desirable features, in finite time and to stay on the manifold for all future time. The load is composed of a battery bank. It is obtained by controlling the duty cycle of a DC-DC converter using sliding mode control. This method has the advantage that it will guarantee the maximum output power possible by the array configuration while considering the dynamic parameters solar irradiance and delivering more power to charge the battery. The proposed system with sliding mode control is tested using MATLAB / SIMULINK platform in which a maximum power is tracked under constant and varying solar irradiance and delivered to the battery which increasing the current that is charging the battery and reduces the charging time. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijpeds.v3i3.2289


We present results of tunable GaInNAs lasers with photonic crystal (PhQ mirrors, fabricated from GaAs-AlGaAs layers with a double GaInNAs quantum well emitting at IR wavelength. The devices are realized as ridge waveguide lasers with two coupled segments and a total length between 240 and 580 pm. PhC blocks with different thicknesses are used for the back and front mirror as well as for the intermediate reflector between the two segments. The lasers have threshold currents around 20 mA and output powers up to 6 mW. Tuning of the laser emission over 30 nm is achieved by a variation of the currents injected into the two segments.


Bogomol'nyi vortices on a disk with Dirichlet boundary conditions are investigated and solutions are shown to exist. The dimension of the moduli space of solutions is twice the vortex number. For one vortex near the boundary of the disk, the moduli space looks like a hyperbolic plane. To check these findings various numerical tests are made on square domains with/without holes.


Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is an important subtropical evergreen fruit crop of Punjab and is considerably damaged by the fruit bat (Pteropus giganteus). Since no study has been done in Punjab to assess fruit damage and control of fruit bats in litchi crop, present study was conducted in litchi orchards at two different locations (six sites) Gurdaspur [Regional Research Station (PAU), villages Ranjit Bagh and Tibar] and Pathankot (villages Sujanpur, Balusa and Malikpur) each having three replications, during 2018 and 2019. Our results reported that yield loss (%) to litchi fruits by P. giganteus was in the range from 6.85 to 8.93% and damage 5.59 kg/tree having average yield of 74.09 kg/tree. The average economic litchi fruit loss was calculated to be Rs. 32,232.0/acre. This damage to litchi fruit crop was minimized by using lighting, a non-lethal and non-polluting method (LED bulbs), with one-time installation cost. It is concluded that after installation of 16 LED bulbs/acre of 30 watts at a distance of 50 feet from each other in an upward position at the height of 8 feet above tree canopy in an orchard having 72 trees planted at a distance of 25×25 feet, we can reduce fruit bat damage to a lower level and can give a net economic return of Rs. 13448.0/acre to litchi fruit growers which will increase their farm income and help in conservation of fruit bats.


The invention discloses a medical foreign body net clamp structure. The medical foreign body net clamp structure comprises a pneumatic control handle, a clamp body and a connecting pipe which is used for connecting the clamp body with the pneumatic control handle, wherein the clamp body consists of an ellipsoidal bag body and a circular-pipe-shaped pipe joint b which is connected to one end of the long axis direction of the bag body in an integration manner; a partition plate part is formed at one end, connected with the bag body, of the pipe joint b; the bag body has a hollow structure; a circular or elliptical clamping opening is formed in the wall surface of one end of the short axis direction of the bag body; a telescopic pipe is formed on the inner circumference of the clamping opening; one end, close to the pipe joint b, of each supporting pipe is connected with the partition plate part; a through hole communicating each supporting pipe with the pipe joint b is formed in the position, corresponding to the supporting pipe, on the partition plate part. The clamp body is compact and ingenious in structure, one-time processing forming can be realized through 3D printing, the outer wall of the clamp body is smooth and takes the shape of an ellipsoid, an in-vivo tissue pipeline is slightly stimulated and damaged, and the clamp body can be processed to have different sizes so as to adapt to different parts.


Consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased alarmingly, representing a risk to children's health. Different techniques in marketing to kids (M2K) used on food labels are influencing the purchasing decisions of these products. This study aims to provide useful information about M2K found in labeling of food products sold in a supermarket chain in Lima, Peru and to determine its relationship with critical nutrient content. This was an observational, correlational, descriptive study. Data were collected by photographing the front-of-pack (FoP) of 2747 product labels sold in three supermarkets in Lima, but only those that met all the inclusion criteria were evaluated (n = 1092). A relationship was found between the use of techniques in marketing to kids and the level of critical nutrient regarding saturated fat (PR = 0.56; CI95%: 0.52–0.63), total sugar (PR = 1.70; CI95%: 1.64–1.77), and sodium (PR = 1.05; CI95%: 1.03–1.07). Particularly with sugar, the presence of M2K is a risk factor. New regulatory policies for the use of these food labeling techniques should be implemented to improve children's health at the population level.


Software simulation has often been used to evaluate proposed protocols for wireless devices. Simulation allows for rapid development and testing, but does not provide a realistic RF environment. To compensate for this, field experiments are performed. However, problems encountered during field experiments can be difficult to locate and correcting problems on-site can be time-consuming. Emulations attempt to provide the advantages of simulation and field experiments without the suffering the disadvantages of both. This demo provides an overview of the hardware, software, and emulation capabilities of ASSERT, an emulation testbed.


We consider the fragmentation at nodes of the Levy continuous random tree introduced in a previous paper. In this framework we compute the asymptotic for the number of small fragments at time $\theta$. This limit is increasing in $\theta$ and discontinuous. In the $\alpha$-stable case the fragmentation is self-similar with index $1/\alpha$, with $\alpha \in (1,2)$ and the results are close to those Bertoin obtained for general self-similar fragmentations but with an additional assumtion which is not fulfilled here.


Power is produced primarily by huge synchronous generators (SGs) in traditional power systems, with the frequency of the grid determined by the rotating speed of the prime mover. If there are any rapid variations in demand, the rotor inertia property limits the frequency shifts and maintains the system steady. The electricity system is undergoing structural changes as a result of the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources (RES). Inverter-based RES systems do not have the same inertia as classic SG, and a rapid rate of change in frequency and voltage changes at the point of common coupling (PCC) may occur during the disturbance. As a consequence, widespread use of RES systems as the photo voltaic technique will reduce overall power system inertia. Energy storage in the form of "virtual synchronous generators" is presented as a way to enhance the frequency stability of a power grid with a high renewable energy penetration (VSG). With its capacity to control frequency and voltage, the VSG-based inverter power supply simulates the exterior look of a normal SG. VSG is utilized in this research to decrease DC-link voltage fluctuation and to stabilize the frequency and voltage of the power system. The PI controller values are adjusted and tuned by reducing the inaccuracy of the VSG controller's current controller and voltage regulator.


Problem: Scania Commercial Vehicles (Scania CV) initiated the project, as a result of a vision regarding future preventive maintenance (PM) programmes. This vision and its core concepts will impose great changes to the way PM for heavy trucks are viewed upon at Scania CV. Within this vision many questions have risen, one of which is: How does one measure the performance of a preventive maintenance programme for heavy trucks?
Purpose: The result of the project will work as a tool when evaluating PM programmes for heavy trucks within Scania CV. The foundation of the measurement system rests upon identifying crucial factors with emphasis on the life cycle profit (LCP) for heavy trucks. Quantifying crucial factors within the measurement system will result in a set of maintenance performance indicators (MPI:s), which will be decisive for the customer's, i.e. the hauler's, profitability. The objective of the project is to:
Develop a set of MPI:s, which forms a system that measures the performance of PM from a LCP perspective.
Inference on how to measure the set of MPI:s.
Evaluate Scania CV' present PM programme according to the developed measurement system.
Delimitations: For the projects feasibility two delimitations have to be taken into consideration. The first delimitation is that the design and customer specification of the vehicle is given. In other words, the vehicle has already been delivered and the specifications of the vehicle cannot be changed, even if it would be beneficial for the customer's LCP. The second delimitation is that only Scania CV' existing customers are considered and the study is confined to the Swedish market.
Methodology: As a foundation for this project the authors performed, among other things, theory studies of the life cycle concepts, internship at heavy truck workshops, interviews with specialists within the field of heavy truck maintenance and interviews with the end users, i.e. the haulers. The approach has been systematic and aimed at mapping the current situation in order to identify key performance indicators.
The main theoretical approach for the project has been action research based, with an initial case study as a foundation for the action research approach. However, several research strategies and methods were applied in order to have a broad approach to the study in question. Regarding the empirical collection of data, both quantitative and qualitative data has been collected.
Conclusion: In the development of the measurement system the project has found three main MPI criteria: economic, availability and customer satisfaction related MPI:s. Furthermore, the project has come to the conclusion that scrutinizing the MPI:s separately can result in sub-optimization or wrongful conclusions of the PM programme's performance. A comprehensive view is required when regarding the system. Moreover the MPI system has been ordered according to a multi-criteria hierarchical structure, in order to provide a better overview of the MPI:s, which allows management at different levels to focus on MPI:s that concern them directly. The project strived to have an unbiased approach when developing the MPI system. The project disregarded if the measures used in the MPI:s seamed difficult to measure, as long as they were not impossible to measure. The unbiased approach allowed the project to fully focus on the objective of the MPI system, developing a system that measures the performance of PM. The project found that there are crucial measures which will always have difficulties regarding their measuring process, irrespectively of resources or efforts invested in the measuring process.


Continuous improvement for the teaching method is security for promoting the quality of palliative care. The didactic lecture and simulation-based learning were always used independently, which may negatively affect the results of palliative care education. This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of lecture–simulation-combined education in improving nursing undergraduates' knowledge and attitude of palliative care. A quasi-experimental single-group pre/post-test design was adopted to evaluate the variables with a sample of voluntary fifty-two nursing undergraduates before and after an 18-hour lecture-simulation-combined palliative care course. The course was composed of two hours didactic lecture, ten hours of lecture-simulation-combined learning, and six hours of simulation practise. Two questionnaires, named Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing and Frommelt Attitude towards Care of the Dying , were used to evaluate students' knowledge and attitude of palliative care before and after the course. By paired sample t -test, the results showed increased scores in students' knowledge ( p <0.05) and attitude ( p <0.05) after the course. Lecture-simulation-combined education is an effective strategy to improve nursing students' knowledge and attitude of palliative care. Lecture-simulation-combined education could either be good at equipping students with theoretical knowledge, but also be capable of helping students to construct a positive attitude on palliative care. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.8.5


Politic is always related to activities that influence the action and policies in government or society. This activity will gain or keep power on it. This research aimed to analyze Donald Trump's utterances in his presidential campaign at November 16 th , 2015 in Knoxville Convention Center. There are four objective of the research that must be answered; 1) The utterances that illustrated political discourse in Donald Trump Speech; 2) The way he delivered his political discourse; 3) The aim of the utterances; 4) Effect of the utterance to people. Descriptive qualitative was applied as the method of the research and the data of the research were the utterances that illustrated Donald Trump's political discourse. The utterances were being analyzed using CDA's Van Dijk supported by Fairclough and Wodak theory. The result showed his way to deliver his ideology in gaining power where in power; there is an ability to control people which in line with his purpose to win American's heart. Trump's political strategies succeeded to gain many supports that made him elected as the presidential candidate from the Republic party.


[Objective] The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture and local injection for neck pain. [Methods] A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in which 33 patients with neck pain were randomly allocated to either an acupuncture group or a local injection group. For the acupuncture group (n = 16), a stainless steel needle was inserted to depths from 10 to 20 mm and manually stimulated (sparrow pecking method) for 20 seconds. While a 25 gauge needle was inserted to depths from 10 to 20 mm, neovitacain (dibucaine hydrochloride 0.1 percent, sodium salicylate 0.3 percent, calcium bromide 0.2 percent) and neurotropin (a non protein component extracted from the skin of rabbits treated with vaccinia virus) were injected for the local injection groups (n = 17). Both groups received each treatment at the most painful points weekly during four weeks. Primary outcome measurement was intensity of the pain evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes were Neck Disability Index (NDI) and a standardized questionnaire of cervical root disease (developed by Tanaka et al. at Tohoku Univ.). The evaluations were independent from the therapists. [Results] The acupuncture group showed better results in all the outcome measurements than those in the local injection group for the effect immediately after the treatment, the effect of sequential treatment and the sustained effect after completion of treatment. [Discussion] The result of this study suggested that acupuncture can become a more useful treatment method compared with local injection. The difference of the effects between two treatment methods may be due to the difference of the mechanism to suppress pain.


Introduction: Exhaled Nitric Oxide (eNO) is a noninvasive and simple method of assessing airway inflammation. While its utility is well established in asthma, there are no studies in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Aim: To measure eNO concentration in IPF patients, assess its correlation with lung function tests and its potential utility as a biomarker. Methods: Alveolar eNO was measured in 31 patient with IPF and 20 healthy volunteers. Mean eNO was compared between the two groups. Correlation with pulmonary function testswas investigated using Pearson correlation coefficient, regression analysis. Results: 27 IPF patients and 17 controls were able to complete all measurements. No patient or control was receiving any medication that could have an impact on eNO. Mean age was 64±10.09yrs. for patients and 55.45±8.9 for controls, 2 patients were non-smokers and 25 ex-smokers. eNO was 4.4963±3.88 ppb in patients versus 1.1118±1.46ppb in controls, respectively (p=0.0013). Mean FVC was 72.9±18.35 %pred. and mean lung DLco 40.33±11.43%pred. eNO was significantly correlated to FVC by both Pearson (p=0.01,r=0.46) and regression analysis (p=0.01, R 2 =0.22), although multiple regression analysis showed no statistical significance. However, we found no significant correlation with DLco by Pearson, regression analysis or multiple regression analysis. Conclusions: eNO is significantly higher among IPF patients and correlate positively with FVC,butnot with DLco. Bigger cohorts of patients are needed to draw definite conclusions.


Experimental and theoretical studies on the evolution of shock waves in air plasma induced by laser spark have been carried out. The systematic study of the shock wave has been performed experimentally and 1-D numerical code of radiation hydrodynamics (1-DRHC) has been used to simulate the later stage of laser spark in air. The numerical results on the propagation of shock waves and the expansion of hot plasma are presented and subsequent results on the first divergent and convergent shock waves are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.


Prior research suggests that at-risk and problem gamblers are more likely to have experienced early family dysfunction and exposure to gambling within the family in early childhood. However, little is known about the ways in which early childhood experiences contribute to at-risk and problem gambling in adulthood. Drawing on life history interviews with 48 participants, this article shows that the vast majority of regular gamblers in our study had been exposed to gambling as children in their family of origin. It also shows that different experiences of gambling within the early family were associated with contrasting gambling forms and risk levels in adulthood. Several at-risk and problem gamblers reported having had a parent or other family member with problematic gambling behaviour, while low-risk gamblers had experienced gambling in their early family life as purely recreational. In addition, the majority of the problem and at-risk gamblers had experienced conflicts, lack of encouragement and support, negativity, emotional distance and lack of communication in their early family life. A few also reported experiencing various forms of abuse as children. This paper shows that early exposure to problematic gambling and early family dysfunction impacted substantially on the participants' lives as adults and contributed to problem gambling.


Evolutionary multiobjective optimization (EMO) is an active research area in the field of evolutionary computation. EMO algorithms are designed to find a non-dominated solution set that approximates the entire Pareto front of a multiobjective optimization problem. Whereas EMO algorithms usually work well on two-objective and three-objective problems, their search ability is degraded by the increase in the number of objectives. One difficulty in the handling of many-objective problems is the exponential increase in the number of non-dominated solutions necessary for approximating the entire Pareto front. A simple countermeasure to this difficulty is to use large populations in EMO algorithms. In this paper, we examine the behavior of EMO algorithms with large populations (e.g., with 10,000 individuals) through computational experiments on multiobjective and many-objective knapsack problems with two, four, six, eight and ten objectives. We examine two totally different algorithms: NSGA-II and MOEA/D. NSGA-II is a Pareto dominance-based algorithm while MOEA/D uses scalarizing functions. Their search ability is examined for various specifications of the population size under the fixed computation load. That is, we use the total number of examined solutions as the stopping condition of each algorithm. Thus the use of a very large population leads to the termination at an early generation (e.g., 20th generation). It is demonstrated through computational experiments that the use of too large populations makes NSGA-II very slow and inefficient. On the other hand, MOEA/D works well even when it is executed with a very large population. We also discuss why MOEA/D works well even when the population size is unusually large.


Over the last few years the concept of knowledge-based has acquired increasing acceptance, thus providing a new context in which knowledge may become a fundamental resource for innovation. To this end, the internationalization of academic activity is a fundamental tool for awareness in interaction in didactic and research methodology. This article presents a few thoughts regarding he teaching and research of the LabCity Architecture (DARCH-UNIPA group), on the theme of the transformation of the city of Busan, in South Korea, through the re-composition of disseminated parts of the city and the enhancement of the urban and natural heritage of the contemporary city.


Recently, the lateral displacement of the passive piles which are installed under the revetment on the soft ground is very important during the land reclamation work along the coastal line. The revetment on the soft clay develops the lateral displacement of ground when the revetment loading exceeds a certain limit. The lateral displacement of ground causes an excessive deformation of underground structure itself and develops lateral earth pressure against the pile foundation. The subject of study is to investigate the lateral displacement of pile foundation during the construction of container terminal at the port in Incheon. The displacement of pile and the vertical settlement were measured in the field and finite element method(FEM) analysis for each construction sequence was performed using AFFIMEX(Ver 3.4). From the comparison of the results from field measurement and the finite element analysis, the settlement of the reventment has already occurred at the time of field measurements. Since then, the noticeable lateral displacement of piles and settlement were occurred during the filling of dredged soil inside the revetment dredging and reclaiming work. After completing filling, the lateral displacement and field settlement were reduced remarkably. Generally, the results from the finite element analysis show larger than those from the measurement.


Presenting a new historical narrative on European integration and identity Thinking Europe: A History of the European Idea Since 1800 examines how the concept of Europe has been entangled in a dynamic and dramatic tension between calls for unity and arguments for borders and division. Through an in-depth intellectual history of the idea of Europe, Mats Andren interrogates the concept of integration and more recent debates surrounding European identity across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the post-war period. Applying a broad range of original sources this unique work will be key reading for students and researchers studying European History, European Studies, Political History and related fields.


It is often difficult to differentiate environmental overheating from disease-related fever in the newborn. The purpose of this study was to establish the normal relationship between peripheral skin temperature and rectal temperature in normal newborn infants whose rectal temperatures were in the upper range of normal (99.0 to 99.6 F) and to compare it with that relationship in infants with fevers known to be disease related. Seventy-eight paired rectal and anterior mid-lower leg skin temperatures were obtained from 41 normal 2-day-old infants. Thirteen similar paired temperatures were measured in 13 full-term infants admitted from home with fever (greater than 100.0 F). The rectal temperature-leg temperature (RT-LT) difference in the normal infants ranged between -1 and +4 F, with a mean of +1.14 F, whereas in the febrile infants it ranged between +5.7 and 12.9 F with a mean of 7.90 F. In febrile infants there was no trend in RT-LT difference as rectal temperatures rose whereas normal infants showed a tendency toward a decreasing RT-LT difference with increasing temperatures. When an RT-LT difference of +3 F is chosen as an arbitrary boundary between environmentally overheated infants and infants with disease-related fevers, it is estimated that 0.5% of infants with disease-related fevers would be incorrectly classified. The RT-LT difference adds an objective guideline for evaluation of temperature elevation in the full-term, appropriate for gestational age neonate.


Background: Disturbances in rest–activity rhythm are prominent and disabling symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nighttime sleep is severely fragmented and daytime activity is disrupted by multiple napping episodes. In most institutional environments, light levels are very low and may not be sufficient to enable the circadian clock to entrain to the 24-hour day. The purpose of this randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial was to test the effectiveness of morning bright light therapy in reducing rest–activity (circadian) disruption in institutionalized patients with severe AD. Method: Subjects (n=46, mean age 84 years) meeting the NINCDS-ADRDA (National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke – the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association) AD diagnostic criteria were recruited from two large, skilled nursing facilities in San Francisco, California. The experimental group received one hour (09:30–10:30) of bright light exposure (≥2500lux in gaze direction) Monday through Friday for 10weeks. The control group received usual indoor light (150–200lux). Nighttime sleep efficiency, sleep time, wake time and number of awakenings and daytime wake time were assessed using actigraphy. Circadian rhythm parameters were also determined from the actigraphic data using cosinor analysis and nonparametric techniques. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the primary study hypotheses. Results and conclusion: Although significant improvements were found in subjects with aberrant timing of their rest–activity rhythm, morning bright light exposure did not induce an overall improvement in measures of sleep or the rest–activity in all treated as compared to control subjects. The results indicate that only subjects with the most impaired rest–activity rhythm respond significantly and positively to a brief (one hour) light intervention.


Data for people in a family, firms in a sector, or members of any kind of group are often analyzed using data for the other members in each group. Examples are the number of older children for each child in a family or the mean investment of other firms in the same year. Many such problems yield to simple logic, spelled out here in terms of useful Stata functions and commands. Operations under by:, or an equivalent by() option, are frequently called for, while the egen command offers a key tool for many calculations. Even when looping is needed, some helpful tricks can be identified.


in B, and B is not recursive. This celebrated result was proved by Mu£nik (XXII 218) and by Friedberg (XXIII 225). Unfortunately the author's presentation is not as clear and concise as Friedberg's and the reviewer had trouble with the details. To begin with the author seems to require (top of page 95) that B intersects every set which can be enumerated by a partial recursive function, thus putting all numbers into B. The fourth paragraph briefly mentions several topics in metamathematics including work on Hubert 's tenth problem and Kreisel's work on proof theory. The last two paragraphs contain remarks on calculting machines and their relation to symbolic logic. The discussion of error control includes an exposition of ideas credited to von Neumann's work in Probabilistic logics. STEVEN OREY


Modern production plants often rely on a continuous and uninterrupted supply of material to the assembly line or production process. The two main areas where optimisation of the resources to transport the material can help are in the factory itself and in managing the inbound and outbound flow of supplier's transport. Optimising these can achieve a better flow of material especially in situations of fluctuating demand - and significant monetary saving in the resources needed to accomplish the work. Optimisation of the internal transport can significantly improve the capacity of a plant without expansion. Several manufacturing industries are featured to illustrate the benefits of resource optimisation.


Abstract Informal learning space (ILS) has increasingly become important for higher education. Yet, most studies were conducted on a piecemeal basis, without considering the planning of the campus. This study adopts a systematic and data-driven approach in understanding the types of ILS, preferences and behaviors using a case study in Hong Kong, by first classifying ILS into user-defined types followed by usage behavior for each ILS types. A mixed-method approach was used by conducting qualitative interviews, focus groups, on-site fieldwork observations and large-scale quantitative survey (N = 999) with students. Five types of ILS with unique characteristics were identified. This applied research seeks to suggest development directions and design input for ILS types, with implications for master planning in ILS development, extending to any universities using the same procedure.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to analyze application effects of specialized emergency nursing mode based on Global Registry Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) scoring system on Acute Coronary System (ACS) patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
135 ACS cases in this hospital of the same period were selected and they were divided into control group (65 cases) and observation group (70 cases) according to random number method and their order of hospitalization. The standard specialized nursing mode was applied in the control group while specialized nursing mode based on GRACE scoring system was applied in observation group to compare treatment effects.

RESULTS
We found that average time of Door-to-Balloon, surgery time and length of stay in observation group were shortened and the occurrence rate of complications during and after surgery was significantly lowered. The remedy achievement ratio and satisfaction scores on nursing are increased and differences were of statistical significance (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The stratified nursing was used to ACS patients based on GRACE scoring system, which was able to significantly increase remedy achievement ratio and decrease complications and, therefore, nursing quality is improved.


Struggle over the river of the Nile has had a long history.Egypt's claim to veto over the projects of the upper riparian countries and the demands of the latter to use the water of the Nile has caused continual conflicts of interest in the Nile Basin. This book has explored both past and the present struggle to use and/control the water of the river Nile. Egypt, backed by its dependency on the Nile water, the 1929 and 1959 agreements, and its military might has been a major user and defender of the Nile water; excluding the upper riparian countries. This book has answered its main question of whether the competing claims to use the Nile water would lead the region into water war, conflict or cooperation, or the co-existence of conflict and cooperation in the Nile Scenario. The question of War or Peaceful cooperation was analyzed through the contrasting theoretical frameworks of international relation theories of realism and liberalism. The findings, presented in short in this chapter, are structured around a number of points pertaining to water war,conflict or cooperation, and conflict-cooperation nexus.


Specifying the boundary of tissues or an organ is one of the most frequently required tasks for a radiologist. It is a first step for further processing, such as comparing two serial images in time, volume measurements. In the present work, we use genetic algorithms (GA) and where necessary apply a ldquodynamic genetic algorithmrdquo (dGA) procedure, which (we believe) is a unique application, to assess different values for finding an optimal set of parameters that characterize the level set method, a geometric active contour, for use as a boundary detection method. Four quantitative measures are used in calculating geometric differences between the object boundaries, as determined by the level set method, and the desired object boundaries. A semi-automated method is also developed to find the desired boundary for the object. A two-step method requires the user to manipulate the object boundaries obtained by applying an edge detection method based on the Canny filter. By setting the level set method parameters using the output of the GA we obtain accurate boundaries of organs automatically and rapidly.


: This paper uses yearly panel data on OECD countries to analyze the relationship between growth and the cyclicality of government debt. We develop new time-varying estimates of the cyclicality of public debt. Our main fi ndings can be summarized as follows: (i) less procyclical public debt growth can have signi fi cantly positive e ff ects on productivity growth, in particular when fi nancial development is lower; (ii) public debt growth has become increasingly countercyclical in most OECD countries over the past twenty years, but this trend has been less pronounced in the EMU; (iii) less fi nancially developed or more open economies display less countercyclical public debt growth. ,


The variation of the energy for a gravitational system is directly defined from the Hamiltonian field equations of general relativity. When the variation of the energy is written in a covariant form, it splits into two (covariant) contributions: one of them is the Komar energy, while the other is the so-called covariant ADM correction term. When specific boundary conditions are analysed one sees that the Komar energy is related to the gravitational heat while the ADM correction term plays the role of the Helmholtz free energy. These properties allow one to establish, inside a classical geometric framework, a formal analogy between gravitation and the laws governing the evolution of a thermodynamical system. The analogy applies to stationary spacetimes admitting multiple causal horizons as well as to AdS Taub-bolt solutions.


The world's energy paradigm continues to undergo a rapid shift towards an increased use of renewable energy sources. To support this shift, an advanced electric power system architecture is being implemented by many electric utilities, interconnected with new distributed energy resources. As these new installations occur, it is essential to verify that their grid interconnection systems (ICS) conform to the relevant grid interconnection standards and that they perform satisfactorily under a variety of variable resource input and grid output conditions. This paper describes a Grid Interconnection System Evaluator (GISE) that leverages hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation techniques to rapidly evaluate the grid interconnection standard conformance of an ICS according to the procedures in IEEE Std 1547.1TM. The architecture and test sequencing of this evaluation tool, along with a set of representative ICS test results from three different photovoltaic (PV) inverters, are presented. The GISE adds to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) evaluation platform that now allows for rapid development of ICS control algorithms using controller HIL (CHIL) techniques, the ability to test the dc input characteristics of PV-based ICSs through the use of a PV simulator capable of simulating real-world dynamics using power HIL (PHIL), and evaluation of the grid interconnection conformance of an ICS.


In this paper, bivariate Szasz-Mirakjan type operators are introduced along with the estimation of its approximation properties and its rate of convergence. Furthermore, to check the asymptotic behavior of the said bivariate operators, the Voronovskaya type theorem is proved and determined the simultaneous approximation of the operators for first-order partial derivative. Finally, the convergence behavior of the bivariate operators are obtained through graphical representation and validated the numerical results with the results of Szasz-Mirakjan operators for the function of two variables.


The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the role of networking for social entrepreneurs. The thesis conducts three case studies of Swedish social entrepreneurs and investigates the role of networking for these entrepreneurs in executing their businesses. In the study, a literature review combining traditional network theory and entrepreneurship theory with recent research on social entrepreneurship is presented. The literature review is used as background for the analysis by providing an understanding of the motivations for and functions of networking for network actors. The study shows that networking plays a role in enabling the social entrepreneur to take on a multifaceted role set. Hence, the role of networking can be seen as helping the social entrepreneur to be present and active in different roles simultaneously, which helps the social entrepreneur in managing the tension inherent in running a commercial business.


The present invention aims at providing an adsorbent having an excellent adsorbability with respect to AGEs. AGEs adsorbent of the present invention is formed of a hydrophilic methacrylate-containing copolymer resin, provides advanced glycation end products adsorbent, the structural units of the copolymer, composed of a specific methacrylate compound and a vinyl compound. Preferably, the hydrophilic methacrylate-containing copolymer resin has a basic ion-exchange groups.


Background Computer-based learning methodologies have become more prevalent in the last decade. Web based serious gaming and virtual patients are novel in medical education, which have the potential to become important tools to improve today's medical students' knowledge and performance.Methods A total of 81 medical students participated in our study. They were either assigned to an intervention group or a control group . The intervention group completed a serious game module designed for Basic Life Support education. The control group received a theoretical lecture on the same content. On the next day both groups received simulation-based hands-on training for BLS using the same criteria. All students were assessed with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) the following week. Results There was no difference between the intervention group that used a web based serious game module for BLS and the control group that received a standard theoretical lecture from the faculty. Discussion and Conclusion Computer based interactive serious games seem to present a favourable additional tool for medical education. OSCE results imply, that the use of serious games as a self-learning strategy can be as useful as theoretical lectures; which means that it is saving time of learners and educators


How do people perceive fairness? Recently, fairness scholars have raised important theoretical questions related to what information is used in fairness perceptions, why this information is emphasized, and how fairness perceptions can change over time. Integrating the Brunswikian lens approach with a motivated cognition perspective, we develop the Motivated Perceptual Approach (MPA) to highlight how people can be motivated to selectively perceive and weight cues to form fairness perceptions that align with their motives. However, these motives can change over time and through interaction with motivated others. By illuminating the dynamic and dialectic processes underlying fairness perceptions, the MPA sheds light on how people's fairness perceptions can be influenced by their own motives as well as socially constructed and negotiated through interactions with motivated others. Practical insights include how to effectively manage fairness perceptions over time and across perspectives. We conclude with a research agenda for advancing the fairness literature. Whether or not people perceive they (or others) have been treated fairly or are treating others fairly at work, has implications for a variety of important outcomes ranging from helping others (when people perceive fairness) to undermining supervisors, making plans to quit or punishing bad actors (when people perceive unfairness). Important questions remain, however, around how people come to these perceptions in the first place. How do they decide what is fair? A long time assumption has been that these perceptions are subjective and motivated; that "fairness is in the eye of the beholder." Based on this assumption, two people who experience the same event may come away with very different fairness perceptions. This is a crucial insight that helps explain the significant disparities in perceptions of fairness between people. However, as a field, we seem to have strayed from that foundational assumption. In this paper, we revisit this premise to develop an approach describing how people collect and integrate information to inform their fairness perceptions, highlighting the particular role that their motives (what they want to perceive, e.g., that they are fair actors, that they are treated well by important others) shape what information they attend to and use in arriving at their perceptions of fairness. From this perspective we explain how fairness perceptions can change over time, explain and predict differences between perspectives (e.g., managers and employees), and provide guidance for developing practical interventions that can reduce these differences before they become intractable.


Abstract. The paper compares two workflows for the achievement of 3D models aimed at in-depth studies on the geometric features of Cultural Heritage artefacts and their dissemination. The purpose is the outlining of pros and cons of different techniques coming from entertainment and video games industry, starting from highly reliable 3D documentation of cultural assets, i.e. architectural/archaeological/urban sites. Two different possible applications are described: (i) procedural modelling used for understanding and visualising reconstruction hypotheses of the vaulted pavilions at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, Rome; (ii) optimisation of 3D high-detailed models, as input files, turned into visual reliable and highly portable assets for game-engines. The first case study is focussed on creating a flexible model for evalueting reconstruction hypotheses and supplying restorers with useful hints for shape completion of ruined pavilions. The second case study makes available detailed digital contents for storytelling historical and cultural events in an attractive way, as in the case of the urban explorative model of Chiuro, a small town in northern Italy.


Background: High complexity and variability of the environment, the interconnected market, globalization, technological development, have a decisive influence on the essence of logistics management. In the author's opinion, an important qualitative research tool useful in 1) mitigating such areas of logistic uncertainty as: complexity, lack of communication, technology, and in particular lack of logistics vision and 2) minimizing information asymmetries between logistics triad actors is "weak signals" (by their identification and analysis). Weak signals are inaccurate early signs of upcoming events that allow to "recognize of unknowable" in confrontation with strong signals that are sufficiently visible and specific. Methods: In the article were used the results of the method of analysis and logical construction as well as the method of analysis and criticism of the literature as the main research methods. On this basis was performed deductive reasoning. Results: Scientific results is an attempt to answer the following research questions: 1) what is the relationship between weak signals and sources of uncertainty in the area of logistics?; 2) what are the sources of weak signals in the area of uncertain logistics development in relation to contextual search?; 3) which phenomena, minimizing information asymmetries between actors of the logistics triad can be treated as weak signals heralding strong signals, in extreme cases taking the form of wild cards? Conclusions: The main problem in this article is focused on identification sources of weak signals as sources of uncertainty in relation to the development of selected areas of logistics. In the author's opinion, the selected research problem has not been taken up in the literature yet. Analyzes of weak signals are very important part of future management (e.g. foresight) and innovation research. In the author's opinion, logistics also belongs to the field where research of "seeds of changes" seems to be indispensable to avoid the effect of "surprise".


Abstract In recent years, anthropogenic conversion of grassland habitat has raised concerns about the status of breeding Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) in the northern Great Plains region of North America. During 2013–2014, we captured breeding Swainson's Hawks in north-central South Dakota and south-central North Dakota to estimate home-range size, determine adult survival rates during the breeding season, and evaluate habitat selection. We captured, radio-tagged, and monitored 13 Swainson's Hawks in 2013, and captured two additional Swainson's Hawks in 2014. In 2014, seven of 13 individuals initially captured in 2013 returned to the same breeding territory for the 2014 breeding season. Average 95% MCP home-range size in 2013 was 205.4 ha (SD = 135.3 ha, n = 10) and 211.1 ha (SD = 208.8 ha, n = 9) in 2014, and size did not differ between years (t13 = 0.07, P = 0.95), averaging 208.3 ha (SD = 244.9 ha, n = 19 home ranges measured for 12 birds) for the 2 yr of the study. Mean core home-range size (50% MCP) was 78.2 ha (SD =105.9 ha, n = 10) in 2013 and 59.7 ha (SD = 80.7 ha, n = 9) in 2014; core home-range areas also did not differ between years (t17 = −0.46, P = 0.65). Swainson's Hawks did not select habitats in proportion to their availability in 2013 (χ242 = 781.99, P < 0.001) and 2014 (χ240 > 999.99, P < 0.001). In 2013, breeding Swainson's Hawks selected against wetland and grassland habitats and selected for trees as foraging habitats. Similarly, Swainson's Hawks selected against grassland habitats for foraging in 2014. We used known-fate analysis in Program MARK to estimate adult survival during the breeding season. The top-ranked model indicated survival was constant at 0.94 (95% CI = 0.68–0.99) during the breeding season and did not differ between years. Our results suggest that Swainson's Hawks maintain a moderately high degree of breeding-site fidelity and have home ranges smaller than those documented elsewhere, and that their home-range size is influenced positively by the presence of grasslands and negatively by development.


This paper arose from a minisymposium held in 2018 at the 9th International Conference on Curves and Surface in Arcachon, France, and organized by Simon Masnou and Carola-Bibiane Schonlieb. This minisymposium featured a variety of recent developments of geometric partial differential equations and variational models which are directly or indirectly related to several problems in image and data processing. The current paper gathers three contributions which are in connection with the talks of three minisymposium speakers: Blanche Buet, Jean-Marie Mirebeau, and Yves van Gennip. The first contribution (Section 1) by Yves van Gennip provides a short overview of recent activity in the field of PDEs on graphs, without aiming to be exhaustive. The main focus is on techniques related to the graph Ginzburg–Landau variational model, but some other research in the field is also mentioned at the end of the section. The second contribution (Section 2), written by Jean-Marie Mirebeau, Francois Desquilbet, Johann Dreo, and Frederic Barbaresco presents a recent numerical method devoted to computing curves that globally minimize an energy featuring both a data driven term, and a second order curvature penalizing term. Applications to image segmentation are discussed, and recent progress on radar network configuration, in which the optimal curves represent an opponent's trajectories, is described in detail. Lastly, Section 3 is devoted to a work by Blanche Buet, Gian Paolo Leonardi, and Simon Masnou on the definition and the approximation of weak curvatures for a large class of generalized surfaces, and in particular for point clouds, based on the geometric measure theoretic notion of varifolds.


OBJECTIVE To find the risk of developing mesothelioma in a cohort born in 1916–36 in Prieska, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS A birth cohort mortality study was carried out in a small town in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, with a history of crocidolite asbestos mining and milling. The cohort comprised all white births registered in the magisterial district of Prieska from 1916 to 1936, inclusive (2390). Causes of death due to mesothelioma and other cancers as recorded on medical certificates of cause of death were investigated. Person-years analysis was used to calculate mortalities due to mesothelioma, other respiratory cancers, and other non-respiratory cancers. Proportional cancer mortalities were also calculated for mesothelioma and other specific neoplasms. RESULTS The follow up rate for the cohort was 74.3% in 1995, and 683 traced members (38.6%) had died. Cause of death was unknown for 6.4% of deaths. There were 118 cases of cancer, 28 of them from mesothelioma, giving a cause specific mortality for mesothelioma of 277 (170–384) per 106 person-years. The rates for men and women were 366 and 172 per 106 person-years, respectively. The mortality for lung cancer (29 deaths) was 287 (135–436) per 106person-years, and that for other non-respiratory cancers (60 deaths) was 593 (442–745). Two cases of laryngeal and four of colon cancer were observed. All cancer mortality, mesothelioma, and lung cancer proportional cancer mortality ratios were increased. CONCLUSION The mortality for mesothelioma in men was twice that in women, probably because men were more likely to have had both occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos. Nevertheless, the mortality in women was still high and is probably indicative of the environmental exposure as white women were rarely employed in the asbestos industry in the Prieska area. Due to the long latency from first exposure to diagnosis of the neoplasm, the cause specific mortality in this cohort could be expected to increase rapidly over the next 10 years.


Importance
A genetic variant in the TTR gene (rs76992529; Val122Ile), present more commonly in individuals with African ancestry (population frequency: 3%-4%), causes misfolding of the tetrameric transthyretin protein complex that accumulates as extracellular amyloid fibrils and results in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis.

Objective
To estimate the association of the amyloidogenic Val122Ile TTR variant with the risk of heart failure and mortality in a large, geographically diverse cohort of Black individuals.

Design, Setting, and Participants
Retrospective population-based cohort study of 7514 self-identified Black individuals living in the US participating in the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) study with genetic data available and without heart failure at baseline. The participants were enrolled at the baseline visit (2003-2007). The end of follow-up for the majority of outcomes was on December 31, 2018. All-cause mortality data were available through December 31, 2020.

Exposures
TTR Val122Ile (rs76992529) genotype.

Main Outcome and Measures
The primary outcome was incident heart failure (first hospitalization for heart failure or death due to heart failure). The secondary outcomes were heart failure mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were adjusted for genetic ancestry and demographic, clinical, and social factors.

Results
Among 7514 Black participants (median age, 64 years [IQR, 57-70 years]; 61% women), the population frequency of the TTR Val122Ile variant was 3.1% (232 variant carriers and 7282 noncarriers). During a median follow-up of 11.1 years (IQR, 5.9-13.5 years), incident heart failure occurred in 535 individuals (34 variant carriers and 501 noncarriers) and the incidence of heart failure was 15.64 per 1000 person-years among variant carriers vs 7.16 per 1000 person-years among noncarriers (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.43 [95% CI, 1.71-3.46]; P < .001). Deaths due to heart failure occurred in 141 individuals (13 variant carriers and 128 noncarriers) and the incidence of heart failure mortality was 6.11 per 1000 person-years among variant carriers vs 1.85 per 1000 person-years among noncarriers (adjusted HR, 4.19 [95% CI, 2.33-7.54]; P < .001). Deaths due to cardiovascular causes occurred in 793 individuals (34 variant carriers and 759 noncarriers) and the incidence of cardiovascular death was 15.18 per 1000 person-years among variant carriers vs 10.61 per 1000 person-years among noncarriers (adjusted HR, 1.69 [95% CI, 1.19-2.39]; P = .003). Deaths due to any cause occurred in 2715 individuals (100 variant carriers and 2615 noncarriers) and the incidence of all-cause mortality was 41.46 per 1000 person-years among variant carriers vs 33.94 per 1000 person-years among noncarriers (adjusted HR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.19-1.78]; P < .001). There was no significant interaction between TTR variant carrier status and sex on incident heart failure and the secondary outcomes.

Conclusions and Relevance
Among a cohort of Black individuals living in the US, being a carrier of the TTR Val122Ile variant was significantly associated with an increased risk of heart failure.


The purpose of this study is to quantify the effects of coupled chemistry–climate interactions on the amplitude and structure of stratospheric temperature variability. To do so, the authors examine two simulations run on version 4 of the Whole Atmosphere Coupled Climate Model (WACCM): a "free-running" simulation that includes fully coupled chemistry–climate interactions and a "specified chemistry" version of the model forced with prescribed climatological-mean chemical composition. The results indicate that the inclusion of coupled chemistry–climate interactions increases the internal variability of temperature by a factor of ~2 in the lower tropical stratosphere and—to a lesser extent—in the Southern Hemisphere polar stratosphere. The increased temperature variability in the lower tropical stratosphere is associated with dynamically driven ozone–temperature feedbacks that are only included in the coupled chemistry simulation. The results highlight the fundamental role of two-way feedbacks between the atmospheric circulation and chemistry in driving climate variability in the lower stratosphere.