Writing as a productive activity for high school students can provide many benefits, such as developing creativity, instilling courage and self-confidence, organizing and clarifying thoughts, ways of thinking, intelligence, and emotional sensitivity of students. The many benefits can be obtained in learning to write, the writing activity should be one of the activities that students like. The researcher has an idea to conduct research with the title "Improving the Learning of Writing Persuasion Essay by Applying Example-Based Learning Model (Example Non Examples) Class X Students of SMA Negeri 1 Awangpone Kab. Bone ". The problem was examined to overcome the problem of learning to write persuasion in class X SMA Negeri 1 Awangponewhich is categorized as low. This type of research includes Classroom Action Research which aims to improve the learning of writing persuasion writing by applying an example-based learning model (example non examples) of class X students of SMA Negeri 1 Awangpone Kab. Bone. This class action research was conducted in two cycles, each of which was carried out through four stages, namely planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Cycle II was carried out as an implementation of action which was an improvement in learning from cycle I. The results of this study also showed a significant improvement in the learning process and in learning outcomes. The classroom atmosphere seems conducive and students appear more enthusiastic andmotivated to participate in learning, cooperate with each other in groups and appear to be active in writing persuasion essays.


A fully integrated interferometer position/displacement sensor with direction-discrimination capability is discussed. The device is constructed by integrating three kinds of grating components and a pair of photodiodes in a glass waveguide on a silicon substrate and by butt-coupling a single-mode laser diode. Interference signals corresponding to mirror movement were obtained experimentally over a 15-cm range with a 0.39- mu m modulation period. >


In this paper we consider the problem of scheduling online jobs on \kappa identical machines. Technically, our system is composed of \kappa identical machines and each job is defined by a triplet r = (l,r,p) where l denotes its left border, its right border and p its length. When a job is revealed, it can be rejected or scheduled on one of the \kappa machines In this last case, it can suppress already scheduled jobs. The goal is to maximize the size of the schedule (i.e. the number of jobs scheduled and not (later) suppressed). We propose an algorithm called OLUW.It is (4\min (\beta ,\left\lfloor {Log_2 (\gamma )} \right\rfloor + 1)) competitive, where \beta is the number of different job lengths appearing in the on-line input sequence and \gamma is the ratio between the length of the longest job and the length of the shortest job in the sequence. To the best of our knowledge, OLUW is the first on-line algorithm maximizing the size with guarantees on the competitive ratio for the timeconstrained scheduling problem on \kappa machines.


In this paper, we study the dynamic version of the distributed all-pairs shortest paths problem. Most of the solutions given in the literature for this problem, either (i) work under the assumption that before dealing with an edge operation, the algorithm for the previous operation has to be terminated, that is, they are not able to update shortest paths concurrently, or (ii) concurrently update shortest paths, but their convergence can be very slow (possibly infinite). In this paper we propose a partially dynamic algorithm that overcomes most of these limitations. In particular, it is able to concurrently update shortest paths and in many cases its convergence is quite fast. These properties are highlighted by an experimental study whose aim is to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms also in the practical case.


Intrarectal exposure of the colon epithelium of the C57BL/6J female mouse to deoxycholic acid [(DCA) CAS: 83-44-3] markedly increased its sensitivity to orally administered 1,2-dimethylhydrazine [(DMH) CAS: 540-73-8]. While 4 mg DMH/kg body weight by itself increased the level of nuclear damage from a background level of 0.2-0.45 aberration per crypt, DMH when combined with DCA at a dose of 150 mg/kg increased the aberrations from 0.2 to 1.75 per crypt. This effect was observed over a wide range of DCA doses (20-300 mg/kg) and was evident when DMH was given up to 10 hours after the DCA. Similar results were observed with DCA in conjunction with benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8) and 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline (CAS: 77094-11-2), though in these cases the time at which the peak of nuclear aberrations occurred was somewhat later. No enhancement was seen with DCA and gamma-radiation. These results show that DCA can enhance the nucleotoxic effects of several carcinogens and suggest that DCA can act as a cocarcinogen. The enhancement may be due to the effect of the bile acid on proliferation of the colon epithelial cells or to its effect on the permeability of mucosal cells.


Introduction: Women and minorities have been reported to be underrepresented in orthopaedic residency programs. The main goal of this study was to describe the representation of women and minorities in orthopaedic surgery residency programs and to identify any geographic differences across the United States. Methods: Data for active residents within the United States during the academic year 2013 to 2014 were obtained from the American Medical Association. According to the US census method, the program regions were divided into Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Results: The representation of female residents markedly varied by the geographic region with the lowest female representation in the South and the highest female representation in the West and the Northeast (P = 0.034). Orthopaedic residency programs in the South were less likely to include racial minorities, whereas racial minorities were more commonly represented in residency programs in the West and the Northeast (P < 0.001). Discussion: Our study demonstrates geographic differences in sex and minority representations in orthopaedic residency programs. Training programs in the South are less likely to train women and minorities compared with training programs in the West and the Northeast region. Both applicant-related factors and program-related factors may contribute to this finding.


In this talk the $Q$ counting scheme to implement effective field theory is discussed. It is pointed out that there are two small mass scales in the problem $m_\pi$ and $1/a$ with $1/a \ll m_\pi$. It is argued that while the expansion based on $1/a$ being small compared to the underlying short distance scales works well, the chiral expansion may not. The coefficients of the effective range expansion are sensitive to the chiral physics and are very poorly described in $Q$ counting at lowest nontrivial order. A ``shape function'' is introduced which again is sensitive to pionic physics and insensitive to fitting procedures. It is also poorly described in $Q$ counting.


It is concluded that if intravenous fluids are given rapidly into the left arm then blood aspiratcd from the left external jugular vein may be contaminated with intravenous fluids and may lead to clinically important errors. It is advisable therefore that rapidly running infusions are stopped temporarily when blood is sampled from ipsilateral neck veins or centrally placed venous catheters. Waveney Hospital, D.A. ORR Ballymena, Northern Ireland


The authors have measured the tunnelling current of photoexcited carriers perpendicular to the GaAlAs barrier on p-GaAs-n-GaAlAs-p-GaAs heterostructures. A series of peaks is observed in the wavelength-dependent photocurrent flowing from the two dimensional electron gas through the barrier into a semitransparent contact on top of the samples. As the transmission coefficient of the GaAlAs barrier strongly depends on the energy of the incident electrons, an energy loss of photoexcited carriers by sequential phonon emission leads to oscillations in the tunnelling current.


Purpose Mutations in the KCNJ13 gene are known to cause Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA16), an inherited pediatric blindness. KCNJ13 gene encodes the Kir7.1 subunit protein which acts as a tetrameric inwardly rectifying potassium ion channel in the retinal pigment epithelium to maintain ionic homeostasis thereby allowing photoreceptors to encode visual information. We sought to determine if genetic approaches might be effective in treating blindness due to mutations in KCNJ13. Methods We developed patient-derived hiPSC-RPE carrying an autosomal recessive nonsense mutation in the KCNJ13 gene (c.158G>A, p.Trp53*). We performed biochemical and electrophysiology assays of Kir7.1 function. Both small molecule read-through drug and gene-therapy approaches were tested using this disease-in-a-dish approach. Results We found that the LCA16 hiPSC-RPE had normal morphology but did not express a functional Kir7.1 channel and was unable to demonstrate normal physiology. Following read-through drug treatment, the LCA16 hiPSC cells were hyperpolarized by 30 mV and Kir7.1 current was restored. Similarly, loss-of-function of Kir7.1 channel was circumvented by lentiviral gene delivery to the hiPSC-RPE cells. In either approach, Kir7.1 protein was expressing normally with restoration of membrane potential and Kir7.1 current. Conclusion Loss-of-function mutation in Kir7.1 is a cause of LCA. Using either read-through therapy or gene augmentation, we rescued Kir7.1 channel function in patient-derived iPSC-RPE cells via a precision medicine approach.


This is, then, the case of a boy who had a talipes calcaneovalgus of congenital origin. The malposition was noticed at the time of birth. When a little more than one and one-half years old he was examined in our clinic for the first time, the calcaneovalgus position being then marked, and exceedingly strange changes in the astragalus being detected by x-ray examination. The foot was corrected, but five years later it exhibited a marked recurrence of the trouble and the ankle joint is now practically ankylosed. The astragalus seems to be too large for the rest of the foot. The posterior process and also the head of the bone are enlarged in a mushroom-like fashion, and show on the x-ray film an uneven outline and a mottled structure. Operation revealed astragalus markedly nodular in the anterior and posterior parts, an appearance simulating a chondroma. Similar changes were also indicated on the articulated surface of the tibia and the scaphoid. These changes might possibly be explained by the correction carried out five years earlier ( e.g. fractures), but against this we have the fact that the x-ray picture showed, in the main, the same changes even before the first treatment.

One cannot help thinking that the changes present here might have a certain connection with juvenile growth disturbances, such as Kohler's disease in the scaphoid and that of Legg-Perthes-Calve-Waldenstrom in the head of the femur. The fragmentation and the partly denser bone structure are points in common. The skeletal affection here, however, has been observed at an age when these common growth disturbances are unknown and, furthermore, the histological appearance does not tally.

We seem to be dealing here with entirely unknown changes in the skeleton,—at least the author has not been able to trace anything like it in the literature. The histological examination does not point to any tumorous tissue, nor does one find any necrosis or signs of inflammatory process. Ossification does not seem to be inhibited but disarranged, particularly the ossification zone. A strange feature is the abundant aggregation of endoplasm "balls". The whole cartilaginous tissue is pervaded in the normal manner by chondrin, but the exoplasm contained in the endoplasm "balls" is entirely lacking in collagen and, therefore, resembles histologically the hyalin fiberless cartilage laid down at an early stage during embryonic life, where the collagen is exceedingly sparing in amount or not at all developed. Whether there is a question here of cartilage remaining from an embryonic stage, or a disturbance in the growth simulating a fiberless embryonic cartilage, can scarcely be ascertained; yet one might venture to suggest that it is a question of embryonal tissue elements partly fixed in the tissue.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze students experiences during clinical practice in nursing management. Methods: Assessing through computerized databases, self-reflection reports of 57 students were analyzed. Text network analysis was applied to examine the research. The keywords from each student"s reports were extracted by using the programs, KrKwic and NetMiner. Results: The results of the keyword network analysis of what students learned in the nursing process included 27 words. The keyword network analysis of what students learned from the problem solving process included 23 words and the keyword network analysis of improvements in Clinical Practice of Nursing included 31 words. Conclusion: Studies related to clinical practice have been increasing, and themes of the studies have also become broader. Further research is required to investigate factors affecting clinical practice specifically in nursing management. Further comparative studies are necessary to define differences in clinical practice systems related to improving nursing students competency.


This paper is devoted to the problem of the image of the Byzantines in the chronicles of the First Crusade. While we are familiar enough with the portraits proposed by the chroniclers of the crusaders and Muslims, the first generally being accompanied with praise and halos, the second "demonized," we know very little about the image of the Byzantines, though they were widely represented in the chronicles, because most of the armies chose to travel overland and had to go through Byzantium. Research shows that the Byzantines are represented as Christians, but of an inferior rank to that of the crusaders who benefited from a special status: if conflicts between the two occur, the latter are always right and are assisted by God against the Byzantines.


The optimal allocation of transportation tasks to a fleet of vehicles, especially for large-scale systems of more than 20 Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), remains a major challenge in logistics. Optimal in this context refers to two criteria: how close a result is to the best achievable objective value and the shortest possible computational time. Operations research has provided different methods that can be applied to solve this assignment problem. Our literature review has revealed six commonly applied methods to solve this problem. In this paper, we compared three optimal methods (Integer Linear Programming, Hungarian Method and the Jonker Volgenant Castanon algorithm) to three three heuristic methods (Greedy Search algorithm, Vogel's Approximation Method and Vogel's Approximation Method for non-quadratic Matrices). The latter group generally yield results faster, but were not developed to provide optimal results in terms of the optimal objective value. Every method was applied to 20.000 randomised samples of matrices, which differed in scale and configuration, in simulation experiments in order to determine the results' proximity to the optimal solution as well as their computational time. The simulation results demonstrate that all methods vary in their time needed to solve the assignment problem scenarios as well as in the respective quality of the solution. Based on these results yielded by computing quadratic and non-quadratic matrices of different scales, we have concluded that the Jonker Volgenant Castanon algorithm is deemed to be the best method for solving quadratic and non-quadratic assignment problems with optimal precision. However, if performance in terms of computational time is prioritised for large non-quadratic matrices (50 × 300 and larger), the Vogel's Approximation Method for non-quadratic Matrices generates faster approximated solutions. Keywords—Assignment Problem; Jonker Volgenant Castanon; Vogel's Approximation Method; Hungarian Method; Greedy Search; Autonomous Mobile Robots;


In the last years there has been a great interest in magnetic systems formed by a cluster of transition metal ions covalently bonded via superexchange bridges, embedded in a large organic molecule. Following the synthesis and the structural and magnetic characterization of these magnetic molecules by chemists, the physicists realized the great interest of these systems as a practical realization of zero-dimensional model magnetic systems. In fact the magnetic molecules can be synthesized in crystalline form whereby each molecule is magnetically independent since the intramolecular exchange interaction among the transition metal ions is dominant over the weak intermolecular, usually dipolar, magnetic interaction. We have undertaken a systematic NMR investigation of molecular nanomagnets since back in 1996. The present review tries to give an account of the main results obtained so far and of the many exciting projects that still lie ahead. The work was done through a continuous very fruitful collaboration among three NMR laboratories: at the University of Pavia, Italy, at Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory, Ames, IA, USA and at Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan with occasional very useful collaborations with the high field NMR lab. in Grenoble, France. None of the work could be done without the precious collaboration and help of our colleagues in chemistry at the University of Florence and of Modena, Italy and at Ames Laboratory in USA who synthesized and characterized the samples used in the NMR work.


Since long times, human employs medicinal plants to treat illnesses, using frequently oily or aqueous preparations. Such uses are one of the most important principles of green chemistry which called "green solvents". Within the context of clean and green pharmaceutical industry, ethnopharmacological preparations must to be investigated to reduce toxicity of chemicals and solvents. "Dawilou" is an ancient preparation used in Constantine as an Algerian Traditional Medicine (ATM); it is an aqueous herbal mixture of four spices: lesser galangal rhizome, ginger rhizome, cinnamon bark and clove buds. It is used to prevent or treat cold disease and to give some energy to workers in ancient times. The decoction was studied for its qualitative chemical composition using phytochemical screening; it was found that the extract is rich in chemical constituents: phenolics, terpenoids and alkaloids. Biological activity of "Dawilou" against clinical isolated bacteria was investigated also and found to have moderate activity in vitro because of bacterial nature. So, the in vivo study is necessary to complete the study and evaluate immunostimulating activity of the extract which is empirically proved.


Until recently, no analytical measure of many-body delocalization in open systems had been developed, yet such a measure enables characterization of how molecular excitons delocalize in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, and in turn helps us understand quantum coherent aspects of electronic energy transfer. In this paper we apply these measures to a model peripheral light-harvesting complex, LH2 from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila. We find how many chromophores collectively contribute to the "delocalization length" of an excitation within LH2 and how the coherent delocalization is distributed spatially. We also investigate to what extent this delocalization length is effective, by examining the impact of bipartite and multipartite entanglement in inter-ring energy transfer in LH2.


The use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to extract chlorophyll a and {sup 14}C-labelled photosynthate from endolithic algae of sparsely vegetated, cold temperate grasslands on the Colorado Plateau in Arizona has yielded the first estimates of biomass and photosynthesis for this unusual community. These subsurface microorganisms are found widespread in exposed Coconino Sandstone, a predominant formation in this cold temperate region. The endolithic community in Coconino Sandstone, composed primarily of coccoid blue-green and coccoid/sarcinoid green algae, yielded a biomass value (as chlorophyll a content) of 87 mg m{sup {minus}2} rock surface area and a photosynthetic rate of 0.37 mg CO{sub 2} dm{sup {minus}2} hr{sup {minus}1} or 0.48 mg CO{sub 2} mg{sup {minus}1} chl a hr{sup {minus}1}. The endolithic algal community contributes moderate biomass (5-10%) and substantial photosynthesis (20-80%) to the sparse grassland ecosystem.


EDITOR: We have read the article entitled 'Associations between choroidal thickness, axial length and spherical equivalent in a paediatric population' by Bulut and colleagues with great interest. The authors evaluated the choroidal thickness, axial length and spherical equivalent in 117 eyes of 117 children, including 53 myopic eyes and 64 emmetropic eyes. They discovered that the myopic eyes had considerably thinner subfoveal choroid than the emmetropic eyes. In addition, choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with axial length and positively correlated with spherical equivalent in the population that included myopic and emmetropic children. We congratulate the authors for their precious study; however, we would like to ask the authors some important points, which are expected to possibly affect choroidal thickness. Bulut and colleagues mentioned many factors which may affect choroidal thickness in their article. The age range of 117 participants covered by the study was five to 17 years. They stated that 61 participants were female. It is known that menstrual cycle and pregnancy have apparent effects on choroidal thickness. In a prospective study in which 23 females were assessed, Ulaş and colleagues demonstrated that there was a certain decrease in choroidal thickness in mid‐luteal phase and a decrease by 6.47 per cent between early follicular and mid‐luteal phase. In pregnancy, it has been shown that there is an increase in choroidal thickness, particularly in the second trimester. We would like to know whether the status of the menstrual cycle or pregnancy of female participants was taken into consideration. Another point is that we would like to ask Bulut and colleagues whether smoking, exercising, consuming of drinks with or without caffeine, body mass index and systemic blood pressure of participants were assessed immediately before choroidal thickness measurements, as each of these parameters may separately have an effect on choroidal thickness. We think that these points must be considered in relation to this article.


Standalone distribution generation (DG) systems have recently received much attention for their advantages in supplying power to remote customers. To eliminate the drawbacks of the two-stage dc-dc converters and three-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs), this chapter examines the Z-source four-leg inverter, starting with an analysis of the unbalanced load, and the effects of an unbalanced load. Then, it introduces the different inverter topologies for mitigation of unbalanced conditions. The chapter presents impedance source multi-leg inverters, which consist of three-phase four-leg inverters and five-phase inverters. It investigates ZS/qZS three-phase four-leg inverters with a detailed mathematical model, switching schemes including SVPWM and carrier-based PWM. Then, to analyze buck and boost conversion modes of qZS four-leg inverter, experimental results were presented in different case studies. The chapter presents the qZS five-phase inverter with mathematical model and switching schemes including various SVPWM techniques.


This paper proposes an improved integration method to realize single phase power factor correction in continuous conduction mode by adding a ripple compensation network comprised of two resistors to the basic integration control circuitry. This method effectively reduces the total harmonic distortion (THD) in the input current. The proposed method is easy to implement. Theoretical analysis is given in detail. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the approach. This method is very suitable for IC fabrication.


Many types of evoked potentials (EPs) can help in assisting the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Visual EPs are the most useful because of the clinical importance of the optic nerves and because of their sensitivity, precision, and reproducibility. Brainstem auditory EPs require less patient preparation but have a lower yield. Somatosensory EPs cover a greater expanse of the nervous system and have a high sensitivity in MS, but their recording and interpretation vary more across laboratories. Motor EPs also have a high yield in MS patients. EPs are unlikely to be reliable in gauging disease progress in individuals, but they may have a role in assessing progression in clinical trial cohorts. All EPs require careful attention to technical standards and experienced interpretation with an appropriate clinical perspective.


The aim of the article is to compare the impact of selected business risks on the threat of bankruptcy of small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) before COVID-19 and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 688 SMEs from the business environment of the Slovak Republic participated in the research. Business risks, such as market, financial, personnel, operational and strategic risk were examined. Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate formulated hypotheses. The results yielded several significant findings. The three most important business risks before COVID-19 include market, financial and personnel risk according to entrepreneurs. Financial risk is the most significant business risk affecting the threat of bankruptcy in the SME segment in the Slovak Republic after the outbreak of COVID-19. The company's financial performance indicators and the ability of respondents to manage financial risk influence the threat of the company's bankruptcy more strongly during the pandemic. The findings are important for state organizations in mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business environment of SMEs in the Slovak Republic, as well as for entrepreneurs themselves and organizations that help SMEs.


Division of the generative cell of Tradescantia virginiana is unusual in that a typical bipolar spindle is not present Instead, the cell contains an axial system of microtubuie (Mt) bundles, with kinetochores distributed along the length and depth of the cell. Kinetochore fibers appear to be derived from and remain attached to the Mt bundles. Localizations with both anti-tubulin and CREST serum were performed in order to probe this relationship further. Pairs of CREST-positdve, fluorescent dots presumed to be kinetochores are initially oriented transverse to the cell axis and appear to be associated with the Mt bundles via lateral interactions. Adjacent pairs are often joined to the same bundles, like rungs on a ladder. Lateral interactions are then converted into or replaced by end-on kinetochore fibers similar in morphology to those seen in other cells. This conversion is accompanied by a realignment of the kinetochore pairs along the long axis of the cell. In addition, the center-to-center spacing between filial kinetochores doubles. Interconnections between kinetochore fibers and surrounding Mts appear to be maintained during the transition. These results may provide a general insight into the manner in which kinetochores interact with the division apparatus in eukaryotes.


The annual meeting of the work group on data analysis and numeric classification (DANK) took place at Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, Germany on October 26𝑡h and 27𝑡h, 2018 with a focus theme on interpretable machine learning. Traditionally, the conference is accompanied by a data science competition where the participants are invited to analyze one or several data sets and compare and discuss their solutions. In 2018, the task was to predict end prices of eBay auctions. The paper describes the task as well as a discussion of the results as provided by the conference participants. These cover aspects of preprocessing, comparison of different models, task specific hyperparameter tuning as well as the interpretation of the resulting models and the relevance of additional text information.


Ischemic stroke, caused by embolism of cerebral vessels, inflicts high morbidity and mortality. Endovascular aspiration of the blood clot is an interventional technique for the recanalization of the occluded arteries. However, the hemodynamics in the Circle of Willis (CoW) are not completely understood, which results in medical misjudgment and complications during surgeries. In this study we establish a multiscale description of cerebral hemodynamics during aspiration thrombectomy. First, the CoW is modeled as a 1D pipe network on the basis of computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans. Afterwards, a vascular occlusion is placed in the middle cerebral artery and the relevant section of the CoW is transferred to a 3D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) domain. A suction catheter in different positions is included in the CFD simulations. The boundary conditions of the 3D domain are taken from the 1D domain to ensure system coupling. A Eulerian–Eulerian multiphase simulation describes the process of thrombus aspiration. The physiological blood flow in the 1D and 3D domains is validated with literature data. Further on, it is proved that domain reduction and pressure coupling at the boundaries are an appropriate method to reduce computational costs. Future work will apply the developed framework to various clinical questions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The demand for higher data rates for indoor and cell-edge users led to evolution of small cells. LTE femtocells, one of the small cell categories, are low-power low-cost mobile base stations, which are deployed within the coverage area of the traditional macro base station. The cross-tier and co-tier interferences occur only when the macrocell and femtocell share the same frequency channels. Open access (OSG), closed access (CSG), and hybrid access are the three existing access-control methods that decide users' connectivity to the femtocell access point (FAP). We define a network performance function, network productivity, to measure the traffic that is carried successfully. In this dissertation, we evaluate call mobility in LTE integrated network and determine optimized network productivity with variable call arrival rate in given LTE deployment with femtocell access modes (OSG, CSG, HYBRID) for a given call blocking vector. The solution to the optimization is maximum network productivity and call arrival rates for all cells. In the second scenario, we evaluate call mobility in LTE integrated network with increasing femtocells and maximize network productivity with variable femtocells distribution per macrocell with constant call arrival rate in uniform LTE deployment with femtocell access modes (OSG, CSG, HYBRID) for a given call blocking vector. The solution to the optimization is maximum network productivity and call arrival rates for all cells for network deployment where peak productivity is identified. We analyze the effects of call mobility on network productivity by simulating low, high, and no mobility scenarios and study the impact based on offered load, handover traffic and blocking probabilities. Finally, we evaluate and optimize performance of fractional frequency reuse (FFR) mechanism and study the impact of proposed metric weighted user satisfaction with sectorized FFR configuration.


Sustainability has become one of the important concepts of countries due to global warming and climate change. In order to assess the sustainability and environmental performance of countries foundations publish sustainability focused indexes which help researchers and governments to position countries according to related indicators. At the same time, there are some variables which provide environmental and economic information; measured per country. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between six selected sustainability focused indexes (CCPI, EPI, ETI, SSI-HW, SSI-EW, and SSI-ECW) and selected variables namely, REC, CO2, and GDP. In this study, Spearman's rank correlation is used to identify the strength of an association between sustainability focused indexes and selected variables for 25 countries. It is seen that to REC has a monotonic correlation with ETI and EPI; CO2 emissions has negative correlations with CCPI and SSI-EW as expected; and GDP has positive correlation with all five indexes except CCPI. The results of this study suggest that the increase on renewable energy consumption and the decrease on CO2 emissions are the main factors for environmental performance which are mitigate climate change and global warming.


In the growing field of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ceilings abound. From glass to bamboo, these ceilings have important consequences for management - specifically, keeping gender and racial minorities in low-level positions or away from professional advancement in their respective fields. The environmental movement has its own such barrier: the green ceiling. This study explores how board leadership for environmental nonprofit organizations does, or does not, reflect racial diversity. The lack of representation in the environmental movement has been examined largely as a managerial issue but not one with geographical roots. The purpose of this study, then, is to gauge if the green ceiling has had a differential effect on the Southern United States compared with the nation as a whole. To better understand the geography of the green ceiling, this report focuses on regionality versus nationality, state-level differences across the south, and the metadata of board racial diversity .


Immigration issues continue to generate attention and vigorous debate at national and international levels; some of these discussions involve immigrant students and issues pertaining to higher education (e.g., DREAM Act). Camarota (2007) noted that from 2000 to 2007, 10.3 million immigrants arrived—the highest 7-year period of immigration in United States history. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, 24.3 million immigrants were reported in 1995; that number grew to 31.8 million in 2001, and is at 37.6 million for 2010 (Camarota, 2010). Based on these immigration trends, immigrant students (defined broadly to include recent immigrants born abroad as well as refugees) will continue to pursue post-secondary education. Many of these individuals will be ethnic minority immigrants who are first-generation college students (Erisman & Looney, 2007). According to figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 12% of the total undergraduate population is comprised of immigrant students (Kim, 2009); yet, research on this growing population remains scant and the literature on student development issues of immigrant groups is still emerging. Research suggests that immigrants' college experiences are unique from other students and merit further inquiry (Szelényi & Chang, 2002). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between campus climate and sense of belonging for recent immigrant generations (i.e., foreign born) who attend large, public research institutions located in the United States.


Dickeya strains isolated in Israel in 2006–2010 were characterized by dnaX sequence analysis, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), biochemical assays and pectolytic activity, and found to be homogeneous: most of them could be classified as 'Dickeya solani'. Of the 34 strains isolated from imported seed tubers or potato plants grown from imported seed, 32 were typed as 'D. solani' and only two were characterized as Dickeya dianthicola. Biovar typing indicated that all 'D. solani' strains were biovar 3. 'Dickeya solani' strains were most closely related to Dickeya dadantii subsp. dieffenbachiae according to PFGE and dnaX analyses and both species exhibited high pectolytic activity. Expression levels of two putative virulence genes, pelL (encoding a pectic enzyme) and dspE (encoding a type III effector) were significantly induced in 'D. solani' strains isolated from potato plants or tubers grown in hot climates such as the Negev region in Israel, compared to those isolated from seed tubers imported from the Netherlands, France or Germany. Results of this study support the hypothesis that 'D. solani' strains isolated in Israel are also clonal; however, they appear to be more virulent than strains isolated in Europe


Over six decades ago, Cherry (1953) drew attention to what he called the "cocktail-party problem"; the challenge of segregating the speech of one talker from others speaking at the same time. The problem has been actively researched ever since but for all this time one observation has eluded explanation. It is the wide variation in performance of individual listeners. That variation was replicated here for four major experimental factors known to impact performance: differences in task (talker segregation vs. identification), differences in the voice features of talkers (pitch vs. location), differences in the voice similarity and uncertainty of talkers (informational masking), and the presence or absence of linguistic cues. The effect of these factors on the segregation of naturally spoken sentences and synthesized vowels was largely eliminated in psychometric functions relating the performance of individual listeners to that of an ideal observer, d′ideal. The effect of listeners remained as differences in the slopes of the functions (fixed effect) with little within-listener variability in the estimates of slope (random effect). The results make a case for considering the listener a factor in multitalker segregation and identification equal in status to any major experimental variable.


Preface Introduction Part I. The Era of Frustration: 1890-1903: 1. The hostile environment: Dusseldorf in the 1890s 2. Social democracy and political Catholicism 3. A false start 4. Ideological unity and organizational disarray Part II. Ambiguous Success and Radicalization: 1903-1912: 5. Skilled migrants, peasant workers, and native Catholics 6. Party building and popular culture 7. Expansion and optimism 8. Move to the left 9. The limits of reformism Part III. Radicals Become Revolutionaries: 1912-1920: 10. Things fall apart 11. War 12. Revolution Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of 20 strains of S. Heidelberg (SH) isolated from broilers produced in southern Brazil. The similarity and presence of genetic determinants linked to virulence, antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation, and in silico-predicted metabolic interactions revealed this serovar as a threat to public health. The presence of the ompC, invA, sodC, avrA, lpfA, and agfA genes was detected in 100% of the strains and the luxS gene in 70% of them. None of the strains carries the blaSHV, mcr-1, qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS genes. All strains showed a multidrug-resistant profile to at least three non-β-lactam drugs, which include colistin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Resistance to penicillin, ceftriaxone (90%), meropenem (25%), and cefoxitin (25%) were associated with the presence of blaCTX–M and blaCMY–2 genes. Biofilm formation reached a mature stage at 25 and 37°C, especially with chicken juice (CJ) addition. The sodium hypochlorite 1% was the least efficient in controlling the sessile cells. Genomic analysis of two strains identified more than 100 virulence genes and the presence of resistance to 24 classes of antibiotics correlated to phenotypic tests. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction shows two metabolic pathways correlation with biofilm formation. Virulence, resistance, and biofilm determinants must be constant monitoring in SH, due to the possibility of occurring infections extremely difficult to cure and due risk of the maintenance of the bacterium in production environments.


Age-related disrupted sleep has been associated with modifications in the timing of endogenous circadian rhythms. There are studies suggesting a decreased sensitivity of the aging circadian pacemaker to light. In this study, we aimed to test whether a moderate illuminance light stimulus would produce significant phase shifts in older adults, and whether those would fall in a range consistent with the illuminance response curve (IRC) we previously reported in older adults. We conducted an 8-day in-patient study with 12 healthy older participants (mean age [SD], 58.3 [4.2] y, 5 females). A 6.5-h polychromatic white light exposure with a target illuminance of 270 lux was administered beginning in the early biological night. Before and after the light exposure, a circadian phase estimation procedure was carried out, with plasma melatonin data used as a circadian phase marker. The mean phase delay produced by the light stimulus was 1.78 ± 0.77 h. Ten of the 12 phase delay shifts at ~270 lux fell within the 95% predictive interval of the model fit to data from our previous IRC in older adults. This finding demonstrates that the circadian system of healthy older adults is sensitive to the phase-delaying effects of a moderate intensity light stimulus. The magnitude of the observed phase shifts is consistent with the previously described IRC in older adults.


Thanks to coherent detection and digital signal processing (DSP), linear distortions such as chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarisation mode dispersion (PMD) can in principle be completely compensated for in high-speed optical transmission. And indeed, effective algorithms have been devised and extensively investigated that allow CD- and PMD-resilient transmission of high-speed signals over long distances, leaving optical noise accumulation and non-linear impairments as the factors ultimately limiting reach. Considerable research has been dedicated in the last couple of years to devise methods to increase the non-linear tolerance of optical signals by means of digital signal processing. In this review paper, we present an overview of the most promising techniques, show some examples of their application and outline the status of research on this important topic.


This paper aims to be both a contribution to the history of scholarship and a stimulus to further research. In it I seek to follow some key themes in Apuleian scholarship, and to show how these themes and their treatments are necessarily affected by contemporary prejudices, which change over time as scholarship develops. In particular, I try to trace the emergence of the modern consensus that Apuleius is a careful literary artist, and that the Metamorphoses is a novel worthy of study and a complex and highly allusive literary text, a view which has come into being almost entirely during the twentieth century. The few Roman verdicts on the literary quality and importance of the ancient novels are negative, usually on the grounds that these texts are too frivolous in content to join the serious canon of literature. This early marginalisation is partly revised in the Renaissance, where the allegorical interpretation of Apuleius' Metamorphoses (along with that of other novels) could be argued to confer the deep intellectual significance which seemed to be lacking on the surface, and where some at least admired Apuleius' Latinity, though it was also in the Renaissance that the then derogatory concept of 'African Latin' came into being. From the early modern period to the nineteenth century Apuleius was largely viewed as post-classical, inferior and decadent, whether or not he was also classified as 'African'. Consequently, in the first half of the twentieth century Apuleius was widely viewed as a second-rate compiler of little literary talent or originality, even by those who did most work on his literary and narrative technique (e.g. Rudolf Helm or Ben Edwin Perry). However, since the 1960's a different consensus has emerged which sees Apuleius as a high-grade literary artist whose capacity for allusive reworking of intertexts and for narrative complexity matches that of traditionally admired 'classical' authors, and his Metamorphoses as a major and intensely textured work of Latin literature. This paper looks at this development in Apuleian scholarship, especially on the Metamorphoses , and at its larger ideological explanations (e.g. 'canonical' prejudice against 'marginal' and 'late' authors and genres, more 'liberal' modern approaches, especially literary theory, and the search for a wider range of texts to study), and assesses the prospects for research at the start of the twenty-first century.


Phloem-inhabiting bacterial phytopathogens often have smaller genomes than other bacterial phytopathogens. It is thought that they depend on both other phloem microbiota and phloem nutrients for colonization of the host. However, the mechanism underlying associations between phloem-inhabiting phytopathogens and other phloem microbiota are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the survival of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), a cause of huanglongbing (citrus greening disease), depends on interplay with a specific subset of CLas-associated microbiota. CLas was not susceptible to oxytetracycline in vitro. However, oxytetracycline treatment eliminated a particular sub-community dominated by the Comamonadaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae, decreasing CLas survival. We speculate that CLas uses ecological services derived from CLas-associated microbiota to colonize the host and to construct a pathogen-associated community that stimulates disease development.


Diclofenac sodium is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory widely used drug both in the treatment of the rheumatic diseases and as analgesic. The fact that is a potent analgesic spread its use to almost all fields in medicine, increasing the reports of adverse effects associated with it. The main complications reported are gastrointestinal, dermatological and of the central nervous system. The authors present seven cases that developed tissue necrosis as a result of the intramuscular injection of diclofenac sodium. Because of the low incidence or this adverse effect, a review is carried out and the physiopathologic mechanisms likely to be involved are discussed. Our aim is to warn against the indiscriminate intramuscular use of this drug.


Background and aims To evaluate the growth of occipito-frontal circumference (OFC), length and weight, between birth and term equivalent age (TEA) of very preterm infants and to compare to somatometry of term-born control infants. Methods We assessed prospectively a cohort of infants born at ≤32 weeks gestation and term control newborns. Infants with cerebral abnormalities were excluded. Measurements of OFC, length and weight were performed at birth and TEA for preterm and at birth for term infants. Brain volume was estimated by a previously described ultrasonographic model (Graca A, Early Hum Dev 2013). Z-scores for somatometric variables were determined based on Fenton 2013 growth charts and z-scores for estimated brain volume were defined in controls. We used paired samples t-test to compare z-scores between birth and TEA for preterms and independent samples t-test to compare z-scores between preterm infants at TEA and controls. Results We assessed 128 infants (72 preterms and 56 controls). Weight and length z-scores decreased significantly between birth and TEA and were significantly inferior to controls, whereas OFC z-scores increased and were identical at TEA to controls (Figure). Estimated brain volume was nevertheless significantly inferior for preterm infants at TEA. Conclusion Recovery of OFC z-score of healthy very preterm infants at TEA does not reflect a brain sparing effect, since despite OFC growing in a opposite direction than weight and length, estimated brain volume is significantly lower than controls. Abstract PO-0393 Figure 1


First-principles study of cubic HfO2 with O and Hf vacancies was carried out with the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential technique within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The crystal structure of cubic HfO2 with O and Hf vacancies was optimized. The band structure, electronic-state density, complex dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, complex conductivity function, loss function, absorption coefficient and optical reflectivity in pure, O vacancy and Hf vacancy cubic HfO2 were calculated. Compared to the pure cubic HfO2, we find that the O vacancy and Hf vacancy cubic HfO2 are some changes in electronic structure. The Fermi surface extends into the conduction band of the O vacancy cubic HfO2 and the Fermi surface extends into the valence band of the Hf vacancy cubic HfO2.


Although cross-sectional twin studies have assessed the genetic and environmental etiologies of substance use during adolescence and early adulthood, comparisons of results across different samples, measures, and cohorts are problematic. While several longitudinal twin studies have investigated these issues, few corroborating adoption studies have been conducted. The current study is the first to estimate the magnitude of genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental influences on substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) from ages 14 to 18 years, using a prospective longitudinal adoption design. Adoptive and control sibling correlations provided substantial evidence for early genetic effects on cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use/no use. Shared environmental effects were relatively modest, except for alcohol use, which showed increases in late adolescence (age 17 to 18 years). Sibling similarity for quantity/frequency of use also support additive genetic influences across adolescence, with some shared environmental influences for all three substances. To test the stability of these influences across time, a series of independent pathway models were run to explore common and age-specific influences. For all substances, there were minimal age-specific additive genetic and shared environmental influences on quantity/frequency of use. Further, there was a trend toward increasing genetic influences on cigarette and alcohol use across ages. Genetic influences on marijuana were important early, but did not contribute substantially at age 17 and 18 years. Overall, the findings indicate that genetic influences make important contributions to the frequency/quantity of substance use in adolescence, and suggest that new genetic influences may emerge in late adolescence for cigarette and alcohol use.


The determination of mass and spin parameters of the black holes (BHs) is crucial in the analysis of the merger of BHs and BHs formation and evolution, including accretion. Here we constrain the BH spin with the evaluation of the dimensionless parameter ξ representing the total rotational energy extracted versus the mass of the BH, following procedure introduced by Daly (2009 Astrophys. J. 691 L72–6) that is independent from the details of the specific extraction process. The energy extraction can power an outflow which can be then observed. We relate the energy extraction to the accreting configurations and the accretion processes occurring in a cluster of agglomerate corotating and counter-rotating tori orbiting one central Kerr SMBH, associating ξ to the characteristics of the accretion processes. We relate the regions of tori parameters to features of the energy extraction processes, binding ξ to properties of light surfaces by using the bundles developed by Pugliese and Quevedo (2019 Eur. Phys. J. C 79 209), relating measures in different regions of the spacetimes. We evaluate properties of the BH accretions disks, and correlate spacetimes prior and after their transition due to the energy extraction. Light surfaces are related to the generators of Killing horizons, proving limiting frequency of the stationary observers of the geometries. We consider the photon limiting curves of the stationary observers as constraints for various processes regulated by these frequencies, to relate different BH states, prior and after the energy extraction, investigating regions close to the BH horizons and rotational axis. From methodological view-point we used a naked singularity—BH correspondence defined with metric bundles to predict observational characteristics of the BH—accretion disk system. The analysis points relevant BH spins a ≈ 0.94M, a ≈ 0.7M and a ≈ 0.3M. We show the relation between the rotational law of the tori, the characteristic frequency of the bundle and the relativistic velocity defining the von Zeipel surfaces. The inferior limit on the formation of corotating tori is ℓ/a ⩾ 2, for counter-rotating tori ℓ/a ⩽ −22/5 (ℓ is the fluids specific angular momentum).


Summary: We report a case of pigmented villonodular synovitis involving the temporomandibular joint that pre-sented as a rapidly growing tumor with extension through the skull base into the middle cranial fossa. The case is of interest not only because of the unusual extensive infiltration of this tumor but also because of the role modern diagnostic imaging and endovascular therapeutic techniques played in its diagnosis and management.


Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 30% of the population. Clinical trials have questioned the role of vitamin E in the treatment of NAFLD with or without other interventions, with still no firm conclusion reached. This study aims to examine the efficiency of vitamin E alone or combined in the management of NAFLD. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Ovid, EBSCO host, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the role of vitamin E alone or combined in NAFLD patients. Extracted manuscripts reported data on biochemical, histological, anthropometric, and metabolic outcomes. Baseline characteristics, settings, dosage, and frequency were also collected. Research: A total of 1317 patients from 15 RCTs were included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. Vitamin E was superior at improving alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), NAFLD activity score (NAS), and fibrosis in short- and long-term follow up in the adult population, and long-term follow up in the pediatric population. Improvements in metabolic outcomes were best noticed in pediatric patients. Results from multiple regression models showed a significant association between ALT-AST levels and vitamin E dose. AST levels had a significant effect on NAS, and patients with a baseline AST > 50 IU/l showed more promising results. Changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) were strongly associated with changes in NAS. Conclusion: Current evidence affirms that vitamin E – whether alone or combined – improves biochemical and histological outcomes in adults and pediatric patients.


Background: On May 23, 2017, the health authorities in Longding district, Arunachal Pradesh, India, reported four suspected measles-related deaths in Konsa village, a remote village on the Indo-Myanmar border. Objective: We investigated to describe the epidemiology of the outbreak and identify associated risk factors. Methods: We defined a measles case as fever and maculopapular rash with cough, coryza, or conjunctivitis in a village of Longding district resident from March 1 to June 18, 2017. In Konsa village, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of children ≤5 years. We calculated attack rate (AR), case fatality rate (CFR), measles-containing vaccine first dose (MCV1) and Vitamin A coverage, risk ratio (RR), and vaccine efficacy. We collected samples for laboratory confirmation. We conducted a routine immunization system evaluation at multiple levels of Longding district. Results: We identified 75 suspected cases (56% females) for a Konsa village-specific AR of 86% (75/87) among children ≤5 years; the median age was 36 months; CFR was 7% (5/75); all deaths unvaccinated; none received Vitamin A. Coverage for MCV1 was 9.2% (6/65) and Vitamin A 4.6% (3/65). No MCV1 (RR = 7.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–53) and participation in a recent local festival (RR = 5.3, 95% CI = 1.5–18.5) were associated with illness. MCV vaccine efficacy was 100%. Of 17 cases, 13 tested positive for measles. The local health facility had neither staff nor immunization microplans. Conclusions: This outbreak was likely due to low MCV1 and Vitamin A coverage due to poor health-care access. The investigation led to a district measles catch-up campaign and resumption of regular immunization.


The global COVID-19 pandemic made salient various paradoxical tensions, such as the trade-offs between individual freedom and collective safety, between short term and long-term consequences of adaptation to the new conditions, the power implications of sameness (COVID-19 was non-discriminatory in that all were affected in one way or another) and difference (yet not all were affected equally due to social differences), whereas most businesses became poorer under lockdown, others flourished; while significant numbers of workers were confined to home, some could not return home; some thrived while working from home as others were challenged by the erosion of barriers between their private and working lives. Rapid improvisational responding and learning at all levels of society presented itself as a naturally occurring research opportunity for improvisation scholars. This improvisation saw the arrival of a 'New Normal', eventually defined as 'learning to live with COVID-19'. The five articles in this special issue capture critical aspects of improvisation, paradoxes and power made salient by the COVID-19 pandemic in contexts ranging from higher-education, to leadership, to medical care and virtue ethics. In their own ways, each breaks new ground by contributing novel insights into improvisation scholarship.


The sedimentation rate and fractional dimension of the floc was studied during the process of the organic waste water treatment with modified natural polymer (CMS) and polymeric aluminum chloride (PAC). Irregular garrulous form of the floc was observed with microscope and electron-scanning microscope. The results showed that the sedimentation rate was 2.6 mm/min with the modified natural polymer (CMS) and 1.7 mm/min without CMS in condition of keeping the pH value to 6.86 and added quantity of PAC to 80 mg/L. The fractional dimension of the floc Df was calculated to be 1.70 in the best sedimentation rate.


Background. In Germany, the prevalence of overweight and obese people has increased significantly in the last decades. Intervention strategies for health promotion have to start early, since most health behaviours develop during childhood. Therefore, the kindergarten setting is ideal for health promotion because children can be reached at a young age independent of their socioeconomic background. A promising protocol for the development of theory-based interventions is Bartholomew's intervention mapping (IM), which offers a target group a specific needs assessment and a framework for theory-based intervention planning with regards to a certain setting. Research Question.What are the individual steps and tasks to develop the programme "Join the Healthy Boat – Kindergarten" and how is the intervention programme, which was developed based on IM, designed? Results. Four aims were formulated on the basis of the needs assessment: "More physical activity", "Less time with screen media", "Reduction of sugar-sweetened beverages", and a "Higher fruit and vegetable intake". The intervention is teacher-based. The underlying concepts of the intervention are Bandura's social-cognitive theory and Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological approach. Materials are available for 20 exercise units and 15 teaching units each on "Physical activity and leisure time" as well as "Nutrition". In addition, there are short activity breaks for daily use. Action-orientated materials for parental involvement are offered in three languages. During the first year, 512 kindergartens implemented the programme. The aim is to recruit 50 kindergartens and 1000 children in order to evaluate the programme's effectiveness. Discussion. The use of the structured protocol of IM enables a constant focus on target group and intervention setting at each step of the development. It is advisable to use IM for setting-specific intervention planning, however, a time-consuming and labourintensive development phase has to be considered.


The ability to deliberately overwrite ongoing automatic actions is a necessary feature of adaptive behavior. It has been proposed that the supplementary motor areas (SMAs) operate as a controller that orchestrates the switching between automatic and deliberate processes by inhibiting ongoing behaviors and so facilitating the execution of alternative ones. In addition, previous studies support the involvement of SMAs theta waves (4-9 Hz) in cognitive control. However, the exact role of such oscillatory dynamics and their contribution to the control of action are not fully understood. To investigate the mechanisms by which the SMAs support direct control of deliberate behavior, we recorded intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) activity in humans performing a motor sequence task. Subjects had to perform a "change of plans" motor task requiring habitual movements to be overwritten at unpredictable moments. We found that SMAs were exclusively active during trials that demand action reprogramming in response to the unexpected cue but were silent during automatic action execution. Importantly, SMAs activity was characterized by a distinct temporal pattern, expressed in a stereotypical phase alignment of theta oscillations. More specifically, single trial motor performance was correlated with the trial contribution to the global inter-trial phase coherence, with higher coherence associated with faster trials. In addition, theta phase modulated the amplitude of gamma oscillations, with higher cross-frequency coupling in faster trials. Our results suggest that within frontal cortical networks, theta oscillations could encode a control signal that promotes the execution of deliberate actions.


: This paper conceptualizes the term elite for the study of early Islamic history and aims to provide a usable definition for historians of early Islam. It gives an overview of existing terminology referring to socially dominant groups in Arabic and Persian sources as well as in the social sciences and related fields, discussing and dismissing its suitability for the field of Islamic Studies. The ar-ticle traces the development of the term elite in scholarly discourse from the 19 th century onward and presents its own definition suited to the complex organizational structure of early Islamic society, pointing out both the challenges of and possible strategies for studying early Islamic elites.


An unprecedented Rh(III)-catalyzed annulation of various benzamides and acrylamides with quinone monoacetals was developed for the facile and efficient one-pot synthesis of bridged nine-membered benzo[c]azonine-1,5(2H)-diones and 2-azabicyclo[4.3.1]dec-4-ene-3,8-diones. It is the first example of synthesis of nine-membered heterocycles through Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization, and both aryl and vinyl C-H bonds are tolerant in this reaction. A plausible mechanism is proposed on the basis of control experiments.


Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called "art" or whatever it's called, I went into business art. I wanted to be an Art Businessman or a Business Artist. Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. During the hippies era people put down the idea of business – they'd say "Money is bad", and "Working is bad", but making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.


With the recent advances of IoT (Internet of Things) new and more robust security frameworks are needed to detect and mitigate new forms of cyber-attacks, which exploit complex and heterogeneity IoT networks, as well as, the existence of many vulnerabilities in IoT devices. With the rise of block chain technologies service providers pay considerable attention to better understand and adopt blockchain technologies in order to have better secure and trusted systems for own organisations and their customers. The present paper introduces a high level guide for the senior officials and decision makers in the organisations and technology managers for blockchain security framework by design principle for trust and adoption in IoT environments. The paper discusses Cyber-Trust project's blockchain technology development as a representative case study for offered security framework. Security and privacy by design approach is introduced as an important consideration in setting up the framework.


An emerging economy like India necessities sufficient resources to finance the developmental activities that are comprehensively and achieve all levels of the society and most of the finances from taxation. Presently, the tax structure of our country is very complex. To overcome these complexities of our taxation system, the government constantly changing the taxation system to rationalize tax administration and generate more revenues for social protection, infrastructure, and several other developmental activities. That's the main reason; the government to implement or move towards the GST is an indicator of our evolved taxation system. After passing the 101st Constitutional Amendment (GST) Act, the highly anticipated tax products GST appears to be an actuality on 1st July 2017. To ensure a smooth transition, government and all related nodal agencies like Goods and Services Tax Council, GSTN etc., have been regularly making decision to resolve the problems encountered being at different levels. To simplify the difficulties faced by indirect taxation system and create a common taxation system throughout the nation and decreasing the barriers between states, the dual structure Goods and Service Tax (GST) was passed by parliament. This system has a uniform rate of tax for all the states. This paper is designed specifically to provide an in-depth knowledge of GST and what challenges the economy faces in implementing the GST at this time in a very practical and streamlined manner.


Skin infections still remain common in many rural communities in developing countries, with serious economic and social consequences as well as health implications. Directly or indirectly, skin infections are responsible for much disability (and loss of economic potential), disfigurement, and distress due to symptoms such as itching or pain. In this research, we built a Skin Infection Expert System for detecting skin infections and displaying the result of detection process. We describe five symptoms as major symptoms which include blister, itch, scaly skin, fever, and pain in the rash. Dempster-Shafer theory to quantify the degree of belief as inference engine in expert system, our approach uses Dempster-Shafer theory to combine beliefs under conditions of uncertainty and ignorance, and allows quantitative measurement of the belief and plausibility in our identification result.


Essentially, to fulfil their core mandate of teaching and learning, research and community engagement higher education institutions (HEIs) are highly dependent on an environment that is supportive to their effective and efficient functioning. Accordingly, this environment relies entirely on good governance, ethical and effective leadership roles and responsibilities. The two roles and responsibilities are critical in ensuring effective functioning, stability and success of HEIs. During 2012 there were about four South African HEIs that, in accordance with Section 41A of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997, as amended) (RSA 1997:37) and section 38 of the Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Act (Act 23 of 2012) (RSA 2012:8), were placed under administration, and this was as a result of challenges that they experienced which were related to poor governance and ineffective and unethical leadership. The reports of the independent assessors that were appointed to the four HEIs put under administration revealed how activities and behaviours, of especially those who had fiducial responsibility, compromised key elements embedded in good governance and effective and ethical leadership roles and responsibilities easily led to the HEIs being ineffective and unstable. The main aim of this article is to briefly interrogate the experiences of the four HEIs and highlight how good governance practices and the King IV Principle 1 of ethical and effective leadership roles and responsibilities are absolutes to effective, stable and successful South African Higher Education (SAHE) setting. In addition, as this article wish to demonstrate these roles and responsibilities are critical in ensuring that the post-1994 SAHEIs as public institutions are governed and led in a transparent and accountable manner. Keywords: higher education, management, governance, leadership, roles, effective functioning


Tryptophan catabolism mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase is an central immune checkpoint mechanism that controls peripheral immune tolerance and tumor resistance to immune attack. The IDO pathway mediates immunosuppressive effects by expression of the IDO1 gene by tumor cells and/or host antigen presenting cells. Tryptophan depletion and generation of kynurenine generate downstream signals through GCN2, WARS, mTOR and AHR that ultimately lead to anergy of tumor-specific effector CD8+ T cells and activation of Tregs. High expression of IDO correlates negatively with clinical prognosis in patients with a variety of malignancies. Recently, it has been described that tumors can also achieve immunosuppressive effects mediated by tryptophan degradation through expression of TDO, an enzyme functionally and structurally related to IDO1. Therefore, development of small molecules that can prevent tryptophan degradation mediated by IDO1, TDO or both is a prime goal for immunotherapy of cancer. Here we report the discovery of a novel class of imidazoisoindole-based compounds that show potent and selective inhibition of TDO and IDO1, as well as compounds that show potent dual inhibition of both TDO and IDO1. We present structure-activity relationship studies that explore the molecular determinants of potency and specificity for TDO and IDO1. Compounds of these classes were tested for activity in in vitro assays using purified recombinant human and murine TDO and IDO1 as well as in cells expressing IDO1 or TDO. Many of these compounds are 10-200 fold more potent (IC50 Citation Format: Mario R. Mautino, Richard A. Metz, Firoz Jaipuri, Jesse Waldo, Sanjeev Kumar, Agnieszka Marcinowicz-Flick, Hima Potturi, James T. Adams, Clarissa Van Allen, Nicholas N. Vahanian, Charles J. Link. Novel specific- and dual- tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitors for tumor immunotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1633. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1633


Prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) is highly diffuse between older men, and biomarkers that allow discrimination of cancerous pathologies from benign diseases, identification of clinical aggressive cancer with high specificity and monitor cancer progression are required. Recently we applied a new workflow for the discovery of candidate biomarkers based on hydrogel nanoparticle capture of LMW serum borne analytes. Comparing serum from pre and post prostatectomy patients we identified 112 candidates biomarkers. Our novel nanoparticle technology provides a rapid and near 100% efficient means to capture and greatly amplify the resting concentration of LMW protein analytes. Since most of these markers do not have well performing specific antibodies commercially available, we utilized MRM to verify their differential expression as first identified by Orbitrap-MS/MS. Hydrogel nanoparticle serum pre-processing was used for both Orbitrap-LTQ based discovery and MRM verification such that the same analyte fractionation workflow was used but different downstream mass spectrometry. MRM was performed on a Thermo Quantum triple quadrupole-MS using the nanoparticle trapped analyte archive as the input for analysis. The following biomarker candidates were selected for MRM verification: Apolipoprotein E, Diacylglycerol kinase alpha, complement 1 subcomponent q B chain precursor, complement component 1 q subcomponent gamma polypeptide, serpin peptidase inhibitor, vitronectin precursor, angiotensinogen preproprotein, H4 histone family member J, fibronectin 1 isoform 2, orosomucoid 1 precursor, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein, annexin I. Several prostate candidate biomarkers were verified by Nanoparticle capture-MRM, thus providing data supporting the use and continued improvement of this novel biomarker discovery system for the identification of protein biomarker panels for early disease detection and therapeutic monitoring. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4585.


Background and Aims Observation of pain management problems in tertiary pediatric hospital (Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland) resulted in anaesthesia and intensive care team initiative of pain practice improvement. Methods In November 2011 Pain Treatment Committee represented by 22 doctors and 20 nurses of all hospital departments was established. In November/December 2011 pilot training programme for nurses of Pediatric Urology, Neurosurgery and Cardiac Surgery Departments was performed. In December 2011 written pain assessment and treatment guidelines accepted by the committee members and hospital administration where announced. They included: obligatory pain intensity assessment with age/communication skills- appropriate tools (NIPS, FLACC, Wong- Baker, VAS). pain treatment adequate to individual pain intensity with multimodal analgesia use. restriction in muscular injections of analgesics. analgesics dosing guidelines. perioperative analgesia algorithms based on predicted pain intensity. Between February and March 2012 201 practitioners and 391 nurses participated in pain assessment and management seminars. Results Preliminary report on analgesia practice in surgical units revealed: poor compliance with pain assessment guidelines . 100% reduction in intramuscular opioid use in one of the departments. improvement in analgesic prescriptions practice with individual variability between practitioners. increase in number of pain consultations. no improvement with use of regional analgesia, insufficient number of PCA pumps. Conclusions During few months after introducing hospital pain management guidelines we notice a change in pain practice but many problems still exist. Analgesia quality improvement is long-term process requiring multidisciplinary approach.


The preparation from several organs of normal mice and guinea pigs of an anti-Pasteurella pestis factor (APF), active in vitro, is described. The APF was active in varying degrees for several strains of P. pestis and for Micrococcus lysodeikticus but not for several other Gram positive or negative bacteria.
 Crude and purified APF from mouse liver and crude APF from mouse and guinea pig spleen and kidney were active following storage at -20°C. On the other hand, the activity of both crude and purified guinea pig liver APF was lost during storage at -20°C, but could be restored by heating at 60 or 65°C but not higher. Evidence is presented for the nonidentity of APF with previously described antibacterial substances such as basic polypeptides, histone, spermine, phagocytin and lysozyme. The evidence consists chiefly of dissimilarity in method of preparation and of the differential action of extraneous materials on the activity.
 One dose of APF administered at the time of inoculation with P. pestis did not protect mice from infection, and the virulence of P. pestis for mice was not altered by preliminary treatment of the organisms with APF in vitro.


This fresh, lively memoir about family, place and a sense of belonging, identity and Aboriginality draws you in and holds you. Bayet-Charlton has a voice of honey when writing about landscape and Dreaming stories and she tells acutely and lovingly about family, childhood and memories.


Sir, I read this report by Pinggera et al . [1] with great interest, as it provided further evidence to support the possible linkage between vascular diseases and LUTS. This is particularly important as metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular diseases are becoming a worldwide problem [2], and the prevalence of systemic atherosclerosis will increase. Based on the information of this report we expect the problem of voiding dysfunction in the elderly will become increasingly important. Also it might provide a new opportunity for the development of new treatments for voiding dysfunction in the elderly.


The
nineteenth century's quest for the missing matter (Vulcan) ended with the
publication of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. We contend that the
current quest for the missing matter is parallel in its perseverance and in its
ultimate futility. After setting the search for dark matter in its historic perspective,
we critique extant dark matter models and offer alternative explanations—derived
from a Lorentz-invariant Lagrangian—that will, at the very least, sow seeds of
doubt about the existence of dark matter.


The research studied the changes in the graft union with influence on graft success and subsequent performance until the 98 th day after initial side grafting of Anacardium occidentale rootstock seedlings. Thirty days after grafting, the necrotic layer and calli cells began enlarging between scion and stock. There was gradual disappearance of the necrotic layer, preceding callus formation and the fusion of the scion and stock at 60 day after grafting. Results at 98-days after grafting showed cambium linkage and a healed union edge. Unsuccessful grafts at 98-days after grafting showed a wide gap at the cortex of scion and stock. Graft union success is a key factor in successful graft-take and subsequent performance of grafted seedlings.


Presents Antonio E. Puente as the 2011 winner of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice. "For his decades of efforts to enhance the recognition of psychologists in providing health care services, through his work with the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Panel to develop and maintain appropriate CPT codes for the breadth of professional practice; for his willingness to participate in litigation establishing the expertise of neuropsychologists to testify in court about their findings; for his tireless work in cross-cultural assessment relative to criminal trials; for his leadership of professional societies in clinical neuropsychology; for his promotion of legislation and policy at all levels of government; and for his countless other contributions to the enhancement of independent practice in psychology. Antonio Puente is a far-thinking visionary who freely shares his knowledge to improve the quality of psychological practice and the reimbursement system that attests to the worth of the profession. He is the very embodiment of the psychologist for whom this award is intended." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).


Ambient water samples from streams receiving discharges of coproduced brines from the Salt Creek oil field in Wyoming were collected and tested for toxicity from 1988 to 1990. Exposure to waters downstream from the oil field significantly (P < 0.05) reduced survival and reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia compared to the upstream control, but fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) did not appear to be sensitive to the test conditions. Toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia increased as stream flow decreased. Toxicity could not be attributed to H2S, trace metals, or nonpolar organic compounds based on toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) methods. Major inorganic ions ma+, K+, C l , HCO;, and COf) appeared to account for the observed toxicity.


In this paper adaptive equalizers for lapped multitone systems are investigated. Starting from a unified approach to multicarrier modulation using filter banks, block multitone systems like discrete multitone (DMT) and lapped multitone systems like discrete wavelet multitone (DWMT) are presented Then the structure of the resulting matrix channel is investigated. After that, linear feed forward equalizers and nonlinear decision feedback equalizers for matrix channels are introduced and adapted to the special structure of the channel. This leads to adaptive equalizers for lapped multitone systems with reduced complexity. These algorithms are investigated in a VDSL scenario.


The study of corrosion resistance of ceramics in acid and alkalis makes it possible to predict their service properties in these media. For this reason, the corrosion resistance of cold isostatically pressed (CIP) high-purity alumina ceramics (99.8 % Al2O3) was studied in different concentration of sulphuric acid (2 wt. %, 10 wt. % and 20 wt. %) at room temperature. Corrosion was monitored by determination of mass concentration of Al, Mg, Ca, Na Si and Fe ions eluted in different concentration of sulphuric acid by means of atomic apsorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The corrosion rate constants for CIP-alumina specimens after immersion in H2SO4 solution using different concentration were determined. Increasing the concentration from 2 to 20 wt. % it was notified that the corrosion susceptibility in H2SO4 solutions for the CIP alumina specimens at room temperature decreases.


COVID-19 is a devastating disease with worldwide effects. To control and prevent COVID-19 and save lives, preventive and protective measures have been encouraged globally. Nurses and midwives have been among the most vulnerable groups to COVID-19 infection because their jobs involve heightened exposure to COVID-19-infected patients. This survey study aimed to investigate protective measures against COVID-19 for nurses and midwives. This was a descriptive quantitative survey study. The sample was 1706 nurses and midwives. A self-reported survey questionnaire was used to collect the data on protective measures against COVID-19 for nurses and midwives. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics. The study found that the majority of nurses and midwives did not receive COVID-19 training. Despite this, they were willing to care for COVID-19 patients and aware of methods for preventing COVID-19 infection. In addition, most participants had taken COVID-19 preventive precautions. Almost two-thirds of participants were vaccinated against COVID-19, and a vast majority had used appropriate PPE as a protective device against it.


While machine learning is going through an era of celebrated success, concerns have been raised about the vulnerability of its backbone: stochastic gradient descent (SGD). Recent approaches have been proposed to ensure the robustness of distributed SGD against adversarial (Byzantine) workers sending poisoned gradients during the training phase. Some of these approaches have been proven Byzantine-resilient: they ensure the convergence of SGD despite the presence of a minority of adversarial workers.
We show in this paper that convergence is not enough. In high dimension $d \gg 1$, an adver\-sary can build on the loss function's non-convexity to make SGD converge to ineffective models. More precisely, we bring to light that existing Byzantine-resilient schemes leave a margin of poisoning of $\Omega\left(f(d)\right)$, where $f(d)$ increases at least like $\sqrt{d~}$. Based on this leeway, we build a simple attack, and experimentally show its strong to utmost effectivity on CIFAR-10 and MNIST.
We introduce Bulyan, and prove it significantly reduces the attackers leeway to a narrow $O( \frac{1}{\sqrt{d~}})$ bound. We empirically show that Bulyan does not suffer the fragility of existing aggregation rules and, at a reasonable cost in terms of required batch size, achieves convergence as if only non-Byzantine gradients had been used to update the model.


LONDON-- Ever since the first deaths in 1995 from a new form of brain disorder thought to result from eating the meat of cattle infected with mad cow disease, one critical question has remained unanswered: Given the long latency period for the disease, how many cases are likely to show up beyond the 27 diagnosed so far? Last week, the British government announced that it is about to launch a novel study of hundreds of stored tonsils and appendixes, removed during surgery in the past several years, for signs of the rogue prion proteins that have been linked to the brain disorder, known as new-variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). But the study, which is still at the planning stage, will confront an ethical minefield over such questions as whether to tell healthy patients whose organs test positive.


This case answers a preliminary question addressed to the ECJ concenring the application or non-application of Directive 85/577/EEC on the protection of purchasers in the case of contracts negotiated away from business premises when the purchase concerns rights in immovable property on a time-share basis. According to the ECJ, the fact that time-share contracts are included in the provisions of a specific Directive (94/47/EC) does not exclude that a contract, containing an element of time-sharing, may at the same time pertain to the range of application of Directive 85/577/EEC, where the premises for the application in this last case are satisfied. The author is annotating the case from an italian perspective and also discusses the validity of the compensation clause in the case of renunciation and some other questions relative to the right of renunciation.


Astrocyte-enriched monolayer cultures were obtained by growing cells dissociated from 8-day-old rat cerebella pretreated with hydroxyurea. After 7 days in vitro a carpet of flat polygonal cells was obtained. The identity of these flat cells was established and their numbers quantified using immunological markers for astrocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells (antisera against fibrillary acidic protein and Thy-1, and Chagasic sera respectively). A combination of (3H] thymidine autoradiography and immunocytochemistry showed extensive replication of astrocytes, the number of which rose from about 20 to 80% of the total cells during the 1st week in vitro: 80% of these cells were labelled at 7 days after exposure to thymidine on the 1st day in culture. The culture conditions chosen did not support the survival of nerve cells. and fibroblasts constituted 5-7% of the cells at 7-14 DIV, whilst the total cell number remained roughly constant. On the other hand, staining with a new specific marker for endothelial cells revealed that these cells divided actively, ultimately accounting for the majority of the non-astrocytic cells.


Relationships between riverbed morphology, concavity, rock type and rock uplift rate are examined to independently unravel the contribution of along‐strike variations in lithology and rates of vertical deformation to the topographic relief of the Oregon coastal mountains. Lithologic control on river profile form is reflected by convexities and knickpoints in a number of longitudinal profiles and by general trends of concavity as a function of lithology. Volcanic and sedimentary rocks are the principal rock types underlying the northern Oregon Coast Ranges (between 46°30′ and 45°N) where mixed bedrock–alluvial channels dominate. Average concavity, θ, is 0·57 in this region. In the alluviated central Oregon Coast Ranges (between 45° and 44°N) values of concavity are, on average, the highest (θ = 0·82). South of 44°N, however, bedrock channels are common and θ = 0·73. Mixed bedrock–alluvial channels characterize rivers in the Klamath Mountains (from 43°N south; θ = 0·64). Rock uplift rates of ≥0·5 mm a−1, mixed bedrock–alluvial channels, and concavities of 0·53–0·70 occur within the northernmost Coast Ranges and Klamath Mountains. For rivers flowing over volcanic rocks θ = 0·53, and θ = 0·72 for reaches crossing sedimentary rocks. Whereas channel type and concavity generally co‐vary with lithology along much of the range, rivers between 44·5° and 43°N do not follow these trends. Concavities are generally greater than 0·70, alluvial channels are common, and river profiles lack knickpoints between 44·5° and 44°N, despite the fact that lithology is arguably invariant. Moreover, rock uplift rates in this region vary from low, ≤0·5 mm a−1, to subsidence (<0 mm a−1). These observations are consistent with models of transient river response to a decrease in uplift rate. Conversely, the rivers between 44° and 43°N have similar concavities and flow on the same mapped bedrock unit as the central region, but have bedrock channels and irregular longitudinal profiles, suggesting the river profiles reflect a transient response to an increase in uplift rate. If changes in rock uplift rate explain the differences in river profile form and morphology, it is unlikely that rock uplift and erosion are in steady state in the Oregon coastal mountains. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We focused on the participation of GAP1, BAP2, and AGP1 in L-phenylalanine transport in yeast. In order to study the physiological functions of GAP1, BAP2, and AGP1 in L-phenylalanine transport, we examined the kinetics, substrate specificity, and regulation of these systems, employing isogenic haploid strains with the respective genes disrupted individually and in combination. During the characterization of phenylalanine transport, we noted important regulatory phenomena associated with these systems. Our results show that Agp1p is the major transporter of the phenylalanine in a gap1 strain growing in synthetic media with leucine present as an inducer. In a wild type strain grown in the presence of leucine, when ammonium ion was the nitrogen source, Bap2p is the principal phenylalanine carrier.


Phase change material (PCM)-based thermal energy storage (TES) can provide energy and cost savings and peak demand reduction benefits for grid-interactive residential buildings. Researchers established that these benefits vary greatly depending on the PCM phase change temperature (PCT), total TES storage capacity, system configuration and location and climate of the building. In this study, preliminary techno-economic performance is reported for a novel heat pump (HP)-integrated TES system using an idealized approach. A simplified HP-TES was modeled for 1 year of space heating and cooling loads for a residential building in three different climates in the United States. The vapor compression system of the HP was modified to integrate with TES, and all heat transfer to and from the TES was mediated by the HP. A single PCM was used for heating and cooling, and the PCT and TES capacity were varied to observe their effects on the building's energy consumption, peak load shifting and cost savings. The maximum reduction in electric consumption, utility cost and peak electric demand were achieved at a PCT of 30 °C for New York City and 20 °C for Houston and Birmingham. Peak energy consumption in Houston, New York City, and Birmingham was reduced by 47%, 53%, and 70%, respectively, by shifting peak load using a time-of-use utility schedule. TES with 170 MJ storage capacity allowed for maximum demand shift from on-peak to off-peak hours, with diminishing returns once the TES capacity equaled the daily building thermal loads experienced during the most extreme ambient conditions.


Combinatorial interaction testing (CIT) is an effective paradigm for testing highly configurable systems, and its goal is to generate a t-wise covering array (CA) as a test suite, where t is the strength of testing. It is recognized that pairwise testing (i.e., CIT with t=2) is the most common CIT technique, and has high fault detection capability in practice. The problem of pairwise CA generation (PCAG), which is a core problem in pairwise testing, aims at generating a pairwise CA (i.e., 2-wise CA) of minimum size, subject to hard constraints. The PCAG problem is a hard combinatorial optimization problem, which urgently requires practical methods for generating pairwise CAs (PCAs) of small sizes. However, existing PCAG algorithms suffer from the severe scalability issue; that is, when solving large-scale PCAG instances, existing state-of-the-art PCAG algorithms usually cost a fairly long time to generate large PCAs, which would make the testing of highly configurable systems both ineffective and inefficient. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective sampling-based approach dubbed SamplingCA for solving the PCAG problem. SamplingCA first utilizes sampling techniques to obtain a small test suite that covers valid pairwise tuples as many as possible, and then adds a few more test cases into the test suite to ensure that all valid pairwise tuples are covered. Extensive experiments on 125 public PCAG instances show that our approach can generate much smaller PCAs than its state-of-the-art competitors, indicating the effectiveness of SamplingCA. Also, our experiments show that SamplingCA runs one to two orders of magnitude faster than its competitors, demonstrating the efficiency of SamplingCA. Our results confirm that SamplingCA is able to address the scalability issue and considerably pushes forward the state of the art in PCAG solving.


Using negative selection with anti-Ia serum and complement, Ia-"negative" lymphocyte populations give rise to clonal progeny which produce only IgM antibody, whereas Ia-positive lymphocytes generate B-cell progeny which produce IgG or both IgM and IgG antibody. The responder cell in the mixed lymphocyte reaction and the precursor and effector cells in cell-mediated lympholysis appear to be Ia-"negative" lymphocyte subpopulations. Helper T cells in some system are Ia-positive, and allotype suppressor T cells are also Ia-positive. Allogenic effect factor produced in the usual manner functions as an antigen nonspecific helper factor for several different H-2 haplotypes. However, when allogenic effect factor is produced from a mixed lymphocyte culture between responder lymphocytes treated with anti-Ia and complement and irradiated stimulator lymphocytes treated with anti-Thy-1.2 and complement, this "restricted" AEF is sharply restricted in the haplotypes it can stimulate. "Restricted" AEF produced in this manner with B10.BR responder cells and B10.S stimulator cells helps B10.S T-cell-depleted, hap-ten-primed spleen B cells but does not help B10.BR spleen cells. This raises the possibility that the Ia antigens in AEF may be derived from the stimulator B cells and/or macrophages rather than from the responder T cells.


Dasatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is approved and prescribed to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome. Present work reports development of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of Dasatinib in human plasma and validation of the developed method according to the guidelines provided by European Medicines Agency (EMA). An RP-HPLC method with UV detection and isocratic elution has been developed and validated for analysis of Dasatinib in human plasma over a range of 5-300 ng/mL. Imatinib was used as an internal standard. Both, the drug and the internal standard were separated on the Inertsil C18 column (150 mm×4.6 mm×0.005 mm) using Ammonium Acetate buffer pH 6.4 and acetonitrile at a ratio of 65:35 as mobile phase. The flow rate was adjusted to 0.7 mL min-1. The detection was performed at 310 nm wavelength. Sample pre-purification was performed through simple protein precipitation using acetonitrile followed by sample collection through centrifugation. The developed method was linear in the range of 5-300 ng/mL with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.995. The lower limit of quantification for Dasatinib in plasma was 5 ng/mL. The accuracy and precision of the method were well within the acceptable limits of 15% over the linear range. In general, the developed method is efficient and inexpensive. It is very simple from the extraction of drug from the plasma matrix to the isocratic elution of analytes. From the data, it can be concluded that the developed method is selective, precise and accurate and applicable for the determination of Dasatinib in human plasma samples.


The extensive usage of antibiotics and the rapid emergence of antimicrobial-resistant microbes (AMR) are becoming important global public health issues. Many solutions to these problems have been proposed, including developing alternative compounds with antimicrobial activities, managing existing antimicrobials, and rapidly detecting AMR pathogens. Among all of them, employing alternative compounds such as phytochemicals alone or in combination with other antibacterial agents appears to be both an effective and safe strategy for battling against these pathogens. The present review summarizes the scientific evidence on the biochemical, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of phytochemicals used to treat microbial pathogenesis. A wide range of commercial products are currently available on the market. Their well-documented clinical efficacy suggests that phytomedicines are valuable sources of new types of antimicrobial agents for future use. Innovative approaches and methodologies for identifying plant-derived products effective against AMR are also proposed in this review.