Background: Lumbar spine surgery (LSS) is performed to manage patients with lumbar discs. These patients commonly experience pain, fear, and disability after LSS surgery. Objectives: Considering the importance of LSS surgery and its outcomes in these patients, the purpose of the present study was to compare pain intensity, fear of movement, and disability before and after LSS. Methods: In this descriptive and analytical research, the population under study included all patients undergoing LSS at the Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ilam City from October 2015 to October 2016. Demographic and clinical information questionnaires, pain catastrophizing scale (PCS), tampa scale for kinesiophobia (TSK), and Physical Disability Questionnaire (PDQ) were data collection tools, which were completed for the patients referring to our center and undergoing LSS according to diagnostic findings and clinical documents. The patient's condition was evaluated using the aforementioned questionnaires six months to one year after the study. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The mean (SD) score of PCS before surgery was equal to 51.17 (7.53) in men and 63.84 (4.72) in women (P = 0.004). Nine weeks after the surgery, the PCS score was 19.36 (4.94) in men and 23.31 (6.68) in women (P = 0.04). There were significant decreases in all variables, including the PCS score, Brief Pain Inventory score, and PDQ score after the intervention compared to pre-intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering that LSS can effectively reduce patients' pain intensity, disability, and fear of movement, this intervention is recommended for patients who need surgery according to relevant diagnostic criteria and clinical examination findings.


A Backlund transformation(BT) and a recurrence formula are derived by the homogeneous balance(HB) method. A initial problem of Burgers equations is reduced to a initial problem of heat equation by the BT, the initial problem of heat equation is resolved by the Fourier transformation method, substituting various solutions of the initial problem of the heat equation will yield solutions of the initial problem of the Burgers equations.


Abstract Epilobium genus has been confirmed as an effective source of natural antimicrobials. However, the influence of Epilobi hirsuti herba derived products on usual antibiotics activity has not been studied. In this study, several standardized Epilobi hirsuti herba extracts (EHE) were evaluated in order to asses their potential effects on usual antibiotics tested on standard Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains in vitro. The results emphasized that the bacterial strains ranged from sensitive (MIC values between 50–200 μg GAE mL-1) (S. epidermidis ATCC 12228) to very resistant (E. coli strains), E. faecalis ATCC 29212 being practically immune to EHE. In terms of synergistic interaction, Tetracycline and Ampicillin combinations lead to the most important stimulatory effects, the diameters of the inhibition zone being even 60% bigger compared to the antibiotic alone. Synergistic effects between myricetin(galloyl) derivates and Tetracycline were also revealed on P. aeruginosa and E. coli strains. Together, it clearly demonstrated not only EHE's own antimicrobial properties, but also their capacity to influence the antimicrobial potency of some common antibiotics. These results could be useful for the area of herbal medicines and as potential candidates in managing microbial resistance, but also for physicians and pharmacists using combined antibacterial therapy.


The influence of the main source of errors in Switched-Current (SI) filters over the performance of Wave Analog Filters (WAE) is evaluated. Models of mismatching and clock-feedthrough (CF) are deduced for basic building blocks, and applied to study the sensitivity of a third-order filter. Monte Carlo simulations performed using a behavior simulator prove that CF are dominant over mismatching effects.<<ETX>>


The structural features leading to the intense quenching free luminescence exhibited by europium oxalate nanocrystals, poly[[hexaaquatri-μ2-oxalato-dieuropium] 4.34-hydrate], {[Eu2(C2O4)3(H2O)6]·4.34H2O}n, is the focal point of this report. Europium oxalate nanocrystals were synthesized by a simple microwave-assisted co-precipitation method. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the monoclinic structure of the nanocrystals and the phase purity. The morphology and particle size were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Luminescence measurements on a series of samples of La2-xEux(C2O4)3·10H2O, with x varying in the range 0.1 to 2, established the quenching free nature exhibited by the europium oxalate nanocrystals. A single-crystal structure analysis was carried out and the quenching free luminescence is explained on the basis of the crystal structure. A detailed photoluminescence characterization was carried out using excitation and emission studies, decay analysis, and CIE coordinate and colour purity evaluation. The various spectroscopic parameters were evaluated by Judd-Ofelt theoretical analysis and the results are discussed on the basis of the crystal structure analysis.


The regulations for hydrocarbon emission from vehicles have become much more stringent in recent years. These more stringent regulations request vehicle manufacturers to develop the advanced exhaust system for reducing exhaust emissions. The exhaust emissions has many sources in vehicle. In order to investigate the characteristics of hydrocarbon(HC) in the exhaust manifold, concentrations of individual HC species were measured in exhaust process. Using sampling valve, the light hydrocarbon emissions were captured in the exhaust manifold(catalyst before and after) and analyzed from LPLi engine exhaust manifold(catalyst before and after) using different fuel properties. Then exhaust samples were measured by gas chromatography(GC) and exhaust gas analyzer. Catalyst conversion efficiency for fuel properties of Butane 100% was better than Propane 100%. Start delay of LPLi engine was observed as increment of propane contents in LPG fuels.


PD1/L1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) have significantly improved long-term outcome in about 20% of advanced Non Small Cells Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients (pts), but 80% present primary or secondary resistance. The PIONeeR project (NCT03493581) aims to predict the response/resistance to PD1/L1 ICIs in advanced NSCLC pts through a comprehensive agnostic multiparametric and longitudinal biomarkers assessment. Data presented here are a focus on the quantification of tumor infiltration by lymphocytes, their activation as potential markers of the resistance to treatment by ICI.Advanced NSCLC pts with available archived tumor tissue at screening visit (VS), treated with standard PD1/L1 ICIs (nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab), alone (2nd line or more) or combined with chemotherapy (1st line), were re-biopsied at 6 weeks (V2) of treatment. PD1/L1 ICIs overall response rate (ORR) was assessed by RECIST 1.1 every 6 weeks. The multiplex IHC test "Immunoscore® CR T Cells Exhaustion" (IS TCE) quantifies cytotoxic lymphocytes expressing three checkpoints: PD1, LAG3, TIM3, extrapolating their exhaustion status, both in the stroma and parenchyma. The unsupervised neural-network-based machine learning algorithm SOM (Self-Organizing Maps) was used to classify samples based on the 27 IS TCE variables. Statistical significance of survival differences between groups was evaluated using the log-rank test.Among the first 100 pts, (male (64%), smokers (91,8%), <70yrs (69%), with an ECOG PS0/1 (97%), treated in 2nd line setting (86%)), 79 VS + 30 V2 biopsies were tested with IS TCE. SOM clustering highlighted four distinct clusters: a group with moderate T-cells infiltration (group 1), hot tumors with high T cells infiltration in both stroma and parenchyma (group 2), cold tumors with very low T cells infiltration (group 3), and finally, a highly distinguishable group with important T-cells density in stroma only (group 4). None of the 11 responders was present in the Group 3, "Cold" cluster. The four groups presented different Progression Free Survival (PFS) rates (p=5,2e-4) with better relapse-free survival Groups 1 and 2. Additionally, V2/VS ratios showed lymphocytes recruitment induced by the treatment in parenchyma only: no significant lymphocytes recruitment was observed in the stromal compartment. Interestingly, the most recruited lymphocyte populations expressed PD1.IS TCE test may help stratifying and predicting responders to anti PD1/L1 therapy through checkpoint expressing lymphocytes quantification and spatial distribution. Additional tests performed on the PIONeeR cohort to explore other aspects of the immune response to cancer should complete these results.This work is supported by French National Research Agency (ANR-17-RHUS-0007), a partnership of AMU, APHM, AstraZeneca, Centre Léon Bérard, CNRS, HalioDx, ImCheck Therapeutics, Innate Pharma, Inserm, Institut Paoli Calmettes and sponsored by AP HM. Drug supply is funded by AstraZeneca. Special thanks to patients and families.NCT03493581The study is conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice and the French applicable regulatory requirements (Public Health Code, article L.1121-1/La loi n° 2012–300 du 5 mars 2012 relative aux recherches impliquant la personne humaine (dite loi Jardé), the applicable subject privacy requirements, and the ethical principles that are outlined in the Declaration of Helsinski. The study was approved by the French Ethic Committee, CPP Ouest II - Angers, ref. CPP: 2028/08, Ref ANSM (French competent authority) 2018020500208, 2018072600120, 2019083000148. Freely given written informed consent was signed and obtained from each individual participating in the study, before any study specific procedure was undertaken and after the provision of information about the study by the investigator during a physician-patient consultation and sufficient time for reflection.


Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disabling disease. Limited studies have demonstrated that prolotherapy with dextrose or with prolozone can be helpful in the treatment of patients with KOA. Objectives: In the current study, we compared the results between these two treatment methods. Patients and Methods: In the current randomized clinical trial, 80 patients with mild to moderate KOA were randomly assigned equally into two groups (ozone group and dextrose group). In each group, injections were repeated three times with 10-day intervals. Before the treatment and 3 months after the injections, the pain intensity was measured by using a visual analogue scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster university arthritis index scores. Finally, the results were compared between the two groups. Results: In the two groups, the pain intensity and WOMAC scores significantly decreased and increased, respectively (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Prolotherapy with dextrose and with prolozone result in the same pain relief or functional improvement in patients with mild to moderate KOA.


Globalisation and structural and demographic change are presenting Japan's economy and many regional economies with major challenges. In earlier decades, the international transfer of technology was an important factor in Japan's rise to become one of the leading industrialised nations. Today, however, the focus is on the interregional and intraregional transfer of technology between research institutions and private firms when addressing the issue of national and regional competitiveness. Regional innovation policies, in particular those under the responsibility of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and its regional bureaus, have for several years been making a great effort to promote the intraregional transfer of technology and business start-ups. This paper investigates the structure, the spatial reach and the innovation performance of R&D networks that have built up as part of a regional development programme financed by METI. A social network analysis is carried out using a unique data set of joint research projects of public research institutions, private firms and government institutions. The results show that the spatial patterns of R&D networks depend on the technical field of the research projects as well as on the role of the parties involved. Academia–academia cooperations have a much greater spatial reach than cooperations with private firms. The public sector plays an important role in local innovation processes.


Bacterial spores have special significance in foods because they are much more resistant to physical and chemical antimicrobial treatment. Nowadays, there is interest in using natural products such as plant extract for food preservation. In this study, 26 of tropical medicinal plants and spices were screened for their sporicidal activity against the spores of Bacillus cereus. The spores of B. cereus was harvested after incubation at 30°C for 1 week and treated with various plant extracts using the method of Standard Operating Procedure for the AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) Sporicidal Activity. Glutaraldehyde was used as a positive control. Among them, Indonesian bay leaf (Eugenia polyantha Wight) inactivated more than 3 log of spores/ml of B. cereus (99.99%) at the concentration of 1% and completely killed B. cereus spores at concentration of 2.5%. These results suggest that Indonesian bay leaf extract has strong sporicidal activity against spores of B. cereus.


Experiments were carried out to study the effects of stocking density and feedingfrequency on apparent nutrient digestibility, growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus juveniles. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) weight gain (%), specific growth rate (SGR %/day), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), apparent nitrogen utilization (ANU %) and carcass nitrogen deposition (CND mg/day) were achieved by the fish stocked at 0.5/L and receiving either 3 or 4 meals/day. Significantly lower growth performance was observed in all groups of fish fed twice/day. At all stocking densities tested, apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) for protein were significantly better when the fish were fed 3 meals/day. In general the ADC values obtained in this experiment were low for all nutrients which may be attributed to the excreta collection method applied in this study


Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) causes approximately 10,000 deaths annually in the United States, with human-papilloma-virus (HPV)-negative patients having a particularly poor prognosis. Pembrolizumab, a programmed-death-1 (PD-1) antibody, was recently approved as a first-line therapy for patients with relapsed disease, however response rates are as low as 19%, underscoring the need for an improved understanding of immunotherapy resistance mechanisms. We have previously shown that HPV-negative HNSCC tumors with higher mRNA levels of SET and MYND Domain Containing 3 (SMYD3), a chromatin modifier known to trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me3), have significantly lower mRNA levels of CD8 and CD8+ T-cell attracting chemokines, and that SMYD3 depletion in HNSCC cells in vitro leads to upregulation of CD8+ T-cell attracting chemokines. The goal of this work was to elucidate epigenetic mechanisms of immune evasion mediated by SMYD3 in HPV-negative HNSCC. Methods: siRNA- mediated SMYD3 knockdown was performed for 3 days to investigate immuno-modulatory epigenetic mechanisms mediated by SMYD3. RT-qPCR for immune-related genes, Western blotting for histone marks, ChIP-sequencing for H3K4me3, ChIP-qPCRs to determine genomic interactions of SMYD3 and ATAC-sequencing were performed. SMYD3 and CD8 immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of normal squamous, dysplastic epithelium and HPV-negative HNSCC tumors was also performed. Results: siRNA mediated knockdown of SMYD3 resulted in enrichment of inflammatory pathways and upregulation of type 1 interferon response and antigen presentation machinery genes in HNSCC cell lines. Immunoblotting for histone marks showed no reduction in H3K4me3 following SMYD3 depletion for 3 days. ChIP-sequencing for H3K4me3 showed differential distribution pattern with an increase of H3K4me3 peaks on immune-related genes, and a decrease of H3K4me3 on UHRF1, a reader of the repressive histone mark H3K9me3. RNA-seq, RT-PCR and ChIP-qPCR showed that SMYD3 may regulate the transcription of UHRF1 by binding to its promoter. SMYD3 depletion also led to decreased protein levels of UHRF1. ChIP for UHRF1 and H3K9me3 showed that UHRF1 binds directly on the promoters of CXCL9 and CXCL10 which are enriched for H3K9me3. IHC on Normal Squamous Epithelium and Squamous Cell Carcinoma tissues of increasing cancer stages showed increase in SMYD3 levels with the higher stage of cancer, and an inverse correlation with CD8+ T cell infiltration within the tumors. Conclusion: This is the first study reporting that the chromatin modifier SMYD3 may attenuate type I IFN responses in HPV-negative HNSCC by regulating the expression of a major epigenetic regulator, UHRF1, which may silence the expression of immune-related genes through H3K9me3. Citation Format: Nupur Nigam, Benjamin Jonah Bernard, Kyunghee Burkitt, Sohyoung Kim, Yvette Robbins, Richard L. Bennett, Jonathan D. Licht, Vassiliki Saloura. Immunomodulatory functions of SMYD3 in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2117.


Polymers having both crown ether moieties as cation binding sites and cinnamic acid ester moieties as photodimerizable pendant groups were prepared. On irradiation with UV light the cinnamic acid ester groups of the polymers caused dimerization in dilute solution without formation of any insoluble material. Irradiation was carried out in THF and THF-methanol (1 : 1 vol. ratio) in the absence and presence of cations as a template, respectively. The cation binding properties were investigated by means of the method of picrate salts extraction. The cation extractability of the photoreacted polymers was higher than that of the original polymers. Furthermore, the cation binding ability of the photoreacted polymers was less sensitive to temperature than that of the original polymers. The effect of the degree of photodimerization of the polymers, of the kind of cations used as a template during photodimerization of the polymers, and of the concentration of the template action on the extractability of polymers were investigated in detail.


Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe immunologic syndrome characterized by a failure of CD8 T-cells to appropriately terminate immune responses, leading to excessive activation of immune cells that mediate life-threatening organ damage. Many patients with HLH are refractory to front-line therapy consisting primarily of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX) and the chemotherapeutic agent etoposide, resulting in five-year survival rates of only 62%. Therefore, novel strategies are needed to enhance the efficacy of frontline therapy in order to improve clinical outcomes. Hypercytokinemia is a hallmark feature of HLH due to the persistent activation of immune cells. CD8 T-cells both secrete and respond to these cytokines, making them important cellular targets of HLH therapy. Many HLH-associated cytokines activate the JAK/STAT pathway, and the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib (RUX) has shown efficacy in murine models of HLH and in clinical case reports of refractory HLH. Importantly, JAK/STAT signaling has been shown in other disease contexts to induce DEX resistance. We therefore hypothesized that cytokine-mediated JAK/STAT signaling might contribute to DEX resistance in HLH and that this could be overcome by combination treatment with RUX. To test this hypothesis, we infected Prf1-/- mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to generate an in vivo model of primary HLH. Beginning on day four post-infection, mice were treated with vehicle control, DEX, RUX, or the combination of DEX and RUX and examined for signs of HLH. The Bliss independence model of synergy was applied to quantify the combinatorial effects of these drugs on disease parameters. Combined treatment with DEX and RUX synergistically lessened signs of systemic inflammation, including splenomegaly, numbers of inflammatory cells, including neutrophils and CD8 T-cells, and circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines. The mechanistic basis for these findings was then interrogated ex vivo. First, activated murine and human CD8 T-cells were exposed to DEX or etoposide in the presence of HLH-associated cytokines and were evaluated for cell viability. This revealed that the JAK-dependent cytokines IL-2 and IL-12 confer resistance specifically to DEX, but not to etoposide. IL-2 and IL-12 receptor signaling converge to activate STAT5. Consistent with this, exposure to RUX attenuated STAT5 activation in response to IL-2 or IL-12 stimulation. Furthermore, DEX and RUX synergized to induce cell death in the presence of IL-2 or IL-12. Mechanistic studies revealed that cytokine exposure did not inhibit nuclear translocation of ligand-activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) or activation of GR transcriptional targets, suggesting that IL-2 and IL-12 act downstream of GR activity to confer DEX resistance. To interrogate this further, we quantified expression of BCL-2 family members in CD8 T-cells exposed to IL-2 or IL-12 and found significant upregulation of BCL-2 and BCL-XL. Using BH3 profiling, we functionally interrogated the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and found that cytokine exposure significantly suppressed the apoptotic potential of CD8 T-cells, such that DEX alone was no longer sufficient to induce apoptotic priming. However, concomitant exposure to RUX effectively restored apoptotic priming in response to DEX by inhibiting cytokine-induced upregulation of BCL-2 and BCL-XL. Finally, we performed BH3 profiling on cells from Prf1-/- mice following in vivo treatment with DEX +/- RUX. Similar to the ex vivo findings, LCMV infection and the subsequent onset of HLH significantly reduced the apoptotic potential of CD8 T-cells relative to cells from naïve mice, consistent with elevated levels of circulating cytokines in vivo. Combined treatment with DEX and RUX was more effective than either agent alone at inducing apoptotic priming, suggesting that both ex vivo and in vivo, cytokine exposure inhibits DEX-induced cell death by altering the cellular apoptotic potential. Taken together, this study reveals a mechanism of cytokine-mediated DEX resistance in HLH and provides rationale for combining DEX and RUX as a means to augment DEX sensitivity and improve clinical outcomes for patients with HLH.
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 Nichols: Incyte: Research Funding.


Ageratina adenophora is one of the most hazardous invasive weeds in China. It can form a single species community quickly and cause extensive ecological harm. The belowground microbial community can participate in nutrient transformation in soil and plays an important role in the invasiveness of exotic plant species. We selected sampling sites with different invasion levels of A. adenophora. The soil property and soil biogeochemical activity were measured in both bulk and rhizosphere soil under the aggressive weed A. adenophora and under adjacent native plants. The composition of bacterial communities was investigated using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that the rhizosphere habitat selectively accumulated Sphingomonas and Steroidobacter and reduced the abundance of Gaiella and Gp6 regardless of plant host. The presence of A. adenophora caused a switch in microbial composition from Aeromicrobium and Marmoricola to Reyranella and Bradyrhizobium in the bulk soil, and from Gp4, Pirellula, Lysobacter and Aridibacterrae to Reyranella and Streptomyces in the rhizosphere soil. We also revealed specific microbes that closely related with N-cycling processes. In addition, soil pH was the main factor affecting microbial communities in both bulk and rhizosphere soil. Our study confirmed that the rhizosphere environment imposed homogenous microbial communities. The invasion of A. adenophora selected specialized bacterial communities in soils and specific microbes that potentially mediated soil nutrition cycling. Our findings provide ecological explanation to explain how the underground microbes help A. adenophora invasive.


A series of experiments on 12 pigs to verify the tissue penetrating capacity of a LED CO2 laser have been conducted to confront its effects with those of a infrared (IR) diode laser. The tissue target was the external femoral condilus of the right hind limb knee. The right knee was taken as control. After a series of laser radiations with both lasers for up to 60 days it was verified that the LED CO2 laser, contrary to what has been reported by physicists, can produce very active tissue stimulation on deep tissues with significant results. The authors suggest that the definition of physical properties of lasers should be redesigned in order to better understand their biostimulating effects on tissues.


Primary cilia contain specific proteins to achieve their functions as cellular antennae. Ciliary protein trafficking is mediated by the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery containing the IFT-A and IFT-B complexes. Mutations in genes encoding the IFT-A subunits (IFT43, IFT121/WDR35, IFT122, IFT139/TTC21B, IFT140, and IFT144/WDR19) often result in skeletal ciliopathies, including cranioectodermal dysplasia (CED). We here characterized the molecular and cellular defects of CED caused by compound heterozygous mutations in IFT144 [the missense variant IFT144(L710S) and the nonsense variant IFT144(R1103*)]. These two variants were distinct with regard to their interactions with other IFT-A subunits and with the IFT-B complex. When exogenously expressed in IFT144-knockout (KO) cells, IFT144(L710S) as well as IFT144(WT) rescued both moderately compromised ciliogenesis and the abnormal localization of ciliary proteins. As the homozygous IFT144(L710S) mutation was found to cause autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa, IFT144(L710S) is likely to be hypomorphic at the cellular level. In striking contrast, the exogenous expression of IFT144(R1103*) in IFT144-KO cells exacerbated the ciliogenesis defects. The expression of IFT144(R1103*) together with IFT144(WT) restored the abnormal phenotypes of IFT144-KO cells. However, the coexpression of IFT144(R1103*) with the hypomorphic IFT144(L710S) variant in IFT144-KO cells, which mimics the genotype of compound heterozygous CED patients, resulted in severe ciliogenesis defects. Taken together, these observations demonstrate that compound heterozygous mutations in IFT144 cause severe ciliary defects via a complicated mechanism, where one allele can cause severe ciliary defects when combined with a hypomorphic allele.


Nowadays maize hybrid seed companies use marketing tools to achieve their goals on the target markets in order to stand up to competition, meet consumers' demands, and ensure the market share. The objective of this study was to identify and rank the variables consumers consider most in the product purchase decision and to survey technical and behavioral aspects to create actions and strategies for the companies of the sector. For this purpose, surveys were conducted with producers of the region of Mauá da Serra (Paraná State) based on the four Ps of the marketing mix (product, promotion, price, and place). In the product mix the factors grain yield, performance in the previous year and recommendations of research institutions influence consumers most in the buying decision. Financing is the preferred form of payment for seeds, and special offers have more influence on the buying decision than the price itself. The months of May, June and July are preferred for seed purchase. The consumers use different media channels to obtain information about the product but what influences producers most are lectures and field days. Companies that apply marketing strategies ensure competitiveness and consumer fidelity.


Column stores have become the de-facto standard for most datawarehouse solutions. The regularity and query patterns of LIDAR data are a potential application area well suited for this technology. In this short work in progress paper we report on our experiences in supporting point cloud data using PostGIS, Oracle spatial, and MonetDB. Our preliminary results shows significant benefit from considering this technology


The Poznan-Oleśnica Fault Zone (P-OFZ) of central-west Poland is an over 150 km long, up to 10 km wide, and up to 200 m deep graben that developed during Early Oligocene to Pliocene times on the flank of the NE-dipping Fore-Sudetic Homocline. Fault systems of this extensional structure appear to reach pre-Zechstein basement in the area of the Fore-Sudetic Homocline that forms an integral part of the Bohemian Massif. The P-OFZ was affected by several stages of subsidence, separated by periods of inversion and/or tectonic quiescence between theTriassic and Cenozoic. Structurally, this dislocation zone can be linked with the Variscan faults, reactivated at that time. During the second half of the last century, the northern parts of the P-OFZ graben were intensively explored by cored boreholes because of their lignite content. Conventional back-stripping methods could not be applied to the tectonic analysis of the POFZ due to the limited thickness of the graben fill, its poor dating and the presence of relatively thick lignite seams. Therefore, phases of accelerated subsidence were determined by comparing the thickness of individual lithostratigraphic units within the graben and on its flanks. The total subsidence of the different graben segments was quantified by determining the aggradation coefficient (AC) and by taking the consolidation coefficient (CC) of lignite seams into consideration. Subsidence analyses indicate that the initial Early Oligocene extensional phase of the P-OFZwas followed by an Early–Middle Miocene extensional subsidence phase and a probably latest Miocene–Pliocene final extensional phase.


Prevalences of malocclusions and dental caries in molars were investigated on a database of high school students collected between 1977 and 1986. A total of 6,665 schoolgirls were evaluated. The proportions of 54.1% in the seventh grade and 56.6% in the tenth grade students were judged as having malocclusions. The prevalences of dental caries for the lower first and the second molars were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than those for the upper opponents during the observation period. The prevalence of dental caries increased linearly for all kinds of molars in accordance with age, but they were lower than those reported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan determined for the entire nation. The percent of dental caries for the second molars revealed abrupt increases from 10% at the seventh grade to 50% at the 12th grade. These changes were particularly noticeable between the eighth and the tenth grades. These results suggest the significance of oral health care education during the adolescent period based on a long-term cooperation made by dentists, school nurses, teachers through the participation of students into the oral health care programme.


This paper analyses teachers' engagement with collaborative and open educational practices to develop their pedagogical expertise in the field of modern language (ML) learning and specific learning difficulties (SpLD). The study analyses the findings of a staff development initiative at the Department of Languages, Open University, UK, in 2013, that aimed to support language teachers in distance learning to develop a better understanding of key issues in relation to MLs and adult learners with SpLD and dyslexia in particular. It discusses the motivational benefits of online collaboration for teachers' professional development and explains the implications of using a range of network-based tools to facilitate the construction of active shared learning and the joint production of open-access learning resources aimed at supporting adult language learners with SpLD in distance learning settings.


The Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture announces the release of sixteen breeding lines of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Five (SM13-I1, SM13-I2, SM13-I3, SM13-I4, and SM13-I5) of the six iceberg breeding lines can be used for whole head or salad blend production; the sixth iceberg line (RH08-0111) does not form heads that meet the modern iceberg standard. This breeding line, however, can be used in breeding programs because it combines high level resistances to downy mildew, bacterial leaf spot, Verticillium wilt race 1, and lettuce dieback. Two (SM13-R2, SM13-R3) of the four romaine breeding lines are suitable for whole head, salad blend, and spring mix production. One breeding line (SM13-R1) is suitable for whole head production only. The fourth romaine line (RH08-0464) can be used in breeding programs due to its good resistance to downy mildew. SM13-R1, SM13-R2, and SM13-R3 are resistant to dieback. Five leaf lettuce breeding lines (SM13-L1, SM13-L2, SM13-L3, SM13-L4, and SM13-L5) have very high levels of polygenic resistance to downy mildew and can be used for spring mix and salad blend production. The sixth leaf lettuce breeding line (SM13-L6) has resistance to Verticillium wilt race 1 and is suitable for whole head, spring mix, and salad blend production. The leaf breeding lines are resistant to dieback with the exception of SM13-L1.


Background PDE4 catalyses the breakdown of cAMP and cGMP to modulate intracellular effects. PDE4 is mainly expressed in inflammatory cells, and its inhibition leads to reduced inflammatory cell activity. Activation of the cellular immune system and autoimmunity are hallmarks of the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Objectives To study the disease-modifying, anti-fibrotic effects of PDE4 inhibition in preclinical models of SSc. Methods The effects of the PDE4-specific inhibitors rolipram and apremilast were studied in the models of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis and sclerodermatous chronic graft versus host disease (sclGvHD), reflecting local and systemic inflammatory fibrotic disease. To better understand the disease-modifying activity of PDE4 blockade in preclinical SSc, we investigated fibrosis relevant genes and cytokines in fibroblasts and macrophages from healthy individuals and patients suffering from diffuse-cutaneous SSc upon blockade of PDE4. Results We first studied PDE4 inhibition by rolipram in a preventive bleomycin model. In this model, rolipram reduced skin thickening by 33% (p <0.001), the amount of fibrotic tissue assessed by histomorphometry by 38% (p =0.016) and the number of α-SMA-positive myofibroblasts by 45% (p <0.001). We then wondered if the clinically approved PDE inhibitor apremilast did also show significant anti-fibrotic activity, and if PDE inhibition did not only prevent but also treat fibrosis once it was established. In a modified bleomycin model of established fibrosis, apremilast reduced skin thickness by 26% (p=0.001) the amount of fibrotic tissue by 21% (p=0.037) and the number of myofibroblasts by 73% (p=0.001). Taking advantage of a model of cGvHD, we investigated if PDE4 blockade could also reduce fibrosis in a model for systemic fibrotic disease. Indeed, rolipram reduced skin thickness by 33% (p =0.002), the amount of fibrotic tissue by 35% (p=0.016) and of the number of α-SMA-positive myofibroblasts by 46% (p =0.002). In line with the general mode of action of PDE4 blockade, we observed significantly reduced leukocytic infiltration in the fibrotic skin of all three animal models. We further demonstrated that fibroblasts were not the direct targets of the anti-fibrotic effects of PDE4 blockage. By contrast, PDE4 inhibition decreased the release of pro-fibrotic cytokines interleukin-6 and 13 (IL-6, IL-13) and, transforming growth factor β1 and β2 (TGFβ1, TGFβ2) and fibronectin-1 (FN-1) from activated M2 macrophages obtained from both healthy volunteers and SSc patients, resulting in reduced fibroblast activation and collagen release. Conclusions PDE4 inhibition reduces inflammatory cell activity and the release of pro-fibrotic cytokines from M2 macrophages, which leads to decreased fibroblast activation and collagen release. Importantly, apremilast is already approved by the FDA and the EMA for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. Therefore, our preclinical results might prompt the use of PDE4 inhibitors in clinical studies with patients suffering from SSc. Our findings suggest that particularly patients with inflammation-driven fibrosis might benefit from PDE4 blockade. References Manning CD et al.: Suppression of human inflammatory cell function by subtype-selective PDE4 inhibitors correlates with inhibition of PDE4A and PDE4B. Br J Pharmacol 1999, 128:1393–1398 Disclosure of Interest None declared


The second law banning the African slave trade to Brazil came into force in 1850, and became known as the Eusébio de Queirós Law (de Queirós was then Minister of Justice of the Brazilian Empire). A previous attempt made in 1831 failed and the slave trade continued in the form of smuggling from that date until 1850, although until the mid-1850s there were several illegal landings and, then, traffic to the ports of the Brazil was definitely closed. There were many themes in the political debate before the African slave trade ended, from the end of the 18th century until 1850. During this period, the state, the slaveholders and their representatives in the legislative branch and in the courts of justice maintained pro-slavery arguments but changed the way they were used, under the strong British pressure to end slave trade with diplomatic and military actions since 1807. During the first half of the 19th century and, above all, after the proclamation of Brazilian Independence in 1822, the end of the slave trade became a political question in connection with other important themes regarding the formation of the Brazilian state and nation: the need of a labor force for agriculture, the fear of slave actions, national sovereignty in relation to foreign pressure, the supposed corruption of customs due to slavery, and the formation of a Brazilian people based on the work of slaves, freed people, and the poor. All of these themes would be discussed in public settings, such as Parliament, the press, and books on the defense and propaganda of slavery, for example.


We study the observability of a permutation on a finite set by a complex-valued function. The analysis is done in terms of the spectral theory of the unitary operator on functions defined by the permutation. Any function can be written uniquely as a sum of eigenfunctions of this operator; we call these eigenfunctions the eigencomponents of . It is shown that a function observes the permutation if and only if its eigencomponents separate points and if and only if the function has no nontrivial symmetry that preserves the dynamics. Some more technical conditions are discussed. An application to the security of stream ciphers is discussed.


The cost and response rate are two major concerns with the face-to-face interview and survey instrument in collecting data in recreational studies, respectively. With the advancement of web technology and an increase use of the web, a survey response collected through the web can be a viable low-cost alternative to the traditional mode of data collection. However, the reliability of the information obtained from an internet survey remains questionable. The authors employed a stochastic frontier regression model to calibrate the values obtained from the web-based survey. The researchers compared these values to the values obtained from on-site survey. The authors extended the analysis to estimate the economic impact of a nature based recreation on a local economy. The results indicate that with a careful calibration, a web-based survey can be used to understand the recreational use of respondents as well as to calculate the economic impacts of recreation-spending on a local economy.


Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is considered a primarily microvascular complication of diabetes. Müller glia cells are at the center of the retinal neurovascular unit and play a critical role in DR. We therefore investigated Müller cell-specific signaling pathways that are altered in DR to identify novel targets for gene therapy. Using a multi-omics approach on purified Müller cells from diabetic db/db mice, we found the mRNA and protein expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to be significantly decreased, while its target gene cluster was down-regulated. Further, oPOSSUM TF analysis and ATAC-sequencing identified the GR as a master regulator of Müller cell gliosis in DR. Cortisol not only increased GR phosphorylation. It also induced changes in the expression of known GR target genes in retinal explants. Finally, retinal functionality was improved by AAV-mediated overexpression of GR in Müller cells. Our study demonstrates an important role of the glial GR in DR and implies that therapeutic approaches targeting this signalling pathway should be aimed at increasing GR expression rather than the addition of more ligand. Graphical abstract


Today soil and environmental pollution by heavy metals, has become a serious problem for human health. This pollution can be absorbed by agricultural products and enter the body. The purpose of this research is to investigate the contaminant of 2 medicinal plants by 4 heavy metals in shiraz city. To achieve this, 2 kinds of medicinal plants Matricaria chamomilla and Lavandula angustifolia were chosen and then were bought from 6 different herbalist in Shiraz and then were registered in medicinal plants herbarium of school of pharmacy, shiraz university of pharmaceutical sciences. Plarograph was used for measuring the concentration of Copper, Zinc, Cadmium, and Lead in this study. And according to the results, it can be found that the concentration of heavy metals in these two medicinal plants wasn't more than the Standard concentration which was reported for similar plants. And at last it doesn't need to be worry.


With billions of handsets in use worldwide, the quantity of mobility data is gigantic. When aggregated they can help understand complex processes, such as the spread viruses, and built better transportation systems, prevent traffic congestion. While the benefits provided by these datasets are indisputable, they unfortunately pose a considerable threat to location privacy. In this paper, we present a new anonymization scheme to release the spatio-temporal density of Paris, in France, i.e., the number of individuals in 989 different areas of the city released every hour over a whole week. The density is computed from a call-data-record (CDR) dataset, provided by the French Telecom operator Orange, containing the CDR of roughly 2 million users over one week. Our scheme is differential private, and hence, provides provable privacy guarantee to each individual in the dataset. Our main goal with this case study is to show that, even with large dimensional sensitive data, differential privacy can provide practical utility with meaningful privacy guarantee, if the anonymization scheme is carefully designed. This work is part of the national project XData (http://xdata.fr) that aims at combining large (anonymized) datasets provided by different service providers (telecom, electricity, water management, postal service, etc.).


The acceleration of inflation in the OECD area since mid-1988 has prompted monetary policy in a number of countries to adopt a more restrictive stance. Over the last two years upward pressure on prices abated under the impact of falling raw material prices and decelerating wage increases. However, the upward drift of wages and prices gained momentum in Western Germany and Austria until 1991, partly due to special factors stimulating business activity. The raise in indirect taxes also contributed towards higher inflation. In both countries which for many years had exhibited a high degree of price stability the rate of inflation almost attained the OECD average in 1992.


Indeed, Allah, the exalted has revealed His book to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and made it a proof of Prophetic authenticity. Almighty Allah, for the service of His book, created numerous people who spent their lives to elucidate the meanings and purposes of the holy Qur'ān according to their deductive and extractive capabilities. It is worth mentioning that the verses of the holy Qur'ān are of two types; one is unalterably fixed (muḥkam) which has a clearer meaning and cannot be subject to change or abrogation. While the other is unintelligible (mutashābih) this has multiple intending and subject to further investigation. In which the intellect, rational and logical understanding has a significant role to play for the suspension and otherwise the Lawgiver's intention. And thus, in this case, juristic personal inferences can be expanded to various connotations for clarity or ambiguity to establish a real and ultimately required prescription. Resultantly, this breadth caused diversity among the Qur'ānic exegeses. Therefore, the present study provides a historical overview of disagreement(s) between the Qurānic commentators of the classical Islamic era; to let the readers know whether such discrepancy has arisen from assorted documented scientific and interpretational reasons? Or whether their dissension is based on their desires, incongruity, stinginess, haughtiness, or something that is a result of fanaticism and zealotry? Consequently, this research presents the origin and development of the disparity in Qur'ānic interpretation. Similarly, it also shed light on the aspect of those who laid the foundations of this field. More particularly, the companions, their successors and those who followed them in performing the duty of discernment miscellaneous meanings of the holy Qur'ān; make personal inferences by meditating Qur'ānic verses juristically, lexically and syntactically. Correspondingly, the breadth of ideas about the development of time; diverseness because of the dissimilar events along with the history of dissonance(s) in Qur'ānic interpretation keeping in view various periods and the stages of its emergence will be the center of debate in this article.


In Colorado everything pertaining to tuberculosis is of such importance that I have no hesitation in presenting this subject for your consideration, particularly as it has not been previously discussed in this society-so far as I am aware. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. The neck, as a whole, contains several hundred lymph glands, some of them superficial and some deep. Although their distribution is general, they exist principally in definite groups. Certain of these groups are particularly liable to tubercular disease, owing to their close connection with the entrance points of infection, such as the tonsils, teeth and pharynx. Chronic otitis, eczema of the scalp, ophthalmia, and various nasal troubles are also sources of infection, while in isolated instances germs may be deposited from the blood or ascend from the bronchial lymphatics. It is a progressive disease, one gland sooner or later infecting others, a point of importance in selecting a rational form


The rarity of Stage II endometrial carcinoma and variable treatment modalities have made the evaluation of prognostic factors difficult. Clinical, surgical, and pathologic characteristics were evaluated in 64 patients treated with whole pelvic irradiation and intracavitary radium followed by hysterectomy at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute from January 1965 to December 1983. Comparison of 5‐year actuarial survival rates revealed the following statistically significant categories: age, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, disease extent at surgery including lymph node metastases, and pelvic cytology. Race, weight, and cell type were not significant prognostic factors. Evaluation of prognostic factors at surgery includes pelvic and para‐aortic lymph node biopsies, omental biopsy, pelvic cytologic washings, and biopsy of any suspicious tissues. Patients with adverse prognostic factors are candidates for trials with adjuvant therapy.


Magnetic guidance shows promise as a strategy for improving the delivery and performance of cell therapeutics. However, clinical translation of magnetically guided cell therapy requires cell functionalization protocols that provide adequate magnetic properties in balance with unaltered cell viability and biological function. Existing methodologies for characterizing cells functionalized with magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) produce aggregate results, both distorted and unable to reflect variability in either magnetic or biological properties within a preparation. In the present study, we developed an inverted-plate assay allowing determination of these characteristics using a single-platform approach, and applied this method for a comparative analysis of two loading protocols providing highly uniform vs. uneven MNP distribution across cells. MNP uptake patterns remarkably different between the two protocols were first shown by fluorimetry carried out in a well-scan mode on endothelial cells (EC) loaded with BODIPY558/568-labeled MNP. Using the inverted-plate assay we next demonstrated that, in stark contrast to unevenly loaded cells, more than 50% of uniformly functionalized EC were captured within 5 min over a broad range of MNP doses. Furthermore, magnetically captured cells exhibited unaltered viability, substrate attachment, and proliferation rates. Conducted in parallel, magnetophoretic mobility studies corroborated the markedly superior guidance capacity of uniformly functionalized cells, confirming substantially faster cell capture kinetics on a clinically relevant time scale. Taken together, these results emphasize the importance of optimizing cell preparation protocols with regard to loading uniformity as key to efficient site-specific delivery, engraftment, and expansion of the functionalized cells, essential for both improving performance and facilitating translation of targeted cell therapeutics.


A population-based case control study of primary liver cancer (PLC) was undertaken in Fusui County, Guangxi Autonomous Region. Ninety-nine PLC cases and 99 age-sex-matched controls were surveyed for their general conditions, life style features, dietary habits, types of drinking water and family history. Cases and controls were well distributed in nationality, education, marital status and annual income per person. Conditional logistic regression results showed that HBV infection, drinking pond-ditch water, family history and total alcohol intake were the risk factors of PLC with the relative risks 5.330 (2.502-11.35), 3.703 (1.251-10.96), 2.881 (1.289-6.441), 1.002 (1.000-1.004), respectively. And antibody of HBV surface antigen is protective factor with the relative risk of 0.418 (0.210-0.834).


Summary From the work reported here it would appear that the following deductions are possible: 1.Milk though a suitable ration for young calves cannot maintain ruminants indefinitely. 2.The addition of a grain mixture of corn, oats, bran and oil meal to a ration consisting solely of milk impairs the growth of the calves and leads to death even more rapidly than a ration of milk only. 3.The cause of the earlier death on the addition of the grains is probably due to the depletion of the body stores of calcium due to the fact that the grains contain more magnesium than calcium and calcium must consequently be drawn from the body, especially the bones, to take care of this excess of magnesium. 4.The addition of alfalfa hay to a ration of milk or of milk, corn, oats, bran and oil meal will bring back to good growing condition animals which have fallen to a low place of nutrition on the rations mentioned. 5.Milk and alfalfa hay can be used to grow out calves satisfactorily. 6.The beneficial effects of the alfalfa hay are apparently not due absolutely to the nutrients it supplies as an abundance of nutrients had been provided in the other experimental rations. 7.It is apparently not probable that the alfalfa hay adds in appreciable amounts vitamines which might have been absent from the other rations used. 8.Where alfalfa is added to a ration of milk and the grain mixture used, it would appear that part of the beneficial effect of the alfalfa is due to the fact that it increases the calcium content as compared to the magnesium content of the ration and thus conserves the calcium stores of the body. 9.The main advantage derived from the alfalfa hay seems to be due to the fact that this feed, being bulky in character, helps to distend the digestive tract of the calf and so renders proper digestion possible.


I address a recent critique by Corts (1999) who finds that traditional approaches in New Empirical Industrial Organization to estimate the competitive conduct in an oligopoly market can yield inconsistent estimates of the conduct parameter if firms are engaged in efficient collusion. This article derives a general empirical model that allows consistent estimation of the conduct parameter that is robust to efficient collusion.


The study examines the collaborative nature of problem solving as dyads and triads of adults were grouped to solve digital problems using online resources. Digital problem solving involves the nimble use of skills, strategies, and mindsets to navigate online in everyday contexts using novel resources, tools, and interfaces, in efficient and flexible ways, to accomplish personal and professional goals. Findings address the nature of collaborative talk during digital problem solving through three interrelated categories of themes gleaned from discourse analysis: (a) power, (b) relationships, and (c) participation. These themes offer a nuanced understanding of collaborative interactions during digital problem solving. Implications from this research suggest ways to design collaborative activities and support dialogic interaction, whether among adolescents or adults, during online learning, in formal education settings or informally in other settings where collaboration occurs.


The secrets of successful government from Michael Barber, one of the world's leading experts on carrying out lasting improvements in public life. Billions of citizens around the world are frustrated with their governments. Political leaders struggle to honour their promises and officials find it near impossible to translate ideas into action. The result? High taxes, but poor outcomes. Cynicism not just with government but with the political process. Why is this? How could this vicious spiral be reversed? In this groundbreaking book Michael Barber draws on his wealth of experience of working for and with government leaders the world over to present a blueprint for how to run a government. Using contemporary cases from every continent and classic examples from history, he makes a compelling case for a new approach. From Downing Street to Punjab, Charles I to Churchill, this book shows that the solution is less about ideology and more about clear priorities and meticulous planning. Praise for Instruction to Deliver: "Wonderful". (Bill Bryson). "One of the best books written on British government for many years". (Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times). Sir Michael Barber is the co-founder of Delivery Associates and Chief Education Advisor at Pearson. Over the last two decades he has worked on government and public service reform in more than 50 countries. From 2001 to 2005 he was the first Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the UK. He is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Harvard School of Public Health and an Honorary Doctor of several universities including the University of Exeter. His previous books include Instruction to Deliver: Fighting to Transform Britain's Public Services.


Climate change has been shown to have significant negative effects on wildlife populations owing to both gradual shifts in mean climatic conditions and an increased frequency of extreme climatic events. Based on a long-term study spanning 40 years, we explore the demographic effect of the exceptionally hot and dry summer of 2018 on the demography of an isolated adder (Vipera berus) population in southern Sweden. In spring 2019, we observed a dramatic decline in adder relative body mass and a concomitant 50% reduction in population size. Our results strongly suggest that the negative impacts on adder demography were the result of a combination of low prey abundance and adder dehydration caused by the extreme climatic conditions during the previous summer. The study provides an example of the significant negative effects of ongoing climate change on vertebrate populations and emphasizes the importance of long-term studies to document the demographic effects of extreme climatic events.


Although somatic mutations have well-established roles in cancer and certain focal epilepsies, the extent to which mutational mosaicism shapes the developing human brain is poorly understood. Here we characterize the landscape of somatic mutations in the human brain using ultra-deep (~250×) whole-genome sequencing of brains from 59 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases and 15 controls. We observe a mean of 26 (±10, range 10-60) somatic single nucleotide variants (sSNVs) per brain present in ≥4% of cells, with enrichment of mutations in coding and putative regulatory regions. Our analysis reveals that the first cell division after fertilization produces ~3.4 mutations, followed by 2-3 mutations in subsequent generations. This rate suggests that a typical individual possesses ~80 sSNVs present in ≥2% of cells—comparable to the number of de novo germline mutations per generation—with about half of individuals having at least one potentially function-altering somatic mutation somewhere in the cortex. Although limited by sample size, ASD brains show an excess of somatic mutations in neural enhancer sequences compared to controls, suggesting that mosaic enhancer mutations may contribute to ASD risk.


Four-component biosorption equilibria of Cr(VI), Cu(II), Cd(II), and Fe(III) ions were studied using Rhizopus arrhizus. As the multicomponent Langmuir model was able to predict the two ternary subsystems of these metal ions satisfactorily, it was further applied in describing the behavior of the quaternary metal systems. To present a summary of the effect of one metal on the uptake of the other, three-dimensional (3-D) sorption isotherm surfaces were constructed. The apparent equilibrium constant, the biosorption efficiency and the relative coverage of the four metals were in the order FeCr>Cd>Cu. © 2002 SDU. All rights reserved.


Maintenance of balance is provided by using different joint strategies regarding the perturbation conditions. Performance of the joint strategies can be assessed by calculation of their kinematic-based features. The aim of this study was to identify the most effective stability features of the dominant role-playing strategy while standing on an unstable platform. Sixteen healthy young men participated in perturbed standing tests on an unstable platform supported by high and low stiffness springs. Motion capture analysis was employed in the sagittal plane to measure the joints angular rotations using. Path length of angular displacement and velocity, total mean velocity, standard deviation, root mean square and fractal dimension features were extracted for quantitative stability analysis. Then, the K-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) classifiers in the wrapper feature selection technique were used to classify the low and high stiffness supports of the platform. The results first showed that ankle is the dominant strategy in keeping the balance. All three classifiers revealed acceptable performance for data classification, but by applying the wrapper method and selected velocity-based features, finally the support vector classification with 93.75% accuracy had the highest accuracy and efficiency. This study can provide an early diagnosis of balance problems, standing and joint mechanisms to prevent falls by evaluating the classifiers.


A feature of Peter Kollman's research was his exploitation of the latest computational techniques to devise novel applications of the free energy perturbation method. He would certainly have seized upon the opportunities offered by massively distributed computing. Here we describe the use of over a million personal computers to perform virtual screening of 3.5 billion druglike molecules against protein targets by pharmacophore pattern matching, together with other applications of pattern recognition such as docking ligands without any a priori knowledge about the binding site location. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 23: 1544–1550, 2002


BACKGROUND
Benign parasitic cystic teratomas or extragonadal tumors are relatively rare representing 0.4% of all tumors. Its most common site is the omentum.

CASE REPORT
A 32-year-old women. Obstetric historial: 3 pregnancies, 2 deliveries, and 1 abortion. She was admitted with a 7 x 6 cm pelvic cystic mass meassured by ultrasound, laparoscopy was performed removing a pelvic cystic mass localized in omentum. The patient was discharged uneventful. Histological finding was a benign parasitic dermoid cyst of omentum. A literature review indicates that only 29 cases are reported.


Due to the high peroxidase-like activity and small lateral size of graphene quantum dots (GQDs), the covalently assembled GQDs/Au electrode exhibits great performance and stability in H(2)O(2) detection. It is better or comparable to some enzyme-immobilized electrodes, and thus could be useful in sensing H(2)O(2) changes in biological systems.


: Haemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder affecting about 1 in 10,000 people in the general population (Bulletin from WHO, 1991).There is clinical, psychological, stress, economical burden etc. Thus the need of the study states examining the effect of haemophilia as a disorder on various aspects of life and awareness of physical therapy. Objective:1.To study quality of life in children with haemophilia by using Hemo-QOL(Haemophilia specific questionnaire) (pediatric instrument).2.To study quality of life in adults with haemophilia by using Hem-A- QOL (adult instrument).3.Compare the quality of life with haemophilia in adults and children. Methodology: Ethical clearance was taken from the institution. Consent was taken from parents as well as the child. Total candidates (30) of each age group were collected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected and analyzed statistically. Result: The study determined the QOL of adults and children with haemophilia with the help of the questionnaire and it was found that the children were more impaired. Conclusion: The result of this study indicated that the quality of life of a sample of male children with haemophilia was impaired. Therefore in order to improve haemo QOL of adolescents, patients who were given drug infusions by third party caregivers excluding parents and also patients with lower familial income are suggested to receive more effective interventions by authorities, managers and health care providers. Keywords: Haemophilia,Hem-A-QOL (adult instrument), Hemo-QOL (Haemophilia specific questionnaire) (pediatric instrument). Quality of life (QOL).


BACKGROUND Décolleté aging includes skin dyspigmentation, laxity, and visible wrinkling. The development of globally accepted scales for the assessment of décolleté aging is essential for aesthetic research and patient evaluation. OBJECTIVE To develop a set of grading scales for the objective assessment of décolleté aging criteria and establish the reliability and validity of these scales. MATERIALS AND METHODS To describe age-related changes to the décolleté, 3 photonumeric grading scales were created and validated: décolleté wrinkles—at rest, décolleté wrinkles—dynamic, and décolleté pigmentation—at rest. Thirteen aesthetic experts rated photographs of the décolleté of 50 women at rest and at dynamic "hand-to-elbow" positions in 2 validation sessions. Responses were analyzed to assess interrater and intrarater reliability. RESULTS Interrater and intrarater reliability were both "almost perfect" (≥0.81, intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted kappa) for décolleté wrinkles—dynamic, summary score for décolleté, and estimated age. Reliability was "substantial" (0.61–0.80) for all other décolleté assessments. There was high correlation between all décolleté scales, estimated age, and estimated aesthetic treatment effort. CONCLUSION Consistent outcomes between raters and by individual raters at different time points confirm the reliability of the décolleté grading scales, indicating that they will be a valuable tool for use in clinical research and practice.


This paper studies the random-coding exponent of joint source-channel coding for the multiple-access channel with correlated sources. For each user, by defining a threshold, the messages of each source are partitioned into two classes. The achievable exponent for correlated sources with two message-dependent input distributions for each user is determined and shown to be larger than that achieved using only one input distribution for each user. A system of equations is presented to determine the optimal thresholds maximizing the achievable exponent. The obtained exponent is compared with the one derived for the MAC with independent sources.


Based on studying the data obtained during examination of patients with psoriasis combined with the urinary syndrome possible varieties of psoriatic nephropathy, namely chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and amyloidosis were distinguished. CGN combined with psoriasis was mainly represented by latent glomerulonephritis (GN) and morphologically, it was mostly represented by the mesangio-proliferative variant, with IgA and C3 being fixed on the basal membrane of the capillaries and in the mesangium. The clinicomorphological feature of that form of psoriatic GN is combination of the signs of both associated CGN and hyperuricemia and IgA-nephritis. Special emphasis is laid on the diagnosis of rapid-progressing GN which is of paramount importance for institution of early etiopathogenetic therapy. Amyloidosis associated with psoriasis is characterized by the signs of acquired disease (AA-amyloidosis) and does not differ in its course from amyloidosis coupled with other diseases.


Primary angiosarcoma of the spleen is a rare neoplasm with a very poor prognosis. We present computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of a 49-year-old man with primary splenic angiosarcoma and liver metastasis. The literature on primary splenic angiosarcoma is reviewed and imaging variability of this rare tumor is discussed.


Introduction: Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used as anti-inflammatory drugs because of their ability to cope with aches and pains. Consideration of rational selection of NSAIDs and a basic understanding of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features is important. The dentist must assess the risks and benefits of each drug by considering the medical history needs of everyone. Medications must be prescribed in the appropriate dosage to reduce or avoid complications related to NSAIDs.
Objective: To review the uses nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in dentistry.
Methods: Scientific evidence and clinical cases were drawn from the literature to support this review and information about the use of anti-inflammatory nosteroids in dentistry was collected.
Discussion: The use of NSAIDs in dentistry can be done both before the action and after the action. The administration of NSAIDs is based on doses of various NSAIDs. Each type of NSAIDs has advantages for its beneficial actions and side effects.
Conclusion: The literature review proves that the use of NSAIDs in the field of dentistry is very broad. Each drug has side effects and work power, each of which is tailored to the needs and systemic conditions of patients who require administration of this drug. The accuracy of the use or administration of NSAIDs is supported by the knowledge and expertise of doctors or dentists.


When rotating stripes or other periodic stimuli cross the retina at a critical rate, a reversal in the direction of motion of the stimuli is often seen. This illusion of motion perception was used to explore the roles of retinal and perceived motion in the generation of optokinetic nystagmus. Here we show that optokinetic nystagmus is disrupted during the perception of this illusion. Thus, when perceived and actual motion are in conflict, subjects fail to track the veridical movement. This observation suggests that the perception of motion can directly influence optokinetic nystagmus, even in the presence of a moving retinal image. A conflict in the neural representation of motion in different brain areas may explain these findings.


Abstract Aims: To investigate if the maternal neck (NC) and waist (WC) circumferences measured in the first trimester of pregnancy have a predictive value in diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Materials and methods: In this prospective study NC and WC of pregnant women were measured at 11–14th weeks. GDM was evaluated with a two-step oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28th weeks. Result: A total of 525 women were recruited; 49(9%) developed GDM. NC was positively correlated with WC (r: 0.583, p < .001), BMI (r: 0.533, p < .001), age (r: 0.123, p = .002), parity (r: 0.170, p < .001), and 50 g OGTT levels (r: 0.206, p < .001). Regarding the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) analysis of NC and WC for predicting GDM were 0.585 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50–0.66, p = .043), and 0.693 (95%CI: 0.61–0.76, p < .001). The optimal cut off level of maternal NC was >38.5 cm, with 69% sensitivity and 45% specificity, and WC was >84.50 cm with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 54%. Increased WC >84.50 cm (OR: 3.58, 95% CI:1.77–7.27; p < .001) and age >25 (OR: 3.05, 95% CI:1.38–6.72; p = .006) were independent predictors for the development of GDM adjusted for age, gravidity, parity, BMI, and NC. Conclusion: Maternal NC and WC were significantly higher in women with GDM; however, only maternal WC was a significant predictive marker for GDM in low-risk pregnant women.


This thesis work studies the use of Photoluminescent NanoDiamonds (PNDs) for bio-imaging applications. Nanodiamonds are photoluminescent thanks to embedded nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers. The thesis is divided in two parts. The first part concerns the study of the optical properties of NV color centers in nanodiamonds. After optimization of the NV center concentration, we compared the photoluminescence of PNDs to commercial Quantum Dots (QDs) and conclude that it can be similar or even higher in the case of PNDs. To enhance the imaging contrast of internalized by cells PNDs, we studied the 2-photon excitation properties of NV centers. While implementing a pulsed excitation laser, we discovered that simultaneous one- and two-photon excitation (IR+VIS pulses) quenches the photoluminescence signal of PNDs. We examined how this effect can serve for super-resolution imaging of NV color centers in nanodiamonds. The second part of the work is devoted to the applications of PNDs as bio-imaging probes. In the prospect of applications of PNDs as drug delivery vehicles, we studied the uptake mechanisms of PNDs and elucidated their intracellular localization by blocking different entry mechanisms and by immunofluorescence experiments. Moreover, we ensured that PNDs are not toxic for cells in culture. As a first try of vectorization we covered PNDs with plasmid DNA and examined the transfection efficiency.


The objective of this study is to establish poultry liver injury model induced by (CCl4) and seek effective hepatoprotective herbals for clinical application. Different doses of CCl4 dissolved in vegetable oil (1 : 1, V/V) were injected via pectoral muscle to induce acute liver injury model in chickens. An herbal formula, Longyin decoction, was prepared for hepatoprotection test on chicken acute liver injury models. The pathologic changes of the liver were observed, and the activities of ALT and AST were, respectively, detected to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of Longyin decoction on chickens. The chicken acute liver injury model was successfully established by injecting CCl4 via pectoral muscle. The best dose of CCl4 inducing chicken liver injury was 4.0 mL/kg·BW (body weight). The results of qualitative determination by HPTLC showed that the components of Longyin decoction contained Gentian, Capillaries, Gardenia, and Bupleurum root. In the high-dose Longyin group and the middle-dose Longyin group, the pathological changes of the damaged liver were mitigated and the activities of ALT and AST in serum were reduced significantly. Longyin decoction has obvious hepatoprotective effect on acute liver injury induced by CCl4.


In order to quickly determine and control the chaotic oscillation in supply chain system, to enhance the prediction accuracy of supply chain demand, and ensure the stability of supply chain systems, using fuzzy neural networks based on chaotic time series, sub-phase space is rebuilt by the demand time-series of supply chain system. Calculating the phase-space saturated embedding dimension and the largest Lyapunov index. Prediction model of supply chain demand has been built by fuzzy neural network based on a chaotic time series. The chaotic phenomena can be judged in supply chain system. Supply chain demand prediction controller has been designed based on fuzzy neural network. The simulating results show that fuzzy neural network with chaotic time series is feasible and effective on prediction of supply chain demand.


Hereditary hyperplastic gingivitis is a progressive growth of gingival tissues in foxes resulting in dental encapsulation. It is an autosomal recessive condition displaying a gender-biased penetrance, with an association with superior fur quality. This disease has been primarily described in European farmed foxes. Here we document its emergence in Canada.


Recall that a group is called large if it has a finite index subgroup which surjects onto a non-abelian free group. By work of Agol and Cooper-Long-Reid, most 3-manifold groups are large; in particular, the fundamental groups of hyperbolic 3-manifolds are large. In previous work, the first author gave examples of closed, hyperbolic 3-manifolds with arbitrarily large first homology rank but whose fundamental groups do not surject onto a non-abelian free group. We call a group very large if it surjects onto a non-abelian free group. In this paper, we consider the question of whether the groups of homology handlebodies - which are very close to being free - are very large. We show that the fundamental group of W. Thurston's tripus manifold, is not very large; it is known to be weakly parafree by Stallings' Theorem and large by the work of Cooper-Long-Reid since the tripus is a hyperbolic manifold with totally geodesic boundary. It is still unknown if a 3-manifold group that is weakly parafree of rank at least 3 must be very large. However, we more generally consider the co-rank of the fundamental group, also known as the cut number of the manifold. For each positive integer g we construct a homology handlebody Y_g of genus g whose group has co-rank equal to r(g), where r(g)=g/2 for g even and r(g)=(g+1)/2 for g odd. That is, these groups are weakly parafree of rank g and surject onto a free group of rank roughly half of g but no larger.


Two cross-sectional surveys of the entire membership of the Fukuoka Prefecture Medical Association were conducted in 1983 and 1990 using a self-administered questionnaire, and respondents were registered as the study cohort. In this investigation the trend of the actual prevalence of smoking among physicians and the relationship between their smoking cessation and living habits were studied. A decline in the actual prevalence of smoking was demonstrated among the 2,656 subjects who responded to both surveys (2,543 men and 113 women). To examine any relationship between lifestyle variables and smoking cessation after 1983, those who were smokers in 1983 (1,099 men and 7 women, total 1,106) were divided into two groups, according to whether or not they still smoked in 1990. Subjects who quit smoking accounted for a larger proportion of those physicians with any of the following life-style variables: earlier bedtimes, unawareness of mental stress, greater consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit, and less coffee consumption. Further observation of the relationship between smoking cessation and changes in lifestyle variables showed that there were more who quit smoking among those who became employed physicians, had an increase of the body mass index (BMI) and began to be aware of mental stress. These results suggested that, for physicians who smoked, it is a possibility that smoking was an important way of coping with stress, and thus pointed to the need to take mental-health measures to help physicians to stop smoking.


Cholera is endemic and remains a significant public health problem in places like South Sudan where decades of war have devastated basic infrastructures and left people vulnerable to diseases mostly forgotten in other places. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that oral cholera vaccination (OCV) be used in conjunction with other cholera prevention and control measures and an OCV stockpile was created to improve access to the vaccines in situations of outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies and other high risk settings. Four years later, following the eruption of a violent political crisis that has left more than 50,000 people dead and another 2.5million displaced, OCV campaigns were conducted in PoCs (Protection of Civilian areas) across South Sudan with vaccines provided from the stockpile. This was the first use of the OCV stockpile in a humanitarian crisis. The potential social and health systems effects of the vaccine have so far been unexplored.
This thesis uses qualitative methods to examine the socio-cultural and political dimensions of cholera and OCV campaigns among internally displaced Nuer people living in PoC areas in Juba, South Sudan, and their relation to perceptions of health, cholera risk and vaccination decisions. Interviews were conducted with humanitarian health professionals involved in the cholera response as well as with Nuer residents in the two PoCs where the OCV campaigns were conducted. Their narratives were interpreted with attention to the political and humanitarian crises in South Sudan as well as the humanitarian response by domestic and international actors. This thesis argues that the violent conflict, which led to the displacement of Nuers in Juba into UN-protected areas also led to changes in their conceptualization of risk and health. Both became intertwined in a socio-political narrative, framing the Dinka dominated SPLM government as a source of disease and UN/NGOs as a source of health. Cholera risk and vaccination decisions were described in non-political and political terms. Vaccination decisions were one of few means Nuers had of exercising political autonomy and control. Similarly, for humanitarian health professionals, the provision of OCVs was an essential aspect of building credibility and trust among Nuers in the PoCs. In this context, trust in institutions emerged as the most significant influence in vaccine decision making. The significance of trust, which is not encompassed in a typical "exposure-outcome" framework of epidemiology, also explains why vaccine recipients neither perceived their risk of cholera as diminishing nor perceived a reduced need for preventative practices, such as hand-washing, five months after vaccination. The thesis concludes that vaccination in a humanitarian crisis context warrants re-conceptualization not simply in an equation weighing epidemiological risk and disease perception on the part of the target population, nor a simple decision of doing what is best from the perspective of humanitarian actors, but as part of a complex process also considering the political and social dynamics surrounding health interventions and their influence on public willingness to accept them.


The professional quality and ability of teachers determines the success or failure of education. It is also a vital mechanism for enhancing the professionalism and lifelong learning of teachers. The key to professional development of teachers is how to improve their professional quality and ability. The professional development of college English teachers is facing new opportunities and challenges with the deepening reform of higher education in China. It is necessary to carry on teaching reflection, expand their visions of teaching field, extend the teaching scope, and improve their professional abilities. Teaching reflection has been looked on as an effective way to improve the teaching quality and to promote the professional development of teachers. Based on the teaching reflection theory, this paper firstly discusses the definition of professional development of college English teachers, and then analyzes the main influence factors on the professional development of college English teachers from the perspective of teaching reflection, such as teaching ideas, teaching modes, teaching methods and teaching environments. Finally, enlightenment of teaching reflection on the professional development of the college English teachers is expounded from five aspects. In order to adapt to the situation of curriculum reform, only by constantly reflecting, and constantly improve their ability of innovation, the levels of professional development of college English teachers could be improved through teaching reflection and English ability of students could be also enhanced.


This paper presents a novel graph reinforcement learning (RL) architecture to solve multi-robot task allocation (MRTA) problems that involve tasks with deadlines and workload, and robot constraints such as work capacity. While drawing motivation from recent graph learning methods that learn to solve combinatorial optimization (CO) problems such as multi-Traveling Salesman and Vehicle Routing Problems using RL, this paper seeks to provide better performance (compared to non-learning methods) and important scalability (compared to existing learning architectures) for the stated class of MRTA problems. The proposed neural architecture, called Capsule Attention-based Mechanism or CapAM acts as the policy network, and includes three main components: 1) an encoder: a Capsule Network based node embedding model to represent each task as a learnable feature vector; 2) a decoder: an attention-based model to facilitate a sequential output; and 3) context: that encodes the states of the mission and the robots. To train the CapAM model, the policy-gradient method based on REINFORCE is used. When evaluated over unseen scenar-ios, CapAM demonstrates better task completion performance and > 10 times faster decision-making compared to standard non-learning based online MRTA methods. CapAM's advantage in generalizability, and scalability to test problems of size larger than those used in training, are also successfully demonstrated in comparison to a popular approach for learning to solve CO problems, namely the purely attention mechanism.


This paper focusses on a hybrid approach based on genetic algorithm (GA) and an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for modeling the correlation between plasma arc cutting (PAC) parameters and the response characteristics of machined Monel 400 alloy sheets. PAC experiments are performed based on box-behnken design methodology by considering cutting speed, gas pressure, arc current, and stand-off distance as input parameters, and surface roughness (Ra), kerf width (kw), and micro hardness (mh) as response characteristics. GA is efficaciously utilized as the training algorithm to optimize the ANFIS parameters. The training, testing errors, and statistical validation parameter results indicated that the ANFIS learned by GA outperforms in the forecasting of PAC responses compared with the results of multiple linear regression models. Besides that, to obtain the optimal combination PAC parameters, multi-response optimization was performed using a trained ANFIS network coupled with an artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC). The superlative responses, such as Ra of 1.5387 µm, kw of 1.2034 mm, and mh of 176.08, are used to forecast the optimum cutting conditions, such as a cutting speed of 2330.39 mm/min, gas pressure of 3.84 bar, arc current of 45 A, and stand-off distance of 2.01 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the ABC predicted results are validated by conducting confirmatory experiments, and it was found that the error between the predicted and the actual results are lower than 6.38%, indicating the adoptability of the proposed ABC in optimizing real-world complex machining processes.


Introduction. The use as a binder in the manufacture of silicate paints polysilicate solutions obtained by mixing liquid glass and silica sol is considered. To regulate the rheological properties of the paint, improve the filling and prevent the pigment part from sagging, it has been proposed to introduce glycerin into the binder composition. The results of studying the interfacial interaction between the paint and the substrate are given. Materials and methods. In developing the formulation of silicate paints based on polysilicate solutions, MK-2 microcalcite, marshalite, diatomite and talc of MT-GSM grade were used as a filler, and titanium dioxide as a pigment. Polysilicate solutions were obtained by reacting stabilized solutions of colloidal silica (sols) with aqueous solutions of alkali silicates (liquid glasses). Nanosil 20 and Nanosil 30 silicic acid sol were used, produced by the Promsteklocentr PC. Used potassium liquid glass with module M = 3.29. A thermodynamic method was used to assess the interfacial interaction. Results. Shown that the introduction of glycerol into the formulation of a sol of silicate paint promotes a decrease in the interfacial surface tension and a better wetting of the surface of the mortar substrate. An increase in wetting coefficient is observed. Coatings based on sol silicate paints with the addition of glycerin are characterized by increased crack resistance. An increase in tensile strength, maximum tensile properties, and decrease in the elastic modulus of paint membranes based on the composition with glycerol has been established. The values of the free surface energy of the coating based on the sol of silicate paint and the ratio of the polar to the dispersion component of the free energy of the surface are given. Coatings based on sol of silicate paint with the addition of glycerin are characterized by a large value of the free energy of the surface. In the process of moistening a decrease in the free surface energy is observed due to a decrease in the dispersion component. Conclusions. Studies have shown that the introduction of an additive of glycerin in the formulation of a silicate paint sol contributes to an increase in the performance properties of coatings based on it.


Prior research has produced ample evidence showing that agility affects performance outcomes; however, we know little about the link between agility and collaborative processes toward environmental sustainability. This study examines the relationship between operational agility and environmental collaboration, mediated by individual creativity and flexible work arrangements. Using multilevel analysis of data obtained from 249 managers of 66 multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Turkey, we find that operational agility through individual creativity and flexible work arrangements leads to greater environmental collaboration. We contribute to the streams of literature on agility, international management, and environmental sustainability by elucidating that operational agility of emerging market MNEs tends to reduce environmental impacts and that individual creativity and flexible work arrangements facilitate environmental collaboration to attain environmental success.


DC-biased optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DCO-OFDM) has been introduced to visible light networking framework for connected vehicles (LiNEV) systems as a modulation and multiplexing scheme. This is to overcome the light-emitting diode (LED) bandwidth limitation, as well as to reduce the inter-symbol interference caused by the multipath road fading. Due to the implementation of the inverse fast Fourier transform, DC-OFDM suffers from its large peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), which degrades the performance in LiNEV systems, as the LEDs used in the vehicles' headlights have a limited optical power-current linear range. To tackle this issue, discrete Fourier transform spread-optical pulse amplitude modulation (DFTS-OPAM) has been proposed as an alternative modulation scheme for LiNEV systems instead of DCO-OFDM. In this paper, we investigate the system performance of both schemes considering the light-emitting diode linear dynamic range and LED 3 dB modulation bandwidth limitations. The simulation results indicate that DCO-OFDM has a 9 dB higher PAPR value compared with DFTS-OPAM. Additionally, it is demonstrated that DCO-OFDM requires an LED with a linear range that is twice the one required by DFTS-OPAM for the same high quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) order. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that when the signal bandwidth of both schemes significantly exceeds the LED modulation bandwidth, DCO-OFDM outperforms DFTS-OPAM, as it requires a lower signal-to-noise ratio at a high QAM order.


Anthropogenic activities such as the rapid leap of industrialization and urbanization constitute a significant concern in megacities and have become a key source of groundwater contamination. Twenty-five (25) groundwater samples were collected from tube wells and handpumps from Nacharam watershed, greater Hyderabad. The water samples were analyzed for 13 physicochemical parameters and major dissolved ions using the standard methods. WQI has been computed using a weighted arithmetic index method and integrated with GIS to identify the hotspots of contamination and their spatial distribution. The analytical data plotted on the Piper diagram showed that dominance of Ca-Mg-Cl (52%) type followed by Na-Cl type of water is dominant in 44% of samples might be resulting due to increase in anthropogenic activities such as discharge of waste water from industries. Results reveal that 96% of the samples exceed the F - concentrations compared with WHO permissible limits suggested unfit for drinking. WQI values indicate that 56% of samples fall in the poor category, 28% belong to very poor water, and 4% are unsuitable for drinking. These findings will provide valuable information to policymakers and stakeholders on the proper management and supply of potable water that reduces human health concerns .


Globalization impact and economics crisis in Indonesia has been  changed Indonesiaeconomics structure. Many manufacture industries have been shut down, especially which issupported by imported raw material. This is certainly a very clear proof that our industrialfoundation is not rigid. Goverment has changed industrial development strategy into  industrialcluster approach to survive this crisis. There are 3 model to analyze industrial cluster, i.e. CollectiveEfficiency,  Flexible Specialization, and Porter Diamond Model.  This research was focused on studying industrial cluster, with case study on tennagemanufacture in Yogyakarta, based on Porter Diamond Model. Porter Diamond Model consist of four determinant, i.e. (1) factor conditions, (2) demand condition, (3) firm strategy, structure, andrivalry, and (4) related and supporting industry.


Rawls formulates liberalism according to two conceptions of reasonable and rational, which, tied to two particular notions of society and person, define the basis of liberalism in Rawlsian thought. This article argues that Mehdi Haeri Yazdi's important work, Hekmat va Hokumaat, should be considered as a work of liberal theory, and shows how it endorses liberal conceptions of the reasonable and the rational. The main elements of Ha'eri's liberalism are his thesis that philosophy has priority over jurisprudence, his doctrine of contract based upon concepts of agency contract (aqd-e vekalat) and joint private ownership (malekiyat-e shakhsi-ye musha), and his defense of individualism against the alleged collectivism of Rousseau.


Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) are multiskilled with a variety of career options available to them. As nurses develop they can specialize in many areas, performing many different and diverse roles. One of these roles is within the world of research. This paper is a basic exploration of the role of the research nurse or practitioner and how crucial this is in the development and management of research. A series of papers will follow outlining important areas of the research process offering a comprehensive set of developmental areas for both novice and experienced researchers. The term 'nurse' will also refer to midwives and AHPs.


Various methods are used to quantify sedative drug effects, but it is unknown how these surrogate measures relate to clinically relevant sleepiness. This study assessed the sensivity of different surrogates of sedation to clinically relevant sleepiness induced by sleep deprivation. Nine healthy volunteers completed a balanced three-way cross-over study with 1-week wash-out periods. Adaptive tracking, smooth-pursuit and saccadic eye movements, body sway, digit symbol substitution (DSST), visual analogue scales (VAS) and electroencephalograms (EEG) were evaluated on three occasions: (1) during the day after normal sleep, (2) during wakefulness at night; and (3) during the day after a night of sleep deprivation.VAS of alertness showed a gradual decline at night and a constant average reduction of 38 percent [95% Confidence intervals (CI), 28–47%] during the day after sleep deprivation. Average mood scores diminished by 14 percent (95%, CI 2–24%) during the day after sleep deprivation. Adaptive tracking, saccadic eye movements and body sway tended to deteriorate at night, but overall this was not statistically significant. After a night of sleep deprivation, adaptive tracking decreased by 21 percent (95% CI, 11–30%), saccadic eye movements decreased by 9–10 percent (95% CI, 5–13%/6–15%) and body sway increased by 37 percent (95% CI, 5–79%). In contrast, EEG b2-amplitudes declined significantly at night by 18 percent (95% CI, 6–29%), without changes during the day after sleep deprivation. Smooth pursuit, DSST and other EEG-amplitudes remained unchanged. These resultsemphasize that reductions in adaptive tracking, saccadic peak velocity and body sway caused by sedative drugs really reflect sedation. They also provide a level of clinical significance for these surrogates of sedation. EEG parameters and smooth pursuit were unaffected by sleep deprivation, so drug-induced changes in these measures may notreflect sedation in a stricter sense. The motivation and alertnessnecessary for DSST may overcome mild sedation.


Randomness testing of binary sequences generated by any keystream generator is of paramount importance to both designer and attacker. Here we consider a word-oriented keystream generator known as multiple-recursive matrix generator, which was introduced by Niederreiter (1993). Using NIST statistical test suite as well as DieHarder statistical package, we analyze randomness properties of binary sequences generated by multiple-recursive matrix generator and show that these sequences are not really adequate for any cryptographic applications. We also propose nonlinearly filtered multiple-recursive matrix generator based a special nonlinear function and establish that sequences generated by such a nonlinearly filtered multiple-recursive matrix generator provide good randomness results. Moreover, we compare our randomness test results with some of the recent lightweight stream ciphers like Lizard, Fruit, and Plantlet.


Abstract The fluorescence emission of iron‐free cytochrome c (0Cyt c) in a glassy matrix was investigated under conditions of very low temperature (4.2 K.) and narrow bandwidth laser excitation. Excitation into the vibronic band, Qx(1,0) resulted in highly resolved emission spectra of linewidth 10‐20 cm−1. Using the model of selective excitation developed by Abram el al. (1975) and McColgan et al. (1978), the emission spectra of vibronic excitation afforded a method to investigate excited state vibrational structure. Furthermore, emission profiles have shown that in 0Cyt c, the site distribution (inhomogeneous broadening) has a width in the order of 200cm−1.