PURPOSE
Family dinner is a proxy of family connectedness that may affect mental health. The present study aimed to examine the associations of frequency of family dinner with mental disorders and obesity in a nationally-representative sample of Iranian adolescents.

METHODS
A total of 5528 Iranians adolescents aged 10-18 years were enrolled in 2009-2010 in the third survey of a national surveillance program, entitled Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable disease (CASPIAN-III) study. The frequency of family dinner meal was assessed. Mental health assessments were done as part of the World Health Organization-Global School-based Student Health Survey. The odds of having mental disorders and obesity were assessed by logistic regression.

RESULTS
No significant difference was found in dietary intake between family dinner consumers (≥5 times (night)/wk) and skippers (<5 times/wk); however, they were more likely to consume breakfast and had higher meal frequency. After controlling for some confounders, dinner consumers had lower odds for all types of mental disorders (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.47-0.64), anxiety (OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.4-0.54), insomnia (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.53-0.7), and confusion (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6-0.86), as well as the body mass index- z score (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.73-0.84).

CONCLUSION
The current study showed an inverse relationship between the frequency of family dinner consuming and mental disorders and obesity in a nationally-representative sample of Iranian adolescents. Such simple recommendations for consuming family dinner for families may be feasible, sustainable, and effective for health promotion and disease prevention.


Abstract Research on problem-based learning (PBL) has tended to focus on the graduate level of education, paying less attention to the primary school level and to what is involved for students during the implementation of PBL. In this paper we take a step towards addressing this need for research by reporting findings from a descriptive, explanatory case study of a one-year PBL intervention in a fifth-grade (ages 10–11) mathematics classroom in Taiwan. We documented and analysed the students' actions to reveal details in their part in the intervention. We compared the students' performances on the five researcher-designed written tests, which were conducted at different points in time. Our findings cast light on the level of the students' participation in PBL. The comparison between the test results shows improvements in students' understanding of the concepts and supports the idea that PBL has positive effects on long-term knowledge retention.


A fast detection algorithm for sags, swells and interruptions is developed in this paper. The proposed method is based on the combination of the digital RMS technique and the Kalman filter. The union of these methods allows using the main advantages of Kalman filter and RMS techniques and helps rejecting the extreme drawbacks of Kalman filter. The proposed approach can be applied to dynamic voltage restorers, dynamic sag correctors, uninterruptible power supplies, and other compensation topologies for power quality improvement


Metaphors are ubiquitous in natural language, and their detection plays an essential role in many natural language processing tasks, such as language understanding, sentiment analysis, etc. Most existing approaches for metaphor detection rely on complex, hand-crafted and fine-tuned feature pipelines, which greatly limit their applicability. In this work, we present an end-to-end method composed of deep contextualized word embeddings, bidirectional LSTMs and multi-head attention mechanism to address the task of automatic metaphor detection. Our method, unlike many other existing approaches, requires only the raw text sequences as input features to detect the metaphoricity of a phrase. We compare the performance of our method against the existing baselines on two benchmark datasets, TroFi, and MOH-X respectively. Experimental evaluations confirm the effectiveness of our approach.


The pattern of recovery from anesthesia is ordinarily quite predictable. Using a limited number of drugs to provide anesthesia further improves predictability; it is more difficult to assign a cause for delayed emergence when multiple agents have been administered. We believe the recovery period is often more difficult to manage safely than induction and maintenance of anesthesia. During this phase, the effects of surgical trauma are superimposed on the patient's preexisting disease state, the anesthetic level is changing rapidly, respiratory function has not returned to normal, and circulatory reflexes may not have been regained. Because the patient is being moved from the operating room and care of the patient is being transferred from one person or team to others, vigilance and treatment may also be impaired. It is a period of care that warrants further study.


Our study describes the clinical, epidemiologic, pathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular aspects PCR of a case of cutaneous pythiosis in a donkey (Equus asinus) from Brazil. During a dry period, the animal grazed for 4 months around a pond where the vegetation remained green. Skin lesions were nodular, multifocal, and disseminated, mainly involving the legs, ventral chest, and mammary gland. On cut surface, there were multifocal to coalescent discrete yellow foci, and occasional small cavitations with a few kunkers. Ulcerative nodular pyogranulomatous and eosinophilic dermatitis with folliculitis and furunculosis were observed histologically. Hyphae were observed in sections stained with Gomori methenamine silver. Immunohistochemistry with Pythium insidiosum antibodies yielded strong immunostaining of hyphae. P. insidiosum DNA was extracted from tissues in paraffin blocks by amplification of a fragment of 105 bp, which targets the 5.8S ribosomal gene. After the diagnosis of pythiosis, the larger skin lesions were excised and treated as second intention healing wounds, which were completely healed 30 days after resection. Small skin lesions regressed spontaneously in ~60 days. The granulomatous inflammation and outcome of the disease in this donkey were similar to cases of pythiosis in cattle.


STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to assess the relationship between social deprivation, as measured by the Jarman under-privileged area score (UPA score), and psychiatric admission rates and length of stay within an inner London borough. DESIGN--The study was a retrospective survey of psychiatric admission rates for electoral wards in the London borough of Islington in relation to Jarman UPA scores and subscores. SETTING--Islington Health Authority psychiatric admission wards at the Whittington and Friern Hospitals. PATIENTS--All admissions during the year of 1985 were studied (n = 778). MAIN RESULTS--No correlation was found between the total Jarman UPA score and either admission rates or length of stay. There was, however, a correlation between the Jarman UPA subscore for ethnic minorities and admission rates (r = 0.409, p less than 0.05), and between the Jarman UPA subscore for lone parents and length of stay (r = 0.390, p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS--The Jarman UPA score at electoral ward level is not related to psychiatric morbidity, and should not therefore be used for planning local service provision.


Previous research has reported significant psychological consequences of injury on rehabilitation success, performance, and wellbeing in athletes, although little is known within horse-based sports. There is a high prevalence of injury reported in point-to-point (P2P) jockeys, but despite this, comparatively little research exists examining the psychological implications resulting from physical trauma within horseracing. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological responses to personal injury in British amateur P2P jockeys. Five amateur P2P jockeys (two male, three female, x- age 25 years old) were interviewed about their experiences post an injury sustained during racing in the preceding 12 months. Interview questions explored their pre-injury career, the rehabilitation phase, pre-return to racing phase issues and coping strategies used by jockeys. Thematic analysis revealed three higher order themes: emotional responses, coping strategies, and factors affecting recovery. Subjects universally cited negative emotional responses following injury, including grief, a sense of loss, and frustration, and all experienced denial at the onset of injury. Typical coping strategies included strong support networks of family, friends and racing staff, and goal setting. Fear of reinjury was identified by all athletes, particularly on return to the saddle, and the attitudes towards injury management, such as denial, seen in this study may provide opportunities to develop targeted education campaigns for P2P jockeys on injury services. Targeted marketing for P2P jockeys on available injury support is recommended, such as seen for professional jockeys, as well as the creation of career development resources to offer alternative routes for P2P jockeys following injury.


For the first time, we demonstrate feedback control of a high-intensity silicon ultrasonic horn actuator in the presence of time-varying contact forces, by using strain feedback from integrated piezoresistive strain gauges. With feedback control, the ultrasonic actuator has maintained its resonance under forces as high as 1.2 N on the tip of the actuator. This robust actuation enables the silicon ultrasonic horn to maintain its most effective actuation when its environment and loading conditions are changing due to ultrasonic effects such as pumping, cutting, and atomizing.


The objectives of this study were to verify the predictions of the Eppler Airfoil Design and Analysis Code for Reynolds numbers up to 6 x 106 and to acquire the section characteristics of two airfoils being considered for large, megawatt-size wind turbines. One airfoil, the S825, was designed to achieve a high maximum lift coefficient suitable for variable-speed machines. The other airfoil, the S827, was designed to achieve a low maximum lift coefficient suitable for stall-regulated machines. Both airfoils were tested in the NASA Langley Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) for smooth, fixed-transition, and rough surface conditions at Reynolds numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 x 106. The results show the maximum lift coefficient of both airfoils is substantially underpredicted for Reynolds numbers over 3 x 106 and emphasized the difficulty of designing low-lift airfoils for high Reynolds numbers.


This experiment was designed to see how much carbon dioxide production of a cockroach fluctuates under different temperatures. The experimenters put five cockroaches in three different bio-chambers.  Each chamber was at a different temperature.  The first of the chambers was left at room temperature for a control piece of the experiment.  The hot and cold chambers were heated to 33.6 degrees Celsius and cooled to 10.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.  The cockroaches were left in the bio-chamber for 10 minutes, and then the CO2 was measured with a CO2 probe.  The data collected supported our hypothesis about the thermo-regulation of the cockroaches for the most part.  The cockroaches in the warmer bio-chamber put off more CO2 than the cockroaches in the other two chambers.  This means that cockroaches release more CO2 when the temperature is drastically warmer or drastically colder than they would at natural temperature due to surpassing their metabolic threshold.


In the past years, the ALM (Application Layer Multicast) has led the rapid development of the real-time streaming data transmission technology. However, as focusing on the global performance and control, the individual efficiency in the ALM structure could not be guaranteed. Furthermore, according to the complex environment of the existing networks, the available bandwidth is often made full use of. Because of these, we started this research focusing on the single efficiency, targeting a reliable end-to-end streaming data transmission model to enhance the using of the bandwidth. Keeping the virtue of high scalability and reliability, we still consider applying the P2P overlay technology as ALM. The basic idea of our research is utilizing the transmission ability of free peers in the overlay network, constructing the multiple transmitting paths from the sender to the receiver. Our multiple paths method is enabled by the overlay P2P network structure called a management network. Besides, the robustness and recovery cost are also considered in our evaluation.


We introduce an online convex optimization algorithm using projected sub-gradient descent with ideal adaptive learning rates, where each computation is efficiently done in a sequential manner. For the first time in the literature, this algorithm provides an adaptively minimax optimal dynamic regret guarantee for a sequence of convex functions without any restrictions -- such as strong convexity, smoothness or even Lipschitz continuity -- against a comparator decision sequence with bounded total successive changes. We show optimality by generating the worst-case dynamic regret adaptive lower bound, which constitutes of actual sub-gradient norms and matches with our guarantees. We discuss the advantages of our algorithm as opposed to adaptive projection with sub-gradient self outer products and also derive the extension for independent learning in each decision coordinate separately. Additionally, we demonstrate how to best preserve our guarantees when the bound on total successive changes in the dynamic comparator sequence grows as time goes, in a truly online manner.


Rezca Viranda, 48114055 N, "Optimizing Discharging Cement on MV. Ocean Sparkle". Diploma Program IV Department of Nautical Polytechnic Merchant Marine Semarang Supervisor material (I): Capt. Sidrotul Muntaha, M.Si, M.Mar, Supervisor methodology and writing (II): Yustina Sapan, S.ST, M.M.
So that the disharging cement at the port can be timely in accordance with the schedule that has been expected, the performance loading and unloading equipment is one important factor that the Dischaging process runs smoothly. To note that the performance of the Discharging quipment the ship is ready and optimized to carry out the stowage is to avoid and minimize the factors that cause performance discharging qupent is not optimal.
Based on experience during practice sailing on the MV. Ocean Sparkle much going constraint on discharging equipment in MV. Ocean Sparkle causing delays caused by the activities of loading and unloading equipment itself and the application of improper loading procedures, so the authors are interested in conducting research analyzes the factors causing is not optimal performance with Qualitative methods such as a method of problem-solving strategies.
The method used in this study is a qualitative method that produces descriptive data in the form of written words of the object under study, in this case to collect data in the form of approach to the object through interviews with sources experienced, through the data associated with the process of discharging cement in MV , Ocean Sparkle. The author will identify the cause of it happening by knowing different causes of damage of loading and unloading equipment and included discharging with the correct procedure.
Having identified the causes of delays in the process when the discharging, we then can do some research to look for things that impede the discharging. With this research, so any crew members will be more consistent in taking care of the means of unloading the ship and, knowing the things that can not be tolerated, it can follow the discharging procedure properly so that the unloading process runs safely, effectively, and efficiently. Conducted oversight of the process of loading and unloading at the treatment tool intended to optimize the discharging.
Key word : Optimizing, Discharging Procedure, Discharging Equipment.


Individuals can express boldness in their readiness to resume courtship signaling following a perceived threat. The degree of boldness that is selectively favored depends on the magnitude of costs and benefits that may vary across time and space. We examined within- and between-individual variation in the boldness of courting male sand fiddler crabs, Uca pugilator, across an entire breeding season at a South Carolina (USA) salt marsh where courtship is restricted to supratidal embankments. Boldness was assessed by the time to re-emergence and the number of re-emergences of males who were purposely startled into their breeding burrows once every 3 min for a total of five times. The two measures of boldness were significantly positively correlated. Courting males are on average bolder when their density is high and when tidal conditions correspond to peaks in the number of females moving over the embankment surface. Time to re-emergence increases with successive startles although some males consistently re-emerge faster than others. Large males are not bolder than small males. When male density is high, nearest neighbors frequently re-emerge at the same time, suggesting that males cue on the responses of other nearby males, perhaps by assessing substrate vibration. This may reduce the chance of losing a potential mate to a local competitor.


Most vaccines contain aluminum adjuvants; however, their exact mechanism of action remains unclear. A novel mechanism by Shi and colleagues proposes aluminum adjuvants may enhance immune activation by binding and reorganizing lipids that are key components of lipid rafts. To better understand the specificity of interaction between aluminum adjuvants and the cell membrane lipids, we present a biophysical study of lipid domain clustering in simple model phospholipid monolayers containing dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dioleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) exposed to two aluminum adjuvants, Alhydrogel and Adju-Phos. Surface pressure measurements and fluorescence microscopy images verified aluminum adjuvant-induced increase in lipid domain size, even in the key lipid raft components. Additionally, adjuvant induced lipid clustering differed based on the physicochemical properties of the adjuvants. Alhydrogel appeared to reduce monolayer compressibility and insert into the monolayer, while Adju-Phos induced more significant changes in domain size, without compromising the integrity of the monolayer. The Alhydrogel and Adju-Phos-mediated reorganization of phospholipid domains reported here supports the new mechanistic paradigm proposed by Shi and co-workers, and further suggests that lipid clustering is induced even in simple phospholipid membranes. The results present the basis for future exploration into lipid-mediated mechanisms of action for adjuvants.


complained of noises outside their own ward. These noises were the wind and construction going on in an adjacent part of the building. Our results paralleled those of Dr. Statham in that patients in smaller bedroom units (single rooms in her survey) complained of more disturbing noises than did patients who slept in dormitories. In both general and mental hospital, disturbing noises came predominantly from other patients. Both studies showed a similar number of patients with complaints about noise, and the sexes were equally prone to bothersome noises. The most striking difference between the mental hospital and the general hospital is the frequency of external noise; while this was the source of 25 % of the complaints in the general hospital, it comprised only 4% of the complaints here. This is undoubtedly due to the different locations of the two hospitals.-We are, etc., ROBERT DEWAR. Psychology Department, ROBERT SOMMER. Saskatchewan Hospital, Wyburn, Canada.


A new type of biliary stent was inserted in 45 patients with symptomatic biliary strictures, 40 malignant and five benign. The stent is made of stainless steel woven into a tubular mesh. It is introduced in compressed form on a 7- or 9-F delivery catheter and released at the site of the stricture. Fully open, the stent has an internal diameter of 1 cm. The 30-day mortality was 7%. The early (less than 72 hours) complication rate was 16%. Recurrent jaundice occurred in 42%; late complications of sepsis without jaundice occurred in an additional 11%. None of the stents migrated. This new design allows a large-diameter stent to be inserted percutaneously without increased risk of complications. The frequency of recurrent jaundice, however, was not less than that observed with plastic stents, but this may have reflected the spectrum of patients treated, many with hilar strictures and previous interventions.


1 Chronic wounds, especially in diabetics, represent a serious threat to human health. 2 Correcting a compromised state of tissue oxygenation by the administration of supplemental O2 is known to benefit wound healing. Beyond its role as a nutrient and antibiotic, O2 supports wound healing by driving redox signaling. 3 Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is widely used and approved by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to treat specific ulcerations. The current literature supports the notion that approaches to topically oxygenate wounds may be productive. 4 Here, we present the results of two simultaneous studies testing the effects of HBO and portable topical oxygen (TO) therapies. These two therapeutic approaches have several contrasting features. 5 In total, 1854 patients were screened in outpatient wound clinics for non‐randomized enrolments into the HBO (n = 32; 31% diabetic) and TO (n = 25; 52% diabetic) studies. 6 Under the conditions of the present study, HBO treatment seemed to benefit some wounds while not benefiting others. Overall, HBO did not result in statistically significant improvements in wound size in the given population over the time monitored in the present study. 7 However, TO significantly improved wound size. Among the three O2‐sensitive genes (VEGF, TGFb1 and COL1A1) studied in wound edge tissue biopsies, TO treatment was associated with higher VEGF165 expression in healing wounds. Expression of the other genes mentioned was not affected by TO. There was no significant change in the expression levels of any of genes studied in patients in the HBO study. This establishes a link between VEGF gene expression and healing outcome for TO therapy. 8 Taken together, the present study provides evidence demonstrating that TO treatment benefits wound healing in patients suffering from chronic wounds. Treatment with TO is associated with an induction of VEGF expression in wound edge tissue and an improvement in wound size.


for an Invited Paper for the MAR10 Meeting of The American Physical Society James C. McGroddy Prize Talk: Controlling and Manipulating Ferromagnetism with an Electric Field Using Multiferroic Oxide Heterostructures R. RAMESH, University of California, Berkeley Complex perovskite oxides exhibit a rich spectrum of functional responses, including magnetism, ferroelectricity, highly correlated electron behavior, superconductivity, etc. The basic materials physics of such materials provide the ideal playground for interdisciplinary scientific exploration. Over the past decade we have been exploring the science of such materials (for example, colossal magnetoresistance, ferroelectricity, etc) in thin film form by creating epitaxial heterostructures and nanostructures. Among the large number of materials systems, there exists a small set of materials which exhibit multiple order parameters; these are known as multiferroics. Using our work in the field of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic oxides as the background, we are now exploring such materials, as epitaxial thin films as well as nanostructures. A particularly interesting problem is that related to electric field control and manipulation of ferromagnetism. In this talk I will describe to you some aspects of such materials as well as the scientific and technological excitement in this field. Finally I will share my ideas on the most exciting open problems and emerging directions in multiferroics and beyond.


The use of electronic environment in our life has become inevitable fact. In the educational field, the learners find many difficulties to attend a classical mode of learning (in class) that obliges them to be present according to daily schedule. Thus, the E-learning allows the process of learning anywhere and any when. However, the absence of the teacher, in the E-learning process, leads to the isolation of the learners. Generally, these learners have different backgrounds, preferences, needs, objectives, intellectual abilities and personal characteristics; and they do not understand and acquire the knowledge using the same courses and the same learning styles. Several aspects influence the effective learning process. Thus, different concepts, views and models of learning styles exist in literature. Many models and classifications of learning styles were proposed according to several angles of view. For this aim, we propose an educational system that provides the accurate learning content and use the most appropriate learning style that meets the needs and preference of each learner (personalized learning). Our system provides several learning styles for the learners; however, the essential task is to find the best course and learner style for each learner according to his characteristics. The adaptation of the content and styles allows the dynamicity in the learning process and gives a new chance for many kinds of learners to enhance their knowledge in personal manner. Moreover, the modeling of our system using multi-agents system increases its interaction and flexibility.


Modern observations indicate that variations in marine phytoplankton stoichiometry correlate with the boundaries of major surface waters. For example, phytoplankton in the oligotrophic subtropical gyres typically have much higher C:N:P ratios (i.e., higher C:P and higher N:P ratios) than those in eutrophic upwelling regions and polar regions. Such a spatial pattern points to nutrient availability as a key environmental driver of stochiometric flexibility. Environmental dependence of phytoplankton C:N:P opens unexplored possibilities for modifying the strength of the biological pump under different climate conditions. Here we present a power law formulation of C:N:P flexibility that is driven by nutrients, temperature, and light. We embed the formulation in a global ocean carbon cycle model with multiple phytoplankton types and explore biogeochemical implications under glacial conditions. We find three key controls on export C:N:P ratio: phytoplankton physiology and community structure as well as the balance in regional production at the global level. Glacial inputs of iron and sea ice expansion are important modifiers of these three controls. We also find that global export C:N:P increases substantially under glacial conditions, and this strongly buffers global carbon export against decrease and draws down approximately 20 μatm of atmospheric CO2. These results point to the importance of including phytoplankton C:N:P flexibility in a mix of mechanisms that drive atmospheric CO2 over glacial‐interglacial time scale. Finally, our simulations indicate decoupling of nutrients, which may provide a resolution to the longstanding disagreement regarding nutrient utilization in the glacial Southern Ocean derived from different nutrient proxies.


Open complex systems as financial markets evolve in a highly dynamic and uncertain environment. They are often subject to significant fluctuations due to unanticipated behaviours and information. Modelling and simulating these systems by means of agent systems, i.e., through artificial markets is a valuable approach. In this article, we present our model of asynchronous artificial market consisting of a set of adaptive and heterogeneous agents in interaction. These agents represent the various market participants (investors and institutions). Investor Agents have advanced mental models for ordinary investors which do not relay on fundamental or technical analysis methods. On one hand, these models are based on the risk tolerance and on the other hand on the information gathered by the agents. This information results from overhearing influential investors in the market or the order books. We model the system through investor agents using learning classifier systems as reasoning models. As a result, our artificial market allows the study of overhearing impacts on the market. We also present the experimental evaluation results of our model.


This review investigates the relation between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep apnea headache, migraine and tension-type headache. Focus is made on studies from the general population with interviews conducted by a physician and obstructive sleep apnea confirmed by polysomnography. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is observed in 3% of the middle-aged population. The prevalence of sleep apnea headache in this population is 12%–18%, while morning headache with similar symptomatology as sleep apnea headache occur in 5%–8% of the general population. People with sleep apnea headache did have significantly more minutes below 90% oxygen saturation (23.1 min vs. 1.9 min, p = 0.002), higher level of average oxygen desaturation (5.9% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.001) and lower average of the lowest oxygen saturation (80.9% vs. 88.5%, p < 0.001) than people with morning headache. A comparison of those with obstructive sleep apnea with or without sleep apnea headache showed no significant differences. Thus, oxygen desaturation alone cannot explain the pathophysiology of sleep apnea headache. Obstructive sleep apnea and migraine, and obstructive sleep apnea and tension-type headache are not related in the general population. The cause of sleep apnea headache remains to be elucidated.


The purpose of the study is to identify the link between the Integrated Marketing Communication and service quality in the banking industry in Albania. The focus of the study is the impact that the promotion mix chosen by commercial banks in Albania has to the  perceived  service  quality by customers. Commercial banks in Albania are facing to a  growing competition and an environment that is constantly changing. Consumers and their growing needs, dynamic environment, force  organizations operating in the banking industry in Albania to apply marketing practices that affect the customer perceived quality of services offered. The promotion mix is one of the elements which is increasingly applied by commercial banks in Albania in order to influence consumers and achieve their objectives. The impact of the promotional mix in the customer perceived quality is the focus of study. To achieve the objective of the study, as an instrument for collecting primary data  are used  200 questionnaires with data from customers of commercial banks received  in the study. These data integrated with existing literature and studies served as a basis for study. In this study is evidenced a close relationship between the elements of the promotional mix applied by commercial banks in Albania and the service quality perceived by customers. Integrated Marketing Communication applied by commercial banks in Albania has a positive impact on the service  quality  perceived by customers. Keywords: Banking services, promotion, service quality DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/67-09 Publication date: April 30 th 2020


In this current research, thermoplasmonic properties of gold nanoparticles with different shapes such as sphere, core-shell and rod are studied. Here, the interaction of light with gold nanoparticles are modeled using 3D finite element method simulations. First, absorption and extinction cross sections are calculated. Then, the corresponding temperature rise as a result of the absorption of light in gold nanoparticles is calculated by solving the thermal equation simultaneously. The results show that gold nanorods are more appropriate candidates for the potential optothermal applications.


The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 resulted in record amounts of oil and dispersants that potentially could be circulated far from the spill origin. Research was conducted to examine the possibility of transfer of oil compounds into the marine foodchain. Specifically, the pathway of oil uptake by menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico, a fish that migrates to waters off the coast of Virginia. In these waters predators, including striped bass and bluefish, feed on these fish and migrate north along the Atlantic Coast including New Jersey's waters. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed as the signature of the oil spill in menhaden oil from three locations (NJ, VA and LA). Other menhaden tissues were analyzed for PAHs from each of the three locations. The current health of menhaden were examined by histopathological examinations of several tissues. Trophic transfer of PAHs from menhaden into bluefish was also investigated to determine if it was feasible for distant oil spills to affect migratory fish in New Jersey's waters.


A critical review has been presented of papers on application of AC electrochemical methods for determination of metal corrosion rates in cathodic polarisation conditions. Application of the classical linear electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with the use of low-amplitude perturbation signals has been discussed. Further AC techniques have been characterised using signals of higher amplitude, hence in the non-linear range of the electrode polarisation characteristic. Faradaic rectification (FR) and harmonic analysis (HA) with other derived methods such as harmonic impedance spectroscopy (HIS) and harmonic synthesis (HS) for monitoring of the effectiveness of cathodic protection have been presented.


The Receiver Lab Telescope (RLT) is a ground-based terahertz observatory, located at an altitude of 5525 m on Cerro Sairecabur, Chile. The RLT has been in operation since late 2002, producing the first well-calibrated astronomical data from the ground at frequencies above 1 THz. We discuss the status of this telescope after 18 months of operation and plans for the upcoming observing season.
There are many practical challenges to operating a telescope at these frequencies, including difficulties in determining the pointing, measuring the telescope beam and efficiency, and calibrating data, resulting from high receiver noise, receiver gain instabilities, and low atmospheric transmission. We present some of the techniques we have employed for the RLT, including the use of atmospheric absorption lines in the place of continuum measurements for efficiency and beam measurements, and the utility of a Fourier-transform spectrometer for producing reliable data calibration.


This article presents an interactive computational tool for teaching and providing decision support in multi‐objective linear programming models. The main aim is to offer students in engineering and economics & management a user‐friendly environment where the main theoretical and methodological concepts of multi‐objective optimization can be apprehended through experimentation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:314–326, 2015; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21601


The design of alkoxyamine/nitroxide species capable of mediating the polymerization of both styrene and methacrylic monomers has been notoriously difficult. Herein, the nitroxide-mediated polymerization of styrene using a series of readily obtained alkoxyamines that were recently shown to control the polymerization of methyl methacrylate is presented. The robustness of the system is tested towards different temperatures and molecular weights. The influence of the substitution pattern in the nitroxide adducts on the polymerization of styrene is monitored through kinetic analyses. An alkoxyamine that can successfully mediate the homopolymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate is presented. This alkoxyamine is subsequently utilized for the synthesis of PMMA-b-PS and PS-b-PBMA copolymers.


Abstract Introduction: Women consider factors including safety and the psychological impact of their chosen location when deciding whether to give birth in hospital or at home. The same is true for women with high-risk pregnancies who may plan homebirths against medical advice. This study investigated women's decision-making during high-risk pregnancies. Half the participants were planning hospital births and half were planning homebirths. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews set in a hospital maternity department in the UK. Twenty-six participants with high-risk pregnancies, at least 32 weeks pregnant. Results were analysed using systematic thematic analysis. Results: Three themes emerged: perceptions of birth at home and hospital; beliefs about how birth should be; and the decision process. Both groups were concerned about safety but they expressed different concerns. Women drew psychological comfort from their chosen birth location. Women planning homebirths displayed faith in the natural birth process and stressed the quality of the birth experience. Women planning hospital births believed the access to medical care outweighed their misgivings about the physical environment. Discussion: Although women from both groups expressed similar concerns about safety they reached different decisions about how these should be addressed regarding birth location. These differences may be related to beliefs about the birth process. Commitment to their decisions may have helped reduce cognitive stress.


Myofibroblastic tumors are difficult lesions to diagnose and treat appropriately. The clinical, radiographic and histopathologic manifestations of the disease, usually suggest more aggressive entities. In numerous cases of myofibroblastic tumors, the microscopic interpretation is of a high grade malignant tumor while the clinical behavior may be that of a benign lesion. They may range from completely benign looking to atypical, pseudo-sarcoma or sarcomatous tumors. The malignant potential is also variable with benign, locally invasive and persistent recurrences. Rarely, metastases are encountered. The head and neck surgeon must be aware of the variable nature of these tumors. This diagnosis should be considered when inflammatory disease or other benign or malignant neoplasms are excluded. The purpose of this paper is to remind the health care professional that although these lesions often appear aggressive, in numerous cases the behavior is that of an indolent benign condition. It will prevent over-treatment resulting in unnecessarily radical and potentially mutilating surgery. Cases like this, atypical myofibroblastic tumor of the nasal cavity while rarely reported, suggest that early intervention with myofibroblastic tumors and surgical excision with clear tumor margins is curative.


Aim: In this study, our objective was to determine the distribution of the blood groups among females, males, and neonates along with the overall analysis of Rh and ABO blood group systems in Diyarbakır region and contribute particularly to the blood group database for neonates, as there is no other study focused on the blood groups in neonates in particular. Material and Methods: The data of 127,091 patients, who had applied for the determination of their blood groups or were hospitalized and needed the determination of their blood groups between January 2016 and July 2019, were analyzed in this retrospective study. Results: In our study, the distribution of subgroups of the ABO system without considering the Rh system was as follows: 39.69% A, 33.62% O, 18.63% B, and 8.06% AB. The same rates were 36.79% A, 34.6% O, 20.77% B, and 7.84% AB among neonates. The comparison of the general population (females and males) with the neonates showed that group A was 3 percent lower and group B was 2 percent higher among neonates. We believe our study is important, as it is the only single-center study focused on three groups (females, males, and neonates) and conducted in the Research and Training Hospital in Diyarbakır. Conclusion: We believe that the differentiation in the distribution of ABO blood subgroups among neonates will also contribute to the literature as an important finding, which may depend on the social events like the increased number of Syrian refugees and domestic migrations.


This working paper investigates the legislative origins of the US immigration detention system. This critical history is an attempt to broaden the discussion of the place and propriety of immigration detention in the American political landscape. The paper explains who has historically been subject to immigration detention, where and for how long the practice takes place, and what has lead to its rapid enlargement in recent decades. Using historical frames, this paper identifies and traces three key characteristics in the legislative development of the US immigration detention system: firstly, the increasingly restrictive nature of the system; secondly, the fact that the system it is more similar to an ad hoc bricolage of policies and contradictory justifications than a coherent assemblage of policies; and, finally, the criminalization of immigrants and resident non-citizens. What emerges from this narrative is a history of the expansion of the immigration detention system by the executive branch in response to periods of increasing politicization of immigration, particularly concerning the category of resident non-citizens. The paper argues that, in the absence of clear policy objectives, public oversight, and public accountability, government has developed the US immigration detention system without coherence and often hastily in reaction to events in the political sphere.


South pile foundation of Ma On Shan Yangtze River Highway Bridge is big, deep, soft soil, groundwater rich. In order to guarantee the safeties of the foundation, its foundation pit supporting schemes are compared, selected and calculated, finally lock mouth steel pipe support is selected as the design and construction scheme. The three-dimensional simulation analysis of the scheme is calculated by using MIDAS software, simulated four construction condition is presented, and stress and deformation results of retaining structure on various operating conditions is obtained. The calculation results show that the palisade structure basic satisfies the requirements of caps excavation and caps concrete construction. The results of construction show that the construction method, model and parameters used in this paper are basic right, the reasonableness of Supporting is confirmed and for the similar large foundation pit construction provides useful reference.


In order to determine cycloferon liniment clinical-pathogenetic efficacy in comprehensive parodontitis therapy examination and treatment of 80 patients was done. It was determined that the cycloferon liniment use in comprehensive treatment of patients with parodontitis let to reduce infectious load in parodontal pockets and local inflammation intensity, to normalize the secretory immunoglobulin level and immune status indices that provided speed up of healing process and reduction relapse frequency.


The efficacy of vegetative buffer strips in intercepting herbicides from surface runoff is well established. A sound buffer design should also facilitate rapid degradation of deposited herbicides before they have a chance to be released to surface and subsurface flow. Experimental plots were arranged in a split-plot design with three replications and a factorial combination of three land-use treatments with five landscape positions (summit, shoulder slope, back slope, foot slope, and toe slope). Land-use treatments included a contour grass buffer watershed, a contour tree-grass agroforestry buffer watershed, and a control watershed. Watershed areas ranged from 1.65 to 4.44 ha. All land-use treatments were in a corn-soybean minimum-till production system, and the vegetative buffers were contoured strips from the summit to toe slope positions. To evaluate microbial activities and herbicide degradation potential, â-glucosidase, dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activities were measured. The results suggested that the microbial enzymatic activities were significantly higher in grass and tree-grass buffers than in the control treatment. Among the treatments, the soils collected from the grass buffers showed the highest microbial enzymatic activities and herbicide degradation potential. Topographic position did not significantly affect soil microbial activities. A growth chamber study was also conducted to investigate the microbial mineralization rates of 14 C ring labeled atrazine and the activities of FDA, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase in the rhizosphere of seven selected forages treatments. Preliminary results suggested that the mineralization rates of atrazine, after 100 days of incubation, were more closely correlated with activities of β-glucosidase (r = 0.857) and dehydrogenase (r = 0.763) than FDA hydrolysis rates (r = 0.494). Efforts are currently under way to correlate the microbial activity in different land use treatments with herbicide mineralization and degradation rates using 14 C-labeled herbicides, such as atrazine, bentazon, pendimethalin, s-metolachlor, and glyphosate.


Objective/Aims: The study sought to analyze Whipple procedure in 65 patients' in-hospital evaluation of morbidity and mortality rate after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) with adjusted duct-to mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy. Methods: A retrospective study of 65 consecutive patients that underwent (PD) at 'The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University teaching Hospital during the period of December 2008 to December 2015 was done. A two-layered duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy over an internal transanastomotic stent was performed in all 65 patients. Results: The in-hospital morbidity and mortality rate in the study was 47.6% and 1.5%, respectively. One patient died as a consequence of mesenteric ischemia. Pancreatic fistula occurred in one patient (1.5%) and was treated conservatively with good results. The wound infection was the most common surgical complication (13/65; 20%) and occurred more often in patients who had a biliary stent inserted endoscopicallyprior to surgery (10/24; 41.7%), as compared to those without the stent (3/41; 7.3%; P<0.0001). Conclusions: The consequences of the present study recommend that a two-layered conduit to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy with inside trananastomotic stent is a sheltered anastomosis, connected with an okay of pancreatic fistula. The nearness of a biliary stent at the season of surgery speaks to a danger element for the improvement of postoperative injury contamination. In our information we have an aggregate number of 65 patients some of them we did endoscopy and some of them didn't. 24 patients were done endoscopy and in these cases 10 patients get wound contamination while 41 of our patients did not get endoscopy but rather 3 patients get wound disease. The summery of information is that the rate of wound contamination is high with patients is who get the endoscopy.


Abstract. Pansharpened images are frequently utilized as base data in image classification applications. Nonetheless, the accuracy of image classification heavily relies on the efficiency of the pansharpening strategy applied. With numerous existing pansharpening approaches available, it becomes challenging for analysts to select the one that yields the best outcome. Recently, the deep learning (DL)-based pansharpening approaches have become popular due to their capabilities. Thus, this study aims at examining the image classification performance of pansharpened images generated by several commonly used DL-based pansharpening algorithms that rely on pre-trained models and comparing them with those of several traditional pansharpening algorithms. The experiments that were conducted in two test sites indicated that the DL-based pansharpening algorithms could be used in various circumstances. It can also be inferred that the DL-based pansharpening algorithms enhanced the image classification accuracy more effectively than many other traditional algorithms. The use of pre-trained models led to robust pansharpening results and, therefore, superior classification accuracies in most cases.


The discharge characteristics of hollow cathode discharge in argon in a cylindrical cavity are investigated experimentally. The voltage-current (V – I) characteristics and the light emission are measured. It is found that the discharge plasma is localized inside the hollow cavity, with an extensive Faraday dark space between the cathode and the anode. The discharge develops from predischarge to abnormal glow discharge, the hollow cathode effect (HCE) and a hybrid mode as the discharge current increases. The onset of the HCE is found for the first time by the transition from abnormal glow discharge together with a significant decrease in the slope of the V – I curve which shows a positive differential resistivity. The voltage increases proportionally with the current when the HCE is reached.


We describe a technique of combined transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), off-pump single coronary artery bypass, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a high-risk patient presenting with unstable angina and severe heart failure. This patient had documented moderate to severe aortic stenosis, left ventricular dysfunction, and a heavily calcified ascending aorta. A robotic-assisted left internal thoracic artery harvesting was aborted owing to inability to tolerate single-lung ventilation. A median sternotomy was done, then successful off-pump single-vessel bypass, PCI, and TAVR were achieved. The patient recovered and was discharged from hospital in stable condition.


Polymer stabilized monovalent copper has been synthesized using an in situ chemical transformation route and was characterized by means of different microscopic, optical and surface characterization techniques, which offered information about the chemical structure of the polymer and the morphology of the complex. The supramolecular material, Cu(i)-poly(2-aminobenzoic acid), denoted Cu(i)-pABA, showed catalytic activity for the cycloaddition reaction between terminal alkynes and azides to synthesize 1,2,3-triazoles with excellent yields. The catalyst was recovered from the reaction mixture and recycled several times without an appreciable loss of catalytic activity. The whole strategy was done under ambient conditions and in the presence of water as a solvent.


Introduction: Different zones of prostate harbor different prostatic pathology. The peripheral zone shows majorly prostatic adenocarcinoma, which is among the common causes of cancer death in men in sub-Saharan Africa. Aim: The study aimed to determine the spectrum of prostate pathologies in routine autopsies of adult male 30 years and above whose death was unrelated to prostate diseases. Methods: A total of eighty cases of prostate glands were harvested over an 11-month period. These glands were fixed for 48 h, grossed, and processed. The hematoxylin- and eosin-stained slides were examined using multiheaded microscope. Results: The age range of patients was 30–85 years with a mean age of 41.84 ± 12.63 years standard deviation. The most common cause of death in these patients was trauma secondary to road traffic accident followed by cardiovascular diseases. The most common lesions in each prostatic zone as observed in this study were chronic prostatitis 26.3% in the central zone; nodular hyperplasia 16.3% in the transitional zone; prostatic atrophy (13.8%) and adenocarcinoma (8.3%) in the posterior peripheral zone (one of the cases (1.3%) showed multiple carcinomatous foci); and chronic prostatitis 15.0% in the anterior fibromuscular zone. Four patients' ages 30, 31, 32, and 48 years had Schistosoma haematobium infections observed in the seminal vesicles, whereas patient aged 48 years had in addition adenocarcinoma of prostate gland and prostatic atrophy (PA). A case (1.3%) of prostatic calculi and simple cyst of the prostate was seen in ages 56 and 85 years, respectively. Conclusion: Different zones of the prostate are associated with different disease entities, and S. haematobium show an association with adenocarcinoma of prostate in one individual


In comparison to traditional "single-gene" study method such as reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), microarray technology can produce high-throughout gene expression data simultaneously. The advancement of this technology also presents a big challenge. In cancer research, the issue is how to identify the signature genes, or biomarkers associated with particular cancer to perform precise, objective and systematic cancer diagnosis and treatment. More specifically, the goal is how to accurately analyze and interpret the resulting large amount of gene expression data with relatively small patient sample size. As such, we have been developing a novel multischeme system that can derive optimal decision based on the best utilization of gene expression data features and clinical, and biological knowledge. In the paper, we are reporting the results of the first phase development of our novel system, to use unsupervised clustering methods to discover gene relationship and to use knowledge-based supervised classification to get highly accurate prediction in cancer diagnosis and prognosis study. This work sets up foundation for our next step drug target study.


The autonomous systems need to decide how to react to the changes at runtime efficiently. The ability to rigorously analyze the environment and the system together is theoretically possible by the model-driven approaches; however, the model size and timing limitations are two significant obstacles against such an autonomous decision-making process. To tackle this issue, the incremental approximation technique can be used to partition the model and only verify a partition if it is affected by the change. This paper proposes a policy-based analysis approach that finds the best partitioning policy among a set of available policies based on two proposed metrics, namely Balancing and Variation. The metrics quantitatively evaluate the generated components from the incremental approximation scheme according to their size and frequency. We investigate the validity of the approach both theoretically and experimentally via a case study on energy harvesting systems. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Finite element modelling procedures were developed to examine the effect of pipe diameter, ovality, wall thickness, imperfection formulations, joint-to-joint material strength variation and radial weld offset on the pipe mechanical response through numerical simulation of the reeling process. This study examines the pipe deformation, stress concentration, and strain discontinuity developed during simulation of the pipe reeling process. The key parameters influencing the pipe mechanical response are identified and recommendations on future work provided.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an analytical technique, which allows to identify traces of chemical or biological substances in many field, like pharmaceutical and food industries, homeland security, nanosensors, or environmental protection. The analytes are identified based on their vibrational spectra, unique for a given compound. The advantage of SERS is effective qualitative analysis of trace amounts of analyte, but the disadvantages are stability of substrate and repeatability of measurements. The challenge is to improve SERS substrates to minimize these drawbacks. Nowadays high-precision electron beam lithography or focused ion beam is used in SERS substrate fabrication, which is impractical for large-scale production. In recent years, researchers' attention has focused on porous anodic oxides, with inexpensive and scalable production method, as potential materials for SERS substrates. This chapter will discuss the progress of anodic oxides used as a SERS substrate, and the brief description of conventional SERS substrate fabrication methods will be presented.


Proposing that modern American poetry requires "limber criticism" informed but not straitjacketed by contemporary theory, William Doreski links the major American modernists to each other and to the larger social and cultural world. Concentrating on such poets as Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Robert Lowell, he finds that many share a willingness to expand - or even reject - the boundaries of poetic language. "The Modern Voice in American Poetry" shows how American poets achieved a range of "voice" that distinguishes modern poetry. Doreski demonstrates how much poetry has changed since Wordsworth and Browning both in terms of form and also, perhaps more significantly, in terms of address and subject matter. He offers many specific and detailed examples of how modern American poetry has extended the possibilities of the lyric poem even as it works within an increasingly autobiographical vocabulary.


Mobile technologies have proven to be beneficial to language learners in both developed and developing countries around the world. However, they do not seem to have been exploited for language learning in Nepal although they have already been used for other purposes and their use is rapidly growing. This article proposes a number of ways that mobile technologies, particularly, mobile phones, can be deployed for language learning and teacher professional development. A number of potential challenges are also discussed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v16i1-2.6134 NELTA 2011; 16(1-2): 107-113


Numerical solutions of the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations around airfoils in stall and post-stall conditions are proposed and post-processed by a drag analysis method, developed for applications in cruise and near-cruise conditions. The possibility to neglect Reynolds stresses in the wake when massive separations are present is discussed. Present method makes it possible to identify a considerable part of the spurious unphysical drag which is generated by the numerical scheme. Respect to cruise conditions, a much larger spurious drag contribution is detected, which makes, for high-lift o ws, present far-eld drag analysis even more useful in order to correct drag predictions obtained by the classical near-eld integration. The capability to obtain a breakdown into viscous and wave drag evidenced the presence of a signican t wave contribution in stall and post-stall conditions even for moderately low freestream Mach numbers.


In this paper an attempt has been made to study annual thermal performance of an adobe structure with an effective area of 53 m2 located at solar energy park at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi ( 280 35' N,770 12' E ), India. Such houses are suitable for rural areas for various reasons e.g. storage of grains, low energy consumption, thermal comfort, made by local materials and environmental friendly. Experiments have been conducted during June 2004-May 2005 to measure hourly variation of room air temperature of room with an earth-air heat exchanger, untreated room and room with cross ventilation. Hourly variation of solar intensity, ambient temperature, inlet-outlet temperature of an earth-air heat exchanger has been measured. Analysis has been done by calculating average and maximum\minimum temperature of each room in each month. It has been found that room equipped with an earth-air heat exchanger gives best comfort among all other. It is seen that temperature of room with an earthair heat exchanger is 6.5 oC more and 3.0 oC less than temperature of untreated room in December and May month. Experimental uncertainties for December and May for room with an earth-air heat exchanger have been found out 11.9 and 3.0 % respectively.


This report summarizes the implementation of tools within Version 5.4.25R10 of the Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRAC); this implementation allows the semiautomated optimization of the reflood constitutive package. The tools included a software package external to TRAC that used a line search method to minimize a generic function value given the function`s partial derivative vector with respect to a set of closure coefficients used within TRAC`s reflood model. Within TRAC, the generic function was a normalized penalty function dependent on time averaged calculated values of vapor temperature, vapor void fraction, wall to a fluid heat transfer rate (or wall temperature), and the respective steady state data. The penalty function was implemented only for a one dimensional vessel configuration because the available reflood data were taken primarily from postcritical heat flux tube experiments.


OCR-based image captioning aims to automatically describe images based on all the visual entities (both visual objects and scene text) in images. Compared with conventional image captioning, the reasoning of scene text is required for OCR-based image captioning since the generated descriptions often contain multiple OCR tokens. Existing methods attempt to achieve this goal via encoding the OCR tokens with rich visual and semantic representations. However, strong correlations between OCR tokens may not be established with such limited representations. In this paper, we propose to enhance the connections between OCR tokens from the viewpoint of exploiting the geometrical relationship. We comprehensively consider the height, width, distance, IoU and orientation relations between the OCR tokens for constructing the geometrical relationship. To integrate the learned relation as well as the visual and semantic representations into a unified framework, a Long Short-Term Memory plus Relation-aware pointer network (LSTM-R) architecture is presented in this paper. Under the guidance of the geometrical relationship between OCR tokens, our LSTM-R capitalizes on a newly-devised relation-aware pointer network to select OCR tokens from the scene text for OCR-based image captioning. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our LSTM-R. More remarkably, LSTM-R achieves state-of-the-art performance on TextCaps, with the CIDEr-D score being increased from 98.0% to 109.3%.


Sequences (798 bp) of the mtDNA-COI gene of 9 species from the Pentatoma were analyzed to infer the molecular evolution of COI and phylogenetic relationships of 9 species of Pentatoma (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in which three methods, maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML), and neighbor-joining (NJ) were used. The results show that P. semiannulata-group are supported and P. viridicornuta apparently belong to the P. semiannulata-group. The viewpoint that P. rufipes and P. angulata are two species should be doubted. In NJ, MP and ML trees, phylogenetic relationships of 4 groups can not be ascertained.


As a continuation to our previous work in developing anticancer agents, eighteen symmetrical biphenyl derivatives structurally related to taspine were synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. All the compounds were prepared with varied substitutions in the phenyl ring of aniline moiety. The cytotoxicity and anticancer activity of biphenyls was evaluated against various human tumor and normal cell line. Antiproliferative assays indicated that some of them exhibited potent anticancer activity. The potent antiproliferative activity of these compounds against ECV304 suggested that these biphenyls could be served as antiangiogenic agents. The highly active compound (2) also exhibited potent growth inhibition against cancer cell lines in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that these symmetrical biphenyl derivatives would be a promising candidate as novel anticancer agents.


Background and Aims: Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) is identified as a major concern after surgery as it can lead to increased morbidity and prolonged hospital stay. A suitable agent to prevent and treat postoperative CRBD is not yet established, and the literature is scarce in this regard. So, we aimed to find the efficacy of various drugs in preventing CRBD after elective surgery. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed for the study, and electronic databases like PubMed Central, Cochrane database and Embase were searched. The methodological quality of selected studies was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. Review Manager 5.4.1 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The meta-analysis revealed that antimuscarinic agents were able to lower the incidence of CRBD significantly at 0 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours and 6 hours (P < 0.01) after the surgery. Tramadol was effective at 1 hour, 2 hours and 6 hours postoperatively (P < 0.01), whereas ketamine was effective at 2 and 6 hours (P < 0.01) postoperatively. Antiepileptic drugs (pregabalin and gabapentin) were able to lower the incidence of CRBD at 0 hour (P < 0.01), 1 hour (P < 0.05), 2 hours (P < 0.05) and 6 hours (P < 0.01) postoperatively while dexmedetomidine at 0 hour (P < 0.01) and 2 hours (P < 0.01) after the surgery. Injections paracetamol, amikacin and diphenhydramine were also shown to reduce the incidence of CRBD in separate randomised controlled trials. Conclusion: The current meta-analysis showed that antimuscarinic agents, tramadol, pregabalin, gabapentin, paracetamol and dexmedetomidine are effective in significantly reducing the incidence of postoperative CRBD.


PURPOSE
To investigate the value of anteroposterior-to-transverse ratio (ATR) and the effect on features of nodules in ultrasound (US) diagnosis of thyroid nodules in different locations.  Methods: The nodules were divided into three groups according to the different nodule location: isthmus group; upper and lower poles of bilobed thyroid group; and the middle of the bilobed thyroid group. The diameters of the nodules were recorded, and ATR of the nodule was calculated on the transverse and longitudinal sections. The transverse and the longitudinal sections of ATR of thyroid nodules in different groups were compared.  Result: The transverse section of ATR was significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.001). In addition, there are significant differences in many US features among three groups, including nodule composition, thyroid parenchyma, morphology, echogenicity, shape, calcifications, vascularity, nodule ACR TI-RADS and histopathologic (all p < 0.05). In the group of upper and lower poles of bilobed thyroid, significant difference was found between the transverse and the longitudinal section of ATR (p = 0.019). The cut-off values of transverse section and longitudinal section of ATR were 0.967 and 0.750, respectively.  Conclusion: The transverse section of ATR at different location of thyroid may be a predictor for malignancy with clinical diagnostic significance.


Biocompatible and biodegradable powering materials are appealing systems for biomedical and electronic devices. Melanin is a natural and multifunctional material with redox capability, which is of great interest in electrochemical energy storage functionalities. In our work, we explored the use of soluble melanin derivatives as active materials for symmetric solid-state supercapacitors operating in the dark and under illumination. We observed that our devices were photo-pseudocapacitive. Additionally, under illumination, our best device showed a specific capacitance of 57.7 mFg−1 at a scan rate of 0.01 Vs−1, with a decrease of 53% in resistance compared to that in the dark. Our outcome suggests that soluble melanin is a promising material for solid-state powering elements in wearable and environmentally friendly devices.


Modified optical fiber sensors received increasing attention because of their superior properties over electrical sensors. These properties include their immunity towards electromagnetic interference and the ability to be deployed in corrosive and volatile environment. Several optical fiber platforms have been developed for chemical sensing applications based on modifying optical fiber cladding layer such as etched, tapered, D-shaped and etched-tapered. The modifications purpose is to extend the evanescent wave propagating out of the core physical dimensions. Thus, evanescent wave interaction with analyte is enhanced. Modified optical transducing platforms are integrated in gas sensing applications, such as ammonia. Modified optical fiber sensors coated with nanostructured thin films have been developed and gained popularity as practical devices towards gases with low concentrations. The development and characterization of the modified SMF sensing platforms including etched, tapered and etched-tapered platforms against ammonia will be presented in this chapter. These platforms were coated with PANI nanostructured thin film. The 50 μm etched-tapered SMF coated with PANI produced response, recovery times, and sensitivity of 58 s, 475 s, and 231.5%, respectively, in the C-band range. The limit of detection of the modified fiber sensor was 25 ppm. The developed sensors exhibit good repeatability, reversibility, and selectivity.


MPI Derived Datatypes are an abstraction that simplifies handling of non-contiguous data in MPI applications. These datatypes are recursively constructed at runtime from primitive Named Types defined in the MPI standard. More recently, the development and deployment of CUDA-aware MPI implementations has encouraged the transition of distributed high-performance MPI codes to use GPUs. These implementations allow MPI functions to directly operate on GPU buffers, easing integration of GPU compute into MPI codes. Despite substantial attention to CUDA-aware MPI implementations, they continue to offer cripplingly poor GPU performance when manipulating derived datatypes on GPUs. This work presents an approach to integrating fast derived datatype handling into existing MPI deployments through an interposed library. This library can be used regardless of MPI deployment and without modifying application code. Furthermore, this work presents a performance model of GPU derived datatype handling, demonstrating that "one-shot" methods are not always fastest. Ultimately, the interposed-library model of this work demonstrates MPI_Pack speedup of up to 724,000× and MPI_Send speedup of up to 59,000× compared to the MPI implementation deployed on a leadership-class supercomputer. This yields speedup of more than 20,000× in a 3D halo exchange.


Background The risk of malnutrition increases in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) which has a negative prognostic effect. Additionally malnutrition is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between malnutrition and clinical features of the disease, depression in SSc patients. Methods Concomitant SSc patients followed in our outpatient and inpatient clinics were enrolled in the study. Skin involvement was assessed with modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), joint/tendon involvement with finger-tip to palm distance (FTP). İnterstitial lung disease (ILD) and heart involvement were evaluated with clinical and radiological methods. Patients were questioned for dysphagia and gastroesofageal reflux as an indicator of esophageal involvement, early satiety and vomiting as gastric involvement, and diarrhea, constipation and bloating as bowel involvement.1 Interincisal distance measurement was used to assess the maximal mouth opening capacity. Malnutrition risk was assessed by the Malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used for measuring the severity of depression. sWe examined associations between malnutrition risk and clinical features of the disease, depression in SSc patients. Results Ninety eight SSc patients with 69 diffuse and 29 limited type of the disease were enrolled in the study. 84.7% of the patients were female and the mean age was 52.67±11.28 years. According to MUST scores 61.2% of patients have low, 15.3% medium and 23.5% high risk for malnutrition. We found no difference between the malnutrition risk among genders (p=0.065). mRSS and FTP were significantly different between malnutrition risk groups (p=0.005, 0.050 respectively). Malnutrition risk was higher with patients with ILD than the patients without ILD (p=0.044). Malnutrition risk was higher with patients with bowel involvement than the patients without bowel involvement. (p=0.021). Interincisal distance was significantly different between malnutrition risk groups (p=0.003). 78.7% of SSc patients have BDI scores ≥10, 54.3% of SSc patients have BDI scores ≥17. BDI scores were significantly different between malnutrition risk groups (p<0.001). Factors affecting malnutrition risk were evaluated with logistic regression analysis. Interincisal distance and bowel involvement were found to be the most relevant factors for malnutrition risk. SSc patients with bowel involvement have 2.519-fold increased risk of malnutrition compared to patients without bowel involvement (95% Cl 1.039–6.105). Every 1 mm decrement in interincisal distance was associated with 1.101 fold increase in malnutrititon risk of SSc patients (95% Cl 1.032–1.176). Conclusions Malnutrition is common in SSc patients. Malnutrition risk is associated with skin, tendon/joint involvement, DU count, ILD, bowel involvement, microstomia and depression severity. References Walker UA, Tyndall A, Czirják L et al. Clinical risk assessment of organ manifestations in systemic sclerosis: a report from the EULAR Scleroderma Trials And Research group database. Ann Rheum Dis. 2007;66:754–63. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Abstract The aim of this study was to find out whether the charging costs (calculated using interventional burn score) increased as mortality decreased. During the last 2 decades, mortality has declined significantly in the Linköping Burn Centre. The burn score that we use has been validated as a measure of workload and is used to calculate the charging costs of each burned patient. We compared the charging costs and mortality in 2 time periods (2000–2007 and 2008–2015). A total of 1363 admissions were included. We investigated the change in the burn score, as a surrogate for total costs per patient. Multivariable regression was used to analyze risk-adjusted mortality and burn score. The median total body surface area % (TBSA%) was 6.5% (10–90 centile 1.0–31.0), age 33 years (1.3–72.2), duration of stay/ TBSA% was 1.4 days (0.3–5.3), and 960 (70%) were males. Crude mortality declined from 7.5% in 2000–2007 to 3.4% in 2008–2015, whereas the cumulative burn score was not increased (P  =  .08). Regression analysis showed that risk-adjusted mortality decreased (odds ratio 0.42, P  =  .02), whereas the adjusted burn score did not change (P  =  .14, model R2 0.86). Mortality decreased but there was no increase in the daily use of resources as measured by the interventional burn score. The data suggest that the improvements in quality obtained have been achieved within present routines for care of patients (multidisciplinary/orientated to patients' safety).


In recent years scientific visualization has been driven by the need to visualize high-dimensional data sets within high-dimensional spaces. However most visualization methods are designed to show only some statistical features of the data set. The paper deals with the visualization of trajectories of high-dimensional dynamical systems which form a L/sub n//sup n/ data set of a smooth n-dimensional flow. Three methods that are based on the idea of parallel coordinates are presented and discussed. Visualizations done with these new methods are shown and an interactive visualization tool for the exploration of high-dimensional dynamical systems is proposed.


Studies have established relationship between age and blood pressure (BP). The present study was carried out to establish normal BP values for the various age categories of both sexes and also to examine sex differences in BP within the various age groups of the Ibos. A random sampling of 563 Ibos of Nigeria aged 20 to 89 years, mean age 33.61 ± 13.61 were used for this study. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured following standard protocol. The mean SBP and DBP of the study population was 119.63 ± 23.24 and 79.78 ± 12.80 respectively. When divided into seven age groups the analyses showed that both SBP and DBP increased with age. The lowest SBP was recorded in age 20 – 29 years in both sexes. The same was applicable for DBP. Generally men exhibited relatively high level of BP values, except for age groups 50 – 59 years and 60 – 69 years (SBP) where the mean BPs was slightly higher in the females. A significant difference was noted between DBP of males and females (p < 0.05) but none in the SBP. There was significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) of both SBP and DBP with age (r = 0.477 and 0.331 respectively). Our result is consistent with the findings that BP increases with age, with significant difference between males and females.


Flexibility is a defining characteristic of our species. The current literature presents cognitive flexibility as having several meanings; this lack of a single definition may hinder work on understanding the concept. In this article, I begin with describing the variability–stability–flexibility pattern in the development of various abilities and then argue that as part of this chain, flexibility can be considered a property of the cognitive system and not in itself an ability. The implications of and challenges to this view are discussed. This view can foster progress in the understanding of cognitive flexibility: It can serve as a unifying framework in which to study the dynamic flow of stability and flexibility in the functioning of the cognitive system.


We propose "ExLeap", a minimal telepresence system that creates leaping experience. Multiple "nodes" with an omnidirectional camera, mic and speaker transmit the video to clients, and on the client, videos are rendered in 3D space. When moving to another node, by crossfading two videos, the user can feel as if she/he leaps between two places. Also, on each node, the user can talk with people in that place. Each node consists of very simple hardware, so we can put them on multiple places we want to go to. Moreover, because the system can be used 24/7 by multi-user simultaneously and is very easy to use, it creates various types of chances of communications.


Each book in the "Periplus World Cookbooks" series contains 60 to 90 classic recipes from an exotic corner of the globe, and every recipe is illustrated in full-page colour photographs. This volume presents step-by-step instructions for recipes from Malaysia, with tips for preparations in Western kitchens. Essays on local food cover everything from dietary healing to ingredients, techniques and utensils.


The objective of this article is to review the literature related to ciprofloxacin 0.3% and dexamethasone 0.1% sterile otic suspension. A systematic literature search utilizing Medline was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles related to safety and efficacy. A total of 47 publications were identified and reviewed herein. The literature supports the use of antibiotic/antiiflammatory combination ear drops in the treatment of both acute otitis externa and acute otitis media in pediatric patients with tympanostomy tubes. Ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone has been demonstrated as safe and effective with regard to clinical cures and microbiological eradication of pathogens in either disease with low treatment failure rates. Additionally, the literature also provides clear evidence for the contribution of dexamethasone when added to ciprofloxacin for the topical treatment of ear infections.


Abstract Objective. The development of obesity and its metabolic complications is associated with dysregulation of various intrinsic mechanisms, which control basic metabolic processes through changes in the expression of numerous regulatory genes. Methods. The expression level of HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, HLA-G, HLA-F, and NFX1 genes as well as miR-190b was measured in the blood of obese adolescents without signs of resistance to insulin and with insulin resistance in comparison with the group of relative healthy control individuals without signs of obesity. Results. It was shown that obesity without signs of insulin resistance is associated with upregulation of the expression level of HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB1 genes, but with down-regulation of HLA-G gene expression in the blood as compared to control group of relative healthy adolescents. At the same time, no significant changes were observed in the expression level of HLA-F and NFX1 genes in the blood of this group of obese adolescents. Development of insulin resistance in obese individuals leads to significant down-regulation of HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, HLA-G, and HLA-F gene expressions as well as to up-regulation of NFX1 gene as well as microRNA miR-190b in the blood as compared to obese patients without signs of insulin resistance. Conclusions. Results of this study provide evidence that obesity affects the expression of the subset of genes related to immune response in the blood and that development of insulin resistance in obese adolescents is associated with strong down-regulation of the expressions of HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, HLA-F, and HLA-G genes, which may be contribute to the development of obesity complications. It is possible that transcription factor NFX1 and miR-190b participate in downregulation of HLA-DRA gene expression in the blood of obese adolescents with insulin resistance.


The article is devoted to the analysis of the Greek text of Sir 44:22-23, but it also takes into account the Hebrew version of the praise of Isaac and Jacob. The main aim of the article is to read Sirach's depiction of these two patriarchs in his Praise of the Fathers (Sir 44:1 – 50:24) and the role and significance that he attributes to them in Israel's history. The analysis conducted shows that the Jerusalem sage based his presentation of Isaac and Jacob exclusively on the Book of Genesis, not referring to any theological traditions connected with the patriarchs that were known during the Second Temple period. The principal role played by the two patriarchs in the history of the chosen nation is passing on to the subsequent generation the covenant that God made with Abraham and the promises related to it (Isaac's substantial passivity in this role has to be pointed out). It is this motif that is emphasized in Sir 44:22-23, as a result of which other important events from the patriarchs' lives are completely overlooked, including the justification of Jacob's stealing of Isaac's blessing for his firstborn son.


In this paper, we propose 2D dynamic visual servoing (Dynamic IBVS), where a quadrotor UAV tries to track a moving target using a single facing-down perspective camera. As an application, we propose the tracking of a car-type vehicle. In this case, data related to the altitude and the lateral angles have no importance for the visual system. Indeed, to perform the tracking, we only need to know the longitudinal displacements (along the x and y axes) and the orientation along the z-axis. However, those data are necessary for the quadrotor's guidance problem. Thanks to the concept of differential flatness, we demonstrate that if we manage to extract the displacements according to the three axes and the orientation according to the yaw angle (the vertical axis) of the quadrotor, we can control all the other variables of the system. For this, we consider a camera equipped with a vertical stabilizer that keeps it in a vertical position during its movement (a gimbaled camera). Other specialized sensors measure information regarding altitude and lateral angles. In the case of classic 2D visual servoing, the elaboration of the kinematic torsor of the quadrotor in no way guarantees the physical realization of instructions, given that the quadrotor is an under-actuated system. Indeed, the setpoint has a dimension equal to six, while the quadrotor is controlled only by four inputs. In addition, the dynamics of a quadrotor are generally very fast, which requires a high-frequency control law. Furthermore, the complexity of the image processing stage can cause delays in motion control, which can lead to target loss. A new dynamic 2D visual servoing method (Dynamic IBVS) is proposed. This method makes it possible to generate in real time the necessary movements for the quadrotor in order to carry out the tracking of the target (vehicle) using a single point of this target as visual information. This point can represent the center of gravity of the target or any other part of it. A control by flatness has been proposed, which guarantees the controllability of the system and ensures the asymptotic convergence of the generated trajectory in the image plane. Numerical simulations are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.


UNLABELLED
It is important to take into consideration the duration for which the plasma concentration of the drug is higher than the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration during treatment with carbapenem antibiotics, because the antibiotics are time-dependent drugs. A preliminary study of the administration of carbapenem antibiotics on the basis of the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) was conducted.

SUBJECTS
Ten patients with intraabdominal infection.

METHODS
The patients were divided into two groups: the first group was assigned to administration of a carbapenem antibiotic (meropenem) at a daily dose of 0.5 g in 3 divided doses, each dose by intravenous infusion over 3 hours (Group 3 H), and the other group was assigned to administration of each dose over 30 minutes (Group 30 M). The body temperature (BT), white blood cell count (WBC), serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and the systemic inflammatory reactive syndrome (SIRS) score before and 96 hours after the drug administration were compared between Group 3 H and Group 30 M.

RESULTS
There were 5 patients (mean age, 67.4+/-14.6 years) in Group 3H and 5 patients (mean age, 60.0+/-12.8 years) in Group 30 M. The evaluated parameters (BT, WBC, CRP, SIRS score) before the drug administration in Groups 3 H and 30M were not significant. Group 3 H showed significant decreases in the SIRS scores at 96 hours after the drug administration, however, there were no significant differences in the BT, WBC or CRP between the two groups.

DISCUSSION
Group 3 H showed early improvement in the SIRS scores. Administration of carbapenem antibiotics based on the PK/PD is important, and requires further studies.


In this article I analyse object labelling image macro internet memes as multimodal metaphors, taking the Distracted Boyfriend meme as a case study. Object labelling memes are multimodal texts in which users add labels to a stock photograph to convey messages that are often humorous or satirical in nature. Using the relevance-theoretic account of metaphor, I argue that object labelling memes are multimodal metaphors which are interpreted using the same processes as verbal metaphors. The labelling of the image guides the viewer in the construction of ad hoc concepts, and it is these ad hoc concepts that contribute to the overall meaning that is communicated. The analysis in this article is rooted in the relevance-theoretic claim that pragmatic interpretive processes are triggered by all and any ostensive acts of communication. I also draw heavily on Deirdre Wilson's work on lexical pragmatics to show how this plays out in the case of a multimodal digital text. Memes, like verbal metaphors, do not require a special theory or framework. They can be understood as ostensive stimuli which trigger the search for an optimally relevant interpretation.


A 45-year old male patient presented at the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinic, Tygerberg, with a pathological fracture of the left mandible following an extraction. The medical records of the patient revealed a history of multiple myeloma that was treated with Aredia (pamidronate disodium, an intravenous form of bisphosphonate), cyclophosphamide (an alkylating agent) and dexamethaxone (an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drug). An orthopantomograph revealed osteonecrosis and pathological fracture of the left mandible, thought to be due to the earlier biphosphonate administration. The patient received conservative management for the osteonecrosis and was stable at the time of the publication, (19 months after the initial presentation with the pathological fracture).


We present a matching and LP based heuristic algorithm that decides graph non-Hamiltonicity. Each of the n! Hamilton cycles in a complete directed graph on n + 1 vertices corresponds with each of the n! n-permutation matrices P, such that pu,i = 1 if and only if the ith arc in a cycle enters vertex u, starting and ending at vertex n + 1. A graph instance (G) is initially coded as exclusion set E, whose members are pairs of components of P, {pu,i, pv,i+1}, i = 1, n - 1, for each arc (u, v) not in


Purpose
This study aims to examine the factors that influence end users' intention to adopt open government data (OGD) portals, envisioning this relationship through a path causal model.

Design/methodology/approach
The study surveyed 696 Qataris and 730 white-collar expatriates using a questionnaire. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sample adequacy and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to determine the questionnaire's construct validity.

Findings
The multiple regression analysis revealed that previous experience in using OGD portals, perceived usefulness and ease of use of OGD portals, marital status, age and attitude toward using OGD portals significantly predicted the intention to adopt OGD portals. Moreover, age and marital status significantly affected the intention to adopt OGD portals. The outcomes of the path causal model show that the direct effects of each explanatory variable are enhanced by the effects of the other independent variables in the causal model.

Practical implications
The study pioneers the application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to analyze motivating factors for Qatari residents to adopt OGD portals. Using this framework can help policymakers build strategies to boost the use of OGD portals in Qatar.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, the TAM has never been examined in the Qatari setting to analyze the adoption of OGD portals. The present study fills knowledge gaps about and offers a clearer understanding of the elements influencing the adoption of OGD portals.


The MCMV-encoded glycoprotein, m157, is recognized by the activating Ly49HC57Bl/6 and inhibitory Ly49I129S lectin-like NK cell receptors. We and others have shown that Ly49H is tolerant to multiple amino acid changes in m157 with the exception of K161, which is predicted to anchor a unique N-terminal α0-helix to the main m157 chain. We undertook site-directed mutagenesis to address the contributions of N-linked glycosylation and the GPI anchor of m157 to Ly49H and Ly49I recognition. Variants of m157 containing single or multiple N-to-Q substitutions at positions N178, N187, N213, and N267, or fusions between the m157 extracellular domain and the transmembrane + cytoplasmic domains of DAP12 or CD4, were expressed in myeloid or fibroblast cell lines. We find that 1) only fully deglycosylated m157 has reduced capacity to activate Ly49H or chimeric Ly49HI reporter cells; 2) m157-CD4 transmembrane versions of m157 fully activate Ly49H and chimeric Ly49HI reporter lines; and 3) Ly49H+ NK cells are activated by all N-glycosylation and transmembrane variants of m157. Thus, neither N-glycosylation nor GPI anchoring of m157 is required for functional trans interactions with lectin-like Ly49 receptors.


In this study, an input output table was developed, which was used to examine the empirical evidence on the strength of agricultural growth multipliers in the facets of income, output and employment. The first order multiplier effect of agriculture was 0. 3481 for output, 0.0327 for income and 0.0524 for employment. It contributions to the economy of Limp opo Province was ranked ninth for output and income multipliers and eighth for employment. Trade services were ranked first in all three sets multipliers. From the study, it was concluded that more poverty could be reduced with increased investment trade services sector as it gives more r eturns to investments.


In this paper, there is an undergoing effort to simulate and evaluate the sampling properties of the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM). The sampling quality is described in terms of the percentage of rainfall measured by ground instruments recoverable from the GPM measurements. A specific configuration of the constellation is being used. The number of participating satellites and their individual orbital characteristics are selected and calculated. The instruments necessary for measuring precipitation on board of the satellites are selected and configured as well. Two study areas are selected, Rondonia basin in Brazil and Ilarion basin in Greece. Data from rain gages and radar are used. The time step of the data is disaggregated from 1 hour to 1 minute so that they will be comparable to the duration of the satellites' contact time. The rainfall depth of every snapshot is set equal to the corresponding disaggregated values. The snapshots are then combined and rainfall events are reconstructed.


Background: In the current era mortality is very high due to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) worldwide. One of the most dangerous complications is the formation of left ventricular(LV) thrombus, especially after STEMI, and is considered a major high-risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Although nowadays with primary percutaneous coronary intervention its incidence is reduced but still significant.

Objective: To determine the frequency of left ventricular thrombus in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study done at the Department of Cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD), Karachi from October 3, 2021, to April 2, 2022. Patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were able to give informed consent were enrolled. Primary PCI was performed by a consultant cardiologist and post PPCI all the patients were observed, and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed to assess the left ventricular thrombus. The data was collected on predesigned proforma.

 Results: Mean ± SD of age was 59.39±14.79 years. In the distribution of gender, 101 (73.7%) were male while 36 (26.3%) were female. Left ventricular thrombus was noted in 24 (17.5%) patients.

Conclusion: It is to be concluded that ventricular thrombus is prevalent after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI patients. Further large-scale work is recommended for the validation of current findings.


Background: Despite the well-established survival benefit associated with adjuvant hormonal treatment, younger women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC) are less adherent to endocrine therapy (ET) as prescribed, compared to their older counterparts, and may have unique issues that contribute to ET non-adherence. In an effort to identify factors that can be targeted to improve ET uptake and adherence, we sought to evaluate ET initiation in young women with BC. Methods: As part of a multi-center, prospective cohort enrolling women with newly diagnosed BC at age ≤40 years between 2006-2016, we identified 657 women with HR+, Stage 0-III BC. Participants complete serial surveys that included questions about socio-demographics, fertility concerns, and treatment. Women who did not report taking tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (AI) at least once in the 18 months after diagnosis (dx) were classified as non-initiators. Variables significant at p Results: By 18 months post-dx, 15% (99/657) had not initiated ET; among women with Stage 0 BC, 77% (51/66) had not initiated vs 8% (48/591) with invasive BC (p Conclusion: Most young women with HR+ DCIS do not take adjuvant ET despite the potential benefits (substantially reduced risk of local recurrence and contralateral BC) and very low risk of serious toxicity. Among young women with invasive HR+ BC, a significant minority fails to start ET within 18 months of dx. Adjuvant ET non-initiation may contribute in part to the racial and SES outcomes disparities that have been observed. Further study is needed to elucidate barriers to initiation with the goal of developing targeted interventions that will enhance ET initiation and adherence in general. Citation Format: Rosenberg SM, Gelber S, Ruddy KJ, Tamimi RM, Schapira L, Borges VF, Come S, Meyer ME, Partridge AH. Drugs don9t work if people don9t take them: Non-initiation of endocrine therapy in young women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-07.


Placenta accreta during the first trimester of pregnancy is rare. Only a few cases of placenta accreta manifesting as a uterine mass have been published. Most patients with placenta accreta present with vaginal bleeding during or after pregnancy. This report describes a patient with placenta accreta that caused vaginal bleeding three years after a first trimester abortion. The patient had regular menstruation for three years after the abortion. Initially endometrial cancer or a uterine myoma with degeneration was suspected. This is the first report of a placenta accreta detected as a uterine mass long after a first trimester abortion with delayed vaginal bleeding.