This report, supported by the energy sector management assistance program (ESMAP), applies the tool for the rapid assessment of city energy (TRACE) to examine energy use in Leon, Mexico. This study is one of three requested and conducted in 2013 by the World Bank Latin America and the Caribbean energy unit to begin a dialogue on energy efficiency (EE) potential in Latin America and Caribbean cities. In Puebla and Leon, TRACE helped the Mexican Secretary of Energy (SENER) develop an urban EE strategy. TRACE is a simple, practical tool for making rapid assessments of municipal energy use. It helps prioritize sectors that have the potential to save significant amounts of energy and identifies appropriate EE measures in six sectors - transport, municipal buildings, wastewater, streetlights, solid waste, and power and heat. Globally, the six are often managed by the cities which have substantial influence over public utility services. The study looked at six areas to determine the three that have the greatest savings potential and where the city has a significant degree of control: streetlights, solid waste, and municipal buildings.


The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has spread from China and quickly transmitted to most other countries around the world. The World Health Organization announced COVID-19 as a pandemic that is spreading steadily and soon in most states. Coronavirus genomic characterization showed that it most closely resembled another bat-origin beta-coronavirus. Coronavirus has the largest genome of viruses that have RNA. Spike (S) glycoprotein is present in the virus and is responsible for virus entry into the host cell. COVID-19 can spread through the droplet, direct contact, and aerosol transmission in humans. It can remain in the environment and exists on plastic and steel for the longest time, making it a dangerous and contagious disease that can kill other individuals. The virus has an incubation time of 2 to 14 days. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have evolved exponentially in the world. Possible preventive steps for disease control include more mask use, hand sanitization, and social distancing. There is no antiviral therapy and only symptomatic care. Many inhibitors of HIV protease and other antimalarial drugs have tested. There is currently no vaccine available for COVID-19 prevention, though others are available in clinical trials. Scientists often use spike proteins for vaccine production. Research is needed to develop a new innovative vaccine and targeted medicine, which will meet people's demands.


AIM
to compare the outcome of patients whose abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ruptured following endoluminal repair with those whose AAA ruptured prior to treatment.

PATIENTS
over a 4-year period 434 patients underwent treatment for AAA with conventional open (n=253) and endoluminal repair (n=181). Of those having open repair, 216 patients had elective operations while 41 had operations for ruptured AAA. Four patients with ruptured AAA had undergone endoluminal repair previously (Group I) while the remaining 37 patients ruptured de novo (Group II). The patients in both groups were similar in age and sex but differed clinically. All four patients in Group I had major medical co-morbidities versus 56% in Group II (p<0.05). All patients in group I had a known endoleak following endoluminal repair. All patients underwent open repair.

RESULTS
the proportion of patients presenting with hypotension in Group I (1/4) was significantly less than in Group II (30/37). The difference in 30-day mortality for Group I (0%) compared with that for Group II (43%) was significant. The four patients in Group I remain alive and well at follow-up 22 months after operation. The outcome for Group I was better than Group II despite the higher incidence of medical co-morbidities.

CONCLUSION
endoluminal AAA repair complicated by a persistent endoleak does not protect from rupture, which may not be accompanied by such major haemodynamic changes and high mortality as rupture de novo. Further long-term results in more patients are required to confirm this intermediate level of protection.


Recently, graphene sheets have shown significant potential for environmental engineering applications such as wastewater treatment. In the present work, the posbuckling response of orthotropic single-layered graphene sheet (SLGS) is investigated in a closed-form analytical manner using the nonlocal theory of Eringen. Two opposite edges of the plate are subjected to normal stresses. The nonlocality and geometric nonlinearity are taken into consideration, which arises from the nanosized effects and mid-plane stretching, respectively. Nonlinear governing differential equations (nonlocal compatibility and equilibrium equations) are derived and presented for the aforementioned study. Galerkin method is used to solve the governing equations for simply supported boundary conditions. It is shown that the nonlocal effect plays a significant role in the nonlinear stability behavior of orthotropic nanoplates. Unlike first and second postbuckling modes, nonlocal effects decrease with the increase of lateral deflection at higher postbuckling modes. It is also observed that the nonlocality and nonlinearity is more pronounced for higher postbuckling modes.


ABSTRACT Mutations play a crucial role in evolution as they provide the genetic variation that allows evolutionary change. Although some mutations in regulatory elements or coding regions can be beneficial, a large number of them disrupt gene function and reduce fitness. Organisms utilize several mechanisms to compensate for the damaging consequences of genetic perturbations. One such mechanism is the recently identified process of transcriptional adaptation (TA): during this event, mutations that cause mutant mRNA degradation trigger the transcriptional modulation of so-called adapting genes. In some cases, for example when one (or more) of the upregulated genes is functionally redundant with the mutated gene, this process compensates for the loss of the mutated gene's product. Notably, unlike other mechanisms underlying genetic robustness, TA is not triggered by the loss of protein function, an observation that has prompted studies into the machinery of TA and the contexts in which it functions. Here, we review the discovery and current understanding of TA, and discuss how its main features appear to be conserved across species. In light of these findings, we also speculate on the importance of TA in the context of human disease, and provide some recommendations for genome-editing strategies that should be more effective. Summary: This Spotlight gives an overview of the discovery and current understanding of transcriptional adaptation, and discusses how its main features appear to be conserved across species.


Immunogenetic studies have made seminal contributions towards understanding the pathogenesis of splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) by documenting a highly skewed immunoglobulin (IG) gene repertoire with molecular features strongly implicating selection by antigen(s) in disease ontogeny and evolution. Indeed, a major subset of SMZL, roughly 30% of the entire cohort, is defined by the expression of IG receptors with heavy variable domains (VH) utilizing the IGHV1-2*04 gene. These VH domains exhibit low-level, yet non-randomly targeted somatic hypermutation (SHM), carry long and often positively charged heavy complementarity-determining region 3 with restricted motifs, and also show biased associations with certain light IG genes, namely IGKV3-20, IGKV1-8 and IGLV2-14. We recently documented that the great majority of SMZL, especially IGHV1-2*04 cases, exhibit intraclonal diversification (ID) in IGHV genes, reflecting ongoing interactions with antigen(s). In this study we further extend the analysis of ID in SMZL focusing on IG light genes. To this end, we performed a comprehensive subcloning analysis of IGKV-IGKJ and IGLV-IGLJ gene rearrangements from 11 SMZL cases; two patients were studied at two different time-points. A total of 311 subcloned sequences (10-38/sample, median, 25) were obtained from 9 IGKV-IGKJ and 4 IGLV-IGLJ rearrangements. Multiple alignment of the subcloned sequences revealed that: (1) only one of 13 studied samples (7.8%) carried identical subclones (no ID); (2) 6/13 (46.1%) carried only unconfirmed mutations (UCMs, mutations in single subclones; unconfirmed ID); and, (3) 6/13 (46.1%) carried confirmed mutations (CMs, identical mutations in at least 2 subclones; confirmed ID). Both IGHV1-2*04 cases of the present series belonged to the confirmed ID category and both displayed intense ID with extensive subclone formation. Among cases positive for ID, the number of nucleotide substitutions introduced by ongoing SHM ranged from 1-21. A total of 66 unique substitutions were identified in 42 positions of the variable domain; 44 of these resulted in the replacement of the germline-encoded amino acid (R), while the remaining 22 were silent (S). The distribution of replacement and silent CMs and UCMs in CDRs and FRs was compatible with a canonical SHM process in that R/S ratios were higher in CDRs, except CDR2. In general, ID was more pronounced in IGKV-IGKJ versus IGLV-IGLJ rearrangements, regardless of the overall mutational load of each rearrangement. The analysis of the same rearrangement at different time-points revealed a consistent ID profile: one case carried only UCMs at both time-points, while the other (IGHV1-2*04 case) exhibited a dynamic pattern of appearing and disappearing CMs. Overall, the presence of mutations in the context of ID was independent of the mutational status, as ID was observed even in minimally mutated cases (98-99.9% germline identity). Moreover, in 3/6 cases with confirmed ID, subclones were classified in ≥2 main mutational groups, indicating early "branching" of the clonal population in subpopulations with distinct mutational profiles. In conclusion, the present study complements the immunogenetic profile of SMZL, offering novel molecular evidence for crosstalk with the microenvironment mediated through the clonotypic B-cell receptors. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of IG light chains in the immune pathogenesis of SMZL.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


In the rapidly evolving field of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) research, the intricate role of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) has garnered critical attention for its diverse involvement in both pathological substrates and prospective therapeutic paradigms. While conventional pathophysiological models of AD have primarily emphasized the significance of amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition and tau protein hyperphosphorylation, this targeted systematic review meticulously aggregates and rigorously appraises seminal contributions from the past year elucidating the complex mechanisms of H2S in AD pathogenesis. Current scholarly literature accentuates H2S's dual role, delineating its regulatory functions in critical cellular processes—such as neurotransmission, inflammation, and oxidative stress homeostasis—while concurrently highlighting its disruptive impact on quintessential AD biomarkers. Moreover, this review illuminates the nuanced mechanistic intimate interactions of H2S in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular pathology associated with AD, thereby exploring avant-garde therapeutic modalities, including sulfurous mineral water inhalations and mud therapy. By emphasizing the potential for therapeutic modulation of H2S via both donors and inhibitors, this review accentuates the imperative for future research endeavors to deepen our understanding, thereby potentially advancing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in AD.


Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were surveyed in different South Australian ecosystems. The soil was wet-sieved for spore extraction, followed by the determination of presence and abundance of AMF species as well as the percentage of root colonization. Mycorrhizal associations were common and there was substantial fungal diversity in different ecosystems. Spores were most abundant in the permanent pasture system and less abundant under continuous wheat. The incidence of mycorrhizal associations in different plant species and the occurrence of Arum and Paris type colonization generally conformed with previous information. Spores of seventeen AMF were verified throughout seasonal changes in 1996 and 1997 in the permanent pasture and on four host species (Lolium perenne, Plantago lanceolata, Sorghum sp. and Trifolium subterraneum) , set up with the same soils under greenhouse conditions. Glomus mosseae was the dominant spore type at all sampling times and in all trap cultures. Mycorrhizal diversity was significantly affected by different sampling times in trap cultures but not in field-collected soil. P. lanceolata, Sorghum sp. and T. subterraneum as hosts for trap cultures showed no differences in richness and diversity of AMF spores that developed in association with their roots. Abundance and diversity were lowest, however, in association with L. perenne , particularly in December 1996. Results show that the combination of spore identification from field-collected soil and trap cultures is essential to study population and diversity of AMF. The study provides baseline data for ongoing monitoring of mycorrhizal populations using conventional methods and material for the determination of the symbiotic effectiveness of AMF key members.


In recent writing on sociotechnical transitions theory communities are mostly conceived of as being local and place-based ("grassroots"). In this paper the implications for sociotechnical transitions theory of having multiple communities operating at different geographical scales, and with different objectives, are examined through a case study of low-carbon innovation in forests. The focus of analysis is the communities promoting sociotechnical innovations in the measurement of forest carbon. Innovation is being driven by the international United Nations climate policy initiative "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation" (REDD+). The rise of REDD+ policy has prompted a flurry of activity in related scientific research, especially in the field of remote sensing. But other types of community are also actively positioning themselves as experts in forest carbon measurement: there are multiple communities at work, each with varying claims to innovation and expertise, from local (place-based) forest communities to international communities of foresters and forest ecologists. Recognition of the multiple communities operating within sociotechnical systems usefully draws our attention to the politics of innovation.


To relate the bainitic microstructures to the mechanical properties of steel, the average dislocation density needs to be determined. Using X-ray diffraction and diffraction line broadening analysis, this research quantifies the average dislocation density in the four bainite phase matrices, (upper bainite, upper and lower bainite mixture, lower bainite, lower bainite and martensite mixture), which are transformed in a wide range of isothermal temperatures. The effects of isothermal temperatures on the average dislocation density are assessed for different thermal dynamic driving forces in terms of activation energy and cooling rate. It is found that as isothermal holding temperature is increased, the dislocation density in the bainite matrix decreases from 1.55 × 1017 to 8.33 × 1015 (m−2) due to the reduction in the plastic deformation in the austenite in the transformation. At the same time, the activation energy required decreases only after passing the martensite and lower bainite mixed phase. A new method for better estimating the average dislocation density in bainitic steel is also proposed.


This research examines potential psychosocial predictors of freshman academic achievement and retention. College students were assessed on various dimensions, (i.e., demographics, prior academic record, smoking, drinking, health-related quality of life, social support, coping) during the first week of their freshman year, and at the beginning of the next academic year. A multiple linear regression equation predicting cumulative GPA using 10 predictors accounted for 56% of the variance in academic achievement while a logistic equation predicting retention rates was not statistically significant. The amount of variance accounted for in first year cumulative GPA (56%) represents a substantial improvement in prediction over using highschool GPA and SAT scores alone (25%; Wolfe & Johnson, 1995). However, similar to past research, some health and psychosocial variables (e.g., smoking, drinking, health-related quality of life, social support, and maladaptive coping strategies) were related to retention. This model may be used as a tool to proactively identify students at high risk for poor academic performance during their freshman year and to provide direction regarding proactive intervention strategies for maladaptive behaviors predictive of poor academic performance (e.g., smoking, binge-drinking, social support, coping). ********** The freshman year represents a stressful transition for college students (Lu, 1994). Despite a multitude of social, academic, and emotional stressors, most college students successfully cope with a complex new life role and achieve academic success. Other students are less able to successfully manage this transition and decide to leave higher education during or at the end of their freshman year. It is estimated that 40% of college students will leave higher education without getting a degree (Porter, 1990) with 75% percent of such students leaving within their first two years of college (Tinto, 1987). Freshman class attrition rates are typically greater than any other academic year and are commonly as high as 20-30% (Mallinckrodt & Sedlacek, 1987). The implications of leaving college without obtaining a degree are many. Each student that leaves before degree completion costs the college or university thousands of dollars in unrealized tuition, fees, and alumni contributions. The decision to leave college is also frequently economically deleterious to the college dropout, whose decision to leave often leaves him or her in a position to earn much less over a lifetime of work (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1989). Despite these considerable negative consequences for universities and students, attrition rates have not changed appreciably over the last few decades (Porter, 1990). This fact has provided an impetus to understand risk factors for college student attrition. If such risk factors can be identified, then intervention programs can be designed to increase retention rates (Clark & Halpern, 1993). There is a consistent relationship between college academic achievement and retention, with higher performing students persisting in their studies to a greater degree than their lower achieving cohorts (Kirby & Sharpe, 2001; McGrath & Braunstein, 1997; Ryland, Riordan, & Brack, 1994). Given the consistent relationship between these variables, it is prudent and efficient to identify common risk factors for these student outcomes in order to best develop targeted intervention programs. This study will examine a number of potentially predictive variables of academic achievement and retention that have been examined in prior studies and also examine some new potential risk factors, such as student health status, that have yet to be examined. The goal of this research was to create a multidimensional risk model that would optimize prediction of both academic achievement and attrition. The following is a brief literature overview and rationale for the inclusion of certain variables in this comprehensive risk model. …


BirgittaHeiller, Ph.D. (psychology), M.Sc. (psychotherapy), is joining the TAJ as one of the three coeditors. She is a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst with a private psychotherapy and supervision practice, as well as her own clinical training program based in Guildford, Surrey, England. Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, she has lived in several countries, eventually settling in the United Kingdom in 1993. Being part ofthe worldwide transactional analysis network provided a welcome and necessary sense of belonging during her years of travel, and she still feels strongly about TA's international connections. Birgitta enjoys the balance between its community spirit and academic excellence and is committed to promoting this powerful combination in the wider world of psychotherapy. For the past 4 years she has been delivering training in Romania to a vibrant and enthusiastic group ofnew students of transactional analysis.


Abstract Hydrological modelling has faced the problem of ungauged basins for many years: how does one estimate hydrological characteristics for a river for which there are no data? Whatever the kind of model, it needs at least hydroclimatic input data and discharge data for calibration. However, the Yates model does not need any discharge data for calibration: it is a pre-calibrated model from a vegetation—climate classification map. In the specific context of West and Central Africa, where data are often of poor quality and very scarce, it is interesting to compare the performance of such a model with those of calibrated models, and with observed data. For this study, a platform including different semi-global rainfall—runoff models which allow the estimation of monthly runoff at a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5° was used. The performance of the Yates model is very close to those of calibrated models, so that one can say that this simple model, based simply on a vegetation—climate classification, can be a very useful prediction tool in regions of scarce and unreliable data, such as those of interest to the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) initiative on prediction in ungauged basins (PUB). Therefore, this model was applied to a period covering the last 30 years, and to a data set covering the first decades of the 21st century, from a climatic scenario of doubling the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. The results show that, in West Africa, where drought conditions have now prevailed for 35 years, water resources should still be decreasing in the future, following the general decreasing trend of rainfall projected by the climatic scenarios.


This research aimed to examine the service quality toward customer satisfaction at Culinary Bussiness of cafe "X" in Lhokseumawe.  The data used in this research was primary data and taken by distributing questionnaires to 96 respondents. Multiple linear regression used for examining the influence of service quality toward customer satisfaction. either partially or simultaneously. Based on the p artially test , the research result performed four independent variable, they were physical evidence, reliability, response, guaranty, and empathy that influenced the customer satisfaction about 0.544 or 5.44%.  The research result performed that t-calculation>t-table and indicated that physical evidence (X1), reliability (X2), responsiveness (X3), guaranty (X4), and empathy (X5) influenced significantly toward customer satisfaction. The most dominant variable that influenced the customer satisfaction was responsiveness (X3) because the score of coefficient was the highest and the score of t-calculation was higher than t-table. Keywords : Physical Evidence, Reliability, Response, Guaranty, Empathy and Customer Satisfaction


In the Southwest Atlantic Ocean the wintering breeding ground of Megaptera novaeangliae is located in northeastern coast of Brazil, mainly in the Abrolhos Bank (16°55′ S, 38°50′ W) and its surroundings. During migratory percussion, events of strandings are thought to occur. A total of 58 stranded humpback whales were recorded between 1981 and 2011 along the coast of the Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The number of strandings in 20 years (1992–2011) increased during the period of study, with a mean of 2.6 events per year. In 2010 a peak occurred with 13 records of strandings. Most of them occurred preferably in the southern half of the study area, or in the southeast area of Rio de Janeiro state. Three cases of entanglement were found, two of these involving calves with less than eight meters of body length. Stranding events were more frequent during winter and spring. No statistical differences were found between age categories, but 33% were classified as "dependent calf" (< 8 m length). Males stranded more often than females. Only one whale out of 16 specimens that had the stomach contents examined presented food remains, but comprising only two cephalopod beaks of the squid Doryteuthis sanpaulensis. Bacteriological survey of Vibrionaceae and Aeromonadaceae agents in three live stranded whales on the Brazilian coast indicated evidence of animal impairment that resulted or were associated with the cause of death and stranding event.


Helicobacter pylori has a high urease activity and produces ammonia from urea, resulting in elevation of mucosal pH. Based on this characteristics of H. pylori, we have developed a method for staining H. pylori under endoscopy using dye from red cabbage (San-red RC, San-Ei Chemical Ind., Osaka), a pH indicator, safe for clinical use. After administration of a proton-pump inhibitor and an H2-receptor antagonist, the dye solution, mixed with 2% urea, was sprayed over the mucosa by endoscope. Change in color of the dye was found in some areas infected with H. pylori. The change in color reflects urease activity or amount of ammonia. This method may be useful to find the distribution of H. pylori in the mucosa and to examine the H. pylori-infected mucosa pathophysiologically.


The voltage instability phenomena may occur in distribution networks. The decline of voltage stability level will restrict the increase of load served by distribution companies. Distributed generation (DG) is increasingly drawing great attention of people. The development of DGs will bring new chances to traditional power systems. DGs connected to distribution networks are potential to improve the system voltage stability. In this paper, the familiar interfaces between DGs and distribution networks are introduced. The operation modes and control characteristics of typical DGs, including asynchronous generators, synchronous generators with constant values of excitation voltage, and fuel cells, are analyzed. Based on the models of DGs proposed in power flow calculations, a new method for constructing a sensitivity matrix is presented, which is available to calculate the power flow of distribution networks with multiple types of DGs. Using this method presented here, the impacts of DGs on the system voltage stability are studied. These impacts are quantified by a voltage stability index introduced in this paper. Some important conclusions are obtained. A 90-bus system is analyzed to give an illustration of the feasibility of the proposed method


(1) Background: Zinc oxide (ZnO) particles are widely used as zinc (Zn) fortifiers, because Zn is essential for various cellular functions. Nanotechnology developments may lead to production of nano-sized ZnO, although nanoparticles (NPs) are not intended to be used as food additives. Current regulations do not specify the size distribution of NPs. Moreover, ZnO is easily dissolved into Zn ions under acidic conditions. However, the fate of ZnO in commercial foods or during intestinal transit is still poorly understood. (2) Methods: We established surfactant-based cloud point extraction (CPE) for ZnO NP detection as intact particle forms using pristine ZnO-NP-spiked powdered or liquid foods. The fate determination and dissolution characterization of ZnO were carried out in commercial foods and human intestinal cells using in vitro intestinal transport and ex vivo small intestine absorption models. (3) Results: The results demonstrated that the CPE can effectively separate ZnO particles and Zn ions in food matrices and cells. The major fate of ZnO in powdered foods was in particle form, in contrast to its ionic fate in liquid beverages. The fate of ZnO was closely related to the extent of its dissolution in food or biomatrices. ZnO NPs were internalized into cells in both particle and ion form, but dissolved into ions with time, probably forming a Zn–ligand complex. ZnO was transported through intestinal barriers and absorbed in the small intestine primarily as Zn ions, but a small amount of ZnO was absorbed as particles. (4) Conclusion: The fate of ZnO is highly dependent on food matrix type, showing particle and ionic fates in powdered foods and liquid beverages, respectively. The major intracellular and intestinal absorption fates of ZnO NPs were Zn ions, but a small portion of ZnO particle fate was also observed after intestinal transit. These findings suggest that the toxicity of ZnO is mainly related to the Zn ion, but potential toxicity resulting from ZnO particles cannot be completely excluded.


Jurisdiction, a concept often demarcating law's territorial scope, and thus the bounds of state sovereignty, is offered here as a theory of legal language and its relation to law's social force. Reconsidered in light of its etymology as law's speech, new theories of jurisdiction suggest that law is simultaneously founded and enacted through language both spectacular (such as courtroom arguments or in the preambles of constitutions) and mundane (such as in legal aid intake exchanges, or in the forms of bureaucratic records). Jurisdiction points up how the force of law, and the sovereignty that law's force presupposes, can be seen as being made, and made seemingly unassailable, in the discursive and textual details of law's actual accomplishment. This review considers a segment of legal language scholarship produced in recent decades, while arguing for the ground that language, as juris-diction, always holds for law and sovereignty.


Since antibiotic resistance among uropathogens have gradually been rising, so it is important to have knowledge about the pattern and antimicrobial susceptibility to choose the correct treatment regimen. A cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology, Mymensingh Medical College between July 2007 to June 2008 to determine the prevalence, relationship between pyuria and urine culture and antibiotic resistance pattern among the bacterial isolates of community acquired UTI (CUTI). A total of 100 urine samples were subjected to microscopy and culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates was done by disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) 2007. Of the total samples, 45(45%) were culture positive and among them female were more (71.1%) than the male (28.9%). The predominant age group was 15-29. Having pus cell >5/HPF, 93.3% culture positive patients showed significant pyuria. The isolated microorganisms were Escherichia coli (73%) followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus (11.1%), Klebsiella spp (6.7%), Enterobacter spp (4.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.2%) and Proteus spp (2.2%). All the bacterial isolates were sensitive to imipenem, while they showed variation in sensitivity to other commonly used antibiotics. Imipenem, nitrofurantoin and gentamicin were found to be effective for Gram-negative isolates and imipenem, azithromycin, vancomycin, ceftazidime for Gram-positive isolates. Our study emphasized over the changing etiology and emergence of drug resistance of the UTI within our country.


Let θ ∈ (0, 1), λ ∈ [0, 1) and p, p0, p1 ∈ (1,∞] be such that (1 − θ)/p0 + θ/p1 = 1/p, and let φ, φ0, φ1 be some admissible functions such that φ, φ0p/p0 and φ1p/p1 are equivalent. We first prove that, via the ± interpolation method, the interpolation Lφ0p0),λ (X), Lφ1p1), λ (X), θ> of two generalized grand Morrey spaces on a quasi-metric measure space X is the generalized grand Morrey space Lφp),λ (X). Then, by using block functions, we also find a predual space of the generalized grand Morrey space. These results are new even for generalized grand Lebesgue spaces.


DNA damage and mutations are a major primary cause of cancer. Chemical bombardment of DNA is a major contributor to DNA damage. The Division of Chemical Toxicology recently hosted a panel of researchers who provided updates on the field of chemical toxicology at the nexus of DNA damage and repair.


The degraded parameters recognition is very important for the restoration of blurred images. There are two common types of blurs for most camera systems. One is the defocus blur due to the optical system's defocus phenomenon and the other is the motion blur due to the relative movement between the objectives and the camera. Compared with the recognition for the blurred image with only one blur model, the parameter estimation for the picture combining defocus and motion blur models is a more complicated mission. A method was proposed for computer to estimate the parameters of defocus blur and motion blur in cepstrum area simultaneously. According to characters of both blur models in the frequency domain, an adjustment approach was suggested in the frequency area and then convert to the cepstrum field to increase the accuracy of measurement.


The mechanisms that underlie progestogen-induced endometrial breakthrough bleeding are poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to quantify endometrial microvascular density in 54 controls and 42 women with 3-12 months' exposure to Norplant (levonorgestrel subdermal contraceptive implant) and to correlate it with bleeding pattern, endometrial histology, and peripheral plasma oestradiol and progesterone concentrations. Endometrial biopsies were processed routinely and sections immunostained using anti-CD34 antibody to identify vascular endothelial cells. Menstrual record card data were analysed using World Health Organization definitions. The mean microvascular density (+/- SEM) for control samples was 186 +/- 8 vessels/mm2, and there were no significant differences across the cycle. Norplant user's endometrial microvascular density was significantly elevated above controls (294 +/- 18 vessels/mm2, P = 3.36 x 10(-8)). Endometrial microvascular density in Norplant users did not correlate with oestrogen concentrations prior to biopsy, bleeding patterns or endometrial histology. The results from this study show that women receiving Norplant have significantly increased endometrial microvascular density compared to controls. Another finding from this study was that bleeding in Norplant users often occurred from thin atrophic endometrium. These results provide new insights into the physiological mechanisms that may be involved in progestogen-induced endometrial bleeding.


While recent inventories and assessments of the entrepreneurship field examine the focus, purpose, and methods, one area receiving less attention is the outcome or dependent variable. The outcome variable is of critical importance in scholarship, as it is a leading indicator of the cumulative nature of the scholarship in our field. This paper reviews 389 articles published over the past 3 years in four top entrepreneurship journals; two published in the United States and two published in Europe. It classifies the scholarship by theoretical underpinnings, independent variables, dependent variables, and then looks at the variation in these by origin of the journal. Results indicate that entrepreneurship researchers are using a wide variety of dependent variables, that the most popular unit of analysis is the firm, and that performance, broadly defined, is the most popular dependent variable. Implications for future research are discussed.


To study a way to covalently link arabinoxylans and proteins using a fungal laccase from the fungus Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, the effect of cysteinyl caffeic acid on the cross-linking of wheat arabinoxylans was investigated by means of capillary viscometry and RP-HPLC of alkali labile phenolic compounds. Cysteinyl caffeic acid provoked a delay in gelation and in the consumption of the esterified ferulic acid on arabinoxylans. When reacting free ferulic acid and cysteinyl caffeic acid with laccase, the ferulic acid consumption and the dehydrodimers production were also diminished. These results suggest that cysteinyl caffeic acid is oxidized while reducing the semiquinones of ferulic acid produced by laccase. Thus, ferulic acid could not be oxidized into dimers until all cysteinyl caffeic acid was consumed, preventing the cross-linking of feruloylated arabinoxylan chains. A similar mechanism is proposed in the case of caffeic acid and of L-Dopa.


During 1973-1990 cattle immunization, in Iran, was induced by two strains within an interval of one month: first the milder and then the mild strain. Although this method of vaccination rendered satisfactory results in the field, yet production, maintenance in deep-freezers and transportation in liquid nitrogen particularly to remote areas of the country proved to be uneconomical and time consuming. Therefore, in order to reduce cost and save time, a new method involving only one local and live attenuated vaccine strain was sought. Reports received from different ecological areas of the country have shown no presence of any significant abnormal side-effects in vaccinated cattle and the immunization results have been highly satisfactory.


The past two decades have seen unprecedented advances in therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with nine effective biological agents introduced since 1998. Each of these therapies gained regulatory approval based on radiographic evidence of suppression of bone erosion and articular cartilage loss (measured as joint-space narrowing) in randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCT). Recent trends, however, have made radiography increasingly impractical for monitoring disease progression and treatment response in clinical trials. As a result, pharmaceutical developers have turned to MRI as a potential alternative, based on MRI's ability to discriminate treatment efficacy in less time and with fewer patients than radiography can. To date, MRI has been successfully used in more than ten RCTs involving nine different therapeutic agents. All of these studies used the same scoring method, the OMERACT RA MRI Score (RAMRIS). The original draft of RAMRIS, however, included only synovitis, osteitis and bone erosion. It did not include assessment of cartilage loss or joint-space narrowing (JSN). This limitation has been an obstacle to substituting MRI for radiography in clinical trials, as articular cartilage loss is at least as important, if not more, than bone erosion is in determining long-term disability in RA. Moreover, suppressing bone erosion does not always ensure that cartilage loss has been suppressed as well. MRI is excellent for evaluating cartilage, and unlike radiography, which can only estimate cartilage thickness indirectly based on joint-space width, MRI can visualize the articular cartilage directly. This obviates problems associated with projectional superimposition of the rims of joints over joint spaces, which can mimic JSN on radiographs, and erroneous preservation of joint space despite cartilage loss, due to ligamentous insufficiency or interposition of synovial tissue or joint fluid. A number of scoring methods have been developed to evaluate cartilage loss in the hands and wrists in clinical trials of RA. These include a 9-point scale developed by Peterfy, et al. in 1998, a 5-point scale developed by McQueen, et al in 2010, and a 5-point scale developed by the OMERACT MRI group as an extension to RAMRIS in 2011. Similar to radiographic scoring methods, the 5-point scales focus on JSN; however, the 9-point MRI cartilage loss scale evaluates articular cartilage thickness directly. All of these scores have shown strong correlation with radiographic JSN. The 9-point MRI cartilage loss scale has furthermore been used successfully in several RCTs. In the SCORE trial of rituximab plus methotrexate versus placebo plus methotrexate, the 9-point scale showed significant suppression of cartilage loss by rituximab at 24 weeks (the earliest time point examined) and 52 weeks. These changes on MRI at 24 and 52 weeks correlated with radiographic JSN at 52 weeks. In the JADA trial of baricitinib, the 9-point MRI scale demonstrated significant suppression of cartilage loss within 12 weeks of treatment with 4mg or 8mg of baricitinib plus methotrexate compared to treament with lower doses of baricitinib plus methotrexate or with placebo plus methotrexate. Finally, in a multicenter RCT of infliximab plus methotrexate versus placebo plus methotrexate, the 9-point scale showed significant suppression of cartilage loss by infliximab by 14 weeks (the earliest time point examined). The MRI technique used in each of these studies was the same as that used for monitoring bone erosion with RAMRIS: fat-suppressed, T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo, which has been shown to delineate articular cartilage accurately in various joints, including the MCPs, and is commercially available on all clinical MRI systems operating at magnetic field strengths of 1.0 T or higher. Moreover, the acrylic frame used in these studies to reproducibly fix the position of the bones in the hand, wrist and fingers across serial MRI examinations also fixes the degree of flexion of each joint facilitating accurate assessments of change. Thus, MRI protocols do not need to be modified or extended in order to add MRI Cartilage Score to assessments of joint damage. In conclusion, MRI can demonstrate suppression of not only bone erosion but cartilage loss in RCTs of RA with far fewer patients and much less time than needed to do so with radiography. With the recent shift towards active-comparator study designs, which require longer study durations and more patients to demonstrate therapeutic superiority, and the increasing difficulty in recruiting RA patients into clinical trials, there is a growing need for more sensitive methods, such as MRI, to offset the escalating costs, patient exposure and logistical challenges associated with these trends. Disclosure of Interest C. Peterfy Shareholder of: Spire Sciences, Consultant for: AbbVie, Amgen, Articulinx, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BioClinica, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Celgene, Centocor, Genentech/Roche, Icon Medical Imaging, Jannsen, Lilly, Medimmune, Merck/Schering-Plough, Moximed, Novartis, Perceptive Informatics, Pfizer, UCB, VirtualScopics, Employee of: Spire Sciences


This work reports synthesis of PbS quantum dots (QDs) embedded in the poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) in the presence of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) by the low cost and simple method of chemical bath deposition. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and optical studies; absorption and photoluminescence measurements. Results showed that in comparison with GQDs and PbS/PVA, photoluminescence intensity of PbS/PVA/GQDs was improved and this could be attributed to rigidity of the local environment, PVA passivation and energy transformation between GQDs and PbS QDs. These analyses determined good distribution of PbS QDs on GQDs planes which is promising for practical applications in nanotechnology.


The design of mixed-signal IC's in general, and of mainly digital control IC's for switched-mode power supplies in particular, poses several challenges in terms of simulation and functional verification of the total IC including the application. This is largely due to the lack of suitable simulation tools and/or models for switched-mode power supplies. This paper describes the main design hurdles and gives several examples of suitable solutions, using standard digital design tools. The proposed solutions lead to fast, yet accurate simulation of the analog behavior of the power stage as well as the on-chip mixed-signal blocks. Moreover, the importance of an early physical prototype, using a standard, low-cost FPGA development board, is emphasized.


. The coastal cities and areas of Gwadar and Pasni in Pakistan, being highly vulnerable to tsunamis, are investigated for inundation and risk analysis. For modelling, both dynamic and static approaches are used for better understanding and for their comparative analysis. The tsunami wave potential in the Arabian Sea is estimated by compiling and assessing the palaeo-morphodynamics of tsunamite record discovered so far along its coastlines. The dynamic model is calibrated and validated with the inundation limits of the 1945 tsunami in the Pasni area. Further, for risk estimation, three different wave 15 scenarios (7 m, 10 m, and 15 m) are projected on Pasni and Gwadar. Results show that both cities are highly vulnerable to wave heights ≥7 m and wave lengths ≥ 15 km. The 15 m scenario would be almost a complete disaster for both cities and adjoining towns. Results of simulation and comparative analysis also show that due to coastal orientation and morphology, the reflection, integration, and amplification phenomena have a devastating effect on the region, and their intensity increases with the increasing size of the approaching waveform. It variably but significantly affects the inundation extents and depths. 20 At the end, based on the simulated results, the utility of the installed early warning system is assessed.


In this paper we propose and estimate an econometric model for the distribution of trading activity across options written on the DAX index. The model is based on the observation that in this market options with strike prices ending on 000, 200, 400, 600 and 800 (the class of 200-strike options) are more traded than options with strike prices ending on 100, 300, 500, 700 and 900 (the class of 100-strike contracts). We assume that market participants who would like to trade a continuum of contracts have to choose between the options listed by the exchange. When they have to choose between two neighboring 200- and 100-strike contracts, they prefer the 200-strike contract if the degree of substitution between these two options is high. We derive an equation which links the trading volumes of the 200- and 100-strike options and the degree of substitution between them. This equation has convenient analytical properties and can be readily estimated from the data. The estimation results confirm the hypothesised effect of the degree of substitution on the distribution of trading between 200- and 100-strike contracts. Additionally, we are able to derive some quantitative estimates of the percentage of trades attracted to the 200-strike contracts.


Changes in population abundance of submerged Sphagnum denticulatum Brid. were studied in an acidic and oligotrophic lake in NW Poland over three years. Individuals were counted in a moss carpet at a depth of 2.5 m on 4 experimental plots, 1 × 1 m each, every 30 days for 36 months using the SCUBA method. PAR intensity was seasonally variable (in winter higher than in summer). Changes in water pH, conductivity, HCO 3 - concentration, hydration and sediment pH were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). In the summer of the second study year the moss carpet disappeared almost completely due to a massive bloom of filamentous green algae. Periods of growth, regression and regeneration were observed in the population. The stabilisation of population size took 24 months and followed the pattern: slight fluctuations, then rapid growth and repetition of slight fluctuations. The first stage lasted nine, the second four and the third nine months. These stages took place irrespective of seasons, temperature or PAR intensity. Each rapid increase in abundance lasted about 30 days, at PAR intensity >20% and water temperature ranging from 11 to 16 o C (in winter, spring or autumn). The regression stage brought about by the algal bloom started in the second year (in summer) and lasted six months (until the end of January in the third year). The population regeneration began in winter (in February, water temperature 3.0 o C, PAR about 20%, ice cover 0.15 m) and finished with the end of spring. The population of S. denticulatum shows a repetitive pattern of abundance variations, which is seriously disturbed in summer, especially after a warm spring, by a massive bloom of filamentous green algae.


Abstract Background Quickly detecting and isolating individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for limiting virus spread. Policy makers rely on the number of active cases to make decisions, and individuals use this information to evaluate risk should they return to public spaces. Robust testing strategies have been plagued with limited authorized diagnostic assays and high test prices, with large-scale implementation hampered by worldwide supply chain issues. Methods Having identified its potential early in the pandemic, we simplified saliva-based COVID-19 diagnostic testing by (1) not requiring collection tubes with preservatives, (2) replacing nucleic acid extraction with a simple enzymatic and heating step, and (3) testing specimens for SARS-CoV-2 in dualplex RT-qPCR. Moreover, we validated this approach ("SalivaDirect") with reagents and instruments from multiple vendors to circumvent supply chain disruptions. Results SalivaDirect's simplified protocol does not compromise on sensitivity. In our hospital cohort, we found a high positive agreement (94%) between saliva tested with SalivaDirect and nasopharyngeal swabs tested with a commercial RT-qPCR kit. With the National Basketball Association we tested 3,779 saliva specimens from healthy individuals and detected low rates of invalid (0.3%) and false-positive (< 0.05%) results. Using comparative assays and sample types, we also demonstrated SalivaDirect to efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals. SalivaDirect is a simplified method for SARS-CoV-2 detection (A) Schematic overview of SalivaDirect workflow depicting the main steps of mixing saliva with proteinase K, heat inactivation, and dualplex qRT-PCR testing. Figure created with Biorender.com. (B) SARS-CoV-2 is stable in saliva for at least 7 days at 4C, room temperature (RT; 19C), and 30C without addition of stabilizing buffers. Spiked-in saliva samples of low virus concentrations (12, 25, and 50 SARS-CoV-2 copies/mL) were kept at the indicated temperature for 7 days and then tested with SalivaDirect. N1 cycle threshold (Ct) values were lower when kept for 7 days at 30C as compared to fresh specimens (Kruskal-Wallis; p = 0.03). Horizontal bars indicate the median. (C) Comparing Ct values for saliva treated with proteinase K and heat as compared to nucleic extraction yields higher N1 Ct values without extraction (Wilcoxon; p < 0.01). (D) Testing extracted nucleic acid from saliva with the N1 primer-probe set (singleplex) as compared to a multiplex assay showed stronger N1 detection in multiplex (Wilcoxon; p < 0.01). The dotted line in (B)–(D) indicates the limit of detection. Conclusion Saliva is a valid alternative to swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening. Importantly, SalivaDirect enables labs to utilize existing infrastructure, improving test implementation time and requiring limited investment to scale-up to meet mass testing needs. With the safe and reliable self-collection of saliva, our vision is to help provide accessible and equitable testing solutions, especially in low-resource and remote settings. Disclosures Anne Wyllie, PhD, Global Diagnostic Systems (Consultant)Pfizer (Advisor or Review Panel member, Research Grant or Support)PPS Health (Consultant)Tempus Labs, Inc (Research Grant or Support) Nathan D. Grubaugh, PhD, Tempus Labs (Consultant)


BACKGROUND: Although hemodialysis has a therapeutic effect on ESRD, but these patients encounter many physical, psychological, and social stress full factors that lead to a decrease in their quality of life (QOL). One of the factors that are effective on increasing of QOL is self care ability. Review of literature demonstrates that there have been done a few studies on different aspects of QOL in ESRD patients under hemodialysis and their relationship with self care ability in Iran. So in this research beside of determining the quality of life and its dimensions and self care ability of hemodialysis patients, we evaluated their relationship with each other. METHODS: For this purpose, all hemodialysis patients who had inclusion criteria and were hospitalized in hemodialysis wards of Bonab, Maragheh, and Miandoab hospitals; were selected and data were collected by interview using a questionnaire including three parts of demographic, quality of life, and self care ability. RESULTS: The results indicated that quality of life in 34%, and self care ability in 78/3% of hemodialysis patients were desirable, and there was a direct and significant relationship between these two variables (p< 0.001, r = 0.4), as self care ability explained 29% of variance of QOL. In quality of life subsectors, social dimension in 98/3% of patients was desirable, while physical dimension (80%) and psychological dimension (63/5%) in most of the patients were undesirable. Physical dimension was the most impressible dimension of quality of life from self care ability; whereas self care ability explained 27% of total variance of physical dimension of QOL CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two third of mentioned patients had not desirable quality of life and regarding the positive relationship between QOL and self care ability, it is suggested that health care planner and managers would prepare the condition that through educating and reinforcing self care ability in these patients improve the quality of life in hemodialysis patients. KEY WORDS: Hemodialysis, Quality of life, Self care.


Honey is a food of high nutritional value and therapeutic properties; however, it may present different non-conformities due to poor processing or fraud. Therefore, the honey production chain requires strict quality control and inspection. Accordingly, the physicochemical quality of honey from different agribusinesses in Rio Grande do Sul State was herein assessed. The sample consisted of 12 honey types from 12 different cooperatives and manufacturers. Honey acidity (mEq kg -1 ), Ash (% m/m ), Dyes (qualitative), pH, Fiehe reaction (qualitative), Lugol reaction (qualitative), Lund reaction (mL) and humidity (% m/v ) were found. The standard protocols set by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) were used for analytical purposes. The samples presented moisture content, ash, pH, acidity and Lund's reaction of approximately 18.88 ± 5.5 % m/v , 0.040 ± 0.014 % m/m , 4.23 ± 0.19; 25.28 ± 8.95 mEq kg -1 and 1.92 ± 0.60 mL, respectively. They presented negative results in the dye detection test, and in the Lugol and Fiehe reactions. Furthermore, the food safety of the assessed honey types was checked and the results showed that good manufacturing practices affect the beekeepers in the cooperatives and production plants involved in the final commercial honey production, regardless of the inspection stamp


In the standard setting of approachability there are two players and a target set. The players play repeatedly a known vector-valued game where the first player wants to have the average vector-valued payoff converge to the target set which the other player tries to exclude it from this set. We revisit this setting in the spirit of online learning and do not assume that the first player knows the game structure: she receives an arbitrary vector-valued reward vector at every round. She wishes to approach the smallest ("best") possible set given the observed average payoffs in hindsight. This extension of the standard setting has implications even when the original target set is not approachable and when it is not obvious which expansion of it should be approached instead. We show that it is impossible, in general, to approach the best target set in hindsight and propose achievable though ambitious alternative goals. We further propose a concrete strategy to approach these goals. Our method does not require projection onto a target set and amounts to switching between scalar regret minimization algorithms that are performed in episodes. Applications to global cost minimization and to approachability under sample path constraints are considered.


This paper investigates the capacity region of three-receiver AWGN broadcast channels where the receivers (i) have private-message requests and (ii) know the messages requested by some other receivers as side information. We classify these channels based on their side information into eight groups, and construct different transmission schemes for the groups. For six groups, we characterize the capacity region, and show that it improves both the best known inner and outer bounds. For the remaining two groups, we improve the best known inner bound by using side information during channel decoding at the receivers.


Six analyzed oils, produced from Middle Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous strata in the Middle Ob region of the West Siberian basin, show biomarker and stable carbon isotope compositions indicating an origin from the Upper Jurassic Bazhenov Formation. The chemical compositions of these oils are representative of more than 85% of the reserves in West Siberia (Kontorovich et al., 1975). Bazhenov-sourced oil in Cenomanian strata in the Van-Egan field underwent biodegradation in the reservoir, resulting in a low API gravity, an altered homohopane distribution, and the appearance of 25-norhopanes without alteration of the steranes. High API gravity oil from the Salym field has surpassed the peak of the oil window, consistent with abnormally high temperatures and pressures in the Bazhenov source rock from which it is produced. The remaining oils are very similar, including samples from Valanginian and Bathonian-Callovian intervals in a sequence of stacked reservoirs in the Fedorov field. Bazhenov rock samples from the study area contain abundant oil-prone, marine organic matter preserved under anoxic conditions. Organic matter in a Bazhenov core from the Pokachev 58 well was compared with the oils because it is thermally mature and shows total organic carbon (TOC = 13.8 wt.%) and hydrogen index values (HI = 489 mg HC/g TOC) representative of the average for the formation (10.7 wt.% for 840 samples; 420 mg HC/g TOC for 75 samples). Other rocks in the Middle Ob region are far less likely to have generated these oils than the Bazhenov Formation. No prospective source rocks older than Middle Jurassic were available. Geochemical analyses indicate a lack of thermally mature Hauterivian or younger source rocks in the study area. Core samples from the Lower Cretaceous Frolov Formation either are thermally immature (Hauterivian) or show little oil-generative potential (Berriasian-Valanginian). The Upper Jurassic Vasyugan Formation shows lower oil-generative potential than the Bazhenov Formation. The average TOC for Vasyugan rocks is 3.20 wt.% (240 samples). Average atomic H/C ratios for Vasyugan and Bazhenov kerogens are 0.90 (10 samples) and 1.13 (25 samples), respectively. The Vasyugan Formation cannot be excluded as a source rock because insufficient sample was available for biomarker analysis. Core from the Lower to Middle Jurassic Tyumen Formation in the YemYegov 15 well was compared with the oils because it is thermally mature and shows TOC and HI values (2.78 wt.% and 137 mg HC/g TOC, respectively) indicating slightly more favorable oil-generative characteristics than the average for the formation (2.75 wt.% for 720 samples; 95 mg HC/g TOC for 25 samples). The core contains terrigenous, gas-prone organic matter that shows no relationship with the analyzed oils.


OF THE DISSERTATION NARRATIVE COMPREHENSION: SEMANTIC AND SYNTACTIC SUMMARY PRODUCTION by Jane F. Devick Florida International University, 1996 Professor Nancy Marshall, Major Professor The purpose of this research was to examine from a syntactic and narrative structure perspective two narrative summary types: a summary with a length constraint and an unconstrained summary. In addition, this research served to develop a multidimensional theory of narrative comprehension. College freshmen read two short stories written by written by Sake and were asked to write a constrained summary for one text and an unconstrained summary for the other text. Following this the subjects completed a metacognitive questionnaire. The summaries were analyzed to examine transitivity features and narrative structure features. The metacognitive questionnaires were examined to extract information about plot structure, differences between one and two episode stories, and to gain insight into the strategies used by subjects in producing both summary types. A Paired ttest conducted on the data found that there was a significant transitivity feature mean difference between a constrained summary and an unconstrained summary indicating that the number of transitivity features produced from each summary type were task dependent. Chi-square tests conducted on the data found that there were proportional differences in usage between plot features and thematic abstract units in an unconstrained summary and a constrained summary indicating that plot features and thematic abstract units produced from each summary type were task dependent. Qualitative analyses indicated that setting, goal, and resolution are typical within plot organization, there are summary production differences between one and two episode narratives, and subjects do not seem to be aware of summary production strategies. The results of this research have implications for comprehension and writing instruction.


This review deals with more recent investigations of the health benefit of regular aerobic exercise including studies in: epidemiology, echocardiography, animal research, and cardiac rehabilitation. Recent epidemiological studies support the preventative aspects of exercise in apparently healthy individuals. Echocardiographic studies suggest morphologic changes in young individuals. Recent animal research confirms previous results as well as documenting improvment in cardiac function even under hypoxic and ischemic conditions. Studies of cardiac rehabilitation suggest that medically supervised programs do not improve or worsen morbidity and mortality. The question of whether exercise training can cause cardiac effects in patients with coronary disease rather than just improve the response of the peripheral circulation to exercise may be answered using newer radionuclide techniques.


The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP, under the Government of Greenland) have co-operated on the international promotion of the mineral resources of Greenland for more than ten years. The Government of Greenland follows a strategy aimed at the development of a mining and petroleum sector in Greenland capable of yielding a significant proportion of the national income. To reach this goal it is necessary to attract international investment. In respect of mineral exploration, many parts of Greenland can still be considered virgin territory and it is therefore vital that all data relevant for the identification of possible exploration targets are available to the international mining industry. GEUS has produced many compilations of geoscience data for that purpose in traditional reports, on CD-ROMs and in scientific journals. In 2004, a new source of geoscience information was developed based on an interactive GIS facility on the Internet, and mineral exploration data and information from a region in central West Greenland are now accessible at the Greenland Mineral Occurrence Map (GMOM) website at GEUS (Fig. 1; www.geus.dk/gmom). Technically, this new facility will be maintained and developed in accordance with general principles for Internet services adopted by GEUS (e.g. Tulstrup 2004). New information from other regions of Greenland will gradually be added.


Prior to 1915, when Sippy1published his first paper on the medical treatment of ulcer, the forms of treatment in general use were chiefly of the Lenhartz type, a therapy based on bland foods, bed rest, hot fomentations and minimal doses of alkalis. Sippy became convinced that greater efficiency in treatment could be achieved by clearly recognizing the important influence of the digestive action of gastric juice on the unprotected raw surface of a gastric or duodenal ulcer. He believed that the peculiar tendency to great chronicity displayed by these lesions was due to the chemical action on the exposed surface of the ulcer of the powerful proteolytic gastric juice and advanced the theory that the healing of peptic ulcer could best be achieved by elimination of this deleterious chemical digestive action, an effect to be secured by complete neutralization of free hydrochloric acid in the gastric content from


High-throughput multiplexed proteomics of small-volume biospecimens will generate new opportunities in theranostics. Achieving parallel top-down and bottom-up mass spectrometry analyses of target proteins using a unified apparatus will improve proteome characterization. We have developed a novel silicon-based microfluidic device, multinozzle emitter array chip (MEA chip), as a new platform for small-volume proteomics using liquid chromatography-nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-nanoESI-MS). We demonstrate parallel, on-chip, and online LC-MS analysis of hemoglobin and its tryptic digests directly from microliters of blood, achieving a detection limit of less than 5 red blood cells. Our MEA chip will enable clinical proteomics of small-volume samples.


Occlusal splints/night guards can be an effective, inexpensive and reversible treatment for a wide range of dental problems. The author describes their clinical uses, discusses some of the rationales that have been given for these uses, and outlines the designs that have the widest clinical application.


In a novel application of light torques, we manipulate and control the rotation of nanorods. We apply light torques to 250 nm diameter glass nanorods in a single-beam optical trap. Light-torque operated nanomotors whir at moderate speeds that depend on several factors, including the magnitude of the light torque, the viscosity of the surrounding medium, and the rotation rate of the electric field vector of the linearly polarized trapping light. Two new modes of behavior - rocking motion and saltatory motion - are also described and explained.


This paper examines the tagging practices evident on CiteULike, a research oriented social bookmarking site for journal articles. Articles selected for this study were health information and medicine related. Tagging practices were examined using standard informetric measures for analysis of bibliographic information and analysis of term use. Additionally, tags were compared to descriptors assigned to the same article.


Recently, much research has indicated that more and more cancers pose a threat to human life. Cancers are caused by oncogenes. Many human oncogenes have been found and most of them are located on chromosomes. The discovery of the oncogene plays a significant role in the treatment of cancer. The p53 tumor suppressor gene has received much attention because it frequently mutates or deletes in tumor cells of most people. Thus, the study of oncogenes is significant. In order to establish the Galois field (GF(7)), the indefinite gene is introduced as D and oncogene is introduced as O, and P. Taking the polynomial coefficients a0, a1, a2 GF(7) and the bijective function f: GF(7) → {D,A,C,O,G,T,P}, where f (0) = D, f (1) = A, f (2) = C, f (3) = O, f (4) = G, f (5) = T, and f (6) = P, the bijective may be written as (a0 + a1x + a2x2). Based on the algebraic structure, we can not only analyse the DNA sequence of oncogenes, but also predict possible new cancers.


Understanding human health and healthcare provision is one of the most relevant issues today. The fields of medical sociology, medical anthropology, and health psychology offer unique approaches to studying human healthcare issues and their interconnections with medical, behavioral, socioeconomic, cultural, and international issues, among others. Here, Spencer Acadia provides detailed descriptions of these fields and suggests several books for inclusion in a variety of library types. He also describes the content available on the websites of many important organizations and institutions. In addition to a background in library science, Mr. Acadia has studied sociology and psychology through the master's and doctoral levels. He has taught college courses in the social and behavioral sciences and currently works as research librarian in sociology, psychology, and anthropology at the University of Texas at Tyler.--Editor Within the larger academic disciplines of sociology and anthropology are two subfields dedicated to studying the social and cultural conditions of human health and medicine. Medical sociology incorporates a vast range of inquiry including topics such as socioeconomic distributions of diseases among populations; evaluation of local, national, and global health care systems; concepts of illness and sickness as forms of social control and labeling; and considerations of how technology is defining and redefining social and cultural archetypes of health, illness, and treatment. (1) Similarly, medical anthropology is interested in a wide array of sociocultural, humanistic, and historical interpretations of health experiences, constructions of medical knowledge, and applications of healing practices across time, space, and context. (2) A key element of these two fields is a clear recognition of the ways in which human experiences of health are influenced and interpreted by social and cultural factors. Fundamental commonalities shared by medical sociology and medical anthropology are that they (1) question what it means to be "healthy" or "ill" based on variant social constructions and cultural beliefs; (2) explore, theoretically and empirically, the possible pathways through which social and cultural factors affect health outcomes; (3) seek to explain the many antecedents to and consequences of existing and evolving health norms, beliefs, and patterns; and (4) investigate topics in health and medicine through social and cultural lenses using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. (3) Health psychology involves a variety of themes such as exploring how mood, self-esteem, personality, identity, and other individual attributes might affect health; evaluating the role of interpersonal exchange, communication, and relationship development in improving and sustaining beneficial health experiences; creating, implementing, and testing theories of behavior and learning toward effective assessment of health outcomes and risk reduction strategies; and helping people manage and cope with the mental stressors of chronic diseases, lifelong disabilities, and terminal illnesses. (4) Despite its individualist bent, health psychology shares research interests with topics in medical sociology and medical anthropology such as (1) biomedical explanations alone cannot account for the complexities of human health; (2) health is not merely the absence of sickness, but instead comprised of many interconnected qualities; (3) many aspects of health and medicine can be studied across interrelated disciplines; and (4) health outcomes and experiences can be dictated by macro-, meso-, and micro-level events. (5) The knowledge of and insights provided by medical sociology, medical anthropology, and health psychology are a welcome addition to the librarian's toolbox. Students, faculty and the general public may perceive health and medical issues in the domain of evidence-based biomedicine without realizing the social, cultural, and behavioral implications of and impacts on human health experiences. …


Purpose
In the context of overcoming malnutrition in elementary school children and increasing public awareness of this issue, the Indonesian Government has created a "Card for Healthy School Children" (KMS-AS) program in the form of a paper health card. However, currently, the KMS-AS record data are still written on paper, which is less effective in terms of the health process. An integrated measuring device and an online data-recording system are needed to promote children's health and facilitate access and transfer of data from one place to another. This study aims to develop NFC and IoT-based KMS-AS using sensor fusion method.

Design/methodology/approach
The results of this study show that an integrated measuring device for weight, height, body temperature and Spo2 level can be connected with mobile and Web applications using IoT technology, facilitating data recording and monitoring of children's nutritional status. The sensor fusion method was used for the classification of nutritional status and health status, based on the results of measurement tools. Near field communication (NFC) technology was used to facilitate user identification when making measurements.

Findings
The results show that KMS-AS can facilitate classification of nutritional status and children's health status. Measurement and classification data can be monitored via Web and mobile applications. The accuracy of height, weight, body temperature and Spo2 measurements was 98.21%, 98.59%, 98.93% and 98.93%, respectively.

Originality/value
In this research, the authors successfully produced a system using sensor fusion method for measuring body weight, height, temperature and Spo2 level, which is integrated and can be connected to mobile applications and the Web using the IoT and NFC.


ummary Colorectal cancer is respectively the third and second most common cancer among en and women in France. Interest in chemoprevention for colorectal cancer has increased ver the last two decades. Beside non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ursodeoxycholic acid UDCA) may have chemopreventive action in colorectal cancer with a likely better tolerance. In igh-risk populations such as patients with inflammatory bowel disease or prior colorectal adeoma or carcinoma, retrospective and prospective studies have suggested a beneficial effect f UDCA. In azoxymethane model, UDCA inhibits tumor development by countering the tumorromoting effects of secondary bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DCA). The opposing effects f UDCA and DCA on lipid raft composition may be central to their effects on colonic tumorigeesis. Differential effects of DCA and UDCA on growth factor and inflammatory signals involved n colorectal carcinogenesis, such as epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) signaling and ox-2 expression, likely mediate their opposing effects on colonic tumor promotion and tumor nhibition, respectively.


Summary Sheep were exercised on a treadmill to study the effect of increased energy demand on roughage intake and ruminal characteristics. The experiment consisted of a pre-exercise period during which exercise sheep walked for 30 min/day at 2 km/h against a gradient of 0° followed by a full exercise period during which they walked a total of 9 km/day at 3 km/h against a 10°gradient during six daily sessions of 30 min each. Control sheep received no exercise but were treated similarly to exercise sheep in all other respects. The mean values obtained during the pre-exercise period for the exercise and control groups and during the full exercise period for the exercise and control groups respectively were 1347, 1125; 1177 and 1114 g/day for organic matter (OM) intake; 956, 921; 803 and 848 g for rumen OM contents; 11·8, 13·6; 12·2 and 12·3 h for rumen retention time of water; 17·5, 20·2; 16·8 and 17·6 h for rumen retention time of fermentable OM; 27·3, 28·2; 26·4 and 26·7 h for rumen retention time of unfermentable OM and 46·9, 48·1, 44·4 and 45·9 kg for empty body weight. Only the decline in OM intake from pre-exercise to full exercise period differed significantly between exercise and control groups. It is concluded from these results that an increase in the difference between energy demand and supply per se is not responsible for the apparent increase in the upper limit to OM accumulation in the rumen and concomitant increase in roughage intake observed during other situations of increased energy output such as lactation and severe cold.


The two dominant contemporary moral theories, Kantianism and utilitarianism, have difficulty accommodating our commonsense understanding of friendship as a relationship with significant moral implications. The difficulty seems to arise from their underlying commitment to impartiality, to the claim that all persons are equally worthy of concern. Aristotelian accounts of friendship are partialist in so far as they defend certain types of friendship by appeal to the claim that some persons, the virtuous, are in fact more worthy of concern than are other persons. This article argues that we can preserve the underlying impartiality of Kantianism and utilitarianism, while also preserving a certain partiality with respect to our friends: the partiality of commonsense only seems objectionable if we fail to understand the true grounds, nature, and implications of such partiality. Neo-Aristotelian partiality should be rejected in favor of commonsense partiality.


Check My School (CMS) is a community monitoring project that aims to promote transparency and social accountability in the Philippine education sector by tracking the provision of services in public schools. The project uses a blended approach, which combines on-the-ground community monitoring with the use of information and communication technology (ICT). CMS had been initiated and designed by the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP) and jointly supported by the World Bank Institute and the Open Society Institute. Although CMS is a young project (the pilot began in early 2011), it has already attracted worldwide attention of governments, civil society organizations, and international donors. CMS is often cited as a 'good practice' in the field, and the governments of several countries, including Indonesia, Kenya, and Moldova, are interested in adapting the CMS model to their country contexts. This case study sheds light on the design and implementation features of the first pilot cycle of CMS in public schools across the Philippines. The case study discusses the general political background and operating environment of the CMS project, its concept and operating principles, the roles and incentives of the major stakeholders involved in its design and implementation, and the ways in which CMS aims to use ICTs. In addition, the case study provides a step-by-step analysis of the first CMS project cycle in 2011, examines its accomplishments and challenges, and provides lessons from the first pilot year of the project's operation. The case study concludes with recommendations for projects that aim to follow the footsteps of CMS.


This article describes how secure and robust communications and information solutions, adapted for the National Security and Public Safety (NSPS) segment, can be obtained using commercial technology and existing infrastructure. Application areas include, for instance, emergency dispatch and command centres, agency communication and collaboration, and coast and border surveillance. The communication and information solutions follow the principles of a service-oriented architecture. The proposed approach to communications and information services for National Security and Public Safety facilitates improved operational capabilities and efficiency by providing access to much more advanced and timely information, by supporting efficient management of operations and by enabling cooperation and sharing of resources and information.


Procedures based on the Rietveld method of refinement of X-ray powder profiles have been used to determine the sites and occupancies of extra-framework cationic nickel, potassium and sodium in typical zeolitic catalysts at temperatures in the range 400–500 °C. The siting of Ni2+ and other ions at high temperature differs from that at room temperature previously reported. There are also significant differences in the location of cations and in the reducibility of Ni2+ which depend upon the nature of the treatment (e.g. steam treatment, treatment with an alkaline solution) to which the as-prepared zeolite is subjected prior to dehydration and/or reduction.


The African and Eurasian plates are converging at 2.6 cm/a and the Turkey plate is moving west at about 3.0 cm/a. The Aegean is thus a zone of two-dimensional convergence. The boundaries of plates and sub-plates in this area cannot be defined at all simply. Observations of relative changes of sea level were made at 202 ancient harbour sites, some dating back to 2000 b.c., in Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, and 175 independent estimates of sea level change were made. Measurements of uplifted and submerged recent marine solution notches in Antikythera, Crete, Karpathos, Rhodes, and Cyprus, showed that the islands of the Hellenic Arc are subject to intermittent seismic movements with a periodicity ranging from 157 to 714 a. The archaeological data and the notch data are combined to show that blocks with typical horizontal dimensions of 100 x 50 km at sea level are tilting intermittently as rigid units. The rates of tilt vary from 3.6 to 10.6"/ka. Stable blocks were identified in south Turkey east of Antalya, north Cyprus, and southwest Turkey from Kusadasi to Marmaris. The active areas are: the Peloponnese, where the peninsulae of Argolis and Messenia are subsiding; the central Peloponnese is probably doming or folding, while a slightly uplifted ridge extends east of south through Kythera and Antikythera; a graben structure separates Antikythera from Crete; west Crete is tilting northeast at a rate of 10.6" /ka; eastern Crete is tilting northwards at 10.3" /ka; Karpathos has subsided about 1.0 m maintaining horizontality; Rhodes is folding about a plunging anticlinal axis trending approximately east-west; in Turkey the Izmir-Cesme peninsula is subsiding, as is the coast from Fethiye to Cape Gelidonya; the south coast of Cyprus is subsiding irregularly. These data are used to construct a model of the subduction zone beneath the Hellenic Arc. It is concluded that there is no single planar or slightly curved subducted slab, since the zone bends through 90° south of Crete and again near the Anaximander Mountains. The quasi-linear sections of the subduction zone are interrupted by short tear faults and abrupt changes of strike at intervals of 50-100 km along their length. The resulting narrow fingers of slab tend to break, and are not subducted to great depth. Combination of this model with geophysical data allows construction of a new system of probable plate boundaries. It is suggested that there is no Aegean plate. The north Aegean is an extension of the Turkish plate, while the south Aegean is a region of crustal extension produced by gradual break-up of the southern margin of the Greek-Apulian plate. It is concluded that the Hellenic Arc is not an island arc in the normal sense, but represents a late phase in the destruction of a true island arc and back-arc sea by incipient continent—continent collision.


About every 10 years the field of learning disabilities needs a comprehensive compilation of research to appear on the market. These compilations provide the field with perspectives of the past and current state of the science in relation to future research and practice issues. In 1975, a two-volume text, Perceptual and Learning Disabilities in Children, edited by Cruickshank and Hallahan, set the framework for researchers to follow during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1986, Psychological and Educational Perspectives on Learning Disabilities, edited by Joseph Torgesen and Bernice Wong, has appeared to set the research and practice trends for the next decade. The impact of a book such as that of Cruickshank and Hallahan or Torgesen and Wong depends on the contributions that individual authors make to it. The challenge for the book's editors is to select contributors who represent diverse areas of research in the field and who have the credibility to affect the future of learning disabilities through their insightful and creative perceptions. Psychological and Educational Perspectives more than meets this challenge. The list of contributors is impressive, with each author addressing issues in learning disabilities from his or her area of research expertise. The first section of Psychological and Educational Perspectives concerns itself with definition, identification, research methodology, and assessment in learning disabilities. Appropriately, these chapters by Bernice Wong, Gerald Senf, Gerald Tindal, and Doug Marston, not only address the recurring problems that have been encountered with learning disabilities research criteria, but also suggest proactive strategies that could lead to issue clarification. These chapters set the tone of the book as one of inquiry and innovation and outline a concrete research focus that the field would be wise to consider as a mandate for the next decade. The second section of the book addresses characteristics of learning disabled children. This section features chapters addressing (a) the contributions of cognitive processing problems to reading difficulties by Keith Stanovich; (b) the role of language processing and phonological processing in early reading achievement by Virginia Mann; (c) the differential effects of attention problems among learning handicapped children by Antoinette Krupski; (d) the social and interpersonal relationships of learning disabled children by Ruth Pearl, Mavis Donahue, and Tanis Bryan; and (e) the implications of motivational problems for learning disabled children by Barbara Licht and Janet Kistner. Following the tone of the first section, these chapters insightfully and comprehensively review past and current literature and offer creative avenues of inquiry for the future. The final section of the book considers research related to a variety of treatment approaches employed with learning disabled individuals. The section considers treatments that are either fundamental departures from traditional instruction or refinements and updates on ideas that have been in existence for some time. The efficacy of psychostimulant drug use with learning disabled and attention deficit disorders is defended by William Pelham; the correction of academic-based learning disabilities through applied behavior analysis techniques is documented in a research review by Mark Koorland; and a learning strategies model is proposed and empirically supported by Jean Schumaker, Donald Deshler, and Edwin Ellis. Also included in the final section are chapters that consider the implications of applying theoretical or novel approaches to learning disabilities interventions. A chapter by Ellen Bouchard Ryan, Keri Weed, and Elizabeth Short describes cognitive behavior modification as a contributor to active self-regulatory learning style and discusses methodological issues related to its application. Joanna Williams purports the potential value of phonemic analysis in reading instruction and Joseph Torgesen describes the technological advances and benefits of computer-assisted instruction with learning disabled children. The overall strength of Psychological and Educational Perspectives lies in the extensive research reviews provided in each chapter and the manner in which these reviews are used to suggest future research directions. By far the most thought-provoking chapters are those by Wong and Senf, which challenge us to reconsider many of our preconceived notions about learning disabilities. Rather than utilize a research methodology to identify a learning disability, find a strategy for teaching all students labeled learning disabled, and define a learning disability in precise terms, these authors challenge us to view the field of learning disabilities with a plurality of designs, methodologies, instructional strategies, and definitions. In these chapters we are encouraged to examine empirically subgroups of learning disabilities, to address sociological and ecological factors that impact learning disabilities populations, and to recognize that, although much research has been conducted in the name of learning disabilities, much of this research lacks a solid theoretical or empirical basis. The chapters by Wong and Senf provide us with a framework to critically evaluate and review the research and issues presented in the chapters that follow. Although isolated examples of unrenewed research and unaddressed issues are evident in some chapters, the extensiveness and care with which the literature has been examined and future directions posed negate all but the mildest criticism. What took two volumes to present in 1975, is concisely presented in one volume in 1986. For those of us who strive to enhance the field of learning disabilities through our research and practice, Psychological and Educational Perspectives should serve as a required guidebook for improvement. To quote William Pelham's powerful observa-


The development of full-time paid police forces throughout England and Wales originated in the nineteenth century. The formation of the Metropolitan force in 1829 had ushered in a new era in policing, but not without many voices being raised in protest. The idea of the new police and the new concept of 'preventive' policing was not universally welcomed. It was not that there was any great sentimentality about the old police, rather that the idea of the new police was seen by many as a strengthening of state power and a threat to personal liberty. It smacked of European despotism. There is a substantial body of work on the history of the Metropolitan Police and the debates leading up to its formation. The historiography of local forces, on the other hand, occupies considerably less shelf space. This thesis takes its place in the now growing production of local studies which aim to redress the balance by surveying the nature and development of change in the provinces. Early histories of police reform, written from a Whig perspective, and now a subject of controversy, tend to depict the change from old to new as an unproblematical linear continuum nuances of rate and variety of change are glossed over. In relation to Monmouthshire, this study has attempted to bring those nuances into sharper relief. Antecedents to the Monmouthshire Constabulary are traced in the first chapter. Subsequent chapters then explore and assess the development of the new force thematically. Through the themes of recruitment, organisation, morbidity and mortality, and discipline and default, the history of the Monmouthshire force is weighed against orthodox accounts. The latter themes more thoroughly survey the policeman's 'lot' than the former, and in this respect they help fill an historical gap, for labour relations within forces and policemen's health have not been widely explored. Overall, the thesis seeks to dispel the idea that provincial change was either radical or straightforward, and it challenges the notion that the Metropolitan situation was irrelevant to that of the provinces.


This study reexamines the determinants of volatility spreads and suggests a new forecast of future volatilities. Contrary to earlier volatility forecasts, the newly introduced forecast is applicable when investors are not risk‐neutral or when underlying returns do not follow a Gaussian probability distribution. This implies that the method is consistent with the presence of risk premia for other risks such as volatility risk. Using S&P 500 index options, we show that the new volatility forecast outperforms other volatility forecasts including risk‐neutral implied volatility and historical volatility in two aspects. First, the new forecast is superior to other estimates in terms of forecasting errors for future realized volatilities. Second, it is an unbiased estimator of future realized volatilities. This is shown using an encompassing regression analysis. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 30:533–558, 2010


This paper introduces a new approach to the measurement of low fluid velocities. A new type of anemometer is presented, resorting to a sensor directed to measuring low velocities ( in air) with a precision to the nearest . The device works owing to the thermoelectric effects, especially the Peltier and Seebeck ones. It is non-invasive since its increase in average temperature remains lower than 15 K. Therefore low-velocity measurements can be carried out without any significant perturbation. A coherent design rationale is formulated and the various stages in the technical development of the system are delineated. A compensating technique is described in order to provide reliable performance over temperature variations. In most cases this sensor can be instrumental in studying mechanisms of natural convection.


Each year approximately 290,000 workmen are injured on duty, 24,000 of whom will suffer some permanent disability and will merit financial compensation for their injuries. An accurate doctor's report is the single most important factor in ensuring that a workman receives fair compensation. Language: en


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Kawasaki disease is a febrile disease of children notable for systemic vasculitis. There have been many previous reports of various complications, including disorders of the central nervous system. We evaluated cerebral perfusion during the acute stage in patients with Kawasaki disease.

METHODS
Single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime was performed in 21 children with acute stage Kawasaki disease. Follow-up SPECT and MRI were performed about 1 month after the first SPECT in patients who exhibited abnormal SPECT findings during the acute stage.

RESULTS
In 6 of 21 children SPECT imaging demonstrated localized cerebral hypoperfusion without abnormal neurological findings or clinical symptoms, and the follow-up SPECT and MRI approximately 1 month after the first SPECT revealed no abnormalities.

CONCLUSIONS
Some patients with Kawasaki disease have transient localized cerebral hypoperfusion at the acute stage.


ABSTRACT Air pollution is one of the top five risk factors for population health globally. In recent years, advances in air pollution data and modeling have occurred simultaneously with advances in data and methods available for health studies. To realize the potential of such advances, the air quality modeling and public health communities should continue to strengthen their engagements and build effective interdisciplinary teams. These partnerships recognize the tight coupling between air quality and health data and methods and the value of expertise from multiple fields to ensure that this information is applied appropriately with a deep understanding of its capabilities and limitations. Building effective multidisciplinary teams takes a sustained commitment to engage with partners with different expertise to establish working partnerships and collaborations to better address public exposures to air pollution. Effective partnerships enable better targeting of research resources to answer important questions and provide essential information to protect public health. Implications: Air quality models are an effective tool that can be used to estimate air pollution exposure in epidemiologic studies and risk assessments. Working together in collaborative multidisciplinary teams will lead to greater advancements in understanding of air pollution impacts and in useful information informing actions to improve public health.


Al powder was stored in saturated water vapor, oxygen, nitrogen and drying air separately for a time period of up to ∼six months, the degradation behavior of Al activity was characterized by the reaction of Al with water. It was found that water vapor decreased the induction time for the beginning of Al–water reaction and reduced the total hydrogen generation per unit weight of Al, while oxygen increased the induction time and retarded the Al–water reaction. In contrast, the effect of nitrogen and drying air on Al activity was weak. The mechanism analyses indicated that water vapor promoted the hydration of the Al surface passive oxide film and sped up the reaction of Al with water, while oxygen thickened the passive oxide film of the Al surface and prolonged its hydration process. These results imply that water vapor rather than oxygen is responsible for the degradation of Al activity during storage in the atmospheric environment.


Abstract Pink fibrous crystals within massive rose quartz from localities in California, South Dakota, Brazil, Madagascar, and Namibia were examined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and analytical electron microscopy (AEM). This study reveals that the nanofibers in all samples are related to dumortierite. Selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and HRTEM images indicate that the dumortierite-related fibers have a superstructure with a doubled periodicity along the a and b axes of dumortierite, giving cell parameters a = 2adum = 2.36 nm, b = 2bdum = 4.05 nm, c = cdum = 0.47 nm. Computer simulations suggest that periodic arrangements of two different M1 site occupancies in the octahedral face-sharing chains give rise to the superstructure. One type of M1 site is occupied mainly by Al, whereas the other type is dominated by Ti and Fe. Simulated HRTEM images based on our proposed model match the experimental images. Most of the fibers, elongated along the c axis, are free of defects. AEM analysis shows that the dumortierite-related fibers have a composition similar to well-characterized dumortierite, but that they contain a greater amount of Fe substituting for Al in the M1 sites. Boron was detected in all fibers examined by electron energy loss spectroscopy as well as in sillimanite crystals found as a minor component in one rose quartz from Brazil.


A Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method with effective preconditioning strategies is introduced to solve a diffusion-based tumor growth model, also known as the Fisher–Kolmogorov partial differential equation (PDE). The time discretization of the PDE is based on the backward Euler and the Crank–Nicolson methods. Second-order centered finite differencing is used for the spatial derivatives. We introduce two physics-based preconditioners associated with the first- and second-order temporal discretizations. The theoretical time and spatial accuracies of the numerical scheme are verified through convergence tables and graphs that correspond to different computational settings. We present efficiency studies with and without using the preconditioners. Our numerical findings indicate the excellent performance of the newly proposed preconditioning strategies. In other words, when we turn the preconditioners on, the average number of GMRES and the Newton iterations are significantly reduced.